Excuse

Daily Meme

---

The cold bit through my hoodie, wind cutting sharp against my skin. I rolled my shoulders, flexed my fingers. My whole body felt like shit… burnt out, overclocked, like I had shoved myself into a meat grinder and walked out the other side.

Campus was quiet when I slipped in through the entrance. Security was tighter, cameras covering most of the main routes, but I wasn't a dumbass. Getting out of UA, easy. Getting in? Practically impossible. I just walk through the front door. Declaring my arrival.

I stopped in front of a small, two-story house near the dorms.

I let myself in, locking the door behind me.

I pulled my hoodie off, tossing it onto the pile, then stripped the rest off in the bathroom.

I washed off blood and grime last night but exhaustion and headache was still there. I braced my hands against the tile, breathing slow, like I had fought my way out of hell and back. Maybe I had.

I shut the water off and stepped out, grabbing a towel and drying off fast. Clean clothes, fresh hoodie… good enough to collapse in. Sadly I had a few more things to do.

So I left.

The hallway was quiet, the early morning dead air settling in as I walked toward Aizawa's office. Mirko had pulled through. The story she fed them put it under "work-related." The specifics were murky, probably on purpose. She had covered me. Now I had to deal with the aftermath without giving anything away.

I stopped in front of the door, knocked and let myself in.

Aizawa was at his desk, arms crossed, gaze already on me before the door even shut. 

"Sit," Aizawa said.

I dropped into the chair.

He stared, eyes sharp, scanning me like I was a puzzle missing half its pieces. "Mirko says you were working on something."

"Yeah."

Silence.

He didn't blink. "You are going to elaborate."

"No."

He sighed, rubbing his temple. "Why the secrecy?"

I shrugged. "I cannot reveal as it is part of her investigation. I had to disappear without alerting anyone, and I was meant to return, but things happened, and you guys realized."

Aizawa didn't react immediately, just stared at me like he was trying to decide if he was too tired to deal with this or if he was about to throw my ass out a window. The silence stretched, and I didn't bother filling it. I had already said what I was willing to.

He exhaled slowly. "So, Mirko gave you something classified, and you handled it solo?"

"Pretty much."

"And I am supposed to believe that?"

"Worked, didn't it?"

His eyes narrowed. "Did it?"

I leaned back in the chair, crossing my arms. "I came back in one piece. Mostly."

He sighed. In relief? Perhaps. In annoyance? Definitely. "You disappeared for an entire day and night, Ryuu."

"Yeah, I do that sometimes."

"You ditched school."

"Still passing, though."

"You left the city?"

I didn't answer.

Aizawa stared at me, waiting for more, but I wasn't giving him shit. If he wanted details, he would have to pry them out of Mirko, and she wasn't the type to snitch unless she had something to gain. Hopefully Aizawa don't offer her ice-cream.

"You know," he said, tone shifting just slightly, "you could've told me."

I sighed loudly, letting my head roll back against the chair. "You wouldn't want me to."

Aizawa barely moved. Just stared.

"Would you want me to report Mirko or Ryukyu if you sent me on a secret investigation?"

He exhaled through his nose, slow. "Why you?"

I shrugged. "You know my people-reading skills."

A muscle in his jaw twitched. "So you were spying on a deal."

"Something like that."

"And?"

"Classified."

A long pause. Then, Aizawa leaned forward, elbows on the desk, hands laced together. "So let me get this straight. You were given a job by a Pro-Hero, one of the top ones at that. You disappeared, no warning, no backup, no explanation. You show up the next day, bruised, limping, and with the worst excuse I've ever heard. And now, you are sitting in my office, feeding me the same line over and over?"

"Sounds about right."

His eyes flicked down, scanning my clenched fists. "You expect me to just let this go?"

"Would you rather I lie?"

Aizawa's gaze locked onto mine, searching. Slowly realizing that whatever he was looking for, I wasn't gonna give it to him.

He sighed. "If Mirko says it was work-related, I can't push it further. But next time, tell me before you run off."

"I will think about it."

"You won't."

"Probably not."

Another long pause. Then, "Do you at least have anything useful for me?"

I almost laughed. "Yeah, sure. There is a whole-ass war brewing, the League is involved, and half the villains in the country are picking sides. That useful enough?"

He didn't react, but I knew he was taking that in.

"Specifics?" he asked.

I got up. "Deika City. When the news drops, I doubt any of it will be true." I rolled my shoulders, feeling the dull ache settle in. "League of Villains was up to something there, but I don't know what. Heard things, but nothing solid. But I wouldn't trust the reports."

Aizawa's stare sharpened. "You are suggesting heroes have a mole?"

I didn't answer. Just turned and walked out.

Fuck. At least I warned them. And it wasn't all a lie.

"I am logging you for an unexcused absence… next one is suspension."

---

The halls were quiet. I should've gone straight to my room, collapsed into bed, and let my body recover. That was the plan. That was the smart thing to do.

Instead, the second I opened the door, I knew I was fucked.

Kaminari was the first to react. "YOU ARE ALIVE."

Mina lunged at me. "WHERE THE FUCK WERE YOU?"

Sero whistled. "Man, you look like shit."

I sighed, pushing Mina off. "Can I get inside before you start interrogating me?"

"No," Jiro said from the couch. "Start talking."

I stepped in, shutting the door behind me. My bed was right upstairs. So close. But these assholes were between me and the sweet embrace of unconsciousness.

I walked past them, too fucking tired for this. "I knocked up a girl. Her dad beat me with a belt. Later."

The room went dead silent.

Then Kaminari choked on his own spit. "YOU WHAT?"

Mina's jaw dropped. "EXCUSE ME-"

Sero let out a low whistle. "Damn, man. Congratulations? Condolences?"

Jiro squinted at me. "Liar."

I threw myself onto the couch, rubbing my face. 

Mina kicked the coffee table. "No, no, no. You don't get to drop that bomb and then pretend it didn't happen. What the hell were you actually doing?"

Kaminari was still staring at me, processing. "Wait. Wait. That was a joke?"

Uraraka smacked his arm. "Yes, you idiot."

He exhaled, slumping into the beanbag. "Oh, thank god. I was about to start calculating diaper expenses for you."

I cracked an eye open. "You think I would tell you dipshits first if that actually happened?"

Mina crossed her arms, frowning. "Considering you dipped without a word, yeah, I kinda expect you to drop your life-changing announcements like that, actually."

Sero tilted his head. "What were you really doing?"

"Work."

Jiro's eyebrow twitched. "Bullshit."

I sighed, sitting up. "Ask Mirko."

Kaminari perked up. "Wait, for real? She had you doing hero shit?"

Mina narrowed her eyes. "And that is supposed to make us less suspicious?"

"Think whatever you want," I muttered, standing up. "I am going to bed."

I made it two steps before Mina grabbed me. "Nuh-uh. You leave for a whole day, come back looking like you went through a fucking war, and expect us to just let it slide?"

Her hand gripped my sleeve like she had a right to it. 

I almost shrugged it off again…

But part of me was just fucking tired of everyone touching me like I wouldn't burn them.

Her fingers softened around bruises, I almost winced. I yanked my arm free. "Yes."

Kaminari leaned forward. "Come on, dude. We were worried."

I scoffed. "Yeah, looked real worried while dropping memes in the chat."

Sero shrugged. "To be fair, we were memeing through the stress."

Jiro crossed her arms. "So? You expect us to just move on?"

I met her gaze. "Yes."

She held it for a second before sighing. "You are a pain in the ass."

"And you are nosy as fuck."

Kaminari groaned, flopping back dramatically. "Fine, whatever. Be all mysterious and cool. Just tell us one thing-" He sat up again, pointing a finger. "Did you win?"

I smirked, stretching my arms. "Always do."

Mina groaned. "You are insufferable."

"Tell me something I don't know."

I turned and walked to my room, locking the door behind me. Finally. Silence. I peeled my hoodie off, wincing at the soreness settling in. Aizawa hadn't pushed too hard, but he wasn't dumb… he knew I wasn't telling the full story.

Didn't matter. I needed sleep.

I crashed onto my bed, exhaustion pulling me under almost immediately.

I must have slept through most of the day. When I cracked an eye open, the sky outside my window had already dipped into that late-afternoon haze, like the world had moved on without me.

Good.

I didn't want to be part of it right now anyway.

I rolled over, burying my face in the pillow. The adrenaline had long since burned off.

My mind drifted.

Fucking idiot.

Her.

Me.

Both.

Whatever this was… it would not end well.

But I knew… if it happened again?

I would still go. Still run. Still burn.

Fuck me.

---

One week later, the story hit the news.

"Brave Citizens Defend Deika from Villain Attack!"

"Local Heroes Answer the Call in Crisis!"

"Deika's Uprising: A Stand Against Chaos!"

Every headline was bullshit. Fabricated, polished, scrubbed clean of the real story. The Meta Liberation Army? Not mentioned once. The League? A footnote at best. The entire war was reduced to a one-sided struggle of innocent people fighting back against an unnamed "villainous threat."

I laughed. None of those brave citizens were there when I was dragging Toga out of her own blood. But hey… maybe the camera crew was.

Video clips played on repeat… civilians evacuating, buildings collapsing, masked figures throwing punches. None of them were heroes. None of them were the real instigators. But the way the media spun it, Deika had been a battleground where the "good people of Japan" stood together against evil.

Most of the names were fake. Most of the "witnesses" were either paid off or nonexistent. The heroes involved? Unnamed "off-duty professionals" who just so happened to be in the right place at the right time. Convenient. Truth is always the first casualty… followed closely by anyone dumb enough to care.

--

Hello good people of Webnovel! I have a humble request. Can we all stone my new fic please, please, so please! So it can get some exposure? I really appreciate the effort and love, people. And of course, love you all too. Stay safe, stay strong, and most importantly, stay with me.

--

New Fic Announcement - Cassian's Story Begins!

Hey everyone!

I started publishing my newest Harry Potter fic

Harry Potter and the Surprisingly Competent History of Magic Professor

Cassian Rosier was a failure, a near-Squib mocked and dismissed by his entire pureblood family. But after one humiliating disaster too many, he dies. And in his place wakes up a man from our world…

…a man who's never read a Harry Potter book, never watched the movies, and suddenly finds himself in the body of a disgraced wizard with nothing but a ruined reputation and a wand he can barely use.

When forced to give a lecture on magic, Cassian bluffs his way through Lumos... and accidentally unlocks an ancient variation of the spell, along with memories that aren't his. Some of those memories are helpful. Others… are darker than he is ready for.

Now sent to Hogwarts as a professor, Cassian has one job... survive. Between pureblood family politics, fellow teachers who don't trust him, and students who might be the end of him, it is going to be an interesting year.

-Snarky humor (Cassian has Opinions™)-Teaching magic = progression mechanic-Slow-burn romance (yes, with Bathsheda Babbling)-Ancient magic, mysterious memories, and Hogwarts chaos

It is brand new... please give it a chance and add it to your library! If you've enjoyed my other stories, I think this might be my best one yet. Your comments and early support will help a lot. I really, really love writing it, hopefully you guys will like it too. You can find it under my profile or search by the name. 

Thank You!