Chapter 79 Extra - About The Light Of A Certain Hero
The man wasn't special.
He was just like anyone else in today's world.
He failed at job hunting and ended up doing part-time jobs, and before he knew it, he was in his thirties.
He hadn't talked to his family in a long time. The latest messages on his app were from ages ago. On his days off, he either watched videos of his favorite Tokusatsu Hero or got lost in the internet.
──Someday, I'll be okay too.
He comforted himself with those words, but how much time had passed? He made excuses, saying that sharing little hobbies without facing anyone was his reason to live, and he just kept dragging on in his "stuck" life.
The leftover dirt in the corner of the microwave where he warmed up his cold lunch.
He probably lived with eyes that looked like that.
'Wow, that's so cool!'
So, he hated it.
Working part-time on the rooftop of a shopping mall.
Dressing up as a masked hero and handing out balloons for 920 yen an hour.
A boy with shining eyes who was excited about a job that had no real meaning or purpose, just stretching out his lazy days.
Even after he handed out the balloons, kids followed him, shouting how cool he was.
But he found them annoying. Jealous. Irritating. Blinding. So,
'Shut up! Go away!'
He shouted and felt relieved seeing the kid's face crumple into a sad expression. He thought, serves you right, as the kid ran away.
But it seemed like someone saw that moment.
Before he could change, the younger part-time leader grabbed him and dragged him to the employee room behind the stage.
He got yelled at badly.
──"You're trash for treating a kid like that."
He knew that better than anyone.
So──if the scene in front of him was some kind of punishment, he thought it was way too much.
Burning smell and flames everywhere. The shutter was closed tight. Loud noises and terrified screams filled the air. Thick smoke choked everything.
He panicked, then somehow calmed down.
Oh, I'm going to die. He thought. It was hard to breathe, so he ripped off the bottom half of his plastic mask. Still, it didn't really help him live longer.
But there was probably no point in extending his life anyway.
His life was terrible, and it would probably stay that way.
As he struggled to breathe, a mix of resignation and the thought of giving up crept in, ready to swallow him whole.
'Ugh... ugh...'
The man, unfortunately, found something.
The man, fortunately, heard something.
It was a sight of a child covered in soot and burns groaning sadly.
'I... will help...'
Because of this, the man didn't "hope" for rescue.
'I will help everyone...'
While crawling on the ground, he saw himself trying to be the "rescue."
Before he knew it, his body was moving.
'──────Masked Hero, here I come!!!'
'Huh?'
'Hey, kid. You're safe now that I'm here!'
This is the story of an ordinary nobody who became a hero from 0.
*Ex.000 About a Hero's Light*
He knew he was doing something foolish.
There was no guarantee he would be saved. The heat was slowly taking away his strength and thoughts.
But for some reason, he felt strong.
His spirit and legs, which had given up during a moving job, didn't break at all.
In his fading consciousness.
A small right hand clung to his shoulder, which should have been unreliable.
A small left hand held onto the balloon, which he had treated so badly but still kept holding on.
He could feel the boy's heartbeat through his back.
The sound of life. The sound of still being alive.
The feeling of not giving up surged within him.
His instincts promised that he would definitely save this kid.
So even while staggering through the flames, he kept wearing the mask.
'Cough, cough, hero, are you okay...?'
'Of course! A masked hero is 'invincible'!'
He had been told his smile was creepy and got fired from a customer service job.
A younger girl had clicked her tongue just for making eye contact with him.
But the small warmth he carried seemed to relax even his awkward smile.
'Wow, that's amazing!'
'Amazing, huh...'
'Yeah. You're way cooler than me.'
'That's not true. You helped me stand up.'
'Huh?'
The reason he could be here now was because of the hope on his back.
It was the boy's courage that lifted up his ordinary self.
His useless life. Just a life that wasn't dead yet.
What changed that was a tiny light.
'Alright, we've arrived.'
Even though he was hurt all over, he finally reached the entrance to the emergency staircase.
He slowly lowered the boy on his back to the ground and mustered all his strength to open the door.
A small rock fell right next to his face.
He realized he was close to his limit.
Hisself, this miraculous time, this building, the ceiling.
But if he was wearing a mask, he would keep it on until the end.
The last bit of pride from a man who was nothing was strong.
'Go on, boy. I'm... no. I still have people I need to save.'
'Okay... I understand...'
The boy went through the door.
His small back was much smaller than his.
But he was a child with a kind and strong will that lit a fire in his heart.
He remembered why he was jealous of his innocence.
Maybe back then, he felt like he was being shown the time he could never get back.
But now it's different.
In the end, he had definitely gotten something back.
The light he saw with his eyes was proof of that.
'Oh, right. There's one thing I need to say.'
'! ...What is it? Masked Hero.'
'Boy. Thank you for making me... no. Thank you for making someone like me a hero.'
To the nameless little hero.
Words of thanks from a hero who will leave no name.
After saying that, he slammed the door shut.
He closed it, leaned against it, and slowly sat down.
He looked up at the ceiling, which looked like it could fall apart any moment.
But floating there was a balloon that the boy had let go of when he lowered him.
(...Ah, what is this?)
Nostalgia. Jealousy. Longing. Miracles.
Light.
The final light.
(...It's not so bad.)
Dear God beyond this sky.
I hope that this little light on my back.
Will grow without fading.
(..., ────────)
And the Nameless Hero.
Closed his eyes, looking satisfied.
The balloon he had kept like a miracle.
Drifted away with the collapse.
And so, the boy──'Atami Shou'──survived the fire that happened at the shopping mall he visited with his family.
But among the survivors, his parents' names were not there.
Yet in his heart, a strong longing remained.
The back he saw as a child.
It was the poem of the Nameless Hero.
[Ex.Episode-000.]Fin.
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