The Yellow-Haired Villain in Soaring Phoenix's Novels Also Desires Happiness

After circling the room once and not finding any clothes left out, Muen finally let his gaze fall on a wardrobe that seemed to have toppled over from the earlier collision.

“Not stealing, not stealing, I’m just taking one piece of clothing. I’ll pay back double—no, ten times after.”

Chanting to himself in his mind to assure himself that this wasn’t a bad deed, Muen reached out to pull the wardrobe open.

“Hm? Why won’t it move?”

Muen stared at the wardrobe in front of him, a trace of confusion appearing on his face.

Then, his gaze followed the crack in the wardrobe door downward—and he was instantly shocked.

“What the hell, that many locks?”

Because the lighting inside the room was dim, he hadn’t noticed earlier. But now that his eyes had adjusted to the darkness, Muen finally realized...

The broken-down wardrobe in front of him had at least a dozen padlocks hanging from it!

“What the hell, is there gold stolen from a bank in here or something?”

Straightening up, Muen felt a sudden wave of frustration.

The fact that someone had locked it up this tightly meant there must be something really important inside. He couldn’t just go and break the locks open, could he?

Even if breaking them would be ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) no trouble for him.

“Forget it. I’ll think of another way. Wrapping up in a blanket isn’t the end of the world.”

Just as Muen was about to grab a bedsheet from the side to cover himself for now, his peripheral vision caught something on the side of the wardrobe.

It looked like a crack caused by the earlier impact—and a corner of some dark piece of clothing was poking out from it.

“So it really is just a wardrobe?”

No matter how many locks were on it, it was still just a plain old wooden wardrobe.

Something that could be smashed open with one punch—how much protection could it really offer?

If what was inside was really that precious, why not just put it in a safe?

“But still...”

Muen rubbed his hands together, a bit relieved.

“You fell out on your own, so don’t blame me.”

With that, he reached out, grabbed the edge of the fabric, and yanked hard...

And the smile that had just started forming at the corners of his mouth froze.

“Is this... underwear?”

Muen looked at the familiar shape of the men’s underwear in his hand, and his expression immediately twisted with disgust.

Panties from a beautiful woman might be exciting, but a guy’s undies? That’s just...

Luckily—or unluckily—maybe because he pulled too hard, the pair of underwear brought a bunch of other clothes out with it, revealing another dark corner from inside the wardrobe.

So Muen casually tossed aside the underwear in his hand and grabbed that new corner to pull again—

More underwear?

His luck was this bad?

“I don’t believe this!”

Annoyance sparked in Muen’s temper, and he stopped holding back. He shoved his hand straight into the crack of the wardrobe.

...

A few minutes later...

Muen stared at the small mountain of men’s underwear piled in front of him, sinking into an existential crisis.

Could anyone really... own this many pairs of underwear at once?

Even someone with severe OCD who changed ten times a day wouldn’t go this far!

“Wait a second...”

Muen came to a realization.

Never mind the quantity—if you looked closely, the styles were all completely different.

It’s like how you can’t go on a date with two women at the same time. A person also can’t wear two different sizes of underwear at once.

Which meant...

Like lightning flashing through his brain, Muen suddenly remembered something Celicia had said to him.

“The boys’ dorm... the underwear-stealing... pervert?”

...

In an instant, a chill shot up from Muen’s soles to the top of his head. A terrifying malice coiled above him like a venomous snake, slowly flicking its tongue.

His neck stiffly turned toward the door.

He didn’t know when it had opened, but a tall figure now stood in the shadow of the doorway, silently watching Muen from within the room.

That slightly honest and dull-looking face was filled with disbelief.

It looked like he, too, had been stunned by the scene before him.

Like a faithful husband coming home late from work, only to hear strange noises from his wife’s bedroom.

Moments later, a low, confused, and faintly angry voice broke the suffocating silence:

“Muen Campbell?”

...

“Haha... what a coincidence.”

Muen looked at Rayne in the distance and forced out a friendly smile.

“Rayne, my man, are you also here to visit?”

“This is my dorm room.”

“...”

Muen’s smile froze on his face.

I know this is your dorm, sweetheart, but I said that on purpose.

In a situation this awkward, wouldn’t it be better for us both to play dumb and let it go?

We’re all classmates here—why make the mood so stiff?

But Rayne clearly didn’t pick up on Muen’s subtext. He simply reached silently behind him and pulled out his massive horse-slaying blade.

“So you found out after all... In that case, it can’t be helped.”

Like an honest man who, after experiencing anger, disbelief, and hysteria in quick succession, had finally accepted reality and chosen to let the other person be happy—Rayne’s expression calmed.

“Return to the Love God’s embrace here and now, Muen Campbell,” Rayne said coldly.

“So... that’s how it is.”

Muen also stood up, a flicker of understanding flashing across his face.

Looking at the pile of underwear on the floor and recalling what had happened before, he finally understood what that so-called ‘Pure Boys’ Mutual Aid Society’ really was. He finally understood how a group of men had been corrupted and polluted by the Love God.

Only those twisted by warped love would be tainted by the Love God.

So it was actually... a cult made up of gay men.

No wonder.

At that thought, Muen couldn’t help but glance at Rayne with a look of pity.

“Do you even realize what kind of path you’ve chosen, Rayne?”

“What kind of path? Of course—it’s the path of love.”

Rayne ripped off his clothes with one motion, revealing his muscular body—and the Love Cult’s signature thong.

“The great God of Love taught me what love truly is. Naturally, I’ll follow Him forever.”

“And so, as a heretic who profanes the divine, you must die here today, Muen Campbell!”

“Is that so? That kind of devout faith is really touching... but do you really think you can pull it off, Rayne?”

Muen slowly raised the dagger in his hand, smiling.

“Back in martial arts class... I did win, you know.”

“That was only because I let my guard down and fell for your little tricks!”

Rayne glanced at the fruit knife in Muen’s hand—the way it seemed to hold him in utter contempt—and a vein pulsed on his forehead.

But the anger quickly faded as he forced it down.

A person can’t trip twice in the same spot. After getting riled up by Muen’s words and losing the last time, he had spent an entire night meditating to control his emotions!

This time, he absolutely wouldn’t let his anger cloud his eyes!

“Looks like the old method won’t work anymore.”

Muen sighed and gave a bitter smile.

“If I can’t rely on those little tricks, then yeah—I probably can’t beat you. So before I die, Rayne... can you answer a small question for me?”

“What is it?”

“It’s nothing much. I’m just curious—if you’re a gay man, Rayne... then why, back in martial arts class, did my words still provoke you so easily?”

Like a curious baby, Muen craned his neck and asked in an exaggerated tone:

“Don’t tell me... Rayne, you couldn’t get a girlfriend, so you settled for being gay instead?”

“You son of a—!”

Rayne’s eyes turned bloodshot again the moment he heard that.