NO. 34 - Target Found

...A Few Months Later...

I observed Izuku, his body marked with bruises and blood, as he prepared for the next move. He transitioned into a poised combat stance, his right arm raised and left arm hanging loosely, his legs positioned for stability.

I acknowledged his stance with a nod and mirrored it. We advanced towards each other on the grassy field surrounded by trees, our eyes locked until our right limbs were mere centimeters apart.

Fuck yeah, we finally did that Raid scene.

Without warning, Izuku lunged at me, his fist a blur as it hurtled towards my face. I dodged within a hair's breadth, countering with two swift jabs to his midsection. He grunted, his body twisting to deliver a spinning back kick towards my ribs.

"Not bad."

I smirked and swiftly dropped to the ground, using the momentum to knock his supporting leg off balance. He refused to stay down, executing a kick-up to regain his footing. I closed the distance, and we engaged in a rapid exchange of blows.

[+10 SP]

For each punch or kick he tried to land on me, I parried and countered with my own strike. Izuku glared at me, frustration clear on his face at the fact that he had yet to land a single blow while his body was assaulted with punches, kicks, elbows, and knees from me.

Feeling cheeky, I stepped back and patted my cheek tauntingly. I leaned forward with my hands behind my back, gauding him to attack me. Izuku's left eye twitched as he decided to risk it; he stepped in and spun on his hips to try and hit me with a mean left hook.

Unfortunately for him, I wasn't one to give away free hits.

He had to earn them.

"Gah!" Izuku grunted as I landed a vicious counter to his face with a left jab, knocking him away and onto his back.

[+10 SP]

"Okay, that's enough for today," I said while walking over to give him a hand. He was covered in sweat from the hours of sparring we'd done the day. "Good work, Izuku."

Looking up at my hand, Izuku rubbed his nose and accepted my help. Without much effort, I lifted Izuku to his feet. "T-thanks." He said as his nose began to bleed slightly. Reaching into my back pocket, I gave him my hanker chief. He thanked me again and accepted it, using it to clean the blood from his nose.

"You're getting better. Your moves are much sharper than before, and you're letting your instincts guide you. Still, you need to incorporate more kicks into your combos." I said while performing two high snap kicks in the air. "Remember, Izuku. You have legs, too."

[+10 SP]

"I'm trying! It's just that you move too fast for me to launch any kicks at you." Izuku said as he began to roll his shoulders. "But thinking back on our spar, I think I had a few opportunities where a kick would have worked better than a punch."

"Ah, you noticed them now?" I flicked his forehead and nodded. "I purposely made those openings for you, broccoli hair. Learn to take advantage of the smallest opening you can find."

"Oh, sorr-"

"..."

"I'll be sure to do better next time," Izuku said with a sheepish smile.

"Atta boy."

[+15 SP]

I gave him a pat on the shoulder and led the both of us out of the secret training ground I found in the woods.

"Souta-san, can I ask you a question?" Izuku asked, his face nervous.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Well, you're going to be graduating Junior High soon... Hase-san and I were wondering which High school you would be going to." Izuku turned to me with a curious expression. "Um, have you, maybe, I don't know? Thought of trying to go... to UA?"

Ah, so that's what those looks were.

Over the last couple of weeks, I've noticed both Keiko and Izuku shooting me these odd, nervous looks. The looks that said they had something to say but weren't confident enough to say it.I normally would have pressed them on what they wanted, but it was pretty funny watching them struggle.

"Where's this coming from?" I asked him without turning to him. "I'm sure Keiko's told you what I think of heroes."

"...she has." Izuku came to a stop, his eyes focused on the grass. I stopped in my movements as well and slid my hands in my pockets. "I'm not trying to tell you what to do. But UA has other courses than the hero course! You can try to join the support department! Hatsume-san says your mechanical skills are second to none! I'm sure you'd-"

"Nope. Not interested."

[+10 SP]

"H-how about the general education course then?" Izuku stepped closer to me, his expression resolute. "It's well-known that everyone who has graduated from UA's general education course has landed impressive jobs right out of high school! They also have the opportunity to get into any university they choose! There are numerous benefits to attending UA!"

He's right.

There are benefits to joining UA.

He just didn't mention anything that interested me.

But what did interest me was the sheer SP potential at UA. Now that wasn't something I could risk passing up.

Still, that didn't mean I was going to join the hero course. Of course not. No, I'd rather just join the general education course and breeze through all three school years under the radar while farming SP.

Well, until Shigaraki and All For One decided to play.

The only downside was that I'd have to waste a year there while I waited for Izuku and everyone else to join. I'd be bored out of my mind.

Well, I suppose I could get Himiko to join with me. She has been working hard to make up for all her missed time and assignments from school. Even if she was doing it all from home. So, it wasn't impossible for her to join alongside me once she fully caught up and graduated.

After being cleared of any of her accused crimes, Himiko received a pardon and a formal apology from the police for her false accusations. UA shouldn't be able to hold her past against her and deny her entry.

But would she even want to go?

Hmm, questions for later.

I raised an eyebrow at him and looked up at the blue sky beyond the thick tree branches above. "...where's this coming from, Izuku?"

"Huh? No, I was just-"

"UA is your and Keiko's dream school, Izuku. Not mine." I turned to him with a playful frown. "Besides, I was thinking of dropping out of school after I graduated Junior High."

[+15 SP]

"What?!" Izuku said in surprise. "But that would be such a waste! You're incredibly smart, and your hand-to-hand skills are on a completely different level! Not to mention your mechanical knowledge! Please, Souta-san! Reconsider!"

"Relax. I was just yanking your chain." I patted his hair and motioned for him to walk. "Look, I won't promise you anything, but I'll give UA some thought. Maybe I'll go just so I can mess with Mei, Keiko, and you once you three join. It'll be a riot. You'll be calling me Senpai and all that underclassmen stuff."

"...is that the only reason you would go?"

"Do I need more?" I said before breaking out into a run. "C'mon! We gotta hurry up and finish our ten-kilometer run before it gets dark! We don't want your mom to worry about you coming home late again."

"A-ah, right! Wait for me!"

x x x

"UA?" Himiko muttered while looking over to me from across the dinner table. "You wanna go to UA? Seriously?"

[+10 SP]

"That doesn't sound like you. I knew it was too good to be true! He must be a sleeper agent!" Jin said as he pointed at me with his chopsticks.

[+10 SP]

"Yeah. I know how it sounds." I chewed on some of Himiko's curry with a thoughtful look. "But it's not for the hero course. It's for general education."

"Even still, isn't that sorta dangerous for you, Sukuna-kun?" Himiko turned to me with her brows arched. "Sukuna is a wanted "villain" that every hero in Japan wants to catch after the news you beat up Mirko got out. You're like their golden snitch."

"Toga-chan has a point, Souta. You'd literally be walking into the lion's den with this choice." Jin said sagely before shrugging. "But what's life without a little thrill? Maybe you'll get yourself a girlfriend there?! You are at that age, after all."

Snap!

Jin and I turned to Himiko. She was smiling widely with her eyes closed. The chopsticks in her hands were snapped in two. Which was concerning, considering they were some of our nicer chopsticks, which were made out of stainless steel.

"…damn girl. Do it again!"

"Oh, my. It seems we got some defective chopsticks." Himiko said as she stood up, that wide smile still on her face. "I'll go throw these out and get a new pair."

Jin and I looked at one another with a "what the hell was that" expression before shrugging. 

"Still, Toga-chan is right. You going to UA is risky. If they pick up that you and Sukuna are one and the same, then you'll have an entire school full of pro heroes on you." Jin said. "What is it that you're trying to get out of that school that you can't get anywhere else?"

Butt loads of SP.

"I guess… it's because I'd want to be able to go to the same school with all of my friends." I said while rubbing the back of my head, my brain formulating a believable excuse. "Because after Izuku, Keiko, and Mei graduate, I'm sure they'll be super busy to the point we all won't be able to see one another like we do now. I know I won't see them until year after, but at least I'll get to be their annoying Senior when they do."

How's that?

What am I saying? I wouldn't even buy what I said.

[+10 SP]

[+10 SP]

"I see. Well, I guess that's fine then." Jin shrugged and went back to eating. "Good luck with the entrance exams!"

"I guess if that's how it is, then it should be fine," Himiko said as she retook her seat, a new pair of chopsticks in hand. "Don't worry! I'll be sure to get in with you! Oh! I'm getting all excited to go to school with you and everyone else!"

Hmm, never mind then.

I suppose I shouldn't be too surprised at my housemate's reactions. Himiko and Jin were rather simple and straightforward. While they gave me some initial pushback due to the chance of getting caught, they didn't try to dissuade me from doing what I wanted. That pretty much fell in line with who they were and their beliefs.

"Thanks, you two." I ended up saying this without much thought. They both turned to me with a smile and a thumbs up in Jin's case.

"No worries! What are friends for!"

"Mhm! What Jin-kun said!"

Tap tap.

The three of us turned to the window over the sink where a black crow with red marks on the side of its head stood. Standing up, I walked over to the window and opened it.

"What's the matter, Uraume?"

(Sukuna-sama.) Crow Uraume bowed before hopping onto my forearm. (I've found the human you've been searching for. I recommend you move quickly. I believe the human intends to leave the country.)

Off behind me, Himiko and Jin both turned to me when they felt the air around them shift. They found it hard to breathe, and their heart rates sped up out of nowhere before that sensation instantly vanished. They blinked in confusion as they turned to one another, wondering if what they just felt actually happened or not.

"I see," I muttered as I relaxed myself. I then placed Crow Uraume on my shoulder, much to his glee. "We should go help him pack then."

"Souta." Jin stood up and walked over to me as I was about to leave. "Is everything alright?"

"Hm, ah." I said, remembering that no one else but me could hear what my crows were saying. "Yeah, everything's fine. A… job came up. I'm gonna have to cut dinner short."

"Allow me to accompany you then! Let's go kick some ass together!"

"Jin..."

"Please, Souta." Jin placed a hand on my shoulder and removed his mask. "I know you're very capable and strong, but I still want to help you. Even if you're the Demon God of the underworld, I want to be there for you. It's the least I can do after everything you've done for me. There's nothing wrong with friends helping one another."

"Me too!" Himiko jumped up and stepped closer to us, a determined look on her face. "I want to help you too, Sukuna-kun! It's like Jin-kun said, friends help one another, right? Besides, I think it would be fun to work as a team!"

This isn't a game, Himiko.

"You two..." Despite the sincerity of their words, I couldn't find it in me to accept. Maybe being so open with my abilities and secret identity wasn't the right move. "What I do... isn't exactly pretty. I'm a killer. And I make those I hunt... suffer. There's a reason why the criminals and villains are scared of the name Sukuna. I don't want you two to look at me any different once you realize what it is I exactly do."

Himiko and Jin turned to one another before they smiled softly at me.

"Don't underestimate us, Souta."

"Jin-kun's right. We're not going to see you any different than we do now. So please, trust us and let us help." Himiko walked up to me and held my right hand, her fingers caressing my old burn scars.

"...fine. But you two follow my instructions. No matter what. Got that?" I said while taking my hand back, much to her annoyance. Still, she and Jin both nodded.

[+10 SP]

[+10 SP]

"Sir, yes, Sir!" Slipping his mask back on, Jin soluted me as if he were in the military. Himiko quickly copied him with a nod.

"Yeah, what he said!"

I gave them a grin but then looked them both up and down. "Well, if we're going to be a team, you two are going to have to look like you're Sukuna's allies."

As I watched them both talk excitedly over some silly team names or costume ideas, I felt a cold pit form in my stomach. I looked away from them and took a deep breath.

I just hoped I didn't regret this decision one day.