“Over here, Hiro!”
The sixteen-year-old boy tilted his head to the voice and broke into a small smile. With a soft hiss, he jumped and grabbed the rusty metal railing. He lifted his legs above his head, flipped his body over, and landed neatly onto the metallic walkway.
“Nice moves.” The dark-haired girl grinned as she walked towards him.
“I didn’t get to see yours,” Hiro replied coolly, gesturing for her to sit beside him. “How’d you get up here, Kiko?”
“I climbed. It’s an abandoned fire escape; there’s a ladder. No need for all that fancy parkour.” Kiko shrugged as she giggled softly. “So, what did you want to talk about?”
Silence fell as Hiro looked at the starry night sky with a faraway look in his eyes. The smile on Kiko’s face faded as she moved closer to him.
“What’s wrong, Hiro?” she asked in a concerned voice. “Is this about the hero admissions test? C’mon, don’t give up yet. There’s always next time.”
The boy shook his head. “Yes… and no. I’ve decided, Kiko. I’m not going to try and be a hero anymore. I’m going to enlist in the JSDF instead; I’ve already filled out my application. This coming spring, I’ll be joining the Youth Corps.”
“You’re leaving for the city?” Kiko’s lips trembled as she blinked in disbelief. “That’s sudden. Why? Because you can’t pass the hero tests?”
“Well, yeah… Though I’d appreciate it if you’d stop rubbing that in.” Hiro laughed dryly. “I’ve given it enough thought. Being a soldier also means I get to help people, especially in disaster relief missions. Not only can I fulfil my dream, I can also earn enough money to bring my mother to the city.”
“Even when she beats you every day?!” the girl argued. “Why do you still care so much about her? She doesn’t deserve it!”
An awkward stillness fell over both of them.
“Help comes to those who need it, not just to those who deserve it,” the boy muttered. “Don’t worry, this won’t be the last you see of me. It’s not like I’m disappearing off the face of the planet, anyway. I promise I’ll come visit. After my training is over, of course.”
The girl’s head dipped further. “That’s going to be a long time, isn’t it?”
Hiro nodded wordlessly. He felt like a world-class jerk for leaving his best and only friend behind in the countryside, but this was the only way he could bring his family out of their squalor.
Kiko sniffed before turning to him with a bright smile. “I’m sorry for that earlier. But I guess you’re right. I’m happy for you, really. I haven’t given up my dream of being a hero, though. So you better not fail your training, too! Maybe one day, we’ll meet in the city as equals. And maybe we’ll even get a chance to team up!”
“You’re always so positive, Kiko.” The boy wrapped his arm around her shoulders. “Well, since you want to be a hero, have you decided on a hero name?”
Kiko nodded. “Animus.”
“The Roman word for ‘strength’? Why?”
“Being a hero is about the strength to persevere through all odds, isn’t it? Besides, it’s similar to what ‘Takehiro’ means, too.”
Hiro chuckled dryly and raised a hand. “Here’s to our bright futures.”
A dry clap cracked the air as Kiko returned his high-five.
“Just… Just promise me one thing, alright?” The girl looked at him, her eyes glistening slightly.
“What is it?”
“In the future… if you ever see me in trouble, promise me you won’t abandon me, alright?” she said. “Promise me you’ll save me.”
“Wha—?” Hiro leaned back in surprise. “Where’d that come from? Why would you even be in trouble?”
“Because we’re both going to be law enforcers, duh.” Kiko leaned forward with a cheeky smile. “Our lives will be on the line all the time.”
“Uh…”
“And also, because that’s what heroes do. If you’re in trouble, I’ll save you too. Oh, and don’t give me that crap about ‘technically being a soldier’.” She poked him in the chest playfully. “Deep down, I know you’re still a hero at heart. Besides…”
The girl tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, looking away shyly. “You’ll always be my hero.”
Hiro blushed deeply and turned away as well, trying to get the night breeze to cool down his face. “Yeah, of course. I promise, Kiko.”
A warm breath nuzzled his neck without warning, accompanied by a set of small arms embracing him tightly from the side. Hiro gasped softly, noticing a faint red glow from his vision’s periphery.
“I’m going to miss you so much, Hiro…” Kiko sobbed in his ear. “Let’s treasure the rest of our time as much as we can, alright? I…”
Hiro turned to the girl to comfort her, only to find her face shockingly close to his lips now.
“I lo—”
~ ~ ~
“Kazuma?”
Hiro snapped back to the present. There was barely time to collect his senses when a scrumptious-looking slice of tiramisu cake was thrust in front of his face. His mouth hung open, before he took the plate absentmindedly.
“Something on your mind?” Kanna asked in a motherly voice, sitting cross-legged across him. “Are you worried about the mission?”
Hiro was still wearing the spare blank T-shirt Miles had given him the night before. His sleep— or whatever passed for it— did surprisingly well at keeping him refreshed, despite how tired he should have been. It was probably the anticipation of his final mission keeping him alert through the night.
“Not the mission. I…” The man hesitated for a moment. “I was just thinking of my past. I knew Kiko, y’know— Sorry— Kusanagi, I mean. We were… more than good friends.”
“Well, what were you thinking about?”
“Does it matter?”
“Yes, because that’s the part of her that mattered the most to you. That’s the part of her you’re choosing to look at.”
Hiro took his first bite of the cake. Taste exploded in his mouth, and his olfactory senses sang with delight at the beautiful blend of fragrance wafting through his nose.
“It was the night before her family got killed. Or rather, she killed them by accident,” he said in bitter contrast to the sweet dessert. “It was also the night I told her that I was joining the military. She took it better than I thought she would. But now that I think about it, it most likely wasn’t a coincidence that she lost control of her powers on the same night we became lovers.”
The woman tilted her head slightly in confusion.
“Kiko’s powers function on emotion, just like yours,” Hiro explained. “She must’ve already been emotional after our first kiss, and all her sadness pushed her quirk out of control. It’s all my fault she turned into Kusanagi.”
“No. Not this tune again.” Kanna shook her head and touched his arm lightly. “If there’s someone to blame, it’s that bastard Yamato Gouma. He was the one who turned your childhood friend into a killer.”
Hiro nodded silently.
“Still, I didn’t expect a hardened assassin to have such a soft side. Kusanagi may very well be doing all this for you, Hiro. If the world were rid of quirks, people like you would not be discriminated against anymore,” Kanna commented. “But I can only imagine the turmoil in both of you to be on opposite sides. Are you sure you’ll be able to face her?”
Hiro took another bite of the cake. “I have to. And it’s not just because of heroic ideals or anything like that. It’s because I made a promise.”
He cast his eyes downward. The dessert’s aroma lingered, oddly reminiscent of Kiko’s mouth on his lips that night.
“I made a promise to save her when she’s in trouble.” Hiro looked up again, determination in his eyes. “Kiko was locked in Tartarus for something out of her control before being forcefully broken out and brainwashed to be a killer. I can’t even begin to imagine the turmoil she has been through. And I… I wasn’t there for her.”
“It’s not your fault—”
“I’m not saying that it is,” the man said, finishing the rest of his cake in one last bite. “But that doesn’t change the fact that I wasn’t. I can’t change the past, but I can still choose the future. I’ll save her. This, I swear.”
“We’ll save her together.”
Miles was standing behind Hiro. “I hope everyone had a good rest, because it’s go time. I’ve just received the locations of the three devices. Kusanagi will be on the move soon.”
Everyone sat up straight as Miles waved his hands, pulling up a holographic board from his phone.
“Here’s the plan. The main machine will be located somewhere inside Cooper Industries. I’d love to go, but Hiro would be a better choice. I know you have unfinished business with Kusanagi. The other two are located on the roof of Ion Heroes Marketing’s off-site building and inside the Villain Factory’s old research facility. Since I have wings, I’ll tackle the one at Ion Heroes. That leaves Villain Factory to you, Kanna.”
They nodded.
“As for me, I’ll remain here to provide support for Miles,” Melissa added with a hint of embarrassment. “Since I can’t fight at all. But don’t worry, Kanna. I’ll make sure your children won’t come to any harm.”
Kanna flashed a soft smile. “I’ve already told them what to do when trouble comes knocking. Not to brag, but they are pretty capable of taking care of themselves as well. But thank you, Melissa.”
“Melissa has an important job as well,” Miles said. “Lady Luck seems to be smiling at us, because I’ve also confirmed that Yamato will be at his old company. I don’t know what he’s planning yet, but this is a prime opportunity to use his quirk to decrypt his data.”
He showed them a tracker-like device. “When within proximity, this device will clone his quirk data and remotely feed it into Melissa’s computer. She’ll unlock Hiro’s thumb drive as long as I stay within range.”
“So, you intend to confront Yamato head-on?” Hiro folded his arms. “No offence, but your quirk isn’t exactly suited for combat. Isn’t that extremely dangerous for you?”
Miles smirked. “I wasn’t a pro hero for nothing, kid. Every quirk has its limitations. Trust me, I know his weaknesses very well. Besides, since Yamato didn’t immediately order a shutdown of Kusanagi’s project, he must have his reasons for letting it continue. Chances are, he’s going to deploy protection to ensure nothing gets disrupted. We’ll most likely be running into heavy resistance, anyway.”
“Love a good challenge,” Hiro mumbled.
“Which is why… I’m giving you this.”
Miles passed his partner some kind of device that resembled a wrist cuff. It was pulsating red and felt slightly heavier than expected.
“This is your new suit.” Melissa beamed with pride. “Miles and I have been working on perfecting Bjarkan Mode for you. The suit will no longer hurt you even if you use it at its maximum.”
“It has an onboard AI which balances drawing power from your body as well as a hyper-compressed power source,” Miles explained. “Safety is its primary directive, so it ensures you don’t get hurt while collecting information about your fighting style to better assist you. As for your usual gadgets, everything is the same as before.”
“I… I don’t know what to say.” Hiro’s voice wavered with emotion. “Thank you, everyone… You’ve done so much for me. I promise I won’t let you down!”
“Save your thanks for after the mission, Hiro.” Miles patted him on the back lightly. “You’ve grown so much. I’m sure your parents will be very proud of you.”
Hiro kept his head low for a moment before giving his partner a firm nod.
“Yes. Yes, I believe they are."186Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwtYwwPFJTc
and then Add to home screen.