The hospital room was quiet, save for the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor and the slight rustling of sheets.
Knightmare stood at the foot of the bed, arms crossed.
"Got a name?" he asked bluntly.
He reached out to pull the blanket away from the patient when, suddenly, a foot flew toward him. Calmly, he caught it mid-air.
"Ahem. Your name?" he repeated, unamused.
With a simple toss, he flung the assassin back onto the hospital bed. She landed with a grumble, crossed her legs, and pouted.
"…It's Rainy," she mumbled, fidgeting with the blanket between her fingers.
"Fitting," Knightmare muttered. "Matches your whole stormy wardrobe."
Rainy shot her hand up for a slap, but Knightmare caught her wrist again with ease.
"You're still injured. Try that again and I'll knock the daylight out of your not-so-ugly face," he warned, voice cold.
Rainy gulped and quickly hid under her blanket again.
"…What do you think of my face?" she asked quietly, still hidden.
"Good enough," he answered without pause.
A silence fell between them.
Knightmare eventually broke it. "The only reason I kept you alive is simple—you're paying for the apartment you blew up. Sound fair?"
Rainy peeked out, giving him a deadpan stare.
"You've got potential, Rainy," he added. "You clearly can't fight physically, but if you sharpen yourself, maybe… enroll in the Hero Academy. Forget the assassin gig."
"You expect me to actually—" she began, but was promptly cut off.
Two Hours Later
Rainy sat in the passenger seat of a delivery van, scowling.
"I can't believe I actually said yes… And I can't believe this guy dresses like he's in a post-apocalyptic flu outbreak. Even without the vigilante outfit, he hides his face."
Henryduc—Knightmare's civilian name—was behind the wheel, hands steady.
"Lucky I didn't get fired. Managed to convince my boss to let her help deliver packages. Now I've got a trainee assassin turned delivery girl."
Suddenly, the van came to a screeching halt.
"Why'd you stop?" Rainy asked, raising a brow.
"There's a villain blocking the road," Henryduc replied coolly.
Ahead of them, the street was flooded with rolls and rolls of toilet paper.
A lone villain cackled maniacally in the middle of the chaos.
"HA! Nothing can stop me now! This street belongs to me and my glorious toilet paper!"
They shot thick streams of toilet paper from their wrists like webbing.
Henryduc opened the door. "I should handle this."
Rainy stopped him with a hand to his shoulder. "Let the number 12 hero handle it."
He looked at her skeptically.
Just then, a figure soared through the sky, landing on a nearby car with effortless flair.
"Well, well… what do we have here? The Plumber's Curse? Or just… Toilet Paper Terror?" the hero quipped. "Either way, you're about to get flushed."
"I'M THE UNCLOGGER!" the villain shouted indignantly.
Toilet paper launched toward the hero, who caught it mid-air.
"My name's Silkstride," the hero said. "Sorry for the rush job… you're not even worth the warm-up."
With one fluid motion, Silkstride webbed the villain to the wall and swung away.
"I'LL GET MY REVENGE!" The Unclogger screamed, struggling pointlessly.
Back in the van, Henryduc raised an eyebrow. "So… that's number twelve?"
Rainy clapped excitedly. "Yep! American hero on vacation in Japan. I heard rumors, but it's real! So cool!"
Henryduc stepped out of the van. "Yeah, yeah. We've got one last delivery. Let's wrap this up."
He ran ahead with a package in hand.
"HEY! WAIT FOR ME!" Rainy yelled, leaping from the van and soaring after him.
Elsewhere
A man in a sleek black suit watched from the shadows, phone to his ear.
"…Bad news," he muttered. "One of our assets turned. Found something new to fight for."
The line went dead.
He stared at his phone, sighed, and slipped it into his pocket.
"Figures. They hung up on me." He turned away, walking into the fading light. "Rainy… I hope you know what you're doing. Good luck on your new journey."
As the sun dipped below the skyline.