Satoru was sitting in his chair, as usual. He was one of the first to enter.
Someone opened the door. But it was not Vlad King.
"Mt. Lady?" Monoma's eyes widened.
"We've asked her to come as a special instructor," Vlad King said from the edge of the door. "Since you all are getting more exposure, too. Midnight also came along."
"Today will be a media practicum," said Mt. Lady. "I, Mt. Lady, active hero and gorgeous hot commodity, will teach you how a teacher should behave!"
"I don't know what we're gonna do," said Tetsutetsu. "But let's get through this with Plus Ultra, guys!"
__________
Outside
"Hero Dark Matter, come here," Mt. Lady waved a hand to Satoru, inviting him onto the stage.
"Okay," Mato silently walked onto the stage.
"You were amazing out there, Dark Matter," said Mt. Lady.
"Thanks, I know," said Satoru.
"Dark Matter, what kind of hero would you like to be?"
How would Aniki respond to this? Satoru thought in his mind. "I want to be a hero whom people will be happy to see and feel safe when he arrives."
"If a handsome boy like you came to save me, I'd definitely be happy and feel safe!" Mt. Lady exclaimed.
"Stop flirting with me," said Mato. "I've got a girlfriend, and you're not my type."
So determined... he's so cute! I want him!
"What kind of ultimate moves do you have?" Mt. Lady asked.
"I've got two ultimate moves," Satoru explained. "First one is called 'Dark Continent.' It wraps all the darkness I have in my body and releases it in a single, earth-shattering punch. Since my Quirk evolved, I also have an 'Evolved Version,' that does the same thing, but with more brute force."
"The second one is called 'Dark Spreading.' I learned it when I went to train with Oro. He taught me how to wrap my entire body in darkness. I can decide where to spread my dark; if only in an arm, in a leg, or in my entire body. I mustn't overuse 'Dark Spreading, Full Body' too much or my body would feel the recoil."
"I'm not here to say anything about your personal issues," said Mt. Lady. "But if you want people to feel safe, it might be good to smile."
Just like Aniki does... Satoru thought.
"You'll slay ladies with your smile!" Mt. Lady added.
Mato snorted and descended from the stage.
__________
(It's been four months since U.A. moved to an all-dorm system. In secret, I kept visiting Tomura and Dr. Garaki to do the medical cures to get All For One, and nobody seemed suspicious. I was starting to feel like a villain again, but I still cared about my friends. I'm a villain, not heartless. Oh, and by the way, today is a very special day. At least, for my classmates.)
"Merry Christmas!"
Everyone was wearing a Christmas costume. They all wore Christmas hats, some red, some green. They were all eating all sorts of delicacies together. All except one, who not only wasn't dressed in Christmas attire, but was also standing far away from the group and staring at the wall.
Satoru.
Today's Christmas Eve... knowing what I'm doing, and knowing I'll probably lose my mind and attack my classmates, I'm not worthy of celebrating with them...
"Have you heard that hero work studies are opening again?" Tetsutetsu asked. "Where will you go, Hid?"
Tetsutetsu noticed Satoru staring at the wall. "Hey, Hid, come here! Don't act depressed, you're not cool!"
"I'm not in a very Christmas mood right now, Tets," said Satoru, turning to face his friend.
"Who will you choose for your work studies, Shirakawa?" Reiko asked.
"Are you going for Oro-san again?" Monoma asked.
"No," said Mato. "Aniki is still recovering from his fight with that Nomu and is not in the condition to train me again."
"Then where are you going, Hideki-kun?" Itsuka asked.
"I don't know..." Satoru replied. "I'll probably choose someone like Edgeshot or Ryukyu."
From behind, Setsuna put the Christmas hat on him. "C'mon, enjoy the Christmas spirit a bit, Shirakawa-kun!"
Mato snorted.
"But you had a ton of people asking for you, right?" Juzo said.
"Yeah," said Mato. "But only because they want me doesn't mean I want them too."
Mato took off the Christmas hat and started to walk away. "I'm going to sleep, I'm tired."
Setsuna appeared again from behind with Christmas clothing.
"I said I won't wear this!" Mato turned and shouted.
"Oh, come on, when did you become so boring, Shirakawa-kun?" Setsuna asked.
"It's not that I'm boring," Satoru snorted. "I don't celebrate Christmas."
__________
Mato went outside the dorm and stared at the moon. I wonder how Himiko-chan and the others are doing... Tomura's probably doing cures for that thing...
Suddenly, he heard a voice coming from his right. "Hey, Dark-san!"
He turned and saw Eri.
"Oh, Eri-chan..." he sighed. "And Eraser Head, too..."
"I know you're celebrating with your class, Shirakawa," said Eraser Head. "But before heading to Class A dorm, Eri wanted to see you and to give you a letter."
"Trick-or... treat?" Eri asked.
"No, you mixed up things," said Eraser Head.
She... wanted to see me... that's right. I'm the one who saved her. Please, my future self, when I lose my mind, do anything but don't harm this little child.
Mato forced a smile--and it seemed like the biggest task he ever had until then.
"Merry Christmas, Eri-chan..." he said, kneeling to the little Eri and patting her head. "And thanks for the letter... I swear I'll read it..."
"I care about you, Dark-san..." Eri leaned into the touch and then hugged him.
Mato hugged her back, and his eyes welled up with tears.
Why am I doing this? What's done is done, there's no turning back... even if my villainous nature has awakened, my heart doesn't delete the people I met in my journey and the ones I care about...
"Huh? What's wrong, Dark-san?" Eri asked. "Are you crying?"
"N-no, I'm not crying, Eri-chan..." said Satoru. "Something just got in my eye."
"Well, we're going now," said Eraser. "Take care of yourself."
Eraser Head and Eri left.
Four months from now... Mato thought.
He remembered something Dr. Garaki told him.
"Satoru, four months from now, when you'll get the power you want so much, you'll completely lose your mind. You won't forget the people you met at U.A., but you probably won't hesitate to attack them. It'll be like they won't mean a shit to you anymore, in that moment. I guess you already noticed your brain's already overloading with the five Quirks AFO gave you, plus the one you have since your birth. If you can accept this, we can move on."
That's right... I will attack them, I'll lose my mental sanity... I'll become a psychopath, just like Himiko-chan...
I'm sorry, guys, but I have to do this...
Suddenly, Satoru's phone rang.
"What is it, Shoto-kun?"
"Hey, Hideki," Shoto said from the other end of the phone. "Would you like to come with me to Endeavor's agency?"
Satoru didn't think twice. "Yes, I'm in."
"Thanks for accepting," said Shoto. "Midoriya and Bakugo are coming, too."
Mato closed the call. Now I'm even going to Endeavor's agency with my friends... I must mask everything I'm doing. Act normal, Satoru. Act normal.
Chapter 57- End