"I am All Might," the slender man said—and as he spoke, blood sprayed from his mouth.
"Wah!! You're coughing up blood!! Tissues—tissues!!"
No matter what state All Might was in right now, Izuku Midoriya hurriedly pulled a packet of tissues from his pocket and handed it to him.
All Might accepted them, sat cross-legged on the ground, and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth.
"Aren't you… surprised?"
"Yes. Very surprised," Izuku replied honestly. "It honestly feels like I'm being tricked."
"Think of those people you see at the pool who constantly tense their abs to look muscular. It's basically the same principle."
"That's definitely a lie!"
"That fearless smile of mine—since you've already seen it, consider yourself lucky. Just… pretend you saw wrong and don't post it online, okay?"
Izuku remained frozen in shock.
All Might lifted the hem of his shirt, revealing a massive, horrifying scar.
"Eh—?!"
Izuku had no idea what kind of expression he was supposed to make anymore.
"Five years ago, I was injured after being defeated by a villain. Half of my respiratory organs were destroyed. My stomach was completely removed. Repeated surgeries left lasting damage, and this body has been worn down ever since. As a hero… my current activity limit is about three hours per day."
"Five years ago… was it during your fight with Poison Chainsaw?"
"How could I lose to a small-time thug like that?"
All Might raised his fist. This kid remembers everything in detail, huh.
"The Symbol of Peace, who saves people with a smile, can never be defeated by evil."
"That's why this was never made public. I asked them not to reveal it."
"My smile… is nothing more than self-deception—to distance myself from fear while being a hero."
"Heroes must always be prepared to stake their lives."
"As for 'becoming a hero even without a Quirk'—it's not that it's absolutely impossible… but words alone will never be enough."
Izuku was so shaken by All Might's words that his insides felt like they were trembling. He lowered his head, his whole body shaking.
"If you admire helping people," All Might continued as he stood up, "becoming a police officer is also a fine path."
"You might look down on the Public Safety and Arrest Division, but it's still an honorable profession."
All Might walked toward the rooftop door.
"…Dreaming isn't a bad thing. But you also need to face reality, young man."
Bang.
The rooftop door slammed shut.
Izuku was left standing there alone, trembling.
Even the Symbol of Peace says I can't do it… does that mean I really can't become a hero?
Yes. You can't.
No! I will become a hero!
Two opposing thoughts clashed violently inside Izuku's mind.It felt like a siege battle—Izuku Midoriya, who wanted to become a hero, stood as the defender, desperately holding together a crumbling wall, while another Izuku Midoriya launched relentless attacks, insisting that he could never become one.
Just as the battle raged within him, a distant explosion cut through his thoughts.
"What was that?" Izuku looked toward the source of the sound.
"Is it a villain? Where are the heroes?"
Without thinking, he took two steps toward the scene—then stopped, lowering his head.
Do you want to be a hero for fifteen minutes… or a coward for a lifetime?
Of course I want to be a hero.
Then what about now?
"Of course…"
Izuku fell silent.
Holding the notebook with All Might's autograph, he slowly made his way downstairs.
Before long, he reached the street where the incident had occurred. He looked up at the road just one block away.
…Forget it. I'll just take one last look. Just this once.
With a quiet sigh, Izuku crossed the road and stopped at the edge of a street already packed with onlookers.
"There are so many people… I can't see anything."
He hopped up and down, trying to get a better view.
"That's—! That villain from earlier!"
Izuku spotted the enemy fighting the heroes—it was the same villain All Might had defeated and stuffed into a soda bottle.
Why did he escape?! This is my fault!
Izuku clamped his hand over his mouth.
"Why aren't the heroes moving yet?!"
"There's a middle schooler being held hostage!"
"Isn't that the villain All Might was chasing earlier?"
"Did All Might arrive?!"
This is all my fault! All Might can't move right now—so all we can do is wait for someone with a favorable Quirk!
As Izuku watched in horror, he suddenly realized—
The kidnapped middle schooler was Bakugo Katsuki.
Bakugo's eyes were filled with a desperate will to live.
Izuku didn't think.
He ran.
"You idiot! Stop! Get back!!"
The heroes standing at the front, protecting the crowd, shouted at him in alarm.