A/N:

THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND HELP!

It's quite a sight to see my story got 200+ favs and follows. I'm really happy ya'll like this story. And the grammars and such, like I said I'm still learning these kinds of stuff. This chapter might be a bit short and unfortunately, that's all I can show for now.

Enjoy~

Chapter 7: Starting Point

The night was a special kind of blackness. In the serenade of the black, the stars are a choir; they are lights that sing in infinite patterns. Sometimes eyes need music, and the darker the night the sweeter the song. The sky was black tranquillity married to a poetry of stars. Night came as a reward of sorts, a restfulness above to calm the soul. The soul in which we could feel all the more clearly, that innocent inborn spark within.

"I said I'm sorry."

Heh, what a hypocrite I am.

"YOU DON'T LOOK LIKE YOU'RE SORRY!" Chisa shouted, her face expressing genuine anger and embarrassment. I, however, gave a tired sigh. We have been debating the same topic for almost four hours and the topic is about me leaving Chisa in a random location without asking her permission to do so, which results in her being angry at me for being such a jerk. To make matters worse, she did not find any signs of an evacuation center, instead, she hid at an apartment store and waited for me to finish the monster.

It was heart-warming, but alas I knew better.

Currently, we are at the quiet streets of City-Z. While the city was unapologetically urban, it was calming to see that this specific street held no disturbances whatsoever. The sidewalks were smooth grey stones, joined with such precision that the joins were almost invisible. The walls were concrete, but not like a villa in medieval times; they were more akin to the construction of a modernist skyscraper, all sharp edges and corners. The buildings were nothing short of monoliths, the bastions of the city's pride, stamping its arrival through the citizens residing within.

"Child, I did what I had to do." I said as I returned my gaze back at the blissful dark sky. "Keep in mind that my patience is limited, one more complaint and you'll regret it." Yes, even if she is a child, I have the rights to restrain her. However, corporal punishment is prohibited, but is not a blanket policy that prohibits a grown man from ever touching a child. There are situations when a man may have to intervene.

"Hmph!" She finally gave in, giving my mind an alleviating chord of relief. "But it's still your fault."

I did not reply, instead, I used my psychokinesis to float her through the air. I smirked in victory as I saw Chisa gasping in shock…which later on changing with that of genuine excitement and wonder.

"This is so cool!" Chisa said, not even showing any signs of restraint whatsoever. "Val, can we fly? Can we, can we!?" I deadpanned at this juvenile's obliviousness to the situation at hand. However, I must admit it is a nice feeling having someone accompanying you who is not afraid of your capability. It was envious, seeing her eyes filled with wonder that seemed so innocent and genuine with bounds big as the vast sea. At this point, I already deactivated my psychokinesis seeing that I have no chance of taming this girl.

"No, we're not flying." I stated, making her pout at my rejection. "And also, that's a nice nickname you've given me."

Now that I think about it, my new name is awfully childish in terms of world-related concepts. Call me immature, but I am proud of this name and I have no intention of changing it. This is not me excusing myself as a part from the presence of shallow and callow minded individuals. I just genuinely like my name and no one can change that. Sooner or later, it will be known throughout this merged continent and that is something I must prepare myself for in time.

"Yeah, nicknames are easier and better!" Chisa said, which in a way it makes sense honestly. "So now I'm calling you by your nickname; Val."

"We've only just met this morning and now you're making nicknames." I see the girl blushing as I give out a chuckle. "Why the sudden thought though? I'm curious." Really, I have only met this girl for less than a day for crying out loud. While I do not necessarily mind the thought of having a nickname due to past experiences, my curiosity is still lingering at the thought.

"Because we're friends." She said, her tone full of happiness and contentment. Her eyes later on widens as she looks at me with hesitation. "…Aren't we?"

My eyes blinked at her sudden mood, remembering a certain anime that obscenely replicates our current situation. I might have forgotten the name, but I think it relates to a teenager being discriminated against due to his hair color. Ah yes, I recall now. The anime which heavily lands on the Slice of Life genre, a story regarding a group of individuals who have no friends then having a major complexity towards each other due to the latter.

'Funny, I literally had no friends here.' Well there is Matagi, but Chisa is a different case. She is a child. A child who has experienced extreme solitary and desolation unlike any other children I have known. I grasped her hand, feeling the soft sensation of her palm once again.

"Of course we are." I assured her, my smile never faltering. "You're my friend. Put that in your mind ok?"

I do not have a lot of friends back then, but I have the best of friends, because I choose quality over quantity. There are some people in life that make you laugh a little louder, smile a little bigger and live just a little better. You can always tell when two people are friends, because they are having more fun than it makes sense for them to be having. All of these went into that category within a single day without her even knowing it.

"Yay we're friends!" She beamed as she let go of my hand then ran past me. "Val is my friend!" Chisa began skipping in circles, shouting the same line over and over again until finally stopping midway. She raises her index finger then points towards me. "But it's not like I'm lonely or anything. I just want to say that I'm your friend got it?" I mentally laughed at her Tsundere attitude, she did not even realize that her presence alone gave a large contribution for my well-being.

"Yes, yes. I am your friend." Approaching the girl, I gently ruffled her hair. "You're one heck of a kid." She replied with a pout which is inhumanly adorable. Could this be a spell in order to weaken my mind? If so, then it is effectively working so goddamn well.

We continued our casual walk for quite a while now, passing through different stores and buildings while occasionally having talks here and there. That was sarcasm by the way. This girl right here grew more and more fast-paced with each question asked as I tenaciously answered each one of them. The feeling was like a wooden hut under siege by a chatty cannon, but I held strong.

"Your father had a conversation with one the S-Class heroes?" I finally asked, my eyes widening in slight amazement.

"Yeah!" She answered rather enthusiastically. "S-class heroes were just recently announced at the time so I don't really know who it was." I nod my head as I let my thoughts reel on this new information.

The Heroes Association was created three years ago by Agoni due to Saitama's heroism for saving his grandchild. The manga stated that when it was first established, the level of rankings were only divided into three tiers; C, B, and A-Class. But due to the existence of Demon-Level-Threat monsters, and the existence of individuals who can defeat such monsters with ease, it is safe to assume that within said time, the association thus decides to create a new ranking; which is now known as the S-Class.

"I think it's time we finally take some rest." I stated. The time should probably be around mid-8 already if my calculations are correct. "The city has many apartments to begin with, let's just find the ones that are cheap and be done with it."

"Ok!" Chisa agreed without even showing hesitation. She did not even askthe question as to why are we even going to an apartment if there are tons of unused houses in the abandoned district of City-Z?

This just further proves that she heavily relies on me too much.

I was about to use my psychokinesis to fly us to the urban parts of the city but a presence suddenly comes close to us. While people would occasionally walk pasts us, this however felt like it was stalking us. Using my full ability of [Spiritual Awareness], I can purely tell that it is a human male. However, its presence was strangely intimidating, almost comparable to that of an avid monster. I took a silent gulp as I turned my gaze around the stalker's direction.

"Whoever you are, come out." I said, hiding the nervousness in my voice then quickly replacing it with a strict one.

"Val, what are you-" Chisa's sentence was cut short when a chuckle was heard. A figure comes out in one of the alleyway streets as my eyes slowly begin to widen.

There an abnormally handsome blue-haired man stood in the middle of the street dressed in a white jacket and black pants. Chisa immediately hid behind my back, seemingly scared at the luminous presence emitting through the atmosphere. I stood in my position, my hands on my pockets to further indicate that I have confidence for myself. His yellow eyes stared at our direction with an amused look expression as he raised his hands in a surrendering manner.

"To think I got caught this fast…" The man gave out a chuckle. "I applaud you Valerix." With every ounce of mental power, I have managed to calm my inner-fangasming as I deliberately smirked in order to hide the squealing sensation inside my mind.

"Thank you for the appreciation." I said, my voice casual and calm. "But I didn't think you'd come here…" I really did not expect this to happen. In fact, this is just way too early for something like this to happen!

"Handsome Kamen Amai Mask."

Yes, the man who stood infront of us is the well-known celebrity himself. The same man who has a modish reputation for being the current first rank in A-class. Seeing Matagi and the waitress is one thing, but seeing Amai Mask; a man who is considered one of the most favorite and likable characters in this show due to his character development in the web-comic; is on a whole different level compared to the two. I am astonished at my composure for managing to come this far. Moreover, why should I be composed in times like this? Surely it is understandable for someone such as me to ask an autograph from a superstar like him.

"Seems like you know who you're dealing with." Amai Mask said in approval. "That's good. As you can see, I came all the way here just to meet you." He said, his tone maintaining the casualness of his voice.

"I can see that." I replied. "So, what in the world is a celebrity doing here of all places?" I asked cautiously. However, I think I already got the main gist of this situation. I felt my back getting prodded as I turned my head to see Chisa gripping my leather jacket with enough force for me to take notice.

"V-Val do you know him?" Chisa asked as she finally decided to poke her face behind my back with curiosity, then her eyes began to widen and…is she blushing?

"W-Wow…" Her voice was awfully meek, not to mention her expression alone shows a different character compared to the ones I see. "He looks so…beautiful." I nearly choked myself when I heard that. "Val, Is he your friend?"

'Is she having a crush? Seriously?' I should be laughing my ass off right now. It is completely obvious that literally every woman, even kids can be seduced by Amai Mask's charms as you would call it; simps. However, it would be wise if we avoid that topic, as for now, let us focus ourselves on this scenario where things get a little bit interesting.

"No he's not my friend." I said straightforwardly. "Well, depends on what he's going to do atleast." I look at Amai Mask who seems to be smiling for some reason, making me curious and more cautious at the same time.

"I can assure you I mean no harm." He said calmly before raising his index finger. "I came here for one reason." The voice in his tone is placid, which truly shows he is adept in the platform of social media.

"Which is?" I asked. This caused the pop-superstar to smirk.

"Why to invite you of course." He answered with esteemed deference. A certain episode strikes through my mind wherein Amai Mask greeted Genos at a noodle store.

"To where exactly?" I asked once more. While I know that soon my existence will be known to this world, I have never expected Amai Mask to personally invite me to the Heroes Association. But then again, he did personally greet Genos due to his accomplishment for being a S-class Hero.

"My apartment." I blinked, completely caught-off guard at his answer. No really, I did not, I swear. My surprised expression seems to be evident as the pop-superstar smirks. "It's not really that far from here and don't worry…" His demeanor went mildly serious. "We'll just have a little...discussion regarding the incident that occurred a couple of hours ago."

'That fast?' It seems that I have underestimated the technology equipped within this world. My estimation is that the Heroes Association will take priority over my appearance within a day or so due to how busy they are in tracking monsters and mysterious beings throughout the vast cities. Another one would be the request of lower class officers to recruit me, but it seems they rather pick the real deal than the latter.

Do they see me as a threat?

"Sure." I said, letting myself relax knowing that this man will not hurt me unless it was necessarily needed. "But can she join us?" Amai Mask's collected look somehow turns into that of confusion.

"Who?" Strangely enough, he did not feel Chisa's presence for some reasons. I move my feet on the side as the child's form fully reveals itself. Amai Mask's eyes slightly widen, seemingly not expecting someone other than just me and him, which makes it even stranger considering that Amai Mask is literally a superhuman being to begin with.

"U-U-Uhmm." Chisa looked at me, her expression showing desperation and help. I could only look at her in pure amusement and I slightly tilt my head, indicating her to introduce herself. She seems to understand my action as she boldly approached the pop-superstar. "H-H-Hi, I-I-I'm C-C-Chisa…" Bold in an apprehensive way of course. Chisa stood before Amai Mask, her eyes scanning everywhere except the celebrity himself. Amai Mask's expression immediately softens as he kneels down on her level.

"Hello." He said, his tone going lull and soothing. "Nice to meet you Chisa." He gave his hand as a sign of greeting. "Don't be afraid, I'm friendly to everyone."

Chisa finally looks at him, her face filled with a red tinge of bloom as she gazes at the hand before glancing on her own. With obvious hesitation, she raised her hand in a timely manner. With Amai Mask's experience and professionalism, he gently grabs her hand then shakes it. Chisa's eyes widened in shock and disbelief as her face went full red…literally, I can even see smoke coming out from her forehead. Or was it just my imagination?

"We should go soon." Amai Mask started before standing up. I snickered at Chisa's disappointed expression as Amai Mask's gaze finally focused on me. "Don't you agree Valerx?" He asked as I responded with a shrug.

"Sure, lead the way brother." I said. My mind later on processed those words as I realized that my stupidity exceeded my expectation as Amai Mask's face returned to that same confused expression when he saw Chisa's presence.

"…Brother?" This is bad. This is really, really bad.

"Uhh, too soon?" I asked rather sheepishly.

"No, no I don't mind." He shook his head decisively. "I just didn't expect you to be…congenial." I think the perfect term would be friendly. However, my mind forced out a sardonic laugh at how inaccurate his statement is. But I suppose it would be best if I put this exterior part as my façade for now.

"How bold of you to assume that I'm not." I said, adding a deliberate shock and insulted expression to supplement my forepart. To my surprise, Amai Mask's expression went sheepish and then gave a nervous smile.

"Sorry." He said. "When I first saw your expression in defeating that Dragon-Level Monster, I was honestly expecting you to be...cold-blooded. Or atleast that's what I thought." I hummed as the three of us began walking, led by Amai Mask himself. That statement got me bemusedly confused in one more way possible.

"How come?" I asked curiously. So it was a Dragon-Level Threat after all. Given the size of that monster, it was to be expected to be labelled as one. But the fact that I just defeat it without showing effort is...terrifying. I'm honestly scared at how overpowered I am, and do keep in mind that this power of mine is on caliber on Tatsumaki. Let that sink in for a moment.

"It's nothing." He dismissed my question with a simple wave. I gave a nonchalant shrug in response as we continued our casual walk towards Amai Mask's said apartment. However, you cannot possibly just ignore what he said. Me? Cold-blooded? How is that even related to me killing that monster? I get that it was a bit brutal of me to tear the monster down to its very bone, but somehow I get a nagging feeling that was not the case at all.

"By the way, I think you need to carry her." My thoughts temporarily got interrupted as I immediately responded by looking down to see Chisa…doing her best to walk with us, albeit in a funny way of course. She looks tired, really tired.

"Chisa." I began making her look up at me, her eyes slowly blinking in response. "Are you sleepy?" Well it might be obvious, but I asked anyway.

"Nope." A yawn escapes from her lips. "Okay…maybe a little bit." With that I simply carried her in bridal style making her face tinge with red once more. "Y-You don't have to-"

"Sleep." I said, subduing my voice in a soft tone. She avoided my contact as her blush slowly disappeared then finally stared back.

"…Okay." She looks down as she snuggles closer to my chest. This...This is fucking cute. Who could possibly rival this girl's overloaded cuteness? I watch as her eyes slowly close until a light snore escapes from her lips. Seeing her completely defenseless and just plainly dependent on me somehow gives me...happiness in a way. Well not entirely but the latter is still there.

"Amai Mask." I began. "I know you're a busy person. I can't imagine how hard it is to act as a hero and a celebrity at the same time." I was hesitating, my eyes involuntarily avoiding the celebrity's contact. "But please let us sleep in your apartment for now…"

There is a difference between expressing your request and being rude. It is a characteristic of mine not to do desperate things. However, that mindset just hid around the corner of my brain for three goddamn hours that I did not even prioritized the outcomes of my actions. Nobody is too busy, it is just a matter of priorities but I on the other hand, showed no signs of concern whatsoever. The lack of regards for the consequences of my actions is making me hate myself more. I forced a bitter chuckle.

"What am I saying? I deeply apologize-"

"It's fine."

…Huh?

A/N:

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