"My name is Riley Ross. I did not think I would meet someone else on the spectrum in this class, Mr. Gary."
"W-what…?"
A heavy silence fell over the hall. The only sound that followed was the faint, awkward smacking of Gary's lips as the confident smile on his face twitched and then vanished entirely. He opened his mouth to respond, but he didn't get the chance as Bella's voice completely drowned his.
"BWAHAHAHA!" Bella erupted into laughter, walking straight toward him with a finger pointed dramatically at his face. "Bro, you autistic?!"
"Bella!" Hannah hissed, quickly nudging her to the side. Her eyes flicked toward Riley, silently reprimanding Bella about him.
"O-Oh…" Bella's grin faded as she cleared her throat. She glanced at Riley, slightly wincing as she realized what she had just said. "My bad."
"For what, Ms. Bella?" Riley tilted his head, not knowing what Bella meant at all.
"D-Don't sweat it," she said, waving a hand. "And nah—this dude ain't autistic, he just one o' them moody, edgy anime boys."
"Edgy?" Riley asked.
"She means he's stupid," Hannah added, sighing and shaking her head at Gary.
Pauline, meanwhile, lowered her gaze even further. Why… are they so comfortable saying things like this to someone they just met? She wondered.
Gary, surprisingly, didn't seem fazed. In fact, a slow smile crept back onto his face, as if he found the chaos amusing. But before he could fire back a retort, the classroom doors opened.
And in walked their professor—Spectacular Mustache Man.
Gary's grin instantly returned to full strength.
"Oh shit! It's SMM!" He whispered loudly.
Everyone straightened up as Spectacular Mustache Man strode into the room. He gave Riley's group a simple nod before turning back toward the door.
"It's fine. You can come in now."
All eyes turned as a girl entered the classroom—glowing green hair, eyes that sparked with, literally, and a presence so dense it felt like the air thickened with each step she took. Once again, literally. Her gaze was locked on the floor, however, refusing to meet anyone's eyes.
Riley recognized her immediately—Victoria, the girl he'd met in the clinic.
"There's no need to be nervous," Spectacular Mustache Man said gently. "There's still only a few students here."
Victoria nodded, stepping forward to stand beside him. Then, slowly, she raised her head and looked at the small group of students.
"Aw shit. It's her!" Bella gasped. "It's V!"
"What?" Hannah narrowed her eyes. "You know her?"
"Everyone our age knows her," Gary cut in before Bella could respond. "She's literally the youngest prospect said to join the Hope Guild."
"Really?" Hannah muttered, glancing at Gary before turning to Bella. "But seriously?"
"For real," Bella nodded, her eyes wide.
Victoria's hesitant eyes scanned the group, but when they landed on Riley, something shifted. Her entire expression lit up, sparks dancing brighter from her pupils. She gasped and waved at him excitedly, her feet already moving toward him.
"What the…" Hannah glanced from Victoria to Riley. "Dude, you know her, too?"
"Wait…" Gary leaned forward, squinting. "She's here for you too? Are you, like… the main character or something!? Why do you know everyone?!"
He was about to place his hand on Riley's shoulder, but Hannah immediately grabbed him by the wrist.
"Don't," Hannah glared at him, "Don't touch him, he doesn't know you."
"What do you mean? We're like, literally friends now."
"Says fucking who? You—"
Before Hannah could continue cursing Gary out, she stopped as Victoria was now standing right in front of them.
"Riley? Hi?" Victoria said softly, her gaze fixed on his face. "It's me?"
"Yes, I know it is you." Riley tilted his head, genuinely confused, "Who else could it be, Victoria?"
"Shh!" Victoria quickly placed a finger to her lips. "Don't… don't say my name. Just call me V, okay?"
She giggled lightly, flashing a small smile as she continued looking only at him.
"Okay," Riley nodded. "I would prefer if you still call me Riley, V."
"Y-yeah, of course," she replied, finally turning her attention to the others.
"Sister," Hannah immediately said as soon as she saw Victora looking at her She pointed to herself, then to Bella and Pauline. "Friends. And that guy in the back—we don't know him."
"Gary Gray," Gary said, smoothly stepping forward and brushing Hannah aside. He extended a hand to Victoria. "It is a pleasure to meet me."
"You're weird," Victoria replied without missing a beat. "But… hi? Are you all friends?"
"No—"
"Yes," Gary interrupted, placing a hand on his chest. "They are all my friends."
"Oh my god, can you be more fucking annoying?" Hannah groaned as she lightly pushed Gary away, who didn't seem to know what personal space was. "And why are you wearing makeup?"
"W-what!?" Gary recoiled, turning away slightly. "I… I'm not!"
"For real!?" Bella leaned in, squinting at his face. "Shit, man. You autistic and gay!?"
"Bella!"
"Sorry."
Victoria watched the bickering unfold, then silently took her place next to Riley. She didn't say anything—just smiled and looked around the room like she was seeing it for the first time.
A few more minutes passed, and other students began filing into the class.
Bella's eyes narrowed as soon as she noticed something.
"They're… all girls," she muttered, looking around. "What is this—a damn harem for y'all? Must be feelin' real lucky, huh, Gary-boy?"
"Huh?" Gary blinked at her. "What?"
"You out here surrounded by fine-ass women?"
"Oh…" Gary glanced around the room, then quickly smirked, covering half his face with one hand. "Yes, of course. It's only natural the Dragon Monarch would be flanked by his destined harem."
"There is seriously something wrong with your head," Hannah muttered.
"Yes," Gary nodded solemnly. "It's cursed—with beauty. And why are you so aggressive toward me?"
"I don't know—there's something about you that's fake."
"Oh?" Gary blinked, his eyes slightly moving to the side.
"Okay, quiet down!"
Spectacular Mustache Man's booming voice echoed through the hall, snapping the group to attention. They all turned to look at him, only to see he was now hovering above the class, suspended by his own mustache, which had extended several times to lift him off the ground.
The mustache moved like limbs, carrying him forward in long, elegant strides until he reached the central platform.
"As some of you may already know," he began, "I am Spectacular Mustache Man."
He floated gently to the ground as his mustache slowly retracted, landing on the platform with grace.
"I'm an A-tier Hero, currently ranked 58th in the World Hero Rankings."
He began pacing across the platform, and every pair of eyes in the room followed his movements.
"Yes. Hero Rankings," he said, his voice resonating. "How important do you think they are?"
He paused, letting the question hang.
"Anyone? Anyone want to take a guess?"
The room fell silent. No one met Spectacular Mustache Man's gaze. It was the first day, and their instructor was already throwing questions at them?
Unfortunately for the class, silence wasn't an escape. Spectacular Mustache Man's mustache began to extend across the ceiling, weaving above their heads before pointing directly at a girl standing alone in the back.
The girl didn't flinch. She didn't answer right away, either—she just tucked a strand of her long black hair behind her ear as every eye turned to her. Her slint, almond-shaped blue eyes were nearly as unreadable as Riley's.
"I don't think they're important at all," she finally said, her voice flat and almost robotic.
"And your name, student?" Spectacular Mustache Man asked.
"Tomoe."
"Everyone, Ms. Tomoe is correct," he said, retracting his mustache as he scanned the room. "Rankings don't matter. You are no less a hero if you're at the bottom. In fact, I believe the rankings should be abolished. What truly matters is whether you're saving lives—whether you're improving them."
Silence once again settled over the class. Some students nodded, considering his words. Tomoe, however, merely scoffed and looked away.
"Rankings do not matter at all…" Spectacular Mustache Man went on, now crossing his arms and sighing deeply. "Do you think Whiteking is better than me just because he's ranked higher?"
"Well…" Some of the students wanted to react, but before they could do so, Spectacular Mustache Man stomped his foot on the platform.
"No!" he bellowed. "That man is not better than me! Without his fancy gadgets, he wouldn't even crack the top one hundred! The only reason the Hope Guild still keeps him around is because of those gadgets! And Whiteking? What kind of narcissistic name is that!?"
And all of a sudden, his passionate speech became a rant.