45. Soft bunny ears.

As I gathered my balance, I held up a hand at Mirko.

"Before we start, how about that bet I talked about?"

"Be quick about it! I can't wait!" Mirko replied, doing small hops, shifting impatiently between her leg.

"Alright. I'll keep it simple.

You're strong, experienced, and talented.

I'm neither. So how about a little handicap? Would probably make it more fun for you too!" I suggested.

"Really? Sure." She answered.

"Great. Then here's the deal.

If I can pet your bunny ears, I win, and you take me on as an intern, as well as do one more thing I'll ask for later.

If I can't do that within ten minutes, I lose.

How's that sound?" I explained.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Is that all?

Then let's go already!" She insisted, shaking her head, sending her ears flopping all around.

Cute!

"On three then." I said, giving Midnight a thumbs up as she began to count down.

I on the other hand reached deep into me, and pulled on the full might of my quirks.

Yellow-blue electricity crackled around me, dancing arc along my skin leaping off the hem of my pants and onto the floor in a beautiful display of lightworks.

My senses and perception rose above their peak, as every breath felt like a ranging river plunging into my lungs, every wisp of wind inciting reaction on my body.

The world seemed to slow down as Midnight uttered the final number.

In an instant, we both moved, as if through thick, viscous fluid, air currents rippling around our legs as they met.

Fhwoom!

A boom sounded out as our shins collided, sending dust flying off in a circle.

I flew back from the impact, my One For All being not yet string enough to match her toughness.

Very well then, hide and seek it is!

Mirko stood her ground, excited.

"So you weren't just overestimating yourself?!" She giggled, spinning happily on her legs, "Maybe I should get serious then!"

"Nope. I was definitely overestimating myself." I replied, throwing a shelf at her.

She twisted, kicking clean through it, sending splinters flying everywhere.

If one shelf won't do, I'll throw two!

I began to circle across the field, throwing shelves at her, keeping her distracted until my best weapon came to fruition.

Of course, she didn't just stand around kicking them away, as she gave chase, lunging at me, knee first.

Immediately, I turned around, pivoting on my heel, as I grabbed her thigh.

Anatomy Style, Perfect Slam!

Pushing on it with all my OFA enhanced strength, I drove it and her into the ground, shattering it like a drought plain.

Almost on instinct, she brought her other leg around, trying to catch me in a headlock, when I jabbed a fist into the bottom of her other thigh, right into a nerve, thumb and knuckle bulging, pushing it over me.

"Khhg!" She winced as her muscles strained, and I slipped out and away.

Of course, unlike Bakugo, Mirko didn't skip leg day, like ever.

And it showed.

This sort of tactic wouldn't keep her long.

She was up and running within seconds, patting her thigh into place before coming after me, now with renewed vigour and full power.

Her every step raised dust cloud.

If that hits me, I'm dead.

Not that dying between those juicy thighs wasn't any man's dream!

But that was not on my menu for the day.

Looking at her closing in on me, I erected my shelf bulwark again, this time over my side of the whole field, nearly 50 feet high and 18 feet thick.

That should buy me some time as she bore through them.

I was wrong. She climbed over, like a fucking goat, kicking off of sometimes millimeter thin ledges.

Fuck!

That is not human!

I ran for dear life, installing my maze tower above me, knowing the hell panther coming after me.

The moment my tower was in place, I parkoured my way up it, while putting up even more bulwarks the way I had been running moments earlier as a red herring.

As expected, she took the bait, if a bit halfheartedly, hesitating for a second, listening for my footsteps.

I hung on the shelf tower, not daring to take a breath as she decided, shaking her head, and heading for the distraction.

With a crack, she burst through it, only to find another bulwark before her.

Summoning some books in a running pattern at the edge of my range, I dropped them, imitating my footsteps. Her ears twitched as she caught the sound and chased after it, giving me a good few seconds of leeway.

Once more I began my ascent up the tower, when suddenly, a book slipped, falling off the shelf beside me, hitting every level below.

Thack!

It landed on the dirt floor below, as I cringed in horror.

Mirko's thundering footsteps soon appeared, inching ever closer.

I redoubled my efforts, not caring for stealth anymore, and climbed up the tower like a monkey in the jungle.

"There you are~" Mirko's voice sounded out as she crashed through the foundation, sliding into the tower with an almost beastly grin.

"You almost fooled me!" She chirped, muscles rippling, preparing to tear through me.

I looked up at my goal, just meters away, and cursed.

"Fuck it!"

I'll do it from here.

Up in the sky, nearly 230 meters above ground, a shelf spawned, immediate shooting for the ground.

Not a fraction of a second later, another appeared, just behind the first, slamming into it, pushing it further and faster.

Over the 2 seconds it took for Mirko to prep and jump, I repeated the process over 38 times, accelerating the shelf downwards.

Then, as she jumped, I smiled, satisfied.

I raised her the middle finger as I unsummoned all but the the projectile shelf, and let myself free fall.

Her smile turned into confusion before she noticed the falling shelf, and twisted mid air, leveraging a kick at me.

Trying to end this before it hits you?

Not a chance!

I slammed a shelf into me, throwing me out of her kick range, just as her leg flew past me, the wind pressure ripping my gym uniform to shreds.

Now die!

I cackled, as she floundered for a millisecond, before her instincts kicked in.

Making a flash decision, she kicked off the freshly summoned shelf, and barreled into the ground below, landing in a crater.

Immediately, she got into a stable stance, and spun around, raising a leg at the sky.

Her kick matched my shelf meteor, breaking wood and bruising muscle, as her footpads shattered, revealing her leg, bruised and bloody.

A sonic boom burst over the field, winds visibly fluttering like waves in water at the impact.

"Haah! Haaah!" She panted, still smiling like an idiot, enjoying the pain every bit.

"Once more!" She ordered, like a child begging their mom to let them play one more game before bedtime.

What a battle maniac!

"You're bleeding!" I pointed out.

"Tis but a scratch!" She answered.

"Besides" I added, focusing One For All on my feet, "this a prime opportunity for me!"

"Cheh! Spoilsport!" She pouted, turning to face me, hobbling on one leg.

I burst forth, sending dirt flying beneath me, hands outstretched for her head.

"Not so fast!" She smirked, leaning back, landing a kick on my stomach from a dead angle.

How? I thought as the pain hit me.

Then I realized. She was acting, the wound really was a scratch.

Or maybe she was was just an adrenaline junkie who was used to the pain.

Former being more likely.

"Kwalh!" I cried, spit flying from my mouth.

My stomach lurched and I was sure I heard at least three of my ribs crack as I crashed into the safety wall, and then straight through it, landing in a net behind.

"Uwah!" I vomitted, emptying my stomach onto the floor, egg rolls and all, with a side of fresh blood.

Internal bleeding. Wow.

Just what I needed.

I stood up, staggering into form as I walked out from the debris, clutching my chest, a book in hand.

If it weren't for OFA, that kick would've ripped me in half.

But now all the pieces were set. Mirko walked over, wincing from the pain, and the timer behind here still showed 3 minutes left.

Good.

"Boy! You did good. But I think you should give up now. This has gone of for far too long." She suggested.

"Yup." I agreed, "This has gone on quite long enough."

Then, I disappeared.

A voice sounded out behind her as she felt a gentle caress on her ears.

"Hmmm....very soft." I said, startling her, as my feet thumped onto the ground.

Alarmed, she grabbed me, and slammed me through another wall out of fear, before realization came to her.

"Shit!" She cried, running over, checking me up.

"You okay, boy?" She asked.

"Better. I won." I smiled cheekily.

"You asshole." She laughed, "That's what you're worried about?"

"Sure." I replied, mirroring her, as the screens above replayed my victory, and my words were drowned out by thunderous applause and cheer.