Stop, You Evil Monster!
Right after the man burst from the crowd and blocked my path with a shout of “Stop, you evil monster!”, Double Melon arrived.
She planted herself in front of me with her usual dramatic flair, but her line came out a little lighter than normal. “In the name of the magical girl Double Melon, I will never forgi—”
Unfortunately, her declaration never reached its triumphant finish. She had spotted the man standing beside her—no, the man who had already taken position ahead of her. Her eyes darted between me and him in open astonishment. Not that I could offer any explanation. I simply studied the man blocking my way.
I knew him. I didn’t know his name, but I knew him. That deceptively pretty face that could pass for a girl’s. The embarrassing memory of my ridiculous mistake. And his scent. He was the man I had seen at Go Yu-jin’s university—the one I had first mistaken for Fresh Grape.
I had assumed he was just another spectator and paid him no mind. So why was he stepping forward now?
“O-Oppa…”
So that was it. I hadn’t been told, but I could guess. Still, that wasn’t what mattered at the moment.
“What the hell is going on?”
“Who is that guy?”
“Wow, he’s actually really handsome. Is he an idol or something?”
The crowd began to stir, confused by the sudden twist. Even Double Melon was part of that confusion. Normally she would have adapted to an unexpected development with quick wit, but today she couldn’t hide her genuine bewilderment.
If we didn’t want to ruin the show, I needed to pull myself together.
“Grrrr… Who the hell are you? Double Melon’s backup?”
I spat out the line I had improvised on the spot. The man didn’t answer. I glanced sideways at Double Melon.
“Y-Yes! I called for reinforcements today because I couldn’t handle it alone! Prepare yourself, you wicked werewolf!”
Good. She had recovered enough to play along.
“It’s useless!”
I opened my mouth wide and roared to draw everyone’s attention, then swung my arm in a wide arc toward the man. I could guess why he had stepped in. But I couldn’t let that ruin the performance. Sorry, but you’re going to have to bow out early.
I planned to hit him far more lightly than I had the Samgunhoe thugs—just enough to send him rolling across the ground.
Whoosh—!
The instant I swung, the man moved. His hand met mine. Or rather, brushed against it. At the moment of contact, my arm twisted as if it had lost all control. I lost my balance and dropped to one knee.
Thud—!
In that same instant, his fist flew straight at my nose.
Smack—!
A sharp sting bloomed across my face, and I landed hard on my backside. I squeezed my eyes shut and forced out some tears. The crowd erupted in cheers.
“Waaaaah!”
I rose slowly, watching the man’s tense, panting face. That was when Double Melon charged.
“Chaaat! Melon Kick!”
Her foot flew toward my head. I didn’t dodge. I took the hit head-on.
Thwack—!
Despite the flashy motion, Double Melon’s kick didn’t hurt in the slightest.
“Kaak!”
I let out a small cry and collapsed again. The moment I pushed myself up, the man rushed in this time.
“Haaahp!”
With a sharp kiai, he drove his elbow at me. I caught it squarely on my forehead.
Thump—!
A dull sound rang out. The man staggered back, clutching his elbow.
“Kuuugh!”
The one who had struck me was the one groaning in pain. I felt a respectable amount of it myself.
“Kyaaaaagh!”
I screamed louder than he had and dropped to one knee. This time Double Melon swung her magic wand up under my chin.
Crack—!
I didn’t resist the force, snapping my head back. The sky was blue. Then the man charged again, colliding with me. As if on cue, Double Melon rushed in. I swung at both of them between their attacks, letting myself be beaten one-sidedly.
I adjusted my strength and speed against Double Melon so she could dodge easily. Against the man, I allowed a trace of pettiness to slip into my swings. Double Melon evaded my blows without trouble. The man deflected them as before, barely dodged, or countered immediately afterward.
It hadn’t been planned in advance, but everything was flowing smoothly. I had taken almost no real damage, yet the spectators screamed as if my defeat were already decided.
“Double Melon! Double Melon!”
No need to drag this out. Fight just enough, lose just enough. Today’s goal is different from usual. Make them realize it’s a show, crush the bastards, then retrieve Fresh Grape. That’s all we need.
Recalling the president’s instructions, I let out a roar to bring things to a close.
“Graaaaaawr!”
The powerful, threatening bellow froze both the spectators and the man rushing toward me for a split second. But Double Melon—who knew it was all an act—didn’t stop. She dashed straight at me.
“Time to finish this!”
She swung her magic wand in a wide arc and cried out.
“Melon Crush!”
The wand slammed into my forehead with a sharp crack.
“Graaaagh!”
I flopped onto my back like a defeated dog, belly exposed. At the same time, Double Melon switched off her vibrating wand with a mechanical whine, planted her foot on my chest, and shouted.
“Justice is victorious!”
Feeling the weight pressing down on me, I closed my eyes and let my tongue loll out. Another wave of cheers washed over us.
But that vibrating magic wand… Could it be…?
I have no idea what’s happening.
Suddenly Double Melon appeared and attacked the werewolf Rin alongside me. He never attacked with full strength. Every time he was hit, he pretended to be in pain, collapsing and rising again in an endless cycle.
But Yo-un, the one delivering the blows, could tell. His attacks weren’t dealing any damage to Rin at all.
Still, driven by the desperate need to protect his sister, he kept moving with everything he had. And then the show ended. Rin lay motionless on the ground. The audience cheered wildly. Double Melon bowed repeatedly to the crowd, calling out “Thank you!” over and over.
What now?
What the hell am I supposed to do?
I had been hired to kill Rin in his human form. Instead, I had somehow ended up participating in this bizarre performance. On top of that, I still couldn’t say my sister Yo-wol was truly safe.
As Yo-un stood there in confusion, Double Melon approached and whispered in his ear.
“Darling. You were hired by Hwan, weren’t you? For now, it’s best to just ride this wave. You can’t kill him. You can’t kill Double Melon either. If you want to keep everyone safe, you should follow us. Actually, I used to belong to Samgunhoe myself.”
“Wha—”
Before he could ask anything, Double Melon brushed past him and helped Fresh Grape—who was still sitting on the ground, unable to stand—to her feet. Yo-un hurried after them.
What should I do?
It looked like Double Melon intended to take Yo-wol with her. Should he follow along? Or should he snatch his sister away from her right now and run?
The moment that thought crossed his mind, a sudden killing intent from behind made him spin around. Rin was standing there. He said nothing, but his eyes spoke clearly: try anything foolish and I won’t let it slide.
Gulp.
Yo-un had felt that strength firsthand. Even when he had struck with everything he possessed, Rin had taken no damage at all. He had simply pretended. The first attack swung at him had probably been heavily restrained as well. That was why he had been able to deflect it.
If Rin fought seriously, Yo-un wouldn’t stand a chance. He realized the werewolf could kill both him and his sister in seconds. The knowledge settled cold in his gut.
“I-I… Please allow me to carry her.”
Yo-un barely forced the words past his stiff lips.
“Would you?”
As Double Melon smiled and offered the girl she was supporting, Rin’s hand cut between them.
“I’ll do it.”
Rin took Yo-wol and slung her over his shoulder. He stared at Yo-un for a long moment, then turned away.
“Let’s go.”
Considering I had rampaged around in werewolf form and drawn massive amounts of aggro, the reviews for the performance were surprisingly lukewarm. People complained that the sudden appearance of the support fighter felt awkward and that the werewolf’s actual design was far too ridiculous.
On the other hand, certain aspects received glowing praise. The male support who had jumped in was incredibly handsome. His movements were flashy and stylish. Double Melon’s chest was even larger than expected. She looked prettier in person than in videos. Comments like that.
Whatever the public thought, the true purpose of the show had been achieved. We had answered their provocation, ruined their scheme, and successfully retrieved the magical girl Fresh Grape.
When we brought in both Fresh Grape and the man who appeared to be her older brother, the president greeted the pair with obvious delight. He said he had something to discuss and took them down to the basement. The rest of us—me and Double Melon—were given time to rest.
A variable had thrown off the original scenario, leaving me utterly exhausted. The entire way back I had been unable to relax, never knowing what the man might try, and I hadn’t been able to release my transformation.
I devoured a mountain of meat to satisfy the hunger that always followed a transformation, then returned to my room and collapsed onto the bed.
I’m tired. At least I managed to carry out the president’s orders properly this time. That’s something. At the very least, nothing bad had happened to Double Melon.
“Haaaa…”
I let out a long sigh and closed my eyes.
But that woman. Just who was that Double Melon…?
While I was thinking about her, footsteps echoed in the hallway, followed by a knock.
Knock knock—!
I sat up in bed and called out.
“What is it?”
It was Go Yu-jin’s scent. I opened the door. There she stood, bandages wrapped tightly around her midsection just like I had seen earlier that day.
“Can I come in?”
“…Yeah.”
I stepped aside. Once she was inside, Go Yu-jin suddenly locked the door behind her. Then she stepped into my arms.
“Darling.”
The moment Go Yu-jin—no, the moment that woman—spoke, her voluptuous chest shrank back to its normal size and her black hair melted into shining gold.
“…What the hell is going on?”
I pushed the woman in my arms away and demanded.
“Why are you wearing Go Yu-jin’s face, Ryeo?”
“Oh my. You even remembered my name?”
“Answer me. Now.”
Ryeo laughed and turned, presenting her backside to me. She slowly slid her skirt down and peeled off her panties. Of course, I had already seen her bare ass before she even started.
On her rear, a small patch of slightly different skin had been stitched in place.
“Angel. Or should I call her president now? The president and Double Melon gave permission.”
“Permission?”
“Sending the real Double Melon out for this job would have been too dangerous, so they told me to go instead. In return… they said they would accept me.”
“Accept you? Into Black Star?”
Ryeo smiled.
“That’s why I came looking for you. I wanted to talk. Shall we chat for a bit?”
With those words, Ryeo began to remove the rest of her clothes.