Original author note
This time, we're going round and round the same scene from different perspectives. In other words, there is no progress in the story.
I'm sorry for the bad writing as usual.
Addendum
I really like Bakugo, even though what he says and does is a bit of a joke.
I'm not trying to reduce his scene, so please don't be mad...!
I'm sorry if you are not a fan of Bakugo.
A room in a building.
In a room decorated like a cheap bar, there were several men and women.
A boy and a man were facing each other over the counter, both looking defensive.
The man's fingers, with the exception of his middle finger, were gripping the neck of the girl who seemed to be unconscious.
"I knew it, you don't know. Well in that situation it can't be helped..."
That girl... while holding Ritsuka Fujimaru's neck, Shigaraki said.
"Otto, you want to move? Let me show you what my quirk is..."
With his free hand, he grabbed a cup on the counter.
A moment later, the cup which is made of glass, instantly disappeared into dust.
It represented what would happened if every fingers of his hand around Ritsuka's neck are closed.
"Beside Todoroki Shoto failing to save you, she rescued Tokoyami-kun in exchange for herself.
That's U.A! Even the normal students think they're heroes, don't they?
... But what's the point of helping others if you get caught yourself?"
Shigaraki laughs as he looks at Bakugo.
Bakugo doesn't answer. He just stares at Ritsuka.
Then Shigaraki continued talking after seeing Bakugo refused to say anything.
"...Oh, of course I know this girl. Because She is using an interesting quirk at the sports festival.
To be honest, I didn't expect her to be at the camp..., but she's not a bad replacement for Tokoyami-kun.
Even teacher is also interested in this girl's quirk."
Shigaraki said, looking at the TV with an unclear image.
Bakugo opened his mouth after hearing the word from Shigaraki.
"'Teacher'...? You mean you're not the boss...?! what a joke."
"I've never met anyone as bullheaded as you before... I'm actually impressed."
Shigaraki's hand which grabbed around Ritsuka's neck tightened.
Seeing this, Bakugo's face tenses up slightly.
"... Bastard, didn't you say that, we're equal? You've been trying to threaten me from the beginning..."
"It's painful for me too... But I don't have much time to spare either, so I'll use what I can."
"Oi, oi, this situation is the exact opposite of what you just said...
『It's painful for me too 』?
『We're not just a group of hoodlums』?
You're just a mob! What a league full of loaded bullshit!"
Bakugo shouts in anger.
Shigaraki listens in silence to this.
After a while, he muttered quietly.
"..., well, since our objective is just you.
and not this girl..."
The air froze at his words, and Bakugo's body can't move.
"─────Hey."
He tried to tell him to stop, but his mouth wouldn't work.
The middle finger, which had been separated from the rest of the fingers, moved.
Bakugo opened his mouth.
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*Knock
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*Knock
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...
"Hello~! Pizza delivery~!"
A moment, it was as if time had stopped.
And in the next moment, with just one fist, the wall of the room was suddenly punched down.
Some of the villains who were on the wall were caught up in it.
Before any of the villains can understand what has happened, they are already being restrained by a Hero... Kamui Woods."
"───Kurogiri, Gate..."
At the same time, Ritsuka grabbed Shigaraki's hand that was open and swung both feet forward as hard as she could.
This is a dream.
I am walking alone down a long, dark corridor.
In the daytime, the corridor is so lively, but now, in the middle of the night, it's so dark that I can't even see one step ahead.
No, it wasn't just the darkness that made me unable to see. Even my feet looked blurry because my eyes were blurry.
I couldn't breathe properly, and my back is sweating buckets.
My head and body are overwhelmed by a mess of emotions, and I feel like I'm about to fall to my knees unless I put one hand on the wall.
I just kept moving my feet forward unsteadily with an irresistible urge.
It's not like I have a destination in mind.
But I couldn't stand the thought of sitting in bed.
I felt like I couldn't control my emotions if I didn't do something at least a little.
.
(Heroic Spirits)
.
They do not need to sleep, but are they still here in spirit form? Could they be looking at me?
The thought that suddenly crossed my mind was instantly swallowed by the wave of emotions that came over me and disappeared.
I proceeded down the corridor of Chaldea with sluggish steps, as if fleeing from something.
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I hear what sounds like an explosion somewhere.
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Then, what her whole body felt was the feel of hard wooden flooring.
As if she had been having a nightmare, Ritsuka woke up with a shock. Her heart is beating fast, the memories just became a remnant of a vague dream.
She wanted to praise herself for not jumping out of bed.
If you wake up in a situation where you don't know what's going on, don't try to get up right away, but make sure your body is safe first.
I ruminated on what I had been taught in the past.
(I'm not restrained. My hands are fine, my legs...work. ... good)
The scar on my burned leg still hurt, but not unbearably so. The discomfort I felt before I passed out seemed to have subsided to some extent after sleeping for a while.
I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that I was safe for the time being.
I opened my eyes and realized that I was lying in a small space.
I felt a wall against my back, and in front of me was a space that looked like the inside of a desk.
(Inside a counter? I guess...)
I moved my head slightly to look around.
I noticed that there were two villains on my feet. My heart almost stopped for a moment, but the villains were not aware of me.
(The black warp guy... and the dangerous kid wielding a knife...)
Before she could fully comprehend the situation, a familiar voice came into Ritsuka's ears.
"I stayed quiet listening to you blabbering on and on...! Idiots don't know how to summarize things so they go on forever!
Basically 『we want to make people hate us, so join us please!』right?!"
(Bakugo-kun, in the end I couldn't help...!)
Then, Shigaraki...! I can hear the voice of a concerned man.
I knew it, this must be the villain's base. I am curious about what was happening over the counter, but I couldn't move carelessly.
"It's pointless."
Bakugo's powerful words continued.
"I've been won over by the way All Might looks when he wins.
You all can say what you want, but... nothing can change my mind about that."
(... how cool)
Forgetting the current situation, I let out a breath of admiration.
I'm sure he's not just violent, he has more personality than that. I am reminded that there were heroes like him in Chaldea.
Ritsuka whispered quietly in a voice so quiet that only she could hear it.
"Heroic Spirit Possession (Grand Order) Saber『Artoria Pendragon』"
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『Long time no see, Master.
What's going on...?』
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From the tone of her voice, I can imagine Artoria's frowning face when she noticed Ritsuka's wound.
She is the first of the Sabers, the oldest of the Chaldeans and the one who restored the human order together with her.
In the midst of my anxiety because I couldn't really grasp the situation, hearing the firm voice of Artoria naturally made me calm down.
Over the counter, Bakugo is still talking about something.
(I activated my quirk, Just in case. I hope I could make an opening so we can escape...)
As I said that, I tried to explore my surroundings again carefully so that I wouldn't get caught.
『... ────The "worst" that could happen is that the students helplessly became murder victims.』
I suddenly heard a voice that made me jump.
Is there a TV on?
Ritsuka listens intently.
『The majority of injuries were caused by gas attack. We have ascertained that the gas had hypnotic properties and was the product of one of the villain's quirks.
Thanks to the quick response of Kendo-san and Tetsutetsu-kun, all of the students are alive, and we are also providing mental care for the students, but so far there are no signs of serious psychological trauma. 』
『A "silver lining" so to speak? 』
『We believe that for the future, "the worst possible outcome" is if we were attacked again』
(It's Aizawa-sensei and the principal...)
From the sounds of it, it sounds like a press conference.
I hear questions from the same reporter.
『Could you also say the same for the kidnapped students?
...-Bakugo-kun. Winner of Sports Festival, and in the Sludge Incident, he single-handedly resisted a powerful villain. His background shows that he is a tough hero, but on the other hand, his mental instability can be seen in the roughness he showed in the finals and his attitude leading up to the award ceremony.
What if his abduction was intended to exploit that behaviour?
What if deceptive words taint him, leading him astray, to his kidnapper's path of evil?
Please tell us on what basis you can say that he has a future.』
The reporter's tone is aggressive.
Although she couldn't see it on the screen, Ritsuka was prepared to hear Aizawa's angry voice at any moment.
But
『What transpired was the result of my own short-comings.
However... what happened at the sports festival, that points to the strength of his ideals. There is no one else more in pursuit of becoming the "top hero". If the villains perceive that as a weakness to exploit, then I would say that they are being foolish.』
Contrary to Ritsuka's expectations, she hears Aizawa's calm voice.
It seems that Bakugo is saying something after hearing Aizawa's words. But Ritsuka's attention was still on the press conference.
The reporter's voice changed.
『Then how are you going to explain about Fujimaru-san, who was also kidnapped? I heard that she is an exceptional participant from the regular course.
How is U.A going to take responsibility if she is left with psychological trauma from being involved in something like this?
Also, as a regular student, is there any guarantee that she won't fall to the side of the villains?』
...It's true that I didn't really want to go to the camp at first. But in the end, it was my own decision to participate.
I wasn't "involved" in any way.
I bit down on my teeth at the reporter's words.
At that time, I was so absorbed by the thoughts of using quirk that I didn't even think about what would happen later. And now I'm causing trouble for the people around me. I felt helplessly frustrated at my inadequacy.
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.
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Because back then...there is no such thing as "later."
You always have to make a decision in a split second. If you made a mistake, the only thing that would be left behind would be death.
I am not responsible for my own life.
I am just trying to take responsibility for Bakugo's survival.
The words lined up in Ritsuka's head as if they were excuses.
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Aizawa's voice reached Ritsuka's ears.
『It is true that she is a normal student and does not aspire to be a hero.
I'm sure she doesn't have the "ideal strength" like Bakugo-kun.
However, she has the same strength and sense of justice as the heroes. That's enough to say that there is no chance of her falling on the side of the villains.』
『There is no basis for your answer isn't it? Furthermore, Now that they've got their target, Bakugou-kun, there's a chance that the villain may harm her if they have no use for Fujimaru-san, right? This isn't a matter of psychological but physical trauma, do you have a plan to prevent that?』
Principal Nezu replied.
『──── We are not sitting idly by. We are currently working with the police to investigate.
We will get our students back. 』
The press conference ended there.
Ritsuka listened to it without moving.
Her mind was filled with thoughts, so she did not notice.
The unnatural noise around her.
The sound of approaching footsteps.
"'I don't like this way of scouting, but... it can't be helped.'
The voice sounded very close to Ritsuka.
It was too sudden for Ritsuka, so she immediately suppressed her attempt to move.
It is the voice of the man who had been called Shigaraki.
Ritsuka meditated and pretended that she is still unconscious.
Then the hand of the man who seemed to be Shigaraki grabbed Ritsuka's neck.
Her throat is squeezed, and she felt like she is going to vomit.
『Master...』
(Wait, not yet, I am okay, I am still okay so...)
Ritsuka desperately tried calm down Artoria, whose voice is filled with anger.
Ritsuka's neck and arms were grabbed and she is dragged to the outside of the counter and made to sit leaning on a chair.
Shigaraki's hand is still entwined around her neck.
"'I don't have much time, but I'll ask you again: ...
Won't you become one of my comrades?"
(This guy...!)
Ritsuka is convinced that given Bakugo's personality, there is no way he would be persuaded by the villains.
But that was only until just now.
With Ritsuka as his hostage, she felt she could see how shocked Bakugo was even though she is still meditating.
I shouldn't do anything to break his conviction because of my presence.
『Master, don't swallow your saliva.
They'll know you're awake.』
I nodded in my mind at Artoria's words.
"I knew it, you don't know. Well in that situation it can't be helped...
Otto, you want to move? Let me show you what my quirk is..."
Knowing the danger, I gently opened my eyes.
I can see Shigaraki's other hand grabbing a cup and turning it into dust.
I am horrified.
From the feel of it, there are four fingers gripping my neck, and when all of them touch, I will suffer the same fate as the cup.
My heart starts to beat loudly.
and my body is trembling with fear, as if I am being held at gunpoint.
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(Calm down... calm down.)
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I couldn't take a deep breath, so I had to use my guts to stop my body from shaking. It's not the first time I've been in this situation.
In fact, now that they don't know I am awake, we still have a chance.
(Don't worry... there's not that much strength in Shigaraki's hand. It's more like he's just putting his hands on me...! they treat me as a hostage, for blackmail, they won't kill me immediately... maybe)
『Master, the enemies focus is on that boy. Now we can...』
Encouraged by Artoria's words, I opened my eyes again fearfully.
As Artoria had said, there is no villain looking at Ritsuka.
I quickly moved my eyes to look around.
Bakugo and Shigaraki were facing each other, and all the other villains were behind Shigaraki.
Ritsuka also had her back to the villains, so unless she turned around, they would not know that she had her eyes open.
I moved my gaze and looked at Bakugo.
It was as if our eyes met with a snap.
Bakugo's eyes widened slightly, but he did not react in a way that would attract the villain's attention.
Shigaraki is talking and doesn't seem to notice this.
Ritsuka decided to take a gamble.
What should I do?
These words filled Bakugo's head.
In front of him is a villain. To his left is a classmate whose name he can't even remember.
The plan he had just made to knock a few people and escape was falling apart.
The villain is forcing him to make a choice, and the lives of his classmates is in his hands.
But there is no way in hell he is going to do what the villain wanted.
Therefore, he could do nothing.
I have no intention of accepting the villains. But if I refuse, my classmate's life will be lost.
I guess this is what it means to be stuck in a pickle.
My eyes were glued to the hand around the neck of a girl whose name I don't know, the middle finger that just barely touched.
(For the villains 'I'm an important person who can be of use'. They won't kill me)
But what about this girl in front of me?
Who's going to guarantee the life of this girl who just happened to be kidnapped with me?
She's about to be killed right in front of me, isn't she?
Then, to Bakugo's surprise, something happened.
The hostage in front of him, who was supposed to be unconscious, gently opened her eyes.
Her bright blue eyes were cautiously watching her surroundings.
Finally, she made eye contact with him.
he kept his composure, trying not to let the villain know how surprised he was. she didn't show it on her face either.
But I could see that her eyes were shaking with fear.
As we looked at each other in silence, her eyes snapped up and her mouth made a small movement as if she had made up her mind.
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T i m e.
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Earn it.
That's what she is trying to tell him, though she wasn't sure. It is a risky gamble, and if she is not careful, she might have been caught because of the movement of her jaw.
But Shigaraki is talking and didn't seem to notice.
(Buy me some time, huh?
... Are you telling me to do that, you bitch!)
At the same time, Bakugo responds to the word "teacher" from Shigaraki.
Upon hearing Bakugo's reply, Shigaraki put some pressure on his left hand. The hostage's face is slightly distorted by the pain.
Seeing this, Bakugo became angry for the girl in front of him as well.
He hadn't liked her from the beginning.
At the sports festival, Although she is already overwhelmed by Todoroki, she gave up on her own without any hesitation. For me, who is aiming for a perfect first place, anyone who doesn't go all out is annoying, even if they are not my opponent.
And then, even if you don't know anything about it, You keep saying Ka-chan Ka-chan as if you are tap dancing on a minefield. I hate that name.
Even now, What do you want me to do? with your life on my hands, I don't know what I could tell them.
(Or rather, I could have escaped on my own if you hadn't been captured too...!)
From an outsider's point of view, these half-unreasonable anger struck Ritsuka.
Letting that impulse take over, Bakugo shouted.
"Oi, oi, this situation is the exact opposite of what you just said...
『It's painful for me too 』?
『We're not just a group of hoodlums』?
You're just a mob! What a league full of loaded bullshit!"
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But what came back after a moment of silence was a low, emotionless voice, contrary to Bakugo's.
"..., well, since our objective is just you.
and not this girl..."
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I felt as if my heart had stopped.
I made a mistake.
Those are the four words that come to mind.
"─────Hey."
The words that finally came out were too unreliable.
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You should fight back.
You can do it, can't you?
Bakugo knows.
Her eyes are originally a bright orange.
But for some reason, when she uses her quirk, the color of her eyes changes.
This girl earlier definitely had blue eyes.
If she is using her quirk, why doesn't she try to fight right now?
Is a person going to die in front of me?
As soon as he thought that, Bakugou's body was about to shout out a choice that was impossible for him to make on his own.
*Knock
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*Knock
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"Hello~! Pizza delivery~!"