Chapter 3: Chapter 3
//Three months later//
After three months of recovery, I finally regained my mobility, although with some limitations to avoid putting too much strain on my bones.
As I finished tying my shoes on the step in front of the door, Mineta's mother approached me with a worried expression, her hands clasped in front of her chest.
"Baby, are you sure you're okay going to school?" she asked gently. "I know the doctor said it would be better for you to move around and not just stay in bed, but I think going to school might still be too much. Don't you think so?"
Her concern was understandable. But I was determined to resume my normal routine and not let my condition hold me back any longer.
"I've been feeling much better lately, and I don't want to fall behind on my studies. Plus, being around my friends will help lift my spirits," I said with a smile, trying to ease her anxiety.
She hesitated for a moment, still unsure, but eventually nodded. "Just promise me you'll take it easy and listen to your body," she said, her voice softening.
"I'll be fine. The school is just a few blocks away, and it's not like I'm going to do anything stupid. So don't worry," I said, trying to reassure her.
Picking up my backpack, I stood up and turned back to her, wrapping her in a hug. "I will be leaving now."
Hugging her has become somewhat of a routine, it's a way to rebuild our past relationship as she said. And besides, they were the ones taking care of me, so it felt like a fair exchange.
"Do you want me to walk you there?" She asked, her eyes pleading with concern.
I hesitated for a moment, then sighed in defeat. "Alright, alright," I conceded, realizing that her worry wouldn't ease until she saw me safely at the school.
...
After arriving at the gate, Mineta's mother gave me one last hug. "You're all grown up now, so you can go on your own. Take care, baby."
"Take care," I replied softly, returning her hug before stepping away.
As she walked off, I stood at the entrance of my new school, taking in the view. Closing my eyes, I took a long breath in, savoring the refreshing scent of the setting. It felt invigorating, which is a welcome change from the atmosphere inside my room.
As I opened my eyes, I was suddenly bumped by someone, jolting me to the side.
"Oh, sorry dude. I didn't see you," the guy who bumped into me muttered with a smirk, casting me a dismissive side glance as if I were nothing more than an insect.
I wasn't particularly angry at his mocking, ugly face. But for some reason, a grin spread across my innocent face, and my eyes felt bloodshot. I could feel all my hair standing up, and my blood boiling, creeping through my whole being.
Frozen for a few seconds, I finally managed to move and covered my face with my left palm, breathing heavily for no apparent reason. Fortunately, I was able to suppress the sudden surge of a familiar emotion.
After that unsettling encounter, I continued on my way to the classroom as instructed by Mineta's mother earlier.
...
Walking inside, I found no one in the classroom. It was probably too early, considering classes didn't start until 7:00 a.m. and I arrived at 5:30 a.m.
Scanning the room, I searched for a seat that likely had no owner yet. After a few moments, I spotted two armchairs at the back, near the trash can, devoid of any books or school supplies underneath them. Despite passing numerous lockers larger than myself on my way here, it seemed students were too lazy to make the trek back and forth to store their things.
Choosing the chair on my left, I gently set down my backpack. But before I could settle in, a foot planted itself beside my bag and kicked it to the other side of the room, leaving only the swinging foot that nearly grazed my face.
Lifting my head to confront the source, I found myself face to face with a familiar figure, flanked by two other goons behind him. "The fuck, who are you? And why are you in my fucking seat, bitch?" he demanded with an aggressive tone.
It seems I chose the wrong chair. I had a feeling that either of these seats might already have an owner, and I confirmed it after checking the master list of students posted at the door. There was an extra seat accounted for, which meant the owner of this chair was either a well-disciplined model student who kept everything in its proper place, or a scumbag who didn't even bother to bring anything to school.
And it seems it's the latter.
"Are you ignoring me, you fucker?!" The guy shouted like the idiot he was and threw a sucker punch at me, thinking I was an easy target.
"Arghhh!"
The two guys behind him were shocked to see their "boss" now holding his injured arm, crying out in pain as a ballpoint pen was embedded near his radial pulse, causing a lot of bleeding from the small hole.
"You little shit!" Despite witnessing what happened to his friend, the other goon was still brave enough to throw a sloppy right front kick at me. I could tell he lacked manners and respect, given that he was wearing slippers despite the school regulations against it.
The guy fell on his back and cried like a baby, wailing around while holding his foot in agony. "AHHHHHH! MY FOOT!"
"What the..!? A-are you not afraid of the school?! Y-you really just stabbed him." The last goon panicked and backed away.
I couldn't blame him though; he was probably terrified by my small face, now contorted into a terrifying expression much like earlier at the gate. My left hand held a pair of scissors, trickling with blood, which I had just pulled from the other guy's foot.
"Fuck, I'm gonna call the teacher!" He tried to run away, only to stumble back and trip. Unfortunately for him, I caught the end of his right sleeve with my sticky ball attached to my belt.
"W-what are you doing?!" The guy said in fear as I crouched down and placed a metallic ballpen between his freed fingers alternately. I stepped on his forearm with my right foot to prevent him from slipping away, brought my left knee upwards, and stomped down on his fingers, creating a cracking noise. "ΑΗΗΗΗΗΗ!"
Perhaps they're puzzled by the sudden appearance of those pens and scissors, given that my bag was thrown off earlier. But that's because of my habit - I always stash them in my pockets before heading out.
Someone came in, probably one of our classmates, and saw the mess that was the aftermath - the blood on the floor and the three students lying on the ground.
"W-wha... What happened?!" She exclaimed and immediately ran back, probably to call a teacher.
Fortunately, the sticky ball wore off pretty easily because of my current condition and I was fast enough to immediately jump out of the window, leaving my bag behind. Now, I was sticking to the wall on all fours with my quirk. I was really lucky to have a classroom at the back side of the school beside the trees, so I'm positive no one saw me except those three. Though I'm not expecting them to remain silent about it, just in case they do, I hid myself.
After that, I secretly scaled the wall and went to the boys' restroom, which I had to check each time through the window. I entered one of the cubicles and pretended to take a dump.
Behind the door, I heard two different sets of footsteps.
"Hey, did you hear what happened to Class 3-C?"
"Oh, about Mayumura's three-man group? Yeah, I heard they destroyed a crew from another school yesterday."
"No, not that, dude. I was talking about earlier in their classroom."
"Huh? So, did something happen?"
"Bruh, they got messed up. I mean, literally. Jugo was stabbed in the foot, Giren's hand was crushed, and Mayumura's arm was limping and couldn't be moved."
"Yoww, what. Is that for real? Who had the guts to do that? Even their group was not brave enough to make serious injuries like that, much less cause bleeding."
As I strained to hear more of their conversation, a sharp pain coursed through my body, causing me to scowl. "Arghhh! Shouldn't have let myself get so carried away," I muttered through clenched teeth before everything faded to black.
The next thing I knew, I was tumbling forward, my face colliding with the door with a thud. The sudden impact caused it to swing open, startling the two students who had been deep in conversation.
...
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone