It was a beautiful day in Akademi High. Students were still on edge, despite the bodyguards and security cameras providing additional security. Ayano Aishi was one of the few people who seemed rather relaxed as she walked around the school courtyard. There was no Midori following her, and it seemed Kuu Dere had given up on trying to speak to her. But Ayano didn't care about that. Her popularity was higher than it had ever been before. Enough so that students waved at her as she passed. What could go wrong?

Then she saw him.

Child Emperor was hiding in the bushes, watching her. He was wearing a mask, but Ayano could tell it was him.

Impossible, she thought. He should be dead!

Without her consent, her hand dug into her skirt pocket, grabbing her knife. Her head lowered, arms dangling by her sides. She couldn't help herself. She had to kill him. He had to die. She could not allow him to live. It suddenly didn't matter if anyone saw her committing the violent act. He had to die, no matter what.

Do it. Do it. Do it.

Ayano slowly made her way over to him, muttering the same phrase under her breath. She saw nothing else but him, and the knife in her grip. She would plunge the weapon into his chest and rip out his-

CRASH!

Ayano stopped, blinking a few times. Someone had crashed into her. It was the new school nurse Muja Kina, AKA The Class B hero Ditzy Nurse. The hero that had gotten away from Ayano all that time ago. The notoriously clumsy hero had dropped her tray of needles. She squeaked, fumbling around as she tried to pick them up.

"Oh my!" her face was bright red. "I'm so sorry, Miss Yan-chan!"

It was harder for Ayano to bother to help Muja Kina. She wanted to go after Child Emperor. He was a bigger threat than her. But… the Student Council was watching, the security cameras were on. Ayano had to be a good student for just a little bit longer. And besides… she could finally finish the job she had needed to complete eons ago.

"It's okay," Ayano smiled sweetly at the new nurse. "Let me help you."

She helped Muja pick up her needles, casually observing her appearance. Muja had pale skin, light pink-coloured hair, and amethyst-coloured eyes. She wore a short-sleeved white nurse uniform with a low collar and a nurse's cap. She also wore light pink stockings with a white garter belt and white flat heels. Her outfit seemed rather sexualised, although Ayano doubted it was intentional.

"I'm really sorry," Muja bowed again. "I'm so clumsy… Thank you for helping me, Yan-chan. Please forgive me!"

"It's okay," Ayano reassured her, absentmindedly.

Soon, Muja had all her needles back on her tray. She gave Ayano a grateful grin.

"Thank you once again," she bowed, almost dropping the needles again. "You're so kind, Miss Yan-chan."

Ayano nodded. "Of course."

Muja flushed pink, looking down. "Um… I know you just helped me… but, could I ask for one more favour?"

Ayano made no reaction. "Of course."

"You see, I'm very new to this school," Muja admitted, looking away. "I'm substituting for the main nurse while she's on holiday, and, um… I forgot where the infirmary is…"

"Ah," Ayano nodded. "It's on the first floor in the western wing."

"Thanks, but..." Muja's face was bright red. "I don't know where that is…"

Ayano smiled. "Follow me."

Ayano gestured Muja to the infirmary door. As expected of an infirmary, it had a mostly white colour scheme, with beds for students to lie on. There were also other things such as a sink, a pink curtain, pink cupboards containing drugs, and a pink desk.

"Oh, thank you once again, Miss Yan-chan!" Muja bowed. "You're so thoughtful and generous!"

Ayano smiled at her. "My pleasure."

The woman began making herself at home, preparing her things. Ayano turned to leave. And then she saw him again.

He was right outside the infirmary window. Child Emperor was watching her, almost mockingly through his mask. Daring her to attack.

Red strings covered Ayano's arms. Her body attached erratically. Once again, nothing else mattered but killing him. He was going to die.

Muja turned around, giving Ayano a concerned look. "Oh! Miss Yan-chan, are you okay?"

And then Ayano couldn't control herself as she came flying towards Muja Kina, slamming her into the wall with a sickening crack. She ignored the nurse's screams as she tore her guts out, blood pooling onto the ground like a river. She couldn't stop, continuing to dig and dig and dig, coating herself in blood. It was him, all him, he should've been gone. She would suffer, she would die, they would all turn to ash.

Then she stopped, the floor covered in a bloody mess. Muja's body was unrecognisable. Ayano realised she could not control herself like she used to. But the thought did not terrify her. As usual, she felt nothing at all.

"... what have you done?!"

Ayano turned around, facing the school's guidance counsellor of all people. Genka Kunahito's face was pale with shock as she stared Ayano down.

Ayano breathed in. It was going to be tricky to get out of this one.

"It should be obvious why you're here."

Ayano watched as the guidance counsellor slammed her hands on her desk, glaring straight at Ayano.

"I should have you expelled immediately!" she yelled, gritting her teeth. "S Class hero or not, being covered in blood next to a corpse is not a good look for our school! There is currently a zero policy for suspicious behaviour! You're lucky the infirmary security camera is currently broken down!"

"Miss Kunahito, please give me a chance to explain myself," Ayano bowed her head. "I have a reasonable explanation as to what you saw."

Genka sighed, lowering her body. "Normally I would expel you right now, but… you are an S Class hero. I will give you one chance to explain yourself."

Ayano bowed again. "Thank you, ma'am." She breathed in. "You see, I was helping Miss Muja Kina around the school. She was lost and confused. We arrived at the infirmary when a monster suddenly appeared. It was so fast that it killed Muja instantly. I was so angry that I had let her die so quickly that I destroyed it with no mercy. I made a mess since I was so angry." She wiped a tear from my eye. "Oh, how could have I let her die?"

She began to sob. Genka breathed in sharply.

"If that really is the case…" the woman shook her head. "Well, the school policy still demands that I expel you. We have no concrete proof that you are telling the truth, so I don't have a choice."

Ayano gasped. "But Miss Kunahito! What about the delinquents? They're dangerous students yet they haven't been expelled! You're expelling me, a Class S hero, and not them?"

Genka lowered her head. "The delinquents are an exception… for the meantime. They're a problem I created, and a problem I want to fix. If I cannot fix them… they will be expelled, and I will lose my job."

Ayano had not paid much attention to the delinquents until recently, but she began to think more deeply about them. They didn't seem too strong, with the exception of one of them: their leader. The leader was a strong person Ayano had been putting off for quite a while. But she was certainly worth giving attention to.

"Miss Kunahito," she spoke up. "I would like to make a deal with you."

Genka gave her a look. "A deal?"

"I will reform the delinquents for you," Ayano told her. "In return, you won't expel me and you'll keep quiet about the incident."

Genka raised her brow. "You drive a hard bargain, Miss Aishi."

Ayano stared at her, expectantly. She couldn't get expelled, not yet. She still had work to do.

Genka sighed. "Very well. I will give you three weeks to reform the delinquents. If you cannot reform them in that time, I will expel you and reveal the incriminating evidence about you. What do you say?"

"It's a deal," Ayano said.

The two shook hands.

The delinquents were in their usual sport: right in front of the incinerator. They all wore similar scowls and blonde hairdos. Black boxes containing weapons sat on their backs. Their gakuran jackets were open, revealing coloured t-shirts. They all carried an unfriendly aura. Most people would be intimidated by such an aura.

Ayano Aishi was not like most people. She strolled up to the delinquents, wearing the same scowl they did. Music blasted from their boombox.

"A hero?" one of them scowled at her. "Get lost."

Ayano did not, continuing to approach him. From what Info-chan had said, his name was Umeji Kizuguchi, and he was second in command while the leader was away. He wore his gakuran open revealing a dark yellow shirt with a flaming skull on it. He wore a large, thin box on his back with a baseball bat in it. He also wore multiple ear piercings on his left ear. His blonde hair was spiky, and his eyes were bright orange. A scar was running down his eye. Despite his intimidating appearance, he was somewhat short; he couldn't have been any taller than Ayano.

"I told you to get lost," Umeji growled. "We don't want heroes around here."

Ayano didn't budge, even as the delinquents pulled their weapons out.

"I would like to speak to you," she said, calmly.

"I ain't speaking to you," Umeji snapped. "Get lost."

"You're going to be expelled from this school if you keep up this delinquent act," Ayano said.

"So you're trying to get us to change, huh?" Umeji spat. "You're just like that Goddess girl and every other damn hero. We don't give a shit if we get expelled. This school sucks ass."

"... I understand," Ayano replied, quietly.

"Bullcrap," Umeji spat on the ground.

"No, I understand," Ayano insisted, hand on heart. "I'm sorry for asking you to change. You don't have to change. You are who you are because the school forced you to act like this." She paused. "Because of those bullies, right?"

Umeji flinched.

"Yes, those bullies," Ayano said. "Tormenting you and mistreating you, making you all feel like you don't belong. They threatened you, didn't they? You had no one but each other. Everyone else hated you. You were the scum of Akademi."

"Shut it," Umeji growled, aiming his bat at her face. "Are you trying to get all buddy buddy-with me?! You think we're gonna be friends, or something? It ain't gonna happen. I don't want anything to do with you. Buzz off."

Ayano didn't move. She continued to stare at him.

"Ugh... you're still here?" Umeji groaned. He waved a hand. "Fine... how 'bout this: gimme 10,000 yen. That'll make us the BEST of friends."

Ayano dug into her pockets, casually pulling out 10,000 yen.

Umeji was surprised. "So you're ballin', huh?" He accepted the money, gruffly. "Ugh… just so you know, this doesn't change anything. I'm just accepting a gift, that's all."

Ayano turned to the next delinquent, Hokuto Furukizu.

"Why are you trying to get on my good side?" he demanded. He narrowed his eyes. "... oh. I get it. You think hanging out with us will make you look tough. Look: you don't want to hang out with us. Blood gets spilled. Bones get cracked. Skulls get spilled open."

That's amusing, Ayano thought.

"Ha, you're not giving up, are you?" Hokuto tch-ed. "Okay, hero, here's a job for you: find me… a knife. Something nice, long, and sharp. You think you can handle that? Bet you'd faint at the sight of a blade."

Ayano pulled a knife out of her pocket, handing it to him.

"Whoa, where did…" he trailed off. "Hmph… it's good enough. Not exactly what I wanted, but… it'll do. You might be a little tougher than you look, but you still haven't changed my mind yet."

Ayano turned to the next delinquent, Gaku Hikitsuri.

"I gotchu figured out," he said, staring her down. "Someone's been givin' you a hard-time, and you think if you hang out with the scary delinquents, nobody will pick on you anymore. I'm right, aren't I?" He gave her a dark grin. "Well, your plan ain't gonna work. It'll just turn you into an outcast. You'll be worse off than you could possibly imagine. If you really think you've got what it takes to join us, I wanna see some proof. I've smelled booze on the headmaster. Sneak into his office, find his secret stash, and bring it here."

Ayano nodded. A short time later, after indeed finding alcohol in the headmaster's office, she presented the evidence to Gaku. He was impressed, but tried to hide it.

Halfway there, Ayano thought. Of course, the tasks were incredibly easy for someone of her caliber.

Next was Dairoku Surikizu, who gave her a nasty scowl.

"You've gotta be REAL desperate for friends if you're talkin' to me of all people," he grunted. "What, getting sick of other heroes? Listen up. We're from two different worlds. You live in the light, and I live in the dark. I ain't sayin' that to sound edgy. That's just the way it is. You're the type to study for tests, and I'm the type to steal the answer sheet."

Many months ago, such tasks would have proven difficult for Ayano. Although security cameras were left, right and center, Ayano had mastered the art of stealthiness. She stole the paper right before their eyes, but the teachers didn't even notice.

"Wow, maybe we're cut from the same cloth after all," Dairoku admitted. "Doesn't mean we're friends though."

And finally was Hayanari Tsumeato.

"You really think you can convert us into upstanding citizens?" he chuckled. "Don't be insane. I don't want anything to do with you. All I want is a smoke."

There was one person who had cigarettes: Info-chan. As soon as Ayano got the cigarettes and handed them over to Hayanari, there was only one thing left to do to bring the delinquents to her side: become a delinquent herself.

"Ah, Ayano, how is your mother doing? I haven't heard from her recently."

"She is on holiday," Ayano lied. She closed her eyes as the hairdresser sprayed water through her hair. She began to rub the blonde dye in.

"I see," the woman nodded. "She told me she and her husband were leaving for a little while. How long has she been away for?"

"I'm not sure exactly," Ayano admitted.

"I see," the woman breathed in. "Ah, well, you've made quite the name for yourself. A Class S hero! Well done, Ayano."

"Thank you," Ayano said.

"And your father," the hairdresser piqued, "how is he?"

Ayano had not thought much about her father. After her mother's death, she hadn't heard from him at all. Although whether he was alive or dead did not concern her, she had to wonder if he had figured out the truth about her. Whatever the case, at some point, she would run into him again.

"I'm sure he's fine," Ayano finally said.

Umeji Kizuguchi glared at Ayano as she walked over to him, arms dug into her pockets, a scowl on her face. Her freshly-dyed blonde hair was tied up into a ponytail.

"You've been bustin' your ass to try to get on our good side," Umeji grunted. "It's pretty obvious what's goin' on here. You actually want to join our gang, don't you?" He shook his head. "I still can't figure you out. Do you really believe you're some kind of badass thug? Or are you just trying to attach yourself to us for protection? You're a damn weird hero. If you're really that determined... I might consider it. Your reputation wouldn't get any better... but it would be pretty easy to intimidate people into doing just about anything for you."

Ayano nodded.

"Actually, you should probably speak with the boss before you join," Umeji told her. "She's gonna be comin' back to school any day now."

"Osoro Shidesu," Ayano said, remembering the name.

"Yeah," Umeji agreed. "Her." He tch-ed. "What, you wanna fight her or something?"

Ayano shrugged.

"Don't bother," Umeji waved a hand. "She bet Metal Bat in a fight, y'know."

I have heard that rumour before, Ayano thought.

"If she can beat him, she'll definitely kick your ass," Umeji told her. "You're tough, I guess, but not as tough as her."

We will see about that, Ayano thought, turning away.

Ayano:

Tell me everything you know about Osoro Shidesu.

Info-chan:

Ah, Osoro Shidesu. She's the leader of the delinquents, and has a notoriously bad reputation. Most people won't even go near her. She was allegedly involved in a fight with the Class S hero Metal Bat which she supposedly won. She hasn't been attending school recently since she was suspended.

There are other rumours surrounding her as well. The most well-known is the rumour that she beat up 100 people outside of Akademi. Some say she beat up 10, some say more, it all depends. Supposedly, they were delinquents from another school who were trying to 'teach her a lesson'. All the rumours end the same: with her standing around the defeated students, wearing one of their coats as a 'trophy'.

After this happened, she was followed around by five suicidal boys who began to worship her like a goddess. These boys later became the delinquents we know today.

She's notoriously very powerful, definitely S Class level strength. The only person in school who could win against her is Goddess herself, but that's only if they were fighting physically. I should also add she absolutely despises heroes.

Ayano:

I see…

Info-chan:

If you want to defeat her in a fight, you'll need to be very smart about it. She's deadly.

Ayano:

Of course.

Megami glanced down at Ayano and her delinquent attire.

"What is the meaning of this, Miss Aishi?" Megami asked.

"I am going to fix our school," Ayano said reassuringly. "Don't worry."