It's 12.26. I'm standing at the train station waiting for Shota's train to arrive. The bullet trains are always one time. The worst delay that ever happened was about 20 seconds. I'm sitting on a bench, wearing my hero costume. A lot of people around me recognize me and my classmates from the UA sports festivals we've attended.
12.29. Only one more minute, and the train will be here. I look at the train tracks and wait.
12.30. The train arrives on the dot, just like planned. I stand up and look for Shota. His hero costume is a lot more simple than mine, just a pair of black pants, a black shirt, a grey belt and a grey scarf. His hair almost always hangs down in his face.
12.32. I still haven't seen him. The people that left the train have all left. The only people still standing on the platform are me and the people waiting for the next train. Why isn't he here yet? Did he miss the train?
12.40. I call his phone. No answer. This is not like him. He's never late, and he never declines a call. What is going on?
12.45. The next train arrives. He's not on that one either. Should I catch the next train towards his area? My lunch break is almost over.
12.56. A large screen on the wall shows a news report. They news anchor is talking about some car accident that happened somewhere in Hiroshima. But then the screen suddenly changes. A reporter is standing in front of the camera. There's fire in the background.
"A villain has just striked in Nagoya..."
Nagoya. That's the city I am in. But nothing is happening here...
Shota. He's in danger.
I stand up and runs to the other side of the train track. I just manage to catch the train going in the opposite direction. I got my provisional hero license last year, so I am allowed to take action, even if I'm not a real hero yet. I only have to go two stations, and it takes about three minutes. Once I arrive, I rush out and look around. I can see the villain from here. It's a large, dark haired man with something that looks like knives for hands. Pro heroes are surrounding him, but no one can touch him. I walk closer and push my glasses higher up on my nose. No, his entire skin is sharp like a knife, not just his hands. Bodies are lying around him. I don't know if they're alive or dead, but they all have cuts all over their bodies. Some might bleed out soon if they can't get help soon. The heroes around me can't stop him. Their quirks won't work against him. Not even Endevour or Ectoplasm can get their hands on him. He'd just cut straight through them.
I don't care about the other victims, even if I should. I need to find Shota. I need to know if he's oka-
The villain turns around. He holds a body in his arms. The skin around the body is soft, and not sharp, so that he wouldn't harm them.
Shota.
He's got him. He's got him as a hostage, using him.
"I want all pro heroes and police gone, or I'll cut his throat!"
The villain is screaming. He knows who Shota is. He knows how powerful he is, and that the heroes wouldn't let him harm a child.
My fear changes to anger. The other heroes back off, but I step forward. He only told the pro heroes and the police to leave. I'm not a pro hero. Not yet.
