The setting sun dyed the streets of Queens in a golden hue.
"Phew..." Reze stretched, finishing her day's work.
She took off her somewhat rustic uniform vest and changed back into her own shirt.
Waving at the part-timer coming to take over the shift, Reze walked out of the convenience store with light steps.
Being of a demon constitution, Reze's body wasn't tired at all, but the fulfilling sense of "fatigue" in her spirit felt very real.
She didn't turn into the bomb demon to rush home with explosions; instead, like an ordinary commuter, she enjoyed the journey home.
Passing by a corner stall, she conveniently bought three freshly baked, steaming hot taiyaki.
While waiting for the owner to bag them, Reze's gaze was drawn to a bright color in a crack in the concrete by the roadside.
It was an unknown little wild flower, tenaciously blooming by the exhaust-filled street, its petals a tender orange-yellow.
Reze blinked, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. While no one was looking, she squatted down, plucked the little flower, and quietly clenched it in her palm.
It was clear she was in a good mood as she slowly hummed a song while walking back to the apartment, arriving at her front door.
Reze took out her keys.
Click.
The lock turned.
Before she could even insert the key, the door was pulled open from the inside.
Su Modie, wearing a set of loose and comfortable grey home pajamas, was standing at the entrance.
She held half a bag of unfinished potato chips in her hand, with a few crumbs still clinging to the corner of her mouth.
Reze's eyes lit up, and she hurried over: "Modie-chan, were you waiting for me? I'm back!"
Seeing Reze return, Su Modie's eyes curved into crescents, and she asked knowingly:
"Ah, you're back? Was the convenience store busy today?"
At that moment, Reze felt as if the softest part of her heart had been struck hard.
It wasn't a cold laboratory, nor was it a smoke-filled battlefield.
Someone was waiting for her to come home.
"Mm, not busy." Reze put on her slippers and naturally hugged Su Modie, nuzzling into the crook of her neck. At the same time, her fingertips lightly flipped—tucking the little wild flower she had just plucked by the roadside into Su Modie's slightly messy hair by her ear.
"Mm... as expected, very cute."
Reze took half a step back, looking at the bewildered Su Modie with the little flower tucked in her hair, and squinted her green eyes in satisfaction.
Su Modie froze for a moment, reached out to touch the little flower by her ear, and her cheeks flushed slightly: "It seems you really were quite free..."
"Hehe, what are we eating today?" Reze asked noncommittally.
"You'll have to ask Chef Perona for that." Su Modie pouted and looked toward the kitchen.
In the semi-open kitchen, Perona was holding a soup spoon, directing Kumashi to work.
"Kumashi! Wash the plates clean! No slacking off!"
"Since that violent woman is back, take the soup out!"
Although Perona was grumbling and even complaining, "Why do I have to cook for you guys?", the rich aroma of cream stew filling the air revealed that she actually quite enjoyed this "playing house" kind of family life.
Reze couldn't help but laugh out loud at the scene.
Su Modie couldn't help but smile too—the Kingpin's subordinates who caused trouble had been dealt with, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s prying was prevented, and there were no various alien invasions. The "wife" was at home cooking, and the "husband" not only had an official position but was also working part-time outside to support the family.
This past month, Su Modie had truly begun to live an immortal's life.
As for Su Modie herself, who truly implemented "monogamy"... well, she was responsible for being as beautiful as a flower, responsible for opening the door to welcome them, responsible for having everything handed to her, responsible for being fed, and responsible for being pampered by the two of them.
"What is this?" Reze pinched Su Modie's soft cheek and teased, "Are you some kind of faint-hearted monarch enjoying the blessings of having multiple wives?"
Su Modie took a bite of a potato chip with righteous indignation, her mouth full as she said, "What? You got a problem with that?"
"I've suffered for a full eighteen years, can't I enjoy myself a little?"
"I'm convinced~ of course I am." Reze raised her hand in a mock oath: "I, Reze, am willing to serve the faint-hearted monarch~"
Oh, right, besides the wives, there was also a kid studying hard at "Kamar-Taj University."
At this moment, Lux, who was burning the midnight oil in Kamar-Taj, would probably shed tears of envy if she saw this heartwarming scene.
Compared to Reze and Perona constantly revolving around Su Modie, Lux, far away in the Himalayas, felt like the extra one in the family.
She really had become the accidental crystallization of the couple.
Except for the last two days being the weekend, when she had time to open a portal back to grab a hot meal and share recent good news while cuddling with Su Modie, Lux spent the vast majority of her time being a grind-king in Kamar-Taj.
She was so competitive that the other Kamar-Taj apprentices were crying for their parents, even wanting to pack their bags and leave the mountain overnight.
Because Mordo was unconvinced and used Lux's level to demand the same from other apprentices... for a time, more than half of Kamar-Taj was filled with wails.
Although it wasn't Lux's subjective intention, the villainess value still shot up—
「villainess value: 1032」
Among this, Sorcerer Mordo was naturally a major contributor.
This guy had no other virtues except one—he was stubborn!
Stubborn to the core, sticking to his principles, he was practically a foul and hard rock.
Anyone who had seen the original work knew that even the Ancient One couldn't change his thinking in the original plot.
The Ancient One spent half her life teaching him earnestly, and in the end, even led by example, wanting to show him and Strange how to face the end of life calmly through her death, thereby strengthening their conviction to protect the light.
In the end, this guy was something else; while the Ancient One was barely cold in her grave, he turned around and said a line.
"This is the consequence of using dark magic."
At that time, Su Modie in the theater almost lost it.
As for why this personality flaw counted as a virtue... because in this thousand-plus villainess value, what the other apprentices provided was just a fraction.
The remaining lion's share was all wool plucked from the single sheep that was Mordo!
Normally, Lux didn't rely on indiscriminate bombing like Reze to gain villainess value; she was much kinder, and at most, she would occasionally get a tiny bit of villainess value from being a "Versailles" overachiever or having an overly enviable magic talent.
Especially in a place of quiet cultivation like Kamar-Taj, but because of Mordo's existence, Lux would hear the notification sound of increasing villainess value almost every once in a while, and for all sorts of Strange reasons—
「Making a Fool of Oneself in Public」:
During morning lessons, Mordo publicly tested Lux on obscure magic theories, intending to make things difficult. As a result, Lux not only recited them fluently but also asked Mordo with an innocent face how to cast the high-level spell "Vishantis Sacred Sword." Mordo stammered for a long time and couldn't answer... because he didn't know it at all.
「villainess value +41 points, simulation value +14 points」
「In-class Sparring」:
Mordo wanted to regain his dignity, so he sought out Lux for a sparring match during class. As a result, before he could even finish forming his hand seals, he was tied to a pillar by Lux's instant Light Binding. It wasn't until half the class had passed and Mordo was nowhere to be found that Lux remembered and finally let down Mordo, who had been hanging for half an hour.
「villainess value +42 points, simulation value +77 points」
「Mordo's Sick Leave」
The released Mordo was unconvinced, believing Lux's light-element magic was a heterodox path, and demanded Lux only use orthodox Kamar-Taj spells for another round. Lux readily agreed, then under Mordo's stunned gaze, she backhandedly conjured a platinum Vishantis Sacred Sword.
「villainess value +111 points, simulation value 62」
Su Modie looked at the background records and was absolutely delighted.
Although the amount provided each time wasn't particularly large, it made up for it in volume!
Any normal person would have avoided Lux after being struck down like this a few times, but Mordo was different.
He didn't learn his lesson, or rather, he held too much of a grudge. After returning from his sick leave after being beaten by Lux, he continued to compete with her.
Consequently, the villainess value rose rapidly because of him.
This was why Su Modie felt Mordo's "stubbornness" was a virtue—the more she looked at this human-shaped automatic farming machine, the more pleasing he became.
Sometimes, even in the middle of the night when Lux was sleeping soundly, she would suddenly hear a crisp:
「villainess value +65」
It left her completely confused, and she would toss and turn for a long time wondering what on earth she had done.
Until the next day, when she saw Mordo appearing at the training ground with dark circles larger than a panda's, his gaze as resentful as a neglected wife.
Su Modie could then guess most of it.
This guy... could he be getting angrier and angrier the more he thought about it in the middle of the night, so angry he couldn't sleep?
Or perhaps he dreamt of Lux and was suddenly startled awake..
This time, Lux really had become Mordo's nightmare.
After all, her very existence was constantly attacking the set of values Mordo had relied on for survival for so many years, making him profoundly doubt his life.
Ãdvåñçé çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn luffy1898