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[He Must Be A Hero]
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…
—Creeeeaaak—
The door opened slowly, the dim light from the corridor quietly spilling into the room.
Eri, who had been half-asleep, slowly fluttered her eyes open.
For a moment, confusion spread across her face, drowsiness clinging to her mind at such an unusual hour.
Then, she noticed the light hitting directly onto her bedframe.
Her body snapped upright instantly, fear seeping in as she turned toward the door, expecting him to be standing there.
All traces of sleep had vanished by then.
But as her eyes landed on the doorway—
"...!"
They widened.
The figure standing there… wasn't the one she expected.
A tall silhouette clad in dark clothing, a long coat draping over its frame, stood at the doorframe. The light behind it obscured its features, leaving only a shadowed outline.
All except one thing.
Its eyes.
They were fixed directly on her.
Then—
—Step—
The figure stepped forward.
Eri flinched immediately, the grip on her sheets tightening as her expression grew fearful.
—But at the same time, the figure flinched as well, stopping right in its tracks.
""...?""
The mirrored reaction left both of them momentarily startled.
Then, the figure glanced down at itself before lightly slapping its own forehead with the lower part of its palm.
Right away, its hand reached for the hood currently projecting a shadow over its face. But the moment its hand caught it, the figure visibly hesitated for a moment.
But after a second or so of doubt, it just pulled its hood up, revealing a black full-face mask that seemed to resemble a skull slightly.
It then reached up and removed the mask covering its face.
As soon as he did, a young face came into view.
Black hair, sharp features, and far younger than the people she was used to seeing every day.
It was Taka.
Seeing a face, and not that cold, faceless mask, Eri relaxed slightly.
Only slightly.
Human faces didn't really mean safety to her.
Still clutching her pillow tightly, she watched as the teenager slowly approached.
Before long, he stopped right in front of her.
Silence lingered between them.
For a moment, it almost seemed like he didn't know what to say.
But then, he knelt down, lowering himself until he was beneath her eye level as she sat on the bed.
"Hey, kid," he said, offering a small, careful smile.
Something in his tone—soft, uncertain, but gentle—made Eri's guard lower just a little.
But the moment he extended his hand toward her—
Her body tensed again.
"...!"
—Only for that hand to land gently on her head, ruffling her hair.
She blinked, clearly confused.
She was not unfamiliar with the gesture, but it had become almost foreign since she got here.
The people from this place sometimes tried to act kindly because of Chisaki's orders, smiling falsely, or bringing her toys she didn't really play with.
They never did something like this. Which only made Eri more confused.
Her eyes lifted to Taka, inspecting his smiling face, wondering if he, too, was doing this because he was being forced to.
But then—
"...Hm?"
Her eyes widened slightly.
A warmth spread from where his hand rested, a soft aura flowing over her and wrapping around her small body.
It was cozy, almost soothing.
Like how her mother used to make her feel, long ago.
As the feeling settled on her, the tension in her shoulders naturally eased, a few tears escaping her unintentionally.
For some reason, through just that, she was able to understand.
This wasn't fake. This person wasn't like the others.
Slowly, she looked up at him again, her expression shifting into something more curious—though the worry never fully left, it shifted to something else.
Despite her age, she understood enough about her own situation.
People like him, actually caring for her… weren't supposed to be here.
Chisaki wouldn't allow it. She just knew he wouldn't.
And if he wouldn't, then the person in front of him was in danger.
As she parted her lips, determined to urge him to escape—
"It's over."
His voice cut in, calm and steady.
Eri tilted her head. What was over?
He stood up slightly, though his hand remained resting on her head.
"I came to an agreement with Chisaki. You won't be experimented on anymore."
"What…?" she asked, her face blank with innocent confusion, unable to process his words.
He looked at her, his smile widening ever so slightly.
Then, he spoke clearly.
"You're free, Eri."
…
Eri opened her mouth—then closed it.
A moment passed.
Then she tried again.
"Free?"
There was no excitement in her voice. Not even disbelief.
Just confusion.
As if the word itself didn't quite exist in her world, or at least, it had lost its meaning.
But after a brief pause, she spoke again, more hesitantly this time.
"I was… allowed to leave?"
Even as she asked, her expression betrayed her.
She didn't believe it. Not even a little.
Taka's eyebrows creased slightly upon seeing her like that. But he didn't stop.
"Well… not exactly," he admitted. "But I'm a very persuasive guy."
Despite his clearly cryptic way of talking, Eri seemed intelligent enough to get the grasp of the underlying meaning of it, making her eyes widen as panic flooded her expression.
"You can't! You have to run! He—he'll hurt you…!"
She scrambled forward on the bed, grabbing onto Taka's coat tightly, her small hands clutching the fabric as she looked at him with desperate urgency.
—Rumble…!—
Her desperate pleas were cut short as the entire facility suddenly trembled, like distant explosions were echoing through the walls.
Eri flinched, her body tensing as fear surged again, her mind clearly taking it as a sign of Chisaki's anger.
And while she wasn't entirely wrong about that—
Taka's hand soon ruffled her hair again, calming her down the next second, as she froze before the soothing touch.
"No need to worry," Taka said calmly.
"But—"
"I know he seems invincible, but the truth is…" he cut in, voice steady and confident, "he doesn't stand a chance. He's fighting me, after all."
Taka stood up, giving her a small grin—one he usually kept to himself.
"And I'm the strongest."
That seemed to halt her panic.
Her worried gaze softened, a faint spark of curiosity appearing within it.
"The strongest…?"
"It means no one can beat me."
He let out a short laugh, then suddenly picked her up.
"Eep—!"
Before she could react further, his aura gently lifted and stabilized her, settling her over his shoulder.
She stiffened for a moment, confused—but didn't resist.
Instead, she looked around, still wary, but no longer panicking.
She didn't want him to get hurt… But if he really was as strong as he said…
Could it be that she was actually free?
"Since we are clear on that, let's go."
Still lost in thought, she felt him begin to move, and before she could say anything—they stepped out of her room, onto the corridor.
She shut her eyes tightly for a second, like scared of getting out without permission.
But as Taka's hand fell on her head once again, her eyes opened, and her beating heart calmed down.
No Chisaki was waiting for them. Only a long, long corridor, leading to the exit.
She looked around.
No Yakuzas, no Eight Bullets, no alarms, no shouts.
Only silence.
She had walked out… and nothing had happened.
She stared around in amazement, still not appearing to believe it fully.
Regardless, Taka didn't allow her to dwell on it for too long.
Soon, they took off again, retracing the path Taka had taken to get here.
Silence accompanied them along the way, broken only by distant rumbles and the faint hum of failing lights.
Eri glanced around.
Figures lay unconscious along the hallway.
Some lights flickered overhead, some completely dead by whatever battle was going on in a distant spot.
As she glanced at it, she couldn't help but be struck by the sight.
The once cold, unchanging, unbreachable, and inescapable place now felt… way less so.
No longer was there fear in her heart as she glanced at the tall walls surrounding them.
Now, only a feeling she had forgotten since long ago remained, slowly rising unbeknownst to her.
Hope.
Maybe…
Just maybe…
The teenager wasn't lying… and she was finally going to leave this place.
"..." Her gaze shifted back to him, curiosity quietly replacing fear.
Who was he, and why had he come for her, she couldn't help but ask herself.
Right away, she arrived at the most reasonable answer.
'He must be a hero.'
Unaware of the thoughts going on in Eri's head, Taka continued walking through where he came from. Before long, they reached the exit of the underground facility.
But just as they were about to leave—
Taka stopped.
Someone was waiting there.
Eri noticed too, flinching slightly—only to cautiously peek over Taka's shoulder when she realized she didn't recognize the face.
A man stood there, bruised and a bit bloodied.
—Yet still standing.
Gentle.
His suit was scuffed, his face marked with injuries, but despite it all, he carried himself with a certain pride.
So, they made their way to him.
"You got a bit hurt," Taka's voice rang out as they got near enough.
Gentle straightened immediately upon noticing them, puffing his chest out.
"Rockinesis!" he declared, before clearing his throat. "Ahem—They were formidable opponents… perhaps the strongest I've ever faced. Their teamwork nearly proved my undoing."
He placed a hand over his chest dramatically.
"But in the end, they could not prevail against the combined efforts of La Brava and me."
Then his gaze shifted to Taka's shoulder.
To Eri.
"So this is the child you came to rescue…" he said, his expression softening slightly. "To think such ruffians would resort to using someone so young for such atrocities… truly, they lack even the most basic sense of gentlemanliness."
He clenched a fist, shaking his head in theatrical indignation.
But as he kept with it, Taka watched him quietly. His eyes squinted faintly upon noticing what Gentle was hiding behind his current act.
The guy was injured, dead tired, and it probably wouldn't be a surprise if he collapsed at any moment now.
And yet—
He had still waited here for both of them.
'Damn.' Taka nodded faintly in approval.
Feeling a bit guilty that he had left the guy to deal with all that, while he himself didn't really do much fighting—aside from some random Yakuzas he'd smacked on the way to Eri's room—Taka extended a hand, pointing at Gentle.
In tandem, his aura flowed out, wrapping around the man's body.
—Then he activated his healing ability, following it up with Clean.
In an instant, Gentle's injuries and bruises faded away. The stains of blood and dust vanished as well, leaving him spotless under both his and Eri's astonished gaze.
As the healing and washing finished, Taka spoke.
"Thank you for helping me in this."
Gentle blinked, clearly surprised more by the sudden gratitude than by the magical abilities.
And it was no wonder. Since they met, Taka had carried himself with a slightly superior air, as if everything were under his control—and, truth be told, Gentle himself had wondered whether Taka had even needed them at all.
Perhaps, in truth… he hadn't. But if he was thanking him…
'At least, we were still able to help,' Gentle thought, a small smile forming.
Just that thought gave him an incredible peace of mind. Something he himself hadn't expected.
His mind went over the day everything went to hell. The day he tried to help a person in danger recklessly, only to worsen everything in the end, sending both the victim and the hero who appeared at the last second to the hospital.
At that time, he was cursed, persecuted, and scorned for what he did.
And perhaps he deserved it.
But the thought that he had been wrong for wanting to help—for wanting to do good—never left.
But now… now at least, he felt that perhaps the feeling in itself was not wrong.
His new thoughts strengthened once his gaze fell on Eri again.
Today, he had actually helped do good.
Even though he still was, and planned on being a villain. His goal to make the world remember his name still hadn't ended, after all.
But perhaps he could be a bit more flexible with his criminal acts from now on?
As Gentle fell silent in thought, Taka suddenly took out his mask, putting it back on with a hiss. Then, he grabbed his hood and pulled it down as well, covering his face again, despite the mask doing roughly the same function.
Once that was done, he turned to Gentle again.
"You should leave. The police will be here any minute."
Gentle frowned slightly. "Hmm? How is that possible? I'm fairly sure our infiltration was perfectly stealthy."
"There's someone I need to come. Someone within the law."
Gentle blinked, then glanced at Eri before nodding in understanding.
"I see."
Given La Brava's investigation months ago which he had kept on his mind, he knew who Taka was talking about.
So, after giving Taka a dramatic bow, he used his Quirk to bounce away in place for a few seconds—before bouncing at high speed toward the exit and turning into a blur, leaving Taka and Eri behind.
With that meeting done, Taka ruffled Eri's hair once more before turning forward, his gaze hardening as he climbed the stairs out of the Shie Hassaikai's underground.
Before long, they reached the upper floor, then slowly made their way toward the main gate.
There—
"Rockinesis, get your hands behind your back!"
—A horde of policemen, just stepping out of their cars, awaited him with guns raised.
It didn't take long for them to notice Eri.
"Hold your fire, he has a hostage!"
'Look at these guys, pinning crimes on me for no reason at all,' Taka thought with a wry smile.
As that crossed his mind, several figures stepped through the police line, moving to the front to face him.
Nighteye, along with several of his sidekicks—one in particular being a blonde guy Taka recognized, but chose to ignore.
The others were pro heroes from the city, called in for the situation.
And lastly—
"There you are, you punk…"
Seiji stood at the front, wearing a thoroughly pissed-off expression that practically screamed: "You know it took me a whole hour by train to get here, right?!"
'They sure went all out of what they could afford,' Taka noted.
An entire apprehension squad had gathered to take him in, once and for all.
Unfortunately for them, that hadn't happened before, and it wasn't happening today either.
Suddenly, Nighteye stepped forward, adjusting his glasses as he fixed Taka with a stern gaze.
"So you are that famous vigilante from recent times… Rockinesis. I thought you had retired, given your lack of activity outside the digital world… and yet, here you are."
His eyes drifted briefly to the Yakuza compound behind him. It looked intact—but judging from Taka's spotless appearance despite infiltrating it, and his obvious monstrous power, it had likely been anything but peaceful.
His gaze returned to Taka, narrowing slightly.
"Not only did you sneak into a criminal base unprovoked… You also contacted a professional hero to come after you once you were done… why?"
As those words left him, Seiji did his best to look uninvolved off to the side.
Of course, his eyes still flickered toward Eri on Taka's shoulder, already forming his own conclusions regardless of the answer.
Taka, however, didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he set Eri down, then knelt to her height.
A barrier of invisible aura formed between them and the police—thick enough that even sound would struggle to pass through.
With their conversation now private, Taka muttered loud enough for only her to hear, resting a hand gently on her head.
"I'm sorry, Eri. While I said I was the strongest… I'm also not exactly a law-abiding citizen. So I can't take you with me."
She tightened her grip on his coat, her small hands trembling.
"Don't go."
In such a short time, Taka had become the only person Eri could bring herself to trust. Even if they had barely known each other, he was the only one who made her feel safe now that her world was shifting—and the only one who seemed to care for her after what she had done to her parents.
"Don't leave me alone." Tears ran down her face.
The only hero she had ever met, who dared to help her.
Suddenly, her head was ruffled again, that same warm feeling spreading through her, making her pained look ease.
"I won't leave you alone. You can be sure of that." Taka said, his voice full of certainty.
He turned slightly, glancing toward Seiji. "See that guy who looks kind of dumb? The one with the tail?"
Eri followed his gaze and quickly spotted Seiji. She nodded.
"I want you to go with him. When I leave, I want you to go to him and say you want to stay with him. If you do that… we'll meet again," he said gently, before flinching slightly. "Ah—don't mention the part about meeting me again to them. That's supposed to be a secret."
Eri looked a bit lost, but she still nodded, his certain tone managing to convince her, even if she hadn't understood completely why of all that.
"Smart girl."
With that, Taka stood up and waved the barrier away, allowing sound to flow freely between both sides again.
Nighteye's gaze sharpened slightly.
"Finished your conversation?"
Taka gave a brief nod.
"Then answer," Nighteye pressed, the stamps between his fingers rustling faintly.
"You asked why I came here?" Taka said, jerking a thumb behind him. "It's because these bastards thought it was fine to experiment on kids. I came here to put a stop to that."
Nighteye adjusted his glasses.
"There are proper procedures—"
"Spare me the lecture. I know about laws. I just don't care about them."
Nighteye's eyes narrowed further.
"Even if that makes it harder for us to properly imprison the Shie Hassaikai for everything they've done?"
"Prison or not, they won't amount to anything after today. And if they do…" Taka paused for a brief second before his tone turned colder. "I'll make sure to stomp them properly this time. No second chances."
Several heroes visibly flinched, understanding the implication.
Even Seiji's expression grew more serious.
Taka let out a quiet sigh. "I'm sorry if I'm making you all look bad. But that hardly matters to me if I can ease someone's pain sooner instead of waiting for procedures."
A few glances shifted toward Eri, connecting the dots between the jab of just now and the mention of experimenting on kids.
"Even if doing so worsens your already existing crimes?" Nighteye asked, sounding more intrigued than angered.
Taka met his gaze evenly.
"I wouldn't be here if that was a problem."
Silence stretched between the two sides. Eri looked back and forth, worry creeping into her expression as the tension thickened.
Until—
"I suppose you're right." Nighteye sighed.
"So we finally understand each other." Taka snorted humorlessly before speaking again, his gaze relaxing slightly. "Anyway, thanks for dropping by, all of you." He eyed the multiple heroes with a calm gaze.
Then, a smirk took over his face beneath the mask.
"I'll be taking my leave now," Taka said suddenly, drawing several frowns.
"I don't think we can allow that," Nighteye replied, his stance subtly shifting, ready for combat.
"I wasn't really asking for permission."
—Step—
—Step—
—Step—
As those words left him, several figures began stepping out from inside the Yakuza compound, surrounding him, and lining up at his side.
Rockinesis… multiple of them.
A ripple of unease spread through the police ranks.
"Which one's the real one? You decide." Taka gave a small shrug.
And then—
—SWOOOSH!—
All of them, including the original, shot off at once, moving faster than most heroes could even react to. Thus, leaving the police and heroes behind, momentarily stunned.
The police captain glanced at Nighteye, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple. "Uh… should we—?"
"No need. Even I can't tell which one is real. For all we know, we might have been talking to a clone from the start, while the real Rockinesis was never here to begin with."
Then his gaze shifted to Eri.
"For now… let us do what we must, as heroes."
...
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-To Be Continued...-
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(A/N: And thus, the arc it is truly done.
Next chapter: Consequences once again. They are everywhere.
Hope you liked the chapter.)