Chapter 49: Competition of Misery

After having lunch, Renault did not linger outside for too long. After saying goodbye to duo Misaka's mother and daughter, he returned to the rest area of the sports field.

"Renault..."

As soon as he entered, Mineta Minoru popped up like a ghost and stood in front of Renault, staring at him and asking, "Just now, you were eating with someone else, another mature and charming elder sister, and a girl of the same age?"

"Hmm? How did you know?"

Looking around the rest area, Renault saw Ashido Mina raising her hand and apologizing, "I went out for a walk earlier and saw them. I came back and said a few words and he heard it. Sorry, Renault-kun!"

"No need to apologize, it's not a big deal."

Shaking his head, Renault moved Mineta Minoru aside and walked to his seat, saying, "They're a mother and daughter, my neighbors. They came to visit the sports festival today and cheer me on."

"Jealous..."

Looking at Renault's indifferent expression, Mineta Minoru could only show a jealous expression and do nothing.

Because Renault then said, "Don't think of any crooked thoughts, Mineta. The girl's Quirk is generating electricity, which can manipulate electric power, electromagnetic waves, and magnetic force. Her strength is already pretty good, and she's also taking the U.A. entrance exam next year. I've been training her occasionally, so it's no problem for her to beat you, whether it's long-range or close combat."

Renault's words directly crushed Mineta Minoru.

It turned out that the girl was not his peer, but his junior sister, and her ability was even more outstanding.

"Why do you always have good things happen to you?!" Mineta Minoru exclaimed.

"Maybe it's because of my character. I often do things like helping old ladies cross the street, and I don't run into compensation demanders," Renault replied with a smile.

"..."

Mineta Minoru was destroyed and retreated to a corner in seclusion.

After sending Mineta Minoru, who was filled with thoughts of women away, Renault rested and adjusted his state in the lounge. However, there weren't many people in the lounge at the moment, and some of the people who had advanced in the competition had yet to return.

Just as Renault was taking a short break, his phone rang again. He picked it up and was surprised by the name of the sender. Two minutes later, Renault left the lounge and arrived at an unmanned passageway in the race course where Todoroki Shoto was waiting for him.

"Do you have something to tell me?" Renault asked as Todoroki Shoto approached him.

"My stupid father just spoke to me," Todoroki Shoto said.

Todoroki Shoto's father? Endeavor? But from his tone, it seems that the relationship between the two is not good.

"He asked me why I was always at a disadvantage when facing you, why I didn't use the other half of my Quirk. I didn't say anything at the time. I'm sure you're curious too, right?" Todoroki Shoto continued.

Renault didn't hide anything and nodded, "Indeed, everyone knows that your Quirk is Half-Cold Half-Hot. However, up to now, you have only used your freezing ability and haven't used your flame ability even once. But you also saw that nobody asked you about the reason, so you don't have to force yourself to say anything you don't want to."

After a moment of silence, Todoroki Shoto looked at Renault and asked, "When your younger sister appeared during the villain invasion, how have you been feeling about it until now?"

"My feeling?"

Although Renault didn't understand why the topic was suddenly about him, he looked into Todoroki Shoto's serious eyes and didn't refuse to answer.

He said, "Regarding my feeling...at the moment I saw her, I knew the relationship between us. Although she is a member of the League of Villains, I have a rough idea of the reasons behind it. So...I don't blame her at all. I can only hate myself for not having enough power to keep her at that time. Of course, if there is a chance in the future, I will definitely bring her back. Then, I will ask her if she has done anything wrong these years. If she has, I will use my authority as an elder brother to teach her a lesson and make her make up for her mistakes. So, are you satisfied with my answer?"

After listening to Renault's words, Todoroki Shoto remained silent for almost half a minute before he spoke up, "It gave me some inspiration, and I didn't expect you to be so straightforward about it."

"Evading something that has already happened is not a solution. We have to find a way to face it sooner or later, don't we? I can tell that you've experienced a lot since you were young, but I have too."

"...Have you heard of a term called 'Quirk Marriage'?" After being silent for a while, Todoroki Shoto then spoke.

"What is it?"

Renault suddenly realized what Todoroki Shoto was trying to say, looking at his half-white and half-red hair, "You mean..."

"Talking to smart people is convenient, it's just as you imagine. My old man always wanted to surpass All Might, but when he realized he had no hope, he tried to surpass him through the next generation. Then, using his own money and achievements, he persuaded my mother's relatives and obtained my mother's Quirk."

"..."

Renault didn't know how to evaluate this situation. He was aware of Quirk Marriage, a situation that arose after the emergence of Quirks and social change, where some people optimize their Quirks for their offspring.

Two people with excellent Quirks or complementary abilities come together to give birth to even better Quirks. But gradually, the coercive implications contained within Quirk Marriage continued to increase. Compared to that, Todoroki Shoto's mother was a sacrifice of Quirk Marriage.

Then, Todoroki Shoto continued, "After I was born, in my childhood memories, my mother always cried. Eventually, she couldn't take it anymore."

Putting a hand on his scarred half-face, Todoroki Shoto said, "One day my mother told me, 'Your left side is too ugly,' and poured boiling water on my face."

"..."

"This is why I have never used my other Quirk," Todoroki Shoto said as he lowered his hand and looked at Renault in front of him.

"But these days, I've been a bit confused. Why can you still be so calm and composed after what happened? I don't understand. I started not using my flame Quirk since the recommended student exam just to prove that I can become the strongest even without using the other half of my Quirk. What about you, Renault? I have tried to put myself in your shoes, but I don't think I can be as calm as you are."

"Calm...?"

Renault sighed and leaned against the wall. He spoke softly, "Who said I'm really calm? I'm also angry and want to solve this quickly, but I know that impulsiveness won't solve the problem, and it's not easy to solve. Hey, Todoroki, you think your birth was because of Quirk Marriage, and your mother has been very unhappy all these years. Do you know the origin of my Quirk?"

"What do you mean?" Todoroki asked.

Opening his mouth slowly, Renault said, "It's similar to you, but I was... genetically modified, a test-tube baby, an experimental product."

"What?!"