Idol Hero

The first thing I felt was the secretary's fingers—slightly cool, yet strangely pleasant—touching my cheek.

And then, her lips.

So this is... a woman's lips?

Unbearably soft, plump, and moist. A faint sweetness rose up and teased my nose—her lip balm. Peach, cherry... it didn't matter. All that mattered was that this scent seeping into me was hers, and that alone was enough to send heat rushing to my head.

As if she had no intention of granting me a moment's composure, she clung to me—clingingly, desperately.

"Haum—♥"

Shlrp—

Her tongue tapped, tapped against the seam of my lips, knocking for entry. I reflexively clamped my mouth shut to bar the way...

"Uum—♥"

Shlup—

"Hnn...?!"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

As if to say, Resistance is futile, young master. The instant her hand tightened its grip on my jaw, my mouth slipped open and granted her passage. It was a conquest easier than bloodless—my forcibly parted mouth filled with the warmth of her. Her soft tongue traced my gums, tickled the underside of my tongue, swept across the roof of my mouth—a dizzying sensation. I tried to stumble backward, but my legs were nailed to the spot, refusing to move even an inch.

Chuup—♥ Shlup—♥ Smooch—♥

Squish—♥

Something soft pressed against my chest and flattened. It wasn't hard to guess what it was: the secretary's... that symbol of bountiful motherhood I'd only ever seen with my eyes until now. It ground against my chest with almost spiteful persistence, and the feel of it coming undone against me was unbearable in the best possible way. I wanted to reach out, seize it, and knead it hard enough to crush—as Father had done to some maid just yesterday—squeeze—until it spilled between my fingers.

Suppressing the hand that crept toward it without my permission, I simply surrendered my body to her coercive kiss. Even now, the bright yellow eyes staring back from inches away were telling me there was no escape.

Chulp... chup... shluup...♥

Whatever restraint she'd been exercising until now, the desire she pressed into me was thick and sticky, like great waves hammering against a breakwater. Her tongue coiled around mine, sucked it, released it, then began the cycle again without end. Only the lewd, wet sounds of two tongues tangling filled my skull. The angle of the kiss shifted constantly—angles I didn't know, deeper, greedier, like a demon claiming what was hers.

Her breath. Her warmth. Her desire. A slick cord of saliva, belonging to neither of us, trickled down beneath my chin.

Only after devouring me for a long, long while did the secretary finally, slowly, pull her lips away.

"Haa...♥"

A thin thread stretched between us, longer and longer... then snapped with a soft pop. The sight was unbelievably erotic.

"...Thank you for the meal. Your young master's first kiss ♥"

It was the first time I'd ever seen it—that deeply satisfied expression of hers, laced with something risqué. So she could even make a face like that. Catching a glimpse of a side of her I'd never known felt... strangely novel.

"Haa... hoo..."

Wiping the traces from my chin, I leaned against the desk and carefully deliberated over which words I ought to say first.

She, in contrast, looked exactly the same as always. Infuriatingly so.

"Hoo...♥"

So this is... the composure of an older woman...?

The secretary calmly watched my disheveled state, then her gaze settled on a single spot. My own eyes, a question rising unbidden, followed hers downward—and—

"Ah."

Seeing the enormous tent pitched over my trousers, I hastily covered it with both hands.

"Th-this is... yes. A physiological reaction. So it's not, strictly speaking, because of you, ma'am..."

Slurp—♥

The moment I saw her quietly lick her lips, it struck me as so obscenely lewd that my whole body flinched. Did she see that? The smile blooming at the corner of her mouth seemed to deepen another shade.

"Young master."

"...Wh-what is it?"

"I am yours."

"...?"

"For you and you alone—your secretary, your servant, your... possession."

"......"

"Please, take that meaning to heart."

She bowed her head deeply.

And I, having watched her do so for a long moment...

"...I get it, so go get some rest for today. Ma'am."

"Yes."

She withdrew obediently. Perhaps because she'd gotten exactly what she wanted.

"......Hoo."

Letting out a sigh, I picked up the papers she'd left behind.

The next day.

Early in the morning, I took a car and headed out of headquarters. When I mentioned I'd be going out, Father raised an eyebrow—but before long, he was laughing heartily and cheering me on.

"Yes! Give it your best shot!"

All while kneading the secretary's chest where she stood at his side. ...He doesn't even intend to hide it anymore, does he. More importantly, what did he think I was going out to do, that he'd start cheering before even asking? What if I were on my way to commit a terrorist bombing at the Eternal Association? Honestly.

"Is this the right way?"

"Yes. Straight ahead, please."

I'd actually meant ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to go out alone. I only nodded because I couldn't endure the way the secretary stared at me, unwavering, lips pressed into a firm line. Sigh... how was I supposed to refuse when she looked at me with eyes like that? ...Does none of yesterday matter to her? Or is she just pretending it doesn't? I didn't know the answer, but something in her slightly clingier-than-usual attitude made me feel like I already knew it anyway.

"Ma'am."

"Yes?"

"Hands off."

"Ah— I did it without thinking again. My apologies, young master."

...Since when does anyone stroke the thigh of the person in the passenger seat 'without thinking'? I fixed her with a long, suspicious stare, and she evaded my eyes with practiced ease as she pressed the accelerator.

Vroom—

"Young master."

"What is it?"

"Why did you ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠sit in the passenger seat today, instead of the back?"

"...?"

Well... because you and I are the only ones in the car today...? I'd always understood it to be proper etiquette to ride up front when there was only one other passenger, so her question ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fell into the somewhat-hard-to-explain category. But when I slowly unraveled the reasoning for her—

"...Hm. Is that so?"

—all she offered was a knowing look.

"Snnf."

"Tch."

...This woman's hands are absolutely shameless! I'd better remember that from now on.

After a long drive, we arrived at our destination.

"Isn't this... a park?"

"It is. Bamboo Forest Park. It's famous for its clean air."

"...Did you come out for a walk?"

At her surprised tone, I shook my head.

"There's someone I need to meet. Though I don't know if they'll actually show up today."

If the knowledge I carried was correct, they would. Without fail.

"In that case, if you tell me what the person looks like—"

"It's fine. You stay in the car and rest a bit."

"That is not possible. Your safety is the top priority, so I must ask for your understanding."

"...Then can you hide yourself and follow me?"

"Understood."

And with those words, she vanished from before my eyes in an instant. ...So that pretty much confirms she's an ability user. What on earth is her power, though? Carrying that question with me, I stepped out of the car and walked into the park.

And by sheer, incredible luck...

I spotted my target immediately.

A woman sitting on a bench, gazing blankly up at the sky with a faint smile. The hero I'd come to meet. Or rather, the woman who had been a hero—the retired idol hero, U Haru.

...And that strange thing floating beside her, too.

"Here you go. I got you a sweet vanilla latte, just in case."

I gingerly accepted the drink she offered.

"Th-thank you...?"

"Oh my?"

U Haru's narrow eyes widened slightly, and a mischievous smile soon played at her lips.

"If you're grateful, just say thank you. Why draw out the ending like that?"

"N-no, um, well... meeting the idol hero I've always admired in person, I just couldn't help—"

"Shh."

She brought her index finger to her lips and gave a small shake of her head, as if to say keep it down.

"Let's not have that conversation here."

"...Pardon?"

"You joined the recruitment division not long ago, didn't you?"

"Uh... yes. About a month ago now."

I'd already told her I worked in the Eternal Association's recruitment division. It was simply a more convenient cover for approaching her. Naturally, she'd been suspicious at first, but once I rattled off a few pieces of information that no one outside the organization could have known, her half-doubting expression had finally begun to soften. And now here we were, having come together from the park to this café.

"Mentioning anything outdoors that could be used to deduce a hero's identity is strictly forbidden. Consider this a lesson—commit it to memory. Otherwise you're in for a world of trouble."

"Uh... thank you for telling me."

"Hmm... this clueless, and you look so young, too. However did you get into the recruitment division? You know, the one they say only wolves and vipers gather in."

"Ahaha... they're not really that bad."

"No?"

"......Probably not?"

"Ahaha—"

U Haru, the retired idol hero. Hero name: Lovebell. A decently useful hero who provided various buffs to her party members, and I distinctly remembered relying on her quite a bit all the way up to the game's final ending.

But a few traits I didn't remember caught my eye and held it.

Gentle—a good trait: a mild personality that almost entirely prevented trouble between allies in hostile parties. Slit Eyes—a trait that raised the accuracy of ranged attacks, but since U Haru was a support hero, it was nearly useless in actual combat. Song-Scarring—a Lovebell-exclusive demerit trait, marking the permanent damage to her throat left by reckless vocal overexertion in the past, which had robbed her of the ability to sing for long stretches.

And then...

Virgin. Buxom. Maternal Instinct.

These three were traits I had never once seen in the game—completely unknown to me. Presumably they'd been added when I was pulled into the world itself, things I simply had no knowledge of. Virgin was self-explanatory, I supposed. Buxom... well. Her chest was enormous, after all. But Maternal Instinct? What on earth was that? Was it really the same thing I understood by the word? And why was that one alone labeled [INACTIVE], sitting there so conspicuously?

And last of all—

Depression. Apathy.

These were a kind of penalty trait: if you sent a hero out on missions back-to-back without ever granting them rest, they'd contract these. Hmm... so what exactly were they? Why were they clinging to the current U Haru?

Burying those worries deep, I kept the conversation flowing with the woman beside me—so sunny and bright that no one would ever believe she suffered from depression and apathy.