episode_0029

“…Merida Cartel.”

Arthur muttered as he walked into the building.

“What should we do?”

“I don’t know.”

“Ugh.”

A surviving member of the collapsed organization in the hallway made a sound.

(Clang, bang!)

Jim, without hesitation, shot the fallen person in the head with a revolver.

“It’s not like the Devil Colosseum or the Anderson Organization, it’s a much larger organization. It operates throughout the entire Union City.”

“This neighborhood is more about small-time criminals and those affiliated with the criminal organization rather than high-ranking villains. Recently, the Devil Colosseum has been negotiating with the Merida Cartel over drug trafficking rights.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, they’re willing to hand over their drug trade in exchange for profitable business opportunities and an alliance.”

“Shall we shake things up between them a bit? Make it so they can’t even focus on my territory?”

“…Like last time?”

“Yes.”

“Well…then we’ll need to bring in a few members from the Merida Cartel or the Devil Colosseum.”

“That’s Hector’s job.”

“Huh? Me?”

Hector, who was listening through his earphones, responded.

“Why would I do that?”

“Of course, covert operations are your specialty, right?”

“…”

“Counting on you.”

(Swish)

Arthur took out a pocket watch and checked the time.

“Oh, I have to go. Please take care of the cleanup.”

“Sure.”

“Arthur, do you have plans today?”

Hector asked through Jim’s earphones.

“Yeah, a date.”

“…What?”

“A date, meeting a man and a woman.”

“…What?!”

(♪~~♫~)

“The atmosphere is nice.”

In the restaurant filled with music, Yi Seol-ha, sitting across from Arthur, said.

“This is my regular place. They serve everything from Western, Chinese, Korean, to Japanese cuisine.”

“I should come here often.”

“Arthur? Long time no see.”

A large, scarred chef approached the table where Arthur and Seol-ha were sitting.

“Yes, I’ve been busy. Was I a little late?”

“Your seat is always empty… Huh?”

The chef, looking at Arthur, turned his head to look at Seol-ha, who had come with him.

“…A woman?”

He then looked at Seol-ha with a shocked expression.

“Hey, everyone!!!”

He immediately turned and shouted towards the kitchen.

“Arthur brought his girlfriend!!!”

(Kugugugung!!)

When the chef shouted, the restaurant shook slightly.

“What? Really?!”

“Unbelievable!”

“Where! Where!!”

Dozens of people rushed out of the door immediately.

“Really? It’s true!!”

“Wow, amazing!”

“Wow, she’s pretty.”

The restaurant staff looked at Seolha, who came with Arthur, and said,

“Oh, damn.”

“Darn it!”

Some of the staff members who saw Seolha took out money from their pockets and muttered.

“Come on, let’s bet.”

Then other staff members started collecting money.

“?”

“They bet whether you would bring your girlfriend here or not.”

“…”

“It was a very interesting bet. He looks good, but since he hasn’t introduced a girl, we made a bet, you know? It ranged from one month to five years. Oh, there’s even a guy who is homosexual.”

“Who is it? Who made the bet?”

(Swish)

Several staff members raised their hands in response to Arthur’s question.

“Me…”

Arthur was about to get up and run, but Seolha stopped him.

“Ahem! Anyway, she’s not my girlfriend.”

“So, she’s not your girlfriend yet?”

“Oh~~~~~~”

“She’s just a colleague.”

“Ah, so you met for the first time like that?”

“Oh~~~~~~~~~~~~~”

“She’s an acquaintance, I said she’s an acquaintance.”

“Ah, originally from acquaintance to friend, from friend to lover, from lover to spouse.”

“Oh~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~!!!!!”

“Is this really necessary?”

Arthur said to the staff members who reacted like adolescent boys to the chef’s words.

(Chiiiiing~~~)

“Hey! Who turned on the stove and left it!”

“Huh? Fire! Fire!!”

“Fire extinguisher!!”

(Crackle)

As smoke emerged from the kitchen, the staff started going inside.

“Hehe, I have to tell Gary about this.”

By the way, the man here and all the restaurant staff are former soldiers like Gary.

“Ahem! Would you like to order?”

The chef asked Seolha seriously with a playful expression.

“Um… I’ll have the T-bone steak.”

“We make a great steak here.”

“I’ll stick to what I usually eat.”

“Oh really.”

(Pause)

The chef taking the order paused and approached Arthur.

“Do you need any drinks?”

And whispered in his ear.

“Got it.”

“Ugh, I thought I could make history.”

“Hey, mister! Aren’t you leaving soon?”

“Hehehehe”

The chef disappeared with a sinister expression.

“Ahem! They are usually playful people.”

“Ha ha, no. They seem fun.”

“Oh, Mr. Seolha. What kind of work do you mainly do here?”

“Well… mostly paperwork? I also support hero activities.”

“Ah, do you commute to the management department branch?”

“Oh, yes.”

“If our commuting times are similar, I can give you a ride.”

“Huh? No, it’s okay. So, Mr. Ahseo, what are your hobbies?”

“Just call me Ahseo.”

“Well… then, what are your hobbies, Ahseo?”

“Hmm, hobbies… well, I haven’t really thought about it. Magic was a hobby when I was young, and I learned various things.”

“Various things?”

“Yes, my mother was very cultured, so I learned a lot.”

“Do you happen to play the piano?”

“Of course. I can play other instruments a little as well.”

“Wow.”

“But come to think of it, I haven’t really had a hobby lately. Probably because things around me have been quite chaotic. What about you, Seolha? What’s your hobby?”

“I… volunteer work.”

“Haha, that suits you well.”

“Well, if hero activities count as volunteer work, then it’s volunteering too. Of course, I receive support funds from the management department, but…”

“I also do it in a small way.”

“Really?”

“Yes, these days I haven’t had much time, but I used to be very active in volunteering at orphanages. I also donate occasionally. Oh! Shall we go to an orphanage together later?”

“Great!”

“Here’s the food.”

(Quickly, quickly, quickly)

The waiter placed the food on the table.

“Uh, brother, we didn’t order this much.”

Seeing far more food than they ordered being brought to the table, Ahseo, who knew the waiter, looked flustered and said, “When adults offer, you should graciously accept it.”

“Being older is something to be proud of.”

“What?”

“Thank you~~”

…

The table was filled with so much food that Seolha couldn’t see it.

“Um… should we eat?”

“Yes, but it seems like too much…”

…

(Slurping)

…An hour later, easily enough food for ten people had vanished.

“…Mmm.”

The chef scratched his head after finishing the last remaining pasta.

“……”

“Mmm, it’s a great restaurant.”

“That… really?”

‘Do heroes eat differently?’

“I can’t believe this…”

The chef muttered as he looked at the empty table that had once held food.

“There is no sentence in my life that says ‘I lack food!!’”

Then, looking at Seolha, he shouted, “Hey!! Bring out Set 9 right now!”

“!!”

“!!”

“!!”

At the mention of Set 9, the staff looked at the chef with surprised expressions.

“…Bring out the large meat!!”

“Move! Move!”

“Turn up the heat to the maximum!”

And then, they quickly started moving.

“Sir, we just came for a simple meal-”

“Shut up!”

“…”

“There is no shortage in my restaurant!”

“……”

‘This man has an obsession with something strange.’

“Hmm”

(Swish)

In response to the chef’s strong determination, Seolha also tied her hair back and shone with determination.

“I’m ready.”

With fork and knife in hand, she said, “Why not you too?”

“Haha! That’s right! They are my guests!!”

“…”

“The grand steak makes its appearance!!”

(Thud!)

.

.

.

.

.

.

“Thank you~~”

“Thank you~~”

As they left the restaurant, the staff politely, excessively politely, bid them farewell.

“Please come again.”

The chef also bowed deeply, placing both hands on his stomach.

“…”

Arthur lost his words as he looked at the receipt.

“……”

Seolha regained her composure and couldn’t help but feel awkward seeing Arthur like that.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Ha.ha.ha.ha. It’s okay. It didn’t cost that much.”

(Rip, rip)

Arthur tore the receipt and said, “Would you like a drink?”

“Sure.”

(Slurp, slurp)

“I heard they recently opened an amusement park.”

“Yes, so I plan to go with Alice later.”

“…Can I come too?”

“Of course. Alice will like it.”

(Bang! Bang! Bang!!)

While they were talking and walking, a loud noise erupted nearby.

“Where did the accident happen?”

(Thud! Thud!! Thud!!)

As they looked in that direction, suddenly the ground began to shake.

(Thud!! Thud!!)

“…”

A building about five stories high, the upper floors of such a building, were grabbed by a giant who revealed himself.

“Raaaaahhh!!”

“!!”

“!!”

A giant as tall as a five-story building shouted at the people on the street.

(Swoosh!)

Then, it grabbed a nearby person.

(Crunch!)

It immediately put the person in its mouth and swallowed.

“Ahhhh!!”

“R-Run away!!”

“He’s a villain!!”

In an instant, the street fell into chaos, and the fleeing people collided with each other, creating a mess.

“Boss! I need to report to the management office, so please run away first!”

Unconsciously, Asher called him “boss” again.

“Are you okay?”

“Don’t worry. Hurry!”

Seolha, who held me and spoke like giving instructions, ran towards the villain.

“…Then, please take care of it. Hero.”

As the distance grew, Asher waved goodbye to Seolha, who was moving away.