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Translator: Vine
Chapter Title: First Impressions
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Hearing the news that the gang had raided Lee Ha-yul's house, I rushed over.
Damn it! Why are they causing trouble already?!
After frantically running, riding, and even teleporting, I finally arrived at Lee Ha-yul's house.
In the dark of night, a dilapidated shack stood alone, and from within it, some noise was spilling out.
"H-huh… H-huh…"
After catching my breath, I pressed my ear to the door. Seriously, they didn't even put a single lookout? Well, who'd come to a shack in the middle of the night anyway? Even a thief would see this crumbling place and just leave.
Anyway, as I listened closely, I heard sounds coming from inside.
"[P-please, please help me… Please help me… ]"
Hmm, looks like I arrived just in time.
Good thing they're not dead yet. If they were, it would have been a real disaster.
Now, I just needed to find the right moment to storm in.
So, I waited by the door for a moment.
After a brief wait, the perfect moment arrived—just as this guy was about to finish off Lee Ha-yul's younger sibling.
Alright, now's the time.
I pulled out the bomb I had prepared in advance.
Egoistic Bomb, Type 4.
A stun grenade.
KABOOOM!
The door exploded with an enormous roar.
Of course, if I'd used a full-power bomb on a shack like this, not just the door but the whole place would be gone, so this bomb had its power adjusted accordingly.
"What the hell?!"
Curses erupted from inside.
Where do these rude bastards get off swearing at me on first sight?
You could say these guys looked like they needed a bit of an education.
"Boss, I'll go out and check!"
I heard someone shout loudly from inside.
Hmm, the first sacrifice, then.
Adios, buddy.
"Who the hell are you?!"
What a pity that was his last words.
I offered a silent prayer for him and then shot him once in the head. They say a bullet to the head is good for your health. Probably?
"Damn it!!!"
"Everyone, get your guns out! The youngest one's down!"
Hmm, so the real fight begins.
Then it's time to start it.
First, I manipulated my psychokinesis to cut the power to the house's fluorescent lights. Because atmosphere is important, you see.
…And, since this was my first time fighting at night, I wanted to do it in a darker atmosphere. I'd never been out in the evening because of those damn Shadow Walkers. If you cause a commotion during the day, the atmosphere just isn't right. You need to do it at night to create a sense of intimidation.
With the power cut off,
I could feel the guys inside getting tense. No, not 'feel'—I could *see* them. My mask has built-in night vision, you see. It feels like my mask is slowly becoming the pinnacle of advanced science, but that must just be my imagination.
Anyway, to play peek-a-boo with those guys, I approached them inside. As soon as I took a step, a hysterical voice rang out: "Shoot!!!"
And then bullets started flying wildly towards me. Oh, how scary. But.
You know, I haven't used my psychokinesis at all for three months?
Of course, that doesn't mean I've gotten *that* much stronger, but I can still deflect bullets fired by these nobodies.
So, I quietly deflected all the bullets.
As I deflected them all, the bullets struck the walls of the shack, and dust began to billow thickly.
I stood there, holding my breath.
One of them, unable to see an inch in front of him due to the darkness and dust combo, quietly mumbled.
"Did we get him?"
Did you really think so?
I briefly released the fluorescent lights that I had been holding in place with psychokinesis.
What they saw in this place, now bathed in light again, was—peek-a-boo!—me, standing there.
"Shoot!!!"
They screamed.
And instead, I swept them away with a barrage.
At the very end, the guy who seemed to be the leader tried to pull a pathetic stunt, taking Lee Ha-yul's younger brother hostage…
I just dealt with it easily with a psychokinetic feint.
Seriously, has that kid never seen me on the news? Doesn't he know I have psychokinetic abilities?
Hmm… I'm still that unpopular, huh? Guess I need to work harder.
Anyway, I barely managed to prevent the 'Lee Ha-yul's younger brother dies' event.
And now.
The house was drenched in blood, like something out of a gore horror movie. It was a sight that, if filmed and sold as a movie, would instantly get an R-rating.
And the ones witnessing this scene were both kids under 19. Ah.
Lee Ha-yul, bound hand and foot, even her mouth, was staring at me with terror-stricken eyes.
Hmm, I feel like I've made the worst first impression.
She's probably seeing me as a murderer who just suddenly killed five people. I was just trying to help you guys…!!
Her younger brother, who still looked like an elementary schooler, wouldn't have been strange if he'd fainted. Of course, he hadn't fainted, but… seeing him stare at me with trembling eyes, it seems he's scared of me too. Ah, damn it… First impressions are everything.
What should I do now? Should I just go full horror mode? As I was pondering this,
From the front, Lee Ha-yul's younger brother opened his mouth.
"M-Mango Stick…?"
Honestly, hearing that made my brain short-circuit a little.
Huh?
I was expecting 'Please help me,' but suddenly…?
I looked back at the child, and he was staring at me, eyes sparkling.
Yes, that's when I realized it.
This… this might actually be manageable.
***
Returning to the present.
I freed Lee Ha-yul and her younger brother from their restraints.
Lee Ha-yul seemed about to resist, but her younger brother was quicker.
"M-Mango Stick, I, I'm a really big fan!"
The kid was looking at me, eyes sparkling.
Ugh, stop it.
Suddenly seeing the pure, untainted gaze of a child kinda makes me feel… weird!
…But how can he be so bright when there's literally a sea of blood behind me?
Ha-yul, how exactly did you raise him?
His older sister, Lee Ha-yul, was already hugging her brother and on high alert… Hey, your little brother seems totally smitten with me, though?
"Did you come to rescue me?"
The kid said, eyes sparkling.
Uh, yeah. Yeah, I did… but saying that here would be a bit awkward.
"Ahem, well… no. Actually, I came to catch your sister because she pickpocketed my wallet."
At that, Lee Ha-yul's face instantly went pale.
I quickly continued speaking.
"But when I got here, some delinquents were acting up. I don't like guys like that, you know? You get what I'm saying, right?"
At that, the kid nodded his head frantically. Seriously? Even I don't know what I'm talking about.
"Anyway, that's how things ended up like this…"
I looked around and sighed.
Then I shrugged my shoulders and continued speaking.
"Kids, you should just follow me for now. It's night, and the gunshots from earlier echoed, so if anyone comes and sees this carnage, I'll be in a bit of trouble."
As I said that, Lee Ha-yul finally spoke for the first time.
"Why should we trust you and follow you?"
She was clearly wary of me.
Right, Lee Ha-yul, who developed a fundamental distrust of people because of the orphanage director, had no choice but to react this way. No, actually, wouldn't it be stranger if she *did* follow a murderer who just killed five people she'd never met before?
Anyway, if she's going to be like that, there's nothing I can say.
At most, I could threaten her, saying she'd be in trouble if she didn't follow?
Of course, if I threatened her, there's a strong chance her favorability would plummet. Meaning it would be highly negative for long-term relationship development.
That's why I wanted to build up some rapport with the wallet thing earlier.
It would have been a very awkward situation normally.
But hey, there was one variable. A very positive variable.
"Sis, what are you talking about? Egoistic is an amazing person!"
Her younger brother suddenly went on a rant like that.
Then, right in front of me, he started an impromptu speech to his sister about how amazing I was.
It felt like about 80% of the content was mixed with exaggeration and fabrication… but since it was all good stuff, I decided to stay quiet. The only problem was the intense embarrassment of hearing myself praised right to my face.
Once his endless monologue was over,
Lee Ha-yul had a very troubled expression.
"Cha-yoon… Still, how can you trust someone you just met and follow them?"
"He's not someone I just met! Mango Stick—no, Egoistic—is a hero!"
That's not true. I'm not a hero, kid.
Anyway, no matter how I think about it, Lee Ha-yul's younger brother seems to be a member of the Mango Gang.
And this is a huge opportunity…!
Lee Ha-yul's characteristic: Clearly a total softie when it comes to her younger brother.
Look at her now. Just moments ago, her expression was firm with resistance, asking why they should trust me and follow. Now, at her younger brother's words, it's become utterly troubled. What a truly dramatic change!
And with her younger brother rebelling, and her frozen in indecision, now was the optimal moment.
"Kids, come on, follow me quickly. In just a little while, whether it's Shadow Walkers or the police, anyone who comes and sees these bodies will turn this into a five-minute-to-chaos situation, okay?"
"Yeah, Sis! Let's follow Egoistic quickly!"
As I brought up the police, and her younger brother even supported me from the side, her expression grew increasingly confused.
Then finally, she said in a slightly trembling voice,
"…If you try anything, anything at all, with us, I won't just stand by…"
As soon as she said that, I quickly replied.
"What would I do to you two? I won't do anything at all, so just follow me for now. Take my hand."
As I said that and held out my hand, her younger brother immediately took it first.
With her brother taking the lead like that, she had no choice but to take my hand with a trembling grip.
Good.
And so, with all of them, I teleported to my underground base.
Alright. Somehow, things are going according to plan…?