Seven Heroes Redux

Genesis had a power with tremendous potential, but she had never used it maliciously. She hated creating weapons, so she avoided them as much as possible. She knew that Exwind also avoided killing people, so she trusted him to save her from difficult battles.

Genesis had disappeared without a trace the day before. Exwind was worried, but he knew that she would use the watch at some point. He just waited for this chance to find her again.

— I was worried about you, Genesis. Where have you been?

— I was spying on Ishikawa-san!

— Yuto? Did he do something wrong?

— That's what I want to find out! My master Wisedroid-sama asked me to perform this task!

— Wisedroid? What is he up to this time?

— I don't know! But if he asked, I'll do it! I'm his best creation, so I can't let him down!

Exwind approached the door and grabbed the handle, saying goodbye:

— Genesis, you did the right thing. Thank you for calling me, I'm glad you're okay. If you need me, just call me with your watch!

— Oh, okay! Bye bye!

Genesis returned to Yuto's house. Concerned, he asked:

— Genesis, your trip took longer than I expected. Did something happen?

Genesis forced a smile. She didn't want to worry him, so she said:

— Sorry, Ishikawa-san, I couldn't complete the mission you gave me. I lost my shopping bag when I ran into some troublemakers.

— That's the least of it, those groceries were worth nothing compared to your life! Did you get hurt?

Genesis was surprised. He seemed to care about her, even though they had only met that day. She replied,

— N-No… I called Exwind to help me, so everything went well…

— Exwind? If the battle had been on his level, you would have been badly injured. You could have called me, I would have defeated them.

Genesis felt more comfortable. Not even her master had shown her such affection. Exwind was the first person to care so much about her. But he had known her for years, and Yuto for less than a day.

She chuckled, saying:

— I knew you could be trusted, Ishikawa-san.

— You can call me Yuto. I'm your friend, right?

— Are you sure? Thank you, Yuto!

The next morning, Yuto woke up to an incessant ringing. He thought it was Genesis again, but she was sleeping in his house. He went to the door, irritated again. He opened it and got a surprise: it was Ria.

— Ria? What are you doing here?

Ria entered his house, ignoring his question.

— What are you doing, Ria? You should ask permission before entering other people's homes.

— Is there anyone else here?

— You ignored what I just said. Haji and Genesis are sleeping in their rooms.

— Genesis? What is she doing here?

— Do you know her?

— She used to visit Exwind when she was a maid of the association. Why is she here?

— I'm not sure either. She said she's watching me because of her master.

— Wisedroid? I came here just to discuss that. Come with me.

Ria pulled Yuto's arm and led him out of the house.

— Where are you taking me?

— Just shut up and follow my lead.

Yuto was forcibly pulled into a building far from where his house was, but inside the city. Ria pressed him against the wall, saying:

— You know I don't trust you.

— Y-Yes…

— But we both want to take down the association. You'd have to start by killing all the level 7's.

— Wait, me? What are you going to do?

— I'll help you. Wisedroid, he is our first target. I cannot kill him without your help, nor you without mine.

— How about we discuss this in a more appropriate place?

Ria and Yuto went to a bar inside that building to talk. They sat on the stools, but only ordered water. Yuto started the conversation:

— What's the drill?

— I can't tell you all the details, because you'd ruin it.

— Really? I'm good at keeping secrets.

— This time, I'm not insulting you. Wisedroid's power predicts your thoughts. If you think about this conversation we're having right now at any time around him, he'll read your mind.

— So his power is to read minds?

— Not exactly, but that's part of it. He can predict everything that happens within a radius of more than 7 kilometers around him within 7 seconds.

— Damn, doesn't that make him invincible?

— Not really, he has a weakness. That's why we're so far away from him now, his power doesn't reach us here.

— So you want to use your carbine to shoot him from afar?

— You're smarter than I thought.

— So, what is my role?

— Just fight him with everything you've got.

— There'll be no city if we do that.

— No problem. The more you can distract him, the better.

— I don't think destruction is the best kind of distraction...

— It is the best kind of distraction. The city will be on full alert, so don't worry about killing civilians.

— I'll try to remember that.

— Do not. If you remember this conversation, the plan will fall apart.

— Easier said than done…

— You airhead is good at that.

Ria gave him a small punch on the head. She stood up, as if to leave. Without turning to Yuto, she gave another warning:

— Catherine, the Prime Minister of France; Elizabeth III, of England; Juma, of Kenya... You might meet one of them someday, so be careful.

Ria waved her hand, her back to Yuto. For someone who didn't trust him, she seemed to care more than she should, and Yuto liked that concern.

Yuto returned home. It was almost noon, Genesis and Haji were already awake.

He thought about Ria's plan. His role was only to distract the seventh hero, not to kill him. He didn't want to kill Genesis's master, nor take part in it. But he didn't know what his reaction would be when faced with the danger of death. He might really need to use everything he had.

But there was no point in thinking about that now. When Ria was ready for the plan, she would let him know. What he needed most right now was to relax. Getting nervous just before the decisive battle would raise suspicions, especially for someone who could read the future in anyone's mind.

— Genesis, Haji, what do you think about going to the mall?

Genesis immediately agreed, Haji was shocked.

— Since when do you like going out?

— I always liked it, I just didn't see any reason to do it. It's good for calming the mind.

Haji was suspicious. It wasn't like him to suggest a sudden outing, but she liked the idea.

They arrived at the main mall, the one closest to the center. It was huge, with 7 floors besides the ground floor. Genesis was interested in a clothing store and called the other two to go with her.

Since it was a women's clothing store, Genesis and Haji tried on a variety of different outfits. Haji only tried on cute outfits that suited her petite frame. Genesis, on the other hand, tried on the more revealing and daring ones to show off to Yuto.

Haji didn't like it:

— Wear something decent!

— Oh, why? I like this kind of clothes!

Genesis posed for Yuto, trying to get his attention. He pretended not to notice, but he was enjoying the view.

They ended up not buying anything. They kept walking, distracted. Suddenly, Genesis bumped into another distracted person. She was wearing ninja clothes and a mask that covered her nose and mouth, and had black hair tied back. It was Revon, one of the participants in the tournament.

Startled, the two jumped back. Revon asked:

— W-What do you want?! Are you going to mock me for losing all my dignity to that bitch?

— W-Wait, no! I was just distracted, sorry!

They both calmed down, realizing the misunderstanding. Yuto recognized her:

— You were in that semi-final, weren't you? Your partner was that scientist.

— Yes. It was a disgrace.

— Hey, you did great. Caliel cheated, that's why you lost.

— She didn't break any rules. I've accepted my failure.

Revon didn't seem to have accepted her defeat.

— Well, your performance was still impressive. I've never seen anyone as fast as you.

Kind of... level 6, at least.

— Thank you, but it's all thanks to my master. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must repent for my mistakes.

Yuto felt that his praise had no effect. Revon was too disappointed in herself to forgive herself.

The three continued walking through the mall until an extremely bright light hit their eyes. It was so bright that it blinded them for minutes.

They couldn't see, but they could hear everything around them. An emergency alarm sounded. All the doors and windows in the mall were sealed with reinforced metal. It was a level 7 alert.