17 Now... come at me, ugly!

- Location: Japan, at a certain alleyway

[POV. Third-Person]

Bakugo began to regain consciousness as he stood up from the floor. "W-what happened?!" he yelled, looking around and seeing some of the other kids also slowly waking up.

"B-bakugo?" one of the kids said as he rubbed his eyes. Bakugo's face was covered with doodles, words such as "Bully," "Loser," and "punch me" on his cheek, along with an ugly mustache.

The kid tried to hold his laughter as veins grew on Bakugo's forehead. "What's funny?!" Bakugo said, his palm exploding. "Y-you have something on your face, Bakugo," one of the kids said, trying to hold back his laughter.

Bakugo then took out his phone and opened the camera app. "THAT B*TCH!!!" A yell so loud resounded throughout the entire alleyway, and other screams followed as the other kids realized they also had scribbles on their faces.

....

Several months passed...

"I'm gonna go hang out with Henri today, Dad. Call me if something comes up," Jihye said as she tied her shoes. "You've been spending a lot of time with little Henri lately," Kei said as he washed the dishes.

"We're just going to the movies today," Jihye said as she stood up, walking towards the door.

"Be care-" He was interrupted as the door closed.

Thud!

"She just left without even saying goodbye... Children grow up too fast," Kei said as a few tears fell from his eyes. "W-what's wrong with me? I should be happy that she has a friend who stuck with her all these years," he muttered, wiping away his tears.

"I still remember the days when she would run towards my arms after waiting at the station... Time is a cruel mistress... Having raised her her whole life, I've always been there... And now she leaves the ne-" His rambling was interrupted as the door suddenly swung open.

CREAK!

Hope filled Kei's eyes as he saw Jihye running, and he opened his arms for an embrace. "I almost forgot my wallet!" Jihye ran past him, and his body turned into stone.

"O-of course she didn't come back for me... I'm a worthless father who was too busy to be with his daughter," he said in a depressed tone as he slowly went back to washing the dishes.

After some time, Jihye came out of her room. Kei only smiled defeatedly as he didn't see Jihye walk up to him. "W-wha? Jihye?!" he suddenly exclaimed as Jihye hugged him tightly.

"Don't ever call yourself worthless, Dad... You're the best father in the world," Jihye said as she slowly let go of the hug.

"Bye, Dad... Love ya," Jihye said as she closed the door on her way out.

Kei stood there, as if Jihye had paralyzed him without using her quirk. "Jihye..." he said as tears started flowing from his eyes.

"I-I love you too..." he said, watching her leaving figure through the window.

Kei removed his glasses as he wiped his tears. "I will make sure to live up to your expectations... And be the best father that you see me as, Jihye," he said as a glint of determination shined through his eyes. He smiled, continuing to wash the dishes while humming a song.

....

Outside the movie theatre, Jihye and Henri lined up to buy tickets, while Liam stood next to them.

"Why couldn't you just buy the tickets online? This line is tiring," Jihye said in sign language. "B-but this is a part of the theatre experience!" Henri said with a nervous tone, as if she were about to be caught doing something.

"Ahem... what the young miss meant to say was that she wanted to spend more time with you, little Jihye," Liam said with a smile that made Henri want to kick him in the shin.

"Liam! W-what are you talking about?!" Henri said as she stomped on the floor. 'It's okay... if you wanted to hang out more, you could've just said so,' Jihye smiled as she rolled her eyes.

"R-really? But aren't you getting bored of me?! Whenever we hang out, your expression makes it look like you are always bored," Henri said with an anxious tone as she waited for Jihye to reply.

"That's just how I normally look these days... I don't know why, probably because of puberty," Jihye said with her voice, as there were only a few people left lining up, giving her more control.

"So don't worry about it... I will never be bored of hanging out with you," Jihye said with a smile.

But that smile made Henri blush as she clutched her chest. "J-Jihye... I have to tell you som-" A loud boom interrupted her as a building near the theatre blew up.

BOOM!

"STEP AWAY, OR I WILL TRAMPLE YOU!" A villain with a huge stature yelled as he sprinted towards Jihye and Henri.

"He looks tough..." Jihye said as she got into a stance. "Don't bother with this imbecile, little Jihye..." Liam said as he loosened his tie.

"I'll take care of this," Liam said with a grin, walking towards the villain as his eyes started to glow purple.

"Do you think Liam can win? I've never actually seen him fight," Jihye asked with concern.

"Liam will be fine... He is not only a driver but also my personal bodyguard," Henri said as she raised her pointer finger.

"A former top hero like him will never lose to the likes of these villains," she said with a confident smile, shocking Jihye.

"Now... come at me, ugly!" Liam said with open arms as his eyes glowed brightly.