Story: New Heroes? Part 2 (Patreon)

Wednesday means story time, so here’s the end of the current story. This chapter is longer than the others—I had a bit of a creative streak while writing it. I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. Next week, it’s the pin-ups’ turn, and the RPG class archetypes won the vote. I hope you enjoy the read, and see you Saturday^^Chapter introduction: https://www.patreon.com/aglamau/posts/story-new-heroes-169632791Part 1: https://www.patreon.com/aglamau/posts/story-new-heroes-170291097

-So, tell me again, So, tell me again,what are you afraid of?-I feel like… I’m turning into a woman.-Come on, Akira, it’s not possible to change like that.-Then why do I feel like my breasts are growing?-It’s because you’re overweight,that’s what they call “man-boobs.”-I’m still skeptical, though.-What do you want me to say? That you’re right?-I don’t know, but…-Fine… Take off your shirt; I’ll take a look.-Excuse me, you can’t be serious, Sakuya?-Yes, I am. What’s the problem? You do it just fine during swim practice.-It’s not the same thing.-Come on, take off your shirt!

Faced with Sakuya’s authority, the young man complied without arguing. Once he was shirtless, the young woman placed her hands on Akira’s chest. At first, he backed away, but the look Sakuya gave him forced him to come back despite the embarrassment he felt. The young woman touched Akira’s chest again and was surprised.-You… you’re right… It really does look like breasts.-See, I’m not going crazy!-The question is, how is it possible that this is happening to you?-It’s probably because of your stupid tea!-Calm down,if that were true, everyone I’ve ever helped would have turned into women.-You’ve helped other people?-Yes, I just asked them to keep it a secret,that’s all.-So why am I transforming?-I have absolutely no idea,this is the first time I’ve seen this happen. I wonder if it’s related to your powers.-Excuse me?-Yes, I did some research and noticed that you’re the only male ice mage.-I know all that,I’m an exception.-Maybe your ice spirit doesn’t want this anymore, or maybe it wants you to be able to use its full power to avoid the mistakes of your past.-Even if it means turning me into a woman,I refuse to accept that.-Akira, you should…-No! I’d rather just stop everything.The young man got dressed and stormed out of the apartment, furious. He was completely at a loss,why had his powers played such a trick on him? He’d never had to worry about this before. Once home, he threw away all the products Sakuya had given him, along with his training program. He also closed the windows to keep the young woman from coming in. Once everything was sealed off, he went to bed, still seething with rage and with tears streaming down his face. He shut himself away once again, refusing to see anyone. He stopped all training and made no effort to control his diet, so he slowly began to gain weight.

Sakuya tried to get in touch, but to no avail. Akira remained shut off and even threatened to attack her if she kept coming. Nevertheless, the young woman slipped a letter under the door before leaving. It took Akira nearly three days to pick up and read the letter.After reading the letter, the young man crumpled it up and tossed it into the corner of the room, but Sakuya’s words continued to echo in his head. After three days of struggling with this, the young man resigned himself to it and assumed a meditative posture. After a few moments, he entered his inner world and found himself face to face with his ice spirit.

-There you are at last.-What do you mean, “at last”?-Yes, I’ve been trying to summon you for years.-I don’t remember you calling me.-I tried by cutting off access to your powers.-It was you! You almost killed me several times!-No more than you did by neglecting your body.-So what? I do whatever I want with my body.-True, but you can’t just ignore all the signals your body sends you either.-Like the fact that you’re making me grow breasts?-That’s just a consequence of the past you’ve buried.-What do you mean?-Do I need to remind you who you were before your training with Chinmei?-LEAVE HIM ALONE! HE MADE ME A MAN!-No, above all, he killed the person you were meant to become.-The person? You’re wrong,I’m a man, a real one!-Really? What about your past? Are you going to bury it, then?-Yes, without Chinmei, I’d be a w,-Don’t say it!-Or else what? Are you going to strip me of my powers completely?-No, I’d like you to understand who you really are.-There’s nothing to understand,I…-Why stop now? A memory resurfacing and shaking your “foundations”?-No…-You can’t hide it from me, Akira,we’re connected. Do you want proof that Chinmei made you lose something precious?-Yes, go ahead.-Your powers were stronger before you trained with him. By denying who you are, you’ve lost part of your powers.-Prove it to me, then.-No problem.A window opened, and Akira saw something that shocked him. His past came to life before his eyes; he relived the execution of his signature technique, the Dragon’s Ascent. Except that the wave of ice was far more impressive than anything he’d ever created in his life. He was left speechless before falling to his knees.-No, that’s impossible. I don’t want to relive the mockery and…-You won’t have to relive it.-How can you know that? You saw what happened to me before I met Chinmei.-Yes, but this time, you won’t be alone. That woman, Sakuya, is worried about you.-Except for the other day, she hasn’t come to see me.-You’re wrong,she walks past your window every day. You’re so withdrawn that you don’t even notice her presence.-I… No… I don’t know what to do anymore… You’ve just shattered everything I believed in.-No, I just opened your eyes; now it’s up to you to do whatever you want.-I… I need some time.-That goes without saying, but I advise you to talk it over with those around you, even if you’re the only one who can make the decision.

Before Akira could answer, the meditation ended, leaving the young man alone with his doubts. He slowly got to his feet and contacted Sakuya, asking her to come over. While waiting for her to arrive, the young man tidied up his apartment. Once she arrived, Akira welcomed her warmly, and they began to talk. The young man explained everything to her before breaking down in tears. Without a moment’s hesitation, Sakuya took him in her arms and gave him a hug. This felt incredibly good to the young man, who let himself be comforted.

After the hug, the young man said he was going to resume training while continuing to think about his future. Sakuya agreed and even said she was ready to help him, whatever his decision might be.

So Akira resumed his training while continuing to reflect on himself. He confided a great deal in Sakuya about this. He also realized that the reason the young woman seemed so lonely was due to a betrayal by a mutual acquaintance, Chinmei. Chinmei had betrayed Sakuya during a mission and nearly got her killed. Akira realized that this man, whom he had thought of as a benefactor, was in fact a despicable person. This helped the young man make a decision regarding his true self. One evening, he announced his decision to Sakuya: he had decided to fully embrace his true nature and took the name Akari. The two women continued their training, and soon Akari regained her strength and a new physique, one far better suited to her new nature.

One day, the two women,now lovers,received information of the utmost importance. The witch Yuya had been spotted in town with a new accomplice. When Akari looked at the photo, her blood ran cold. Chinmei was also in the photo. The two women set out on their mission and eventually found their targets.

-He’s there…-Calm down, my dear. I know you’re burning with a desire for revenge for all those lost years, but we’re still heroines first and foremost.-I know,I haven’t forgotten. I swear I’ll capture those two criminals.I don’t doubt it for a second. Let’s go, my dear!I’m with you, Sakuya.

To be continued in Chapter 2 of The Storm Sisters