Chapter 36: PHO and Enchiladas
PHO ssage Boards
Thread Title: New Cape in Brockton Bay? Nine-Tailed Fox?? WTF?!
(Pinned Comnt)
Original Poster (OP): Bagrat (Verified Cape Watcher)
Okay, so there’s a LOT of chatter going around about so new cape in Brockton Bay. Here’s what I’ve got so far:
He’s got fox-like features and opened so kind of restaurant on the pier called The Fox Hole.He went on a date with a gorgeous redhead (seems to be parahuman-adjacent, no solid info yet).He fought LUNG. Yes, THE Lung. Apparently, during the fight, he transford into a 30-foot-tall, nine-tailed fox monster.Leviathan showed up—yes, Leviathan. No Endbringer alarms, no warning. But the fox guy not only held his own, he BIT Leviathan’s arm off. The Endbringer swam away.
I’m still trying to piece this all together. Anyone else have info?
User: MakeSqueal05 (Verified Lurker)
You’re telling so random cape scared off Leviathan? No way. Bull. fucking. shit! Pics or it didnt happen!
User: NeetFreak98
It totally happened dumbass! The crazy part is the guy who did this shit is so restarant owning case 53 or so shit.
User: BrocktonScrub
Nani the fuck?
User: point__@_the_sky (Verified Cape)
FACTS! I was at The Fox Hole a couple of days ago. The food is AMAZING. Best I’ve ever had. The chef is crazy talented and super strong too! His little sister is like 10 years old and she’s the own who pwned Hookwolf! That tells you how OP her big bro is gonna be!
User: BrocktonScrub
Wait, what? It’s only for capes? Are you serious?
User: point__@_the_sky (Verified Cape)
Also, sorry, normies—you’re not getting in. The place is only for aweso, sexy heroes like .
User: BrocktonScrub
Wait, what? It’s only for capes? Are you serious?
User: point__@_the_sky (Verified Cape)
Completely serious! If you’re not part of the cape scene, don’t even bother. It’s an exclusive place for the best of the best!
User: noobcrusher69 (Verified Villain)
Yo, Glory Girl! It’s Uber and Leet. We’ve been hearing about this Fox Guy. Any chance you could tell us his na?
User: point__@_the_sky (Verified Cape)
Nope. Can’t do that without his permission. He doesn’t even wear a mask or consider himself a cape, but I’m not spilling anything.
User: noobcrusher69 (Verified Villain)
Fair, fair. But is he open to working with others? Like, we’re thinking about doing a cooking podcast. Guy sounds like a natural.
User: point__@_the_sky (Verified Cape)
I’ll ask him, but don’t hold your breath. He’s got standards.
User: BurritoKing (Verified Lurker)
Still can’t believe only capes get to eat at his place. That’s bullshit.
User: Bagrat (OP) (Verified Cape Watcher)
Let’s stay on topic, folks. We’re here to discuss his powers and the crazy fight, not the restaurant’s admission policy.
User: AllSeeingEye (Verified Lurker)
I was on the pier when it happened! Lung went full dragon mode, wings and flas everywhere. The fox guy told him sothing like, “Ti to show you who’s boss.” Then he turned into this massive golden fox with nine tails. It was insane. He beat Lung down like it was nothing.
User: TinkerThinker (Verified Lurker)
And Leviathan? What about that part?
User: AllSeeingEye (Verified Lurker)
Yeah, Leviathan showed up out of nowhere. No alarms, no warning, just... boom, there he was. I thought i was dead! Everyone panicked, but the fox guy didn’t even flinch. He told Leviathan to scram, but the Endbringer charged him instead. The fox guy blocked a punch with one of his tails, then lunged forward and tore Leviathan’s arm off. The Endbringer made this awful sound and bolted.
User: SussyBaka
@ AllSeeingEye How the hell did you see sothing in the middle of the ocean!? Are you a cape? So kind of thinker?
User: AllSeeingEye (Unverified Thinker)
None of your business thats how!
Edit: Wait!? Who changed my tag! I’m not a thinker! I swear!
User: point__@_the_sky (Verified Cape)
LOL, imagine being an Endbringer and getting your ass handed to you by a giant fox. Leviathan must feel SO embarrassed right now.
User: NarwhalFanatic
Okay, this guy needs a na. Are we calling him “Fox Guy” or what?
User: Bagrat (OP) (Verified Cape Watcher)
“Fox Guy” is fine for now unless he gives us sothing official. The important thing is figuring out where he ca from and what his goals are!
User: CapeSpotter99 (Verified Lurker)
Sounds like a rogue. Opening a restaurant and keeping it cape-only doesn’t scream hero or villain.
User: ThinkerAlert (Verified Lurker)
If he’s strong enough to fight an Endbringer and win, the Protectorate will HAVE to reach out to him. No way they can ignore this.
User: BurritoKing
Still can’t get over how unfair this is…
User: point__@_the_sky (Verified Cape)
Cry about it! Maybe if you were aweso enough to save lives on the daily, you’d get an invite.
User: TaylorRules (Verified Lurker)
Can we focus? If Leviathan showed up without the Endbringer alarms going off, what’s stopping Behemoth or Scion from doing the sa thing?
User: SeenItAll (Verified Lurker)
Good point. Honestly, it felt like Leviathan was drawn to the fight. Maybe the fox guy’s power triggered sothing?
User: Conspiracy101
You think he’s connected to the Endbringers? That’s a stretch. I call BS!
User: point__@_the_sky (Verified Cape)
Doubt it. He seed just as surprised as the rest of us. And let’s be real—he was aweso out there. Just straight-up badass!
User: Bagrat (OP) (Verified Cape Watcher)
This thread is getting off-track. Let’s keep the discussion focused on the cape’s abilities, actions, and potential implications for Brockton Bay.
User: FoxFanatic
Abilities: Huge fox form, blue flas, ridiculous strength.
Actions: Wrecked Lung, scared off Leviathan.
Implications: This guy might be one of the strongest capes we’ve ever seen!
User: BigIdeas
If he’s really that strong, he could change everything. Endbringers wouldn’t have the sa power over us if we had soone who could actually fight them.
User: noobcrusher69 (Verified Villain)
So, about that cooking podcast... you think he’s into it?
User: point__@_the_sky (Verified Cape)
I’ll check. No promises.
[THREAD LOCKED BY MODERATOR]
Reason: Speculation regarding unidentified cape escalating. Official PRT response pending.
…
– Haru –
I stood in the kitchen, my hands deep in the work of making beef enchiladas.
xican food wasn’t sothing I made often, so I was taking my ti with it. The slow sizzle of the beef as it browned in the pan, the rich sll of the onions, garlic, and the spices filling the kitchen. The sauce was simring on the stove, rich and spicy, while I carefully layered tortillas and beef, making sure every bite would be perfect.
I wasn’t making this for myself, though. No, I was doing this for Mob. Yeah, Mob, the kid who had no idea what to do when it ca to girls, but he had his heart in the right place.
He’d asked to teach him how to make xican food because apparently, the girl he had a crush on had visited xico during her vacation and couldn’t stop talking about how much the food there had impressed her.
Mob had this idea that if he could make it for her, it might help win her over.
Well, he was more just helping cook while I made it for her, but he didn’t have to tell her that.
I couldn’t help myself. I had to tease him a little. “So, Mob, what about Tanya? I thought you liked her?”
Mob stamped his foot, his cheeks turning a deep red. “No one told Tanya liked girls…” he muttered under his breath, looking like he was about to die from embarrassnt.
I couldn’t help but laugh. I guess he must’ve noticed sothing about Tanya and Viktoriya sitting together all the ti. It was obvious to anyone who was paying attention that those two girls were crushing hard on each other, even if they hadn’t really done anything about it yet. It wasn’t like they were a couple, but the tension between them was palpable.
They were just waiting for Tanya to grow up a bit more.
From the bar, Reigen was sipping on his sake, clearly amused at the whole situation. “A real man doesn’t cook for won,” he teased, raising his glass. “A woman cooks for them!”
I turned and glared at him. Just for that comnt, I was cutting him off.
That made Mob freeze for a second as well, like he was trying to process the ridiculousness of that statent. Then, to my surprise, Mob actually asked an honest question that almost had dying of laughter.
He turned to Reigen and said, “When was the last ti a woman cooked for you master?”
I think the answer to that was never. Ooooff, maximum emotional damage!
Reigen sputtered, clearly caught off guard by the question.
I turned to see Reigen smirking in the corner, clearly trying to recover from the emotional blow Mob had delivered. “Okay, okay,” Reigen said with a mock sigh. “I get it, kid. But cooking for a girl you’ve barely ever talked to? Do you think that will make her want to date you?”
Mob just shrugged. “I don’t care. I just want to make sothing she’ll like.”
I was working in the kitchen, the familiar rhythm of cooking grounding as the sizzle of beef filled the air, the aroma of spices and cheese wafting through the restaurant. I was focused on the task, the smooth motion of my hands layering tortillas and filling them with seasoned beef, when a new voice cut through the air.
"That's the most adorable thing I've ever heard!" a voice called out.
I looked up, and there was Vicky—Glory Girl, the bright and loud superhero—walking into The Fox Hole with another girl in tow. This one looked nothing like her, but I could tell they were close, at least by the way they moved together. The scent of them confird it—family? Maybe adopted siblings.
Vicky, ever the proud older sister, wasted no ti introducing her companion. "This is Amy—Panacea, the greatest healer cape in the world!" She declared.
"Ah, a healer, huh?" I said, nodding with genuine respect. "That’s impressive."
Amy didn’t seem to care for the praise. "Whatever..." she snarked, eyeing the restaurant and the slls wafting through the air. "It slls like xican in here. I hope it doesn't suck ass."
I chuckled, shaking my head. I was getting used to the snarkiness of her attitude already.
"Ah…" Mob piped up awkwardly, suddenly stepping forward with his hand held out to the two girls. "I wanted Haru-san to teach how to make enchiladas." His voice was timid, like he wasn’t sure if this was the right mont to get involved in the conversation.
Vicky imdiately shook his hand, then Amy followed. But the mont her hand made contact with Mob’s, she gasped, her expression changing from casual to shocked.
"How the hell are you alive with 100% of your brain constantly operating?" she asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.
Mob blinked, his usual awkwardness kicking in. "Ah… that’s because I’m an esper," he said, still unsure. "I don’t like to brag about it, though. Psychic powers don’t make soone cool."
Vicky sputtered in disbelief. "Having powers doesn’t make soone cool...? What? It totally does!" She was clearly thrown off by Mob’s lack of excitent over his abilities.
Mob shook his head. "No, it doesn’t. That’s why I joined my school’s bodybuilding club. So I can try and get a strong body instead. Then I’ll be cool." His voice was quiet, but there was sothing endearing about it.
Amy smirked at him, clearly amused. "That’s a good attitude to have," she said, her voice laced with a certain sharpness. "I wish more people in this shithole of a city would try and be healthier. It would make my job a lot easier at least." She then looked at Mob again. "I could help you with that. I can alter your amino acids and protein contents to make it easier for you to build muscles."
Mob shook his head firmly. "No thanks. I want to do it on my own."
…
I set the plates of enchiladas in front of Vicky and Amy, watching as they both took in the sight of the food. Amy, a little more reserved, didn’t imdiately dive in like Vicky. Vicky, on the other hand, wasted no ti. She cut into the enchilada and took a big bite, her eyes lighting up instantly.
“This is amazing, Haru!” she exclaid, grinning ear to ear. “I was expecting good, but this is next-level.”
Amy, still skeptical, raised an eyebrow but finally took a cautious bite. Her face didn’t give much away at first, but after chewing, she gave a subtle nod of approval.
“Yeah,” Amy muttered, her voice a little less guarded. “I’ll admit, you know what you’re doing.”
I chuckled, leaning on the counter. “You both have good taste.”
Amy snorted, clearly holding back a smile, but then her focus shifted back to the food. She took another bite, and for a mont, there was no more skepticism in her expression—just satisfaction.
The two of them seed to enjoy the food quite a bit, but I kept my eye on Mob, who was in the back kitchen, still busy wrapping up the extras in a tupperware container for that girl.
Vicky looked over at , her mouth still full of food, and asked between bites, “So, what’s Mob’s story?”
“Mob’s a good, hardworking middle school kid... and maybe the most powerful esper I’ve ever seen.” I shrugged. "At least, the most powerful I’ve seen."
Both of them stared at Mob in shock. He just waved at them casually from the kitchen, his blank expression not changing at all. It was hard to believe, given his small fra and the bowl cut hair, but that was Mob. People like him—hell, even I sotis—didn’t look like much on the surface. But a smart person didn’t judge soone by looks. At least, that’s what I’d learned growing up in the supernatural world.
After Vicky and Amy had polished off their plates of enchiladas, I grabbed the empty dishes and carried them back to the sink. “Glad you two enjoyed it,” I said, glancing over my shoulder. They’d practically licked the plates clean, which was always a good sign.
Vicky leaned against the counter, watching . “Hey, Haru, have you checked PHO lately?”
I frowned, pausing mid-rinse. “PHO? What’s that? So kind of soup?”
Amy let out a short laugh. “No, it’s a la site where capes and their obsessive fans can chat, post conspiracy theories, or just throw out racist comnts. Basically, internet garbage.”
Vicky spun around to glare at her sister. “It is not garbage! It’s a great site with good admins and tons of useful information! You’re just too cynical to appreciate it.”
Amy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure. A bastion of quality discourse and not a cesspool. Totally.”
Ignoring her sister’s sarcasm, Vicky turned back to . “Anyway, I saw sothing on there earlier. Apparently, so villains want you to do a cooking podcast or sothing stupid like that.”
I laughed and shook my head. “A podcast? Yeah, I’m not interested. Especially not with villains. Sounds like a waste of ti.”
“Figured as much,” Vicky said with a shrug. “They’re losers anyway.”
She smirked after a mont, then added, “But you know, you should be thanking .”
“For what?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
“For making sure your restaurant doesn’t get sward by normies,” she said with a triumphant grin. “I posted online that only capes are allowed in The Fox Hole.”
I froze, my expression tightening a bit. “You... what?”
Vicky’s grin faltered slightly. “What? It’s not a big deal. You don’t want every random off the street coming in here, right?”
“When I started this place,” I said, setting down the plate a little harder than necessary, “I wanted it to be open for everyone.”
Amy snorted from her seat. “Yeah, and if she hadn’t done that, you’d have half the city barging in. Fanboys trying to ‘et the fox guy,’ holess drug addicts looking for a warm spot to crash, and wannabe capes hoping to pick your brain. This place would be trashed in less than a week.”
I rubbed the back of my neck, frowning. “That... does sound not great.”
“Exactly,” Amy said, gesturing at Vicky. “For once, she actually had a good idea.”
Vicky preened smugly, leaning back with a satisfied look. “See? You should be thanking . I saved your ass.”
“Alright, alright,” I said, sighing. “Thanks, Vicky. I appreciate it.”
After cleaning up, Amy looked at from her spot at the counter, her head tilted slightly. “So, Haru, does this restaurant actually connect to other worlds, or is my sister just full of shit?”
Vicky gasped, turning to her with an offended pout. “Amy! I’m not full of shit!”
I couldn’t help but laugh at Amy’s bluntness, which only made Vicky’s pout deepen. “She’s not wrong, Vicky. This place does connect to other worlds,” I said.
Amy raised an eyebrow and held out her hand. “Prove it. Let see your biology.”
I shrugged, stepping closer and taking her hand. “Sure, knock yourself out.”
The mont her hand touched mine, Amy froze. Her lips parted slightly, and she let out a soft gasp, but she didn’t let go. Her eyes darted back and forth as if she were seeing sothing no one else could. “Your biology is insane,” she said, her voice laced with a mix of awe and confusion. “You shouldn’t even exist. You don’t make sense. Your cells aren’t human at all, and there’s enough energy in your body to basically be a walking nuclear reactor.”
I pulled my hand back, smirking. “What can I say? I’m built different.”
Amy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, sure. Whatever.” She crossed her arms. “So, Mr. Built Different, what are you going to do now?”
Before I could answer, Vicky cut in. “Is this restaurant going to be here forever, or are you going to leave? Because, you know, we’re aware of other worlds too. We’ve got contact with Earth Aleph. It’s like ours, but without all the bullshit.”
I leaned against the counter, thinking for a mont. “I don’t have any plans to leave. This restaurant tends to stay put unless things get too dangerous for it to keep functioning.”
Amy frowned. “What does that an?”
I gestured toward Mob, who was still in the back, carefully packing up his enchiladas. “The last ti that happened was when Mob over there took down ‘God.’” I made sure to say the word God with heavy sarcasm, because Being X wasn’t God. Far from it. More like a glorified evil spirit, as far as I was concerned.
Amy and Vicky both stared at Mob, their expressions swinging between disbelief and outright shock. Mob, of course, remained completely unfazed. He waved at them calmly, his face as blank as ever.
“Thanks. Haru, I’ll be going now,” Mob said. He picked up his tupperware container, looking genuinely pleased with his enchilada stash.
Reigen, who had been nursing a drink at the bar this entire ti, stood up and gave a mock salute. “Great food as always, Haru. Keep it up.”
I nodded at them both. “Take care.”
Mob carried his container of enchiladas out the door, looking content, while Reigen followed with his usual lazy stride. The door swung shut behind them, leaving with Amy and Vicky, who were still trying to process what they’d just heard.
“Did that kid really—” Vicky started.
“Yep,” I interrupted. “Don’t think about it too hard. You’ll just hurt yourself.”
Amy shook her head, muttering under her breath. “This place is fucking nuts.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “You’re not wrong.”
“I. NEED. DETAILS!” Vicky demanded! Vicky didn’t get the details she playfully demanded, despite her best efforts. Before she could press the issue, the door to the restaurant opened, and I glanced up.
In walked Armsmaster. He nodded to Vicky and Amy as he made his way to the counter, then stopped in front of and held out his hand.
I shrugged and shook it. “What can I do for you?”
“Armsmaster,” he said formally, though I already knew who he was. He took a breath, visibly forcing himself into sothing less stiff. “I wanted to properly introduce myself and apologize for our initial interaction. And, of course, thank you for taking down Lung… and for stopping Leviathan.”
I waved him off with one of my tails. “It was no problem.”
Armsmaster nodded, but then his tone shifted. “That said, Director Emily Piggot wants to et with you personally.”
I rubbed the back of my head and chuckled. “You know, I keep getting all these important people inviting to etings… and then I just don’t go to them.”
Vicky laughed at that, clearly amused, while Amy just stared at like I’d grown an extra head.
I wasn’t lying, though. I’d even blown off a eting with a legit king once. That had been the king of the Re-Estize Kingdom in Ainz’s world. Gazef, being the good buddy he was, had wanted to et the guy. But then Ainz had said he’d “take care of it,” and, well… I left it to him. Seed easier that way.
Heh. Skeletor. The nickna always made grin.
Armsmaster’s jaw dropped slightly as he processed that. “You… you forgot a eting… with a king?”
“Yeah,” I said casually. “It happens.”
Armsmaster recovered enough to close his mouth and clear his throat. “I hope you don’t blow off this eting. The entire world has its eyes on Brockton Bay right now—or, more specifically, on you and your restaurant.”
The air grew heavier for a mont. Armsmaster leaned forward slightly. “The sooner you can co to Protectorate HQ, the better.”
I was about to answer when the door slamd open, and a massive figure stomped inside. A krogan. The floor creaked under his weight.
Armsmaster instinctively tensed, his hand reaching for his weapon but hesitated.
“Wrex! What’s going on, big guy?” I called out, already reaching for the shelves behind the counter. I started mixing the unholy cocktail of booze he loved—only a krogan could handle it without imdiately dying.
Wrex made his way to the counter, his heavy steps making the floor groan. He nodded at the three humans staring at him like they’d just seen Bigfoot stroll in for brunch. “You all look like you’ve never seen a krogan before or sothing.”
Amy blinked. “We haven’t…”
“I have no idea what’s going on right now,” Armsmaster muttered, his hand still twitching near his holster.
I sighed, deciding to rip the bandage off quickly. “Okay, short version: I’m from another Earth, and this restaurant connects to a bunch of different worlds. That about sums it up. Oh, and Wrex here? He’s an alien. Though he probably thinks we’re the aliens.”
Wrex chuckled as he grabbed the drink I slid to him. He chugged it in one go and slamd the glass down. “That I do,” he said with a grin. “I have no idea how humans beca the dominant species on your world when you’re all so soft and squishy,” he said to the three of them.
“Guns,” I said simply. They loved their guns.
Wrex laughed, the sound deep and rumbling, and downed his second drink. “Yep. Guns are aweso.” He set the empty glass down and leaned forward slightly. “Where was I… Oh, right. Shepard needs your help again.”
I raised an eyebrow. “What happened this ti?”
“She’s… uh… trapped on the moon,” Wrex said, rubbing the back of his head. “Apparently, the dumb humans were secretly making an AI up there. It gained sentience, killed everyone, and now Shepard’s pinned down after going on a mission to stop it. Her landing craft’s damaged, and half her squad’s knocked out. So… you coming?”
“What?” Armsmaster blurted, looking between us like we’d all lost our minds. “AI? Trapped on the moon?”
Wrex turned to Armsmaster, looking him up and down with a critical, appraising eye. "You look like a warrior. Is that armor made for fighting in space?"
Armsmaster blinked, clearly caught off guard by the question. "It is... but I’ve never actually tested it out."
Wrex chuckled, the sound deep and gravelly, before giving Armsmaster a hearty pat on the shoulder. The sheer force of it sent the armored man stumbling a step back.
"No ti like the present!" Wrex declared with a toothy grin.
“I want to go fight so AI on the moon!” Glory Girl whined, practically bouncing on her heels. “That sounds so freaking aweso.”
“Vicky,” Amy cut in dryly, “you would suffocate and die.”
Vicky’s excitent didn’t falter for even a second. Instead, she spun toward her sister, clasping her hands together in an exaggerated plea. “Unless… you modify my lungs so I can breathe in space. Co on, Amy, you can do that, right? Please?”
“Not happening,” Amy shut her down imdiately, crossing her arms.
Then Amy turned her sharp gaze on , eyebrow raised. “What about you? Can you even breathe in space, or do you have so magical space suit stashed away too?”
I paused, putting a finger to my chin thoughtfully. “Huh. That’s a good question. Can I breathe in space?”
Before I could dig into that existential mystery, a scroll appeared out of nowhere, landing with a soft thud on the counter in front of . Ah, another ssage from the goddess. Convenient timing. I unrolled the scroll, and as soon as I did, a flash of light erupted from it. Strange energy seeped into my body, a sensation like a cool breeze coursing through every cell. I could feel sothing shift inside , like an unseen switch being flipped.
The scroll itself was brief and to the point: You can now.
I shrugged and stored the scroll in my inventory without a second thought. "Good enough for ," I declared, stepping around the counter with a grin. "Ti to go rescue my space girlfriend again."
The room was silent for a beat, except for Wrex’s amused chuckle. "Well, I guess that settles it. Let’s go, Haru. Shepard’s not going to wait forever! You too new guy!" he said while dragging a very confused Armsmaster behind us.
“WHAT IS HAPPENING!?”
XXX
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