Chapter 10: Kindness

This was not how Hitoshi expected his day to go.

To be fair, he has never expected anything to go his way, because frankly, it was impossible. You could say Hitoshi is a logical person.

Of course, that could be just his insomnia.

Either way, this has been a shitty day for Hitoshi…well, shittier than normal anyway.

Maybe he thought he could finally enjoy a day in peace, without those jerks at school calling him a villain, a freak, and all that colorful words.

Perhaps since the final term exam is coming, everyone has been equally tense and tame lately.

Well, at least that is what he thought until he came back to the place he reluctantly called home. Where people were supposed to be his family looked at him in disdain.

They never really cared for his existence, and Hitoshi is more or less okay with that. It hurt sometimes, and it infuriated him many times, but there simply was nothing he could do.

No one wants to raise a villain. Objectively speaking, he is not a villain, but it was hard to protest when everyone else told him the same things.

How villainous his quirk is, how he's just another villain in the future. People heard about his quirk and just outright started to ignore him.

Granted, not everyone is like that, but no one wanted to put a target on their back for being his friend.

But Hitoshi is not a villain, and every day he desperately tries to prove others wrong. Through sheer effort in training, academics, or socializing, he tried it all.

And maybe with U.A, he could make his dream come true. Perhaps then, he could proudly make a come-back.

Okay, maybe that is kind of petty, but Hitoshi supposed they all deserved it for looking down upon him.

For now, though, it's just a dream that needed efforts to become true.

He returned home today, where the shouting between his parents never really ended. Neither of them wanted to be here, forced together by something unwanted. Such as Hitoshi himself.

With a scowl on his face, Hitoshi decided to turn the other. He doesn't want to deal with this…not now.

Perhaps a walk will clear his head.

That was a great idea! Walking in the middle of the night, especially in Hitoshi's neighborhood is extremely risky. Who knows how many have gone missing in such folly?

Apparently, Hitoshi was about to find out that himself.

Judging by how he was held up in the air, with his feet desperately flailing around as he desperately tried to breathe, Hitoshi could confidently say it has been a very shitty life.

And this is a very shitty way to end.

The villain kept laughing as Hitoshi began to feel weaker, his vision started to become unclear and his arms started losing their strength.

"Uhg…egh…" He desperately scratched the man's arm, hoping for a miracle to appear.

And indeed it did.

Suddenly, something with a metallic shine flew past Hitoshi's face, impaling the villain in the arm, making him shout in pain, and forcing him to let go of his grasp.

Hitoshi fell to the ground, quite ungracefully he might add, but he couldn't care less.

Immediately, Hitoshi tried to crawl away, as the newly-appeared heroine began to fight with the villain. Hitoshi didn't know who she is, but he sure was glad she was there.

The hero threw out a handful of shining metallic blades from her belly at the villain with frightening accuracy. But the villain was no easy fish too as he used his quirk to block most of the projectiles.

Some of the blades were steered off the track and went flying everywhere. One in particular even grazed his arm, drawing blood under his school uniform.

"Oh. Are you okay, kid-" The hero noticed his grunting in pain and tried to ask, and immediately she was hit by an invisible barrier created by the villain's quirk. She lost her balance and fell to the ground as the villain took the opportunity to run away.

"H-hey! Come back, here!" She shouted as she hastily got to her feet, throwing a number of blades at the villain while chasing right after him.

And in the process left Hitoshi alone in the alleyway.

Okay, fantastic, how responsible of her. Hitoshi would have rolled his eyes or spouted sarcastic words if his arm didn't hurt like hell. Blood was oozing from the wound, and a searing sensation spreading through it.

"Fuck." He grunted in pain.

"That's not a nice word to say." A feminine voice sounded from not far away.

Hitoshi turned back, alarmed. There he saw a short girl, freckles on her face, her curly green hair gently fluttering in the wind. Her green eyes stared at him, appraisingly.

"Who are you?" He narrowed his eyes in suspicion, as the girl's unwavering gaze fell on him.

"You can call me Kiyoko. I'm a medic and I'm here to help." She explained

"In the middle of the night?" Hitoshi raised his brow in skepticism

"I-"

"What is your intention?" Hitoshi asked, activating his quirk in the process

He could see the moment the girl's eyes glosses over as he lost control of her action.

"To help people." An earnest answer that made him widen his eyes.

…Hitoshi decided to let go of his quirk, giving her back control.

"Sorry about that…I have to make sure. This has been a long night." He explained, decided not to meet her eyes

"A hypnosis quirk? Making sure you're safe is fine, but don't do it again, especially while I'm patching you up." Kiyoko sighed as she approached him "This is also illegal quirk usage, but I won't tell as long as you don't use it to break the law."

"I'm-" Not a villain, that was what he was about to protest before being interrupted

"Roll up your sleeve. Let me see your wound lest it get infected." She commanded

Awkwardly, Hitoshi did just that while blushing profusely. His limited interaction with people, mainly girls as they tended to avoid him, made Hitoshi especially vulnerable to his emotions.

The fact that she's the first one that decided to help him willingly doesn't help either.

Now Hitoshi really feels like an asshole for using his quirk on her.

"The cut isn't too deep, but it will leave a scar if ignored. You don't want that, do you?" Kiyoko asked, her eyes fixated on the wound "Wait a bit."

Kiyoko sit down, revealing what Hitoshi recognized to be a first-aid kit and a bottle containing some kind of translucent liquid.

"Hold out your arm, it may hurt a bit."

Hitoshi complied, not forgetting to grit his teeth expecting there to be pain. But his arm was only met with a cool feeling and felt kind of prickly, but it didn't hurt at all.

"It didn't hurt much, did it? This's the common liquid of disinfectant in hospitals, which wasn't really popular compared to healing quirk, but it gets the job done." She explained while carefully washing the blood away from the wound "It's different from pre-quirk disinfectants, which might hurt your healthy tissues and caused pain…but I guess that wasn't widespread knowledge."

Kiyoko opened the med kit, taking out a tweezer and some medical cotton. Gently, she began to apply a light gel of some sort, most likely to increase healing. Hitoshi heard about it before, and the fact that it was made based on a person with a minor healing quirk, which at the time was easier to implement for public usage.

It seemed that she was quite experienced too as she quickly bandaged his arm. Now Hitoshi feels a numbing sensation, but at least the wound bleeds no more.

"I did my best, though you should go to a hospital if it worsens." She advised, "Do you feel hurt anywhere else?"

"I think my throat hurt a bit, but it was probably because I was choked by that villain."

"I…see. It's just a bruise, and you will be fine as long as you don't damage it further." She nodded "With that said…I will take you to the police station. They will get you home from there."

Hitoshi frowned at the mention of his family and kept his head down. But he didn't account for the fact that the green-hair girl noticed it.

"Can you walk?" She asked, offering him a hand

Like the socially awkward person he is, Hitoshi can only look away, embarrassed.

"Y-yeah. I think my legs are still fine." He stuttered, which received a nod in return

"Good. The police station is not far from here." She said and walked onward, making a hand signal for him to follow.

The police station was quiet, with the sound of chattering and keyboard typing once in a while.

Then a green-hair girl entered, trailing behind her a boy with wild purple hair, and bandages on his arm.

"Hey, Naomasa! The medic kid is here again…and with a boy!" An officer with cat features called out loud

The voice caught everyone's attention, as looks were directed their way. Kiyoko can only sigh and Hitoshi, admittedly, felt flustered too.

"What?" A tall man with short black hair and eyes said, stopping his work for a moment.

"Hey, Ko-chan! Another patient so soon?" The cat officer then cheerfully asked

"People in this area get hurt a lot, I'm just glad to help," Kiyoko said with a slight smile on her face

"So you must know this is getting very risky, right?" The man with black hair, who Hitoshi knew is Naomasa.

"I know. But I need to help people and-" She took a deep breath "I can defend myself if push comes to shove."

"You are giving me a lot of headaches these days, kid." Naomasa sighed "How did he get hurt?"

"Well, you see-" She was about to explain when-

"NYEHH!" A deep female voice resounded across the station

Then a body literally got thrown past the door, landing on the ground with a thud. It was the man that attacked Hitoshi before.

He was very much unconscious.

Then a woman in black clothes came in. On her body adorned many knives like some sort of jewelry. She came in with a toothy grin.

"Another villain apprehended!" She exclaimed proudly, and Hitoshi could feel many people in the police station roll their eyes.

Then her eyes went to Hitoshi

"Oh. It's you, purple bush. Glad to see you alive and kicking." She joked but froze upon seeing Kiyoko narrowing her eyes "Erm…sorry about before. I kind of messed up with my attack there."

Naomasa seemed to piece everything together pretty quickly after looking at the heroine and Hitoshi's wound.

"Really, Blade?" He asked "Didn't I tell you to be careful with your knives? It may get a civilian killed some days."

It was almost funny seeing how much the heroine, Blade slumped down, silently sulking.

"…got it, Tsuki." She answered with crocodile tears swelling in her eyes.

"Talk with Sansa over there. I need to discuss a few things with this kid, first." He commanded as the cat officer stood up, saluting. Blade could only sigh.

He directed Hitoshi to follow him as Kiyoko approached the officer and whispered something to him.

Naomasa looked at him, expression unreadable as he sighed.

"You need to take care of yourself first, kid." He said, and reluctantly she smiled a bit "Okay, don't you worry, I will get to the bottom of it."

Kyoki gave him a light bow as she proceeded to walk in the opposite direction.

"H-hey! Where are you…going?" He asked out awkwardly

Kiyoko spare him a look, and she then gave him a gentle smile.

"People still need my help." She said, but the way her eyes set on him as his stomach dropped "And you, please take better care of yourself."

Then she went out, just like that, making Hitoshi ponder about a lot of things.

Unintentionally, he clutched his arm, where scars untold littered.

It was supposed to be a secret. He wasn't planning for anyone to know.

Hitoshi silently cursed himself for forgetting.

"Before I asked you any questions, keep in mind that my quirk is Lie Detector. It can perceive your answer as either true or false." The officer, Naomasa said, in response, Hitoshi could only shift in his chair uncomfortably

"You will know if I lie?" He asked, most likely for a confirmation

"Unless my quirk malfunctioned, which has never happened before." He responded simply, scribbling down something on his note.

Hitoshi could only keep his head down.

"Let's try this again…I'm dectective Naomasa Tsukauchi. Can you tell me your name?" He asked, and Hitoshi felt like he could melt under that scrunting gaze

"…Hitoshi. Hitoshi Shinsou." He sighed, answering the first question

After a couple of simple introduction questions that Hitoshi could feel comfortable answering, the detective asked Hitoshi about the event that happened, to which he replied in great detail.

"I'm surprised you could keep calm like this. Not many people can keep their head cool when facing a traumatic experience." He said curiously

And Hitoshi played right into his trap.

"I'm used to it." Hitoshi blurted out and immediately tried to cover his mouth, but it was too late.

Naomasa's eyes widen for a bit, before settling down.

"Can you elaborate on that?" He asked

"No," Hitoshi said simply as he stared back at the detective.

"It's fine if the information is too sensitive for you. However, I assured you that whatever you decided to say is safe with me." The detective insisted, on his face laid nothing but patience.

A shame that Hitoshi had to disappoint.

"My answer won't change."

He couldn't say yes. Because the entrance exam is so close, and Hitoshi doesn't want to waste his chances solving trivial problems.

It wasn't trivial at all, Hitoshi himself knew this, but he was stubborn, too stubborn to face the truth.

Hitoshi doesn't need help. Not now.

Naomasa could only sigh wearily.

"You can always change your mind later. For now, I won't pry."

"Thank you, detective." Relief immediately flooded his body

Naomasa wearily turned off the recorder and sighed.

After a moment, Hitoshi decided to engage in a conversation.

"…can I ask you something?"

"Of course. But whether I answer or not is depend." He said, which Hitoshi gave him a light nod

"Uh…who is that green-hair girl?" Hitoshi asked, and the detective immediately raised his brow

"She is Kiyoki, at least that's what she called herself." Naomasa mused "You wish to know about her?"

"Well…she patched me up out of kindness, after all. It's natural that I feel curious." Hitoshi responded as calmly as possible, but he could swear his face was heating up at that time.

"Kiyoko, or as Sansa called her Ko-chan, is a street medic. Well, she first appeared a few months ago, tending to injured people in the street." He explained, "It would have been that way, and no one would be wiser if he hadn't saved a hero not so long ago."

"She…what?! Really?" Hitoshi was at a loss for word

"Indeed. The hero got into an intense fight and suffered a really nasty wound. Kiyoko patched him up and stayed with him until the ambulance arrived." Here, Naomasa had a wistful look "That girl always seemed shy, and wore a smile on her face…but don't let that fool you."

The sudden advice made Hitoshi blink in confusion.

"Anyway, she started to become very bold after that, she once even turned a wanted villain in after saving his life." Naomasa grimaced "I had to give her some quirk-suppressing cuffs for emergency after that."

"She seemed like an…interesting person," Hitoshi muttered, mostly to himself

"I suppose so. My colleagues grew on her quickly, and they took years to even get to know me." The detective laughed fondly while saying that

"…wow." Hitoshi could only exclaim

"I think it was because of the fact that she's genuine about everything. Sincerity can go a long way, after all."

"I suppose so. Thank you for answering, detective." Hitoshi answered earnestly

They both stayed silent for a while.

"Ah, it's getting late, isn't it? Do you need me to call your parent?" The detective asked, then looked to the cat officer "Or perhaps Sansa can give you a ride home."

"I don't…" He trailed off, and Hitoshi could immediately feel Naomasa's gaze on him, searching for signs. "I don't need to go home."

"A runaway?" He raised his brow

"NO!" He protested, a little too loud for his intent "I-…my parents aren't home tonight. And the door is locked. I-well...lost my keys."

"I see." The detective only answered passively

Hitoshi then immediately realized that he indeed fucked up, crafting a half-baked story to a literal human lies detector.

Perhaps this night has really messed with his mind. He wasn't supposed to lose focus like that.

"You can stay in the station for tonight. I believe Sansa's room isn't used very much. We can contact your parents tomorrow." Naomasa just nodded in understanding

"…why?" Hitoshi said, clearly shocked

"I don't know what you're talking about." He replied aloofly "Hey, Sansa, can you put this kid up for tonight?"

"Sure thing, Tsuki." He heard a response from afar, then the cat officer turned back to the heroine "Be careful next time, alright Mrs. Blade?"

"Of course…I-uh really need to subdue some criminals now." She responded apologetically, quickly getting up from the chair "Civilian to save, yeah, that too. U-um, it has been nice meeting everyone! Goodbye!"

The heroine exclaimed as she sprinted out of the station as fast as she could.

Hitoshi could hear Naomasa sigh of anguish behind him.

Somehow, he was amused.

In the dead of night, that's when criminal thrives the most.

Perhaps Naomasa took solace in his job as a detective, working late at night to find clues and investigate mysteries, but it still bore him out sometimes.

Apparently, Naomasa was not alone in that aspect, as he could occasionally hear the sound of yawning and weariness growing around.

Occasionally though, some Underground heroes can bring in criminals that they apprehended, but even then, they will most likely go to other much more accessible stations.

Musutafu is not by any means a small city, and there are posts and officers ready to dispatch at any given moment. The crime rate has been growing up these days as a direct influence of the rising vigilante Stain.

Though, Naomasa thought the term 'villain' was more fitting for the Hero Killer. It was causing the whole of Japan a headache these days, and some maniacs even started to idolize him.

Not to mention a lot of things people failed to notice as this supposed vigilante took the attention. Recently, the yakuza have been getting very bold, also.

Not to mention the medic kid and this new trauma child that resembled Aizawa a lot.

Naomasa sighed…he really needed to get some coffee.

"Detective, I believe you should go rest instead of having coffee," Sansa said from behind him.

Sansa was too sharp about this sort of thing for Naomasa's liking, but Naomasa knew he meant well.

"I suppose so. Perhaps I will have a moment of clarity if I have enough rest." Naomasa sighed, as the intentions were immediately swept off his mind

"Goodnight, Detective." Sansa saluted

Naomasa quickly got himself to his private detective room. The story behind it was kind of ironic.

Supposedly he didn't need this, but Toshinori insisted on having one to have the right environment for his work. The police station just happen to have a discarded waiting room at that time.

So now this is called the detective room.

Naomasa rubbed his head wearily. Sitting on the bed in the corner of the room had the sound of rusty old metal, he sighed.

After a moment of his thought wondering, he took out his phone.

…

"Tsukauchi?" A weary voice on the other end

"Hello, Aizawa." He stated politely "Are you patrolling right now?"

"I just went home. Apparently, an overly-eager Underground hero has been beating up criminals left and right." Although Naomasa couldn't see, he could imagine Aizawa scoffing on the other end

"Blade, isn't it?" He inquired

"…she was annoying. And a little bit reckless, but at least she gets the job done." Aizawa sighed

"I'm glad she's not causing more trouble." Naomasa said, "Is Toga-chan okay these days?"

Aizawa paused for a bit.

"She's getting better. She managed to keep up with her training for U.A, and her therapy session will end soon." Aizawa answered in a soft tone. Well, Naomasa figured that he had a soft spot for his daughter.

Adopted daughter, if you will.

"Glad to hear that. She will make a good hero." Naomasa could only nod his head in agreement

"Of course, she will." Aizawa answered proudly "How's that thing I asked you are going?"

"…there was no record of her. There was no one with the name Kakiru. While I figured it might be a fake name, no one with her distinctive feature had a similar quirk. I figured out someone had a blood quirk and an explosion quirk simultaneously will be hard to find." Naomasa grimaced "A supposed villainous quirk and a heroic quirk combined. Who could have thought?"

"I see. Thank you for trying, though." Aizawa said, his voice sounding hard and uneasy "How's that medic kid?"

"As bold as ever, Aizawa. Although she saved a lot of people…I can't say I approve of her way of helping. It's too reckless."

"Kids these days." Aizawa sighed on the other line "It has been nice talking to you, Tsukauchi. Now I must get some sleep, Nezu has been bothering me persistently these days."

"Mr. Eraserhead is getting famous, huh?" He snickered "Not that I'm jealous of you."

Naomasa could only hear a grunt of annoyance on the other end.

"Goodnight to you too, Aizawa."

Putting down the phone, Naomasa could only sigh. For a moment upon lying down, he could almost feel a sense of normalcy, of peace.

It never lasts long anyway.

Mikumo's Analysis: Underground Heroes

Hero name: The Cutting Edge Hero, Blade

Quirk: Maelstrom

Description: An underground hero that surprisingly thirsts for attention. Her aggressive fighting style and recklessness, however, unfortunately, gave her a bad reputation. Her quirk made water particles spin around her body at high speed and can be controlled through the surface. Her deadliness mostly comes from her weapon, knives that contain a light amount of water inside, allowing her to control it fluidly. She also had good aim and decent martial art, which makes her a formidable foe for most villains without hardening quirk.

Happy New Year, y'all.

Can you guess who Kiyoko is? I suppose it's easy to notice.

Anyway, thank you for expressing interest in my story, especially fencer29. Your comment showed your interest and meant a lot to me. Your appreciation gave me the inspiration to write more.

Until then, see you guys on the next chap. It will be

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...another introduction chap by the way, just for the spoiler.