One Above All

Chapter 34: The Curtain Falls.

Notes: Tralalero Tralala.

"Heavens, you look terrible"

"Tell me something I don't know"

"Sea otters hold hands while they sleep so they don't drift apart in the water. It's adorable, don't you think?"

"... Oh, yeah, I guess it is"

"By the way, this place hasn't changed at all since the last time I came over." Kenji took a few steps after walking through the door of Hiro and Kishibe's apartment, his eyes wandering across every corner of the luxurious space as if hoping something would immediately catch his interest.

"Kishibe and I don't usually buy much stuff. In fact, the last big thing we bought was my bed, and that was seven years ago," Hiro replied while closing the door. He tried to walk normally, but no matter how hard he tried, his movements were awkward and sluggish.

His muscles were extremely sore and exhausted.

Kenji didn't need to ask permission to throw himself onto the couch and let out a satisfied sigh. "I've always wondered, why don't you guys buy a house instead of living in an apartment? Then you wouldn't have to climb stairs every day."

Hiro sat on the other end of the couch, but Kenji's question quickly got him thinking. He had always assumed Kishibe chose this apartment because it was closest to his workplace, or maybe because of the view of the city-but the years had proved those ideas wrong. The Public Safety Devil Hunters' HQ was nearly an hour away now, so it really wasn't that close after all. And apparently, Kishibe hadn't picked this place for the view either. He had once, almost in passing, mentioned that he didn't particularly enjoy looking at the city, and that Hiro would understand why one day.

So what was the reason Kishibe chose to live here? As far as Hiro knew, Aunt Quanxi lived much closer to HQ. That's why she always found it a hassle to come all the way to Kishibe's apartment just to chat.

"It's not worth the trip," she had said once, clearly implying that seeing Kishibe didn't offer her any benefit.

Hiro thought about it a moment longer. The idea of living in a house instead of an apartment actually sounded nice-almost charming, even. Returning to that homely atmosphere he could barely remember sounded appealing. The last time he had felt something like that was when his parents were still alive.

After that, nothing ever felt the same again.

Hiro would admit he never really got used to this place. It was just too luxurious for him. Overwhelming, even. It had been deeply unsettling for a seven-year-old boy to suddenly find himself in a place like this after coming from a warm, humble home.

This place, on the other hand, had always felt very... empty. And it didn't help that its owners were two deeply melancholic and traumatized individuals.

Maybe when he got older and could take care of himself, he'd consider buying or building his own house. Yeah, that sounded nice.

"I guess Kishibe just got used to this place. Besides, looking for a new house would be a pain"

Kenji just hummed in response, tilting his head back to look at the ceiling. "Hey, by any chance, your aunt, you know, the curvy one with the eye patch and the intense stare, isn't coming over today, is she?"

Hiro raised an eyebrow at the oddly specific question. "Uh... I don't know. She usually just shows up unannounced."

His friend seemed a little disappointed. "Damn, I would've liked to say hi." He drifted off into a dreamy look, and Hiro knew exactly what that meant, Kenji was imagining things about Quanxi.