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4 Hours Later
At Redwood Academy

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We finally arrived back at Redwood Academy after leaving Planet Zage.

First, we had to make a pit stop back at home. Suko said she wanted to take a nap, so we took her home so that she could sleep in her bed. Afterwards, we immediately departed for Redwood Academy.

Thankfully, it was still open when we arrived. But to our surprise, Peter, Ariana, and Michael were standing right at the front doors with all of the other two hundred and twenty students!

"Congratulations Renjun~!"

"And thank you all for your hard work, and for saving our world"

Ariana and Peter were the first to greet us, along with Michael's enthusiastic clapping.

The other student's clapped and cheered as well. A couple of them held up a banner that read "Thank You For Saving Our World!", and a few others released balloons and confetti.

"You guys really thought this through huh?"

"Of course~. You guys deserve it~"

Ariana cheered.

"Congrats on becoming our new number one hero by the way"

Peter smiled.

It seemed that most of the students were oblivious to that for some reason. I heard multiple whispers and murmurs coming from most of them, and I could see the shock on their faces.

Did the majority of them somehow not see the broadcast???

"Wait. What happened to Iron Bolt???"

"When did he suddenly stop being the number one hero???"

"Did something happen???"

"How come he was replaced so easily???"

Those were among the many questions I heard in the crowd.

I know it's not my fault that Iron Bolt passed down his role to me. But, it's not like I asked for that role either...

I wanted him to remain our number one hero, just like everyone else. But he was ready to retire, and I doubt we'd find someone as strong as me if I turned him down.

"Iron Bolt retired, and he chose Renjun-hyung as the next heir to be the number one hero"

Chenle suddenly defended me.

"Hyung may not have asked for this, especially not this soon, but it's not like he could change Iron Bolt's decision either. He felt that Renjun-hyung earned his spot among the greatest heroes. And how could he not after he saved multiple worlds singlehandedly?"

Jisung added.

"But just because he's earned that title, doesn't mean he wants to be treated any differently. Renjun's humility hasn't gone anywhere, and it'd make him feel uncomfortable if he was treated any differently. He still wants you all to see him as a mere comrade or friend, just like before"

Mark ruffled my hair as he said that.

"I couldn't agree more. All of you should keep that in mind. We don't want to make our friend uncomfortable, now do we?"

Peter have all of them a sudden glare, and they all frantically began to apologize.

It was awkwardly silent for a few seconds, until one of the students slowly but surely made their way to us from the crowd.

It turned out to be a very cute cat boy.

He was exceptionally small, so I bent down for us to be face to face.

"Sorry we caused some trouble for you Mr. Renjun~"

He eagerly shook my hand, while apologizing for the other students.

His voice is so cute and quiet, it's hard to believe that he's one of the students here.

"It's no problem at all~. I was just a little flustered is all, so don't worry~"

I gently pet him, and he quietly giggled.

"This is for you~"

He eagerly handed me a finely cut piece of meat as a gift.

It was surprisingly much bigger than him.

"Thank you so much~, umm..."

"Call me Nitro~"

He proudly cheered.

"Thank you so much Nitro~. I really appreciate this~"

He gave me a hug before happily skipping away, disappearing into the crowd.

"All right everyone. It's getting late. Everyone may bid their goodbyes one by one before heading home"

Peter announced to all the students.

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15 Minutes Later

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It took a little while for everyone to bid their goodbyes, considering how many of them there was.

Nitro was the last one to see us, much to our delight.

He's such a sweetheart, even more than Ariana is. He hugged each of us one by one, hugging me for the longest time. Afterwards, he waved at us while he ran off to go home. He didn't stop waving until he was far enough to where he couldn't see us anymore.

Ariana and Michael went home afterwards, leaving us with Peter.

"He's such a cute little boy~"

Taeyong cooed, smiling to himself.

"Nitro is the youngest out of all of the students here. He's only ten years old"

"TEN?!"

Lucas was the only one who seemed shocked about that.

Nevertheless, Peter nodded.

"None of us knows how he managed to get into our school, and it's not just because of his age. There's something else"

"What's wrong with him? He seems fine to me"

Donghyuck questioned.

"He may seem like he's no different than the rest of us, but that's not the case. He's powerless"

"Powerless...? But, I sensed an immense power within him..."

I mumbled.

"You and only a few others have said that about him. Some say that his power lies in a different plane of reality, one that the majority of us can't sense. This makes him an easy target for being teased"

"I see..."

"I for one do my best to keep him close. I've seen what he's like when he breaks down from sadness. It's just heartbreaking to see such a bubbly kid so sad and helpless"

I know all too well what that feeling is like.

That's exactly how it was for me. The feeling of being helpless, added on to the teasing, made my life unbearable in my younger age.

I can only imagine what he's going through.

"He's one of the only ones that I know actually watched the entire broadcast, since we watched it together. He was so excited to see you make your debut. If anything, you're undoubtedly his hero. He was so eager to give you his gift, even if he knew it would be gone quicker than a non-edible gift. He just wanted to give you something that he knew you'd enjoy"

Peter explained.

"I don't know what to say... He's just so lovely..."

"I wouldn't know what to say either. I don't blame you for being speechless. Just, promise that you'll all help me be there for him, especially you Renjun. He wants to be a hero just like all of you. It would be great if you could somehow help him live his dream. It would mean a lot to him, and to me"

Peter couldn't hide the small smile that crept onto his face.

He really cares for Nitro, almost as if he were his family.

But of course, I would be more than happy to help Nitro. The others helped me after all, so I'll gladly do the same for him.

"I promise. His dream will come true"