PRESENT- TOKAI BUILDING - 11:25 P.M
That conversation had been echoing in my mind ever since that meeting. "Listen, you have five minutes to get here or I'm leaving, and I promise I won't wait a minute longer, understood?"
"Understood, boss," I said with a confident smile. With Fubuki by my side, things always got better. I turned to Laia. "So you're leaving?" Laia let out a soft sigh and answered without even looking at me. "I have nothing else to do here." Then she slowly turned her head and looked at me intently. "You should..."
"No, thank you." Laia froze for a second. She frowned in annoyance; she knew she was an idiot. She liked doing the right thing… but not enough to risk her life for something like this. She sighed in frustration and started walking toward the stairs. "Do whatever you want," she said without stopping. "But don't die… we still have a lot to talk about." I watched her walk away; in the end, I simply raised my arm in a silent farewell.
Without obstacles, I could get there in less than five minutes. I ran through the hallways as if my life depended on it, until… right in front of me, a huge sign appeared: "Staircase under maintenance, please proceed to the next one." I stopped dead in my tracks, feeling a rage I could no longer contain. "Why the hell do these things always happen to me?... Shit!"
Meanwhile, in the other room, Fubuki took the initiative. "Alright, J will be here soon... It's time to end this. Stand back."
Daz and Nate obeyed without protest, pressing themselves against the wall. A simple, elegant gesture from Fubuki's hand was all it took for the metal door to creak open, as if it were made of paper. The clang echoed down the hallway. And there, in the middle of the room, was what they had been looking for: a simple cube inside an energy field that repelled any attempt to approach. The very air seemed to tremble around it.
Meanwhile, outside the building where all this was happening, a limousine pulled up in front of the main entrance, and a tall, slender young man with light blue hair, dressed in an elegant suit, stepped out. "Tell me, who's causing all this commotion?"
FIRST FLOOR - TOKAI BUILDING - 11:30 P.M
Several millionaires poured out of the imposing building's main entrance, their faces contorted with rage, sweating and panting with despair. The hero stood before them and tried to calm them, asking them to explain the situation. However, most continued running without replying, hurrying toward the cars parked along the sides of the street. Only a small group of businessmen, accompanied by their associates, remained composed and walked with a degree of dignity until they approached the hero. "Amai Mask, Class A Rank 1 hero, I thought I had requested an S-Class hero from the Hero Association."
She gathered her hair with an elegant gesture, but her gaze toward the businessman dripped with displeasure. "Just tell me everything that's going on; you can file your complaints later with the association." The businessman didn't like her response; how could a mere hero reach his level? It was an insult to him, but if it was Amai Mask, perhaps he could tolerate it, since, besides being a hero, he was also famous and several women were swooning over him. "Fine, pretty boy," he spat with disdain. "Two hours ago, this was a quiet party, but something strange is happening upstairs. We sent several Class A heroes to investigate, and those useless fools couldn't handle the problem. So do your job and take care of this... NOW!"
While Amai Mask was talking to the businessman in the background, Laia overheard everything and immediately realized that Amai Mask's presence could worsen the situation. She tried to leave, but her young companion grabbed her arm and asked in a serious voice, "Where are you going?" Laia knew that these people believed everything she owned belonged to them, so she simply smiled with her eyes closed and said calmly, "I left my bag inside. I have important things I can't lose, so... please, let me go."
"Do you really think I'm going to believe such nonsense? I paid for your services, and if you don't please me, I promise I'll tell the company to fire you and make sure you never work again."
"Yes... I knew you'd say that." Laia sighed calmly and, grasping the young man's arm, easily lifted it. The hand that had been holding it released immediately. Laia slowly raised it until it was in front of him, as if she were showing him an object. "Thank you for hiring me," she said with a serene smile, "but I don't need you anymore." Her gaze turned cold. "Have a nice night." She tightened her grip, pressing on the young man's arm. His wrist gave way with a sharp crack, breaking instantly. The young man's scream was so loud that the businessmen were distracted, and taking advantage of those few seconds of distraction, Laia snatched his cell phone and slipped back into the building.
While everyone was tending to the young man lying on the floor crying like a baby, Amai Mask saw everything that happened and, without saying a word, calmly entered the building. Once on the first floor, Laia began kicking her heels in irritation and anger. "How can women wear this? It's torture!" She turned on the young man's cell phone and found the contact for the company that had hired him, then deleted it from his history. "Thanks for everything, Ethan..." she said softly, "but I don't want to get you into any more trouble." She threw the phone to the floor and crushed it with her foot. She saw that the first floor, though simple, was filled with luxuries: gold ornaments, expensive paintings, extravagant sculptures that only the rich could afford. But that didn't matter to her now; her mission was to warn J about Amai Mask and tell him that everyone had to leave immediately. As she was about to take off her dress to move more comfortably, a chill ran through her. She felt a presence behind her. Without a second thought, she spun around and threw a swift kick, certain it would hit its target, but her foot stopped dead in its tracks. Amai Mask was behind her, and that could only mean one thing: this was going to be a long night.
The hero firmly stopped her foot, staring intently into her eyes. His voice was as cold as marble. "What a surprise. Who would have thought I'd find you here, murderess?" She tried to move her foot, but couldn't; the hero's strength was too much, so she simply looked at him and spoke with a touch of calm. "Who would have thought? You seemed quite willing to work as a heroine today. What happened? Was your performance canceled? Or have they already found a more attractive replacement?" Amai's face remained serious, but a vein in his temple betrayed his fury, and he raised his arm. A single, swift, and precise blow pierced Laia's stomach. The impact sent her flying, crashing against a marble-decorated wall and shattering a painting that looked worth millions.
Amai Mask advanced toward the hole left by the impact, his expression no longer so serene. Those words had enraged him, but he knew he had to protect his reputation, so he calmed himself. "I wanted to knock you unconscious and hand you over to the Hero Association... but I changed my mind. This place will be your grave." The top of Laia's dress flew off in shreds, and almost simultaneously, three shurikens flew straight toward him. With ease and a single hand, Amai Mask stopped them, and in the blink of an eye, Laia had leaped behind him to deliver a kick to his neck, but the hero, without turning around, raised his arm and blocked the blow, which slightly enraged Laia.
The hero tried again to grab her foot, but Laia reacted quickly, dropping to the ground and bracing herself with both feet and one hand to break her fall. With the other, she tried to draw her katana. However, before she could fully do so, Amai Mask's hand stopped her abruptly. With the other, he grabbed her hair and yanked it back, forcing her to look up at him. "Enough games," he said. "You'll tell me everything you know so far."
Laia groaned in pain, but raised her gaze with a defiant sneer. "Let me tell you something," she said, "never leave a ninja with her hands free." With her right hand, she pulled a small dagger from her shoe and plunged it into his shin, further enraging the hero. He grabbed her hair, lifted her up, and dropped her. He delivered a brutal kick to her chest, slamming her against another section of the wall. Laia fell backward among the rubble, blood trickling down her face, her eyes closed, barely conscious, her arms limp as if her body refused to respond.
In Laia's mind, doubts and insecurity swirled: "Max, Nitta, it seems I'm still weak. I'll never reach your level. What would you have done? No, don't think about that. I promise you I'll surpass you and avenge Nitta's death. GET UP, damn it! GET UP!" As Amai Mask stepped forward to deliver the final blow, she heard a metallic click in the hole... a scabbard being drawn sliced through the air. With a look of anger and determination, Laia advanced, katana in hand, and, staring at the hero, stopped. Wiping the blood from her face, she said coldly, "Well, handsome boy, it's time to end this."