Chapter 65: Mr. PresidentAuthor: Geraint
Ichika, along with the other first-years, watched from the bench as they witnessed their starters getting demolished by the opponent's team in the first half of the game.
| Tokyo [19] - [65] Akita |
Whistle
The referee blew his whistle, signaling the end of the first half. The players trudged back to their benches.
Bam!
A tall blond small forward kicked a chair in frustration.
"Fuck!"
"Their center is really annoying!"
The hulking blond center clenched his fists in anger as he glared at the opposing team.
Their captain, the power forward, was bent over, breathing heavily.
"Captain, are you okay? Looks like you went all out on defense this time," Ichika grinned, clearly entertained by his exhausted captain.
PantPant
"They're good... It's hard to stop them."
"Oh, really?"
"If you're not going to play, at least cheer for us instead of taking a nap over there."
The Captain wanted to slap the grin off his face.
Suddenly, the tall blond small forward grabbed the point guard by the collar and lifted him.
"This is your fault! Your passes are always off-timing! They keep stealing the damn ball!"
"H-Hey! I passed it the way you asked!" the point guard stammered.
"Huh?!"
"You already had a bunch of turnovers…"
"What did you say?! That's your fault! I could carry this team if I weren't surrounded by scrubs!"
"Hey, that's going too far!" the captain tried to step in.
"Oh? You got a problem with me now? Your defense is garbage! You can't guard anyone!"
"They're using pick-and-rolls, you idiot! I can't guard two players at once if you're not helping!"
"Excuses! You just suck! I'm the main scorer, I run the offense! You guys are just dragging me down!"
"Offense…"
Ichika mumbled as he recalled the guy only scored six points in the entire half.
"Pffffft!"
Ichika tried to stifle his laughter but failed miserably. His stomach hurt from laughing too much.
The entire team turned to him with eyes full of disappointment.
Meanwhile, the coach sat calmly on the sideline, not saying a word.
"This team is trash! I'm quitting!"
The blond forward threw down his towel, but noticed how Ichika was the only one still smiling. That made his blood boil even more. He stormed over and grabbed Ichika by the shirt.
"Oi! You think this is funny?!"
"Yeah. You said you run the offense, but you barely scored. Hahaha!"
"I'll kill you—!"
But before he could land a punch...
Ack…
His body froze. He couldn't breathe.
"I… can't… breathe…"
The Captain broke in between them while the other players held Ichika back.
The blond collapsed to the floor, his eyes wide in shock as he looked at Ichika's smug grin.
"You… ugh…"
He passed out.
"Call an ambulance! He collapsed from fatigue!"
The team's atmosphere darkened.
The Captain placed a hand on Ichika's shoulder, trying to stay positive.
"...Ichika, you're our only hope now. Let's win this game—just like old times."
Riiing~
Ichika's phone rang. He checked it.
"Sorry. Someone's calling me from home. Maybe later."
He casually stood up and walked out of the gym.
"ICHIKA!!" the Captain yelled after him.
On the second floor of the school building, Nejire was walking through the hallway when she spotted a familiar pink-haired boy running out of the gym, clearly in a hurry.
"…What is he doing?"
Suspicious, she followed him.
Behind the school building, Ichika was waiting. Nejire hid behind a corner and peeked.
A slim, muscular man with gray hair shaped into three sharp points and dark eyes appeared. His face was partially covered with a mask.
Nejire gasped.
"Edgeshot?! What's a Pro Hero doing here?!"
Edgeshot handed Ichika a folder.
"Sorry to disturb you, but the Commission says this is urgent."
Ichika opened it and skimmed the contents.
"Pfffft!"He chuckled.
"Let me guess—salary issues?"
"Sorry, Mr. President. But even Pro Heroes have families to feed. The monthly allowance isn't cutting it."
Nejire's jaw dropped."Mr. President?!"
Ichika scratched his head.
"You know, Edgeshot, I'm doing everything I can to win back public support. The money I send comes from my own pocket. But without Finance Ministry approval, Hero assets are still frozen. A lot of Pro Heroes are still under investigation."
"But most of us have already been cleared…"
Edgeshot looked like he was pleading.
Ichika sighed.
"Fine. I caught a big fish last month and earned a hefty bounty. I'll send cash to the cleared Heroes—but only to those proven innocent."
Edgeshot bowed.
"Thank you, Mr. President."
"Oh, and one more thing. For all Heroes cleared and who survived the past three years on that measly allowance—your salaries and benefits will increase with the next payout."
Edgeshot nodded stoically, though it was clear he was relieved.
Ichika signed a document and handed it back.
"Here."
"Thanks. By the way… how's your dad?"
"You mean All Might? He's in Saitama. Just beat up some robbers."
"Glad to hear it."
"Take care, Edgeshot."
With that, Edgeshot leapt over the wall and vanished.
"Haha… I feel like a Hokage."
Ichika chuckled, walking back toward the gym.
Just as he turned a corner, he came face-to-face with Nejire.
"Nejire-senpai?"
"Mr. President?"
Ichika froze, his face going pale.
"Did you hear all of that?"
"Yeah. Everything. So… you're the No. 1 Hero's son. I have so many questions."
Ichika looked away and casually tried to walk past her.
"You've got the wrong person!"
Nejire raised an eyebrow. Then smiled slightly—a rare sight.
She followed after him.
"Ne~ Ichika-kun, do you live with your dad? What's he like at home? What's his Quirk exactly? Why is your hair pink if he's your dad? What's your Quirk like? Tell me, tell me, tell me~!"
She circled him, throwing out questions like machine gun fire.
"I didn't hear anything!"Ichika covered his ears and picked up his pace.
"Wait up~! I've got more!"
"Don't follow me!"
"Mr. President!"
"Don't call me that!!"
(To be continued.)
(A/N: I'll fix any more mistakes later. Thanks for reading!)