Two Weeks Later — Shibuya
The city was still healing. The chaos from two weeks ago had finally started to settle,
and Shibuya's streets were once again buzzing with life. But while the city recovered,
Henryduc had found a peculiar way to stay busy.
He leaned against a delivery van parked by the curb, hands in his pockets, grinning to himself.
"Can't believe they fell for it… I'm working a job underage, driving a van without a license… and no one's caught me yet."
He locked the van behind him, opened the back, and lifted a medium-sized package.
"Only a few blocks away. I've carried worse."
As he walked through the narrow streets,
his mind drifted back to the day it all changed—just fourteen days ago, sitting in his modest apartment.
Flashback – Two Weeks Earlier
Henryduc stared at the invitation letter in his hands.
"An educational institution for future heroes… Sounds like a scam. But maybe—"
He read the fine print.
"2,159.50 yen just to apply. If I fail… three more years until I can try again? Hah, what a biscuit. I'm nearly broke. Better get a job."
Present
As he walked, a small child suddenly bumped into him and fell to the pavement. Henryduc stopped in his tracks, crouched down.
"Hey, you alright?" he asked, gently.
The kid clung tightly to his leg without saying a word.
A man in a black hazmat suit approached. "Sorry. My son clings to everyone."
Henryduc glanced at the man, then back to the child.
"Oh? Got it… Alright kid, time to go back to your dad—but not without a treat."
He slipped a root beer lollipop into the child's pocket.
The man pried the child away after some resistance and started to walk off.
But Henryduc wasn't buying it.
"You're not that kid's dad."
"I saw the scars on his neck. What in the biscuits did you put him through?"
He clenched his fists in his pockets.
He knew he'd probably get fired for what he was about to do.
But that didn't matter.
Moments Later – Highway Outside Shibuya
A black van cruised along the highway. Inside, the kidnapped child was tied up.
"Lucky for you the boss doesn't let us kill test subjects," one of the hazmat-suited men sneered.
The child stared blankly at the floor, tears falling.
"I just… want to be loved… I can't even remember what my mom looked like… All I know is pain..."
Then—THUMP.
Something landed on the van's roof.
"What the—?"
Before the sentence could finish, a fist punched straight through the metal ceiling.
"AAAAHHHH!!"
The punch retracted, then a deep, cold voice echoed through the hole.
"Here's Knightmare."
The roof was ripped off in one violent motion.
The vigilante Knightmare jumped down into the van, knocking out two of the men with single punches. The driver panicked, lost control—
CRASH.
The van slammed into a truck.
Without hesitation, Knightmare grabbed the child and leapt out of the wreckage, landing on the roadside, cloak fluttering behind him.
"You hungry?" he asked.
The child wiped away his tears and nodded.
15 Minutes Later – Maid Café
Knightmare, still in his makeshift outfit, sat with the kid at a booth. Whispers followed them around the café.
"Who is he?"
"Is that a new hero?"
The child looked up curiously. "Are you a hero, mister?"
Knightmare smirked. "A little."
He passed the menu to the kid. "Order whatever you want. I'll pay."
Just then, a familiar maid approached. Her presence stunned him—it was her.
The kid's eyes sparkled. "Wow… you're pretty."
Henryduc (still in his Knightmare persona) thought: "This is my chance. I need to know why she gave me a free drink last time."
He stood up. "Pardon me. I must use the restroom. Kid—ask the kind maid what you want."
But he didn't head to the restroom. Instead, he slipped over to another maid.
"Excuse me," he whispered. "Who's that maid with the silent stare?"
"You mean the best one here?" she smiled. "That's SpeechLynn. She never talks. No idea why. Why?"
"Just curious."
Knightmare turned back—then froze.
Outside the window. Something was wrong.
"EVERYONE GET DOWN!!"
A split second later—BOOM!
Twenty-one missiles slammed into the building. The explosion shattered the café, sending smoke and fire everywhere.
Some survived. Some didn't.
Knightmare coughed and pushed himself up. He was the second one to recover.
The first was SpeechLynn.
He scrambled to find the kid—only to see a motorcycle in the distance, speeding away with the child.
Knightmare's blood boiled.
"YOU—YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS! I'LL BRING YOUR HEAD DOWN, EVEN IF IT TAKES MY LAST DROP OF BLOOD!!!"
SpeechLynn just watched him in silence, her face unreadable.
"This guy really needs anger management," she thought.