The woman holding the truck in front of me looked at me with a smile, then turned her head towards the truck driver.
“Hey, are you okay?”
“B, the brakes won’t stop, so stop…”
“Don’t worry. The car stopped with this.”
Squeak-
The large truck, which was lifted lightly as if lifting a toy, slowly came down to the ground, and applause erupted from the crowd.
The woman in the baseball cap before my eyes smiled brightly and waved her hand at the cheers of the people as if she were always there.
“That’s amazing.”
"Thank you. You're quite brave, aren't you? Running into the street for a child."
“In the end, I couldn’t do anything.”
“No~No~. You've accomplished something most people can't. You can be proud.”
The blue eyes turned to me, took a few light steps, jumped towards me, and looked up at me with puffed out cheeks.
"But next time, don't do something so reckless. A hero won't always be waiting in a corner of the city to come and save you."
“... Yes. I’m sorry.”
She was a head shorter than me, and she poked my chest and smiled as I scratched the back of my head.
“Still, you’re quite lucky. A hero happened to be passing by and showed up just like this.”
“Are you a hero?”
In response to my question, she smiled confidently, running her index finger across the brim of her baseball cap.
"Yes! A hot new hero just back from America! Well, I haven't decided on a name yet."
“Huh? No?”
"Because I'm still a wannabe hero. I haven't been given a hero name yet."
“Aspiring hero.”
At those words, I couldn't hide my surprise, although I didn't show it on my face.
Aspiring hero.
Unlike civilian heroes who introduce themselves as heroes and go about their activities, aspiring heroes who are officially hired by a planning company are first educated about their developed abilities and decide what style of hero they will be after consulting with the company.
Just as most people once went to entertainment agencies to become celebrities or idols, those who dream of becoming heroes either go to specific agencies, or are scouted by those agencies or by the heroes themselves, and heroes have also begun to become a natural axis of this society.
"I've seen heroes a few times, but this is the first time I've seen an aspiring one."
"Well, originally, we were kind of a secret for that company. The agency's strategy now is to have certain abilities and personalities for certain heroes. That's what our manager always said."
The hero industry is also somewhat complicated.
The activities of heroes who protect the world's peace by defeating villains that appear in the world, and who appear in the media and show that peace right before our eyes, were possible because of the fierce battles between various agencies behind the scenes to make their heroes stand out even more.
Something about that work environment feels familiar.
What we did in the last fight with the Silver Moon Sect suddenly came to mind.
This case was resolved amicably thanks to my colleagues and I going behind the scenes and running around here and there to resolve the deal between Ariel and the Silver Moon faction.
I wonder if I can do it smoothly, but well, if the result is good, then anything is good.
Somehow, I feel like I'm getting more and more distracting thoughts like an old person.
“But, was it okay to come out in a place like this?”
"Oh, it's okay. Our company isn't particularly strict about things like this. I'm sure this time, too, it'll be easy—"
“Christine!”
At the sound of a woman's shout, the woman who had been speaking lively, the woman called Christine, froze with a smile on her face and slowly turned her head back.
“Hey, Manager?”
“You, I came out because the kid who said he was going to the convenience store for a bit didn’t come for a while, but you… did you use your powers to save people?”
“Wait a minute, sis. Should I say it was an act of God? I didn’t do it on purpose.”
"Are you crazy? Your abilities are already so obvious, and the boss told me not to use them."
The manager, who appeared to be wearing a secretary's outfit, suddenly grabbed Christine's shoulder and opened his mouth to interrogate her.
Judging by the way she was being held by her manager, grimacing in pain, and the attitude of her manager, it seemed that the 'force majeure' incident she was talking about was something that happened to her quite often.
However, she seemed to have no regrets and was calming down the manager in front of her with an awkward smile.
Well, from the other person's perspective, it might seem like adding fuel to the fire.
"You, this time I really won't forgive you. I'm going to tell the boss, so follow me."
"It hurts-! Sister, my ears! Not my ears! I really hurt so much! T-T See you next time! Next time, don't jump in front of the car!"
As soon as her ear was grabbed, Christine, with tears welling up in one eye as if in pain, waved at me and was led by her manager's hand, disappeared into the crowd on the other side of the street.
"She was a lively girl. If someone like that became a hero, she'd probably be incredibly popular with the young boys. Don't you think so, Number 6?"
I walked slowly and approached number 6, who had come closer to me, and gave her my honest review. Then, in the quiet silence, I turned my head to her.
“Number 6?”
When I actually called her, she didn't answer. She had been standing next to me for a while, silently staring in the direction Christine had disappeared.
As if she was glaring at me warily, I quietly placed my hand on her shoulder.
“Number 6? Why?”
“...Huh? Oh, it’s nothing.”
“Do you know me? Have I seen you somewhere?”
In response to my question, No. 6 just kept her mouth shut and looked in the direction she had disappeared, then quickly turned back to me, smiled, and shook her head.
"No. I think I've seen your face somewhere, but I can't remember. I guess it was a mistake."
“Really? With such a beauty, I don’t think I’ll be able to forget her easily.”
“...Woojin, is that the type of person you like?”
"yes?"
The moment I looked back, there was a hint of contempt in No. 6's gaze, like looking at a cockroach.
"Oh, no! That's not what I meant-"
"Well, I understand. I'll tell Miss Ariel first. Mr. Number One has a good memory, and he remembers people by looking at their bodies."
“Why is Ariel suddenly appearing here!?”
Despite my rebuttal, No. 6 did not respond and just left the place and walked away.
No, I'm not saying that!
Where is the pervert who looks at a human body and remembers its shape?
*
Gimpo Airport.
A blue sky with hot sunlight pouring down.
The sight of countless planes taking off and landing on the runway was reflected in the lenses of a woman's sunglasses.
The woman's small, lavender lips were tightly pressed together, reminiscent of purple plums, and her purple suit, along with her wavy, permed orange-based lavender-brushed hair, made passersby look back at her every now and then.
She had been standing there quietly for several dozen minutes, waiting for someone, with a purple travel case propped up on one side of her low heel.
“Oh my, I didn’t realize you were already here.”
As if I had no idea she was coming, as if I had just come out for a walk around the neighborhood and met a friend from out of town for the first time in a long time.
Ariel looked at her with her ebony-black hair.
The woman wearing sunglasses quietly turned her gaze to Ariel, then quickly walked towards her and dropped to one knee in front of her.
The eyes of the people around her were turned towards her, but as if they were invisible, the woman spoke to her with her yellow, snake-like eyes shining behind her sunglasses.
"May glory be to the Black Crown. It's been a while, Ariel."
"Yes. It's been a while since I last visited your father, hasn't it? Dragon Empress Kayla."
"Yes. You've really grown a lot over the past few years."
"Thanks to you, I have gained many experiences while traveling the world."
Dragon Empress Kayla.
The No. 2 of the actual organization that commands the executives and leads the organization under the command of the Black Crown Grand Commander.
She, the vice president of Black Crown, who would have been the one to command others with more confidence than anyone else, without yielding to anyone at the headquarters, or rather, the head office, was now kneeling quietly in front of him, looking at him.
A touching reunion after a long time. But…
"By the way, why don't we move a bit? I don't like being the center of attention like this."
“... Excuse me.”
If it were the headquarters, or rather the headquarters, it would have been a rather formal and honorable meeting, but here it was in the middle of a busy airport.