Eodeokshini

If you ever found yourself dropped into a world of the Awakened — a world of heroes and villains — what would be the best part of it?

Being able to have superpowers yourself?

Getting to actually witness heroes, the kind you'd only ever seen in movies and comics?

Or maybe becoming a villain yourself, like some edgy teenager, and dumping all your grievances on society with a bunch of pointless terrorism?

I could admit those were all good things. I just couldn't bring myself to call any of them the best thing.

The best thing was, without a doubt... beastfolk.

"I'm telling you, this era is literally the age of the beastfolk..."

"Haa..."

"Well, it's not just beastfolk. Lately we've been seeing a lot more transformation-type Awakened of all kinds, but still—"

"...Charlotte. Have you actually lost it?"

"Eh?"

I was a little hurt by the Team Leader's look of sheer exasperation, considering I had been speaking from the heart.

No, really. I genuinely believed that the single greatest thing about this world, this era, was the existence of beastfolk — people who carried some of the outward features of animals.

"Come on, aren't they cute? Aren't they pretty? All fluffy, or all sleek and silky — don't you just want to touch them constantly? Am I the only one?!"

"...Even so, that's a bit much. I'll grant you that transformation-type and shapeshifter Awakened have distinctive looks. But it's not so insanely amazing that you need to carry on like that, Charlotte."

"Team Leader... you don't understand wonder. You don't understand romance. You don't understand what gets people going..."

"What on earth are you even talking about... Wouldn't energy-type or psychic-type Awakened be cooler? Those are actual fantasy. They shoot lasers. They conjure real fire and lightning."

"Beastfolk are the ultimate life form, I'm telling you. Animal ears and tails, or horns, or scales — sharing those with another person is the real deal."

In my heart of hearts I could have gone on to lecture her about their ecology and habits too, starting with mating seasons. Unfortunately, our Team Leader was still an unenlightened commoner who had yet to grasp the appeal of beastfolk. Better to start simple — talk about appearances, and slowly reel her in — than launch into a full seminar.

"You like cat ears too, Team Leader! You like dog ears! Sure, you've never had a boyfriend in your entire life, and sometimes you come off like a lesbian who seriously prefers women, but if your partner did a cat or dog cosplay for you, you'd love it! It's the exact same principle!"

"Haa... I really worry that this is the kid who's supposed to be our team's ace..."

"Hey...!"

Why couldn't she understand this? I'd thought that if anyone would believe in my ideals, it would be the Team Leader I worked with at the Association's Welfare Bureau. And yet here she was, dismissing everything I said as nonsense. I was devastated.

"...I'll just go on my field assignment."

And so what I chose, in the end, was a kind of escape. A little act of rebellion. Not that I had much choice anyway — the appointed time was drawing near, and I couldn't keep hanging around the office. I decided it was time to get up. Though, to be fair, the debate with the Team Leader had been going absolutely nowhere.

"Haa... Fine. Go on your field assignment and actually do some work. Who's the hero you're assigned to this time? An E-Class hero... I can't quite remember the name."

"That's because they're E-Class. At your level, Team Leader, it's a bit much to expect you to keep track of every rookie hero."

"Haha. Still, looking after heroes is our job. I should at least try to remember them, even the E-Class ones."

"I only just got the file myself, so I haven't read much, but apparently she's a rookie who hasn't even picked a hero name yet."

The number of Awakened debuting as heroes was climbing by the day, and the heroes the Association's Welfare Bureau had to look after were increasing right along with them. Expecting the Team Leader to remember every single one was unrealistic. She hadn't even been with our team all that long, after all.

"Ah... Well, good luck out there today."

"Yes. You take it easy in the office too, Team Leader."

With that, I finished my goodbyes and headed straight for the meeting place, off to see the nobody hero I'd been assigned this time.

"Hrm..."

Walking there wasn't really an option. Unlike my previous life, this body's current form was basically that of a delicate young girl, so I took a taxi and used the ride to look over the file. There wasn't much in it to begin with, and it was always a good idea to memorize at least some information before meeting the hero you were assigned to.

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"This is... actually pretty exciting."

That was my first thought after skimming the file. Excitement. She was E-Class — and an absurdly low rank at that, a nobody among nobodies — but I couldn't help looking forward to this.

Among the various types of Awakened, transformation-types included a lot of beastfolk. Some took after everyday pets like dogs and cats. Others took after the kinds of animals you'd find at a zoo — crocodiles, dolphins, lions, tigers. But the ability of the nobody hero I was about to meet was something else entirely. Eodeokshini.

This wasn't a power that gave you the traits of an ordinary animal. It was a power tied to something that wasn't even human. A being from fantasy. A creature out of folklore.

"Hrm..."

Just what kind of ability was "Eodeokshini," anyway? The last time I'd read any fairy tales or folklore about dokkaebi had been a very, very long time ago — back in my previous life's childhood, even. I couldn't help turning it over in my mind.

"...That said, she's tiny."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Once I'd finished thinking about the ability, my attention naturally drifted to the height listed below it. Even I, living as a woman now, was nowhere near tall. I was 149 centimeters — just a hair, a tiny hair, shy of 150. But the hero I was about to take charge of wasn't even 140. A genuine little shrimp. Of course I was curious.

She was an adult, though.

"...It's not identity fraud or anything, right?"

Then again, the Hero Association was thorough. There was no way someone had forged their identity to register illegally.

"Here we are."

"Thank you."

The taxi fare billed automatically. I stepped out and stood in front of the café we'd agreed to meet at.

It was a small place, but one I used all the time, for a simple reason. It wasn't the open-seating kind. The café was divided into private rooms so guests could talk comfortably.

The moment I walked in, the owner guided me to the room I'd reserved. And ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠there, already waiting, sat a girl who looked incredibly nervous.

The instant our eyes met...

"H-hiiik...!"

The way she startled was honestly pretty cute.

"Hello. E-Class hero, Miss Batori? You haven't registered a hero name yet, so I hope you don't mind me using your real one."

"O-oh, no...! I-I just haven't been able to decide on a name yet, that's all..."

"Haha, there's no need to be so tense. The Association didn't set this up because we're angry with you. We're here to help."

"Y-yes, ma'am!!!"

"......"

The girl sitting across from me was even shorter than I was. Short enough that her feet probably didn't even reach the floor under the chair. Her ashen hair had streaks of black running through it here and there.

But what stood out far more than any of that was...

"You have horns. Like a dokkaebi?"

"Ah... yes...! They started growing because of my ability..."

"Oh-ho..."

Two horns sprouted from the edge of her forehead. They looked blunt, almost rounded, and yet somehow pointed at the same time — and I found them genuinely fascinating.

Most beastfolk ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠horns had a distinctly hard quality to them. Rhino-type, bull-type, mountain goat-type beastfolk all had horns with a texture and color clearly different from skin. But Batori's horns looked like they'd grown right out of her skin and then hardened. It was remarkable. If I'd had my way, I would have just reached out and given those horns a thorough petting right then and there, before we'd even gotten a word of actual conversation in.

"Ahem. Introductions first."

"Ah, y-yes...!"

Work first. Indulgences later. That was how you stayed out of trouble. I cleared my throat and started my introduction properly.

"I'm Charlotte, from the Hero Association's Welfare Bureau. I'll be your assigned counselor, Miss Batori. I'll be providing support and counseling until your issues are resolved."

"Ah, hello...!"

I dipped my head in a polite greeting, and the tiny girl across from me — so much smaller than I was — bowed at the waist over and over with exaggerated courtesy. For some reason, my conscience twinged a little at the sight. But she was younger than me, so I figured it wasn't a big problem, and moved on.

Now that the purpose of the meeting and the introductions were out of the way, I decided to ask about the thing I'd been curious about from the start — what exactly the Eodeokshini ability was.

"Would it be all right if I touched your horns, Miss Batori?"

"Y... yes? Y-yes...?!"

"Ah."

The problem was that what I'd been wondering about internally and what I'd meant to say out loud had gotten swapped. I'd wanted to touch those horns from the moment I first saw her, so the words just slipped out.

But apologizing and taking it back now would only make me look even weirder. In a situation like this, the right move was to just commit.

"...Could I touch them? Just once?"

I mean, I really wanted to touch them.