This time I will protect them I won't be a coward

185

Denki's search was abruptly interrupted when something red floated into his vision. He blinked, startled as a bright balloon brushed against his face, momentarily obscuring his view.

The absurdity of the moment struck him—amid the chaos and tension, here was a simple, carefree object blocking his path.

For a brief second, he stood frozen, his panic giving way to something almost surreal.

Denki blinked his amber eyes as a jester handed him a red balloon.

He was about to politely refuse, only to freeze in fright when he heard the jester speak to him in a mechanical, methodical, and unnervingly creepy voice, "Why do you refuse to use the grim's power bestowed upon you, Kaminari Denki? I must remind you—the wheels of fate are in motion."

The jester, dressed in eccentric colors that eerily matched its words, tilted its head in an unnatural manner.

As triggering something inside Denki.

Denki felt the healing quirk inside him roar in anger and pain at those words.

He opened his mouth, about to ask what the jester meant by its cryptic message, but before he could speak, his body swayed uncontrollably.

An unbearable pain erupted through him, causing him to vomit blood.

He coughed violently, his vision blurred by the tears streaming down his face. Blinking through the haze, he tried to focus, but the jester was nowhere in sight.

As his world tilted, he felt himself being caught by none other than the third-ranked pro hero, Hawks.

Hawks extended his vibrant red wings to shield Denki from the public's view.

In the same motion, he turned towards the circus troupe performing illegally on the street and ordered them to pack up and leave immediately.

Denki, wracked with pain, could feel Hawks’ feathers curling protectively around him.

One persistent feather kept tickling his nose, and he weakly tried to push it away with his bloodied hand. It didn’t work.

Frustrated, Denki tapped into his quirk, snapping the feather cocoon apart. But as soon as he fell free of Hawks’ wings, he stumbled, only to collapse into the arms of Midoriya.

“Kaminari-kun!” Midoriya shouted frantically.

“Oh my god, you’re covered in blood! What did you do—huh? Hawks-san?”

Hawks raised his hands defensively, “Hey, I didn’t do anything! I was doing my hero duty when I saw him coughing and vomiting blood.”

Midoriya’s eyes widened in alarm.

“Did you just say vomiting blood?!” he shrieked, his panic escalating.

Hawks nodded, looking perplexed at the boy’s reaction.

Izuku glanced down at the unconscious Denki in his arms, his mind racing. He needed to call Recovery Girl, but how? His hands were already occupied holding Kaminari-kun.

Calm down, Izuku. Kaminari-kun will be okay. He always coughs up blood, right? No, no, no—don’t panic! Vomiting blood is different! This is bad!

Desperately, Midoriya looked up at Hawks. “Please, call Recovery Girl!”

Hawks nodded. “An ambulance is already on its way,” he reassured.

“But if you want Recovery Girl, I’ll contact her too. Chill out, Midoriya. A hero never works under pressure.”