Chapter 41: New hero costume

With a beautiful smile on her face, Nemuri walked back into the room, moving with an elegant and measured stride, almost as if she were modeling on a runway. She showcased her new hero costume and her stunning dark blue hair, which flowed loosely down her back.

Nemuri's new hero costume consisted of a black corset bodysuit with a significant neckline, highlighting her flat abdomen and narrow waist, but most notably, her impressive bust. Extending from the corset was an ultra-thin, easily tearable white fabric that covered her chest and arms.

Beneath the tight black corset bodysuit, Nemuri wore what appeared to be form-fitting leggings in a lighter black hue, accentuating her long, slender legs and voluptuous curves, complemented by elegant black heeled boots.

In addition, the new outfit was accompanied by the iconic accessories from her previous attire. These included a belt with a large buckle, now blue instead of red, a pair of cuff-shaped bracelets around her wrists and a light blue mask with an elongated, butterfly-like shape. The mask featured nearly invisible lenses, making it look like glasses—a special gift from Kai.

In her new costume, Nemuri seemed to exude an alluring aura that was simultaneously heroic, elegant, and sensual—a curious combination that amplified her already exquisite beauty to the point where she could undoubtedly stand shoulder to shoulder with the most beautiful women in the world, stealing the spotlight wherever she went.

After spinning around the room a few times, showing off her new outfit to everyone present, Nemuri stopped in front of Kai, who was now sitting on the sofa. She then twirled around, flaunting her new costume and seductive figure, before asking with a beautiful smile on her face.

"What do you think of my new outfit, Kai?"

"You look stunning, Onee-chan. Without a doubt, there will be countless entertainment agencies chasing after you to collaborate." Kai replied with a smile, causing a slight blush to appear on Nemuri's cheeks as she smiled delightedly and spoke.

"You're just a sweet talker, hehe."

"I'm serious, Onee-chan. I bet Aunt Yumiko will want to talk to you about it too, hehe."

"Fufufu, Kai-chan is right, Nemuri. If you ever become interested in the entertainment or showbiz world, don't hesitate to contact me first." Yumiko added with a cheerful smile as she handed Nemuri a business card, who couldn't help but comment, somewhat amused.

"You know I'm a famous writer, right?"

"Fufufu, those are different fields. For writing, you use your skills; in showbiz, you use your beauty—completely different things." Yumiko responded playfully, making Nemuri chuckle softly, a sound that was quickly interrupted by Momo, who happily chimed in.

"Your re-debut is going to be a real sensation, Onee-chan. You look amazing!"

"Fufufu, thank you, Momo."

While everyone else congratulated Nemuri, Momo sat next to Kai, resting her head on his shoulder as she asked in a somewhat dreamy voice.

"Nejire nee-chan, Kai... do you think I'll look just as good in my hero costume?"

"Fufufu, of course you will. You'll look almost as good as me." Nejire commented playfully as she imitated Momo and rested her head on Kai's other shoulder, to which the girl with black hair couldn't help but pout.

"Almost as good? I'll look better."

"Fufufu, impossible. Big sisters are always destined to win against their little sisters."

"Hmph, I don't think so."

Caught in the middle of the playful argument, Kai couldn't help but stroke the girls' hair before calmly commenting.

"Alright, alright, you'll both look beautiful. No need to fight."

"Hehehe/Fufufu."

Faced with the two girls' smiles, Kai could only look at them a bit surprised, quickly noticing the little knowing smile they shared between them, something that made him laugh in amusement. But at that moment, Ryuko approached them, asking with a smile.

"What's so funny?"

"Nothing." x2

In response to Ryuko's question came the giggling voices of Nejire and Momo in unison, leaving the beautiful blonde woman a bit confused. She quickly "got her revenge" by grabbing Kai's arm, pulling him over to sit next to her on a nearby sofa, while she commented slyly.

"Well then, I'll borrow my future husband for a moment."

"Hey! Don't steal Kai-chan." Nejire exclaimed, a bit sulky, with Momo quickly adding in annoyance.

"And he won't be your future husband!"

"That's right, that's right." Nejire quickly chimed in with the small protest, to which Ryuko responded by sensually hugging Kai's arm while sending a smug look to the girls and commenting in a haughty tone.

"Oh, really? And why would that be?"

"Because you're too old for him!"

Nejire's response struck a critical blow to Ryuko, who immediately let go of Kai's arm, then glared at the girls like a wild animal while shouting in fury.

"I dare you to repeat that, brat!"

"Old lady!!" x2

Fearlessly, Nejire and Momo replied at the same time with "fierce" expressions, causing Ryuko to completely lose her temper and pounce on the girls like an angry cat, starting a comedic three-way fight that made everyone present burst out laughing.

Meanwhile, Shino walked over with an amused smile to the sofa where Kai, wisely pretending to be dead to avoid getting involved, was lying. The beautiful woman with a short bob haircut elegantly sat on one of the armrests.

"Fufufu, as always, you're really popular, Kai."

"…"

Determined to keep a low profile, Kai stayed silent and just gave Shino a disdainful look, which only made the brown-haired woman smile beautifully.

"Fufufu, don't look at me like that; I'm just stating the obvious."

"…"

Seeing that Kai remained silent, Shino couldn't help but affectionately stroke his silky black hair while commenting in a warm tone.

"Now, seriously, I really wanted to thank you for the 'Accomplices' you gave us. Not only did you allow us to finally have a cat despite our work as Heroes, but in my particular case, it even helped me improve my skills to another level."

"Has your accomplice already developed its ability?" Kai asked, somewhat surprised, since if that were the case, it would be the first accomplice to achieve it.

"Yes, I noticed the change just this morning." Shino replied with a beautiful smile on her face, one that seemed to combine happiness and affection, prompting Kai to ask with curiosity.

"What ability did it develop?"

[Actually, the ability I've dreamed of my whole life.]

In response to his question, what Kai received was a telepathic message in Shino's voice, which inevitably made him think.

(Could it be…? Can you hear me?)

[Yes, I can now receive telepathic messages.]

Upon receiving Shino's telepathic message, Kai's eyes widened in surprise. After all, reading minds wasn't just a rather terrifying ability, but if the accomplice had managed to develop something so powerful to complement Shino, it would completely redefine everything he thought about the pacts.

(Can you read my thoughts?)

[I still need to study this new ability in more detail, but from what I know now, not really. First, I have to send a telepathic message, which somehow creates a mental connection that seems to last about 10 minutes since the lat mese, allowing me to receive the thoughts the person wants to send me.]

(So that means it's not really mind-reading, which makes a bit more sense. After all, it's just an 'ability' and not a 'Hatsu'. Besides, the accomplices could only 'complement,' because when I tried to make them develop their own 'Hatsu' or complex abilities, the ability failed…)

[…]

Kai thought to himself, waiting to see if he'd get a response from Shino, but nothing came, which somewhat confirmed his words. So he quickly thought of a message he wanted her to hear.

(Did you hear my thoughts just now?)

[No, like I said, unless you want me to hear them, I can't know what you're thinking.]

[Mmmm… I guess that means the ability isn't very strong, what a shame.]

Hearing Shino's response, Kai nodded in understanding as he sent the message, but the beautiful woman with brown hair replied in a somewhat melancholic 'tone.'

[Fufufu, you can see it that way, but to me, it's an incredible blessing. All these years, I had the least useful quirk in the group, since only being able to send messages and not receive them made me worse than a broken phone, easily replaceable by a radio communication system.

But now I feel like I'm finally complete. Now my quirk will truly be useful to the group and to help people, so I honestly can't find the words to thank you, Kai. You fulfilled two of my most precious wishes at once. Thank you so, so much, Kai. You don't know how happy you've made me.]

Moved by a whirlwind of emotions, Shino lovingly hugged the blue-eyed boy beside her, while a few tears welled up in her eyes. Kai responded by hugging her back with a smile, while sending a telepathic message.

[You don't have to thank me. You've been incredibly special to me all these years, and you're undoubtedly part of my family. The Accomplice is something minor in comparison, so don't give it too much importance and just enjoy the benefits, hehe.]

[Thank you, Kai. You really are the best thing that ever happened to me.] Shino responded in a moved 'tone,' to which Kai replied with a slightly teasing 'tone.'

[Hehe, you're exaggerating. Though I have to say, we're getting some curious looks…]

Kai's 'words' caused Shino to open her eyes in surprise, then release the blue-eyed young man and look around, quickly noticing the mocking looks from all the adults present, while the girls were pouting in annoyance.

"Shotacon" Tomoko commented playfully, causing Shino to jump like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, then exclaim in frustration.

"Hey!! I'm not that, and besides, Kai isn't a shota anymore!"

"Hehe, but you don't deny that you like him."

"CHATORA!!!"

With a smug smile, Chatora quickly joined the teasing, commenting in a mocking tone, which made Shino lose her temper and pounce on the two fools who had completely ruined her image. This started a three-way fight not too different from the one Ryuko had with the girls earlier.

As Shino started her fight, Keiko approached Kai with a smile, who was simply watching the whole situation amused, then hugged him from behind and rested her chin on his shoulder.

"So, have you thought about what you're going to do now that Nemuri will be out of the house all day?"

"Well, honestly, no. I don't think my routine will change. I'll just keep doing the same things." Kai replied casually, without giving it much importance. But at that moment, Nemuri arrived and commented with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Oh, really? I think it's going to change quite a bit."

"What do you mean, Onee-chan?"

Kai asked, confused. After all, whether Nemuri was at home or not wouldn't affect his routine of training every day, forging or creating something interesting from time to time. The only thing that could change with Nemuri out of the house, was maybe that he could try more extreme things without the fear of her discovering and stopping him.

"It's really simple…"

Nemuri responded with an amused smile on her face, something that quickly spread to everyone present except Kai, who began to have a terrible feeling. The beautiful woman in the hero costume quickly finished him off with her next sentence.

"It's very simple, you're going to start school."

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Midnight's Hero costume

Note: The new hero costume was chosen through a poll on my Patreon among 4 options.

Note2: AI-generated, for reference only.

Note3: If the image isn't visible, it is likely due to censorship. In that case, you can find it on ScribbleHub, RR, or Patreon.