"Tell me. What's the point of life? Can you tell me that?" She stared back at the person before her, head tilted slightly and her green eyes half-closed. "You can't. Can you? You don't know. No one really knows. Isn't that just how it is? No one knows why they exist, but they keep going on without really questioning it."
Behind the counter, the waitress shifted uncomfortably. "You want more coffee? You're asking some pretty heavy questions for a girl your age."
Her feline ears drooped back a little, her tail swishing silently behind her. "Sure."
"So what'd you say your name was?"
"Hn. Call me Noriko, please."
"What brings you to City Z, Noriko? Is it hero business?" The waitress gave her a look of uncertainty, staring at her cat ears, tail, and the twin swords strapped to her back. For all she knew, the girl could be a monster.
"You could say that." Noriko stretched her arms over her head, yawning. "I heard that there were monsters here. A monster problem, I guess? I want to help people so…" The waitress began to grin. The girl rubbed the back of her head, blushing pink.
People always became grateful the second she mentioned that she wanted to help them. It made her feel guilty. I haven't even done anything yet. She spotted some young men in the road, who instantly ran toward the café when they saw her. Damn. Not this again.
The young men were a little older than her and stood in the entrance for a moment with looks of awe. "Wow! It really is her! Samurai Catgirl!"
"Hey, is Little Catgirl around, too? Is that why you're here?"
"Can we get an autograph? Please?"
The waitress snickered and Noriko ran her fingers through her hair, agitated. "Samurai Catgirl, was it?" the older woman asked.
"I-it's just my stupid hero name! Just give me something to sign!" She autographed a few photos that the young men handed her and answered a few questions before they left her to finish her coffee in peace. "I hate being recognized."
"So who's this Little Catgirl? I don't really keep up with the latest hero news," the woman said, sliding her a plate of toast and bacon slices.
Noriko was more than happy to accept the food. "Little Catgirl…she's my younger sister. I've been searching for her for a while now, but I'm not having any luck. Whenever she's in one city and I rush to get to her, she suddenly disappears and goes somewhere else."
When she left the café, her ears were drooping once more and she felt her tail sag. I don't like to think about her. I hate to think about what happened. The thought of her wandering the world alone scares me. She clutched the strap of her bag tightly and sighed, tilting her head back to look at the sky as she walked.
Murasaki Noriko felt utterly alone and knew that she was. She had no family, no home to return to, and no one to really talk to. The Hero Association liked to send her out on tasks because they knew that no one would ask questions if she vanished or died.
It was starting to get dark so Noriko turned down an alley, intending to find an abandoned building to take refuge in for the night. Instead, she found a small group of stray cats. They were feasting on some scraps of meat that were being fed to them by a man in a hooded sweatshirt and jeans. She tilted her head, somewhat curious and somewhat unnerved by his appearance. His head was completely bald, shining in the dying sunlight.
When he lifted his gaze from the felines, he was wearing a deadpan expression. It soon bloomed into a dorky smile that made her take a step back. "Hey, look. Another cat. Are you hungry, too?"
Noriko stared at him for a moment. Something seemed sort of 'off' about the man. He looked to be in his mid-twenties, but the baldness was throwing her off. "No…I'm not hungry."
She saw him stand up from his crouched position and blushed pink when she saw that his shirt read 'oppai'. Why is he wearing something so ridiculous? Is he a pervert or something? When he started to walk her way, she took quick steps back. Her tail coiled around her leg, the tip twitching with fear. "I-I don't want any trouble, mister!"
His face was beginning to scare the girl. "Is that a cat tail?"
"I don't-!"
"Master Saitama, I left the store and lost sight of you. What are you doing in here?" came a voice from behind Noriko.
I'm trapped! This is just great! I'm going to die, or worse, and I'll never know what happened to my sister! Her eyes clenched tightly shut and she prepared herself for the worst. Instead, the bald man stepped around her to join the other man. The cats looked disappointed that he was leaving them.
"I was feeding these cats. They looked hungry." He glanced back at Noriko as she turned toward the alley opening. "What about you?"
"What?! Wh-what about me? I don't want any trouble, okay, so just-!" She took several steps back as his friend moved toward her. Just when I thought I was safe! I can't just kill them though; I don't know anything about these people and heroes aren't allowed to kill anyone that isn't a direct threat to normal citizens!
This man was closer to her age and had eyes that were a sharp metallic yellow and matte black. He narrowed these eyes on her until they filled with recognition. "Samurai Catgirl."
"N-no, uh…you've got me confused…er…y-yeah, that's me," she muttered. I don't want them to think I'm my sister. I can't let anyone think that. It's too dangerous!
"What brings you to City Z?" Behind him, his bald friend was still watching them both. The young man before her was taller than her, with blonde hair and a sleeveless shirt that exposed his robotic arms.
She winced when he spoke her hero name. It was horrifically embarrassing and she wished that she had been given a choice when it came to picking the name. "Hn…my actual name's Noriko," she stated, hoping he would stop calling her Samurai Catgirl.
"Noriko-san, then. Why are you in City Z?"
He's being so formal. Not even he was this formal. The girl tried to nonchalantly push her hands into her pockets. "I just…wanted to help people. I heard that there were a lot of monsters in this city so…I thought I could help people here."
This answer seemed to please both of them. "Noriko-san, where are you staying in City Z? This is the edge of the abandoned area."
"Oh no! It's a tiny place as it is!" his friend argued.
"It's…fine. I don't need much. In fact, I'm fine in this alley." To prove her point, she sat on an overturned crate and set her bag to the side. Instantly, the stray cats crowded around her for attention. The two men remained where they stood, though the bald one began to look bored. "I swear. I'm fine here."
The blonde looked slightly skeptical. "If you insist on staying in this alley, at least allow me to leave our address with you. The building is abandoned so there are plenty of empty units." He scribbled it on a piece of paper, ignoring the way she argued with him.
She grudgingly accepted the paper, shoving it into her jacket pocket. "I…highly doubt that I'll drop by."
"I understand that."
Noriko bit her lower lip and sighed. "If I do…decide to drop by…I intend to bring a gift. What sort of gift would you like?" He appeared slightly taken aback and his friend turned his attention to her once more. "I understand that it's only right to bring a gift if you visit someone. My mother said so anyway."
"If you drop by, you should bring food," the bald man spoke before the blonde could protest. "Something good."
She bowed her head. "Very well. Thank you, sir."
"It's Saitama. And this is Genos."
"Right…thank you, Saitama-san and Genos-san." Noriko waited for them to leave before letting herself frown. That blonde one was a cyborg, wasn't he? Didn't I hear the waitress talking to someone about a blonde cyborg hero? Something…she said he was cute or something like that. If that was him, I guess he was attractive. He didn't look very old, either.
She moved off of the crate and settled against the wall of the building, sitting on the ground. The stray cats curled up around her and she sighed. Heroes, monsters. I don't even really follow the news on them anymore unless it concerns my sister. There are so many opportunities here, I wouldn't be surprised if she came to City Z.
The night wore on and she slept peacefully against the wall. She was woken by a heavy rain and grimaced as she pushed herself to her feet. The stray cats scattered to hide from the rain, leaving her alone once more. With a heavy sigh, Noriko looked at the address that Genos had given her.
Thinking back to the two men, she weighed her options. I can stay in an abandoned unit or I can go to a stranger's place. They knew who I was. Well one of them did. What if they're heroes, too? What if they can help me find my sister?
She stopped at a convenience store and picked up some fresh meat buns before trudging through the rain-soaked streets to the address. It led her to an apartment building and up a flight of stairs. Standing before the door, Noriko frowned with uncertainty. Here goes nothing! She raised a fist and knocked tentatively.
The door opened to the blonde cyborg. He seemed a little surprised to see her and moved aside immediately to let her in. Her long violet hair was dripping with rain water and her clothes were clinging damply to her pale skin.
She ruffled her hair to try to get some water out of it and held up a bag of meat buns, attempting a smile. "It's raining. And you did offer, kindly. So I come bearing meat buns." The bag was quickly taken by Saitama, who carried them off to the small table in the next room.
"Allow me to get you a towel." Genos was soon using a fluffy white towel to attempt to dry her hair. She frowned, but allowed it. He subtly studied her as he tried to dry her hair, intrigued to see her up close.
She had very pale skin, but seemed to blush easily as her cheeks turned a rosy pink shade. Her eyes were a bright green and she kept them shifted to the side in order to avoid his gaze. She had a few light scars; one across her nose and a few on her cheeks and neck.
"Hey, so your name's Noriko?" Saitama called from the other room.
"Hn. Well, my mother didn't give me this name. I don't really remember the name she gave me. The guy that made me this way called me Project Nya. Just Nya for short. My sister…Little Catgirl. He called her Project Koneko."
She was glad when Genos stepped back from her. When he stood so close, it made her quite nervous. The only man she had ever been that close to before was the "scientist" that altered her. Noriko walked to the other room and at the table, watching Saitama devour the meat buns.
He snickered. "Nya? It's kind of cute. What kind of guy was he?"
"Yes. How exactly did you become a cat-person?" Genos asked, sitting nearby.
She bowed her head, scowling. "Some gross otaku creep. He kidnapped me when I was twelve and tried to make me into his 'ideal anime girlfriend'. I was stuck with him for four years until he created Koneko. My little sister. She went insane one year later and killed him before disappearing. Since then, I've been trying to find her."
Saitama had stopped paying attention, but Genos was still listening. He seemed to be analyzing the information she gave him. "Your sister is Little Catgirl? The monster child that has evaded capture from several Class C and B heroes?"
Noriko shivered. "That would be her."
He sensed her discomfort and elected to change the subject. "Did you know that you are one of the top ranking female heroes in popularity among male civilians? Male citizens between the ages of…" The blonde continued to rattle off statistics, not seeming to notice that both she and Saitama were starting to doze off.
Finally, she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but…can I sleep here tonight? Tomorrow, I promise to leave."
Saitama finished off one of the last three buns and pushed the last two across the table. "Yeah, sure. These were pretty good. You'll have to tell me what store you went to." With that, he collapsed unceremoniously onto his back on his futon.
The girl's eyebrows raised at this and peered at the man over the edge of the table. He was completely asleep. "So…I'll sleep over here then."
Genos was about to protest when he saw her strip out of her jacket. Beneath it, she was wearing a tank top that hugged her chest and stomach tightly from being soaked. She shifted a little and soon had her jeans off as well. He began to wonder just what her 'gross otaku creep' had made her do. She seemed to not be too bothered by stripping in front of him, but her cheeks were becoming pink.
She curled up on the floor on her side, trying not to think about the two men that were near her. Closing her eyes, she wrapped her arms around herself. Koneko. I'll find you. When I find you, I'm not entirely sure what I'll do. I can't let you keep destroying things and hurting people, but I don't want to kill you. When you murdered Kenta, I had mixed feelings. He had been the only person I talked to for years. But you liberated us both. If only I'd had a family to return to.
Tears formed in her eyes. The night that Kenta kidnapped her, he killed her parents and siblings. Koneko was her sister in name alone, but over the two years that she knew the younger girl, she had grown to see her as a little sister. The tears slid down her face and Noriko began to tremble ever so slightly. I'll end it. I have to. And when I've ended her rampage, I will need to end myself so that nothing is left of that horrible event.