Weeks passed since I stepped away from Yuki's group. He was one of the Top 3 heroes in the world, sure—but I knew better. Power like that isn't always public. Sometimes, the strongest people are the ones hiding in the shadows, unheard, unseen… overlooked.
Those are the ones I want to find.
Father supported my plan fully. After all, he knew better than anyone what I was capable of becoming. The first thing I did? I searched every academy across the country. Nothing. No one stood out—not the way I needed.
So I took things into my own hands.
I hacked into the systems of the Hero Agency and the Hero Association. It was a bit risky, but worth it. And that's when I found him.
Alex Azerola. No official records after he dropped out. No known current location. A ghost. But something about his file—raw power, behavioral notes, incident reports—stood out. He didn't just quit the academy. He vanished.
So I started where anyone would.His home.
To be discreet, I dressed as a nerdy teenage girl—big glasses, boring clothes. When I arrived, the place looked more like a junkyard than a house. Garbage littered the yard. Windows cracked. The air smelled of sour alcohol and damp wood. The whole place reminded me of the prison where I was once tortured. I hated it instantly.
I knocked. No answer.
I searched around the doorway and eventually found a rusty old doorbell hidden beneath a broken lamp. Weird place for it. I pressed it, and a cranky, wheezing chime echoed through the house.
From inside, a woman's voice screamed,"ALEX! OPEN THE DOOR!"Another voice shouted back, "JUST WAIT!"
The ground shook. I swear it felt like a small earthquake when something slammed inside.
The door creaked open slowly.
A boy, around my age, stood there—half-asleep, cracked glasses slipping down his nose, shirt wrinkled like he hadn't changed in days.
He looked me over, unimpressed.
"Why is a nerdy girl standing in front of my house?" he asked.
I clenched my jaw but kept cool.
"Hello, sir. I'm Hina. I have urgent business with you. Are you Alex Azerola?"
He blinked, shut the door in my face, then reappeared a moment later outside, pushing me away from the house and into the street.
"What do you want?" he muttered.
"I want you to join my team."
He burst out laughing—wild, unhinged laughter.
"You're serious?" he finally said.
I raised my eyebrows twice. I was dead serious.
He scoffed. "Sorry, but I'm not teaming up with some loser with a dream."
He turned and walked away.
"I'll pay you good money."
He stopped.
Behind him, the door swung open. A woman—his mother—stood there with bloodshot eyes and a bottle in hand. She stared at him, her glare sharp as blades. Her expression screamed: Say yes, or else.
Alex looked back at me like he wanted to kill me, sighed, and grumbled,"Fine. I'll join your team."
Then his mother grabbed my arm, dragging me inside to "discuss business."
The inside of the house was worse. It looked like something out of a horror movie. I could smell liquor, rot, and something else I didn't want to identify. Two twin girls sat quietly in a corner, staring at me like I didn't belong.
"Who are they?" I asked.
"Just some useless kids," the mother spat, waving them off.
We sat. She didn't waste time.
"How much money are we talking?"
"I'm the daughter of a CEO connected to the Hero Academy," I replied smoothly. "We receive a cut of the funding. I can pay well."
Her eyes sparkled.
"A thousand dollars," I offered.
She almost jumped out of her seat.
But then I looked around again. Saw the twins. Remembered what she'd called them. Useless.
I changed the deal.
"Six hundred thousand dollars. In exchange for Alex—and your twin daughters."
Alex slammed the table.
"What are you going to do with us?" he growled.
His mother silenced him with a single glare."Go to your room."
He hesitated, then stormed off.
She leaned closer.
"I'll agree… if you raise it by a hundred thousand."
I smirked. "Deal."
We shook on it.
The Next Day – 10:00 a.m.
I returned, car idling outside their wreck of a home. She was already waiting, hand out for her prize. I handed her a check for $600,000, as promised.
Alex and the twins climbed into the back seat. As we drove off, he finally asked the question I knew was coming.
"Who are you really? Why'd you take my sisters?"
I kept my eyes on the road. "I'm going to use you for something greater. Be quiet."
He clicked his tongue, wrapping his arms around the girls protectively.
We arrived at a luxury apartment building. He blinked in confusion.
"This is where we're staying?"
I didn't answer. Just walked.
He followed me in silence. When we reached the apartment, I tossed him a set of keys.
"This place is yours. For you and your sisters."
He stood frozen.
"What… are you doing to us?"
I looked him in the eye, voice calm."You'll be part of a team. If you don't want to join… you'll go back to your mother."
I sent a location to his phone."Meet me here next week."
And then I left.