[Third Person Pov]
"Do you need anything else?" Clark asked, still looking at Miku through the phone screen.
"N-No… I just wanted to make sure you were fine. That was all," Miku stammered, growing more self-conscious by the second. She had never really talked with a boy over the phone before, and the realization was hitting her hard, especially since she was simply wearing casual, stay-at-home, clothes. After a short pause she added, quieter, "But that doesn't necessarily mean we have to stop talking…"
Clark, already distracted, spotted Seiko making her way up the path toward them. Without much thought he simply held the phone out. "Here. Talk to Lala if you want someone to talk to."
He handed the device off casually and started walking toward his grandmother.
On the other end of the call, Miku and Lala found themselves staring at each other in sudden silence. Lala offered an apologetic little smile. Miku let out a quiet, resigned sigh. Then both girls shared a soft giggle, silently agreeing that Clark's complete lack of social awareness was entirely typical.
"So!" Lala began brightly, clearly happy for the chance to brag. "Clark let me join him today. I fought an alien and helped save the city!"
"Huh? Lucky…" Miku replied with a small pout, sounding genuinely envious.
Meanwhile, Clark had already reached Seiko. She looked the chaotic scene over with narrowed eyes—the air felt wrong, the unfamiliar boy standing awkwardly among them, and the blood that dripped from his nose.
"So what's going on here?" she asked. "Why is my barrier down? And who's the boy?"
Clark's smile turned distinctly teasing. "Meet Momo's boyfriend, Ken Takakura. He's cursed and needs your help."
"He is *not* my boyfriend!!" Momo shouted instantly, face turning bright red.
Seiko's expression remained completely deadpan, though her eyes clearly glittered with amusement. "Ah, seriously? That's his name? That's hilarious."
Ken's head snapped toward her in pure disbelief. "Huh—wait. That's your grandma?!"
Clark reached over and took the shopping bags from Seiko's hands without asking. "Since you went to the store, did you get me anything?"
He peeked inside, then immediately clicked his tongue in mild disappointment.
"Of course I didn't," Seiko said, already taking the lead and ushering everyone back toward the house.
"But you bought something for Krypto," Clark pointed out, faintly sulking. "I can't help but feel like there's a hint of favoritism here."
"Of course there is. I love that dog," Seiko answered without even pretending to deny it.
"And what about us?!" Momo cried, looking personally offended. "You're supposed to be impartial and say you love us equally!"
Seiko only grinned. "But that would be lying. Krypto is my son. You two are just extra mouths to feed."
"WOAAH!!" Clark and Momo exclaimed at the exact same time, both looking equally betrayed.
Ken, standing a little to the side, couldn't help the small grin that spread across his face. He quietly laughed at their banter. The easy, familial way they tore into each other made it obvious just how close their bond really was.
"Don't worry, you two," Krypto said cheerfully, skipping along beside them. "I'll share what I got with everyone. I don't mind."
Clark chuckled, set the bags down once they were inside, and crouched to ruffle the dog's fur. "No need. After the work you did today, you earned every bit of it." He pressed a quick kiss to the top of Krypto's head before standing again.
Seiko turned her sharp gaze on the group, eventually settling it firmly on Ken. "So. Does anyone want to fill me in on what happened… and how exactly you got yourself cursed?"
"That's for them to explain," Clark said, already heading for the stairs. "I'm going to get changed."
Lala had finished her conversation with Miku and held the phone out to him as he passed. Clark took it, glanced at the screen, and immediately deadpanned, "Why is your ugly face still on my phone? Hang up."
"Ugly?!" Miku shot back, aghast at his audacity—though she really shouldn't have been surprised by this point. Her cheeks instantly puffed out as she glared at him. "Is this the thanks I get for worrying about you?"
"The thanks you're going to get is a strip tease if you don't get off my phone, because I'm about to change," Clark replied with complete indifference.
"…I don't mind," Miku muttered under her breath, a faint flush rising on her cheeks. "It's not anything I haven't seen already…"
Clark stared at her through the screen with the flattest expression imaginable.
"Girl, bye."
He hung up without another word.
…
Miku stared at the suddenly blank screen for a long moment, then collapsed backward onto her bed with a soft *thump*. She held her phone over her mouth and started to giggle, replaying Clark's completely deadpan response in her head.
Her cheeks stayed warmly flushed as she mumbled to herself, "I've certainly become bold… I hope he wasn't put off by it."
A moment later her phone buzzed. She glanced down and saw a new attachment from Clark. The moment she opened it her eyes went wide. It was the screenshot he had taken earlier—her own shocked face frozen mid-scream while Clark stood casually with his back to the enormous woodland alien, peace sign raised like nothing was wrong.
…
Clark finished changing out of his school uniform and stepped back into the hallway. As he unlocked his phone he noticed Komi's message sitting quietly underneath the chaotic string of texts from Miku.
'Hmm. If Miku was worried enough to actually call, I wonder how Komi's doing,' he thought.
He decided to check for himself. His gaze stretched across town in an instant, settling on a familiar second-story window. Inside, Komi was pacing rapidly back and forth across her room, eyes locked on her phone. Her thumb hovered over the call button, trembling slightly.
She was worried about him—deeply worried—but she didn't want to annoy him with what she considered needless fretting. She didn't want to disturb him if he was resting. She didn't want to seem clingy. And yet the anxiety refused to leave her alone.
Clark let out a quiet laugh. At the same time he scrolled through the newest messages from Miku: a frantic cascade of enraged emojis, pleading stickers begging him to delete the screenshot, dramatic threats, and several gifs that essentially translated to have mercy on her soul.
Still chuckling, he headed downstairs. "I'm heading out for a few seconds. I'll be back quick," he told the others, then stepped outside and launched into the night sky.
The evening had already turned dark. Clark flew across town in a matter of moments and approached a modest two-story home. He made certain no one on the street would spot him before drifting up to the second-story window.
…
Inside, Komi finally steeled herself. Her worry for Clark had grown stronger than her usual anxiety. She sat on the edge of her bed, took a shaky breath, and pressed the dial button.
A ringtone suddenly echoed from just outside her window.
Komi's head snapped up. There, floating just beyond the glass, was Clark—smiling a little stiffly and giving her a small wave.
She scrambled to her feet and rushed toward him, only to slip on her socks and crash straight to the floor.
Her head popped back up an instant later like a startled meerkat, hair completely disheveled, eyes wide with panic and surprise.
Clark was clearly fighting for his life not to laugh. The sight of him struggling only made Komi's embarrassment worse. She finally managed to stand, walk over, and open the window. A cool night breeze drifted in between them.
"What are you doing here?" Komi asked in a soft, surprised whisper.
"I figured you'd worry too much about me and wouldn't be able to rest unless you confirmed for yourself that I was alright," Clark said, still chuckling at the guilty little smile that crossed her face.
"You didn't have—" she began.
"I know," he interrupted gently. "I didn't have to. But I wanted to." He gave her a reassuring look. "As you can see, I'm in one piece. So you can stop worrying your pretty little head about it."
Komi released a quiet sigh, lips curving into a relieved smile. "I'm glad," she whispered. "I was… very worried."
Clark flexed one arm with exaggerated confidence. "You shouldn't be. You already know who I am. I always come out on top."
"Even if you're strong… please be careful," she said, fidgeting slightly. The mere thought of him getting hurt made something tight and uncomfortable settle in her chest. "You have people that worry about you."
"Uhh… yeah. I will," Clark answered, a bit awkwardly this time.
Komi leaned out just enough to glance around the quiet street, then looked back at him. "Want to come in?" she asked softly, clearly worried someone might spot him and start putting the pieces of his identity together.
"Sure," he said, climbing carefully through the window and settling against the frame. After a beat he added with a small smirk, "But should you really be inviting a man into your room this late?"
Komi stiffened, eyes going wide with fresh embarrassment. "I-I trust you. It's okay."
Clark chuckled at her reaction. The two of them stayed there by the open window as he began recounting the alien invasion—how it had started, what Lala had done, the woodland creature that showed up at the shrine, and how quickly everything had been handled. Komi listened to every word with quiet, avid attention, the earlier tension in her shoulders slowly melting away.
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