Kapitel 49: Do You Want To Be A Hero? (30) | Lies and Believe
"Why...?" Katsuki's voice trembled, yet her glare was unwavering, the pressure she exerted on Izuku only growing stronger. "If you really don't want to be a hero... then why did you even bother saving me then...?"
"..."
Izuku froze at her words—words that cut deeper than he wanted to admit.
He turned silent under her piercing gaze, yet his own body betrayed him. The tension in his shoulders, the slight twitch in his jaw—he couldn't keep his discomfort hidden from her.
She noticed it all too well... and it only deepened the sadness in her eyes, though she refused to let it weaken her resolve.
"I'm not an idiot, Izuku..." Katsuki's voice softened, but her tone still carried weight. "From your insane story to the fact that your second life as this green nutjob went unnoticed for so long till today... It's pretty damn obvious that you've been trying to keep this secret life of yours a secret, haven't you?"
"..."
He still remained silent, but the small frown that managed to slip through his otherwise stoic expression spoke volumes.
Katsuki wasn't wrong... and the truth of her words only pushed her to press further.
"And yet..."
Her eyes narrowed, a faint tremor in her words as her grip on his collar tightened.
"...Why did you save me?"
Her free hand clenched into a trembling fist, her frustration laid bare for him to see.
"You could have kept it a secret... IF you hadn't saved me. And yet... you saved me, at the cost of the whole world knowing your secret."
"..."
"So then... why, Izuku?" she asked once more, her gaze searching his face for any sign of an answer, even as the tension between them thickened.
"..."
Izuku's lips parted slightly, but no words came out at first. His gaze drifted to the side, as though searching for an answer that wasn't there.
"...I don't know," he finally muttered, his voice low and uncertain.
"... you don't know?"
Katsuki's grip on his collar faltered for a moment, surprised by his answer. Her frustration, however, gave way to a flicker of confusion.
"...What the hell do you mean you don't know?"
Izuku's hands hung limply at his sides, his shoulders sagging further.
"It just... happened," he said, almost like he was trying to convince himself. "My body... it moved on its own."
Her brows furrowed, her grip tightening again as she leaned closer.
"That's not an answer, Izuku," she pressed, her voice trembling with both anger and something she couldn't quite place.
"...It's all I have," he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. He paused, his gaze flickering toward her, then quickly away as if the weight of her stare was too much. "I didn't think about it. I didn't plan it. I just... did it."
Katsuki's lips pressed into a thin line, her frustration growing.
"You're telling me you ruined your entire secret, your whole hidden life, just because your body decided to move?!"
Izuku winced but didn't argue. Instead, he hesitated before adding softly, "I guess... maybe it's because I care about you, I don't know..."
"What...?"
His words hung in the air, awkward and unfinished, as if he wasn't entirely sure of them himself.
"But that's... pretty much it. That's all I can say."
"..."
And for a moment, Katsuki just stared at him, her grip loosening slightly as if his answer had drained the fight out of her.
"That's all you can say...?" she repeated, her voice barely above a whisper.
"Yeah..." Izuku muttered, his tone both apologetic... and unsure.
Silence fell between them once more, the weight of his vague confession lingering in the cold night air. Katsuki, however... hung her head, her bangs shielding her eyes from view, but the slight tremble of her hands betrayed the storm of emotions within.
"Liar..."
Her voice cut through the heavy silence, low but sharp, like a dagger aimed straight at him.
"Katsuki?"
Izuku blinked, startled by the trace of venom in her tone.
"You're still lying to me...?"
"Lying...?"
She stepped closer. Her glare burned into him—demanding an answer he didn't have...!
"After all this time... you still won't be truthful to me?"
The pain in her voice stabbed deeper than any accusation. Her words carried even more weight than he'd expected, each one dragging him further into uncertainty.
"W-what are you talking about...?"
Izuku's brows furrowed, confusion written all over his face.
"Deku...! You damn liar!"
She shouted directly to his face! Her voice almost cracked, frustration boiling over as she yanked him close, their faces inches apart.
"Katsuki?!"
The intensity of her gaze, so raw and unfiltered, made him freeze in place.
"Stop lying to me!"
"What?! I'm not lying to you!"
Izuku protested, his voice trembling with a mix of defensiveness and desperation. But his response came out sharper than intended, and the fire in her eyes left him no room to breathe.
"Yes, you are! You lied to me about caring about me!"
"...!"
Her words hit him like a blow to the chest, leaving him momentarily stunned. He tried to argue, but his throat tightened as guilt clawed at him.
Deep down... he couldn't deny how much his vague answers must have hurt her.
"You also lied about all of those sweet words about me being able to be a great hero!"
She continued, her voice trembling slightly, but her anger didn't waver.
"Ugh...! I didn't lie about that, Katsuki!" Izuku blurted out, his voice rising in desperation. "I know you will be a great hero! I know that you have a heart of justice and kindness. That's why—"
"Liar!"
She cut him off, her voice raw with emotion.
"You self-righteous idiot! You think you know everything about me... but you don't! You don't know anything about me!"
"...!"
Izuku's eyes widened, the sharpness of her words rendering him speechless as she refuted his claim with such force...
Because she was right. He didn't know anything about her.
"You think I could be a great hero one day? Hah! Yeah, right! That's a load of BS!"
She laughed at her own words, but the sound was bitter—filled with self-loathing that made Izuku's chest tighten painfully.
This part of Katsuki startled him. He hadn't expected this side of her... a side so full of doubt and pain that it felt almost foreign.
Katsuki let out another bitter laugh. Her gaze drifted somewhere far away... like she was staring into a memory she didn't want to relive.
"You want to know the truth?" she began, her voice low, trembling, yet unyielding. "I'm not the person you think I am... Izuku."
He blinked at her words, his confusion growing, but the weight in her voice kept him silent.
"I'm brash, unsociable... hot-headed. And yeah, violent." She spat the last word like it burned her tongue, her fists trembling at her sides. "I hurt people, Izuku. I push them away. Every. Damn. Time."
"Katsuki..."
"And my quirk? Heh..." She gave a hollow, humorless laugh. "Explosion? Seriously... what kind of hero uses a quirk like that? It's neither flashy nor cool—it's destructive. It's made to destroy things, to hurt people. People like me... shouldn't even be called heroes."
Her words hit him harder than any blast she'd ever thrown his way. He could see the cracks in her tough facade—cracks he'd never noticed before...
Or maybe... he just never looked closely enough.
Izuku wanted to refute her words, trying his hardest to find some reassuring words for her. But...
What could he even say? She was laying herself bare, and for the first time, he realized how little he truly understood her. Anything he would say to her wouldn't be genuine at all.
"You're surprised, aren't you?" Katsuki said, a sad smile tugging at the corner of her lips. "Bet you didn't think I had it in me, huh?"
"...!" N-no, Katsuki, that's not—"
"But you did lie." Her voice hardened again, cutting him off. "You lied when you said I could be a great hero."
Izuku flinched, her words sinking deep into his chest.
"If you really think you're not fit to be a hero, Deku... then neither am I." Her hands clenched tightly at her sides, her knuckles white from the pressure. "In fact, I'm even less fit than you. And that's why you're a liar, for saying otherwise..."
Her words hung in the air, heavy... raw... and unforgiving.
Izuku's mind raced for an answer to her accusation, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't deny the truth in her voice.
She was right. He'd lied... to her and maybe even to himself.
"And you know what?" Katsuki's voice shifted, tinged with a hint of bitter humor. "You called me delusional this morning, didn't you? For thinking you could be a hero? Hahaha!"
She let out a sharp laugh, her gaze finally meeting his again, though her eyes were glassy.
"Well, guess what, Deku? You're just as delusional as I am!"
"..."
"Yeah, that's right," she continued, seemingly enjoying his silence as a confession of his defeat. "You're delusional for thinking someone like me could ever be a hero. Just like I was delusional for believing in you. Even more so than me!"
Her words felt like a punch to the gut, and all Izuku could do was stand there, staring at her as her shoulders heaved with every breath.
"Katsuki... I..." But no words came to him. He himself could only look down in shame at his own blunder.
Katsuki continued to chuckle bitterly, shaking her head as she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.
"Face it, Izuku... we're just two idiots chasing something that doesn't belong to us."
She was right... for her and Izuku...
"But... You know..."
"…?"
Izuku looked up to her... and found her softened gaze upon him.
"I still believe you can be a hero... Izuku..."
"Katsuki...?"
Her voice—though still rough—carried something different now...
A quiet hope... a fragile belief she hadn't shown before.
Izuku's eyes widened slightly, taken aback by her conviction. He opened his mouth to speak, but Katsuki quickly raised a hand, silencing him.
"I do. And unlike you, I'm not lying when I say that," she added humorously, but her voice firm and warm. "Just like you believe in me... I too believe in you."
Izuku was speechless for a moment, his heart racing. Was this really happening?
She took a step forward, her eyes never leaving his.
"So... please," she whispered, her voice breaking slightly. "Believe in me. Believe in me... the way I believe in you."
Izuku swallowed hard, the weight of her words settling deep in his chest. It was hard to breathe, but he couldn't tear his gaze away from her.
"I want to be a hero, Izuku. And I want you to be one too." Her voice grew steadier now, stronger.
"So, let's be heroes... together, okay?"
Her words hung in the air between them, fragile... yet full of determination...!
Izuku felt a strange warmth in his chest, a flicker of something he hadn't felt in so long...
Hope.
It was there, rising in the midst of all their pain and confusion—both within him and Katsuki.
And after what felt like an eternity of consideration...
He finally answered her truthfully.
"Katsuki... I—"
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Author Note:
The End of the Cheese!!!!
Finally, the soap opera drama is finished... or is it?
Well, the next few chapters would be the conclusion of this arc / volume, so...
stay tuned for more~
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