Villain Retirement

[...Join us, join the people who will save the world.]

"That's definitely him, that's definitely Riley!"

"No… can't be."

The two Hannahs were shocked to their very core, and yet the expressions that escaped their faces were completely different.

Nannah had an almost dreadful, but clearly excited look on her face — almost as if she was seeing a boyfriend who cheated on him coming back, but she still held this almost unfair and indiscriminate obsession for him and wanted him back.

Hannah… Hannah was just frightened, extremely sad, but at the same time, there was a happiness and longing in her face that the entire universe will never be able to replicate. There were tears, but Hannah quickly looked up and wiped them away so that Nannah wouldn't notice it.

But it was too obvious, and the only thing Nannah could really do was embrace her variant.

"It… it's not him," Hannah shook her head as she held Nannah's arm, "It's not him. It can't be."

"You and I both know that it is," Nannah also shook her head as she tightened her embrace, "It's him."

"Why… after all this time? Why would he even come back?" Hannah bit her lip, "Right… right when I've already made my peace. I just made my peace!"

"Let's stop, let's stop this and see him, okay?"

"No!" Hannah scoffed; her saliva almost spraying along with her words, "My brother is dead, he has been for 600 years. Whoever… whoever that is, he's not my brother. And… and if he is, then he should have come and find me first."

"Do… you really think he would have?" Nannah shook her head, "I've only known him for a blink of an eye, and yet I know he's probably thinking he doesn't deserve to find you. But it's different now, Hannah. We've… done things, and our fire has never been stronger. You can face your brother."

"I don't want to fucking face him! Why can't you understand that!?" Hannah released herself from Nannah's embrace, "I am done being trapped by my feelings for him!"

"So why do you still call him your brother…?" Nannah looked Hannah in the eyes, "Look at me and tell me you don't miss him. If you don't, then I'll never speak of this again. But if you do… we can be there before their day ends."

"I…" Hannah returned Nannah's stare,

"I…"

***

"...Our first lesson is a practical?"

Several more days have passed and the Hero Academy and Association was now open to the public. And by open to the public, it truly meant that — anyone could come in like it was some sort of mall and just watch the students take their lessons.

And right now, once again, all of those who were able to enter the Academy were once again standing on the field, all 500 of them. Compared to Mega Academy, this number was almost nothing.

"Aren't we going to learn the values of a superhero? I think it is unfair that only humans are aware of it."

"You do not learn the values, my man — you either just have it or you don't."

"Well, that's not entirely true…"

"...I thought they failed you?"

A group of students quickly turned their heads as they heard a voice they did not expect to hear in their very first class — Gary Gray.

"No, I passed," Gary let out a small but very deep sigh as he looked at his classmates, "Oh man, this really takes me back to the time before the Blink, no… during the time even before that. It was also like this, you know…and I even managed to become a Mega Student."

"Mega Student…? Who came up with that lame-ass name?"

"Don't disrespect it," Gary shook his head, "It might sound silly, but it held much significance. It made us strived to be better."

"Then… do you think they are going to do something similar to that?"

"Who knows," Gary shrugged before turning to look at the people watching them on the bleachers at the side of the field before focusing on Riley and the others who were standing on the stage in front of all of them,

"But I have a feeling this will be crazier just by looking at the Principal… Zero, was it?"

[I will just assume that everyone is here,] Riley was still holding a microphone as he stepped forward; behind him on the stage were Esme, Silvie, Miss Pepondosovich, and Katrina — with Liza left to manage the restaurant as she was pregnant. And while the ladies were wearing their superhero outfits, Riley was wearing a tracksuit that was probably double his size from how loose and baggy it was,

[And to everyone who is watching the very first lesson of the students of Hero Academy, I welcome you — all of you should be proud to witness the birth of hope.]

"Oh…" The audience all looked at each other as they started clapping quietly. In truth, most of them just had nothing better to do — they weren't actually curious about the Hero Academy — after all, most of the humans had forgotten how truly glorious was the Age of Heroes, while the other races absolutely had no idea what it was.

The concept of Heroes and Villains was completely foreign to them, there was just the law and the terrorists. Most of them actually find it ridiculous that something like this even existed.

They were just here to relieve their boredom.

[We have 8 hours until the sun sets,] Riley then turned to look at his shadow before focusing on the new students,

[And in the duration of that time, all of you will be doing one thing, and one thing only.]

"...What?" The students all looked at each other. None of them really expressed their disappointment just yet, however, as they just waited for the instructions. Since it's their first day, their activity just probably had to do something with getting to know each other.

[All of you are aware of who the beautiful ladies are standing behind me,] Riley gestured to Silvie and the others, [You have peeked at what they are capable of and fought them, and you know the standard you need to strive toward in order for the people to see you as their hope…

…and now, all of you must learn what hopelessness means.]

And as soon as Riley said that, his feet very slowly left the ground; his wide smile that very slowly crawled on his face, reaching from ear to ear,

[For 8 hours…] Riley then let go of the microphone, letting it just float to his side as he stretched his arms to the side,

[...All of you need to work together to survive me.]

"...What?" The students once again looked at each other in confusion. There were half a thousand of them there, and they just needed to survive their Principal? "Isn't the first lesson too easy?"

Most of the students were already starting to relax after they heard their first lesson. There were some, however, who were completely frozen; their feet, planted on the bed of grass as they just stared at Riley's floating silhouette.

The tigerlady, Ambrucx, was one of them. She already had an inkling that their principal was not a normal person at all — after all, throughout her observation, Miss Pepondosovich was following him, and beastmen usually only follow those who are stronger than them…

…and now that she was staring at Riley, she found herself unable to look away even if she sorely wanted to; her breaths, almost locked inside her lungs as her instincts were telling her to just lay down in surrender.

[For these 8 hours…] Riley spoke, and even without the microphone, his voice resounded throughout the entire field,

[...Pray that the ladies behind me don't get tired of trying to stop me if I lose control.]

"W—"

And as soon as Riley said that, he disappeared from his spot; only to appear right beside Ambrucx; his hand, already grabbing the face of the person beside her. And without even any hesitation, he swung that person like a club and hit Ambrucx right in the stomach.

Ambrucx was shocked, but she still did not forget the goal of the first lesson; work together to survive their Principal.

And so, even with the pain, as her fellow student was slammed onto her, Ambrucx still tried her best to catch her classmate with her body so that he wouldn't be eliminated as soon as the lesson started.

"Impressive," Riley whispered as his face was now suddenly right in front of Ambrucx's face. And with a breath, his eyes suddenly glowed red.

"!!!" Ambrucx immediately bent her upper body back, completely avoiding the violent red beam that blasted from Riley's eyes. Those behind her, however, were not so lucky as they found their limbs completely torn off from the rest of their bodies.

"What…" And as they stare at their missing limbs and mangled flesh…

…they realized they were actually truly in danger.