🌼Key things to know before you read🌼

🌼 This is a deleted chapter from I'm No Hero. It would've been Chapter 41.

🌼Spoilers from the entire book is ahead

🌼Reason for being deleted: this chapter would've been the last one, but it didn't feel like the end of a story. It felt like the start of another arc, an arc I wanted to be a side-plot for the sequel. I tried remaking it in a different way, but if it worked, I was displeased with it. This was my favorite version and what I could see what actually happen without it feeling artificial.

🌼I think that's everything. I hope you all enjoy!

To think today was supposed to be filled with last's: the last time I was in the same class as my friends, my last day going to school with Sakura, my last day at U.A. Instead, the only "last" I truly had to experience was my last heroics class with Mr. Elastic and the rest of my classmates. Everyone's costumes were finished that they all could have technically trained in them; however, being that I had just brought mine back to return to the school, all tattered and ripped from before, we just ended up wearing Sakura's all time favorite outfit: the plain white shirt and blue pants training uniform.

I couldn't suppress my smile as I saw her annoyed look. She must have been so excited to show off her Hero Costume to everyone, but instead, this was what she had to work with. Her hands pulled down the shirt as she shifted inside of the uniform uncomfortably. Sakura didn't say one word. Her silence spoke volumes. Well, that and the irritated look she'd give me.

"Can't believe we're still stuck in these things," Sakura mumbled. "How are we supposed to get use of our Hero Costumes if we can't even wear them? I mean, they're ready for us to wear. Shouldn't we wear them?"

"You're such a drama queen," Raiden muttered as he crossed his arms.

I looked over, watching as he walked alone in the hallway. Kaito was nowhere to be found. Seeing this, I stopped, looking around the lockers to see if there was any sign of our orange-haired friend, but he was nowhere to be found.

Sakura and Raiden didn't even notice that I had frozen as I heard them bicker back and forth about the uniforms. I just didn't pay any attention as I worried that Kaito was taking things pretty bad. It wasn't that I regretted breaking up with him, but that didn't mean I felt bad. We had been friends before we even went to this school. He helped me get out of that situation at the mall, and he was always trying to cheer me up. The thought of him being bothered by something worried me.

What else was I supposed to do? Continue to go out with him when we were on two totally different pages of where we were at with our lives? No. I couldn't handle that. I wouldn't be able to continue doing that.

Kaito was a good guy. He was my friend, and always would be. It was just that I thought it would be better if we were just friends.

I just hoped I didn't break his heart when I told him that.

🌼🌼🌼

By the time I got to the training grounds outside the building, I noticed there was still no sign of Kaito. I stood beside Sakura, rubbing my left hand over my right arm. Maybe I was too mean with what I had done. It wasn't like me to snap, nor was it like me to stand up for myself like that, but I had to do what was best. If I didn't, then it'd be the whole incident with Kannon all over again. There was no way I was going to let someone control me anymore.

"Tami-tan, everything okay?" Sakura softly asked, so no one around us would hear.

I shook my head. "I-I broke up with Kaito."

My friend smiled. "Hey, everything's going to be fine. I mean, he was being a complete jerk these past few days."

"No, it's not that," I muttered as I looked down at the grass underneath my feet. "I-I think I was too—I think I was a bit too harsh on him, and now he's not here. What if I was too mean that he never wants to talk to me or that he's going to avoid me for the rest of our lives? I don't want to lose him as a friend, but I don't want to—"

"Hey, is everything okay?"

Sakura and I snapped our heads up to see Daigo standing there in front of us. It seemed like forever since I had last seen him, but he still looked the same. Well, almost the same. His dark colored tail wasn't wagging back and forth as it usually did.

Luckily, he was the only one who came over. I turned around to look at our other classmates, but they were all talking amongst each other in little groups. None of them seemed to have taken notice of Sakura and me, which I was fine with.

"Mind if Tami-tan petted your head for a bit?" Sakura asked. "She's had a bit of a rough day."

My eyes widened as I looked at Sakura, wondering where that came from. I knew Daigo always offered to have others pet his head to help calm people down, but I never tried to ask to pet his head. I mean, wasn't that a bit rude? I guess not considering he genuinely enjoyed it, but still. I didn't want to be a bother and—

"Of course!" Daigo said. My head snapped over towards him, seeing his tail had started to wag back and forth in excitement.

Before I could make a comment, Daigo grabbed my left hand and placed it on top of his head. His curly cues were softer than I had remembered. My eyes were glued on them for a moment, watching as my fingers seemed to have just disappeared in them.

As I petted his head, I felt my body relax. I watched as Daigo was talking to Sakura, but I didn't hear what it was that they said. All I could do was look at the top of his head, not wanting it to end at all.

Daigo eventually looked at me as I petted his head and gave me a huge smile. "You feeling better?"

My hand froze for a moment as he said that. Was it that I took too long doing that? I wanted to pull my hand away, but my hand betrayed me as it went back to scratching the top of his head, moving until I got right behind his dog-like ear. I was just lucky Daigo didn't seem to mind. The boy closed his eyes and smiled before his body started to shake. Looking down, I noticed that he was balancing on one leg. His free leg started to shake uncontrollably.

Seeing this, I forced my hand to tear away from him and took a few steps back, bumping into someone. I froze, feeling the familiar feeling of someone, but I didn't want to turn around to make sure.

Unfortunately, I didn't have to as his low voice boomed from behind.

"Geez, I'm gone for a moment, and you all are acting like idiots," Raiden commented from behind.

I took a few steps forward before turning around, standing between Sakura and Daigo. It wasn't that I was afraid of Raiden, per say, but I was afraid of whom he might have been with. If this would've happened earlier this year, then yeah, I would have been scared of Raiden more than anyone else, but that wasn't the case now.

Luckily, he was alone, causing me to sigh in relief.

"If you're jealous that Tami-tan gets to pet my head, you're always welcome to just pet it as well, Yamamoto-san," Daigo suggested.

Raiden rolled his eyes before he shook his head. "I'll pass."

"Then why did you come over here?" Sakura asked as I felt her elbow jabbing into my side. "Was it to see a certain someone?"

I looked down to avoid looking at Raiden. Sakura was just trying to boost my confidence and get my mind off of my ex, but she just made me feel more embarrassed more than anything. If she broke up with someone, I knew this was how she'd act. Sakura was always the kind to just get back up on her feet and try again. As for me, well, I just needed time.

Lots of time.

"Yeah," Raiden admitted. "I wanted to let Tami know that Kaito's in the hospital wing. He's fine. He just tripped down some stairs and hurt his foot real bad, but I figured since you two are dating—"

"They're not dating anymore," Sakura interrupted.

I could feel Raiden looking down at me, but I just wrapped my arms around myself, feeling the cast on my right arm burry itself under my armpit. Here, I thought Kaito would've told Raiden right away. Guess he didn't. It surprised me it didn't, but I didn't want to be the one to break the news to him.

Well, I guess it was Sakura, but still.

In all honestly, I didn't want anyone to really know. Everyone knew that we were dating, but it had only been two weeks. I wasn't sure how people would react, or what they'd think if we broke up the moment I decided I was no longer going to be a hero.

"Hey, are you okay?" Daigo asked. "You know you can pet my head if you need to."

Daigo's offer was tempting, but I just carefully looked up at Raiden, not sure what he'd say or do. Luckily, he just stayed silent as he just shook his head.

"Figures. Well, at least I don't have to get in the middle of any awkward tension between you two since he's in the hospital wing," Raiden commented.

Of all the things he could have said, I was glad he didn't say anything else. He could have asked why we broke up or tried to get me to see Kaito afterwards anyways, but he didn't. Instead he just made that comment and turned around. Everyone started to turn around, making me realize I needed to do the same.

Standing in the front was Mr. Elastic and an all too familiar hero. In the corner of my eye, I could see Raiden's head drop into his hand to hid his embarrassment, but it didn't do a thing. I didn't blame him. If my mom or Peter were to show up during class, I would've felt the same way.

Some of the students gasped as the recognized the hero standing beside Mr. Elastic. Sure, this Pro Hero wasn't as well known as those like Mr. Elastic, but that didn't mean anything. They were just probably excited that they got to learn from another hero, someone who wasn't a faculty member here at U.A. I just looked at the Pro Hero and smiled, relieved that if anyone was going to be watching or leading this class, it was going to be Power Girl.

"Okay class, settle down. As many of you know, this here is Power Girl, a hero from the Herculean Agency. She will be leading today's class as I finish grading some papers. I expect you all to listen to what it is she has to teach you all," Mr. Elastic said before he turned around and walked into the building.

We all stood there, quiet. Mr. Elastic never left a class, no matter what. I almost wanted to go after him and asked, but I was quickly interrupted by Power Girl herself.

"Okay, listen up. What is the most important part about being a hero?" she asked.

Everyone's hands shot up in the air, and one by one, the Pro Hero would call on someone. Not once did she give any hints as to whether they were right or wrong. A couple of students had the same answer: strength, skill, using the Quirk to the best of your abilities. They were all really great answers, but I don't think there were the ones Power Girl was looking for.

Her dark colored eyes landed on me, even though I didn't have my hand raised like everyone else. I gulped as she smiled. Before she could even open her mouth, I knew she was going to call on me.

"All good answers," Power Girl said, as she crossed her arms over her blue and purple colored suit. "But not quite. Tami Smith, I've got a question just for you. It's all over the news, you were one of the few students here that helped the heroes track down and arrest the two villains behind those who were disappearing and forgetting their Quirks. What was going through your mind when you did that?"

Everyone's head snapped towards me, eager to know. Not once had someone brought it up. They wanted to, I could tell, but it was almost as if they were forced not to ask about it. I looked down at my cast, seeing many of their names now written on there. No one asked what happened because in a way, they already knew.

What was going through my mind when I went through there? Really there was one single thought, one single person that went through my mind. The story that everyone knew was that Kannon kidnapped me and my brother for their own evil wrongdoings. Not one story, printed in the newspaper or on the morning news, ever explained why, but they did say how I didn't do it, and it was all a plan to get these villains arrested.

So, what went in my mind?

"Ollie," I softly said. "My brother was there, and he...he was scared. I have never seen anyone so afraid before."

When I looked up at Power Girl, she simply smiled. "Ollie-san. You see, the most important part about being a hero, isn't about tearing down the villains. My boss, Herculean, may disagree with me on that, but if we thought only about the danger, what would happen to the civilians that were afraid?

"I was there that night, and I just have to say, some of our first priorities as heroes was to capture these villains to stop them from causing anymore harm. For some of us, it was making sure the younger ones, like Ollie, got to safety. I know you all would like to think you all are capable of doing the heroic stuff now, but our job is dangerous, and to some of the younger people, it can be scary.

"That's why I asked Mr. Elastic to take a day and have you all pair up with someone. I don't want you all to talk about heroics, or about what you're all going to have for dinner when you get home. No, I'm going to give each of you a scenario that could require you to interact with someone in danger. You and your partner will have five minutes to discuss then share with the class what you came up with. If for some odd reason there's an odd number, I'll make a group of three," Power Girl explained.

People started scooting closer and closer to their friends, hoping the hero would get the hint. I could see both Dagio and Sakura standing on either side of me, hoping that us three would get partnered up together. We weren't the only group of three hoping for that to happen. There was another trio doing the same.

The only person not scooting close to anyone was Raiden.

Either Power Girl was oblivious to all of this, or she was wanted us to work with someone else because I watched as she'd call on one person from one side of the room and call on another that wasn't near the said person. Because she didn't know many of us by names, she'd just call out random features, like "pink haired boy work with Miss. Kitty over there," or "dog boy, go with the guy with the wings."

Eventually there were only five of us left: Sakura, the Go twins, Raiden, and me. Seeing how little of us there were, I had a gut feeling I knew who was going to be partnered up with who.

"Sakura-san, you go with the green haired twins," Power Girl said, confirming my thoughts.

Raiden and I looked at each other, knowing what this meant for us. Of course, things couldn't have been more awkward as he just found out from Sakura I broke things off with his best friend. Power Girl just had to do that to us.

We walked over to one side of the room, where Power Girl gave us a slip of paper of our scenario. I looked down at it, realizing there was nothing on it. I sat down on the grass, turning it over, thinking there was probably something wrong, but instead, there was just two little words written on there.

Just talk.

I blinked at that piece of paper for a moment before Raiden ripped it out of my hands. I watched as he flipped it over just like I did, but instead of blink at it in confusion, Raiden crumpled up the piece of paper in his hands. It was followed by an angry mutter, but I couldn't quite hear what it was he said.

"So," I said, "what would you do if you were—well, if you dealt with someone who was scared?"

The boy snapped his head up at me and shook his head. "I just don't get why she did this." he said instead. "Obviously, she thinks I need help with this sort of stuff, and she doesn't help with shit."

I pressed my lips together as I looked down. It was kind of weird that Power Girl put us together, but then again, maybe she, too, knew this would be my last day in this class, meaning I wouldn't necessarily need this. Still, her brother needed to know about this kind of stuff, especially since he seemed to have struggled with Ollie.

Ollie, that was it!

I looked up at him and placed my hands in my lap, looking him right in the eye. Raiden leaned back for a moment.

"I think I know where to help with that, but first off, thanks for being there for my brother," I said, remembering it was something I wanted to get it at since the incident. "You could have gone after Nightshade or Goro, but you helped him instead."

Raiden shook his head. "It wasn't my idea. Sakura figured it would be best since my Quirk doesn't do long range, but would be the best fit to get him out of trouble."

"Still, you could have ignored that," I told him.

Again, Raiden wouldn't take credit as he shrugged. "I still caused him to cry the entire time before you showed up."

I smiled, realizing this was probably what Power Girl meant by "just talk". We went through a scenario where someone needed help, but it wasn't perfect. Raiden just didn't know what to do other than tear off the goo. If he did, he probably could have comforted him at the same time. It was hard. I know I couldn't have done both at the same time, but still.

"Okay, so what could you have done differently?" I asked.

"I don't know. I hardly know the kid," Raiden responded.

"Fair enough," I said, trying to think of a way to help Raiden.

How could I though? I mean, I could just give him pointers on what to say to a kid if they needed help. At the same time, it just sort of surprised me he didn't know. He always seemed to have known what to do when I was in a frenzy. At the festival, he talked to me for a moment while when I was at his home having an anxiety attack, he reminded me to breathe.

Guess he wasn't really thinking about those times.

"What about me?" I asked, catching Raiden off guard. "If I was having a—if I was getting worried or flustered, what would you do?"

Again, Raiden rolled his eyes. "I'd remind you to stay calm, breath, and get your mind off of whatever hole you're digging herself into."

"Exactly!" I said. "That's all Ollie needed."

Raiden squinted his eyes at me, not entirely buying it. "But, you asked him about heroes."

I nodded my head. "Breathing would have worked too, but I didn't, well, I don't like seeing my brother upset. I-I figured if we talked about heroes, he would smile. I mean, I hope you don't find that too weird or anything, but Ollie loves heroes more than anything. He looks up to them, probably a little bit more than a little boy should, but then again, what seven-year-old doesn't look up to heroes?"

My mouth closed the moment I realized I was rambling like that. I looked down, rubbing my left hand over my cast. Was that weird to say? I mean, it probably was, and I was probably going off too much on it. I should have been helping him come up with different ideas on what to ask a kid if they're scared, but instead, I just rambled off about Ollie's love for heroes.

Guess it could've been worse. I could've talked about how he still idolized Power Girl now. Because she was one of the heroes that saved him, she was booted up to his third favorite hero, right after Mr. Elastic and some other hero, he refused to tell me the name of. I didn't want to be the one to tell Raiden that. He seemed embarrassed by his sister enough. If he knew my brother was obsessed with her, well, I don't want to know what he would think.

"So, talk about their interests? Talk about them?" Raiden asked.

"Yes!" I nearly screamed as I looked at him. "Talking to kids isn't really that hard. I know, it's weird because they say the first thing that's on their mind without really thinking about it, and they can say some really weird things, but you just need to find common ground and make them feel comfortable."

"Guess that doesn't sound too hard," Raiden commented.

"It's not! It just takes practice, though, I-I guess that can be hard because you don't--I'm sure whenever you visit Kaito, you could try talking to his younger sister. She's about Ollie's age," I said before looking around the classroom, trying to think if anyone had any younger siblings. Though, that'd be weird for Raiden to just go up to them and ask if he could talk to their younger siblings. It was probably best if he just talked to Kaito's little sister when he could, so it wouldn't be completely weird.

He didn't say a word for a moment, leaving us in silence. Guess we figured out what he'd do in that situation pretty quickly, and now that we were done, it was just that: done. Raiden and I had nothing really in common to really talk about. I mean, before, he had to tolerate me because of Kaito, or at least, because we all sat at the same table. This past week it was just what happened.

With it just being the two of us, with him knowing I broke up with Kaito, things felt awkward.

"So, how's your arm feeling?" Raiden asked.

"Oh," I said, holding out my cast. "It's better. I mean, still kinda sore, but I did kind of cut into some bone, so I guess that's to be expected. It was pretty stupid of me, but it's not as painful as before. If I don't think about it, it's like the pain's not even there."

Raiden nodded his head. "That's good. I'm sorry I couldn't stop that from happening though."

I shrugged. "It wasn't your fault. I was the one who was stupid enough to do it. I mean, I, uh, I didn't really have much of a choice being that I couldn't defend myself. You'd think after two months of training I-I'd know better? Guess it's best today's my last day."

"I guess," Raiden agreed before clearing his throat. "Would you ever think about taking defense classes? Just in case this sort of thing would happen again."

"Honestly, you're not the first person to think that," I told him. "I—it could help. I mean, if they wanted my Quirk for something, there'd...there'd probably be more like them, right? I don't want to be in that situation again. I looked up classes, but I didn't have much luck."

Raiden didn't say anything after that, making me realize how nervous I was getting. I wasn't lying when I said the thought crossed my mind. It was just, well, there was another idea that came to mind with it. Honestly, now was a better time than ever to ask, but knowing that, I was a bit nervous. I shouldn't have been. Raiden was a friend.

But, after breaking up with Kaito, I wasn't sure if we'd be friends much longer. Maybe it was best not to ask.

"Everything okay?" Raiden asked.

"Yeah," I said, looking down at the floor. "Actually, now that we are kinda on the subject, would you mind, would you care if you, if I trained with you? For self defense. I mean, you're the strongest guy here, and if I'm going to, well, not that I would now that I'm not going to be in...but if I were to ever face a villain..."

My words faded away as I felt a hand brushing over my feet. Well, more like I saw someone's hand touching my feet. I looked up, seeing Raiden sitting there, keeping a fair distance between us. He still wore his normal neutral expression, but he was touching my shoe, probably in attempts to get me to shut up.

"I can help you learn self-defense," Raiden said, "but only if you're comfortable with it because I'm not going to go easy on you."

I smiled. "Honestly, that's why I wanted to ask you because you wouldn't hold back. Everyone else would—they probably would take it easy, and I can't have that. Not if I don't want to go through what I did."

Raiden nodded his head in agreement as he leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. He was about ready to open his mouth to say something, but before he could get a word out, his sister yelled for everyone to wrap things up. While it seemed a bit weird that we didn't really have anything prepared, it was okay. I knew we'd probably just talk about what happened to Ollie, or at least, how we would handle that kind of situation.

At least I was able to ask Raiden if he'd be willing to give some defense classes. I don't think I could've gotten a better teacher than him for that.

🌼The End🌼