Edit: Hey guys and everyone starting to read this book! Quick info here: the first chapters are shitty written and rather confusing as this was/is my very first attempt at creative writing ever. I eventually found my writing style around chap 20 and stuck with it.  I desperately need to rewrite the first ones (I'm dying of cringe when I look at them), and I will when I find the time to do so. But the quality of the writing improves throughout the story, I promise. So bear with me :)

Add) I'm currently rewriting the first chapters. I'll upload the new ones one by one, depending on when I manage to get them done. The content doesn't change. I simply rewrite them to better fit the writing style I've found while writing this story :) I'll add a note at the end of the chapters that are already edited.

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Breaking News

"Today is a sad day for the hero society. Unfortunately, we have to announce the retirement of our beloved number four hero – Gravitas. As all of you know, she served as a role model for women and girls who aspire to be successful in the tough world of heroics, still mainly dominated by men, and we all admire her for her controversial appeals to unite the hero community and strengthen the teamwork.

She managed to find her way into the top ten of the Hero Billboard Charts JP in less than two years after her debut, slowly but steadily climbing her way up to rank four over the past years. Our beloved heroine always gave her all, trying to protect us and help wherever she could, which makes today's announcement even more tragic.

Yesterday, the media representatives of the Hero Public Safety Commission reached out to us and informed us about Gravitas' decision to retire from the hero business after 9 years in active duty. Furthermore, they highlighted that Gravitas, whose true identity always remained a secret, distanced herself from the suggestion of holding an official press conference in the light of her sudden retirement. Considering the reason for her retirement, the Hero Commission remained vague with the information they provided us with.

Even though the inhabitants of Musutafu suffer from the loss of one of their favourite local heroes, it is necessary to keep in mind that there are plenty of hard-working, dutiful heroes out there, who are more than capable of protecting us in times of danger."

Musutafu News

"Yesterday, a young couple who went for a walk in the evening stumbled over a gruesome crime scene in an alleyway. The dead and mutilated body of a man in his early thirties and an unconscious woman were found hidden in the shadows. Currently, the investigations are led by Detective Tsukauchi, who's part of Musutafu police's crime department. The Detective ensured us that there is no need for panic for the inhabitants. As for now, the investigations lead him to assume that it was an individual case of murder. The press conference is settled for tomorrow morning, 9 a.m. Out of respect for the victims, their name won't appear in any media."

Musutafu1

"Will the hero community be able to cope with the loss of Gravitas? She was an idol, loved by the masses, respected amongst heroes, and feared by villains and criminals! Join our show on Thursday, 8.p.m., and listen to several guests talking about Gravitas' sudden and mysterious retirement and her legacy!"

"Today's guest in our talk show is Haku – one of the guys that unfortunately discovered the bloody and horrendous crime scene in Musutafu two months ago. Now, now, Haku...tell us everything you remember about the horrible turn of events you experienced that evening! The two of you must have been pretty traumatized, right? But I think there's something else that everyone is itching to know...was it exciting? Thrilling?

Thank you for having me here tonight! I'm going to tell you...it was straight out of a horror movie, you know? My girlfriend, Yuki, and I went there for a stroll after having dinner together. We ended up in this alley because...well, you know...anyway, and suddenly, we stumbled over this poor guy's body! It was awful, traumatizing for both of us, you know? My poor Yuki baby basically puked her soul out after realizing what was going on. Imagine that! There was even blood on the new pumps I bought her, you know? The body looked like he was tortured – I'm not going into detail now, but I can tell you – man, that wasn't nice to look at. At first, we thought that the woman was also dead, you know? Blood all over her torn clothes and hands."

RadioM

"Many civilians express their doubts about the official announcement regarding Gravitas' disappearance from the public stage. There are several rumours stating that the Hero Commission and the local police try to cover up the real reason for her retirement, which were fuelled by the lack of answers regarding the mysteriousness of her sudden vanishing from the hero world. Were we lied to? Do the officials think that they can mock us?"

"Good evening, Listeners! From 7 to 8 p.m. you can call and voice your opinion on the highly controversial disappearance of Gravitas. Don't hesitate, dial xxx-xxx-xxx-xx, and speak up! Tell us what you think. Is there are a grain of truth in the variety of conspiracy theories that are currently circulating on social media?"

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The principal of the U.A. school for heroes, a rather big rodent with white fur, dressed in a fancy suit, got comfortable in the enormous armchair in his office, taking a sip from his cup of tea followed by a satisfied hum. On the other side of the small table in front of him, his dear colleague and old friend in form of an elderly lady was sitting on a sofa, busy with a piece of cake.

"Have you followed the news over the past months?"

The grey-haired lady with a syringe piercing the bun on her head reluctantly shifted her attention from the chocolate cake in front of her to the principal, taking a moment to process his question before she nodded in agreement, "Yes, I have indeed, Nezu. If you're asking like that....I assume that we're having the same idea?"

"Fully depends on what your idea is, dear Recovery Girl", the rodent replied with a smile creeping on his face. He had hoped to receive some help from her with his next little project. Knowing that it always ended up in an exhausting venture whenever he had to convince her of something, Nezu was content to hear that his colleague already seemed to have considered the same thing as him.

"Nezu...First, stop smiling like a goddamn child who just received a lollipop. You're an adult. On top of that, an adult with a higher IQ than 99% of Japan's population, I'd say. So, get a grip on yourself and act like it. Second, you clearly know what I'm thinking about. Stop the chit-chat and get to the point", Recovery Girl stated dryly, letting out a snicker as her eyes darted back to the cake, "Don't tell me this exquisite cake was part of your plan to win me over for your idea?"

Deciding that it was better, and most importantly more efficient, to ignore her side blows, he jumped straight to the important part, "Alright then, let's head to work! However, I'm certain this won't be easy. It will probably be time-consuming and troublesome, and you'll important. I'm not willing to give up on this easily though. Prepare for an increased amount of work for the next months. But, first of all, we need to get the ball rolling. Luckily, I've already had several tiresome discussions with the Hero Commission. It was more complicated than expected to persuade them of our plan. Well, they agreed under the condition that they regularly want to receive information about her state, her progress, and everything she does in our care. By chance, do you know anything about her current whereabouts, Chiyo? They refused to tell me right away."

Recovery Girl attentively listened to Nezu, who managed to turn on his lecture mode again, the relaxed expression on her face turning sombre at his words, "Unfortunately yes. Right now, she's in the psychiatric ward of the Musutafu General Hospital, which is concerning. There are bad rumours about this ward, and I hope none of them are true. She's there since the....since it happened. Must be about six or seven months already."

Furrowing his brows at her reply, Nezu let out a low hum, "I see. I think it's time for a visit, rather sooner than later, don't you think? Let's get this girl out there and save her from herself. Maybe we'll get her back. We have to try, at least. We owe it to her."

edited - 25.11.20