Over the Top

by papireaz

When I died, I expected a few manga volumes. Maybe to learn what the One Piece is. Instead, I found myself in a world that I recognised, a story I had read and what's worse was that it was a story I had no interest in wanting to involve myself in! Then and again, the offer to become a Hero is far too tempting...

27. Issue 26

Congrats on the one year anniversary of this story!

Well it isn't until the 8th, but that's in 6 days so I might as well celebrate it now. Sora has really been through a journey this past year, and so have I. Don't worry, I'll speak more on this at the end of the chapter, so until then enjoy this chapter!

Song for this chapter is...

Any uplifting OST you can find.

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Summary:

Thank you all for your support!

That's it.

That is the summary for this chapter.

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Kurogiri POV

Kurogiri watched as the boy went through the portal, watched as the boy who had fought Zero went on to go fight another opponent. Kurogiri had no opinion on the boy, truth be told he didn't care if Sora Yamazaki lived, or if he died. However, what Kurogiri was most worried about was the reputation that the League of Villains held. They were villains, and so Zero deciding to help a hero wouldn't exactly make their cause more enticing for other criminals to join.

If anything, it made them look like the good guys.

"Why would you help him?" Kurogiri asked the masked man. He was truly curious, even if he couldn't understand the logic behind Zero's actions, the masked man must have at least some reasoning. Messing with their plans like this wasn't logical at all, especially since they were the only people able to get Zero with what he wants.

A Quirk to go home.

"Why I would do help Sora out?" Zero repeated, leaning against the wall as he chuckled underneath his mask, "That's the million-dollar-question, isn't it? Still, I suppose I helped him because he needed it. I do not hate him. Nor do I want him to die, nor do I want him to feel guilty for not doing everything he could have done to save a friend. All I did was make sure that he would not beat himself up if he lost, I just made sure that his chances of winning were as close to one hundred percent as possible."

"Which is precisely why I am asking you, why would you do this? What is your end goal?"

"I don't have one." Zero answered curtly. "And even if I had a 'big plan,' why would I tell you? A foot soldier. Kurogiri, you are a pawn, albeit one with a useful Quirk, but a pawn, nonetheless. In our game of chess, you are nothing but an insignificant soldier that can be sacrificed at any time. It's not you that is useful, no, it is your Quirk. I could easily tell 'Sensei' to rip that Quirk off from you and give it to me in order to ensure that your side wins."

"You speak of 'our side' as if you aren't heavily involved with our operations." Kurogiri replied, "Are you not spending nearly every waking moment of your day trying to ensure our victory, do you honestly believe that after all the things you have done, all the lives that you have murdered means that you can just take a step back from us? Because Zero, you are just as much of a member of the League of Villains as-,"

Suddenly, the sword which Zero had been holding was pointed exactly where his metal container was. Even if one of the sides was right next to Zero's throat, all it would take was one small push and Kurogiri would die.

"Finish that sentence and I will kill you." Zero said, "I am not a villain, nor am I monster like you or Shigaraki. All I'm doing is finding a way back home, and if that means helping you then so be it. But unlike the rest of you villain scum, I remember all the names of the people that I have murdered. No, I'm not a good person. But I'm a hell of a lot better than you, or that petulant child that will be the cause of your downfall, so unless you want me to dismantle your entire plans in one night, I suggest you choose your next words very carefully."

Kurogiri growled slightly as he opened another portal, this time to their hideout. Zero walked through it without paying him another glance as the alleyway they were once in changed into a familiar bar. Sitting in the corner with his legs raised up on the counter was Shigaraki, following the news report on his phone with a grin on his face. On the TV opposite them was a call that was currently active, yet no one was speaking.

"Call it off." Zero demanded, "Call off the Nomu's and tell them to stop attacking the civilians."

"What did you say?" Shigaraki's grin turned to a deep scowl as he faced Zero, tilting his head in confusion as he glared at the masked man. "You want us to stop this?" He asked, pointing at his phone screen which read that there had been ten civilian casualties, with many more injured. "I thought you said that if we targeted more than just Hosu, we would spread out name out there, enough to overshadow the Hero Killer. You said that his was our path to victory!"

"Yeah, well shit happens," Zero replied, "I'm telling you to call it off. If you do not, I'm out of here. Choose, either some more chaos or your only path to victory."

Shigaraki growled in anger, scratching his neck furiously as he stomped his way to Zero with the intent to kill, yet the masked man relished in it as he readied his sword – He was ready to cleave Shigaraki in half if they began fighting.

"Now, now Tomura, let us not be so hasty."

The TV screen that had once been quiet now sprung to life as he spoke. The Symbol of Evil himself, the famed Quirk Stealer who ruled the darkness, the self-proclaimed 'Demon Lord,' All For One demanded Tomura to stop. Even Zero took a step backwards from the voice alone, his head snapping quickly to the location of the voice. Even if All For One wasn't in the room, his presence could be felt from even a few miles away.

"Zero, please do explain as to why we must call of the attack. In detail of course." The voice asked-, No, Kurogiri knew this tone of voice. It wasn't a question; it was an order.

"You have already proved your point, this night will be remembered in the minds of the public for the many years to follow, that's how this world is." Zero answered, snapping his fingers as his sword disappeared completely.

"Ah but isn't that the logic of a loser." All For One replied, "A winner doesn't ask how the world is, but how it should be. How can we as a group change the foundations of this world if one of our partners decides that they much prefer our current society. Isn't one of the main goals of our League of Villains to change this world, to make it into our utopian society. With no heroes like All Might, and with no villains. Just peace, isn't that what you claimed to be our path to victory?"

Zero nodded.

"Yeah, I did say that. But right now, all you are doing is re-treading the same steps as your predecessors, honestly, I can read your future actions before you even decide on them. All For One, if you want to win then you will listen to me. Recall all the Nomu's and go and kill that esteemed doctor of yours. I can make you win, but only if you let me lead you to victory. And this will happen only when you give me what I want."

All For One chuckled on the other end of the call, "Oh, is that so? Well then how about I choose to kill you. Listen boy, your mind games may work on someone who is weak, someone who is looking to prove themselves. But you won't be able to manipulate me. I will kill you; I will kill the family that you are placed in, and I will kill all your friends. Give me a real reason to call off the attack, and maybe I'll let you go."

No one said anything for a few tense seconds, as Zero stood straighter and gripped his weapon tighter.

"I made a bet with someone, and I lost." Zero responded, "There, are you happy now? I made a bet with Sora Yamazaki, and I lost. I always pay back my debts, that's the only reason I'm helping you scum. Don't forget, I could easily just ruin your entire plans by not doing anything, by just letting you march forwards to your fate. I'm your only chance of victory, but you aren't my only option of getting back home. Only the fastest, but I'm a patient person so call it off and I swear I'll remain loyal to your cause."

No one said anything for a few seconds as Shigaraki glared hatefully at the masked person. Even Kurogiri himself felt slightly annoyed by their 'partner.' All For One remained silent, the other end of the call adding to the tension as Zero's foot tapped nervously against the floor.

"I see." All For One eventually said, "Very well, as a sign of trust I will recall the Nomu's. However, we will attack U.A next. That is non-negotiable, no matter what you say will happen, you will help us in ensuring that we succeed, especially after you kicked Stain and his friend out before negotiations could even begin."

Zero swore underneath his mask, shaking his head as he sighed.

"Alright, if you want to play that game, I'll play it with you. If you want to attack U.A and beat them, we are going to need a hell of a lot more men. And I'm not talking about the crazies your Giran has been scouting, no, I mean we need resources. If you want to topple an empire, you must build one yourself."

On the other end of the call, Kurogiri could feel All For One's lips twitching upwards.

"Boy, do you have any idea as to who you are talking to?" He asked sarcastically, "I'll build you an empire. So as long as we win, I'll build you the greatest empire of them all."

"Great, now that's out of the way, I'm going home." Zero replied, "I have a few chores to do, plus I'll be busy for the rest of the week. That being said, I'll be on call for anything else. And do be sure to keep searching for my way home, or else your home will be a jail cell for the foreseeable future." After he said that, he turned around and walked out of the bar, his cape swinging behind him. Shigaraki growled, scratching his neck more furiously compared to before as he muttered threats underneath his breathe, glaring hatefully at the retreating figure.

"Sensei," Shigaraki started, "Can we really trust him. He is not a part of our party; he is more of a wild card."

"Don't worry Tomura," All For One reassured his successor, "We will win. No matter the cost, because everything I do all leads to one outcome."

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Chapter

Twenty Six

'Believe in me, and I'll believe in you!'

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Blood... Native gasping for air... The look of desperation.

I woke up in a hospital bed. But for once, I didn't feel like shit. Just a little groggy, and slightly sick of the smell of the hospital, but nothing hurt. Then and again, looking to the side of me revealed a bunch of machines wired to me, and a lot of wires. My legs were covered in bandages, and I couldn't feel anything, so maybe it was the drugs talking. Oh well, that seemed like a problem for future me to deal with.

The hospital around me was different from how I remembered, however. Hospitals in Musutafu had a warm blue colour to the walls, even more then that the people there had bright smiles plastered across their face, and each wall had at least seven different posters ranging from your health to signs of cancer. Recovery Girl's 'office' had grey walls, and oddly enough the smell of sweets (Along with the impending sense of doom.)

Whereas Hosu's hospitals had a sickly lime green painted on the walls, with no posters in sight and everyone walked around with a permanent frown sown onto their faces for eternity. Plus a few of them looked like gremlins, but I'm sure that was the bias of me coming from Musutafu (As well as the pride in my city) compared to this shithole. Heh, who would want to go to Hosu? That was like the worst district in Tokyo, hell I'd rather go to...

What was I talking about again?

Holy shit was I already dying of dementia?! Oh, fuck no, get the fuck away from me! HEALTH! HEALTH ME!

"Keep it down, we have other patients around here!" A nurse yelled at me, "If you continue to act like a brat, we won't give you any dessert-,"

"You bitch! If you take away my dessert, I'll burn your car down!" I interrupted her, "I need something sweet to help get rid of this sour taste in my mouth. SO do your damn job and-,"

"Excuse me?!" The nurse huffed as she stomped to my bed and glared at me. "What did you just call me?"

I blinked at her, before nearly swearing in surprise. Shit, did I just call this random nurse a bitch?!

"I said you are a very lovely woman, and I would very much appreciate it if you went and brought me a dessert as I cannot walk to get one myself. Please pardon my rudeness, I have just woken up in a foreign hospital with no one that I recognise around me, all alone. I am but a mere child, and my sudden loneliness has caused my heart to break irrevocably-," Suddenly, a familiar green haired boy entered the room, scouting for me as he smiled and waved at my direction.

Looks like I wasn't alone for much longer.

"Sora-san, you're awake!" Izuku Midoriya yelled as he rushed over to my bed. "We thought you wouldn't wake up so we kept on taking turns to make sure that you were fine, but then the nice nurse kicked us out for distressing everyone else, and then Todoroki used his dad's card to buy us all food, but then we realised that we couldn't eat without you waking up and-,"

"Food?" I asked, and when Midoriya nodded, I tried my hardest to get out of my bed and follow Midoriya down to where the food was. Sero was right, there wasn't a better feeling than eating food that you didn't pay for yourself. However, as I got up, I was quickly reminded as to why I was bedridden in the first place. My legs simply put were fucked, a ton of cuts and whatnot. Shit, did I reopen one of my wounds? That wasn't good.

"Sit back down young man!" The nurse ordered as she pushed me back down onto the bed forcibly, "You still haven't fully recovered, and while your life isn't in danger, I simply cannot allow you to walk unattended, even if I wished that you would." Wow, a bit much? She sure does hold grudges, and even Midoriya was surprised. Still, stealing some crutches from the person asleep next to me, and using Midoriya's shoulder (Who disapproved my actions immensely) I started to walk once again, grinning at the nurse who I had definitely not sworn at.

I actually felt very bad for my actions, calling a random person a bitch wasn't nice, so in response I'd untangle myself from her hair, also allowing her more time to attend to other patients that needed more help. I mean not everyone had a 'minor-healing Quirk' like I did, which only made me snort as it wasn't so minor. Either way, she shrugged her shoulders and walked away from me as Midoriya looked at me confused.

"Sora-san... what did you do?"

"Why would you assume that I did anything."

"You have a tendency to... make people feel bad."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

I turned to look at the green haired boy, he really wasn't that much taller than me. More than that, the smile on his face told me everything I needed to know about how he was feeling; relieved that I was fine. He took charge as he led me to where Todoroki, and surprisingly Manual were. However, when Manual stared blankly at me, I realised how fucked I was. Hiding my head within my hospital robes, I sat down on the table to Midoriya's assistance.

"Hello."

"Sora, take of your mask."

"What mask? It's freezing. Brrr. I'm very cold, so could you please pass the barbeque wings Todoroki? Oh, are those rice balls? Pass me a few. And those chocolate mochi-, Actually just pass the whole pack along, I'm very hungry." I replied, trying to ignore the Hero who was supposed to be in charge of me. The same thing happened in a hero drama Miwa was watching a few days ago, I saw the guy get away scot-free by not saying anything-,

"Sora, I need you to explain to me what happened, or else the police will start asking questions, and that is one can of worms I really don't want to deal with." Manual said, "So please just take off the mask, and act normal. I promise you; I won't take away your mochi. Let's just eat and talk, okay?"

I sighed as I nodded my head, pulling the robes down from my face as I swiped my hair from my face, eating the chocolate mochi first, and then eating the rice ball second. Gah, the sweetness of the mochi and the saltiness of the rice ball did not mesh well, and my mouth suffered the consequences of it. But they were good, especially the rice ball. I usually wasn't a fan of them, but compliments to the chef, they really outdid themselves.

"So, what happened?"

"I chased after Iida, saved some kid in a burning building, met with the League of Villains-,"

"You met with who?"

"-And then I beat Stain's ass, but he got away."

Midoriya chuckled nervously as Manual stopped himself from bashing his head on the table, Todoroki looking torn between the two choices in front of him. Intervene, or continue eating his yakisoba. I guess he knew what the correct option was as he ate his food in peace, undisturbed by Manual's thunderous mood as he repeated 'League of Villains' underneath his breath so many times that I could have sworn that he became a permanent member.

"You faced the League of Villains?"

"Well, it was only two members of them, but I won. Pretty sure they were holding back, and trying to help me at that, so there is that to consider as well."

"The League of Villains from the USJ?" Midoriya asked me as I nodded.

"The very same. Hehe, I can't wait to tell that to Bakugo. I wonder what his reaction will be like. Hopefully he blows his desk up in response, or maybe he even gets a detention for once. Hah, wanna' bet Kaminari will laugh at that?"

"I'll take you up on your offer," Todoroki said, "But I have to wonder as to why the League of Villains appeared in front of you."

"That's because they engineered this entire mess." I replied, "C'mon, the overabundance of Nomu's in the area? There is only one group that produces those monsters, and it's the very same group that attacked us during the USJ. Still, I made a bet with them, and I beat them, so they honoured our bet and called off the attack, as well as transporting me to Iida. Unfortunately, I got to Stain first and that's how our fight happened. Oh, and where is Iida by the way?"

Midoriya and Todoroki looked at the ground guiltily as Manual sighed even harder this time. What was I missing? Where was out tall, lanky friend that took everything very seriously?

"Well Sora," Manual began, "That's what I was trying to tell you about. The police have detained Iida, but he hasn't said anything yet. All he's done is be very quiet and request that he speaks to you, and you cannot mention any of this to the police." Todoroki and Midoriya looked at him in surprise, but I nodded at Manual, eating another rice ball.

"Makes sense. If they found out that Iida went to fight Stain with the intention of killing his life, he would be charged with a crime, stripped of his freedoms and chucked to jail. Oh, and expelled from U.A, but also you, as his charge, would also be charged for negligence – Am I right?" Manual nodded, looking at the table sadly.

"Yeah, that's the gist of It." He bitterly answered, refusing to meet my eyes. To be fair, I couldn't exactly blame the man. He wanted to help Iida, but he didn't really have an idea of how to do so and left it to me. But with the advent of everything going haywire, he couldn't focus on saving Iida, and the hero that he had asked to help him out with us, Native, had died. Just thinking about his body made me nearly vomit.

"And N-Native, did he-,"

"Stain killed him in front of me. I'd like to say that he didn't suffer, but that would be a lie. But in his last moments, he tried to tell me to run." I answered him, "I won't say that I knew the man, but he was a hero to the end. At least that's what I think." Manual nodded, the bags underneath his eyes finally revealing themselves to me as I bitterly ate my mochi. Damnit, I didn't even have a chance to save someone.

"I wasn't close to Native, but he was in my class at U.A." Manual started, "We had some good times together. He even wanted to help you two when it came to dealing with members of the public who annoy you, he had a lot of experience in that area surprisingly. Something about an old lady and her cat, but I digress. I feel like I've failed him, after all if I hadn't asked him to come over to my agency to help tutor you two, maybe he would have-,"

"I don't think so," I interrupted him, "It's fine to blame yourself when you couldn't save someone in front of you, but he wasn't even in your general vicinity. He was in mine." I gulped heavily at that, trying to shake the image of his dead eyes out of my mind. "If anything it's my fault, if I had found Stain earlier, I could have saved him. So if you want someone to blame, you can blame me."

"I couldn't possibly do that."

"Then don't blame yourself either."

Manual nodded at that, relaxing more as he started to slowly eat a rice-ball. It seemed like that was weighing heavily on his mind, and so I managed to help him. Oddly enough, that made me smile in response. Maybe I enjoyed helping others? Well that was obvious, after all I was training to become a hero.

"Don't worry about Iida," I found myself saying, "I'll cover for him. Midoriya and Todoroki joined the fight late, and while Midoriya heard some of what Iida said, I'll lie and say that Midoriya wasn't there for much of it. I'll lie and say that Stain found us, and that Iida was inexperienced and lost his composure, but that he didn't go out to kill Stain. Is that lie all right for you Manual? Oh and, that goes for you two as well, don't be too creative with your stories so that it doesn't contradict mine-,"

"Lie? You want me to l-lie?!" Midoriya shouted, the once calm and cheerful demeanour disappeared as his brows furrowed in confusion and anger. "H-how? How can we lie to the police Sora-san, how can we call ourselves hero's if we just twist the truth around?! Isn't that just corruption?"

"Yes," I replied, pointing my index finger right at him. "That's exactly what it is. No need to beat around the bush here, I will lie to cover for Iida. Even if he fought against me, even If he tried to kill Stain, I don't blame him. I'll blame U.A and their hypocrisy for allowing Iida to come here, I'll blame Nezu for folding to Iida's parents as they are one of the chairmen of the U.A board, and I'll blame myself for being a bad friend. But I won't blame Iida, nor will I throw him under the bus. I will lie for him, and if you want to go against me that's fine. But I'm not abandoning my friend, because if I do that then I'll be the worst hero of them all."

Midoriya gritted his teeth angrily. He clearly didn't agree with my actions, but at the same time he didn't want Iida to be punished. I couldn't blame him, after all even I felt like shit for even planning to lie to the police to save him. While a part of me wanted to save him, another part of me wanted to let him rot in hell for betraying me, for saying all of those nasty things, and for fighting against me.

Tch, as if I was going to listen to those shitty thoughts.

"Midoriya, I know it's-,"

"It's not a problem Sora-san." Midoriya interjected, "I can only blame myself for being weak. For not being able to control my Quirk properly. I'm a bad friend, and a bad hero and for that you got injured. For that, Iida is now under police custody. I'm sorry, please forgive me. I promise I'll try do better next time!" And with that he jumped out of his chair, bowing at me politely and ran away as fast as he could. I didn't have time to call his name as I processed what he just said.

Shit, shit, shit!

He blamed himself. His confidence was so low that he blamed himself. No, more than that he wanted to blame himself. He truly thought that everything was his fault. And I couldn't help but feel like that was because of my own actions. I knocked Midoriya out of the sports festival, the once chance where he could save people, I stole that chance away from him. And he was too late to try and save Iida, instead because of me being unable to save him from himself we had to fight him together, but then I went and fought Stain telling him to hang back.

And now, now he was being told that the only thing he could do was lie to himself.

Fuck.

When I said that I wanted to help everyone I cared about, I did so at the cost of Midoriya's confidence. I did so ruining Midoriya as a whole, and now I was paying the price for my gross oversight. Fuck. I growled as I stuffed my face with more mochi compared to before, but even that was rapidly becoming bitter. Had I just ruined someone's life? No. No, I had to save Midoriya from his self-confidence issues, I would save him.

"Let's go." I ignored Todoroki and Manual's shouts as I ran to the door, hopping with one foot. Shit, how would I help save Midoriya? Blood. How could I even save him, his enemy was himself? *The pained expression on Native's face. What would be the best way to help my friend. *His shaking arm as he told me to run, the hope in his eyes long gone, but the heroic determination still remained. Would Midoriya even accept my help?

But first I had to take care of Iida-,

"Sora?" A voice asked, I turned around as I felt someone hug me tightly. Sobbing into my t-shirt as she held me close surprised me, especially since Hinata didn't cry all that often. I was completely stunned as she just hugged me for what felt like a few hours, and all I could do was pat her back and reassure her that I was fine. But it was a lie. Everything I said was a damn lie, because even now I wasn't reassured that what I was doing was even right.

And yet just like how I did with Iida, I had to keep on walking forward. I owed it to Midoriya to try and help him out, I owed it to everyone else to continue on with my journey – Because if I stopped, if I gave up now, I'd be spitting on everyone who had helped me along the way. I'd be abandoning the people who I helped, and that was one thing I'd never do. It felt like I was a broken record, repeating the same things over and over again, but as I hugged Hinata once more, as I hugged my mother, I felt a smile come on my face.

"Mum, I'm alright," I told her, wiping away her tears, "Honestly look at me. You wouldn't even think that I faced a murderer a few hours ago, so don't sweat it." Sadly, my reassurances only made her cry only harder.

"Do you honestly know how it feels to get a call while I'm at work and hearing that my son has been put in hospital in another prefecture?" She sobbed, "Do you?! Sora, do you know how much you've worried not only me, but your father and Miwa as well? She's been locked in her room ever since she found out you were injured yet again. She didn't even go to school today because she didn't want to come home and find out that her brother died."

That... hurt.

"Sora, do you know how many calls I've had from your friends alone?" She whispered, "It's been enough to drive me crazy all morning. Crazy enough to nearly slap you right now, I shouldn't have to speak to your friends not knowing if you'll ever speak to them again. Your friends – They shouldn't have to go through what you put them. I know I'm not your biological mother, b-but-," She broke down at that.

"I care for you like a son."

I couldn't say anything as I hugged her tighter, my eyes burning slightly as I cried. God damnit, God damnit, GOD DAMNIT! I couldn't hold it any longer as all I could do was cry, cry in guilt, sadness, but also anger. Why was it that everything I did, everything I tried to do always ended up in someone getting hurt. Maybe this time I ended up fine, but not everyone around me was lucky enough to share the same fate.

Was I that selfish? Or just foolish?

Was Tokage right?

Was I just marching on straight to my death? To the death of my loved ones? Even at the USJ, even at the sports festival I tried to keep it in. I tried to act like it didn't affect me, but I was a liar. I always have been a liar, and I always would be. Why couldn't I accept it? Why didn't I want to accept that my actions always harmed those around me? Was I going to end up eventually alone. Just like in my last life.

Was I just pushing everyone away like always. My mind instantly flashed to Native, who choked on his blood as he tried to save my life by telling me to run. Even with all the hope gone from his eyes, he tried to save me. Even if it was useless, even if I disregarded his final actions, I still felt horrible. I had watched a man die, and for once I was stuck. What does death mean to me? I was not afraid of losing my own life, I had already died.

But then would everyone else around me suffer the same fate. Even now, after all these years I couldn't help but think back to my old life. I couldn't help but wonder how my family coped with my sudden death. Even if they pushed me away, and pushed for me to be their ideal son, they did love me. Even if my old 'friends' who would spare no second thought in messaging me a happy birthday, they had watched me die, I wondered how they truly felt.

Had they moved on?

If time moved on, just like how it did for me, my friends would be in their early to mid-thirties, my parents would be well in their sixties and my older sister would be in her early forties. I imagined she would have a few children by now, maybe even one of them named after me. I wondered what happened to the photos of me as a kid and a teenager, where they deleted? What happened to my old room, to all my stuff.

And then I thought about Iida once again. I didn't understand. He was right, I was an orphan. I never had to deal with losing a family member because I was the one who left them first, I died before any of them passed away. I was abandoned at birth, all alone. Even with Hinata and Gekko, and Miwa too, I never felt like I had lost them. Even when I nearly did, when I acted like a piece of shit to them when I was younger, they still stuck with me.

Iida lost his brother and all I could do was push him away, all I could do was scream at him that revenge was wrong, that he should get over his brother's death when I was a bloody hypocrite. I wasn't over my old life; I still haven't mourned the fact that I'll never see my family again. And... thinking back to it, Zero had a point. I wasn't finished with my old life; I had made so many plans like going to university and meeting new people.

I had dreamed of meeting a cute girl that liked the same things as I did, and she'd have dark blonde hair, a nice smile and a sweet laugh. I'd make lots of new friends, I'd get a job and maybe I'd start a family. Maybe, my old life wasn't so bad. But that chance was gone, and I never accepted it. Even now, I don't want to accept it. I don't want to remember my own name, because that wound still feels fresh even after all these years.

Because I still don't want to look at the past, at my past.

I didn't understand death at all, so how could I preach to someone to get over it when clearly, I myself hadn't gotten it. It was impossible for me to try and understand, not unless I let those, I cared about die before my eyes. Unless I suffered just like how he suffered, because all I was doing was pushing my agenda on him without any regard to his own feelings. Did I ever really think about how he was feeling? Or was I just trying to brush it away...

Just like how I tried to brush away Native's death.

Just like how I tried to brush away everything.

But I wasn't able to bottle things up any longer.

Crying into my mother's arms, I couldn't stop myself. I was flawed, I knew that much. I wasn't perfect, and yet with every two steps forward, it felt like I was going a few steps backwards. Was that other side of me supposed to be my past? Was that it? All that rage and anger that I had pent up for dying, all the fear I had. Who was Sora Yamazaki, and who was-,

Who was...

Who was I?

What was next for me? For the people that I truly loved more than anything? Could I really die knowing how much pain they would be in if I did die prematurely doing something stupid?

So, I made myself a promise. I wasn't going to die. I wasn't going to let people die, nor was I going to kill anyone. I cried even harder, hugging Hinata-, Hugging my mother, as I swore to her that I'd never make her worry again. I swore that I'd never die, I'd never let anyone mourn my death prematurely; I'd die an old man and not a boy with my entire life ahead of me. I'd never let anyone suffer a loss because of my actions. No one interrupted us as we both eventually calmed down, Hinata wiping my tears away as well as she kissed me on my temple, running her hand through my hair.

"It's okay Sora, it's okay. We understand that you care so much about us, that you are willing to go to hell and back for us, but please, please don't go after a murderer like that again. Honestly, if it wasn't for the kind man you interned with calling me and reassuring me that you were still alive while I was driving here, I don't know what I would have done." She whispered, "But we are proud of you. Gekko, he told me about what you did. Helping your friend out like that, but please, please, don't die."

"I won't," I tried to smile at her, ignoring the snot running down my face, "I promise I won't die before you do. I'll make sure to live and have lots of kids for you and dad to spoil, I'll make you proud until you're sick of my achievements. So please, please don't let me go. Please." Hinata smiled, ruffling my hair slightly as she helped me walk to the main entrance, with each step we took together making me feel much better as the cool air howled against my face.

"Don't every worry about that Sora," Hinata replied, "I'll always be there to hug you. Even when I'm old and wrinkly, so just promise me that you'll see me when I'm old." I rolled my eyes at her, grinning slightly as I nodded.

"I promise."

---

"-And so, with the current elections coming up, who do you think will win? Ryuichi, a leader of the Liberal Democratic Party has been turning heads lately with his new propositions on hero's. He believes that the HSPC ought to work with all the agencies, and not just act independently as rivals," The radio host explained, "His propositions include merging lower-level agencies along with the restructuring of the HSPC."

"Well personally Minato, I prefer Hachiro Yamaguchi and will most definitely be voting for him, with Detnerat throwing their hat in the ring by supporting his political campaign I really have to give it to the young lad," The co-host replied, "His propositions include free Quirk usage for all, especially in these trying times. His speech made this morning referenced the aptly named 'Long Night in Hosu' in which he lambasted the current government for not allowing the citizens to defend themselves-,"

"Yes Jo-kun, Hachiro Yamaguchi seems like a good option to vote for. Only problem is that he is young, he is twenty-six and already applying to be the Prime Minister, our Prime Minister. Do you really think someone as fresh faced as him can lead a country? When I was twenty-six, I was too busy getting drunk and sleeping with-," I sighed as I switched the radio channels to one with music as I looked outside the car.

Hinata had promised to drive me to the police station where Iida was being held so I could break him out-, Clear his innocence. However, that was proving to be difficult, especially since I needed to fabricate an elaborate story which the police officers would believe, but also one that Midoriya and Todoroki could corroborate. And one that Iida would agree to. That was the most troubling aspect for me, why was he staying quiet?

Guilt?

Anger?

Determination to not get caught?

I already failed to understand Iida one, but I wasn't going to do it again. Browsing my phone, I found out that communication was key when trying to lie. Or was that to try to stop lies? Oh well, I had to trust my instincts and hope that Iida would follow what I was doing. Minus the odd few buildings that were demolished, and a few craters on the ground, Hosu was relatively untouched. But that didn't mean that everyone was fine and dandy, no it was quite the opposite.

The streets were empty, and the rare person that cropped up every now and then had a permanent scowl on their face. Hinata chided me for staring rudely at them, but I paid no attention to her scolding's, instead only sinking further and further down my seat. How was I supposed to not stare, I mean I was flying through these streets not even a day ago. This event had claimed lives, and I took part in it.

If only I had reached Zero sooner, maybe I could have saved their lives-,

No.

For as much as I blamed myself, I couldn't go directly blaming Zero either. He seemed unwilling to plan this attack, or at least wanting to change it. The fact that he readily agreed to stop it meant something to me, and I wouldn't hold the victims of this event against either myself, or him. No, the one person directly responsible for this was the bastard that made the Nomu's. The bastard that sanctioned them off to the cities, the very same bastard who was the leader of all this shit. Shigaraki, and by extension All For One.

I blamed them for this.

Still, I couldn't get Yozora out of my mind. He was insane, that much was clear, but 'fun?' And referring to me as his 'younger brother' totally creeped me out. That meant that technically Tokage was my 'sister' and I'd rather die before admitting that. She was hot, yes, but there was a rule that men like to live by, and that was don't stick it in crazy. Well, she wasn't that crazy, but she definitely would try to kill me over a washing basket or something along those lines.

I suppose that added to her 'charm.'

But Miwa, now that was a real sibling. We constantly fought over who used what bowl for cereal in the morning, she constantly screamed at me when I was in the toilet taking a dump, and when she was applying her makeup, I'd be banging on the door telling her to hurry it up. Ah, the bind we shared as siblings was unbreakable. Especially when to annoy her I'd just enter her room and sit on her bed, reading one of my manga or Light Novels while she did her homework.

Alternatively, she would t-pose in front of my TV while I was playing my games ensuring that I'd not be able to see the screen properly, which would promptly lead to us screaming at each other for five minutes, and then going back to friends within ten minutes. Such was our relationship, and I couldn't help but shudder at the 'fun' Yozora had promised me. His 'fun' of brotherly bonding probably involved a ton of corpses.

Regardless, eventually I stood in front of the Hosu City Police Station. There was only one, but boy was it large. It covered an entire street corner, and even had a parking lot underneath the building where I could see a ton of police cars hanging around. So, how was I going to approach this? Go in all guns blazing and demand to see Iida? Ask politely, or throw a tantrum? Hinata told me that she was going to park next to the restaurant across the street.

Making up my mind, I walked up to the doors of the police station, raised my leg and kicked it open as hard as I could. To say that the police were surprised would be an understatement, especially as they just looked at me oddly. Each of them paused to look at me, some sniggering at my actions while the older crowd reached for their weapons. I gulped at that, maybe I should have thought of my actions before I got shot to death?

"Hey kid, what are you doing here?" A burly police officer asked as he ate two dango sticks at once. To say he looked like a balloon would be an understatement, but also disrespectful to the balloon.

"Shut it fatty!" I replied, "I'm not a kid! Bring me Tenya Iida right now!" Should I really be acting like this? No, not really. See, I was self-aware like that, but I also knew that demanding things and acting like you are in charge was also the best way to earn respect. I read in an article that people liked confident people, especially girls.

And so, the police officer who I had insulted barked with laughter in response.

"You kids are sure lippy in this age, if I had said that my parents would have whipped me black and blue," He replied, "Still, Iida huh? You mean the kid in our custody? Well, you seem to know him, but I'm afraid that I can't just be letting any kid be seeing potential suspects-,"

"Satonaka!" A voice called from behind us, where a young-looking woman pointed at him accusingly. She had sky blue hair, almost like my own but without my mix of white and silver, along with the weirdest eye colour I had ever seen, hot pink. She stood at around five foot four, meaning she was about the same height as myself but had an impressive figure. Especially in the chest area. She wore jeans that complimented her body immensely, and a long brown overcoat with a badge tied around her neck. Unlike her co-workers, she had no set uniform which made me wonder who she was.

"Detective Nanao," The police officer growled, "I thought you were trying to make the boy open up, why did you come down here-,"

"Because Satonaka," She rudely interrupted, "If you did your damn job properly, you'd realise that Sora Yamazaki here was the hero with Iida that was taken to the hospital last night. Don't you recognise him from the sports festival a few weeks back? Or did you get so drunk with that cheap sake you bought that you forgot?" I snorted slightly, not trying to hide my laughter as Satonaka, the fat police officer, turned purple.

"Why you-,"

"Anyways," Detective Nanao said grabbing my arm, "I'm going to take him away. But please, do continue eating on your dango. Hopefully then you can develop diabetes and become actually useful for once when you get discharged from the force." The man howled in response, turning around and reaching for another dango stick as he ignored her sound advice. She then turned to smile at me, "Sorry about him, he's always like this. Honestly, I can't wait to get out of this shithole. I'm Detective Nanao Iori, a pleasure to meet you Sora Yamazaki."

"Likewise," I replied politely, because she most definitely deserved my respect. "I'm surprised that you knew my name. Didn't realise I had a fan."

"Well, you are a hero, or training to be one," She said, "Plus your performance during your sports festival was exemplary. Truly I wished that you had won, but alas the finals we got were a disappointment to say the least. Other than that, your fight with that Todoroki boy was easily a highlight of the tournament. Well, that and that earphone jack girl, Jiro I think her name was."

"Yeah, it's Jiro. Kyoka Jiro, also known as the hero Headphone Jack, be sure to remember the name! She'll hit it big in the future!" I said proudly, "So, uhm, when can I see Iida?" I asked her curiously as she led me down a hallway.

"Let's talk first in my office, then we can discuss your friend. Oh, and thank you for your service last night, you performed admirably as a hero. We already had a father and son come here and commend your actions as a hero Aozora, but I must insist that next time you try to act rationally. Fires are dangerous, and it's not like you were experienced enough to go into one alone, that being said you really were a hero."

I grinned at her.

I liked this 'Detective Nanao' more and more as she talked, she sounded really intelligent as well. Recognising my greatness as a hero, and praising me was simply sublime-, And then she shoved me into a tiny office that had room for a desk, a chair and a stool. What the hell was this tiny shoebox? Was this supposed to be a cupboard? Wait, was she going to have se-,

"Sorry about the space," Nanao apologised as she jumped over the desk and sat in her chair, "This is all they could 'give me.' That being said, I'm transferring to another branch soon, so I'll finally be free of this sexist place. Seriously, giving a rookie detective like me a case like this can only spell disaster, but I do have to thank you for coming here right on time." She said as she pointed at the stool on the ground for me to sit on.

"Ehrm, no problem detective. Just doing what's best for the law, ya' know as the perfect law-abiding citizen that I am." I lied to her.

"Right," She smiled in response, taking a hair band on her desk to tie up her hair in a neat ponytail. "With that out of the way, lets discuss your friend. Tenya Iida, the brother of Tensei Iida a recently deceased pro-hero on the same street where Stain, the criminal who murdered his brother, was tipped off to be in. More curious is that Native, another pro-hero was found dead not even two minutes away. Now, two of your other friends who were found at the scene have been silent, so maybe you can shed some light on what happened?" She asked, leaning back in her chair as she crossed her legs and put them up on the table.

"Uhm, well-,"

"You can put your legs up on the table as well," She interrupted me, "I'm very lax when it comes to this stuff. And call me Nanao, no Iori or detective shit. Please, just my first name." I nodded at her, raising my feet on her desk as I positioned the stool next to the wall so it could support my weight. Aha, so much better now. She smirked in my direction, opening her desk drawer to throw a packet of sweets at me which I barely caught in time.

A woman with similar tastes as my own?

"Eat," She said, "I stocked up on some sweets for your friend in custody. The bastards here refused to feed the damn kid, so I bought him some food. He ate the food, but he left the snacks, oddly enough he did say one thing, however. That his friend likes these sweets." I nodded at that as I tore open the packet and grabbed a few sweets, tossing them in my mouth happily. This really was the best, why didn't I come here sooner?

"As I was saying," I started, "Iida and I were patrolling when all hell breaks loose. Iida gets separated from me as this shit starts, Manual orders me to find him, and I do so. I save some kids from a burning building and meet up with Iida who has been running all over Hosu looking for me. And then Stain attacks, and we couldn't just roll over and die, now, could we?"

Nanao nodded at that, "Obviously. So that's it?" She asked me once more, her eyes narrowing slightly, "That's the truth?"

I nodded at her.

"Yep, pretty boring right?"

"So, you expect me to believe that a kid who had his brother murdered, who came to Hosu where his brother's murderer was last seen coincidentally met that very same murderer when he had the chance to meet him, using the chaos to mask his actions? She asked me incredulously, "Because even if, and it's a very big if, that did happen, where is Stain right now?"

"Someone took him away before the police came."

"Who?"

I swallowed my spit, staring directly at her pink eyes that gleamed with curiosity. I had mistaken her, she wasn't just a nice person, she was also a detective. She wanted to get the truth out of me, and this was her way of playing nice. But I couldn't tell her about Yozora, that would lead to more questions than answers, and questions I couldn't answer. Not without dying, which I refused to do. Damnit, I should have thought about Stain's escape when I made my lie.

Oh wait!

"Kurogiri," I replied grinning, "The League of Villains and Stain are working together. He just... stole him away."

"Stole him away?" She repeated, "As in use his Quirk to transport him elsewhere?" I nodded at her.

"Well, it's a shame that security cameras in the area show a different story." She replied, pointing at the photos on her desk. There stood Yozora, carrying Stain on his back as he ran away into the night. "Who is that?" She asked me, leaning forwards with a sly smile on her face. "Because that does not look like Kurogiri to me. But I'll tell you this, that man is a very dangerous criminal. His name is Kyuugo."

"Like the kanji for myself?" I asked.

She shook her head.

"No, as in the kanji for nine." I paled at that, looking around her office to make sure that no one was listening in. Damnit, how the hell did she know?! "Don't worry Sora, your secret is safe with me. But yes, I do know the truth, or at least part of it." She told me. "If you are wondering how I know, well I'm sure it'll all be clear when I say this one word. Decimo." She said in Italian, smirking at my expression as she reorganised her desk.

Decimo.

Decimo...

The tenth.

"You're the ten-,"

She quickly leaned over her desk and covered my mouth, shaking her head slightly. "Don't say it out loud, there are many ears in this building, ears that can lead to some very unscrupulous people," She whispered to me, "But yes, I am the tenth. No, I do not know what the numbers mean, nor why we are here, but that is why I became a detective. To reach out to the truth, and to understand it." I slowly nodded at her, taking in her scent. Was that vanilla?

Holy hell, her hand was covering my mouth.

"That being said Sora, I'm willing to work with you on this." She told me flatly, "I'm hunting Kyuugo, I'm hunting that son of a bitch down and I'm throwing him in prison. But I'm not a hero, I don't have the strength to do so. Nor do I know this world as much as I should, really, I'm relying on second hand information regarding this world." She told me. "I never watched anime, and I still don't. All my information comes from the eleventh."

"So, you know where the eleventh is?" I asked her excitedly. And that's when the spark in her eyes faded slightly, the look on her face shifting to one of great sadness.

"Yeah, I know where they are buried." She replied sadly, refusing to meet my eyes. "Kyuugo killed them, that's why I'm hunting him down. That bastard doesn't give a damn about us, he's a liar and a murderer. Whatever you do, don't ever trust him. I made that mistake once, and now I'm paying the price. But a bastard he may be, he knows something. He knows the truth, maybe not all of it, but more than yourself and myself combined, so I need your help Sora. I'm not a hero, I don't have a strong Quirk, only one for information gathering. But you can help me."

I looked at Nanao, the determination in her voice made me smile slightly. She reminded me of myself really.

"Oh, and I should add that helping me out with taking him down will also mean that I can vouch for your friend," She added, "I'll let him go within the hour."

"Isn't that just corruption?" I asked her confused.

"Well, yes," She replied shrugging her shoulders, "But lying during a pending investigation, as well as falsifying evidence seems also pretty illegal. Maybe you and your friend can get five years in jail? That'll teach you, oh and I'll make sure to put a note for you two to be situated next to each other. It would be mean for me to separate you two."

"You-,"

"Relax," She cut me off smirking at my expression, "That was just a joke, a poor one at that. My apologies, but the offer still stands. Even if you decline, I'll help you out. It's the least I can do for you, especially since you did help to save a lot of lives last night. It's your choice, either you can help me or not. Tenya Iida will be freed even if you say no, so don't think that I'm pressuring you to help me. Kyuugo is a dangerous person, so I won't blame you if you decide to run away - I'd do the same if I were in your shoes."

No.

No, Kyuugo, Yozora or whatever he was called was going down.

"I want information." I told her plainly.

"Pardon?"

I sat up from my stool, taking a step towards the table as I stared into her surprised hot pink eyes. "I want information regarding the League, regarding Stain and Yozora, Kyuugo I should say, and I want information on Zero. That's my price, and I swear I'll help you."

"The bastard changed his name to Yozora, huh?" Nanao said to herself bitterly, "Sure I accept those terms, but why the League? And who's Zero?"

"He's like us, but working with the League," I explained to her, "He helped me out last night to settle our debt. I don't think he's a bad person, but I'm not going to go around claiming that he is a saint either. But I want all the information the police get regarding them to be sent to me, especially since he's helping the League out. You help me, I'll help you take down Yozora."

"You know Sora, I'm only became a detective recently," Nanao complained, "I'm twenty-one, nearly twenty-two in July. But I'll see what I can do, I'll solve a few more cases and see if I can get myself onto the League case. After all, I'm one of the youngest detectives Japan has ever had in over a century. A lot of departments have tried to poach me, including some active investigations. So, I'll see what I can do, either way I have a link to the main task force itself."

"Oh?"

She smiled at the picture on her desk. "I wouldn't say he's my father, but more of an older brother. He found me alone on the street and took me in ever since, and since then I became a detective not only because I want to find out the truth, but because it's been my dream to solve a case with him. He works in Musutafu, so I'll head there next. That means we will be in close proximity with each other, perfect for solving a case, is that suitable for you?"

I nodded at that.

"That sounds perfect," I replied, "So can I go meet with Iida now?" Nanao nodded, bowing to me as she thanked me for my co-operation before standing up from her seat and vaulting over her small desk gracefully. Oh man, I would definitely let myself be arrested by her. Blondes? No, fuck blondes. It was all about sky blue haired girls now.

Even so, the one girl who stood above them all was a familiar purple haired girl, her eyes lit with excitement as she held a guitar in her hands and sung a song that I'd never heard before with her angelic voice.

---

I walked into the room containing Iida. He was still in his suit, all messed up and broken from both Stain's and partly my own attacks. He looked tired, more so than before. He had heavy bags underneath his eyes, his skin was pale, and his hair was slightly greasy. His glasses were slightly cracked as well, only held together by some tape curtsey of Nanao, which made me grateful to her in a way.

But to say that he looked like shit was an understatement.

Especially when he looked at me in surprise.

"Yo," I waved at him, twirling the keys to his cuffs around my fingers as I grinned at him. "So, I already ate but I'm sure you are hungry. I saw this nice pizza place a few minutes away from here, and you know how much I love pizza so let's go." I flung the keys at him, Iida narrowly catching them as he unlocked his cuffs with ease.

"Sora... I-,

"Man does it stink in here," I cut him off, "Still if you want to talk, we will have plenty of time in the restaurant. Just be sure not to order too much, it's coming out of my wallet after all. My Quirk isn't being super rich, although I wish it was." We walked to the entrance, where Nanao was waiting for us with her handbag. She smiled at us, chatting excitedly with Hinata-, Oh no, with the rate they were going at-,

"Sora!" Hinata yelled, dragging me into their conversation. "Iori-san here was just telling me about how brave you were last night. Did you really save a kid from a burning building?" I nodded, "Wow, even I didn't see that one coming. I would have thought that you would have asked another hero to save them, not rush into a burning building yourself."

"That's a bit harsh for your son, don't you think?"

"It's just... we never thought of you as that type of hero ya' know?" She explained, "Not with that permanent scowl on your face, or your messy hair. Seriously you look homeless, please just get a haircut."

"Hey, I like my hair thank you very much! Messy hair suits me much more than short hair, or whatever monstrosity those boy bands you love to listen to have! And I am homeless, technically I don't own a home."

"Take that back right now Sora! I won't allow you to diss Takeshi-kun and his studs!" Hinata replied, "Apologise to them right now or else I'll cut your pocket money in half!"

"Pocket money? You don't give me pocket money."

"Yes, I do."

"No, you don't. Your crazy."

Hinata pouted at that. "Who the hell are you calling crazy, do you want me to break all your gadgets using my hands-,"

"Ahem," Nanao cut in, "As much as seeing the two of you interact puts a smile on my face, I really do have to go. Hosu accepted by transfer request, and Musutafu's main police headquarters have already informed me of what day I start working there, so I really must be going. It was lovely to meet you Yamazaki-san, and of course Sora-san as well. Please do take care, and if you have any questions do not hesitate to contact me. Take care you two, oh and you as well Iida-san."

We watched as she walked away, like an angel in the sky.

"Do you think she would accept us if we adopted her?" Hinata asked me, "Because she is a very wonderful woman. I'd love if you married her Sora, honestly your hair colours suit each other well enough. And she's extremely attractive to boot, just imagining the children the two of you could have makes me very-,"

"Please," I shook my head at her, "Please just stop. Anything but that. She's like six years older than me, if you want her as your daughter that badly just ask her. But I'm pretty sure that Miwa would be jealous-,"

"Oh please, Miwa would be elated," She scoffed at me, "Miwa's been begging Gekko and I to adopt another girl for years. Before we even got you actually. She's always wanted to discuss her 'boys love manga' with or share her makeup with. Unfortunately, she never thought about discussing those topics with me because I'm 'too old' apparently. Hmpf, what bullshit. I look like I'm twenty-five."

"Your above forty with two kids at sixteen, please don't lie to yourself like that," I then turned to Iida and nodded at him. "Mum, meet Iida. Iida, meet my mum. Anyways, Iida and I are going to go to the pizza place down the street. You can go to Manual's agency and get our stuff; I assume our internship has been terminated?"

She nodded at that.

"Your home tutor called me saying that U.A needed the two of you in by tomorrow, so there is that. Iida, do you know your parents' numbers so I can-,"

"They aren't here." He said, "They... left. The country, for a vacation. They needed a break." Oh.

"Well, that's not a problem dear," Hinata replied, "We have tons of space at home. I'm sure your parents won't mind if you spend a night or two at a friend's house, plus I'm dying to know about what my son does during lessons. Especially his friends, or any girlfriends he has." She giggled at that last bit, which sent shivers down my spine. Oh god, what had I done?

"I-," Iida began, staring at the ground guiltily. "After everything I've done I possibly can't-,"

"Aha, its opposite day," I interrupted Iida, patting him on the back hard, "Iida says that he would be thrilled to spend the night over at our house mum, in fact he's looking forward to it. But he really is hungry, so pizza first and then we can discuss this 'conversation' later, or preferably never. By now, love you loads!" Dragging Iida away from Hinata, I ran to the pizza place as fast as I could hoping that he wouldn't say another word.

Eventually the waiter saw us panting heavily outside and gave us a free table on the second floor. I ordered a large pepperoni pizza with extra cheese and some fries, while Iida just got a coke and a burger. We ate in silence, but it was clear that Iida was stalling until either I started the conversation or allowed him to. But before all the heavy talk, I wanted to eat my pizza in peace! This was called the best pizza place in Hosu, and as a pizza-lover it certainly did not hold up!

It was far too greasy; the ingredients were not fresh enough and most importantly the fries came with no sauce! Iida agreed with me as he barely touched his burger, only drinking his cola in silence. Eventually, I managed to finish my meal and sighed heavily as I looked outside the window. Today looked to be cloudy with a chance of raining, a shame after what happened last night. I would have hoped that the sun might have pulled through for us, but alas here we are.

"So," I started, "What do ya' wanna talk about?"

"Why?" He asked me, "Why are you still talking to me? Why did you help me? After everything I said to you, after trying to fight you I-,"

"Why not. You are my friend, sure right now you may be feeling shitty about yourself. And maybe someone looking in will blame you, but I won't. Not when I'm equally to blame for what happened," He looked to me in confusion as I carried on, "You were right. I'm an orphan, I don't know what it's like to lose someone. I don't feel the same way that you do, and yet I still tried to preach to you about what you should be doing. And for that, I'm sorry."

"Sora you didn't do anything wrong-,"

"But I did!" I yelled at him, "I did. And because of that I nearly lost you, I nearly lost my own life as well. Because I was only doing what I thought was right, because I wasn't taking your feelings into consideration. You aren't the only person that's suffered because of my mistakes you know," My mind instantly thought back to Midoriya, "But I have a duty to correct my mistakes. Not just as a friend, but as a student of U.A, as a hero, and as a human being. Iida, I'm sorry for being a bad friend."

He nodded his head slowly, knowing that no matter what he said I'd refute him. "I'm sorry as well." He replied, "For saying all those things to you. For attacking you, and for being a bad friend just as much as you claim to be. I also need to apologise to Midoriya and Todoroki, they were forced to intervene because of my foolish actions, and for a suitable punishment, I've decided to drop out from U.A."

Snorting, I took one of the remaining fries I had and threw it at him.

"I refuse."

"W-what?" He asked me confused, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I refuse to let you go."

Iida growled at me. He clenched his fists as he tapped his foot impatiently on the ground, glaring at the table in front of him in anger.

"I disregarded protocol and went after a villain with the intent to kill!" He whispered, "I fought against my comrades, and multiple times aimed for the killing blow. I was so obsessed with Stain that I let Native, a hero like my brother die. I could have saved him, if only I was not trying to kill him, I could have-," Iida paused, looking dejectedly at the table.

"So then why did you save me?" I asked. "When Stain was behind me with the knife, you pushed me out of the way and took the knife for yourself. Answer me this Iida, and if you still hate yourself after it then fair enough."

"I..."

"Speak up!" I shouted at him, "I can't fucking hear you."

"I didn't want to see you die, okay?!" Iida yelled in response, "I didn't want to see you die like my brother. My mind was telling me to let you take the knife, to use you as a steppingstone to crush his throat but-," He stopped once more, tears falling down his face as he couldn't finish the statement.

"But your body moved before you could think, right?" I finished for him as he nodded. "As I thought. Ya' know All Might always says that your body moving is the markings of a true hero, and I agree with him. Maybe your mind that desperately wanted to kill Stain was telling you to ignore me, but your heart, hell even your soul was telling you not to. Either way I'm indebted to you, you saved my life Iida even when you were knee-deep in hatred, you still saved me."

"So what?!" He asked me, "So fucking what Sora. I showed one heroic action, one out of how many villainous actions?! Do you know how many innocents I ran past, innocents that I could have saved to instead go after Stain?! How... how am I supposed to be a hero after all that? I've shamed my parents, my brother and myself. I'm a waste of space-,"

Before he could finish that sentence, I leaned over and punched him in the face.

Hard.

"That's what you get for ignoring those in need," I told him as I stood up from the table. "But don't ever say that you are a waste of space, alright? Because you are so much more than that. Sure, right now you may be a piece of shit. But what about the future? We have all done shit that we aren't proud of, shit that we wish we could change – But why fuckin' run away from it. They are our mistakes, ones which only we can learn from!" I told him.

"If you are a piece of shit for the rest of your life, then so am I. Me, a fucking delinquent who used to take things too far and brutally beat up anyone that came my way. I was excessive in my violence, and I was a brute. A 'demon.' I pushed everyone that loved me away, I spat on their love and continued to run away from the truth, that being that I was a selfish fool!" I yelled, "But I learnt, I fucking learnt, and I changed! So, you don't fucking run away, not when I'm giving you a chance!"

I offered my hand to him.

"Maybe you are a piece of shit now, but in the future? Only you get to decide your future. And if you don't want to be a hero after it's all said and done, after you have atoned for your sins then that's fucking great. I'll throw a party for you, but you don't get to quit now! Not when you have so much to make up for. The innocents you chose not to help, Native, and for Stain's next victims – Believe me there will be more victims. So, you don't get to give up now, I won't let you be a coward!"

I bit into my tongue, hard enough for blood to be drawn.

"I'll promise you this Iida, I'll promise you that I won't leave you until Stain is in prison! Until your brother's soul has been laid to rest." I said to him, "So you better not fuck off, you better stand your fucking ground and fight the fuck back. You better stick with me, because there is no way that I'm facing Stain all alone. Hell, there is no way that we are going to face him, we will fight him all together. Class 1A, you think we won't help you?"

"I don't deserve your help-,"

"And I said that we don't care whether you think you deserve it or not!" I cut him off angrily. "We are friends, you get that?! We help each other when times get tough, and afterwards we have a laugh about it. No matter what you say or do won't change this, because it sure as hell won't change how I feel about you Iida! You, the bastard that always wakes me up in class, or scolds me for being on my phone when I should be listening to Present Mic babble on about English. You, the same person who constantly reminds us of our schedules, or anything we need to fix."

"You, the same bastard that makes all of us sit in the same corner for lunch. The same idiot that challenges Bakugo head on, the same goofball that makes Uraraka giggle like a child, that makes Midoriya smile, that helps Kirishima with his homework. The same goofball who helps Yaoyorozu after school for student council stuff or discussing with Jiro over classical music. You, who scolds Kaminari and Mineta each time they try to take a peek in the girls changing room, or you who bonds with Tokoyami and Tsuyu over literature."

"I'm sure that Sero would be disappointed if you stopped scolding him for trying to mooch off other people's homework, or you who helps to feed Koda's pigeons. Helping Shoji and Ojiro set up a training regime during PE, or helping Hagakure find her way around the school. Ensuring that Mina and Aoyama can set up their decorations around our class, hell even telling Todoroki off for sitting a metre to the left! No, I won't take you leaving 1A easily, and neither will everyone else. So, get the fuck off your pity train and wake up."

My hand was still stretched out, waiting for him to grab it.

"It's not as easy as it sounds Sora," He replied with tears streaming down his face, "Even if you all want to help me, I don't think I can help myself. I'm a bad person. I don't deserve to be a hero, I'm just a villain. A villain that let another villain go free, I'm just as bad as Stain. He was right, I am the same as him."

I smirked at him.

"Fuck that," I whispered. "Fuck all of that, don't you want to prove him wrong?" His eyes met my own, the fierce determination that I had come to expect from Iida slowly returning. "Maybe right now you are like Stain, so then why not show him that you are a true hero! That you are a person with convictions, a hero worthy of his respect! Because right now that bastard is out their smirking that he managed to ruin another hero's life, don't let him win!"

Iida slowly stood back up, tentatively reaching for my hand.

"And if I fail?" He asked, his bottom lip quivering, "If I just fail once again?"

"Then you'll pick yourself back up, over and over again. Like a hero, like your brother. No one is asking you to go after Stain right now, but in the future he's yours to take care of. And I-, we will all be behind you, helping you along the way. Because Iida, cheesy as it may sound, that's what I believe the true strength of our class is – The power of the bonds we have somehow forged during our short time at U.A. So don't go doubting us, and don't go doubting yourself." I said, helping him up fully.

"Because you are just as much as a driving force of the class as the rest of us."

He nodded at that, wiping his tears away as he stood up straight.

"Thank you, Sora. Truly, thank you for everything."

"Haha," I rubbed the back of my head embarrassed, "No need to thank me. Just doing something anyone would have done. But don't go forgetting the promise we made, alright? No matter what, you'll never break that damn promise. Because I won't, even if it kills me. Alright Iida-, Tenya?"

He nodded at me, managing to smile even.

"Yeah, I promise." He said, "I promise that I'll put Stain in prison, that I'll atone for my actions. I promise that I won't give up on being a hero, that I won't give up on being friends with you all. So, Sora, I'll hold you to it. After all, as the vice-president of the class, it's my duty to do so. Or rather, it's my glasses duty." He joked.

I laughed at that.

Good, everything was back to how it was.

---

Iida and I made our way back to the dingy office we started our journey in. Not without stopping off to the local anime and manga stores, where Iida and I browsed many of the sections. We were in no rush, especially since U.A had contacted my mum to tell us that we were going home by train, with Aizawa coming to 'escort' us as per the 'rules of the school.' Basically, they were sending Aizawa-sensei over to beat our ass.

I winced at that, rubbing my head in anticipation for the lashing he was going to give us.

But until then, look at the figures on offer!

"Hey Tenya, this is a limited-edition figure! I heard there were only one hundred thousand figures printed!"

"Sora, it's just a skimpy figurine of an elf-,"

"An elf? Just an elf?! And that's the swimsuit Aisa-chan wore in the filler arc you heathen!" I corrected Iida, "Not that I've seen the filler arc. But Mineta and Kaminari love Alisa for some reason. Personally, I'm more of a fan Haruno, the gunslinger with a heart of gold. A shame she's not popular enough to get a figurine..."

Iida patted my back gently.

"I'm sure that one day this 'Haruno' character you enjoy will get a figure. You just must remain positive Sora, isn't that what it means to be an otaku?"

"I'm not an otaku." I denied vehemently.

"But you-,"

"No."

"Then why are you in this shop of all places?"

"Just looking around."

"For...?"

"I have never bought a figure, nor do I own any Tenya. Actually, calling you Tenya feels weird. Can I call you 'boss' or something?"

Iida laughed at that, shrugging his shoulders.

"I don't mind Sora, just as long as you feel comfortable and it isn't disrespectful-,"

"WOAAAH!" I yelled, ignoring Iida as I pressed my face up against the glass. Holy-fucking-shit was that an arcade version of Liable Rig Strive?! I thought that was rarer that winning the lottery, let alone in some shop in the middle of Hosu. And then I looked at the price tag and nearly vomited right then and there. That was a lot of zeroes, to the point where I wasn't sure if I was able to look at the arcade machine without feeling obligated to use my tongue to lick it clean.

Iida sighed from behind me, grabbing me by my collar as he dragged me across the ground, I was too weak to resist him as I continued to claw my way to the arcade machine. It was just sitting there, I'm sure if I used my position of a hero, as well as saving people last night, I'd be able to get a discount, or more preferably I'd get the arcade machine for free. Iida likely knew what I was thinking, and so he dragged me away from the machine before I could do something that I'd regret.

Hn.

I'm not some child!

I just would have bartered with the store owner... and maybe insult them slightly. Okay, maybe I would have done something stupid, but in my defence-, Wait I didn't even have a strong defence. I just wanted the arcade machine because I thought it would be cool as hell. Where would I even place it? My room couldn't handle an arcade machine, nor did our home have enough space to fit one. U.A? Ha, as if they would place an arcade machine in one of their countless empty rooms just for me to skip lessons and use.

Eventually, Iida and I found ourselves standing in front of the manga section. Countless shelfs were filled to the brim with volumes from series that I had heard of, as well as series that I hadn't heard of. Well either way, I grinned as I walked to the closest shelf and checked out the manga on offer.

"Another shitty romance series? Nah. Boys love? Definitely not. Josei? Eh, maybe Miwa would like it. A new battle Shonen? Oh, that fucker made a new series, not going to read another shitty ending ever again." I hummed to myself, making my way around each shelf as I slowly reviewed each and every manga that was on sale.

"Shouldn't we be meeting with Manual soon?"

I shrugged my shoulders in response, picking up a random series from the shelf and flicking through it. "Maybe, but he can wait. This series seems interesting-," Holy shit, was this Fullmetal Alchemist? "Follow the travels of Edward Belric and his brother Timmy as they try to find a way to get their bodies back to normal, set in the mystical land of Demestris where sorcerers are discriminated against for being the 'dogs of the military.' Follow the brother's journey in this year's award winning 'Metalfist Sorcerer!'" I read in a deep voice, before chucking the manga volume back to where it belonged.

"You didn't think it sounded interesting?" Iida asked me, grabbing the volume which I had thrown away up from the shelf and carrying it with him. "Personally, it seems like it would be a fun series. Plus, as your vice president, I must learn more about your interests and hobbies. And that goes for everyone in the class, or how else will I be able to create a comfortable environment where you can all come to talk to me and Yaoyorozu about your problems-, Hey where are you going?"

"Let's leave."

"Okay, let me just buy this-,"

"Don't worry about it, I'll just lend you something better. Like D. Gray-Man, or even One Piece-," Oh shit, those series didn't exist.

"D. Gray-Man? One Piece?" Iida asked confusedly, scouring the shelfs around him to try and find those series. "I can't see those series anywhere. Are they famous enough to be sold out?"

"Not really," I replied scratching my chin in embarrassment. "They are, uhm, how do I say this?" Shit, how was I going to find my way out of this mess? Stupid brain. This is why I never liked to go manga shopping with anyone, it always led to painful questions that I couldn't really answer. Oh wait, I can just say that!

"You see Iida, a long time ago I had a different dream."

"A different... dream?" Iida repeated, even more confused compared to before.

"Yep!" I nodded at him, "When I was younger, I used to dream of being a mangaka. D. Gray-Man and One Piece are my own creations, sadly I was not gifted with the skill of art to draw the series out. But you know, I still remember the ideas I had for the series very well. One was about exorcizing machines of the soul, while the other was about pirates finding a legendary treasure." I'm sorry Hoshino, I'm sorry Oda, please don't strike me down with a lawsuit from another world away!

"I didn't know you wrote stories," Iida replied impressed. "Maybe you should ask around in our class for talented artists? I heard Tokoyami is really gifted in art, maybe you two could work together for a monthly manga strip for the school magazine. I'm sure that would be welcomed, or even successful enough to potentially be published by one of the many publishing companies that have close ties to U.A."

I-,

Wait what?!

"You mean I can make money of them?"

Iida frowned at that. "Well, if it's successful, I don't see why not? But isn't writing stories a form of art, should money really be at the forefront of your mind-,"

I opened my phone and called Tokoyami immediately as Iida droned on about the 'artistic' value of entertainment, and how inspiring they can be. Now I agreed with him wholeheartedly, if a series required me to turn my brain off and enjoy then I wouldn't exactly like it. Pretty animation can only go so far, especially when the characters and story are lacking in every department. But that's beside the point, I could become a successful mangaka!

Unfortunately, Tokoyami could not pick up the phone. Either way, I'd be discussing this at length with the boy once we got back to U.A. And so, after Iida paid for the manga volume, we made our way to Manual's agency that was thankfully left mostly intact from the previous night's event. Waiting for us at the doorstep was none other than Hiromi, wearing a green dress instead of the yellow dress that I had previously seen her wear.

But once again, her bright bubble-gum pink hair clashed wildly with her dress that it was hard to not look away.

"Papa, the slaves came back." She yelled loudly, making Iida sigh and nearly causing me to trip on a rock in front of me in surprise.

"Hiromi, what have I told you about calling other people slaves?" Manual yelled, greeting us from the window with a towel wrapped around his neck. He then vaulted over the window to stand next to us, stretching his arm slightly.

"Not to do it when they can listen?"

"No. It was not to do it at all."

Hiromi stuck her tongue out at him, before running back into the building as fast as her legs could take her as Manual groaned and shook his head.

"I hope you two take protection very seriously," He muttered to us, "I know you are young and stupid, but kids are a handful. Please to be careful when you-,"

"Please sir, let's not talk about this." I interrupted him, "Anything but this conversation. We get it, I'll be sure to use condoms till the day I get married-, Actually I'll use them even while I'm married! Does that satisfy you?"

Manual simply laughed in response, reaching over to slap my back hard.

"Haha, you say the funniest things Sora."

"I think Sora actually meant what he was saying-," As soon as Iida started to speak, Manual's laughter disappeared completely and was instead replaced by a scowling look across his face. "Oh, uhm, I'm very sorry for the trouble that I caused Manual-sensei!" Iida yelled from the top of his lungs, bowing his head to the floor. "I-, I made so many mistakes that cost so many lives, and I can understand why you don't ever want to see me again! But I promise that I'll make it up to you, and to all the victims!"

"Raise your head Iida, looks like your friend beat me to the punch, but also it means that you learned the lesson I tried to teach you, one that I failed miserably at." Manual replied, "If you know what to do, and if you are going to try and remedy your mistakes then I have nothing else to say to you. The road to being a pro-hero is hard but becoming a hero that you yourself is proud of is even harder. So don't disappoint me, especially since I won't be able to help you guys out anymore."

Huh?

"You see, I've decided to retire early."

Wait what?!

"I-, you-, what?!" Iida stuttered, "Is it because of-,"

Manual shook his head-, Misaki Mizushima shook his head, and that was when I noticed that he wasn't in his hero costume. He wore a plain blue shirt and some shorts.

"No Iida, it isn't because of you." Misaki replied. "Truth be told I've been thinking about retiring for a while. But after last night, being unable to do much, as well as worrying about Hiromi more and more, worrying if I'll die on the job and leave her alone. And then Native died, he was a friend of mine. Like your brother Tensei, and that's when I realised how precious my life is. Ever since my wife died, it was like I was just going through the motions of being a hero. And because of that, I allowed you to suffer Tenya. And for that I'm sorry."

Tears flooded his eyes as the man used his towel to wipe them away.

"I invited you to Hosu to try and help you, to try and teach you a bitter lesson I learnt from my own experiences, and I couldn't even do that. Instead, I had to rely on your friends to beat the lesson into you, an experienced hero like myself fell short when someone needed to be saved right in front of me." Misaki growled, his hand balling into a fist. "I embarrassed not only myself, but my entire agency these past few days. I even let my other charge go into a dangerous situation because of my own weakness, and for that I must apologise to you as well Sora."

He then turned to me and bowed in my direction, refusing to meet my gaze.

"Jeez," I said, scratching the back of my head in embarrassment. "Aren't you like ten years older than us? No need to apologise Manual-, er, Mizushima-san. I understand your thought process, but I just have to ask if it's what you truly want. Because you and Iida are so alike it actually hurts. One of you wants to quit U.A, and now you want to quit being a hero. Sure, I'm a kid, but sir if even a small part of you still wants to be a hero, then don't give up. Because it's not just me and Iida that look up to you, but it's also your daughter. You are her hero, so don't just give up now you shitty old man."

"Sora?!"

"No Iida, he needs to hear this." I said, rolling up my sleeves as I walked towards the man and readied my hand to hit him across the face. "He's a hero, he's someone that's saved people before. People look up to him, and you know what so do I. I'm not going to stand for his pity performance, especially when he was supposed to be our teacher. Pick yourself the fuck up and keep on walking forward. Isn't that why you started this agency with your wife? What about all the workers you have employed, hell even this decrepit old building, your legion of fans, and the hopes of society. Are you just going to walk away from all that, but then tell Iida that the path to redemption is long? Why don't you show us the way, after all you are supposed to be our teacher for the week."

"It's not as easy as that-,"

"No, it isn't." I cut him off. "I speak a lot of shit for someone who's just like you two, but I'm going to take the step forward even if I'm scared out of mind. Fuck me, I declared war on a group of dangerous psychopaths, and I have another prick that finds me 'interesting.' My life is basically already hell, and I started high school just over a month ago. But being a hero means you continue walking forward, it means giving out hope to everyone else to latch onto and change their own lives with. So don't throw your hope away sir, don't be a fucking bitch that will regret your choices for the rest of your life!"

God, why was today the day I had to give a bunch of shitty speeches?

"...He's right," Iida added, "You shouldn't retire because of my own mistakes. That isn't fair, especially when I'm going to continue on my path to become a hero, the hero that I should have been last night. I won't allow you to give up on being a hero Manual-san, I just won't. I want to be able to make you proud, I want you to see how far I've come, whether that is in a year or even ten! Isn't that what being a hero is all about? Persevering and giving hope?!"

"Both of you are right." Manual said, a slow grin forming on his face. "You are both so right, which is why I'm so happy that you two knuckleheads passed my final test for you!" Behind us, confetti were thrown at us, while from the window on top of us Hiromi excitedly poured glitter on top of Iida and me. Manual reached inside the ground floor window and held up a banner that said, 'THANK YOU FOR COMING!' written in bright green letters.

Eh?!

Patting both of our backs, Manual laughed like a loon.

"Haha! I'm proud of you two, even if I didn't have as much time to teach you both the tricks of the trade, at least I know that you will be fine. Being a hero is hard work, especially if you want to live up to your ideals." He told us, "But knowing that the next generation have a pair of knuckleheads like you two puts me at ease for when I do retire. Continuously improving and helping each other is a lesson your brother taught me, both Native and I. It was my duty to pass this lesson on to the next generation, and when the time comes it'll be time for you two to teach the younger generation of this lesson."

"M-Manual-,"

"There isn't a need to say anything," the hero interrupted me. "Sora, Tenya, both of you caused me a bunch of headaches these past few days. And the paperwork-, I think I just got a migraine from thinking about the paperwork you two have given me. But I won't lie and say that our time, however short it may have been, didn't help me – Because it did! U.A. has a bunch of heroes that I'm looking forward to seeing develop, especially you two. So, use this failed week of experience, and use it to propel you forward, to exceed in everything, to go beyond 'Plus Ultra!'"

Both Iida and I looked at each other and nodded.

That was...

That was-,

"Pft, hahaha," I fell to the floor clutching my stomach as I couldn't stop laughing, Iida giggling slightly but clutching to the wall for support. Manual looked at us confused, scratching his head as he looked at us strangely.

"What's so funny?" He asked us.

"It's just your speech," I wheezed out, "It really came out of nowhere. 'Plus Ultra?' Way to go reminding us that you went to U.A. I guess you can graduate from U.A, but the U.A. life will never leave you, even after ten years of being an adult."

Still, his speech was inspiring to say the least.

Despite the rocky situations I found myself in, I managed to make it out of this week alive, and with Iida intact, a stronger Iida at that. One that would be a hero, one that would live to fight another day and show everyone the strength of our class. Even if many died, even a hero, Iida learned, and he'd grow from it. As would I, this past week was a wakeup call for me as well, because I still had a long way to go before I could call myself a hero, but I was getting closer.

I was getting closer to that 'carefree tomorrow' that I wanted.

"Anyways, I need you both to grab your stuff and leave." Manual added, "The HSPC has sanctioned me for being 'irresponsible' which means a ban from taking apprentices for two years, a cut on my earnings and having to 'relocate' somewhere else for the time being. That being said if you need a job at any point in the next few years, my office is open for a senior janitor role-," He didn't get the chance to finish that sentence as I scooped up some glitter from the floor and threw it at him.

"Tch, as if I'll be a cleaner at your dingy office," I grinned at him, putting Iida in a headlock, "Nor will Iida, I'm pretty sure he doesn't even know how to clean."

"Sora-san!" Iida tried to chop my arm, but he failed spectacularly as he missed my arm.

"Anyways, thank you Manual. Thanks for giving us a two-day work experience that we will never forget, or something along those lines. I'm sure with enough time, even you will be forgotten old man."

Manual snorted at me, laughing slightly as he gave the two of us a thumbs up.

"Do your best heroes."

---

Aizawa stood at the station waiting for us, tapping his foot impatiently and his scarf covering the lower half of his face. Honestly, if I was a little taller, I reckon that Iida would have hidden behind me to try and escape his glare that radiated annoyance and promised to make our training hell for the rest of our time at U.A. And so naturally, I waved at him and walked the other way to try and escape him. Unfortunately, he was one step ahead of me.

"If you leave, I'll put you in detention for the rest of the year."

Nope.

"Funny joke." I said to him, "But there is no way I'll fall for your tricks-,"

"I wasn't joking Yamazaki. Both you and your idiotic friend will be put in detention for the rest of the year if you try to run away from me-, Scratch that, I'll put you in detention for the rest of your time at U.A."

"Isn't that a little too harsh?"

"Like getting a call from your mother at five AM in the morning screaming her head off at us, and then having my boss personally visit my apartment to tell me that I had to pick you two brats up?" He snapped back, "And then having to book train tickets, which let me tell you were not cheap. And then having to come here and wait for you two to arrive with your luggage, while having to tell your mother that it was U.A policy to bring you back to Musutafu and that she couldn't drive you two home from here."

Ouch.

"Aizawa-sensei," Iida took a step forward and formally bowed at our homeroom teacher. "I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused not only for you, but for everyone at U.A. My actions have been shameful, and I am prepared to take any punishments you have for me without any complaints-,"

"Shut up or else I'll suspend you for a week." Aizawa interjected, "Both of you just shut up and follow me to our train carriage. I don't want to hear whatever babble you both have to say, so just keep it to yourselves or else." I gulped at that, he wasn't just mad, he was murderous. This didn't bode well for us, especially since we had exams coming up soon. Oh shit, he was going to mark our exams poorly, wasn't he?!

Oh no, oh no, oh no, what have I done?!

"Sir-,"

"I said shut up."

I nodded meekly at his instructions, glancing to Iida who looked like he had just died and gone to the afterlife. Was this his first time getting in trouble. Oh, that was sorta' funny, especially as he dragged his feet across the floor extremely depressed. I resisted to laugh at him, and instead chose to go on my phone to try and distract me. And that was when I saw the countless messages I had received these past few hours.

Over one thousand?

I groaned loudly, staring at the sky as I resisted the urge to throw my phone on the floor in anger.

"What the actual fu-,"

---

Not super proud of this chapter.

It was a pain to write. I reckon I'll edit it at a later date.

Announcement: UPDATES MIGHT COME OUT AT A SLOWER PACE!

I've been writing this story consistently for nearly a year now (A few days away) so in the advent of my upcoming extremely important exam season, I cannot promise that chapters will come out on time. Sorry, but it it is what it is. That being said, if I miss an upload date it will be uploaded with the next chapter etc. So maybe prepare for double updates?

Akurar: Having multiple people reincarnated with their own goals and objectives seems like a ton of fun to read, and let me tell you it is a ton of fun to write. Honestly, I can't wait to have them all interact with each other. A shame it will happen in the future, and not now.

PeliikGrahSol: Yeah, victims of bullying can become on themselves. Sora went 'over the top' when it came to dealing with his bullies, hell you could argue that he enjoyed fighting them and breaking them. Either way, I'm glad you enjoyed chapter 1 and I hope that you continue to enjoy the rest of the story!

Next time:

"Sora, how do you revise for an exam?"

"That's the neat part: I don't."