Old man Honda stayed by her side while she poured out all of her feelings, her fears, her anger, and much more. He listened to her every word, comforting her and making sure that she felt safe. It had been a scary experience for the two of them. When he saw the love broadcast, he was so scared for her that he almost had a heart attack. But thankfully, she came back to him still alive.
As long as her heart still beats, she could be saved. He was sure of that since Saki had strong regenerative genes. From her early childhood, whenever she got hurt, she would heal within an hour or two. That was how powerful her genes were. However, he was not all that happy either. What he had feared had almost happened.
Saki's nexus was triggered, but her awakening was luckily not complete due to her physical state. If she had fully awakened, it would have been catastrophic.
The old man's hand clenched around the bed's headrest. He had seen what a full awakening looked like and feared for Saki's…
HAL's sensors had detected a nexus magnitude of 6.5, which was well above the threshold for passive carriers. He had only learned about it through discreet old contacts in the system. They had spared her for now, since she hadn't caused any civilian casualties. But should that magnitude rise again, she would not be ignored.
The villain nexus, a biological curse buried deep within carriers of villain genes, was not just some energy core. It was a trigger, a primal switch that stripped away reason and magnified everything violent and instinctual inside a person. When the nexus activated, strength, speed, and senses surged beyond natural limits. For a brief moment, the host became a living weapon.
But it came with a price.
The process was called Awakening. In its early stages, it only sharpened instincts or caused a lapse in control. But a full awakening… that meant losing your mind, overwhelmed by whatever twisted version of yourself lived deep within. The nexus did not care how kind you were; it simply amplified what was already there. Desires. Pain. Rage. Ambition. The worst parts of a person, unshackled.
Many could kill at this stage, both allies and foes alike. It was impossible to reason with them as their degenerate side took over. And after the effect of the nexus subsided, the individuals found themselves dissociating from their daily lives, often falling into depravity.
Hence, the need for such strict security measures towards the villain. From the point of view of the government, villains had to constantly be monitored as they were a danger to the public's safety. As such, from birth, they were given ID cards where they had to keep all their triggering records and the magnitude of their nexus.
Each villain nexus was different, hence why there were different types of villains. Some nexuses were weaker than others. The stronger they were, the stronger the villain was. In order to determine their strength, the scientists of HAL had developed trackers that could measure the magnitude of the villain nexus.
Old Takumi had read the HAL classification manuals before they became restricted. A nexus magnitude scale ran from 0 to 12. Anything above 5 was flagged for surveillance. Past 8, HAL dispatched elite forces. The worst case they ever recorded, an 11.3 magnitude, had ended with a city block turned to ash. No survivors. The records were sealed. Officially, it never happened.
Saki was already at 6.5. And that was with a partial trigger.
What would it be when she fully awakened?
He remembered her father, what he had become. Though genetics didn't guarantee inheritance of the same villain genes, something in his gut told him Saki carried that same fire.That same dormant storm. Maybe stronger.
No reasons for the triggering of the nexus had truly been found. Villains could be triggered due to a number of small things. But there were reports that associated stress and high levels of strong emotions to be a possible cause of the nexus trigger. So in order to minimize the risk of Saki awakening, he monitored her closely.
He had done everything in his power to suppress it. He made her wear custom-built strength limiter bracelets, kept her homeschooled, and avoided stressors. Every day had been a quiet battle to delay the inevitable.
And now, despite all his efforts, the storm had cracked the surface.
He was scared of what would happen if HAL started investigating Saki. Despite them claiming to be on the people's side, his past experience with them had proved that they were not as trustworthy as they proclaimed. Many people did not know it, but HAL used to have a darker side. Secret experiments, dangerous research, illegal manufacturing of stimulant and suppressant drugs, this was what the previous hero organisation was about.
But they had undergone a reform and now relied on some other forces. Namely, the meta elite units of the SPF who were rumoured to secretly dispose of villains whose magnitude was above the normal line.
With all of these threats looming around them, Takumi wanted to hide his granddaughter away. Unfortunately, her recent activities had made it more difficult for him to do so. Nevertheless, he would figure out a way out of this just like he always had.
Later during the day, the doctor visited them. Saki would have to stay in the hospital for a few more days so as to do some tests to see the state of her villain nexus. After which, she would be able to rest at home. In the meantime, she stayed in her room, watching the hero news.
The sun had barely risen when soft footsteps echoed in the hallway. The quiet stillness of the hospital room was broken by a gentle knock at the door. Saki looked up, expecting a nurse, but was surprised to see Armstrong stepping in, a familiar warm smile on his face.
"In the name of the Normal Vigilante Branch," he said, holding up a basket of fruits with one hand and a bundle of colorful envelopes with the other, "I come bearing gifts."
Saki smiled weakly. "How are they?"
"Still recovering," he said, placing the fruit basket on the bedside table. "But every one of them wanted me to tell you they're alive because of you."
He handed her the cards. Dozens of them, some neatly written, others scribbled in shaky handwriting.
"These are for you," Armstrong said softly. "Thanks and praises from those you helped and saved. The whole team is waiting for you to come back. They want to hear the full story in person."
His usual gruffness faded into a gentle grin. Saki began to read through the cards one by one. Parents, siblings, and children had all written to her. Some notes were tear-stained. Others included hand-drawn doodles of heroes with glowing capes and fists of fire. But each card pulsed with genuine emotion.
She felt her throat tighten.
She never did any of it for praise. And yet, here it was, undeniable proof that she'd made a difference, even if she carried a cursed bloodline.
"I know your mind must be a mess right now," Armstrong added after a pause, his voice low and steady. "But just know…we're all waiting for your return."
Saki's fingers tightened around the cards. Her heart, which had felt so hollow, now trembled, full and aching.
"…Thank you," she whispered.
As the days passed by, it was soon time for her to go back home. The test results showed that her nexus was back to normal as though it had never been triggered. Her wounds had already healed, so she was good to go.
Having finished packing up her belongings, she waited patiently for her grandfather to finish signing the discharge papers in the administration office. All of a second, someone knocked at the door. As she went to open it, her mind went blank.
Golden wavy hair, amber eyes, and a warm smile that radiated as brightly as the sun. It was none other than Kinryu. The latter stood in front of her, holding a basket of fruits with a "get well soon" card inside.
"Hi, I'm-"
Saki slammed the door shut and dropped to her knees.
Her heart pounded. She placed a hand on her chest, trying to calm herself. She had seen him twice before under certain circumstances without knowing who she was. But now, he was here. At her door. With that radiant, benevolent smile.
Embarrassed and confused, she hesitated. Still… she could not be rude. Not to her idol. Taking a deep breath, she stood up and slowly reopened the door.
"Sorry… Did I scare you?" the young man asked gently.
"I'm sorry… I was just a little surprised. What brings you here, sir?"
"Sir? That's a bit too formal. I'm still too young for that, you know. Just Ryu is fine."
"How… Could I? You are the great Hero of Flames with 123—no, 125 victories."
"Yes, but I did not come here as Kinryu, just as Ryu, the older brother of this kid here," he said as he glanced over his shoulder.
A young boy with golden brown hair and amber eyes stood behind Kinryu, timidly peeking at Saki.
The girl looked at the two of them, blinking in confusion until realisation hit her.
"Ah! You were there!"
…
"Wait, older brother? Huh?!"
Kinryu chuckled, nudging his little brother forward, "That's right. My little brother was among the hostages of Broadcaster, and thanks to you, he is safe and sound. We both came to thank you. Without you, my brother would have been hurt or worse, killed."
They both did a ninety-degree bow to Saki. The girl was so embarrassed that she turned red while telling them to raise their heads.
"I did not do much… really. You were the one who defeated him."
"You-"
"What are you saying?!" the boy interrupted, eyes sparkling. "You were amazing! You saved the vigilantes with a flying kick, and the villain flew away! It was so cool. I was so scared when he started beating you, too, but then you touched the wall like this and baam! A concrete hand emerged out of it and punched the villain like boom and smash! It was so incredible! I was sure that the villain was vanquished. But he was strong too. Still, you protected us all until Ryu came. You saved us."
"He's right," Kinryu said, smiling as he ruffled his little brother's hair. "You did a wonderful job back there. Sometimes, being a hero isn't about defeating the villain. It's about protecting people first. And you did that, even when it meant putting yourself at risk."
Saki looked down, conflicted. "But... I lost control. I–I almost awakened."
"I saw," his tone was warm. "Still, you did not lose yourself, and you fought till the very end. No matter what anyone says, that day you were a hero to these people."
A hero..? Me?
The tears that she thought had already dried up resurfaced. She knew that being a hero was not in her destiny. Yet… at that very moment, she wanted to believe that she truly became a hero.
Even if for just an instant.