"Whiteking is a menace to society! If he truly wanted to help, why doesn't he make all his fancy gadgets available to the public?!"
Several minutes had already passed, and yet Spectacular Mustache Man's sudden and random rant continued on. His voice grew higher, faster, more unhinged with every word. The students exchanged glances, unsure whether to laugh or worry.
Thankfully, after a few moments, he caught himself. He cleared his throat and brushed up his mustache with both hands.
"A-anyway," he muttered, regaining composure. "Our first lesson today is about understanding the value of the lives you'll save—and recognizing your own value as a hero… if you do, indeed, choose that path."
He took a breath, then met the students' eyes one by one.
"When you're out there saving lives, you're not just saving people—you're becoming something more. A symbol. An ideal. You."
He pointed directly at Gary.
"M-me? I knew it," Gary whispered, clutching his chest. "I'm the chosen–"
Spectacular Mustache Man completely ignored him and pointed to another student, then another.
"You, and you. All of you. Each of you can become a symbol for the people, just like Megawoman."
And at a single mention of her name, the room held its breath. Even the air felt heavier. Everyone seemed to pause in reverence as they imagined Megawoman. Well, everyone except Riley, who still didn't fully grasp and get her importance.
"Megawoman," the instructor said, his voice quieter now. "Earth's mightiest and strongest hero. She's been retired for over a decade, and still, her name echoes in the hearts of the people as if she never left. That's the power of a name."
He paused, letting it settle.
"Your name, students, will soon become just as important."
"Are we… are we going to choose our superhero names already!?" One of the students couldn't help but raise her hand.
The students who had been quiet just moments ago now whispered excitedly among themselves, only for Spectacular Mustache Man to smother their smiles with a firm,
"No."
He shook his head as he spoke. "You can choose your name now, sure. In fact, you may choose to be addressed with the name of your liking—but trust me, by the time you leave the Academy, you will have a different name. A name that the people would have bestowed upon you. Even Megawoman didn't choose her name; the people did."
"Did... the people choose your name, Professor?"
"Heh..." Spectacular Mustache Man's mustache twitched proudly. "I'm glad you asked. Sometimes, my dear students, when someone is truly special, the name they choose for themselves sticks. I chose the name Spectacular Mustache Man, and no one else has ever held this title. Do you know why?"
And immediately, Riley raised his hand. Everyone quickly turned their attention to Riley—after all, they had been curious about him since the start. 20% of the entire population were Supers, which meant that Riley's condition of being an albino far exceeded it in rarity.
When Spectacular Mustache Man pointed at him, the room held its breath. Riley opened his mouth, and what came out stunned them all.
"Because it is a very ugly name, Mr. Instructor," Riley said without hesitation. "That is why it suits you. Even with your eyes covered, I think everyone agrees it matches your face."
Hannah groaned and covered her face in shame. Bella, meanwhile, had her hands over her mouth for a different reason—trying desperately not to laugh. In fact, many of the students were fighting the same urge. They were still teenagers, after all. Their humor hadn't quite grown up yet.
Some, however, looked nervous, watching for the instructor's reaction. But despite the twitching of his mustache, Spectacular Mustache Man was still smiling. The mood remained... surprisingly calm.
"Ha... Haha!" He forced out a chuckle. "That… that was a good one. But let's skip the jokes for now."
"But that was not a—"
"Riley!" Hannah slapped her hand over his mouth before he could dig the hole any deeper and get himself kicked out of the class the very first day.
Spectacular Mustache Man paused, clearly knowing what Riley had been about to say. Still, he cleared his throat and composed himself.
"How about this?" he said at last. "Let's do something tomorrow. I'll dismiss class early today, but I want you all to come back with a superhero name. Then, tell the class why you chose it, why you deserve it, and what you'll do to earn it. I'll even have a little surprise for you all."
He offered no further explanation before walking out of the room. But everyone saw the way he held his face and brushed his fingers along his mustache on the way out.
As soon as the door closed, Hannah turned and lightly elbowed Riley in the gut.
"Bro. Not fucking cool," she hissed. "How many times have I told you not to say every damn thing on your mind? Now Spectacular Mustache Man's gonna have it out for you. I heard he's super petty."
"For real? I heard he cool as hell," Bella added with a shrug. Then she turned to Victoria. "Aight—V. You rollin' with us or what?"
"Hm?" Victoria blinked, surprised to hear her name. "Rolling?"
"Oh, it's nothing," Hannah said, leaning in with a grin. "We were gonna explore the Academy after class. You should definitely come."
"Uh…" Victoria glanced at Riley. He just shrugged. "...Sure?"
"Great!" Gary suddenly appeared beside them, clapping his hands. "Where are we going?"
"What the…" Hannah stared at him, eyebrows raised. "Why are you still here?"
***
With class dismissed early, Riley and the others really did start exploring the Academy, though not before passing by Benjamin's classroom. Unfortunately for him, he could only watch them walk by with envy; his class wasn't done yet.
"So… what now?" Hannah asked, glancing around. "Benjamin's the one who memorized this place. He knows where all the cool spots are. Pauline, you took a map earlier, right?"
"Uh… wait." Pauline rummaged through her bag for a few seconds, then sighed and shook her head. "I must've left it in cooking class."
"I know a few places," Gary offered, raising his hand.
"What the—seriously, why are you still here?" Hannah gasped, genuinely surprised. They'd all thought Gary remained back in the classroom. But after a moment, she just sighed. "Whatever. You're basically Benjamin 2.0 at this point. Since you're tagging along—where?"
"I think I read somewhere the Academy has a mall," Gary said with a casual shrug.
"No fucking way." Hannah blinked and let out a disbelieving laugh. "Really?"
"Damn… this crib's fancy as hell," Bella muttered, eyes wide.
"Well then…" Hannah gestured for Gary to take the lead. "Go on, guide us."
"W-well… I don't actually know where it is."
"What!? Then why—"
"I know where it is."
Before things could spiral, Victoria, who had been quietly standing beside Riley, raised her hand. "I can take you there. I've… been a few times."
"Wait, really? You live here or something?" Hannah asked with a teasing tone.
Victoria just let out an awkward chuckle in response—it was slightly true, after all.
"Alright then, to the mall!" Bella clapped her hands, but before they could take a step, a voice called out from behind.
"Hannah Ross?"
The voice came from another group of students. From the way they smirked and grinned at Hannah, it was obvious—at least to Bella and the others—that they didn't have good intentions.
And the tone of Hannah's voice as she responded confirmed it.
"Really, you guys are also fucking here?"