Chapter 60: Midoriya, I Reject My Humanity!
"A cat! Can anyone lend me a cat?"
"A school bag! I need a school bag!"
The list of the final sixteen had been announced. The students who hadn't qualified began to enjoy the festival's recreational activities, the first of which was a scavenger hunt race.
"Kira-kun, I just want to know why you have to carry me like this..." Minoru Mineta said, looking down at the ground, which was over a meter below him, and swallowing nervously.
Yoshikage Kira held the caterpillar-like, bound form of Minoru Mineta high above his head as he jogged leisurely around the field. "Relax," he said calmly. "I'm not planning to do anything to you. It's just that you happen to fit the description of the item I need to borrow."
"The card says 'a grape'! What does that have to do with me, Minoru Mineta!?" he said, aggrieved. "And why did you have to tie me up!?"
"I don't have much confidence in my balance. If you move around, I might drop you," Kira replied, his eyes half-lidded. "By the way, if you keep talking and distract me, I can't guarantee I won't lose my grip."
Minoru Mineta obediently shut his mouth, his heart filled with regret.
I knew it! There was no way he wouldn't get back at me for what happened! And that Kaminari... what a great excuse he came up with!
In the first round of the finals, Kira's opponent was none other than Denki Kaminari. He had used the excuse that he needed to "think about strategy" to get a one-on-one showdown with Kira in the ring.
Unsurprisingly, Kira had agreed. Mineta, unable to escape in time, had been sacrificed and had become the "item" Kira needed to borrow.
And he had been hoping to stand behind the cheerleaders and watch Momo and the others dance!
Mineta painfully turned his head and looked at the cheerleaders on the stage, who were waving their pom-poms and cheering for the contestants. His spirit suddenly ascended, and a sage-like expression appeared on his face.
Actually... they must be cheering for me. I'm so happy...
"AND WE HAVE THE WINNER OF THE SCAVENGER HUNT RACE! IT'S YOSHIKAGE KIRA, ONE OF OUR FINALISTS!" Present Mic seemed to be intentionally targeting Kira. "WHILE EVERYONE ELSE IS PREPARING FOR THEIR MATCHES, HE'S OUT HERE HAVING FUN! DOES THIS MEAN HE'S ABSOLUTELY CONFIDENT OF VICTORY!? LET'S LOOK FORWARD TO HIS PERFORMANCE!"
Yoshikage Kira put Mineta down, ignoring the way he lay on the ground, stiff as a board with his hands clasped together. He frowned and looked up at the commentary booth.
Mic was passionately commentating on the race, while Shota Aizawa was lying languidly in his chair, his gaze fixed on Kira.
Although Mic's words had his usual sarcastic bite, in class, he had always advocated for balancing study with entertainment. He was usually all for students participating in recreational events like this. Therefore, those words must not have been his own.
Kira sighed. Shota Aizawa, do you really have such high expectations for me...? It's a lot of pressure. I just wanted to coast to the end, but you keep pushing me into the public eye. Is that really something an underground hero should be doing?
But thinking about it, Aizawa hadn't done any hero work since becoming Class 1-A's teacher. Heroes like Cementoss, All Might, and Mic still made public appearances from time to time, but Aizawa seemed to have given up his life as a Pro Hero to focus on being a homeroom teacher. It wasn't just dedication; it was as if he had set aside the responsibilities of being a hero.
Kira was no longer in the mood for any more recreational games. He headed for the waiting room.
The bracket for the final 16 had been released.
Block A: Hagakure vs. Midoriya, Todoroki vs. Sero.
Block B: Kira vs. Kaminari, Iida vs. Hatsume.
Block C: Bakugo vs. Uraraka, Kirishima vs. Ashido.
Block D: Shiozaki vs. Jiro, Tokoyami vs. Yaoyorozu.
The winner of Block A would face the winner of Block B, and the winner of C would face the winner of D. The final two remaining would advance to the championship match.
Every participant in the final tournament was cherishing this opportunity. They weren't relaxed enough to join in the recreational events like Kira was. Perhaps that was why Aizawa was a little displeased with him and had used Mic's words to try and get him to take the competition more seriously.
Among the contestants, some were desperately trying to come up with strategies to defeat their opponents, some were trying to maintain a calm state of mind, some were making various preparations for battle, and some were trying to relieve their own anxiety. Everyone was waiting for the tournament to begin in their own way. In the blink of an eye, the time for the final event had arrived.
"AUDIENCE MEMBERS! THE FINAL EVENT YOU'VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR IS ABOUT TO BEGIN!" As Mic spoke, roaring flames erupted from all sides of the grandstand, mimicking the Olympic flame of ancient Athens, representing the courage, will, and determination of battle.
"KICKING OFF THE OPENING CEREMONY, OUR FIRST MATCH IS BETWEEN THE HERO COURSE'S IZUKU MIDORIYA, WHO, DESPITE HIS EXCELLENT RESULTS, ALWAYS SEEMS TO HAVE A NERVOUS LOOK ON HIS FACE, AND THE HERO COURSE'S TORU HAGAKURE, A GIRL WHO HAS CAST OFF THE SHACKLES OF ETHICS AND TRADITIONAL MORALITY!"
"THE RULES ARE SIMPLE! IT'S A REAL-COMBAT SCENARIO WHERE VICTORY IS ACHIEVED BY THROWING YOUR OPPONENT OUT OF BOUNDS, INCAPACITATING THEM, OR FORCING THEM TO SAY 'I GIVE UP'!"
"DON'T WORRY ABOUT GETTING HURT! OUR MEDICAL STAFF IS ON STANDBY AT ALL TIMES! SO DON'T HOLD BACK! TREAT YOUR OPPONENT LIKE A VILLAIN AND SHOW THE AUDIENCE A SPECTACULAR FIGHT!"
"HOWEVER, A WORD OF WARNING! ANY MOVE POWERFUL ENOUGH TO THREATEN YOUR OPPONENT'S LIFE IS FORBIDDEN! IF USED, YOU WILL BE CHARGED WITH A SEVERE VIOLATION AND IMMEDIATELY DISQUALIFIED!"
Midoriya stood on the competition stage that Cementoss had created during the recreational period, a nervous smile on his face.
He had made it to the center of this stage through his own hard work, under the watchful eyes of tens of thousands of people, with countless voices cheering him on. Did this mean he finally had what it took to be a hero?
Toru Hagakure stood opposite him, giggling. "Midoriya-chan, you're my opponent this time! I won't go easy on you, okay?"
Cementoss, who was serving as the referee, sat in the center of the stage. He raised his heavy, concrete-like hand. "If there are any violations, I will intervene."
To be honest, in Midoriya's view, facing Hagakure in the first round was the best possible draw. Her Quirk was Invisibility, but she was wearing her gym uniform. Even if he couldn't see her face, he could still pinpoint her location.
Maybe I can win this without even using my Quirk? The thought suddenly occurred to him.
Before the match, he had run into All Might, who had told him—"Even if you're just bluffing, hold your head high!"
Midoriya straightened his back and forced a confident smile. "Hagakure-san, for the sake of victory, I won't be holding back either!"
"3... 2... 1... BEGIN!"
The moment the match started, Midoriya charged toward Hagakure. Since she was a girl, his plan was to just force her out of the ring.
However—
When she heard the starting signal, Hagakure didn't move. Instead, she began to slowly take off her clothes.
Present Mic screamed, "FOLKS, WHAT ARE WE SEEING!? HAGAKURE FROM THE HERO COURSE IS STRIPPING AT THE START OF THE MATCH! WAS THE CHEERLEADING NOT ENOUGH FOR HER!? IS SHE GIVING US EVEN MORE FAN SERVICE!?"
After his excited outburst, he seemed to realize something was wrong and added, "FOR ALL YOU VIEWERS AT HOME, IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN WITH YOU, REMEMBER TO COVER THEIR EYES!"
Midoriya, who was about to reach Hagakure, was forced to stop when he saw what she was doing. "Hagakure-san," he said hesitantly, "I don't think this is a good idea."
If Mineta had been in the ring, he probably would have pounced on the half-dressed Hagakure, drooling. But Midoriya would never do such a thing. He had no choice but to stop.
Toru Hagakure's voice took on a grave tone. "Midoriya-kun, do you know? There's a limit to a person's abilities. One thing I've learned in my short life... is that the more one is bound by ethics, the more one is unable to unleash their true power. Unless... one transcends humanity."
With one hand, Hagakure pulled down the zipper of her jacket, revealing the inside. Her body was transparent; all he could see was the floating clothes.
"Hagakure..." Midoriya had a very bad feeling.
Toru Hagakure vanished from the ring. Only a voice echoed in front of Midoriya.
"Midoriya... I REJECT MY HUMANITY!"
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