Caught!
The fact that I was about to set foot in a girl's home carried a weight I could barely put into words.
And of all people, it was Han Yuri.
I could still feel the ghost of that monstrous tail slamming into me, back when she'd snarled that she didn't even want to share the same air. I'd limped for days afterward.
And now that same girl was offering to take me to the place she lived...
So a guy's face really is everything, huh.
The moment I'd turned into something harmless-looking, goodwill had started pouring in all on its own. It left a bitter taste in my mouth. All I'd done was change my face, and now one of the people who'd made my life a living hell was being nice to me.
"It's fine! Hero university dorms let outsiders in anyway. That's just how the rules work."
"That so...?"
"Yep! The soundproofing's garbage, though. But, well, at this hour they probably won't be at it."
"At what...?"
"You'll see."
For some reason Han Yuri's face went red as she led me through the dormitory entrance.
And then I understood exactly what she'd meant. The moment we stepped inside, sultry moans erupted from every direction.
"Haaah... It's not even evening yet and they're already going at it this hard."
"What the hell is this..."
"The government encourages it. Superhuman abilities are hereditary, so the more kids they pump out, the more high-quality human resources the country gets."
Even an F-class Superhuman—the lowest rank there was—held absurd economic value. Just hoisting a few hundred pounds of rebar and hauling it around earned them several hundred dollars in a single day's wages.
Which meant ordinary people like me could barely find work unless we held a professional license. Even the part-time gigs were drying up.
So that's why the birth rate's been exploding lately...
I had to hand it to our government. They were useless at most things, but they were damn good at this.
"Just ignore all that! We're only gonna rest for a bit before we head out."
"Y-yeah!"
Moans kept bursting out from every direction. My head was spinning. Come to think of it, I hadn't even touched myself in over two months. Life had been so miserable that my sex drive had simply died.
I clapped my hands over my ears as best I could and stared at Han Yuri's ass. Her tail swayed back and forth, occasionally blocking the view, but watching those plump, bouncy cheeks somehow settled my nerves.
"We're here!"
"This is your room? What if your roommate's inside..."
"Oh! I live here alone."
The room looked huge even from the doorway, and she had the whole thing to herself? Then again, if the point of these dorms was having sex, a roommate would make things pretty awkward.
"Hurry up and come in."
Han Yuri punched in the code with a string of beeps and threw the door wide open. I stepped toward the opening.
Something about going in there feels wrong...
A sudden, gut-level feeling hit me—that if I walked through that door, I wouldn't be coming back out anytime soon. A bad omen.
"Wait. I just remembered I have something to do!"
"Huh? Something to do?"
"Yeah, I've got plans around here. Hahaha... C-can we do the tour next time?"
"You're already here. Come rest a bit. You climbed all the way up, didn't you?"
Her tail snapped around my waist and squeezed. I knew exactly what that meant. Things weren't going the way she wanted, and she was not pleased.
A hit from that tail would shatter the bones of someone as small as me.
"Okay, just ten minutes, then we go..."
"Sure! Get in already."
"O-okay!"
The moment I stepped into Han Yuri's room, my jaw dropped.
Workout equipment lay scattered everywhere. The bed was decorated with clothes and underwear she'd clearly just flung there. Delivery containers crowded one side of the desk, painting a vivid picture of how thoughtlessly this woman lived.
"It's a little... messy, huh? If I'd known, I would've cleaned up."
"No, no! I'm fine with it."
"Yeah? Then sit on the bed."
Han Yuri swept the clothes aside and climbed onto the mattress. She patted out a little space for me and slapped the blanket with her palm.
I hesitated. But then her eyes started looking scary again, so I had no choice but to approach.
At this rate I'm just getting dragged around by Han Yuri!
I'd done something pathetic again. I'd come here to make this bitch submit, and instead I was frozen in place by leftover trauma, unable to take a single step forward.
No... Are you going to live like this forever? You idiot! Be aggressive!
"Yuri."
"Huh? Y-yeah?!"
"I have something to say."
"What?!"
Han Yuri turned her head slightly toward me. I hesitated for a beat, then gathered my courage and leaned in close.
And I kissed her. A peck. It felt like a bird pecking at seed. Not that I'd ever done anything like this before...
Han Yuri definitely has a thing for me!
If the Flirting Machine skill had done its job, she should already be seriously interested. She wouldn't act disgusted even if I kissed her out of nowhere like this.
Besides, would you bring someone you disliked back to your room? A room you live in alone, no less!
"I think I like you. Is that weird to say to someone I just met today...?"
"Sehyun."
"Yeah! Yuri."
Han Yuri leaned her face in close. Why was she doing that? The atmosphere had shifted somehow.
"How do you know my name?"
"Hiek!"
Oh. Right. She'd never told me her name. I'd completely forgotten.
"Huuuh?!"
"Where do you think you're going."
I threw myself at the door. Han Yuri's reflexes were far faster. She snatched me by the scruff of the neck, hoisted me into the air like a kitten, and I flailed my arms and legs at nothing. Then she tossed me back onto the bed and climbed on top of me.
"Who sent you?"
"I-I!"
"Spit it out!"
"Hiiiek!"
Han Yuri dragged her razor-sharp nails down the mattress in one long, tearing rip. This was no ordinary bed, but the fabric split open as if a knife had carved through it.
If those nails punched into my neck or heart, I'd die spraying bright red blood. And it'd be an extremely painful death.
"Not gonna talk, huh? Fine. Then I'll carve the flesh off you nice and slow. I hear it hurts like hell."
"I-I!"
"Let's start with the legs."
"I'm Baek Sehyun! The one you know!"
I said it. I actually said it! I already knew what it felt like to be filleted alive... and I never wanted to go through that again.
"Baek Sehyun."
"Y-yeah, Yuri!"
"You're saying you're that Baek Sehyun?"
"Yes, yes I am!"
"The pale, creepy one?"
"..."
That was uncalled for.
"What? Doesn't seem like it. The Baek Sehyun I know isn't this tiny."
"I'm telling you! Yeomgwang High School! Class 2, Baek Sehyun!"
"That much I could find with a five-minute background check."
"Uh...? Well, yeah, but..."
"So you just lied to my face."
Han Yuri pressed a nail into my puffy cheek. One more centimeter and it'd pop like a water balloon.
"He was short, yeah. But you're even more of a goddamn shrimp! It's not like they invented a way to chop people's legs off in the last few years... You playing games with me right now?"
"I-I woke up like this!"
"Bullshit. Then tell me something only the two of us would know."
Something only we knew... Rage boiled up in my throat.
"The cigarette burns you put on my arm."
"Huh?"
"The way you dragged your nails down my arm."
"Ah, that—"
"Using me as a chair the entire lunch period."
"...Yeah. That's him."
At this point, even she seemed to realize she'd done some fucked-up things. That piece of shit...
"So you really are Sehyun. What the hell happened to this body?"
"I told you. I woke up and I was like this..."
"For real? Is this some kind of awakening? I've never heard of someone who already finished puberty awakening Superhuman abilities."
It was news to me too. Who'd have thought I'd just wake up one morning with powers. And of all times, why did it have to be now, putting me through this mess.
"When did you awaken?"
"A week ago..."
"A week? So you came running to me the second you adapted. How'd you even know I was here?"
"I-I saw it on Instagram."
"Interesting."
Han Yuri got up off me. She stood there snickering, looking down at me like I was a joke.
"Our little black cat came back as a puppy. How precious. Running straight to your owner like a good boy."
"Who the hell is your puppy! I'm not!"
"Hmm... Awakened for five minutes and already trying to talk back to your noona."
"Don't give me that crap. Since when were you my owner!"
Han Yuri's eyes went sharp. That thick tail of hers coiled around my waist again.
"You even dug up my Instagram and tracked me all the way here. Ah, you sneaky little bastard. What were you even planning? Revenge? You know that's impossible with that body."
"That's..."
"Whatever! Doesn't matter. What matters is I can touch my puppy however I want. You've always been mine, haven't you?"
She pinched my cheek and stretched it out. It hurt... It hurt so much tears pricked at the corners of my eyes.
"Let go!"
"Oh-ho?"
"You think I'm your slave?! Don't touch me however you want!"
"Look at this attitude... Hey. Chair."
"What?"
"Already forgot? Get on all fours. I'm sitting on your back."
Like hell I would. I shot to my feet. I wasn't Han Yuri's slave anymore. If anything, I was going to be the one who owned her!
"Shut up, Han Yuri! I'm not your toy anymore! You think I'm getting on all fours?!"
"Haaah. Our Sehyun still hasn't figured out the situation, has he?"
"What..."
"If you don't want to end up naked in here, get down. Now."
Her eyes narrowed into the same points they took on when she hunted.
