I'm meeting with Enji in his office the next morning after his return from Kyushu yesterday. I sit in a chair across his desk as he sits behind it.
"I planned on taking the Nomu alive, but it wasn't possible," Enji explains. "Regeneration...The one at Hosu could do that, too. A power I didn't see with the white ones."
"Does that mean the black Nomu are special?" I ask.
"If that's the case, then the High-End one is special even among them. Because it could talk… It also released several Nomu from its body. Its goal was to fight against the strong."
"A very villain-like train of thought."
"So in order to continue its fight with me, it split off my backup…This Nomu...was thinking."
My stern gaze lowers at the thought.
"I can't imagine what the League has in mind with such powerful Nomu at their disposal," I say. "And there's no telling how many more there are."
"We as heroes have to be prepared for the worst," Enji says.
I keep my gaze down as I think of Touya and his involvement with the League. He hasn't told me much, but I can only assume the worst the League has in store for society. The fact that I can't even say a word to Enji that his son is actually alive makes my stomach heavy. If only I could tell him and his family the truth.
"I want to apologize," Enji interrupts my thoughts.
"Apologize?" I'm surprised. "For what?"
"For how I acted in the past."
I stare at Enji in thought as he continues.
"My behavior toward my family…" he says. "You witnessed a good amount of it. I know it affected you as well...especially with your relationship with Touya."
"You weren't always like that…" I say. "You and your family welcomed me...when I had no one…"
"Even so…" Enji looks down.
I listen intently at his words.
"From now on," Enji looks up at me. "I'm going to face my past and atone for everything I've done… I have no intention of asking for forgiveness after all that's happened."
I stare up at Enji with admiration.
"For what it's worth…" I begin to say. "I want you to remember that you're like a father to me, Enji."
Enji stares at me as he listens.
"It may be easier for me to forgive you," I say. "Easier than it will be for your family...but know that I'll be rooting for you, Enji."
Enji's brows rise a bit but then he gives me a small smile.
Some days have passed. I'm on patrol with Enji and some sidekicks. My mind wanders as I observe the area around me. People are walking about in the busy streets, going about their lives. I watch as a mother and her child happily interact as they pass me by. The people are calm, even after Enji's fight with the High-End Nomu recently. Despite his victory, people are still weary about their safety. It's a critical time for us heroes to prove ourselves and show that we can still protect and shine hope for a better future. My eyes glance over at Enji to my right. He's gazing down at his phone, a look of disappointment on his face.
"What's the matter?" I ask.
"Shoto hasn't responded to any of my messages," Enji replies.
"Oh, he's even left you on read," I peer at his phone.
"There's something I wish to tell him… I've begun heading towards my ideal self and being like a father...Yet, he's still ignoring me…"
Enji continues to stare down at his phone.
"So...stop ignoring my messages, Shoto!" His flames flare out. "Shotooooo!"
I watch him with a sweat drop as he's being dramatic.
"Ya know…" I glance at a clock nearby. "Class has started for Shoto already. I don't think he'll be responding anytime soon."
"Shoto…." Enji pouts.
I sigh with a slight laugh.
'His obsession with Shoto has gotten worse over the days…' I think to myself. 'I'm glad he's really trying...but he's just gotten much more dramatic,' I watch as Enji's flames continue to flare.
Enji grasps a criminal by the face with his bare hand. The man struggles in fear, not able to escape. I've gathered the stolen goods from him and glance at a clock nearby on a building.
"Past 7pm…." I say. "And we only ran into this guy. Not bad for a whole day on patrol."
"We'll turn him into the authorities and finish for the night," Enji continues his grasp on the man's face.
The man continues to muffle into Enji's hand. A beep goes off and Enji pulls his phone out. His eyes widen in surprise upon reading a message.
"He responded!" Enji exclaims.
"Hm?" I raise a brow. "Shoto?"
Enji eagerly shows me his phone screen and I read the messages. Shoto wants his father to teach him about Flashfire.
"Flashfire, huh?" I say. "Seems Shoto wants to progress even further in his endeavors to become a pro hero."
"Unbelievable…" Enji is astonished. "To think you would be the one to bring it up…" he keeps reading Shoto's text. "Haha...haha…" he quietly chuckles to himself. "Shotoooooo!" His flames flare out in excitement.
I watch as Enji flares out in joy.
'It's nice to see him excited like this for a change…' I think to myself. 'But it's still kinda weird to hear him laugh to himself like that.'
The criminal cowers in fear as Enji flares out in glee, still grasping him by the face.
A restaurant is filled with people, the sounds of silverware clinking here and there. The dim lights throughout the venue set a warm ambience this early winter evening. I'm sitting across Fuyumi as we continue to dine.
"Thanks so much for taking me out for dinner!" Fuyumi exclaims. "I know it's for my birthday but you didn't have to pick such a fancy restaurant," she shyly says.
"Nonsense! You deserve a good birthday dinner," I reply. "You work so hard teaching those smart kids of yours."
"Still not as hard as being a pro hero."
"Your job is just as important. You're shaping the children who are our future."
"Without pro heroes like you, we wouldn't have a future."
Fuyumi smiles warmly at me and I return it.
"So glad to hear that Shoto finally got his hero license," I sip from my wine glass.
"He's really excited," Fuyumi nods. "We're all so proud of him."
"I bet."
I can't help but think of Touya, recalling how he referred to Shoto as Enji's perfect creation. I remember how Touya resented his younger brother when we were young. My smile fades into a look of sorrow without me realizing it. Fuyumi is about to sip her drink but notices my face.
"What's on your mind, Akira?" She asks.
"Hm?" I'm surprised. "Oh, sorry...It's nothing!" I force a smile.
Fuyumi decides not to pry and continues to sip her wine.
"I'm really glad to see Dad's efforts to change…" Fuyumi brings up. "The evening he got back from Kyushu…he claimed to start working toward becoming his ideal self...and atone for his past."
I recall Enji also sharing this with me the morning after his return from Kyushu.
"It really is nice for him to change for the better…" Fuyumi continues. "Maybe one day...we'll really become a family again."
I stare at Fuyumi as I see hope in her eyes. The urge to tell her about Touya, her brother who we've thought to be dead all these years, is actually alive. I'm torn. Would it be possible to ever become a family again with Touya? To our dismay, it seems he's got his mind set on his goal - whatever exactly it may be. My eyes tear up a bit but I mask it with a smile.
"Really," I say. "I'm proud of you and your family...Happy birthday, Fuyumi."
I close the door to my apartment. After flicking the lights on, I hang my purse and jacket on the racks by the door and head to the kitchen. I fill a teapot with water and set it on the stove.
'Some tea should help me sleep…' I think to myself.
I glance at the calendar on the fridge. The date reads December 6th, Fuyumi's birthday circled on it.
'I'm glad she enjoyed the dinner…' I think. 'She goes through so much trying to bring her family together again...She deserves it.'
It's been some days now since I last saw Touya. I can't imagine what he's getting himself into with the League.
'I only hope that he's okay…' I think.
There's knocking at the back window. My eyes dart to it and I see that it's Touya. I head over and open the window.
"Hey…" he keeps his eyes lowered.
"Hey…" I also keep my eyes low.
"You got a minute?"
"Sure…"
I move aside and he climbs in. He closes the window and follows me into the kitchen. I stand in front of the stove, staring down at the teapot. Touya stands by the table, a silence between us other than the teapot whistling.
"You want some tea?" I finally ask.
"Sure…" Touya responds.
He's not into tea but wants to join me. After pouring some tea into mugs, I set them down on the table. Touya sits across from me, another moment of silence. I see his eyes wander to the calendar.
"I take it you went out with my sister…" he says.
"Yeah…" I reply. "Took her out to dinner...she enjoyed it."
My eyes stay lowered as I sip from my tea.
"Listen…" he finally says. "I'm...sorry about the other night."
I keep my gaze lowered.
"I didn't mean to hurt you…" Touya continues.
"It's alright…" I say. "I'm over it."
Touya can still sense the hurt in my tone.
"How have you been?" I look up at him.
"Busy…" he replies.
"The League, huh?"
"Yeah…"
The fact that Touya's even involved with the League saddens me.
"How are things going for you?" he asks.
"Fine. Just busy with work as usual," I reply.
I take a sip from my tea. Touya takes a sip from his before standing up.
"I guess I'll go…" he turns to leave.
"I miss you, Touya…" I finally admit.
Touya stops in his tracks, his back facing me.
"Just please...be careful out there…" I plead.
Touya stays quiet for a moment. The hold on my mug tightens as I resist the urge to ask Touya to stay.
"You be careful out there too…" he finally says.
With that, Touya exits through the window. I stare at Touya's mug, seeing that he only took one sip. The thought of him putting himself in danger for the League makes my heart sink. I want him to stay with me, but I know that a villain and a hero shouldn't be together. Tears swell up in my eyes as I softly begin to cry.
'It isn't fair…' I think to myself.