Seven Heroes Redux

— Yu-chan, you can't use your power to knock down the target, that's cheating!

— A-Ah, so you noticed, hehe…

Wait, "Yu-chan"?! Since when do I have that nickname? We've just met!

You might be wondering: "What is happening? Who are you? Who are you talking to?". Or not. That cliche has always been too old, anyway. Now, in 2041, nobody talks about it unironically anymore.

Alright, first things first. My name is Yuto, Ishikawa Yuto. I have this weird, spiky hair that flows up and to the right for some reason. But I like it, so why bother? I usually wear this plain white shirt because I'm too lazy to pick out another one. I'm 13 now, but I'm already a level 7. "What is a level 7?", you may ask. In Tokyo, there is a huge hero association, called Shichi Nichi Ju.

Heroes are classified into seven levels. Level 7 is the strongest, with only seven heroes. Level 6 is the second strongest, with 49 heroes. Do you notice a pattern? Each hero is equivalent to 7 of the level below. Following this logic, the level 1 is made up of 823,543 heroes. I told you this corporation was influent, huh.

Most heroes have at least one power. I don't really know anyone who has more than one, though. Well, sort of, since most powers can be used in so many different ways that it feels like cheating.

The origin of the powers is still unclear, but I had to touch a little girl with green hair to get mine. Actually, she was the one who touched me. With her hand, okay? I had a dream the next night, with her in my house. The furniture started floating and voila! She said my power was Gravity.

You'd think this power would just slam something on the ground, right? Wrong. I can create or manipulate any gravity. By isolating most of the spherical volume, I can use it in a cylinder! This way, I can force movement in a specific direction and area, like a bullet. So, it's kind of a telepathy, but way stronger.

"Okay, the concept is interesting, I know, but what about the strength? Can you lift a building with your power?" Yes, I can. But I had to train a lot, to maximize my potential. Maybe because of my genetics, I reached level 7 in less than a year. My parents are normal people, but my sister? She's a miracle.

Maybe she gave me some of her genetics when... forget it, I'm just rambling!

Anyway, she's the strongest level 7, Phy, by hero name, or Kanata, while I'm the weakest. She's my big sis, the best one I could ask for. If I lost her, I would be as valuable as a summer ant.

But that can't happen, right? Her power is Supreme Physique. I don't think I have to explain it, the name makes it pretty obvious. It basically makes her immortal and invincible.

Aside from that, she's gorgeous, not gonna lie. Her messy dark red hair, usually tied in a ponytail, her red and green t-shirt... I don't know why, but I like her tomboyish personality. It makes her more of a bro. I'm not daydreaming, I just like having a beautiful girl protecting me, okay?

Even if I used my strongest attack, supreme gravity, I wouldn't cause her any damage. This attack consists of increasing a cylindrical volume's gravity thousands or even millions of time. Outcome? Everything inside gets crushed into nothing, leaving a hole. It can be as big as person, or as massive as a mountain. It just gets progressively more exhausting to use in larger scales.

Anyway, the girl I was just talking to is called Kazegami Kataki. She's the same age as me and a level 7. Her hair is black and long, her eyes red. She wears a very elegant black student uniform and a red skirt. She usually fights using two katanas, but she didn't bring them to the festival tonight, for obvious reasons. We're here to spend the night together, not to kill anyone.

But my sister... she makes it pretty difficult for us. She doesn't seem to like Kataki, I don't know why. Maybe she's just trying to protect me? I hope that's the case, but this girl wouldn't hurt a fly. Her power is Shadow, but she hates using it, because she sees it like a dangerous power.

But I'm glad I could make her feel better about her power. We were at her dojo, training and enjoying ourselves.

"Yuto, what nickname do you think would suit me? The association advised me to choose one, but I think you would know better."

"Hm… Oh, I forgot to ask, what is your power? I didn't pay attention when I saw your profile."

"Shadow. I'm not proud of my power. I wanted one that could help people, not kill them."

"You should be proud of your power! It defines who you are, so you should help people with what you have, not wish for another."

She smiled and thanked me. I'm the one who should be thanking you, Kataki.

"Hm… You fight using swords, and your power is of shadows. The nickname should combine the two… Shadow + Katana … Blade + Shadow… Shade + Blade… I got it! How about 'Slade'?"

She liked it. I went home, waiting for the festival day, which is happening now.

What Yuto didn't see, however, was that when he left, his sister was lurking in the shadows.

— Don't turn back. I don't know what you did to my brother, but I'll let it go this time. He needs friends, and he seems to regard you as one. But if you cross the friend line, I'll kill you.

She disappeared, leaving behind her ominous aura.

— Wait, did you just call me Yu-chan?!

— Of course! We've only known each other for a little while, but we're close enough for that, aren't we?

Oh my God, she's smiling at me! I want to hug you so badly right now!

— W-Well, if that's the case, from now on I'll call you Kataki-

— -chan! Kataki-chan!

— R-Right, Kataki-chan…

Despite all this rollercoaster of emotions, I finally get the teddy bear. It's brown, fluffy and cute, like every other teddy bear. I give it to Kataki, as a prize.

— Wait here, Yu-chan!

— Uh? O-Okay...

She runs to a nearby store and comes back with a red pen. She gives the bear to me.

— Uh? What is this, Kataki-chan? I thought you wanted the teddy bear for yourself...

I take a closer look at the cute bear. On it, it says in red:

"Yu-chan ♡"

I don't know when or how, but I walked into a random bathroom. Oh, now I remember.

WHHHAAAATTTTT?!?!?!?!

Okay, I'm better now. I'm going back to my friend. She giggles cutely.

— I wanted the bear to give it to you as a gift! This is my memory for you.

— I see.

No, I don't see it at all! What the heck just happened? Whatever, let's just skip this part, or I'll die of cringe.

What Yuto didn't know, once again, was that his sister, Kanata, came to give him a goodnight kiss on the forehead. He was sleeping, holding the bear tightly. She saw the bear and grabbed it possessively.

Who did this? Wait...

She thought about the girl Yuto was dating.

Before the strongest heroine, Kanata, realized it, she was already running towards the dojo. It was more than 10 kilometers away, but she got there in two seconds. A huge trail of nothing was left behind. Windows shattered, streets disappeared, and hundreds or even thousands of people died in the blink of an eye.

She slowed down before she arrived, so as not to kill her opponent before torturing her. Slade was practicing with his kendo sword, but was surprised. Kanata punched her in the cheek, holding herself back at the last second. The girl's jaw disintegrated. She went flying from one room to another, breaking the paper walls.

She fell face down and held her face, trying to register what had just happened. She vomited blood as she endured the pain. She tried to get up, but Kanata kicked her stomach several times, almost making her pass out. All of her ribs were broken.

— You're weak and you think you can steal my dear brother?! I wanted to kill you, but it would be bad for my reputation and my brother would hate me. I can't believe you guys have come this far in such a short time. Slag.

Satisfied, Phy spat on her and vanished.