Chapter 10: Izuku Midoriya and Suzune Horikita

July 1, 12:32 PM

Advanced Nurturing High School

Hallway

It had been just over thirty minutes after the battle of words to prove Sudo's innocence concluded. The first ten minutes of that had been the actual 'trial' with the remainder of time being the 'result.' That being the arrest of Manabu Horikita on the account of physically assaulting two students and forging evidence to pin the crime on another student.

If someone were to tell me that Horikita's brother would be found guilty as the culprit behind yesterday's crime, I wouldn't have believed it. Sure, the guy wasn't my favorite person in the world, far from it. In fact, I didn't like Manabu Horikita in the slightest.

'You have neither the right nor the ability to aim for something higher.' I mean how could I after that sorry excuse of a brother said such a horrible thing to his own sister? It's not like I haven't heard those words before. Maybe not the exact phrasing, but I knew how it felt like after being told you can't achieve your dreams. After all, I was born Quirkless.

However, that is my opinion on the situation. I can't say I really knew who the man named Manabu Horikita is because I don't. Hell, I hadn't even been in the same room with the guy for thirty minutes. In contrast, I knew a bit about his little sister, the one sitting on the floor with her back against the wall beside me.

"…" She had been silently crying for a while now. I wanted to comfort her and tell her that everything was going to be okay, but I'd be lying to her if I did that. So, I didn't want her to be alone so the least I could do for her was keep her company in this time of anguish. I had known the girl named Suzune Horikita for just under three months.

But it didn't really feel like it was that long. Even though three months had passed, we weren't exactly 'close.' We were in the same class, sat right next to each other, had lunch together, and even texted each other from time to time. But that was the extent of my relationship with her. Everything was kept strictly professional with her. That meant whenever we talked it was always about 'upcoming assignments' or 'how's the study group going' stuff like that.

So, can I really say I 'know' all that much about her? Am I full of myself to think that me and her are friends? Probably. But even still, I didn't want to leave her alone. Why is that? It's not like I've known her for that long. Three months wasn't even one fourth of the time that I had known my friends in Class 1-A, and even that didn't compare to how long me and Kacchan had known each other for. But even still I-

"Midoriya." Suzune spoke my name as my thought process was interrupted and I was brought back to reality. Horikita stood back up but in the process of doing so she hid her face from me. She probably didn't want me to see her face after she cried so much. I was still at a loss on what to say to her, so she beat me to the punch.

"I'm going home. I'll see you in class tomorrow." Suzune spoke as she removed her hands from her face while facing the opposite direction from where I was looking at her. She was about to walk away but before she could I-

"Are you… going to be, okay?" I asked with a face that surely didn't have a smile on it because I couldn't reassure like All Might probably could. That's right. If All Might was here in my place, I'm sure that he would be able to find the right words that would make Horikita feel better. But for all my so called 'smarts' at achieving high grades, I can't even figure out what to say to someone I care about. How pathetic of me.

"… Of course. You don't have to worry about me. I'm not someone who will easily lose her ambition over something like this. I'm going to prove my brother wrong about me and reach Class A. That's what I decided to do the moment I enrolled here. And I'm not going to stop until I achieve it." Suzune replied in her usual way of speaking. It was almost robotic as if she was just repeating something that someone programmed her to say. It had no emotion behind it. But then why-

"Then… why are you still crying?" I asked with a concerned look on my face as I surely surprised her because she stopped in place once more. Unbeknownst to me, her eyes had shot wide open as she felt her eyes only to notice that they were still wet with her tears. It was then that a memory belonging to the girl named Suzune Horikita resurfaced to the forefront of her brain-

I can still remember it like it was yesterday. It was a bright summer day, and the sun was shining onto my skin. It felt good. It was that day I decided to scale the tree in our backyard. My brother was there to keep me company, and as I would later find out 'to keep me away from trouble.' But I wasn't really concerned with the specifics.

"Hey, Onii-Chan! This time I'm going to do it!" I declared with as much confidence that I could muster as I felt a 'need' to live up to my goal. To explain, this tree had been in our backyard for as long as I can remember. My brother had reached the top of it some time ago and has found no difficulty doing it again and again.

"Suzune, just don't push yourself, okay?" My brother asked as he seemed a bit worried about me. But I wasn't worried! … Or at least that's what I made myself believe. But as I faced that tree I froze in my tracks. It wasn't as if it was all that tall, I don't think it's even thirty feet tall. It's not like I would die from falling from that height. But I was just a child back then… so 'close to thirty feet all' felt utterly gargantuan. Even still I-

'A hero can do anything he sets his mind to!' That phrase had resonated with me even since I was young. It was from an American comic book that my father had bought with him from overseas and gave to me as a present one day. The hero said those words after performing a stunt that I thought was really cool and even though I knew what he did was 'impossible.'

Even still it reminded me in a way of my brother climbing to the very top of this tree. He was very brave, so if I could even be just a bit 'heroic' like him then that would be enough for me. So, I marched forward despite my worries and began climbing the tree. I reached for the next piece of bark, then the next, and the next till I grabbed onto the first branch protruding from its trunk.

'This isn't all that hard. What was I afraid of? This is easy.' I thought internally with what was surely a face that was brimming with confidence as my goal didn't seem all that far away now. I genuinely thought I was going to do it. That I was going to be just as heroic as my brother and that superhero from that comic book were. But it was then…

'Snap!' That I realized that I was being way too overconfident as the branch snapped. In that moment it felt like time had slowed down to a crawl while I was falling. I could see the look on my brother's face as he came running after me. I remember smiling thinking that he would make it to me and catch me from falling. But once again…

… I was just being overconfident.

"SUZUNE!" My brother screamed my name before everything went dark. When I woke up, I found myself facing an unfamiliar ceiling. I looked around only to realize that I was in a hospital. It was then upon remembering what had transpired before that the sense of pain returned to me. Everything hurt. No. That would be an understatement. I was in more pain than I had been in my entire life. I most certainly had broken bones as it was a struggle to even sit upright on the bed I was on. But in the midst of that-

"Why would you let her do that?! I told you to not let her do something dangerous and you let her climb that tree?! What's wrong with you, Manabu?!" I heard my mother yell at my brother from just outside the hospital room I was in. I wanted to tell him that it was all my idea. That Onii-Chan did nothing wrong. But before I could-

'Slap!' I heard a sound that sounded just like a slap. It was then I realized that my brother had been slapped right across the face. I didn't need to see it to know it happened. But even still I couldn't stop myself from feeling like it was all my fault. And that's when I could no longer help myself anymore but to-

"WAAAAAH! IT HURTS! EVERYTHING HURTS! WAAAAAAAH!" I screamed while crying my eyes out. I wanted to be heroic just like my brother and that superhero were. But I was just fooling myself. I found myself wishing 'if only things worked out like they did in that comic book.' But they didn't. This was reality. I shouldn't have expected that my brother would have been able to save me. He wasn't a superhero. I wasn't a superhero. In this world…

… Superheroes aren't real, they are fantasy.

"I don't have time to deal with this! I have a job that I need to get back to! You console her, Manabu!" My mother shouted in the midst of my crying before he stormed away from my hospital room. Shortly after that-

'Creak.' The door to the hospital room opened as I noticed my brother. I shut my mouth upon my suspicions being confirmed. The left side of his cheek was bright red indicating that someone had struck him there. I knew it. It was all my fault. If only I didn't try to show off and climb that stupid tree, then none of this would have happen-

"Suzune." My brother called out to me as my thought process was interrupted as I watched him approaching me. I fully expected to be punished for my actions. After all, I did something so reckless that I ended up in the hospital. Even worse, my brother was blamed for my actions. I deserve this. This is all my faul-

"Ah." I gasped upon my brother wrapping his arms around my back and pulling me close. My mind went completely blank. I couldn't understand why he was hugging me after it was my fault that all of this happened. But to my utmost surprise he-

"This isn't your fault. It's no one's fault but my own. To be honest, I wanted to see if you could do it. But I got too caught up in watching you that I couldn't be there for you when you really needed it. I'm sorry." My brother apologized with a whisper as I could do nothing but listen to his words as he embraced me. But even still thoughts such as 'I don't deserve this' and 'he shouldn't be sorry for me' materialized from the depths of my mind.

"It's ok, Onii-Chan. I'll be alright. So, you don't need to worry about me." I replied as I attempted to smile even though my body was screaming in pain. In spite of that I acted like everything was okay. So, that he wouldn't have to feel sorry for me when I clearly didn't deserve it. However, what he said next made my resistance utterly futile-

"Then… why are you still crying?" My brother asked me as I noticed that tears were still dripping down my cheeks. It was then that everything returned back to the modern day as I realized that the words Midoriya had said were the exact same thing my brother told me all those years ago. Hearing him say that, only made me repeat what I did long ago-

"Horikita… gah!" I yelled out only to find myself being embraced by Horikita. I was so surprised when she charged at me that I thought for sure that I said something that only ended up hurting her and that she was going to hit me for it. But I was wrong. Instead, she hugged me. Something that I wouldn't have expected her to do in a million years. I was so dumbfounded that I couldn't find the words to say anything else as I simply stood there. Until-

"I can't stop thinking about it! The way my brother accepted things like that! I don't care if he can accept how things ended up I CAN'T! I know my brother would never do something so heinous! Someone is trying to frame him! I just know it! If he wasn't being framed, then he wouldn't have said that he was innocent! He wouldn't have asked me to believe in him!" Suzune cried out as she buried her face in my chest. I knew now was not the right time to say anything, so I let her vent everything she wanted to say as I stood there and took it all in.

"… Midoriya… I know I shouldn't be asking you this… but… please believe in him. I know you don't like my brother… but he's not a bad person. He hasn't done anything wrong. That's what I believe. So… please… help me prove that everything wasn't his fault." Suzune asked as she looked at me. In that moment, I saw her tear-stained eyes that were all red and puffy from crying so much. I had never seen her express such raw emotions up to this point. Not that I could blame her. Because it was then that I think understood her a bit more.

The reason why she was always wearing that mask of stoicism was because she didn't want to seem like she needed help. That she could do everything by herself. I don't know what made her construct that mask that concealed her true feelings. But that mask had all but crumbled to pieces now as she let out everything that she wanted to say. That's why I couldn't help but be taken aback by it all. But upon realizing the truth about her, I finally knew exactly what I had to say.

"I can't say I believe in him. But… I believe in you. So, I'll help you prove his innocence." I replied with a confident tone and a face that matched it while whispering those words. It was the truth. I found it difficult to believe in someone who would say horrible things to his sister, not to mention all of the evidence pointing to him being the culprit…

… But if Horikita wants me to believe that he didn't do it. Then I'll believe in her.

"… R-Really? Just like that? I… I don't understand. It's not like you know my brother like how I do. In fact… I really wouldn't blame you if you rejected my offer after everything you saw. So… why? Why believe in… me?" Suzune asked with a perplexed look on her face. For the first time, the girl who knew everything didn't have an answer. But to me it was obvious. After all she is-

"Of course, I believe in you. We're friends after all!" I replied while closing my eyes and smiling as I expressed my true feelings to her for the first time. A 'friend.' That's what I genuinely thought of her back then when she saved me from falling into despair all those months ago.

'… Asking for help. That's a good start. Well, what do you all think? Any suggestions?' No. Not just then when she saved me from leaving the classroom and isolating myself from the world once more. But even further back then-

'… Thanks for saving me. I appreciate it.' If I didn't notice her or simply accepted things for how they were then I would have undoubtably been defeated by my despair. I would have never accepted that I could do something to change things. That I could have been a hero in a world where there are none. So, how could I think of her as anything less than a friend?

"… Friend? … Me? … We're friends?" Suzune asked me as she gave me a thousand-yard stare. My eyes shot wide open as I realized that there is a high chance that Horikita didn't think the same thing I thought about her.

'Oh crap! I totally got ahead of myself again!' I thought internally while my face undoubtably became as red as a tomato. I wanted nothing more than to run away out of sheer embarrassment. But I found myself unable to do that since Horikita was still holding onto me. It was then that I noticed her face which appeared to be comprehending what I just said until-

"… Yeah. I guess we are." Suzune replied with a smile as my eyes shot even wider open if that was even possible as my brain began malfunctioning over seeing her smile. Something that I had only seen her do once before. But even that smile did not compare to the one she gave me before. Such a genuine smile can only mean…

"… We really are friends, aren't we?" I asked as I couldn't help but cry tears of joy because of the fact that I finally have someone that I can call a 'Friend' and have it be reciprocated it. But Horikita felt my tears on her shoulder and looked up at me.

"Jeez. I thought I was supposed to be the one who was crying." Suzune replied sarcastically with a smile as I looked back at her tear-stained eyes with my own. We then quietly laughed between ourselves. I was so happy. After all…

… I made my first friend in this wonderful new world. I really thought I was getting ahead of myself for thinking of her as a friend, let alone saying it to her. But if Horikita thinks the same way, then we really are friends. That fact alone made me very happy. In fact, it was, without a shadow of a doubt, the happiest moment I've had in this world up to this point…

… Which is why I was caught completely off guard by what happened next.

"Yo. Looks like you got rejected. Can't say I didn't see that comin. Considerin how plain lookin you are. It was only obvious that this would be the result." A voice that was familiar to me spoke as I recognized it instantly as the same voice belonging to-

"S-Sudo-Kun?" Horikita spoke as she beat me to the punch. I rubbed my tear-stained eyes until I was able to see. It was then that they shot wide open upon recognizing 'Sudo.' Except, something felt off. Whoever 'that' is… that can't be…

"… Who… are you?" I asked with what was surely a dumbfounded look on my face as I stared at 'Sudo.'

"… Who am I? Haha. That's rich comin from someone who's in the same class as you. And here I thought we were pals. Guess I was wrong." 'Sudo' replied as he stood still at the other end of the hallway all the while he had a smile on his face that was completely unlike any smile, I had seen on Sudo before. In fact… that smile only held malicious intent. But when I realized that-

'BAM!' He shoved me against the glass window beside me! But the window wasn't small! It was big and wide enough for me to fall out of if the glass broke! Not only that but the way he moved, it was like he teleported right next to me! And his strength! The amount of pressure he's putting on me is like being weighed down by several tons! That's not possible! There's no way any person here is capable of such a feat of strength! Unless he has-

'Crack!' The glass began cracking as 'Sudo' began pushing me harder and harder against it! I attempted grabbing him with my hands to make him stop! But every time I was about to touch his head, he moved it out it out of my reach! The same thing with my legs when I attempted to kick his body! How can he be so quick with his movements!? It was as if he was processing everything that was happening far quicker than any normal human could ever dream of doing! This shouldn't be possible…

… But this imposter pretending to be Sudo has multiple Quirks! That is the only logical explanation for what was happening! But as I was processing all of this, the glass kept cracking. This caught Horikita's attention who had been dumbfounded up to this point.

"Sudo! What the hell do you think you're doing?! You're hurting him!" Suzune yelled out with what was surely a mix of agitation and confusion. Up to this point she could barely understand what had happened! One moment 'Sudo' was at the other end of the hallway and the next moment he made his way to Midoriya and is trying to push him out the window?! Why is Sudo doing this?! How did he close the gap so quickly?! She had so many questions and no answers whatsoever!

"Damn straight. After all, he didn't recognize me. If he doesn't even know who I am even when we are in the same class…" 'Sudo' kept pushing me as the glass cracked even further until it-

'CRACK!' The glass completely shattered due to his impressive strength! It was then I saw the look in his eyes. He was enjoying this! He wanted this! This person who looks just like Sudo but isn't, wanted to get rid of the problem named Izuku Midoriya!

"Midoriya!" Suzune yelled out as she noticed the glass shattering, she then looked around to call for help! But it was after school! Everyone had long since left the building! We were probably the only people left! Upon realizing that, Horikita froze and knew that if no one would be coming to help…

… Then she would just have to help her friend herself!

"You know I thought you'd be stronger after what 'he' said about you. Oh well. Guess you weren't everything you were cracked up to be. Hahaha!" 'Sudo' spoke before laughing as he held me by my throat with such strength that could have only come from a strength enhancing Quirk. But when he said 'he' everything made sense. It was as if all the puzzle pieces connected together to form a complete picture. The person he was referring to had to be-

'Izuku Midoriya… behold! In a matter of moments, you will come face to face with your own personal hell! For everything that you and those despicable heroes have done, consider this my revenge! Hahaha!' Which means… that person… the doctor is…

… SOMEWHERE IN THIS SCHOOL!

'Do you wish to obliterate him?' The voice belonging to the man named Jokata Nauji spoke within my mind but before I could respond-

"So long, hero." 'Sudo' spoke as he was about to let go of me! But before he could-

'Slap!' Horikita slapped him right across the face! 'Sudo' was left utterly speechless as he did not expect Suzune to ever do that. But upon realizing that she slapped him, he-

"Oops." 'Sudo' spoke with what was undoubtably a sinister grin on his face as he let go of me. I then began falling out of the building. But as I fell time slowed down for me as I noticed the look on Horikita's face being one that was filled with horror as 'Sudo' cornered her. No. I won't let that happen. I won't let him…

'… I WON'T LET HIM HURT MY FRIEND!' I swore internally as I grabbed onto the ledge before I could fall back to the earth! However, the ledge had glass on it and the shards stabbed my fingers! But I didn't care! I wouldn't let him touch her! That's what I thought as I pulled myself up and-

'BAM!' Tackled him to the ground! 'Sudo' was so caught off guard that he didn't even know what was going on until after the fact! But then he-

"W-What the hell?! You should be dead!" 'Sudo' yelled out as he attempted to free himself! But I wouldn't let him go no matter what! He wasn't going to escape! Not after what he did! Because in that moment, everything became clear to me, the fact that Sudo was somehow in the footage and now this. Whoever this person was…

… Was the true culprit behind the physical assault that happened yesterday! Which means Manabu is innocent! It's this guy who's guilty!

"N-No! Not now!" 'Sudo yelled out as his face began leaking something grey like clay, I was so caught off guard by it that he-

'BAM!' Managed to push me off of him! The fake Sudo then vanished from the scene! It was just like earlier when he teleported to me! But I could faintly hear his footsteps. Which means it's not teleportation! Then is it a speed enhancing Quirk?! But this isn't like Iida or Gran Torino's Quirks! This is something completely different! But even still I jumped up back onto my two feet as I charged after him!

"DON'T YOU DARE RUN AWAY! GET BACK HERE AND FACE ME! YOU COWARD!" I shouted at the top of my lungs as I continued to run after him! All the while, unbeknownst to me he was thinking-

'No! You idiot! I'm not running away from you! I'm running away from being caught! Why the hell is the time limit for this so short?! I have to escape! Before he finds out my true identity!' Fake Sudo declared internally as he turned around a corner only to be tapped on the back. It caught him off guard that he stopped running and saw someone who he didn't recognize in the slightest.

"Who the hell are you?! Get out of my way!" He yelled out only for the man who was wearing the same school uniform that all students in this school wear. But before he knew it the man grabbed the faker pretending to be Sudo by his jaw! And then…

'Whoooosh!' A purple vortex materialized out of nowhere as the man went inside of it and pulled the fake Sudo with him just as Midoriya was about to catch up with him! But before he could catch a look at what had really happened, the culprit was already gone.

"…" Izuku Midoriya then collapsed to his knees without saying a word. All he could do was accept the reality that he was a moment too late. But there was no place to exit the building nearby. Which meant that the culprit had an 'ally.' Whoever this 'ally' was a mystery to him. But even with this crucial information. He couldn't help but-

'Bam!' Punch the floor with the shards of glass still in his hand as his blood dripped onto the ground staining it red. It was shortly after that that Horikita caught up with Midoriya.

"Where did he go?! Ah! Your hand!" Horikita yelled out as I ignored the last part and could only respond to what she said first.

"… He… got away." I replied with a look of regret on my face as the true culprit managed to escape the clutches of justice for now. But that was only 'this time.' After all, whoever this culprit is must be a student which means he also attends this school! He's somewhere here and I'm going to find him! No matter what happens next…

'… That faker will face justice!' That's what I declared internally, and I knew it wasn't going to be easy. However, I had no clue what I was really getting myself into. What transpired after this would be a series of events that would lead to something truly unfathomable. I wasn't prepared for that. And that 'truth' would soon be revealed to me when I least expected it.

To Be Continued…

Next Chapter: Monsters

Go Beyond!

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