Chapter 17: The Vultures of AN
"A-An island!" I exclaimed with a shout as I and the rest of my classmates marveled at the unexpected location, we found ourselves in. But how did we get here? That's easy. A week prior to this day, me and the rest of Class A were told to board a luxury cruise ship. There we were told by Professor Chabashira that we would be reaching our destination a week later. What was our destination? None of us had any clue…
… Until now as before our eyes was an utterly massive island that stretched as far as the eye could see. But as far as I can tell this place seems… uninhabited. What would be the point of sending us here?
"Excellent question, Midoriya. The reason why the school chose to send all of you to an uninhabited island was a rather simple choice. This test aims to assess and hone your abilities in terms of cooperation in order to survive." Professor Chabashira explained with her usual monotone voice. However, her explanation raised more questions than answers.
"S-Survive… what exactly? You said this island was uninhabited right teach? If so, it's not like there are any bears… right?" Yamauchi asked with a nervous smile on his face.
"Of course not. There are no creatures considered to be dangerous on this island. You see, what I meant by 'survive' is that all of you will be forced to stay on this island… for an entire week. Welcome to the 'first' special summer exam of the year. The Desert Island Survival Test." Chabashira explained as everyone's eyes shot wide open upon hearing her words. This raised many questions but before I could say a word, one of my classmates beat me to the punch-
"I assume there's some boarding house here. Where's that?" Onodera asked with an excited look on her face.
"There is none. What part about 'uninhabited' did you not understand? Prepare to sleep on the ground." Chabashira replied much to Onodera's utmost surprise.
"P-Please tell me there are like showers here! You can't expect us to not bathe for an entire week, right?!" Karuizawa yelled out with a nervous look on her face.
"Hmm… I believe there is a waterfall roughly a mile or two away in that direction. So, if you want to shower… that's all there is here." Chabashira replied as she pointed northeast from where we were standing.
"Y-You've got to be kidding me!" Karuizawa shouted as her jaw dropped to the ground. I also heard most of the girls groan in dissatisfaction but in the midst of that, I looked over where Chabashira pointed and could vaguely hear the sound of flowing water.
"Hey, I think the waterfall is over there!" I announced with a smile on my face.
"Midoriya, you're not helping!" Karuizawa snapped back with an annoyed look on her face which made my eyes go wide out of shock.
"Wait! So, there are no bathrooms!? Where do you expect us to… you know." Mii-Chan asked with an anxious look on her face before changing into one of embarrassment as she stared at the ground.
"If you need to take a leak, you can do it behind that tree." Chabashira replied as Mii-Chan almost collapsed upon hearing the Professor's words. Though Hasebe managed to catch her in time.
"And what if we have to take a dump?!" Sudo yelled out as he surprised me greatly since he had been silent for what seemed like a while up to this point.
"Same thing. I'm sure you and everyone else for that matter can figure out what to do after that." Chabashira replied while I heard many of my classmates' mutter 'gross' in response.
"Don't misunderstand. If you want to have basic necessities, you can buy them with the three hundred S-Points that your leader will receive upon choosing one. Here's a manual detailing everything you can buy." Chabashira continued before tossing a small pamphlet into the air as each of my classmates (With a few exceptions of course) scrambled to grab it. And the one who succeeded in obtaining it was-
"Got it! Let's see here… yep! We're in luck everyone! Bathrooms, showers, ooh is that Sukiyaki I, see?!" Ike yelled out with a relieved look on his face that then became one full of excitement while many of my other classmates huddled around him in order to catch a glimpse of the pamphlet in his hands.
"Let me see that." Horikita said before taking the manual right out of Ike's hands before reading the 'fine print.'
"Exactly what I expected. Each of them cost a ludicrous amount of our S-Points." Horikita announced while pointing at the pamphlet in her hands. The showers cost one hundred S-Points. The bathrooms cost two hundred S-Points. Even the food cost fifty S-Points. And that was the total cost for EACH item.
"So what? Would you rather shower out in the open where anyone can take a peep at you? Wow. I didn't expect you were that kind of girl, Horikita~San." Kushida spoke with a smile on her face as I was taken aback by her words. Okay, that was weird. I did not expect Kushida of all people to be so 'blunt.' But before I could think any more regarding that revelation-
"I never said that. Think about it, this way. 'S' most likely stands for 'special.' So, these points obviously have some value. If we think about this further than what do you think would happen if we were to save as many of these points up until the end of the exam?" Horikita asked with her usual serious expression.
"I have no idea. It's not like we were told what would happen. So, what makes you think that there is something 'special' about these points? A hunch? Is that it?" Kushida asked while closing her eyes with a smile on her face. But before Horikita could respond-
"I can answer that. As usual, Horikita thought several steps ahead. Depending on how many of the S-Points you have saved up at the very end of the exam, they will then be given to the MVP of the Class. I just want to clarify that this does not mean that the 'leader' will automatically receive these points even if they did most of the strategizing. Me and the rest of the faculty will be the ones to pick whoever contributed the most to their class. After that, the MVP can either have the points added to their school account or save them for something else." Chabashira explained.
"Which means that there are countless opportunities for whoever obtains the S-Points. Since they have been proven to be 'special' then they definitely have more value in comparison to the regular points. This means that they surely have tons of benefits. Such as each S-Point probably being worth more than the average point. It could potentially be ten, maybe even a hundred times worth more than a single point. If I were to go with the latter assumption, then whoever is considered the MVP by the faculty could receive a bonus thirty thousand points! Maybe even more than th- I muttered to myself while everyone stared at me like I was crazy. I could also vaguely hear Horikita say 'You're muttering again. It's creepy. Please stop.'
"I do not have permission to answer whether or not you are right about your assumption Midoriya. But who knows. You could be." Chabashira replied as my eyes shot wide open after realizing that I was muttering out loud. (Again)
"Anyway, time to pick your leader. I should advise you not to pick your Class Rep considering that's the obvious pick of who would be the leader for your class. This is important because each class, including your own, will be given the chance to let us know who they think which of the other classes' leaders were. If guessed correctly the class will receive fifty bonus points. Though If guessed incorrectly. In addition, a class whose leader is guessed correctly loses fifty of the S-Points as well as all bonus points acquired throughout the exam." Chabashira explained.
"And how do we go about 'acquiring' these bonus points?" Hirata asked with a smile on his face.
"I'm your teacher. But I can't tell you everything. I can only say that they will be given out to specific students who fulfill 'certain conditions.' But they can't be used during the test and will only be awarded after the test. Anything more than that has a chance of getting me fired so my lips are sealed." Chabashira replied. But after that silence lasted for a few seconds until-
"So, have you picked your leader yet? Cause I need to know. Like right now." Chabashira continued while upon hearing her words my classmates scrambled to pick a leader amongst themselves. But before a decision could be made-
"But since I'm feeling generous today, here's a hint. Pick the person that the other classes would least expect to be the leader for various reasons, such as not sticking out that much, most of the time is quiet, usually have other people make decisions for them, and overall, someone that wouldn't be considered a 'natural born leader' in the slightest sense." Chabashira explained, but upon finishing her explanation, all of my classmates then stared at me.
"Hey. Why are you all looking at me?" I asked while tilting my head out of confusion with a look that matched that feeling.
"So, in favor of nominating Midoriya to be our class leader for the remainder of the test, say 'I'" Hirata announced with a smile on his face. Everyone else (Other than me of course) Responded with 'I.'
"Got it. Midoriya is now the leader." Chabashira declared as she typed something on her phone. If I were to guess, she probably sent out texts to the other members of the faculty by letting them know I was now the leader of Class A.
"Oh, come on! I did NOT agree to that!" I yelled out as I began profusely sweating out of everything being placed on my shoulders.
"Sorry about that." Sakura muttered to herself with a nervous smile on her face that was not heard by anyone else.
"Don't worry! You'll do fine leader Midoriya! Don't you like the sound of that?" Onodera asked while slapping my back a few times with a mischievous look on her face.
"N-Not really. Also, can you please stop hitting me?" I replied with an annoyed look on my face while I was sweating buckets. Hasebe then gave Onodera a finger flick to her forehead which made the latter mad at the former, but thankfully stopped her from hitting me further.
"Also, since you're the leader now Midoriya, take this." Chabashira spoke as she handed me something. A keycard?
"Precisely. That keycard in your hands allows you to occupy a certain part of the island that cannot be breached by other classes unless they want to receive penalties. The same goes if you all decide to breach another class's spot. Also, only the leader can hold onto that keycard. If it's stolen by anyone, even your other classmates, there will be penalties. Also, the occupation rights expire every eight hours so be ready to move around the island a lot." Chabashira explained.
"You all will also receive set penalties under the following conditions. First, those who are unable to continue the test due to poor health or injury will result in a thirty-point penalty and automatic retirement for the remainder of the test. Second, pollution of the environment will result in a twenty-point penalty. So, don't go littering. Third, each of you has a curfew and if you do not show up to the daily roll call meetings at eight AM and eight PM that will result in a five-point penalty. Finally, violence theft, or destruction of property against another class will result in- Chabashira spoke but was cut off before she could finish speaking.
"Let me guess, penalty?" Sudo asked with an annoyed look on his face.
"Nope. Immediate failure for the class to whom the offending student belongs to and the forfeiture of all the student's points they have saved up to that point." Chabashira replied with her usual blank expression.
"YOU'VE GOT TO BE SHITTIN ME! SO, I CAN'T EVEN DEFEND MYSELF?!" Sudo yelled out at the top of his lungs that made my eyes go wide upon being reminded of Kacchan once more.
"I never said that. If someone tries to hit you, then we have no right to tell you just to take it head on. So, as long you are defending yourself against someone who's already made their intent to pulverize you, then you won't get penalized." Chabashira explained as Ryuuen clicked his tongue in annoyance.
"Don't go getting to any more fights." Yamauchi whispered with a smug grin on his face while placing a hand on Sudo's shoulder.
"Can it. That wasn't me and you know it. Even I wouldn't do something that stupid." Sudo replied with a serious look on his face while remembering the physical assault incident from last month.
"Anyway, that's about everything. So, go on and have some summer fun. Kick back, relax, and don't try to die." Chabashira finished before making her way back to the cruise ship. But in the midst of that I heard several of my classmates' mutter 'T-That's not funny.' A few seconds passed by as my class stood around as if they were waiting for someone to say something.
"Midoriya, you're the leader. You're the one who's supposed to 'lead' the class." Horikita spoke matter-of-factly as my eyes shot wide open as I replied with a 'o-oh, right.' Before nodding in affirmation. I then looked at my surroundings and heard the sound of that waterfall from earlier. A metaphorical lightbulb was then turned on as I knew exactly where to go!
"EVERYONE! TO THE WATERFALL!" I shouted at the top of my lungs out of excitement to venture into the unknown with a smile on my face.
"IDIOT! DON'T SHOUT THAT! THEY WILL FIGURE OUT YOU'RE OUR LEADER!" Several of my classmates snapped back at me at the top of their lungs as I almost jumped out of my skin upon hearing them.
"And you're helping with that how exactly?" Horikita replied with a slightly annoyed look on her face and a tone of voice that matched it as those specific classmates only realized that they were making things worse after the fact. Though that didn't really help me feel all that better about myself.
"T-To t-the w-waterfall e-everyone." I muttered while stuttering uncontrollably with an embarrassed look as I pointed at the waterfall again.
"Yeah. We know. And perhaps the other classes do too. Thanks, Leader." Karuizawa replied with an annoyed look on her face while passing me by along with the majority of the class. I couldn't help but stand there like a stone statue as I already felt like a grade a screwup.
'But since I'm feeling generous today, here's a hint. Pick the person that the other classes would least expect to be the leader for various reasons, such as not sticking out that much, most of the time is quiet, usually have other people make decisions for them, and overall, someone that wouldn't be considered a 'natural born leader' in the slightest sense.' I recalled Chabashira's words as I only now realized that they described me to a T. How am I supposed to be a leader when I've never led anyone before?
Now that I think about it, back in my old world, every time when me and my friends were put in a situation where we had to work together as a class, I always let Iida or Yaoyorozu make those decisions considering they were the Class Rep and the Vice Class Rep respectively. Even when me and my classmates were put in groups, I usually let someone else take charge. That's how it's always been ever since I followed after Kacchan as a kid. So, what should I do? Maybe I'm thinking about this the wrong way. What would Iida say in this situation?
'Wanting to do it and being suitable for it are different issues.' I remember him saying something like that a long time ago. Maybe I'm just not cut out to be a leader. Perhaps choosing me as the leader was a mistake. I thought internally until my thought process was interrupted when I felt someone put their hand on my shoulder. I turned around to see that it was Sakura.
"Do your best." Sakura whispered with a smile on her face as she closed her eyes. I then realized how stupid I was. Wanting to do it and being suitable are totally different issues. Because even if I'm not a natural born leader…
… I can still try to be. I then puffed out my chest and slapped my cheeks together which earned a 'EEEEP!' In response by Sakura.
"Thanks Sakura, that's exactly what I needed to hear." I replied with a smile on my face while giving her a thumbs up as my cheeks were bright red. Not due to being embarrassed but because I slapped myself since I was acting like an idiot. I then wasted no more time, as I zipped around my classmates until I was in front of them. It was then that I noticed that there were two paths that we could take with a massive boulder preventing us from continuing on in a straight path. I then checked both paths in order to see which one was the right path. And then…
"This way everyone." I announced (thankfully not at the top of my lungs this time) to the rest of my classmates while pointing toward the right path. But Karuizawa who was in front of the other students crossed her arms in response to my words. Making it crystal clear that she was unconvinced.
"And why are we supposed to believe you? I mean who in their right mind would put their faith in you after that last stunt you pulled?" Karuizawa asked with an annoyed look on her face which made it obvious that she was still mad at me from earlier. I heard Hirata say 'hey' to her, probably because he felt bad for me, but she didn't budge an inch in terms of her opinions and literally. But I wasn't discouraged by her words. Not in the slightest. After all, even if I'm not suitable to be a leader-
"Because you all chose me. That's why I'm going to be the best leader I can be! So, just trust me, okay?" I replied with what was most certainly a bright smile on my face as I closed my eyes. So, I didn't see Karuizawa's reaction which was a look of sheer surprise regarding my optimism. Unbeknownst, to me she had no clue how someone could be so optimistic after being called out like that. She genuinely didn't know how to respond to hearing me say that. All she could do was bite her lip.
"That's the spirit. Lead the way, Midoriya-San." Hirata said with a smile on his face as he waited for me to move forward. Yeah. I haven't really interacted with him too much, but our class rep Yosuke Hirata was a good guy. That I was sure of. As well as the fact that I was-
"T-Thank you, H-Hirata-San." I replied as my eyes welled up with tears. But not out of sadnesses but out of appreciation for how kindhearted Hirata was.
"N-Now, now. Y-You don't have to cry." Hirata replied with a nervous smile as he noticed that I was on the verge of crying. But before I could do that, I rubbed my eyes and flashed a bright smile back at him before taking charge and leading my classmates in what I was sure was the right direction. It might have been a roundabout path, but we eventually made it close to the waterfall as I could clearly see it in the distance. But before me and the rest of Class A could make it there-
"Ah!" I gasped as something hit my legs. I looked down to notice that someone had stuck out their leg in a way that made it obvious that they were trying to trip me. I reacted to all of this while I was falling. Bot to prevent me from falling completely on the ground I put my hands onto the stone ground below me and pushed myself upward before doing a backflip and landing a meter behind me!
"H-Hey! Are you okay?!" Karuizawa yelled out as she witnessed the whole thing. But before I could respond to her-
"Off limits." A voice that was all too familiar said as they revealed themselves. It was none other than Kakeru Ryuuen with a smirk on his face.
"What are you doing here?" I replied with what was surely an agitated expression on my face that made it clear that I was not pleased in the slightest with his return. Ryuuen noticed this and smiled.
"You do realize, I'm a student, same as you, right? In fact, I'm the leader of Class C. And as the leader of my class, I have something to say to you." Ryuuen spoke but paused for a few seconds as he slowly approached me until he closed the gap between us, and we are face to face with each other.
"To be honest, I was planning to treat this whole exam like a vacation. It's summer after all. But then you waltzed in and knocked Sakayanagi down her pedestal. Got to say, that really pissed me off since I wanted nothing more than the pleasure of doing that myself." Ryuuen spoke as his smile vanished and was replaced by a menacing look on his face.
"So, now you got my attention. I'm going to be taking this exam very seriously. Don't think you're going to beat me. You might have overcome Sakayanagi, but I won't fall so easily. So, if you even think of getting in my way…" Ryuuen continued but paused for a few seconds until he put his face near my ear. And then…
"… I'll just have to do something to Suzune." Ryuuen replied with what was surely a sadistic smile as my eyes went wide. No. He wouldn't. I can think of a number of things that he could mean by that. But there's only one thing that makes sense to me for better or for worse. And that made me want to-
'Do you wish to obliterate him?' Jokata asked as I ignored his pestering since it would only make things worse.
"If you even think of touching her, I'll- I spoke as I bawled up my fists and gritted my teeth. But before I could finish, Ryuuen interrupted me.
"Lose all of your points that you worked oh so very hard to earn up to this point. And on top of that get your entire class will get kicked off the island with a failing grade for this exam. Trust me, I think we both know you wouldn't want that, right?" Ryuuen whispered back as I already knew that. So, I couldn't do anything. I just had to ignore him for the rest of the exam. But there was one thing I could do-
"My keycard. Give it back." I demanded as I already knew that he swiped my keycard out of my hands the moment he tripped me. My response made Ryuuen grin wider before tossing my keycard back to me that I caught with ease.
"Can't get anything past you. Now, do me a favor and get the hell out of my turf. I have much better things to do then be lectured by someone as fucking annoying as you." Ryuuen replied before heading back in the direction of the waterfall and vanishing from my line of sight. I stood there as I finally realized the meaning behind Horikita's words from that night I met her-
'Hmph. Being a good person won't get you anywhere in this school. Be ready to face some vultures who will be ready to rip you in two for being a 'good person.'' That's right. It took me months to realize it, but I think I finally know what she meant by that. There are just some people no matter how I act around them, want nothing more than to exploit me. But it wasn't just Ryuuen, I also noticed several of his classmates watching me with grins on their faces. They were probably hoping that I punched Ryuuen so that they could get the upper hand on Class A.
However, I won't be exploited so easily. I was already taken advantage of by others many times in the past, so I knew full well how it felt to be used and then discarded like a piece of trash. As for Ryuuen, he's not worth unleashing my fury upon. That's why I'll bottle up my anger and release it on someone who truly deserves it. (Only if I meet such a person of course) Until then I'm going to do what I can as the (temporary) leader of my class! But just as I was about to turn around and face my classmates-
'Huh? Who's that?' I thought internally with what was most certainly a perplexed look on my face as I noticed that someone else was staring at me from within Ryuuen's 'turf.' The people that I noticed earlier were definitely Ryuuen's allies, but this other person doesn't seem like she is. She wasn't looking at me with a smirk unlike the others. Instead, she was looking at me with a curious look on her face. This took me by surprise so I couldn't help but notice her silver hair which appeared to be tied with black ribbons along with her light purplish eyes. I was taken aback by her beauty that I stared back at her until-
"You okay, Midoriya?" Hirata asked while putting a hand on my shoulder. I then turned around to notice that he along with several of my classmates' donned expressions of concern and upon seeing them I was caught off guard as I blinked my eyes a few times out of sheer surprise.
'Oh crap! They are really worried! But… it actually feels kind of nice to see them show concern for m-WAIT! THAT'S BESIDE THE POINT! I have got to do something to alleviate their worries! And QUICK! I then looked around only to notice that there were some trees around me. Hmm… I got it!
"What the?!" Karuizawa yelled out as I leaped onto the closest tree to me and grabbed onto its protruding branch!
"See? I'm a-okay! Hahaha!" I spoke with a reassuring smile on my face before laughing in a way that undoubtably sounded like All Might while closing my eyes. I then opened them only to see that they were not amused in the slightest.
"Oh, I guess he's okay." Hirata replied with a confused look on his face as my eyes shot wide open in response.
"But did he really have to climb a tree? Talk about a showoff." Karuizawa commented with a slightly annoyed look on her face as my eyes went even wider.
"Hey! No fair! I wanted to be the first one to climb a tree! BOO!" Onodera interjected as she closed her eyes while bawling up her fists and stuck out her tongue like a child would after being denied something.
'Ok, that last one is kind of funny.' I thought internally while putting a hand to my mouth to prevent me from laughing until I noticed Horikita within the crowd. And she was not happy. Not. One. Bit. In fact, she was-
'Oof. She's pissed. I better get down from here before I learn to regret it.' I thought internally with a nervous smile on my face while sweating bullets. But before I could get back down-
"Enjoying the view, green hair?" Someone whispered as they sounded eerily familiar to me. I know I heard that voice before. But where? Wait a minute! He said, 'green hair!' That means he is-
"K-KOENJI?! WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING UP HERE?!" I exclaimed at the top of my lungs while my jaw dropped to the ground, as I noticed him on the tree to the right of me looking at the island below him.
"Man doesn't it feel good to tower over people like this? They all look like small little bugs. Don't you agree?" Koenji asked as he completely ignored my previous question.
"N-Not really. B-But sure." I replied with a bit of a stutter as I recalled Koenji having a bit of a 'ego' to say the least. But he didn't respond and continued to bask in the slight below him. Specifically looking down on Ryuuen and his class.
"I feel like someone's looking at me the wrong way, and I don't like it." Ryuuen muttered with an annoyed look on his face.
"Is something the matter, boss?" Albert asked with his usual stoic expression. (He's the guy accompanying Ryuuen from before, the half Japanese half African American.) Ryuuen clicked his tongue in response.
"How about you make yourself useful. You damn shithead." Ryuuen replied with an irritated look on his face as Albert replied with a 'yes boss.' With a look of disappointment on his face. Not that I knew any of this was happening since I was up in the trees after all.
"A-Anyway, want to get back down? Are class are waiting for us." I asked with what was surely a nervous look on my face as Koenji stood up onto the branch! Oh crap! That's really dangerous! He's going to fall! I thought internally but before I could say another word-
"Nah, I don't think I will. I told you that my family was loaded. So, I don't have to do anything for the class. Also, I don't really want to participate in anything that will expend a bit of my effort. You can understand that, right?" Koenji asked with a smirk on his face as he made it crystal clear to me that he hasn't been taking things seriously and will only continue to do so at this rate.
'Well, if it isn't pretty girl and green hair. Don't mind me, my folks are loaded so they will be able to buy the points for me. You two can go back to whatever you were doing.' That's right. He did say something along those lines before. During the studying for the mid-term if I remember correctly. Now that I think about it, Koenji really hasn't taken things seriously at all. Sure, he's gotten good grades when it counted. But that wasn't because he was contributing to the class, he only did it for himself.
Not going to lie, I never liked that lackadaisical attitude about Koenji. But there's nothing I was able to do about it. He always brushed whatever I said off, exactly what's he doing right now. So, how do I get his attention?! Think back, Deku! When was there a time when someone chose to give me their full attention for better or worse?! Wait a second!
'Are you really just going to leave?! Right when I have decisive proof against you?! Or is it… you're scared? Scared that someone as absolutely pathetic as me could prove that you committed all of those crimes?' That's right! I said that to Chairman Sakayanagi! But even though I was just bluffing out of my butt, it worked! All because I-
"No, I don't. That's why I'm going to give you an offer you won't be able to refuse." I replied with a serious look on my face.
"Hmm… 'an offer I won't be able to refuse.' Sounds interesting. Go on." Koenji replied with a smirk on his face.
"How about we race to that cliff over there? If you win, then you can do whatever you want. If I win, then you're going to help out the class. Deal?" I asked while pointing at the cliff in the distance. It was about a mile away. Koenji thought about it for a second before shaking his head in disapproval.
"Or I can just refuse and do whatever I want. Sure, the class will be panelized, but I don't really care. So, that's not enough incentive to get me to do what you want. Nice try though." Koenji replied as he was about to jump to another tree. But before he could-
"Think you'll lose?" I replied with what was undoubtably a smirk on my face as Koenji stopped moving. He then tilted his head back at me with a grin on his face. And then…
"… You're on." Koenji replied before leaping to a nearby tree! And then another! And another! My eyes shot wide open as I marveled at him! He was way faster than I thought he was! However-
"Huh?" Koenji muttered with a smile on his face while I leaped above the tree he was on and landed onto the tree facing him! That's right! I'm…
… MUCH FASTER THAN HIM! I then leaped to the next tree! And the next! And the one after that too! I then had a realization.
'Wow! This is a lot of fun! It's just like moving around Ground Gamma! (The same place where I did most of my training alongside my classmates at UA.) I was well suited to places like these by mimicking Kacchan's moves!' I thought internally with what was surely a grin on my face as I kept moving to the next tree after the next, until-
"I WON!" I exclaimed at the top of my lungs with a confident look on my face. I looked back to the trees as I saw Koenji still leaping onto them. At this rate, it would take him another thirty seconds until he reached the cliff. To be honest I was holding back a bit, but if I went even a bit faster, he'd probably realize I was the superhero. So, this was for the best. Those thirty seconds passed by in a flash, as he landed right next to me.
"Got to say, I'm impressed. I never thought that I would actually lose in a race above ground. But you won fair and square. Guess I'll help out a bit, monkey man." Koenji spoke with a smile on his face as he closed his eyes. Wow! That went well! But-
"C-Can you just call me Midoriya like the rest of the class. Deku would work too." I replied with a nervous smile as I closed my eyes.
"That wasn't part of the deal, so I'm going to keep calling you monkey man. Hahaha!" Koenji replied before laughing. (A bit obnoxiously I might add) Well, guess I'm monkey man now. Oh, well. But it was then that my eyes shot wide open upon realizing that I-
"We left the entire class behind, some leader I am. Hahaha." I spoke with a smile on my face before laughing. I then looked over the steep cliff and-
'Guess, I'll die.' I thought internally while maintaining my smile but before I could jump off and end my suffering before it truly begins by getting an earful from my classmates, (With Horikita and Karuizawa being the ones who will certainly ridicule me the most) Koenji put a hand on my shoulder as I stopped in place.
"Oh, don't worry. They will all know were here right about… now." Koenji replied before clicking something in his hands. But before I could see what he was holding-
'WHOOOOSH! BAAAAAM!' I was completely taken aback as a sound pierced my ears as I saw an orangish looking light in the sky and a trail of smoke. What the heck?! D-Don't tell me he used a-
"A flare gun?! How the hell did you get one of those?!" I yelled out while my eyes bulged out of my skull.
"Oh, this little thing? I said this before, but my family is loaded. So, getting me this wasn't too much trouble in the slightest for them." Koenji replied casually while spinning the flare gun in his hands. I was a bit worried about how he carelessly spun it around like that (Also for my safety) But the class should be meeting up here sooner than later now. So, all's well that ends well…
… I guess. However, I wasn't prepared for what was going to show itself in a matter of time. That's right. It wouldn't be much longer before I came face to face with a monster that I had hoped I would never see again for as long as I lived. Because unbeknownst to me, that monster was here, along with another monster that I hadn't encountered yet…
… And they would soon reveal their presences to me in ways that I would not expect.
To Be Continued…
Next Chapter: Ken Sudo: Restart
Go Beyond!
Plus Ultra!