Chapter Four: Bonds

4-1

The Next Day

"Ugh~" I woke up early, having eaten too much takeout last night. I realized I had set my alarm for 5 AM!

That's why I was up so early today. Looking at these two goofballs still fast asleep, enjoying their dreams, I decided not to wake them up. I changed into my uniform and headed to school by myself.

At the Akatsuchi Residence

Momoko: "Ahh~" Looks like someone else is an early riser too!

Momoko had slept the whole night, recovering from the poison she ingested yesterday. She woke up early as well and decided not to wake up Kuriko, heading to school alone...

After making sure hat was securely on my head so it wouldn't fall off while was in the air, I left through the fifth-floor window. It was not only time-saving but also effortless. Why not?

As soon as I sat down in my seat, the door opened. I turned my head and saw her...

Remembering what happened yesterday and not having properly thanked Yuzuhiko, Momoko's face suddenly turned red. She gave me a glare and then sat down without saying a word. I was a bit puzzled, not knowing what I did wrong.

Ignoring her, I took out my newly bought iPhone from my backpack. I put on my BEATS headphones, pressed play, and let the cheerful music's soft, relaxing melody wash over me.

Suddenly, she asked me, "Is that the latest iPhone?"

I paused for a moment: "Uh-huh. Do you want to listen?" I took off the left earbud and put it on her. The music seemed to enchant her too, and we both closed our eyes, enjoying the beautiful melody.

Sometimes, the best way to break the silence is with a good song.

Momoko's expression softened as she said, "Shirakawa, thank you. This is really nice!"

I sighed in relief, "Just call me Yuzuhiko. Listening to music is really helpful when you're nervous." As I spoke, I noticed up close that Momoko was quite well-developed, with a shapely figure. My cheeks grew warm without me realizing it.

Momoko teased me, "What are you nervous about? And you're blushing too, how cute~ Haha."

Impossible! I declared seriously, "I'm not blushing!"

Momoko pouted, "You totally are!"

Seeing Momoko laugh so happily, I couldn't help but laugh too.

There was still some time before homeroom, so we started chatting. We talked about the silly things my two brothers did, the funny antics of Kaoru and Miyako, movies, music, and so on...

But happy times always fly by quickly, and soon people started trickling into the classroom.

Momoko whispered, "Let's go home together after school today!" I thought to myself, "Looks like today won't be so bad after all."

After School

Today at school, we heard the news that Himeko SHhirogane was transferring out. Her family is really powerful. The incident where the six of us were nearly killed by her was completely covered up, and all the evidence was destroyed. We really had a close brush with death.

Suddenly, I remembered—damn! I forgot I was on cleaning duty today! And I had to clean the classroom with Shigeru, Miyako, and Kaoru!

I thought for a moment... and the perfect candidate came to mind. Heh, I'll just ask him to do it!

At the Same Time, in the Hallway

Momoko looked at the person in front of her with an indifferent expression: "What do you want?"

It was her classmate, Sakamoto. He smiled and said, "Momoko, are you free later? Let's grab a meal together."

Momoko responded coolly, "Haven't you just gotten a new girlfriend? Why are you looking for me?"

Shamelessly, Sakamoto replied, "We recently broke up. Compared to her, I think you're more suitable!"

Momoko glared at him, "Sorry, but I'm not your girlfriend's replacement. I have plans, so excuse me!"

Sakamoto grabbed Momoko's hand, blocking her way. "Who do you have plans with? Where are you going?"

Momoko shook off his hand, "That's none of your business!"

Sakamoto blocked her path again, angrily saying, "I get it! It's that guy Shirakawa, right? You should stay away from those three transfer students, especially Shirakawa. He's not a good person. He's infamous for fighting in Hokkaido!"

"Watch what you say. He... they are my friends!" Momoko raised her voice, clearly angry, and then walked towards the school gate without looking back.

I patted Kagami's shoulder, who was about to go to the kendo club. " Kagami, we're good brothers, right? Brothers in need shouldn't ignore each other, right!?"

Without hesitation, Kagami said, "Of course!"

Great! He took the bait! I continued, "I have something really important to do today. Can you help me with the cleaning?"

Before Kagami could respond, I flew out the window.

Shigeru shouted after me, "Hey, Yuzuhiko!"

I didn't bother to respond. Whew, luckily Momoko was still waiting at the school gate. I quickly apologized, "Sorry, I'm late!"

Momoko looked puzzled and asked, "Aren't you on cleaning duty today?"

I gave an OK gesture and replied, "I left that to my brother. Everything's OK!"

"Let's go! I'll treat you to snacks at Kintokido!"

"Sure!" Momoko responded happily and grabbed my hand, pulling me along!

I was startled by this gesture, but seeing her cheerful and energetic smile made everything feel so natural.

At that moment, a brown-haired boy was glaring fiercely at the boy who had taken away the girl he liked. His clenched fists were full of hatred and anger.

Suddenly, an unfamiliar voice whispered in his ear, "You really hate that boy, don't you?" "Of course! Do you even need to ask!?"

Sakamoto turned his head.

Strangely, there was no one there. He only saw some black powder that spoke to him, "If we work together, I can not only get rid of that boy for you but also help you win over that girl."

"Really!?" "Of course! But I'll need your help." Sakamoto exclaimed excitedly,

"What do I need to do? I'll do anything!"The black powder cunningly replied, "Just lend me your body!"

"Hehehe, Momoko, you'll be mine soon!" Sakamoto grinned with a satisfied and deceitful smile.

Then, the black powder entered Sakamoto's body...

In the Classroom

The four were cleaning up... Kaoru grumbled impatiently, "What a bummer~ I have a live broadcast of the FIFA World Cup game to watch!"

Miyako chimed in, "I was supposed to go shopping for clothes today..."

Hearing their complaints while mopping the floor, Kagami said, "If you're really in a hurry, Shigeru and I can help you with the cleaning."

Kaoru and Miyako rejoiced, "Really!?"

Shigeru was about to scold Kagami for being so kind-hearted, but seeing the girls' sparkling eyes, he reluctantly agreed, "Fine~ I'll help."

Kaoru and Miyako thought simultaneously, "I didn't expect them to be so nice."

Suddenly, both their belts lit up, and Kagami and Shigeru 's digital watches also received a message.

Professor Utonium and Ken's excited voices came through the screen, "Bad news! Momoko en captured by a monster, and Brickfighting the monster!"

"What did you say!?" The four exclaimed in unison. They quickly suited up and flew to the scene of the incident...

4-2

Damn it! Can someone tell me what's going on?!"

While dodging the attacks of an octopus-like monster, I glanced at the unconscious Momoko to figure out how to take down this creature without harming her.

A few minutes ago, just as I was about to spend all my allowance on satisfying Momoko's appetite, a tentacle burst into the Kintokido.

Momoko didn't even have a chance to struggle or transform before she passed out.

I immediately chased after them, leading to the current situation.

As I recalled the earlier events, a tentacle swiftly appeared in front of me. I was struck hard, sent flying several meters into a building's wall.

Although I had incredible stamina and endurance, it didn't mean I could come out unscathed.

I didn't want to admit it, but taking down this monster and saving Momoko was impossible alone.

Just as I was at a loss for what to do, four tentacles attacked again. Instinctively, I closed my eyes, bracing myself for the hit. Suddenly, four voices echoed in my ears.

"Storm Barrier!"

"Megaton Hammer Strike!"

"Explosive Bubble Attack!"

" Furious Thunder!"

A whirlwind, a hammer, a cluster of colorful bubbles, and a lightning strike each destroyed one of the tentacles in front of me. However, it was futile; the destroyed tentacles regenerated immediately.

I smiled wryly at the four figures before me, "You guys finally showed up! Boomer, Butch, Bubbles, Buttercup?!"

Boomer, holding a katana, exclaimed, "Wow, a giant squid. If we grilled it, it'd probably feed hundreds!"

Bubbles laughed, " Boomer, I think that's an octopus."

Buttercup, enraged, prepared to punch me, "What did you do to Momoko?!"

Butch grabbed Buttercup 's wrist to stop her, "Calm down! What's situation now? Brick ?"

Bubbles added, " Buttercup, you need to calm down!"

I quickly explained the current situation to the four of them.

"Hmm," Butch pondered, "So attacking its tentacles is pointless."

Boomer agreed, "Right! We need to find a way to restrain it, or things will get messy."

Bubbles said, "But Momoko is still in its grasp..."

Buttercup, frustrated, said, "Damn it, if we can just get Momoko out of its control, we can fight freely!"

Buttercup 's words suddenly enlightened us all.

Am I an idiot? How could I not think of such a simple solution?

But this plan required their cooperation to work!

Just as we were about to discuss our strategy, more tentacles flew our way.

Dodging, I shouted, "You guys try to restrain this stupid octopus, I'll find its weakness!"

"Got it!"

"Understood!"

"Leave it to us!"

The four of them sprang into action. Boomer used his sword to slice through the tentacles, Butch summoned a wind shield to block attacks, Bubbles sent out waves of bubbles to create barriers, and Buttercup unleashed strikes to distract the monster.

I circled around, searching for any sign of a weak spot. The octopus monster roared in frustration, its tentacles flailing wildly but being held back by my friends' coordinated efforts. Spotting a faint glow near the base of its head, I realized that must be its weak point.

"Guys, I found it! Aim for the base of its head!" I yelled.

"Roger that!" Boomer shouted back, swinging his sword to clear a path.

Butch used his pinwheel to push back a cluster of tentacles, creating an opening.

Bubbles and Buttercup coordinated their attacks, sending bubbles and energy to disorient the monster further.

With a clear path ahead, I charged forward, gathering all my strength for a powerful strike. Just as the monster's tentacles began to close in again, I leaped into the air, aiming straight for the glowing spot.

I gathered all my anger from today into my fist and shouted,

"Flame Burst!" A considerable number of fireballs turned the poor monster into takoyaki.

Phew, finally done! I then carried Momoko.

With the help of my brothers and Bubbles and Buttercup lifted the "takoyaki" and flew back to the research institute together.

"International Scientific Research Institute."

I settled Momoko in the bedroom and returned to the laboratory.

Professor Utonium used a restoration ray on the octopus monster. Under the beam's light, some black powder floated out, and the true form of the monster made everyone exclaim in surprise! Professor Utonium: "This boy is..."

Kaoru continued for the professor: "Isn't this Sakamoto!?" Indeed, this guy was Sakamoto, the classmate who sat to the right of Momoko!

Kagami raised a question that made everyone present gasp: "How did he turn into a monster? And wasn't Him sealed by the Powerpuff Girls for four years? Where did the black powder come from?"

Shigeru came up with the most reasonable yet least desirable answer: "...Maybe on the day we were exposed to Chemical γ, that black light revived Him."

Everyone turned to look at Professor Utonium upon hearing Shigeru's idea.

The professor, looking serious, explained to us: "I just studied the black powder remaining in that boy's body, and the result..."

"What result!?"

"Just say it already!" Professor Utonium took a deep breath: "Indeed, that black powder belongs to him! And it contains traces of Chemical γ!"

Ken added, still shaken: "That day, my mom told me from the International Space Station that a black light flew from Japan into space... That must be the key to his revival!"

Everyone fell silent for a moment.

Miyako was almost in tears: "What should we do? His seal is already..."

Suddenly, a warm hand rested on Miyako 's shoulder. Kagami, smiling, said: "Even if him really has been reborn, so what? We just need to defeat him again, right?"

Miyako blushed and shyly replied: "Yes..."

Kaoru: "Well said!"

For the first time, I felt that the usually jokey Kagami was speaking so seriously, and I couldn't help but say: "For once, something sensible came out of your mouth!"

Professor Utonium was very gratified to see that the five high school students were not afraid of his revival: "You are truly courageous!"

Ken and Peach were also encouraged: "I support you!" "Go for it, da-Woof!"

Suddenly, an important thought hit me! I almost forgot about Momoko! So, I dashed to the bedroom.

In the bedroom, Momoko seemed to still be asleep, lying quietly on the bed like the Sleeping Beauty from a fairy tale.

Sigh...I need to take most of the responsibility for her condition... As I gently stroked her orange hair, a pair of red eyes suddenly opened, meeting mine! "

Ahhh!" People can be scared to death by sudden shocks!

"Ha-ha~" I clutched my chest, gasping for breath.

Momoko sat up from the bed and gave me a playful smile: "Did I scare you?

Haha~" ...Normally, I would be angry, but seeing her smile, I couldn't muster any anger. I guess we're even now.

Momoko suddenly became serious: "I heard the professor say Him has revived, and the monster that captured me today was Sakamoto..."

I didn't respond, just nodded to confirm. Momoko : "Also, thank you for saving me again..." Her voice was as soft as a whisper, but I still heard it.

"We're partners! It's only natural!" I replied, somewhat grumpily.

Momoko seemed a bit angry: "Next time, you have to make up for the Kintokido I missed today!"

I nearly fainted. Her obsession with sweets was really strong!

Just like last time at the Shiragane House! I joked: "Be careful, eating too much might make you fat."

Momoko made a face: "None of your business!"

"Alright, I'll treat you to whatever you want~" Sigh... my wallet is going to enter the Ice Age again.

I turned to leave the room, but Momoko grabbed the hem of my shirt. I turned back, and in an instant, I suddenly felt something moist, soft, and sweet touch my lips—Momoko's lips. My cheeks started to heat up, my mind went blank, and in the empty room, it seemed like only our heartbeats remained. It wasn't until Momoko' s lips left mine that I regained consciousness.

"You...!" I couldn't believe I said that so bluntly.

Momoko shyly responded: "Yes/" At this moment, the door opened. Kagami, Shigeru, Miyako, Kaoru, Professor Utonium, Ken, and Peach were all standing there with mischievous smiles, looking at us... Ahhh~ I think I'm about to experience what true terror really is.