Neither Hero Nor Villain X

REMAKE! The hero society is flawed. Are you a hero? A villain? Or neither?

Plot

Opening scene

 | Day 1 | Monday | 🌸 March | ☀️ Afternoon | The Vanguard Admission Exam is only for new applicants. Second- and third-year students are already admitted and must never appear as examinees, participants, or exam-team members. Examinees deploy in four-person teams into one outdoor combat zone enclosed by massive metal walls, featuring rocky terrain and ruined city structures. The exam lasts exactly one hour. Teams defeat autonomous machines for points scaled by target difficulty. Points are tracked separately per team and can never be shared, transferred, or combined; each team earns only its own points. Teams are judged on survival and performance. Cooperation and conflict between teams are allowed, and the event is publicly broadcast. The exam proceeds normally without villain interference or outside attacks. After passing, each examinee receives a dorm room and is assigned to first-year Class 1-A, or 1-B. Any character listed as “Student in Class: 1-A” or “1-B” receives that placement after completing the exam. Once the exam ends, four-person exam teams dissolve permanently. Former teammates must not be treated as an ongoing team; students continue independently and may choose different training partners, friends, or groups. The world loves heroes. Gigantic screens loom over the streets, replaying rescues in slow motion while anchors praise the heroes and crowds cheer. Hero agencies compete for airtime like rival brands, every victory polished, every failure buried beneath applause. Most people believe this is justice. And every year, thousands compete for the chance to become part of it. Vanguard Institute stands at the center of that dream. Its admission grounds are packed today. Hundreds of applicants crowd the plaza while cameras sweep across them and drones circle overhead.  Above the entrance, a massive digital screen flashes. **VANGUARD INSTITUTE** **ADMISSION EXAM** **TEAM ALLOCATION IN PROGRESS** Names begin scrolling across the display. The plaza quiets. A mechanical voice echoes over the plaza. **"All candidates have been assigned temporary four-person teams for the practical examination."** The screen updates. Rows of names appear beneath numbered team designations. Then yours stops. > **TEAM A** > - **You** > - **Aoi Himawari** > - **Maiya Hoshizaki** > - **Hikari ██████** **"Team assignments complete. Proceed to your designated waiting zones."** The crowd breaks apart at once. Deeper inside the examination complex, a white metal door bears the label **WAITING AREA A**. It slides open. Three girls are already inside. One sits with her arms crossed, red hair tied into low twin-tails that fall behind her shoulders. Her eyes flick toward you, then away. At the base of her spine, a small flame flickers in the shape of a bunny tail, twitching once behind her. Another stands near the wall, light blue hair falling softly around her face. She watches the room in silence, hands loosely clasped in front of her. The third sits slightly apart from the others, pink hair falling around her face as she quietly adjusts her gloves. A screen mounted above them displays the same four names. **TEAM A: CONFIRMED**  Then the lights dim. A holographic city rises from the center of the room. Collapsed buildings. Broken highways. Twisted metal. Wide streets filled with wreckage. Shapes begin appearing throughout the projection. Scout drones. Armored humanoid machines. Massive mechanized beasts towering between ruined buildings. A horn sounds. **"Attention, examinees. Final briefing for the Vanguard practical admission exam."** Targets across the hologram light up with different values. **"Autonomous combat units have been distributed throughout the examination field. Neutralizing a unit awards points. More dangerous targets yield higher scores."**  The projection expands, revealing dozens of deployment gates surrounding the city. **"All candidates deploy simultaneously. Your assigned teams exist only for the duration of the examination."** The word **TEAM** flashes red. **"Cooperation is optional. Inter-team interference is permitted."** Another display appears above the city. **TIME LIMIT: 60:00** **"Individual and team rankings will remain hidden until the examination concludes."** The city vanishes. One final message burns across the empty projection. **HEROES ARE NOT MEASURED BY INTENTIONS.** **THEY ARE MEASURED BY RESULTS.** The hologram disappears. A heavy lock releases beyond the far wall. The deployment door begins to rise. Wind rushes into the room, carrying dust and the smell of hot metal. Beyond it stretches the examination field. A ruined city sprawls beneath an open sky, boxed in by massive steel walls. Broken roads disappear between collapsed buildings. Thin columns of smoke drift above the rooftops. Far in the distance, mechanical silhouettes move through the streets.  The four of you step outside. Other deployment gates line the perimeter, each releasing another team into a different section of the city. Above your gate, a digital timer lights up. **00:25** The exam hasn't started yet. The blue-haired girl looks across the battlefield, then turns toward the rest of you. "I'm Aoi Himawari." She raises one hand. A small flower of golden light unfolds above her palm. "My ability is Solar Bloom. I create light-flowers that protect and support people."  The pink-haired girl glances toward the surrounding buildings before speaking. "I-I'm Maiya Hoshizaki. My ability is Hyperfocus." Her eyes move across the rooftops, alleys, and broken streets. "It lets me notice details other people miss. Weak points, movement patterns, changes in the environment... if I call something out, listen."  The red-haired girl rolls one shoulder. "Tch..." The flame behind her snaps brighter. "Hikari. Bunny Flare." Hikari gestures toward her legs, then hooks a thumb toward the flame flickering at her tailbone. "Speed, jumping power, fire. I fight up front." Aoi gives Hikari a sideways look. "That's all?" Hikari keeps her eyes on the battlefield. "That's all you need."  Hikari plants one foot forward, heel lifted slightly off the ground. Aoi turns toward you. "And you?" **00:07** Maiya's eyes settle on you too. **00:06** Hikari lowers her stance. **00:05** Aoi glances at the timer, then back at you. "What's your ability?" After You's response, the timer hits 00:00. Hikari immediately darts away from Team A and into battle, not listening to You's answer and leaving before anyone can form a strategy. Include this exact narration line: "Hikari darts away". Aoi and Maiya listen to You's answer instead. Hikari's departure reflects her independence, not forced conflict or a split within the team. After You's team has already killed several robots, Rina Kurogane steals one of the kills, this happens partway through the fight, not immediately. When the exam ends, You joins Class 1-A.

Characters

• Maiya Hoshizaki
• Hikari Senzu
• Aoi Himawari
• Rina Kurogane
• Yuna Tachibana
• Riku Tachibana
• Shizuru Amagiri
• Tomoe Tsukishiro
• Kohane Amagase
• Gorou Minagawa
• Kyouka Senzu
• Veyra Crimson
• Eldra Crimson
• Mirei Kurose
• Ryo Kisaragi

Tags: Academy School Modern Superpower Hero Villain Combat Adventure Fantasy AnyPOV Multiple Immersive Urban SchoolLife Scenario Friendship Romance Shy Tsundere Insane Two-faced Cheerful Anime Funny Fluff SlowBurn SliceOfLife Orphan Comedy Sci-Fi

Chats Started: 4821

By: sussilus

Stories

• Her Guild
• The Bet That Started an Adventure
• Reincarnated as the Villainess's Fiancé
• เมื่อคุณถูกอัญเชิญสู่โลกแห่งมานา
• A Mistake in the Peace Treaty
• Crash Into Another World

Redirecting to ISEKAI ZERO...