I let out a long breath, relief washing through me as the Shuuki finally went down. My body ached in protest. That bastard's punches were no joke. Still, the fight drove one truth home. I had not yet faced anything truly dangerous in Mato. So far, it had only been small fry, and that had dulled my perspective.
Gracefully dropping from her current location, Isadora landed beside me, a cheetah medal glinting in her hand. She took my hand, pried my fingers open, and placed the core medal into my palm.
"Let's get the hell out of here, Hideo," she said, tapping my shoulder.
Light wrapped around her body, folding inward as she transformed into a bracelet. A familiar weight settled against my wrist inside the suit.
[Looks like you're about to be a target of interest of the government starting today, Hideo. I noticed someone recording your fight earlier.]
Yeah. No way this mess would stay unnoticed. The entire area was wrecked. Buildings torn apart, the ground unrecognizable after the ruckus we did.
I would have to get better at controlling collateral damage. Fighting in Mato had spoiled me. Those habits did not translate well to the real world.
[𝕋𝕒𝕜𝕒]
[𝕋𝕠𝕣𝕒]
[ℂ𝕙𝕖𝕖𝕥𝕒𝕙]
Not waiting for things to spiral further, I swapped medals and bolted. I sprinted away from the scene as Isadora filled my head with commentary, her voice echoing inside my mind while we talked the whole way.
========
========
The place drowned in sirens as barricade tape wrapped the perimeter, uniformed responders of every color spilling into the wreckage.
When the Anti-Demon Force arrived at the scene, all that greeted them was debris, shattered glass, and ruined structures strewn across the area. The Unique Shuuki was nowhere to be found.
"Someone definitely had their fun," Mira remarked, adjusting her cap as she walked through the wreckage. She clicked her tongue. "Tsk. It's unfortunate Tenka was unavailable. Otherwise, we could've arrived much sooner."
She picked up a stone, studying it for a brief moment before crushing it in her palm. Of all the times for a mishap like this to occur, it was almost miraculous that there had been no fatalities. Only minor bruises among the survivors.
Summoning multiple clones, Mira dispatched them across the area, instructing them to assist people and coordinate with teams to bolster the current manpower.
At the same time, she made her way toward an officer who had been present when the mishap occurred. She wanted answers directly that are far clearer than anything the comms could provide.
Noticing Mira's approach, the officer snapped to attention and offered a sharp salute. Mira returned the gesture briefly before getting straight to the point, her gaze steady as she began pressing for details.
The officer took a breath and began her report. When the Shuuki first emerged, the perimeter guards reacted swiftly, evacuating civilians without incident. All standard Shuuki that appeared were successfully neutralized, and for a moment, it seemed the situation was under control.
That changed when the gates began to shrink.
From within, a Unique Shuuki emerged. According to their assessment, it possessed an ability that instilled overwhelming fear to anyone weaker than it, or with a fragile will.
You will become nervous, panicked, or outright paralyzed in its presence. Beyond its psychological pressure, the creature was also heavily armored, its skin resembling solid rock.
"And what's this about someone wearing a suit?" Mira asked.
The officer exhaled slowly. "We don't have much information on the unknown individual," she admitted.
Her voice wavered slightly as she continued.
"But we can say this with certainty that he saved us all."
"If he hadn't arrived when he did, we would've been killed on the spot."
The officer continued her briefing for a while longer before excusing herself to return to her duties. Mira watched her go, then lifted her gaze to the night sky, releasing a slow, relaxed sigh.
"Mhm?"
Feeling her phone vibrate, Mira pulled it from her pocket. When she saw the familiar name flashing across the screen, she answered without hesitation.
["How are things on your side, Mira?"]
Mira glanced around the area, turning her head for a moment before answering.
"Good news is, there were no fatalities during the breach," she replied in a relaxed tone. "Bad news is, everything here is a mess." She paused briefly before adding,
Mira scratched her chin, then let out a gentle smile.
"Still, I'd say the good outweighs the bad. Buildings can be rebuilt, but human lives can't."
["That's just like you," ]
The woman on the other end chuckled before continuing.
Sharing what she had learned on-site, Mira spoke with the caller for a while longer, the other woman's interest unmistakable even through the call.
The woman decided to wrap up their conversation once she had gathered most of the intel she needed.
["Anyway, we'll go over more of what happened there during this week's assembly,"] the voice said, ["especially that unknown outlier."]
Mira just nodded in response.
"Luckily, they managed to capture some footage of the Shuuki during the fight," Mira replied. "I'll call back later, since I still have more to take care of here."
["Yeah. Stay safe out there, Mira."]
"Mm. You too. Though, I don't think my concern with that is applicable to you," she said with a faint smile.
"Supreme Commander"
========
========
Morning announced itself with the annoying sound of the alarm clock. I let out a low groan and slowly pushed myself upright, the fog in my head lingering until memories of the previous night came rushing back, snapping my mind fully awake.
I could only vaguely recall what happened after Isadora and I fled the city. We had found a convenient hiding spot where I could undo my transformation, and once we finally reached my place, exhaustion took over. I'd gone straight to bed without a second thought after changing my clothes.
"You alive there, Hideo?"
Isadora waved a hand in front of my face. She was wearing a pair of shorts and one of my shirts instead of her usual dress.
"Barely," I muttered, swatting her hand away. "That fight was rough."
I stretched, joints popping as I climbed out of bed. After slapping my cheeks a few times to wake myself up, I headed into the bathroom and splashed water on my face. I stared at my reflection for a moment longer than necessary before stepping back out.
The smell of food immediately caught my attention.
On the table sat a simple but inviting breakfast. A steamed rice, a neatly rolled omelette, and salmon. Just from the looks alone already made my stomach grumble.
Without hesitating, I took a seat across from Isadora. I offer my word of thanks to the food in front of me before we started eating.
My eyes couldn't hide their astonishment the moment the food touched my tongue.
"This is delicious," I said, genuine surprise slipping into my voice.
"Right~~?" Isadora smirked, shoveling rice into her mouth like a squirrel. "I learned it online."
The salmon flaked apart at the slightest touch of my chopsticks, tender and warm. Its savory richness carried a faint smokiness that lingered pleasantly on my tongue. It paired perfectly with the omelette, soft and lightly sweet, the eggs folded into neat layers that practically melted the moment I bit into them. The rice tied everything together, simple and comforting, each grain fluffy and clean, soaking up the flavors without overpowering them.
I had to admit it. This woman could really cook.
Though she had a bad habit of experimenting a little too boldly at times, when she got it right, she really got it right. Somehow, she managed to be both the best and worst chef at the same time.
We continued eating in comfortable silence. Right now, nothing mattered more than filling my stomach and letting my body recover, one bite at a time. I didn't even realize my plate was already empty until I set my chopsticks down.
After breakfast, Isadora washed the dishes immediately. The sound of running water filled the apartment as I sat at the edge of my bed, lost in thought.
My mind drifted back to the Shuuki.
Thinking about its movements again, I was sure of it. That bastard had been using martial arts before the fight devolved into a mindless exchange of fists. Sometimes it moved like a feral monkey, unpredictable and wild, yet it possessed a sharp battle sense. It knew exactly where to strike, waiting patiently for the perfect opening before committing.
To be honest, it felt like I was contending with a real fighter, not some mindless beast relying solely on brute force or reckless charges driven by a desire to kill. Don't get me wrong, it was trying to kill me.
Just not in the way most Shuuki did.
While I continued to enter my own world, Isadora just plopped down on the floor once she was done with her chore and started demolishing ten popsicles without a shred of restraint. This girl never ceased to amaze me, eating that amount this early in the morning.
"Oh yeah, did you see anything about me?" I asked. "Articles, videos, that kind of stuff?"
Isadora was sprawled on the floor like a melting potato, basking in the AC while fiddling with my older phone. At my question, she turned to face me, her expression painfully bored, then flicked a popsicle stick straight at my face.
I caught it cleanly between my index and middle finger.
"What's your problem?" I asked dryly, tossing it back at her.
"Just 'cause," she smirked, flashing a peace sign right as the stick bounced off her forehead.
Don't abuse your pretty-face privilege to do random things out of nowhere, woman.
"Thanks for the compliment~~"
"I didn't even say anything."
"Your face did."
…Damn. Is my face really that transparent? Even my dad and classmates used to say that.
Wait, we're losing track here. She still hadn't answered my damn question.
"Relax. There's nothing on the net or TV yet about a guy in a suit doing a real life mortal kombat with a Shuuki," she said, pushing herself off the floor and heading for the fridge to get another popsicle. "They're saying the Anti-Demon Force neutralized the so called Unique Shuuki last night."
Strangely enough, I'd already expected that. Authorities weren't about to casually broadcast my existence. As far as they were concerned, I was just some nobody who had:
Shown up out of nowhere.
Saved a few people.
Beat the hell out of a Shuuki.
Put it down for good.
Left without explanation.
And honestly, I preferred it that way. Being under the public spotlight wasn't something I needed right now. Still, there was no doubt the Anti-Demon Force would start looking into me sooner rather than later.
That was fine.
I wasn't planning on sneaking around Mato anymore. If this was going to be their first impression of me, then let it be this: a stranger who stepped in, backed up the police, and took down something dangerous when it mattered.
___________________
___________________
Author's Note:
Naoya fixing his hair is invading my twitter feed.