SEVEN MONTHS AGO:
—We're getting news about the storm that still isn't stopping; meteorologists say it could even last a few hours. For your safety, don't leave your homes and protect yourselves. We've been under this horrible rain for two days now; I don't think the corrugated iron can hold out any longer, and even worse, there was nothing to watch on the TV; it kept changing and changing, and nothing. In the kitchen, an elderly woman was preparing homemade soup, but I was just sitting on a dirty old sofa.
—Makoto, turn off the TV and come for dinner; you don't want the food to get cold.— That voice, whenever I heard it, filled me with happiness and affection. — I'm coming, Mother.
NAME: Makoto
AGE: 24
(Unemployed, lives in City J)
I got up reluctantly and walked calmly to the kitchen. When I arrived, I saw a bowl of vegetable soup already served on the table; she knew it was my favorite, and with that smile she always put on when I walked too far, but deep down, I knew I didn't deserve this. I didn't deserve such a loving mother; I didn't deserve to be happy. Since I finished my degree, I haven't done well at jobs, but she's still there; she spoiled me, she gave me money, and I don't even have the nerve to look at her face. All I think about is that she's the most incredible mother in the world.
"Today I met a lady. She said where she works needs a boy to help them carry heavy boxes. She said a lot of merchandise arrived; I didn't quite understand what she said next: "snack, cooking, something to do with heroes." I didn't quite hear what she was saying; the soup she kept eating was so delicious that it made me forget everything around me for a second, so I just finished the soup, looked at her, and smiled. "Sure, I'll go ask tomorrow."
"Son, I know what you're going through, but stop hating yourself. You're not the only one going through this. Just be patient, and I know good things will come to you." She always said those words, and they filled me with encouragement, and at the same time, I thought that maybe my time to shine would come later. So, I just thanked her for the food; I got up and went to hug her. "Thanks for everything, Mom. Tomorrow I'll get up early and get dressed to go inquire about the job."
In the morning, the storm ended; I got up early, showered, put on my best clothes, and got ready for the interview. Going downstairs, I saw my mother sweeping the living room.
"I'll be right back. I'll go to the interview."
"Wait, Makoto, aren't you having breakfast?"
"Don't worry, Mom. I'll buy something on the way, and if I get accepted, I'll treat you to lunch tonight with my own savings." — I quickly went out into the street and ran to catch the first bus that would take me to City B. Meanwhile, the mother stared at the door and smiled; she spoke to herself, wiping away a tear: —You can do it, my boy.
As I ran along the sidewalk, I knew which store my mother was talking about. A few days ago, I saw on TV that the Heroes Association had collaborated with a very popular brand of chips, and if they accept me, I'll get into the stall, and if that happens, I'll be able to be close to the heroes and, who knows, even a Class S. Just thinking about it excites me more and more.
I arrived at the bus stop, where I heard some people talking about what happened last night.
—So you saw the comets—
—Yes, they say there were two, but when the heroes went to investigate, they didn't find anything.
Two comets—what time could it have been? I didn't even notice. I only remember hearing a loud bang and thinking it was lightning, something very common. If that surprised you, then you're weird. The bus arrived, and I boarded with that enthusiasm that rubs off on you and no one can take away. 100 yen to City B, very good. I pay the driver and sit by the window. I arrived. In City B at eight in the morning, and I see a woman waiting at a convenience store.
—You must be Carla's son.
—Yes, my name is Makoto; it's a pleasure.
—Fine, follow me. We entered the convenience store, and she showed me a warehouse with boxes stacked and still sealed, and yes, there were five towers full.
—Do you think you can handle the job?
—Yes, of course I can. And so, from nine in the morning until three in the afternoon, I spent my time stacking and arranging the products, and I must admit that the packaging design was top-notch; in each bag was a picture of each S-Class hero, be it Silver Fang, Atomic Samurai, Metal Bat, Tatsumaki, or the best of all, Tank Top Master. When I finished, the lady came over and looked around.
"Good work, Makoto, I didn't think you'd finish so quickly."
"Thank you very much, but one question, if you don't mind."
The lady turned around and looked at me curiously. "Of course, I'm all ears." I lowered my head in embarrassment and calmly asked, "Will the heroes come to this convenience store on the day of the event?" With just a calm look, she answered my doubt. "Of course, several heroes will come to the event." That answer brightened my day.
After my shift ended, around four in the afternoon, I went straight home and arrived at eight at night, opening the door with all the happiness I'd built up. "Mother, I'm here." She came out of her room and saw me. "Makoto, then they accepted you." I approached her and hugged her tightly like never before. "Yes, Mother, and I brought sushi to celebrate, so go wear something nice, and I'll wait for you at the table." That night, my mother and I ate and celebrated like never before.
ONE WEEK LATER:
I was arranging and stocking the shelves with products until I saw a lot of people arriving at the convenience store. I walked over and looked at my coworker. "There are too many people."
The young man, whose name was Ethan, by the way, looked at me and, with a friendly smile, excitedly replied, "Yes, apparently heroes are widely admired these days."
"Ethan, do you think we can ever be like them?"
He began to laugh slowly, his gaze calm as he continued to look at the crowd. "If you really want to be a hero, first, you have to stop messing around during work hours, and second, you have to be very active and know when it's time to risk your life for others." This was the first time Ethan said some seriously awful things, and that's scary coming from someone who spends all day bothering everyone.
"Makoto, Ethan, come here for a minute." Ethan and I turned around. It was the manager calling us, and it must be something important. When we arrived, we were surprised to see two S-Class heroes there.
"Guys, may I introduce you to..."
Before my boss could finish speaking, I interrupted her; excitement had gotten the better of me. "Tank Top Master and Silver Fang (bowing their heads): It's an honor to have you here."
"Wow, what an inactive guy."
HERO: TANK TOP MASTER
S-CLASS
RANK: 16
"Apparently, today's youth have more energy than before."
HERO: Bang (SILVER FANG)
S-CLASS
RANK: 3
They were two of the greatest heroes in existence, and they're standing before me. How exciting. After a moment, we took them to a room so they could get ready and go out to greet the crowd, but I kept staring at Tank Top Master, since I was his number 1 fan.
"Is something wrong?" I pretended to turn around to see who was talking to him, but he clearly meant it to me, so I went back to look at him and just lowered my head, apologizing. "Excuse me, please. I'm your biggest fan, and it's truly an honor to have you in this small convenience store."
He just smiled and looked away calmly. "Relax, no one's judging you. You really are my biggest fan." From a smile, he turned to a serious, half-angry look. "If that's true, where's your power, Tank Top?"
I froze. I didn't know what to say or what he meant, but I saw him showing off his muscles, so I think that's what he meant. "It's just that I'm not much of a fan of the gym, and with work I don't have time." Tank Top gets up from his seat and starts to leave. -Then you don't deserve to say that you're my fan. I looked at him, and those words were worse than any blow I've ever received, so I just screamed. -Then please teach me; I want to be a hero like you.- Tank Top stopped because of the scream. All the people looked at me for a moment, except for Silver Fans, who were still getting ready to go out to the event, but not Tank Top Master; he turned to me and threw me a flyer for his gym. He approached and said, "Then get up, get strong, and show that you really are my fan. If you mean it, you'll grab that pass, and I'll see you training tomorrow, and I want you to be the first to enter the gym. YOU UNDERSTOOD!" I quickly got up from the floor and looked him in the eyes. "I'll show him. I'll be stronger than everyone; I'll even surpass him, sir." And I saw a smile in that look, a proud smile, and it's as if he'd accepted my challenge.
The event was incredible; there were so many people. The two S-class heroes attended to all their fans, and some A-class heroes also came to support the event. When it was over, everyone left, and I was left cleaning up everything people had thrown away. When we finished cleaning, I reached for my backpack, which I took out of one of the lockers all the employees use, and I saw the pass Tan Top Master gave me. "I'll show him what I can do."
From that day on, I was the first person to arrive at the gym. The first day I felt strange; everyone was muscular, with muscles on their muscles, not just the men, but the women too. But instead of making fun of me, they started encouraging me, and that's how my training began. It wasn't easy, but every time I felt like I was getting stronger and stronger, I liked it.
The day arrived, and I woke up early, turned on my computer, went to the Hero Association website, and started filling out the form. I wrote down that for the hero name, I wanted one that would identify me and let them know that when I'm there, no one will die. So I wrote Tank Top Protective.
NAME: Makoto (TANK TOP PROTECTIVE)
CLASS: B
RANK: 22
I earned rank 22 from all the tests I passed, and it was an honor to have it. It will be a long road to reach the person I admire, but I know I'll achieve it. But there was something else that made me feel bad: when my mother found out I was going to be a hero, she was scared. She thought something would happen to me one day, and she'd be alone. I tried to calm her down, but my attempts were in vain, so time passed, and little by little I started giving her everything she deserved. We moved; we weren't short of money, and although she was calmer now, whenever I went out to work, she would look at me and tell me to be careful.
5 HOURS AGO, BEFORE THE ACCIDENT:
"Well, I'm going. I'll be back early if there aren't any monsters today."
My mother came over, kissed me on the forehead, and said, "Be careful, and please come home." I reached the door, and before leaving, I looked at her one last time. I'd already given her everything she deserved, but inside, I still felt like she wasn't proud of me. I worry about her every day. She can't sleep waiting for me to come back, and at times I think, "If I'd gotten an office job, I would have made her happier." I'm always wondering, but today, when I get back, I'll ask her so I can rest easy.