*CRACK—BOOM—CRACK!*
Three consecutive bolts of yellow lightning struck down in rapid succession, each one slamming into the already-twitching mass of flesh that used to be the stray devil Viser. The electrical discharge lit up the abandoned factory in strobing flashes of yellow glow, dancing across rusted metal and broken concrete.
"Ufufufu~"
Akeno's laughter rang out, sweet and utterly unhinged. She stood with one hand raised toward the sky, violet eyes practically glowing with sadistic glee as lightning crackled between her fingers. "What a wonderful way to end such a boring day. More~ Yes, definitely more~"
*CRACK!*
Another bolt hammered down.
Yuuto stood about twenty feet away, arms crossed, watching the one-sided massacre.
'Why am I even here?'
The stray devil had stopped moving three lightning strikes ago. Now it was just charcoal with delusions of having once been alive.
A blue notification flickered into existence before his eyes.
[QUEST COMPLETE]
Mission: Exterminate Stray Devil Viser along with Akeno
Status: COMPLETE
Reward: 1 Character Card - Ready for Collection
'Your death wasn't in vain' Yuuto stared at what remained of Viser as another strike reduced it further to ash. 'I'm pretty sure crematoriums don't even get this thorough.'
*CRACK—BOOM!*
"Akeno-san," he called out.
She didn't respond. Her smile had widened into something that should come with a warning label, eyes half-lidded in pure bliss.
'She's in her own world right now.'
Yuuto looked at the charred remains, then at Akeno, then back at the remains.
'I'm lucky I woke up in a peerage and not as a stray. Can you imagine? You open your eyes, confused as hell about where you are, and the first thing you see is her coming at you with that smile?' He shuddered. 'I'd just lie back down and accept my fate.'
*CRACK—CRACK—CRACK!*
Three more strikes. The smell of ozone and burnt flesh was thick in the air.
'She's not stopping.' Yuuto gave up. 'Might as well get my reward while she's busy.'
He pulled up the system interface.
[Collect Reward?]
[Yes] [No]
He selected "Yes."
The screen flickered, then settled.
[New Character Card Obtained: Metal Bat]
[Series: One Punch Man]
[Description: Known as "Bad" by his hero name, Metal Bat is an S-Class Hero ranked 15th in the Hero Association. Despite his seemingly simple fighting style relying on a metal bat, he possesses incredible combat instincts, raw power, and a unique ability called "Fighting Spirit"—the more damage he takes and the more fired up he gets, the stronger, faster, and more durable he becomes, with seemingly no upper limit. His feats include fighting against Dragon-level threats and even withstanding attacks from opponents far above his weight class through sheer determination and accumulated battle damage. Known for his aggressive fighting style, protective nature toward his sister, and his tendency to become more dangerous the longer a fight continues.]
Yuuto read it twice.
'Metal Bat.'
Not flashy. No reality-warping bullshit. Just a guy with a bat who gets stronger the more you beat on him.
'Actually...' He thought about it. 'That works. Water Breathing is about flowing around attacks. Metal Bat is about taking hits and hitting back harder. Put them together—I can dodge when I need to, tank when I want the power boost, and get more dangerous the longer things drag on.'
It wasn't going to let him nuke cities, but it was solid. Practical.
'And it means I can take a beating. Which in this world is probably more useful than most flashy crap anyway.'
*CRACK—BOOM!*
'Still here. Still watching this.'
[Integrate Character Card?]
[Yes] [No]
'Let's see what happens.' He selected "Yes."
The sensation hit.
Warmth spread through his chest, then exploded outward. His muscles tensed, restructuring, becoming denser. Bones strengthened. Reflexes sharpened. Combat instincts he'd never had before settled into his mind like they'd always been there.
Knowledge flooded in—reading movements, timing swings, pushing through pain, turning anger into power.
Five seconds later, it was done.
Yuuto flexed his hand. Stronger. Not dramatically, but enough to feel the difference.
'Not bad.' He clenched his fist. 'Could've been worse. Could've gotten something useless.'
*CRACK—CRACK—BOOM—CRACK!*
Four more bolts. What was left of Viser had gone past charcoal into something that probably violated several laws of physics.
'Alright, enough.'
Yuuto walked forward, stepping around puddles he didn't want to identify. The residual charge in the air made his hair stand on end.
"Akeno-san," he said louder. "It's dead. We should head back and report to Buchou."
Nothing. She was still in her own world, hand raised, lightning crackling.
'Of course.'
Yuuto looked at what used to be Viser and felt genuine pity. 'Yeah, I'm definitely lucky I didn't wake up as a stray.'
No response. Just more lightning and that disturbing smile.
'She could be here all night at this rate.'
He sighed and pulled out his phone, leaning against a rusted support beam. If she wanted to keep going, fine. He'd just wait it out.
After another minute of watching the electrical lightshow, Akeno finally lowered her hand. The lightning dissipated. She blinked, like someone waking from a trance, and turned to look at him.
"Ara ara~" She brought one hand to her cheek in mock embarrassment. "I'm so sorry, Kiba-kun. I got a bit carried away. It's been such a long time since I've had the chance to really enjoy myself, you know?"
The fact that she said "enjoy myself" while standing next to what used to be a living creature spoke volumes.
"It's fine," Yuuto said. What else could he say? "Job's done."
"Mmm, quite right." Akeno looked down at herself, and her smile turned sheepish. "Though I seem to have made a bit of a mess."
That was putting it mildly. Her school uniform was splattered with blood and bits of... organic matter. Her stockings had tears. There was a nasty smear across her left shoulder.
"Kiba-kun," she said, turning those violet eyes on him with pure innocence that fooled absolutely nobody. "Would you mind terribly if I used your shower? I'd hate to walk around town looking like this, and your apartment is much closer than the clubroom."
Yuuto opened his mouth to say no, saw her expression, and closed it.
'She's going to keep asking until I say yes anyway.'
"Sure," he said. "My place isn't far."
"Wonderful!" Akeno clasped her hands together, beaming. "You're such a gentleman, Kiba-kun. I'll make sure not to take too long~"
The way she said that suggested she'd take exactly as long as she wanted.
'I'm already regretting this.'
---
The bathroom in Yuuto's apartment was standard Japanese-style—tile floor, separate washing area with a low stool and bucket, small bathtub. A window with frosted glass, a shelf with toiletries, a basket for dirty clothes.
Steam filled the space as Yuuto sat on the stool, naked except for a towel across his lap, and dumped a bucket of warm water over his head.
The hot water washed away the grime and sweat and lingering smell of burnt stray devil. His muscles relaxed.
'Finally.'
Akeno had insisted on going first. That was fifteen minutes ago.
'At least she's done showering.'
He lathered soap across his chest and arms, working methodically.
'Didn't even get to move a muscle. Didn't even draw my sword. Akeno just went full execution mode, the moment Viser showed up.'
Another bucket rinsed away the soap.
'But I got the reward, so whatever.'
He flexed his arm, feeling the enhanced muscle density. Metal Bat's abilities weren't flashy, but they were solid. They fit his style.
'I'll test it out after dinner. Didn't train today, so I'll put in extra work tonight. Can't skip training. Not with everything coming.'
*Slide.*
The door opened.
Yuuto's eyes snapped open and turned to see—
Akeno stood there in nothing but a towel. One white towel wrapped around her body, held up by determination and possibly magic, barely covering anything. Water droplets clung to her shoulders and collarbone. Her long black hair hung loose and damp.
Her violet eyes locked onto his with interest.
"Akeno-senpai?!"
"Ara~" She stepped in, closing the door behind her. "Kiba-kun, you don't mind if I join you, do you?"
Every instinct screamed trap.
But he'd dealt with Roygun's teasing. He'd built up tolerance.
'Best way to handle teasing is to not react. Go along with it. They'll get bored when it doesn't work.'
"You're welcome to," he said casually, turning back to his hair and continuing to scrub. "Though didn't you just shower?"
He kept his eyes closed.
'She expected me to panic. Instead, I'm unbothered. She'll realize it's not fun and leave.'
Something soft pressed against his back.
Very soft.
Two very soft somethings.
Yuuto's brain stopped.
The sensation was unmistakable—warm, yielding. Akeno had pressed herself against his back.
"Ufufufu~" Her breath was hot against his ear. "I decided my dear kouhai deserved a reward for all his hard work. You don't mind if I wash your back, do you?"
"I—" His voice cracked. He coughed. "That would be... appreciated."
"Wonderful~" Her hands slid across his shoulders, and she settled behind him. "Just relax, Kiba-kun. Let me take care of everything."
For the next several minutes, Yuuto experienced what could only be described as heaven and torture simultaneously.
Akeno's hands worked across his back, alternating between firm pressure and lighter touches. She hummed softly, occasionally making comments in that sultry tone.
"My my, Kiba-kun, your muscles have gotten quite defined. Training harder than usual?"
"You're so tense here. Let me work that out~"
"Does this feel good? You can be honest~"
Yuuto kept his eyes shut and his thoughts on anything except the current situation. Baseball. The periodic table. Devil paperwork procedures.
'This is fine. This is just peerage bonding. This is fine.'
After what felt like forever and also not long enough, Akeno's hands stilled.
"Kiba-kun," she said, her voice softer now. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
Pause.
"How did you do it?" she asked quietly. "How did you make peace with your past?"
Yuuto's eyes opened.
"You've been different lately," Akeno continued. "Like you're someone else. Not the Kiba I've always known. The old you would wait for orders, never push back. But recently..." She trailed off. "And what you told me the other day, about being over your past—I've been thinking about that. Is it really possible? To move forward without the pain?"
'She figured it out. Not just her—probably everyone noticed. But Akeno's the only one asking.'
He'd known this would come. When he'd told her he'd moved past his trauma, it had been partly to make her think about her own.
"It's not because I don't care about what happened," Yuuto said. "What happened to me, to the people I lost—that still matters. But holding onto the pain, letting it control me..." He paused. "That wasn't honoring them. It was just making me worse."
Silence.
"I want to trust the people I care about," he continued. "That's why I told you. Because I trust you, Akeno-senpai."
The silence stretched.
Then, quietly: "I'm not sure I'm ready to tell you about mine. Not yet."
"You don't have to," Yuuto said immediately. "I will tell you and others when I will be ready. There's no rifts between us for something so trivial"
Another pause.
Then a soft chuckle. "I didn't realize until now how comfortable you are to talk to, Kiba-kun."
"That unusual?"
"A bit," she admitted with a soft laugh.
"I'll tell you everything," Akeno said, determination in her voice. "Once I'm ready. Once I've made peace with it. But I will tell you first."
"I'll listen whenever that is."
"Thank you." He felt her lean forward, forehead resting between his shoulder blades. "You're a good person, Kiba-kun. I'm glad you're in the peerage."
The moment felt significant. Genuine.
'Maybe this wasn't so bad after—'
"Now then," Akeno's voice shifted back to sultry instantly. "Its time for a proper reward for you~"
Yuuto blinked. "Wait, wasn't washing my back the reward?"
"Ara ara~ That was just the beginning."
Before he could process that, Akeno moved around to his front. Her hands reached for his towel.
"A-Akeno-senpai—"
"Shhh." She pressed one finger to his lips, eyes gleaming. "Just relax and enjoy yourself, okay? Let your senpai take care of you~"
She removed his towel.
'This is happening. This is actually happening.'
Akeno licked her lips slowly. "Just relax, Kiba-kun~"
Then she moved lower.
The sensation hit immediately—soft, wet, warm.
Yuuto's eyes closed as every muscle locked up. His hands gripped the stool edges hard enough that it creaked.
Coherent thoughts ceased.
There was only sensation, overwhelming and all-consuming, as Akeno worked with dedication.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, a voice noted he was going to have trouble looking her in the eye during club meetings from now on.
But that was future Yuuto's problem.
Present Yuuto was currently experiencing heaven.
. . .
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