Chapter Fifteen: Fan Letters

That night, I stayed up late tutoring Hinata. It had been like that ever since our seventh year together—him relying on me far more than he should.
He stayed over for two more days, leaving only on Monday morning, and of course, he dragged me to school with him.
For some reason, he refused to bathe with me or change clothes when I was around. He was clearly shy, though he wouldn’t admit it.
LV hadn’t come out since Friday; she remained inside, feeding off me as usual. I hadn’t had much chance to train because of Hinata—he made me tutor him from dusk till dawn. Now here I was, in school, walking to class beside him.
Still… something felt off today. A heavy unease clung to me. Why?
“Did you read the letters that were sent to you?” Hinata asked as we rode the escalator to class.
“Letters…?”
“That’s no good, Infinity! You have to read them! People sent them to you for a reason!” His tone sharpened, almost like he was scolding me.
Why is he yelling at me?
“O-Okay, I’ll read them… where are they?”
With Hinata pressing, we took a detour and headed to the school’s reception. The machines redirected us to the right wing, and the moment the staff saw me—an elite—they immediately stood to greet me, bowing politely before ushering me into a room.
“Behold! Your fan letters!” the workers chorused together with sparkling smiles.
………… HUUUUUH!?
The room was overflowing—mountains of envelopes stacked in every corner, stretching wall to wall.
“How many people… sent all this? There must be over a hundred thousand!”
“160,050, to be exact,” said a woman in glasses, smiling knowingly.
“They were sent from all over the world,” she explained. “You’ve been absent, so you didn’t know about them. Reading them will give the senders hope.”
Hope, huh?
{Simpleton~… Simpleton~.}
“Shut up!!” I snapped before realizing—everyone was staring at me blankly.
“Hahaha… it’s nothing,” I said, trying to cover with a laugh.
Embarrassing… Why do I have to go through this?
As I looked around, I noticed more staff peeking in, waiting to see how I’d react, like it was some kind of entertainment. That was no good. I wasn’t here for their amusement.
“I have things to do right now… I’ll come back later.”
“Wait, Infinity!” Hinata tried to stop me, but I was already gone.
We boarded the locomotives again, and as soon as he got off at his class floor, I pressed the button down and left the school entirely.
Why should I go to class? There’s nothing left for me to learn.
{So why did you even come to school in the first place?}
I’m not talking to a parasite.
Maybe she didn’t like that insult, or maybe she was just bored after hiding inside me for three days—either way, LV suddenly burst out of me.
“I’m never going back inside!” she shouted, stomping down dramatically.
“That’s the whole point!” I yelled back, then shifted away before she could argue further.
If I moved at just the right speed, I could scan my surroundings and evade obstacles easily.
“You think you can outrun me? Who do you think taught you how to shift!?” she taunted, then darted ahead in a blur.
“Oh no you don’t!”
In an instant, it turned into a high-speed race. We cut through the air faster than sound itself, flashing across the city like streaks of lightning. In less than a second, we were back at the castle.
Seeing she had won, LV smirked proudly and suggested we raise a barrier around the castle, to protect it from crossfire.
Stretching both arms wide, she summoned glowing lines of energy into the sky. A shimmering dome of power rose, expanding until it completely encircled the castle.
“It might not be as strong as Academia’s, but it’s still very strong,” she said confidently as the barrier settled into place.
……What about the humans inside? Wouldn’t they be trapped?
“Humans can pass freely, but anyone with a high power level won’t be able to enter or leave. Except for us, of course.”
That was reassuring. At least the humans here would be safe.
“Don’t you mean, ‘At least my parents will be safe~?’” she teased in that annoyingly sing-song voice.
Whatever.
I left her and entered the castle, only to find my parents waiting in the main hall.
“Oh, he’s back already?” Father frowned. His tone was sharp, almost resentful.
“Don’t be so hard on him,” Mother defended me softly. “He did go, didn’t he?”
“You shouldn’t treat your son like some divine being,” Father grumbled. “He’s just human, like the rest of us. Or at least, that’s what I’d like to believe.”
“Haha, you’re so funny… Ylaus~” Mother quickly changed the subject. “A girl named Amira called after you left.”
“Amira!?” My heart skipped. “Where’s the phone!?”
“…It’s over there… I told you to always keep one with you, didn’t I?” she said, a little puzzled by my reaction.
I hurried to the phone… but then froze. What do I say?
“He-Hello…” A sweet, familiar voice answered.
I hung up immediately. I felt so embarrassed. 
It was really Amira… Why did she call me?
“Oh dear~ a girl called for him, but he’s too afraid to answer.” LV strolled in, mocking me to Mother.
“I’m not afraid!!” I snapped.
Without thinking, I redialed.
“Naum~? Is that you?”
I hung up again.
What… am I doing?
“HAHAHAHAHA!”
Both my parents burst into uncontrollable laughter, tears in their eyes.
“So much for being a god~ Hahaha!”
Why… why why why… WHY!!!?
Mother took the phone from my hands gently. “Hello~ Amira? Yes, sorry my son’s being a wuss… Mm-hmm… Yes, I’ll tell him.”
Before she could say more, I disappeared, teleporting straight into the city. LV slipped back inside me mid-shift.
Amira was waiting at the city park. She wanted to talk.
I didn’t even need directions. I found her quickly, sitting on a bench beneath the blossoms. The park was radiant—flowers and cherry trees in full bloom, sunlight weaving through the petals like a dream.
BAD-UMP. BAD-UMP.
Heart pounding, I approached.
She was looking at her phone when she noticed me. Her eyes widened.
“Who… who are you?” she asked, staring as if I were a ghost.
………… HUUUUH!?
“…So it was a mistake, huh?” I muttered, dejected, turning to leave.
{Are you going to cry~?} LV teased.
“…Naum~? Is that you!?” Amira grabbed my hand, her eyes trembling with disbelief.
Of course. She had called my house only seconds ago. How could I be here so fast?
“I was already in the park when you called,” I lied, weakly.
“But your mom said you were home…”
“You know humans… they’re forgetful.”
She studied me suspiciously. “Then prove it. What was I doing before you arrived?”
Easy. “Looking at shoes online. Then you found a dress to match, and thought, ‘I hope he wants to meet me, I’ve wanted to see him ever since then.’”
“Ehh!!? F-Forget I asked! I believe you!” Her cheeks flushed scarlet.
We sat on the bench together. Fifteen minutes passed in silence. Neither of us spoke.
“Umm, Naum~… are you busy right now?” she finally asked softly.
“You’re asking me that… after dragging me all the way here?”
{Idiot! That’s not how you talk to a girl!}
“I wouldn’t be here if I were busy, would I?” I corrected myself.
“…Of course not. What am I saying?”
She wanted to go shopping. Of course.
Before we left, she pulled sunglasses, a hat, and a fake beard from her bag. “Here, wear this.”
Disguise? Just to go shopping?
“I don’t want people crowding you. This way, no one will recognize you.”
I sighed. She wasn’t wrong—I was popular.
{Nice move.}
We headed to the mall. Three stories tall, sprawling wide, buzzing with the rich children of elites.
“Let’s try that place first!” she chirped, pointing.
We entered a clothing store filled with endless colors and designs—mostly for girls. Amira darted between racks, radiant with excitement.
She tried on outfit after outfit, spinning for me each time. With LV nudging me, I spoke the words she wanted to hear: “You look beautiful in all of them. The clothes are nothing compared to your beauty.”
Her blush deepened with each one, and she ended up buying everything.
In the shoe section, she piled even more choices on me. “Would you mind holding some bags for me~?”
“It can’t be helped… if you’re weak, you’re just human. I’ll carry them all.”
She smiled softly.
By the end, I was buried in bags while she moved happily from shop to shop. She even left me waiting outside one section, emerging later with her own bag she wouldn’t let me carry.
Eventually, she paid for everything and had it sent home.
Then she turned shy. “What should we do next? Do you… like movies?”
Movies, huh? She seemed hopeful. I agreed.
She pulled out two tickets instantly. She had planned this.
The theater was packed. Tens of thousands had died just a week ago, yet life went on as if nothing had happened.
We sat in the VIP section, luxury fit for elites. It was my first time.
“You keep looking around,” Amira teased gently. “Is this your first time?”
“I don’t waste time on things like this,” I muttered.
“Sorry I dragged you… I just… wanted to forget some things,” she said quietly.
“I see. You floated in the sky for quite some time, it must have—”
“How did you know I was—!?” She stopped herself quickly when people turned to stare.
Of course I knew. I had saved her. But I couldn’t tell her that.
The movie started. Forty minutes in, Amira was sobbing quietly.
{This is what humans call sadness.} LV remarked.
“If you don’t like it, we can leave,” I whispered.
“No…” she leaned against my shoulder, clutching her handkerchief, tears streaming down.
I didn’t understand. Why cry and stay?
“.…I’m sorry I’m such a weakling. I don’t deserve to be with you.”
Weakling? She had come first in our early years. She was no weakling.
Feeling pity, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders. She didn’t push me away. She stayed nestled there until the end, like a fragile pet seeking comfort.
“That was a really good movie, I enjoyed it a lot~.”
She was lying. But she smiled anyway.
As we stepped outside, someone shouted—
“Amira…!!”