Aieee! H-help me…!
On a street in S-City.
A piercing scream abruptly echoed through the heart of the city.
A woman, slumped on the ground, could only stretch out her hand helplessly as she watched the villain snatch her bag and flee.
“No…! My money…!”
“Hahaha! You should’ve hidden it better!”
The villain, sprinting away, glanced back and let out a cackling laugh.
People nearby rushed forward at the cries for help, but their grasp met only empty air.
The villain’s legs, transformed to be as springy as a rabbit’s, propelled them dozens of meters in a single bound.
“Don’t worry! Lord Rabbit will make good use of this money… huh?”
The villain, who had been reveling in their taunts, suddenly let out a confused groan.
Despite vigorously pumping their legs, the surrounding scenery showed no sign of receding.
Only then did they slowly lower their gaze.
They found themselves suspended motionless in mid-air, their legs flailing uselessly.
“Huh? W-why is this… Aaaargh!!”
-CRASH!
The villain plummeted to the ground in an instant, followed by a deafening thud and a cloud of swirling dust.
“How vulgar.”
A voice, tinged with disgust, drifted down from above.
A dark purple suit, sculpted to reveal a perfectly trained physique.
Han Sua, Psyche, stood poised in mid-air, as if resting upon an invisible platform.
She then descended gracefully, her steps as light as if treading on stairs.
A look of utter disdain crossed her face as she gazed upon Rabbit, who lay unconscious in a grotesque posture, eyes rolled back.
“F-rank villain Rabbit, identified.”
The police, arriving belatedly, cuffed the unconscious villain’s arms and legs before tossing him into a patrol car.
Then, turning to Han Sua, they bowed their heads.
“Thanks to you, a great burden has been lifted. This scoundrel had been causing trouble around here for ages, with thirty-one prior offenses. We were at our wits’ end, with no way to catch him…”
By now, a crowd had gathered around them.
The woman whose bag had been stolen received it back, offering Han Sua continuous thanks with a voice brimming with tears.
“Thank you, thank you so much…! How can I ever repay this kindness…?”
“It’s fine. I only did what any hero would.”
At her nonchalant words, exclamations of awe continuously erupted from the watching citizens.
Han Sua’s lips twitched almost imperceptibly, though no one noticed.
“I should get going now. I have another area to patrol. Well then…”
Waving lightly, she ascended into the sky once more, as if simply walking.
Once out of sight, a wide, unrestrained smile bloomed across her face.
Lately, Han Sua had been enjoying exceedingly satisfying days.
Unlike her dull past, she now truly considered herself a genuine hero.
It was a touch ironic, however, that the person who had instilled this self-perception in her was none other than the man currently regarded as the worst villain.
Han Sua, humming a tune to herself, turned on her smartphone.
Soon, the words ‘Hero Minor Gallery’ appeared on the screen.
She familiarized herself with the ‘write’ button and, as always, began to compose a post.
[Title: Among the first-year heroes at the Cradle, Psyche is definitely the best.]
-She’s kind to citizens, and her villain apprehension record is the best these days. Honestly, she’s probably the prettiest too. Objectively speaking, anyone would have to agree.
“Hehehe.”
She was once again indulging in her secret hobby.
Although Kim Woojin had caught her in this embarrassing act, Psyche’s fanbase on the Hero Minor Gallery had grown considerably since her impressive performance during the practical training raid.
Previously, her overwhelming background as a chaebol heiress and her cold demeanor had somewhat diminished her popularity, but now, even those traits were seen as appealing aspects of Psyche.
Posts praising Psyche were already easy to find throughout the gallery.
Considering how she used to create temporary alternate accounts to praise herself, this was truly a moving transformation.
In any case, no one would be able to tell if she merely blended in with such people and posted a single comment.
Soon after, a flurry of comment notifications appeared on the top bar.
Han Sua’s face brightened with a wide smile, delighted by the unusually positive response today.
However, upon checking the comments, her expression involuntarily soured.
[An emoji of a girl in a dinosaur costume charging forward.]
[An emoji of a girl in a dinosaur costume charging forward.]
[An emoji of a girl in a dinosaur costume charging forward.]
[An emoji of a girl in a dinosaur costume charging forward.]
[An emoji of a girl in a dinosaur costume charging forward.]
“Damn it… it’s that headbutting dinosaur again…”
At the endless stream of emojis, Han Sua’s mouth drooped in disappointment.
As she continued browsing the posts.
[Flame Mist’s Villain Over-Suppression Video][20]
Discovering a familiar name, she instinctively tapped the title.
There was nothing particularly noteworthy about the content itself.
It was simply a video capturing her rival, Flame Mist, subduing a villain.
The sight of the villain, charred by flames, merely brought a sense of satisfaction.
It was, in fact, rather surprising to see arguments erupting over whether it constituted excessive force.
As she scrolled through the comments, a good idea suddenly struck her, and her fingers began to move.
–ㅇㅇ(114.299): Agreed. Seems like a lack of qualifications as a hero. Psyche is clearly better.
A satisfied smile played on Han Sua’s lips as she confirmed her own comment.
Thinking of Flame Mist’s name naturally brought another person to mind.
Han Sua, as if nothing had happened, pouted her lips with an expression full of vexation.
–What are you doing?
The text she had bravely sent last night had yet to receive even a reply.
“…What on earth is he doing?”
****
“Hey, your clothes are…”
“Oh… these…?”
Yuha glanced down at herself, speaking nonchalantly.
“It’s a bit hot…”
“Hot…? No, just get inside first.”
Bewildered, I firmly pushed Yuha inside and closed the door.
Only after the door was shut did I speak, almost admonishingly.
“No matter how hot it is, what kind of outfit is that? What if someone saw you?”
“I don’t know… maybe I have a fever or something…”
“A fever…?”
Yuha’s voice sounded strangely languid.
Now that I looked, her cheeks were quite flushed, and her entire body was practically drenched in sweat.
“It’s true… if you don’t believe me, just touch me…”
“Touch you? Where…?”
“Anywhere…?”
Yuha replied with an enigmatic tone. If she had a fever, wasn’t there only one place to check?
I placed my hand on her forehead.
It was quite warm, suggesting she might truly have caught a cold.
To be ill on top of being disciplined… it was uncommon for a super-human to get sick.
Something was definitely going on.
“Anyway, put some clothes on.”
“Why… what’s wrong with it when it’s just the two of us…?”
Yuha tilted her head, as if she couldn’t understand.
“We used to bathe together before… why now…?”
“Is that the same as now? It’s different from when we were much younger.”
“…Have I changed?”
“Huh?”
Yuha’s dazed voice made me instinctively ask again.
Changed? How could that be? She looked exactly the same as before… or… did she…?
“…”
I found myself involuntarily scanning Yuha, who stood before me. It felt as though a strange shift in perception had belatedly struck me.
To say she was the ‘same’ felt inaccurate; her curves were quite pronounced.
Surely, she used to be no different from me before…?
“Changed? Nonsense.”
Unable to look directly at her, I ultimately averted my gaze.
“Just put on some clothes quickly. If you stay undressed like that with a fever, what will you do if you get sicker later?”
“…Hmph.”
At my brusque words, which had escaped contrary to my thoughts, Yuha shot me a slight glare. Soon, she gathered the clothes scattered on the floor and put them on.
Even those were just short dolphin shorts and a gray tank top, hardly much of a difference… but still, it was better than nothing.
I handed the seated Yuha a glass of warm water.
Taking it, she scooted over to sit beside me.
She then leaned her head against my shoulder.
Yuha’s hot body temperature seeped through my skin.
“What are you doing?”
“Just… it feels more comfortable here.”
“Move your head, will you? It’s heavy.”
“No…”
“Good grief…”
Yuha shook her head, not only refusing to move but burrowing deeper into my embrace.
I let out a sigh.
There was nothing I could say to a patient.
“You should have told me if you were sick.”
“…”
“When did this start?”
“…Yesterday.”
Yuha replied in a petulant voice.
If it was yesterday, then perhaps it was after that video was uploaded.
It seemed likely that she was experiencing some stress or something negative had happened. Her behavior towards the villain, and her sudden deteriorating physical condition, both pointed to it.
There seemed to be no need to bring up the disciplinary action.
Doing so now might only be counterproductive.
For now, I should change the subject.
“Do you have any worries lately?”
“Worries…?”
“Yeah. It feels like we haven’t talked about such things much recently. If you have any, would you like to tell me? You never know, I might be able to help.”
After all, unburdening one’s worries often brings a little relief.
However, Yuha merely hesitated, shaking her head.
“Uh, um… no, not really…”
Yet, her demeanor only strengthened my conviction.
Something was definitely bothering her.
If only I knew what it was, I might be able to help improve Yuha’s condition.
Hm?
“…”
A sudden thought flashed through my mind, and I pressed my lips together.
I had just recalled a simple yet certain way to uncover Yuha’s true feelings.
‘Hypnosis… should I try it now…?’
Coincidentally, I had recently felt the need to hypnotize Yuha.
While I had fortunately managed to escape in the back alley and at the bank, there was no guarantee I could get away like that again.
I absolutely needed some kind of coercive mechanism to stop Yuha if she ever tried to kill me.
Perhaps now was the perfect opportunity.
Naturally, I had no intention of recklessly rummaging through her mind as I had with the villains or Han Sua.
But a gentle suggestion, a light touch, might be acceptable.
“…”
After pondering, I reached a conclusion.
Yes, I’ll do it.
It’s just about listening to her worries, what’s the harm?
The problem was whether Yuha would even fall under hypnosis.
Even with Han Sua, who was considered to have similar abilities, my first attempt had failed.
It only succeeded after I had revealed Han Sua’s activities on the Hero Minor Gallery, distracting her mind.
Normally, Yuha would be impossible to hypnotize.
But what if she was in her current weakened state, both physically and mentally?
“…”
Ultimately, I subtly moved one arm behind my back.
It was a spot out of Yuha’s line of sight.
Then, very lightly, without a sound, I snapped my fingers.
*Click!*
[Skill: Marionette is used on the target…]
[Success!]
It worked.
Seeing the notification pop up, I finally let out the tension.
She had fallen under hypnosis more easily than I expected.
Indeed, targeting her weakened state due to illness seemed to have been effective.
My conscience felt a bit, no, quite pricked, but there truly was no other way.
“Hmm…? Woojin, why did you suddenly go quiet…?”
“Oh? Ah, I was just lost in thought for a moment.”
I shook my head, feigning nonchalance.
Fortunately, she seemed to accept it without suspicion.
Yuha’s state was also no different from before the hypnosis.
As I said, the hypnosis I cast on her was merely a gentle suggestion.
It was a level of hypnosis designed only to make her a little more honest with her feelings, a little more impulsive in her actions.
Just enough to help her voice thoughts she wanted to share but was too shy to say.
I had no intention whatsoever of touching upon deeply hidden secrets or subconscious thoughts.
At this level, perhaps… I could be forgiven for my current actions.
“Are you sure you don’t have any? It’s fine if you don’t want to talk about it.”
“Worries…”
In any case, I asked Yuha again.
If she shook her head this time, I intended to give up.
That would truly mean it was something Yuha didn’t want to talk about.
“Actually… I do have one.”
Yuha, who had been deep in thought, finally nodded slightly.
I inwardly cheered, then encouraged her again.
“Would you like to tell me just a little bit about it? It might help ease your frustration.”
“…”
Then Yuha lifted her head and stared at me silently.
In her green eyes, which met mine, a whirlwind of emotions raged.
Just as I felt a hint of resentment and sorrow in that gaze.
*Thud.*
“Huh?”
I uttered blankly.
Before I knew it, I was lying on the floor, staring up at the ceiling.
Yuha, who had pushed me, abruptly sprang to her feet.
She then stumbled and collapsed onto me.
A feather-light pressure and the warmth of her soft skin permeated through the layer of my clothes.
“…Yuha?”
*Squeeze.*
No answer came.
Yuha merely gazed at me silently, like a predator eyeing its prey.
Her thighs, wrapped around me, tightened even more forcefully around my waist.
As if warning me that escape was impossible.
What kind of situation is this? I asked her about her worries, and suddenly why…?
Then Yuha, who had been still, finally opened her mouth slowly.
“…What’s your relationship with Han Sua?”
