𝑫𝒂𝒚𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒌

𝑭𝒓𝒆𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒊𝒏 | 𝟓𝟏

"You think he's out for good?"Midoriya's voice broke the heavy silence as we all stared at Stain, still sprawled across the ice, unmoving. His head was tilted down, leaving his ruffled hair show.

Todoroki exhaled, his posture relaxing just a little.  "Seem's like it. We should restrain him properly and move him to the street."

"Right," Midoriya agreed, nodding. "And we should also take his weapons away."

Todoroki didn't need to be told twice; he was already looking around, probably for something to tie up Stain with.

I tried to push myself up, but a sharp pain shot through my right leg as soon as I put weight on it. That abrupt movement earlier definitely twisted something. I groan slightly in frustration, I couldn't afford to have anything change.

I glanced over at Todoroki, who was watching me cautiously, his expression guarded. I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously? You still think I'm some kind of villain because of what that lunatic said?" My voice came out sharper than I expected, but I couldn't hold back. 

"If you're not, then what was all that 'baby hero' stuff about?" Todoroki's voice was tight, but there was a challenge in his eyes. "He clearly recognized you. So what's the deal?"

"Todoroki—" Iida started to say, but I cut him off, frustration bubbling up.

"Yeah, he recognized me. Want to know why? Because a week ago, that psycho stabbed me in the stomach while I was saving the life of your little buddy's big brother. So maybe, just maybe, you should stop jumping to conclusions!"

I could see Todoroki's surprise, but I wasn't backing down. "Look, I get it, you guys are suspicious of me or whatever, but you shouldn't be accusing anyone based on the word of some murderer. You should be looking at the real villain standing right in front of you— not me."

Todoroki blinked, his mouth parting slightly, but nothing came out. I could see him struggling to find a response. Taking advantage of his silence, I moved toward Native, still sitting against the wall.

I crouched beside him, offering a small smile. "You alright? Can you stand?" My left hand reached out, though my right was still hanging uselessly by my side, aching after the battle.

"Yeah, thanks," Native mumbled, gripping my hand to pull himself up. I could feel his confusion, the uncertainty in his gaze. He had to be wondering what the hell was going on.

I smiled again, trying to put him at ease, but I didn't miss the way he was holding himself. He was still wary, and I couldn't blame him. He'd almost died, and here I was—someone he'd just met. He had every right to be nervous.

I let go of his hand, giving him a small nod before turning back to Todoroki. He was laying out the weapons Stain had been carrying, and I saw him tying up the hero killer with the rope. But it wasn't the weapons that caught my attention. It was a small, glinting dagger that had been tossed onto the pile.

No. No, no, no.

My heart skipped a beat. I didn't know what had changed, what I'd done differently, but I could feel the weight of my mistake pressing down on me.

That dagger... it wasn't supposed to be here.

I swallowed hard, my pulse quickening as the realization hit me. This wasn't just an error. This was big. This tiny, deadly blade shouldn't have been found. And now I was the one who let it happen.

"Guys," lida said softly, dragging my attention to him for a moment. "You three were hurt because of me. I'm truly sorry," he fell into a bow, his eyes watering behind his hair. "I was just so blinded with anger I couldn't think about anything else."