Volume 1 — Chapter 6: The First Problem

The school had become unusually quiet.

Miyu Kurohana sat at her desk, pretending to concentrate on the lesson.

But her thoughts were somewhere else.

Her three allies were now inside the heroes' headquarters.

Yuna Mizuhara.

Ren Kurogawa.

Sakura Amamiya.

And now there was a fourth girl who had recently awakened an S-rank ability.

Miyu didn't know what the heroes were going to do with them.

This is bad.

If the heroes discovered that all four had 

received their powers through her butterflies...

Her secret would be exposed.

Miyu lowered her eyes.

"I have to be careful."

---

Inside the Heroes' Headquarters

Yuna, Ren, Sakura, and the new girl were sitting in separate chairs.

Several heroes stood around them.

A large screen displayed information 

about their abilities.

One of the heroes spoke.

"All four of you awakened supernatural abilities recently."

Yuna looked nervous.

"I don't know why it happened."

Ren crossed his arms.

"I don't know either."

Sakura remained quiet.

She was the youngest of them.

The heroes continued asking questions.

"When did your ability appear?"

"What did you see before it awakened?"

"Did someone give you this power?"

Yuna shook her head.

"No."

Ren answered the same way.

"I don't know."

Sakura looked down.

She remembered the black butterfly.

But she didn't know who controlled it.

The new girl also remained silent.

The heroes exchanged suspicious looks.

One of them finally asked:

"Did you see a mysterious black butterfly?"

Everyone became silent.

Yuna's eyes widened.

Ren looked surprised.

Sakura slowly raised her head.

The hero noticed their reactions.

"So you did see it."

Nobody answered.

The heroes became even more suspicious.

---

The Appearance of the Heroine

Suddenly, the doors to the room opened.

Everyone turned around.

A familiar figure entered.

Long hair.

A white-and-blue hero costume.

A bright star-shaped emblem.

The atmosphere immediately changed.

Yuna's eyes widened.

"Starcity..."

Akari Hoshizora walked into the room.

She looked at the four children.

Then she looked at the information displayed on the screen.

"So these are the people who recently awakened their abilities."

One of the heroes nodded.

"Yes."

Akari looked at Yuna.

Then Ren.

Then Sakura.

Finally, she looked at the new girl.

"None of them knows where their powers came from."

Akari frowned.

"That's strange."

She remembered the mysterious villain from the previous day.

The black butterflies.

The unknown power.

The S-rank enemy that had been defeated.

Akari couldn't shake the feeling that all these events were connected.

---

A Difficult Question

Akari stepped closer to the children.

"I want you to answer one question."

Everyone became silent.

"Did the mysterious villain give you your powers?"

Yuna immediately shook her head.

"I don't know who the villain is."

Ren nodded.

"I've never seen her."

Sakura quietly answered:

"I only remember a butterfly."

Akari looked at her.

"A butterfly?"

Sakura nodded.

"Yes."

Akari's expression became serious.

"Then there really is a connection."

One of the heroes spoke.

"Could the villain be creating her own army?"

Another hero answered:

"That would explain why several people have awakened abilities at almost the same time."

Akari looked at the screen.

"Or..."

She paused.

"Maybe she's trying to protect them."

The room became silent.

The other heroes looked at her.

"Protect them?"

Akari nodded.

"We still don't know why she defeated an S-rank villain."

Nobody had an answer.

---

Miyu's Problem

Meanwhile, Miyu was still at school.

She suddenly felt several butterflies disappear from her connection.

Her expression changed.

"They're being investigated."

Miyu understood immediately.

The heroes had connected her allies to the mysterious villain.

To her.

She couldn't allow that.

If Yuna, Ren, Sakura, or the new girl revealed anything...

The entire plan would collapse.

Miyu quietly clenched her hand.

"I need to protect them."

But she couldn't go to the heroes' headquarters.

That would be too dangerous.

She couldn't reveal herself.

She needed another solution.

Then she remembered something.

Her allies didn't know her identity.

They didn't even know that Miyu 

Kurohana was the person behind their powers.

That was good.

As long as they knew nothing...

The secret remained safe.

---

The First Friend

After school, Miyu walked through the hallway.

Someone suddenly approached her.

"Are you Miyu Kurohana?"

Miyu turned around.

A girl was standing behind her.

She smiled shyly.

"My name is Rina Aizawa."

Miyu recognized the name.

Rina had been sitting near her during class.

"Yes. I'm Miyu."

Rina smiled.

"I wanted to talk to you."

Miyu tilted her head.

"About what?"

"You seemed lonely during class."

Miyu froze.

Lonely.

The word reminded her of her old life.

Before entering the comic...
She had been alone too.

Rina continued:

"If you don't have anyone to show you around the school, I can help."

Miyu stared at her.

For a moment, she didn't know what to say.

"Thank you."

Rina smiled.

"Then we're friends now."

Miyu's eyes widened slightly.
Friends.

She hadn't expected to make a friend so quickly.

"Friends..."

She quietly repeated the word.

Rina laughed.

"Why are you saying it like you've never had one?"

Miyu smiled awkwardly.

"Maybe I haven't."

Rina looked surprised.

"Then I'll be your first friend."

Miyu didn't know why...

But those words made her feel warm.

"Okay."

For the first time since entering the comic...

Miyu had made a real friend.

---

Somewhere Else

Far away from the school...

A dark room was illuminated by several monitors.

A group of unknown figures stood around a large table.

One of the screens displayed footage of the mysterious villain.

The Black Butterfly.

Another screen displayed information about the recent awakened abilities.

Yuna.

Ren.

Sakura.

And the fourth new ally.

One of the figures smiled.

"So the mysterious villain has started creating allies."

Another figure answered:

"Then we should begin as well."

A dark symbol appeared on the central screen.

"The organization is ready."

Several figures stood up.

"The era of heroes is coming to an end."

---

The Unknown Villain

At the same time, Miyu suddenly felt something.

Her system appeared before her eyes.

[Unknown Villain Organization Detected]

Miyu froze.

"What?"

The message disappeared.

She stared at the empty screen.

"That wasn't supposed to happen..."

She knew almost every major event in Starcity Hero.

But this organization...

She didn't remember it.

A cold feeling spread through her body.

Someone else is changing the story.

Miyu looked toward the evening sky.

The first black butterfly landed on her shoulder.

She gently touched its wings.

"If someone is trying to change the story..."

Her violet eyes became serious.

"...then I'll protect Akari no matter what."

She had entered this world to save her favorite heroine.

Now she had allies.

She had a new friend.

And she had a secret identity to protect.

But for the first time...

Miyu realized that she might not be the only person who knew how to change the story.

The organization of villains had begun to awaken.

And its first move was coming.

End of Volume 1 — Chapter 6.