After the day ended, Mato scratched his head and, to mask his fake innocence even more, he decided to reach the infirmary to check on Izuku's condition.
(It's not that I really care about him, but I can't return home without him.)
Mato knocked on the door of the infirmary three times. The door opened, and the boy saw Recovery Girl, an old, short woman who worked as a nurse Inside U. A.
"Hello, ma'am," said Mato, "may I see Izuku Midoriya's conditions?"
Recovery Girl nodded and allowed Mato to enter.
"Yo, Izuku," he said.
"Hey, Hideki..." muttered Izuku, still a bit sore.
"How did you end up in these conditions?"
"Villains attacked us."
"Oh, yeah, I've heard of it. My teacher has been involved too."
All Might intervened.
"Your teacher? You mean Vlad King?"
"Yeah, him."
"So you're from Class 1-B..."
"Yup."
Mato rubbed his left chin and looked at the ceiling.
"Since I don't know the way home, I'll wait for you to be able to walk, and we'll return home together."
"Thanks, Hideki."
"No problem."
Suddenly, someone else entered the room.
"Sorry for the sudden arrival, but All Might, can you tell me more about the vill—"
"Wait, Tsukauchi!" said All Might. "How are all the students, Aizawa—Eraser Head— and Thirteen?"
"Aside from that boy, only a few students had light injuries," said Tsukauchi. "And the other two teachers are now in stable conditions."
Then, he noticed Mato.
"And you are?"
"Hideki Shirakawa, this boy's friend."
"My pleasure, Shirakawa."
"My pleasure, Tsukauchi."
"If you three—four, including Oro—heroes, had not risked your lives," said Tsukauchi, "then the students would not have survived."
(That Oro... he pisses me off so much... next time, I'll kill him!)
"You're wrong on one thing," All Might grunted, "the students fought and risked their lives too."
"Yeah," said Izuku, "I defeated a villain using my Quirk! He had a strange rabbit mask..."
(You didn't defeat me, asshole! I wasn't even serious!)
"The villains did something dumb," said All Might.
(Yeah, we definitely did...)
"This class is strong; they'll become strong heroes," continued All Might. "I am certain of that."
"Your class too, Shirakawa," the Symbol of Peace added, "you'll also become stronger."
"Sure, we will."
"You probably already know me, but... I'm All Might. Nice to meet you."
"It's my pleasure to meet such a famous person, All Might-san."
"Drop the '-san'. Young Midoriya's friends are also my friends."
Mato smiled, but he didn't know if it was a fake smile or a sincere one.
(All Might just said I'm his friend... why do I feel genuinely honored?)
__________
Mato went outside the room and sat on a chair.
(I'll just wait until that brat gets up.)
Suddenly, someone else sat beside him. He had white hair on the right side and red hair on the left side.
"You're waiting for Midoriya, too?" he asked.
"Yes. You are?"
"Todoroki Shoto."
"Shirakawa Hideki."
"My pleasure."
"Why do you have the hair in two halves?"
"Long story. I don't want to talk about it."
"You also have a scar on your left side... You don't want to talk about it either, right?"
"Right."
"Are you Izuku's classmate?"
"Yes. Are you from Class 1-B?"
Mato thumbed up.
"I could imagine so."
"I've heard villains attacked you."
"They did. They wanted All Might, but they failed."
(I know, don't remind me, you fucking two-halved brat...)
"I'm glad. Are you injured?"
"No, like many of my classmates."
"Oh, I see. I'm the best in my class, y'know?"
"You should join our class then."
"No, I'm too lazy to do it. And I don't want to betray my classmates. Itsuka would be really sad."
"Who?"
"Nevermind. A girl who never stops staring at me in class."
"She has a crush on you, then."
"Yeah, she probably does."
"Do you like her back?"
"Dunno. She's cute, and I fall for almost every girl I see."
"Just like my classmate Mineta."
(That dwarf who was with Izuku and the frog girl?)
"Oh, I see..."
"Hey, Todoroki-kun!" someone voiced. Both Mato and Shoto turned and saw a girl with a ponytail and black hair.
(Oh crap, another cute girl...)
"Who are you talking to?"
"No one, Yaoyorozu-chan," Shoto said, "just someone I just met."
Mato raised a hand and said, "Yo."
The girl walked closer to observe Mato better.
"You seem reliable," she said.
(Hell no, I'm not reliable.)
"Hello, yeah, I am reliable."
"What's your name?"
"Hideki Shirakawa."
"Momo Yaoyorozu."
(Keep staring at her face. Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down...)
"I think I gotta go, Shirakawa," said Shoto, getting up, "thanks for the chat."
"See you around, Shoto."
"Shoto is the first name."
"Oh, sorry. See you around, Todoroki."
__________
"Be careful on your way home," Recovery Girl said as she dismissed Izuku from the infirmary.
"Sure, ma'am," said Izuku, turning around and leaving. When he went outside, he found Mato leaning on a wall, with a toothpick in his mouth.
"About time, Izuku," he said.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Hideki," said Izuku, walking next to him.
The two boys walked through the hallway and went outside the school. Waiting for them, there were Iida and Uraraka.
"Deku-kun!" Uraraka exclaimed.
"Yo," said Mato.
The four friends walked home side by side.
"I had no way of knowing that at the time," said Izuku.
(This attack at USJ is probably just the beginning of something bigger... but why do I feel comfortable around them? Even if I try to mask it, it's undeniable I'm starting to like them... and this girl, Uraraka... she's cute...)
(Please, All For One, Shigaraki, Allah, anyone, tell me what to do. I'm very, very confused. I gathered information, we attacked the school and failed. What do I have to do now?)
(Let's not think about it. After all, I'm just Satoru Akiyama, a boy who pretends to be a hero when he isn't. This... this is just the beginning, heroes. And Oro... you must die by my hands.)
Chapter 9 - End