Important note: Sorry guys, I should've specified this chapter takes place before Midori died. It takes place in chapter 2 when Midori went to Saitama's apartment. That's all, thanks!

Come on, come on, Midori thought, staring at her phone. Please, text me back!

Midori had been lying on her green bed in her green room for almost three hours, glued to her green-clad phone.

Man, if I was in a video game she would've texted me back by now, she thought, sighing. I feel like I'm in some kind of weird fan fiction instead…

On her phone was a series of text messages sent to Ayano Aishi, her best friend. None of the texts had a single response, not even a notification that they had been seen.

Ayano and Midori (as well as Kuu Dere) had been best friends since middle school. They did almost everything together, went everywhere together, survived together. It had been like that for years.

And then Ayano joined the Hero Association. Ever since joining, she'd been extremely busy with training and all of her 'hero duties'. Midori hadn't actually hung out with Ayano since the week before her 17th birthday.

Midori whimpered, eating some green salad (she was a fan of green food). She decided to text Kuu Dere instead. Maybe Ayano was hanging out with her.

Midori:

Heyyyyaaaa Kuu! You there?!

Kuu:

yes

Midori:

YAY! THANK YOU! Has Yan-chan texted you recently?

Kuu:

no

Midori:

Really? Not at all? Not even a little bit?

Kuu:

no

Midori:

Aww, man… Yan-chan barely talks to us anymore. What do you think the Hero Association's got her doing?

Kuu:

don't know

Midori:

Yeah, me neither… hey, imagine if she was secretly a serial killer! And she was responsible for all of the deaths at school and the heroes! Wouldn't that be funny?

Kuu:

no

Midori:

Yeah, you're right. Then again, you don't find anything funny. Hmm, I can't help but get the feeling you're a kuudere, Kuu…

Kuu:

maybe

Midori:

Anyway, no way Yan-chan could actually be a murderer, right? She's way too nice! She's almost a Class G Hero! Don't you agree?

Kuu:

don't care

Midori:

OMG, KUU, YOU'RE RIGHT! MAGICAL GIRL PRETTY MIYUKI IS THE BEST GAME SERIES EVER! WHO'S YOUR FAVOURITE CHARACTER?

Kuu:

don't care

Midori:

OMG MIYUKI IS MINE TOO! KUU WE HAVE SO MUCH IN COMMON! IN FACT, THE NEW MIYUKI GAME IS OUT RIGHT NOW! I'M GONNA GO DOWN TO THE STORE AND BUY IT! RIGHT NOW! ISN'T THAT AWESOME, KUU?!

Kuu:

whatever

Midori:

YEAH! I'LL SEE YOU THERE!

Midori scrambled out of bed, stuffing her money into her pocket.

It was time to go to the game store!

Luckily, when the teen girl arrived, the game store wasn't too busy. There were only a few people there.

Kuu wasn't there, though. Midori frowned.

Did she forget to come? she thought. Oh well...

Midori was distracted by the new Miyuki game on display, right above the cash register. There were multiple posters advertising it. The store had also set up a SaikouStation to play some of the older Miyuki games, probably to get audiences excited for the new game.

Midori noticed there was a tall man wearing a baseball cap and a hoodie playing the games. He was doing quite well - his scores were impressively high! Even Midori herself was impressed.

"Wow!" she exclaimed, running up to him. "You're awesome at this game!"

The man jumped, almost dripping the controller. "U-Uh, thanks," he stammered, adjusting his baseball cap to hide his face.

"Are you a fan of Miyuki too?" Midori asked.

"Oh, yeah," the man replied. "I've been a fan of it since it first came out!"

"Me too!" Midori jumped up and down. "Who's your favourite character?"

"Miyuki herself, of course," the man said.

"Me too!" Midori giggled. "She's the best character for sure! Have you seen the anime, too?"

The man nodded. "Read the manga, too."

"I hate the director so much," Midori grumbled. "Didn't you hate the end of the movie? So evil! So typical of a creator to kill off all the characters!"

The man sighed deeply. "I'm still not over the ending…"

Midori clenched her fist, eyes tearful. "I'll never forgive that man for killing my babies!"

The man turned to face her, making a similar expression. Midori realised he had an intimidating face: sunken cheekbones, tan skin, and three vertical scars stretching across his eye and cheek.

"Whoa, badass scars," Midori gaped. "Where'd you get them?"

The man raised his brow. "You… don't recognise me?"

"Huh?" Midori asked. "Nope! Unless you're secretly my Uncle Craig in disguise."

The man looked stunned for a moment. "You… really don't know who I am…?"

"Didn't I just say no?" Midori asked. "Unless you really are Uncle Craig!"

"I'm ... not your uncle," the man coughed.

"That's what Uncle Craig would say," Midori said, frowning suspiciously.

The man, to her surprise, cracked a smile.

"What's so funny?" Midori asked.

"Nothing," the man shrugged. "It's just… nice to meet someone different."

"Huh?" Midori asked, tilting her head.

"Don't worry about it," the man said. "Well, I'm gonna go ahead and purchase the new Miyuki game, so…"

"Wait, don't go yet!" Midori chirped. "I don't even know your name!"

"Um…" the man looked away. "Call me King."

"Seriously?" Midori asked, eyes wide. "Are you really a king?"

King hurriedly shushed her. "No, I'm just… a guy. A regular guy."

"Ohhh," Midori nodded. "I'm Midori!"

The two shook hands.

"Nice to meet you, kid, but I'm gonna go get the game now," King said.

"Wait, don't go yet, Mr. King sir," Midori pouted. "I wanna hang out some more…!"

"Midori…" King sighed. "I mean, we just met… you seem like a nice kid, but..."

Midori looked up, eyes still watering. "At least let us buy the game together!"

So the two each got their copy of the new Miyuki game, and stood outside the store. King adjusted his baseball cap to cover his face.

"Where are you going now, King?" Midori asked.

"I'm going to my friend's place," King said. "I think he took my SaikouStation."

"Friend, huh?" Midori asked, her face falling.

"You okay?" King asked, noticing her expression.

"It's just…" Midori dipped her head. "I've been friends with this girl for a really long time - she's my best friend! But recently, she's been so busy with all this Hero Association stuff we haven't got the chance to hang out at all. Every time I ask her if she wants to hang out she says no, or she doesn't respond! I mean, I know all that hero stuff is hard, but…"

"Hero Association stuff?" King asked. "She's a hero?"

Midori nodded. "She's the hero called Yan-chan! Yan-chan, the nickname I gave her…"

Wait, she's that high-school girl who's been getting all the media coverage recently, King thought. This kid is friends with her?

"Well, Hero Association stuff would probably keep you very busy," King said. "I'm sure your friend wants to hang out with you, but she just doesn't have a choice. That… or… I'm sorry to say it, but… she might be moving on from you."

"Moving on?!" Midori exclaimed.

"It happens with friends, sometimes," King said. "Friendships drift apart. And it's hard, I know. It's not easy to deal with at all. But… life goes on. You just have to keep moving forward, and keep going no matter what. You can make new friends in the future, so don't dwell on the past and depress yourself."

Midori clenched her fists. "No… Yan-chan would never…"

King patted her shoulder. "It'll be okay, Midori. You're pretty young; there's still plenty of time for you to make new friends."

Midori wiped her eyes, sighing deeply. "I… I guess… thanks, Mr. King…"

"Don't mention it," King said, smiling at her.

There was a silence between them. King was about to leave, until he noticed Midori's expression.

He coughed. "Hey. Um, do you wanna come with me to my friend's house?"

Midori's face brightened. "Really?"

King nodded.

"WHOOHOO!" Midori jumped up and down. "YOU'RE AMAZING, KING-SA-"

King covered her mouth with a hand, looking around nervously. By the grace of the heavens, no one had heard her.

"What's your friend's name?" Midori asked, removing King's hand from her face.

King sighed. "Saitama."

"Yan-chan!"

Ayano kept her mouth silent as Midori ran up to her. The two were walking down the calm street, the gentle sunrise painting the buildings with orange-gold light. They were headed back to their home in City Z Suburbia.

"Slow down!" the green-haired girl panted. "Yan-chan, please!"

Ayano kept walking, eyes bolted forward. Midori walked alongside her.

"Yan-chan," Midori panted. "Let's go back to my place! We haven't had a sleepover for ages!"

"I can't," Ayano replied. "I have work to do."

Midori scowled. Was King right after all? Were they drifting apart? They couldn't be. They were going to be friends forever. But still…

"Yan-chan, can I ask you something?" Midori asked.

Ayano didn't respond.

"Are we drifting apart?" Midori asked.

No response.

"Why are you avoiding me?" Midori asked.

Nothing.

"Are we still friends?" Midori asked, her voice croaking.

Not a blink. Midori glowered. She stood in front of Ayano. Ayano stopped walking, giving Midori a doll-like stare.

"Do you care about me, Ayano?" Midori asked. "Why won't you answer my questions?"

Silence.

"Ayano, please," Midori pleaded. "I know you think I'm stupid and annoying - everyone does! Everyone thinks I'm stupid. For the longest time, you and Kuu were the only people who could put up with me. You made me feel like… I've got a purpose here. Even if this world is all some crappy fan fiction, at least it has some kind of meaning. At least… at least we're here together." She wiped her eyes. "I don't want to lose our friendship. You mean so much to me. I love you, Ayano."

Ayano was still silent.

"Ayano, please…" Midori whimpered. "Say something. Anything! Even if it's an insult. I don't care! Just say something!"

Ayano reached out, and gently touched Midori's shoulder.

"If I wasn't like this, we could be friends for real, Midori," Ayano told her, almost… sad. "It's a shame."

"What do you mean?" Midori asked.

"We'll hang out again," Ayano said. "Eventually."

And then she walked away, leaving Midori by herself.