episode_0096

* * *

Rahye is a hero. She put an end to the 『Great Calamity』 that had continued bleakly in the past.

Of course, it’s not that Rahye alone ended that great incident that had continued for 10 years.

Many people contributed their strength. Many people were sacrificed. Many people took on important roles, ending that bleak time that might still be continuing now if not for them.

Nevertheless, Rahye’s actions at the time were exceptional, and her achievements were immense.

She single-handedly turned the tide and achieved victory on a battlefield where the forces were outnumbered by more than five times, successfully assassinated a critical figure on the villain side, and safely returned from a battlefield where she was thought unable to survive, alongside like-minded comrades and friends.

A beautiful and strong hero. Furthermore, she also commands respect.

Many people saw her single-handedly undertaking reckless operations to protect her comrades and subordinates, and running around everywhere to save powerless citizens. She served the citizens tirelessly, contributing to the city’s reconstruction.

Among heroes, there are many who show some instability due to complexes stemming from their constellations, but Rahye, who shows no such signs and deals with the powerless and citizens in an upright, gentle, and mild manner, has somehow become the face of the Hero Association.

At the same time, she shows no mercy towards evil, so countless villains fear her and even openly call her ‘The Witch’.

During the social chaos caused by the 『Great Calamity』, the legend of a trashy villain organization that profited from the confusion by buying and selling people being annihilated overnight is famous. All members of the organization were massacred by Rahye alone.

“…Impressive.”

From Rahye’s public image to the confidential documents received from Apple, No. 13 checked everything and sighed deeply.

Anyway, she’s terrifying. Truly terrifying. No. 13, even from his days of still possessing power, had always deliberately kept an eye on Rahye and tried to avoid contact with her.

Although he considered himself the strongest and worst, he still feared Rahye. He couldn’t guarantee a victory if a real battle broke out.

The reason he and his organization only engaged in foolish acts of terrorism while operating in S City was partly due to the boss’s policy, but largely because they were wary of Rahye.

Out of fear that if Rahye recognized them enough to take direct action, they would be hunted down.

Half the reason he didn’t inflict severe injuries on Spade, who was persistently pursuing him at the time, was because of that. The other half was his inherently soft nature, which he couldn’t hide.

This was an opponent he had wanted to avoid at all costs, but now he had to deal with her. He couldn’t help but sigh.

But since he had agreed to do it, there was no choice but to proceed.

No. 13 put down the tablet containing the documents and immediately prepared to leave.

It was about time.

* * *

Gush!

Not the 7th Squad’s base, but Rahye’s home.

Unlike the members of the 7th Squad, Rahye lived separately in an officetel outside the base.

After getting off work and returning home, Rahye immediately took a shower in the bathroom, looking down at her body with a troubled expression.

‘…What is this? Since yesterday, my condition has been a bit strange.’

Inside the shower booth, she lightly caressed her body.

For some reason, she felt her skin was far more sensitive than usual. Just by touching her body with her own hands, she felt a shiver run down her spine, as if strange sounds would escape her.

Her nipples were visibly erect, standing prominently. Just the falling shower water hitting them made the protrusions feel good. Her nipples had already been erect even before she entered to wash. They had been erect on and off all day today, leaving her feeling awkward in many ways.

She had vaguely felt something was wrong after falling asleep for a short while yesterday afternoon. Ever since she woke up, strange distracting thoughts kept entering her mind, and she ended up leaving work early, unable to concentrate.

She hadn’t been able to sleep properly even at night. Managing her condition was the absolute basics, and she was upset that she couldn’t do it properly.

She had hoped something would change after a day passed, but she didn’t feel much difference. Perhaps because she hadn’t slept well, she even ended up dozing off similarly to yesterday during the day today.

‘…Now that I think about it, it’s been a while since I last masturbated….’

Rahye was also an adult woman. She did masturbate. Though not very often.

Given her position as an Awakened and a hero, dating men was difficult, so despite her beautiful appearance, she had no romantic partner. Ultimately, when she occasionally felt urges, she satisfied herself by taking care of them herself.

However, for Rahye, this act was for managing her own condition, so she set specific days for it. This aspect felt quite mechanical, but it was unavoidable given her original personality.

Today wasn’t a designated day, but the difference was only a day or two anyway.

Rahye caressed her body while showering. Not too overtly, gently and slowly stimulating her erogenous zones, just as she usually did.

Masturbating while being hit by the warm shower water felt better than she had expected.

Rahye finished her shower about 15 minutes longer than usual and exited the bathroom.

She had come not just once, but twice inside the shower booth. It was an unusually pleasant orgasm.

Despite that, the unusual state of her body persisted, and even after her shower, Rahye was still tormented by that subtle anguish. Since she couldn’t pinpoint the cause, all she could do was hope it would get better with time.

She changed into comfortable clothes and finished her dinner with a simple meal.

While washing dishes after finishing her meal, she suddenly heard the doorbell ring.

“Please wait a moment.”

She lightly wiped her hands on her apron and opened the door.

At the door stood Apple, and behind her, a man. He was wearing a hat and a mask, making it impossible to clearly see his face.

“Apple? Why at this hour….”

“Excuse me, Captain Rahye-nim. As I mentioned earlier today, I’ve brought someone I’d like to introduce.”

“Earlier today…? Introduce…?”

At Apple’s words, Rahye’s face became puzzled. Had they talked about something earlier today?

She couldn’t remember. Yet, she vaguely felt as if ‘something like that had happened.’ What was it? Why?

“Hello, Rahye. This is our first time meeting face-to-face, isn’t it?”

The man behind Apple stepped forward and lowered his mask.

He was a man she had never seen before. At least, he wasn’t one of Rahye’s acquaintances or a colleague from the association. Yet, somehow, his face seemed… familiar…?

Instantly, Rahye’s hand moved. Swiftly towards the man. With truly lightning speed.

However, before Rahye’s hand could reach No. 13, No. 13’s words reached her first.

“『Rahye’s Stone Gate, Close Sesame』.”

As No. 13 uttered those keywords, all of Rahye’s movements came to an abrupt halt.

Rahye’s hand was almost touching No. 13’s neck. What was she trying to do? Was she trying to cover No. 13’s mouth, grab his neck and twist it, or perhaps blast his neck off with some magic?

Either way, there was no way to know now. Nor did he particularly want to know. Imagining how horribly he might have died….

“Rahye, let’s go inside. Staying out here will look suspicious.”

“……Yes.”

Rahye lowered the hand she had extended towards No. 13 and let the two people inside the house.

The door closed, and the hallway in front of Rahye’s house regained its original quietness as if nothing had happened.

* * *

That just now, he was quite scared.

He never imagined she would attack without a word to that extent.

He had only slightly lowered his mask, but she had recognized his face immediately.

Her attacking without hesitation—was it truly an attempt to catch him off guard and subdue him before No. 13 could pull any tricks?

And she had also moved in a way that would minimize harm to nearby civilians. She had made that judgment and reacted instinctively in that short amount of time.

No. 13 hadn’t fully grasped Rahye’s true intentions, but he could at least tell that the phrase ‘seasoned warrior’ was not an exaggeration for her. Even in her unguarded state after work, she showed no openings.

“Now, then….”

But even that Rahye now stood helplessly before No. 13, her eyes devoid of light.

Like a doll, Rahye stood at attention in the middle of her living room.

This was thanks to Apple’s work on Rahye over yesterday and today. Dorothy had specially prepared ‘sugar cubes containing brainwashing drug’ and had Rahye consume them in her coffee, or so it was said.

However, fearing that Rahye herself might notice, the brainwashing process was completed only to a minimal extent.

No. 13 first circled Rahye, examining her condition.

A tall height for a woman and a lean body… he swallowed briefly as he gazed at her.

For now, there seemed to be no immediate issues upon checking her condition. However, No. 13 wasn’t knowledgeable enough to ascertain the extent of the opponent’s brainwashing just by looking.

Therefore, to properly confirm, and to satisfy the wicked desires surging within him, he reached out his hand towards Rahye.

Snap!

At that moment, Rahye’s arm shot up and seized No. 13’s hand, which had been heading towards her chest.

No. 13’s eyes widened, and Apple, who was watching, gasped.