Chapter 14: Seaside Park
For the next week, Yoshikage Kira settled into a regular work routine: working at a convenience store in the morning, selling tickets at the movie theater in the afternoon, and even taking on some translation work from home at night. In short, he didn't relax for a single moment, working tirelessly to save up for tuition.
He didn't see Inasa Yoarashi much during these days. Inasa was spending all his time at Shiketsu High, training his Quirk, essentially starting his high school life early. Camie Utsushimi had also disappeared since that day, apparently busy traveling around to promote her school. He often saw her picture on flyers being handed out on the street.
Amidst these quiet, busy days, Yoshikage Kira received his acceptance letter from U.A. High's Hero Course.
As expected, the letter congratulated him on passing the exam and explained the scoring criteria—it was divided into combat points and rescue points. Yoshikage had earned 50 combat points and 30 rescue points, for a total score that placed him first overall.
The next day, U.A. High published the results on its official website. In second place was, surprisingly, that delinquent boy, Katsuki Bakugo. Although he had 0 rescue points, his combat score was a staggering 77 points, 27 points higher than Yoshikage's.
In stark contrast was that green-haired boy, Izuku Midoriya, who had 0 combat points. Although his high rescue score placed him in the top ten, it still seemed absurd. With such a powerful Quirk, why didn't he use it from the start? Or is it like Megumin's Explosion magic, where using it once renders him powerless?
Even though I also took down the giant robot, my score was only half of his. Is it because too many people were attacking it? Even though I got the final blow, were the points divided among everyone...?
Next, Yoshikage was surprised to find the name of the guy who had been shouting "the great Tetsutetsu" during the exam. His name was Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu. It seemed that because he was able to jump right back up and draw the giant robot's fire after being hammered, he had also earned 10 rescue points.
Since the website only published the scores of the top ten, he only saw that Mina Ashido's name was also on the list, but he didn't know her exact score. Yoshikage breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the girl hadn't failed because of him.
At the same time, Mina Ashido was holding her own acceptance letter, beads of cold sweat on her face. "Thank goodness that group of people lost their heads over the zero-point villain at the end, giving me a chance to get some rescue points..." she thought thankfully.
She looked at the first-place name on her computer screen, put her hands together, and bowed reverently in its direction. "I feel a little bad for the students who didn't make it, but I really owe it all to Yoshikage Kira!"
Whether it was the excitement of the accepted or the frustration of the failed, the results were set in stone. There was no changing them now.
That evening, for the first time in a long while, Yoshikage felt relaxed. He made the rare decision to go for a walk outside.
The night streets were still brightly lit. Perhaps because of All Might's arrival in the city, even the dim alleys felt less sinister. Pedestrians everywhere wore smiles, and from time to time, he could see Pro Heroes in their strange costumes patrolling the streets.
Can one hero really have such a huge impact? The small-time thugs who used to be so blatant had reined themselves in. Even if someone accidentally bumped into them, they would just shoot a warning glare, a far cry from their previous arrogance.
Soon, I can become a hero too!
Even with the soul of someone from a past life, Yoshikage felt a thrill of excitement. Becoming a hero was a distant dream for most people, and now, he was getting closer and closer to it. This was one of the reasons he was willing to risk using Killer Queen to get into U.A.
The thought of meeting All Might, of having him as a teacher, was still a little exciting.
Without realizing it, Yoshikage found himself at Seaside Park. Although it was by the ocean, few people ever came here, because—
"Where's all the trash?"
The sight before him made Yoshikage's eyes widen. The place that had once been piled high with garbage had been transformed into a clean beach.
After confirming his surroundings, Yoshikage was certain this was the same place he had visited before.
Because the terrain here was flat, trash drifting in from the ocean would be pushed ashore at high tide and left behind when the tide went out. Over time, it had become a dumping ground for garbage and scrap. The homeless would often scavenge here, and criminals would use it as a hiding spot. It was, in a sense, the city's festering underbelly.
But now... Yoshikage looked at the sparkling sea and gave a wry smile. "Have the criminals lost even this final paradise? That's All Might for you."
This place was universally recognized as dangerous, a gray area that even the police tacitly ignored. Although some Pro Heroes had tried to clean it up, the criminals were like rats hiding in the dark; even if temporarily suppressed, their malice would quietly grow back.
The Pro Heroes felt powerless, and the police found the effort thankless. But the simplest solution was right in front of him—clean up all the trash in the entire park. Without the cover of darkness, the rats would have no choice but to scurry away. This was no longer a lawless land.
He didn't know who had done it, but the most likely candidate was All Might. Only he had the perseverance and the means, and only he had the strength to face the inevitable backlash from the local criminals.
"All Might!"
"All Might? No way, where?!" someone cried out in alarm.
The sudden name caught Yoshikage's attention. All Might is nearby? He quickly scanned his surroundings.
Besides a stooped old man in a cheap t-shirt, there was no one else around. However, the over-the-top reaction of a few people nearby did catch his eye. Are people still daring to make deals here? Do they think the most dangerous place is the safest place? How audacious.
Yoshikage quietly approached the group, not noticing the green-haired boy run past him.
They were gathered in the park's gazebo. Using the cover of night, Yoshikage crouched behind a pillar. The men were all wearing short sleeves, their arms covered in tattoos of dragons, tigers, and skulls. They looked like the kind of small-time thugs who peddled drugs on the street.
"My mistake! Wrong person!" a voice called out from a distance.
The men let out a collective sigh of relief. One of them plopped down on a stone bench, fanning himself with his hand. "It's all All Might's fault," he grumbled. "He cleaned up our whole dealing spot. Now we have to do our business in secret."
"Well, we are selling to the Americans. We can't be too careful," said a man who pushed up his glasses. His hair was meticulously styled with gel. Though he was dressed respectably, in Yoshikage's eyes, he looked like a treacherous merchant.
"I don't care who we're selling to, I just want the money!" The man on the bench seemed to be the leader. He gestured, and one of his underlings took a black box out of a backpack. "Go on, inspect the goods."
The merchant stepped forward, took the box, and opened it. He looked inside, said nothing, and closed the lid. A man behind him handed a briefcase to the underling.
"I have a question," the merchant said with a smile. "Why don't you use such a good Quirk-enhancing drug yourselves?"
The leader skimmed his lips. "Even if I used it and got stronger, would I be as strong as All Might?" Besides, who knows what kind of side effects this stuff has...
The merchant smiled. "I see." It was an unspoken understanding between them. In any case, they weren't the ones who would be using it.
A product like this, circulating only among a small group of people, either had severe side effects or came from an unreliable supplier.