Chapter 91 No More Lies

Now that Rinji was in the shower, Dante and Kendo were alone to have their talk.

Dante sat on her bedroom floor, arms resting on his knees, head low. He looked like someone being forced to confess something he hadn't planned to confess.

Kendo stood on the opposite side of the room, arms crossed, watching him carefully.

"Come on then, tell me."

Dante didn't look up.

"Talk, Dante."

A beat passed. Then another.

Finally, he inhaled.

"First, before I say anything else… Aoyama from my class is a spy working with the League of Villains."

Kendo's eyebrows twitched upward. "What?"

"I'm not sure about the specifics nor about how deep it goes. Neither do I know for how long he's been working for. But I overheard him talking to someone on a communication device, he was talking about me and the gym I assume."

"You sure about this?"

"What happened next confirmed it."

She stared at him, stunned for a second. "And you didn't tell anyone?"

"I... didn't." He looked at her. "I'm stupid for that, I'll admit. I thought I could just take it into my own hands and solve it without getting anyone else involved. And I also thought if I saw everyone's face again, then I wouldn't be able to do what needs to be done."

Kendo opened her mouth, then she closed it. He didn't sound like he was lying.

"So what happened next?"

He finally looked up at her.

"Kazuya. Kaijin. My trainers and dearest friends."

His jaw clenched. His hands, resting on his knees, curled into fists.

"Aoyama had been stalking me, tracking my movements. He told the League of Villains where I train."

Kendo's eyes widened.

He exhaled slowly, the memory visibly weighing down on him.

"They got to the gym before I could even turn around. Kaijin managed to hold them off for as long as he could before he was mortally wounded. Kazuya arrived at the last moment to stop Kaijin from being killed, but he died in the process. I know it was the league of villains because I recognised one of them, he created a warp gate. I saw it."

Kendo covered her mouth, stunned.

"Huh? I saw that Kazuya is alive. I saw it on the news, from what they said, he is just in a coma."

A heavy silence filled the room.

Dante's eyes shot open wide.

"What?" He muttered, sitting there in shock.

Tears started to well up in his eyes, he thought he had lost everyone.

*sniff… sniff…*

Choking back the tears, Dante started to tremble.

Kendo immediately went over to him and gave him a hug.

"It's okay, don't worry." She said, holding him close.

Dante didn't know what to do other than to just sob into Kendo's shoulder. "He's alive? I thought I had lost everyone… thank goodness…"

After about a minute of trying to calm down, he eventually did.

"After that," Dante continued, his voice a little slurred, lower now. "I knew the rules were off. I wasn't going to be a hero since hero's don't kill. This was something that I could do if I was a hero, I needed to play by my own rules."

"So you became that vigilante from the news? I thought it was you." She muttered.

He nodded.

"Kaijin gave me the location and the key to an underground hero base that belonged to his deceased son loaded with gear, weapons and records. I took it over. Started working alone. Tracking, listening. I've been trying to find the league ever since."

Kendo slowly backed up, her arms now hanging loosely at her sides.

"And you're 100% serious about this?"

"I've never been more serious in my life."

She stared at him, searching for any cracks in the story, any hesitation in his voice.

Then she asked, softer this time. "Have you found them?"

Dante shook his head.

"No. But like I said, I think I know when they'll strike next."

He leaned forward, so close they could feel each others breaths on their faces.

"They've gone quiet. Way too quiet. And I think… they're planning something big."

"Like attacking U.A. Again?"

He looked her dead in the eye.

"U.A.'s training camp."

Kendo stiffened.

"They're absolutely going to attack. That's my guess, anyways. The students will be out in the woods, away from security. Easier targets. I don't have concrete proof, but the patterns fit. The league's always opportunistic."

She paced around the room, then stopped. "And? What will you do?"

"Well, there's something I need to give you. I don't have it on me, but I've been developing a device that lets me track its movements and also works as a distress signal. I'll give it to you and follow you and U.A. To the training camp. Once it starts, I'll swoop in and help."

"I'm in," Kendo said flatly. "I'm not letting you fight these psychos alone."

He opened his mouth, but she raised a hand.

"No arguments. If I'm going to act as a distress signal, I'm going to help you fight."

He stayed silent, shoulders slightly hunched.

"Besides," she added, glancing toward the bathroom door. "You've got that kid now. You don't get to die stupidly."

"…I don't think I'll die."

The water shut off and Rinji's footsteps padded softly through the hallway.

Kendo smirked faintly.

"Get some sleep. You both look like hell, I'm sure you'd be better off sleeping here."

Dante didn't answer. He just sat on the floor for an even longer moment.

Finally, he simply whispered. "Thank you, Itsuka… for not giving up on me."

Kendo's back was already turned, but she stopped at the hallway.

"…Just keep in contact with me. You two can sleep in here, I'll sleep in my parents room."

But Dante didn't miss the slight redness in her ears.