12:20 AM
I wake up once
again, stretching my arms. I go through the usual routine — brushing my teeth,
combing my hair, putting Vaseline on my lips, a little gel in my hair, etc.
When I step out of
the bathroom, I see Rikuya sitting on my bed.
"Man, I know you
don't take showers. Get off my damn bed." I yell.
He dramatically
clutches his chest. "…Man, I take showers every day."
"Only because you're
forced to."
He spits a shadow
bullet at me.
"Pee-ew, it's coated
in your breath! Daikenji couldn't deflect that shit!" I start laughing
hysterically.
"Man, whatever…"
"Anyway, let's go
somewhere."
"Where?"
"Wanna go ding-dong
ditch some people?"
Rikuya pauses, then
grins. "Yes."
"Then let's go,
man!"
"Bet!"
The shadows envelope
us, dripping across the floor until there's nothing left.
Megumi's Perspective
I sit at my desk,
filing paperwork. Apparently our news reporter got new info — a strange man
spotted near the woods in Shinjuku. Most likely Temperance. We already know
Chastity is a girl.
Lucy's group is
doing great, though. They've run into Diligence a few times, and she's managed
to survive. That girl's insane, I tell you.
I snicker to myself
at Lucy's luck. After a while, I rub my belly gently.
"I wonder what I'm
gonna name you, little guy."
Me and Daikenji
haven't picked a name yet, but I'm sure we'll think of one soon. Speaking of
him, he's training underground right now. He's so strong… ugh. I squeeze my
legs together slightly.
Suddenly my phone
rings. I pick it up.
"Megumi-senpai…"
It's Lucy. Her voice
sounds worried.
"Yes, Lucy-chan?
What's the matter?"
"Well, uhh, a lot
happened. We need to call a meeting."
A meeting, huh? Must
be serious.
"Fill me in on the
details."
"I think I should
save my breath. It's 3:00 AM, but basically… uhh, I struck a deal with
Diligence, and he told me crazy stuff about your baby."
Interesting…
"Well then, we'll
have our meeting at 10:30 my time."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Oh, and don't tell
anyone, but—besides my boyfriend obviously—you're my favorite Striker."
Lucy giggles.
"See ya," I say with
a small laugh.
The line clicks.
I stretch in my
chair; my back cracks a little. "Oh my, am I getting old?" I giggle.
The door creaks
open. "Oh, Daikenji—"
But it's not him.
A man walks in
wearing a white oni mask and black clothing — jacket, jeans, all dark.
"Hello, Megumi,
leader of the Strikers." His voice sounds American. He's fit, somewhere between
ripped and dad-bod.
"Hmm. Hello there.
How did you manage to sneak past Daikenji-kun? He's downstairs, but he
should've sensed you."
"Charity gifted me
the ability of Perfect Masking."
She can gift powers
too? That's concerning. I better mention this at the meeting.
I stand up slowly. My
balance is off — the baby's making me clumsy. Still, this guy doesn't seem all
that. I can handle him.
"I'll feel bad
murdering a pregnant woman," he says, "but I must do so."
"I'll feel bad doing
this to some random civilian who Charity enlisted, so for that reason, I won't
kill you."
"Like you could."
Energy flares around
me, boosting my stats. Since I'm pregnant, I'm not as agile, but this should
make up for it. I just have to be careful.
"That won't change
anything," he says, spinning a knife.
"Are you sure you
don't wanna just leave?"
"I'm positive."
I rush him. He
barely turns before I kick his shins — he drops to his knees. I pivot behind
him, lifting his arm above my left leg, locking him in a figure-four
headscissor.
"Ugh, you bitch!" he
growls, struggling. He raises his knife hand, but I tighten the hold — snap.
The sound echoes across the room.
"Ahhh!" he screams.
"Sorry about this.
You left me no choice. Now, shh—go to sleep."
I squeeze tighter
until his body goes limp under my legs.
I release him, stand
up, and brush myself off. "Jeez."
Even with boosted
energy, I worked up a sweat. This kid of mine must be special… but that's
expected, considering who his father is.
Right then, Daikenji
bursts into the room. "I just felt your energy surge—what's the matter?"
"Nothing now," I
say, gesturing to the unconscious guy on the floor.
"Ohh."
"Yeah, but tie this
guy up and get some rest. We have a meeting tomorrow."
He nods, picking the
guy up and leaving.
I follow him toward
our bedroom and lay down. A few minutes later, Daikenji joins me, pulling me
close.
"Goodnight, Megumi.
I love you."
"Goodnight,
Daikenji. I love you too."
Aiji's Perspective
I walk in late — me
and Rikuya stayed out way too long. Some guy even tried to shoot us, but we got
away.
I stretch. Man,
that was fun. I wish Rikuya would just move in already. We'd do so much stupid
fun stuff together.
I take the elevator
up to my room and open the door—
Rikuya's sitting on
my bed.
"Ehh, Rikuya, what
are you doing here?"
"Oh, well, guess
what I learned to do twenty minutes ago."
"…What?"
"I learned to make
clones from my shadows."
Is this bastard
serious?
"Man, how?! It
hasn't even been a day since we fought earlier."
"Ehh, I just learn
quick, I guess. When all's said and done, when Lucy-chan returns, I wanna
challenge her."
Oh boy.
"Ehh, you're gonna
get your ass beat."
"Wow, no faith in me
at all, man…" He actually sounds offended.
"It's not that—she's
just… Lucy's really easy to fluster, and because of that, she hits harder than
she means to."
"Oh, interesting…
Then I'll get extra strong just to battle her."
He fails to realize
Lucy will be a lot stronger after defeating Charity. And if she beats Diligence
too… she might even rival Daikenji-sama.
"I wish you the best
of luck," I say. "Though at her rate, Lucy might surpass us all. She went from
the weakest Striker to the second strongest in just a few days—defeating two
Saints that have terrorized the world for four hundred years."
Rikuya strokes his
chin. "You think I can catch up to her?"
I think for a
second. "Yeah. You can."
He smiles.
We fist bump.