My Mangekyo Sharingan Can't Save My Hero Academia: 15 I'm Famous

[HINOHARA STREETS – 7:54 PM]

Yuta walked.

One foot in front of the other.

Hands buried deep in his pockets.

Hood pulled low enough that his face was just a suggestion of features in the dim streetlight.

Behind him, the crowd's roar faded into white noise—shock, awe, excitement, approval.

He didn't look back. Couldn't look back.

His hands were trembling inside his pockets.

Not from fear.

Not from adrenaline anymore.

From the sudden, creeping realization of what he'd just done.

'I beat a villain unconscious.'

'With a manhole cover.'

'Twelve times.'

'While he begged for help.'

'In front of at least fifty people.'

'With cameras.'

His eye twitched.

'What is wrong with me.'

This day had taken him from “mildly stressful” to “personal descent into madness” in record-breaking time.

It was official.

Today was the worst day of his life.

He could already see the headlines forming like storm clouds.

“U.A. STUDENT GOES FULL YAKUZA ON VILLAIN.”

“MANHOLE MAN. HERO OR MENACE?”

“LOCAL BOY SINGLES OUT VILLAIN’S FAMILY LINE FOR EXTINCTION.”

His lips twitched painfully.

Heroes would see it.

Villains would see it.

The school.

The teachers.

His mother.

God—his mother.

‘I'm dead.’

‘I’m so dead.’

‘Mom’s going to kill me, resurrect me out of spite, and kill me again.’

He sped up.

His classmates tomorrow were going to stare at him like he crawled out of the ocean to ask if they’d heard the good word about blunt-force trauma.

Yeah, sure, beating a villain was cool.

But hitting him in the nuts on video?

That was permanent.

People would show their kids.

It would be an educational clip.

‘Maybe I can move. Transfer schools. Fake my death. Join a monastery. Leave Japan. Leave Earth. New name, new life—yes, that sounds great.’

He turned down a small side street.

Empty. Quiet. Blissful normalcy.

For exactly ten seconds.

“H-hey! Kid!”

Yuta stopped mid-step.

Slowly… painfully slowly… he turned around.

Sentinel—helmet cracked, armor dented, looking like a man who had been put in a washing machine with a bag of bricks—was half-jogging, half-limping toward him.

Behind him, a few other heroes from the Sentinel Agency struggled to keep up.

The picture was… absurd.

Sentinel raised a hand.

“Wait— hold on— you— you!”

Yuta internally groaned.

The man finally reached him, bent forward with hands on his knees, coughing up dust.

“Kid,” Sentinel wheezed, “you—you gotta— you gotta slow down when someone is calling you.”

“I didn’t hear you,” Yuta said flatly.

Sentinel looked up at him.

“…You were jogging.”

“Selective hearing.”

Sentinel opened his mouth.

Considered arguing.

Remembered the manhole cover.

Closed his mouth.

Behind him, another hero—Wind Jacket, a woman with wind gloves and the tired eyes of someone five minutes away from quitting—stared at Yuta like he was a baby velociraptor with a knife.

“…So,” Sentinel said, straightening with a wince, “You, uh… mind explaining what just happened back there?”

Yuta blinked.

“Which part?”

Sentinel made a vague, helpless gesture.

“The part where you beat a villain like he owed you money.”

Yuta shrugged.

“He attacked you.”

“That… that is true,” Sentinel admitted. “But the manhole cover—”

“It was nearby.”

Wind Jacket mumbled, “It was welded to the floor.”

“I got a few that weren't. No property damages,” Yuta replied.

Sentinel stared at him, then shook his head.

“Okay. Alright. Look—kid—normally, when a civilian, especially an unlicensed minor, attacks a villain, there is a protocol.”

"Except I didn't use a quirk."

"Huh?"

"I threw the manhole with my hands. There was no quirk involved."

"The distance ..."

"I once took Javelin classes. I have naturally strong muscles."

He cut them off before they could finish.

"... Um ... Regardless. You attacked someone."

“I acted in self-defense.”

“He was attacking me.”

“And he threatened me.”

“He threatened you after you hit him the first time.”

Yuta raised a finger.

“Allegedly.”

Sentinel stared.

Wind Jacket whispered to the hero beside her, “Is this what U.A. is teaching now?”

The guy whispered back, “I don’t think U.A. teaches bludgeoning.”

"Could've fooled me."

Sentinel sighed, rubbing his forehead beneath his cracked visor.

"Kid—listen. Legally, we need to take your statement. Police are involved. Media's already circling. This is—" He gestured vaguely at everything. "—a thing now."

Yuta nodded slowly.

"That's fine."

"Good. Good." Sentinel exhaled in relief. "Just come with us to the agency and—"

"Actually," Yuta said, "I'd prefer to do it tomorrow."

Sentinel blinked.

"…Tomorrow?"

"Yes. Tomorrow. After school."

“Why?”

“I’m tired.”

Sentinel stared again.

Wind Jacket mouthed silently: He’s tired?!

"You're what?"

"I was just threatened by a villain and forced to save a Pro Hero who couldn't take care of himself. The circumstances have left me feeling quite traumatized. I will need proper rest to even begin recovering from it."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Watching him say all that with a straight face, the silence that followed was practically deafening.

Yuta looked at the cracked helmet, the scorched armor, the man’s barely-standing posture.

“Also,” Yuta added quietly. “You need a hospital.”

Wind Jacket sucked in a sharp breath.

“Boss… he’s trying to schedule his own arrest.”

“It’s not an arrest,” Sentinel muttered. “It’s protocol.”

Wind Jacket looked back at Yuta.

“Kid, I appreciate the… uh… enthusiasm for bedtime. Really. But legally, we need a guardian present when a minor gives a statement. And since your guardian—”

She stopped.

Her eyes narrowed.

“…Wait. Why do you look familiar?”

Yuta blinked.

"I am?"

“Yeah. I was thinking the same thing. He looks like—” another pro replied.

Wind jacket snapped her fingers.

“Sharp eyes. That deadpan face. Similar features .. just the hair ... Oh hell—”

She pointed accusingly.

“Aiko’s kid?”

Yuta winced.

“Oh.” Sentinel's expression softened slightly. “Aiko… the rescue specialist? She retired a few days ago, right?”

“Retired?” Wind Jacket scoffed. “She got stabbed in the spine by Stain. That’s not retirement.”

That was a forced career change.

Everyone winced.

Sentinel rubbed his temples. Things had just gotten more complicated.

“Of course you’re her kid. Only Aiko’s son would hit a villain twelve times without blinking.”

“I blinked,” Yuta said.

“No you didn’t,” Sentinel replied immediately.

Wind Jacket nodded. “Not once.”

Yuta resisted the urge to curl into a tree and photosynthesize eternally.

Sentinel cleared his throat.

“Look… kid. Given the circumstances, you’re not in trouble.”

Yuta stared at him dumbly.

“…I’m not?”

Sentinel raised a finger.

“One: Molten Jackal is wanted in four prefectures. Two: he tried to kill me. Three: he threatened you. Four: you did not kill him.”

Wind Jacket raised her hand.

“…Except the family line.”

“Not legally binding!” Sentinel snapped.

He turned back to Yuta.

“Five: there are at least fifty witnesses. Every one of them will testify you acted in defense of a pro hero. Six: you’re Aiko’s son. And seven—”

He sighed, deeply, mournfully.

“—the media is going to love you.”

Yuta’s stomach dropped again.

“I don’t want them to love me.”

“Too bad,” Sentinel said. “They’re already halfway in a parasocial relationship with you.”

Yuta felt his soul leave his body.

Sentinel clapped him weakly on the shoulder.

"For her sake. I'll help you out in this once. You can go. Just… have your guardian bring you tomorrow to sign the paperwork."

Yuta almost choked.

“My… mom?”

“Yes. Legal guardian. Standard procedure.”

The color drained from Yuta’s face.

‘Oh. Fantastic. I can’t wait to explain the manhole-cover thing.’

“Sure,” he said with dead eyes.

Sentinel relaxed.

"Good. Also, a word of advice. You better call her and tell her all of this before she finds out herself on the news."

Yuta's lips twitched. "It can't be that fast, right?"

Wind Jacket muttered, "Kid, it's been ten minutes. She's definitely seen the news."

Yuta's eye twitched even harder.

Sentinel pointed behind Yuta.

Yuta turned around.

And froze.

The crowd at the end of the street had grown.

Not fifty people anymore.

Closer to eighty.

Phones raised. Recording. Livestreaming. Zooming.

Someone in the back was holding up a handmade sign that read: "MANHOLE HERO #1 FAN"

Yuta's soul attempted to evacuate his body through his ear canal.

"Oh no," he whispered.

Wind Jacket sighed and turned her phone toward him.

On screen, a video titled:

"UNIDENTIFIED U.A. STUDENT DESTROYS VILLAIN WITH MANHOLE COVER (FULL VIDEO)"

Views: 312,000

Likes: 89,000

Comments: 14,627

Trending Rank: #1 in Japan

Posted: 11 minutes ago

Yuta stared.

Then looked at Sentinel.

Then at the ground.

"…I'm going home."

No one stopped him.

When the boy finally disappeared from sight, Wind Jacket turned to Sentinel. "…Is he allowed to leave like that?" Sentinel exhaled tiredly, watching the boy disappear into the evening crowd.

"At this point? Yeah. I don't get paid enough to stop him."

"…Fair point."

"I gotta admit. Kid's got balls."

"Just like his mom alright."

"Kid's gonna be famous by morning." Sentinel sighed, pulling out his phone. "And Aiko's gonna kill me for letting it happen."

He dialed.

It rang once.

Twice.

Three times.

Then voicemail.

"This is Aiko. Leave a message."

Sentinel grimaced.

"Aiko, it's Yoruichi. Listen, uh… your son just saved my life. And also beat a villain unconscious with a manhole cover. In front of cameras. It's… it's going viral. Call me back. Please. Before you see it on the news."

He hung up.

Wind Jacket raised an eyebrow.

"Think she'll see that before the internet does?"

Sentinel looked at the crowd still recording, phones raised like digital torches.

"... No."

___

[INTERNET – 8:15 PM]

The video spread like wildfire.

Within twenty minutes, it had been reposted to every major platform.

Twitter. TikTok. HeroWatch. Quirk Tube. The works.

Comments poured in by the thousands.

@RebelHeroFan:

BRO HIT HIM TWELVE TIMES I'M CRYING

@MightBeAVillain:

the dedication. the commitment. the MALICE.

@JusticeWatcher:

Villain: threatens revenge

This kid: So anyway I started swinging

@AllMightStan:

Sentinel really said "you know what, you make a good point" and WALKED AWAY I'M DEAD

@HeroNews24:

BREAKING: U.A. student involved in Hinohara villain takedown. Identity unknown. Witnesses confirm he acted in defense of Pro Hero Sentinel. Full story at 9.

@SomeRandomDad:

I showed this to my son and he asked if this was allowed. I said no. He said it should be.

@FuturePro:

someone count the hits. I got twelve. TWELVE. That's not self-defense that's a

GRUDGE.

@RespectfullyNo:

respectfully, that villain is NOT getting up tomorrow. or having kids. ever.

@SomeVillainProbably:

Note to self: avoid U.A. students. Especially ones with construction materials.

Likes: 12K

@Dabi_Real: If I see a U.A. kid with a manhole cover, I'm walking the other way.

___

[U.A. TEACHERS’ LOUNGE – UNKNOWN WHO SEES IT FIRST]

“…Please tell me that’s not one of ours.”

“…Please.”

“…Please—oh god it is.”