The Price of Chopsticks and a Fateful Encounter

“Alarm! Alarm! Energy readings indicate a rising disaster level! F-grade to F+! And it continues to climb…”

“All security personnel, please ensure the swift evacuation of Xinyuan Residential Area and its vicinity! D-grade superhuman squad, ‘Lucky Garden,’ is en route at maximum speed.”

****

Su Mu was pacing inside a convenience store, pondering whether it was worth spending extra money for a single pair of disposable chopsticks.

He hesitated for a long while, but no answer came.

A single pair of disposable chopsticks certainly wasn’t expensive, no more than one yuan at most. However, they weren’t sold individually; they came bundled in a pack.

Meanwhile, a single, beautifully packaged wooden chopstick set cost about the same as an entire pack of disposable ones.

Hmm…

His takeout meal was only a little over ten yuan.

Buying these chopsticks would be enough to order an extra dish.

Su Mu considered this, then walked to the counter, noticing they also sold oden.

He glanced at the prices displayed on the pictures.

“Please, what can I get for you?”

“Yes, I’d like a portion of glass noodles, and a pair of chopsticks. Not those thin skewers; I can’t manage those. Any disposable chopsticks will do.”

“Certainly, sir. Please wait a moment.”

“That will be five yuan in total. Will you be paying by scan or cash?”

“Exactly five yuan! Keep the change!”

“Sir, you did just say ‘exactly five yuan’…”

“So doesn’t that mean no change is needed? Oh, and could you add a bit more soup?”

“……”

“Certainly~”

Su Mu cradled the red and white cup, which fit perfectly in one hand. Inside was a tangle of glass noodles. Honestly! A five-yuan instant ramen was far more luxurious and filling, but then again, it didn’t come with chopsticks~.

‘Next time, if a delivery doesn’t include chopsticks, it’s a guaranteed one-star review.’

Su Mu took a sip of soup, a puff of white mist escaping into the crisp night air.

At least his stomach was warm, and his expression softened. His earlier nitpicking suddenly seemed far less important.

Leaving the convenience store, it was time to head home.

A chicken cutlet rice awaited him there~.

What if the food got cold after all this wasted time?

However, it was precisely with this in mind that he had bought the soup, which also came with some extra rice noodles. Truly, he was a genius!

An extraordinary strategist!

A tremor shook the ground, and the alarm blared.

Then, the same young female clerk from the convenience store behind him rushed out.

The next moment…

He stared blankly at the overturned oden, the glass noodles, and soup splattered across the ground.

‘At least the chopsticks are fine. That’s what I came for, after all…’

Su Mu forced a smile, slowly exhaling, and slipped the disposable chopsticks into his pocket.

There were priorities. What was that alarm about just now? What happened?

‘Was that an evacuation alarm? It sounded like it! What should I do?’

Su Mu looked in the direction the clerk had run off to.

Ah… in any case…

He’d just follow someone experienced.

****

“Yes, it’s me.”

“These security personnel all fled. Running when they can’t win, always the same. Just as planned.”

A black mask obscured her face, yet her graceful figure alone was enough to stir desire.

Of course, such temptation often heralded danger itself.

She ended the communication, remaining in her vantage point, admiring her adorable little pets frolicking freely.

“How utterly charming~”

“However, I mustn’t forget the main objective.”

“Now that everyone who could run has left, those who remain must be either unable to flee, or capable of handling this situation.”

“My dearest little NO.1~ Where are you~”

“Come out, come out, big sister is here to play~”

****

Su Mu, once again, found himself hopelessly lost at a crossroads in life.

Crucially, the surroundings were eerily quiet. While silence was normal at night, hadn’t an alarm just blared?

This day felt particularly strange. He usually navigated these residential areas with his eyes closed due to work, yet now he faced life’s classic three questions.

“Who am I?”

“Where am I?”

“Where am I going?”

He surveyed his surroundings, a flicker of suspicion that he might have encountered a ‘ghost wall’ crossing his mind.

After some thought, he rummaged in his pocket, pulled a cigarette from a crumpled pack, and stood it upright in a corner, bowing respectfully.

“I usually can’t bear to part with these. To all the ancestors passing by, this humble offering is all your junior has. Please, make things convenient.”

With this newfound psychological comfort, Su Mu turned and walked past the upcoming corner.

Then…

A sparkling, adorable, giant eyeball was staring directly at him.

Su Mu’s gaze shifted upwards. ‘Good heavens, I knew there wouldn’t be just one eye, but… so many, densely packed, I, an introvert, am on the verge of becoming trypophobic!’

“Love at first sight around the corner.”

“Love until death!”

“Love your bloody *ss off!”

Su Mu frowned, sensing something was wrong. He took a step back, retreating into the alley.

‘Oh, my dear! It’s a disaster!’

‘This… this… isn’t this a disaster beast?’

“What do I do? What do I do?”

Su Mu hurried in the opposite direction.

“?”

Who knows how much time had passed.

“Meow~”

“……”

A kitten’s cry jolted him back to reality. Normally, such a sudden cry at night might have startled him, but now, it signified the presence of another living being, greatly comforting Su Mu.

As he looked up to find the kitten, he saw it perched on the alley wall—a black-patterned tabby. The cat seemed to sense his gaze, slowly turning its head, and what met his eyes was a cat face entirely dominated by a single, enormous eyeball.

Su Mu’s breath hitched.

“Meow~”

The one-eyed cat approached Su Mu with elegant feline steps.

“You… You stay away from me!”

“Boom!”

Just then, a beam of light projected from the sky, illuminating the area.

“Meow!”

The one-eyed cat leaped to dodge, then glared at the sky, letting out an annoyed cry, displeased by the interruption to its fun.

Its single eye fired a scorching white light cannon, and it immediately turned to flee.

“Don’t let it escape!”

“Don’t run!”

The girls, adorned in vibrant, colorful outfits and sporting fantastical hair colors, shouted from the sky, transforming into streaks of light as they pursued the fleeing one-eyed cat.

Su Mu, lying sprawled on the side, was half-burned and had been directly hit by debris from the collapsing wall.

Su Mu stared blankly, his soul seemingly adrift; he was apparently dying.

So easily, so casually, he had been caught in the crossfire.

Yet, no one paid him any mind. Not even the perpetrators glanced his way, as if they had merely accidentally harmed a trivial ant.

‘Were they supposed to apologize to an ant? Wouldn’t that be overly sentimental and hypocritical? They had very important things to do!’

‘That’s what they must have thought, right?’

“This damn fate!”

Su Mu’s eyes struggled to stay open, but he fixed his gaze on the receding streaks of light.

‘They look like fireworks~ Last night’s fireworks were so beautiful~’

“I want to set off fireworks again~”

“Transform…”

****

“White Rose, did we just injure a civilian?”

A somewhat refined girl in blue attire timidly asked the platinum-gowned girl beside her.

These were indeed members of ‘Lucky Garden,’ the D-grade superhuman squad dispatched to handle this disaster.

“What foolishness are you spouting, Hyacinth? What civilian? Didn’t we confirm that the evacuation was complete when we entered? Besides, Saint Lily has already erected a barrier; no one could mistakenly wander in!”

The platinum-clad girl’s face showed disdain, finding her companion weak.

“The way he was so intimate with the disaster, he must be a combatant from the villain alliance!”

“But what if he was just an ordinary civilian? There might have been an oversight…”

Hyacinth frowned.

“Relax, I held back; he won’t die. I have experience with this kind of thing. It doesn’t matter if they are or not, just cripple them first!”

“Exactly, exactly! As expected of Senior White Rose!”

The purple-clad newcomer beside them exclaimed with admiration.

“Of course!”

“Alright, Hyacinth, stop dwelling on it. If I was wrong, I’ll apologize afterward! Now, contact Saint Lily. It seems we’ve reached the enemy’s lair; it’s time for a full assault!”

White Rose clenched her fist, her fighting spirit soaring. “Support me well! Let’s have a grand battle!”

“There’s no helping it, Redbud. We’ll clear the way for White Rose.”

“Understood, Senior Hyacinth!”

The one-eyed cat, which had been fleeing, now stopped. From the darkness behind it, countless eyes began to open, all fixing their gaze on the girls in the sky.

“Meow!”

A great battle was on the verge of erupting.