Chapter 18: Liquid Hero: Flux①

Apparently, there was a villain who switched to being a hero before Ironclad did.

"So yeah, I’ve decided to become a hero."

"‘So yeah’ doesn’t explain anything. Spell it out, I’ll listen."

When I woke up and went to wash my face, Flux came out of the faucet and said that.

I thought it was a dream. It happened so suddenly that I ended up strangely calm instead.

There was an intruder in my house. What about public safety? What about my safe zone?

"I came here to apologize. I’m sorry. Killing you isn’t something that can just be brushed off with this, but… would you like me to let you slap me?"

I’d seen her once when Raiden knocked her out and she reverted into a human body, but seeing her now, liquid and jiggling with those curvy proportions, she looked nothing but female.

Her speech and mannerisms were completely those of a woman.

So… her heart is female? Is that the right way to put it? Damn, this kind of question is so delicate it’s hard to even ask.

"Wouldn’t slapping you be pointless if you’re liquid?"

"I can let it hit me on purpose if I want."

"That so? Pretty skilled. And polite. Forget the slap, just tell me why you suddenly decided to become a hero. And why you’re here. Didn’t you get captured?"

"I fell for Raiden, so I broke out of prison."

"Extremely concise. Thanks."

So, she fell for Raiden, and to stand on equal footing with him, she decided to become a hero. And to do that, she broke out.

Part of me wanted to blame the police for letting her escape so easily, but Flux has a troublesome ability. She’s too much for regular folks to handle.

If she’s already breaking the law just to walk around freely, then I guess she doesn’t have the mindset that you need to be virtuous to become a hero.

Is there really a type of hero you can become starting from here? Well, it’s not like heroes have licenses. Even people with criminal records can become one. Not that she even served her sentence, so technically it’s not a record—it’s a manhunt. Wait, am I in danger right now?

I’d been thinking there were too many villains anyway and wishing one of them would switch sides.

I was hoping Ironclad would be that guy, but hey, another villain works too.

I’ll root for Flux. Probably Raiden won’t, though. Mostly in the romance department.

"Wanna talk about love?"

"…Yes, let’s!"

I tossed it out casually, and she jumped right on board. Flux sparkled.

A girls’ talk. I’ve never done one before.

Can two people call it a gathering? Well, I’ve heard women past the age of being called “girls” still call their meetups girls’ nights, so I guess the rules are flexible.

"Want some tea?"

"I prefer water. The fewer impurities, the easier it is to manipulate. If you gave me tea, I’d just end up separating out the leaves and absorbing the liquid, which would be wasteful, so no thanks."

"Then want some water?"

"That’s kind of you, but I’m afraid I’m not really familiar with thirst."

What a stylish way to decline.

Even when she teased Yukiya, I thought her word choice had flair.

Talking with someone who’s got a wide vocabulary is fun. I’m a science type, so words aren’t really my strong suit. You can tell from the crappy way I talk.

Flux rested her chin in her hand and sighed dreamily.

"That tingling, electrifying feeling… that’s love, isn’t it?"

"Pretty sure that’s Raiden’s ability."

"But my heart was racing."

"Maybe because you were taking damage?"

"Well, if it’s a hero strong enough to hurt even me, then of course I’d fall for him."

"By that logic, shouldn’t you also be in love with Yukiko and Inferna? You sure about this?"

"…Hmm, that’s possible too."

"So it is possible."

So she’s a masochist? If violence makes her fall in love, that’s a pretty unhealthy pattern. Doesn’t sound like the path to happiness.

Is that why she ended up a villain? Fooled by some bad man? Wait—in this case, was it Delta?

"What about Delta? Did you like him?"

"Oh, he was a wonderful man. The best I’ve ever had♡ Now Raiden’s my number one, though♡"

"Flux, you fall in love too easily. That’s dangerous. I mean, sure, Raiden’s trustworthy, but I can’t say the same for Yukiko or Inferna. And Raiden’s not gonna be thinking about romance until he takes down Delta anyway, so it’s hopeless for now. If you’ve got that much talent for loving people, shouldn’t you be able to find yourself a better partner?"

Flux lifted her hand gracefully to her cheek and looked at me thoughtfully.

"…That’s possible too."

"Me too!?"

Her strike zone was massive!

If she was open to Inferna, then yeah, women were included—but wait. Come to think of it, I am pretty good-looking.

Even during our first meeting, she’d called Yukiya and me beautiful.

So… does that mean I’m in? Is this what they call face privilege? No, probably not.

"Hey. Is that the second one?"

From the living room, Ironclad—real name Jin Kataniya—grumbled, looking annoyed as always.

When he read, he wore glasses, like a near-sighted old dad on his day off.

When I first brought him into my house, I’d said he was the first one. And Jin had said if a second one ever came, he’d leave.

"Hey, Flux, you got a place? Wanna live here?"

"Oh my, can I?"

"Sure. You’re a girl, right?"

"Well. I don’t really care either way. Unless I get knocked out, I can take either form."

"Then you’re number three. Since a man and a woman both joined at once, I’ll skip one number and call you number three. Jin, you leaving?"

Jin shut his eyes and rubbed his brow.

Probably eye strain from reading, I thought. Like an old man. Which he was.

"Where’s she sleeping?"

"The sink’s fine. Just don’t shove me in the toilet."

Jin turned his eyes back to the paper and flipped the page in silence. Guess he wasn’t leaving.

So as long as the house didn’t feel smaller, it was fine by him.

Flux clapped her hands together happily and laughed, "Ufufu!"

Even though she said she didn’t mind either gender, her gestures were way more feminine than mine. I wondered if they changed when she was in male form.

"A share house, huh? First time for me. I’m excited. But hey, Inori, how long are you gonna keep calling me Flux? That’s so formal!"

"Eh? Then what should I call you? Fuu-chan?"

"That’s fine, but… oh my, did I never tell you my name? Sorry about that. I’m Mio Yuuki."

"That’s an amazing name. Mio-chan it is."

"Sure. Mio is fine. Some days I’ll be Mio-kun, though."

So now my house had a villain lodger and a hero lodger. One of each, so it cancels out, right?

The gender ratio was 1:1 too. Wow, gender equality.

"So Inori, are you counted as a boy, then?"

"…! Ah!"

I’d automatically counted myself as a girl until Mio pointed it out. My mistake.

So in reality, the ratio was three to one.

"Sounds rough. With a regeneration ability like yours, even if you got gender reassignment surgery, your body would just revert to the original sex, wouldn’t it?"

"You get it! You actually get my struggle!"

"Of course. I’ve lived through the sweet and bitter of life. Want me to tell you about my days working at a strip club?"

"I absolutely do."

Oops, forgot there was a straight-laced guy in the room who wouldn’t like that.

"Jin, you in? Wanna hear?"

"Don’t mind me. You yap so much I figured out how to harden my eardrums so I don’t hear a thing."

"So those times you completely ignored me, that’s what was going on?"

I thought he was just getting better at ignoring me, but apparently he was actually improving his soundproofing. Which is kinda the same thing, I guess.

The reason I kept teasing and provoking Jin wasn’t just because I was bored. It was also for his growth.

He’s way too easy to read. And way too unapproachable.

If we’re gonna reform villains, it’s gotta start from that kind of groundwork.