#Week 24 | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

my-rewrite-academia · 3 months ago

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Week 24 (Final Exams - Part 2):

Start!

Monday comes around. Tenya and Momo give Nedzu a list of their finalised teams. He is already aware, of course, as he kept an eye on them through the cameras.

After the written exams, they have half-an-hour to relax, before Aizawa finally explains the exams in depth, everyone now dressed in their costumes.

The goal, as explained before, is to capture the enemy team leader for five minutes using a special capture tape provided to everyone. For those five minutes, the leaders can escape. If they escape, that time held captive will be reset to zero. Other team members can be taken out by capturing them for two minutes. Once those two minutes are up, the capture tape will glow red, and the captive will have to stay still for the rest of the exam.

They will be fighting in City D, where there are many civilian bots provided by Power Loader. They are small and if they are damaged, they will set off an alarm and their eyes will glow red. Damaging a civilian bot will dock points from the individual student.

Speaking of docking points, students will be marked based on their performance. He doesn't explain the specifics of the marking, but does let them know that the better they act, the higher their points. Within the exams, they are only to refer to each other by hero names. Using real names will mark them down a point.

The exam is two hours long, but it doesn't have to last two hours long, nor do they have to fight for the entirety of it, (that would just be asking for the impossible). It will end earlier as soon as the team leader is marked 'out'. Again, if neither are taken out, both teams will lose, not win, meaning nobody goes on the trip.

The students are handed two rolls of capture tape each. "Good luck," Aizawa says once more.

Each group is taken to a starting point. As Aizawa said, the fake city is full of civilian bots, each small with a friendly smile on their faces. None of them want to see what it looks like if damaged. They start on opposite ends of the fake city, and the exam will start when Mic, in a booth, announces it.

They go over their plans first, modifying it to fit in with the city layout, the map provided in their starting point, both highlighting the team bases. Momo creates earpieces for her teammates, who wear them gratefully.

Both teams have decided to make protecting their leader their number one priority but in different ways. They have five minutes to refamiliarise themselves with the plan and modify it accordingly. At the end of the five minutes, it starts.

"STAAAAARRRRRT!"

Revelry in the Dark

As soon as it starts, all of Team A leave the base. Momo is guarded by both Izuku and Kyouka, heading north towards Team B's base. Yuuga and Tooru split off together to the west. Tsuyu and Minoru partner up, heading east. Mezou, Kouji, and Hanta head northwest together.

Meanwhile, everyone in Team B splits up, with only Shouto guarding Tenya. Mashirao and Rikidou go in the same direction, while everyone else travels alone to different locations. Ochako and Denki head off to the base, undeterred.

Fumikage heads straight to the west, using what he learned from Hawks to aid him, having Dark Shadow wrap around him and fly up ahead until he spots two students – Yuuga and Tooru. After spotting them, he assesses where the civilian bots are, before dive-bombing onto their location.

The dive-bombing, of course, creates some noise, and Tooru and Yuuga are able to see him coming and react accordingly. Tooru pushes herself out of the way, moving the light around her costume to turn it invisible. Yuuga uses his navel laser to propel himself out of the way, accidentally taking a civilian bot with him, the blue smile turning into a red frown, blaring some noise. He winces.

Fumikage uses Dark Shadow to soften his landing, and he stands from the small crater his divebomb creates. "Greetings, Kousen. Spotlight." He stances up, ready for battle. "Let us observe who shall win. Light? Or dark?"

"That's quite cheesy, mon ami," Yuuga stutters, civilian bots evacuating at the battle soon to happen. "We're not after you, you see! Perhaps we should leave the fighting for now."

"I shall respectfully decline." With that, Fumikage sends Dark Shadow to attack Yuuga, who dodges in a panic, sweat coating his face. Tooru, unseen, charges at Fumikage, reeling back a fist to punch him, only for her fist to meet the might of Dark Shadow.

"Sorry, lady!" Dark Shadow cheers. "But the bird mutation ain't just for show! You can look invisible, but you should learn about this thing called magnetoreception! Disturbing the magnetic fields is just as loud as yelling."

Tooru backs up, and she smiles. How exciting! An opponent who can figure out where she is! It's good practice, she reckons. With that, she charges back in, forgetting about relying on her invisibility, dodging and weaving between Dark Shadow's attacks. He's hardly affected when she tries to burn him or freeze him, and she gets knocked back time and time again, barely landing any hits against him. But it's so exciting!

Yuuga is a coward. He knows this. The reason he chose Momo's group wasn't because he thought he'd work well with Tooru, or because he wanted to prove himself. It's because he wanted to lose. Team B's group is full of powerhouses with strong quirks, like Shouto, Bakugou, Ochako, Denki, Mina. He knew he'd stand no chance against them, and that's why he chose Momo's group. There's a reason he wanted to lose.

Except, as he watches Tooru fight against Fumikage, (although, 'watch' is hardly the word to use when she's invisible), he feels a deep sense of shame within himself. Here his teammate is, fighting against someone like Fumikage, who is so strong, not a single scratch or bruise on him. Tooru is fighting him, getting hit at every turn, and she gets back up. Charges in again. She fights.

His hands shake, tears already building in his eyes. (He's always been a crybaby.) He shouldn't want to win. He should be doing everything to make sure his team loses. To make sure half of the class doesn't get to go on that trip.

But, as he watches Tooru, he knows he can't. Yuuga may be a sad excuse of a hero, but he refused to be a worse friend. So, he stands up, hands behind his head, and he fires a beam of light straight at Fumikage.

He dodges. Of course, he dodges. Because Yuuga can't do a single thing right.

But then– "Good job, Spotlight!" As Fumikage focused on dodging Yuuga's laser, Tooru dived in further, finally managing to land a hit on Fumikage's jaw. His head flies back, and Dark Shadow retaliates by smashing into Tooru, sending her flying back, right to where Yuuga stands. "Look at that! We managed to land a hit on him!"

"… No. You did. I missed."

Tooru's voice is as peppy as ever, "I only hit him 'cause you fired." She pats him on the back, strong. "Now, let's do that again! Until we get a chance to capture him!"

"Unfortunately for you," Fumikage says, "you won't get a chance." He attacks once more, and Tooru dives in, Yuuga yelping and trying to hide. But Tooru's words replay in his head. He did something. It was pathetic, and yet it somehow helped.

… He shouldn't. He wanted to lose. He shouldn't be trying to win… But he can't leave her hanging. Not like this.

So, he readies himself, and fires again, unsure of where Tooru is, but trusting her to dodge. She does, and she lands another hit. The more Yuuga fires, Tooru notices that Dark Shadow begins to shrink as the lasers pass by. A lightbulb switches on in her head.

"Hey, Spotlight! Do you remember what Kyou said? About how we could work together?" Yuuga thinks. And he remembers. Tooru grins, unseen. "Wanna try it out?"

"My fair lady, you are quite daring!" Yuuga turns his navel, stomach churning dangerously, but adrenaline high. "Whenever you are ready!"

Tooru backs off from Fumikage. He charges in, unnerved by this sudden turn, but he's too late. Yuuga fires a laser, as strong as he can. Tooru steps into it, absorbing all of that radiation and light. Fumikage, stunned, freezes. Yuuga just hit his teammate. On purpose.

Then Tooru begins to glow. "Hey, Tsukuyomi-san, dweller of the dark." She steps forward, Dark Shadow retreating with it. "You wanted to see how light combats the darkness? Here you go!" Light blooms from her body, bright and all encompassing. Dark Shadow screeches at the overwhelming amount of light, Fumikage panicking at the sight.

Yuuga shields his eyes, pale and sweaty. When he opens his eyes, Dark Shadow is little more than a heap on the ground, Fumikage curled up and palming at the ground, blinded momentarily.

"Spotlight! The tape!"

"R-Right!" Yuuga rushes forth, tape at the ready, and he ties Fumikage up, taking a step back a moment later. Tooru, as soon as the tape is around him, jumps on top of him, recalling how Izuku kept her pinned down in the Sports Festival, and recreating it with Fumikage as her victim.

"G-Get off of me!"

"No way," she sings, gleeful. "With that super strong quirk, I bet you've barely worked out. I'm gonna lay on top of you for two minutes! And I know you're not overpowering me!" She turns her head, activating her suit one more. "Spotlight! Be a darling and fire super short bursts around Tsukuyomi here. That way Dark Shadow can't even grow, can he?"

Fumikage doesn't answer. He doesn't have to. Two minutes pass. The tape glows red. Tsukuyomi is out.

Rangers – Attack!

As Yuuga and Tooru encounter Fumikage, Tsuyu and Minoru are quickly confronted by Team B's only duo: Mashirao and Rikidou. Tsuyu is on the rooftops as it happens, Minoru following on the pavement. Mashirao and Rikidou are the first to notice Minoru, but neither notice Tsuyu, who spots them.

Mashirao makes the first move, chasing Minoru into a vacated building, where there are no civilian bots to harm. Rikidou follows after. Minoru is deceptively fast, screaming as he runs away, but he's just as quickly cornered in the third story, in a room full of pillars and wooden boxes.

"Uh, hey," Minoru greets, nervous. "So, how's your day going?"

Mashirao doesn't grace that with a response, lunging at Minoru with a tail to his face, only for Minoru to duck, making him miss entirely thanks to his lack of height. He guns for the door, only for Rikidou, powered up with a stick of sugar, to block his way via breaking a pillar and covering the door in rubble. Minoru screams once more, believing now that Tsuyu cannot come to his rescue.

"Fight's on, Purple Rain," Mashirao declares, before both him and Rikidou charge at him. Minoru manages to escape, running around the room. Rikidou chases after him, Mashirao cutting him off at several points. The fight reigns on, Minoru getting struck every so often, while Mashirao and Rikidou are merely sweating with how much they have to run after him.

Eventually, however, Mashirao does manage to strike Minoru in the gut with his tail, sending him flying against the wall. Rikidou picks him up, grinning all the while. Minoru struggles in his grasp, tears in his eyes, but he can't fight as Rikidou begins to tape up his body.

"Wait!" Minoru cries. "Please! Not like this!"

"I could make it worse," Rikidou says, dropping Minoru on the ground. "Just accept your loss."

Mashirao nods. "He has to stay like this for two minutes, right?"

"Yeah."

"Too bad." A tongue shoots past them, wrapping around Minoru and dragging him away. Mashirao and Rikidou turn around. Tsuyu stands on the windowsill, ripping the tape off Minoru's body. "Sorry I'm late, kero. I didn't know which floor you were on."

Minoru sobs. "I-It's okay, Froppy! Just get here faster next time!"

Tsuyu nods. "Sure."

Rikidou lunges at her, attempting to punch her, but she drops inside the building, ducking past Rikidou and wrapping her tongue around him, before throwing him into a pillar. Mashirao jumps in next, tail swinging. She ducks, moving back towards the wall. This time, Minoru attacks, throwing a ball with accuracy, pinning it to Mashirao's tail. Tsuyu ducks once more, and Mashirao pales as his tail latches on the wall behind her. Stuck.

Minoru freaks out, internally. He couldn't do this before – dodging and attacking with two people on him was impossible. But with Tsuyu here, victory is in sight!

Rikidou jumps back into the fight, powered up with three sugar packets… and his IQ takes a hit, attacking mindlessly. Tsuyu has more trouble dodging, as does Minoru, getting hit a good few times, but with Rikidou in this state, he's become oblivious to anything other than his targets. Mashirao struggles against the wall, cursing how sticky Minoru's ball is. As he does, he notices Minoru throwing more balls onto the floor around Tsuyu, who stands still

Mashirao figures it out quickly. "Fornax! Wait!"

But it's all for naught. Rikidou is too mindless to listen, and he charges at Tsuyu. When he does, his foot lands on top of Minoru's trap. He rips his shoes off, but it's too late, as Minoru slaps a ball on his back and Tsuyu delivers a kick to his stomach, sending him on the ground, stuck. And in an uncomfortable position, with one foot stuck too.

Tsuyu wraps Rikidou in capture tape, Minoru sticking his hands to the ground. They turn to Mashirao next. He pales.

Two minutes pass. Rikidou and Mashirao are out.

Rivals Riot

Back to Yuuga and Tooru!

Tooru speaks into her earpiece, declaring that Tsukuyomi is down. A moment later, Tsuyu declares that Fornax and Tailwhip are out. As soon as that's announced, Tooru and Yuuga celebrate, Fumikage watching them blandly on the ground.

"Ah! I didn't expect to win," Yuuga claims, holding his stomach.

"Don't speak like that!" Tooru yells, slapping his back for emphasis. "If you only expect failure, then that's all you'll get!" Yuuga chuckles nervously, still sick. He's sure that if he tried to use his quirk again, he'd throw up immediately.

"Well said, Kousen!" As if to spite him, Mina steps in, beaming. "Now, I believe we have a rematch we never missed?"

Tooru smiles back. "That we do! Spotlight? Let me handle her. You go get some rest, okay?"

Yuuga steps back. "I-If you're sure."

"I am." Tooru cracks her knuckles. "I have a score to settle, after all."

Yuuga steps away. As soon as he does, Tooru charges in, suit turning invisible. It matters not, as Mina spreads her acid all around. Tooru yells in pain as the acid strikes her, burning through her clothes and searing her arms.

Mina grins. "I did some research, Kousen. Acid isn't radiation! I can burn you!"

Tooru breathes in deeply, tears stinging her eyes from the burns on her body. Crap. Her bluff is completely gone now, especially since she instinctively screamed. "Then," she says, voice wavering, "I guess we can both go all out." As soon as she says that, the atmosphere begins to drop. Yuuga shivers, Dark Shadow coming out to provide warmth to Fumikage. A puff of condensation leaves Mina's mouth. "I did my research too… There's a reason I've been training my temperature control. Did you know that liquid travels slower when it's cold?"

Mina readies herself, cold but eager nonetheless. "Good! I'd hate for my rival to fall behind."

The battle begins. Tooru manages to dodge much of Mina's acid, and she grits her teeth as she slams her fist into Mina's acid-coated skin. Mina retaliates with well-placed strikes, finding her acid solid when it strikes the ground, making her unable to slide across the floor.

Their fight is gritty. With every hit Tooru lands, she takes damage. But Mina isn't nearly as sturdy as Tooru, who has built her body for years. All-in-all, it's a pretty even fight, but Tooru has far more constitution, even if their stamina is on par with Mina's years of dance.

Tooru manages to hit Mina hard enough to make her dizzy, and quickly wraps the capture tape around her.

Then Mina dissolves it. She smiles, hand on her head as she tries to regain her bearing. "Sorry, hunny," she says through chattering teeth. "But I don't think I can be captured."

Tooru only grins back. "Then, I'll just have to knock you out!" Mina blanks. Tooru kicks her in the gut, then punches the back of her head, sending her face-first into the floor. She's out-cold. Unconscious. Tooru whoops in victory, and quickly ties her every orifice up, hoping to every God out there that she doesn't wake up before two minutes.

As she lets the temperature return, she quietly cries, as a third person arrives, landing harshly on the ground from the rooftop.

"Yo!" She turns, shaking. Before her stands Eijirou, a wide grin on his face, legs hardened before it returns to its normal muscles. "Be a pal and give my teammate back, won't you?"

Tooru stands, her burns aching and body tired. Three back-to-back fights. Damn. "Hey, Spotlight? Gimme a hand, won't you?"

Yuuga walks to her side. "I'm not sure if even ten hands will help us."

They wouldn't. With Yuuga still half-sick from overusing his quirk against Fumikage and Tooru exhausted beyond belief, they know that they're not emerging from this as the winners. Still.

"But, as you said my fair lady, if we expect failure, then we'll only get failure."

Tooru laughs. "That we will!"

In fairness, they last longer than they expect. Eijirou can't fight lasers, nor can he dodge what he can't see, but he can react to it. Two minutes go by and Mina's tape goes off. Two minutes go by, and Tooru and Yuuga lie in a heap, tape wrapped around them. Knocked-out.

Eijirou emerges as the victor. Acid Trip, Kousen, and Spotlight are now out.

Electric Punk

Denki and Ochako travel south, and they meet Momo, Kyouka, and Izuku halfway, who are travelling north. They collide, Ochako jumping Momo, who moves her cape to block Ochako's hand, and Denki follows after them.

Kyouka and Izuku react quickly enough, chasing after Momo, who creates a copper pole, directing Denki's electricity away from her. Izuku kicks Ochako away from Momo, while Kyouka sends a blast at Denki, who gets sent flying. Civilian bots are fleeing the premises, some glowing red and blasting their alarms after Momo was tackled into them.

"I'm going after Chargebolt!" Kyouka yells, then doesn't wait for an answer, running after Denki. He's landed far away from Momo, Izuku, and Ochako, already wielding his water gun. He shoots, and Kyouka steps out of its path, retaliating with her own projectile. Denki sends a wave of electricity towards her through the ground, and Kyouka blasts her speakers once more.

His jaw drops as the electricity fizzles out, some even recoiling towards him. Kyouka smirks, seeing his shock. "Did nobody tell you? Radio waves can affect electricity. Sorry, but I'm a great match against you."

His grin is limp. "Great match for me, too."

She rolls her eyes. "No chance in hell." With that, she sends another blast at Denki. He decides that playing long-range will only result in failure, and charges at her with a cry of war, metal baton in hand. She's ready for this – it's only logical that he would do this. Still, Kyouka breaks out into a sweat as she finds herself in close-quarters combat. Not her forte.

She manages to dodge a few strikes, sending small blasts in retaliation, but she can't dodge them all. With each strike, Denki runs a small charge of electricity through his baton, shocking Kyouka in tandem. She falls to her knees, when one strikes right into her shoulder, and manages to roll out of the way of the following strike. As she lands, she blasts again, this time small and targeted: right into Denki's wrist. His wrist flies back and, with another blast, the baton soars from his hand, lying in a heap.

He panics, running to get it, only for Kyouka to strike the back of his knees with a blast, making him fall to the ground. She charges at him, one lobe leaving her speaker, and wrapping around Denki's ankle. He instinctively sends a wave of electricity around his body, and Kyouka grits her teeth, blasting her own lobe with her soundwaves, cutting it off before it could travel any further.

She leaves one speaker on, keeping a steady noise going as she pulls Denki towards him. He panics, clawing at the ground, grabbing his water gun, only for her to yank him forth and slap it out of his hands. She lowers the sound little by little, and his heartbeat follows with it, slowing down.

Before she blasts it, loud and piercing. Denki chokes, his head spinning, eyes rolling back. As much as he fights against it, he falls unconscious, with no idea what the hell just happened.

Kyouka grins, wrapping him up with tape, before limping away to get back to Izuku and Momo. Hopefully she didn't rupture his eardrums.

Contact

Back to Ochako, Momo, and Izuku: they're fighting. Momo is using a bo staff, keeping her distance away from Ochako, while Izuku attacks with his katana, stepping back whenever Ochako tries to grab him. All-in-all, it's the most ferocious game of keep-away to be known by mankind.

Ochako's physical abilities have been amped up by Miruko, and she is using every bit of knowledge to aid her. Two-on-One? Who cares!? She sure as hell doesn't. She's learned a lot from friends and Miruko, and she will prove her worth here and now. After all, she already promised to fight Momo again, and she really wants to beat Izuku at least once. This is her chance to kill two birds with one stone.

Izuku slashes at her, and she dodges, bringing her hand to slap his katana, only for Momo to jump in as Izuku draws his katana back, slamming her bo staff into Ochako's gut. Ochako grabs it as soon as it makes contact, and Momo lets it float away, simply creating a new one.

Really now, it's a good fight. Ochako does well against two opponents, none of them giving anyone a chance to breathe. She stands her ground, managing to graze her fingertips against Izuku's sleeve, and accelerating him backwards, far away. He manages to cut the top of his hakama off, leaving his black turtleneck to cover his chest. It takes a while, with carbon fibre woven into it, but he manages.

While Izuku struggles against his own clothes, Ochako and Momo continue their fight. Ochako reaches for Momo, who bats her wrist away, kicking her leg out to trip Ochako up, only for her to jump over it, lunging with her other hand. Momo drops to the ground, creating a pole from her bare stomach, which slams into Ochako. She chokes, landing on the ground, clutching her abdomen.

Momo gets up, rushing at her, one hand holding the capture tape, the other holding her staff. Ochako manages to get herself together before she can reach her, getting her feet under her and kicking off to Momo, tape at the ready. She manages to catch it around Momo's stomach, then taps herself, accelerating herself into the sky, fast, Momo hanging on by the tape.

Momo yelps, realising that she has no choice but to hold onto the tape, or fall and get captured anyway. After all, she can't recover from a landing that fast, and Ochako could touch her while she recuperates. No, she could create a layer of sorbothane to soften the impact. But what if it's not enough–?

As she thinks, Ochako pulls her up by the tape, and taps her too. Now, even she can't event all and create sorbothane to absorb the impact. She swallows nervously, the ground further and further away. "Well played, Uravity."

Ochako smiles down at her. "Thanks, Izanami!" Now, all she has to do is keep Momo in the air for five minutes.

For a moment, Momo considers giving up. She knew she wasn't cut out for this - she's not like Ochako, so strong and unafraid to be herself and look good while doing it.

But.

She already promised to live up to her teammates' expectations. They trust her. And she won't betray that trust.

Momo looks around the area, spotting Kyouka and Denki's ongoing match. An idea flutters into her head, watching as Denki shocks Kyouka with his baton. Though, right now, it's far more dangerous. Right now, she'll just have to trust Izuku. (Not that it's a hard thing to do.)

Meanwhile, Izuku cuts his hakama off, finally, and stops accelerating, his clothes flying past him. He runs back, spotting the shadow on the ground. He looks up to see Momo and Ochako in the air, Ochako slowly wrapping tape around Momo. That simply won't do.

Good thing he added that hookshot.

He hasn't had much practice with it, only latching onto poles and buildings. He hasn't practiced this yet. But, well, no time like the present.

He activates his earpiece, aiming his hookshot up. "Izanami. Don't let Uravity hear me. Just make sure to catch." Momo doesn't answer, but in the sky, she's pretty damn confused. That is, until, a line of reinforced, metal rope flies by her. She doesn't think about it, and only grabs onto it. Ochako jumps in shock. Then Izuku brings the hookshot back down. Momo goes with it.

"Woah!" Ochako yelps, moving back down as Momo severs through the tape via creating blades from her body, only to drop them on the floor. She chuckles. "Guess that plan's gone sky-high." Pun absolutely intended.

"Guess so," Momo agrees. Her hand glistens, and she creates yet another long staff. This time, there's a taser attached to the end. Ochako gulps. "Thank you for giving me a perfect view of Chargebolt and Amplify's match. It inspired me."

Faced against two people, Ochako was doing incredibly well. Faced with two people, one with a taser? She's a goner.

Kyouka arrives back at the scene, and Ochako is wrapped up tightly in capture tape, her fingertips covered in plasters. Kyouka grins. "Yeah. I beat his ass too."

Chargebolt and Uravity are out!

Explosive Temper

Back with Tsuyu and Minoru, they're back on the move, Tsuyu on the rooftops and Minoru on the ground, rushing towards the east, as they decided earlier. Minoru is weary, tired from getting beat up and from using his quirk so much. Tsuyu is far less affected, only sweaty, as she was only hit a few times. Sure, her ribs are aching, but it's nothing bad.

As they travel forth, an explosion sounds, and they both stop, turning around. As they do, Bakugou lands in front of Tsuyu, grinning widely. She realises arbitrarily that it's the first time she's seen him in costume since the second day of school. His gauntlets are now gone, (confiscated after the support team realised how hazardous it was), replaced with a thick armband to propagate sweat.

"Hey," Bakugou greets, then raises his arm. She has that moment to react, before he fires an explosion her way. She dives off the building, into the populated street. Minoru shrieks as he figures out who has come after them, and Bakugou drops to the ground, loud and abrasive. He blasts at the ground to soften his landing, damaging some of the civilian bots, who all run away in fear.

He strikes once more, bringing up rubble as he does. Tsuyu and Minoru are forced to dodge, unable to get close at all. Minoru throws a ball at him, but Bakugou has been stuck watching them for weeks. He knows now to touch it, and instead blasts at it, sending it back. Panicking, Minoru throws more, which Bakugou weaves through, before blasting one at the side, sending it flying at Tsuyu.

She doesn't expect it at all, and thus gets struck in the chest by it. Bakugou follows up by charging at her, getting behind her and sending a small blast at her back. It sears her costume, only slightly stinging her skin, and sends her to the ground, her shoulder stuck to the ground.

Minoru screams, panicking even more, and Bakugou gets to him with speed, blasting him away. He goes back to Tsuyu and wraps her leg with capture tape. Minoru picks himself up and screams into his earpiece, "Backup! I need Backup! Bakugou's here!" Bakugou slaps his hand away from his earpiece, cracks his knuckles, and blasts by his ear, disorientating him and giving him enough time to wrap him up too.

With that done, he shoves Minoru next to Tooru and sits. Back-up, Minoru requested. Sure, Bakugou grins, he'll beat up the back-up too.

Minutes go by, five, ten, fifteen, before the back-up arrives. Mezou and Kouji.

"What?" Bakugou questions, standing up. "Only two of you?"

Mezou grunts. "There were three of us, but Cellophane went on ahead to take down your leader."

Bakugou guffaws. "Good fucking luck! We got Shouto on guard duty. That Cellophane bastard won't last a minute!"

"Then," Mezou stances up, "we'll beat you and back him up."

Bakugou cracks his neck. "Tough words. See if you can back it up."

Mezou lunges first, fast. But Bakugou has been watching for weeks. He knows how fast Mezou is, despite his bigger form. Kouji yells loudly and birds respond to him, diving down at Bakugou to peck at him. He explodes, scaring them away and burning the feathers of a few. In the same instance, he blasts out of Mezou's path, using another blast to send him up and over Mezou, reaching out to blast his back.

Kouji yells once more, summoning rats too this time. Birds and rats attack Bakugou, pecking and biting, messing up his vision and crawling all over him.

"ARGH!" he yells, setting explosions off all around him. "You're pissing me off!" He charges at Kouji, who tries to run away. Mezou, back stinging, rushes back in, managing to strike Bakugou in the jaw and get him away from Kouji. Bakugou growls, swinging back at Mezou, who dodges, grabbing onto Bakugou's arm and pulling him forth while bringing his knee up, right into Bakugou's stomach. He chokes, falling to the ground.

Spotting his chance, Kouji calls out once more. But, as soon as his voice leaves, Bakugou raises both hands, creating a super explosion, drowning out his voice. With the blast radius, Mezou goes flying back, as does Kouji. Kouji, a bit further away from the explosion, is conscious, but Mezou is out-cold. Bakugou turns to Kouji, who shrivels from his attention, and wraps him in capture tape. Kouji can only watch as Bakugou does the same to Mezou.

"Damn," says Bakugou, scowling all the while. "You fuckers… fought. Well. I guess."

Then he takes off, back to their base, leaving Kouji as the only one to have heard a compliment from him. The mute kid. He sure knows who to speak to, huh?

Hot n' Cold

Hanta, as foretold by Mezou and Kouji, arrives at the base. Really, he's not sure if he got here too early for the plan or not, but he's here now. The plan was to head all the way to their designated directions, then head to the enemy base, taking out anyone they meet along the way.

As it stands, Hanta is apparently the only one who has gotten here in time. Tooru and Yuuga aren't here, Tsuyu and Minoru needed back-up with Bakugou, Mezou and Kouji went to back them up, and Izuku, Kyouka, and Momo are away.

To be fair, he and Tsuyu are the only ones who can travel fast in a dense city, with their respective quirks. Still, that doesn't change how much he wants to cry.

Why? Well, it's simple.

There's only one guard with Tenya. The guard in question? Shouto. He stands outside of the entrance, not moving an inch. Momo and Izuku suspected that Shouto would stay guard, as he's skilled in both defence and offence, but it didn't make him any easier to face. Theoretically, he could sneak past him, but highly doubts that the son of Endeavour wouldn't pick up on him.

(Dammit, he's screwed. He should have written his will already.)

"I know you're there." AH! He knew it! "Come out."

… There's no use playing dumb. Hanta takes a deep breath, before leaving the corner he hid behind. "Hey, Shouto. Any chance you could let me pass?"

Shouto blinks. "No." Hanta blinks, and he's covered in ice. Dammit. His teeth chatter, and his limbs would shiver if they had room to. Not even leaving his place, Shouto holds out his tape, and sends out a small bit of ice, taking the tape with it. It slaps on Hanta's face. Guess that also counts as 'captured', huh? It must, because the tape glows red two minutes later. Shouto melts the ice, leaving Hanta on the floor.

"Man," a familiar voice enters. Eijirou walks to Shouto's side, eyes on the water on the floor. "You went overboard."

"I did not," Shouto rebukes. "If I let his elbows out, I would have been in trouble." While that is an awfully high compliment, Hanta distinctly recalls how one-sided it was. Eijirou only laughs, patting Shouto on the shoulder. Shouto frowns. "I wasn't joking."

"Didn't think you were," Eijirou assures.

Hanta has the urge to sob as he hears explosions in the distance and– yep. Bakugou drops by Shouto and Eijirou. Dammit, that means Mezou, Kouji, Tsuyu, and Minoru are out.

"Welcome home," Shouto deadpans.

Bakugou sniffs. "This ain't home." He looks down at Hanta, and snorts. "Man, I didn't think you were actually stupid enough to come alone." Hanta wants to yell at him, but he quickly remembers that he's not allowed to move after being captured. "Shit, is this everyone?"

Eijirou nods. "Guess so. I took down, er, Kousen and Spotlight. They got to Tsukuyomi and Acid Trip."

Bakugou rolls his neck. "I got fucking, uh, Froppy, Purple Rain, Tentacole, and Anivoice."

Shouto looks at Hanta. "Only Cellophane has come here. That means Kyou and Amplify are left with Izanami. Unless Chargebolt and Uravity got to them first. If they did, I doubt we'd still be here."

"Ding-ding. Full marks." Hanta doesn't even need to look to see. That's Kyouka's dry wit, after all. "They've been captured now."

Bakugou grins, slamming an open palm against his fist. "So, three-v-one, huh? That's fine by me! I'll take you all on by myself."

"There's no need," Shouto states, before icing the door behind him shut, covering the entire front of the building, ignoring Tenya's yell of indignition. "I'll take Kyou."

"No, actually," Kyouka retorts, stepping up. "You'll be taking me." Shouto narrows his eyes at her, and she lashes out with her lobes, throwing Shouto aside to the right alley.

Kyouka charges after him. Shouto is already annoyed – he joined Tenya in order to fight Izuku, not her. He sends out a large iceberg, and Kyouka grins almost manically. She grunts as she stabs her lobes into the ice. A few pounds is all it takes, before the ice shatters. Shouto's eyes widened. Once again, he's found someone who can destroy his ice with ease.

Good thing he can use his fire now. At least, that's what he thinks. But then Kyouka plugs both lobes in, aiming directly at his hands, and fires. The sound waves crash into his hand, his flames flying back towards him. Kyouka smirks, "Sorry, but I've been training against fire since the USJ. Guess I'm just a good opponent for anyone with an elemental quirk."

Shouto levels his gaze on her. "That's fine," he says. "I hope you don't mind training with me in the future."

Kyouka huffs. "I'm honoured." The fight reigns on.

As much as Kyouka can combat Shouto's quirk, it's not invincible. She takes elemental damage. She gets burned. She gets slammed in the stomach by ice, frozen by it. Her ears ache with the cold. Shouto, now using both sides of his quirk, doesn't have to worry about being frostbitten or overheated. So, while Kyouka is able to put up a good fight, Shouto goes untouched for much of it.

That is, until he uses his fire once more and Kyouka's blast is even louder, even stronger than before. Shouto stumbles back, ears ringing. He's disorientated. Kyouka doesn't stop there, using one speaker to project her heartbeat as loud as she can go, the other piercing into the ground, sending it through the ground. The ground beneath Shouto trembles, but he can't tell if it truly is or if it's all in his head.

Keeping it up, Kyouka approaches as slowly as she can, and Shouto groans, the noise becoming louder as she does, and he slams his hands as hard as he can against his ears. He falls to his knees, and Kyouka smirks, grabbing her tape. As she reaches out to wrap him up, he reaches out, grabbing her arm. Her eyes widen, spotting blood coming from his ears.

Oh, shit. He ruptured his own eardrums. Who does that!?

Shouto does. He pulls her arm over his shoulder, throwing her over. In doing so, her lobe rips free from the ground. The floor no longer trembling, Shouto goes to swing at Kyouka.

And misses.

Kyouka feels a beat of hope. He's still disorientated, and his ruptured eardrum only makes it worse. She charges back at him, swinging wide, and manages to strike his jaw. He winces, and sends out a wave of ice. It knicks Kyouka's arm, but mostly misses thanks to his vertigo.

With a cry of war, she runs at him, catching the tape around his stomach and dragging him to the floor, wrestling to get on top of him. With his eardrum ruptured, she can't use the same technique she used on Denki, but she can try to brute force her way through. So, keeping a stream of noise around them, she keeps her tape wrapped around Shouto, arm at his neck, the force of her soundwaves destroying his ice and extinguishing his fire before it can grow.

She struggles against him, crying out. Two minutes feels more like two hours, before the tape finally glows red, and both she and Shouto crumple.

"You," says Shouto, louder than necessary, "did good!"

Kyouka nods against his chest. "You too!"

Rock and a Hard Place

When Kyouka throws Shouto aside, Momo creates a pile of rope, throwing it around Eijirou. She pulls him towards her, further down the alley. "And I'll be fighting you."

Eijirou grins, landing on his feet and hitting his fists together. "Fine by me!"

Momo starts, using the same tactic she used for Ochako, and striking at him with a taser. He smacks it aside, lunging at her with hardened arms. She manages to step back and out of the way of his swings, throwing her hand under his chest, palm facing up, and creating a pipe shooting straight up. Eijirou manages to react in time, softening his arms to harden his chest. Still, the impact has him stumbling back.

Momo discards the pipe, instead creating a grappling hook. She shoots it up, attaching to a building, dropping down a single item as she rises and forming a visor around her eyes. Eijirou panics, first thinking that it's a bomb. To an extent, he's right. He hardens his body, able to do so for a short second, but it's for naught. After all, it's a flash bomb. It goes off, blinding Eijirou, and Momo drops back down, eyes protected by the visor.

She creates a net weighed down by tungsten as she falls, dropping it on top of Eijirou's body. He flounders, black spots appearing in his vision, before he hardens his arms and cuts past the netting. Momo greets him with tape to his face, but it's easily taken off before he can truly be captured.

Momo moves back, and nearly trips over Hanta as she does. Hanta wants to apologise, but he can't, both because he's supposed to stay still and because Eijirou has already shoved Momo further down the alley. She yells out in pain as his hardened arm makes contact. His vision isn't entirely clear, but he can see enough.

But, tripping over Hanta does give her a neat idea. Her arm sparkles with creation, but Eijirou lunges in, spotting it, and punches her hand away before can make it. Momo can't make it as fast as she can make other stuff, because she doesn't remember the exact mechanics. If she wants to search it up on her watch, she'll need the time to do it. And she doubts Eijirou will fall for the flashbomb again.

As she dodges between Eijirou's strikes, using a staff to aid her, she urges herself to think, Momo! In the background, a wall of ice appears in her peripherals. Oh. That'll work.

When Eijirou lashes at her, she doesn't bother dodging, allowing it to hit. As his fists lands, Momo throws her hand out, her palm sparkling, and metal plating protrudes, building a large wall in front of her. Eijirou bashes into it, and Momo is given a bit more time. She creates her item of choice, filling it with her prepared one, and aims at the dent in the metal wall.

Surely enough, Eijirou breaks through it, and Momo fires her tape gun. The capture tape lands directly onto Eijirou's chest and, before he can rip it out, Momo throws her hands out harshly, creating super glue from her hands as she does, and it spreads across the tape.

It's not an invincible tactic. She knows. So, while Eijirou struggles to get it off, prioritising that, his chest burning with the application of the super glue and from his trying to rip it off his bare skin, Momo dives forward, discarding her tape gun, both hands sparkling. Eijirou manages to pull the tape off his body, and looks up to see Momo, holding a bomb in one hand, her other hidden behind her back.

Eijirou instinctively covers his eyes. Really, he should have covered his nose and mouth. Because Momo's bomb is full of chloroform. She places her gas mask over her face, and detonates it. Within seconds, Eijirou falls unconscious, and Momo places her capture tape around him. They got two for a reason, after all.

With Eijirou taken care of, she retrieves her other roll of tape from the gun, and marches back to the enemy base.

Blessed versus Hollow

Bakugou licks his lips, dry for a reason he can't tell. "Then, I guess you wanna fight me," he says to Izuku, who only smiles nervously. He walks around, the left alley, katana in hand. Bakugou swallows a thick lump in his throat, and he tries to grin. "Fine! But remember: you asked for this."

Their fight starts with Bakugou swinging. And Izuku has known Bakugou for years. He also knows that Bakugou always starts with a right swing. So, he ducks beneath it, moving behind Bakugou. He lets one hand go from his katana, and swings an open palm as hard as he can at Bakugou's back. Bakugou stumbles for a moment, before swivelling around, sending another blast at Izuku.

Izuku uses the blunt edge of his katana to knock his arm away, ducking in and elbowing Bakugou in the gut. In the same movement, Bakugou moves his hand up, blasting Izuku to the side of his face. Izuku hisses, pulling back. He trains his katana towards Bakugou, frowning.

Bakugou grins. It's strained. "What's wrong? Realise you picked wrong!?" He rushes at him, and blasts at thin air as Izuku steps back, slicing his katana through the explosion at a distance. Bakugou growls. "Come on! You wanted to fight me! Fight back!" He pushes on. A short, controlled blast at Izuku's chest.

Izuku bashes his wrist up with his katana's handle, then swings in the next instance, leveling his katana at Bakugou's neck, frown still present. "You're holding back. Why are you holding back?"

Bakugou's eye twitches. He doesn't answer, instead knocking Izuku's katana away and charging in.

"Why are you holding back!?" Izuku yells, kicking out, his foot landing on Bakugou's chest. He grabs onto Izuku's ankle and throws him away.

Izuku lands on his feet. "Like there! You could have blasted my ankle instead of throwing me! Why are you holding back!?"

Bakugou is silent, teeth grit, and he rushes at Izuku, lashing out and blasting at his face. Izuku swings his katana up, slicing through it again, and barging into Bakugou with his shoulder.

"Why!?"

"I don't wanna hurt you!" Bakugou finally reveals, shaking. "There! You happy now!?"

"Of course not!" Izuku moves into Bakugou's personal space, bashing his head into Bakugou's jaw. "You never cared before! Why do you care now!?"

"Because!" He punctuates with a louder, larger explosion, forcing Izuku to reel back, heat kissing his skin. "It was never okay, was it!? That's what everyone says! Then you go ahead and decide to fight me!? Why!?"

Izuku grabs his hookshot, firing past Bakugou's head. He flinches away from it, and Izuku steps in, katana reeled back, low. He brings it up, and Bakugou just barely moves back in time, the blade catching on his shit and tearing it open. "Because I wanted to! I wanted to prove to myself that I'm not that defenceless, weak, pathetic Deku I used to be!"

Bakugou growls, throwing another explosion at him. This time, it strikes Izuku's shoulder directly, and he nearly drop his katana as his arm drops from the force and heat. It's been a while since he's experienced Bakugou's explosions.

"Ain't it obvious you're not!?"

Just like that, Izuku stops, eyes wide.

Bakugou scowls. "Dammit, do you really need me, of all people, to spell it out!? You're not the same as middle school! You're in the student council, you survived the USJ, you got fourth place in the Sports Festival. Everyone fucking respects you! As if you're the same nerd from Aldera!"

Izuku lowers his katana, taken back. Bakugou scoffs, hiding his face in his hands, and he groans, loud and full of frustration. "I've had to spend months watching you get stronger. Watching all of you fuckers get stronger. Months spent with a shrink, makin' me question everything I've ever done, everything I've ever believed! Fricking Present Mic had to spell it out for me! You think I'm blind!?"

Stricken, Izuku can't respond. He doesn't know how to. For once, his brain completely fails him.

Because Bakugou removes his hands and there are tears in his eyes. "So, there. I didn't come into this expecting to fight you. 'Cause I didn't want to. The only reason I joined this team is 'cause I wouldn't feel right on your team."

Izuku breathes out shakily. "That's insulting, you know. I chose to fight you, so you should have at least honoured that by giving your all."

Bakugou observes him. And he nods. "Fine. Whatever. I'll give it my all now."

But Izuku only sighs, sheathing his katana with his left hand, his right hanging limply. "There's no point."

"HAH!?"

He waves a hand. "When I slapped your back earlier, I slapped some capture tape on it." Bakugou's eyes blow open. He struggles to look behind him, and he spots a flash of red. He turns back to Izuku, gaping. Izuku smiles wryly. "Maybe next time. If there is a next time."

Izuku walks away and Bakugou falls on his arse. He tilts his head back. And he laughs.

Speedster

Tenya was prepared for many scenarios. He wasn't foolish enough to think nobody could ever get past Shouto – he was prepared for anything. But, as Kyouka breaks down Shouto's wall of ice, Momo and Izuku her side, he can firmly say he did not expect this.

Izuku? He was hoping to face him. That's the reason he requested Izuku to join a different team. Kyouka? Unexpected. He didn't realise she would stand a chance against Shouto. And, going by the burns and the fragments of ice on her, she was the one to win against him. Momo? Definitely unexpected. The whole reason Ochako and Denki went to the enemy base was because he expected her to stay there, not join the battle.

He didn't join the battle, because he didn't want to risk losing like that. He didn't want to risk going into battle with, say, Minoru – a good match against his quirk – and lose in such a way.

"Give it up!" Momo demands, breathing harshly, bruised and battered. "All of your companions have been defeated!"

She's not the only one hurt. Izuku has many minor burns on his body, his right arm useless. Kyouka still shakes from frost and burns dotted on her skin.

Nevertheless, Tenya will not insult his friends by taking them lightly. Even now, he's sure they'd put up a mighty battle. As such, "I refuse," he takes his stand. "Giving up so easily will only bring dishonour upon my comrades! I will fight!"

It's not an easy fight, not at all. Tenya's right to take them seriously.

Even injured, Kyouka can still blast sound waves at him, disorienting him. Even injured, Momo can still act as an ample, versatile threat. Even injured, Izuku can still act as a good back-up.

Kyouka is too exhausted to move around, only attacking from long-range. Izuku's shoulder is too injured to swing his katana, and he settles for using his hookshot to direct Tenya back to Momo. Momo is the only one fighting up-close, settling with her trusty rapier, battling speed with speed. It helps that Izuku and Kyouka cut off Tenya's escapes, forcing him to battle her up-front.

He manages to land a good few hits, and Momo returns them in kind, though they're not nearly as strong as Tenya's. It all comes to an end, however, when Momo forms a can of spray paint, coating Tenya's visor with it. He takes his helmet off, a short-term solution, but that turns out to be a mistake when Momo creates dust, throwing it into his eyes, and then, with all the strength they have left, Izuku and Kyouka jump him with rolls of capture tape, keeping him down.

When he tries to boot his engines to escape, Momo relies on an old tactic, spraying liquid nitrogen onto them, forcing him to shut them off, lest they explode.

He struggles for five whole minutes, Momo joining on the dogpile, keeping the tap secured to his body until–

"IT'S OVER!" Mic yells, jazzed beyond belief. "INGENIUM HAS BEEN CAPTURED! TEAM A WIIIIINS!"

Notes:

OOOOOH BOY! THIS ONE IS A LONG ONE! 8.4K TO BE EXACT!! It was originally going to be split into two parts, but I decided to write it into one. You're welcome :))

I gave everyone their time in the limelight this chapter. Before I get another oh-so-smart anon full of sarcasm and barely-disguised insults, read over the fights one more time. They make sense. I made sure of it.

Bakugou is getting there. He still doesn't know what he's supposed to become, but he'll learn as the series goes on. And, NO, I do not intend to create any sort of friendship with Izuku. But, at the same time, Izuku needs to have that closure. Until Bakugou gets his head sorted, however, he's not getting it

Oh, Tenya. Taken down by the good ol' dust in your eyes followed by a dogpile. What a lad. But, in all seriousness, did you expect him to be able to take down three people all at once? Didn't think so!

Conclusion:

Aizawa debriefs everyone

The civil war starts

Team A vs Team B. Winners: Team A

#my rewrite academia #bnha #mha #boku no hero academia #mha critical #my hero academia #rewrite #horikoshi critical #plot #week 24 #final exams

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monikahihihi · 2 years ago

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Lúc 4 giờ, hội trường mở cửa và học sinh bắt đầu tập trung bên trong.

Khi Izumiko nhìn quanh những người đang đến, cô thấy rất nhiều học sinh mặc trang phục bình thường, nhưng nhiều người khác cũng mặc trang phục hóa trang. Từ những gì cô có thể nhìn thấy qua chiếc mặt nạ của mình, thậm chí còn có một số học sinh mặc trang phục cosplay hoàn chỉnh. Kết quả là các thành viên trong hội sinh viên không tỏ ra thân thiện lắm. Có vẻ như nhiều sinh viên nước ngoài đã thích thú với trang phục truyền thống của Nhật Bản trong lễ hội, bởi vì một lượng lớn trong số họ thậm chí còn mặc kimono.

Toàn bộ sự kiện diễn ra không giống một bữa tiệc Giáng sinh cho lắm, nhưng Hoshino đã nói ngay từ đầu rằng anh ấy không hề hướng tới cảm giác tôn giáo. Họ thậm chí còn cố gắng không sử dụng bất kỳ đồ trang trí nào trên cây thông Noel được coi là biểu tượng của Cơ đốc giáo. Như đã nói, họ đã sử dụng rất nhiều dây kim tuyến, ruy băng, quả bóng thủy tinh và dây đèn nhấp nháy, và khán phòng ph��i thừa nhận là được trang trí bằng màu đỏ và xanh lá cây.

Vì có rất nhiều giáo viên tham dự nên có nhiều người lớn rải rác quanh phòng hơn Izumiko nghĩ. Không có gì đáng ngạc nhiên khi không có giáo viên nào mặc trang phục nhưng họ lại đội những chiếc mũ dự tiệc hình nón một cách vui vẻ. Có những giáo viên khác đang đứng quanh những chiếc bàn ở rìa phòng, nơi đã bày bánh mì, bánh quy và đồ uống.

…Thật sự có cảm giác như một bữa tiệc vậy…

Khi bắt đầu sự kiện trước khi mọi người đến, Izumiko có cảm giác như cô ấy đã nhìn vào căn phòng lớn và những đồ trang trí trong đó từ một nơi nào đó bên ngoài, nhưng giờ đây cô ấy không thể không cảm thấy bị cuốn hút bởi lễ hội. Tất nhiên, ông già Noel tóc trắng đã gây được tiếng vang lớn và Izumiko, trong bộ trang phục tuần lộc phù hợp, đi dạo cùng ông. Ông già Noel có kẹo trong túi và ông ấy đã phát kẹo cho những người xung quanh khi họ đi, khiến ông ấy càng trở nên nổi tiếng hơn.

Thực tế tất cả những người đến gặp ông già Noel đều muốn bắt tay Izumiko khi họ nhìn thấy cô trong bộ trang phục, chứ không phải họ biết cô là ai. Trong một thời gian, cô, chú tuần lộc, đã trở thành trạm bắt tay duy nhất.

Cuối cùng, các tình nguyện viên bước lên sân khấu để hát một bài hát hoặc biểu diễn một vở kịch ngắn, và hầu hết đám đông đều bị thu hút theo hướng đó. Chỉ khi đó Izumiko mới nhận ra mình đã mệt mỏi đến mức nào. Những lễ hội đã không làm tâm trạng của cô sôi động hơn nhiều như cô nghĩ.

Chuyện gì vậy? Tôi đến dự bữa tiệc tuyệt vời này phải không? Đây có phải là do hôm nay rào chắn không được dựng lên?…

Một cảm giác kỳ lạ, kỳ lạ mà đã lâu cô không cảm thấy lại quay trở lại. Có thức thần trộn lẫn với các học sinh trong hội trường. Đó rất có thể là lý do tại sao cô ấy lại cảm thấy khó chịu như vậy.

Giờ nghĩ lại, gần đây tôi đã hành động khá vô tư về mọi thứ…

Cách đó không xa, Manatsu, người mặc trang phục sói không khác gì tuần lộc của Izumiko, đã cởi đầu sói của mình ra và tinh nghịch đội nó lên các học sinh khác. Izumiko không có ý định làm điều tương tự.

Sau khi ông chủ tịch phát biểu khai mạc trên sân khấu, ông đã biến mất trong đám đông sinh viên và giờ đã khuất bóng. Điều tương tự cũng xảy ra với các bậc phụ huynh đã điều hành khu chợ trong lễ hội. Cô không thể nhận ra dù chỉ một con qua cái miệng rộng của con tuần lộc.

“Chúng ta hãy nghỉ ngơi đi, cô Tuần lộc,” Claus bất ngờ nói.

Khi cô quay đầu về phía anh, cô thấy chiếc túi ông già Noel mà anh đang cầm ít nhiều trống rỗng.

“Chúng ta sang phòng bên uống chút nước trái cây và bánh sandwich nhé. Họ nói bạn không thể làm việc khi bụng đói, hơn nữa, chúng tôi cũng là khách trong bữa tiệc này.”

"Uh, đúng vậy." Izumiko cảm thấy nhẹ nhõm khi biết rằng họ đã đồng ý. Cổ họng cô khô khốc đến đau đớn. Nhận thấy cô không thể sử dụng tốt đôi tay khi đeo găng tay của bộ trang phục, Claus lấy một ít thức ăn cho cô, rồi cả hai chậm rãi đi về phía khán phòng.

Không ai có thể nhìn thấy họ ở phòng bên cạnh. Khi họ đến đó, Izumiko đã tháo đầu tuần lộc ra. Chỉ khi đó cô mới nhận ra việc hít thở bên trong nó khó khăn đến mức nào. Đó là một phần lý do khiến cho đến giờ cô vẫn chưa thể thư giãn trong suốt bữa tiệc.

Claus, sau khi đã gỡ bỏ bộ râu trắng của mình, nhìn sang cô.

"Ồ! Màu sắc của bạn không đẹp,” anh nói, nghe có vẻ hơi ngạc nhiên. “Em ốm à, Izumiko?”

"KHÔNG. Tôi chỉ không quen với trang phục thôi. Đó là tất cả. Tôi sẽ ổn sau giờ nghỉ,” cô trả lời nhanh chóng. Cô cởi găng tay của bộ trang phục và tháo dây buộc sau lưng để có thể kéo lớp vải mờ xuống quanh eo. Điều này ngay lập tức khiến cô cảm thấy tốt hơn nhiều. Cô vui vẻ nhận cốc nước cam.

Claus đặt một chiếc khăn ăn màu đỏ và trắng lên đùi mặc trang phục của mình và bắt đầu ăn bánh sandwich một cách hào hứng. Anh ấy dường như đã chán bữa tiệc trong thời gian làm ông già Noel và không bận tâm chút nào về việc họ đang ăn uống bên ngoài sảnh chính.

Izumiko cân nhắc việc Claus đã giúp cô bằng cách ra đây để cô không ăn một mình. Đó là điều mà một ông già Noel tốt bụng sẽ làm.

Cô ngồi xuống cạnh Claus và quyết định sẽ hỏi anh một câu hỏi mang tính cá nhân. Trước đây cô chưa bao giờ có cơ hội nói chuyện trực tiếp với anh.

“Này, bạn có thấy khó chịu khi Takayanagi tụng những câu Kinh thánh không? Điều đó không làm bạn khó chịu với tư cách là một Cơ-đốc nhân sao?”

Claus chớp đôi mắt xanh đậm và ngừng ăn một lúc để nghĩ về điều này. Sau đó hắn mở miệng nói: “Hmm…. Nó không làm phiền tôi. Lời Kinh Thánh có sức mạnh và đó là điều quan trọng. Tôi thấy đó là điều mà Takayanagi và tôi có thể đồng ý. Có những người lớn lên trong cùng nền văn hóa với tôi, nhưng thậm chí còn có nhiều người lớn lên trong những nền văn hóa khác với tôi. Có thể kết bạn với bất cứ ai.”

“Bạn có thể tha thứ cho những người sử dụng phép thuật của bạn mặc dù họ không tin vào Cơ đốc giáo?” Izumiko hỏi.

Phản ứng của anh thật bất ngờ.

“Thành thật mà nói, còn có nhiều điều tôi không thể tha thứ cho các anh em đồng đạo. Nước Đức có một quá khứ đầy rẫy những điều đó. Người Công giáo và Tin lành đã nhiều lần xích lại gần nhau và giết hại nhiều người.”

"Điều đó đúng…"

“Thần học không hề khoan dung chút nào. Tôi nghĩ chắc chắn có những người nghe một điều là ngay lập tức cho rằng đó là sai. Tuy nhiên, trước khi nói có điều gì đó không ổn, tôi muốn tìm hiểu thêm về nó,” Claus nói và mỉm cười với Izumiko. “Anh cũng vậy phải không, Izumiko? Nếu không, bạn đã không đến đây. Tôi muốn trở thành linh mục, nhưng tôi không biết liệu mình có thể thực sự làm được điều đó hay không.”

Cách nói chuyện vô tư của anh ấy khiến Izumiko thấy lạ. Cô bật ra một tiếng cười lặng lẽ.

“Tôi có thể nói rằng bạn có một trái tim rộng lượng, Claus. Đó là lý do tại sao bạn có thể đảm nhận tốt công việc ông già Noel người Mỹ như vậy.”

“Tôi không nghĩ mình thực sự có thể từ chối. Mặc dù cảm nhận và diện mạo của Lễ Giáng sinh ở mỗi quốc gia là khác nhau nhưng tôi nghĩ nó mang mọi người từ khắp nơi trên thế giới lại với nhau. Hôm nay là ngày ngắn nhất trong năm và khi bóng tối phủ xuống chúng ta, đó là lý do để mọi người đến với nhau và ăn mừng.”

“Đây là bữa tiệc đông chí à?”

“Đức ở vĩ độ cao hơn Nhật Bản, nên mùa đông ở đó ngày ngắn hơn nhiều,” Claus trầm ngâm nói. “Nó có cảm giác như bị bao bọc trong bóng tối. Trong mùa này, chúng ta thắp nến vào một ngày cụ thể để mời ánh sáng quay trở lại. Các thế lực siêu nhiên có thể lang thang trong bóng tối, vì vậy chúng ta làm điều này để xua đuổi những thế lực đó và thắp lên ngọn lửa tượng hình trong tâm hồn chúng ta. Đồ trang trí Giáng sinh lấp lánh dưới ánh đèn được thắp sáng, đó là lý do tại sao chúng tôi treo chúng lên.”

***

Nói về Giáng sinh khiến tâm trạng của Izumiko nhẹ nhõm hơn. Ngoài món bánh sandwich và bánh quy mà cô ấy đã ăn, Izumiko cảm thấy như mình có thể tiếp tục mặc trang phục tuần lộc cho đến khi kết thúc bữa tiệc.

Tôi chỉ phải chịu đựng nó thêm một chút nữa thôi. Hôm nay tôi cần phải ẩn náu…

Khi cô ấy trượt trở lại nửa trên của bộ trang phục và quay trở lại khán phòng, Hoshino đã đứng trên sân khấu với chiếc micro, mời mọi người tham gia cùng anh ấy trong một trò chơi. Okouchi đang quay một chiếc lồng bingo với cường độ cao. Vì có nhiều giải thưởng để giành nên hầu hết sự chú ý của những người tham gia bữa tiệc đều chuyển sang khu vực đó của căn phòng.

“Bạn có muốn chơi bingo không? Dù sao thì chúng tôi cũng là khách ở đây mà.”

"Vâng. Bạn nói đúng…” Izumiko đồng ý, nhưng găng tay trang phục của cô ấy đã chặn các con số trên thẻ chơi của cô ấy. Thay vào đó, cô bắt mình bận rộn nhìn quanh phòng.

Cô kiên nhẫn quan sát từ chỗ của mình ở rìa đám đông. Khi nhìn, cô nhận thấy chiếc mũ cao của Takayanagi xuất hiện khi anh ấy đứng giữa một nhóm người đi theo mình. Có một số cô gái trong nhóm, nhưng dường như cũng có khá nhiều chàng trai. Tuy nhiên, nhóm dường như không gặp phải bất kỳ rắc rối nào nên điều đó không sao cả.

Khi Izumiko nhìn xa hơn xung quanh đám đông, cô thấy Mayura và Honoka đã tìm được chủ tịch như họ đã hứa. Đã đến lúc Mayura thay trang phục công chúa của mình, nhưng có lẽ không muốn cắt ngắn cuộc trò chuyện, cô ấy vẫn còn quấn khăn tay và tạp dề.

Chủ tịch mỉm cười trong suốt cuộc trò chuyện. Ông ta đã trung niên và có thân hình rắn chắc mặc dù không cao lớn lắm. Anh ấy không tỏ ra quan trọng chút nào mặc dù chức danh công việc của anh ấy là gì. Nhìn bề ngoài mềm mại, anh ta trông cũng không phải loại người hay bày mưu tính kế, nhưng Izumiko biết rõ hơn thế.

Mayura, Honoka và chủ tịch có thể đang trò chuyện sâu sắc về điều gì đó, nhưng tất nhiên, Izumiko không ở đủ gần để nghe được những gì đang được nói nên cô ấy quay đầu tuần lộc nhìn sang nơi khác. Miyuki không tham gia cuộc thảo luận với chủ tịch…

Sau một hồi tìm kiếm, cô tìm thấy Miyuki trong bộ trang phục tu sĩ khổ hạnh. Anh ấy đi cùng Angelica, hơi tách biệt khỏi đám đông còn lại.

Trang phục của Angelica cũng kỳ quặc như Izumiko đã nghĩ. Váy của cô ấy rộng như chiếc ô và trông giống như thứ được mặc trên sân khấu trong một vở ba lê ngoại trừ việc nó là một phần của chiếc váy dự tiệc phủ ren và ruy băng mà một cô bé sẽ mặc. Tóc cô được tết thành bím được trang trí bằng nhiều dải ruy băng hơn. Trong khi các học sinh đang thì thầm “cô gái phép thuật?” qua lại với nhau về bộ trang phục thì chắc chắn đó không phải là bộ cô đang mặc.

Cho đến bây giờ, Izumiko chưa bao giờ thấy Miyuki nói chuyện trực tiếp với Angelica. Tuy nhiên, họ đang ở đây, đang thảo luận riêng của mình đến mức không có học sinh nào khác cố gắng xen vào. Ngay sau đó, khuôn mặt của Angelica nở một nụ cười rạng rỡ và cô ấy vui vẻ vẫy tay gọi ai đó đến. Một người đàn ông nước ngoài bắt đầu tiếp cận hai người. Có lẽ đó là Pierre, cha của Angelica.

Mình đang làm gì ở đây?… Izumiko chợt nghĩ.

Không biết từ đâu, có cảm giác như việc thở trong chiếc mặt nạ thậm chí còn khó khăn hơn trước đây.

Tôi đang trốn trong bóng tối của mọi người, cải trang như thế này và chỉ nhìn chằm chằm vào một bữa tiệc qua lỗ nhìn trộm. Chẳng có lý do gì để tôi ở đây cả…

Cô nhớ lại những gì Takayanagi đã nói. Anh đã muốn hiểu tại sao cô lại đi xa đến thế để trốn tránh sự chú ý của công chúng. Nếu cô ấy muốn một lý do tại sao nữ thần không nên trở thành Ứng cử viên Di sản Thế giới, cô ấy đã có một lý do. Izumiko rất muốn sống một cuộc sống bình thường và vì lý do đó, cô cần nhờ sự hỗ trợ của những người khác để biến điều đó thành hiện thực. Tuy nhiên, cô đã không nhận ra điều đó vì cô đã quá vụng về.

Nhìn Miyuki qua lại sôi nổi với những người như Angelica và Pierre khiến Izumiko nghĩ rằng những gì anh nói về việc ổn với tin tức về Kaori chỉ là lời nói. Nhưng cô cũng khá chắc chắn rằng điều đó đã hiển nhiên ngay từ đầu.

Tất nhiên là anh ấy sẽ quan tâm. Đó là mẹ anh ấy…

Sớm hay muộn Miyuki cũng sẽ đi du lịch nước ngoài vì anh đã biết cô ở đâu. Izumiko cũng đã chắc chắn về điều đó. Cho dù đó là vì con người anh ấy hay khả năng của anh ấy thì đó là điều anh ấy sẽ phải làm. Không chỉ có mẹ anh ra nước ngoài. Cha anh, Yukimasa, cũng là loại người thích lang thang.

Miyuki sẽ có một tương lai đưa anh đi rất xa. Tôi khác biệt… Tôi sẽ bị người khác che giấu cả đời nên không có nơi nào để tôi đi. Ngay cả khi tôi có thể ẩn mình đi và trì hoãn những gì cuối cùng sẽ xảy ra, thì cũng không có nơi nào mà tôi và Miyuki có thể đi cùng nhau…

Nhận thức được bóng tối trong chiếc mặt nạ của bộ trang phục, cô bắt đầu cảm thấy mình là người duy nhất được bao bọc trong bóng tối. Điều đó có vẻ phù hợp với cô ấy. Khi nói đến chuyện đó, cô ấy thực sự là người mang theo mọi bóng tối bên mình.

Tôi thậm chí còn không nhận ra điều đó, mọi người đều ràng buộc tôi vào kế hoạch của riêng họ… Nó giống như những gì Takayanagi đang cố nói. Anh ấy đã đúng về mọi thứ. Về Miyuki nữa.

Sự hoảng loạn của cô ngày càng tăng lên, nhưng ít nhất cô biết nó đang rình rập cô. Cô muốn hét lên mà không có lý do. Ngay khi cô nhận ra chính xác chuyện gì đang xảy ra, tất cả ánh sáng trong khán phòng đều sáng rực; những dây đèn Giáng sinh, mọi thứ, đã tắt.

#week 24

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