"You have gained 10 points."
Shigaraki blinked slowly, his hand unconsciously twitching as the low, mechanical hum of the games interface filled his ears. The crimson-red bug icon blinked into existence in front of him.
His lips curled into a smirk, but it wasn't one of joy. The cold, metallic taste of annoyance was the only thing that lingered on his tongue. Shigaraki's eyes lazily shifted downward, directly to the body he was sitting on. His fingers twitched again.
It was a man, or at least what had once been a man. The mans throat looked as if it were torn out—crushed to the point where no life would ever return. His eyes, wide and bulging, stared at nothing, forever frozen in the shock of whatever final moment had brought him here. The flesh was shredded, and Shigaraki could smell the faint, sickly smell of blood mixed with the decay of the man's disembowelment. A brutal finality hung in the air, as the broken corpse served as a sickening throne beneath him.
A game, a damn game.
Toga and Twice were just a few paces away, engaged in their usual antics. Twice, always eager, was adjusting the layers of his costume, muttering to himself in a manic way.
"Boss! You think we're gonna get more points just like this? I like the sound of that!" Twice laughed, looking at his own Bug with weird delirium.
"Shut it Twice." Shigaraki snapped, his voice contained venom. "You have no idea what's going on here do you?"
Shigaraki barely had any clue what was going on either and that brought his hand up to his neck and started lightly scratching at it. His master had only told him that he was sending him on a special mission without him.
Without him. That made no sense, Shigaraki has been by master's side from the beginning, for as long as he could remember.
He didn't understand this game or like the creator of it.
But he did like the fact that he has more of a reason to kill now. He just wishes he had the chance to do so to All Might.
Toga, with an odd gleam in her eyes, looked at the bloody corpse beneath Shigaraki and hummed, twirling a knife between her fingers. "Is it just me, or is this place just so much fun? And look at these cool bugs, they're all red."
Shigaraki's eyes narrowed, flicking to the side as he stood up from the corpse. His boots squelched with a sickening sound as they pressed down on the remains, the flesh squashing beneath his weight. It made him feel strangely powerful. Stomping on what was now just another part of the scenery.
His hand twitched again, fingers itching to destroy, to tear everything around him apart. The game... What was the point of it all? He frowned.
He gritted his teeth, the ache of frustration tightening in his chest. 'This is stupid,' he thought. 'I wish I had Kurogiri here...' His annoyance bubbled up. His damn portal was gone, he had no way out and he's stuck in a place teeming with heroes.
If he ran into one that somehow beat him and the other two... No Kurogiri, no escape.
Shigaraki's thoughts shifted. He couldn't rely on Kurogiri to bail him out now. Maybe that is part of what he's supposed to learn. If he was going to make it out he would have to play it smart. But he was surrounded by idiots. But it didn't matter, they weren't the key to getting out of this, he was, or at least he will be.
He'd played games like these before, battle royale's and even trying and failing to learn those dumb chess games with his master. He's used to this. This is no different.
Shigaraki got his Bug to show him the artifacts that were needed to getting out of the game. 'That's it then... I'll grab one of these objects, preferably the USB, and then I'll horde it somewhere...'
Toga's voice broke through his thoughts. "So what's the plan Shiggy?"
"I'm thinking," he said.
If he was his master would he be looking at this as a trap? No.
There it was, that cold clarity he needed to decide his next move. "You two. I've decided, we need to grab one of these objects before anyone else gets too it, then we hide it and gain allies for when we get out of this game."
Yes. That's how he'll win the game. 'And we'll kill any UA brat we see.'
The NPC's will be there in case we need to gain a point before the fourth day too.
Great. Perfect. "Let's go east."
___
The street was quiet, save for the faint unnatural buzz of this distorted world. The buildings of Hosu loomed around me, too precise, too polished, like a photograph edited to perfection. Only difference was these buildings were actually real. Not everything was frozen.
A faint tug of awareness drew my attention to a dimly lit alleyway. The paper clip I had left behind earlier hummed across my perception, guiding me forward. I found her, slumped on a wall, her body rigid, her breaths quick and shallow. That same hero girl I just helped out, hero student I'm sure. She was in her costume, a teal knee-length qipao with yellow accents. I didn't like the colour.
Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she clutched her knees to her chest. A panic attack, I realized. I stepped closer, my movements deliberate, careful not to startle her.
She didn't notice me at first, too caught up in the tight spiral of her mind. I leaned against a wall opposite her, crossing my arms. "Take your time," I said evenly. My voice calm but detached, like an observer noting the weather.
Her head snapped up, eyes wide with fear. She pressed herself further into the wall, her trembling hands slightly in defense.
"Relax," I said nodding at her hero costume. "You're in uniform. I'm guessing you're one of the good guys."
Her breath hitched, her gaze flickering between my face and the faint shimmer of paper folding lazily in front of her. She didn't speak, not yet, her breathing slowed slightly. Moments passed in a tense silence before she exhaled, her shoulders sagging.
"Are you... following me?" She asked, her voice hoarse.
"In a way," I replied, gesturing to the paper clip that was on her sleeve. "I tagged you back in the store. Wanted to see where you made it to."
She glanced down at the tag, her brows knitting together. "Why?"
I shrugged my shoulders. "Call it curiosity. Or maybe I just don't like loose ends."
Her lips pressed into a thin line, and the wary edge in her eyes didn't soften. "Thank you," She said quietly, though it sounded more like a formality than genuine gratitude. "For, back there."
I tilted my head, studying her. "Your welcome... I guess."
For a while neither of us spoke. I could tell she didn't want to speak too deeply about what happened back there, when she first seen my face there was just a great well of fear.
She sat gathering herself.
I observed the world around us. Hosu was eerily alien yet familiar. Streets I recognized just being in stretched out before us, empty of the morning hustle and bustle. Windows were shut tight as if no one had ever been in the houses before.
"Do you feel it?" she asked suddenly, her voice was steadier now.
I raised a brow. "Feel what?"
"How lifeless everything is."
Her words hung in the air. I didn't respond since sarcasm was on the tip of my tongue, this was a game after all. Still, I did acknowledge that her voice held a clarity now that contrasted the trembling girl from only moments ago.
"I meant what I said." she continued. "Thank you for helping me with... that guy."
"Abyss." I supplied, watching her reaction.
Her face paled slightly, but she nodded. "Right, he would have killed me."
"He's a natural predator, you were just in his way for his next target." I said matter-of-factly.
She flinched slightly at my bluntness, but she didn't argue. Instead, she straightened, her posture more composed. "Why did you help me?"
"Why not," I replied, my tone dry. "You're a hero in costume. You're not the enemy. Besides I had priorities then."
"What priorities?" She frowned, her suspicion evident.
So I spilled what I figured out earlier. "There is a high possibility that every villain or criminal that was locked up in Tartarus, or even other state run prisons, have been released into this game"
Her eyes widened in shock at that. I carried on. "That would include villains that may have needed more that just one of the top ten to apprehend. Can you imagine going against someone that Endeavour struggled with beating?" I asked her.
She didn't even need to answer, it was clear she had no clue who Abyss was, which was a little surprising. But then again, by the time I got back home I had a lot more of an intrigue on hero news and the type of villains they apprehended.
Abyss hopped on to the scene as a villain and was around for two months before he had a run in with Endeavour and met his prison sentence.
Sure there probably weren't many as strong as him, but people like him could gather an army from the trash and make them a threat. Pebbles on the road could still find a way to trip you down to their level.
She sighed. "You don't seem like a hero."
"I'm not," I said easily. "Heroes are too busy worrying about ideals and saving everyone. I prefer a simpler approach—survive, move forward, repeat."
"That's selfish." her eyes narrowed.
"And yet, here you are, alive because of it." I countered. "Tell me hero—how many people have you saved today?"
Her jaw tightened, and I could see a retort forming on her lips. But before she could speak, a distant crash echoed through the street. We both tensed, our attention snapping to the sound.
***
It was just a few thugs chasing a group of middle schoolers. Civilians who didn't have to take part in the death game. Neither did the thugs, they were just trying to give them a scare they said. In this environment.
After dealing with them, we secured the civilians in one of the apartment blocks and helped them form barricades that they can quickly slip under when necessary. After chasing the thugs away, I found out her name was Itsuka Kendo.
Itsuka knelt beside a young girl, offering her words of reassurance. I leaned against the wall, watching her.
"You're good at that," I said.
She glanced at me confused. "At what?"
"Playing the hero."
Her expression was a little hysterical as she responded instantly. "I am the hero."
"Sure," I said shrugging. "But those heroic ideals may struggle with keeping you alive past the fourth day. The clocks ticking and you'll need points to keep that pretty little head of yours on your shoulders."
I had to remind her of the situation she was in. I knew what I was capable of. I would get the points to survive and I wouldn't let anyone hold me back. There is an assortment of villains to choose from anyway if I was right about hardened criminals being released into the game.
But thinking that made me think of Midoriya, I don't know why really, we still hadn't really had a conversation and it's not like I planned on searching for him. But, I knew that no matter what happened, the likelihood of him taking a life was next to zero.
He's too kind for that. Kendo seems the same way, but I'd assume most heroes or hero students had to.
Kendo took some time to think on my question, her gaze was sharp, "And what about you? You just running around and hoping to stumble on to a way out."
I nodded.
"Yep, It's what I usually do, it's easier too. No one to slow me down, and no one to blame if things go south."
"That's not how you win this," She said firmly. "We need to work together."
I laughed softly, shaking my head. "I understand that very much so. But I still don't plan on doing that." She was about to retort again, hands on her hips and eyebrows creased, but I interjected. "But I don't mind sticking around until you find another hero to stick around."
Her eyes were searching mine, as if to decipher my intentions. Finally she nodded. "That's fine, but I don't need a bodyguard. I want to find my friends. And I want you to follow my lead."
"Sure boss. Whatever makes you feel in charge."
Her glare could've melted steel, but I didn't care. Once she finds her friends, or even Midoriya, I can leave then. I know for certain he won't agree with me. Four days! Finding the artifacts in that amount of time is impossible.
But there is another option.