Leon's day proceeded as usual. Classes came and went, dragging by at their usual pace. He paid attention when necessary, ignored distractions when he could, and completed whatever work was expected of him with little thought. Nothing out of the ordinary.
When the final bell rang, he packed up and left. No clubs, no unnecessary socializing—just the simple act of heading home. He wasn't against wasting time, but he saw no point in this kind of time-wasting.
Still, today, he chose something different. Instead of hailing a cab like he usually did, his feet wandered through unfamiliar streets, following a new route with no particular destination in mind. The urban sprawl of the city remained largely the same—clusters of students chatting, food stalls wafting the scent of grilled snacks, and the ever-present background noise of traffic and movement.
Eventually, his path led him near another middle school, one he wasn't familiar with. As he walked past its gates, he glanced up at the sign.
Aldera Junior High.
It rang no bells. Not that he expected it to. Schools were just buildings, and unless he had a reason to care, their names meant little to him.
Shrugging, he moved on. That was when faint noises caught his attention—muffled voices, the tone sharp, condescending. He wouldn't have paid much attention if not for the slight edge to the sound, the kind that signaled something more than casual banter.
Pausing near an alleyway, he leaned slightly to get a better look.
Inside, three students in the same Aldera uniform were surrounding another.
A mugging? No—there was no demand for money. A casual beatdown? Perhaps. Either way, the victim didn't seem to be putting up a fight.
Leon's eyes flicked over the scene, noting the details.
One of the aggressors had bright red hair, the kind that made him stand out in any crowd. He was smirking, his body language relaxed but predatory, like he was enjoying himself.
The second had pale blond hair, but it wasn't normal. It looked like it had been subjected to a small-scale electrical accident—wild, untamed, almost charged with static energy. He was the tallest of the three, standing at the center like the ringleader. His arms were crossed, his posture commanding.
Then there was the victim—a shorter boy with messy green hair that stuck up in an unruly fashion, almost resembling broccoli. His face was tense, his body locked up as if expecting a hit at any moment, yet there was something in his eyes. A quiet defiance.
Leon observed them for a few seconds longer, his gaze impassive.
Nothing particularly unusual. Just kids being kids.
But still, something about the situation made him pause.
…
Leon wasn't a fan of My Hero Academia. Never had been.
He had watched the first season—if only because one of his old friends had been adamant about it. The kind of friend who wouldn't shut up until you at least tried what they recommended. So, back then, when he had the time, he gave it a shot.
It had been… tough.
Not because the anime was bad—far from it. The story had its moments, the characters were distinct, and the world was interesting enough. It just wasn't what he was looking for at the time. Back then, he had been more fixated on light novels, devouring all sorts of stories, as long as they didn't stray into genres that clashed with his sense of enjoyment.
Still, as he stood there in the alleyway, watching the scene unfold, something stirred in his memory.
The two figures in front of him—the electrified blond and the broccoli-headed kid—felt familiar. It took a second, but then it clicked.
Right. This is that anime's MC, Izuku Midoriya.
He had completely forgotten about them. Not surprising, really. It had been ages since he watched that first season, and he hadn't bothered with the rest. But hey, he remembered now, and that was what mattered.
With that settled, he shifted his focus back to the present.
The so-called 'scene of the crime.'
Midoriya was standing there, trying to endure whatever verbal nonsense was being thrown his way. The bullies weren't just talking, though—there was an air of casual cruelty in their stance, like they were waiting for him to flinch, to react, to give them an excuse to escalate things further.
Leon exhaled through his nose.
He wasn't some hero. He didn't have a strong moral compass or an urge to save every victim of schoolyard bullying. But there were some things he just didn't like—one of them being people who crossed the line.
Words were one thing. If someone wanted to throw insults, that was their choice. But the moment things got physical, or if the insults got too personal—like bringing up family—that was when he drew the line.
This? This looked like it was about to cross that line.
Ah, whatever. Might as well interfere.
With his hands still in his pockets, he stepped forward, making no effort to mask his approach. The three bullies were too focused on Midoriya to notice him—at least, until he was right behind the shortest of the trio.
Without warning, he kicked the kid's bottom—not hard enough to send him flying, but enough to make him stumble forward.
The reaction was instant.
"Oi—!" The short one spun around, eyes flaring with anger.
Leon tilted his head, looking completely unconcerned. "What?"
His tone was flat, casual—like he was asking for the time.
The short one stumbled forward, nearly tripping over his own feet. His head snapped around, anger flashing in his eyes.
"What the—?!"
Leon just stood there, hands still in his pockets, completely unconcerned. He tilted his head slightly, eyes meeting the shorter kid's with a bored expression.
"What?" he repeated, as if he hadn't just kicked the guy.
The reaction was instant. The short one's face twisted, clearly about to say something, but before he could get a word out, the tallest of the three spoke.
"Who the hell are you?"
Leon shifted his gaze to the pale-blond kid—Bakugo.
Right.
That was his name. Katsuki Bakugo.
Of all the characters he vaguely remembered from MHA, Bakugo had stuck in his memory a bit more. The guy had a lot of anger, a superiority complex, and a habit of screaming at people who annoyed him. From what little he recalled, Bakugo wasn't just some dumb thug—he had the talent to back up his arrogance.
But at this moment? He was still just a middle school kid, standing in an alley, bullying another student.
Leon let his eyes drift over to Midoriya. The green-haired boy looked frozen, wide-eyed, clearly shocked that someone had stepped in.
A heavy silence stretched between them, the tension thick.
Leon rolled his shoulders.
"I was just passing by," he said lazily. "Then I saw something annoying, so I thought I'd fix it."
Bakugo's eyebrow twitched. "Fix it?" His voice had that low, growling quality to it. "You fix it by kicking someone?"
Leon shrugged. "Seemed like the fastest way."
The shorter extra—clearly still mad—opened his mouth again, probably to cuss him out, but Bakugo raised a hand, shutting him up before he could start. His red eyes locked onto Leon, narrowing slightly, as if analyzing him.
"…You go to school around here?"
Leon smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
The way he said it was deliberately vague, and it worked—Bakugo's eyes twitched, irritation flashing across his face.
Then, without another word, Bakugo turned back to Midoriya.
"Tch." He clicked his tongue. "This isn't over, Deku."
Midoriya stiffened but didn't say anything.
With that, Bakugo shoved his hands in his pockets and walked off, his two extras scrambling after him.
Leon watched them go, not particularly interested in what they'd do next. Bakugo wasn't stupid. He wouldn't start anything here, not when someone had just interrupted him.
With the bullies gone, the alley fell into silence.
Leon exhaled through his nose, already turning to leave.
"…T-Thank you."
He paused.
Midoriya was looking at him, his expression still a mix of shock and confusion.
Leon scratched his cheek. "Don't mention it."
Literally. He didn't want to get dragged into anything because of this.
Without waiting for a reply, he stepped back onto the sidewalk and continued walking, leaving Midoriya standing in the alley.
That should be the end of that.
At least, that's what he thought.
Leon hadn't expected anything more to come from that brief encounter. He had stepped in, gotten rid of the problem, and was ready to move on. Simple.
But, apparently, the green bean had other ideas.
Footsteps hurried behind him, growing louder as they caught up.
"W-Wait!"
Leon sighed internally. So much for just walking away.
He slowed his pace slightly, and soon enough, Midoriya was walking beside him. The shorter boy was still a bit hesitant, fiddling with the straps of his backpack, but he gathered the courage to speak up.
"What's… your name?"
Leon glanced at him, then turned his gaze back forward. "Leon."
He didn't bother giving his last name. No reason to.
Midoriya nodded as if committing it to memory. They walked in silence for a few minutes, neither of them in a hurry. The city buzzed around them—cars passing, people chatting, distant sounds of construction—but between the two of them, it was quiet.
Then, the green-haired boy finally spoke again.
"Um… Bakugo—he's not really a bad guy."
Leon stopped.
Midoriya took a few more steps before realizing Leon wasn't walking anymore. He turned around, only to find the taller boy staring at him like he had just sprouted a second head.
"…What?" Leon asked, genuine disbelief in his tone.
He had heard some outrageous things in his life, but this? This was something else.
Midoriya fidgeted under his stare but didn't back down. "I-I mean it! Kacchan… He's just—he's always been like that. He's strong, and he's always been talented, so he has high expectations for himself. He—"
Leon exhaled sharply through his nose, cutting him off. He wasn't angry. He wasn't even annoyed. But the sheer absurdity of what he was hearing made him wonder just how deep Midoriya's delusions ran.
"You're more of a fool than I thought."
Midoriya flinched.
Leon looked down at him, really looked.
His shoulders were hunched, his hands clenched tightly around his backpack straps. His whole posture screamed submissive, like someone who had learned to make himself small to avoid attracting attention. There was a nervous energy in the way he stood, like he was always expecting something bad to happen.
Leon had seen that kind of stance before. It was the stance of someone used to being beaten down—physically or verbally.
"Tell me," Leon said, "why were they bullying you?"
Midoriya hesitated. Then, in a small voice, "…Because I want to be a hero."
Leon narrowed his eyes.
"…Despite being quirkless," Midoriya added, looking down.
Ah.
Now it made sense.
Well, he already knew, but it kind of slipped his mind.
Being quirkless in this world was like being a sheep in a wolf's den. The only natural outcome was to be eaten.
Well… that was the normal outcome.
Leon studied him for another moment, then spoke.
"What do you think a hero is?"
Midoriya's head shot up at the question. His mouth opened slightly, as if he had an answer ready, but before he could get a word out, Leon continued.
"Before quirks came to be, were heroes nonexistent?"
Midoriya blinked.
Leon tilted his head slightly. "You see, as far as I'm aware, in almost all stories and myths, the hero is always the underdog—the one who starts without any power."
Midoriya's mouth opened and closed, his brain clearly struggling to process those words.
Leon let him stammer for a few more seconds before turning away.
"Anyway, that's all I had to say." He started walking again, raising a hand lazily in farewell. "Try not to get beaten up too much."
Midoriya stood frozen, still wide-eyed, still processing.
Leon smirked to himself.
It's not so bad, switching things up every once in a while.