'Stupid! Stupid! Why, Kinoko? Why are you so stupid?'
'literally, you could have asked anything, yet you decided to ask something that even you are uncomfortable talking about with other people. You hate it when people ask about your quirk, and now, without even thinking, you just asked Aino about his.'
'Stupid, stu-'
"OWIE!"
Kinoko's thoughts were suddenly interrupted by a gentle flick on her forehead. She raised a hand to rub the spot, pouting at the boy beside her, who let out a quiet chuckle after flicking her.
"Sorry, sorry, Ki-Chan. It's just that you looked like you swallowed a bitter mushroom I couldn't help it," Ai said, chuckling as he reached out and brushed her forehead apologetically.
"I know what you're thinking, Ki-Chan. You didn't make me uncomfortable by asking about my quirk. Okay… maybe a little. But not because you ask about it." Ai hesitated for a moment before sighing. "It's because I really want to be your friend, Ki-Chan. And, well… I've had experiences in the past where people stayed away from me the moment they found out what my quirk is." He rubbed the back of his neck, his expression filled with worry.
Kinoko's eyes widened. "N-Never! I won't stay away from you, Aino. It doesn't matter what your quirk is you're my friend, and I want to be your friend forever!"
She stood up abruptly and pressed herself against him in a determined show of sincerity. Ai blinked, momentarily shocked at how assertive the usually quiet girl was. Then, a small smile formed on his lips as he looked into her eyes, seeing nothing but pure honesty.
"Got friend-zoned already, huh? I haven't even had the chance to shoot my shot."
Ai smirked, watching as Kinoko's face turned a deep shade of red. The sudden realization of their closeness made her jump back, fumbling for words in a flustered panic.
Shaking his head, Ai gently grabbed her arm and guided her back to her seat. "Since you're applying for the position of second-best friend, I guess I should be honest with you about my quirk." He smiled at her before settling comfortably into his chair.
Seeing this, Kinoko also slumped back into her seat, shifting from side to side as she tried to get comfortable.
"First of all, my quirk is called [Gentle Palm]," Ai began, glancing at her. When she nodded in understanding, he hesitated before continuing.
"Contrary to the name, there's nothing gentle about my quirk. First off, I need to consume blood to activate it. You probably already know that, considering what happened when I took Eve's blood during the practical exam."
Kinoko nodded. She did remember Ai sucking Ibara's finger at the time… and the memory made her face flush once again. Ai chuckled at her reaction.
"Glad you're still here. Usually, that's the cue for people to start keeping their distance," he said, his gaze drifting to the training field.
Without thinking, Kinoko reached out and took Ai's hand, squeezing it lightly to reassure him. He gave her a knowing smile and continued.
"And that's just the beginning. Once I consume someone's blood, their body synchronizes with mine. You remember how my skin turned completely black? That happens because my body is merging with the blood I consume."
Kinoko's expression shifted to one of fascination. "That sounds… unique."
Ai let out a small chuckle but quickly grew serious again.
"During that synchronization, the person whose blood I take experiences all the physiological effects of my body - pain, exhaustion, mental fatigue, you name it. They endure about 70% of whatever I feel during the connection. That's why people call it the Leech Quirk."
He turned to gauge Kinoko's reaction, expecting the usual look of discomfort or fear. But when he saw nothing but curiosity and concern in her eyes, a small wave of relief washed over him.
"Because of that, people think I just use others for power. Those floating hands you saw? They're a part of my quirk. It's powerful, yeah, but the fact that I need to leech off someone to use them… well, that doesn't sit well with most people."
Kinoko scooted a little closer, her expression softening as she listened intently. Ai smiled at her.
"That's why I only have Eve as a friend. She, her parents, and my master… they're the only ones who aren't afraid of my power."
"I'm not," Kinoko said firmly, meeting his eyes. She wanted Ai to understand. "If you ever need my blood, I don't mind giving you some. You're not a leech I know that. Ibara always looks happy when she talks about you." She swallowed nervously before continuing. "I'm sure you're not what people say you are. I think you're exactly what Ibara sees in you an amazing person and a great friend."
Ai blinked, stunned by her words. Then, without warning, he pulled her into a hug.
This time, instead of panicking, Kinoko returned the embrace.
A short distance away, Ibara watched them with a warm smile, silently congratulating her best friend on making a new friend.
Meanwhile, VladKing had deliberately allowed the two to talk. Thanks to a support item enhancing his hearing, the blood-themed hero had overheard everything Ai had revealed about his quirk. It explained a lot about the boy's actions earlier during orientation.
Back in her seat, Kinoko slowly loosened her arms, pulling away from the hug. Then, with a determined look, she extended her finger toward Ai.
"You need blood to use your quirk, right? You can have mine. Take as much as you need."
Ai chuckled at her unwavering resolve and patted her head, earning a small grumble from her about messing up her hair.
"I only need a drop, so don't worry I'm not about to drain you dry." He paused for a moment, his expression turning more serious. "Are you really sure about this?"
Kinoko nodded without hesitation.
Ai smiled genuinely this time before swiftly making a small cut on her finger, just as he had done with Ibara before. Kinoko watched him closely, her curiosity outweighing any lingering nervousness.
Kinoko noticed that she didn't feel any pain and took note of the single drop of blood resting on her finger.
Ai gently took her hand, lowering his head as he softly pressed his lips against her finger, drawing her blood.
'Oh god, that was hot.' Kinoko thought seeing the action.
Kinoko tried her best not to shiver at the touch and slowly pulled her finger back.
Ai's body turned pitch black like before, but this time, the colorful patterns were different. Instead of flowing lines, his skin was now covered in vibrant, scattered circles.
"W-Wow, you look different," Kinoko said in awe, scanning the shifting colors on his skin.
"This," Ai gestured to himself, "this is you, Kinoko. This pattern it's all you. It's different from Eve, different from Auntie and Uncle, different from my Master. This is your unique signature."
Kinoko's eyes sparkled with wonder. This is me? She couldn't believe it. The colors were vibrant, playful, and loud, was this really how Ai's quirk saw her?
Ai let her touch his skin. Kinoko's fingers brushed lightly against the patterns, tracing them as if trying to memorize every detail.
Then, without thinking, she pinched his cheek.
Ai let out a surprised 'ow' while Kinoko immediately scratched her own cheek in confusion.
"I… I can feel it. I can feel my own touch through your skin, its...." she murmured, trying to find the right words.
Ai chuckled. "Weird?"
"No! Well… maybe a little," Kinoko admitted, making Ai snort.
"Don't worry, Ki-Chan. It is a weird experience. Eve said the same thing."
Kinoko straightened up and smiled at him.
"So, I can feel whatever you feel?" she asked. Ai nodded.
"So… if someone stabs you, I'll get stabbed too?"
Ai burst into laughter.
"Why would you even think about me getting stabbed?" Kinoko laughed too, realizing how abrupt her question was.
"Okay, let me explain," Ai said, still chuckling. "Aside from the sensations I'm feeling right now, you won't suffer any physical injuries while we're synchronized. If someone stabbed me, you'd experience about 70% of the pain I feel that moment, but you wouldn't actually be wounded. My Quirk doesn't transfer the injury itself-just the sensation.."
He placed his hands on his hips. "Basically, I can share the pain, but not the damage. Even if I were torn to pieces, you'd be physically fine. And if it ever becomes too much for you, I can cut the connection at any time."
Kinoko shook her head. "No, Aino. If someone tries to hurt you while we're connected, don't cut me off. Stay linked with me - use those big hands. I want to help you. I can handle the pain."
Ai smiled warmly and patted her head again, only for Kinoko to swat his hand away.
"Stop that! It took me forever to fix my hair!"
Ai only laughed at her misery.
"YOU TWO! GET ON WITH THE TEST YOU'RE FALLING BEHIND!"
Vlad King's voice boomed across the field.
Kinoko jumped, remembering that they were still in the middle of the apprehension test. Grabbing Ai's wrist, she quickly pulled him to partner up for the upper-strength test.
---
After several quirk tests, Kinoko felt like crying.
She was exhausted. She had never worked this hard during an apprehension test before. The fear of getting kicked out of the Hero Course had pushed her to go all out on every challenge.
Luckily, she managed to top one of the events the side step thanks to her super-bouncy mushrooms. Now, she stood with her classmates, waiting for her turn in the throwball test.
"SHIOZAKI, YOU'RE NEXT!"
Vlad King called out after noting the results of Kaibara, the previous student, whose quirk allowed him to rotate any part of his body but hadn't helped him throw the ball far.
"Good luck, Ibara!" Itsuka cheered.
Ibara smiled in return before stepping into the throwing circle. She caught the ball Vlad King tossed at her and took a deep breath.
"You think Ibara's going to send that ball flying?" Kinoko asked, leaning against Ai for support.
She knew Ibara was strong she had placed second in the practical exam and had been near the top in every test so far. Kinoko was curious just how strong her soft-spoken friend really was.
"She'll be fine," Ai said nonchalantly while munching on some edible mushrooms Kinoko had grown on his fingers.
"She's strong. Even I had a hard time fighting her when she got serious during our sparring matches."
Nearby, Itsuka overheard their conversation and frowned. Strong? Strong enough to fight him?
She had seen Ai's firepower during the practical exam. If he was saying Ibara was strong, that meant… Was she really on his level?
So far, Ibara had excelled in the tests because her quirk was incredibly versatile but did she have the raw power to match the boy?
Ibara weighed the ball in her hands, considering her approach. Then, after making her decision, she looked at her classmates.
"Please cover your ears this is going to be loud."
Some students ignored the warning, raising their eyebrows in curiosity.
Ai, on the other hand, immediately grabbed Kinoko's hands and placed them over her ears before covering his own. Seeing this, Itsuka quickly did the same, and a few others followed suit.
Ibara let the ball drop into her vines. A single vine wrapped around it, and then more followed, coiling tightly until they resembled a cannon barrel.
Itsuka's eyes widened as she realized what Ibara was doing. The vines had formed a launcher a massive, vine-wrapped barrel with a sturdy base.
Then, high above, another cluster of vines began twisting together, forming a giant hollow sphere.
Itsuka watched in shock as the massive vine ball contracted, pulling in air and compressing it. The moment it made a stretching noise, she realized-
Oh crap, it's an air cannon.
Panicking, Itsuka pressed her hands harder over her ears.
Ibara connected the vine cannon to the air-filled sphere, reinforcing herself with a thick vine shield before clapping her hands together.
"FAITH CANNON."
The giant vine ball rapidly contracted, compressing the trapped air at an astonishing rate, increasing both pressure and temperature due to adiabatic compression.
With a deafening BOOM, the compressed air exploded, launching the ball at breakneck speed.
It vanished into the sky within seconds.
The students who hadn't covered their ears fell to the ground, dizzy from the impact of the noise.
Itsuka stared at Ibara in disbelief. "She actually did that…?"
She turned to Vlad King, who stood silently for a moment, waiting for the ball's final reading. Then, he nodded and looked at Ibara.
"1,367 meters. Good job, Shiozaki."
Ibara beamed at her results.
Itsuka, however, clenched her fists so tightly her knuckles turned white.
She glanced at the Vine haired girl's back, then at the ground.
"Just as I thought, I cheated my way to the top. I stole first place from Ibara."
She whispered the words to herself, a wave of guilt crashing over her.
End of chapter 16