"He seemed… Nice," coughed Yawara, also known as Tiger, the only male member of the 'Wild Wild Pussycats' once they finally arrived at their headquarters.

"If you call 'ordering heroes around like we owe him money' nice? Then yeah, I agree, he's really nice," Ryuko, also known as Pixie-Bob, said with a groan as she massaged her back with both of her hands. "... He was pretty cute though."

"Ryuko for the love of god," replied Shino, also known as Madalay and leader of the group, as she covered her face in shame. Once she recovered her eyes strayed towards the last member, who was looking at them with her arms behind her back and a smile plastered across her face. "Well, Tomoko?"

"Hm?" Tomoko, also known as Ragdoll, perked up when her name was called. "Well what?"

Madalay sighed at her comrade's response.

Even though they were teammates for years now, it was quite hard to figure out how Ragdoll's mind worked at times. Shino knew that 'Search', Tomoko's quirk, somewhat warped the way she viewed the world and her personality reflected that.

So it was quite a surprise that once they ended their call with Eraserhead the green haired woman of the group suggested they visit Smiley themselves.

"We saw him. We know where he works. What are we going to do with this information?" Madalay asked. She noticed how the other members of the group kept their mouths shut. "You told us you wanted to see him. Clearly you didn't want to see him just to satiate your curiosity, did you?"

Ragdoll brought one of her paws to her chin and looked pensive for a few seconds before answering.

"I was hoping for you to see Smiley, the real one, the same way I've seen him," she said with a content smile. "He runs a homeless shelter and feeds people on the streets. He can't be THAT bad, despite what the police say, right?"

"An illegal shelter, actually," corrected Yawara while crossing his arms over his chest.

"And he's still a killer," added Shino, frowning "It doesn't matter if he runs a homeless shelter or feeds the homeless or if is a hero on top of that. Smiley killed someone, in a really gruesome way, and by the looks of it he shows no remorse for his actions."

Tomoko looked to the side while holding a pained expression.

"What are we gonna do then? Capture him?" Pixie-Bob nervously asked as her eyes met Shino's. "You saw the report, he's faster than most speedsters. We can't face him."

All of them stood in silence, pondering what their blonde teammate had said.

She was right.

Smiley was incredibly strong and they knew it. They were a rescue team, that was why they decided to stay away from the capture plan made by the police.

But at the same time…

They now knew his civilian identity. Where he was most of the time and with whom. The fact that Ingenium visited his stand and amicably interacted with Smiley meant he didn't know his true identity.

Which brought forth a silent thought the leader of the 'Wild Wild Pussycats' had been having ever since she had learned of Smiley identity in the first place.

"We need to inform the police."

The moment she brought her phone from her pocket was the moment in which the green haired woman's pawed hands landed on Shino's arm and held it against her chest.

"Tomoko. Release me," Madalay said as she frowned and looked at her friend who had a conflicted expression across her face.

"He's 16," her friend and teammate said. "He has friends. A family."

"What about the person he killed? Did he not have a family as well?"

Silence.

"Are we really going to do this?" Ryuko asked Yawara as they saw them from a distance. "He's just a boy"

"If that's what our leader wants" was Tiger's response as he moved his head to the side.

"What about the shelter?"

"What about it?" Madalay asked as she tried to move her arm but her friend only tightened her grip.

"Are you really going to leave those people to fend for themselves again?"

"It's an illegal shelter anyway," she said, not only to her teammate, but to herself. "It's bound to be closed down."

"Shino… Please…" Ragdoll pleaded while looking at her right into her eyes.

The brown haired woman growled, before she sighed, closed her eyes and slowly relaxed her features.

"Very well," was Madalay's response once her friend let her arm go and she pocketed her phone. "I really hope you know what you're doing Tomoko."

The green haired woman only smiled.

"Hahaha, I don't!"

---

"Rgh. Iron bo-! Ghk!" I grunted, shielding my face with my forearms while tensing my entire body as it was met by multiple punches coming from every direction.

I snarled.

"Raahh!!" My hands flew at high speed in a vain attempt to parry and counter the blows - without the use of 'Water Flow'- from the multiple clones I requested from Jin. It was a sobering feeling to learn how much I tended to rely on that martial art in every fight I put myself into.

I was thrown several yards away and as I flew in the air I repositioned myself and used the ground to springboard myself away from my clones only to notice two who were approaching me from behind.

My breathing stabilized in the small window I created. I turned around as my hand began to mov-

"DON'T FUCKING USE IT!!" One of my clones screamed, making me lose focus and receiving multiple hits in the face and my torso as punishment.

I saw droplets of blood flying from my mouth and nose in slow motion as I was sent back to the clones that were in hot pursuit behind me.

How much time has it been since the last time I was in a fight that I felt I couldn't win?

Of course, I could destroy every single clone with ease. They were way weaker than me in their overall strength and durability. A proper blow that goes beyond their limits would immediately end their existence.

But that wasn't the point of this fight.

The point was…

I needed improvement.

I needed technique.

I needed… Something that could be used in the future against the monster that was able to take away quirks.

My feet blurred, propelling me upwards into the sky.

My clones followed me, fists raised.

"Paper Art," I muttered, relaxing my entire body and evading as many blows as I could but as I kept evading just like before when I used 'Iron Body', I was starting to get overwhelmed by the amount of clones hitting me at the same time, landing blow after blow on my body until it became unbearable. "Kgh!"

My hand flew forward and-

"DO NOT USE IT!" Was the swift reply from above, only to receive a haymaker that sent me to the ground.

I kicked the air as many times as I could before I could hit the ground and changed my direction towards a tree, then I used it to change my course towards another, then another and another. The world became a blur as I escaped my clones while trying and failing to come up with a new technique to develop.

I breathed in.

My vision sharpened and everything began to slow down, even my clones, who seemed to adapt and were already in the air or in the trees as they followed me.

My feet touched the sturdy surface of the tree and jumped towards a window between my clones who were slowly moving towards me.

As I was passing between two clones one of them raised his fist to meet my face but I simply moved my head out of the way and kept going, moving between copies of myself and their vain attempts of capture or retaliation.

"Kgh…" I grunted in pain as I felt as if I was being drowned as I pushed my lungs to their limits.

The moment I passed the last clone was the moment I let out a long breath that sounded like the whistle of a kettle.

As the world around me returned to its original speed I tried to recall the memories of my past for ideas. All those years of brutal training I put myself through. All those nights of introspection… Only to be replaced by all the times I spent with Manami in her apartment. Or the events of Kazuho as PopStep. Studying japanese with them.

Even Himiko and her smile with fangs occupied my head.

I growled as I turned back and tensed my entire body before jumping into the air and facing my copies who were coming at me at high speeds.

Fine.

If I couldn't find a new style, I might as well train my body until I couldn't go on.

With a roar of defiance my fists flew to meet the ones of my clones

Only to be met by pain.

---

"Ahh… Ahh…"

"Woah, boss. Are you doing ok?" "He doesn't look so good…" "Maybe we went too far?" "He told us to go all out without using 'Whirlwind Storm'. This is what he asked for." "But he's shaking." "So?"

I tried to regain my breath while my clones looked at me and commented on my state from the side. The training session began in the morning and it was close to sunset going by the color of the sky.

"Ahh… Ahh…"

My entire body was covered in bruises and small gashes that stained my limbs and face with blood. My gaze went from the floor towards my hands just to confirm what my clone stated.

And they were right.

I was shaking.

"Ahh… Ahh… Ahh…" I panted before grinding my teeth against each other in anger.

Why was I so tired?

I fought against inferior versions of myself. The fact that they could harm me pissed me off.

"Ahh… Ahh…"

I couldn't even retain my breathing. My lungs were burning by how much I pushed them.

I tried to take a big gulp of air, only to violently cough the next second.

"Cough! Cough! Cough!"

"He's not coughing blood, is he?" "I hope not." "See? I told you we went too far."

Once the coughing was over I tried to retain my breathing, ending in failure once more.

"Ahh… Ahh… F-Fuck! Ahh… Ahh…" I said between pants as I closed my eyes.

I knew I shouldn't feel anger, this was what I asked for. I should be happy for the opportunity, but after an entire day from sunrise to sunset against multiple clones I could barely defend myself and to end in this state was demoralising.

It proved that should I find myself against that monster I would be another stain in the floor.

And that pissed me off.

"Ahh… Ahh…"

I opened my eyes.

No matter.

'It's just one day. Once I regain my breathing I'll keep going and going, even if it takes me the entire week,' I thought before spitting towards the floor. It was saliva mixed with blood. 'I need to adapt and keep going.'

With a look of determination I took one step but I faltered and began to fall.

"Woah there!" "Boss!" "Hey are yo-"

My hand found its way towards a tree and put my weight into it just as the hand of one of my clones tried to support me from the other side.

Only for my clone and the tree to explode.

I blinked as I saw the remains of my copy fly in the air followed by splinters and sawdust of the tree I put my hand on.

Then my face met the dirt once I had nothing to put my weight on.

As darkness began to consume my vision I only managed to have one thought;

What… What just happened?

---

I groaned in discomfort as Manami fretted over my wounds. Salt had patched me up once I got back to the shelter. He did an amazing job, the only problem was that I looked like someone who came out from an intensive care unit.

Manami shrieked the moment she saw me.

It was… Saturday. I was sitting on my friend's apartment floor while she looked all over my body while moving her hands erratically with the intention of touching me but finding herself unable to.

"Gurē," I heard her whine as she finally stopped treating me as if I was made of glass and gently put her right hand on my chest. "Oh, how I wish you wouldn't have to punish your body like this…"

I closed my left eye and slightly dipped my head.

"I wish I could say: 'Me too', but I can't. Not after learning what…who I'm up against," I told her, my hand landed on hers and in a slow motion I began to remove her hand from where my bandaged wound was located. Instead I held her hand and gave her a small grin. "I didn't become this strong by sitting around."

"R-Right," she shyly nodded before surprising me by opening her tiny arms and hugging my neck.

"Oof!" I exclaimed more in surprise than pain.

The beating I had been receiving the entire week has left me with tons of injuries, but once I started to eat great amounts of food and relaxed my body I was able to lessen the pain. In fact I was planning on going back to the gauntlet once I was feeling better.

Which reminded me…

The new development I discovered after suffering great amounts of punishment from copies of myself all day.

Shaking.

It was weird.

My body went through so much strain that it began to violently shake but in a way that I couldn't quite replicate on my own. The power of shaking my body was incredible to see, even if briefly. Just a touch was enough to explode a tree and the poor clone who tried to help me.

But shaking my limbs on my own only puts a strain in my body. It didn't give me any kind of advantage or power up as I hoped it would, in fact, it was detrimental in a fight considering the attention I had to put in shaking my fists or legs while evading multiple versions of myself.

In the end. It was a technique I wanted to explore.

The ability to destroy something with just a touch…

How terrifying.

I breathed in as the smell of strawberries assaulted my nostrils at full force and I let my arms slowly close around Manami's tiny frame and held her against my chest.

As I closed my eyes I thought how much I wished to stay like this fore… for a while.

---

They hugged in silence. She closed her eyes, trying to ignore her heart beating so fast that she thought it would burst out of her chest.

It took such a long time to get to where they were. Ever since that fateful day when he saved her life and saw him change into the hero she was obsessed with. She fell for him and wanted nothing more than to be with him. She did a lot of questionable things that she should regret but she didn't.

She stalked him. She unmasked him. She inserted herself into his life without his consent.

But the moment he told her how much he appreciated her, how much she had done for him and how his life would be more bothersome without her… Any sort of regret she had disappeared completely.

He came to her apartment whenever he was tired.

He came to her apartment when he was hurt.

He came to her apartment when he wanted to talk.

His first thought when he needed help was coming to see her.

And even though he saw her as a friend, she couldn't be more happy.

That's why… She wanted to take another step forward.

With PopStep butting heads with her over her jealousy of their relationship, she grew tired of being 'just a friend' with Gurē. She wanted to be more.

And leave that pink haired girl in the dust.

As time passed, instead of sitting in front of each other while eating on a small table she had in her apartment, they slowly began to grow closer. At first it was just changing her seat with each visit until she was sitting next to him.

Then she began to hug him, being on his leg, his torso or arm. Of course it was situational. Sometimes it was for emotional support. Other times it was due to worry.

At first he didn't know how to respond to their closeness, but as time went on he began to reciprocate her actions. He began to share more with her, he began to sit next to her on his own, and finally he began to show affection by hugging her.

It was no surprise that one day she sat on the floor, between his legs, facing away from him. And she was delighted when his arms snaked across her body and held her close to his chest.

Now she was hugging Gurē… Her Gurē. Her head was buried in his neck as he rubbed her back. She slowly breathed in and out, the smell of sweat of her beloved reached her nostrils and she sighed in delight. Nothing could sour her mood…

Except for-

The state he was in.

Oh, how she wished he didn't have to punish his body every single day so he could become a better hero. It didn't take a genius to know that the bandages he was wearing hid scars that probably will follow him for the rest of his life.

Her fingers traced one of his scars made by encounters with wild animals.

She closed her eyes.

And without even thinking, her lips touched his neck in one chaste kiss.

The rubbing on her back stopped as both of them froze. Her eyes flew wide open as she realized what she just did.

"Manami?" He muttered in confusion.

She stood there, like a deer in headlights, completely frozen. Unable to articulate a response or any action of the sort.

She…

She did it.

She finally did it.

It only took her an action made by impulse, but she did it.

She kissed her beloved.

…

And she wasn't satisfied with just that.

"Mana-" he began, but she interrupted him by kissing his neck again, then again and again and again, going upwards towards his jawline.

He didn't stop her.

In fact, he stood completely still for a moment, before tightening the hug.

Which was all what she needed as her lips kept meeting his non bandaged skin and until she finally arrived at his jaw.

He moved slightly out of the way and she immediately stopped.

As her face moved away from his they both looked at each other for what felt like centuries.

She could barely breathe.

"G-Gurē, I-" that was as far as she went before he gently interrupted her by placing his lips on hers in one chaste kiss filled with so much raw emotion that set alight fireworks in her head. "Mnn!"

Tears of happiness ran freely across her face as her beloved kissed her with fervor.

She moaned as she opened her mouth and he took the opportunity to deepen the kiss. Their tongues awkwardly interlocked as they slowly exchanged saliva.

Gurē's hand landed on her head and gently began to rub it, making the hairs of her neck stand up.

Manami moaned once more as her beloved held her close by the waist and head, making her core burn with passion. Never in her life she felt this much joy.

"Mm," was her lover's grunt/moan while the kiss went for seconds, then what seemed like minutes.

Until finally she had to separate herself from him so she could get access to air. As she panted she realized she could've breathed from her nose while they were kissing, but her brain was barely functioning as it was.

"Ahh… Ahh… Ahh… G-Gur-" she managed to say before she was interrupted again by another kiss, then another and another and another.

Her eyes slowly traveled to the back of her skull as her beloved took charge and used her as if she was his property. The thought of being manhandled by the person she loved… she could feel herself starting to get wet and her head starting to feel fuzzy.

His beloved hand traveled south.

And she let him, eager for him to fall to his animalistic impulses and claim her.

But before his hand could land on her backside her cellphone began to ring with a very specific annoying ringtone and nametag.

That pink haired hussy was calling her.

Why?

Why now?

"Uh?" Gurē managed to say once he stopped kissing her and directed his attention towards her phone. "Who is it?"

"No one important," she immediately replied as she brought her hands towards his face so he could see her and only her. "P-Please… K-Kiss me."

He gave her a caste kiss and smiled, warming her heart.

"I'll just hang up then," he said before quickly snatching the phone from the table and pressing the button to answer instead of the cancel button. "This is how you do it, right?"

"N-No!"

Manami?

"Oh, sorry, wrong button… Wait, is that Kazuho?" the whitish haired boy in her arms asked as he paid attention back to her phone.

Gurē? W-Why are you- Uh Whe… Where's Manami?

Her love gave her a look of confusion before he directed his attention back to the phone.

"She's right here. We were… Having dinner," he lied as he made a pained face, making Manami's heart drop. "She wanted to see if my injuries were properly disinfected or something."

Oh… I thought… Mm nevermind. How are you? Are you feeling ok? Himiko told me you got hurt when I visited and she was acting all weird so I got worried. Are you ok?

Her gaze went to the side before she untangled herself from the boy of her dreams and made an attempt at taking the cellphone from his hands.

"Oh, I'm much better now. In fact Himi-" "Stop bothering us. We're busy."

*click*

Her face twisted into a frown as she opened the scroll bar and pressed the button for flight mode, stopping any sort of interruption that would ruin what she was going to do right now.

"Manam-?"

The moment her beloved began to talk she closed the distance and embraced him once more and closed her eyes.

"I love you," she finally told him, not wanting to see his face after what she had done.

Silence.

As the silence extended, tears began to well in her eyes.

'That… That hussy of pink hair,' she thought with bitterness. 'I should've kept-'

"Manami…" the whitish haired boy she loved began, halting her thoughts. "Why did you do that to Kazuho?"

She opened her mouth, but closed it as no words came out from it.

Tears fell freely from the corners of her eyes as the knot in her stomach grew and grew.

Gurē sighed and then put both of his hands on her shoulders and gently pushed her away from him so they could both look at each other.

She resisted… but even as gentle as Gurē could be, his strength was too much for her to fight it.

She tried to look her beloved in the eyes, but she couldn't. Her eyes strayed until they fell to the floor. But the boy she loved didn't allow her, as he gently held her chin and raised it.

"Manami? What happened?" At her lack of response, he frowned. "You and Kazuho seem to always be fighting about something and even though she interrupted us I don't think she deserves that kind of treatment. Is that the way you always act to her when I'm not around?"

She sniffed.

"N-No… I…" She managed to stutter as her heart tightened. "I… I don't w-want to lo… Lose you… So please. P-Please… L-Lo-Love me back!"

"Lose me…? What does that have anything to do with…?" He began before growing quiet for a long moment, She saw him in real time as he slowly connected the dots. Until finally; "Oh… She feels the same way, huh?"

She nodded, sporting a saddened expression.

"So that's why both of you stuck with me all these years, huh?"

She nodded again.

"Is that why both of you fight? Is that why you always try to one up one another?" He asked her, staring at her with the same lovely eyes she fell in love with. "Manami… Did you just tell me you love me because you want to get ahead of Kazuho and hurt her?"

Manami opened her mouth to refute, to say no to that statement.

But she couldn't.

Instead she stood quiet as her eyes went to the side

"If you love me and want to have a relationship with me, I'll do everything in my power to love you back," he said, making her eyes open wide in shock. "But if you're only telling me now because you want to 'get ahead' of Kazuho and hurt her because she also loves me… Then I can't accept that."

His thumb landed on the end of her edge of her eyes and began to clean some of her tears-

"I know you're better than this Manami," He said before his lips met her forehead and held her close.

"I… I just w-want you t-to…" she stuttered, snot began to fall from her nose as she closed her eyes and bit her lower lip. "I-I want you to… to l-love me… I-I'm s-s…sorry."

"And I will try to love you… But not like this," he told her, she felt his hand slowly caressing her head.

They stood like that in silence, the only sounds that broke it was her sobs that started to go down as time went on.

Until…

"Kazuho feels the same way as you do, huh…" Gurē quietly mused, making her blood run cold. "To think both of you feel this way about me… To tell you the truth, I never thought that would ever be possible."

His beloved words shocked her to her core.

"W-What do you mean b-by that?" She silently stuttered, trying to comprehend what Gurē just said. "Y-You're s-so lovely and, and c-cute. You… You're so reliable. Eve-Everyone depends on you. You're a hero… M-My hero. Why would you… think that?"

He stood in silence for a while, she could only hear his breathing on her neck.

"I can recall most of my life, but I can't remember who my parents were. Their faces. Their personalities. Why did they decide to abandon me. Nothing," He said, holding her slightly tighter. "I only remember my life fading away while looking at the stars from the comfort of an alley, only to wake the next day wondering why my life was the way it is."

The grey haired hero let out a hollow chuckle.

"Nobody saved me. So I decided to save myself and anyone who were in the same situation as I was." She buried her head on his neck and began to rub the back of his head. "I put everything I had into becoming a hero. I would wake up and work out, hunt my food and go to sleep. There was no time for socialization. No time for making friends. No time… for love."

Her eyes widened.

Gurē untangled his arms from her back and pushed her away so both of them could look into each other's eyes once more. His thumb brushed the corner of her left eye with tenderness and smiled.

"Once I met every single one of you, I felt something I never felt before. Love." He closed his eyes while holding his lovable smile. "The only thing I wanted was to protect you. Every single one of you… But I thought romantic love was beyond me. I'm a hero. The path of a hero is a lonely one. You need to put your all into it or you won't be able to protect the people you love. So…"

His smile faltered.

"That's why I never thought someone would ever love me," his saddened expression broke her heart. "Thank you for loving me."

They stood in silence for a while, the only sound that could be heard was the faint sound of their breathing. She hugged him once more.

"I-I'm sorry!" She told him, her voice muffed by his shoulder while she held onto his neck for dear life.

"Hey… It's ok… " Gurē patted her back as she began to cry once again. "It's going to be ok… I'm here for you Manami…"

How foolish of her.

Of course he couldn't reciprocate her feelings.

She already knew, but she was blind due to jealousy.

How could Gurē love her back if he never felt that sensation before?

The only reason he kissed her back was because he was following his instincts.

As she bawled her eyes out, she swore to never fall to jealousy ever again. She no longer cared to be the only one in his heart.

The only thing she cared for right now was for his happiness.

---

I breathed in.

My feet blurred in the dark sky, impulsing me towards my next destination.

A growl escaped my throat as I breathed out.

It all started with the reports of a hero killed in action, Bounce-Man, his corpse was left to be found by a bunch of kids the next day. Then there were minor reports of villains, yakuza, ex-yakuza members and petty robbers all dead with the same type of wounds.

It was infuriating that nobody took notice of the similarities and connected the dots.

Not even me.

Manami had to correlate every report she could find when she saw the report of the hero's death until she was able to come across a serial killer that would target not only heroes but anyone he would consider a criminal as well.

And one day as Manami was checking the feedback of cameras where the concentration of the reports were coming from… We got our lead.

Instead of sending a clone like I usually do, I decided to go towards the location myself.

My frown deepened as I saw the sun slowly set in the horizon.

The killer operated at night, which gave me enough time to arrive at the city in which he began his assault and search for him.

As I put more strength into my kicks to propel me further I closed my left eye in discomfort.

I really hoped I wasn't late.

---

"Get away from him!" I shouted as my fist connected with his face and sent the killer rolling in the air towards the street. My gaze turned and then I cursed as I saw the bloodied body of a slightly overweight hero who had an arrow motif.

The hero was no longer alive.

My eyes traveled back towards the hero killer who landed on a lamp post that was slightly bent, and now was slowly getting up, our gazes met.

He was dressed in black, he had a red bandana and scarf. And finally his face and forearms were covered in bandages. I took notice of the katana, short sword and pocket sized knives strapped to his body.

I began to walk forward. The lights of the lamp posts, stands and people's flash cameras illuminated my body.

Somehow, I was glad that my mask hid my face.

Because I didn't want to know the type of face I was doing right now…

"Ahh… Smiley. I'm so glad you took notice of my work," said the killer, making my blood boil. He moved one hand to the side and gave me a nod. "Truly, for a hero of your caliber to find me so soon… I'm so happy…"

He then pointed at me.

"But I need you to step aside. You're interfering with my mission. My mission of a just world."

I let his words hang in the air as I stood there, trying to process how a serial killer was even happy to see me.

After all, we've never interacted before.

"Just… World?"

The killer's face contorted into a snarl but not at me.

"Exactly! Because for a world to be just, it needs to get rid of the virus that contaminates society… The phonies. Fake heroes and criminals who brandish their power as they see fit!" The more I heard, the more my anger began to rise. "And while I'm glad that my mission finally reached your ears, I ask you. No. I plead that you step aside. My mission just started and I'm not quite ready for you or All Might just yet-"

Before the lunatic could keep going, my fist found its way towards his torso. I heard a bone crack the moment of impact before sending him airborne.

"Just world? You call a world in which you kill heroes and petty criminals just? Are you insane?" I asked, letting the personality of Smiley melt away by my anger.

*Wiiiiishhh*

"Water Flow," my hand flew forward and parried the three knives the killer expertly threw towards me and I buried them in the concrete with enough force that they wouldn't become hazards in the upcoming fight.

"Ahh… Ahhh… Smiley. You were always my favorite," the killer grunted once he landed in the street and began to circle me, his hand finally resting on his katana. "But you're not seeing the bigger picture. The fakes are parasites. They only care for fame and materialism, they're the cancer-"

"So what?" I spoke as I calmly began to walk towards him while making sure he didn't position himself close to civilians, who were still in the street recording our every move. "If they seek fame and money, that's their own business… What matters is that they save lives in the process. That's what matters."

I took another step.

"What's more… Parasites? That's what you call them?" I saw his hand move and with one swift motion he unsheathed his katana and held one small knife in the other, his expression darkened. "You see them as inferior, as something to be exterminated, but they're just people. People who struggled to get to where they were… People with families…"

The killer ran towards me and I did the same.

"Water Flow, Swimming Petal," I muttered as I guided the knife the killer tried to stab me with, towards his other arm that was holding onto his katana. I then tensed my entire body and threw my knee into his stomach. "Iron Body, Rhino"

*Clank*

Even with his arm injured, the lunatic tried to cut me with his katana but it only ended up bouncing against my tough skin.

"Guh!" The killer managed to gasp as he was sent backwards for half a street but I was there before he could regain his balance.

"What about landlords who put people on the street?!" My hand flew and began to strike the killer extremities, face, torso and legs. "What about the government who doesn't lift a finger for people in need?!"

Two strikes.

"What about corrupt politicians?!"

Four strikes.

"What about rapists?!"

Seven strikes.

"What about murderers?!"

Once I gave him the tenth strike, I sent him backwards with a roundhouse kick. His back met the cold asphalt and stood there, coughing.

"ARE YOU SAYING THEY'RE BETTER THAN HEROES THAT ONLY CARE ABOUT FAME?!" I said as I readied myself. Unconsciously my left hand formed into a claw. "If fake heroes are parasites… Then you're worse than a parasite!! You're a maggot crawling in their excrement!!"

"Cough! Cough!… So that's how it's going to be huh?" The killer rasped as he stood up and took his short sword from his sheat and shakily pointed it at me. "You have your conviction… And I have mine… What are you going to do now I wonder, Smiley?"

Without saying another word I jumped in his direction, my hand blurred.

As I was doing the motion of "Whirlwind Storm" with my left hand I closed it at the last second before connecting with the madman's chest.

I blinked in surprise as the man was sent screaming while rotating away at high speeds.

I looked at my hand in confusion.

---

A/N: After finishing the last chapter I was supposed to go back to drawing and/or go to my other fics, but the comments about my infrequent posting rubbed me the wrong way. Please don't take this as a signal to insult me so I can work faster.

Looking back at the scene with Manami. I had a few encounters with girls who I was quite oblivious to their feelings and the only way I learned they liked me is because they kissed me first lmao

Stain and Smiley's encounter was planned for a while. But the dialogue was extremely hard for me. Sometimes I don't even know if both characters are acting as they should. I mean I know Gurē would act furious at someone who kills to get rid of 'the cancer of society'. But when it comes to Stain, who is a Smiley fanboy in this timeline, I don't quite know. 

Also yeah, for those wondering, Stain killed Compass Kid. He's an original side character from Vigilantes.

Anyway, here's my plug:

: https://www..com/c/QtaroCujoh

Discord: https://discord.gg/6bE7gbKFbc