Hatred

[Subway Hijacking in Broad Daylight; Fortunately, No Casualties……]

[A Battle Between Hero and Villain Unfolds Atop a Train.]

[Deviant—Who Are They?]

[Breaking News: Is the Mysterious Hero’s Identity Hero Nova? According to the Association’s Announcement……]

[Japan Reels in Shock, America Stares in Awe. A Hero Stops a Running Train with Their Bare Body!]

After checking the article titles plastered across the main pages of every portal site, I Seoha trembled, her face flushed red.

That day, after Deviant’s attack, she had no idea how things had ended up unfolding.

When she came to her senses, she was in the hospital, and before she knew it, Nova had become a star known to the entire nation.

Because the terror incident had been broadcast live through drones as it unfolded in real time, it had drawn attention in the worst—and most effective—way possible. In just a single day, Nova’s name recognition had exploded.

Was that why? Even if she merely walked down the street, she could hear people talking about Nova from every direction.

“Nova’s seriously amazing, isn’t she? Trying to stop that huge train all by herself.”

“I know, right? When those huge engines suddenly came out of her legs and started blasting fire, it was so cool.”

“Ah, Nova’s so pretty!”

“Don’t say that so loudly, you idiot.”

Even though an entire week had already passed since the incident, Nova’s name still never left people’s mouths.

Having received, in just one week, far more attention than she had in her entire life since birth, I Seoha was happy, yes—but more than that, the pressure weighed on her far more heavily.

The power had been given to her by Stella, and yet even with that power, she had ultimately failed to stop the train, and at the end, she had even been toyed with by Sigma.

‘Sigma…….’

The moment she recalled the man who seemed to be Deviant’s leader, a question arose in I Seoha’s mind.

He was an absolutely unforgivable villain who had put countless people in danger and tried to kill them without hesitation, but there was something strange.

‘I was definitely a complete mess.’

That day, after drawing out every bit of strength she had to stop the train, I Seoha had been in such terrible condition that her arms and legs trembled and she collapsed after barely taking a few steps.

Even if she had transformed with Stella’s power, treating injuries of that extent should have taken a considerable amount of time──

‘They said I didn’t have a single wound.’

When the hero who came to rescue her arrived later, they said there had been no injuries anywhere on I Seoha’s body.

She had bled so much, and it had hurt so badly, yet there were no injuries? There was no way that could be true.

She had wondered if perhaps Stella had healed her, but.

『Because you forced your energy all the way to its limit, I was barely able to keep you from dying.』

At Stella’s words, I Seoha felt sorry for having pushed things so recklessly because of her own stubbornness, and at the same time, she was grateful.

In any case, if Stella had not healed her, and the hospital had not done it either, then only one person remained.

‘Don’t tell me it was Sigma?’

Ever since she became Stella’s compatible user on the bridge, she had felt like he was strangely fixated on her. Was that why he had healed I Seoha?

‘That’s disgusting…….’

The thought that he had touched her body while she was unconscious made her feel sharply unpleasant.

She hated the fact that she had been treated by a villain who committed terrorism without hesitation in broad daylight, but even so, she had no choice but to acknowledge his skill.

‘I don’t know how he did it, but to think he completely healed me in that short amount of time.’

Just like that man she had seen back then.

‘……Hm? Come to think of it, that civilian back then too?’

Suddenly recalling the man whose impression had been somewhat fierce…… or rather, intimidating, but who had still been good-hearted, I Seoha tilted her head.

Back then, too, she had definitely suffered a serious injury from the muscle-pig villain.

But the moment she had briefly faced that man, she had been healed in an instant. Could it be……

“You’re here early. Did you wait long?”

At the voice that suddenly reached her in the middle of her thoughts, I Seoha realized her mistake.

“Ah, Fla—!”

“Shh. Right now, I’m an ordinary person.”

When the other person’s index finger touched her lips, I Seoha realized her slip and, startled, snapped her mouth shut.

“Ah, I-I’m sorry…… Han Jua.”

Facing Han Jua, the S-rank hero Flare, I Seoha floundered in embarrassment.

“Please treat me comfortably. We’re not meeting as heroes right now, are we?”

“Th-that’s true. Yes, comfortably…… comfortably, right.”

She had told her to be comfortable, but that was not as easy as it sounded.

Though she had grown stronger recently due to various incidents, at her core, I Seoha was still a B-rank hero. There was no way she could face an S-rank hero like this and not be nervous.

At the sight of I Seoha looking like a squirrel that had curled in on itself, Han Jua smiled gently.

“Let’s move seats first. You don’t like places with too many people, do you? I know a good place.”

“Ah, yes……! Thank you!”

“Hehe.”

As if entranced, I Seoha followed behind Han Jua.

@

Her vivid red hair, blazing as if it were on fire, and her chillingly blue eyes that contrasted with it looked as though exquisitely cut gemstones had been set into her face.

Seeing her up close, even another woman could not help thinking she was beautiful.

If she had not been a hero, it would not have been strange at all for her to become a model or an idol.

“Is there something on my face?”

Perhaps she had stared too intently; at Han Jua’s words, I Seoha flinched and shook her head.

“No! It’s just that you’re so pretty, without realizing it……”

“Hehe, thank you. You’re very cute too, I Seoha.”

“Th-thank you.”

Now that she had said it, I Seoha was so embarrassed she wanted to crawl into a mouse hole, but perhaps because some of her tension had eased, her face looked softer than before.

“Um, but, Han Jua? Why did you suddenly call me out?”

Once the atmosphere had relaxed a little, I Seoha immediately got to the point.

They had become acquainted after she had gone to visit her younger sibling in the hospital last time, but she had never imagined that Han Jua would contact her to meet like this in person.

“You’re getting straight to the point? Well, I didn’t come here to make idle talk either, so that’s fine.”

When Han Jua put on a serious expression, I Seoha also tensed up again and straightened her posture.

“I’ll ask you directly. I Seoha, I’d like you to tell me in detail about Deviant.”

“Deviant, you mean?”

“That’s right. During the previous escort mission, that lion—the bastard said he was Deviant, didn’t he?”

As if recalling the enormous lion she had faced on the bridge that day, Han Jua’s brow furrowed deeply.

The smile she had shown until moments ago vanished, and in its place settled a cold glint in her eyes.

“I heard from the Association that this train hijacking incident was also Deviant’s doing.”

“From the Association?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Given the nature of the matter, it would normally have been kept confidential, but Han Jua had the authority of an S-rank hero, and she had not been entirely unrelated to the incident, so she had been able to hear about it.

“I’m the type who can’t just let it slide after being taken down by some villain. If I’ve been done wrong, I can’t even sleep until I pay it back…….”

The more she spoke, the more Han Jua’s blue eyes wavered.

With an intensity as if flames might burst forth at any moment, I Seoha nearly found herself overwhelmed.

“So I’d like you to tell me everything you know about them. Not only what happened after I lost consciousness, but also when you faced them on the train, and about the man called Sigma as well.”

“Ah, yes, yes.”

Because her aura was so fierce, I Seoha nodded, but in truth, there was not all that much for her to say.

“Even if I tell you, it’s already everything I told the Association. So there probably won’t be anything worth hearing for you, Han Jua.”

Just as she said, I Seoha had cooperated earnestly with the Association’s investigation both when she had first encountered Sigma and while she was hospitalized.

Therefore, what she knew was not especially different from what the Association had revealed, but even so, Han Jua’s voice was firm.

“Of course I heard from the Association, but you’re the only one who directly faced them and fought them, I Seoha. In this line of work, hearing the experience of someone who was on the scene is important in a way that’s different from simply reading letters in a report.”

“I-is that so.”

It felt somewhat forced, but since it did make sense, I Seoha did not particularly refute it.

“Then, well, it probably won’t be very different from what you heard from the Association, but I’ll tell you what I felt.”

“Good. Please tell me everything, no matter how trivial.”

Seeing Han Jua’s eyes shine as she pulled out a voice recorder and even a notepad felt burdensome, but in any case, I Seoha explained what had happened back then.

Starting with the Deviants who had appeared after Han Jua collapsed, then Sigma saying he would entrust her with the Core Relic, the promise made in the subway, the battle with Accel Unicorn, and finally stopping the runaway train.

It was a story she had already told several times, so the words came smoothly without getting stuck, but it still took quite a bit of time.

“──And then, at the end, I lost consciousness and collapsed.”

“I see.”

Had what she said been helpful? Han Jua fell into thought while looking at her notes.

“What’s on your arm is that OOPArt from back then, correct?”

“Yes… I ended up wearing something I was supposed to protect without permission…….”

“Don’t be discouraged. You didn’t let it get taken by the villains, so you did what you needed to do, Seoha.”

“Hehe, thank you.”

At the sight of I Seoha scratching her head shyly, Han Jua smiled and looked at her bracelet.

“A Core Relic, huh. That lion and the horse back then were also using Core Relics, you said?”

“Yes, that’s what they said.”

According to Stella, the lion had Core Relic—Power, and Accel Unicorn had Core Relic—Accel.

“Come to think of it, Accel Unicorn! What happened to Accel Unicorn? I defeated him, so the Core Relic should have been left behind.”

“That Deviant, you mean? From what I saw on the broadcast, he certainly exploded quite spectacularly.”

“B-broadcast…….”

Though she did not know when or where it had been filmed, I Seoha once again felt embarrassment surge over her as she remembered that the sight of her transformed and fighting had been broadcast live across the entire country.

“S-so did they find the Core Relic?”

“Unfortunately, from what I heard from the Association, they found no trace of it.”

“Y-yes? Don’t tell me the Core Relic was destroyed by the explosion……!?”

“Ah, don’t misunderstand. I mean exactly that—there were no traces of anything. There wasn’t any debris at all.”

For a moment, I Seoha could not understand Han Jua’s words.

There had been an explosion of that scale, and yet there were no traces of anything? Was that possible?

While I Seoha was bewildered by the incomprehensible situation, Han Jua asked carefully.

“……Would it be possible for me to try using that too?”

Use? I Seoha wondered what she meant, but when she soon realized Han Jua’s gaze was fixed on her bracelet, she smiled bitterly.

“Unfortunately, it’s the type that chooses its master directly, so no one can use it except me.”

“Is that so? Then it can’t be helped.”

Though Han Jua said that, a deep disappointment was written across her face.

At that reaction, I Seoha felt an inexplicable sense of guilt.

If not a B-rank hero like herself, but a powerful S-rank hero like Han Jua possessed the Core Relic, she would surely be able to play a far more incredible role──no.

In that instant, an afterimage flashed through I Seoha’s mind.

The sight of a villain writhing and twitching in pain on cold asphalt.

The cruelty of flames shooting out to pierce through a villain’s body and cauterize it at the same time.

Before she realized it, I Seoha had wrapped her hands around the bracelet.

“──Jua, there’s something I want to ask too.”

“Something you want to ask? Sure. I felt bad being the only one asking questions anyway. What would you like to ask?”

And so I Seoha had no choice but to ask.

“Jua, why do you treat villains so horrifically?”

At the direct question, the area around Han Jua’s eyes twitched.

“……What do you mean by horrifically?”

“I mean exactly that. When you subdue villains, you always damage their bodies.”

When she had first met her, Han Jua had pierced through the side of the muscle-pig villain. Later, during the escort mission, she had not only put holes through the villains who attacked the cargo truck, but in severe cases, even tore off their arms and legs.

Normally, those would have been fatal wounds, but because she pierced them with flames and cauterized them at the same time, no one had died.

However, if they suffered attacks like that, even if they did not die, the aftereffects would be severe.

“Jua, couldn’t you subdue them easily? A hero’s role is, ultimately, to subdue and arrest. Violence beyond that is……”

“Ha.”

Han Jua slowly set down the teacup she had been holding.

The gentle smile she had been wearing while looking at I Seoha until moments ago was nowhere to be seen.

Instead, a cold and grotesque murderous intent settled in its place.

“Why do I turn villains into cripples? It’s simple.”

Han Jua’s voice was so calm that it was all the more chilling.

She gazed quietly down at her own pale hand and continued.

“To be honest, I want to kill every last villain. I want to burn them all away with these flames, without leaving so much as ashes behind. But I can’t, can I? Because people all over the world keep spouting pretty words about villains having human rights, about perpetrators having lives of their own!”

“Jua…!”

Lee Seoha was horrified by Han Jua’s extreme words, but fortunately, she waved a hand to reassure her.

“Ah, yes. A hero shouldn’t say things like that, should they? Yes, so instead of killing them, I decided to give them pain just as horrific as death. So they’ll regret becoming villains for the rest of their lives.”

“……”

“Puhuhu. Do you know what every villain I catch says to me? They beg me to spare them, to please let them live. They don’t spare a thought for what they did, but apparently their own lives are precious to them.”

As Han Jua lowered her excitement and spoke softly, she somehow looked sorrowful.

“But, Jua. No matter how much you hate villains, you can’t do that. What you’re doing is nothing more than venting your anger.”

In that instant, a sneer appeared on Han Jua’s face.

“Ha. Are you, a mere B-rank hero, trying to lecture me, an S-rank?”

“I’m not trying to lecture you. I don’t know why you harbor such hatred, but…”

Lee Seoha met Han Jua’s eyes head-on, refusing to be cowed by her razor-sharp presence.

“Hatred only begets hatred. The wounds you leave behind will remain forever, and their hatred toward you will never disappear.”

“……”

Instead of answering, Han Jua rose from her seat.

As if there was no longer any value in listening, her expression had turned cold and rigid.

“It’s gotten too late. I’ve already paid the bill, so I’ll be leaving now.”

Without waiting for Lee Seoha’s reply, Han Jua coldly turned her back.

Even as she walked away with graceful steps, heat still radiated from her retreating figure, but Lee Seoha’s heart cooled coldly in her chest.

Lee Seoha watched Han Jua’s receding back with regretful eyes.

Even as she believed Han Jua’s methods were wrong, a part of her felt stifled, unable to understand where such deep hatred had come from.

And so, the brief and precarious meeting between the two ended, leaving behind the worst possible aftertaste.