n

n

nAn awkward silence enveloped the rooftop. Apart from the occasional chirps from the birds flying in the sky, no other sound resounded across the space.

n-Step -Step -Step

nArriving on the edge of the rooftop, standing next to me, Kevin placed his hands on the handrails and looked at Hollberg in the distance.

nAside from the occasional ambulance squeals coming from below, the city of Hollberg looked calm and peaceful.

nAs Kevin and I watched the city in silence, a strange yet relaxing atmosphere enveloped us. It was as if all of our worries were gone for a split second.

nFor a short period of time, neither of us spoke. We just calmly watched the city below us.

n

"It's peaceful isn't it?

"

nAfter a short pause, breaking the silence, whilst looking at the city below him, Kevin opened his mouth.

n

"It sure is...

"

nNodding my head whilst keeping my eyes on the city below, I responded.

nFrom where I stood I could see children and adults playing in the park across the hospital. People walking along the roads to get to work, and cars honking at each other.

nIt really was peaceful...

n

"Thanks

"

nOnce again breaking the silence, Kevin thanked me.

n

"...

"

nClosing my eyes, I didn't respond immediately.

n...I didn't know how to respond.

nIf I answered wasn't I just basically confirming to Kevin that I was indeed the one that had killed the black-clad individual?

nbut...

n

"...Sure

"

nIn the end, those were the words that came out of my mouth.

nGlancing at Kevin from the side, I had come to the realization that denying was pointless.

nHaving created Kevin myself, I knew that he wasn't a brain-dead protagonist. No matter how much I tried to deny it, he had already figured out what had happened.

nWhat was the point of denying something that was already obvious...?

nHearing my reply, whilst still looking at the city in the distance, Kevin smiled.

n

"You know, you seem like a completely different person compared to yesterday...

"

nPausing, Kevin briefly glanced at me before leaning back on the handrail and once again looking back at the city.

n

"...you look more human

"

n

"...

"

nTaken aback for a second, recalling what had happened the night prior, bitterly smiling, I responded

n

"Well, the circumstances forced me to be that way...

"

n

"Circumstances, huh...

"

nRepeating the word a few times, Kevin's brows knit for a few seconds before relaxing.

nGlancing at me from the side he said

n

"...were they the same circumstances that caused you to attack Jin?

"

nBitterly shaking my head whilst gazing at the clouds in the sky, I smiled

n

"Would you believe me if I told you it was for his own benefit?

"

nTilting his head, Kevin thought for a moment before nodding.

n

"More or less

"

nSurprised, I turned my head in Kevin's direction

n

"What made you agree with what I said?

"

n

"I wouldn't have believed you if it was before, but having just come back from visiting Jin, I along with the others managed to notice a change in him...

"

n

"I don't know what you did, but Jin has become a lot easier to talk to. Though he still is somewhat arrogant, it isn't as bad as it was before. Moreover, the way he looked at me was different...

"

nPlacing his finger on his chin, Kevin thought for a bit before saying

n

"...hmm, if before there was a hint of hostility, right now it's completely gone. It's as if he is a new person.

"

n

"At least that's how I feel when I look at him now.

"

nListening to Kevin speak I was honestly quite surprised.

nIt seems like what I did under the effects of Monarch indifference paid off. It was a gamble. A risky one at that, but I'm glad Jin managed to somewhat pick himself back up.

nThough I don't know whether he still hated me for what I did, as long as he was back to normal, that was all that mattered to me.

nSimilar to Kevin, with me being the author, I knew Jin's personality the best.

nI knew that even after what I had done to him, he wouldn't target my family.

nWith the pride he had, he would never attack someone else's family. For someone like him, if he resorted to such a method, he had already lost.

nPerhaps, this was why I went extra harsh on him once I was under the effects of Monarch indifference

n...but I wasn't sure.

nIf I repeated what I did to someone else that wasn't Jin, I could only imagine the consequences of my action.

nJust imaging it sent shivers down my spine.

nOnce again, my apprehension towards Monarch indifference grew.

n...I quickly needed to adjust my mentality.

nSeeing me fall into deep thought, Kevin hesitated for a bit before saying something that had been bugging his mind since yesterday.

n

"...Why are you hiding your skills?

"

nHearing Kevin's voice, I snapped out of my thoughts. Processing his question for a couple of seconds, I shook my head and looked at him with a trace of pity in my eyes.

n

"...you should know the answer better than anyone else

"

nLeaning backward on the handrail, Kevin thought for a moment before breaking into a light chuckle

n

"I guess you're right, it was stupid of me to ask

"

nSmiling, I took a better look at Kevin. One thing I noticed as I looked at Kevin was that under his eyes were thick dark circles. Thinking for a bit, since he used Overdrive, I figured he was probably exhausted.

nThough the skill was very strong, its side-effects were just as strong as the skill was. From the way Kevin looked, it seems like he still needed a couple of days of rest before being able to recover fully...

n

"Well that's my cue

"

nAfter looking at the city below for a couple of more minutes, I closed my eyes and decided to leave. Although it wasn't long, my talk with Kevin managed to somehow calm me down.

n

"hmm

"

nWithout saying anything, Kevin nodded. Basking under the sunlight, he was already lost in his own world.

nI couldn't blame him though. With what had happened, I'm sure he was blaming himself a lot.

n...that's just who he was

nLetting out a long sigh, just as I was about to leave, thinking for a bit, I looked at Kevin and solemnly said

n

"Before I leave let me tell you something important

"

n

"What

"

nSeeing how solemn my voice was, Kevin snapped out of his thoughts and his ears perked up

nGlancing left and right to make sure no one was looking, I looked at Kevin straight in the eye and said

n

"Makeup remover serves as a great women repeller

"

n

"...

"

n

"Bye

"

n-Clank!

nClosing the door behind me, I leisurely walked down the stairs. After a short pause, Kevin's laughter echoed throughout the rooftop. It was so loud that I could even hear it all the way down to where I was.

nShaking my head I too smiled.

nAlthough he was trying his best not to show it, I knew that he was currently under immense pressure.

nDifferently from me, however, his guilt stemmed from the fact of how weak and helpless he felt as he watching his fellow classmates die before his eyes.

nIn spite of him feeling a different kind of guilt compared to me, I sort of sympathized with how he was feeling.

n...Hopefully, my little joke helped him take his mind off of things for a bit.

nShaking my head one more time, I headed downstairs back to the hospital lobby.

n'It's tough being the main protagonist'

n...

n

"Welcome

"

nArriving at the entrance of the hospital, Donna brightly smiled.

nStanding in front of the hospital entrance a muscular male with a clean-shaven head and sunglasses indifferently glanced at his surroundings. His demenour was cold and his expression didn't change even after Donna came.

n

"Hmm

"

nSlightly nodding his head towards Donna, the muscular man's face remained aloof.

nSmiling slightly in response, Donna looked around to see if there was someone else. According to the call she received, there were two important figures coming today

n

"Eyoo Donna!

"

n..and just when she was about to look for the other person, it was at that moment that a charming voice and scent flowed towards Donna. Just by hearing the voice, Donna could instantly tell who it was.

n

"It's good to see you again Monica

"

nPeeking from behind the muscular man, a young girl with dark orange hair came out.

nSurrounded by a bright aura, Monica happily smiled in Donna's direction. She had crystal clear blue eyes and measured up to 160 cm in height.

nContrary to Donna's seductive beauty, her beauty leaned more towards the innocent side.

n

"haha, how long has it been since we've seen each other?

"

n

"I'd say half a year

"

n

"Hmm, that's actually shorter than I thought

"

n

"Well, with how busy you usually are, it'd be a surprise if half a year felt short.

"

nExagerately sighing, Monica looked at Donna with envy

n

"Ahhh, maybe I should've gone to teach at the lock with you

"

nSmiling, Donna shook her head

n

"Your fault for choosing money over happiness

"

n

"I'm starting to really regret my decision now...

"

nLooking at the girl before her, Donna couldn't help but think back at her past.

nShe along with Monica graduated from the lock. However, differently from her, Monica chose to join the union instead of teaching at the lock.

nAt that time their powers were about the same, but five years later, thanks to all of the support she got from the union, she was now Ranked 27 in the Hero ranking.

nShe was nicknamed 'The Sunset Witch'

nHer powers were so devastating that the union had placed heavy emphasis on her.

nThey had high hopes for her. Due to how outstanding she had been in recent years, they all thought that she was going to be the next SS ranked Hero.

nThat's how outstanding she was...

n

"Monica, stop chatting, and let's get our jobs over with

"

nDisrupting their conversation, the tall muscular man spoke

n

"Jeez, why are you always so uptight with everything, George?

"

n

"...

"

nIgnoring Monica, the tall muscular man named George glanced at Donna. He was hinting at her to hurry up.

n

"How about you first come into the hospital instead of waiting at the entrance?

"

nTaking the hint, looking around her, Donna noticed that the atmosphere around them was tense.

nAlmost suffocating.

nThis was partly due to how enormous their presences were. Although they weren't consciously releasing it, it was still felt by everyone around them.

n

"This way

"

nWithout skipping a beat, gesturing for them to follow her, Donna walked towards a more secluded space in the hospital.

n

"Alrighty

"

nHappily smiling, Monica and George followed Donna.

nOnly after they left that everything returned to its usual calm.

n...

nArriving at a more luxurious space inside of the hospital, Donna brought them into a private room.

nGesturing for them to sit down anywhere, Donna took off her coat and sat on a sofa.

n

"So what do I owe you the pleasure of coming here for?

"

nGlancing at George for a second, Monica raised two fingers

n

"We have two objectives to achieve

"

n

"One is to deliver a certain equipment to the agents, two, see a certain student...

"

nHearing the first part of her sentence, Donna nodded. Naturally, in order to accurately measure if demons and villains were involved in the incident, special equipment was required. If not, it would be much harder to determine whether this was done by a villain or someone else.

nHowever, after hearing the second half of Monica's sentence Donna frowned.

n

"Who is the student you got your interest in?

"

n

"Kevin Voss

"

n

"Kevin?

"

n

"Yes

"

nHearing Kevin's name being mentioned, Donna's frown deepened

n

"What do you need to see him for?

"

nCutting Monica before she could answer, George spoke

n

"It's none of your business

"

n

"Oh? I would like to disagree since he is my student

"

nRaising her brow, Donna looked at George and released her S ranked pressure.

n

"Hmph!

"

nNot wanting to be outdone, George too released his pressure.

nInstantly the room shook.

n

"Hey, both of you calm down.

"

nNoticing that the situation was quickly getting out of control, Monica stepped in.

n-Wooosh!

nInstantly both of their pressure disappeared as a more monstrous one enveloped the both of them.

n

"khh..

"

n

"Khhh...Monica stop I get it

"

nEnveloped by such monstrous pressure, both Goerge and Donna felt as if a truck had rammed into them.

nThey could barely move their bodies.

nSeeing that they had both calmed down, Monica's pressure disappeared.

n

"Pheewww, you know I don't like doing this sort of stuff

"

nFlicking her hair to the side, Monica leaned back on her chair. Looking back at Donna she said

n

"It's nothing worrisome, we just wanted to have a nice chat with him

"

nHelplessly sighing, Donna looked at Monica with a complicated expression before saying

n

"...you aren't thinking of recruiting him right? If so, discard that thought immediately. He still needs to graduate from the lock before he is allowed to step foot into the union

"

n

"We know, we know, we aren't here to recruit him, but more like observe him

"

nSeeing the slight hostility in Donna's eyes, Monica reassured her. Lightly tapping on the armrest of the chair, Monica looked at the ceiling of the room before softly mumbling

n

"We also have a couple of other people in mind...but they might be harder to recruit since their parents might want them in their guild...

"

nPretending to not have heard the latter half of her sentence, Donna nodded.

n

"hmm, if you promise me you won't be doing anything out of order I can allow you to meet him

"

n

"Thank you, Donna, you're the best!

"

nHappily standing up, Monica jumped in Donna's direction

n

"Stooop, don't come near me—

"

n