"Haha~~ Come on in!"
The Support Department's workshop was smoky and chaotic as usual. With her usual cheerful smile, Hatsume Mei invited them in, only to immediately get scolded by Power Loader, her homeroom teacher.
This wasn't the first time Hatsume had caused an explosion, and at this rate, Power Loader feared the entire Support Department building might eventually blow up. The sheer trouble his students caused exhausted him.
"Teacher, we're here to request some adjustments to our hero costumes."
The moment Iida Tenya explained their reason for coming, Hatsume's ears perked up like radar detecting a signal. She dashed over to Iida with lightning speed.
"Did you just say you wanted adjustments to your hero costumes?!"
"Yes, that's correct. Why?"
Unaware of what he had unleashed, Iida responded. Hatsume's eyes lit up like lasers, and the chaos began.
---
One hour later, Iida Tenya was sprawled on the ground, covered in soot and exhaustion. Ochako and Takeyama huddled silently in a corner, too afraid to speak.
They had just witnessed Iida being used as a guinea pig, repeatedly launched into the air, slammed back down, and launched again in a seemingly endless cycle. Meanwhile, Hatsume gleefully took notes, treating him as nothing more than a test subject.
Having finished with Iida, Hatsume turned her gaze to Ochako and Takeyama, her cheerful smile as bright as ever.
"Now, you two also wanted adjustments to your costumes, right?"
"Not me! No! We're just here to accompany Iida!"
The two girls frantically shook their heads, denying it like their lives depended on it. But Hatsume continued to approach them with the same bright smile.
"No worries. I've got plenty of fun gadgets to try out. You'll love them."
"Ahhhhhh!!"
In an instant, Ochako and Takeyama bolted out of the workshop at full speed. If they didn't run now, they might not survive!
"Don't run! I've still got lots of equipment that needs testing!"
Seeing the girls dashing out of the workshop one after another, Power Loader simply shook his head, poured himself another cup of tea, and thought, "Let the kids handle this on their own." (Sips tea.)
Iida Tenya lay on the ground covered in dust, completely ignored by everyone.
---
"What... what do we do?!"
Ochako and Takeyama Urei, running for their lives, looked back to see Hatsume Mei chasing after them relentlessly, holding some piece of equipment in her hands. Terrified, they started running even faster.
"Should... should we split up?"
Takeyama, out of breath, suggested the idea, but Ochako clung tightly to her shoulder.
"No way! If we go down, we go down together!"
"Don't be like that! What if Hatsume Mei is after me? Then you'd have a chance to escape!"
Ochako shook her head furiously, like a rattle drum, shouting as they ran, "Stop lying! Even in the entrance exam, when I lightened my weight, I still couldn't outrun you. If we split up, I'll definitely be the one caught!"
Takeyama was speechless. She hadn't expected Ochako, usually so naive, to be this sharp in a life-or-death situation. Is it true that desperation unlocks hidden potential?
Hatsume Mei, determined not to let her "test subjects" escape, picked up her pace and closed the distance.
When they glanced back and saw Hatsume getting even closer, both girls almost tripped over in fear. Panicked, Ochako came up with an idea.
"Let's find Midoriya! He should be able to stop her!"
"Yes, let's go to Midoriya!"
Agreeing immediately, they began shouting for help, asking Support Course students along the way where Midoriya Izuku might be.
Although the bystanders found it strange to see two fleeing girls being chased by Hatsume, someone kindly pointed out that Midoriya was in the testing area. Ochako and Takeyama sprinted off in that direction, with Hatsume in relentless pursuit.
As they rushed toward the testing area, they passed Support Course students wearing gas masks, running the opposite way. However, the two girls couldn't stop to question it and pressed on.
"There he is! It's Midoriya!"
Spotting Midoriya's back from a distance, Takeyama immediately dashed toward him, and Ochako quickly followed. Behind them, Hatsume also burst into the testing area.
"Midoriya! Help us!"
"Midoriya, stop Hatsume Mei!"
The two girls screamed as they reached him. Slowly, Midoriya turned around, and they immediately noticed something strange.
His green hair was surrounded by a dark mist, as if it had dyed him black. Although he wore a calm, friendly smile, there was an unsettling aura about him.
"Oh, it's Takeyama and Uraraka. And Hatsume Mei is here too?"
"M-Midoriya?" Takeyama cautiously called his name. Something felt seriously off about him—his presence was utterly terrifying!
"Everyone ran off during the test, so I couldn't gather any data on how it works against people. How troublesome..."
Midoriya muttered to himself. At the same time, Hatsume Mei caught up to the two girls, noticing that something was seriously wrong with Midoriya Izuku.
"Um... Midoriya-chan?"
"Midoriya-kun?!"
Hatsume Mei asked cautiously, while Ochako hugged Hatsume tightly. She was terrified!
"So... could you help me test this gadget?"
Midoriya Izuku smiled as he held out an item for the three girls to see—a round sphere marked with a bloody skull symbol.
Their vision seemed to blur as if twisted. At that moment, the three girls saw the grin of death itself. Behind Midoriya appeared the specter of Kurogiri's dark, swirling cloak, wielding a giant, sharp scythe poised to claim lives.
"Ahhhh!!!"
Panicked, Ochako, Takeyama Urei, and Hatsume Mei fled the testing area shoulder to shoulder. If they didn't run now, someone was going to die!
Watching them flee, Midoriya Izuku stayed still, his smile slowly turning into a bitter grin once they were far enough away.
"This should do it..."
He didn't mind playing the bad guy to help Takeyama and Ochako out of a bind—and even scaring Hatsume away in the process.
"For now... I need to keep some distance from them."
Midoriya knew very well that the man named All For One, who had set his sights on him, would strike again. He couldn't let something like the incident with Kouta happen again. Midoriya wasn't sure he could protect anyone next time.
Right now... he had to make sure everyone kept their distance from him.
---
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