When Taka Nobita finally stepped foot into UA, he vowed that by the end of high school, he would finally confess to Samantha. He worked as hard as always in both his regular academics and his hero studies, excelling at both and gaining attention from everyone in class… even girls.

But not Samantha Gardener. Despite her seat being right next to his, she never looked at him, barely even glanced. But at that point, it was normal for him, and he was plenty content to steal glances at her any moment he could, for any reason whatsoever.

But then something happened. Within a week of them starting school, he saw her sneak off somewhere. And, following her out of curiosity, he saw it. He saw her sitting with what he assumed was an upperclassman, eating lunch together. She was smiling. She looked excited some moments, and then nervous the next. And even from a distance, he could see her face turn a bright pink he had never seen before.

Ah, he thought, She's in love.

With someone else.

And something else in him snapped. He waited until after school to talk to her in private, maybe for the first time since they were kids, literally over ten years ago.

"I… The truth is that I… love you." He couldn't meet her eyes. "I know you already love someone else but… I'm sure… I'm certain that I've loved you much longer! So please… is there any way… you'd give me a chance too?"

He glanced up at her. She looked unmoved.

He started to ramble. "I've always loved you! Since we were kids! You saved me once! And ever since then I… I can't get you out of my head! I love you so much! The reason I want to be a hero… is you! I want to become a man you can respect! Someone you can be proud to call your b-boyfriend! I came to UA to get stronger! All for you! Can he say that? Are you sure he loves you as much as I do? If… If you choose me, I can promise you, I'll always—!"

"Stop," he heard her say, her voice tight. He looked up at her. She sighed, exasperated. "Just… Seriously, dude… Who are you?"

It had been over ten years since he'd heard those words… and they still hit like a truck. "…Hah?"

"Since we were kids, you always… Just what is your problem? Is that all you have to say? Y'know a real man wouldn't just sit there for years with his mouth shut. You wanna talk about my boyfriend? He's liked me for a few years too, y'know, and he had the guts to ask me out! All you do is stare at me with that creepy look… Fucking gross…"

Something in his brain shut down.

She turned to walk away. "Just stay the fuck away from me, Nobita."

Something in him broke.

"Wait!" And before he knew it, he was reaching out his fingers to grab her. Don't… Don't leave. His mind went blank.

She started to struggle, to curse at him. He started to ramble, something about how she shouldn't scream, how he didn't want to hurt her, how much he loved her. Then when she tried to sprout a poisonous plant from her fingers, he grabbed those thin, beautiful fingers and snapped them. Then covered her mouth before she could scream. He apologized. He really didn't want to hurt her, and his quirk was still a little hard to control. He took her to an even more secluded spot in a nearby shed. He kept telling her to stop screaming, but she wouldn't. His fingers stroked her hair and her skin, trying to calm her down. But she started to cry. And he couldn't stop himself from trying to kiss the tears away. He kept feeling her skin, her face, her legs, touching parts of her he'd only ever dreamed of, taking in her smell, moving her bothersome clothes out of the way.

And then he was inside of her. He couldn't help it. He loved her so much. Even the fear and disgust in her eyes. He relished it as he came inside of her.

With all his heart, he loved Samantha Gardener.

And he felt like a new man afterwards, like he had no regrets, like he could die peacefully now. He wondered if the moth he "saved" that day had felt such ecstasy as its last moments were consumed by flames.

Then a few months later, Samantha died.

His love had killed her.

Maybe he was never meant to be a hero. No matter how much he'd wanted to love and protect her, it wasn't meant to be. He'd always be the gross "Bug Boy" watching her from his gloomy corner, wishing his hero, any hero maybe, would notice him. Maybe no one ever would. Maybe that was his mistake, believing that a hero would come to save either of them. If so, then he didn't want to be a hero, not if heroes would only disappoint you in the end.

Ah… I guess I'm not a hero, then, he thought. And it became even more obvious when he realized a hero would never rape a woman in the first place. That sounded more like…

Ah… So I'm a villain, then.

And he played that role magnificently.

Rose can barely hold on to all the memories, feeling so many conflicting emotions, her head is spinning. "…Quickly," she holds out a small voice recorder. "His confession… without her, he has… no reason to fight back."

Midoriya takes the recorder, determined, and inches towards Nobita. Her hand is shaking as she holds it out behind him, but still she hits record. "Taka Nobita. You've been accused of rape, molestation, and attempted murder. If you confess now, we won't have to use force. Just give up. The authorities are on their way now."

He doesn't answer. Instead, he slowly turns around.

He looks lost. "You… I… I don't understand… Why? What… happened to me?" His eyes grow misty. "Didn't I… Didn't I want to be a hero?"

Midoriya almost doesn't recognize him.

"R-Rose! Why? Tell me!" He turns his body around to face the girls as his tears pour out. "Why did I do those things to you?"

Midoriya stays persistent. "Is that a confession? Do you admit to your crimes?"

He stares at the girl he had mercilessly beaten half to death just seconds ago. And for the life of him, he can't remember why. "Rose, you did something. What did you take? Something… important. Please! Why did I do those things?!"

"…Because you loved her more than any hero."

Midoriya turns a bit to her. "…Senpai?"

"I remember all of it, Taka… If you confess, I'll give them back."

"…Her? Who… I… I understand. I mean, I don't understand, but… in this situation…" He looks like the gears were turning in his head again, piecing things together. "I did some horrible things… and you're trying to stop me, right?"

"…Yes."

"You, Izuku Midoriya." He looks calm as he stares at her. "You were… really cool. Just now… and at the sports festival. I can't remember why, but I think I… was jealous." He looks tired, Midoriya notes, like he's tired of fighting. Maybe he's tired of all the hatred, of all the running away. "You're a hero trying to catch a villain, right?"

She nods slowly, her gaze firm.

"Heh…" He smiles sadly. "Then I guess that's what I am." He holds out his wrists and bows his head. "I confess to the crimes of rape, molestation, and attempted murder."

There it is. Finally. They're all ready to pass out from relief, but just to be sure, Midoriya stops the recording and plays it back. Every word is there. All of it.

Rose stares at Taka, at a shell of a man. Indeed, she understands now that this man without Samantha Gardener is no man at all. He'd quite possibly been created to love her. It was a love so pure at first, that Rose herself starts to feel embarrassed thinking that what she feels for Izuku Midoriya is "love". If what she has is love, what Taka had was a meaning to his existence. And as if she had been there herself, Rose feels overwhelming love for Samantha and debilitating despair over losing her. Rose finally understands why Taka had embraced the darkness. After destroying his light with his own hands, he'd even wondered if maybe he should've disappeared with her.

But it's too late for that. Rose remembers Samantha's cries as if she had done the crime herself, and the way Taka's love had twisted, mutated from something pure to something monstrous, threatening any ounce of sanity he'd had back then. Taka had never wanted any of this, and now he'll get his wish.

For a moment, she really laments saying goodbye to these memories. But she does. To the existence that was Samantha Gardener, and the memories of her that would always remain blindingly beautiful…

"We won," Rose whispers to her.

And carefully, delicately, she returns them to their owner.

The process is much slower, calmer… until he receives them all and realizes what he's done. He leaps back away from Rose, tears still streaming down his face. "Rose! You… You bitch!" She never thought she'd see him look so afraid of her. "You think this is funny? Huh?!" He holds out his hand. "You're still defenseless! I can just—!" He tries to extend his fingers to take the recorder.

But they don't change. They stay short. "Taka Nobita!" He whips his head around to see Aizawa standing a few yards behind him, using his quirk on the teen. "You're under arrest!" The pieces of cloth normally wrapped around his neck shoot out and wrap around Nobita, dragging him away from the girls. Nobita curses as Aizawa restrains him, and the police come to cuff him and take him into custody.

"You fakes!" he screams as he struggles. "Don't touch me! You call yourselves heroes?! You're the ones fucking lying!" But despite that, he can't stop crying. "Where were you, huh?! Where were you when I raped them all?! They all called out for a hero, and none of you showed up!" He begins to settle down, still trembling. "Where were you… when Samantha was crying? …Why? …When a villain attacks, a hero is supposed to be there!"

Nobita sobs, "…You're no hero… none of you… You couldn't save her…"

Present Mic stands in the shadows where Eraser Head and the police had been hiding. Clenching his fists, he's speechless for once in his life. Nobita was right. Mic hadn't been there that day. And because of his negligence, he failed as a hero and as a teacher. He'll never live that down, never forgive himself for it.

Izuku Midoriya stands up hazily. "…But we stopped you."

As she wobbles over to him, Nobita struggles to look up at her, tears still clouding his vision.

"Even if we couldn't save her, we stopped you… As heroes, we took responsibility for our failures… We're different from you." She remembers All Might. "We already know we can't save everyone. Don't think that you can be a hero with empty promises. We can't save everyone, and that hurts! Every time!" She remembers Rose Omoda, who also remembers several other victims on her behalf. "…But we'll never stop trying. Not giving up is part of what makes us heroes! So don't lump us in with you!"

Trying? What a load of bullshit… But if Nobita hadn't given up that day, if he'd still hoped Samantha would return his feelings someday, instead of giving up and attacking her… would she still be alive now? Even if there was no chance of her ever loving him, if he had just kept trying, could he still see her smile now? And if he had never lost her, would he have done all those horrible things to Rose and the others? …Would he have become a hero?

Well, it doesn't matter now. Nothing will bring her back. His spirit defeated, he relaxes into the ground. "…Samantha…"

Uraraka helps Rose as she stands up and walks quietly as ever to him. "…It's over, Taka." While she can no longer remember Samantha Gardener, she can still feel the traces of love left behind. "A hero came. You… finally got what you wanted."

Out of the corner of his eye, he stares at Rose. For two years, he'd tormented her, telling her she was nothing, that she was weak and couldn't save anyone no matter how many memories she took… But there she is, still standing, victorious over him with a gleam in her eyes he's never seen before. She looks like a hero.

He wonders if this is what Samantha would've wanted… If so, then he could finally… "Rose…" he breathes…

Thank you.