Chapter 31

“Phew.”

A few days after receiving a letter from Astra, in a garden.

I checked my outfit and picked up a bouquet of flowers.

‘It’s been a while since I last met her, so I’m oddly nervous.’

I was going to meet a woman today.

A very strong, beautiful woman who could be of great help to my safety.

Step. Step.

After taking a deep breath and walking into the garden for a while.

Soon, a woman came into view.

Long ash-gray hair, sharp eyes with blood-red pupils, a cold beauty.

“Chief.”

I smiled and handed her the bouquet as she sat in a wheelchair, looking at me with a blank expression.

“It’s been a while.”

***

The Chief.

The leader of Eclipse and a powerhouse in the latter part of the original story.

And she was the owner of the letter Astra had given me.

‘Please visit her as soon as possible.’

‘The Chief must be bored.’

The Chief scanned me up and down with an expressionless face.

“…It’s been a while, Maker.”

A voice, devoid of highs and lows, echoed in my ears, contrasting with her doll-like appearance.

…She didn’t seem particularly bored.

She just stared at the bouquet without saying anything.

“Have you been well?”

“Same as usual.”

“I see. May I push your wheelchair from behind?”

Nod.

I pushed her wheelchair from behind and took a lap around the garden.

‘It would be nice if we could get a bit closer.’

She’s someone who values her people, even if she pretends not to.

If I can get into her inner circle, I could gain a huge advantage.

As we circled the garden, I tried to engage her in conversation.

“The flowers are quite beautiful.”

Nod.

“Do you have a favorite flower, Chief?”

“Not really.”

“I like hydrangeas. They’re interesting because each color has a different meaning.”

“I see.”

But the conversation kept ending in short answers, and the dialogue kept breaking off.

‘Does she dislike me…?’

She was the one who appointed me as an executive, but I didn’t have the same bond with her as the other executives.

It felt like she chose me out of necessity.

‘If she really dislikes me, that could be a problem…’

She’s one of the strongest in the world, after all.

Ultimately, healing her and hiding behind her to live comfortably is also part of the plan.

If she dislikes me, it’s unclear if she’ll protect me… If this goes wrong, I could just be used and then discarded.

“…How about we take a break on that bench over there?”

Nod.

With my thoughts racing, I suggested we take a break on the bench to sort things out.

“Excuse me.”

I then lifted her and moved her from the wheelchair to the bench.

“Is the bench too cold or anything?”

“It’s fine.”

A brief silence fell between us.

Glance.

She looked at me.

“…You’re not saying you like me or anything this time.”

Finally, the first question from her today.

“You seemed to really dislike it, so I was holding back.”

“I see.”

“It’s sad that I have to suppress these feelings of affection.”

“You don’t look very sad.”

I awkwardly smiled at her.

‘Would you like to work for our organization?’

‘We’ll fulfill your desires.’

When she asked me to join Eclipse as an executive,

I flirted with her.

‘Desires… So, if I said I wanted you, would you accept?’

‘?’

‘Actually, I fell for you at first sight.’

Not just once, but a few times.

It had been a while since I last flirted with her, as our communication had been cut off since I took on my first mission.

“If you wish, Chief, I can express my feelings again.”

“…It’s fine.”

Well, honestly, I was in a tight spot back then.

Who would have thought that 20 years of planning would go down the drain?

I needed to hold onto something.

‘Now that things have stabilized, I don’t need to try to woo her.’

But maintaining a close relationship wouldn’t hurt.

I smiled brightly at the Chief.

“…How’s the terrorism going?”

“It’s progressing smoothly.”

She glanced at me and asked another question.

I couldn’t quite read her thoughts, but she seemed more eager to engage in conversation than before.

“If it’s going smoothly…”

“It means we’re acting according to the ‘purpose’ of our terrorism.”

The purpose of terrorism.

It’s obvious when you think about it.

There’s no reason for a large organization to commit terrorism without a purpose.

‘Most large organizations don’t commit terrorism; they stay hidden until they achieve their goals.’

They don’t draw attention like this.

So why did Eclipse decide to reveal themselves and commit terrorism?

“…You’ve been through a lot because of me.”

It was all to protect the Chief.

The Chief was once the strongest ability user, perhaps even capable of world domination.

But now, she’s weakened.

It’s a perfect situation for other villains or heroes to target her.

‘And in this situation, Eclipse chose terrorism.’

It was a form of self-assertion.

To show that Eclipse is not weak, even without the Chief.

That even if attacked, they would have to prepare for a fatal blow.

Ultimately, they proved that Eclipse is not an organization to be trifled with.

‘And now, through regular acts of terrorism, they continue to reinforce that impression.’

Even before I joined.

“If I hadn’t ended up like this, they wouldn’t have had to suffer.”

She lowered her head and looked at her condition.

“…I need to regain my strength as soon as possible.”

Her expression was still blank, but somehow she seemed melancholic.

“There’s no need to rush, Chief.”

Seeing her like that, I tried to comfort her, perhaps to score some points.

“I may not have been here as long as the other executives or members, but Eclipse is not as weak as you think.”

After all, Eclipse is a villain organization that exists until the latter part of the original story.

They even managed to partially restore the Chief to her prime.

“Everyone is moving forward in their own way.”

In conclusion, even without the Chief, Eclipse is not a worthless organization.

“So, don’t try to rush things.”

I stood up from the bench and knelt on one knee in front of her.

The bright sunlight shining down on the garden. The mood was perfect.

“Until you recover, Chief, I will take all the attention.”

I carefully took her hand and kissed the back of it.

Then, under the clear sunlight, I smiled transparently.

“I will always protect you until you regain your strength.”

“…More sweet talk.”

She responded curtly.

But she didn’t pull her hand away.

And her ears were slightly red.

‘Score.’

I smiled at her.

***

A few weeks later, at an international airport in South Korea.

“Alright, let’s get going, heroes.”

Association staff were escorting the heroes who had come for the exchange meeting.

“Suzuki! Sit here! It’s really comfy!”

“Wait, Kato! What are you doing, acting so undignified as a hero!”

The ones they were escorting today were the heroes from Japan.

Due to the proximity, they had arrived earlier than others and were being led to the Korean Hero Association.

“Ah! So comfortable. Right, Chise?”

“……”

“…Huh? Hey, Suzuki. Where’s Chise?”

“Chise? I thought I just saw her… Huh?!”

Except for one person.

“Is this the stage where I make my entrance?!”

Inside the airport.

A petite woman confidently smiled and took off her sunglasses.

She was one of the Japanese heroes who had come for the exchange meeting.

The woman her male and female companions were looking for.

“By the way, it’s so empty! The Korean Association lacks even these small courtesies!”

Complaining in a situation where there were no Association staff or fellow heroes around.

“The others, Suzuki, and Kato must have gone ahead… Hmm, they could’ve waited for me to come out.”

She didn’t know.

Because she had boarded the business class alone, the staff who saw the other heroes disembark first had taken them away.

“Well, what can you do!”

And being used to being treated like leftovers, she took it for granted that no one came to pick her up.

“Shall I go alone then! To the Korean Hero Association!”

Ohohoho!

The woman laughed confidently.

Perhaps because her appearance was more like a girl’s than a woman’s.

Her laughter felt somewhat out of place, but she didn’t care.

‘Hmm. I can’t use the kids for personal reasons, so I’ll have to walk…’

She couldn’t use her abilities here.

Unlike others, if she used her abilities, it would draw too much attention, and she might even be labeled a villain.

Plus, there was her own sense of ethics.

Buzz, buzz… Beep-

So she took out her old phone and opened the map app.

After a bit of buzzing, the map app finally turned on.

“Great! Shall we go?”

Relying on the map app.

The woman began walking to the Hero Association alone.

Only on foot.

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