Chapter 22: Hesitation

ps:- Just a small mention before I start the chaoters. Ik that the ff may seem a little chaotic rn, but I need you to know that Kirishima is a high school student, and regardless of how mature a hero student is, there is no way he wouldn't sit and think about whether he is on the right path or not. and for good news, I'll be getting into the violence soon, so keep looking out for it, and don't forget to support the novels mates. Aight, enjoy.

The night air was thick with tension.

Kirishima had been on missions with The Hollow before, but this time, it felt different.

Because this time, they weren't hunting villains.

They were hunting a hero.

Stray had called it "a warning." A message. But Kirishima wasn't stupid—a warning from The Hollow wasn't just words.

Naomasa Tsukauchi had been getting too close.

Digging into the operations they had torn apart, questioning the names that had suddenly vanished from underground networks. He wasn't like the others. He wasn't corrupt, wasn't a coward.

That made him dangerous.

And Stray wanted him scared.

The plan was simple.

Intercept Tsukauchi on his way home. Corner him. Make him understand that there were places he shouldn't be looking.

But things never went as planned.

Not in this city.

They caught up to him outside an old train depot, a forgotten part of town where the streetlights barely worked.

Stray stepped forward first, hands in his pockets, casual. He always made things look easy.

"You've been asking the wrong questions, detective," Stray said, his usual grin in place. "That's a dangerous habit."

Tsukauchi didn't even flinch.

He was calm. Too calm.

"I don't scare easy," he said, eyes sharp.

Kirishima watched him carefully. He had always respected Tsukauchi. The man had worked alongside All Might for years. If anyone still believed in real justice, it was him.

So why did he suddenly feel like he was on the wrong side?

"You should," Kase said, voice edged with warning.

She stood beside Stray, relaxed but ready. Kirishima had seen her take down men twice her size without breaking a sweat.

Tsukauchi's eyes flickered to him. "And you?"

Kirishima hesitated.

Stray noticed. His grin didn't falter, but there was a weight behind his words. "Kirishima gets it. Sometimes, the law isn't enough."

The detective nodded slightly. "That's what they all say. Right before they become the thing they swore to fight."

The words hit harder than Kirishima wanted to admit.

Because somewhere, deep down, he wondered if Tsukauchi was right.

Stray sighed. "Shame. I was hoping you'd be reasonable."

Kirishima saw the shift happen in an instant—Stray's footwork changing, his weight settling into an attack stance.

He was going to strike.

And Kirishima moved before he could think.

His arm shot out, blocking Stray's path. "No."

Silence.

Kase's head snapped toward him, her expression unreadable. Stray didn't move.

Tsukauchi's gaze didn't waver. "You've got a choice to make, kid."

Kirishima's fingers curled into a fist.

He had already made it.

"We're done here." His voice was steady, firm. He turned to Stray. "We're not attacking him."

Stray's grin didn't fade, but something in his eyes darkened.

"You sure about that?"

Kirishima didn't back down.

He wasn't sure when it had happened, but somewhere in the past two months, he had stopped feeling like himself.

Stopped feeling like Red Riot.

Maybe he hadn't noticed because fighting had felt right. Because the people they stopped had deserved it.

But this?

This was different.

This was a line.

And he wasn't going to cross it.

For a long moment, Stray just looked at him. Then, with a slow shrug, he stepped back.

"Suit yourself."

Kase hesitated for a fraction of a second before following his lead.

Kirishima turned back to Tsukauchi. The detective studied him, as if trying to understand who he was now.

Then he spoke.

"It's not too late."

Kirishima swallowed.

He wasn't sure if that was true.

But maybe… maybe he wanted it to be.

Kirishima didn't go back to The Hollow that night.

He just walked.

The city was alive around him, neon lights flickering in the rain, sirens wailing in the distance. A month ago, he had thought this was where he belonged—in the shadows, fighting where heroes wouldn't.

But now?

Now he wasn't so sure.

Tsukauchi's words echoed in his head.

"It's not too late."

Too late for what? To go back? To fix things? To be Red Riot again?

He wasn't sure that version of him still existed.

But he knew one thing for sure.

Stray had seen the hesitation.

And hesitation meant weakness.

By the time he made it back to The Hollow, the atmosphere had shifted.

Conversations hushed as he walked through the underground hideout. They knew.

Kase was waiting for him near the back room, arms crossed. Her expression was unreadable, but her voice was low, controlled.

"You should've let him do it."

Kirishima exhaled sharply. "You really think attacking a detective was the right move?"

She tilted her head, watching him. "I think stopping him was the wrong one."

Kirishima's hands clenched at his sides. "He's not the enemy."

Kase's lips pressed into a thin line. "Neither are we."

A voice interrupted them.

"Then prove it."

Kirishima turned to see Stray leaning against the doorway, the usual easy grin on his face. But there was something off in his eyes.

"Because right now?" Stray pushed off the wall, stepping closer. "It's starting to look like you don't know which side you're on."

Kirishima met his gaze, his heart hammering in his chest.

"I know exactly where I stand."

Stray's smirk widened. "Good."

Then he threw the first punch.

It was fast.

Stray moved like a ghost, slipping into Kirishima's space before he could fully react. Kirishima barely had time to harden before a fist slammed into his ribs, sending him stumbling back.

The room had gone silent.

This wasn't a test.

This was a message.

Kirishima wiped blood from his lip and set his stance. "You wanna do this?"

Stray rolled his shoulders, casual. "I wanna know if you're really with us."

Kirishima exhaled. Then he charged.

Their fists met in a violent clash, the impact shaking the floor. Stray was fast, but Kirishima was stronger. His newly awakened quirk simmered under his skin, the edges of his hardening glowing faintly.

But Stray knew how to fight people stronger than him.

He redirected.

Slipping past Kirishima's brute force, he twisted, driving an elbow into his back, sending him crashing into a crate.

Kirishima coughed, pushing himself up.

This wasn't about a fight.

It was about control.

Stray was reminding everyone who was in charge.

Kirishima pushed forward again, landing a solid hit against Stray's side. The older vigilante barely flinched.

But his smirk dropped.

"You've gotten stronger," Stray admitted. "But you're still holding back."

Kirishima didn't answer.

Because he knew it was true.

Stray stepped closer, lowering his voice.

"Heroes hesitate." His gaze burned. "We don't."

Kirishima's breath was heavy, his knuckles aching.

Stray leaned in slightly.

"You're either with us." A pause. A challenge. "Or you're against us."

Silence filled the room.

Kirishima looked around. At Kase, watching him carefully. At the others, waiting to see what he would do.

Then he turned back to Stray.

And for the first time since he had joined The Hollow—

He wasn't sure of the answer.