One Punch Man: Heroics Start with Dual Kamui

Chapter 183: Treated Like a Pillow

"...?"

Mizuki tilted her head slightly as she looked at Shinji and Tatsumaki. She didn't quite understand what Shinji meant by "taking advantage of her."

Besides, Mizuki had no idea what kind of relationship the two of them actually had. After all, neither Shinji nor Tatsumaki was the type to share their private matters with anyone else.

Soon after, food and drinks were ordered. Mizuki only went with beer, avoiding the stronger liquor. Shinji thought to himself that if it stayed that way, Tatsumaki probably wouldn't end up too drunk.

...

However, there was one thing Shinji hadn't expected at all: Mizuki's alcohol tolerance was actually worse than Tatsumaki's.

"Shinji-senpai~ why do you have four eyes? So weird, hahaha!" Without a doubt, Mizuki was already completely drunk.

"Mizuki, you're the one who's drunk," Shinji reminded her.

"How could that be…? Shinji-senpai, you really like to joke… I'm perfectly clear-headed right now, see?" Mizuki laughed as she spoke, still pouring more beer into her mouth.

"Gulp, gulp, gulp... ha!"

She downed more than half her glass in one go, letting out a satisfied sigh.

"..."

Shinji didn't bother saying anything more. After all, drunk people never admit they're drunk. No matter what he said, it would only be pointless.

"Shinji, that means I've won, right...? Hic~"

Tatsumaki didn't look much better herself, swaying and hiccupping. Still, compared to Mizuki, she was in slightly better shape. If nothing unexpected happened, Mizuki would be the one to collapse first.

...

Sure enough, just a few minutes later, things went exactly as Shinji predicted. Mizuki slumped forward onto the table, completely unconscious. Tatsumaki, on the other hand, was barely hanging on, clearly at her limit and unable to drink anymore.

"I... I won... hehehe~"

Seeing Mizuki knocked out, Tatsumaki happily put down her glass, or rather, she relaxed and gave up on drinking any further.

That left Shinji as the only one still sober. And so, the awkward responsibility fell squarely on his shoulders.

Both Tatsumaki and Mizuki had collapsed.

"Yeeeup… sigh."

He couldn't just leave them here, but he also couldn't take Tatsumaki and abandon Mizuki either.

Shinji rubbed his temples, feeling a headache coming on. These two were really reckless. Did they trust him that much, believing he was some kind of gentleman who would never take advantage of them?

Well, to be fair, even if he didn't think of himself as a flawless gentleman, he still wouldn't do something that shameless.

"Tatsumaki...?"

"Mizuki...?"

Shinji tried calling out to both of them, but neither responded at all.

Seeing this, he knew they wouldn't be waking up anytime soon. Left with no choice, Shinji picked up both Tatsumaki and Mizuki, carrying one in each arm. Since he had no idea where Mizuki's home was, he could only take her back with him, along with Tatsumaki.

He gently laid them down on his bed and decided to wait until Mizuki woke up.

…

"Well… fuck."

But even after midnight, Mizuki showed no signs of stirring. She slept soundly, as if she were in her own home.

Tatsumaki was the same. Her sleeping posture was, as always, completely terrible.

At this point, Shinji no longer wanted to wait. He pulled the blankets over Tatsumaki and Mizuki, making sure they were covered properly, before lying down on the outer edge of the bed himself.

[Alert! Host slept in the same bed as Mizuki. Reward: 40 points!]

Even though Shinji's bed was on the larger side, it still felt cramped with two people. Adding a third would make it unbearably tight. But there was no way he would force himself to sleep on the floor or the couch because of this. That would be pushing things too far.

...

Mizuki stirred awake, not too early and not too late, around two or three in the morning. Actually, it wasn't natural, as she was woken up when Tatsumaki's foot smacked her right in the face. Tatsumaki herself remained sound asleep, snoring softly.

Mizuki's head felt heavy since the alcohol hadn't completely worn off. She couldn't recall when exactly she had dozed off or what had happened afterward. She didn't even notice at first that this wasn't her home.

Then something caught her attention. The object she was hugging didn't feel like her usual fluffy pillow. It was too firm, too real, like a body pillow but not quite.

Mizuki always slept clinging to a pillow, so even in her half-asleep state, she had instinctively reached out for something to hold. That something happened to be Shinji, whom she had unknowingly pulled into her arms and was now treating as her pillow.

Realization hit her like a bucket of cold water. Her eyes flew open. The room was dark, so she couldn't see clearly, but what she held onto was undeniably a person.

Who was this?

Where exactly was she?

How did this situation even happen?

A surge of panic rushed through her, and she instinctively tightened her grip on the arms she had wrapped around the other person. Her thoughts spun wildly. Had she been carried away by some stranger after passing out drunk? Where was Shinji-senpai? Or, wait, could it be that the man she was holding onto was Shinji-senpai himself?

"It seems you're awake." Shinji's voice broke the silence. He had been roused by Mizuki's sudden, nervous clutching.

"Shinji-senpai?!" Mizuki blurted, startled by the realization.

"Shh." Shinji quickly hushed her. "Tatsumaki is still asleep. Don't wake her."

"Oh." Mizuki covered her mouth immediately. Her heart fluttered wildly like the tide crashing against rocks. It really was Shinji-senpai. That meant she had to be at his place.

She tried to recall the events that had led her here, but her memory was fragmented, as though a piece of the night had been erased.

"Both you and Tatsumaki were drunk," Shinji explained calmly. "I tried to wake you but couldn't, and since I didn't know where you lived, I had no choice but to bring you here."

His explanation was simple and straightforward, leaving no room for misunderstanding.

"I see…" Mizuki murmured. She didn't question him. First, because he was Shinji-senpai, and second, because what he said made perfect sense. Yeah, she was clearly stoned.

"Since you're awake now, I can take you home." Shinji offered gently.

"No, that's not necessary. I've already troubled you enough tonight. I don't want to bother you further." Mizuki lowered her gaze, embarrassed. "I don't know what time it is, but it must be really late. You should rest, Shinji-senpai."

"All right."

Seeing that Mizuki was fine staying here, Shinji didn't insist. He lay back down, ready to return to sleep, when Mizuki's soft voice reached him again.

"Um… I feel awkward asking this, but I'm used to hugging something when I sleep. Shinji-senpai… may I hold you for a bit?"