23) Chapter 5. Oh, Come On. (3)

Superpowers are monitored because they are especially dangerous.

But it’s not just because they’re like knives or guns.

Sure, abilities that ignite flames, cause explosions, or move objects can be dangerous on their own—like carrying a gun or a bomb at all times. And since these powers are biological, there’s no way to restrict them except through the user’s own self-control.

But the real danger is that superpowers can kill without leaving evidence.

For example, imagine someone committing arson. Normally, evidence would remain—fingerprints, footprints, scraps of clothing, or CCTV footage showing them lighting the fire.

But if someone can create fire out of thin air?

Even if they appear on CCTV, it would look like they were just standing still while the fire “started on its own.”

Only circumstantial evidence would remain. And circumstantial evidence alone rarely leads to a conviction under the principle of legality.

“What proof do you have that I did it?”
How would you answer that?

What if someone else with a similar ability was nearby? Powers aren’t unique to individuals. Fire manipulation is common among superhumans, and late awakeners might not even be registered yet.

From what I learned after coming to this world, about a century ago—when powers first began appearing—there were indeed people who slipped through the cracks like this.

If someone could lift objects without touching them, what would stop them from harming or killing someone from far away? Both sides of the argument are unscientific anyway.

The solution was simply to change the law.

Laws aren’t scientific theories—they’re rules made by people.

Research into superpowers continued, and eventually they established that abilities had limits: they couldn’t reach extremely far distances, and no truly omnipotent ability had ever been found. Based on that, various laws were created to hold superhumans accountable. Some innocent people might still get caught up unfairly, but what else could they do? They couldn’t just leave everything unregulated.

Especially since non-superhumans vastly outnumber superhumans.

“….”

So I understand why they’re doing this “full investigation.”

If the rumor I heard at school is true, the culprit’s ability is probably something like telekinesis—something that can kill from a distance without touching the victim.

“Hm…”

Well, my alibi is solid, and I regularly update my ability records. There’s no reason they wouldn’t believe me.

Click.

While I was sorting my thoughts, the door opened slightly.

Soi peeked in through the crack.

Seeing only half her face was a little creepy—but thankfully Soi doesn’t have a scary face. Otherwise, I probably would’ve let out a pathetic “H-hehk!?”

“Um… can I come in?”

“Yeah. It’s fine.”

Soi never needs to tiptoe around me in this house.

That would be too sad.

She must’ve felt left out already.

I know she’ll awaken someday, and her parents believe it too—but the person herself might feel differently.

…Or maybe I’m overthinking it.

Soi has never acted insecure about that in front of me.

She walked in and sat beside me.

“It’s been a while since I came into this room.”

“…Has it?”

“Yeah. We’re almost always in my room, right?”

True. We mostly hang out there.

Or in the living room.

Either way, the house is big enough that it never feels cramped.

Not that I dislike my own room.

I don’t mind staying in Soi’s room, but once I’m an adult, I’ll probably move back into my own room.

I’ll be living here until I move out…

So the furniture and layout here are mostly my taste—clean and simple.

…Moving out.

I’m still not adopted. It came up a few times when I was younger, but I always postponed it, saying I needed to think about it.

It felt like I was taking too much.

They’ve given me so much already—more than I could ever repay. Wanting even more felt shameless.

And even if Uncle Dohyun became my dad, I’d still be scared of hugs. Wouldn’t that bother him?

And pretending to be a daughter when I remember my past life… felt strange.

Soi stood up and looked around the room.

“Hmmm.”

But she wouldn’t find anything. My hobbies are almost entirely digital. The only physical books here are classic literature.

“Nothing really happened, right?”

“Yeah. Nothing.”

It wasn’t a lie.

Honestly, something did happen, but I didn’t hear anything directly.

“I see.”

Soi nodded, hesitated for a moment, then nodded again as if making up her mind.

“Hey, this just popped into my head.”

“Hm?”

“You remember that cartoon we watched when we were little? What was it called again…”

“Huh?”

When I tilted my head, she clapped her hands.

“Right! The magical girl one. Remember?”

“O-oh… yeah.”

I nodded reflexively.

There were magical girl shows, monster-collecting shows… Soi wasn’t an otaku, but everyone has childhood favorites.

But why bring this up now?

“I really liked it. Such nostalgia, right?”

“Y-yeah.”

We did enjoy it.

Though back then, I couldn’t openly admit I watched it. Later I learned everyone secretly watched it anyway.

In that sense, my current situation isn’t bad. If you’re pretty or handsome, liking anime isn’t considered a flaw.

Still…

Shows aimed at kids are fine, but anything aimed at teens or adults can be embarrassing.

Even mobile games rated 15+ can be pretty suggestive these days.

“So, anyway.”

Thump.

Soi sat right next to me again.

Close.

Soi has always been close. She barged into my life, became like family, worried about me, had her parents’ attention stolen because of me—and still liked me so much.

I’m grateful, but—

If we were little kids, this closeness would be normal. But now, sitting this close feels embarrassing.

And guilty. Like I shouldn’t let her get this close—

“Recommend me some manga.”

“…”

All the thoughts swirling in my head evaporated instantly.

“H-hehk.”

A delayed squeak escaped my throat.

Creak.

I slowly turned my head toward her.

Soi was smiling brightly, sitting right next to me. Completely innocent. Like she was just happy to talk about this.

“Uh… manga? Recommendations?”

“Yeah. You like manga, right?”

“I… do…?”

I do, but—

Have I ever openly read manga in front of her? Maybe in elementary school, but not recently. I always read secretly on my phone, angled away from her.

And some of the manga I read are… well…

If I read mainstream weekly manga or webtoons, I could recommend them proudly.

But the ones I usually read?

To put it nicely: school-life romantic comedies.
To put it bluntly: harem series.

“Um…”

I forced my mouth to move.

“You… knew?”

“Of course? We share a room. We even share a bed. You think I wouldn’t notice when we’re lying around together and you’re on your phone?”

“…”

My mouth opened and closed silently.

My brain was too busy processing the situation to spare any resources for speech.

Wait—hold on.

Did she see me gaming too?

My home screen has a swimsuit anime girl walking around.

I only played when she was far away or in the bathroom.

Did she see that too?

No way.

No way, right?

Come on. No way.

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Pub: 14 Mar 2026 23:50 UTC

Edit: 15 Mar 2026 01:33 UTC

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