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6 - caught in the rain.

A few days after that incident, the rainy season arrived, and the darkened clouds in the sky signaled the incoming downpour of that day. Oddly enough, there seemed to be no sign of people walking along the sidewalk. Instead, the lights in everyone's homes were turned on.

The girl was taking a rest on the grass in the middle of the park with her arms stretched out, having fully recovered from her energy shortage. The rain poured onto her expressionless face and blazer, but not even a single person paid attention to her until a certain someone came along.

"What a day, isn't it?"

Klein sat down beside her, making sure not to accidentally touch her hand in the process. He stretched out his legs and looked up to the sky. The tall buildings and skyscrapers were visible from there, reminding him of the time he looked at those same buildings from the roof of the school.

The girl woke up and looked to her left. Klein sat there, unaware of her consciousness stirring. She decided to sit up and poke his cheek.

"Huh?"

He decided to take a look at her smile. Almost immediately, his face was beet red. "H-I-What are you doing?" he asked.

"Enjoying the rain," she said.

"No umbrellas? You'll get cold later once you head back indoors."

"Nah. I can dry myself off."

An awkward silence between them followed for a few long minutes as the rain continued to fall on the grass.

"So," said Klein, breaking the silence, "Why'd you wanna be a vigilante?"

The girl thought about it for a moment, before answering, "I just felt like doing it, I guess."

"Man, how I wish I could be like you..."

"You wanna be fatherless for at least two-thirds of your life?"

"I'm fine with that. I haven't seen my father ever since he moved to some secret place 6 years ago."

She looked at him as if to say "That's crazy." The normally calm boy looked a little unlike his usual self that day. "How was your father?" she asked.

"I wouldn't say he was a vampire, but he had the same ability as me. Only difference was that he was a villain who wrecked havoc."

Thunder roared in the distance.

"The only friends I made were Chris, and later Arielle thanks to him."

"You also have quite a positive reputation outside the school."

"Really?"

"Remember the mall incident where you singlehandedly broke a person's ribcage?"

"Yeah, I nearly got arrested for that."

"I heard the crowd say that you were the strongest in the school. Fairweather Campus, wasn't it?"

"Mhm. The school's very popular here. Speaking of which, where do you study?"

She thought for a moment, before answering, "Homeschooled."

The rain seemed to be drowning out her voice, because Klein asked, "Could you repeat that?"

"I studied at home."

They stayed silent for a moment and let the sound of the rain go back to their ears. It was a peaceful moment. Neither of them had any thought other than thinking that they had a slight connection to each other.

"You haven't told me your name yet," said Klein, getting up.

"Would it be alright if I didn't reveal my name?"

"Can I at least know your relations?"

"...I know Chris. That's all I'm gonna say."

"Hm... He did mention about his twin sister... Are you his sister?"

"No."

"Then his cousin?"

"No."

"His auntie?"

"Why do you keep asking me if I have any relation to him?"

"Well..."

As if he was possessed, Klein leaned forward and whispered, "I wanna ask his consent to marry you."

"PEDO!"

The girl immediately leaped back and threw a lightning bolt at him, its power amplified thanks to the rain. Klein managed to block it with a shield, and quickly dashed at her, grabbing her and pulling her into a bride-and-groom pose.

"What's wrong with being able to have a relation with you?"

"..."

The girl only clenched her teeth. Behind her back, she was charging up her Defibrillator move.

"Come on, don't be shy. I just want to... be with you forever."

"Defibrillator – 50% output."

"Wait, what- AaaaaAAAAAaAAAaAAAAAAaAAaaaaAAaAaaAaaaAAAaaAAAAAaaAaaaAaaAAaAA!"

The girl quickly shocked him with her ultimate move at half of its full power, and quickly took him up after making sure he was unconscious. She dashed through the rain and made her way to the apartment where Chris lived, and laid him down in front of his room before quickly slipping away.

She went back to the park even though the rain hadn't stopped yet. Controlling her energy output to slightly charge her entire body with electricity, she took a few deep breaths and calmed herself down. "This was easier than I expected," she thought, "I thought it would've taken quite a while to fully control the output on my entire body."

The things she said would have been true had she not constantly used it over a couple years trying to save people without permission. Back when she was just a simple child in Grade 3, she saved a friend from a collapsing building without any injuries, thus sparking her motivation to become a vigilante.

Walking up to a tree, she got into a fighting stance before barraging the trunk, electric cyan particles appearing every time she moved her arms. After about a hundred hits, she stopped and deactivated her electricity, fearing that any more hits would break both the tree and her fists.

She moved her bangs to the side as they got in the way of her sight, and started using a couple of taekwondo moves, creating streaks of electricity wherever she went. She was already about to master at least 2 of those moves when she heard a little bit of commotion nearby. Taking a look, she saw a man using his Barrier ability to defend himself against a masked attacker.

"Alright. About time I put this into action."

She charged her body up with electricity and quickly dashed towards the attacker before landing an airborne roundhouse kick. He was sent flying a few meters back and the victim took the chance to run away from the incoming conflict.

"Who could've guessed that the number 1 vigilante on our wanted list personally came to us?" the man said, creating a dagger made of ice.

"Are you in a group?" the girl asked, preparing herself for a fight.

"That's something I can't reveal."

"Okay."

The two of them charged at each other, ready to attack.



That night, Chris dreamt of Klein kissing him and woke up with a jolt. His room was lit by the moonlight shining through the window that usually opened whenever Chris was gone. Looking around, he was reminded of that same night when he had a massive party with his friends. He put the blanket over an unconscious Arielle before walking to the closet.

Klein was playing his phone under the covers even though it was already 1 a.m. in the morning. He would've finished a level had Chris not barged into the room with a slam. Turning on the lights, the latter walked towards Klein.

"You need anything?" he asked.

Chris answered by slapping his face so hard it left a bruise.

(author's notes: i apologize for the lack of engagement in this chapter, my motivation was low)