chapter 18: The day hotaru's house became a circus

The first thing Hotaru noticed when her eyes fluttered open was a very strong, very unmistakable smell.

Ramen.

The rich, savory scent of broth, garlic, and soy sauce practically invaded her senses, making her stomach growl before her brain could catch up.

She bolted upright, confused out of her mind. Why does my house smell like a ramen shop? Did I sleepwalk into the kitchen and cook?

Before she could investigate, her phone buzzed aggressively beside her pillow. It was Mira, calling way too early for anything good.

"Hotaru! I was gonna warn you but—"

Suddenly, a loud metallic clang echoed through her tiny apartment, followed by a cheerful voice shouting:

"We're in! I'm a hacking god!"

Hotaru's soul left her body.

She whipped her head toward the door—which was wide open, its lock dangling uselessly by a wire.

Standing inside her house like they belonged there were four utterly ridiculous intruders and one deeply embarrassed cat.

Tora, still holding his hacking tablet like it was a holy artifact, grinned. "You should really upgrade your security. A fridge has better encryption than your door."

Beside him, Ryuuji gave her a dazzling smile and blew a kiss. "Morning, princess. Love the bedhead look. Very...natural."

Hotaru grabbed the nearest pillow and chucked it at his face.

But that wasn't the worst part.

In her kitchen—wearing her apron—was a grumpy old man she'd never seen before, stirring ramen like this was his own damn restaurant.

"Oi, you sleep too much," the old man grunted, not even looking at her. "Ramen's ready, eat before it gets soggy."

"And who the hell are you?!" Hotaru shouted, completely overwhelmed.

The cat—Kuro—was already curled up on her table, looking thoroughly unimpressed. He flicked his tail like all of this was beneath him.

Mira, still on the phone, sighed heavily. "I was trying to warn you they were coming. But Tora hacked the call and muted me."

"I was creating dramatic effect!" Tora shouted, throwing his arms out. "That's how cool allies make an entrance!"

"What part of this is cool?!" Hotaru screamed.

"Everything," Tora said, dead serious.

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Breakfast Chaos

Somehow, they all ended up crowded around her tiny table, slurping ramen like this was some normal team meeting. Hotaru sat between Mira, who had run over after her call, and Kuro, who was stealing her boiled egg.

"So, to summarize," Hotaru said, pinching the bridge of her nose, "you hacked into my house, cooked ramen with my groceries, and decided you're my new allies...why?"

Tora raised his hand like this was classroom roll call. "Because you declared war on Kurogane. That automatically makes you our boss."

"I never declared—"

Ryuuji leaned in, grin sharp. "You said, 'We're not just hunting them—they're hunting us.' That's basically a war speech, sweetheart."

Hotaru wanted to scream into a pillow.

Jin slurped his broth loudly, wiping his mouth with her curtain. "If you're gonna fight Kurogane, you need backup. And unfortunately for you, we're the only backup available."

Mira whispered, "I tried to tell them you like normal allies but…yeah."

---

Meet the Team

Tora leaned back, stretching smugly. "As you already know, I'm the genius hacker, brains of the team, and future tech legend."

Ryuuji grinned, flashing a playing card he stole from somewhere. "I'm your charming informant. I know all the dirt on everyone. Even your embarrassing middle school poetry."

"How do you—"

"Secrets, darling."

Jin slammed his empty bowl down. "I cook. I stab. I yell at idiots. That's my resume."

Kuro yawned loudly. "I'm the cat. I'm smarter than all of them combined."

Hotaru's eye twitched. "I hate all of you."

"No you don't." They said in perfect sync.

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Mira's Moment

Mira tugged on Hotaru's sleeve gently. "Actually, I called because…if you really are going to war with Kurogane, I want to help too. I know I'm not a fighter, but I'm pretty good at organizing, gathering info from regular civilians, and…well, keeping you sane."

Hotaru's heart softened—just a little. "Thanks, Mira. I could really use the sanity part."

Ryuuji winked. "Too late. You've got us now."

Tora gave a dramatic salute. "Welcome to Team Disaster!"

Hotaru faceplanted into her ramen bowl. "Kill me now."

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End of Chapter 18