1.45 – Where yo pants at?

The last day of that whole fiasco had been weird.

Nathan had to spend the night resting at where he was captured only hours before, and even after he got his 10 hours of sleep, he had to wait for hours longer. The cooldown felt longer than ever in that wait, but after it passed, he found that the ability functioned exactly as he thought it would. He simply walked towards the Onis and had them accept his terms, one by one. A few of them seemed resistant to the idea, but when given two options, with one of them being death, they didn’t really have it in them to push against Nathan that much.

It was a risk Nathan knew. All of the Onis probably hated his guts, but it was still a risk that he would take at any given time if he was asked again. When was the next chance that he would get to own twenty or so super powered humans, and know that they would listen to each and every single one of his commands? Certainly not in any near future.

It showed a weakness for Nathan. Although this money maker system was very potent, but if he wanted to get its full potential, he needed to upgrade it somewhat. Despite the fact that he searched through, slow and deliberate, he found no easy way to see how to improve it.

Three abilities, one day cool down. If there was anything that he could do to improve it, the way to do so was hidden from him. And there were two more slots right there in his eyes, crossed out with a lock and chains, as if goading him on. One day he would learn how to unlock them. Just not now.

Yukiko wanted to talk to him later, but he requested that she let him rest for a day. Despite the fact that he slept quite a lot, he still felt like he needed to recover, if not physically then mentally.

There were a lot of unspoken questions in her eyes. Clearly, she was piecing the puzzle pieces together, but he didn’t feel like answering the questions at this moment.

He reclined on the couch in Alicia’s home. The police comedy show that was running on Netflix was a nice background noise to lose himself in, the scene showing the main character making some suspects sing “I want it that way”.

Alicia was sleeping upstairs, though Nathan supposed she would wake up any moment now, and so he stood up, deciding to make something of this day, even if not much.

Before that, he checked his status. He still hadn’t spent a chunk of the large sum he had received, and it continued trickling up because of the app that he developed. He even pondered whether he should upgrade his abilities, but honestly? He didn’t feel like doing much now.

He wanted a short while to rest. Truly rest. But despite the fact that he tried to not think of what had happened and what would come for the future, he found that harder to do than he initially thought he would find it to be.

He walked towards the kitchen, searching the cupboards and the fridge, and decided to just make an omelet. Alicia, after they got home, was mostly silent, but as Nathan understood it, she did want to talk. Their previous conversation was left mostly unfinished after all. It was just the fact that there were always some things taking them away from the conversations that they had to have.

And what better way to have a conversation than over a breakfast?

The eggs sizzled as he threw them on the pan, and he stirred, throwing in some spring onions and seasonings. The savory smell began taking over the space. As he watched it cook, he lost himself in the sounds and smells, and then he took it out, preparing another, just as Alicia walked down from the second floor.

“You’re up early in the morning? That’s unusual.”

“Decided to surprise you. Just sit down on the couch. I’ll bring it in shortly.”

“How nice of you. You know what, I’ll take you on the offer.”

“I’d be surprised if you didn’t.”

“Hey, I deserve this much for coming to save your ass, right? Oh wait!” She suddenly stopped just as she was about to sit down. “Yukiko said she found your phone. It was thrown out near the road.”

“Oh really?” Nathan didn’t expect that much. “Is it…”

“Functioning? Yeah, the screen is cracked. But just a little, nothing too bad. Here, catch!” She walked towards the kitchen and then she threw the smartphone through the air. Nathan quickly turned, snatching it just before it hit the ground. The screen was indeed a bit worse for wear, but he’d had worse for years.

He put it in his pocket and then finished cooking, putting the pan on another ring on the stove as he turned it off. He took the two plates and then walked back, putting the plates on the small table in front of the couch. “Well, bon appétit!”

“I didn’t even realize how ravenous I am. Give it here!” She snatched the plate out of his arm just before he put it on the down.

They ate in silence, watching the TV show as they finished their meal. The silence was heavy, but not suffocatingly so.

This narrative has been purloined without the author’s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Alicia seemed ready to talk several times before she just breathed out, clearly thinking her questions through.

Nathan smiled, pushing his plate away as he lost himself in the soft cushions.

“I still have some questions about that weird game you played.” Alicia finally got out.

“Ask away. I think I told you almost anything I could. But if you have any other questions, feel free.”

“I think… I want to know what kind of character I was back in My Superhero Life. You said it was an action romance game?”

“It was, and you were not one of the main heroines.”

“Really? What was I then?”

“A small-time villain.” He said, hesitating. Despite his fear of telling her the truth, she laughed. “Really? Find it that funny?”

She nodded as she finished laughing. “Yeah, it actually checks out a little. Well, that confirms one of the few things I thought about. Your presence here changes things. I probably would have became a small-time super villain, as you put it, if I didn’t meet you back on the first day. I wasn’t in a good place.”

It made him feel something warm inside. “I’m… glad to hear that?”

“Okay, back to topic though. This game, what was its goal?”

“To beat the Red Lily, although I’ve never seen the fight go on myself. The main character is simply never strong enough to participate.”