"Yeah, whatever." I replied indifferently and continued walking into the forest, leaving Guren standing there with a not-so-satisfied expression.
Leaving, it felt so comfortable to be alone.
Every sound, every movement around me seemed to slow down. I melted into the darkness, my presence almost fading into thin air. If only there were more moments of silence like these in my life…
Nah, I've had moments of silence before, so it's kind of redundant to want more…
But it seems like there's someone else who really needs to find a moment of peace in their mind besides me here. Yes, that Kota kid, is probably also sitting there in that secret place right now.
Oh well, then let's go there…
...
The trail leading to Kota's secret hideout was dark and silent, except for the chirping of insects and the rustling of the wind through the leaves. The forest air was colder at night, carrying the scent of damp earth and rotting leaves.
I wasn't there out of pure kindness.
Well, not really..
The fact that this brat hates heroes can be exploited, even thoroughly. But the problem is that this guy had a very bad impression of me before, so the approach can't be as traditional as Izuku.
As I'd guessed, the boy was sitting on the familiar rock outcrop, a small, solitary figure against the starry night sky. He was sitting huddled, occasionally throwing small pebbles into the abyss below. Each pebble was a helpless anger thrown into the void, disappearing without a sound.
I didn't approach right away. I chose a spot a few feet away, far enough away to not be considered an intrusion, and sat down quietly, leaning against a rock. I said nothing, just looked up at the sky, letting the silence envelop us both. The minutes passed like a century. The initial tension from my presence gradually dissipated, replaced by an almost comfortable silence, as if the boy had accepted me as part of the scene.
Finally, I let out a small sigh, enough to break the silence.
"Sorry," I said, my voice low and emotionless. "About the hot springs earlier. I didn't mean to get you into trouble."
Kota jumped like a startled little animal. The boy spun around, eyes wide with alarm, panic quickly turning into a permanent scowl.
"Go away," he snapped. "I don't want to talk to you."
"I understand," I replied calmly, still looking up at the sky. "I didn't come here to talk to you. I just got lost, and happened to find this place with a nice view of the stars, so I stopped by. I have no interest in trying to cheer someone up."
My bluntness and somewhat rudeness seemed to surprise Kota a little. My words weren't like anything he'd heard from Izuku before.
We sat and watched the stars for a long, long time, until the kid got a little tired, then everything began...
"The reason you hate heroes so much is probably because...well...your parents died trying to stop a criminal, leaving you here with your aunt who is so busy all day that she can't train you to be a good person, to the point where you're willing to punch a person you just met for the first time to the balls? Really? Is Mandalay that irresponsible or..."
Before I could finish my sentence, a stone flew straight at my face painfully, along with Kota's words mixed with extreme anger.
"YOU HAVE NO QUALIFICATION TO JUDGE MY AUNT LIKE THAT, YOU BASTARD!!!!" Kota screamed, his voice lost, tears finally flowing out, rolling down his cheeks.
Welp, maybe this brat just didn't like having his pride touched.
"So let's say that group of heroes your aunt leads actually takes care of you. But do you really think of them as anything or just a last resort instead of an orphanage?" I said slowly, a barely perceptible smile flickering on my lips as I stood up, walking towards the boy who was looking at me as if he wanted to punch me. "Everyone has pain, not just you. You don't like heroes or villains, or the way the world works, I don't give a fuck, but don't let your childishness make others upset because of you anymore."
First hit done. Now I'll show you what real pain is.
"That's right, no one really knows shit about the pain of those who stayed behind." I calmly said each word clearly. "No one here understands what you've gone through like I did."
"Nonsense!!!" Kota replied. "How could you possibly understand me??"
"I understand. I understand very well. Your current bitterness and hatred makes you no longer know what you really love and hate."
With that, I placed my hand on Kota's shoulder and continued speaking.
"Everyone tells you 'Don't cry' or 'your parents died heroically' or something like that. They tell you to smile, to be strong, while you have to endure everything alone. That's bullshit, isn't it, when you're the only one who has to suffer the consequences of others' actions. The world only wants us to smile, while in our hearts, the ones left behind have to cry silently and push aside their torments, none other than the ones who stay behind. It's all just empty words and deceit, like a beautiful cake to keep them from speaking up, to cover up their selfish needs..."
At that moment, the change finally happened.
Kota, now no longer showed that angry expression, but instead had a tearful face and teary eyes, as if everything I just said had been soaked in salt and rubbed straight into his wound. The sobs that the boy had been trying so hard to suppress finally broke out. His small shoulders shook violently, tears rolling down his cheeks, falling onto the cold ground.
I said nothing, just stood there silently, watching. I didn't offer any comfort. Pity would ruin everything. I needed him to drown in that pain, to realize that I was the only one who saw through it.
When his crying gradually subsided, leaving only sobs, I spoke, my voice low and cold.
"See?"
Kota raised his head, his red eyes looking at me in bewilderment.
"These tears are more honest than their empty words," I continued. "The pain is real. The anger is real. So what are you going to do with it? Sit here and throw stones for the rest of your life?"
"Then what am I supposed to do?" the boy shouted, his voice hoarse from crying.
"What do you have, Kota? Besides pain and hatred, what do you have in your hands?" I asked, a direct question, giving him no way out. "Show me your Quirk."
Kota seemed hesitant, but in his desperate eyes, there was a glimmer of curiosity. The boy held out his two small hands, and a weak stream of water spurted out, just enough to wet a small area of land in front of him.
I nodded. "It's useful if you want to drown someone. Not so lethal." I squatted down beside him, showing him. "Try clasping your hands closer together. Yes, like that. Now concentrate, imagine you're trying to squeeze all the water through a very small hole in your palm. Don't just spit it out, shoot it out. Pour all your negativity into it."
For the next hour or so, I just sat there silently, watching Kota practice. The boy, with surprising persistence, followed my instructions. The water stream, which started out as a weak stream, gradually became stronger, more focused. Finally, he let out a scream and a high-pressure jet of water shot out, so strong that when I tried to block it with my hand, it cut a small gash in my skin, causing a little blood to ooze out.
Kota stared at his work in amazement, then turned to look at me, his eyes unable to hide his joy and gratitude.
"This..."
I just shook my head, gently rubbing the cut on my hand, a barely perceptible smile appearing on my lips. "There. Remember this feeling. Instead of acting like a juvenile bastard, use that hatred for things like this, Izumi. This power is yours, a gift your parents left in this world just for you. Later, if you want to become a hero, remember these feelings. For your parents in the afterlife, for the happiness of others, and above all, for your own happiness first."
Everything would have been fine if the sudden dizziness hadn't caused me to stagger and fall to the ground.
Unconsciously, I touched the spot where Kota threw the rock at my face, only to find that blood was slowly flowing out from there.
No pain, no feeling, just... tired... like an endless fatigue, as if someone had just drained my soul from my body.I wanted to sleep. Just a little.
Only then did Kota suddenly look at me, his face gradually turning into a look of utter panic. But what the hell does it matter when everything and my mind is slowly fading away...
It would really be a mess if I died right now...
...
Opening my eyes once more, the first thing that greeted me was still the pungent smell of chlorine, but what was new was the fact that I was tied up on the hospital bed and the scene of Aizawa and Guren arguing so fiercely that Mandalay and Pixie-Bob had to stop them.
In contrast to that chaotic scene, Gentle and La Brava were sitting on the makeshift seats placed next to the window, each holding a cup of tea and looking at the chaotic scene with apprehension. Sitting next to both of them were Ragdoll and Tiger - also holding a cup of tea and watching the commotion because they couldn't stop the two explosive barrels burning over there.
What a mess. Now if we added a classical piece, it would be 100% pure entertainment...
Hold on... If Gentle and La Brava were here, that means...
Suddenly a hand gently touched my face, then directed my gaze to her - the person I didn't know how to face in this damn situation.
Himiko. Yeah. The fact that she was here with the other two meant that sending the GPS location had worked. But facing her like this was making me nervous.
And the fact that she was wearing the U.A. uniform like this probably made me understand enough how clever she was to be able to get in here without a scratch.
I only saw her lean down, silently giving me a passionate and wet French kiss, enough to make my mind, which had gradually become clear, become dreamy and lightheaded, at the same time stopping all the actions of everyone in the room and turning to look at us...
"What, never seen other people kiss before?" Himiko said with a bit of annoyance as she continued to kiss me.