Chapter 71
Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Bratty Kids
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"Ugh... this is exhausting."
Aqua Girl sat in the break room, kneading her shoulders. Her muscles were so knotted that each press sent a sharp sting through them.
The Hero Association had heroes rotating night shifts every day. Villain crimes mostly happened at night, not during the day.
And tonight, Aqua Girl was on the roster. She'd just returned from responding to a report of a villain robbing a jewelry store.
'Master...'
-Missed Calls: 0
'Boo. He hasn't called.'
She checked her phone, wondering if Master might have called while she was out. But there were no missed calls anywhere.
'I miss Master...'
She'd unexpectedly run into him yesterday, but strictly speaking, it was more like bumping into him than a proper meeting.
Who would've thought she'd encounter Master at the scene of a villain report? Just seeing his face made Aqua Girl happy. Of course, it would've been even better if it hadn't been a villain trap.
'Ah... I'm getting wet.'
Just thinking about Master made her lower body throb. Even without any stimulation, a bit of her juices had leaked out.
"Eek!"
Suddenly, a chill hit the back of her neck, making Aqua Girl jump and whirl around.
"Sorry. Did I startle you that much?"
"S-Senior!"
"Don't call me senior. Just call me Ice Queen casually. Mind if I sit here?"
"Y-Yes, please sit!"
The one who'd surprised her was none other than A-rank hero Ice Queen. Ice Queen handed one of the coffees she was holding to Aqua Girl.
"Here, a little gift."
"Ah! Thank you, Senior!"
"I told you to call me Ice Queen."
"B-But..."
"It's fine. When it's just us two, you can call me that."
"O-Okay... Ice... Queen. Thank you."
Aqua Girl, suddenly sharing a table with Ice Queen, fidgeted like a fangirl meeting her favorite idol.
And who could blame her? Among the female heroes in the Hero Association, none didn't admire Ice Queen. Aqua Girl was no exception.
With her mysterious silver eyes, overwhelming superpower, gentle demeanor toward fellow heroes and citizens but domineering attitude toward villains, Ice Queen was girl crush incarnate.
Especially the way she cursed at villains... it was so sexy, it stirred the hearts of so many female heroes.
"Tough, huh?"
"Huh? Oh, no. It's just part of the job as a hero."
"Hehe. 'Part of the job'... You're growing on me."
"Pardon?"
"Nothing. Anyway, I heard from Hive Master. You didn't run away yesterday?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
Ice Queen smiled as she watched Aqua Girl's expression stiffen with tension.
Aqua Girl had grown remarkably fast compared to other heroes. Less than a year after becoming a C-rank hero, she'd risen to B-rank. An unprecedented pace. On average, it took four years for a C-rank to reach B-rank.
Of course, among all heroes, plenty had climbed higher ranks faster than her. Ice Queen herself, sitting right there, had gone from C-rank to B-rank in just three months.
And most heroes who rose that quickly were now A-rank or even S-rank.
In other words, Aqua Girl was a highly promising talent with a bright future.
But what Ice Queen liked more than her growth was yesterday's actions.
"That was really brave. Saving civilians by blocking a rampaging White Knight's attack? I never could've done that."
"N-No way. You... I mean, Ice Queen, blocked White Knight's attack way more easily than I did."
"You think that looked easy? I felt like I was dying."
"Oh, uh..."
"Just kidding. Don't look so flustered."
"R-Right."
"Anything tough going on lately?"
"Tough stuff? Well..."
Aqua Girl thought of her hardships at Ice Queen's question. The hardest thing right now was not being in Master's arms. When could she have sex with him again...?
Of course, she couldn't tell Ice Queen that straight up. Because her Master was a villain, the enemy of heroes.
"There seem to be more villains lately."
"Can't deny that."
Ice Queen nodded at Aqua Girl's words. Normally, there were about ten villain reports a week requiring dispatch.
But lately, the number had more than doubled. And when they arrived, most were unfamiliar villains—especially teenagers who weren't even adults yet.
"Maybe it's because of Steel Armor..."
"Huh? Steel Armor?"
Ice Queen muttered softly, but Aqua Girl—who'd been thinking about Master—caught the name "Steel Armor" from her lips.
"It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
"No, tell me. Why Steel Armor?"
"Uh, really?"
Aqua Girl pressed so insistently that Ice Queen was a bit flustered. The girl who'd been awkward moments ago was now aggressively questioning her.
It made perfect sense from Aqua Girl's perspective.
Ever since meeting Master, she didn't want to do hero work anymore. She wanted to stick to his side as a villain.
But Master wanted her to keep heroing and gather intel from the Hero Association, so she continued reluctantly.
And now an A-rank hero—someone with easier access to high-level info than her—mentioned Master's name. She had to know why.
"Please tell me, Ice Queen. What about Steel Armor?"
"Well... if you're that curious, fine. But this is just my guess, so take it with a grain of salt."
"Okay."
"I think villains surged after Steel Armor showed up. Maybe he disrupted the ecosystem, bringing hidden villains out of the woodwork."
"Ecosystem?"
"Yeah. Unlike other villains, Steel Armor's super active. And he attacks villains too. His presence shook up the stable villain ecosystem."
"No way..."
"Hey, it's just a theory. No hard evidence. But timing-wise, villains did spike after he appeared."
"Hmm..."
Aqua Girl nodded thoughtfully but thought something else inside.
'I need to tell Master.'
Beep! Bzzzt!
"Huh?"
"Sigh..."
Then, the smartwatches on both heroes' wrists started blaring. A villain alert. Ice Queen sighed and said to Aqua Girl,
"Another dispatch. Shall we?"
"Yes!"
The two heroes moved to protect Dark City's night.
'Huh?'
As she followed Ice Queen out, Aqua Girl suddenly remembered something.
'...I just got back?'
Heroes on night duty usually took turns dispatching. Heroes weren't infinite in stamina; rotating preserved energy.
Meaning, it wasn't her turn. She'd gotten swept up in Ice Queen's "let's go" and dispatched again.
'...Whatever. Think of it as building rapport. Then I can get more info.'
She'd planned to extract info via B-rank Jelly Master, who had a crush on her. But getting close to an A-rank like Ice Queen meant even better intel.
'Yeah! One more dispatch for the future!'
With that, Aqua Girl pep-talked herself and headed to the scene with Ice Queen.
After safely escaping the hotel, I stopped by the park. Of course, I didn't forget to tip the bellboy left stark naked because of me. He earned a hundred bucks for a few minutes naked—not bad.
Anyway, that wasn't the point.
"Looks like 'Duran’s NTR Stud Plan!' has to wait?"
Judging by Duran's state, he wasn't a one- or two-time drug user. Addicts don't quit easy. He'd probably done it every night.
"Whew. Good thing I brought Elis out."
If I hadn't, she might've joined him. An addicted Elis? Unthinkable horror.
"Should I just kidnap Duran too?"
Kidnap him, lock him in a warehouse, make him watch Elis suck my dick daily... He'd go mad, jumping in rage. Maybe snap and become a villain.
"Duran deserves some payback."
Tormenting him was my revenge.
Revenge for bullying past Bal Jeong-nam. Kid me didn't see it as bullying, but I did. Leading the ostracism out of jealousy? Unforgivable.
It wasn't me who suffered, but the memory stuck. So I had justification. Don Corleone! I've got probable cause!
"Yeah. Kidnap Duran when I have time. Oh, fuck!"
Gurgle!
Time to head home, I stood—then my stomach cramped sharply. Incoming signal!
"Bathroom... over there!"
I spotted the park restroom and rushed in.
"What?"
"Huh?"
"..."
What the hell? The bathroom was full of punk kids puffing cigarettes like pros. They froze at my sudden entrance.
Gurgle!
Fuck! Emergency shit! Kids don't matter now!
"Move!"
Bam!
"Fuck, you scared me!"
Level 10 Body Enhancer or not, bodily functions don't wait. Is my shit level 10 too?!
I shoved the blocking punks aside and dashed in. Then...
Rumble! Boom! Crash!
"Raaaaagh!"
"Wh-What the fuck?!"
"Thunder?!"
"Urk! The smell, fuck!"
"Ahh... almost disaster... this is pure bliss..."
Who knew bathroom ecstasy existed? True happiness. Yeah, fuck, happiness isn't far away.
Sniff sniff?
As I grinned in bliss, a foul cigarette stench hit me. The ceiling was foggy with their smoke.
'Fuckin punks.'
These damn brats should smoke in alleys, not public restrooms! Ruining my happiness with their stink!
Bang bang!
"Hey! Get out here, you fucker! You dog!"
"Oh?"
But these fearless punks started banging on the door, yelling for me to come out. Even cursing.
So I did.
"Uh..."
"..."
When I actually opened the door, the banging punk panicked. I was way bigger and scarier than expected—natural to cower.
"What?"
I glared down at him. But the reply came from elsewhere.
"Mister, just keep walking. Fuck, the smell's dogshit."
"What?"
"Just go your way. Before you see something nasty."
The punk in front of me flinched, but the others didn't. They scowled at me. I was alone; they were seven. Numbers gave them cockiness.
"Fine."
So I decided to leave. Had to get home anyway.
Click!
But just like that? Nah.
"Huh?"
"What?"
I locked the bathroom door. The squatting, smoking punks scowled and stood. I called 'em kids, but their builds rivaled adults.
I crossed my arms and said,
"You little shits. Should be home sleeping, not smoking in a public bathroom like idiots. Do your parents know you pull this crap?!"