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

196

Denki swore silently.

Damn it. Midoriya was getting suspicious again—and of course he was. The guy had a sixth sense for sniffing out lies. No wonder he was All Might’s successor. He’d mastered One For All’s seven quirks, pros and cons, with a precision, Denki could only dream of.

Think, Denki. Pivot. Deflect. Push the question back on him. Maybe I can use—

He grimaced at the memory. That quirk malfunction... He wasn’t ready to talk about it. Not yet. He hadn’t even met that business course girl, he was supposed to connect with.

Now with Midoriya’s gaze locked onto him—sharp, searching. Looking for hesitation. For a lie.

Denki smirked.

He leaned in until their foreheads nearly touched, voice low and teasing. “Are you sure, Deku,” he murmured, “you’re not falling for my electric charm? I swear I saw a spark behind your iris.”

Midoriya blinked.

Processing.

Then, take three hilarious steps backwards down the stairs.

“What—no! Kaminari—I’m not—it’s not like that—!”

Denki burst out laughing. “Let’s focus, yeah? And pray Sir Nighteye’s found Overhaul’s hideout. We still need to save Eri-chan.”

The name hung in the air like static.

Midoriya straightened instantly, voice firm. “Yes. Sir Nighteye’s carrying out the investigation. He’ll confirm it this week. This time... I’ll grab Eri’s hand when she reaches for me this time for sure no hesitation. I promise for myself-you.

At the word 'You'. Denki raised an amused eyebrow.

Midoriya stops and realizes what he said and flustered and embarrassed says, "I- meant I- promise t-to  EVERYONE that's right that I and togata senpai will save Eri chan- I - I still remember that time when she had bumped while on patrol duty with senpai. She was so small. So scared. That tattered dress—”

Denki clapped his hands loudly, cutting off the ramble before it gave him a migraine. “Hero,” he grinned, “save your energy for Overhaul.

Denki felt Aizawa’s presence behind him before he heard it—his quirk picked up the static hum from Sensei’s boots. No need to turn around.

Aizawa Shouta’s POV

Leaning against the emergency staircase doorframe, Aizawa Shouta watched the scene unfold.

His hero outfit hung loose around his frame—capture weapon coils draped like a second skin, goggles perched on his forehead, and his scarf trailing like a shadow. The man looked like he hadn’t slept in days, but his eyes were sharp. Always sharp.

Something was off with Denki. Again.

Shouta narrowed his eyes.

He’d suspected  Denki's hallucinations were tied to that second healing quirk—an unknown-origin ability transferred by All for One, during the Kamino Ward incident. (Author’s Note: See Chapters 97–100 for context.)

And now? His problem child #1, Izuku Midoriya, was blushing and flustered, staring at problem child #2—Kaminari Denki—with a gaze that wasn’t tactical. It was... something else.

Shouta had seen that look before.

Love. Or at least the adolescent version of it that Midoriya hadn’t figured out how to label yet.

He sighed.

Time to break up the idiots.

With arms crossed and voice dry, he coughed once and said, “If you two lovebirds are done chit-chatting,” he said stoically, “Head back to the dormitory. No detours after leaving Sir Nighteye’s agency.”

Midoriya short-circuited at the word lovebirds, flailing his hands in panic. “It’s not what it looks like, Sensei! I was just—”

Denki gasped dramatically. “Midoriya-chan! You don't want to be my friend?”.

Denki dramatically turned around and looked at Shouta deliberately in the eye and winked.

“Sensei, I’ll make sure Deku gets to the dorm in one piece. No detours. Stay safe on patrol!”

Before Midoriya could protest, Denki grabbed his forearm and tugged him forward. “Start walking, Broccoli.”

Denki grimaced again. That quirk malfunction... Still not ready to talk about it.

Aizawa watched them go, muttering under his breath, “This class is going to put me in a hospital bed one day. BP spike, guaranteed.”