Tears of Joy!

The screen now displayed the latest commercials, but everyone's attention was locked on the screen. The expression on the people's faces was one of curiosity, but there was one person whose expression was that of panic.

Who could he be if not Zed?

His back was drenched with cold sweat, but he tried his best to hide his panicked expression in front of Felicity. Inside, though, he was weeping and trying to think of every female he has slept with.

"In this month, I had slept with some 20 women. Last month I don't even remember!" Zed was nervous. He didn't want to become a father at such a young age.

No, he just wanted to enjoy the process of impregnating without having to take any responsibility! One can say he was the perfect example of a shameless man with no sense of responsibility!

It wasn't hard to imagine how shocking the news was for him.

"Hang on! Kiba is a higher form of life, powered by the Cosmic Spark, so it should be almost impossible for that form to breed with normal mutants or ordinary humans!" Zed tried to calm himself with this reasoning, but his body refused to listen due to 'almost.'

His eyes were glued to the television screen, waiting for the commercial break to end, but the break showed no sign of stopping.

"I didn't think you were the type to show interest in gossip," Felicity observed with disdain. She couldn't understand why Zed and other people in the canteen were showing so much attention to the news regarding the personal life of someone.

"Umm, I..." Zed stopped in between, for he didn't know how to answer her. He couldn't tell her that the subject of the news was him!

"Every minute, someone becomes a father, so why are you all paying attention to this news like your life depends on it?" Felicity asked a group of students nearby.

"It is Kiba we are talking about! You know how popular he is!" A female student replied.

"I know he is popular, but surely you don't have to feel interested in his personal life?" Felicity reasoned.

"You wouldn't understand!" The same female student shook her head. She believed Felicity was a weirdo since she was not interested in the stuff that matters!

How can one not be fascinated by the news of a scandal!? Especially if the scandal deals with someone very popular!

Humans were always attracted to the lives of the rich and famous. They tried to satisfy their dreams by imagining themselves in the place of those celebrities. It was not hard to understand why gossip channels were profitable ventures instead of simple news channels.

Felicity gave a sigh, thinking her words fell on deaf ears. She was even more disappointed by Zed's behavior.

"I need to show him how exciting real life is; otherwise, he would always be stuck in the imaginary life of others!" Felicity thought.

She opened a phone app to reserve two tickets for a 'thrill ride.'

-------

The commercial break finally ended, and now the screen projected the female anchor from before.

"Welcome back," the female anchor said, "Let us start the session with the headlines."

The screen showed the visuals of the chemical blast in Sakura City that targeted the rich and powerful.

"The mayor of Sakura City survived the blast, but sadly he has lost his arms. The doctors have said the use of the chemical in the blast has made it impossible to regenerate the arms, even with the latest cloning technology," the female anchor's voice was filled with sadness as she continued," The World Government's spokesperson has claimed the blast was carried out by terrorists from the Nation Of Terror."

Zed internally cursed the news channel for wasting time on unnecessary stuff! Why the hell were they delaying the 'important' news about his other form?

The female anchor wasn't able to hear his curses. She continued with more headlines concerning the events in Delta City, especially the slaughter in the slum.

After ten long minutes, she brought up a topic Zed was interested in, or to be precise, a topic he was afraid of.

"The breaking news of today is related to Kiba! Kiba, one of the strongest mutants in the city, is about to become a father!" The female anchor's voice was filled with emotions as if she was pregnant with his child.

The screen flashed with the archive visuals of Kiba hanging out with different women. 

"Given Kiba's womanizing nature, it might not be surprising to know that he is about to become a father!" the female anchor took a sip of water before continuing in a dramatic voice, "What surprising is the love and care Kiba has shown for the woman who is carrying his child!"

Zed felt hundreds of butterflies in his stomach. He racked his brain to think of the woman to whom he has shown 'love and care,' but he couldn't find any. The only woman he has shown extra care to was Eva, but he was sure she wasn't pregnant. He was with her some 6 hours ago, so he was sure!

"Joining us today is a guest who has witnessed the care shown by Kiba for his lady love," the female anchor on the TV screen gave a dramatic pause before resuming, "Please welcome Erone Ciun."

Zed was confused by the name. He couldn't remember anyone with such a name who could have witnessed something he himself didn't remember.

The screen showed a young man, dressed in a suit, sitting next to the female anchor.

"Erone, there is something I would like to ask you before I introduce you properly," the female anchor told the young man.

Zed wanted to slap the female anchor for the buildup. He knew she was trying to delay the introduction so that the channel could get more TRP.

"Please ask," Erone politely requested.

"What was your first reaction when you witnessed the care shown by Kiba for his unborn child?" The female anchor asked.

"I had tears in my eyes!" Erone answered.

"Tears?" The female anchor had a surprised expression on her face.

"Yes! Every day we hear about how men run away from their responsibility when they learn their partners are pregnant!" Erone slowly continued, "Most of them will even ask the women for abortion or would leave the newborn in an orphanage!"

"That's a sad reality," the female anchor nodded. "Something the mutation brought when it increased the fertility."

"Yes, but Sir Kiba is different. When he learned the news, his face bloomed with a warm smile!" Erone's expression showed he was remembering the encounter, "He made an enemy with a powerful organization when he tried to take responsibility, but I didn't see any signs of regret on his face."

Zed was getting more and more confused. Today was the first time he learned he has made someone pregnant, but now this Erone was saying Kiba knew.

"There is no way I will forget such an important thing, nor am I a guy with a sense of responsibility!" Zed bitterly thought.

"Zed, why are you sweating so badly?" Felicity asked. She was feeling Zed was acting strange ever since he started watching the news.

"Sweating?" Zed touched his face and noticed he was dripping with sweat. He quickly used a handkerchief to wipe the perspiration.

"I-It is hot here," Zed replied.

"The entire cafeteria is air-conditioned. Not to mention, you would never sweat due to heat, given your mutant ability," Felicity reminded him.

Zed took a short pause before replying," I was experimenting with my ability yesterday, so it is a minor side effect."

He reassured her and focused back on the TV screen.

"Erone, let us not make our viewers wait any longer," the female anchor said. She knew she couldn't drag this conversation longer; otherwise, people might lose interest. 

"I witnessed Sir Kiba making his intentions clear yesterday," Erone said.

"Please share the details," the female anchor requested.

"I used to work as a guard for a powerful corporation," Erone tried to make a brief introduction in between as the viewers were unaware of his identity.

"Used to?" The female anchor had a 'startled' expression on her face.

"Yes, I was fired," Erone made light of the situation.

"Fired?" The female anchor asked in shock.

"Yes, I was honest with my views on a matter related to Sir Kiba, but my honesty cost me my job," Erone said with a bit of 'bitterness' in his voice. It was like he was lamenting for how the world no longer respected honest people.

"That's a sad story," the female anchor remarked with sadness in her voice," May I ask who fired you?"

"The husband of the woman carrying Sir Kiba's child," Erone answered.

The female anchor showed an 'OMG!' expression. If someone who didn't know how the industry worked saw her face, they would think her expression was genuine.

The entire canteen erupted with conversations. Many of them knew Kiba has a history of having affairs with married women, so they weren't shocked but nevertheless surprised.

"You mean Kiba has an affair with a married woman that resulted in the pregnancy?" The female anchor asked after some time.

"Yes, but that doesn't matter. Being married doesn't mean the woman lacks the right to pursue love," Erone has a serious expression on his face as he continued," Love is closest to the god, and a love resulting in a child is the proof of true love. Can we look down on a relationship just because our outdated thinking doesn't agree with it?"

The female anchor was silent for a moment as she pondered about Erone's words. In truth, she and Erone were planting a seed of 'open-mindedness' in viewers' minds for a future segment. To them, it didn't even matter if the audience agreed with their views or not as long as they could gain their attention for the maximum time. Everything was scripted!

"We have no right to judge," the female anchor agreed.

"Yes, but this matter is regarding Sir Kiba's child, so he has every right," Erone added.

"Please tell us the name of the husband who is becoming a villain in this tale of love," The female anchor requested further.

"Jack Webley!" Erone replied.

"You mean the heir of White Angel Corporation?" The female anchor asked.

"Yes!" Erone replied.

"That means the mother of Kiba's unborn child is Agatha?" The female anchor further asked in disbelief.

"Indeed!" Erone nodded his head before continuing, "Jack attacked Sir Kiba when the latter tried to claim over his child."

"What was the result?" The female anchor was curious.

"Obviously Sir Kiba won," Erone has an expression of worship as he recalled the moment, "Love always wins over hate! The battle between Sir Kiba and Jack was the ultimate proof!"

The entire canteen was filled with discussions. There were multiple reactions, but there was a person who was crying!

"Why are your eyes filled with tears?" Felicity was shocked by Zed's reaction.

"They are tears of joy!" Zed was barely able to control his joy. His voice was like someone who has survived a disaster, for he was sure Agatha wasn't carrying his child! Jack has said so himself based on the test report!

"Tears of joy for what?" Felicity felt Zed was getting weirder by every passing minute.

"For Kiba's happiness... I am sure wherever he is, he is crying just like me!" Zed explained.

The news regarding pregnancy was more dangerous for him than the life-and-death crisis he felt from Sky Fiend Group.

He truly feared a woman knocking on his door, carrying a child in her arms, and saying, "Fucker, congrats! You are a father now!"

The tears of joy continued to flow from his eyes...