"…And what do you plan to do about that place?"
"I'm going back. That place holds too many secrets, and it's far too dangerous. No matter what happens, I have to go back. I won't be able to sleep peacefully unless I check every inch of that island myself. I can feel that place is hiding something monumental, something that could change our lives forever."
Kai replied in a serious, resolute voice, which caused a strong reaction from everyone, especially Keiko and Yumiko, who immediately grabbed his jacket tightly. At that moment, Keiko cried out urgently.
"You can't go back! Under no circumstances can you go back! You almost died there!"
"I understand those spiders better now, and I'll make all the necessary preparations. The same thing won't happen again—I promise. Before, I was just too overconfident, and I won't make the same mistake again."
Kai looked Keiko in the eyes and spoke in a measured, steady tone, but instead of calming her, his words only heightened her panic. Keiko quickly pulled him forcefully toward her, burying his face in her ample chest, then exclaimed, full of fear.
"You'll only go back to that damned place over my dead body."
"It's alright, everything's alright, don't worry."
With his head buried between Keiko's large breasts, Kai spoke in a gentle, warm voice as he softly stroked the beautiful woman's back. But Keiko couldn't help but respond with visible distress.
"How do you expect me to calm down after what you just said, Kai? I couldn't bear to lose you, so please don't take that risk. You're not obligated to do anything. You don't owe anyone anything, and no one can force you."
"But I'm not doing it because I want to play the hero or because I feel obligated. I'm doing it because I truly feel it's vitally important. There's something in that place—everything I saw there points to it; even my instincts are screaming that there's something there. I have to go." Kai replied in a calm voice, still gently stroking Keiko's back, who couldn't help but break into tears as she spoke with a pleading voice.
"Please, Kai… Don't do it… I'm begging you…"
"Don't worry, it won't be right away… I still have a lot to prepare…" Kai said in a voice full of guilt, trying to comfort Keiko. At that moment, Nemuri announced seriously.
"Kai, actually, we're already planning a raid on that island, so it would be best if you gave us the location, and after we investigate it a bit, you could go and look for what you want."
"There isn't even the slightest chance of that happening."
Without hesitating for even a second, Kai lifted his head and looked Nemuri straight in the eyes as he spoke with a firmness that left no room for argument. Then he continued, his gaze moving to each of the heroes in the family.
"Not even if All Might himself led the team could you guarantee your safety. I nearly died because of those spiders, and while part of that was due to my arrogance and another part to not fully understanding the scope of the conditional webs—which caught me off guard a few times—the power of those things was truly devastating. Only I, with my varied repertoire of abilities, could survive in that place."
"Kai, you're seriously underestimating us—professional heroes." Chatora quickly replied in a serious tone and continued.
"While it's true that we're nowhere near the level of people like All Might or yourself, we have years of experience, and there are all kinds of quirks that are incredibly useful for specific situations. That would be vitally important in a place like that. And you, even with your entire repertoire of abilities, can't compare to that."
At that moment, Shino nodded in complete agreement and quickly continued after Chatora's words in a firm tone. Since she loved her man, it was necessary to make him see his mistakes—and right now, he was making a serious one.
"Kai, you just admitted that your defeat was due in large part to your arrogance, but you're not letting go of it. Right now, you're being incredibly arrogant to think that you alone are better than a group of professional heroes specially selected for the task. And believe me, not even All Might at his peak would have dared to think something like that."
"Darling, this time you're really wrong." Ryuko quickly joined in with a firm and clear voice, looking Kai straight in the eyes, and continued.
"While I understand your point that only someone like you or All Might could face something like those Driders, it was not having the right support that really cost you. If you had, I can assure you things would have turned out very differently."
"As for me." At that moment, Tomoko added seriously.
"Although I feel like I understand a bit better what you're trying to convey, many of your abilities can't be used on others, and you're afraid that something might happen to us. Even so, I have to say that this time you're wrong. Besides, you just barely escaped something really difficult—you need time to recover from all that, both physically and mentally. It wouldn't be right for you to go back there for a while."
"No matter what you say, I'm the one who knows how to get back to that place, so I'm the one holding all the cards—and I say I'll go alone."
Kai quickly replied seriously, since even though he didn't like arguing with his family, he truly felt that place was just too dangerous, so it was a price that needed to be paid. At that moment, Nemuri added in a calm voice, looking Kai straight in the eyes.
"Kai, I understand your fears. I know all you want to do is protect us, but we feel the same way—we want to protect you, too. You went through a lot in that place, and we wouldn't want you to go back anytime soon. But instead of turning this into a conflict, I think we can reach an agreement, with both sides making concessions.
"Your power and abilities would undoubtedly be of great help there, but we will never agree to let you go alone. Therefore, you could become part of the team we're assembling to venture into that place—since, as you said, for now, only you can get there."
"Also, since I know you don't like having your abilities revealed, and showing them in front of a group of professional heroes would greatly increase the risk of exposure, at the very least I can promise you that the team will be made up mainly of us, along with a few other trustworthy heroes who know how to keep their mouths shut. Still, you should be aware that Eva has already seen you fight—it's only a matter of time before your abilities come to light."
"…"
At Nemuri's words, Kai fell silent, deeply reflecting on his options—especially on his chances of getting his family out of that place if everything went to hell. Even though a good portion of his abilities were designed to protect them, he could still vividly remember how that corrosive web wrapped around him even inside his barrier. His family's trump card for defense was the barrier conjured by the Accomplices at the cost of their lives—so in that place, they would be practically defenseless.
Moreover, if there was such a thing as a 'conditional web,' the chances that there were other things just as strange—or even worse—that could partially or completely bypass their defenses were far from zero. In a complex situation, losing concentration for even a second could be fatal, especially with those bizarre things full of strange abilities.
Seeing that Kai seemed to be deeply considering things, the heroes in the family were able to let out a small sigh of relief, since that meant not all was lost. After all, they knew perfectly well that the only thing keeping Kai talking with them about going to that place was the love and respect he had for them. After all, just as he had said, he was the one holding all the cards—he was the only one who could go back to that place.
Frankly speaking, he never really needed to discuss it with them; he could simply go on his own and there would be nothing they could do to stop him. Given how things were going—after several days of active searching, they hadn't found even a single clue about that place—to the point that, if not for Eva's existence, they would doubt it was even real, it was highly likely that this raid would never actually happen.
"For now, I think it's best to leave this conversation for later. It's better if everyone thinks things over carefully and we reach an agreement in a few days. Besides…"
The silence was broken by Yumiko, who spoke calmly but quickly turned to Kai with an incredibly serious expression. At that moment, she announced in a tone that left no room for argument, using Kai's own words against him without the slightest mercy.
"There isn't even the slightest chance that Kai will leave this house before he's fully recovered. Is that understood?"
When he heard Yumiko, Kai snapped out of his thoughts and turned to look her directly in the eyes, beginning a brief staring contest. It ended after several seconds when Kai let out a sigh and spoke with a hint of defeat in his tone.
"I actually need to prepare several things first, so it'll take me a while before I go back."
Hearing this, Yumiko smiled charmingly, although Keiko was still clinging tightly to Kai, terrified that if she let him go, she could lose him at any moment. Using her Accomplice's ability to accelerate her thoughts to the extreme, she was planning an endless array of strategies to convince him not to go. At that moment, however, Kai gently took her face in his hands and spoke in a warm voice.
"I know you're worried, but I promise everything will be alright. Or do you not trust me, Keiko?"
"It's not that I don't trust you…" Keiko quickly replied in a low, conflicted voice, which made Kai smile before he added warmly.
"Then let's follow Yumiko's words and call a temporary truce for a few days. If all goes well, I'm sure that by then I'll be able to show you something that will greatly ease your fears."
"…I really doubt something like that exists…" Keiko muttered, sounding like a little girl refusing to be fooled, to which Kai responded with a small smile.
"Won't you give me the benefit of the doubt?"
"Alright… I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, but I can't promise anything. I'll probably keep refusing with all my might after a few days…"
Keiko answered softly, looking at Kai with a slight apprehension that, for some reason, made her look incredibly adorable—so much so that the blue-eyed boy couldn't resist and ended up giving her a kiss on the cheek, then added with a smile.
"You're the best, and don't worry—in a few days, you'll see these aren't just empty words."
After receiving Kai's kiss, Keiko gently touched her cheek, blushing slightly as she glanced at the others, only to find them looking at her suspiciously. On the faces of Nemuri, Shino, Ryuko, and Yumiko, she could see small, knowing smiles that made her nervous, so trying to hide her embarrassment, she quickly replied.
"We'll see about that."
"Well, now that we've decided to leave all the complicated things for later, how about we go out to the garden and look at the stars? These past days, our worries haven't let us do anything, and I really miss those peaceful moments with everyone…"
After a moment, Yumiko spoke calmly, earning a big nod of agreement from everyone. They quickly started moving, grabbing mattresses, cushions, pillows, and blankets, and carrying everything out to the garden, where they put it all together to create a huge bed. Everyone lay down together, watching the stars as they chatted about random things, relaxing deeply, and letting the little worries fade from their minds.
***
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