Chapter 21
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Lee Seo-yul (3)
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"It might be good to start with self-introductions. I'm Lee Seo-yul."
"Ah, yes. I'm Ha Do-yoon."
"Do-yoon... I never imagined we'd end up introducing ourselves like this."
I never thought I'd end up having a private meal with Kinesis, an A-Rank Hero like me, and exchanging introductions.
As I stared at her in a bit of a daze, she glanced at me cautiously for a moment before carefully opening her mouth.
"First... I wanted to thank you."
"Thank me?"
She said that and slightly bowed her head.
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be in this world anymore. Thank you so much."
"Ah, no, no. I was just doing what needed to be done."
Was it that dangerous?
At first, when I rushed in so hastily, I'd worried if I was overdoing it.
I'd wondered if thinking that someone who could handle most explosions might get seriously hurt—or even die—in that blast was insulting her.
It was only after seeing her on the brink of death that I realized things could've gone really wrong if I hadn't gotten there fast.
Less than ten minutes had passed since that massive explosion, so it was probably natural that no other heroes had arrived.
And since it hadn't come with a warning like 'it's about to blow~' but exploded out of nowhere, failing to respond wasn't unreasonable.
"Hmm... I suppose so. Just doing what needed to be done..."
Lee Seo-yul murmured, her eyes half-lowered.
'She's acting really strange today.'
It hadn't been that long since we'd met.
About a month ago, when I first arrived in this world and everything felt chaotic, we'd met at the cafe. Then a few more times when she came for parfaits, and now here we were, finally sitting down properly to talk.
This was really our first real conversation.
But it was completely different from how she'd reacted before.
She seemed so restless and fidgety, nothing like the Lee Seo-yul I knew.
"Is something bothering you?"
"Ah... Am I that obvious...?"
"Yeah... kinda..."
Bothering her, or whatever you'd call it.
Anyone could see she wasn't her usual self.
She was that off.
"There are a few things, but... I have a feeling you won't give me answers anyway..."
"Hm, about why I'm operating without a license?"
"Ah... You knew."
I'd guessed that was the curiosity about me, and it hit the mark.
Hm...
'I figured you'd know.'
An A-Rank Hero should have a pretty high clearance, right?
I'd assumed she'd heard all about me, so it was odd that she knew nothing.
"Haven't you heard anything about me? I figured the government or Hero Association would've finished investigating me by now."
"Yeah... All there is on you is an old official directive from way back. 'Minimize suppression, let them do as they please, build trust and recruit if possible, suppress if they cause incidents...'"
"Hmm..."
Do they not know about me?
The chances of that were extremely low.
I'm not some hacker or using connections; the only reason disguises like sunglasses or masks hide my identity is from the general public.
For big shots in the government or Hero Association, they could just have their intel heroes dig up my personal info anytime.
So if they had that info but kept it secret and told no one, it meant one of two things.
'They don't want to poke the bear... or there's a reason they can't reveal I'm a Powerless...'
And the part about recruiting me if possible made it clear the government really wanted me on their side.
"What do you think, Seo-yul? About why I'm operating like this."
"Hmm... Well... Usually, unlicensed heroes do it because they can't disclose their powers, or they hate the current hero system... or they want to be heroes but resent the government and Hero Association... If I had to pick for you, it'd be the second or third..."
Seo-yul glanced at me cautiously.
She was wondering if it was okay to bring this up.
Of course, I actually had no complaints about the Hero Association, the government, or the current system.
"Why'd you pick those two?"
"The first doesn't fit because your power is so straightforward and obvious. Anyone can see you're a physical-type hero. No reason to hide that, right?"
"...Yeah."
I pondered for a moment.
Was it okay to tell her I'm a Powerless?
She's not the type to bite the hand that feeds.
She already knew my identity from the start, even before I went to rescue her.
But she hadn't pried deeper than necessary or shared my info with others.
When the order to suppress me came down, she was the first to warn me.
She'd shown me her trust multiple times—maybe it was fine to tell her this much?
The Hero Association and government probably already knew about me anyway. I wanted to operate as a hero, and it'd come out eventually.
My deliberation didn't last long.
"Hm... Yeah, normally you'd think it was the second or third, like you said."
"Right..."
"But you're wrong. The real reason I'm an unlicensed hero is actually the first one."
"Huh...?"
For a split second, she looked utterly confused.
Me, who anyone could see was a physical-type hero? What could possibly be hard to disclose?
"Hm... Does it require something embarrassing or unspeakable to activate?"
"No, nothing like that... It's about my survival."
I gave a wry smile.
"I'm a Powerless."
"...Huh? A Powerless...?"
"Yes. The Powerless you have in mind. The superpower measurement machine said I have zero abilities."
"How...? No, machine error... but that's impossible..."
The chance of a superpower measurement machine glitching was next to zero.
To be precise, it might misidentify what power you have, but it had never once been wrong about whether you had powers or not.
In a world where most people had abilities, that accuracy basically confirmed I was a Powerless.
"So my path to becoming a hero was blocked from the start. But showing my strength and claiming it was a machine error? Too risky..."
"Ah..."
Seo-yul nodded as if she understood.
"...You did the right thing. That could've been dangerous."
"Dangerous?"
"Well, someone with your level of power might be fine, but if word got out that a Powerless had special abilities, a lot of people would target you. To be honest, even I can't guarantee my own government agency wouldn't."
"Hm..."
"I barely get it myself. A Powerless with that kind of strength...? But it's your word, and you're not the type to unlicensed-hero for no reason, so I'm believing you for now..."
I nodded slightly at Seo-yul's words.
"That's why I planned to build recognition as an unlicensed hero. I figured if I got famous this way, even if my Powerless status came out, the backlash wouldn't be as bad... and maybe I could become an official hero off that fame."
"That's... hm... As a hero myself, I can't exactly say it was smart... I'll hold my tongue. But strictly speaking, unlicensed heroing is a crime, so it's not a great call."
"..."
No words for that.
From my perspective, it seemed like a decent plan, but to society, I was just a lawbreaker ignoring the rules.
"Still..."
Unlike her stern expression just moments ago, she was smiling at me now.
"Seeing you go that far just to be a hero... I think it's amazing. Most people would've given up at the first roadblock."
"You're overpraising me."
"No, I mean it...! If everyone was like you, there'd be no crime in the world. And compared to me..."
"Huh?"
"...Ah, nothing..."
Seo-yul muttered with a sad look before shaking her head.
'Whoa... what is this...'
Was this really the same person who'd always had that emotionless, icy demeanor when we first met?
The gap was big enough to make me wonder for a second.
After that, the conversation stalled.
Right on cue, the food arrived as our meal was ready.
We set talk aside for the moment and started eating.
It was a taste I'd never experienced in my life.
It was incredibly delicious.