Konata Doesn't Want To Be The Female Lead

"Hmm… I really need to find a way to make money soon…"

Walking home alone with her bag slung over her shoulder, Konata bit her thumb in thought.

After experiencing the ultra-cheap and ultra-delicious lunches at U.A.'s cafeteria, the bread slices she used to enjoy suddenly tasted like chewing wax. She simply couldn't bring herself to eat them anymore. This must be what they call "easy to go from frugal to extravagant, but hard to go back."

Even though U.A.'s cafeteria meals were cheap, for someone like her—who wanted to split every yen in half before spending—it was still a massive burden. She might be able to afford them in the short term, but if this continued, she'd probably end up sneaking out at night to do… less than honorable work just to pay the bills.

As for mooching off Ochako or Izuku for meals… well, she still had some pride and self-respect left.

"I need to find a reliable, legal, and stable income source soon. But with school taking up most of my time… should I go back to working at the maid café? The manager there was… uh, easy to talk to."

After careful and thorough consideration, Konata reluctantly dismissed that tempting idea.

"To complete Miku's unlock mission, I need to buy a computer. But I have no money, and all the fast ways to earn cash are probably illegal. Maybe I should try going out at night and… robbing bad guys? If I'm lucky, I might run into some punks and Robin Hood them a bit... Yes! That's the plan—tonight I'll start!"

Finally coming up with a sort-of solution, Konata let out a sigh of relief, and her steps noticeably lightened.

When she reached a fork in the road, she hesitated briefly before choosing the longer, less familiar path. If she was planning to go out at night and do some "good-willed mugging," then it was only logical to scout in advance.

But just after her figure disappeared down the road, a few oddly dressed figures stepped out from the alley near the path she'd originally planned to take.

The night passed without incident.

"Ugh… after the whole night, I barely got a thousand yen…"

Dragging herself to school the next day, Konata sported two dark, heavy eye bags as she forced herself to stay awake.

Whether it was luck or misfortune, she had wandered the city from 8 PM to 7 AM and only encountered a handful of actual "villains." Instead, she was mistaken as one several times and nearly got arrested for being suspicious. She didn't get much money, but she did manage to exhaust herself completely.

"I need to get to class early and catch a nap…"

With that goal in mind, she unconsciously picked up the pace—only to be blocked by a group of reporters before she could even get close to U.A.'s front gate.

"Excuse me, student—can you confirm if All Might is really teaching at U.A.?"

A female reporter shoved a mic toward her.

"Ugh…"

Konata glanced around at the reporters surrounding her. She sighed, stopped walking, and thought for a moment before pointing across the street.

"You'd probably get better answers asking All Might himself. I remember he usually comes from that direction when heading to school. If you wait there, you might catch him in about ten minutes."

And with a smirk, she added:

"Better hurry, though. If you waste time talking to me, and he sneaks in while you're not looking… well, that's on you."

Before she even finished, the reporters scattered like birds, leaving Konata to shrug and casually walk forward.

"Go on, wait there. If All Might actually shows up, I'll eat my hat. Reporters are the worst…"

"Konata-san, how did you get rid of those reporters?"

Before she could take more than two steps, a familiar voice caught up with her, curious.

Come on, I just want to sleep…

Suppressing a sigh, Konata turned and recognized the person next to her immediately.

Yaoyorozu Momo. Quirk: Creation. Along with Todoroki, one of the two students admitted through recommendations. A certified rich girl. Konata remembered her name clearly for one reason—it sounded expensive.

"Momo-san… can I just call you 'Momo'?"

"Of course, Konata-san."

Momo blinked at first but quickly smiled.

See, this is what good upbringing looks like.

Todoroki might as well be a walking ice cube. These two were both recommended students, but their personalities were total opposites.

As they walked, Konata explained casually.

"It's simple—just give them something even more interesting to chase. I told them All Might was about to pass by from that way, and off they went to intercept him."

"So that's all it takes to make them go away?"

Clearly surprised by the strategy, Momo was briefly stunned.

"Yup."

Konata raised a finger like a teacher.

"I call it a 'benevolent lie'—hm?"

She suddenly felt like someone was watching her and glanced across the street—but didn't see anything suspicious. Just more reporters.

…Was it just my imagination?

Shrugging off the feeling, she turned back to Momo.

"Let's hurry and get to class before they realize they've been tricked. With how sharp they are, it won't take long."

"Right, let's go!"

Momo also glanced across the street, and seeing the reporters start turning back toward them, she grabbed Konata's hand and pulled her into U.A. before they could get surrounded again.

---

"Sensei, she really did notice us."

A hooded man stepped out from behind a tree, licking his dry lips.

"She changed her route yesterday afternoon after sensing danger, and last night when we tried to snatch her while she was home alone—she wasn't even home. This girl's ridiculously cautious… what a pain."