"What, you think I'm wrong?" Sin Mal sneered at Kiana's crestfallen face, turning to lean against the railing. "This great me sees the true nature of your little team crystal clear!
"That guy Shu clearly has no ability to take care of others, yet from start to finish, he's the one focusing all his attention on you lot. And you're all centered around him. The only scenario I can imagine is that he has to protect you."
Sin Mal shrugged. To be honest, she'd seen this kind of situation many times before. The way Shu looked at Kiana and the others was almost identical to how hired bodyguards watched over their clients.
Even though they were the ones who needed their daily lives arranged by others, it was the mercenaries whose gazes were constantly fixed on their employers, as if terrified of a single oversight.
"Is it that obvious...?" Kiana asked in a small voice. Everyone knew that Shu was always looking out for their safety, but she hadn't realized it was that obvious...
"That guy doesn't even try to hide it, okay?" Sin Mal rolled her eyes. A normal person might not have noticed, but were Kiana and her friends normal people?
At the very least, Kiana was from a major family, right?
"Really?" Kiana became even more confused. She replayed Shu's recent behavior in her mind but couldn't recall any specific actions where he was overtly protective of her...
Even if there were some hints, didn't he treat everyone that way?
Kiana sullenly took a sip of her drink. The moment it hit her tongue, the fizzing, popping bubbles lifted her spirits a little.
"Although I don't know how amazing that guy is, I did see the livestream from three months ago." Sin Mal also took a big gulp of her drink, unabashedly grimacing for a moment before letting out a long sigh of emotion.
"I never used to believe someone that incredible could actually exist in the world. It's like those superhero movies, with extraordinary powers, facing terrifyingly strong opponents..."
Kiana nodded in agreement. Whether it was Shu's power or the terrifying opponents, Sin Mal was right on both counts.
"I used to scoff at those movies. What a load of garbage, I thought. Could anyone who gained that kind of power really go on doing good deeds and helping people day after day?
"And forget helping people—the ones that really pissed me off were the guys who had all that power but still let people point fingers and curse them out. I mean, you could slap their faces off with one hit, so why would you put up with that crap?"
Sin Mal was clearly thinking of a specific plot, her face filled with indignation. "If it were me, even if I didn't have powers, I'd go up there and slap their mouths shut! Then I'd [censored] their [censored] and shove their [censored] up their [censored]—"
Wiping away a cold sweat, Kiana cut off Sin Mal's emotional tirade. "Ahem, maybe you can't generalize about people like that? Just like some people are born good, and some are born bad..."
It sounded ridiculous coming out of her mouth. Kiana couldn't believe she was actually the one playing the part of the reasonable one.
"Born bad? Is that even human?!" Sin Mal's single sentence successfully silenced Kiana once again.
"But you're right about one thing. This great me can tell that Shu is a natural-born good guy," Sin Mal said, nodding in agreement with Kiana after her outrageous statement.
"This great me isn't exactly a good person, but I won't do every bad thing under the sun, either. I can still tell the difference between good and bad.
"Everyone says you should do good things, and everyone wants others to do good things, but aren't there still so many bad things happening in the world? Who's doing all that? In the end, don't people just do whatever they want to do?
"And then there are people who think they're doing a good deed. And in reality? Someone else turns around and starts cursing them out. It's not like it's rare for a good deed to turn into a bad one. What's the point of regretting it then?"
Sin Mal chugged the rest of her soda in one go and crushed the can in her hand. "That's why this great me doesn't listen to what other people say. This great me does whatever I want!
"If I want to cut my hair short, I'll cut it short. There's no need to trouble myself by keeping it long just because someone else says it looks good! Not only will I keep my hair short, but I'll also chew out anyone who makes a stupid comment about it. So what if I'm not ladylike, so what if I don't have style? This great me feels great!
"If you think something is right, then just do it. At least you know why you think it's the right thing to do. Who knows what the person telling you what to do is really thinking?"
"Exactly!" Kiana exclaimed, as if she'd found a kindred spirit. She nodded vigorously at Sin Mal, deeply moved. "I can't believe you're so young but you understand so much!"
The previously eloquent Sin Mal fell silent for a moment. She had a feeling Kiana was subtly insulting her, but then she remembered she was talking to a Kaslana. It was unlikely she was capable of such clever jabs.
Kiana wasn't actually lost. She understood all the logic and knew the situation clearly.
She just didn't know how to make a decision, because she couldn't think of a solution that would take care of everyone.
But now, she knew what to do.
"The thing you think is right, huh..." she muttered to herself. Then Kiana tilted her head back and dumped the entire can of soda in one go, tossing the empty can into a nearby trash bin with a flourish.
She spun around, threw an arm out, and swept up Sin Mal, who was striking a pose while gazing at the sea.
"What are you doing?! Let go of this great me!!" Sin Mal had not expected this at all. The cool, detached demeanor she had just built up instantly crumbled, replaced by a prideful kid struggling helplessly in Kiana's arms.
"Thank you so much! Sin!"
Kiana's strength was far too much for Sin Mal to break free from. After being spun around three times, Sin Mal was put down, utterly defeated. She leaned back against the railing, completely drained of life.
Sin Mal, who had just declared she would never do anything she'd regret, was now filled with regret.
She would never meddle like this again. Just go be miserable by yourself! Get lost in your own confusion!
If this great me ever steps in again, may this great me be forgotten for all eternity!
Kiana took a deep breath and turned to wave at a spot behind her. "Mei!"
From the shadows, Mei emerged awkwardly, her face still showing the slight embarrassment of being caught.
But Kiana had already run to her side and taken her hand.
"Let's go! We're going to get some sacks! I'm going to pack up everyone in the orphanage, including Bronya, and take them all with us!" Kiana declared excitedly.
Mei froze. Sin Mal, still in the middle of her existential crisis, snapped her head around and stared at Kiana in shock.
"Wha—?!"