I curled up tightly and started crying.
"I-I don't w-want to die…" I muttered under my breath.
But the government worker was unmoved by my tears.
When he pulled the trigger, I thought it was all over for me…
…except the poison never reached me.
A barrier of golden light suddenly appeared, protecting me.
L-Lumi must have shielded me. But wait - if he has superpowers, then why is he working as a cleaner? He could be a hero instead!
The agents stood frozen in shock. I was too terrified to move.
I pulled my knees tighter to my chest and buried my face in them, as if that could somehow help.
"The object is resistant to chemical agents," said the same man through his radio.
"Then eliminate it mechanically," replied a voice from the receiver.
Two of his coworkers drew machetes - I only now noticed they had them strapped to their belts.
One of them, probably trying to prove himself, ran up to me and took a wide swing.
I wrapped myself in my wings. Maybe they wouldn't save me, but at least they could… lessen the pain.
Then someone burst into the apartment. He grabbed the attacker by the wrist with such force that the machete slipped from his hands. The blade bounced off the sofa and clattered onto the floor.
I screamed at the sight of the weapon falling toward me, even though it wasn't even aimed anymore.
The person who saved me... it was Lumi again.
"I have everything under control. This is just a misunderstanding," he said calmly, releasing the man's wrist.
The third worker with a machete instinctively backed away, as if afraid of Lumi.
The team leader - the same one who tried to kill me with insecticide - turned to face him.
"Citizen Lumi, please explain yourself," he said sternly.
"It was just a misunderstanding with my coworker, he's a bit of a stickler for the rules. He thought this moth here hypnotized me, but I invited him into my home of my own free will. I want to do research on him."
"You should've reported that to the institute immediately. You could've caused unnecessary panic among residents."
"Yes, I know. I just haven't had the time yet. I have a job and other duties, after all."
"With your abilities… you could work somewhere much better. Think about it. But since you're so busy, I'll file the report for you and include my statement as justification."
"Th-thanks," Lumi said, smiling shyly.
"Wait a second, something's not adding up," said one of them suspiciously. "What kind of research is he supposedly doing here?"
He had a point. Seeing an insectoid lying comfortably in someone's bed must've… raised a few questions I didn't even want to imagine.
For a moment, Lumi looked lost, but he knew he couldn't hesitate for long.
"'Insectoid domestication – a real scenario or a serious threat?'" he said finally. "If insectoids can't have their own homes, maybe we can at least make sure they don't die on the streets. If my research shows positive results, I'll propose a domestication program."
"D-domestication?!" one of them repeated in disbelief. "That's insane!"
"Let him do as he pleases," said the team leader. "Something good might come out of it. Great minds think outside the box. Should we penalize your coworker for a false report?"
"No, don't. He was just worried about me. Let's treat it as if this situation never happened, okay?"
The leader sighed in annoyance, then ordered his team to leave.
The whole time, I sat wrapped in my wings, shaking with fear, unable to say a word.
They left as if nothing had happened, and Lumi immediately started fixing the door they had knocked off its hinges. I watched him silently as he worked, focused and calm. He went to the cupboard to grab some tools. I didn't want to interrupt him.
Finally, when he was done fixing the door and washed his hands, I asked quietly:
"L-Lumi… who are you really?"
Lumi sighed, then sat down at the edge of the bed. I folded my wings and moved a little closer, but not too close. I just wanted to listen, to understand who the person that saved me really was.
Turns out the man who rescued me is someone… truly extraordinary.
"It's a complicated story, Asael," he said, his expression serious.
He… remembered my name? People usually forget it right away.
"D-do you want to tell me about it?" I asked, looking at him.
Lumi, visibly torn, turned his gaze toward me, meeting my eyes, then quickly looked away, blushing.
"Don't look at me like that, or I'll burn up from embarrassment," he mumbled under his breath.
Like what? What did I do that made him blush that hard?
I looked down. Our hands were dangerously close to each other.
My cheeks went red, and I moved aside a little.
"So, will you tell me?"
Lumi sighed again.
"When I told you yesterday that I've only been working as a cleaner for a short while, I didn't tell you about my previous job—but you've probably already guessed. I used to be a hero."
"I noticed that those… scary guys seemed to recognize you," I said.
"Yeah. That's because I once saved an entire apartment block from collapsing. And once, the president's son from dying. So I have a few connections, heh." He smiled bashfully.
"How have I never heard of you?" I asked in surprise.
"Well, that's because I was only known locally, in my hometown. I moved here and found this new job with a little help from others."
"Don't you think being a hero would still be great? Why did you quit?"
I looked at him with curiosity. Lumi's deep brown eyes stared at the floor. I could see the sadness growing in him with every second.
"Ever since they made it mandatory for heroes to kill insectoids, I resigned," he said after a pause, gathering himself. "At first I thought it'd be fine if I just focused on protecting othe heroes, but it only took one 'battle' to realize it was nothing but senseless slaughter. I couldn't just stand by and watch. I'd rather quit than take part in something so cruel."
"L-Lumi…" I whispered his name, full of admiration.
Somehow, I always felt Lumi must be a kind person - he wouldn't have saved me otherwise - but I didn't realize just how sensitive he really was.
"I couldn't save them back then," he continued, hiding his face in his hands. "I had to work with the others… and I couldn't stop them."
I wanted to comfort him somehow - to give him some warmth - but I didn't know how, other than through touch. And we'd only known each other for such a short time…
"I'm sure you did what you could. Don't blame yourself. How could you have known things would turn out that way?"
I'm terrible at comforting people with words, I thought when he stayed silent.
Finally, Lumi lowered his hands, resting them on his knees, staring sadly at the wardrobe in front of us.
At first, he had seemed like such a bright person, full of otherworldly optimism.
I'd almost forgotten that, just like me, he's someone who feels deeply.
I don't know why, but seeing him break like that hurt me, as if I were watching something beautiful fall apart.
"Most of today's heroes are no better than paid assassins," he said grimly. "They'd rather kill innocent insectoids than lose their prestige and good salary."
"B-but they still know who you are," I said, trying once again to cheer him up.
"That's only because I saved someone important. I was just lucky. The average hero would never get close to the president's son, let alone save him. Anyway, I don't want to talk about it anymore."
"I-I understand."
"How about we order pizza tonight? I need something to lift my mood after all that."
"Sure," I said with a smile. "B-but I should probably get going soon - I don't want to take advantage of you, or - "
"Asael, you realize you'll have to stay here, right?"
"W-what?" I blurted out, confused. Not that I minded, but his bold statement caught me off guard.
"Well, I lied that you're the subject of my research. That means you'll have to stay here until those 'studies' are over. Sorry, I didn't really think it through," he said, looking embarrassed. "I just said the first thing that came to mind to stop them from hurting you."
I can't believe someone with so much selfless kindness and warmth exists in this cold, brutal world.
How am I ever going to give back to him for all of this?
"I don't blame you. Thank you for protecting me," I said, smiling from ear to ear. "And about that pizza, can we get one without meat? My stomach can't handle it."