<Verin>

 

 

 

Hate wasn’t enough to describe the feeling bubbling inside Verin.

Retaking his stance against the dummy in front of him, he exhaled a cool, frosty breath.

Imagining the face of his enemy on the dummy, he tapped his foot on the ground. A trail of giant ice spikes immediately shot out from his foot and skewered the dummy. It happened in a matter of seconds, but it still wasn’t satisfactory. His enemy would have done it in the blink of an eye.

Verin clicked his tongue.

Bright, or Bright Caelalux as she officially goes by now, was a formidable opponent. Blessed with extraordinary ability and talent, she was often touted as the greatest of the new-gen heroes. She was the shining example of what people believed heroes to be. Kind, attractive, and most of all, powerful. Every one of her feats would leave the average person feeling inadequate. Not even other heroes were spared.

Verin clenched his fists.

And, as if that wasn’t enough, she was the daughter of the two most powerful heroes in history. Her claiming confirming what most already knew to be true. Now she had the backing and might of two of the world’s strongest. In many people’s eyes, she was the only right person to usher humanity into its next age of prosperity.

Verin couldn’t blame them for thinking that.

She was too perfect.

“Sir Verin, your presence is requested at the dining table.”

Verin nodded.

Looking at the dummy broken and encased in ice, his eyes hardened.

He refused to accept it.

He refused to accept her.

How could a person who had everything in life handed to them be better than him?

Wiping off the sweat that accumulated with the towel provided by the butler, Verin readied himself to leave.

No matter what, he was going to be the top hero.

The next big thing.

 

 

“Mooom, Verin is being weird again!”

“Shut your trap!” (V)

Verin snapped back, not even bothering to look up.

His focus was absolute; his gaze locked on the gleaming digital food scale on the counter. A block of cooked meat, newly unwrapped, was sliced into neat, identical cubes. Each cube went onto the scale until he reached his target: one hundred and eighty grams of protein, no more, no less. Then came the leafy greens, piled high in a large measuring cup before being transferred to the scale to confirm their one hundred and twenty-gram volume.

With that tedious work concluded, he released a sigh.

Having the perfect diet was the first step needed to surpass his enemy. It was how preparing food became a task that required his full attention. A healthy body was a body in optimal condition. A condition necessary if he even wanted the slightest chance of winning. Bright, no doubt, had a routine similar to, if not better than, his.

He couldn’t afford to be left behind.

“I’ll tell you this for free. Behaving like a creep won’t impress Hero Bright.”

Verin felt a vein pop.

Ella, his annoying little sister by a year, wore an irritating smirk that her overgrown ashy white hair couldn’t hide.

“Good. I wasn’t trying to.” (V)

Verin sent a glare her way.

Her smirk grew wider.

“Kids. Please, not at the table.”

A deep, tired voice cut through the short-lived bickering. A man, formally addressed as Dad by Verin, sat at the table with both hands on his head.

“Be kind to your father.”

Both Verin and Ella received light smacks to their hands.

“He’s had a long day.”

As his mom settled next to the dad, they shared an overly passionate kiss.

Ella made a noise, and Verin… he looked away.

“Mom. Please, be kind to your kids.” (E)

“What’s wrong with a little show of love?” (m)

The couple remain entangled for a while before pulling apart.

“So, how was your day?” (m)

“Really, Mom?” (E)

“Yes, really, and since you answered, let’s start with you. What schools have you looked at?” (m)

“Agh….” (E)

The conversation between the mother-daughter pair carried on with the occasional input from their dad. Ella, like Verin last year, was set to graduate Primary School end of year. It was at this point she was expected to pick a career path. Considering she didn’t have the heart to be a hero like Verin or their dad, the likely outcome was her becoming a business tycoon like their mom.

“And, Verin, what about you? You’re being so quiet today; how was your first day?” (m)

Verin paused eating and looked at his mom.

How was today? In simple words, terrible. The image of the dummy being destroyed during combat class still lingered in his mind. Despite his best efforts, the best he could do was dent it a little. Bright… she completely destroyed it. She destroyed it without even breaking a sweat.

“It was… fine.” (V)

Perhaps because of the lousy response, his sister decided to chime in.

Uselessly, he might add.

“Don’t mind him, Mom. He’s just sad his crush ignored him and—Ah, Mom! He attacked me!!” (E)

A smile drew on Verin’s face as an ice spike pierced in-between Ella’s legs.

“Verin….” (m)

“Sorry.” (V)

His mom sighed.

As Verin dispelled the spike, she took his hand.

A gentle smile playing on her face.

No words were exchanged, but a message was conveyed.

It’s okay

The message was further emphasised as a hefty hand landed on his shoulder.

It was his dad, wearing the same gentle smile.

The moment lasted and lasted.

A few seconds turned into minutes, and before Verin knew it, a dumb head was also resting on his lap. Having crawled from underneath the table like a little fox.

The family stayed like this until Verin declared.

“I will be fine.” (V)

A calm breath escaped him.

Really, he would be.

He just needed to be the best.

 

 

---

 

 

<Bright>

 

 

 

Everything was sore.

Lying on his bed, Bright felt positively miserable.

He really, really didn’t want to go to school today.

Knock Knock

“Breakfast.” (Y)

Bright grimaced.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t a choice he got to make. Getting up from bed, he slowly started readying himself for the day. Recounting the nightmare yesterday had been. True to her word, Hero Yuki didn’t hurt him… personally, at least. Instead, she enlisted the help of various robots and training drills to bruise and beat him. Most of which, had been focused on enhancing endurance because, apparently, it was Bright’s greatest weakness.

Okay, sure, maybe Bright couldn’t maintain prolonged continuous use of his abilities, but that had never been a problem. When most things he fought could barely last a few seconds, maintaining continuous use over five minutes wasn’t necessary. A great point, when argued, would only result in longer drills.

It was quite unfair.

With a critical eye, Bright surveyed his reflection, making the last precise adjustments. He smoothly tucked in his collared, short-sleeved white shirt, meticulously straightened his red tie, and hiked his stockings high, ensuring they met his black shorts. His mind then raced through a familiar checklist: Hair, checked. Teeth, brushed. As for makeup...

Bright reached out and touched the mirror.

…It was completely unnecessary, if not overkill, for a face like this.

Much like those damn heroes, he was beautiful in a way that shouldn’t exist.

“Wouldn’t have killed you to keep me male, huh?” (B)

Muttering softly to himself, Bright walked back to his bed.

Despite being one for the last twelve years, Bright didn’t like to think about himself as a little girl. There were no words to explain the feeling, but doing so felt like he was giving something up. Something that was his. Bright wasn’t in the habit of freely donating things that were his.

Arriving at the bed, he pulled the covers off and revealed a little pup.

One that was sleeping so peacefully.

Bright felt a pang of annoyance.

This Wonder Pup was a growing nuisance. It followed him everywhere like a… well, a dog. From the bathroom to his bed, Bright hadn’t gotten a moment of proper alone time since being quietly kidnapped here. Most of the time it just napped on his head, but when it wasn’t doing that, it was actively bothering him for attention.

Bright pointed a finger at the dog.

The tip of his finger started to faintly glow.

A little payback was in order. Not enough to hurt the dog, but enough to teach it about respecting his space. The little freeloader who lounged around all day couldn’t be pushing around the hard-working professional.

‘You brought this on yourself…’

The tiny beam fired.

If things played out like when they first met, the pup would easily dodge it.

But.

He was asleep now.

Completely defenceless.

BOOM!!

The world was suddenly spinning.

Why was the world spinning?

Lying on the floor with his back to the entrance, Bright took a second to grasp his bearings.

The moment he did, his face contorted.

The bed…. It was destroyed.

And it wasn’t the only thing.

The whole room was in disarray. Everything Bright had painstakingly accumulated was scattered about in a hot mess. A literal hot mess. Parts of it were burning.

‘Stupid dog!’

Running around the room, Bright quickly stomped out the flames. That conniving mutt had been pretending to be asleep. The moment the attack neared, its eyes shot open, and it blasted the attack. So, what happens when a beam of plasma and a laser meet? Nothing good for sure.

Knock Knock

“Bright?” (Y)

“Y-Yes! I was just finishing up and dropped something!” (B)

At speeds impossible for the average human eye to discern, Bright flipped the mattress, changed its covers, and hid the broken items scattered about in the closet. Making sure to grab the pup as he swiftly charged outside and shut the door.

“~G-Good morning!~” (B)

“Good morning.” (Y)

Hero Yuki studied Bright with an enquiring look… before eventually turning around and going down.

Close call.

 

 

It finally clicked.

Munching on the food before him, Bright had reached a consensus with himself.

This food tasted exactly like the Chairwoman’s work.

It was a realisation that left him feeling rather depressed. With the Chairman no longer answering his calls or texts, he didn’t have a way of contacting her. The regret of being too ashamed to ask for her number was coming back to eat him alive. He basically lost contact with his only friends in the world.

“Sooo, how was your first day?” (S)

Swallowing the last bit of food in his mouth, Bright eyed the charming man seated at the head of the table. Hero Sun, the man who had adopted him—for now—was nowhere to be seen for the entirety of yesterday. The guy who was supposed to be training him hadn’t shown up to the first official practice.

“Okay.” (B)

He was the top hero and all, but that still left a somewhat bitter taste in his mouth.

It doesn’t hurt to invest in the future a little.

“Nothing else to say?” (S)

“No.” (B)

There was nothing worth remembering yesterday. The two heroes disappearing on him should’ve been the first sign it was going to be terrible. Disappointment after disappointment plagued the day. Blackmail, Betray and Bankruptcy wasn’t something anyone could handle easily.

The universe needs to throw a bone sometime soon, or Bright might have a little episode.

“Did the book help?” (S)

Bright paused.

The manner in which that question was asked felt a little dismissive, bordering on insulting. It was as if he had already decided on the answer Bright was going to give.

‘This guy…!’

The soft smile Hero Sun wore at the moment was a special kind of infuriating.

“I made two friends easily. I told you I didn’t need it.” (B)

Bright’s voice came slightly raised, but he didn’t care.

“Is that so?” (S)

“It is very much so!” (B)

“Then, would you kindly tell us the names of these friends?” (S)

“No problem!” (B)

Although he confidently cried that out, Bright bit his tongue.

A moment of thought made him realise a naked truth.

Despite having spent the whole day trying to charm the two girls, he had never asked for their names….

“…Susan and Gill.” (B)

Hero Sun’s soft smile turned into a knowing grin.

“Ah, I see. Nice names they got there. Real imaginative of their parents.” (S)

“W-Whatever, it doesn’t matter anyway!” (B)

Hero Sun started chuckling.

Tired of the conversation, Bright turned to address Hero Yuki.

He needed to take care of a certain issue that troubled him yesterday.

“H-Hero Yuki. I wanted to ask about this card.” (B)

Seeing as it relates to money, Hero Yuki, a person with a modicum of seriousness, was best suited to handle this. Not to mention, she actively told him to engage with her if he had any questions. Sure, that was about the banking, but it was the same difference, right?

“It’s not working.” (B)

Bright placed the golden card on the table.

The humiliation he experienced yesterday was still fresh in his mind.

A repeat of the same today was not permissible.

“Phone.” (Y)

‘Phone?’

Hero Yuki didn’t spare a glance at the card.

“M-My phone?” (B)

She stared at him.

‘Right’

Pulling out his phone, Bright handed it to her.

“Do you need me to—” (Y)

Hero Yuki somehow unlocked the phone with a tap.

Bright stared, wide-eyed, then quickly masked his shock. A lingering suspicion had just been confirmed: since getting the phone, several basic features had been inaccessible. Simple app management, like installing or uninstalling, and privacy settings such as camera access were locked down. "Gone" wasn't quite the right term for it, but it might as well be. Every one of those small changes demanded a password. And while the phone was supposedly Bright's, that password certainly wasn't his.

None of Bright’s passwords worked.

‘Ugh, I need to get another phone’

The price of the latest and greatest phone was his ability to properly use it.

‘Goddamn control freaks’

“Did you read the letter?” (Y)

A question pulled Bright out of his simmering righteous fury. If the letter in question was the one he dumped in the trash, then the answer was a resounding no. Expecting a person to read such a thing after disappearing was unreasonable.

He shook his head slowly.

Still, admitting he'd thrown it in the trash wouldn't help his chances with the person whose favour he was seeking. Especially considering she might’ve been the one who wrote the thing.

Hero Yuki gazed down harshly at Bright.

He looked away.

He knew that gaze.

It was the ‘let me lecture you’ gaze.

‘Here we go again….’

Contrary to what Bright expected, though, he didn’t receive a verbal whipping.

“The card has a daily spending limit. 10 credits a day.” (Y)

He received much worse.

Hero Yuki locked eyes with Bright.

“You can’t spend 3,000 credits on it.” (Y)

“3,000 credits?” (S)

Hero Sun took the phone from Hero Yuki.

He soon let out an impressed whistle.

‘W-What are they gawking about?’

Bright shifted awkwardly in his seat. 3,000 credits wasn’t that much money to spend on food. In terms of value, credits had about a 1:1 ratio with the United States dollars of his last world. To a couple of billionaires, what was a mere 3,000 dollars? It was chump change at best to them. They shouldn’t be pale in the face like those who stepped up to pay for Bright.

“To think it was this bad?” (S)

Bright got up from his seat.

Walking over to Hero Sun, he tried to grab his phone back.

 “I-It’s not like I was buying that stuff for myself. And anyway, why do you care what I do with my money?” (B)

The card was alleged to be connected to his salary account.

It was his money to spend.

“We care very much as your legal guardians.” (S)

Hero Sun dropped the phone into his hands.

“Until you mature a little, 10 credits are all you’ll need.” (S)

“What!?” (B)

This couldn’t be real.

Bright turned and faced Hero Yuki.

“Terms of allowance can be discussed at a later date.” (Y)

Allowance… was this the allowance she was talking about!?

“I completely refuse!” (B)

“Not really up to you, kiddo.” (S)

In a flash, Bright found himself standing in the elevator.

His school bag in hand.

“What the—?” (B)

“We won’t want you getting late now. See you this evening!” (S)

It took a few seconds for Bright to process his sudden movement.

A few seconds too long.

The door to the elevator shut, and it proceeded to start going down.

“Goddamn it!” (B)

Throwing his bag on the ground, Bright went and collapsed on the posh elevator couch.

How could a person be so fast?

No, ignoring that, how could a couple of billionaires be so cruel as not to throw a bone his way?

He was asking for chump change. A little so he could enjoy himself.

They were being so unreasonable!