"Lost… I lost?"
Hearing Bakugo Katsuki admit it again, everyone stood frozen. There hadn't even been a proper fight—the clash lasted only a few seconds—and yet Bakugo Katsuki had lost so decisively.
It was unbelievable.
Bakugo Katsuki gave a small nod. He had already expected this outcome, and now that it had happened, it only confirmed his suspicions. What troubled him most wasn't just the loss—it was the fact that he hadn't even managed to touch Shina Etsuha.
"Damn it… this guy's gotten insanely strong…" Bakugo Katsuki clenched his fists. The defeat left him at a loss for words. The real problem was that he didn't understand Etsuha at all. He hadn't anticipated that the ice wall could change so fluidly—like it was an extension of Etsuha's own body.
"Since you lost, help me deliver this explanation letter to the teacher," Etsuha said casually, tossing the envelope over.
"Don't push your luck, idiot!" Bakugo Katsuki snapped, clenching his fist—yet he still caught the letter.
"Looks like you're actually pretty honest," Etsuha nodded in satisfaction. Bakugo Katsuki wasn't a bad person at his core—just hot-headed and explosive. If he could rein that in, he'd be fine.
"Bastard!!!" Bakugo Katsuki roared, furious. Not only had he lost, now he was being made to run errands for Etsuha. It was infuriating.
Still, a deal was a deal. Even though he was seething inside, Bakugo Katsuki didn't throw the letter away. Instead, he carefully tucked it away.
"H-Hey… the boss actually accepted Shina's request!"
"So… are we supposed to call him Boss Shina now?"
"Maybe… but that letter looked like a leave request. He already passed the U.A. recommendation—why would he even need to go to middle school anymore? He could just stay home and draw manga."
"Yeah… Shina probably won't come to school again."
The group of followers seemed to have just discovered an entirely new world.
"Shut up and get lost!" Bakugo Katsuki barked.
"Yes, sir!"
No one dared to provoke him further. They scattered immediately, leaving the abandoned building quiet once more, with only Midoriya Izuku and Bakugo Katsuki remaining.
Bakugo Katsuki ignored Midoriya and muttered to himself:
"Sooner or later… I'll surpass you."
…
In the blink of an eye, several days passed.
Inside the League of Villains' hideout, a swirling portal opened in midair. Shigaraki Tomura stepped out, followed by the sludge villain.
At first, the sludge villain remained cautious, but as he looked around the dimly lit bar-like interior, he gradually relaxed. If nothing else, this must be the young man's base.
Still, he found it hard to believe. They had only just met days ago, yet he had already been brought here. Were they not afraid he might report them?
Ever cautious by nature, the sludge villain quickly noticed a strange television set in the room. His attention locked onto it immediately.
"What a boring trip," Shigaraki Tomura grumbled as he slumped into a chair.
"Oh? You don't seem to be in a good mood. Did something happen this time?"
A voice suddenly came from the television.
The sludge villain froze, staring at the screen in shock.
So… this was the one behind everything?
"Sensei, that Nomu didn't perform well. It didn't even manage to rip apart the limbs of that quasi-boss," Shigaraki Tomura complained lazily, sprawled over the table. "That guy had serious growth potential. I think this is foreshadowing—if we let him grow, he might end up teaming up with the final boss against us."
"Hehe… you're too impatient. Nomu isn't designed for complex tasks. But I am curious—what exactly happened, Kurogiri?"
There was a subtle shift in tone—now it carried a hint of authority.
Kurogiri, who had just stepped out of the portal, immediately straightened.
"I've copied the footage of Nomu pursuing Shina Etsuha. Everything is recorded."
"Good. Play it."
All For One's voice carried a trace of interest. He, too, wanted to understand how Nomu had failed to eliminate Shina Etsuha.
After all, this Nomu had been specifically engineered to counter All Might. Even if it couldn't follow complex commands, it should have possessed overwhelming power against a mere middle schooler. No matter how you looked at it, it shouldn't have failed—let alone allowed its target to escape unharmed.
All For One had considered many possibilities. The most likely one was that All Might had intervened and saved the boy.
He wanted to see exactly how that battle had unfolded.
Seeing that All For One didn't seem angry about Shigaraki Tomura acting on his own, Kurogiri felt a wave of relief. He quickly took out his laptop and inserted the USB drive containing the footage.
"The target's network defenses were quite strong. Even though I had already hacked the surveillance system beforehand and blocked the live feed, retrieving this data from the database still took considerable effort. Fortunately… I succeeded."
The tavern fell into silence.
Only the sludge villain's eyes flickered restlessly.
Because he already knew—
He had witnessed that battle with his own eyes.
..
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