Can We Be Heroes?

Chapter 43• Absent

The vast luxury office reeked of old money and newer sins. Polished black marble floors reflected the glow of crystal lights that hung like gallows above and along the far wall, a towering window overlooked the Mutsufus skyline, glittering like a galaxy of secrets.

But inside the room, it was colder than the steel lining the walls as two men stood behind the grand obsidian desk.

Mr. Eisen was silver-haired man with a jaw set like stone, and Mr. Thorn had dark-eyes which held a  dangerous stillness..They didn’t speak at first. Not even when Hit Ringer stepped through the door, bloody gloves tucked under one arm, rifle slung lazily across his back.

He walked in like he owned the place and eventually Eisen was the one who broke the silence first. “You failed.”

Thorn’s eyes narrowed, voice smooth and venomous. “Hex is still alive. You were given an open bounty and full discretion. And you came back empty-handed.”

Hit Ringer grinned as he tilted his head slightly, as if they’d just told a joke he had already heard.

“Failed?” he echoed. His voice was low, like thunder behind a closed door. “You think he got away from me by chance?”

He stepped forward, letting his fingers trail across the desk’s edge.

“I could’ve ended it. Put a bullet between his eyes. Watched the light go out. Right there in the alley.”

Eisen’s jaw tightened. “Then why didn’t you?”

Hit Ringer’s eyes darkened. His voice dropped lower. “Because it’s not about the kill.” He turned to face them fully..“It’s about the hunt.”

The room went quiet.

“I want him to run,” he said. “I want him to fear every shadow. I want him bleeding, gasping, paranoid, broken. I want to be the last thing he sees when he finally thinks he’s safe.”

He leaned forward, placing one hand flat on the desk. “Hex is mine and you don’t get to rush this.”

Eisen exhaled slowly. Thorn folded his arms, unimpressed. “And if he exposes us before your little game ends?” Thorn asked coolly. “If your obsession gets in the way of business?”

Hit Ringer didn’t blink. “Then I’ll make sure no one lives long enough to listen.”

A silence hung like a blade. Then Eisen turned away, brushing imaginary dust from his sleeve. “Keep the bounty open,” he muttered. “But if he finds out more and talks—”

“—then we burn the city,” Thorn finished.

Hit Ringer smiled faintly as he turned to leave.

“Gentlemen,” he said calmly, “I think you’ll enjoy watching him fall.”

-----------------

That morning class was unusually quiet. It was not even the peaceful kind, rather the stillness seemed off putting. The chatter that normally echoed in the morning was subdued. A few students mumbled about yesterday's attack. Others just scrolled through the news, faces tight with unease.

But Monoma wasn't listening to any of it as his eyes were locked on the empty seat beside him. Izuku Midoriya's desk was completely untouched. His backpack was absent and his notebooks gone.

He didn't show up..For the first time all semester, Monoma came to school without his friend.

A teacher had mentioned it casually. "Midoriya's out today. Called in sick."

But Monoma knew that was bullshit. Midoriya never missed school. Not once. Not even when he had a bruised rib or a cut lip after another one of Bakugo's outbursts.

"Sick," Monoma muttered under his breath, arms folded. "Right."

He didn't even notice Shinso drop into the seat in front of him until a juice box was shoved in his face. "You'll rupture something if you keep grinding your teeth like that," Shinso said dryly.

Monoma swatted the juice away, annoyed. "He's not sick."

Shinso raised an eyebrow. "Obviously."

Monoma frowned deeper. "So why the hell isn't he here?"

"Because," Shinso said simply, "whatever happened yesterday? It probably shook him up worse than we thought. He literally almost died."

Monoma's eyes flicked to him, confused.

"You saw him," Shinso added. "He ran like his lungs were collapsing. You don't move like that unless you're trying to outrun something way bigger than just a villain with a name." Monoma leaned back in his chair, restless. "He should've called. Texted. Something."

Shinso tilted his head, gaze sharp. "And if he doesn't want to talk about it?"

Monoma didn't respond. Because that wasn't an answer he liked. He hated silence. Hated not knowing about everything that was happening . And when Shinso continued, quieter this time...

"Sometimes people disappear when things get too loud in their head. Doesn't mean they want to be alone. But they need it."

.... Monoma exhaled, slowly. He was  still very much worried about his friend but by some miracle he managed to sit still for the rest of the lessons all the while eatching the clock and waiting.

Because even if Izuku needed space.... Monoma wasn't going to give him the chance to vanish for good.

-------------------------

Izuku stirred beneath the weight of his blanket, his face pressed into the edge of his pillow as the dull ache and stiff pain radiated from every joint like rusted metal.

He blinked slowly. The room was dim, the curtains drawn tight. The soft hum of the fridge down the hall was the only sound reminding him that he was actually home.

He was Safe, but for how long? He didn't even remember getting into bed. The last thing he remembered was blood gushing out everywhere like a fountainm. His arm. His leg. Ziggy's body hitting the floor. And Hit Ringer's voice.

Izuku swallowed hard and sat up slowly, wincing as the pull of his shoulder wound reminded him just how bad it had been. He had made it home late-really late. He'd scaled his window, slipped inside like a shadow, and collapsed without even taking off his shoes.

Now, in the quiet, with the adrenaline gone, everything felt heavier. His arm was properly wrapped-thank god for muscle memory-and he could feel the dried blood stuck to the inside of his sleeve.

He looked down at his hands and just as expected, they were shaking again. ‘He killed Ziggy.
Hit Ringer shot him without a second thought. Because of what he said. Because of what I heard.’

"Someone from the Commission."
"You weren't supposed to know."

Izuku leaned forward, covering his face with both hands, muffling a bitter, broken breath. The fear was back.He was never scared of villains, nor being hunted by pros and not even of dying.

But this time it was different. This was much more than he could have imagined. The deranged criminal free to roam about and do as he pleases and Izuku was scared of what this meant. Of how far up the corruption went.

He thought he was just uncovering blackmail and greed. But he should have known that he was also unearthing truths that could cost people their lives.

---

His phone buzzed once. Then again.

Monoma.
Shinso.
Even his teacher, briefly.

He stared at the screen but didn't unlock it, not yet, because he couldn't face anyone. Not until the fog in his head cleared and he figured out what the hell to do next.

So the greenette sat there, still in yesterday's clothes and whispered quietly into the silence of his room: "...What exactly did I get myself into?"