While Deku was busy breathing like a freight train and crying like a baby, snot and tears running down his face at the sight of his idol, I plucked his backpack from the ground.
I already knew what was in it, of course—that charred notebook, a little memento from his 'friend,' Kacchan.
The kid froze, not sure why I was interested in his burnt-up journal.
In the manga, All Might signs it while the kid is passed out. I decided to do it right in front of him. A little showmanship.
But then, a problem. All Might's signature? No clue. I had to sneak a peek at the manga volume I had on me, trying to hide it from the schoolboy's teary-eyed stare. I managed to scrawl something that looked like it belonged to the Number One Hero, thank God he signs in all caps. Easy to fake. But knowing Deku, the human encyclopedia of All Might, he might have noticed it was off. Hard to tell, though. The kid was practically a human Christmas tree, glowing with pure fanboy energy.
I kept half an eye on the villain. The punch had liquefied him, and he was slowly, painfully, oozing back into a puddle of goo. I pretended not to notice as he gathered himself, a slick, black amoeba trying to make a break for it. Let him go. If my plan was right, he was about to find my favorite little firecracker.
Meanwhile, Deku was bowing like he was auditioning for a spot in a royal court, not on his knees, thankfully. The last thing I needed was for a journalist to snap a picture of All Might and a schoolboy in a compromising position. The kid was rambling a mile a minute, a stuttering, incoherent mess of gratitude.
"—Thank you! I'll treasure it! Like a family heirloom!"
So far, so good.
The manga was playing out exactly as planned.
All Might was supposed to jump into the air, and Deku would cling on for dear life.
Yeah, no thanks. I'd be fine, but the kid? He'd be a red smear on the pavement. I haven't trained for that kind of jump.
And besides, I wasn't leaving just yet.
"Huh? Already? You can't leave…" Deku said, his little brain jumping to conclusions.
"Young man, what is your name?"
"Mi-mi-mi-doriya! Izu-ku-ku!" he stammered.
"Young Midoriya," I said, a line I'd always wanted to say. "Tell me, what do you want more than anything?"
The question hit him like a brick. While he was trying not to faint from sheer emotion—the kid was a walking fire hazard of feelings—I quickly checked the next few pages of the manga.
And there it was. All Might, deflating, coughing up blood.
My only symptoms so far were the pain in my side from the scar.
A dry cough, maybe a few drops of blood. But so far, no full-on deflation. Maybe All Might just overdid it.
All that 'Plus Ultra' nonsense. It's no wonder he could only hold his form for a few hours.
I'm a different story. I'd had a leisurely stroll and one single punch.
Maybe I could avoid his fate?
The moment the thought crossed my mind, my throat tightened.
My lungs felt like they were on fire, and I just wanted to cough. I covered my mouth with my hand and let out a dry cough that left a smear of red on my fingers.
My easy life so far had just bought me a few hours.
My health problems were still there, waiting for me to make a mistake.
I'm still a disabled person with immense power.
Deku's words finally pulled me back to the present.
He'd managed to string a few sentences together.
No, he definitely needed to work on his public speaking.
"Young Midoriya, speak up. I can't hear you."
"I want to be fearless and save people with a smile," he said, a shaky smile on his face. "I want to be a legendary hero like you!"
In the manga, All Might reveals his true form right after that.
I had no intention of doing that. It was alright.
The kid was great at keeping secrets.
He almost blew All Might's whole cover…
Okay, yeah, that was clearly a plot device.
And Kacchan is a special person to Deku.
They have a completely healthy, non-abusive relationship.
After his little speech, Deku turned into a tomato.
He covered his face with his hands, a habit he seemed to have perfected.
All Might really couldn't have found a better candidate.
"Well," I said, rubbing my chin. "What's your Quirk?"
Deku's spirit seemed to flee his body.
He let out a shriek and slid down the fence, landing in a heap on the pavement. My question had hit him right in his biggest insecurity.
No surprise to a manga reader, but it was still fun to watch the main character squirm.
"What's wrong, young Midoriya? You look unwell. Maybe I should call an ambulance?" I said, pointedly pulling out the phone I'd gotten from the cops.
The villain, by the way, was long gone.
Deku's body jerked. He scrambled to his feet, eyes red and full of a desperate hope.
"Can… a person without a Quirk… become a hero?" he choked out.
I gave him a soft smile. He'd find out the answer soon enough. But not from me. I spread my arms dramatically. "The villain's escaped!"
This completely baffled the kid. He started looking around, his heroic instincts kicking in.
He saw the tracks the slime had left on the pavement.
We followed them, me deliberately taking my time, so we wouldn't get there too early.
I didn't want to waste my energy.
Twenty minutes later, we heard explosions. The police were there, and so were a few heroes I recognized.
Mount Lady couldn't get through the narrow street.
The wooden hero, Kamui Woods, was trying not to get set on fire. A fire hydrant-looking hero was putting out the flames. The other heroes were all making excuses. They were right, of course.
The villain was cornered.
But Kacchan was in pain. His face, twisted in agony, was on full display. He was in hell. And then Deku, the little hero, made a move. Or tried to. My iron grip grabbed his shoulder. We'd approached from the alley, and no one had seen us yet.
"Where are you going, young Midoriya?" I asked, a casual smile on my face.
Deku's face was slick with sweat.
He shook his head, fists clenched, a wild fire in his eyes.
He had to save Kacchan.
I tried to slap him gently to snap him out of it.
There was a loud smack, and a red handprint appeared on his cheek. It'll probably leave a bruise.
"We have to act, All Might! Save him!" he screamed, thrashing in my grip.
"You're right. We have to save him. But where are you going? You don't have a Quirk."
My words hit him harder than the slap. He clutched his chest, gasping, like someone had punched him.
He could only open and close his mouth, a fish out of water.
"Rushing in is foolish. You could get people killed. Look," I pointed to the heroes standing around, "that's what pros do. They weigh the risks and wait for backup."
Deku finally managed to get air back into his lungs. He looked at me, pleading.
"Exactly! All Might, you're the backup! Hurry up! Kacchan doesn't have to suffer anymore, because you're here!" he shrieked.
"Alas, young Midoriya, I can't help. Last time showed me I can't fight that villain. It was a miracle you survived. I won't take that risk again. That schoolboy will just have to hold out until another hero arrives," I lied without a single ounce of shame.
I looked at Kacchan.
He had been holding up.
But now, the tears came.
He started bawling like a beaten child.
I remembered this incident being brought up in the manga, but this was going to be so much worse for him.
I don't blame him; no one could take that pain.
But the journalists were here, and every camera was focused on Kacchan, a sobbing, snot-covered mess, begging for help.
I'm pretty sure he even wet himself.
My smile was completely genuine.
I despised this arrogant prick.
This moment would be a red-hot brand on his entire career.
I started laughing, a deep, rumbling laugh right in front of Deku. He didn't even notice, too busy trying to break free. Now that's a real hero.
The cops and heroes finally did something. The fire hero washed the villain into the sewer, saving Kacchan.
Nobody was hurt except for his reputation.
He was carried off on a stretcher, and the cameras got a close-up shot.
As soon as the ambulance sirens faded, I let go of Deku, and he collapsed to the ground, all the energy drained from his body.
"Young Midoriya, I saw something in you. Sometimes heroes say their body moved on its own. The desire to save the innocent, to risk everything, casting aside fear," I said. He listened with bated breath. "You asked me if a Quirkless person can become a hero? My answer is… yes!"
His body shook. He grabbed his uniform and sank to his knees, sobbing.
He thought I was done…
"My answer is yes, but…" Deku's head shot up. "Combining the weakness of Quirklessness with a reckless desire to risk everything is a recipe for disaster. You could have gotten people killed today. Forgive me, but my answer is that you will never become a hero. You are a danger to society, and I will personally make sure you never enter the academy!"
It was like the strings on his puppet were cut.
He started muttering to himself: "It's not true. I'll become a hero. It's a lie." He repeated it over and over, his teeth chattering, his lips bleeding. The veins on his face and neck pulsed.
He was a volcano about to erupt, but instead, he fell backward and started laughing hysterically.
When his voice was raw from screaming, he curled into a fetal position and went silent.
"He's broken." I said with a low whistle.
I looked at Deku's pitiful state and a smirk appeared on my face.
My time with Deku was over.
I had to move on.
The UA tryouts were coming up, and I had some new ideas for a candidate.
I walked away, leaving him in the alley. I checked his pulse, just in case.
He was alive.
He'd never meet Ochako.
She'd never fall in love with him.
"Don't worry, young Midoriya, I'll take care of Ochako and her luscious figure," I said to myself as I walked away.
My Hero Academia was waiting for me.
But I had a bad feeling.
I flipped through the next chapters, where Deku was training to be a hero. A typical protagonist.
Then I saw a line that hit me like a train. The UA entrance exams were ten months away.
Ten months.
That whole montage was ten months of training. It turns out I had ten months to kill.
Should I be sad? I won't see my waifus.
But I have time to change things.
I've already made my decision.