Chapter 44: I Know Pain and Suffering

"AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!" I screamed at the top of my lungs after being told that the person who had been posing as Shiina who I learned was the traitor that was working for the Doctor, also has the All For One Quirk at his disposal. The power of the most evil and diabolical villain I had ever faced that I thought had been exterminated is still a threat. It persists to exist even after the One For All Quirk is long gone.

I just couldn't believe it. Any of it. That Shiina is who knows where. That Hirata is bleeding out and will die unless he receives medical attention ASAP. And that AFO still lives in the form of a new enemy, one that even has one of his powers, Spearlike Bones. I can't be sure that he doesn't have any of AFO's other Quirks. In fact, it's very possible that he has all of them. Maybe more that I don't even know of. How am I supposed to fight him when I'm in this condition?! It's impossible! I'll die! Everyone… they will all…

'Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip! Drip!' I had a solemn expression while rain poured onto me as images of my precious friends being killed by the new AFO appeared one after another. I didn't want to think of them. But my mind turned against me as it had done many times in the past. I've always worried about what's the worst that could happen to steal my resolve. So, I could think of ways to turn things around to reach the best-case scenario. But I can't see it. No matter what I think of it all leads back to the inevitable end. A horrible future where I die protecting the people I care about and in turn they die too.

'But as you're dying in some gutter, remember my words, Izuku Midoriya! You've just DOOMED this entire school and all of its students who will be used as sacrificial pawns for his new world order! A world that will be ruled by people with intelligence and strength! A world that will have no place for people that are as utterly pathetic as you ar- It was then that the words of the previous Chairman, Sakayanagi's father came to the forefront of my mind. For a second, I was confused why I thought back to that scene from a few months ago.

However, in hindsight it makes perfect sense. It's because ever since back then those words had been in the back of my mind. Since Garaki is part of this world and is up to his nefarious schemes, I couldn't be sure that what Sakayanagi said wouldn't happen. That's why I prepared myself for the worst-case scenario. But no matter what I could imagine, I could never predict the return of the AFO Quirk and the man declaring himself to be him. Of course, there's no way the real AFO is among the living. He's dead. That I made sure of personally.

But, by telling me that he's AFO, he's basically admitting that his plans for the world are the same as the original AFO. A world that will be ruled by a criminal mastermind within the shadows of society. It will be just like the 'Dark Age' that I heard from All Might before he defeated AFO. I got a taste of that world after the villain Tomura Shigaraki made his presence known to the world, but with the help of my precious friends and the Pro Heroes of our world, we saved it.

However, things are different here. I was prepared to fight both AFO and Shigaraki alongside my friends. But I'm not the same person I was back then! I'm weak! So much weaker than I once was! I can barely walk anymore! And now… I have to deal with AFO again?! Even if it's not today or tomorrow can I even do that again? And if I can't then that means the people, I've come to know… everyone will- But before I could finish that thought while hyperventilating and sweating profusely I was interrupted by-

'GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF KID!' The person I least expected to hear, Jokata Nauji, shouting at me from within my mind. This broke my thought process to pieces and even made my ears ring a bit even though he wasn't talking to me in reality but instead my sub conscious. Even still he didn't stop there!

'Great! I got your attention! Super! Now listen up you punk! If you really think that's how things are gonna go, then that's exactly what's going to happen! That's why you can't think of that shit! You're only setting yourself up for failure! Believe me when I tell ya you little shit! So, instead of thinking about something that hasn't even happened yet, do everything in your power to prevent that bastard from doing that! I'm not telling ya to think! I'm telling to get your ass up and do something about it?! You hear me you little- Jokata yelled internally while I stood up and interrupted him before he could finish by-

'BAM!' Punching myself in the jaw! I landed a hit so hard that I had a busted lip, and I was bleeding onto the ground. That alerted me to the person who was also bleeding right beside me. I took a deep breath before exhaling. And then…

'Thank you Jokata. If it wasn't for you… I might have been broken beyond repair. But you fixed things before I could reach that point. Thank you for that. Really. Thank you for reminding me of what I need to do right now.' I thought internally before taking off my red vest and wrapping it around Hirata's upper chest where the bone in the shape of a spear pierced him. By putting pressure on the wound, he should be alright for a little while longer. But to my surprise when checking his wound, there wasn't an exit point of entry on his back. There was only the wound on the front of his body.

'Yeah, whatever! I wasn't doing it for you! So, don't think I was, you annoying brat!' Jokata snapped back at me, but I ignored him as I was too focused on this sudden realization.

Namely, that the traitor wasn't trying to kill Hirata. He had an ulterior motive in all of this. Whatever that is, I have no idea. But I can say for certain that it wasn't to kill me or Hirata. Because if he really wanted to, he could have finished the both of us off with Spearlike Bones and we wouldn't be able to do a single thing to stop him. Unlike him, we can't regenerate our wounds. Now that I think about it, this person, whose identity remains a mystery, could have killed me many times so far…

… But he didn't. I don't understand what's driving him or is his endgame is. But it might not be what AFO's trying to do. And if that's the case… then maybe he can be- But before I could finish that thought, I was interrupted by-

'Don't even consider it. You should know full well what that guy is capable of. The successor of AFO must not be allowed to exist within this world. That's your duty as the final user of OFA. Not to mention that he's cooperating with our enemy. Whether you like it or not this all ends with you and him facing each other off to the death. There's nothing you or anyone else can do to change that.' Jokata told me internally, but I already knew that.

'I know. I was just thinking hypothetically. That's all it was. Because even if he does apologize, I'm not going to let him off the hook for any of this. He hurt Hirata, and by using Toga's Transformation Quirk to transform into Shiina, he hurt her too. I'll never forgive him for doing each of those things for the man I revere as a friend and the girl I love. In fact, I'll make sure he regrets both of those things… by beating the crap out of him.' I declared internally while cracking my knuckles and focusing on the face of the man that I must defeat amongst everyone else.

'So, I take it that means killing him is off the table then.' Jokata replied internally as I nodded in affirmation. Even though he hurt two people I care deeply about, that doesn't give me any right to play the role of judge, jury, and executioner. Not that I intend to let him off Scot free for what he did. There's not a chance in hell of that. But…

'… Even still… I don't want to kill him if there's another way. Only if it's a last resort will I take his life. And there's nothing you or anyone else can do to change that.' I replied internally while throwing Jokata's words back at him while he clicked his tongue and said 'Have it your way then. It's not like I can do shit about it. I'm a dead man after all.' But that had me thinking back to something that he said to me long ago. I think it was something like-

'Well, whether you like it were stuck together. So, you're just going to have to deal with it.' I thought internally with a smile on my face. I smiled in spite of all the hardships that I recently faced and will face again in the future. But even though Jokata could read my mind he took this another way.

'You really are a cheeky brat you know that? Just before this you were crying and screaming and had no clue what to do with yourself. But now that I gave you a stern talking to, you're happy go lucky? Pisses me off.' Jokata replied while I continued to smile in spite of that. Not because I wanted to annoy him or anything. It's just that, I think everything's going to be okay now. But just as I was about to call my friends to see if they were on their way. Because of the group text.

"Midoriya! You here?!" The voice of one of my precious friends made himself loud and clear as he made his way onto the rooftop just before stopping in place. He instantly went silent over seeing me and more importantly Hirata on the ground. It didn't take a rocket scientist to understand that something was amiss. In the midst of that, I heard footsteps follow after him as Horikita entered onto the scene and noticed the same thing Sudo did. They were both speechless and I wanted nothing more than to explain the situation to them. But there was no time, Hirata's life was at stake. Saving his life is what matters most right now. The rest can wait until a later time.

"Hirata needs medical attention. That's why I need one of you to call the paramedics so that they can get him to a hospital. But don't worry, everything will be fine." I replied with a smile on my face as Horikita nodded was astonished by this. She tried pulling out her phone from her pocket, but she ended up failing a few times until successfully grabbing it. But only a moment later, she accidentally dropped it onto the floor.

"Horikita? What's wrong?" I asked with a surprised look on my face as I couldn't understand what made her so clumsy all of a sudden. All of her movements had been precise before this, with a goal in mind that made everything she did seem well coordinated in every sense of the word. But that's not what was happening right now. Her phone was getting wet from the rain. At this rate, it may not end up working. That's no good. Hirata needs to get to the hospital and only they can help me right now.

This is because (And this is just an assumption on my part, though I'm pretty confident about it) The police, are under direct control of the one who rules this school in the shadows, the Chairman, i.e. Ayanokoji. And since he's working with the Doctor, I have no choice but to have someone that the both of them trust as 'pawns' in all of this to be the ones to call. I can't be the one to do it since giving them my name could have repercussions. That's why I can't risk the chance that Ayanokoji would be listening in. Either way this was all I could do for Hirata in the event that the police decided to turn their guns on me.

I wouldn't be surprised if the Chaiman spins this situation as me losing control and trying to kill Hirata in a fit of rage. In fact, I think that's how things are going to go. This is a perfect opportunity for them to paint me as the bad guy. There's no monster around nor is the real culprit here. Even though I have a Quirk would they really believe me if I told them that the person who attacked Hirata conjured a portal out of thin air to get away and that's why there's no trace of him in the slightest? No. Of course they wouldn't buy something as convenient as that. I wanted to tell them all of that, but there really was no time for that. That's why they need to-

"HOW CAN YOU BE SMILING RIGHT NOW?!" Sudo shouted at the top of his lungs as his loud voice brought me back to reality. I was so deep in thought that I didn't notice that Sudo had closed the gap between us and was gripping the collar of the white shirt that I had under the red vest that was now wrapped around Hirata's stomach. This reaction on Sudo's part truly surprised me as I couldn't understand where he was coming from.

This is due to how my old world worked. Whenever someone got injured, the heroes couldn't show any moment of weakness. That would only make the people that were in danger lose what little composure they had left. Worst case scenario, the heroes in charge of the situation, could end up failing to save a life. That thought process had been drilled into me ever since I took the Hero License exam. I didn't want the people that were precious to me or anybody for that matter to be distressed just because I couldn't get a handle on my emotions.

However, this thought process was the complete opposite of how the world I have found myself in for quite some time actually worked. Here, showcasing grief over someone who had been injured and not far from death, was something that was considered to be the natural response in those types of situations. So, unbeknownst to me, the fact that I was smiling, was something that Sudo couldn't understand in the slightest. And knowing that I couldn't understand where he was coming from, only enraged him further.

"Who the hell do you think you are smiling like that?!" Sudo shouted as my smile didn't fade, not even for a second. And since he was right in front of me, he couldn't avoid my smile. He then clenched his fist hard and was ready to deck me in the face. But Horikita noticed this and grabbed his fist before he could do so.

"Sudo! That's enough! Violence is not the answer! There's already been too much of that!" Suzune yelled out in order to get Sudo's attention as the rain started to pour even harder and drowned out her voice. But Sudo got the gist of it. He didn't want to back down, but the situation left him no choice but to do so. He then clicked his tongue as he begrudgingly accepted it for now.

"Horikita. Get back inside and do what Midoriya said. All this rain can't be good for Hirata. So, me and Midoriya will get him inside." Sudo spoke into Horikita's ear so that she would be able to hear him clearly without having to scream in her face. She nodded before making her way back into the building. Sudo then faced me and said, 'You got that?' But with all the rain, it was getting really hard to hear him. But I didn't want to make him mad, so I nodded in affirmation. I then saw him get near Hirata and grab his legs. This made it clear to me that he wanted to get Hirata inside.

I made my way toward them and helped pick up Hirata by his upper torso. We then got him inside the building and placed him back onto the floor since there wasn't anything to place him on in the staircase area. But I wasn't satisfied with this.

"Sudo, we should bring him to one of the rooms. There should be a sofa in one of them. That would be much more comfortable than the floor." I spoke as Sudo was glaring at me. I couldn't understand why he was looking at me with such a hostile look on his face. I muttered 'Don't you agree?' But he ignored the question and grabbed my hand before taking me back outside. Horikita noticed this but just as she did-

"What's the emergency?" The person on the other end of the line spoke as Suzune had no choice but to respond since Hirata's life was at risk. The number she dialed was a different phone number than the usual 119 that was used to contact the police that was used in my world. But it may or may not be the same number here, though even if that's the case the police that patrol this island are unrelated to the ones that are stationed in Japan's mainland. That I realized for a while now. But there was one person who couldn't understand any of this.

'BAM!' And since that guy was beyond enraged, he was going to let his fists do the talking by hitting me right in the face. But he couldn't land a single punch. He attempted to land a series of blows one after the other onto my face. But they all missed. Though Sudo still wasn't done. He pushed me to the ground and got on top of me. He then grabbed me by the collar again while gritting his teeth. And then…

"WHY THE HELL ARE YOU STILL SMILING?!" Sudo shouted at the top of his lungs as I was able to hear him clearly this time even with the abundance of rain. He then brought his fist into the air and was about to try and land a punch onto me once more. But just as he was about to bring his fist down that was now enshrouded in steel, he stopped his fist just before he could land a blow that could have been lethal if it connected with my head. I then felt something drip onto my face. At first, I assumed that it was the rain. But something was different about this. It didn't take me much longer to realize that it was his tears. He then muttered 'Damn it.' And just after that he-

'BAM!' Slammed his fist against the ground. His fist landed only a few centimeters away from my head. And as his fist broke the earth, I felt the vibrations ring out. I was all too clear to me that Sudo was hurting. I wanted to help him. But before I could say anything to him-

"DAMN IT! DAMN IT! DAMN IT!" Sudo repeated those words over and over again like a broken record as he felt immense pain over what he did. Even though I was the one who was in pain over being pushed to the ground, I could tell that he was in much more pain than I was. I didn't want to see him like that. That's why even now, I was smiling. But unbeknownst to me, this drove Sudo off the deep end as he couldn't hold himself back from saying everything that was on his mind.

"How the hell can you be so calm and relaxed right now?! It was the same when Hirata beat the shit out of you! You just took it! Why?! Why the fuck didn't you fight back?! How can you act like this? You're not making any fucking sense! What the hell are you trying to accomplish with that damn smile?! Do you even have any idea what pain and suffering are?!" Sudo snapped back while shouting so that I could hear every word that came out of his mouth. But it was then that everything finally clicked in my head. I understood what Sudo was trying to say. But there was one thing he was wrong about.

"I do know." I replied as he heard me and froze while his eyes went wide upon seeing the look in my eyes. My pair of eyes that had been stained with tears not long before this told him everything, he needed to know without me having to say another word. But even still I wanted him to understand me. So, I continued.

"I know exactly what pain and suffering are. I've experienced it so many times that I've lost count. I have known just how cruel and unforgiving life can be since I was four years old. But things didn't get better before they got worse. Even after I thought everything was going to be wonderful from then on, I was reminded once again what pain and suffering are when the person that I looked up to as my father was killed before my eyes. The same thing happened again when I saw Sakura die. So, believe me when I say, I know damn well what pain and suffering are." I replied with a serious look on my face as Sudo let go of my collar and fell to his knees.

"Then why… why are you acting so cheerful right now?" Sudo asked as he stared back at me with a dumbfounded look as my smile returned to my face. That too required some explanation on my part.

"It's because I know what pain and suffering are that I'm smiling. I don't want anyone to have to go through what I have undergone time and time again. I want all the people around me to be smiling to their heart's content. Their happiness is what I desire to see above everything else. But someone can't smile if the other person around them isn't smiling. That's why I want to smile, especially in situations such as these when someone's life is at stake. Because no matter how painful and full of suffering that life can make you go through, I wholeheartedly believe that smiling in spite of that, is the right way to live." I replied with a bright smile on my face.

Sudo couldn't find the words to respond to that, so he kept quiet. It was then that I noticed Horikita who had been right behind him. And from the look on her face, she had been listening for quite a while. She was devastated to hear me talking about how much I lost. But she understood what I was trying to say after that. The reason why I had been smiling. And in response to that, she cracked a smile of her own. It was then after seeing a rare look of happiness from her that the rain began to stop. And shortly after that, she approached me and extended her hand toward me. And then…

"Let's get out of here." Suzune spoke while maintaining her bright smile as the clouds parted above her and the sun came into view. The light from the bright star in the sky only made her smile shine all the brighter as I was utterly entranced by it. And without even thinking I grabbed onto her hand as she helped me stand back up again. But I figured that would happen. Because even if there seems like there is no hope to speak of…

… There is always hope. Hope that will continue to exist for as long as each and every one of us continue to coexist with each other as humanity.

Sudo had a front row seat to all of this and all he could do was avert his eyes until a thought came to his mind.

"What about Hirata? Did you get in contact with the police?" Sudo asked as Horikita turned her attention away from me and onto him. She then nodded in affirmation.

"That's right. They will be here shortly. It shouldn't be a problem if we are present. But it's a completely different story for Midoriya. He's still the 'vigilante' after all. They might think he hurt Hirata. That's why it's imperative that we get him back to somewhere safe." Suzune replied while her face reverted back to her serious look as she wasn't used to smiling consistently. But that much I was already aware of with being right next to her for quite a while at this point in time.

"And what place do you have in mind? Sudo asked even though he already had his suspicions regarding what Horikita meant by her words. And they were proven right on the money by what she said next.

"Your apartment of course. What other place would I consider?" Suzune asked with a slightly annoyed look on her face.

"Oh, I don't know. How about your apartment?" Sudo asked but the response he got wasn't one that was backed up with words. Instead, it was a look on Horikita's face that made it abundantly clear that we were all not going back to her place. Sudo was able to pick up on exactly that as he replied with 'Fine my apartment it is.' Before heading back into the building with his hands in his pockets. Me and Horikita followed after him as she helped me walk, but just as my legs were working again-

"Midoriya." Suzune muttered with a concerned look on her face as I collapsed to my knees. But even though her voice was but a whisper, Sudo probably would have heard it from a mile away. And that was made crystal clear when he helped me back onto my feet. This made me surprised but in a good way as I smiled back at him and said, 'Thank you.'

"Don't mention it. It's the least I can do after I roughed you up a bit. We better head out now, if we want to evade the cops." Sudo replied as both he and Horikita helped me make it back into the building and out of the proper exit before the paramedics arrived. We managed to make it far enough as I heard police sirens in the background. And before I knew it, we made it back to Sudo's apartment. But since part of the apartment complex had been wrecked during the battle that took place there, his apartment was relocated to a higher floor that was above where my room was.

"Looks like we made it." Sudo spoke as he helped me get onto the couch that was against the wall in his living room with Horikita's help. But he second guessed himself and made sure to peer his head out into the hallway to make sure the coast was clear before he shut the door and locked it. He then turned his attention to me. But he wasn't alone as Horikita was staring at me while sitting right beside me. I already knew what they had on their mind for a while now, so they didn't need to say anything more.

"I'll tell you everything. It's going to take a while. So, just be ready for that." I replied with a serious look on my face as I began explaining what had happened. How Shiina had been kidnapped by Nagumo, to Hirata getting hurt by the imposter pretending to be Shiina and everything that happened in between. But they were still confused by all of this and rightfully so. They were still missing a huge piece of this puzzle, one that would make everything fall into place the moment they would be able to grasp it. But before that-

"I understand this is a lot to take in. But there's more. What I'm about to tell you is something that I haven't told a single person. The enemy that has been here all this time. I know you two must have already met him before, because the enemy that I must defeat and the one that gave you your Quirks are one in the same. I believe the name he's going by is Doctor Ujiko. I'm sure that rings some bells." I replied as both Horikita and Sudo's eyes shot wide open upon hearing what I told them.

"Then this means, that Ujiko… he's the reason why you are in this world now. Am I right to believe that?" Suzune asked as she maintained the serious look on her face while I nodded in affirmation. But this only made Sudo even more confused, and he stood upon reflex.

"Wait, wait, wait! What the heck do you mean 'this world?!' You telling me that Midoriya wasn't born on this planet?! That's ridiculous! Do you honestly expect me to believe that he's some alien?!" Sudo yelled out as he was completely out of the loop since the only person that I had told about where I came from was Horikita. I felt bad for him. So, I wanted him not to get the wrong idea.

"No, you've got it all wrong. The place I come from is a parallel earth. One much like this one. But instead of the minority having superpowers, the majority does. Does that make sense?" I asked with a smile on my face.

"Oh yeah! It makes perfect sense!" Sudo replied with a smile of his own as I said 'Really?' With a surprised look only for him to say-

"NO! OF COURSE IT DOESN'T!" Sudo snapped back at the top of his lungs as I muttered 'Yeah I should have figured.' Under my breath with an awkward laugh right after that. I then went on to reiterate what I told Horikita back on the uninhabited island as Sudo stared back at me out of disbelief. And right after I finished, he sunk back onto the leather couch beside him. And before I could say anything-

"I… I think I need time to process all of that." Sudo replied as he could barely make heads or tails of my life story. But there wasn't time for that. And I wasn't alone in that sentiment.

"There's no time. What we need to do now is corner Ujiko and make him return Shiina. Her life is in danger." Suzune spoke with a serious look while standing up to express the point she was trying to make.

"Yeah! I know that! I'm not an idiot! But how the heck are we supposed to do that when he has someone who was able to put Hirata in the hospital?! Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid to fight. In fact, that's what I want to be doing right about now! But don't we need some sort of plan instead of rushing in gung-ho?!" Sudo snapped back as Horikita's eyes went wide. Normally she would have known that from the get-go. But this time her emotions got the better of her.

"I… suppose you're right." Suzune replied but I wasn't satisfied with that solution, so I stood up in order to get the point I wanted to make across. This surprised the both of them. But even with my legs working against me half the time, this was no time to lie down and accept things for how they are! Not when the person I love most in this world is being held captive by the person I despise most in this world!

"No. In fact, that's exactly what we got to do. I'm going to head right into the school and corner him. And I need both of you to help me do it." I replied with a serious look of my own as I was determined to finally get back at the Doctor for all the pain and suffering, he's caused me. But even more than that, I'm going to save Shiina no matter what. But both Horikita and Sudo couldn't help but look at me out of sheer surprise. Sudo was the first to voice his concerns over the matter.

"Y-You're kidding right?! Can't this wait till tomorrow?" Sudo asked with a nervous smile which I replied with 'No. It can't.' He then knew that I was going to let this go because he knew full well just how stubborn I was. But now was Horikita's turn to voice her worries.

"But, Midori-no. I mean, Deku. Are you sure this is the right course of action. You can barely walk. If the person who hurt Sudo manages to corner you, you could die. I… don't want that." Suzune replied as she gripped the edges of her skirt tightly with a look of pain on her face. I knew that look all too well so I patted her on the head as she looked up at me from where she was sitting and noticed the smile on my face.

"Remember, when you asked me what Shiina means to me? Well, I finally figured that out not too long ago. The truth is… I love her. I love her so much that I'm ready to lay down my life if it means she gets to live another day. I didn't want to accept it because… I felt like I wasn't worthy to feel that way about someone. But I can't ignore my feelings anymore. I love Shiina. And it's because I love her… that I'm not going to let her suffer a second longer. Thank you for helping me realize that, Horikita." I replied with a bright smile on my face as Horikita took in my words and nodded. But my sudden confession surprised the other person in this room way beyond their wildest expectations.

"W-What?! Y-You like Shiina?! Since when?" Sudo yelled out of sheer disbelief as I looked at him with a smile on my face as I reflected back to the classroom trial that cemented my fate as a student of Class A. But before I could tell him that, Horikita had something to say.

"You seriously didn't notice that they both liked each other?" Suzune asked with a slightly annoyed look on her face since she couldn't believe how dense Sudo was. But this only pissed off the red headed giant of a man

"How could I have known something like that?! It's not like either of them said that they liked each other before this!" Sudo snapped back with a face that was bright red as he felt embarrassed over this sudden talk of love with the love of his life right in front of him. To be fair, he figured that Shiina had feelings for Midoriya given how she asked him out on a date about a month ago. Though he had no idea the feelings were mutual. Because up to this point it seemed like Midoriya had no interest in pursuing a romantic relationship with Shiina. How that changed so suddenly surprised Sudo no doubt. He wondered what could have sparked such a sudden change in his friend's feelings to no avail. But his response only made Horikita sigh. She then turned her attention back to me before continuing.

"I'm sure this means you told Ichinose something like that. Am I right to believe that?" Suzune asked as I nodded in affirmation. But this only caught Sudo off guard once more because he wasn't aware that Ichinose kissed back at the sports festival.

"W-What does Ichinose from Class B have to do with any of this?" Sudo asked with a dumbfounded look on his face. In response, both me and Horikita looked at him out of disbelief. But before I could say anything, she beat me to the punch.

"Sudo. Seriously? I can understand you missing them kissing back at the sports festival. But how did you miss all the gossip that Onodera was saying in our classroom?" Suzune asked with a bewildered look on her face. But this only made Sudo even more embarrassed because it was because of the girl in front of him that was he was getting so anxious.

"Give me a break! I was sort of going through something at the time! Don't bother asking what it was because it's none of your business!" Sudo replied with a shout as he averted his eyes from Horikita while the latter only became more annoyed over the former's sudden decision to withhold the truth of the matter. But since I knew exactly what Sudo was hiding I couldn't help myself but chuckle a bit at seeing him act like this.

"You find this funny? HUH?!" Sudo snapped back with a pissed off expression on his face but that only made me burst out laughing. It wasn't that I was laughing at Sudo. But instead, I couldn't help but laugh that my friends were the same as they always have been. Except that was wrong. Sudo has shown just how kind he can be when he had every right to beat me up. But even still he didn't. Sudo restrained himself from hurting me because he couldn't find it in him to hurt me. Because he's a really gentle and considerate friend. He might be a bit reckless and aggressive. Though he's not the type of person to go out of his way to hurt someone.

Horikita has also shown considerable growth as well. She's become so much more expressive and caring for the people around her. And that in turn has given me the strength to press on forward. They have both matured so much. I might still be the same Quirkless loser who must depend on everyone to get by. But even if that's the case, I'm going to do what I must, to protect the girl I love. As far as I'm aware, Shiina is still alive. And that means I can still save her. So, that's exactly what I'm going to do.

'Oh, I just remembered. Ujiko wanted me to tell you something if we ever met face to face like this.' Not only that but her imposter gave me the clue that I needed to seize the truth. I don't know what he's planning. But I can't waste this opportunity to strike while the Doctor might not see it coming. That's why the time to act is now.

However, I was not prepared for what was going to happen very soon. Especially regarding the person, I was determined to save no matter the cost. I was not ready for what was about to happen next, that much was only going to become obvious once I came face to face with the girl I love once again.

To Be Continued…

Next Chapter: The Meaning Behind 'Garaki'

Go Beyond!

Plus Ultra!