Location: Tokyo – Route 4 Suspension Bridge
Date: Two Weeks Later - Saturday | 01:15 PM
BOOM.
A massive explosion shook the entire suspension bridge. Thick black smoke billowed up into the clear afternoon sky.
"Hold the line!"
Death Arms, a heavily built local pro hero, shouted at the top of his lungs. He braced his massive arms against a flipped police cruiser, using it as a shield.
RATATATAT.
Heavy gunfire rained down on the barricade. Sparks flew as bullets chewed through the metal of the police cars.
A group of five mercenaries stood near a hijacked armored bank truck in the middle of the bridge.
They weren't just standard street thugs. Their bodies were thick and red-veined muscles bulged under their tactical vests.
Enhanced trigger drugs. It's still circulating in the underground world.
One of them was using a heavy plasma torch to cut through the back doors of the bank truck.
"Keep cutting!" the lead mercenary yelled, reloading his rifle. "We got ten minutes before the big-name heroes show up! The cops can't do anything!"
"They blew the main support cables!" a police officer yelled over the radio. He was bleeding from a cut on his forehead, ducking low behind his car door. "The bridge is tilting! We have civilians trapped in the slide zone! We need a flyer right now! Where is Ryukyu or Hawks?!"
CREAAAK.
The massive metal structure groaned loudly under the stress. The thick steel cables snapped one by one. The asphalt slanted sharply to the left.
Cars started sliding toward the broken edge. Tires squealed against the road, leaving long black skid marks.
Inside a blue minivan near the very edge, a twelve-year-old girl with pink skin and small horns pressed her hands against the window.
Mina Ashido was crying, her eyes wide with total terror.
"Mom! Dad!" Mina screamed.
Her father was in the driver's seat, frantically yanking on his seatbelt. He pushed the red button, but the lock was completely jammed from the bridge shaking.
"Damn it, open! Come on, open!" her dad yelled, his hands shaking violently as he pulled the strap.
Her mother was in the passenger seat. She managed to get her belt off and reached frantically into the back seat, trying to grab Mina's hand.
"Hold on, Mina! Just grab my hand!" her mom cried out, tears streaming down her face.
SCREEEECH.
The minivan slipped another two feet. The back tires hung completely off the edge of the bridge.
Below them was a two-hundred-foot drop straight into the dark bay.
Death Arms gritted his teeth so hard his jaw hurt.
He wanted to jump across the gap to grab the cars, but it was too wide. And if he moved from cover, the mercenaries would shoot him instantly.
"I can't reach them!" Death Arms growled, punching the hood of the cruiser hard enough to dent it. "Are you kidding me?! We just have to watch?!"
["Target locked. Wind speed at fourteen knots. You are clear to engage, Mirko."]
A calm, female voice spoke through a tiny earpiece high above the bridge.
SWIIISH.
A shadow dropped from the sky.
"Wait, look up!" a civilian pointed from the safe side of the police barricade.
A few cops looked up, squinting against the bright afternoon sun.
"Is that... Mirko?" an officer asked, lowering his gun slightly.
"Mirko? No way," another cop shook his head. "She hasn't been seen on patrol in two months! People online said she retired!"
"Or got pregnant or something," the civilian muttered. "Why is she dropping here? She can't fly!"
SWIISHH.
Mirko was falling fast. She didn't have a building or a wall to jump off. She was in dead space right over the sliding cars.
She didn't panic.
BEEP. BEEP.
Her heart rate monitor spiked to 600 BPM.
Everything around her slowed down to a crawl.
The panicked screams of the civilians sounded like deep, slow groans. The falling debris drifted through the air like feathers.
Chronostasis.
Mirko looked down at the empty space beneath her feet. She snapped her right foot down hard.
TWACK.
The sound was deafening. It sounded like a sniper rifle going off.
She compressed the oxygen molecules directly under her sole, turning the empty air into a solid, hard brick for a split second.
Boing-boing.
Boing-boing.
She bounced right off it, changing her trajectory completely in mid-air.
"What the hell?!" Death Arms yelled, his eyes bugging out of his head. "Did she just step on the air?!"
Pop-pop
Pop-pop.
SWOOSH.
Mirko sprinted across the sky.
She fired herself straight toward the falling minivan just as the front tires finally slipped off the asphalt.
The minivan plummeted.
"Aghhh" Mina screamed at the top of her lungs, grabbing her mother's hand.
Mirko dropped right under the falling car.
Two months ago, she would have tensed her muscles, grabbed the metal frame, and accidentally crushed the chassis from her own raw, uncontrolled strength.
Not today.
She used liquid relaxation. She let her arms, back, and shoulders go completely limp for a microsecond right as the heavy, falling car hit her hands. Her muscles absorbed the massive kinetic impact like a sponge.
The metal didn't even dent.
"Hnn!"
Mirko grunted, planting her feet hard on the side of the thick concrete bridge pillar.
She coiled her massive leg muscles and launched herself back up, carrying the entire minivan over her head.
THUD.
She landed smoothly on the safe, flat side of the bridge and set the car down gently on its tires.
HUUF-puff.
"Oh my god," Mina's dad gasped, gripping the steering wheel. He was hyperventilating, staring out the windshield. "We're alive. We're actually alive."
Mina's mom threw the car door open and stumbled out, falling to her knees.
"Thank you!" she cried, looking up at Mirko. "Thank you so much! I thought we were dead!"
Sob-sob. Sob-sob.
Mina pressed her face against the back window. She was still trembling, tears streaming down her pink cheeks.
She stared at the fierce, muscular rabbit hero, totally starry-eyed.
Mirko looked over her shoulder at the crying family. She gave the kid a wild, toothy grin and a quick thumbs up.
"She caught it without breaking it!" a cop yelled, completely stunned. "And she moved so fast!"
Mirko didn't stick around to chat. The job wasn't done.
She turned around and faced the five mercenaries in the middle of the bridge.
"What are you idiots doing?!" the lead merc roared at his team. "Shoot her! Tear her apart!"
All five men aimed their heavy rifles at her.
THWACK.
SWIISH.
Mirko vanished.
The thick asphalt literally cracked and caved in where she was just standing.
She closed the fifty-foot gap in a complete blur.
She appeared right in front of the leader and threw a massive, sweeping high kick right at his head.
WHOOSH.
She missed on purpose. Her foot swept past his nose by an inch.
"Ha! You missed!" the leader barked, raising his gun to shoot her in the chest.
Instead of stopping to regain her balance, Mirko let the heavy twisting force of the missed kick spin her entire body around.
She didn't plant her feet. She used the recoil momentum to spin twice as fast, whipping her left leg around for a second strike.
WHOOSH.
She missed again, missing the second mercenary by a hair.
The centrifugal force was building up. She spun a third time.
She turned into a literal white cyclone in the middle of the bridge. The mercenaries couldn't even track her movements.
On the third rotation, she lined up her right heel perfectly with the center of the leader's chest.
She didn't just swing. She thumped.
BRRRRT.
She vibrated the thick muscles in her right leg at an insanely high frequency right before impact.
CRUNCH.
Her heel slammed into the leader. She didn't push him backward.
"UGGH!"
The vibration strike bypassed his thick, Trigger-enhanced muscles completely.
The shockwave rattled his ribs and traveled straight into his internal organs.
THUD.
His eyes rolled all the way back into his head. He dropped his rifle and fell to the asphalt like a sack of bricks, completely unconscious.
BOING-boing.
THWACK.
Mirko didn't stop. She bounced off the side of the armored bank truck, keeping her momentum going.
BAAM.
She dropped the second guy with a knee to the jaw.
SMACK.
She shattered the third guy's rifle and kicked him in the stomach.
THUD.
In less than ten seconds, all five mercenaries were knocked out cold on the ground.
Mirko landed lightly on her feet, dusting off her white gloves. She didn't even look out of breath.
"....."
"....."
The entire bridge went completely silent. Only the sound of the burning cars and the wind blowing could be heard.
Then, the crowd erupted.
"Holy crap!" a teenager yelled, holding up his phone. "Did you record that?!"
"Hell yeah"
"She is so cool!"
"I'm in love"
"She took them all out!" Death Arms shouted, staring at her in shock. "She didn't even wreck the bank truck! How did she get that precise?!"
"Mirko is back!" another civilian cheered loudly. "And she's stepping on the sky now!"
Mirko ignored the cheering.
She smirked, placing her hands on her hips. She tapped the tiny earpiece in her right ear.
"Targets down, dispatch," Mirko said easily. "Tell the Manager to mark it on the board. Route clear. What's the next target?"
_-_-_-_-_-_
Location: Ketsubutsu Academy – Indoor Training Grounds
Date: Tuesday | 10:00 AM
RUSTLE.
Daiki pressed his back flat against a thick concrete pillar. He was breathing heavily, trying to keep his nerves under control.
Right beside him, Sora and Ren were crouched low in the shadows.
Ren wiped his forehead with the back of his arm. Ren, his Quirk: Adhesive Sweat, enabled him to secrete a thick, clear liquid from his palms that cured into industrial-strength glue in seconds. Because he was so nervous, his hands were sweating like crazy.
"Man, my fingers are starting to stick together," Ren whispered, peeking around the edge of the pillar. "There are three seniors guarding the target zone. And they look like linebackers."
Down the dimly lit hallway, three muscular third-year students were standing in front of a heavy steel door.
They were playing the 'enemy schools' for the mock Provisional Exam. They wore electronic target pads on their chests and looked completely bored.
"If we try to rush them, they're going to fold us in half," Ren muttered, trying to pull his thumb and index finger apart. "What's the play?"
Daiki didn't panic. He just smiled a little.
Daiki, his Quirk: Temperature Shift, enabled him to raise or lower the heat of whatever he touched by exactly twenty degrees. He couldn't make giant fireballs or massive ice spikes. That lack of firepower usually put him dead last in combat class.
"Just breathe, Ren," Daiki whispered back. "Remember what Mr. Makabe has been hammering into our heads all week. We don't throw punches. We play dirty. Sora, you're up."
Sora gave a quick nod. Sora, her Quirk: Sound Mimicry, enabled her to perfectly replicate and amplify any sound she had heard before.
She took a deep breath, cupped her hands around her mouth, and threw her voice straight down the opposite hallway.
KABOOM.
"Get back here, you coward!"
A massive, incredibly realistic explosion and the sound of angry yelling echoed from the far end of the building.
The three senior guards instantly jumped.
"What was that? Did someone breach the east wing?" one of the seniors asked, looking down the dark corridor.
"Go check it out! I'll hold the door!" the biggest senior ordered.
Two of the guards immediately sprinted down the hall, leaving the big guy all alone.
"Now," Daiki whispered.
Ren didn't run at the guy. He looked up at the ceiling pipes.
He quickly climbed up the nearby scaffolding, completely silent, until he was right above the remaining guard.
SPLAT.
Ren gathered a massive handful of the sticky sweat from his palms and dropped it right onto the floor, directly behind the guard's boots.
"Huh?" the guard muttered, hearing the wet slapping noise. He tried to turn around.
He didn't move an inch. The adhesive cured instantly. His boots were permanently glued to the concrete. He lost his balance from the sudden stop and fell flat on his face.
THUD.
"Hey! What the— I'm stuck!" the senior yelled, trying to push himself up.
Daiki casually walked out from behind the pillar. He didn't even look stressed. He walked right up to the struggling senior.
Daiki placed his hand directly over the electronic target on the senior's chest.
He used his Quirk, instantly dropping the temperature of the plastic casing by twenty degrees.
The cheap plastic frosted over, becoming incredibly brittle.
CRACK.
Daiki lightly tapped his orange ball against the frozen target. The casing shattered inward, instantly triggering the sensor.
BEEP.
The internal battery froze and short-circuited.
"You're dead, senpai," Daiki grinned, holding up his orange ball.
"Oh, come on!" the senior groaned, his face still glued near the floor. "You guys didn't even fight me! That's cheating!"
Sora ran over, laughing. She gave Daiki and Ren a high-five.
"That was way too easy," Ren laughed, dropping down from the pipes. "Alright, phase one is done. Let's move to the rescue zone."
The three second-years quickly jogged down the hall, pushing open the heavy steel doors to the disaster simulation area.
The room was filled with fake rubble, broken pipes, and flashing red emergency lights.
"Help! Someone help me!"
A voice called out from under a pile of fake concrete. It was Emi, playing the role of an injured civilian.
A month ago, Daiki would have rushed in yelling. He would have tried to lift the heavy rocks with his bare hands, making a ton of noise and panicking the victim.
Today, he slid onto his knees right next to her, keeping his voice incredibly calm and low.
"Hey, it's okay. We are right here," Daiki said gently, checking her fake injuries. "I'm a pro hero. We're going to get you out of here."
Emi looked up at him, acting panicked. "It's so cold... I can't feel my legs."
"I got you," Daiki said. He placed his hands on her shoulders and carefully raised the temperature of her body by twenty degrees.
It was the perfect amount of heat needed to treat physical shock and keep a victim's blood flowing.
"Ren, stabilize the ceiling. Sora, check the perimeter," Daiki ordered.
"On it," Ren said quietly. He didn't try to lift the rocks. He just sprayed his strong adhesive sweat on the shifting debris above them, gluing the loose rubble together so it wouldn't collapse any further.
Sora stood near the entrance. She used her Quirk to mimic the high-pitched ping of a sonar scanner, listening closely to how the sound bounced off the walls to make sure no more rocks were going to fall.
"Structure is secure," Sora reported softly. "We are clear to move her."
FWEEEEET.
A loud sports whistle echoed through the massive room.
The flashing red lights turned off.
Emi immediately dropped her panicked civilian act. She sat up from under the rocks and gave the three kids a massive, beaming smile.
"Flawless!" Emi cheered, clapping her hands. "Full points on bedside manner, zero property damage, and great teamwork. You guys crushed it!"
Daiki let out a huge breath, smiling wide. "Yes! We actually passed."
Up on the high observation catwalk, Makabe and Shirakumo were watching the whole thing.
Standing right next to them was the Principal of Ketsubutsu Academy. He was an older man, leaning against the railing with his eyes completely wide.
"I can't believe it," the Principal muttered, staring down at Daiki. "That kid used to cry during combat spars last semester. Now he's running a rescue op without breaking a sweat."
Makabe crossed his arms, letting out a proud chuckle.
"Yeah, well, we stopped trying to make him punch things, sir," Makabe said casually. "We stopped forcing these kids to act like U.A. brawlers. We just taught them how to play dirty and outsmart the other guy. Hit-and-run, no noise. It works."
"And they aren't just memorizing textbooks," Shirakumo agreed with a nod. "They're actually looking at their Quirks like tools now."
The metal stairs clattered as Emi jogged up to the catwalk to join them. She wiped some fake dust off her hero costume.
"Did you see that?" Emi grinned, pointing down at the students. "Every single second-year team passed today. We have a perfect success rate."
The Principal slowly nodded. He looked very serious, but there was a spark of real excitement in his eyes.
"The Provisional License Exam is only a few weeks away," the Principal said. "You know how it goes every single year. The second we get in that stadium, every school in the country teams up to hunt down the U.A. students. It's always a bloodbath. The Crushing of U.A."
"I know," Emi smirked, leaning against the railing. "And it's always a massive, loud fistfight that takes up half the arena."
"So how do our kids survive that?" the Principal asked.
Emi just laughed softly.
"We let them fight," Emi said simply. "Let Shiketsu and the other schools blow all their energy fighting U.A.'s heavy-hitters. It's the perfect meat grinder. While they are all busy swinging at each other and causing a massive scene, our kids are just going to quietly tag their targets, grab the passing slots, and go get lunch."
Makabe grinned, tapping his clipboard. "They won't even know we're there until the results are already posted."
The Principal looked back down at the gym floor. The second-years were still celebrating, looking more confident than he had ever seen them.
"We really hit the jackpot bringing in outside help," the Principal said quietly. "This year... Ketsubutsu is going to shock everyone."
_-_-_-_-_-_
Location: Kyushu – Hawks Hero Agency
Date: Thursday | 02:30 PM
"Hawks, please. You have to sign these requisition forms for the new sidekicks."
Keigo Takami sat at his massive, shiny new desk. He had his heavy boots kicked up on the polished wood, lazily balancing a bright red pen on his nose.
His sidekick, a stressed-looking guy with glasses and a severe lack of sleep, stood next to him holding a thick stack of papers.
"Yeah, yeah, just leave them there," Keigo said, his eyes half-closed. "I'll get to them eventually."
"You said that yesterday," the sidekick sighed heavily. "And the day before that. Look, your arrest numbers are fantastic. The Commission is happy. The media loves you. But you actually have to run the business side of the agency too."
Keigo didn't answer. The pen dropped from his nose and clattered onto the desk.
He was staring at the large flat-screen TV mounted on the wall.
The news was running a live broadcast of the Hero Approval Tracker.
["We are seeing a completely unprecedented surge in the live rankings today!"] the news anchor announced excitedly. ["Pro Hero Mirko has just returned from a two-month hiatus, and she is absolutely dominating the streets of Tokyo!"]
A graphic popped up on the screen. It showed Mirko's ranking shooting up like a rocket past dozens of other heroes.
["She started in the low fifties, but with her new flawless patrol routes and zero collateral damage, our analysts project she will easily smash into the Top 30 when the official Billboard Chart updates!"]
The screen cut to amateur cell phone footage of the bridge rescue.
It showed Mirko stepping on empty air and catching the minivan without leaving a single dent in the bumper.
["She is completely outpacing her peers right now."]
Keigo leaned forward. His boots hit the floor with a dull thud.
He wasn't smiling lazily anymore. His sharp, golden eyes locked onto the screen.
"Zero collateral damage," Hawks muttered to himself, leaning his elbows on the desk. "Perfect route management. And she's coordinating with a dispatch team."
"Yeah, it's pretty wild," his sidekick said, glancing at the TV. "I thought she was just always solo and a crazy street brawler. She's fighting way smarter now. Someone must be feeding her good intel."
Keigo Takami knew exactly what he was looking at.
He knew Mirko didn't just wake up one day and decide to hire an intelligence network and learn physics.
Someone built that system for her.
And Hawks only knew one guy in Japan who built systems that clean.
Hawks pulled his phone out of his pocket. He opened his calendar, scrolled back a few months, and did some quick math.
"Three months," Hawks said quietly.
"Huh? Three months for what?" his sidekick asked.
"That's his standard contract length," Hawks grinned, sliding his phone back into his pocket.
He stood up and grabbed his heavy fur-lined jacket off the back of his chair.
"Wait, where are you going?" his sidekick panicked, dropping the stack of papers on the desk. "You have a patrol scheduled for the downtown sector in twenty minutes!"
"Cancel it," Hawks said, walking straight toward the large open window at the end of the office. "Tell the local police to cover it."
"Cancel it?! You can't just leave!" his sidekick chased after him. "And why do you care about Mirko's manager anyway? Doesn't he still work for her right now?"
Keigo stopped right at the window sill. He looked back over his shoulder.
"Yeah, he does. His contract officially ends tonight," Keigo said, zipping up his jacket. "Which means tomorrow morning, he's a free agent. And if I know how this industry works, guys like Kamui Woods and Edgeshot are probably already drafting up offers to send him."
"So just send him an email tomorrow!" the sidekick argued.
"Emails are boring," Keigo smirked. "In this business, if you aren't first, you're last. I'm not waiting in line. I'm going to be standing right outside his door the exact second he becomes unemployed."
"But Kyushu to Tokyo is a massive flight! You're going to exhaust yourself before you even get there!"
"I'll just grab a coffee on the way," Keigo shrugged casually. "I've got a bird to catch."
SWISH.
Huge red wings spread open, catching the afternoon wind. Keigo launched himself out the window, vanishing into the sky.
_-_-_-_-_-_
Location: Naruhata – High-End Yakiniku Restaurant
Date: Thursday | 08:00 PM
SIZZLE.
A thick cut of expensive wagyu beef cooked perfectly on the small charcoal grill in the middle of the table.
Rumi sat in a private VIP booth, holding a pair of metal tongs.
She was wearing a casual black tank top, looking totally relaxed.
Kaito sat across from her. He had taken off his suit jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his dark dress shirt.
Rumi grabbed the meat off the grill and dropped it onto Kaito's plate.
"Eat up, Kaito," Rumi grinned, pouring herself a glass of cold beer. "This whole place is on me tonight. The pre-orders for the M-Usagi brand just went live an hour ago, and the servers almost crashed. We're gonna be rich."
"The design team did good work," Kaito agreed, picking up his chopsticks. He ate the beef. "But you dropped your guard on that bridge rescue."
Rumi stopped pouring her beer. She glared at him.
"Are you kidding me right now?" Rumi demanded, slamming the bottle down. "I caught a falling car in mid-air and knocked out five guys in ten seconds! The internet is literally calling me a rabbit goddess right now."
"You did," Kaito said calmly, picking up another piece of raw meat and putting it on the grill.
"But when you hit the third guy with the recoil kick, you planted your left foot too heavy. If that guy had a partner behind you, your balance was off by two inches. You would have taken a hit."
Rumi clicked her tongue loudly. "Tch. You are the most annoying guy I have ever met. Just shut up and eat your meat."
"I am eating," Kaito pointed out.
Rumi grabbed a piece of beef for herself and chewed it aggressively.
She looked at him across the table.
Tonight was the last night.
The three-month contract was officially over. The agency was running perfectly, the dispatchers were doing their jobs, and she was about to climb the ranks faster than anyone else in the country.
But looking at Kaito sitting there, so calm and completely unbothered, annoyed her a little.
He really was just going to pack up and leave tomorrow.
THUD.
Rumi put her chopsticks down on the wooden table.
She didn't just sit there. She completely shifted her posture.
She rested her elbows heavily on the table, leaning far over the hot grill.
She rested her chin in her hands, giving him a sharp look from under her eyelashes.
"So," Rumi said, dropping her voice into a slow, playful tease. "Contract's up tonight."
"It is," Kaito nodded, turning the meat on the grill.
"You know, you don't have to leave," Rumi said.
She leaned a little closer, her red eyes locked right onto his.
A confident, totally shameless smirk spread across her face. "I'm climbing fast. The brand is printing money. Stay on as my permanent manager. I could make it incredibly worth your while."
"...."
Kaito didn't say anything.
Rumi tilted her head.
"I mean, think about it," Rumi continued, lowering her voice a bit more. "You sat in that underground bunker and watched me drop my clothes for the bio-tank every single day for sixty days. You've basically already seen all of me. Don't you think you should take responsibility, Manager?"
Most guys would have stuttered. Most guys would have turned bright red, panicked, and broken eye contact immediately.
Kaito didn't do either.
He didn't blink. He didn't sweat. He didn't get flustered at all.
He just picked up the cooked beef from the grill, dipped it in some soy sauce, and ate it.
Nom. Nom. Nom.
He swallowed, looking her dead in the eye.
"No," Kaito said simply.
"...."
Rumi's bold smirk slipped a little. "No?"
"No," Kaito repeated, pouring himself a glass of water. "I don't babysit, Rumi. You know how I work. I find broken systems, I fix them, and I leave. You don't need me anymore."
"I just offered to make you rich and throw in a sexy pro-hero, and you completely ignored the joke," Rumi argued, leaning back into her seat.
"I'm already rich," Kaito pointed out smoothly. He gave her a faint, teasing smile. "And if I stuck around for the sexy pro-hero, I'd just end up doing all your paperwork while you go out and break things. You're a self-sustaining woman now. If I stay, I'm just going to hold your hand, and you'll get lazy."
"I don't get lazy," Rumi scowled.
"Then prove it," Kaito challenged, resting his arms on the table. "Hit the Top 10 by yourself. Show me the investment was worth the time."
"...."
"...."
Rumi stared at him.
She really tried to find a crack in his composure, but there was nothing. He was a complete brick wall.
"Tsk!"
She clicked her tongue loudly and crossed her arms, pouting like a sore loser because her tease completely failed.
"You are no fun at all," Rumi grumbled, looking away at the wall. "Fine. Leave. Go fix some other loser hero. See if I care."
Kaito actually laughed. It was a short, quiet sound, but it was genuine.
He picked up his glass of water and held it out toward her.
"If it makes you feel any better," Kaito said casually, "the view was a solid ten out of ten. I might actually miss the bio-tank."
Rumi's eyes snapped back to him, her long ears twitching in surprise.
She stared at him for a second, totally caught off guard that he actually threw the flirt right back at her.
Then, a huge, genuine grin broke across her face. The annoyance vanished completely.
He literally built her into the powerhouse she was today, and he still knew exactly how to match her energy.
She laughed, picking up her beer glass.
She reached across the table and clinked her glass against his.
CLINK.
"Thanks, Kaito," Rumi said softly, dropping the defensive act completely. "For everything. Seriously."
"You did the work," Kaito replied, taking a sip. "Just don't break my dispatchers. They complain when you ignore the routes."
"I'll punch whoever I want to punch," Rumi laughed loudly, taking a long drink of her beer. "And hey, if you miss me too much, you can always buy a premium subscription to the M-Usagi fan club."
"I'll make sure to ask for the employee discount," Kaito joked smoothly.
"And Kaito.."
"Hmm?"
"I'll be waiting."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Hehe... Nothing just eat up."
They spent the rest of the night eating and talking.
_-_-_-_
A/N: Hey everyone, sorry for missing a day of updates! I had to take a quick rest because plotting these chapters was seriously burning my brain out, plus I got hit with a ton of overtime at my day job. I just needed to step back and recharge so I don't drop the quality. Thanks for being patient!
...
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(9 Advanced Chapters)