Chapter 5. Nah, no way. (5)
Chapter 5. Nah, no way. (5)
I don't know what kind of person that Villain is or what they're aiming for. But the message [Where are you?] definitely grabbed people's attention.
Now, it's all anyone talks about wherever you go.
My friends shared the story as if they were consuming a ghost story. Even though the media only reported two victims and the Villain's identity had never been revealed, all sorts of absurd rumors were circulating—who died and how, that they were killing people to lure others out, and so on.
The TV news covered it much more cautiously, but they weren't the type to miss out on a hot topic either.
They aired hour-long programs where experts sat around with serious expressions, trying to read the culprit's tendencies or thoughts based on just those three characters.
It's not strange.
Murder cases happen hundreds of times a year, even multiple times a day, but there aren't many sensational murder cases like this one.
And it's not like murderers usually send letters to the press.
Plus, the content was like a riddle.
[Where are you?]
The message, which didn't even say who it was referring to, was clearly directed at someone.
It was as if they were certain that someone who knew them existed, and that the person would answer.
If this were my past life, I might have been mixed in with the other kids, listening to the ghost stories too.
Since it was about real people, it was practically desecrating the dead, but when you're young, you don't really feel guilty about things like that.
If anything, because it was a real case, it would feel strangely realistic no matter what kind of story came out.
"......."
The problem is, I'm shivering at that subtle sense of realism.
In both my past life and this one, I've hated horror movies, but I quite liked ghost stories. I could enjoy that unique creepiness without any jump scares.
But every once in a while, there are stories so horrific that they make me tremble for no reason.
Stories where the things done to the protagonist feel so real that the described wounds feel itchy, my body turns cold, and my teeth start chattering.
That's the feeling I've been getting lately when I listen to the stories the kids are sharing.
"Lua-ya."
"H-heh!?"
Startled by the feeling of something touching my hand, I shrieked, and the eyes of the kids chatting around me snapped toward me.
A moment too late, I realized I had slapped Soi's hand away.
"Ah, uh, sorry."
"It's okay. You can't help it if you're startled."
Soi nodded as if she didn't think anything of my apology.
It was almost time for the end-of-day homeroom.
Usually, our homeroom teacher would come in shortly after the last class ended, but today, for some reason, they hadn't shown up even after 10 minutes.
In the hallway, there were already a few kids waiting for their friends from this class to finish homeroom so they could go home together, and the kids inside the classroom, tired of waiting, had gathered in small groups to chat.
Inevitably, the topic that came up this time was also a ghost story about that Villain.
If the me from my past life saw me now, I would have snorted in disbelief.
Why would I be trembling at a ghost story about a being with some absurd power like a Superpower, when it's not even a real serial killer chasing people with a knife?
Stories about ghosts or evil spirits are scary, but when something "too blatantly fantasy-like" gets mixed in, it strangely gets diluted.
But in this world, Villains exist. I've even experienced it myself. And it was a type of Villain who couldn't even harm me with their own power.
That one single moment planted this feeling in my head.
"......."
Soi places her hand on mine with a serious expression.
"Are you okay?"
Only then did the kids quiet down.
Well, it's not like they were telling ghost stories because they seriously believed them and were worried. They were just doing it for fun, to pass the time.
So, even if I was a little scared, they didn't take it too seriously.
Since I hadn't asked them to stop, the vibe was just that I was a bit timid, but since I enjoyed it in my own way, I was just hanging out with them.
In fact, some kids even petted my head or hugged me, saying I was cute like this.
......However, the reason I couldn't leave this place was none other than Soi.
It wasn't because I was worried about Soi, or because I felt like I, who was at least a Superhuman, had to protect her—no, that wasn't it.
It was for a much more selfish reason.
Because this middle schooler Soi, who is actually much younger than me, feels reliable for some reason. When she's by my side, I feel at ease, and I can set aside my fear a little.
I'm just acting pathetic by relying on her for no reason.
"Yeah, yeah. I-I'm okay."
I knew it was embarrassing, so I tried to say it as firmly as possible.
It wasn't easy.
The kids looked a bit flustered and confused.
Was she really that scared? Was it that scary of a story? That was the vibe.
So I tried to hold it in as much as I could.
I didn't want to be someone who makes a fuss over nothing.
Screech.
Fortunately, the awkward atmosphere didn't last long.
"Alright, alright. Sorry I'm late. Should I have just told you to go home first?"
The homeroom teacher bustled into the classroom.
Complaints erupted among the kids. Even though the teacher was nearly twenty years older, teachers who get along well with kids at school often have a friend-like side to them.
"Sorry, sorry. I'll finish as quickly as possible so you can go. Something was decided suddenly. Sigh."
The teacher said that and grinned.
"Starting this week, Heroes are going to visit our school every week. They said they'll be giving special lectures or something once a week."
"Whoa!"
The kids' eyes sparkled.
Not every Hero is as famous as a celebrity, but conversely, there are many Heroes who are just as famous as celebrities.
Some of them even take care of their appearance as diligently as real celebrities.
Of course, for all Heroes, skill comes before appearance, but whether it's a coincidence or some kind of rule, top-tier Heroes generally tended to have excellent looks.
"I'm not sure which class we'll be skipping, or if they'll just set a separate time for students who sign up to attend, but that's how it is. I got stuck in a meeting of all things. Sigh."
The teacher made a fuss for no reason.
A few kids raised their hands, shouting questions like who's coming, is so-and-so coming, and so on.
"Nothing detailed has been decided yet, so I'll let you know once it is. Since it starts this week, it'll probably be decided by tomorrow or the day after, right? Alright, that's all I have to say. Everyone, dismissed! See you tomorrow!"
At those words, the kids all jumped up from their seats without hesitation.
No matter how fun they might think school is, it can't be more fun than playing outside.
"Lua-ya."
I was about to get up too, but Soi grabbed my hand tightly.
"Y-yeah?"
"Shall we go get some ice cream?"
Soi suggested with a bright smile.
*
"Lua-ya, look at this. I'm already level 70. Isn't it amazing?"
"U-uh, yeah......."
The max level is 120, but since Soi just started, I guess you could say it's amazing.
To do that, she would have had to skip all the story and pour tons of money into the terrible value-for-money stamina to level up that much in one day.
......But, well. It's not my place to say anything if that's what Soi wants to do. She's not the type of kid who has to worry about that kind of money anyway.
"And look at this too."
Soi showed me the lobby screen with a slightly mischievous smile.
There, um.
The character that Soi said was cute, the one she said 'looked like me,' was there.
It was a lobby screen you could only get by watching the personal story. It was a Live 2D of me wearing cute clothes for the first time in my life, face bright red, eyes rolling around.
"How is it? Cute, right?"
"U-uh, yeah......."
She's working harder than I thought.......
Well, it's only been a day, so I don't know how it'll turn out later.
"What is it, what is it?"
Chaeyi, who was sitting next to me, shoved her face in and asked.
Even though all three of us are still middle schoolers, our bodies have grown quite a bit. A bit embarrassingly so, to the point where I wonder if we can get any bigger by high school.
As I stiffened, freaked out by the sensation of our bodies pressing against each other,
"It's a se~cret!"
Soi quickly turned off the screen and giggled.
"Mmph."
Then she scooped up some ice cream with a spoon and put it in my mouth. The sweet taste numbs my brain a little.
......Wait, isn't this the spoon Soi was using?
"......What is this."
Chaeyi suddenly had a dejected look on her face.
"You're not going to tell me......?"
And looking up at me with those pink eyes raised...... no, it's not like she absolutely needs to know.
It's just a game. It was originally a secret from Soi, too.
She said she already knew, but a secret is still a secret.
However, I couldn't bring myself to say nothing to Chaeyi, who was looking at me with teary eyes.
"......Yeah."
And when Chaeyi actually looked into the game screen on my smartphone, her face stiffened.
I felt a drop of sweat run down the back of my neck. It was already hot because Chaeyi and Soi were pressed so close to me, and since the weather hadn't completely warmed up yet, the heater in the shop was turned up quite high.
Hmm.
No, actually, it's closer to cold sweat than that.
"Hey."
With a serious expression, Chaeyi touched the character with pink hair wearing a swimsuit. The character, having been touched on the body, blushed and shifted her gaze around. Fortunately, the smartphone's sound was off, so there was no chance of hearing that voice that you couldn't tell if it was a moan or a confession.
"Why isn't she the first one?"
"Heh."
Soi laughed at that question.
Chaeyi's gaze briefly went to Soi—huh.
Could Chaeyi make an expression like that? Her eyes seemed to have become incredibly sharp.
But before I could accurately remember that expression, Chaeyi changed her expression again and lowered her eyebrows slightly.
"Hing."
"......Ch-Chaeyi?"
"Do it."
"H-huh?"
"Make her the first one......."
Chaeyi said, as if a child throwing a tantrum.
"U-uh, yeah."
"No~ way."
But Soi quickly reached out and pressed the button on my smartphone to turn off the screen.
"Usually, you put a picture of your girlfriend or your family on your smartphone screen."
......Soi's smartphone background was a picture of our family.
B-but. Does she think it's just her now? Is she really that immersed in the game......?
"No way......?"
But ignoring Soi's words, Chaeyi looks up at me, her eyes sparkling.
"U-uh, h-heh."
I'm stuck between the two of them, unable to do anything—just then, the shop door opens, and someone walks in.
"Soi, Lua!"
And one beauty who, no matter how I think about it, looks way too young for her age, waves at us happily.
"Mom!"
Soi waved back with a bright smile.
Yujin-ajumma?
"Hello."
"Yes, hello to you too, Chaeyi? How have you been?"
"Yes, I've been doing well."
While I was staring in bewilderment at Chaeyi, who had just been acting like a child and suddenly turned into a demure young lady, Yujin-ajumma sat down in the seat facing the three of us.
"Mom, have some too."
As if she knew this would happen, Soi handed a spoon to Yujin-ajumma as well.
"Hehe, it's been a while since I've had ice cream like this."
Yujin-ajumma, who received the spoon with a smile, took a spoonful of ice cream and let out a sigh.
To me, who was still wearing a dazed expression without having grasped the situation, Yujin-ajumma smiled at me again.
"Hehe. Soi called me, so I came. She asked me to check something for a moment."
"U-uh, Mom."
"It's okay. It's not a secret, is it? And I was already planning on telling the three of you anyway."
Soi's ears turn a little red.
What is it?
"Actually, after leaving school earlier, Soi texted me saying she thought someone was following her."
"Ah."
My gaze and Chaeyi's gaze turned to Soi at the same time.
Soi blushed, not knowing that Yujin-ajumma would tell that to me and Chaeyi.
I understand.
If it were truly dangerous, Yujin-ajumma wouldn't have told us about this.
She would have just gone with us and protected us without telling me and Chaeyi. It's best to let scary things pass by without knowing. Yujin-ajumma also knows my condition well.
But the fact that she's saying it so openly means that Soi's initial thought that it was a danger was a misunderstanding in the first place.
I don't think that at all, but from Soi's perspective, she might think she made a fuss over nothing.
"The person following you is that man."
Yujin-ajumma waved her hand slightly outside the window.
Outside the ice cream shop window, some middle-aged man lightly raised his hand to us.
"He was sent by the Association. He doesn't do Hero work, but he is a Superhuman, and he's a pro at this kind of thing."
"U-uh, then......."
"That's right. Just in case something happens."
Yujin-ajumma said with a serious expression.
"Hmm, I'm a bit famous, you know? Chaeyi, your mother is too. So the Association is providing an escort just in case. Please bear with it even if it's a little uncomfortable."
"Ah, yes."
I blinked and answered.
Soi blushed as if embarrassed, and Chaeyi was lost in thought.
I, on the other hand, was able to feel a little more at ease thanks to that.
Seeing her smile with her eyes, I wonder if she already knew about this feeling and told us separately.
I was really grateful for that.