Volume 1, Chapter 13: She Seems to Be Getting Used to This Place
A little after ten the next morning, when Shuichi was woken by knocking, his first thought was whether yesterday's calamity beast had come back to life.
Whoever was knocking was very patient.
Knock, knock, knock.
A three-second pause.
Knock, knock, knock.
Unhurried, not pounding, and without any of Yusei's I-could-kick-this-door-in energy.
So it wasn't Yusei.
Shuichi pulled the blanket over his head.
He decided to pretend no one was home.
It was quiet outside for about ten seconds.
Then his phone rang.
With his eyes closed, Shuichi groped around the side of the bed for ages before he found it. The screen showed Asakawa Mio.
【I know you're home.】
"..."
Shuichi stared at the message for a few seconds.
He didn't reply.
The next one came in quickly.
【Yusei says you're off today.】
And the one after that.
【He says you're usually not awake at this hour.】
Shuichi sat up.
【Then why are you knocking?】
Mio's reply came fast.
【You're awake now.】
What airtight logic.
Shuichi suddenly began to regret meeting these two.
He got out of bed in his pajamas and glanced in the mirror as he passed. His hair was a mess in a very layered way, but his complexion was a good deal better than yesterday; at least he didn't look like he'd just been carried out of a disaster zone.
He opened the door.
Asakawa Mio was standing outside.
She hadn't tied her hair up today; her long black hair fell naturally down her back. She wore a loose light-gray sweatshirt, black track pants, and white skate shoes.
That stab wound to her abdomen obviously hadn't fully healed, so she'd chosen much looser clothes than usual, though from how she moved, you couldn't tell there was much wrong anymore.
Her right hand held a plastic bag.
Her left hand was still holding her phone.
When she saw Shuichi, the first thing she did was look him up and down.
Shuichi held on to the door.
"What?"
"Checking whether you're dead."
"Now you've seen."
"Mm."
"Then goodbye."
Shuichi went to close the door.
Mio put a hand on it.
"Wait."
"What else?"
She held up the plastic bag.
Inside were bread, milk, two chilled boxed lunches, and a few kinds of fruit.
Shuichi looked at it.
"A care package?"
"Breakfast."
"This is enough to feed me for a whole day."
"That's the idea."
Shuichi finally raised his eyes.
Mio said matter-of-factly, "Yusei's getting a follow-up at the hospital today and dealing with some paperwork left over from yesterday. He won't be back before noon, so he asked me to make sure you eat."
"..."
Shuichi was silent for a long time.
"How old am I?"
"Twenty-one."
"Then why do I need someone watching me eat?"
"I asked that too."
"What did he say?"
Mio paused.
"He said that if nobody looks after you, you'll lie in bed until three in the afternoon and skip breakfast and lunch entirely."
Shuichi wanted to argue.
But before yesterday, he really had done that a lot.
So he chose to attack from a different angle.
"Why are you listening to him?"
"Because he treated my wounds, took me to the hospital, and walked me home last night."
Mio held out the plastic bag. "And I happened to be passing by."
Shuichi didn't take it.
He glanced down at the bag.
Besides breakfast, right on top sat a very familiar cup of plain pudding.
Shuichi looked up.
Mio kept a straight face.
"The convenience store gave it away."
"Which convenience store is that generous?"
"A promotion."
"There wasn't one yesterday."
"There is today."
"Oh."
Shuichi took the bag.
He didn't call her on it.
"Thanks."
Mio had been about to leave, but her gaze went past his shoulder and landed on the room inside.
Then stopped.
Shuichi noticed where she was looking too.
He turned around.
The clothes he'd changed out of last night were on the sofa.
Two instant noodle cups sat on the coffee table, not yet thrown away.
Drink cans stood by the computer desk.
At some point, a single sock had ended up on the floor.
And an unopened case of bottled water sat by the kitchen doorway.
Perfectly normal.
At least by Shuichi's standards.
Mio looked at it quietly for three seconds.
"Your place..."
"Mm."
"Is it always like this?"
"I already cleaned."
Mio turned her head.
"When?"
"Last month."
"..."
She seemed to suddenly understand why Yusei ran over next door every single day.
Seeing she still hadn't left, Shuichi asked.
"Anything else?"
"No."
After saying it, Mio glanced inside again.
"Really, nothing."
Shuichi took hold of the doorknob.
"Then—"
"What are you going to eat?"
"Huh?"
"For breakfast."
"Whatever."
"What's 'whatever'?"
"Whatever's in the bag."
Mio thought for two seconds.
Then took the plastic bag back out of his hand.
"I'll do it."
Shuichi looked at her.
"What do you mean?"
"Where's your kitchen?"
"In there."
"I see it."
Mio changed her shoes and came in.
Shuichi stood in the entryway and didn't move for a long moment.
Things were developing a little strangely.
"Weren't you just passing by?"
"Not anymore."
"..."
Mio had already walked into the kitchen.
A few seconds later.
The sounds from inside stopped.
Shuichi suddenly had a bad feeling.
Sure enough.
Mio poked her head back out.
"Shuichi."
"Mm."
"What is this in your fridge?"
She was holding a container of something whose color had already turned rather suspicious.
Shuichi squinted at it.
"Curry?"
"Why are you saying it like a question?"
"I forget."
"From when?"
"Last week."
Mio looked down at the food container.
"I suggest you change 'last week' to 'last month.'"
"That long?"
"There's a date on it."
"Oh."
"And Yusei's the one who wrote it."
"He has more free time."
Mio threw it out.
Then opened the refrigerator section.
"These eggs are six days expired."
"Eggs expire too?"
Mio turned to look at him.
The look in her eyes was the look of someone encountering this species for the first time.
"Go sit outside."
"I'm already outside."
"Farther from the kitchen."
"..."
Shuichi was very obedient.
He turned around and sat on the sofa.
Five minutes later, the sound of frying started coming from the kitchen.
He leaned back on the sofa and scrolled on his phone for a while.
The Girl Hero Observatory's front page was still dominated by yesterday's Linjiang City Mother Hive incident.
The Cocoon Princess already had its own page.
【Provisional calamity beast name: Cocoon Princess】
【Type: Suspected mature Mother Hive-type】
【First confirmed: Linjiang City, East District】
【Status: Eliminated】
【Killed by: Unknown】
The last field had already turned into a shouting match.
Some insisted Blue Lance had turned things around at the end.
Some thought it was Yusei.
Others believed another hero had entered the sealed area beforehand, only there was no footage of it.
Someone had even drawn a so-called "8-Minute-37-Second Incident Reconstruction Chart," using arrows in a dozen different colors to analyze what might have happened inside the Hive Domain. Just looking at it made Shuichi's eyes hurt.
The most popular comment was:
【I have a very bold theory: is it possible that at the very end, a hero we've never seen before actually showed up?】
Over two thousand replies.
Top-voted:
【So she went in invisible?】
Second:
【Eight minutes with zero footage. In theory, if you said Ultraman went in there, nobody could disprove it.】
Third:
【Stop making stuff up. Blue Lance herself only said "someone helped," and that someone could just be Strongman Bro.】
Shuichi paused a little when he got to that.
Mio really hadn't told anyone else what she'd seen.
Good.
He kept scrolling.
Yusei's discussion page, meanwhile, was getting more and more over the top.
The site had even created a temporary non-hero profile for him.
【Unknown Male Individual】
【Provisional name: Strongman Bro (unofficial)】
【Confirmed appearances: 3】
【Appearances alongside Blue Lance: 3】
【Confirmed feats: bare-handed destruction of a deformed vehicle door, lifting a large metal ad frame, moving vehicles, rescue work at disaster sites】
【Ability user: Unknown】
【Special relationship with Blue Lance: Unknown】
There was even a poll below.
【What do you think Strongman Bro and Blue Lance's relationship is?】
A: Just friends.
B: Combat partners.
C: Childhood friends.
D: A couple.
E: Her manager.
F: He's actually Blue Lance's dad.
Shuichi stared at the last option.
He opened the results.
Three percent, of all things.
"..."
The internet really did have all kinds of people.
A voice came from the kitchen doorway.
"What are you looking at?"
Shuichi immediately lowered his phone a little.
"The news."
Mio came out carrying two plates.
"The Girl Hero Observatory?"
"It counts as news."
"Let me see."
"No."
Mio set down the plates.
"Why not?"
"No reason."
"Were you laughing just now?"
"No."
Mio eyed him suspiciously.
Shuichi turned his phone face down on his leg.
He absolutely could not let her see that "dad" option.
Not to protect Yusei.
Mainly because he was afraid Mio would crush her own phone and then make him pay for it.
Breakfast on the table was simple.
Fried eggs, ham, toast.
Mio had even warmed up the milk.
Shuichi sat down.
When he took the first bite, he paused slightly.
"How is it?"
Mio asked.
"Edible."
"Is that how you rate everyone's cooking?"
"I also say it's good."
"Then why aren't you saying that?"
Shuichi took another bite.
"You want to hear it?"
Mio said immediately, "No."
"Oh."
"..."
Shuichi lowered his head and smiled.
Mio happened to see.
"You seem pretty happy today."
"Do I?"
"You do."
Shuichi thought about it.
Maybe.
He hadn't died yesterday.
Yusei and Mio hadn't died either.
The calamity beast was dealt with.
He'd managed to change back.
After a night's sleep, his chest hadn't kept hurting.
Someone had even cleaned out his fridge.
Looked at that way, there really wasn't anything to be unhappy about.
"Day off."
He picked a random reason.
Mio accepted it.
Halfway through breakfast, there was another knock at the door.
This time the knocking was far more familiar.
BANG BANG BANG.
"Shuichi!"
Shuichi was holding a piece of toast.
"Door's not locked."
The door swung open.
Yusei walked in carrying a paper bag.
Then stopped.
He looked at the dining table.
Then at Mio sitting at it.
And finally at Shuichi.
"..."
Shuichi took a bite of toast.
"You're back pretty fast."
Yusei didn't answer.
"Why is Asakawa at your place?"
Mio looked up.
"You told me to come make sure he eats."
"I told you to remind him."
"I reminded him."
Mio pointed at the breakfast on the table.
"And made it while I was at it."
Yusei looked down at the paper bag in his hand.
Inside were steamed buns and soy milk he'd just bought outside.
Then he looked at Shuichi.
Shuichi very naturally held out a hand.
"Give it here."
Yusei pulled the bag back.
"You're already eating!"
"I'll eat it at lunch."
"No."
"You already bought it."
"I'm eating it myself!"
Shuichi turned to Mio.
"Look."
"Look at what?"
"Childish."
Yusei: "?"
Mio actually gave it serious thought.
"True."
"Asakawa, whose side are you even on?"
"Nobody's."
"Then why am I always the one getting told off?"
Mio lowered her head and drank her milk.
"You could reflect on that."
Shuichi found breakfast especially delicious today.
In the end, Yusei sat down beside them after all.
The hospital's results showed nothing wrong. Apart from every metric of his body being clearly above an ordinary person's, no abnormalities had been found so far. The doctor had even stared at his muscle and bone-density results for a long time, then asked whether he'd taken up some new kind of sport he hadn't reported.
As for how to explain someone who'd been living normally until yesterday suddenly having a body like this—
Yusei hadn't dared say anything.
He could only play dumb.
"So the biggest problem right now is still this."
He raised his right hand.
Mio nodded.
"Your body is still getting stronger."
"It's a lot more stable than yesterday."
Yusei picked up a glass from the table, deliberately controlling the force in his fingers. "At least I don't break things just by picking them up."
"And speed?"
"I'm getting a little more used to that too."
Mio asked, "And the connection?"
At that, both their expressions turned a lot more serious.
Shuichi kept eating.
He didn't show any interest.
Yusei focused.
After a moment, he looked at Mio.
"It's still there."
"Any change with distance?"
"You're right here, so I can't tell."
"Then we'll test it after I go home."
"Today?"
"Yes."
Yusei frowned.
"Your injury hasn't healed yet."
"We're only testing distance. No transforming."
"Then that's fine."
The two of them settled it very naturally.
Shuichi finished his last bite.
He was about to get up.
Mio suddenly looked at him.
"Where are you going?"
"To sleep."
Yusei's face darkened.
"Sleep right after eating?"
"Day off."
"You've only been up half an hour."
"Sleepy."
Mio glanced down at her phone.
"11:07."
Shuichi nodded.
"Nap."
"What noon?"
"Early."
"..."
Mio was understanding more and more what Yusei dealt with on a daily basis.
But Shuichi had only made it to the bedroom door when his phone chimed.
It was a special push notification from the Girl Hero Observatory.
【Blue Lance's official account has posted an update.】
All three of them froze.
Shuichi slowly turned his head.
Yusei looked at Mio too.
Mio herself was taken aback.
"You have an account?"
Yusei asked.
"I do."
"Run by you?"
"It's not under my real name."
"But it's verified by the site?"
"Heroes can get anonymous verification."
Shuichi sat back down.
That he really hadn't known.
"What did you post?"
Mio took out her phone.
The page opened quickly.
Blue Lance's verified profile was very simple.
The account had been created over two years ago and had only ever made nine posts; the first eight were basically post-disaster all-clear messages or reminders for residents to stay away from certain danger zones.
The newest one had just gone up.
Only three sentences.
【Yesterday's Mother Hive-type calamity beast was not killed by me alone.】
【There was indeed a third participant in the core zone.】
【Their identity and other details cannot be disclosed. Please stop groundless investigation.】
The living room went quiet.
Yusei looked up.
"When did you post this?"
"Scheduled."
Mio put her phone down. "Just now."
Shuichi's brows moved very slightly.
That wasn't the safest answer.
Before, netizens had only been guessing.
Now it was the same as confirming outright that a third person had been inside the Hive Domain.
Mio seemed to read the question on both their faces.
"If I don't say anything, sooner or later they'll credit the final kill to me or to Yusei. The first is false, and the second would make even more people come after Yusei."
She paused.
"Saying there was a third person at least splits their attention."
Yusei thought about it.
"But they'll go looking for her."
"They won't find her."
Mio said it with great certainty.
"No footage, no audio, no public activity record, and even the ability residue has almost completely dissipated. As long as we don't say anything, they won't even know whether that person is a man or a woman."
Shuichi looked at her.
"We?"
Mio looked up.
"Me and Yusei."
"Oh."
"You don't even know what she looks like."
"True."
Shuichi lowered his head naturally and picked up his water glass.
Good.
He didn't even have to tell this lie himself.
The Girl Hero Observatory was already refreshing like mad.
【A THIRD PERSON!!!!】
【Blue Lance confirmed it!】
【I told you something happened in those eight minutes!】
【What does "cannot be disclosed" mean? Blue Lance knows who it is?】
【Not necessarily, maybe she just doesn't want to expose their abilities.】
【So there really is a hero who's never gone public?】
【Blue Lance didn't even say the gender, why are you all assuming it's a hero?】
【Could be government personnel too.】
【Or Strongman Bro's second stage.】
【Strongman Bro: So my second stage is turning into a third person, huh.】
When Shuichi saw that one.
He nearly choked.
Yusei leaned over.
"What?"
Shuichi turned off his screen.
"Nothing."
"You laughed again just now."
"You saw wrong."
Mio ignored them.
Her own phone was going off with notifications like crazy.
A few seconds later.
The Girl Hero Observatory went so far as to add a brand-new temporary profile.
【Linjiang City Mother Hive Incident · Third Participant】
The avatar was a black question mark.
Every field below read:
【Unknown】
【Unknown】
【Unknown】
【Unknown】
The only confirmed entry:
【Entered the core zone of the Hive Domain and directly participated in the final stage of the battle against the "Cocoon Princess."】
Someone in the comments said:
【Behold, the character with the least information in history is born.】
Someone immediately corrected them below:
【You can't even be sure it's a character.】
Shuichi thought this was pretty good.
A black question mark.
Ideally it would stay that way forever.
***
In the end, Yusei still made lunch.
The reason was that Mio's injury hadn't healed, and Shuichi couldn't cook.
As for why Shuichi couldn't learn—
He personally believed there was no need.
So at twelve-thirty, Yusei chased him into the kitchen to wash vegetables.
"Peel the potatoes."
"Can't."
"The peeler's right there."
"Can't use it."
Yusei looked at him.
"How did you survive twenty-one years?"
"Cafeterias, convenience stores, takeout."
"Didn't your parents ever—"
The sentence only got halfway out.
Yusei stopped.
The kitchen went briefly quiet.
He knew Shuichi's parents had been gone since early on.
What exactly had happened, Shuichi had never said.
That had come out without thinking.
"Sorry."
Yusei said.
But Shuichi's expression didn't even change.
He picked up a potato and looked at it.
"How do I do this?"
Yusei was taken aback for a moment.
"...Peel off the outer skin."
"I know that."
"Then what are you asking?"
"How do I hold it?"
"Like this."
Yusei came over, shoved the peeler into his hand, and showed him the direction.
Shuichi lowered his head and tried once.
He took off a huge chunk.
With a lot of potato attached.
Yusei's eyelid twitched.
"Are you peeling it or carving it?"
"Close enough."
"Not even close!"
Mio, sitting in the living room, heard them.
Before long, she walked into the kitchen.
"Let me."
Yusei turned around.
"Sit down."
"Peeling a potato won't affect my wound."
"You got stabbed through the stomach just yesterday."
"It's been treated."
"Even if it's been treated—"
Shuichi handed over the potato and the peeler together.
"Here."
Mio naturally took them.
Yusei stared at Shuichi.
"How do you have the nerve?"
"She volunteered."
"Can't you just learn?"
Shuichi gave it serious thought.
"No."
"Why not?"
"Once I learn, you'll make me do it all the time."
For a moment, Yusei actually couldn't argue.
Mio kept her head down, peeling the potato.
Her shoulders shook very slightly.
Yusei saw.
"Asakawa."
"Hm?"
"Are you laughing?"
"No."
"Why have you started doing this lately too?"
"It's probably contagious."
After saying it, Mio herself was taken aback.
Shuichi leaned against the counter.
Yusei stood by the stove.
The three of them looked at each other for a moment.
Then Mio lowered her head first.
For some reason, she still couldn't quite keep the corners of her mouth down.
This scene was so ordinary.
So ordinary it didn't feel like the same world as yesterday at all.
Twenty-four hours ago, she'd been pinned to the ground by a white bony limb, Yusei had almost died in front of her, and then that mysterious white-haired woman had dropped from the sky and burned away the monster she couldn't even touch with a single stroke of the sword.
And now the biggest argument was over who would peel the potatoes.
She actually thought this was nice.
She didn't need to think about whether she was Blue Lance.
She didn't need to think about when the next calamity beast would come.
She didn't even need to think about whose life she owed.
Shuichi wouldn't comfort her.
Yusei didn't lecture her in that "after nearly dying, you have to cherish life" tone either.
They just bickered as usual.
And then set out a bowl and chopsticks for her.
That was enough.
Mio finished one potato.
And reached for a second.
Shuichi had already handed one over.
Very naturally.
"This one."
"Mm."
Mio took it.
Neither of them stopped what they were doing.
But Yusei glanced over.
And then glanced again.
"When did you two get so in sync?"
Shuichi: "What?"
Mio: "Are we?"
"Just now."
"I handed her a potato."
Shuichi said.
Yusei thought about it.
He really had just handed her a potato.
Maybe he was overthinking it.
He turned around and went back to cutting meat.
Shuichi, on the other hand, looked at Yusei's back.
And suddenly found it a little funny.
Nothing had even happened yet.
And this guy was already noticing things at random like an idiot.
***
2:00 p.m.
Lunch was over.
Mio was getting ready to go home.
Before leaving, she washed her own bowl.
And then, while she was at it, washed Shuichi's too.
Yusei stood in the kitchen doorway.
"You don't have to take care of his."
Mio turned off the faucet.
"It's on the way."
Shuichi was lying on the sofa.
"Thanks."
Yusei turned his head.
"You're pretty shameless about it."
"She already finished washing it."
"..."
Mio dried her hands.
As she passed the sofa, she glanced at Shuichi.
"No instant noodles tonight."
"Mm."
"I threw out the expired stuff in your fridge."
"Oh."
"Remember to put the boxed lunches I gave you in the fridge."
"Mm."
"The milk too."
"Got it."
Mio stopped.
She thought about it.
"Never mind."
She went back to the entryway.
Yusei was puzzled.
"Never mind what?"
"Nothing."
Mio finished putting on her shoes.
"He's probably going to forget anyway."
Yusei immediately nodded.
"Right."
Shuichi was lying on the sofa.
"I can hear you."
"That's the point."
Mio pushed the door open.
Before stepping out, she looked back again.
"Oh, right."
"Hm?"
Shuichi looked over.
"That convenience store has buy-one-get-the-second-half-off on puddings tonight."
Shuichi paused.
"What time?"
"All day."
"Oh."
The corners of Mio's mouth curved slightly.
"Bye."
The door closed.
The living room went quiet.
Yusei slowly turned his head.
And looked at Shuichi.
Shuichi looked back.
"What?"
"What pudding?"
"Pudding."
"I know it's pudding."
Yusei narrowed his eyes.
"Why did she make a point of telling you?"
"Because the second one's half off."
"Why didn't she tell me?"
Shuichi thought about it.
"Maybe she doesn't want to go buy it with you."
"..."
Yusei was silent for two seconds.
Then turned and walked off.
Shuichi asked.
"Where are you going?"
"Home."
"What's for dinner tonight?"
Yusei stopped.
He turned back.
"Don't you have boxed lunches?"
"Those are boxed lunches."
"Boxed lunches aren't food?"
"You didn't make them."
"..."
Yusei stared at him for a full five seconds.
Finally he ran a hand through his hair in irritation.
"Six o'clock."
Shuichi nodded.
"Okay."
The door closed.
At last it was just him in the apartment.
Shuichi lay there for a while.
Then slowly sat up.
The smile faded along with it.
He slid a hand inside his collar and pressed his fingertips against his chest.
No pain.
The stiffness left over from transforming yesterday had mostly faded, and his body felt familiar again. Walking, breathing, raising a hand, everything was the same as before.
Nothing looked wrong.
Shuichi looked down at his hand.
After a while, he clenched it hard.
A man's hand.
No change.
Good.
He didn't want to keep thinking about it.
He let go.
His phone rang again just then.
He'd assumed it was Yusei.
It turned out to be a Girl Hero Observatory push notification.
【Latest on the Linjiang City Mother Hive Incident: An abnormal core structure has been found in the calamity beast's remains and has been recovered by the relevant authorities.】
Shuichi's gaze stopped.
A few seconds later.
He sat up a little straighter.
And tapped in.
The article was very short.
The photos of the remains at the scene had been heavily pixelated, but you could still see a black object that had been dug out of grayish-white tissue.
Irregular.
About the size of a fist.
Its edges had a metallic sheen.
It wasn't calamity beast tissue.
The laziness on Shuichi's face slowly disappeared.
He zoomed in on the photo.
Then zoomed in again.
Familiar.
Far too familiar.
Because many years ago, he had seen the exact same thing somewhere else.
A laboratory.
A transparent container.
White light.
Shuichi stared at the photo for a long time.
Finally he pressed the phone screen dark.
The room went quiet again.
Through the window he could hear Yusei next door moving something around, an occasional bump.
Shuichi leaned back on the sofa.
And raised a hand to cover his eyes.
"..."
He'd only just said it was over yesterday.
Apparently.
It wasn't, yet.