“Is this the place?”

As Siwoo looked around, a scene that was hard to believe was from the same city was revealed.

The outdated facilities and buildings created an eerie atmosphere.

If there weren’t people wandering around, it could pass for a ghost town.

Is it because it’s a city recently liberated from monsters?

“Wow, even people live in a place like this…”

Amelia also began to look around with eyes mixed with curiosity and pity.

People walking on the street began to glare at them.

‘Do they realize we’re outsiders from her reaction?’

“Wh-What is it? Why?”

“…Sigh. I’m sorry.”

After apologizing to the passersby, Siwoo said bitter words to Amelia.

“People here don’t like people like us very much, so be careful. I heard the public safety isn’t very good.”

“Wh-What? They’re not superhumans, so there’s no way they could have heard my voice from that distance.”

“Well, that may be true, but your appearance isn’t like that.”

“Appearance?… Ah.”

She finally understood.

Those people aren’t well-off enough to dress up like Amelia.

Her noble-looking appearance and seemingly valuable accessories.

They were looking at her with eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and desire.

There’s only one reason why those people didn’t pick a fight with them.

It’s because they were wearing academy uniforms.

Even if they fought, they would have no way to win.

“Why did you even come here in the first place?”

“… Can’t I come? I’m also Arte’s friend, you know?”

“No, I’m not saying you can’t, but…”

It’s not the first or second time he’s acted together with Amelia, so it didn’t particularly bother him.

The problem is that it was only the two of them.

“Shouldn’t you be moving with Dorothy?”

Dorothy and Amelia are in the same group.

That’s why he thought Amelia wouldn’t come. Because she had to move with Dorothy.

Dorothy doesn’t even know Arte’s true identity.

So he left Amelia behind, but she walked alongside him at some point.

‘Don’t tell me she left Dorothy behind and moved alone.’

“Don’t worry. She allowed it.”

“…Allowed?”

“Yeah. When I explained the situation, she understood.”

Ah.

Siwoo felt like he knew what had happened without even looking.

Dorothy, who is emotionally sensitive, tends to be obsessed with romance.

So, she must have easily fallen for Amelia’s sweet talk.

“Sigh… Do as you please.”

“As always!”

“…”

She’s quite talkative today.

Thinking that continuing to argue like this would only give him a headache, Siwoo decided not to pay any more attention to it.

It’s not like it’s the first or second time she did as she pleased.

“It’s definitely around here, but… How are you going to find her?”

“Huh?”

“…What, you came without any plan? How are you going to find Arte in this city?!”

Amelia raised her voice as if dumbfounded.

‘Why is that even a question?’

“We’ll find her if we just keep walking.”

“What?!”

“Come on, let’s go. I have a feeling it’s this way.”

“H-Hey?!”

***

“…H-Hey. Where are you going?! Do you know the way?!”

“No, I don’t. This is my first time here.”

Is he crazy? No, he’s definitely crazy.

Amelia was convinced.

Siwoo was definitely not in his right mind.

It’s a city that he said has poor public safety.

An area with such strong vigilance towards outsiders that hostility can be felt.

At first, she looked around curiously, but she got tired of the gazes she felt with every step she took.

Eyes that glimmered with all sorts of desires and jealousy.

‘If people like that gained abilities, they would surely commit something.’

But after saying it’s dangerous with his mouth, he’s striding forward in a place he doesn’t know the way.

“Let’s go back, Siwoo. It’s dangerous here. Even if we’re metahumans, there’s no need to take risks…”

“I don’t know the way back, though?”

“What?!”

Siwoo sometimes asked her if she was crazy.

Now, she wanted to say those words back to him.

You’re the crazy one!

“You can go back if you want to. You can get out quickly if you run a bit.”

“That may be true, but…! You’re here?!”

What’s the point of leaving him alone?

‘If I leave this guy behind in such a dangerous place and something happens, I won’t be able to sleep peacefully at night.’

She didn’t want that.

Sleep is one of the joys of life.

“We need to get out quickly…!”

“Ah, found it.”

“…What?”

“Over there, do you see that person? I got a feeling.”

A feeling, he says.

He’s been moving forward with confident steps even though he said he doesn’t know the way.

It was movement filled with certainty, but he just went where he felt was right?

Amelia suddenly remembered Siwoo’s ability.

Intuition.

Didn’t he say just a few months ago that it only reacts to attacks?

‘That crazy bastard. How fast is he growing?’

He moved without hesitation as if following quest markers in an open-world game.

“…Wh-What is it? W, who are you!”

When Siwoo stopped, they found a man sitting on the ground.

A completely different person from Arte.

But Amelia decided to believe in Siwoo.

“Hey, mister. Have you seen a girl who looks like she has her eyes closed? A black-haired girl with a big chest.”

“H-Hiik! I don’t know anything!”

So he does know.

Amelia became envious of Siwoo’s ability.

She had never envied anyone else’s ability before.

‘This monster…he can find lost items with ease!’

“What is it, Amelia? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Lend me your ability next time.”

“?”

There were quite a few things that were definitely somewhere in the house because it was too big, but she couldn’t find them.

Amelia began to make plans to invite Siwoo to her house next time to find many things she knows are somewhere inside.

‘When would be a good time…’

“Don’t worry. We’re not here to harm you. We just have something to ask.”

“H-How can I trust that…!”

“Hmm…”

While she was distracted by his ability for a moment, Siwoo was pondering something.

Though distracted and not listening, she knew what he was thinking about.

How to make him speak without violence.

That’s probably what he’s worrying about.

…But he’s not really omnipotent after all. He can’t directly go to where Arte is, can he?

If he grows like that, he might become an investigator.

It seemed like an ability that could directly find the culprit, skipping the entire process.

‘…Well, anyway. Since Siwoo found a clue, it’s my turn now, right?’

She was really envious of his ability, but…

There are still some things she was better at.

“Mister. Take this.”

“Th-This is…”

“It’s not fake, so don’t worry. It’s quite expensive, you know?”

“…”

Gulp.

She could feel another emotion growing within the man.

Greed.

Well, it’s not often that someone living in a place like this gets a chance to obtain a gold ornament.

He tried to snatch it from her hand, but she pulled it back before he could grab it.

“If you tell us where the person we’re looking for went, I might give you more.”

“…A-Are you serious?”

“Of course. I’m serious, mister. I’m rich.”

Of course, it was her dad’s money.

But money is meant to be spent.

‘If I tell Grandpa and Dad that I spent some money helping a friend, won’t they forgive me?’

…They will, right? Right?

Amelia already felt the nagging in her ears.

‘Well, what’s done is done.’

A little bit of scolding never hurt anyone.

“S-She went into that alley over there.”

“Further inside? Why did she go in?”

“I don’t know. She was looking for Arachne… They said they were looking for Arachne. With an investigator!”

“An investigator?”

“I don’t know if they were real or fake, but anyway, that’s what they said!”

Arte was with an investigator?

…Why?

Arachne is an organization that the association is keeping a close eye on.

‘Hmm, I don’t really understand.’

She handed the bracelet in her hand.

“Here, take it.”

“Oh, ooh…!”

“Let’s go, Siwoo.”

“W-Wait. I have one more thing to say.”

“Huh?”

The man, who had been staring at the jewelry with entranced eyes, spoke to her.

With all doubts removed, to show goodwill to the person who gave him a precious item.

“Arachne is active around here.”

“That’s obvious since it was even on the news. I know that too. They’re just impersonators.”

“S-So… That’s…”

“If you have nothing more to say…”

“Wait, Amelia. Let’s hear more.”

“Those guys, there are quite a lot of them!”

‘There are a lot of them?’

Perhaps noticing their interest, he continued.

“T-The recently disappeared Übermensch…! The guys who were oppressed by them are all impersonating Arachne. The number is enormous.”

“…It doesn’t seem like it will be a problem.”

“No, no. It’s a maze here.”

“…A maze?”

“Because the recaptured areas were hastily built up, the roads are twisted here and there, so it’s easy to get lost even for the locals. So if you let your guard down…”

Only then did she realize what he was trying to say.

A maze-like terrain.

Criminals lurking using the name Arachne.

It might be dangerous if they were attacked by surprise.

Maybe that’s what he wanted to say.

“…Thanks, mister.”

“I-It’s for the money.”

Amelia spent well today.

_____________________

Author’s Notes

I want to have my own ‘world’ like the Author.