After my shower, I headed down to the kitchen. Michelle was already there, doing her usual morning ritual with a massive cup of coffee.
I poured myself some juice and started assembling a monstrosity of a sandwich: eggs, bacon, and pure spite.
"What are you making?" she asked, watching my culinary engineering with genuine confusion.
"A sandwich," I replied. "What? You've never seen a masterpiece before?"
She just shook her head and went back to her caffeine. After a moment, she sat across from me, eyeing my sandwich before poking at her own plate.
"Michael, some friends of mine want to visit next week. You mind if they drop by?"
"Friends?" I asked.
"Colleagues. They want to see how I'm spending my 'vacation' as a 'babysitter.'"
"Colleagues," right. The "Garden of Eden" crew. "Sure, why not? As long as they don't plan on staying the night."
"Don't worry, just a few hours. Also..." she paused, looking a bit sheepish. "I know these girls. They're probably going to bring booze, even if I tell them not to. Can we keep that between us?"
"Secret beer, huh? I think I can handle that," I said, adding a bit of feigned hesitation for dramatic effect.
"Thanks! You're the best!" She gave me a smile that could melt a glacier. Seriously, she has a dangerous smile.
"They'll be here Tuesday around noon. They like to sleep in."
"Got it. Should I hide in my room?"
"Nah, do whatever you want. Just don't walk around naked," she joked. "I might even introduce you to someone."
"I'll think about it." Unlikely. I doubt professional strippers have much to talk about with a sixteen-year-old nerd, and I'm not looking for "older women" drama right now.
After breakfast, I went back to Ice Make practice. I've moved past simple birds and flowers.
I decided to try something "meta"—an Armor-Piercing Hammer.
The design was a double hammer: an inner "sharpened icicle" encased in a hollow "ice box," with the gap filled with slushy, brittle ice for mass.
Visualizing the internal structure was a nightmare. I had to grow the core, the casing, and the filler simultaneously.
[ Magic and Intelligence stats increased! ]
[ Skill: Ice Make Magic increased. ]
Stat gains! It seems the System rewards complexity over raw power. Good to know.
I swapped my card to Chun-Li for the combat buff and headed to the gym.
Today was about the Black Leg Style. Sanji's move set is legendary, but it requires insane flexibility.
I took the "Black Leg" stance—totally relaxed upper body, weight shifted to the heels. Something in my muscle memory (probably Tomo's influence) wanted me to go into a side-stance, but I suppressed it.
I lunged into a series of rapid-fire kicks. Snap, retract, repeat. Gradually speeding up.
[ Skill: Black Leg Style increased. ]
I tried the "Helicopter" kick. I leaned forward, swung my leg in a high arc... and immediately realized that physics is a heartless bitch.
I spun out of control and landed flat on my back on the hardwood floor.
Oof. Note to self: buy mats. And maybe watch some more One Piece clips to understand the center of gravity on that move.
Night fell. Time for the "Great Escape."
I planned a 250-mile run to Happy Harbor. It's north of Gotham and home to the future Justice League sanctuary.
At half the speed of sound, I figured I could make it in about 40 minutes. It was a test of my 33 Endurance points.
I checked the tape on my door. Still there. I blurred out the window.
(Michelle's Room)
Michelle was on a video call with her friend Nikki.
"You're so mean! We're just worried about you, and you call us idiots!" Nikki pouted through the screen.
"Are you worried, or do you just want to see my aunt's mansion and troll me in front of my cousin?" Michelle countered.
"Maybe both. Don't worry, Mi-chan, we'll only tell him three embarrassing stories. Like the time the water got cut off and you met the pizza guy in nothing but soap and a towel."
"Don't you dare! And not a word about work!"
"Relax. We keep secrets," Nikki said, then smirked. "So... does he stare at your ass?"
"He's my cousin, Nikki! And he's ten years younger!"
"So he's rich, hot, and available. Can't wait to meet him."
Michelle hung up and sighed. She thought back to the gym—the way Michael looked at her. It wasn't just a "relative" look. It was evaluative. Interested.
"God, Ang was right. I need a boyfriend before I start catching feelings for a sixteen-year-old," she muttered.
She went to Michael's door and listened. Nothing but the sound of the wind through an open window. "Sleeping like a log," she thought, heading back to her room.
I was walking the streets of Happy Harbor, catching my breath. My legs felt like they were made of lead, but I'd gained another Level and a stat point.
Suddenly, sirens cut through the night. Smoke was billowing from a two-story house in the distance.
I hit the Talisman and sprinted toward the fire, swapping into my "Frosty" gear mid-run.
I arrived at a literal inferno. Firefighters were struggling, and a crowd was shouting that people were still inside.
I didn't have time to be a strategist. I blurred toward a firefighter, snatched his oxygen mask, wrapped my scarf over it, and dived into the flames.
"Ice Make: Floor!" I shouted, coating the burning wood in a thin layer of ice so I could run.
The heat was insane, even through the armor-plating of my ice-magic.
[ Skill: Intuition increased. ]
I kicked down a bathroom door and found a little girl clutching a puppy. I scooped them both up, ignored the dog trying to bite my glove, and charged back out through the front door.
I handed her to a medic and went back in. I froze the burning stairs and ran to the second floor.
I found a man collapsed in the hallway and a boy unconscious in a bedroom.
I grabbed them both, created a massive ice-shield to block a collapsing beam, and jumped through a second-story window.
I landed on the "soft" grass, which still felt like concrete at that speed.
"Anyone else?" I wheezed.
"No, that's all of them!" someone shouted. The mother had made it out on her own.
I collapsed onto the cool grass and stared at the moon.
[ Quest: House Fire Completed! ]
[ Reward: 250 XP ]
I caught the crowd staring at me like I was a freak. Whatever. I'm flying home. My legs are officially retired for the night.
<><><><><<><><><><<><><><><<><><><><
Read advaned Chapters on : patreon.com/Kaizo247
~ Evey 150 PS = Bonus Chapter!
~ ush the Story forward with your [Power Stones]