Regress || bnha x op!reader

28: The Cost of Egos

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❝ Some people spend their whole lives walking on unpaved roads. ❞

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"Is this too tight?" the girl right in front of you asked.

Her hair was like a glimpse of the orange sunset, long and tied into a high ponytail at the side. When she raised her head, you found yourself unable to look away from her teal eyes.

A beautiful girl like her was commonly seen on television, but not in real life. Yet here you were— staring directly at her as she talked directly to you.

Were you in heaven or something?

"(L/n)-san?"

"Huh?" You snapped out of your starstruck daze. "Oh, no. No, it's okay. I don't mind. The rope is fine." It's not like you were new to this hostage situation anyway. Plus, a little pain on the wrist isn't a bad thing if you're seeing a beautiful, future celebrity right in front of you (aren't all of them considered future celebrities though..?)

Kendo smiled, unaware of your inner thoughts. "Just tell us if the rope feels too tight on you, okay?"

You nodded, and that seemed to satisfy her.

From the corner of your eyes, Monoma paced back and forth. Even from afar, you could see the slight conflict in his entire body— as if he was fighting himself over a thought.

But then he stopped, and he tossed a glance at the two of you past his shoulder.

"Kendo, I'll take care of things here," he said, checking the small clock in his hand. "Our five minutes of preparation is almost done. You should head out and prepare to rescue Shinso for now."

Kendo turned to the boy in confusion. "Wouldn't it be better if I stayed here to defend instead?"

"Change of plans." Monoma placed the tiny clock back on his belt and approached. "Your Quirk would be far more suitable than mine if we plan on doing an offensive approach. Awase and Kaibara, whoever decides to stay and protect Shinso, both of them are good at fighting. You saw how well they did during the Quirk Assessment test yesterday, didn't you? Between you and I, you would be the best person to deal with those two so I will stay here instead."

"...Are you sure?" Even Kendo didn't seem to be convinced by his words. "I think it would be better if you were the one who rescues Shinso-kun instead."

Monoma shook his head with a smile on his face. "That's the main battle, Kendo. There would be too much risk if I went there. My Quirk is useful for a short amount of time, but against battle-driven guys like Kaibara or Awase whose instincts surpass mine, it can easily become useless."

Momoma caught your silent gaze, but as quick as he did, as quick he looked away.

"After all, this is a chance for you to take over the spotlight," he added with a smile different from his taunting one. This one was more welcoming, and softer. "With your brains and applications, fighting against the other team would be like a stroll in the park. Of course, I am not going to let you pull all of my weight." Monoma tapped his ear. "We have this communication device to call on each other. If you need any help, you can call my name. But I am confident that such a thing won't happen. You are quite a capable person after all."

Kendo looked as if she wanted to interject, but it was obvious Monoma was set on his answer already. So she nodded instead. "Alright, but let's prepare another backup plan just in case something unexpected happens."