Konata Doesn't Want To Be The Female Lead

"Haah… why did I have to end up paired with you, of all people?"

Leaning against a pillar with her arms crossed, Konata sighed in pure exasperation.

The rules of the mock combat exercise were simple: two-person teams, split into heroes and villains. The villain team's goal was to protect a mock nuclear bomb hidden in a building for a set period of time. The hero team's goal was to either defeat the villains or recover the bomb.

Unfortunately, Konata was assigned to the villain team… and even more unfortunately, her partner was none other than Bakugo Katsuki, the guy with a grudge the size of Texas.

And if that wasn't enough, the opposing hero team was made up of Midoriya Izuku and Tokoyami Fumikage. Konata wasn't confident she could even take a single punch from Midoriya. In her estimation, he could probably destroy the entire building in one go if he wanted to. Sure, it was just a mock battle, so he wouldn't actually do that, but still…

"Hey, that damn Deku… he has a Quirk, doesn't he?"

Bakugo suddenly asked, back still turned to Konata.

"'Damn Deku'?"

Konata blinked, then sneered a little.

"You're such a brat, y'know that? What's it matter to you whether he has a Quirk or not? Why are you so obsessed with picking on him anyway? And come on, it's obvious he has one, are you blind?"

"…So he does have a Quirk, huh…"

Clenching his fists, Bakugo turned to glare at her, barely suppressing his rage.

"I've had enough of your crap, you damn extra! That battle outfit of yours—are you playing house or something!?"

"How much do you even know about my Quirk?"

Calmly brushing off her sleeve, Konata replied coolly.

Since she had no sense for fashion, and her Quirk made typical combat gear unnecessary, she had simply designed her outfit based on one criterion: cuteness. In her mind, it was just a good excuse to get some pretty clothes at a discount.

"And what do you know about Midoriya? Have you seen the effort he puts in behind the scenes? Do you really understand him? What is he to you—a sidekick? A friend?"

She didn't give him a chance to speak. Konata unleashed a rapid-fire barrage of questions.

"You've got no right to talk down to me!!"

Bakugo's anger boiled over. His fist crackled with explosions as he blasted himself forward, instantly closing the distance between them.

"Are you looking for a beating!?"

"If you want to be a hero, try learning to control your temper first. Heroes don't attack their teammates, idiot."

Konata bent down to pick up her hat that had been blown away by his explosion, then turned her back on him and walked out.

"Is it your strong Quirk… or is it all the ass-kissing you've gotten growing up that made you this arrogant? Arrogance like that turns into nothing but blind pride. You're just a self-important jerk, through and through."

"…This girl—!"

Bakugo gritted his teeth, watching Konata's back disappear out the door.

---

Outside the building, Tokoyami—his body wrapped in a black cloak—looked at Midoriya with concern.

"Midoriya, you seem nervous."

"Yeah… I mean, our opponents are Kacchan and Konata—the top two scorers in the entrance exam. We don't stand much of a chance."

Midoriya clenched his fists and continued.

"But I don't want to lose. I have to catch up to them. That's why—I can't lose this fight!"

"My Quirk is Dark Shadow. I can manipulate the shadow creature inside me. When it comes to indoor combat, I excel."

Tokoyami looked up at the building.

"If you need support, just say the word. I'll fully cooperate."

[Combat training officially begins. Hero team, you may now commence infiltration!]

All Might's voice rang through their earpieces.

"I understand Kacchan's Quirk and personality well enough, but Konata's ability is still a total mystery to me. All I know is, it's terrifyingly strong. If those two team up, we don't stand a chance. But the odds of that happening are pretty low. Our main goal is reaching the nuke—that's where your Dark Shadow comes in…"

Midoriya spoke while cautiously making his way through the halls with Tokoyami.

"—Found you!!"

Before Midoriya could finish his sentence, a menacing voice rang out from above.

"Dark Shadow!!"

Without hesitation, Tokoyami released his Quirk.

BOOM!!!

Amid the fire, smoke, and explosions, Bakugo stood with arms folded, coldly watching the two who had narrowly dodged his surprise attack.

"Tokoyami! Go find the nuke—I'll handle things here!"

Seeing Bakugo silently glaring at him, Midoriya readied his stance.

"Konata's Quirk can't be used effectively in tight spaces. Compared to her, your Dark Shadow is much more maneuverable!"

Understanding that his Quirk was countered by Bakugo's, Tokoyami quickly ran off, and surprisingly, Bakugo made no effort to stop him.

Once Tokoyami was gone, Bakugo slowly turned his gaze back to Midoriya.

Midoriya clutched his stomach, staggering to his feet while leaning against the wall.

"…"

Bakugo made no move to chase him. Instead, he screamed at the top of his lungs:

"Come on! Why are you dodging!? Where's your Quirk!? Show me what you've got!!!"

Midoriya had barely dodged Bakugo's surprise punch, but Bakugo's explosive momentum brought him face-to-face in an instant. Even though Midoriya dodged the initial blow, the follow-up knee strike sent him flying hard into the wall.

"I've never once…!!!"

Midoriya stayed silent, then shook his head fiercely.

"Kacchan…"

"Hey, Deku… You've been lying to me this whole time, haven't you? Making me look like some clown trying to show off… You've always had a Quirk, haven't you!?"