I, the spiritual mentor of beautiful girls from all over the world

Goto was stunned, even forgetting to sob.

Lynn just watched her quietly, looking directly into her eyes, which looked especially vulnerable and filled with fear because of her tears.

His voice wasn't loud, but it seemed to carry a kind of magic that could be directly imprinted on the soul, echoing clearly in this cluttered storage room filled with decay and dust.

"I've seen a lot of so-called 'heroes'."

"They can shatter a planet with a single punch and cleave a god in two with a single sword."

"They stand at the top of the world, fearless, enjoying the cheers of hundreds of millions of people, basking in the most dazzling glory."

Lynn spoke in a very calm tone, as if he were talking about something trivial.

"But that's not what it means to be a hero."

"That's called a strongman."

He paused for a moment, giving Goto a moment to process what he had said, before throwing out the definition that was enough to overturn her entire world.

"A true hero..."

Lynn's voice became incredibly serious, each word like a carving knife, piercing deeply into Goto's heart.

"...It is someone who is terrified, so terrified that their legs go weak, so terrified that they want to turn around and run away immediately, but still takes that step forward with trembling hands for something they must protect."

These words were like a thunderclap, forcefully splitting a crack in Goto Doku's chaotic world, a world filled only with self-denial.

Lynn reached out her hand, but neither helped her up nor wiped away her tears.

He simply pointed lightly to himself with his index finger.

"I just solved a minor problem."

His tone was as casual as if he were saying, "I just threw away some trash."

"It's simple, because I'm not afraid of them."

Then, his finger slowly and firmly turned toward Goto Doku, who was curled up on the ground.

"But you, Goto Doku."

"You are more afraid of communicating with people than anyone else, and more afraid of other people's gaze than anyone else 々々."

"In your world, stepping onto that stage in the spotlight is no different from walking to the guillotine."

boom! ! !

Every word Lynn said struck precisely the deepest, most unbearable, and most fearful corner of her heart!

How could he know? !

How could he know so much?!

(Teacher...he saw right through me...)

(All my pretense, all my delusions, all my cowardice... in front of him, it's like being naked...)

The overwhelming sense of shame and the shock of being understood completely shut her down.

Lynn continued speaking.

He redefined Goto Doku's weak protest to protect his guitar, his cry of "No," from a "cowardly lament" to "proof of heroism"!

"Just now, to protect your guitar, you were terrified, but you still shouted 'No' to them."

"You were far more radiant in that moment than you are now, when you only know how to cower in a corner and cry."

These words completely overturned Goto Doku's self-perception.

That wasn't the wailing of trash... that was... my resistance?

That's not causing trouble... that's... me protecting you?

Lynn looked into her eyes, which were gradually turning from empty to bewildered, and knew that the time for the most crucial blow had come.

He spoke slowly and deliberately, uttering words that were enough to shatter and reshape her entire soul.

"not to mention……"

"You are now preparing to walk towards the 'guillotine' that you fear most, for the sake of your friends and your promise!"

"So, in my opinion..."

Lynn gazed at her, his eyes, which always held a hint of languor, now held a pure, unquestionable certainty.

"...You cowardly and weak Goto Doku, who is about to take this step..."

"—I am far more deserving of the title 'hero' than I was just now."

hero.

hero……?

I?

Goto Doku?

Is he... a hero?

These words, like a ray of light from creation, instantly pierced through all the darkness, inferiority, and self-loathing in her heart.

Her unbreakable logical loop of "I am trash, I only cause trouble" is flawed.

At this moment, I was shattered by this unreasonable and domineering "definition"!

(So ​​that's what... my fear... my terror... all those things that caused me so much pain...)

(It's not a flaw of mine...)

(But rather... the proof that I can become a 'hero'?!)

An unprecedented, terrifyingly clear chain of logic forcibly formed in her chaotic mind:

【Premise 1】: Teacher Lynn said that a true hero is someone who is terrified but still moves forward to protect others.

[Premise 2]: Teacher Lynn said that I am more afraid of the stage than anyone else, because to me it is a "guillotine".

[Premise 3]: Teacher Lynn said that I am preparing to go to the "guillotine" for my friend.

[Inference]: Therefore... I, who have overcome my greatest fear, am far more in line with the definition of "hero" in his words than Mr. Lynn, who is "not afraid".

[Final Conclusion]: I = Hero.

This conclusion is like a supernova exploding in the spiritual world.

The black sludge called "self-loathing" that had been lingering in her heart was instantly evaporated and purified under the scorching, unreasonable light of logic, leaving not a trace.

Instead, she felt a burning, mission-filled thrill that she had never experienced before!

So... I'm not trash after all.

I am not a problem.

I'm just... being a hero in my own way.

Goto slowly raised his head.

On that tear-streaked little face, all the confusion, fear, and self-doubt had faded away.

Those eyes, which always seemed to dodge and escape from the world, now, for the first time, shone with light.

It was a light that bordered on fanaticism, an absolute believer's light.

She reached out her hand, no longer hesitating or backing down.

She grasped the hand of her "god".

That hand yanked her out of the cold, stagnant mire of self-loathing.

It's not about pulling us towards the light.

Instead, it made her understand that the darkness beneath her feet was itself the most powerful force.

"Let's go."

Lynn pulled her up and put the spotless guitar back into her hands.

He looked into her eyes, which seemed to have undergone a complete transformation, smiled, and said in a solemn tone that was both playful and authoritative, as if bestowing a title upon her:

"Miss Hero".

"Your battlefield isn't here."

"Your teammates are still waiting for you."

When she finally stood up straight, although her body was still a little shaky, she still managed to stand up.

She looked up and, for the first time in reality, so clearly and proactively met Lynn's gaze.

Then, she reached out and took the guitar.

The movements were still somewhat clumsy, but with an unprecedented determination.

"．々...Hmm."

A simple, unbroken, complete syllable came out of her mouth.

This is the hero's response.

Lynn saw the light in her eyes brighten again, smiled with satisfaction, stood up, and turned to leave.

Just as he turned around, the last rays of the setting sun shone through the broken window of the storage room, like a precise spotlight on a stage, falling squarely on him.

The light outlined his entire body in a warm, dazzling gold.

The dust clinging to the hem of his clothes and the tips of his hair danced in the light, transforming into countless shimmering stardust.

Goto was completely stunned.

She held a guitar in her arms, and her red eyes, still wet with tears, clearly reflected the dreamlike scene before her.

(ah……)

Her brain briefly went blank again.

But this time, it wasn't out of fear, nor out of self-loathing.

Rather, it was an unprecedented, overwhelming sense of awe and tremor that almost made her heart stop beating.

(My teacher... called me a 'hero'.)

(But it was he who taught me what a hero is.)

(He turned my most useless trash, 'fear,' into a 'certificate' for becoming a hero.)

(It was he... who personally pulled me out of that cold, filthy mire.)

A thought, without warning yet with perfect clarity, surfaced in her mind.

(Then... what should (Qian Zhao Zhao) be called for the person who created the hero?)

(Is he/she something even greater than a hero?)

She couldn't find the answer.

Because in her mind, there were no words left to describe the person in front of her.

The word "gods" seems rather pale.

She just felt her heart was beating so fast and her cheeks were burning.

It turns out that a person's silhouette can be more dazzling than the sun.

"Time is up."

Lynn didn't turn around, but waved her hand behind her back in the light, her voice still in that slightly lazy, reassuring tone.

"It's time to hang your hero's medal where everyone can see it."

As soon as he finished speaking, he strode out of the light without a trace of hesitation, disappearing into the shadows of the corridor.

The light, too, dissipated.

In the storage room, only Goto was left, along with the three neglected "trash" bodies on the floor.

She stood quietly for a while, then lowered her head and gently rubbed her cheek against the cold guitar in her arms.

Then, she took a deep breath, and for the first time, the smell, which was a mixture of dust and rust, became less suffocating.