Her apartment was on the top floor of the tallest building in City A. Tornado floated in through the floor-to-ceiling window and gently placed Sol on her bed. The green energy surrounding him faded away like flowing water. She stood beside the bed with her arms crossed, staring at the intruder who had taken over her bed.
"Tsk, you're so dirty." Tornado clicked her tongue in disgust, but she still used her psychokinesis to bring over a wet towel.
The moment the warm towel touched Sol's cheek, her movements suddenly stopped. Only then did she realize what she was doing, she was actually taking care of this annoying rookie herself.
"I must be crazy." She threw the towel aside, her green hair swaying slightly as her emotions fluctuated.
She floated toward the window with her back to the bed, trying to calm the chaos in her mind. The contents of the destroyed note kept repeating in her thoughts.
Sol has been injected with monster cells by me. How will you choose?
Her nails dug into her palms without her noticing. If the Association learned about this, Sol would immediately be labeled a dangerous target. She knew the higher-ups too well, they would rather kill someone innocent than take the risk.
"No." Tornado shook her head, a determined look appearing in her green eyes. "I need to confirm it myself first."
She turned back and floated toward the bed again. Sol's breathing had stabilized, but his face was still frighteningly pale. After hesitating for a moment, she gently lifted his upper clothing.
The wound on his abdomen made her gasp. It was a deep, fist-sized indentation, and the skin around it had turned a strange bluish-purple. What frightened her even more was the faint dark-red lines slowly spreading from the edge of the wound.
"Is this really the effect of monster cells?" Tornado whispered, her voice trembling slightly.
She instinctively reached for her communicator, but her fingers stopped just before touching it. If she reported this, Sol would be locked inside a special containment facility, or worse, taken away for research and dissected.
She looked at him lying unconscious on the bed, and for a moment it felt like she was looking at her younger self, the girl who had once been sent to a research facility. If possible, she did not want this rookie to suffer the same fate.
"Think of it as protecting the child who was never protected."
She froze for a second, then immediately shook her head. How could she protect a monster, especially someone who constantly annoyed her? She pushed the thought away and took a deep breath. Green energy once again surrounded Sol's wound, but she hesitated before doing anything more.
"Listen carefully, rookie." Her voice was low, as if she was warning him and convincing herself at the same time.
"I'm giving you three days. If you don't wake up in three days, or if there are any signs of monsterization…"
She did not finish the sentence, but her expression became firm. If he really became a monster, she would not show mercy.
Outside the window, the first light of morning broke through the clouds. Only then did Tornado realize she had stayed awake the entire night. She rubbed her sore eyes and suddenly felt exhausted.
As the S-Class Rank 2 hero, she rarely felt tired, but the emotional tension of the night had drained her more than any battle.
"This is all your fault, rookie. You're such a headache." She glared at the unconscious Sol, though her tone lacked its usual arrogance.
She floated toward the corner of the room and curled up in a single armchair. A thin layer of green energy formed around her, both protection and a way to monitor him. Tornado closed her eyes, but not completely. Even in sleep, she was still watching him.
---
Sol's consciousness slowly rose out of the darkness.
The first thing he noticed was the soft feeling beneath him. This was definitely not a hospital bed.
He slowly opened his eyes. A strange ceiling came into view, with a crystal lamp hanging from a simple white surface.
"Where am I?" Sol tried to sit up, but a sharp pain in his abdomen forced him to stop and gasp.
"I really shouldn't have pushed myself that far." He looked down and saw that his wound had already been carefully bandaged. Even so, the faint pain beneath the bandage reminded him how serious the injury was.
The room was softly lit. Outside the large window was the massive cityscape of City A. Only then did Sol realize he was at the top of a high-rise building.
His eyes moved slowly across the room. Minimalist furniture, a few landscape paintings on the walls, and a small green potted plant on the bedside table.
"Hm…"
A faint sound came from the corner of the room.
Sol turned his head sharply and froze.
Tornado was curled up in a single armchair. Her usual confident posture was gone. Her green hair fell softly over her shoulders, and she was hugging a pillow while sleeping uneasily.
She was only wearing a loose white T-shirt, her long pale legs drawn close to her body, making her look much smaller than usual.
Sol's brain completely stopped working.
He immediately lay back down and closed his eyes again. This had to be a dream. There was no way he had woken up in Tornado's room. His body must still be exhausted, that had to be it.
A few seconds later, he cautiously opened his eyes again.
She was still there.
"…So it's not a dream."
He quickly checked his own clothes. Thankfully, nothing looked strange. But why was he here? Why had Tornado brought him to her home?
He could not stop himself from looking at her again. What exactly happened while he was unconscious? Why was he in the same room as someone who usually wanted to throw him out of a window?
After thinking about it for a while, Sol gave up trying to understand the situation.
He slowly sat up, being careful not to make any noise. If she was sleeping, then it would be better not to wake her.
The room was surprisingly clean. There were almost no personal items, and the only decoration near the bed was the small green potted plant, which looked carefully taken care of.
His eyes returned to Tornado again.
Right now, she looked completely different from her usual self. Without her cold attitude, she looked more like a normal girl than the terrifying S-Class Rank 2 hero.
"Wait a second…" Sol suddenly realized something.
"If this is her room, then this is her bed too, right?"
The thought instantly froze him.
He looked down at the pale green sheets beneath him. They had a faint, clean scent.
Sol's mind started racing again. Could it be that after she found out about the monster cells, she made her decision and secretly brought him here while he was unconscious… and was now taking care of him herself?