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"I-Ibara, I-I think Ai already learned his lesson. H-His cheeks are as red as your apple," Kinoko stammered, trying to save her friend.
Ibara sighed, finally releasing Ai's face from her iron grip. The lilac-haired boy immediately slumped forward, rubbing his sore cheeks. Kinoko wasn't exaggerating—his face really did resemble a ripe apple.
She had decided to punish him after remembering his rather inappropriate remark during the battle trial about her and Itsuka being "wet." Ai might not have meant anything serious by it, but that didn't mean she'd let it slide.
Crossing her arms, Ibara fixed him with a stern look. "Ai, you can't joke like that to a girl—it's disrespectful. I'm fine with it since we're best friends, and I understand it's just a joke, but Itsuka doesn't know you that well yet. Saying things like that to her is inappropriate."
Itsuka blinked, waving her hands awkwardly. "Uh, it's fine, really. I didn't even notice it at the time—I was too focused on the exercise." Honestly, if Reiko hadn't brought it up earlier, she probably would've forgotten about it entirely.
Ai, meanwhile, was now sulking in the corner of the table while Kinoko fussed over him, fanning his bruised cheeks in an attempt to ease the pain.
The exercise itself had been a disaster for most of the hero teams. Nearly everyone—except for Ai and Reiko—had points deducted, either for failing to secure the hostage or for accidentally injuring them during the rescue. Even the team that technically won by defeating the villain had lost a civilian in the process.
Vlad King and All Might had explained afterward that this exercise was actually designed for second-years. They had given it to them early to hammer in one crucial lesson:
Being a hero isn't about defeating villains—it's about saving people.
That was their first real taste of hero work.
But for Itsuka, the exercise had only deepened her insecurities about being the top student.
She had always taken pride in her abilities, yet the guy who openly admitted he didn't even want to be a hero had outperformed everyone when it came to saving lives.
And to make things worse, he did it without even using his Quirk.
Who would've thought Ai would pull a full-on Batman during the exercise, using all those gadgets in his utility hands?
Itsuka's confidence was at an all-time low. If she didn't do something about it soon, it would start affecting her performance.
And maybe—just maybe—she had already found the person who could help her push past this slump.
Her gaze drifted toward Ai.
During their 2v2 match, he had mentioned something about her Quirk having hidden potential—something even she hadn't realized.
She had wanted to ask him about it after the exercise, but the moment he returned to the control room, he was swarmed with questions about his performance. Then, once the excitement died down, Kinoko had dragged him away to tend to his bruises.
When Kinoko's team was called for their turn, Reiko had taken the chance to sit with Ai, asking him something.
And now, during lunch, Ibara had quite literally dragged him away by the ears after remembering his inappropriate joke.
Kinoko had chased after them, Reiko had followed out of curiosity, and somehow, all the girls had ended up at the same table.
There was no way for her to bring up the topic now.
Maybe she should just ask Ibara to help her get some alone time with him.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice.
"Girl, I just found out that Class 1-A did a totally different exercise—it's called Capture the Weapon. All they had to do was touch it, and boom, they won!"
Itsuka turned to her dinosaur-loving friend, silently questioning when the hell she had heard about this.
Setsuna chuckled and pointed toward a table where some Class 1-B students sat alongside a few boys from Class 1-A. Her floating ears hovered discreetly beneath the table.
Itsuka shot her an unimpressed look, silently asking why she was eavesdropping.
"What?! Those guys are the pervert squad! I just wanted to know who they were gossiping about today," Setsuna defended herself. "Turns out, it's that Yaoyorozu girl from Class 1-A. Gosh, they're basically stripping the poor girl with their words."
Itsuka frowned. Perverts were the worst.
She was about to stand up and tell them off when the sudden blare of the school alarm froze her in place.
Level 3 Alert.
The speakers crackled with an urgent announcement, instructing students to evacuate immediately. But asking a bunch of first-years—on only their third day at U.A.—to evacuate in an orderly manner? That was wishful thinking.
Panic erupted.
Someone shoved Itsuka hard, nearly sending her sprawling if not for Pony catching her in time.
She gave her blonde-haired friend a grateful nod before another sharp elbow jabbed her ribs. A foot stomped on hers. The chaos only worsened.
Gritting her teeth, Itsuka wrapped her arms protectively around Pony, shielding her as best she could. She forced her way through the crowd, trying to get a glimpse outside—only to be stunned.
The press had broken in.
Her stomach twisted. If the media had managed to breach U.A., what did that mean for real threats?
She had to warn everyone before the panic spiraled further.
Just as she opened her mouth—a massive floating hand grabbed her.
Recognition hit instantly. Gentle Palm.
Her head snapped around, spotting the others—Kinoko, Ibara, Yui, Pony, and Setsuna—all hoisted by the same floating hands.
And in the middle of it all stood Ai.
His skin had darkened, inky hand-like patterns crawling over his body. But that wasn't what made Itsuka's breath catch.
It was Reiko.
Bleeding. Unconscious. Cradled in Ai's arms.
Her heart lurched. She was about to call out when Ai suddenly roared—
"CALM THE FUCK DOWN, YOU USELESS ASSHATS WHO ARE ONLY GOOD FOR WASTING PRECIOUS BREATHABLE AIR BY EXISTING WITHOUT USING YOUR DRIED-UP BRAINS!"
The entire cafeteria froze.
Itsuka stared, jaw slack. She was pretty sure the entire school just heard Ai's, uh... colorful choice of words.
Outside, the media had turned their cameras toward them.
Ai's sharp gaze scanned the cafeteria, his tone dropping to a growl.
"Someone pushed my friend."
Silence.
"I don't give a fuck if you were scared or just an asshole."
His piercing stare cut through the crowd.
"Whoever you are, show yourself now so I can punch you in the face and we can move on with our lives."
Not a single soul dared to speak.
Then his gaze snapped toward the reporters outside, darkening further. Without a word, he pulled out his phone, typed something, and sent it.
Sliding the device back into his pocket, he looked up once more, voice eerily cold.
"I gave you a chance to make this easy."
He let the words settle.
"But since you're a dumbass coward, don't blame me when I fuck with you later."
The cafeteria's collective spine shrank.
"I'm petty. I don't forget. Especially when you hurt my friends. And yes—I will find you."
Silence.
Slowly, Ai lowered himself, adjusting Reiko's limp form with surprising gentleness before striding toward the nurse's office. The sea of students parted without question.
As for the girls he had been holding, Gentle Palm set them down with surprising care.
Ibara wasted no time sprinting after Ai, Kinoko right behind her, followed by the rest of the girls.
No one else moved.
The cafeteria remained deathly still.
End of chapter 22