That Day // Villain Deku

Chapter 22a : To Avenge My Brother

Shota Aizawa's P.O.V

    I was currently standing in front of a room full of confused and nervous children. They were on edge because of the newly placed flowers, sitting on their friend's desk. I was in shock myself. Sure, I had noticed the girl's absent-mindedness during class, and depressing aura from time to time, but I had just assumed she would work through it.

I am a failure of a teacher.

"Mr. Aizawa, where's Mina? What's with the flowers?"

"Yeah, what's going on?"

    I looked up from my desk to see both Kirishima and Kaminari bombarding me with their questions. Their expressions only making my heart sink further. Gulping to keep my emotions from swallowing me whole, I began to speak.

"Mina... will no longer be joining us..."

"What why???"

    My mind wandered as I reminisced of the scene, still fresh in my brain from the night before.

Flashback

    I had been patrolling late at night — I'd say around midnight or so — when I came across a house. The house was coated in blue and red lights, and sirens were wailing as loud as possible. First responders were already on the scene, wheeling a stretcher from their ambulance; meanwhile, police officers and detectives were taking statements.

    Evaluating the situation and wondering whether or not I would be any help, I noticed two people that seemed familiar. Taking a closer look, I realized why they looked familiar. They were Ashido Mina's Parents, Ashido Haru and Ashido Aoi.

    I ran to the scene to see if I could be of assistance. Proclaiming my existence, I noticed Mrs. Ashido's tear-stained face, along with her husband's shocked and mortified expression.

"What happened here? Is everything ok?"

"You're our daughter's teacher, right? Mr. Aizawa?" The shaky voice of Mrs. Ashido asked me, warily.

"Yes, what's going on?"

    Upon hearing the couple's answer I ran into the building, eyes widened. Thoughts raced through my mind as I walked through the house, mostly about the safety of my student.

    I walked into my student's bathroom to be met with a gruesome scene — almost that of a horror movie. My nose filled with the metallic smell of crimson, the walls were smeared with blood, the floor flooded with red. Paramedics crowding the already cramped room, and in the middle, laid my student.

    Ashido was covered in dried blood, eyes wide with dry tears still present. Her body looked dull and lifeless, as a faint smile was plastered upon her face. The first responders had lifted her corpse onto the stretcher and started to carry her away.

She's dead.

    Taking a better look at her, I noticed her arms. The source of the blood. They seemed to be mangled and crushed. As if someone were to bring a chainsaw to her wrists, and vigorously saw back and forth a dozen times.

Had she done this?

    I stood frozen as I thought of why Ashido would take her own life. Every possibility raced to the same conclusion. Every hardship my students had endured in the past month had all dated back to the assault that had taken place a few weeks ago. Every death, injury both mental and physical, it's all because of the group of villains who had attacked us.

They're responsible for this.

I promise you this, villains, I will avenge my fallen students.