Mailin’s POV

The chaos of the city was unlike anything I’d ever seen before. The streets, once filled with people going about their day, were now a battlefield. Villains had shown up out of nowhere, causing panic and destruction in their wake. My heart pounded as I followed Nemuri, trying to keep my head clear. This wasn’t training anymore. This was real.

Screams echoed around me, blending with the sounds of explosions and collapsing buildings. Civilians ran in every direction, and I could see the fear etched in their faces as they tried to escape the chaos. My stomach twisted. These were the moments I had trained for, the ones where my abilities mattered most.

“Mailin!” Nemuri’s voice cut through the noise, pulling my attention. “We need you over here! There are people trapped under the debris!”

I nodded, my body already moving toward her as my mind raced. I had to focus. I had to stay calm. I’d been preparing for this, hadn’t I? My hands trembled slightly as I reached the site where several civilians were pinned beneath rubble, their injuries severe.

The sight of blood made my heart skip a beat, but I forced myself to focus. Water. I needed water. I reached out, gathering moisture from the air and nearby puddles, forming it into a steady stream that I guided toward the injured. My fingers moved in practiced motions, directing the water to cleanse wounds and stabilize the injured. I could feel their pain, their desperation, and it weighed on me heavily.

But I couldn’t let that stop me.

As I worked, I became aware of the others fighting the villains—Shota, Shirakumo, Hizashi, and Nemuri were holding their own, pushing back against the attackers with everything they had. Shota moved with an intensity I hadn’t seen in him before, his Erasure Quirk flickering in and out as he nullified the villains’ abilities, dodging attacks with a sharpness that left me in awe.

But I wasn’t here to fight. I was here to heal, and I had to trust that they would hold the line while I did my part. My hands hovered over a woman with a deep gash in her leg, water glowing faintly as it weaved through her wound, knitting the torn tissue back together. She groaned in pain, her grip tightening on my arm as I worked.

“You’re going to be okay,” I whispered, though I wasn’t sure if I was reassuring her or myself. “Just hang on.”

The pressure of the situation was immense, and for a moment, I felt like I was drowning in it. Around me, the world was falling apart, and I was just one person trying to hold it together. I wasn’t like the others. I couldn’t stop the villains or protect people with raw power. All I could do was heal, and right now, I wondered if it was enough.

Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw him.

Shota. Even in the midst of battle, his gaze kept flickering toward me, like he was checking to make sure I was still okay. It was subtle, barely noticeable, but it was there. And for some reason, it grounded me.

I wasn’t alone in this. We were all in this together.

With renewed focus, I poured everything I had into my work, letting the water flow from my hands, sealing wounds, easing pain. One by one, the injured civilians around me began to stabilize, their breathing evening out, the panic in their eyes fading. I couldn’t fight like the others, but I was making a difference. And that had to be enough.

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Shota’s POV

The villains were relentless, but we were holding the line. My Quirk flickered in and out, canceling powers as quickly as they could activate them. Shirakumo was at my side, creating clouds to shield civilians and knock back enemies, while Hizashi’s voice boomed through the chaos, disorienting anyone who got too close.

But even as I fought, my attention kept drifting. Every few seconds, my eyes flickered to the side, searching for Mailin.

She was focused, her hands glowing with water as she healed the injured. The way she moved—calm, precise—it was like she was in her element. But still, I couldn’t shake the worry gnawing at the back of my mind. She wasn’t like the rest of us. She wasn’t here to fight, and that made her more vulnerable.

And I couldn’t let anything happen to her.

I gritted my teeth as another villain lunged toward me, but my focus was split. My Erasure Quirk activated, and the villain’s attack fizzled out before they could reach me, but my mind was elsewhere. I kept glancing at Mailin, watching as she worked through the chaos, steady and unwavering.

She was strong. Stronger than I gave her credit for.

But that didn’t stop the knot of fear twisting in my chest.

“Shota, focus!” Shirakumo called, snapping me back into the fight. “We’ve got this!”

I nodded, forcing myself to refocus. The villains were closing in, but Mailin was still in my peripheral vision. She was surrounded by injured civilians, healing them as fast as she could, her quirk glowing softly in the chaos.

And then, just as things seemed to be calming down, everything shifted.

A massive explosion rocked the ground, sending debris flying in every direction. My heart skipped a beat as I instinctively turned to where Mailin had been.

She was still standing, but the force of the blast had knocked her off balance. Her water shield barely held as debris rained down around her. Civilians screamed, and for a split second, I saw the flash of fear in her eyes.

Without thinking, I moved.

I was beside her in an instant, my body acting on pure instinct as I activated Erasure on the villain responsible for the explosion. His Quirk fizzled out, and I kicked him to the ground, my heart pounding in my chest.

“Are you okay?” The words left my mouth before I could stop them.

Mailin blinked up at me, surprised by my sudden presence, but she quickly nodded, her blue eyes steady. “I’m fine. I... I’ve got this.”

I wanted to say more, to tell her that she didn’t have to do this alone, but there wasn’t time. The battle wasn’t over, and we still had work to do. But the way she looked at me in that moment—the quiet determination, the strength behind her calm exterior—it struck something deep in me.

She wasn’t just healing the injured. She was holding everything together.

And I couldn’t stop thinking about it.

As the fight raged on, I found myself gravitating toward her, keeping an eye on her even as I took down villain after villain. There was something about the way she handled herself—graceful, steady, unwavering—that made me want to protect her, even though I knew she didn’t need it.

By the time the battle ended, we were both exhausted, but Mailin never stopped. She kept healing, kept helping, even as the dust settled and the villains were taken away.

And for the first time, I realized just how much her presence meant to me.

She was strong. Stronger than I’d ever imagined.

And for some reason, that scared me more than anything.