<Bright>

 

 

Time?

6:30 a.m.

Place?

Hero Sun’s Guild.

Cuddled in bed, Bright tried once more to log into his bank account.

A futile effort.

The same message appeared again.

This account no longer exists. 

Bright stared at the screen with trembling hands.

The urge to scream was intense.

‘How…. How on Earth is this possible?’

Sitting up slowly so as not to awaken the beast beside him, Bright took stock of the situation.

As a minor and orphan, he couldn’t legally own a bank account. The account he has, or had, was held in the name of the government under the Central Bank. They served as a proxy for him to access his account as a unique, guaranteed trustee. Bright was the beneficiary in this arrangement, just like all minors and orphans who happen to partake in the hero course.

This means one thing.

If the account no longer exists, that means the government had revoked their trustee status. This could happen for a variety of reasons, but two main ones were usually the cause: gross misconduct or adoption. The former couldn’t be the cause, as Bright had a shining reputation, while the latter… just never happened, no matter what Bright tried.

‘Ha….’

Embarrassingly painful memories flashed.

Back before Bright awakened, his original plan for success was through a wealthy family who would spoil him rotten. In order to accomplish that goal, he tried to make himself as appealing as possible. Behaving adorably and cutely whenever a prospective couple came. With his appearance, it was a practically flawless plan…. Except for the fact it never worked. Couples would come in, be amazed by Bright, promise up and down they would adopt him, and then never deliver. The number of times Bright watched the same couples come in again and pick another kid was ridiculous.

They never looked him in the eyes.

It was quite humbling the first few times, but Bright quickly got over it.

In his last life, he hadn’t been too popular with prospective parents either.

By now he concluded it was some kind of personality problem.

At least this time, whenever he failed, the Director of the orphanage was kind enough to give him a small treat.

‘Wait, the Director!’

A convenient solution.

She would know what to do.

Swiping to his contacts, two names appeared.

Bright eyed the first one.

One tap and it would call the Director. A simple thing complicated by the fact he hadn’t spoken to her in like… sixish months?

“Ugh.” (B)

…Maybe it would be better to just visit the government centre?

“Arf!”

Bright’s eyebrow suddenly twitched.

So much for trying not to wake the sleeping beast.

A small puppy that resembled a white Swiss shepherd dog clambered onto his lap.

He picked it up.

If there was one thing he learnt yesterday, it was that this pup was crazy dangerous. Flight, super strength, super speed, enhanced senses, and laser eyes were all within its arsenal. Not to mention it could also understand spoken language.

Bright shook the pup.

“Who allowed you in my bed, huh?” (B)

“Arf! Arf!”

He frowned.

“Speak with your words!” (B)

A small back and forth ensued with Bright questioning the pup.

It lasted as long as it took him to come to his senses.

Every question had been answered in barking gibberish.

‘Well, this is a new low, isn’t it?’

Watching the puppy lick its nose, Bright decided to lower his arms.

Perhaps there were valid reasons to not adopt him?

Surveying the lavish room, he silently and quickly chided himself for such thinking. Nothing was wrong with him. It was the new environment to blame. All of these abrupt changes were messing with his head. Plus, people liked him a lot; heck, he even had his own fan club. There was no way something was wrong with him.

“Don’t you agree too, mutt?” (B)

The pup stared dumbly back at Bright.

Freeing itself from his grasp, it levitated just a little shy above his before plopping down.

A loud yawn sounded.

‘Dogs can yawn?’

In no mood to fight, Bright didn’t try stopping it resting on his head.

Doing so would only make a mess of his brand-new room. The condition the house was left in yesterday was proof enough. A fight was not worth it in the slightest.

Knock Knock.

Bright turned to the door.

The open door.

“Breakfast.” (Y)

“A-Ah, oh okay!” (B)

Scrambling to get up, Bright fell off the bed, his bedsheets twisting around him.

Hero Yuki stared.

The door closed shortly after.

‘W-Why is she even still here?!’

 

 

The food tasted familiar.

Munching on another piece of bacon, Bright couldn’t help but have the same thought.

He had definitely eaten something like this before.

As he reached for another piece of bacon, the weight of his head suddenly lightened.

The beacon was gone.

‘Goddamn dumb mutt!’

Trying not to outwardly freak in front of the two heroes, Bright gradually calmed himself.

That pup was a real pest.

The whole of yesterday had been wasted fighting it.

A lot of furniture got singed, burnt or plainly destroyed. Undoing all the hard work Bright put in to spruce up the place.

‘Wait a minute….’

Bright looked around.

How did he not notice before?

The house was completely… clean?

‘What a relief!’

He must’ve been so out of it to not remember cleaning again.

After finishing their meal in total, comfortable silence, a sharp demand was made of Bright.

“Give me your phone.” (Y)

‘My phone?’

He hesitated.

What could they possibly need his phone for? Still though, he gave it up. These people were going to pay him a fat salary as soon as he got his account fixed. They basically owned him. He didn’t need to give them a reason to delay his salary.

Bright watched his phone in Hero Yuki’s hands.

She studied it briefly before pulling out another phone from her pocket. Unlike Bright’s garbage standard-issue phone from the government, the new phone she held was superb. Golden, gleaming and accented with red. She tapped the new phone against his shoddy old one before setting it down.

An odd premonition took Bright.

He watched Hero Yuki study his phone once more before….

CRUNCH.

“Gah!” (B)

In one swift hand movement, his phone was crushed beyond repair.

“W-Why?!” (B)

“Security.” (Y)

The phone, now a ball of parts, bore a strong resemblance to an unholy meatball.

“Use this.” (Y)

The brand-new phone was pushed to Bright.

He quickly forgot his anger.

 “Understood!” (B)

A hero shouldn’t be hung up on such things.

This was merely one of the many work benefits to be expected when working for the top hero.

Cooing at the new phone, Bright quickly switched it on.

The loss of information was regrettable but not devastating. Besides the two contacts and a few photos, he didn’t have much on there. Maybe a few apps, but those could be downloaded again later. At the end of the day, he was a laptop kind of dude. Anything truly important would be stored there.

A wallpaper Bright was well acquainted with popped up on the lock screen.

‘Ah!’

She had transferred the data with the tap.

Keying in the password, he greedily explored the phone.

It was notably faster than his old one.

After swiping through for a couple of seconds, something immediately became apparent. Most, if not all, of the apps Bright used to entertain himself were missing. From SuperbSportBet to CasinoGusher were gone. It would be a bit of a hassle but he would have to reinstall them later. A small price to pay for a decent phone.

“Inform me if you find anything you don’t understand.” (Y)

‘Cycle Bank?’             

A new, lone app stood out.

The name it carried was of the largest bank.

Tap.

It required finger biometrics.

Bright handed the phone to Hero Yuki. He couldn’t open it.

“You will use this to transact.” (Y)

Receiving the phone back, Bright’s face lit up.

Was this what he thought it was?

Hiding his grin with a cough, he candidly asked,

“A salary account?” (B)

As the name suggested, it was an account one would use to receive their salary. Typically, it would be opened by the employee, but considering who opened the account, it was no surprise the rules bent for them. They owned majority shares of Cycle Bank after all.

Hero Yuki paused before answering.

“Sure.” (Y)

“Alright, alright. Enough that.” (S)

‘Wait, no! We were getting to the good part!’

Bright still needed to ask about the salary promised yesterday!

Hero Sun, who had been staring, eyes closed, at the window, finally spoke.

“Let’s get to your work for today.” (S)

‘Not this again!’

Bright immediately interjected.

“Sir, I mean, Hero Sir— ” (B)

“Hero is fine.” (S)

“Uhm, yes! I-I was meaning to request… for some more challenging work?” (B)

Hero Sun’s eyes lifted in what seemed like genuine surprise.

“More challenging work?” (S)

“Y-Yes!” (B)

His words came out slowly.

“To clarify, you want more challenging work?” (S)

“Sorry for troubling—” (B)

“Perfect! Let’s start right away.” (S)

Hero Sun’s smile was sharp, almost predatory, but undeniably pleased.

“Go get changed.” (S)

 

 

“What are you wearing?” (S)

Awkwardly pulling at the remains of his armour, Bright dodged the judgemental gazes.

The hide armour poking through where scales had once been didn’t look too pleasing.

Unfortunately, it was the best he had currently.

Bright didn’t exactly have the time to get this repaired. And, even if he had, this was the first time the armour had actually gotten damaged. If he wanted to repair them, he would likely either have to buy the scales or hunt for them. Unpleasing tasks all around.

“Don’t you have another pair?” (S)

“I… could go change?” (B)

Hero Sun let out an audible sigh before walking to Bright.

“Don’t move.” (S)

Feeling the towering presence near him, Bright instinctively closed his eyes.

“Relax. I’m not going to eat you.” (S)

Peeking through his eyes, a flash of light blinded Bright before he was able to understand what was happening.

“Done.” (S)

“Wow.” (B)

Looking down at his armour, Bright couldn’t help but be amazed. It was exactly the same whilst being completely reformed. The scales that only previously reflected light now hollowly emitted some of their own. Made up of what looked like tangible light, the signs of improvement were striking.

Bright touch it.

Warm.

“With that settled….” (S)

Hero Sun made eye contact with Hero Yuki. She melted into the shadows a moment later.

“Let’s go. Windows, open.” (S)

Bright gaped as the very solid, normal-looking windows vertically split apart like automatic doors.

A cold breeze blew in.

“Thunder, follow.” (S)

 Hero Sun turned to Bright.

“You can fly, right?” (S)

“Yes?” (B)

Hero Sun started laughing.

“Why did that sound like a question?” (S)

Okay, while technically true he could fly, Bright still had some hang-ups about it.

Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me.

“Still scared of heights, huh?” (S)

Bright frowned.

An aimless mutter caught his ears.

“I am not—!” (B)

Without much warning, Bright found himself in the embrace of Hero Sun.

Princess carry style.

‘W-What?!’

They were soon walking to the edge.

And then.

They were soon falling.

 

---

 

<The Reporter>

 

 

In an overcrowded stadium, a young boy, no older than fourteen, jumped out of a news van.

Excitement was plastered on his face.

A surprise press release had been issued by the top hero himself!

It didn’t take a genius to see what it was about.

“Relax a little, kid. I didn’t bring you here so you could play around.”

Despite saying this with a stoic face, Michelle, his sister mentor, was anxiously twisting and playing with her pen.

“Right!”

“Let’s head inside.” (M)

Even though they came as soon as they received the news, the whole place was already swarming with reporters. Gazing at the zealous crowd, it was hard to imagine making it to the front entrance.

His sister followed his gaze.

She then reached into her purse, pulled out two pieces of paper and waved them in front of him.

A rare smile grew on her face.

“Special access, kid. Connections are everything.” (M)

 

 

 

Standing at the front row of the stadium, one word consumed the boy’s mind.

Breathtaking.

Three people, or four, if counting the dog rested on the girl’s head, stood on the massive stage. Bathed in the glow of countless spotlights, the aura they each exuded felt amplified. The man, clad in golden armour, radiated warmth and charisma, his smile inviting. Beside him, the woman in dark hues emanated a cool, calculating aura, her gaze sharp and intense. Between them, a little girl with an innocent aura stood somewhat reserved, a fluffy, white dog sprawled lazily on her head.  

The energy in the crowd was barely contained.

As a fan of the upcoming hero who was sandwiched between the two powers, the boy could understand. Seeing the trio stand like that was confirmation to many. Upstart Bright was the child of the two heroes. A theory that once seemed outlandish was real. Looking now, it was hard to not see the resemblance. The red eyes from her father and light blonde hair from her mother.

Hero Sun started speaking.

And speak he did.

Forty minutes passed before he got to the meat of the matter.

“…. In short, I have gathered you all here today to introduce someone important to me.” (S)

It was not uncommon for hero parents to hide their kids. Partly for their own safety and partly for the family’s image, until the child awakened, they weren’t considered part of the family. Bringing someone into the family who had no powers was a great shame.

But.

Because of this, whenever a child was revealed, it became a big deal. Two years ago, when Bright had first started gaining popularity, she had been thought to be a first-gen awakener. The belief was promptly shattered when someone pointed out the obvious similarities. It was then questions started to be asked. Why hadn’t they claimed her? Why was she still operating alone out of an orphanage?

Many fans were outraged over this injustice.

In fact, now, the boy bet many were outraged at this late claiming.

Ultimately though, he didn’t care. With this claiming, his hero will get the support she deserves.

Her new armour was proof already.

“The upcoming Hero Bright, my now-adopted daughter.” (S)

'Wait, why does she look surprised?'