Welcome to Avengers Academy! ~The Romantic Misadventures of Former Heroes~ - Sunset Rooftop, Shattered Hearts

The curious stares from everyone in the school building pierced his skin. Ever since that school broadcast on Monday, Tooru had been showered with whispers every time he walked down the hallway. Suzu's bombshell confession, his clash with Makoto, and Ai's cold gaze. Everything was still a tangled mess as Tuesday drew to a close. "......Haaah." The chime signaling the end of sixth period rang out. The tension in the classroom eased. Tooru, still slumped over his desk, slowly lifted his head. Diagonally behind him. The very back seat by the window. Ai's seat was already empty. (Ai-chan......) Yesterday and today, he hadn't been able to exchange a single word with her. She wouldn't even meet his eyes. "Tooru......" Makoto's voice came from beside him. Tooru couldn't turn his face toward him. Their argument behind the gym. The way Makoto's fist had trembled. And learning that Makoto also liked Ai. It all weighed heavily on his chest. "......After school. I need to talk to you." Tooru spoke without lifting his head. He sensed Makoto catch his breath. "Me too." A short reply. That was all. ***** The classroom after school. In a room mostly emptied of students who'd gone to clubs or home, Tooru was stuffing textbooks into his bag. (I have to talk to him properly today.) His hands were trembling. His fingers, holding a textbook, wouldn't move properly. "Where are you going, Tooru-kun?" A sweet voice. Tooru didn't look up. Suzu was standing beside his desk. Long black hair. A perfect smile. But her eyes weren't smiling. The eyes of a cat watching its prey. "......Just, out." "You're going to see Morimoto-san, aren't you?" Tooru's hands stopped. "How did you......" "I can tell. You've been doing nothing but watching Morimoto-san since yesterday, Tooru-kun." Suzu tilted her head slightly. "But I think it's pointless." "How would you know?" "I know. Because I know everything about you, Tooru-kun." Suzu smoothly leaned in, bringing her lips close to Tooru's ear. "After all, I've been watching you since our past life." A chill ran down his spine. Tooru stood up. "......Sorry. I'm in a hurry." He slipped past Suzu and left the classroom. From behind, Suzu's gaze stabbed into his back. "......You can't run away, Tony." A small murmur, unheard by anyone. ***** The stairs leading to the rooftop. The school building was quiet after classes. The shouts from club activities could be heard in the distance. The sound of the basketball team's shoes. The brass band's trumpet. Everyone was living their ordinary, everyday lives. (I'm the only one who's such a mess.) The rooftop door was open just a crack. A secret spot Tooru had pried open with a wire, still unnoticed by anyone. He pushed the door open. The evening sun was dazzling. The sky was burning. Orange, red, and purple blended together, dyeing the town of Hoshimigaoka. In the distance, the Mikage River glittered, and the silhouette of the Hoshimi Bridge could be seen. And then— Ai was standing in front of the fence. Her uniform skirt swayed in the wind. Her figure, backlit by the sunset, was like a painting. "......You came." Ai turned around. Large eyes. Slightly upturned, with a somewhat lonely look. The old scar on her temple was faintly visible, tinged red by the evening sun. "I need to talk to you." Tooru took a step forward. "......I'm listening." Ai leaned against the fence, gazing at Tooru. Tooru took a deep breath. His heart was loud. His palms were damp with sweat. His legs were shaking. (Say it. Now, right here.) "I—" His voice cracked. "I know that Makoto likes you." Ai's eyes wavered slightly. "Makoto is my best friend. We've been together since elementary school, and I've told him everything. He's serious, kind, and a much better guy than me." The wind blew. Ai's bangs swayed. "So... so I kept thinking I should back off." "......Then, why." Ai's voice was very small. "Why— isn't it obvious?" He felt like he was about to cry. "I'm in love with you." The words spilled out. "Ever since I first met you— no, even before I met you, I don't know why, but I loved you. The moment you walked into the classroom, I thought my heart would stop. Every time we talked, I wanted to know more. I wanted to be by your side, I wanted to see you smile, but nothing went right—" Tears spilled over. "I fell for the same person my best friend likes. I know I'm the worst. But— but I couldn't stop these feelings." His voice trembled. The sunset dyed his tears gold. "I love you, Morimoto Ai. More than anyone, more than anything—" "......I'm sorry." A small voice. It cut off Tooru's words. Ai slowly brought her hand to her temple. The old scar. "I... don't have the right to fall in love with anyone." "......Huh?" "This scar— I've always been told it was from an accident when I was little." Ai's finger traced the scar. "But that's not true. It wasn't an accident." "What do you......" "I remember. That day— a child was about to be hit by a car, and I jumped out without thinking. Normally, I wouldn't have made it. But I did. I pushed the child away, and I took the hit instead—" Ai stared at her own hands. "I barely remember anything after that. They said it was because I hit my head during surgery. But— that's not it. Something is... missing." "......Your memories?" "Yeah. I feel like I've forgotten something incredibly important. I could appear in places I shouldn't have been able to. My body remembered movements I shouldn't have been able to do. It's always things like that—" Ai lifted her face. Her eyes were crying. "I don't know anything about myself. So— so I can't fall in love with anyone. When I don't even understand myself, how can I love someone—" Her voice trembled. "I'm sorry, Tomioka-kun. Your feelings... really made me happy. But I—" Her words cut off. Tears streamed down Ai's cheeks. Tooru couldn't move. (Doesn't have the right to fall in love—?) (That's—) "—Don't force this on her!!" A yell. The door burst open with force. It was Makoto. His eyes behind his glasses burned with anger. He was biting his lip, his fists clenched. His hands were trembling slightly. "Makoto... how are you here?" "I followed you! I told you I had something to talk about!" Makoto stepped forward. "Why, Tooru! Why, when I wasn't around, did you confess to Ai-chan—" "Makoto, just listen—" "Like I can listen!!" Makoto's hands shoved Tooru hard in the chest. —Thud. His back slammed against the fence. The sound of creaking metal. The impact knocked the breath out of him. "......Guh." "You're playing dirty! Do you know how much I've been holding back!? I— I've loved Ai-chan all this time too!!" Makoto's voice trembled. Tears glistened behind his glasses. "And yet you—!" "......Makoto." Tooru couldn't say anything. His chest ached. The impact of Makoto shoving him— and the pain of being rejected by the best friend he trusted. The two pains mixed together messily deep in his heart. "Let's go, Ai-chan." Makoto took Ai's arm. "......Okay." Ai looked back at Tooru just once. Tears glistened in her eyes. "......I'm sorry." She said it again, in a small voice. And then— she left. Led away by Makoto's hand. The rooftop door closed. Slam. ***** He was alone. The wind blew. The evening sun dyed the town a deep crimson. (......It's over.) The strength drained from Tooru's legs. He slumped down onto the concrete floor with a soft thud. (It's all over.) Rejected by the person he loved. Shoved away by his best friend. Understood by no one. Reaching no one. "—U, AAAAAAAAAAHHH!!" He screamed. A voice that felt like it would tear his throat apart. Toward the evening sun. On the empty rooftop. "Uwaaaaaahh... aah... uu..." The tears wouldn't stop. Hot tears overflowed one after another. His nose ran. His face became a mess. Still, he couldn't stop crying. (I'm— I'm—) He pounded the concrete with his clenched fist. Once, twice, three times. The skin tore, and blood seeped out. It hurt. But compared to the pain in his chest, it was nothing. "Aaaaahh... aaaaaahh..." His voice went hoarse. His tears dried up too. Nothing more came out. At that moment. —Thump. His heart gave a massive beat. Everything before Tooru's eyes went white. ***** —The sky was crimson. No. It wasn't the sunset. It was fire. The city was burning. Buildings crumbled, the ground was gouged out, and black smoke swirled in the sky. Explosions in the distance. Screams. Angry shouts. Death cries. —Where is this? Who am I? He looked at his arm. Red and gold armor. A metallic shell he'd never seen before covered his arm. At the center of his chest, a pale blue light pulsed— an Arc Reactor. An alarm was blaring inside his head. 'Combat ineffective— Combat ineffective— Combat ineffective—' A mechanical voice repeated over and over. The armor on his right arm was more than half destroyed. Sparks flew, and wires were exposed. It wouldn't move. He lifted his face. A gigantic shadow. Something— was there. A colossal something he'd never seen before was looking down at him. This is the end. That's what he thought. —'This is the final judgment (Verdict).' Someone's voice. Tooru's— no, Tony's mouth formed the words on its own. '......Yeah. It seems that way.' —Light. A white light that swallowed everything. "—AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!!!" Tooru screamed. He was pulled back to reality. The cold concrete of the rooftop. The red of the evening sun. The sound of the wind. "Aah... gu, aaaahh..." His head hurt like it was splitting open. He pressed his temples, pushing his forehead against the concrete. (What was— that just now—) Was that a dream? No. It wasn't a dream. —It was a memory. (Who— am I—) Tooru's consciousness began to fade. Only the red of the evening sun was seared into his vision, refusing to leave. ***** —The next day. A Wednesday in May. Small birds were chirping outside the window. Morning sunlight streamed through a gap in the curtains. A clear blue sky. Pleasant weather. "Onii-chan, it's morning! Wake up!" His little sister's voice came from the bottom of the stairs. Tooru was curled up in his futon. Hikari's voice sounded distant. "Tooru? Breakfast is ready." This time, his mother's voice. Tooru didn't move. (School— I can't go.) The depths of his chest felt as heavy as lead. Yesterday's events were burned onto the back of his eyelids. Ai's tears. Makoto's angry shouts. The impact of being shoved in the chest. And then— that memory of the red and gold armor. (What— was that?) His head still ached. Flashbacks of yesterday's memories repeated over and over. (If I go to school—) (If I see Ai-chan—) (If I see Makoto—) "......I can't." His voice was hoarse. He pulled the futon over his head. "Tooru? Are you not feeling well?" The sound of his mother's footsteps coming up the stairs. He sensed her stop in front of his door. "......Mom. Sorry. I'm... staying home from school today." His voice trembled. "......I see. Okay. Get some rest." His mother didn't ask anything more. Her footsteps receded. Tooru closed his eyes. Tears overflowed again. The pillow grew damp. (Pathetic—) (This isn't me—) But he couldn't move. He just couldn't muster the courage to leave his futon. ***** —Ding-dong. The intercom rang. How many hours had passed? He didn't even feel like looking at the clock. "Comiiing!" His sister's energetic voice came from the direction of the front door. The sound of the door opening. "Huh? Who are you, Onee-chan?" "Sorry to bother you. I came to check on Tooru-kun. I'm Rokujou Miyabi, from his class." Tooru's heart leaped. (Miyabi—!?) Why was she here? "Onii-chan, your friend is here!" Footsteps running up the stairs. The door swung open with force. "That Onee-chan named R

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Episode 5

Name: Welcome to Avengers Academy! ~The Romantic Misadventures of Former Heroes~
Author: Novelia

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