No Hero's Path

Chapter 2:The Weight Of Expectations

The fight had barely ended, but the weight of Shion's victory was already rippling through the cafeteria.

"Did you see that?" someone whispered as they passed his table.

"He barely broke a sweat! Kurogane's quirk isn't weak, but he still lost."

"No kidding. I heard Yamaguchi's quirk works like sound waves—he can mess with your balance just by snapping his fingers."

Shion ignored the chatter as he made his way through the crowded cafeteria. The energy in the air was electric—students still buzzing from the earlier events, yet his focus was elsewhere. He had been dragged along by Riku, who insisted on treating him to lunch, but Shion barely noticed the bustling around him.

Riku's loud voice echoed above the chatter as he laughed with a few other students at a table. They were already making jokes, laughing off the intensity of their fight earlier. Shion wasn't in the mood for idle chatter, but he followed Riku anyway, silently moving to the lunch line, grabbing his tray. He didn't mind eating with Riku, though it still felt out of place. It wasn't his usual scene.

"C'mon, take a seat," Riku urged, slapping the empty chair beside him. "It's only fair since you kicked my ass. I'm buying, alright? Don't get used to it, though."

Shion raised an eyebrow but didn't protest. The cafeteria was noisy, filled with the clatter of trays and voices echoing against the high ceilings. Despite the chaos, Riku seemed at ease, laughing as he chatted with friends, occasionally looking over at Shion as if expecting some kind of reaction.

As Shion sat down, he set his tray on the table, his movements measured, deliberate. He scanned the room as Riku continued talking, his words blurring into background noise. There was a strange undercurrent of tension in the air—the kind that came with being watched. Shion had become the center of attention after the fight, and despite trying to push it out of his mind, the whispers and stares were still there.

"Seriously, you gotta tell me where you learned to fight like that," Riku said, leaning in as if to hear a secret. "That was insane! I mean, I've seen people with strong quirks before, but you? That was next level."

Shion didn't respond immediately, letting Riku's words hang in the air. Instead, he glanced around the room again, his eyes briefly catching the gaze of a few students watching him from different corners. They were talking about him, undoubtedly.

Riku chuckled, nudging him with his elbow. "Alright, alright, I get it. You're not much for talking, huh?"

Shion shrugged slightly, not looking at Riku. He wasn't sure why he had agreed to lunch in the first place—maybe it was the way Riku's carefree attitude had made it easier to blend in for a moment. But he knew better than to get too comfortable.

The quiet click of heels cut through the noise of the cafeteria, and before Shion could turn his head, a voice sliced through the air, cool and controlled.

"Yamaguchi."

Shion stiffened for a moment before turning to face the source of the voice. At the entrance to the cafeteria stood a girl—dark-blue hair tied back in a sleek ponytail, her Shiketsu blazer pristine and immaculately pressed. Her presence commanded the room, and the students near her fell silent as if they knew better than to interrupt.