Osoro was beside herself. She couldn't believe she had agreed to come to such an event.

That damn bitch, Osoro scowled, leaning against the wall. Why was she so… understanding.

People walking by her moved away. She was technically loitering, looming by the front of the mouse-themed sushi restaurant, but the employees were too scared to tell her to leave. Osoro hated that Ayano had taken up the look of a delinquent just to please her. She hated that Ayano was trying to be friendly with her.

She's just like that bastard, she thought, tch-ing. At least I won't have to see her again after this.

Some time later, she saw Ayano walking over to her, a bat over her shoulder, most likely for the delinquent aesthetic.

"Thanks for coming," Ayano said, warmly.

"Yeah, whatever," Osoro said, crossing her arms. "Let's get this over with."

The two girls went inside Nezumi Sushi. They sat at the moving conveyor belt, plates of sushi moving before their eyes.

"Take whatever you want," Ayano told Osoro. "I'll pay."

"Not hungry," Osoro grunted. "I wanna get this over with, so tell me what you have to say."

Ayano put her hands together. "You've been wronged many times in the past, haven't you, Osoro?"

Osoro scowled.

Ayano continued, "By heroes, by fellow students, by teachers… I understand what that feels like. When I was young, I was constantly bullied by my peers. Because I was different."

"What, so you're telling me your sob story?" Osoro asked, making a face.

"I was strange to them," Ayano continued, ignoring her. "For a long time, I didn't understand why they were bullying me. You understand how that feels, right? To be disrespected for no reason?"

Osoro gritted her teeth. "None of your business."

"Your fellow delinquents understand it," Ayano told her. "Look how they were treated. They were considering a suicide pact. And they were going to do it. Until they saw you." She stood up. "You saved their lives, Osoro. That fight you had in front of Akademi was incredibly inspiring. They were so grateful to you that they became your followers. They see you as a goddess."

"I already know all this," Osoro said, glaring up at her. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say…" Ayano spread her arms. "... that you are a hero."

Osoro's scowl became nastier. "I'm not a hero, you idiot."

"Well, are you a villain?" Ayano asked. "You've done a lot of good."

"Are you insane?" Osoro slammed the table, shocking everyone in the restaurant. "You don't know anything about me. I'm not a hero or a villain. I didn't ask for those guys to start following me around. As for that fight, I was just showing 'em who's boss. I'm not like you."

"I didn't say you were like me," Ayano told her. "You're like Metal Bat."

Osoro stood up. "Don't you dare compare me to him."

"You were his friend," Ayano said. "No… that's not true. You loved him. You still do."

Osoro trembled. "Do you want to die?"

"But then he became a hero," Ayano continued. "And you hate heroes. Or do you hate heroes because of him?"

Osoro's hands balled into fists.

"Oh, I get it," Ayano said, calmly. "He humiliated you."

Osoro's fist was inches away from Ayano's skull. She had hesitated at just the last second.

"So, I was correct," Ayano realised.

"No," Osoro spat. Her whole body was shaking. "You really wanna know the truth, Aishi?! You really wanna know what happened?!"

Ayano kept staring at her. The whole restaurant was dead silent.

"What are you all looking at?!" Osoro demanded, staring at everyone else. "Mind your own business!"

Everyone listened, going back to their own business.

Osoro sat back down. Ayano copied her, and they gazed face to face at each other.

"They killed my mother," Osoro spat. "Heroes killed my mother. They let Mom die because they were too busy caring about themselves."

Ayano didn't respond.

"Oh, not enough for you?" Osoro pulled a hand through her messy hair. "When I was a kid, it was always the good kids that got all the attention and praise. Always the good little school kids that did everything right that were popular and loved. But all they did was push the weaker kids around to make themselves look big." She looked off to the side. "Trust me, I tried to be good. I tried to be respectful and kind. But it didn't work. It doesn't work, Aishi. There's no place for kindness in this world." She gritted her teeth. "All you can do is be strong."

Ayano kept staring.

"Fear and intimidation is the only way to get people to listen," Osoro told her. "So I learned to fight. I beat up anyone who messed with me. And guess what? The bullying stopped. Because people feared me. They stayed the Hell away from me."

"Metal Bat…" Ayano spoke up.

"Oh, him?" Osoro tch-ed. "We were similar back in the day, I guess. We were tough kids. We ran a gang together. Maybe I thought we had something going on. No one messed with us."

"Then what happened?" Ayano asked.

Osoro scowled. "It's easy. He betrayed me."

Osoro clapped her best friend on the shoulder, a light blush covering her cheeks. "That school's not gonna bother us again, Badd. We showed it to them."

"Damn right," Badd agreed, swinging his metal bat over his shoulder. He looked over his shoulder, a scowl on his face.

"What's up?" Osoro asked, sitting beside him. Even when they sat down, she was still taller than him.

"Y'know that new Hero Association, right?" Badd asked.

"Don't bring that crap up," Osoro huffed.

Badd made a face. "Well, uh, I've decided… I'm gonna become a hero."

Osoro stared at him, then began to laugh.

"Didn't know you were a comedian," she chuckled.

"I'm serious," Badd replied. "I'm going to become a hero."

Osoro's body trembled. "... are you kidding me, Badd?! I thought you were just like me. I thought you hated heroes. Why would you wanna become one of those arrogant psychos?!"

Badd looked off to the side. "Look, I need to-"

"You know what, I don't wanna hear it," Osoro spat, looking away. "Get out of my sight."

Now Badd was angry. He stood up, holding out his bat.

"I'm still gonna be me, Osoro," he said. "I'm just gonna be a he-"

"YOU'RE A LIAR!" Osoro shouted. "AFTER EVERYTHING WE'VE BEEN THROUGH! YOU REALLY WANT TO LEAVE ME LIKE THIS?!"

"I'm not a liar!" Badd yelled.

"You're right," Osoro agreed. "You're a traitor."

Then she punched him in the face, leaving him to wallow over in pain. Her lip trembled.

Who needs friends, she thought. All I need… is to get stronger.

"But what about the fight between you and Metal Bat?" Ayano asked. "When did that take place?"

"After we broke off our friendship, I got expelled from that school so I started attending Akademi," Osoro grumbled. "And then that bastard came to Akademi to try and start shit with me. Probably because I beat him up beforehand."

"Did you truly win the fight like everyone says you did?" Ayano asked.

"That's the thing," Osoro chuckled darkly. "It was a tie."

"A tie?" Ayano asked. "But how…"

"Everyone just thought I won because Metal Bat left early," Osoro said. "But the truth is…"

Osoro covered her face, avoiding a blow from Badd's bat.

He gritted his teeth, swinging at her again. She had managed to defeat every other student that had come for her. Except for him.

He slammed his bat into the ground, cracking the tiles around the school gate. The shockwave made Osoro leap into the air.

She lunged for Metal Bat, avoiding another swing from his bat.

"You're gonna regret coming to my school," she told him.

"You're gonna regret messing with me!" he shouted.

The two clashed again. Osoro prepared to use her killer move. The move that would knock him out.

"Lights out," she muttered, grabbing his head.

"STOP!"

The two froze, turning to face a young girl glaring at the both of them. Her arms were crossed, and her brows were knitted. She wore a floral dress, had short, black hair, and similar facial features to Badd.

"Z-Zenko!" Badd gasped.

His sister? Osoro thought, staring at Zenko. What's she doing here?

"This fight is over!" Zenko declared.

Osoro glowered. "Who said you could decide that?"

Zenko gave her a glare. Osoro turned to Badd, who was lowering his weapon.

"Badd, what the Hell?!" Osoro demanded.

"He promised he would never show violence in front of me!" Zenko said.

Osoro tch-ed. "Of course. You never change, Badd."

"I'll kick yer ass another day," Badd told her, jabbing a finger in her direction.

Osoro kicked him in the knees. "Get outta here."

Badd was dragged away by his younger sister, leaving Osoro standing by herself in the courtyard. She clenched her fist, her torn jacket swaying in the wind.

"Miss Osoro!"

She looked up, seeing five schoolboys running towards her. Their eyes were wide with awe.

"Wow!" one of them said. He had short, salmon pink hair and orange eyes. He was somewhat chubby. "That was amazing! You really defeated him!"

The look in his eyes was so… adoring, Osoro was caught off guard. She was lost for words.

Other students began whispering to each other, spreading the rumours. Osoro Shidesu had defeated Metal Bat.

"You're so amazing," the boy said, smiling wide. "I wanna be just like you!"

"We all do!" the other boys agreed.

Osoro's eyes creased. "No you don't, boys."

"Miss Osoro, please!" the salmon-haired boy pleaded. "You're the most amazing person I've ever seen! Y-You saved our lives! We were considering a sucide pact, but because of you… we want to live again! We're eternally grateful!"

The other boys nodded in agreement.

Osoro felt her throat choke up. No one had ever been grateful to her before.

"Oh, uh, I didn't introduce myself," the boy bowed. "My name's Umeji! Umeji Kizuguchi."

The other boys bowed as well.

Osoro sighed. "Weirdos. Do what you want."

"I see," Ayano nodded. "And after they began hanging around you…"

"They started acting like me," Osoro said, swinging her legs. "Even copied my hair and everything. Well, they were being bullied. They learned the same lesson I did: fear rules all."

Ayano was silent for a moment.

"Happy now, Aishi?" Osoro snapped, holding up a fist.

"About heroes," Ayano spoke up. "You said they killed your mother."

Osoro bared her teeth. "That's right. That damn Hero Association is corrupt. And yet the people still love them."

"How did heroes kill your mother?" Ayano asked.

Osoro sighed. "It's been a long time since I've spoken about this…"

"Mom?" Osoro called, looking around. The city was in ruins. Plumes of smoke trailed into the sky. Piles of rubble were left, right and center. The young girl scoured the area, desperately searching for her mother.

"Mom!" she yelled, desperation in her voice.

"Osoro…"

She perked up, recognising her mother's voice. She ran over to a pile of rubble. Her mother was stuck inside, reaching out with a hand. Osoro resembled her mother quite a lot, everything down to her blonde hair and brown eyes.

"Mom, don't worry," Osoro said, grabbing her mother's hand. "I'll get you out!"

She tried to pull her mother out, but to no avail.

"Osoro, dear…" Osoro's mother coughed up blood. "There's a hero around here… get them to help…"

Osoro nodded, racing off to find a hero. She soon found one: a man with spiky black hair, a long, flowing cope, and flame covered jumpsuit. The man was surrounded by a crowd of adoring fans.

"Hey, you!" Osoro yelled, running over to the man. "You've gotta help me! My mom's stuck in rubble, and-"

But the man wasn't paying any attention to her. He was signing autographs, his face shadowed over.

"HEY!" Osoro shouted, making her way to the front of the crowd. "I'm talking to you! My mom-"

The man began moving away, divulging the crowd.

"COME BACK!" Osoro shouted. "I NEED YOUR HELP, HERO!"

The hero glanced at her, as if she was insignificant. "I have a monster to fight. Get someone else to help."

And then he took off into the sky, cape flowing, leaving Osoro alone on the ground.

No… she thought. You were meant to help me! You're a hero!

Her thoughts trailed back to her mother. She raced back over to the woman, but it was too late. Her body had gone slack.

No… Osoro thought. No no no.

"Mom!" she shouted, slumping next to her mother's corpse. Her body trembled.

It's that damn hero's fault, she thought. It's because of him that Mom died. Everyone loves him but he let an innocent person die. So typical of heroes! It's so unfair!

She clenched her fists. Damn them all. Damn those heroes.

"That is understandable," Ayano said. "You remind me of the Hero Hunter, you know."

"Yeah, I was rooting for that guy to win," Osoro said, glancing off to the side.

"Do you still hate heroes?" Ayano asked.

"Obviously," Osoro scoffed.

Ayano smiled, tilting her head. "Then I think I can help you."

Osoro made a face. "Help me?"

"That fight you had with Metal Bat was never truly resolved," Ayano said. "Or was it? In my opinion, I think he's winning against you."

Osoro raised a brow. "Excuse me?"

"Look at what happened," Ayano spread her arms. "You got expelled from that school after fighting Metal Bat. Meanwhile, the media has been giving him a lot of positive attention. He became an S Class hero. He's loved around the world. Meanwhile, everybody loathes you. You said that's what you want, but eventually, one day… the world will turn on you. They'll destroy you, Osoro. I'm already aware that the Guidance Counselor is planning to expel you and your gang from Akademi. You'll be all alone then, won't you? And Metal Bat would win. You'll lose."

Osoro's whole body trembled.

"That's right," Ayano's smile grew. "You're already on a losing streak, but you just don't want to admit it."

Osoro bared her teeth. "Shut up, you…"

"But I can help you," Ayano told her. "I can help you win."

Osoro tch-ed. "Oh yeah? How?"

"You can have your revenge on Metal Bat," Ayano told him. "After everything he's put you through… this is your chance to return the favour. He'll finally feel all the pain and suffering you've felt for your entire life."

Osoro frowned. "Why can't I just-"

"No, don't worry about fighting him again," Ayano shook her head. "That'll just annoy him. What I have in mind will really scar him. It's the only way you'll win against him." She smiled. "After all, fear rules all, doesn't it?"

Osoro clenched her fists. "Fine. What do you have in mind?"

Ayano smirked, leaning forward. "You know how much Metal Bat loves his little sister, right?"

"Yeah…" Osoro said, raising a brow.

"And you also know that he'd do absolutely anything for her, yes?" Ayano asked. "That means… we can use her against him. With her on our side, we can get him to do anything we want."

Osoro just stared at her. "I'm not gonna beat up a little kid."

"How about we kidnap her, and hold her for ransom," Ayano suggested, remembering Info-chan's messages. "I know you've been dealing with some financial troubles. You could use the money, right?"

Osoro gritted her teeth. "So you're saying…"

"We kidnap her, take her to a secluded area, then we tell Metal Bat that he'll never see her again unless he agrees to pay you a certain amount of money," Ayano told her. "See? You don't have to physically hurt her, and you humiliate Metal Bat at the same time. It's perfect."

Osoro looked away, fists trembling.

"Do you want to keep losing to Metal Bat?" Ayano asked her. "Or, for once, do you want to be the winner?"

Osoro pulled her hands through her hair.

"You'll finally get the justice you deserve, Osoro," Ayano whispered into her ear.

"Fine," Osoro spat. "Let's do it."