A smoldering fury coiled in Fubuki's chest. The revelation that her world was fiction to him didn't shock her. His world felt dull beside hers. That wasn't what lit the fire inside. It was the violation; the invisible strings that pulled at her thoughts, twisted her choices, and stole her will.
She'd spent her life trapped beneath her sister's shadow; smothered by control and overprotection. Only recently had she tasted real freedom. Her bond with Tatsumaki had changed. They stood as equals now. Or at least, treated each other like it.
But that growth, that precious shift, hadn't come from within. Something else had manipulated them from the start — Tatsumaki, Fubuki, the others. None escaped. It might have been God, that vile presence lurking beyond reality's edge. Or perhaps Caspian, unintentionally, like he claimed.
And now, Fubuki sat alone in her private office at the Blizzard Group's HQ, nestled in her leather executive chair, basking in her newfound clarity.
Lunacy. That's what it was. Falling for him at first sight. Sharing him without jealousy. Laughable. Sure, she'd entertained those thoughts before, but always brushed them aside without reflection thanks to her influenced state.
The longer she dwelled on it, the more certain she became of one thing: Caspian had to be responsible. Every piece fit too neatly around him. A point she couldn't overlook.
They hadn't even kissed.
She should cut ties. Get out. Ban him from her life.
He insisted he hadn't meant to influence her… but did that change the fact that it happened?
Was she being too harsh? Had he wronged her in any other way?
Most certainly not.
In truth, her life had never been better.
Fubuki lurched forward, elbows dropping onto the polished L-shaped desk. Fingers dug into her dark green hair as her breathing hitched.
What am I supposed to do…?
Clarity hadn't washed away her feelings. With no foreign hand steering her heart, they could only be genuine.
Her teeth sank into her bottom lip.
It was her life. Her choice. She would decide the life she desired from now on.
I want...
¤ ¤ ¤
R-City, inside a posh high-rise apartment.
Wavygyaza glared into her fridge. Empty.
She opened it again.
Empty still.
She would summarize the past couple of days with two words: 'repeated whiplash.'
The 'Mind Room' shook her reality. Her hatred for the Neo Heroes soared to a new high, and now she had another target: 'The Organization.'
Plans had already begun forming. She knew how she'd handle what came next.
She drifted from the kitchen to the living room and pulled open the curtains, eyes locking on a distant speck — Handsome Castle. Just barely visible on the horizon.
Sweet Mask wasn't human. That truth hit her harder than anything else.
All her effort, years of climbing, training, perfecting her look, it meant nothing now. How could she surpass him properly when he will inevitably get exposed to be a non-human?
Yet…
He turned out to be a proper hero. The 'Ideal Hero.' Maybe he's what he had dreamed of. No matter what, she would confront him while he still reigned at the top. She had to!
Wavygyaza's musings voyaged to a different subject.
Thank you.
Her thanks went to Caspian. She no longer hated him. He wasn't a bad man. Libidinous, sure… but not bad.
When he spoke of his will influencing others, she didn't believe it applied to her. Maybe the exposure had been too short. Maybe it had been 'God' instead. Still, she couldn't quite forget that one moment—
The head pats. They felt… nice.
No! That was a lie she kept telling herself.
She pressed her hand down on her blonde hair, on the spot where he'd graced her with head pats.
I want to see him again… but only to thank him. In person.
¤ ¤ ¤
Psykos reclined on a velvet couch in the Blizzard Group's lounge, a glass of red wine twirling between her fingers.
Why give up her favorite drink? She could think of one reason.
Caspian. Tatsumaki. Suiko. Yuta. Fubuki. Wavygyaza. Mosquito Girl. Even herself.
All was progressing as it should. There could be no errors — lest the 'Perfect End' be closed off. And if it was, then its second aspect would never see the light of day.
She sipped down the rest of the wine. Around her in the tidy, well-lit lounge, the only sound was the hum of the central air-conditioning. Fubuki had given the Blizzard Group the day off.
Nothing wrong with a silent respite.
Her final use of the 'Third Eye' had done the opposite of the first: granting her a clear, haze-free view of a future she never could've imagined.
The 'Mind Room.' It marked the first crucial step toward the 'Perfect End.' If Caspian hadn't followed through with his idea, if they hadn't all entered, then only an 'Ominous Future' awaited every dimension. The only being truly capable of changing that feat was none other than Caspian himself. As for 'God,' there isn't a timeline in which he can bear the weight of his actions.
She closed her eyes and focused on her heart's rhythmic beat.
Much could still go wrong. But she wouldn't worry. He would overcome it all. She believed that with everything she had.
Psykos' mind, heart, and soul all knew what they wanted; what she longed-for.
¤ ¤ ¤
"Two, four—yay—eight, ten!" Mosquito Girl handed over the order. "Alright, here's your takoyaki! Come back next weekend," she said, waving at the young couple, a wide smile stuck on her face.
The 'Mind Room' had been super fun! A weird brief vacation for the mind. Surprise guests, twists, drama! She adored each moment.
Best of all, she discovered Caspian had gone so far just to give her a happy ending. She much preferred this version — the one where she actually got to feel his love. Not the one where she fluttered around, unloved and misunderstood.
Thanks to him, even her brilliant creator, Dr. Genus, improved. Now she didn't have to run around hunting for blood. Just a 'simple' metallic coin-sized patch embedded beneath her collarbone and she stayed fed around the clock.
Did she still want to be with him?
Duh! Of course she did. Forever! Why even ask something so obvious?
And all this fuss from the others about 'influence,' 'will,' and 'clarity'—ugh. So dramatic. She hadn't felt a thing. Not a single tug in her mind, no haze, no brainwashing, no shady puppeteering. Just love. The same clear-headed love she felt the moment she awoke from her metamorphosis.
Heh. I'm winning. While they're off being indecisive, I get him to myself every night. Silly girls.
"Mosquito Girl, order three's batch is ready," Armored Gorilla called out.
"Coming!"
She felt exactly the same now as she did then. Happy. Certain. Free.
Let everyone else question their feelings.
Mosquito Girl already knew hers were real.
And she wanted him. Now. Tomorrow. Always.