Ch.101Ambassador (1)

A modest celebration party was held at the Okami family mansion.

It would have been much more extravagant under normal circumstances, but everyone was being cautious due to the attack that occurred during the Hero Exam.

So we kept our conversations brief, exchanging congratulations with minimal formality.

That didn’t mean our gratitude was any less sincere.

“To think our Janghun would actually pass…”

“Haha, yes. It’s all thanks to Miss Hoshino and Lord Makoto.”

“Nonsense. What did we do? I would have been grateful if he just came back uninjured, but I never imagined he’d accomplish this.”

“I know! I thought he’d be eliminated on the first day.”

True. That’s how it might have appeared on the surface.

But something comparable to a special-grade monster was sleeping inside me.

Perhaps that’s why I felt almost guilty for being the only one who survived unscathed.

Of course, there was no reason to bring that up now.

Today was just a day for smiles and celebration.

As alcohol circulated, the atmosphere softened, and both body and mind gradually relaxed, I was returning to my room when—

“…You’re here?”

“Ah, yes…”

With those brief words, my intoxication instantly vanished.

The scene that greeted me as I opened the door—

It was a precarious and fatal sight beyond even my imagination.

Her kimono hung loosely around her, the fabric flowing gently from her shoulders, revealing a white neckline and subtle curves.

Miss Hoshino was looking at me without saying a word.

Yet with that single gaze, a thousand words were conveyed.

Her deep eyes held a mixture of provocation and permission, and that look turned my mind completely blank.

“I already spoke with my mother… I had everyone clear out. So, tonight is fine.”

“Ah…”

My heart pounded heavily.

The back of my neck gradually grew hot.

If Lord Makoto were here, he’d probably place a hand on my back and laugh. Making jokes like, “No contraception, understand?”

I slowly, carefully sat down beside Hoshino.

The neatly laid bedding on the tatami, the subtle fragrance in the air.

And a strangely humid heat permeating the atmosphere.

No words were exchanged, but that silence conveyed something even stronger.

As the kimono slipped from her shoulders, revealing her slender collarbone and the soft skin beneath it.

A moment that took my breath away.

I unconsciously swallowed.

The room was quiet. Even breathing seemed cautious.

She lowered her head slightly, then quietly looked up at me.

That gaze clearly said:

‘You may come.’

Though not spoken aloud, it was more certain than words.

My fingertips resting on my knees twitched involuntarily, and my body naturally turned toward her.

Just a fingertip’s distance away.

Close enough for our breaths to mingle.

The kimono fabric slowly slid along her body.

Beads of sweat formed on her skin, slowly trickling down, making it feel as though all time in the room had stopped.

But then.

I sensed something strange.

“…Hey.”

She opened her mouth, looking beneath my shadow.

“Miss Hoshino?”

“Not you, Janghun. Your friend hiding there. Want to come out?”

Swish.

She reached into the shadow and pulled out something familiar.

“Haha… I was just going to observe…”

“Save the spectating for your next life.”

Whoosh.

“Kyaaak~!”

Siljeong screamed as he was flung away.

As my familiar’s shadow disappeared through the crack in the door, the air in the room heated up again.

Hoshino exhaled briefly and lightly dusted off her fingertips.

“Interference eliminated.”

And again, that gaze turned toward me.

This time, it was a moment no one could interrupt.

She took a deep breath and slowly parted her lips.

“Shall we… begin?”

“Yes.”

Just as I was about to answer, she looked up at me and smiled slightly.

“And… we’re going to make a baby now. How long are you going to use formal speech with your ‘partner’?”

“…!”

With those words, something inside me ‘clicked’ and released.

All anxiety and tension melted away.

She was no longer ‘Miss Hoshino.’

In this moment, she was definitely just Hoshino.

I stood up and positioned myself before her.

The kimono had already slipped from her shoulders, and beads of sweat glistened subtly on her skin.

Hoshino slowly leaned toward me.

Our breaths collided, and a silence that felt like sparks about to ignite passed between our lips.

I exhaled a low, deep breath and said:

“Then… I’m coming, Hoshino.”

She closed her eyes and quietly nodded.

“…Yes.”

With that short word, everything was permitted.

***

I, Kang Janghun.

Finally lost my virginity, which I had preserved for nearly 50 years including my previous life.

So this is… what ‘sex’ is.

Even now, my body remembers yesterday’s events so vividly it feels like a dream. More precisely, my lower half was responding first.

Ah, yesterday was truly blissful.

The expression on the strong Hoshino’s face as she lost strength beneath me again and again, and finally whimpered, “Please stop…” with tears in her eyes.

Honestly, just thinking about it makes the corners of my mouth turn up involuntarily.

Of course, because of that, I woke up covered in bite marks and scratches.

Still, I consider it a worthy price to pay.

But I couldn’t just dwell on those sweet memories.

Today was important in a different way.

“I’ve arrived.”

Just past noon.

I arrived at the meeting place at the scheduled time.

Standing in front of the building, I found myself adjusting my clothes one more time.

The place where I was standing was a high-end restaurant famous even in Hero City.

At least three Michelin stars, with prices at a level I couldn’t even dream of affording without the Okami family’s backing.

And yet, here I was.

Standing here.

As an ‘invited guest,’ no less.

“Are you Mr. Janghun? Please follow me.”

I entered, guided by a staff member who bowed respectfully.

The interior was breathtakingly luxurious from the entrance.

Magical lights floating in the air cast a soft glow, and even the air flow seemed calculated to carry the perfect fragrance.

Taking the crystal Elune stairs instead of an elevator, I reached the private room on the top floor where she was already waiting.

“Ah, you’ve come, Mr. Janghun.”

The woman across the table, Councilor Avanka.

A name said to control half this city, the central figure in Hero City’s current political landscape.

“Hello, Councilor Avanka.”

“I was just about to order. Please, sit down.”

I carefully took the seat across from her.

“Mr. Janghun. Thank you for accepting my invitation.”

“Not at all. I should be thanking you for inviting me to such a place…”

“Hehe, modest too, I see.”

She smiled, but my eyes didn’t miss something hidden behind that smile.

Something had felt off from the beginning.

Her gaze, tone, even the movement of her fingertips—everything seemed calculated.

Above all… that bone-deep sense of discomfort I felt when first meeting Zero, the homunculus, was emanating from her right now.

That’s why I accepted this meeting without hesitation.

The more dangerous the entity, the closer you need to be to observe it.

You don’t watch your target from afar. You keep them close.

That’s the approach I’ve chosen.

“Congratulations on passing the Hero Exam.”

“…Ah, yes. Thank you.”

In that moment, a chill ran down my spine.

Despite the warm room, something inexplicably cold passed through Avanka’s gaze.

Was I seeing things?

But no, it was definitely there.

The way she looked at me. That calculated curiosity nestled in her eyes.

“Under normal circumstances, I would have celebrated more grandly, but there was that unfortunate incident.”

“You mean the murder case? Where several A-rank Heroes…”

“Yes. The suspect is currently presumed to be human, and unfortunately appears to have escaped from City A.”

“Are they still being tracked?”

“They are. However, the problem is that this individual… cannot be caught by conventional means.”

Who could the culprit possibly be?

Someone capable of consecutively eliminating A-rank Heroes through sheer force.

And they’re human? Really?

What position did Avanka hold in that incident?

Was she a victim?

Or something more?

Nothing was certain.

But my instincts continued to sound warning bells that something was off.

As theories and suspicions crossed my mind, she quietly set down her wine glass and got to the point.

“Actually, I was planning to discuss this at a celebration.”

And then, unexpected words flowed from her lips.

“Mr. Janghun. I believe I mentioned this before, but would you consider becoming the ‘ambassador’ for this year’s Hero Festival?”

Her expression was smiling, but that smile was so perfect it felt artificial.

“Me?”

I unintentionally lowered my voice.

The question ‘Why me?’ flashed through my mind.

She put down her glass and answered as if prepared:

“Yes. Because you are a man.”

…What?

“…Pardon?”

At that moment, her gaze sharpened.

If until now she had been wearing the mask of a ‘kind politician,’ now a penetrating look that seemed to see through this world’s structure peeked through the cracks.

“A gender that was supposed to be fragile. Always considered powerless, believed to be the ones who needed protection.”

Her voice as she continued was resolutely cold, containing neither simple praise nor encouragement.

“You broke through those ‘limitations.’ In doing so, you created cracks in people’s perceptions.”

My hand twitched slightly under the table.

What she was saying now wasn’t simply about elevating me.

“A true hero isn’t defined by birth. You proved that. That’s why—you deserve to be a symbol.”

She was still smiling.

But at the end of her words, there was somehow a pressure suggesting I had no choice.

“It’s symbolism itself. A new form of ‘hero’ that citizens, that this world has been waiting for. That’s you, Kang Janghun.”

And then, she smiled.

But within that smile, there was something inexplicably… intentional.