A Girl Who Looked Like the Protagonist (1)
Hmm, why did everyone suddenly start crying at the end like that…?
Honestly, I thought I’d completely botched the speech. Then, in that final moment, a status window notification flooded the entire auditorium, and every last person there started sobbing—I was genuinely startled.
…If it hadn’t been for whatever appeared in that notification window, I might have assumed they were just a bunch of good-natured kids putting on an act so I wouldn’t feel embarrassed. That’s how abrupt it was.
Maybe because they’re the type of upright kids who list “hero” as their future career, they get moved even by a dry, old-fashioned speech like that…?
Anyway, after that I was short on time and left the school right away—but at least I’d firmly locked those three syllables, Ju Eun-ha, into my memory. I’d have to make time soon to pay the place another visit.
Heh heh. Well, at least it wasn’t a total wash. Now that I’ve found a decent successor candidate, I should go finish today’s quota.
So, thoroughly pleased with the major progress I’d just made toward my retirement, I soared high into the sky—where nothing would get in my way—to fill my usual tight hero-activity quota for the day.
…Strictly speaking, calling it “flying” was a little generous. Still, if I kicked off the air hard enough with my legs, I could change direction freely and cruise through the sky just like the heroes who actually possessed levitation powers. In theory, you could call that a kind of flight.
My body, after all—aside from that damned status window’s insane penalty of arbitrarily squeezing my heart—had performance so ridiculous that an absurd flying method like lifting the next foot before the first one even touched the ground was actually possible.
Alright. I spent ten whole minutes on other business today, so even if no separate reports come in, I’d better run a tight aerial patrol.
“Waaah…!! As expected! Smile really is Smile! How should I put it—even compared to other S-class heroes, the whole atmosphere he gave off was completely different! What did you think, Seol-a?!”
“Yeah, I think so too. Smile is a one-of-a-kind hero who can’t be compared to anyone else.”
“Hehe! Right? Aaah, not getting a handshake or an autograph is still a shame, but it was a really worthwhile day! I’m so glad I came to this school!”
After Smile’s brief speech and once the afternoon classes had finally ended, Lee Seol-a watched her friend still bouncing with excitement beside her—clearly carrying the lingering emotion of that speech from a few hours ago deep in her chest—and quietly smiled to herself so that Eun-ha wouldn’t notice.
…As expected of Smile. He hasn’t changed a bit since back then. Even after Eun-ha and I become pro heroes, he’ll keep shining at the very top.
Like that, under a sky where the sunset was slowly settling in, Lee Seol-a walked the familiar route home with Eun-ha.
Honestly, I wanted an autograph too…. But that would have been impossible. Smile is ridiculously busy.
She remembered the painful past of her childhood, when she’d been kidnapped by a villain and Smile had come to save her. She’d wanted to ask for an autograph then, too—but the hero she’d only ever seen on screens had actually scooped her up to rescue her, and she’d been so tense she’d just stood there blankly and let the chance slip away.
Before she knew it they had arrived at the bus stop, and she parted ways with Eun-ha, who was waving both hands vigorously in front of her.
“Hehe! See you tomorrow, Seol-a! Oh, by the way, lately your driver doesn’t come pick you up?”
“Yeah. It’s a short walk anyway, and I feel like I stand out too much to the other kids. See you tomorrow, Eun-ha.”
“Okay! The bus is here, so I’m off! Hehe, when I get home today I’m totally bragging to Mom that I saw Smile!”
Vroom—
Lee Seol-a watched her energetic friend keep waving through the window, then turned to head home herself.
Thud—!
…But right then, someone large and running hard slammed hard into her shoulder.
Clink.
Despite how diligently she trained as a hero aspirant, Seol-a lost her balance, toppled backward, and in an instant found herself sitting hard on the ground.
“Careful there, kiddo. Stand around blocking the way like that and you’re going to put other people in danger, hmm?”
“…Ah, I’m sorry.”
Of course, the other party had been the one charging blindly, and Seol-a—who hadn’t done anything wrong—was the one who’d fallen. Even so, true to a hero aspirant’s manners, she naturally apologized first to the somewhat suspicious man whose face was hidden by a mask and hat and who wore a thick coat that was a little off-season.
Clink—
“Right. Normally, daring to bump into this body of mine wouldn’t end with a mere apology, but I’m very busy right now…. So I’ll let it slide. Keheheh. Watch yourself from now on, kiddo.”
“Ah…. Yes, I’ll be more careful.”
“Kuhk. Good girl. A pretty little thing who listens so well. I really like obedient women like that.”
Grab—!
“Keheheh, but….”
Clink, clink.
“…why was the hand you hid behind your back trying to send the police this location, hmm?”
Kwaaang—!
“Guh…!”
“Kahaha! The second you glanced at the handcuffs on my wrist, your first thought was to report me to the police. For a hero-school student, your sense of civic duty is really thorough, isn’t it? Hmm?”
“Kuheuk…!”
“…But you know, if a person wants to live wisely in this world, when they see something scary like this they also need to know how to keep quiet sometimes, kiddo.”
In a back alley a short distance from the bus stop moments earlier—Seol-a, her phone on her arm shattered, had been abducted in an instant and now had her throat seized by an unidentified thug who had shoved her against the wall. She rapidly scanned her surroundings, assessing the situation she was in.
Guh, those cuffs on his arm. Special restraints only put on high-risk villains. This man is probably a B-class villain or higher…!
Squeeze—!
“Guhheuk…!!”
“Kekeke, the kid’s eyes are rolling around so slyly. Looking closer, your body’s pretty nice too, not just the face. While I’m on the run, should I keep you by my side and break you so bad even your parents wouldn’t recognize you? Hmm?”
Huuuh…! Even though he’s just holding me lightly, I can’t breathe at all…! I never thought a villain this strong would be wandering around Seoul. Guh, who the hell is he…?!
Clink, clink.
“…Keheheh. Just a joke, so don’t get too scared, kiddo. No matter how pretty your face is, kids aren’t really my type.”
Squeeze—!
“…Besides, I’m neither stupid nor reckless enough to do something like that in ‘Seoul’ of all places.”
“Kuheuk…!”
“So I’ll just knock you out for a few days so you can’t get up—be grateful for my mercy. Kuhk. But if you wake up and say anything weird to the police, then you’d better be ready for…keheok!”
Guuuung, kwaaang—!!!
“…Safety mode disengaged. Muscle assist to maximum.”
But the moment the unidentified villain tried to choke Seol-a unconscious, a blue light suddenly spilled from inside her white school shirt, and her slender arm shoved the man—who was twice her size—back in an instant.
…It was only her right arm, but the reinforcement suit she had worn every day since the start of the year, so she would already be used to it by the time she became a pro hero, had activated.
“Gueuk! Y-you little brat…!! I gave you a chance to live…!!”
Guuuuung—!
“…From third year at a hero school, limited supporting equipment is permitted. I set it so it only activates when my pulse is checked and my life is in danger, so from this point on this is self-defense.”
Whoosh!
“Kuheuk, a brat in a school uniform playing with a toy worth hundreds of millions…. Kuhk, fine. Plans have changed. Looks like our little rich young lady is going to have to become my important hostage.”
Kwaaaang—!!
“…Well, this is an ultra-lightweight version that can even be hidden under a shirt, but it’s high-performance enough to lift a boulder with one hand. So I don’t think I’ll lose to someone who’s just wearing handcuffs.”
The moment her words ended, thin lines like a targeting reticle traced across the corner of Seol-a’s left eye—everything around her began to move in slow motion, and the thoughts in her head, mapping the alley’s structures and the path to the villain, accelerated.
In pure utility it was evaluated as excellent even against fairly high-ranking pro heroes. Lee Seol-a’s ability had activated.
Guuung—!
…If he’s really a B-class villain, he’s not an opponent I can afford to hold back against. Even if it strains my eyes a little, I have to finish this fast and cleanly.
Kwaaang!
“Keheok…!! Y-you little brat, how dare you!”
“…Looks like an ability user who reinforces physical durability and strength, so I won’t hold back. Full power.”
Whoosh, thwack—!
True to her word that she wouldn’t go easy, Seol-a put her entire body weight into a precise kick to the thug’s solar plexus, then used his body as a springboard to leap high—and with the reinforcement-suited right arm, she struck his jaw without mercy.
Kwaaaang—!!
“Keoeok…! I-I…! Me, taken down by a little brat like this…! Kraaah…!”
Whoosh, clack!
“…Your head’s going to be fuzzy from the concussion, so unless you want to bite your tongue, you’d better not talk.”
After landing cleanly and subduing the villain, Seol-a approached the man who was staggering and seemed to be slowly losing consciousness.
“You broke my phone, so you’ll have to come with me to the nearest police station.”
“…Kekeke, kekekek! Kahahaha!”
But—
…the villain who had clearly taken a solid hit to the jaw and looked ready to black out suddenly brushed himself off and rose, letting out an unpleasant laugh—
“Keheheh! So, young lady, did you enjoy playing hero with me?”
“…Watching a weak little girl thrash around like a bug was so fun I ended up playing along without thinking, but I’m really busy, so let’s end the game here.”
Step, step.
W-what?! That just now was output strong enough to smash concrete! And he took that to the jaw…! Don’t tell me he’s not B-class but an A-class villain…?!
Squeeze—!
“Guhheuk…! Y-you! Who the hell are…!”
Kwaaaang!
“Keheok…!”
…Still wearing that unpleasant smile, he snatched Seol-a up and slammed her hard into the ground as if throwing her down.
Gueuk…! Why is he fine…? Even if I’m only wearing it on one arm so I can’t get a hundred percent output, what I’m wearing is a high-performance reinforcement suit supplied only to S-class heroes. Don’t tell me he’s really an escaped A-class villain…?!
…This was the worst-case scenario.
If the opponent was truly an A-class villain, then even if she wore a full-body reinforcement suit and held military firearms, a mere third-year at a hero school like her would have zero chance of winning.
On top of that, the place she’d been dragged to was a deserted back alley where not a single person walked in the evening. The chance that someone would see this and report it—and the chance that a hero would respond to that report—was almost nonexistent.
Squeeze—!
“Gueuk…! I don’t know who you are, but if you think you can do this and walk away fine…gueuk!”
“Keheheh. You’re trembling like a sick little chick from fear, yet you still have the energy to chatter. Sorry for you, but you’re coming with me just like th—”
However—
A hero was originally the kind of being who appeared exactly at the moment of absolute crisis, when no way out could be seen, and offered salvation.
Thud—
“…I left something at school, so I got off the bus right away and was taking a shortcut back, but what on earth is going on here.”
Fwoosh—!
“Keheok! Wh-who the hell are you…! Don’t tell me you’re a he—”
“…Who are you, and why are you touching my friend?”
At the exact moment she had fallen into absolute crisis, her friend—golden hair that seemed to suck in all the surrounding light, and star-shaped eyes that shone just as brightly, filled with fierce anger—appeared there more splendidly than anyone, just like a certain “hero” who had once saved her as a child.