Kai's POV
Saturday came too quickly.
I spent most of the day cleaning my apartment, which wasn't much to begin with. A small one-bedroom in a decent part of the city. Nothing fancy, but it was mine. I'd rented it with money saved from part-time jobs and a small inheritance from my grandmother.
By six o'clock, the place was spotless. I'd bought wine, snacks, and prepared a simple dinner just in case things went well enough for everyone to stay and eat.
By six-thirty, I was pacing.
By six forty-five, I was seriously reconsidering every life choice that had led me to this moment.
The doorbell rang at exactly seven.
I opened the door to find Nemuri standing there. She was dressed casually but elegantly. Dark jeans that hugged her curves. A deep purple blouse that showed just a hint of cleavage. Her hair was down, flowing over her shoulders in waves.
"You look nice," I said.
"I look like I'm meeting my boyfriend's other girlfriend for the first time and I have no idea what the dress code is." She stepped inside and looked around. "So this is your place. Cozy."
"That's a polite way of saying small."
"I said what I said." She smirked and kissed my cheek. "Is she here yet?"
"Not yet. She should be..."
The doorbell rang again.
"Right on time," Nemuri murmured.
I took a breath and opened the door.
Yu stood in the hallway, looking like she was about to face a firing squad. She'd dressed up too. A fitted cream sweater that complemented her blonde hair. A short skirt that showed off her long legs. Heeled boots that made her even taller than usual.
"Hi," she said nervously.
"Hi. Come in."
She stepped inside and immediately spotted Nemuri standing by the window. Both women froze.
The silence stretched for what felt like an eternity.
"So," Nemuri said finally. "You're the giant woman."
"And you're the dominatrix teacher." Yu's voice was steady, but I could see her hands trembling slightly at her sides.
"I prefer 'R-Rated Hero,' but sure." Nemuri tilted her head, studying Yu with open curiosity. "You're prettier in person than on the news."
Yu blinked, clearly not expecting a compliment. "Oh. Um. Thank you? You're... you're really beautiful too. I mean, I knew that, everyone knows that, but in person you're just..."
She was rambling. I stepped in to save her.
"Can I get everyone drinks? I have wine, beer, water..."
"Wine," both women said simultaneously.
They looked at each other. A flicker of amusement passed between them.
"Red or white?" I asked.
"Red," they said together again.
This time, Yu actually laughed. "Okay, that's kind of funny."
"Great minds," Nemuri said with a slight smile. "Or similar taste in alcohol, at least."
I poured three glasses of red wine and handed them out. We moved to the small living area, Nemuri taking the armchair, Yu perching on one end of the couch. I sat in the middle, suddenly feeling like a referee at a very tense sporting event.
"So," I said. "Here we are."
"Here we are," Nemuri echoed. She sipped her wine, her eyes never leaving Yu. "I have to admit, when Kai told me who you were, I was surprised."
"Surprised how?"
"You're young. Inexperienced. Brand new to the hero scene." Nemuri's tone wasn't cruel, just matter-of-fact. "You don't seem like his usual type."
"What is his usual type?"
"I assumed it was me." She smiled, taking the edge off her words. "Older. Confident. Experienced in both hero work and... other areas."
Yu's cheeks flushed, but she held her ground. "Maybe he likes variety."
"Clearly." Nemuri swirled her wine. "The question is whether that variety can coexist peacefully."
"Is that what we're here to find out?"
"Among other things."
I could feel the tension crackling between them. Not hostile exactly, but charged. Two powerful women sizing each other up, trying to figure out where they stood.
"Can I say something?" I interjected.
Both women looked at me.
"I brought you both here because I care about you. Both of you. This isn't a competition. I'm not asking you to fight over me or prove who's better." I met Nemuri's eyes, then Yu's. "I'm asking you to consider the possibility that we could all be something together. Whatever that looks like."
Nemuri raised an eyebrow. "Something together? As in the three of us?"
"Eventually. If everyone's comfortable with it." I paused. "But for now, I just want you to know each other. To understand why I chose each of you."
"Why did you choose me?" Yu asked quietly.
"Because you're strong even when you feel weak. Because you're honest about your insecurities instead of hiding them. Because when I look at you, I see someone who's going to be incredible once she realizes her own worth." I turned to Nemuri. "And you. Because you saw me when everyone else saw a kid. Because you challenged me to be better. Because underneath all the confidence and the teasing, you're one of the kindest people I've ever met."
Both women were staring at me. I felt my face heat up.
"Sorry. That was probably too much."
"No," Nemuri said softly. "It wasn't."
"It was perfect," Yu added, her eyes shining.
The tension in the room shifted. Softened. Something had changed.
Yu's POV
I'd been prepared to hate her.
This older woman who'd had Kai first. Who knew him better than I did. Who had years of experience and confidence that I could only dream of.
But sitting here, watching her interact with Kai, I couldn't muster any hatred. Just... curiosity.
"Can I ask you something?" I said to Nemuri.
"Go ahead."
"When Kai told you about me, what did you think? Honestly."
She considered the question, taking a long sip of wine before answering.
"Honestly? I was jealous." She laughed at my surprised expression. "Don't look so shocked. I'm human. The idea of sharing him with someone else, especially someone younger and prettier, wasn't exactly appealing."
"You think I'm prettier than you?"
"In a different way." She shrugged. "You've got that fresh-faced, girl-next-door thing going on. Very appealing. I'm more of an acquired taste."
"I don't think that's true," I said before I could stop myself. "You're gorgeous. Like, intimidatingly gorgeous."
Now it was her turn to look surprised. "Thank you."
"I mean it. When I saw you in person, I almost turned around and left. I kept thinking, 'How am I supposed to compete with that?'"
"It's not a competition," she said, echoing Kai's words. "At least, it doesn't have to be."
"Then what is it?"
She was quiet for a moment. "I think it's two women who both care about the same man, trying to figure out if they can coexist without killing each other."
"I don't want to kill you."
"That's a start." She smiled, and this time it reached her eyes. "I don't want to kill you either. Which is more than I expected to feel when I walked in here."
I laughed. I couldn't help it. The whole situation was so absurd.
"This is insane," I said. "You know that, right? This whole thing is completely insane."
"Completely," she agreed.
"And yet here we are."
"Here we are." She raised her glass. "To insanity?"
I clinked my glass against hers. "To insanity."
We both drank. Kai watched us with something like relief on his face.
"That went better than I expected," he admitted.
"The night is young," Nemuri said dryly. "We might still end up in a catfight."
"Please don't."
"No promises." But she was smiling.
Kai's POV
The rest of the evening went better than I could have hoped.
We talked for hours. At first, Nemuri and Yu were careful around each other, but as the wine flowed and the conversation loosened, something shifted. They started directing questions at each other instead of through me.
Nemuri asked about Yu's debut and her early struggles in the hero industry. Yu asked about Nemuri's years of experience and how she'd built her reputation. They compared notes on dealing with creepy fans, navigating media attention, and working with male heroes who underestimated them.
By the third bottle of wine, they were laughing together about a story involving a villain with a nudity quirk and a very unfortunate wardrobe malfunction.
"He just stood there, completely naked, screaming about how we'd 'ruined his moment,'" Nemuri said, wiping tears of laughter from her eyes. "And all I could think was, 'Sir, please, no one wants to see that.'"
"What did you do?" Yu asked, giggling.
"Used my quirk to put him to sleep before anyone could take pictures. Saved his dignity, such as it was."
"That's almost kind of sweet."
"Don't tell anyone. I have a reputation to maintain."
I watched them bond with a mixture of relief and something warmer. They were so different on the surface. Nemuri with her confidence and experience. Yu with her vulnerability and determination. But underneath, they had more in common than either of them realized.
Both were strong women in a male-dominated field.
Both were underestimated because of their appearances.
Both were lonelier than they let on.
And both, apparently, had a weakness for red wine and inappropriate villain stories.
"It's getting late," Yu said eventually, glancing at her phone. "I should probably head home."
"Me too," Nemuri agreed, standing and stretching. "Early patrol tomorrow."
They gathered their things, and I walked them to the door. They stood in the hallway, facing each other, the earlier tension nowhere to be found.
"This was nice," Yu said. "Really nice. I wasn't sure what to expect, but..."
"Same." Nemuri extended her hand. "I'm glad we did this."
Yu shook it, then surprised everyone, including herself, by pulling Nemuri into a brief hug.
"Thank you for being open to this," Yu said. "I know it can't be easy."
"It's not," Nemuri admitted. "But he's worth it." She glanced at me. "We both seem to think so, anyway."
"We do."
They separated, and Nemuri headed for the elevator. Yu lingered for a moment.
"Thank you," she said to me. "For setting this up. For being honest with both of us."
"Always."
She kissed me softly, then followed Nemuri to the elevator. I watched them step in together, still talking about something I couldn't hear. Just before the doors closed, they both waved.
I waved back and closed my door.
That had gone well. Better than well.
Now the question was: what came next?
I got my answer an hour later when my phone buzzed with a text.
From Nemuri: She's not what I expected.
Me: Good or bad?
Nemuri: Good. I like her.
Me: Really?
Nemuri: Don't sound so surprised. I'm capable of liking people.
Me: I know. I'm just glad you two got along.
Nemuri: We did more than get along. We exchanged numbers.
My eyebrows rose. That was unexpected.
Me: Should I be worried?
Nemuri: Maybe. We might gang up on you.
Me: I can think of worse fates.
Nemuri: I bet you can. Goodnight, Kai.
Me: Goodnight, Nemuri.
A few minutes later, another text came in. This one from Yu.
Yu: I really like her.
Me: So I heard. She said you exchanged numbers.
Yu: We did. Is that okay?
Me: More than okay. I'm happy you two are getting along.
Yu: She's not what I expected. I thought she'd be cold or competitive. But she's actually really warm once you get past the exterior.
Me: She has a lot of walls. But she lets them down for people she cares about.
Yu: She cares about you a lot. I could tell.
Me: I care about her too. And you.
Yu: I know. That's what makes this work. A pause, then: Kai?
Me: Yeah?
Yu: She mentioned something about the three of us getting together sometime. Not just to talk.
My heart rate spiked.
Me: What did you say?
Yu: I said I'd think about it. Another pause. I'm thinking about it.
Me: And?
Yu: And I'm not saying no.
I stared at my phone, my mind racing.
Me: Take your time. No pressure.
Yu: I know. That's why I'm considering it. Then: Goodnight, Kai. Sweet dreams.
Me: Goodnight, Yu.
I set my phone down and stared at the ceiling.