A Mutually Beneficial Agreement
After the two of us had climbed aboard the same boat and I'd finished cleaning up the mess from that wild ride, I stood face to face with Astra inside the now-tidy restaurant. We had a rather serious conversation. First, we went over the original reason she'd sought me out to test my abilities one more time.
"Has your superhuman power increased at all?"
She had experienced a sudden surge in her own power and suspected my buff cooking was the cause, so she'd come to verify it herself.
"Ah. Just a moment."
Still wearing the slightly damp clothes where her breast milk had leaked through, Astra closed her eyes and turned her focus inward. From what I'd heard, precise numerical measurements required specialized equipment, but she could at least get a rough sense of whether her strength had grown.
"This is..."
After meditating like that for a while, testing her powers with a few crackling sparks, Astra reached her conclusion.
"It's a little different. My superhuman power hasn't increased, but..."
"But?"
It wasn't the increase in superhuman power she'd hoped for when she first came to me. My initial guess that the buff would raise her HP had been wrong, but she added something else.
"Still... the experience of handling a much higher output remains with me. If I follow that thread, I think I might be able to grow my superhuman power more easily..."
"Wait, really?"
"In other words..."
Astra explained that just as retracing a path you've already walked once is easier, the memory of surpassing her limits while under my buff remained vivid. That experience could serve as a guide, making future growth smoother.
"Maybe it was the same back then too... Plus, unlike now when I was just standing still, I was actually fighting at the time..."
Faced with this shortcut to growing the notoriously difficult superhuman power, Astra's face brightened. She muttered to herself, eyes sparkling, then suddenly grabbed my hand as if about to ask for something.
"Siwoo! Could you possibly use that ability on me again... Ah..."
Of course, she realized midway that her greed was showing too obviously and lowered her voice.
"No. Never mind. The effects have just worn off, so doing it again right away... And even if I didn't know before, an ability like this for a low-tier hero like me..."
It wasn't the instant power-up she'd first imagined, but the effect of experiencing a higher level and retaining that memory was incredibly valuable. From what Astra said, my power felt distinctly different from other existing buff-type abilities.
"If other people's buffs feel like they're granting additional strength, yours feels more like it's awakening my own power... Or more precisely, like it's pulling forward the potential I would eventually reach...?"
Naturally, if such a valuable ability became known, both heroes and villains—any superhuman, really—would lose their minds over it. Even Astra had gotten so excited upon experiencing it that she'd nearly grabbed my hand and begged for it again. Having realized just how absurd this power was, she suppressed her surging greed and made a suggestion.
"Siwoo. This is truly incredible... So, what I wanted to ask is, have you considered officially reporting your ability awakening to the Association?"
"Reporting to the Association..."
"Of course, as you mentioned before, being the first male awakener is amazing, but... this is on a completely different level. It could shatter the balance among existing superhumans in an instant!"
Maybe because she was an Association hero herself, she enthusiastically listed its advantages.
"If you officially reveal your ability, the Association will do everything possible to protect you. And if the Association gains your power, we might be able to completely eradicate all the villains!"
Astra's eyes sparkled as she painted this bright future. Her vision of a brilliant tomorrow where this power was used for good was the very picture of an ideal hero, and a perfectly reasonable response.
However.
Well, I don't know about that.
I was quite negative about revealing my abilities. While seeing only Astra made the heroes seem somewhat trustworthy, and I did live in the peace they maintained... my situation was so unique that I was very reluctant to disclose it carelessly.
"I'll think about it."
"Yes...!"
Still, since she carried a sense of belonging and responsibility as an Association hero, I didn't want to pour cold water on her enthusiasm. I didn't give a definite answer. Instead, I reflected on my ability.
The bizarre side effects that had appeared again, the 'additional condition' phenomenon that had never shown up before, and the possibility of permanent strengthening for superhumans that I'd learned through Astra...
I thought I'd come to understand my ability pretty well by testing it on myself all this time...
It was as if only half of what I knew about my power was true. Ever since meeting Astra, more and more unknowns kept emerging from my ability.
Are there more?
The unease of not fully understanding an ability that resided within me, the anticipation that there might be other hidden effects. All of it combined to leave me feeling unsettled. Especially now that I'd concluded that simply suppressing and hiding my power wasn't the best approach.
I want to know more about it.
As Astra subtly tried to persuade me by praising the Hero Association from the side, I continued contemplating my ability. Then, thinking her attitude was a bit too eager, I decided to probe her intentions.
"You're being really proactive about this, aren't you?"
"Huh? Ah, well..."
She started to make an excuse but then let out a deep sigh, smiled brightly, and revealed her true feelings.
"With an ability like yours, Siwoo... honestly, I'm tempted too. If you join the Hero Association, maybe I could benefit from your ability as well?"
She honestly showed her greed for my ability while also thinking first about how it could help the Association. That honest side of her was endearing, but... I needed to correct one of her misconceptions.
"But if I join the Association as you suggest, you wouldn't be able to enjoy this ability, you know?"
"Huh?"
"Didn't I mention it? I can only make buff dishes once every two or three days."
A fact I'd discovered while using the ability on myself, sort of like eating healthy food. My power wasn't something I could use anytime I wanted. More precisely, there was a limit to the number of times I could use it. After resting for about two days, the number of times I could make buff dishes recovered by one. I could store up the uses without consuming them, but the maximum charge was two times.
Fortunately, since I didn't use the ability often, it had been charged to the maximum of two. That was why I could use it during the day on our first meeting and still apply the buff to Astra afterward.
So if I revealed my ability and joined the Association as she suggested... wouldn't those limited opportunities go to higher-ranked heroes instead?
"I-is that so...?"
As if confirming that she really did covet my ability, Astra's eyes darted around after hearing my words. Her expression seemed to mix her sense of loyalty to the organization she belonged to with her desire to use my ability herself.
Looking at that expression... a certain desire suddenly surged within me.
Right now we were having this calm, serious conversation, but just moments ago, hadn't I been sucking on her breasts while receiving a handjob? The memory and sensation from that moment still lingered in my mind, and seeing her make that face on top of it...
"Astra."
"Yes?"
"Would you be able to help me research my ability going forward?"
"...Yes?"
I blurted out the words that had been vaguely floating in my head.
"As you've experienced it yourself, it seems there are still quite a few hidden aspects to my ability."
"Y-yes. Since I've e-experienced it with my body..."
At the phrase 'experienced it with my body,' I noticed her gaze briefly flick toward my lower body, but I pretended not to see it.
"I'm a bit anxious about possessing an ability with so many undiscovered parts... Even if I were to reveal it, with only two instances, the sample size is too small to be certain about exactly how it works, right?"
"That's... true. With only two times..."
"But there's a limit to what I can figure out alone, so it would be good if you could help me like you did today..."
The vague curiosity about my ability that I'd been harboring earlier was genuine, so I openly expressed my desire to delve deeper into it without hiding anything.
And Astra, upon hearing my words...
"Siwoo's ability more... then I could also..."
As could be seen from how her eyes had rolled back the moment she learned of its effects, she looked tempted by my proposal. After all, if she could receive my buffs more often, her superhuman power might grow rapidly.
And now that she'd learned the additional information that I could only make buff dishes once every two or three days.
She'd already known my ability was a rare one that couldn't be found anywhere else, but now its limited value seemed even higher.
Tsk. What will she do?
I watched Astra as she pondered with a very anxious feeling.
The reason I'd suddenly made this proposal to Astra wasn't just the curiosity to know more about my ability and a strange desire toward her, though those played a part... The biggest reason was to make her a sort of accomplice.
Astra is a good person, but I'm still uneasy.
Previously, Astra had promised to keep my ability secret to repay me for helping her. But that was only when she knew me as the first male awakener. Now that she knew the effects of my ability in more detail, the value of that secret had increased significantly. Moreover, from how she'd just asked if I had any thoughts of revealing this to the Association, it was clear she thought my ability would be helpful to them...
She might suddenly reveal my ability to the Association in the name of public good.
As I'd said before, I was still skeptical about revealing my ability to the Association or such. Therefore, it was important to keep a tighter leash on Astra, the only person who knew about my ability...
I'll use Astra's greed to bind her.
Under the pretext of researching my ability, I'd provide her with the opportunity to exclusively enjoy my buffs. From the words she'd inadvertently let slip earlier and her current attitude, it was evident that Astra coveted my ability quite a bit. So if I gave her the appropriate justification and made it so only she could share this secret, wouldn't her greed make her protect my secret even better?
Of course, if Astra refuses, that's the end of it.
The side effect this time had been quite significant, and the process of removing it was something difficult for a woman to accept... Thinking she might refuse for various reasons, I looked at Astra with an anxious expression.
Honestly, no matter what proposal I made, if she decided to strong-arm me or blackmail me with my secret now that she knew it, there was nothing I could do.
After what felt like an eternity...
"...Yes. If it's something like that... then I'll help you with it."
"...!"
"I've received a lot of help from you, Siwoo... and honestly, I'd like to continue receiving your ability as well..."
Though she was a righteous hero, Astra, who clearly had personal desires, accepted my proposal. Of course, it wasn't purely from greed; it also came from the justification of helping me and the thought that more research was needed on aspects like the side effects she'd experienced...
"Thank you. Astra."
It was good for me to silence the mouth of Astra, who now knew my secret, while also being able to research my ability. It was good for Astra to be able to train her ability while receiving my buffs. Wasn't this a win-win?
And... from the side effects that have appeared so far, the next one might also...
On top of that, though I couldn't say this to Astra, it might also satisfy the personal desires I harbored.
"Yuna."
"Huh?"
The moment I extended my hand for a handshake, Astra took it and said,
"My name. It's Yuna. Astra is my hero name for when I'm active as a hero..."
Was that her real name? Come to think of it, I'd heard that heroes operated only under their hero names instead of real ones for reasons like maintaining an air of mystery as symbols of peace...
Telling me her real name probably signified both friendliness toward me and that we'd become closer.
"Yes. I'll be in your care, Yuna."
"I'll be in your care too, Siwoo."
As I held her soft hand, I smiled with an expression mixed with anticipation and worry for the future.