Chapter 20

Chapter 20

The Successor of the Heavenly Demon (1)

***

Star Girl – Spiritas.

A super rookie who became an S-Class hero at the age of adulthood, she is considered one of the next-generation hopes following Justice.

And one month ago, she fought alongside me at an amusement park to save the Boss…

Though I don’t want to admit it, she is someone I owe my life to.

“Really now, even if I’m not in costume like that time, isn’t it too much to not recognize me?”

“…You’ve changed far too much.”

What did she look like back then?

With shimmering blond hair as if sprinkled with stardust and a pink frilled dress, she matched the ideal ‘magical girl’ many little girls dream of, aside from brutally beating the villains to death.

But now, with her hair tied back, glasses, a tracksuit, slippers, dark circles under her eyes, and a slouched posture…

…No, never mind.

She’s human too, so she must prefer comfortable clothing when not on stage.

“Did you give me this recommendation letter?”

Whatever it was, if she gave me this recommendation letter, it would solve all the mysteries.

As an idol, she would be part of a famous agency, and as an S-Class hero, she could inquire about me through the Hero Association.

“Haha, why are you suddenly speaking so formally, Mr. Bread Bag?”

But she shrugged off any concern for the truth.

“We spoke informally even from the first meeting on the field, so relax and speak casually. Just call me by name.”

“By name… Spiritas?”

“That’s my hero name. My real name is Suzuki Kana.”

“Ah, okay. Then, Ms. Suzuki…”

“Oh, come on~ Why so formal between us? Just call me Kana-chan~”

Spiritas… No, Suzuki Kana laughed gleefully as she spoke.

Judging by her name and how she addressed herself, she seemed to be from a culture that existed in an island nation before the Great Cataclysm, but that didn’t matter.

What mattered was why this girl was being so friendly to me and why she called me here.

“So, why did you call me here?”

“Initially, I wanted to thank you. Thanks to you, Mr. Bread, I could focus on beating the villains. But then I pressed the Association and found out you urgently needed a job.”

“So, you’re repaying the favor with a job offer?”

“If you don’t like it, I can just give you money.”

She smiled mischievously as she spoke.

Her smile made me uneasy, as if she were testing me.

Damn, now that I’m here, it doesn’t feel right to just take the money and run.

“What job do you want me to do?”

Especially since I need to avoid suspicion.

Rather than just focusing on making money, it’s important for me to improve my social standing by doing respectable work.

In this situation, taking on a request from a hero with a good reputation, even if not directly associated with the Hero Association, would be effective.

“Well, it’s nothing major…”

Of course, if it involved working directly with heroes or the entertainment industry, I would refuse.

Before she could say the worst-case scenario,

“I want you to be my dad for a while.”

“Oh, okay. Dad… What?”

“I need someone to take care of me right now.”

***

What does it mean to be a father?

A figure contributing to someone’s birth and supporting a family.

With both authority and responsibility, they are undeniably worthy of respect in modern society.

But can you just become a father?

“My father, you seem troubled.”

Apparently, you can.

“…Boss.”

“Shh.”

As I half-heartedly opened my mouth, the Boss put a finger to her lips, signaling me to stay silent.

“The child is sleeping now. Let’s have a serious conversation once we leave here.”

In the dark room, a girl was sleeping peacefully on the bed.

The girl was Nella Hart from next door.

Her father was working late again, so he hadn’t come home.

Though living together had become almost routine, the Boss seemed content watching Nella with a pleased expression.

“Moa, sir…”

Was she dreaming about the Boss?

The Boss gently stroked Nella’s cheek.

“Don’t worry too much. She’ll be back by your side soon.”

“Hehe.”

Maybe the warmth from her touch made her feel better.

Confirming that Nella was fully asleep, the Boss left the room and joined me in the living room.

That’s when our conversation continued.

“Sorry, I got delayed at work.”

“It’s fine. I know you’re working harder than me… Besides, I have the child with me, so I won’t be lonely for now.”

The Boss smiled softly.

She seemed in a brighter mood than usual, likely thanks to Nella.

I worried she might get too attached, but as her loyal follower, I would follow her wishes without complaint.

“It’s better to talk at the table, right? I’ll warm up some milk.”

“No, wait.”

Just as I was about to head to the kitchen to continue our usual daily debrief, the Boss stopped me and rushed to a nearby drawer.

She took out a toothpick… No, a long wooden ear cleaner.

“Today, let’s talk on the sofa.”

“The sofa?”

“It’s more comfortable to talk in a relaxing position.”

Well, unlike our previous place, this one had a sofa.

Talking while facing each other on the sofa might be nice, I thought for a moment.

-Thud thud.

The Boss patted her lap on the sofa.

I didn’t understand at first… But holding the ear cleaner, I realized what she meant.

I just hoped I was wrong.

“Boss…?”

“Sometimes, this isn’t so bad. Come here.”

She smiled warmly.

Though it was embarrassing, I couldn’t disobey her order.

I lay down on the sofa with my head on her lap.

“B-Boss… Still, this is…”

“Shh. Be still.”

The Boss gently inserted the ear cleaner into my ear.

Her touch was soft, and her voice was kind. Even her earlier scolding felt more like concern for me.

“No matter how strong you are, you’re not numb to pain. You might feel more pain than others because you can’t become desensitized. I don’t want to see you suffer.”

She said while cleaning my ear.

The ticklish sensation made me shiver.

But what was harder to endure was having my head on her thigh…

Damn, this is tough.

“Did you attend the entrance ceremony well?”

“Thanks to Nella, I blended in easily. It was my first time in a place full of small children, so it felt different…”

Trying to change the topic to calm myself, she chuckled and blew on the ear cleaner she pulled from my ear.

In that brief moment, I looked up and saw a peculiar expression on her face.

“And I saw someone who reminded me of ‘that man.’”

“That man?”

“I meant the atmosphere. Don’t worry too much. Now, turn the other way.”

“Oh, yes…”

Turning my body, my head faced her.

I could see her face clearly with just a slight lift.

When she inserted the ear cleaner into my other ear, her eyes showed intense focus.

But her voice remained calm.

“How did your job go?”

“Oh, I got a job. It’s temporary, though.”

“Temporary or not, it’s good you found work. So, what’s the job?”

“Uh, well…”

I didn’t know how to explain.

Especially since the one who offered me the job was ‘that woman.’

‘Please be my dad!’

…I couldn’t tell the truth.

“…I became a manager.”

Luckily, her request was more of a ‘figurative expression.’

She didn’t literally want a father but rather someone to support and protect her like a parent.

“A manager?”

“Yes, for the hero we saw at the amusement park.”

Though it was a joke, it still felt unsettling.

I accepted the temporary job because refusing felt wrong… But wasn’t she, from our standpoint, an ‘enemy’?

“So, you’re serving the one who helped us at the amusement park?”

The Boss understood immediately.

Her face grew serious as she continued cleaning my ear.

She must have realized that even an S-Class hero couldn’t be ignored.

“I’m sorry, Boss.”

“What’s there to be sorry about? You’re working for her service for fair compensation.”

“Still, I don’t know if this is the right thing to do. Working under a hero…”

“Bread.”

As I expressed my anxiety and guilt, the Boss placed her hand on my forehead.

She had finished cleaning my ear and now held my head with both hands, calling my name.

“How does she seem to you?”

As if wanting me to look her straight in the eye.

Unable to shake off her hands, I faced her while lying down.

“What do you mean?”

“Strangely, I don’t know her well. Even if I did, I wouldn’t judge her as accurately as you.”

She wasn’t yet familiar with humans.

So she prioritized my judgment over her own.

My guilt, anxiety…

She seemed to tell me not to worry if they stemmed from her.

“…At least, I don’t think she’s someone who will harm us immediately.”

I shared my honest thoughts.

Like James, who believed a man with a daughter couldn’t be a villain, she must have trusted me to appoint me as her manager.

Being by her side wouldn’t raise suspicion.

“Then, watching her for a while won’t be bad.”

“Watching her?”

“She’s one of the top heroes. Just being by her side will gather a lot of information.”

“Ah, true. It’s not easy to get information on an S-Class hero.”

An agency isn’t as tightly guarded as the Association, so in some ways, it might be safer than infiltrating the Association just to access data.

It’s the perfect moment to gauge the hero’s strength.

“But it’s not just because she’s S-Class.”

But the Boss’s expression grew even more serious, as if worried about something.

A rare reaction from someone always so composed.

“What do you mean?”

I asked, and she continued after a brief silence, propping her chin on her hand.

“Three years ago, during the Great War, I saw a man with similar superhuman abilities.”

The Great War.

The total conflict between Ouroboros and the Hero Association.

The organization suffered catastrophic damage, with all executives missing except for the confirmed deceased Beast Buster.

Though the Hero Association also had many casualties, the victory bolstered their prestige.

Surviving heroes from that battle were venerated, and the person she mentioned must be one of them.

But…

“I always found it strange. Someone with such power survived, yet his name never appeared in any media.”

Yes, the survivor who led them to victory vanished.

Now, someone with similar energy has appeared as a new hero. No wonder the Boss is concerned.

I could guess whom she referred to.

“…Who is he?”

To confirm, I asked, and she replied.

“His hero name was Jack Horse. But those who knew him called him by another name.”

“The Heavenly Demon?”

“…So you know.”

“It would be strange not to.”

S-Class Hero – Jack Horse.

He was once considered second only to Justice, and he single-handedly defeated an Ouroboros executive who led the unit I belonged to.

She was a villain rookie who rose from the bottom to an executive position.

The Ice Empress, Seolhwa.

End of Chapter