Haru opened his mouth.
The answer rose immediately.
'Because I don't want anyone to go through what I did.' Memories of his previous life came up.
He shook his head once. 'Those memories were sealed when I took this decision.'
"…Toru," he said instead.
Mineta blinked. "Hagakure?"
"She wanted to be one," Haru said. "I tagged along. Same school. Easier that way. Though I didn't expect her to actually get into U.A."
Mineta's eyes lit up with interest. "Right, you guys are childhood friends. That's basically a guaranteed route. Her figure's not bad either. And the invisible thing—"
"We're friends," Haru said flatly.
Mineta snorted. "C'mon. You never thought about it?"
How could a boy-girl friendship survive?
Haru glanced at him. "Well, I have. But, it's still...weird. Imagine you and me dating."
Mineta considered this seriously. "If you had boobs, I wouldn't mind."
Haru's face twisted in disgust. "Of course you wouldn't."
They crested a small rise.
The ground ahead dipped sharply, swallowed by a dense grey haze that clung close to the earth.
Haru slowed. "Gas."
Mineta peered into it. "Fog machine?"
"It's enveloping a large area," Haru said. "And it seems suspicious. Maybe it's poisonous? Should we take a detour?"
BANG
Haru yanked Mineta sideways as something punched through the space where his head had been. Dirt sprayed up from the impact.
THUMP THUMP THUMP
Mineta could almost feel his heartbeat in his ear as everything slowed down.
If Haru had been a moment late, he wouldn't be able to have this thought.
'I almost died a virgin.'
BANG
Another shot followed. But Haru was already on the move. He descended down the hill, dodging the shot.
They dove as the gas surged forward, rolling fast now, greedy. Haru slammed his palm down. The air around them warped, pressure shifting violently outward.
The gas buckled and bent, held back just far enough to breathe.
Haru's jaw tightened. Sweat beaded at his temple.
'I can't maintain this for long. Unlike the fire, gas is vulnerable to pressure difference.'
He looked around, hoping to find the person who shot at them, but it was futile. The gas was blinding.
BANG
Another shot rushed at them, and Haru rolled on the floor with Mineta.
Suddenly, a massive hand swept down, scattering the haze in one violent motion, revealing the attacker. who now aimed the gun at them, his eyes wide in shock.
'Kendo!'
Haru reacted instantly.
He grabbed Mineta by the collar and hurled him.
"I choose you, Mineta!" He whispered-shouted, not wanting to alert the enemy. However, it was all for nought.
Mineta shrieked midair, then landed hard against the attacker's chest, hands already moving. Purple spheres flew, sticking fast. Eyes. Mouth. Fingers. The attacker's entire mask-covered face got covered with balls.
"Take my balls, shit-head."
The villain stumbled, gagging. Mineta quickly disarmed him of his gun.
Mineta rolled free, panting. "Why the fuck did you throw me? I could have died." He shouted, but didn't look away from the down villain, afraid that he would bring something else.
Tetsutetsu quickly came and knocked the villain in a school uniform.
"Thanks to you guys, we took him down safely," Kendo said, gratitude in her tone, as she looked at Mineta and then at Haru.
"Ah..." Mineta didn't know what to say.
"If you are grateful, then please look after him. I need to go and save my classmate." Haru pointed at Mineta before dashing away.
"Hey! I am not a kid to be looked after. And don't leave me!" Mineta shouted, but Haru was already out of sight.
'Minoru, this is your chance. You were a knight in shining armour. It's your chance to change your fate.' Haru secretly did a thumbs-up to Mineta, who didn't see it.
He continued moving through the forest at an increased speed. Now and then, he would check his phone.
'Nice. The network blockage is gone. I could directly use satellite images to see the positions of the villains.'
In this world, technology was superior to his previous world, so images were pretty detailed. Of course, not anybody could use this, as it would be an invasion of privacy and only the government could use it, along with licensed hero agencies, for a particular area.
"Found you." Haru changed his direction, calculating the meeting point depending on his current trajectory and Katsuki's protection squad's trajectory. Though there was a time-lag between the real-life event and the image he was seeing, it was only a few seconds.
When he reached the area, Uraraka appeared first, wide-eyed but steady. Tsuyu beside her, eyes sharp. Shoji's silhouette loomed behind them, followed by Midoriya and Todoroki.
Relief flashed across Haru's face and vanished just as quickly.
A slow clap echoed from the trees.
Mr Compress stepped into view, bowing theatrically. Three marbles rolled between his fingers.
"Well done," he said lightly. "Truly. But I'm afraid—"
He flicked his wrist and vanished into smoke, jumping high in the air.
Haru bit down hard, jaw aching.
'Fuck, despite all this, it still is the same as Canon. I can't accept this.' He clenched his fist.
Midoriya didn't hesitate. "Uraraka. Tsuyu. Can you make us weightless? And then throw us with Tsuyu's tongue?"
Uraraka nodded, already moving. Weight vanished. Tsuyu's tongue snapped out like a whip, grabbing them.
Haru stepped toward Shoji. "I'll carry him."
Midoriya turned. "Huh?"
"I can disable his pain receptors, carrying him for longer."
Shoij agreed without hesitation. Tsuyu's tongue now wrapped around Todoroki, Haru and Izuku.
"You know, this might be the first time princess-carrying a guy. You should feel honoured." Haru joked, as he already hacked Izuku's body.
"Thank you...?" Izuku blinked.
Moments later, they flew.
Wind tore past Haru's ears as Tsuyu's throw sent them hurtling forward.
"How do you feel?" Haru asked Izuku.
"Light-headed? It feels good, but I feel a bit numb too."
"That's good. Make sure to get a good hospital check-up." Haru had already nullified the air resistance around them. He also slightly adjusted the air around them to orient themselves.
"There he is!" Izuku pointed as their target came in a way.
They touched down together, like a comet.
Mr Compress turned just in time to see them arrive.
"What the—"
He was forced to stop the impact of the three, causing him to crash on the ground.
Crack.
Multiple of his bones broke, as the marbles in his hand flew forward.
"You won't be getting up anytime soon," Haru said, after getting up.
'I have caused serious damage to the muscles in his limbs. He can't use his quirk now. He isn't hiding any crystal balls in his body or clothes, so those ones should be real.'
Haru then put down Izuku before looking around.
"Fuck."
He wanted to quickly rush at the marbles, but he couldn't.
They were in front of the villains.
What Haru didn't expect was Dabi's next move.
Blue fire tore across the clearing, rushing at them.
It came fast and wide, a rolling wall that swallowed sound and light alike, rushing over the ground without hesitation.
Mr. Compress lay trapped below Haru, body twisted, unable to move. He didn't expect Dabi to be this ruthless.
"SHOTO!"
The shout ripped out of Haru's throat instinctively.
Ice surged forward before the echo faded. A thick barrier erupted from the ground, steam screaming as blue flame smashed into it. The collision shook the clearing, heat pressing hard against Haru's skin.
He sprinted.
The crystal marbles lay scattered on the ground. Haru slid to his knees, hands snapping out, fingers closing around the first. Then the second.
Heat flared to his side.
Dabi was already moving.
Flames surged again, closer this time, curling toward Haru like a living thing. He didn't slow. The fire warped, thinned, and split around him, pressure buckling outward as his quirk removed all the oxygen near him furiously.
His hand closed around the third marble—
Pain exploded.
The ground vanished beneath him as something slammed down where he'd been standing. Haru rolled hard, shoulder scraping earth, heat licking past his back.
He looked up.
The thing that landed wasn't human.
Nomu.
Its feet crushed stone into powder as it straightened, muscles bulging wrong beneath patchwork skin. The air around it pulsed, shockwaves rippling outward with every movement.
Haru's grip tightened around the marbles. He glanced at the third marble, which was now in Dabi's hands.
'Wait, Katsuki and Fumikage make two. Who's the third person?' Haru suddenly got an alarming thought.