"Reporters?"
"...This is definitely Tenma-san's doing too..."
Midoriya's instincts pointed to only one answer.
The moment he defied that man's instructions, his everyday life would collapse.
"...I'll go out, Mom."
"Are you really sure it's okay!? Izuku, you've been studying so much lately, and you're hardly ever home. You're not doing anything dangerous, are you?
I'm so worried about you..."
Midoriya couldn't answer for a long time.
His body had been broken and rebuilt.
He had dodged and taken blows from fists that felt like they would shatter his bones under the guise of training.
He had fought a Villain and won.
If he said any of that, his mother would probably faint on the spot.
There was only one thing he could say.
"It's okay. Mom, I'll explain everything."
Strangely enough, Midoriya's voice didn't tremble at all, even with his mother calling his name so desperately.
He had memorized the script so thoroughly that the answers would come out on reflex if she asked anything.
He had practiced mechanically, recording himself over and over until his voice no longer shook.
Midoriya opened the door.
Click! Click!
The flashing burst of camera lights made him shut his eyes for a moment.
"You're Midoriya, right!? Is it true you took down a Villain just like Hawks said?"
"Hawks?"
Midoriya barely suppressed the chills that rose at the realization that Tenma had actually made contact with the Hawks from the script.
The reporters kept firing questions at him.
"How did you end up encountering the Villain?"
"According to our investigation, there was data on a 'Quirkless' individual. Was that strange cloth-like thing you used in the video not a Quirk?"
Midoriya was receiving attention and spotlight he would never have dared dream of under normal circumstances.
He hadn't expected the video to spread this quickly, but all the questions had clearly been prepared in advance.
Midoriya answered calmly, just as the script had told him to.
"Please wait. I'll answer each of you one at a time."
"Yes, I did defeat the Villain 'alone.'"
Camera shutters went into overdrive. The reporters, now almost frenzied, kept hurling questions at him.
"...Izuku...? You did that?"
His mother looked dazed. Even while breaking into a cold sweat, Midoriya forced a smile to reassure her.
On the way back from training, an escaped Villain had attacked him.
He had subdued the man with a capture weapon, a licensed support item and self-defense tool.
Then Hawks had appeared, they had talked, and after a brief investigation he had come home.
He hadn't told his parents because he didn't want them to worry.
That was what Midoriya said.
The more he spoke, the more the tension eased.
By the time he had answered most of the reporters' questions, one female reporter asked in a strangely trembling voice, "...I have a question. You said you wanted to be a Hero, right? Can a 'Quirkless' person really become a Hero?"
"Honestly, I wanted to be a Hero too.
But in today's society, I think it's nearly impossible for a Quirkless person to dream of becoming one."
For an instant, Midoriya's eyes trembled.
He steadied his voice and tried to say it properly.
He revised the line with the words Tenma had given him, mixing in the thoughts he had carried all this time.
This was the one thing he wanted to say.
"People are stronger than they think."
Midoriya clenched his fist, the one now covered in calluses and far harder than before.
"I don't think a Hero is someone who's simply strong.
I think a Hero is someone who can 'fight' in order to protect, in order to save."
"We can become Heroes."
Click!! Click!! Click!!
Blinding flashes burst across his vision.
The reporters buzzed with excitement.
Before Midoriya closed his eyes, he saw it.
The expression on the female reporter's face, eyes glistening with tears at his words.
Seeing that, he smiled and closed his eyes.
+++++
Monday, Orudera Middle School.
A massive crowd gathered around Midoriya.
It was no exaggeration to say he was the center of the school.
"Midoriya!! Is it true you took down a Villain?
Hawks said it was real, you're seriously amazing!"
"Honestly, I looked down on you a little because you were Quirkless. Sorry.
You were working really hard when nobody was watching, weren't you?"
"Can you give me an autograph? Or do you have time after school?"
"That line about 'We can become Heroes' really moved me... You didn't give up even though you're Quirkless, so I won't give up on becoming a Hero either!"
Midoriya blushed under the attention, looking embarrassed.
"N-no, haha. Um, well, that part is true, but..."
Even while searching for information on his laptop, he let out a small sigh.
He had spoken in front of everyone without a tremor in his voice.
He had even managed the variation about people being stronger than they think rather well.
Media and social media were already flooded with his story, and the news kept spotlighting him day after day.
He's already become a hot topic, and the good deeds are getting blown up.
But if he still has that kind of social awareness without the script, then I really need to rebuild that too.
Watching the same people who had treated him like he didn't exist just a few days ago act like this was a little funny.
Now that the guy they used to ignore was suddenly on the rise, they were talking about how he gave them strength, how he inspired them.
A moment later, Midoriya's face turned bright red, as if it might burst.
He excused himself to the other students and came over to me.
"U-um, Tenma-san, someone asked me out on a date. What am I s-supposed to do?"
Hopeless. He fought a Villain with his life on the line, and now he's worrying about dating some idiot who latched onto him because he's popular?
And he's asking me about it too.
"I'm not your friend or your guardian.
Handle the small stuff yourself."
"Just make sure it doesn't interfere with the plan."
Midoriya quickly drooped his shoulders and looked dejected.
"...Sorry."
Then the door slammed open with a bang, as if it might be ripped off its hinges.
"Hey!! Deku!! Why the hell is your face on the news!?"
"What kind of scam did you pull!? There's no way you did that!!"
Bakugo grabbed Midoriya by the collar again.
Spit flew across Midoriya's face.
Just as I was about to signal Rappa, Midoriya removed Bakugo's hand first.
"...Kacchan. I really did it. The Villain wasn't as strong as before, but I subdued him."
Bakugo only got louder, his fury boiling over.
"Don't lie to me!!! There's no way a Quirkless Deku could beat a Villain that even a Hero and I couldn't take down! That's absurd!"
Midoriya wasn't afraid.
Instead, he looked a little sad, almost wistful.
"Kacchan..."
The students who had been ignoring Midoriya just days ago started whispering.
"What did Midoriya even do wrong?
Bakugo really is weird if you look at him closely."
"He keeps acting like he's the main character and looking down on the rest of us too."
"Hawks said it, so there's no way it's a lie.
Midoriya said they were childhood friends, so instead of congratulating him..."
Bakugo seemed unable to ignore the murmurs. Veins bulged at his temples before he finally shouted, "Shut up!! You extras don't get to talk!
I'm talking to Deku!"
To handle things cleanly, I gave Rappa a glance.
Rappa clamped a hand onto Bakugo's shoulder hard enough to make the joints creak.
"If you've got a problem, don't say it with your mouth.
If you don't like it, earn the right to speak first."
Bakugo looked around.
His expression shifted from pure rage to something mixed with confusion.
That was understandable. His world had been turned upside down.
"Shit... shit!!"
Bakugo shook off Rappa's arm, kicked the door open with a bang, and stormed out.
Midoriya's eyes grew even more distant.
He's deep in it. He still hasn't gotten over this.
I clicked my tongue softly at Midoriya.
"I get that you miss your master, but you're going to have to practice your script a lot more from now on."
"You may end up getting a lot of interviews from here on out.
Fix that awful social awareness of yours too."
Midoriya gave a small, silent nod.
"Looks like motivation alone isn't enough for you.
Then I'll set a goal for you. Your next target is 'U.A. recommendation admission.'"
Midoriya's eyes went wide.
"I-is that even possible...? I mean, it's U.A...."
I frowned and pressed a hand to my forehead. He was a handful.
He was completely ignorant about politics and the weight of his own influence.
"Do you even know where you stand right now?"
"You're not just an ordinary middle school student anymore."
"You're a public figure and a symbol who, despite being Quirkless, took down a Villain and personally proved that 'I can do it too, I can fight too.'"
"A-a symbol?"
"Yes. No matter what your past was, no matter how badly your self-esteem was shattered, you can't keep acting like that idiot you used to be, Midoriya."
I glanced at the students, then spoke only to Midoriya.
"You saw the people who said they drew strength from you, didn't you?"
"If the one giving them strength keeps saying 'I can't do it, I can't, I'm trash,' do you really think that will have a good effect on them?"
Midoriya bit his lip and faced me.
"I understand. I'll try for recommendation admission.
But can I really do it without a Quirk...?"
I smiled faintly. It wasn't because I was happy.
I was smiling because it looked like this idiot was finally starting to see the world move in a way that wouldn't inconvenience me.
"Without a Quirk? You already have a 'Quirk' stronger than anyone else's."
Midoriya still muttered in doubt, "...But I'm Quirkless."
"That's your Quirk."
"The Quirk called 'challenging Heroes as a Quirkless person.'"
"Can U.A., which is supposed to set the standard for everyone, really reject a Quirkless student who carries the hopes and dreams of the marginalized on his back?"
Midoriya answered slowly.
"......They couldn't, could they."
At that answer, the corners of my mouth rose a little higher.
"Can you do it?"
"I... can. I can do it now."
"Took you long enough to realize it.
I don't say impossible things. Believe me, and you can become a Hero."
Midoriya's eyes kept trembling.
But he nodded firmly.
I patted his shoulder a few times.
"Good choice. You're not that Quirkless idiot Deku anymore.
You're Midoriya Izuku, the next symbol and the Hero of the Quirkless."
"You're doing well."
Midoriya shuddered. With his head lowered, he spoke as if holding back tears.
"...Thank you. I never thought I'd hear Tenma-san say that to me."
Was he that moved? Easy to handle is good.
Sometimes you have to give rewards if you want loyalty to rise.
"I'll have to start moving more seriously too.
Don't disappoint the others, or me."
After school, I called Hawks again from a back alley.
His voice over the phone sounded tired.
Not my problem. We weren't in the kind of relationship where we worried about each other.
[Tenma, how far are you planning to take this?
That green-haired kid looks awfully innocent.
You'll get what's coming to you if you keep this up.]
"The winged one will get hit before I do.
I'm getting straight to the point again today. Hand over the recommendation letter for the Number 3 Hero."
"Make sure it's for Midoriya this time, not me."
[This is mild compared to recently.
At least you're not asking me to hand over the Number 3 Hero spot entirely~?]
When Hawks started making pointless jokes, I hung up immediately.
The big picture for the fight against All For One was proceeding smoothly.
+++++
Midoriya walked home with his friends.
He didn't have the courage to ask Tenma to walk home with him.
And Tenma wasn't the kind of person who would do that anyway.
There were quite a few girls mixed in with the group.
For Midoriya, it was less like conversation and more like a difficult adjustment, but it wasn't bad.
His friends suddenly recoiled as if they'd seen a ghost.
Grab.
Someone seized Midoriya's shoulder hard enough to nearly tear it off.
It was Bakugo.
Unlike usual, his gaze had sunk into something chillingly cold.
His tone was bizarrely calm.
"Hey. Deku. Come with me to the rooftop."
Comments (0)
Please log in to leave a comment. Login or Register