"...Did something happen?" Sato stepped closer.
"I'll tell you exactly what happened. Ever since this competition began, we haven't had a single boys' hangout."
That's what he's after, huh? For a second I was worried, but this is Asahi we're talking about. I can already see where this conversation is heading.
"In this case what do you suggest?" Butterfly was quite confused by his behavior
"I am happy you asked."
Asahi put an arm around Sato's neck and pulled him a little closer and at the same time pointed to Blueblade.
"The boys will take their own karaoke room and the girls will get theirs. What do you say?"
Butterfly thought for a moment, and after checking with Megumi to make sure she was okay with it, she agreed. With that, they split into two groups and took two small rooms.
"I guess it's really been a while since we've had time to catch up."
The three of them settled into their own room.
"Yep, yep," Asahi said, nodding along. "But catching up is not the only thing I want, you see…"
With Asahi in the middle on the couch, he slung an arm around Sato's neck with a grin.
"What do you want to know?"
Please ask something normal, please ask something normal.
"What I want to know is very simple, my friend. We're childhood friends, we can tell each other anything, right?"
…I don't like where this is going.
"Tell me, you are with a beauty 24/7, how is it to live with her?"
When Sato heard that, he was stunned. He'd thought Asahi was going to ask something weird…but certainly not this. Even Blueblade, who had been silent the whole time, let out a small chuckle at the question.
"This is…your question?"
Asahi nodded visibly curious about what it was like for Sato to live with Irina.
"If you really want to know that badly…" Sato took a deep breath.
"She's insufferable. She picks on me every chance she gets, she's cold, never cleans up after herself, and only cares about herself," Sato said quickly.
"...Is she that bad?" Asahi was a little surprised. "She should have at least a redeeming quality."
A chuckle could be heard from the edge of the sofa. It was Blueblade, trying hard not to laugh.
"Little exis, please stop… Sato is right. The way he described her is exactly how many heroes in Nexus see her," he said, still holding back a smile.
"Huh, even the part about her not cleaning up after herself?" Asahi asked curiously.
"That, I'm afraid I have no recollection of ever hearing,"
"Pff…little exis?" Sato almost burst into laughter.
"This is what he calls me… but I told him not to say it when we're with others!"
For a brief moment everyone shared the laughter before silence settled over the room. Sato lowered his gaze to the floor, lost in thought.
"But although…" Asahi and Blueblade's attention snapped toward him "Although she can still be a pain, I don't want to give up on her. Maybe it's because I've grown attached to her… or maybe it's the fear that if I let her go, she'll never find another exis and will simply disappear. I don't even know myself."
At those words, silence fell once again, not the kind that follows a good laugh, but the kind that lingers after something spoken straight from the heart.
"Dude…are you a masochist or something?"
When Asahi said that the two of them broke into a playful argument while Blueblade was on the side with a pleased expression.
You've got yourself a good exis, Irina. Hold on to him, you don't get the chance to find someone like him every day.
With that thought all of them continued to have a good time talking and singing.
While the boys were talking about Irina and other things, the girls were having their own conversation in the next room.
Butterfly had a concerned look on her face as Megumi trembled lightly. Both of them sat on the couch of the small karaoke room, the colored lights dimmed to a soft glow.
"Are you better, Megumi?"
"Yes, this hangout was a good idea, thanks for bringing it up…"
Even though Megumi tried to sound cheerful, her body betrayed her. It was clear that something caused her distress.
"Take it easy, okay? For most people, just watching hero fights is hard enough—witnessing a bloodbath can be truly traumatizing, so try to stay calm."
"I'm telling you, I'm okay… it's just that, my body takes a while to catch up with my mind."
Butterfly came closer to Megumi and held her, feeling just how hard the disaster at the school had spooked her.
"You really don't need to be tough here, there is just me and you. You don't need to act strong here."
When she heard this, a sudden sense of relief washed over Megumi and she leaned her head against Butterfly's shoulder.
"...Thanks," Megumi whispered.
After their time ran out, both groups left the karaoke and decided to grab something to eat. They stopped at a restaurant that looked fancy, with Asahi insisting the food there was really good.
At their table, while Asahi browsed the menu, someone nudged Sato's foot under the table. It was Megumi, trying to get his attention.
"Sato, are you sure we can afford any of this? Everything here is almost double the market price," Megumi whispered.
"Don't worry about the price, just order anything you want," Sato whispered back
I can't blame her for asking…after all, I felt the same way when I first came here with Asahi.
Everyone ordered what they liked from the menu, with Asahi ordering the most food.
While they waited, Sato noticed a strange girl who seemed completely out of place: green hair tied back in a ponytail, sharp green eyes, a black crop top and jeans, eating alone at a table while everyone around her seemed afraid to get too close.
"Hey, do you guys see her?"
Everyone's attention shifted to her, wondering whether she meant any harm.
"That lady doesn't seem to care about our presence here. She should have noticed us the moment we walked in." Blueblade spoke calmly, his tone even.
"...I wonder if she is ok," Sato's voice carried a hint of concern.
Looking more closely at her, Blueblade noticed, thanks to where he was sitting, a cut that ran along the girl's hip. Sato, however, was on the opposite side of Blueblade, which left him wondering how he could have possibly seen it.
"Do you think we can help her?"
Sato's question left everyone speechless.
"I would have understood if she were Irina, but wanting to help an enemy is unheard of," Butterfly said, surprised.
"But at the same time, you have to admit it's commendable," Blueblade added with quiet pride.
While they were talking, the girl glanced toward their table and gave them a small wave.
"Well, at least she doesn't seem to have any ill intentions," Butterfly said in a protective tone, "but I'll come with you if you decide to go."
Hearing this, Sato pushed back his chair and walked toward the girl, Butterfly following close behind. After only a few steps, they reached her table.
"Excuse me…Do you think we can help you with that?"
Sato pointed toward the wound, but the girl mistook the gesture for his interest in her food. Startled, she quickly stretched her arms over the plate to guard it, as if to make sure no one touched it.
Is she serious? Does she really think I'm after her food? Why does every hero have to be such a weirdos?
"No… I mean the wound, your wound."
"Oh…"
Realizing what he was actually referring to, the girl took a quick peek at her wound. It was mostly healed, but faint traces of blood still remained.
"Do you think you can help?" the girl asked, her voice tinged with doubt.
…Who is this guy anyway? And the girl behind him… an exis, huh? Wants to help me recover, what a cruel joke. I got this wound from a relic; I doubt he can do much.
"I can try."
Although I don't even know if I can do something in this case…
After a moment of Sato staring blankly at her wound, Butterfly stepped in.
"How about you give her some of your mana? It's a good way to help a hero recover."
"I can do that?" Sato's eyes widened in surprise.
So Irina didn't tell him anything…I guess she wouldn't let somebody help her recover anyway…
"Try to focus your mana in your palm. Then, with your hand above her wound, guide it into the injury."
"Alright, I'm gonna try!" Sato said with confidence.
Well, this is easier said than done, and being his first time doing this, I doubt everything will go smoothly.
Until then, Sato had never tried to conjure mana. But when he raised his hand and focused on the energy within his body, a thin layer of mana began to cover his palm. With that, he guided his hand over the girl's wound, the mana slowly pouring into it.
He really did it!
Butterfly was visibly surprised by how effortlessly it worked. The girl's wound began to heal slowly, and, feeling the strength of his mana, she unconsciously shifted until her hip came to rest against his hand.
From the table, everyone else watched closely. Seeing the girl's hip come to rest against Sato's hand, Asahi let out a low whistle.
"Not bad, my friend… not bad."