"Are you the one taking the test?"
"I suppose."
Secretary Jane Smith looked at Riley from head to toe; the reflection of the sun on her glasses, momentarily flickering as she adjusted them. She then turned her attention towards V and Tempo, before letting out a small but obvious sigh.
"We don't usually allow chaperones, but since Mr. Riley Ross is a special case, we will allow it," Secretary Jane then said as she gestured to the three to follow her, "Since I am here, you do not need to worry about any of the paperwork and registration, you only need to take the test."
"Sweet," V was the one to reply for Riley. Her eyes, however, soon turned towards the man that was quietly walking beside secretary Jane… who had a camera hanging on his neck.
"Please don't mind him," secretary Jane only waved her hand, "Riley Ross's test will be documented by the Association. He is, after all, a very high profile super and the newest member of the Hope Guild."
"What? Don't you think a little privacy is–"
"It is okay, Victoria," Riley, on the other hand, raised his hand as he interrupted V's words, "I will allow it."
"That's great," secretary Jane smiled; the tone of her voice, however, remained monotonous still, "Then please, follow me."
And with secretary Jane leading them, Riley and the others plus the cameraman all entered the elevator– taking them all the way to the 35th floor; and since the elevators had a view of the outside, it truly was quite a scenic ride. One could almost see some parts of New York, and they were not even halfway to the top of the building.
"...Isn't it dangerous to hold the tests inside the building?" Tempo then said as the elevator door opened.
"You do not have to worry, Tempo," secretary Jane breathed out; the tone of her voice, finally breaking its monotony; one could even hear a sort of pride in it as she stepped out of the elevator,
"The building is not made with such fragile materials," secretary Jane then stretched her arms to the side as she welcomed the group to the 35th floor, "Even the hardest strike of the Hope Guild's leader would only leave a dent on these walls."
The inside of the 35th floor… was just a vast hall– without any windows or even a speck of light from the outside seeping from any of its walls.
"This is where the test of the Telekinetic supers are being held," secretary Jane then said as he gestured to the people that were already inside the huge hall, probably numbering close to or at 50. They were also wearing some sort of number tag, visibly attached to their clothes.
"...What?" Tempo blinked a couple of times as he heard secretary Jane's words,
"Only for the mindblowers? I thought this was all the aspiring heroes?"
"The Elementals, Body enhancements types, and other Supers each have their own floors," a very minute and subtle smile could be seen crawling on secretary Jane's face.
"...How many? There are that many supers already?"
"Ever since the Tower officially opened a month ago, there have been more than 200 people registering everyday– and that number is increasing daily," the tone of secretary Jane's voice once again gave a hint of proudness.
"Jesus…" Tempo could not help but let out a small gasp as he looked at the telekinetics that were also staring at them, "Just how many supers do we actually have in the world right now?"
"There is currently a total of 9,230 supers registered with the Association now."
"Oh… that's quite small."
"That's just a month," secretary Jane shook her head, "We are expecting an exponential increase soon– and we still have not added the 5,000 students of the first batch of Mega Academy. And that's not the number of supers, but only those who wished to become a Hero or just want the benefits that come along with it."
"...But I thought it was mandatory to register?"
"Only if you want to officially be a superhero," secretary Jane shook her head, "As you would expect, there are still many who don't want to be known– and you can't force supers to register. There are an estimated 500 million supers in the world right now, according to WHO."
"Jesus…"
"The goal of the Hero Association is just to decrease the number of potential villains…
…and let those who want to become a hero reach out to their inner light," secretary Jane breathed out as her eyes also lit up… literally.
"Oh, you're a super?"
"I can produce lights," secretary Jane shook her head, "That could barely even be called a superpower."
"Pft, better than your president who has no powers."
"..." Secretary Jane only looked at V as she heard her words. She seemed a little annoyed, but in the end, she just once again shook her head,
"Enough about me," she then said as she looked at Riley, "Here's your number tag, please wait with the others. The test will be starting soon…
…Oh, and the President was hoping you would at least get a grade of A, so please do your best."
"I have a question, Secretary Jane Smith," Riley raised his hand, "What will be the benefits if I receive the highest grade?"
"Some leeway with the law," secretary Jane quickly answered, "It will be explained to you once the tests are over."
"Do I get an unlimited Webflix subscription?"
"...We can arrange that if you become a Grade-S Super."
"What would it take to become Grade-S?" Riley blinked.
"Just look at the two people beside you, Mr. Riley Ross," secretary Jane said as she pointed at both V and Tempo.
"...That's it?" Riley once again blinked; his voice, containing a sliver of disbelief as he looked at V and Tempo, "Do I have the Grade of S now?"
"...No, I meant you need to at least have their strength," secretary Jane quickly caught on with what Riley was saying– as expected of a professional, Tempo thought.
"...That's it?"
"..." This time, it was secretary Jane's time to blink. After a few seconds, however, she called Tempo and V to join her on the observation deck.
"R… right. Good luck, boy," Tempo said as he raised both his thumbs, "Don't bully the others too mu– !!!"
And before he could finish his words, Tempo's eyes widened in shock as V suddenly kissed Riley on the cheeks.
"Do your best!"
Tempo was expecting an exaggerated reaction, but the only thing that Riley did was nod his head, leaving Tempo's mouth completely agape in disbelief as he followed secretary Jane. If there ever was a moment when he felt slow, then this was probably it.
Just what exactly happened– and then, almost like a lightbulb, Tempo finally realized something.
The two were together for more than 4 months.
He didn't really think much of it since V had always sort of been the baby of the team… and Riley is Riley. But then he realized that the two were both adolescent human beings– and there was also that rumor that he and Scarlet Mage have some sort of sexual relationship.
Wait… did the two…
And so, with those thoughts circling in Tempo's mind, the three plus the cameraman all rode another elevator that was built on the 35th floor. There didn't seem to be any windows inside the test hall, but as they arrived at the observation deck, they could clearly see the entirety of the hall– perhaps some sort of… two-way mirror?
They could see Riley walking towards the crowd… and the crowd opening up like a school of fish when you drop a pebble.
"... " Riley was just looking around, not really knowing where he should wait since the crowd all dispersed. But seeing as they were all previously standing where he was now, then he just decided to wait there, not even noticing the stares that the other registrants were giving him.
He stood there alone for a couple of minutes, not even moving a single step in silence. This peace, however, was broken as one of the people from the crowd started to approach him.
"You… you're that Riley Ross, aren't you?"
It was a male registrant, probably of the same age as Riley.
"Maybe," Riley answered as he looked at the man; curious as to why he was wearing a hat indoors, "There are currently many people in the US with the same name, mostly women."
"...No, I'm sure you're the Riley Ross," the man squinted his eyes as he looked Riley directly in the eyes, "You're the only one that looks like… this."
"Then I suppose so," Riley shrugged his shoulders as he looked to the side, "Sadly, I can not say that I know you, stranger."
"..." And with those honest words coming out of Riley's mouth, the man could not help but slightly frown,
"I was only trying to strike a conversation," the man's tone then changed as he was seemingly offended by Riley's words, "But I see you think too highly of yourself."
"..." Riley blinked a couple of times– obviously confused with how the man came up with that assessment.
"Now I know why you're so famous," the man scoffed, "The media is hyping you up because you're a future member of the Hope Guild all along…
…and I bet all the news about you are all exaggerated. There's no way you could actually do all the things they've been reporting."
"..." And once again, Riley blinked a couple of times. This kind of random and seemingly forced encounter…
…it almost felt like he was inside Italian Mafia Reborn?"