After all the chaos in Hosu, Mirko and I spent the rest of the night in a hotel.
We needed to rest before we could head to Tokyo.
Before going to sleep, I checked the TV in my room.
The channels were a mess, all of them interrupting their programming to make room for the news.
There were 37 confirmed fatalities, 612 people seriously injured, and 94 missing.
A true catastrophe.
Nine creatures identified as "Nomu," biological weapons of destruction, appeared in different parts of the city, attacking without any apparent pattern and forcing the heroes to split up to contain their advance.
And as if that wasn't enough, the Hero Killer also appeared and was neutralized by Endeavour, but not before severely injuring a professional hero and an as-yet unidentified group of teenagers.
The news stated that the presence of famous heroes like Endeavour and Mirko was the decisive factor in preventing the event from becoming even worse.
While the news played, I also talked with Himiko on my phone.
I also noticed a handful of unread messages in the 1-A group chat, but I didn't check them.
I just wanted to rest after all that.
─── ◆ ───
"..."
It was a dark room.
The windows were closed and couldn't illuminate the room with the comforting warmth of sunlight, a light that was always constant, even on the rainiest and cloudiest days.
The sun was far away…
"..."
The boy in the darkness tried to feel his way out, but couldn't find anything to hold onto.
"..."
Then, breaking the silence, a male voice echoed through the room, mocking the poor boy.
"Trying to be a hero?"
A buzzing sound filled the small room, which seemed to shrink more and more, pressing in on the boy.
"So hardworking…"
The voice grew more and more distant, yet somehow remained so clear…
"So altruistic…"
Dizziness overtook the boy. The small room seemed to expand, even though he couldn't see it.
"But even so…"
A strong light suddenly appeared, forcing him to cover his eyes. Then, scorching heat hit him, along with the pungent smell of smoke and the anguished cracking sounds of a burning building.
A child's voice stood out amidst the chaos.
"N-no, stay away from me…"
Sniff...
When his vision stabilized, there it was again, the same scene, him standing in front of a child, offering help and comfort.
"You monster! Stay away from me!" the child roared, in a spike of anger, but his tone quickly returned to a sobbing one.
"No… don't hurt me…" the child trembled in horror, hiding his own face.
"..."
BAAAAM!!!
The door to my hotel room was suddenly flung open.
"WAKE UP, SLEEPING BEAUTY!!!" Mirko shouted as she barged in.
"It's already—"
"What the hell is this?"
I was wrapped in my Kagune, hanging upside down from the ceiling like a bat.
Slowly, I unwrapped myself from my cocoon, rubbing my face with my hands.
"Good morning, yawn."
"... Do you always sleep like this?"
I dismissed my Kagune and landed on my feet.
"Sometimes, but it's been a few years since it last happened."
Mirko stared at me for a few seconds and then shrugged.
"Hurry up, breakfast's already here."
Then she left, leaving me alone in the room.
"Sigh… It's been a while since I've had a nightmare…"
Brrt-brrt...
My phone vibrated on the desk.
I picked it up and opened the notification, seeing it was a message from Himiko.
[Himi: "Good morninggg"]
[Himi: "Did you sleep well?"]
A tired little smile formed on my face as I quickly replied.
["Good morning, so—"]
─── ◆ ───
The next days of the internship were calmer, at least compared to what happened in Hosu.
We reached Tokyo without further interruptions, and just as Mirko had said, that was where things really happened.
We stopped robberies, thefts, gang fights, and even prevented a major bank heist, all in the very short time we were there.
Mirko even gave a rare interview after we beat up the bank robbers. I didn't watch it, but it's safe to say about 60% of what she said had to be censored.
They asked her if I was her new sidekick, to which she replied:
"Ah, that guy? *Points at me with her thumb* He's just a brat I'm training!"
After that, she went on to insult my lack of expressions, calling me a wall-face and things like that.
Just the usual Mirko, I was already used to it.
"Weren't you first place in the UA Sports Festival?" one of the reporters asked.
I just nodded in confirmation, but that was enough to grab their attention.
"Oh, so you're interning with Mirko!"
I nodded again.
"How has it been training under one of the most famous heroines today?"
"It's been good, nothing to complain about," I answered honestly, which earned a snort from Mirko.
But then, out of nowhere, they started crowding around me, trying to interview me.
"Mirko is known for working alone, how—"
"One moment! There's been a lot of discussion about your performance dur—"
"Me first!"
"No! Your turn has already passed!"
"Excuse me???"
Mirko grabbed me by the collar and jumped away from the reporters.
"That's why I hate doing interviews, they never shut up."
"I noticed…"
─── ◆ ───
With that, the internships came to an end.
Rumi kindly took me to Musutafu after we stopped by the cabin to pick up my things.
There, I was able to properly say goodbye to little Daisy.
Honestly, it was a really good time I spent with Rumi. She was tough, but had a soft heart.
We became good friends in that short time, not that she would ever admit it.
Rumi dropped me off at the Musutafu bus station. She didn't take me all the way to my apartment because of heavy traffic, but it was already a huge help.
From there, I took a bus and then walked to my front door.
I took my keys and opened it.
"I'm home!" I shouted as I took off my shoes.
Then, a yellow blur rushed down the hallway and crashed into me, hugging me like a little koala.
"Finally!!!" Himiko let out a small victory squeal.
"Haha, I missed yo—" Then she placed her index finger on my lips, silencing me.
"Wait! I want to do something, stay right there!"
She ran back inside, leaving me completely confused.
A few seconds passed, and then:
"Okay, say the same thing you said when you came in!" she shouted from afar.
"Huh… Oh, right."
"I'm home!"
Himiko leaned against the kitchen doorway, wearing her usual clothes and an apron, lazily holding a ladle.
She looked at me with a slightly flushed face and a wide, warm smile.
"Welcome back, dear~"
"..."
"Oh…"
"Well?? Did I do well??" She broke character, still a little embarrassed, but looking at me expectantly.
"..."
A single tear of happiness ran down from my right eye.
'Ah… my heart…'
─── ◆ ───
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