|| ɪ ʙᴇᴄᴀᴍᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴠɪʟʟᴀɪɴᴇꜱꜱ ɪɴ ᴀɴ ᴀɴᴛɪᴄʟɪᴍᴀᴄᴛɪᴄ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ||

Chapter 12

Ch 12 — If You Like It, Then We'll Go With That

I was once the biggest tomboy in the orphanage. There was no other child who could make up such creative pranks like me, nor was there ever a child like me who received the most scoldings from the teachers.

"Teach, here's a present~!"

"Ahhh! What is this?!"

I would bring a frog as a gift and hide it in the teacher's desk drawer.

"Ara, did I or did I not just finish erasing all the graffiti you drew last time?"

"I drew a new drawing! This time, it's a puppy that even the teacher would like!"

I had scribbled as if marking areas everywhere, regardless of whether it was on wallpaper or an outer wall. With the other children, I would make the teacher suffer by hiding all of the teacher's writing aids in the playground or deliberately get myself extra dirty during playtime.

"Ara Lee! Just where on earth did that child go again?!"

Whenever I heard my name ring out loudly in the orphanage, I would feel happy for no reason. Even if it wasn't love, I found it satisfying as long as I had a stake in the teachers' heads.

Then one day, the director of the orphanage called me in. I walked in grumbling, wondering if they were going to tell me I had caused a mess or scold me again, but the director of the orphanage unexpectedly didn't look angry. Instead, they gave me the coke that I liked and had me sit down on the sofa.

"Although I'm not sure you think of me, I sincerely support your future."

The director, who had only approached me intimidatingly, spoke in a friendly voice that didn't suit them.

"Now that you're a full-fledged teenager, I have something that I have to tell you."

It was about a month before my middle school entrance ceremony.

"You should've felt it in primary school, but you are very different to the other kids in your school."

"Because I don't have a mom and dad?"

"...That's right."

I vaguely remembered that the director had smiled painfully at the fact that he had thoughtlessly spit out.

"But compared to other kids who only have one mom and one dad, I have five teachers who are like my mom and five uncles who are like my dad."

The cleaning lady, the bus driver who drives me to school, as well as the faculty staff uncle on the second floor who gives me candy everyday.

"Yes, we've always cherished that positive spirit of yours."

The director patted my head affectionately.

"But Ara, this world is not as optimistic or as tolerant as you are."

"?"

"Since you are different from other children, the world will view you differently, even if you do the exact same thing."

"Um... it's hard for me to understand what you mean."

The director spoke in a more serious voice.

"It means that you will have to start taking responsibility for your actions and words."