Chapter 178: The Red Oni won't Weep (3)
~Third POV~
[UA Highschool, Ground Omega, Japan]
As the Oni team exited to hunt the Monotaro team, Ida asked curiously, "Only six of them left, yes?"
Momo nodded her head as she crossed her arms together, adding lightly, "And they should be running quite low on beans."
Toga grinned, feeling confident as she stated, letting her guard down, "We know they'll come for the hut, so if we just stand guard—"
*Whip*
Before she could finish, something long and slick lashed out from the underbrush and caught around Kinoko. Her eyes widened as her screams faded as Asui dashed down the hill, her tongue wrapped tightly around her captive, "Ahhh! Not the tentacles – ow!"
*Smack*
A tongue smack on her head made Kinoko shut up about the tentacle's comment. Taking notice of their kidnapped teammate, Kirishima cried out, "Kinoko!"
He and the rest of Team Oni gave chase. They lost sight of Asui and Kinoko about halfway down, so Toga alerted her teammates, beckoning to the others to start searching, "This way!"
Todoroki, glancing ahead, asked in a cautious tone, "Could it be a trap?"
A moment later, Toga gasped, alarming everyone, "Someone's coming!"
*Swooosh*
Leaping from tree to tree, Ren soared over the heads of Team Oni, holding all of Team Momotaro's remaining beans. In response, Tokoyami and [Dark Shadow] took to the skies, while Yaoyorozu switched on her powerful vacuum cleaner.
Before the vacuum could swallow up any beans, however, it began to malfunction after being hit by an EMP Wave. Momo gasped, whose vacuum function malfunctioned, "What now?"
From above the tree, Izuku with a Support Gear gauntlet moved quickly. Meanwhile, Ren had scooped Izuku off the tree and now leaped toward Tokoyami.
*Click*
Changing from gauntlet into gun mode Midoriya smirked aiming at Tokoyami saying in a cocky tone, "How about a bean to the face Tokoyami? Release the birds!!"
*BANG*
Before Tokoyami and [Dark Shadow] knew what had hit them, their two cudgels were bound together by one of the energy tendrils from Ren's [Blackwhip]. Then, Shinso unleashed a dozen or so crows toward the earthbound oni that he used [Brainwashing] on to command.
*Caw*
*Caw*
Caught off guard by the avian attack, the oni dove into the underbrush for cover, only to plummet into a massive pitfall dug up by Sato. To cap it all off, the dazed Team Oni looked up to see Kaminari standing over them as he said with a grin in a confident tone, "Sorry, guys, but we're low on beans, so you had to be a fish in a barrel if this was gonna work."
*Buzz*
*Bzzz*
The ensuing [Electrification] jolt put Team Oni down for the count, allowing Team Momotaro to casually toss three beans at each zapped enemy. Aizawa's voice rang out at the defeated in a neutral tone, "Ida, Toga, Todoroki, Kirishima, Tokoyami, Kinoko, and Momo are out."
Ren raised his fist into the air as he said in an overdramatic tone, "Great! All that's left is to save Eri!"
But a flustered Kirishima has one last thing to say as he claps his hands together and holds them up as he begs, "I know we got no right to ask for a darn thing from the dudes who beat us, but please! Help Bakugo make friends with Eri! You gotta!"
Ren blinked at this as he asked in a knowing tone, "Not going well, I take it?"
Kirishima, with a slow nod, said in a defeated tone, "Pretty much…"
Then Ida spoke up sucking up some air as he begged for his classmate's sake in a pleading tone, "First we tried leaving them alone, and then we attempted to assist … but nothing seems to bring those two any closer. As your humble class president, I implore you to help Bakugo with his assignment!"
The members of Team Momotaro glanced at each other. No objections, as Ren said on behalf of the team, "Of course! I was actually worried about those two myself."
Some of his classmates nodded, but Denki said in a confused tone, bringing up a good question, "But uh… how do we get it done, exactly? Hard to picture Bakugo and Eri hanging out like good buddies."
Asui nodded as Ren paused, considering the idea in a blunt tone that the others agreed, "That's the whole problem, ribbit."
Momo, after some thought, suggested as the group listened to her words, "What if we model our strategy on 'The Weeping Red Oni'?"
Sero blinked as he asked confused, "Red oni? Who's that?"
Shinso's eyes blinked as he explained to his classmates in a calm tone, with his arms crossed, "Oh, I know this one! There's this redoni who wants to be friends with humans, right? So, his blue oni pal decides to help out. The blue guy attacks the human neighbors so that the red one can save them and win brownie points. The plan works like a charm, but afterward, the blue oni realizes he's gotta hit the road so that the people don't catch on to their trick."
Listening to his take, Denki, remembered as he muttered out loud recalling the bedtime story, "Oof, yeah, that sad bedtime story. It's like, don'tcha get it, Blue? You were Red's best bud all along!"
Momo nodded her head, recalling the tale, but her expression made a confused look as she said calmly, "I'm sure we all came away with various impressions from the tale. But what's clear is that if an oni and human are to become friends, some sort of villain is essential. Meaning…"
Ren, catching on bluntly, said their plan with a raised eyebrow in a confused tone, "We play the part of the blue oni so Bakugo can be the red oni?"
Pondering this, Momo looked unsure till she suggested her idea, "Perhaps. Or instead, what about the tale of 'The Setsubun Oni'?"
Asui asked confused about what Momo meant, "How do you mean?"
Seeing the group's looks of confusion, Momo went ahead to explain to her group about the tale of 'The Setsubun Oni' in a calm tone, "As the story goes, one year on Setsubun, an old man who lived all alone heard his neighbors chanting, 'Oni, begone! Good fortune, come in!' However, he got the saying wrong and instead shouted, 'Oni, come in! Good fortune, begone!' Hearing this, an oni stormed into the old man's house, but it somehow worked out for the best. They feasted together, and the old man found himself with renewed vim and vigor for life. In any case, if we were to use that tale as an example, our plan might be executed entirely peacefully, without the need for a designated villain."
Understanding the tale, Denki asked with his arms crossed in a confused tone, "So, we're gonna make Eri have sympathy for the devil? I mean, for Bakugo?"
Asui then asked bluntly, placing a finger on her chin on the idea, "I wonder if Bakugo will go along with our plan, though… ribbit."
The members of both teams tried to imagine Bakugo as a willing participant, which prompted them to scrunch up their faces in unison as Ren said bluntly, "Hrmm… The Setsubun Oni option would be nicer for Eri, but yeah, Bakugo might not go along with it."
The others nodded in agreement as Midoriya said, looking around the group his idea, "In that case, let's go with the Weeping Red Oni plan."
/////
[UA Highschool, Ground Omega – Oni Team Hut, Japan]
A peeved Bakugo peered out the window of the hut as he thought confidentially, 'I'm the last man standing? Well, let 'em come. I'll wipe the floor with 'em…'
He would've loved nothing more than to run off and launch an attack—waiting around was not one of Bakugo's many talents—but obviously, he couldn't leave Eri by her lonesome. Nor could he openly express his steadily growing irritation in front of the girl.
He turned from the window to glance at Eri, who was still cowering in the corner of the hut. She noticed him looking, flinched, and quickly averted her eyes as he thought, 'What are my damn options?'
Eri would flinch at Bakugo's every move to the extent that he wondered if this exercise had transformed him into an oni. Right when the hopeless task had him scratching his head again, he felt something soft poking him in the back.
Bakugo whipped around to find Asui's tongue extending a note toward him. Following the tongue, he spotted Asui herself hiding in the bushes outside. She gestured at the obviously puzzled Bakugo, imploring him to read the note.
'READY TO HELP W/ YOUR ASSIGNMENT. COMMENCE OPERATION: WEEPY RED ONI.'
Once Bakugo had read the message, Asui nodded at him, retracted her tongue back through the open window, and vanished as he thought, confused, 'What? I'm the red oni?'
The brief message was enough for Bakugo to get the gist. He guessed (correctly) that Kirishima had begged Team Momotaro to help with the Eri assignment. This triggered another cluck of his tongue and a scowl.
Just because they were prepared to "help," Team Momotaro wasn't necessarily giving up on winning the game, which meant they would probably still rescue Eri after Operation: Weepy Red Oni was over.
Just as Bakugo was considering how best to destroy his rivals after receiving their help, a group of cloaked, shouting figures stormed into the hut. It was Team Momotaro, obviously, with concealing cloaks courtesy of Yaoyorozu's Quirk.
"Hrahhh! Hand over the kid!"
"We're villains! Can'tcha tell?"
"Evil, nasty villains!"
Kaminari and Shinso were hamming it up big-time, and the no-nonsense Bakugo was left speechless for a moment by their shenanigans. But the insolent incursion flipped a switch in him as he exploded in a frustrated tone, "Over my dead body, asswipes!"
All that snowballing frustration finally exploded, and Bakugo realized that maybe this ridiculous farce represented his best shot at actual victory over Team Momotaro. Cudgel in hand, the liberated Bakugo came alive with sparks in his eyes.
That bright, animated look and the impending violence transformed him into a bizarre, villainous monster. As he quickly dispatched the boldest of the three invaders, Bakugo had no idea how fascinated Eri was by this new mode of his as he roared at Ren and the rest of Team Momotaro who were still standing around, "Too scared to come at me? Then lemme do the honors, you wastes of oxygen!"
Seeing the enraged Bakugo charging at them in the cramped hut, they started to panic. Perhaps they hadn't realized that he would take the playacting quite so seriously.
Bakugo's ferocious response left them fearing for the integrity of the hut itself as Ren, who ran out of beans to throw, said nervously, "H-hang on a sec, Bakugo, we can talk about this!"
Bakugo grinned, given this free chance, and said, calling out his hero name, "Nah, now it's your turn, Power Ranger! By the way, stupid name!"
Eri, who saw the whole hullabaloo, had startled her, but her ears pricked up upon hearing Ren's hero name, "Huh?"
Then, the hood of Ren's cloak fell back as he frantically dodged Bakugo's strikes, revealing his face as he whispered to him, "Psst! Wild Pomeranian! What about us helping you with the… y'know?"
Bakugo replied, holding his cudgel with a fearful grin in a determined tone, "Thanks a whole lot for the assist! But this's looking like two birds, one stone to me!"
At last, Bakugo had Ren cornered, but just as he raised his mighty cudgel, Eri shouted, throwing something at Bakugo, "Oni, be gone! Oni, come in!"
"Huhh?"
Bakugo felt the lightest of impacts against his body and heard whatever it was scatter to the floor. He stared in disbelief—first at the three beans that had found their target and then at Eri, who was still scared but was now giving him a defiant look.
It was when Aizawa's voice came through the speakers, declaring, "Bakugo is out. Team Oni has been eliminated. Team Momotaro wins."
Bakugo broke his stunned silence to yell, "What's the big idea?"
Coming from the speaker, Aizawa began to explain to Bakugo in a stoic tone, "As I mentioned, you were meant to treat Eri like a real hostage. A hostage are typically eager to escape, and they may conceal weapons of their own. Which is why, from the very start, Eri was equipped with beans so she could fight back."
Ren asked Eri, as he was as shocked as anyone about this turn of events, "Is that right?"
Eri gulped, nodded as she clutched her chest, heaved a deep sigh of relief, and said, "I was so nervous cuz I didn't know when I should throw my beans."
Ren was beaming with a smile as he said, patting her head, "Thanks, Eri! You totally saved me there."
Eri smiled back, just as wide cutely muttering, "Umu!"
As Bakugo stared at Eri, he thought back on her behavior. Nearly the whole time, she had been cowering in the corner of the hut and flinching at his every move.
It dawned on Bakugo that throughout the exercise, she'd been biding her time and trying to figure out when to unleash the beans on him. Moving toward Eri, who stared up in terror at the looming Bakugo and braced for impact, he said in an impressed tone with a snort, "I got something to say… Not bad, kid. You got me good. Better to be a hostage with some fight in ya, I say."
Eri, her eyes growing wide in surprise, yelped, "Huh?"
Midoriya, eyes wide, was barely able to contain his excitement as he said, impressed, "Eri! You got a genuine compliment from Kacchan! That's as rare as they come!"
Eri said confused, "R-really?"
Midoriya nodded, agreeing. Eri glanced back at Bakugo, who clucked his tongue and clarified as he said, "Compliment? Nah, just saying what's on my mind."
The girl stared harder at Bakugo's stony side profile, and her expression softened just a bit. Ren chuckled and muttered, "Such a tsundere."
Bakugo's eyes widened as he yelled at Ren, charging at him, "WHAT'S THAT YOU TRASHY THIEF?!!"
Ren merely laughed at him as he ran away from the explosive boy, yelling, "GET BACK HERE!!"
/////
[Later, UA Highschool, Class 1-A, Japan]
Once Thirteen had shown up and left with Eri, Aizawa gave the class his evaluation as he explained stoically, "Though Team Momotaro did come away with the win, your strategy was rough around the edges and full of inefficiencies. When time is of the essence, it's critical to form a rational plan without delay. Understood?"
The students nodded in unison and said, "Yes."
Aizawa surveyed the class and settled his gaze on Bakugo as he explained to him, "As for your special assignment, Bakugo, Eri does have a better impression of you now."
Bakugo, too stunned to say more, said, "Oh yeah?"
Aizawa lightly grinned as he explained Bakugo Eri's impression of him in a light-hearted tone, "Apparently, she was grateful for that compliment at the very end, and though she was scared, she appreciated how enthusiastically you embraced your role as an oni."
Toga snorted hearing that as she replied, holding in her laughter, "Pfft! The enthusiastic performance? Except that wasn't even acting!"
Bakugo roared out, "Cram it, vampire!"
But before he could hurl more abuse at Kaminari, Aizawa resumed, "Let's say … you passed."
A sense of relief washed over the entire class, and Kirishima threw an arm around Bakugo's shoulders as he said in a proud tone, "Hear that, dude? That was touch-and-go for a while, but you pulled it off!"
Being cheeky, Ren placed a hand over Bakugo's shoulder, saying in a proud tone, "Why, as the class president, nothing I could hear could make me happier!"
Ochaco complained, clenching her hands as she said, "Aw, I wish I coulda joined Operation: Weepy Red Oni!"
Bakugo's eternal scowl grew scowlier and scowlier as his classmates gathered around with quips and comments as he bellowed out, "Leave me the hell alone!"
But this was nothing new for class A and did nothing to diminish their excitement. Turning away to leave, an exasperated Aizawa said under his breath, but there was a hint of cheer to his voice, "They've grown close. Guess the world is full of kindness—not oni."