Chika and Momiji held each other tightly inside the studio.
The sound of raging fire echoed from below. Every now and then, the groaning of twisting steel and the crashing of heavy debris could be heard.
Both girls trembled. They were just high school students. Momiji was only a year older than Chika.
Sometimes death itself wasn't the scariest thing. What was truly terrifying was the feeling of being so close to it, knowing it was coming, but having no power to escape—only able to wait helplessly.
The temperature in the air continued to rise. They had no idea when the fire would reach them. Chika suddenly had a strange thought: Would it hurt more to be burned to death, or crushed by something?
She... she wanted to choose the less painful way to die.
"Cough, cough..."
Momiji covered her lips and coughed. Black smoke had already begun to seep into the studio.
Chika, feeling the silence growing eerie, glanced at Momiji's leg, which was pinned under a fallen cabinet, and asked softly, "Momiji, does your leg hurt?"
"It hurt a lot at first," Momiji shook her head, "but now I don't feel anything. I'm not sure if it's broken."
Just then, Chika's phone rang again. During this time, both of their families had tried calling.
After learning that the two were trapped inside the burning building, they anxiously told them not to move and to wait for rescue.
But neither of the girls knew if rescue would make it in time. The fire was spreading too fast.
"Who is it?" Momiji asked softly.
"It's my brother."
Chika sniffled and answered the call.
"Chika, how are you holding up?" Toru's voice came through the phone.
"I... I'm not good at all!" Chika burst into tears. "Momiji and I are trapped in the studio and can't get out. The fire outside is huge, it's going to reach us soon!"
"I don't even have a boyfriend yet! I'm not married, I haven't had kids, I don't want to die! Waaaah!" No matter how strong a girl tried to be, in a moment like this, she'd break down.
Hearing a familiar voice, Chika couldn't hold it in anymore and began sobbing uncontrollably.
"Don't cry yet. Tell me what floor you're on."
"The fourth floor."
"Okay, got it. Stay in the studio and wait."
With that, Toru hung up.
Chika stared at her phone, wiping her tears.
"What did Fujiwara-kun say?" Momiji asked. Despite her earlier complaints about him, as death loomed, she realized how childish she had been.
"He didn't say much. Just told us to wait here," Chika answered quietly.
Momiji suddenly had a strange thought.
Could it be... that man is coming to save them?
But was that even possible? The fire outside was massive. There was no way to get in unless the flames could be put out in a short time.
Still, for some reason, a faint hope flickered in her heart.
That man was called Japan's hero. Maybe... just maybe... he could pull off a miracle.
...
On the road to the Nichibei TV building, Toru had already let go of Kaguya's hand and was sprinting on his own.
Kaguya and Hayasaka were too slow. If he waited for them to arrive, it would be too late.
He adjusted his breathing, running at a steady pace to conserve stamina for the rescue.
With his physical condition, this distance wasn't exhausting, but he still needed to manage his energy for what came next.
"Move! Get out of the way!"
Suddenly, the sound of wheels scraping against pavement came from behind.
Toru turned to see Conan speeding by on a skateboard, heading straight for the TV building.
Toru's eyes lit up. As Conan passed, Toru reached out, grabbed the boy by the back of his collar, and yanked him off the board.
"Sorry, kid. I'm borrowing this."
In a blink, the skateboard was gone.
"What the hell!" Conan was left stunned, jumping and yelling.
Who just snatches a kid's skateboard like that?! What's next, stealing candy from a toddler?
But Toru was already speeding ahead.
That voice... why did it sound so familiar?
Using Conan's skateboard, Toru conserved his energy and quickly reached the plaza in front of the Nichibei TV building.
Fire trucks had just arrived. Firefighters were spraying water at the flames, but the fire was too large. It was unclear how long it would take to get it under control.
Passersby whispered and filmed with their phones.
Some of the evacuated staff were crying on the ground. Others were frantically calling for help.
In the distance, police cars and ambulances could be heard closing in.
Toru stood in the plaza, quickly assessing the building. The fire was spreading from the third to the fourth floor. The fifth floor and roof were also burning. Only the fourth floor was currently safe.
After making his judgment, he ran to a fire truck and grabbed two thermal blankets and two oxygen kits. That was all he could carry.
"Hey, those are for rescue operations!" a firefighter shouted.
Before anyone could stop him, Toru had already taken off toward the side of the building.
Running around the corner, he looked up, locating the correct window.
Holding the gear in one arm, he swung the other upward. A thin metal wire shot from his sleeve, embedding itself into the wall of the fourth floor.
Toru tugged to confirm its grip. Then he sprinted forward and leapt, the wire reeling in rapidly and pulling him up.
He flew past three stories and landed against the wall just between the third and fourth floors.
Using quick steps, he ran horizontally against the building and slipped in through a window on the fourth floor.
"Holy crap, is that Spider-Man?!"
The firefighters chasing him were left stunned.
Passersby were even more excited. Phones were quickly raised to capture everything.
Inside the fourth floor, the air was hot, but still bearable. Toru quickly located the studio door and kicked it open.
Chika and Momiji, still holding each other and preparing for death, looked up in shock.
"Brother?!"
"Fujiwara-kun?!"
Toru didn't answer. He looked at the metal frames blocking the path and frowned.
He stepped forward, grabbed the frames, and veins bulged along his arms. With one hand, he lifted the several-hundred-pound metal structures and tossed them aside like scrap.
Chika and Momiji's eyes lit up. They tried to say something, but the thick smoke filled their throats, causing them to cough violently.
"Don't talk. Hold your breath."
Toru rushed to Momiji's side. Seeing the fallen cabinet pinning her leg, he gripped it and effortlessly pushed it aside.
He checked quickly. Her white leg beneath the kimono was twisted at an odd angle. It was likely broken.
But at the moment, nothing mattered more than staying alive.
Toru draped thermal blankets over both girls. He took the oxygen tanks, took a breath himself, then fitted the masks over their faces.
"Chika, can you move?"
She nodded hard.
Without wasting time, Toru crouched in front of Momiji. "Climb on!"
Momiji didn't hesitate. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her body onto his back.
"Endure it," he said, gripping her smooth thighs and adjusting her position.
Pain flared in her leg, but she clenched her teeth and nodded.
Seeing she was stronger than expected, Toru felt reassured.
"Follow me!" he said to Chika.
Carrying Momiji on his back, Toru led the way. Chika clutched the back of his coat and followed.
The way he came in was now blocked by fire.
If he'd been just a little later, the two girls would have been beyond saving.
"This way. I saw it earlier—there are still windows on the fifth floor."
Toru ran left through the corridor. Chika ran close behind.
The heat was rising. Toxic smoke spread quickly.
Just then, Momiji, from behind him, reached forward and gently placed an oxygen mask over Toru's mouth.
She had taken hers off to let him breathe.
Toru took two deep breaths, nodded, and Momiji covered her mouth again.
With two switches like this, Toru brought Chika to the fifth floor. Some windows there hadn't yet been touched by the flames.
"Chika, over here!"
She obeyed, stepping beside him.
Toru wrapped his left arm around her slim waist, pulling her close.
At that moment, he couldn't help but think—both of them were surprisingly full and soft for high school students.
He cleared his thoughts and jumped.
From five floors up, he leapt, one person on his back and another in his arm.
"Ahhh—!"
The two girls screamed, pale with fear, clutching him tightly as they fell.
The onlookers below gasped. Some even stepped forward instinctively, hoping to catch them.
But just as they dropped past the third floor, Toru flicked his right hand. Another slender metal wire shot out, embedding in the wall.
The force from his arm was enough to break bones in a normal person. Toru only felt pain, but nothing serious.
With the force redirected, he slowed their fall and released at the right moment, landing safely on the ground.
The crowd fell silent in disbelief.
Then someone clapped.
And suddenly, thunderous applause erupted.
Cheers broke out from all sides.
(To be continued.)