Erasurehead looked at the ruins of the building in front of him.
Tsukasa Naomasa stood behind him with a wry expression.
"...this doesn't follow the pattern they usually use... normally, they focus on the streets of Musutafu."
Aizawa's voice carried a heavy weight as he spoke to the detective behind him.
"The villains caught have the same description. Red and blue flames, for the Vigilantes 'White' and 'Yellow' respectively.
The description of their quirks matches what you always say... besides, you know them better than me."
Naomasa smiled wryly again, his gaze burning into Aizawa's skull.
"Didn't you always say that they only did petty robbery on criminals?
Why the hell did they cause a level 2 earthquake destroying this building?"
Naomasa's question received no answer. He shook his head.
"The police have been given a warrant to arrest those two kids.
While I can't guarantee that they'll not get punished, I'll at least make sure they have a chance to start over in the future."
Tsukasa Naomasa left the underground hero with those parting words.
The silence that followed was deafening. It was as if all sound had been taken away from the world—
Sigh.
Aizawa drew a deep, tired sigh.
"Problem children, the lot of them."
With those words he left the scene as well.
Behind him lay the ruins of the now scattered Shie Hassaikai building.
The only proof of those kids' arrival was the painting of a red cloud on the ground.
---
Splash splash
"Damn it Grey! Can you at least hold it away from my face?!"
"Sorry Yellow, but White-sama said to spray it everywhere. His words quoted: 'spray this over yourself and the others after escaping, leave no place unsprayed'."
"That doesn't make this any better?! And why is White-chan not getting sprayed then?!"
"Because I can change Natsu-chan's smell∼."
"Huh, this is so unfwee! Cough cough you got this in my mouth!?"
"Then spit it out"
Loud voices were the first thing Eri heard as her consciousness snapped back into being.
They were distant and carried a tone she didn't quite understand.
Happy?
Not quite that.
More like free and unbound.
Her crimson eyes opened slightly, taking in the surroundings.
This place was not where she lived.
It was new.
It was unknown—
So why did she not feel that it was unsafe?
Eri was confused.
She realized she was warm. Soft. Steady. Safe.
Her breathing slowed before her mind caught up.
She was clinging to someone.
Arms locked around a chest. Face pressed against fabric.
Her eyes snapped open.
Red eyes looked down at her.
Eri's heart jumped into her throat. She recoiled like she'd been burned, scrambling back until her spine hit the edge of the bed.
A choked sound escaped her. "Who…?"
"Are you hurt?" the voice said. Quiet. Not loud, not angry. Just there.
"Can you talk?"
Eri shook her head. Her lips trembled, but no sound came out.
He studied her for two seconds, then exhaled through his nose.
"If you need anything, ask the others. They won't hurt you."
He set her down carefully, like she might shatter, and stood. "I'm calling them now."
The door clicked shut behind him.
He informed the others of Eri waking up and advised them to keep it down
Natsuki checked his phone in the hallway. 02:14.
He looked back at the room. Eri hadn't moved. She was watching him like he might vanish.
"I gotta go," he said.
"I won't hurt you."
Then he left.
The moment the door closed, his legs nearly gave out.
Blood hit the back of his throat.
"You're an idiot, Natsu."
Kikyo's voice was low, furious.
Forty minutes. I told you forty. You hit fifty-three.
"Sorry kikyo, the situation was urgent and I didn't have any options"
"Hmph"
The Chibi fox huffed before falling into silence once again
He swallowed the blood and kept walking.
Though it felt like an eternity, he finally reached his house
He slipped through his window with uncanny familiarity, hitting the floor quietly
He immediately regretted it not using the door instead
Pain lanced through his ribs. He bit back a hiss, ripped his shirt off, and tossed it aside before it could stain the floor.
The light snapped on.
"Don't move."
Katsumi stood in the doorway, med kit in one hand, eyes scanning him like she was checking a damage report.
Her hair was a mess, pajama top half-on, like she'd thrown it on and booked it the second she heard the window.
Natsuki froze mid-motion, still holding his ruined undershirt.
For three seconds, neither said anything.
Then she clicked her tongue and walked in.
"Sit." She dropped the kit on the desk, nudged his leg with her foot. "Now."
He sat on the edge of the bed. Didn't argue. Arguing took energy he didn't have.
Katsumi knelt in front of him, popping the kit open. Her hands moved fast, practiced. Alcohol wipe, pressure, bandage. She'd done this before. Too many times.
"You're an idiot," she muttered. Not loud. Just tired.
Natsuki said nothing. Saying anything now would give him nothing but but pain
Her fingers brushed a cut near his ribs and he flinched. She paused, looked up at him.
"Not even gonna say it's nothing now," she said. "Tsk, atleast you know I'm not stupid."
He met her eyes. Red on red.
"I'm not gonna explain," he said quietly. "I understand you're worry but this is something I want to do"
Katsumi's jaw tightened. She went back to work, wrapping the bandage a little tighter than necessary.
"Fine," she said. "Keep your secrets."
She capped the antiseptic with more force than needed.
"But I'm gonna find out, Nii-chan. Sooner or later."
She stood, snapped the kit shut, and left the light on.
The door clicked shut behind her.
Natsuki exhaled, slumping back against the headboard. Blood, silence, and now her determination to uncover everything was stronger.
Same as always, no...this was worse than always.
---
*LMorning. Bakugo household. 07:12.
The smell of miso and burnt toast hit Natsuki before he hit the kitchen.
He walked in moving slow, shirt hiding the bandages, face carefully neutral.
Katsumi was already at the table, smirking into her rice like she knew something he didn't.
Mitsuki was at the stove, humming under her breath.
"Morning, you two," Mitsuki said without looking back. "Eat. You've got school."
Natsuki sat down. Katsumi's smirk widened a fraction. She wasn't hiding it.
Mitsuki set plates down, then wiped her hands on her apron.
"Oh right," she said casually. "Pulled out your gym clothes last night.
UA entrance exam's in two weeks. Don't make me wash them twice."
Natsuki stopped mid-motion.
UA entrance exam.
Two weeks.
His head throbbed.
Three days ago. After school.
Katsumi had cornered him at his locker, shoved a folded form at him.
"Give this to Mr. Fujimoto for me," she'd said. "He said my homeroom needs it for the UA mock forms."
Natsuki had glanced at it, seen 'Bakugo' at the top, and shoved it in his bag without reading.
"Yeah yeah, whatever. You owe me for this."
He'd never opened it.
Katsumi didn't even pretend to look surprised now.
She met his stare over the table and smirked.
'Huh. What you gonna do about it?'
Natsuki rubbed his temple. It wasn't about hiding his quirk. He could use Explosion as Natsuki Bakugo. That was fine.
It was about UA itself.
In his memories, UA was the center of every disaster that ever happened.
USJ. Training camp. Liberation war. It was a magnet for chaos.
And now he was being dragged back into it, two weeks early, without a say.
"...I wasn't planning on attending UA," he said flatly, his eyebrows twitching
Mitsuki waved a hand. "Yeah yeah, you always say that.
Katsumi handled the paperwork last month. Said you'd whine if she asked first."
She turned back to the stove, already done with the conversation. "You two still quarrel like kids. Nothing new."
Natsuki's jaw tightened. He couldn't snap at her. Not here. Not with Mitsuki thinking this was just another sibling spat.
Katsumi leaned back in her chair, arms crossed, smirk still there.
'You ain't going anywhere, Nii-chan.'
Mitsuki glanced over her shoulder, saw the look, and sighed.
"Whatever. Just don't break the table this time."
Natsuki picked up his chopsticks. Slow. Controlled.
He had a headache
It wasn't from the bandages.
It was from knowing what came next.
If UA means chaos again, then I'm one the people who has to keep it from killing people this time.
'She always wants to have the last laugh huh, Tch truly this one is my sister'
End of chapter 4
---