"Just let it go!"
Outside the flames, the professional Heroes finally arrived, and the moment they saw the raging fire, they felt a headache coming on.
"I'm going in to get survivors first," Kamui Woods declared. He didn't wait for the others to reply before rushing straight into the sea of fire to search.
Reporters, drawn by the commotion, quickly gathered. Together with curious passersby, they formed a dense crowd surrounding the scene.
"Can you tell me more about what happened?" Death Arms walked over to a police officer, his expression serious.
"According to witnesses," the officer explained, "a child was taken hostage, and another child ran in to help rescue them."
"This is ridiculous," Death Arms sighed heavily. "A child trying to rescue someone? Who started the fire—was it the hostage, or…?"
"Someone's coming out!"
The shout from the crowd interrupted him. Everyone turned to look. Out of the flames, a young boy with black hair and dark eyes walked calmly toward them. He wore casual clothes, and not a hint of panic showed on his face.
"Officer, that's the kid who was taken hostage."
"Did the other child rescue him?"
"Wait—why is he the only one out here? Where's the kid who went in to help?"
Death Arms quickly stepped forward. He crouched in front of Shin and looked him over, voice gentle but firm. "Are you hurt anywhere?"
"No." Shin shook his head slightly, then pointed behind him into the fire. "There's still someone else inside. He was the one who saved me."
"Don't worry," Death Arms said solemnly. "We'll get him out. You—"
"Look! The other kid is coming out too!"
Again, the crowd's cry cut him off. He looked up stiffly, eyes widening in disbelief as Bakugo Katsuki emerged from the flames, nearly unscathed.
"To take down a criminal single-handedly and walk out like nothing happened…" Death Arms studied Bakugo with a gleam in his eye. This kid has a bright future. If we could recruit him to our agency when he graduates…
Once they saw Bakugo and confirmed the criminal had been subdued, the reporters, eager for a headline, swarmed forward. The police cordon was instantly overwhelmed.
A teenage boy defeating a villain professional Heroes struggle with…this is front-page material.
Bakugo glanced up, several veins bulging on his forehead. "Tch. Don't get it twisted—I wasn't the one who knocked him out."
"You didn't defeat the villain?" One of the reporters blinked, incredulous. "Then who did?"
Bakugo didn't bother answering. Instead, he turned and glared at Shin, who was standing quietly beside Death Arms.
The reporters followed his gaze and finally noticed Shin.
"You mean…it was this young man?" A female reporter looked from Shin to Bakugo. "But isn't he the hostage?"
"Ask him yourself," Bakugo grumbled, turning away. I don't know what the hell he did. The villain just collapsed on his own.
"Kaachan!" A green-haired boy shoved through the crowd, worry written all over his face. He ran up to Bakugo. "Are you okay?"
Earlier, the sludge villain had been targeting Izuku Midoriya. If All Might hadn't been distracted, this whole mess might never have happened.
"What are you doing here, Deku?" Bakugo snapped, annoyed, then scowled at Shin, who was now surrounded by a wall of reporters.
"Student, what's your name? What's your Quirk? Which school do you go to?"
"You're incredible—have you considered applying to U.A. High?"
"Excuse me, could you—"
"Stop. Stop, stop!" Shin tried backing away, but the reporters pressed in closer with every step. He sighed when he realized he wouldn't escape their questions.
Death Arms had been swallowed by the crush of cameras and microphones, nowhere in sight.
"Enough!" Shin drew in a long breath, gathering chakra to steady his voice. "It wasn't me who defeated the villain. It was that blond guy!"
"Huh?" The female reporter blinked. "But he just said you were the one…"
"As you can all see," Shin continued calmly, "his Quirk is far more powerful than mine. The villain was obviously taken down by him, not me."
"But…"
All the reporters fell momentarily silent. Normally in situations like this, people would compete for the credit. After all, when these kids graduated, Hero agencies would be watching closely. A chance to prove yourself in front of the media was rare.
They'd seen plenty of people deny responsibility. But this…this was the first time they'd ever seen someone shirk credit.
---
A/N: Please Leave A Comment Or Drop A Powerstone It'll mean alot to me...