Chapter 28: A Hitman’s Ideals
The Hero Association cafeteria was louder than Nicholas expected. Heroes in various states of costume and civilian wear moved between tables. Some were still winding down from missions, while others casually showed off their abilities for entertainment.
Unlike outside, the association didn’t restrict casual ability use within its walls. As long as nobody damaged property or endangered anyone, most heroes were free to use their powers however they pleased.
Nicholas and Selena found a table near the window.
Before long, a waitress approached carrying a tray with two steaming cups of tea. she placed it on their table flashing a smile, "First timers treat, it’s on the house" she said before leaving.
"At least sticking with you earned me free tea. First good thing I’m getting off of you" Selena grinned, but her expression went stern.
After dealing with the girl issues, Selena felt she had to sit him down and get him to understand the dangers of the hero academy.
She had gotten a bit more respect for him since the first mission, so she felt the need to explain things to him better than outrightly cursing at him.
’We didn’t exactly start off well... but things can always get better.’
Selena wrapped both hands around her mug.
She took a sip from her tea.
"The fees."
Nicholas looked at her.
"The Hero Academy’s tuition isn’t subsidized unless the student is a direct entry, meaning they awakened an ability and were flagged by the association itself. Katherine isn’t that. Which means full fees. No government assistance." She set the mug down. "It’s not a small number, Nicholas. You’d have to sustain it consistently, not just cover enrollment. Year round."
Nicholas was quiet for a moment.
Selena recognized that particular silence. It was the one where he was running calculations.
"Then I’ll take more missions."
"You just finished your first one yesterday. You’re still bruised."
"I heal quickly."
"That’s not — " She stopped. Pressed her fingers to her temple. "You can’t just stack missions indefinitely. The association has protocols. You need recovery time, assessment periods, rank evaluations—"
"How quickly can I get another mission approved?"
Selena stared at him.
"I’ll take that as today," Nicholas said, and reached for his coffee.
She opened her mouth to respond—
"SELENAAA!"
The voice arrived before the person did.
"My goodness" Selena let out a resigned sigh, trying to ignore the voice and keeping her gaze away from the direction.
"Selena!" But the voice only kept coming closer.
"Yes." Selena replied with a bittersweet smile, ’Can I get a break?’ Selena thought, feeling the urge to breakdown in tears.
A girl with short pink hair and a camera slung around her neck dropped into the seat beside Selena.
She carried the energy of someone who had been waiting all morning to have this conversation.
"My subscriber count dropped again. Do you know what that does to a person? Emotionally?" She placed both hands flat on the table. "I had forty-two new followers last week and then I posted that hero workout routine and lost sixty. Sixty, Selena. That’s not a dip that’s a collapse—"
"Julie." Selena started with a wry smile, "I’m in the middle of something."
"You’re always in the middle of something." Julie’s camera swung slightly as she leaned forward. "I just need ten minutes. Five. Two and a half. What would you do? If your content wasn’t landing and you’d tried everything and your ability is literally video editing with special effects which sounds cool in theory but nobody cares about in practice because it’s not punching things—"
"Julie—"
"I just need one good piece of content. One. That’s all it takes to blow up and then everything changes." She slumped back in the chair.
"If only I knew who the Phantom Hero was. Have you seen the forum today? People haven’t stopped talking about him since last night. The unnamed hero who took down Draco Nidum while Vixen stepped aside. If I could get that guy on camera—" Her eyes went distant with the gleam of someone doing mental arithmetic on subscriber counts.
"One video. Just one mission. I’d be set. The algorithm would love it. Everyone wants to see the mysterious guy nobody knows."
Selena smiled very slightly into her tea mug.
Julie sat up suddenly.
"Wait." Her eyes narrowed, "I saw you on the broadcast last night. In the background. Before the cameras found Vixen." She pointed at Selena slowly.
"You were there."
"Was I?"
"You were definitely there." The excitement on her face doubled.
"Selena. Is the Phantom Hero under your supervision?"
Selena set her mug down, letting off a sigh of defeat, "...He’s sitting across from you."
Julie turned.
She looked at Nicholas properly for the first time since she’d arrived. He had been sitting there the entire conversation with both hands around his coffee, completely unbothered by being thoroughly ignored.
Julie stared at him.
He looked back at her with the expression of a man staring at a brick wall.
"...Him?"
"Him."
Julie looked at Selena. Back at Nicholas. At Selena again.
Then she turned fully in her chair toward Nicholas, her camera swinging forward instinctively.
"Can I follow you on your next mission? I just need footage. I won’t get in the way, I’m very small, nobody ever notices me, I can stay back, I have good instincts, I’ve been on three missions before and only needed medical attention twice."
Selena leaned forward. "Julie, I don’t think—"
She was already calculating reasons. And there were a lot of them.
B-rank missions, no defensive ability and Nicholas’s combat style. It was efficient and brutal, it wasn’t the type designed around keeping a civilian with a camera alive in the crossfire. And beyond the safety issue.
Nicholas had told her directly, no cameras, no spotlight, no media.
She almost felt bad having to be the one to explain it.
"He won’t be interested," Selena said, with the gentle firmness of someone delivering certain news. "He doesn’t like cameras. He doesn’t want attention. That’s not—"
"Thirty percent."
Selena turned.
Nicholas had set his tea down.
"Thirty percent of whatever the videos make." He said, looking at Julie with complete calm.
"Every video, every clip, every short. Thirty percent of whatever it earns. We can draw up something formal if you want."
Julie’s eyes went wide.
Selena stared at him. "You told me—" She stopped. Started again. "You specifically said you had no interest in cameras, attention, or any of that."
Nicholas shrugged.
"My opinions can be bought with enough money."
The table was quiet for a moment.
Julie looked like she might cry from happiness.
Selena looked like she might cry from something else entirely.
"I should have known," she thought, facepalming "I genuinely should have known."
"It’s a deal!" Julie shrieked, shooting out an arm for a shake.
