It was a normal drive in the car. A whole family of four on their way to celebrate the youngest's achievements when suddenly…

A truck came out of nowhere. Only the older sibling saw it, his green eyes widening in panic. Without thinking, he hugged his brother. A green light flashed just before impact, the winds stirring.

CRASH!

The truck crashed head-on, the front of the car crushed completely. A mysterious wind was wrapped around the two brothers in the back, seemingly protecting them.

Green eyes glowed as he stared at the kanji in his vision, seeing a whirlwind wrapped around them, not knowing if the other made it out alive. His eyes closed as he lost his strength, getting knocked out.

A passer-by called an ambulance.

Once awake, he blinked.

"Ugh…" he slowly sat up. He's in a hospital room and sees his brother next to him.

The doctor explained that they were in a car crash…and that their parents died instantly upon impact. As for his own injuries and his brother's…they were minor. It's a miracle they survived.

After observation and rest, they'll think about what to do next, the doctor had said as he left.

Sighing, the older brother remembered the kanji, the wind. He tried to remember what that power felt like, and…as his eyes glowed, a small wind came to him. He willed it away before he was caught.

'An Ability… I have an Ability,' shaking his head, he knows he has to hide this, or he'll be recruited into either the government or a criminal organization…and away from his brother.

He's heard of Ability users before…people with supernatural powers. Some are criminals, some work for the government, and others…probably have no control over it at all.

"Nii-san?"

"Yu! You're awake!" he smiles, happy to see him alive. The older ruffled the black hair that Yu had recently dyed blonde.

Green eyes glared in annoyance, "Stop it, Naofumi!"

Naofumi laughs before Yu asks what happened. Sadly, Naofumi explained the situation to him. They were orphans now…and he told Yu of his apparent Ability…that it saved them.

Later, a lawyer came by, seemingly for the life insurance that their parents' bought, and is supposed to go to them.

As the older sibling, Naofumi dealt with the claim, then thought about the now empty house.

He decided to sell the house and move to Yokohama. The place was teeming with Ability users, so it was the perfect place to hide.

Yu agreed as well since he'd wanted to follow his brother.

After the funeral, they moved into an apartment in Yokohama.

At Uzumaki Café…

The detective agency saw a new worker. His messy black hair, emerald eyes, and soft smile while dressed in a smaller version of the manager's outfit but with green accents.

"Angel~!" Dazai pounced, holding the guy's hand, "Will you commit double suicide with me~?"

"No thanks..." Naofumi sweat-drops, "I still have my little brother to think about. Sorry."

Dazai smiles and nods, "I see~. You're a good brother!"

Kunikida sighs, "I'm sorry about him."

"It's OK," Naofumi smiles.

'But Dazai's right. He's such an Angel!' is what everyone's thinking.

"Who is that?" Atsushi asks.

"New part-timer. He works nights at another place though…" Montgomery says.

"My name's Naofumi Iwatani. I hope you'll take care of me," Naofumi bows.

"Of course!" Dazai yells, a bit too eagerly.

Of course, they asked him questions like one would when a transfer student comes to a high school classroom.

"I moved here with my brother about a week ago. I'm still unfamiliar with the streets…" Naofumi rubs the back of his neck, "My brother's in high school, so he's in class right now. I'm the one working for rent."

"You're such a good brother!"

Laughing lightly, Naofumi accepts the praise…although he feels that that's not true at all.

"Why Yokohama?" Dazai asks, "Why did you move here, of all places?"

"Uh… Oh! I have to help out in the kitchen," Naofumi runs away, avoiding the question as he went to the kitchen.

"You should really leave him alone, Dazai-san," Atsushi sighs.

"Hm... he's a lonely person," Dazai says, his analysis never to be questioned, "Scared, and very insecure too. I have no idea why though..."

Atsushi blinks, "What makes you say that?"

He shrugs, "He just has that vibe to him...like he's hiding behind a mask and just doesn't realize it yet."

"...Maybe he just doesn't want to bother anyone."

Ranpo cuts in, "Or that he doesn't want to let anyone in. He's too scared of getting hurt."

"M-maybe..." Atsushi stutters nervously.

"He's like you Atsushi... In a sense," Dazai comments.

"Huh?" he blinks.

"Nao-chan is too nice...and probably doesn't care about his own safety much. He doesn't know love."

"I-I see..." He sweat-drops before contemplating, 'He's...like me? Is that why we get along so well? We're alike?'

"I don't see it..." he mutters.

"Hm? You don't see what?" Naofumi came back out of nowhere with a tray of food.

Atsushi flinched in surprise before waving it off, "Nothing. It's nothing important."

"... Ok then. Chazuke?"

"Yes!" Atsushi's eyes sparkle instantly at the word chazuke.

"It's on the house," Naofumi smiles.

"Thanks!" Atsushi happily digs in, "So good!"

Naofumi serves the others, even coffee he'd brewed himself.

"So good! Angel, this is delicious!" Dazai compliments.

"It's…no big deal though? I just copied the manager…" Naofumi sweat-drops.

"No…" Kunikida shakes his head, "This could rival the manager's coffee… It's an ideal cup!"

"Uh…thank you."

Even Fukuzawa nods in acknowledgement to his tea.

"Even the President?!"

Blinking, Naofumi shyly smiles, a bit embarrassed but…happy to have this group of detectives like him…or, at least his cooking.

Kunikida likes him since he's a hard worker. However, he likes talking to Atsushi the most. They just…connect in some way.

When his shift was over, Naofumi quickly changed clothes. Now dressed in a green jersey, jeans, and sneakers, he quickly runs off home.

The apartment is cosy, big enough for two to live comfortably, and clean. It's standard compared but comfortable, and the rent is most importantly, affordable.

"Welcome back!" Yu nonchalantly yells.

"I'm back!" Naofumi smiles.

They talk about their day over dinner…especially about the Detective Agency.

"They're good people," Naofumi comments.

"…Nii-san…while I trust your judgment, please be careful at night," Yu warns.

"Of course," Naofumi rolls his eyes.

After dinner, Naofumi lectures his brother on going to bed at a reasonable time before rushing off to his other job.

In a bar…

Chuuya checks out the new bartender, who's in a black vest with green highlights. It suits him…and he's cute.

He sees the newbie serve Akutagawa some herbal tea and soup on the house.

"Why did you serve me this?" he asks.

"Uh…because…I heard you coughing, and thought this might help?"

"My health is none of your concern," he scoffs, "…but thanks."

Once he tired the soup, he couldn't stop until it was all gone, "Delicious…" before he paid and went on his way.

Curious, Chuuya asks, "What's your name, cutie?"

"Naofumi Iwatani…sir," he nervously smiles, slightly blushing as he's not used to being flirted with.

"Naofumi…you're new right?"

"Yeah…that's right."

"Well…be careful when going home, OK? There are a lot of shady people around here!" Chuuya warns.

"I know…" Naofumi smiles at his concern before serving him wine and soup. He'd heard the name Nakahara Chuuya before on the streets…but he doesn't seem like a bad person despite being in the Port Mafia.

"Damn, this is good!" Chuuya also devoured the soup, making Naofumi a bit proud of himself.

He might be Chuuya's favorite bartender now.

After the night shift ended, Naofumi quickly changed into his other clothes before walking home.

It was past midnight already…

Hearing footsteps, he hastens his pace…but as he passed an alley, he finds himself surrounded by some big guys, cornering him.

Glaring, Naofumi asks, "What do you want?" He figures that they're trying to mug him.

"Cutie…you wanna hang out with us? We'll have some fun!" one of them says.

Naofumi blinks, 'They're…flirting with me?'

Then they start using pick-up lines, which Naofumi didn't expect at all.

"No thanks…I gotta get home," he says but before he takes a single step, he's pinned down.

They get aggressive, trying to get his clothes off.

Eyes widening, Naofumi's emotions run wild as he struggles. He's so scared…he unconsciously uses his Ability. The same Ability that protected him and his brother during the car crash.

Green strings of kanji float in the air as his green eyes glowed with intense emotions.

Chuuya was walking nearby when saw a guy be blown into a wall. He checks it out and sees a bunch of guys on the concrete, unconscious. "Nao?" He sees his favorite bartender in a green jersey, huddling in a corner in the fetal position and trembling. His eyes glowed green as a whirlwind blew around him like a barrier, protecting him.

'He's an Ability user?' Chuuya slowly walks towards him, "Nao...it's me, Chuuya. Calm down."

"Ch-Chuuya-san?" Naofumi blinks as his eyes stopped glowing. The wind quickly subsided, like it was never there.

Chuuya offers a hand, "Can you stand?"

Naofumi nods, taking that hand, and getting up.

One of the guys wakes up, groggily standing up. But just as he was about to do something, he's pushed back down by a red, unseen force.

Chuuya glares at him, a light red glow around his body, "Stay down."

The guy nods, scared for his life.

"C'mon. I'll walk you home."

"OK..."

As they walk, Chuuya asks, "Your Ability...is control over the wind?"

"Mm…" Naofumi nods, "It seems to be completely dependant on my emotions though. I only use it for self-defence..."

"I see…" Chuuya nods before suggesting, "Do you want to practice using it? I could help you if you want?"

Naofumi blinks before slyly smiling, "Are you trying to recruit me into the Port Mafia, Chuuya-san?"

"No way!" Chuuya shakes his head, "You're too much like an Angel for the job!"

Naofumi laughs, "Dazai-san calls me "Angel" all the time. He even asked me to commit double suicide with him."

"That damn Mackerel! Has he tried to recruit you too?!" he yells, riled up by even the mention of Dazai's name.

"Not in many words no…" Naofumi smiles, "But I agree with you. I'd rather stay neutral between the Port Mafia and the Detective Agency. Besides, I have a little brother to support."

Once they get to the street near Naofumi's apartment, he turns to the gravity user.

"Chuuya-san..."

"What?"

Naofumi takes a deep breath, "Those lessons on controlling my Ability... When can we start?"

Chuuya smiles, "Anytime we're both free. I'll check my schedule, and get back to you."

They exchange numbers.

After that, they train at least once a week, Naofumi getting a handle on his emotions and Ability…as well as close combat.

A while later, during a lunch break, Dazai catches him.

"I want to talk to you in private~. May I?"

Naofumi remembers what Chuuya told him.

["Dazai...He's someone you should be careful of. He's not someone you want to cross. I always lose to him, that damn Mackerel!"]

"OK."

In the backroom of the café, Dazai asks, "You're an Ability user, right?"

"Yes..." Naofumi sighs.

"Do you want to become part of the Agency? We could use the help...or did that Slug already get to you?"

He answers, "Neither... I'd rather stay neutral. Besides, you probably already know about my other job at a bar the Port Mafia owns, right?"

"Did the Hat Rack warn you about me~?" Dazai teases.

"Yup," Naofumi smirks.

Shrugging since it can't be helped, Dazai then asks, "Well...what is your Ability, exactly?"

"Can't you guess?"

"Mm~~ a defensive one?"

"Correct," Naofumi smiles, "but not quite. I mostly use it defensively, but I'm training to control it."

Naofumi's eyes glow, and the wind starts blowing around him. Dazai curiously touches him, and it expels that wind.

Smirking, Dazai says, "Well...OK then. I guess I can keep this a secret for a while...but only if I get my nonexistent tab reduced."

Sighing, Naofumi was already informed about that, so he agrees. He pities Atsushi a bit.

When Akutagawa walks in on training with Chuuya, he sees the bartender from before flying in the air, dodging rocks before using the wind to catch and send some of them back.

Chuuya smirks. 'He's making progress…Good,' before ending the training session.

Naofumi softly lands, panting and exhausted.

Chuuya then sees Akutagawa, "Can you keep this a secret?"

"Is he not a recruit?"

"No… He says he wants to be neutral, and I respect that," Chuuya answers, "I just don't want him to end up dead or something."

"Hm…I see," Akutagawa nods as he too doesn't want to see this man die yet. His cooking is worth killing for, after all.

"Alright! Onto target practice!"

Naofumi glares at the targets before cutting them into pieces with blades of wind.

"Uh… What're you thinking about now?" Chuuya asks as he only told him to push the targets down, not destroy them.

"Huh? Oh… Just thinking about some bastards that messed with my brother…and how I would cut them down like livestock," Naofumi smiles darkly before realizing and going back to normal, "Ah. I just sounded like a villain just now. Is that bad?"

Chuuya laughs, "Nope!"

"Kid's definitely got a bit of a dark streak...but that's a good thing," Chuuya comments to Akutagawa.

Naofumi bows before leaving.

In the coming months, Naofumi's gotten better control of his Ability, gotten stronger, and signed his brother up for self-defence classes. Yu's doing well at it too.

He lives as a normal person…mostly.

Encountering the Detective Agency, the Port Mafia, and even the government at times but…he's made friends and allies of them… Still doesn't exactly trust the government though.

Naofumi even met Natsume once…after talking with him, he likes the idea of the Tripartite tactic. The Day is ruled by the government and police, the Night ruled by the Port Mafia, who cuts down other villains worse than they are…while the Evening is the Detective Agency's domain.

Although…he did remember one particular unsavoury encounter…

In an alley, he meets Fyodor. He sees him kill with just a single touch, fresh blood pooling on the pavement.

Terrified, he backs away, but Fyodor has already seen him.

Fyodor pats his head as Naofumi trembles in terror.

"Hm... It seems you're not a criminal, unlike most of the others. You're a good person. Have you killed before?" the demon asks.

"N-no...not yet, at least," Naofumi stutters, a gale of wind blowing protectively around him.

Fyodor nods, "I was never here."

Naofumi gulps and nods as Fyodor smiles before he leaves, "Good boy."

Sighing in relief, the wind stops, and Naofumi runs away to a safe place.

After that… he found a blank book, which called to him.

It's the Book that everyone in Yokohama is so desperate to find. And Naofumi's the one who found it. Gulping, he knows that it's too dangerous…but he can't resist taking a few Pages.

He doesn't tell anyone of its location, not even his brother. He doesn't even dare use the Pages either. According to what the Book told him the moment he touched it… the price is too much.

He keeps the Pages secret and on his person…only using them as an absolute last resort.

While keeping this secret, the year passes. All the chaos and insanity surrounding him becomes normal…Comfortable even.

Naofumi's happy with his life as his new friends tell him of cases and true stories of crime, mystery, fights, and life.

That was…until a trip to the library ended with him being summoned to another world.

When he's summoned, he takes in his surroundings, but worries about his brother being by himself. He's a normal person but has self-defence training… Even so, Naofumi worries.

'Shield huh…' as he sees the shield attached to his wrist, 'Oh well. I guess it suits me since I hate pain...'

After hearing the King out, who obviously hates him, the Heroes go up to their room for the night.

The sea breeze felt nice, "Reminds me of home…" Naofumi mutters.

"You live near the sea?" Ren asks.

"Yeah…Yokohama, to be precise," Naofumi answers before they go to their room.

They talk about their situation, and video games they all never hear of.

Naofumi sighs, "In my world, I have no time for games. I've got work, and training...plus avoiding the Mafia."

'The Mafia?!'

"Just...what is your world?" Itsuki asks.

"One with crime, law enforcement, armed detectives, and normal people. Just like any other world," Naofumi answers, not bothering to clarify.

"You have self-defence training?" Ren asks.

"Yeah…" Naofumi demonstrates…on Motoyasu, who's thrown down and pinned to the floor, "OK, I give!"

"Didn't your parents ever teach you to be respectful of your elders?" Motoyasu asks.

"My parents are dead."

"Oh...sorry," he immediately regrets asking that.

After that, they discuss and find out that they're from different worlds before the three say that the shield is useless.

"It's not really useless…" Naofumi argues, "I hate pain, and the shield makes it so I can't feel pain…to an extent. So it's fine."

"Huh…" Ren says.

"Suit yourself then," Motoyasu shrugs.

Checking his status once they were all asleep, Naofumi smiles.

Naofumi Iwatani

Shield Hero

Lvl 25

[Ability: Calm Before the Storm]

HP: 550

ATK: 25

DEF: 500

S DEF: 500

MAG: 250

SD: 250

'Guess my training paid off…' he smiles before turning his attention to the Pages.

[Special Item: Pages of the Book- whatever is written will become reality.]

Sighing, he puts the Pages in his inventory before putting his money into the shield, unlocking a bank shield. Money is important, so he plans to spend it well.

The next morning, Naofumi insisted that he be fine alone…but he asks the King, "Do you believe former murderers can become good people?"

"Of course not," he answers.

"Then you're a Fool," Naofumi glares.

"Why you…!"

Myne offered her services to him, but he just shrugged and denied her.

"Who said I cared about this world? I just want to go home," Naofumi sighs, 'My brother probably called both the Detective Agency and the Port Mafia just to look for me…That'll be a pain…' He asks, "Can I go now?"

"Fine…" the King gives up.

Naofumi goes out and procures a green cloak and a wind magic grimoire. He tries studying it, instantly learning all of the wind magic in it before sundown.

The next morning, he's dragged into the castle and accused of rape.

During the trial, Naofumi glares, "I've seen a guy that kill criminals with just a touch. He's much scarier than you…and much worse than just evil…so this much doesn't scare me."

"Itsuki…what is justice?" he asks.

"Justice is… it's…" Itsuki struggles to say.

"It's something that you have to keep thinking about," Naofumi sighs, "I've seen people die. People kill each other for all kinds of reasons, even the most trivial ones. Don't lump me in with them."

It was when everyone believes her words over his and with little evidence…that…gets Naofumi angry, a tornado of wind blowing around him. It blows all the guards into the wall, their weapons broken. They were lucky it was their weapons and not their heads.

The other heroes are surprised at Naofumi's power, especially Itsuki. He thinks Naofumi's an ESPER like him.

"Are you trying to make me want to destroy this world myself? Because that's the path you're going on now!" he yells, his eyes glowing green.

"I've never killed anyone yet...but I will if you push me any further than you've already have," he warns before saying, "Whatever the previous Shield Hero did has nothing to do with me. I'm not him, and never will be. I'm just me…but you simply don't see that, do you?"

When he's found guilty with no death penalty, Naofumi smirks, "Huh… I was expecting a fate worse than death. But that's fine with me…"

"Aren't you supposed to be a Hero?!" Motoyasu yells.

Naofumi laughs, "The thing is… I never considered myself a Hero in the first place. If I have to be the Villain that kills other Villains and saves the world, then so be it."

"One last question…Tell me...what's your reason for living? It could even be something trivial," he asks them all, surprising them.

"I guess you three have already died once…" Naofumi observes, "How did that feel?" he adds, "Just so you know, I'm asking for a friend... "

He only gets silence.

"Why so quiet~?" Naofumi teases, "Cat got your tongue, or...have you not thought about it before? If so, that's fine too. Think about it, and keep thinking about it. I hope you guys find your answer soon."

He flies off, leaving them speechless.

Later, he sees a slave trader and talks to him to get information. He also bumps into Itsuki and Rishia.

After hearing Itsuki's rant about there not being slavery anymore in his world, Naofumi comments.

"Slavery huh…" Naofumi taps his chin, "It still happens in my world. They just use another term for it. Human trafficking."

At those two words, Itsuki's stunned silent. Then Rishia says that being a slave is the worst thing to happen to her…but again, Naofumi comments.

"There is such a thing as a fate worse than death…" he smiles, "Getting your organs harvested and sold on the black market, for example... or being forced to suffer torture for an excruciating amount of time...or being experimented on."

That freaked Rishia out, so Itsuki tries to shoo him away.

"I want to ask your opinion on something…" Naofumi says.

"What?" Itsuki stops mid-attack.

"What do you think about committing crimes for justice?"

Itsuki's eyes widened, "That's…"

"In some cases, it's necessary, right?" Naofumi answers for him.

"Y-yeah…" Itsuki gulps before answering.

"OK then. Bye!" he waves before flying off again.

He takes care of Itsuki's mess, and the zombie dragon, but not the rebellion that Motoyasu started. That was his own fault.

Naofumi disappears after that…no one able to find him unless he wants to be found.

He does say to that bitch that, "Kids from the slums are more trustworthy than you...and they have to steal to survive!"

"Don't trust her, you moron…" Naofumi warns Motoyasu, who doesn't take it seriously.

Later, Naofumi kills the Pope since he was planning on a hostile takeover…plus, wanted to kill him.

The Pope is the only one he's killed…but he was prepared to do it. All that time hanging out with the Port Mafia helped him get over it.

His retrial was left to the Queen…but he interrupted the execution.

"Death won't erase the evil they've committed," Naofumi starts, the crowd getting riled up.

"Sentence them to life imprisonment! May they never see the light of day again!" he declares, getting the crowd's approval.

While at Cal Mira, he meets a redhead, L'Arc, that easily gets him…and under his skin.

No one has made him that uncomfortable…or made him laugh and smile like that before. His company is…enjoyable.

After finding out L'Arc's secret, Naofumi decides to trust him with his.

"You don't have to kill me. I have an alternate solution...though it's one I'd rather not use," Naofumi sighs.

"Blank pages?" L'Arc asks as the Pages are presented to him.

"They're the pages of the Book," he explains.

"Book?"

"A Book that can alter reality itself."

"!" L'Arc yells, "What?!"

Naofumi chuckles, "I know... that's what I thought at first too...but it's real," he frowns seriously, "Whatever is written in it becomes reality. Even the pages can be used to alter reality... but I've never used it because the price is too high."

"And the price is?" L'Arc asks.

"Depends on what you wish for...what you write on the page. It could be something simple, or very extreme...but the price would cause you to bleed. It may even be your life... that's why I only use it as a last resort."

"Why didn't you take the Book with you then?"

"If that Book is found, it's enough to cause an all-out war! Of course, I won't take it with me! It's too dangerous!" Naofumi yells at him.

"OK OK!" L'Arc waves his hands in surrender.

"So...do you still want to use it?" he asks.

"Of course," L'Arc nods.

Sighing, Naofumi bows his head, "Fine...we do this together then. Maybe if the wish is shared, the price will be too."

"Let's hope this won't kill us then," L'Arc smiles, trying to stay positive.

"It has to be written like a story. Cause and effect," Naofumi explains the rule, L'Arc looking at him.

"Don't look at me like that. It's just how it works. Whoever created it must've been a quirky author," Naofumi complains as he writes a sentence before giving L'Arc the pen so he can write the next sentence.

After it was done… Naofumi and L'Arc felt pain. Wounds appearing on their bodies, blood spurting out before fainting.

Once they regained consciousness…they find each other still alive. Reality was being distorted and changed…now, all that was left was to fill in the details.

A few months later, they both succeeded…

To celebrate, Naofumi offered a toast, "To the stray dogs."

"To the stray dogs," L'Arc followed suit, clinking their glasses together.

Naofumi kissed L'Arc on the lips before going back home, taking the Pages with him.

Blushing, L'Arc could only stare as Naofumi went, leaving a single Page with him as a thank you.

Smiling, L'Arc uses the Page to create a portal…so he can visit Naofumi whenever he wants.