"Oh, right, I forgot. Come on, everyone, let's take one together." After glancing at the nervous girls, Kai couldn't help but shake his head in amusement, then he casually commented, which greatly excited the girls. That was when Ryuko spoke up cheerfully.
"Everyone line up, I'll take the picture."
Upon hearing Ryuko, the girls quickly handed her their phones, then posed around Kai, who placed Tama on his other shoulder. He then looked at the camera calmly, feeling genuinely strange—having "fans" was a really curious thing. Though, well, that would probably die down after a while, since he had no intention of drawing too much attention to himself from now on.
After taking several photos with all three phones, Ryuko returned them to the girls, who thanked her with big smiles on their young faces. Then they looked at Kai and announced loudly, brimming with youthful energy and determination:
"""Demon King-sama, when you debut, we will all vote for you in the ranking!! Do your best!!"""
"Oh, that. I'm actually not going to debut—being a hero isn't for me. But thank you anyway." Kai commented casually as he looked at the girls, who immediately seemed deflated upon hearing him. The gray-haired girl couldn't help but ask in disbelief.
"Why? You even study at UA, and with your strength, you could be the next number one…"
"Well, because apart from fighting and building things, nothing else really interests me, and I don't need the money. Besides, hero work is too troublesome. My father's hero life only ended in his death, my mother's passing, and a bunch of problems and a 'bad reputation' for me. It's not worth it. I'd rather do something else."
Kai stated calmly, which caused the three girls to look at one another, visibly disappointed, their faces reflecting complex emotions. Their expressions were very similar to those of the Pussycats, who for a moment had believed these young ladies might encourage the blue-eyed boy enough to make him give hero work a chance. But reality turned out to be quite different.
"Well, goodbye, and sorry. I guess I'm not what you expected, but I wish you luck finding someone better to support." Kai said in a relaxed tone as he turned to walk toward the agency, cats perched on his shoulders.
Meanwhile, the Pussycats, the man, and the schoolgirls simply watched the young man's back as he slowly walked away, all showing expressions of various degrees of complexity. After a while, they each let out small sighs. The girls left in silence the way they had come, while the man and the Pussycats followed Kai.
…
After signing a small private agreement and handing over the data from the chip as well as Tama's documents, the man bade everyone farewell with a respectful bow, then left the agency. At that moment, Kai sat down on one of the sofas in the place and began to check his phone. The Pussycats also took a seat on the other sofas, looking at Kai with complex expressions. But just as Shino was about to speak, Kai set his phone aside and turned to look into the distance with deep eyes.
"What's wrong?" Shino asked somewhat confused, to which Kai replied in a grave, serious voice.
"The spiders have split up…"
Kai's words visibly hardened the Pussycats' expressions, prompting Chatora to ask in a solemn tone.
"Are you going to investigate, Kai?"
"Yes, and their speed has also dropped considerably, which makes it very likely they've reached their 'base'."
Kai stated seriously while looking at a holographic screen that appeared out of nowhere in front of him, showing a satellite image of the sea with five highlighted points, slightly separated from one another. He inevitably asked in a low, puzzled voice.
"Did I get it wrong? I thought they'd surfaced…"
[Master, the spiders did rise high enough to reach the surface, but the real-time satellite images only show the ocean's surface…]
Upon hearing the words of his reliable fairy assistant, who had materialized in everyone's view, Kai couldn't help but take a sharp breath, his expression incredibly solemn and grim. This could only mean that somehow they had the ability to hide in plain sight, which was quite terrifying.
"What's going on, Kai?" Shino asked, a bit worried by Kai's expression, who spoke in a serious tone.
"Things have gotten complicated. Investigating the spiders has to be done tonight—it can't wait."
"Wait, wait, wait, what happened? Why the rush?"
Ryuko asked somewhat anxiously, observing Kai's serious expression. At that moment, holographic screens appeared in front of them, showing an aerial image of the ocean with five highlighted points—three of them almost still while the other two were still in motion—accompanied by the voice of the blue-eyed boy.
"The spiders seem to be on the surface, but this is what the real-time satellite images show."
Kai's words were more than enough for the Pussycats to grasp the gravity of the situation, prompting Tomoko to ask with obvious concern and reluctance, fixing her gaze on the blue-eyed boy.
"You really plan to go alone tonight?"
"It's the best option. I'm the strongest, and I'm very good at hiding." Kai nodded and spoke in a calm yet firm tone, at which point Shino added with a small sigh.
"Better we talk it over tonight with the whole family…"
...
Upon returning home using Accompany, Kai and the Pussycats turned to look to their left, where they saw the figures of Momo and Nejire flying. Shortly afterward, the two landed softly in the garden, but just when they were about to greet everyone with huge smiles on their lovely faces, the pair of girls noticed the beautiful Birman cat on Kai's shoulder. This inevitably led Nejire to ask, her eyes shining with excitement.
"Kai, why do you have another cat?"
"Salem got attached to her, so I brought her. Her name is Tama." Kai responded calmly, watching Momo's and Nejire's eyes shine even brighter at the sight of the cat. He quickly lifted her from his shoulder and offered her with a smile.
"Just look at this beauty, so fluffy. Come to mama Momo…"
As she took Tama in her hands, Momo spoke in a caring tone, at which point Nejire summoned her Accomplice. She held it in her arms and brought it close to Tama, then spoke with excitement.
"Tama, this is Mira! From now on, you two are going to be best friends!"
While the light-blue Accomplice licked its paws like a real cat, Tama—who seemed very used to humans and was quite affectionate—began to gently rub her head against Momo's arm, which greatly excited the girls, who started petting her wholeheartedly. Meanwhile, Salem watched everything from his master's shoulder, not looking too pleased.
With a helpless smile, Kai watched Momo and Nejire play so carefree with the sociable cat, internally surprised by everything that had happened since Nejire's "confession". He still felt it was a bit surreal because it all got resolved in a matter of hours, and now he had a new girlfriend. Yet things had barely changed, as he had decided to wait until the showdown before moving forward, leaving him with a strange feeling.
…
In the middle of the Saito mansion's living room, everyone was gathered around a sort of round table wearing extremely serious expressions. They all looked at Kai, who had just explained what had happened with the spiders and his plans for that night.
"I don't think it's a good idea for you to take such a risk, Kai. I strongly disagree with this idea of yours to leave in the middle of the night to investigate something so dangerous." Keiko objected in a serious, solemn tone, looking intently into Kai's blue eyes. He answered calmly, stroking Salem and Tama—who were peacefully sleeping in his lap.
"It's necessary. We don't know what we're dealing with, and there's no one better than me for the job."
"But what if something happens to you…?" Yumiko asked, full of nerves and concern, to which Kai replied calmly.
"I can always run away. I have abilities to flee and heal. It's hard for anything to happen to me."
"But that doesn't make us any less worried. It's too big a risk…" Momo insisted anxiously, and Kai responded seriously.
"Not going to investigate is riskier. The sudden appearance of such a terrifying power without warning is too dangerous. If we let it go, we could end up in a desperate situation at any time."
Just as the others were preparing to voice their arguments against it, Nemuri suddenly tapped a glass with a fork, drawing everyone's attention. She looked at them with a serious expression, then spoke solemnly.
"Everyone… though I'm just as nervous about this as you are, Kai is right. Investigating those spiders is something we can't just ignore. And right now, Kai is the strongest person in the country—ever since All Might was weakened—and he's incredibly more versatile than All Might in his prime. So, there's no one else but him who can do it. We have to trust him."
"…"
Nemuri's words brought a deafening silence upon the gathering. They all knew this was true, but they couldn't quell the unease they felt, causing their expressions to become quite complicated. At that point, Kai stood up from the sofa and spoke firmly.
"Don't worry, I'll just investigate for a few hours. I won't take long."
"Please be very careful, Kai. If you feel any danger at all, run immediately—don't try to be a hero." Keiko stood and hugged Kai, speaking with deep concern. Everyone else followed suit, embracing the blue-eyed boy tightly, all of them filled with trepidation.
…
"I'll be back soon."
Once in the garden, Kai bade them farewell as blue electrical arcs crackled around his body, then he shot up into the air at blinding speed, disappearing in an instant. Yumiko then spoke in a quiet tone, hands over her chest.
"I hope everything goes well…"
"It will. Kai is very strong; he'll be fine…" Shino added in an apprehensive, uncertain voice as she gazed at the sky where Kai had vanished, almost as if she was trying to reassure herself. That was when Chatora spoke in resignation.
"Let's go back inside and be ready in case something happens."
"That's for the best." Nemuri nodded, and they all returned to the house, at which point a synthetic voice echoed from within.
[I am ARGUS. In accordance with the security protocol, Yaoyorozu Keiko has been designated the highest authority. I am at your service, Lady Yaoyorozu.]
"Argus, activate the drones and the primary alarm systems. If anyone approaches, let me know before doing anything else." Hearing the synthetic voice, Keiko quickly ordered in a serious, composed tone, to which the virtual assistant responded immediately.
[Understood.]
Along with ARGUS's reply, from various parts of the estate—such as Kai's workshop, the mansion's roof, and different spots in the surrounding forest—secret hatches opened, releasing entire swarms of drones resembling the ones Momo could produce, though slightly larger, sporting advanced camouflage and more weaponry. They quickly arranged themselves in a defensive formation around the property.
"What are those things…?"
Ryuko asked, puzzled as she watched the drones, and saw Salem hastily carrying Tama by the scruff into the house, alarmed by what was happening. Keiko answered while sitting on one of the sofas, her expression serious.
"It's the mansion's security system, although this is only its most basic level. Kai and I have been working on it for a while, and it's pretty effective. It should keep us safe from most threats, or at least buy us enough time to reach the bomb shelters."
"We have bomb shelters…?" Yumiko asked in shock, causing Keiko to chuckle softly and nod with a hint of mischievousness.
"Quite a bit more than that. This mansion is such an illegally armed fortress that it could land us multiple life sentences for the hidden things we have here, fufu."
"Leaving the two mad geniuses to work together for so long wasn't a good idea…" Chatora remarked, stunned, and everyone else could only nod in agreement, prompting Keiko to respond with mild annoyance, crossing her arms in a huff.
"'Mad geniuses'—really now? Kai and I only sought to create a safe haven for the family. How ungrateful."
"…"
Seeing Keiko acting so childish, the others simply exchanged glances with ironic smiles, but at that moment, Nejire and Tomoko—who had been watching the drone deployment with bright eyes—quickly rushed over to Keiko.
"Auntie Keiko, this is so cool!! What else does the mansion have? Do you have missiles?"
Nejire asked excitedly, practically hopping onto the sofa beside Keiko and hugging her like a small child. Then Tomoko chimed in with the same level of enthusiasm, gazing at the beautiful black-haired mother with shining eyes.
"Does it have shields?! Mechas?!"
"Fufu, yes, and yes, we do. Although we can only activate them in dire emergencies because a lot of it is very illegal. Unless there's no other choice, we can't switch them on."
""That's so cool!!!""
Nejire and Tomoko exclaimed, brimming with excitement, while Yumiko laughed softly at how thrilled her daughter seemed. Momo, Nemuri, Shino, Ryuko, and Chatora exchanged slightly bitter looks. At that moment, Mrs. Yoshiko entered the room carrying a tray with a porcelain teapot emitting steam and several cups. She professionally poured tea for Keiko and Yumiko.
"Come sit, and let's wait. Kai shouldn't take too long." Noticing the group's grim expressions, Keiko spoke in a calm tone after taking a sip of her tea, to which Yumiko added with a smile.
"Let's have some tea to settle our nerves…"
"I suppose you're right…"
Shino responded resignedly and took a seat on one of the sofas along with the others, each receiving their cup of tea from Mrs. Yoshiko. Yet within, every single person was silently offering up every prayer they knew that Kai would return safe and sound.
***
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