Version A, Too | Boku No Hero Academia Reader Insert

IV: Magician's Tie, Roll The Die

It was the next morning, and right before I went to Gang Orca's agency, I stopped by the local bread shop to get one of the sweet-smelling melonpan I'd been craving since yesterday. I hadn't a taste of the bread yet and was craving it, as I didn't get a chance to stop by the bakery after training. It was hard to find confections as good as that in Musutafu, and I doubted my mind wouldn't be itching for one every moment of the day if I didn't get one. Besides, I had a light breakfast for this.

Upon entering the shop, I was greeted with the warm scent of freshly baked bread and spices, the two fragrances strong, but not at all unpleasant to my olfactory. I walked towards the melonpan stand and grabbed one, then headed to the cash register, ready to pay. 

As I was exchanging my money for the bread, however, I didn't notice a figure pointedly staring through the window, eyes clearly trained on the back of my head.

"Alright dear, you're good to go," the cashier said with a smile. I nodded, said my thanks, then headed towards the door. As I exited the shop, a strange feeling overcame me. I felt a hand being placed on my shoulder and a chuckle come from my left. Turning to see who it was, I quietly gasped as I saw the magician from yesterday, his complexion and expression still as bright and cheery as ever. 

And though I didn't want to seem to squeamish, I couldn't help but notice that there was something off about his grin.

"Oh, hello?" I spouted an instinctive greeting, as I presumed it would've been rude for me to pass on by without at least saying something. The magician said nothing for a few moments, and just stared at me, blankly looking on into my irises with a straight face. Assuming he spaced out for a moment, I tried to pry his hand off of me but to no avail, as he snapped out of his trance the moment I touched him.

"(L/N), it's so good to see you again!" he gushed, "It's such a coincidence that we ran into each other like this!" Trying to pull my lips into a small smile, I subtly rolled my shoulder, attempting to rid the joint of his grip on it. The magician was unexpectedly strong, so much so that I suspected something was up. However, I didn't want to draw unwanted attention, so I opted for a more neutral response.

"Uh, yeah..." I mumbled, "Good to see you too." Right after the statement, my pupils dilated as I felt the man dragging me backwards by the shoulder, in the opposite direction of where Gang Orca's agency was. I resisted the urge to flail my arms and swallowed an oncoming scream, but whipped my head around with panicked eyes. I struggled a bit more than before, causing a few pedestrians to notice that I was in discomfort. The magician, once realizing this, shot them a friendly smile to deter any suspicions. While he was busy with shooing people away, I attempted to slip out of his grasp.

"H-Hey, I need to go to-" I was cut off with a squeeze from the magician's hand, which had now threateningly moved to grip the area near my collarbone -- and closer to my neck. I gulped and remained quiet as he turned to glare at me, forcibly moving my head with his thumb to connect his gaze with mine. Those round, almond-colored eyes now had a darker coloration, as if a storm was brewing inside his irises.

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice," he said smoothly, as if that was enough to suffice, "Just come with me, and nobody will get hurt." The danger was imminent, but I couldn't bring myself to run. Was I really in danger, being abducted by him? Of course, I didn't know who he was, which elevated the risks of running away, but I had no other choice. My mind raced for viable options of escape, like hitting him and calling for help, possibly even dialing Gang Orca for his assistance. But then again, I didn't know his quirk, which could've been something pertaining to magic, and I didn't want to risk others getting hurt. So I just allowed him to sweep me away into the alley without any trouble.

Perhaps it was a bad move in retrospect, but as far as I could see, the cons were outweighing the pros, and I didn't want to endure the consequences. My train of thought broke as the magician came to a halt, and stopped me along with him. We were in a dark alley, the only place where the city's cameras weren't stationed. I cursed under my breath as I wrung my hands together, my nerves taking control of all rational thought.