--Saturday, July 4, 2172
"Well… I'll try to heal them, or they'll end up dead with how hard you hit them…"
After a comfortable silence, Kai gently patted Nemuri's back. She lifted her head to look at him for a few seconds before nodding and getting off. Once Nemuri got down, Kai adjusted his pants and then walked over to the pair of rats, beginning to heal them using his Mystical Palm. Meanwhile, Nemuri finished taking off her pants and used what remained of her blouse to wipe the white liquid dripping down her legs while watching Kai.
"Have they been out of their minds for long…?"
Now completely naked and clean, Nemuri couldn't help but ask while watching Kai finish healing the rats. Kai turned to look at her and commented with a small smile.
"They didn't lose them; I just 'turned them off.' After a while of torturing them, I got tired and 'shut them down.' I only 'turn them on' when needed for an experiment. Though that doesn't mean they're mentally okay. They're pretty broken, to be honest. They've endured a lot, and as soon as I wake them up, they start begging for a quick death."
"Do they feel everything when they're like this…?" Nemuri asked with a complex tone in her voice, but Kai quickly shook his head and explained.
"No, according to what they've told me, when I 'turn them off,' they fall asleep and don't notice the passage of time. They only know they've been with me for a long time because of my physical changes. To them, it doesn't feel like much time has passed."
"I see… Are there more like them?" Nemuri nodded and asked again, looking at the calm Kai, who nodded back.
"Yes, but only two more. You don't know either of them. One was the warden in charge of the prison who let that crazy bastard in the lab coat escape. He managed to get out of prison just 5 years after being locked up. The other is a woman, also a cop. She was the warden's lover and the one who secretly got the lab coat guy out of his cell and took him to his next hideout."
"…" Nemuri stared at Kai with a serious expression before commenting in an uncertain tone.
"All four of them are…"
"Small fish, I know." Kai finished Nemuri's words with a bitter smile, then explained.
"But these are the ones I've managed to find. The politician who was locked up vanished into thin air. Supposedly, he was put in prison, but his family traveled abroad just 6 months after he was arrested and disappeared. There's no trace of them afterward. I've been trying to find them for years with no success, and I highly doubt whatever's in that prison is the politician.
"I also have no idea who the 'mysterious shadow' the golden rat mentioned is, or the prostitute the horned one talked about, let alone who contacted them. They don't know anything. They were just told what to do, given the money, and then those people vanished. No evidence, no traces, nothing, like they're ghosts. Same with the cops—they only know about the politician, no one else.
"But I'm sure there are more people involved because I've been investigating the lab coat guy and the politician for years, and I've never found even an indirect connection between them. The police didn't bother to clarify the politician's motives either. On paper, they were complete strangers, so there had to be a third party—someone who made the politician act, someone powerful enough to make a leech like that 'sacrifice' himself as the main culprit.
"Plus, I don't know how so many people could take Mom by surprise. She had the same quirk as me; she should've been able to sense them coming, but they ambushed her, and the only clue I have about that is practically useless… Though I have Dad and Mom's 'voices' burned into my memory, no matter how hard I try, I can't recall the 'voices' of those bastards…"
"Couldn't you sense them either…?" Nemuri approached Kai and hugged him from behind, then asked in a soft voice. Kai shook his head, visibly troubled, and explained.
"I don't know… I don't know if I forgot them, if I couldn't distinguish them because my quirk awakened at that moment, or if I simply overlooked them and only focused on my parents… Everything was so confusing. My memories are blurry… The only thing I have burned into my mind is their 'voices' and the last smile each of them gave me…"
Hearing the pain in Kai's voice, Nemuri hugged him tighter, then whispered in his ear with a sweet, comforting tone full of resolve.
"Don't torture yourself… From now on, you can count on me. I'll help you search… Since justice failed us in its primary purpose—to satisfy the natural need for revenge of its citizens—then we'll seek it with our own hands…"
"Thanks… I never really expected you to support me in this…"
Kai commented with a calm, touched voice as he turned around to hug Nemuri and sit on the floor with her. Nemuri curled up against Kai's chest, and while watching the old prison cells materialize around the rats, she asked softly.
"Did you think I'd criticize you, report you, and abandon you?"
"Maybe not all at once, but yeah, something like that…" Kai couldn't help but say as he cradled Nemuri in his arms. She smiled and replied while guiding one of Kai's hands to her bare chest.
"Feel my heart… It only beats for you now… For me, leaving you is unthinkable. I've even spent years preparing for the possibility that you might lose control and do something crazy that lands you in prison… I've already looked into how everything works in prisons—conjugal visits, who to talk to, everything…"
Nemuri finished speaking, a bit embarrassed, and looked away. Kai wanted to ask what kind of image she had of him, but seeing the prison cells disappear out of the corner of his eye, he wisely chose to stay silent. It was indeed very possible he'd end up in jail someday.
"Don't make that face… I know you're not a bad person." Seeing Kai's expression, Nemuri quickly brought a hand to his cheek and spoke softly, then kissed him and added gently.
"It's just that you're impulsive and monstrously strong, and that's a dangerous combination. You could easily end up killing someone in a fit of rage… But I know you're a good man… Anyone else, including myself, with all your power and resources, would've spiraled into a killing spree for revenge. But you've only captured four people and made sure to keep your promise, even if in a somewhat twisted way.
"Anyway, if it weren't for what you did, those bastards who destroyed the lives of the people we loved would still be free, enjoying the great life they built by ruining our family. That's why I support you, Kai. Because I know you do things for a reason, because I know you'd never hurt an innocent person, because I know who you are. You're my Kai, the boy I raised, and I love you with all your virtues and flaws… I'm your woman, your Onee-chan, before I'm a hero."
Kai stayed silent and initiated a tender kiss with Nemuri, almost as if releasing a flood of unexpressed emotions from his system. After a while, he finally looked at the beautiful heroine and spoke in a slightly hoarse voice.
"I love you…"
"And I love you too…" Nemuri replied in a similar tone, then gazed at him silently, as if wanting to etch his expression into her memory.
But the magical moment was soon interrupted by a loud stomach growl, prompting Nemuri to look down at Kai's belly and comment with a small smile.
"Fufu, let's go eat something."
"Let's go."
Kai replied with a smile. Nemuri got up from Kai's lap and went to grab her underwear and pants. Meanwhile, Kai adjusted his clothes, noticing Nemuri's torn blouse and bra on the floor, which led him to ask.
"Should I have a robot bring you a blouse? Momo, Nejire, Keiko, and Yumiko are at the house with Rin."
"No need, let's go to the gym and shower there before heading back. We're all sweaty and smelly." Nemuri commented while finishing adjusting her pants. Kai nodded and extended his hand to her.
With a beautiful smile, Nemuri took Kai's hand and intertwined her fingers with his. They left the forge workshop together like a pair of lovers, heading to the gym. But as the workshop door closed, Nemuri couldn't help but look at the place with deep eyes, aware that from that very moment, her life had changed completely. From now on, new and complex challenges awaited her, but even so, she was ready to face them alongside the man she loved.
…
…
…
In the main hall of the mansion, Yumiko and Keiko sat with their daughters, talking about what they'd done during the day and how their first day after recovering the company had gone. Though Yumiko couldn't help but feel a bit self-conscious while speaking, unsure whether she should confess what she'd done or not.
After all, though she felt immensely happy in the moment, once the initial euphoria faded, the reality of her actions stood bare before her. What she'd done was quite shameless, and though she didn't truly regret it, finding the words to confess was incredibly hard. But just then, Momo spoke in a calm voice while taking her mother's hands.
"And you did it, didn't you, Mom? You managed to win him over…"
"Fufu"
Keiko smiled charmingly without responding, which was practically a confession. This brought different expressions to the pair of young hero aspirants. With a look full of anticipation and joy, Nejire looked at her mother and asked, brimming with excitement.
"Did you do it, Mom? Did you really do it?!"
"…"
Yumiko stared at her daughter for a few seconds as a deep blush formed on her face. Unable to withstand her daughter's happy and excited gaze, she lowered her head and nodded silently. As if she'd just received the best news in the world, Nejire jumped from her seat and threw herself at her mother, celebrating like a little girl.
"Yes!! You're the best! I knew you could do it!!! Haha."
While Nejire hugged her mother and celebrated with glee, Keiko looked at her own daughter, who calmly sipped a cup of tea. Though she easily noticed a trace of bitterness in her expression. Concerned, Keiko approached her beloved Momo and hugged her gently, then asked in a whispered, caring voice.
"Don't you like the idea, sweetheart…? If so, Mom will leave everything as it is and never bring it up again…"
"It's not that… it's just… it feels weird…" Momo replied in a low, complex voice. Keiko sat beside her little one, pulled her to her chest, and began gently stroking Momo's hair while whispering softly.
"Maybe deep down, you hoped Kai wouldn't accept… That's understandable, sweetheart. You don't have to feel bad or guilty; it's natural. In reality, I'm the one who's wrong. So let's leave things as they are. It'll just be a nice memory. Take your time to process it, analyze your feelings, and decide. You can be Kai's wife, or you can take another path. You're not obligated to do anything. Neither Kai, nor I, nor anyone will force you into anything.
"At the end of the day, your career, your love, your partner—in short, your life—is something you must decide for yourself. All I want is for you to be happy. Before, I might've been a bit greedy and wished for a little more, but at the end of the day, you're my beloved daughter, the light of my life. Your happiness is my happiness. If what happened today doesn't go beyond a nice memory, that's more than enough for me. I don't need or want anything more."
"No… I'm going to marry Kai. That won't change… I truly love him, from the bottom of my heart… No matter what happens, that will never change…" Momo began to sob softly and hugged her mother tightly, burying her face in her generous chest, then added through tears.
"Besides, I want you to be happy too… We already all share him and are happy, so you being with him doesn't change anything… It's just… I don't understand it… I feel weird… I can't explain it… My chest feels tight… Everything's fine. I'm happy to see you smile like that; it's what I wanted… I expected it; I helped make it happen… But… But…"
"Maybe you feel that if Kai fell for us, tomorrow he could fall for someone else? Are you feeling insecure? Are you afraid that one day Kai might leave us?" Keiko asked in a soft, understanding voice, causing Momo to look up with surprise and a hint of realization. Keiko smiled warmly and commented with a gentle, maternal smile.
"Fufu, looks like I hit the nail on the head. And honestly, it's a pretty normal feeling for us. Even I feel it. No matter how much your reason tells you he'd never do something like that, you can't help it. What if he changes? What if he's not who I thought he was? What if one day he disappears and leaves a note that completely destroys you? Those are questions that, no matter how hard I try, keep popping up in my head. But do you know what I do when those questions appear?"
Keiko paused briefly and looked at the teary-eyed Momo in her arms with a smile. Momo shook her head and looked at her silently, waiting for an answer. Keiko explained with a smile.
"I think about his smile. How he takes care of me, how he's always there for me, how he works tirelessly for our safety, to strengthen us, to help us achieve our dreams and goals. More than half of our Kai's life is us. If he gets something good, he thinks first about how to share it with us before himself. He's at UA for us—specifically for you two—to protect you more easily.
"Eighty percent of the things we work on are support and protection equipment to keep us safe and help you in your careers. He created the Accomplices, the Vital Reactor, the massages, and now he even wants to use what he used on All Might to make us stronger. Everything he does is for our good. Every step he takes, he takes thinking of us. Just as he is our world, we are his. That's what gives me the certainty that he won't leave, that he loves me, and that he's the man of our lives.
"Besides, who said we have to wait patiently for someone else to come and take him from us? He's ours, and therefore, we protect him with tooth and nail. Do you think today could've happened if any of you had been there? Never. The only reason it happened is because he was alone, unprotected, trusting us, and we had all of your support—tempting him, lowering his defenses, and leaving him vulnerable.
"In the end, what happened today was the result of our combined effort. So, if you're afraid some random woman might trick him, simple—don't leave him alone. Stay by his side, accompany him, be his support and confidante. With you by his side, no random woman will be able to take him away. And don't forget, even though you'll be the official wife, you're not alone. You have all of us… Kai can't escape even if he wanted to, fufu."
***
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