Caspian and Genos sat at the living room table, which was buried under a mountain of faers delivered by parachute from the Hero Association.

  “Master, you’ve received three letters.” Genos hahe envelopes to him.

  Caspian took them, raising an eyebrow. “Only three?”

  As he tore open the first letter, Genos asked, “What does it say? Surely they must be praising you.”

  Caspian’s expression stiffened. “‘The Paradise Group shall rise again under your leadership!’” He crumpled the letter and tossed it into the small garbage bin nearby. “What the hell is this?”

  “Didn’t you tell me your ninja stalker dealt with them?” Genos tilted his head.

  “Apparently not all… Could there be another survivor besides Hammerhead? Never mi one.”

  Caspiawitched as he read the letter. “‘Follicle Fury XT-7: Guaranteed hair regrowth in 72 hours. Failure to reply will result in perma cssification under ‘Gre Hazard’ in your official heristry file. Respond promptly.’”

  He crushed the paper in his hand, his grip tightening with every word. “Who is responsible for this targeted scam? This isn’t the hate mail I had been expeg!”

  “How dare they! I will find out who sent it and then…”

  “Don’t bother—onto the .”

  Caspian smiled. “‘Dear hero Caspian, thank you!‘”

  “Do you have any idea who it could be from?” Genos asked.

  “I have a hunch.”

  “Well, I’m sure it’s from someone you saved somewhere.”

  Genos reached uhe table. “Master, here’s another letter for you. It fell beh the table. Oh, this one is from the Hero Association itself.”

  Caspian stood up after receiving the letter. “I’ll be back ter. A promotion is in order.”

  ¤ ¤ ¤

  Ring

  Always tag me at the most inveimes.

  Sweet Mask sat at a round table, his ptop open in front of him as he answered a video call from the Hero Association.

  “Hello, I’m in the middle of a soap opera shht now, so… Try to make it quick.”

  A suited man oher end spoke, “Thank you for taking the time. We really appreciated it.

  This time, it’s a C-Css Hero that wishes to move up to B-Css.

  As always… We would like you to decide whether to allow it or not…”

  Again with this type of nonsense.

  Sweet Mask frowned. “Promotion to B-Css, huh? You don’t need my permission for something like that. I couldn’t care less about C-Css or B-Css matters.”

  The suited ma nervously. “I see… But you know we agreed on it in the Executive ittee.

  That in order for our Association to gain the support of the publir. Sweet Mask, would help us as our advisor in anization matters.”

  Sweet Mask gred at the s, his expression tightening with irritation as he said, “I only wao have a say in the ma of heroes that are in A-Css and higher as they tend to have a strong influen our public image.

  I ’t allow the dispy of inappropriate behavior in public as it’d end up hurting my image too.

  But okay, let me take a look at him.”

  His ptop s ged and dispyed a bald man sitting in an office chair.

  “He’s being interviewed right now. C-Css Rank 1 Caspian, no hero .”

  Sweet Mask lurched forward, his emotions surging. It’s him!

  He had been iigating Caspian sihe moment he left the udon shop. To his growing irritation, the maed like a ghost—appearing just long enough to obliterate a monster, only to vanish before witnesses (or surveilnce drones) could pin him down. The pattern was infuriatingly sistent: a sm crater where a threat oood, a blur of motion on grainy footage, and nothio track. Sweet Mask had never wasted his time on B or C-Css affairs, dismissing them as beh his attention—an arrogahat now cost him many hours. All this time, he could’ve simply pulled Caspian’s file from the Heristry.

  Perhaps he should’ve dug deeper into S-Css Hero Genos’ background, searg from that angle. But as, time was a luxury he didn’t have enough of to split further than he already had with Caspian. His priority remained publicity work, both for himself and the Hero Association, to bolster the popurity of heroes.

  “Is everything okay?” The suited man’s voice carried through the ptop speaker.

  Sweet Mask realized his ruthless, bloodthirsty side was surfag at the thought of someone knowing his other self. Taking a deep breath, he ran a hand through his hair and refocused on Caspian on the s.

  “Yes. He gives off a certain aura... Send me all the information you have on him. A him move up to B-Css.”

  ¤ ¤ ¤

  After his promotion to B-Css Rank 101, Caspian stepped out of the Z-City Hero Association Building. The moment his foot hit the sidewalk, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

  Dr. Genus. The call he’d been anxiously waiting for.

  “The Mosquito Girl project has reached its final state before pletio here as soon as you .”

  Caspian wasted no time, rolling up his hero promotioificated and pg it in his shorts’ back pocket before heading straight for W-City.

  He weaved through the crowded streets of the city, making his way toward the House of Takoyaki.

  As he approached, he noticed the closed sign hanging on the door, swaying slightly from a draft. The streets outside were eerily quiet, the usual chatter of ers absent.

  They must all be downstairs.

  For the first time in a while, excitement stirred in him. His senses were sharp, attuo even the fai fluctuations within himself. Now that he was here, and with Mosquito Girl involved, he felt certain that his assumptions were correct!

  Walking inside, he passed the takoyaki table, the faint st of oil and batter still lingering in the air. His fingers lightly brushed against the ter as he moved, his gaze locked onto the basemerance ahead.

  Step by step, he desded. The wooden stairs groaned beh his feet. At the bottom of the stairway, light from various eleics flickered across the dark crete floor.

  Caspian’s heartbeat fluctuated. This… this is the feeling I’ve been missing.