Chapter 112
[144]
“Gah!” Ren suddenly sat up panickedly, his eyes darting around the room. A TV, a houseplant, an armchair…He felt like he recognized this place, but his brain was still waking up so he was slow to adjust. Turning his gaze down, he saw he was on a pullout couch with a large comforter over his lower half.
‘If I had a nickel for every time I woke up somewhere different from where I fell asleep…Well I certainly wouldn’t live in an attic.’ He thought to himself, moving to get up before hearing a groan of protest to his right. ‘Not again!’ He thought before pulling the comforter away.
“Haru?” He asked. “This again?”
“M’sleepy. And you’re warm.” The fluffy haired girl yawned before throwing the covers back over herself. “Five more minutes.”
Before he could respond, the sound of a door opening behind him caused him to turn his gaze.
“Oh good, you’re awake.” Takemi said as she entered the room. “I was worried you might’ve slipped into a coma.”
Ren suddenly recognized where he was, Tae’s apartment in Yongen
“How…I remember fighting robots then…”
“You were shot. Six times actually” She replied monotonously, as she spoke, she began preparing herself a cup of coffee in the kitchen. “You would’ve bled out on the way here if Makoto hadn’t thought to close the wound with her webbing. Thankfully I have a lot of your blood on hand so we were able to replace it.”
Ren lifted the comforter, revealing the bandages wrapped around his midriff. “Thanks, I owe y-”
“Do you want to die Ren?” Takemi interrupted, finally turning to face him. “Because if you do, there are easier ways to kill yourself.”
“I’m sorry?” He asked, confused by the question.
Takemi lifted her hand and began to count on her fingers. “Malnourishment, dehydration, sleep deprivation, untreated flesh wounds. Even if you hadn’t been shot you would’ve collapsed eventually. What, were you just trying to catch as many bad guys as you could before dropping dead?”
“Tae I…Look, there’s thousands of criminals out there wreaking havoc on the city, not to mention Shido’s new private death squads roaming around, the city’s in more danger than ever. I have to be out there doing whatever I can, regardless of the risk to my own health and safety.”
“Really? And what about your friends?” She asked.
“What?”
“You don’t know because you were unconscious at the time, but Niijima collapsed too, not long after you got here.”
“Makoto?” Ren’s eyes widened. “I-Is she-”
“I kept her in a separate room from you overnight, I think we both know why. She’s asleep in my bed right now, showing the same symptoms as you, minus the gunshots.” She took a sip from her coffee mug. “God I miss having a clinic. I had to ‘sleep’ in an armchair last night. Note the air quotes around sleep.”
“And Ryuji?” The raven-haired boy asked.
“The blond? He brought the two of you here, I gave him a quick once over, of the three of you he was the least banged up. After that he rummaged through my freezer, ate an entire tub of Ben & Jerry’s in 30 seconds, that was impressive, then said something about how his mom was going to kill him for being out late and bolted out of here.”
“Huh.” Ren nodded before trying to get up off the couch.
“Whoa whoa whoa, slow down there buddy.” Takemi walked over to stop him. “Were you not listening to anything I said earlier? You’re injured! You need bed rest, doctor’s orders.”
“I heal quickly.” He replied, trying to stand up again only to have Tae push him back down onto the couch.
“Don’t try to pull that on me, I know more about your abilities than you do.” She retorted. “And I know that your healing factor slows down immensely when you haven’t slept or eaten properly in days. You need to rest and eat a proper meal. You can rest here, but as for the proper meal part, I’m sure Sojiro would be willing to feed you something later today.” As she spoke, Takemi began putting on her shoes.
“Going somewhere?” Ren asked, raising an eyebrow.
“Shujin.” She replied. “Your school is having an assembly today to discuss the rest of the school year. They’re going to be switching to online classes following, well you know, everything that’s happened there. Don’t worry, I’ll have Haru collect your’s and Makoto’s things from your lockers while we’re there. Speaking of which,” The doctor stood up, grabbing a nearby magazine before rolling it up and walking over to the couch. “Get. Up. Or. We’ll. Be. Late.” She said, punctuating each word with a light smack to the lump under the covers that was the former millionaire, Haru Okumura.
“Nooo, don’t hit!” Haru protested softly, rubbing her head as she got out from under the covers, her bedhead even fluffier than her normal hair. “I thought doctors were supposed to ‘do no harm.’”
“That rule doesn’t apply when you’re living in the doctor’s apartment free of rent.” Takemi replied. “You’ve got five minutes to get ready or you’re walking to school.”
“Meanie.” Haru said, hurriedly getting up before entering the bathroom.
As he heard the shower turn on, Ren turned to Tae with a surprised expression. “You two seem to have gotten close.” He noted.
“Yep, she’s like the little sister I never had. Mostly because the one I do have is an ass.”
“You have a sister?” Ren asked, even more surprised. “You never mentioned her.”
“There’s a lot you don’t know about me.” She winked. “Maybe I can tell you more later tonight. You’re not going anywhere anytime soon after all.”
“Tae…” The two shared a meaningful look before the bathroom door swung open, revealing a wet haired Haru in a towel. “That was fast.” Ren commented as the girl ran into the apartment’s bedroom to change.
“That’s because she knows I’m serious.” She replied checking her watch. “Two more minutes!”
From Takemi’s bedroom, a familiar voice sounded. “Haru? Where am I? Wait, why are you getting naked!?”
“Sounds like Niijima’s up.” Tae stated, turning to Ren. “Fill her in on the situation. And remember, no superhero stuff, at least until I get back and give you both a clean bill of health.”
“Yes ma’am.” Ren sighed.
When the bedroom door opened again, Haru stepped out in her school uniform and pink sweater, her hair still soaked, breathing heavily from exertion.
“I’m *huff* *huff* I’m ready.” She got out between breaths.
Later, on the car ride to school, Haru and Tae sat quietly, listening to the radio as they waited in traffic.
“In news regarding the recent prison breaks, according to several eyewitness testimonies, Akimitsu Tsuda better known as The Rhino was apparently spotted near the docks earlier this morning, however when police were dispatched to the scene they were unable to locate the man or any traces of his presence.” The radio host explained. “With so much uncertainty and fear caused by recent events, it comes as a huge relief that Shido Sciences is doing what they can to assist our overwhelmed police force. Let’s hear from a caller what they think about the new law enforcement put into place.” There was a brief pause before the man spoke again. “You’re on the air.”
“Shido and his groupies are turning this city into a police state! I got pulled over three times on my drive to work yesterday for ‘random searches’ that took 15 minutes each! And when I tried to tell them that I’d already been searched twice and was late for work, they threatened me at gunpoint! Don’t trust those fucking-”
The call ended before the man could finish. There was a long moment of silence before the radio host spoke again.
“And I’m afraid we’ve run out of time for this segment. Up next, topping the charts since 1979, ‘Stay With Me’ by Miki Matsubara.”
“Geez, sounds like things are going to shit all across the city.” Takemi commented. “Between the criminals on the loose and the guys who are supposed to be catching them, things are just getting worse for us.”
“Mhmm.” Haru hummed in response, staring out the window blankly.
“Uh, something on your mind Haru?” The doctor asked, turning to her curiously.
“It’s Ren…”
“When isn’t it?” Takemi smirked as Haru pouted and jabbed her in the shoulder.
“I’m talking about the condition he was in. Him and Makoto, and Ryuji too, they were so injured last night, and you said it yourself that things are getting worse. What if next time they don’t come back at all? What if-?”
“Haru, you can’t torture yourself with thoughts like that. Rather than worrying about what ifs, we need to focus on what we can do right now. And right now, we’re making sure that those three stooges don’t kill themselves trying to save everybody. Don’t worry, after the assembly we’ll head straight back home and you can spoon your boyfriend on my couch all you want.”
Haru let out a small nervous giggle. “We aren’t, I mean…”
“What? Not dating? I mean, you two…y’know,” Takemi made a lewd gesture with her hands. “Right?”
“Wh-Um…Yes but…”
“It’s complicated?” Tae guessed.
“Very complicated.” Haru nodded. “I did have an idea, but there’s something I’d like to ask you before I tell you about it.”
“Hmm?” Takemi looked intrigued.
“What…What kind of relationship is it that you and Ren have?”
Not long later, the two arrived at Shujin Academy where Haru joined the other students in the gymnasium (still under repairs after the Lizard’s attack) while Takemi joined the teachers in the lounge. Spotting a familiar head of blonde hair in the crowd, Haru met up with Ann amongst the crowd of murmuring students.
“Haru!” Ann called out, rushing to embrace the older girl as Morgana trailed behind her. “Have you heard from the others yet? I keep calling and texting but nobody’s been answering their phones and-”
“It’s okay Ann, the others are fine. Ren and Makoto are back at Takemi’s apartment recovering from last night. Ryuji was fine the last time I saw him, so he’s probably at home doing the same.”
“Oh thank god.” Ann let out a sigh of relief.
From the corner of her eye, Haru spotted something sticking out of Ann’s bag.
“What’s that?” She asked, pointing to the object. A long black sleeve sticking out of the top of the bag.
“Oh that?” Ann looked slightly embarrassed. “If the others showed up, I was planning on showing them something that Futaba made for me. It’s kind of stupid but…I wanted to get their thoughts on it before-”
“Attention everyone!” Kawakami called out as she walked out onto the stage followed by Dr. Maruki, Ms. Yamagishi, Dr. Takemi, and the other teachers. “We will now be beginning the assembly, so if you could all quiet down for a moment, we’ll get through this quickly and we can all get home as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile, just outside of the school gate, two Silver Sentries stood guard as the assembly took place. When a loud crashing noise sounded from the alley across from them, both guards immediately raised their rifles, prepared for whatever may come out.
After a long moment of silence, the two men exchanged a glance.
“Go check it out.” One told the other.
“Why should I go check it out? You check it out.” The other responded.
“Uh, because I outrank you?” The first reasoned.
“Bullshit you outrank me. We started on the same day!”
“Yeah, just goes to show how much better I am at my job than you.”
“More like better at taking credit for other people’s work.” The second guard retorted. “You go check it out!”
“Alright, we aren’t getting anywhere with this. Rock paper scissors?” The first suggested, holding out his hand.
“Fine, but you better not cheat this time.”
Before they could begin however, another loud crash sounded and this time a hooded figure in black stumbled out of the alley, knocking over a metal trash can before falling onto the pavement. The guards looked back at each other before grabbing their rifles again.
“This is a restricted area, get outta here you bum!” The first guard called out to the figure.
“S’fine, s’okay, *hic* I’m partuh the staff here.” The figure slurred, standing up.
“Yeah sure, gonna need to see some I.D. then.” The second replied skeptically.
“Okay, *hic* I got it right here.” The figure held out an I.D. card as he began to approach the two.
“That’s close enough.” The first guard held out his hand, stopping the man a few feet away. “Go check it out.” He said, turning to his partner.
“Wh-but! Ugh, fine.” The second guard relented, approaching the man. Taking the card from him, the guard looked at the man. “Take off the hood.” He ordered.
“Sure thing.” The man responded, much more intelligibly than a moment before. Upon removing his hood, the man’s horribly burned face became apparent.
His head was completely bald, his skin patchy and raw. One of his eyes was fogged up to the point that he must’ve been blind in it and the other was heavily bloodshot. Near the corner of his mouth, his top and bottom lip had seemingly been fused together and behind that, his teeth and a portion of his jaw bone were exposed, the skin protecting them having melted off.
“Would you believe this is ‘after’ plastic surgery?” The man joked as the guard stared in horror.
“What the-!?” *ZAP!*
The guard didn’t get to finish as he was blown away by a powerful burst of electricity from the man’s hand. The first guard scrambled to aim his rifle at the man, but before he could do so, the trash can that had been knocked over earlier was suddenly pulled forward by a strong electromagnetic charge, slamming into the guard and knocking him into a nearby wall.
Now standing alone, the burned figure casually walked up the steps to Shujin Academy’s front entrance, smiling to himself. Using his abilities to casually unlock the school’s electronic locking system, the doors swung open at the flick of his finger.
As he confidently strode into the school, the man’s black sweats began to burn away, revealing a hightech black and green suit with yellow highlights beneath. Catching a glimpse of his reflection in a nearby window, the man let out a whistle, admiring his new gear before his gaze fell upon his own face. Scowling, he brought up the black and gold mask of his suit to cover his burns as best as he could.
In the gymnasium, Kawakami was still conducting the assembly, unaware of the events that had just transpired in front of the school.
“And onto the next topic, meal plans,” She continued reading from her document. “All students who signed up for a meal plan are entitled to a partial refund-”
*SLAM!*
The gymnasium doors swung open as a strangely garbed figure entered the room. The students began speaking to each other in hushed whispers before the figure turned to them. A nervous silence echoing through the large room.
The figure then suddenly held out his hand toward the stage and, as if by some invisible force, the microphone in Kawakami’s hand flew into his grasp. Several students let out a gasp of surprise. The man then tapped the microphone several times, testing to make sure it worked before smiling and leaning into it.
“Hello kids.” He said with a sinister grin.
“Daddy’s home.”