Chapter Text
BREAKING NEWS: Reisen Corporation debuts XlamV, our city’s first ever superhero team!
Formed by the company’s current CEO Inamoto, XlamV consists of the finest heroes our city has to offer. With both veterans and newbies alike joining forces, these heroes set out to make our city a safer place!
_______
BREAKING NEWS: XlamV rescues more than 200 civilians caught in train crash!
In what would have been the most fatal railway disaster of the city to date, our hero team managed to redirect the train’s movement and evacuate all passengers, reporting no collateral damage as of this writing.
_______
BREAKING NEWS: XlamV stops large-scale bank robbery!
In the early morning hours of May 24, armed robbers stormed the city’s largest bank and held more than 50 employees hostage. Thankfully, our superhero team XlamV arrived at the scene within minutes and successfully apprehended the robbers, all of whom are now in police custody and awaiting trial. No civilian casualties were reported as of this writing.
_______
BREAKING NEWS: XlamV presented with a prestigious humanitarian award!
For their unending heroism and active support for their community, the superhero team XlamV has been honored with the Murase Humanitarian Award. With a very impressive track record and significant contributions to the city, the team is equipped for even more successful endeavors in the future.
_______
“Guys, guys! Did you see the news??” Taiyo rushed excitedly towards his friends, miraculously without dropping his lunch along the way.
“Wait for me, Taiyo-san!” Yelled Futaba from behind, apparently having run all the way to the bench just to catch up with his best friend. “I wanna talk about it too!”
Cion, meanwhile, only looked back and forth between his two friends in confusion. “What news? What’s going on?”
“Look!” Taiyo eagerly showed his friends the news article on his phone. “XlamV just stopped a bombing attempt near the mayor’s office! Isn’t that awesome?!”
“Woah…” Cuc took in the phone, emerald eyes sparkling as he read through the whole article. His friend Kazu, however, couldn’t be any less impressed.
“What’s so exciting about that?”
“Ehhh? What do you mean??”
“People could’ve died. Not just the mayor but the building staff and many civilians too.” The teen answered flatly. “What is there to celebrate?”
“Well, it didn’t happen, and that’s why we’re celebrating!” The redhead exclaimed eagerly, to which his cynical friend only responded with an eye roll. “Oh, come on! Don’t be so pessimistic!”
“He’s right, Kazu-san! Can’t you see how amazing they are?” Futaba chimed in with stars in his eyes. “They’ve been dealing with all kinds of threats to our city, not just petty crimes but also disasters and even supervillains! They’re so cool~!”
“Right…” Kazu averted his gaze. He figured it’d be best not to burst his friend’s bubble with further arguments.
“So~” Taiyo placed a cheek on his hand, directing his question to the whole table. “Who’s your favorite hero?”
“Oh, oh! Can I start??” Futaba responded eagerly, getting everyone’s attention on him as affirmation. “I’ve been a fan of superheroes for as long as I can remember! They’re all so cool and badass and- Agh! I spent so much time studying their interviews and their powers and you won’t believe how much I’ve compiled into my scrapbook-”
“Futaba please cut to the chase I’m SO hungry right now!”
The gang slowly turned to Mio, who had to take a few seconds to register the sudden attention. He then covered his mouth with a whimper, red creeping up to his face as he realized how mean he sounded.
“Ah, sorry Mio-san! I went on a tangent again!” The brunette scratched his cheek with a chuckle, no sign of enmity in his voice. “I don’t mind you eating while I talk, just so you know.”
The blue-haired meekly picked up his sandwich with a nod, gaze still averting that of his friend.
“What’s the question again? Oh, my favorite superhero!” Futaba beamed in excitement, fist landing on the palm of his hand. “I’m a huge, huge fan of Fiorosa!”
“Eh? The pink one from XlamV?”
“He’s not just ‘the pink one’, Taiyo-san! He’s the elegant hero Fiorosa! Small and cute yet fast and graceful, just like the flowers he creates in battle!” The brunette pulled out a notebook from his bag, pointing towards the charm tied around the cover. “See this cherry blossom? I got it from his fight with Stinger and that was three months ago! Look, isn’t it still so fresh and vibrant even in resin??”
“Hold on.” Kazu raised his hands, eyes widening in shock. “You were at the scene during their fight??”
“Well, not on purpose… I was just buying some notebooks and boom, they were fighting right outside.”
The whole gang looked at him in shock.
“How… are you still alive? And not traumatized?”
“Why would I be traumatized? I got to see my favorite hero fight with my own eyes! It’s like the biggest honor ever!!”
“Dude-”
“Let’s just… leave him be.” Cion placed a hand on Kazu’s shoulder, which immediately slumped in defeat.
“That’s actually so crazy.” Taiyo, meanwhile, looked on in awe. “Did you get to talk to him?”
“No. The police evacuated us before I got to.” Sighed Futaba in disappointment. “That’s definitely on my bucket list, though!”
“Just don’t get yourself in danger on purpose!” The redhead patted his friend’s back with a laugh. “Well that’s a very exciting story from Futaba. Anyone wanna go next?”
“Cuc! Really like Gold Guardian!” Cuc jumped in enthusiastically. “Gold Guardian really strong! Cuc like his powers!”
Taiyo nodded along. “Ohhh… Is that the guy with the shields? I’ve never seen him fight, though…”
“Gold Guardian doesn’t need to fight. He saves people!”
“That’s true!” Futaba chimed in once again. “His force fields are crazy strong. It even stopped a whole train from falling off a bridge!”
“Perhaps not all superheroes need to fight.” Cion put his two cents in. “Their main job is to help people, after all.”
“Ahh, you have a point!” Taiyo exclaimed, smiling bright as the sun. “There really has to be someone protecting the civilians in the middle of a crisis, and he’s really the one for the job!”
“Van! That’s why Gold Guardian amazing! Cuc like a lot!”
“Huh? Seems like there is a decent superhero after all.” Kazu nodded along, eyebrows raised in genuine surprise.
“See! Even Kazu is impressed!”
“D- Don’t put me into this, Cuc!” And the white-haired swiftly turned away, possibly to hide the red on his face.
“He must be special then!” Taiyo chuckled, before turning to one of his friends on the edge of the bench. “What about you, Mio?”
Mio nearly spat out his juice. “Eh??”
“Who’s your favorite superhero?”
“Wh- Why am I next?”
“Well… why not?”
“Um…” Mio hesitated. It was more likely out of nervousness rather than indecision, as he seemed to know who his favorite was and was simply too afraid to say it out loud.
“Don’t be shy! All superheroes are amazing!” The redhead gave him a nudge. “There’s nothing to be embarrassed about!”
“Okay…” Mio looked around, as though awaiting confirmation from his other friends. Only when he was confident that none of his friends would judge did he finally answer. “M- My favorite right now is, um… Azure Fox…”
Surprised oh’s were heard among the group.
“Woah, I never saw that coming.” Taiyo slightly cocked his head to the side. “He’s such a mystery compared to the rest of XlamV.”
“Till this day, I still don’t know what his superpower is…” Futaba added. “And I’m already a huge superhero fan!”
“Um, it might sound crazy, but…” The blue-haired forced the next words out, eyes squinted together in embarrassment. “I have a theory on what his power is!”
“Shhh, be quiet!” Taiyo quickly shushed him. “You can’t say it too loudly here! What if there’s a supervillain listening?”
“S- Sorry!”
“Really? A supervillain listening in on some random highschoolers?” Kazu raised an eyebrow, totally unconvinced.
“Supervillain… hiding among us…” Cuc looked around with narrowed eyes, as though trying to be vigilant.
“Guys, we’re getting sidetracked!” Futaba waved his arms over the group, opening his notebook enthusiastically once the commotion had died down. “I wanna hear what Mio-san has to say!”
“Um, are you sure…?”
“Of course!”
“Oh… okay…” Mio scratched the back of his head, gaze averting those of his friends. “I think… he has mind-control powers…”
The brunette jerked his head up from his notes. “Woah. What makes you think so?”
“I don’t know if you noticed, but… whenever he gets close to someone he’s fighting, there’s always a point where that person just randomly stops what they were doing and that’s where he lands a critical hit… It’s like he’s telling them to stop so he can win…”
“That’s insane…” Futaba continued to scribble the points down. “How did you notice all of that?”
“Yeah…” Taiyo hummed, placing a hand on his chin. “That’s some crazy good attention to detail there.”
“And how did you even get that close of a look?” Kazu gave the blue-haired a questioning look. “Are you always there when he fights, or…”
“Ahh! I just saw that in a lot of security footage…” Mio stammered, panicking even more as he realized how suspicious that sounded, “which are available in many superhero discussion forums!”
“Shouldn’t those be confidential?”
“I don’t know! I just saw them floating around online!”
“Calm down, Mio-san…” Futaba placed a hand on his agitated friend’s shoulder before turning to his other friends. “Let’s not question him any further. All we know is that he made a good point and had sufficient evidence to back it up!”
The group nodded in silence, to which Mio let out a sigh of relief. The poor guy did not prepare for a questioning today.
“I mean, considering how every single criminal XlamV caught has fully confessed to their crimes, that’s totally possible.” Cion added. “Either the police have a very effective interrogation method or they have a mind-controller in hand.”
“That does make sense.” Futaba wrote down what Cion had said with a hum. “I never knew about all of this until now. Thanks Mio-san!”
Mio let out a nervous chuckle, pink flushing across his face. “Hehe… no worries.”
“Would you mind telling me which discussion forum you’re in? They seem to have a lot of information!”
“Eh?? Um…”
Meanwhile, Taiyo continued on with the roundtable. “Do you have a favorite superhero, Cion?”
The person in question paused just as he was about to take a sip of his coffee. “Eh? M- Me?”
“Yeah! We’re still going around!”
“Um…” The green-haired settled his drink to the table, eyebrows scrunched together in mild discomfort. “I… I don’t have any.”
“Ehhhh? Why not?”
“I’m just… not a superhero fan.” Replied Cion reluctantly. He could see another person nodding along from the corner of his eyes, secretly thankful that he wasn't alone to have this thought.
“Same for me.” Kazu raised his hand, probably to avoid being questioned in his turn. “There, that’s my answer.”
“Come on, guys! Superheroes are so cool!” The redhead let out a small whine. “They have such a wide variety of powers too! Like, you have Dino-Mite with his mighty roar! Or Masquerade with his flashy fighting style! Or Snow Tiger and-”
“Ugh, I don’t like Snow Tiger.” The white-haired rolled his eyes at the mention.
“Really? What’s wrong with Snow Tiger?”
“He just seems like a huge jerk.” He replied bluntly. “At least from the interviews I stumbled upon while watching TV. There’s just something so off-putting about his attitude. Like, he doesn’t enjoy being a hero at all.”
“Well… yeah, he does seem a bit rough around the edges.” Taiyo admitted. “But maybe it’s just for show, you know? A lot of people would expect a hero with ice powers to have a cold personality, so I guess he’s just going along with that.”
“What is he? An idol?”
“So it really is all about publicity, huh?”
The gang slowly turned to Cion, whose head was hanging low in an uncharacteristically sullen manner. “Cion-san…?”
“Heroism is just something for show these days, isn’t it?” The green-haired continued, eyes now obscured by the light reflecting off his glasses. “Why do superheroes have to force themselves into a persona just to entertain the public? Does anyone even really want to be a hero anymore? Anyone even remotely interested in doing what is right and protecting their communities? Or are they just doing it for the money and attention, or perhaps even the satisfaction of letting their violent tendencies loose?
“And those ‘hero’ companies… it's all about appearance for them.” He gritted his teeth, hand tightening the grip on his chopsticks. “They don’t even care about the people, they just like to churn out heroes every week to make themselves look good. And it’s not like they give a damn about the heroes under their wing either, constantly putting their beneficiaries in danger only to discard them if they underperform. It’s just ridiculous how much heroism has been watered down into a mere popularity contest by those corporate giants, seeing civilian lives as nothing but a tool to measure their own success…”
Cion looked up, only to be met with everyone’s gazes on him. And that was when realization finally hit.
“Um, and that’s the reason why I’m not a huge superhero person…” He quickly fixed his glasses, face flushed with red. “Sorry, I didn’t realize I’m going on a tangent.”
“Cion okay?” Cuc patted his shoulder, eyebrows scrunched together in concern.
“I’m fine. Let’s just move on.”
“You seemed quite upset back there.” Said Taiyo apologetically. “Was it something I said? I’m sorry.”
“No, guys. It’s fine.” Cion cleared his throat, brown eyes finally meeting his friend’s bright blue. “Let’s hear about Taiyo’s favorite superhero, shall we?.”
The guy in question widened his eyes. “Ehh? Right now?”
“Yeah. You’ve been asking us around but haven’t gotten the chance to share.” The green-haired smiled, eyes clearly pleading with Taiyo to just change the subject. “I want to hear you out.”
The redhead looked around, silently seeking confirmation from the rest of the table. Once everyone seemed onboard (or at least less awkward than before), he finally regained the confidence to begin.
“Okay. Here it goes…” Taiyo couldn’t contain his smile any longer, beaming brightly as he let the fanboy in him out. “I’m a huge fan of Pleiades!”
“Wait, the Pleiades?? The leader of XlamV and one of the most powerful superheroes to ever exist?!” Asked Futaba, eyes equally gleaming in excitement.
“Yep! That Pleiades!” Squealed Taiyo, not unlike a teenage girl. “You guys have got to see him fight at least once! He’s so fast and strong but also level-headed and strategic in battle! And don’t get me started on his star beams!”
Mio and Kazu briefly exchanged a confused look. “His what now?”
“Star beams! You know, those light beams he blasts out of his hands?”
“…Why do they call it that?”
“Well, hehe… that’s what I call it. ‘Cause, you know, the Pleiades is a group of stars…” The redhead let out an awkward chuckle. “...Anyway-”
The remaining conversations slowly phased out of Cion’s mind, fading into the background as distant, painful memories came flooding back all at once.
_______
Cion was a hero once. Or rather… Haru was.
He was barely ten when he first started, having manifested his psychic powers for as early as he could remember. Everyone around him - his parents, his sponsors, even the scientists working for that company - talked endlessly about his untapped potential, about how much his powers could be utilized to help his community. And who didn’t love the idea of helping people, especially young children who were easily impressed by superhero stories around them, fictional and real life alike?
And so created Haru, the psychic hero, one of the youngest superheroes to come to the scene at that time. He’d never thought too much about the implications back then; his childish mind was far too occupied with doing good and saving people to even care. For Haru, it was only the thrill of heroism that mattered. It was never his intention to become the symbol of virtue his company had made him out to be.
For a while, Haru thought he had it easy.
He’d never once contemplated how much of a burden it was to be a hero… until that one fateful day.
It had been a surprise attack close to his school, an explosion caused by some unremarkable bad guy he couldn’t be bothered to remember. As usual, he’d donned his mask and charged head-first into the fight, ending the rampage just as fast as it had started.
At least it gave him enough time to notice the collateral damage that had occurred, including his beloved friend who’d been buried under building debris.
Haru remembered rushing to the scene as fast as he could, tears falling down his face as he desperately dug through the rubble and pulled his friend out. His best friend… pale and lifeless in his arms… The image would forever be burned in his mind.
He couldn’t remember much of what had happened afterwards, as though the tears clouding his vision was doing the same to his memories. He didn’t even know if he had screamed, if he had cried so loudly his voice alone could threaten to tear off his throat. All he could recall was the feeling of immense pain in his chest, burning and writhing viscerally as it spread across his ribcage and into his lungs.
And from that pain came a surge of power. With no conscious effort, he’d felt it flow from his heart and into his limbs, and through his arms into the body of his dear friend. His head felt lighter and lighter the longer this went on, with a faint coughing sound being the last thing he’d heard before he let himself fall into the dark…
…
Cion woke up at the hospital.
His parents were the first people he saw, holding him so tightly that the nurses had to pull them out and let him breathe. It had been several days since the incident, with the perpetrator now undergoing trial and unlikely to walk free. He then asked about his best friend and, much to his huge, huge relief, he got confirmation that the boy was injured yet alive nonetheless.
But that wouldn’t have been possible without a sacrifice on his end, and an unintended one at that.
“I’m afraid that you have lost your powers.” A scientist had told him. “Our tests showed no sign of enhanced neural activity, meaning that your brain can no longer generate the psychic energy that you could turn into raw power.”
He hadn’t believed his ears at first, his mind constantly telling him that he was just exhausted and that his powers would come back once he recovered. It was only when he was put into physical tests, when he couldn’t move a single object no matter how hard he’d tried, did the revelation fully settle in.
“It… it can’t be…” Cion looked at his hands, tears already forming in his eyes. “How did this happen??”
“This remains a speculation for now, but from what we’ve seen from available footage, you might have transferred all your psychic energy into the boy you held by the rubble, and that, I believe, has saved his life.”
The mention of his best friend got him to look up. “I… saved him?”
“Very likely. But again, this is just speculation.” The scientist fixed her glasses. “It was a miracle that he could even register a pulse by the time we got to him, but maybe it was your powers that restarted his heart and kept him alive for this long.”
Cion let out a shaky breath, his throat threatening to close. “But… Why did that make me lose all my powers?”
“It might have been from overexertion. The footage we’ve retrieved of the incident showed a significantly high amount of psychic energy at the site, much higher than what you could normally channel in your training sessions. Increased mental distress might have pushed you beyond your usual limit and unleashed all the energy in your mind at once. With what we’ve seen from your training, it was a miracle that your brain hadn’t been fried by this sudden power surge.”
The scientist gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze, voice turning apologetic. “Don’t worry, we’ll try our best to get you back on track. All you need to do is give yourself some proper rest for your recuperation. Is that alright?”
Cion nodded. It was unpleasant to learn about the state he was in right now, but at least the scientist’s words gave him hope. Maybe he would get his powers back eventually.
But that never happened.
Months of rehabilitation and training did nothing to reactivate his powers; even repeated brain scans showed no sign of improvement. He slowly lost hope as the days went by, and eventually, four months following the devastation at his school, he was declared a lost cause. None of the adults - not even the head of his sponsoring company nor his parents - had said it directly to his face, but one look into their eyes was enough to let him know how much he’d disappointed them.
The company made a statement, the news spread it around, and soon enough the entire country learned about the tragic fate of their young hero.
It was the day that Haru died.
And Cion felt a part of him died there, too.
_______
“Oiiiii! Marumegane!”
A loud voice snapped Cion out of his stupor. Blinking himself back to his senses, he found himself in a coffee shop and not some research facility, reviewing his notes from school instead of training to harness his powers.
He was Hazuki Cion, a regular high school student with a regular life. Nothing more.
“Hellooooooo? Earth to Marumegane??” The loud guy continued, this time waving a hand frantically in front of Cion’s face.
“I heard you the first time, Jintaro.” Cion sighed, swatting the hand away. “Sorry, I spaced out.”
“And here you keep telling me not to do the same in class!” Jintaro let out a smug smile. “Ha! What a hypochlorite!”
“You mean a hypocrite? And I’m not in class right now.” Cion deadpanned. “Speaking of, why weren’t you in school today?”
The loudmouth went pale all the sudden, uncharacteristically stammering as his gaze avoided that of his best friend. “Ahhhh, well… I had some errands!”
“Really? What kind of errands?”
“Uhh…”
“You skipped school, didn’t you?”
“I DID NOT!” Yelled Jintaro, much to his friend and pretty much the other customers’ shock. He gave a small bow with a muttered apology, at least.
“That was so loud…”
“Sorry!” The guy scratched his face guiltily. “But I didn’t skip school, really! I’ll show ya!” He then rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a sheet of paper, which was then shoved on Cion’s face.
“Huh…” The green-haired fixed his glasses, skimming through the paper to find that yep, it was an actual absence notice with real signatures from parents and homeroom teacher alike.
“See! Jintaro-sama never cut corners even in his studies!”
“Right…” Cion scooted over for the guy to sit down next to him, his gaze briefly meeting the digital screen on the wall. It was still about XlamV and how they dismantled a bombing attempt earlier this morning, just regurgitated in different phrasing than hundreds of other news outlets.
They really want everyone to know about this, don’t they?
“Whatcha looking at?” Jintaro followed his eyeline to the screen as well, a bright smile formed on his face once he read through the blurb. “Ah, XlamV! They’re awesome, am I right?”
“Mm hm…”
“...You don’t sound impressed.”
“They’re heroes. Good for them.” Replied Cion flatly. He had his own reasons to not be very enthused about superheroes, but that didn’t need to be addressed for now… or ever.
“Oh come on! Aren’t they so amazing? How cool would it be to fight bad guys and save people-”
“And put yourself in danger? No thanks.”
“But that’s where the fun is, isn’t it?” Jintaro continued, not even deterred by his friend’s pessimistic remark. “You get yourself in these new, unexpected situations that are, well, dangerous, but in the end you’re doing it for the greater good! AND you might get to use your superpowers in a fun way!”
Cion went silent. He didn’t like how much this sentiment mirrored Haru’s mindset back then.
“Wait, wait, look!” The neon-haired nudged his friend while pointing at the screen, like an excited toddler showing his mom a new toy. “That’s Dino-Mite!”
Cion brought his gaze back to the screen again, which was supposedly showing footage of a superhero clad in green. “Who?”
“Dino-Mite! The dynamic hero!” Jintaro raised a fist in the air. “You know, he who conquers enemies with his mighty roar? Come on, you must’ve heard of him!”
“Nope.” Replied Cion; the single-word response felt like a punch in the gut for Jintaro. “Sounds like something a kid made up if you ask me.”
“First of all, ouch.” The guy leaned back, dramatically placing a hand on his chest. “Second of all, his name is brilliant, okay?? It’s basically the combination of ‘dinosaur’ and ‘dynamite’! Get it? ‘Dinosaur’? ‘Dynamite’? They’re English for-”
“Yes, I know what those words mean.” The bespectacled friend gave him a blank look. “Didn’t take a genius to figure that out. If anything it just makes the name dumber than it already is.”
“Hey!!”
“Also, what does that epithet even mean? Does he just go around screaming at people until they give up?”
“Don’t you dare talk trash about Dino-Mite!” Jintaro exclaimed loudly, not even caring if the café staff and other customers were judging. “His screams are suuuuper duper powerful!! Like, strong enough to break open a brick wall! And did you know Dino-Mite is super tough too? He can take as much damage as he wants and that’ll just give him more power to fight!!”
The guy then shook his best friend’s shoulders with a whine. “Marumeganeeeeeee!! Can’t you see how cool he is??”
“Wow, you have a crush on him or something?” Cion snarked. What was meant to be a sarcastic retort somehow got the neon-haired to shut up and stop shaking him, much to his own surprise.
“WHAT? NO!!” Jintaro turned red in an instant; hands now frantically waving in front of his face. “No, no! Definitely not! Pfft, why would I do that?”
“I wasn’t being serious at first, but…” Cion crossed his arms, a teasing smile bloomed on his once gloomy expression. “I’m actually starting to see it.”
“See what??”
“You’re in love with Dino-Mite, aren’t you?” The green-haired continued, enjoying the flustered look on his best friend’s face a bit too much. “Isn’t that why you defended him so fiercely? Not to mention the way you seem to know a lot about him, too.” He let out a chuckle. “Someone’s a stalker.”
“NO!!” Jintaro gave him a shove with one hand, using the other to cover his face. “I do NOT have a crush on Dino-Mite!!”
“Very convincing, Jintaro.”
“I really don’t!! I- I’m just a fan, okay?? Nothing’s wrong with that!!!”
“Yeah, right.” Cion smirked. As much as he tried to hide it, he did enjoy teasing Jintaro from time to time. The guy’s constant ditziness and overreaction, on top of his freakishly loud voice, had always brought a smile to his face, and that was exactly what he needed following a rather unpleasant recollection of his past.
And it seemed like Jintaro noticed this positive shift in mood, too. What else could he do but keep that up like a good best friend he was?
“Hey, Marumegane.”
“Hm?”
“You wanna know who I really have a crush on?”
“Woah, is it not Dino-Mite?” Asked Cion with genuine curiosity, taking another sip of his coffee like he was about to indulge in gossip.
“Well, Dino-Mite is super cool and all, but he ain’t the greatest.” Jintaro grinned, twirling his bangs not unlike a smitten teenage girl. “My first and only love is Haru.”
Cion nearly spat out his drink. “Wh- What??”
“You know, Haru? The famous psychic hero from all those years ago? I’m sure you must’ve seen him at some point! He’s everywhere!”
The neon-haired then striked a pose, ending with his right hand on his hip and his left into a fist pump in the air. “‘Seriousness is important!’ Eh? Eh? Sounds familiar? That’s what he says whenever he finishes a mission!”
“Yeah, I… kind of remember…” Cion looked down, trying to hide his face behind his coffee mug. He was not looking forward to having that part of his past being discussed so openly.
“You better! He’s just so so cool! He’s like the definition of a true hero!!”
The green-haired silently rubbed the back of his neck. He wanted nothing more than to change the topic, to shift the conversation to anything, even the childishly crude jokes that were typical of his best friend, other than Haru and whatever it was that got Jintaro to idolize him. Yet, somewhere in his guilt-ridden heart, he wanted to know why Jintaro had claimed the hero to be ‘his first and only love’. It couldn’t just be a childhood obsession, could it? People tended to move on from their hobbies as life went on, so why did he get so attached to Haru after all these years?
As much as he hated it, he let his morbid curiosity win. “Jintaro…”
“What?”
“Why do you like Haru so much?”
“Why not? He’s just so awesome!”
“Yeah, but… why do you still like him now? Isn’t he, you know…” Cion took a deep breath, that company’s announcement echoed in his head once again, “…dead?”
“I know. That’s why I gotta immortalize him.” Jintaro clutched his chest, his usually boisterous demeanor turning somewhat sorrowful. “Everyone moved on so quickly when he was literally one of the greatest heroes to have ever lived. He’s inspired so many people to follow his example even when they don’t have powers, and…” He narrowed his eyes in determination. “I want to do good like him. I want to be a hero just like him.”
Cion could only stare at him blankly, words failed to form as his throat threatened to close. In all those years agonizing over his failures and wasted potential, not once had he realized that someone out there would still have such a positive view of him, let alone honor his legacy and strive to become a hero like he used to be. His breathing turned heavy as his eyes began to sting, the heavy feeling in his heart now replaced a bittersweet sense of relief. It was one of both heartbreak and reassurance, still grieving over what could have been yet comforted by the impact he’d made.
“You alright, Marumegane?”
“Eh?” Cion snapped out of his thoughts, immediately feeling wetness around his eyes. “Ah, sorry. I spaced out again.”
“Man, why do you get to do it while I- OI! So you weren’t listening this whole time???”
“No, no, I was.” The green-haired quickly wiped his tears away, internally hoping that Jintaro hadn’t noticed anything. “I was just… wow… I was actually moved by your story.”
“Woah, really?” Jintaro cocked his head to the side, genuinely surprised by his friend’s words.
“Yeah…” Cion nodded, a sense of warmth slowly rising in his chest. “I never realized there are still people out there who look up to Haru. I’ve always thought that everyone felt bitter about his sudden passing… You know, since it was unexpected coming from a so-called ‘invincible’ hero. I… I’m glad to know he’s still respected to this day and that you still see him in such a good light, too.”
The neon-haired could only stare blankly, then his eyes widened a fraction. “Wait…”
“Eh?” Cion quickly turned to his friend, realization slowly settling in. “Ah! Sorry, I rambled again!”
“Could it be…”
“F- Forget what I said!” He frantically covered his face, his stomach tied to a knot at the possibility of revealing his identity. “Let’s just go back to-”
“Oh my goodness…” Exclaimed Jintaro with a gasp, much to his best friend’s horror. “Are you…”
“Jintaro, please! I can explain-”
“Are you a fan of Haru as well???”
“...Eh?”
“No way! You’re a Haru fan too!” The guy was near screaming at this point, hands now on his cheek like an excited schoolgirl. “So that’s why you don’t like XlamV or any other superheroes! You think Haru is just so great that no one can ever compare, dontcha??”
Cion blinked. While it was far from the sentiment he actually had for superheroes, it was either this or continuing to deny and making himself even more suspicious.
“...Yes.”
“I knew it! Honestly, I don’t blame ya! Haru is just too good, am I right?” Jintaro gave his friend a playful nudge, a wide grin blooming on his face. “Man, I can’t believe I got to know another Haru fan! Feels so nice to have someone else who understands how great of a hero he is!”
Cion’s heart skipped a beat at the last few words. If he hadn’t believed the sincerity behind everything his best friend had said about his former life, then that would be enough to do the trick.
With a hand clutching the fabric on his chest, he let out a breathless mutter. “Thank you, Jintaro...”
“What did you say?”
“Nothing.” He quickly turned away, raising the other hand to cover the red creeping up on his cheek. “Let’s go back to studying now.”
“Aww, man!” Jintaro whined, leaning to the back of his seat like a petulant child. “Can we keep talking about Haru? It’s been so long since I met another one of his fans!”
“Improve your English grade first.” Cion stood his ground, though a corner of his mouth curled up into a smile. “Didn’t Haru say being serious is important?”
“Oh, right!” And the guy sat up immediately, just as he predicted. “I’m so gonna ace this exam! Haru’s gonna be proud of me!!”
“Right.” The green-haired gave his friend a playful eye roll. “Get on with your studies then. I have work to do at 5.”
The duo then finally settled down to study at last. Even with less time on their hands thanks to that longer than necessary superhero conversation, they still had quite a productive session. Jintaro in particular was highly focused and very much eager to study, as though his desire to impress a long gone superhero was actually genuine and not just for show. Little did he know that the same superhero - or at least, who he was behind the mask - had been by his side all this time, smiling proudly as he breezed through exercises after exercises with much ease and excitement.
For the first time in years, Cion allowed himself to look at those memories fondly. He knew he needed much, much more to fully reconcile with his past, but those kind words from his dear friend were enough to bridge the gap even just for a little.
_______
“Here, I think that’s the last one.” Cion set a box down to the floor, hand wiping sweat from his forehead.
“Thank you so much, Cion-kun.” Said the shopkeeper fondly. “I didn’t know the new batch will have this many books. Sorry for keeping you here so late.”
“No worries, Nakamura-san. I want to help out.” Cion replied with a smile. “I’m probably the only one who can reach the tallest shelves anyways.”
The shopkeeper patted his shoulder with a giggle. “You’re such a lovely young man. Remind me to give you a bonus!”
The green-haired nodded, trying his hardest not to decline a kind offer from an old woman. They could be pretty persistent when it came to generosity, anyway.
“Are you heading out now?”
“Yeah.” Cion picked up his backpack. “I’ll come back for my usual shift tomorrow, but let me know if you need help opening up shop.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that, dear. That I can handle.” Nakamura smiled, though one look at the clock got her slightly uneasy. “Are you heading back all by yourself?”
“Yeah. The bus stop is just a few blocks away.”
“Do you want me to come with you? It’s not good to be out this late by yourself.” Her eyebrows scrunched together in concern. “Quite a few people have gone missing lately.”
The words sent shivers down Cion’s spine. He’d lie if he said he wasn’t worried now that the subject had been brought to his attention, but at the same time, he’d rather not bother his manager any longer.
“I think I’m good.” He replied, trying to hide the nervousness in his voice. “It’s not that far anyways.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” He assured yet again as he reached the door. “You should give yourself some rest, too. It’s getting late.”
“Alright.” The old woman relented. “Have a good evening.”
“You too.”
And off he went, out of the store and into the dark.
Befitting a local vintage bookstore, the roads leading to and out of it were narrow and quiet. There didn’t seem to be anyone around the area at this hour, which he wouldn’t have minded if it weren’t for the missing cases mentioned earlier. He’d heard about those for a few weeks now, each becoming more mysterious and concerning than the last. It would absolutely be a bad idea for a teenager like him to walk alone this late in an empty street, especially with the majority of those missing being teenagers and young adults themselves.
But what other choice did he have? His parents worked late and he sure couldn’t bring himself to get his manager involved despite her kind offer. None of his friends live close by, so it’d certainly be inconvenient to call them for a ride now. And not to mention that it wasn’t even his plan to leave this late; the bookstore just happened to receive a new collection earlier in the day and it would take forever for a single old woman to organize all of them.
He decided not to put on his headphones this time, choosing instead to have his ears out and stay vigilant. Part of him hoped the training sessions from all those years ago were still somewhere in his muscle memory; sure, he might’ve been out of practice but at least it should be enough to defend himself.
His heart beat faster with every step he took, as though his body knew something was going to happen and it wouldn’t be pretty. Yet there was nothing he could do but pick up the pace and head to the bus station as fast as he could, trying his best to calm the growing anxiety in his stomach on the way.
The open road became closer and closer the faster he walked, the streetlight ahead acting like a beacon to guide him to safety…
Then he heard a noise.
Cion swiftly turned around, eyes darting wildly as he struggled to make out the details in this dark, empty alleyway. Heart hammering in his chest, he turned forward and slowly continued on his trek, only to be interrupted by yet another, much louder sound…
…That came from his pocket.
As if in a hurry, he quickly reached in and pulled his phone out with shaking hands, sighing in relief that yep, the sound was indeed his phone. One look at the caller name got him mildly frustrated, but to be fair it wasn’t like they knew about his situation in the first place.
Regardless, he picked up the call. Maybe having someone to talk to would help ease his nerves for a bit.
“Yo, Marumegane!”
“Hey, Jintaro.” Replied Cion, letting out a sigh of relief in the process. “How are you?”
“Still doing good! What about ya?”
“Just finished my job at the bookstore. I’m heading home right now.”
“Woah, this late?” The nervousness in Jintaro’s voice was clear even through the phone. “Are you with anyone or just by yourself?”
“Just by myself...” Answered Cion cautiously. It could not be a good sign when two different people got concerned over him being alone. “What about it…?”
“Oh, uhh…” Jintaro paused, as though trying to find the right words. “It just doesn’t seem safe, ya know? Bad guys can be out here in this hour.”
“Well, isn’t that what superheroes are for?” The green-haired retorted, hoping to lighten the mood and calm himself down. “Who knows if I’ll get to see your crush Dino-Mite in action.”
“Oi! I told you I don’t have a crush on Dino-Mite!!”
“Yeah, right.” He rolled his eyes playfully, not that his friend was there to see it. “So, what’s the matter? Why are you calling me at this-”
Cion felt a cloth shoved onto his face, the smell of chemicals invading his nose as strange arms came from behind and wrapped him tightly in their grasp. The phone slipped from his hand as he tried to pry off that of the assailant, his body now wrestling desperately against the strong hold and the dizziness in his head. Within a few seconds of struggling, he stomped on the stranger’s foot with all his might, using their pain to break away from their grasp and make a run for the open road.
And yet, the world around him seemed to spin as he tumbled forward, the streetlight ahead now leaving a trail as it swam around his vision. His legs felt heavy as lead, draining more and more of his energy with each and every step. Cion could only make out a wheeze, his throat now too dried up to produce a single noise that could alert any bystanders of his presence.
He felt a sharp pain on the side of his head, spreading throughout his skull and numbing the rest of his body. Cion collapsed to the ground, lungs gasping for breath as he forced his eyelids open. The throbbing from his head proved too strong to overcome, though; his vision slowly clouded with black dots decorating his now blurry surroundings. The faint glowing of his phone screen was the last thing he saw, moving further and further away from his grasp as darkness finally claimed him for good.