Chapter 1
【1. I Became the Youngest Daughter of a Mafia Family】
Bang—!
Mikhail Rozhev brought a hand to his chest.
Warm, wet liquid smeared onto his palm.
When he looked, it was completely stained red.
Cough—
As blood spattered out with a cough, the pain from the bullet wound in his chest finally registered.
It hurt like hell.
“…You should’ve aimed for the heart.”
It wasn’t resentment. Nor blame.
Just emptiness.
Nikita Borev, who had been Mikhail’s partner for the past ten years—entrusting their backs to one another—stared at him, his face deathly pale.
Clatter—
Nikita dropped the gun to the ground, then rushed over, pressing his hands hard over the gunshot wound on Mikhail’s chest.
“Damn it, damn it! What the hell did I do?! What the hell have I done?!”
“Quit pressing, idiot. It hurts.”
It was too late anyway.
“You should’ve just shot me in the heart. This half-assed hesitation got us nowhere.”
Even now, Mikhail spoke in a joking tone. Nikita looked at him, then lowered his head.
“…I’m sorry.”
Yeah, of course you are.
I know you’re sorry. I know you had no choice.
So.
“Don’t be sorry, you bastard.”
He chuckled.
It felt like his chest was on fire when he laughed.
“…Was it Demian?”
At Mikhail’s question, Nikita slowly raised his head.
He didn’t say anything, but his expression, and the way his lips trembled, said it all.
Who else could it be?
The boss of the Kalashniel family—the mafia—and now the de facto ruler of the empire, with even the emperor and cabinet dancing in his palm.
In this city, this country, wrecked by civil war, who knows what more he wanted to consume?
But now, Mikhail no longer gave a damn.
“I must’ve really been a thorn in his side.”
Even with over ninety percent of the police force bought by the Kalashniel family, Mikhail and Nikita never stopped investigating them.
They were stripped of their badges multiple times for disobeying higher orders—but they never gave up.
Still.
“I’m sorry… I really am. They found where my wife and kid are.”
“…I see. Then—”
Mikhail used the last bit of strength he had left to push Nikita’s hands away.
“Run… now.”
You stupid teddy bear of a man.
Even setting aside the threat that they’d kill your family if you didn’t kill me, it’s not like they ever promised to let you go alive either.
Screech—!
The sound of several cars screeching to a halt outside the abandoned factory echoed in.
“Run, you dumbass!”
At Mikhail’s shout, Nikita clenched his jaw and gripped his friend’s hand tight.
“I’m sorry, Mikhail!”
Nikita ran, and soon after, gunfire erupted from all directions.
The sound seemed to come from far away as Mikhail closed his eyes.
What a shitty life this was.
And then, a pure white darkness swallowed him.
And then Mikhail opened his eyes.
‘Huh?’
This… this isn’t supposed to happen.
Thud—
The sudden jolt made his head bump into the wall next to him, and that’s when he realized—
He was in a car.
“Miss! Are you alright?! I’m so sorry!”
A woman’s voice came from the front seat, startling him.
‘…Miss?’
Mikhail stared blankly at the bob-haired woman in the driver’s seat.
She looked… familiar. And then, just like that, a name surfaced in his mind.
“Vanessa Wheeler?”
“Yes, miss. Are you alright? I’m truly sorry! My driving was careless. Are you hurt?!”
“Uh, no… I’m okay.”
That wasn’t the issue—why was he, who should be dead, riding in a car with that Vanessa Wheeler?
Wasn’t she part of the Kalashniel family…?
“Hmm? Ah—Aah. What?!”
Wh–what’s with my voice?!
Mikhail, trying to speak again, was horrified when a husky girl’s voice came out of his mouth.
“Miss, are you upset with me? I swear I’ll never go over a speed bump like that again! Please forgive me!”
“I… I’m not mad.”
“Then, may I ask why you look so displeased?!”
Vanessa’s worried face showed in the rearview mirror.
Mikhail had no clue what was going on.
“Am I… dreaming?”
The thought spilled from his lips before he could stop it.
“You seemed to be sleeping quite deeply. Did you not rest well last night? Or maybe you were stressed about today’s family event…”
“…Family event?”
He echoed, staring ahead—just in time to see a truck shoot out from a side alley, almost drifting.
“Vanessa! Look out! Front!!”
“Huh? What—?!”
The truck—either because the brakes were broken or because it was meant to—was hurtling toward their car at terrifying speed.
From the back seat, Mikhail lunged forward, grabbed the steering wheel, and yanked it hard to the right in place of the panicking Vanessa.
Screeeeech—!!
The car skidded onto the sidewalk, spinning 180 degrees, barely avoiding the truck.
But the truck grazed their rear bumper, slammed into a streetlight, a fire hydrant, and a parked car, then flew into the air.
BOOM—!
It crashed upside down in the middle of the road.
And then—
BOOOOOOOM—!!
An enormous explosion engulfed everything.
The blast shattered the car windows, and even nearby buildings’ glass exploded.
“Urgh…!”
Mikhail tapped Vanessa’s arm, which had wrapped tightly around him in the backseat.
“Can’t breathe.”
“Oh! I’m sorry! Are you hurt, miss?!”
Freed from her hold, Mikhail took a deep breath and looked down at himself.
Delicate arms, a slender body, slim legs.
A black gothic dress, cotton gloves, and long boots wrapped around that petite frame.
“……”
Even in this chaos, Mikhail turned the cracked rearview mirror to see his own face.
A girl with silver hair, golden eyes, and a black head-dress looked back at him.
“Miss?”
The girl in the mirror turned toward Vanessa and asked,
“What’s my name?”
Vanessa’s face turned pale as she answered,
“M-Miss! Did you hit your head?! Let me check—”
“No, I’m fine! Just tell me my name!!”
Startled by the shout, Vanessa replied automatically.
“Y-Your name is Ashmia Kalashniel, miss!”
Even amid the chaos, Mikhail—now Ashmia—mouthed the name.
“…I’m Ashmia Kalashniel?”
“Yes, miss. I completely understand how confusing this must be, but for now, we must get you out of the car—!”
But as Vanessa reached to open the back door, Ashmia grabbed her arm.
“No! Don’t get out! Get down, now!!”
The moment Ashmia pulled Vanessa down onto the backseat—
KABOOOOOM—!!
A second explosion, even bigger than the first, rocked the street.
“……!!”
As the shockwave faded, Vanessa sat up and looked down at Ashmia.
“Miss! Are you alright?!”
“…I’m fine.”
With Vanessa’s help, Ashmia sat up again and looked at her new body, hands, and feet.
What the hell is going on…?
But in the next moment, a strange calm washed over her—as if some force was helping her stay cool and collected.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine!”
Vanessa’s outfit was in tatters from shielding Ashmia from the blasts.
Especially her back, which was shredded. But thanks to her special ability—Body Hardening—she hadn’t suffered a single wound.
“But we should get you to safety in case there’s another explosion—”
“No, that was the last one.”
“…What?”
As Ashmia stepped out of the car, Vanessa looked confused. But Ashmia didn’t explain.
She looked toward the burning wreck of what had once been a truck.
It was so destroyed, its original shape was unrecognizable.
[Massive damage from two consecutive explosions…]
[Police suspect a planned attack by a rival group targeting the Kalashniel family…]
Fragments of past memories flashed through her mind.
Only now, they weren’t memories. They were the present, unfolding before her eyes.
“……”
That truck had been sent to kill Ashmia. Someone had set up a double-explosion device just to make sure.
“Miss, can you walk?”
“Ah… Sorry, could you help me a bit?”
Her delicate legs were trembling, beyond her control.
With Vanessa’s support, Ashmia made it to a nearby outdoor café around the corner from the blast site.
As she caught her breath, the sound of approaching sirens reached her ears.
“Miss, shall I bring you some water?”
“Yeah. No—if you’ve got Jack and Coke, I’ll take that.”
“…Pardon?”
Suddenly, the number 17 flashed in her mind.
Oh. I’m a minor now.
Seeing Vanessa’s expression, Ashmia hurriedly corrected herself.
“Just bring me a Coke.”