"You killed him."
I look at the hero wannabe lying in the hospital bed next to me like he's an idiot, which he is. "Yeah? Pretty sure that was obvious given the bullet going in his head and coming out the other side, along with a decent amount of his brain, blood, and the skull fragments." Not that it's impossible for someone to survive that, given how utterly ridiculous some quirks can be - like mine - but without some kind of miracle healing quirk, Stain is most assuredly 'dead'.
"Hmm," I muse aloud. "Stain said that he'd only allow a true hero to kill him, and since I'm the one who did the deed, do you think that makes me a true hero in his eyes?"
On Iida's other side Shoko gives me a firm nod. "Of course you are. I was already aware of that, of course, but it's nice to see that others are coming to the same realization."
Iida gives her a look that screams a question of her sanity, which I won't vocally admit is valid - what with me being a casual killer and all - but all the same don't appreciate it being directed at my friend. A shame I can't do anything about it strapped to the bed as I am. Which is another thing that's valid. I did injure a ton of heroes/police after I fired the gun, after all. Who knew that executing a serial killer on live national television would get so many people's underwear all twisted up?
And yes, I apparently did kill the man on live nationaltelevision! That news crew that was on sight was apparently one of the very few ones that were still capable of recording everything in Hosu! So basically everyone was tuned into their station to keep on top of the events that were going on, and they were broadcasting Stain's speech before I shot it short! Someone in the LoV better have recorded that, I wanna see how badass I looked!
Anyways, back to the point: since all my knives were confiscated and I can't move more beyond a few wiggles and moving my head, I can't really punish the glasses wearing failed murderer for giving Shoko a look that should by all rights be consistently directed at me instead. Well, I can do this.
Iida makes noises of disgust while wiping at his face, and I have never been more thankful for my dedication towards learning how to annoy people while I have no arms. It's a very useful skill that everyone should learn! Especially if they spend any amount of time around Shigaraki!
"Did you just spit on me!?"
"Duh," I say with a look that should make it clear that I'm questioning his intelligence. Speaking of his questionable intelligence… "Why do you sound so shocked that I killed him? It's not like you weren't planning to do the same thing."
The hero aspirant grimaces. "I… can admit that I did not go looking for him with good intentions-"
"I know a number of people who would argue that murder is a good intention. At least when it's directed at other people." He opens his mouth to (probably) lecture me about how villains aren't role models, but closes it without saying anything. Visibly swallowing back the retort, he continues as if he hadn't heard me.
"I was overwhelmed by my anger at what Stain had done to my brother, at how he crippled the person I look up to the most." His hands crumple the blanket across his legs in his fists, one bandaged where Stain had pierced through it, and he stares down at them. "I… wasn't thinking, beyond that I had a duty to put a stop to the monster. No matter the cost, I was convinced that Stain needed to be stopped. Permanently, if necessary."
I can't help but snort. "Yeah," I drawl, "because a high schooler in their first couple of months at a hero school totally has the power and skills necessary to take down a person that had proven more dangerous than a number of actual pro heroes." I pause then amend my statement. "Well, just because they hold the title doesn't mean that they're any good at their job…"
The teen currently lacking glasses to hide his eyes behind glares at me with gritted teeth, and there's a not insignificant amount of anger in them. Amusingly enough, only most of it is directed at me. There's a good amount directed at himself. "I'm aware that there's nothing I could have done," he admits in a hissed breath. "But I came to that realization far too late, and because of it…"
He sighs. "My foolish desire for revenge ensured that whatever chance Native had to live, it was squandered. He's dead because I didn't think for a single moment about trying to get him away from the murderer." He starts to shake. "As wrong as Stain was about his targets being false heroes, he was right about one thing." His voice comes out as a croak, the admittance paining him.
"I do not have what it takes to become a hero."
The door of the hospital room opens. "You're right, Tenya, you don't." A man in a wheelchair rolls himself in, an expression of profound disappointment on a face that resembles the blue haired failure in the bed next to mine. He's quickly followed by a man with what's clearly a beagle dog mutation quirk and the esteemed principal of UA himself: Nezu!
Iida gasps. "B-brother! I-"
Said brother raises a hand and brings the younger's words to a halt. "You and I have a lot to talk about, Tenya, but not here, not now." He wheels himself to the side and gives the dog man a nod, which he returns. Stepping forward, he clears his throat before he speaks.
"This is a… delicate situation, ruff." Ruff? Oh! A quirk tick, never mind. "The three of you searched out and engaged the Hero Killer despite having not received permission-"
"Shoko and I actually did have permission," I correct the man. Which he should know? Did he not read Endeavor's (bastard) report before coming here? "He also gave Shoko permission to utilize her quirk during the situation.
The man gets a consternated look on his face before looking at Nezu, who returns to him a smile showing off a lot of sharp teeth. "According to Endeavor's report of the Hosu incident, these two did receive permission for their actions. At least in regards to the events that occurred before Midosagi's near kidnapping." Oh, and isn't that something that ruffles the rodent's fur! The fact that the LoV very nearly managed to get me out of his grasp and he wouldn't have been able to do anything about it! The best part? It's only been three days since I left the grounds of UA!
There were no announcements, no publicity stunts, no possibility that the LoV could have known I would be at Hosu with Endeavor at any point before I'd gotten there. Which means that this attack - if it wasn't intended to deal with Stain? The LoV nearly managed to win our game against him at the first opportunity. If they'd actually managed to get a plan to rescue me?
I think it's safe to say that this has been a rather decent blow to the rat's pride.
It's a shame that it also means he'll be more on guard from this point forward to prevent our game from ending too soon.
The dog's eyes flicker over to Iida, and I'm filled with the overwhelming certainty that there's more to him not reading Endeavor's report than I first thought. "I see, ruff. Be that as it may, from what Manual has reported, you, Mister Iida, were explicitly told to help evacuate civilians. Instead of doing this incredibly important task, ruff, and possibly saving dozens of lives, you instead went off in search for Hero Killer Stain. Is that a correct summarization of events, ruff?"
The boy looks down in shame and gives a shallow nod of his head. The dog man continues with a heavy voice. "What you did is vigilantism, and it is heavily punished by the law." The boy looks up, staring at what I can only imagine is the local police chief due to a lack of introductions. "Due in part to your age, you will not be placed under arrest, ruff, but…"
Nezu picks up where the dog trails off, his words said with the utmost solemnity. "Tenya Iida; it is with sincere regret that I must inform you that you are expelled from UA high school."
Of everything that Ingenium's planned successor might have expected, it clearly wasn't this. "Bu- wha- you- But I must maintain Ingenium's legacy!"
Nezu remains silent and slowly shakes his head in disappointment, leaving the former Ingenium himself to speak, his eyes dark. "Tenya, you made an active effort to search out and kill a man in cold blood. This isn't something that can be overlooked. Even if Nezu wasn't expelling you, mom and dad would have pulled you out the moment they could."
The younger Iida looks absolutely heartbroken by the revelation, which is pretty funny. I mean, he just admitted that he doesn't have what it takes to be a hero, and now he's upset that he's losing the chance to be one? Well, one from UA, at least. I didn't notice them say anything about him being blacklisted from any other hero schools, nor about him being from becoming a hero at all. Not that I expect him to be enrolled in a hero course wherever he transfers anyway, he needs to lay low for at least his remaining time at high school. No, he can still become a hero, but it definitely won't be for a few years, at the minimum. Still, I have to laugh at how dejected he is!
My amusement at his situation, evidently, is enough for him to finally put his brain to use, and he points an accusatory finger at me. "Midosagi is the one who actually murdered Stain! Why must I suffer such a punishment in his stead!?"
I snort through my laughter. "Isn't it obvious?" I ask rhetorically. "It's because I put an end to a threat to both the heroes and the public, one which had proven itself to be so great that, even surrounded by heroes and half dead, could have escaped and continued its mission of blood and death if they had chosen not to try and kill me due to their personal vendetta. I did what no other could do and put an end to the Hero Killer Stain, despite my origins as a villain!" I tilt my head up proudly, well, my chin, given the whole 'strapped to the bed' thing, before twisting my head to sneer at Nezu. "Or at least, that's the story that's going to be fed to the public, isn't it?"
The rat doesn't even have the good grace to deny my claim, simply taking a calm sip from a tea cup I'm fairly certain he didn't have when he walked in. I snort again. "In other words, oh failed killer, the reason you are receiving punishment and I am not can be summed up in a single word." I make sure to put as much derision as possible into the absolutely nasty word that can send shivers down the spines of any respectable - and many on the other side of the spectrum - citizen.
"Politics."