Chapter 6: To Face New Enemies (Ep. 19-20)
Not long after they arrived at the island, Bitch-sensei literally pulled Hitoshi away from the group to a secluded part of the private beach.
"Can I help you?" he snapped, rubbing his arm. For such a whiny woman, she certainly had a strong grip.
"Yes, you can. It's lesson time, brat. You avoided me the entire training week with Lovro, but I'm not letting you off that easily!"
"Fine, but you better make it quick. I've got to meet up with Yada soon. We kind of have an assassination plot in the works, remember?"
Bitch-sensei scoffed. "That's why I need to teach you this now. You'll thank me later."
Hitoshi sighed and folded his arms, waiting for her to get on with it. The foreign teacher's scowl deepened before grabbing the back of his neck.
"Bitch-sensei? What the-" Her lips smashed against his, attacking him again with her infamous killer kiss. He could feel his brain short-circuit and reboot itself as her tongue attack his mouth masterfully.
Gross, get her off, get her off, get her off! His brain cried out and gave him enough sense to finally push her off. He gasped for air desperately and wiped vigorously at his mouth with the sleeve of his hoodie.
"Hey! You said you wouldn't molest me again!" he spat, wishing he could wash his mouth out with hand sanitizer.
Bitch-sensei rolled her eyes. "That wasn't molesting, brat. I was teaching you my best weapon. I call it the Kiss of Death."
Hitoshi snorted. "Creative. Does that mean this is my Knife of Death and my Gun of Death?"
"Shut up and listen, you little piece of shit!" Bitch-sensei growled. "I don't know how Lovro deals with mentoring so many little brats. Unbearable."
"Aren't you one of Lovro's 'brats' too?"
"I said shut up!"
Bitch-sensei huffed and crossed her arms. "Look. I'm trying to teach you something that could one day save your life. If I've learned anything in my line of work, it's that a deliberate placement of the hand, or a certain positioning of the body can be a stronger weapon than any gun or quirk. I'm sure you already know this, but unless your target talks, you're defenseless. If they know your quirk, they know how to defeat you. With my techniques, however, I have no doubt people will forget themselves and fall for responding to you. You've felt my Kiss of Death, after all."
"So, what? You're going to teach me this death kiss of yours?" Hitoshi asked.
"Please. I already have. This is a much different technique I'm going to show you," she said and reached into her bag. She pulled out a pair of sparkly heels. "You should know that versatility is a must in the work of seduction."
Hitoshi's eyes widened. "No. No way in hell, Bitch-sensei."
"This isn't an option, Shitsou. Take your damn shoes off!"
-.-.-.-
Their plan was going perfectly. Almost too perfect.
They lured Korosensei to the floating chapel, distracted him so he wouldn't notice the tides flooding the floor, and cornered him right where they wanted him. They exploited every weakness they knew. There was no doubt in his mind — this was going to be the end.
So, with that, Hitoshi pointed his gun at his chosen tentacle and smirked at his teacher.
"Goodbye, Korosensei."
-.-.-.-
When the area surrounding Korosensei exploded, Hitoshi feared for a second that they were tricked, and that killing the octopus was what caused the end of the world. That the villain baited them all this time to do his dirty work.
But then the light faded and the waves subsidized. Shinsou swam to the surface just as Midoriya drove by on his boat.
"Shinsou! Are you okay?"
Hitoshi hacked up some water but nodded. "I'm fine. Did it work? Is he dead?"
They looked around, seeing no sign of their teacher — not even a body or a scrap of his uniform. Karasuma and Bitch-sensei ran toward them on the boat deck, ordering them to keep an eye out in case Korosensei could regenerate.
"Hey, look at the water!" Hara cried out, pointing at a stream of bubbles surfacing from the ocean. Hitoshi pulled out his gun and aimed it at the spot, while Kataoka swam over there at lightning speed and pulled out-
A ball?
"Hehe," giggled Korosensei in ball form (Koroball?). Hitoshi's gun dropped, the shame of utter defeat weighing it down. It appeared that Korosensei's head was shrunken down, preserved in a clear sphere. Where the rest of his body went, Hitoshi had no idea.
"Well, class, allow me to introduce you to my Absolute Defense Form! The energy of my transformation crystallized around my sphere head, creating a clear, impenetrable cocoon that will protect me for twenty-four hours. Then the molecules will melt down and I will return to my usual form via an energy explosion. In this form, nothing can harm me, but the trade-off is that I'm completely immobile," explained Koroball.
"If that's the case, couldn't we just launch you into deep space or something?" wondered Kimura.
Koroball chuckled. "Wonderful observation, my boy! However, I know for a fact that there is no rocket capable of doing that in twenty-four hours."
"Such a shame," Karma said, picking up Koroball. "Though the little tingling of my quirk tells me you're not completely resistant to harm like this."
The devilish boy pulled out his phone, showing a picture of Korosensei shifting through porn magazines. Koroball screamed, but without the rest of his body, he couldn't hide his face in his tentacles. Karasuma ended up taking the ball, saying he'd let the Hero Commission deal with it now, but in the end, there wasn't much anyone could do. Koroball said that when he returned to his original form, the energy would explode just like it had before, putting anyone surrounding him at risk.
Hitoshi scratched the back of his neck, looking up at the sky. At the shattered crescent moon.
(He told himself it wasn't to hold back his tears.)
Midoriya, always the emotional one, openly teared up. Nakamura sunk down and blew bubbles in the water, while Chiba and Hayami looked more defeated than anyone else. Nagisa hung his head, and even Karma's shoulders drooped a little
"Don't be sad, class!" Koroball tried. "You got closer to defeating me than even the best heroes in the world. You should be proud! This was undoubtedly the cleverest assassination attempt I've ever seen!"
It was clear their teacher was trying to make them feel better, praising their ingenuity like always.
So why did it make the hurt so much worse?
-.-.-.-
E-class sat at the resort tables in complete silence. There was a sense of defeat among everyone that Hitoshi hadn't felt since he first walked into 3-E — before Korosensei ever came into their lives.
Why does everything revolve around him these days? Hitoshi thought bitterly as he laid his head on the table.
Chiba suddenly spoke up, breaking the silence. "This is all my fault."
The class turned to him, visibly confused, and waited for the stoic boy to continue.
"The moment I fired, I knew my shot was going to be off. My quirk, it's always made my vision so clear — too clear, in fact. That's why I wear my hair in my eyes; it helps me focus and sort through the details my quirk wants to point out. But when I went to shoot, my vision blurred. I couldn't focus on any detail for a second, and it made me hesitate. If I just kept myself together and controlled my quirk…"
Takebayashi pulled out a slip from his belly button. "It's hard to calculate it accurately, but my best estimation is that if you shot .5 seconds faster, or if Hayami's shot 30 centimeters to the left, there's a 50% increased chance of target neutralization."
Hayami trembled at the mention of her name. "My quirk was off too. I practiced so much on balancing the equilibrium in my hands when I shoot, but when it came to fire for real, it felt like I had never used my quirk before."
"You're not the only one to blame," Midoriya said, sniffling. "I should've known better when I created the plan. I should have anticipated a worst-case scenario like this. I blew it, and now the world might pay for it."
The class flinched collectively. Maehara placed his head down on the table and sighed. "I'm exhausted, man. I vote we all head back to the rooms."
A murmur of agreement ran through the class, and Hitoshi arched an eyebrow. Sure, he was tired, but looking at the class now, you would've thought they ran a marathon or three. Something didn't seem right. Even Midoriya was looking a little worse for wear.
It only went downhill after that.
Nakamura stood, trying to get back to her room, but promptly collapsed. Okajima, who had just been ranting about girls and boobs, suddenly got a massive nosebleed — worse than usual. Sugino sneezed, triggering his quirk and sending the straw in his mouth flying like a bullet. Something definitely wasn't right. He rushed to Kanzaki's side right before the girl fell out of her chair.
"What the hell is going on?" he asked, stabilizing the girl. Midoriya moved from his seat, but everything was awkward, sluggish, like every step pained him. He brushed his head against Kanzaki's forehead.
"She's burning up. We should get her a wet towel," said Midoriya, reaching over to soak a cloth napkin in water. Hitoshi took the opportunity to reach over and brush his friend's forehead too, flinching when he felt how warm he was.
"You too, Jolly Green. You need to sit down."
Midoriya shook his head stubbornly. "I'm fine. My fever is not nearly as bad."
Though Hitoshi wanted to argue, his friend did have a point. While Midoriya's skin was a little warmer than usual, Kanzaki's felt like fire and it hurt to even touch her.
"What the hell is happening?" Hitoshi wondered, eyeing his ill classmates. "We need to get them to a hospital!"
Midoriya shook his head wearily, pressing a wet cloth to Kanzaki's forehead. "There aren't any on the island. We would have to take them back to the mainland."
Hitoshi still pulled out his phone, about to call an ambulance, when suddenly Ritsu appeared on his screen. The artificial girl stood frozen in the background while words streamed across the screen and an unnaturally deep voice dubbed over it.
"Looks like the snotty brats are feeling a little under the weather," the voice mocked.
Midoriya paused in his care to look over at Hitoshi's phone. "Ritsu must have been hacked!"
"Well, I guess calling them sick is a bit of an understatement," the voice continued. "They've been infected by a quirk-created virus, one of the deadliest in the world. Give it a few days, and their cells wither into nothing and their organs become jelly. Lucky for you, I had an antidote crafted, the only one of its kind. If you want it, you'll have to come get it yourself." The screen changed to show a map of an island. "Come to the hotel on the island's mountain peak. Top floor. Send the octopus with the rainbow-haired kids — assuming they're still standing, of course. If one's sick, then I guess the remaining ones will have to make the journey alone. And if they're all sick, well, they're good as dead anyway."
Midoriya shuddered, the flush spreading further down his body. A sweaty sheen covered his body, making his warming body feel oddly clammy as Hitoshi gripped his arm to keep him from keeling over.
"You have one hour. Once the package is delivered, then we'll discuss a trade. If all goes well, you will have the antidote, and I will have the bounty. Contact outside help, and the antidote gets destroyed. So please, act wisely. We're fighting for the same cause, aren't we?"
The line went dead, and Hitoshi couldn't help but feel like all hope went with it.
-.-.-.-
"So, what you're saying is," Hitoshi drawled. "Is that we're trapped on a shady resort known for harboring illegal businesses under the government's nose, while some madman is threatening to kill a bunch of middle schoolers for prize money, and we have no choice but to just comply?"
They had gathered their poisoned classmates into a group and laid them down on makeshift cots, while the remaining ones stood around Karasuma, waiting for their next instructions. Their P.E. teacher sighed. "Yes, I'm afraid so."
"Are we seriously planning on sending runts into battle? I mean, I get Turnip-Head and Devil-Boy, but them?" Terasaka said, grabbing Midoriya and Nagisa by the back of their shirts. "Not trying to be rude or anything, but my friends' lives are at stake. Why don't we just say screw it and take everyone to the hospital?"
"Bad idea," Takebayashi said. A slip spewed out of his belly button again. "My Statistics say that if we did that, there is a 100% chance of death. Not even healing quirks such as Pro-Hero Recovery Girl's could save them."
Karma sighed. "So basically we have no choice but to do what the prick wants. With the octopus out of commission and all."
Said villain giggled. "Never fear, Karma-boy. I may be immobilized, but I'm not without a plan. I need all healthy students not caring for the ill to gather at the quadrants Ritsu is sending you ASAP."
-.-.-.-
Hitoshi climbed in the car Karasuma arranged for them, his teeth grinding when Midoriya followed after him.
"No. You're poisoned. Go lay down."
Midoriya hushed him violently, glancing around to see if anyone heard. "I promise I'm not that sick. I hardly even have a fever, I'll be fine."
Hitoshi still blocked his entry. "Jolly Green, if you don't go lay down right now, I'm going to force you to. And I don't want to do that to you."
"Please, Shinsou. You heard the caller; he asked for me. If I go with the other sick students, you and Nagisa will be completely alone."
"He asked for the rainbow-haired kids. Karma is healthy too," Hitoshi argued, but his friend shook his head stubbornly.
"I know that, but- but I can't abandon you all when I know I can still walk on my own. I don't know why I'm not as sick as the others, but I'm not going to question it if it means I can help." Midoriya looked so desperate and sad, like a lost puppy in the pound. Hitoshi scowled. There was a reason he was a cat-person, after all.
"Fine," he relented, letting Midoriya climb in. "But if you start feeling worse, you better tell me, or so help me Midoriya-"
"I will, I will, I promise!" the green-haired boy swore. Once he was buckled into the seat next to Hitoshi, the brainwasher grabbed his friend by the shoulder and forced him to lie down next to him
"Quiet, Jolly Green," he said when Midoriya tried to protest. "You might as well save your energy while you still have it. Rest a little. I'll wake you up when we get there."
Midoriya finally stopped fighting, settling in so he was laying on his back. Hitoshi eyed the angry flush on Midoriya's neck, approaching rash-level, while the blood seemed totally drained from his cheeks, leaving his freckles more prominent than ever. Sure, it wasn't as bad as the others — Midoriya was conscious and could mostly function — but that didn't mean he was okay. Especially if they were going into a hostage situation. If Midoriya got hurt, it was Hitoshi's fault. He let him get in the car. He failed to alert the others about Midoriya's declining health. He could've prevented it.
So he swore on his parent's memory, he will do anything to keep Midoriya safe — even if it meant risking himself.
-.-.-.-
The ride wasn't nearly as long as Hitoshi hoped, and soon they had pulled over to the side of the road. A huge cliff stood before them, their destination conveniently located at the top.
"Well. We tried," he mumbled, trying to climb back in the car, only for Karma to drag him back out.
"C'mon Shinsou, live a little, huh? Since when has a little mountain ever stopped us?" the devilish boy teased. His classmates began to scale the cliff wall with no harness or hand grips like the suicidal monkeys they all were, and Hitoshi just sighed.
"I do not get enough sleep for this."
He approached the cliff, about to start his ascent, when he noticed how apprehensive Midoriya looked. Normally, the boy was enthusiastic about almost anything, but that was when he wasn't poisoned.
"Hey," Hitoshi said, grasping his shoulder. "We'll do it together, yeah?" They climbed next to each other, Hitoshi making sure Midoriya wasn't about to collapse and fall off. It didn't take long for them to fall behind the rest of the group.
"If you haven't noticed, we're kind of on a time limit," Karma commented, looking down at them. The rest of the class was about thirty meters ahead of them.
"We're trying, alright? Jolly Green isn't feeling too jolly right now," he answered.
"Are you sure you're okay, Midoriya?" Nagisa asked. Izuku waved him off shakily.
"Just a little tired, I promise!" he said, right as he slipped on the rock. Hitoshi caught his wrist to steady him, probably squeezing a bit too tightly in his panic.
"Do you guys need help?" Kimura asked, dropping down so he was next to them, showing off his fancy shoes that allowed him to use Sticky Feet while wearing them. "My quirk lets me stick to vertical surfaces for short periods of time. It'll make climbing with another person a piece of cake."
"I can help too, I've got more than enough strength," declared Terasaka, much to everyone's surprise. "Oh, don't look so shocked. Like I said, my friends' lives are on the line, and if Broccoli-Hair over there is going to be one of the reasons they're saved, then I'm going to do what it takes. A lion always protects his pride."
Hitoshi blinked but smirked. "Just don't drop him, Kitty-Boy."
"Yeah, right, Turnip-Head."
Hitoshi paused to help Midoriya climb on Kimura's back before they took off up the mountain, literally leaving Hitoshi in the dust. He sighed and began to climb up the rest of the distance on his own.
"Sure," he mumbled. "Leave the purple kid behind. He can figure it out himself."
-.-.-.-
By the time he reached the top, Ritsu already hacked the floor plan and mapped out their ascent. Hitoshi sighed when he saw they'd be taking stairs the entire way. He really, really should start taking cardio more seriously.
"Let's go, we don't have much time," Karasuma said, holding the side door open for them. The group ran inside silently and waited for their teacher to peer around the corner and scope out the area.
"Dammit. There are way too many guards for us to go undetected as a large group."
Bitch-sensei scoffed and tossed Hitoshi her obnoxiously large purse. "That's what you think. Leave this to the pros, will you? Boys, plug your noses. Oh, and Shitsou? I hope you're taking notes for our next lesson."
Hitoshi bristled, glaring at the purse in his hands, but watched nonetheless as his teacher approached the security guards, stumbling like she was tipsy. An opaque, barely visible aroma began to waft off her skin, and within seconds, she had the attention of every man in the room. They flew into her trap like unassuming flies.
"For all her attitude and complaining," Karasuma explained. "She is still one of the most dangerous women in the world, capable of taking out even the strongest of heroes or the deadliest of villains. That's what makes her a great Pro-Assassin."
The class snuck onto the staircase with no problems thanks to Bitch-sensei's distraction. Before he left, Hitoshi glanced back at the woman, adjusting her purse on his shoulder. She was playing the piano, putting on a little show for the men, but they still made eye contact as he left. She smirked and mouthed the words:
Remember our lesson.
-.-.-.-
Karasuma recommended they pose as snobby rich-kids while they traveled to the next checkpoints to avoid suspicion. Apparently, not only was this resort home to shady business deals, but also the brats of the ultra-wealthy and famous. It seemed to work, with them easily making it past even more hotel security, and Hitoshi began to think they might actually make it in one piece.
"Terasaka, look out!"
But then a dude with a big nose and a Hawaiian shirt threw poisonous gas at them.
Karasuma managed to knock Yoshida and Terasaka to safety, but ended up being enveloped in a cloud of purple fog in their stead. Fuwa, who shouted the warning, was touching a nearby chair and scowling. "I should've known. I recognize you as the worker who gave us complimentary drinks back at the resort. When I kept bumping into things that gave me flashbacks of you, I knew you were no good. You're the one who poisoned our class."
"Oh yeah, little missy?" Big Nose taunted. "Where's the evidence? How do you know your puny classmates didn't just catch some tropical disease?"
Fuwa scoffed. "I'm not so easily fooled. My quirk, History Trace, gives me glimpses of the 24-hour history of anything I touch. When you handed me the drink, I had flashbacks of odd substances being put into the drink. At the time, I brushed it off as strange bartending techniques. While that was a possibly fatal oversight on my part, I have no doubt you, as the server, were the one who poisoned the drinks."
"Wow, Fuwa…That was so cool," Midoriya said once the girl finished her monologue. Hitoshi noticed the boy's shaky hand reach for his notebook and firmly slapped his friend's hand down and hissed, "Now is not the time."
Karasuma collapsed to his knees, and Big Nose chuckled.
"Whatever your quirks may be, it's clear you're not here to trade. The big man will not be happy about this when I tell him," he said, turning to leave. Without even a signal, the class dispersed in seconds, blocking all exits as their training taught them. Hitoshi broke off the wooden leg of a nearby chair to make a club, patting it against his palm with a menacing grin.
"You should have just reported us to your boss instead of confronting us," Karasuma said, standing weakly. Big Nose sneered and tried to gas their teacher again, but Karasuma lashed out too quickly, kicking Big Nose in the face. A bright red light flashed where his foot connected, knocking Big Nose out cold.
"Whoa! How can he still move so fast even with the poison eating away at his strength?" Yada wondered aloud, voicing all their thoughts.
"It's my quirk," Karasuma announced. Ripples of red energy thrummed over his body, but his knees quaked as he stood above their fallen foe. Isogai moved to help their teacher stand. "It's called Kick-Back. I absorb the energy of attacks into my body and harness it for my own use, making me into the perfect super soldier. The stored-up energy from the attack is the only reason I'm able to stand right now."
"You can't push yourself like that anymore, Karasuma-sensei. If I understand what you're saying, if you expend any more of that attack energy, the poison will start killing you. You need to take it easy," said Midoriya while simultaneously putting half his body weight on Nagisa.
"That's slightly hypocritical," Karma taunted.
Karasuma sighed. "I know. Which means I'm afraid that, for the rest of the mission, it's going to be all in your hands. I'll do what I can to instruct you, but if we're to defeat this enemy, it'll be all up to your strength as a team."
-.-.-.-
Their next enemy cracked a glass window with his palm, and it became pretty clear they were going to need a lot more than brute strength to defeat a whack job like this.
Fortunately, they had Karma.
"So, you call yourself Grip, huh? Gotta say, not really a clever name. It's a dead giveaway for your quirk — though the window trick took care of that already."
"Figured it best to be as straightforward as possible, so the contractors know what they're getting into," Grip replied. "It's not exactly hard. I mean, take a look at yourself. Fiery-red hair, smoldering gold eyes — let me guess, fire quirk?"
Karma's shoulders hunched, the temperature of the room literally seeming to drop. The devil-boy quickly hid it with a smirk.
"Nope," Karma taunted. "Just got a brain that works faster than anyone else in the world."
Grip grinned and popped his fingers one-by-one. "Well, then that will make crushing your skull with my bare hands all the more enjoyable."
-.-.-.-
A few blows, two canisters of poisoned gas, and a conniving plan by Karma later, and Grip was tied up on the floor on his stomach.
"Does your quirk let you see the future or something? How'd you know to hold your breath for my gas attack?" the professional assassin complained. Karma sat peaceably on the ground in front of him.
"Hardly," the red-haired boy replied. "My Innate Capability just makes my brain process ten times faster than yours. I knew from the beginning that you wouldn't fight fair. Not because you're dishonorable, no, but because you're merely a minion trying to obey his master's commands. Playing fair doesn't allow for that."
Koroball giggled quietly as the devil boy taunted the captured assassin. "Karma has come so far with his abilities. As his teacher, I must say I am truly proud."
"What do you mean, Korosensei?" Nagisa asked.
"After his embarrassing flop with end-of-term exam results, it seems our young Karma learned to utilize the true extent of his quirk. He used to just expect it to do the work for him, requiring no extra effort of studying. That simply wasn't enough. His quirk can only work with what it knows and can analyze, so going into the exam with no prepared knowledge left him with 20% less of his normal skill — as was translated with his B average grades."
"Oh, I get it," Midoriya said weakly. "Innate Capability allows Karma to take in the information around him and instantly know the answer. Like in a fight, it seems like his instincts are supernatural, and it's because his quirk is super calculating your every move. Going in blind, either to a test or a fight, takes away one of his senses and therefore a chunk of his processing abilities."
Hitoshi paused and eyed his friend suspiciously. "How do you manage to think that much when you're, like, halfway poisoned? Maybe your secret quirk is Nonstop Thinking?"
Yoshida scrunched his nose. "What kind of quirk name is that?"
Karasuma sighed. The man didn't have the energy to deal with their antics when he was healthy, so being poisoned only made it so much worse. "Can we please focus on the task at hand? Ritsu, where to next?"
-.-.-.-
To get to the top floor, Ritsu mapped out that they needed to first go through a staircase located on the club floor. Unfortunately, there were two major problems in accessing it.
"The door is locked from the outside, so someone will have to go through the bar area to get to it. However, the lounge area the door is located behind is blocked off tonight by a special performance event. The only way to get last-minute access is to be invited by a performer," the AI girl explained.
"So not only are a bunch of junior high kids supposed to sneak into a bar, but we have to somehow persuade a performer to let us get backstage access. How are we supposed to do that?" Sugaya asked.
"Leave the first half to us," Kataoka spoke up, motioning to the girls. "I doubt we'll have any trouble making our way through the bar. I'm fairly confident we'll be able to persuade our way into the lounge area too, especially with Yada's quirk."
"Uh, I don't think that's going to work out like you think it will," Nagisa said, grabbing some poster from the wall. "Yada, your quirk relies on distracting your target first, correct? And you were taught by Bitch-sensei to do it using her methods?" Yada nodded and Nagisa turned the poster around for everyone to see. "Well, I don't think seduction methods are going to work too well with these performers."
The poster was an advertisement for the exclusive show. It depicted a woman with outlandish blonde hair, extreme makeup, outrageous body proportions, and over-the-top clothing. It all added up to one thing.
It was a drag show.
"You've got to be kidding me," Hitoshi breathed while the rest of his classmates began to panic.
"Well, how are we supposed to get to the door now?" Kimura asked.
"Easy. We just switch to Plan B," Karma answered. While everyone tried to figure out what he meant by that, the demon boy side-eyed Hitoshi and grinned wickedly. Hitoshi tried holding his gaze, glaring to get Karma to back off. It only made the boy's smile grow.
"Um. Plan B?" Yoshida repeated. "Are we supposed to know what that means?"
Karma kept up the staring contest as he answered. "Isn't it clear? If we can't convince a performer to let us in the lounge, someone will have to infiltrate as a drag queen."
The group blinked collectively, following Karma's gaze, and Hitoshi gritted his teeth. "No. No way in hell."
Terasaka burst out laughing. "You mean Turnip-Head over here? You've got to be kidding me!"
"I don't mean to be rude, but wouldn't it make more sense to send someone who already looks like a girl to infiltrate? You know, like Nagisa?" Okano suggested. Nagisa reared back, shaking his head.
"Huh? M-Me?"
"As entertaining of a sight that would be," Karma began. "The problem is Nagisa is simply too androgynous, and will likely be mistaken for an actual girl. While it's a bad idea to dress him up so he can act as extra protection for the girls, someone else will have to be the drag queen. And Shinsou is the obvious choice."
"I still don't understand how you reached that conclusion," Hitoshi deadpanned, trying not to show how much he was sweating. Karma tilted his head to the side.
"Is that so?" Karma slowly raised the purse Hitoshi was carrying around not seconds before, and the brainwasher had no idea when or how he got his hands on it. "What's in this bag Bitch-sensei entrusted you with, huh?"
Karma pulled out a pair of heels and a long-haired purple wig, earning him wide stares from all of his classmates.
"Please, no," he begged hopelessly, taking a step back. Yada grabbed the condemning items as she and his other female classmates circled him like vultures spotting their prey.
"Oh, yes."
-.-.-.-
High heels were a demonic, medieval torture device that Hitoshi never in his life thought he'd have to deal with. But now because of Bitch-sensei, he's felt their painful trap twice. He walked (stumbled) to the entrance of the club as confidentially as someone who felt so ridiculous could. The sheer layers of makeup coating his face made his skin itch, begging to tear it all off, and his outfit was way too tight for comfort, and his feet were likely bleeding.
(He's just glad he convinced his classmates he didn't need to tuck. That's a catastrophe he never wanted to endure.)
The bouncer let him pass without a second glance. Once he was inside, he made eye contact with the girls, who went in before him to scope out the area. Surprisingly, he didn't see Nagisa (the only person at this time who understood his pain) with them. They sent Nagisa in also dressed like a girl (though with way less makeup and effort. The boy was about as androgynous as they come) to act as a bodyguard of sorts in case things got out of hand, but for some reason, he was nowhere to be seen with the girls he was supposed to be protecting.
Hitoshi made eye contact with Kataoka and nodded, signaling everything was good to go, and she subtly gestured to her left, meaning the entrance for performers was in that direction. Hitoshi turned on his heel (literally) and headed over there, pretending not to hear the catcalls and expertly dodging the hands that tried to reach out and touch him. He was almost at the area blocked off for 'performers only' when someone grabbed onto his waist, pulling him flush against their back.
"Hey, pretty lady. I didn't know the pre-show already started," a man whispered in his ear. His breath reeked of alcohol and Hitoshi felt like barfing. "Why don't you come with me and give me and my pals a special performance? I promise we'll tip well…"
The man's hands trailed up Hitoshi's arm and shoved a wad of cash down his top. Pure, unadulterated rage and bloodlust fueled Hitoshi's veins. That's it. This guy was dead meat. As a future hero and current assassin, it was his duty to society to remove this scum from the earth. Hitoshi broke out of the hold with a practiced twist and shove, but the disgusting man refused to release his wrist.
"Let. Me. Go." Hitoshi hissed, inching his free hand behind his back where he spotted a dinner plate knife. Not enough to kill (unless you knew where to stab, which Hitoshi did), but definitely enough to send a clear message.
"But we already paid, girly. C'mon, that tip is just the start," the man said, pulling again, and in these heels, Hitoshi almost toppled over. The dinner knife slipped from his fingers, tumbling to the floor. Fine. Brainwashing it was. He reached for the man's mental strings just as another hand ripped the man off him, slamming him back against the bar counter.
"Wha-" the man began, and they turned to see the tallest woman Hitoshi's ever seen.
"Sorry. Touching the queens is strictly prohibited. Club rules," the stranger stated, voice shockingly deep. The creep quickly backed off, wisely running away, and the tall drag queen motioned for Hitoshi to follow. "That's why you never leave the stage area, babe. You never know what drunk freaks will do." She eyed the cash sticking out of his dress. "At least you got a good wad of cash out of it. Can't complain too much. Oh, and your wig is crooked. Let me fix that for you."
Instead of reaching out to adjust it, what felt like a slight breeze blew past Hitoshi's head, moving his wig. The drag queen winked at him and unlocked the backstage door. "The name's Madam Breezy. What about you, my purple queen?"
He was almost ashamed to admit he already had an answer for that. Bitch-sensei was very thorough in her training. "Kitty Masters," he answered.
"Aw, that's so adorable. Explains the cat ears. Oh, the audience will love you," Breezy cooed, and it took all of Hitoshi's willpower not to cringe. "Well, feel free to take any station. I'm about to head out on stage, but hopefully I'll see you around! And stay away from the handsy ones!"
The tall queen strutted away, and Hitoshi released a deep breath, his painted lips puttering. He pulled his phone out from his...bra and pulled up Ritsu's map, following it to where the supposed door should be. On his way there, he passed a large mirror and caught a glimpse of his outlandish disguise. A bright purple wig, not far off from his original hair color, trailed down his back in oversized curls, and a pair of kitty ears sat on top. His face was caked in so much makeup it was almost impossible to tell who he was — they even got rid of his eyebags! He didn't think that was possible! All of that plus the annoying padding and the flowy dress and, well, he looked like a woman.
A weird, purple cat-woman.
He was going to kill Bitch-sensei and Karma the next chance he got.
-.-.-.-
Despite the torture Hitoshi went through, he eventually found the back door to let everyone in. They were already there waiting for him, the girls and Nagisa included. The androgynous boy had a suspicious red tinge on his cheeks, and judging by the teasing going on, it wasn't blush caused by makeup.
"Oh, there you are Shinsou," Karma greeted cheekily. "You missed out on all the fun. Nagisa apparently got hit on by some boy. How was your crossdressing experience?"
Though Karma joked about it, Hitoshi easily noticed the lack of smile on Karma's face as he talked about some random boy flirting with Nagisa. You're so full of shit, Karma.
"The girls reported they saw one patron try to get a little handsy. I hope everything is okay?" Koroball asked. Hitoshi sighed and nodded.
"Peachy," he said, taking off his wig and dropping it on Midoriya's head. "I didn't leave empty-handed, so that's a perk."
He fished the wad of cash out and brandished it to his classmates to make them jealous. Isogai sighed wistfully. "Man, when they say an assassin who can pull off either gender in the field is valuable, they really weren't kidding."
Midoriya nodded. "Some of the best killers were known for being completely ambiguous when it came to their gender. Though, I wouldn't say Hitoshi's disguise is exactly ambiguous…"
"Well, whatever it was, it sure was great comedic relief," Karma said, brandishing the photos of Hitoshi in drag. The brainwasher made a swipe for the phone, but Karma easily outmaneuvered him, the damned heels slowing Hitoshi down.
"Nu-uh-uh. I've already sent these to Nakamura. She said, and I quote, 'As a bisexual queen, I'd tap that.' Wow, that's a pretty high honor."
"Alright, that's enough for now," Karasuma said. "Hitoshi, Nagisa, change out as quickly as possible. We're only just approaching this operation's final phase."
-.-.-.-
They made it to the VIP floor just to be greeted by more security; only these ones were nothing like the wimpy hotel ones. It seemed these were personally hired thugs.
"Great. Just what we needed," bemoaned Sugaya. "Getting by the hotel guards was hard enough. Now we have to get past professional bodyguards?"
"We don't even know whose minions they are," Fuwa said.
"Whine all you want," Terasaka growled, cracking his knuckles. "Either way, we gotta get through these posers too."
"Excellent point, Terasaka," Koroball piped up. "And something tells me that weapon you've been hiding will work perfectly for this situation."
The lion-boy huffed and rolled his eyes. "You really can't get anything passed ya, huh?"
"Um," Hitoshi inserted. "Anyone care to clue the rest of us in?"
"How 'bout you just keep up?" Terasaka challenged. "Kimura, you're the fastest one here. You lead them toward me."
Kimura's eyes widened. "And you expect me to do this how?"
"I don't know, figure it out!"
Karma ended up figuring it out for their speedy classmate, and minutes later the boy was running for his life as two goons chased him down the hallway. Hitoshi glanced at Terasaka, who waited behind the corner with Yoshida, and prayed this wouldn't end in complete disaster.
Kimura was almost at the target spot, and Terasaka turned around smiling, baring his ultra-sharp teeth. "You might wanna plug your ears."
Not sure what that entailed, Hitoshi and the rest of his classmates did as they were instructed. Midoriya was (unsurprisingly) even kind enough to plug Koroball's ears for him. Kimura sprinted past them, and the two delinquents leaped into action. Stepping right in front of the bodyguards, Terasaka opened his mouth at let out the loudest, most inhuman roar Hitoshi had ever heard — as if a real lion were in the room.
Huh. Looks like Terasaka found that hidden weapon after all.
The bodyguards instantly fell to their knees and plugged their ears, giving Yoshida and Terasaka the perfect opening to strike. They each tackled a bodyguard, pinning them to the floor. Yoshida's bodyguard recovered first and tried to attack, his hands morphing into crab-like claws, but the boy easily counteracted it by shining his bright car headlight eye in his opponent's face, blinding the goon. Using his steel elbow, Yoshida slammed it into the man's head. Soon, both bodyguards were unconscious, and the class walked out into the hallway.
"Fancy trick. When did you do quirk soul-searching?" Karma asked. The lion-boy paused, clearly thinking carefully about his answer.
"Uh...I ran into a guy or two that gave me some inside tips," Terasaka answered. Hitoshi instantly thought of the white-clad man Terasaka 'ran into' earlier in the year.
"Excellent work, you two. I recommend you search the bodies for anything useful they may be carrying. It could be what saves you further on in the mission," Koroball said. The two delinquents did as instructed and, to the shock of all the students, pulled out something they never thought they'd have to hold.
"Real guns?"
"Yes. And I think Chiba and Hayami should have them," Koroball continued, making the two stoic students jolt. "Their quirks are the best suited for the use of these weapons. It's not uncommon to see heroes and villains using weapons and technology to enhance their performance. These guns are just the second blade to your already existing quirks."
The two students took the guns tentatively while Ritsu delivered their next instructions. "We need to infiltrate the VIP room's emergency staircase next, and to do that, we must sneak through an empty concert hall on the eighth floor. Proceed with caution."
-.-.-.-
They made their way over there, sneaking into the dark room as stealthily as possible. They barely made it inside before a pair of footsteps, as well as the sound of someone licking something, began to echo from the stage. On Karasuma's signal, they all scattered behind the audience seats. Peering through the crack in between chairs, Hitoshi just barely caught a glimpse of their next opponent.
And more pointedly, Hitoshi saw the gleaming gun in the man's hand, aimed right at his head.
