I exhaled slowly, feeling the heat of my own breath against my mask.
The dust still hung in the air, swirling in lazy tendrils as if the battlefield itself was catching its breath.
The impact of my movements had loosened the already weakened walls, cracks stretching across the surface.
I could barely make out Momo's silhouette, her stance poised, ready for whatever I threw next.
But I could hear her.
The crunch of her boots against loose rubble, the subtle shift of fabric as she adjusted her stance.
Momo was fast.
I already knew that, but how fast was what I needed to gauge.
A sudden whistle cut through the air. Something cutting through the haze, flying toward me.
I ducked, twisting my torso just as a metal baton zipped past where my ribs had been a second ago.
It clattered against the floor, then—another one suddenly appeared in my vision.
I raised my arm instinctively, darkness hardening over my forearm as the second baton smashed against it with a sharp clang.
The impact rattled my bones, but the force wasn't enough to break through.
'She switched weapons.'
Smart.
Too fucking smart and terrifying.
But I don't really think she's taking it like training at this point.
It feels like she wants to send me to Recovery Girl.
I didn't have time to overthink it. She was already closing the gap.
I caught the flicker of movement—her leg cutting through the dust.
I barely managed to sidestep before her boot swept past my knee.
The moment my foot touched the ground again, she was already pivoting, one baton swinging for my ribs, the other aiming for my temple.
I shifted, tilting my head. The first baton whiffed past my ear.
I lifted my arm—blocked the second strike, absorbing the impact, but the force behind it was nothing to scoff at.
If not for the quirk, I would have felt vibrations shake through my bones.
She was relentless, she had already made a gas mask to combat me.
She spun again, using the momentum to launch another strike at my ribs.
I twisted, letting the baton skim past my side. Too close.
I clenched my jaw. I could keep dodging, but she'd wear me down eventually.
I needed control to end this fight.
Her next strike came—a diagonal slash for my shoulder.
I caught her wrist with my hand, stopping the baton mid-air.
A flicker of surprise in her eyes.
I squeezed. Not enough to hurt. Just enough to throw her balance off.
She twisted away, trying to yank her arm free, and I let her go.
She staggered, barely catching herself. But I saw the shift in her stance.
I immediately regretted letting go as her free hand shot behind her belt.
A flicker of steel—grappling wire.
She lashed it out, aiming straight for my wrist.
I jerked back—just barely as the wire shot past, retracting with a sharp snap.
Then she sent it flying again. This time, it wrapped around my forearm.
Her grip tightened as she yanked, trying to pull me forward.
I let her as I moved with the force, twisting mid-air.
She wasn't expecting it and in that moment, I saw it.
The cracks in the walls, the loose debris at our feet.
The battlefield was already unstable and that was all I needed.
I landed right in front of her. She raised her baton to strike but I was already moving.
I caught her wrist, stopping her mid-motion.
A pause.
For the first time, I saw it. Hesitation.
She had been fighting someone she thought she could predict.
Someone she thought she had understood.
But that was her mistake, underestimating me.
She had no idea who she was really up against.
I let go of her wrist, stepping back. She immediately readjusted as her stance changed, becoming more cautious now.
But it was already too late as I stepped toward the cracked wall beside me.
"Hey, what are you-" She blinked.
Feeling the darkness coating my legs underneath my trousers, I kicked it as hard I could.
The impact sent a shockwave through the structure as the wall collapsed on us.
Smoke. Dust. Debris. The floor turned into chaos as I moved through it like a shadow, narrowing avoiding the debris.
I couldn't help but worry about my rash plan as I managed to save myself from any injuries.
I mean, this won't kill her right?
"....."
I couldn't help but put my hands on my head, bitter tears rolling down my face.
"Did I just off a baddie? I just committed a crime."
Then I heard her cough.
I was able to make her figure in the thick cloud of smoke.
She was coughing, her baton swinging out blindly, searching for me.
I moved as fast I could towards her, the darkness voiding any sound of my steps.
I swept my leg low, as I appeared by her side.
She didn't see it coming, the kick raked her off the ground.
She hit the floor hard, debris scattering around her as I stood above her.
The dust still hung in the air, slowly clearing dissipating.
The floor looked ruined—cracks splintering across the walls, debris scattered across the floor.
I took in the damaged environment, it really look like a villain raided this place.
I'm sure that points would be deducted for the way I fought and damaged the building.
I glanced down at Momo, as I took off the mask off her face, throwing it away.
She sneezed as she took in the dust, her face one of shock and bewilderment.
"Sorry about this, but I need you to stay down here."
I had run out of tricks to use against her and I couldn't find the tape to hold her.
The device I had with me let out a low buzz, Koda's soft voice echoing in the silence.
"H-hello... Azaria... umm... I-I have M-Mineta with me."
His words barely registered. My eyes stayed fixed on the wreckage, on the dust settling around me.
My heartbeat had slowed, my body still pulsing from the fight, but my mind—my mind had never felt sharper.
Staring at the rubble, I couldn't help but have a sense of clarity.
Why the hell did I do all of this?
For the plan? That would've been the smart answer. The logical one.
But deep down, I knew the truth. It wasn't just about the plan. It wasn't even about winning.
It was about her words.
I should've let it go. I should've shrugged and played my part.
The average student, the quiet observer. The nobody who wouldn't stand out.
But instead?
I threw myself into the fight like I had something to prove.
I let her words get under my skin and push me into reacting.
I let the competitive instinct take over, the stupid need to prove myself in a fight that didn't even matter.
What was I trying to prove?
Was I right to show my ability like this in front of her?
I glanced at where the camera was, a frustrated sigh escaping my mouth.
Although they couldn't see what happened, didn't I attract a bit of attention?
The logical part of me said no. No one saw everything. I was careful. I didn't go all out.
But the way I fought—the intensity, the ruthlessness—I didn't need to go that far. And yet, I did.
Even now, I could feel it. The way my body thrummed with lingering tension, the way my hands still curled into loose fists.
She wasn't supposed to see me like this.
She was supposed to see me as another classmate.
Another obstacle.
Another name she could forget in a week.
Instead, I just did this.
I exhaled slowly, tension coiling in my chest, I almost fucked everything up.
I reached up, pulling off my mask. A sharp breath filled my lungs—then I sneezed.
Loud.
The sound cut through the silence, almost out of place.
I barely reacted. Just blinked, let the dust settle, and took in the scene.
"Did I… go too far?"
The words came out of my mouth without me realising it.
I turned to Momo. She just laid there, her expression caught somewhere between shock and something else.
She was trying to understand me. Trying to make sense of what she saw.
I kept my voice even, quiet.
"I'm not as smart as you to make grand plans of the sort, so I just try my best to do things the way I can."
I wasn't trying to justify myself. I wasn't looking for reassurance.
And yet, some part of me—the part that had reacted so strongly to her words still wanted to hear it.
That I didn't mess up.
That I didn't go too far.
Her eyes flickered—like she wanted to respond, but couldn't find the words.
"But do you think I overdid it, Momo?"
The question hung in the air, unanswered.
And that was fine. I wasn't actually looking for an answer but I just needed to ask that question.
Her mouth opened slightly, but no sound came out. She still didn't know what to feel.
The Azaria she had known—the one who stayed in the background, the one she thought she understood—was gone.
I glanced at my hand. My fingers were relaxed now. I had let go of the tension.
I looked back at her, my voice quiet.
"You look surprised. I guess.....I don't meet expectations, do I?"
The words felt honest in a way I hadn't expected.
And somehow, that felt worse.
---
My steps weren't deliberately loud but they echoed as I walked through the hallway.
I had changed back into my uniform as I had to visit Recovery Girl to check for any injury.
I received an earful as she was told how the fight went, adding to the one I got from All Might earlier.
Fortunately, the injuries Momo had weren't all serious and she received some gums from Recovery Girl.
I dropped to 13th due to the deduction in points with Koda and Tsuyu, passing over me.
Although I would say that's good, I don't know how it would go concerning the students.
Being a spy is fucking hard, I set out a role to follow but I don't even think I've been following that role.
I wanted to be an average, easily forgotten or underestimated student.
But since the first day, everything has being the opposite of what I intended.
But here I was, standing out when I was supposed to disappear.
This was only the first week, and I had already made a name for myself.
So what now?
So, should I just drop the role and be myself?
The mission was to get information on All Might and UA.
The average student act was just supposed to be the method. But if the method wasn't working…
…Did I really need to keep forcing it?
If I kept going down this path, if I kept making noise, then what?
Would I slip up? Would I get caught? Would AFO decide I was a liability?
Would he kill me? Would he kill my family?
The thought sent a slow, creeping chill down my spine.
I sucked in a breath, trying to push it down.
"So, just be you....Azaria."
My name has never felt so foreign to me. I gripped the handle of the class door, entering the class.
As usual the class was noisy, although it became a bit quiet once they noticed me.
'I swear, someone would think I'm the main character with the reaction.'
I just tried my best to ignore the eyes as I walked to my seat.
"Hey, that was a nice fight."
I turned to the voice, a boy with gold hair matching his eyes and a black lightning shaped streak on his left side of his fringe.
Denki Kaminari, best way to describe him—a flirt and dunce. Emphasis on the dunce.
"Man, you defeating the number one in the class was crazy."
"Yeah, yeah." Another voice added.
It belonged to a girl with pink skin, matching her short fluffy hair. Her eyes—yellow irises and black sclerae, two matching pale yellow horns.
Mina Ashido.
I looked at her and saw the others with her—Sero, Aoyama, Mineta.
"Uh....yeah, I guess." I replied, actually having no words to say.
"I didn't like the way you fought. It wasn't shiny like me." Aoyama adjusted his hair, weirdly shining.
My eyes narrowed at him, my voice unconsciously becoming low. "I see. How did you expect me to fight?"
Was he trying to say I went out of line as a spy?
Was he actually talking his usual nonsense?
I didn't know since I wasn't sure whether he was still a spy here.
"You really sound like one." Sero said, pulling me out of my thoughts.
"Like what?"
"Like a gangster." He squinted his eyes. "The piercing, the tattoo and what you just did now."
"The tattoo is kinda sick though" Denki smiled "Sure you're getting those
"But you have a handsome face," Mina leaned in closer to me. "So, you just give the vibe of a bad boy. You're kinda similar to Bakugo."
"Coming from a beautiful girl, thank you and nah, I'm not like that" I raised my hands up "I was just wondering what he said."
"We know you defeated Momo" Aoyama crossed his arms "But we don't know how you did it."
"Yeah, we saw the part where she was winning at the beginning." Sero cocked his head "But from when you punched those walls, it all was just dust."
"Well ummm.." my eyes scanned through all of them as I scratched my head.
I didn't have any answer in my mind, what do I say?
"He won by luck?" Denki said "I mean, I heard it that he won by using his surroundings."
"Y-yeah, one of it knocked her down in the process." I cleared my throat. "Kinda embarrassing to say."
"But why was she facing upwards instead of down-"
"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!!!" Mineta loud voice cut Mina's short. "You deceived me so that you could spend time with Momo."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"...."
"...."
Mineta knelt on the floor as he let out an anguished cry.
"Azaria, to think that I called you a brother. You betrayed me. Now you are here calling Mina beautiful."
He got up, wearing a serious expression. To be honest, if not for his appearance, I would have taken him more seriously right now.
"I would kill you and kill myself AAAAAHHHHH!!!"
He leaped forward but was held back by Sero, who miraculously caught him midair.
I couldn't help but laugh as I apologized to him.
———
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