Final Exams, "Hell's Bet"

Sunday, shopping day.

The first thing we do is hit up a few clothing stores. Not to buy anything - we just need a place to chill, hide from Izuku, and get less attentions as much as possible.

Why the secrecy? Simple, my goal wasn't to hunt Tomura down or stop him meeting Izuku - though I'd be lying if I said revenge for that near-death experience at his hands wasn't on my mind. The real reason for this trip was to spend time with Himiko, to give her something normal, something fun, before the chaos of U.A.'s training camp swallowed me up.

And damn, she picked out a really good outfit this time. Not flashy, but really appropriate for the occasion.

Her new clothes were light, summery, perfect for the season: a white sundress with pink floral prints and thin straps on the shoulders, short enough to show off her slender legs, and...sandals? Idk. A little too short, really, but she insisted on it, and I couldn't say no. And her hair... yep, still tied in 2 small bun with little messy. She looks great in it, and compared to me... Yeah, a little simple.

A plain white t-shirt with jeans, and it shows. Even Himiko noticed, teasing me about it when we met up at the train station. I didn't let that bother me though - I could dress myself just fine.

But i swear, if I could choose something special, I would definitely choose something a little more emo and edgy, because I look just so silly...

Since I split off with Himiko instead of being in the same group as 1-A, we had plenty of time to explore before getting down to business, and damn, this place is... huge. Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall is not just a mall - it's a freaking shopping complex. Every inch of this place is packed with stores selling anything and everything. Shoes, clothes, electronics, hero merch, food, furniture - you name it. And that's not even the half of it. Just looking at the directory, along with the huge central road and bridges connecting the two shopping areas on either side, made me wondering where to start.

Well, guess I'll have to wing it.

Himiko took the lead, practically dragging me along as she ran from one store to another, like we'd never set foot in a mall before. To be fair, though, we haven't. U.A's got everything we need, and besides, when we did go out, it was small streets, a nearby park, or gyms and dojos, not a shopping center like this.

The first place we hit was a hero merch shop - a pretty big one, too. As soon as we stepped in, the walls and ceiling were covered with colorful posters, figures, toys, costumes, even action figures. We walked around, checking it out, and Himiko seemed to know every piece of merch in here, and damn, that's kinda impressive...

But we didn't buy anything, just looked around. Then we left, heading for some clothing store Himiko picked. She grabbed my hand, leading the way, but it felt different this time - like she was worried someone would drag me away. I smiled, squeezing her hand back, letting her know it was okay.

Her outfit was perfect for the hot weather, but I wanted to get her something extra special.

What do we usually have in the summer? Beach and bikini, sure, of course. So as soon as I had that idea, I took her straight to the swimsuit store and bought her a set. All white, plain, no extra designs, but still cute. It's summer, after all, what guy wouldn't be excited to see his girlfriend in a classic but sexy bikini?

Yeah, "If you believe your bikini bottoms are panties, then they're panties."

I don't really remember who said that...

She was a little hesitant and shy when she tried it at first, but eventually warmed up to it, and it was great...

And just like that, fuck how much time passes, we still chilled, went sightseeing and shopped for all sorts of things. I knew she loved pomegranates - based on MHA Databook, so I bought her a glass of pomegranate juice, and this...kinda peaceful. At least she has some happy memories different from the original timeline...

But the good times don't last long, especially when my luck is shit.

I was a bit careless and bumped into a young man and both of us fell to the ground. And what was worse? Yes. That bastard Shigaraki Tomura was the one I bumped into. And I sure as hell wasn't seeing things, because his outfit and whole damn look, surprisingly, were almost identical to the original anime version. Black hoodie pulled over his head, plain black sweatpants, red sneakers, long and messy-as-fuck light blue hair, and a face so dry and dead, as it looked straight out of those damn exiles of the Republic of Vietnam after 1975.

"My bad," I said, standing up, then extending a hand. "Here. Need some help?"

He stared at my hand, then gave me an odd look, like I'd grown a second head. "Thank you." he ated, voice low and rough as sandpaper, eyes flicking over me. He took my hand, and when our skin touched, a weird tingle ran through me. A chill, like something dark just brushed against me. His fingers twitched, and my own hand jerked - it was instinctive, a response to his creepy-ass vibes.

His brows furrowed, but I kept smiling, pulling him up, acting like it never happened.

"Say, it seems like you're an U.A student! Can I have your autograph?"

Okay, this is fucking over...

Seeing my tense face next to Tomura, Himiko, with her quick mind, seemed to realize that this was an emergency situation through my expression, so she immediately acted as she understood.

"Let me go get a pen. It's not often that you have fans, right?"

With that, she left quickly, leaving me alone with this "rotten raisin".

He immediately put his arm around my shoulder and approached me with an intimate voice:

"You're the one who got beaten to a pulp at the sports festival, right? And you also the one who killed Stain, right?"

"Yes... I was a bit inexperienced back then..." I said in a hoarse voice, with the move being calculated very carefully in my head. "Hang on a sec, how do you...?"

Before I could finish my sentence, he immediately grabbed my neck with four fingers and changed to a disgustingly threatening and arrogant state.

"Meeting you here was really beyond my expectations. Perhaps fate has brought me here today..." He said, while smiling a disgusting smile. "Now, shall we have a chat, ONODERA RYUGA?"

Motherfucker...

Alright, be cool.

His Quirk Factor is in his hands, mine is also in my hands but more broadly it's 'body sensation'. If I disable him before he can do anything, there's a high chance it'll still work.

But it wouldn't be very feasible to do it directly. I need something...less obvious but more dangerous...

Oh yeah, that way. That method works, but I'm afraid it's a bit too much.

Seeing me a bit tense and sweating profusely, he suddenly became comfortable and surprisingly calm and told me to just act normally like friends, even though in reality no one would strangle their friend with 4 fingers.

"Don't even think about causing trouble here, okay? Calm down and breathe." He said while choking me like a chicken. "I just want to talk for a bit. Do you know what will happen if you play a trick? It's simple. When all 5 of my fingers touch you, you will start to disintegrate from the neck up... and will turn into dust in an instant. You know the pain of it once, right??

"Alright, you're the best, you bastard. Now sit down somewhere before we both "toasted". Standing here is making my legs tired."

Seeing my suspiciously cooperative attitude, he suddenly felt suspicious for a moment, but then put it aside and continued:

"That's more like it. Sit here, and we can chat comfortably."

As soon as we sat down, the fucking plan I had in mind finally clicked into action.

Look at this place. The airtightness, the fresh air, and the cacophony of sounds, colors, and smells were enough to make me feel like this was heaven-sent.

The right time, the right place, and the right people.

Turn my own sweat into HCN and let it evaporate into the air. Yes. That was exactly my plan, and of course the only reason I could do this was because I had previously ingested an LD50 dose of this cyanide to poison Stain. It worked, of course, but I wasn't sure if he would notice, and the damage around me might be more than I thought, but at least I knew what to do if someone other than the deadbeat guy choking me got poisoned.

Sacrificing the lives or health of those innocent around him doesn't seem heroic, if not downright animalistic, but it's okay if this cunt has some manners...

And while he was complaining about how everyone was talking about Stain and how his ideology - which a journalist happened to get when he asked to take pictures of Stain's autopsy and his diary at the shelter - was overshadowing what he had tried to show to polish the name of the League of Villains in general and himself in particular, I pretended to listen with a tense face, while turning my sweat into HCN and praying to God that everything would go as planned...

"No matter what he says, in the end, both me and that bastard want to erase what we hate." He said, his face breaking into a sinister smile as if waiting for a suitable answer. "What do you think is the difference between me and him, Onodera?"

"Two things. The first is that he pursued his own goals and ideals in life, and the second... He knew why he died."

"What do you mean...?"

Before he could finish his sentence, he probably felt that something was wrong.

His fingers twitched slightly, then his breathing stuttered.

The grin froze on his face, and his whole body jerked like a puppet with its strings half-cut. That's when I knew it worked.

HCN - Hydrogen Cyanide. Silent, colorless, deadly. He'd inhaled just enough to trigger early symptoms: dizziness, burning throat, disorientation. Not enough to kill instantly, but plenty to scare the hell out of his nervous system.

Tomura staggered backward, releasing my neck. His bloodshot eyes flicked around in panic, limbs trembling.

"You..." he gasped. "You bastard... what did you do to me?"

Before I could deliver a one-liner, he suddenly clutched his chest, legs wobbling, and then snapped his head upward.

He realized it.

Death. Too close. Too real. And TOO UNEXPECTED...

"Kurogiri...!" he choked out. "Hurry!!!"

In a flash, the misty warp gate blossomed open, sending a chill through the air. With a burst of violet fog and a gust of suction, Tomura dove in, or rather, collapsed into it and vanished.

The portal snapped shut behind him like a trap springing shut.

And just like that, the chaos began.

Shoppers started screaming. store alarms blared. The people nearby, already unsettled by the earlier tension, now panicked completely. Some ran, some froze, others ducked for cover. A few braver ones recorded everything on their phones.

I didn't move. I couldn't afford to do that now. The amount of HCN left on me would surely cause anyone to die in agony if they got close enough. The sweat still clinging to my skin, altered into cyanide gas moments ago, had to be neutralized.

I mentally reversed the reaction, restructuring the molecular bonds, converting the HCN back into inert water and salt.

A sharp sting ran down my back, as detoxifying something that deadly wasn't painless, but it worked. No trace left in the air. No smell. No danger for now....

"Ryuga!" Himiko's voice called out.

I turned just as she rushed in from one of the side halls, leading a "small" but familiar crowd.

Midoriya, Bakugo, Ida, and even Todoroki and the rest of 1-A, they were flanking her. Behind them, a few pro heroes had joined in, likely stationed nearby for safety.

And also… someone else.

"You gonna be fucking kidding me...?" I muttered.