133
Ch.133 Closer Than Me
Yoo Anna had quite a few things that had been bothering her lately.
The Annihilation-class monster, and the desires of each city's rulers surrounding the Black Cat.
[Wasn't W-City a city that could be covered by Starlight alone?]
[How many opportunities do you think there are to research an Annihilation-class monster?]
[Is it really true that it can't be controlled? If so, then why is an Annihilation-class protecting humans?]
"I've told you many times, but I am not the one controlling it."
The reconstruction of A-City, which suffered catastrophic damage, and the still unresolved conflict between heroes and citizens.
"From what I felt seeing Starlight, heroes are supposed to be trustworthy."
"It would be nice if those A-City guys could be even half as good."
"The Black Cat is much more reliable than the superpower humans."
"Even in this situation, you want us to treat superpower humans better? We don't even have food to eat..."
"The food given to the Black Cat wasn't a waste, but the food given to us is a waste, is that it?"
"Now, now, everyone calm down! Why are you fighting! We caught the Despair-class monster, and there were no casualties!"
"The facilities we barely restored got destroyed right away!"
The replacement of Meister's master code for city reconstruction was also taking a long time, and the restored facilities kept getting smashed by monsters again right away.
The war of attrition with monsters, which reminded them of the early days of fortress city planning, exhausted A-City's superpower humans.
Among them, there were those who raised their voices saying that superpower humans should flee, just like in the disturbance that had already occurred earlier.
"Do superpower humans need humans? superpower humans are already new humans who have adapted to the monster era! Why exactly should we protect citizens?"
"Those guys are at it again. Sigh... I can't take it anymore. Arrest them, Baskerville."
[Understood.]
Yoo Anna arrested one by one the superpower humans who increased citizens' anxiety and harmed the unity of A-City's superpower humans.
"Starlight! What right do you have to arrest us!"
"Don't you know? Heroes have the responsibility to protect the city. I also officially received the authority as A-City's responsible hero from Meister."
Yoo Anna warned the superpower humans who were close to being villains through the iron bars.
"I could understand if you guys were finding your own way to survive, but you keep trying to seduce heroes who chose to protect citizens, don't you? If you want to leave A-City, then leave. But don't incite others, and quietly leave only with those who share the same intentions. Don't try to take away decent people too."
"Those people will die someday if they stay in A-City without the Black Cat!"
"What's wrong with trying to save as many superpower humans as possible?"
"Are you really making such proposals because you want to save superpower humans?"
Only S-rank or higher heroes can move alone through closed Districts relatively without problems.
The fleeing superpower humans, who are at most A-rank and mostly C-rank level, would only become monster food if they went out.
There's no way these people don't know that fact.
"You guys are mainly targeting young superpower humans who have no experience in closed Districts. Plus some citizens too... Who wouldn't know you're trying to use them as bait to throw to monsters?"
"Ugh...!"
"You guys who used to listen well to Kage, why are you acting like this? Aren't you ashamed?"
"What's wrong with us finding our own way to survive!"
"Right! They say Kage still hasn't come to his senses!"
"I know everything! Kage is dead!"
"That's why I keep saying he's not dead... Sigh..."
The reason these people are acting so wildly is because of Kage's absence.
More precisely, because there's no one they can trust to entrust their safety to.
These people have no sense of mission to protect humans.
They only think about surviving while enjoying as much as they can.
If it seems like they'll die, they run away.
"Food is no longer a concern, but recovery drones and monster suppression weapons are the problem. For the time being."
"Monsters will inevitably keep coming to A-City."
Meister's ability instantly raised the bottom line of choices humans make in front of monsters.
Starlight makes it possible to avoid the worst situations.
Baskerville becomes the final deterrent preventing humans and superpower humans from engaging in crime, and Electress kills the swarming monsters, making it possible to maintain the status quo.
They're holding on like this, but it's not enough to reassure everyone.
Going back and forth between W-City and A-City, the more Yoo Anna got involved in A-City's problems, the more she felt the reality with her whole body.
Even though she had faced it several times already, the reality she had endured until now gradually pushed in, trying to knock Yoo Anna down.
Even when trying to lead to the most ideal results possible, it doesn't give her the time and leisure to lead it that far.
Easy choices appeared before Yoo Anna several times, tempting her.
Terror politics, suppression by force - if she just purged those who don't comply a little, the immediate problems could be solved.
There's not enough time to properly handle things so that no aftermath occurs.
"That's why it eventually exploded like this."
Even though it was obvious that problems would explode someday, because she was pressed for time.
Yoo Anna held her throbbing head while looking down at Kage, who still wasn't waking up.
The choices Kage made while operating A-City.
Now that the same problems that had been presented to Kage before were presented before her, Yoo Anna felt a strange feeling.
"It's not even a test..."
She doesn't compromise.
If she suffers a little more, she can buy time.
The more she thought this way and endured, the more exhausted Yoo Anna became.
"Hey, what are you trying to do by calling me even for this level of monster?"
"My physical condition is strange, what am I supposed to do about it?"
"An S-rank hero can't even manage their own body? Sigh, really."
"I'm frustrated too, okay? Why exactly is this happening?"
"We're already short on heroes, and if you act like this too, it's troublesome."
"Hmph, if you know A-City is short on heroes, why don't you dispatch some heroes from W-City for support? The Black Cat is protecting that place anyway, right?"
"We're also short on people, who are we supposed to send for support..."
"Just send an A-rank or something. Like Iron Light or something."
"It would be Iron Might."
Electress, who should be taking charge of the safety of all of A-City right now, also seems to be in poor condition for some reason.
"Starlight, wait. Yoo Anna, just a moment."
"When are you planning to start the investigation into the teacher's death?"
"...Now is not the time for that."
"Not the time? You saw it, in the diary too, and looking at anything related to the teacher, there's no way to see that the teacher had any intention of killing Kage."
"Something's strange, why would the teacher attack Kage! Plus the teacher suddenly being eaten by a monster, where exactly did that monster appear from?"
"No matter how you look at it, the investigation should come first! Even if dozens or hundreds of citizens die, finding out the truth...!"
Wave and Vibe, who are Yeo Woon-jae's disciples, are also not cooperative in protecting citizens.
"Even now we're barely avoiding additional damage..."
"It was better when the Black Cat was here."
"When the Black Cat was here, we didn't even need to evacuate..."
"Even for just a moment, the Black Cat..."
"Just one week, please."
Both citizens and heroes are not satisfied with the current situation and want the Black Cat to be brought back.
It's not like an Annihilation-class monster will listen just because you tell it to.
However, Yoo Anna tried to smile despite the continuously accumulating stress.
"Looking at it, do you have something going on with Iron Might? Every time I see you, you're only hanging around with him."
"Have something? No, I don't?"
"Calm down, I know it's strange, I want to investigate too. But right now, citizens' safety comes first. The teacher would have acted that way too. I'm also trying to be rational so as not to disappoint the teacher."
"Ugh..."
"Even if we somehow bring the Black Cat to A-City, then W-City would be in the same situation. Then would we have to send the Black Cat back to W-City again? If the Annihilation-class gets tired of people from going back and forth, then it would become difficult for me to come provide support like now."
"Tsk..."
She calmed them down, soothed them, and led them without fighting.
Slowly, but step by step.
"What better solution could there be? Would you give me your opinions?"
"You're curious about our opinions? Even though you're an S-rank hero?"
"Yes, I'm an S-rank hero, just a woman who's only strong."
"No, you don't need to say it to that extent..."
"It's true though? I'm really just a woman who's only strong, so I'm clumsy with problems other than monsters. So, please help me."
Whatever Yoo Anna lacked, she asked both citizens and heroes, and they all thought about solutions together.
If Kage stood firm like a wall to protect citizens, Yoo Anna tried to unite everyone together.
When everyone thought together and improvement measures came out, Yoo Anna moved a little more, fought a little more, and tried a little harder.
Everyone was still frustrated and full of complaints, but little by little, little by little, things were being resolved.
"...What?"
Like that, what broke Yoo Anna's spirit, which hadn't wavered even under extreme stress, was such a small incident.
"I'm sorry, Yoo Anna! I should have contacted you, but I couldn't bring myself to contact you...!"
"Wait, wait a moment, so."
Yoo Anna, who arrived at W-City's ossuary, headed to the urn storage of the uncle and aunt she always visited, following her parents' urn.
Finally, what the employee who approached Yoo Anna, who was sitting quietly in front of an empty space containing only dolls, toys, and a scarf without even an urn, said.
"You said it was... Robbed?"
A thief had broken into the relic storage.
A place where the relics of dead people are carefully preserved.
Perhaps because of the times, she had heard that such things happen occasionally.
There are people who sneak into ossuaries and steal watches, jewelry, and expensive clothing to sell them.
"I'm sorry!"
That thief seemed to have boldly smashed open the storage compartment containing the locking device with something like a pickaxe.
Yoo Anna, who had already had her parents' relics stolen before, bit her lips and pressed down her hat.
Had someone witnessed Starlight coming to this ossuary again?
Even though she walked from nearby places to be careful, wore a hat that could fit all her red hair inside, sunglasses, and even a mask.
"...Ha."
After the original owner of the storage compartment closed the door, Yoo Anna couldn't open it, afraid that if she opened that storage compartment, something invisible inside might fly away.
She didn't know the contents, but there probably wasn't anything particularly great inside.
Just the relics of the uncle and aunt who saved Yoo Anna.
The relics of that child's parents.
"So annoying..."
Yoo Anna, who had been holding back her accumulating emotions, crouched in front of the compartment without an urn and bumped her head.
She had been hoping that the soul of the child whose body couldn't even be found would come to this place.
If even the relics of the uncle and aunt that the child had personally put in with their own hands disappeared.
"This would make it even harder for them to visit..."
Even so, Yoo Anna couldn't blame the person who would have taken the relics.
In this world, there are plenty of people who are desperate enough to steal even the relics of already dead people to survive.
That person might also die at any time.
There's no time to spend on dead people in this world.
She doesn't blame anyone.
Because living people must live.
"I really hate this world."
Between her feet, fallen water drops made tuk, tuk sounds and dried up instantly.
It was because Yoo Anna's ability, shaken by emotion, leaked out on its own.
[...Is something wrong?]
"Huh?"
Could it be that those emotions hadn't been erased yet?
A few days later, on the way to see off the Black Cat heading to the closed district after the Black Cat's mealtime ended.
It's called seeing off, but during the time for surveillance and confirmation that it wasn't leaving for other places, the Black Cat spoke to her.
[You smell sweet.]
"What are you talking about?"
[The more negative human emotions are, the sweeter monsters find them.]
"It's the first time I'm hearing this."
It's now famous that monsters feed on human emotions and fear, but it was the first time hearing an expression about that taste.
As Yoo Anna, who had been caught by the Black Cat that her mood wasn't good, hesitated about how to react, the Black Cat turned its body and extended its head.
[Being a hero seems quite tiring.]
"Huh?"
[I'll specially let you pet my head.]
"Uh, u, yeah."
Could it be remembering how she was happy when she petted the Black Cat's head last time? Yoo Anna felt a bit of shame as she reached out her hand to the Black Cat's head.
Soft and fluffy, fluffier fur than before, the ecstatic texture brushing between her palms.
Yoo Anna let out a long breath, feeling her fatigue melting away little by little.
"Whooo..."
[Listen while you pet. Starlight, I like W-City.]
"Eh, ah, u, uh? Really?"
[And, I don't dislike you either.]
"Ehhhhhh?!"
For a moment, Yoo Anna forgot all her fatigue until now and fell into intense confusion.
Don't dislike? Does this mean like? A confession?
Can a monster like a human? The Black Cat? Why exactly?
"Wa, wait! I have someone I like separately... No, rather than that, the reason you protect humans even though you're a monster, could it be that kind of thing?"
[What are you talking about?]
"Huh? You're protecting them to make humans give birth to your... Children?"
"Tsk."
The Black Cat clicked its tongue.
[Don't have weird delusions and just make my cat tower.]
"U, yeah... Yeah?"
Yoo Anna's head, feeling shame, burst into flames quickly.
That was brief, Yoo Anna opened her eyes wide at the story that followed.
[Aren't you trying to make a cat tower?]
"What? How do you know that?"
[There was a human who showed me something called a cat tower bird's-eye view.]
"Who showed you that."
[I like it. It would be interesting if there was such a thing in W-City.]
"Ah..."
She didn't know who exactly had shown such a thing to the Black Cat without permission, but the Black Cat had directly given the answer that it liked it.
Yoo Anna felt relieved that the problem of what they could do for the Black Cat, which had been W-City's worry, seemed to be somewhat resolved.
The Black Cat likes W-City.
It also wants them to make a cat tower.
And its head is fluffy and soft.
"...Thank you."
Yoo Anna thought that the Black Cat had let her pet its head to comfort her.
Regardless of some worries being resolved, at the moment when her heart felt a little relieved just by the fact that someone had comforted her.
[Senior, this is an emergency communication. Can you hear me?]
Through communication within W-City, an emergency broadcast was connected to Yoo Anna.
[A huge explosion occurred in B-City. An entire mountain in the outskirts area melted down...]
"Sorry, I'll go check it out, thank you for letting me pet your head."
"Woong?"
Yoo Anna took her hand off the Black Cat's head at the ominous news.
As if it had eavesdropped on the broadcast, the Black Cat frowned and made a curious cry.
[Currently, we are assessing the situation. All S-rank heroes from each city, please standby so you can provide support at any time.]
There's no such thing as rest time for heroes.
Yoo Anna immediately flew toward the hero headquarters.