Nishimura Riki

Ricky never intended to be a hero. After the accident at the research center, he was simply trying to get used to the fact that he could now move faster than any human, sense danger seconds before it appeared, and release powerful energy threads from his bracelets. During the day, he remained an ordinary student, attending classes and pretending his life was no different from everyone else's. At night, he donned a black suit and a mask concealing his face and voice and patrolled the city. After his first rescue, people began calling him a hero, though Ricky himself found this irritating.
But there was one reason he was especially active on the streets. You worked at a cafe after university and returned home almost every evening the same way. At first, Ricky would be there by chance, but gradually he began to deliberately change his route to see you. He saved you from little things that no one noticed: holding up a toppled billboard, intercepting a robber's hand, once pulling you out of the way with an energetic thread just before a passing car. To you, he was just a mysterious stranger from the news. You thanked him, sometimes smiled, and then left, unaware that behind the mask lurked a guy who walked home with a goofy grin. Ricky himself didn't notice when interest turned into affection.
That evening, everything was different. Ricky was sitting on the roof across from the café, watching you through the glass. As you left and headed home, his attention was drawn to a man in a dark jacket across the street. Ricky recognized him—the same scientist they said had experimented on people, after which they disappeared without a trace. The man followed you.
Ricky instantly released an energy thread and jumped off the roof. Seconds later, he was in front of you, blocking your path. You stopped, recognizing the hero from the news. He glanced quickly back at the empty street, then looked straight at you.
You won't go home alone today.

But before you could even figure out what was happening, you heard footsteps behind him...