Chapter 66: Pro Heroes' Problems
Author: Geraint
On a beach in Okinawa, Endeavor, along with other Pro Heroes like Best Jeanist, Gang Orca, Crust, Kamui Woods, and several other male heroes, were picking up trash along the shore.
"Damn that kid! Did he think I wouldn't notice?! How dare he humiliate me like this!"
Endeavor angrily threw the trash stick aside, flames flaring from his face. He was clearly fed up with being ordered around by the Hero Commission.
"It can't be helped," Best Jeanist replied, continuing to pick up trash and toss it into a large sack. "The Commission said they'll revoke our licenses if we don't comply."
"Remember this, Falcon! I won't forget this!" Endeavor shouted, completely furious.
Best Jeanist glanced around. A crowd had gathered. Some people looked on with admiration, while others—especially adults—stared coldly. It was obvious that public trust in heroes was still shaken.
"If you've got the energy to yell, how about using it to move faster so we can finish earlier?"
Turning around, the two heroes saw Lady Nagant cleaning nearby.
"Lady Nagant..." Best Jeanist said.
Endeavor scowled.
"Our job's not so different from this," she said. "Cleaning and taking out the trash in society. This is better—no one gets hurt or dies, and it helps the environment."
Both men fell silent. She had a point.
"I AM HERE!"
All Might suddenly arrived, carrying several sacks of trash over his shoulder.
"All Might!"
"Yeah, it's really him!"
Excitement spread through the beach as people gathered around him.
"Even I must do my part to care for the environment!" All Might declared. His words inspired onlookers to join in and help clean.
As he approached the other heroes, Endeavor stormed over.
"It's your damn son again, All Might!"
"Oh, hello, Endeavor!"
"How dare you let him take over the Commission!"
"Take over? You mean Ichika? He's just the acting president until Mera returns from the hospital," All Might said.
"Then why are we out here doing this?! He's ordering us around like subordinates! We're Pro Heroes—not his lackeys!"
"Calm down, Endeavor. I'm sure that wasn't Ichika's intention."
"Grrrrr! The next time I see that brat, I'm gonna burn his ass!"
The other heroes gave Endeavor skeptical looks—clearly remembering how Ichika had beaten him in a one-sided fight.
Best Jeanist sighed and tried to change the subject."Anyway, I heard Ryukyu and the others had a different assignment today."
"All the female Pro Heroes were sent off—except for me and Mirko," Lady Nagant said. "Strangely, even the married ones were separated."
"Suspicious…" Best Jeanist muttered.
They all glanced at Mirko, who sat in the sand staring off into the distance, dazed.
"What's up with her?" All Might asked.
"She just found out that her boyfriend is the one running the Commission that's been ordering her around," Lady Nagant replied.
"Oh…"
Just then, a group of female heroes arrived. Some looked cheerful, others were blushing—though a good number of them looked furious.
Burnin marched straight toward Endeavor, stomping in frustration.
"Damn it! They tricked me!"
"What happened?" Endeavor asked.
"We were told to conduct surveys with random civilians, right? Turns out it was a matchmaking event in disguise! I was paired with some pathetic guys—I feel insulted!"
All Might winced. "Ichika…"
"That Falcon brat! I've had enough of him messing with us!" Endeavor growled.
"What about the others?" Best Jeanist asked.
He turned to a group of female heroes chatting happily.
"I already have a boyfriend, so I didn't want to do the job. But then my mother showed up for the interview! I was so happy to see her again. I'm really grateful for the opportunity."
"Me too! My sister came with her baby—it was adorable!"
"Guys, listen to this! My childhood friend showed up… and he proposed! I said yes! We're getting married next year!"
"Wow! Congratulations!"
"Hehe, thanks!"
Clearly, not everyone had a bad experience.
Nearby, another group looked completely lovestruck.
"What kind of guy were you paired with?"
"My best friend from the countryside! I didn't think I'd ever see him again. He's grown up so much—and he's hot."
"I was paired with my middle school crush. He's even more charming now!"
"It's like the Commission's become Cupid or something. They're scary good at matchmaking!"
Best Jeanist was surprised by the overwhelmingly positive feedback.
"See? Look at what your son's doing—just fooling around!" Endeavor barked at All Might.
"Hahahaha! What's going on over here?"
A cheerful woman approached with a wide, unwavering smile. She had sea-green hair under an orange bandanna, muscular arms, and a flamboyant outfit decorated with smiley-face pins.
"Ms. Joke!"
"Hey, guys! Guess who I got paired with? I wasn't even interested at first… but then Eraser Head showed up! Pfffffft! Hahahaha! Even the Commission ships us!"
"Not funny," came a voice behind her.
Eraser Head walked over with his usual half-awake, deadpan expression.
"C'mon, Eraser! Why don't we just get married already?"
"No."
Ms. Joke burst into laughter. "Nice one, Eraser! Hahahaha!"
Meanwhile, Mt. Lady and Midnight walked by, both looking dejected.
"Mt. Lady, who were you paired with?"
"Kamui Woods…"
"And?"
"I just asked him different questions than what the Commission gave me. I'm glad he didn't realize what it was actually about."
"I see…"
"What about you, Midnight?"
"…It was an old man living next door."
"Pfffft!" Mt. Lady snorted. "That guy suits you!"
"What did you just say?!"
"Maybe the Commission already gave up trying to find you a match."
"You bitch!"
"Bring it on!"
The two women began grappling in the sand.
Looking around at all the successful matchups, the mood between Mt. Lady and Midnight grew more sour.
"What are we even doing with our lives…"
"Yeah… seriously…"
Ryukyu approached quietly, her face pale. She sat beside Mirko and sighed.
"Mirko…"
"What?"
"Your boyfriend is really troublesome."
"You said it."
Ring! Ring!
Mirko's phone buzzed. She opened the message.
"Hm? It's from Ichika."
Everyone turned. The moment his name was mentioned, All Might, Endeavor, and half the beach crowded behind her.
Mirko opened the message to see a selfie of Ichika in a basketball jersey, grinning with his teammates behind him.
[Big comeback win from my team! Score: 87–86][Miss you, Rumi <3]
Everyone was speechless.
Mirko closed her phone and resumed staring into the distance.
"Aren't you going to respond? At least congratulate him," Ryukyu said.
"She's right," All Might added.
"I can't…"
"Huh?"
"I dropped my phone in the water… the keyboard doesn't work anymore."
"…Mirko," Ryukyu sighed. "Please… consider replacing your flip phone with a new one."
Ring! Ring!
A new message came in. Mirko opened it.
[Idiot.]
"…Looks like he already knows," Ryukyu muttered.
Mirko looked even more dejected.
"DAMN YOU, BRAT!!!"
"FALCON!!"
Behind them, Endeavor and Burnin burst into flames again, while the other Pro Heroes calmly continued picking up trash, pretending nothing was happening.
(To be continued.)
A/N: I'll fix my mistakes later.