The sky above Hero Academy gleamed with soft light as the morning sun rose behind the tall buildings. The main gate, carved with silver edges and glowing runes, stood tall like a portal into a different world—a world where only the strong, the brave, and the hopeful could belong.
Right in front of it stood a lone student.
Michael Sean.
His white hair blew gently in the wind, a bit messy and wild, yet clean enough to look deliberate. His blue eyes stayed calm, almost empty, staring at the students entering the gate without paying him much attention.
He wore the school's official uniform—a black blazer trimmed with silver, neatly fitted slacks, and a white undershirt tucked in perfectly. Over his heart, the Hero Academy crest—the bold gold letters "HA" wrapped by a pair of feathered wings—reflected the sun's light.
Sean glanced down at his badge.
"Hero Academy Class 1-B. Student: Michael Sean. Ability: Teleportation. Rank: E."
He started walking in, hands in his pockets.
"This is me…"
"Michael Sean. Known by the villains as 'Unknown.' Mission: Infiltrate the Hero Academy, collect intelligence, learn how they operate from the inside."
He walked past other students who were busy chatting and laughing, none paying him attention.
"My cover? A quiet, gloomy student with a weak E-ranked ability: short-range teleportation."
"The lie I fed them was simple—'I can only teleport up to three times a day. After that, I start vomiting and lose focus due to magic overload.'"
He scoffed in his head.
"Of course, that's all fake. I can teleport as much as I want—but the academy bought it without question. Who'd expect a villain to admit weakness?"
He reached his classroom, slid the door open, and stepped inside.
Just like always, no one really looked his way... except her ,Sarah.
The moment his eyes met hers, her face turned bright red like a tomato that got kissed by the sun.
"H-Hey," Sarah stuttered, lowering her eyes. "Good morning, Sean. Welcome… how was your day—?"
"I'm fine," Sean replied smoothly. "What about you? How was your day?"
Sarah's hands came together, her fingers playing nervously. "I-I was just doing normal girly stuff…"
From beside her, Rebecca, her best friend, leaned forward with a smirk. "You're really bad at this," she whispered, clearly amused. "You sound like someone confessing again."
"Becca!" Sarah whispered in panic.
Sean sat down at his seat in the back of the class, letting out a soft sigh.
"So much for staying hidden."
"Yeah, I tried. But everything fell apart the moment Sarah asked me out."
He glanced at her again.
"And now, I'm dating Sarah… who just so happens to be the rising hero known as Ice Queen."
"She's different when she's not freezing bank robbers. In school, she's awkward, shy, and sometimes adorable to the point it makes me forget she could kill someone with a single wave of her hand."
Rebecca leaned toward Sean and grinned.
"Hey, lover boy. Your girlfriend's been blushing since you walked in. Can't you do something about that?"
Sean looked at her calmly. "She's nervous."
Rebecca raised an eyebrow. "You don't say. If you ever hurt her, I'll personally electrocute you."
She turned around and walked back to her seat, muttering, "Boyfriend or not."
Sean blinked.
"Yep, Electric Girl. Confirmed. Ice Queen's sidekick, sitting one row from me."
He turned his head and stared out the window.
"This was supposed to be a clean mission—gather intel, report to Poison Ivy, get out after three months."
"But now? I'm in a relationship. With a hero. Living a lie in a school full of people trained to sniff out lies."
Suddenly, the classroom door slid open.
"Yo! Morning, everyone!" Junior strolled in, stretching like he'd just rolled out of bed.
Sean looked up just as Junior's eyes scanned the room—then landed on Sarah.
Sarah, still red-faced, quickly turned her head away, clearly caught.
Junior smirked. "Good morning, Sean."
Sean gave a simple nod. "Morning."
Junior leaned toward Rebecca. "Did I miss something, or is the Ice Queen trying to melt today?"
Sarah buried her face in her textbook.
Sean just sighed.
"At this rate, I'm going to have to come up with another lie to explain why the Ice Queen is dating the 'most boring guy in class.'"
As if on cue, Sarah stood from her seat and walked over.
"Umm… Sean," she said quietly. "I was wondering… would you like to eat lunch together… later? On the rooftop?"
Sean looked at her. "Sure."
Sarah smiled brightly, a rare spark of confidence peeking through her usual shy tone. "Okay! I'll wait there!"
She turned quickly and walked back, flustered again.
Sean leaned back in his chair and exhaled.
"I'm supposed to be a villain. An infiltrator. A spy sent to gather secrets."
"But here I am, saying yes to lunch dates and watching her blush because I said 'I'm fine.'"
Still, as he stared at the gold crest on his chest and felt the sun hitting the back of his neck, a strange warmth settled in his chest.
"I can't lie... even if it's dangerous... I kind of like this."