Izuku shot forward like lightning, charging straight at the siblings.
"Big sis, this guy's even dumber than me. He's actually rushing us."
"Stop talking and take him down," she said, already impatient. "Then we go for the cash truck."
"Got it."
The large man increased both the number and speed of the cubes he threw.
"…Guess I have to use this."
Izuku flicked the pens in his hand forward one by one. The incoming cubes wrapped around the pens and dropped to the ground, clearing a narrow path for him.
"Big sis, I can't stop him!"
"…Then I'll handle it."
The masked woman raised her left hand. The scattered cubes in the air immediately aligned and surged toward Izuku in formation.
So she controls the cubes… and his Quirk works perfectly with hers.
Izuku weaved through the barrage, barely avoiding the incoming blocks.
I'm running out of pens. I'll have to close the distance and finish it with a hit. But how do I get through…?
He lifted his right leg.
"Air Blade!"
He brought it down in a sharp kick. A visible blade of compressed wind shot forward.
"Defend!"
Dozens of brown cubes stacked together, forming a wall in front of the siblings. The wind blade slammed into it, the two forces grinding against each other. Then several cubes broke formation and surrounded the attack, dragging it down until it dissipated.
A gap opened in the wall.
By the time the siblings noticed, Izuku had already burst through it. Green electricity flickered across his body, lighting their faces.
"SMASH!"
—
Twenty minutes later, when the police and pro heroes arrived, they found the two villains tied up on the ground, cubes scattered everywhere, and a taiyaki shop burning nearby.
"…Who did this?"
No one had an answer.
—
On the way back, Izuku glanced at the cut on the back of his hand and frowned. It wasn't deep, but infection was a risk.
He pulled a bandage from his pocket and covered it, then jogged the rest of the way back to Gran Torino's place, still carrying a bag of taiyaki.
"I'm back."
"…Who are you supposed to be?"
—
The next morning, Izuku walked into the classroom as usual. There were only two classes today, but attendance still mattered.
"Hey, did you hear? Bakugo got his hair styled by Best Jeanist. They used some super strong gel. It's supposed to be hilarious."
"Seriously? I've never seen him with styled hair before."
Izuku sat down, opened his book, and started reading.
Not long after, Todoroki approached. He had just arrived and hadn't even put his bag down yet.
"Izuku, how was your work study yesterday?"
"It was fine… The person training me was just a bit unusual."
Izuku casually covered his injured right hand with his left, but the movement didn't go unnoticed. Todoroki immediately grabbed his wrist and lifted it.
The cut, nearly a centimeter long, was clearly visible. Todoroki's expression faltered for a moment before he started pulling Izuku toward the nurse's office.
"Todoroki, Recovery Girl isn't even there yet," Izuku said, trying to pull his hand back.
"How long have you had this?"
"Since yesterday afternoon. It's not a big deal, so let go—"
Before he could finish, the classroom door slammed open.
Bakugo walked in.
His hair, usually spiked in every direction, was now neatly pressed down against his head.
"…Pfft—HAHAHA!"
"Sorry, I can't—this is too much—!"
Kirishima and Kaminari completely lost it, barely able to stand from laughing.
"You think I wanted this? That damn Best Jeanist did it!" Bakugo snapped.
Then he noticed Todoroki holding Izuku's hand. The two of them were standing close.
For some reason, Todoroki's grip tightened.
Bakugo's expression darkened. His flattened hair bristled slightly as he dropped his bag and charged forward.
"Half-and-half bastard! What the hell are you doing?!"
The classroom erupted into chaos.
—
By the time Iida and the others managed to pull the two apart, Izuku had already retreated to the far corner of the room.
He crouched down, facing the wall, hands over his head.
"Don't… don't hit me…"
His voice shook as tears fell, one drop at a time, quietly hitting the floor.