Chapter 367: Heroine Stealer [2]
It seemed to be working.
Maybe a little too well.
Honestly, I wasn’t doing anything special.
Back at the orphanage, there had been all kinds of children.
Some cried loudly.
Some threw tantrums.
Some picked fights.
Those were easy to handle.
The difficult ones were always the mature kids.
The ones who insisted they were fine.
The ones who tried to solve everything alone.
The ones who sat quietly in a corner pretending nothing was wrong.
No matter how mature they acted, they were still children.
Eventually, the pressure became too much.
Then they’d hide somewhere and cry where nobody could see them.
For those kids, comforting them wasn’t complicated.
You just had to give them an excuse.
You’re not usually like this.
You’re just being honest right now.
It’s okay to lean on someone for a little while.
Once they believed that, the walls they built around themselves usually started crumbling.
Then all you had to do was listen.
Maybe share a snack.
Pat their head.
Wait patiently.
Simple.
At least, it had always worked before.
So when Lena suddenly started acting differently, I instinctively used the same approach.
I honestly didn’t expect much.
Yet somehow—
It worked.
A little too well.
I looked down.
Lena was still holding my hand.
Her emerald eyes had completely lost their usual sharpness.
The confidence.
The composure.
The professionalism.
All of it was gone.
In its place was a strangely vulnerable expression.
A relaxed expression.
A trusting expression.
The kind of expression people only showed someone they felt safe around.
Which was...
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Not physically.
Mentally.
Because no matter how you looked at it, Lena was beautiful.
Ridiculously beautiful.
And watching a beautiful woman look at me like that was definitely not helping my concentration.
"Rin."
"Hm?"
Her voice was quiet.
Almost hesitant.
"Is it really okay?"
"What’s okay?"
She lowered her gaze briefly.
Then looked back up.
"To stop being a hero for a little while."
"..."
"Just when I’m with you."
The words were soft.
Almost fragile.
A question she had probably wanted to ask for a long time.
"Can I stop carrying everything for a little while?"
The room became quiet.
I answered immediately.
"Of course."
No hesitation.
No complicated reasoning.
Just the truth.
Lena stared at me.
"...Of course."
A faint smile appeared on her lips.
Then—
Ding.
I froze.
What?
Achievement Unlocked.
"..."
No.
Absolutely not.
—Heroine Fully Captured.
"..."
Please stop.
Title Acquired: Heroine Stealer.
"..."
Who named these things?
Congratulations on your first successful capture.
You have become this individual’s most precious person.
I nearly choked.
This system was insane.
Completely insane.
What did "capture" even mean?
Was I collecting Pokémon now?
Meanwhile, Lena remained completely unaware of the existential crisis happening inside my head.
Her eyes sparkled slightly.
A strange warmth lingered within them.
Not admiration.
Not gratitude.
Something much deeper.
Something much more dangerous.
"Thank you."
"No, it’s really not a big—"
"It is."
She interrupted gently.
Then smiled.
A small smile.
A genuine one.
For some reason, that smile felt more dangerous than all the villains I’d fought recently.
"Rin."
"Yeah?"
She squeezed my hand slightly.
Then asked—
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
Big mistake.
Huge mistake.
Possibly the greatest mistake of my life.
Because Lena took a small breath.
Gathered her courage.
Looked directly into my eyes.
And asked,
"Can I kiss you?"
"..."
My brain stopped.
Completely.
Not slowed down.
Not confused.
Stopped.
Like someone had unplugged it.
Several seconds passed.
The room remained silent.
Lena blinked.
Apparently realizing what she’d just said.
Then her face turned red.
Very red.
Incredibly red.
The kind of red that made it look like steam should be coming out of her head.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Neither of us spoke.
Neither of us moved.
I wasn’t even sure if I was breathing anymore.
Then—
Lena covered her face with both hands.
"...I said that out loud."
"Yes."
"I meant to think it."
"..."
"I wasn’t supposed to say it."
"Professor."
"I know."
"Professor."
"I know!"
Her entire face disappeared behind her hands.
The embarrassment flooding from her was almost tangible.
Meanwhile, my brain was still desperately trying to restart.
Because there was a huge difference between comforting a crying professor...
And whatever this situation had suddenly become.
A very huge difference.
Lena groaned.
A muffled sound escaped from behind her hands.
Then she slowly, remove her hands and looked straight into my eyes and said.
"You don’t want to?"
She had seemed like a child just moments ago, but now she was exuding a different kind of charm that was different from usual.
Yes, it was the allure of an adult woman, the opposite of her childlike demeanor from before.
The room suddenly felt much smaller.
Far too small.
I stared at Lena.
Lena stared at me.
Neither of us looked away.
A moment ago, she had looked like someone who desperately needed comfort.
Now—
Now she looked like a woman.
A very beautiful woman.
A very beautiful woman looking directly into my eyes while asking a question I wasn’t remotely prepared to answer.
"You don’t want to?" She asked again while looking straight into my eyes.
Her voice was soft.
Not teasing.
Not playful.
Not manipulative.
If anything, she sounded vulnerable.
Which somehow made this ten times more dangerous.
Because if she had been joking, I could have laughed it off.
If she had been teasing me, I could have changed the subject.
But she wasn’t.
She was serious.
Completely serious.
And that made my brain hurt.
A lot.
"...Professor."
Lena’s shoulders trembled slightly.
The title seemed to remind her of reality.
A tiny crack appeared in her courage.
Her gaze wavered.
Then she forced herself to keep looking at me.
"...You didn’t answer."
Of course I didn’t answer.
How was I supposed to answer?
My mind felt like it had been hit by one of Leo’s lightning spears.
Several times.
Simultaneously.
I opened my mouth.
Then closed it.
Opened it again.
Nothing came out.
Lena watched the entire process.
For some reason, that only made her blush harder.
"...I sound ridiculous, don’t I?"
"No."
The answer came out immediately.
Too immediately.
Lena blinked.
So did I.
Apparently, my mouth had decided to act independently from my brain.
"...No?" she repeated.
"No."
The silence returned.
Neither of us knew what to do with that answer.
Lena’s heartbeat was loud enough that I could almost hear it.
Or maybe that was mine.
Honestly, it was hard to tell at this point.