"Charanko! Bang-sensei, please, lay off!"
Bang ignored Budo and continued glaring down at Charanko, who was lying on the ground in a messy heap.
"What is it now?" Bang asked. "You can't even get up? Tell me, Charanko… what have you been doing here these past six months? When I made you my disciple, didn't I say to train like your life depended on it? I cannot see you ever improving your skills."
"Bang-sensei, please," Budo pleaded, standing beside Charanko's body. "It's not fair to him. He's been trying his best!"
"Silence, Budo!" Bang ordered. "Charanko has not an iota of talent for the martial arts! He is expelled from this dojo!"
"Sensei!" Budo shouted.
"If you keep protesting, then I will expel you as well, Budo," Bang threatened.
Budo gritted his teeth. "Is… Is this about Garou?! It's not Charanko's fault! He-"
"Enough!" Bang yelled. "Both of you, leave at once! Never come here again!"
The elder hero turned away, scowling, and forcing himself to ignore his students. His thoughts turned to that of Traveller, the woman who had trained under him many years ago… where was she now? Would the world survive without her?
Romance. A substance that Ayano knew had as much power as any of her weapons.
Ayano watched as Oka spied on Taro and Amai talking, her small figure trembling. The gothic girl seemed to be… jealous. She was clenching the nearby locker's door between her fists. Ayano was focused on not her but the red strings that were floating around Taro. Was he even aware of the things? He didn't seem to be, not yet, anyway. If he did become aware of them...
"Move out of the way, peasants!"
Ayano turned around, seeing Kizana Sunobu and her club walking through the hall like they owned the place. Kizana brushed her twin-drill pigtails out of her face, and turned her purple gaze on Ayano.
"Oh ho, so petit Yan-chan is here!" she scoffed. "You may be popular, but you can't out-do me!"
"Um, President," Kokona Haruka, a member of the club, coughed. "Didn't she… save your life?"
Kizana's stature faltered slightly. "Well… oui. She did." She brightened back up again. "Anyway! I'm here to talk to Yamada-senpai! Bonjour, Senpai! Over here!"
"Huh?" Taro looked over from his conversation with Amai. "Oh, hi, Kizana!"
Oka's face flushed red, and she looked like she wanted to hide in the lockers.
"I'm kinda busy at the moment, so we can talk later, okay?" Taro told Kizana, politely.
Amai gave Kizana an indescribable look before she and Taro left the hall. Kizana put a hand over her heart.
"That Cooking Club witch!" Kizana exclaimed. "Perfide*! Just because she joined the Hero Association…!"
"Now, now, President," Tsurozo Yamazaki, the vice president, spoke up. "A tragedy it may be, but not all is amiss! You will get to speak to him later! For now, I believe you wanted to engage in conversation with Miss Ayano Aishi!"
Kizana scoffed. "That I did!" She turned towards Ayano. "Miss Aishi! As mentioned before, you did in fact save my life! Merci! I want to return the favour. That is why…" She dramatically pointed at Ayano. "I will allow you to join my club!"
The other members of the club pointed at her as well, like it was some kind of routine they'd planned.
Ayano was going to flat-out say no, but then she thought about it for a bit. She often saw the club members wearing gloves and masks. Those items could certainly be very useful to her.
"Okay," Ayano said. "I'll join."
"Yes, yes! Give me some more of that sass!"
Ayano folded her arms and flipped her hair. She strutted down the gymnasium stage, brushing past the red curtain. Tsurozo clapped approvingly.
"Incredible!" he exclaimed. "A work of art! You're a natural-born actress, Miss Aishi!"
Kizana scoffed. "Pas mal**. Adequate enough for a beginner! You'll need some time to catch up to my skill level."
Ayano nodded, reaching the end of the stage. The other club members, who were watching from the audience, clapped politely. She glanced at the red rose on her collar, which signified that she was now a part of the Drama Club.
"Riku Soma!" Tsurozo shouted. "It's your time to shine now!"
As Riku Soma walked up to the stage, Ayano got off the stage and headed to backstage. She found a pair of white cloth gloves and a red mask that resembled a demon. She grabbed them and left the gymnasium. She pulled out her phone.
Ayano:
Where is Taro Yamada?
Info-chan:
His usual place. By the fountain.
Ayano headed over to the fountain in the school courtyard, where the boy in question was sitting on the grey marble, reading a book. Ayano noticed he was often reading that book - that, and if he wasn't with Osana (well, Amai these days), he was by himself.
That was a good thing for Ayano. She needed Taro all by himself if she wanted him to love her. You see, Ayano had decided that she didn't want Taro to straight-up die. No. Those strings of his. She could use them to her advantage. If she got Taro to become her mindless little love slave, and obey her orders without question… well, it was a risk, but the benefits would give her a far greater advantage than if she were to just kill him.
"Hello, Senpai," she said, sitting next to him.
"Huh?" Taro looked up from his book, and smiled. "Oh, hi, Yan-chan!"
"I just wanted to tell you you look lovely today," she told him.
Taro's cheeks went pink. "Oh, wow… you really think so…?"
Ayano nodded, smiling gently. "Indeed."
Taro briefly turned his attention to Amai, who was a small distance away, offering food to some students. Ayano realised Amai was a threat. Not just as a hero, but as a love rival. If she wanted Taro to love her, then there couldn't be any other potential lovers.
Just like with Osana and Raibaru, she wanted Taro all to herself. With Amai dead, Taro would turn to her for comfort. And he would become her little love slave.
Not to mention Amai was a hero as well. An A Class hero at that. And she could take those strings away, those life-bending strings... Osana had been the same.
It would be easy to get away with Amai's murder. After all, monsters were currently left, right, and centre. Who wouldn't think otherwise?
"I have a present for you," Ayano said. She handed Taro a small, gift-wrapped box.
Taro opened the box. His eyes went wide, staring at the famous novel on his lap.
"Wow, I love this book!" he said. "It's one of my all-time favourites! Thanks, Yan-chan!"
"Of course," Ayano smiled. "Would you like to hang out with me after school?"
"You want to… hang out with me?" Taro asked, turning pink again.
Ayano nodded.
"Wow… okay, sure!" Taro nodded. "Where do you want to go? To the mall?"
"Let's go to the cafe at the local street," Ayano said.
"Yeah, that's a great idea!" Taro agreed. As they continued to discuss their after-school plans. Info-chan was working on something of her own.
So, the Student Council President threatened Yan-chan, Info-chan thought. How annoying… but she doesn't scare me. Yan-chan gave me some great panty-shots, so I'll return the favour…
She went onto Akademi's Kaobook page, reading some generic comments, such as Sakyu Basu asking how old the Sakura Trees were, and Midori Gurin asking what the school logo symbolised. Info-chan smirked, and signed into her anonymous account. She made a post.
You all have heard about that attack on City A, right? Funny that Goddess didn't do anything about it. Maybe she resents her fellow Class S heroes so much she couldn't even bother to join them.
Info-chan smirked, leaning back. That Hero Association was going to pay for what it did.
Taro and Ayano arrived at the street cafe after school. Sitting by the ocean, they ate their food in peace, and engaged in some light conversation. Ayano swore she saw someone suspicious watching her from a boat, but it could've just been her imagination.
Raibaru, meanwhile, was feeling rather dejected as she walked home, the sunset shining off her ginger hair. The last few weeks had been awful. Ever since Osana died, everything had been falling to pieces. Alongside that, Garou was at it again. She didn't want to think about him. She didn't want to face him again, not after last time. But she knew she might have to if he kept attacking heroes. Raibaru didn't fully appreciate heroes, but none of them deserved to be beaten up. (Well, most of them.)
And Ayano was hanging out with Taro. Ayano had been helping Raibaru deal with Osana's death, and the two had become close friends. But she wasn't here now. Raibaru was truly alone. She didn't even know why she was still attending school. If Akademi wasn't so prestigious and high and mighty, she'd be taking a few days off for sure. She sighed, keeping her head down.
"Senpai! Hey, Raibaru-senpai! Wait up!"
Raibaru turned around, face lighting with surprise when she saw Charanko running towards her. The messy-haired teen's face was covered in scratches, and Raibaru saw some bandages on his cheeks.
"Charanko!" she cried, grabbing his arm. "What happened to you?"
"Bang-sensei... beat me up," he panted, hands on his knees. "He then... expelled me."
Raibaru frowned. "What? Why?"
Charanko took another deep breath. "I… I don't know… I think it might have to do with Garou."
Raibaru's brow creased. "Garou?"
"He kicked Budo out too," Charanko added, "and the rest of his club."
"I've heard that Bang-sensei is hunting Garou," Raibaru said, scowling. "The Hero Association considers him to be a dangerous villain."
"Senpai, you're the strongest disciple Bang-sensei ever had," Charanko said. "Let's go after Garou together, for Bang-sensei's sake!"
Raibaru shook her head. "No. I don't want to have to deal with Garou again. Bang-sensei can handle him on his own."
"I know you're not a student of his anymore, but come on!" Charanko said, grabbing her arm. "You're the Indestructible Rival! Garou might actually listen to you!"
Raibaru grimaced. "I'm sorry, Charanko. I can't."
Charanko gritted his teeth. "Fine. I'll go after him myself."
"Wait, Charanko!" Raibaru shouted, but the boy was already running off. Raibaru clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms. She'd been Charanko's teacher, too. He was certainly one of her more arrogant students, but she still cared about him. She couldn't let himself get hurt.
She'd lost Osana. She'd lost Garou. She wasn't going to lose anyone else.
"Charanko!" she shouted. "Slow down!"
These heroes were all incompetent. Garou had beaten up the entire Tank Topper Army, including Tank Top Master himself. Alongside them was Mumen Rider, the top Class C hero.
They actually thought I'd spare them, Garou thought mockingly, staring at their bruised bodies. These heroes are too soft.
He was still curious about the mysterious girl he'd encountered back at the Hero Association HQ. The one who wanted to work with him.
Pfft, Garou thought. She had no idea what she was talking about.
Garou cackled as he pinned another Tank Topper member to the ground. It was Uekiya Engeika, a student at Akademi High. No way she was coming out of hospital anytime soon.
"That's enough, Garou!"
Charanko appeared from behind the Hero Hunter, holding out his fists.
"You're a disgrace to the dojo!" he roared. "Take this! First of Flowing Water, Crushing Rock-"
Garou punched Charanko in the face, shattering his jaw. The teen went flying.
Raibaru gasped, as she reached the scene. "Charanko…!"
Garou turned and stared at her. They made silent eye contact.
Garou smirked at her, before disappearing. Raibaru clenched her fists, before running over to Charanko. She cradled his body and gritted her teeth.
"Oh, God…" she muttered. "It's worse than I thought…"
Control. Power. Dominance.
With these strings, Ayano had it all. She could do whatever she wanted with them. She could control whoever she wanted with them.
Ayano was the puppet master, and her fellow students were her puppets.
Loss. Tragedy. Sadness.
Ayano knew how badly loss could affect people. Look what it had done to Raibaru. She quit her ambitions to be a martial arts champion, and she'd had so much potential. Now, with her best friend Osana dead, she was another one of Ayano's puppets. Not that she knew it.
How Ayano loved having complete control. It gave her some kind of satisfaction, almost the same satisfaction as being strong. Even better, no one suspected a thing.
Unfortunately for Amai, she was next in line to face Ayano's strings. It all started when Ayano tricked her into coming into a closet, then knocked her out with a syringe.
When the Cooking Club leader woke up, she was tied to a chair in someone's basement. Panic immediately filled her lungs.
"Help!" Amai cried out, desperately trying to wry her way out of the ropes. "Someone help me!"
She heard footsteps. Ayano appeared before her, a strange grin on her face.
"Oh, Yan-chan, thank goodness!" Amai grinned. "You've got to get me out of here!"
Ayano's grin grew.
"What's with that look?" Amai asked. "You…" She went pale. "No… it can't be!"
Ayano's pupils shrank as she stood above Amai. Only when the black-haired girl stood above Amai did she realise how horrifying she really was. Ayano had always been considered 'cute' and 'shy' by her fellow classmates. But now Amai realised that was nothing but a facade. The thing behind it was nothing short of a monster.
"Ayano, please!" Amai begged. "I thought we were friends!"
But Ayano wasn't listening to her. And then everything went black.
Sonic was tired of Saitama's pesky disciples. There was that annoying cyborg guy, who was actually relatively strong (not that Sonic would say it in front of him), and then that girl, Saitama's girlfriend. Yan-something. She was stronger than when they fought the first time, but she was no big deal. He was still stronger.
He sighed, touching his short hair. He would make both of them pay. Frustrated, he decided to pay a visit to his friend Amai Odayaka, at the Odayaka Bakery. Amai's cupcakes could always cheer him up. And plus, Amai herself was a lovely person. She was one of the only people Sonic genuinely liked being around. It was ironic, considering he was an assassin and she was a humble young chef, but life never fails to surprise you.
He arrived at the small and humble bakery, only to see that the building was closed. He couldn't recall that it was a holiday of any sort, so this struck him as odd.
He peeked inside the darkened windows. The shelves were all empty. It was almost like a ghost bakery. Certainly not lively and homely like it always was.
He saw a woman walking around in there. It was Amai's mother. She was carrying a load of boxes, her eyes red and puffy. Sonic frowned. Allergies, perhaps? He tapped on the glass, getting her attention. She looked surprised to see him. She put the boxes down and went outside to face him.
"Hello, dear," she said. "You're Amai's friend, aren't you…?"
Sonic nodded. "Yeah. Where is she? Why is the bakery closed?"
The woman sobbed. "I'm so sorry dear, but Amai is dead..."
Sonic went pale, grabbing the woman's shoulder. "What?! You're joking, right?! Tell me this is a joke!"
The woman looked away. "She was mauled to death by a monster..."
Sonic's voice trailed off, and then he fell to his knees, face completely white.
Sonic shivered. It was ice-cold out here. The streets were mostly empty. Of course, people weren't going to be outside when it was freezing cold.
He ran around, stumbling across the small street that was part of City Z Suburbia. It was mostly empty as well. He wrapped his arms around himself, staring at the sea in the distance. He swore he could see small chunks of ice floating on the waves.
"Hey there! Are you okay?"
Sonic turned around, facing a teenage girl. She had short, brown hair and a kind smile. She was wearing a mint-green parka.
"You look cold," she said. "I just wanted to know if you're okay."
"I'm fine," Sonic assured her, arms crossed.
The girl smiled at him. "Oh, that's good to hear! Well, um, just in case, you're welcome to come inside my bakery. It's warm in there, so…"
"Warm, huh?" Sonic asked.
"And, if you're hungry, we've got some pastries for sale," the girl added. "Though, if you don't have any money, you're welcome to have something for free!"
Sonic stared at her. "Who are you?"
"I'm Amai," she replied. "Nice to meet you!"
"Call me Speed-O'-Sound Sonic," he said, offering a hand. "Now, where's this bakery of yours?
"Sonic, can you teach me some ninja moves?"
Sonic stared at his friend, as she leaned across the front desk of her bakery.
"Why?" He asked.
"I…" Amai blushed. "I want to become a hero."
"Are you serious?" Sonic asked, scowling. "Don't tell me you actually want to become one of those pathetic low-lives. I thought you were better than that, Amai."
"Sonic, it's just…" she frowned. "I'm not always… the cute baker's girl everyone thinks I am. I know for a fact you're a highly wanted criminal. If I really wanted to…" she grabbed her phone, "I could call the Hero Association and tell them to come and get you, right now."
Sonic glared at her. "You wouldn't do that. I'd kill you before you could get the chance."
"I feel like I should, though," Amai said, staring at her phone. "Am… I being a bad person by letting you roam free?"
Sonic didn't respond, for a moment.
"No, I'd never forgive myself," Amai said, blinking heavily. "I know you're a criminal, but… I don't care. I like hanging out with you, Sonic."
"Of course you do," Sonic said, slightly quieter.
"But I have to repent some way," Amai said, looking up. "That's why… I have to become a hero. I have to do something to make up for this!"
"Your cooking is more than enough," Sonic told her. "Those heroes are pathetic. They're not the holy beings everyone thinks they are. They're greedy, attention-seeking bastards. I wouldn't want for you to fall into that category, because you're better than that, Amai."
"You… really think so?" Amai asked.
"I don't compliment everyone I meet," Sonic grumbled. "So… just accept it!"
"Then… I'm not going to be like other heroes," Amai declared, holding up her fists. "I'm going to be more like Saitama!"
Saitama adjusted the red-haired wig on his head, staring at his bathroom mirror. It made his scalp itch. He scowled in dissatisfaction.
Genos passed by his sensei and gasped. His master needed those synthetic hair materials, and fast! He pulled out his phone and dialled Ayano.
"Yan-chan, this is an emergency," he said. "Master Saitama's bald crisis is reaching a new extreme. Come over here immediately. I will contact Dr. Kuseno."
He then went to dial the doctor in question. Saitama stared at him blankly.
Why on Earth does Ayano need to come over for this? he thought.
"Yes, next Wednesday," Genos told Dr. Kuseno. "Please arrange it for that date. Thank you very much." He turned and faced Saitama. "Master Saitama! Are you available next Wednesday?!"
"You can't just transplant reinforced hair-fibres into someone's head without asking," Saitama said. "I'm just-"
He was interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Yan-chan's here already?" Saitama asked. "How the Hell did she get here so quickly?"
Genos answered the door, letting Ayano in. She was carrying a huge plastic bag.
"I have wigs from the Drama Club room," she said, putting the bag on the ground. A bunch of wigs fell out, most of them looking absolutely ridiculous.
"Uh, I don't need those," Saitama said, sweating. He put the red wig back on. "This is the only one I need. I'm using it to enter a fighting tournament, as Charanko."
He held out a slip of paper, which Genos glanced over. Ayano read it too. Raibaru had told her about the martial arts tournament. Before quitting, she used to participate in it. Usually, she ended up winning. This year, however, she was just going to watch it.
"Today?" Genos asked, raising his brow.
"Yeah," Saitama agreed. "I'm gonna go see what this martial art thing's all about."
Garou cackled, crossing out another picture of a hero. Before him was a giant board of every hero in the Association.
"Closer and closer…" he muttered. He gazed at a picture at the very top of the lot. "I'm coming for you, Goddess."
Above all the other pictures was a picture of the Class S hero Goddess. The picture of her was surrounded by red circles.
"You can't hide forever," Garou laughed. "I'll go after your groupies if I have to."
*Perfidious
**Not bad
If it makes you feel any better... I was listening to 'Gas Gas Gas' while editing the Amai death scene... yeah, I don't know either lmao. Also, on an unrelated note, I watched the first season of Sword Art Online and I've lost the will to live... I thought it was gonna be funny-bad but it was just awful. I severely regret all my life choices...