"Just let it go!"
Outside the raging flames, the Pro Heroes finally arrived. The moment they saw the inferno ahead, several of them felt an immediate headache coming on.
"I'll go in and save people first," Kamui Woods said curtly.
Before the other Heroes could respond, he rushed straight into the sea of fire, searching urgently for any survivors.
At the same time, reporters flooded the scene. Along with curious passersby, they quickly surrounded the entire area, forming a dense ring of people.
"Can you tell us more about what happened here?" Death Arms, his massive build impossible to miss, approached a police officer and asked.
"According to eyewitnesses," the officer replied, "one child was taken hostage, and another child rushed in to attempt a rescue."
"That's ridiculous," Death Arms muttered helplessly when he heard the rescuer was also a child. "Then who caused this fire? Was it the hostage, or—"
"Someone's coming out!"
The shout from the crowd abruptly cut off the conversation.
Not far away, a young man with black hair and dark eyes emerged slowly from the flames. He wore casual clothes and showed no sign of panic whatsoever.
"Officer," someone said quickly, "that's the kid who was taken hostage."
"The one who rushed in earlier managed to rescue him?"
"Then why is he the only one coming out?"
"What about the kid who saved him?"
…
Seeing Kurosawa Ren, Death Arms hurried forward. He squatted down to Ren's level, his expression serious but concerned.
"Are you hurt anywhere?" he asked.
"No," Ren replied calmly, shaking his head. He then pointed back toward the burning area. "There's still someone inside—the one who saved me."
"Don't worry," Death Arms said firmly. "We'll make sure he's rescued. You go somewhere safe first. I'll—"
"Look! The kid who saved him just came out too!"
"Huh?"
Death Arms stiffened and lifted his head. Walking out of the fire almost unscathed was Bakugo Katsuki.
For a moment, Death Arms stared in disbelief.
"To take down a criminal single-handedly… and come out without injuries?" he murmured, a strange gleam flashing in his eyes.
This kid had serious potential.
If he could be recruited after graduation, he would be a tremendous asset.
-----Media Frenzy-----
Once Bakugo appeared and the criminal was confirmed neutralized, the reporters surged forward like a tidal wave, instantly breaking through the police perimeter.
A teenager defeating a criminal that even Pro Heroes struggled with—this was headline material.
"Tch." Bakugo scowled as microphones were shoved toward his face. Veins popped at his temple. "Don't get it wrong. I didn't take him down."
"You didn't?" The reporters froze, exchanging puzzled looks.
"Then who did?"
Bakugo didn't answer. Instead, he shifted his gaze toward Ren, who was standing beside Death Arms.
The reporters followed his line of sight and immediately noticed the black-haired boy.
"You mean… this young man defeated the criminal?" a female reporter asked, glancing between Ren and Bakugo. "But wasn't he the hostage?"
"Ask him yourself," Bakugo said irritably, turning away. "I don't know what happened either."
The criminal had simply collapsed—without warning, without explanation.
"Kacchan!"
At that moment, a green-haired boy squeezed through the crowd with difficulty, rushing toward Bakugo with clear concern.
"Are you okay?"
It was Izuku Midoriya.
After all, the Sludge Monster's original target had been him. If he hadn't been chasing All Might, the monster wouldn't have escaped and caused this incident.
"What are you doing here, Deku?" Bakugo snapped, shooting him a glare. Then he glanced back at Ren, who was now surrounded by reporters, and clicked his tongue in annoyance. "Tch."
…
"Excuse me, what's your name?"
"What's your Quirk?"
"Which school do you attend?"
"Have you considered applying to U.A. High School?"
Ren was quickly overwhelmed.
He kept retreating, but no matter how far he backed away, the reporters pressed forward in perfect sync, trapping him in an endless loop.
Death Arms had long since vanished, completely swallowed by the media swarm.
"Stop!" Ren finally shouted.
Taking a deep breath, he secretly condensed chakra and raised his voice.
"I didn't defeat the criminal!" he declared. "The one who did was the blond guy!"
"Huh?" The female reporter blinked in surprise. "But he said you did it."
"As you can all see," Ren replied calmly, "his Quirk is far stronger than mine. So naturally, the criminal could only have been defeated by him—not me."
Faced with the relentless reporters, Ren began speaking absolute nonsense with a straight face.
"But—"
The reporters were completely stunned.
Under normal circumstances, wouldn't people fight for credit in a situation like this?
After all, these kids would soon be looking for internships and Hero agencies. A moment like this could determine their futures.
They had seen people dodge responsibility before.
But dodging credit?
This was a first.