The Hunter Amongst Villains

Chapter 17: The Man Behind the Mask

The duo made their camp in Hosu, waiting for a chance to engage the Hero Hunter at apropos. The hotel Toshinori stayed in was in somewhat dire straits ever since the Hero Hunter staked his claim in Hosu, the influx of visitors decreasing to a crawl, but it still held on. Toshinori had more than enough currency to stay in this hotel for months if need be, thanks to Sir Nighteye's efforts.

Izuku, on the other hand, could not stay in Hosu as often as Yagi due to his personal life. The best he could do was to join Yagi after school hours on weekdays, searching for Garou in the late afternoon.

The next day after the one-sided slaughter of the villains, Toshinori and Izuku searched for Garou once more, starting with the usual place. However, another hero was engaging Garou. It was Crimson Riot, rechallenging Garou in retaliation for his record of defeats and humiliations.

For some reason, Garou always gave Crimson Riot special attention even before the truce, picking on him more than the other heroes. Izuku still took note of how Garou always liked turning him into a human pretzel after emasculating him again and again, defaming the courageous hero without an iota of shame.

It was a wonder that Crimson Riot could challenge Garou on his home turf. Garou played with him for a while before turning Crimson Riot into a pretzel again, throwing him at the ambulance to pick up. No one really knew what Garou had against Crimson Riot, but he never stopped picking on the poor hero.

Afterward, they waited for the Hero Hunter to leave the arena during lunchtime. Even the Demon of Hosu had needs that he could not ignore, such as the need for food, drink, and sleep, after all. He was hard to track, so the duo started with the nearby restaurants, looking for locations where he could dine in peace, but lo, they encountered Garou eating at a stall.

Some of Hosu's residents were aware of the Hero Hunter's identity, a fact that surprised the Hero and apprentice. Even some of the shopkeepers were casually speaking Garou's name in private, like the shrimp-headed chef. Not only that, the unmasked hero Ingenium made a surprise visit, asking them what was wrong, yet when Ingenium noticed that Garou was eating alone, he surprised the two by dining with Garou.

How the residents acclimated to Garou's presence outside his Hero Hunter persona surprised the two, adding further credence that Garou was never a villain in the first place compared to the everyday folks.

After Garou left the stall, they made sure to follow him to the best of their ability until they found a way to make the first contact with the Hero Hunter - one that wouldn't entail a reservation with the hospital. The Hero Hunter made his warning clear about his tolerance against spies from the government, and the two were in doing something that would warrant a painful trip to the hospital.

However, when the Hero Hunter made a sharp turn into a shadowy alley, Yagi and Izuku perked their heads upon seeing his entering. The two glanced at each other, one gulping audibly and the other tugging at his collar to cool his nervous sweat.

With palpable hesitation, the two peeked around the corner, widening their eyes upon seeing him gone.

"H-He's gone! U-Um, d-do you think he i-is onto us?" Midoriya almost shouted before he clasped his mouth shut, shaking in his knees.

Toshinori was about to respond, but the voice behind answered first.

"Long time no see, skeleton." A dangerously familiar voice spoke behind them.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Midoriya yelled.

"ADWOEFJERIFHELDJWOEDJIERGNWIJFQEJO!" Toshinori screamed his heart in untranslatable gibberish.

They threw their heads behind to see the unamused eyes of the Demon of Hosu bearing down on them. He somehow got behind them, but neither of the stalkers was surprised by this feat.