"Seriously? Didn't we just have a meeting at your place? And now we're here again?"

Megami, wisely enough, decided to ignore Tatsumaki's outburst. She and the remaining S Class heroes had returned to the Hero Association, inside one of their lavish meeting rooms, at the request of Megami's father. Megami had also invited a few of the Hero Association executives to come to the meeting, as unreliable as some of them were. The group of people were sitting around the glowing table, Megami at the head of course. A screen was behind her, illuminating her figure.

"This meeting is different, Miss Tornado," Megami spoke, the table's glow lighting up her silver eyes. "This is a matter I can only discuss with you all."

"Why has Yan-chan not been invited to either of these meetings?" Genos asked, furrowing his brow. "Every other S Class hero is present."

"That is the matter of this meeting, Mr. Genos," Megami crossed her arms. "Have any of you heard of Yanderes?"

King wanted to answer, having played a plethora of Yandere-themed dating simulators, but decided to keep his mouth shut. The world wasn't ready to know the truth about his… other side quite yet.

Zombieman, on the other hand, felt his blood run cold. Is she speaking about-

"Isn't that… some kind of anime trope?" a Z branch operator asked, after an awkward silence.

"While you aren't wrong, that's not the answer I'm looking for," Megami replied. "Does anyone else know?"

"What is this, an elementary school class?" Tatsumaki grumbled. "Get on with it!"

"Can't believe I'm sayin' this, but she's got a point," Atomic Samurai agreed, crossing his arms.

Megami ignored them, staring at Zombieman instead.

"That look on your face, Zombieman," she narrowed her eyes. "Do you know something?"

"Not enough to tell you," Zombieman huffed.

Megami lowered her head. "You all cannot be this uncooperative. You're the last remaining members of the S Class. You have to set an example for the other heroes. You have to show the public that they have nothing to fear."

No one said anything. They simply shuffled, nonchalance shown on their faces. None of them looked like they wanted to be there, except for Sitch and Genos.

"I'll tell you what Yanderes are," Megami pointed to the screen, raising her voice. "They are creatures that live to fulfill a purpose. Most of them lay low, having a purpose that doesn't affect the entire world. But there is one exception. One Yandere whose purposes involves all this murder and trechaery!"

Zombieman leaned forward, raising his brow. Wait, is she saying…

"This Yandere is the one behind the murders," Megami continued. "She is the reason why so many of you aren't here today. She is the one that we must defeat, or she will continue her rampage and kill us all. Her name… is Ayano Aishi. But you all better know her is Yan-chan."

Tatsumaki tch-ed. "Are you serious?"

Zombieman looked up. Yan-chan is the one that Dr. Genus has been talking about?

Genos put his hands together. So Goddess is suspicious of her too…

"Goddess, could you please explain?" Sitch asked, tilting his head. "How is Miss Yan-chan one of these 'Yanderes'?"

"Around thirty years ago, a murder took place at Akademi High school," Megami replied, showing imagery of a court case on the screen. "The culprit of this murder was a girl named Ryoba Aishi. However, Miss Aishi was proven innocent. As you might've guessed, Ryoba Aishi is the mother of Ayano Aishi. But why did Ryoba Aishi commit murder? Well, the answer is simple: she was fulfilling her purpose of protecting her beloved. The girl she murdered had interest in a boy Ryoba liked." The screen showed an image of Ryoba stalking a boy. "Her purpose was to be with that boy no matter what. Aishis in the past have all been like this. My family has been watching them for years now."

Zombieman pulled his hands through his messy hair, remembering what Dr. Genus had told him. Purposes… obsessions… the murder that took place at Akademi 30 years ago… it was all adding up.

"This is ridiculous," Tatsumaki scoffed. "You're just waffling on about nothing. What does all this crap have to do with that weirdo Yan-chan? Get to the part where she's actually murdering people!"

"Can't believe I'm saying this again, but she's got a point," Atomic Samurai jumped in. "You're just telling stories. Where's your proof?"

"Yeah," a Z-branch operator agreed. "You need to show us proof, Miss Goddess."

Genos narrowed his eyes. They're right… she does need to show proof. But does she have any? Even I am not completely sure of the truth…

"I've been investigating Yan-chan for the past few months," Megami said, changing the screen. The images showed various crime scenes. "That's why I allowed her to join my group. Haven't you noticed how many cases of murder she has been involved in? A bit too many to be a coincidence, right? And have any of you noticed the strings she has?" An image of Ayano using her red strings appeared on screen. "Those strings are not of human origin. Haven't you noticed how much power she has been gaining these past few months? No human could ever get that strong so quickly."

"I guess you've got a point…" the Z Branch operator agreed, tapping her chin.

"Yes, it is rather suspicious now that I think about it," Sitch nodded.

"Oh for Pete's sake!" Tatsumaki crossed her arms. "Goddess, I thought you were supposed to be one of the smartest heroes! You're hardly showing us anything here. I swear that break you went on drained you of your brains."

"You've got a few points, but it's still not enough," Atomic Samurai added.

"I'm afraid to admit that it is difficult to find proof," Megami put a hand on her chest. "But I know that-"

"No, you don't know anything!" Tatsumaki interrupted, slamming her fists on the table. "I bet this is all because you're jealous of that Yan-chan, isn't it?"

"Absolutely not," Megami retorted, her voice and gaze ice cold. "As an S Class hero, I am informing you-"

"Oh, just shut up," Tatsumaki rolled her eyes. "I'm done with this crap. If you want to get rid of that Yan-chan so bad, just kill her already! Stop making up all these dumb stories." She stood up. "I'm leaving now. This was a waste of time."

She flew into the air, hovering out of the room. There was a tense silence.

"I'm going too," Atomic Samurai said, sheathing his sword.

Megami's gaze was still icy. "You don't understand-"

"Maybe I should go too," said a few executives, standing up to leave. Watchdogman also stood up, padding away like a dog would. Soon, everyone was gone, except for Sitch, Genos, and Zombieman.

"Very well," Megami clenched her fists. "I'll take care of this by myself. Unreliable fools."

"Wait, Goddess," Zombieman reached out. "I want to help."

"I would also like to help," Genos agreed, standing up.

"Count me in as well," Sitch said. "Blast himself told us if we had any problems, we should come to you for help, Goddess. So I trust your words."

Megami tried not to smile. "Ah, I appreciate the help. Let us proceed."


Raibaru clenched her fists, gazing out of a large window. She was inside the Neo Heroes HQ, waiting for a meeting. She had been spending a lot of time with the former S Class hero Superalloy Darkshine, who had become a fitness teacher. He was rather friendly for someone who had initially been an S Class hero. He was much more easy-going than Bang, anyway. Raibaru still deeply respected her former martial arts teacher, but he really took no prisoners when it came to training.

"Ah, Raibaru."

Raibaru turned around, facing Blue, the founder and leader of the Neo Heroes. To her surprise, the boy was only 16, and yet was leading an entire cooperation all by himself.

He was quite young-looking, with pale skin, and blue bangs falling over his multi-coloured irises. He wore a baggy light-colored jacket and pants, with dark socks and light-colored sneakers. Underneath his jacket, he wore a modified Neo Heroes Battle Suit.

Raibaru herself wore a Neo Heroes Battle Suit. She still kept her cute pig-tails and ribbons, but also wore black combat boots and tracksuit pants.

"Blue-sama," she greeted. It felt weird to greet someone who was younger than her in such a way. "How can I help you?"

"'Tis all fine," Blue waved it off. "Just wondering what you're up to around here."

"I'm waiting for a friend," Raibaru admitted.

"Ah," Blue nodded. His eyes shimmered. "Hope you're strong enough to survive the threat we're up against, Raibaru."

"Of course," Raibaru nodded. "We're going to win against that Yandere girl!"

Blue nodded at her, walking away. A flash of pride was in his eyes. He glanced at his clenched fist.

I'll show you, Father… he thought. I'm taking apart your organization once slice at a time…

He made his way to a private room, which was separated from the rest of the building. He made sure no one was around before locking the door. Inside, pieces of paper were strung up on the dark walls. The desk was covered in pens, images, and other piles of paper.

On his desk was a tiny photo kept in a neat portrait. It showed a baby being held by a woman with long, silver hair and a large hat. A man was next to her, his arm around her shoulder. He was smiling at the woman.

Father hasn't smiled like that in years, Blue sighed, gazing over the photo. Then again, it had been years since his mother had even been around.

His mother had left soon after Blue was born, 'searching for something' according to Blue's father. She was a traveller, after all. She couldn't bring herself to stay in one and place and raise a child. So she left, leaving her family behind. Blue had never met her, but he knew who she was. He knew who he was related to.

No, that was not true. He had met his mother, only once. She had been nice, he guessed, but aloof. Blue could tell she hadn't really cared for him. To her, he was just a thing of the past, and she had moved on.

Even if his mother had moved on, Blue's father had not. A day did not go past where Blue's father was not thinking about his former partner. He had spent hours brooding her departure. Too much time brooding, not enough time caring for his son.

It only got worse when his father took on a young girl as an apprentice. It turned out, the girl was Blue's mother's niece. In other words, Blue's cousin. She looked extremely similar to his mother, having the same silver hair and cool, silver eyes. One could easily mistake her as her daughter. Her name was Megami Saikou.

Blue's father chose to train Megami over caring for Blue, his own son. So instead, Blue trained himself, vowing to have vengeance on his absentee parents. When his father joined the Hero Association, Blue immediately began making plans to tear the damned Association from the ground up.

But how was he to do that? The answer bloomed from an idea. An idea he received after hearing a prophecy.

Before she died, Blue had spoken to the greatest prophet of all time, Shibabawa. And to him a prophecy Shibabwa gave:

The end draws near

A deathless creature with blood red strings, all-consuming

Only one hero just like it can defeat it.

Blue figured a perilous danger was coming to Earth, and as a hero, it would be his job to protect his planet. He would finally show his worth to his absentee father and his infernal cousin. But he couldn't do it alone. He needed a group of his own to assist him. A group that wasn't incompetent like the Hero Association.

So Blue founded the Neo Heroes: a hero group with a much fairer system. Unlike the Hero Association who clearly favoured the S Class heroes above all else, he would actually take the time to hear the voices of the lower heroes. That way, they would be much more tightly-knit, and there would be no conflict between the heroes.

As well as forming a new hero group, Blue also set out to do some research. Grouping his thoughts, he gazed at the pinboards on his wall, which contained images of deceased heroes. Heroes it seemed the Hero Association had forgotten about, not including the S Class heroes of course. The pinboard also contained newspaper clippings from the murder at Akademi Highschool thirty years ago. The woman who had been accused and found innocent was a Yandere. Blue knew a Yandere had to be behind the terror coming to Earth. He knew what they were capable of.

But it wasn't that woman, he knew that much. It was her daughter, Ayano Aishi, aka the S Class hero Yan-chan.

Blue couldn't believe the incompetence of the Hero Association. The one who was killing all their heroes was right under their nose, and they had made her an S Class hero of all things.

It's so pathetic it's not even funny, Blue thought, shaking his head. Of course, they're relying on my cousin to fix all their problems… but she has a new enemy this time. An enemy that's going to out-perform her.

You fool… do you really think you're any more competent than the Hero Association?

He ignored the booming voice at the back of his head and smiled to himself, red strings forming around his hands. Yes. I am the hero of the prophecy.


Info-chan glanced at the news. The Hero Association was finally falling apart. Many of the S Class heroes had fallen, vanished, or something else had happened to them.

She's really working her magic, Info-chan tapped her fingers together. Perhaps… she's doing it a little too well. She's eager for the kill. But as long as the Hero Association falls, that's all that's really important.

What if she starts killing everyone? A voice at the back of her head whispered.

She's only concerned with strong people, Info-chan reasoned. Civilians don't pose a threat to her.

What if she runs out of heroes to kill? the voice asked.

Then she's done her job, Info-chan replied. That's what she wants.

She turned to her phone, a satisfied grin on her face. Then her hands began to shake. She had received a message from a number she'd never thought she'd see again.

?:

You're making a mistake.

Info-chan:

You're supposed to be dead…

?:

Maybe I'm not as easy to kill as you think. But I'm not here to intimidate you. I'm here to tell you to stop working with Yan-chan.

Info-chan:

I'll have her kill you for real this time, slowly, and painfully.

?:

Get your head out of your psychotic ass and listen to me. Aishi is going to destroy the whole world. She is going to kill you.

?:

You are trying to intimidate me, silly. I'll track you down.

?:

She's going to kill all of us. I don't care how much you hate me or the Hero Association. You're going to lose everything again. Do you want that?

Info-chan:

What do you know?

?:

More than you ever will, apparently.

Info-chan:

You…

?:

I'm serious. Stop helping Yan-chan, or you'll lose everything.

Info-chan:

I will kill you. You can't hide from me.

?:

Don't say I didn't warn you.

And then Child Emperor stopped replying. Info-chan stared at her phone. Her fists were trembling, and the device almost slipped from her grip. For once, the shaking was from fear. Fear she had not felt for a long time.

She wouldn't come after me, Info-chan thought. She doesn't know a thing about me in reality. Hardly anyone does.

But the thought of losing everything again had hit her hard. She forced herself to stop shaking. Child Emperor's stupid smart face appeared in her mind.

He must be so worried about this he actually messaged me, Info-chan thought. And not only that, he told me to stop assisting her.

It was true that Ayano Aishi was the most dangerous person Info-chan had ever been in contact with, much more than anyone in the Villain Association. At least they were human to a degree. Even when Info-chan had first messaged Ayano, she was aware of how dangerous she was.

Info-chan tch-ed. The last person she wanted to agree with was Child Emperor. After all, he was supposed to be dead.

This is all fear-mongering, she decided. For now, I will keep an eye on Ayano. After all, she can't hurt me here. And what's the harm if a few people die?

She opened her phone, moving to Ayano's contact. As she was about to message her, she hesitated.

Tch… she shook her head. It's really all getting to me…


It didn't surprise many people that heroes were quitting the Hero Association. Floods of them, barrelling out all at once. The Hero Association's once very-full register was shrinking right before their eyes.

"Surely the Hero Association can't get any worse," a male student named Otohiko Meichi told his friend Horuda Puresu. They were walking through City Z, headed to get some sushi.

Horuda just bowed her head. She was not handling the situation well, judging by the tears building in her eyes.

"Aw, don't cry, Horuda," Otohiko put an arm around her. "I heard a new group is being founded. Musume Ronshaku said so. I heard her father is going to start sponsoring that group instead! I think they're called the Neo Heroes."

"But that doesn't mean it's any better, they might become corrupt as well…" Horuda whimpered. "And besides, I miss Uekiya…"

"Hey, are you two okay?"

The two friends looked up, noticing the top C Class hero Mumen Rider pedaling over to them. He parked his bike and walked over to them.

"Oh, Mumen Rider," Otohiko raised his brow. "You're still in the Association?"

Mumen Rider nodded. "Yeah! I'm here to give hope to everyone during these difficult times. So don't be sad, okay? Us heroes are still able to protect you!"

Horuda wiped tears off her face. She still seemed apprehensive.

"Thanks for the sentiment, but…" Otohiko frowned. "A lot of heroes are dying."

"I know," Mumen Rider breathed out. "But we're going to get to the bottom of it. That's what heroes do!"

Otohiko and Horuda glanced at each other. Mumen Rider grimaced.

"I've gotta go," he told the teens, getting back on his bike. "But don't worry, okay? We're going to get through this!"

He peddled away, leaving them behind. Thanks to his glasses and his helmet, the teens couldn't see the fear all over his face.

What is going on? Mumen thought. What horrible monster is killing all these heroes? Are they going to come after me?

He shook himself out of it.

No, fearing them will only make it worse, he thought. I have to fight back instead!

He pulled over, adjusting his helmet. He reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone.

I heard Goddess-sama has a group, he thought. If nothing else… I can join her group. I can help her fight back.

He grinned. Yeah, that's what I'll do! I'll help Goddess fight back.