Chapter 20 : If you made a mistake, just apologize (3)

About 30 minutes ago from now.

“Isn’t this too suspicious…?”

It was right before boarding the limousine to return to City D with Miss Hoshino.

To be honest, I didn’t particularly care if I just went back like this.

It wasn’t my business in the first place.

Whether that vicious young lady, who pulled a tooth out of my mouth, got beaten at home like a dog on a midsummer’s day was none of my concern.

Of course, I would feel some sympathy.

But aside from that, the countless bait they threw out when they left the principal’s office just now…

For a moment, there was a person who gave off the scent of a monster.

And Carmilla, who was being abused as if it were the most natural thing under that kind of mother.

As a veteran player of <Monster Frontline>…

Ah, damn it.

How am I supposed to resist this kind of bait?

I can’t hold back.

This is like having early-access content unlocked before the original story even begins.

Therefore.

“…Miss, I’ll just head back alone.”

“Huh? Why? We even brought a car for this!”

They both shouldn’t have left City E yet.

Thinking that, I took on the persona of a young boy who enjoys ‘solitude,’ a vibe that only boys of this age can pull off.

I gazed at the distant mountains and solemnly muttered,

“It’s just… I just want to be alone today.”

“…? No, but why?”

“It’s just one of those things, Miss.”

“?”

Since Miss Hoshino was around my age, she didn’t immediately buy into my ‘teenage angst’ act.

But she wasn’t the one I was aiming for in the first place.

“Hmm, I understand, young master. Then we shall leave first.”

“Huh? N-Nanny?!”

As expected, the nanny.

Like a true life veteran, she caught on immediately.

At that, I smiled brightly, waved goodbye to the confused Miss Hoshino, and parted ways.

By the time the limousine left the school and disappeared beyond the horizon on the road…

Bzzzt—bzzzt—

A monster story cliché.

Right when the main characters are having inner turmoil, a monster appears to shift the scene into a battle so things don’t get too heavy.

As if following that exact world-building formula, the monster alert sirens began blaring across the entire City E.

“Let’s go.”

While everyone’s attention was focused on evacuating, I quickly slipped into the men’s restroom.

“Graaaaaaah!”

And in a place without CCTV, I transformed into a monster.

Then, well…

“A-A monster!”

“A monster just came out of the restroom…?”

Taking on the role of a monster with proper restroom etiquette, I leapt high into the sky, following the scent of the real monster that had appeared in City E.

‘Carmilla is a hero, so she’ll definitely be somewhere near the monster’s location.’

But what in the world is this?

Following the monster’s scent, I ended up on a road at the outskirts of the city, surrounded by nothing but fields and forests.

“Uwooooooh—!”

Suddenly, a massive, bloated monster the size of a house appeared beside me as I ran.

With a grotesque, naked body and a rum barrel as large as itself slung over one shoulder, it swung its fist at me without warning.

So, I thought, might as well counterattack.

Boom!

“…Kgh?”

‘…Huh?’

The bloated monster that had tried to throw the first punch…

The moment our fists clashed, it couldn’t withstand the impact and literally exploded in an instant.

Before its guts could splatter everywhere, its severed head traced an arc in the sky and dropped onto the road beside me.

“A-A monster…?”

Since I’d already taken it down, I figured I might as well finish the job.

Just as I was about to chase after the fallen head to crush it completely—

Standing before me on the road, frowning slightly as she stared at me, was Carmilla.

‘Carmilla? As expected, she really did chase after the monster to take it down despite her condition?’

She had taken a serious beating from Miss Hoshino this morning, so her stamina must be nearly depleted.

What could possibly be driving her to fight like this?

I was curious.

Not out of sympathy, just pure curiosity.

So, as I tilted my head—

“A-A big catch…!”

“Kgh?”

The woman stepping out of the car behind Carmilla—her mother, Lazerita.

She was staring at me with a hungry look, her voice filled with emotion, as if she had just struck gold.

“So it’s you. The monster that took down Okami Makoto, the head of the D City family… in other words, the S-Class hero known as the Flash Fox.”

“A-A monster that defeated an S-Class hero?! Mother!”

“That’s right. And there won’t be a better catch than this.”

At the same time, she gave her daughter an absolutely absurd order.

“The plan has changed a little, but this is actually better.”

“Mother?”

“Carmilla. Kill that monster right now.”

“…W-What?!”

“Kgh?”

What the hell is she saying?

No, if she really knew about me, giving such an order made even less sense.

Because, even though it was a false accusation, I was still categorized as a monster dangerous enough to have supposedly taken down an S-Class hero.

In other words, to take me down, they would need at least another S-Class hero on the level of Lord Makoto.

And yet, she was sending Carmilla—who had just barely become a hero—against me?

‘What? Is she trying to get her own daughter killed?’

Is she even a parent…?

No matter how much real combat experience is essential for a hero, this was crossing the line.

And not just crossing it—obliterating it.

If I weren’t a human disguised as a monster, Carmilla would have already been reduced to an unsightly pile of red meat, buried deep underground.

“…You’re not answering?”

“!! I-I’ll do it! I’ll fight right now!”

The way she was forced to respond…

It was the same tone she used when she was relentlessly beating me up before.

‘So that’s where she picked up such a nasty habit. She’s been through it herself.’

Poor kid.

They say children are a reflection of their parents.

Seeing her, covered in wounds, being forced to fight me—it actually made my heart ache a little.

Even the best family therapists wouldn’t know what to do with this mess.

And so.

Step. Step. Step.

“Huh? W-Wait… what?”

No, what kind of bullshit is this?

If she wanted something done, she should step forward herself instead of using her child as a shield.

That’s what a real parent would do.

I ignored Carmilla, who was trembling as she tried to face me.

Instead, I walked past her and stopped right in front of someone who clearly needed some ‘treatment.’

Lazerita.

Carmilla’s mother.

“Oh? So you’re taking out the brains behind the command before the fight even starts?”

What the hell is so amusing to her?

The moment she let me walk past her daughter, Carmilla was already as good as dead.

And yet, does she really consider herself a parent?

“Why, you want to fight me instead?”

The way she sneered, the way she completely disregarded Carmilla—

It pissed me off.

“Graaaaaah—!”

So I let out a deafening roar.

Again.

Again, that scent from when we first met started seeping out of her.

The stench unique to monsters.

“My original plan was to let Carmilla take you down halfway before stepping in myself.”

“Grgh…”

“You know, to create a story? A wounded elementary school hero defeating a terrifying monster that terrorized City D! …Wouldn’t that make for a dramatic tale?”

Dramatic, huh…

Sure, if a story like that unfolded, the audience beyond the screen would cheer and clap.

Even I enjoyed stories where an underdog defeated an overwhelming foe.

But…

Would anyone still cheer if they realized it was all fabricated?

I sure wouldn’t.

So how the hell was I supposed to put a stop to this messed-up charade?

I couldn’t exactly turn Carmilla’s mother into a bloody pulp in front of her.

While I was hesitating—

Grab.

Before I knew it, Lazerita’s hand was around my throat.

“You got distracted, didn’t you?”

“Grgh?”

“And that means… you’ve lost.”

The moment she spoke with that sly smile—

“Die.”

“Grkk—?!”

A scent humans could never perceive.

That foul stench unique to monsters spread through the air in an instant.

It was overwhelming.

At the same time, my body started trembling for no reason.

As if an earthquake was raging through me.

“Kuhahahaha!”

“Kh… Khh—”

“A monster…!”

My body won’t move.

Since becoming a monster, this was the first time something like this had ever happened.

“Hahaha! See? Who told you to get distracted in the middle of a fight?”

Lazerita was looking up at me, now grinning from ear to ear.

Just as she said—I had let my guard down.

No way.

No way, I—!

“Achoo!”

“…?”

“0||?”

I sneezed.

Right in the middle of a fight.

‘The atmosphere was perfect, and now I’ve completely ruined it…’

“A… sneeze…?”

Why was I sneezing all of a sudden?

Did I catch a cold while in monster form or something?

But I didn’t feel feverish or anything like that.

As I tilted my head in confusion—

Grab.

Just a second ago, she was talking about killing me.

Now she looked completely flustered, her face full of panic.

Then, she raised her other hand, gripping my neck with both hands.

“Die! Just die already!”

…Uh.

I mean, shouldn’t you actually attack if you want to kill me?

“Achoo! Achoo!”

“H-Huh?!”

Ugh.

The weather wasn’t even cold, so why was my throat feeling so itchy?

I didn’t have any pollen allergies either, but I kept embarrassing myself at critical moments.

At this rate, today just wasn’t my day.

So—

Grab.

“Wh-What?! Let go of me!”

Lazerita seemed to be a hero like Carmilla, so this should be fine, right?

Thinking that, I grabbed her as she kept yelling for me to die.

Then, without much thought, I tossed her into the car she arrived in.

Lift!

“W-Wait, what?!”

“M-Mother?!”

“Grkkk.”

‘Go get some fresh air.’

To have a little alone time with Carmilla—

I picked up the entire car and sent it flying far, far away.

“Wait, hold on…!”

With all my strength, I hurled her beyond the city walls.

Whoosh.

“Kyaaaaaaaa!?”

“Mother?!”