Chapter 10: The Target
"You're late."
Yoshikage Kira and Momo Yaoyorozu knocked on the door to the Student Council office. After a "Come in" from inside, they had barely stepped into the meeting room when a cold voice greeted them.
"My sincerest apologies for that. However, we didn't waste a single minute. We came straight here after our class ended," Kira said, his smile unwavering as he addressed the owner of the voice. "As you know, our Hero Course isn't quite as idle as you General Studies folks."
Due to the special nature of the Hero Course, nearly all of the academy's resources were allocated to it. When students from other departments finished their classes and headed off to club activities, the Hero Course still had one more period to attend.
Consequently, because their class and club schedules didn't align, very few Hero Course students joined the kinds of clubs that were supposed to embody the "glory of youth." They were all members of the "Go-Home Club."
The moment those words were spoken, the expressions of everyone in the meeting room changed. On the surface, he was just explaining why they were late, but by contrasting it with their own efforts to become Pro Heroes, wasn't he implicitly mocking everyone else for wasting their time?
Even Momo Yaoyorozu was taken aback by his provocative statement. She gave a wry smile to herself. With one sentence, he's managed to offend so many people...
The girl sitting opposite them, the direct recipient of his remark, was dressed in a second-year uniform. She had brilliant blond hair that cascaded over her shoulders, and with her exquisite features and one hand placed casually on her hip, she exuded the aura of a queen.
"Oh, is that so? We weren't just sitting here waiting for you. The specific details have already been discussed," the girl said, glancing indifferently at Kira. Her eyes then shifted to Momo behind him with a hint of surprise. "You, on the other hand... why did you bring someone else along? Weren't your teachers informed that only the class presidents were to attend?"
"Class president..." Kira began, reprising his earlier theme, "one could say that's a person who manages class affairs. But as you know, our Hero Course is rather special." He took Momo's hand, led her to the only remaining empty seat, pulled the chair out, and made an elegant, inviting gesture. "I am merely the president in name. When it comes to actual decision-making, please allow me to introduce our 'brains,' Ms. Momo Yaoyorozu."
Momo displayed the effortless grace of a high-society member. She moved around Kira and sat down. Though she wasn't wearing lace gloves or saying a word, everyone in the room could feel the noble aura of a true decision-maker.
This guy came prepared... The blonde girl had just furrowed her brow when the sound of a chair scraping the floor broke the silence. A young man with glasses stood up.
"Since this young lady is the mastermind and the representative for Hero Course Class 1-A, what are you still doing here?" He pushed his glasses up, the lenses glinting. He shot a sharp glare at Kira. "You're just an outsider. Hurry up and get out. You're not welcome here!"
At that moment, everyone in the room turned to look at Kira, wondering if he would offer another shocking retort or simply be driven out in humiliation.
Kira bowed deeply, his head lowered so no one could see his expression. He spoke in a respectful tone. "I am merely a servant attending to my lady. If I were to leave my lady alone in a room with all of you, what if you were to mean her harm?"
"What are you talking about? This is a school! What's with that ridiculous title?" another student stood up and scolded him loudly. "We are all fellow students here! Why would we harm one another!?"
The first young man, seeing he had support, sneered. "As he said, this is a school. We wouldn't do anything to endanger her. And even if we wanted to, you think a bunch of us from the general courses could possibly defeat someone from the Hero Course?"
"Who can say for sure?" Momo suddenly spoke. A teacup had appeared in her hand from seemingly nowhere. She took an elegant sip of the red liquid within and said calmly, "I possess no direct combat skills myself. If any of you had a Quirk like hypnosis, mind control, or a curse, I would be captured without a fight."
The face of the glasses-wearing young man instantly soured, as if he'd been reminded of an unpleasant memory.
"I cannot allow my attendant to leave. Who knows if there's an enemy infiltrator among you?" Momo gently placed her cup on a saucer that had also materialized out of thin air. "You all remember the USJ attack from two days ago, don't you? We were there. The enemy managed to infiltrate our school without anyone noticing. Isn't it reasonable to suspect there might be a traitor?"
"That's right. Our lady made a huge contribution during the battle and is now a high-value target for the enemy. I am here to protect her," Kira said, lifting his head. He scanned the faces of everyone seated around the table, his eyes briefly noting Itsuka Kendo, the president of Class 1-B. "Or are you all willing to accept the consequences of an enemy attack, just to make me leave?"
It was an immense accusation to lay on them. If there really was a traitor in the school, and they insisted he leave, they would all be viewed with suspicion. This was just a small meeting; did the rules really need to be so strict? Were they willing to bear the responsibility if an enemy really did attack the 'mastermind' of the Hero Course, Momo Yaoyorozu?
While it sounded like they were just fearmongering—they had all been classmates for about a week, how could there be a traitor?—what if... what if it were true? Who among them could make that call?
Everyone, with the exception of Itsuka Kendo, turned their gaze to the girl seated at the head of the table.
Erina Nakiri was the one who had called this meeting. On her desk sat only a notebook and a pen, yet Momo Yaoyorozu, who had just sat down at the far end, had magically produced a teacup...
These class presidents from the General, Management, and Support courses had come to the meeting room right after their classes ended. Before the Hero Course representatives had arrived, they had already discussed and agreed upon a plan. Then, with some subtle and not-so-subtle prodding from Erina Nakiri and one of her admirers, they had reached a conclusion: they would target the Hero Course. They would make them share the burden of organizing the upcoming Sports Festival.
They had been waiting in a relaxed atmosphere, ready to give those future Pro Heroes a taste of reality. But the first person to arrive had been Class 1-B's president, Itsuka Kendo, who had disarmed them with an apologetic smile, leaving them with no outlet for their planned power play.
The second, and the main event, was the president of Class 1-A, a class that had just been attacked by villains. They didn't know the true severity of the attack; they only saw this event, like all the others, as another chance for the hero students to be showered with national attention. They were indignant. Why did they get to stand on stage, radiant in the spotlight, receiving the praise of the masses, while the rest of them had to toil away doing preparations in the shadows?
Every student who got into U.A. was one of the best and brightest, each with their own pride. Not everyone could accept the gap between their ideals and this reality. And so, they grew jealous. They wanted to make those students—the ones who received instruction from All Might himself—feel their resentment. Why do you get to be heroes, while I can only be a support member?
And so, they had prepared to make an example of Yoshikage Kira. But it seemed they had bitten off more than they could chew.
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