Chapter 6 – Your Name (1)

Ȓеα​ⅾ ο​ɴ ​Каｔ​Ŕеα​ｄ​ıｎǵСαſｅ

Since that day, stories of a masked girl had begun spreading like wildfire across all of Kivotos.

From subduing criminals causing disturbances, taking down delinquents and Helmet Gang members engaging in shootouts, to stopping petty crimes like bicycle theft. She would appear like a comet, leaving behind tales of heroism wherever she went.

She only ever showed up where crime and accidents occurred, acting solely to protect and defend the citizens. Moved by her actions, some people even began calling her a “hero”, praising her deeds.

And so, everyone in Kivotos began asking the same questions:

Who is she? 

Where did she come from?

And most importantly—

What is her name?

A hero seemingly straight out of a story had suddenly emerged in reality.

The Valkyrie Police Academy was quick to denounce her actions, condemning vigilantism and demanding that she turn herself in immediately. But the citizens of Kivotos only scoffed at Valkyrie’s words.

“Maybe if they did their jobs properly, huh? Tch.”

“Turn herself in? How about you go catch those damn Kaisers first?”

“And people wonder why nobody trusts the police…”

The people of Kivotos knew the truth. They knew how chaotic and how unsafe this city was.

The so-called “Police Academy” could not bring peace to its citizens. They always arrived after the damage was done, and more often than not, they only made things worse. That was why those who had been saved by her acknowledged her existence.

And while citizens welcomed her, the villains of Kivotos had a different reaction.

Those whose plans had been foiled by her became desperate to uncover her identity.

From the Kaiser Corporation, to smaller syndicates, to underground groups yet to be confronted by her, every faction with a stake in crime wanted to know—

Who is she?

Yet, no one could answer. No one knew the name of the nameless hero.

And with each passing day, the mystery surrounding her only deepened.

***

And at that moment—

What was the masked girl, the source of this great mystery, doing?

“What should I name myself?”

…She was lying on the rooftop of a Millennium district building, contemplating her superhero name.

After fighting with Kaiser PMC, I realized something. I needed to come up with a proper hero name as soon as possible. More and more people were just calling me “Mask” because of, well, my mask. 

And honestly? 

That sucked.

And then—

[Nekozuka Hibiki – Hey, is that really you on the news? Answer me already. I’m dying to know.]

[Shiraishi Utaha – I already coordinated with Hibiki, so your identity is safe with us. But after watching the news, I can’t help but worry. If you have time, stop by the Engineering Club, okay, junior?]

I didn’t want the people supporting me to remember me by some lame name like “Mask.”

After replying briefly to Hibiki’s curiosity and Utaha’s concern, I shoved my phone back into my pocket.

BEEP— 

BEEP—

“Loud as ever.”

Lying atop a skyscraper, I looked out at the city.

It resembled Seoul from my past life, but cleaner, with signs of advanced civilization scattered throughout.

And above, the sky stretched endlessly—bright and clear, with a faintly visible ring.

It was the kind of breathtaking scenery I had only ever seen in games before.

Ever since I started hero work, I have come to love this view the most.

“…At least the scenery is nice. The scenery.”

Despite the Sanctum Tower being paralyzed, the city was still in chaos.

Crime, conflicts, accidents—trouble brewed everywhere, and with the General Student Council’s collapse, the frequency had only skyrocketed.

There was only so much I could do alone. I was just one person, and the city was vast. I couldn’t stop every crime.

“I bet even Spider-Man had days like this.”

Every day, I’d either finish my school classes or sneak out halfway to patrol the city. But I haven’t had a single peaceful day since starting my patrols. 

And as long as Kivotos remained lawless, I doubted that would change.

I could only hope that the Sensei would come soon.

If there was one small silver lining, it was that among the districts I patrolled—Millennium, the Central District, Gehenna, and Trinity—Millennium had the lowest crime rate.

…Of course, “low” didn’t mean zero. Those damn small-time gangs always found ways to stir up trouble.

With a sigh, I absentmindedly ran my fingers through my long, white ponytail.

Weeks had passed since I became a girl, yet I still wasn’t used to my voice or appearance.

I had briefly considered dressing up, but in the end, I decided I’d rather stop another crime than waste time on fashion. Not that I even knew how to dress up, anyway.

“Not like there’s anyone I want to look good fo—”

…Wait.

Maybe that wasn’t entirely true.

If I kept this up, I’d eventually meet the main cast of the game, right?

At the very least, I wanted to make a good first impression on them. There was no reason to go around looking like a mess and earning their disgust.

BANG! BANG!

At that moment, amidst my idle thoughts, I caught the sound of gunfire. Roughly 300 meters from my location.

“A restaurant nearby, huh?”

Without hesitation, I leaped off the rooftop and fired my web-shooter.

It was hero time once again.

***

I arrived at the scene quickly.

Three Helmet Gang members were causing havoc inside the restaurant, firing their guns while spewing curses.

From what I overheard, they were pissed about bad food and “terrible service.”

“What are they, Haruna?”

With a chuckle, I swung inside.

The restaurant itself was ordinary, and it had transparent sliding doors which functioned as both a door and a window

The Helmet Gang had forced everyone to the ground, pointing their guns at an employee while screaming at them.

And yet—

They weren’t even watching their surroundings properly.

The moment I swung inside, the closest one spotted me.

“You—! You’re that masked brat! You little—!”

“Oh? You know me?”

“Of course I—GAAH! What the hell?!”

I didn’t bother listening to the rest.

A web shot directly to her helmet shut him up. A second web shot latched onto another who was charging at me, yanking her off balance.

CRASH!

Both of them toppled over, too dazed to react. I followed up by webbing them to the floor, ignoring their furious screams.

Only one was left.

“W-Wait, hold on…!”

“C’mon, don’t just stand there. Let’s get this over with.”

The last one hesitated. I could see the gears in her head turning.

“Trying to grab a hostage, huh?”

Predicting her move, I webbed her helmet and yanked.

Then, I drove my knee straight into her helmeted face.

SMASH!

Her helmet shattered as she collapsed, knocked out cold. Webbing her down for good measure, I turned to the trembling citizens.

“You’re safe now. It’s over.”

Relief flooded their faces.

“WOOOOOOO!!”’

“It’s her! The one from the news!”

“Th-Thank you! You saved us!”

As cheers erupted, I scratched my head, helping an older man back to his feet.

“Sir, are you hurt?”

“N-No… Thank you! Thank you so much…!”

I nodded, then prepared to leave. Though not forgetting to issue a warning.

“The webs will dissolve in two hours. Call Valkyrie to pick them up.”

“O-Of course!”

And with that, I shot my web. Just in time to hear another gunshot in the distance 

“What a crazy city, no time to rest at all”

And so I soared once more into the sky.

…

…

And in the wake of her departure—

A red-haired girl watched with admiration.

“So cool…!”

Her name was Rikuhachima Aru.

A self-proclaimed hard-boiled problem solver running a shady agency, now dreaming a new dream after witnessing true heroism.

[Millennium Official Community – Issue Board]

>> So what’s the deal with Mask?

She showed up out of nowhere when Kaiser was going wild, and now she’s everywhere. 

And she’s crazy strong—like, on par with our Neru, maybe even stronger?

Neru can’t dodge bullets either, right?

[Comments]

• The hell? Are you comparing her to Neru?
  └ Not comparing, just saying she’s strong as hell. Took out Kaiser PMC solo and hasn’t lost a single fight.
  └ Okay, fair. But Neru’s still Neru…
• So is her name seriously just Mask? Lame as hell.
  └ FR, she needs a better name.
• Say what you want, but seeing her save people is hype. The dialogue’s cringe, but she goes all out to protect civilians. Respect.
  └ Facts. Streets feel safer lately.
  └ Ayo, Prefect Team? Y’all slacking.
    └ LMAO true.

>> Almost died at work yesterday.

I work at a restaurant. Some Helmet Gang punks started screaming about the food being trash and the service being ass, then pulled out guns.

Then outta nowhere, Mask shows up and wrecks them in like 5 seconds. I was sure I was done for, but she came out of nowhere and saved us.

From today, I’m a Mask worshipper. Also, she apologized for knocking over furniture while fixing it—kinda cute ngl.

[Comments]

• What’s the restaurant name?
  └ Fluffy Tonkatsu.
  └ Yeah, nah. If even Helmet Gang said it was bad…
    └ Bruh.
    └ LMAO based.
• How’d she even find the place?
  └ She always shows up crazy fast. Like, crime happens → she’s there in minutes → wraps it up → leaves.
• 5 seconds? Cap.
  └ Swear on my gacha luck, no cap. Three dudes → webbed instantly.

>> Found Mask’s real identity LOL (UPVOTE PLS)

(Image of Mask shielding a civilian)

“Internet friends, it’s dangerous out there!!!!”

“Phew… that was close.”

“Usually posts like this are jumpscares or memes, so be careful next time, ‘kay? wink”

“No need to thank me.”

“This is… a hero’s duty.“

(Nods)

[Comments]

• Fucking troll. Downvoted.
• AAAAH DELETE THIS SHIT.
• Bruh 💀
  └ Aka 💀💀💀
  └ Murasaki 💀💀💀💀
• Okay but the pic goes hard…
  └ Cried ngl.
• Why no jumpscare????
  └ ?
  └ ?
  └ ?
  └ What’s wrong with you.

>> Can we PLEASE change her name?

“Mask” is so lame. Seriously, can we pick something else?

[Comments]

• Then suggest something better.
  └ How about “Silk”? Fights with threads.
  └ Oh…
  └ Oh…
  └ Wait, that’s unironically good?
• She’s like a spider—Spider-Girl?
  └ Lame.
  └ Super lame.
  └ Get out.
• Fast + white hair = Quicksilver?
  └ White hair? Moon Knight.
  └ Silver Samurai.
    └ Hyakkiyako fans, scram.
• Not afraid of bullets → Daredevil.
• Fox mask + white hair → White Fox.

…

…

…

“These are all plagiarized…!”

I clutched my head in frustration.

What the hell should my name be?