"Mom?"
Haruki's mother looked down at him.
"Yes Haruki?"
The little boy stood in front of her with fists clenched with determination.
"I want to be a hero."
His mother smiled.
"Really?"
"I want to save people. Just like you."
She crouched down and put a hand on his head.
"Then I'll help you every step of the way."
Haruki grinned.
"Yay!"
The memory faded away
Haruki hit the ground.
His body rolled across the pavement before coming to a stop.
Pain.
That was all he could feel.
His vision blurred as a shadow loomed over him.
True North.
Haruki tried to push himself up.
He couldn't.
True North raised his fist.
"You're done."
Haruki squeezed his eyes shut.
Then-
CLANG!
Something slammed into him.
True North's fist stopped in mid-air.
An umbrella.
A completely ordinary-looking umbrella.
Haruki's eyes widened in surprise.
A girl's voice came from behind him.
"Well..."
The umbrella tilted slightly.
"That's not what I expected."
True North stepped back.
The girl holding the umbrella smiled.
"But who am I to complain?"
Haruki looked at her.
She looked completely out of place.
Everyone else was running away from the fight.
She was standing there holding an umbrella as if she had just walked out for a peaceful afternoon stroll.
She looked at True North.
Then at Haruki.
Then back at True North.
"Now," she said cheerfully, "hit him."
Haruki blinked.
"What?"
She looked at him.
"Hit him."
"I can't!"
She looked at him.
"You can't?"
"I mean-I've been trying!"
"Then use your powers!"
"I don't know how!"
Her smile vanished.
"...Oh."
For a moment she actually seemed disappointed.
Then she grabbed Haruki by the arm.
"Fine. We're leaving."
"Wait, what are you-"
The umbrella suddenly began to change.
It's handle stretched.
The fabric folded inward.
Metallic wings unfolded from its sides.
A strange blue glow appeared underneath it.
Haruki's eyes widened.
"Is that a-"
"Jetpack."
"THAT'S WAS AN UMBRELLA JUST NOW!"
"Not anymore."
The device blasted into the air.
"AAAAAAAAAAAH!"
Charlotte laughed as they shot between the buildings.
Haruki's cheeks flapped in the wind.
"WHHHHHAT IS HAAAAPPENING?!"
Charlotte shouted back.
"WHAAAAT ARE YOU SAAAYIIING?!"
"I SAIDDDDD WHATTTTT ISSSSSS HAPPENINGGGGGG!"
"I CAN'T HEARRRRRR YOUUUUU!"
"You're the one flying!"
"I KNOW!"
They accelerated.
Haruki looked at the city.
It was a blur.
"WE'RE GOING TOO FAST!"
"WHAT?"
"TOO FAST!"
"OH."
Charlotte looked at the controls.
"That's probably why."
"Probably?!"
She tried to slow down.
Nothing happened.
Charlotte's smile vanished.
"...That's bad."
"WHAT?"
"Nothing!"
The jetpack suddenly sputtered.
Charlotte lost concentration.
The jetpack spun sideways.
"Oh."
"Oh what?"
"Hold on."
Haruki grabbed her.
"Why?!"
The two of them plummeted towards an abandoned warehouse.
"CHARLOTTE!"
"I'm trying!"
BOOOOOOM!
The warehouse wall exploded inward.
Dust filled the room.
Silence.
A few seconds later Haruki's hand appeared from the rubble.
He slowly pulled himself free.
"Ouch..."
He looked around.
"Why did you do that?"
Charlotte climbed out behind him brushing dust from her clothes.
"I told you to use your powers!"
"I don't know how!"
"What kind of non-Variant guy are you ?"
Haruki froze.
He looked at her.
She looked at him.
Then her expression suddenly softened.
"Sorry."
Haruki said nothing.
Charlotte sighed.
"It's just... I thought you were like me."
Haruki raised an eyebrow.
"Like you?"
"Someone who knew what they were doing."
She looked at the wreckage around them.
"...Clearly, I was wrong."
Haruki almost smiled.
Then-
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Charlotte burst out laughing.
Haruki looked at her.
"What?"
"You should've seen your face!"
"You just crashed us into a warehouse!"
"And you looked terrified!"
"Because you crashed us into a warehouse!"
She laughed even harder.
Haruki shook his head.
"You're weird."
"Thank you."
"That wasn't a compliment."
"I accepted it as one."
She dusted herself off and held out her hand.
"Oh. I forgot to introduce myself."
Haruki looked at her hand.
"My name is Charlotte."
She gave him a dramatic little bow.
"But when things get serious..."
Her eyes sharpened.
"I go by Queen Alexandra's Bird Wing."
Haruki stared at her.
"...That's long."
"You can call me Queen Xandra."
"That's still long."
"Charlotte is fine."
"Thank you."
She smiled.
"And you?"
"Haruki."
She waited.
"Haruki Amakusa."
"Amakusa..."
She tilted her head.
"Interesting."
Haruki looked at her suspiciously.
"What?"
"Nothing.",she said.
He looked at the hole they'd just made in the warehouse.
Then back at her.
"So..."
Charlotte raised an eyebrow.
"Are you a hero?"
She paused.
"Not exactly."
"A villain?"
"Definitely not."
"Then what?"
Charlotte shrugged.
"Somewhere in between."
"An anti-hero?"
"Something like that."
Haruki nodded.
"Why did you save me?"
Charlotte looked surprised.
"You don't remember?"
"Remember what?"
She pointed at him.
"You saved me first."
Haruki frowned.
"I did?"
"You were the one who stopped me from falling."
Haruki's eyes widened.
"The girl from earlier..."
"Yep."
"But how did you get here so quickly?"
Charlotte smiled.
"Butterflies."
"That's not an answer."
"It is."
She snapped her fingers.
A small swarm of glowing butterflies appeared around her.
Haruki stepped backward.
"They're..."
"Part of my Variant."
The butterflies gathered together.
For a second they formed the shape of another Charlotte.
Haruki stared.
"You made a copy?"Exactly."
The copy waved.
"Hi."
Haruki pointed at it.
"That's creepy."
Charlotte laughed.
"My Variant is called Shapeshift Manipulation: Butterfly Series."
The duplicate dissolved into butterflies.
"I can manipulate the butterflies, change their forms, create copies, transform objects..."
She glanced at the destroyed umbrella.
"...and apparently turn umbrellas into supersonic jetpacks."
Haruki looked at the wreckage.
"I don't think the umbrella survived."
"Neither did my dignity."
Haruki laughed.
Charlotte smiled.
Then her expression changed.
"Now it's my turn."
She stepped closer.
"Are you a hero or a villain?"
Haruki hesitated.
"A hero."
Charlotte looked him up and down.
"With that?"
"I didn't choose the costume."
"Then who did?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean you don't know?"
Haruki rubbed the back of his neck.
"I clicked a link."
Charlotte stopped smiling.
"What link?"
Her voice had changed.
Haruki noticed.
"A strange one."
"What did it say?"
"Something like..."
He thought for a moment.
"'Wanna be a hero? Click here, I dunno'"
Charlotte's eyes widened.
"Who sent it?"
"Someone called Unknown Mask."
Charlotte went completely still.
Haruki noticed.
"You know him?"
Charlotte's voice lowered.
"He gave me my powers too."
Haruki stared at her.
"What?"
"He said he was part of something called..."
She paused.
"The System."
Haruki's stomach tightened.
"He told me the same thing."
Charlotte looked at him.
"He also said something about me becoming a villain."
Haruki's face changed.
"So that's why True North called me one."
"No."
Charlotte shook her head.
"He called you a villain because he saw your power."
"What does that mean?"
Charlotte looked at him.
"It means your Variant may have another form."
Haruki's expression went blank.
"Another form?"
"A villain form."
Haruki took a step back.
"No."
Charlotte nodded.
"That's what I'm thinking."
Haruki stared at his hands.
"But why me?"
Neither of them had an answer.
Then Haruki's nose twitched.
"Wait."
Charlotte looked at him.
"What?"
"Do you smell that?"
She sniffed the air.
"...Smoke?"
Haruki's eyes widened.
"Someone left cookies in the oven."
Charlotte stared at him.
"Cookies?"
"I can smell them."
"From where?"
Haruki pointed.
"Over there."
Charlotte looked toward the damaged section of the warehouse.
There was an old abandoned house connected to the building.
Smoke was pouring from one of its windows.
Charlotte's eyes widened.
She sees Haruki emitting some sort of explosive gas at his back.
"That's not cookies."
Haruki froze.
"Then what is it?"
BOOM!
The entire building erupted.
---
Haruki woke up in his bed.
He shot upright.
His breathing was heavy.
For several seconds he simply stared at the ceiling.
The room was quiet.
Too quiet.
He looked around.
His father was asleep nearby.
Haruki slowly climbed out of bed.
He walked towards the window.
Outside emergency vehicles rushed through the streets.
A television in the living room was still on.
A reporter was speaking over footage of a destroyed house.
"Authorities are currently investigating an explosion that occurred late last night. Witnesses report seeing unusual activity around the area shortly before the incident..."
Haruki stared at the screen.
His heart began racing.
Charlotte.
Was she real?
The fight.
The butterflies.
Unknown Mask.
The explosion.
His head hurt.
"Maybe it was a dream."
Then-
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
Haruki froze.
Another knock.
Harder.
BANG. BANG. BANG.
Someone was at the door.
Haruki slowly turned toward it.
His father didn't wake.
Another knock.
Haruki swallowed.
"Charlotte?"
Silence.
He took one step toward the door.
Then another.
His hand reached for the handle.
Whoever was outside knocked again.
Haruki stopped.
Maybe Charlotte had been real after all.
Or maybe...
Whatever had happened last night had followed him home.