MHA:MPR CH32 - Disaster

A/N: Double Release (2/2)

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The training session ended with Mount Lady reverting to her normal size and stretching her arms, letting out an exaggerated yawn. “That took a lot of energy out of me. I’m really hungry…” she muttered.

Shiro, still towering in his Titan form, looked down at her and said, “Could you move back a little?”

Mount Lady blinked in confusion but stepped back, watching with curiosity. Suddenly, Shiro’s massive titan body collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash. Steam hissed and billowed from the corpse as Shiro emerged from the nape, unscathed and back in his regular form.

Mount Lady shuddered at the sight of the decaying Titan. “So that’s not your real body? You control it like a puppet? That’s… interesting,” she said, her voice a mix of curiosity and unease.

Shiro wiped his hands on his shirt and replied, “Something like that.”

Eyeing the steaming corpse, Mount Lady continued, “Do you always have to just… leave the body behind? Seems pretty inconvenient.”

Shiro smirked and gestured toward the decaying form. “It disappears on its own. Look closer.”

Mount Lady leaned forward but quickly gagged, covering her mouth. The corpse was dissolving rapidly, its muscles melting into nothingness. “You’re gonna make me lose my appetite,” she grumbled, turning away to punch in the code for the gym doors.

Shiro chuckled as he followed her out. Bowing slightly, he said, “Thanks for the lesson. I’ll get going now.”

As he turned to leave, Mount Lady called out, “You’re not hungry? I was thinking we could grab a bite to eat. My treat.”

Shiro paused, considering her offer. ‘I don’t have anything better to do, so why not,’ he thought.

Shrugging, he replied, “Sure, let’s get going then.”

The two walked through the school gate, passing by the police officers stationed nearby. Noticing Mount Lady, the officers nodded respectfully toward her as she passed.

Shiro glanced at Mount Lady and asked, “Aren’t we calling a cab? Where exactly are we headed?”

Mount Lady smiled casually. “It’s a local ramen place. I used to eat there all the time after school.”

“After school?” Shiro repeated, raising an eyebrow.

“Yeah,” Mount Lady said, nodding. “I went to UA too. Most of the top heroes did.”

Shiro facepalmed. “I’d forgotten about that.”

Mount Lady laughed before asking, “So, are you ready for the Sports Festival? With your quirk, I don’t see how you wouldn’t come in first. I was naturally first in mine,” she added, puffing her chest out with pride.

Shiro nodded confidently. “I don’t see how I wouldn’t get first either. There’s no chance I won’t.”

Mount Lady smiled at his determination. Tapping her chin, she asked, “Would you consider interning with me?”

Shiro thought for a moment. ‘She made Mineta her cleaner… but she did help me improve today. Still…’ He replied, “If I don’t get better offers, then I will.”

Mount Lady’s cheerful demeanor shifted, and she exclaimed, “HUH?!”

Shiro shrugged. “It’s only natural.”

Cracking her knuckles, Mount Lady muttered, “You’re pretty ungrateful, you know that, kid?”

Shiro sighed. “I’m not trying to offend you, but if I’m aiming for the top, I have to look out for offers that align with my goals.”

Mount Lady lowered her hands and smacked the back of his head. “You’re too serious… I was just kidding.”

Rubbing the spot where she hit him, Shiro muttered, “There’s no way you were kidding with that much power…”

Mount Lady loomed over him, flames flickering in her eyes. “I. Was. Kidding.”

Shiro thought, ‘She says I’m too serious, yet here she is.’

Finally, they arrived at the ramen shop, the aroma of rich broth and sizzling ingredients filling the air.

Sitting down at a small table, Shiro held his stomach as it growled. ‘I guess I was hungrier than I thought,’ he mused, glancing around the cozy shop.

Mount Lady, still standing, smirked. “I’ll order my favorite for both of us.”

Shiro nodded absentmindedly, his mind drifting. ‘I should have around 50,000XP now,’ he calculated. ‘That’s halfway to an epic spin and 450,000 away from a legendary spin. Still a long way to go…’

His thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of his phone, in his pocket. Pulling it out, he saw his mother’s name on the screen.

Answering quickly, he said, “Hello, Mom?” but there was no response. “Hello?” he repeated, frowning.

After several moments of silence, Shiro ended the call. “Weird… probably a pocket dial,” he muttered.

Moments later, Mount Lady returned, placing two steaming bowls of ramen on the table. “You got a call?” she asked, noticing his distracted look.

“Yeah, it was my mom. She didn’t say anything, though. Probably nothing,” Shiro replied, shrugging.

Mount Lady raised an eyebrow. “Better to call her back, just to be sure.”

Shiro nodded, scrolling through his contacts to dial her again. Just as he was about to press the button, his phone buzzed again—another call from his mother.

“Hello, Mom?” Shiro answered eagerly.

This time, there was a response—but it wasn’t her voice.

A cold, raspy voice came through the line. “So your name was Shiro, huh? Too bad your dear mother couldn’t win the game we played, called Where Is Shiro? Quite tragic, isn’t it?”

The words echoed in Shiro's mind, leaving him paralyzed. It felt like a bucket of ice cold water was poured on him.

The voice continued, “If you want revenge, you’d better get home quickly—before the cops arrive. This is what happens when you interfere with my plans, you little bastard. Because of you, I missed my chance to kill All Might. IT’S ALL YOUR FAULT!”

The voice erupted into maniacal laughter before the line abruptly cut off, leaving only the faint sound of Shiro’s rapid breathing.

Mount Lady, who had been observing him, noticed the drastic change in his demeanor. Concern etched across her face, she asked, “Is everything okay?”

Shiro didn’t respond. He stood, his movements mechanical, slipping his phone back into his pocket.

Without a word, he turned and began walking out of the ramen shop.

“Hey, wait!” Mount Lady called, rushing after him. She caught up quickly, placing a firm hand on his shoulder. “Shiro, what’s going on? Talk to me!”

Shiro halted but didn’t turn around. His voice was low, controlled, yet filled with an undertone of despair. “Thank you for the training and the meal. I apologize, but I have to go.”

Shrugging Mount Lady’s hand off, he broke into a sprint, heading straight for the train station.

His mind was a storm of chaos as the words of the perpetrator replayed incessantly. ‘Shigaraki… If this is true…’