Everyone has been tempted by it at least once.
You know, that red thing usually placed in hallways. Yeah, that thing that's usually sitting there with a red lamp.
Sure, I've given in to temptation and pressed it before. I have. I'm only human. But I've reflected on it. Really reflected! I don't want to see that demonic expression on Mom's face ever again! I mean it! I won't press it!
I get why people suspect me—my daily behavior is a bit wild. If I were you, I'd report me immediately. "It was totally you."
But listen!
I didn't press it this time!
"You're so persistent! I said I get it, you idiot!"
My desperate, life-or-death plea resonated beautifully with Kacchan's heart.
Now, even if I actually had done it, he'd try his best to cover for me. Huh? What, Uraraka? Huh? I didn't do it, I didn't! I really didn't! Not this time!
"Security Level 3 has been breached. All students, please evacuate to the outdoors immediately. I repeat, Security Level 3 has been—"
Security Level 3? What's that supposed to mean?
While I was tilting my head in confusion, Kacchan grabbed a nearby student by the scruff of their neck and threatened them for information. Probably an upperclassman... hey, don't make them cry.
"According to this nobody, it means suspicious individuals got into the school building. Oi, Ni... 'Niko'—don't leave my side."
"Oh, that's a nostalgic nickname. Haven't heard it in a while."
"Shut up and die!"
What a nostalgic nickname.
When was the last time? Kindergarten, maybe?
He didn't like me calling him "Kacchan," so he worked hard to come up with that nickname for me, if I remember right.
I liked it quite a bit and kept asking him to call me that, but he got embarrassed and stopped pretty quickly, didn't he?
He remembered it well...
"—Could it be you've been calling me that in your head this whole time?"
"Shut it! I haven't been calling you that, moron!"
"Then maybe you've actually been calling me 'Souko' normally?"
"I-I haven't! Calling you 'damn woman' is more than enough!"
Well, either way is fine with me.
I just asked because it seemed like he forced it out.
Still, "Niko" is pretty nostalgic.
"Oh, that's right—Uraraka, call me Niko. I'll call you Uraraka."
"Niko? That's cute! —Wait, the way you're calling me hasn't changed at all!"
"Nice to meet you, Uraraka. Ahaha."
"Nice to meet you, Niko. Ahaha."
"You two girls, why are you so relaxed right now?! We're evacuating!"
Following Four-Eyes and Kacchan's lead toward the evacuation route, the exit had become a complete mess of people. It could give a rush-hour train a run for its money. I bet all the guys are thinking that if they dove into this crowd right now, they could pretend it was an accident and get some boob-groping, butt-grabbing paradise action. Unlike us. We just get groped for nothing. Pay up, jerks. This is completely unfair. —Wait, hold on. If we're going to get groped anyway, why don't we do some groping ourselves? Like their balls or their pathetic rods.
"Kacchan, how do you feel about getting groped?"
"I know when you ask nonsense questions like that, it's usually something terrible. Shut up, idiot!"
"The hell did you say?"
Should I give this guy a taste of my slap-slap punch?
Should I unleash Mom's signature slap-slap punch on him?
As I shadowboxed, preparing my slap-slap punch with some quick jabs, the second wave of the crowd came and swallowed us up. Uraraka and Four-Eyes got caught. Ah, Uraraka! If someone touches your boobs, you twist their hand like this! Then sweep their legs like thisand lock them down! Like this, like this!
I managed to avoid getting crushed by the crowd thanks to Kacchan wall-slamming me. I'm fine. Kacchan's barrier is ironclad and reliable.
He basically shielded me, but it probably wasn't intentional, so I won't thank him. Just a force of circumstance. Oh, his face is really close. Looks like he might kiss me.
"Kacchan, Kacchan."
"What?! What is it?! I don't have time to deal with you right now!"
"If you try to kiss me in this chaos, I'll kill you."
"H-hah?! I'm not gonna do that!"
Good, then.
My first kiss carries weight.
I have no obligation to give it to you.
"More importantly, what's going on with all this?"
"How should I know?! Just shut up! Listen—don't you dare leave my side!"
"I couldn't leave even if I wanted to."
It's hard to handle Kacchan staring at me so seriously, so I shift my gaze behind me. I'm glad he wall-slammed me on the glass side overlooking the courtyard. I can kill time. If it had been the other side, I'd have been stuck looking at the crowd, a white wall, or Kacchan's face the whole time. What kind of punishment game is that?
"Hm?"
Looking out at the courtyard, I spotted a group walking around.
I could see cameras and microphones.
Are those... TV people?
"Kacchan, hey Kacchan."
"What?!"
"I think the intruders are them."
"—Hah?! Tch! It's those guys from this morning! How annoying!"
Right, the bunch we saw this morning hanging around the school entrance.
Those freeloading cameramen who tried to broadcast my face nationwide without permission, and when I rightfully demanded an appearance fee, they just casually avoided me. Those bastards are worse than cucumbers.
Plus, they called Kacchan and me a couple. Made me go grrrr. Seriously, grrr.
Well, let's set that aside for now.
"Hey, Kacchan. Now that we know the cause, why don't you go do your job as class president? You can leave me alone."
"Hah?! What's with you all of a sudden?!"
"In situations like this, it's the class president's job to pull people together, right? I can see some of our classmates scattered in the crowd, so go make a cool entrance, settle this, and boost your approval rating."
Kacchan knows this himself, but he's hopelessly unsuited for being a leader. He has the ability, but his confidence as a natural genius gets in the way, and he tends not to listen to others. The idea of Kacchan as class president is honestly laughable.
But still, I want to support him.
"Look, you're... well, you, so your flaws will show immediately, right? And you'll earn resentment."
"What do you mean by 'you'? I'll kick your ass."
"When that happens, having past achievements makes it harder to get recalled, you know? Right? You're an unreliable class president with a shaky future, so when you have a chance to shine, go shine and show them you can be dependable."
That's the only way Kacchan can make it as class president.
"...Mm, Kacchan?"
I thought he'd go right away, but Kacchan stayed still, looking down.
He might be stuck, but considering how fit Kacchan is, I think he could swim through a crowd like this easily. What, does your stomach hurt? Tummy ache? I only have menstrual pain meds, but want one?
When I patted his shoulder while holding out the pain medication, Kacchan looked up at me with his brow deeply furrowed.
"I'm not going."
Just one phrase—complete refusal.
This bastard. He's completely rejecting my advice born from kindness that flows forth like a loving mother! What an outrageous guy!
...Sigh.
What a high-maintenance man, seriously. Kacchan has too much pride, so he probably hates going along with my ideas. He seemed to be agonizing over it pretty hard. He should've just gone with it. I shouldn't have said anything.
"Fine then. Do whatever you want."
"Yeah. That's what I've been doing from the start."
A little while later, Four-Eyes climbed up above the door, skillfully calmed everyone down, and the situation settled. That should've been Kacchan's job, though.
After that, Kacchan ended up pushing the class president position onto Four-Eyes, and his big chance went down the drain.
On the way home, when I asked why he turned down being class president, he said it was too much of a hassle.
Well, if that's the case, you should've done that from the start! My delicate hands got pointlessly Kacchan-smelly! Sniff sniff, look! They still smell! So much Kacchan-stink! When I got angry, he bought me cream puffs.
Forgiven!
◇◇◇
The ironclad defense U.A. prides itself on.
The first layer of that defense—the school gate—had been mercilessly reduced to rubble.
Looking at the devastation, it was clear this was the work of someone with a considerable Quirk.
"Could regular media do this?"
No one among the assembled teachers answered my question.
Everyone understood what was happening.
"Someone incited them..."
Leading the media, causing a disturbance.
What's the objective? If it's just a prank, that would be the end of it, but—
"Either someone wicked has infiltrated—or this is a declaration of war."
I looked at the steel gate that had crumbled to sand.
That gate, destroyed in a way that should be impossible.
"Either way, we're going into high alert. I need everyone to tighten their guard."
Who did this, and for what purpose?
None of that matters.
This is a place where children who will carry the future—where future heroes—grow and learn. Whoever it is, whatever stands in their way cannot be permitted.
I swear it on my pride as Principal Nezu.
***
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