Chapter 40: Decomposition Hero · ???

"First meeting of the 'Let’s Reform D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. into a Hero Committee,' start!"

"I resign."

"This ain’t shogi."

Just from saying the title, Mio already gave up.

Jin was buried in his newspaper, and Sudama was focused on chores. Normally, D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. would stay shut away in the closet, but today I dragged him out and sat him at the table. Still, the meeting was basically just me and Mio.

And really, doing simultaneous translation every time is a pain. Plus, it’s hard to imagine D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. contributing anything constructive anyway.

But we can’t keep him stuffed in a closet forever. He himself doesn’t seem dissatisfied, but that lack of dissatisfaction is what’s unsettling. I want him to know the joy of living a little more. What does he even live for? If nothing’s enjoyable, is he only existing to atone? That can’t be right.

"For now, let’s start by coming up with a hero name."

"That’s just escapism."

"You gotta dream big, don’t you?"

That said, it’s not like I’m confident in my naming sense. The only one I’ve ever named is Naname-san. Is that really okay? Maybe something a little loose and casual would actually work better—less pretentious. But whether that fits D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E.… that’s the problem.

"D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. has way too much infamy attached to it. On top of that, it literally means ‘explosion.’ Doesn’t match his powers at all. We should aim for something more peaceful."

"But he can only talk using those initials, right? I don’t think the name necessarily reflects him less because of that."

"True. Thanks to that, I don’t even know his real name."

"Does he even have one?"

"Huh? Like, a case where nobody filed the birth certificate?"

Since it’s an overseas matter, I don’t know the details. If someone tells me it happens, I’ll just assume it does. I thought the U.S. had laws for that stuff, but I guess it varies.

Even if we asked him for a new name, odds are it’d end up with one of those letters anyway. Maybe that’s fine? I don’t even know anymore.

"I can already see the future where someone mistakes him for a villain and takes him down."

"Yeah, his appearance’s the problem. Put him in a lab coat, he’s an evil scientist. Change the outfit, and his face still screams ‘the deranged Mad Something.’ Should we dye his hair?"

"No color’s gonna fix that. It’d be like putting a wig on a skeleton model."

"He doesn’t put on any weight no matter how much he eats. Actually, he barely eats at all."

D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. practically doesn’t eat. I figured he’d eat when he got hungry, but after leaving him alone, he went so long without food that it started to freak me out. Now we force food into his mouth from time to time. We keep it moderate so it’s not overfeeding, but still, he doesn’t bulk up at all.

Once, I seriously thought, "Is he battery-powered?" and went looking for a slot where the battery might go. He just doesn’t feel human. Is he an android or something?

Calling him a skeleton model really does fit. All bone, bug-eyed, albino pale skin—D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. looks like he belongs in a science lab. Especially with the lab coat.

"A hero suit might fix it. Dress him up in some mascot-looking costume, make him a soft character."

"Well, I’ve got my own built-in, so I don’t know much about that kind of thing."

"Right, forgot about that. I don’t know either. Maybe I’ll ask Snow Fox or Inferna next time."

Flux doesn’t need a hero suit since he’s liquid. But Snow Fox, who had his on under his shirt, and Inferna, who changed in the bathroom, clearly have tailored suits. I don’t know if they make them themselves, but they’ve definitely got connections. I’ll have to ask.

"If you’re going to see Raiden, I’m coming too♡"

"You’d tag along even if it wasn’t Raiden. That guy’s hiding his identity, and I don’t really want to pry. I feel like I’d slip up and blurt something by accident."

"And it’s fine with Snow Fox and Inferna?"

"Those two can’t keep their mouths shut anyway. Honestly, it’s a miracle their identities aren’t already exposed."

Even Mio already knows who Snow Fox is under the mask, and it’s only a matter of time with Inferna. As long as they don’t get so famous the news starts covering them, they might just manage to stay passable as masked heroes.

I really wonder how those guys handle their hero suits.

If they’re custom-made, it wouldn’t be strange for their identities to leak from there. They were already wearing something suit-like when we first met, so I never pressed for details.

Raiden especially—his suit design keeps changing as his activities go on. Does that mean he makes them himself?

The conversation shifted back to D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E.

Mio and I were seriously discussing things, but as always, D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E. just rolled his eyes around restlessly, making it impossible to tell what he was even looking at.

"Even if we fix his appearance with a suit, we still can’t communicate with him. At the very least, teamwork with other heroes is hopeless."

"So yeah, communication’s the real issue. Same problem you find in any workplace."

"Don’t generalize the problem. His language is on a whole different level."

"Well, it’s English, after all."

"That’s not what I mean."

Apparently, that wasn’t it.

The infamous "Detonate syntax," huh. I figure if you get the hang of it, anyone could reproduce it, but…

When I suggested that, Mio just shook his head. He could handle English decently, but not enough to construct sentences with that level of precision.

Even in Japanese, it’s like being told, "From now on, you can only speak in haiku." It’s not impossible, but it’s a hassle, you’re bound to slip up, and you might get caught trying too hard to sound clever. That’s basically been my life with it.

"More importantly, can he even fight without using bombs? I know combat ability isn’t strictly required for hero work, but as it stands, being a hero means fighting villains to protect civilians. The only reason I haven’t officially become one yet is because I’m keeping a low profile for now."

"Oh? So you’re saying once you get serious, you could instantly shoot to the top as a popular hero?"

"Naturally. Flux is art, after all."

"True. Even Poison Mist has already fallen prey to your venom."

"The poison’s his, not mine."

Mio didn’t seem fully aware of just how much Toxic Mist liked him. Honestly, the guy seems ready to throw his life away for Mio.

It’s not really romance, though. From what I can tell, Poison Mist sees himself as a fan, and Mio as his content. But that doesn’t make it any less intense.

Fans are warriors—they recognize themselves as oppressed underdogs, yet still carry the resolve to fight for what they love.

"As for D.E.T.O.N.A.T.E., he seems to think he can fight to some extent. From what I’ve seen, if he touches someone, he can dismantle them instantly. If he can apply that in a non-lethal way to capture villains, I’d say it’s useful."

"Wait. Don’t tell me—you tested that on yourself?"

"Was there a problem with that?"

Mio let out a long, long sigh. Guess there was a problem.

"You told me you were unhurt while I was gone."

"I was unhurt. He put me back together properly."

"That’s… a difference in values. I’ll just be more careful from now on."

Somehow, I’d managed to force Mio into learning a very strange kind of lesson.