Chapter 37
Chapter 37
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Date
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"Hey, Yoo Siu."
"Yeah?"
"Let's go on a date."
"...What're you talking about out of nowhere? Where do you think you're going in that condition?"
I shot a glare at Amelia, who was lying in her hospital bed.
Fine, calling a simple outing 'a date' was one thing, but her body needed rest right now.
She hadn't suffered any major injuries, but she'd pushed herself to the limit, so she needed a few days of solid recovery.
Her senior was straight-up hospitalized, and she was talking about going out?
Jokes had their limits.
"Not me, dummy. You and Arte."
"...Huh?"
"You two were supposed to go on that date there, but it got interrupted, right? Wouldn't it make sense to do it now?"
"No, what're you... That was just brushed off, wasn't it? The whole 'liking me' thing doesn't even make sense in the first place. Thinking back, it really feels off..."
"Nope, I'm certain. Arte loves you! Let's do it. Right now!"
Has she finally lost it?
She must've snapped from having to lie there in bed with her personality completely suppressed.
To think a friend I'd considered a comrade had gone mad... What a tragedy.
"Why're you looking at me like that? This is the perfect chance! I'm serious!"
"Perfect chance my ass. We don't even have a way to meet up with Arte. And a date? It's only been a few days since the attack. We'd be lucky not to get labeled as perverts obsessed with girls."
The country was still in chaos from Übermensch's assault.
The attack on academy students, followed by their mysterious annihilation.
This wasn't something that could be swept under the rug like Laira's case, so it didn't take long for their name to spread.
"Plus, weren't those guys originally in the hundreds? Even though they all got wiped out."
"Oh, that? There's talk it's being chalked up to an internal rebellion."
"...Was that on the news?"
"Nah, my dad told me."
I kept forgetting, but Amelia was from a prominent family. The gap between her occasional ladylike glimpses and her usual self was jarring.
"Apparently, it was insane. The humans were diced up so finely that even seasoned veterans were puking."
"Ugh, don't remind me."
"And from the hallway to the rooms, it was a sea of blood! On the walls, in playful handwriting, it said [Arachne was here~.] next to a spider motif. Both drawn in blood, they say."
A spider, huh.
That definitely screamed internal Übermensch strife.
"Spiders are animals, right?"
"Yeah. Easy to mistake for insects, though."
"...And they spit out thread?"
"Yep."
Everyone would assume it was infighting within Übermensch.
But Amelia and I couldn't help but think differently about that spider symbol.
"Arte, right? What do you think, Yoo Siu?"
"Same here. Thread, spider... and that blood smell back then. No doubt about it."
She'd told me when we parted ways.
She'd been a bit late because she'd gone to the bathroom and gotten caught in the attack.
No way. She'd taken down that many villains in an instant; it couldn't have taken her that long.
My suspicions deepened. No, it was conviction now.
She was at war with Übermensch.
"A traitor from Übermensch?"
"But Arte didn't have an animal body part. All the other villains had at least one."
"Hmm... Not enough info."
What exactly was her deal?
A Übermensch defector?
Or a villain group rivaling them in a turf war?
As I pondered her identity, Amelia piped up again.
"No, this isn't the time to think about that! Start planning the date itinerary!"
Here we go again.
What was with this obsession over the date?
I sighed and opened my mouth to calm her down once more.
"I told you, a date right now is..."
"If it's not officially a date, then it's fine!"
"What?"
More nonsense I couldn't follow.
Whenever Amelia got like this, I'd inexplicably buy into her ideas. And the results were never great. I knew I shouldn't listen, but...
...I couldn't resist my curiosity.
Curiosity killed the cat, huh? Spot on.
"Operation 0 to make you the world's most loved man to block Arte—failed due to an unexpected accident."
"It was numbered zero, huh..."
"So now it's time for Operation 1...! Code name: Wet from a Drizzle!"
Another ridiculous plan incoming, no doubt.
Even so, I couldn't help but listen.
"What do you think a date is?"
"Uh, a guy and girl who love each other going out somewhere fun."
"Pfft, that's why you're a virgin."
"?!"
What the—?
Did I say something wrong?
No, right? That's... correct, isn't it?
More importantly, how did she know I'm a virgin...!
"Even without dating, people can still hang out!"
"Well, yeah, but..."
"It's easy to meet up. We're comrades who faced that incident together, on the surface at least."
"I-I guess...?"
"Just say you want to talk about the incident, then grab coffee at a café on the way—that's a date! Don't tell Arte what it really is!"
I was confused.
What? Why does that sound right? No, it is right?
But had anything good ever come from listening to Amelia? I didn't think so.
Yet this time, it actually seemed plausible.
"The goal of our first op, Wet from a Drizzle, is simple: boost affinity...!"
"Sorry, no can do. This ain't it. I'm out."
I cut her off before I could hear more.
Too risky.
A bit longer, and like that time I hid in the locker after falling for her words, I might end up doing something stupid.
It sounded sensible, but I had to stop here...
"Oh, really? ...I already called her, though?"
"What?"
"Amelia. ...Oh, Yoo Siu's here too. Hi."
...Looks like I never had a choice to begin with.
I stared blankly as Arte suddenly walked in, then she approached with a smile.
"Haha, did I surprise you? I told Amelia not to say anything for your sake, Yoo Siu. ...Pretty shocked, huh?"
I shot Amelia a look demanding what she'd done, and she grinned ear to ear.
You little devil.
True to your word, no holds barred.
Time to retract that earlier assessment.
Hero potential? She was brimming with villain vibes. ◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ [D-, Date! It's a date!]
A date? What nonsense.
I wanted to chew out the Writer-nim, but Yoo Siu was right there, so I held back.
[The protagonist strolling the streets on a date with a girl! Kyaa! Love it!]
"Shall we hit a café?"
"Uh, yeah? S-Sure."
[Café's good too! Flirty date vibes!]
Get lost.
I barely swallowed a curse.
Walking the streets? Date. Resting at a café? Also a date.
Felt like dealing with someone hell-bent on twisting everything into romance.
Date my foot.
Amelia had said Yoo Siu had something to discuss about the incident.
Senior was hospitalized. Amelia could barely move.
Uncomfortable talking in the hospital room, so she'd just told us to fill her in later and shooed us out.
And this was... a date?
You gotta be kidding.
The protagonist consulting a comrade about the incident.
I wanted to lecture the Writer-nim, but no choice.
Yoo Siu was still with me.
"...So? What did you want to talk about?"
"Ah, yeah. ...You hear about those villains?"
"Of course. Übermensch, right?"
"...Not that."
Huh?
Wasn't this about Übermensch?
Wasn't this plot beat about the protagonist learning heroic resolve, introducing the villain group's first exec to show their power?
Was there more to uncover?
"Those villains—turns out there were nearly 200 of 'em."
"Oh, right. Yeah? But why only that many bodies...?"
"They all died. Horribly."
Ah, that rumor.
Come to think of it, Amelia's from a rich family.
Daughter of a famous hero—picture-perfect heiress heroine setup.
She must've heard it from her dad and passed it to Siu. Ladylike intel-gathering.
...Personality aside. Why pair that background with her attitude?
"But get this—they found something weird there."
"Something weird?"
"Yeah."
Weird how?
Hmm, no clue.
Turning the villains into cube steaks?
...That's weird, sure, but we just said they died horribly. Not that.
"Apparently, there were drawings on the walls in blood."
"...Pardon?"
[Oh crap.]
I could hear the Writer-nim making a fuss.
But my mind was racing too hard to care.
...What? Drawings on the walls in blood?
"Dark red blood, spider shape. Below it, [Arachne was here~.]"
Writer-nim!!!
What the hell did you do!!!
I couldn't vent aloud, so I hung my head.
My face must've crumpled hearing that.
"...So, what do you think about it?"
The protagonist asked me cautiously.