Just as the comments predicted, the villains were subdued quickly. There were no civilian casualties, and all hostages were safe.

Carbon’s performance was central to resolving the incident, but Hyde’s role was no small thing either. Her ability to move shadows throughout the space and help manage the situation without interfering with Carbon’s movements stood out.

⏰ 12:00 P.M.

The standoff ended quickly, but that didn’t mean the heroes could leave right away. Even after handing the arrested villains over to the police, Carbon, Hyde, and the other heroes remained on scene and looked after the frightened civilians.

This time, Hyde was particularly noticeable.

“Yeah, yeah, you were so scared, weren’t you? It’s okay. We’ll protect you, so nothing will hurt you anymore.”

Hyde soothing the sobbing child and speaking gently showed none of the cute, clingy side she had displayed with Carbon earlier in the broadcast. What stood out instead was the image of a warm, capable adult.

Hyde stayed by the child’s side until the tears stopped and the child found their parents and went safely home, then went to find and comfort others who needed care.

Those who had been trembling with fear recovered quickly once Hyde stayed by their side and talked with them.

“Thank you, hero. You saved my life.”

“What’s your hero name? I’m going to vote for you in the hero popularity poll from now on!”

Most people expressed their gratitude to Hyde with warm words. But not every interaction was pleasant. There were occasional difficult people.

“What the hell took you so long! You take our money and this is the service we get!”

“……I’m sorry. You must have been so frightened, and we were late getting here―.”

“Frightened? Who’s frightened! Do I look like I’m scared like some kid right now? That’s not it! I’m just! Angry that my tax money is being wasted!”

Hyde was calm even in front of the elderly man shouting at her. She didn’t stiffen her expression or fight back with anger. Carbon, watching from behind and unable to stand it any longer, moved to step in, but Hyde quietly raised her hand to stop him.

“Yes, I see. And so?”

“I’m saying! The bank! Those people, they―!”

“Wow, you stayed calm and composed without panicking. That’s impressive.”

“Hmmmm!”

Hyde handled the difficult behavior with a composure and patience that surprised onlookers. Five minutes, ten minutes. Even with the fast-forward editing, the length of time came through to viewers. The comment section filled with the same feeling.

But something remarkable happened. The elderly man, who had seemed like someone who would never reflect on his own behavior, gradually lost steam in front of Hyde’s smiling face.

“……Fine, just make sure you come faster next time!”

“Yes, please take care on your way home.”

“You too, young lady!”

The old man walked away clicking his tongue and muttering, but his expression was noticeably better. Hyde let out a small sigh. Haah. Seeing her press her fingers to her forehead as the fatigue seemed to hit all at once, Carbon, who had been restless behind her, came over quickly.

“Are you alright?”

“Yes.”

“I could have stepped in and it would have been over faster.”

“But I wanted to help him. He was frightened too, and he took his shock out on me. You know how cats hiss when they’re scared.”

Unlike the comment reactions, Carbon frowned at Hyde’s words.

“That doesn’t give him the right to be rude. And it certainly doesn’t give him the right to treat you carelessly.”

“I’m fine! Honestly, I wasn’t that bothered.”

“……Alright.”

Carbon looked at Hyde for a moment, then lightly patted the top of her head with his palm. He wondered why he hadn’t seen it before. Hyde, who had seemed like a child, was in fact solid and mature on the inside.

⏰ 3:00 P.M.

Carbon and Hyde had no rest after returning from the bank. They were busy running from scene to scene following alert after alert, with no time to sit at the office, let alone eat a proper lunch. They skipped the meal entirely.

Carbon seemed bothered by this and took a moment to go down to the café below. He came back to the office with an armful of food and drinks, distributed coffee and sandwiches to Bambino and the other staff, and placed an egg and bacon sandwich, a chocolate donut, and an apple mint iced tea on Hyde’s desk.

“Eat while you work.”

“Ah……”

Hyde noticed they were all her favorites and smiled softly.

“Thank you, Carbon.”

“It’s nothing.”

Carbon watched Hyde nibbling at the sandwich with a pained look. The feeling of ‘I didn’t want you to have to make do with something like this’ showed clearly on his face. Meanwhile he himself hadn’t properly touched even the makeshift sandwich.

The brief rest ended and field dispatches and desk work continued in a long line. The footage of Carbon and Hyde working hard, played at high speed, was exhausting just to watch.

⏰ 8:00 P.M.

The office lights finally went out. Hyde, the last one remaining, confirmed the locks and carefully closed the door behind her, and Carbon lifted her and moved.

This time too, the camera that couldn’t keep up with Carbon leaping across rooftops with Hyde in his arms didn’t just zoom in on their shrinking figures and end there.

The camera shooting from above in an aerial shot captured Carbon’s movements, barely visible, and replayed it slowly for ordinary viewers. A caption appeared below.

Back home in no time again, Carbon didn’t let go of Hyde even while unlocking the door. He held her carefully in his arms all the way until he set her down on the living room sofa.

“Oh my, it’s already evening. The day is almost over. Time goes by so fast. Doesn’t it?”

“There’s still a bit left before the day ends. First, we need to eat dinner.”

“Mmm! I’ll make dinner.”

“I’ll do it.”

“You rest, mister! I feel bad about being fed every time.”

“Hyde.”

Carbon pressed down on Hyde’s shoulder as she tried to get up, without any force. It was a touch with no strength in it, but Hyde couldn’t move. It was the warm gaze looking at her that held her in place.

“I didn’t bring you here to have you do things like this.”

Carbon gently rubbed Hyde’s shoulder and slid his hand up to her neck as he spoke.

“If anything, I’d want you to not have to lift a finger, and just boss me around with a tilt of your chin.”

“What does that even mean.”

Hyde scrunched her face. A laugh escaped. Carbon, in contrast, kept a serious expression.

“The famous saying about not letting your hands touch water after marriage. At least in this house, I want you to live like that, being waited on.”

“Do you think I’d be moved by something that clichéd?”

Hyde said it primly, but her expression melted almost immediately into a smile.