Chapter 19: Inevitably, the Heroine

I Hate Hurting People (5)

The Xenon who had been wearing a serious expression until just now was gone, and Xenon looked at me with a bright smile. Was he that concerned about what I had said? Actually, I didn't feel that comfortable. Well, it's better than him looking miserable... I guess it's right to think positively.

Actually, I was quite concerned, and it was an action to twist the plot, but I didn't want to hurt others. Looking at it this way, it seemed certain that he had been sulking for the past few days because of what I said.

...Was he originally like that?

In the original story, he didn't get swayed by other people's words and sulk or pout. It felt a bit different, like seeing a slightly childish side of him. I don't know what caused the change, though.

Anyway,

That woman floating in the sky, Hera Carmen, was diligently destroying the Jormungandr I had created. Even though it was made for stalling and couldn't unleash its full power... isn't she destroying it too well? Handling water Ability, it could be seen as similar to mine, but the power she could unleash right now was quite different.

"Hmph..."

Even if I tried to stand up, I couldn't put strength into my legs. After groaning while looking at my unmoving legs for a while, I raised my head at the gaze staring at me, and Xenon blushed and avoided my eyes.

"What's wrong?"

"...Are your legs hurt?"

"No, I just can't put any strength into them. I must have overdone it."

"...I'm sorry."

I don't know what he's sorry about. Leaving behind his face, which had become gloomy again, I needed to think about what to do next. Jormungandr was somehow holding up well, but it seemed like it wouldn't last much longer. Then the only way is to leave this place...

Would the person who wants to kill me let me go so easily?

I might be able to slip away while their attention is diverted, but I can't move right now. Frustrated, I puffed out my cheeks and looked at Xenon. He was now examining Hera Carmen, as if trying to grasp the situation.

He was scratched here and there, as if he had fought once in the middle... but he didn't seem to have any trouble walking or running.

Kwa-ga-gang-

Jormungandr's body began to collapse little by little. From the beginning, it was just for stalling, and I didn't think I could win, but my expression hardened as I watched it collapse faster than I thought. If I want to escape, I have to escape now, right now.

After taking a deep breath, I looked at Xenon and opened my mouth. With the most serious face I could make. Xenon, who was looking at my face, seemed to guess that something serious was coming and hardened his face.

"Xenon."

"I'm listening."

"Give me a piggyback ride."

"...What?"

It was embarrassing, but it was the only way right now.

#

"Hey, slow- slow down a bit!"

"......"

He doesn't even answer when I shout now. Every time I saw Xenon's ears, which were so red that they looked like they would burst, I felt like I was going crazy. I know, I also wonder what I'm doing right now.

...There's really no other way.

My legs won't move, and I used up my Ability, so I can't freeze ice anymore. And I don't have a way to deal with Hera Carmen right now. Strategic retreat, and the method I adopted was simply moving while being carried on Xenon's back.

I felt strange.

I've carried a woman before, but being carried like this... feeling the sensation from my chest instead of my back felt a bit awkward. Even while frowning at the sensation of my soft chest being pressed against his hard back, I looked at Hera, who was still dealing with Jormungandr.

Jormungandr was almost completely destroyed, with only its head remaining at best. Still, it seemed to have bought enough time. I could see people approaching from afar. Probably heroes.

"They're finally here. What were they doing all this time?"

When I grumbled, Xenon finally opened his tightly closed mouth.

"...If it were Noona, she could have controlled it enough. She created another 'issue' and turned the heroes' attention to that side."

"Like the B District office?"

"I can't compare it because I didn't see it directly. But probably."

As he said, I could see smoke rising with tremendous force in the distance. Not the street where I fought the villains earlier, nor the A District hero office. At that level... it didn't seem like something that one or two heroes could handle.

"It's real..."

"Still, I don't understand. Is there a need to make such a fuss?"

Ten villains, he added, narrowing his eyes. He seemed uneasy about something, and muttered softly towards me, who was being carried on his back.

"...You know by now, but my father is a top hero."

"...Yeah."

"So this is even stranger. No matter how independent he is, and even though he sometimes does things that ordinary people can't even imagine... he wouldn't even think of using villains, no matter what."

Certainly, I agreed with that point. I didn't know much about Xenon's father, Edwin Carmen, because I hadn't read to the end, but even when I saw his appearance in the middle, it didn't seem like he would cause such a thing by using villains.

He was closer to hating villains.

As if to show that the title of top hero wasn't just attached to his strength, he showed no mercy when it came to villains. A kind hero to citizens, but a hero more terrifying than anyone to villains.

The fact that his daughter, Hera Carmen, used villains was an undeniable fact that bothered me quite a bit.

Swae-ae-aek-

What broke my train of thought was a stream of water stuck in front of Xenon. The stream of water that fell to the ground and smashed the concrete, it was very easy to realize who the owner of that was, so I quietly got off Xenon's back.

"Are you okay?"

"...I can stand."

I had something to believe in. There were heroes gathered like a swarm of bees searching for villains, so the only reason she came to us was because she had something to say. As I thought, Hera Carmen, who came down from the sky, raised her hands slightly and opened her mouth.

"Well, Xenon. Don't look at me like that. I don't intend to fight anymore anyway."

"...What's with that mask again?"

She was facing us with a white mask covering her nose, as if she had fixed the mask she had broken earlier.

"There's no need to reveal my face. Don't make such a stiff face. Let's just think of today as nothing happened. Just... let's just say it's a happening."

"Nothing happening? What are you...!"

"Shh, Xenon. Let's stop here today. I'm too tired. I used my Ability too much because of that thing Aisha made, I'm sleepy."

Hera, who put her index finger to her mouth, smiled slightly at me. How can she smile like that after causing such a thing? She's twisted, that person.

Thinking that, I stared at her for a long time, and Hera pouted her lips as if she was disappointed and opened her mouth.

"Anyway, it's time to say goodbye, sadly."

"...Does Father know?"

"Puh...see you next time."

Ignoring Xenon's words, she finished her greeting and flew away somewhere wrapped in water. Xenon stared blankly at the place where Hera disappeared as if he was feeling uneasy, and then looked at me and smiled faintly.

"It's over."

"...It's not over, is it?"

She said see you again. Like in the original story, Hera Carmen would continue to appear. Now she will come in ways I don't know. It was a result of me twisting the plot and creating a completely different ending, but I had no regrets.

I knew how many people died when Xenon faced the villain who used the Ability called Black Hole. And Xenon getting hurt, and him spending time like a loser for a while because of it. Now it has become something only I know.

Sss-

Heroes were moving busily between the collapsed buildings. I felt a pang of conscience that I was largely responsible for those buildings collapsing, but... what can I do? I almost died without being able to do anything. Still, what I could comfort myself with was that there were no people in the buildings I destroyed. All of them were buildings owned by companies, and it was at a time when everyone had left work, so it ended with just collapsing.

The sky was already dawning. Did the incident that started at night end now in the morning after passing through dawn? Thinking that, the tension that had been lingering was released and my legs faltered. My vision turned upside down, and just as I was about to fall to the ground.

Something wrapped around my waist and caught me in the air.

"...What are you doing?"

"......"

A distance so close that our breaths could touch each other, at the same time as meeting his blue eyes, I pushed his chest away. He was pushed away weakly, and he scratched his head, startled and avoiding my gaze.

"I...I just caught you."

"...Just leave me alone next time."

For some reason, I felt like my face was getting hot.

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