Chapter 109: Get lost!

Between laughter, Momo had been cheering on her classmates who were participating in the recreational games alongside Mina, Jiro, Hagakure, Uraraka, and Tsuyu, as well as a few girls from Class B. Although it was embarrassing, it was a very fun and memorable moment for her, to the point that she did not forget to take some pictures.

Once the recreational games were over, Momo began walking toward the stadium exit, accompanied by the other girls. At that moment, Mina commented with a cheerful smile, wiping the sweat from her forehead at the same time.

“It was way more fun than I imagined, hehehe. Now I even feel bad about the scare Saito gave Kaminari.”

“Well, he really did go a bit overboard; Kaminari was about to cry at that moment.” Tsuyu nodded in agreement and commented in a casual tone, at which point Momo spoke up with a slight smile.

“The prank was quite unpleasant, so he needed a reprimand. But putting that aside, Hagakure-san, Jiro-san, Tsuyu-san, was it really okay not to participate in the recreational games? You could have shown more of your abilities.”

“At first I thought about participating, but the truth is that I felt it wasn’t the right time. The chances of showing anything attention-grabbing in these games are low, and I’m still having trouble adjusting to my amplifiers. I could end up hurting someone unintentionally, which would be counterproductive.” Jiro explained in a calm tone, as it hadn’t really motivated her. Tsuyu added in a serious tone.

“In my case, it’s because I don’t particularly like recreational games. Although they can draw attention, I’ve already had my chance and I prefer to watch and learn for next year.”

“I didn’t participate because I wanted to be a cheerleader, hehehe, though also because with my quirk, it’s hard to stand out among so many people. I do better in stealthy situations and those kinds of things.” Hagakure commented in an upbeat voice. At that moment, Mina asked thoughtfully while looking at the floating cheerleader uniform.

“Now that I think about it, Saito can know everything that’s happening around him without needing to see it, right Momo?”

“Yes, that’s right, but why the question?” Momo nodded and asked, looking somewhat confused by the sudden question, something shared by the other girls who looked at Mina curiously. That’s when the cheerful pink girl commented with a ‘wicked’ smile.

“No, I was just thinking, if Saito can know everything that goes on around him, then he should also be able to know if there’s something invisible, right?”

“You’re right.” Momo nodded while turning to look at Hagakure, as did all the other girls. At that moment, Mina added in a ‘wicked’ tone.

“Then he should be able to ‘see’ Toru, and if we take into account her ‘hero costume’…”

“No!!”

Upon hearing Mina’s words, Hagakure could not help but exclaim loudly as she crouched down and hugged herself. This caused a look of realization to cross the girls’ faces, and Momo commented thoughtfully.

“There’s certainly a very high possibility that he ‘saw’ her…”

“Noo!! Now I can’t get married!!”

Hagakure exclaimed, her tone on the verge of tears, prompting the girls to surround her to console her. But right at that moment, a group of young people walked by their side, among them a student with striking indigo-colored hair, who couldn’t help but glance at the small scene.

“…”

Noticing a particular girl, one who possessed an enchanting beauty, with beautiful black hair and a body so developed and voluptuous that it didn’t seem appropriate for her age, the indigo-haired young man could not help but stop. At the same time, a pair of blue eyes filled with arrogance and superiority flashed in his mind, causing him to grit his teeth, filled with rage. He couldn’t contain himself and ended up speaking in a dark tone while staring at her fixedly.

“… Must be great to have everything solved from the start, huh? Being able to have fun because by your side you’ve got the guy who was gifted so much power by heaven that he can be arrogant everywhere…”

Upon hearing the comment, Momo could not help but turn around in the direction of the voice, finding an indigo-haired boy staring at her intently. She asked, clearly trying to hide her anger.

“Are you talking to me?”

The moment the indigo-haired young man heard Momo’s response, a malicious smile formed on his face. That answer was all he needed to prove that he only required an opportunity to show what he was made of. After all, his quirk, [Brainwashing], allowed him to control anyone who responded verbally to him.

“Who else? Don’t you always hang around with that blue-eyed bastard who goes around mocking those of us who weren’t so lucky in life? Anyway, for now, bow down before me to apologize on behalf of that bastard.”

With a grave tone, the indigo-haired boy ordered while looking at Momo with a satisfied smile. But to his surprise, somehow in the girl’s hand appeared an elegant short dagger with a curved black blade bearing an impressive relief that seemed like a combination of an electronic circuit and tribal runes. With astonishing speed, she was in front of him in an instant.

Without a word, Momo delivered a powerful slap to the indigo-haired young man, sending him to the ground, blood flying through the air. At that moment, she spoke in a tone full of rage, staring intently at the stunned youth on the floor.

“You dare try to control me?! You dare say that Kai’s power was heaven-sent?! You dare say you want to be a hero and declare ‘war’ on us?! All you do is complain, but do you even know what a training routine is?! Have you ever in your life lifted anything besides your lazy backside?!!!

“Just look at that scrawny body!! You dare judge Kai, claiming his power is a handout, when you’ve never done anything to improve yourself!! The power Kai has was earned at the cost of years of sacrifice, blood, sweat, and tears!! He has trained for the last 10 years until his bones broke time and time again, without resting a single day, as if his life depended on it!!

“Tell me, what have you been doing?! Watching anime late into the night?! Complaining about how unfair the world is?! Swearing that if you had a better quirk you’d be a hero?! Do you even know how to throw a punch correctly?!!! Look, I don’t know your name and I don’t care, but for your own good, you’d better never dare belittle Kai’s effort and pain in front of me again, or I won’t be responsible for my actions!!! Now get lost!!!!”

Momo scolded with a voice charged with rage, ending by stomping the ground so hard that she cracked it beneath her foot. The indigo-haired boy could only get up and walk hastily toward the exit, drenched in cold sweat, while the beautiful black-haired teenager took deep breaths, trying to calm the whirlwind of emotions in her heart.

“Yao Momo, calm down, it’s over, it’s over.”

Quickly, Mina rushed to Momo’s side and hugged her tightly, speaking in a soft tone in an attempt to calm her, something that was quickly echoed by the other girls, who ran to their class representative and hugged her. At that moment, Momo’s eyes filled with tears, and she spoke in a low, trembling voice.

“… How dare he say that Kai’s power is gifted? After everything he’s suffered, after all he has sacrificed, after all he’s done…”

“It’s alright, it’s alright, Yao Momo, he’s just a dissatisfied fool who wanted to take it out on someone.” Jiro commented in a warm tone, trying to calm the tearful Momo, which was followed by the desperate attempts of the other girls to do the same.

…

After a while, the girls sat down in a secluded area of the garden around a now calmer Momo. It was then that Mina asked in a soft, calm tone, sitting next to Momo while gently rubbing her back.

“Do you feel better now?”

“Yes, girls, I’m sorry for the outburst. It’s just that so many memories came flooding into my head at that moment that I couldn’t control myself…” Momo replied as she dried her tears with a handkerchief she created using her quirk. At that moment, Tsuyu couldn’t help but ask somewhat curiously.

“But Momo-chan, why did those criticisms affect you so much?”

“… Because I don’t think it’s fair for someone who has never seen the way Kai trains to dare criticize him. For him, it’s more than training—Kai tortures himself every day without rest; it’s almost heartbreaking to watch. Especially when he was younger. One time, he even begged me to keep it a secret that he had broken an arm, so they wouldn’t forbid him from training…”

Momo explained with a strange expression that seemed to mix melancholy, pain, and regret. Uraraka couldn’t help but ask, surprised.

“He broke an arm training and kept it a secret?!”

“…Yes, and I really doubt it was the first or last time something like that happened because he handled it too calmly, as if he were used to it.” Momo replied with a bitter expression, causing Hagakure to comment, full of surprise and a bit of fear.

“But that’s very dangerous, he could have ended up with lifelong aftereffects.”

“Yes… it could have happened, and if any of the adults at that time had found out, they would never have let him train alone again. That’s why he begged me not to tell anyone, and the next day, he went back to ‘training’ as if nothing had happened…” Momo commented with a somewhat regretful voice. At the same time, a small mirror appeared from her hand, and she began checking her appearance in it.

“Why didn’t you say anything? Even now, he might be carrying the consequences of that.” Mina asked in a serious tone, looking at Momo, who couldn’t help but look up at the sky before speaking again as memories returned to her.

“Well, that was because I was very young at the time and believed Kai could do anything. So when he swore that everything was fine and that he wanted it to be a little secret between the two of us, I agreed. Although, obviously, back then he didn’t control his powers as well as he does now; otherwise, he would’ve noticed me the moment I entered the gym. That’s why, even today, I regret it a bit…

“Although luckily, he didn’t end up with any aftereffects. Kai heals incredibly fast and, at the insistence of all of us, he’s had some medical check-ups in recent years, and I always make sure the doctor examines his arms thoroughly. But apart from being absurdly strong, he has no aftereffects, which is a big relief.”

“…Momo-chan, if it’s not too bold of me, I’d like to understand: why is someone like Saito capable of going so far? What drives him to do something like that?”

Tsuyu asked the question all the girls wanted to ask, in a serious tone while looking at Momo, who sighed heavily, a mixture of emotions swirling in her chest. She looked at the sky for a few minutes, and the girls chose to remain silent, wanting to give her space, until after a while, Momo began to speak.

“Kai’s parents’ death was devastating for him. He never returned to being the same after that day. Also, as you saw, the world wasn’t kind to him either. They accused him in the worst way, called him crazy, unstable, and some even went so far as to claim that Kai was the murderer of Aunt Alisa and Uncle Jiro.

“Even though he denies it vehemently, that undoubtedly left a deep mark on him, and I think in some way he blames himself for what happened. He was there at that moment and saw his parents die before his eyes at the hands of a villain without being able to do anything. That’s why he wants to be the strongest in the world. That’s why he trains so relentlessly and without rest, to the point of self-torture, almost as if he were punishing himself, all so he never has to go through the same thing again…”

“…”

Momo’s words were met with a sepulchral silence from the girls, especially Mina and Jiro. After all, following Nejire’s comment, a conversation with Ojiro, and some internet research, they quickly learned the whole story of Saito Kai: the sole survivor of the attack on the former Japanese No. 5 Hero, Iron Palm, and his only son, as well as the ruthless stir that the media created against him.

“Now I can even understand his attitude a bit…”

Uraraka couldn’t help but comment quietly because although she didn’t like the blue-eyed young man very much—especially because of how he treated someone she held dear, Midoriya—understanding that his life had been so difficult inevitably made her sympathize with him a bit.

“I can see why you got so mad. Even I’m starting to get angry just remembering that annoying guy!” Mina commented in a serious voice, clenching her fists before her. At that moment, Jiro asked in a serious tone.

“Yao Momo, do you think there’s something I can do to help? Even though it wasn’t exactly a pleasure for Saito to help me, the truth is he still did, and I feel I should thank him somehow.”

“I feel the same way. His advice and especially the training routine he recommended have given me great results. Of course, I’m also grateful to you for all the help you gave me. Before, I didn’t even know how to throw a punch correctly, nor was I even aware of it.” Tsuyu said seriously while looking directly at Momo. That’s when Uraraka commented in a somewhat uncomfortable tone.

“The same goes for me. Although I really think Saito-kun should treat Deku-kun better, he’s not a bad person and Saito-kun treats him very poorly. I don’t think he deserves it.”

“Of course I’m in too! Just tell me what I have to do and I’ll do it!!” Mina added in a determined tone, clenching her hand confidently. At that moment, Hagakure added in a somewhat timid tone.

“Eh, although I wasn’t in the ‘class representative’s training group’, I’d also like to help in some way!”

“Thank you, girls, I really appreciate that you want to help, but you don’t need to do anything special. Kai is a very proud person, so anything you do would only backfire. Instead, be a little patient with him. The whole hero thing is complicated for Kai.

“Although I’m aware that I haven’t handled this in the best way either, I’ve been talking to Mom and several therapists to help me improve, so don’t worry. I’m sure that little by little, I’ll be able to help him leave this behind.”

Momo commented with a beautiful smile on her face as she looked at her friends—the only ones she’d had in her entire life apart from Nejire and Kai. But she quickly focused on Uraraka and spoke with some doubt in her voice.

“As for the way Kai treats Midoriya-san, honestly, I don’t know the reason behind it very well, and it’s really strange. Under normal circumstances, Kai wouldn’t bother with someone like Midoriya-san. Though now that I think about it, Midoriya-san somehow reminds me a bit of Uncle Jiro…”