Villainous Hero

49 | Escape Room

My bare feet pad on the concrete, the cotton dress flows around my ankles with every step. Unsure of what's happening on the upper floors I feel nervous. Loud sounds echo throughout the Yakuza's hideout. An attack is in full swing. All I know is that we are headed somewhere 'safe'.

If something does happen and we are attacked down here then I have to trust that these two Yakuza will keep me 'safe'. My quirks are still out of commission from my daily injection.

"It's so noisy." Overhaul complains when an especially loud bang comes from somewhere above. It sounds like the building might collapse if this continues. My eyes are drawn to the child in Chrono's arms.

Eri, I've finally gotten to put a face to the name. She hasn't made a sound the entire time we've been traveling to the 'emergency exit'. Her age makes me wonder how long she's been with the Yakuza.

Surly an organization run by Yakuza men haven't been raising a little girl. I have a feeling they have been experimenting on her. The bandages wrapped around her arms and legs tell me that might be true.

"I don't want to say it, but... this is the end of the Cleaners isn't it," Chrono states it like a fact. Every time I look at him I keep remembering that night after they first found the Enhancement Drug that was hidden in my blood. Chrono has kept a distance between us ever since.

"As long as the Boss and I are around, the Cleansers won't die. Most of our henches are with the Boss; they won't follow my ideas. Even though I'm the one who values the Boss's will the most out of all of them." Overhaul said.

"...As long as we have this finished product... and this serum, then us gangsters can stage a comeback. 'The drug feared by all heroes!' It's gonna cure this world of the diseased heroes." Overhaul explains to Chrono. While I listen to them talk I pause to hear something else. Heavy footsteps are coming after us in this dark hallway. Whoever it is is running.

I open my mouth to speak but quickly remember Overhaul's warning if I were to talk or make any loud noises. I wonder if Eri received the same warning. However it seems I didn't have to talk, someone did it for me.

"Sorry to bother you, but I've gotta ask after all." Pant, pant. "May I have a few words with you?" The Yakuza whip around to see a boy around my age, maybe older. He stands there knowing who he's looking at and dressed in the bright colors of a hero. But he's only a boy, not a pro. What does he think he's going to accomplish?

"I came to rescue these two girls. Although I thought there was only one girl, this doesn't change anything I will save both of them." The blonde boy playing hero said. Eri's face pales when she sees the student who came to save her. I mean to save us.

"...I see you pull your Hero Face after the circumstances dawn on you, hmm Mr. Student? But what you don't know is that Eri doesn't even wish to be rescued by you. To these girls, you're no hero." Overhaul's voice is dark and threatening more than usual. I don't see how a boy could win against a fight with him.

"That's why I'm here now." He glares at Overhaul and Chrono. 

"It seems I'm not gonna get through to you, so I'll put it simply." Overhaul turns his back on the boy. We continue walking.

"You're just going to die." Overhaul states.

Chrono nudges me next to move faster. I can't stop looking back the way we came. A gunshot, but no cry of pain followed. Did he die already? No, I still hear sounds of fighting.

We didn't get far until the fight was brought back to us.

"Chisaki!" This boy has a death wish! He sends an attack to both men at the same time. Overhaul limbos backward to avoid the punch but Chrono takes a kick straight to the face. How the kick didn't hurt Eri I have no idea, yet.