A Most Unlikely Hero, Vol 4

by Brandon Varnell

  “I think he’s just being a good older brother,” Selene added her two cents.

  Alice opened her mouth to retort, but she never got the chance.

  “Excuse me!” a loud voice boomed.

  Everyone turned. A person was standing before them. Light blond hair rustled in the breeze. Blue eyes like topaz were narrowed as he smiled. The young man before them wore a refined white suit that matched his porcelain complexion. Alex knew who this boy was, and he nearly scowled.

  “Jameson, what are you doing here?”

  Jameson ignored him and knelt before Gabrielle, taking her hand in his and rubbing it with an abnormal amount of affection.

  Alex wanted to punch him in the face.

  “Your loveliness is even more exquisite up close. Ah, to be in the presence of such beauty, I am overwhelmed. My dear, my love, will you run away with me?”

  Scowling at the idiot kneeling on the ground, Alex was about to pry Jameson off of Gabrielle—when the girl in question spoke up. “Hmm… nope. I won’t go anywhere with you.”

  Jameson looked crushed, truly defeated. He let go of Gabrielle’s hand and fell onto his backside. His already pale complexion turned such a ghastly shade that Alex could have sworn the boy became translucent.

  Staring up at Gabrielle like she’d just killed his favorite pet, he asked, “But why not?”

  “Because the only person I want to run away with is Alex!” Gabrielle stated with good cheer. As if to emphasize her point, she grabbed Alex’s arm and pulled him to her. Alex nearly dropped the shopping bags.

  “I… I don’t believe it… she wants to spend time with Alexander over me? How could this be?”

  Jameson dropped on to his hands and knees, staring at the ground in utter defeat. He mumbled to himself. Alex could only make out a few of his words, but they were pretty defeatist, not that he cared.

  “Come on,” he said. “Let’s leave this idiot to his depression.”

  As the group began walking away, Alex thought he heard Jameson shouting at his back, but he did his best to ignore it.

  The group split up after reaching the shuttle stop and went their separate ways. Alex, Alice, and Gabrielle hopped on a shuttle that took them to the Outer District, while Selene went back home.

  10

  Alex traveled through a small convenience store, shopping for ingredients for that evening’s dinner. He’d decided on pizza. While Alice had complained about not getting to eat curry, Gabrielle had never eaten pizza before. It would be a new experience for her.

  Tomato sauce, pepperoni, flour, eggs, milk...

  One by one, Alex wandered through the aisles, put ingredients into his basket, and moved on. His feet clicked against the tiled floor. The basket hovered in front of him as he walked. It was designed to stay exactly two steps ahead of him.

  I think I have everything.

  As he finished gathering the ingredients, he went up to the front, where he came upon an unusual sight.

  A young girl stood before the cash register. Her hair was black, pure black, darker than anything he’d ever seen. It was also long. Some of her hair had been pulled back into a golden triangle hairclip, while the rest spilled freely down to her ankles.

  She also wore the most unusual outfit he’d ever seen. A black leather top wrapped around her small figure, sleeveless and showing off her pale arms and shoulders, which reminded him of porcelain. The black skirt that she wore fluttered around her thighs. It was so short that if she made a spirited twirl, Alex would have probably been able to see her panties. Wrapped around her wrists were several black leather bands. Similarly, there were more bands wrapped around her thighs and calves. Her outfit ended in a pair of black shoes, which she periodically tapped on the ground as though expressing her agitation.

  The girl didn’t appear that old, maybe around his or Alice’s age. It was hard to tell because of her demeanor, which made her seem older, but she only came up to about his chin. Also, her chest was much smaller than most girls his age.

  “Look, girl, if you don’t have the cash, then I can’t let you buy that,” the exasperated store clerk who stood behind the register was saying.

  Alex walked up and noticed something else that was odd about the girl: her eyes. It wasn’t just the color, which were an unusual shade of crimson, but also the look they possessed. They looked empty. Dead. Devoid of life.

  A young girl should not have eyes like that.

  “Is this not money?” the girl asked, her voice a dull monotone.

  The clerk twitched. “Not on this planet, it’s not. I don’t know who gave you this… whatever it is, but it’s definitely not money. The only thing we accept here are credits, and those are not credits,” the clerk said, gesturing to what the girl was trying to use as payment—gold circles with a hole in the middle.

  “Is there a problem?” Alex walked up beside the girl and stopped in front of the clerk. The girl looked at him, her dull eyes revealing nothing. The clerk, on the other hand, wore an agitated expression.

  “You’re damn right there’s a problem. This girl was trying to buy one of our magazines with these… these… things!” He pointed at the gold circles, which lay in a pile nextto the magazine. “I don’t know what she’s thinking, but there’s no way I can sell this to someone who doesn’t have any credits.”

  Magazines were items of the past that had survived the great space race. While most forms of media now existed solely on the holonet or holovid, magazines continued to thrive. Alex had several himself. Most of them were technology magazines.

  The one that the girl wanted to buy was a girl’s magazine. The front cover featured Elisa Fairchild, the current top idol singer for the entire solar system. Headlines such as “how to get a man in ten days!” and “the diet that all of the nobility is going crazy over!” were plastered on the front.

  Alex contemplated the situation for several seconds, and then looked at the girl, who stared back at him with her dead eyes. She reminded him of a doll.

  He looked back at the clerk. “How much does this magazine cost?”

  “Five hundred credits.”

  Alex winced. Magazines were expensive on Mars since they didn’t have much paper. Most of their paper was exported from Earth, about 65% all told. The rest came from specialized forest domes that had been created specifically for the purpose of growing trees. The domes couldn’t keep up with supply and demand, however. Hence the need to rely on imports.

  Alex set his basket on the counter, pulled out the necessary amount of credits, and handed them to the clerk. “Here. I’ll pay for her magazine. You can just ring it up with the rest of my groceries.”

  “Fine by me. I’ve already wasted enough time trying to tell this girl that I only accept credits.”

  Alex paid for his groceries and the girl’s magazine, which he gave to her after she’d scooped up her chips and put them… somewhere. He had to blink because it seemed like they just sort of disappeared. Did she even have pockets?

  “Thank you,” the girl said in her monotone voice.

  Alex grinned. “You’re welcome.”

  They left the store together, the girl opening her magazine and beginning to read. Alex watched as she walked alongside him. Should he try to start a conversation? It might be a good way to figure out who this strange girl was.

  “So, um, what’s your name?”

  “Nyx.”

  “Nyx, huh?” Alex tested the name, smiling and nodding approvingly after several seconds. “That’s a really cute name. It suits you.”

  The girl brought the magazine closer to her face.

  “Do you mind if I call you by your name?” Alex asked.

  “... Okay.”

  “Cool.” Alex nodded. Goodness, this girl was so quiet. It made conversing with her difficult. “So, Nyx, do you live around here?”

  “... No.”

  “Oh… well, then, what about your family? Where do they live?”

  “I don’t have a family.”r />
  Alex stopped walking and so did Nyx. She brought her face out of her magazine to look at him. As he stared into her dead, soulless eyes, he felt his heart go out to her.

  “Are they… I mean, did they… you know? Gone?” Alex felt guilty asking her this. However, he wanted to help her. If she didn’t have a family, if her parents had been killed or something, then he wanted to do something for her.

  Nyx just stared at him, her expression not even twitching. “I do not know. I have never had a family before.”

  She didn’t even know her parents? How horrible! His parents might not have been around anymore, but at least Alex could say that he was raised in a loving home with a caring mom and dad. This girl couldn’t even say that much.

  Alex placed his hands on the girl’s shoulders, ignored the way she tensed—she was probably startled since he was a stranger—and smiled kindly at her.

  “How would you like to come and live with me?”

  “Live with you?” Though her eyes remained soulless, her head tilted. It was absolutely adorable. Alex thought his heart would explode out of his chest from how freaking cute she was.

  “That’s right. I’ve got a pretty big home with plenty of room. You can stay with me for as long as you want.”

  “You’re not going to do anything perverted to me, are you?”

  “What?” Alex blinked. “Why would I do that? You’re really pretty, but I just met you, and I’m sort of in a strange relationship with someone else already.”

  Thinking about his relationship with Gabrielle made him remember what he and Nicolas had talked about. The old fart had told him that Gabrielle loved him. Alex still had a hard time accepting that, but if it was true, then he would like to see if they could actually become a real couple.

  But if he’s wrong…

  Alex had never talked to Gabrielle about this because he was afraid of what would happen if Nicolas was wrong. It could ruin what they had now. Alex didn’t want to make their relationship awkward by bringing this up and being turned down.

  Nyx deliberated. After several seconds, she slowly nodded. “I’ll stay with you.”

  “Great. Follow me, then.” Alex smiled at Nyx for a second longer, and then began walking again. Nyx stared after him for a few, silent moments before following on his heels.

  11

  “I’m home!” Alex called out as he and Nyx entered his house. He held the door open for his companion before walking in himself, and then set about taking off his shoes. Nyx watched him before following his example, revealing that she had another pair of straps on the arches of her small feet.

  “Alex! You’re back!”

  Like a silver-haired missile, Gabrielle shot down the stairs and tackled him to the floor. The end result was Alex on his back and Gabrielle straddling his chest, beaming down at him.

  “Hello, Gabrie—urk!”

  As Alex’s mouth involuntarily released a strangled choking noise, Gabrielle tilted her head. “Is something wrong, Alex?”

  “Why aren’t you wearing any clothes?!”

  “Because I just got out of the bath.”

  Indeed, Alex noticed that Gabrielle’s hair was still wet, proving that she had just vacated the bath. In fact, most of her body was wet now that he got a better look at her. Several droplets of water fell down her pearlescent skin. One particularly adventurous droplet went between the notorious gap in her cleavage, which he possessed an unfettered glimpse of.

  Alex felt a lot of blood rush down to his groin.

  “Are you okay, Alex? Your face is all red. I’m not too heavy, am I? Oh, no! Is it because I ran into you?!”

  When Gabrielle leaned down so close their noses were touching, Alex’s face started to burn all the more fiercely. Nyx watched from the sidelines. Her expression remained blank, but Alex thought her eyes had flashed for a moment there.

  “Oh ho ho ho ho! Did I hear that Alexander was back?” A joyful Jasmine rushed out from the living room to greet Alex—only to skid to a halt upon seeing the situation that he was in—namely, a naked Gabrielle straddling his waist. “Wha… what is… oh ho… what is going on here?!”

  “Ah! J-Jasmine?! I can explain! This isn’t what it looks like!”

  Alex would never get the chance to explain because at that second Jasmine exploded; she spread her feet shoulder width apart, placed her left hand on her hip, and pointed her right hand at Gabrielle.

  “I do not know what is going on here, but I demand that you get off Alexander right this instant!”

  “Eh? But I was just saying hi,” Gabrielle whined.

  “I do not care! Have you no sense of shame? A woman should not be wandering around the house naked, much less jumping on a man while she is bereft of clothing! Now get off Alexander this instant and put some clothes on!”

  “But I’m still wet…”

  “!!!” Jasmine screamed in rage and frustration.

  “Oi! Can you troublesome people keep it down?” Alice asked, walking out of the living room as well. “Listen up, you two, I am trying to watch Titan Girls, but I can’t even hear what anyone is saying thanks to your—geh!” Alice blushed a deep red when she, upon fully entering the room, looked at the naked Gabrielle straddling her brother. “Damn, you two are getting bolder. Can’t you at least take your sexy shenanigans to your room?”

  “We’re not having any sexy shenanigans!” Alex shouted.

  “I thought you said nothing perverted would happen,” Nyx said. Her stare remained impassive, but Alex had the distinct impression that she was glaring at him. “I hate perverts.”

  “Would you people listen to me?!” Alex screamed in frustration. “Nothing perverted is happening! Gabrielle, put some clothes on! Jasmine, please don’t get upset! Gabrielle does this all the time—”

  “What do you mean she does this all the time?!” Jasmine shrieked.

  Alex ignored her and stared at his sister. “Alice, watch your language!”

  “Tch, troublesome.”

  Gabrielle got off Alex and rushed back up to her room, presumably to get dressed. Alice grabbed Jasmine’s hand and pulled her back into the living room. Alex sighed as he stood up and brushed himself off.

  Nyx continued staring blankly at him. “Is every day this perverted?”

  “Nothing perv—” Alex sighed. “I don’t really think I’ve got the right to say that with all the stuff that happened just now.” He smiled apologetically at Nyx. “I’m really sorry. I’ve been telling Gabrielle not to walk around the house naked, but she seems to disregard everything I say.” As Nyx continued to stare at him, Alex became uncomfortable. “Why don’t I just put away these groceries, and then I’ll show you around the house? Hm?”

  Alex picked up the groceries that he’d dropped on account of the Gabrielle Missile, grabbed Nyx’s hand in his free hand, and gently guided her into the living room. Alice noticed this immediately, as did Jasmine, who frowned at the young girl behind him.

  “Bro, who is that?” asked Alice from where she sat on the leather sofa next to Jasmine.

  “This is Nyx.”

  Alice looked from him to Nyx, then back to him. She raised an eyebrow.

  “Don’t tell me you found another runaway alien princess and decided to protect her from her bodyguards because her father was trying to marry her off?”

  “Is that what happened with Gabrielle?” Jasmine asked.

  Jasmine knew about Gabrielle’s predicament thanks to having traveled to Mars Homespring Resort two weeks ago. She’d gotten caught up in the Jāhilīyahn Incident and discovered that Gabrielle was the daughter of this galaxy’s current ruler. Fortunately, she had promised to keep what she’d learned a secret.

  Alice nodded. “Gabrielle’s father wants to marry her off. Alex is protecting her.”

  The words seemed to help Jasmine regain her bluster for some reason. “Oh ho ho ho! I would expect nothing less from you, Alexander. You have such a noble soul.”

  “Huh? No, I don’t think that’s wh
at’s going on here,” Alex admitted. “Nyx isn’t an alien, she isn’t a princess, and I don’t think she has any bodyguards that I need to protect her from.” He paused, and then looked at Nyx. “You don’t have any bodyguards chasing you after you because you ran away from home, do you?”

  “No.”

  “Are you a princess?”

  “… No.”

  “What about an alien?”

  “...”

  As the girl continued staring, Alex scratched the back of his neck, laughing as something unsettling settled in his stomach. “Right, there’s no way that can happen twice to the same person. Sorry for asking such a weird question.”

  “Troublesome big brother.”

  “Hush you.”

  “Alexander,” Jasmine called out in an imperious voice. She sounded a lot like a princess—or what he used to imagine princesses would sound like. Gabrielle had pretty much destroyed that notion since she started living with him.

  “Yes?”

  “All this talk of alien princesses reminds me that I wanted to ask something. What exactly is Gabrielle to you?”

  That was an odd question, but he supposed there was no harm in answering it. “Gabrielle is someone I want to protect.”

  “Yes, I understand that much. What I mean is: What is Gabrielle to you personally? Why do you let her wander around your house naked like that? How come you don’t take a firmer stance with her? Does the fact that you’re allowing her to do what she wants mean that she is somehow more precious to you than me?”

  “Uh…”

  What’s with all of these loaded questions?

  Alex honestly didn’t know how to answer her. That last question was particularly difficult.

  The truth was that Jasmine had been close to Alex before she’d become Alice’s friend. It was Alex who had introduced them. Jasmine was an important person to him. She was the first person to call him a hero, the first person to state her faith in him, the first person to tell him that she believed in his goals, and she had spent so much time around him that Alex had come to enjoy her presence whenever she visited.

  What’s more, Jasmine had grown into a beautiful young woman. Her blonde hair, done up in a pair of drills, framed a face that made him think of a fairy tale princess. She filled out her spacer clothes well. The red pants that she wore hung low on her hips, showing off a small section of her flat stomach. Her red and white shirt, which conformed to her body and looked like leather, had a small gap in the front that let everyone see a modest hint of her milky breasts. Her boots, reminiscent to the kind used by spacesuits, were small and went up to just below her knees.