Black Viper
“…….”
I had imagined being kidnapped many times since I was born.
You know the kind I mean?
There was that news item I saw one day—kidnappings, human trafficking. That very evening the rain was pouring down as I made my way home. The usual path I could walk without a second thought suddenly felt a little scary.
Or I watched a horror movie and ended up on my way home when it all went wrong.
Or… I was kidnapped by an insanely pretty yandere girl, then locked away for brainwashing, and somehow turned her into a yandere girlfriend.
I had thought about scenarios like that before, but actually living through something so close to one… it was truly, truly…
“Ugh…….”
Reincarnation, gender bender, all the wild things I’d already gone through, and yet this situation left me stunned.
When I opened my eyes, I was in a tiny cell smaller than my one-room apartment, with only me tied to a chair in the center. What on earth was going on?
“Ugh…….”
My mouth was taped shut with something that could have been tape or anything else. I couldn’t even speak properly.
But my memories up to the point I lost consciousness were crystal clear, so maybe that was why I could still think clearly.
Or maybe, because I was still a Hero Association employee, I could stay calm about it.
I could… right now, view the situation without panicking at all.
I had already contacted Saran and let her know my last location… If she was still alive, there had to be a reason they hadn’t killed me yet, right?
I didn’t know the details, but…
“Hmm…….”
I just sat there quietly.
If someone came in, I’d ask them a few questions and wait for Saran.
I hadn’t even known why I was kidnapped in the first place, so curiosity had taken over fear.
I wasn’t a hero… and I didn’t even have a hero family…
“Huuuummm……”
What the hell was actually going on?
They clearly didn’t just pick me at random; they must have had a purpose. They kidnapped me, tied me up, and locked me away for a reason.
I figured the energy blast at the end meant the culprit was an Awakener.
One of those energy or super-power-type Awakener who could knock out a person like me?
I just waited, thinking all this over slowly.
Because my mouth was completely taped, I couldn’t speak to anyone, and I had no idea who was outside, so I just waited…
“…Ugh?”
The last kidnapper I had seen slowly entered the room.
Just like in my memories—black hoodie and mask, only his eyes visible, taller than me, and definitely over 170 centimeters. The clothes hid his gender, so it was hard to tell if it was a man or a woman.
“You’re awake.”
“Mm.”
By the way, that was a proper reply.
“…You’re tougher than I expected. Honestly, I was a little surprised the lightweight electric shock knocked you out so fast. Your regeneration must be pretty good.”
“Mm.”
Male voice.
Well, I wasn’t interested in gender, but I filed it away for later testimony.
But seriously, why take me?
There was no hatred or hostility in his voice. He just stood in front of me and spoke. So what should I do?
“Do you know about Black Viper?”
“…?”
The name that came out was actually pretty familiar.
I wondered why Saran’s hero name suddenly appeared, but since I couldn’t speak, I just stared at him.
Was this the guy who had gone to jail because of Saran before?
The kidnapper untied the tape from my mouth after asking that question.
“I kidnapped you because I wanted to ask about that hero, Black Viper.”
“?”
“That woman destroyed the organization I used to belong to.”
“So?”
“I was searching for her to take revenge, but her name never came up. At the time I definitely heard the name Black Viper on the phone, but I couldn’t find anything no matter how much I searched.”
“Eh……”
Hm.
Yeah, thinking about it now… that was obvious.
She wasn’t the usual kind of hero. She was Saran, and her hero identity was kept secret from the media.
Before I even met her in person, I hadn’t even known she existed.
It was completely natural for this villain to look disappointed when he spoke to me.
“…So I’ve been hiding around the Hero Association. Finally, I found her! That damn woman….”
“…….”
“And she was standing right next to you!”
“Mm……”
What?
He seemed a little slow.
Yeah, that was probably it.
I had already concluded there wasn’t anything dangerous about me.
“Then shall I call Black Viper here?”
“Oooh…! Really? For real?”
“Yes, no problem. Can you hand me your phone? I’ll contact her right away.”
“Hahaha ha ha ha ha!!!”
“…….”
So he just wanted revenge?
Hm, that made sense.
Even though I had been suddenly kidnapped, somehow a sense of crisis or worry had almost disappeared. Just to be safe, though…
I started calling Saran without any reckless moves.
Kwaaang——!!!
“Eh?”
Then a huge noise came from outside the room, and I couldn’t help but jump.
What the heck?
Was this another villain who had failed to learn their lesson? Or had they come looking for me?
While I was looking around the room entrance and the kidnapper, the kidnapper slowly stood up, sighed, and headed outside.
“……?”
What situation was this really?
He leaned his head out a little, body still tied to the chair, holding the phone in one hand and trying to see outside however he could.
Even though I was short, pulling my neck out wasn’t going to make the outside visible from the center of the room.
“…Hrm.”
Anyway, with my mouth open, I decided to call Saran.
The kidnapper hadn’t told me to stop calling.
In this unpredictable situation, I naturally wanted to send help requests to Saran, “Help me,” “Save Charlotte,” and so on as fast as possible.
“Craaaak!!!”
“……?”
Right as the call connected, the kidnapper screamed and ran toward the room I was tied up in.
What the hell?
In the middle of this absurd series of events, I couldn’t even guess what was really going on.
“You crazy bitch! Even if it’s a hero, attacking someone the second you lock eyes is cheating! Where did justice go?!”
“…Eh?”
“Shut up.”
“So that’s why our hyung could just chop you up! Even if we’re villains, there’s never been a case of stabbing someone the second you lock eyes!”
“Cl-close your mouth.”
“…….”
…The villain shouted in a pitiful voice like a kid.
From outside the room, a familiar voice grew closer from the outside and said coldly:
“Truly a familiar voice.”
But even so… compared to the voice I was used to hearing, it was sharper, and… I could feel killing intent.
I had never expected a voice this scary to come from Saran, who was my mentor.
“Even if you kidnapped a Hero Association employee, you really thought she’d just obey?”
“Wait a second, put the knife down first… Let’s talk calmly, hero. How about it?”
“Shut up.”
“O…….”
While talking, Saran came in without hesitation.
Her outfit was completely different from usual.
The suit she wore—usually called a hero costume—looked nothing like what I expected. She didn’t even glance at the kidnapper hiding behind me.
“Oooh……….”
It felt like a female spy from a spy thriller, with that strong body-hugging suit.
But it wasn’t just sexy; she wore harnesses and belts, and on her chest, abdomen, hips, and thighs, there were holsters and sheaths with multiple weapons. It actually looked cool.
Her proportions were solid, her appearance cold and gorgeous, so the outfit suited her perfectly.
“Wow, that’s amazing. Is that the costume?”
“…Yeah, but step back a little.”
I unconsciously praised her, but Saran was focused on the mission.
Probably because of the kidnapper behind me.
But…
“I can’t step back. Sorry, I’m tied up. Could you move those weapons over there first? Talking to the one behind me might not work if you’re electrocuted—I’d probably die.”
“Yes! Right!”
I couldn’t do anything about it.
We were facing off over just one person.
It was weird that I ended up shielding the villain with my own body, but since I was in a sealed room with only Saran as an exit, I had no choice.
“Haa……”
Saran said that and stepped back a few steps from right in front of me.
“Is this far enough? Untie your hand.”
“Hihihi! If you have a hostage, you can’t do anything, huh?
“Untie it.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll untie it. So listen to me. I’ve been spending a lot of time to bring you here as Black Viper.”
…What a dumb villain.
Every time I looked at Saran, my impression of him getting dumber grew stronger.
Right as Saran created some distance, the hand coming toward me dropped, and the villain backed away a little, entering a sort of stalemate.
No, I thought he was going to back down.
“Huh…!”
Saran suddenly rushed toward the chair I was sitting on… and stepped on the spot between my legs as a platform, jumped, and over me in one motion…
—Bwaaak!!!
“Ugh!?”
“…….”
I heard the villain’s jaw get kicked by her foot, and he collapsed with a thud.
She didn’t even use the knife in her hand, didn’t use any of the equipment on her belts and holsters, and just… finished it.
Just… finished.
“…….”
“Tsk…”
Saran looked a little surprised, as if she had never seen this before.
She really was a hero.
Not at an extreme level, but watching that move up close, her body was at a completely different level.
She had only taken two steps and accelerated, then landed on that tiny spot and continued the attack right in front of me.
Seeing her fight in that costume, it was obvious that it felt overwhelmingly strong.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, by the way, Saran-nim, you look really cool right now. It’s totally different from before; it’s surprising.”
“…Haa.”
Was it because I answered so calmly without panicking at all?
Saran looked at me with a dumbfounded sigh.
But…
“You’ve always been really pretty, and now with the outfit that shows your body, I feel like it’s even cooler. It gives off a sexy vibe too.”
“……I’ll untie you first.”
Even in a position where she couldn’t be seen, she clicked her tongue and immediately worried about my health. It made me naturally think she really was a hero.
It felt even more amazing all over again.
Anyway, because she was wearing a bodysuit, her figure was… tall, slim, and voluptuous……
No, her balance was perfect with zero fat.
Personally, if I were going to be a woman, I think I would have preferred that plump, pretty body instead.
Of course I wasn’t going to marry or date a guy.
It was something that women couldn’t do to each other, so I probably just went home alone, tried on all kinds of clothes, and laughed at my reflection in the mirror with a ka ha ha, haha ha ha, ho ho ho.
“……”
Ah, that was still happening now.
While Saran was untangling the ropes binding my body, I got that realization today too.