You're a Superhero, Too!

"Don't they realize that we're tired, too?" Haruna complained as she carried a sleepy Kurumi on her back.

"You did agree to give her the piggyback ride, Haruna," Miyu reminded the other girl. Miiko was riding on her back.

"Yes, well, that's beside the point!" Haruna looked away, blushing embarrassedly. What Miyu said may have been true, but Haruna was too nice for her own good, and she knew it. Even though all of them were exhausted after their most recent performance, Kurumi and Miiko somehow suckered piggyback rides out of Haruna and Miyu.

In times like this, Haruna couldn't help but feel like a tired parent trying to look after her wayward children. She supposed that made Miyu her partner in all this, helping her "raise" said wayward children. The thought was actually kind of cute and only made Haruna blush harder. Although, if they thought she was too nice of a parent, Miyu was way "worse" in that regard. It was enough to coax a small smile out of the DJ.

Before long, though, Haruna needed to pause. They should've been back at the hotel by now, but they were still roaming the city streets. It was already confusing enough, but since it was nighttime, that made getting their bearings even harder!

"Kurumi, wake up, please. I need you to slide off my back for a moment," Haruna shook the other girl awake.

"Huh? Wuh? Are we back yet?" she yawned.

"No, but I need to check our map to make sure we're going in the right direction," Haruna said. After a few more seconds, Kurumi shook herself awake and slid off Haruna's back. At the same time, Miiko did the same with Miyu. They took a pit stop at a nearby gas station, using the lights to help them see the map better. And if they really couldn't figure it out, they could always go inside and ask for help.

"You girls lost?" There was a man at one of the gas pumps and he noticed the four of them puzzling over the map in confusion.

"Yes! Do you know how to get back to the hotel?" Haruna led the way over to him, handing him the map. After a couple seconds of inspection, he nodded, gesturing perpendicular to the way they were currently walking. Good thing they hadn't gone farther!

"Care for a ride back?" he asked, gesturing to his car. It was a sleek, black, sports-looking car.

"Oooh!" Kurumi and Miiko's eyes went wide with excitement. They were sure such a fancy car must be able to go really fast!

"Thank you for such generosity, sir!" Miyu curtseyed at the same time, and the man flashed her a smile. Haruna suddenly felt her stomach twist.

Nothing had gone wrong so far, and the stranger gave no indication of being untrustworthy, but...Maybe it was paranoia, maybe it was a sixth sense, either way, Haruna wasn't letting any of them get in that car. Her hands shot out and she grabbed Kurumi and Miiko's hands, tugging them back before they could approach the vehicle.

"Oww! Hey, Chairman, what gives?!" they complained, but Haruna only shook her head severely before gesturing with her head for Miyu to get behind her. It was such an intense and alarming change in temperament that Miyu didn't dare think to disobey.

"Actually, sir, we would prefer to walk," Haruna spoke with as much politeness as she could muster.

"What? No we don't!" Miiko cried.

"C'mon, Chairman, we're tiiiired!" Kurumi agreed, both of them tugging on Haruna's arms. They really were like her wayward children, weren't they? But that meant, right now, Haruna was about to become a very overprotective parent. She shook her head again, stern and resolute.

"Aww, come on, listen to your friends, I'm not gonna bite!" the man tried to sound friendly. Haruna spent the next couple minutes trying to steer her way out of the situation, but the man was persistent, trying to refute every argument or reason she sent his way. Now she was really on guard. As polite as the man was being, the fact that he didn't want to take "no" for an answer was a huge red flag. Even Kurumi and Miiko weren't protesting anymore. It seemed as though the tension in the air was finally getting to them as well. For once, Haruna was grateful for it. They only held her hands a little bit tighter, but they didn't try to pull away anymore.