After school, Kameo Gin stopped Midoriya."I want to talk to you about something. Can I borrow a bit of your time?"
"Ah, no problem at all, Kameo-san."
As they left the classroom, Kameo Gin thought she overheard murmurs like:"Didn't see that coming...""They actually suit each other.""That guy moves fast, huh?"
She took Midoriya to a quiet corner. His face was slightly red.
"So… um, Kameo-san, what did you want to talk about…?"
"Why do you want to become a hero?"
"Why? Because… I really admire All Might. I want to be like him—a great hero who saves people with a smile."
"As I thought... It makes sense, since you're in the Hero Course."Kameo Gin sighed. "Either way, thank you. Sorry for taking your time."
"Please wait." Midoriya grabbed her sleeve."Kameo-san, are you troubled by something?"
"Troubled? Not really."
"...Don't lie. Kameo-san, your face right now is basically screaming 'troubled.'"
Kameo looked away. "A long time ago, I had a dream. But it shattered. I chose a path that was completely different from it. For a while, I thought I'd never even remember it again. But recently… ever since I met you, it's come back to me. I feel like I'm stuck between reality and that old dream—like a shameless ghost wandering around."She smiled helplessly.
Midoriya looked down, silent for a moment. Then he raised his head and stared at her with intense sincerity."I don't know what kind of path made you give up, or what kind of dream I reminded you of... but I believe in you. You're the one who stood between me and Kacchan during the Quirk Assessment. You're the one who told me 'ganbatte' when I needed it. You're the one who chased after me to make sure I didn't get caught up in the crowd."
"The dream of someone as kind as you… it must be something full of warmth and hope. If someone like you is suffering because they can't chase their dream, then please—talk to me."
Midoriya placed a hand gently on her head and rested his forehead against hers.Kameo Gin was 163 cm. Midoriya was 166 cm. That small height difference made the gesture feel incredibly natural.
"Please tell me. And I'll help you—when you're stuck in the mud, I'll pull you out. When you're lost in the fog, I'll light your way. Don't worry."
"Because… I am here."
...
...
"...Midoriya-kun, you're standing way too close."
"Eh? EHHHHHHHH?!"
Midoriya's face turned bright red. "S-S-Sorry! I-I-I didn't mean to! I-I'll just—see you tomorrow!"He ran away like his life depended on it.
"...Still didn't solve my own problems." Kameo Gin sighed, then smiled."But for some reason, I feel a whole lot better."
"Whoa, whoa—so the heroic student who helps others is actually full of doubts?"A familiar voice came from the shadows. It was Hitoshi Shinsō.
Kameo didn't respond.
"Come on, say something. I'm not using my Quirk on you or anything."
"..."
"Tch, fine. Do me a favor."
Before she could reject him, Shinsō kabedon-ed her—slamming his hand against the wall beside her.
"..."
"Just bear with it. There's this annoying girl chasing me."
A bubbly voice echoed in the distance:"Shinsō-kun~? Where are you? Ohhh~? Oops~ Sorry for interrupting~"Shieldko appeared from behind the wall, then quickly bounced away again.
So that's what "handling it" meant in Shieldko-speak…
"Phew… she's such a pain." Shinsō craned his neck to make sure she was gone, then looked down to thank Kameo Gin——but she had already escaped from his arm.
"You're too tall. That kind of wall slam doesn't work on me—I can slip out anytime."
"..."Does this girl have zero romantic instincts?
"Anyway, thanks for the help…"
"No need."
She'd been brainwashed.
Shinsō suddenly burst out laughing. Not just a chuckle—full-on trying-to-suppress-it laughter, practically rolling on the floor.
Sheesh, this guy has built-in sarcasm or something.
"Sorry, sorry." He wiped a tear away."Getting caught by my Quirk three times? That's rare."
Yup. Built-in sarcasm.
"There's still time before curfew. Mind if I talk a bit?"
Like I have a choice?
They sat on a bench. He bought them both drinks from a vending machine.
"Here."
Kameo accepted it with resignation.
"My Quirk is brainwashing. Because of it, I don't really have friends. People are afraid of me, even if they pretend not to be. Everyone always says the same thing: 'If he became a villain, it'd be terrifying.'"
"But so what? Even with all that prejudice… I still want to be a hero."
"If I hadn't controlled you just now… would you have listened?"
"Sorry for taking your time."
He released his Quirk.
Kameo didn't leave. Instead, she checked the time on her phone.
"You're not leaving? Starting to pity me or something? Just so you know, I didn't—"
"There's still a bit of time before curfew. Want to go to the gym?"
"What?"
"Your physical fitness is way too poor. You can't beat even a low-level villain, and you can't run either. You won't make it as a hero like this."
"...Why?"
"What do you mean, why?"
"I don't need your pity."
"This isn't pity."
"Then why the sudden interest in helping me?"
"Because just now, a boy told me to chase my dream. That no matter what, it'd be okay. Because he was there. And... I thought, hey, saying that to someone else sounds kinda cool too. So I wanted to try."
Kameo spun on her heel and faced him head-on. The sunlight hit her face just right, her silver eyes shining with warmth she didn't even realize she had."Please chase your dream. It's okay—because I'm here."
Shinsō was annoyed.
There was this super popular model in his class—a total bombshell—who had been interested in him since day one. Every day was a struggle to survive her attention (and her fan club).
That day, like always, he tried to avoid her by hiding around school. And that's when he saw a short guy forehead-to-forehead with the girl from the entrance exam.
The intimate scene really irritated him. He didn't even know why. He didn't even know the girl's name—so why did he care?
Irritated, he eavesdropped.
Soon after, the guy ran off red-faced, and the girl stood there, dazed. Shinsō couldn't help but say something.
She didn't reply.
He got even more annoyed.
Then he heard Shieldko calling for him and impulsively wall-slammed the girl to make it look like they were... busy.
He felt her silent judgment.
After Shieldko left, the girl slipped out from under his arm without a hint of romantic tension.
So he used his Quirk again.
Hooked.
Thinking back to the previous two times he'd brainwashed her, Shinsō couldn't help but burst out laughing. No idea why—he just had to.
To cover it, he started sarcastically teasing her again.
Maybe it was the bad mood earlier, but he told her about his past.
Then regretted it.
After releasing his Quirk, she didn't leave. She offered to help him train instead.
Pity?
He didn't want pity.
But then she smiled and said:"Please chase your dream. It's okay—because I'm here."
She didn't even know how gentle her eyes were when she said it.
He scratched his head to hide the panic rising inside.
When had this all started?Was it the entrance exam, when she reacted to his brainwashing like it was a harmless prank?Was it the second time, when she snarled "See you at U.A." like a provoked cat—still without fear or hatred?Or was it just now, when she smiled so warmly?
Suddenly, Shinsō hated that boy who'd gotten so close to her.
"…Sure. My name's Hitoshi Shinsō."
"I'm Kameo Gin. Nice to meet you, Hitoshi-kun."
"What did you just call me?"
"Hitoshi-kun?"
Brainwashing successful.
"Call me Jinshi."
"Jinshi."
"Mhm."
...Kinda cute.
Brainwashing canceled.
Kameo took a deep breath. "Shall we go, then?"
"Sure."
As she walked ahead of him, she smiled cruelly—making sure he couldn't see it.
Heh. I'm so gonna wreck you, brat.
Gentleness? Not in this lifetime.
Just put on a show… then crush him later.