Can We Be Heroes?

Chapter 7. Rage,Rage,Rage!!!! Against your bully!

Yagi Toshinori stared at the phone in his hand, the line dead after his son had cut him off. Again.

He sighed deeply, running a hand through his blonde hair in frustration. Another failed attempt. Another conversation with his son that went nowhere. It always seemed to end the same way-with Monoma's cold anger and Yagi left feeling like he'd somehow made things worse.

The rift between them had grown wider with each passing year. Ever since Monoma's mother death, Yagi had struggled to find the right way to connect with his son. They'd been close once, before everything had fallen apart, but now it felt like no matter what he said or did, Monoma only drifted further away.

It had been eight years since her departure, and Yagi could still feel the ache of that loss. But for Monoma, it was more than grief-it had turned into something else.

Resentment. And Yagi had no idea how to bridge the ever growing gap between them.

He had thought that giving Monoma space would help, that letting him live on his own might allow him to heal in his own way. But it hadn't worked. If anything, Monoma's hatred for him had only grown stronger. The distance hadn't helped; it had only pushed them further apart.

Yagi sighed again, placing the phone down on the desk in front of him. What am I doing wrong? he wondered for the thousandth time. He was All Might, the hero who could save anyone, but when it came to his own son, he was powerless.

He couldn't shake the feeling that he was failing Monoma. Every attempt to reconnect, every phone call, every check-in-it always ended with the same cold distance, the same bitterness in Monoma's voice. No matter how hard Yagi tried to reach out, it was like his son had already made up his mind to shut him out.

And it hurt.

More than Yagi was willing to admit, it hurt him deeply. He could handle the burden of the world on his shoulders, face the most dangerous villains, and stand tall in the face of fear with an unwavering smile. But this? His relationship with Monoma felt like an unsolvable problem, one that made him feel helpless.

He stood up, walking over to the window, his eyes scanning the city skyline. The lights twinkled below, the city peaceful in this moment, but Yagi's mind was the complete opposite. He had responsibilities, duties as All Might, and he knew he had to focus on them. But how could he, when his own son hated him so much?

The sound of the city below filled the silence, but all Yagi could think about was the coldness in Monoma's voice. You weren't there, Dad. You were never there when I needed you.

Those words echoed in his head, hitting him harder than any villain ever had.

Yagi knew he hadn't been perfect. His life as a hero had consumed so much of his time, especially when Monoma was younger. He had tried to be both a hero and a father, but somewhere along the way, he had failed to strike that balance. And by the time he realized it, it was too late. Monoma had already pulled away, his anger building with each passing year.

What hurt the most was that Yagi didn't know how to fix it. He didn't know how to reach Monoma anymore, how to break through that wall of resentment. All he wanted was to be there for his son, to help him through his pain, but every time he tried, he felt Monoma slipping further from his grasp.

Maybe Monoma was right to resent him. Maybe Yagi had failed him in more ways than he was willing to admit. But even so, he couldn't give up. Not on Monoma. Not on his son.

Yagi clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. He would keep trying. No matter how many times Monoma pushed him away, he would keep reaching out. He had lost too much already-he couldn't afford to lose his only son, too.