Mineta sighed in relief as he felt his stomach settle down a little.
Right now, he was sitting inside Mt. Lady's apartment, holding a glass of water in both hands like it was the most precious thing in the world.
The apartment itself was surprisingly normal. There were magazines scattered on the table, hero posters on the wall, a giant bean bag near the TV, and multiple bags from clothing brands tossed carelessly near the couch.
'This really feels like the apartment of a college girl…'
Mineta slowly took another sip of water while trying to process everything that had happened today.
He had flown from one city to another on a jetpack.
He had accidentally interrupted a giant hero and villain battle.
He had blasted a giant villain in the face with an exploding jetpack.
And somehow…He had helped Mt. Lady defeat the villain.
'This sounds like one of those crack fanfictions people write online…' Mineta thought as he buried his face in his hands. "I almost died…"
From the kitchen area, Yu laughed loudly. "Well, you definitely know how to make an entrance."
Mineta looked up and saw Yu—currently wearing casual shorts and an oversized shirt instead of her hero costume—walking toward him with another glass of water.
Without the giant form and flashy hero outfit, she looked much younger and softer.
She placed the glass on the table. "You looked like you were about to pass out again."
Mineta gave an embarrassed cough. "Flying over the ocean while swallowing seawater isn't exactly healthy."
Yu snorted before sitting down across from him. "You think?"
Mineta groaned and leaned back against the couch. He still hadn't forgotten Mei's panicked voice from the communicator.
The poor girl had practically broken down crying when he finally answered her call.
She had sobbed about how she almost killed him and how her invention failed and how she should've tested it more.
And Mineta had to spend nearly ten minutes calming her down. Even now, she was apparently still speeding across the ocean trying to reach Mie Prefecture.
'That girl is insane…' Mineta rubbed his forehead tiredly.
Yu tilted her head. "So your inventor friend really ran all the way here?"
Mineta nodded slowly. "Yeah…" Then he muttered with a tired look. "She turned roller skates into water roller skates somehow."
Yu blinked. "...What?"
Mineta just stared blankly into space. "I stopped questioning her inventions a long time ago."
Yu burst out laughing. "Hahaha! Okay, that's actually amazing!"
Mineta smiled awkwardly before quietly saying, "Thank you, Mt. Lady."
Yu immediately pointed at him. "Eh! Didn't I say to call me Yu?"
Mineta straightened slightly. "Thank you, Yu-san." Yu nodded proudly. "There we go."
Then Mineta hesitated slightly before asking, "Um… what happens now?" Yu waved her hand casually. "Relax. I already made sure your name stayed off the record."
Mineta blinked. "...Really?"
"Mhm." Yu leaned back against the couch. "If the police found out a middle schooler got involved in an A-rank villain battle, there'd be a huge mess. Questions, interviews, hero commission involvement…"
She shuddered dramatically. "Way too annoying." Mineta visibly relaxed. "Thank god…"
Yu smirked slightly. "Besides, your involvement was technically accidental."
Then she grinned teasingly. "Though crashing a jetpack into a villain's face is one hell of an attack."
Mineta covered his face in embarrassment. "I DIDN'T EVEN MEAN TO DO THAT!"
Yu laughed loudly again.
Before Mineta could respond—BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Rapid knocking shook the apartment door. Yu raised an eyebrow. "That must be your friend."
She walked over and opened the door—Only to immediately jump aside as a pink blur shot inside the apartment.
"MINETAAAAAA!!!"
Mineta only had one second to brace himself before Mei slammed into him like a missile.
WHAM!
The couch nearly flipped over.
Mineta wheezed as Mei wrapped herself around him while crying dramatically.
"YOU IDIOT! YOU ALMOST DIED! I THOUGHT YOU WERE GONNA FLY INTO SPACE!!"
She started shaking him violently. Mineta's soul nearly left his body.
"Agh—Mei—stop shaking me—I can see stars—"
Mei kept crying while shaking him even harder. "I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY! I'M SORRY!"
Mineta's head spun so hard he genuinely thought he saw All Might giving him a thumbs up from heaven.
'I am ascending…'
Finally, he weakly raised a hand and patted her head. "I can't breathe…"
Mei instantly froze. Then she slowly let go. Mineta collapsed sideways against the table while holding it for support. Everything in his vision was spinning.
Mei knocked on her own head in a cutesy way. "Sorry!"
Mineta stared at her silently. 'If my mother wasn't going to murder me already…' A dangerous thought entered his brain. '...Would it be acceptable to dropkick her Kazuma-style to make her cry like Aqua from Konosuba?'
Yu watched the entire thing while laughing uncontrollably. "Hahahaha! You two are hilarious!"
Mei puffed her cheeks. "This isn't funny! My baby malfunctioned!"
Yu blinked. "...You call the jetpack your baby?"
Mei nodded proudly. "Of course!"
Yu looked at Mineta. "...You really deal with this daily?" Mineta gave a deadpan stare. "I suffer."
Mei gasped dramatically. "Betrayal!"
Yu laughed again while Mineta rubbed his sore neck. After calming down a little, Mineta looked at Yu again and bowed his head slightly.
"Still… thank you, Yu-san."
Yu waved him off casually. "Don't worry about it." Then she suddenly looked curious. "So… do you want to become a hero?"
Mineta blinked before nodding seriously. "Yes." Yu noticed the determination in his eyes immediately. 'I see…'
She smiled slightly before reaching for a nearby notebook. She quickly wrote something down, tore the page out, and handed it to him.
Mineta looked down. It was a phone number. His eyes widened.
Yu crossed her arms proudly. "Call me if you ever need help." Then she grinned confidently. "And when I become a pro hero and you get into a hero school, make sure to take my internship offer."
Mineta immediately did a salute. "Yes ma'am!"
'OH MY GOD I HAVE A HEROINE'S PHONE NUMBER!!' His brain was internally screaming.
Yu laughed at his reaction while Mei leaned over curiously. "Hm? Hero connections already? Mineta, you move fast."
"I ALMOST DIED!"
"Results matter."
"I HATE HOW THAT MAKES SENSE!"
Time Skip
Mineta slowly opened the front door to his house. He quietly took off his shoes, then he nervously said,
"I-I'm home…"
THWACK!
A slipper flew past his face at terrifying speed and slammed into the door lock behind him.
CLICK.
The door locked shut.
Mineta froze. Slowly…Very slowly…He looked upward.
Umeko stood there holding a spatula in one hand. And a phone in the other.
The phone screen was showing a news report about a mysterious purple grape haired blur flying across Saitama at insane speed.
Mineta felt cold sweat drip down his back. Behind Umeko, Manami gave him an apologetic look. Then he slowly mouthed—"You are on your own."
Before immediately turning around and walking away while talking on his phone.
"Yeah, yeah, take the video down… pay the guy extra if needed…"
Mineta stared at his traitorous father in disbelief. 'HE ABANDONED ME!'
Meanwhile, on the staircase—Himiko stood there watching the scene.
Then she gave him a solemn salute like a soldier watching someone march toward death. After that, she quietly turned around and walked toward the kitchen.
"May your soul rest in peace, Mineta-kun."
"OI!" Mineta shouted in indignation.
Umeko's terrifying voice immediately shook Mineta out of his panic. "Can you explain this?"
Mineta slowly looked at her.
Then at the spatula.
Then back at her.
He gulped. "I can explain…"