"Which proves that no matter which world I'm in, I'll always despise shady merchants the most..."
Exiting the store while clutching her significantly lighter wallet, Konata felt her heart bleeding.
In modern society, information access and communication primarily relied on smartphones and the internet. She'd wanted to buy a phone for ages, but financial constraints kept delaying the purchase-until her new friend Tsuyu Asui asked for her contact details, forcing her hand.
"Well, it was inevitable anyway. Timing doesn't matter much."
With a resigned sigh, she carefully tucked her new phone into her jacket pocket.
Getting into U.A. High required more than just having a powerful Quirk-a misconception she'd held until talking with Tsuyu. Each year's entrance exam differed, leaving no reliable online references, yet annually, overconfident applicants relying solely on Quirk strength inevitably failed. Had she stuck to her original plan, Konata realized she'd have faced disastrous results.
These past few nights, she'd been pulling all-nighters-not that academics troubled her. She'd even discovered an unexpected perk: sleeping in class felt far more comfortable than sleeping in bed...
Because she was busy saving money and making plans, and having learned about the difficulty of entering U.A. High, she didn't go to Takoba Municipal Beach Park in advance. Her original intention was to gather information, but after observing for so long, Konata felt there was no need to continue going. Instead, she chose to go there at night when no one was around to practice her kicks overnight. Who knows, maybe she'd kick her way into developing some ultimate move? What she didn't know was that her behavior left All Might, who had planned to properly guide her next time, feeling quite regretful.
As for her purpose in observing Midoriya Izuku, it was to find this world's female lead. To complete the main quest, the original female lead would undoubtedly be a major obstacle in her path. She understood the principle of "know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated," but after observing for so long, she hadn't seen a single girl-just two guys sweating it out every day... This made Konata seriously suspect that All Might might actually be the female lead.
"Ha... No matter how I think about it, the road ahead seems dark..."
Leaning against the railing of the overpass, Konata propped her head up with one hand, watching the endless stream of cars below.
"Railgun will probably unlock in a few days. I wonder what will happen then-will I directly gain the power of a Level 5 Railgun, or will I transform into Railgun herself? And the related combat experience should come with it, right? I remember from watching A Certain Scientific Railgun that using abilities required applying some complicated calculation formulas... Ugh, I hope I'm not that unlucky?"
At this thought, Konata's mouth twitched involuntarily.
If things really turned out as she imagined, it would be troublesome. Who knew what those calculation formulas were...
"Don't move!!"
She was deep in thought when suddenly a violent voice rang in her ears, and the cold glint of a blade pressed against her neck.
Konata: "…"
After a moment of silent pause, Konata looked around and realized that, at some point, she and the villain who had taken her hostage were the only ones left on the overpass. His Quirk seemed to be related to blades-the one pressed against her neck was actually his arm transformed into a weapon.
A blade-like hand pressed against the neck of the slow-witted girl as the young man waved a bag stuffed with money in front of him, shouting nervously at the surrounding crowd.
"Get me a car within ten minutes and let me leave safely!!"
"And then what? You'll still get caught. Is this your first time robbing someone?"
Konata really wanted to facepalm in exasperation, but the cold, sharp sting against her neck forced her to abandon the idea.
"That's why I can't stand amateurs like you. Zero finesse. You need to understand-"
"Shut up!!"
Completely unwilling to listen, the man tightened the blade against her throat and snarled viciously.
Konata: "…"
...Guess witty comebacks are a protagonist-exclusive skill, huh?
"Why is it her again...?"
Under the overpass, Midoriya Izuku-out for his evening jog-wore a complicated expression.
Ever since All Might had told him about this ahoge girl, his feelings had been mixed. After all, he'd never had much luck with girls growing up, so being secretly noticed by one-especially such a cute one-was a first. Of course, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't excited. But he never expected to see her again under these circumstances... Do girls just get kidnapped that easily?
Because of Konata, the situation had reached a standstill. The man's blade was pressed right against her neck, and unless he was knocked unconscious instantly, his already agitated state could push him into a desperate, fatal move. No one wanted to take that risk.
Konata herself, however, wasn't too worried. She wasn't far from the park, and with something like this happening, All Might would definitely notice. Dealing with a rookie robber would be child's play for him. So this is the kind of reassurance that comes with the Symbol of Peace title, huh? Surprisingly comforting...
Lost in thought, the girl instinctively nodded.
Young Man: "…"
Konata: "…"
Midoriya Izuku: "..."
"N-No, I didn't do it! She moved into it herself! I-I didn't mean to kill anyone...!"
Panicked, the man yanked back his bloodstained blade-hand and stumbled backward, stammering loudly at the crowd.
If you didn't want to kill her, why press the blade so close in the first place...?
Rolling her eyes, Konata collapsed to the ground, still mentally snarking.
Guess I really need to break this habit-almost got myself killed there. Wait, does this count as suicide-by-proxy?
As her vision plunged into chaos, she caught a glimpse of a figure rushing to her side.