Imagine trying to enjoy a quiet nap, only to be ambushed by three kids.
Water splashed across Kuro's face.
Something smacked against his lunch box with a hollow clatter.
Small hands tugged at him, grabbed, pushed, and even bit down on his leg.
"It's okay!"
"Why?"
"Because—"
"I'm here!!"
The three kids struck exaggerated poses, copying All Might as best they could. One of them even tried to fix his hair to resemble the iconic style, though it only made the attempt more ridiculous.
They were elementary schoolers. Loud, fearless, and completely lacking in restraint.
Kuro sat up slowly, drenched and disoriented.
For a moment, he wondered if he'd done something to deserve this.
He'd grown up at Nekohoshi Orphanage. Children usually avoided him, scared off by his scars. No one had ever attacked him like this before.
Maybe he just hadn't met enough kids like these.
He wiped his face with his sleeve, exposing the scars across his torso.
The reaction was immediate.
"Whoa, that looks gross."
"He's so ugly."
"He has to be a villain. Only bad guys look like that."
"Yeah! We have to defeat him!"
Kuro stared at them.
Then, without warning, he grabbed one of the kids by the head and held him in place. The child flailed helplessly, unable to reach him. The other two rushed forward, clinging to Kuro's waist, trying to pull him away.
"Let go of him, villain!"
"I'll take you down!"
Kuro didn't move.
He let them struggle, their efforts amounting to little more than noise.
After a while, the three kids were panting, sweat dripping down their faces.
"I'm going to get a teacher!" one shouted angrily. "Our teacher's trained by Heroes! He's super strong!"
Kuro let out a sharp breath.
"Heroes?" he said, his tone turning cold. "You think acting like this makes you one?"
The kids froze.
"You don't listen. You don't respect people. And you think you can be Heroes?" His voice rose slightly. "Do you think everyone can be like All Might? That it's that easy?"
They didn't fully understand his words, but they caught the tone.
"Hmph. You're just a bad guy."
"Yeah, a villain."
Kuro laughed once, dry and humorless.
"Fine. I'm a villain," he said. "And you three? Go home and do your homework. You clearly don't have enough of it."
The words came out faster than he intended, frustration spilling over.
The three kids scowled, dropped their toy swords, and stormed off toward the bushes.
Silence returned.
Kuro sat there for a moment, then slowly pulled off his soaked shirt. The sun hung high overhead, but he felt no hunger.
Was it because of them?
He should have been used to those kinds of words by now.
He stood, uncertain, then glanced in the direction the children had gone.
Following them…?
Why?
Kuro let out a quiet, self-directed laugh.
Those kids weren't his problem.
Still, his feet moved anyway.
Maybe he just wanted to see what they'd do next.
Yes. That was it.
He picked up one of the toy swords and followed at a distance.
From deep within the trees, something else watched.
A long, red tongue slid across leaves and stones, slick with moisture, before curling around a branch above.
Below, the three children walked, still arguing.
"This is your fault. Why did we mess with that guy?"
"He's a villain! We're supposed to stop villains!"
"But he was just sleeping…"
"He looked scary. That's enough."
Kuro followed behind them, listening.
Their logic made no sense.
So what if someone looked different?
He ran a hand through his hair, uneasy.
Something felt off.
A drop of water landed on his nose.
He frowned.
There wasn't a cloud in the sky.
Slowly, he looked up.
A long, red tongue dangled above him.
At its tip, an eye rolled lazily, liquid dripping from its surface.
The children's voices faded into the distance.
The tongue shifted.
A mouth split open along its length, rows of yellowed teeth pushing outward as it let out a low, distorted laugh.
"Four."
Kuro's body went rigid.
The children screamed.
The sound of something tightening, pulling—
The tongue lashed out, wrapping around one of the kids and lifting them off the ground. The others struggled, but more strands coiled around them, binding their limbs.
Their cries grew weaker.
"I'm not really interested in you," the creature muttered. "Maybe I'll just kill you…"
Kuro's thoughts scattered.
Run.
Could he escape?
The creature wasn't focused on him.
If he ran now—
He swallowed hard, nausea rising in his throat.
His father's voice echoed faintly in his mind.
Live.
"…I could make an exception," the creature continued, turning its attention toward him. The tongue slithered closer, circling him, brushing against his cheek.
"How old are you?"
Kuro forced himself to stay still.
"Fifteen."
"Oh? That's young." The creature's tone shifted, almost amused. "Young is good."
The tongue tightened slightly around his shoulders, slick and cold.
"Too bad about your face."
Kuro's skin crawled.
His hand brushed against something in his pocket.
The broken piece of the toy sword.
"What's that?" the creature snapped suddenly. "A phone? A weapon?"
"Nothing," Kuro said.
"Take it out."
The tongue lashed out, striking his face, then coiled around his neck.
"Hurry up."
Kuro tilted his head slightly, buying a fraction of a second.
Then—
He moved.
His hand shot up, driving the jagged plastic shard straight into the tongue.
The material bent slightly, but the edge pierced through.
Blood splattered.
At the same time, Kuro's palm split open.
Crimson dripped down his fingers.