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[Traitor]
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| Tokyo, afternoon… |
…
At the central area of Tokyo, a group of heroes could be seen jogging at a constant rhythm, one after the other.
"Huff… huff…"
All but the last one, that is.
Aoyama could be seen dragging his feet and body into what he could best make look like a jog, his face drenched in sweat and his breathing haggard.
His pace was so slow that he stood at least ten meters behind the rest of the heroes.
From time to time, he tried to increase his pace and catch up, but never lasted very long before falling behind again.
As his very loud gasps and his soaked face made it abundantly clear he wasn't keeping up, one of the heroes at the front gave him a helpless look.
"Come on, I Can't Stop Twinkling, you gotta keep up the pace or we're leaving you behind!"
Through the exhaustion, Aoyama winked with his ever-present smile, striking a pose as he ran.
"Huff… huff… Don't worry, I'm only getting started mon ami∼☆!"
-Thud!-
Following that, he collapsed face-first into the pavement.
The group of heroes stopped, sweatdropping as they stared at his pitiful figure.
"Uh, well, I guess you can rest for a bit. Just catch up when you've caught your breath. We'll be doing our usual route, so you know where we'll be."
Aoyama lifted an arm, showing a thumbs up.
Given his approval, the group resumed their jog with a quick glance to each other, leaving one by one until Aoyama was alone.
As he found himself by his lonesome, he pushed himself up from the ground and sat on the pavement instead, wiping his face with his forearm, his smile as present as ever.
—At least, until he suddenly let out a sigh, his face turning slightly downcast for a brief moment.
Then it returned to how it was.
-Pat, pat, pat-
With that, he stood up, patting down his clothes as he took a deep breath—
—SWOOSH!—
And suddenly, he wasn't there anymore. Something swept down from above and snatched him by the cape, yanking him away in the blink of an eye.
...
The street was left with an eerie silence, filled only by the distant sound of cars and some chatter from passersby who had clearly noticed nothing.
Meanwhile, high in the air—
"AHHH!"
Aoyama screamed without restraint as something carried him by the cape, a heavy contrast to his usual confident air. Yet none of his voice reached the streets below, something cutting it off before it could travel that far.
The violence of the flight didn't let him get a proper look at whatever was carrying him either.
Luckily, it didn't last much longer.
-Thud-
Suddenly he was let go, and he landed hard on the roof of the building below, rolling a few meters before ending up on his back, sprawled across it, staring up at the orange-tinged sky with a pale face.
He pushed himself up, looking around with a terrified expression.
"W-who's there—?!"
Yet, much to his dread, no matter how much he looked around, there was no one in sight. The rest of the rooftop was empty, and there wasn't much to hide behind either.
He was alone.
Seeing his solitude, despite some unknown entity having just plucked him from the street and deposited him here, Aoyama assumed the worst.
No, he had been doing as they told him to. There shouldn't be any reason for them to do anything to him!
But if so, why had this happened?
Was it a random attack, and he just happened to be the victim?
Maybe some villain noticed he was just an intern and saw him as an easy target?
Or… had that man really pulled the strings here?
Aoyama's panicked look worsened by the second.
Luckily, his spiraling doubts were answered rather quickly.
—THUNK!—
Suddenly, the heavy sound of metal bending made his body jump in fear, his head snapping in its direction, cold sweat rolling down his forehead.
But unlike anything he had expected to find there, what he saw was wilder still.
Squatting on top of a now-bent rooftop air conditioning unit and looking down at him with a sharp gaze—was his very own classmate.
"Takahashi?"
The teenager in black smirked. "Yo."
Then he dropped down from the unit and landed right in front of him.
"It's been a while, Aoyama."
"W-what are you doing here, monsieur?" The blonde asked, slowly and hesitatingly coming back to his feet, doing his best to put on his usual hard smile. "Did something happen? Or have you perhaps come in search of some advice?… hahaha…"
He tried to put on his usual overconfident persona.
Yet Taka's eerie, calm smile made it hard to do so.
The situation was too strange to manage it flawlessly, as well.
Why had the class representative suddenly appeared here? Why had he snatched him from his patrol without notice?
Why hadn't he said anything on the chat?
Whatever it was… it couldn't be good.
And as if to confirm Aoyama's suspicions—
"You can stop now. I know about it." Taka suddenly said.
"What?"
He walked closer, his smile disappearing.
"I've always known."
Aoyama took several steps backward, his smile threatening to disappear as he still wasn't sure Taka really knew about that.
Maybe he was referring to something else?
Maybe he had done something wrong at some point? Had he angered the class representative somehow?
"You're the spy, aren't you?"
"...!"
That sole declaration was enough to shatter any attempt at avoiding reality any further.
Aoyama's fragile smile crumbled into horror, his steps backward continuing.
"… No… how…?—ah!"
Suddenly, he missed the edge, eyes widening as he turned back and saw he had backed up too far, teetering at the very lip of the rooftop.
But before he could fall, Taka's aura flared up, catching him.
It moved him away from the border and back right in front of him, dropping him there.
Aoyama fell to his knees, too shocked by Taka's words to bother putting on a show anymore. He simply stared at the floor blankly, slowly coming to the realization that the life he had built was over.
The life he thought he had recovered by gaining a Quirk—even if at a steep price—was now gone, just like that.
"…"
"…"
Silence took over the area, neither of them saying anything.
Until, after a whole minute passed, Aoyama spoke first, a smile appearing again—only this time more genuine.
However, it wasn't one of happiness. It was one of helplessness.
"I see, so I was found out… Are you going to reveal it to everyone?"
"…"
The lack of an answer prompted a faint laugh from him.
"I suppose it's only what I deserve. Playing hero while secretly helping the worst of villains, that makes me a despicable villain too, doesn't it, class representative?"
He lifted his head, looking at Taka.
"Do what you gotta do, Takahashi."
"Stand up."
With a flick of his finger, Aoyama was brought back to his feet.
Aoyama looked ready to be apprehended, maybe even take a beating.
Yet…
"Stop being melodramatic," Was all that left Taka's mouth.
"Eh?"
Taka gave him a deadpan look. "Didn't I say it? I've always known."
Aoyama blinked, registering Taka's words.
He indeed had said that.
He thought he had misheard, or that panic was making his brain malfunction…
… but Takahashi was saying he had actually known all along.
From the very first day?
"But… why—?"
"Why didn't I report you?" Taka finished his question for him.
Aoyama nodded weakly.
Taka shrugged. "I understand your position. Being indebted and held by the neck by the worst villain doesn't leave you with much choice but to comply."
Indebted. Aoyama's eyes widened at that word.
"You… know about that too?"
"That you were Quirkless? Yeah."
Aoyama's pupils trembled.
He even knew about that.
How? It wasn't something anyone but his parents and that man knew.
What about his identity as the spy? Not even the school had figured it out.
He said he knew all along.
But how could he have known before he had even done anything as a spy?
Was he lying? Did he only have a suspicion and was prompting him to confess on his own?
No, knowing his circumstances—both his quirkless status, and his indebtment to All For One—to that extent, wasn't something a mere suspicion could accomplish.
The utter confusion seemed to show over Aoyama's face, as Taka noticed it as well, closing his eyes calmly as he explained.
"As to how I know, it's all thanks to my Quirk," his eyes glowed faintly in a crimson hue, making Aoyama swallow nervously. "For short, it lets me see further into the future. The info I've just revealed now I got it from there."
"The future?" Aoyama asked, a disbelieving look on his face as he did.
"A future, to be more specific. One where you did plenty of more things for All For One, and where you continued being his spy for a long while."
Aoyama's face froze, before he turned away, scrunching in shame as he averted his gaze from Taka.
If that was true… did that mean that in the end, he still wasn't able to escape from that man's grasp?
Did it mean he would continue betraying the trust of his classmates?
His teeth gritted.
He was such a cowa—
"—And also one where you still ended up siding with us in the end."
Aoyama's head went back up at Taka's words, shock written on his face.
He proceeded those words, which contradicted directly what he thought of himself.
He, going against that man?
He couldn't see such a future as possible.
Was Takahashi lying for his sake here?
It was highly likely.
With a wry look, Aoyama gave Taka a faint nod.
"I appreciate it, mon ami… but if you know so much, then you should also be aware that the USJ attack was also due to me. I was the one who leaked them the information they needed to infiltrate." The blonde's gaze fell, his smile turning weak as he confessed. "It's because of me you had to fight with your life on the line against that monster…"
"Well, duh."
Aoyama's gaze lifted back up, startled.
"You're not angry?"
Taka shot him a deadpan look. "Didn't I just say why I'm not?"
"But you were almost killed that day. Plus, I put everyone in danger just because of my cowardice!"
"Killed?"
Taka let out a snort.
Then he gave the blonde a pat on the shoulder.
"Aoyama, didn't I say it already on that very day?"
The blonde's face frowned in confusion.
Taka smiled confidently. "So long as I'm here, no screw-up will be fatal, and no situation truly dangerous. You made a mistake—or not, given your situation is rather complex—but at the end of the day, you don't need to worry."
Aura surrounded Taka's body. Crimson as always—yet not terrifying, but warm, just like the time he had shielded everyone from Kurogiri.
"I've got it covered, because I'm strong."
As he uttered those words, Aoyama's face instantly scrunched up, tears welling in his eyes.
A minute or two passed with him sobbing, wiping his tears away and trying to stop, failing miserably.
But after enough time, he finally recovered, taking a deep breath.
"Merci, Takahashi."
As he seemed to calm down, Taka decided to get to the reason he had come.
"I need your help with something, Aoyama."
"…?"
"That man is planning something big. I need to know what it is. I had him tracked down, but he disappeared before I knew it and left no trail behind. Right now, you're the only lead I have on him."
"…!"
"So, please. Tell me anything you know."
Aoyama's mouth opened for a moment, then trembled hesitatingly.
"I—I can't."
Taka's expression remained the same, even in front of the refusal,
Aoyama's face turned powerless, his eyes staring at his own hands as they trembled. "If I speak, I don't know what he might do to my papa and maman. He might let me walk around freely, but not them… If I did anything against him—"
"It's okay."
Aoyama looked at Taka in confusion.
"He might seem powerful, but at the end of the day, he is still the villain who was left on his deathbed by All Might."
"…!"
"Do you know of their fight, Aoyama?"
"… No. He only gives me commands. He doesn't let me in on anything else."
Taka let out a short laugh. "The two were on pretty equal terms years ago, as expected of the pinnacles of their respective sides, good and evil. So much so that when they finally clashed, they mutually and lethally injured each other, while still surviving in the end—though with lasting effects."
"All Might is injured?" Aoyama's face crumbled—like one of the last pillars of hope he might have been holding onto inside had cracked.
He thought about it—the constant disappearances in the middle of something, arriving late, sometimes having teachers fill in for him.
He had also read somewhere that his rhythm as a hero had declined severely.
It now made more sense.
Yet, just as his face went pale, fearing there might be no one left to help him—
"Not anymore. He has been healed. He might not be as strong as he once was, but his strength is still leagues beyond what his injured state was able to muster."
Aoyama's face lifted, eyes widening.
"All For One, on the other hand, is still gravely injured. A shadow of what he used to be as Japan's strongest villain."
He gave Aoyama a light punch on the chest.
"So yeah, he might be fearsome. But at the end of the day, he's still weaker than All Might. And Nezu won't abandon you just like that either—if you explain the situation to him now, I'm sure he'll help you get your parents to safety and sever your connection to him. With All Might's protection, All For One won't be able to do much, despite how powerful he may seem."
"...!"
Aoyama took a moment to digest the revelations.
He seemed to be in conflict, battling between the sense in Taka's words and his innate fear of the man who had given him power at the expense of his freedom.
His parents were at risk. If he made the wrong choice, the consequences would follow him for the rest of his life.
… But so would the consequences of continuing on this path.
For the sake of his parents he's had to bow down his head to the villain until now, since there hadn't been a solution or a way to escape.
But continuing to do so, now that a chance had presented itself… would that really be for the sake of his parents? Or simply because of fear?
Maybe…
'Maybe it's time to be brave.' He thought, fists clenching, and shaking off any fear that may still have lingered in his heart.
Not only was Taka offering his help, but All Might and the school would probably do so too.
If he refused this, then he'd truly be the coward he thought he was.
No—maybe he still is.
But even cowards must be brave from time to time.
And this time, he had to be so for his parents' sake.
"Alright. What do you want to know?" Aoyama's face lifted, his eyes brimming with determination—and a bit of nervousness.
Taka smiled.
"I know he's planning some sort of attack, but I don't know how or when. Of what he's asked of you, is there anything that stands out?"
Aoyama seemed to search through his memory.
"Beyond leaking information about our schedule at the time of the USJ attack…" He winced a little as he recalled that "... the week right after the Sports Festival, he seemed more interested in you than in any intel regarding the school. He didn't ask for much, just to narrate him what your usual day looked like."
"And?"
"That's all."
Taka frowned.
A report on his daily routine?
Well, it made sense to an extent—it was around the time he assumed All For One had noticed his surveillance, and drawn whatever inferences followed from that, so it was obvious the villain's interest had been piqued at that time.
Then, was that it?
Was he just curious and asked Aoyama some details about his life, and that's it?
Did the attack coming up have nothing to do with that?
"Uhm…" Aoyama's voice interrupted his train of thoughts.
"Yeah?"
"When I gave him the report… I remember noticing he seemed a bit more interested in whom you talked to. I may be overthinking, but I noticed a slight note of satisfaction in his voice at that moment."
"In whom I talk to?"
Taka's brows furrowed further.
So All For One's focus hadn't been on what he knew, or how he did things…
But who he talked to?
Like, figuring out his relatio—
-Bzz-
His phone buzzed, cutting off his train of thought.
"What now?"
He grabbed it with a flash of annoyance, checked who it was, then his eyes widened faintly when he saw La Brava's name.
'Why did she contact me so soon?'
He opened the chat, thinking she might have found something he could use as a further lead.
Yet, as he opened it…
[La Brava: Rockinesis, something is happening!]
Following that message was a link to a live broadcast from an official news channel.
Taka opened it quickly.
And as he did, his face shifted into outrage at what he saw.
Nomus, causing havoc across a city. Flames and smoke filled the surrounding area as the creatures screamed wildly. Heroes intercepted them but were struggling against the multi-Quirk reanimated corpses.
What was worse was the caption running along the bottom.
[BREAKING: Unidentified creatures attacking multiple cities simultaneously - civilian evacuations underway, hero response deployed]
Multiple cities. Taka's eyes ran over that part twice.
And as he did, a new message arrived from La Brava—
—arriving at exactly the same moment everything clicked together in his mind.
"He never planned on targeting me alone… he was…"
[La Brava: The attacks are happening around the sites where your classmates are interning!]
"... Attacking my classmates."
...
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-To Be Continued…-
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(A/N: No more waiting, time for the action to get going.
Honestly, quite a hard chapter to write due to Aoyama's character. Just like Midoriya said in the show, he's hard to read, and he is still so even when he opens up a bit more when the beans spill out. So it was a bit hard to decide on what he would most likely think or say during a conversation like this.
Also, Drama tends to be hard to write in general.
Luckily, it's done—or postponed for after the storm passes.)