Chapter 166 Change
The shockwave of the explosion almost knocked Tatsuki and the others off their feet. Thankfully, Yukine managed to erect a solid ice wall between them and Satoshi. Still, the force of the explosion caused the ice wall to vibrate and break, leaving them bewildered.
"Satoshi!" Tatsuki screamed for a second time as he rushed to his son's aid. Colors drained from his face as he imagined the worst-case scenario. Even though he'd never heard of anyone dying from using excessive energy, there was still a slight doubt in his mind that something bad happened to his son. He wasn't the first one who thought that though since all of them rushed to Satoshi's aid. The most notable one out of the group is none other than Shiroi, whose teary eyes became evident as she wore a concerned expression on her face.
Never in Tatsuki's life had he seen a suppressor malfunction. After all, the machine was already tried, tested, and it had stood the test of time. The only reasonable explanation they could assume was that Satoshi's energy was different from other superheroes, and this caused the suppressor to not detect it. Had it been able to suck in even a portion of Satoshi's power, it would've helped him even if it's just a little bit. But then again, Satoshi was an aberrant and even his parents couldn't explain what his superpower really is. Getting an unknown result from the suppressor is actually quite expected.
When they got where Satoshi was, they noticed that he came out of the situation unscathed. They couldn't explain the momentary appearance of Satoshi's familiars but they guessed that his superpower must've powered them up in one way or another. They didn't ask him any questions though. Instead, they came up to him and asked him if he suffered any injury.
"W-what just happened?" Satoshi asked, dazed. He was even more confused compared to Tatsuki and the others. The moment he released the energy that accumulated in the palm of his hand, all of his familiars were simultaneously released. His parents and the Yukino's might not have noticed it but Satoshi certainly did. In that single moment, in that split of a second, he saw the familiars gathered in a semi-circle, bowing towards him as if they owe him respect. They didn't even dare make eye contact with him, even Dex, who was most familiar with Satoshi since he was his system and his very first familiar, he still couldn't look at Satoshi's eyes. It's as if they were admittedly scared of him, of the power he held that brought them into submission.
For once, Satoshi actually felt bad that his familiars couldn't even look him in the eyes. Even Gabriel and the Ice Queen who seemed more human than most of his familiars averted their gaze from him as if he were some sort of monster. He couldn't explain it.
'Dex, what just happened?' Satoshi's question rang in his head for a few seconds before he realized that Dex didn't answer at all. It's as if he lost his connection with him, or he was purposefully avoiding him? Nevertheless, this was concerning for Satoshi, who had always relied on Dex whenever he needed information about his superpower.
'Let's check the others.' He asked, but his familiars were nowhere to be found in his mind just as he thought.
"Satoshi, are you okay?" Shiroi asked, wiping the tears off her face as she turned away from Satoshi. It was too late though since Satoshi had already noticed the worry on her face.
"I'm all right. It's just that I can't feel my familiars right now. I'll wait for a few moments and then I'll try to summon them again." Satoshi said to himself. "I better get going, I might be late for my internship shift."
"That has never happened before," Tatsuki muttered under his breath as he stared at his son. "Son, don't hesitate to contact us if you feel any changes in you, all right? We'll try to do what we can to help you."
"Sure dad. Thank you for trying to help me out. I'll try to come up with other methods to overcome this difficulty." Satoshi continued. He was back to square one— no, it's as if the mad experiment reverted all his hard work to square one. He still wasn't sure of it though since he could still feel that slight connection he has with his familiars, it's just that they weren't responding to his calls. One way or another, what Satoshi did brought about change, and it drained him of his energy quite a bit.
In fact, Satoshi did his very best not to topple over and lose consciousness. Right now, he was exerting all his strength just to walk straight. He didn't want his parents to worry about him. And as mentioned earlier, he also didn't want to show any of his weak side whatsoever in front of Shiroi, who seemed pretty worried about his well-being right now.
"Shiroi," Yukine uttered to his daughter, implying that he accompany Satoshi outside, preferably until he reached Heimdall Agency.
Shiroi didn't need telling twice, she caught up to Satoshi and walked side by side with him. She didn't speak a word. In her eyes, she could tell that Satoshi was way stronger than her already. Although she felt a bit anxious that he might leave him behind, she was proud that the boy who dreamed of becoming a superhero is already living his said dream. Before, it was impossible, sort of like a reach-to-the-sky moment since he never did have a superpower. But now, he's having a problem controlling his superpower? That proves that his potential is worth so much more— so much more.
"You're right. Thank you, Shiroi." Satoshi forced a smile on his face.
And as if on cue, Dex suddenly appeared in front of him, causing him to flinch backward.
[Satoshi,] Dex called out, causing Satoshi to feel nervous once again.
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