Junsei and Momo remained at the shelter until the early evening. At last, with the shadows stretching long across the garden, they prepared to leave.
"Why not stay the night here?" Kimi suggested. "It's late to be heading home now."
"I don't want to impose," Momo replied at once.
Kimi raised an eyebrow, amused. "Is the place too modest for you?"
"No!! Of course not!" Momo waved her hands quickly. "It's very nice. I just don't want to trouble you, and we were supposed to go back today."
Kimi laughed. "Relax, I'm joking. Why not call your parents and ask for permission to stay the night?"
Momo hesitated, then glanced at Junsei, who stood beside her as expressionless as ever. She looked back at Kimi. "My parents aren't in Japan at the moment, but we should inform Mr Sai so he doesn't worry."
Kimi nodded happily. Momo contacted Sai, and with everything settled, she and Junsei stayed the night at Kimi's place. Early the next morning, after promises of future visits, the two set off once more.
As they walked toward the train station, Momo said. "Ms Kimi is really a nice person. No wonder you called her a good human…"
She hesitated, then continued carefully. "Junsei, you've spoken about life many times now. I always thought it was just the way you describe things, your care for nature and your dislike of people, but yesterday, I couldn't help thinking you meant something more."
Junsei looked at her. "I didn't," he said simply. "What I said is what I meant."
Momo thought for a moment. "Then… what is the cycle of life? The one you spoke of. Is it something you see?"
"Every creature has life," Junsei replied. "When it dies, that life moves on, growing and evolving."
Momo nodded slowly, her thoughts drifting to the idea of reincarnation that so many people believed in. Junsei did not elaborate further.
Suddenly, a loud voice rang out from nearby. "Hold it right there!! You're the forest kid!!"
Junsei and Momo turned to see the Rabbit Hero, Mirko, charging toward them with an excited grin. She skidded to a stop right in front of them, smiling broadly. "It really is you!!"
"Hello," Momo began. "I didn't get the chance to…"
"Yeah, yeah, whatever," Mirko cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Brat, fight me!! I want my rematch."
Junsei stared at her in silence.
"What?!" Momo exclaimed. "You want to fight Junsei?!"
Mirko ignored her entirely, her eyes fixed on Junsei.
"I don't know what you did last time," Mirko said at last, "but I won't accept that loss. I want a rematch."
"You can't do that!" Momo protested.
Mirko finally glanced at her. "Stay out of this. It's between me and him. I'll have my fight one way or another."
"You're the Number Ten Hero!" Momo said desperately. "You can't just pick fights with a student, it's illegal!"
"It's not a problem as long as no one knows," Mirko replied, unfazed. "And it's not like I want to kill the brat. I just want a fair fight!"
Momo looked around. People had begun to stop, staring openly at Mirko and at them.
"It's too late for that," Momo said. "Everyone knows you and they're watching. Please, leave."
"I don't care," Mirko said stubbornly. "I just want a fight."
"Why?" Momo demanded. "You're a hero!"
"This isn't about being a hero."
Mirko stepped closer to Junsei, meeting his gaze. "I refuse to be a coward who lost to a brat and walked away shaking. We live only once. I want to live every day to the fullest, fight the strongest opponents and die without regrets. Call me crazy, but my instincts tell me you don't care about laws or opinions, just like me. You want to live fully too. It's like my quirk recognizes your desire!"
"I don't want to fight," Junsei said.
His eyes began to glow.
In that instant, all color drained from Mirko's face. Her eyes widened, her body trembling violently. Momo noticed at once the sheer horror written across the hero's expression. Then Mirko bit her lip hard enough to draw blood, forcing herself to focus again.
Sweat beaded on her face, but she grinned wildly. "I'm the Rabbit Hero!! I won't lose to that damned trick again!" Her fists clenched as her body tensed and stopped shaking. "I won't shake before you again! I'd rather fight and die than to live as a quitter!"
Junsei's eyes widened slightly. Since discovering he could affect people with animal-type quirks, he had never expected anyone to resist him. A sudden thought crossed his mind, she was the Number Ten Hero. He wanted to see how strong a top hero truly was.
"Fine," he said at last. "I'll fight you."
"Junsei, what?!" Momo cried. "You can't! Look around, there's already a crowd!"
"Let's go to the nearby forest where you used to live," Mirko said eagerly. "We can fight there to our heart's content."
Junsei nodded. And with that, the two headed toward the forest, while Momo followed behind them, her face full of worry.
It took them an entire hour to reach the edge of the forest, and another half hour of walking beneath the trees before they arrived at a wide clearing, the trees retreating just enough to leave a natural arena.
Mirko stretched her arms once and laughed. "This place is perfect."
"We can still stop this madness," Momo said, her voice tight.
Mirko glanced back at her with a grin. "Just enjoy the show."
Momo pressed her lips together, then said firmly, "If anyone gets hurt, stop immediately."
Junsei walked away from her.
"Junsei," Momo called after him. "Be careful. She's one of the strongest heroes."
"I know," Junsei replied.
He and Mirko faced each other across the clearing. Mirko's grin widening. "I've dreamed of this day for so long."
Junsei said nothing. His eyes began to glow.
The instant they did, Mirko bit her lip hard enough to draw blood and charged forward at full speed. In the blink of an eye she was in front of him, her leg already swinging forward in a devastating kick.
Junsei's eyes widened. He raised his arms just in time to block, but the impact sent him flying, his body tumbling across the forest ground.
"Junsei!!" Momo screamed. "Are you okay?!"
Mirko watched him rise slowly to his feet. "I got faster and stronger since last time, brat. And I won't freeze because of your quirk again."
Junsei narrowed his eyes. The next moment, he rushed forward at a speed that surpassed even Mirko's earlier charge.
Mirko laughed as she reacted, flipping backward and snapping her heel up into Junsei's chin the moment he reached her. The blow sent him soaring high into the air.
She landed lightly on her feet, still smiling. "Really? Charging like that? You're disappointing."
Midair, Junsei twisted, rotating his body before descending upright. The instant his foot touched the ground, he charged again.
Mirko raised an eyebrow, repeating the same backflip, but this time Junsei stopped abruptly. Her kick sliced past his face harmlessly, and he swung a punch at her in his awkward stance.
Mirko halted her flip mid-motion, her hands stabbing into the earth. In a fluid movement, she swept back toward him, her legs snapping around his head. With a sharp twist, she lifted him and slammed him into the ground.
She straightened again, confidence radiating from her grin as Junsei lay still for a moment. "You're clearly strong and fast," she said. "But you don't know how to fight."
"That's enough!!" Momo shouted.
Junsei pushed himself up slowly. "I'm fine."
"But you're getting hurt!" Momo insisted.
"I am not," Junsei replied calmly.
He looked at Mirko. She chuckled. "You're a tough brat, aren't you?"
Junsei charged again in the same manner. This time Mirko swung a powerful arcing kick straight toward his head. Junsei stopped instantly and mirrored her movement exactly, his leg meeting hers midair.
His kick overpowered Mirko's.
She lost her balance as Junsei's leg returned to the ground. Using her other leg along the momentum from Junsei's kick, Mirko spun through the air, launching another kick from the opposite side. It struck Junsei squarely on the shoulder.
Mirko's eyes widened.
Instead of falling, Junsei used the force to rotate, just as she had. The next instant, his kick smashed straight into her face, sending her flying backward into a tree. The trunk cracked loudly under the impact.
Mirko stood up slowly, blood running from her head down to her chin. She wiped it away with the back of her hand and laughed breathlessly.
"You're learning," she said. "You're copying me."
Junsei said nothing.
His eyes continued to glow, fixed on Mirko as though he were dissecting her, piece by piece.
From the side of the clearing, Momo watched the fight unfold, her earlier fear for Junsei slowly giving way to pure awe. His skill had grown sharper with every exchange. Where Mirko once dominated the fight, she now struggled to keep up. Each minute that passed tilted the battle further, until Junsei was no longer merely matching her, but overwhelming her.
And then fear returned to Momo as she thought [At this rate… he might kill her.]
"Enough already!!" Momo cried out. "Junsei, you won!"
A hoarse voice answered her. "I'm… still standing!!"
Momo turned to Mirko. "Are you crazy?! Do you want to die?!"
Mirko was barely recognizable. Blood soaked her hair and streaked down her face. Her nose sat at a broken angle, lips split and swollen, eyes darkened with bruises. Cuts and welts covered her arms and legs, and her breathing came in ragged gasps as her entire body trembled, held upright by nothing but stubborn will.
Junsei, by contrast, stood untouched save for dirt smeared across his clothes.
He looked from Mirko to Momo and said calmly, "She wants to die without regrets."
"What are you saying?!" Momo snapped. "That's not funny! Enough of this senseless fight!!"
Slowly, Junsei's eyes stopped glowing. He turned away from Mirko and walked toward Momo.
"Come back here, you brat!" Mirko shouted weakly. "This isn't over! I didn't surrender!"
Junsei didn't even glance back.
Momo cast Mirko one last look. "We're leaving first."
She turned and walked away, Junsei following her in silence.
Mirko screamed after them, but her voice faded as her legs finally gave out. She collapsed to the ground, coughing out a breathless laugh. "Dammit… I lost again."
Then she smirked through the blood. "That was fun. The best fight ever."
Far from the clearing, Momo slowed her steps. "I hope she has the strength to get back on her own."
"She will," Junsei said. "After some rest."
Momo nodded, then fixed him with a stern look. "Don't do that again. Fighting for no reason like that is bad."
Junsei didn't answer. His thoughts drifted back to the Rabbit Hero. At first, he had considered using more power to end the fight quickly, but he had restrained himself instead, just enough to avoid getting harmed and to observe her movements. To see how a hero fought.
Now he knew.
His strength stood far above most humans. Only a few could truly pose a danger to him.