Her breaths were slow, weak… almost nonexistent. Amid the silence, broken only by the siren of a distant patrol car, lay the battered body of the heroine Mirko. Her figure, once a symbol of strength and pride, was now covered in dust, dried blood, and burns that had disfigured parts of her skin. The most impetuous warrior in the top 10 clung to life only by inertia, her eyes closed and her ears trembling slightly, like a wounded animal on the battlefield.
.
.
The air was thick with smoke and ash. The site where, minutes earlier, a fierce battle had taken place, was now a hellscape of smoldering rubble and fire-ravaged structures. The twisted metal of the factory creaked under its own weight, while small secondary explosions broke the silence with orange flashes. The ground was pockmarked with craters, the walls torn away as if a hurricane had swept through the place.
.
Those responsible were no longer there. Rover, Black Sperm, and little Eri had vanished into the darkness, taking with them the uncomfortable silence of the incomprehensible.
But others were not long in arriving.
The sirens of patrol cars and ambulances sliced through the night like blades, echoing off the collapsed structures. Within minutes, the site was filled with red and blue lights flashing over the ruins. Among the group of vehicles, two figures stood out, drawing everyone's attention: Hawks, the winged hero with a sharp gaze and a tense smile, and Eraserhead, with his weary eyes and loose hair fluttering in the scorching breeze.
.
.
Both stopped as soon as they crossed the perimeter, and what they saw made their blood run cold.
"...It can't be," Hawks whispered, his wings shrinking slightly.
There, between a pool of blood and the blackened ground, lay Mirko. The indomitable rabbit heroine, known for her ferocity and pride, lay shattered. Her skin burned in several places, her breathing labored, her arms covered in open fractures. Her uniform, torn to shreds. A woman who never backed down was now nothing more than a body clinging to a thread of life.
.
"Quick, call an ambulance now!" roared Eraserhead, dropping the mask of calm that usually covered him.
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The paramedics rushed to Mirko, placing her on a reinforced stretcher while connecting oxygen tubes and checking her vital signs. The irregular beeping of the monitors filled the air with unbearable tension.
.
"What the hell could have left her like this?" Hawks said in a low voice, though everyone heard the tremor in his tone.
.
Eraserhead narrowed his eyes, surveying the scene. Every crack in the floor, every charred structure, spoke of a brutal, inhuman force. He leaned down and ran his fingers over the cracked concrete, as if he could read it.
.
"This wasn't done by an ordinary villain," he said in a grave voice. "Not even Chizaki could have left a trail like this."
.
Hawks turned his head toward him, surprised.
"Then what? A weapon? A Nomu?"
.
"I don't know…" Aizawa replied, his expression darker than ever. "But whatever it was, Mirko fought to the limit. And lost."
.
The police officers began cordoning off the area, taking photographs, collecting fragments of soil and twisted metal, searching for any clues. The smell of burning permeated every movement.
.
One of the officers approached the heroes.
"We found footprints… three different sets. A little girl, a large animal, and… something else. Something we can't identify."
.
Hawks raised an eyebrow.
"A little girl? In the middle of all this?"
Eraserhead fell silent. The possibility pierced his mind like a needle.
.
The paramedics lifted the stretcher carrying Mirko, whose body trembled slightly under the oxygen and sedation. One of his ears twitched faintly, as if he wanted to cling to consciousness, but couldn't.
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Hawks, looking at his colleague's mangled body, let out a bitter smile, devoid of any trace of humor.
.
"Whoever it is… they've just declared war on us."
.
The wind carried the echo of those words through the flames, while the investigation was just beginning.
.
Several kilometers away, hidden among the ruined alleys of an industrial zone, the trio that had carried out that massacre would regroup.
"Rover!" exclaimed little Eri upon seeing the six-eyed monster return, covered in dust but standing tall and serene. She jumped out of Black Sperm's arms and hugged him tightly. Her little face pressed against the kaijin's furry chest, her hands tracing every inch as if searching for a wound not visible to the naked eye. "Are you okay? Does anything hurt? If that rabbit hurt you, I won't forgive her!"
Black Sperm, who until then had been watching in silence as they walked through the shadows of the abandoned factories, let out a long sigh, annoyed and with a hint of mockery in his voice.
"I already told you, kid, Rover isn't weak. That pathetic heroine didn't even scratch him. Do you think a bug like her could hurt a former executive of the Monster Association? Pfft…"
"But… I just wanted to make sure," Eri murmured, hugging the enormous canine kaijin even tighter, who, in response, gently licked her head. It was his way of calming her down.
Black Sperm, crossing his arms, narrowed his gaze toward the night sky.
"Besides, we don't have time for this. I can already hear the sirens. The cops are coming. Maybe they won't be alone this time. If all the heroes in this world are as reckless as that woman…" He paused, frowning. "Then we're going to need to prepare for much bigger things."
Eri, still in Rover's arms, looked up.
"Mr. Black… Is that woman coming back?"
The question was sincere, born of fear and experience. It wasn't just a matter of survival, but one of emotional safety. The brutal battle had left its mark on her heart.
Black Sperm turned slowly toward her, his expression darkened by the dim light of a streetlamp flickering in the distance.
"I don't think so. And if she does… she won't be the same anymore."
Rover growled softly, as if to reinforce his words.
Black Sperm took a deep breath, paused for a moment to listen to the distant sounds of the chaos they had left behind, and then pointed toward an old, half-collapsed structure: a forgotten warehouse, large, rusty, covered in plants and graffiti.
"Let's hide there for now."
The group entered the place cautiously. Inside, Black Sperm quickly assessed the conditions. Broken ceilings, partially collapsed walls, but deep enough to stay hidden. In a corner, he found a couple of old, discarded blankets, pieces of cardboard, and the remains of useless furniture. It wasn't a home… but it would be their temporary refuge.
"This will be our nest," he said finally, as he picked up a blanket and shook it out. "It's not ideal, but it'll do."
Eri watched him arrange everything with precision. There was a strange calm about the black-skinned monster. Something he hadn't had when he was part of the Association. Now he acted with purpose.
"Mr. Black, what are we going to do now?"
He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye as he sat down on a broken box.
"First, regain our strength. I need more cells, and for that I need to eat. A lot. And then… I'll think about whether it's a good idea to gather allies. This world is different from ours, but it's also full of dangerous beings. Humans, monsters disguised as heroes, villains disguised as saviors… Bah, the same trash with a different name."
Eri sat down next to Rover, who was already curling up like a protective dog around them both. She seemed calmer, though a spark of fear still burned in her eyes.
"Do you think there are more like that rabbit?"
"I'm sure there are," he replied without much thought. "But none will be like Rover. He was created for destruction. And if the heroes here want to play at being gods… we'll teach them what true hell is."
A night breeze slipped through one of the cracks in the cellar. Outside, the sirens were already closer. But the trio was hidden, breathing, planning… waiting.
And in the midst of the silence, like a warm note, Eri murmured:
"Thank you for protecting me… both of you."
Rover let out a soft, happy growl, while Black Sperm, without looking directly at her, said:
"Just try not to make any noise when you sleep."
.
.
Eri was still awake. Although the silence of her surroundings suggested rest, her eyes remained open, shining with the faint reflection of the moonlight seeping through the holes in the roof of that abandoned factory.
She was lying against Rover, stroking his warm, soft fur. It wasn't just out of affection, but for comfort. The confrontation with that rabbit heroine still had her unsettled, but not out of fear… rather, because of Black Sperm's words. "This world isn't ours." That had lodged in her mind like a thorn she couldn't ignore.
She bit her lip. She didn't fully understand what it meant, but she knew that behind those words lay stories… things he had never told her. Until now.
After gathering enough courage, she slowly turned toward Black Sperm, who was sitting nearby, arms crossed and eyes half-closed as if in meditation.
"Mr. Black…" she said in a low, almost fearful voice. "Can I ask you something?"
Black Sperm opened one eye, raising an eyebrow, curious about the interruption.
"What is it now, girl?" he asked, without annoyance, but in his usual harsh tone.
"Earlier you said this world wasn't yours… does that mean… you're not from here?"
The silence stretched on for a few seconds. Black Sperm lowered his head, sighing.
"All right," said Black Sperm, looking up at the ceiling as if searching for a familiar constellation in that foreign sky. "I'll tell you, but promise me something."
"What?" Eri asked, tilting her head.
"That you won't cry. And that you won't see us differently after this."
The girl nodded, her expression serious.
"I promise."
Black Sperm was silent for a few seconds, as if gathering his thoughts.
.
.
.
"We come from a world where humans have heroes too. Just like here. With capes, ridiculous names, and all that. But with one difference: in my world, there were monsters. We… were some of them. Literally."
"Literally?" Eri repeated.
"Yes. We weren't humans with powers." We were monsters. Creatures formed from fear, hatred… or simply from evolution. I was part of the Monster Association, a group that wanted to wipe out humans and rule the world. I was high command. The smartest. The strongest… or so I thought.
Eri swallowed hard. Black Sperm looked at her.
"And Rover?" Eri asked in a low voice.
"He was part of us, too. A living weapon," he said, resting his hand on the head of the monster lying asleep beside him. "A beast of pure energy, capable of wiping out cities. But he was… loyal. He never spoke, but he always protected us. Until everything fell apart."
Eri swallowed, still stroking Rover.
"And what happened to your world?"
"We ended up here by accident. Something that… happened after a huge fight."
Eri's eyes widened.
"A fight?"
"The biggest we've ever seen." Black Sperm sat down on the ground, letting his tone grow more serene, almost melancholic. In our world, heroes and monsters were always at war.
"Garou, a human who became a monster, almost destroyed everything. He faced the strongest man in the world: Saitama. That fight… changed space itself. The place was destroyed, and the remnants of that battle created cracks… holes. We were sucked into one."
Eri lifted her head, surprised and processing the information Black Sperm had shared.
"Saitama?" Eri asked.
"Yes… the bald guy. He was the one who… adopted Rover. Amid the ruins, after everyone had left. I saw him from afar, gathering useful things from the rubble. Rover recognized him… and simply walked over. Instead of rejecting him, that guy petted him.
"Black Sperm let out a small, dry laugh." "That's when I knew that human was different. I stayed close for convenience, of course. Who would dare attack me if I was with the strongest?"
Eri lowered her gaze and asked.
"So… you did bad things before."
"Yes," he replied bluntly. "And maybe we still do. We're not heroes, girl. We're not good."
"But you saved me."
Her words resonated with such sincere gentleness that even Black Sperm took a moment to respond.
"It was… instinct. Maybe curiosity. Maybe we saw something in you that reminded us that we, too, were once despised. Rejected. And maybe, for the first time… I wanted to protect something."
"And is that wrong?"
He looked at her. For the first time in a long time, his eyes softened.
"I don't know."
Black Sperm fell silent; he didn't have a ready answer.
"And… you?" he asked, trying to break the awkward silence. "What's your story?"
Eri hesitated. She looked down. But then she nodded.
"My name is Eri… I had a mom, but she disappeared. They took me to a bad man… Chizaki. He… hurt me. He used my body to create something I don't even understand. He told me it was for my own good. But it hurt… it hurt so much. He used me as a tool.
"Bastard…" whispered Black Sperm, clenching his fists.
"I did bad things too," Eri confessed. Because of my power, I hurt my dad... and then Chizaki locked me up.
"Once I tried to run away, I met two heroes... but they ignored me. They both let me go back to him. As if it didn't matter."
Black Sperm closed his eyes, now understanding why the girl was so distrustful of the heroes of this world.
Black Sperm thought.
Eri continued speaking.
Chizaki used me as a tool. It hurt so much… they told me I was dangerous, that no one would ever love me. But you hugged me… even though I'm a monster too.
"You're not a monster, little girl."
"Neither are you!" Eri shouted suddenly. "Not anymore! You're not like you used to be! Rover lets me sleep on him, you give me food and take care of me… that's what families do!"
"That's why… when you helped me… when you told Rover to protect me… I felt like it was the first time anyone had ever truly loved me."
Black Sperm closed his eyes. Silence enveloped them for a moment.
"You have a stronger heart than you let on," he murmured. "And you're wrong, but… thank you."
"I'm not wrong," Eri said stubbornly. "I'm never going to leave you."
Black Sperm lowered his head, his brow furrowed. He didn't know what to say to that. Rover, for his part, licked Eri's cheek, making her giggle a little.
"So it doesn't matter if they were bad before?" Eri said, looking at both of them with determination. "We're family now!"
There was a long silence. And finally, Black Sperm let out a snort.
"Tch… you're crazier than we are."
Eri smiled broadly, while Rover let out a soft bark, wagging his tail.
"All right, kid. Family, huh? I guess we could get used to that."
A barely perceptible smile appeared on the kaijin's face. He stepped closer and covered her with a blanket they'd found among the debris.
"Then get some rest. Tomorrow… we'll have to find a new shelter. And after that… think about what we'll do with this world."
Eri nodded and curled up between Rover and the blanket. The little girl began to close her eyes, her hand still resting on the fur of the monster that was now her home.
Black Sperm stayed awake a little longer. He looked up at the starless night sky, shrouded in the city's artificial haze.
"If all heroes are like that rabbit woman… we're going to have some problems," he thought. "But we won't back down."
And with that in mind, the monstrous strategist began to devise a new plan.
.
The night went on, and the real game was just beginning.
.
.
The wail of the sirens didn't stop for a second as the ambulance sped through the dark streets. Inside, Mirko's body writhed with slight spasms, his lungs struggling against the forced oxygen from the mask, and every irregular beep from the monitor marked a cruel reminder: the fiercest heroine was on the brink of death.
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"Keep up the pressure!" shouted one of the paramedics as he wrapped his arms in sterile bandages. "We've got multiple fractures, third-degree burns, and massive blood loss! If we don't get there in the next five minutes, we'll lose her!"
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Hawks flew parallel to the vehicle, his wings spread, closely following the ambulance. In his eyes there was none of the typical playful calm that characterized him, but rather a sharp seriousness.
.
"Speed up!" he bellowed, pounding his hand on the roof of the ambulance. "She's not going to die today."
.
Eraserhead sat in the back of the vehicle, holding the oxygen mask over Mirko's face to keep it from slipping. His tired eyes didn't blink, fixed on the bloodied figure of his colleague.
"Hang in there, Mirko," he murmured softly, almost like a plea. "This isn't how your story ends."
The tension was so thick it seemed to cut through the air. But suddenly, the metallic sound of a police radio broke the moment.
"This is Unit 07, requesting immediate confirmation from Hawks and Eraserhead. Over."
Hawks picked up his radio and turned it on.
"This is Hawks. I'm in the ambulance with Aizawa and Mirko. What's going on?"
On the other end of the line, an officer's voice sounded agitated, laced with urgency.
"We have an update from the other scene… the one with Chizaki's body. We've found something."
Eraserhead looked up, alert.
"Speak clearly," he said in a dry tone.
There was a brief silence before another officer joined the transmission.
"We partially recovered footage from one of the nearby security cameras. Most of the files were destroyed by the energy released during the confrontation, but… we managed to salvage a video clip."
Hawks raised an eyebrow.
"And what does that fragment show?"
A murmur of voices could be heard on the other end, until finally the answer came:
"Three figures. A little girl… a man completely black, with a grotesque appearance… and an animal. A large dog, with six eyes."
The words hung in the air. Hawks nearly came to a screeching halt mid-flight.
"...A dog with six eyes? Are you sure about that?"
"Absolutely, sir. The recording is clear on that detail."
Eraserhead clenched his teeth, processing the information.
"Describe them in more detail."
"The girl looks about seven or eight years old, with light hair and an old dress. The black man... it's hard to describe him. His body looks... irregular. And the dog... well, we've already said it, he's not normal."
Hawks exhaled, incredulous.
"Great. Now it turns out we have a circus freak as our prime suspect."
"This isn't a joke, Hawks," Aizawa said firmly. "If those three figures were at the Chizaki scene, and then Mirko ends up in this state facing what was surely that dog… then we're not talking about mere villains."
The transmitter beeped again, interrupting them.
"We also found footprints in the area. They match the ones in the video. A girl, a large animal, and the black figure. It all fits."
Hawks ran a hand through his hair, annoyed.
"So… what the hell are they? Because you're not going to convince me they're just people with weird quirks."
On the other line, the officers seemed to hesitate before voicing their conjecture.
"Whatever they are, they don't match our databases. There are no records of villains with those characteristics, nor of animals with quirks of that kind."
Eraserhead lowered his gaze. His thoughts were darker than he wanted to admit.
"And yet, they're here."
Suddenly, a high-pitched beep interrupted the conversation: one of the laptops set up at the other scene had finished processing the digital reconstruction of the video. The officers, gathered around the screen, watched as the blurry image stabilized.
The chief officer's voice came over the radio again, heavy with tension.
"Heroes… we're sending the recording to your devices right now."
Hawks and Aizawa's visors received the file. With a simple gesture, the image unfolded before them.
There they were: three figures making their way down an alley littered with trash. A girl with a shy smile, clinging to the back of the six-eyed dog, and behind them... that black creature, walking with a confident stride, its expression strange, grotesque, almost mocking.
Silence fell over everyone.
"That... is the girl we saw with Chizaki," said an officer, his voice trembling. The one who asked the hero Deku and Mirio for help.
Hawks clenched his fists.
"And now she's walking with a monster and a demonic dog?"
Eraserhead frowned, looking away from the video.
"That explains why Mirko almost died."
On the other end of the radio, a murmur ran through the officers. One of them couldn't hold back.
"Gentlemen… if those creatures defeated Mirko and killed Chizaki… what does that mean for us?"
There was a thick, heavy silence that no one wanted to break.
.
Finally, Hawks spoke, with a bitter smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"It means we're now hunting something we don't understand."
Communication hung in the air, the beep of the transmitter echoing like an echo of uncertainty. The air was thick with unbearable tension.
And at that exact moment, the radio cut out.
.
.
The ambulance came to a sudden stop in front of the entrance to Hosu Central Hospital. The rear doors swung open, and the paramedics, sweaty and tense, lowered the reinforced stretcher with Mirko on it. Shouts of urgency immediately echoed through the emergency room.
"Critical patient! We're losing blood pressure! We need the operating room now!" one of the doctors bellowed as he ran alongside the stretcher bearers.
The rabbit heroine, known for her fierceness and indomitable energy, was now barely a shadow of her former self. Her torn muscles, her skin blackened by burns, and the monitors beeping erratically made for the most shocking sight a hospital accustomed to treating wounded heroes could offer.
But it wasn't just the medical staff who reacted. Several people in the waiting room looked up at the sound of the commotion. Among them, some managed to recognize the battered figure on the stretcher.
"I-It's Mirko!" exclaimed a young woman, her eyes wide.
"No… it can't be…" said a man, dropping his phone to the floor.
The initial silence gave way to a growing murmur, a wave of voices that soon turned into screams of panic and confusion. The quickest among them already had their cell phones in hand, recording the scene, live-streaming to social media the spectacle none of them could have imagined: one of the top ten heroines, nearly dead, being dragged into the operating room.
"She's seriously injured! Look how they're carrying her!" someone shouted as the video went viral in seconds.
The notifications spread like wildfire: "What happened to Mirko?", "The Red Rabbit on the Brink of Death", "A New Unknown Enemy?". In less than ten minutes, the headlines were already circulating throughout Japan, and soon beyond its borders.
Villains, vigilantes, ordinary citizens, and heroes received the news almost simultaneously. A rumor began to spread rapidly: if someone had managed to leave Mirko in that state, that someone was a danger no one could ignore.
.
.
At the hospital
Hawks walked with a frown across the white hallways, his wings folded so as not to bump into the narrow walls. Aizawa walked beside him, his hair falling like a dark curtain while his gaze remained fixed, cold, on the double doors of the operating room where Mirko was fighting for her life.
They both stopped there, in front of the red light indicating surgery in progress. They couldn't go in; they could only wait.
"It's strange," Hawks said, breaking the silence. "To see her like this… I always thought that if anyone were to take Mirko down, it would have to be someone of All For One's caliber. But… three strangers?"
Aizawa crossed his arms.
"We've seen the video. The girl, the shadowy figure, and the strange animal. None of them match our databases. Not a single one."
"Exactly. And that worries me more than anything." Hawks sighed and pulled out his phone, checking his notifications. Social media was already exploding with blurry images of Mirko's arrival. "The secret's out. Right now, the whole country knows she's on the brink of death."
"That'll complicate things." Aizawa's voice was harsh. "Terrified citizens, excited villains, vigilantes wanting to intervene. Everyone will want to know who or what hurt her."
Hawks' communicator vibrated. It was the police. He turned on the speaker so Aizawa could hear too.
"This is Unit 07. Heroes, we confirm the connection between the Chizaki case and the attack on Mirko. The fingerprints, the video, and the witness statements all point to the same three individuals."
"We figured as much," Hawks replied.
"We don't know what they are," the officer added. "There are no matches in our records of villains or heroes with similar quirks. But one thing is clear: the three of them act together."
Aizawa spoke up.
"Did you find anything else useful?"
The sound of typing could be heard in the background, likely from laptops.
"We checked the cameras around the factory where Mirko was found." Almost all of them were destroyed, but a civilian drone captured a fleeting image. It matches: the girl in a stroller, the six-eyed dog, and the shadowy figure walking behind them. They were heading toward the industrial sector.
"So they move in a group and don't hide too much," Hawks remarked, leaning against the wall. "Interesting."
"That doesn't mean they're careless," Aizawa replied. "They might know exactly what they're doing."
There was a silence. Then, the officer's voice returned, more serious.
"Given the circumstances, we've decided to issue a search warrant."
"For capture?" Hawks asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Negative." The answer was firm. "Just for location." We don't know what quirks they possess, we don't know their range or their weaknesses. A direct confrontation would be suicide, especially after what they did to Mirko.
Aizawa nodded slowly.
"Sensible. First we observe, gather information."
"Exactly. We need the top heroes to assist with the investigation, but without attacking until we have a plan."
Hawks let out a dry laugh.
"Well, well. Since when did the cops become more cautious than the heroes?"
"Since we saw Mirko nearly die," the officer replied without a trace of humor.
The operating room door remained closed, and the beeping of the machines seeped faintly through the hallways.
Aizawa leaned toward the communicator.
"Mirko is the only one who stood up to them. When she wakes up, she'll be our best source. We need her to hang in there."
"We're working to keep her alive," said a voice from behind the doors, an exhausted doctor who peeked out for a moment. "But it'll be a miracle if she makes it through the night."
Silence fell once more. Hawks pressed his lips together, and his wings trembled with frustration.
"Do you realize?" he said, staring at the floor. "If they survive and we still don't know what they're capable of, they'll keep striking. And next time, it might not just be a hero. It could be an entire city."
"That's why," Aizawa replied coldly, "we must catch them before that happens."
The officer on the other end of the radio cleared his throat.
"We've already issued the search order. All police departments will be on alert. Any sighting of a little girl, a shadowy figure, or a dog with unusual characteristics must be reported immediately. No officer is permitted to engage them directly."
Hawks clicked his tongue.
"Sounds like looking for a needle in a haystack."
"Perhaps," the officer replied, "but remember that the public has seen them too. It's only a matter of time before someone captures them on clearer video."
The words hung in the air. Hawks and Aizawa looked at each other in silence for a moment. The red light in the operating room was still on.
"When he wakes up," Aizawa said finally, "Mirko will tell us what we need to know. Until then… everything else is conjecture."
The radio fell silent. Outside, social media continued to explode with theories, rumors, and speculation. Some said it was a new hidden villain, others claimed it was a Nomu gone rogue, and others… simply didn't want to believe that Mirko had been defeated.
But for Hawks and Aizawa, the truth was far more terrifying: three strangers were out there, and no one knew what they were capable of.
.
.
The first rays of sunlight filtered timidly through the broken windows of the abandoned factory. The golden beams reflected off the suspended dust, giving the place an almost magical appearance, despite the ruins. Silence reigned, broken only by the constant dripping of a broken pipe and the distant song of a few urban birds that dared to flit among the rusted beams.
Eri, in her slightly worn little dress, shifted among the makeshift blankets they had found the night before. The girl curled up closer to Rover, who, in his small form, snored softly, wagging his tail as if dreaming of chasing some invisible rabbit.
Black Sperm, sitting against a cracked wall, watched in silence. His eyes shone like dark beads as he mentally reviewed everything that had happened: the confrontation with Mirko, the sirens, the police, the destruction. One single mistake and they would have been caught. They couldn't go on like this, wandering like parasites without a plan.
He brought his hand to his face and sighed.
"What a nuisance…" he muttered.
At that moment, Eri rubbed her little eyes with her fists and let out a small yawn. Her cheeks were still marked by the lines of the blanket, and her tousled hair shone in the morning light. She gently leaned over Rover, stroking his head tenderly.
"Good morning, Rover…" she whispered, as if afraid of breaking the calm.
The monster dog opened one eye, barked softly, and licked her hand, eliciting a childish giggle that filled the room with warmth.
Black Sperm clicked his tongue.
"Enough with the silly noises. Do you want us to get caught before breakfast?"
Eri puffed out her cheeks, indignant.
"They're not silly noises! Rover's just happy… right, Rover?"
The dog barked softly again, as if confirming her words, and wagged his tail energetically.
"Tch…" Black Sperm crossed his arms, though he couldn't help but let a slight smile slip, which he quickly hid. "How annoying…"
Eri watched him, noticing that fleeting expression.
"I saw that, Mr. Black!" she said, pointing an accusing finger. "You were smiling!"
"Smiling?" Black Sperm raised an eyebrow. "Don't be ridiculous, girl. I don't smile."
"You did, didn't you, Rover?" Eri looked at the dog for support. Rover barked again, almost as if he were mocking her.
Black Sperm sighed, resigned.
"I'm surrounded by idiots…"
.
.
Eri sat up and stretched her arms upward, letting out a long sigh.
"I had a very nice dream," she remarked innocently.
"A dream?" asked Black Sperm, feigning disinterest while actually listening to her intently.
"Yes. I dreamed we were in a real house, with soft beds and delicious food every day… Rover had a huge yard to run around in, and you, Mr. Black, had a massive armchair just for relaxing."
Black Sperm let out a dry laugh.
"A house? Little girl, we're a long way from anything like that. And I don't need an armchair—why would I want one?"
Eri tilted her head, thoughtful.
"Because… everyone needs a place to really rest. Even you."
The words hit him harder than he expected. He frowned, uncomfortable.
"You talk too much first thing in the morning."
Rover, as if he understood the conversation, got up, shook his little body, and came over to lick Eri's hand again. She laughed, forgetting Black Sperm's comment, and hugged him tightly.
"Rover always knows how to make me happy!" she said with a laugh.
Black Sperm watched them in silence for a few seconds. That closeness between the girl and the monster was something he never would have expected to witness. A connection so pure that it clashed with the harshness of his own existence.
.
.
Eri's stomach suddenly growled, breaking the moment. She blushed, hugging her belly.
"Uh… I think I'm hungry…"
Rover barked as if to confirm that he was too.
Black Sperm snorted.
"Again? Don't you two do anything but eat and sleep?"
"That's not true!" protested Eri. "We also play… and dream."
He shook his head.
"Like I said: useless."
But despite his words, he stood up and pulled out a piece of stale bread he'd saved from the night before. He broke it into three pieces and tossed one to each of them.
"Here. Don't expect anything better."
Eri caught the piece and smiled as if she'd been given a feast.
"Thank you, Mr. Black!"
Rover devoured his in seconds, while the girl ate hers slowly, as if savoring every bite.
Black Sperm watched them in silence, holding his own piece in his hand. It was nothing more than dry bread, but in Eri's shining eyes it looked like a delicacy. That innocence baffled him.
.
.
After eating, Eri leaned against Rover, playing with his ears.
"So what are we going to do today?" she asked curiously.
Black Sperm leaned against the wall, deep in thought.
"First, don't die. Second, don't draw attention to ourselves. And third, find a place where we can hide without those pesky heroes finding us."
"Does that mean we're going for a walk again?" the girl asked, her eyes sparkling.
"It's not a walk. It's survival." Black Sperm pointed a finger at her. "And you'd better not open your mouth when you shouldn't."
Eri nodded, though with a mischievous smile.
"I promise to behave… maybe."
.
Rover barked as if to agree with the "maybe."
.
Black Sperm covered his face with one hand.
"I'm doomed."
But despite everything, when the sun had fully risen, the trio got up to continue their journey.
.
.
End of Chapter 3.