Acute Humanity Syndrome is a highly inconvenient condition marked by sudden outbreaks of empathy, unsolicited moral clarity, and an alarming tendency to care.
Those affected may begin asking uncomfortable questions, such as "Is this right?" or worse, "Should we be doing this at all?"
Symptoms include difficulty ignoring suffering, reduced tolerance for hypocrisy, and a persistent urge to treat people like people.
In advanced cases, patients may refuse to prioritize efficiency over decency, causing disruption in otherwise well-functioning systems.
There is currently no widely accepted cure, although distraction, cynicism, and prolonged exposure to apathy have shown moderate success in suppressing symptoms.
However, if you want to know what it feels like to be cured of this disease, try our Compound Monocle—which lets you see the real world through its lens.
…
Seated in his office at CC Agency in New York, USA, Pro Hero Skycrawler read the circular that had taken over the underworld, be it organized crime, mafia, cartels, and whatnot.
No matter how many times Koichi read the circular, it felt like a big joke to him.
He would have discarded it as nothing but a hyped prank if it weren't for the Compound Monocle's undeniable existence in the black market… and the exponential increase of crimes, frauds, and even more hidden acts because of its misuse.
And that was all in the last two weeks!
People weren't fools, Koichi knew, as he stood up and went out of his office with a serious face. If they were buying this Compound Monocle, then it could only mean one thing.
It did exactly what the circular claimed…
It took away one's humanity!
And that was nothing but the beginning of any society's end.
So, when Koichi stormed into Christopher's office, the only thing on his mind was to activate the full force of the agency to root out the Villains behind the Compound and put an early end to all this.
But the moment he laid his eyes upon one of America's top Heroes, flirting with a reporter, Koichi's entire face reddened, half in shame and half in anger.
Could they really afford another scandal right after returning from Japan?!
"Cough!" Koichi coughed and kept going instead of leaving the office as usual. "We need to talk, Sir."
Christopher, who had expected Skycrawler to leave as well, frowned as he saw the guy approaching him.
"Can we not take care of this later?" Captain Celebrity asked. "I am entertaining… I mean, I am giving an interview to a beautiful gem right now. You must know how important these interviews are. They are the only source of motivation for American youth."
Koichi saw stars dancing in the blond reporter's eyes as she looked at Christopher.
Even now, after years, he had no idea why women kept buying into Captain Celebrity's bullshit.
Still, Christopher had reacted exactly as Koichi had expected him to, playing right into his hand. "This is very important, too," he said. "As your Sidekick, I must report to you before taking action on this report. You know how it is… Rules…"
Captain Celebrity hated that word.
Sure enough, his entire face scrunched up the moment Koichi mentioned Rules. "No need," he said. "If you have already made up your mind, then it must be worth it. Go. You have my permission to investigate as you please."
Koichi held back a smile.
He tried to convince Christopher a few more times before leaving his office with a defeated grin on his face.
"Can you please send everything on it to my office?" Koichi said, approaching Christopher's secretary, who was a nice, young woman. "Also, free up a squad of Pros for me."
The secretary nodded, taking the circular. "I have said it many times," she said, smiling. "You talk too politely, Skycrawler. That's why people try to step over you. You should be more…"
"I know, I know…" Koichi chuckled wryly, turning around.
"Wait!" the secretary called out. "You have a meeting at the Pentagon tomorrow. Are you sure you want to do it tonight?!"
Koichi remembered the words on the circular and… nodded.
…
Later that night, Skycrawler led a team of four other Sidekicks to the Bronx.
"What are we even doing here?" one of the Sidekicks commented. "It's been hours, and we're just crawling like cockroaches through the alleys."
The three other Sidekicks laughed at that.
Koichi ignored the more-than-obvious crawling jibe.
The American Hero Society was much stricter than Japan when it came to regulating Pros. Most of it was because some of the Pros exploited their authority, taking advantage of their status to turn situations in their favor.
Now, a Sidekick couldn't work alone if the mentoring Pro Hero wasn't with them.
That's why Koichi had no choice but to bring these people along.
"According to the rumor," he said slowly, trying not to mess up his English, "the chances of…"
A scream made everyone pause, rooting them to their spots.
No matter what their internal politics were, at this moment, they all were Pros.
Without even glancing at each other, the five Heroes dashed toward the scream's origin.
They arrived at a secluded spot deep in the alleys' labyrinth, their eyes landing on a man who was ripping off a woman's clothes.
"Give it to me, bitch!" the man was saying, acting like a maniac.
"No!" the woman screamed. "No! It's mine!!"
There was such madness in both the man's and the woman's eyes that they didn't even notice the five Heroes.
"Hey!" Koichi shouted. "Please calm down…"
The man and woman's heads snapped toward them.
Simultaneously, from the woman's torn blouse, something fell out, rolling to a stop near the man's feet.
Koichi's eyes narrowed.
It was an unusually large tablet.
However, more than its size, its color was what attracted Koichi's attention.
It was like a big lens, but with little dark spots. In the darkness, these spots shouldn't have been visible if it weren't for the tablet glowing… like a full moon.
Like a hound, the man lunged at the tablet, picked it up, and stuck out his tongue, putting the tablet on it.
"Stop him!" one of the Sidekicks shouted.
The man… was faster, gulping the large tablet with a wide, inhumane grin on his face.
Then, right in front of Koichi and the other Heroes, the man underwent a subtle, but visible transformation, his body becoming cold and white and his face gaining a crazed look.
As if that wasn't spooky enough, instead of running, like common criminals, the man outstretched his hands and looked up at the full moon.
"Ah…" the Beyonder moaned. "So… that's how it feels… to constrain my useless desires. Yes. Yes, my lord. I know now. I understand now. To cure my humanity, I must…
"… become a Prisoner, first."