The comments section all think I'm a really good person.

It's as if they already know something.

24. Retirement

Wait, if that's the case, isn't the Silver Garden's target Ahara?

[This also explains why members of the Silver Court would protect Ahara in other timelines, because Kita Kirihara is extremely important to the Silver Court.]

[I initially thought he was just an ordinary person, but it turns out he's a key figure?]

[Actually, you could tell from the fact that A-Yuan was accidentally caught in the time rift, right? It was foreshadowing.]

I really didn't expect this...

So, Kita Kirihara actually possesses abilities? Didn't she lack X-cell responses?

[Perhaps it's due to a special physical condition?]

No wonder the camera focused on her at the beginning of this storyline; she really is the main character.

Even if she doesn't actually possess such abilities, she is definitely a key figure in the process.

After the members of Silver Garden greeted Koizumi Saki and leaked this information, causing Koizumi Saki and the online comments to ponder, they calmly left.

The moment Homura Akemi withdrew her barrier, the members of the Silver Garden who were standing in the conference hall disappeared as if they had been cut off from the screen, leaving no trace.

Outside the window, the sky was still clear and blue, and white doves flew by, flapping their wings, their feathers slowly drifting down.

Neither the subtle atmosphere inside nor the menacing members of the Silver Garden were to be found.

As if a play button had been pressed, the other heroes, who had been frozen in their seats, were finally able to move.

It all felt like an illusion.

"The name of a god?" Noticing that Koizumi Saki seemed a little distracted, the beast tamer, who was waiting for her to speak first, waved his hand at her. "Don't daydream."

She was wearing a tank top and hot pants, the contrast between her exposed honey-colored skin and the fair skin hidden beneath her clothes. As she moved, one side of the tank top slipped down, revealing a noticeable light-colored bra strap.

The man sitting next to her, Future Vision, subtly turned his face away, avoiding the woman's ample bosom, looking rather annoyed.

Even though she covered her eyes, it was still possible to see.

Saki Koizumi paused for a moment before replying, "It's nothing."

She hadn't figured out how to bring up the matter of the Silver Garden yet.

The god, whose ability to organize his thoughts was negative, was racking his brains trying to figure out how to explain this to the other special-class heroes.

To the other top-level officers, this silent expression was simply the chief daydreaming again.

“I said, since we’ve already invited everyone over, let’s not waste any more time.”

The Dream Weaver was blunt; she had only come through this by sheer willpower, as night patrols always left her sleep-deprived and her regular work was very demanding.

Being summoned here and forced to stare blankly at this dull-witted chief is indeed quite unpleasant.

"...Ryo already conveyed the message about the Silver Garden yesterday."

Saki Koizumi was quite bad at chairing meetings; she sat awkwardly in her seat, like a primary school student being forced to speak on a stage.

However, despite the awkwardness, she managed to get the words out.

“The Silver Garden is… ah, I remember now.” The beast tamer picked at her ear, casually resting her arm on the back of the chair with a rather unrestrained posture. She grinned, showing her teeth. “It seems quite interesting.”

In previous years, there were also some arrogant criminals with superpowers who formed small groups and wanted to cause trouble. However, they usually didn't survive more than three months before being wiped out.

Where there is light, there is shadow; and in this somewhat chaotic era, many unexpected things can arise from the shadows.

Everyone had long been used to it.

Saki Koizumi: ...No, you have no idea at all.

Ordinary groups of supernatural criminals wouldn't be able to do what they did earlier, directly enveloping the tower's main hall in a barrier.

If the other party had been hostile, this meeting at the tower probably wouldn't have been able to proceed.

However, just as Homura Akemi said, she "just came to say hello" and then turned and left without leaving any trace. The other heroes didn't even realize that the Silver Garden had been there.

So, before the meeting moved on to the first item on the agenda, Koizumi Saki sighed slightly, racked her brains, and told everyone what had just happened.

The more Koizumi Saki narrated, the more they managed to understand her meaning from her fragmented, chaotic, and overly brief sentences. The reactions of the heroes present varied.

"You mean... the members of the Silver Court paused time just now and then talked to you in front of all of us?" Ding Ge pushed up his glasses, but didn't seem to doubt it much.

Although everyone felt sorry for Saki Koizumi's language skills and interpersonal skills, this did not diminish their trust in her.

Let's say that.

Despite the fact that getting along with her can be incredibly frustrating, there is no doubt that Saki Koizumi is the most reliable hero in the world.

They are honest and straightforward, and don't mince words.

Since even the chief was so serious, the other top-tier members also restrained their disdain.

However, besides that, there was another important matter at the meeting.

[Freeze frame] Decided to retire.

He has no intention of becoming a special-class hero again, nor does he intend to continue working in the hero industry.

Rather, as the oldest person present, he never thought being a hero was a reliable profession from the very beginning.

He consistently treated this job as a side hustle, earning a little extra money. Because of his exceptional abilities, he reached the top-tier level. His work became increasingly busy, to the point that it affected his personal life.

With professionalization on track, Dingge has no intention of taking advantage of this trend.

For him, his family and life are more important.

Therefore, this is what a mature and realistic superhero said:

"The profession of hero is bullshit, with countless troubles, ungrateful people, and all sorts of injuries... Let whoever wants to be one be one."

After finishing his business, he feels more fulfilled drinking an ice-cold beer at home than doing this job.

The refined superhero pushed up his glasses, and everyone then noticed that the uncle, who was always meticulous in his appearance, had bloodshot eyes and stubble on his chin today.

However, his expression was so calm that it was almost impossible to detect his annoyance.

Some of those present still wanted to say something to persuade them to stay, but looking at their frozen, dejected and haggard faces, they were somewhat unable to utter a word.

He sighed almost imperceptibly, his gaze sweeping over the young people present before finally settling on Saki Koizumi, and calmly said:

"Even without me, the world will not be destroyed. This is the result of my careful consideration."

Saki Koizumi didn't know what that glance meant, nor was she quite clear about what had happened to the frozen-up man.

Only after the meeting ended did Kobayashi Ryo quietly tell her:

The family members of the deceased hero recently suffered retaliation against the hero's family and are still in a coma in the hospital.

At that time, he happened to be dealing with a disaster and was unable to get away.

The criminal even recorded the child crying in a message left on his landline.

25. Kitagaki Yuko

So that's how it is...

The elite fighters of the old era were in a transitional period towards professionalization, and each of them faced their own difficulties.

Fortunately, Chief Koizumi has now been given a suitable inhibitor, preventing him from losing control and accidentally killing someone.

Actually, I don't quite understand what the frozen-frame uncle said in other timelines that caused the situation to spiral out of control.

[It's great that the uncle can retire smoothly.]

[I'm a complete newbie and don't quite understand what you guys are talking about... Why are these characters now considered old-era special-grade? And what's wrong with this guy?]

[Huh? I thought this live stream was for fans only. Will random people be attracted to it?]

[It trended on the list just minutes ago!]

[It seems that the characters from The Silver Garden's entrance scenes were so stunning that they attracted many new viewers, causing their popularity to surge.]

[The official channels have also promoted it, haven't they?]

I heard that the origin stories for the Silver Garden characters are in the works, and my wallet is itching to spend!

Wait, wasn't the newcomer asking about the old-era special-grade?

In short, this generation of Special-Class fighters, which is also the first generation of Special-Class fighters, were actually wiped out not long afterward.

[I remember the freeze-frame shows him dying at the hands of the rampaging Chief, Tian Jing disappearing during a mission, the Beast Tamer's abilities going out of control and being killed by Future Vision, but Future Vision's eyes were also completely destroyed as a result, and the Electronic Ghost disappearing into the depths of the network while searching for his mother's phantom... What happened to the Dream Weaver again?]

[The Dream Weaver died in a concert accident]

Oh right, basically everyone except the chief sent theirs. The chief himself is practically on the verge of a mental breakdown.

Therefore, this generation's story is depicted very little. Even after reading through all the comics, all we know is that they served as Special Class during the first seven years of chaos, and then disappeared due to various accidents on the eve of professionalization.

That's a bit too much malice...

Originally just supporting characters in the background story, they now have more potential for development in the plot, and I'm really looking forward to seeing how they shine.

[After all, the Shadow Association's plan started collapsing one after another from when Koizumi was three years old, and Tenjou has already been rescued by the Silver Garden, so it feels like the other Special Class won't fall for it so easily.]

So, it really was the Shadow Association pulling the strings behind the scenes?

[It was only hinted at in the comics before, but now it all matches the plot of the live stream. It's safe to assume that the Shadow Association was behind it.]

How utterly vicious!

[After all, they're just rats in the gutter.]

The chat erupted in heated discussion, as the number of comments increased due to the surge in viewership. Fortunately, Kita Kirihara was adept at quick memorization and analysis, and he managed to write down all the comments.

The "High Tower Meeting" segment is where the most information is revealed in the live chat.

From beginning to end, the comments section was abuzz with discussions about the meeting process, which was never fully depicted in the manga. After Homura Akemi's time stop was lifted, she was able to move freely again.

Kita Kirihara stood on the street, which seemed completely unfamiliar.

In the unfamiliar shop, with unfamiliar people walking around, Kita Kirihara tightened his lips and buried the lower half of his face in his scarf and collar.

Although the wind was a bit chilly, the weather was lovely.