For the next ten months, I dropped by the beach to watch Midoriya-kun's training, even occasionally taking part in it.
The first two months were fine since I mostly just watched and brought snacks for him. Sometimes, All Might would ask my help in tormenting Midoriya-kun and I would gladly take part.
"Come tie this up for me, Yamori shonen."
"Like this?"
"Yes! Just like that! Make sure it dangles in the air a little higher! We need to make sure Midoriya shonen develops his leg muscles properly."
"But what if he pulls down too hard and it crushes him?"
"Then you just have to catch it before it does, right?"
Hah... This Spartan teacher...
And just like that, we had a heavy fridge hanging by a flimsy string, waiting for Midoriya-kun to notice it.
The following months, though, was the start of my nightmare.
Third month...
"Yamori-shonen, I'm taking Midoriya shonen for a quick jogging session. You should join us."
"Oh... okay."
...
"Ha... Ha... This is quick?! It's ten kilometers!"
"Yamori shonen! You better keep up or you'll be left behind!"
"This is impossible!!!"
Compared to the dying otaku that was about to be left behind, even the scrawny Midoriya-kun seemed to be faring a little better.
Fourth month...
"So, how long should I hold this up?" I asked hesitantly, staring at the heavy couch which All Might was laying on.
"Oh, around five minutes should be fine." He replied casually.
...
"Old man! It's been twenty minutes!!!"
In the air, a couch was dangling from a makeshift net made from metallic strings.
"Ah, my back is paralyzed! It'll be fine after ten more minutes so, hang on a bit longer!"
"Damn you!!!"
Midoriya-kun, who was passing by carrying an old tv set, let out a small laugh.
Fifth month...
"Yamori shonen! You need to stack all of the magazines, books, and papers into one single tower! You can't leave a single one out and they must not fall! Understood?"
"That's impossible!!!"
"NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE!!!"
"But that's -"
"A pro hero must never think that something is impossible without trying hundreds or thousands of times!"
"..."
"And, with a quirk like yours, precision and endurance is the key. What if you were supposed to tie up a villain one day and you suddenly missed?!"
"...I won't."
"Well, we don't know that yet! Now, hurry up and build that tower! We don't have much time left!"
"Damn it."
Sixth month...
"Ha... ha... I can't anymore... Should I jump off a building and die to end it all?"
"Yamori-kun, here. Ice-cold Pocari." Just in time, a head of green hair popped up, handing a bottle of sports drink.
Ah~ An angel appeared. Maybe I can hang on a little longer...
"Thanks. You're a savior." I smiled and reached out, my chest heaving up and down in exhaustion. "Right, you can just call me Kaito by the way. It feels really strange being called so formally all the time."
"Oh! Yes! Then Kaito too can just call me Izuku!" He exclaimed, his eyes shining brilliantly.
Oh, he's happy.
"Alright, Izuku." I smiled.
"BREAK TIME OVER!!!"
Ugh... Damn it...
Seventh month...
"57... 58... .... 69... 70..."
"Yamori shonen! Don't just casually skip over ten counts! Don't think I'm not watching you carefully!" All Might shouted from where he was watching, sitting on top of Izuku's back who was doing push ups as well beside me.
"Damn 62... You 63... It's just 64... two hundred 65... push ups 66... I'll 67... finish this 68... and 69... beat you 70... up! 71..."
"Well, you have to finish first! That's only the first set today!" He commented with a laugh. "Midoriya shonen! You're slowing down! Is this how far you can go!? No! You have to go further than this!"
"Ahh!!! 98! 99! 100! 101! 102!!!"
"Damn it all!!! 81! 82! 83! 84! 85!"
"Haha! Yes! Show your youthful spirit!"
Eighth month...
"One rubber tire! Two rubber tires! Three rubber tires! Sakura petals falling down! Four rubber tires!"
"Izuku! Stop chanting! I can't concentrate!" It was too late, I had already lost count.
In frustration, I threw down the bag full of soda cans to the ground, scattering them around.
"Yamori shonen! You better pick them up and start over!"
"Damn it! Why do we even have to give these to the junk shop?!"
"That's to recycle them, Yamori shonen! To be a pro hero, one should know to recycle!"
"Arghhhh!!!"
Ninth month...
I looked up, just to see the sun about to set. Right now, the sky was dyed in beautiful hues of red and orange.
I wiped the sweat off my forehead and sat down on the beach. It was already much cleaner now than it was a few months before.
A strange feeling of satisfaction washed over me.
Is this what it feels like to have achieved something?
Really strange.
But I don't dislike it.
Crunch! Thump!
From beside me, a short body laid down heavily on the sand, breathing loudly in exhaustion.
"AAAAHHHHH!!!"
Suddenly, he screamed, surprising me as well as a flock of birds that were resting nearby.
"I'M DOING GREAT!!!" He screamed out again, making me confused.
He's much more confident now than he was months ago too... Perhaps this training and watching me do worse than him helped him out.
... Glad to know I was useful.
"Hey, Kaito! You should try screaming too, like me!" He muttered quietly. "After a tiring day, screaming your frustrations away feels really comfortable... It's like letting all your worries go with the wind."
"I see... Is that so..?" I contemplated for a while... before making up my mind.
"I'M FUCKING TIRED!!!" I screamed and began laughing afterwards.
"Haha! Just like that!" Izuku laughed with me. "I'LL MAKE IT TO THE END AND BECOME THE BEST HERO!!!"
"I'LL SURVIVE TILL THE END!!!" I followed his declaration with mine.
In the end, we both grinned to each other, sand covering our clothes and our hair.
From somewhere behind, All Might was watching the two fondly in silence.
The last month...
Hah... It's tomorrow...
The exam is finally tomorrow.
Time flew by too fast.
I threw my school bag towards the corner of my bed and laid down carelessly, looking up to see the numerous pictures of Izuku struggling over the course of these ten months.
He really changed a lot...
Despite the hardship, I'm really glad I could watch these changes up close.
I, too, changed a lot.
I can actually fit my clothes now.
They used to be too big for me. Now, although they still looked baggy, I no longer looked like a kid that stole his parent's clothes.
Oh, did I grow taller?
Crash! Bang!
A loud sound suddenly traveled from downstairs, attracting my attention.
I immediately threw my phone towards the bed and went down.
What greeted me was the sight of a hysterical woman being pushed under multiple maids.
Oh. It's one of those days. I'm surprised. Since it didn't happen as often these few months, I thought she was finally starting to calm down.
Guess I was wrong.
When she saw my face, the woman began to struggle even harder, trying to attack me, but, the many maids that were pushing her down refused to budge.
"Miss! Please snap out of it!" The head maid tried to reason to her but it all fell to deaf ears.
Like a wild animal, the woman, who was supposed to be my sister, bared her teeth to me, her mouth frothing. "You!!! Bastard!!! They killed our parents and you're joining them?!"
Her arms swung wildly, flinging something towards me.
Out of instinct, my strings slithered out on their own and caught the object.
Clang!
"...A fruit knife?" My eyes narrowed dangerously.
"Give it back! Give it back!" She screamed in rage, red veins appearing in her eyes. It was unsure if she was referring to the knife or something else.
"Who was it?" I dangled the knife between my fingers, looking at the maids' nervous faces. "Who gave it to her?"
"Give it back to me! If you're going to their side, then give it back to me!" This time, I was sure she was referring to something other than the knife.
"I-it was me! I-I didn't know! I'm so sorry!" A young girl who had delicate features stuttered. When I fixed my gaze onto her, she squeaked in fright.
"Master, she's new, please. It was my irresponsibility." The head maid kept her head lowered, trembling.
"Enough." I played with the knife in my hand and walked slowly towards the young maid.
"Sister, keep watching." I said loudly, knowing well that she was watching.
Clack! Slash!!!
"Ahhh!!!" The maid screamed and clutched her face, blood seeping through her fingers. Her beautiful face was no more.
Unable to stop me, her once pretty face now had a nasty gash running it.
"This is what happens when you make a mess, sister." I smiled gently and knelt down, looking straight into her eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you? Be obedient. Don't make me hurt more people than I should."
Leaving those words, I wore my shoes and headed out. "Clean this up. I'll be back soon."
"...Why were you even born?"
That question made me pause for a single second, before continuing as if nothing happened.
Logically, we both knew full well why I existed, but personally?
"I wonder that as well."