✯ Chapter 1 ✯
“Hello.”
To put it simply, Hannah’s first meeting with the children had been completely ordinary.
At least, until she found out who they really were.
She already knew she had possessed someone else’s body, but she had never imagined she had entered the world of a novel.
Pink hair… and golden eyes.
This was a small orphanage attached to a temple.
And the owner of this body was a nursery teacher who cared for the children there.
The original owner of the body had grown up in the orphanage for fifteen years. She had never become a priest and had instead been satisfied with working as a childcare teacher.
Hannah somehow knew this because faint memories of the original owner remained in the body.
She had possessed this body on her very first day of work.
And that was when she met the cute children.
“Uh… right. Hello. So your names are…?”
“Masha!”
“Jeremy.”
“Ian.”
The cheerful child with red hair was Masha.
The mischievous-looking boy with black hair was Jeremy.
The quiet, expressionless boy with shining blond hair was Ian.
As soon as Hannah heard their names, something felt strange.
They sounded strangely familiar.
Where had I heard names like these before?
She thought about it carefully.
Then suddenly, a novel she had read before possessing this body flashed through her mind.
It was a story where a bunch of terrible people fought each other.
Her friend had recommended it, saying it was great for relieving stress.
More than half of it was filled with bloody violence.
But…
Could it really be a coincidence that these children had the same names as the main characters?
But these children are nothing like them…
The novel had only shown the characters as adults.
There was no way these soft, adorable little children could be those terrifying villains.
…Or so she wanted to believe.
Then she remembered that their hair colors and eye colors matched the villains perfectly.
She also remembered that the novel’s main characters had grown up together in an orphanage.
Her suspicion grew stronger.
No way… Seriously?
She didn’t think about it for long.
In the end, she had no choice but to admit that this was the fantasy novel The World of Brilliant Villains.
A chill immediately ran down her spine.
“So… my name is…”
Wait.
Could it possibly be…
“Teacher Hannah?”
I’m doomed.
She had thought she possessed some ordinary side character.
She was completely wrong.
If this was the nursery teacher named Hannah…
Wasn’t she the woman who bullied the children and became the very first person they killed when they destroyed the temple?
The novel even said they burned her so completely that not even pieces of her body were left behind.
That alone showed how much they had hated her.
“…”
Looking at the children staring up at her with their innocent little faces, cold sweat ran down her back.
You’re… the children who are going to kill me?!
Her thoughts became a complete mess.
Why did she have to read a violent novel full of blood instead of a romance or a heartwarming story?
And among all the characters…
Why did she have to become Hannah, the woman who died so early?
Was it because, while reading, she had casually complained,
“This is all because of their childhood trauma. It’s the author’s fault. Why did they raise these kids like this?”
Or was it simply because this side character happened to have the same name as her?
If it was because her parents had named her Hannah…
That was incredibly unfair.
What happened to my real body?
Right before possessing this body, she had been reading the novel when her heart suddenly began beating irregularly.
Her head spun.
She remembered everything going black.
When she opened her eyes again…
She was inside the body of a pink-haired woman.
Did I really die?
Had she been thrown into the very novel she had been reading?
No matter how much she thought about it, there was no one who could answer her questions.
“Oh… my goodness.”
Whatever the reason was…
Their first meeting had nearly made her faint.
That very night, Hannah immediately packed her belongings.
At first, she seriously wondered if there was a way to return to her original body.
She even considered whether dying like in the original story might send her back.
But dying was terrifying.
There was no guarantee that her original body was even alive.
Besides… I don’t want to hurt these children.
Rather than changing the story halfway and dying for nothing…
It was better to save her own life and leave.
“My goodness… I’m actually that cruel orphanage villain!”
Of all the people she could have possessed…
How did she end up in this body?
Even thinking about it again was unbelievable.
At least there’s one piece of good news.
Hannah hasn’t abused the children yet.
If she left now…
She would never become involved with them again.
With a determined expression, Hannah packed even faster.
“This is actually better. I’m not the real Hannah anyway. If I stay here, people will only become suspicious.”
She was worried someone might notice that the soul inside the body had changed.
Leaving and starting a new life was clearly the safest choice.
“That’s right. I’ll leave here, learn a skill, and somehow make a living.”
Fear and panic made her talk to herself nonstop.
Since none of the belongings really belonged to her, there wasn’t much to pack.
She simply stuffed some clean clothes, money, and anything that looked valuable into a small bundle.
I have to leave now!
Holding the bundle awkwardly in her arms, Hannah quietly slipped out of her room under the cover of darkness.
Her room was only a few steps away from the children’s rooms.
I’m sorry, kids.
I hope you find a kind teacher.
And if possible… don’t become villains.
Don’t kill people.
And please… don’t burn down villages.
Walking on her tiptoes, Hannah carefully moved down the hallway.
I should’ve brought a lamp. Why is it so dark?
She slowly felt her way along the wall.
Maybe I should’ve handed in a resignation letter first…
The thought came to her a little too late.
But she quickly shook her head.
No.
What if they ask me to stay until they find someone else?
What if I grow attached to the children…
Or they start hating me before I leave?
Running away immediately is the best option.
After all, there was no need to end things properly with the temple that would eventually become the birthplace of evil.
Determined, Hannah quietly continued forward.
“Teacher.”
“Ahhh!”
The sudden voice made her heart nearly stop.
The bundle slipped from her hands, rolled across the floor, and came to a stop.
“…M-Masha?”
The door opened slightly, and Masha stepped out while rubbing her sleepy eyes and hugging a teddy bear.
A moment later, the door next to hers opened.
Jeremy looked at Hannah.
“Teacher… where are you going?”
“H-Huh?”
Then Ian opened his door as well.
All three children looked half asleep.
Why were they all awake in the middle of the night?
Don’t little kids usually sleep soundly?
Why are they such light sleepers?
“W-Well…”
Hannah’s eyes shook nervously.
Masha and the others looked at the bundle lying on the floor.
“…Teacher…”
Masha’s eyes slowly filled with hurt.
Still clutching her teddy bear, her voice trembled.
“Are… are you leaving us behind?”
Hannah’s eyes widened.
Leaving them behind?
Why did she have to put it like that?
