"Investigator, don’t come to work starting tomorrow."
"...Huh?"
A few weeks ago, when She had taken me along as a bodyguard under the pretense of going to the beach with friends.
Seizing a moment when no one else was around, Arte-nim had ordered me not to come to work.
I had panicked, wondering if She was dissatisfied with how I handled my duties.
Since I didn’t want to abandon Arachne’s work, I had resolved to persuade Arte-nim.
But the conversation that followed wasn’t quite what I had expected.
"But I still have Arachne—!"
"...Ah. Not the organization, the Association. I’ve already contacted them."
"The Association?"
"Yes, the Association. I think you should take on some different work."
She flashed me a bright smile.
Her hair swayed in the wind, her laughter was cheerful.
And then there was the bikini She had gone all out to style, like any girl Her age would.
No matter how I looked at it, She didn’t seem like the leader of Arachne—the nightmare of villains.
...While I was momentarily dazzled by Her appearance, what was it She had said?
Oh right. She had said this:
Make the students find their motivation.
Keep their spirits from breaking against the villains.
"On the day of the end-of-term ceremony, all of you witnessed countless villains shattering the peace with your own eyes."
"..."
It was the same story Claire had just told them.
Yet the students fell silent once more.
Real combat was always dangerous and shocking for first-timers.
That was why students were sent into the field only after thorough preparation.
This year, preparation had been impossible, so even after resting, the mere mention of that day brought the memories flooding back.
...Well, that was good for me.
There were always a lot of students who turned to villainy, and it had been a headache. If they developed trauma, those numbers would decrease.
I didn’t want to see wide-eyed kids screaming for their mothers as they died.
But that was just my personal sentiment.
The Academy and the Association had been in quite the predicament.
If students gave up on becoming Heroes, the already dire manpower shortage in the superhuman society would only worsen.
On top of that, a considerable number of teachers had been injured.
With some requiring months of recovery, there simply weren’t enough people left to teach.
"You must have been afraid. I understand. The first villain I encountered terrified me too. *Could I really defeat them? What would happen if I lost?* ...But didn’t any other emotions come to mind besides fear?"
That was why the Association and Arte-nim had decided to use me.
Villains were being strongly suppressed for now, so things seemed stable, but society was like a powder keg that could explode at any moment.
They needed as many as possible, as quickly as possible.
They needed blades to carve out the cancer eating away at society.
Even knowing the students might be in danger, the reason they were holding the midterms in this manner was part of that effort.
The students’ trauma might be stirred up. They might crumble before the terrifying wall in front of them.
...That was why I was the right person for the job. Why Arachne was the right choice.
As a member of an organization that hated villains, I could awaken the students.
I could overlay their trauma with hatred.
"I heard many civilians in the commercial district near the Academy were injured. Some even died."
"..."
"After my first fight with a villain, I felt the same fear as all of you. And I felt anger too."
I could see the expressions of several students darken instantly.
Family? Or perhaps a close acquaintance?
I didn’t know. But one thing was clear—they had been connected to the victims.
If that was the case, then it was simple. Turning that sorrow into another emotion wouldn’t be hard.
"Why should we fear villains? Shouldn’t the ones who committed crimes be the ones afraid? As those who judge villains, didn’t you feel rage toward them?"
"...I’m so angry. Why did those bastards have to—why did my uncle—!"
"There was this kind aunt who ran a shop, but I haven’t seen her lately. I wonder if something happened to her..."
"...They were good people."
Frustration and grief swirled in their expressions.
But at the same time, they began to feel anger toward those who had caused such emotions.
"Iha-Yul, what the hell is this—"
"Remember that pain. And recall those who caused it."
I pried open the wounds in their hearts that had begun to heal.
Wounds that time, that great healer, had slowly mended—I tore them back open and put them on display. And then I showed them.
Behold, these are the ones who hurt you. Judge them.
They may be stronger than you.
But don’t worry. We’re here. You will grow stronger.
We need you to be strong.
"Feel fear, but also feel anger. And strive to bring the hammer of justice down upon them. That’s why I came—to help you."
I glanced at Claire out of the corner of my eye.
She must be wondering what the hell was going on.
I felt a twinge of guilt, but I had no intention of stopping.
The world was bound to descend into chaos soon.
The students on the front lines, fighting villains and monsters, had to grow strong.
Like me and you—they couldn’t afford to be crushed by trauma.
"Let me introduce myself again. I am Iha-Yul, a Psychic Crime Investigator. I will teach you how to restrain and transport criminals, basic legal knowledge, and the fundamentals of combat against human opponents."
Clap, clap, clap.
A few students, deeply moved by my words, began to applaud. Soon, the rest, swept up in the moment, joined in.
...Good. Looks like I’ve sewn the first button properly.
I’d dug up their trauma, put it on display, and redirected their arrows of rage at the source.
Now all I had to do was keep feeding the fire so the anger wouldn’t die down.
Emotion was the driving force of people. The more intense and powerful the emotion, the more it moved them.
If I could keep that flame alive, they’d be an asset to the Association.
Seeing Arte-nim smiling proudly, as if to say *well done*, filled me with satisfaction.
"Iha-Yul!"
"Ah, Claire. Long time no see."
"Y-you, you! What the hell was that just now—!"
Claire was flustered, clearly intending to scold me.
Well, I couldn’t blame her. From her perspective, this was a sudden, reckless act. Even if the Association had ordered it, she probably wouldn’t accept it.
Claire had always been so rigidly just that it could be frustrating.
She must think it’s wrong to provoke the students like this.
"I know, Claire. You want to ask how I could stir up the students like this, right?"
"You knew and did it anyway?! Do you even realize what you just—!"
"I know. I know very well. I know you hate this kind of thing."
"If you keep acting on impulse like that, you’ll get seriously hurt one day!"
"...Is acting on emotion always a bad thing?"
"What?"
Claire stared at me, stunned, as if she never expected me to talk back to her.
...Honestly, I was surprised too. Because I’d always thought the same way. When was the last time I’d argued with Claire? It had been years.
Ever since we were students, the three of us had stuck together.
Claire and I had never gotten along well. Our personalities clashed too much.
She was all about moderation, while I just wanted to skate by on everything.
She’d scold me, I’d brush it off. Then she’d get mad and scold me again...
It had been an endless cycle of nagging—until she was no longer there to stop it with a smile.
"I met the one who killed Hana."
"What?! That—what?! That bastard got out?! Where is he now—?!"
"Don’t worry. I already killed him."
"?!"
As I said it, the memory flashed back so vividly that a smile tugged at my lips.
That piece of trash hadn’t even been worth using my Ability on.
I’d done it with my own hands. Twisted his neck myself.
Ah, how exhilarating his suffering had been.
"Y-You... You killed him?! But that—!"
"A villain? No, it’s different. This wasn’t that."
"How is it different?!"
"It was justice. Not revenge. A fitting punishment for a guilty sinner who’d never paid for his crimes."
Someone had once said:
Revenge begets revenge. To break the cycle, you must learn to forgive.
Revenge isn’t sweet, they’d said.
They were wrong.
I could swear that was the happiest I’d been since she died.
That moment when I snuffed out his life with my own hands—I’d never forget it.
"Sorry, Claire. I would’ve saved some for you, but... life only comes in one per person. First come, first served, right?"
"Y-You... You..."
"I know you’re probably thinking revenge isn’t right. But here’s the thing—every hero is a revenge-seeker, you know?"
Heroes only appear after villains do.
That’s been true for centuries.
And that’s why heroes always take revenge.
To protect society. To uphold justice.
They punish the guilty. That’s what makes them heroes.
"Don’t worry, nothing extreme will happen. I don’t want to create more criminals. That’d just mean more work for me."
"Lee Hayul... You’ve changed."
"Of course I have, Claire. Years have passed since then."
She seemed to realize that no matter what she said, I wouldn’t listen. Her expression darkened as she stared at me, and I just smiled back.
"Don’t worry, Claire. I’ll make sure your students grow strong."
Because I don’t want anyone else to go through the same pain we did.