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Two weeks later, Minho’s condition had improved to a decent level. “Decent” can mean different things to different people, but at least that’s how I saw it.

When alone, his expression occasionally darkened, but he sometimes showed confidence and energy like before.

It’s true he still bore scars deep within, but honestly, it’s hard to find anyone in modern society without psychological issues, so I figured that was okay.

If his condition worsened again, I could just take care of it each time.

“So, um, even if I touch this, it’s like, Blanka feels nothing at all, right?”

I tried to distract myself with other thoughts while glancing at Lapiz, but that was easier said than done.

“Since there are no nerve cells connected… and it’s not even connected to my body, it’s impossible to feel anything, right?”

She was handling the blob of slime I carelessly tossed her way a bit… how should I put it? Was it a bit creepy? Or a bit perverse?

Sure, it could look like just playing with it, but… well, maybe saying it’s purely playful is a stretch.

No matter how I think about it, the way she touched it felt a little sleazy, like touching someone’s chest or something, which made me a bit uncomfortable.

“I see…”

To be honest, it wasn’t completely devoid of sensation. At least, I could feel I was ‘touching something.’

After all, slime felt like an extension of my body too, and even if there weren’t any nerve cells or anything, it wasn’t entirely stimulus-free.

It’s just that, how should I say this, the information came through in a way that wasn’t the usual sensation; it was more like ‘data.’

If I touch something hot, I know it’s ‘hot,’ and if I touch something cold, I know it’s ‘cold.’ It’s not that I receive the sensation first and then process the information; it hits my mind directly without any sensation in between.

You could say it’s like a thermometer or a detector.

Even though Lapiz insisted I had no sensation, she was fascinated by how sticky it was but oddly didn’t get any on her hands.

“Well, that’s because I’m controlling it so it doesn’t stick to my hands.”

“So, you can even control its properties? That’s amazing…”

It’s not that I’m amazing, rather this slime is amazing. But if anything, it’s more wicked than it is amazing.

I thought of that first, but since it didn’t feel too bad being praised, I gave a vague answer.

“I’m still far from using my abilities as skillfully as my grandmother or mother…”

“Aren’t you being a bit too anxious? From what I know… your grandmother and mother have been using their powers for much longer than you have. They must have gained experience too.”

Pointing out that trying to catch up to those two right away seemed a bit greedy, Lapiz muttered that for her dream, she had no choice.

“The real reason I want to be a hero… is because of my mom and grandmother.”

Lapiz shared the reason behind her dream of being a hero. Her voice sounded like she was confessing something embarrassing.

“Because bad people are out there breaking things, my mom and grandmother are always busy… So, if I catch those people, maybe I can spend a little more time with them, right? Hehe.”

After saying that, she sheepishly admitted that now she understands that their busyness isn’t solely because of the villains.

“Still, if I get stronger, I can ease their burdens even just a little, right? So, yeah. My dream is to become strong enough for my grandmother and mom not to have to work.”

If it weren’t Lapiz saying those words, I wouldn’t have found it such a grand ambition.

A daughter wanting to help her family isn’t that extraordinary of a desire.

But since Lapiz was the one saying it, it felt irrationally grand.

With dragon blood running through her veins, and if anything, her blood was thick enough to make her stronger as time passed rather than aging, I honestly wondered how she planned to surpass her grandmother.

Saying she wanted to become stronger than a living earthquake felt extremely unlikely, even for a friend.

“I’ll cheer you on.”

However, I couldn’t laugh at my friend’s dream, so I just calmly supported her.

“Th-thank you… Oh. But why did Blanca want to become a hero? What dream did she have?”

Well, it was because she could earn enough to live comfortably.

In the past, I would have answered that way.

After all, we wouldn’t be together for more than a year, anyway. But now, I didn’t want to come across as thoughtless.

“A dream…”

The reason I started following her was because of her rescue, but following her ideology was…

Yeah, it was for such reasons.

“I hope everyone can be appreciated just as they were born.”

When Lapiz heard that slightly out-of-the-blue story, she tilted her head, not quite grasping what I meant.

Well, it’s understandable; Lapiz hadn’t twisted her nature like I had.

Though she was born different from humans, it didn’t make her a subject of scorn. If anything, it could make her enviable or feared.

“So… you know? Some people prefer to hit others, some prefer to be hit. Some like men even if they’re men, and some like women even if they’re women. Things like that… or being born as an Ein too.”

Saying that, Lapiz made an “Ah!” sound as if she understood and blushed a bit, asking me,

“H-Hold on, does Blanc like girls or…?”

“I’m just giving examples. My preferences are pretty much the same as everyone else’s. As for my nature… well, I’m not sure.”

I shrugged and continued,

“Anyway, those who are born differently have to suppress themselves just because they were born that way.”

Sure, if they exert tremendous effort, they could fit into others’ standards, but having to try so hard just because they were born differently is unfair, right?

“So, I hope we’ll have a world where even if you were born differently, you can be respected just as you are… something like that.”

Perhaps my wish is even more fanciful than Lapiz’s dream.

“I see… um, I don’t quite understand. What does that have to do with being a hero?”

“Connections? It’s overflowing. A person born with nothing asking to be respected differs in weight from someone with wealth and fame asking for respect, right?”

“So, is Blanca planning to become a hero to make that sort of confession later?”

Lapiz continued fiddling with the slime bag as she asked that.

“Yep.”

Even though I was born this way, I wanted to live appreciated, acknowledged, and respected.

“That… I’m not sure I fully understand, but… still, since it’s Blanca’s dream, I’ll cheer for it!”

Lapiz didn’t seem to fully grasp what I meant, but she encouraged me without mocking or negating it.

“…Thank you, really.”

I’ve really come a long way. Feeling comforted by a potential enemy’s support is quite the situation.

But still, I didn’t dislike it.

As she subtly placed her tail on top of mine, I wrapped my tail around hers without saying a word, granting my permission.

— — —

“So that’s how it went, Boss. It wasn’t my intention, but… well, I guess it’s a win for us, right?”

As I reported to him, I eagerly anticipated his praise.

As expected, he was very pleased, joyfully declaring it an unparalleled achievement.

“At this level, Butler might be deeply impressed as well. You did really well, Blanca!”

My tail quivered from his praise, but I feigned indifference, saying it was nothing special.

“So, can you pull off about three more of those things in the future?”

“Um… that might be a bit… tough?”

I knew he was joking with that suggestion, but I immediately changed my demeanor upon hearing it.

I couldn’t even joke that it was possible.

Sure, I could secretly poke the hornet’s nest once, but doing it twice would be pushing it.

“Hahaha, just kidding. You’ve already done more than enough, Blanca. There’s nothing more delightful than watching future rivals self-destruct.”

“Hehe…”

“But… there’s something a bit off about it afterward. Mind if I ask a little?”

“What do you mean?”

Not really understanding what was off, I asked him back, and he was curious why I cared about the kids’ mental health.

…Um, well. That’s…

“I’m trying to buy trust from Heros Company. If students help each other out while cheering on each other, it’ll look good from Heros Company’s perspective, right? If they like it, they might toss us some crumbs.”

And with those crumbs, I could trace back to uncover more hidden aspects of Heros Company.

After saying that, he remarked that he didn’t realize I was thinking that deeply and optimistically viewed the future of the Liberators.

“Preparation for full-scale activities is steady… and above all, having competent subordinates like you means there’s nothing to fear.”

“It’s good to have confidence, but…”

“Ah, I know. I won’t be careless. Even if my condition is slightly off, the opponent is Heros Company.”

That was good enough, so I said I was going to leave now.

…Soon, huh.

 

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