Ever since that day, Noah has been acting a little strange.
“Welcome.”
“A…hello…”
Until now, it was just dark, but lately, I’ve been getting the feeling that he’s avoiding me.
Noah passes by with his hood pulled low over his face. He doesn’t even glance in my direction.
Why is he doing this?
Fortunately, it doesn’t seem like he’s unwell…
But being like this for a whole week is going too far, isn’t it?
“Noah.”
“Huh…!?”
“Has something happened recently?”
“No…nothing at all…”
Now Noah hides his face entirely under his hood.
Without saying another word, he quickly retreats deeper inside.
I could only get a good look at Noah when it was time to pay.
What Noah had in his hand was a drink.
It was rare. Noah buying a drink? And a fatigue recovery drink, no less.
“Are you tired lately?”
“No…not at all.”
“But why have you been like this? It’s disappointing.”
“Disappointing…?”
“Yes. You don’t show your face much and keep avoiding me. We barely talked all week, after all.”
This keeps bothering me.
And especially after what happened last time.
I pulled off his hood and made eye contact with Noah.
His eyes were trembling, causing an earthquake.
The trembling gaze kept escaping from my focus.
That confirmed it.
I firmly grabbed Noah’s hands with both of mine.
Though I felt the softness, now wasn’t the time for such thoughts.
“Noah.”
“Y-yes!”
“You…”
Boom.
I slammed my head on the counter.
“So you’ve still been thinking about that incident.”
“Yes…?”
“I’m sorry about hugging you back then. My head must’ve been out of it for a moment.”
A sincere apology. Hopefully, this will ease Noah’s heart a little.
But Noah just stared at me blankly without saying anything.
Like a broken toy, he could only stutter “Ah… ah…”
After a while, he took a deep breath and shouted loudly.
“Ah…no! I’m not angry or upset or anything like that! Just…just…um…anyway, I’m fine!”
“Really?”
“Yes! Really! In fact, I liked it!”
“Liked it?”
“…Ah!?”
Noah covered her mouth as if realizing she’d made a slip of the tongue.
So, you didn’t dislike it, huh.
“Thank goodness…”
“Why…why?”
“I thought Noah had started to dislike me.”
“No way!”
Noah let out a high-pitched squeal.
Not a bit scary.
“If you disliked me, you wouldn’t have given me this, right?”
“This?”
“Yes! Please calculate the payment!”
Due to Noah’s insistence, I hurriedly processed the fatigue recovery drink.
“Here. Uncle.”
“Is this for me…?”
“It’s a one-plus-one offer, so I’m giving it to you.”
“Thank you. I’ll enjoy it well.”
I was grateful and impressed. Even though he finds it hard to take care of himself, he still bothers to do things like this.
I reached out my hand towards Noah’s head.
I learned through our time together that Noah enjoys having her head petted.
It felt weird treating a person like a puppy, but if she likes it, I can do it anytime.
Petpet.
I petted Noah’s head.
Noah flinched as if electricity ran through her body. When our eyes met, she lowered her gaze.
“Ugh…”
“Does it feel bad?”
I lightly tapped her hand.
My hand was suddenly grabbed and dragged somewhere.
Noah held onto my hand and placed it back on her head, making me pet her again.
You like it, don’t you?
“Do you like it?”
“…Huh!?”
“Do you, our Noah, like getting petpet?”
“Our Noah… stop calling me that. Pervert uncle…”
“Pervert?”
“Pervert, juvenile law violator.”
Even while saying that, Noah didn’t let go of my hand, and I ended up petting her head for quite a while.
“Hmm…”
“Does it feel healing?”
“A little. Lately, I’ve been active at dawn, so I’ve been tired.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. A strange villain has appeared. Be careful. If caught, they do terrible things with tentacles.”
“R-right.”
“Lately, I patrol at dawn too. So, uncle, don’t do anything suspicious.”
“Sure. Of course. Yeah. Hahaha.”
Although my conscience pricked a little, Noah seemed focused on the petting and didn’t notice.
That way, satisfied Noah left.
I drank the fatigue recovery drink she gave me coolly.
“Kha…”
I felt a little less tired, but it wasn’t refreshing. But what can you do?
Time is limited, and there’s much to do.
As the clock approached quitting time, I resolved.
Today, I’ll root out the villain circle nearby.
+++++
Early morning.
A gloomy alley where the streetlights haven’t all gone out yet.
“Shit…shit…!”
A peculiar man was running down the road, cursing.
Part of his upper body had turned black, and his irises and sclera were inverted. One arm was twisted and broken, making an impression.
This man called himself ‘Black Disaster,’ a C-rank villain designated by the Association.
Even so, he was running now to survive.
Slither slither.
“Her…here too…!”
Slither slither.
“Shit…!”
Tentacles. The disgusting tentacles that wriggled around.
They chased him wherever he went.
Through alleys, into abandoned buildings.
Then.
Thud!
His ankle was grabbed.
It was more brutal than any grip he had ever felt in his life.
Not that he was about to take it lying down.
With his mutated arm, he struck, causing parts of the tentacle to fall off blackly. Once free, the man tried to run again.
However.
“Eh…?”
His body wouldn’t move.
Looking down at his ankle in trembling fear, he realized.
His ankle was completely crushed.
“Ugh…AAAAAAA!!!”
The excruciating pain soon followed. The man screamed horribly.
He shouldn’t have screamed.
But with such terrible pain, the man couldn’t help but scream.
Clomp clomp.
“Maintain silence. O wicked one.”
“Huh…AAHH…!”
“To disturb the sweet slumber of a mother tending to her newborn infant—what brings you to such deeds?”
A deep, dark voice like the abyss echoed.
A man in a black robe appeared from around the corner.
His face was hidden by a mask, his eyes gleamed with red lenses, and enormous tentacles surrounded him.
“Truly wicked thou art. Truly devoid of virtue thou art.”
Seeing this man, the man remembered a story he heard from a fellow.
“Hey. Be careful. They say someone targeting us has appeared since last week. What was it…a guy with tentacles wearing a flipped black robe? Reason? How should I know?”
The tentacle man.
People called him ‘Kraken.’
Named after the legendary sea monster because he wielded its tentacles.
Not that he knew everything, but
the important thing was that this guy was about to execute him right now.
“Don’t do it, you bastard!!”
The man threatened.
“Shit, do you think others will sit still if I die!? My big brother-”
“Your big brother…? Perhaps the one wielding a large axe…”
“Yeah. Our big brother is incredibly strong! If you touch me-”
“Ah, this one?”
Whoosh.
A person was thrown in front of the man.
The person, whose bones were broken and body contorted,
was the very big brother the man had boasted about.
“Wha…wha…?”
“Your big brother… C-rank. They were licking their wounds together like younglings.”
“Lie…lie…!”
“And your comrades have long become my nourishment.”
“Such…!”
“They tasted like trash. Eating vomit would be better than them.”
The man’s mind froze.
His big brother got beaten. The one he thought was among the strongest in the world, or at least in this area.
The one he believed could even beat that pink-haired girl who’s been stirring things up lately.
An empty alley. Himself captured and his half-dead big brother.
No one was coming to save him.
“Sa…save me…”
Terrified, the man wet himself and cried.
He crawled on the ground like a bug, rubbing his hands together like a fly.
“I’m sorry…please…spare me…!”
At these words, Kraken let out a slight mocking laugh.
“What did you do?”
“Huh…?”
“How did you treat those who were innocent?”
Slither.
The tentacles began to crawl.
They gradually gathered around the man, climbing onto him.
“Stop your excuses. We already know how vile your kind is.”
“Stop…stop it…!”
“Therefore.”
Slither slither.
The tentacles attached suckers to the man’s body.
They slowly sucked out his evil energy and transferred it to their master.
Realizing he was losing strength, the man struggled but that was all he could do.
His vision darkening, the man saw one last thing.
“Pray not for mercy.”
Under the moonlight stood a terrible monster.
+++++
Noah was also patrolling at dawn that day, transformed into Iris.
This was her recent routine.
It was unsettling knowing that villain executions were happening every dawn.
Of course, since the targets were villains, it could be seen as someone’s vendetta.
‘But it’s too widespread to call it that.’
The targeted villains had few common points. At most, they all lost in battles at dawn.
Villains must be caught. No matter how much they are villains, they deserve proper punishment.
Not attacks driven by someone’s hatred.
Thinking this, Iris continued patrolling when she heard a blood-curdling scream.
‘…That guy!’
She instinctively knew.
Following that sound would lead her to the place where that man was.
Arriving there, she found herself in a dark back alley.
There, Noah finally confronted
“Wait! That’s enough!”
Someone executing other villains.
“Hey! I’m Magical Girl Iris! By the name of justice, I shall not forgive you!”
Accompanied by a clichéd line and sprinkling star patterns, a magical girl appeared.
“How dare you cross the line, even if your opponent is a villain!”
“…Iris.”
“Yes! I am Magical Girl Iris, the one who will judge you. Remember my name well!”
Why is she here now?
Recalling what she said yesterday, I thought.
‘I patrol at dawn these days. So, uncle, don’t do anything suspicious.’
We happened to meet exactly. Was it because the last one was too noisy?
I had anticipated that a day like this would come eventually…
“Tsk.”
Can’t help it. Though it’s sooner than planned.
Let’s fight a little and then escape.
Neither she nor I are strong enough yet. We’re not at the level where we’d risk our lives fighting each other.
“Think I’d lose easily?”
“Are you planning to fight?”
“Of course. I’m not a fool to hand over my neck willingly.”
Slowly raising the tentacles…
“Then there’s nothing I can do! Let’s battle! If you get caught, you’re going straight to jail!”
“…I can’t possibly let that happen!”
Iris’ magic circle unfolds.
In response, I deploy the tentacles to counter.
Just before we clash,
I wanted to shout to Noah.
‘Don’t stay up too late or you won’t grow, kid!’
Why is she doing this at dawn?
The tentacles begin to reach out toward Noah.
