For Whom Is the Hero?
The Hero Association sent Solar and Sunray to investigate. But Black Cell turned the entire visit into a full-blown external event, summoning a swarm of reporters. With cameras constantly trained on us, the hero and her sidekick couldn’t make any real moves. After that, we greeted the pair in the most ordinary way possible, and the event looked ready to end without a hitch. Still, this was a corporate tour by a top-tier hero prospect. In other words, it drew an enormous amount of attention.
And there were people who desperately needed that spotlight.
KWAAAAAANG!!
“W-what is this?!”
“What’s going on?”
“...Please wait a moment.”
A sudden explosion rang out somewhere, throwing everyone into confusion. But a call immediately came through to the security officer.
Mutants appearing to be villains are currently launching indiscriminate attacks at the main gate.
“Have any of the agents been injured?”
The guards stationed at the main gate were injured while responding.
At least they weren’t spraying bullets everywhere. I relayed the information to Solar and Sunray right away. The two women flashed bright smiles and thrust their thumbs up.
“Leave this to us!”
“My sister and I will clean up here, so everyone please evacuate to safety immediately!”
Even facing a villain attack, they behaved as if retreat wasn’t an option. Unfortunately, I had to follow them.
“Mr. Maxwell is coming too?!”
“Ah, no… why…”
“How could the person in charge of this event hide in the back? Besides, there’s no need to worry about me.”
Clack. Clack.
The Black Cell special agents who had been waiting nearby appeared. Solar and Sunray blinked at the sight of the reliable bodyguards.
“Black Cell won’t be shaken by something of this level.”
That’s what I said, but in truth this raid had been arranged by our Director.
The simplest, most powerful media strategy is to bury one issue under a bigger one. The villains weren’t carrying guns, and the reason the special agents appeared so quickly was because every part of this had been planned. I had no idea how the Director had mobilized the villains, but when I mentioned going along with the bodyguards, the hero and sidekick reluctantly agreed—after issuing plenty of warnings.
“Mr. Maxwell, please stay strictly in the back and do not step forward under any circumstances.”
“Even with bodyguards present, you could still get caught in my sister’s ability, so be extremely careful!!”
“I’ll keep it in mind. I’ll guide you by the shortest route.”
The reporters who had overheard our conversation quickly evacuated into the company building. I led the hero and sidekick toward the main gate.
The condition of the gate when we arrived was horrific. The counter and all the glass windows had been smashed to pieces, and creatures that threatened civilian lives were rampaging.
“S-save us!!!”
“Kyaaaaaaaak!”
“I’ll teach you what despair really is!”
“It’s time to prove how powerless this city is!”
“Watch closely! Today’s main characters are us!”
The villains acted as if their atrocities were something to brag about. Their appearances, however, were distinctly unusual. And I don’t mean their masks or costumes.
The Director mobilized the mutants.
Even Liberty and Victory—who only had cute animal ears and tails like wolves or rabbits—faced discrimination and persecution. So what about insect, reptile, and amphibian mutants whose very sight could trigger instinctive revulsion? Especially those whose eyes mimicked insect compound structures or whose faces were half-transformed into frogs. Their looks could only be described as monstrous. At that moment, I could almost understand why they hated the world so deeply.
“Sunray!!”
“Sis!! This side’s ready!”
“Then I’m counting on you!!”
Flames erupted from Solar’s body as she shot forward. At the same time Sunray dashed ahead and clapped, the flames bursting from Solar scattered like shotgun pellets. Amazingly, the small fireballs only targeted the villains. Solar struck the mutant holding a civilian and rescued the person.
Soon flames surged across the entire main gate area, yet the fallen civilians remained completely untouched by the fire in a truly mysterious way.
“As expected of Solar and Sunray.”
“That’s why they’re top prospects.”
“Mr. Maxwell, here. This contains their information.”
I accepted the tablet from one of the guards and checked the data immediately.
Just from the data it was obvious the pair formed a perfect combination. Thanks to Sunray’s flame manipulation, Solar could unleash her powers without restraint while also enhancing her physical abilities. She was the ideal hero.
While the heroes kept the villains occupied, my guards and I rescued the fallen employees and citizens. The mutants were no pushovers, of course. They were fundamentally stronger than humans, so even after taking direct hits from Solar’s reinforced martial arts and fireballs they could still move. Their bodies could casually shatter concrete walls or thick timber.
Yet they could only fall into despair. The six-armed insect mutant swung weapons from every limb, but Solar didn’t even bother defending.
Fwoooooooosh!!!
“W-what the—?!”
“Fire can’t have a physical shape!!”
Unless her weak point was targeted, physical attacks simply didn’t work on her. In that near-invincible state, Solar received the awe and trust of the surrounding citizens. In contrast, the frenzied mutants screamed in agony.
“W-why!! Why only you people!!!”
“We’re living such miserable lives!!!”
“Die!! Just die already!!!”
At the villains’ despair-filled shrieks, Sunray’s expression turned bitter. Heroes knew the circumstances of unpopular mutants well, so Solar appeared to be moving with the intent to subdue rather than kill. Still, burns were the most agonizing injury any living creature could suffer.
Fwoooooooosh!!!
“GYAAAAAAAAAAH!!”
“UWAAAAAAAAAAH!!”
“Huuuugh! Haaaaaaaagh!!”
The villains engulfed by Solar’s precisely controlled flames writhed on the ground in torment. Eventually every last one of them collapsed. The leader who seemed to have orchestrated the attack was captured by Solar. In a final burst of defiance he roared,
“We will return!! When your happiness reaches its peak!! We will definitely come back to drag it down into the abyss!!”
The one who had committed the crime of simply being born was knocked unconscious by Solar’s flaming fist.
Thanks to Solar and Sunray’s spectacular performance, the event Black Cell had prepared ended successfully. The moment the situation was resolved, special police forces poured in to restrain and haul away the villains. They weren’t named villains, but thanks to the guards at the gate there were no fatalities—though several citizens had sustained serious injuries. Solar even used the Rapid Treatment Drug she had received from Black Cell as a gift on those critically wounded people.
“Miss Solar, are you sure that’s all right?”
“How could I call myself a hero if I can’t save the person right in front of me? This is only natural.”
“Hehe, that’s our big sister for you.”
They acted without the slightest hesitation, and Sunray didn’t bat an eye at using medicine worth hundreds of millions per dose. It was clear why they were called heroes.
Once the situation had calmed somewhat, I made a new announcement.
“Black Cell will cover all medical expenses for those injured today. And… please accept this again.”
When I replenished the Rapid Treatment Drug Solar had used, the two women were deeply moved.
“Sniff… To think there are people who criticize such a wonderful company for no reason…”
“Those cyber wreckers really were the scum of society!!!”
“Hahaha, we’re truly grateful that you view our Black Cell so favorably.”
While I was speaking with them, the reporters who had taken shelter came back outside and began their interviews. Solar and Sunray naturally drew an overwhelming spotlight. Seeing the bought reporters rushing toward me made my head throb.
And so the chaotic corporate hero visit ended successfully. Black Cell safely distanced itself from the truth. Solar and Sunray gained a touching story about using medicine worth billions without hesitation to save citizens. The villains who caused the disturbance were arrested. Everyone reached a happy ending, and the Director was extremely pleased as he read the internet articles.
Black Cell Was Truly Wronged.
Malicious Rumors and Fake News—Is This Acceptable?
People Who Profit by Selling Hate.
Sued Cyber Wrecker’s Past Exposed, Prison Sentence Handed Down.
“The bought reporters are writing excellent articles. The public’s reaction is also very positive.”
“Pfft, just like you said—the public really are like pigs and dogs.”
The Director cackled and didn’t hold back on praising me. Then he dropped a completely unexpected offer.
“You’re saying you’ll let me command the bodyguards assigned this time?”
“Yep! What do you think?”
“I absolutely refuse.”
I frowned deeply and turned him down. Why else would they assign special agents if not to let the Director monitor me every single second?
“You’re trying to make me the public face of Black Cell, aren’t you?”
“Hmm… It’s a position everyone wants. I didn’t expect you to try kicking it away.”
“Then I’ll gladly yield it to those people.”
“I don’t like that idea.”
Even so, since I clearly hated it, the Director put the matter on hold.
“By the way, did the Hero Association try any behind-the-scenes moves this time?”
“No. Since our group was watching, they only did some light probing as expected.”
At the deeply disappointing news I sighed inwardly. Now that the report was finished, I was about to leave the office when—
“Maxwell.”
“Yes?”
“Aren’t you curious where those stupid mutants came from?”
“Curiosity killed the cat. It’s an excellent proverb.”
“Tsk, how boring. Still, you did very well this time. I’ll make the bonus generous.”
After leaving the Director’s office all the strength drained out of me, but there was still work left.
It ended earlier than expected, so I managed to arrive in time for Gloria’s dinner. Dragging my exhausted body into her detention room, I found her—unusually—getting up from the bed and walking toward me.
“Miss Gloria?”
“…It’s nothing.”
Was she checking whether I had visited Liberty and Victory? Lately Gloria had become an open book. When I brought the meal tray she stared straight at me and spoke.
“How were those two?”
“You mean the heroes. Honestly, they didn’t seem all that different from us.”
“That’s a little surprising.”
It hadn’t been long since Solar and Sunray became heroes, but the way they froze in front of the reporters showed they cared enormously about public opinion. Since even top prospects behaved that way, most heroes were probably the same.
I let out a sigh and continued.
“Miss Gloria, do you want to receive praise and applause from people?”
“No… I absolutely hate it.”
It was a brutally honest answer. It had gotten too late to visit Liberty and Victory today. I had told them the story, but I wondered how those two would react. Only tomorrow’s me would find out the answer.