Seven Heroes Redux

— Did I pass the test?

Ria was still not convinced:

— I'm not going to work with someone I just met.

— Oh, come on, Ria. You have to stop this habit of distrusting everyone.

— I trust you, Tetsushi.

— I know, but I shouldn't be the only one.

Ria's cell phone received a notification. She picked it up and saw that it was an urgent mission

On the opposite side of the street from the alley, a person was watching Tatsuya's double murder. She was on the first floor of a building, looking out the window of a dark, dimly lit room.

Only sunlight entered the room, but a curtain covered most of the window. The room smelled of an aphrodisiac. A woman stood, peering through the crack in the curtain.

She was blonde and had her hair tied back. She was a middle-aged woman with bags under her eyes. She wore a typical white spa towel and smoked a pipe. Her eyes lit up after a long time.

— I finally found the man of my dreams!

The woman picked up her phone from the table behind her. She opened the guild app and requested an urgent mission. It specified that the mission would require one hero from each level from 1 to 5, and three from 6, but none from 7.

Tatsuya walked straight into the alley. He came to a back door of one of the buildings there. It was an abandoned building, and it was located in the center of the block. Its only access was through the alleys that led to it.

He entered, expecting to find no one. The ground floor had a large staircase in the center, which led to the first floor. He was about to go up, when a shout could be heard:

— Hey, I've never seen you here! Did you come to buy something?

— Depends. What kind of stuff do you sell?

— How did you get here without knowing what this place was? You must have passed my men in the alley.

— Oh, those men? They didn't tell me anything about this place. Just tell me what you sell.

— Okay, whatever, money is money. We have children, slaves, drugs, weapons, everything you can't find anywhere else, at the best prices! If you call the police, you're dead. Got it?

— Relax, I won't need them.

Tatsuya looked at the person who was speaking. He was a fat, muscular, bald, black man. He wore an expensive-looking sleeveless shirt. He was sitting on a throne just beyond the stairs leading to the first floor, like a king.

There were many other bandits surrounding him and scattered throughout the first floor, looking at Tatsuya who was on the ground floor. They had different appearances, such as mohawks, jackets, and bracelets, all of which were probably stolen.

— So what? If you're not going to buy or sell anything, get out! I know your type, you try to be a hero and die in the end. Not that that's a problem for us, we just take your money anyway.

Tatsuya didn't move, but somehow all the bandits except the leader were decapitated. Surprised and a little scared, his boss exclaimed:

— What did you do?! A-Actually, it's no big deal. They can't even compare to me, I'm much stronger.

— Seriously? Why don't you try punching me?

Tatsuya walked up the stairs and stood in front of the man, challenging him.

— Don't underestimate me, you midget! I'll wipe that damn smile off your face!

The leader didn't seem to have any power at all. He just used his brute strength to deliver the blow. He was much larger than Tatsuya, so a direct punch could knock him out instantly.

Surprisingly, the man's fist returned to his own face, piercing it through. That force, even reflected, would not be enough to pierce a head. But it happened for some reason.

Tatsuya stood there, staring at the leader's corpse. Then, he reached out to grab the phone from one of the dead thugs.

Ria accepted the urgent mission. She said goodbye to Exwind and Yuto and left the restaurant. She pointed one of her revolvers at the bottom of her head and fired.

One of her powers was Special Ammo. She could materialize six different types of bullets for both her revolvers and her carbine. Four of them were the famous elements. One of the other two was a thrusting bullet. It could push any person or object in the direction it was fired.

She was now in the sky. Aiming towards her destination, she shot herself in the back of the head. She arrived a few meters short of the alleyway, for safety. She began running through the crowd, trying to blend in.

She caught a glimpse of someone peculiar among the people. He had a murderous aura and wore a blue suit. She stopped and looked back, realizing that something or someone was familiar. But she didn't see anyone of interest.

As soon as she reached the corner of the building, she carefully aimed her revolver inside. Seeing several heroes waiting at the scene, she put away her gun. She was the last one to arrive, for some reason. She recognized someone among them.

— Kiseki? Were you also called for the urgent mission?

— R-Ria-san, are you here too? Sorry, I didn't notice…

— Why are you apologizing? And you didn't answer my question.

— Ah, sorry! Yes, I came running when I got the notification…

Ria looked at the people there and asked their level. There were only two people who caught her attention.

One was a level 5 red-haired boy. He wore a brown short-sleeved coat, a red t-shirt underneath, and yellow pants.

The other was a blonde woman with blue eyes who wore heavy silver armor, a shield, and a greatsword. She knelt down.

— My name is Katsudou Satome and I am level 6. It is a pleasure to meet you in person, Ria-sama.

— Why all this formality? We are on the same level.

— You are the strongest of our level, I am among the weakest.

— Being a level 6 is very impressive anyway. Don't think too little of yourself.

— Understood! Your will is my command!

— It was an advice, not an order...

Ria remembered why she was there.

— Where is the person who requested this mission? Did something happen here?

The level 5 guy answered:

— We entered the building through this alley, but some police officers broke in and told us to leave.

— The police? How come I don't know about this operation?

The level 4 of the group approached Ria.

She was a girl of about 15 years old. She had short, black and mint green hair, her eyes were also green. She wore a green t-shirt that didn't cover her belly, a black jacket and a black and green striped scarf. She asked:

— Do you want me to track where the signal came from? My power allows me to control any electronic device, so finding the cell phone that was used is easy.

— That would help a lot. What is your name?

— Shikano Reisa, but you can call me Disruptor.

Disruptor took out her cell phone and tracked where the mission signal had come from. She turned and pointed to the first floor of a building across the street from the alley. The curtain was closed, so they couldn't see if anyone was inside. Ria said:

— Thank you, Disruptor. Since that urgent call was obviously a scam, I'll have a little chat with the person who requested it.

Kiseki was shaking, more nervous than usual.

— W-Wait, Ria-san… I can go in your place…

— Why, Kiseki?

— Well, it's just… I want to help this person…

— Do you really want to help someone who played a trick on us all?

— Y-Yes... I feel like they did this for a reason, so I need to understand them.

Ria sighed, not liking the idea.

— Are you sure you can do it? There are people in this world who won't change even with the greatest kindness.

— I'm not sure, but I want to try.

— Then go ahead. I'll investigate this alley now.

— T-Thank you!

Kiseki entered the building where the scammer was. Disruptor accompanied her, to guide the most stealthy path. They climbed the stairs that led to the first floor.

— Kiseki, this is the room where the signal came from.

— Thank you, Disruptor.

— Are you sure you can do this?

— I will try my best.

Disruptor looked at Kiseki worriedly, but believed her words and left. Kiseki turned to the door and took a deep breath.

— It's up to me now... I can't go back.

Kiseki knocked gently on the door. No one answered.

— Excuse me... is there anyone in there? I just want to talk, if it's not too much trouble...

The door opened, but there was no one on the other side. She decided to enter:

— I-I'm coming in, if you don't mind.