Super Drill wasn't simply a hero. He was a superhero.
ScrewLand could only sleep with peace of mind because he was there.
Whether it was a small malicious screw or a corrupt politician, Super Drill would defeat them face-to-face and save the day.
He had perfectly mastered both the pen and the sword.
And no one had ever been able to defeat Super Drill.
That was what Asha had learned in twelve episodes.
But what was this in front of her?
[It seems you've lost to me, Super Drill. I'll use this diamond well. - With love, Phantom Screw.]
Super Drill looked at the note with shocked eyes.
He had just received a tip-off that someone was planning to steal from a museum.
The thief was incredibly bold. He had revealed the time, the day, and even the place where he would appear.
Super Drill stood guard at the museum for an entire day with his loyal subordinate, Little Drill, a masked little drill who followed his every step.
Several cameras were recording Super Drill, waiting for him to defeat the stupid thief as he always did.
But despite his efforts, the miserable thief still managed to steal the diamond.
He appeared out of nowhere and vanished as if it were a daily routine.
And Super Drill couldn't do anything.
He had been caught on camera, and all of ScrewLand would see his failure.
Asha couldn't believe the scene unfolding in front of her eyes.
Super Drill, lost? How was that even possible?
"I was complacent," said Super Drill, his dark eyes gazing at the sky. "I have no excuses."
Even in sadness, he still looked badass while staring at the sky.
'No, Super Drill... It's not your fault!'
The fact that he had lost to a nobody in a white suit, someone who had never even appeared in the series before, frustrated her deeply.
Because of this idiot, the innocent Super Drill was suffering.
And he was such a good guy that he couldn't even blame the stupid museum with the worst security system she'd ever seen.
Asha wanted to console Super Drill, to relieve his worries, but there wasn't anything she could do...
"It's not your fault, Super Drill!" said Little Drill. "You stood here all night, watched every corner without sleep or food!"
He was saying exactly what Asha wanted to tell him.
But Super Drill continued to stare at the sky.
"It just means I was lacking, Little Drill. A hero doesn't use excuses to justify his mistakes," said Super Drill, still looking at the sky as if seeing his past.
What was Super Drill thinking so deeply about?
"Super Drill..." said Little Drill, his eyes full of admiration.
Suddenly, cards began falling from the sky. Super Drill calmly caught one and read what was written on it.
It was another note from Phantom Screw. He would steal from another museum and had challenged Super Drill once again.
'What a bold bastard! Super Drill will finish you off, just wait and see!' she thought, barely containing her anger.
If it wasn't fiction, she'd finish off that Phantom Screw herself.
"It seems we have work to do, Little Drill," Super Drill said, his red cape flapping in the wind, accentuating his cool demeanor.
Super Drill flew off toward the location mentioned in the card.
How difficult it must have been to endure such a mistake. Yet Super Drill was awesome enough to fly with such dignity after all this trouble.
But something strange began to bother her.
Why wasn't Little Drill flying with him?
Flash~!
Suddenly, the screen changed, showing Little Drill.
He wore an unusually evil smile while pulling something from his suit.
In his hand was the diamond. The same diamond Super Drill was supposed to protect.
'No... Little Drill...?'
"What a stupid Drill," he said with a sinister grin. "Let's see how much you can endure."
Asha's mind began to tremble, as if her world was about to collapse.
Little Drill betrayed Super Drill? Was he the thief or an impostor?
Where was the real Little Drill? And if this was the real one, why would he do such a thing...?!
She needed to watch the next episode as soon as possible!
Before Asha could reach for the remote, a familiar hand snatched it away faster than she could.
The TV turned off before she could do anything.
When she looked up to see who had done such a thing, she found Priyanka staring at her with sharp eyes.
[No more TV today.]
Priyanka had written the most heartbreaking words Asha had ever seen.
To be honest, this wasn't the first time Priyanka had intervened.
She had come at least three times before, telling Asha to take a break.
But every time, Asha would show her a note with "Just one more episode" written on it.
Asha wasn't lying. She genuinely tried to stop at just one episode.
But every time, a cliffhanger would pull her back in.
One episode became three, three became five, and the number just kept growing.
She was completely addicted.
But who could blame her?
She had gone years without a single moment of entertainment.
And "Super Drill Adventures" was such a masterpiece that she couldn't help but want to watch it all.
Maybe Priyanka was just worried about her health. After all, she was a doctor.
'There's no problem, I'm a gem,' she rationalized.
She could watch it all day without getting tired. But how could she explain that to Priyanka?
She reached for the notebook again, but Priyanka dodged her hand.
[It's time to eat. Let's take a bath.]
"..."
Asha tried once more to grab the notebook.
Again, Priyanka dodged her hand and showed the same note.
[It's time to eat. Let's take a bath.]
When Asha looked at her face, Priyanka wore a very stern expression.
For a moment, Asha wanted to cry from the constant rejection. Why was Priyanka being so harsh?
Couldn't she see that Super Drill Adventures were far more important than food and a bath?
A dangerous flicker of light appeared from Asha's gem.
Her emotions were becoming unstable.
If she couldn't see the next episode, she'd rather overload her gem and perish.
She looked at Priyanka with her usual empty eyes, her hands clutching her clothes as if pleading for mercy.
But instead of the kind words she was hoping for, what followed were cold and unfeeling ones.
[And from now on, just two episodes per day.]
'T-Two? Is she serious?!'
Asha's hands gripped her clothes tighter, silently begging for compassion.
Her eyes remained hollow as always, but her soul was overflowing with emotion.
She extended her hand toward Priyanka, spreading her five fingers in a desperate plea.
She knew she couldn't win against someone as strict as Priyanka, so she tried to negotiate.
But Priyanka's expression stayed sharp and unwavering.
It was an obvious no.
Reluctantly, Asha folded one finger.
Four. Maybe she could survive on just four episodes...
But Priyanka's face didn't budge.
After what felt like an eternity in this cold war, Asha finally tucked away another finger.
Three episodes. It was still more than two. Painfully short, but better than nothing.
She tried to justify it in her mind, though it was clear Priyanka wasn't going to give in.
[No concessions. Bathroom, now.]
Asha wasn't a religious person.
She had died without praying to any god, believing that after death, all that remained was dust.
But now, if a god existed, she prayed for this benevolent deity to work a miracle.
Starting with changing Priyanka's mind to allow her just one more episode.
*
Author note
The next chapter is on day 23 or 24 because 22 is my final deadline lol. When it finishes I'll write a lot to come back to the normal routine!
The chapter is shorter than usual because I wrote two chapters today. My brain stopped working in the middle. The next ones will have a normal length of 8k ~ 10k (this one was 7k).
Thank you for the support and sorry for making you wait again (～﹃～)~zZ.