Chapter 112: Villain Simulator, Ch 111
"I... I'll excuse myself," Lucas said, preparing to turn and leave.
"Do you really think that's necessary?" Barbara, surprisingly composed, replied coolly, "You've been working hard all day too. Just stay and wash up together."
After all, with everything that had already happened, avoiding each other now seemed a little redundant.
Settling himself in the water, Lucas sighed. "About what happened earlier… I'm sorry."
"It's my own fault," Barbara replied flatly, her expression unreadable. "I should've trusted my instincts. You're a shameless scoundrel."
"That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" Lucas responded, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Didn't you notice that there might've been something… off about those berries?"
"You're right," Barbara nodded. "Based on my experience, that fruit likely affects one's mental state. That's why… we ended up doing what we did."
"So…," Lucas asked cautiously, "does that mean you don't hate me?"
"I do hate you," Barbara shot him a sharp look but then sighed, "But what good would that do? It's not like I could take you on in a fight."
Oddly enough, despite her words, Barbara didn't truly harbor deep resentment toward the man before her.
Though the experience had been painful, there had also been a surprising sweetness to it, like the allure of those forbidden berries.
Wait a second!
Barbara, what are you even thinking?! You're a priestess serving the gods—how could you let such worldly desires cloud your mind?
"You could always tell Captain Jean," Lucas said offhandedly. "She'd definitely get justice for you if she knew—whoa!"
Before he could finish, Barbara lunged forward, gripping his shoulders, her gaze icy and intense.
"Promise me," Barbara said, her words slow and deliberate, "you won't tell anyone about this. Especially not my sister!"
"I-I promise," Lucas stammered, nodding repeatedly. "I swear, I won't tell a soul."
As expected, Barbara was keen on keeping the incident a secret, particularly from her beloved older sister. She couldn't bear the thought of tarnishing her pure image in her sister's eyes.
"As for revenge," Barbara clenched her fists. "Someday, I'll make you pay."
"Do as you wish," Lucas replied, his tone softening. "But tell me… are you still in pain?"
Hearing his words, Barbara's complex emotions crumbled, and tears began to roll down her cheeks.
"You… you jerk!" she cried.
She pummeled Lucas's chest with her small fists, though her punches lacked strength. In fact, they were almost soothing.
After a while, her fatigue caught up with her, and Barbara slumped against him, sniffing and muttering, "If you're going to play the villain, at least do it right. First, you're awful to me, then you turn around and act all caring. Just… what am I supposed to do with you?!"
In truth, Lucas's personality was deeply conflicted. On one hand, he wanted to stay true to his kind nature. But on the other, the influence of the simulator's darker persona and the Ring of Manipulation often tempted him, making self-restraint difficult.
This wasn't a case of split personalities; both the benevolent and malevolent sides of Lucas were part of the same person. The shifts in his behavior, however, led to wildly different actions and consequences.
Barbara cried for a while longer, eventually tiring herself out, until finally, she collapsed against Lucas, her small, flat stomach rumbling once more.
"Are you hungry again?" Lucas asked. "Would you like me to gather some more berries?"
"No berries!" Barbara's refusal was resolute. "Just thinking about them makes me nauseous."
"Then what would you like to eat?" Lucas asked patiently.
"I want… that oyster broth you mentioned earlier." Barbara's eyes sparkled as she recalled the taste she had only imagined, and she couldn't help but drool slightly. "I couldn't taste it properly while I was out of it, but it seemed delicious. I searched for so long but couldn't find any."
"Actually… there never was any oyster broth," Lucas admitted, his face reddening as he leaned in to whisper in Barbara's ear. "It was actually…"
"What?!" Barbara's face immediately turned crimson. Instinctively, she wiped her mouth and mumbled, "So… it was that?"
No wonder there had been a familiar smell.
"So maybe you'd like something else?" Lucas suggested, trying to change the topic. "If you're craving seafood, I could try to catch some fish."
"No," Barbara narrowed her eyes, her tone firm. "I want oyster broth… and nothing else!"
"I already told you, didn't I?" Lucas spread his hands. "That oyster broth you're asking for… it's actually..."
"No, you're hiding it," Barbara insisted, her gaze fixed on him with an intensity driven by hunger that was eroding her sense of reason. "You've just buried it somewhere deep… but I'll find every bit of it."
"Wait..." Lucas's expression shifted as he realized what she meant. "You're not actually thinking—"
"Here I go!"
Without waiting, Barbara launched herself at him once more.
This time, Lucas wasn't able to dodge.
And Barbara once again savored that "delicacy" she had dreamed about, something that took so much effort to finally taste.
...
It was unclear how much time had passed before Barbara finally felt her appetite satisfied.
As before, her hunger wasn't physical; it was a psychological effect caused by the influence of the *Temptation Fruit, driving her to constantly crave sustenance. Now, with her appetite finally sated, the hunger faded, leaving her in peace.
Lucas, however, wasn't in such good shape. The energy he had only recently managed to recover was now nearly depleted once again.
Indeed, committing mischief had its price.
Just then, a distinctive orca call echoed from afar, startling Lucas as he looked into the distance. Sure enough, the orca, Oga, was returning, and Lucas could make out two figures on its broad back.
There was no doubt—it was Klee and Jean!
It seemed that Oga had found them and brought them back.
"It's Klee and Jean!" Lucas exclaimed excitedly. "They're here!"
"My sister's here?" Barbara quickly dressed herself, but not without giving Lucas a pointed reminder. "Remember, not a word about what happened between us!"
"Relax," Lucas said with a sigh. "The last thing I want is to be on the receiving end of Jean's blade."
Although, in truth, Jean likely wouldn't be much of a match for Lucas now.
"Thank you, Mr. Orca!"
As Klee hopped off the orca's back, she politely bowed to Oga, waving her little hand in farewell before turning around, jumping up to greet Lucas, and landing directly in his arms. "Daddy! Klee finally found you!"
"Good girl," Lucas chuckled, ruffling her hair. "I wasn't expecting you all to meet up too."
"Yes, we ran into each other," Jean nodded to Lucas, her expression full of gratitude. "Thank you so much for looking after Barbara."
"Don't mention it." A small, teasing smile tugged at the corners of Lucas's mouth. "Barbara and I… well, we've been helping each other a lot."
"Well, as long as nothing happened." Jean's expression suddenly became one of concern as she turned to Barbara. "By the way, Barbara, are you still hungry? Should I ask Klee to blast some fish for you?"
That Jean would volunteer to let Klee use bombs showed just how much she cared for her little sister.
"No, no, I'm fine." Barbara shook her head. "I… I just ate something."
"What did you eat?" Jean asked with a meticulous care. "Was it safe? Are you feeling okay?"
Barbara glanced over at Lucas, her cheeks flushed. "It was… perfectly clean. Lucas made it for me himself."
In a way, it was true. Lucas had provided it, but perhaps not with his hands, exactly.
"Thank you again." Jean nodded in appreciation. "You really are a good person!"
Hearing this, Lucas and Barbara exchanged a complex look.
If Jean knew the truth… well, the outcome would be unimaginable.
"Enough chatting!" Klee interrupted, bouncing on her feet with impatience. "Aren't we still supposed to be playing? We've barely covered any ground so far!"
True enough. Even now, they'd barely taken a few turns each, and their pieces on the game board still had a long way to go before reaching the end.
"Klee's right," Lucas agreed, nodding. "Now that all four of us are together again, it's time to keep moving in this game."
"If I remember correctly, it's Klee's turn," Jean said. "The order goes Klee, Barbara, Lucas, and then me."
Jean didn't seem to notice that when she said "Lucas," Barbara's gaze had shifted, her expression subtly tinged with surprise.
When did her sister start addressing him so informally?
But Klee's enthusiastic voice broke Barbara's thoughts.
"Klee's going to roll a high number!"
With a toss, the dice came up as a two and a six, allowing Klee's game piece to advance by eight spaces.
The other three eagerly leaned over to read the text on the square Klee's piece had landed on.
"Age Swap Fun: Until someone rolls a one."
"Age swap?" the three said in unison.
"That's pretty straightforward," Lucas mused, rubbing his chin. "It means our ages will be swapped, but… hey, why do you all suddenly look so tall?"
In that moment, Lucas realized that the other three hadn't actually grown taller at all.
No… he had shrunk!
Not only that, but his voice now had a high, childish tone to it.
"Wow! Daddy's so cute!" "Klee" exclaimed as she picked Lucas up, beaming. "Up you go!"
The reason for the quotation marks around "Klee" was that her appearance had changed dramatically—now she looked to be around eighteen or nineteen years old.
And as for Lucas, his height had shrunk to match Klee's usual size—he was now the same age as her!
"So this is what a grown-up Klee looks like?" Jean marveled, looking her over. "She looks just like her mother, Alice."
Jean herself had also turned into a child, though her mature speech and expressions made for an oddly contrasting appearance.
"Sister, look!" Barbara suddenly puffed out her chest with excitement. "It's… incredible!"
Barbara, who had transformed from a young girl into a woman in her early twenties, now possessed a more… impressive figure than her sister Jean, perhaps even surpassing her.
Jean, meanwhile, now looked as small and adorable as a young child, her once refined face now round and cherubic.
Lucas quickly pieced it together: he and Jean had both become Klee's age, while Klee had taken on Jean's age, and Barbara had assumed his.
Looking down at his short, childlike form, Lucas couldn't help but feel utterly defeated.
This game was playing a joke… and it was way too big!
"They can even change our ages like this?" Jean muttered, looking down at her now child-sized body. She seemed slightly unsettled. "What if we encounter danger? Can I really protect everyone like this?"
Unlike Barbara and Klee, who were thrilled by the novelty, Jean, ever composed, immediately thought about their safety.
"Don't worry, Sister!" Barbara appeared behind Jean, suddenly lifting her up with a grin. "If there's any danger, I'll protect you… And besides, Sister, you look way too adorable like this!"
"N-no… not like this!" Jean's face flushed red as she struggled to free herself from Barbara's embrace. However, with her strength significantly reduced, she couldn't quite match Barbara's now adult-level strength. "Barbara, p-put me down!"
"No way!" Barbara giggled, rubbing her cheek against Jean's. "You're officially the cutest sister in the world!"
"That's not true!" Not to be outdone, Klee hoisted Lucas up to face Barbara. "Daddy's the cutest!"
"No, Sister's cuter!"
"No, Daddy's cuter!"
Watching these two oversized "kids" arguing over something so trivial, Lucas and Jean exchanged looks and shared a sigh of exasperation, each with a small smile.
"Alright, alright… enough with the arguing," Jean said, sighing. "Let's get back to the game. We can only return to normal if someone rolls a one."
"Aww… no!"
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