Chapter 176 Round-Up

Aira had no idea how many times she had gone out on behalf of her father, selling cupcakes and delivering goods to his dad's clients. Well, one of the reasons why was probably because Aira could only count to ten.

This time was no exception. She just had to go through the motions, endure it, and then return to her father's arms without ever dealing with his violence. If she did everything properly, her dad wouldn't punish her. If not, then she'll receive a beating. It was crystal clear what she needed to do.

Still, she couldn't help but feel nervous. This time shouldn't be different, but she was more anxious than usual. Her legs were like jelly, her arms shaky, and her whole body jittery. She was scared, more so than normal. 'What if I got caught? What if dad sees through me? What if the two superheroes were caught?' There were so many things that could go wrong in their plan, and that made her afraid. Unpredictability was scary.

"No, Aira can do this," Aira said to herself as she walked to the corner of the street once again.

The streets were barely lit, and there were shadows that messed with Aira's imagination. She gulped at the slightest movement and every time she paused, she would stare back at her dad who was at the other end of the street. He kept on urging her to go on, and she meekly obeyed. In the past, Aira didn't notice any of the details but right now, she noticed them with clarity— probably because this was the last time she'd be doing this. If all else fails, then she'd be caught by her dad, and then she'll suffer. And if everything else succeeds, then she'd be free from doing bad things. Either way, this is the last time, and what would happen in the near future relies heavily on her performance. She prayed that the latter would happen— that Crispwisp and Satoshi who went back to rescue her would succeed.

As usual, there were two men by the corner of the alleyway, she went through the motions of asking them if they wanted some cupcakes, and then she proceeded to hand over the goods which were already paid for. Even though her dad and her dad's friends were a few meters away, she could've sworn she heard them cheering just like how they always do when she makes a successful transaction.

"Aira, what do you do now?" She asked herself, recalling the instructions that Crispwisp and Satoshi gave her.

.....

As soon as Crispwisp and Satoshi saw that Aira managed to do as she was told, they proceeded with the plan. It was a simple plan— while Crispwisp round up the two men who were getting a dozen Superpower Boosters, Satoshi will round up Aira's dad and his gang. For it to be able to work, the two of them should believe that the other party would be able to achieve his end of the deal. To Satoshi, he knew that Crispwisp will be able to do something that easy. He isn't a licensed superhero just for show.

? Crispwisp was a different matter though, he doesn't know if Satoshi would be able to deal with the entire group alone. For one, he doesn't know what Satoshi's superpowers actually are. And second, he is an unlicensed superhero, just an intern. But then again, it's not like he could deal with everyone there alone. He may be a licensed superhero but there's only so much he could do. And a few moments ago, Satoshi seemed confident that he'll be able to deal with everyone there. That's why he accepted the plan in the end and decided to trust him even though what he's about to do is next to impossible.

"I'll leave it to you," Crispwisp hesitantly patted Satoshi on the back before he headed towards Aira. He immediately surrounded the two men who were getting the parcel with energy that flowed like strips of cloth from his hands. His eyes glowed a nice shade of yellow as he approached the two men. "Move, and those Superpower Boosters will explode as soon as I released energy on them." He threatened calmly.

"Ah," Aira let out a sound that was both an indication of surprise and relief.

She couldn't describe how relaxed she felt as soon as she saw Crispwisp beside her. All the mixed feelings she felt while delivering the goods were abated in an instant, and the worries that filled her mind were instantly gone. Finally, it was over. She could finally escape the clutches of her father. Finally, she didn't have to curl up every time she'd be beaten. All those memories were a thing of the past, now that she's been rescued.

Well, not yet. Crispwisp and Satoshi may be on the scene already, but the round-up was still far from over.

While all these were happening, Satoshi slowly approached the hideout of Aira's father and her friends. As expected, they were already celebrating, dancing around, and drinking to their hearts' content as if there was no tomorrow. Of course, he wouldn't be happy after earning such a quick buck, and a hefty sum at that. All they had to do was accept the goods directly from Creaker, and then deliver them to the guys without anyone noticing. It was all thanks to Aira, of course, but the idea was introduced by none other than her dad. Technically, it was his fault that Aira got involved in this mess.

Seeing their celebration, Satoshi couldn't help but feel sick to his core. While a lot of superheroes died due to the Superpower Booster, and while his parents fought and almost gave up their lives to stop such things from being distributed, these people here were celebrating it. It was the exact opposite, and it made Satoshi really livid.

With a wave of his hand, he summoned Ghast and the Ice Queen. With Ghast, he plugged off all the exits, leading the portals back inside. And as for Ice Queen, well, she knows what she needed to do. Satoshi's mind and his familiars' were interconnected after all.

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