Erina's Confession

"This is the laboratory I applied for. They only collected my information, which means that no one can enter or leave without my permission."

As Erina Nakiri spoke, she brought her eyes close to the smart lock on the laboratory door. After a beep, her iris was captured by the smart computer for testing. Soon, a green checkmark appeared on the LCD screen, and the lock clicked open the door.

Erina Nakiri pushed open the door, turned around and smiled at Jilan, saying, "Come in, I've discovered something I want to tell you."

The laboratory contained only small culture tanks, experimental tables, bookshelves, and display cases in the corners of the room, making it appear quite empty. However, a nutrient tank the size of a double bed and various cylindrical liquid input devices occupied half of the room in the center. The laboratory had no windows, and after Nakiri the door, no light came in. Only the green liquid in the nutrient tank provided a faint glow, and Jilan could vaguely see a figure floating up and down in the liquid within the nutrient tank.

After taking a few deep breaths, Nakiri pressed the light switch, and the bright light instantly enveloped the entire room. Under the direct light, the green liquid still obscured most of the figure in the nutrient tank, and only a blurry outline could be seen. However, Jilan could still make out the full appearance of the figure in the nutrient tank. It was Little Red Riding Hood, who was completely naked.

Little Red Riding Hood was fast asleep in the nutrient tank with her eyes closed, her face covered by a respirator that connected her to the outside world. At that moment, Jilan suddenly had the feeling that Little Red Riding Hood had returned to the crystal coffin where she had been sleeping, just like before.

"Jilan, after I brought Little Red Riding Hood to the research institute yesterday, I applied for this laboratory in my own name. No one in the entire institute except me knows that I brought Little Red Riding Hood here, so you can rest assured about that."

Nakiri walked to Jilan's side and said calmly, "This green liquid is the nutrient solution I prepared for Little Red Riding Hood. I added various trace ions essential to the human body to it. By testing the replaced liquid, I figured out one thing— Little Red Riding Hood is like a real human being, able to absorb the ions her body needs. Her body is craving those things."

Jilan immediately understood the meaning behind Nakiri's words. "... This means that Little Red Riding Hood, like humans, can replenish her energy through food."

"Yes, and not only that, I also tested the blood I took from Little Red Riding Hood's body. Although I only used a simple machine to avoid attracting my sister's attention, the results were astonishing. Little Red Riding Hood's blood not only contained various cell tissues, but also... Quirk Factor."

If Jilan hadn't overheard Erina Nakiri and Alice's argument in the meeting room beforehand, he might not have understood what Nakiri meant by "Quirk Factor." But now that he knew about it, Jilan was naturally taken aback.

"Having Quirk Factor she has the potential to use Quirk..." Jilan paused for a moment, then suddenly said, "Since Little Red Riding Hood possesses various human abilities, perhaps she isn't an artificial being, but a living, breathing human being?"

Nakiri sighed with slight disappointment, "Jilan, I thought you would question my explanation from other angles. But then again, you didn't witness that scene firsthand, so naturally you'll have doubts. Well then, let me show you the evidence that Little Red Riding Hood is a homunculus."

Nakiri reached over the lab bench, picked up a tablet, and expertly opened the app that controlled the nutrient tank.

"By the way, Jilan, have you ever played a claw machine?" After a moment of silence, Nakiri suddenly brought up a topic unrelated to the present. "Me? Before junior high, I never tried one of those most famous rides in the arcade. I did often see couples holding their breath in front of that machine that seemed to devour money. Once the boy got a plush toy for the girl, they would cheer and hug each other excitedly..."

"Even though I'm just a little girl, I dreamed that one day I'd be like them, coming to the arcade with a boy, and after failing several times to retrieve the plush toys from the machine, he'd smile, toss in a coin, and get the plush toy I absolutely loved for me..."

At this point, Nakiri smiled helplessly, "However, I don't know why, but I have a natural talent for this kind of precise manipulation. The first time I tried it, I had a feeling that I could easily grab any doll in any tricky position, and the result was exactly as I imagined. That day, I grabbed all the dolls in the machine, not a single one left."

Nakiri seemed to recall the game center manager's stern face as he watched her spend two hours playing the claw machine. A gentle smile spread across his face as he softly said, "People are different. I've known that for a long time. After all, everyone's talent and appearance are different. Ordinary people can only helplessly say, 'There's nothing we can do. They're geniuses, beings different from ourselves,' and then forget about the deeds of these geniuses who are on a different level from themselves, living their ordinary lives."

"But after the concept of 'Quirk' emerged and gradually gained public understanding decades ago, people were astonished to discover that the differences between people were truly enormous, and these differences were not due to hard work or the accumulation of generations, but rather to divine favor."

"A weak Quirk can only produce a splash, but a powerful Quirk can move mountains and overturn seas. Those lucky ones easily gain immense power, effortlessly changing their original social class and becoming what people call 'heroes' or 'criminals'... Jilan, I'm not saying that those Pro Hero didn't work hard to hone their Quirk, nor am I complaining about them or thinking they're just seeking fame and fortune..."

"I was just thinking, is God a bit unfair, coldly declaring people's fates—you have a weak Quirk, and you'll never have the chance to become a hero in this lifetime; you have a strong Quirk, and if you want to, with a little effort, you can become a hero admired by all."

"This society seems to have taken God's pronouncements as the standard. If you have a weak Quirk, no matter how much you yearn to be a hero, you'll be ridiculed—'Give up, someone with a weak Quirk like you has no right to be a hero.' If you have a strong Quirk, even if you want to live an ordinary life, you'll be influenced by family, friends, and classmates saying things like, 'Hey!? You have such a strong Quirk, it's such a waste that you don't want to be a hero!' Day after day, until you only have the option of being a hero left in your heart..."

Jilan listened silently, a question forming in her mind: why would Erina Nakiri tell her something like this?

"Jilan, do you still remember what happened at the Sports Festival? When we first met, all the students from the General Studies Course unanimously chose to target your Hero Course. You might not know this, but they weren't targeting you out of jealousy, but out of hostility. Although U.A. High School's educational resources are not weak, those who could have gotten into U.A. High School. with their grades probably had better options, right? The reason they chose to come here was because they wanted to get closer to heroes, closer to that holy land in their hearts."

"But even with their best efforts, they still fall short against those clumsy robots. It's not that they didn't try hard enough, but that their Quirk were too weak. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't surpass you chosen ones... Therefore, they are hostile, hostile to you who are blessed by the heavens—if I had that kind of Quirk, I would definitely do much better than you... Many of them think this way."

"Sometimes I wonder, would it be better if there were never any Quirk in the world? The world might not be so abnormal... Import complete, preparations are finished."

Jilan was immersed in Erina Nakiri's monologue, while Nakiri's hands never stopped moving as she spoke. In that short time, she had already drained the green liquid from the culture chamber, opened the culture chamber from above, and after the green liquid flowed into the storage chamber through the pipes under the workbench, Little Red Riding Hood, lying on the platform, was revealed.

Jilan noticed that Nakiri had thoughtfully used his robotic arm to cover Little Red Riding Hood with a blanket, concealing her body.