Daughter of King

Chapter 3

Fubuki leaned against the wall, sipping idly at the smoothie Eyelashes brought her. She watched through her sunglasses as Lily walked out of the gaming store, a white shopping bag held in one hand as she held her cell phone against her face with the other. People threw sidelong glances her way as she stepped into pedestrian traffic, following the teenaged girl from the other side of the road.

It was stupid. She knew it was. But she just couldn't forget the way Lily's body seemed to emanate a sound so similar to the King Engine. She'd kept a careful eye on the girl in the week since their fight with the Terrible Toilet— brought down later that day not by King, but by Metal Bat—and so far, she seemed so...normal. Almost too normal.

Well, aside from the fact she was a B Class Hero at 14. There was no doubt in Fubuki's mind that Lily would one day surpass her, but that day was a long way off. So far, her surveillance—not stalking! surveillance—all the girl seemed to do was train with her staff and play video games. When questioned, the other members of the Blizzard Group said she'd started spending less time with them, bailing on group bonding exercises with random, unbelievable excuses.

She did it again just that morning. It was the perfect opportunity to see firsthand just what Lily was up to. Fubuki couldn't help but be a little worried as her youngest follower began distancing herself from the rest of them, after all.

...

Lily crossed the street and continued on her way, oblivious as Fubuki followed close behind. She made this trip once a week, if she could, happily paying for the train fare out of her own pocket. Her phone buzzed in her pocket and she pulled it out to look at the screen. It was Eyelashes, probably calling to see if she was going to come to the team building retreat today. She silenced the call with a sigh. It was hard, hiding her plans from her friends in the Blizzard Group, but she'd promised her father she would keep their relationship a secret, even from Miss Fubuki. As much as she missed hanging out with everyone on the weekends, she saw them literally every other day of the week, while she could only visit her father on Saturdays. It was obvious which one she would choose. Besides, this time, she had something important to ask him.

In the months since meeting her father, she'd come to understand so much about herself, things her mother could never explain. Mostly, it was little things, like her love of video games and the scary face everyone said she made, sometimes. Now, though.

Now, she really needed an explanation. She didn't know how she would be able to continue working with the Blizzard Group without one.

The King Engine. One of her father's signature moves, it was a low rumbling that filled the air whenever he was provoked. It was a sound that many civilians and fellow Heroes took comfort in, knowing that wherever the Engine was, King wasn't far behind.

But, King wasn't involved in the Terrible Toilet incident. The Engine was there, but her father wasn't. He wasn't even in the general area, since the news said he was involved in an incident in another city.

So, where had the Engine come from?

Lily hadn't even hear the Engine, herself, though Miss Fubuki and other members of the Blizzard Group claimed they did and she knew better than to doubt them. Still, it was really weird that everyone else could hear it and she couldn't. Unless...

Unless she was the one making the sound.

Thinking about it made her feel like a crazy online theorist, but the more she thought about it the more sense it made. The King Engine was unique to King. He was the only Hero with an ability like it. If he wasn't making the sound, then...as his daughter...it wasn't too far fetched to think that...