Smash-Worthy

Daily Meme

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Tsuragamae slid the phone across the table, letting it stop just in front of me. The screen was still on, but now it wasn't just the video-

It was everything.

Headlines flooded the screen. Tweets, news articles, reaction clips. The internet had exploded.

"Ryuu Midoriya: Reckless Vigilante or the Hero We Need?"

"Public Outcry Over Nighteye's Plan: 'They Were Going to Send Her Back?'"

"#MidoriyaWasRight Trends at #1 as Public Backs His Decision to Save the child."

I swiped up.

The comments were a warzone.

"I don't even like Midoriya, but I can't pretend he is wrong."

"Did Nighteye seriously think letting her go back was a good idea? Holy shit."

"HE SAID HE'D BURN THE CITY DOWN LMAOOOO."

"Midoriya Ryuu just declared war."

"BRO WHAT IS THIS WRITING?? IS THIS A SHONEN ANIME OR REAL LIFE???"

"Holy shit, he is actually insane. I love him."

"Sir Nighteye taking the biggest L of his career rn."

"Is this how vigilantes are born?"

"The police better not arrest him I SWEAR TO GOD."

[CONGRATULATIONS! You've earned +100 INFAMY. Perks unlocked: 'Menace to Society' and 'Public Darling']

'Fuck off.'

Tsuragamae clenched the phone, though he was too composed to throw it across the room. Too bad, I wanted to see if that two sided mirror was as strong as in movies. Headlines kept coming. News anchors trying to sound neutral but clearly eating this up. Some pro heroes had already commented... half calling me reckless, half calling me "the kind of hero society needs." It was a mess.

I didn't react.

A new video was trending. A side-by-side edit... All Might in his prime, declaring "A hero always saves those in need!" Then it cut to me, "I will burn this city down before I let her go back!"

Fucking fantastic.

Tsuragamae scrolled a few dancing girl reels, found some real shit. "You're being called a true hero. Others say you are an arrogant fool. One even called you 'Discounted All Might.'"

[New Title Acquired – All Might 2: Electric Boogaloo]

I lowered my head. "I am ready to accept my punishment. I stand by my actions."

Tsuragamae stared like he was trying to will me into obedience. Tough luck. That firmware is busted. "Good. Let me read your crimes."

He flipped open a file and started listing them off. "Assault. Obstruction of justice. Interference in an active police operation. Disregarding direct orders from a pro hero. Endangering civilians in a high-risk scenario. Unauthorized engagement with a known criminal organization. Destruction of public property. Inciting public unrest." He paused. "Do I need to continue?"

I didn't say anything.

He closed the file. "You know, Midoriya, I expected trouble from you. I just did not expect this level of it."

I snorted, shaking my head.

Tsuragamae rested his hand on the desk, looking at me as if I kicked him. "You think this is funny?"

I laughed again. This time, it wasn't quiet. It wasn't restrained. It was sharp, bitter, bubbling out like I couldn't stop it if I tried.

"Yeah. I do." I leaned forward, grinning. "Because you hate this. You hate that the public is on my side. You hate that you can't bury me. You hate that you have to sit here and figure out how to make me pay without losing the public's trust. You and haters questioned when I maxed my Charisma Stat, but it turned out I was right!"

"What?"

"Nothing!"

Tsuragamae's expression didn't change, but his fingers stilled.

I kept going.

"You want to lock me up. You want to make an example out of me. But you can't. Because if you do?" I gestured toward the phone. "This mess? It gets worse. People start asking more questions. About how long the girl was suffering. About why the 'official' heroes didn't act sooner. About how an intern had to be the one to do something."

Tsuragamae exhaled slowly. He knew I was right.

But he wasn't done.

He reached out, taking the phone back, locking the screen with a single tap. "You are still reckless."

"No shit."

"You are dangerous."

"Only to people who deserve it."

He studied me for a long moment. Then...

He exhaled again, rubbing his forehead. "Ryuu, I do not hate you. I am not the bad guy." His voice was flat, but there was something under it. Not anger, not frustration... just exhaustion. "I wanted to save that girl as much as you did. But why are you so stupid?"

I did not answer.

"You think this is about you? About some righteous stand?" Tsuragamae shook his head, muttering something under his breath before looking at me again. "There are procedures. Rules. If everyone acts on a whim, there is no order." He leaned back, exhaling. "I am on your side. I am. But my hands are tied. So must be yours. Otherwise, there can only be chaos."

I watched him.

"Do you know what Nighteye wants?"

I shook my head.

"He wants your license revoked. For you to never return to hero work."

I waited him to continue.

"Do you understand what that means?"

Silence.

"Midoriya, answer me."

I met his gaze. "Yeah."

"You don't care?"

"I care," I said. "Just not about that. If Nighteye gets any more uptight, he is gonna start flossing with court orders."

Tsuragamae sighed, rubbing his temple. "You do not make things easy."

I bowed my head. "Sorry for earlier words about your appearance, Police Chief. I am foul-mouthed. I talk shit, and I might have insulted you, but it was not my intention to hurt or disrespect. It was my way of being funny, which was stupid. I am sorry for destroying public property. I am sorry for endangering the public with my actions. I am sorry for inciting public unrest."

I lifted my head. "But I am not sorry for assault. Obstruction of justice. Interference in an active police operation. Disregarding direct orders from a pro hero. Unauthorized engagement with a known criminal organization. I did what I believed was right at the moment. I could have let the little girl go and hoped for her to be safe until we finished the operation. But I couldn't, and I will not put a little human's life in danger for the greater good."

"I accept all the charges."

Tsuragamae didn't speak immediately, just let out a slow breath through his nose, ear flicking once before going still. His hands tapped against the table, fingers moving like he was working through something.

"You are serious?"

"Hell yeah, I am."

He stared dead in my eyes. "You know what happens next?"

"Yes."

He was quiet again, then shook his head. "You think you've won something here?"

"I didn't do this to win."

He closed his eyes for a second, then sat up straight. "You went against an entire coordinated effort. Against protocol. Against orders. I should be throwing the book at you right now."

"Then do it."

His ear flicked again. He didn't look away, didn't let anything slip. "You think you can just walk in, break the rules, and get away with it?"

"No."

He let out a short exhale, not quite a laugh. "You know, I expected arrogance from you. Not stupidity."

"I already said I was stupid."

That actually made him muttering something under his breath. "Fucking headache."

I didn't say anything.

"Let's be real." He leaned a bit. "I can't arrest you."

I blinked. I mean I was bullshitting that he couldn't when Public on my side, but was at least expecting them to keep me for a few days at least.

"You heard me." His ears twitched. "You think I didn't consider it? You think I don't want to? You made my job harder. You made Nighteye's job harder. You turned a calculated operation into a public circus. If it were just that, I would lock you up myself." He gestured vaguely. "But now? Now, half the damn country thinks you are a hero."

He picked up his phone, scrolling through something before setting it down. The screen still showed headlines, reactions, people debating whether I was the best thing to happen to hero society or the worst.

"If I arrest you, I look like the bad guy. If I let you walk, I look weak. You think the Commission is going to let me slide either way?"

I bowed my head once again. "I am sorry."

And I was.

I had Tsuragamae's number on my phone because I thought the man was cool. I sent him memes, teased his appearance, joked about his canine traits because I genuinely respected the guy. It was never my intention to put him on the spot.

I sighed, then looked at him. "What if I deliver them to you? All of them in one place. You gather whomever you want, and we raid their ass. Your operation will be saved, and you can take all the credit. I will later publicly apologize for all the crimes you named above, but under no circumstance will I ever accept that I regret what I did."

Tsuragamae didn't react right away. He stared at me, ears barely twitching, jaw tight. Then he tapped his fingers against the table, slow and steady.

"You are serious?"

"Yup."

His eyes narrowed. "You think I can just let this slide because you have a plan?"

"No."

His fingers tapped again. "And if your plan fails?"

"Then I will take full responsibility. Drag me through the courts. I won't flinch."

Tsuragamae exhaled through his nose. "You realize what you are offering, don't you? This isn't just some street gang. This is the Yakuza. An entire operation. You are suggesting we wipe them out in one move. Do you have any idea what that takes?"

"Yes."

"And you think you can pull it off?"

"I know I can."

Tsuragamae leaned back like I had just dumped a year's worth of paperwork on his desk. I probably had. His jaw stayed tight, but the twitch in his eye gave him away. He was thinking... hard.

"This would require resources. Time. Approval from higher-ups," he muttered, tapping the table like it owed him rent. "And you want me to take all the credit?"

"Sure."

He scoffed. "Why?"

"Because I don't give a damn about credit. I care about getting it done."

"I should throw you in a cell."

"You won't."

"And why the hell not?"

I grinned like a bastard. "Because I just handed you a reset button. You either smash it and clean the board... or let the whole damn game glitch and eat itself alive."

His ear twitched.

"Swipe right, Chief," I added, leaning back in the chair like I owned the place. "It is a smash-worthy booty."

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u/RyuuMidoriya69: "If you read 90+ chapters and didn't vote, you're worse than Mineta."

Top comment:

"No fr. You just ate the buffet and dipped. You didn't even leave a tip. Not even a 'thanks author.'Straight-up emotional dine-and-dash."

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