Red Feathers.

My bad, I forgot to upload this chapter first. I apologise 🥲😅

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'The Hero Hunter! Oh God, what do I do what do I do what do I do.'

Itsuka's feet refused to obey her mind's command to run away. Instead, it chose to stay still. It didn't tremble from fear. She was too scared to even feel fear in her legs.

Her mind first travelled to her younger brother whom she was tasked to take care of. The thought of either her or Inumaki dying by the hands of the Hero Hunter was unfathomable. She could not paint that picture in her head.

As the Hero Hunter cracked his knuckles menacingly, Itsuka prayed for a hero to quickly come by and save them. She was practically screaming for them in her mind.

"What do you mean mister?" Inumaki innocently asked.

"Why do this students always end up bullying you. You hate their school or something?"

Inumaki looked behind him to see his sister paralyzed from fear; not a common sight.

"Oh, she isn't a bully. She's my sister!"

Rui breathed a sigh of relief, glad that the boy wasn't a target of bullying anymore. He look towards the sister and saw that the girl was clearly frightened by the situation. He wanted to go up to her to snap her out of it but figured against it. She may be even more frightened by his walking up to her.

He signed to the boy to snap his sister out of it instead.

"Itsuka… Itsuka… wake up!" the boy whispered into her ear.

The girl recoiled back, shocked that she was still alive.

Seeing her reaction, Inumaki shook his head.

"Itsuka, this is the man that saved me. He is a really nice guy. I don't why mom does not allow me near him." He revealed to Itsuka.

'This-this-this was the one who saved-saved Inumaki!?'

"Inumaki… you know what mom said about lying…" Itsuka tried to uncover the truth about the situation unfolding before her.

"Really! You know my quirk, it's hard for me to forget a face."

Itsuka thought carefully. It was true. Inumaki's quirk to never forget a face was always active. From then, he could perfectly replicate the face in a drawing. It was nigh impossible for Inumaki to be wrong with identifying faces.

Itsuka's racing heart started to slow down, though she was still wary around him.

"What… do you have with my brother?" she asked Rui.

"Nothing. I just thought he was going to get bullied again."

"You sure?"

"Yes. Very."

Itsuka did not took that statement to heart. She didn't fully believe the man before her and it was valid. The man before her was the Hero Hunter. Infamous for hunting down the people she aspired to be. Who knows if the man had underlying motives to hunt her next?

"Are you.' She hesitated. 'the Hero Hunter?"

"Yes, I am I suppose. Though in my mind I'm not the original but that's another story."

That answer was less than satisfactory. Never mind the confusing yet intriguing part of the answer, this man had admitted to being the most wanted man in Japan to date.

In front of her was a villain beyond villains, and the bane of all heroes.

"Are you going to kill me? I am a hero student you know?"

'Shit! Why did I say that?! He's gonna kill me now!'

That moment, Itsuka wanted to know the Hero Hunter's true motive for being here. But that seemed to be the wrong decision.

"Kill? Boy, is your sister right in the head?"

"Honestly, sometimes not."

Itsuka seeing the denial of the Hero Hunter and the casual conversation between him and her brother toned things down a bit. She was skeptical of what was happening now.

"Inumaki… what the hell is going on?" she needed her questions answered immediately.

"I'll explain it for you,' Rui stepped in, 'you wandered in here with your brother and I appeared thinking you were going to rob him or something. Then you saw me and asked if I was the Hero Hunter to which I replied yes."

"Then, you asked him a question which was rude by the way. Why would you ask him that?"

Catharsis was swirling in Itsuka's heart. She was feeling amused by the tag team of her brother and the villain yet at the same time terrified. She was furious at her brother making light of the situation yet pleased that the situation was indeed not that serious.

"So, the stuff they said on tv were false?" she asked.

"Well some of them are true, that much I can say."

"Oh- Ituska, its getting late. We have to go!"

Inumaki pulled his sister by the arm and led her out of the alley.

Itsuka was hoping all of this was a fever dream.

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It has been weeks since Rui encountered them that day, and he never did again. Since then, he had been going around cities wiping out heroes unworthy of the title and discarding the villains that he chanced upon.

He noted that his notoriety has risen, evident from frequent breaking news concerning him. The faces he saw staring into the window that display the news in electronic shops were also satisfying.

There was an odd pleasing feeling he received when people fear him more. The more they fear, the more he felt… powerful.

He sat a top the throne when more people fear him. And greater the fear, the taller the throne, the further the distance separate him and the rest. And he could only feel himself rising above the rest as days goes by.

He was lying on another rooftop when he felt danger incoming. Fast.

He stood up quickly and dodged a red object coming from his right. Soon, a flurry of red objects attempted to pierce him. He continually dodged it by retreating backwards with quick flips and step backs. None of the red objects managed to pierce back. (perfect e.g. is when Momoshiki dodged Sasuke's shurikens)

He looked towards the source of these red objects which led his eyes to the sky.

Above him was a hero flying.

Above him. Looking down on him.

Someone was above him. Looking down.

And that infuriated him.