Tokyo: My Superpower Refreshes Every Week-Chapter 419 - 417 Iroha: I’m Super Awesome_1

Morimoto Chiyoda had stopped doing yoga in the living room for some time now. She would always exercise in her bedroom before coming out to cook breakfast. The summer temperature was too fierce, and it was necessary to control the heat. As the old saying goes: With dry weather and parched things, be careful with fire and candles.

Today’s breakfast was seafood porridge. Two pounds of crayfish were shelled, their heads and tails removed, and then cooked in the porridge until fragrant, emanating a hint of the sea. With a scoop, a ladleful of crayfish landed in the porridge.

She served Aozawa a bowl of porridge and headed out of the living room, ready to knock on the door and wake up the still-sleeping Aozawa. If there was no school, Aozawa often didn’t get up that early, choosing instead to wait for her to wake him. In this respect, he had somewhat of a lazybones character.

Morimoto Chiyoda opened the door.

Down the long corridor, the young man approached, having already washed his face and brushed his teeth. He was in high spirits, wearing a blue tank top with sports trousers. He wasn’t dressed as before, in just boxer shorts.

Seeing his attire, Morimoto Chiyoda understood that he definitely had plans for the day. "Do you have a date with a young girl?"

"Yeah, I’m going on an adventure with Iroha," Aozawa smiled.

Morimoto Chiyoda turned around and casually reminded him, "Be careful."

The news about the Different World and Monsters was announced by The White House yesterday. By last night, many related adventure activities had already been launched nationwide, making a killing. Businesspeople were very aware that such frenzied trends often only last for a short time. In industries related to the mysterious, the earlier you open, the more money you make.

It was just that the stories hastily concocted by businesspeople made the special case team especially busy. They had to distinguish whether the incidents popping up online were real or fake.

Morimoto Chiyoda had already tripled the manpower of the special case team and was not as cautious as she had been initially when selecting people. The most secret matters were still only known to the core members of the original team. As for everyone else, they were just cogs in the assembly line, unable to know everything. Insiders and outsiders were treated differently.

Most superiors use such methods to manage their subordinates. Morimoto Chiyoda was no exception; she had little interest in getting to know the people who joined the special case team later. It didn’t matter to her even if there were spies among them. She just had to do her job well.

After Morimoto Chiyoda finished her breakfast, she handed the dishes and pot to Aozawa, asking him to put them in the dishwasher.

She left home first, deciding to drive the Bugatti Veyron today. She didn’t head straight to the Metropolitan Police Department but turned on the navigation to head to Nishi-Arai in Adachi District. There was a rumor that a Monster had cursed someone’s right arm. Anyone who touched that arm could transfer their calamities to its owner. Someone even miraculously cured their leg. They proudly claimed to be willing to bear all the suffering of sentient beings and even wanted to establish the "I Enter Hell" church.

Morimoto Chiyoda needed to verify the truth of the rumor. Her next stop was Higashiohisa Go-chome in Arakawa District. It was said that on the previous evening, a mansion haunted by Ghosts had suddenly appeared on a vacant lot there, scaring the surrounding residents so much they dared not stay. Someone who had mustered the courage to enter was reportedly stripped of their clothes and thrown out.

Honestly, Morimoto Chiyoda didn’t feel like verifying such rumors; ninety-nine percent of them were probably false. Ghosts stripping clothes? No matter how she thought about it, she couldn’t believe it was true, yet she still had to see it for herself to know whether it was real or not.

...

Ayatsuki Ayaka hummed a tune, indicating her cheerful mood.

LA LA.

Standing in front of the mirror, unlike other girls with fair skin, her body was the color of wheat, like a well-toasted French loaf. But in certain areas, she was still very much like a young girl. Pink looked very pleasing to the eye.

Today is an adventure date, so I need to wear something that fits the adventurous atmosphere, Ayatsuki Ayaka thought.

She took out her "winning" underwear from the wardrobe, paired with a black off-shoulder T-shirt and light-blue jeans that hugged her hips. Her legs were enveloped in black fishnet stockings. Ayatsuki Ayaka checked herself in the mirror, did a little spin, her ombre long hair cascading over her shoulders. She applied light smokey makeup, placing a small skull sticker beneath one eye. Slipping into flat sandals, she planned to show off her nail art: her toenails were rose red, except for the big toes, which had heart-shaped red patterns.

Ayatsuki Ayaka felt that from head to toe, she was perfectly equipped; she was determined to make her first date of the summer break a success.

She left the bedroom in high spirits.

On the living room couch, Ayaka rose from the couch like a slime and asked, "Iroha, are you going out?"

"Didn’t I tell you yesterday? I won’t be back for lunch."

"Will you be home in the evening?"

"Of course I will." Ayatsuki Ayaka glared at her, feeling like her sister always wanted to tease her.

"HEHE, remember to take safety precautions," Ayaka said with a smile, waving her hand.

With a slight blush, Ayatsuki Ayaka replied, "We wouldn’t do that kind of thing." Then she fled.

She could speak of Aozawa with calm composure in front of Saeko and the others. But in front of her family, every time Aozawa was mentioned, she felt an unusual shyness.

After much thought, Ayatsuki Ayaka could only blame it on the fear that a slight carelessness might leave her with a lifelong embarrassing history that Sister Ayaka could hold over her.

Ayatsuki Ayaka left home and hurried toward Ayase Station. Although not good with calculations, she was surprisingly shrewd when it came to timing her date. She ensured she arrived ten minutes early at the venue, yet she still saw the boy waiting at the entrance of Ayase Station.

"Aozawa!" She showed a trace of surprise on her face and quickly ran up to him, saying, "Sorry to keep you waiting! You came so early today. Don’t you usually arrive right on time?"

Aozawa took her right hand and smiled. "I haven’t seen you in a few days. The thought of seeing you today kept me awake, so I came half an hour early to wait."

"Then you could have made an earlier appointment." Ayatsuki Ayaka felt elated inside but still complained that he should have arranged to meet earlier so he wouldn’t have had to wait.

Aozawa raised his hand and playfully flicked her nose, smiling. "I had to give you some time to get ready. You look very pretty today, and the color of your nail art is also very nice."

"HEHE, I did it this morning." Ayatsuki Ayaka’s smile grew even brighter. She took Aozawa’s arm, and he led her into Ayase Station, where they would take a train to Arakawa District.

...

「Arakawa District, Higashi-Ogu Station.」

Stepping out of the station’s grand gateway, Ayatsuki Ayaka talked nonstop. She shared her shopping experience with Saeko from the day before and then voiced her own theories. "HAHA, back then, I really thought all three of them were succubi."

When she mentioned her outrageous guess, Ayatsuki Ayaka couldn’t help but laugh. Then, tilting her head, she asked seriously, "Aozawa, are you hiding any secret identities from me?"

"Actually, I am a Superpower User."

"HAHA." Ayatsuki Ayaka laughed.

Aozawa felt his resolve shake, as if soft sticky rice dumplings were continuously rolling up and down on his biceps. Fortunately, he was wearing baggy sweatpants. If it had been jeans, that would have been truly uncomfortable.

"Then I have a Superpower User boyfriend! I’m so amazing," she boasted.

"Shouldn’t you say I’m the amazing one?"

"I’m super amazing for being able to tame a Superpower User, okay?" Ayatsuki Ayaka said with a giggle, not taking Aozawa’s words seriously and thinking he was just playing along.

Aozawa thought about it and realized she wasn’t wrong.

The two of them walked and talked, and the number of people on the streets gradually decreased. Approaching the mansion, Ayatsuki Ayaka found it quite fitting for a horror atmosphere. There wasn’t a single resident to be seen on the streets, nor anyone standing at the entrance charging a fee.

"Is this something you can experience for free?" Ayatsuki Ayaka asked with a surprised expression, assuming it would be like other entertainment facilities that used a Different World gimmick. On the surface, they’d mention curses and the like, but in reality, you’d have to pay an entry fee. Yesterday, she and Saeko had seen a haunted house quickly transformed into a Ghost’s Monster house, drawing in plenty of customers.

Aozawa pulled out a piece of cloth from his bag and laughed. "Iroha, this isn’t just for fun. I searched online. People have really been stripped bare by Ghosts and thrown out after going in there. The surrounding residents are too scared to live here."

"HAHA." Ayatsuki Ayaka chuckled, her bright eyes scanning the surroundings. The bright sunlight fell on the quiet street, which indeed seemed void of passersby.

She felt a bit nervous. Before, she definitely wouldn’t have believed such things. But with The White House openly acknowledging the existence of a Different World and Monsters, the appearance of a cursed house seemed plausible. But could she actually encounter one? Ayatsuki Ayaka was skeptical about this, feeling that the chances were as slim as winning the lottery—virtually impossible.

The reason for the deserted streets now was probably just that Higashi-Ogu wasn’t a bustling area; the adults had all gone to work. The younger people wouldn’t likely be out and about so early. It was common for them to sleep until noon on holidays. Like Sister Ayaka. On days off, give her a blanket, and she could sleep until the end of the world. If Ayatsuki Ayaka hadn’t mentioned the date to Sister Ayaka yesterday in advance, she would not have seen her this morning.

Thinking about it, Ayatsuki Ayaka’s courage surged from within. She slapped her chest assertively. "Don’t worry, I’ve got this! If there’s really an Evil Spirit, watch me take it down with my Fist of Justice!"

"Great, then I look forward to witnessing Iroha’s divine might." Aozawa dropped his bag to the ground and spread out the cloth, ready to cover both him and Ayatsuki Ayaka at a moment’s notice so they could hide under the same sheet.

The thought of that scenario excited Aozawa, who couldn’t wait to say, "Alright, let’s go in!" As he spoke, he grabbed Ayatsuki Ayaka’s left hand, his body close to hers, his voice filled with a mixture of excitement and a hint of apprehension.

The faint trembling from his palm filled Ayatsuki Ayaka with even more courage. At that moment, she felt she could throw a punch at the Demon King who might be out to destroy the world, even if he were standing right in front of her. Whether she could defeat him was one thing, but whether she had the courage was another.

At this moment, Ayatsuki Ayaka, like a brave hero entering the Demon King’s Castle, held her head high, puffed out her chest, and strode boldly to the mansion’s entrance.