ONE: Chapter 3
The sirens blared.
One looked up.
"Oh."
Hunters arrived.
Swift. Organized.
The first one stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the alley.
"...What the hell is this?"
Another one checked his screen.
"Catastrophe-level energy spike."
"Source?"
The screen flickered.
Then displayed a name.
ONE
Silence.
One raised his hand.
"Hello."
The hunters froze.
One of them went pale.
"He's conscious…"
"That's impossible."
Captain Man wasn't there yet.
But his name was already being passed around.
"Call Number 5."
"Right away."
One tilted his head.
"Did I do something wrong?"
No one answered.
The squad leader approached cautiously.
"Are you hurt?"
One looked at his arms.
"No."
"Tired?"
One hesitated.
"A little… I haven't eaten."
They exchanged a look.
"We can't let him go back out."
"Protocol?"
"Protocol."
One frowned.
"Can I go home after?"
"...No."
——
Captain Man, number 5 in the hunter rankings, arrived at the scene.
He looks at One.
He looks at the alley.
He sighs.
"...Have you eaten today?"
One shakes his head.
"Come on."
"Where to?"
"My place."
One smiles.
"Okay."
He follows him.
Arriving at his place.
One settled onto the couch.
"It's… nice!"
"Thanks. Sit still," Captain Man explained.
One nodded… but his gaze was already drawn to the game console.
"That looks fun! Can I try?"
"Later," Captain Man replied, sighing.
One pretended to listen, but he leaned over to look at the buttons, fascinated.
He grabbed a bag of chips from the table and took a bite.
"Mmmh… not bad!"
"Don't eat so fast, kid."
"But I'm not a kid!"
One smiled.
He really liked these simple little pleasures.
Captain Man watched him for a moment.
"You know, what you just did out there… that wasn't normal."
"Huh?"
"Neutralizing that… daemon."
"Ah, that? Oh… it was nothing!"
One shrugged, he was used to it.
Captain Man sighed, amused despite himself.
"And now, you're here. In my home."
"You're keeping me?"
"For now. Observation."
"Observation…?"
One smiled.
"Oh! Like an… experiment! Cool!"
Captain Man raised an eyebrow.
"Not exactly."
One flopped back onto the couch, still cheerful.
He put his feet up on the table, took another bite of chips, and looked at Captain Man.
"So… what do you usually do?"
Captain Man gestured to an array of trophies on the shelf.
"Missions, management, training…"
"Oh! Games! Can we play?"
"...Not yet."
One nodded, as if that were normal.
He didn't see the weight of the trophies, nor the panic of the world surrounding him.
For him, it was just… an apartment where he could breathe.
He turned to the window, eyes bright.
"The street was crazy earlier… but I was having fun."
Captain Man sighed.
"This kid… He doesn't understand a thing, and yet…"
"And yet?"
"...he's going to turn the world upside down."
One smiled, oblivious to what he had just said.
Then he took a bite of a chip, satisfied.
"So, when do we play?"