Pretender

Days passed peacefully. The morning sun warmly illuminated the city, as if welcoming a new life after the storm had passed. Himaru's family slowly but surely began to rebuild their lives, trying to forget the terrifying trauma of the restaurant attack.

The atmosphere at home returned to normal, laughter began to fill the dining room during breakfast, although a shadow of sadness could still be seen in Mrs. Himaru's eyes, perhaps because Twice was still undergoing treatment in the hospital, but his condition continued to improve.

Life went on as if nothing had ever happened, as if the Tanaka family and all their affairs had disappeared and never existed. And indeed, that seemed to be the case. In the public eye, the Tanaka family continued their activities as usual, acting as if they were still alive.

However, behind the scenes, Himaru and Touma worked hard to ensure the Tanaka family's 'disappearance' went smoothly and without a trace. According to Himaru's orders, Touma and his clone had replaced the Tanaka family's presence with clones, creating the illusion that the Tanaka family still existed and was going about their usual activities.

Meanwhile, in a secret location, Touma began laundering the Tanaka family's fantastic wealth, transferring their assets to anonymous accounts that were difficult to trace. This money laundering process was carried out very carefully and professionally, ensuring there were no legal loopholes that could ensnare them later.

Himaru gave clear instructions regarding the use of these illicit funds. Half of the Tanaka family's wealth was used by Touma to open a new investment company under a false name, 'Phoenix Investments'.

This company operated in various profitable investment sectors, ranging from property and stocks to technology. This investment company became a new money-generating machine for Himaru, generating multiple profits from the laundered illicit money.

For the other half, Himaru asked Touma to establish a modern and representative orphanage for orphans who were victims of villain attacks, which he named 'Hero's House of Hope'.

Himaru did not want to donate the money to existing orphanages, because he was worried that the funds would not reach the right hands or would be misused by irresponsible parties. By establishing his own orphanage, Himaru could ensure that the funds were managed properly and transparently, and truly benefited children in need.

Touma was appointed as the main supervisor of this orphanage, ensuring the orphanage's operations ran smoothly and accountably. The orphanage was equipped with modern facilities and professional caregivers, providing a safe, comfortable, and loving environment for orphans.

---

School life for Emilia and Clone Himaru returned to normal. After being absent for several days due to 'trauma' from the restaurant attack, they both returned to school with renewed enthusiasm. One bright morning, Emilia and Clone Himaru walked to school together, their middle school uniforms looking neat and clean. They both looked more cheerful and spirited than in recent weeks.

Himaru himself, together with Touma, refocused on their main mission: conquering the dungeon and defeating the Floor 2 BOSS. After ensuring his family was safe and stable, Himaru felt it was time to push himself again and increase his strength.

The dungeon was the best place to test their abilities and obtain rare rewards that could enhance their powers. Every day, Himaru and Touma would try to fight and continue to analyze the Floor Two BOSS, the robot that had so far been their toughest opponent.

In the midst of busy school activities, Clone Himaru felt a strange premonition disturbing his mind. A vague feeling that his existence in this world might not last much longer. He felt closer to the moment when the original body and Touma succeeded in defeating the Floor 2 BOSS, which meant his mission as a clone would soon end.

This feeling made him slightly restless, but also spurred his enthusiasm to maximize the remaining time. He wanted to complete all the plans and projects he had initiated before 'his time' came.

One of Clone Himaru's biggest plans was to release a new song by their band, 'The Clones'. Clone Himaru had a brilliant idea to perform a very popular song from his previous life, a melancholic and touching Japanese ballad titled "Pretender," popularized by the famous rock band 'Official HIGE DANdism' (Higedan).

Clone Himaru was sure this song would be very suitable for his vocal character and their band's music style. He also felt this song had a deep meaning and was relevant to his current feelings, about farewells and the end of a journey.

The school bell rang loudly, signaling the end of class hours. Clone Himaru immediately turned to Itsuka, his classmate who was also the drummer of 'The Clones'. "Itsuka, let's go to the club room and have a meeting now!" Clone Himaru invited enthusiastically, "I want to tell you about the new song our band will release!" He couldn't wait to introduce the song "Pretender" to the other band members.

Itsuka, a tomboyish girl with orange hair, looked at Clone Himaru with a worried expression. "Are you and Emilia really okay?" Itsuka asked in a concerned tone, "It's only been a few months since your family's restaurant was attacked by villains, shouldn't our band take a break first?" Itsuka was still thinking about the incident at Himaru's family restaurant, and she was worried Himaru was forcing himself to continue as usual.

Clone Himaru smiled gently, trying to ease his friend's worry. "It's okay, Itsuka. We're both much better now. In fact, I want to finish our new song immediately before the school festival starts. I have a good feeling about this song." Clone Himaru tried to convince Itsuka that they were fine and ready to make music again.

Itsuka looked at Clone Himaru with a probing gaze, trying to read the honesty in her 'friend's' eyes. After making sure Himaru did not look like he was lying or forcing himself, Itsuka finally nodded in agreement. "Okay, then let's go to the club room!" Itsuka said with renewed enthusiasm, "I'm curious to see what kind of new song you've prepared!"

Previously, Clone Himaru had sent a short message via the LIME application to Emilia, asking Emilia to bring Momo to the club room after school. The 'The Clones' band meeting would begin soon!

Arriving at the music club room located on the top floor of the school building, Clone Himaru and Itsuka found Emilia and Momo already waiting there. The club room looked a bit messy but full of musical instruments, ranging from electric guitars, bass, drum sets, keyboards, to amplifiers and mixers. Posters of legendary rock bands adorned the walls of the room, providing inspiration for the members of 'The Clones'.

"Sorry to keep you waiting!" Clone Himaru greeted with a smile, "Itsuka was worried and asked about our condition earlier."

Momo nodded in agreement with Itsuka. "Yes, I was also worried about you both. I'm glad to see you both back at school and as enthusiastic as usual." Momo and Itsuka were indeed very concerned about Emilia and Himaru, and they were always worried if something bad happened to their friends.

Emilia smiled sweetly at Momo and Itsuka. "Thank you for your concern. We're both fine. In fact, we should immediately focus on preparing for the school festival and our new song!" Emilia showed her enthusiasm to immediately return to making music and perform at the school festival.

After making sure Momo and Itsuka were no longer worried, Clone Himaru immediately turned their attention to the main agenda of the band meeting: the new song. "Okay, everyone, I've prepared a new song for our band, and I'm sure you'll love it!" Clone Himaru then explained his idea to perform the song "Pretender," playing a demo of the song through the club room speakers.

Momo and Itsuka listened to the "Pretender" demo carefully, carried away by the beautiful melody and touching lyrics. Emilia, as the bassist, immediately fell in love with the song. "This is a very beautiful song, Himaru!" Emilia praised with sparkling eyes, "I really like it! I'm sure this song will be a hit."

"I like it very much too!" Itsuka chimed in enthusiastically, "The drum rhythm is simple but strong, perfect for the school festival!"

Momo nodded in agreement. "The melody is easy to listen to, and the lyrics are also very deep. I'm sure many people will like this song!"

After all band members agreed to perform the song "Pretender," they immediately began intensive practice. They practiced every day after school, sometimes even late into the night in the club room. Their spirit and enthusiasm were commendable.

---

Time passed quickly. Two months later, after hard practice and high dedication, 'The Clones' finally managed to perform the song "Pretender" quite well. Himaru's melancholic vocal harmonies, solid and dynamic musical accompaniment from Emilia, Itsuka, and Momo, created a magical melody that captivated.

The four of them felt quite satisfied with their practice performance, and hoped there would be no problems when they performed at the school festival a week later. They were confident that the song "Pretender" would be a powerful weapon to captivate the festival audience and become a hit on MeTube and Spotitune.

In between the busyness of school festival preparations, Clone Himaru continued to carry out his 'fishing' activities. Although the band's practice schedule was very tight, Clone Himaru still made time to carry out his 'side missions'.

He was good at dividing time and energy, ensuring all activities ran smoothly and optimally. In between band practices, Clone Himaru took the time to go to the beach with Midnight, cleaning up trash while lightly flirting with the adult female hero. Their conversations often felt deeper than just flirty small talk. One afternoon on the beach, as the sun began to set in the west and the sky turned orange, Midnight stared at the waves with a wistful gaze.

"You know, Himaru," Midnight said softly, "sometimes I feel tired of all this. Being a hero, always being demanded to be strong and perfect."

Clone Himaru stopped picking up trash and looked at Midnight attentively. "Everyone must have felt tired, Midnight-san. Even a hero as strong as you."

Midnight turned and smiled faintly. "Thank you for listening to my complaints. Even though I'm the one who's supposed to protect you, right?"

"Protecting each other, isn't that the goal for all of us?" Clone Himaru replied with a smile.

The warmth of their conversation flowed naturally, creating an unexpected emotional bond. Clone Himaru realized that behind Midnight's aggressive and confident attitude, there was a hidden fragile and lonely side.

He also remained active in communicating with Toga Himiko and Uraraka Ochako in their special admin chat group, exchanging information and some interesting things. With Toga, their conversations were always filled with laughter and discussions about blood and other 'dark' things, which somehow felt very pleasant for Clone Himaru.

Meanwhile with Ochako, he more often discussed light things about school and daily life, sometimes interspersed with Ochako's vents about her personal problems which made Clone Himaru feel sorry and want to protect her.

Clone Himaru also still maintained his false identity of 'Spider-Man' at night, patrolling the city and occasionally having 'friendly meetings' with Mirko, the sexy and aggressive rabbit hero. Their meetings were always filled with adrenaline and burning passion of love. Mirko never hesitated to show her interest in Spider-Man, and Clone Himaru did not refuse the temptation.

Clone Himaru had truly become a master of time management. His schedule was very tight and complex, but he could handle everything very well and efficiently. He enjoyed this busyness with feelings of happiness and satisfaction.

He felt his life was very meaningful and colorful, surrounded by beautiful and attractive women who admired him. However, behind all that happiness and pleasure, Clone Himaru was still haunted by feelings of uncertainty and worry. He realized that all of this might not last long. His existence as a clone might soon disappear, replaced by the original body which would soon conquer the dungeon.

Nevertheless, Clone Himaru did not want to rebel or fight his fate. He accepted his fate with an open heart. He was loyal to the original body, and he believed that the original body would do its best for their family.

Actually, deep down, Clone Himaru was also slightly worried if the original body found out about his hidden 'fishing' activities. The image of the original body being angry with red eyes and an intimidating aura, occasionally appeared in his mind. He was afraid the original body would be angry and punish him for 'playing around' while the original body was struggling hard in the dungeon.

Therefore, Clone Himaru planned to immediately 'hand over' this 'fishing' problem to the original body, before it was too late. Perhaps, when the original Himaru returned, he would confess about all his 'secret' relationships and apologize if he had done something he shouldn't have. He hoped the original Himaru wouldn't be too angry and could forgive him.

If the original Himaru knew his clone's thoughts, perhaps he would truly come to his clone and challenge him to a fierce fight, just like his fight against the Floor BOSS in the dungeon. It was ironic indeed, while the original body was sweating and bleeding facing ferocious monsters in the dungeon, his clone was instead having fun and building his harem.

However, in Clone Himaru's heart, there was a glimmer of hope that the original body would understand. Perhaps, the little bit of entertainment and happiness he created as a clone was part of an invaluable 'service', before he disappeared and returned to being part of the original Himaru.