Everyone in class wasn't sure what to make of the scene before their very eyes, but a certain girl felt both angry and entertained by this scene.

Izuku and Katsuki both had Aizawa's scarf wrapped around their forearms and chests, while also hanging from the ceiling. Izuku was peaceful and accepted his fate, while Katsuki struggled to escape and moved around sporadically.

Kyouka was having a blast seeing Katsuki hung up like a common thug. She found it entertaining when it happened to Shoto during his exam and this was even better. She even took a picture of him to add to her collection of embarrassing photos of Katsuki Bakugo.

At the same time, she hated that Izuku was treated the exact same way, not believing he deserved this. She had to restrain herself from asking Momo for a knife and freeing him from those bindings.

"Despite Midoriya and Bakugo…not having the most professional conduct in their exam, they won't have to suffer any harsh punishment such as suspension since they technically didn't break any rules. So, this is all the punishment they'll receive." Aizawa informed, looking at the two helpless boys. "But they'll both stay like this until classes are over because I refuse to let them think that they can get away with having a fight like two hot-headed neanderthals in the middle of their exam."

Kyouka raised her hand, her lips pursed. "Mr. Aizawa, Izuku doesn't deserve this punishment. You saw the footage, right? Bakugo was the one who initiated the fight in the first place. If anything, Izuku should get a pass and Bakugo should get a hard fail along with some suspension to boot."

Aizawa sighed, sliding his hand down his face. "Yes, I saw the footage and it's clear that Bakugo was the instigator of that fight. However, it is no secret that Midoriya was very much content with fighting even after All Might was taken down. He had the choice to leave and he didn't take it. That's his fault. End of story."

Izuku slowly rotated himself to face his best friend, smiling. "He's right, Kyouka. I did kinda bring this upon myself. Kacc- He may have started the fight, but I opted to continue it. Maybe I should have found a better solution than promising a fight with him after we beat All Might."

"It's still not fair…But I won't argue against you." Kyouka grumbled as Izuku slowly turned back to face Aizawa. Before she could start letting out small grumbles of cursing out Aizawa and Katsuki, her eyebrow cocked at a realization that just hit her.

She sort of noticed it yesterday when he called her, but he didn't refer to Katsuki as Kacchan. At the time, she didn't think much of it and figured that he didn't see a point in naming him during their conversation, but now something was definitely up. He deliberately stopped himself from saying Kacchan this time.

Kyouka had wanted him to stop calling Katsuki by that name for years now, but she could never bring herself to try to make him stop, not wanting to be too controlling. But now, maybe her wish finally came true.

She should ask him about him sometime soon to confirm her suspicions and make sure that Katsuki is nothing to Izuku now. That he sees that asshole in the same light that she sees him in.

As Kyouka twirled around her earphone jack, thinking a little more about this situation, Aizawa continued speaking to the class. "Now, for all eight of you who failed your final exams, let me relay what's going to happen to you this summer..." The students who failed the exams all tensed up, but the hero gave a wide, yet creepy smile. "You'll all be going to camp!"

Izuku's eyes lit up, looking at Aizawa. "W-Wait, we're going?"

The rest of the students who failed either cheered at the fact that they would be going or felt their entire bodies relax in an instant.

Kyouka let out a long sigh of relief as she sank in her seat, her frustration towards Aizawa mostly going away. She was still a little frustrated that he didn't accept her explanation for Izuku to pass, but that really didn't matter anymore.

Now he's going to be with her at summer camp, so she won't have to worry about being alone there. Well, Momo's presence would've been fine, but she knew that she still would've been miserable without Izuku.

But she did suppress the fact that Izuku going meant Katsuki will be going as well, but you have to take the bad with the good sometimes. Even if the bad is a piece of shit you want to get rid of.

"Yes, you'll all be going. Despite 4 teams losing, you all at least passed the written portion of the exam." Aizawa cleared his throat. "All of us teachers allowed ways for you all to win, otherwise you wouldn't be so lucky. It was all about seeing how you could work together and overcome the obstacles before you."

"Wait, so you weren't going all out?" Kyouka asked, before slamming her hands on her desk. "Then what the heck was All Might doing?! He brutalized Izuku!"

"Ah, that. In All Might's case, I told him to be extra hard on those two. I know how much of a softie he can be, and I wasn't going to allow that trait of his making an appearance during the exam."

"Dammit, of course he went easy on us." Katsuki seethed out.

Izuku looked at Aizawa. "So, you telling us that you'll crush us all was-"

Aizawa flashed his signature smile again. "A simple rational deception!"

Tenya chopped his arm towards Aizawa. "Mr. Aizawa, don't you believe you're giving your students unnecessary amounts of stress from all of your deceptions?! Copious amounts of stress can be detrimental to one's health!"

"Be that as it may, I won't be ignoring those who failed. Failure is failure." Aizawa shot quick glares at the failures, making them all shudder a little. "The eight of you will be given extra lessons and you might just wish that you had gone to summer school instead."

"Dammit!" Mina clutched her head.

"We're dead…" Sato dropped his head onto the table.

"And Jirou." Aizawa called out, getting the young girl's attention. "I've taken your earlier argument into consideration, and I'll let Midoriya down when lunch is over. How does that sound?"

Kyouka blinked a few times, not expecting Aizawa to meet her in the middle. "That…That sounds good."

'I still hate that you're the reason All Might was so tough on Izuku…But you could've been worse and told him to go all out. Dammit, why are the teachers here so crazy? I sometimes think twice if U.A was the best choice for us, but it is still Izuku's dream school, so I won't go against that.'

Kyouka was sitting in Izuku's seat, a bento box that she asked Lunch Rush to pack for her on the desk along with a cup of tea with a straw in it.

She opened up the bento box, revealing a bed of rice, tempura, rolled omelet, broccoli, and carrots before grabbing a pair of chopsticks. "Now, what do you want to start with?"

"Sorry you have to do this, Kyouka. I must look super pathetic right now, huh?" Izuku grimaced, looking down at his best friend.

He felt so humiliated that his best friend who is also the girl he likes is having to feed him while he's hung up and useless. He tried to tell her that he wouldn't mind skipping lunch today, but she didn't even let him finish his sentence before she turned him over to face his desk and left for the cafeteria.

And according to her, she already ate a quick lunch before coming here so it's not like he could use that against her to make her leave.

It didn't feel nearly this humiliating when Ochako fed him a while back. But despite how humiliated he felt, he couldn't deny that he kind of enjoyed being fed by Kyouka. It almost made him want to feed her sometime if he ever got the chance.

"Hey, I asked you what you wanted to start with, not what you're sorry for, ignoring the fact that you don't need to be." Kyouka poked his nose with the chopsticks, slightly pouting. "If you won't decide, then I'm picking for you. I heard your stomach growling earlier, ya know. I can tell you barely had anything for breakfast, so I won't accept you waiting half a minute longer to eat."

Izuku sighed, his stomach growling again. She was right about him barely having anything. When both he and Katsuki woke up at the school, they both were given some yogurt by Recovery Girl. They both felt satisfied at the time, but it didn't last long. Izuku was too embarrassed to ask for more food while Katsuki was too prideful.

After taking some time to think about it, he started to open his mouth to request what he wanted first, but before he could say anything, Kyouka put a piece of tempura in his mouth. "Took too long."

Izuku's eyes slightly widened, but not from having the piece of food suddenly put in his mouth. He was just about to request tempura.

'Is she a mind reader or does she know me better than I thought she did? Could I predict what she would want to eat first? I should try that sometime to see if I know her better than she knows me. At the same time, meat is the first choice for a lot of people, so I could just be more predictable than anything.'

While Izuku started to chew on the tempura, he heard the sound of a growling stomach right behind him along with two pairs of footsteps slowly walking.

He could easily picture what was happening behind him.

"What do we feed it?" Kaminari asked as he and Sero slowly circled around Katsuki.

"Dunno. Goat's blood?" Sero grabbed a ruler and poked Katsuki's leg. "Or do we give him a sacrifice of some sort?"

"Shuddup!" Katsuki threw a kick backward, kicking Sero's head and he began to fall onto Izuku's table, but Kyouka punched his head away before he could land on her hero's lunch.

Sero's face slammed into the wall with a bloody nose and flattened face, unsure if the brunt of the damage was caused by Katsuki's kick or Kyouka's punch. "Why is it always me…?"

The boy fell to the floor, now unconscious while Kaminari poked his body with a ruler. "At least you're still alive."

"So bothersome…" Kyouka sighed, feeding Izuku some carrots this time.

'Why can't they leave him here to starve? Better yet, have him hung up at the front gate. He can be the laughingstock of the school and exposed enough for reporters to shame him live in T.V. Oh, that would be gold.'

She now started to imagine Katsuki hanging up by the gate, only wearing tighty whities while tomatoes can be thrown at him. The image of that scene made a small snort escape from her. "What's got you laughing out of nowhere?" Izuku asked as Kyouka fed him a piece of omelet.

"Oh, nothing much. But I will tell you that it's something I wish would be a reality." Kyouka held up the cup of tea near his lips for him to drink.

"Whatever you say." Izuku took a few sips of tea, hearing Kirishima enter the room.

"Yo, Bakugo. I got you some lunch." Kirishima held a hamburger patty with some rice on top, some of the grease of the burger making a mess of his hand. He then glanced at Kyouka and Izuku, seeing the bento box on the desk. "Damn, Jirou got a bento made? I should've thought of that."

"Idiot, did you even wash your hands? I'm not eating that crap if your germs are all over it." Katsuki glared at the food in Kirishima's hand.

"No need to worry. I would never handle another man's food with dirty hands." Kirishima looked down at the food, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't bring chopsticks either, so you have to eat it from my hand."

Katsuki rolled his eyes. "Disgusting...Just bring it close to my mouth. I'll eat it like that."

Kirishima nodded and brought his hand close to Katsuki's mouth. Katsuki groaned before starting to begrudgingly eat the food, feeling more humiliated than Izuku right now.

Kyouka leaned to the side and smirked, seeing how Katsuki ate his food. "Wow, Bakugo. You're finally eating in a way that suits your personality. Like a dirty mutt."

Katsuki growled, trying to turn his head to face Kyouka, but with no success. "Who're ya calling a mutt, Earlobes?!"

"I'm sorry, maybe mutt isn't the best word to use. Mongrel works better." Kyouka's smirk slightly grew, still feeding Izuku while taunting Katsuki while using her other hand to wave him off. "Careful he doesn't bite your hand, Kirishima. That mongrel doesn't have any manners."

"Guys, can we just focus on our lunches?" Izuku suggested even if he was kind of curious about how Katsuki looked while eating his food.

"This is none of your business, De-ya nerd!" Katsuki then turned back to his food, scoffing. "Dammit, what do I care? Both of you morons shut it and let me eat in peace."

"Like you could ever do anything in peace." Kyouka grumbled, not catching Katsuki's small slip-up, but Izuku did.

Izuku took a bite of broccoli, starting to think of just what he and Katsuki were now. In no way were they friends now, and he doesn't know if he'd even want to be Katsuki's friend again after all that's happened.

But the hatred that was between them either seemed to be gone or lessened by an extraordinary amount. He didn't know what to make of this situation.

He hasn't called him Kacchan since yesterday, and Katsuki hasn't called him Deku either. Is that a good thing? Should he start calling him Kacchan again and let Katsuki call him Deku? No, that can't be right.

But what should he call Katsuki from now on? Katsuki? No, that'd be too much and basically trying too hard to seem like friends again. Bakugo? Maybe that could work?

He wished he could read Katsuki's mind right now because he's surprisingly not all that easy to read when he isn't yelling.

Even when they were alone while Kyouka was grabbing his lunch, they both were silent to each other. If this happened last week, he would be almost certain that Katsuki would either be trying to fight him while they're tied up or berate him the entire time.

'Maybe there's no use in thinking about it. All it'll do is confuse me. And it's not like he'd want to talk about it either, especially to me. What am I going to do with you, Katsuki Bakugo? What can I do? Dammit, why can't these types of things be easier to handle? If only I could have some kind of mind-reading quirk. Then again, even reading his mind might not be enough to understand his thoughts. I can only imagine the kind of mess that's in his head…'

Izuku continued to eat, his thoughts still lingering on how complicated the relationship between him and Katsuki is. But he could easily admit that most of these complications came from his old friend.

'I think the only choice I have is to let things naturally play out and see what happens. Needless to say, it won't be as simple as I'd like it to be.'

He was then suddenly snapped out of his thoughts by hearing the bell ringing, his body slightly jolting at the sound.

He looked down at the bento box to see that it was now empty. It seemed like he was on autopilot while he was lost in his thoughts.

'Time really does move crazy fast when you're lost in your thoughts for too long, huh? Can't say this is my first time bearing witness to this. My muttering can make time fly by in an instant while it feels like a long time for others.'

"So can someone let me down or should we wait fo-"

"You're a free man now, Midoriya!" Kaminari climbed onto a desk and hopped on Izuku's back.

Izuku's body started to swing while Kaminari laughed. "Wh-Whoa! What are you doing?!"

"Let's get him down!" Sero fired tape around Izuku's chest, starting to pull him down.

"Hey, be careful with him." Kyouka warned, standing up and closing up the bento. "He just spent the night at the nurse's office and I don't want him back there."

"Guys, I-I don't think this is helping! Kirishima, can you help with these two?!"

Kirishima wiped the grease from the finished food onto his pants before smirking. "I got you, Midoriya!"

Kirishima hardened his arm and leaped into the air before forcefully swiping his arm toward the bindings, cutting it and freeing Izuku.

Izuku ended up falling onto the floor, barely missing the desk. But when he landed, he and the other guys, save for Katsuki, just carelessly laughed with tears forming in their eyes. In the meantime, Kirishima went over to cut the bindings off of Izuku's body entirely.

Kyouka was about to scold the three boys for treating her hero so roughly, but something caught her attention before a word could leave her mouth.

The bandages that were on Izuku's left bicep became undone from all the mayhem he just went through. Kyouka's eyes went wide as she gasped, seeing what was hiding under those bandages.

There was a scar on two sides of his left bicep, most likely caused by the piece of debris that pierced him after Katsuki fired that explosion from his gauntlet.

'It's not enough for you that you made him fail. You just had to leave him a permanent physical reminder of you, huh Bakugo? Nothing you do is ever enough for you. You always have to do more.' Her eyes moved from Izuku to Katsuki's hanging body. 'But you're helpless right now. You can't do anything to stop me from doing whatever I want to you.' She picked up the used pair of chopsticks, gripping them tightly.

Before she could do anything, Izuku placed his hand on his shoulder, still laughing, and used his other hand to wipe his tears away. "Remind me to not trust those guys in letting me down if I ever get hung up again. Next time, I'll wait for Mr. Aizawa before saying anything."

Kyouka let go of the chopsticks, letting them fall to the floor before letting out a small laugh of her own. "Yeah, but at least you have your freedom now." She gave a smug look, walking towards Katsuki and placing her hand on his shin. "Bakugo on the other hand…"

Katsuki felt the hand on his shin and his eyebrows furrowed, trying to move his leg away. "You better take your hand off m-"

Kyouka suddenly spun him with as much force as she could, watching as the boy spun in rapid circles like a record before pulling out her phone. "Aaaand record. This is sure to make a good post online."

"Ya better not, Earlobes!" Katsuki shouted out, still spinning with no signs of slowing down anytime soon. "I swear you'll pay for this!"

"Okay, I think that's enough spinning for now." Kirishima started to approach Katsuki, ready to stop him but was held back by Kaminari and Sero who were holding out their phones, recording as well.

"Wait, wait. This is some good stuff."

"Give it like a few more minutes. At least until Mr. Aizawa comes back."

"Fine…I'm sorry, Bakugo. It's nothing personal, man." Kirishima put his hand over his mouth to try to stifle any laughs that escape his mouth. "But I can't deny how hilarious this looks."

"I'll kill everyone in this room! You're all dea-Oh god…My stomach…"

"Watch out, he's gonna blow!"

"I'm outta here!"

"Get down, Izuku!"

"Huh?!"

"You've killed us, Jirou! Our blood is on your hands!"

The Next Day

Yesterday, when classes ended and when a certain mess was cleaned up, some of the students planned to go to the mall together in order to shop for any supplies needed for camp. So now they were at the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall, looking around the various shops.

Two young girls suddenly ran past the students, chasing each other, but they all noticed that the slightly older girl was wearing a Stain mask and wielding a plastic katana, swearing to kill all the bad guys.

"Whoa, Hero Killer merch…." Kaminari's eyes followed the young girls for a moment before looking back at his friends. "Even I gotta admit that's pretty messed up."

Mineta felt a shiver go up his spine. "You don't think there'll be copycat killers roaming around, right?"

"Don't be silly. You'd have to be really stupid and insane to try to copy that dude." Mina berated, but couldn't help but feel a shiver go down her own spine.

"Iida, are you okay?" Izuku placed his hand on his friend's arm. "I know we've already talked about it, but-"

"I'm alright, Midoriya. I've told you that there's no need to worry about me anymore." Tenya smiled at his friend before looking at a shop that was selling this kind of merchandise. "It is unfortunate, but that's the world we live in. All I can do is hope this trend doesn't have significant longevity."

"Guys, let's refocus on the reason we came here. We don't want our moods dampened because of some simple merchandise." Shoji suggested.

"I agree. I am in dire need of proper camp supplies. I've never been, so I'm quite excited." Momo clasped her hands together.

Ochako gasped. "You've never been camping before? That means you've never had a s'more before either." She grabbed Momo's arm in excitement. "We gotta get the best stuff for s'mores!"

"May I tag along? I'd like to provide my input as well for s'more." Tokoyami requested.

Ochako nodded. "The more the merrier. Jirou, you wanna come along too?"

Kyouka slightly raised her hand, giving the other girl a small smile. "I'm good, but thanks for the offer. I kinda want to…you know."

Ochako blinked before giving a silly smirk, leaning into Kyouka's ear. "I get it. You want to spend more time with Dekiru, don't ya?"

Kyouka's cheeks went red and rapidly shook her head, whispering back. "Th-That's not it at all, Uraraka! It's-" Before she could explain, Ochako, Momo, and Tokoyami walked off. "You…You seriously had to bait me like that…?"

"I'll grab me some nice summer clothes! Bug spray too!" Toru ran off towards a shop, followed by Mina.

Kirishima scratched his head. "I hope we don't lose those two." He then looked at the ones who remained with a toothy grin. "Well guys, let's just all decide to meet up back here, okay? I'll send a message to everyone else who just left too." He walked off himself, waving at his friends. "Welp, see you all later!"

The ones who remained split up and now Izuku and Kyouka were walking through the mall, both wanting to say something to each other, but didn't know when to say it. After a few minutes of awkward silence, they both stopped walking and turned to each other to speak.

"Do you mind if I go somewhere else for a bit?" The two teens asked each other at the same time.

"Oh."

"Hm."

"So, what are you looking for?" Kyouka asked, twirling around her earphone jack.

"Oh, I have an item I want to pick up." Izuku answered with a slightly wavering smile, technically telling the full truth, but keeping some details from his best friend. "And you?"

"Same here actually…" Kyouka's smile wavered as well for the exact same reason as Izuku's.

Izuku clicked his tongue. "Nice…So, let's say we meet back here after we get our items?"

Kyouka nodded, snapping her fingers. "I was going to suggest the exact same thing. We'll meet back here and continue our real shopping."

"Sounds good. Guess I'll be seeing you in a few minutes." Izuku gave a thumbs up.

Kyouka gave him a thumbs up back. "Yep. Don't take too long now. I'll see you in a few minutes."

The two friends then separated, making their way to pick up their respective items.

As they walked toward their destinations, both teens were thinking the exact same thing.

'Is he/she going to pick up an item for the same reason as me? Should I follow him/her to see what hems/she's getting? Nah, that'd be weird. If it is what I think it is, then I don't want to spoil the surprise.'

Izuku rubbed the back of his neck, feeling a little nervous about the specific item he was about to pick up. He was so focused on this that he accidentally ignored a few civilians who said hi to him, recognizing him from the Sports Festival.

He was lost in his own world until feeling an arm wrap around his shoulder, causing a chill to run down the boy's spine.

"Um, hello?"

Kyouka had just finished picking up her item, keeping it boxed and bagged, gently swinging the bag back and forth as she made her way back to the place where she and Izuku agreed to meet.

She had just made it down the escalator and turned a corner to see Izuku sitting in front of her.

Normally, she would have smiled and waved at him, but something was wrong.

A man with shaggy white hair and a black hoodie was sitting right next to Izuku with his hand wrapped around his throat.

The logical thing to do in this kind of situation is to analyze the situation before her eyes and try to rationally think about her next move, whether it's taking physical action or talking. That's what she was taught in class and at her internship.

However, Kyouka threw all those lessons out the window and shot her earphone jack forward, stopping in between the man's eyes. "Let. Him. Go."

The man went cross-eyed to look at the earphone jack before letting out a small cackle. "Be careful with that jack of yours. You could seriously kill someone."

Kyouka recognized the creepy voice of this man as her eyes narrowed at him. 'It's the creepy hand villain from the USJ. Shigaraki, was it? Wait, his quirk decays people when he touches them, right? Izuku's still alive, but there's one finger not on his neck. So, the quirk's only activated if all five fingers make contact? Either way, I have to be careful and make sure Izuku gets out of this mess alive.'

"Shigaraki, right? What are you doing here?" Kyouka asked, keeping her earphone jack steady, ready to attack at any moment.

Izuku struggled to speak from the pressure on his throat letting up, but still trying to force a smile. "K-Kyouka…Just go and leave us alone….N-Nothing's happening here."

"Don't even try to lie to me, Izuku. I know you're in danger and if this guy doesn't let you go right now, then he'll pay the price. Dearly."

"So violent. And here I thought public quirk usage is illegal. What are they teaching you at that preppy school of yours?" Shigaraki taunted before his middle inched closer to Izuku's neck, the boy feeling the heat of the finger. "Unnecessary violence might make me misclick and I'm sure you wouldn't want to see this brat be reduced to dust, am I right?"

Kyouka flinched slightly at the threat, her earphone jack slightly shaking, but she forced it to stop as soon as she could. But despite her physical reaction, her eyes were still focused on Shigaraki.

Shigaraki slightly loosened his grip on Izuku's neck, allowing the boy to breathe better as he took in a sharp inhale before coughing a little, but Shigaraki still showed no signs of letting go. He made eye contact with the girl, a crazed, splitting smile on his face, clearly amused by her. "You're different from the other heroes. Usually, a hero would want to detain me and have me arrested by the police. But you...I can see it in those beady little eyes of yours. You want to kill me."

"N-No…I don't. Stop trying to distract me." Kyouka clenched her fists. "I'm only trying to stop you from hurting my friend."

After his coughing fit, Izuku gave her an approving smile for not giving in to his taunts, but that smile of his made her a little guilty.

Because she wanted to kill Shigaraki. The only thing that was holding her back from giving in to this urge was Izuku's presence calming her down along with him being the hostage in this situation who could get killed if she makes the wrong move.

"Whatever you say." Shigaraki sighed, his free stitching out, gesturing to some of the people walking by them. "Doesn't it make you angry that I'm holding this boy by the throat and not a single person is taking a second glance at him? They don't even care that he could die at this very moment. Even if someone had noticed, they're probably thinking something along the lines of 'Oh, that boy will be fine. A hero will save him.' Even now, with you threatening to attack me when this brat's life is on the line, no one is doing a damn thing. They're all NPCs who are waiting for the heroes to take action without doing anything themselves."

Kyouka couldn't help but take glances at some of the people that passed by them. He was right. No one was even looking the least bit concerned about their current situation. A little boy pointed at them, but his parents simply diverted his attention by pointing out a toy store while a young adult couple gave the weird stares, but ultimately shrugged them off. Even on the floor above them, some people were leaning over the railing and watching, curious as to what was going on.

'They're not even calling for help? Hell, any one of them could intervene and grab Shigaraki's hand. I'm sure one of these people has a quirk that can help.' Her blood began to slowly boil, frustrated that no one was doing anything to help her hero. She quickly looked back at him to see that he was still smiling at her, obviously trying to reassure her that everything will be fine. She smiled back at him, her blood cooling back down.

But her smile disappeared, the intense look returning to her face, not wanting Shigaraki to think she's letting her guard down. "I'm not listening to any more of your crap words. Release Izuku right now. I won't repeat myself."

"I just might, but I want to give you a choice in the matter. But here's a fair warning, your choice might have consequences. Do you want to save your friend here or take me down?" His free hand scratched at his own neck. "Choose now, hero. I may end up killing hundreds or thousands of people one day. The numbers might even go up so high that you won't be able to count them. Or…is this boy worth more than all those lives?"

Kyouka knew she could do it. With just a single and swift move, she could jam her earphone jack into his ear to incapacitate him, so the police could take him away. With him being the leader of the League of Villains, that group is sure to crumble without him and ultimately create a better future for the society they live in. But if she did that, then Izuku would die. He would die because of her.

That's a gamble she's not willing to take.

Her earphone jack slightly moved back, signifying her choice. "Are you going to let him go or not?"

Shigaraki let out a light chuckle, finally letting go of Izuku's throat and standing up as the earphone jack was fully retracted. "Fine, fine, I'll go. But I'll have you know that I didn't take kindly to you threatening me. I better not see that thing near my face again or I'll be real mad."

Shigaraki began to walk away and Kyouka immediately rushed to Izuku, checking his throat and body for any injuries, throwing multiple questions about how he was feeling physically and emotionally. But Izuku brushed off those questions and looked at Shigaraki. "Tell me…How much do you know about what All For One is after?"

Shigaraki stopped for a moment, slightly turning his head. "Dunno. But you brats better not get in my way again. Or else I'll have to kill one of you in front of the other without giving you any choice in the matter."

He continued to walk away again, various people starting to cover his body while Izuku kept his eyes focused on his back. "Dammit…"

"Get back here!" Kyouka began to run towards Shigaraki, but Izuku grabbed her arm to hold her back.

"Kyouka, we can't. Going after him and initiating a fight can endanger the lives of the civilians here and your own." Izuku grit his teeth, watching as Shigaraki disappeared into the crowd. "But I can't lie and say that I'm not a little frustrated that we're letting the perfect opportunity to apprehend him go to waste. We should contact the police and tell them what we know right away."

Kyouka kept her eyes towards where Shigaraki was headed, before closing them and facing Izuku. "You're right…Um, you're not gonna mention how I threatened to attack Shigaraki, right?"

Izuku traced his thumb and index finger along his lips. "My lips are sealed. After all, you do know about my secret fight with the Hero Killer, so fair is fair."

"Okay…And you're not mad or disappointed that I chose to save your life instead of taking down Shigaraki, are you?" Kyouka looked a little worried to hear his response.

Izuku simply shook his head. "Not at all. I would have chosen the same option as you did. Someone directly dying because of a choice I made would put a lot of weight on my conscience. That person being my best friend would increase that weight by so much."

"Same here." Kyouka told the half-truth, wondering how much it would weigh on her conscience if so many people actually do end up dying because she chose to save Izuku, but she quickly brushed that thought off.

"Look at it like this. If we or another hero can somehow stop Shigaraki very soon, then we don't have to worry about any consequences."

"That's very optimistic. But your optimism is one of your good traits."

"Thanks. You know how proud of it I am. Mind telling me some of my other good traits?"

"Okay, you're not getting that out of me so soon. Maybe one day I'll list them off you."

"PowerPoint?"

"We'll see."

After both friends finished their banter and fully calmed each other down, they both reported the incident with Shigaraki to the police, providing as many details as they could, including what he said to Izuku and his appearance.

They couldn't return to their homes until later that night when their parents arrived to pick them up. They both came at separate times so they didn't get the chance to meet each other, but they both acted similarly, being very concerned for their respective child.

As Kyouka was being driven home, she looked out the window, seeing this tall skyscraper in the city. For a moment, she felt an uneasy feeling in her stomach, but the feeling went away as the car turned and the building was no longer in sight.

'It must be a scary feeling to be on top of a skyscraper. But you'd at least be on top of the world. Izuku would look so cool if he was perched up on top of one…'

In a dark room that was only lit up with screens and servers, an old man in a lab coat sat in front of a computer, his chin propped up by his hand. "Tell me Master, how did you enjoy your little role-play session at the retirement home?"

"I enjoyed it very much, Garaki. You should've joined me on my little excursion." A voice behind him spoke, and Garaki slowly turned his chair to face the back of the man who sat across the room.

The man's face and neck were covered in scar tissue, save for his mouth and a few various tubes sticking into his face and throat as a life support system.

He wore a black suit with a white shirt underneath, looking like he was ready to attend a formal event of some sort.

This man was none other than All For One, the natural enemy of One For All.

"I don't believe that would have worked out in my case. Unlike you, I have an actual career and image to uphold." Garaki folded his hands together. "That whole excursion better have been worth it, considering the papers I had to forge for you."

"Indeed it was. No need to be concerned."

"Good to hear." Garaki started to turn back to face his computer again, but All For One continued to speak.

"Did I ever tell you that I used to be in theater when I was in high school?" A small smile formed on All For One's face.

Garaki stopped himself from turning and raised a brow in slight interest. "I have no recollection of that. I never would've taken you for an actor."

All For One let out a small chuckle. "Oh yes, and let me tell you, I was one of the best, if not the best. The audience was always captured and hypnotized by my performance, not a single one bothering to look away even for a split second. I attempted to coerce my brother into joining, but he was too shy to put himself out there. It was such a shame. We could've been one amazing duo on stage." He slightly moved his head up, facing the ceiling. "It's funny, really. The only reason I joined in the first place was that there was a girl I was smitten with who was in theater. But over time, I forgot all about her and was absorbed in the art of theater."

Garaki was now fully turned back around to face his master, his attention fully captured. "If you were so absorbed, then why didn't you pursue the life of an actor?"

"Excellent question, good doctor. But I like to think that in a way, I am still on the theater stage. Give me your opinion, do you think theater and comic books are the same?"

"Again with the comic books? Please tell me you're not going to give another explanation on why they are the best form of storytelling that lasts for hours."

"Excuse me for being so passionate. I know I may ramble at times, but I give you my word that I'll keep it short and simple. Now, answer the question if you may."

Garaki sighed, deciding to indulge him. "No, I don't think they're the same. I may not have a deep understanding of the arts, but it's clear as day that theater is a lot more complex than comic books are."

All For One raised up a finger. "I'll have to disagree with you on that. Despite the many different forms art can take, the only real difference is the way the stories are outwardly transmitted to the people. But they all share one fundamental similarity, which is at every art's core. That is the purpose of communicating an idea to the people. And within these ideas, there are roles. Whether it is actors, writers, artists, the subject, etc., they all have a role to play. It's the same thing in real life. We all have our roles. Wouldn't you agree with me on that?"

"I suppose so. I may have to read up on that if ever have any free time."

"Please do. I'd be delighted to have a nice conversation that's not one-sided with you. Now, Doctor. Please continue with your work and I'll continue with mine."

"Alright." Garaki returned his full attention to his computer.

All For One faced the screen in front of him, pressing play to listen to the performance of a certain girl in the Sports Festival, as his lips curled into a wide grin.

"Kyouka Jirou, your role is coming up soon. It's a small one, but I'm certain that it'll leave quite an impact."

A/N

Chapter 56 is done! Don't get used to me releasing chapters this fast. Even though I'll definitely post 2 in March, you never know how things will turn out. I'm also both worried and excited for the summer camp arc.

Honestly, even after posting this chapter, I wonder if I could've done more with Shigaraki's scene in the mall. But I do plan to do a bit more with him later on, so it could be worse I guess.

Admittedly though, I'm not entirely sure what I'll do with him. But you all know I'm making most of this story up as I go along with only a couple of key things planned out.

Also, yes. All For One was a theater kid. I have decided that it is canon. He probably ate out at Denny's way past midnight after a show with his theater friends. Oh my god, he probably always got the Grand Slam.

Time to get to the reviews!

zionjedi8: Guess Kota dies. Joking. Or am I?

Migetsu Newgate: Reaching that many chapters does scare me though. I miss when this story was only meant to be 10 chapters when I started.

TOPCAT-59: She's gonna snap. Like a KitKat bar.

Bucio: To be brutally honest, I still haven't figured out the full details on how Kyouka will be affected mentally.

drake wind: Unfortunately he didn't due to technicalities and stuff, but no need to worry about the next arc. I have ideas for that.

Mew-the-Dark-Matter-buster1: Hey keep on that fanfic grind as long as you're not letting the grind get in the way of any important things. Maybe one day I'll fully decide what I want to do with her in the long term future, But I can guarantee you this. I'm gonna have fun writing it. Whether she's suffering or not.

Ability King KK: Sometimes a simple fight is all you need.

XxCaseyXx: Like I said, 200+ chapters for at least lewd handholding. And I am not just a garbage writer. I'm a garbage person as well. Jeez, so rude of you to ignore my other garbage aspects. People these days…

benedictloe: Oh god, she might make Kyouka's mindset more unhealthy than it already is.

Warlus999: Maldita sea, desearía poder darle a Kyouka un momento Homelander. Pero no sé cómo podría implementar eso correctamente. Aunque nunca se sabe. Lo tendré en mente.

Robin Chwan Fatliyansyah: Ignoring the fact that Mizu's story is the best of IzuJirou stories in my opinion, I'm grateful that my story is one of your favorites.

Just Asking: If anything, that would just be a one shot, but I'm not 100% against it.

Cyber-RK18: I'm glad I was actually able to be funny for once.

That's all for the reviews!

That's the end of this chapter! Feel free to leave a review!