On the day New York was attacked by aliens, everyone was watching the Avengers. I, Lisa Takahashi, was working at Starbucks when I looked out the window. Iron Man flew across the sky, Captain America threw his shield. Everyone cheered. But I noticed something. In the shadow of a building, a man was moving quietly. He wasn't fighting. Yet he was placing small devices here and there. What was that? I dropped my register and followed him. Because at that moment, my heart was pounding so hard. Just
After the Hero Left - Even if you tell me not to come.
The Saturday evening sun was beginning to sink.
Takahashi Lisa stepped out the back door of the Starbucks on Lexington and 42nd, readjusting her thin pink hoodie. She'd already taken off her green work apron. In her denim pocket was a folded envelope for tips. Inside was a five-dollar bill she'd set aside as a reward for herself. Every time she saw it, she reconsidered buying something sweet. But today, she didn't feel like stopping at a convenience store.
*(I came again.)*
Before she knew it, she was walking along the perimeter of the Ground Fall reconstruction zone.
Six months ago, a hole opened in the sky over New York, and the Chitauri army poured down. A three-kilometer radius centered on Midtown Manhattan was devastated. Over 2,800 civilians died, and seventy-four buildings collapsed or were half-destroyed. That day, everyone had looked up at the sky. At the Avengers fighting. Iron Man's red-and-gold flashes. The sound of Captain America's shield deflecting enemies. Thor's lightning.
But Lisa's eyes had been tracking a man in the shadow of a building.
That man, Kyle O'Connor, had introduced himself to her just yesterday. A former SHIELD scientist, now working as a "debris disposal specialist." Commonly known as a DC agent. His job, he'd said, was to recover and safely dispose of the dangerous materials left behind after superhuman battles—unexploded alien weapons, radiation-emitting devices, technology no one could handle.
*(I learned his name. He told me about his work, too.)*
As she walked, Lisa pinched the small braid above her left ear. A charm her mother had woven into her hair when she was little. She touched it unconsciously whenever she felt unsettled.
That night, he'd been smiling. But behind that smile, she'd glimpsed something terribly sad for just an instant. His deep blue eyes when he looked up at the night sky. Something on the verge of tears was sinking inside them.
*(I want to see those eyes again. But is it strange to want to see him?)*
The center of her chest grew warm.
*No,* she denied it. This wasn't love yet. She was just curious. She just wanted to know what he was carrying. Even as she told herself that, her feet naturally turned toward the yellow fence of the red zone.
The Safe Zone Regulation Act. A law the city created after the New York invasion, prohibiting civilian entry into combat areas for up to ninety days. Breaking it carried a maximum fine of five thousand dollars. But in reality, it was full of holes. There were gaps all along the fence—not just stray cats, but even thieves could slip through easily. Lisa had gone through one of those gaps yesterday, seen the blue light, and then been saved by Kyle.
*(I won't go in today. I'll just walk nearby.)*
She made excuses in her heart.
The cranes of the reconstruction work cast black shadows against the setting sun. The skeletons of new buildings looked like spears thrust into a broken world. A thin layer of dust covered the sidewalk, leaving a gritty sensation under her sneakers.
"...Lisa?"
Suddenly, a voice called from behind. Lisa's shoulders jumped and she spun around.
Standing there was her best friend from college, Amy Chen. Her shoulder-length light brown hair was loosely curled, her bangs swept diagonally. Her fox-like upturned eyes were narrowed now, fixed directly on Lisa. She had a university-logo tote bag over her shoulder and wore a thin cardigan. In her hand was her phone. She always used that phone to monitor Lisa's reckless behavior.
"What are you doing? Wandering around near the red zone, of all places."
Amy brought a hand to her mouth in a gesture of exasperation and shook her head. When she laughed, her eyes narrowed into crescent moons. But right now, she wasn't laughing.
"Amy!? Why are you—"
"On my way home from class. You've been walking around here weirdly after work for the past few days, right? Your footprints are showing up on social media. A friend posted a photo of you. 'The Starbucks girl walking through the ghost town.'"
"Wait, a photo!? Who!? No, I didn't mean to—"
"Whether you meant to or not, it's a fact. Look, the red zone is off-limits. Five thousand dollar fine. What do you think your hourly wage is? Nine-fifty, right? Five thousand dollars is five hundred lattes for you."
Amy's voice carried genuine worry. Her words were harsh. But she'd always been like this. Whenever Lisa started doing something dangerous, she was the first to bite. And in the end, she always looked after her.
"Five hundred lattes..."
Even Lisa flinched a little at that number.
"So? What's over here? You haven't been sticking your nose into something weird again, have you?"
Amy took a step closer to Lisa. The distance between them was less than fifty centimeters. The distance of best friends. But right now, that closeness stung a little.
Lisa looked down and twisted the ends of her hair around her finger. The tips of her black hair glowed brown in the sunset light.
"Amy, listen... I met him yesterday. That person."
"That person? Who?"
"Six months ago... the day of the New York invasion. While everyone was watching the Avengers, there was a man moving in the shadow of a building. Setting up small machines. I abandoned my register that day and chased after him. And yesterday, I... met him."
Lisa's voice gradually sped up. Once she started talking, she couldn't stop. Her verbal tic—"but, I just couldn't help being curious"—was about to burst out at any moment.
Amy narrowed her eyes. She kept them narrowed, staring at Lisa. As if trying to read straight through her heart.
"What's his name?"
"Kyle O'Connor. Twenty-nine. Former SHIELD scientist, now a debris disposal specialist. He said he belongs to a classified division called Section Gray."
"...Huh? Section Gray? What's that? You're getting close to a man from some shady organization?"
Amy's eyebrows drew together sharply.
"It's not shady. I mean, after the New York invasion, Chitauri weapons and dangerous devices are scattered all over the city, right? He recovers them, neutralizes them, and transports them to disposal sites. He said there are only thirty-eight active specialists in the entire country. His annual salary is fifty-two thousand dollars, and he's contractually forbidden from appearing in the media. It's a job no one knows about, no one praises."
Lisa explained earnestly, as if it were about herself. She remembered every single word Kyle had told her with a smile.
"Are you stupid?"
Amy said it plainly.
"Huh..."
"You're stupid. You're really stupid. Chasing after some ex-SHIELD man, coming all the way to the red zone, wandering around every day just to see him. Do you have any idea how dangerous that is? Since SHIELD collapsed, the underworld has been a mess. It's not a place for a little girl like you to go wandering into."
Amy's words were sharp. But her eyes were wavering. More than anger, she was scared. Lisa could tell.
"...But, I just couldn't help it. He's always smiling. Even though it's dangerous work, even though the pay is low, he says 'I keep the world safe.' But behind that smile, there's something really sad. I want to know what it is. I can't leave him alone."
"I don't know. You're really an idiot. ...Fine. Just today. I'll go with you just for today. If I let you go alone, I have no idea what you'd actually do."
Amy let out an exaggerated sigh and readjusted the tote bag on her shoulder.
"Wait, really!? Amy, thank you!"
"Save the thanks. But don't do anything weird, okay? Got it? We don't enter the red zone. If there's anyone suspicious, we leave immediately. Can you promise that?"
"I can! Of course!"
"...Your 'of course' is the least trustworthy thing in the world."
Even as she said it, Amy fell into step beside Lisa.
The two of them began walking slowly toward the edge of the reconstruction zone.
As the sun set, the colors of the city shifted. The streets that were noisy with construction during the day grew quiet in the evening. Workers climbed into trucks and left, and temporary lights began flickering on here and there. Every time the wind blew, the warning signs on the fence rattled.
"So, where is this Kyle guy?"
"I don't know. ...But I feel like he's near the place where he saved me yesterday. I have a feeling he's working around there today too."
"What's with that 'feeling'? Do you live by animal instinct or something?"
"Because it's true! That day, I was the only one who noticed someone doing something in the shadow of a building."
"That's because you're weird."
Laughing, Lisa quickened her pace.
The edge of the Ground Fall reconstruction zone. This was an area where reconstruction hadn't even begun yet. The wreckage of collapsed buildings lay silent, bathed in moonlight. Yellow tape was strung everywhere, and standing signs read "DANGER" and "KEEP OUT." Mixed with the wind was the smell of scorched cables.
"...There."
Lisa's feet stopped abruptly.
The shadow of an old, closed office building. The streetlight was out, and the darkness was thick. Within it, there was a faint movement.
"Hey, let's not. I'll call the police."
Amy grabbed Lisa's arm.
"No. That's Kyle."
She strained her eyes. Dark brown hair floating in the darkness. Deep blue eyes focused on a device in his hands. He was down on one knee. In one hand was a small scanner-like machine. In the other, a palm-sized disc. A neutralizer beacon.
Kyle O'Connor was examining a Chitauri power cell buried in the gaps of the rubble.
*(He's really here. Alone again today.)*
Something tightened in Lisa's chest.
"You're going closer? You're not seriously—"
Ignoring Amy's protests, Lisa stepped forward. Carefully, but she didn't stop.
"Lisa! You're actually going!? Stop it!"
Amy's voice vanished into the wind.
Lisa approached the shadow of the building. Under her feet, a shard of glass cracked.
Kyle's movements stopped.
He slowly raised his head, and then, he looked at Lisa.
His deep blue eyes went wide.
"...Lisa? What are you doing here?"
"Um, well... I had a feeling you'd be here."
Even she didn't understand her own excuse. Kyle opened his mouth for a moment as if to say something, then furrowed his brow.
"No. Go home right now. This area hasn't been confirmed safe yet."
His voice was much harder than yesterday.
"But, it's fine. I'll just watch. I won't get in the way. I promise. And my friend is with me—"
When Lisa turned around, Amy was reluctantly approaching from about ten meters behind.
"Hey. So you're Kyle? I'm Amy. This idiot's best friend. ...You really do this kind of work?"
Amy crossed her arms and looked Kyle over appraisingly.
"...Yes. So, what business do you two have here?"
Kyle's voice was low and calm. But he was unconsciously rubbing the old burn scar on the back of his right hand with his left.
"If I'm asking you, what are *you* doing? In the shadow of a crumbling building at this hour."
"Working. There's a Chitauri power cell still buried under this rubble. If it's left alone, it'll detonate and burn everything within a fifty-meter radius. So I'm doing reconnaissance."
As he spoke, he aimed the scanner at the rubble again. Red waveforms floated on the blue screen.
"Fifty-meter radius... that means this building and the road would all be blown away?"
"Which is why you two need to leave. It's dangerous."
"I'm not leaving. I want to see your work properly. I want to know what heroes do where no one can see them."
Lisa looked straight at Kyle.
He narrowed his eyes slightly.
Deep within those eyes, something wavered for an instant, as if remembering someone from long ago.
"...You really are strange."
"I get that a lot!"
When Lisa grinned, Kyle let out a small sigh.
"Fine. But you follow my orders absolutely. Don't move, don't touch, don't raise your voice. Can you promise that?"
"I can!"
"...The speed of your answer is terrifying."
Amy pressed a hand to her forehead.
And so the th
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