Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: The One Who Should Just Die is Thriving Well
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'I wonder what she looks like?'
In a high-end restaurant, B-rank hero Jelly Master—no, Ryan Prius—gazed out the window at the stunning night view, unable to hide his excitement.
Today was the day he'd promised to have dinner with Aqua Girl.
He was the same, but Aqua Girl was a hero who hid her identity. Naturally, only a tiny handful of people within the Hero Association knew her real name and face—those who could be counted on one hand, maybe two.
So even though Ryan had made the appointment with Aqua Girl, he knew absolutely nothing about what she looked like, her name, or her age.
Kkotok-!
-Sunbae, I've arrived.
As Ryan wiped the sweat from his hands and fidgeted nervously, a notification chimed from his phone. He checked it at the speed of light, and his face lit up.
This was the moment he'd finally meet the real Aqua Girl—not the hero, but the woman herself.
Ding~!
The restaurant door swung open, and his gaze shot toward it. Was that Aqua Girl coming in?
"Ah..."
Ryan, staring at the door with eager anticipation, let out a sigh of disappointment.
"Ho ho ho~ I have a reservation under OOO."
"Yes, this way, please."
"Ho ho ho~ You're quite handsome, aren't you? How about it? Wanna have some fun with noona tonight?"
"....."
A woman who looked to be in her fifties, plump and hefty, was being led by the staff toward Ryan's table. She had to weigh at least 100kg. Cold sweat began beading on his forehead.
'No way... Ah, no, it can't be. It won't be.'
Ryan tried to deny it, but the overweight woman kept heading straight for him.
'Ah, aaaah...'
When the staff and the woman stopped right in front of his table, Ryan despaired.
He hadn't expected Aqua Girl to be some stunning beauty, but this was too much! And what was with that body? It was completely different from her hero form!
But it wasn't entirely incomprehensible.
She had the superpower Body Shifter, which allowed her to freely reshape her body into whatever she desired.
With no need for elaborate disguises, she could impersonate anyone perfectly, so people with this power often worked as spies or transformed into entirely different builds for hero duties.
Ryan was so shocked that he'd forgotten Aqua Girl had another superpower entirely.
'...Right. What does looks matter? It's the heart that counts. I made a huge mistake.'
Having been disappointed by the woman's appearance, Ryan realized his error and reflected on it.
When people meet, it's not looks that matter—it's the heart. Yet he'd judged her solely on appearance.
This was a grave offense against Aqua Girl.
Having recognized his mistake, Ryan resolved to look beyond her looks and see her heart. He hadn't fallen for her because of some hot body. It was her character, her kindness, her sense of justice.
As the woman stood beside his table, Ryan rose from his seat.
"Lady Aqua..."
"Ho ho ho~! Did I keep you waiting? Hey! Don't worry about the price—bring the most delicious stuff on the menu. Oh ho ho ho hong~!"
"....."
Ryan stared blankly at the woman.
She seemed loaded with cash, decked out in jewelry everywhere. Especially on her pudgy, caterpillar-like fingers—ten massive gem-encrusted rings.
But for all her wealth, her personality was dirt poor.
Treating the staff like that, even as a customer! Her character wasn't just bad—it was trash-tier.
"....."
Ryan quietly sat back down. And inwardly, he let out a sigh of relief.
'Phew... Dodged a bullet.'
The woman's seat wasn't at his table, but the one right next to it. Meaning this trash-personality lady wasn't Aqua Girl.
In that short span, Ryan had been dragged through hell and back to heaven.
"Here you are."
"Thank you. Um... Jelly sunbae?"
"Who... Ah...!"
Ryan looked up at the odd nickname "Jelly sunbae," and his eyes widened.
Thump-!
His heart plummeted.
Before Ryan stood a pure white angel who had lost her wings and descended to earth.
Sky-blue hair was a color that wouldn't suit just anyone. But this woman—no, angel—made it look perfect, as if the hue existed solely for her.
"Sorry. I kept you waiting, didn't I?"
"Uh..."
"Yes? Aren't you Jelly sunbae?"
"Ah...!"
Only then did Ryan realize what "Jelly sunbae" meant. His hero name was Jelly Master. In other words, this angel before him was Aqua Girl—not the trashy woman next to them.
"Aqua Girl?"
"Hee hee. Yep, that's me."
"....!"
Not wanting to blurt out hero names in such a public spot, Ryan whispered. The angel smiled sweetly and whispered back, confirming she was Aqua Girl.
Ryan's eyes widened again.
"Ah, uh, I'm Ryan..."
"I know. You told me, sunbae. That's how I knew to come to your table."
"Right, yeah. Haha, look at me, totally out of it..."
Enraptured by Aqua Girl's beauty, Ryan was at a loss for words.
(For the record, this was the same guy who'd just preached about judging by the heart.)
"So... what's your name? Your real name."
"Oh, right, I didn't introduce myself. I'm Yuna Reyes."
"Ah..."
'An angel! There's an angel right in front of me!'
Ryan gazed at Yuna with eyes full of awe. Ahh... Good thing I'm alive.
"We should eat. What do you want?"
"Order something delicious, sunbae."
"R-right! Just a sec!"
Ryan hurriedly scanned the menu. He'd already decided what to order on the way here, but Yuna's looks had wiped it from his mind.
"....."
While Ryan pored over the menu, Yuna eyed him coldly. Alright, what info should I pry out first?
Too busy scheming, Yuna didn't notice.
"....."
The man glaring at her from outside the window with murderous eyes.
*****
"What should I do today?"
Before Ji-na clocked out, I stepped outside, hopped in the car, and muttered to myself.
Handing the organization over to my villain-exclusive clone, Steel Armor MARK-II, had freed up a huge chunk of my schedule.
I had no plans to hit other villain groups until I'd recruited at least a hundred skull-headed thugs as symbols of terror. More underlings meant more cash for me.
"Hmm... Should I squeeze some info out of the Memory Hunter?"
Bored enough to go beat up some villains? Not a bad idea.
"I'll figure it out on the way."
I had some shopping to do anyway, so I headed downtown. Might as well think it over at my usual café.
"Ahh...! Nothing beats a hot iced Americano."
Truth be told, "hot iced Americano" is no big deal. Just float ice in a hot Americano.
Of course, that tastes awful—the ice melts fast, watering down the coffee. But I keep coming back because this barista's skilled. Even with the ice melt, it never gets bland.
"Anyway, what to do today... Huh? What's this?"
Sipping my coffee and peering out the window, I spotted a familiar face. My slave number one, Yuna. She'd dolled up—makeup on, pretty white dress.
"Where's she off to? Wanna hang with Yuna today?"
Come to think of it, it'd been ages since we played. Time for a date.
"Sweet! Stalker mode it is."
Coffee in hand, I tailed her right away. Her sky-blue hair swayed temptingly, matching her stride.
"Hm? A restaurant?"
Blending into the crowd stealthily, I followed until we reached a fancy restaurant. From outside, I watched Yuna enter and saw where she sat.
And when she joined a decent-looking guy—
"....."
My face hardened.
My slave dares cheat on me?!
*****
Their meal was set to continue in a warm, cozy atmosphere.
"The steak here's deli—Huh? What's that?"
"Pardon? What's wrong, sunbae?"
"Why's that guy staring right through us?"
"Huh? Who... Huh?"
If not for the man plastered to the window.
Yuna frowned as she looked outside at Ryan's words. A burly guy was smooshed against the glass, staring at them. His face squished flat, he looked hideous.
"Sunbae, do you know him?"
"No. Not at all."
"Maybe a beggar? But his clothes look fine."
"Hold on. I'll get rid of him. Excuse me."
"Yes, sir. Need anything else?"
"No, it's just..."
Ryan pointed out the window and explained to the staff. The employee immediately apologized.
"Sorry about that, sir. Beggars sometimes come begging for food—it might be one of them. Terribly sorry for the disturbance. We'll shoo him off right away."
"Yeah, please do it quick."
As the staff left to chase the guy away, Ryan said to Yuna,
"People these days, huh? They said they'll handle it quick, so just bear with it a bit. Or should we switch tables?"
"It's fine. We'll wait since the staff's on it."
"Okay."
Relieved Yuna wasn't upset by the beggar, Ryan sighed inwardly. As expected, Yuna was as kind as she was pretty.
Just then, the guy outside pulled out his phone and started making a call.
Vrrr-!
"Huh? Sunbae, hold on."
"Sure, take your call."
At the same moment, Yuna's phone rang.
-Master♥-
"Eek?! M-Master... Ahem!"
The caller was none other than Yuna's one and only master, Steel Armor. She nearly blurted "Master" on instinct, glancing at Ryan and clearing her throat.
"Yes, Yuna Reyes speaking. What's up?"
-Yuna Reyes speaking? Yuna Reyes speaaaaking?!
"...Why are you like that?"
-Yuna, don't you wanna be my slave anymore?
"N-no! Why say that all of a sudden?"
"Yuna? What's wrong?"
Startled by her master's words, Yuna shot up from her seat. Surprised, Ryan stood too.
-Then why're you cheating?
"Pardon?"
-Right in front of me, too? How should I take this?
"....."
At "cheating," Yuna paled. Goosebumps raced down her spine.
To extract info from the Hero Association, she'd seduced Jelly Master—a veteran B-rank hero far more experienced than her recent promotion—to get classified intel.
He knew more due to his field time.
Up to here, fine. Her true love and loyalty were for her master.
But she hadn't told him about the plan. So from his view, it looked like cheating.
Yuna frantically scanned the restaurant.
"Wh-where are you? I'll explain everything!"
"Yuna? What's going on?"
-Where you looking, Yuna? I'm right behind you.
Both men spoke, but she heard only her master's voice.
"Huh? Behind...?"
At his words, Yuna turned. Outside the window, glaring with bulging eyes—not a beggar, but a man—her one and only master. Phone in hand.
"Ah...!"
How did things get this twisted?
The "beggar" wasn't a beggar. It was her master. And without explaining, he'd misunderstood her as cheating.
Yuna's limbs began to tremble.
"Master! Wait just a sec! I'll explain everything!"
-Explain? Caught red-handed—what's left to say? If that scrawny punk's so great, go be happy with him. I'll just bow out.
"No, don't!"
At her master's icy tone, Yuna panicked. I'm screwed, flashed through her mind crudely.
Before she could upset him more, Yuna bolted outside.
"Yuna! Yuna!"
Ryan's desperate calls faded behind her unheard.
"...What the hell?"
Ryan stared blankly at Yuna's receding figure.