A Hero in a Demon School!!!!

A day before the Party Eve

Ameri's office

"I wanted to talk about Kirio senpai..." Izuku said with a severe expression on his face.

"Kirio?" Ameri raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "I don't think I am familiar with this name."

"He's a third-year student and also the president of our Battler," Izuku explained, pulling out his phone. "Here, let me show you." He displayed a group photo taken on the day they had all joined the Battler. "This is Kirio," he said, pointing to the turquoise-haired boy in the picture.

"I see," Ameri said, her eyes narrowing as she studied the seemingly fragile boy. "So, what about him?"

"I don't know how to explain this, but there's definitely something off about him," Izuku said hesitantly, his hands fidgeting with a paperweight on Ameri's desk. "I always get this unsettling feeling whenever I talk to him."

"Unsettling?" Ameri repeated, trying to piece together what he meant.

"Yes, exactly," Izuku agreed. "I don't know how to explain it, but it feels like he's hiding something. Every time we talk, it's like he's wearing a mask. It reminds me of..." Izuku's voice trailed off as he recalled a haunting memory. 'At USJ, and then in the forest... each time I led them to us. Do you hear me, Midoriya? I am... a despicable villain.'

'If only I had noticed the signs back then...' Izuku thought, a tinge of regret seeping into his mind.

'Izuku, it's not your fault,' Nana reassured him. 'You couldn't have known.'

'But the signs were right in front of us, and yet we missed them,' Izuku countered. 'If only we had been a little more attentive, so many things could have been avoided.'

"Izuku..." Ameri's voice snapped Izuku out of his thoughts.

"Sorry, I got lost in thought," Izuku apologized quickly, masking his unease with a polite smile. Ameri, of course, saw right through it but chose not to press him.

"As I was saying," Izuku continued, "I think there is something sketchy going on with Kiro senpai. So can you please keep an eye on him, especially during tomorrow's event?"

Instead of answering, Ameri simply stared at him for a moment before speaking, "Before I respond, let me ask you this: why have you come to me instead of going to the teachers or to Sullivan -sama? Wouldn't that be a much safer option than coming to me?"

"I would have asked Grandpa, but he has been away from the house for the past few days. Besides, I can't simply walk into the staff room and accuse a senior without any proof, solely based on my hunch," Izuku explained. "Coming to you seemed like the best option, as you possess both the authority and maturity to handle this type of situation."

"Well, thanks for the compliment," Ameri said, though her tone was laced with dry amusement. She gestured toward the towering stacks of papers on her desk. "But as you can see, I'm already swamped with preparations for the Battler Party. I'm short-staffed as it is, and my members are working themselves to the bone. We could've used more help if someone had decided to join the Student Council back then," she added pointedly, giving Izuku a knowing look.

"Yeah, right..." Izuku replied with a strained smile.

"Anyway, regarding your request, I'll see what I can do," she said. "I'll ask my members to keep an eye on him as much as possible. I'm sorry, but this is the best I can do right now."

"No, no, it's totally fine," Izuku waved his hand. "Thank you for listening to this silly request of mine. I'm sure it's nothing, but it's better to be alert than sorry, right?"

"Yeah, I get it," Ameri smiled at him. "Also, enjoy the festival. Don't let your paranoia ruin it for you."

"Yeah, you too," Izuku returned the smile and left her office.

******

Half an hour before the fireworks show

"Damn it! I should have listened to him," Ameri muttered under her breath as she took in the chaos around her. Barriers had suddenly risen, encasing the school in a suffocating maze. Just then, Smoke and the other members of the student council hurried over to her.

"President, what should we do next?" Smoke asked while the rest of the members waited for instructions.

"Give me a minute..." Ameri said, closing her eyes briefly to focus. After a moment, she straightened up, her tone firm and decisive. "Our top priority right now is the students' safety. All of you, spread out and guide the students through this maze. Bring them here to the courtyard as quickly as possible."

"Understood!" the members responded in unison, moving to carry out her instructions. But before they could leave, Ameri called them back.

"Also, keep an eye out for Amy Kirio, as I mentioned before," she added. Once again, the members nodded and dispersed throughout the school campus.

After they left, Ameri stood there, contemplating her next move. Part of her wanted to go and find either Kirio or Izuku, but she couldn't leave the courtyard, especially when panic was already spreading among the students, despite the teachers' best efforts to calm them down. And the situation was only going to escalate when her members brought more students to the courtyard. She needed to think of a plan, and quickly.

 However, before she could think of something, an announcement rang throughout the school.

******

'Okay, what the hell is going on here?' Eiko thought, observing the chaos unfolding around her.

Eiko had been eagerly looking forward to this event, as the past few weeks had been incredibly hectic for her. Between classes, training, and preparations for the Battler Party, she had hardly had any time to spend with Izuku and the rest of her friends. Her plan had been to enjoy the first day of the festival with them after fulfilling her part in her Battler. However, now her entire plan seemed to go up in flames due to these absurd barriers.

But now her frustration was turning into fear as she saw the panic spreading through the students. She tried calling Izuku, but he wasn't picking up his phone. She called Azz, but all she got from him was that they were busy doing something important, which only added to her confusion about the entire situation.

Moreover, the growing number of students gathered in one place was causing additional problems. When she looked around she saw that her seniors were actively engaging with students and teachers alike trying to get information on things that happing around them. 

"What's happening?" "Why are there walls around us?" "Even the exits are blocked." "I forgot my costume at home, but I can't leave the school premises. So annoying!" "What the hell are the teachers doing?" "Isn't this really bad? Maybe the event will be canceled."

'This is bad!' Eiko thought as noticed the commotion rising among the crowd while standing on the stage. Then suddenly an idea came to her mind. She walked towards the mic on the stage knowing well that what she was about to do might land her in big trouble but honestly, she knew that the group she hangs out with will surely get her in trouble one of these days, so why not use the opportunity for a good cause?

Then she stood in front of the mic, took a deep breath, and began. "Hey, can everyone hear me?" Eiko said, her voice booming through the speakers. Once she confirmed that she had everyone's attention, she turned her voice cheerful and continued, "Were you surprised? Rest assured! This is a collaborative surprise event between Magic Development Battler and The Game Battler!" As soon as she said that, she noticed the strange looks she was getting from the presidents of the mentioned battlers, but all she could do was look at them and return a strained smile.

"The entire school is a maze! Aim for the goal while avoiding all the transparent walls!" Eiko continued. "There is a prize for the top-ranking participants! Look forward to it! The central courtyard is the goal! You better hurry!!!" With that, she turned off the mic and couldn't help but notice how fast her heart was beating at that moment. As she turned, she saw her seniors and teachers around them staring at her in astonishment.

"I'm sorry. I just—"

"Good job, Eiko," Baraki, the president of her Battler, praised her. "Your clever thinking might have just bought us the time we need to reorganize ourselves for whatever is happening around us."

"He's right, dear," Suzy, their Diabotany Teacher, added. "This will make handling things much easier."

"Thank you," Eiko said in a low, shy voice, flabbergasted by the praise she was receiving.

"Well, take it easy for now. We will handle the rest," Baraki said.

Eiko nodded and moved to the corner so she wouldn't be in the way of others. Suddenly an amused smile appeared on her face as she leaned against the wall and reflected on the stunt she had just pulled. A few months ago, she would have been standing with a group of girls in some corner of the courtyard. The thought of doing something like that would have never crossed her mind, let alone having the courage to actually go through with it.

But honestly, she knew that she enjoyed the thrill she felt in that moment. The pounding of her heart as she stood before the crowd, the surge of adrenaline when she successfully fooled almost the entire student body... It was something she had never experienced before. Not to mention the excitement she felt at the thought of sharing this with her friends and seeing their reactions.

"Look out!" Suddenly, a loud shout snapped her out of her thoughts. That's when she noticed she was standing right underneath a huge decorated board that was about to come crashing down on her. But before it could land on her, her legs lifted off the ground, and the next thing she knew, Ameri swept her up in her arms, swiftly carrying her several meters away from the billboard that had crashed exactly where she had stood mere moments earlier.

'Deja-vu!' Eiko thought as she remembered the first day of school.

Then Ameri slowly lowered Eiko to the ground and asked, "I trust you're not hurt?"

"Y-yes!" Eiko said, her face blushing. "Thank you for saving me."

"It's alright," Ameri said. "By the way, have you seen him?"

"Him?" Eiko tilted her head, but then she realized who Ameri was referring to. "Oh, him! No, I have no idea where he is. He's not even picking up my calls."

"Same," Ameri clicked her tongue in annoyance.

Suddenly the sound of an announcement echoed throughout the entire school. "All right, everyone," the voice boomed. "Let's start the countdown to the Party Eve."

Then the countdown started. 10...9...8...7...6...5...4...3... suddenly a loud booming voice along with the shattering sound of windows echoed throughout the courtyard but before they could think about that...

2... they saw a glowing ball flying towards the sky and colliding with the barrier above their heads. Then after a few seconds of struggle, the barrier cracked with a resounding crack and the ball shot upward into the night sky.

1... the ball kept going upward until it reached a height where it was difficult to see for the naked eye and then...

0...the ball exploded into a stunning display of colors, illuminating the sky in a brilliant fireworks show. 

"Amazing!" Ameri exclaimed, her eyes fixed on the sky as her mind was transported back to the enchanting imagery from the sacred texts that had always captivated her. A small smile graced her face as she recalled Izuku's words. 'This upcoming Battler Party, I will show you something incredible.' 'You certainly did... but...'

"President," her thoughts were interrupted by Johnny, who came running towards her. He came to a stop and informed her that teachers had been seen rushing toward the top floor of the school building.

"I see," Ameri replied. "Johnny, gather all the members and handle the situation here. I will go and find out what's happening with the teachers." Once she received confirmation from her subordinate, she made her way to the top floor of the school.

******

3rd floor. Kirio's hidden room

"...and that's what happened," were the words Ameri heard as soon as she arrived. Izuku, who noticed her, waved at her. "Hey A- ow," he winced in pain, as he inadvertently used his injured arm, which was currently being treated by Suzy. She glared at him and instructed him to not move his arm around.

"So to sum it up, Kirio, who was the president of your battler, disappeared with your project, the fireworks, just before the event. You and the members of your battler started searching for him, and during the search, you and Daki found him in this room, where he was using your project to blow up the school. You intervened and resolved the situation," Kalego summarized the entire incident that Izuku had described to him.

"Yep," Izuku replied with a smile. While narrating the story, he deliberately left out the part where his magic ring guided him to Kirio. He knew that revealing that information would invite trouble for him, so he chose to omit it. And even though Daki gave him a look, she didn't say anything about it.

"And your hand? How did that happen?" Kalego asked. "Was there a fight involved?"

"No, there wasn't any fight involved," Izuku shook his head. "Kirio, while boasting about his plan, mentioned that the barrier surrounding the school is much stronger than the other barriers inside. So I had to go a little overboard... Plus Ultra, you know?"

"Plus Ultra?" Kalego raised an eyebrow.

"Yep, Plus Ultra," Izuku replied with a smile, choosing not to elaborate any further.

"Anyway, is that all?" Kelago asked.

"Yes, as far as I can recall," Izuku replied with a nod.

"Oh my Midoriya-kun, you really are good at storytelling," Kirio said with a delighted smile. He was currently in a seiza position, guarded by Morax and Oswell, while still being restrained by Daki's ribbons.

"You look unbelievably calm, Kirio," Sullivan said as he stood in front of Kirio, his gaze sharp and piercing. "Did you really devise this plan all by yourself?"

"Yeah, it was prepared a long time ago," Kirio replied, maintaining his calm and composed smile. "But I won't regret it. Years of preparation, and then all my hopes vanished in an instant." Suddenly, Kirio's face reddened, and he began to pant. "That desperate expression of mine wasn't too shabby to behold."

"Eww~, he's doing it again," Daki frowned, expressing her disgust.

"So what's going to happen to him now?" Izuku asked, his hand completely healed and wrapped up in bandages.

"We will take care of him from here," a new voice declared, drawing everyone's attention towards the entrance of the room. Henri Azazel stood there, accompanied by several officers from the Demon Border Control.

"Oh! Henri-san, you took your sweet time to come here," Sullivan remarked.

"I apologize, sir, but not all of us can simply abandon our responsibilities and go wherever we please," Henri replied with a stoic expression, revealing little through his demeanor. Then, he noticed Izuku with an injured arm and stared at him for a moment before his eyes twitched in annoyance upon seeing his daughter sitting so close to him.

"Is something wrong, Dad?" Ameri inquired.

"No, it's nothing," Henri responded and cast one final glance at Izuku before signaling his officers to apprehend Kirio.

"You don't have to cuff me, you know. I'm not going to run away," Kirio remarked as the officers untied the ribbons around his body and secured his hands with handcuffs. "By the way, Midoriya-kun," Kirio turned to Midoriya with a pleasant smile. "It's a pity that our fun was ruined today, but I had a really great time. Let's do this again sometime."

"Let's not," Izuku immediately replied with a weary sigh.

After Henri and his officers departed with Kirio, the teachers began to leave one by one. "Midoriya, Daki, you can go back and join the festival, but we may have to summon you for questioning if any issues arise," Kalego said before leaving the room.

"Izuku-kun, congratulations once again on your project. It was truly beautiful," Sullivan said, ruffling Izuku's hair. "Sadly, I have to go and deal with this Kirio situation. So I'll see you at home," Sullivan added, wiping his teary eyes, and departed, leaving Ameri, Izuku, and Daki behind.

As the three of them stood there, Izuku noticed that Ameri seemed to have something to say, but she stopped herself, glancing at Daki.

"Hey, Daki senpai, why don't you go ahead and check up on Azz and Clara?" Izuku suggested.

Daki looked at Izuku, then at Ameri, and rolled her eyes. "Fine, just be careful around this red-haired witch. I've heard rumors that she bites people on a whim."

"I don't bite people, and there are no such rumors circulating around the school," Ameri retorted, a slight twitch forming on her forehead

Daki smirked at Ameri's retort and left the room, a suppressed smile playing on her lips.

Once Daki left, Izuku turned to Ameri with an amused smile and asked, "You two know each other?"

"Kind of..." Ameri responded with a tired sigh. "We were classmates and acquainted with each other, but when her battler couldn't meet the requirement of having enough members, I had to withdraw their funding. Ever since then, she's found ways to annoy me. And now you had to join her battler," she added, pouting slightly.

"Anyway, let's forget about her," Ameri continued. "I just wanted to tell you that the fireworks show was absolutely incredible. It exceeded my expectations."

"I'm glad you enjoyed the show," Izuku replied, playfully bowing with exaggeration. "It feels like all the effort we put into it was truly worth it."

"But still..." Ameri averted her eyes, her fingers fidgeting nervously. "It would have been nice if we could have enjoyed it together," a faint blush graced her face as she spoke those words. "I mean, since we're the only two people here who knew the true origin behind them, and..." Ameri abruptly stopped, realizing she was rambling and making excuses. "Anyway, don't worry about it. We hadn't planned to do something like that anyway," she said, sounding a bit dejected in the end. Then as she began to walk away, Izuku called out to her.

"We can still do that, you know," Izuku said. "I mean, we're still going to set off fireworks tomorrow on Party Day, so why don't we watch it together then?"

"But Mom and Moana are going to attend tomorrow's festival, and I do want to spend some time with them. Plus, I have my duties as Student Council president as well. I won't have enough time to watch the fireworks together," Ameri replied.

"I don't think that will be a problem," Izuku explained. "You see, we are planning to set off the fireworks late at night when all the parents will be present to watch. Until then, you'll have plenty of time to spend with your family. And as for your duties, I'm sure your subordinates can handle them for a while, right?"

"I can understand your reasoning, but still..." Ameri hesitated, nibbling on her nails.

'Izuku, she's almost convinced. She just needs a little push,' Nana chimed in.

'Yeah, I know, but how?' Izuku asked.

'Don't worry! Leave it to me!' Nana responded, a little too cheerfully, which made Izuku a bit wary. 'Just follow my lead, and I'll handle it.'

"Ameri..." Izuku uttered, drawing Ameri back from her thoughts. "No, Ameri Azazel, would you like to watch the fireworks with me?" Izuku reached out his hand, sporting a radiant smile and gleaming eyes.

"I... I..." Ameri's cheeks flushed as she struggled to find the right words. Then, composing herself, she took his hand in hers. "I, Ameri Azazel, gladly accept your invitation, kind sir," she replied, and a moment later, they both burst into laughter at the cheesy and dramatic words they had just exchanged.

"Okay, jokes aside, I'll message you the location and time tomorrow, so meet me there," Izuku said.

"Sure, it's a date!" Ameri responded, her voice filled with joy, before leaving the room and happily humming to herself. As she walked for a few minutes, she reached the stairs and began descending. Suddenly, his words replayed in her mind. "Wait! Did he just...!" She continued descending a few more steps and then remembered her own words. "Wait! Did I just...!" Internally, she screamed in disbelief, but on the outside, her face turned completely red as she arrived in the courtyard.

"President, you're finally here," Smoke, Ameri's friend and subordinate, spotted her and hurried over. "I was just wondering—wait a minute! Are you alright? Your face looks red."

"Don't worry, it's nothing," Ameri said, waving her hand dismissively. "Also, I'll be leaving a little early today. I have some preparations to make for tomorrow."

Meanwhile, as Izuku walked through the corridor, he suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes widening in surprise. He brought his hand to his head, massaging his temples, and asked in a tired and resigned voice, 'Nana... you tricked me into asking Ameri on a date, didn't you?'

'I have no idea what you're talking about,' Nana replied, and Izuku could almost imagine a shit-eating grin on her face as she said that.

'Nana...' Izuku sighed, a hint of annoyance in his tone.

'Okay, fine. I may have done something like that,' Nana admitted, showing no remorse in her tone. 'So, are you going to cancel on her because of it?'

'Of course not! What kind of heartless monster do you think I am?' Izuku retorted. He knew he couldn't cancel their plans for tomorrow after witnessing Ameri's reaction when he invited her to watch the fireworks together. Besides, he was genuinely excited about the idea himself. However, he wasn't going to give Nana the satisfaction of knowing that.

'Great! Let's make it an amazing date!' Nana cheered in his mind, while Izuku rolled his eyes. 'I can give you all sorts of advice.'

'Thanks for the offer, but...' Izuku smirked, much to Nana's confusion. 'I think I've got this.'

To be continued...