Chapter 147: Urban Legends
The Pro Hero Private Hospital was located in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward, where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold. Just as its name suggested, it was a government-established facility for Pro Heroes.
Any licensed hero in the country who was injured in the line of duty could, after reporting to the relevant agencies, come to this hospital for free treatment. It was a benefit of the job, allowing them to fight without worrying about the aftermath.
After the USJ incident, Shota Aizawa and Thirteen had both been treated here.
"It's been days. Are there still reporters out there...?" Aizawa sighed, stopping Kira from walking toward the main entrance and instead leading him into a small alley.
In the center of the alley was a vending machine. Just as Kira thought Aizawa was thirsty and wanted to buy a drink, he pulled out his hero license, swiped it through a slot on the machine, and spoke to a keypad. "Pro Hero, Eraser Head. Here to visit Eye of the Dawn. I've already called ahead."
"Identity confirmed. Access granted," a pleasant female voice chimed as a green light flashed. The vending machine then slid to the side, revealing an iron door behind it.
As he turned the handle, Aizawa explained, "This is something every licensed hero knows. There are always reporters camped out at the main entrance. When a hero doesn't want their injuries made public, or wants to visit someone in secret, they use one of the side entrances. This hospital has several of them."
Kira nodded, following him inside. "So the urban legend about Pro Heroes disappearing into thin air at the hospital entrance... this is the truth behind it."
"You're into urban legends? That's a good habit for a Pro Hero to have. A lot of undiscovered evil circulates on the internet as urban legends. Most people just spread them around, but they never think to investigate the truth behind them," Aizawa said, pointing to himself. "Kira, do you know how I got my reputation as an underground hero? I'm always looking for the truth behind these legends. A lot of the time, it leads me to the hidden tracks of some criminal."
Kira pressed, "Like the Midnight Quarry, the Shadow of the Black Crow, and the White Smiling Doll?"
Aizawa looked at him with surprise. "I didn't expect you to know about those. They were never made public... Yes. I was the one who solved those cases."
"It's nothing. I just happen to enjoy reading detective novels," Kira replied modestly.
(Kira frequently browsed paranormal enthusiast websites. Having been a fan of shows that debunked myths and investigated strange phenomena, his senses were extremely sharp. Real paranormal events, crime scenes, exaggerated coincidences... just like sorting trash, Kira could classify these strange tales with near-perfect accuracy just by reading the accounts.)
"Speaking of urban legends, did you know that U.A. High has a rather widespread urban legend of its own?" Aizawa seemed interested in the topic. "The Specter of Termination. Have you heard of it? Every time a criminal organization is about to be arrested by the police, a ghostly skull face is seen floating over Tokyo. Many people have witnessed it."
"A ghost...? Don't tell me it's..." A guess instantly formed in Kira's mind. He turned, about to speak, but saw that Aizawa had suddenly stopped.
Kira looked ahead and saw a man in a hospital gown with smooth, shining blond hair leaning against a door, chatting and laughing with a young nurse who was holding a clipboard.
"You know," Shosei Meisei said, leaning in close to the nurse, who was looking down, "there are three things in life that cannot be hidden: a cough, poverty, and love." He smiled affectionately. "Guess which one of these intense emotions I can't hide right now, which is about to burst forth?"
Seeing the nurse's head sink lower and lower, Shosei's smile grew wider. Suddenly, he looked up and saw the dark expression on Shota Aizawa's face.
The nurse, blushing, was about to look up at his handsome face when she suddenly saw him recoil as if he were choking, his own face turning red as he began to cough.
"Cough, cough, cough... Didn't expect that, did you? It was the cough!" Shosei said with a hurried laugh, then quickly left her to walk over to Aizawa.
Shosei seemed a little embarrassed, but he put on a smile as if nothing had happened. He pulled a handkerchief from his pocket and, while wiping his hands, asked with a barbed tone, "You're the teacher of the future's hope, aren't you? What brings you here to my humble abode?"
"I thought I'd check on the Pro Hero who saved my students. Is that a problem?" Aizawa retorted just as sharply. "But from the looks of it, the great 'Eye of the Dawn' seems to have fully recovered... Don't tell me your stamina still hasn't returned after four or five days? Did the Hero Killer damage your bladder? Are you unable to store your energy anymore?"
(Shosei Meisei's Quirk was to fire a golden beam from his eyes. Aizawa's phrasing implied that the 'beam' was stored in his 'bladder' and was constantly inflamed... It was an incredibly insulting thing to say without using a single curse word. The image of Aizawa in Kira's mind crumbled a little. He could only admire his skill: Brilliant. Truly brilliant.)
The nurse, after a moment, finally recovered. She shot an indignant glare at Shosei, but he ignored her. Kira, however, in the spirit of politeness, gave her a small smile and a nod. The nurse's face turned red again, and she quickly hid it behind her clipboard, hurrying away toward the main desk.
Kira's eyes narrowed. If he hadn't seen wrong, the name of the patient on that chart was... Tensei Iida.
After a long, silent moment, just as Kira thought an explosion was imminent, Shosei Meisei suddenly shrugged and began to laugh. "As expected of you. Your talent for sarcasm is as sharp as ever. That's why you were never popular with the girls in our class..."
"That has nothing to do with you," Aizawa replied coolly.
"You've got a point..." Shosei nodded seriously, as if he had just heard a great truth. He then looked up and smiled. "To avoid any more trouble, I should probably tell you beforehand. I have a reason for staying here."
"The Hero Killer, right?" Aizawa said suddenly. "After his condition stabilized, the police secretly moved him to this hospital for recovery. And you're here to guard him and try to get some information out of him."
"Cough, cough..." Shosei choked again. "You knew all along?" he asked, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. "Then why were you mocking me?"
"You have a prior record. Who's to say you weren't just using this as an excuse to stay here?" Aizawa said calmly, then walked toward the elevator. "The Hero Killer should be in the special ward on the tenth floor. This student of mine has some theories that might be of use to you."
"The prejudice of men is a great mountain..." Shosei sighed, then turned his gaze to Yoshikage Kira, his eyes lighting up. "Aren't you the little student who was pushing this guy's wheelchair before? You've really been in the spotlight lately."
"So... what exclusive information do you have for me?"
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