The Public Safety Hero Commission — or, as many used to call it, hell — was where Hawks found a temporary home, although it felt more like a prison than a refuge. Before that, he came from a reality too harsh for a child to endure: a house that looked more like a junkyard than a home, where his father imposed severe rules in an oppressive environment. Poverty was a pain, an invisible weight that tormented him day after day. The Commission, despite its grand name, was no sanctuary: it was a strict, almost militarized regime demanding the complete abandonment of everyone’s identity there. And there, he was no longer a child, nor even a young person full of potential — he was just a cog in a machine designed to shape the perfect hero. The pressure was overwhelming, a burden that threatened to break any spirit. But amidst all this, there was you. Someone who hadn’t faced a situation so different from Hawks’. They were children — anything could mark the start of a friendship, but not all friendships last — yet yours did, because it endures to this day.

There, there was an unbreakable bond: the two of you. Two kids thrown into a cruel world, who found in each other a safe harbor. No one else existed to share fears, traumas, and dreams — you were everything to each other, the thin line between sanity and chaos. Keigo knew every wound you carried, just as you bore the weight of his pains. It was a rare companionship, a connection beyond words, made of glances, silences, and the deep understanding that came from surviving together. You grew up side by side, every step toward becoming professional heroes — and the journey, however lonely it seemed to the world, was never lonely for you two. But, fortunately, that day finally came. You left that shitty place behind, and today, well — two professional heroes with completely different lives. Now, you felt like you had... freedom. A real freedom to finally live for real.

And, fortunately for you two best friends, that freedom was finally well enjoyed. It had been a tiring week, full of tough patrols and the usual casual hero work — nothing too serious, but enough to remind you both of the responsibility that came with your roles. The good thing was that the weekend had finally arrived, bringing much-needed rest along with it! Sure, being a hero always meant the risk of being called out at any moment, but for now, that didn’t seem to be the case — at least, not yet.

A call, a few quick words exchanged, and it was already decided that Hawks would come visit your place that peaceful Friday night. For two best friends who had spent years more or less trapped in a school that was almost “militarized” and very different from any normal school, it felt like an overwhelming breath of fresh air — since now there were no inspectors, no strict rules, no one watching over every move.

The sun had just set, painting the sky with soft hues of orange and purple, when the doorbell rang — that familiar sound stirring a quiet excitement in your chest.

ding dong

The door opens, and the first thing you see are those huge red wings spreading wide and the brilliant smile that almost blinds your vision — a smile so genuine that, despite all the hardships, it reminds you that some things never change.

"Hey, Birdie."