Location: Unit 203 – Naruhata Estates
The portable sauna was a black nylon coffin zip-tied to a steam generator in the center of the living room.
Inside, the heat was a physical weight. Eighty degrees Celsius. Thick. Wet.
Kaito Arisaka sat on a plastic stool, a white towel draped over his head like a boxer between rounds.
Sweat ran in rivets down his nose, stinging his eyes. He didn't wipe it away. He let it drip.
HUUF-PUFF
He breathed in. Cedar oil. Eucalyptus.
He breathed out. Silence.
For five days, the apartment had been peaceful.
The foam on the wall was holding. The double-paned argon glass he'd paid ¥400,000 for killed the street noise dead.
Even the hallway was quiet since he'd injected that non-Newtonian gel into Koichi's soles.
No more squeaking.
Peace. Finally.
Thrum.
"Now what?!"
Kaito's eyes snapped open under the towel.
The floorboards didn't creak. They shivered. A low-frequency shudder traveled up the steel beams, vibrated through the foundation, and rattled the zipper of the sauna door.
To a civilian, it was a heavy truck passing three blocks away.
But to Kaito, it was another disaster.
He closed his eyes. And expanded his sense outside the apartment.
Direction: North. Two kilometers.
Source: Naruhata Chemical Logistics Yard.
'Chemical tank is redlining,' Kaito thought, the sweat dripping onto his lip. 'The relief valve is jammed. If am incompetent villain decided to explode it, the whole ward and including this apartment will be affected'
He didn't need any calculator. He needed an insurance adjuster.
If that tank blew, the shockwave would travel through the silt-heavy riverbank soil and hit Naruhata Estates in four seconds.
The overpressure would shatter his new windows. The glass shards would ruin the polymer coating on his hardwood floors.
And worse.
The fumes would trigger a Tier-1 response. Media and heroes would swarm Naruhata.
And besides Kaito also sense the trio of Scooby Doo gang in the vicinity.
'Three amateurs. No tank. No heavy hitter.'
Kaito groaned. It was a guttural, tired sound.
"I am not doing another surgery," he muttered to the damp nylon walls. "The old man next door is enough. I'm not doing it again."
Kaito unzipped the arm slit.
Zriiip.
Cold air rushed in, clashing with the steam. It felt like a knife.
Sigh
"My sauna schedule was interrupted" Kaito sighed while he grabbed his tablet from the floor.
He didn't step out. He wasn't going to ruin his sweat session for a chemical fire.
Kaito tapped the screen. His fingers were wet. He bypassed the civilian encryption on the local mesh-net and found the frequency Makoto Tsukauchi was broadcasting.
He accessed the local mesh-net. The municipal encryption was garbage—a ten-second bypass for anyone who understood digital architecture.
It wasn't god-tier hacking; it was just opening a door with a credit card.
Then.
Bzzrt
The feed popped up.
Shaky, handheld video. High definition.
Orange fire. Screaming.
Makoto was filming from behind a drum.
Koichi was sliding on a melting gantry, his form sloppy.
Pop Step was drifting in the thermal updraft like a leaf in a storm.
They're in danger
They were about to die.
They would likely be vaporized.
"Why would they patrol when the old guy is still recovering."
For his apartment and to avoid a surgery or a funeral
Kaito stared at the red bar on the pressure gauge overlay.
He tapped the override button.
-----
Flashback: Three Days Ago
PITTER-PATTER.
PITTER-PATTER.
The rain was cold. It smelled of rusted iron and old drains.
Koichi Haimawari leaned against a brick wall.
He was breathing hard.
"We missed him," Koichi said. He wiped rain from his eyes. "That purse snatcher. He was too fast."
"We're slow," Pop Step admitted. She was hovering a few feet off the ground, clutching a plastic umbrella. "Without the Master to cut off the escape routes... we're just chasing shadows."
"We have to keep going," Koichi said. He clenched his fist. "If the gangs and villains realize Knuckleduster is gone, they'll come back. We have to look strong."
"You look like a drowned rat," a voice cut in.
Koichi jumped. Pop spun around.
Makoto Tsukauchi stood at the mouth of the alley. She wore a yellow raincoat over her business suit.
She held a police scanner in one hand and a voice recorder in the other.
"Makoto-san!" Koichi stammered. "You shouldn't be out here. It's dangerous."
"You're the danger, Koichi-kun," Makoto said. She walked over, her boots splashing in the puddles. "I've been listening to the scanner for two hours. You've missed three intercepts. You're uncoordinated. You're lost."
"We're fine!" Pop snapped.
"You're lucky," Makoto corrected. She stopped in front of Koichi. She tapped the center of his chest. "What happened in Unit 203. I held the suction tube while Arisaka-san stitched the Old Man's lung back together. I know exactly how close you are to the edge. Without a veteran vigilante guiding you both lost."
Koichi looked down. The memory of the blood on the kitchen counter made his stomach turn.
"We can't stop," Koichi whispered. "If we stop, the Trigger dealers win."
"Then get smart," Makoto said. She held up the scanner. "I know the patrol routes. I know where the police aren't looking. I'm joining the team."
"What?" Pop Step blinked. "You're a civilian! You can't just join!"
"I'm a researcher," Makoto smiled. It was sharp. "I'm documenting the 'Interim Vigilante Era' for my thesis. I'll be your eyes. I'll tell you where to go so you don't walk into an ambush."
"And if we say no?" Koichi asked.
"Then I tell Arisaka-san you're out here trying to get yourself killed again," Makoto said. "Do you really want to face him if you drag another bleeding body into his hallway?"
Koichi flinched. The thought of Kaito's disappointed, tired stare was scarier than the villains.
"Fine," Koichi sighed. "But stay behind us. Please."
"Just catch the bad guys, Crawler," Makoto said. "I'll handle the logistics."
-----
Present Time: Naruhata Chemical Logistics Yard
Time: 10:35 PM
The heat wasn't just temperature. It was a physical wall.
ROAAAAAR.
The central gantry was melting. Rivets popped like gunshots as the steel warped under the thermal assault.
The Villain—a "Burner" type with skin like translucent magma—stood on the walkway.
He was screaming, a sound that bubbled through the fluid in his lungs.
His veins pulsed with Trigger. Every breath he took vented superheated steam that distorted the air, turning the world into a funhouse mirror of orange fire.
"BURN IT ALL!" the Villain shrieked, his voice wet and jagged. "THE FACTORY BOSS SAID CLEAN EVERYTHING! NO EVIDENCE!"
He swung a glowing fist.
CLANG.
He hit a steel support beam. It buckled instantly. The entire platform groaned, listing dangerously to the left.
Koichi was on the ground level. He was trying to skate.
"Whoa!"
He slipped.
The air above the concrete was shimmering. The heat was creating massive thermal updrafts.
His Glide Quirk relied on a repulsive field against a solid surface, but the air cushion was unstable.
He was drifting like a car on black ice.
"I can't get traction!" Koichi yelled. He scrambled back, his hands scraping the hot pavement. "The air is too thin! It's like trying to run on soup!"
"Koichi! Look out!" Pop Step screamed.
She was trying to dive from the roof of the warehouse to provide support, but the heat wave hit her like a physical hammer.
It threw her upward, messing with her trajectory. She flailed, her skirt catching the updraft.
"I can't get close!" Pop yelled, grabbing a gutter to stop herself from being blown away.
"If I touch him, I'll burn! He's radiating at least four hundred degrees!"
Makoto was crouched behind a stack of yellow barrels. She was filming. Her hands were shaking.
This wasn't a purse snatcher. This was a monster.
She saw the Villain turn toward the main ethanol tank. The valve was painted red. It was huge. Industrial.
"He's going for the main line!" Makoto shouted, dropping the camera slightly. "Koichi! You have to stop him! If he cracks that seal, the vapor will ignite!"
"I'm trying!" Koichi gritted his teeth.
He revved his engine. He pushed against the ground, ignoring the heat searing through his palms.
'I have to hit him hard. Center mass. Like Master taught me. Just... push through the pain.'
He prepared to launch.
He was going to ram the burning man at full speed. A suicide run.
BZZT. KRRT.
A sharp static noise cut through their earpieces.
"Don't."
The voice was clear. Low. It didn't sound like a hero.
"Who?"
"What?"
It sounded like a tired neighbor watching someone about to reverse their car into a ditch.
Koichi skidded to a halt. He dug his heels in.
"This voice? Kaito? Are you Kaito" Koichi gasped, looking around wildly. "How are you on this line?"
"Shut up and listen," Kaito's voice snapped.
"You're running straight into a fireball. You're standing in gas vapor. If you spark, you won't just kill yourself. You'll blow everything in a mile radius."
Koichi froze.
He looked at the shimmering air. He smelled the gas now—sweet, cloying, deadly.
He was a match. The villain was the fuse.
"Damn! What do I do?" Koichi yelled. "He's reaching for the valve!"
"Use the gear I gave you," Kaito commanded. "I didn't reinforce those soles in the warehouse just for you to slide around like an amateur. Dig in."
Kaito's voice shifted.
"Ok, I'll try"
Kaito wasn't running a program. He was giving instructions to a junior employee.
"Look left. The blue cooling pipe. It's frozen solid. It's the only thing in that yard that isn't melting."
Koichi looked. The pipe was twenty feet away. Narrow. Slick with condensation.
"The boots will stick. I made sure of it. Wall-run it. Get above him."
Koichi hesitated. "It's vertical! I've never—"
"Do it. Or explain to your Master why you let the factory burn in heaven."
Koichi gritted his teeth. He turned. He sprinted at the pipe.
He hit the metal.
Silence.
There was no squeak. No slip.
The soles bit into the frosted metal like claws. The gel Kaito had injected into the midsoles hardened instantly, giving him perfect stability.
He ran up the wall. Gravity didn't exist.
"I'm up! I'm really up" Koichi yelled. "But he's looking right at me!"
-----
"HERO? No! You'rethe sidekick of that guy Knuckleduster!"
"Get over here!"
CRACCKLEE
CRICCKLEE
The Villain turned, his eyes glowing white. He opened his mouth preparing to scream a jet of fire.
"Pop," Kaito barked.
Pop Step jumped on the roof. "Y-yes?"
"Stop fighting the wind. You're light. Use it. Drop to the Loading Dock on the east side. It's cold there. Make a noise. A big one. Get his eyes off Koichi."
Pop dove. She hit the metal roof of the loading dock.
BOOM.
"WHO!!!"
The sonic impact rattled the Villain's teeth. He flinched, turning toward the sound.
"Makoto."
Makoto flinched behind the barrels. "I'm here!"
"Put the camera down," Kaito ordered. "You want a story? Be useful. There's a yellow wheel three meters to your right. Pull it."
"But the steam—"
"Pull it, or you all die. Your choice."
Makoto scrambled. She grabbed the wheel. It was hot. She pulled.
HISSSSSSSSSS
A wall of steam blasted out, blinding the Villain.
"Koichi. He's blind. Drop."
Koichi pushed off the pipe. He fell toward the steam.
"SHOOTING STAR... DROP!"
THWACK.
He hit the Villain's shoulder. The Villain stumbled but didn't fall. He roared, swinging a backhand of fire.
"He's still standing!" Koichi yelled, dodging the flames by an inch.
"Because your angle was bad," Kaito sighed. "You hit the trapezius. It's a muscle. You need the nerve cluster."
"Makoto. The pressure is still rising. There's a secondary release lever under the control panel. Kick the panel open."
"Kick it?!" Makoto yelled.
"Yes. It's rusted shut. Kick it."
Makoto ran to the panel. She kicked it.
CLANG.
The metal bent. She kicked it again. It flew open. She yanked the lever.
WHOOSH.
More steam vented. The pressure gauge dropped from Red to Yellow.
"Pop. Again. Higher frequency. Make his ears ring."
Pop Step jumped again.
CRACK.
A sharper, higher-pitched boom. The Villain clutched his head, screaming.
"Koichi. Now. He's distracted. Low center of gravity. Sweep the leg, then target the neck."
Koichi dropped low. He slid under the Villain's guard. His boots gripped the hot floor perfectly.
SWEEP.
He kicked the Villain's ankle. The "Burner" buckled. He fell to one knee.
"AGHHH!"
"Finish it. Base of the skull. Clean."
Koichi spun. He put everything into the heel.
"GO DOWN!"
CRUNCH.
The Villain's eyes rolled back. The glow in his veins shorted out. He crumbled instantly, hitting the metal grating face-first.
The fire on his skin flickered and died.
Koichi landed. He stood over the unconscious villain, chest heaving.
"Good job everyone," Kaito said. "The fire department is three minutes out. Clear the scene."
"Wait, Kaito!" Koichi panted. "Thank you. You saved our lives aga~."
"Everyone." Kaito cut him off.
"Ye.. Yeah?" The trio replied in unison.
"Check the soles. Clean yourselves up. Don't bring hazardous chemical back to the aparment."
CLICK.
The line went dead.
-----
Location: Unit 203 – Naruhata Estates
Time: 11:00 PM
Kaito pulled his hand back through the zippered slit of the sauna.
ZRRRT.
The tablet clattered onto the hardwood floor outside.
He sat there, slumped against the nylon wall, letting the last of the steam coat his lungs.
PUUUUF
He exhaled. Long. Slow.
"Finally over," Kaito muttered.
He walked straight to the balcony. He didn't look at the city lights. He pressed his palm against the double-paned glass.
Cool. Solid. Not a single stress fracture.
"Good product," he whispered, his reflection staring back withtired eyes.
Kaito headed to the kitchen, grabbed a bottle of cold mineral water from the fridge, and chugged half of it in one go.
Glug-glug-glug
The cold stung his throat. It felt real
He then sat in his leather armchairand waited.
Knock. Knock.
Soft. Hesitant.
Kaito checked the heavy watch on his wrist. 11:18 PM.
"It's open," Kaito called out. "Shoes off in the hall."
The door swung inward.
Koichi entered, hisAlmight hoodie is clean. He was grinning, a frantic, wide-eyed look of pure adrenaline.
"We brought something!" Koichi said, hoisting a plastic bag filled with convenience store bento boxes. "The high-grade ones! With the extra salmon! It's on us, Kaito!"
Pop Step peeked around his shoulder, her pink pigtails singed at the tips.
She looked exhausted but electrified. "And... I bought the dessert! Pre-made! I didn't touch a stove, so it's actually edible!"
Makoto walked in last, bold as brass. She didn't wait for an invite.
She walked right up to Kaito's chair, her yellow raincoat dripping slightly on the floor. She looked at the sauna, then back at him.
"Good job, Manager," Makoto said. She reached out and patted his shoulder—a heavy, familiar gesture. "You kept us from becoming a headline. That was... some serious work on the comms."
Kaito stared at her hand on his shoulder, then up at her face. Her eyes were searching.
He felt the familiar, invisible energy of her Quirk—the Polygraph. She was looking for a pulse spike. A vibration.
"How does a logistics guy know how to hack a municipal mesh-net in under sixty seconds?" Makoto asked.
"And those commands... you weren't just guessing. You were directing a pincer maneuver like you've done it a thousand times. Where does a 'haken specialist' learn to pilot people like drones?"
Koichi and Pop Step paused, the bento boxes mid-air. They were curious, too. They remembered the surgery.
They remembered the shoes. Now they remembered the voice in their ears that moved them like clockwork.
Kaito didn't move. He didn't pull away. He took a slow sip of his water.
"I just know more than others," Kaito said. His voice was flat. Pragmatic. "It's a big world. If you spend enough time fixing other people's messes, you learn how they break. It's just so-so. Nothing special."
The pressure of Makoto's Quirk hummed.
Truth.
She frowned, frustrated by the lack of a lie. It was the most honest, yet most deflective answer she'd ever heard.
"So-so?" Makoto laughed, though her eyes remained sharp. "You just saved a city block from a fuel-air explosion from your living room while in a towel. You're a hell of a guy, Kaito."
"We really did it, didn't we?" Koichi said, his voice rising with excitement as he set the food on the kitchen island. "Without Master... we actually subdued a Trigger-villain. I felt... I felt like I knew exactly where to go. The boots... they didn't even slip once."
"I felt like I was actually flying for a second!" Pop added, her hands gesturing wildly. "Thanks to Kaito-san, the timing with the steam and the sound... we looked like Pros!"
-----
Makoto lingered by Kaito's chair. She watched him.
He looked tired. Not the tired of a hero who had fought a war, but the tired of a man who had finished a long shift.
"You're really are somethingelse Kaito. You're a mystery. I find you very interesting. How many things are you still hiding in thatpersona of yours?"
Kaito didn't open his eyes.
"Just eat your bento, Makoto. And try not to spill the soy sauce. It stains the polymer."
"My Polygraph catches lies, but it hates enigmas. You don't trigger the pulse, but you don't tell the whole truth. That's why you're fascinating. Uncovering your secrets are also fun challenge."
"You don't mind do you?" Makoto replied with a smile on her face.
"Suit yourself"
The room wasn't silent. There was the clatter of plastic, the slosh of a mop bucket, and the loud, excited chatter of two vigilantes who finally felt like they belonged on the street.
It wasn't the silence Kaito had moved here for.
But as the smell of warm rice and salmon filled the air, he decided it wasn't bad.
_-_-_-_-_
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(9 Advanced Chapters)