Notice Me, My Hero! Vol. 1 - Hero Fan

The Great Holocaust... that is name given to the battle that happened ten years ago between the International Hero Organization (IHO) and the Great Villain Coalition that destroyed almost half of the map. Many lost their families during that event. Children, the elderly, babies... no one were spared from the consequences of that battle. And while the heroes won... And countries managed to pick up their feet to regain economies... The scars of that event never truly faded. Michelle Lianne Heart was one of the victims of that event, and the scar she got was a scar on her memory. She can't remember what happened in the h*******t, and her memory before that, which scared her. Thankfully, Rune visited her in the hospital before she go insane in fear. He introduced himself as his best friend and stuck with her in almost everything she experienced from that day forward. During those times, they met Eliza, who became their partner in crime in times when they need someone to take them out of dangerous situations. Despite Eliza and Rune's support, Michelle still feels incomplete without her memory. She has a nagging feeling that she have forgotten something very important, which made her want to search for it, more. Being a college student, however, kept stopping her from doing so. Not to mention the troubles Rune kept dragging her and Eliza on by butting-heads with small-time villains they happen to come across... yeah, there is no way she can just disappear for memory hunting. Still, she hopes that... one day... if her memory does not find her, she will be given a chance to find it. And, in turn, find herself. ------------------------------------------ *ring* *ring* "Happy Heroes' Day!" "Let us celebrate the win of our heroes against these villains in the Great---" "Who wants some pumpkins!" "Munchkins! Who wants some munchkins! Buy 5 take 3 for---" On the sixth day in a week-long 10th year anniversary celebration for the IHO's triumph in the Great h*******t, Eliza and Michelle was looking through the stalls for something shiny that they will be using for their art project. "Would this work?" Michelle asked, referring to the emerald gem being sold by a gem-selling stall. Eliza shook her head at this and answered, "That's too costly. We need something similar to a glitter---". "What about this?", Michelle asked, showing an unknown gem that seems to glitter under the sun. Eliza looked at it closely, before asking the stall owner, "How much?". "80k", the owner said, which made Eliza's brow furrow. "That's too much. I'll give you 20k for this", Eliza said, which made the stall owner shake his head and answer, "No can do, kid. That's a very special type of stone that is worth billions in its original price. If you can't pay at the amount I am asking you, then don't buy at all". "... 40k", Eliza said, which made the owner shake his head. "50? 55? 60, that's all that I have" As Eliza bargains with the stall owner, Michelle took it as a chance to scan through the other gemstones. When she did, her eyes landed on a colorless stone. There's nothing really special with it. Its just a stone that looks like some kind of glass. Despite this, Michelle could not take her eyes of it... a movement that caught Eliza's eyes as soon as she finished buying the unknown stone for about 75k. "How much is this?", Eliza asked, pointing at the colorless stone, which surprised Michelle. "1k", the owner said. "I'll take it", Eliza said as she give the money to the owner. And then, she gave a hand sign to Michelle to take the colorless stone, much to Michelle's appreciation. "Why were you so taken with that?", Eliza asked, which made Michelle answer, "I don't know... it just... seems like it is calling me or something. A-Anyway, thanks for buying this, Eli". "You're welcome. Anyway, I'm short of funds, and we still need to buy more materials so... I think you should head into the bank and withdraw some money while I scan the booths for the other things we'll need for the art project", Eliza said as she hand her black card to Michelle. Michelle took the card from Eliza's hand and, immediately ran towards the direction of the bank. Eliza only looked at Michelle's back... before her eyes landed on the stone in her hand - the one that costs about 75k. "Calling, huh?", Eliza murmured, before putting the stone on her pocket and walking towards the school supplies store. As for Michelle, because of her speed, she managed to reach the bank in no time. She withdraw the money with the help of the receptionist, and was about to leave when small-time villains suddenly poured inside the bank. "Hands up! All of you! Now!" One of the villains shouted while showing off his flame ability that seems to have the capability to melt metal. This scared some of the civilians, while those with defensive-like abilities tried to attack the villains... only to slump on the ground due to the magnetic-like ability that another villain possesses. "No moving!" "Mother!" "Please, spare us!" The mixture of sounds made Michelle flinch. And then, the feeling of fear she was so familiar with crept into her spine, leading her to curl up in defense. 'I'm scared! Somebody, somebody... save me!' Michelle thought in her mind. When she did, flashes of the h*******t where she was trapped within a rubble with an injured women crept into her mind. The fear only disappeared when a familiar voice echoed in her ears. "Why can't you villains give this old man a rest?", a very deep voice asked, which made Michelle look at who it was who just spoke. When she did, she couldn't help but be surprised to see a very handsome man, who seems to be in his 30s, sighing. This man, although looking a bit frail at first, looked like a veteran in fighting that it made the villains think twice into crossing him. "I'm going to give you a chance. Take the stuffs back and leave peacefully, or rot in prison alongside the other villains. You choose", the man said, which made one of the villains said, "Don't mock us!", before throwing some kind of ice attack towards the unknown man. Before the ice reaches the man, however, the villains, one by one, collapsed, sending Michelle and the other spectators in awe. "Sir... Sir Kay!" A child exclaimed upon recognizing the man, which sent the people in the room in a frenzy. Who is Sir Kay? He is the 3rd rank hero in the country and the person who have the greatest contribution in the great h*******t. Not much is known about him... only that he's strong.. fast... and has a capability to put anyone in their feet. Michelle watched as the crowd piled up around Sir Kay... and in that small moment, saw Sir Kay looked at her in recognition. This made Michelle move instinctively towards him... only to stop when he suddenly disappeared from her sight. "Where did he go?" "Sir Kay!" "Someone, call the police so that we can send these robbers to prison!" Michelle, after that ruckus, returned to the celebration and... for some reason... started buying merchandise related to Sir Kay. This made Eliza, who managed to spot her from the crowd, clear her throat and ask, "What do you think you are doing?". "Buying my hero's merchandise!" Michelle said, excitedly. And then, she began relaying what happened in the bank - one that made Eliza's eyes narrow. And then, she sighed. "As long as you are alright", Eliza said before paying for whatever Michelle put her eyes on in the stall. "Eli! Mitch! Sorry, I'm late!", Rune, who just finished his soccer game, shouted as he run towards the two girls. "Rune, you will not believe this!", Michelle exclaimed before telling Rune about the bank robbery... one that made Rune feel very conflicted. Eliza just watched Rune's expression change from surprise, worry... to jealousy... knowing full well of Rune's interest to Michelle. That was not the only thought running on her head, however. It was the implications of Michelle's meeting with the hero... which will, definitely, expose the lies Michelle has been subjected to all these years... and will, definitely, put a strain in the relationship with all three of them. ------------------------------------------ That day... "I found her... this time, I am sure it is her!" The gem stall owner from the hero celebration said as he stumble in the shadows to reach the person hidden behind it. "I will bring her back... and bring you back my queen! I will not fail! For the Great Coalition!"