Chapter 17: Liquid Villain – Flux③

Flux, who had reverted from liquid to human after passing out, was ignored as Raiden came over to me.

Wait a second. That big guy lying over there—he’s a dude? Flux was a guy? Did I just drink this guy a moment ago? I’m gonna end up with some weird kink at this rate.

"This time I made it in time!?"

"Yeah, I’m fine. The cafeteria didn’t take any damage either. Nice going, Raiden."

Well, calling me fine is a bit off since I literally drowned a few minutes ago, but Yukiya didn’t point it out. He looked like he had bigger things on his mind. Makes sense—his idolized hero was standing right in front of him.

"You’ve been struggling with Flux forever. How’d you manage to beat him this time? Some new move?"

"More like I refined my electrical control. I managed to adjust it so that the current only struck Flux without spreading and shocking anyone else. I could’ve done this level of precision before, but one mistake could’ve been disastrous, so I kept holding back. But this time, if I hesitated, Flux would’ve escaped again, and the damage from that would’ve been worse. So I just had to go for it. I’m glad it worked out."

As always, he talks a lot.

"So you’re saying there’s no name for the move?"

"Hmm… maybe Punch—Revised?"

Heroes and villains had only started appearing in this world not too long ago. The whole tradition of shouting out move names while throwing punches wasn’t a thing yet. I think we should start doing it—it’s way more fun.

"So basically you just punched him."

"Not just punched. It was electrified. See, when you run electricity through water, it splits into hydrogen and oxygen, turning into gas. Flux can only merge with liquids, so disrupting that was enough to expose his real body. As for pinpointing where he was hiding within the water flow, I tracked the specific electrical impulses—the kind that travel from the dendrites of a neuron through the soma, down the axon, and into the next dendrite. Doing that mid-battle wasn’t easy, you know?"

"Good work."

I hadn’t followed most of that, but I got that it was tough, so I tossed him some sympathy. Honestly, the only reason I can usually listen to Raiden’s long-winded explanations is because I’m beaten half-dead and regenerating. It’s good for distracting from the pain. Hearing it while I’m fine just makes me a little bored.

"Wait—you actually electrolyzed the water? Doesn’t hydrogen explode?"

"It’s fine! Hydrogen won’t explode if its concentration in the air is under 4%. Obviously I kept the electrolysis within safe limits!"

This whole conversation felt like a science lecture. I thought Raiden was a good talker, but maybe I was just mistaken. Guess my judgment was off when I was half-dead. Moral of the story: only take in about 30% of what an old man says. Not that I actually know how old Raiden is.

"Aren’t you going to introduce that guy? You two were chatting earlier, right?"

"Ah—this is…"

He was asking about Yukiya, who was standing stiffly at my side. But how the hell was I supposed to explain him? I didn’t know if I was allowed to say he was a hero. And Yukiya was completely fixated on his beloved Raiden, so there was no chance of getting permission. I doubted he was even hearing me.

Guess I’d just handle it myself. Pointing at Yukiya with my thumb, I told Raiden:

"Friend."

Yukiya gave a small bow, same as before. His eyes were locked onto Raiden, but apparently he’d been listening. The way he carried himself was annoyingly dignified—like the kind of guy who could ace any job interview.

"Ah, I see. Nice to meet you, I’m Raiden. Thanks for looking after my kid."

"Who are you calling your kid?"

"Honestly, at this point it feels like I gave birth to you myself."

"You’re insane."

Raiden was losing it. What’s this, parental instincts? Does being a hero do that to you?

"Wow, Inori, you actually have a friend. I thought you were always alone. I mean, you were by yourself when you got attacked at that barbecue joint, that sushi place, the aquarium, the amusement park…"

"That’s rude. You don’t have friends either, do you? Newbie heroes keep ignoring you. Sad."

"That’s not true! Sure, nobody’s ever talked to me first, but that’s just because our schedules don’t line up, right!? They’re not avoiding me, are they!? Do they think I’m some scary senior hero!? If you run into any rookies, make sure to tell them all my good points, okay!?"

"Sure. Uh… talks a lot, funny guy, fast runner, long scarf."

Since there was a rookie right here, I just said it aloud. Not sure if he caught it though—he was too busy staring at Raiden.

"Inori’s got a sharp tongue, but she’s kind at heart. Please stick with her as a friend."

Raiden dropped the banter and asked Yukiya to look after me. He really was playing the mom role. Probably because I’d told him my mom was dead. My dad’s still around, so if anything, yeah—it’d have to be the mom role.

And of course, the moment I complimented him straight-up, he started fidgeting again. If Yukiya saw that, he might get disillusioned. Maybe that’s a good thing though. A little disappointment might help break the idol worship and make it easier for Yukiya, Raiden, and Inferna to form a party together. Hopefully it’ll grow into a five-man team, sentai-style. I want Ironclad to be the black ranger.

"Yes."

Yukiya finally squeezed out a reply, his expression frozen. I could tell because I knew him well that he was forcing himself to answer. To outsiders, though, he probably just looked like a quiet, serious guy. Funny how appearances change the whole impression of communication.

Raiden seemed to think so too.

"A cool kid, huh."

"Gyahaha!"

"…Why is Inori laughing?"

I couldn’t help but laugh—it didn’t seem like Raiden would be forming a team anytime soon. Might be better to wait for some other new heroes to show up.

Honestly, it looked more likely that Ironclad would retire into being a hero before Yukiko could work up the courage to fight alongside Raiden. Lately the guy was getting real domestic—watching variety shows after coming home like a middle-aged dad.

Jin, meanwhile, was unemployed, so he was more like a laid-off dad. Ugh. No thanks. And I already have a real dad anyway. Don’t need another one. Considering my past life, I’ve already had two.