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…
As Suzaku turned to look at Endeavor with slight surprise, a silence, heavier and longer than it should have been, filled the air between them.
Suzaku didn't bother saying anything and simply raised an eyebrow, as if prompting Endeavor to say whatever he had to say, while Endeavor just stood there, waiting for the kind of reaction that usually came from showing his presence among the common folk—a spark of recognition, a question, a request for an autograph, a surprised gasp… anything really.
"..."
"..."
However, it seemed evident by then that, aside from his earlier faint rise of eyebrows, he wasn't going to get anything else out of the red-haired student.
So, after realizing that, Endeavor cleared his throat, breaking the uncomfortable silence. "Ahem, I watched your match with that green-haired kid. Your fighting skills are impressive. On par—or better even than that of some Pro Heroes."
"..." Suzaku raised an eyebrow, though his expression remained the same aside from that.
Endeavor pressed on, his tone even but probing. "Some of your techniques seemed familiar. Were you trained by a famous Hero?"
Suzaku shook his head casually. "No, just a very senile old man."
Endeavor's eye twitched at the weird response, but he let it go.
"I see. Well, whoever he is, he did an exceptional job. Your skills alone allowed you to compete and even defeat that green-haired kid, whose Quirk possessed remarkable firepower. His Quirk…" Endeavor's voice faltered briefly, his eyes narrowing. "...almost reminded me of All Might's."
His sharp gaze returned to Suzaku, crossing his arms as he glanced at him evaluatingly. "I was told your Quirk revolves around manipulating your glasses—changing their shape and form. Do they also enhance your vision or reflexes?"
Suzaku tilted his head, his glasses bulging briefly before returning to their usual look.
"Nah, that's pretty much it."
"Really? That's disappointing." Endeavor frowned, his expression hardening. "If only you had been born with a stronger Quirk, you could have been an incredible force—a rival worthy of pushing Shoto to his limits. Maybe even the one to snap him out of his childish tantrums."
Suzaku's eyebrow twitched at the remark, his gaze sharpening. "... And what's that supposed to mean?"
Endeavor's impassive expression didn't waver, though a faint condescension flickered in his eyes. "It means you lack the strength to challenge Shoto, my greatest creation. Without a proper Quirk, you can't stand on equal footing with him, let alone help him realize the futility of his rebellion."
His tone softened slightly, almost pitying. "Still, with your skillset, you might put up a decent fight before the inevitable happens. If you show enough promise, I might even consider offering you a—"
"For someone stuck in second place, you sure like to run your mouth," Suzaku interrupted, his voice calm but cutting.
"...!"
Endeavor's stern demeanor stiffened, his eyes narrowing.
Suzaku stepped closer, unflinching despite the towering figure of the second-best hero standing in front of him. The light glinting off his glasses obscured his eyes, but Endeavor could feel Suzaku's gaze—a piercing, unwavering look of disdain.
"I figured you'd be some sort of stuck-up prick from what I heard a while ago, but what a surprise, it turns out you're also a wimp," Suzaku said, his voice quiet but ridiculing.
"Boy, you better watch your mouth," Endeavor growled, but Suzaku pressed on, undeterred.
"Not only did you fail to take the number one spot yourself, but you were such a sissy that when you became unable to face your failure like a real man, you simply dumped your goal on your kid. If you ask me, that's pretty embarrassing coming from a guy who stands amongst the strongest in our country."
Endeavor's face twitched in anger, and the flames around him intensified to the point of getting painful to stand before them.
However, Suzaku remained unaffected, shrugging as a mocking smile passed by his face.
"But hey, it's not all bad! When that guy, Shoko—or whatever he is called—finally beats a washed-up All Might, worn out by time and countless years of putting his life on the line to become someone worthy of being called the symbol of peace, something you clearly didn't do, putting the responsibility on your kid instead, you're gonna be able to pretend it was your victory! Isn't that something to look forward to?!"
"You…"
As he continued to ignore the flaring flames around Endeavor, and the evident anger oozing from him, Suzaku stepped past him and patted him dismissively on the shoulder.
"Anyway, it was a good talk. Unfortunately, although I'd love to continue talking with a spineless bastard like you who can't even be man enough to fight for the first place himself, I have somewhere else to be right now."
With those words, Suzaku began walking away.
However, Endeavor's patience had long snapped. As soon as Suzaku began leaving, the hero's hand shot out, grabbing the youth's shoulder in a tight grip.
-Tap-
"Where do you think you are goi—hngh?!"
But the moment Suzaku turned to look back at him, a chill shot down Endeavor's spine, freezing him in place. His grip loosened as a wave of primal fear surged through him.
"..."
Suzaku said nothing, his red pupils locking with Endeavor's behind the glasses for a brief, tense moment.
In the end, though, he turned back and continued walking, as if ignoring what had just happened, disappearing into the maze of hallways without a backward glance not long after.
As the redhead disappeared, Endeavor stood rooted to the spot, his rage extinguished, replaced by lingering unease. For the first time in years, the second-best Hero felt a close encounter with death… And he couldn't figure out why or how it had come from a simple student.
…
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|Back to Suzaku|
…
-Phew…-
Suzaku walked down the hallway, rubbing his temple as he scrolled through his phone, trying to find the Support Department's waiting room. He let out a long, tired sigh.
"That guy annoyed me way more than I expected," he muttered. "Almost snapped his neck when he grabbed my shoulder… Good thing I managed to stop myself."
He glanced down at his hand, his irritation fading slightly.
Normally, Suzaku wasn't one to let trash talk or snide remarks get under his skin. No, he was usually the one who trash-talked in the first place.
But something about Endeavor had hit differently.
Sure, he could forgive the guy for being stuck in second place. With All Might holding the top spot, it was understandable. But when Suzaku found out about the whole "Quirk Marriage" thing after overhearing Todoroki, he began feeling a pang of disdain for the so-called second-best hero.
Tatsuo had drilled into his head that being second place was for sissies only, something Suzaku didn't entirely agree with.
Sometimes, people hit their natural limits—it was just how things worked, and even more evidently in a world where Quirks defined everything.
So, being second place wasn't a horrible capital sin punishable by death as Tatsuo used to say. With All Might around, Suzaku doubted there was much the guy—or anyone else for that matter—could do to rival the Symbol of Peace.
But Endeavor? He didn't just stop at losing. He ran from the prospect of failing, putting his own failure on his kid's shoulders instead of facing it himself and using it to improve.
If Tatsuo had been around, he'd have called it the most pathetic thing imaginable.
However, that alone wouldn't annoy Suzaku as much as it did back there.
It wasn't just the guy's pathetic way of dealing with failure that bugged Suzaku.
What really pissed him off was Endeavor acting like some kind of role model while talking down to him—like Suzaku was just a stepping stone for Todoroki to learn a life lesson, and that he was being generous by even acknowledging his fighting skills.
In Endeavor's words, the martial arts that Tatsuo had passed onto Suzaku were not enough to even dare challenge his kid.
That kind of arrogance, coming from a spineless wimp like him? Yeah, that had pissed off Suzaku more than he had expected.
That, plus the fact that he wasn't exactly in a stable humor today.
Leaving the festival aside, which hadn't been a problem so far, too much had happened since yesterday, and Suzaku hadn't been in the mood for dealing with Endeavor.
But he was over it now—or so he told himself. As he rounded a corner, Suzaku took a deep breath and rubbed his face, easing himself back into his usual easygoing attitude.
Good thing, too, because he finally spotted Arata waiting for him outside one of the Support Department's rooms, leaning against a wall beside a long, wrapped-up in bandages staff.
"Yo," Suzaku greeted, his eyes flicking to the staff with interest. "You look less battered up. Did Restorative Chick patch you up?"
"It's Recovery Girl," Arata corrected with a sigh. "And yeah, I'm good… except for the fact that I feel like I might pass out any second from exhaustion."
Suzaku raised an eyebrow. "Didn't she heal you?"
"She did," Arata said flatly. "But her Quirk burns stamina to speed up healing. So now I'm healed but dead tired."
"Huh." Suzaku frowned. "Weird. When she healed me, I barely felt anything."
Arata gave him a long, suspicious look before shrugging. "Figures. Anyway, I brought your staff. Dragging it out of the room was a nightmare—it's heavy as hell. And with how wiped I am, even using my Quirk for extra hands didn't help much. Are you sure you'll even be able to use it with how heavy it is?"
Suzaku smiled faintly and picked up the staff without much effort—though his face twitched slightly as he adjusted to the weight. "Yeah, it's way heavier than the one that came with my hero suit… but I think I can manage."
"You're certainly one freak of nature," Arata said, shaking his head in disbelief.
Suzaku chuckled, giving the staff a light swing. "Besides, its weight isn't necessarily a bad thing… The heavier it is, the harder it hits."
Arata winced, imagining what getting hit with that would feel like. "Uh… Just try not to kill anyone… One wrong hit with that, and I doubt anyone without a defensive Quirk will make it out alive. I don't want something I made to get branded as a homicidal weapon."
"Relax," Suzaku replied, smirking. "I usually avoid aiming for the head or other potentially fatal spots" He paused, glancing at the staff. "Though, I haven't tested this one yet, so… no promises."
-Swish!-
With a sharp movement, Suzaku thrust the staff forward. The end extended, revealing a thinner, longer section inside. He repeated the motion, extending it further.
The weight shifted heavily toward the tip, making it harder to hold steady, but Suzaku managed. After a few test swings, he retracted the extensions with another smooth motion, returning the staff to its original size.
"Yeah… With this, I should have an easier time against Mr. Daddy Issues," Suzaku muttered, though his face fell slightly. "If Midnight lets me use it. If not, I guess I'll have to face massive waves of freezing ice with my fists."
"I'd say that would be interesting to watch," Arata joked, though his grin faltered when Suzaku shot him a sharp look.
"Well, either way, thanks for the upgrade." Suzaku smiled faintly, giving the staff another glance before turning to leave. "Things would've been way more annoying without it. You should head back to the infirmary, though. Get some rest until you've recovered your stamina."
Arata nodded, the idea of lying down and napping the entire day enticing him enormously.
However, as Suzaku started walking away—hurrying since the fight between Kirishima and the blond explosion guy was probably wrapping up—Arata's voice stopped him.
"Hey, before you go... didn't you say weeks ago that second or third place would be enough for you? You even said first place was too much of a hassle." Arata tilted his head, his gaze flicking to the staff in Suzaku's hand. "But even if you were to lose now, third place is already yours, and yet here you are asking for that thing... So, what made Mr. I-Don't-Care-About-The-Festival change his mind?"
Suzaku stayed silent for a second, before casting an exasperated look at the ceiling.
"... I'd say I got guilt-tripped."
"Guilt-tripped?" Arata repeated, eyebrows furrowing in confusion.
"Don't mind it…" Suzaku waved him off. "I just decided last minute that I'd kick everyone's ass this time around. But don't get used to it—it's probably a one-time thing. No promises for future competitions."
"Well, when you take first place, make sure to promote my items to the sponsors," Arata smirked, pulling out his phone to check the live stream of the tournament. Bakugo had just won his match. "—And while you're at it, give that spiky blond a beating for me, will you?"
Suzaku chuckled. "Sure thing. I'll make it extra satisfying."
With their chat done, they fist-bumped, and with that, Suzaku headed off, his staff resting horizontally across the back of his shoulders and both arms hanging loosely over it.
It was time to beat up teenage Sub-Zero.
…
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|Minutes later, at the arena…|
…
"What, you want to use that thing in your next fight?"
"Yep."
Midnight eyed the staff slung over Suzaku's shoulders, her gaze sharp as she scrutinized the weapon.
"I don't know... Letting you use a weapon at this stage in the tournament might come off as special treatment. If you wanted to use it, you should've requested it from the start—"
"But sensei!" Suzaku suddenly stepped forward, his voice brimming with determination. "How could this fight mean anything if we're not both at our best? You've seen me use a staff with my hero suit before. How could either of us—at such a pivotal moment in our lives—be forced to fight handicapped?"
He clenched his fist, holding it up for emphasis. "I want to give my all in this festival. I want to show the world what I'm made of. I want both me and Tokodori-kun—"
"Todoroki."
"Yeah, that! I want both of us to be able to go all out without reservations… Isn't that what youth is all about?!"
At the mention of youth, Midnight visibly trembled, nearly collapsing to her knees.
"Ahem."
However, after a moment to recompose herself, she straightened up, squinting at Suzaku.
Then, after a small pause, her whip cracked loudly in the air.
"I'll allow it!"
["There she goes again…"]
["Why do we even have rules?"]
The voices of the two commentator teachers echoed across the stadium, accompanied by a wave of collective deadpan expressions from the audience.
Suzaku, being Suzaku, didn't seem to care in the slightest. Snickering under his breath while he returned to his spot in the arena, carrying his staff with satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Todoroki stood on the opposite end, staring at him with an exasperated expression.
"This guy…"
…
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-To be Continued…-
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Imma be honest here… The reason I took so much to upload was because I got hyper-addicted to Skyrim.
It all started as an innocent thought, a friend of mine had bought it, and since we are in the same family steam group, I thought why not try it? After all, I had already finished all the games I had in my library and was itching to try something new while in my free time.
Turns out, that was a bad idea. The damn game sure caught me before I could even moderate the way I played it.
Each time I went on a mission, another three were added, fueling my mind to think, "Alright, I finish these small missions (Which in the end were not small.) and I'm getting out of here to be productive." Only to end up having spent the whole day in the game. Plus I ended up choosing to play survival mode in my first playthrough, so everything is 10 times slower than I think it is in normal mode.
It should be better now though. I've completed some heavy quest lines, achieved level 100 in one of the skills, got kids, two bugs, and got married, so I think my addicted ass got its fill of playing, which means I can moderate myself properly from now on.)
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