Bloodthirst | BNHA x Vampire!Reader

32. burdened by family

It took a bit longer than it should have, but you eventually pieced together what Shinsou's Quirk was.

The exact specifics still weren't clear. You didn't know for a fact what the trigger was, but if you were interpreting things correctly, then at some point after speaking to someone, he was able to put them under his control.

Brainwashing.

In a way, it was similar to your hypnosis ability, except Shinsou's appeared to be a lot more consistent and reliable. He was careful not to stand out too much. In fact, he insisted upon it. You didn't know what he was going on about at the start, and why he seemed to have little to no sense of urgency, but finally, you understood.

So long as your team played it safe, there was no way you could lose this round.

"We'll just keep this up," Shinsou said. He readjusted the headbands that were tied around his neck, making sure that they couldn't fall off.

In terms of points, you didn't have a crazy amount, but an extra headband or two was sure to do the trick. The top four teams would qualify and move onto the next stage of the competition. You just needed to lay low and keep catching opponents off-guard.

Honestly... you weren't contributing much, but only because you didn't really need to. Shinsou's powers were already enough to carry your team to victory.

You glanced up at him for a moment. "I figured out how your Quirk works."

"Oh, did you?" he half-chuckled. "Incredible. I may as well call you Sherlock Holmes."

"I could do without the sarcasm, thanks."

Perhaps you would've come to a realization sooner, but the way he'd spoken to you earlier was really throwing you off. You kept on replaying his words in your mind.

"I know for a fact I just used it on you... so why won't it work?"

Unless you were mistaken, Shinsou had tried to brainwash you at some point, and apparently, it hadn't worked.

But why?

Realistically speaking, you could only think of one explanation.

You weren't supposed to be part of this world. You were an anomaly, an outsider. Your very existence in this plane of space and time was uncanny-to say the least.

Because you were a vampire from a different realm, did that mean there were certain Quirks that simply wouldn't work on you?

There wasn't much you could do to test this hypothesis, but for the time being, you decided it was more than plausible. Shinsou had tried, but failed, to brainwash you. Just like there was no way for you inherit One for All, even if it was by mistake, it seemed like there were certain powers out there that you were completely immune to.

If that was really the case, then you had the potential to be a lot stronger in this world than you'd first thought.

"Hey, don't get distracted," Shinsou chided. He must have noticed you were lost in thought, and quickly nudged you with his foot. "We're doing fine for now, but that doesn't mean we can afford to slack off. Keep an eye out for people that get too close, or other teams that are in a vulnerable position, so that we can swipe their headbands."

"Right," you said, nodding hurriedly. "My bad. I'll focus up. I'm still here to win."

You did your best to dismiss all the complicated thoughts taking up space in your mind. That could wait until afterwards. Mulling over it right now wouldn't accomplish much anyways.