Autosave
Being cornered by Miracle Shine had forced me into an inescapable lunch date.
"What did you mean when you said they're the ones plotting something?"
"Isn't it obvious, Miss Miracle?"
"Hold on, Tra... Oh Ji-seok."
Despite the empty seat directly across from me, she had stubbornly slid into the chair right beside mine. At my reply, her eyes widened, glaring as she pressed for answers.
"Don't call me that."
"...Right. Miss Lilia."
When acting as a magical girl, she was the absolute picture of innocence and kindness, but in her civilian adult form, her speech and demeanor were completely different.
"What kind of scheme is the Hero Association cooking up?"
Yet the fire burning in her gaze remained unchanged. Rather fond of that earnest look, I let a quiet smile linger on my lips, only for her to urge me again.
"Would you like to hear something utterly chilling?"
"Wh-what? So suddenly?"
"Excluding Rank Two, Rank Three, and... Rank Eleven, every single Top-Ranking Hero is, in fact, a Kaijin."
Her jaw dropped as she stared at me in disbelief.
"Are you serious right now?"
"Entirely. What reason would I have to lie to you at this point?"
She seemed thoroughly shaken.
Well, it was only natural. I had been plunged into profound shock myself when I first uncovered the truth.
Had I not been able to see those damned squirming tentacles with my own two eyes, I never would have believed it so easily either.
"The hero world you know is an illusion—with the Academy being one of the few institutions that hasn't fallen into the hands of the Kaijin."
"How could that be..."
"You're free to believe it or not. But you saw them that day, didn't you? Those hideous tentacles."
Miracle Shine nodded slowly, her complexion draining of color.
I needed to give her some time to process it all.
Is this how Dice felt when she broke the truth to me?
While I quietly watched Miracle Shine, a prickle of tension ran across the back of my neck. Someone was staring intently at us.
Crunch... grrrriiiind...
"Lumia? Did you bite into sand or something? Spit it out, quick!"
"Why would there be sand in tteokbokki? It's not like there's seafood in it, you idiot."
Lumia was glaring daggers in our direction, a strained, unnatural smile plastered across her face.
"......?"
Knowing full well she wasn't right in the head, I didn't think much of it. And yet, the sensation of being watched lingered.
Strange.
I turned toward the source of my instinct, but all I saw was Ariel, her head bowed low, staring fixedly at her smartphone.
Must have been my imagination after all.
"I still can't completely trust you."
As I scratched my head at the lingering unease, Miracle Shine spoke up, her voice subdued.
"You could be deceiving me. Infiltrating the Academy might just be part of another agenda."
"That's certainly a possibility."
"Which is why I'm going to stay right beside you and keep watch."
"Be my guest."
Seeing the determination return to her eyes, it seemed she had reached her own conclusion.
"Wipe that smug look off your face."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Setting that aside... if what you're saying is true, why did the Hero Association invite you?"
Scolded by Miracle Shine after my involuntary smile, I lowered my voice in response to her narrowed gaze.
"Realistically speaking, there's no reason for the Hero Association to invite an unknown nobody named Oh Ji-seok, is there?"
"True enough."
"They either want to eliminate me or bring me over to their side. It has to be one of the two."
"Eliminating you makes sense, but... winning you over?"
Miracle Shine eyed me with suspicion.
"From their perspective, I'm an unaffiliated wildcard."
".........."
"They'll test the waters first, and if I don't bite, they'll move in for the kill."
Justia had likely died that way, too.
That was simply how they operated.
"So... are you going?"
"...I have to. No, I don't really have a choice."
"Why?"
"'To catch a tiger, you must enter the tiger's den.' It's an old Korean proverb."
Running away wasn't an option. Handled correctly, this was a golden opportunity to extract intelligence on them.
"It'll be dangerous."
"My, are you actually worried about a villain?"
"...Th-that's not it."
Trailing off at my tease, Miracle Shine's expression darkened slightly.
"It's just... my power has been reacting like crazy."
"Your power?"
"It says that you need my help... Never mind. Forget it."
Cutting herself off abruptly, she sank back into her thoughts.
It really will be dangerous, won't it?
Even with Justia's abilities at my disposal and Dominating Hands backing me from the shadows, walking straight into the enemy's stronghold was inherently perilous.
No matter how one sliced it, I was marching directly into the hornet's nest.
Moreover, every single monstrosity wearing the mask of a Top-Ranking Hero was scheduled to attend the seminar.
Rank Two Miracle Shine, Rank Three, and Rank Eleven—my older sister—weren't Kaijin, and their combat roster had taken a hit when three perished during the recent Academy catastrophe. Even so, their residual strength was not something to be taken lightly.
Miracle Shine herself had only been subdued because I caught her off guard with a dirty trick, not through sheer brute force.
If this escalated into an all-out clash, even bringing every executive of Dominating Hands wouldn't guarantee victory.
Then what should I do?
Should I secure an insurance policy just to be safe?
"Hey, I have a question."
As I pondered in silence, Miracle Shine spoke up.
"You're not planning on taking an assistant, right?"
"An assistant?"
"It's customary for attendees to bring at least one assistant. But given the circumstances you're walking into, it's probably best to go alone."
Just as she said, dragging a companion into the fire seemed reckless.
I briefly entertained the idea of bringing one of Dominating Hands' executives, but that was a nonstarter.
Most of their faces were already plastered across wanted posters, and Pandora, whose face remained unknown, wasn't a front-line combatant.
On top of that, Ira's disguise abilities suffered reduced efficiency and time limits if cast on multiple people at once.
"Well, I suppose that's the only—"
Assuming going solo was the smartest play, I began to rise from my seat.
"...Aha."
A sudden stroke of inspiration crossed my mind, and the corners of my mouth curled upward.
"Actually, there's someone uniquely suited for the job."
What was that ancient stratagem again? Borrowing a knife to kill someone else?
"Cadet Lumia."
Right now, it seemed like the absolute perfect ploy.
"I have a proposition for you."
"Excuse me?"
Lumia, who had barely touched her food while keeping her glare locked on Oh Ji-seok, stared at him in wide-eyed confusion as he approached her table.
"A proposition?"
"Allow me to ask a question first."
Ignoring the bewildered stares of the classmates around them, Oh Ji-seok continued smoothly.
"By any chance, have you received an invitation to the International Hero Seminar in a few days?"
"Ah, the seminar?"
Rolling her eyes in thought for a brief second, Lumia broke into a sweet smile and retrieved something from inside her jacket.
"Of course I did!"
When the Hero Association's invitation bearing a gleaming golden crest was revealed, the eyes of every student at the nearby tables snapped straight toward it.
"No way, I'm so jealous..."
"I heard you rack up insane amounts of experience just by attending once..."
The International Hero Seminar: a prestigious gathering where the world's strongest heroes assembled under one roof.
It was a grand stage where cutting-edge Mysteries and breakthrough technologies from leading corporations debuted before reaching the commercial market, where classified strategic briefings were held, and where merely securing attendance offered networking opportunities beyond measure.
For rookie heroes and aspiring cadets, it was nothing short of a dream venue.
The reason countless rookie heroes eagerly volunteered as sidekicks for high-ranking heroes, and why Academy cadets worked themselves to the bone to curry favor with professors, was largely for the golden ticket of attending the seminar as an assistant.
Yet Lumia had secured entry not merely as an assistant, but as a formal attendee.
It was only natural that the other students looked on with envy dripping from their eyes.
"Well, that is quite unfortunate."
"Pardon?"
"You see, I was invited to the seminar as well."
As Oh Ji-seok scratched his head, looking down at her, Lumia's pupils began to tremble.
"I was hoping to take you along as my assistant, Cadet Lumia."
"Ah..."
"A real shame."
Saying this, Oh Ji-seok quietly turned his back on her.
Rrrriiiip!
Right at that instant, the harsh sound of paper tearing echoed through the dining hall.
"I just declined the invitation."
Paying zero heed to the flabbergasted students gaping at her, Lumia shredded the official invitation into ragged ribbons, her voice flushed with manic excitement.
"So please, Professor... make me your assistant."
"...Well, if you insist on it that much, I suppose I could manage."
Watching her with an amused chuckle, Oh Ji-seok relented.
A private date with Trauma? That means we'll be walking side by side, riding in the car just the two of us! I get to monopolize him all to myself for two whole days!
"Oh, and another thing..."
Wait, I'm cross-dressing as a boy right now, aren't I? Does that mean we'll share a room?!
"........."
I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you I love you...
"...Never mind."
Whatever he was about to add died on his tongue. Reading the sheer unhinged madness swirling in Lumia's eyes, he shook his head in resignation and walked out of the cafeteria.
...A bitch like that has no business sitting at the master's table.
".......?"
Shaking off her trance, Lumia flashed a smug sneer at Miracle Shine, who was staring from afar in utter bewilderment, before humming a jaunty tune and returning to her meal.
".............."
Watching this entire display was another pair of eyes, cold and expressionless.
"Ariel? Is something wrong?"
"...It's nothing."
Answering Hiroko's question in a flat tone, Ariel quietly rose from her seat.
A few days later. The day of the seminar.
—Professor? When are you getting here?
"I've just arrived, Cadet Lumia."
Having been delayed by administrative backlog at the Academy, Oh Ji-seok was about to pass through into the special administrative district of Navire Artificial Island to rendezvous with Lumia, who had arrived ahead of him.
"By the way, there's something I need to discuss with you—"
"Pr-Professor."
Suddenly, a remarkably familiar voice called out from behind him.
"Ariel?"
Completely forgetting that he was still on the phone with Lumia, Oh Ji-seok turned around, his eyes widening in surprise.
"What are you doing here?"
"Wh-what a coincidence."
A distinctly awkward look flitted across her face as she stammered an answer.
"I... I was invited too. To the seminar..."
"You were?"
"Y-yes."
Shrinking under his sharp, penetrating gaze, she mumbled under her breath, her voice trailing off meekly.
"I mean... am I not allowed to be invited...?"
".........."
A brief, heavy silence settled between them.
"...Huh?"
Ariel, who had been sulkily scuffing the ground with her toe, suddenly froze. Her eyes went wide, and she recoiled a step.
Progress has been automatically saved!
Floating right before her eyes was a message she had never seen before in her life, stamped with a crimson warning icon.
—Professor? Ariel? What do you mean Ariel?! What's going on?!
"What in the world is this...?"
Ariel's bewildered voice trembled in confusion, mingling with Lumia's frantic shrieking blaring through the phone speaker.