The group gathered once again, and we called the mall's security, with the police arriving shortly afterward.
Thankfully, no one seemed to have been hurt by the creepy hand guy, but the mall was closed down anyway.
Midoriya had to stay behind with the police to answer a few questions, but the rest of us were allowed to leave.
Himiko and I were already back home.
Naturally, everyone had lost the mood to continue shopping, so they decided to buy their own things separately on Saturday.
"Want to see if they're saying anything on TV?" I asked Himiko.
I smacked the side of the old television.
For some reason, that usually helped it turn on... I don't know why, but it worked.
I sat down in the corner of the couch and picked up the remote.
Himiko flopped onto the sofa and rested her head on my lap.
"I'm talking with everyone in the group chat."
"They want to know if Midoriya will still be able to go to the camp, and whether he's doing okay now..."
She showed me her phone.
I nodded before turning on the TV.
"If they mention anything about the mall, let me know."
She wouldn't be able to hear the TV because she was wearing earphones.
"Mhm."
"..."
I flipped through the channels until I found a local news broadcast.
"Following the unfortunate disaster in Hosu, we are once again suffering another attack from the infamous League of Villains."
'Attack?'
"Earlier this Friday afternoon, a small private elementary school became the target of villains and the strange creatures known as Nomu."
"Himi... You're going to want to see this..."
I gently shook her shoulder.
Himiko took off her earphones and turned toward the TV, still lying with her head on my lap.
"The villains invaded the school and kidnapped the children, teachers, and other adults present."
"There have been no reports of injuries."
"The school's security footage was destroyed, but here are some recordings captured by surveillance cameras from nearby houses—"
...
"Among those kidnapped is the younger brother of the rising hero: Mount Lady."
"The heroine has yet to comment on the incident—"
...
"The police and the Hero Public Safety Commission are currently working to—"
'Damn it...'
'Maybe if I'd managed to stop those guys at the USJ...'
'Even at the mall... If I'd stopped that creep...'
'But...'
'If he's the leader, then why was he at the mall instead of the attack?'
"..."
Himiko sat up beside me and gently pulled my head against her chest.
"The children will be okay..."
"Just don't think about it too much."
"..."
"How did you know that's what I was thinking about?"
"Tee-hee, maybe I read your mind."
She gently stroked my hair.
I let myself be spoiled for a little while, letting my head sink into the softness.
"You always do your best, sweetheart... Don't be so hard on yourself."
"..."
"I... sigh, I'll try."
─── ◆ ───
Midoriya replied in the group chat that he would indeed be participating in the summer training camp, and he also thanked everyone for worrying about him.
The news program Himiko and I had been watching did mention what happened at the mall, but it was completely overshadowed by the report about the kidnapped children.
Which was understandable, considering how much more serious that incident was.
...
─── ◆ ───
A young man with white hair sat in a chair.
He was in a strange place...
It was an endless horizon where he was the only thing that existed.
The sky was beautiful, a vivid blue filled with massive clouds stretching across the endless expanse.
Yet there was no sun.
No visible source of light to explain why everything was so bright.
But the ground was what truly made the place feel strange...
It was as though it were made of a mirror, reflecting both the sky and the boy sitting there.
...
The boy was tied to the chair, twisting in discomfort.
He hated being restrained.
Even the feeling of wearing tight clothes made him restless.
The chair slowly sank beneath the mirror's surface, dragging the boy down with it.
Both disappeared into the mirror's unreflected darkness...
It was...
Cold...
The boy hated the cold.
Not the kind of cold that could be comforting.
The kind that gave you an excuse to wrap yourself in blankets, stay indoors where it was warm...
To snuggle up with someone you loved...
The chair vanished into the darkness, leaving only the boy behind.
He curled into a fetal position, trying to escape the cold...
It wasn't enough.
Four scaled tentacles emerged from his back.
A soft crimson glow pulsed from them, illuminating the darkness.
The tentacles wrapped around him, forming a cocoon.
His uneasiness faded a little.
The cold slowly began to disappear.
Even so, he still trembled slightly from the lingering discomfort.
It wasn't enough...
...
Ironic, wasn't it?
He hated being trapped.
He hated feeling confined...
Yet he found warmth in closeness.
He loved the comforting pressure of a hug.
The feeling of being as close to someone as possible.
When there was no one beside him...
His only choice was to wrap himself in the darkness.
But hiding would never be enough...
'Where is my sun?' the boy silently asked from within his safe haven.
THUMP!
The bus bounced slightly after hitting a rock in the road.
"This is all very nice, Himiko-chan, but..."
Jiro, sitting in the row beside them, pointed toward the crimson cocoon next to Himiko.
Momo, who was sharing the seat with Jiro, was also staring at the "object" with a mixture of concern and curiosity.
"Is Kaneki-kun okay?"
Himiko glanced at the cocoon before answering her friends with a gentle smile.
"Yeah. He gets like this when he's sleeping."
"..."
"Although it's been a long time since the last time he did this..."
Himiko gently knocked twice on the side of the cocoon.
"Sweetheart~"
"Are you awake?"
The Kagune slowly unraveled, opening a small gap.
"There you are!"
Himiko's smile widened as she saw the crimson glow of Kaneki's Kakugan shining from within the darkness of the cocoon.
From Kaneki's perspective, it was as though the sun itself had just risen.
Its light perfectly illuminated her blonde hair, making her smile more beautiful than ever.
"Come look at the scenery. The forest out here is beauti—"
Before she could finish speaking, two hands reached out and pulled her into the cocoon.
"Kyaaaa!"
Despite the surprise, Himiko made no attempt to resist.
The cocoon expanded slightly to fit two people before closing again.
Jiro and Momo looked at one another, both completely speechless and blushing as they watched the couple's antics.
Inside the Kagune, Kaneki hugged Himiko tightly, resting his forehead against her collarbone.
"Hehe... You're a little cold, Kaneki-kun."
"..."
Himiko returned the embrace, snuggling closer to him.
"..."
"Nightmare?"
"Something like that."
"Just a little cold..."
Himiko and Kaneki shared a few kisses, but Aizawa's voice from the front of the bus interrupted them.
"I'll repeat it one more time. We're driving on a dirt road, so make sure you're wearing your seatbelts."
"And stop clinging to each other, Kaneki and Himiko."
The two looked at each other.
"How does he know?"
Aizawa was sitting in the very first row, while the two of them were almost all the way in the back.
Kaneki simply shrugged and dismissed his Rinkaku.
The two then returned to their seats, although they continued holding hands.
─── ◆ ───
[A/N]: A random question: When should a multiverse story end?
There are so many multiverse fanfics, most of them expand infinitely until the story is dropped.
But when should a story like this end?
With the protagonist ceasing to travel to new worlds, having children, and settling down to a peaceful life with their partner (or partners)?
With an epic battle against a cosmic being, and the rest left to the readers' imagination?
Uh... With the protagonist dying?
At some point I'd like to write something with a multiverse, but I'm not sure where I should stop, or rather, how much I should develop it until the end of the story.
I've been having some ideas; maybe I'll share them here or on the other site in the future.
If you'd like to support my work and receive bonuses such as 5 to 10 advanced chapters, spoilers, early access to my new books, polls, and more, check out:
P @ t r 3 0 n - Condor7