Let it Happen - Tame Impala
"The anger consumes us all,
After all, aren't we angry at ourselves?"
Jingle.
I woke up feeling groggy as I stared at a familiar ceiling.
Pastel yellow.
If there was one colour I hated most in the world, it was yellow. It was either too bright and blinded my eyes, much like staring at the Sun, but while people may calm down after that, all it did was infuriate me more than usual. And when the yellow was washed out and darker, it just reminded me of vomit and made me feel like I was going to empty whatever meal I had eaten most recently.
But most of all, I hated the connotations of the colour yellow.
Being a coward.
Running away from what matters most.
That's why as I sat in the hospital bed, staring at the ceiling, a sense of restlessness erupted from inside me. Why the hell was I lying here like a coward? I had a case to solve, I couldn't afford to just-,
Jingle.
As I peered down to my right, I became acutely aware of the fact that it was handcuffed to the bed. Right. The memories of what happened at City Hall flooded my mind as I sighed, shit, there was no way that I was going to be able to make it out of this one with a convenient excuse. Even as the door was slammed open, I simply stared at the woman who walked on through with a blank look on my face.
"...Nanao?"
"You're an absolute idiot, you know that?!" Nanao huffed out as she glared at me. "I thought the fact that I was put on temporary leave would have made you more careful about the investigation. But no, you can't for one second slow down and do anything with some thought on your actions. You just do whatever you feel like doing. Even if you nearly get killed in the process."
"..."
"Well, aren't you going to say anything?"
"...Can you uncuff me? I have a case to solve. Why am I even here in the first place?"
Nanao's face twisted in anger as she snarled at me.
"That's all you're thinking about? Sora, the police found you in there with Yukimura's dead body! You came here to be checked for injuries after Hawks and the medics cleaned up the mess before you passed out. Now, I'm not saying you killed Yukimura, but think about how it looks," Nanao told me. "...People are starting to wonder if the reason why you're obsessed with solving this case is because you killed Daguchi. That maybe you're destroying evidence that ties you to the scene of the crime."
Hm.
"I'll be fine. After all, I know who did it."
"...So it really is Natsuki."
"I assume Tokage told you?"
Nanao nodded in response, throwing a key at me which I caught with my free hand.
"She did. I was also called by Suwabe, he wants all hands on deck to now find Daguchi's phone. He doesn't even care if the murderer is stopped or not, he just wants the phone," Nanao told me. "...But judging by that look on your face, you find him suspicious. Let me guess, Do you think he's in on it? On whatever mystery has consumed you this time? Go on then, give me the rundown of everything you've found out since I've been away."
And I did.
I told her everything that was told to me.
"The redevelopment plan is just a pool of money? Huh? But, buildings have been taken down and renovated, and land has been bought in the poorer areas. Sure they were supposed to be made into hotels, but it's not like a few haven't already been made," Nanao replied. "...But there isn't anything wrong with that. That's just basic urbanisation. Anyway, how does Suwabe fit into this? Sure he's friends with them but… He's a good but strict boss. If anything he's the one that's been trying to fight corruption for the past thirty years, it can't be-,"
I shrugged my shoulders at her.
"Nanao, I don't know. Really. At the very least all I know is that Natsuki mentioned Death Arms and his case, and that's what set Yukimura off more than anything," I told her. "To me, that's a more important lead. If that's what ties all of this together… Well, I don't need to be told otherwise. It's a case I promised Death Arms I'd solve, and really it's a case that's been linked to so many different events these past few months. I have a duty to solve it."
Nanao hummed in response.
"You know, that's a surefire way to one day die. I've seen a lot of officers die like that before."
"You have?"
"In my past life," Nanao answered. "I was… a part of the police then too. It's the only thing I've ever known, so it's not like I don't understand your frustration. I want to believe in Suwabe, in the fact that maybe the systems in this world aren't as corrupt as the ones we knew back then. I'd like to think that Heroes and Quirks have changed the world for the better. So it's up to you, Sora, to prove it."
I smiled at her.
"I know. And I will."
"So, what are your leads?"
"...I'm gonna have some dinner with some family first," I told her. "Not my family. Well, they are my family, but not Gekko and Hinata-, It doesn't matter. The point is, at the very least, Natsuki's pointing me in a direction to follow him in. He said he's trying to solve something too. So I'm going to follow that direction, I'm going to seize the truth with my own hands - That's a promise. As long as Mei is still trying to pry open Daguchi's phone, it means I'll have to pursue other avenues."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah," I nodded in response, getting out of the hospital bed. "I don't have time or energy to waste on moping about. I need your help, Nanao. Suwabe doesn't trust me and he's probably going to impede more on the investigation-,"
"I'll distract him for you," Nanao cut me off with a grin. "And what about your friends?"
"...I'll need their help too. If they'll help me."
Nanao giggled at my words.
"Sora, they're your friends. Of course, they'll help you."
Heh.
In a sense she was right.
Even if we were on opposing sides, we would all still at least try to help each other. That's what I had done with Shirou back in Sendai, what I failed to do with Denji back during the Overhaul raid.
Help each other.
"Yeah, you're right. I'm going to need their help now."
"Tokage told me about… Well, that you went off on your own. You shouldn't have done that, Sora," Nanao chastised me. "You really could have died. And I know you're going to say that you didn't, that Natsuki wouldn't have killed you. But that's not the point. You've always been like that, so maybe it's futile, but-, I don't know. You're not invincible. One day that luck that you cling onto so much is going to run out, and everyone else is going to pick up the pieces because you can't control your emotions healthily."
I shrugged my shoulders at that in response.
"Whatever happens, happens."
"That's the thing, Sora. No one wants it to happen," I then watched as Nanao reached into her pockets and threw me two things. A packet of cigarettes and a lighter. "...Consider it my early birthday present for you. Make sure you don't kill yourself. I actually quite like the fact that I have someone like you in my speak to those friends of yours - They're a lot smarter than you give them credit for. They can also see a stupid boy trying to act like an adult."
"Heh."
I could only chuckle at that as I reached for a cigarette, lighting it up.
Ah.
How relaxing.
"Not in the hospital nimrod-,!"
Chapter
Seventy
Six
'Azure Blood Splatter'
"Sora! You made it!"
Hiroshi greeted me at the door of the apartment I had once visited. Ages ago. One where if I had maybe knocked on the door… It doesn't matter. It was just another what if that didn't exist, another what if that couldn't happen now.
"Yo," I waved at him, shaking his hand. "Where are the little ones?"
"They're packing up."
I blinked at him in confusion.
"Going on holiday or something?"
The man winced at that, pouring a glass of whiskey for the both of us. I gratefully took his drink, not to mention the fact that I wouldn't turn eighteen for another two days and four hours. Not that I was counting or anything, it's not like it mattered to me or anything - Birthdays were just another trap society made to celebrate days that weren't important at all.
"We're moving," Hiroshi told me. "After the funeral earlier today, I-, My wife loved this city. It was her home. I didn't mind settling down here with her because she enjoyed it, and more than that, she was looking for you. Looking for Raiden too. But now she's gone. And she found you. And this city just keeps on getting more dangerous by the second, if that bomb had gone off at City Hall, I-,"
I chuckled darkly at that.
"We'd all have been dead. I don't blame you," I replied sympathetic to his concerns. "This city just keeps on getting stuck in one disaster after the other. At some point, you just have to cut losses and move on. To be honest, I'm happy you're taking Tomoya and Mashiro away from this place. Maybe the sunny beaches of Okinawa?"
"Try the cold winters of Hokkaido."
Hm.
"Where exactly?"
"Akaigawa."
"Really? One of my good friends, Yui, is from there," I told him excitedly. "It's a pretty small town, but the locals and the food there is great. But why Akaigawa? I mean, you're from one of the largest cities in Japan to a rural town."
"My family is from there. My parents live there still, so I want Mashiro and Tomoya to spend some time with them," Hiroshi told me. "I'm… going to Tokyo. I can't just upend my life like that, whereas for them it's just a matter of moving schools. Especially since they aren't even in middle school yet, so it won't be as tough for them."
"You're going to Tokyo?"
"I work with my brother, or rather under my brother, " The man replied. "Since he's the Deputy Prime Minister of this country he lives in Tokyo. The only reason I stayed here was because I couldn't afford an apartment for all of us in the capital. I can afford to live, however. I know, it must be frustrating to want to be in their lives only for me to-,"
"No, no, it's not like that at all," I cut him off. "I-, Thank you. As I said, this city is getting worse each and every day. Not even innocents are starting to be safe. But maybe they never were, and I'm sure that Yukari if she were here would agree. Mashiro and Tomoya can wait until they're a little older before they really meet with their big brother. They don't need me now when they have you, and their grandparents. Plus, I have other things I need to do first."
Hiroshi grinned at that.
"You're a good kid. Even if Yukari didn't raise you, it's clear to see that you grew up with a good head on your shoulders," Hiroshi said to me. "Compliments to your adoptive family. To be honest, they are your family. As much as I'd like you to stay here, to be a part of the family Yukari always wanted for you, it's too little too late. I'd tell you to stay for dinner, but it looks like I'll be ordering food for the little ones. Their train leaves tomorrow early in the morning. Unless you do want to stay, I don't mind-,"
"Nah. I'll get out of your hair, thanks for offering, however," I replied, shaking my head at Hiroshi. "Still, I do have a question for you. It's another reason why I even came here actually. That man from earlier today - Natsuki - how do you know him? He's… I've met him before, so I'm just curious."
"Ah, Natsuki-san? I actually met him through Yukari," Hiroshi answered with a small smile. "It must have been about thirteen years ago now that I first met Yukari, a brilliant scientist in her own right. But she was struggling, from what I gathered she didn't take to leaving her ex-employer and her two sons well. She drank alcohol like a fish at a bar when I approached her. Told me to go away, so I bought her a drink as an apology. She felt bad that she came to my table a little bit after with the exact same drink and we talked, and set up a date for the next week."
"Huh. So that's how you met."
Hiroshi nodded at me.
"That's right, nothing fancy. Just two souls finding comfort in one another. That was when I was introduced to him. You see, Yukari had Natsuki-san as an understudy of sorts, he learnt a lot about Quirks and the nature of how they ticked," Hiroshi explained to me. "He was a teenager, or a young adult back then. He left around the time Mashiro and Tomoya were born, nine years ago now. But he was there for Yukari and I's marriage, and he's even their godfather - It's something Yukari believed in. It was surprising to see him at the funeral, that was why I talked to him. Why do you ask about him? You said you knew him, from an investigation I take it?""
I nodded my head at him.
"Yeah, you could say that. Huh, who woulda thought he worked under Yukari," I muttered out loud. "But he's a doctor, no? Well, that's what I've been able to sort of gather the few times I've spoken to him. Or maybe a scientist. He's definitely in that field of work at the very least, same with Yukari. I suppose they study biology and the human body, so it makes sense that they crossed over."
Either way, for Eri's experiments Natsuki must have used the skills Yukari taught him.
Tsk.
"He is indeed a doctor. Or was. He moved to Tokyo after the twins were born to pursue being a practitioner there, and then around nine years ago, he vanished off the face of the Earth. Yukari was devastated when she found out," Hiroshi told me. "I wanted to invite him to dinner tonight, but he said he had other plans and couldn't make it. He did give Mashiro and Tomoya presents, however. Just some Lego sets, but they made the kids happy at the very least. Something about not being there when Yukari died and how guilty he felt."
…Hm.
"Is that so?"
"Mmh. Natsuki-san is a kind man, even though my wife knew him better than I did, he's still quite easy to get along with. That kindness does wonders - In fact, you sort of remind me of a younger version of him, actually," Hiroshi added. "At one point Natsuki wanted to be a children's doctor. I don't know whether he still has that dream, but I remember it clearly, he just admitted to Yukari and me that he wanted healthcare for children at a premium service to be free for all young ones. For no child to ever have to wait for healthcare. It's a shame that it'll never pass due to the greed of some politicians, but it's a nice dream nonetheless."
Huh.
Judging Natsuki by the man he was now, someone who experimented on Eri and was a notorious criminal capable of murdering others, I was surprised to hear just how different he used to be. All it did was fuel my curiosity to know what happened to turn Natsuki into the man he was now, but I probably would only get the full story from the man himself when I finally caught him.
But there was that word again.
Greed.
"Thanks for your time, Hiroshi. I appreciate it."
"Don't mention it, kid. You're not gonna say goodbye to Mashiro and Tomoya?"
I shook my head at him in response.
There wasn't a point.
"It's never goodbye. I'll see them again, and I'll see you again one day, until then we'll just be going down whatever paths in life we need to," I replied honestly, waving at him. "Plus, I think my parents would be pissed off if I spent any more time avoiding them. I'm pretty sure my boss told them that I nearly died today. And not when the bomb was first found, I'm talking about later when I tried to interrogate Yukimura before he shot himself."
Hiroshi's face comically fell as I said that.
"What?! Huh?! Hey kid, what the hell happened-,"
Mei Hatsume worked at her desk diligently as usual.
I whistled as I walked up behind her, placing a plastic container and fork in front of her. She rubbed her tired eyes as she stared at the leftover pasta and chicken in confusion, turning around in her chair to look up at me as if I were some God.
"Food…?"
"Food," I told her with a grin. "You look like you haven't eaten in a while, so I thought why not bring you some food? My Mum made it for me, but I couldn't finish my plate without thinking of my favourite and only mechanic. How's it going?"
Mei yawned in response as he happily tore into the food.
Around her was a mish-mash of different projects, from jetpacks to literal prototype ray guns. Even as I poked at a non-functional robot, I could only nod thoroughly impressed with all the projects she was managing to keep up with at once. Even if she was a workaholic, it was still impressive in her own, sick and twisted way.
"How's what going? In terms of the baby we're making, I finalised some designs if you want to see them, but judging by the look on your face you couldn't care about our final baby being completed just yet," Mei told me. "I need at least a few more days. Daguchi's phone is linked up to a private server which has gone offline, meaning the only way to get access to this phone is to wipe it clean. Aka, you lose the one potential lead this could bring you."
"That doesn't sound solvable."
"Hmm, I guess not, but I can do it," Mei replied with a confident grin. "Just leave it to me. I'm going to try and make a proxy server and see how it reacts to it, then I'll try and track down the original server and make some weird things happen. It's all a bit too technical for you to understand, but there is a small chance that I'll be able to crack this phone open. I just need some more time-,"
"I don't know if we have time, Mei," I honestly told her. "Either way, I trust you. Eat, then sleep. In your bed, not your desk. It'll help. And if you don't, well, I'll tell Power Loader and let him deal with you."
"You wouldn't!"
"I would," I grinned at her. "Goodnight, Mei."
"Night."
Waving goodbye to her, I slinked out of her office with my hands resting in my pocket, an unlit cigarette in my mouth as I walked across the moonlit campus. It was empty, which made sense considering how late it was - At the very least I was happy that the security systems didn't trigger, although students were permitted to go into the library at any point during the day, even late into the night, not many chose to do so.
It was sort of funny as my feet led me towards a familiar room.
The locked room of Class A's homeroom.
Even as I stared at it, expecting the door to budge, it only glared fiercely right back at me - Much expected of a door and its functions. Despite that, I raised my hand to cover the keyhole as I summoned my Nimbus, a perfect silver key being created from my Quirk I slipped it into the keyhole and turned.
Click.
Walking inside the empty classroom was a sight, the desks reflecting the ever-present moon in the dark sky as I shut the door closed and I stared at the sight. None of us had been here ever since Daguchi's death, and even now all I could do was wonder what everyone else in my class was doing.
What was Kaminari doing?
Who was Jiro laughing with?
Where would Mineta be at this time?
And what about Monoma? Kirishima? Mina? Todoroki?
I sighed, walking over to the classroom windows, opening them as I took out my lighter and lit up my cigarette. The acrid smell of my cigarette was something my nose wasn't still used to, although I doubt anyone's nose got used to it - And even as I took a long drag from the so-called 'death stick', I couldn't help but feel calmer as I looked out at the night sky.
"So… are you going to come out or what?"
I wasn't a fool.
I noticed her presence right away, and even as Katsumi shuffled her feet towards me, I could see her look of surprise reflected onto the windows. Turning around to face my sister, I chuckled at the sight of her.
"..."
"Want one?" I asked her, raising the open box of cigarettes Nanao had given me. "I promise you, having only one isn't going to kill you. Or maybe it will. Who knows? Why are you here, Katsumi?"
"Why are you here?"
"This is my class," I replied with a smile. "My home. Even when it's empty, I like to visit it so I'm reminded of all the good times. You should be at home right now. Gekko and Hinata are going to freak out."
"...I requested them to allow me to spend the night here with you," Katsumi told me in a monotone voice. "Under the guise of brotherly bonding time. I think they were elated to see me take such an action after your near-death experience earlier today. Especially since you barely answered their inquiries into the matter."
I shrugged my shoulders in response, taking a shorter drag out of my cigarette, and blowing the smoke outside of the window. Katsumi took another step forward, but this time I raised my hand to stop her.
"It's a pretty night, huh?"
"..."
"You don't have a lot of words to say, do you?" I asked her, chortling at her face which looked like a cross between a confused and intrigued rabbit. "I guess All For One must have tortured whatever personality you had out of you, right? You can try and hide it, but you don't hide it well. The signs of an abused girl. I recognised them right away, we all did. So what did he do? Experiment on you? Tell you that you aren't loved? Tell you that you are alone? Just what did that bastard do to you?"
I watched as Katsumi's eyes widened slightly at that.
"...So what?" Katsumi replied, her voice more flatter than ever. "Does it really matter? After all, I'm still me. Your sister. Or are you going to throw me away because I'm a broken toy-,"
"I never once said anything about throwing you away, don't project your own fears onto me," I cut her off, flicking the ash off my cigarette. "I was just confirming my suspicions after all. He was a cruel man. And that doctor of his, Garaki, was even worse. You know, when I found out that Zero killed him, I laughed. Does that make me a bad person? I enjoyed hearing that the man who made Yukari suffer was punished for his crimes?"
"..."
"It makes me human, I think," I added, staring at the night sky. "And you know, the fact that All For One died ages ago too, I won't lie and say that his death didn't give me any gratification either. I don't know how to explain it, but in a sense, it soothed a part of my soul. But by far, the most cathartic death for me was seeing Overhaul keel over die. I was trying to kill him, you know. Because my mind, my heart and my soul were screaming at me in tandem to get rid of him. To ease the pain."
"Did it?"
I shrugged my shoulders in response.
"Probably. I'm the one still standing and he's dead, so yeah, I guess it did," I answered her honestly. "You're the first person I've admitted it to. Although the others probably have guessed it's how I feel about them. I just wish I could have killed them myself, you know. All three of those bastards that experimented on children for their own pride, all three villains that deserved what they got. All three of those people left scars on so many people, and it's our scars that make us who we are for better or for worse. I for one was the worst off for them."
"...You wish you killed them?"
"Well, yeah," I said, flicking the butt of the cigarette out of the window. "Course I wanted to kill them, after all, they ruined my life, right? Do you remember the story I told you? How I left U.A. the first time."
"Your friend died."
I nodded at that.
"Yeah. As did a few others I cared about, and tons of innocents who while I didn't know I didn't want them to die either," I replied. "So I don't know how else to describe it. It was like I just wanted the raging fire inside me at the time to stop. To beat the villain no matter a sense, I did kill Overhaul. I launched an attack so powerful it countered the rate at which he was healing himself, and he withered away in just a few short minutes once Aizawa shot him with the same drug he had made - Getting rid of his Quirk."
"Then you didn't kill him."
"I helped kill him, even if I didn't pull the trigger," I told her. "Maybe it counts, maybe it doesn't. The point is at that time I was aiming to pull the trigger. And even now… I don't know what I'd do if he were here, standing in front of me. Would I go for his neck? Or would I just let him go? It's not like I haven't given 'villains' who have tried to kill me or hurt my loved ones a chance to change. It just depends, I guess."
"On what?"
"I… Don't know how to explain it, it's a feeling of sorts," I explained to her. "...I let Gyro go, a man just like us, because I could empathise with him. His life was stolen from him by All For One, forced to do dirty work in order to live and when he helped someone finally, when he grew tired of it all and helped Yukari free everyone before us - He was punished. He just wanted a free life, and I gave it to him. He just didn't want his scars to define him anymore."
"What about his victims?"
"I don't care about them," I honestly told her. "I have a… twisted morality? It's what someone like Stain would call a false Hero. If I can't see someone I can help, I don't really care. I'd wager that most of the public have the same morality as me, or maybe worse. I could help Gyro, and I did. Do people like Overhaul deserve help? All For One? They chose their actions, they didn't want any help. They kept on doing the wrong things and they got punished for it."
"What if… What if I've done some wrong things too, do I deserve to be punished?" Katsumi asked me shyly. "Or would you let me go because I'm your sister? Because I was a girl abused by All For One and Doctor Garaki? Where does the line stop, Sora? Or does it never stop, because all of us are kids with visible scars? Even you. Even Natsuki, I overheard you talking in the hospital to your boss about the case. I won't apologise for that. And I won't apologise for trying to help you either."
I blinked in surprise at that.
"...I don't know," I bitterly replied. "I wish I knew the answer to your question, but I don't. Maybe we all are kids with scars that'll never heal properly, too rough to ever truly let go of that weight that we carry. Heh. I'm not even eighteen yet, Katsumi. I'm just a dumb kid who doesn't like to lose. That's all I've ever been - You know, technically I've spent more time as Sora Yamazaki than I ever did in my own life. I never realised how horribly tragic that was until now."
Katsumi's eyes were saddened at that.
"It is the same for me as well," She meekly whispered. "...I died at fourteen."
Oh.
Oh.
…
"Heh, then I guess we're both too far removed to care about our old lives. And yet, you still carry the scars of it, don't you? Because it wasn't just All For One who abused you, was it?" I asked her. "You look like you've never been shown an ounce of love. Ever. In both lives. Am I wrong?"
Katsumi refused to look at me, her body stilling like a statue.
I didn't need an answer as fear coiled around her body, and I could see it from her own eyes how they shrank and I realised just how small Katsumi really was. And for a brief moment, I could see the invisible scars all over her - Just how many there were and how deep they ran, and all it did was make me angrier.
At All For One.
At the people in her past life.
"...I'll never hurt you."
"I don't doubt that, but does it really matter?" Katsumi replied icily. "At this point, I'm far too removed from my old family or All For One for it to matter. I'm simply Katsumi Shirakumo right now. I'm simply fulfilling my missions."
"You don't need to do that."
Katsumi tilted her head at me in confusion as I reached out.
She trembled, but she looked at me in confusion as I ruffled her hair.
"I hate it when Dad-, Gekko-, does this to me. He's been doing it ever since I can remember, it makes me feel like a kid, and you know what? I am a kid," I told her with a grin. "I'm not eighteen yet. And even when I turn eighteen, that doesn't mean I'm an adult - It doesn't mean anything, not yet. All you need to do is live freely, Katsumi. Live with your heart on your sleeve, that's all anyone asks of you."
"..."
"What?"
"And what about you?"
"What about me?"
"Why can't you accept that we also want you to do the same?"
I-,
"Because it's different. I'm older than you."
"That's not an excuse. We will help you even if you don't want it."
"Why?"
"I have a mission-,"
"I don't care about that, if that's your only reason then there is no way in hell I'll ever allow you to get involved with this," I cut her off. "Life is far more complex than that, and I refuse to be complicit in forcing you to do something you don't want to do. A mission given to you by Raiden or whoever else isn't the same as you wanting to do something - That's the difference between people doing things because they're expected to do them and people doing things because they want to do them."
"What's the difference?"
I sighed at that.
"Well, I'd never do something I don't want to do. Because it goes against whatever I believe in. If someone told me to kill you, I'd probably kill them, joking of course," I told her with a small smile. "I'd rather you follow your heart instead of forcing yourself into situations you aren't quite ready to understand yet. Because that's the difference between Heroes who fail and lose everything they care about and Heroes who tend to live the longest. I'd know the difference."
Katsumi's eyes widened as she briefly nodded.
"...I see. A-and, what if… What if I do want to help you?"
We both shared the same eyes.
Dark brown.
It was funny how it was the only thing probably passed down from Oboro Shirakumo, outside of his Quirk and his blue hair - Though I lost my blue hair a long time ago. Looking at Katsumi and myself, no one would have ever guessed we were siblings, that was until they took a good look at our eyes.
…And her eyes reflected one thing back at me.
Determination.
…
"If those are your real feelings… Fine," I whispered. "You and Sai, tsk. I'll let you guys… help out. Nothing major, and nothing that'll get you into trouble, but if you really want to help for whatever reason, I'll let you onboard. But you'll listen to every word I tell you, understand? I'm not joking about here, if I tell you to fuck off you'll fuck off."
Katsumi nodded at that.
"I always listen to orders."
"That's not the point-,"
I watched as for the first time, Katsumi snorted at me.
Even she was surprised by what happened as her eyes widened, her lower lip quivering as she stared at me. I couldn't help but laugh, rubbing the back of my head in embarrassment as we both sat in comfortable silence.
"That was…"
"You know, you should loosen up a bit more," I told her with a grin. "Whenever you feel like it. But whenever you're like this, I don't-, it just feels nice, you know? Like the whole world's just stopped and I can focus on being a good brother to you. It feels like ever since you came into my life, all this craziness has stopped me from being a good 've never had a brother, have you?"
Katsumi paused at that.
"...Once I did. He wasn't very present in my previous life-," Katsumi paused yet again, her eyes were unable to meet mine. "He died when I was two. That was what my parents told me every year when we visited his grave, a car accident while he was walking to school."
"Oh."
I sighed, reaching for another cigarette.
But this time, I gave it to her.
"Try it," I told her with a small smile. "Just, suck it in? Yeah. Then hold it for a few seconds and 's pretty easy."
"..."
"Come on, I doubt any serious brothers would want to see their little sister smoke or drink - But I've only known you for two weeks," I told her. "I barely know you. I want to get to know you more, and your actions show me that you do want to get to know me too. I know it's hard for you, whatever All For One did to you and whatever happened in your previous life has put scars all over you. Scars are a bit like thorns in a sense, they prevent the real you from coming out. But I don't mind waiting until the time when I can see the real you."
Katsumi looked at me strangely, tilting her head at me.
"Even if… Even if you don't like what you see?"
"Even then," I told her confidently. "Call me a lousy brother, but I'd rather accept you even if you're flawed than force you to be 'perfect'. And even if it takes ten or twenty years, I'll still try my hardest to do that. So don't rush anything, just be yourself - And whenever you feel comfortable opening up to me, I'll be there waiting. Until then, all I can do is let you smoke my cigarettes and get you into good music."
I watched as Katsumi's small fingers reached out for the cigarette in my hand as I got my lighter and waited for her small nod. No words needed to be said as I lit up the cigarette, the small fire illuminating the classroom at midnight - And even when Katsumi took a small drag from the cigarette, I watched as her hands trembled before she started to violently cough.
It became so bad that her Quirk was summoned.
And all I could do was laugh at her reaction.
"Come on," I patted her back, a small smile tugging on my lips. "You can sleep in my room tonight. You know what, how about I invite Tokage and we watch a movie or two? It's not like we have school tomorrow."
"But the case-,"
"It can wait," I cut her off, shrugging my shoulders at her incredulous look. "There isn't much investigating to do at night, so we need to rest. I'm not like Batman, prowling in the night to get answers. I'd need a permit for that, and I doubt Suwabe would give it to me. We can't save everyone if we don't find out the truth at the heart of all this, Katsumi. Or would you rather I call you Kat?"
"Don't call me that."
"Sumi-chan?"
Her reaction was priceless at that.
"So… You want to pursue the truth to save everyone?"
I nodded at her.
"Yeah. That's why I became a detective. To solve things instead of leaving them unresolved like a Hero, to not simply pretend to have made an action for appearance's sake," I told her. "To be a Hero in this world means to accept the flaws of the system that's led to so many villains like Shigaraki, to protect it no matter what. It doesn't change a thing. And the laws being passed only affirm that fact, maybe Heroes are outdated. As a detective, I can pursue the truth and save people. I can make a difference."
Katsumi hummed at that.
"But at what cost?"
"What do you mean?"
"Do you also not want to beat the big bad guy? So what's more important to you? The truth or saving people?"
"Huh? Both."
"But what if you can't pick both."
"But I can, they're linked like in this case. If I can find out the truth, I can catch Natsuki, I can save everyone," I replied. "That's all there is to it. So no matter what I need to pursue the truth relentlessly, without ever looking back. Because something bigger than any of us can ever imagine is going on here."
Katsumi hummed at that.
"Would you cross the line for the truth?"
"What line?"
"Any line."
Hm.
"Soon… There's gonna be a day when we all die. I know it's a bit morbid of a thought. But, I think, as much as I care about solving this case, there's nothing I can do at night. So why stress about it? We don't have to talk about this now," I replied with a grin. "I have tomorrow to worry about, so I want to spend tonight with everyone else. We'll even order pizza, how's that?"
"..."
"Have you never had pizza?!"
"My old parents… I was a picky eater," Katsumi quietly replied, refusing to meet my eyes once again. "...Is it alright if I have pizza? I've always wanted to try it, but-, It's fine. You don't need to-,"
"It's decided, I'm buying all the different pizzas on the menu for you to try out and find your favourite!" I huffed out. "And you can't take no for an answer. Still, I'll probably rope Yaoyorozu into this since she can easily afford this. Hm. You haven't really met her or Midoriya. Or even Sero. Mmh."
"...Sora?"
I stroke my chin deep in thought.
"Screw it! Let's have a pizza party tonight!" I told her, grabbing her hand as I made a beeline for the door. "I'm going to show you so many movies, you're going to listen to so much music and there's no way to escape the fact that you'll be playing games with me until the sun rises! It doesn't matter about your sleep schedule, we'll just pull an all-nighter and it'll reset."
And for the briefest second, from the reflection of the Class A door, I saw it.
The tiniest of smiles on Katsumi's face.
Hehe.
"Sero. We need to talk."
It was a sunny day for the city of Musutafu, despite that tumultuous time that had occurred over the past few days, a time that hadn't ended as of yet, I couldn't help but approach Sero even on this fine day. I watched as he scowled at me, we were both in the kitchen as he slammed the fridge door shut to turn around and glare at me, jabbing his finger into my chest aggressively.
"Talk? Wow, the great Sora Yamazaki wants to talk to me, how amazing," Sero growled at me, "What do you want? Come to talk more shit? Run off to another hostage only to end up killing them? Tell me, Sora. What is it that you want?"
"...Your help, for one," I replied, pushing his finger away as he towered over me. Well, that was an exaggeration. Sero wasn't that much taller than me, maybe two and a half inches at best. "But hey, if you want to sulk around like a little bitch, be my guest. I'll go to someone else and ask for their help, and if you want to complain afterwards that I didn't ask you for your help, now you'll know why-,"
"Hold on-," Sero interrupted me, his eyes narrowing at that. "...Why do you need my help? I'm not gonna' break the law with you if that's what you're asking. To be honest, I'm glad Daguchi and that Yukimura fellow are dead. Maybe it's a bit tone-deaf, but they're the reason why people are getting kicked out of their homes in the poorer areas of this city. I don't respect them as humans, so they got what was coming."
I chuckled at his statement.
"Not that I disagree or anything, but watch your words - I am a detective, and if you piss me off again, I might just chuck you in a cell and blame this all on you," I joked, watching as Sero snarled at me. "Easy, easy. I was joking. Or did you forget how to take a joke when I was too busy saving your ass? How many times did I save you, Sero? Want me to count on my fingers? At the very least, I'll need your help just for an hour or two. Then you can go back to hating me."
Sero rolled his eyes at me.
"I don't hate you."
"Mmh, you certainly don't like me, I know that for a fact," I replied with a grin. "Really, it won't take long. There's a reason I'm asking you instead of Midoriya or Yaoyorozu. And that's because I trust your judgements on a certain part of this case. You feel strongly about it and so do I."
"Fine. Out with it."
"I want to go and ask those directly affected by Daguchi's redevelopment plan about what exactly happened for them to be displaced from their homes," I explained to Sero. "I want to know why, where, who, and what. I want to know the facts of what happened, then I want to cross-reference them with the official documents of the redevelopment plan, or as much as I can find. Then, well, I want to go right up to Detrenat's branch here and ask a few questions of my own."
Sero's eyes widened at my plan.
"You…"
"I'm a detective, I'm going to pursue the truth no matter what," I told him. "And you're a Hero. You're supposed to be the one that saves society, or whatever shit it is that you Heroes do. That's that. I need your help because frankly, I don't know where to begin with my investigation - Not to mention you're more versed on the topic than me. At the very least, you can help point me in the right direction and the sooner we do this, the sooner I can catch Natsuki."
"And the sooner this is over… Fine," Sero replied with a short nod. "I'll help you out, not because I want to, but because I want this shit to end too. What are you hoping to find anyway?"
I shrugged my shoulders.
Any signs of irregularities behind the redevelopment fund…
Are there any signs pointing to the missing ten billion Yen?
If they were linked, then I had to find out why.
"Let's make this quick, yeah?" Sero said to me, adjusting his visor as we strolled around what was largely considered the slums of Musutafu. If it wasn't the strong smell of piss that attacked my nose, it was the rundown buildings and graffiti everywhere coupled with the dirty streets that made it a charming place. "I have a date with my shower soon, and I really don't want to miss it for anything in the world. Not even a cute and busty babe, got it?"
I flashed an annoying grin at him.
"Relax. We'll be in and out before you know it."
"It's been three hours. Nothing is ever so simple when it comes to you," Sero replied with a snort. "I can't believe you just thought coming out here and asking people on the streets would be a good idea."
"Hey! I blame you and your costume!"
"My costume?! I provide the people of this city hope! What do you provide them, Sora? Cancer because of your smoking habits? A nasty glare whenever someone stares at you for more than two seconds?" Sero's lips tilted upwards cruelly. "Or maybe an STD. I've heard that rumour that you're a manwhore, and it makes sense why you have such a rotten personality. What, couldn't find a woman to love you and your bullshit?"
Tsk.
"At least I have had sex, you virgin," I lied with ease, he didn't need to know that I was in the same boat as him. "What? Did Pony dump you after she found out you were rocking a chode? Can't blame her, to be honest, I bet when I was nine I had a bigger dick than you-,"
Sero growled at me.
"Shut up! You don't know shit!"
"Yeah, yeah, let's keep working so we can get the fuck outta' here," I reminded him. "I don't want to deal with you any more than I have to. Heh. You know it makes sense why you shoot sticky tape as your Quirk, you poor thing. You probably have performance issues, don't you? Since I'm turning eighteen in two days, need me to buy you some Viagra pills? Don't know if they'll help considering your size-,"
"Shut up!"
"Hit a nerve, did I?" I grinned at him. "Huh, so you can dish out being a prick but if someone starts being mean to you it's not fair? Stop crying, you big baby. Or is that going to trigger you some more?"
Before Sero could reply, a low chuckle came from below us. We both paused to stare at the old man sitting on the floor with no socks on, a tattered blanket covering his body as a small dirty cup that was practically empty stood next to him.
"You two are funny."
Sero immediately reached into his pocket and gave the man five thousand Yen. I went to do the same, pausing as I waved the money in front of the man - Watching as his eyes followed the money like a dog chasing its own tail.
"My… colleague here is a nice guy. Sometimes," I said to the homeless man. "I'm even nicer. I'm going to give you this, and if you agree, I'll double it if you agree to answer some questions for me. Now if you can't answer them, tough shit. If you can, well, you'll be one rich homeless man today."
The man laughed at that.
"That's paradoxical! Hah. Rich homeless man."
I felt my left eye twitch at that.
Was this guy smoking crack or something?
"How did you end up homeless?" I asked the man. "See, we're sorta conducting a survey on homeless people. He's a dumb Hero, and I'm an amazing detective. Funnily enough, this idiot named himself 'Cellophane'. Isn't that so fucking lame?"
As Sero scowled, the homeless man laughed loudly at my joke.
"Hohoho! That's a funny joke. Cellophane. Hahaha," The man wiped away a few tears from his eyes at that. "Ah… As for your question, I became homeless recently. It all started with the future of cabbage…"
I blinked at him in confusion.
"Huh?"
"I made a company trying to make a new cabbage infused with marijuana. It didn't work, I got fined and my business declared bankruptcy shortly after - Turns out it's illegal here in Japan, see I'm from Taiwan, hahaha," The man laughed. "Cabbage weed. You know it's a delicacy internationally? Especially in America. They love it there! I thought the people of Japan would love it!"
"...You started a business here without knowing the legality of your product?" Sero repeated, watching as the man grinned at us. "Huh. You know, I always thought that those who lied to their friends and ditched them for over a year were idiots. Somehow, that's still not the most idiotic thing I've ever heard. Right, Sora? I mean, I still think allowing yourself to get kidnapped by the League of Villains was a pretty stupid decision, but you're still in the clear. King Moron."
I rolled my eyes at Sero's provocation.
"So you weren't kicked out of your home that was bought out or anything by the local government?"
"Home? Haha, I never had a home! My business and my cabbages were my home. And now they're gone, taken by the police," I watched as the man shed a manly tear at his loss. "But I blame the Heroes the most. Cellophane, did you take my cabbage? Did you? I bet it was you, cabbage thief! Detective, arrest him! Arrest the criminal!"
I grinned at that, playfully shoving Sero against the wall.
"W-what are you doing?"
"I'm arresting the criminal," I told him with a smirk. "Payback's a bitch, huh? Come on now, cabbage thief. Thank you for your assistance, old man. Here, I'm giving you the extra money just because you made my week."
The man cheered loudly at that as Sero and I walked away from him.
"Guess that was a bust," I sighed, lighting up a cigarette as Sero glared at me. "Want one? Come on, don't tell me you're even more pissed off at me because I fake arrested you. And made fun of you. I'm not going to apologise. You're a twat and you deserve it. I asked for your help, not a comedy routine."
Sero huffed at that.
"Well, you're a twat too. You're usually never this brazen about your comebacks."
"Because this time, I'm on the job," I told him, blowing smoke in his direction. "This time, if you piss me off, it can throw off the entire investigation. I've tried being nice to you, I've tried ignoring you, so how about taking a taste of your own medicine? So how about we agree to a truce, just for now."
Sero ignored me as we walked forward and noticed another homeless person.
It was a woman, she had taken shelter near a bench and had a scruffy-looking cat resting nearby. Clearing my throat, both the woman and the cat lifted their heads to look at me in surprise as I handed them another few thousand Yen.
"Here," I said. "Would you mind answering a few questions for us?"
"I'll even give you a bonus if you do so," Sero added, handing over some money to the woman as well. "Firstly, my… my… We would like to know how you ended up homeless. For a survey of sorts."
"How did I end up homeless? Oh, well, I once dreamed of being a professional unicycle juggler…" The woman sighed out, stroking her cat. "As you can see it didn't work out so well. I really thought I had nailed it too."
"You weren't by any chance taken out of your building by the redevelopment plan, no?" I hopefully asked her. "That's what we're hoping to ask people about. And if you can't answer, that's fine. If you do know someone who can answer our questions, I'd appreciate your help."
The lady grinned at us.
"Oh! You're looking for those people. Well, Tabby here sees them all the time, don't you?"
The cat meowed in response.
"Good girl! She says you can find them under the bridge over there," The lady pointed at a nearby bridge. "They gather up under the bridge in tents and whatnot. They're not a fan of us other homeless people. According to them, we're homeless because of our poor life decisions, not because the world screwed us over. It's sort of funny how even at the bottom of society, humans can still be so cruel. Isn't that right, tabby?"
The cat meowed again.
"...Have they ever hurt you?" I asked the lady. "If they have, well, I wouldn't mind arresting a few punks. Teach them a lesson or two. I'm a detective after all, if I can't flaunt my badge to beat up bastards then what's the point of it."
"I agree with him," Sero added, gritting his teeth in anger. "If those scumbags really act like that-, Tsk. I'm ashamed that people would go to those lengths. As a Hero, there is no chance that I'll turn my head at this."
The woman only sweetly shook her head at us.
"Thank you for the concern, but honestly, it's fine. But if you want your questions to be answered, I do suggest going under that bridge over there," The woman replied, petting her cat. "Now look at the money we have, Tabby! Think of all the food we can get! That's at least two weeks' worth of food!"
Sero and I shared a look as we slowly started to walk towards the bridge.
I couldn't help but pause to offer Sero a cigarette, a look of surprise appearing on his face as he tentatively took a cigarette. I rolled my eyes at his mistrust, watching as he lit up a cigarette while we leaned against a wall.
"...Why did you pick me to help you, Sora? Someone like Midoriya who's famous and liked would be better suited to this than me," Sero eventually said. "I mean we don't even get along. You piss me off, and I piss you off. So why even put yourself in a position where we work together? I shouted at you during the funeral because you weren't allowing Yaoyorozu and Midoriya a chance to-,"
"I do trust them. A lot. But there are a lot of things they aren't suited to do," I told him. "For example, neither Yaoyorozu nor Midoriya really needed to join me to go into a nightclub illegally. I'm… Well, I'm in a position where I can do that and get away with it. They aren't. And in Midoriya's case, he's too closely aligned with the HPSC to the point where he'll probably inhibit the investigation. God knows Hawks is on my ass already."
"That's not your call to make."
"It's my case," I reminded Sero. "The only reason I wasn't shipped out across the country with everyone else is because of the badge on my jacket. It's probably the only reason Nezu kept a spot open on the course for me after all this time. The only reason we're even here on this street, smoking right now is because of Nezu. And Yaoyorozu is too… naive? No, that's not the right word for it. She blindly follows the authority figures, even if they are wrong because she has that privilege."
"And you don't?"
"I have privilege," I replied. "To some extent. Just because I have a good and stable life now doesn't mean that I don't remember those years when I was in an orphanage, Sero. But you had it worse. Your parents were homeless when they had you, I remember you telling me that ages ago. And when I left back then, I made fun of it. I made fun of the fact that your parents were so poor they practically starved themselves to the point where only you could live. The government calls it the 'invisible generation'. Before All Might, the economy was in a rut, I bet your parents are still suffering from it."
Sero hummed at that.
"You remember something as trivial as that?"
"Maybe to the others it's trivial, but not to me," I said, taking a drag from my cigarette. "I enjoyed taking time out of my life and spending days on end relaxing with everyone. Back then, I'd shirk off training just to spend more time with everyone else. Getting to know them and their struggles, understanding them. I think that's why my betrayal hurt more, you know? Because everyone had trusted me with a piece of themselves. And I used it against you all, I used that trust for something so twisted that it did end our friendship."
Sero's mouth opened, but no words came out.
I watched as he merely nodded his head in acceptance.
"Ultimately, while we may not get along, I think we can both put aside our differences for the time being just to help people," I told him. "In that way, we're similar. Someone once said to me that I was 'too kind.' I didn't get it until a while back, just before I came back to U.A. actually. For what seemed like forever I thought other people would give my life meaning so long as I just helped them, but I was just neglecting myself. I was convinced that's how to live. It's funny, back then I thought I was afraid of death because I didn't understand it - But really, I was just afraid of life because I didn't understand it."
"Huh?"
"...I wanted a perfect life. A carefree tomorrow," I replied. "I wanted a life with no regrets, with no mistakes. It was a childish wish, and I never should have thought of it in the first place. I got careless with it. I thought in this world with Quirks and Heroes, I could have the impossible because here the impossible is possible - But there are some things that are things that no one can achieve. We're all human, we all make mistakes, and when I cracked I couldn't stand that burning sensation in my body. The fact that I lost."
Sero hummed at that.
"You know, it doesn't sound too bad. That world you mentioned."
I shrugged my shoulders at that.
"Yeah? Well, it's not my dream anymore," I told him truthfully. "Kyoka's the one who picked it up and is fighting for it now. Just goes to show how strong she is. I can't remember if it was her or not, but someone once told me that I was as much of an altruist as the rest of you all."
"It was her," Sero whispered. "It was Jiro who told you that. I remember. It was the night everyone moved into the dorms for the first time, and you went off sulking thinking that your presence would ruin our party because you had tried to leave after allowing yourself to be kidnapped by the League of Villains. Jiro recounted the story, and that line has always stuck out to 's funny that such a big event feels so distant now."
I laughed at that.
"Yeah. It just goes to show that between then and now, we've been through a lot of shit these past two years," I added. "And we just keep on getting piles of shit added onto the mountain of terrible things we've been through. At this point I'd be surprised if we graduate in one piece-,"
"Hey. We're all graduating, all right? Even you," Sero cut me off with a serious glare. "...Truth be told, Denki and Jiro have been getting on my ass about you. Mineta too. Can't forget Mina, but that banshee will have a go at anyone who doesn't treat you 'fairly'. She's just chasing the illusion of the perfect class - But it's just an illusion. Things will never go back to how they once were."
I shrugged my shoulders at that.
"So?"
"So telling her that is going to set her off," Sero answered. "You don't get it, Sora. At the very least even if no one in our class ever speaks to you again, you're fine. You have Monoma, you have Tokage, you have your sister, your family, you have people in your life who care. Whereas for us in Class A… We don't have anyone else. That's the biggest difference between us. For Mina, chasing that illusion is the only thing she has, whereas you don't really need us."
"That's not-,"
"It's true. There is a reason why you're closer to Tokage than Jiro now," Sero quickly added, interrupting my sentence. "You can say whatever you want, but your actions speak louder than words. You're angry at us. You changed for yourself but there are people like me, Hagakure and so many others who'll never accept you, no matter what sob story explains how you made a mess out of everyone's life. You're angry at me for holding a grudge, even if you understand why."
…
"Jiro, Denki, Mineta, Mina - They can be best buds with you again. After all, they find it easy to forgive you for what you did," Sero explained. "And even if someone like Hagukre never trusts you again, it won't matter to you. You'll still help her. You'll still be kind. Or maybe because of your anger, you'll help her. Either way, what's it to you when you have other better friends?"
"Sero-,"
"Let me finish," Sero returned with a serious look on his face. "You really piss me off. You just waltzed back into our lives like nothing happened. We never got closure, and now you're determined to make sure that it never occurs. The scars that you gave us are never going to heal, and that makes me angry. That really pisses me off. But what's it to you, Sora Yamazaki? The man who goes through so many character arcs, changing each facet of your personality that it's dizzying to keep up with what you changed this week."
"..."
"And then you'll smile at us, doing whatever you want. Trust Tokage more than people like Jiro and Mina, who are only going to get hurt again because it's clear to see that they will never have what you and Tokage have - Something they once had with you," Sero said to me. "And then they'll get angry at you. And you'll get angry back. I can see it now, that cycle where ultimately no matter how good of a friend you've become, no matter how close you try to let us in, there's a different dynamic to our friendships that you refuse to even look at. Because you can't accept your own emotions, you've never been good at that. And you never will."
"...Sero…"
"Maybe I'm being dramatic," Sero replied, shrugging his shoulders at me. "...I never had many friends growing up, Sora. I was a malnourished kid who could barely stay awake in school. And even when my parents got lucky and some money started to roll in, nothing much changed. I'm just a thin guy to this day. But, when I first met you, I genuinely thought we were good friends. Because I never once relied on you to 'help me'. To solve my problems. When you say that 'we' only relied on you, that's not true. It was only a select few - people like Jiro and Midoriya who were too weak at the time to do anything else but that. You just interfered when you didn't need to interfere and then betrayed our trust."
I smiled sadly at that.
That was true.
After all, I did exactly that.
"So I'll accept your apology, I welcome you back into Class A, your home," Sero said to me. "But I'll never be your friend again. I'm always going to distrust you. And I'm not the only one. You abused our trust too many times, so I'm always going to have my scars flare up whenever I see you, Sora. I'm always going to be angry at you. The same way I'm angry at Daguchi, or whatever rich asshole causes people to end up like my parents - Dead with children who are orphans, with scars riddled all over."
…
"Come on. Let's go ask our homeless friends a few questions."
As Sero and I walked toward the underpass, the traffic on the bridge above us flared loudly. I couldn't help but be reminded of Mashiro and Tomoya on their way to Akaigawa, smiling at the thought of them wearing winter jackets, even in May because of the snow. It didn't take long for the two of us to arrive at our destination, and immediately the contrast was stark.
If the roads before felt grimy, this place felt even worse.
The world above us seemed to fade away as we stepped into what could only be described as a village of tents and other homemade shelters, an eerie ambience coming into play as my hand wrapped itself around the handle of my sword. Standing near the front gate of this place was a singular sign of All Might that had been defaced and ruined beyond any repair.
Fraud.
Liar.
Villain.
Graffiti was written all over the sign of what once was the greatest Hero to ever live, and Sero gulped at the sight of it. The air was thick with a musty scent, a mixture of damp earth and blood tinged with the scent of fires was something I wasn't expecting as we ventured into the unknown. Each second felt like an hour as I scoured around the area, hoping to find anyone I could ask questions to.
"Uh… Hello?" I asked, my voice echoing under the bridge. There was some movement ahead of us, but that only made my suspicions worsen as I slowly unsheathed my sword. "Just want to ask some questions, if that's cool with anyone. Is that alright? We're not looking for a fight or anything-,"
I had to dodge a glass bottle thrown in our direction.
"Get away from here, villains!"
A group of adults and teenagers were grouped up near a tent to the side. Wearing coats that had been patched together, shoes that didn't even have laces or were 'talking' with each step only made my heart sink as they glared at us.
"Villains? I'm a Hero-,"
"We know exactly what you are," One of the men scornfully returned, this time throwing a brick at us. "We didn't do anything wrong! We just want to live in peace, but it's because of you people that we live like this! If that fucking kid had just rolled over and died earlier with that Overhaul bastard, we'd still have our homes! You're the villains here, get lost!"
…
"...Come on Sero, let's go-,"
But I watched as Sero shook his head furiously at me, shoving me aside to walk up to the group of homeless people. It was funny in a weird sense, I had never seen Sero ever get so worked up before.
"Villains? Heh, you know there are only a few people I hate in this world," Sero replied. "Idiots with enough scars on them to put them outta' business for a while but ignore them, stupid villains that think they're in the right when they're just making shit worse, but most of all I hate hypocrites! People who blame other people for the shitty things that have happened in their life when they have no correlation!"
See, that was the thing with Hanta Sero.
The thing I had known about him ever since the first day we met.
Sure, Sero was angry at me.
But ultimately, his anger at me was his anger alone, and he would take that out on me in his own ways. Yet, if someone ever disrespected his friends, it wouldn't matter what situation he was in - There was no way he would be able to ignore it. Despite the arguments he had with me over the past few months, despite the way we had both treated each other, in that moment the veil between us had been lifted.
At that moment, when Sero's anger wasn't pointed at me, I could see the truth.
He wasn't angry at me for wanting to make things right, he was angry at himself for still wanting to be friends with me again. For feeling that way when all I had ever done back then was ruin our friendship, when all I had ever done was betray his trust and everyone else's, for causing so many scars that haven't healed even now.
It was funny that it took me till now to get it.
"Aozora wasn't a villain! And if you want to demonise him, go ahead. But get your facts straight," Sero yelled at them. "He was just an idiot who lost whatever meaning he had for living. And yeah, I'll always resent that bastard for doing that. I'll resent him for leaving, for being selfish, but I'm not so conceited that I don't understand what he felt like at that moment. Worthless. But that doesn't give you guys the right to blame him for your issues. Aozora didn't make you homeless; it was the men and women elected into power that did this to you!"
My eyes widened at Sero's speech.
But despite that, the homeless people only sneered at that. Despite his powerful speech coming from deep within his heart, they didn't appear to understand him at all. And so they turned their anger from the two of us appearing on their land as the 'enemies' to solely Sero and his speech - Their scornful glares reminding me of the fact that the age of Heroes was swiftly coming to an end.
"You're a Hero, you're just defending your shitty colleagues," One of the younger women in the group yelled in anger. "How many innocents died during that Overhaul raid, simply because they lived? Do you even know the property damage that Overhaul caused? It was enough for the redevelopment plan to be formed by our ex-Mayor! Enough for us to get kicked out, enough for companies like Detrenat to take everything we own and leave us with nothing!"
Sero nodded numbly at that.
"I get it! I understand hating this world… But it's not healthy-,"
"What would you know about us!? You're a Hero! You know nothing of our plight as you sit on top of your ivory tower, judging us from above because you've made it in life!" Sero was interrupted by an impatient youth who held a baseball bat in his hands. "You don't know shit about us! If you're a Hero, if you're supposed to be saving us, then why don't you just go ahead and die already!"
Sero growled at that.
"Hey! When I was younger, my parents were homeless too! I understand you all very clearly! And I can help! But blaming all your misfortune on a kid isn't making your life any better, you're just unhealthily taking things out on a-,"
But Sero paused as a glass bottle came flying at him, shattering on impact as it hit his head.
"Death to all Heroes!"
"Yeah! Defund them!"
"Fuck them!"
I leapt into action, drawing my sword as I ran to Sero, watching as a few members of the group began to pelt empty bottles and stones at us. I didn't hesitate to summon my Nimbus, constructing a small barrier around myself and Sero as I knelt down to look at his injuries.
He was only slightly bleeding.
But the wound wasn't physical.
"Sora…" I saw Sero's eyes turn away from mine in frustration. "...Are you going to arrest them? Punish them? You should know that they've only turned to acting like this because they-,"
"I understand my enemies very well. And they're not my enemies, they're just people with scars taking their anger out on the world," I cut Sero off with a small smile. "...I'm not going to do anything to them. If they want to fight, I'll protect myself and you. It's not like I don't understand their anger, and it's not like they don't have a point. How many Heroes have caused property damage over the years? Just in this city alone, we've had so many events occur that a redevelopment plan wasn't the worst idea in the world."
"But-,"
"But you're right, Sero," I finished, watching as Sero's eyes widened. "People are all too easy to blame things that have nothing to do with their problems. I didn't cause them to be homeless, that responsibility lies with Dagcuhi and Detrenat. Maybe I sped up the process, but it was going to happen anyway. Still, if they're going to be hostile towards the two of us, we aren't getting any answers. So let's just leave. Even if we're going to have to fight our way out."
"...Sora," Sero called out to me, wiping away the blood dripping down his face as I helped him up from the ground. "...Heh. I guess it doesn't matter, you can see right through me no matter what and I can see right through you too. I just want to punch you. I just want you to know the hell you put everyone through, more than your eyes and ears told you - I want you to feel what we all felt when you left that day. But it's no use, is it?"
"..."
"Because you're not him. You're not the guy I want to take my anger out on, the guy who gave me these scars," Sero added. "As much as I want you to be the villain of my story, you're not. I think that's why you piss me off so much. You've changed so much from the guy you once were to the point where it's jarring, that the things you did don't reflect on you now and it's unfair to hold you to them. It's unfair to hold you to the things you're trying to make up for, especially when you've done so much good."
I shrugged my shoulders at that.
"Don't be stupid, Sero. I'm still him, it wasn't long ago that I fell back into my old habits and tried to do something stupid on my own again," I told him. "It wasn't that long ago that I thought I still needed to be punished. Sure I'm past that, but I'm still the same Sora Yamazaki who hurt you. Don't erase that because it's easier. That's just ignoring your scars, because I'm not a better friend - I still hurt those I'm close to. And in turn, they hurt me too. It's called being human."
"Sora-,"
No further words were said as the barrier I constructed collapsed and some of the members jumped on us like a pack of angry wolves. Even as I deflected one of their strikes, I couldn't ignore the baseball bat to the back of my head. I watched as Sero taped a few members together and began to swing them around, knocking the others back as I summoned my Nimbus and ran up to the remaining few fighters.
Constructing another sword, I held both my chokuto and my Nimbus sword in both hands as I lashed out at the group of fighters taking out their anger on us, shallow cuts and restraining them before knocking them out as I moved on to the next person.
"Here! Take this!"
I watched as one of the fighters threw a Molotov, missing me entirely as one of the tents behind me caught fire. Tch. I ran over to the fire and summoned more of Nimbus, trying to put out the fire so that it wouldn't spread to the other tents.
"Sora look out!"
I turned around to see a teenager with a knife lunge at me-,
Thump.
My eyes widened as the blade plunged itself into my stomach, the angry expression on the boy who looked younger than me feeling validated as he nervously broke out into laughter. The whole battlefield went quiet as everyone stared at the knife poking out of my stomach, but that was when reality kicked in.
"Haha. I got you. I got one of the Heroes-,"
I winced in pain as I stepped forward, wrapping my Nimbus around my fist, as I punched the poor kid in the face, sending him flying backwards before I fell to the floor in pain, staring up at the bottom of the bridge.
"Shit! He got one of them!"
"Everyone run!"
"Fuck!"
I could only hear the panic and footsteps of the group running away in fear of what was going to happen as I chuckled to myself. I always had to get injured one way or another, just an additional scar.
"Sora!" I was funny as I turned my head to watch Sero rush towards me in panic. "Dude, are you alright?! Shit. There's so much blood. Fuck. I don't-, What am I supposed to-, Sora, just hang in there-,"
I sighed, mentally preparing myself for the pain as I wrapped my hands around the handle of the blade and pulled it out as hard as I could. I was thankful that it hadn't gone deep inside of me, if anything it was more of a slash than anything. Sero watched in horror as I summoned my Nimbus, filling up my cut as I grabbed his hands and nodded at him.
And slowly, Sero used his tape to seal the wound shut.
"Hehe," I chuckled. "Man. Tokage is going to flip when she hears about this."
"Tokage? That's who you're worried about?"
"You try to act like you're easygoing, but you worry the most out of all of us, Sero," I told him with a smile. "I've had worse injuries. Sure, it's another scar, but so what? My body is littered with them at this point. Gunshots, being stabbed, broken bones - And yet my body will heal them no matter what. I'm going to be fine in an hour or two, let alone tomorrow."
But Sero could only shake his head in response.
"It's my fault-,"
I growled as I leaned over to punch him in the face.
"Shut up already! I swear, now you're the one pissing me off," I yelled at him. "...I get it. I really do. You don't know how to act around me, whether we should be friends or not, and that's why you take out your frustration on me. But don't you dare act like this is your fault! I asked for your help. As a leader and as a friend. Do you want to blame someone? You blame me."
"...Fuck you, Sora," Sero snarled at me. "You don't know shit-,"
"Stop pretending already! Stop pretending like we're enemies, you said it yourself! I'm not the villain of your story. I wanted to be your villain, to be everyone's villain - But I wasn't. All I was back then was a dumb kid who hated himself and couldn't accept love from anyone!" I told him. "You're not angry at me at all. You're just angry at the world for me ending up the way I did. You're not special, Sero. Kaminari, Jiro, Mineta, Midoriya - Everyone else in our class is just like you."
"..."
I sighed, reaching out for a cigarette.
"Don't blame me or yourself for what happened that day. What happened was the result of two things: The stubbornness of a friend I wasn't able to save from himself, and a villain so twisted by his malice towards the world he lived in that he wanted to doom everyone because of it," I explained to Sero, lighting up my cigarette. "Isn't that why you became a Hero? To change the world for the better? To make sure that kids don't have the same childhood as you? To pay back your parents for their sacrifice?"
I watched as Sero's eyes widened.
"What you did was stupid. I don't regret picking you for this, but I expected more from the guy who told me he was going to make this world a better place for kids like him," I told him. "Instead, what did you do? You got angry, you used your scars as an excuse to belittle innocents who were angry too. I told you to leave and you went off and did your own thing. And guess what? The person that pisses you off the most had to save your arse and got stabbed in the process."
"...Don't remind me-,"
"Oh, I'll remind you of that, alright," I cut him off. "Because we're not friends, Sero. I'm not going to go back to being your friend. To being that kid you lazed around with and talked about far-off dreams with. I'm going to achieve my dreams in this lifetime. Because the reason I piss you off isn't because I've changed so much; it's because you haven't changed at all. Because you're still the same first-year with lofty ambitions. But you're in your third year at U.A. Soon we'll be graduating, and what do you have to show for it?"
Sero flinched at that.
"...What do I have to show for it? Where the hell do you get off from pointing at me and saying I haven't achieved anything?! I'm not like Midoriya or Bakugo, I'm not strong! I'm not an activist like Shoji or Mina! And I don't have a talent for music like Jiro!" Sero whispered. "So what if I haven't done much!? Why are you judging? Outside of nearly dying every month, what the hell have you accomplished-,"
I laughed at him.
"Look at you, comparing yourself to everyone else. That's another thing that pisses me off about you, Sero," I replied angrily. "You aren't them. You're you. For better or for worse, you are you. What have I accomplished? Take a fucking good look. I've improved myself. I've become a better friend, son, brother - I've become a better person. That's what I've accomplished. There are so many other things I want to achieve too, and I won't stop until then. Why'd you stop? Was it because of me? Because of your scars?"
Sero sighed at that, lying down on the floor next to me.
"You know, I really looked up to you," Sero told me honestly. "Because in our class, you were the most fearless one of them all. You did whatever you wanted no matter what. Even now you do that, but everyone else does it too. You rubbed off on them. But I'll always remember staring at you while you were in a coma, the price for aiming so high that you failed. I don't want that. I don't want to fail."
I shrugged my shoulders at that, taking a long drag from my cigarette.
"...We all fail. We're all failing, Sero."
"..."
We both sat in a comfortable silence.
"You can lay there feeling sorry for yourself, or you can get up and start doing something different," I told him as I got up. "As for me, I have a case I need to solve. Sure I didn't get the results I wanted today, but that's fine. I have other leads. I'll find out the truth, and I won't stop until I do."
"Why?"
I laughed at his question.
"Why? Because I want to. Because it's my job. Because I can protect people by catching Natsuki. Because I'm curious about the truth. There are so many reasons that it's difficult just landing on one," I told him. "But at the end of the day, I'd regret it if I didn't. That's my dream - To die without any regrets. It's impossible not to make mistakes, but they don't have to be something you want to erase. So what are you going to do, Sero? Are you going to keep on living like this, or are you going to change?"
I watched as Sero sighed.
"I don't know."
And for once, I laughed as I wrapped my arm around his neck.
"Come on! I'm hungry! How about some yakitori? I could have some chicken!"
Sometimes in life, you don't get the results you want.
Hanta Sero is one character that I have a specific character arc in mind for, and the other is Momo Yaoyorozu. They're quite similar in a way that'll become more evident as we reach closer to the end of this arc, but this was largely what could be described as a 'filler' chapter.
The plot didn't move whatsoever.
Yet, the characters have. And that's what this chapter focused on, the characters. Katsumi and her scars, an important message of this arc, is centred around scars. After all, it's spurred a lot of characters into action (Sora for one) but scars affect so many people apart from him.
And Sero has been hostile to Sora for a while and I wanted to examine that and his character, after all not everyone in Class A was deserving of Sora's actions at the end of Part 1 (None of them were, but some more so than others.)
Sero is someone stuck between being mediocre in a class full of genuine Heroes, and he hasn't really done anything with his life. He's your average teenager. But he can't afford to be like that in a world like this, perhaps his speech would have worked before the raid on Overhaul but the world is a different place now - People actively hate Heroes and are viewing them as Heroes destroying their society.
I really just wanted to examine that side of the story.
Something AS OF EDITING THIS CHAPTER IN MAY 2024 Sero does himself talk about in the final fight against AFO! I'm happy to see that Horikoshi didn't forget Sero and everyone else and is making the final fight a group effort!
To be honest, I can't believe MHA is coming to an end soon.
I started this series in 2016, and well, I wasn't even a teenager back then. Now I'm in my twenties and it feels strange, but, I'll save my heartfelt message when the series actually ends.
The next chapter is a lot more plot-heavy with some payoffs finally being revealed. We're not far off from the conclusion of this arc, maybe around 3-4 chapters or so. But knowing me, it'll likely be 5-6.
So, see you next time!