Little M

"If you encounter a swarm of mosquitoes, flee immediately."

The TV played out in the background as Caspian, for the third time this morning, stood crouched, watering the cactus on the balcony.

"Where are you, little buddy? I'm going to drown this cactus before you arrive. Do you really want that on your conscience?"

Bzzzz

Hearing the fabled mosquito, he reached down for the bug-catching jar by his foot. He had found it in a box tucked inside the closet.

"I have no desire to harm you. Quite the opposite." Caspian stood up and opened the jar. "We can do great things together. Trust me."

BzZzz

To his great joy, the mosquito flew into the jar as if it understood him and could sense he meant it no harm. He then closed the jar as the mosquito landed gracefully at the bottom.

"Alright, little buddy, we still have time to kill," said Caspian as he sat down by the table with the bug-catching jar resting comfortably on his lap.

"News channel. News channel. Shopping channel. Shopping channel? Dammit! All there is to watch are public broadcasts."

Caspian continued flipping through the channels, stopping when a dazzling young woman appeared. She wore a frilly dress paired with knee-high laced boots. Her blonde hair, adorned with accessories, framed her pink eyes, with long bangs falling just before they could hinder her vision.

She stood behind a circular table atop which was an assortment of goods.

"Hellooo! I am everyone's Wavygyaza! Are you watching fans? Today, I'm here to tell you all about my new product line."

Caspian's eyes remained glued to the screen. Although she had appeared in the official manga not long ago in his previous life, she quickly became his favorite female character in the series. Well, that wasn't entirely true—five other women from the series shared that spot as well.

Wavygyaza held up a yellow plastic bag. "As everyone can see, this is the highlight of my new healthy snack line." The camera zoomed in on her. "That's right! These are the much-anticipated Wavy Lays! I hope you'll love these super healthy chips as much as I love all my super amazing fans. Bye bye!"

Presumably, one of Wavygyaza's hit songs began to play as she waved goodbye, signaling the end of the commercial.

Caspian sat in a trance, his thoughts all pouring toward how he could meet and make her his woman.

BzZzZ

"Ah! Sorry, little buddy, I was simping a bit too hard there wasn't I? Little buddy isn't that great of a name for you… How about Little M?"

BZzZz

Little M danced around in its jar in what appeared to be delight.

Caspian stood. "I'll take that as a yes. We should leave earlier, don't you think?"

After grabbing Little M, Caspian exited his apartment.

¤ ¤ ¤

So many. If she's been collecting blood from the whole town and beyond, then it might be more than just a food source for her.

Genos observed the immense swarm of mosquitoes with a solemn expression as he readied an incineration blast.

I should put an end to this as soon as possible.

"Haha, great work Little M. We made it right on time."

Genos snapped to his right, only to see a bald man in a yellow shirt approaching him.

What's with this guy? Is he talking to a mosquito in a jar?

The man stopped before him. "Wow. So many mosquitoes."

"You there," said Genos.

The bald man stared at him with an unexplainable smile.

"Evacuate now. That swarm has a mind of its own. If it senses you, it will attack immediately."

"Is that so?"

Genos felt odd as the man continued to smile at him, a smile he couldn't quite describe.

"Hehheh!"

A sharp laugh pierced the air, drawing Genos' attention to the sky.

His world darkened as the swarm dove, their mass engulfing everything around him.

Genos thrust out his hand, unleashing bolts of plasma and flame. The blast surged skyward and detonated, obliterating the entire swarm in a blinding inferno that rocketed outward, scorching everything within a 500-meter radius.

After the smoke settled, Genos stood straight with his right arm extended.

"Since you could speak, I thought you would have at least human-level intelligence. But you were just a bug."

"You brought all the mosquitoes together into one easy-to-burn swarm. When I spotted you, I confirmed there was no living being within 500 meters, so I should have been free to fire away."

"Wait, that guy might have—"

"Man, why didn't I just put on my suit? I knew this would happen. Of course, you're okay."

Genos spun around, only to find the butt-naked bald man talking to the jarred mosquito, which, miraculously, hadn't been destroyed by the inferno.

As if sensing Genos' gaze, the bald man looked up.

"Anyway, thanks for saving us. You're amazing. You totally made them bug out!"

Genos stared at the bald man in awe and confusion.

How are both him and that jarred mosquito unharmed?

As the baldy finished explaining his joke, a female laugh resounded from behind.

The mosquito monster descended from the sky in a brand new form.

"Imbecile! I no longer need those little ones."

"I mean…"

Genos' shock grew as she obliterated a nearby building with a single slash of her arm.

"Look, how strong I've become!"

With a crazed laugh, the monster's body became a pink blur, moving faster than Genos could track.

Genos sensed her presence appear behind him, but before he could react, her attack nearly sliced his torso in half. Struggling to recover, he turned and attempted to land a punch, but she effortlessly countered, sending him hurtling into the sky.

Her laughter echoed as she mocked him, relentlessly pummeling him in the air.

"Your punches can't even kill a little mosquito?"

He could only catch fleeting streaks of pink, each one stealing a piece of him with every brutal strike.

"Weakling!"

I see. The more blood she consumes, the more powerful she becomes.

"I think I'll have your head next!"

Genos plummeted toward the earth.

I let my guard down. I have no chance of winning.

All I can do is self-destruct.

Forgive me, Doctor…

"Woah, woah. Don't go self-destructing on me now."

Genos slammed into the ground. "Gegh!" He groaned, lifting his head, wondering why he didn't hear any screams of rage from the monster.

When he saw the reason, he couldn't help but wonder if the female monster was more shocked than he was.

The naked bald man had his lips locked around hers! Not only that, but he also wrapped his legs around her. With the female monster's height far surpassing his, the sight of him clinging to her was almost comical.

Smack

The bald man broke off the kiss with an exaggerated sound.

She stood there, eyes wide and bloodshot, as if her brain had short-circuited. Frozen, unable to move, her lips stolen in a moment she never saw coming.

"Human filth! Mere prey dares to defile me with their mating ritual! I'll make y—"

Genos couldn't grasp how it happened, but in an instant, the man vanished and reappeared behind her.

His left hand settled on the curve of her hip, somehow pinning the struggling monster in place.

The bald man's free hand dropped as he spoke. "Now, sweetie, you need to mellow out. Don't worry—you won't have to wait long for me to come find you."

With those words spoken, his hand slammed into her large red bottom. The impact was so swift and powerful that Genos couldn't fully process it. First, her body vanished. Then blood splattered across the building beside him. Finally, the sound barrier shattered, and with it came a powerful gust of wind that whipped across his face.

The naked baldy stared into the sky with a profound look. "That mosquito… will suck, eventually."

Genos watched in panic as the peculiar powerhouse picked up the jarred mosquito and began to walk off.

"Hold on!"

The bald man looked over at him.

"Please tell me your name!"

"Oh. It's Caspian."

Genos, honored to learn this great man's name, asked, "Please make me your apprentice."

"Sure thing."