Chapter 46: Juzo Honenuki
"IN THE U.A. SPORTS FESTIVAL'S FIRST-YEAR STAGE, WHO WILL CLAIM VICTORY IN THE OPENING ROUND!? AT THIS VERY MOMENT, THE FIRST ONE BACK TO THE STADIUM IS—IZUKU MIDORIYA!"
Midoriya panted, looking somewhat overwhelmed at the cheering crowd. He frantically searched the spectator stands for a particular person. When he saw that head of golden hair, his trembling stopped, and an emotional smile broke out across his face.
I, Izuku Midoriya, am in first place!
Thinking back on how he had won, Midoriya broke into a cold sweat.
He had fallen behind right from the start at the robot obstacle and had been near the back of the pack until the final minefield. But looking at the steel plate in his hands, a crazy idea had formed in his mind: use the very mines that were meant to send people flying to send himself to the finish line!
Although he had successfully launched himself, he had slightly miscalculated the power of the bombs. He had landed just short of the end of the minefield, with the backs of Todoroki and Bakugo right in front of him.
If I can't get ahead of them, then I can't let them get ahead of me!
In that moment, with a strange mix of calm and madness, he had slammed the steel plate onto the ground. The mines beneath it were instantly triggered. As the blast sent Todoroki and Bakugo flying to the side, he had tucked into a roll and successfully reached the final sprint zone.
The last ten seconds had felt like a century. He could hear Todoroki's panting and Bakugo's roars right behind him, knowing he could be overtaken at any moment. But luckily—
I won! All Might, I didn't fail your expectations!
Tears welled up in Midoriya's eyes, flowing uncontrollably.
When Yoshikage Kira ran out of the tunnel, this was the scene that greeted him. He glanced at the large screen on the wall, which was showing the exact moment Midoriya had crossed the finish line.
What's he crying for? Didn't he just win? Kira thought with a bemused smile.
"Damn it! I was so close!" Bakugo punched the wall, unable to accept the result. He could handle Todoroki being ahead of him, but why did that damn Deku always have to butt in at the most critical moments!?
Todoroki just stood to the side, catching his breath, his eyes glinting as he said nothing.
Although thick smoke was still pouring from the exhaust pipes on Iida's legs, the moment he saw Kira reach the finish line, he immediately walked over and bowed deeply. "Class Rep, I am truly sorry! I wasn't thinking clearly just now. I just wanted to catch up to Midoriya, but I must have caused you a lot of trouble!"
Iida was filled with guilt. Kira had just rescued him from the net, but he had only been thinking about beating Midoriya and had forgotten about Kira, who was standing right beside him. Although he hadn't been hurt by the mines, it was very likely that the Class Rep had been caught in the blasts...
"No, thanks to you, I wasn't injured at all," Kira said, briefly explaining that he had used the path Iida had cleared to run the final stretch and that he had nothing to apologize for.
"That's good to hear." Iida sighed in relief, then looked hesitantly at the girl who had emerged right after Kira. "But if you used that path, shouldn't you have finished sooner, Class Rep...?"
Kira rolled his eyes. "It's because of this one... By the way, let me introduce you. This is Ibara Shiozaki from Class 1-B. She's the one who blocked my way."
How to put it... Kira was also a little annoyed. Iida's mad dash had created a huge commotion. Even with Midoriya's explosion as cover, anyone paying attention would have noticed the now-proven safe path.
At the time, Kira hadn't thought much of it. The other students were far away from him, and there was no reason for them to attack him. But Ibara Shiozaki was a special case; there was something wrong with her head.
A few minutes earlier, just as Kira was about to see the light of the finish line, dozens of vines had suddenly shot out from the ground. Like a bulldozer, they had scooped up a patch of mines, instantly weaving a net and tossing them right in front of him.
This is Ibara Shiozaki's Quirk! That woman is trying to stop me!
Seeing the mines flying toward him, Kira, who had been lazing about until now, found his eyes instantly sharpening. Instead of retreating, he advanced. A golden ripple of Hamon emanated from his palms. Hamon had a paralyzing effect on living things. He grabbed the ends of the momentarily stunned vine-net and, as easily as closing a door, folded it shut. Gripping the net, which was now filled with dozens of mines, he hurled it at the praying figure of Ibara Shiozaki in the distance.
Ibara made no move, continuing to pray with her head bowed. But the hair on the back of her head suddenly shot out, growing along the ground. Just before the net of bombs could hit her, her hair burst from the earth, forming a wall that blocked the attack. The mines were triggered, and an explosion erupted in front of her, creating a pink mushroom cloud that was in no way inferior to Midoriya's.
Kira had regretted it the moment he'd thrown the net. Although Ibara had tried to ambush him, he shouldn't have thrown bombs at her. Not because he was worried about hurting her, but because he felt that creating such a commotion would attract unwanted attention. He had immediately turned and run for the exit.
After her first failed attack, Ibara had not tried again, silently following behind Kira to the finish line.
Now...
Kira looked over at her, his eyes narrowed. "I believe you owe me an explanation."
Her Quirk was that retractable vine-like hair. It could extend or be cut at will, and because it had plant-like properties, it could regenerate quickly in sunlight. It was a very troublesome and powerful Quirk.
(On a side note, she had ranked first in the Class 1-B entrance exam. Kira was a little puzzled as to why someone so strong was so short on cash, but since she was unwilling to talk about it, he wouldn't pry into her privacy.)
Although they had known each other for three or four years, their relationship had always maintained that strange mix of familiarity and distance from their first meeting. If he had to describe it, it would be that of a landlord and a tenant... or perhaps a shop owner and an employee?
But in any case, she wasn't the type to attack someone without saying a word.
Ibara didn't speak, her gaze fixed on a mud-caked person who was panting as he ran toward the finish line.
His appearance was rather peculiar. His teeth were exposed on the outside of his mouth, like a Titan from Attack on Titan. His large eyes looked as if they had been pasted on, like a cartoon character's. It was rude to say, but he looked like a skeleton. Any child who saw him would surely burst into tears.
Did he tell her to attack me? From Ibara's line of sight, Kira could guess the answer.
"I was the one who asked Shiozaki-san to attack you!" The skeletal boy spoke up just as Kira was about to say something.
"Is there a reason? I don't believe I've done anything to provoke you," Kira said with a frown.
"I'm Juzo Honenuki from Class 1-B. My Quirk is Softening. I can turn the ground around me into a swamp," Honenuki said, introducing himself without being prompted. "I'm one of the recommended students. I know how strong Todoroki is, and I've seen the power of that durian-headed explosion boy. But you..."
"You're the president of Class 1-A, the top-ranked student from the entrance exam. I've been watching you, but I haven't seen a single outstanding thing about you!"
A stone dropped in Kira's stomach. This guy has been observing me. Have I been too conspicuous? He felt a surge of annoyance. His fingernails suddenly grew a bit longer.
❃❃❃
⤑ Show your support with Power Stones!
⤑ Unlock a Bonus Chapter every time we hit 400 Power Stones!
❃❃❃
♕ Get early access to 30+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
🔗 https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to open the link!)
💬 Enjoying the story? Drop a review!
Your support really helps the series grow—thank you!