???: “Ma’am! We received an updated report from Garfield!”

Ma’am: “Oh? Let’s hear it then.”

???: “Ahem: The initial attack was successful and the children were taken off guard and unprotected. But…”

Ma’am: “’But…’? What happened, next? If the plan was successful, then why is there no response from One’s team??”

???: “N-No… it- it started off successfully, but… a-according to our spies hidden within security, the official report states two villains have been captured, two escaped and two have gone missing! Fo-Following up on that report… they’ve all been ordered to report anything they know about the location of his missing personnel. I-It seems he’s shifting focus on them…”

Ma’am: “Hmph! That man will never find them. More important then that...what the hell kind of garbage report is this supposed to be?!”

???: “I… I am terribly sorry, ma’am. I’ll try harder from now on, I swear…”

Ma’am: “Ah no – no. Not YOUR report, I was referring to the security one. How could they be so incompetent?? Where are the details?! How many wounded..? How many DEAD?! Who caused so many problems for the Numbers Mercenary corps…? Which Hero dares to oppose me?! There wasn’t supposed to be a Hero stationed there! With so many questions to ask, they respond by releasing such a paltry few words?! Do they seriously expect the public to accept the school in such a state of affairs?!?!?!”

???: “I...I’m terribly, ma’am. I just don’t know. Ma-maybe...they are only trying to cover this thing up? If we think about how much trouble this is going to cause everyone affiliated with Hero High School...a-and furthermore...the ‘Realist Faction’ be-b-benefits greatly from this ‘terrorist attack’, which i-is why I be-believe the security head might be willing to cover this whole incident up… probably...”

Ma’am: “...Doubtful… if they wish to cover this whole incident up they’d do a much cleaner job at it. So many unanswered questions are left open in the air, and by releasing an official report on this attack by ‘villains’ they openly admit to being invaded...just what is that creepy Byle plotting? Hmm…”

???: “Wh- Ma’am? What should I do? Should I investigate security one more time, or-”

Ma’am: “...Hm. I’m sorry, but what’s your name again?”

???: “It’s Sven, ma’am. And don’t be. You’re much too important to remember a mere nobody like me.”

Ma’am: “*Nods* Good character. I like it. While the others who I’ve already hired are preparing for tonight’s assault, I want you to pay Malraine a visit and ask him to come see me. I have a task that only he can afford to complete that involves visiting a ‘certain place’ in Villain Haven. He should be in the floor below us somewhere. Look for a man with Green hair; most likely styled into a ponytail. As for afterwards...just take the rest of today off. I’ll need you prepared for an immediate callback, though.”

Sven: “Y-Yes ma’am!”

…

Ma’am: “…‘Callback’, huh? Hehehe, at least that would be true if you aren’t killed by Malraine’s company first…”

.

.

.

Revenice City: Capital of Herotopia and location for Hero Society’s General Headquarters. Here, Mr. Abrams decides to pay somebody a special visit.

*Vwish!*

????: “Couldn’t you have knocked first…? I’m in the middle of--”

His words were cut off by the sight of two floating humans with strange magic flowing around them. They were the brainwashed Billbert and Raftia. He already considered checking their memories, but chose to ignore it for now. If they happen to die like One suggested would happen to him, because the mastermind behind this terrorist assault took as many precautions as his new chat budd-er. I-I mean...*Cough* the mysterious agent codenamed ‘Zero’, then Mr. Abrams will have caused valuable data to disappear. Not only that, but he’d also feel responsible for the deaths of two innocent civilians that just so happened to fall under somebody’s control.

???: “...What’s with the floating bodies – and WHY did you bring them here?! This is Hero Society’s HEADQUARTERS for crying out loud! It isn’t some place to dump bodies! Give them a proper burial instead of turning them into your magical test subjects! Sheesh, I always knew you were weird.”

Mr. Abrams: “Wave, I’m leaving these two with you. Tonight my schedule’s a bit preoccupied.” Thank you for understanding.”

Wave: “Aaah, stop calling me that! My name is-”

Mr. Abrams: “Oh, right. By the way, Wave. Do you know where Hope or Captain Lumastar have gone? I can’t sense either of their presences, which is unnatural…”

Wave: “Nope. I also find it strange. Both the Number 1 and 2 heroes are away from Earth. If we get attacked now, we’re screwed.”

Mr. Abrams: “...Don’t act so cynical. You already know about the contingencies. Left in place. Haah. Fine. If they aren’t around then where’s that old man Alebard?”

Wave: “*Points upward* He’s upstairs, signing papers as usual. If you don’t have an appointment then he won’t see you; unless it’s an emergency you’re involved in. *Glances* Why are you here anyway? You never come. Is it just to hide your research specimens? That’s a foul tast you’ve got there, you villain.”

Mr. Abrams: “No. And they aren’t my research ‘specimens’ they’re innocent staff that’ve been brainwashed. I’ll leave them here with you. *Drops bodies*”

Wave: “Wha- I NEVER said that I’ll-”

Mr. Abrams: “Hmph! Surely the 8th Ranked strongest Hero according to Herotopia’s Superhero rankings wouldn’t dare abandon innocent civilians right? Of course she wouldn’t...hehe.”

Wave: “...That’s dirty, Abrams! I wasn’t planning to stay here! I have THINGS to do! Important things that DON’T require looking after stinky corpses!”

Mr. Abrams: “They aren’t corpses. They’re just frozen by magic. You only need to look after them until Varla the Science Witch comes through. Anyway I’m in a hurry. If you want to rush her, feel free. Take care~”

*Vwish!*

Wave: “...That stupid...UUUGH! The ONLY good thing about you is your looks, you shitty magician!”

.

.

.

*Vwish!*

Alebard: “...Abrams, you know I said never to warp directly into my office unless there’s an-”

Mr. Abrams: “Emergency. The school was attacked, students got injured.”

Alebard: “!! What?!”

His pencil collapsed onto the Wooden desk beside his lengthy beard. The room featured a prestigious, fancy design similar to the principal’s office inside a top Private School.

However, even while donning a fancy semi-formal attire well-suited for visitations...his shabby and unkempt beard and too-long-for-his-face mustache mixed together with a snap-back that clearly wasn’t designed for his age, completely ruined the impressive threads covering his skin. His overall appearance seemed to label him in a stranger’s eyes as a weird and very confused old man with little care for his own personal hygiene. Either that, or an impressively dressed hobo.

Mr. Abrams: “I sent over a magical double based on a thought form I created. This is what you’re speaking to right now. I’m only here to report the situation to you directly before returning. Oh, and there may be others coming to spin you a different tale, but I’m not sure who or when. Be careful anyways.

Now, What happened was shortly after I left them at the Dormitory meant for Non – Combatants. The students who suffered the attack were assaulted without remorse.”

Alebard: “…How many are injured?”

3 severely injured, 1 in a coma, and the rest of my class were killed by those bastards! *Clenches fist*”

Alebard: “…”

Mr. Abrams looked on at his superior’s saddened expression. This was last sort of news he wished to hear. Of all things to happen, hearing a massacre happen to civilian children the very day they were introduced, is truly heartbreaking. For a moment, the elder male wondered if he should personally intervene, in order to send a message to Villain Haven’s out-of-control thugs.

Fortunately, Mr. Abrams’s next sentence shifted his mood a whole 180 degrees.

Mr. Abrams: “We’re very lucky that somebody revived all of them. If not, today’s massacre would have been a tragedy, unforgettable by Heroes and Villains alike.”

Alebard: “A healer? Hmm…no. That isn’t healing. To ‘revive’ the deceased is the exact opposite of what we call ‘healing’. When you mess with death, you are no longer healing. That then, becomes the territory of a necromancer. Or even…”

Mr. Abrams: “None of this is relative to the prime issue with today’s attack, is it? The biggest flaw here is ‘how’ did they enter Hero High’s campus unnoticed?”

Alebard: “How, huh...Haven’t all three schools been cleared on their security details by our very own Hero Society? Then you’re spot on. How in the world did this happen…”

Mr. Abrams: “Well, the answer is simple enough: so simple in fact, that it pisses me off. The villains ‘knew’ how to deactivate our system protecting the kids under my guard, and during the attack, there seemed to be absolutely ZERO resistance coming from the school’s security detail who were supposed to be stationed there.

The answer is simple then: Hero High School just...let them right in.

Somebody PLANNED this, Alebard. I can’t tell who, or how many within the faculty are colluding with them, but I may need to depend on you soon. I realize we’re stretched thin enough as it is, but-”

Alebard: “*Raises hand* Enough! The future generations come first. I don’t know who is behind all of this, but at the very least, I can send you some assistance. Who did you have in mind?”

Mr. Abrams: “…Nobody actually. I was only hoping you can take me off of the non-emergency level threats for a while. I can handle the rest. I’ll *Yawn* only need to sacrifice my sleep for a little while.”

Alebard: “This...how long is a ‘little while’?”

Mr. Abrams: “*Shrugs* I dunno. It shouldn’t be more than a semester in length though. Also, I have reason to believe Principal Leyman has been severely compromised. At the very least, he’s either being brainwashed or the man I spoke with today is a very good impostor. I don’t know who is involved, but I plan on getting to the bottom of this...alone.”

Alebard: “...Okay. I’ll still be sending a special ‘assistant’ along in about two weeks, to keep them on their best behavior. Just give her time to finish her case in America.”

Mr. Abrams: “…? Are you referring to Jaanvi?”

Alebard: “The very same. She can put them in their place while you work behind the scenes. Unfortunately, this is the best I can afford, with how things are at the moment. Tensions have risen exponentially recently, and they’re only going to get worse, I predict. Hooh. Maybe I’m getting to old for this job.”

Mr. Abrams: “...You always say that. And thanks for the help. Although I don’t need it, I would be lying if I said that her power isn’t perfectly suited for this problem of ours. An ally like her within the faculty would prove very useful… assuming she actually agrees. There are a few other matters I would appreciate your opinion on. The details are...”

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