Chapter 43: Return of the Hero
Chapter 43: Return of the Hero
A few days had passed since then. I had been on edge, worrying that something might blow up, but fortunately, no one contacted me directly. The Operator didn't try to blackmail me with my weaknesses, nor were my photos leaked anywhere on the internet.
Well, I might just not have found them yet. They could be tucked away safely in someone’s gallery...
The lack of interference meant less excitement, but it actually helped me get things done. I submitted my leave of absence to the school and sent personal messages to the classmates I’d become somewhat close with...
Come to think of it, what happened to the basketball club?
I could have just contacted the Operator and asked, but I was too anxious to bring it up easily. As the saying goes, a guilty conscience needs no accuser—I was afraid of looking like I was making a fuss for no reason. I worried that I might even arouse suspicion.
Just as my leave of absence was finalized and a few peaceful days followed, I received a phone call.
[Association Chairman]
"Huh?"
The last time I spoke with the Association Chairman was the day I was ordered to suspend my hero activities for the time being. We had made plans for a trip then, but since no specific schedule was set, I’d treated it like a vague "let's grab a meal sometime" kind of promise.
Was he calling to finalize the dates for that trip? Since I couldn't perform hero duties, he wouldn't be calling for work. Or maybe he was just calling to check in?
An ordinary hero would have been trembling the moment they got a call from the Chairman, but since I’d been close with him for a long time, I could answer without much pressure. Honestly, I would have been more nervous if the call had come from the Operator.
"Hello?"
[Ah, Min-jeong. How have you been?]
The fact that he called me by my name instead of my Hero Name made me realize it was just a casual greeting. The beginning of the conversation went as expected, but then the topic started drifting in a slightly different direction.
"You want me to return?"
[Yes. It looks like your suspension period will be much shorter than expected.]
In the first place, I hadn't committed a major crime. I failed to meet the deadline for the mission in the Slime Forest, but no actual problems had arisen from it.
It was just that, with everyone watching, I had to pretend to reflect on my actions. Since I’d also been targeted by the Shinhwa Group, the Chairman had given me the suspension as a penalty to let me rest. So, strictly speaking, it was more like a vacation than a punishment or disciplinary action.
"Well... I don't mind. I was starting to feel stiff from resting too long. I’d love to have a mission. But is it a mission that absolutely requires me?"
[It’s not so much that the mission needs you, but rather that a mission you absolutely need has come in.]
I pricked up my ears. There are many missions that need a hero, but not many missions that a hero needs.
[Shinhwa Group... specifically, a request from Shinhwa Pharmaceutical came in. They asked for it to be handled without being made public.]
"Shinhwa Pharmaceutical asked for me?"
[No, they didn't specify a particular hero. However, you don't have any disqualifying factors for the requirements, and more than anything, you're in a position where you need to improve your relationship with the Shinhwa Group, aren't you?]
He was right. Calling it a mission I needed was the perfect description. I was in a position to be grateful that the Association Chairman Uncle had thought of me first and called me after receiving this request.
"Th-thank you..."
[Khaha! It’s nothing to be thankful for. But listen, Min-jeong.]
I think I understood now why he was calling me by my real name instead of my Hero Name, Floss, even though it was hero business. It felt like our private relationship was swallowing our public one.
[...About that trip I mentioned last time, when do you plan on going?]
Honestly, he certainly is honest about his desires.
[Ahem!]
After promising to go on a short trip once this mission was over, I got dressed and headed to the Hero Association.
*
"I'm just asking out of pure curiosity, but what happened to that illegal drug user?"
The Operator, who now felt almost like an NPC of the Hero Association. Having stopped by the Association to accept the Shinhwa Pharmaceutical request, I happened to run into him and shared a cup of coffee.
"Since you're the informant, it's natural to be curious. By the way, is your friend alright?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, my friend is... totally fine! Just because we go to the same school doesn't mean we know everyone. There are rumors going around that someone got dragged away, but she said it was someone she didn't know at all."
"I see. Unlike middle or high school, universities are large, so that makes sense."
The moment our eyes met, he looked surprised to see me, which made me very flustered at first. Honestly, my legs were shaking. The Operator had seen my civilian form when he came to catch Michael.
I had been thinking all along that if anyone could realize Magical Girl Floss and Do Min-jeong were the same person, it would be the Operator. Since we looked completely different, an ordinary person's eyes wouldn't be able to tell, but the Operator's ability was none other than the 'Status Window.'
If my Status Window as Do Min-jeong said 'Magical Girl Floss' on it...
But looking at him now, the Operator didn't seem to know that Do Min-jeong was Magical Girl Floss. It was hard to believe it was an act. Maybe he was just surprised to see me after a while.
"Just as you reported, there was an illegal drug user at that school. A black international student named Michael from the basketball club... it seems he was quite a big player. When we conducted the search and seizure, he had drugs piled up in his house."
"W-wow... that guy was a real piece of work."
"Well, thanks to that, we were able to trace it back and identify the drug seller's base... but that's another story. Anyway, we successfully arrested the black student. His charges were confirmed, and he's just waiting for his sentence."
Hearing about Michael's current situation from a distance felt strange. Even though he was a bad guy... hearing that the person who developed my anal was going to prison was a truly bizarre feeling.
"The problem was the rest of the club members besides Michael. It seems the entire basketball club committed sex crimes using the illegal drug user, Michael, as a front... A woman presumed to be a victim was found at the scene, but she fled immediately, perhaps out of fear."
"F-fled~ Hmm, I see. Well, she might have been afraid of retaliation, or maybe she was ashamed that the fact she was gang-raped by men would be revealed...!"
"That's true. I felt frustrated that we couldn't catch them all, but I could understand her to some extent."
The Operator's expression, which had turned serious while talking about the woman who fled and the sex crimes, soon brightened again.
"Still, it doesn't look like the investigation will hit a dead end. Apparently, after hearing that Michael was caught, victims who were similarly sexually assaulted in the past but kept quiet out of fear are coming forward one by one."
"Really?"
"If things go well, we'll be able to lock up every single one of them. The investigation is just beginning, so we can't be sure yet."
I had to choose my words carefully the whole time I was listening. It would be a disaster if I made a slip of the tongue. After filtering everything, the words I could actually say were very limited.
"It's cool that you're looking into sex crimes as well as your original mission of catching illegal drug users."
"...U-uh?"
"There are plenty of heroes who don't care if it's not their business. In that sense, I think you're a wonderful hero."
It was a compliment I gave without much thought, but the Operator seemed deeply satisfied. I could tell just by the slight smile that played on his lips.
"...Oh, then I'll be going to work now. See you later."
"A-ahem! Right, Floss. You can call me anytime."
For some reason, it felt like the Operator's internal sense of intimacy with me had shot up, but whatever. I think of the Operator as a good friend, too. There's no need to be stingy with compliments.
"Oh, I almost forgot to say this. The tanning suits you."
...Now then, shall I go check the mission Shinhwa Pharmaceutical gave me?
*
The moment he reunited with Magical Girl Floss, the Operator felt his heart skip a beat.
Calling up an ordinary person's Status Window and peeking at it without permission is, of course, a violation of regulations and extremely rude. Naturally, that applies to heroes as well. In fact, using an ability on a fellow hero might be even worse etiquette.
A regular Status Window is one thing, but the Operator's other ability, the dark Status Window... the 'Ero Status,' was an absolute taboo. Even the Hero Association, which publicly discloses heroes' abilities, had agreed to keep the Ero Status a secret for the sake of the Operator's honor.
But right now, he intended to completely ignore those moral values. As if he had been waiting, the Operator called up Magical Girl Floss's Status Window... specifically, her 'Ero Status,' and stared intently at the numbers written there.
'Ero Status Open.'
[-Magical Girl Floss-]
[Mouth Development: 27]
[Breast Development: 48]
[Pussy Development: 26]
[Butt Development: 9]
[Sex Count: 41 times]
[Pregnancy Count: 0 times]
[Masturbation Count: 123 times]
[General Evaluation: A vulgar female who now deserves the title of 'slut.' To think her butt development has even gone up... She only recently awakened to sexual pleasure, yet she's already opened up her anal. It's a miracle she isn't pregnant yet. Is a pseudo-onahole like her actually worried about contraception?]
The various figures had risen astronomically compared to the last time he saw them.
This is...
He had expected it to some extent. It would be a lie to say he had no idea. The last time the Operator saw Floss was right after the Invisible Man incident, and he hadn't seen her for a while since then.
The Floss he saw last time was a novice female who had just awakened to sexual pleasure. Like a child who had just learned about naughty things... no, since she had realized it later than others, it was almost certain she wouldn't be able to control her desires.
But even so, I thought only her masturbation count would skyrocket. To think her sex count is this high...
It couldn't be helped. The Operator didn't know, but Floss had gone through two major events in the meantime. Being bred day and night by slimes in the Gate, and being crazily gang-raped at the basketball club... Dark Swan's Hypno-Sleep Training had also played a part in increasing her sensitivity.
At least thanks to the Operator and Dark Swan arriving early, she was able to leave the basketball club quickly. If she had stayed for the full month as originally planned, her sex count might have exceeded three digits.
Sigh.
The Operator felt complicated. Of course, Floss wasn't his. But that was exactly why he had gone on a trip and even gotten a tan—to make her his.
However, looking at it now, he wondered if the tanning and everything else mattered. Perhaps the right answer would have been to stay by her side and devour her when she went wild, unable to control her libido.
While he was trying to act fine despite his complex feelings and discussing the illegal drug user, Floss's Status Window began to change due to a few words she said.
"It's cool that you're looking into sex crimes as well as your original mission of catching illegal drug users."
"...U-uh?"
"There are plenty of heroes who don't care if it's not their business. In that sense, I think you're a wonderful hero."
[Magical Girl Floss's Affinity increases!]
[A new category is added to the Ero Status!]
[You can now view Magical Girl Floss's Preferred Keywords!]
Since it was being added to the Ero Status, the keywords were bound to be lewd. Her taste in men, her favorite play, her preferred positions...
This was the first time an additional function of the Ero Status had been unlocked because of an increase in Affinity, so the Operator couldn't help but be nervous.
[Preferred Keywords: Doggystyle, SM, Tanned Skin.]
Doggystyle, SM... both were shocking, but the Operator's gaze remained fixed on the last keyword, 'Tanned Skin,' for a long time without moving.
"Oh, I almost forgot to say this."
A few seconds later, Magical Girl Floss looked at the Operator and said with a bashful smile.
"The tanning suits you."
It was a single sentence with enough power to ignite a spark of hope in the Operator's heart.