A Turning Point

"Gurgle~~~"

Uraraka Shige suppressed her hunger and planned to emerge from the woods in the small park, lie down on a park bench for a while to rest, and see if she would still feel hungry after falling asleep.

However, when he reached the edge of the woods, just as he was about to peek out but before he could reveal himself, he noticed two police officers in uniform sitting on a bench not far away.

This made him mutter a curse under his breath.

"Hateful!"

"It's already this late, why are there still police officers outside? Don't they get a rest?"

He then quietly retreated, inwardly grumbling about the police officers, and also abandoning his plan to lie down on the bench for a while.

Then I had another thought.

"Wait... are they here to arrest me?"

Uraraka Shige suddenly thought of a possibility, and as he walked towards the other side of the woods, he began to ponder how likely this possibility was.

"I escaped directly from the transport vehicle... so there will definitely be a manhunt for me. And since I've been exercising frequently in this small park for the past six months, they're very likely to come here looking for me..."

"Furthermore, when I escaped, I activated my 'Quirk' and caused a car accident, which could even be considered assaulting a police officer. And on my way to this small park, I completely forgot to be careful of the various security cameras..."

When he hadn't thought of this, he was fine, but now that he started to think about it carefully, Uraraka Shige felt more and more that this was the case, and he felt more and more nervous and anxious. It wasn't until he returned to the middle of the forest and stood under the tree that had previously offered its canopy for him to rest and find shade that he suddenly realized something very obvious, which calmed him down.

"No... no, if that were really the case, there couldn't have been only two officers... besides, I wasn't hiding very well. If the police really knew my whereabouts over the past six months, I probably would have been discovered long ago..."

The park wasn't large, so the woods within it weren't very extensive either. Uraraka Shige quickly traversed the grove, reaching its other end, and discovered a path leading out of the park...

A path worn into the woods by countless footsteps.

Is this fate?

Uraraka Shige suddenly muttered something to himself.

He was extremely hungry, and didn't have a good idea of how to fill his stomach. After all, it was getting late, and even if he wanted to find a place to do temporary work in exchange for dinner, there probably wouldn't be any places that needed temporary workers at this hour...

Especially in this life, he's still just a nine-and-a-half-year-old child, the most obvious kind of child laborer. But what legitimate place would employ child laborers in the evening?

Even so, one thing remains quite certain.

"However, even if we stay in this little park, I'm afraid we won't be able to get anything to eat."

That's why, when Uraraka Shige this more secluded path that allowed her to leave the small park, she spoke of things like destiny.

After all, since there was no way to get food in this small park, they had no choice but to leave this park that made Uraraka Shige and go outside where they might encounter the police at any time.

With this thought in mind, Uraraka Shige onto the dark and secluded path at dusk, letting out a sigh of sorrow.

"I really don't know if it was right or wrong to impulsively run away..."

The path wasn't long; at least Uraraka Shige had only walked for less than a minute when the muddy ground beneath his feet had turned into solid cement, and ahead, the edge of the woods had become a dark alleyway in the evening.

"Could it be that the police or a 'hero' is lying in wait for me here...?"

A soft muttering sound arose, as hunger and anxiety caused Uraraka Shige to start having some wild thoughts.

"Or perhaps it's a shady business being conducted in a place like this..."

After a pause, Uraraka Shige seemed to realize that her idea was somewhat unrealistic, so she began to walk into the alley. At the same time, in order to alleviate her anxiety and try to stay relaxed and calm, Uraraka Shige began to joke with herself in a low voice.

However, normally speaking, these alleyways, especially those that look dark at dusk, often hide some unknown secrets in certain works of art, don't they?

"Waaaaah~~~"

A breeze, carrying a slight whistling sound, swept through the alleyway as the Uraraka Shige in the direction it was heading.

Having not eaten or drunk anything all day, and dressed in inadequately warm clothing, coupled with the fact that it was already evening, Uraraka Shige couldn't help but shiver when the wind blew past him.

"Waaaaah~~"

The whistling sound continued, but it became somewhat strange as Uraraka Shige ventured deeper into the alley. At the same time, other faint sounds also came from within, attracting Uraraka Shige's attention and alertness.

So Uraraka Shige slowed her pace and became more cautious, moving forward little by little. The faint sounds and strange whistling noises gradually became more and more obvious.

"... Hold on tight, don't let go and let her scream! We've been watching her for so long, we've finally got our chance, tonight we can have some real fun!"

The faint sounds gradually transformed into the conversation between the three homeless men, and the strange, howling wind-like noise gradually turned into muffled groans that someone could only manage to let out after their mouth and nose were covered.

"But if we do that..."

"What's there to hesitate about? We don't have official status anyway. We can just handle it a little afterward, and we'll go to another city tomorrow. Who would know it was us?"

The hushed conversation reached Uraraka Shige's ears, causing him to squint slightly.

"No identity... going to other cities... are they homeless?"

Then, feeling the hunger in his stomach, he subconsciously stuck out his tongue and moistened his lips.

"And it sounds like they're planning something bad... Maybe I should go check it out, and if I can save that poor, unlucky fellow... maybe I can get a nice dinner as a reward..."

Uraraka Shige took a deep breath, then muttered to herself in a low voice, while her figure pressed close to the walls on both sides of the alley, crept closer and closer.

"After all, a life-saving favor deserves a sumptuous dinner... right?"