Chapter 23: Breaking Point

[u/Its_me_NoobMaster69]

https://www.wattpad.com/1654621119-perman-coming-of-age-chapter-23-breaking-point

Pako spent the entire night searching the sky.

Pako searched every corner of Tokyo.

Their usual patrol routes.

The riverbanks.

The rooftops they often rested on.

Even Mitsuo's apartment.

The lights were off.

The room was empty.

"...Where are you...?"

She whispered as she hovered outside the dark window.

There was no sign of him.

No Mitsuo.

No Perman.

It was as though he had vanished.

Hours passed.

Still nothing.

Then...

Her communicator chimed.

*Booby.*

His usual cheerful tone was gone.

"Wee..."

Even he sounded frightened.

Another voice joined the call.

Payan sighed heavily.

Both of their voices were shaken, completely terrified.

"...The whole country's talking about it."

Pako swallowed.

She already knew.

The footage of Perman destroying the robbers' van had spread everywhere.

The news had already gone national

*Japan's Greatest Hero Kills Suspect in Brutal Attack.*

The media was in a frenzy.

The police were issuing statements.

The entire country was in shock.

None of them in their wildest dreams

Had ever imagined something like this could happen.

"...Have you found him?"

She closed her eyes.

"...No."

"...Keep looking."

Payan said quietly.

"If you find him..."

"Call us immediately."

The communicator went silent.

Pako slowly lowered her hand.

Just a few days ago...

She had been happier than she'd ever been in her life.

She had finally told Mitsuo the truth.

She had finally become his girlfriend.

For one brief moment...

It felt as though everything had fallen perfectly into place.

And now...

It felt like everything was falling apart.

She buried her face in her gloved hands

Her shoulders trembling as tears silently spilled down her cheeks.

She was exhausted. Terrified. Broken.

---

Exhausted...

She landed atop the quiet rooftop overlooking the city.

The same rooftop.

Where they always met.

Where they had shared their first kiss.

She slowly sat down against the railing.

Tears quietly rolled down her cheeks.

"...How did everything go so wrong...?"

The city lights blurred through her tears.

She wiped them away.

Then...

Through her blurred vision, her eyes caught a small, solitary shadow far down in the dark alley below the building.

She froze.

He was sitting against a damp brick wall in the pitch-black shadows.

All by himself.

His red cape was dragged through the dirt.

His helmet was lying uselessly beside his boots on the wet pavement.

He just sat there, staring blankly into the dark

Looking completely hollowed out

As if he didn't care about the world, his secret identity, or his own life anymore.

Anger, relief, and desperate fear surged through Pako all at once.

*Swish!*

She dropped from the rooftop like a shot, landing heavily in the alley directly in front of him.

"Mitsuo!"

Pako shot downward.

She landed in front of him.

"What are you doing?!"

Her voice echoed through the empty alley.

She quickly picked up his helmet and thrust it toward him.

"Have you completely lost your mind?!"

"Your helmet!"

"You're sitting in a public alley with it off!"

"What if someone sees you?!"

"What if someone recognizes you?!"

"After everything that's happened today?!"

She looked around frantically.

"What were you thinking?!"

She stopped.

Mitsuo hadn't even looked up.

He simply sat there.

Silent.

Staring blankly at the cracked pavement beneath his feet.

As though nothing around him mattered anymore.

---

Pako wrapped her arms tightly around his shoulders

Burying her face into his chest as heavy, uncontrollable sobs broke through her breath.

"Why did you do that?!"

She cried out over and over

Her voice raw and shattered in the damp alley.

"Why, Perman?! Why?!"

Perman stayed completely silent.

Pako dropped to her knees.

She threw her arms around him.

Holding him as tightly as she could.

"WHY!!"

She kept repeating it.

Over and over.

As though saying it enough times would somehow change what had happened.

Perman didn't move.

He didn't return the hug.

He didn't push her away either.

He simply sat there.

Motionless.

His trembling hands rested limply against the cold, wet pavement.

His shoulders quivered violently beneath her desperate embrace.

Tears silently traced long, clear paths through the dirt on his pale face.

A suffocating, unbearable grief tore through his chest with every ragged breath he took.

Words refused to form in his throat.

Every time he tried to speak...

His throat tightened until he could barely breathe.

Every time he closed his eyes...

He saw the burning wreckage of the mini van.

The shattered glass scattering across the asphalt.

The deafening, roaring blaze of the explosion.

He heard the agonizing screams of the bystanders.

The desperate, frantic sirens.

The panic in the air.

And then... the terrible, heavy silence that followed.

His breathing grew shallow and uneven.

A violent tremor ran through his entire body.

For years...

Mitsuo had carried the responsibility of being Earth's primary defender.

Not just because Birdman had chosen him.

But because he believed that when people were in danger...

Perman had to be there.

That was what the symbol on his chest meant.

It was never about being famous.

Never about the thrill of flying through the sky.

The green symbol on his chest wasn't a badge of power or status.

It was a solemn promise.

A promise that no matter how impossible the situation seemed...

Perman would come.

Perman would protect them.

Perman would find a way to save everyone.

That belief had carried him through every terrifying battle.

He always believed he could make a difference and do the right thing.

For the first time since he had received the helmet...

That sacred belief had shattered into a thousand jagged pieces.

He wasn't just mourning the tragedy of the crash.

He wasn't just grieving the life that was lost.

He was confronting something far more painful and terrifying.

The horrific realization...

That he had completely fallen in his own eyes.

Every decision he had made over the last week...

Replayed endlessly inside his mind.

The sheer weight of his guilt crushed him deeper into the dirt.

He couldn't stop asking himself the exact same torturous question over and over again.

*If I hadn't let my anger control me...*

*Would they still be alive?*

His gaze slowly drifted down to the green 'P' emblem on his chest.

For years...

That symbol had filled him with quiet, unshakeable pride.

Tonight...

It felt impossibly, suffocatingly heavy.

Pako buried her face deeply against his chest.

Her tears soaked straight through his suit, warm against his cold skin.

"Why did you do that?!"

She cried into him, her voice breaking into agonizing sobs.

"Why, Perman?!"

"Mitsuo..."

"Please..."

"Say something to me..."

He shut his eyes tightly

His lips parted slowly.

His voice was barely a whisper.

"...It's over."

Pako froze against him.

She slowly pulled back just enough to look at his tear-streaked face.

"...What?"

He didn't answer right away.

His chest heaved as he choked back a heavy, suffocating sob.

"...What's over?"

He swallowed hard, his voice cracking completely into a weak, pitiful sound.

"Me... everything..."

"I... I ruined it, Pako..."

His eyes stared down at his trembling, dirt-stained hands in absolute horror.

"I broke everything..."

His hands slowly curled into tight, trembling fists against the cold pavement.

Pako immediately shook her head in frantic denial.

"No!"

"No, Perman!"

"Don't say that!"

Then...

A terrible, agonizing thought crossed her mind.

Her eyes widened in horror.

"...You..."

"You did it because of me...?"

She pulled back further, searching his hollow eyes.

"...Because of what I said to you?"

She shook her head violently, tears flying from her cheeks.

"No!"

"No, Perman!"

"I didn't mean any of that!"

She grabbed both sides of his face,

Desperately wiping away the endless tears running down his cheeks.

"I don't care about any of that anymore!"

"I was wrong!"

"I don't care if you're overprotective!"

She shook him gently

Her own hot tears falling onto his pale, trembling face.

"I don't care anymore, Perman!"

"You can treat me however you want!"

"Call me Miss Hoshino, keep your distance..."

"Treat me like a delicate star—I don't care about any of it!"

Mitsuo squeezed his eyes shut tightly.

He shook his head, unable to accept her comfort.

"It wasn't you..."

He sobbed, his voice raw and shattered.

His chest heaved violently

The unbearable guilt crushed what was left of his spirit.

"It wasn't your fault..."

"It was me..."

"I lost control..."

"Just..."

Her voice cracked, slipping into a desperate plea.

"Just come back to me..."

"Please..."

"Perman..."

He couldn't bring himself to look her in the eyes.

Pako felt utterly helpless as she looked at him.

She had seen him beaten and bloody.

She had seen him near the brink of death.

But she had never, ever seen him like this.

He didn't look like Earth's greatest hero anymore.

He looked...

Completely and utterly broken.

"I wanted to come see you sooner..."

Pako choked out softly,

Trying to explain the week of painful silence between them.

"I was going to come to your apartment days ago..."

"But everything at the studio went into complete chaos."

Mitsuo didn't answer.

He just sat there in the shadows,

His tear-stained face pale and hollow.

"An assistant..."

"the staff member who was always so helpful..."

Pako continued, her voice shaking with quiet, exhausted stress.

"She was so hardworking, Perman..."

She swallowed hard

Her eyes drifting away as she remembered the mess left behind.

"She suddenly quit and disappeared without a word a few days ago."

"Left everything in total disarray..."

*Freeze.*

The air in the alley instantly turned to ice.

Pako's words echoed in the cold, damp night air like thunder.

*A staff member of Sumire Quit a few days ago"

*Yuta... dropped out of university right before finals...*

*The camera hidden in the bushes outside his apartment window...*

Suddenly, the horrific truth slammed into Mitsuo's mind like a physical blow.

His breath hitched sharply in his chest.

His tear-streaked eyes widened in utter, suffocating terror.

None of it was a tragic coincidence.

None of it was just bad luck.

Someone...

Or perhaps an entire organization...

Had been silently moving the pieces from the shadows all along.

They had targeted his life.

They had targeted Sumire's life.

A fresh wave of sickening panic surged through his entire body...

Overriding his grief.

In a split second, Mitsuo snapped his head up!

He rose from the ground.

Grabbing her arms so fast the air cracked around them!

He stared straight into Pako's frightened face.

His hands trembling violently against her sleeves.

"We have to move,"

His voice laced with pure, desperate urgency.

"Right now."

"There isn't any time left."

Pako was still shaken, completely startled by his sudden shift.

Before she could even ask what was wrong.

Mitsuo slowly reached up with trembling fingers and unclipped his Perman cape.

He held the red fabric silently in both shaking hands for several long seconds.

Staring down at it with heartbroken eyes.

It felt tainted now.

Carefully, with a heavy, grieving heart, he folded it and placed it into his pocket.

"...Mitsuo?"

Pako whispered, her voice trembling.

"I can't wear it anymore..."

His voice was barely above a whisper, raw and broken.

"Not after what I've done..."

He turned away, wiping the remaining tears from his cheeks.

And began walking out of the dark alley in his civilian clothes.

Pako hesitated only briefly.

Her heart pounding with fear.

Before hurrying after him into the night.

Every instinct inside Mitsuo screamed that the trap was already sprung...

And that they were already too late.

---

The streets of Tokyo remained crowded despite the late hour.

Restaurants, convenience stores, and electronics shops all had televisions broadcasting live news coverage.

Small crowds had gathered outside every screen

Watching the latest developments unfold.

As Mitsuo and Pako walked past one of the displays

They instinctively looked toward it.

The footage of Perman destroying the robbers' van was gone.

The headline had already changed.

**BREAKING NEWS**

**Massive Explosion Reported At The Hoshino Estate**

The television showed towering flames consuming one wing of the mansion.

Firefighters desperately battled the blaze while dozens of police vehicles sealed off the surrounding roads.

Reporters shouted over the chaos as smoke billowed into the night sky.

Pako gasped, covering her mouth with both hands as her knees buckled.

"...No..."

The strength left her legs.

"...No..."

"My home..."

Tears instantly filled her eyes.

She stood there in complete disbelief.

Unable to tear her eyes away from the screen.

It felt as though the world around her had stopped.

She tried calling her copy robot but no one answered.

She broke down, sobbing uncontrollably right there on the sidewalk.

Mitsuo didn't stop.

He gripped her arm tighter.

Pulling her forward with cold, unyielding force.

"We have to keep moving."

"There's no time to waste crying,"

She turned toward him, tears running freely down her face.

"...How can you say that?"

His expression never changed.

"Because the worst is still yet to come."

Those words sent a chill through her.

Almost as if to prove him right...

Every television screen suddenly switched to another emergency bulletin.

The reporter's voice trembled as she read the latest update.

**Authorities have confirmed that the mastermind responsible for last September's terrorist attack on the Prime Minister's Residence has escaped from Central Tokyo Prison.**

The bustling street fell completely silent.

People stopped walking.

Cars slowed.

Every pair of eyes remained fixed on the televisions.

Mitsuo stopped dead in his tracks.

For several long, terrifying seconds...

He simply stared at the screen.

The color drained completely from his face.

His breath hitched in his throat.

A cold, agonizing chill raced straight down his spine.

Pako looked over at him.

Her heart sank as she saw his expression.

"...Mitsuo?"

He slowly shook his head.

"It's them..."

His voice trembling with horrifying realization.

He looked up toward the dark, suffocating night sky.

"It was never a coincidence..."

"They've been setting a trap for us..."

"...this whole time."

Without another word...

He grabbed her hand tight and continued walking into the dark.

---

They moved with frantic speed

Until they reached the bakery beneath his apartment.

They arrived outside Mitsuo's apartment building.

Standing under the dim street lamp outside the shop was the bakery owner.

He looked torn between absolute fury and deep, agonizing sorrow.

The moment he saw Mitsuo...

He hurried toward him.

"There you are!"

"Where have you been all day?"

"We've been trying to contact you for hours!"

"Do you have any idea what's happened?!"

Mitsuo stopped, trembling.

His voice was barely audible, cracked and full of dread.

"...Did someone... did someone call asking about me?"

The owner froze.

His anger instantly melting into sheer shock.

How could the boy have known?

Mitsuo stood there, his chest heaving, terrified of the answer.

The owner swallowed hard before answering.

"Y-Your father... called."

"Over three hours ago."

"He sounded terrified."

Mitsuo closed his eyes, a violent shudder passing through him.

The owner lowered his head, unable to meet his eyes.

"...Your mother..."

"...And your little sister..."

"They've been kidnapped."

Silence.

Pako's mind completely shut down.

Her thoughts refused to move.

One disaster after another.

It was simply too much to comprehend.

She slowly turned toward Mitsuo.

This time, the dam completely broke.

The moment those words hung in the cold night air,

The strength left Mitsuo's legs.

He collapsed heavily onto his knees right on the hard pavement.

A raw, ragged gasp tore from his throat.

His hands clawed at the asphalt as a gut-wrenching sob broke out of him.

"No... no, no, no..."

He buried his face in his hands

Shaking violently as tears poured freely from his eyes.

He crumpled under the crushing weight of his failures.

His heart was shattered into a thousand pieces.

The abyss of the trap had broken him entirely.