Chapter 24

Chapter 24

The Successor of the Heavenly Demon (5)

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“Wow~~ This hot spring is amazing~”

Despite the unexpected situation of sharing the bath, Kana stretched and revealed her body without any hesitation.

She acted as if she was with someone of the same gender… Damn, is this really okay?

“Well, you worked so hard during the day… Sometimes you need this kind of relaxation.”

“Enjoying the bath is fine, but be careful not to let your towel slip.”

She reached to adjust her slipping towel, but then stopped, realizing it might be risky.

Her slender body was barely covered by a towel.

Worried about any potential problems, I readjusted the string of my towel covering my lower body, while Kana placed her hand on her chest and said,

“In my culture, it’s considered rude to wear a towel in the bath.”

“And mixed-gender bathing isn’t?”

“Well, it can happen. Especially between us.”

“Haha, and what exactly is our relationship?”

“Hmm… like a father-daughter relationship?”

“More like an employer-employee relationship. My only family is my daughter at home.”

Feigning a family, my only current family is the Boss.

Even if she calls me ‘Dad’ as a joke, genuinely thinking that would be problematic for both of us.

“You seem to love your daughter very much.”

Kana gave a strange smile at my words.

I responded in a calm voice.

“Of course. Family is like that.”

“I’m jealous. I don’t have that kind of family.”

“…Hey.”

Damn, is she trying to make me look like trash here?

Normally, I’d feel awkward and apologize, but her face wasn’t just smiling.

Her eyes, looking at the bathwater in her hand, showed a deep sense of conflict.

“…Got something on your mind?”

“On my mind?”

“You said you had something to talk to me about, right?”

“Well, we could just be chatting.”

“No matter how lax you are about propriety, I don’t think you’d show your naked body to someone unrelated for no reason.”

Thinking back, there were strange things from the beginning.

We had barely fought together once, yet she entrusted me with the role of a manager—someone very close.

“…Mr. Manager.”

Yes, her trust in me was unusually abnormal.

As if that brief fight had triggered something in her.

“Can you teach me something?”

Maybe now I’d understand why.

Sensing this from her lower voice, I turned back to her.

“Teach you what?”

“How to become a hero.”

“…What?”

“I asked you to teach me how to become a hero.”

Spiritas looked at me with serious eyes.

But I was at a loss for how to respond.

“Is that even a question?”

“Yes, it is. Have I ever lied to you?”

She often jokes, but she’s never lied.

In fact, her honesty is both a strength and a weakness. Given the circumstances, it’s hard to dismiss her words as a joke.

“Haha, really. An S-Class hero asking someone to teach them?”

“Just because someone is strong doesn’t mean they can be a hero. Even violent criminals could be someone’s hero if that were the case.”

“…”

“…Mr. Manager?”

“Don’t say ridiculous things.”

Damn, I hesitated.

What she lightly threw out was absurd to me.

Villains are just villains.

Society doesn’t need to understand their stories; those who aim for evil shouldn’t expect understanding.

“…That was a harsh joke, I admit.”

Kana gave a bitter smile and looked back at the bathwater.

Only the sound of water echoed in the silence.

Feeling the warmth, Kana began to speak again.

“It might sound strange, but… I still don’t see myself as a hero.”

Not something an S-Class hero should say…

Although, unlike other heroes, she started as an S-Class super rookie.

Born with great power and under the spotlight.

As a result, she had to bear heavy responsibilities despite her lack of experience.

“Mr. Manager, I was originally an F-Class. An orphan who lost her parents and home to villains, living in an orphanage…”

Her beginning was a common story.

After the Great Cataclysm, billions of people lived on the unified continent, with many places beyond the government’s reach.

Where there is prosperity, there is also corruption and crime. Countless children lose their families every day.

The surprising part was that an S-Class hero came from such a facility.

“After growing up in the orphanage, I applied to a military academy. Though I had no special abilities, I thought becoming a cop or soldier might prevent what happened to me.”

Her well-trained body must be a result of that time.

Her physique wasn’t just from dancing or body maintenance; it had undergone special training.

Even the rough skin on her hands, despite being soaked now, bore marks that couldn’t be erased.

Up to that point, it was a common story. An ability-less person seeking justice in the limited paths available…

“But who would have guessed my efforts would be rewarded in such a way?”

The difference was that she worked harder than others.

And her efforts turned into opportunities.

“Did someone give you your abilities?”

“Hard to believe, right?”

“…No, there are many unexpected Gifts.”

Like stars in the sky.

I recalled the metaphor the Boss once used, realizing her story was true.

So, she is indeed the successor of the Heavenly Demon.

Her immense power came from the ability to ‘inherit.’

“The person who gave me my abilities called them a ‘Present.’”

But the name of the ability she mentioned was the opposite of what I thought.

Not ‘inheritance,’ but ‘gift.’

Not something a powerful being would say.

“A gift for the child who would follow in their footsteps and become a hero.”

But she knew the person better than I did.

Kana chuckled and, running her fingers through her wet hair, continued.

“Yes, this power originally belonged to someone else. I just happened to be a good match for it… But who aims to be a hero from the start?”

She became a hero without any ambition to be one.

Naturally, this brought more inner conflict than others.

“I had never been helped by a hero. I lost my home and family because heroes arrived too late. The heroes who occasionally performed at the orphanage… They were more about putting on a show than enforcing justice.”

She felt doubt about heroes.

Her struggling face reflected such thoughts as she clenched her fists.

“But the person who gave me their power said this: standing on stage, even if it seems silly, is essential for a hero. Simply fighting doesn’t make one a hero; a hero must be admired by many.”

Did she gaze at herself, now a champion of justice?

Or at the face of a mentor she could no longer see?

“That’s why they always emphasized individuality and image. If you inherit my power, you must stand before many people. Think about how you want to be perceived as a hero. Who were the heroes who inspired you, and how can you incorporate their image into yours?”

Her fists seemed to tighten, but then she relaxed, reaching out as if pointing at the moon.

“So you chose a magical girl?”

“I only saw them briefly as a child.”

She chuckled, lowering her hand.

“Yes. The only heroes I knew before becoming one were flashy, cute, always smiling, and ready to help those who sought them.”

A saint with a child’s innocence.

That was her entire image of a hero.

Knowing so little, she strove to embody that image, fearing it might seem wrong to others.

“…How can I call myself a hero when I’m just imitating something half-heartedly?”

Seeing her doubt, I realized why she lacked the ‘confidence’ shown by the strong I’ve met.

She became a hero in an immature state, always giving her all, fearing her shortcomings would be seen as flaws, leading her to easily tire.

She was a top star, admired by all, yet so vulnerable.

“Sometimes I think, maybe this power suits someone else. If someone else had inherited it instead of me…”

Knowing this, I understood why she saw me differently.

By chance, she met someone who supported her in her conflict.

Someone weaker than her but more courageous in the field.

Even if acting, someone who perfectly rescued victims before her eyes…

To her, an unsure hero, I might have seemed like the ‘real’ deal.

“For instance, if someone like you…”

Unable to bear hearing more, I reached out to her.

To shut this damned girl’s mouth.

-SNAP!

But when I snapped my fingers, it wasn’t her head that broke—it was mine.

Damn it.

Why did my finger break when I tried to snap at her?

“Oh, sorry. My head is hard… Are you okay?”

“Not okay.”

Breaking a finger is one thing, but the pain was more mental than physical.

Damn, no matter how I sneak up, she’s S-Class, and I’m just an E-Class rookie.

“Sorry for my weak words.”

But I wasn’t the only one feeling self-loathing.

She seemed to think my gesture was because of her, believing she’d disappointed me.

“Do you think I’m pathetic?”

Her thought wasn’t entirely wrong, so I didn’t deny it.

Yes, I was disappointed in her at that moment.

The hero deemed the next hope after Justice…

The one I might face as a villain, not just as an enemy, but as a ‘rival,’ was so weak and lacking.

“Yes, pathetic.”

Other executives would think the same.

They aim not just for mindless destruction and plunder.

They want to prove the era’s justice is flawed by defeating the greatest hope at its best.

“Anyone would see you as pathetic. Trying to bear everything alone and struggling.”

“…What?”

Kana looked puzzled at my slightly revealing words.

I placed a hand on her head and quietly looked up at the sky.

“You haven’t grown up yet.”

I spoke without meeting her eyes.

Just patting the head of a struggling young woman who clung to an unrealistic childhood ideal.

“Justice isn’t as grand as you think.”

Explaining what I believe justice is, as the villain I am.

End of Chapter