Yuta sat across from Nighteye in his office. The situation was pretty awkward. Nighteye's piercing gaze seemed to look right through him, analyzing every movement, every breath. Yuta shifted slightly in his seat, feeling that he should have just stayed away; it wasn't like the information from Nighteye had helped him at all.
"I'll get straight to the point," Nighteye began, knowing that Yuta's concentration could be as fleeting as a goldfish if he wasn't interested. From their last meeting, he had learned enough about Yuta to use that knowledge. "I believe you have the potential to be the next Symbol of Peace. You've already proven your strength by defeating All For One, something even All Might struggled with. But raw power isn't enough. You should have seen the kind of destruction your last attack caused. You need guidance, training—someone to help you hone your abilities." Nighteye was intently watching Yuta.
Yuta couldn't help but feel a pang of doubt. The idea of replacing All Might was intriguing, but if it meant he had to rush after every single villain in the city, he wasn't sure he wanted that.
After all, he had become a hero not because he wanted to be one, but because it was the only way to get stronger with his system and train himself.
Being a hero was still a hobby at best. After all, who doesn't like showing off their power?
"I appreciate the compliment, but…" Yuta hesitated, "I'm not sure I'm ready for something like that. I'm not sure I'm cut out for the spotlight." Yuta wasn't sure what Nighteye was getting at, but he didn't like it at all.
So, the best way to approach this situation seemed to be to express his reluctance from the very start.
Nighteye leaned back, his eyes narrowing slightly. "No one is born ready, Kid. They all train themselves to be in front of the camera," Nighteye replied, not looking at Yuta but rather at All Might's picture on the wall, as if reminiscing about the old days.
"I can see the future, you know that, right?" he asked.
Yuta nodded.
"But I can't see your future. Do you understand what that means? You have the ability to change the future, to create a world where peace is more than just a fleeting moment. Do you understand what kind of potential that is?" Nighteye's reply made Yuta purse his lips.
"That's why I want you to train under me, to become my sidekick for the time being. Let me tell you, sooner or later, the world will demand you be the hero you've shown them you could be. Even if you want to, there is no going back to being that hero trainee student. I can help you develop the skills you'll need to lead, to inspire, and to protect."
Yuta hesitated, finally understanding where he was going with this. He knew that sooner or later, that would happen. His provisional hero license was enough to understand what the government was thinking. With All Might's recent retirement, there was enough pressure for others to push him into the spotlight.
He wasn't sure what to do anymore. Let alone becoming a superhero celebrity, he wasn't even sure he was cut out for a normal hero life. Now people wanted him to go full-time.
And that's not all; he couldn't always stay in this world either, and being tied down with this job would be troublesome.
"I don't want to disappoint you," Yuta began slowly, choosing his words carefully. "But I'm not sure I'm the right person for this. I'm still trying to figure out what kind of hero I want to be. I'm not even sure I want to be a hero like All Might. I respect what he's done, but I think I need to find my own path."
"I'm more like the friendly neighborhood hero than the number one hero. That number one position is just too much. I can fight the villains, that's fine, but…" Yuta thought and thought again, but upon not knowing what to say anymore, he just stopped, hoping Nighteye would pick up on the fact that he wasn't interested.
Nighteye's expression remained the same. "I understand your hesitation. But before you decide anything, hear this." Nighteye swiveled in his chair and switched on the TV in his office.
"You don't become a hero to get recognized; rather, you can only become a true hero when people recognize you."
"That's what he told me. I pondered hard over this, and no matter how many times I tried to counter his argument, I couldn't..."
"I thought my path was right, but he, with just his words, crushed me from following that path. So I'm no longer the hero killer."
Hero Killer Stain is long dead..."
At that point, Nighteye paused the video and looked back at Yuta.
Yuta, on the other hand, noticed that the video started from a particular timestamp, not from the beginning where Stain started speaking.
'This bastard set that video up just to show me. Can he really not see my future, or is he joking? Using my own words against me.' Yuta barely managed to stop his eyebrows from twitching.
"You have influenced many people. Not just normal civilians but even a ruthless villain like the Hero Killer was changed. You didn't just stop him but also changed what he was. No ordinary person can do that, you know."
"You might not recognize yourself as a hero, but what about the people? Your words, not mine—they recognize you. You can't run away from this." Nighteye looked at Yuta, applying psychological pressure.
Yuta put his mind into overdrive, trying to come up with a reply to his own hero talk from back then.
But before he could say anything, Nighteye spoke again.
"The path you choose doesn't have to be the same as All Might's. You can be your own kind of hero. My offer isn't about turning you into someone you're not—it's about helping you become the best version of yourself."
Yuta looked down at his hands, his mind racing. 'Think, think, come up with something.' He didn't want to reject Nighteye outright, but he also didn't want to commit to something he wasn't fully sure of.
"I really appreciate what you're offering, but I think I need some time to think about it. This is a big decision, and I don't want to rush into something without being sure."
Nighteye nodded, though Yuta could sense a hint of a smirk forming on his face. "I understand. Take the time you need to make your decision. Just know that my offer stands, and I believe in your potential. When you're ready, I'll be here."
Yuta gave a small nod and quickly stood up, ready to leave, but Nighteye's voice stopped him before he reached the door.
"Yuta," Nighteye said, his tone softer now. "Whatever you decide, just remember this: with great power comes..."
'Don't you dare complete that sentence...'
xxx
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