T.A series Volume 2: The Illegitimate Extra

Chapter 3 - Cruelties of fame

As all of them headed down another slope, there were only 5 minutes away from Mr Muniko Tomio's residence.

"Neh Ranran."

"Yes, Shinichi?"Ranran was pushing her scooter, skating alongside the bicycle Shinichi and Emiko are on.

"About the movie we were talking about earlier, Ranran isn't into those kinds of FL characters, nah? The ones that are bright and intelligent."

"Eh?"Neither of the children was staring each other in the eye, as they had to pay attention to oncoming traffic."What makes you think of it that way?"

"The way you analyze the ML and FL was so well thought out, it sounded as if you are preparing to gather facts to expose one of the case suspects."Emiko couldn't help but notice.

"You ain't wrong, "Ranran hummed, "I do dislike them."

"Why?"

"If you ever come across meeting people like her, are you willing to sacrifice everything for her? Your dreams as a Tantei, even as far as to put their lives on the line before the dream could even begin.....all for a naive annoying girl who can't think for herself?"

"Hah!? Why would I do that!? She is like a lost cause!" Shinichi became annoyed at that thought.

"Exactly. If I have anything to critique further about that movie, her personality itself is way worst than the villainess in the movie."

"Eh!? Why do you think so?"Emiko questioned, "I read the synopsis of the movie, so far, the villainess had been nothing but cruel to separate them because of her unrequited feelings for the ML. Gaslighting his parents of the FL's true identity when the FL and the ML tried to keep their relationship a secret."

"Can you blame her? Before they took over the estate, she had the whole family fortune. Not to mention, she is a sensible person; after all, the will states that if the ML marries someone who would become his wife, the 'anyone' who becomes the lady of the manor gets to govern the estate. As a child, she was groomed all of the necessary skills to be qualified while the idiot has nothing to her name. And as for the 'love' part between her and the male lead, wasn't there a part that mentioned her family 'forced' her to like him? As in cultivate it so that he doesn't break their 'engagement'?"

Ranran listed out point after point as if she was is a lawyer.

"To be fair, she was evil. Fair. But did she cause inconvenience everywhere she goes the way the FL did? Constantly playing the damsel in distress while troubling others along the way, without caring if this irritates and stresses the male protagonist or even the people around her?"

With the attention on her, she listed.

"I read many scenarios took place in that movie. During the annual banquet, when the FL spilled wine on the villainess's, she cried and caused a scene, blaming the villainess because she demanded she pay for the dress she paid designers to customized for her. Now, this kind of scenario I have scene this countless of time in real life, however, who is truly in the wrong here? She barely apologized, even though it was an 'accident'. Is it, really?"

The other children listened in stunned silence as Ranran continued her impassioned critique, her voice calm but with a sharpness that revealed her deep disdain for the trope. They were nearing the final stretch toward Mr. Muniko Tomio's residence, but neither could peel their attention away from Ranran's insights.

"Even better? ML stepped in to defend her without even verifying the truth. And what happened next? The villainess was humiliated and ostracized for the rest of the evening for being 'arrogant' and 'calculative', for demanding a huge sum of money from the FL. To be fair, she had the right to demand compensation, when you ruined such an expensive dress."