Can We Be Heroes?

Chapter 35• Early Tales of Future Heroes IV

The Underdog Nobody Wanted.

If there was one universal truth that united every student and teacher at Retkem Junior High, it was this, Minoru Mineta was gross.

There was no sugarcoating it. No kind-hearted "he's just misunderstood" defense. The boy was just plain weird, and not the good kind.

From his first year in school, Mineta had made sure everyone knew what was on his mind- and it was never anything deep or noble. His life revolved around one thing: girls. Not talking to them. Not learning from them. Just... observing, and in the worst possible way.

Whispers followed him wherever he went. The locker peeking incident, the bathroom mirror "malfunction." The rumors of a notebook that no one wanted to touch.

"Creep."
"Pervert."
"Freak."

Those were the nicest words tossed his way and the worst part? He never seemed to get it.

He waddled through the hallways with his oversized backpack and oversized ego, popping his sticky purple hair balls like they were cool, talking big about being a hero one day.

A hero!

The very idea was laughable to most.

"How's a guy like him supposed to make it into UA?" people would snicker. "They're not gonna let that leech into the top hero school in the country."

And to be honest Mineta had always heard it all. Every whisper, all the rightfully deserved insults and every disgusted look but he simply played it off with a smile or a joke. He leaned into the grossness. The jokes. The pervy persona.

Because that was easier than admitting he actually wanted something more. That he did want to be a hero. That he did want to prove everyone wrong.

That somewhere deep down, under the insecurity, under the terrible social skills, under the weirdness-there was a kid who didn't want to be forgotten or hated.

He wanted to stand among giants.

So while others trained to be the best, Mineta studied the smartest. He learned hero tactics, mobility strategies, quirk application, and practical escape plans. He couldn't punch like some explosive maniac with hunger issues or strategize like one of those vigilantes , but he knew how to think fast, stick opponents to walls, and escape alive.

Mineta knew deep down that he wasn't anyone's first pick. But maybe he could survive long enough to matter. And if he got into UA?

They'd all have to eat their words.

The Quiet Heart.

It was hard being someone like Koji Koda. An no, it wasn't because of his quirk or the way his parents treated him-but because of how he saw himself.

Koda was a gentle soul by nature. He didn't like violence. He didn't like yelling. And he certainly didn't like the way people flinched when they saw his face.

He never asked for his rough, stone-like skin or his towering intimidating build. From the outside, he looked more beast than boy. Teachers called him "unique," classmates called him "weird," and strangers... well, they often just stared.

And through it all, Koji remained quiet because no one ever really listened.

He'd often sit in the far corner of class, hands folded neatly on his desk, eyes down, hoping he wouldn't get picked to speak. Even if he had something kind to offer, he was always afraid his voice wouldn't come out right-or that people would only hear his looks.