Chapter Text
The night sky looks starless against the colorful glow of Fukuoka City as a red-winged pro-hero rests atop a skyscraper. He squints toward the oppressive black void above him, but cannot break past the light pollution. For a moment he wonders if he’ll ever see a star in the night, but the thought is whisked away with the humid summer wind. For now, only the natural light of the moon keeps him company in the fluorescent city.
A loud groan emits from his empty stomach. Hawks rolls his eyes and lets out a sigh. “Alright, settle down.”
He pulls out a lonely granola bar from his coat pocket, unwrapping it and taking out a huge bite. A disappointed scowl grows on his face as he chews. He pretends he’s eating chicken, but it makes no difference in the flavor. Nothing can make it taste better.
“Note to self: Never buy granola bars for scouting again,” Hawks says as he swallows the last bite and pushes the wrapper in his pocket. “Alright, break time is-”
The clack of heels echo from far below the skyscraper. Curious, Hawks walks to the edge and peers down. Inside a dark, dingy alleyway between the buildings, he spots a woman’s silhouette. As she walks through the alleyway, dark figures emerge from the shadows and lurk around her.
“Hm… what could be going on down there?” Hawks puzzles as a red feather disconnects from his wings and drifts down toward the alley. “Let’s listen in.”
The feather connects to the ground as the woman is surrounded by a group of three men wearing all black and sinister grins.
“Hello there,” One of them says, leaning against the brick wall with a predatory gaze.
“H-hi,” The woman stammers and looks down anxiously, letting her blonde hair fall over her face as she clutches the strap of her purse. “Can you let me through? I-I need to get home to my daughter.”
“I’m sure your daughter can wait,” The second guy chimes in with a devious tone in his voice. He pulls out a switchblade and flips it open with a smirk. “Let’s have some fun first.”
The woman shakes her head as her green eyes widen in terror. “No, please!”
“No, please,” The third guy mocks and laughs. He lunges for her purse, yanking the strap off her shoulder with his large, greedy hands.
“Let go!” She shrieks and tugs at her purse. The woman loses her grip and stumbles backward, falling against a dumpster.
The second guy approaches the woman with his knife as she squeezes her eyes shut. “Help! Please, someone help!”
Hawks plucks large feathers from his wings and hardens them into blades. He braces himself to jump off the building.
“Stop!”
The woman peeks through one of her eyes. The second man has the blade pointed toward her stomach yet stands still, enclosed in a white aura. The other two men look toward the end of the alleyway where a mysterious hooded figure stands, cloaked in dark shadows.
“If you lowlifes know what’s good for you, you’ll leave this woman alone,” The figure warns.
“You stay out of this, vigilante scum!” One of the men insults.
“Yeah, back off or you’ll regret it!” The other exclaims.
The vigilante lets out a snicker. “The only regrets tonight will be yours.”
The man who snatched the purse growls. He chucks it aside and sprints at them with a dagger in his grasp. “I’m gonna slice that stupid smirk off your face!”
“Really?” The figure asks with a taunting tone. They sigh and shrug. “Fine. Since you’re so eager I guess I’ll let you try.”
“Shut up!” The man yells and swings the knife around.
The vigilante ducks swiftly as the sharp blade flies over their head. “Almost had me but not quite! I’ll give you another chance.”
“Quit talkin’, brat!” The man roars and jabs the blade toward them again.
The vigilante knocks his arm out of the way and throws their leg up, kicking the man swiftly in the chest. The man drops the knife and doubles over. He clenches his chest, groaning and gasping for air. After a moment he notices he dropped the knife. He curses under his breath and frantically feels around for it.
“Looking for this?”
The man freezes as a blade dangles in front of his face. His eyes travel up as he trembles. The figure looms over him, only a playful grin visible from under their hood.
“What’d you say?” They ask. “One last try?”
The man growls and snatches the knife away. Without hesitation, he lunges up and jabs the blade toward the vigilante. “You’re dead-”
“Stop!”
The man stops in the middle of thrusting his dagger. He becomes fully paralyzed and cocooned by a white aura.
The figure sighs and pats the man on the head. “Sorry, no more chances for you… but at least you took a stab at it,” They chuckle and turn toward the last guy at the other end of the alley. “Get it?”
The last man stares with a horrified expression as the vigilante approaches. “W-what did you do to them?!”
The figure comes to a stop in front of him. A smirk grows from under their hood. “The same thing I’m about to do to you.”
“N-no!” The last man cries. He lets out a terrified whimper and bolts in the opposite direction.
“Stop!”
The man stops mid-sprint and becomes surrounded by the white aura. All three men are now paralyzed.
The figure glances around and spots a stray purse on the ground. They pick it up as footsteps sound from behind. They peer over their shoulder at a woman, stepping out into the middle of the alley. The vigilante approaches her and holds out the purse. “Here-”
“Thank you! Thank you so much,” The woman throws her arms around them as she cries in relief.
“Y-your welcome,” The figure stutters, the confidence in their voice replaced by surprise.
The woman pulls away and takes back her purse, a grateful smile widening on her lips. “How can I repay you?”
“Oh-uh,” The vigilante stammers nervously and waves their hands in front of them. “I don’t need anything, thanks.”
“No, I insist,” She says. “What can I do for you?”
The figure stands for a moment in thought. A reassuring smile forms from under their hood. “Ma’am I already got what I wanted: your safety… Now how about I walk you home?”
“I live in the apartments right around the corner, so I should be alright getting there now… But thank you,” The woman beams, her smile lighting up the dim alleyway. “You’re a true hero!”
“Really? Thanks!” The vigilante says with a huge grin. “Have a good night, Ma’am!”
“You too!” The woman nods and starts to leave.
As the woman disappears around the corner, the figure turns around and looks at the three muggers, still not moving. They pull a phone out of their hoodie and dial someone, holding the phone to their ear.
“This is the Fukuoka Police Department. What is your emergency?”
“Send cops to the alley by the West Fukuoka Apartments,” The vigilante explains. “Three muggers are apprehended and waiting for arrest.”
“Okay, the police are on their way,” The line operator says. “Stay put and-”
The figure hangs up and puts away the phone, turning their back on the three muggers. They walk away, not noticing the small red feather resting on the ground. The feather rises and flies back to the top of the skyscraper, reconnecting to a pair of red wings.
“Huh, that was quite a show…” Hawks says and reattaches the feather blades back to his wings. He watches the vigilante exit the alleyway and veer to the left, passing under the spotlight of a streetlamp. A curious glint passes through his golden eyes. “… but who played the starring role?”
Hawks hears his phone begin to buzz. An incoming call. He takes his phone out and answers. “Hello?”
“Any updates?” The president of the Hero Public Safety Commission asks.
“Yes. I tracked multiple suspects and it was a bust. None of them are involved in the gang…” Hawks trails off as he peers down at the paralyzed muggers below. He glances back at the mysterious figure, strolling away in the distance. “and I might have stumbled across a vigilante.”
“That is none of your concern,” The president dismisses. “Focus on investigating the next leads.”
“Right,” Hawks says as he pulls out a notepad and flips it open to a list of names. “I’ll get back to it. Later.”
Hawks hangs up the call and returns the phone to his pocket. He gazes up at the night sky. A moment later, he smirks. “I guess I saw a star tonight after all.”