Chapter 4 – First Win

All attention was on me. I began to attack the Raging Bear with my wooden sword, aiming at his head, pelvis, and legs. The more he was hurt, the more people were terrified of me. And the more fear I absorbed, the stronger my quirk became. Naturally, it was only momentarily.

'I see. I can only grow Fear in front of people and use it in front of them. If different people were to fight me, it would reset to 1.'

It was as if the whole room was out of breath as they watched me moving around the cage with no hesitation. Because my weapon wasn't deadly, it couldn't kill him and only dealt some damage. But it was enough for him to be scared and unwilling to continue the fight.

"Stop!" He cried out loud as he threw himself onto the ground and curled up into a ball. "I surrender. I surrender!"

"Stop the fight. Winner, Nurarihyon!"

The people around the cage broke out into cheers and shouts. There were some who looked excited and some who looked terrified. But all of them had the same goal in mind: to earn money from this fight.

I looked at the blackboard and grinned. The money pool was gathered nicely even though it was my first fight.

I got experience and money. What else would I need?

Raising my hand, I walked out of the cage to get my payment.

It was a pleasant night.

***

Over the next few weeks, I kept participating in this underground fight club. My fights were always short and sweet with no need for any unnecessary pain. The spectators didn't really enjoy being one-sided beating, but they did enjoy watching me use my quirk.

One day, I was suddenly approached by someone unexpected.

"Hey, hey. You're Nurarihyon, right?"

I turned around and saw a blonde girl. She was grinning widely and had a mischievous glint in her eyes. She wore a yellow jacket and black shorts that exposed her long legs. Her hair was tied in a bun and her eyes were like gold coins.

Without waiting for her to introduce herself, I knew her name. Himiko Toga.

'What is this psychopath doing here?'

I couldn't hide my surprise. Why was she here? And why did she call me?

"And you are?"

Trying to play it cool, I asked back.

"I'm Toga! Say, do you have a girlfriend? I watched your fight and thought you were amazing."

She giggled as she walked towards me. Her face was now very close to mine. She had a scent of blood on her. It was faint but still there.

"And as such, I plan to invite you to a date hehehe."

It was like I was being hypnotized by her. Her voice was silky and sweet like honey. It made me want to agree with everything she said.

"Well, I'm flattered to be asked by such a beautiful girl such as you."

Beautiful but crazy. But that didn't mean she didn't have a good taste in men. I smirked at her and leaned closer.

"If you want a date, then I will entertain you. How about having dinner after this?"

"Yes! That sounds fun." Himiko cheered and grabbed my arm tightly. "Let's have some fun."

Her chest was pressed against my arm. If I remember correctly, Himiko was the same age as the main cast. Meaning, we were the same age.

But due to this universe being... a bit strange. She was older than she was in the anime. Her beautiful face and seductive body were proof of that.

So, as someone who also wanted to have fun in this world, I decided to be friendly with her.

'And maybe get some more information about what had already transpired.'

"Right, I haven't asked your name yet. Who are you, beautiful?"

I felt cringe from using such a cheesy line, but it seemed to work as Toga laughed at me.

"Himiko Toga. That's my real name. The one who watched your fight and thought you're cute. And I like cute boys."

"Ah, Himiko-chan, you're flattering me." I chuckled as we walked out of the building together. "Tell me more about yourself."

"There's nothing much to tell, really. I'm just a young girl who loves to watch fights and blood. The way you make your opponent bleed is so beautiful. You even use a wooden sword to make them spray everywhere. It's so good."

Her words were slightly creepy, but I knew better than to judge her for it. She was a blood-thirsty villain, but she still had good taste in men. I truly believed that. Except for Izuku. Yes, he was kind but... he had to use some skincare products or something. He looked so pale all the time!

"I-I see..."

As expected, she was the kind of crazy that I couldn't fix.

We continued to talk on the way to the restaurant. It was a nice place. Bright and fun. We sat down at a table and began to order our food.

"What are you getting?" She asked curiously.

"Just some regular steak and fries." I replied casually. "What about you?"

"A burger and fries! It's delicious."

We both ordered our food and began to eat. And then it came to that talk.

"Himiko-chan. Why are you in that underground arena? I never saw you fight, so you are not a fighter, are you?"

"Hehe, nope!" She shook her head and licked her lips. "It was just a coincidence that I entered that place today. And I watched your fight and thought you're cute! So, I thought why not ask you out?"

"I see." I nodded understandingly. "It was my pleasure to be your date then."

"And I'm happy to have you as my date too! So, tell me more about yourself."

"Well... I am planning to get into UA if you want to know about that. That's all."

She was smart enough not to ask any personal questions, but I gave her some information that might pique her interest.

"UA? How interesting." She licked her lips again with her creepy grin. "You're trying to be a Hero huh, Nurarihyon? Surprising~ I thought you would be a villain with your quirk."

"Oh yeah? Because it's basically cheating?" I laughed and took a sip of my drink. "Maybe. But I guess there are different kinds of villains and heroes here. I don't think quirk shapes how people live."

"Smart boy." She nodded approvingly. "I agree with you there. But people still judge us for what kind of quirk we have. They have the right to be afraid of us too, right?"

Her eyes glinted with a sinister light. I knew what she was talking about. There were unfortunate people who got bullied for having a 'villainous' quirk. One of them was herself. She was framed as a villain before she even got the chance to prove herself.

"Right." I smiled at her and pushed my plate away, "Anyway, since we are on the topic of quirks, let's talk about yours. You already know mine, but I don't know anything about yours."

"True~ My quirk is called Transform." She explained as she sipped her drink. "I can transform into anyone. The activation is... Hehe~"

She leaned over the table and licked my face. A shiver went down my spine as I felt the sensation of her tongue on my cheek. She laughed as she put her finger on her lips.

"You taste delicious. I would like to transform into you, but I don't want to hurt you. Not right now~"