…He really does seem hopeless. Why is he so nervous?
"By the way, Midoriya. If you're gonna get along with Bakugou, you'd better not get involved with Deku."
"Yeah, yeah. He's Quirkless, you know. Lame, right?"
Quirkless? No, I think Midoriya is quite unique in his own way. Ah, they mean the power-type Quirk. So this boy doesn't have one. To me, not having a Quirk is perfectly normal. But in this era, almost everyone has some kind of Quirk. Even my guardian has one, and I technically do too. Even my little brother, who still can't shake off my hand, has a Quirk.
While I was dead, humanity went through some very strange evolution. How on earth did things turn out this way? Well… it's not entirely bad for children to gain power. Though there are definitely downsides too.
…So? Why are these guys—who I assume are the boys who usually hang around my little brother—telling me this?
"…Is that true?"
"There's no point in lying about it. Right, Deku?"
"I wasn't asking you lot. …Midoriya, is it true?"
"…Y-Yeah… I'm Quirkless…"
"I see. That sounds perfectly ordinary."
"O-Ordinary…?"
"Yes, ordinary."
At least by my standards. According to the common sense of this era, being Quirkless is supposed to be rare. Being born without any power in a world where everyone has something… might be unfortunate. But even so…
"…So you're saying you lot are making fun of Midoriya for that?"
Ah, no good. I'm getting angry. Calm down, calm down. Causing trouble on only my second day of transfer is unacceptable. It's extremely irritating, but I have to handle this peacefully. I won't do what I did back in elementary school. I won't, I won't… I w-won't…!
"N-No… We're not exactly making fun of him… It just came out of nowhere…?"
"…I understand. That's enough. All right, brat, lend me your face for a moment. You too, Midoriya."
"Wha— you…! Let go already!!"
"You can just shake me off if you're strong enough. So weak. Are you even a boy? How pathetic…"
"Aaah!?"
…Sigh. So noisy, so noisy. Why does he bark so much? I don't mind the defiance, and the way he tries to resist me is actually rather charming. Still, if he acts like this toward anyone else, that's a problem. I probably should make him behave a little, but that might be difficult. After all, I tend to spoil children. When you get older, even a brat like this somehow starts to seem cute.
Is this the reason? Is this why my guardian grew up the way she did?
…Well, never mind. I'll take proper responsibility for it.
"Let go already!!"
"Nuoh!?"
"Kacchan!?"
When I dragged my little brother and Midoriya out into the hallway, my little brother finally managed to shake off my hand. Or rather, I had no choice but to let go. Because he exploded. I see—so this is his Quirk. Creating explosions from his palms is quite a powerful ability.
…Though it didn't leave even a scratch on my cursed-energy-reinforced hand.
That aside, black smoke was rising. Right after, an ear-splitting alarm went off and water started spraying from the ceiling. Ah, no good. That's the fire alarm activating…
…Damn it. Did I mess up? Did I seriously mess up already…??
"Don't screw around, you damn shorty…!! Don't grab people's faces!!"
While I was wondering what to do, my soaking-wet little brother started yelling again. Ugh… This is bad. I probably need to come up with a good excuse. After all, in this era teachers constantly drill into you that you're not supposed to use your Quirk in public. And yet this brat just used his. Partly because I was gripping his face and wouldn't let go.
"…I think you're the one screwing around. Let me ask you one thing—you're not making fun of Midoriya too, are you??"
"Aaah!? If I was, then wha—"
"I'll punch you flying."
"Buh!?"
"Kacchan!?"
I punched him flying for now. I did hold back, though. I just thrust my knuckle into the bridge of his nose instead of dropping it on his skull. I didn't channel any cursed energy. If I did that now, even with restraint he might die.
Still, I'll praise him for bracing himself. If he had fallen over from that, I was planning to straddle him and hit him a few more times. Bullying is wrong. I won't tolerate picking on the weak. Any child who does that deserves discipline. Now then, maybe I should give this idiot a little more—
"F-Fire!?" "Is it a villain!?" "Let's evacuate to the schoolyard!!"
Ah, yes… It looks like I won't have time to discipline the fool in front of me. Students started rushing out of the classrooms in a panic. This is bad. Really bad. This is the kind of thing that gets you scolded by the teachers and my father later. I'll probably get another knuckle to the head, and I'll end up making my guardian and mother worry unnecessarily. Just thinking about it feels heavy.
"M-Midoriya-san…! V-Violence is wrong…!!"
While I was feeling weighed down thinking about the consequences, Midoriya grabbed both my shoulders with a panicked face. What is with this kid? I don't think there's any need to protect an idiot like that. …Still, he's right—violence is wrong. No matter how irritating, punching someone in the face was going too far.
"…Yes, you're right. Sorry about that, brat. When I see bullying, I tend to see red…"
"P-Please be careful, okay…? Kacchan, are you all right?"
"—!! ———!!"
Crap, no good. I instantly grabbed Midoriya by the collar and yanked him backward. Right after, my little brother's fist grazed right past where Midoriya's nose had been.
"D…on't…! Don't worry about me!! You damn nerd!!!"
What a terrifying face. No, seriously terrifying. Even my guardian doesn't go that far, I think.
"H-Hey, Kacchan…! You're bleeding from your nose!? Let's go to the nurse's office…!!"
"Shut up and move!! I won't feel better until I send that damn shorty flying!!"
"W-Wait, Kacchan…!"
"Get out of my waaaay!!"
…Ugh… Even though I caused this situation, it feels like things have gotten completely out of hand. The fire alarm is blaring, my little brother is in this state, and for some reason Midoriya is trying to stand between us like a wall. I understand that fighting and violence are wrong, but being protected by the very person who's being bullied… it just feels awful.
All right, I've decided. I've made up my mind—I'm going to correct this idiot. It seems he's been bullying Midoriya, and that I absolutely cannot overlook. Bullying is wrong. Absolutely wrong.
…But first, I need to do something about this annoying fire alarm. For that… I'll have to explain the situation to the teachers and get scolded. For now, the staff room… or the schoolyard? Either way, staying in the hallway like this isn't good.
After that, I went with my little brother to the staff room and bowed our heads in apology. Of course I got yelled at terribly, and when I got home my father gave me a knuckle to the head. I feel like I've shrunk. No, it's not that I'm bothered by being short… Not at all…!
…Huh!? Could it be that the reason I'm short is because every time I do something, Father hits me on the head…!? That klutz! What have you done to me!?