Ultra Responsibility (My Hero Academia X Spider-Man Reader)

Issue 10 - Double Life

I leaned back in my chair, staring at the glow of my phone screen, the map covered in little red pins I'd been plotting all week. Every pin represented a blackout, freak power surges that didn't line up with the city's grid. They lined up perfectly with sightings of Shiraishi, but nothing connected. No pattern, no clue where he could be hiding. Just scattered chaos across the city.

I sighed, tapping my phone off as the bell blared. "Ugh. Dead end again..." Sliding the phone into my bag, I stacked up my notebooks and shoved them away. Another day, balancing homework and nightly patrols, it was starting to feel like living two different lives with no room for me in between.

Stepping out into the hall, the chatter of other students filled the corridor. I noticed a cluster of familiar faces up ahead, Class 1A. Some of them I vaguely remembered from the birthday party fiasco. Leading the pack was Kirishima, grinning like he'd just wrestled a bear and won.

I gave him a faint wave as I angled for the stairs, but before I could make my escape, he called out. "Yo, Parker! We're heading to the arcade to blow off some steam, man. You should come!"

I froze mid-step. "Arcade?"

"Yeah!" Kirishima shoved his hands into his pockets with a smirk. "Could be fun. We'll even cover your tokens."

Before I could answer, a sharp voice cut through the hall like an explosion waiting to happen.
"Oi! Why the hell are you inviting the support-course reject?!" Bakugo snarled, his hands practically sparking as he glared daggers at me.

Kirishima just smirked wider, brushing it off as if Bakugo were background noise. "Because sometimes fun doesn't have to explode, bro."

"Oh, oh, did someone say arcade?!" Ashido suddenly bounded out of her classroom, waving her hands in the air like she'd been waiting for the invitation. "Yes! The dance machines are calling my name!" She bounced on her heels, already hyped.

Kirishima turned back to me, grin sharpening. "See? Now you have to come, Parker. No excuses."

I hesitated, pulling my phone out again, the map still glowing with those red pins. Shiraishi was still out there. Every second I wasted not tracking him down felt like a betrayal.

But... I looked at Ashido practically bouncing, Kirishima grinning like a goof, even Bakugo muttering curses under his breath as more classmates started crowding around.

For once... why not?

I closed the app with a click, sliding the phone away. "Alright. Sounds like fun."

Kirishima clapped me on the back hard enough to almost knock the wind out of me. "That's what I'm talking about! Let's go!"

As the group started spilling out toward the city, I couldn't help but smirk faintly to myself.
One night. Just one night without patrols.

What could go wrong?

****

The arcade was alive with noise and neon, as flashing lights bounced off the walls, the constant clack-clack of buttons and pounding bass from rhythm games filling the air. It had been a long time since I'd stepped into a place like this, and for once, it felt normal. Just a group of kids hanging out, no villains, no explosions, no Osborn breathing down my neck.

I stood at the light-gun machine, Time Crisis 2, the old-school cabinet with its chunky plastic pistols. The moment I started, everything else in the arcade faded. My reflexes kicked in, sharper than they had any right to be, almost like cheating. Enemies popped up, and before the screen had finished rendering the animation, I'd already snapped my aim and fired. Duck, reload, headshot, move. It felt like second nature. My score climbed higher and higher, the machine struggling to keep up with my pace. A few kids started gathering to watch, whispering as the digits ticked closer to the top of the leaderboard.