Second day of the camp
6:30 AM
The morning sun shone directly on her face, waking her up.
Ritsuka breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't had any dreams last night, because she was tired and her sleep was deep. Maybe she just didn't remember.
If she was having nightmares every time she slept, the girls of Class A in her room would be worried.
Ritsuka was the only one in the room, and peeking down from the window, she could see that they were doing some kind of training.
It was awkward to be the only one sleeping in while everyone else woke up early, but it couldn't be helped since Ritsuka's activities and time zone were different from those of Class A.
.
.
.
I changed into my jersey and went down to the cafeteria to have breakfast.
I went straight outside and headed for the place where I had done the quirk test yesterday.
There, Aizawa was waiting for me.
"Good morning, Aizawa-sensei."
"You're here. Are you feeling all right?
"Yes, I'm fine."
"Okay, well, let's get started.
Today we'll start with ..."
You're going to have a fight with me, Aizawa told me.
"...e?"
"With that said, Come and crush me with all your might. I don't care what you have to do."
"No, no, no! Wait, wait, wait!"
I'm pretty sure your quirk is "erase", right? If I can't use my quirk, I can't do anything at all!"
"It's the same for the others."
Except for the mutant types like asui and ojiro, He adds.
"It's the quickest way for me to understand your quirk that way. Let's get started."
"I can't do it! there's no way I can compete with a professional hero like you...!"
Aizawa's movements suddenly stopped as he was about to start forcibly fighting when he sees Fujimaru took a stance of refusal.
"Well, I guess it's a little tough going up against a pro hero for the first time."
So you understand. Ritsuka was relieved.
.
Then.
.
"Well then, I guess you'll have to deal with the guys from Class A."
"What?"
The binding cloth wrapped around Ritsuka's arm and began to take her to the place where the members of Class A would be training to strengthen their quirks.
Ritsuka let out an involuntary high-pitched scream.
"No, no, no, no, no!
That's Impossible! I can't do it!"
"You're being selfish. It's okay since they're not a professional."
"I take back what I said!
I'll fight you. No, please let me do it."
Aizawa doesn't listen to her.
Ritsuka's resistance was futile and she was dragged helplessly away.
For a moment, She thought about using her quirk to resist, but that would be futile against Aizawa. It's not as if Ritsuka wasn't thinking about it.
＊ ＊ ＊
Running in the opposite direction
Clinging to a tree
Lying down on the ground
Ritsuka resisted until the very end, but when she reached a position where Class A could see her, she stood up and started walking as if nothing had happened.
I'm not sure if it's because she's trying to act like she doesn't want to hang out with Class A, or if it's because Ritsuka, who had been on a rampage just a few minutes ago, is trying to act tough with Class A.
It was quite amusing to Aizawa to see Ritsuka's clear attitude as if to say, "I've been walking on my own, you know?"
Speaking of Class A, the sudden arrival of Aizawa and Ritsuka, who was covered in dirt and somehow had her arms tied up in Aizawa's binding cloth, was a sight to behold.
(I wonder how hard they had trained...)
Aizawa unwrapped the binding cloth and looked around at Class A.
He knew that Ritsuka would be quiet if he put her in front of Class A, so she would not run away.
"Let's see... Kirishima! Come here for a minute."
"Eh?, me?"
The one who is called was the red-haired boy who had also called out to Fujimaru on the bus.
"Yeah, you're gonna fight Fujimaru for a bit now."
What!? It was not only Kirishima who shouted out, but also Class A.
Everyone had a frown on their face except for Todoroki and Aizawa, who put a normal face, and Fujimaru who put on a nice face (but inside she looked annoyed...!).
"It's a good way to understand Fujimaru's quirk and to strengthen Kirishima's quirk. It's reasonable.
If one of them is incapacitated, it's over."
Aizawa's words made Ritsuka look bitter and Kirishima look confused.
In particular, Kirishima's quirk is "hardened". In order to restrain the opponent, He has to touch the opponent closely. He must be a little uncomfortable with a girl.
Aizawa looked at the two of them and further said.
"In case of danger, I'll use my quirk.
So don't worry...
Well You guys aren't as soft as you think each other are.
So give it your all."
If you don't want to, I'll change partners...
Is there anyone who wants to? Aizawa looked back at class A.
Before Bakugou could say anything, Kirishima interrupted him.
"No, I'll do it!
I'm sorry Fujimaru! I'll show no mercy!"
He said as he clenched both palms together with a thud.
It was a sign that Kirishima was motivated.
Before they knew it, a large circle had formed around the two of them.
Ritsuka, despite her success at the sports festival, had an unknown quirk. Everyone's attention was focused on the upcoming match.
It was a torturous situation for Ritsuka, who wanted to avoid standing out as much as possible.
It all started when she got a little too carried away at the sports festival.
(In addition to that... Kirishima-kun was it? I don't know anything about your quirk.)
I guess I was cursed by the fact that I had only observed the people who could possibly fight me at the sports festival.
She have no idea what the quirk of Kirishima who is standing in front of her is.
(It doesn't seem like he's a mutant type... and considering the fact that Sensei went to the trouble of pairing him up with me, I'd say he's a physical enhancement type. If so...)
I muttered to myself so that no one around me could hear.
'Heroic Spirit Possession (Grand Order): Ruler『Swimsuit Martha』'
『Well it couldn't be helped...
I don't fell like it, but allright
I'll lend you my power.』
"You're not in the mood... really?"
Ritsuka resisted the urge to raise the corners of her mouth at the nostalgic voice despite the situation.
『Yes... It's been a while since I had a fight... so it might be a little hard to adjust my power.』
Martha's voice was calm, but a little more pleasant.
"Well then..., let's begin."
Aizawa gave the signal to begin.
There was silence in the air, and neither of them moved.
But at the next moment
Haa!
As soon as Ritsuka exhaled, she put out her right leg and closed the distance between her and Kirishima as she struck the defenseless Kirishima with a straight jab with her right hand.
"Guah...!"
It was a heavy blow, and Kirishima bit his lip.
He almost fell backwards, but managed to hold his ground.
However, Kirishima wasn't the only one who was damaged.
"Uah!? That hurts...!"
At the same time as Ritsuka stepped in, the body of Kirishima, who had been hardened, became sharp like a blade.
Then a loud "thud!" was heard, A sound that is not common to hear.
And then, there is deep cut on Ritsuka's fist because she punched him with all her might.
You can't do a bare-knuckle fight with a stegosaurus. It will damage us too.
That's when Ritsuka decided.
The only way to do this is to deactivate the quirk and then re-possess it.
In between those thoughts.
"Oraaah!"
Kirishima lunged at her.
Kirishima who had been keeping his distance rushes in not wanting to give her a chance.
Ritsuka doesn't have a choice but to dodge kirishima's blow, and grab his hand as it was and knocked him to the ground with full force.
『How pathetic... I'm sorry』
"That's not true, I'm the one who should apologize for giving you a bad match up."
Thank you, said Ritsuka, and deactivated her quirk.
And before Kirishima could get up, she activated her quirk again.
"Heroic Spirit Possession (Grand Order): Rider 『Medusa』!"
『…leave it to me』
After confirming the activation of her quirk, she hurriedly jumped away from Kirishima.
The overwhelming leaping power made the students of the hero department who were watching scream.
Kirishima got up and went straight for Ritsuka from a low position.
Ritsuka used Medusa's physical strength to push her legs out even lower than Kirishima's and landed on his stomach.
But the power was a little less than Martha's, which leaves her open.
In spite of the damage, Kirishima grabbed Ritsuka's legs with his body and did not let go.
Ritsuka was about to lose her balance.
But then, by sheer force (or rather, almost by desperation), she put her weight on the leg that had been grabbed and brought his body to Ritsuka's side.
She swung her left leg wide and tried to kick Kirishima's head off.
In the middle of the attack, Kirishima let go of her leg and he fell to the ground, but without pause, Ritsuka made a gesture of grabbing the air.
The next moment Ritsuka had a dagger in her hand that looked like a stake with a chain attached, and she twisted it around Kirishima's arm.
"Wha-? I won't let you!"
Although startled by the sudden appearance of the weapon, Kirishima immediately struck the chain.
The sound of the chain being scraped, if not shattered, entered Ritsuka's ears.
(so his hardness can even cut iron...)
Ritsuka was surprised at the powerful hardness of his quirk.
She regripped the daggers in both hands and attacked from a certain distance, looking for a decisive opening on Kirishima.
"...Amazing."
I don't know who said it.
But they expressed the feelings of everyone present.
"I feel like I'm watching a fighting game!"
Sero said excitedly.
It's a strange thing to say.
Neither of them could land a decisive blow on the other. Kirishima's ability to react to Ritsuka's swift movements is quite impressive.
With no resolution in sight, Ritsuka's movements suddenly stopped.
Doubtingly, Kirishima said, "Now is my chance!" and rushed forward.
.
But
.
they noticed that it was Kirishima who hadn't moved.
"...g-uh?"
It was as if he was trapped in something and would not move.
Instead, Ritsuka begins to move.
She swings her dagger and pulls the chain around Kirishima's leg.
Kirishima loses his balance and falls backwards.
At the same time, Ritsuka pinned Kirishima to the ground as if she were trying to bring him down.
Completely sealing off his right leg and torso, she grabs his collar with her left hand and thrusts the dagger at his neck with her right.
"Wait... give-give!"
Kirishima, who seems to have regained some of his physical freedom, slammed his left hand into the ground. His right hand was sewn to the ground by Ritsuka's knee.
Even though Kirishima's hardened skin was biting into Ritsuka's skin and causing her to bleed.
Ritsuka still refused to let go of Kirishima with any force.
A trickle of Ritsuka's blood fell to the ground.
"Stop!"
Aizawa used his quirk with his words to erase the quirks of Kirishima and Ritsuka.
At the same time, the chains that bound Kirishima disappeared, and Ritsuka fell on top of Kirishima.
The place was in an uproar.
＊ ＊ ＊
4:18 PM
Ritsuka wakes up.
When she looked around, she saw that she was not in the girls' room, but in the office where she had talked to Mandalay and the others yesterday, and Ritsuka was lying on the sofa that Kota had also used when he fainted.
She felt a dull pain and looked at her arm to find a bandage wrapped around it.
(...how long have I fall asleep?)
It seems that I was overly enthusiastic about the hand-to-hand combat with Kirishima.
I can barely remember the second half of the fight, and every part of my body is throbbing with pain.
(I fainted... The continuous use of my quirk and Medusa's mystic eye... It must have been the violent movement after that that did it.)
In the previous battle with Stain, I had not been able to move well due to my lack of experience in actual combat, so this time I tried to surrender myself to Medusa till the last minute. That was probably the time I fainted.
After all, the standards are different between a heroic spirit and a human body.
I carefully analyzed the situation in my mind.
(... hmm? Use of the mystic eye? Who?)
.
Then
.
Ritsuka's memories gradually became clearer and clearer, and what she saw was
.
.
.
The one who used Medusa's mystic eye on her classmate
The person who had gotten on her classmate's back
Ignoring her opponent's surrender, she kept tightening her hands, feet, and body.
Herself holding a dagger to her classmate's neck
.
.
.
"U-,Gyaaaaaaa!"
She raised her upper body and let out a not-so-cute scream.
My body slips and I fall off the couch.
I want to disappear. Right now. From here.
"Ah! You're awake. Oh, good."
"Uwoooaaaah!?"
I screamed for the second time, not expecting anyone to be there.
"Yeah, you look fine."
The person there was Mandalay.
She was relieved that it wasn't someone from Class A, but Ritsuka's mind was in a state of panic.
"Whoa, I..."
"Don't you remember?
You collapsed after that, but it seemed like you were just sleeping and nothing else, so we patched you up and let you sleep here."
"I'm sorry, I really am."
"This is nothing. Are you okay? Are you feeling sick?"
"I'm fine. Um... Kirishima-kun is ..."
"Oh, he was totally fine.
He didn't have any injuries just bruises, which is normal in hero training."
Even so.
She was filled with guilt.
Ritsuka got out of bed.
"You can still go back to sleep if it's too much for you."
"No, I'm fine."
"Is that so? well allright you can go.
I'm sure everyone's getting ready for dinner."
I put on a thin jacket over my T-shirt and went outside.
Because of the use of Medusa's mystic eye, my eyeballs are experiencing a dull ache and my vision is a bit dizzy.
＊ ＊ ＊
At the cooking area outside, Class A, who had just changed from their jerseys to civilian clothes, was about to start cooking dinner.
"Fujimaru-san!"
Everyone turned at the sound of Uraraka's voice.
"She's awake! I'm so glad."
"We were worried about you."
"Isn't it still hurt?"
I'm fine, thank you, Ritsuka repeated.
She feel more and more sorry by the kindness of everyone who smiled reassuringly at Ritsuka's curt reply.
Ritsuka approached Kirishima.
"I'm sorry, Kirishima-kun.
... Is your body hurt?"
Not at all! said Kirishima.
Which gives Ritsuka a complicated feeling.
"I was the one who hurt you right?
my quirk makes it easy for me to hurt others.
So, I'm sorry" Kirishima said apologetically.
It is true that Ritsuka's body is covered with countless cuts caused by Kirishima's quirk.
But it is Ritsuka who should apologize.
Ritsuka's quirk must have been weakened by the exhausting and sudden change of quirks the day before, and this must have prevented her from using Medusa's mystic eye to its full potential.
She shudder to think what would have happened if she had been in perfect condition.
Well, If that happens, Ritsuka's sure that she won't get off scot-free either.
"Okay! That's enough apology!"
"Let's make curry soon.
I'm starving!"
"Fujimaru-san! Fujimaru-san, can you help me with this curry?"
The A-group thought that they were finally getting to know each other.
However, after apologizing to Kirishima, Ritsuka returned to her inorganic expression.
It was as if she had no intention of getting along with them.
That was a little sad for everyone in Class A.
＊ ＊ ＊
As long as you're all in the hero department, I will always draw a clear line with everyone.
As much as possible, I don't want to interact with them any more than necessary.
It doesn't matter if these kind people are feeling lonely because of my cold attitude.
To others, it would be completely meaningless, trivial, and annoying.
But this was my way of making a decision.
If I didn't, I wouldn't be able to help but feel guilty about interacting with them.
"Itadakimasu!
"If it was served at a restaurant or something, it might not be so good., but it's delicious in this situation!"
"Hey come on don't say that you're being rude!"
"Yaomomo is so talented!"
"Yeah. My quirk is created by converting fat into various atoms, so the more I store, the more I can produce."
"It's like feces."
Sero apologise for your ill-considered comment! said Jiro Kyoka as she beat him up.
Ritsuka ate her curry in silence with the commotion in the background.
The curry made by the group with Ritsuka in it would be exceptional compared to the others. Ritsuka was confident of this.
.
It's because I was trained by some red archer once upon a time.
(Come to think of it, my first curry was in space.)
It's funny to think that I'm thinking such ridiculous things.
It reminded me of a story from a faraway universe.
I finish eating as soon as possible and clean up the dishes. I put the curry on a new plate again.
Before eating the curry, I saw something that caught my attention.
＊ ＊ ＊
Ritsuka was walking in the direction she had seen Kota heading earlier.
"I'm sure he was in this direction...," she said, but there were no people in the direction of which Ritsuka was going, and she was a little at a loss as to whether she had seen the wrong thing.
"A..."
When she looked up at the voice, she saw Izuku walking towards her from the front.
He stopped when he saw the curry that Ritsuka held in her hand.
"Is that for Kota?"
"... Yeah."
"Well, I just give him one a while ago..."
.
.
.
.
.
Ritsuka then replied to Izuku's words, "Okay," and made a U-turn. She thought about taking this curry to Aizawa.
"Was Fujimaru-san planning to bring it to him? If so, I'm sorry...!"
Izuku hurriedly chased after her from behind.
Ritsuka replies without looking back.
"No, I was just trying to eat this on my own."
"I see... Oh, by the way, Fujimaru-san, are you feeling okay already?"
Izuku called out to her from behind in a worried voice.
Ritsuka neither denied nor affirmed.
＊ ＊ ＊
The girl in front of me, Ritsuka, walked briskly.
Her demeanor was different from when I met her in Hosu City, and at first I wondered if I had done something to her, but when I saw that she had the same attitude toward the whole class, I knew that this was not the case.
(Although, we didn't talk that much in Hosu either...)
The only thing I remember about Ritsuka at that time was how apologetic she was, saying that she had been of no help to me.
We never talked after we left her at the hospital. I only saw her in school and confirmed that she was fine.
In any case, I don't think she was this cold-hearted.
.
Ritsuka's quirk is interesting to deku.
However, he would not talk to her about it the way she was now. He wondered if he would be disliked if he was too persistent.
A moment of silence followed.
.
Deku suddenly remembered the exchange they just had.
"Oh, by the way, Kota-kun..."
I felt Ritsuka's shoulders move with a twitch.
"He seems to hate not only heroes, but also superhuman society itself.
After hearing what he said yesterday, I guess it's understandable that he would think that way, but...
In the end, I couldn't say anything...
... but what about you, Fujimaru-san? What would you say."
Ritsuka did not respond.
A long period of silence followed.
Deku wondered if he had chosen the wrong topic again.
.
Then
.
"...If I were Kota, I'd probably say ... what is a complete stranger saying to me."
"Uh..."
Ritsuka said, choosing her words one by one.
"yeah he would definitely..." Ritsuka opened her mouth again before Deku could continue,
"But I understand what Midoriya-kun is trying to say.
The important thing is not what to say, but how to say it..."
I'm sorry, but I'm not confident enough to speak about that.
Ritsuka added, she then lowered her eyes.
.
.
.
"Midoriya-kun, you're amazing...
Do your best to become a hero."
I can't do it anymore.
Ritsuka muttered, her voice too small to reach Izuku's ears.
"No way...I can't even use my quirk properly yet, and Fujimaru-san is stronger than me."
Ritsuka's face clouded at Deku's words.
"I'm not strong at all. I'm just relying on my quirk."
Isn't that your own power?
Deku thought of that immediately, but the next thing that came to mind was himself.
I still haven't made it my own yet.
One for all.
Ritsuka frowned a little, as if she had said something unnecessary.
"Midoriya-kun, you'll probably have an early morning tomorrow, so I think you should take it easy and get some rest.
...Good night."
Ritsuka then turned to leave quickly.
Before he could think, Deku's mouth moved.
There was no deep meaning to the question, and he didn't know why he had asked it.
It was just that Ritsuka seemed to be holding something in. He wanted to talk to her.
"What do you want to be, Fujimaru-san?"
Ritsuka stopped in her tracks. She looked back at Izuku.
The backlighting of the moon obscured her face, and she was a little taken aback by his reply, as she had not expected it at all.
.
.
.
"I want to be able to live on my own... I guess."
Deku wonders if it was just his imagination.
Ritsuka's voice seemed to be in pain for some reason.
It was very difficult to hear what she was saying, so it took a while for him to understand what she was saying. Seeing this, Ritsuka's face twisted as if she had just said something unnecessary. This time Ritsuka left before Deku could say anything back.
"I'm aching... I'm aching. ...
Come on, let's go..."
"It's too early to go. Besides, didn't you say we didn't have to do anything flashy?"
"Oh, now you're starting to boss me around."
Looking out over the forest from the cliff were four shadows.
"This time it is only a wake-up call.
Where the heroes coated with falsehood fall to the ground
For that glorious future."
Translator's note:
From now on this textbox『』will be used when servants are talking inside Fujimaru's head. I don't know why it took me this long to use this『』textbox considering the original one also use this『』textbox. I might update the earlier chapters to use this『』textbox when I have some free time in the future.
.
.
.
.
.
Oh and sorry for the slow update I've been busy since yesterday taking care of some real life stuff. don't expect a new chapter to come out soon. I will be busy for 4-7 days.