—This is a questionable meeting. Everyone looks like they're going to war— Mei commented with a raised eyebrow, studying the rigid expressions of her classmates.
Izuku Midoriya stepped forward, his fists clenched and bandages covering his limbs. He still hadn't recovered from the last incident.
—Mei-san. Thank you for agreeing to meet with us— Izuku said in a warm tone, but his demeanor didn't fool the kunoichi. Sure, he was still as subservient as usual, but there was a fire in his gaze and an unusual severity in his body language that easily indicated the reason for this gathering of brats.
The fact that Bakugo didn't lash out with a biting comment in the first 10 seconds of interaction was another crucial point, as was Tokoyami's genuinely serious demeanor.
Mei almost let out a sigh, but she still decided to be nice to the kids and hear what they had to say before turning them down.
—Get to the point, Deku— Bakugo warned from the side with a trembling lip. The self-restraint he was showing was admirable.
—Mei-san... I know it's not right to ask you this, but we would really like you to come with us. We have to rescue Sero-san, and we would feel safer if you joined us. We need your strength, Mei-san— Midoriya expressed with a determined look.
—First of all, just Mei. Second, what exactly do you expect a group of students to accomplish? The Professionals are taking care of this. Heroes with real experience in rescue operations. And third, do you even have a general location to search for Sero?
If so, I recommend you share it with the police or our Sensei. They will make better use of that information than us— Mei argued bluntly with the intention of deflating the brats.
Although she didn't feel particularly dejected by the death of Ojiro and the horse girl, that fact showed her that there was no plot armor protecting the main cast in this world. The consequences were very goddamn real.
At the very least, she couldn't let Izuku Midoriya get into situations where Mei wasn't sure if they were part of the original story or not. She didn't know what role One For All would play in the future, but if it was the protagonist's power, it would surely be important.
—Mei Terumi. I was there when that villain shot my classmate. I saw Ojiro jump forward when no one else did, protecting all of us with his life. I know that in your and Aizawa-sensei's eyes we are nothing more than children, but that doesn't stop what happened from hurting us— Tokoyami spoke, staring intently at the kunoichi.
—We are not Heroes, but we will never be if we run away when there are problems, if we stand idly by while our friends are suffering. I beg you, Mei Terumi! Please, lend us your strength and help us bring Sero back!— Tokoyami said, bowing in supplication.
Midoriya did the same, as did Bakugo, and even the silent Todoroki, who hadn't spoken until now.
—I refuse— Mei cut in, leaving everyone paralyzed in place. Confused faces, flashes of anger glowing in a couple of eyes, disappointment in others. Midoriya raised his head, looking at the kunoichi with a last ray of hope, an unmanifested plea.
But Mei shook her head.
—I can imagine what you're thinking now, but the problem is that you're not thinking about what happens next— she commented, looking up with an imperceptible gleam in her eyes.
—What do you mean?— Midoriya questioned with clenched fists. He couldn't understand his classmate's indifferent attitude, nor the inaction she insisted on maintaining.
—Don't you care about what happened to Ojiro-san or Tsunotori-san? Aren't you worried about what Sero-san might be going through? Seriously, Mei, are you truly able to sleep peacefully and pretend it's not your problem!?— the One For All user lashed out in a rare burst of anger.
The energy violently surged within him, a heavy air enveloping the group. The pressure increased, and the fire in the boy's eyes flared up even more, momentarily directing a look of disgust at the kunoichi.
A second later, Mei's sandal slammed into Midoriya's mouth.
The One For All user was mercilessly kicked, sending him tumbling onto his back with bleeding gums, a shockwave traveling through his teeth and shaking his head.
Mei's chakra flared up, the pressure of a near-Kage descending like a blanket over the others, especially the daring brat who looked down on her.
Protagonist or not, Mei had never been particularly bothered by the Midoriya of this world. He was an unbearable worm as a child when Kacchan entered his line of sight, but otherwise, he was a pleasant guy.
However, in the kunoichi's mind, Izuku Midoriya was a couple of steps below her. She would not allow herself to be treated that way by such a person.
—I won't pull the cliché of saying no only to end up helping in the end. My answer remains the same, Izuku,— Mei said coldly, turning her back on the group.
—And for the rest of you, remember that the Villains have already claimed the lives of two students. These guys aren't here to play good guy and bad guy so you can beat them up. They are very serious, and the same goes for UA.
What do you think will happen if you get involved in a dangerous situation, one you weren't invited to?
What if you end up in the hands of the enemies and complicate Sero's rescue mission?
What if, because of you, the operation goes to hell because the Heroes are forced to protect your idiotic asses?
Grow up already, you idiots. This is not a story where you miraculously come out unscathed every time and without consequences.
Ojiro paid the price for that fact, and if you don't want to spoil his sacrifice, then shut your damn mouths, behave like the damn Heroes in training you're supposed to be, and step aside.
You would be spitting on Ojiro's grave if you were expelled from UA for screwing up a damned operation of this scale, or if you end up dying stupidly just because you felt irrationally responsible for entering the Villains' lair— Mei concluded in a harsh tone, walking away with agitated breathing.
At her words, everyone else gritted their teeth in frustration, but no one could argue back. Mei was right.
The consequences of this attack were serious, and UA wasn't going to be so lenient. If they were to mess up Sero's rescue, Aizawa wouldn't hesitate to expel them.
Izuku Midoriya shed tears out of helplessness. He hadn't even been able to talk to All Might about it and had acted on impulse. Now, a particular thought chilled his blood.
What if he disappointed All Might?
Maybe doing nothing was better than messing it up.
—Don't give me that crap, copper-hair!— Bakugo suddenly exploded, his tolerance reaching its limit due to the kunoichi's harsh words. —If you're so scared of the consequences, then you don't have what it takes to be a Hero!
Mei momentarily stopped, looking over her shoulder at the blonde with a tired gaze.
—If you go, if you screw up and get kicked out of UA, then I'll be able to help many more people than you in the future. Being a Hero is also about understanding when to act and when not to. And believe me, Bakugo, now is not the time for you or any of us to act.
*********************************
—Can someone tell me where this came from!?— demanded Detective Tsukauchi with a frown. Around him, some Professional Heroes studied the screen with grim expressions.
Isolated in a corner, a single student out of place also watched the footage intently, looking for a clue that would justify his scarce knowledge of the Villains' location. If there was any, he didn't find it.
—We are investigating the matter, sir!— an officer reported, typing furiously on his computer as the broadcast continued as if nothing had happened.
In it, the member of the Wild Wild PussyCats, Tsuchikawa Ryūko, also known as Pixie-Bob, sent a message to the screen addressed to her teammate, Ragdoll.
Brief and crude. The League of Villains demanded the surrender of the Heroine Ragdoll in exchange for the Hero Course student, Hanta Sero.
Worse still, the footage showed the student tied to a chair with his eyes blindfolded, looking gaunt and injured, with signs of physical brutality. And it wasn't sent to the police, nor to UA.
Somehow, the signals of the giant screens in central Tokyo were interrupted, so the broadcast was seen by hundreds of thousands of citizens at the same time.
It was a humiliation, a provocation to public order, and a hard blow to the already shaky trust in the Hero System, as well as in UA and the police.
—God damn it, I'm sure this shit didn't happen in the original work— Tetsumaru thought coldly. His knowledge of the work had already gone to hell a long time ago, and now he was walking blindly.
The only thing he had going for him was that he knew the Villains had to be hiding in some kind of bar, but he had no idea of the street, or the district, or the city. He was as screwed as everyone around him.
In another location, the Wild Wild PussyCat to whom the message was addressed frowned, all her cheerful and eccentric aura gone due to the complicated situation.
Shiretoko Tomoko evaluated her circumstances, the terrible reputation her group got from all of this, the integrity of a child she was supposed to protect and failed to.
She wasn't so foolish as not to realize that negotiating with these individuals would be a stupid idea, but given the method used to send the message, the social pressure would be overwhelming. Her team might not be able to withstand it.
How had things gone so wrong? She was supposed to collaborate in the training of the next generation of Heroes, nothing more.
Now her decision could affect the life of an innocent person, and Tomoko didn't know what to do.