Carl and Erika didn't even look back at Daredevil.
Wrapped in each other's arms, they strolled down the street, completely absorbed in one another.
Daredevil just stood there, frozen.
His heightened senses tracked their departing figures in silence.
There was a strange, stinging sense of being completely ignored.
Still, it could've been worse.
At least that terrifying man hadn't decided to throw hands.
Daredevil's injuries still hadn't fully healed. One more serious blow, and… he didn't even want to think about it.
Of course, there were things worse than physical injury.
But Matt Murdock chose not to dwell on that.
After standing still for a long moment, he finally turned and walked back into the café.
He sat down at the table, his expression a little stiff.
Regret swelled up inside him.
『Daredevil』: …If I'd known it would turn out like this, I wouldn't have gone after her at all.
The colleague across from him grinned and teased:
『Colleague』: So, Matt? Did you get her number or not?
『Colleague』: I mean, c'mon, she was gorgeous!
Then he looked closer.
『Colleague』: …Wait, why are you covered in grass?
『Daredevil』: …
Matt forced a bitter smile and said nothing.
On the Street
Carl and Erika walked side by side, their arms still linked.
Erika suddenly seemed to recall something and turned to Carl with a slightly confused expression.
『God of Mankind』: What's with that face?
『Erika』: That guy… how did he end up flying more than ten meters? Was that you?
『Erika』: And how did you get there so fast? Weren't you supposed to be in Queens?
She tilted her head, genuinely puzzled.
Earlier, she'd been too excited to think clearly when Carl showed up. But now that her emotions were settling down, things started to feel… off.
For example,
She remembered sparring with Daredevil just a moment ago.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Daredevil had disappeared, and Carl was suddenly right in front of her.
She turned again and saw Daredevil sprawled on a grassy patch over ten meters away.
Then Carl kissed her, and she instinctively kissed him back.
But now that she thought about it… none of it made logical sense.
She and Carl had been together for years.
They'd started dating in their freshman year of college. Carl had even met her father.
So Erika didn't hesitate to speak her mind.
『God of Mankind』: Oh, I just got here.
He nodded casually.
『God of Mankind』: I saw you fighting from home and rushed over to help.
『God of Mankind』: And yeah, I threw him.
『Erika』: You came from home? But weren't you in Queens?
『God of Mankind』: Yep.
『Erika』: …Queens?
She stared at him in disbelief.
She was in Manhattan right now.
Queens and Manhattan weren't exactly next-door neighbors, you had to cross a whole river.
Even by subway, it took at least thirty to forty minutes.
But Carl had seen her fighting from Queens… and arrived in time to interrupt?
That was impossible.
There was no way he could've seen from Queens to Manhattan with the naked eye.
Even if he had seen her somehow, he showed up before the fight even ended.
『Erika』: How'd you even get here?
『God of Mankind』: I flew. Took less than a second.
『Erika』: …Are you joking right now, Carl?
She looked at him like he was being ridiculous.
Surely he was just messing with her.
It wouldn't be the first time, Carl loved weird jokes.
『God of Mankind』: I'm not joking.
He shook his head.
『God of Mankind』: You saw that guy get flung, right?
『God of Mankind』: That was me. You couldn't have done that.
『Erika』: …
She paused.
Honestly, she couldn't deny it, she hadn't thrown Daredevil that far.
But Carl? That didn't seem right either.
They'd gone to the same university.
She remembered watching him beat the Sanda Club members effortlessly.
Carl had been training since childhood, learning all sorts of combat styles.
He'd easily defeated a bunch of trained fighters, that was when Erika first took interest in him.
They'd grown close after that.
She knew his skills were top-notch, on par with her own.
But even so,
No ordinary person could throw another human ten meters.
She couldn't. No one could.
And yet, it had happened.
Carl just smiled at her.
『God of Mankind』: Long story short, I suddenly gained some insane powers.
『God of Mankind』: Not just flying. I'm faster than a jet.
『God of Mankind』: And I can read minds too. Like right now, I know exactly what you're thinking.
He wasn't hiding anything.
In fact, he never intended to.
If the authorities or media ever saw him flying or fighting, so be it.
Why should he hide?
Who could possibly pose a threat?
If anyone tried anything stupid, well…
They were asking for death.
Carl didn't fear the world.
And he wasn't about to lie to the people closest to him, like Skye or Erika.
Still,
Erika burst out laughing, holding his shoulder as she doubled over.
『Erika』: Hahahaha!
『Erika』: Carl, that was a good one! You're telling me you have superpowers now? What is this, a midlife crisis?
『Erika』: You've been out of school for how many years?
Carl, meanwhile, was admiring the way her body moved with each laugh.
She'd always been beautiful, but now, with her laughing freely, she looked breathtaking.
After a moment, Carl grinned.
『God of Mankind』: I'm serious. I really do have mind-reading powers.
『God of Mankind』: You're thinking none of this makes sense, right?
『God of Mankind』: I told you, I was the one who tossed him. If you don't believe me, just think of something. I'll guess it.
『Erika』: …Alright.
She smirked, humoring him.
Because, honestly, all of this still sounded crazy.
Carl didn't mind.
He waited a second.
『God of Mankind』: Hmm…
『God of Mankind』: You're mad that your dad's making you go to that party.
Erika's smile froze.
That was exactly what she had just been thinking.
…
She tried to calm herself.
It had to be coincidence.
Carl did know her well.
But then,
『God of Mankind』: You're thinking that was just luck.
『God of Mankind』: And that this "delusional" Carl is actually kind of cute.
Her eyes widened.
『God of Mankind』: Now you're wondering if I really do have mind-reading powers.
『God of Mankind』: If you're still not convinced, I'll just show you.
With that,
Carl wrapped an arm around her waist.
And the next instant,
Whoosh!
They disappeared from the street.
A breath later,
They were floating high above the city skyline.
Erika stood suspended in midair.
Below her, Manhattan's glittering buildings stretched as far as the eye could see.
She blinked.
Mouth hanging open in disbelief.