Daughter of King

Chapter 4

When Lily left her father's apartment later that night, she did so with a new set of worries.

She knew for sure that she had the King Engine, now, but she was surprised by the things her father told her about it. From the way he described it, it almost had a mind of its own, reacting to and seeking out powerful opponents like some kind of shounen protagonist. It made a twisted kind of sense. It certainly explained why her easy going, video game enthusiast father ended up an S Class Hero, fighting of the strongest monsters on the planet.

On the surface, having the Engine looked like a blessing. Who wouldn't want a handy tool to help propel them into the highest echelons of Hero society? However, her father's warning still rang in her mind. If she fought every strong opponent who crossed her path, then the odds of dying increased. She didn't want that. Being a Hero was fun, but—.

"Ahem."

Lily looked up sharply. Standing just outside the apartment complex was Miss Fubuki, her hands on her hips and a scowl on her beautiful face. She peered down her nose at Lily, disapproval oozing from her every pore.

"When Eyelashes told me you had skipped out on yet another team exercise, I wasn't sure what to think. Do you know how worried everyone has been? You keep disappearing when you should be with us, and for what?"

Lily stood stock still, unsure of how to proceed. On the one hand, Miss Fubuki was her leader, had been for almost a year, now. She was the only one willing to take a chance on a thirteen year old kid. All the other B Class Heroes dismissed her, saying she'd probably die in battle, one day. The Blizzard Group took care of her though, taught her how to fight properly and made sure she was never alone.

And here she was, keeping secrets from them.

Miss Fubuki sighed dramatically. "If you want to leave the Group that badly, then—."

"No!" Lily rushed forward, clasping her hands in front of her. "That's not it! Please, Miss Fubuki, you have to believe me!"

Fubuki crossed her arms, sniffing haughtily. "Well, what else am I supposed to think? Secrets are fine, I don't need to know everything about you, but, as the adult in charge of keeping you safe, don't you think I should at least know where you're running off to?"

"Oh, my, what's this?" Mrs. Hanagawa, her arms laden with grocery bags, walked up to them, her wrinkled face scrunched in concern. "Lily, have you been coming here without your mother's permission?"

Mo...mother?

Lily rushed to explain, glancing nervously at Miss Fubuki's angry expression, but the old woman couldn't be cowed.

"I don't know what your home situation is like, but I'm sure your father wouldn't want you going around behind your mother's back like this, now would he?"

Ah!

"You're right," Lily said hastily, grabbing hold of Miss Fubuki's arm and pulling her away before any more secrets could be spilled. "I'll see you next time, Mrs. Hanagawa!"

One they were far enough away from the apartment building, Lily let go of Fubuki and bowed low. "I'm sorry! I should have told you!"

Miss Fubuki snorted, taking a moment to fix her hair and clothing before speaking. "Yes, you should have. I told you, Lily, I don't need to know everything about you. If you had just said you were visiting your father I would have just left it at that."

Lily looked away, chagrinned. "I'm sorry."

"Honestly," Fubuki continued with a huff. "All this secrecy is concerning. You've never mentioned your father, before. Is he blackmailing you? A child your age making B Class wages is probably a tempting target. Do I need to teach him a lesson for you?"