Tree House – Meanwhile
"Damn… I should've gone with Mirko and Aiko," Anna whined, dropping the tiny stick she'd been pretending was a piece of lumber. "This work is not meant for me!"
"You barely even chopped any wood," Tenya said, sweat dripping down his forehead as he slammed the axe into a log. "You've done nothing but breathe loudly and complain."
"Yeah," Izuku chimed in, wiping his hands on his shirt. "All you've done is complain. And reorganize the same leaf pile eight times."
Anna gasped. "Excuse you, I did the clearing, thank you very much."
Tenya didn't even look up. "That was a piece of cake. My grandma could've done that faster—and she's dead."
Izuku burst out laughing.
Anna threw a leaf at Tenya. "Why are you like this?!"
Tenya pointed at her with the axe. "And you! Every five minutes you disappear, saying you're 'checking the perimeter'—but you come back eating berries!"
"They help my emotional stability!" she snapped back.
Izuku held up both hands. "Guys, guys—argue after we finish the work. We literally have one wall."
"Because the builder," Tenya jabbed a thumb at Anna, "keeps quitting every four minutes."
Anna crossed her arms, smug. "Maybe if you two weren't built like overworked dads, we'd be done by now."
Tenya's eye twitched.
Izuku choked.
Anna smiled proudly. "Exactly."
A moment of silence… then Anna frowned, glancing at the forest.
"Anyway… isn't Aiko and Mirko a little late?" she said quietly. "They've been gone for like… two hours?"
Izuku's smile faded.
Tenya straightened up.
"Yeah…" Izuku mumbled. "They should've been back by now."
Tenya wiped sweat from his chin. "Something's probably wrong.
Aiko and Mirko suddenly came into view at the edge of the forest—Aiko struggling under his weight, Mirko limping badly with his arm slung around her shoulders.
"Guys… come help me!" Aiko shouted, breathless.
Tenya, Izuku, and Anna froze for a split second before sprinting toward them.
"Shit! What happened?!" Tenya asked, eyes wide.
Anna gasped the moment she saw the blood soaking through Mirko's shirt. "Oh my god—he's bleeding!"
Mirko tried to smirk through the pain.
"I think I killed a bear," he joked weakly.
They didn't laugh.
They each grabbed a side, helping Aiko support him as they guided him toward the tree house.
---
Inside the Tree House
They eased Mirko down onto the makeshift bed of blankets. Tenya grabbed water, Izuku brought the first aid kit, and Anna hovered with both hands on her head, panicking more than helping.
Aiko finally collapsed onto the floor beside him, completely drained, chest rising and falling fast.
"He… he saved me," she said softly, still out of breath. Her voice cracked.
Mirko turned his head toward her and gave a tiny, tired smile.
Tenya opened the pill bottle,
"Here, buddy… take some painkillers," he muttered, handing the pills to Tenya with shaky hands.
Tenya blinked. "Mirko, you need to take them."
"Yeah, yeah…" Mirko mumbled, swallowing the pills with a wince. "I… uh… needa get rid of this pain before it kills me."
Izuku placed a blanket over him.
Anna squeezed Aiko's shoulder.
Aiko sat beside Mirko, still catching her breath. Her hands were trembling so hard she had to lace them together just to keep them steady. Everyone gathered around her—waiting, worried, silent.
Tenya finally spoke.
"Aiko… what happened out there?"
She swallowed, eyes drifting to Mirko's bandaged chest.
"We found this store," she began softly. "It… it looked abandoned, but everything inside was untouched. There were solar panels, tools, even light bulbs lying around. We thought it was just junk, but then—"
She paused for a breath.
"I found this door. It was jammed, so I broke it open… and it led to another room. A whole supply room. Food stacked neatly everywhere. And there were lights on inside. Actual lights."
She looked at them, still amazed. "We thought we'd hit the jackpot."
Izuku whispered, "Wait… lights still working?"
Aiko nodded. "Yeah. Maybe the solar panels on the roof are keeping the place alive. I don't know. But the room was dusty… nobody's been there in a long time."
Her expression shifted—joy fading into fear.
"After we filled our bags, we stepped outside…"
She lowered her head.
"And… that's when we saw it."
Anna leaned closer. "Saw what?"
"A bear," Aiko whispered. "Red eyes… huge… it was right there staring at us."
Izuku's breath caught.
Tenya clenched his jaw.
Aiko continued, her voice cracking.
"I dropped the bag. I almost screamed. Mirko—he pushed me behind him. He was shaking so badly but he still put himself in front of me."
Mirko tried to smile. "Don't make it sound all heroic—"
"Shut up," Aiko said, tears forming again. Then she continued.
"The bear charged. Mirko shoved me out of the way and it hit him across the chest. He—he shot it. Twice. But it came again. And he still fought back. He saved me even when he could barely stand."
She wiped her cheeks quickly.
"If he didn't pull the trigger again…"
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"I wouldn't be here."
Everyone stared at Mirko with a stunned, quiet respect.
Mirko rubbed the back of his neck, trying to act cool despite the pain.
"Guys… I swear the bear had it coming."
Anna sniffed a laugh.
Izuku shook his head.
Tenya exhaled slowly.
But Aiko—Aiko just looked at him with that expression only someone who watched death pass inches away could ever wear.
"Thank you," she whis
pered.
Mirko leaned his head back and smiled.
"Anytime."
Aiko pushed the bag forward with both hands, her arms still trembling from the long walk and the fear that clung to her bones.
"Anyway… here's what we brought," she said softly. "We left a lot more behind."
Tenya opened the bag and his eyes widened.
"Wow… this is actually amazing. We never had anything like this back in the zone."
Anna leaned in, practically drooling.
"Oh my God—real food."
Izuku grinned. "We're definitely going back tomorrow."
Aiko brushed a sweaty strand of hair behind her ear and stood up, steadying herself.
"Yeah," she sighed. "But for now… you guys can go back down and work on the logs. I'll take care of Mirko."
Mirko raised an eyebrow.
"Ayo, I'm not a baby."
"You're literally half-dead," Anna said.
"Exactly," Izuku agreed. "Stay still before you start leaking again."
Aiko rolled her eyes but gently placed a hand on Mirko's back, guiding him deeper into the treehouse.
"Come on, stubborn hero," she murmured. "Let me handle this.