After running a few blocks from the department store, Midoriya Izuku slowed down and deliberately walked into an alley.
The boy with the triangular face and seaweed hair quickly followed to avoid losing him.
However, when the follower entered the alley, it was empty. Just as he was puzzled, he heard Midoriya's voice from above.
"Who are you, and why are you following me?"
Using steel wires to hang from the edge, Midoriya Izuku lifted himself off the ground and caught the follower.
Although the follower was careful, Midoriya had trained his senses and noticed someone was following him.
"Um... you're the 'Steel Wire Death God,' right? I'm just curious about you..."
The boy with the triangular face admitted his intentions after being caught. Midoriya extended the steel wires and lowered himself back to the ground.
"Sorry... my personal privacy can't be revealed to outsiders."
Midoriya wasn't surprised. Since gaining fame, he was often recognized even in disguise, and curious people frequently tried to uncover his true identity, which he feared the most.
Apologizing to the curious boy, Midoriya walked away without looking back.
"Is that so..."
The boy with the triangular face lowered his head, a sly smile appearing on his lips, and said slowly:
"Then... I'm sorry!"
"Quirk activated"
Midoriya Izuku suddenly froze, feeling his mind go blank. His body stood still like a robot without commands.
"What a hassle, I didn't want to use this annoying Quirk."
The boy with the triangular face, named Shinso Hitoshi, had a Quirk called "Brainwashing."
It allowed him to control others through speech. When Shinso Hitoshi spoke to someone, if they responded, they would be immediately controlled by "Brainwashing."
It was a very powerful Quirk. The phrase "speak and lose" perfectly described its strength. In a fight against Shinso Hitoshi, speaking meant losing.
Despite its powerful effect, Shinso Hitoshi disliked his Quirk.
Evil, sneaky, bad... these were the labels classmates and friends gave Shinso Hitoshi because of his Quirk. Ordinary people avoided him, while shady characters encouraged him to use his Quirk for bad deeds.
Worry, sadness, helplessness... these negative emotions plagued Shinso Hitoshi. In this superhuman society, people's dreams were to become heroes.
Shinso's dream was also to be a hero, but his "Brainwashing" Quirk seemed to label him as a born villain. He envied others' Quirks, even ordinary ones, because at least they weren't looked at with suspicion.
"Steel Wire Death God," a famous figure who appeared in the past year, is just a middle school student but has repeatedly defeated strong enemies and often caught petty thieves, greatly improving local security. These actions have earned "Steel Wire Death God" high praise online.
Shinso Hitoshi was naturally very interested in the recently famous "Steel Wire Death God," and since he happened to encounter him today, he didn't want to miss the chance. He followed him from behind...
And so, Midoriya Izuku was controlled by Shinso Hitoshi's "Brainwashing" Quirk.
"What's your name?"
Shinso Hitoshi asked, without any ill intent, just wanting to know the name and Quirk of the "Steel Wire Death God" to satisfy his curiosity.
"Midoriya Izuku..."
With his mind blank, Midoriya answered Shinso Hitoshi's question, revealing his real name, as it was impossible to hide under the "Brainwashing" Quirk.
"I thought it would be a cooler name..." Shinso awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Using his Quirk to pry into someone's privacy without permission was indeed unethical, but if he wasn't caught, it wasn't a crime, right?
Then, Shinso got to the point. He was most interested in the "Steel Wire Death God's" Quirk, so he asked directly:
"What's your Quirk?"
Still with blank eyes, Midoriya Izuku honestly revealed his secret.
"I... don't have a Quirk..."
"What!!?"
Shinso Hitoshi was shocked, and his intense emotion accidentally broke the "Brainwashing," causing Midoriya Izuku to snap back to reality.
"What is this!?"
With a cold expression, Midoriya shot steel wires from his gloves, tightly wrapping Shinso Hitoshi, and sternly questioned him!
"What did you do to me just now!?"
It's worth mentioning that people brainwashed by Shinso Hitoshi wouldn't remember what happened during the process but would have a clear memory gap. Midoriya Izuku immediately realized that the guy with the slanted eyes had done something to him.
"Ah... sorry... I'm really sorry..."
Caught red-handed, Shinso Hitoshi was like a kid who had caused big trouble, nervously explaining himself, and Midoriya Izuku listened to the whole situation.
---
Sitting on a public bench in the park, Midoriya Izuku had a look of despair... He had kept his secret even from All Might, but now it was completely exposed to a stranger...
"Sorry..."
With a face full of guilt, Shinso Hitoshi handed Midoriya a soda he bought from a vending machine as a small apology.
Midoriya took the soda from Shinso's hand without thinking, his expression unchanged, but inside, he was falling apart...
"Um... I know you don't have a Quirk... but how do you fight?"
Shinso asked what was on his mind, and Midoriya, realizing his secret was out, didn't mind. He handed the gloves to the boy in front of him.
"These are equipment I asked a friend to make for me. Thanks to her help, I have what I have now."
Midoriya gave all the credit to Hatsume Mei, but Shinso Hitoshi wasn't focused on the equipment. He directly asked Midoriya.
"Then why do you fight enemies? Isn't it dangerous to do this without a Quirk?"
Shinso Hitoshi's question hit the mark. Midoriya was silent for a moment, then spoke his mind:
"I know it's dangerous... but my dream... is still to be a hero!"
Shinso opened his mouth but couldn't say anything. Midoriya's words cleared the confusion in his heart!
In front of him was Midoriya Izuku, who didn't have a Quirk but had the dream of becoming a hero and was working hard towards that goal. Shinso felt ashamed of his own thoughts.
Even though he had a powerful Quirk like "Brainwashing," far ahead of ordinary people, he doubted himself because of others' opinions. How foolish!
Shinso couldn't help but put himself in Midoriya Izuku's shoes. As someone without a Quirk, Midoriya had worked so hard to reach this point, making Shinso feel inferior.
"Um... I still don't know your name?"
Midoriya called out to the boy with the triangular face, looking at him curiously. He didn't know what Quirk this person had, and he had unknowingly revealed everything to him.
"Me?"
Hearing Midoriya Izuku ask his name, Shinso Hitoshi snapped out of it. After thinking for a moment, he seriously introduced himself.
"My name is Shinso Hitoshi. My Quirk is 'Brainwashing.' It sounds a bit evil, but my dream is to be a hero!"
----
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