My Hero Academia: Thunder God

*Whoosh!*

As the middle-aged man in the shabby suit ranted and struggled, Edgeshot wasted no time. Standing on the tree trunk, he extended his paper-thin arm, effortlessly wrapping the man in long, reinforced strips of his Quirk.

"Uh…" Kaminari followed Edgeshot to the ground, watching the scene unfold. He couldn't help but mutter to himself, "Sometimes it doesn't feel like his Quirk is paper more like rubber or something."

"What are you doing?! Let me go!" the man yelled, thrashing uselessly against the restraints. "You're Heroes, right?! You have no right to stop me! It's my personal right to commit suicide! Do you hear me?!"

The man's outburst only grew louder and more incoherent. By the time he'd given up struggling, his breath was ragged, and he launched into a tirade of insults, lashing out at his captors.

"You're pathetic! Just like the rest of this system! Don't act like you care! You have no idea what it's like—none!"

Edgeshot, however, remained unfazed, calmly walking up to the restrained man. He spoke softly to Kaminari without even glancing at the furious figure.

"From a legal standpoint, neither the right to commit suicide nor the obligation to prevent suicide is explicitly defined. However," Edgeshot paused, letting the words hang in the air before continuing, "from the perspective of natural human rights, a person does have autonomy over their own life. By that logic, he might technically have a 'right' to end it."

Kaminari frowned, glancing between Edgeshot and the man. "So… you agree with him? That he has the right to… end things?"

Edgeshot turned slightly, fixing Kaminari with a calm but firm look. "In theory, yes. But as Heroes, we cannot allow it."

Edgeshot gestured toward the restrained man. "Our duty is to protect lives, no matter the circumstances. That's the responsibility we've taken on as professional Heroes. If a person who can clearly be saved dies in front of us, that is a grave dereliction of duty."

Kaminari fell silent, digesting the weight of Edgeshot's words. He repeated them softly to himself: 'Human rights and responsibilities…'

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden absence of noise. He looked over at the man, only to find him glaring silently. It didn't take long to figure out why.

A strip of Edgeshot's paper had firmly sealed the man's mouth shut.

Edgeshot turned to Kaminari, his voice as steady as ever. "Keeping him quiet will help him calm down faster."

Kaminari sighed but nodded. "Got it."

"Now, pick up the papers on the ground and put them back into his briefcase. We're taking him with us."

Without further protest, Kaminari crouched down and began gathering the scattered documents. Most of the pages were covered in technical jargon and figures he didn't understand. Once they were neatly stacked and secured in the briefcase, he stood up.

"Let's go."

Edgeshot leaped back onto the tree trunks, moving swiftly toward the camp while carrying the man with his extended paper limb. His speed had slowed slightly due to the added weight, but his movements were as precise as ever.

---

As Kaminari followed closely behind, activating his high-speed movement to keep pace, his curiosity got the better of him.

"Why would someone come all the way out here to commit suicide?" he asked, glancing at the restrained man.

Edgeshot responded without looking back, his voice steady. "This place is known as the Aokigahara Forest, or more famously, the 'Suicide Forest.' Every year, hundreds of people come here to take their own lives."

"Hundreds?!" Kaminari exclaimed, shocked.

Edgeshot continued, his tone measured. "It all started in the 1950s with a novel called The Sea of Trees, written by Matsumoto Seicho. In the story, the protagonists choose this forest as the place to end their lives. The novel became wildly popular, and ever since, this location has drawn people with similar intentions."

Kaminari fell silent, stunned by the revelation. A single book had caused such an enduring cultural phenomenon?

Edgeshot added, "My primary responsibility in this area is to patrol the forest. Sometimes it's about saving those who attempt suicide. Other times…" He paused briefly. "It's about recovering the remains of those we couldn't reach in time."

Kaminari grimaced. He had known Hero work could be grim, but hearing it laid out like this was different.

"How many Heroes patrol the forest?" he asked after a moment.

"There are four of us. Each patrols one section—north, south, east, and west. I handle the west," Edgeshot replied.

Kaminari furrowed his brow. "That's it? Only four Heroes for such a massive forest? Why doesn't the government send more help? Couldn't the police take over some of the patrol duties, at least for collecting bodies?"

As they reached the outer edge of the camp, Edgeshot came to a stop on a tree trunk. He surveyed the area ahead as he calmly addressed Kaminari's question.

"The government can request Heroes to assist in emergencies, but they cannot force Heroes to take permanent posts in certain locations. Unlike the military or police, Heroes have more autonomy.

"Most Heroes avoid this place because of the harsh conditions. There's no running water or stable electricity, and the forest is filled with insects, wild animals, and other dangers. For many, it's not worth the effort."

Edgeshot leaped down into the camp, his landing precise and effortless. Kaminari followed shortly after, his mind still racing with questions.

---

Once inside, Edgeshot set the middle-aged man down on the ground. By now, the man seemed to have lost all his earlier fire. He sat silently, his head bowed and his shoulders slumped.

"As for why the police can't patrol here…" Edgeshot began, turning his gaze toward Kaminari. "This forest is unlike most others. The trees are so dense that sunlight barely penetrates the canopy, making navigation difficult.

"Compasses don't work here due to magnetic anomalies caused by the volcanic soil. And GPS signals? They're unreliable at best."

Kaminari tilted his head in disbelief. "So, anyone who comes in here without proper experience would just… get lost?"

"Precisely," Edgeshot confirmed.

With that, he began walking toward the camp's small kitchen, the fish container still in hand. He didn't glance back as he spoke over his shoulder.

"Don't worry about him," he said, referring to the restrained man. "People who've failed a suicide attempt rarely have the courage to try again—at least not right away."

Kaminari stared after him, then looked at the middle-aged man sitting on the ground. "Still…"

He sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Well, he's not exactly going anywhere. No doors to run out of here, anyway."

As he glanced at the camp's towering wooden walls, the realization hit him.

"Wait… so that's why there's no door?" he muttered, half amused. "I thought it was just your ninja aesthetic."

Turning back to the man, Kaminari crouched down and spoke softly, "Have you eaten anything today? We don't have much, but there's miso soup, rice, and some pickles to go around."

He paused, then added, "Though… you might want to forget about the fish. Those are definitely ours."

***

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