The Mature Adult
“He said to just use the hero name as is? For real?”
“Yes, that’s what he said. I actually did ask if it was okay… but honestly, it didn’t seem like there was any issue at all. There’s no hero named Eoduksini out there, is there? The ability is quite unusual among the transformation types. I figured there probably wouldn’t be any problems.”
“True. In my memory, there was never a hero by that name, and a search of the current database would confirm it.”
“Right?”
The conversation with Batori ended on a pleasant note.
Her unusually bright, cheerful smile was adorable, but of course she was that way because she was genuinely happy about her promotion.
After chatting with her appropriately for the rest of the afternoon, I headed back to the Association by evening rush hour.
“Sounds good. Baekyeou’s name is straightforward too, since you’re responsible for her. And normally… heroes don’t complicate their names unnecessarily.”
“Exactly. I thought the same thing. I figured a casual name would suit me fine.
Of course, the real reason was that I had received a lot of help from Team Leader, and I wanted to repay her for it.
When Team Leader said she’d buy me food at the end of the day, that was obviously a joke, but still, I had to show my gratitude for all the help I’d been given.
Even though I’m the type who lives on my own terms, I don’t forget the people who’ve helped me.
Besides, Team Leader is a highly skilled professional.
And she’s one of the people I’m quite close with anyway.
“So where are you taking me, Charlotte?”
“Hmm… Honestly, I’d love to invest the cost of a meal into you right now. But if I did that, I’d be eating cup noodles again tomorrow, so I’m taking you somewhere you want to eat.”
“Huhuhu, then if I tell you about an insanely expensive hotel restaurant right here, you won’t cry, right?”
“Whoa…”
“Obviously just a joke?”
It was only natural that I treated Team Leader with more playful banter than I did with the other heroes I counseled, since I’d known her for about two or three months longer than the rest.
We’d been working together for almost two years now, and we were close enough in the Welfare Bureau office that the joke came easily.
It was important to repay kindness well, and I’d learned that from both my past life and this one: human relationships were far more precious when kept than when expanded.
Mm-hmm.
“So, Team Leader, what do you feel like eating today? As long as it’s not something that costs a few hundred just for one meal, I’ll treat you normally. Up to a few tens is… well, that’s something a grown-up can manage, right?”
“Even if I’m much younger than you, you don’t trust me because you worry about me, don’t you?”
“Ehehe, that’s because I’m an unnie, right?”
“Wow…”
At quitting time, I arrived at the Association’s underground parking lot and took Team Leader’s car as usual.
I had to ride with her no matter where we went.
After sharing a few cups of tea and chatting about where to go, we ended up at a restaurant I rarely ate at.
“Huhuhu…”
“You’ve always loved sushi and shrimp grilling when we go to izakaya, haven’t you?”
“Exactly. The unique flavor of seafood is amazing, isn’t it? The rich umami of sashimi is delicious too.”
“Hmm… I don’t eat sashimi much. I still don’t know what kind of taste it is, so I always order fried stuff at group meals.”
“That makes sense. You’re still young.”
It was a seafood restaurant, but not one specializing in raw items like sashimi. They handled crab, lobster, and shrimp, things I could eat normally.
Steamed crab and sashimi are completely different experiences, aren’t they?
“Today Charlotte’s treating, right?”
“Yes, actually, I mentioned that earlier, but since I became a Special Agent and my salary increased…”
“Ah, now that I think about it, that makes sense. I hadn’t heard the exact amount, but it’s definitely a plus.”
“Exactly.”
“But how has working as a Special Agent been going lately? Has it been too much?”
“The work itself is more than I expected, but the paperwork has decreased a lot. No more rushing through reports, which is great.”
“Huhuhu, that’s good to hear.”
After we ordered, our conversation naturally turned to work.
Since Team Leader was Team Leader.
We worked at the same company, in the same department, on the same team, and we’d been together for two years, so of course we talked about work.
Especially since I didn’t have many adults to discuss work with… I actually enjoyed these conversations where Team Leader would worry about me and offer advice.
“But I’m glad your face is much prettier than before.”
“You’re right.”
“And from the stories I’ve heard, it sounds like there are a lot of good things being said about the heroes you’re responsible for.”
“From above?”
…In conversations like that, something interesting always comes up.
Talking about me from above was an unusual kind of thing, wasn’t it?
“Yeah, you’re handling A-class heroes, Under Heroes, and even newbies. Batori only needed three months to go from E-class bottom to almost C-class promotion. The A-class heroes seem to have much better mental health, and the Under Hero side has seen a huge efficiency jump. Special Agent… I heard the higher-ups have nothing but praise for you.”
“People have been saying that? Hmm… Even if I try not to pay attention, it still bothers me a little. I wonder if the Association President’s influence is playing a part.”
“Probably. It started because of you becoming Special Agent, and the President personally approved it.”
It felt awkward, but it was a very good thing.
Of course, the company president acknowledging my abilities was a good thing.
Besides that… I didn’t have any other thoughts, like wanting to work harder or anything.
The restaurant was one where cooking crab and shrimp took a long time, so we kept talking about the usual things.
“Then, the chance that Special Agent will become a permanent position… I suppose. It was originally just a temporary role. If the higher-ups react like that…”
“Yeah, I think they might start using the Special Agent title more actively.”
“The passionate speech you gave in front of the President back then must have had a big effect. I was just saying I didn’t want to do extra work, but it was the truth.”
“Huhuhu, even so, the story wasn’t a lie, was it? You said it would be better to quit than to treat the heroes you’re responsible for carelessly, and that was sincere, right?”
“Yes, it was.”
Today we ended up talking about work a lot more than usual.
When you think about it, the only adult I ever had these kinds of conversations with was Team Leader… so of course I talked more.
I teased Team Leader about being an unnie, an auntie, a lady, almost thirty, getting old, but she really was the embodiment of a mature adult.
“Team Leader, thank you again.”
“Hmm?”
“For all the advice you gave Batori and for everything else today.”
“Huhuhu, you don’t usually say things like that. Are you going to split the bill when we pay?”
“Ehehe… It’s not because we’re eating together. I’m just genuinely grateful to you. I tease you all the time, but that’s because I think of you as close, right? You know that?”
“Huhuhu. It makes me happy that you said that.”
Well, she usually just laughed it off with a little smile because I teased her so much.
But honestly, hearing those words made my heart feel lighter.
As we continued our normal conversation, the dishes we’d ordered started arriving one by one.
Crab from a wooden bowl, shrimp stew, grilled shrimp… and various side dishes.
It was a fairly high-end restaurant, so it felt luxurious.
It was a relief for me, who didn’t usually favor seafood much, and Team Leader, who ate expensive food often, looked very pleased.
“Hmm… Charlotte, shall we have a drink after?”
That was the suggestion Team Leader made while we were slowly finishing our meal.
We’d gone out for drinks together after work before, and sometimes had a little while eating at the Welfare Bureau.
Whenever that happened, Team Leader never refused the drink…
“Drinking and then going home is fine, isn’t it? You can just use your ability when you get home.”
“Oh…”
…Because Team Leader had an ability.
If it was the magical girl’s ability, she could simply teleport home without driving…
Using a magical girl power to avoid drunk driving was strangely ironic, but that was just the way adult worlds worked.
“Then I’ll have just a little.”
“Huhuhu, has it gotten better since last time?”
“Haha…”
Normally I would have teased Team Leader mercilessly, but now that alcohol was involved… I couldn’t help but feel a little worry creeping in.
There was no problem with Batori, Saran, or Baekyeou, but…
“This time we have to keep going all the way, right?”
“Haha…”
Team Leader was genuinely kind, but when it came to alcohol, there was no way I wouldn’t worry.
It wasn’t about forcing drinks on someone else…
“…Please drink moderately. Please.”
…Because she was the type who drank alone first and then collapsed.