<Bright>

 

 

 

“At least give me the password to the TV!” (B)

Standing in front of the elevator door with his arms spread out, Bright eyed the pair before him.

The past week had been gruelling.

Going to school and then immediately coming back for training was an extremely exhausting experience. Learning a new technique, endurance training, school classes… the list of things he had to do was practically endless. Was it so crazy that he wanted to enjoy himself now? It was Saturday; the weekend was in full swing, for Gods sake! He expected some form of respite!

“I mean, come on! You already took my things! What am I supposed to do!?” (B)

His phone and laptop were still under parental control, rendering them essentially useless. Bright wouldn’t be able to watch, play or enjoy any of his usual hobbies. And now, the people who had left in such dire straits were planning to disappear for the entire day. Effectively cursing to boredom of the highest magnitude.

“It is upon great reflection that we have come to see your ‘things’ as harmful to your development. A young, aspiring hero shouldn’t be exposed to harmful media.” (S)

Hero Sun spoke in an infuriatingly sagely tone.

The type of tone he took to reporters.

It was so uncanny. The relaxed jokester Bright had come to know seemingly vanished overnight. For the last couple of days, Hero Sun had been acting like a competent fellow. It didn’t take a genius to piece why, considering the behaviour change occurred shortly after the “incident”. While Bright pretty much got off scot-free, others hadn’t been so fortunate.

“Not to mention. There’s plenty to do around the house!” (S)

A dark premonition struck.

Hero Sun reached into his pockets, pulled out a piece of paper, and flashed it in front of Bright.

“Those are just chores!” (B)

“Yes! And once you finish them….” (S)

Hero Sun gestured to Hero Yuki.

The shadows around her feet danced before lifting and depositing something in her hands.

“I have picked out a few educational books you can read. They are great fun.” (Y)

“Please… tell me this is a joke.” (B)

Honestly, who reads for fun? It’s up there with the top 10 things people pretended to enjoy. Like golfing, reading was supposed to be a performative art. Of all people, Bright knew this best. He was a master at pretending to care about the like. It was one of the fastest ways to move up the corporate chain. Brown-nosing will always be a viable strategy.

“…Why would this be a joke?” (Y)

The books, along with the list, were dropped off in Bright’s hands.

“We’ll be right back before you know it, kiddo.” (S)

Hero Yuki nodded as a familiar ding notified them of the elevator’s arrival.

Hero Sun petted Bright as he passed, and Hero Yuki… bent down and gave a quick hug.

The pair stepped inside the elevator and promptly left.

Blankly gazing at the books in hand, Bright read one cover.

The Gambler's Fallacy: A Statistical Deep Dive

He proceeded to let them plummet to the ground.

It was about time he went out to grab a new phone.

 

 

 

“Young Miss, would you please reconsider going back up?”

Pulling the cap on his head lower, Bright made sure the hoodie he was wearing covered any identifiable features of his. With his mask and glasses already in place, the carefully curated disguise should be enough to bypass everyone.

It was go time.

“Your parents have requested that you remain at home today.”

…If only this soldier, the same lethargic soldier who always waited on him, would do as he was told.

‘Ugh’

There was no leaving this place without his help. The path to the main entrance of the guild was too complicated for him to have yet memorised. And, adding to the fact, Bright ironically wasn’t sure he had the security access to open most of the doors they passed.

“~I’m just going for a short walk, okay? “It’s no big deal.~” (B)

The hoodie Bright wore squirmed incessantly, nearly falling off as he began walking away from the elevator.

‘Not again!’

Reaching into his pockets, Bright pulled out cooked bacon bits and tossed them into his hoodie. As much as he wished, he couldn’t leave the pup behind. Perhaps due to its unsettlingly high intelligence, it seemed to understand Bright was supposed to stay with it in the house today. The second he tried to leave without it, it started zapping and biting him.

The soldier, who had witnessed the feeding display, replied in a tired voice.

“…It is a big deal.”

Bright stared.

“I’m going.” (B)

The statement, while sounding simple and direct, held a certain connotation.

At the end of the day, this soldier had no real power to stop him. If he really, really wanted to leave, Bright would merely push past them. It was one of the many benefits of being a powerhouse. Unless Hero Sun or Yuki decided to intervene, an unlikely event considering they were off presumably fighting monsters or villains, Bright would breeze past.

Of course, without hurting them.

A silent understanding passed between the two.

“Let us accompany you, at least.”

“No convoy.” (B)

“…Sure.”

‘So stubborn!’

 

 

As the conspicuous military vehicle pulled up to the drop-off zone of the mall, Bright decided to address the two in the front.

In his wilfulness, he had overlooked something rather important.

“~Since this has been a little quick trip… I don’t think we need to report it, right?~” (B)

“Yep!” (L)

Luke was as reassuring as ever, while the lethargic soldier didn’t utter a word.

‘Crap’

Bright might’ve really messed up right now.

He sighed.

‘Ah, well’

There was no going back after this, but at least he would get to enjoy today.

Stepping outside of the vehicle, he refrained from asking for money from them. The lethargic soldier likely wouldn’t comply, while Luke wasn’t one to have so much cash on hand.

So, how was Bright going to pay for the phone?

For today, and today only, he was going to leverage not only his new family name, but also his popularity to succeed. There weren’t many who would be able to turn down Bright. The future of heroes as a whole and the “official” daughter of the two richest, most powerful and most influential heroes.

It was time to put this face to work.

…Discreetly, of course.

 

 

“Lily will be serving you today. Please don’t mind her; she’s new.”

What crap luck.

“H-Hello, there, Sir—Miss? What… What are you looking for today?” (L)

Bright was definitely being profiled. In this store, how come he was the only person assigned an attendant? With the dozen or so people walking in, none but him were stopped and given an attendant. The get-up he wore was backfiring in a particularly unique yet predictable way. There was a reason people were staring now and security searched him, and no, it wasn’t because of his beauty.

‘But why does it have to be her?!’

Bright was okay putting up with all the nonsense up until this point. Of all the people from school he could meet, it had to be the one who had dirt on him. This little plan of his to skimp out on payment relied on the workers waiving the cost on good will. Would they really waive the costs of someone who threatened their own?

‘Relax. This can still work’

Calming himself, Bright analysed the situation.

Unlike her boisterous friend, this girl was malleable. Timid to a fault. From the way she continued to treat him, it was clear she still held so much reverence for Bright. If he could leverage that, then coming to this specific shop might be a benefit.

“Uh, ahh. Miss, what are you looking for?” (L)

Bright pointed to his throat and shook his head.

The reveal could wait until they arrived at the cashier.

“Oh, sorry! I-I didn’t know— Ek!?” (L)

Grabbing her hand, Bright pointed to a nearby phone.

“W-Would you like a phone?” (L)

Bright nodded.

“Ehm, then… let me show our collection!” (L)

 

 

How much money would one need to build a store like this? Walking around, Bright couldn’t help but be amazed. The futuristic store was nothing like the planned-looking tech hubs of his past life. Filled to the brim with new technologies, it looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie. Virtual reality gaming pods lined one end of the room, while hyper-interactive displays took the other end. The deeper in you went, the more people bundled around, playing around with the various pieces on offer.

These gadget stores were more like hangout spots than actual stores.

Looks aside, this store also had everything. From the latest phones to the trendiest of laptops.

It was times like these that reminded Bright he really was in another world.

“A-And this is our highest-end model; its features still remain unparalleled compared to—” (L)

Ignoring all the fluffy, Bright grabbed her once again.

He nodded.

“…Are, are you sure? I still haven’t told you about all its amazing features…?” (L)

The voice came out a little deflated.

Honestly, it was quite cute.

Bright hadn’t been able to speak much to her on account of… losing that book.

Perhaps distance was making his heart grow a little fond of her? She was like a cute little sister, though pathetic.

“E-Excuse me, Miss. I…I think your hoodie is moving?” (L)

Pulling his hoodie tighter, Bright reached into his pockets. The insistence of this dog to come was really getting on his nerves. He was steadily losing track of the number of times he fed bacon bits to calm down.

‘…Empty’

Realising he had run out, Bright made a split-second decision.

Grabbing the girl’s hand while pulling down on his hoodie, he made a beeline to the cashier.

The temperament of the dog was not conducive to his interests of getting out unnoticed.

WOOF! WOOF!

They made it halfwaythere before the dog’s struggle began in earnest. Bright was forced to let go of the girl’s hand and focus on keeping the hoodie on. The misplaced noise was starting to attract the wrong kind of attention.

‘What’s that burning smell— Oh, hell no!’

Completely pulling back his hoodie, he grabbed the unruly mutt.

Holding it out with both hands, he gave it the stink eye.

It didn’t like that too much.

Without warning, the dog smashed into Bright’s face. Momentarily disorienting him, Bright failed to immediately pull the dog away from his face. This resulted in the dog scrambling around his face for a bit while he tried in vain to grab it. Eventually, the dog seemed to grow bored of this play and settled on Bright’s head as he was left gasping for air.

‘That’s it! I’m going to kill this stupid mutt!!’

Just as Bright was reaching up to grab the dog, a tiny voice called out.

“Bright?” (L)

Slowly, Bright’s hand reached up and touched his face.

No hood.

No mask.

No glasses.

His… His whole disguise was knocked off.

“Oh. My. Gods! It’s Hero Bright!!”

That one shout sealed his fate.

Dozens of eyes fell on him.

‘Goddamnit…’