[Third Person's PoV]
Clark remained suspended in the air for a lingering moment, his eyes sweeping over the horizon. The world below him looked almost unreal—so peaceful, so quiet. The sensation of flight was still new, still exhilarating. The cool wind whipped past his face and rustled through his hair as if welcoming him to the skies. It was liberating—no, freeing in a way that words struggled to capture. Nothing he had ever experienced came close to this sensation, not even dreams.
But reality had a cruel way of asserting itself. Clark ran his tongue over the inside of his cheek and tasted the familiar, metallic tang of blood. The moment of euphoria shattered. Blood was real. Pain was real. He exhaled slowly, shaking his head as he forced his mind back to the ground, back to the here and now.
That's when he heard it.
Faint, almost drowned out by the wind, but his super-hearing caught it. Soft sniffles. Then a small voice, trembling and broken.
"Mommy… Itsuki, Nino, Ichika, Yotsuba…"
The names came like a prayer, whispered in desperation. Clark's expression didn't change at first. His face remained stoic, unreadable. But his eyes narrowed slightly, and a quiet click of his tongue betrayed his frustration.
He turned in the air and shot downward.
…
In the dim basement, Miku sat curled into herself on the cold steps. Her head was buried in her arms, knees drawn tight against her chest. Her entire body trembled with fear. The ground above her had collapsed just moments ago, the world shaking like it was ending. Dust choked the air, and the only light that filtered in came from the cracks in the debris.
She didn't know what had happened. One moment, everything was normal. The next, destruction rained down around them. If it hadn't been for the boy—that boy—the one Nino had introduced, she might not have survived at all.
She just wanted to go home. She wanted to see her sisters. She wanted to hug her mother and forget this nightmare.
Then, she heard it.
The creaking of the basement door being pushed open.
Her head shot up.
Clark stood at the top of the steps, a tattered hoodie pulled over his head, casting part of his face in shadow. A thin cut marked the corner of his lip. Behind him, faint rays of sunlight streamed down through the smoke and dust, making him look almost ghostly.
He descended the steps slowly, his boots echoing in the hollow space, until he stopped a few feet in front of her.
"Are you hurt?" he asked, his voice flat but not unkind.
Miku shook her head, tears still shining in her eyes.
Clark gave a slight nod, then extended his hand. "Then let's go. I'll take you back to your mother and sisters."
She stared at his hand for a long moment, as if unsure this was real. Then, slowly, she reached out. His hand wrapped around hers, firm but careful, and he helped her to her feet.
Miku's lips trembled. Her eyes filled again as her chest tightened. Without thinking, she stumbled forward and wrapped her arms around Clark, burying her face against him as sobs broke loose from her throat.
Clark stiffened at the sudden contact. He looked utterly uncomfortable, his arms frozen awkwardly in midair, unsure where to put them. After a pause, he let out a quiet sigh and gently patted her head.
He spoke softly, the only words he could think of: "You're safe now. There's no need to cry."
But that only made her cry harder.
"Thank you… thank you!" she sobbed.
Clark shifted awkwardly, clearly unfamiliar with such gratitude. It wasn't something he was used to hearing, nor something he sought.
Then his ears picked up the sound—approaching voices, fast footsteps, rescue workers or maybe reporters. He clicked his tongue, annoyed. He didn't have time for questions or attention.
Looking down at the girl clinging to him, he exhaled through his nose. Looks like I'll have to rely on her gratitude, he thought.
"Hold on," he said simply.
Before she could respond, Clark scooped her into his arms, shielded her head, and disappeared in a blur of motion. Super-speed carried them through the crumbling ruins, weaving between debris and flame like a phantom. To anyone watching, he was little more than a streak of wind.
They emerged moments later in an empty alleyway far from the chaos. The world around them was silent, untouched. Clark leaned against a brick wall, letting out a long, tired sigh.
Miku was dizzy from the rapid movement, blinking as her surroundings caught up to her.
"H-How did we…" she started, her voice barely a whisper.
Clark didn't answer immediately. Then he gave her a pointed look. "Can I ask you to keep this a secret?"
She nodded wordlessly, still awestruck, the last of her tears drying on her cheeks.
"That includes your sisters too," he added, his tone serious.
Miku hesitated. That was harder.
"I'll buy you ice cream if you can keep your mouth shut," he said.
Her eyes lit up instantly. She nodded vigorously.
…
Miku was happily licking a soft-serve ice cream cone, her small hand clutching the hem of Clark's shirt. His hoodie—torn and dirt-streaked—was now loosely tied around his waist, fluttering slightly with each step. Despite the chaos they'd just escaped, Miku's face wore a small smile as Clark led her through the narrow alleys and streets, navigating by sound. He could clearly hear the voices of her mother and sisters calling out in the distance.
"So… what was that monster?" Miku asked, her voice quiet but steady, a trace of residual fear still lurking beneath her words. She had finally calmed down enough to piece together the events in her mind.
"A yokai," Clark answered flatly, without even looking back. His tone was casual, almost indifferent.
Miku blinked, the word familiar and ominous. Her steps faltered slightly as she imagined what might have happened had Clark not been there. She shivered at the thought, squeezing the fabric of his shirt tighter.
"Um… Clark?" she asked hesitantly after a moment, "Are you… by chance… a superhero?"
Clark came to an abrupt halt. He slowly turned his head toward her, his expression twisting into one of disgust, as though she'd just insulted his entire bloodline.
"Ew. No. Don't ever call me that again," he said sharply, the sheer disdain in his voice startling Miku.
She blinked in confusion, clearly caught off guard. "But… you have superpowers," she murmured, "and you saved my life…"
Clark sighed, turning away as he resumed walking. "I only did it because it was convenient," he muttered. "Besides, superpowers don't make someone a hero. They make you a walking target. A headache. A liability. People get scared or greedy, and it's always you who ends up paying the price."
"I see…" Miku murmured, her gaze dropping for a moment. Then she smiled and said softly, "Well, I still think you're a superhero. You saved me from a giant monster. That's what heroes do."
Clark let out an annoyed grunt. "God, you're just like your sister. A total pain in the ass."
Miku only giggled, her mood visibly lightening. "Nino was right about you."
Clark glanced back in confusion. "What?"
"She defended you," Miku said with a fond smile. "When everyone else was calling you rude and unfriendly, she said that even though you act like a jerk, you're actually a good person underneath it all. I didn't believe her at first, but… now I get it."
Clark scratched the back of his head awkwardly, clearly uncomfortable with the praise. "She doesn't know what she's talking about. She's only known me for, like, a day."
Miku didn't argue. She just smiled and continued licking her ice cream.
As they walked in silence, the sound of frantic shouting grew louder.
"Miku! Where are you?!"
"Miku!!" cried a chorus of familiar voices—her sisters, desperate and panicked.
Clark came to a stop just before the edge of the alley. "This is as far as I take you," he said, glancing down at her. "You remember our promise, right?"
"Don't worry," Miku replied brightly. "I won't say a word about what I saw. It'll be our little secret."
She took a few steps forward, then suddenly paused. "Oh, right—one more thing."
Before Clark could react, Miku walked back up to him and quickly kissed him on the cheek.
Clark recoiled with a grimace, wiping the spot with the back of his hand. "Ugh. What was that for?"
Miku giggled at his expression. "I don't know why you hate being called a superhero, but it's too late. You saved my life, and that makes you one whether you like it or not. You might act like you don't care, but I know you do. You're my number one hero now."
She winked at him playfully, then turned and ran toward the sound of her family's voices.
"I'm over here! Sorry I got lost!" she cried out.
"Miku!!!" Her sisters shrieked with joy as they spotted her, rushing forward with tears streaming down their faces. In seconds, they all collapsed into a sobbing heap, hugging Miku tightly, their relief pouring out in waves of laughter and ugly crying.
From the distance, Clark watched silently. He wiped his cheek again with a look of disgust, but his lips curved into the faintest, reluctant smile as he saw the emotional reunion.
Then he turned away, muttering a curse under his breath as he began walking back toward the inn, hands shoved deep into his pockets.
Unbeknownst to him, Nino had glanced up during the reunion. Her eyes narrowed in both surprise and suspicion as she caught a fleeting glimpse of someone turning a corner.
'Was that… Clark?' she thought, her heart skipping a beat.
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