Trigger Warning:
- drugging
- rape attempt
- blood
- mutilation
- crude language
- murder attempt
- hypothermia
All my other chapter titles are easy-to-remember words. Then there's this one. I try to make the title a word that repeats itself within the chapter or the overlying theme. This one, though ... If anything, you'll learn the obscure name for a particular emotion. I love the German language.
What's the word to describe someone whose face incites so much aggression, it is practically an invitation for you to punch them?
Infectiously irritating?
No, that's a phrase, not a word.
How about your-face-should-be-on-the-list-of-diseases-that-have-no-cure?
Wait, that's even longer than the first one.
Oh, I got it!
Backpfeifengesicht.
A uniquely German word with no translation that quite literally means, "a face desperately begging for a solid slap." What an apt word for my emotions right now! Don't ask me for the pronunciation, or where I learned such a word. When you're immensely bored with too much time on your hands, and you think scouring the Internet for random stuff is a good method to waste the hours … you learn stuff. I love the word, and that's all that matters.
Anyway, looking at Hanada-shi's sneer and smelling his booze breath triggers my sense of backpfeifengesicht. Then again, technically I would be making physical contact with his skin, and no amount of #1 doctor-recommended antibacterial soap is going to get his germs off me.
Besides, there are more important problems right now.
"Hanada-chan," I begin, careful to hide the ire from my voice, "She's not feeling well. I think she needs medical attention."
He stares at her, cold and impassive. His tone matches his expression. "This is just a side effect of her condition. A night of bed rest is all she needs." With two snaps of his fingers, he summons the head butler by his side. The butler passes Selene her cane while he supports the rest of her weight by slinging her arm around his shoulders. At this point, she can barely stand on her feet.
Side effect, my ass! I know the difference between an arthritic flare and intoxication. Still, it does neither me nor Selene any good for me to call out Hanada-shi's bullshit. "That's all the more reason to take her to see a doctor, isn't it, Sir? She's pale and sweaty. I think whatever is going on, it's pretty serious."
But my words go in one ear and out the other. "Don't worry about it. Just forget this ever happened and enjoy the rest of the evening. There are other girls clamoring for a chance with you. Here, I'll personally escort you back as an apology on my and my daughter's behalves."
That's not what I want. An apology from you is the equivalent of dust, and Selene should not apologize for something that you did. In fact, as the butler drags a drowsy Selene out of the antechamber into a nearby hallway, police sirens blare in my head. I don't want to leave her in the company of people who mean her ill. Back in the rose maze, Miyamoto had mentioned that Hanada-shi was the one responsible for getting them inside the manor premises. They were very clear that they wished to hurt Selene.
First that conversation … now the drugging …
It doesn't take a genius to figure out what is about to happen.
"Sir," I begin, once more. My restraint on the urge to slap him is slipping. "This is not-"
He cuts me off by grabbing my shoulder. With a painful squeeze, he shoves me forward and away from Selene. "Walk with me," he commands in a way that leaves no room for argument. His hold on me never loosens. I glance back to see Selene blink confusedly with half-lidded eyes before she disappears completely into the corridor. No, no, no.
Hanada-shi suddenly changes the topic. "Back in January, I asked you a question. I will repeat it now. What is your relationship with my daughter?"
"We are friends," I reply carefully, not before rolling my eyes.
He scoffs, as though my answer is exactly what he expected to hear. "Yeah, yeah. The whole texting and calling thing. Selene keeps many secrets from me, but I hope that you can be more honest with me." His fingers dig into my shoulder. The threat is clear. And so is another one. If I do not get Hanada-shi off my back soon, Selene will get hurt again. So many times I was unable to protect her. I swore to myself that I would not be so helpless again. Especially not now when freedom is within grasp.
I respond with, "I am being truthful, Sir. Hanada-chan and I are just friends. We have been since our first day at U.A."
"Yes, but just friends do not gravitate toward each other like moths to a flame. They do not tour houses they have already visited. And they most certainly do not dance to many musics like lovers."
That is a hard statement to refute. Yet I try. "Friends have a way of finding each other in a room full of people, Sir. Hanada-chan had told me about the developments you made to the mansion since the last time I came, so I was curious to see them for myself. As for the dances, I don't think you heard all the nasty comments your guests were muttering about her. Some comments were so derogatory that I felt the need to uphold my responsibility and keep her away from the people who were mean to her."
"Your justifications. You say them with so much confidence, it is almost like you rehearsed them."
"My confidence stems from my honesty," I lie. "Whatever ulterior motives you think I possess, I assure you I do not."
He raises an eyebrow at me. "Who said anything about ulterior motives?"
It is my turn to return the dubious gesture. "No one did. But it was definitely insinuated." Then, "Now if you will release me, Sir, we are back at the party. My father is waiting for me." I do not give him a chance to bring up some new point that will poke more holes in my story. Vigorously shaking his arm off, I mix in with the crowd.
Once content that he cannot spot me, I follow the route the Selene had shown me to her room.
No one disturbs me. No one asks where I was or where I am going. It's not much of a relief compared to the other problems I am facing. First, the cameras. While the ones inside the rose garden are disabled, the ones affixed to ceiling corners are not. Selene had cloaked us in invisibility to and fro to avoid getting caught. Seems like I will have to adopt the oldest trick of infiltration: pretend you belong in a place you do not belong. With my head held high and strides assertive, I feign my right to be meandering the hallways.
Second, separating Selene from her assailants. The butler I can take out. But the more people there are, the harder the fight. My instinct is screaming that Agawa, Kimura, Kiyohime, Kurosawa, and Miyamoto will be participating in assaulting her. I will have to fend off five people while rescuing Selene. All by myself. Consider the advantages, though. You have hero training, while most of them do not. Key word: most. Miyamoto is a student in the hero department. Two years my senior. And just my luck, the leader of the gang of psychos as well.
It's trash like you who give heroes a bad rep.
Fighting him will be no easy task. But crucial minutes have already passed. It is my responsibility as a hero to put a villain in their place and as a lover to protect his beloved.
Resolve emboldened, I find the bedroom.
I slam the door open.
I nearly choke on bile at the sight that greets me.
Selene is lying on her stomach near the foot of the bed. Dazed. Inert. Defenseless. The zip of her dress is pulled all the way down, exposing her scarred bare back. That's not even the most horrifying part. It is the sickening vision of Miyamoto straddling her hips, one hand shoving her face into the mattress and the other raking the skirt of the gown up her thighs. It is Kimura recording a video of them on her phone. It is the other three jeering Selene and cheering Miyamoto.
For a few seconds, nobody moves. We register each other's presences.
Fortunately, I am the first to recover.
A wave of fire erupts from my left hand, aimed toward Miyamoto, that bastard. It envelops the entire room in red and orange flames. I do not care about subtlety and secrecy anymore. Let these five pieces of shit know that I was here. Let them run to Hanada-shi with their burnt tails between their legs and tattle that I handed their sorry asses back to them. Let the world realize the depravity of humans.
The volcano of fury that had tempered not so long ago explodes once more. Angrier and brighter than last time.
"What the hell! What are you doing here?!" Kurosawa reacts. Rope-like tendrils shoot from her fingertips. Between coughing out the smoke and analyzing the situation, her aim is off. All the better for me. I catch the ropes single-handedly and coil them around my wrist. Frost courses up the lengths, bluing the skin and stinging the flesh. She screams, "You asshole!"
That's rich coming from you.
In fact, engaging in insults with her is a waste of my time. Just the way she was attacked me outright is enough to show how inept her skills are in a fight. No wonder Selene broke your nose twice. Speaking of noses … I didn't notice the band-aid across the bridge of her nose until now.
The ice is thick enough to prevent her from launching another assault. I take advantage of this by yanking toward me. She stumbles forward, mouth opening and eyes widening as she comprehends what is about to happen. When she is within punching distance, I smash my fist against her damaged nose.
A geyser of blood bursts. Her hands are encased in ice, so she cannot staunch the bleeding. I release her, watching her stagger back and freak out at the twin rivers of red streaming down her chin and dripping onto her shirt. "You can't hit girls! That's physical assault!"
I have to physically bite on my tongue to keep myself from retorting. I mean, she literally incapacitated a girl twice just so the girl was easy to rape. Yet she has the audacity to call me abusive. Eye scum laughing at nose scum. This disgrace to womanhood deserves more than a punch. So I slap her across the face as well. The super-effective, fail-proof Asian method of making someone see stars in the day and the sun at night. Though I don't use any quirk this time, the way she goes flying back and the crunch of her skull against the wall makes me briefly wonder if I inherited a secret super strength ability.
No time to marvel on miracles.
Agawa and Kiyohime do not make the same mistake that Kurosawa did: attacking alone. They pair up and decide to fight two-against-one. I recall Selene mentioning that Agawa's quirk involved shrinking whatever he touches. But Kiyohime never used her ability that evening in the forest. She is the unknown variable. However, if more than one-and-a-half years at U.A. have taught me anything, it is to adapt to the unknown.
I just need to maintain enough distance between Agawa and myself so he cannot touch me. Fire will take care of that. As for Kiyohime …
I get the answer to my unspoken question soon enough. New arms and legs sprout from her back and waist. All of a sudden, a two-handed, two-legged person turns into a humanoid octopus. I have seen images of Hindu deities. They are drawn with eight arms to show their immense strength. They are cool. A power like that on someone like this girl is an insult to the gods.
Kiyohime scuttles forward like a crab — because crabs have eight legs — and attempts to harm me. She gets close enough to bunch her eight fists. I barely save myself from getting pummeled by summoning a barrier of ice at the last second. She shrieks when her eight sets of knuckles make hard contact with water as hard as rock. Smudges of blood coalesce on the wall.
I catch a reflection of Agawa in the ice. He took advantage of the distraction to circle behind me. Just as he lifts his hands, I squat at the last second. His fingers brush the barrier, shrinking it to the size of a thimble. It's my turn to manipulate his dumbfoundedness. While he registers the defensive method used, I wrap my arms around his waist and swing him around in a circle. As soon as the momentum builds up to a peak, I release him. He soars in the air like a flappy bird. Flying for a few seconds before inevitably crashing to earth. He does not get up.
That leaves creepy crustacean, blackmail recorder, and main bastard.
I search for Miyamoto. He and Selene have both disappeared.
Panic surges through me, slowly increasing in intensity to match the level of rage. It is that fear that prevents me from noticing when Kiyohime climbed up the bedroom walls like a spider. Suddenly, fifty-four kilos of human mass descend on me. In an instant, I am on my back, breath knocked out of me. A barrage of eight-handed punches is unleashed, and my only defense is to protect my face by tensing my forearms, letting them take the brunt of the impact.
Think, Shouto. What you cannot achieve with superpowers, you do with brute strength. Observe your surroundings. What can you do?
For someone not in the hero department, Kiyohime is ridiculously strong. It is only a matter of time until I succumb to her relentless nature. Blood vessels burst in my arms. I can feel the bruises forming.
Arms …
This is something I have never tried before. It certainly doesn't help in combat or in the battlefield. Then again, never have I been attacked so closely before. This is purely a defensive move. Concentrating past the pain, fire envelops my left arm, ice the right. When she hits me again, I am not the only one who hisses. I manage to buy crucial seconds to release my offensive counterattack.
A double-legged kick to her stomach. Bending my knees as much as I can in my position, the heels of my shoes makes contact with her belly. I straighten them with as much force as I can, tossing her backward. As she wheezes, I scramble to stand onto my feet. After giving her a kick in the same spot, I punch her temple. Immediately, she is knocked out.
One down, two more to go.
At this point, smoke has filled the room. Fire alarms are blaring. But no one rushes over to check what's happening. That's all the proof I need that the whole manor was in on this. Sure, the party might be taking place in one wing of the manor. That does not mean all the others are vacant of people and devoid of life. I can't blame the servants completely. The head butler is their boss, and above them is Hanada-shi.
There is no point in mulling over the conspiracy right now. Getting Selene out of here is top priority.
I hear someone whimper beside the desk. Is that Selene? Slowly, I meander toward the source of the sound. To my dismay, it is not her. Rather, it's the girl who was recording the assault. Kimura. Perhaps seeing the fate of her three comrades has instilled some legitimate fear into her. With the way she hugs her knees, trembles in place, and endeavors to make herself as invisible as possible, I am almost tempted to leave her alone. Almost. My gaze falls on the phone. The video is still being recorded.
Pulling a handkerchief from my singed coat pocket, I snatch the phone from her hand. Selene had told me that it was Kimura who created the blackmail video from the forest. Although she was convinced that tracking Kimura by the IP address would be enough to incriminate her, passing up concrete evidence like this would be foolish.
I do not pause the video. Instead, I direct the camera toward Kimura's cowering figure. "Is there other recording on this phone?" I hiss.
Her response is more violent shaking.
So I move right up in her personal space and breathe down her neck. "IS IT?!"
She nods vigorously. "Y-y-y-y-yes! P-p-please spare me! I won't … I won't fight you. Swear!"
"Fine. At least one of you scumbags should be conscious enough to tell Hanada Asahi what happened here. I wish I could stay to see the look on his face."
"I'll tell him you weren't here!" she begins to plead. "I'll make an excuse. Excuses are good! I'm good at that!"
Oh. She thinks she can negotiate with me. Too bad, I don't deal with villains.
Tsking, I put the cloth-wrapped phone in the same pocket. "Don't bother. Give him the truth. And also tell him this: 'Todoroki Shouto freed Hanada Selene from the prison of facades. And she is never coming back."
Just then, a third voice pipes in. One whose owner is kindling to my sense of backpfeifengesicht. The only other person besides Hanada-shi who ignites so much hatred inside me. "Bravo, Todoroki!" Miyamoto claps his hands sarcastically. "Such powerful parting words! It could almost break a man."
I whip around to greet the asshole face-to-face. "Then you should be shattered like glass by now because you're not a man."
"Looks like Daddy's prodigal son is both stupid and blind. I was ready to fuck Selene on her own bed. Until you interrupted."
The way he talks about her … the audacity he possesses to utter her name … I really want to kill you. Destroying you should not be a crime. It's only the reminder that only this douchebag knows where Selene is that prevents me from throttling his neck right now. So I goad him further. "My father is the Number One Hero, and that irritates you. But what about yourself? You openly demanded ransom from Hanada Asahi. Ten million yen. Remember?"
"How do you know about that?"
I continue my tirade, undeterred. If I can keep entangling him in the argument, I can bridge the gap between us and threaten him fatally. "You stooped lower than I did. You're sick! Sick for agreeing to hurt Selene. And sick for acting upon it. Just what did she do to you? She won the competition with her own talents, but your pathetic ego couldn't accept it. To make yourself feel better, you blamed her victory on nepotism and affirmative action."
"Shut up! She's a slut! Characterless girls like her have no right to win!"
The force of his command washes over me. My mouth closes up. Lips are sealed tight. Not the rest of my body, though. In three strides, I close the distance and shove him to the ground. Dots of venta black appear in the corner of my vision, no doubt a product of his pathokinesis quirk. He uses his voice to control the emotions of others. That's precisely what I will use against him.
I wrap my hands around his throat. He thrashes, flailing his arms and kicking his legs. It's all useless. I am sitting atop in a way that renders all his movements futile. The moment the dots disappear is when I know that his control over my emotions has slipped.
"You used your stupid quirk to write the stories for the competition," I bend close to his face and whisper in his ear. "You couldn't even win second place, honestly. That's how deplorable you are. Miyamoto Akutenshi, you are not a man. You are a savage who hurts others because they are better than you. You are a beast who forces himself on girls to ravage them. A true man would never do any of those things. In fact, respecting women is the absolute minimum standard to even qualify as a man. Selene isn't the characterless one. The title of Pro-Hero is undeserving for a disgrace like you.
"I would love nothing more than to watch the life seep out of your eyes. But I am not a murderer. So I am going to give you one chance to flee with your miserable life. Where is she?" Miyamoto does not respond, even though I loosen my hold so that he can speak. He still thinks he has the upper hand. I have to break his delusion.
Ah, break …
Keeping one hand planted against his throat, I reach behind me and locate his right shin. I raise it. Higher. Higher. Higher. Miyamoto shouts as loud as he can with his airway choked. It comes out like a cross between a gasp and a wheeze. A resounding snap emanates from where his ligaments and tendons tore. "That will be the fate of your other leg if you don't answer me now," I murmur. "Where. Is. Selene."
This asshole is too busy rolling his eyes into the back of his skull and gasping for oxygen. Fine, then. I break his other leg, too. When I get up, his shins are splayed at unnatural angles. I'm pleased with the work. He who insulted a cripple is crippled now himself. How poetic!
I leave him crying and sniveling on the floor. The bedroom has an attached walk-in closet and bathroom. With the duration of the battle, there is no way Miyamoto could have dragged Selene outside the area. I search the closet first. Not there. The bathroom, in that case.
Inside, I manage to catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. Fine dusting of soot on the suit. Charred sleeves. Streaks of grimes and sweat on my face. Disheveled hair. And the stench of smoke clinging to my body. No amount of tailoring is going to restore the green-and-white ensemble to its original, pristine quality. I look hideous. The ferocity simmering in my eyes … I cannot recognize myself. The most appalling part is that I don't care.
Not when there is so much at stake.
Like Selene's life.
Not too long ago, Selene and I were sitting on the edge of this bathtub, enjoying each other's company and imagining a bright future together. Now, that same bathtub fills with water and at the bottom lies an unconscious Selene. Instinct overtakes me. I don't realize when my dirty hands reach into freezing cold water and pull her out.
Tugging her out of the tub and onto the bath mat with me, I frantically check for her vitals. Weak pulse. Faint breathing. Blue lips. Pale skin. Cold to the touch. Shivering. Dammit, she's going into hypothermia! She's alive, but not for long. From what I remember in rescue lessons during class, a plunge in cold water for a few minutes is more life-threatening than a few hours in frigid air. A victim of hypothermia should be immediately divested of all wet clothes. And I would do that were it not for the assault attempt that occurred shortly before and our current predicament.
I have to make a decision quick.
So I zip up the back of her gown and pull down the skirt to cover her legs. Shucking off what remains of my coat and waistcoat, I wrap them around her body like a blanket. Kimura's haphazardly wrapped phone falls out. I end the recording and shove it in my pant pocket. Finally, after hoisting Selene over one shoulder, I exit the bathroom.
Miyamoto is still wailing on the floor. Gazing at him, I realize that not only did he try to ravage Selene, he subsequently tried to kill her. Attempted rape and attempted murder. The urge to snap his neck returns. I suppress it by making a promise to myself: he will serve life imprisonment. I will do everything in my power to annihilate him.
With that vow, I dash out of the bedroom, desperately trying to remember the emergency route Selene had me memorize. The one that she used back in January to sneak out and meet me. Down this corridor. Then the stairs on the left. Two right turns, another left, then straight ahead toward the kitchens.
Perhaps the goddess of fortune has finally decided enough is enough. Just like how no one interrupted me earlier, no one does now. My hooligan appearance must be a factor in that. Or perhaps the staff have deduced that if they say anything, their one-way ticket to jail will be confirmed. Either way, the sooner Selene and I get out of this hellhole, the better. We finally reach the kitchen. Chefs and waiters stare at me agape as I meander past the counters and glare at anyone who doesn't move out of the way. In one corner lies a silver dragon cane, carelessly tossed as though it and its owner has no value. I retrieve it and hold it with the same hand that balances Selene atop my shoulder.
Just then, lady fortune sticks her tongue out at me.
The head butler blocks my tracks.
"You cannot take her with you," he simply says.
I raise my eyebrow in response. "Do you mean the same way she could not leave the mansion on the night of the funeral? Selene tried to bribe you so you could guide her out of here."
The butler's expression becomes guarded when he realizes that I know about his tattle-tailing. "Master Hanada will not be pleased to learn that his remaining heir is missing."
The scoff that leaves my mouth is harsh and bitter. "For years he abused an innocent person. Your disgusting excuse of a master brought this fate upon himself. So have you. If you had just accepted the pearl necklace and kept quiet for a few minutes, then maybe you would not be an accomplice to a crime now."
My accusation is a dare. I dare him to deny the truth in my words. And I dare him to try to stop me.
He does not.
Rather, he steps aside and bows his head dejectedly. A silent apology. One that I have no care for. I simply charge forward, searching for the kitchen exit. Once outside, the chill of the night air seeps into my bones. Without my blazer or waistcoat to retain some warmth, the hairs on my arms and neck stand up. Not to mention, the water from Selene's gown seeps into the shirt, which only amplifies the sensation. If I'm feeling this cold, then she — who is wet and hypothermic — must be in a terrible state.
From this position, I have full view of the lake. Past that is the forest. Then there is our getaway car.
For the third time in a few hours, I sprint. Struggling between adjusting my hold on Selene and her cane and repressing the shivering, more than once I almost lose my balance. In fact, it becomes so bad that I have to set Selene down on a boulder so that I can regain some control over myself. The idea of taking a break at a time like this is reprehensible to me, but what can I do? One of us has to stay relatively uninjured to transport the other to safety.
I pull out my phone from the other pant pocket. Eight missed calls from Dad. He's probably losing his mind right now. Which is true. No sooner do I click the call button does he reply and exclaim, "Where have you been?! Do you have any idea how worried I've been?"
"Meet me at the car right now," I answer instead. "Make an excuse that gets you out of the party. Selene needs medical help."
I end the call before he can respond. By the time it takes me to traverse the forest and reach the car, Dad should already be buckled up in the driver's seat. That means the quicker we can take Selene to a hospital. The better chances she has of surviving. It is that tentative flicker of hope that gives me the strength to ignore the night chill.
She is still not awake. I hoist over my shoulder again while using her cane for maintaining proper footing.
Orange wisps of light dance like fireflies in the distance. The bedroom is still burning, and no one has bothered to check it out yet.
As I resume running away, morbid thoughts occupy my mind.
Would it be cruel of me to wish that the entire manor burned to ashes? Selene doesn't have any good memories. And Hanada-shi's sense of landscaping is horrible. Has that butler already informed Hanada-shi? What am I even thinking? Of course, he has. But will they let Dad go? They could claim kidnapping and make a scene. All incriminating proof of them aside, I will be forced to return Selene in Hanada-shi's vise.
The emerging panic and increasing adrenaline are making me think such terrible ideas. No matter how much I try to ignore them, they get worse. Selene's cold body is not helping. Her temperature has dropped by at least two centigrades since pulling her out of the bathtub. I can feel the life ebbing from her.
It is a race against time. One that I must win.
So I bolt.
Everything between the lake and the car are a blur. Tall black shadows that are trees coalesce into one black mass. The snapping of twigs below my feet create a monotonous rhythm. Frigid wind stings invisible cuts on my face. None of it bothers me. At some point, I have crossed the entire forest. The red SUV waits for us, lights on, engine running. I was right. Endeavor made it before me.
The passenger door is unlocked. I place Selene inside before climbing in myself. "Drive to the nearest hospital!" I shout.
Dad shifts to driving mode and does not hesitate in speeding away. Soon, the manor is nothing more than a speck in the horizon. Meanwhile, I blast the heater on, attempting to warm Selene up.
"Tell me what happened," Dad orders.
So I do. Starting from the rose labyrinth affair and finishing with the confrontation with the butler. The collapse during the middle of the dance. Mine and Selene's separation. The game of threats with Hanada-shi. Searching for Selene. Witnessing her assault and assassination. No detail is omitted. Endeavor listens to every word, even as his eyes never leave the road. By the time my story is over, her health has not improved in the slightest.
"We cannot take her to the hospital," he says at the end. Incredulously, I demand to know why. "By now, her father must have realized that she is gone. That Kimura girl and his henchman butler have already told him what you did. The first thing he is going to do is set up his spies at every hospital in a fifty kilometer vicinity. The moment one of them catches whiff of the girl, he will storm in and exert his authority over her because she is a minor and, legally, his daughter. You and I will have no choice but to accede."
I hate how much truth there is to that statement. No matter the danger he poses to Selene and the convicting proof in my pocket, until the court case begins, she will remain his ward. "Then what should we do? The hypothermia will kill Selene."
"We take her to our home. I have contacts with doctors who can work under the radar. They can save her while we deal with the police."
That last word sparks a name in my head. "Call Tsukauchi-san. If anyone is going to handle the assault case, I want it to be him."
"Why?" Confusion mars Dad's features. "I mean, that was who I had in mind, but why are you adamant on him?"
Answering that question would mean explaining the scheme Selene and I have been concocting to incarcerate Hanada-shi. Something I did not tell my family about for her sake. Describing why Tsukauchi-san is important would mean introducing Endeavor to Sasaki-san and Ahearn-san. It would mean exposing Selene's past in more detail than either her or I am comfortable with.
So I try to avoid the inquiry. "How soon can the doctors come?"
I'm not fooling anyone. He can see my weak attempt at diverting the subject. Sooner or later, he will bring the matter up again. But he has the decency not to pry. Just yet. He replies that as soon as he makes the calls. "Natsuo should be able to help, too," he decides. "And, Shouto, use your flames to speed up the process. Skin-to-skin contact. Car heat circulation will not be enough."
I take his advice. After adjusting her position so that my hips bracket either side of her body, I pull her into a fierce embrace. My entire left side warms up. Hot enough that what remains of my charred clothes begins singing again. I rub her backside up and down. Hold her hands close to my mouth to breathe hot air onto them. Touch what bare skin is visible to directly warm her up. The results are fruitless, though. Nothing seems to be working.
Please, I start to pray. Please wake up, sweetheart. We've come so far together. Freedom is just a ride away. Don't give up now. I can't lose you. Not after everything we've been through. You still have your whole life ahead of you. What Miyamoto that jerk said about you … none of it is true. He wants you dead. Prove him wrong. Hanada-shi wants you to suffer. Show him that you can be happy. I want you to unlock your full potential. Whether it's in business, heroism, or literature, I desire to see you accomplish those dreams you locked in a safe so long ago. And if you would still have me as a part of your life, then I wish to be there with you every step of the way.
The whole car ride passes by like this. Me putting all my efforts into resuscitating Selene and failing. Dad making phone calls one-by-one while peeking at us from the rearview mirror. I hate feeling so helpless. It's so strange. I can battle villains and come out on top. I can rescue civilians in the nick of time. Even I can develop my repertoire of techniques and hone my quirks. But I cannot protect the love of my life. I've lost her so many times; nearly did countless more. One way or another, she gets entangled within the web of danger, and I struggle to rescue her.
Up until now, I have been fortunate to get her back.
That won't be the case forever.
If things do not change, sooner or later I will lose her for good. League of Villains, financial trial, sexual assault case … all these tribulations must be resolved as soon as possible. If I am going to secure a lifetime of security for Selene … if I wish to have a safe future with her … then I have to do more than what I'm doing now. Plus Ultra. Not just in my hero training but outside of it, too. There is so much more improvement pending.
By the time we make it home, I have made my decision.
Together, Dad and I escort Selene out of the car and past the doorstep. Fuyumi is already waiting for us, having been informed of the situation already by Endeavor.
Her eyebrows scrunch, witnessing Selene's state. "Give her to me. I'll change her into something dry." We sling Selene's arm around Fuyumi's shoulders as Fuyumi lugs her to the bathroom.
Meanwhile, Dad scrutinizes my haggard appearance. "Go take a shower. When you come back, I'll rub some antiseptic on you."
The last thing I want to do is occupy myself with something that separates me from Selene longer than necessary, but I don't have the strength to complain. The adrenaline rush has faded. My body aches with the need to get some rest. Like a robot I fetch a clean pair of pajamas from my dresser and head into the adjacent bathroom.
I strip off what little remains of my tuxedo. The police will likely ask for my clothes as evidence. I shouldn't throw them into the dust bin. Then I turn on the shower to hot water setting. Grime and soot trickle down my body into the drain. Some of it is buried below my nails. I'll have to cut them after this.
Everything is dissonant to me. My body is one place and mind somewhere else.
At some point, I've scrubbed my skin raw, washed my hair, changed into new clothes, trimmed fingernails, and left the bathroom.
Tsukauchi-san, Natsuo, and the doctors are here. They converse with Dad in subdued tones. Natsuo does not look too pleased being called in the middle of the night from his dorm at college; he wouldn't have if was just Dad who needed his help. Bro is here for me. He catches my eye and gives me a small grin. Everything will be okay, he says without words.
Just that simple sentence breaks the dam of emotions I had been subconsciously holding back this whole time. Tears slip forth from my eyes. Natsuo separates from the crowd and walks over to me. Just then, Fuyumi emerges from the other bathroom in the house.
"She began shivering uncontrollably once I took off her dress, so I gave her a quick bath in some warm water," Fuyumi explains. "It's not enough, though. She needs proper treatment. But where can the operation occur? The guest bedroom is full of storage."
"My room," I answer in a tone that warrants no room for argument. Still, my siblings try to protest. Their complaints go unheard as I storm into the bathroom and lift Selene off the sink counter. The drug is still coursing through her system. In front of everyone, I carry her and set her down on my bed. After tucking a cushion below her head, I address the doctors for the first time. "Arrange your equipment here. Natsuo will help. Is that a problem?"
All of them mutter various degrees of the word 'no.'
"Thank you for coming," I say, relieved.
My last sight of Selene is of a nurse inserting an IV into her forearm.
Doesn't mean my night is over.
In fact, it's just begun.
Tsukauchi-san beckons me to the living room.
I have to give my statement.
Dad touches his face, indicating the need of my own medical attention.
"I have to make a call to my lawyer," I announce.
To Sasaki-san.