A Hero Can't Make Excuses

"You must make a promise, a promise with me! If you break it... I will close the path to your dream of becoming a hero... and I will kill you myself!"

"Whaaaaaaaaat!?"

"Because I was the one who found you! If you, with only 11 months until the V.G. entrance exam, turn out to be the kind of man who would break even a single promise, then these rotten eyes of mine that saw potential in you are worthless! Got it?"

This is the story of Takumi Kurata keeping a promise he made to his idol hero for ten long months. It was as if he were a savior, climbing Golgotha while burdened with a cross and enduring the stones thrown at him.

---

"Kurata has been released!?"

"Please tell me this is a lie!"

Shockwaves rippled through Yoshikawa Middle School. A notification had been received that the world's youngest villain and supposed criminal, Takumi Kurata, had been released. In truth, he had never been arrested, and the incident had been hidden under a media blackout. But his classmates, overwhelmed by fear, believed that Kurata had even subdued public authority.

Classmates who had recently endured his cruel "neck-and-spine sculpture punishment" trembled at the news of his return. This time, they were sure of it—everyone in the school, students and teachers alike, would be killed.

"E-everyone, stay calm! There's no guarantee that he'll attend class starting today—"

"Good morning, sensei."

"Gyaaaaaaaah!!"

The sliding door opened, and Kurata entered, causing the teacher to collapse in shock. The classmates, understanding that another round of brutal executions was imminent, cried and prayed. But—

"What are you doing, sensei? Hurry up and start homeroom."

Kurata simply took his seat and urged the teacher to proceed with homeroom. Normally, the routine would involve him either turning a classmate into one of his grotesque sculptures or discarding a sculpture he'd made from another class into the trash. Yet, to everyone's surprise, Kurata just sat quietly in his seat.

"Huh...?"

"What?"

"Y-yes! I'll start! We'll begin homeroom now!"

The surreal scene was almost too much to comprehend. The teacher, more terrified of becoming the next "sculpture," scrambled to begin homeroom. Classmates, equally on edge, silently watched Kurata's uncharacteristically calm demeanor with dread as the session progressed.

"Until the entrance exam... no matter the reason, I'm forbidden from retaliating," Kurata muttered to himself, reflecting on the promise he had made to Mr. White. Quietly, he focused on his studies.

---

"You must not retaliate, no matter the reason… even if the other party is entirely at fault. You must never strike back!"

"Wha...?"

"Using your guin is forbidden in the first place! Honestly… for the next ten months, you will learn patience and strengthen your spirit!"

The promise Kurata made to Mr. White was simple yet profound: Stop retaliating. Up until now, Kurata had responded to every insult and whisper with spine-ripping punishments. Mr. White had urged him to stop this behavior. Furthermore, no matter how unjust or provocative the situation, Kurata was told he must endure and not retaliate.

"If you ever manage to become a hero someday..." Mr. White began, sensing Kurata's frustration.

"Y-yes...?"

"Imagine this: One day, you face the strongest villain, protect the people, and emerge victorious... but... you fail to save just one person."

"Just... one person?"

"A tragic accident. Despite all your caution and vigilance, you couldn't save them. The people will say, 'Why couldn't you save them? How dare you? Give them back to us!'"

"Th-that can't..."

"Oh, but it will. The public is unforgiving of a hero's failure. They hold heroes to the highest expectations. When faced with such malicious words, what will you do?"

Kurata couldn't lie, couldn't claim he would endure. In his current state, he knew he'd lash out, turning the crowd into his grotesque sculptures.

"Even if you're showered with malice and cruel words from the public… you must dedicate yourself entirely to defeating evil and saving the people. That's the kind of job a hero has. That's why you must endure! After ten months of enduring relentless unfairness and malice without retaliating, you will take your first step toward becoming a true hero!"

"...I understand, Mr. White. I promise... I'll endure!"

That day, Kurata made his decision. To break his promise would be to get killed by his all time idol, Mr. White, to destroy his life and everything he stood for.

But he wasn't enduring solely for that reason. To become the hero he aspired to be, to turn the negatives he'd accumulated into positives, to become someone worthy—Kurata resolved to endure.

Ten months remained until the V.G. High School entrance exam.