"…Hey."
No answer.
The rain had softened into a thin drizzle, falling gently onto the asphalt of the alley that was now silent. A flickering streetlight cast a weak yellow glow, reflecting off silver coins scattered across the ground before they slowly faded and vanished one by one, as if they had never existed.
The woman stood in the middle of the alley, her breathing still unsteady.
"…Hey," she repeated, a little louder.
She looked down.
The metal armored figure was still lying there, sprawled in an uncomfortable angle. The helmet was slightly tilted, the body smeared with dust, rainwater, and marks from heavy impacts. The heavy armor looked too large, too crude, for someone who had just fought in such a reckless way.
"…Seriously," she muttered. "Are you unconscious?"
She crouched down slowly beside him, her long skirt brushing against the wet asphalt. Her hand lifted hesitantly, then stopped midair.
"…If I touch you, is this even safe?" she said to herself.
No response.
She sighed, then lightly tapped the side of the armor.
Tok.
"Hey. Alley hero," she said, half sarcastic. "Wake up."
Nothing.
She stared at him for several seconds, then without realizing it, her shoulders dropped.
"…Idiot."
The word slipped out.
"An absolute idiot," she repeated softly, her voice trembling faintly. "Who runs straight at a monster like that… for someone you do not even know?"
She sat down on the asphalt, letting her back rest against the cold alley wall. She pulled her knees to her chest, arms wrapped tightly around them.
Silence settled again.
"…Hah."
A small laugh escaped her lips, dry and almost hollow.
"Funny," she said quietly. "I am angry… but I cannot stop thinking…"
She glanced back at the unconscious figure.
"…why did you do that?"
The drizzle soaked her long hair. The soft purple color darkened with water, strands clinging to her cheeks. She did not wipe them away.
"I should have died too," she whispered. "Or at least… been alone."
She closed her eyes.
Another face surfaced in her mind, smaller, calmer, with eyes that always looked far too mature for a child.
"…I am sorry," she murmured.
Her hands clenched tightly in the fabric of her skirt.
"I am sorry… Mama failed."
Her voice broke.
She bit her lip, forcing a smile, a reflex she had trained for far too long.
"I always say 'it is okay'," she said to the empty air. "I always say 'Mama is strong', 'Mama is fine'."
She let out another small laugh.
"But… I am lying."
She turned her head, staring once more at the face hidden behind the metal helmet.
"And you…" she said softly. "You came out of nowhere, wearing a ridiculous costume in a way that makes no sense, stumbling around like a drunk, and then… you won."
She snorted.
"Not cool at all."
She lifted her head, gazing at the narrow strip of sky between the buildings.
"…I am a fraud," she said suddenly. "From the very beginning."
Her hand rose to her chest, right over her heart.
"I tell everyone that I love them," she continued. "I smile. I wave. I say 'I love you all' with the sweetest face I can make."
She closed her eyes.
"But I do not even know… what love is."
She opened them again and looked at Aster, still unconscious, still silent.
"…It is strange," she murmured. "I am telling you this."
She laughed softly, more bitter this time.
"You cannot even hear it."
She took a deep breath.
"I should not be this fragile," she said. "I have people to comfort. I have a face that has to keep smiling."
She wiped her cheeks quickly.
"I am not allowed to cry."
Silence.
"But today…" her voice dropped. "Today everything shattered."
She turned her face away.
"There was a monster," she said faster, as if trying to spill it all out at once. "Not just you who saw it. I saw it too. Much closer than the word 'close' can describe."
Her shoulders trembled.
"And I ran," she whispered. "I ran while pulling both of my children's hands."
Her hands shook.
"I said 'it is okay'. I said 'Mama is here'."
She laughed weakly, almost hysterical.
"Funny, right? I was still lying in that moment."
Her breath hitched.
"And then…" her voice weakened drastically. "…I lost one."
The drizzle felt colder.
"I did not hear the scream," she said quietly. "I did not hear anything. Everything was loud. Too fast."
She squeezed her eyes shut.
"When I realized it… only one was still there."
Silence.
"I am a bad mother," she said flatly. "I say I love them, but I could not protect them."
She shook her head slowly.
"If love is real… it should not hurt this much."
She opened her eyes and looked at Aster again.
"And you…" she said, almost angrily. "You came too late."
Her fists clenched.
"You came so late, fell over again and again, almost died, then passed out like an idiot…"
She stopped.
"…but you still came."
She swallowed.
"That is annoying."
She stood up slowly, took one step closer, then stopped.
"…I do not know who you are," she said. "I do not even know why you have those strange things."
She stared at the helmet.
"But you did not run away."
Her hand lifted, hesitant, then stopped just a few centimeters from the helmet.
"…Why?"
No answer.
She pulled her hand back as if stung.
"…Whatever," she muttered. "I am complaining to an unconscious person."
She let out a small laugh and rubbed her face.
"I am weird," she said. "Talking to myself now. Saying things I should not say."
She glanced at Aster from the corner of her eye.
"…Especially to a stranger."
She straightened up, took a long breath, then like a reflex, smiled. A bright, perfect smile, leaving not a single crack.
"…I am fine," she said loudly, even though there was no one to convince. "I am strong."
The smile lasted only two seconds.
Then it collapsed.
"…No," she whispered. "I am lying again."
She exhaled deeply, then sat back down near him, closer than before.
"If you wake up later," she said softly, almost gently, "forget everything I said, okay?"
She gave a small smile.
"I am not a good person."
The rain continued to fall lightly.
And in that narrow alley, beside a man whose name she did not yet know,
Hoshino Ai realized one simple thing that confused her:
"…Why is it," she murmured faintly, "that I am honest in front of you?"
She stared at the face hidden tightly behind the helmet.
Then, without realizing it,
she stayed there.
Waiting.
...
Consciousness returned in the most unpleasant way possible.
"…Heavy."
That was the first thought.
The second was a dull pain spread across his entire body, as if he had been thrown from the tenth floor, then hit by a truck, then forced to sleep on wet asphalt.
"…So heavy."
His eyelids trembled, then opened slightly.
Darkness. Then the blinding glare of a streetlight. Then the sound of rain that had almost stopped. And…
"…Oh."
A face.
Way too close.
"WAH?!"
He reflexively tried to pull back, but his body refused to cooperate. The result was only the sound of heavy metal creaking as he tried to move his shoulders.
"Hey, wait, do not scream," the woman said quickly. "You are awake, right? Okay. Good. Do not panic."
"Wh, who…" His voice was hoarse, his throat dry. "Why is there someone this close…"
"You were unconscious for almost two hours," she cut in. "If I did not watch you, someone might have stolen your metal piece by piece."
"…Metal?"
He blinked.
His vision began to focus.
A narrow alley. Wet asphalt. A streetlight. And a woman with long purple hair crouching beside him, staring with an expression that was a mix of irritation and curiosity.
"…I," he said quietly. "I am alive?"
The woman narrowed her eyes. "Unfortunately, yes."
"Unfortunately?"
"Yes. You are a hassle."
He swallowed. "Sorry."
Reflex. The word escaped before his thoughts caught up.
She fell silent for a moment, then clicked her tongue.
"Do not apologize so casually," she said. "It makes it hard for me to decide whether I should be mad or not."
"…Oh."
An awkward silence fell.
He tried to sit up again, failed, then gave up and lay there staring at the narrow strip of sky above the alley.
"Why… does my body feel so heavy…" he muttered.
She glanced at his metal-covered body. "You just noticed?"
"…Just now."
"You are wearing armor as thick as a refrigerator," she said flatly. "What do you think?"
"…Makes sense."
He exhaled quietly.
"Hey," he said hesitantly. "Are you… okay?"
The question came out softly, almost timidly.
She raised an eyebrow. "You just woke up after being unconscious for two hours, nearly got eaten by a monster, and that is the first thing you ask?"
"…Yeah."
He looked at her. "Because you are… still here."
She fell silent again.
"…Weird," she muttered. "I should have left."
"Why did you not?" he asked honestly.
She snorted. "Because you passed out in the most pathetic way I have ever seen."
"…Sorry."
"Stop apologizing."
He nodded slightly. "Okay."
Silence again.
Then—
CLINK.
A small metallic sound came from behind them.
"…Hm?" she turned.
CLINK, CLINK, CLINK.
Aster turned as well, though it was difficult with the helmet still on.
"…What is that?"
From the end of the alley, several small figures appeared, moving with stiff, mechanical steps. Their bodies resembled small gorillas with android frames, their eyes glowing a dim green.
Each of them carried a Cell Medal in its hand.
"…Huh?" Aster froze. "Wait a second…"
The Gorillacandroids moved in neat formation, as if trained. They crouched, picked up the Cell Medals one by one, then walked toward a large silver tank nearby.
The tank opened automatically.
They placed the medals inside.
CLINK. SHUNK.
"…SINCE WHEN WERE THEY THERE?!" Aster shouted.
The woman jumped to her feet. "WHAT IS THAT NOW?!"
One of the Gorillacandroids turned toward them.
Then nodded.
"…Did it just nod?" the woman said quietly.
"I saw it too," Aster replied stiffly.
The Gorillacandroid returned to work as if nothing was strange, placing the last medal inside and then closing the tank. Naturally, the tank sealed itself after all the gorilla robots climbed inside.
Silence.
"…What," the woman said flatly, "just happened?"
Aster looked back at the sky. "If I say that is normal, would you believe me?"
"…No."
"Good," he said. "Because I would not either."
He paused, then jolted.
"Wait," he said. "Gorillacandroids… those are… automatic systems…"
He tried to move his hand to his side, fumbling for something.
"…Found it."
She blinked. "You brought a book?"
"Something like that," he said. "I… read a bit."
He pulled out a thin, slightly crumpled book and opened it with trembling hands.
"So that is it. I did not suddenly understand everything," he said quickly, as if talking to himself. "I read this… earlier."
She leaned in, peeking. "You read a manual in a situation like this?"
"…I did not have anything else."
He flipped a page. "This… Gorillacandroid. Support unit. Function… automatically collects Cell Medals and refills the Cell Medal Tank."
"…So they are not monsters?"
"No," he said. "More like… extremely diligent robots."
She stared at the book, then at Aster.
"…You are strange."
"I hear that a lot."
He stopped reading, then realized something big and obvious.
"…Oh."
"What?"
"I am still transformed."
"…Oh."
He laughed awkwardly. "No wonder it is heavy."
"So?" she asked. "Can you take it off?"
"I can," he said. "I should be able to."
He took a deep breath and followed the instructions he remembered. His hand reached for the Birth Driver, his fingers pulled the Cell Medal from the belt slot, and the medal shattered without leaving anything behind.
CLICK.
A mechanical sound rang out.
The armor began to disengage, not exploding, but opening and unraveling piece by piece. Each metal segment returned to its storage unit with heavy, sequential sounds.
Chest. Arms. Legs.
The helmet opened last.
Aster gasped for the cold night air, his hair soaked, his face pale.
"…Hah," he said. "Light."
He sat up, shoulders dropping.
The woman stared at him, this time without the helmet, without the distance of metal armor.
"…Oh," she said quietly. "You… look normal."
"…Thank you?" he said hesitantly.
"That was not a compliment."
"…Oh."
A brief silence.
Then—
GROOO—
The sound was loud. Clear. Undeniable.
Aster's stomach growled.
Very loudly.
The woman froze.
"…"
"…"
Aster's face heated up.
"…Sorry," he said softly. "I am hungry."
She stared at him for two seconds.
Then she laughed.
Not a polite chuckle, but a full laugh, slightly cynical, slightly relieved.
"Are you serious?" she said while laughing. "After all that?"
"…I have not eaten for two days. So that is normal."
Her laughter stopped abruptly.
"…Two days?"
He nodded slowly.
"…Oh."
She fell silent, then let out a long sigh.
"You really are…" she said, shaking her head. "Stupid."
"…Yeah."
"And way too honest."
She stood up, crossing her arms.
"Listen," she said. "I do not know who you are. You are strange, careless, and almost died in a ridiculous way."
"…Thanks?"
"But," she continued, her tone softening slightly, "you also saved me."
She looked away.
"And I do not like owing people."
Aster looked at her. "You mean…?"
"My house is not far," she said. "There is food."
Aster's stomach growled again, quieter this time.
"…I am not forcing you," she added quickly. "If you do not want to—"
"I do," he said immediately.
She blinked. "Eh, I mean, if that is not a problem—"
She looked at him, then smiled faintly.
"…You are funny," she said.
She paused, then her expression changed, soft but fragile.
"Oh right, Ruby is still at home," she said quietly. "She is with a trustworthy adult."
Aster did not ask. Even though he was confused, it was not his place.
"…If you mind—"
"I do not," he said. "I do not mind."
He stood up slowly, his body still a little unsteady. But right now, food mattered more than anything.
"…Thank you," he said softly.
She glanced at him, raising an eyebrow slightly.
"You apologized again."
"…Oh. Sorry—"
"Stop."
"…Okay."
He walked over to the silver tank and lifted it onto his back, then stopped as something occurred to him.
"…Why are you inviting me to your house?" he asked honestly.
She was silent for a moment.
"…I do not know either," she said. "Maybe because you are stupid."
"…Makes sense."
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye.
"…Or maybe," she said quietly, "because you did not run away."
She started walking ahead.
"Hurry," she said without looking back. "Before I change my mind."
Aster followed her, his stomach still hungry, his heart still broken,
but his feet kept moving forward.