Chapter 7: Beasts Need a Good Beating to Listen (1)
Chapter 7: Beasts Need a Good Beating to Listen (1)
When the time I’d been waiting for finally arrived, I changed the television channel.
“Ah! I was watching that.”
“Shut up.”
I kicked away the clinging Un-ho and focused my attention on the screen.
—I’ve heard that a new type of crime targeting Heroes has emerged recently.
—That’s correct. According to information released by the Management Bureau, many Heroes have fallen victim, starting with the Wind Magician, Green Green.
So the Green Magical Girl’s nickname was Green Green? How tacky.
—I’ve heard the methods are as brutal as the acts themselves?
—Yes. There have been four victims identified so far, all found with both arms and one leg broken. The weapon is presumed to be a blunt instrument.
—A blunt instrument?
—It’s said to be a steel Pry Bar, the kind commonly seen on construction sites. According to witness testimony, the weapon was swung multiple times until the limbs were shattered.
“Did you really do that…?”
Un-ho trembled all over, looking at me as if I were some kind of monster.
“Hardly. I finished it in one go. Though I might have tapped them two or three times if they didn't break at first.”
“....”
“I broke them as cleanly as possible to ensure there wouldn't be any permanent aftereffects. They’ll be up and running in a few weeks.”
And if they’re in a real hurry, they can always borrow the power of a Hero with healing abilities.
“But… wounds aren’t just physical. You know that better than anyone, Ha-ram-nim.”
Of course I knew.
In the past, there were those who couldn't endure the cruelty of the world. Even after their stories ended, they were haunted by terror, falling into lives of crime or committing suicide.
“They didn't die, did they? It’s not like the person next to them was turned into a meat patty in an instant.”
Even now, the memory resurfaced. A comrade I had marched forward with, turned into nothing but a bloodstain by a single trampling attack from a monster.
“....”
“It’s just a bit of hardship. Getting jumped and having some bones broken. If they want to call themselves Heroes, they should be able to overcome at least that much.”
Right on cue, the television began to echo my sentiments.
—Then what is the perpetrator’s motive?
—Take a look at the screen.
My message appeared on the screen.
【Those who have not suffered hardship should not claim to be Heroes. Heroes, prove your own justice.】
—What does that mean?
—It likely means they have a grievance with current Hero society.
—What kind of grievance could it be?
—A common interpretation would be dissatisfaction with the Heroes' attitudes, but I don't think that's it.
The man raised his voice, sounding agitated as he poured out his words.
—Please consider what Heroes do. They are always in dangerous places, doing their best to protect civilians. For two years, three years, maybe even over ten years.
Well, they were chosen, so it’s only natural they do it. What’s with the fuss?
—Heroes risk their lives fighting the enemies of humanity, dedicating their entire existence to the cause. It is beyond common sense to understand why someone would have a problem with such people being called Heroes.
—That’s certainly true. Even I have been saved by a Hero before.
—The Management Bureau seems to share my view. According to their official statement, they believe this incident is the work of an organization with a grudge against society, a mentally ill individual, or a Mutant hiding within the public. They are currently launching an investigation into…
Beep.
I changed the channel.
The news vanished from the screen, replaced by the program Un-ho had been watching moments ago.
I tapped the remote, mulling over the words I’d just heard.
A normal person couldn't think that way about Heroes?
A mentally ill individual?
To me, who has seen the true face of Heroes countless times?
Calm down. That might just be that one guy’s opinion.
I pulled out my phone and opened the news section of a portal site, hoping there might be others who thought like me.
After scrolling past a news article with a detailed summary of the incident, I reached the comment section where people were expressing their opinions.
I scanned the comment section quickly, but no one agreed with me.
“Fuck!”
Rage surged through me, and I hurled my phone.
Thrown without any restraint, the phone slammed into The Wall. The device, which still had a year left on its contract, shattered into pieces.
“Poyot!”
Un-ho, who had been engrossed in the TV, shrieked at the sudden noise and bounced into the air.
Looking around to see what happened, Un-ho quickly grasped the situation and clung to me as I seethed with anger.
“Calm down! You’re going to bring the house down!”
“Do I look like I’m in the mood to calm down right now…?”
“Think of something happy, something happy! I’ll listen to why you’re angry, just please!”
Something happy.
Quite naturally, my old comrades came to mind.
The days when we all rejoiced at having survived and knocked back drinks together. The days when I wasn't yet fixed in this Magical Girl form and could actually get drunk.
As those memories surfaced, my emotions gradually settled, and the power boiling within my body began to recede.
I reached out and stroked Un-ho’s white fur. Feeling the softness of the glossy coat, I spoke.
“I just got a bit annoyed because everyone’s acting like I’m the one in the wrong.”
“Right. So, how about quitting…?”
It seemed Un-ho still hoped I would return to a normal life.
“You know that’s not going to happen.”
“Well, I figured as much.”
I gently set down Un-ho, who was wrapped around me, and headed for the front door.
“The Management Bureau will probably come by. Tell them I’m not here if they look for me.”
“I just need to make up a decent excuse and send them away, right?”
“Yeah.”
Among the comments I’d seen earlier, one had caught my eye. It was a post with my photo, claiming I looked like the person in the video.
The Management Bureau should have taken down all the videos of me, but it seemed someone had kept a screenshot.
If the opinion that the attacker and I are the same person spreads among the public, my Public Enemy Designation will happen sooner. I needed to prioritize dealing with that.
I didn't have to worry about the Management Bureau just yet.
They probably suspected me too, but as much as they cared about the Heroes' image-making, they wouldn't be able to just arrest me.
The Bureau packages Heroes as perfectly righteous beings, so if an exception like me were to be exposed, it would damage their carefully crafted image.
At most, they’d put me under surveillance or try to bury the incident by detaining me in secret.
As I stepped outside, I felt eyes on me, just as expected. It was definitely a tail from the Bureau. They were unnecessarily quick about this sort of thing.
Feeling that gaze, another thought occurred to me.
Or maybe…
Are they planning an assassination?
I looked toward the direction of the gaze and gave a bright smile.
* * *
Losing the tail was easy.
After leaping across a few buildings, the person following me seemed unable to keep up, looking restless on a rooftop.
If they wanted to tail me, they should have brought someone with better physical abilities.
When they pick people based solely on stealth and detection, of course the tailing isn't going to go well.
The Bureau guys haven't changed a bit since my time.
With that thought, I jumped down into a dark alleyway between buildings.
Splash.
Of all places, I landed right in a puddle of stagnant water.
“Dammit.”
My boots were soiled with water, and a curse slipped out involuntarily.
Since it was a place filled with damp, humid air where the sun never reached, it seemed the rain from a few days ago still remained as puddles.
To calm my irritation, I started talking to myself as I made my way through the alleys.
“It should have been around here.”
Since it had been years, I couldn't quite remember the exact location.
I searched here and there in the alleys, but I couldn't find what I was looking for.
“Surely those guys haven't moved.”
That would be a problem. I’d started this whole thing on a larger scale than planned, counting on their technology.
As I was venting my frustration by kicking the ground, a man’s voice came from behind me.
“What’s a kid doing here?”
I turned my head to see a man who wasn't even properly dressed.
“This isn't a place for a little girl to be wandering around.”
He had the look of a typical low-life thug.
“If you’re lost, get out of here quickly. Or else this big brother is going to have to teach you a lesson.”
Ignoring his words, I looked closely at his body.
The beast fur peeking through his clothes, the slightly distorted gait due to reverse joints, the sharp beastly teeth visible between his lips.
Found them.
“Are you listening to me? Huh?”
Kid, that’s not how you threaten someone.
“Shut up and take me to your boss.”
“Is this brat crazy? Do you have any idea who we are?”
As expected, these bastards don't listen to words. Giving him a bright smile, I kicked him square in the shin.
“Agh! Gaaah!”
The man screamed and collapsed to his knees.
Since he was making an indecipherable racket, I slammed my fist into his face to shut him up.
Crack.
The sensation of bone breaking traveled up my hand. I’d tried to control my strength, but did I break his nose? Well, it’s his fault for picking a fight.
I grabbed the hair of the guy writhing and screaming on the ground and yanked his head up.
“Didn't your Branch Manager tell you not to pick fights with white-haired girls?”
His face, forced to meet my gaze, was washed with terror. Now he’d listen to whatever I said.
“Now, before I break your other shin, lead me to your organization.”
“Yeth, I undershtand.”
…It seemed I’d broken more than just his nose; some teeth were gone too.
My conscience pricked me just a little.
* * *
“So, you beat up several of my men?”
“Who knows. It’s your fault for not managing your organization properly.”
I leaned back on a plush leather sofa and spoke to the man in front of me.
“I heard you also knocked out the teeth of an executive who went out to act as a guide.”
“You expect me to put up with being called ‘little lady’?”
What kind of lunatic uses a term like that?
“…That was our mistake.”
The man waved the tentacles on his face, wiping away the dripping slime with a towel.
“More importantly, what brings you here? I thought you said you had no interest in money.”
“It’s not that I’m not interested in money; I just don't want money from a criminal organization. Work a proper job and then give it to me.”
“You know how difficult that is for us.”
“That’s why I’m here for something else instead.”
‘You haven't come to collect for years, and now you show up?’
He still thinks I can't hear him when he mumbles like that.
“What was that?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Right. Watch your mouth. Before I pull out your tentacles instead of your teeth.”
I leaned back on the sofa again.
Even though it was leather, the soft texture wrapping around my body wasn't bad.
It would be nice to have one of these at my place.
“…So, what brings you here? Did you come to take this sofa?”
“That’s not a bad suggestion, but what I need right now is something else.”
I sat up on the sofa and spoke.
“One Mutant with transformation abilities. I don't care if it’s self-aware or a controlled type, but since I plan to kill it, a controlled type would be better.”
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to create a Mutant without getting caught by the Bureau?”
“You don't want to? If you don't, you can get ejected into the Otherworld right here and now.”
I immediately summoned my hammer and swung it through the air.
“…I’ll have it ready as soon as possible.”
He pulled a phone from his coat and made a call.
After a brief conversation, he hung up and spoke to me again.
“How should I contact you once it’s ready?”
“Give me that phone too.”
“You mean this phone…?”
“It’s a phone made to be undetectable by the Bureau, isn't it? My phone just happened to get smashed.”
He let out a sigh, pulled a phone out of thin air, and tossed it to me.
I caught the poorly aimed device with my hammer and let it drop into my hand. After fiddling with it for a bit, I confirmed it worked without any issues.
“Who’s paying the bill for this?”
“I’ll pay for it, so use it as much as you like.”
Not having to pay the installments. I should use this often. Specifically, every time a new model comes out.
“Hmm. I don't like using bad guys' money, but I guess I have no choice.”
‘Look who’s talking, the one shaking down those bad guys.’
“Did you say something?”
“No. Nothing.”
Right, it better be nothing.
I stood up from the sofa, preparing to leave the room.
“Well, I’ll be in touch often, so I look forward to working with you.”
“What does that mean?”
“Don't you watch the news?”
“I watch it every day. But anything related to Lee Ha-ram…”
I put away The Hammer and pulled out the Pry Bar. Every color layered on my body instantly turned black.
Gradually, everything in sight began to turn black. As light vanished from my vision and dark particles scattered in the room, my transformation was complete.
“Do you get it now?”
“The Hero attack incidents…”
“Bingo.”
I nodded, then spun around and stepped over the threshold.
“We are truly grateful to you for creating a foundation for us to live in this world.”
His voice came like a whisper.
“But if our lives are at risk, we will have no choice but to abandon you, Lee Ha-ram. Please keep that in mind.”
The door slowly closed behind me. Through the tiny crack that remained, I spoke loud enough for him to hear.
“That’s more than enough.”