A Pitch-Black Rainstorm and a Corpse in the Little Park

Uraraka Shige held an umbrella as he walked beside Ochaco.

Rainwater flowed across the playground, soaking the ground and collecting in little puddles in some of the hollows, where it reflected the silhouettes of people passing by.

Some mischievous children would happily walk over and jump into them, then hop about stomping in the rainwater, splashing it everywhere and staining their trouser cuffs. They were delighted by this, even smug.

It was impossible to understand...

Shige looked at the classmates around him, some taller and some a little shorter than he was. A few naughty boys hopped into a little puddle and were scolded by the teachers organizing the lines. He shook his head, feeling that he simply couldn't understand what these kids were thinking.

In the end, he could only conclude, They really are a bunch of little brats, before continuing to walk beside Ochaco, openly listening to her conversation with her classmates.

They talked about the latest twists in their favorite cartoons: which out-of-control Clow Card the magical girls protecting the Four-Dimensional Pocket to prevent the world's destruction had subdued, which half-demon pretty boy from the Kurta Clan a certain eternal elementary schooler carrying a Zanpakuto had met aboard a pirate ship in the Land of Waves that day...

And so on...

Honestly, Shige was really bored.

Fortunately, he didn't stay bored for long. He soon noticed something that might turn out to be interesting.

Near a little puddle a short distance ahead, the mischievous boy from their class whose seat had been kicked earlier was sneaking along behind a familiar-looking brat.

Shige remembered that this boy held grudges. He definitely wouldn't have forgotten, in such a short time, how the brat had repeatedly made a fool of him. So what he intended to do now, following the brat who had embarrassed him earlier, went without saying.

An expression of anticipation for a good show appeared on Shige's face as he watched the boy on the sly, eagerly awaiting what might happen next. He intended to count on whatever the boy might do to the brat for his entertainment until he left the school gates.

And the boy didn't disappoint him.

As the brat passed the puddle and gleefully prepared to jump in and splash muddy water all over the people around him, the boy who had been carefully following him suddenly dashed out from behind someone and hooked a foot around the brat's ankle. The brat fell face-first into the puddle with a splash, getting all the water he'd meant to splash on others on himself instead. He was filthy from head to toe, looking every bit the mess a little brat ought to be.

The mischievous boy didn't fare any better. He had been running too fast, and although he caught the brat's ankle, the momentum of his own run and the brat's jump sent his legs flying apart. He landed on the ground with a smack, performing a full split in front of everyone. Shige, who had been watching the whole time, almost imagined he could hear fabric tearing.

"Pfft, hehehe..."

Shige took such pleasure in their misfortune that he laughed out loud without the slightest regard for them. Ochaco and her friends turned to look at him, regarding him suspiciously as if to ask, Have you been secretly listening to us? They tried to find some sign of guilt before following his gaze and noticing the state the mischievous boy and the brat were in.

Their looks changed at once. The suspicion became expressions of disgust that seemed to say, Eww~~~ little bro, that's mean~ You're no decent person!

Affected by their intense stares, Shige finally turned his head. His expression of delight, schadenfreude, and all manner of amusement changed at once, and he looked innocently at Ochaco, who was staring at him.

"Shige..."

Ochaco opened her mouth, seeming to want to say something to him. Perhaps she thought his behavior was wrong? But she didn't know how to begin, and saying anything wouldn't help anyway. In the end, she silently swallowed what she'd wanted to say, sighed helplessly, and turned back to resume her earlier conversation with her friends, looking rather like she felt powerless and thought, Sigh, forget it. Just wait to die.

Meanwhile, the mischievous boy and the brat had begun grappling and rolling around in the puddle, coating themselves evenly in Mother Earth's children. Shortly afterward, a teacher standing to the side under an umbrella and watching the lines called them over. It seemed they would have to wait until all the other students had left the school before it was their turn.

Until then, the only treatment awaiting them was probably standing in the biting wind and cold rain slapping wildly against their faces.

Shige privately enjoyed himself for a while, then followed the line of little kids out of the school gates. Ochaco said goodbye to her friends and started along their usual route home with him.

What Shige didn't know was that, in the nameless little park he'd been using for Quirk training and physical exercise for the past few months, a group of people who looked like police officers, though their clothing was subtly different, were busy working inside a police cordon.

A man with a burn-scarred face and white gloves kept probing the wounds on a corpse lying in the grass. After a moment, he stood up and gave his conclusion.

"The deceased was approximately twenty-three years old. There are seven stab wounds here, none of which struck a vital spot. The marks are clear; they were made by the kind of small fruit knife you can find anywhere. There are no other wounds on the body. At present, we suspect the killer deliberately stabbed the victim seven times while avoiding vital spots, and the victim ultimately bled to death."

The burn-scarred man removed his white gloves and looked gravely at a petite girl beside him. She wore her hair in a hime cut, and a sheathed uchigatana in a long sword bag was fastened at her waist. After a pause, he continued with his conjecture.

"But I'm afraid the deceased wasn't deliberately made to look like this. These seven stab wounds should indeed be the true cause of death, and this is already the third body found bearing clues left by a crime committed in this style and by these methods... I don't think it's a copycat or an admirer. It should be that guy. He really has come back."