In the far reaches of a dense timberland at the point where the two surrounding mountains curved into each other stood an entrance carved into the mountainside, blended seamlessly with the rugged terrain. Towering pines crowded the base, their roots gripping the rocky slope.
Looking closer, one would see a door, a massive slab of reinforced steel, mimicking the texture of the surrounding stone.
Leading up to this cloaked door was a narrow path, hardly visible under a layer of fallen needles and flanked by ferns. Above, the mountains curved inward, their peaks shrouded in a dense haze. Preventing prying eyes from peaking in on those who came here.
This place was one of the Neo Heroes' secret facilities, located a great distance outside of L-City. How anyone could uncover its coordinates without direct knowledge from the Neo Heroes' top brass was a mystery, one that would likely remain unsolved.
Sounds from an untold number of wildlife traveled through the air. Birds chirped, leaves rustled, and distant calls of unseen creatures blended together. Said sounds vanished when a powerful force struck the inner side of the door. It buckled inward, its reinforced steel screeching under the strike's force before rocketing off, slicing through the air and toppling several distant trees.
The faint sound of alarms echoed from deep within the facility.
Four women emerged from the now doorless mountainside entrance, five if you counted the one slung over the frontmost woman's shoulders.
"Why couldn't you open the door? It wasn't locked!" Fubuki rubbed her ears. Even coated with psychic energy, the harsh screech of metal being crushed so close had pierced through, fueling her irritation. The thought of trekking back through the bug-infested forest only made it worse.
Levitating behind Fubuki was a battle suit Mosquito Girl had insisted they bring along, found in a storage room next to the one where their target lay unconscious on an operating table. Why did she have to waste her mental stamina carrying this armor as well just because 'it looked cool'? Trailing behind the suit was a large box containing a leg, a frilly dress, knee-high laced boots and various other accessories.
While to her left stood Suiko, and to her right was Yuta, both covering their ears and wearing annoyed expressions, though neither sounded their complaints.
But Fubuki's gaze fixated on Mosquito Girl, a woman whose unsound behaviour far surpassed anything she could've imagined…
What had she gotten herself into? She hadn't thought she would be the one caught in a whirlwind today. Her original plan was simple: recruit a new member for the Blizzard Group and enjoy a celebratory dinner. Instead, she ended up agreeing to a relationship with Caspian while sharing him with several other women, one of whom was her sister.
Thinking of Tatsumaki, Fubuki didn't know to face her now. It was so unlike her sister to be so sneaky that she hadn't thought to be on guard.
Was this what she truly wanted? Did she even like Caspian? The rapid chain of events earlier had left her too stunned to think. But now, dragged along, she finally had a moment to reflect.
And the answer she reached was… yes, she did. It was as absurd as everything else that had happened today. The warmth in her chest, the smile that crept onto her lips when she thought of him, the lack of jealousy toward the other women. It all felt unnaturally natural, as though destined. Like an aura or invisible hand guided and enabled her to experience feelings and thoughts that would've been impossible before meeting Caspian.
There was no pressure. She could take her time, date him, and embrace this wild new chapter of her life.
Fubuki then recalled how many new members her Blizzard Group had gained, lifting her spirits higher.
"How many times do you think she will do this?"
She blinked and noticed Mosquito Girl looking at her with a wide grin before she asked, "Do what?"
"Hmm, I wonder." Suiko added.
Yuta chimed in and said, "Yes. It is quite a mystery. Whatever or whoever could she be pondering over?"
Another thing Fubuki would need to adjust to was the constant teasing. She'd never been teased like this before today, though deep down, she had to admit she enjoyed it.
"All of you are acting too casual," Fubuki deflected, pointing at the woman slung over Mosquito Girl's shoulders. "I don't think Caspian would approve of us kidnapping Wavygyaza. He specifically said no to this kind of behavior!"
Yuta snorted. "We do not require his approval."
"Alright, no need to get worked up. We can all agree Caspian will regret his decision later and think, 'what if?' We'll apologize when the time comes. I feel bad about this too."
Suiko's words comforted Fubuki, but they didn't solve the problem at hand.
"What are we supposed to do now? The only conscious person left down there said her transformation was nearly complete. Nearly. Look at her. She's pale as a ghost, and her body feels oddly hot! What are you doing…?"
Fubuki stopped mid-rant when she noticed Mosquito Girl pressing a hand against the lower portion of her stomach.
Suiko's eyes widened. "Are you already…"
"Not yet! Hopefully next time…" Mosquito Girl smiled. "I've felt a strange power deep inside me for a while now, but I can't use it. I tried to draw it out earlier, but nothing happened."
Understanding dawned in Fubuki's eyes. "So that's why you beat so many people senseless."
Mosquito Girl's body quaked. "I went easy on them because we got lucky and found her at the first facility we checked. They, they! Dressed all smart, yet they had the nerve to misidentify me! I—"
Fubuki, worried Mosquito Girl might storm back, quickly interrupted her. "Standing around here isn't helping. We have Wavygyaza, but what are we supposed to do with her?"
"I hope you have a plan. I won't forgive you if she dies because of your negligence," Yuta said.
Suiko wore a similar stern expression.
"You three need to have more faith in me," Mosquito Girl said, pulling out a white, oval-shaped electronic device.
"What is that?" Fubuki asked.
Mosquito Girl tapped the device's screen, causing a holographic display to appear above it. "What? Do the three of you not have phones?"
How is that a phone? Fubuki thought.
Suiko stepped closer, tilting her head. "Even if this is a phone, how do you expect to get a signal out here?"
"A signal? Dr. Genus already fixed that annoying issue."
"…"
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I have a few announcements to share within the next several days, but today I want to get the disappointing one out of the way: the weekly chapter count will drop to five. No longer on Mondays.
A tough call, but I feel it's the right one in the long run.
Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are the planned release schedule until the series completion.
I apologize and I want to express my thanks to those still reading and new readers who come across this piece of news in the future.
Take care.