Lunch at school passed, followed by a few simple theoretical classes. By 5:30 PM, the school day ended. Since it was February and the height of winter, the sun had already largely disappeared, leaving the sky in a deep twilight.
"Are you going home now?" Inside the classroom, Momo Yaoyorozu packed her things and walked over to Orion, a soft smile on her face.
"Not yet, you go ahead," Orion replied as he organized his books. "I'm running low on ingredients at home; I need to pick some up."
"I see." A flicker of disappointment crossed Momo Yaoyorozu's eyes, but knowing Orion had made up his mind, she didn't push. "Then I'll head out first. See you tomorrow."
"Yeah, see you tomorrow."
As Momo Yaoyorozu walked away, the red-haired Eijiro Kirishima approached Orion and gave him a playful nudge on the shoulder. "Hey, hey, hey! Turning down a beautiful girl who's practically throwing herself at you? Are you even a man?"
"You're overthinking it. We're just neighbors, so it's only a matter of being on the same path," Orion said, half-amused and half-exasperated, as he grabbed his bag and waved to Eijiro Kirishima. "See you tomorrow."
"Right, see you tomorrow!" Eijiro Kirishima grinned wickedly, clearly not believing a word of Orion's explanation.
Neighbors? Yeah, right!
"Just you wait until I slaughter you tomorrow! You damn pink-eye!" As Orion passed by Katsuki Bakugo, the latter threw out yet another provocation.
"Fine, I'll be waiting. Kat-su-ki Ba-ku-go!" Honestly, Orion could tolerate a provocation once or twice, but when it became constant, it was genuinely annoying.
At this point, Orion's patience was wearing thin.
In an instant, his eyes turned blood-red, and three black tomoe spun rapidly within them.
Opposite him, Katsuki Bakugo felt the world spin. Having just stood up, his body suddenly collapsed to the floor, his state unknown.
"Bakugo!"
"Kacchan!"
Tenya Iida and Izuku Midoriya cried out in shock and rushed forward to check on him.
"Orion, how could you use your Quirk on a classmate? Don't you know that's prohibited?" Driven by his intense sense of justice, Tenya Iida stepped in front of Orion to confront him.
"I didn't do anything to him; I just let him sleep for a while," Orion said, stepping around the blocking Tenya Iida without looking back. "You saw it too—he provoked me first, and not for the first time."
"Orion!" Tenya Iida glared at Orion's back in anger, but as he moved to follow, other students held him back.
"Come on, let the teachers handle this," Tsuyu Asui said, pulling on Tenya Iida's sleeve. "In truth, whether it's Orion or Bakugo, both sides bear some responsibility for what happened."
"...Yes, you're right, Asui." Tenya Iida took a few deep breaths and finally calmed down.
"Just call me Tsuyu-chan." Tsuyu Asui stuck out her long tongue slightly and gave a small wink.
"Beef, various vegetables, and some soy products. Alright, that's about everything." On the street, Orion was finishing his shopping, his hands full of bags.
"Sigh, it would be great if the System could cook for me." Thinking of the System, Orion couldn't help but sigh internally.
Ever since that damn System went into self-repair mode, it had been like a corpse—no signs of life at all.
While Orion could have called a vendor to deliver the items to his villa, he was accustomed to shopping for himself. He felt more at ease that way.
"Time to head home." Orion hoisted a bag over his shoulder and quickened his pace toward the residential area.
The sky was pitch black now. The streetlights were fully lit, illuminating the city, but Orion, who had been walking down the main street, suddenly came to a halt.
A thick scent of blood wafted past his nose. The source of that metallic smell was the alley right beside him.
Orion frowned slightly, and his eyes instantly transformed into a piercing crimson.
The dark world became incredibly clear in an instant. Inside the alley, a man wrapped in bandages, dressed like a ronin and wielding a katana, was stepping toward a "prey" cornered against the wall. His eyes flickered with a murderous, frantic intent.
"Hero Killer Stain?" Seeing the familiar silhouette, Orion subconsciously spoke the name aloud.
"Hmm?" Stain, who was about to bring down his blade, froze mid-air because of Orion's appearance. "You know me?"
As Stain turned his body slightly, Orion clearly saw the blood-soaked figure in the corner.
It was Death Arms, whom Orion had encountered twice before!
However, Death Arms no longer possessed his previous bravado. His body was covered in wounds of varying sizes, and his nose had been brutally struck, leaving a dark purple bruise.
"This isn't a place for you! Get out of here, now!" Seeing Orion's figure ahead, Death Arms' pupils shrank as he screamed desperately.
The opponent was clearly just a kid. How could he possibly fight a criminal specifically specialized in hunting Pro Heroes?