After that, we talked about various things, but honestly, I couldn't focus on any of it.

I was too worried about Hyun, who was smiling casually despite having his face stitched up after being torn open.

Every time Hyun looked at me and smiled, I worried his wounds might reopen, and each time, he would look at me with an expression that seemed to ask what was wrong.

To be honest, every time I saw him like that, I wanted to get angry. I wanted to tell him to just go rest if he was hurt, to take care of himself first instead of worrying about someone like me.

But knowing why he ended up like that, I couldn't bring myself to say those words.

I could only look at him and hope he was really okay.

"—Are you listening?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah."

"It's obvious you haven't heard a word."

I smiled awkwardly as Hyun sighed and crossed his arms.

I couldn't think of any other way to respond.

Looking at me, Hyun scratched his head and said:

"Is it because of what I said earlier? Are you that bothered by me saying I'd protect my people even if it kills me?"

I couldn't help but be surprised by his directness.

We might be close enough to vaguely understand each other's thoughts just by looking at expressions, but I never imagined he'd be this straightforward.

Hyun seemed to read my expression again and chuckled, leaning back against his chair.

His expression was half-transcendent, as if he'd been through this too many times.

"I'm fine. Really."

He says he'd die to protect others, and he thinks that's normal?

Sure, as a Hero, that's probably the perfect mindset. But can that really be considered sane?

"I never thought I'd have to say this, but Heroes regularly undergo psychological evaluations—counseling sessions with psychiatrists."

"Oh."

"If anything abnormal shows up, I'd immediately lose my S-Class position, but I've maintained it for years. If something was wrong with my head, how could I keep my S-Class status?"

Maybe I'm just too ordinary?

Are all Heroes like this?

The only Heroes I knew were Hyun and Noona Ha-Young, so I had no one to compare with.

But Hyun's words didn't seem like lies. He wasn't the type to lie about something like this anyway.

So if there really was no problem...

"...Really?"

"Think about it. If I didn't have an altruistic mindset, would I still be doing this job? I would've quit long ago."

I nodded unconsciously at his strangely convincing explanation.

While Hyun's explanation gave me some relief, it also left a strange uneasiness, like water stains on a mirror.

"Anyway. I'm really fine, so can we focus on the conversation now? This is the third time I'm explaining."

"Ah, sorry."

"Sigh... Where should I start from?"

"Um... something about isolation..."

Maybe I had too much on my mind, but even though I was sure I'd heard it, I couldn't remember anything.

Hyun looked at me with a disgruntled expression, then sighed deeply and rubbed his brow.

"You really didn't hear anything."

"...Sorry."

"Sheesh. I'm only letting this slide because it's you. If it were anyone else, I would've just left and let them stay in the dark."

I managed a small smile as Hyun cracked a joke to ease the tension.

After that, Hyun started explaining again, and with fewer thoughts distracting me, I was able to focus on what he was saying.

"So, you're saying I'll be living with you?"

"They can't just isolate someone who can go toe-to-toe with an S-Class Hero anywhere, so that's probably what will happen."

"Aren't you getting ahead of yourself? I haven't even gone to trial yet."

"As I explained earlier, the trial won't be a problem. You'll be found not guilty anyway."

Should I be happy about this?

Not knowing how to react, I just mumbled, unable to answer.

"Why that expression?"

"No, it's just... I'm wondering if I should be happy about being found not guilty after turning someone... I mean, a monster into that state."

I couldn't bring myself to say "killed," so I spoke indirectly. Hyun blinked and then let out an "Ah" of realization.

Seeing his expression, like someone who just remembered they forgot something important, I looked at him wondering what was going on.

"Ah. Um... how should I explain this? You might find this strange, but killing a Kaiju isn't considered a major crime. At most, it's a misdemeanor, and if you're a Hero registered with the Hero Association, killing a Kaiju results in acquittal."

"...What?"

What did I just hear?

The words were so shocking they were firmly etched in my mind, but my brain refused to understand them.

It was that nonsensical.

Heroes are acquitted for killing Kaiju? What is that? It's basically a license to kill.

"What is that? No, wait? That's weird."

You can go to jail for killing animals under animal protection laws or whatever, but it's okay to kill Kaiju?

What kind of crazy world is this?

Since I knew that Kaiju were people who had been modified, it made even less sense.

A chill ran down my spine, and I unconsciously jumped up from my chair.

"That's, that's not right!"

Not knowing what else to say, I just kept repeating the same words.

"So I could just be stabbed and killed for no reason while walking down the street? If the other person is a Hero, then just...!"

My heart was racing madly.

Images of the dying Kaiju, bleeding, flashed before my eyes, appearing and disappearing repeatedly.

Then, I flinched at the feeling of a firm hand on my shoulder.

Hyun, who had risen from his seat at some point, was holding my shoulder.

"Sia. Calm down and listen first. It's not what you think."

"But still... this..."

"My explanation was inadequate. I'm sorry. Just calm down a little and listen."

Hyun held my shoulders firmly so I couldn't escape and spoke while looking directly into my eyes.

After slowly gathering my emotions, I nodded, and Hyun spoke again.

"When I said 'Kaiju,' I was specifically referring to unregistered Kaiju."

"Unregistered Kaiju...?"

"It's a new law. All Kaiju must receive a Kaiju Registration Number. Like a social security number. Those who don't are unregistered Kaiju."

"But aren't they still the same people? Didn't they only start creating Kaiju recently...?"

"After the indiscriminate terrorist attacks by Harmageddon's modified Kaiju, people's perceptions changed a bit. They started saying, 'Even if a Kaiju is the same person, a Kaiju that loses its reason and kills people indiscriminately cannot be viewed as the same person.'"

Since it wasn't long after the Singularity Incident, people were particularly sensitive about deaths.

I nodded slowly at Hyun's explanation, then suddenly shuddered as a thought occurred to me.

"Wait, I haven't registered yet either...?"

"That's why I had to subdue you like that. If another Hero had been there, either that Hero would have died or you would have, and then a kill order might have really been issued."

"Ah..."

At those words, I slumped back into my seat and glared at Hyun.

"Something that important... you should have told me when I was in the hospital!! Then I could have gone to register right away...! Do you know how scared I was, damn..."

"I'm sorry. I was planning to tell you when we went to register after you were discharged, but I didn't expect things to turn out like this..."

When I glared at him with annoyance, Hyun reached out his hand to me apologetically.

As if telling me to take it and stand up.

"...My hands are tied, you idiot."

"Ah, sorry."

Hyun quickly lifted me up and sat me down.

His expression was so genuinely forgetful that I couldn't even scold him.

As I sat there trying to calm my racing heart, Hyun sat down again and said:

"Anyway, that's the whole story. Don't worry too much about the trial, I'll help you with it, and even if you're found not guilty, you'll have to stay with me because of the probation. Understand?"

I nodded.

"Good. It's not like we're getting you acquitted through illegal means like bribery; it's all legal methods, so don't feel too uncomfortable about it."

I forced myself to nod, and Hyun stood up.

"Anyway, I'll head out first. Sorry I can't untie you. It's legally mandated, so there's nothing I can do."

"I understand..."

"Then I'm really going now."

With those words, Hyun left the room.

After watching him disappear beyond the firmly closed door, I collapsed onto the desk.

"Haah..."

I was exhausted to the point of death.

* * *

After finishing his conversation with Sia, Hyun slowly walked down the empty corridor.

Feeling a vibration in his pocket, Hyun took out the phone he had put there.

[Noona Ha-Young]

Looking down at the ringing phone, Hyun scratched his head and answered.

"Yes, hello."

Expecting the roar that was about to come, Hyun squeezed his eyes shut, but when no response came despite his waiting, he cautiously opened his eyes.

And then.

["—HEY!!"]

"Ugh!?"

Startled by the half-beat delayed shout, Hyun dropped his phone.

The phone hit the floor with a thud, cracked on the screen, and then just turned off.

"...I'm screwed."

After pressing the power button several times with no response, Hyun sighed deeply and put the phone back in his pocket.