I'm in that weird space where all my classes are going great and that's weird to me
Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5
Munakata frowned, looking at the sword in the ceiling. "It looks like I can't kill you with that." He hummed, flicking his arms to reveal a bunch of sharp objects hidden inside.
Munakata Kei! Quirk: Weapon Stash. Munakata's quirk allows him to hide numerous weapons concealed within his clothing,even weapons that have much bigger dimensions than his body.
"How about these?" Munakata asked, before rushing toward Kumagawa. Almost effortlessly, Kumagawa began to parry the swords and blades being stabbed at him.
His fighting style is so...smooth. Nighteye thought. Very methodical and precise. But here Kumagawa is, knocking the weapons away with little regard. A katana clattered to the ground at Sir's feet. His eyes narrowed, as he picked it up.
"This will have to do." Nighteye said, as Kumagawa knocked away the final sword. Kumagawa smirked.
「apparently, yes」He taunted, before tossing his screws at Munakata. They dug into his skin, making his eyes widen. Kumagawa expected him to drop- he single handedly just ended this fight.
...imagine his shock when the screws disappeared.
"Thanks for that." Munakata said. "I'm immune to other weapons like that."
「cheap」
"Not really cheap," Munakata smirked, "It's all about being a good counter."
"Counter THIS then!" Mirio said, running in and landing a few good hits on the assassin. He strategically used his Quirk to let his body pass by the countless blades without injury and strike at the assassin.
Munakata slid back, but barely had a moment to react. Sir Nighteye rushed in wildly slashing with his katana. Munakata tried to block, but Nighteye had some power in his swing.
Nighteye's strike actually cut clean through two of the blades the assassin had, much to his surprise. That shock was the opening Nighteye needed, letting him kick away Munakata with a hit to the chest.
Munakata frowned, but quickly recovered. "Not bad." He admitted. "It seems I can't just kill you with these." He then produced two giant sledgehammers. "So, I'll try these."
Mirio raised an eyebrow. He's holding them pretty weird- I've never seen someone hold the hammer near the top of the grip. Is he...clueless on how to use these weapons?
"That...is terrible form," Nighteye added.
「your weapons」Kumagawa noted. 「usually some wielding a weapon would see it as an extension of themselves」
「but you're no warrior」
「you're a killer」
Munakata answered his response by suddenly blitzing his way over to Kumagawa, and swinging both hammers at his head. Kumagawa had to drop his screws to catch the hammers- they hurt, but it stopped them.
Hmmm. Munakata thought. He noticed they carried to much weight to parry. Kumagawa then tried kicking at Munakata's chest, but the boy dropped his hammers and jumped back.
"He dropped his weapons." Mirio said. "Adding credence to Kumagawa's theory."
Out of all the people to hire an assassin...this must be their work, the Hassaikai, Nighteye thought to himself as the assassin suddenly let two chain sickles slide out from his sleeves. He lashed out with them, using the chains to try and disarm Nighteye of the stolen sword. One of the chains wrapped around the blade and forced Nighteye to put some effort into ensuring that the sword wasn't just pulled away.
But he's sloppy. He doesn't care for his weapons, no trademark. Plenty of assassins have a preferred weapon, but even those who don't are still MUCH more skilled than this. And yet he's who they send? A kid? They could've sent anyone. If the animosity was big enough, I'd be seeing members of the Eight Bullets knocking at the door of my agency. There are plenty more assassins with better skill and are more sure to succeed...so again. Why him? Nighteye continued to mentally question.
Munakata smirked. "Okay...I finally got a full understanding of you three. Sorry for the wait...but I know what weapon to use now."
Munakata reached behind his back...and pulled out a massive, spiked staff. Kumagawa's eyebrows went up as the staff went up. "You won't be able to dodge or parry this."
「...that feels like you're overcompensating for something」Kumagawa taunted.
Munakata narrowed his eyebrows. "Just for that...you die first."
「do you have any idea how many times i've heard people say that?」
"Zero, I'd hope!" Mirio said.
「oh my classmates say it all the time. but they're mostly exaggerating」
With that little banter out of the day, the assassin flourished the spiked staff and then raced in towards Kumagawa. More screws appeared in the Shiketsu student's hands for him to throw at the massive weapon. It looked like the walking armory managed to deflect each of the projectiles as he closed the distance.
"You're MINE!" Munakata roared, raising the staff over his head.
「I'd actually stop and check!」Kumagawa said, dodging out of the way of the sudden slam, 「your weapon's not looking too good there」
"The hell are you talking-?!" the assassin began before he realized. The screws weren't deflected, they had actually embedded into the spiked head of the weapon.
"Oh hell," Munakata realized.
Mirio made himself permeable, and in an instant, the weapon SHATTERED. Pieces of metal scattered across the battlefield.
Munakata grimaced. "...NOW I know which weapon I need to use to defeat you."
「what? try the katana again? bring out a monk's spade maybe? Something fancy like a flail-」Kumagawa taunted before the walking armor produced his next two weapons and he immediately shut up.
Munakata was now holding a Smith and Wesson .44 magnum and a Desert Eagle.
「...oh come the hell on.」
Munakata frowned, as he clicked the guns. "I'm no longer messing around."
「suuuure just say you were holding back」
"...I'm doing the world a favor by taking you out of it."
Kumagawa wanted to agree with him. He'd probably welcome death like an old friend. But then he felt a piercing gaze on the back of his head.
Kumagawa frowned, and closed his eyes.
"...I'm gonna have to respectfully disagree with that." Kumagawa said, slamming his hands on the ground. In an instant, screws shot out of the ground. Munakata yelled, barely dodging out of the way of a giant screw. Kumagawa began throwing screw after screw, not giving his opponent a chance to properly aim and fire.
So, this is what trying is like. Kumagawa smirked. I kinda like it.
Kumagawa's relentless barrage of screws filled the air, creating a chaotic storm of metal projectiles that forced Munakata to constantly dodge and deflect. The assassin's attempts to use firearms were rendered futile as he struggled to find a moment to aim and fire.
Mirio smirked. Holy crapbaskets! Kumagawa's going all out against this guy. He seems...so sure of himself.
"It's impressive...I'd thought I had to goad him into giving it his all." Nighteye said, as the timelines in his head started to converge into one point. He could more clearly read Kumagawa's movements, and now he could properly assist. Nighteye watched the projection for a few more moments...
And flinched.
"Sir?" Mirio asked. "Everything ok-"
"Don't let Munakata get a moment to fire." Nighteye said, walking past him, a katana dragging along the ground.
"Y-yes sir!" Mirio nodded. Without hesitation, Nighteye and Mirio leaped into action, joining Kumagawa in their coordinated assault on Munakata. Mirio's speed and strength were on full display as he darted around Munakata, landing quick and precise blows while remaining intangible, making it nearly impossible for the assassin to land a hit. His punches and kicks struck like lightning, keeping Munakata off balance and disoriented.
How the hell can one high schooler hit like a pro boxer? Munakata cursed, as his eyes darted towards Nighteye. Nighteye anticipated Munakata's every move. His foresight granted him a clear vision of the assassin's intentions, allowing him to strike with impeccable timing.
As Munakata raised his Desert Eagle, ready to take a shot at one of the heroes, Nighteye lunged forward, his katana cutting through the air with deadly accuracy. The blade made contact with Munakata's wrist, just as the trigger was pulled. The force of the strike sent shockwaves through Munakata's arm, causing him to lose his grip on the Desert Eagle.
The gun clattered to the ground, the bullet harmlessly embedding itself into a nearby plant, while Munakata let out a pained yelp and clutched his injured wrist. Nighteye scoffed, unamused. "I'm starting to wonder if you've actually been in a fight this long," Nighteye said.
Munakata grunted, as he aimed the other gun at Nighteye, but that was quickly kicked out of his hand by Kumagawa. These bastards...before I had a chance to pull a trigger, Nighteye made it a close quarters fight. Sure, it sounds dangerous, but it's perfect for countering my guns. There aren't too many people who can pull it off...
As Munakata stood there, outnumbered and outmaneuvered, he began to reassess his approach. It was clear that he couldn't rely solely on his weapons to overcome this challenge. He needed to adapt and find a way to turn the situation in his favor...
Munakata noticed the truth when he was very, very young. When walking through a city full of people, he compared them to the wings of a butterfly. Unique and beautiful...but fragile beings. Smash their heads, they die. Strangle their necks, they die. Rip open their chests, they die. Rip open the stomachs, they die. What was life, honestly?
Living was really hard. Sometimes it was a mercy to kill a person with too many burdens. Sure, it would hurt those they loved, but tell me with a straight face you would be totally fine with collapsing and not getting up if you were overworked.
And right now, Munakata was overworked.
He needed to clip the wings of someone…
His eyes darted over to Nighteye. In an instant, Munakata sprang into action, his body moving with a deadly grace. With a powerful roundhouse kick, he aimed directly at Nighteye's arms. The pro hero had been prepared to defend himself against a physical attack, but Munakata's speed and precision caught him off guard.
The force of Munakata's kick collided with Nighteye's arms, causing the hero to recoil in pain. But it wasn't just the impact that Munakata relied on; it was the hidden weapon he had deployed.
It was a screw.
Kumagawa's screw. It had pierced his arms and chest, and had 'fused' them together.
Nighteye flinched. THIS is the future I foresaw- that's why everything went dark. Kumagawa's Screws disable quirks!
Munakata sighed, as he pulled out another gun. "There we go. You're an easy target now..."
"SIR!" Mirio and Kumagawa yelled, before Mirio sprang into action. He knew he had to act swiftly to keep Munakata from delivering a potentially fatal blow to Nighteye. Mirio closed the distance between himself and Munakata. His arm phased through Munakata's body, giving the illusion that he was attempting to poke the assassin in the eye. It was a classic feint, designed to distract and mislead the opponent.
Munakata, momentarily taken aback by the unexpected maneuver, instinctively reacted to the apparent threat to his eye. This distraction provided Mirio with the opening he needed. With a surge of his intangible arm, he delivered a powerful blow to Munakata's stomach, striking him with the force of a cannonball.
Munakata lost his breath, allowing for Mirio to dip into the ground and shoot back up, countering with a powerful uppercut. Kumagawa quickly led Sir Nighteye away, just in time too. Bubble Girl and Centipeder had just walked over, and were shocked to see the state their boss was in.
"S-sir!" Bubble Girl said.
"What-?" Centipeder began, before Kumagawa cut him off.
"Assassin. Quirk lets them manifest weapons out of thin air. Blades, guns, everything," Kumagawa gave the rundown. "Even my screws. Mirio's holding him off for now, but he's stubborn."
Bubble Girl and Centipeder shared a look between them, about to comment on Kumagawa's voice, but they could worry about it later. Priority was to help out Sir and get civilians out of the building. The only good aspect of the fight was that Munakata didn't seem to stoop to some other villains' level, use the people around them as a cheap advantage. Kumagawa doubted it was an honor thing, and more just the kid trying to be professional. Munakata already made it clear that he had no qualms about killing for little to no reason at all.
Speaking of the assassin, he tried to fire off a shot with the one gun he miraculously managed to hold onto, but Mirio just rushed in and expertly disarmed him. He outright stole the weapon out of his hand and opened the chamber, emptying all of the unspent bullets onto the floor.
"Ok, shit...well, if two aren't enough, how about TWENTY?!" Munakata smirked, summoning several different guns into hands, mainly pistols and SMGs. Despite how unwieldly it looked, he could used them all effectively, or rather, he would've had Mirio not kicked them all out of his hands again, sending them clattering across the floor.
"Ok...guns won't do it either huh?" Munakata tilted his head, "How about THESE!"
The assassin tossed two grenades out of his sleeves, making Mirio's eyes go wide. He quickly grabbed the grenades and tossed them out of the building, chucking them as hard as he could before the detonated.
"Are you crazy?! Wait, no, don't answer! You already confirmed that with the reasons to kill-"
And then he saw Munakata take aim with a rocket launcher.
"Does...does the term overkill mean anything to you?" the Permeation hero asked.
"Yes. No kill quite like overkill," Munakata nodded, "So long as my target's killed, I will use every weapon in my arsenal if I have to."
"That's not what I meant by that at," Mirio dropped through the ground, propelling himself over to Munakata and delivering a powerful axe kick to the rocket launcher's barrel, crunching it in half, "ALL!"
Impressive...he somehow managed to strike the weapon without hitting the round and prematurely detonating it, Munakata thought to himself as he tossed aside the broken rocket launcher.
"We done or do you wanna escalate even more?" Mirio asked, still ready to fight.
"No more escalation," Munakata sighed. Mirio let out his own sigh of relief, taking this to mean he was surrendering. But then he was immediately proven wrong. With newfound speed, Munakata actually managed to flank around Mirio and strike a lucky hit, striking the Permeation hero before he could phase through the hit. That one hit reignited the assassin's pride. If he could hit once, then he could hit again. That single possibility was enough for him to be prepared for a round two.
But instead of hitting the floor, Mirio phased through it again. The assassin looked around, his guard the highest it had ever been. He thought that maybe there was a way to predict where Mirio would pop up from, some kind of nearly imperceptible tremor in the ground or the sound of a human body just cutting through soil and tile alike. But that was a vain hope. Mirio silently emerged from the ground behind the assassin and struck him in the back of the head with a roundhouse kick, flooring the walking armory.
"And with that...I think you're done here," the Permeation hero-to-be said a smirk.
Kumagawa gave a sigh of relief. "Thank God that's over. If this fight dragged on any longer...I think he would have out lasted us."
Nighteye grunted. "I'm inclined to agree..."
"The assassin...is a student?" Bubble Girl asked.
"Yeah, we brought that up earlier. And apparently he's on the most wanted," Kumagawa explained.
"Well, he was." Mirio said. "Let's call the proper authorities. They'll know how to properly restrain him."
"Agreed." Nighteye said, as the screw started to disappear. He wiggled his fingers, before looking back up at Kumagawa. "Good work, Misogi."
"Thank you, Sir," Kumagawa nodded. To be commended by his favorite Pro, maybe this was it. Maybe this was the first real win the usually self-defeating student could count on life's scoreboard. Had hell frozen over and no one decided to tell him?
Kumagawa felt...good. This is what winning felt like? Maybe the saying 'good winner Kumagawa' had a place in hi-
"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Bubble Girl's scream snapped Kumagawa out of his rare moment of pride.
"What the-?!" Kumagawa asked, his eyes widening in shock. What he saw shouldn't have been possible. Nighteye was perfectly fine just a few seconds ago, and now four swords were jutting out of the Pro's back.
"Where did those even come from?!" Centipeder asked, his arms already unfurling into large centipede-like whips in case there was another assassin.
Kumagawa looked around in fear, but that's when he noticed something.
Munakata's body was g-
"Assassination." A voice behind him said. "You finally let your guard down. Didn't you learn to never trust what your enemy says?"
A chill ran down his spine. That was supposed to be HIS job to do that. Kumagawa swung his fist around, but the assassin caught it, and pressed a gun against his chest.
"I also haven't used half of the weapons I have."
"How did-" Kumagawa blinked.
"There is a reason I'm so good at my job," Munakata shrugged.
Before Munakata could pull the trigger, two massive centipedes wrapped around his arms and yanked him backwards.
"Bubble Girl! Lemillion!" Centipeder yelled. "Get Nighteye out of here!"
"On it!" Bubble Girl said, supporting Nighteye on her shoulder while Mirio moved to help her. Before she left, she did throw out a collection of bubbles at the assassin's eyes. They popped right in front of him and blinded him for a moment, just as a small bit of vengeance from the sidekick before she and Mirio left with their boss.
"Gah! Son of a-!" Munakata cursed.
Although he was blinded, Munakata unleashed a flurry of weapons from his body. Spears and swords stabbed into Centipeder, making him yell in pain. The assassin freed himself, and once again, he was face to face with Kumagawa.
"Well then." He huffed.
Kumagawa scowled and summoned up two of his screws in his hands. Throwing them was just going to be a waste of time, so these wouldn't be leaving his hands. If this bastard wanted a duel, fine then.
"Hey." Munakata said. "I never got a chance to ask...what's the name of my latest victim?"
...
「me?」
「i'm nobody.」
"Nobody? Terrible hero name."
「hero name?」
「no」
「i'm just nobody」
"Oh, so nobody'll-" Munakata began, getting ready to strike down Kumagawa, only for the student's screws to block any attack that came his way.
「someone who says they're a great assassin is about to be brought low by a nobody. embarrassing.」
Munakata suddenly felt this aura of overwhelming rage, like some beast was about to swallow him whole. Kumagawa's face was obscured by some sort of darkness- the only notable feature left was two perfect white circles where his eyes were. It looked...uncanny.
「you'll pay」Kumagawa said, pointing a screw at his opponent. 「you'll pay for hurting nighteye」
This has to be a front. He's teetering around. Munakata frowned. Even without the battle damage, his stamina is almost totally drained. There's no reason for me to be-
….
Munakata didn't really know what happened next. In an instant, he was nailed to the ground.
He blinked, confused as to what just happened. It felt like time itself had just skipped a few seconds.
「sorry」
He looked up, to see Kumagawa, staring over him. He had a screw ready to stab him, in the chest.
「go to sleep」
Munakata's eyes widened, before his body absorbed the screws. Idiot. Did he forget!?
With the restraints gone, Munakata rolled out of the way of Kumagawa's next attack. The screw just harmlessly stabbed into the ground where the assassin had been. The walking armor made sure to put some distance between himself and his newly ruthless opponent. He looked over his body for a moment, noticing all the cuts and bruises he now sported. It didn't make sense. He only blinked and now he had more wounds than that phase kid ever gave him. Kumagawa couldn't have done that right? His Quirk was just these screws so how?
Whatever. If this kid was bringing out some secret ace, it was time for him to do the same. He held his arms out to the side, much to Kumagawa's confusion and, admittedly, curiosity. Was this just some weird way of surrendering? All that bluster about assassination evaporated in the blink of an eye, did it? He was disproved when weapons began to emerge from all over the walking armory's body. Several katanas and two spears emerged from within each of his sleeves, as grenades formed into two bandoliers that draped down his chest. Scythes, axes, and a few more sword blades jutted out from his back like medieval war banners. A few other miscellaneous blades popped out from beneath his shirt as well.
And then came the guns. Two pistols appeared on his forearms with special rigs setup that allowed him to fire without needing to put his fingers to the triggers. And those were the small calibers. At his sides, folding out from some kind of invisible backup and connecting to his waist, were two miniguns.
「well then. that's...quite a lot.」
"Warmonger, Armory, or Arsenal. Haven't decided on an actual name for this, but it's between those tree," Munakata smirked.
「how original.」
Kumagawa rolled his eyes, before creating a screw under his foot...and slammed it into the ground. Somehow, he did it strong enough to make the whole room shake.
Munakata raised an eyebrow. "Impressive..."
「you can spare me the sarcasm.」
"No, really. I mean it. People could mistake that for an earthquake, but if you're trying to scare me. Not gonna work."
「not scare you. beat you. i've already won now.」
"How?"
And then it hit him. Literally. Swords suddenly stabbed into his back, knocking him to the ground. What?! Where the hell did these swords come from!?
「what's wrong? you looked surprised.」
"What...what did you do..." Munakata demanded, and then more swords rained down from the sky. He looked up- were those his weapons?
「not much. i just exploited one of the key forces of the world. gravity.」
When he and that intangible kid were kicking my weapons away...were they kicking them into the ceiling? Munakata thought. Even though I could absorb his screws, it's because they didn't hurt me. They just stuck in me like a pin cushion. But if I'm not paying attention...
「oh, look at that. looks like you figured it out. and just how screwed you are.」
Munakata grunted. "Fuck you."
Kumagawa smirked, and knelt down to be at level with Munakata. 「as sneaky as you are...you suck at your job」
Before Munakata could even think of a retort, Kumagawa summoned up one final screw and smacked the walking armory into unconsciousness with it.
Kumagawa smirked, and sighed. 「i still won here」
「and nothing can change that」
「nothing.」
Kumagawa blinked...before he fainted.
God he was tired.
He and Munakata lay on the ground, both exhausted from their battle. Centipeder had fainted from blood loss, but he was still breathing. The scene before the corpse flower was...disgusting.
...so no one saw someone approach Munakata.
Munakata blinked. His body hurt to move. He didn't find himself in a hospital room, with police men surrounding him. Instead, he found himself in a dilapidated shack in the middle of nowhere, with low lights illuminating the room and medical curtains surrounding the bed.
He'd escaped. Somehow.
And she was to thank.
"You haven't gotten THAT messed up in a while." A voice said, from behind a curtain.
"Shut up." He huffed, voice weak. His physician appeared from behind the curtain, looking weird as usual. The doctor had shoulder-length purple hair and red eyes. She kept her head wrapped in bandages, exposing only her eyes and mouth, with a dagger sticking out of her forehead. A black body suit was underneath her clothes, hiding any trace of finger prints she'd leave on medical tools. She wore garb you'd see any doctor wearing- it wasn't her usual outfit.
"This is a new place. Detectives scour the old place?" Munakata asked.
"Yeah, annoying, isn't it?" The doctor said.
"A little bit, yeah..." Munakata sighed.
"And, ironically, both had interns apparently."
"Wait, what?"
"Was curious. Did a little digging. The detectives who ruined our last hideout and the kid that kicked your ass were both interns from Shiketsu." the doctor explained.
"And the ghost kid?" Munakata asked.
"Ghost kid?"
"The one who phased out of his clothes to fight me."
"Interesting. There's a quirk I'd like to analyze." Youka hummed.
Youka Naze (not her real name) was the doctor of their 'organization'. She was one of the few practicing medical doctors for villains. She was pretty careless with the gear she had- no one had any idea where she got it, but asking it wasn't at the front of their minds ever.
She had an interest in...quirk factors. What caused them? Could they be replicated? The secrets were hidden so well, it almost annoyed her.
"Of course you would." Munakata said, before sniffing the air. "...what smells like a burnt corpse?"
"Sorry. I have another patient on top of just YOU, you know." Youka huffed, moving the curtain back to reveal-
"If my stitches didn't hurt, I'd burn you alive." The stitched man said.
"That...is the eighth time you've said that," Youka rolled her eyes, "Besides, if you burn me, who will you go to get them fixed?"
"Shut up." Dabi huffed.
"You pull something again?" Munakata smirked.
"Yeah. Now shut up about it." Dabi said.
"Lemme see," Youka sighed, going over to see if a stitch needed replacing, "And don't whine as I work."
"Yeah, yeah..." Dabi huffed. "What about you? How'd you get banged up?"
"Shiketsu kid." Munakata said. "He...did something to me. Dunno what."
"Shiketsu kid, eh? Hmm..." Dabi hummed.
"He used...screws. It was weird." Munakata huffed.
"Hey. You get the pay day?" Youka asked.
"Yeah. Got it up front. Even though I failed. I think the scare attempt will tide the guy over." Munakata said.
"Knowing him...I wouldn't be so sure."
"...who're you talking about?" Dabi asked.
"Nuh-uh. Client confidentiality. I'm a professional after all," Munakata said.
"You're a kid."
"And a professional."
"I could burn you."
"Not in my office you're not," Youka said sternly.
"All money proceeds go to the boss' fund. Any update on..." Munakata asked.
"No. Nothing." Youka huffed. "He's not getting any better."
Munakata winced. The boss was the one person he wouldn't kill...and yet, he was knocking on death's door anyways.
Dabi rolled his eyes. "Jeez. He still sick?"
"Not sick. His quirk is destroying his body. Sound familiar?" Youka said.
"His Quirk?" Dabi asked.
"All the jobs we've been doing...the funds go into a pool we can use for a treatment. Gonna be expensive as hell but worth it," Munakata said.
"...alright. Tell ya what. I hear about anyone that can help out with that, I'll let ya know. Call it my tab if you want."
Youka's look softened. "...thanks."
"Least I can do."
"...you're barely doing anything as is." Munakata snarked.
"Shush."
"We'll take any job." Youka said. "Slice and Mummy are also on hit jobs too. Shishibushi's doing some black mail. Takachiho and Oudo are...God, I dunno, but they're somewhere. And Chimera-"
"Is at the boss's bed side. Yeah. Checks out." Munakata said. "Wish we'd get a lucky break.
Youka huffed. "Listen. We're running out of options. We're all spread thin. From what Chimera said? We have a few months before it's all over."
Munakata took that in, and closed his eyes. "...fuck."
Dabi frowned. "All the more reason for me to do my part." He said, as he stood up. He threw on his shirt and jacket. He looked back at Youka.
"What, you not gonna stop me from getting bed rest?"
"I've given up on that. I'm not even sure you register pain at this point." Youka said.
"That so?" Dabi raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for the tip." And with that, he left.
Youka shook her head. "I haven't been able to find any medical records on that guy. But his quirk...one of the strongest I've ever analyzed."
Munakata sighed, before he laid back down. The boss was gonna die soon. That was...a lot to take in. All my work feels like it's going down the drain. I have my reasons for doing what I do...but are they worth it?
"Hey," Youka said, getting Munakata's attention. "I might be going on a trip in a few weeks. My 'subject' is on the move again, and he's heading in a weird direction."
Munakata lifted his head. "You found him again?"
"A few spottings were sighted off the coast in California. Heard he attacked a military base, before he walked into the ocean. There's a chance he could end up at a specific island in a few weeks, if his previous behavior is correct." Youka said, typing a few things into a laptop.
"You mean how he wanders in a straight line and kills anything in his way." Munakata frowned.
"Yes. Exactly." Youka nodded. "I seriously believe it- if I can get lucky to get a skin sample, maybe...just maybe...I can learn how to replicate his quirk and 'graft' it onto the boss."
"What makes you so sure you can do it?" Munakata asked.
And that's when Youka showed him. Her hands lit up, producing blue flames similar to Dabi's. Munakata's eyes widened, and she smirked.
"Just a feeling."
After Munakata's body vanished from the scene of the crime, one would expect Kumagawa's mood to back to his usual "I am a loser" type deal. Surprisingly, no. He seemed a bit more positive.
I say 'a bit' because it's still Kumagawa.
Injuries were dealt with quickly. Luckily for Nighteye, the swords didn't pierce his back all that deep. All he had were a few scars. Centipeder's arms also were going to make a fully recovery, which was good. While he could 'regenerate', it took a painful amount of time to do so. At the worst, his reach would be a few inches short at the most. Kumagawa had to bandage up for a day or so, but his wounds were the worst out of everyone involved in the attack.
But, for the rest of the week, it was quiet.
"I did some research on our attacker." Nighteye said to Kumagawa, as he was filling out extensive paperwork for the attack. "Apparently the word 'assassin' has lost its meaning."
Kumagawa raised an eyebrow. "Explain."
"He hasn't actually killed anyone." Nighteye said.
"...I thought you said he killed people."
"If he's an expert at killing people, that also means he's also an expert at how not to kill." Nighteye explained. "In fact, I'd argue it's a lot harder not to kill someone when you have so many weapons."
"Then why involve yourself in that life?" Kumagawa asked.
"It's my personal theory that he acts as 'a message'. Overwhelm someone into disappearing off the face of the map. Psychologically, I have no idea why...but he needs professional health." Nighteye said.
Kumagawa's expression remained skeptical. "He turned you into a pincushion."
"Yes, he did," Nighteye acknowledged with a faint smile. "But I'm alive, aren't I?"
Kumagawa smirked. "Fair."
"Misogi, I want to thank you." Sir Nighteye said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "You stepped in without hesitation to defend me. In spite of your doubts...you truly stepped up to the plate."
Kumagawa blinked, taken aback by the unexpected praise. "Uh... you're welcome, I guess."
As Kumagawa blinked back the tears that had welled up in his eyes, Mirio approached him with a warm smile. "Hey, Kumagawa!" Mirio began, "I've got a favor to ask."
Kumagawa looked at Mirio with a mix of curiosity and suspicion. "What is it?"
"When you finally get your hero license...promise me you'll come back to the office."
Kumagawa looked shocked. "You guys want me back?"
"Yeah! Once you got in motion, you were amazing. Never thought a bunch of screws could be so powerful." Mirio joked.
Kumagawa's shock slowly gave way to a mixture of surprise and something akin to hope. He wasn't used to people wanting him around or valuing his contributions. "Promise me, okay?" Mirio asked, extending a hand toward Kumagawa.
Kumagawa hesitated-
The author suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder.
「」
What the-
「i know how his story ends」
「i know what happens to nighteye」
「please.」
「please let me keep this win.」
...
I…
I don't know if I can.
Kumagawa's eyes closed.
「then let me keep this moment.」
…I will.
Kumagawa extended his hand, and shook Mirio's hand. "I promise." He said, an earnest smile on his face.
「」
「thank you」
Jaune finished reading Nighteye's report, and smiled. "Wow. Glowing reviews for Kumagawa. Looks like that partnership really worked out."
Pyrrha looked up from her own papers (she was secretly sad their lazy week had to come to an end). "That's good to hear, actually. Fills me with confidence..."
Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Why's that?"
"...exams are coming up, aren't they?"
Jaune blinked. Before he started to panic.
"I HAVE TO WRITE THEM-"