Chapter 15: The Sister and the Bracket
The interval between the Cavalry Battle and the final tournament was extended to forty-five minutes to allow Cementoss to resurface the arena and for the students to recover their body temperature.
The cafeteria was buzzing, but Aokiji didn't go there. He needed quiet. He needed to regulate his internal thermostat.
He found a secluded bench near the vending machines in the lesser-used hallway of the stadium. He bought a warm can of coffee and pressed it against his cheek after sitting, feeling the heat seep into his cold skin.
After few seconds..
"You look like a stray cat."
Aokiji slowly opened his eyes.
His sister stood there. She wasn't wearing a school uniform; she was in casual clothes, a visitor pass hanging around her neck.
"Sayuri. So you've come." He said.
She sat down next to him on the bench.
"Father is watching from the VIP box," she said softly. "He's pleased. The stocks for Kuzan Cryogenics went up three points after you froze the stadium. He's calling it a 'demonstration of product reliability'."
Aokiji groaned. "He would. I'm just trying to survive high school, and he's running a marketing campaign."
Sayuri leaned back, looking at the ceiling. "You know... you act like you don't care. You walk around with that sleepy face, saying 'Arara' and complaining about math."
"It's a lifestyle choice," Aokiji defended.
"But," Sayuri turned to him, her eyes sharp. "I saw you. In the Cavalry Battle. When that blonde boy—Bakugo—attacked. You put yourself in front of the explosion. You shielded the little purple boy, Mineta."
Aokiji took a sip of his coffee. "He was annoying me. If he kept screaming, I would have gotten a headache."
"Liar," Sayuri smiled, bumping his shoulder with hers. "You protected him."
Aokiji sighed, staring at the coffee can. "Mineta is tiny. He has no durability. If he took a direct hit from one of those explosions, he wouldn't just be knocked out. He'd be paste. I don't want to see a classmate turned into jam."
Sayuri watched him for a moment, her smile softening. "You always have a logical excuse for being kind, big brother. But that's fine. Keep your secrets."
Aokiji stood up, tossing the empty can into the recycling bin. He stretched, his spine popping.
"I'm not kind, Sayuri. I just hate paperwork. Filling out an incident report for a squashed classmate sounds like a nightmare." He looked down at her. "Go back to the stands. The final event is starting. Try not to freeze."
The students of Class 1-A, the only class who reached this stage, stood in the center of the arena. The ice was gone, replaced by fresh concrete.
Midnight stood on the stage.
"Now! We draw lots for the final tournament! This is where you show the world what you are made of! One-on-one combat!"
She pressed a button. A massive holographic bracket appeared in the air.
The students scanned the names frantically.
"I'm against Mineta?" Hagakure muttered.
"Bakugo vs. Uraraka?"
"Todoroki vs. Shoji?"
Aokiji scanned the list lazily. He started from the bottom. Not there. Middle. Not there.
He looked at the very top left. The first match of the first round.
MATCH 1: MIDORIYA IZUKU vs. KUZAN AOKIJI
MATCH 2: MINORU MINETA vs. TOORU HAGAKURE
Silence fell over the group standing near Midoriya.
Midoriya stared at the board. His face drained of all color. He looked like a ghost.
"K-K-Kuzan-kun?" Midoriya squeaked. He turned slowly to look at the tall boy standing behind him.
Aokiji stared at the board. He scratched the back of his head, messing up his hair even more.
"Arara," Aokiji sighed deeply. "The first match? That means I don't get a nap break. Talk about bad luck."
"Bad luck?!" Mineta whispered to Kaminari. "Midoriya is fighting the guy who froze the USJ and the stadium! Midoriya is going to die! He's going to be an ice sculpture forever!"
"And look at Match 2!" Kaminari pointed. "It's you vs. Hagakure? Bruh how lucky you are?!"
Midoriya was trembling. He knew Aokiji's power. He had seen him fight the Nomu. He knew that physical attacks were mostly useless against a his icy body.
"Midoriya," Aokiji said.
Midoriya jumped. "Y-Yes!"
Aokiji looked down at him through his amber-tinted sunglasses. His expression was impossible to read.
"Try not to break your hands in the first minute," Aokiji said flatly. "I don't like the sound of snapping bones. It ruins my focus."
Midoriya clenched his fists. He looked terrified, but beneath the fear, there was that spark—the same spark All Might had. The drive to win against impossible odds.
"I... I'll do my best, Kuzan-kun.. Even if it means to break all of my fingers..." Midoriya bowed stiffly.
Bruh did you even hear what I said.. Aokiji thought.
He turned away, walking toward the preparation tunnel.
He found a quiet spot in the shadows of the tunnel entrance. He pulled his yellow sleeping mask up from his neck and placed it over his eyes. He leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms.
"Wake me up when it's my turn," he muttered to the empty corridor. "I'm taking five minutes."
He relaxed his shoulders, his breathing slowing down.
"ALL RIGHT, LISTENERS!" Present Mic's voice boomed, shaking the dust from the ceiling. "ARE YOU READY?! THE FINALS BEGIN RIGHT NOW! LET'S WELCOME THE FIRST FIGHTERS TO THE RING!"
Aokiji froze. He lifted the sleeping mask with one hand, peering out into the bright light of the arena.
"Seriously..." Aokiji groaned, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "I didn't even get to close my eyes."
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