Chapter 5: Ice-Snow Hero – Yukiko③

Unlike Raiden, Ice-Snow Hero—Snow Fox seemed to have a straightforward personality. He didn’t flinch at my compliments.
I honestly told him he was good-looking, and instead of modesty, he carried himself with confidence.

"Thanks! But I seriously don’t think I’m cool at all!"

"That self-assessment sounds about right. So why’d people start calling you that in the first place?"

"Since I’m an ice-wielding hero, that image kind of stuck… and I didn’t really talk to the people I saved, either…"

"So they thought you were the quiet type. That’s a total promotion failure. If anything, you’re the kind of guy who should be marketed as a natural airhead."

"Getting called cool and stylish over and over put so much pressure on me…! That’s why I messed up my output…! Well, that’s just me making excuses, but still…!"

So the reason he accidentally froze me was because he got too worked up.
Superpowers are heavily influenced by mental state, so it makes sense.
Even for me, the more I think “I’ve gotta heal fast,” the quicker I recover, and the more I think “eh, I’ll just half-ass it,” the slower it goes.

"Then fix your image from here on. At least lean into being the refreshing type."

"I’m terrible at communication, though! I can’t talk like Raiden-san!"

"Raiden talks way too much, if you ask me."

Even when I first met him, he was chatting up villains mid-battle, and the guy’s mouth just never stops.
These days he keeps talking endlessly while I wait to regenerate.
I’ve probably had more conversations with him than with my parents. Talk to your parents more, man. Yeah.

"But right now, you’re talking plenty with me."

"That’s because I’m panicking!"

"Uh-huh. Well, calm down already. And maybe change clothes—you’ll catch a cold."

Since he’d toppled over in the bathroom, Snow Fox was completely drenched.
Maybe ice-users can regulate their body temperature, but I still figured I’d check.

"I’m jealous you can naturally look out for people like that…"

"Wow, you’re hopeless."

If he’s envious of a rough-tongued woman like me, that says a lot.
I’m no goody two-shoes. I gave Snow Fox an order.

"Anyway, go buy me a change of clothes. I’ll be the one catching cold after I get out of the bath."

"You’re totally right! I’ll run and grab some!"

"Run if you want, but take off the hero suit. Or at least wear the mask."

Otherwise people will figure out his identity.
If a hero bought women’s clothes, wouldn’t that destroy his “cool” image?
I could imagine what kind of reputation he’d get instead, so I kept that advice to myself.
The guy really looked like he’d actually do it.
Since he’s got idol-level popularity, he shouldn’t be breaking the illusion just yet.

By the time Snow Fox came back with clothes after his errand, my regeneration was almost complete.
To head out, he’d put on a shirt and glasses, and—damn it—they looked ridiculously good on him.
There used to be this cliché where someone would look cooler after taking off their glasses, but seeing this made it clear that logic never held up.
If someone’s handsome, they’re handsome even with glasses.

My joints still felt a bit creaky, but as long as I could stand and walk, it was good enough.
Snow Fox’s fashion sense wasn’t bad. Since I didn’t own many clothes, they’d probably make it into my rotation.

While getting ready to leave, I suddenly remembered something.

"Oh right, when I met a rookie hero, I was gonna ask if they wanted to team up with Raiden."

"With Raiden-san!? No way no way no way, absolutely not!"

That’s some heavy rejection.
He didn’t even ask why I knew Raiden, just flat-out refused.

"So Raiden’s hated, huh?"

"The opposite! I respect him way too much, there’s no way someone like me could fight alongside him!"

"Well, yeah, it’d be a problem if you froze Raiden solid."

"Hhn…"

He let out some kind of weird whimper and shrank.

"But honestly, you look like the type who might mess up and kill someone, so I think teaming up with somebody’s a good idea."

Only a hero can cover for another hero.
I didn’t know if electricity and ice had good synergy, but Raiden had been at this for a while.
If I’d just advanced to the next grade recently, then Raiden had been a hero for about three years—not that long, I guess.
Still, since he was the first hero, he had the most experience.
He should at least be able to mentor a junior.

"I’d love to have someone more reliable than me, but if I fought next to Raiden-san, I’d be so nervous I might accidentally throw the whole city into an ice age…"

"Wow, you’re hopeless."

Having that much raw power is great, but if you can’t control it, it’s just trouble.
I figured Raiden had saved a lot of people and had plenty of fans, but I didn’t expect someone to idolize him this much.

Maybe when you’ve got superpowers yourself, it makes the admiration stronger.
I couldn’t really blame him. Even I thought Raiden was impressive.
Not that I’d ever want to become a hero myself.

"Fine, fine. There’ve been other rookie heroes showing up lately too, right? I’ll just ask them instead."

"I’m terrible at communication!"

"Thanks for the energetic self-intro."

"I’m Himuro Yukiya, second-year economics student!"

"Wow, thanks for the legit introduction. People probably say you look older, huh."

"When you’re lonely, you don’t even hear insults anymore."

"…Sorry to hear that."

I honestly thought he was in his thirties. Turns out he was closer to my age.
Then again, university isn’t age-limited, so I asked him directly—he was properly twenty. Just prematurely aged-looking, even if he was good-looking.

Once I realized the guy in front of me was young, I suddenly felt protective.
My body was a kid’s, but my insides were still an old man.
College students were the lively youth I used to watch from afar with a smile.
Well, I was in college now too, though.

"I’ll introduce you if I meet another hero."

"You’re way too reliable…!"

Stop relying so much on a kid smaller than you. Well, I guess it’s fine—I’ve reincarnated and all.