Screaming "This suuuucks!" won't change anything, so I distract myself by squishing Grape's face. I'm Midoriya Souko, one of Class A's two great leaders, a stunning beauty dripping with elegance, the most dazzling high school girl of our generation—meow.
Right now, Tsuyu-chan is pulling me along as I float on my back.
Grape, with nowhere else to go, is in my arms.
I'm restraining him because if I let him roam free, he'd probably touch something inappropriate.
"Hah, hah, what is this, amazing, so soft, this, mm... the smell, it's... I... I could die happy now..."
Hey, don't die on my stomach.
It'll look like I killed you.
If you're gonna die, go die somewhere else on your own.
Hey, don't move your arm any higher. If you raise it up, I'll snap your neck. I'll snap it, I swear. Think I'm bluffing? Try me. I'll make sure you can't even regret it.
"Midoriya, we're almost at the shore."
Tsuyu-chan reported that we'd reached a depth where our feet could touch.
I tossed Grape aside and stood on my own feet.
Oh, it's just deep enough that Grape's sinking a bit.
"Midoriya! Glub! A-are you trying to kill me?!"
"Mineta, you should learn to swim."
"I can swim! Blub! Just not in clothes!"
While Tsuyu-chan went to rescue Grape, I pressed forward. Things were fine until I reached the shore and grabbed the edge to pull myself up—but then I saw Hand Man fighting Eraserhead right in front of me, and I stopped climbing onto land.
Actually, I sank back down to my shoulders.
I had nothing but bad feelings about this.
My survival instincts were blaring alarms.
This is bad news, a mysterious Kansai old man's voice echoed in my brain. Who are you, anyway?
"Midoriya?"
Tsuyu-chan, noticing my behavior, came over with Grape tucked under her arm.
"Wait, that's Aizawa-sensei...?!"
"Yeah, we should watch the situation before climbing up."
"Midoriya, it's not as much as yours, but the frog's got quite a bit herself... hehehe..."
Tsuyu-chan's chest bounced.
Supported by something.
"..."
Splashing started up next to Tsuyu-chan. I pretended not to notice, but since he was being held under longer than I expected, I lightly called out. When I was completely ignored, I offered a prayer for the departed and turned my gaze back to Eraserhead.
Rest in peace.
Still, this is really bad.
"Midoriya, I don't understand what's happening. I've never seen anything like this before. Aizawa-sensei will be okay, right?"
Tsuyu-chan has good instincts.
She must be picking up on the flow and ominous atmosphere, understanding at least a little of what's happening before our eyes.
Also, the splashing next to me is distracting.
Are you okay? No, seriously, are YOU okay? You're splashing pretty desperately there. Grape keeps surfacing with a face like he's about to die. Wait, are you letting him take half-breaths on purpose? You demon? Are you a demon, Tsuyu-chan? Is Tsuyu-chan surprisingly thorough when she gets angry?
While I was thinking about that, something changed in Eraserhead's fight. I don't know exactly how it happened, but after clashing with Hand Man, the skin on Eraserhead's right elbow crumbled away, exposing raw red muscle. The bleeding didn't seem too severe, but it looked agonizingly painful.
"Ribbit! Aizawa-sensei...!"
Tsuyu-chan reflexively released Grape and covered her mouth.
The barely-alive Grape floated to the surface.
Lucky you, Grape.
Thank Eraserhead.
Thank him twice over.
After separating from Hand Man, the rhythm of Eraserhead's fighting changed. His movements lacked their usual sharpness—probably from the pain.
Wait, no—that's not all.
Along the path Eraserhead must have taken, countless thugs lay defeated. Even I would be winded after fighting half that many. This was simply physical exhaustion setting in.
Eraserhead probably hadn't had a moment's rest in all his fighting.
It was easy to imagine from Hand Man's nasty movements, exploiting every opening.
That guy's definitely a piece of shit. The worst kind—like concentrated sewage. The kind that makes even our Kacchan look cute by comparison. What the hell is that thing? Is he even human? Maybe he's just sentient crap?
If we leave things as they are, there's a high chance Eraserhead will be defeated. The longer this drags on, the worse the situation gets. I don't plan on helping, but if someone doesn't step in, things could get really bad.
"Midoriya, Aizawa-sensei is...!"
"No can do-yo."
"Don't think you can fool me like Uraraka...!"
I wasn't even trying to fool you.
"We need to help—"
"Impossible. I may not look it, but I've used up a lot of stamina, and more importantly, I don't know if I could beat Hand Man one-on-one even at full strength. I don't know his Quirk, which makes it even worse."
I won't say this out loud, but Hand Man's Quirk probably has something to do with his hands.
Something happened when he blocked Eraserhead's elbow strike. Maybe it activates when touched by his palms, or his fingers, or maybe there's an even more specific condition.
Either way, it's definitely a highly conditional Quirk. If he could use it freely, even Eraserhead with his Quirk-canceling ability would've been killed the moment his guard dropped.
That's about all I can tell from watching.
I won't say there's no chance of winning, but I'm not sharing that because if I give them false hope, they might try to help.
"If you say so, Midoriya, then it must be true... I understand. It seems like interfering might just get in Aizawa-sensei's way. Let's stick to the original plan and focus on evacuating."
"Yeah, that's bet—"
The black muscle-brain with exposed brain matter suddenly appeared right next to Eraserhead.
Even from a distance I'd noticed how dangerous it was, but seeing it up close confirmed my suspicions.
It's not just dangerous—that thing is something else entirely.
First, its presence is wrong.
Every human shows emotion. It naturally appears in their face or attitude, and even when they try to hide it, it's not easy to conceal.
But I don't sense that from the black muscle-brain.
It feels less like a living creature and more like watching a robot.
The complete opposite kind of danger from Hand Man, who's radiating hostility toward Eraserhead.
That thing could probably kill someone as easily as breathing.
"Midoriya...?"
"Huh? What, Tsuyu-chan?"
The sudden voice startled me.
Scared me to death, actually.
My heart nearly jumped out of my mouth.
Thanks to that, I broke out in a cold sweat.
"I still don't know much about you, but I'm starting to understand some things."
"Like what?"
"Midoriya, you know without me saying it, don't you? You understand better than anyone."
Ugh, seriously.
Tsuyu-chan really does have good instincts.
"Listen, Tsuyu-chan. I... don't want to be a hero."
"Really?"
"Really. It's super not my thing. It looks hard, and I'm not altruistic enough to save strangers. That kind of thing should be done by people who like that sort of thing. I just... can't."
I think I'm selfish to the core.
Like Kacchan used to talk about—heroes who appear everywhere, save everyone, and always defeat evil. I don't have even the slightest admiration for that ideal hero.
Because I wonder—is that actually fun?
I know.
I know they're not doing it because it's fun.
I know they're not doing it to be asked for help or to be respected.
I just can't understand it.
I have no desire to stick my nose into things that don't concern me.
So... can't be helped, right?
"Tsuyu-chan, take Eraserhead and get as close to the exit as possible! Grape! You better escort them properly!"
"Midoriya!"
"Midoriya?!"
Can't be helped. It really can't be helped.
If I leave it alone, it'll probably hurt like hell, and I don't want to see that carnage.
If I saw something like that, I wouldn't be able to eat meat for a while.
I want to always enjoy the barbecue Kacchan treats me to.
Besides, I need to create a debt with Eraserhead so he'll take back that parent-teacher conference comment.
◇◇◇
It happened in an instant.
Right after the strange white-haired guy, a black villain appeared.
Wary of his Quirk, I activated my eye power, but immediately after, my consciousness briefly cut out.
When I came to, there was dull pain echoing through my head and body, and my vision had turned red. The cold ground touching my cheek made me realize I'd fallen, and when I gritted my teeth and raised my head, the black villain stood there imposingly.
Seeing the blood on the black villain's fist, I realized for the first time that I'd been punched.
I didn't know if it was one hit or two.
But however many it was, the pain coursing through my body cruelly informed me that I was in no condition to fight again.
A monster.
Strength and speed I couldn't even perceive.
A special-grade monster.
Overwhelmingly powerful.
What flashed through my mind was the supreme strength of the Number One Hero I'd sparred with just once—the Symbol of Peace, All Might.
"Nomu, do it."
At the white-haired man's command, the black villain's hand slowly reached out.
It would've been easier if he'd just beaten me to death in one blow, but apparently I was going to be tortured to death.
This is why being a hero is so hard—but it's convenient.
Against these most troublesome enemies, I could make them waste a little more time.
How much time had passed since then?
Even if that black mist villain interfered, at least one of them should've broken through and reached the nearest school building by now.
If it was Iida, it would be even faster.
If so, help would arrive soon.
UA's teachers weren't so incompetent.
Once the abnormal situation was reported, professional heroes would storm this place in under ten minutes.
If that happened, everything would be fine.
So I just had to endure.
One more minute, one more second—just make them waste more time.
My colleagues would handle the rest—
"—?!"
Suddenly, a pulling sensation ran through my body.
I immediately understood what caused it and tried to use my eyes, but the damage was too severe—I couldn't even turn my neck reflexively.
Before I knew it, my body was floating in the air, and one student passed right in front of me, taking my place.
In that moment, I felt genuinely relieved.
Because I'd been moving under the assumption that she'd evacuate before anyone else.
Because my goal was for her to take the lead in evacuating.
That's why I could turn my back and face the fight.
Because the one I was most worried about was this massive idiot, in exactly this situation.
"Looking all beat up is super funny, Eraserhead. This makes us even from last time, right?"
She spoke frivolously.
It had been that way since the entrance exam.
This girl always said such things when hiding her anxiety.
"Midoriyaaa!"
Watching Midoriya's back as she ran straight ahead, I regretted not dropping her from the Hero Course.
I should have known.
In our brief time together, I should have noticed.
I should have understood why All Might took her side, why he had expectations for her.
She's the least suited to being a hero of anyone.
But she's also the one who could become a hero more than anyone else.
I resent you, All Might.
For letting her step into this world.
***
If you want to read 10 chapters ahead or support me, visit my p.a.t.r.e.o.n.c.o.m /Well_being