Chapter 132: They’re two feathers from the same bird.

“So those ‘monsters’ they were referring to were those things… they really do look like monsters.”

Mirko commented with a serious expression, her eyes fixed on the image. At that moment, Shino and Ryuko looked at Kai with a bit of suspicion, but they quickly hid it while making mental notes to get the truth out of him later.

After all, they knew a good portion of their man’s abilities and, even more so, his personality. They were completely sure he would not have just let the monsters escape and then stayed floating nonchalantly in the sea.

“We really need to report this. A maritime guard has to be set up, and an investigation needs to start to determine where those creatures are.”

Chatora remarked in a serious tone, to which Tomoko added with a big smile on her face while drying Salem with a towel. At some point, he had jumped into her lap demanding to be dried, with meows that somehow sounded arrogant and haughty.

“But then, today Kai made a great contribution. Even though they couldn’t catch them, at least identifying them will let us stay alert in case they attack again.”

“That’s true. This time you did a great job, kid. And that attack you unleashed on the sea looked pretty strong, so I hope we can test our strength a bit once we get back on land.” Mirko commented with a predatory grin as she stared at Kai, who smiled brightly and replied.

“It’s a promise.”

“Well, since the creatures got away, it’s best we head back to the island and do a bit more exploring to confirm the data and extract everything we can from the research base. It’s possible there’s some record of those creatures left behind.” Shino quickly intervened in a serious tone, causing all the heroes to nod in agreement. At that moment, Ryuko sat down next to Kai with a towel in hand and began drying his hair with great care.

After checking the island one last time and taking everything left at the research base, the group of heroes returned by helicopter to the base they had departed from, each wearing different expressions on their faces.

In Tomoko and Ryuko’s case, they looked somewhat disappointed because they were able to confirm beyond a doubt that no one was left alive. In Chatora and Shino’s case, they bore serious and somewhat solemn expressions due to the implications of the ‘monsters’ Kai had found.

Meanwhile, Kai and Mirko occasionally looked at each other with almost predatory smiles on their faces, nearly itching to start punching each other, something that inevitably made Ryuko, Shino, and even Tomoko sigh now and then.

Meanwhile, Salem, still perched on his master’s shoulder, looked curiously at the rabbit woman, who seemed like a moderately strong prey. He wondered if she was really prey or a new female for his master.

“Well then, let’s fight a bit!” As soon as they got off the helicopter, Mirko commented enthusiastically while stretching.

“Wait, we still need to report our findings. It’s not time yet.”

Just before Kai could answer, Shino spoke up in a firm and somewhat angry tone, causing the pair of fight-loving companions to turn and look at her with dissatisfaction. At that moment, Mirko couldn’t help clicking her tongue in annoyance and reluctantly commented.

“That’s true. This case is really strange, so I guess it can’t be helped…” Mirko turned again to look at Kai and added in a firm tone:

“After we finish this, we’re fighting, kid!”

“All right, let’s get this over with quickly, then.”

Kai nodded, much calmer now. Immediately afterward, the whole group entered the same building they had been in before, where they reported everything they had found on the island to Tsukauchi. Kai even had to explain a bit about what he had seen out at sea and send the photo, prompting the young detective to remark in a serious tone.

“Those monsters look really dangerous, but there’s something that intrigues me.” Tsukauchi turned to look at Kai and, fixing his gaze on the young man, asked.

“Why did you only find one corpse and one survivor? Do you have any idea, Kai? Since you were the one who saw the monsters, maybe you have some theories.”

“Actually, I’m wondering the same thing. It’s logical to assume they ate everything in sight, and if we assume they didn’t eat the survivor because he was underground, I still can’t understand why they didn’t eat the scientist’s corpse. It’s quite a mystery…”

Kai replied thoughtfully. After all, it was just as much a mystery to him. Even though it was a fact that the lizard man was underground, Kai himself had seen the place they pulled him out of, and there was nothing there but rocks—no trace of life.

It would be fair to assume the spiders had ravaged everything underground, but for some reason, they didn’t eat the survivor, and the corpse had just been under some rubble, which the spiders could easily have reached.

On top of that, the spiders continued to move under the sea without stopping, so it was likely they were returning to their “base”, which very possibly held all the answers. But until they got there, he had no way of knowing where it was, and even having Sage run calculations on their trajectory and using satellites to look for suspicious points, they still hadn’t found anything.

“I see. It really is strange, although if they’re animals that awakened a quirk, the situation is really dangerous, since there are two of them, and they could reproduce…” Tsukauchi nodded at Kai’s answer and mused aloud, then looked at all the heroes and the young student. In a serious tone, he added.

“Well, this calls for deeper coordination to search for those monsters in the sea. For now, thank you very much for your efforts.”

While expressing his thanks, Tsukauchi bowed respectfully to the heroes, and after a bit more conversation about the island, the entire group said their goodbyes and left the building in an orderly fashion. Mirko and Kai eyed each other in an almost predatory way, which only made the Pussycats sigh. But at that moment, a group of police officers approached, and the one who seemed to be the leader spoke firmly.

“The helicopters to take you back to your respective agencies are ready!”

“Oh, I’ll be going with the Pussycats, so I don’t need one.” Mirko replied with a grin, looking at Shino, which made the officer a bit uncomfortable. After eyeing the rabbit Heroine for a moment, he nodded seriously.

“Understood.”

Mirko’s statement made Shino and Ryuko smile wryly, but after shaking her head, Shino looked at the smiling rabbit Heroine and responded with a diplomatic attitude.

“Well, next time it’d be nice if you let us know beforehand, Mirko, but we’re happy to have you.”

“Hahaha, sure thing.” Mirko replied in a carefree manner with a boisterous laugh, leaving the Pussycats no choice but to shake their heads in resignation.

After a helicopter ride, the group finally arrived at the Pussycats’ agency, where Mirko jumped out, then placed her hands on her hips and declared happily while looking at Kai.

“Well, kid, now there’s nothing stopping us!”

“That’s true, but we’d better go to the mountains. If we break something here, I’ll have to pay for it.” Kai replied cheerfully as the helicopter flew off, to which Mirko nodded excitedly.

“Sounds good! Let’s go!”

“I’m gonna go play for a bit, I’ll be back soon.”

After speaking, Mirko shot off toward the mountains. Kai then turned to look at the Pussycats with a huge grin, and darted after the rabbit Heroine. Ryuko couldn’t help but comment in a defeated tone:

“They’re two feathers from the same bird…”

“Totally agree…” Chatora nodded, somewhat amused, as Tomoko chimed in enthusiastically while raising her hands, then ran off to follow Kai.

“I’m going to watch the fight!”

“For now, let’s go inside and prepare some tea…” Shino remarked, somewhat resigned, and Ryuko and Chatora nodded before heading into the agency building together.

…

Mirko, Kai, and Tomoko quickly delved into the mountains, and shortly after they found a wide clearing where they came to a stop. Kai and Mirko stood facing each other, while Tomoko stayed off to one side with Salem in her arms, looking incredibly excited.

“So let’s see what you can really do, kid!” Mirko exclaimed, full of ferocity, as she flexed the muscles in her legs, causing small shockwaves in the air. Kai answered with a calm smile.

“A lot more than you imagine.”

“Hahaha, then let’s find out!”

After she spoke, Mirko lunged forward with such force that she shattered the ground beneath her feet, reaching Kai in the blink of an eye. She spun on herself in midair to deliver a powerful hammer kick right to the top of the blue-eyed boy’s head. Kai used his left hand to deflect her leg as he simultaneously threw a punch toward her exposed thigh.

Without so much as blinking, Mirko swiftly twisted her hips in midair, sending a sideways kick to Kai’s head, forcing him to halt his attack so he could duck and dodge, letting her leg swing over him. He immediately rose to throw a punch with his left hand at the Heroine’s exposed side.

Using her momentum, Mirko spun around in the air, managing to block Kai’s punch with one of her legs, producing a small shockwave that stirred the air. Since she didn’t have a stable foothold, she was sent backward, landing a few meters away on her feet. The force of the impact made her slide across the ground for several more meters.

“You really are something else, kid. I felt that hit, hahaha.” As she forcefully stomped the ground with the leg that had blocked Kai’s punch, Mirko commented with an almost predatory grin. Kai answered in a challenging tone.

“Really? And I wasn’t even warming up yet, hehe.”

“Hehehe, I like you more every minute, kid!” Mirko said in a voice that was nearly frantic but evidently pleased. Then she ran straight at Kai at top speed.

Upon reaching him, Mirko quickly spun around and crouched, launching a low sweeping kick aimed at his feet. Kai jumped slightly to avoid it. As the rabbit Heroine continued her spin, she put her hands on the ground for support, propelling herself and unleashing a rapid series of kicks aimed at Kai’s head.

“Luna Rush!”

Kai crossed his arms in an X to block, using the momentum of her kicks to push himself backward. He landed nearby, and at that moment, Mirko bent her arms on the ground and then hurled herself through the air at him, spinning to deliver a powerful downward axe kick.

“Luna Arc!”

With a fluid movement, Kai stepped to his left, narrowly evading the descending axe kick. He then threw a powerful punch at Mirko’s exposed abdomen, sending her flying. Even so, the force of the rabbit Heroine’s kick was so great that, without fully striking the ground, she managed to create a large crater that forced Kai to leap away and caused the earth to tremble.

The fierce blow sent Mirko hurtling through the trees at high speed, smashing several in her path before she finally came to a stop. She got up looking battered, with some traces of blood on her face, which she licked away with an expression close to ecstasy. Then she leapt toward Kai with all her might, shouting in an almost unhinged tone.

“Hahaha, you’re the best, kid!!!”

With manic fury, Mirko began attacking Kai at full speed with her legs. He found himself dodging and blocking her strikes with his arms, occasionally landing counterattacks that sent the rabbit Heroine flying. Yet without caring about her injuries, she kept attacking as if her life depended on it, greatly surprising Kai, who even had to start using [Enhancement]—something he wasn’t expecting.

(She’s strong, fast, and has almost bestial instincts that shift in a very erratic way. But more importantly, she learns at an incredible speed and improves in real time. Each attack is sharper than the last. Also, I like her style—she fights like she doesn’t care if she dies. What an amazing talent. Definitely worth cultivating…)

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