Chapter 5 — The First Night
When they finally reached the hotel, Razan practically collapsed onto the bed. The mattress sank under his weight as he sprawled out, letting out a long, exhausted sigh.
"Man… what a crazy day," he groaned, rolling from one side to the other like a tired child. "Almost died, killed an entire gang and a bunch of thugs… finally, I can rest…"
Loona stood at the side of the room, watching him with a strange, almost confused expression. It was hard—no, impossible—to connect this whiny, exhausted boy to the same cold, arrogant, merciless machine who tore through dozens of enemies minutes earlier without even blinking.
She crossed her arms and exhaled sharply.
"Well… I brought you to the hotel. My job's done. I'm going now. See you later."
Razan slowly pushed himself upright, looking directly at her.
"Loona… before you go, can I ask you something?"
She hesitated. Just a little. Then nodded.
"Do you have parents?"
Her expression shut down instantly.
"What kind of stupid question is that?!"
Judging by her reaction, Razan only murmured, almost sympathetically:
"So that's a no…"
"And what about it, you idiot?!"
He stayed calm despite her hostility, his voice steady.
"Then you should stay here. In the hotel. With me."
Loona froze. For a moment, she didn't know how to react. Anger, confusion, pride—everything tangled together and choked her words.
Razan continued, his tone firm but not aggressive:
"Look… right now, you're in a weak form. Basically a kid. And you're carrying a bag full of money. Even in the human world, that would be dangerous. In Hell? It's asking to get murdered."
Loona stared at him, unsure why he seemed so genuinely worried about her. Concern was not something she was used to receiving.
"And besides," he went on, "if we keep doing this job—hunting criminals for cash—someone's eventually going to come after the weakest member of the team. Which, realistically… is you right now. But if we live together, I can stop that from happening."
He raised both hands, almost defensively.
"Anyway, the choice is yours."
Loona bit her lip. She hated that he was right. She hated even more that she needed protection. She didn't even understand why he wanted her close. No one ever wanted her close.
After a long moment, she puffed out her cheeks and snapped:
"Fine! We'll live together! But don't even think about trying anything funny, or I'll cut your balls off. Got it?!"
Razan smirked, unable to resist poking her pride.
"Try saying that again once you've evolved past the 'wooden board' stage."
Loona's eyes widened with fury. Without thinking, she punched him hard.
A split second later, regret hit her—because her knuckles felt like they had slammed into a metal wall.
"What the hell… what is your body made of?!"
Razan gently took her hand, surprising her with the softness of his grip.
"Let me see if you hurt yourself."
Loona froze completely as he examined her fingers with calm, almost careful attention.
No one ever touched her gently. No one ever cared if she got hurt.
"It's just a slight twist," he said. "If I hadn't pulled back some of the force where you hit me, you would've actually injured yourself."
Loona snatched her hand away like she'd been burned and turned her face aside.
"I'm fine! Just… go to sleep already."
Razan exhaled slowly. She was still miles away from trusting him, but that was fine. Trust wasn't built in a day—especially not in Hell.
He lay back on the bed and opened his mental interface.
"System… don't I get some kind of reward after everything today?"
System:
Host, you have received one model fragment.
"Fragment?" Razan frowned.
System:
Model fragments allow you to obtain a specific ability from a character, instead of their entire power set.
"So like… if the fragment was from Hashirama, I could get only Sage Mode or Wood Release?"
System:
Correct. Would you like to open it?
"Open it. The more power I have in this chaotic world, the better."
System:
Opening fragment…
Congratulations, Host. You have obtained: Deadpool's Regeneration.
A slow grin spread across Razan's face.
"Not bad. Gives me more room for mistakes… perfect. Alright, I'm sleeping. Today sucked."
System:
Good night, Host.
Razan closed the interface and stretched his arms, preparing to finally sleep. But as he turned his head, he noticed Loona curled up tightly in the corner of the bed—almost without any blanket, hugging her knees like someone who'd spent her whole life expecting to be thrown away at any moment.
He sighed softly.
She wasn't just defensive—she was lonely.
Quietly, he grabbed an extra blanket, walked over, and draped it gently over her small frame.
Then he returned to his side of the bed, closed his eyes, and let exhaustion drag him down.
Loona's eyes opened just a crack. She grabbed the blanket, clutching it like it was something precious. For a moment, she studied Razan's sleeping face with an expression she didn't recognize—conflict, curiosity, and something warm she refused to name.
Only then did she let her eyes close.