The Monster Aspires to Be a Hero!

Jieun, who had been staring intently at me, opened her mouth with a faint smile.
“When did you join a hiking club?”
“Uh, hm? No, I haven’t joined any hiking club.”
“Really?”
Jieun blinked a few times before beaming widely.
“Then why did you suddenly go hiking and camping outside?”
“Um… I just felt like enjoying some natural scenery?”

What a lame excuse.
Well, how else could I explain this situation?

I wouldn’t bother with excuses. There’s only one way for a man to convince a woman, after all.
What might that be?

Grab her waist, tilt her chin up, and share a passionate kiss. That’s all it takes.
That would just end my life, you lunatic…
Upon hearing my peculiar excuse, Jieun’s laughter deepened.
“So who did you meet in the mountains?”
“No, I went alone.”
“Really? Did you have lunch?”
“Um, yes.”
“At a sushi restaurant?”
“…Eh?”
How did she know that?

She likely smelled the distinct wasabi and soy sauce scents lingering on us. Quite the observant one.
That seemed to go beyond mere observation…
“Did you go alone?”
“Well, not exactly…”
She was interrogating me.
Only after Jieun’s laughter intensified did I finally realize.
And I think I understood why Jieun was laughing, and why Greed had chuckled “Kuhuhuh” upon encountering her.
The peculiar earthy and sweaty odors from camping had me self-conscious.
That’s when Una had spritzed me with cologne.
I hadn’t thought much of it at the time.
In fact, I had felt grateful for such a small consideration.
But that cologne was the issue.
I rarely used cologne unless it was a special occasion.
Moreover, that particular unisex fragrance wasn’t something I normally wore.
Despite looking like I had just returned from hiking, the cologne scent likely gave the impression I had engaged in an illicit outdoor affair or similar.
“Jieun-ah, it’s not what you’re thinking.”
“What am I thinking?”
“…Let’s just go inside first. I’ll explain everything there.”
“…Okay.”
Jieun seemed to swallow hard before nodding in agreement.
Thankfully, it felt like we had passed through the eye of a storm.

You’re more perceptive than expected.
What do you mean?

…I’m the one who underestimated you. You’re a monster devoid of human understanding.
What is this rascal going on about now?
Carrying the fruit Jieun had brought, I headed inside, with Jieun cautiously following behind.
After setting the bag down, I sat and offered Jieun a cushion.
“Th-Thank you.”
Though Jieun’s fidgety glances concerned me, I first had to explain the situation.
“To start, I did go hiking alone. Remember how the 3rd and 4th rounds of the hero certification exam were in the mountains? I gained some realizations there.”
As I ascended to my room, I concocted a plausible excuse.
The mountainous exam venue made me realize my narrow field of vision and greater difficulty than expected.
So I had visited the mountains to supplement the training room regimen’s inadequacies.
Even to me, it sounded quite believable.
“But why did you smell of cologne?”
Jieun asked the crucial question with a somewhat displeased expression.
This was the important part.
“I ran into a neighbor on my way back, and we ended up having a meal together.”
My excuse was that due to my odor, I had mentioned feeling self-conscious about dining together, so as a joke, she spritzed me with cologne on the spot.
Jieun seemed about to say something before letting out a sigh instead.
“Ah, in any case, please enjoy the fruit.”
She simply fidgeted while occasionally glancing around and smoothing her hair.

Now is the time to use those 23cm!
Hearing Greed’s words made me realize just how peculiar this situation was.
The place Jieun kept glancing toward was my bed.
Even swallowing felt precarious.
The other party clearly harbored significant affections for me and was sending signals.
Yet being told to stay composed in such a situation was rather torturous for a man of my age.
However, Greed’s outburst helped remind me that I was part monster.
“Let me brew some tea.”
Rising from my seat, I stepped into the kitchen to boil water for tea.
The enhanced senses I had developed since Greed’s intrusion picked up Jieun’s peculiarly wistful yet relieved sigh.
‘Why would such an appealing girl feel that way about someone like me…’
I let out a soft sigh, ensuring Jieun couldn’t hear.
“S-Sunbae?!”
As I brewed the tea, Jieun called out to me with a flustered tone.
“Yes?”
On the smartphone screen Jieun abruptly showed me was a photo of my face.
Slightly bewildered, I took Jieun’s phone to examine it.
The post’s title: ‘Daytime Incident’.
A provocative title like ‘Murder? Monster Slaying?’
It was the photo of me piercing that monster’s heart.
Since I had impaled its heart without spilling blood, the prevailing opinion was that it couldn’t be human.
But discussions were already erupting over whether the urban legend of human-form monsters was real.
I hurriedly turned on the TV and switched to a news channel.
They were already running ‘Human-Disguised Monster?!’ segments with sensational titles like ‘Exclusive’ and ‘First Ever’.
As I held a temporary hero license, the footage showed my unobscured face.
“Th-This is you, Sunbae?”
Certainly an incident had occurred.
“Th-This is no trivial matter!”
Just as Jieun seemed about to raise her voice, a sound came from the kitchen’s kettle, prompting me to hurry over.
With a calmer expression, Jieun then asked what had happened.
I placed a coffee before her and recounted the details in relative depth.
Having already explained it to the police, the account flowed smoothly.
Jieun’s expression contorted increasingly as she listened.
“What’s wrong?”
“If something were to happen to you…”
She seemed worried about potential ambushes if such monsters truly infiltrated our society.
“I’m tougher now. You’re the one I’m more concerned about.”
Since Greed’s intrusion, my senses had notably improved.
Particularly in dangerous moments, Greed would alert me like a spider-sense.

The Greed Sensor!
Yes, the Greed Sensor.
So ordinary citizens like Jieun were likely more at risk than me.
Hearing my words, Jieun glanced at me before slowly speaking.
“Then Sunbae will protect me.”
“Eh? Ah, yes, of course. I’m a hero, after all.”
“…”
Jieun scrunched her face as if muttering something inaudible.
“You can just accompany me to and from school since we live nearby.”
“Y-Yes…yes!”
It felt like that was what she had wanted to hear from the start.
If only Greed hadn’t been present…

You’re blaming me now? Shameless bastard!
That cordial atmosphere made it feel like the conversation was concluding.
But Jieun’s expression hardened once more.
“This incident happened this morning, right?”
“Huh? Yeah.”
“…That’s strange.”
Jieun stared at me intently as she said that.
“For an incident of this scale, you shouldn’t be able to be here at this hour…”
This is why I dislike overly perceptive kids…
In the end, I had no choice but to recount everything about the woman who had moved in next door.
How she was someone I had helped awaken during my volunteer work at Buwonjaebyungwon Hospital.
Being wealthy, she constantly tried offering me recompense which I kept refusing, leading her to follow me here.
She was the one who had helped me when I was brought in for questioning at the police station.
I told Jieun everything.
“…”
“So it’s a bit awkward. Ultimately, if I accept the recompense she insists on giving, it’ll be over.”
“Phew. You’re really something else, Sunbae.”
Jieun seemed about to say more before shaking her head and rising from her seat.
“But this might lead to some issues going forward.”
“Issues?”
“Discussions will likely arise about how to discern monsters from humans when they’ve intermingled.”
“I suppose. That’s why I explained how to identify monsters.”
“Monsters mimic human forms perfectly, to the point their clothing reacts like living cells when cut… this could potentially become a major social issue.”
“A social issue?”
Jieun looked at me with a somewhat pitying expression.
“Sunbae. The world isn’t as warm or beautiful as you think. Rather, you’re like a natural monument of sorts.”
Saying that, Jieun opened the door.
But before leaving, she turned back to me with a tone of conviction.
“Quite unpleasant discussions will likely arise within a few days. It won’t be your fault, so… try not to take it too hard.”
With those parting words about resting well, Jieun departed.
“I’ll walk you home.”
That monster had sought me out with the intent to kill.
There could be potential surveillance nearby, so I should accompany her.
“Thank you.”
After seeing Jieun home safely and returning to shower, I laid down on my bed for a brief respite.
Thanks to absorbing that monster’s power, I felt more energized than expected.
I would simply need to complete Greed’s feigned volunteer hospital visits for meals during the week.
Some higher-intensity training at the room, and… I began planning my upcoming schedule.
But as night fell and I settled into that routine, I came to understand the meaning behind Jieun’s parting words.

Monsters act on instinct. Following simple commands like fight, move, learn. I’ve tentatively concluded an administrator oversees the monsters.
“…”

Is it due to sentience? Compared to bestial monsters following orders, humans are infinitely more monstrous.
I could offer no retort to Greed’s words.
Recent news about bullying incidents at elementary, middle and high schools had caught my attention.
A key identifier of human-disguised monsters was having normal-looking skin but zombie-like posture and movements.
Yes, zombie-like.
To put it crudely, they appeared disabled.
The disabled.
The social pact to accommodate them as individuals differing from the norm had become distorted.
‘Monster Slaying Games’ and ‘Monster Detector Games’ emerged as forms of bullying.
Tormenting disabled friends with jeers like, “Aren’t you actually a monster? You monster freak!”
Incidents occurred of attempting to identify monsters by tearing off clothing, pulling hair, and even cutting skin.
That wasn’t my intent at all.
I had simply thought human-disguised monsters posed far greater danger than ordinary civilians without abilities.
That such beings had infiltrated our society, potentially causing a major incident.
Initially keeping silent to avoid societal chaos, I had even felt relieved when the information was disseminated.
But I… never wanted this.

Recall what she said. This isn’t an incident you caused.
Though Greed said that, the face reflecting in the mirror looked alarmingly pale, even to me.