Izumi narrates.
After the lunch break, I really wanted to see my cute Oni-chan. I had been waiting for him eagerly. I wanted us to run into each other by chance, for him to greet me with that calm voice and ask if I had already eaten, as he always did. But he didn't appear anywhere. I thought maybe Shoto had distracted him with that absurd declaration of war everyone was talking about. Even so, I calmed down a bit believing I would see him at the official announcement of the final test, the one where they told us there would be a one-on-one tournament. But he wasn't there either.
I didn't see him anywhere!!
I tried asking Shoto if he knew anything, but he was completely absent. Serious, thoughtful, with a lost look as if he had seen a ghost. He barely looked at me when I spoke to him, didn't even respond. He left me with my words hanging, which was weird... very weird.
But there was something on my mind at this moment... I WAS TRICKED BY THAT DAMN MINETA!!! HE MADE ME PUT ON A CHEERLEADER OUTFIT!!
At first, I didn't suspect anything strange or didn't even care. I thought maybe it was some kind of animation test or school spirit competition, according to Mineta and Kaminari. Even Uraraka said it excitedly, and since she mentioned that maybe my Oni-chan would think it was cute, I accepted without thinking twice. I just wanted him to see me and say how pretty I looked! To notice I'm attractive! I fell like a complete fool!
Even Momo seemed frustrated, her embarrassed face said it all. And she always stays calm! Uraraka tried to cheer us up, as always, and Tsuyu along with Toru seemed to enjoy it a bit more, but I couldn't stop feeling humiliated. All to show off in front of my cute Oni-chan!
It was in the middle of that discomfort that the tournament pairing draw was announced. But then something strange happened: Professor Midnight didn't appear to direct it. Everyone started murmuring. She was supposed to be the one to present it like in previous competitions, and her absence was completely unexpected.
—This is unexpected... Professor Midnight isn't appearing anywhere... where is she at this moment? —Present Mic said over the loudspeaker, with a worried tone. There were a few seconds of pause and then he continued—: Wait... I'm getting a communication. It seems she's busy in the infirmary helping Izuku Himura with an injury he had. Wow... what could have...?
—WHAAAAAT?!!! —I screamed without thinking, with a desperation that exploded from my chest.
The scream was so loud that several classmates around me were startled. A couple almost fell from the scare. Infirmary?! Oni-chan in the infirmary?! What had happened to him?! Why didn't anyone tell me anything?! Why was I standing there dressed like a silly cheerleader instead of being by his side?!
I HAD TO GO RIGHT NOW!!!
Without thinking, I ran out of the arena at full speed, without waiting for instructions or permission. Uraraka and Momo followed me immediately, apparently also worried about my Oni-chan's condition. The three of us moved through the hallways guided by information from the professors and signs, until we found the infirmary door. I didn't think twice. I opened it forcefully, with all my strength and with my mind ready to find my brother lying down, unconscious or seriously injured...
...but I found a scene I never would have imagined.
Oni-chan was sitting on a stretcher, and around him... completely surrounded by women in such a ridiculous scene that left me frozen!
An adult woman with snow-white hair held his right arm while arguing heatedly with Professor Midnight, who in turn was also pulling the same arm as if they were fighting over it. Both pulled with such force and attitude that they seemed to be in a kind of human tug-of-war, shouting at each other while ignoring everything around them.
On top of that, an enormous fox woman, with a worried expression—what the heck?!—clung awkwardly to my Oni-chan's head while trying to wrap his forehead with bandages, visibly nervous, as if she didn't quite know how to do it.
And to top it off, at the foot of the stretcher, a small girl with cotton-white hair sat calmly, trying to put a candy apple in Oni-chan's mouth as if everything were completely normal.
The scene was so absurd, so surreal, that for an instant I froze. Momo and Uraraka were also left speechless, not knowing whether to intervene or simply accept they had entered a parallel universe.
I couldn't take it anymore.
—WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN THIS PLACE?!!!
End of Izumi's narration
֎֎֎
—I can't believe I have to do this... —growled a hoarse, tired voice, coming from a tall figure wrapped in a black robe. His dragged and annoyed tone contrasted with the precise way he spun an ice knife between his fingers with unprecedented mastery—. And even less accompanying you.
Beside him, another shorter, hooded man remained crouching in front of a wall. He drew with great care some strange symbols on a seal that then disappeared into the smooth hallway wall.
—Don't rush me... remember who our target is —the hooded man responded while tracing lines with precision—. This guy is very dangerous. According to the report, he controls One for All almost to perfection. If he can already use the black whip with that ease... I don't want to imagine what he'll do when he masters the quirks of the other bearers.
—Tch... I hate that damn quirk. —spat the one in the black robe, sharply turning his wrist—. But no matter how powerful he is, he doesn't impress me. I've killed many Izukus before. Some who used One for All at 100%. One even destroyed an entire city with his last blow just trying to kill me. He failed. He died with a single cut.
His words were as cold as the ice blade he held. But the hooded man didn't seem relieved.
—I know... but this one isn't like the others —the hooded man said in a lower voice—. This one has something different. He's being protected by him... by the being with the white mask.
Silence fell immediately. Heavy. Suffocating. Even the air seemed to stop.
The man in the robe stopped moving the ice knife. His fingers tensed slightly. His gaze, previously indifferent, hardened. He had heard of him. That damned being.
It wasn't known if he was human or even possibly an ancestral creature. But it was clear his mere presence provoked fear among those who dared pronounce his existence. He was something that existed beyond logic, beyond any known system. Some believed he simply didn't belong to this existence.
But that thing wasn't just the most dangerous... there were also his three loyal followers. Only three. And yet, just one was needed to erase an entire planet with a single movement. Three entities that didn't know fear, that felt no mercy, no compassion, no doubt. They only obeyed. And if those creatures were minimally related to Izuku, if that being had set its eyes on this world... then this mission was no longer dangerous. It was suicidal.
The man in the black robe took a deep breath before speaking again.
—I hope my master has made the best choice. I don't know if hiring your people was the best idea. And that ridiculous name you carry... sounds childish. Do you really think you'll be able to kill an Izuku like that?
The hooded man stopped writing and slightly turned his face, letting a barely visible smile show.
—My organization has been a respected assassin guild for more than ten decades. We've erased civilizations without the world itself realizing it. We've destroyed entire histories before they could have an ending. We've given support to forces so powerful that your leader's group doesn't even figure as a threat to them. And yet you think we're inefficient? Well, what can you expect from a new leader who believes in senseless mytholog...
Suddenly, an ice sword emerged from nowhere, cutting through the air and stopping inches from his neck, unable to continue. The wearer of the robe had summoned it with assassin-like speed. The tension between them became so dense that you could even see how the atmosphere felt colder.
—I can tolerate many things, bastard —said the one in the robe with a grave voice—, but don't speak badly of our guild again. Our leader has seen things that would shatter your mind. Our cause seeks to reveal the truth that quirks have buried. We want to expose what this world really is... and no Izuku will stop that.
The hooded man maintained his smile, without any fear. He slowly pushed the blade away from his neck with two fingers and returned to his work, tracing the last symbols on the wall.
—Yeah, sure... Whatever you say.
The one in the robe frowned. He wasn't convinced by that response, but he'd had enough for today. With a snap of his fingers, the ice sword dissolved in the air, and he returned to his typical hunched posture, loaded with boredom.
—Anyway... This trap doesn't seem very favorable to me. Do you really think you'll be able to lure Izuku here and kill him?
The hooded man finally straightened up, reviewing his work with a satisfied expression. In seconds, the symbols began to disappear, as if they were being absorbed by the hallway walls themselves.
—Of course. He's one of those classic Izukus: good to the end, protectors of the innocent, heroes with warm smiles and naive hearts. The kind who still believe in justice... and, of course, the big All Might fan.
The one in the robe looked at him sideways, doubting.
—And how are you so sure of that?
—Well, it's very easy —the hooded man responded while slowly removing the hood covering his face.
Underneath, disheveled green hair emerged clearly. His fair skin, his unmistakable freckles, and intense eyes that shone with a mixture of irony and determination. You didn't have to be a genius to know who it was.
—To kill an Izuku... first you have to think like one, or in my case... be an Izuku.
End of Chapter 14.