[Chapter 7]

TW: Child Abuse

"So let me get this straight." Matsuda sipped her coffee. "You brought an Angel, one of those monsters that's been terrorizing Japan and embarrassing heroes, into your home."

"W-well. It seemed like a good idea at the time?" Izuku stammered.

Matsuda continued to look unamused. The two of them were in one of Musutafu City's many cafes, currently wondering what to do about the recent revelations Izuku discovered thanks to his new friend, Pinky. The Slime Angel was originally sitting in Izuku's huge yellow backpack but crawled up onto the table during their discussion, now sucking up his glass of iced tea through a straw.

"If you say so, dude." Matsuda grumbled. "Why are you in your male form, by the way?"

"Oh, I've made it a point to change back sometimes so I don't forget who I am." Izuku said, petting Pinky absentmindedly. "That, and our alternate forms might be the cause for these Angels appearing."

That got Matsuda's attention. The girl perked up, sitting a little straighter.

"What do you mean?"

"I connected the dots with what Pinky here showed me. Think about it. The Angels are Quirks. They come out of nowhere as if by magic, and are incredibly resilient to all forms of physical damage… sound familiar?"

"They're like us." Matsuda realized, nodding in apprehension. "Wait, is that why we're so effective in fighting them compared to regular heroes?"

"I guess so." Izuku said. "Since Pinky here has his own Glitter forcefield, I'm willing to bet the Angels have it too. Ours interferes with theirs, like how an electromagnetic pulse messes with computers."

A dry sucking noise broke them out of their discussion. Both he and Matsuda turned to stare at Pinky, who was slurping up the last remnants of Izuku's ice tea. The boy promptly picked up a muffin from his plate and placed it on Pinky's head, the slime enveloping it moments later. They watched with interest as it began to dissolve within the creature's translucent, gelatinous body.

"Huh. So, uh, where do they come from?" Matsuda asked.

"I wish I knew. Pinky can't actually speak, he just showed me some of his memories." Izuku said. "Or rather, his host's memories."

"Of course he belongs to someone." the brunette hummed. "I wonder if they'll be able to give us some answers…"

"I doubt it. She seemed like a normal girl our age. Pink skin, black eyes, and horns." Izuku shook his head. "Even with those distinct features, trying to find one girl in this city would be like searching for a needle in a haystack."

"What makes you so certain she's even here? She might not even be in Japan."

"Good point. However, I do think Pinky's host is in this country for two reasons." Izuku leaned in a little closer. "One, she spoke Japanese in the memories I saw. Two, every Angel we've encountered so far has been in Japan. In other words, these 'Angel Attacks' are localized incidents."

"Which adds to the theory that we're the cause. If we're drawn to them, they might be drawn to us too. The Angels started appearing right after we got these powers, too." Matsuda said quietly, looking at her hands. "Well, fuck."

"Maybe, maybe not. As far as I can tell, none of the Angels have actively sought us out. They seemed to be more interested in destruction and exploring their surroundings." Izuku muttered, writing in his notebook while he spoke. "In any case, we could test things out by not transforming for a while—"

"Hell no." Matsuda scowled. "Dude, I may not like being feminine but I like being in this form. It's better than being… me. How about we try to find the source of these things instead?"

"That works too." Izuku agreed reluctantly, touching his cheek and wincing. "Ow."

Matsuda raised a brow, inspecting the boy's face. Izuku tried to hide it but she didn't let him, leaning forward to get a closer look before she backed off. The bruise on his cheek throbbed and Izuku looked away in shame, eyes suddenly glued to the tabletop.

"What happened?"

"I-It's nothing."

"Did your mom hit you?"

"W-wha—no! I just… it was just trouble in school." Izuku blurted out.

Just like usual. Bakugo had shoved him hard in the school hallway earlier, introducing Izuku's face to the classroom's doorframe. Everyone, even the teacher, pretended not to notice and classes just went on as per normal.

Matsuda scowled, retrieving a small case from her bag. Opening it, he was surprised to find that she was carrying makeup.

"Eh? I thought you didn't like being feminine." Izuku mumbled.

"This isn't what you think it's for." she shot back. "Turn your face this way."

After a few minutes of brushing and powdering Matsuda pulled away, showing Izuku his reflection with a pocket mirror. The boy was stunned at how well the bruise was concealed, the ugly purple blemish on his face now reduced to only a slight darkening shade on his skin.

"How did you—"

"People don't bother you as much when they can't see that you're weak." Matsuda closed the makeup case with a snap. "They'll pounce on injured prey like lions on a gazelle. People are animals, man."

"I… I see." Izuku nodded, knowing all too well what she was talking about.

"I guess it's the same for these guys." Matsuda gave Pinky a cautionary poke. "They're animals too, and they follow the law of the jungle. A wolf doesn't care for the opinions of sheep, and I guess that's why they treat Japan like a playground."

A moment of silence passed as Izuku contemplated the idea. It did make sense, in a roundabout sort of way.

"Law of the jungle, huh…" Izuku muttered.

"But if we're the same type of entity as these Angels, you know what that makes us Magical Girls?"

"What?"

"Apex predators." Matsuda's eyes glinted. "Top of the food chain, baby."

Izuku blinked. Was that why some Angels were visibly alarmed just by seeing them? It must have been. Then there were those who fought, probably to challenge their strength and positions as 'alphas'. The boy cupped his chin, now deep in thought. Maybe that was why they were causing destruction—perhaps it was their way of marking their territory? But they refused to hurt innocent people… because other Quirks were inside them? There had to be a link somewhere, but he just wasn't seeing it.

Nevertheless, having Pinky with them proved to be useful in the end. His very existence gave them some clues as to what was really going on, but there were still so many unknowns. This was merely the first step in stopping the Angels for good.

"Think about it." Matsuda said, snapping Izuku back to reality. "If we really are Angels, we're the two of the strongest ones who came over from the 'other side'. I suppose that girl who saved us was the first."

"If only she were here to tell us what's happening." Izuku shook his head. "She was running from those monsters that night too. Other Angels?"

"Maybe, maybe not." Matsuda shrugged.

"These powers must be for a reason." Izuku's hand tightened around his empty cup. "We have to finish what she started and stop the Angels."

"Pfft. Now you're sounding like a real Magical Girl! Like—" She stopped all of a sudden, golden eyes narrowing at something behind him. "Fuck."

Izuku followed her gaze to a waiter serving another customer a few tables away. Matsuda clenched her fists atop the table, her nails carving short but deep grooves into wood. Fury and seething anger radiated from her eyes and she stood, intending to leave.

"I gotta go." she said, snatching her bag off the chair.

"Huh? What's wrong?" Izuku asked, worried. "Is that someone you know?"

"Don't." Matsuda hissed, her expression hurt and angry. "I just… I can't be here anymore. See you tomorrow or something, dude."

She stormed off, leaving Izuku alone with Pinky. The Slime seemed to have noticed Matsuda's anger, wobbling and twitching eerily until Izuku quickly scooped him up and placed him into his backpack. Could he sense emotions or something? The boy's gaze turned back to the waiter, who looked to be one of those popular kids in school. He was a pretty-boy with small horns peeking out from his temples. Izuku's gaze darkened.

A bully, maybe? From Matsuda's reaction it seemed that way.

Izuku left with Pinky soon after, having lost his appetite.

[x]

Aizawa Shota was not exactly having a good evening.

He spun on his heel, dodging the powerful hammer swing that would have split his head open like a ripe watermelon in the summer heat. With that momentum Aizawa struck, his signature wrap scarf coiling around his opponent's foot.

The massive, red-armored villain let out a roar of frustration. Tension stretched the binding cloth tight when Aizawa pulled and caused the villain to stumble, his hair rising as Erasure activated. A pair of glowing blue orbs behind the hammer fizzled out, and what should have been an explosive blow that would rupture the asphalt beneath them became a regular swing instead, cracking the road instead of blowing it up.

Unfortunately, Erasure's nullification didn't work on heteromorphs like the villain Aizawa was facing. His opponent was absolutely massive and stood at two meters tall, clad in heavy armor that was overlaid with shimmering, holographic panels. The worst kind of adversary for his Quirk.

But no good hero was a one-trick pony.

Aizawa fought dirty, scattering caltrops all across the floor. He was outmatched in terms of pure strength, and one hit from the villain would shatter his bones like cheap porcelain. No getting through that thick armor either. All he could do was evade and trip his opponent, attempting to use the large mutant's weight against him.

He didn't expect it when a set of four glowing rings lit up around the villain's hammer, the weapon hitting the ground in a thunderous shockwave. Orange lighting raced across the ground in screaming arcs, forcing Aizawa to jump. A quick glance made him realize the villain's Quirk was still suppressed, but his hammer stored 'charges' of his power somehow.

A cry of shock came from behind him, Aizawa whirling around to see a woman spasming on the spot. She'd been standing too close and was hit by the lighting wave from the electrical hammer, the smartphone in her hand still recording the fight. Aizawa cursed and leapt at her while the villain charged forward, intending to take her hostage.

Pain flared across his body when the electric current surging through her sparked into him as well, the nosy civilian falling unconscious in his arms. He tried to move but his legs were stunned and refused to respond; so all he could do was shield the woman with his own body when the hammer came down on both of them. Aizawa grit his teeth and prepared for impact.

The hammer halted right before it hit his face, stopped by a dainty, gloved hand. Aizawa stiffened, his eyes trailing up the limb and finding a Magical Girl with poofy, emerald hair.

"Hey, man." Miracle said to the villain, giving him a cheerful nod.

Even the villain seemed confused, right until Miracle slugged him in the face. She hit like a speeding freight train barreling down the track, that single punch sending the armored mutant villain crashing through a reinforced concrete wall. Aizawa spotted the visible dent in the man's armored helmet as he slumped downwards, knocked out from the impact.

What incredible power. This girl seemed to be as strong as All Might himself.

Glancing down at the woman in his arms, he did a quick check to ensure that her heart was still beating. Miracle floated a little closer, eyebrows creased together with worry.

"Is she alright?"

"She'll be fine." Aizawa breathed a sigh of relief.

He raised an eyebrow when she floated away and picked up the villain's electrical hammer, giving it a few experimental swings. The weapon weighed at least twenty kilograms by Aizawa's estimation, but here she was playing with it as if it was made of cheap plastic. It landed with a heavy thump when she dropped it, flying away once she noticed the police and more heroes closing in.

"Eraser Head! Fine work, sir—" a young hero began, jogging up to him.

"Take her." Aizawa gently pushed the unconscious woman into his arms, and began running.

"Wha—sir, where are you going?"

"After a problem child."

Aizawa leapt across rooftops and swung from lamposts. He soon spotted Miracle hovering above the street, wearing a large, yellow backpack. It was laughably easy to track her when she wasn't flying at top speed since she left a literal trail behind her, the ethereal, sparkling particles that surrounded her hanging in her wake like the glitter children used in art class.

He soon caught up to her, watching as she scanned the surroundings as if she was looking for something. It seemed that she was on patrol, the Magical Girl noticing him when he landed on the rooftop beside her with a thud.

"Miracle." Aizawa said sternly.

"Hello. Oh, you're the hero from before." she waved at him courteously before narrowing her eyes. "Hmm? Wait a minute. You're Eraser Head, aren't you?"

The girl reached for something behind her, and so did Aizawa. He was gripping the handle of his knife and preparing to unsheathe it, until the girl blurred forward at him with… a shabby-looking notebook?

"U-um, can I please have your autograph?" Miracle stammered.

"What."

"I-I mean, if it's okay with you…"

Aizawa sighed and let the tension flow out of his body, relaxing slightly. Miracle let out a delighted squeal when he signed it for her, the girl hugging the burnt notebook like a precious treasure. Now that she was this close he could get a good look at her, and he was surprised that she was so… small. She really was just a kid.

"Thank you so much, Eraser Head!" Miracle smiled, putting her book away. "It's a real honor to meet you, sir! I mean, I don't have any of your merch but I do have a limited edition trading card pack with you included—"

The Erasure Hero raised an eyebrow. He wasn't even aware he had merch. Much to his surprise Miracle continued to chatter like an excited groupie and started listing down his accomplishments, only stopping when he held out a hand.

"Save it. What are you doing here, problem child?"

"Well, um, I live here? Wait, I probably shouldn't be telling that to a stranger."

"No, I mean…" Aizawa could feel his brows knitting together. "What are you doing patrolling the streets? Isn't this a school night, young lady?"

"It's okay, I always finish my homework early. Besides, I'm looking for Angels and bad guys!" Miracle said casually, as if mentioning what day of the week it was. "Mustard and I make quick work of them."

"Problem child…"

"I'm not a child." Miracle pouted. "I'm fourteen!"

"That only makes things worse." Aizawa said, a headache building behind his eyes. "Why don't you go home and do whatever it is that normal kids do. Study for school. Worry about your outfit for tomorrow. Talk about boys with your friends. Stop your vigilantism as soon as you can, or the Hero Association will only crack down on your actions even harder."

"I can't. I have to fight the Angels and send them back to where they came from."

Aizawa pinched the bridge of his nose, cursing Nezu's name for assigning him to investigate the Magical Girls. Not only was this girl stubborn, she was also blunt. He really, really didn't like dealing with kids.

"Um, please don't attack me. Especially not with your Quirk." Miracle said nervously, eyes flickering down at the road far below them. "I use mine to fly so if you erase it, I'll fall. Like, to my death."

"You said something about where the Angels come from." Aizawa refocused, gaze hardening. "What do you know about these creatures?"

"Not much, really. All I can say is that they come from this 'alternate space', and I'm trying to find out how to stop them from appearing." Miracle looked away, fidgeting in the air. "Please tell us if you find any, Mustard and I are working on nonviolent ways to send them home. They only attack people if provoked."

"Alternate space?" Aizawa repeated. "They have a source, a creator?"

Miracle opened her mouth to reply but jolted when a long, jelly-like tentacle creeped out of her backpack and poked her in the face.

"Pinky, stay put!" she said quickly, bopping the tentacle and causing it to retreat.

"What is that?"

"Nothing! Um, nothing at all!"

Aizawa's mind connected the dots. A Magical Girl… usually had a mascot animal. Miracle squirmed under his intense gaze and began backing off, giving him a nervous smile.

"I, er, got to go!" she mumbled, waving goodbye. "Keep up the good work, Eraser Head! Thanks for protecting the neighborhood and, um, the autograph!"

She rocketed away before Aizawa could get a word in, turning into a glimmering dot in the distance within seconds. The tired-looking man let out a grunt of annoyance, raising his goggles so he could apply a few eyedrops. At least he'd learned something about the mysterious beings attacking Japan, but he got the feeling the Magical Girl would be a major pain in his neck.

Kids and pets. Wonderful. Just wonderful.

[x]

"Kenji, what the fuck is this?"

Matsuda was silent when the clothes hit the floor with a plop, his father's furious gaze rooting him to the ground like a spotlight beam of rage. They were clothes, alright… female clothes. He could see the pleated skirt he wore in his female form alongside a pair of thigh-highs he'd been planning to try. At least the 'Deep Dope' shirt was unisex.

The boy knew what this looked like, what his father was thinking. He struggled for an answer, knowing silence was the worst one of all. Thinking fast, he decided to try and bullshit his way out.

"It's for my p-personal study, dad." Matsuda blurted out. "For fashion design."

"You're still going on about that trash?" the man growled, picking up the clothes. "At least you ain't prancing around in these like one of 'em freaks and f—."

Matsuda tried not to wince as the sound of tearing cloth filled the air, his father ruining his belongings utterly and completely. They were then tossed at his feet, and spat on as if they were garbage. Those were the clothes he'd bought together with Izuku…

"How many times do I have to say this? Why can't you get it through your thick fuckin' head, huh?!" Matsuda's father bellowed, jabbing the boy in the forehead roughly. "You're a fucking man. Stop doing all this namby-pamby girly bullshit! What kind of man wants to be a goddamn fashion designer? Every one of those losers I see on TV are weirdos and creeps who touch children. Especially that fruit Best Jeanist, I bet he…"

Matsuda tuned him out, weathering the homophobic slurs and nasty comments on Best Jeanist's hair. Personally he had nothing against gay people and even thought the hero's hair looked pretty good. The world suddenly blurred before him and he crashed against the wall, reeling from the powerful slap.

"Are you listening to me, boy?!"

"Y-yes, sir!"

"Sure as hell didn't look like it. A fuckin' fashion designer, are you kidding me? You good-for-nothing little shit!" he thundered, alcohol on his breath. "You wanna live among those fuckin' degenerates, suckin' some fool's dick just to survive? No son of mine is ever gonna be one of those freaks!"

His massive hand clamped around Matsuda's neck like a vice, hefting him into the air like a child's toy. The boy let out a pained gasp when his back impacted the wall, driving the air out of his lungs.

"D-dad, please." Matsuda choked, fingers clawing at his neck. "Y-you're hurting me…"

Purple gas was starting to seep from his skin in panic, but it simply drifted past Matsuda's senior's face harmlessly. The man's eyes were bloodshot, teeth yellowed and stained from constant smoking.

"Dad…" Matsuda whimpered.

"Look at you. LOOK AT YOU!" he roared right in his face. "So small and fuckin' weak, barely even a man! If it weren't for your gas Quirk, I wouldn't even have thought you were mine. You're useless, less than useless! When I was your age, I was working two jobs! What the fuck are you doing with your life, boy?! Don't you realize that no one is coming to save you? You have to be. A. Fucking. Man!"

Matsuda was crying, sobbing. His vision was blurring, darkness clouding the edges as the life was choked out of him. It was true. He was weak, he couldn't fight back. He didn't know how, and even if he did he was too powerless…

Something within him was screaming. A little voice, calling out for blood. To be set free.

Kill him. Use my power. Kill him now.

Matsuda couldn't understand what was happening. His father wrapped both hands around his neck and started squeezing hard, still ranting and raving in his face drunkenly. The boy's lungs burned, begging for air.

"See how weak you are? How I could crush you like a bug?! This is the real world, Kenji! This is what happens when you don't act like a man! The weak should fear the strong, and you're at the bottom of the food chain. If you wanna be fuckin' prey, then I'm going to treat you like it!"

Predator… and prey? Matsuda's thoughts spun round and around.

I can save you. Let me out. Do it.

The kettle was screaming, rattling atop the stovetop. He couldn't think, couldn't breathe. The man was taking his time, slowly driving his thumbs deep and crushing the boy's trachea.

"You wanna be like a woman, is that it? Living an easy fuckin' life while the world bends over backwards for you? Wake the fuck up!" Matsuda's father spat. "You are not a fucking bimbo! Some whore can sell her body to make money and still have a future, you don't have a future if you keep doing this stupid shit! What the hell is wrong with you?! When will you finally man up and be the son I wanted you to be and stop being such a disappointment?"

His legs kicked in the air, bouncing off the man's distended belly uselessly. Matsuda's desperate clawing didn't even break the skin, his arms too short to reach his father's face. A part of him realized that he was going to die. Another wondered if Izuku, his only friend, would be sad that he died. Probably not. He had no one, no one at all. Nobody loved him in this cold, painful world. Izuku should have just let him die that night on the bridge—

"Why can't you just be normal?!"

Mommy, Daddy, the little birdie's so cute, isn't it?

The little voice wrenched at Matsuda's mind with a scream of boiling rage.

KILL THIS FUCKING ASSHOLE!

Matsuda gathered the tiny amount of air still left in his lungs, and spoke a single word through the tears.

"Henshin."

[x]

Izuku got the call at 1:00 am, awakening from a deep slumber thanks to his cheery little ringtone. He picked up his smartphone and answered, rubbing his eyes groggily.

"Hello?" Izuku mumbled.

"Midoriya-kun? Izuku?" Matsuda's female voice spoke on the other end, unsteady. "I… I think I fucked up, man. Big time."

Izuku sat up straighter, now fully awake.

"Matsuda-san? What's going on? An Angel?"

"No, I… I did something that I can't take back. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck!" Matsuda cried out, voice panicky. "He was… and I… I… There's nothing left…"

"What's going on?" Izuku asked again, confused. "Matsuda-san, are you okay?"

"No I'm not fucking okay!" she shrieked, causing him to recoil. "I just… I just wanted him to disappear, and—"

"Huh? Who are you talking about?" Izuku flicked on the lights, getting ready to transform and fly over. "Matsuda-san? Kenji?"

Silence hung over the line, and Izuku froze. When Matsuda spoke again, it was with a voice of absolute calm.

"Ah, it's fine. I just handled it." Matsuda said, the hairs on the back of Izuku's neck standing at the sudden shift in tone. "Don't worry, Midoriya-kun. It's alright now."

"W-what are you talking about?"

"Shhhh. It's pretty late, you should go back to sleep." Matsuda whispered. "You know what, I'll tell you all about it tomorrow. How about we hang out again at the cafe we went to earlier?"

"Huh? But I thought you didn't want to go back there…" Izuku said.

"It's fine. Their coffee was pretty good, wasn't it? See you tomorrow, Midoriya-kun."

The call ended with a click, leaving Izuku staring at his phone with worry. Something happened, he was sure of it. Then there was the fact that she was in her female form, and he recalled her saying she wouldn't be caught dead in it at home. But if Matsuda herself said that everything was alright…

Izuku bit his lip. He knew better than to pry, especially since there were times where he felt like being left alone too. For now there was nothing to do but leave her be until the two of them met the next day.

He didn't sleep much that night, worrying for his friend.

Before Izuku knew it the morning had arrived, the alarm waking both him and Pinky up. The slime jumped at the sudden noise, spilling out of the makeshift bed-basket Izuku had placed him in the night before. Pinky hid under the bed, and Izuku had to slowly pry him out while reassuring him that everything was okay.

After a quick shower he got dressed, ready to head out. Before he went he made sure to check on his mother, noting that she was still asleep. Pinky peeked into the room but lost interest once he found nothing interesting within, nestling within Izuku's arms. He put the creature back in its basket and gave it a few simple instructions.

"Stay here." Izuku told it, wagging a finger for emphasis. "Try not to leave this room unless there's an emergency. My mom doesn't know you're here so, um, try not to be seen. Here's some food and water…"

He placed a bowl of water and a pack of opened biscuits next to Pinky. The slime looked at them, then back at Izuku. Pinky did a little wiggle and seemed to fall asleep in his basket. Izuku smiled and headed off.

Matsuda was already waiting at the same table they were at yesterday, but there was something different about her. Something about the way she smiled at Izuku when he arrived was off. Her eyes seemed even more catlike than usual, golden pupils staring him down with a strange intensity.

"Hello, Midoriya-kun."

"Hello, Matsuda-san." Izuku said, sitting down. "You wanted to talk?"

"Yes. You see, I did a whole lot of thinking yesterday after I had a little… incident. What do you think decides the norm, what society sees as normal?" she asked, sipping at her coffee.

"Normal?" Izuku blinked. "Well, societal pressure I guess?"

"Bingo. But here's the thing, Midoriya-kun. There are always exceptions to the norm." Matsuda grinned. "We are that exception. The strongest there is."

"Matsuda-san?" Izuku ventured, nervous.

"Even the Angels can't handle us. If the heroes can't beat them it means we're stronger by default, right? They can't stop us. Hell, I don't think anyone can. In other words, there's nothing stopping us from doing whatever we want. It's hard to live in this world and I figured out that maybe instead of living according to its rules, we should live by our own. We're strong enough for it, after all."

The semi-scowl that Matsuda always wore was missing. Instead, the way she was smiling now reminded Izuku of a cat playing with a baby bird. A chill ran down his spine, dread pooling in his gut. There was something very wrong here, his instincts screaming at him to run.

"Matsuda-san? I, um, Kenji-kun?" Izuku asked. "D-did something bad happen?"

"My dad died yesterday." Matsuda smiled. "And I killed him."

It was as if time itself slowed to a crawl, Izuku's breath catching in his throat. The words didn't seem real, said between the hustle and bustle of the cafe, unnoticed by anyone except for him. From the way she said it he could tell she was absolutely serious, yet the boy still refused to believe what he'd just heard.

"He was hurting me. Always hurting me. Last night he nearly killed me." Matsuda stared at him, unblinking. "So I killed him first. I wish I'd made him burn longer, he died too quickly."

"W-what are you saying? T-t-this is some kind of joke, right?" Izuku whispered. "Matsuda-san, what you're saying isn't normal!"

"Normal? Who gets to decide that? Was me getting bullied and beaten every single day normal? A life of hell on earth, normal?" Matsuda hissed, trembling with rage. "It was normal for them, not me. No. I refuse to be weak anymore. I'm strong, and I'll make sure everyone knows it. You see that guy behind you?"

Izuku turned to look, seeing the waiter she mentioned yesterday. The tall pretty-boy with the horns growing out his temples.

"That asshole's one of the people who tormented me in class. Beat me up, took my money, my pride…" Matsuda's fingers curled into hooks. "So I'm gonna take his life."

Izuku's blood ran cold. His mind spun into action, making a thousand plans dedicated to breaking Matsuda out of whatever rage-fueled trance she was caught in, but they all crumbled into nothingness in seconds. He knew that look on her face, having seen it in the mirror once. She finally had enough of it all, and had nothing more to lose.

"Kenji-kun, stop. Don't do this. Don't—"

Matsuda stood and transformed, summoning her Magical Girl regalia. Ribbons of flowing purple light surrounded her for a moment, catching the attention of people nearby. Izuku's jaw dropped, and so did the coffee pot the waiter was holding. It hit the ground with a crash and spilled its contents all over the floor. Even that went unnoticed as people began pulling out their phones, taking pictures of the popular local vigilante, Magical Girl Mustard.

"M-Mustard?" the horned boy, Matsuda's bully, gasped. "Oh my gosh, I'm a huge fan! Damn, can I get a selfie? My little sis is gonna love this!"

"Is that so?" Mustard whispered.

She hovered into the air and towards him, ignoring the cheers of delight from all around them. Izuku could only watch, frozen in horror at what was about to happen. She couldn't be. Not in a public place like this, with all these people watching—

"You shouldn't have spilled the coffee, asshole."

Mustard reached out with both hands, grabbing her bully's head while looking him in the eyes. The boy stared back, bewildered. Loud scraping split the air when Izuku leapt from his chair, arms outstretched.

"Mustard, stop!" Izuku shouted.

"You shouldn't have spilled the coffee!"

It all happened so fast. Mustard's eyes glowed bright purple and twin beams of plasma lanced outward, spearing into the bully's eyes. His undulating, high-pitched scream echoed through the cafe while his eyeballs boiled in their sockets, turning into a pained gurgle when the plasma reached his brain. The boy's body shook uncontrollably, everyone forced to watch as he convulsed and died right before them.

Mustard dropped the burnt corpse to the ground as if she was discarding a piece of trash, wisps of swirling purple light radiating from her eyes when she turned them to the crowd… and smiled.

Then the screaming started. Everyone started to run for the exits, but Izuku just fell onto his knees in shock, unable to comprehend what just happened. The next thing he knew a blinding wave of purple light rushed outwards when the Magical Girl snapped her fingers, causing Izuku to shut his eyes. The resulting explosion made his ears ring painfully, disorienting him. When he reopened them the cafe was gone, everything except a circular area he, Mustard, and the dead bully were on was scorched to a blackened crisp. She protected him from her plasma, wanting him to see the results.

Izuku couldn't help it and threw up. Mustard's plasma wave had bisected people at the waist as they were running for the exits, tears blurring Izuku's vision when he saw the burnt, charred torsos on the ground. She… she killed everyone in the cafe, even the cooks in the back when the building was torn apart in the blast.

"What have you done?" Izuku trembled, crying. "Matsuda-san, what have you done?!"

She didn't answer, basking in the death and destruction with a look of utter liberation on her face. People nearby were yelling, screaming into their phones and calling the police about the explosion. They hadn't seen her yet, not knowing the danger they were in just by being near the area.

Mustard looked down at Izuku with the smile of a tiger.

"It feels so good, Midoriya-kun. Like you wouldn't believe. You have someone hurting you too, don't you?"

Bakugo's face flashed within Izuku's mind for a split second.

"I'm gonna kill them all, Midoriya-kun. All the people who hurt me, wronged me… I'm going to pay it back to them tenfold. Make them burn slow and easy." Mustard giggled. "This is my new normal, and I'm done being nice."

"Why?! Why would you do this, Matsuda-san?" Izuku sobbed, bursting into tears. "A-all those people, they were innocent! They didn't do anything to you!"

Mustard whispered something under her breath, looking off into the horizon when she heard the wailing of police sirens. She was estimating their distance, her hands already charging up with crackling arcs of energy.

"W-what?" Izuku asked.

She looked straight at him, her golden left eye flaring with the power of multiple Quirks.

"I'm an Apex Predator."

Izuku made his choice. He had to stop her here and now, or she'd kill every hero and cop that came at them. The boy swallowed while hot tears rolled down his cheeks, and said the words that changed his life forever.

"Henshin."

[Chapter 7 End]

Thank you for reading!

The 'little voice' has been there since Chapter 1.

Izuku was supposed to pick up the villain's hammer to use as her 'Magical Girl Weapon' but the concept was scrapped.

The Speed/Needle Angel is still out there, along with Eri with Saiko and Mei.

Next chapter: Miracle vs Mustard.

P.S: I highly advise you to read this on archiveofourown if you can, dear reader. The embedded images there enhance the experience!

You can find it at: [ /works/41334003/chapters/112221049]