After punching a guy who looked like a walking violation of the Weapons and Firearms Act—and kicking him for good measure—I looked down to see the gruesome sight of Four-eyes lying on the ground.
The frames were bent, one lens was shattered, and the other was spiderwebbed with cracks. I knew instinctively: there was no saving him.
"Was I too late...?!"
"How can you make a joke at a time like this?!"
Since I got a spirited retort back, I decided to end the bit there and focused my attention on the ragdoll of a man picking himself up. I'd hoped he might let his guard down, but he didn't look like the type to give away freebies.
Using my Pull Quirk, I'd managed to force an opening and pummel him since it was our first encounter, but I doubted that trick would work a second time. Guys like this might not be "book smart," but they have incredible instincts. Rather than logic, he'd likely read my movements through sheer experience etched into his muscles—something bordering on animal intuition.
I didn't take my eyes off the human floor-mat as I reset my stance. Nearby, Four-eyes wasn't moving. Neither was the Native American-looking hero in my peripheral vision.
"A Four-eyes without his eyes."
"Look, at this point, just call me Iida. I'll even take 'Class Rep' if I have to."
"That doesn't matter. You don't look that hurt; why can't you move? Honestly, I don't want to go toe-to-toe with this guy. I want to run. A maiden's skin shouldn't be subjected to cuts and scrapes, you know?"
The thought alone gave me the shivers. Pain is a hard "no" for me. Absolutely not. I can barely handle a paper cut; if I get into a sword fight, I'll probably faint from the stress.
"I... I'm sorry. I can't move my body... Since he cut me, I think it's his Quirk..."
The news mentioned something about blades and toxins, or maybe a Quirk that activates through cutting? Either way, victory without a scratch seemed unlikely, so I really wanted to avoid this fight.
"...Midoriya, stay out of this. This is my—"
"Shut up!"
"—Guh?! Did you just kick me? Midoriya, did you seriously just kick me?!"
He tried to say something noble, so I tried to shut him up with a kick, but it only seemed to fire him up more. Nothing goes my way in this world.
"Ugh, you're so loud. You're just a small fry who lost to me even in the obstacle course—your supposed specialty. Just stay quiet and let yourself be saved."
"S-Small fry...?!"
"Don't try to do things you can't do. That's common sense. If you're that desperate, then train until you can, or come up with a plan so you can. Since you did neither, you have no right to complain. Pfft. Pfft."
"You're laughing at me...?!"
I'm not some saint who's going to tell him not to seek revenge. Not everyone in this world is strong. For some people, that's the only way they can move forward. But that doesn't mean I have to approve of it.
As long as I'm around, I'll get in his way, even if he hates me for it. If a friend, an acquaintance, or family gets themselves arrested for something like this, it'll ruin the taste of my dinner tomorrow.
"...Hmph. For words aimed at a comrade, those are quite harsh. But they aren't bad."
The human ragdoll—Stain—slowly pulled himself up. He wasn't completely unscathed, but he didn't seem to have any trouble continuing the fight. He's tougher than he looks.
That means he's likely not the type who relies solely on his Quirk. His core strength is his physical ability. If he uses weapons, he has the technique to back them up. From the look of it, he's a blade specialist. Katanas, knives... I can even see throwing knives.
What a pain. How annoying.
"You... you observe well. You're different from the men over there. You are strong. But still green."
Stain used his foot to flick a fallen sword into the air and gripped it in his right hand.
"Girl... it is my duty to kill them. They are a cancer on hero society—targets for purgatory. If you stand in my way, we will clash. Naturally... that means the weak will be culled. So, what will it be?"
What is this guy even talking about?
"'Duty to kill'? Who made you the boss? Are you really that important?"
"Hmph... I doubt someone like you could understand—"
"Oh, is it a 'difficult' talk? Then forget it. Lips are zipped. Little Niko doesn't do 'difficult.'"
"...You brat!"
I'm not in the mood for a long lecture... Wait, actually, I should have let him talk. It would have bought time for Shoto to get here. Oh well, too late now. Besides, it pisses me off to have a guy like this talk down to me.
"No matter what you say, you're nothing but a criminal."
"What did you say...?"
"I don't care how 'grand' your reasons are. Iida is a hundred times more 'right' than you'll ever be. 'Targets for purgatory'? Give me a break. You make me want to barf."
It's completely ridiculous. He's just a guy throwing a violent tantrum for his own satisfaction.
"Compared to a guy like you who can kill people with a straight face, he's much kinder and a much better person. He can get angry for his brother's sake; he can fight for his brother's sake."
"That is exactly why he is foolish. A hero is—"
"Don't you talk about heroes, you criminal. There's no way you'd understand. Not a coward like you who could only choose a pathetic method like murder."
In that instant, Stain's aura shifted. I saw his center of gravity drop forward.
Here he comes.
"Enough. Be silent."
I used my Pull Quirk to leap back. A blade sliced through the air exactly where I'd been standing. If I'd been a second slower, my stomach would have been carved open.
"Hmph...! You're fast. But that's all—" Guh?!
As he was mid-sentence, I Pulled Stain's lower jaw, making him bite his own tongue. Take that, you freak.
Taking advantage of the opening, I yanked on his long red scarf with my Quirk, easily throwing him off balance. Then, I dialed my Pull Quirk to full throttle, targeting Stain himself. I went airborne, closing the distance in a flash.
"...Hah! Impressive, but naive!"
"The only one who's naive is you!!"
I activated my Quirk, targeting both his sword-arm and the concrete at his feet.
In an instant, his arm and the ground were Pulled together. His sword slammed into the concrete with enough force to send sparks flying. This was my secret technique I'd mastered since the Sports Festival: twisting the point of attraction so that, instead of pulling things toward my palm, I could force two separate objects to collide. I can't use it many times, but if I time it right, it's a massive advantage.
Like right now.
I caught the look of shock on Stain's face and delivered a full-power heel drop directly into his skull.
It was one of the Great Niko's 108 Secret Techniques. A lethal heel drop that carried the full momentum of a front-flip.
The Niko-chan Hammer.
If it hit, it was a one-shot kill. Or so I believed. Reality, however, was much harsher.
I felt a dull thud against my foot, but it was far from a finishing blow. Unbelievably, he'd managed to parry it even from that broken stance.
"...I've got you now."
In my field of vision, I saw Stain staring back at me, a shining blade gripped in his hand. I immediately triggered my Quirk to blast myself backward. A few strands of my hair were sliced away, but that was it. No direct hit.
"No... I did catch you...!"
I saw something red on the knife Stain was holding. Blood.
That was when I noticed a slight sting in my shoulder. Looking down, I saw a tiny nick. My eyes darted to the blood on the knife and then to Stain, who was about to run his tongue over it. A terrible premonition washed over me.
Goosebumps erupted all over my body. Trusting my gut, I used my Pull Quirk at full power to yank the knife right out of his hand. Because I did it without any control or adjustment, the knife sliced into my own palm as it arrived. Red blood splattered everywhere. It hurt like hell.
But seeing Stain's reaction, I knew my hunch was right. I understood now.
Stain's Quirk. Its activation requires him to ingest the target's blood. The effect is likely total paralysis. No wonder he uses blades.
"In that case...!"
I took a deep breath. Facing Stain as he braced himself, I channeled all my unstoppable maidenly power and spat fire at him.
I didn't have enough time to charge it up, so the firepower was weak. It hit him directly, but the damage was minimal—mostly just scorching his clothes. I tried to blast him again, but this time he dodged it effortlessly while closing the distance.
"...Hah, that was close...! You already figured it out? You really do observe well...! Good."
Stain's cursed whispering confirmed my theory. I was glad I'd pushed myself, but the situation was dire. I tried to fly away with my Quirk, but Stain's katana was a fraction faster. The tip of the blade traced a line across my upper arm.
Once again, my blood fell into Stain's hand.
"Your attitude is a problem... but you have the value of one who should live."
Stain's tongue flicked over the blade. He was hunting for the blood.
"Stay still for a moment. It will be over soon...!"
"I told you... not to go on ahead! Midoriya!!"
Along with a roar, waves of searing heat and freezing cold swept through the alley. Stain dodged by a hair's breadth, leaping back to create distance. Fortunately, the blood on his blade was incinerated by the heat.
Nice work, Red-and-White Dumpling!!
"...Todoroki! Why... why are you here too?!"
Shoto gave Iida a brief glance before immediately turning to me. He was scowling, his brow furrowed deeply.
"...I didn't get it before. I thought I was watching, but I guess I wasn't seeing anything at all. Now I finally understand... why Bakugo is the way he is..."
Wait, that's weird. As Shoto walked toward me, I could practically see Kacchan standing behind him. I could see explosions flickering behind the Prince's back.
"I'm not one to talk, but Midoriya... once this is over, you and I are going to have a long talk."
"Why?!"
"Think about what you've done. Search your conscience."
I did exactly as he said and searched my conscience. Oh no. There are way too many possibilities; I have no idea which one he's mad about. Was it when I wrote a scene from a smut novel into his Japanese Literature textbook? Or when I drew beards on every single historical figure in his World History book?
Nope, I give up.
"...Whatever. We can deal with that once we get back safely. Anyway, I've sent the location to the old man. Backup will be here soon."
Shoto unleashed a wave of ice. Sharp pillars of frost raced toward Stain. The ice under the fallen hero, Iida, and me turned into a ramp, sliding the three of us back toward Shoto.
He roughly ruffled my hair as I reached him, then stepped in front of the three of us to shield us from Stain.
"Midoriya. Your hand. You okay?"
"Course. A bit of bandage and I'll be good as new."
I pulled a bandage from my pouch and wrapped it tight around my palm, stopping the flow of blood. It hurt, but I could still fight.
"...Good. Then this time, we protect them together."
Ah, I see. He was pissed that I'd left him behind. It was too late to try and butter him up now, but since I didn't want to leave things like this, I just gave him a sincere nod.
Phew.
Man, I'm dreading the aftermath. I'll be fine... right?
***
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