“If you enter a swarm of mosquitoes, flee immediately.”

  The TV pyed out in the background as Caspian, for the third time this m, stood crouched, watering the cactus on the baly.

  “Where are you, little buddy? I’m going to drown this cactus before you arrive. Do you really want that on your sce?”

  Bzzzz

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

  “I have no desire to harm you. Quite the opposite.” Caspian stood up and opehe jar. “We do great things together. Trust me.”

  BzZzz

  To his great joy, the mosquito flew into the jar as if it uood him and could sense he meant it no harm. He then closed the jar as the mosquito nded 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-catg jar resting fortably on his p.

  “News el. News el. Shopping el. Shopping el? Dammit! All there is to watch are public broadcasts.”

  Caspian tinued flipping through the els, stopping when a dazzling young peared. She wore a frilly dress paired with knee-high ced 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 circur table atop which was an assortment of goods.

  “Hellooo! I am everyone’s Wavygyaza! Are you watg fans? Today, I’m here to tell you all about my new product line.”

  Caspian’s eyes remained glued to the s. 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 wasirely true—five other women from the series shared that spot as well.

  Wavygyaza held up a yellow pstic bag. “As everyone see, this is the highlight of my new healthy snack lihe camera zoomed in on her. “That’s right! These are the muticipated 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 py as she waved goodbye, signaling the end of the ercial.

  Caspian sat in a trance, his thoughts all p 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 peared to be delight.

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

  After grabbing Little M, Caspiaed his apartment.

  ¤ ¤ ¤

  So many. If she’s been colleg 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 iion bst.

  I should put ao this as soon as possible.

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

  Genos so his right, only to see a bald man in a yellow shirt approag 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 unexpinable 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 tio smile at him, a smile he couldn’t quite describe.

  “Hehheh!”

  A sharp ugh 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 psma and fme. The bst surged skyward aonated, obliterating the entire swarm in a blinding inferno that rocketed outward, scorg 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.”

  “Yht all the mosquitoes together into one easy-to-burn swarm. When I spotted you, I firmed there was no living being within 500 meters, so I should have beeo fire away.”

  “Wait, that guy might have—”

  “Man, why didn’t I just put on my suit? I khis 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 beeroyed 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 fusion.

  How are both him and that jarred mosquito unharmed?

  As the baldy finished expining his joke, a female ugh resounded from behind.

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

  “Imbecile! I no longer hose little ones.”

  “I mean…”

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

  “Look, how strong I’ve bee!”

  With a crazed ugh, 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 attaearly sliced his torso in half. Struggling to recover, he turned and attempted to nd a punch, but she effortlessly tered, sending him hurtling into the sky.

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

  “Your punches ’t even kill a little mosquito?”

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

  “Weakling!”

  I see. The more blood she es, the more powerful she bees.

  “I think I’ll have your head !”

  Genos plummeted toward the earth.

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

  All I do is self-destruct.

  Five me, Doctor…

  “Woah, woah. Don’t go self-destrug on me now.”

  Genos smmed into the ground. “Gegh!” He groaned, lifting his head, w why he didn’t hear any screams e 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 ed his legs around her. With the female monster’s height far surpassing his, the sight of him ging to her was almost ical.

  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, uo move, her lips stolen in a moment she never saw ing.

  “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 haled on the curve of her hip, somehow pinning the struggling monster in pce.

  The bald man’s free hand dropped as he spoke. “Now, sweetie, you o mellow out. Don’t worry—you won’t have to wait long for me to e find you.”

  With those words spoken, his hand smmed inte red bottom. The impact was so swift and powerful that Genos couldn’t fully process it. First, her body vahen blood spttered 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, hoo learn this great man’s name, asked, “Please make me your apprentice.”

  “Sure thing.”