Chapter 17: At the Gate (1)
Chapter 17: At the Gate (1)
"For real...?"
Dark Swan, a C-rank rookie hero with the superpower 'Sleep,' stared at her phone, her eyes sparkling. She looked as if she might burst into tears of joy at any moment.
[You have been selected as the sidekick for the A-rank hero, Magical Girl Floss.]
She couldn't even count how many days she’d spent with her heart in her throat just to see this one sentence. Dark Swan hadn't just prayed for it, either; she had put in the legwork. Her effort in traveling to a distant subway station to hunt down an invisible man was proof of that.
In fact, Floss—Do Min-jeong—had accepted her as a sidekick specifically because she appreciated that dedication. No matter how burdensome Dark Swan’s obsession felt, it was a fact that she had gone out of her way to be helpful.
A hero’s true character is revealed when they perform good deeds without being asked. Even if her intention wasn't purely for the citizens but rather to get on her senior's good side, Floss judged that it wasn't a bad start.
"What do I do?! Eek!"
She wondered if this was how it felt to be hired as a new employee at a dream company. Although she had suddenly become a hero in her final semester of university and never actually went through a proper job search, the feeling seemed similar enough.
[If possible, please stop by the Hero Association today to exchange brief greetings with Magical Girl Floss...]
"Of course I have to go!"
Dark Swan immediately changed into her hero costume and headed for the Association. Her signature look consisted of red shoes, a witch’s hat, and a mage’s robe that looked like it came straight out of a fantasy novel. Despite her appearance suggesting she might cast dark magic, the fact that she only used sleep magic was an unexpected twist.
She had plans with friends, but this wasn't the time to worry about that. Sure enough, when she brought it up in their group chat, her friends—who knew all too well about her Floss-fanaticism—readily told her to hurry up and go.
'She said she’s in an interview with the Association Chairman, so I should wait in the lobby for a bit.'
Dark Swan sat down, her heart fluttering. She was so nervous that her feet tapped the floor rhythmically on their own. It felt similar to the time she attended her first fan-signing event for a girl group she liked back in middle school.
'It’s not the first time we’ve met, but from today on, our relationship will be completely different.'
Until now, they were just fellow heroes in a senior-junior relationship. But the moment she became Floss’s sidekick, their bond was bound to grow deeper. That was exactly what Dark Swan was aiming for.
Saying she was "aiming for it" made it sound like she had some sinister motive, but that wasn't really the case. At least, not now. Who knew if her gaze toward Floss might change drastically later due to some specific incident, but for now, it was different.
There was no murky lust in the way Dark Swan looked at Magical Girl Floss. For now, there was only pure respect. And there was no complex reason why she admired a woman like Floss.
'She’s so cool.'
Floss had many creepy male fans on the Female Hero Gallery, but she had plenty of female fans as well. After all, magical girls originated from anime for young girls. How could she not be moved when the kind of hero she had admired since childhood was now alive and moving before her eyes?
There were many other reasons, too. Even though she was a rookie who had just started gaining fame, she had already climbed to the high rank of A-rank. While that might usually invite jealousy, any hero who had seen her fight couldn't bring themselves to say such things. If anything, rumors circulated that she was the strongest in terms of pure skill, and only lacked the track record to prove it.
Above all, what Dark Swan respected was Floss’s hero spirit. Just look at the incident they were involved in this time.
'A petty molester wouldn't even count as a significant achievement for an A-rank hero, yet she went out of her way to find him...'
It wasn't just this time; Floss had always been like that.
A true hero who worked to eliminate threats close to the citizens' daily lives without worrying about her own self-interest. That was the Floss that Dark Swan saw.
With such rose-tinted glasses on, she couldn't bring herself to act like an older sister, even though Floss was younger than her. Instead, Dark Swan ended up following Floss around, calling her "Senior." It was Floss who spoke casually, while Dark Swan used polite, formal speech.
How could she possibly be rude to the literal embodiment of the fantasy hero she dreamed of?
'But when is she coming?'
Dark Swan caught a glimpse of an operator walking by with a gloomy face and slumped shoulders before sinking back into thoughts of Floss. She heard the interview was in the Chairman's office, but it seemed to be taking quite a while.
'That old man seemed really blunt... I wonder if he’s kind to Floss-nim. Or maybe it’s the opposite.'
Dark Swan had met the Chairman once. It was only for a single day when she first became a hero, but she remembered him giving off an aura of intense charisma, befitting the man who oversaw all the nation's heroes.
'If that pot-bellied old man didn't have the status of Chairman, when would he ever get to talk to someone as beautiful as Floss-nim? He probably wants to savor that time as much as possible.'
But after becoming Floss’s sidekick, Dark Swan felt changed. Now that she was her disciple, she felt a sense of duty to maintain her pride and dignity.
No matter how shitty a day she had, she was sure that if she took a hot shower and whispered to herself, "Who am I? I'm Floss-nim's sidekick," while smiling, her mood would instantly improve.
'A sidekick should naturally go to meet their hero.'
Grinning to herself, Dark Swan walked with elegant, light steps up to the floor where the Chairman's office was located. Instead of making Floss come down to the lobby, she planned to wait in front of the door with a drink in hand to welcome her.
What if the drink she bought was a kind Floss didn't like? Fortunately, there was no need to worry about that. Dark Swan had memorized all of her preferences through countless videos.
'Huh? Where did she go?'
However, Dark Swan soon realized that Floss was no longer inside the Chairman's office. Had they missed each other? Checking a notification on her phone, she saw it was a text from Floss.
'I guess we really did.'
It seemed Floss had headed down to the lobby while Dark Swan was coming up in the elevator.
It was a bit disappointing, but it couldn't be helped. She was about to turn away from the Chairman's office door with a lonely expression when she suddenly almost slipped on some slippery moisture on the floor and let out a small yelp.
"Hmph?!"
In the midst of that, Dark Swan managed to stifle her scream to maintain the quiet atmosphere. She glared at the mysterious liquid on the floor and pulled a handkerchief from her pocket.
Swish— wipe—
Crouching down, Dark Swan took the initiative to wipe up the moisture so that no one else would almost fall like she did. If anyone had seen a high-and-mighty hero, rather than a janitor, doing this, they would have been shocked.
'Floss-nim would have done the same.'
Her standard for behavior was always her respected hero, Magical Girl Floss. Dark Swan couldn't have imagined in her wildest dreams that the mysterious liquid she was wiping up with her handkerchief was actually Floss’s pussy juice.
'But why is there water spilled here?'
After wiping it all up, Dark Swan sniffed the handkerchief that had absorbed the moisture. It didn't seem like ordinary water; it smelled like a drink, but she couldn't guess what kind of drink it was.
"What is this? It actually smells pretty good..."
A tart yet somehow lewd fragrance. A pleasant scent that made her want to keep smelling it. Dark Swan pressed the handkerchief to her philtrum and breathed in deeply, as if entranced.
"Haa... Haa... ♡"
Dark Swan herself didn't realize it, but her body was reacting faithfully as she inhaled the scent of her respected younger hero’s shameful pussy juice.
*
'Ugh, how embarrassing.'
I sat in the first-floor lobby, waiting for Dark Swan after our paths crossed, and squeezed my legs tightly together.
'It’s not like I’ve actually become a bitch, so why am I pissing in a workplace hallway?'
Well, strictly speaking, it wasn't piss. But terms like pussy juice, squirting, or slick are even more embarrassing, so let's just call it piss.
'I should have at least cleaned it up before leaving.'
What if I get caught? I was anxious, my heart racing with a mix of dread and a strange thrill. It was absurd to feel thrilled in this situation, but I had long since accepted that this was just the kind of person I was.
I pulled out my phone and scrolled through the list of malicious villains the operator had recommended earlier. It was to design a new defeat play to be carried out after the unprecedented 'Gate Management' project, which would also serve as training for my sidekick, Dark Swan.
"Senior! I'm here~!"
Just then, someone called my name and ran over from behind. I was only looking at a list of villains, but feeling unnecessarily guilty, I hurriedly tucked my phone away like a teenage boy caught watching porn.
"Did you wait long? I'm sorry, I went up to meet you and we ended up missing each other."
"N-no. It happens. Uh... then..."
I stammered, breaking into a cold sweat. Avoiding Dark Swan’s eyes was a bonus.
'I don't know what to say...!'
Even before I became a woman, I wasn't exactly the social butterfly type. Like most teenage boys of that sort, I was quite distant from girls my age. It wasn't that I had zero female friends, but I was the type to get nervous when left alone with a woman.
To make matters worse, my shyness had only intensified after becoming a woman. Since I was no longer the same gender, it had become difficult to interact comfortably with men as well.
But that didn't mean dealing with women had become any easier. Especially in front of a beauty who gave off a strong "older sister" vibe like Dark Swan. It was the same even if this person was a follower who worshipped me.
"Shall we go grab something to eat? I was about to eat when I got your text and ran over, so I'm hungry."
"Oh, really? I was actually wanting to eat something too..."
"That’s great! Then for the menu... if it’s okay, would you like to decide, Senior?"
Since I was the senior, and an A-rank hero makes way more than a C-rank, I’d obviously be the one paying. Because I was momentarily lost in such useless profit-and-loss calculations, I blurted out the next words without thinking.
"I want to eat tonkatsu."
"...Oh, tonkatsu?"
As soon as I said it, I realized I’d messed up. Right, they say women hate gukbap, jeyuk, and tonkatsu. I just named one of the three representative foods that are soul food for men but definitely not for women...!
"N-no! You can eat whatever you want! Like malatang, or tteokbokki..."
As I broke into a cold sweat and tried to fix the situation, Dark Swan laughed and playfully tapped my shoulder.
"Ahaha! What’s with that? Do I look like the type who only likes malatang and tteokbokki?"
"T-then what..."
"Geez, I thought you were an all-around hero, but you're not very good at deciding on a menu. I'm a little disappointed."
What do you want me to do? I grumbled inwardly. Even if I'm the senior, I'm technically younger, so shouldn't the older one pick the menu?
'She really is a handful...'
It hasn't even been that long since I recommended her as a sidekick, and I'm already full of regret. It wasn't just because of the conversation we just had.
How should I put it? I could feel it every time we exchanged words. That burdensome gaze that saw me as a perfect person who never made a single mistake.
A reasonable amount of expectation is fine, but when it’s that extreme, just being near her is exhausting.
'I'll have to spend at least a week with her in that gate... I'm already drained.'
In the end, I completely handed over the menu-deciding power to Dark Swan and tuned out. While she was ordering through a delivery app, I shifted my gaze to the television in the lobby.
As expected of a TV in the Hero Association lobby, it was broadcasting a variety show featuring an S-rank hero.
"Pfft..."
In an era where observational and "healing" variety shows were the trend, this was a rare show that put its participants through the wringer. In short, it was pure entertainment. Watching famous celebrities get humiliated always brought a smile to my face.
The S-rank hero, Cold Beam, was not exempt from this ruthless variety show.
"Ukki! Ukkikki!"
Cold Beam, who usually had the image of a classic cool beauty, was imitating a monkey in front of other celebrities. She was flailing her limbs and making ridiculous faces.
The reason was simple. She was participating in a game of 'Charades' with other cast members with dinner ingredients on the line, and the prompt was 'monkey.' Under the condition of not speaking, she had to describe the prompt well so her partner could guess the answer.
[Wait, it’s charades, so why are you making monkey noises? Cold Beam, disqualified!]
[W-Whaaaat—?!]
Despite performing a degrading monkey dance that didn't fit her image at all, Cold Beam was disqualified for breaking the rules and received nothing. Seeing that, bursts of laughter erupted throughout the lobby.
"Aha! Ahahaha!"
Of course, I was one of them. Seeing that high-and-mighty woman looking so miserable made it impossible to hold back my laughter.
"...Sigh."
However, my sidekick, Dark Swan, seemed to have a different opinion.
"I don't like that kind of thing."
"...Suddenly?"
Dark Swan’s signature red eyes burned fiercely.
"We're heroes. Heroes who protect people and defeat evil! I don't mind going on variety shows or broadcasts, but isn't making them look that pathetic going too far?"
"Is it that bad...?"
"It is. People should have more respect for cool heroes like Cold Beam-nim or you, Floss-nim, but those broadcast people who are crazy for ratings ignore all that and turn them into laughingstocks."
It was a sentiment I found hard to relate to. I knew better than anyone that a hero is also just a person. But for a rookie hero like Dark Swan, who still held onto fantasies about heroes, it made sense.
"If you treat them so ridiculously, it ruins the fantasy for the viewers."
"Mm, I guess that makes sense..."
As I was absentmindedly agreeing with her...
A bolt of lightning flashed through my brain.
'If I'm ruined ridiculously... the fantasy is shattered...?'
My body reacted to that sentence. It meant my body, which only had female instincts left, answered before my thinking brain could. I shivered as I calmly organized the thoughts that had risen from my pussy to my head.
Soon, Dark Swan and I would enter the 'Slime Forest' alone. For the usual me, it was a bottom-tier difficulty, pathetic gate that I could close in an instant even if I fought with one hand.
Dark Swan must be expecting a brilliant performance from me. She probably wants to watch me, her respected hero, teach her a few things before showing off overwhelming power by easily taking down the boss monster.
But, what if...
'What if I get defeated?'
A C-rank hero—no, even an academy cadet who hasn't officially become a hero could defeat them with the right equipment—the trash monster, the Slime.
If Magical Girl Floss were to be utterly ruined and turned into a laughingstock by a mere slime, what kind of expression would the obsessed Dark Swan make?
'It would shatter. Her fantasy of me, the hero she admires.'
Not even human, lacking even intelligence, a monster weaker than even the lowliest humanoid monsters... To be raped by a 'slime' and have every hole in her body filled with blue jelly—the sight of a magical girl in such a state would surely be ridiculous.
And in the midst of it, if I were to lose to the womanly pleasure and flop around like a freshly caught fish, forgetting I was being raped by a monster and crying out for my husband’s tool like a bride... that would be the icing on the cake.
Defeated by a mindless slime that can't even understand human speech.
Confessing love in a vulgar voice, acting cute with a voice full of affection.
Spreading my own wet pussy to beg for that soft, squishy jelly cock... that wouldn't be bad either.
"Haa..."
This is dangerous. This is really dangerous. Just from the delusion, my nipples have gone rock hard. My clothes are thin, so if anyone looks closely, they'll realize I'm a perverted magical girl getting a hard-on in public.
Just then, Dark Swan came and sat next to me, her face flushed.
"Senior, are you feeling okay? Your face is really red."
"O-oh, it’s nothing. I was just... thinking about something."
"...Thinking? About what?"
I hesitated for a moment before answering.
"I was just... wondering how I should reward a junior who likes me this much... ♡"
Reflected in Dark Swan’s red eyes was a female face, melting with thick lust.
There was no need to say whose face that was.