MHA: Dark Matter (EvilPen)

Chapter 26: Path

I looked indifferently at the piece of meat that had once been the pimp of this place and committed his answers to memory. The names of those who had protected this establishment. Anonymous bank accounts with addresses of hidden stashes. Everyone involved in this.

Anger burned inside me, screaming at me to kill everyone connected to the appearance of that empty gaze. I didn't understand myself. I had killed so many people and witnessed just as many deaths. Addicts, villains, heroes, police officers, civilians, homeless people, people with Quirks and without. Their deaths were all in my memory.

How the necks of my victims went cold in my hands. How the spark of life in their eyes faded. Eyes full of various emotions: disbelief, surprise, hatred, despair, reproach, fear, resignation. I accepted their deaths, my guilt in action and inaction, for not preventing them. Because that was life. People just die, are born, and live. They kill and save, they rejoice and grieve, they hate and love, they take and they share.

So why was I angry about some girl I didn't even know? There were hundreds, if not thousands, like her. Was it only because she reminded me of that boy?

I looked at my knife covered hand, now wet with blood. The touch of the blood of these bastards made me feel sick. One mental command, and "Rejection" pushed all the blood off me. The surrounding walls were painted red.

I turned and walked toward the room with the little girl. The sound of blood sloshing under my feet echoed through the space, pushed away by "Rejection." I didn't pay attention to my instinctive use of the ability, nor to the frightened prostitutes in the rooms.

I opened the wooden door. The same red toned room. The same little girl on the bed. She hadn't moved. Her black hair was spread across the bed, her bare chest rising and falling slightly.

I examined the location of the closed fracture and gave her first aid. Then I took the pitcher of water from the table in the room and tried to wash away some of the signs of violence. I covered her body with the clean part of the bedsheet. I sat on the edge of the bed and looked at my hands. The anger was gone. Only emptiness remained.

I finally understood why those empty eyes affected me so much. I was still terrified of becoming like that girl. That gaze had been reflected in the transparent wall of my white cell just a few days before that dream. To become that weak, useless, empty.

And I sincerely hate the scum who drive people to that state. Who deprive them of their freedom and their will to live. To become indifferent to the possibility of living, and to lack the strength to defend one's freedom to live as one wants. These fears drive me forward. My dream guides me. My goals pave the way to it.

A winding path, full of bumps, sometimes breaking off. But I walk it. I live. I study, I become stronger, I meet new people, I steal and I kill, I rejoice and I grieve, I make friends and enemies. And that is why it hurts me all the more to see empty people. People who don't live, but merely exist. They chose this path themselves, so I ignored them. But the fact that a ten year old girl had made such a choice, just waiting for death, infuriated me.

New screams and shouts began to come from the corridor. I stood up and walked out. A few guys looked at the massacre in shock. One of them held a half naked woman, clearly about to ask her who had done all this. They immediately stared at me, their eyes beginning to show fear.

I raised my left hand. "Rejection." A stream of air, without touching the woman or the man holding her, slammed them into the wall, breaking their bones. The man froze in fear. I started walking toward him. He threw the woman aside and fell to his knees, begging for mercy. Begging just like the pimp.

I wondered, had that girl also begged them to stop?

My knife sank into his eye socket. I searched his pockets and pulled out a phone. I dialed the police. In response to the operator's standard phrase, I told them about the underground brothel and the mass murder, giving them the address of the nightclub "Devil's Pleasure" at the end. I threw the phone away.

I walked back to the girl's room. I stopped by the bed and looked at her. I was glad I had become a villain. Heroes are bound by their rules and laws. They are so dependent on public opinion that they can't always do what they want. They have voluntarily limited their freedom of action.

For me, being a villain doesn't just mean killing and stealing. For me, being a villain means achieving my goals, regardless of society, laws, and the morals of people I don't know. Being myself.

I don't know how long I stood in that room until I heard the pounding of boots. I realized the police special units had arrived. It was time for me to leave. I used "Choice" to make myself permeable and walked toward the wall.

* * *

The dark figure disappeared into the wall, not noticing the shining eyes staring at it.

- - -

*

*

*

[Naomasa Tsukauchi's Pov ]

A tall man in a black suit with a brown trench coat thrown over it walked down the hospital corridor. Stopping near the room where one of the victims of the high profile case had just been brought, he knocked and entered. There were six beds in the room, only one of which was occupied. A girl with a bandaged arm lay on it, leaning against the headboard. Her head was turned toward the window, where the setting sun was visible. She didn't pay any attention to the man.

Looking at the sun, Tsukauchi could only sigh. The phone call from work at four in the morning had not boded well. The sight of the blood stained walls and numerous corpses under one of the city's most popular nightclubs had hammered the final nail into the coffin of his hope for a normal workday.

The remaining nails were hammered in by the knowledge that many of the missing girls had been found here, in a brothel operated right under their noses. The detective knew that pulling this off without connections in the government was incredibly difficult, and even police officers could be involved. No, they were already involved, because one of the corpses found under "Devil's Pleasure" had been identified as a police officer. The realization of what an officer was doing there outside of work hours didn't improve Naomasa's mood. Nor did the murders of several people from the city administration and the local police precinct that had occurred throughout the day.

"Hello, Hana chan. My name is Naomasa Tsukauchi, and I'm a detective. Some people have already come to ask you questions today, but I have a few new ones. You don't mind answering them, do you?"

The man asked with a friendly smile, looking at the girl who had turned her head toward him. He felt sorry for her. Children shouldn't have to go through that. Her indifferent face with its emotionless gaze just stared at him.

"I'll take that as a yes. Your name is Hana Yoshioka. Your parents died five years ago in a car accident. Your current guardian is your father's sister, Ayame Yoshioka, who lives in Musutafu. Am I correct?"

"Yes."

A quiet child's voice answered.

"Good. We've already asked you what you remember about the three months from the time you went missing until today. Is there anything you'd like to add?"

"No."

Naomasa frowned at the even quieter answer. His Quirk, "Human Lie Detector," had activated. But if he thought about it, she probably didn't want to remember the details or talk about what had been done to her. That was understandable.

"Okay. According to other witnesses, the person in the room with you was a man in a black costume and a mask, presumably the A class villain Ticci Micc. And, according to you, he gave you first aid and then just stayed in the room. Did he do anything else?"

The girl's slightly more animated gaze did not escape the man's eyes.

"He sat on the edge of the bed. There was a noise outside. He left. The noise stopped. Then he came back into the room and stood by the bed."

She spoke in the same quiet voice, with small pauses between sentences.

"Can you describe his appearance in more detail?"

Naomasa listened carefully to her answers. The police had very little information about this villain. If the first thefts of the villain who could pass through walls had been relatively easy to track, later it became increasingly difficult. Until the incident at the police station and the murder of the hero Snatch, he had been classified as a C class. After the incident, he had been spotted no more than six times. And now he appeared for the seventh time and committed a real massacre. For what purpose? Unknown.

And that gave him a headache. A good night's sleep was not in his near future. His closest friend would be a cup of coffee.

[End Pov Naomasa Tsukauchi]

Chapter 27: Calm and Music

I covered a yawn with my hand. I was sitting in a cafe near the apartment of the last person connected to the nightclub "Devil's Pleasure." I was having breakfast, occasionally glancing at the police cars across the street. Apparently, his wife had found the body earlier than I had anticipated. I hadn't even finished my meal yet.

I wondered what the expressions on those police officers' faces would be if they knew that the wanted murderer was calmly eating nearby. I looked at my coffee. I usually drank tea, but I needed a little pick me up.

Twenty four hours had passed since I left that underground brothel. The anger and emptiness were gone, replaced by a calm confidence in my actions. No intimidation, no fights, no torture. Just searching for people and quiet killing. Like a tedious job that just needed to be done. And the fatigue after finishing it.

My backpack with my costume and mask rested on the chair next to my table. Just in case, I had used a homemade aerosol to change my scent, so they couldn't track me that way. The right thing to do would have been to go home immediately after the killing and have breakfast there, but fatigue, hunger, and laziness had brought me here.

The slightly bitter black liquid pleasantly warmed my throat. My thoughts were enveloped in a light haze of relaxation and calm. No thoughts about goals or plans to achieve them. Just a cup of coffee and a pleasant warmth in my chest.

The few other customers began to leave. Some to work, some to school, some had just finished a night shift and had decided to grab a bite before going home to sleep.

I took out my smartphone and, with a practiced motion, unlocked it. The app loaded, and the news feed appeared. What was on the agenda today?

The acquisition of several companies by the Yaoyorozu conglomerate and the consolidation of their presence in European markets. Interesting, but not particularly useful.

All Might had stopped some villains in a city in Aichi Prefecture. Mundane, though I should watch the video. All Might might show something new in his techniques. Denying his hand to hand combat skills would be foolish, but against weak opponents, he mostly relied on brute force.

Next. Not interesting.

Oh, where did this ad for Uwabami come from? Wait, no, it was a photo from her latest photoshoot, posted in the "Heroines of Japan" group that I followed. Expecting descriptions of their combat abilities was useless, but they often added videos of their fights, which could sometimes be useful for self improvement.

In terms of combat, the hero I admired most was Mirko. Not so much for her technique, which was only slightly above average, but for her wild fighting style. It always amazed me, and still does. I almost wanted to join her fan club.

So, what else? Fans of the third ranked hero, Hawks, had caused another uproar. Judging by his laid back appearance, you wouldn't think that his villain capture record was close to Endeavor's.

Weather forecast for Musutafu. Oh, that's about me.

The underground brothel and the mass murder at the nightclub "Devil's Pleasure." The police were still investigating, but it had been preliminarily proven that the A class villain Ticci Micc was involved. The club's managers had also been found dead. Then came lengthy speculations and hypotheses about what role I had played in all this. It was fun to read what the press wrote about you, although some hypotheses were annoying.

I took another sip of coffee. I scrolled further. Nothing interesting. I kept scrolling until I came across a news item about Kyotoku Jiro. His band was giving a concert this week in Shizuoka Prefecture.

Why was I finding out about this so late? I needed to buy tickets immediately. And I had to invite Hatsume. She didn't really listen to music, but everyone liked music! That was an absolute truth. Anyone who denied it was lying. I was sure of it. They just hadn't found the music they liked.

So what was I waiting for? I quickly ordered two tickets online and paid at the register. Excited, I almost knocked down a tired man in a brown trench coat on my way out. I quickly apologized and headed home at a brisk pace.

I needed to figure out how to pry Mei away from her "babies" so she would come with me to this concert. She had to understand the beauty of the world of music. And I would do everything in my power to make that happen.

- - -

Those negotiations cost me dearly. I fought like a lion and maneuvered like a serpent of temptation (not true), but I had to be a test subject for all of her "babies" for a week. And those tests were passed with honor and my head held high (not true).

In short, the day finally arrived. I was so excited that I cleaned my apartment, double checked my U.A. project, ironed my clothes again, and left early to pick up Mei.

She had moved into her relatives' place for school. So I didn't have to go far. I approached her house and waited for the agreed time.

I heard the door open and turned my head. I froze.

Mei Hatsume stepped out of the house. She wasn't wearing her usual sleeveless shirt and loose fitting dark green pants. She was wearing a black skirt with red stockings and a white blouse, with light makeup on her face. She walked up to me with a happy smile, blushing slightly at my intense stare.

"Hi, Ken."

I quickly recovered and smiled back widely.

"Hi, Mei. You look beautiful today. I've already called a taxi, it should be here in about five minutes. Have you changed anything on your exoskeleton, or do you think it's ready?"

"Of course not. There are still problems with maneuverability, but I probably won't be able to fix them before enrollment. I need to study the placement of muscles and ligaments in the human body better to further improve the baby."

Talking about various topics, we waited for the taxi and drove to the concert venue. She looked at me with slight surprise when the topic turned to music and Kyotoku Jiro.

What about it? I love music, and I'm a devoted fan of Kyotoku Jiro!

As we talked, the hall we were in was packed to capacity. And then a middle aged man with long, wavy hair took the stage and picked up the microphone.

"HEEEEEY! TO HELL WITH THE OPENING SPEECH! YOU CAME HERE TO LISTEN TO ROCK?"

"YEAH!"

"GREAT!"

The drums started pounding.

*Are you satisfied?*
*Just open your eyes!*
*You can see the light*
*On the other side of this new frontier.*

Several musicians, including Jiro, began to sing.

*The emotions we keep resisting*
*On the edge of the grief that brought us down…*
*A distant light, echoing in the dark night…*
*The howl of those who believe.*

The lead singer continued alone.

*Hey! Duck down! Hey! Howl! Act right now!*
*Hey! You will become someone during the exodus into the azure sky.*

The crowd, including me and Mei, began to answer him.

*The dreams we somehow managed to preserve will grow,*
*And until then, we don't want to lose them.*
*We don't have time to listen to liars.*
*Let's have fun instead, yeah, while life hasn't come to an end!*

The crowd grew more and more excited.

*The greater the obstacle, the stronger the desire.*
*In our open hearts, there is a messiah.*
*We want to seize this period of change.*
*Never give up, yeah!*
*Overcoming the nights that have taken me prisoner,*
*I howl loudly with all my soul!*

My eyes shone brighter and brighter with joy, but I didn't forget to glance at Mei.

*The fist I raised up, even if it's covered in mud,*
*Will be a guide for our wavering souls.*
*Again and again, putting our collected desires into them,*
*Let's fire our signal cannons!*

*Hey! Get out! Knock down that rickety door from the room!*
*Hey! Be someone! The nostalgia of exiles echoes in distant voices.*

She was shouting along with everyone else. Joy that I wasn't alone began to fill my heart.

*The dreams we somehow managed to preserve will grow,*
*And until then, we don't want to lose them.*
*We don't have time to listen to liars.*
*Let's have fun instead, yeah, while life hasn't come to an end!*

I am not alone, I am not alone, I am no longer alone. I have friends. The thought raced through my head as I enthusiastically listened to the song.

*The greater the obstacle, the stronger the desire.*
*In our open hearts, there is a messiah.*
*We want to seize this period of change.*
*Never give up, yeah!*
*Overcoming the nights that have taken me prisoner,*
*I howl loudly with all my soul!*

My eyes began to blur a little, but I still sang along loudly with everyone.

*Are you satisfied?*
*Just open your eyes!*
*You can see the light*
*On the other side of this new frontier.*

My soul felt lighter.

*This isn't the kind of situation where they say,*
*"This is a useless treasure."*
*Even if it's a little embarrassing*
*To wag our boastful tongues,*
*We have no desire to stop.*

The singer began the final chords.

*The greater the obstacle, the greater the anticipation,*
*And the more it hurts afterward.*
*The dreams we somehow managed to preserve will grow,*
*But maybe we should just give up on them? No!*
*Pour hot oil*
*Into the engine of your passion!*
*Overcoming the nights that have taken me prisoner,*
*I howl loudly with all my soul!*
(FLOW×GRANRODEO — Howling)

We all joyfully shouted, raising our hands in the air.

"Hey, Ken, are you okay?"

I looked at a slightly worried Hatsume and answered happily.

"Yes. Why?"

"You're crying."

Her finger pointed at my face. I touched my face with my hand. And I laughed. Then I hugged Mei tightly.

"Hey."

She fidgeted nervously.

"I'm just glad I'm not alone."

I answered quietly, then let her go and smiled at her.

That evening was the best of my life.

Chapter 28: The Trial

[ Izuku Midoriya's Pov]

A large number of teenagers, dressed in various athletic clothes, buzzed with excitement at the entrance to a training ground filled with numerous city like structures. Some silently stretched at the starting line, while others tried to drown out their nervousness with conversation. Among them was a teenager with curly dark green hair and freckles on his cheeks, who clenched his right fist and stared toward the training ground.

"Finally, I'm here. After this test, I'll be one step closer to my dream, to being a hero like All Might."

Involuntarily, Izuku met the gaze of a gloomy teenager with ash blond hair and red eyes.

"Oh no. Kacchan is probably still in a bad mood from hearing that I have a Quirk now. He was so angry back then that he was ready to blow me up, but Ken's jokes distracted him as usual. I still can't get used to someone making fun of Kacchan. But that's only postponed the problem. I'll have to resolve our differences in the future. For now, the important thing is not to let down the people who believe in me."

The green haired teenager thought, waiting for the exam to begin.

Suddenly, Present Mic's voice rang out.

"Aaaaand, START!"

Everyone looked toward the building where the hero's voice had come from in confusion.

"What's the matter? In a real fight, there's no countdown! Go! Goooo!"

The hero continued in an energetic, expressive tone.

"Consider the race started!"

The entire crowd rushed toward the training ground.

"I'll be first!"
"Go to hell, that's my robot!"
"Die!"
"Art of seduction!"

Shouts and explosions of defeated robots rang out as the teenagers attacked. A pair of robots worth a few points each rushed toward Izuku. A reflexive, quiet voice escaped his lips.

"One For All: Full Cowl, ten percent."

His athletic figure in a tracksuit was covered in red lines, followed by green lightning. The nearest robot swung its right manipulator at him, but the lightning covered body jumped off the wall of a building, pushed off, and kicked the robot. Moving quickly and bouncing off buildings, the green lightning covered figure turned robots into flaming wreckage with his blows.

Cameras placed throughout the city transmitted images of dozens of candidates for the hero course. In a darkened room, U.A. staff sat and stood, discussing what they saw on the monitors.

"Oh my, we have an unprecedented crop this year."

A voice came from a strange creature that looked like a humanoid cross between a mouse, a dog, and a bear.

"We can't be sure yet."

Said a lanky, tall man with long black hair. Leaning against the wall, he watched the candidates' actions intently with half closed eyes.

"I agree, Aizawa san. That's exactly why we need something that will truly test their courage."

Principal Nezu said energetically, pressing a red button.

Suddenly, one of the buildings began to collapse. Breaking through neighboring structures, a towering robot began to emerge. At the sounds of destruction and the sight of the multi meter colossus, the exam participants froze in fear. Debris from the buildings began to fall on the nearest people.

"Run!"
"He doesn't give points for defeating it. Fighting it is pointless."
"What the…? Why is it so huge?"

Shouts came from the panicking, fleeing teenagers. The ground vibrated with each step of the steel colossus heading toward them, and the movements of its manipulators destroyed the surrounding buildings.

The figure with dark green hair stopped, his huge emerald eyes fixed on the product of U.A.'s engineering minds.

"Is this some kind of joke? Damn, damn, damn. I hope I have enough points to pass. I have to run."

He turned away from the robot, but his gaze stopped on several people who couldn't escape the steel colossus in time.

"I have to help them escape. If I increase my Cowl to fifteen percent, I might be able to grab them and get away."

A woman's cry of pain interrupted his thoughts as he ran toward the people closest to the colossus. Off to the side, a chestnut haired girl he had seen at the U.A. entrance was pinned under debris, trying to crawl out.

"I can't save everyone. I can't save them. I haven't fully mastered One For All yet. What should I do?"

*"I just thought it would be a bad omen if you tripped, you know?"*

The girl had said in a flustered, nervous voice.

*"You don't have to worry anymore! Why, you ask? Because I am here!"*

The smiling hero had said loudly, carrying a dozen people on his back against a backdrop of fires and explosions.

"I can do this."

His figure quickly ran past the last fleeing people.

"I'll save everyone!"

Just a few meters from the robot, his legs were covered in brightly glowing red lines. A moment later, his body flew toward the colossus's head. Clenching his fist tightly, Izuku pulled his right arm back.

"SMAAAAASH!"

A shockwave spread from the powerful impact, and dozens of people watched in shock as the steel colossus fell with its upper body crushed.

In the hushed, semi dark U.A. monitoring room, a thin, blond, disheveled haired man smiled proudly.

But in Izuku Midoriya's mind, looking at his blue, bruised hand, was only one thought:

"The healing girl is going to yell at me again."

[End Pov Izuku Midoriya]

- - -
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*

*

Looking at the happy Midoriya, I felt a little awkward. On one hand, he would soon become a hero, and it was quite possible that he would try to catch me, Ticci Micc, in the future. On the other hand, I wanted to be happy for him and joke about his latest broken bones. He injured his hands too often during training, so I had to remind him that he had legs too. I even, with Toshinori's help, found him an instructor to practice his kicks.

It was pleasant to talk to Toshinori himself, but we didn't talk often. I had a suspicion about how he was connected to Midoriya. Over these months, I had examined this pair with my "Gaze" more than once. Izuku's radiance grew stronger and stronger, while Toshinori's grew dimmer. It was as if it was quietly passing from one to the other.

That was when I thought about the possibility of transferring a Quirk to another person. And this multi colored radiance could very well mean that this had happened more than once.

The very possibility of obtaining a Quirk without genetic inheritance from parents reminded me of Haijima.

*"...oh, I forgot to mention. Some of number forty one's internal organs have been replaced with organs from a test subject with a very interesting radiation type Quirk, a kind of 'telekinesis.' The Quirk itself can barely move a matchbox, but the telekinetic field surrounding its user allows him to sense all physical objects within that field. That's why he's a little slow in the head, by the way. His mind couldn't handle it. It happens."*

*The agent's voice remained just as cheerful.*

However, I dismissed this method of transfer. Such a method had consequences for the subject, judging by number forty one. And there were no signs of such surgical intervention on Izuku's body. And if this new Quirk of Izuku's had been transferred more than once, then the possibility of successfully transplanting organs multiple times to obtain a Quirk was vanishingly small.

Thinking about the theoretical possibilities of transferring Quirks to other people, I walked next to Midoriya, who was muttering about the Quirks he had seen during the exam, toward the beach. After all, training was still on.

Chapter 29: Introduction

Looking at the gigantic main building of U.A., I couldn't help but marvel at its size and the amount of money being poured into all of this. Today was my first day as a student within the walls of this academy. Walking toward the main entrance, I scanned the crowd of schoolchildren and recalled publicly available information about the organization of U.A.

U.A. holds first place among higher education institutions for heroes and is considered the best hero academy in the world. Students are divided into specific departments and classes: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, and K. Classes A and B belong to the hero course, the most popular of all. Izuku had gotten into Class A, judging by the letter he received. Though, given what he showed during the exam and the points he earned, that wasn't surprising.

But I laughed until my stomach hurt at Bakugo's seething rage and his desire to blow Izuku up. Based on the number of villain points, Katsuki had taken first place, according to the projected score table sent by the academy's device. However, there was a hidden twist in the competition in the form of rescue points. When you added the villain points and the rescue points together, Izuku took first place.

It was a shame I couldn't take a photo of Katsuki's face when he found out. But from what Inko said, his angry scream was heard by the whole street. Given his personality, they should have been used to it by now.

Next, we have classes C, D, and E, which belong to the general studies department. Most students who enroll here plan to go to college or university. This is also where the failures who couldn't get into the hero course end up. However, they may have the opportunity to transfer later. The business management department consists of classes I, J, and K. The curriculum in this department focuses on all aspects of hero business, from creating and managing hero agencies to hero management. Venture capitalism is even taught here.

As my acquaintance, the African arms dealer who managed to talk his way out of trouble with the police, used to joke, this is the "Jewish department." To understand the joke, I had to do some digging on the internet. And finally, my department, the support department. It consists of classes F, G, and H. Mei and I were placed in Class F. Students in this department learn to develop support equipment for heroes.

It was very interesting to look at the projects of the other candidates during the entrance exam. For this, the academy had set aside a room belonging to our department, where students usually test their creations, as the hero Power Loader, a short, thin man with long red hair and dull blue eyes visible through the slits in his helmet, who was the head of the admissions committee at the time, informed us.

My project was well received by the committee, but Hatsume's exoskeleton attracted the most attention. Power Loader praised it before tearing it apart, criticizing the placement of the power system and the not quite correct center of mass of the exoskeleton. In short, Mei hadn't even been accepted yet, and they had already started teaching her. I wished him good luck and strong nerves, because I would eat my shoe if she didn't blow something up in the first month.

With such positive thoughts, I finally navigated this damn labyrinth of U.A. corridors and made it to my classroom. I opened the door.

"Hi, Ken."

Who else? Hatsume was cheerfully waving at me from the desk closest to the window. I scanned the room as I walked over to her. It was too early to say anything about the other students, but in terms of enthusiasm and energy, Mei was unquestionably in first place.

"Hi, Mei. If you haven't blown anything up before our homeroom teacher arrives, we can consider that a good sign."

She pouted at that.

"Hey, are you always going to bring that up? That was ages ago!"

"My memories of that explosion are still as vivid as ever!"

The sound of the door opening interrupted our playful argument. A man walked in.

"Hello, Class 1F. I think you remember me from the entrance exam. My name is Higari Maijima, also known as the earthworks hero, Power Loader. Starting today, I am your homeroom teacher."

- - -

I raced across the rooftops, dressed as Ticci Micc, heading to the meeting place with the client. I was thinking about the day's events.

After his opening speech, Power Loader read us the safety rules and gave us a tour of our future workstations. I had the feeling that if I took my eyes off Hatsume, she would get lost somewhere in the vast spaces of our department and start building her "babies." Her burning gaze even scared off a few students. After the tour, we were dismissed.

On the way home, I received a message from Giran about a client who wanted to meet me. He vouched for the client's reliability and said that "he has information that might interest you, Ken kun." So I was now heading to the meeting place.

I had reduced the number of my outings as Ticci Micc because of my studies, but refusing jobs from people vouched for by Giran was risky. He knew what interested me, and I trusted him a little. And in the underworld, trust is valuable, though no less dangerous. Still, his relationship with the newly formed "League of Villains" worried me. And judging by their active search for strong villains, something big was being planned for the future. It interested me greatly.

I stopped near an unremarkable building and approached the designated entrance. I walked down the stairs and opened a wooden door. A darkened room with a bar counter and tables along the walls was revealed to me. Despite the pleasing design, I looked seriously at the two strangers.

One of them was made of dark mist, with yellow eyes and elegant clothes standing out against it. He stood behind the bar counter. The other man, with blue gray hair and a hand on his face, was dressed in a black sweater and black pants and sat at the bar counter.

When I appeared, the misty figure set down the glass he had been wiping.

"Hello, Ticci Micc. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Kurogiri, and this young man is Tomura Shigaraki. We are the League of Villains. And although we have already received your previous answer, I wanted to ask if you have changed your mind?"

The misty figure asked politely, looking at me with polite interest. That was talent. Managing to convey such an expression without a normal face. I noticed the hand faced man staring at me. His red eyes had a slight trace of bloodlust.

"No, no, no. Thanks for the offer. To be honest, I'm not interested in joining your club of crazy hands. You have a cool bar and a nice atmosphere, but I'm used to back alleys and abandoned warehouses."

I refused jokingly, not taking my eyes off the man who had started scratching his neck.

"Then let's set that question aside for now. We have heard a lot about your infiltration and thievery skills. We would like to hire you to help with a certain matter involving U.A."

The misty silhouette continued in a polite voice.

"No. I try not to deal with hero agencies or academies."

I refused sharply.

"Afraid?"

The man with the blue gray hair spoke up. The slight murderous intent around him intensified.

"Yes, yes, yes. There are such strong heroes there. They could easily catch someone weak like me. And I don't want to go to prison, since I am still so young. So, if that's all you wanted to say, I'll be going."

I made a silly face and turned toward the exit.

"Even if we can offer you information about Haijima?"

Kurogiri asked, thereby stopping Shigaraki, who had been about to do something. At the mention of a familiar organization, I smiled involuntarily. The desire to kill those creatures overwhelmed me. I walked to the bar counter and lounged on a chair.

"So, what do you need help with? Something to steal, or someone to kill? What is your goal anyway?"

The hand faced man looked at me in surprise and answered with a hint of madness.

"Killing All Might."

[Izuku Midoriya's Pov ]

Izuku stared with delight at the vast expanse of land featuring areas that looked as if they had been struck by various disasters. From the entrance, which was situated above the central part of this facility, on a high stone platform in front of the stairs leading down, stood Class 1A and three heroes.

"I developed this training zone to simulate a wide variety of catastrophes and accidents, and I call it…"

The hero in a white spacesuit began to speak. From beneath his black helmet with white eyes came a proud voice.

"The Unforeseen Simulation Joint!"

"It really is the U.S.J.!"

Thought Midoriya, even regretting not bringing his notebook so this hero could give him his autograph. This was the space hero, Thirteen. He provided phenomenal assistance in disaster relief.

Exchanging glances with All Might and Eraserhead, Thirteen continued.

"Before we begin, I would like to say something…"

The cosmic hero once again drew the attention of the excited teenagers.

"I'm sure you are all already aware, but my Quirk, 'Black Hole,' can turn anything it absorbs into dust."

"This Quirk is perfect for clearing debris and saving people from natural disasters."

Midoriya added, standing next to a rapidly nodding Uraraka.

"Yes."

Thirteen agreed, then spoke in a sharply serious voice.

"However, this power can also be used to kill. In that way, it is no different from the Quirks of other heroes."

In the ensuing silence, his voice calmly reached the stunned students.

"Naturally, in our modern society of superhumans, the use of Quirks is strictly regulated, and there are certain rules for their use. This is the case all over the world. Each of you possesses an ability that can be misused. During Mr. Aizawa's physical fitness test…"

The lanky, long haired man with a capture weapon around his neck simply grunted at this.

"…you learned the true potential of your power. And during All Might's combat training…"

The named hero flashed a brilliant smile.

"…I think you understood the danger and threat your powers pose. This lesson should serve as a new starting point. Let's move on to learning how your Quirks can be used to save people's lives!"

The teenagers listening attentively were filled with an inspiring feeling.

"Your Quirks do not exist to hurt others!"

"Thirteen…"

"Please finish this lesson fully aware that your Quirks are meant only to help people!"

"…he's so cool!"

"That's all. Thank you for listening so attentively and patiently!"

The cosmic hero bowed deeply.

"What an excellent speech, Thirteen! The very purpose of heroes is to help others! Let's begin this training to understand how to properly provide that help. To start…"

All Might suddenly stopped, frowning as he looked toward the fountain. A dark point appeared and expanded into a wide funnel of dark mist. Dozens of sinister looking people began to emerge.

"Everyone gather together and don't move. These are…"

The hero stared at the dozens of eyes with ill intent fixed on Class 1A and the three heroes.

"…villains!"

The man with blue gray hair covered in hands laughed joyfully.

"All Might is here, All Might is here, All Might is here! This is goooood!"

"All Might, Eraserhead, and Thirteen. Everything is according to the curriculum."

The misty figure with bright, glowing yellow eyes said.

"I don't know what your goal is. But because I am here, I will not let you run rampant in U.A.!"

All Might declared, stepping toward the villains. His majestic aura caused several villains to step back in fear.

"Aizawa and Thirteen, evacuate the students."

He said quietly and vanished.

"Nomu."

The man with the hand on his face commanded quickly. All Might, who had knocked out a dozen villains, was sent flying by an unexpected, lightning fast blow from a humanoid creature. Towering over All Might with blue skin and massive muscles, the creature let out a cry from its head, which had exposed brains.

"Idiots, don't let the students escape with the heroes. All Might is mine. Kurogiri, you know what to do."

The man with blue gray hair said.

Meanwhile, Eraserhead, seeing the horde of villains and All Might occupied with his opponent, shouted to Thirteen as he rushed toward the villains.

"Get the students out and contact the academy. I'll hold them off."

Watching the battle begin with anxiety, the students of Class 1A were distracted by the space hero.

"There's no time to watch. We have to evacuate, otherwise your presence will only get in the way of Eraserhead and All Might!"

Thirteen commanded, pointing toward the exit.

"I'm afraid I can't allow that."

"What?"

The turning Thirteen's spacesuit was slashed by a black blade that materialized from the mist. Under the shocked gazes of the students, the cosmic hero's body fell.

"Greetings! We are the League of Villains. Please forgive our audacity, but we have taken it upon ourselves to invade the hero academy U.A., the base of heroes."

The misty figure that had appeared in their path spoke. The black blade slowly took the shape of a hand.

"Solely for the purpose of meeting the Symbol of Peace. And killing him."

Three figures rushed forward. Midoriya, covered in green lightning, Kirishima with a hardened arm, and Katsuki, with his hand glowing from ignited sweat, attacked from the sides and front.

"You didn't think we wouldn't hit you while you were running your mouth, did you?"

Kirishima shouted, watching the mist intently along with the others.

"That was close. Just as expected from the 'future' of the hero world. But I'm not the one who will deal with you."

The dark mist began to swirl around all the students.

"I won't allow it!"

All Might's jump, which was meant to stop the villain, was interrupted by Nomu's accelerated body.

"Where are you rushing off to, Symbol of Peace? We have waited so long for the day we would meet you. The day you die! Hahaha!"

The hero's angry gaze fixed on the man with the hand on his face.

"What are you trying to achieve?"

"You know, there's one question that always bothers me. Why is it good when a hero defeats a villain, but bad when a villain defeats a hero? Why do you have the right to commit violence and enact your justice, but no one else does? It's unfair!"

The man with blue gray hair exclaimed. His eyes filled with malicious intent, and an unusual aura surrounded his body.

"I want to destroy this justice, this society! Killing the Symbol of Peace, the man who personifies this society, will make that easy. And on the ruins of this society, I will establish a new justice, a new society. So today, you must die, All Might!"

The villain's last words were spoken with murderous intent.

Meanwhile, the students of Class 1A began to fall onto concrete from the dark portals that appeared. Coughing away the dust, Izuku looked around. Most of his class was looking around in confusion. Six were absent: Iida, Uraraka, Shoji, Sato, Sero, and Ashido.

Counting who was missing, Midoriya began to examine the surrounding ruins of city buildings more closely and think about his next move.

"So, six are missing. That's not good, but it's not my mistake. Ahem, ahem. ATTENTION!"

A voice came from a figure that had appeared on an empty stretch of road, dressed in a black costume and a mask.

"Excellent, you're all paying attention to me. Hello, larval heroes! Having learned that you would be having a heroics lesson, the League of Villains decided to invite me to teach it to you, since your other teachers will be quite busy. And I, Ticci Micc, am proud to be teaching it to you…"

Katsuki, who had been about to charge, was thrown back, clutching his forehead. Izuku noticed a coin that had fallen next to him, which the villain had been twirling in his hand.

"…Shaggy haired guy, interrupting people is not polite. So, let's begin our heroics lesson. Rejoice, you have a unique opportunity in a U.A. lesson to fight…"

…a real villain.

********A/N*******

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Chapter 31: Heroics Lesson (2)

The representatives of Class 1A looked at the villain who had just finished speaking with wariness and slight fear. They still hadn't recovered from the rapid chain of unexpected events.

"Stop spouting nonsense! Once All Might beats the rest of the villains, he'll come here and kick your ass!"

Shouted a nervous Mineta, a short boy with a childish face and dark purple ball like hair.

"I'll blow that ugly mask up myself!"

Roared an irritated Katsuki, who was furious about getting hit earlier. His classmates, along with Izuku, decided not to tell him about the red five yen coin shaped welt on his forehead. But the words of these two made them feel more confident.

"Excellent! You're already grasping the essence of what not to do when facing a villain. You must not lose your fighting spirit, no matter what. A true hero must be confident and resolute. But fighting spirit and resolve…"

The cheerfully speaking man appeared next to Bakugo with unbelievable speed and sent him flying into the wall of a broken building with a punch to the stomach. Cracks spread across the wall from the impact.

"…are nothing before absolute power. To uphold their ideals, heroes must be strong…"

A massive ice block that had been growing toward the villain shattered into pieces with a wave of his hand.

"…and smart."

A figure covered in green lightning with a leg raised to strike appeared behind the villain, but a gust of wind from a wave of his other hand sent it flying.

"They must be able to cooperate with their comrades…"

A smooth step to the side with a twist of his body, and a blue beam hit a living shadow instead of the villain, dissipating it.

"…and know when to fight to the end and when to retreat."

The villain dodged a tail strike and a hardened fist, grabbed the fist's owner, and threw him over his shoulder into the tail's owner. The two bodies fell awkwardly.

"I can't show you what it's like to be a hero. But I can show you what happens to a weak hero when they meet a strong villain."

Todoroki stared at his opponent, who had easily broken his ice, with a furrowed brow. Katsuki tried to get up from the ground, while the slightly injured Midoriya tried to figure out the enemy's Quirk. The others clenched their teeth tightly.

Having finished speaking, Ticci Micc headed toward the main part of the class. Suddenly, a couple of oblong objects rolled to his feet.

Poof. Poof.

A cloud of smoke engulfed him. After waiting a moment, prepared for an unexpected attack, the villain dispersed it with his Quirk. None of the Class 1A students were nearby. The villain chuckled at that.

"Let me go, Deku! I'll blow that bastard's face off right now! Mmmmm!"

Momo had stuffed a piece of cloth into Bakugo's mouth. If at any other time Izuku would have been in a state of sacred awe at this act from the girl carrying Bakugo on her back, right now he had no time for that. The opponent's strength, speed, technique, and Quirk were making his brain work overtime to devise a strategy to fight him.

"Yaoyorozu, are you sure we should have retreated? With that guy's speed, he'll catch up to us soon."

Asked Jiro, a girl with short purple hair and earphone jacks dangling from her earlobes.

"No, but we can't beat him without a plan. He deflected our attacks easily. It's clear he's playing with us, but we don't know when he'll stop 'teaching' us and get serious. So, we need time to come up with a plan and analyze his abilities. Has anyone even heard of the villain Ticci Micc?"

"No."
"Never heard of her."
"I have."

Izuku spoke, instantly drawing the attention of all the students. He immediately started to fidget nervously. Swallowing, he continued.

"About two years ago, there was an incident at a Tokyo police station involving Ticci Micc. Several police officers and one hero, Snatch, died. After that, he was given an A class rating. He also recently caused a massacre at a nightclub in Kanagawa Prefecture. But the police aren't sharing the details. His known abilities include being able to pass through objects and create shockwaves. Apparently, he can't let living people's attacks or energy attacks pass through him, since he dodged Aoyama's beam. But I still don't understand how he appeared out of thin air in front of us."

"You don't need to know how that happens. Just think of it as me being invisible sometimes."

The metallic scraping voice made Midoriya almost trip. Everyone jumped back from the running villain who had appeared next to Midoriya. He stopped and spread his arms.

"I almost feel bad scaring kids like you…"

Ticci Micc's entire posture conveyed "regret" for his upcoming actions.

"…but it will be useful for you to know what helplessness feels like. And maybe you'll learn a lesson from it. I'm curious to see what you'll become in the future."

Izuku felt his opponent change with his last words. The very air seemed to warp around the dark figure. Something dark and terrible rose and emanated from him. The U.A. students felt a grotesque, distorted aura from the masked villain envelop their surroundings. As if they were all just toys in the hands of a mad monster who hadn't yet decided what to do with them.

Midoriya wanted to attack, to scream, to run, or to do anything to get rid of this fear, which was turning into terror. The red eyes visible through the dark mask were like the eyes of a snake before its prey. One wrong move, and life would end.

Suddenly, the sound of shattering glass rang out.

Everyone involuntarily looked toward the source of the noise. A small hole was visible in the far section of the glass dome. The barely audible sounds of battle from the fountain area had fallen silent.

"The lesson is over."

The masked villain said. A moment later, with the sound of cracking concrete, he jumped onto the nearest building and disappeared from sight.

From the sudden relief, Momo and Jiro fell to their knees. An unnaturally quiet Bakugo stared at his clenched fists. Izuku watched with worry toward where his teacher and idol were fighting.

[End Pov Izuku Midoriya]

- - -

*

*

*

I quickly jumped across the rooftops toward the central plaza. As far as I could tell, the silhouette that had flown into the sky was my employer's "trump card." A mindless, incredibly powerful creature they called "Nomu." My fists clenched involuntarily. The creature was similar to number forty one. The realization that the League of Villains was in some way similar to Haijima made me want to kill them all.

Two things stopped me. The lack of information about their connection to Haijima, and doubts about whether I was strong enough to do it. So I agreed to their absurd plan. I didn't believe they would kill All Might, but I still needed their information.

Damn. Too slow.

"Rejection" destroyed the building beneath me, but the recoil sent me flying toward the center of the dome surrounding the entire disaster simulation complex.

My eyes noted the battered Eraserhead in the central plaza, dozens of unconscious villains and a destroyed fountain, and off to the side, the body of Kurogiri, which Shigaraki was trying to shake awake as All Might rushed toward them.

Son of a bitch!

I twisted my body in the air and launched myself downward with "Rejection."

The Symbol of Peace sensed something and crossed his arms above his head. The shockwave from the collision of my Dark Matter covered legs and the number one hero's hands sent the surrounding villains flying. Feeling the bones in my legs crack, I did a backflip, throwing a knife at All Might's face. The knife, accelerated by "Rejection," was deflected with a wave of his palm.

"Hey, Facepalm, wake up your sleeping beauty faster!"

I shouted at the cursing hand faced man, ignoring his curses and mutterings of "Impossible, the master said he was weakened." Now I looked more closely at the Symbol of Peace's appearance. His hero costume was torn in many places, and the skin on his right arm looked as if it had been eaten away by some kind of acid. Adding to that his heavy breathing and the blood coming from his mouth, this fight had not been easy for him.

I involuntarily met his blue eyes.

I felt like an ordinary tourist who had accidentally angered a huge king of beasts.

I released Dark Matter and covered my right hand with "Hardening" at full concentration. A shadow covered my body. I barely had time to meet the suddenly appearing All Might's fist with my own. It was like being hit by a train. The impact shattered my "Hardening" with a crack, and my body was thrown back a dozen meters. I tried to move my right hand. No response. Great.

All Might, who had been about to move toward me again, was forced to deflect a knife accelerated by "Rejection" to protect Eraserhead, who, due to fatigue and injury, couldn't defend himself. I pulled out a flare gun with a decidedly non signal flare.

I needed to delay All Might without engaging him in close combat, where he would easily destroy me. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed new people at the top of the stairs. Instead of aiming at the Symbol of Peace, I shot toward them and jumped back toward Shigaraki and the barely conscious Kurogiri.

One of the new arrivals deflected my projectile, and half of the central plaza was covered in a smokescreen. Without a Quirk like "Clairvoyance," they shouldn't be able to see us for the next few seconds, which meant someone like Snipe couldn't hit us accurately.

I met All Might's gaze again, and the face of a thin man with the same eyes flashed in my mind. My eyes widened in shock at the realization.

At that moment, dark mist enveloped me, and a moment later, I found myself in the familiar bar.

********A/N*******

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Chapter 32 : Surprise

Far from U.A. and in a calmer environment, the injuries from the brief skirmish made themselves known. Cracks in my leg bones were a much smaller problem than my broken arm. I still couldn't move it properly. I looked at the pair.

"We got wiped out… Even Nomu couldn't handle it… Our subordinates were taken out instantly… And the Symbol of Peace wasn't even close to weakened!…"

Shigaraki muttered under his breath, breathing heavily. They didn't look good either. Torn and disheveled clothing, several hands missing from his faceplate, Kurogiri's metal plates bent. The atmosphere was bad too. Though, when was it ever good around them? It felt like they were trying to play at being classic evil for all of Japan.

A flash of pain from my arm reminded me that it was time to get out of here. But first, I needed to collect my reward.

"So, guys, you can keep wailing about how unfair the world is to villains and villain society in general. But I have urgent business, like online gaming with friends, and I'd like to collect my loot from this quest."

The red eyes visible through the fingers attached to his face began to glare at me with malice. Yeah, I'm not great at diffusing tense situations.

"Don't give me that evil stare. I did my part of the deal. I got the curriculum schedule, I kept the kids occupied, I traded blows with All Might, and I even came out relatively intact. I'm practically a hero."

I straightened my back at the last words, but my arm reminded me of its presence again. Still, I didn't show it to my conversation partners. Showing weakness in front of such "allies" was like hanging a sign over your head inviting them to finish you off. The hand faced man stood up, holding his ribs.

"Did you kill those kids?"

"No."

I answered casually, watching his hands and Kurogiri closely.

"Why not?"

"What for? You asked me to occupy the kids, and I occupied them. None of the ones Kurogiri warped got in the way of your fight with the Symbol of Peace."

Judging by his even angrier look, my answer hadn't pleased someone. The silence that followed my words was broken by a synthesized voice.

*"Kurogiri, give him the flash drive with the information about Haijima."*

On the monitor hanging from the ceiling, a gray background appeared with a vague shadow, from which a figure spoke. Hearing this voice, Shigaraki instantly calmed down, and the third person began to search behind the bar counter. Until he handed me a black flash drive, everyone remained silent.

*"Can we count on your services in the future?"*

I felt uneasy from this stranger's voice. I couldn't figure out why, but my subconscious seemed to whisper not to anger this person.

"Of course. But only for a price. And I'm not fond of killing heroes or academy students."

I maintained a carefree tone.

*"But that didn't stop you from killing one."*

This man's interest unnerved me more and more. Shigaraki's attention to the stranger's words did not escape my eyes either.

"Well, he was unlucky. I was in a bad mood that day."

After a second of silence, he said:

*"Fine. I look forward to our future cooperation."*

I had the feeling that in that second, I had been taken apart piece by piece, examined, and then put back together. Only after sensing a hint that the conversation was over did I quickly leave. "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer." That saying had come to mind before when I considered further cooperation with the League of Villains. But we must not forget that it works both ways.

- - -

Several days had passed since the attack on the U.S.J. This event had rocked all of Japan. The very fact of an unpunished attack by villains on the number one hero academy had agitated society and seriously tarnished U.A.'s reputation. Only the fact that none of the students were seriously injured kept the matter from escalating further.

But I didn't care about that. Midoriya had been somewhat depressed for a while, but the news about the sports festival cheered him up. After examining him again with my "Gaze," I said goodbye.

Walking along one of the streets of Musutafu, my thoughts were far from the city views. Fortunately, I hadn't had any classes during the incident. And thanks to U.A. being closed for a day, I had been able to fully recover using some acquaintances with healing Quirks. It was a shame they couldn't fully heal me after that fight with number forty one. My body had been too exhausted and damaged back then, despite the wounds that had healed with my Quirk's help.

I was, of course, ready to pretend everything was fine at the academy the next day, since I had taken care of my treatment immediately after leaving that bar. But thanks to this unexpected day off, my body had had time to recover. Noting this undoubtedly good fact, I returned to my thoughts about Midoriya and Toshinori.

The fact that Izuku was personally trained by the Symbol of Peace himself was like being hit in the face with a dusty sack. And the realization that the teenager's Quirk might have come from All Might was the finishing blow.

But no less shocking was the appearance of the Symbol of Peace in everyday life. I had suspected that Toshinori was strong, but I hadn't expected that he and All Might were the same person. Despite the stark contrast between the ultra muscular man who creates shockwaves with his fists and the skinny man hacking up blood, I was sure my guess was correct.

Because of this, I even postponed reviewing the information about Haijima for later. I later made sure that the information would still be relevant after the sports festival. After all, I needed to be in good shape by the start of the festival, since all departments participate. I anticipated the possibility of injuries during my revenge on Haijima, and I didn't want to draw U.A.'s administration attention with potential injuries.

On regular school days, I could bribe someone to get a sick note for the duration of my actions against Haijima. But with the sports festival approaching and after the villain attack, the administration would be on high alert. They might take an interest in anything unusual, even a student's absence due to illness. It would be better for me to overestimate Principal Nezu's paranoia than to get caught on a small detail. The cost of a mistake could be too high. I wasn't ready to pay it.

Suddenly, I remembered the face of the number one hero. Was his current appearance the price he paid for possessing incredible power? Or the result of a past mistake? And would I have to pay a similar price in the future?

Suddenly, someone hugged me around the waist. Startled both by the action itself and by the fact that I hadn't noticed the person approaching, I flinched. I looked down in confusion at a little girl with vaguely familiar black hair and eyes. She, still hugging me, looked up at me with her slightly glowing gray eyes. A barely noticeable smile played on her pretty face.

"Found you."

********A/N*******

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Chapter 33: Blackmail

I stared at the girl, my mind blank. I could easily push her away. That was probably why her hug didn't trigger any fear. Or maybe I just didn't understand anything. No, I really didn't understand anything.

"Little girl, are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?"

Her face scrunched up slightly. The glow in her eyes intensified for a moment, then faded.

"No."

She said, still hugging me. Just great. I looked around, trying to spot her parents. No one. A few passersby glanced at us, but none of them looked like her guardian. I looked back at the girl.

"Could you let go of me?"

"No."

The answer came instantly. My right eye twitched.

"But this is uncomfortable for me. Could you let go?"

"No."

I had never been in a situation like this before. Standing in the middle of the street with a girl clinging to me was not part of my plans. I tried to gently push her away, but she held on tighter. As strong as she was, I was stronger. Just as I was about to pry her off, tears started welling up in her eyes.

I froze. She latched onto me like a tick. A few passersby shook their heads disapprovingly, looking at me. I had to suppress the urge to scream, "I'm not the bad guy here!" I felt like a villain for almost making a little girl cry.

The stupidest part was that I actually was a villain. Ticci Micc was a murderer. Damn.

"Little girl, where are your parents?"

She didn't answer. She pressed her forehead against me.

I could only sigh. It seemed I wouldn't be able to resolve this quickly.

"Fine. My name is Ken Hoshino. Can you tell me your name?"

A quiet answer came from the girl, her face still pressed against me.

"Hana Yoshioka."

"Okay. Why were you looking for me? Have we met before?"

I asked calmly, trying to figure out why she seemed familiar. She finally lifted her head. Looking into her gray eyes, I began to understand where I had seen them.

"Yes. You had a beautiful mask with a red smile."

My face went still. A cold feeling spread through my insides. Something vile began to grow inside me.

"How did you find me?"

"My Quirk lets me see glowing trails that people leave behind. I remembered yours."

I stared at her without blinking.

"Haven't you told anyone about this?"

"No."

The solution was simple. She knew my secret. That threatened all my plans. I just needed to make sure no one suspected me or noticed anything. I had plenty of experience with that. It would be easy. One hand would be enough. It would only take a second.

*Her weak breathing was barely audible in the quiet room. Her gray eyes stared motionlessly at the wall.*

I put my hand on her head.

"Let's sit down."

She nodded. We walked to a nearby bench. Hana kept one hand on my clothes, afraid to let me go.

Looking at her, I couldn't find the strength to do what I was thinking. If I did, I wouldn't just be killing her. I would be killing a part of myself too. A heavy feeling grew in my chest.

If she told anyone, I would have to run. Abandon everything. There would be no more Ken Hoshino. Only the villain Ticci Micc would remain.

My pessimistic thoughts were interrupted by the girl's quiet voice.

"Big brother, I won't tell anyone about that night. But on one condition…"

Wait a minute. My mind couldn't keep up. Since when did I become "big brother"? And didn't her words sound a little too strange?

"…you have to stay with me."

I was dreaming. That was the only explanation. Only in a dream could a little girl blackmail a killer of dozens of people and demand that he stay with her.

I pinched myself.

Nothing.

I frowned at the red mark on my hand and looked back at Hana, who was waiting for my answer. Her gray eyes watched my every move. This was real.

Damn.

Reality sucks.

Okay, Ken, pull yourself together. This is just a conversation with a little girl whose kidnappers you killed, and now she's blackmailing you with the secret of your villain identity.

Damn.

"Why do you want me to stay with you?"

I decided to find out how deep this rabbit hole went.

"I like it when you're near me."

Was this the so called suspension bridge effect? When a person, due to fear and excitement, thinks they've fallen in love with the first person they see. That was just what I needed.

"Hana chan, you do understand that I can't be with you all the time, right? Let's talk to your pa… your guardian instead."

Her face had started to scrunch up, but then relaxed at the change in my words. I almost forgot her past reaction to questions about her parents. After a moment's thought, she nodded.

"Where is your guardian?"

"Over there."

She pointed behind me. I turned and looked at the crowd. Among them, a panicking young woman in white clothes stood out, asking passersby questions. Her black hair was styled in a way that framed her face. I grimaced slightly at the white color. My aversion to that color still hadn't gone away.

Hana, sitting next to me, waved her hand. The woman noticed and quickly walked toward us.

Soft facial features with a slightly pointed chin, reddish eyes, a voluminous chest, a well proportioned figure. In terms of beauty, she was in no way inferior to the 18+ hero, Midnight. And I might have involuntarily admired her if her ward wasn't blackmailing me with the knowledge of my second identity.

Inhale.

"Hello…"

Ignoring me, she quickly hugged Hana.

"Hana chan, are you okay? Don't ever do that again. You don't know how scared I was when I didn't see you near the store. I thought you had been taken again…"

She started crying, hugging the girl tightly. At this sight, I felt like a third wheel. I would have tactfully slipped away if not for the little blackmailer's insistent gaze on me. So I pretended to be a stone statue. Passersby also tactfully ignored us, occasionally glancing our way.

Five minutes later, the woman calmed down and finally deigned to notice me.

"I'm sorry for my behavior. My name is Ayame Yoshioka. Hana chan hasn't been bothering you, has she?"

My lips twitched involuntarily. "Has she been bothering you, the person who is blackmailing me?" How could I approach this topic tactfully?

Having made up my mind, I was about to speak when Hana chimed in innocently.

"Onee san, I want big brother to come visit us."

Ayame looked at the girl in shock, while I just wanted to sink through the ground. Since when had talking to a child and her guardian, whom she called her older sister, become more difficult than killing a gang of villains?

"Young man, I'd like to speak with you."

Ayame looked at me with slightly narrowed eyes and a polite smile on her face. But I felt the unspoken threat. At the absurdity of the situation, I blurted out:

"I'm not to blame. She blackmailed me!"

I pointed at the ten year old girl.

Only a second later did I realize what I had said. I covered my face with my hands, noting to myself that the stunned Ayame looked attractive.

*********************
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Free time. I had it. The main and saddest thing about this statement was "had." I knew I would have less time after enrolling in U.A. Unlike Melissa, I couldn't take my exams early to get permission to attend classes freely. U.A. didn't offer that option. On the other hand, they devoted quite a lot of time to practical work and independent projects.

To say this pleased Mei would be an understatement. I had to practically drag her away from her work every time just to get her to go to the cafeteria. But I understood her. I enjoyed tinkering with things myself.

It was an activity I had started out of desperation and a desire to get closer to heroes. I hadn't liked it as a child. All those formulas and laws of physics, kinematic diagrams of machines, and types of connections between links were too distant and complex for my understanding. I only did it because of my desire to prove that I meant something, and out of inner self satisfaction. "I'm studying things that my peers don't even think about!" That thought often crossed my mind.

Then came the laboratory, the experiments, the man with the cold eyes, and my escape. Then surviving on the streets and stealing, an uncertain future and nightmares.

Then, when I no longer had to worry so much about getting food and shelter, I didn't know what to do. Doubts about the future and nightmares, training and fights with villains. They exhausted me and changed me. Music helped, but even it got tiresome sometimes.

So I decided to do what I had done before. To preserve something of little Ken Kayoshi other than his name, his fears, and his disappointments. What I had spent hundreds of hours on in the past and had found difficult began to bring me peace. When I was tinkering with my creations, I wasn't worried about thoughts of the future or the past, worries or doubts. There was only me and the materials from which I could make something new.

For Melissa, science was her whole life. She was constantly surrounded by colleagues and her father's business partners, in whom she saw the ideal to strive for. And science could pave the way to that ideal. For Hatsume, science was a passion. Like the genius artists and writers of the past, she was driven by inspiration and the desire to create something new.

For me, science was an opportunity to briefly forget about the dangerous villain Ticci Micc or the good friend Ken Hoshino. To forget about my hypocrisy and my revenge. The process of working itself and the pleasant feeling after completing it allowed me to do that.

U.A. allowed me to pursue this hobby of mine. But I didn't stop being the villain Ticci Micc, who, although less active, still needed to become stronger. Nor did I stop being Ken Hoshino, the good friend and, more recently, "big brother."

The Yoshioka family had taken a serious toll on my already fragile self esteem. I was mentally broken and morally defeated. But Ayame decided to finish me off with her sadistic pleasure for accusing her "innocent" niece. And also to find out who this newly acquired "big brother" even was.

Only after that did she graciously allow the unworthy me to visit them.

Ayame Yoshioka and her niece lived in a private house, just like Midoriya. The first time I visited them, I had no idea what I was going to do. My studies of sociology for general development had not covered what ten year old girls were interested in.

The situation itself was incredibly strange, as was the girl's demand.

When I arrived, Ayame opened the door and asked me to wait with Hana while she prepared dinner. Apparently, I had arrived too early. Finding Hana in the kitchen, I decided to follow her demand to "stay close." So I simply sat down next to her on a chair.

Her gray eyes and my red ones met. My eyes held universal calm and anticipation of something extraordinary. Hers… I had no idea. Her seemingly expressionless gray eyes seemed more alive than before.

Our staring contest was interrupted by a quiet curse from the stove. Nodding to herself, Hana moved her chair closer to mine and looked toward Ayame. I looked there too.

I can honestly say that I am not the best cook. But for my training, I need to eat properly. My body, even if I didn't train, would need more food because creating Dark Matter consumes a lot of energy. So I had to learn to cook. Years of living alone had honed my culinary skills.

That doesn't mean I don't eat out sometimes. And it pained me to watch Ayame try to cook something.

"Ayame san, what are you making?"

"Vegetable stew with meat."

A focused voice answered. I looked at the stove. Then at Hana. My gaze asked a question.

"How haven't you starved to death?"

Interpreting my question correctly, she nodded toward the slightly open kitchen cabinet door where the trash can usually sat. Looking closer, I noticed a pizza box leaning against the can.

I see.

I turned my attention back to the older representative of the fairer sex in this house. Refusing food when visiting someone is rude, but getting food poisoning was not in my plans. That was a slight exaggeration, of course. I looked at the stove again. Still, my health was more important.

Sigh.

An hour later.

With slight gloating and superiority, I looked at Ayame, who was trying to maintain a composed face. And I knew. I knew she was embarrassed that a guest had had to cook dinner. She had even tried to refuse my "help," but the smell of burnt steak on the frying pan had dampened her enthusiasm.

This peculiar "revenge" for my unfairly murdered self esteem during our first meeting lifted my spirits.

"Thank you, big brother. It's very tasty."

Hana's happy verdict finally finished off Ayame's self esteem, judging by her face. My smile widened.

During my subsequent visits to their house, I also had to do the cooking. I tried to hint that this wasn't quite right, but Hana's pleading eyes reminded me that my resistance to female requests was critically low. It also made me fear the future when this young blackmailer gained more experience.

Ayame, for her part, had accepted her culinary defeat, but, like a top tier lawyer from the Yaoyorozu conglomerate, she decided to show off her strength. Rhetoric. And here I quickly lost ground. Her biting comments and veiled jabs easily crushed my attempts at resistance on this battlefield.

Hana, during these moments, with a more noticeable gleam of amusement in her eyes, usually pressed against me and watched our verbal sparring.

This was unusual and fun. Even the annual hype before the sports festival seemed to pass me by. But the event kept getting closer, as did my revenge on Haijima.

Chapter 35: Fights and Thoughts

I watched the U.A. students celebrating as they competed in various sporting events with mild interest. I hadn't expected the girls from Midoriya's class to change into cheerleader outfits. Judging by Present Mic's comments and the angry glares from the Yaoyorozu heiress toward the electro boy and the little pervert, this hadn't been anticipated by everyone except those two sneaks. Where had they even gotten those costumes so quickly?

After admiring the beautiful sight of the girls and noting the humorous situation, I began recalling all the Quirks I had seen during the first two events. I had obtained lists with personal biographies of the entire first year hero course, but I needed to verify their actual capabilities. How a person uses their Quirk, the hidden weaknesses in its application, its potential.

It would be foolish to pass up the opportunity to study the abilities of future heroes, especially since the League of Villains had them in their sights. If their goal was to destroy hero society, then hero academies, as one of the pillars of that society, would be their targets.

The students of Class 1A had clearly become stronger and more inventive in their use of Quirks. Perhaps my lesson had helped them a little. Class 1B also had some interesting individuals, but most of them were too fixated on their desire to surpass Class 1A. This both helped them give their all and imposed certain limitations.

Among the other departments, the most interesting were my friend Mei Hatsume and a boy with disheveled indigo hair and dark circles under his eyes. I had no doubts about Hatsume. To secure contracts with large companies and get funding for her inventions, she would turn the stadium upside down, all while causing moral damage. But the boy caught my attention with his attempts to stay unnoticed and his strange cooperation with other students.

By the end of the second event, I was convinced he had a mind control Quirk. And it required conversation to activate. A very dangerous Quirk in skilled hands.

His fight against Midoriya, who almost lost, demonstrated this. I noted that pain or external stimuli could break the control. Mei's fight, on the other hand, made me burst out laughing. Turning the fight into a farce and an advertisement while humiliating her opponent was priceless. I could practically feel the indignation, helplessness, and a hint of childish resentment from her opponent. Her stepping out of bounds to hand the victory to her opponent nearly made him howl in frustration.

I had lost early on to guys from the business management department. I even chatted with them a bit, since analyzing heroes is one of their necessary skills. It was interesting to hear their perspective, even if it was mostly marketing oriented.

"Great fight, Mei! I think that guy will remember you for a long time."

I shouted to Mei as she approached, smiling slyly. At my words, she only smiled wider. She smiles a lot.

"Yes! I'm very grateful to Iida for helping me demonstrate my babies."

Remembering the bespectacled boy's face as he watched Mei walk away, I involuntarily chuckled. Sitting with Mei, we watched the remaining fights.

Midoriya's fight against Endeavor's son and the final itself were particularly colorful. Todoroki had finally decided to use his Quirk fully. An impressive display of fire and ice ensued. Izuku tried to close in for hand to hand combat, but due to inexperience, he couldn't get past his opponent, who could change the terrain with ice. And his fire attacks, when combined with the expanding air inside the remaining ice blocks, caused explosions that threw my friend back.

Clearly exhausted, the two decided to exchange final blows. It was incredibly beautiful and loud. Cementoss had to intervene to prevent serious injury. This battle involuntarily stirred a desire for battle within me. I had to calm down quickly, as the people sitting near me were starting to get nervous. It wasn't time yet.

Izuku won the fight with minor injuries across his body, though his right hand looked bad.

Then came the final. Two old friends clashed to settle old scores. Explosions and maneuverability met speed and physical strength, provided by All Might's Quirk. Bright flashes of explosions and quick strikes of green lightning covered limbs soon gave way to ordinary hand to hand combat, then devolved into something resembling a drunken brawl over a bottle of sake.

Then, with shouts of "Katsukiiii!" and "Midoriyaaa!" they struck each other. And fell unconscious.

The stunned stadium erupted in applause at the unexpected result. Present Mic couldn't calm down, judging by his excited voice. And I couldn't shake the feeling that I had seen a similar scene in some shonen manga I occasionally read while listening to pleasant music. The feeling made me slightly uncomfortable.

- - -

*

*

*

[Shoto Todoroki's Pov ]

A rather tall teenager with fairly long hair, evenly split between white on the right and red on the left, leaned against a wall in an empty corridor of the U.A. stadium. Shoto's thoughts were in disarray. His fight with his classmate and his subsequent loss had brought old problems to the surface. Midoriya's words still echoed in his head.

*"Everyone… uses everything they've got!… They do it to get as close to victory as possible! They do it to become number one someday! And you think you can achieve the same using only half your power, but you didn't even scratch me the whole fight!"*

*Emerald eyes glared at him angrily.*

*"Everything's fine, Shoto."*

*A calm female voice said.*

It reminded him of his mother. Of sitting with her and watching news about All Might's exploits on TV. Of his childhood dream of becoming the number one hero. And of helplessness.

Looking at his left hand, the young Todoroki thought. He hated his father and everything associated with him. Especially his fire Quirk. He didn't want to be his father's tool. He wanted to become the best hero without using his father's Quirk. He wanted to see the disappointed look on his face.

"I achieved all of this without you."

But after the encounter with Ticci Micc, the villain in the black mask. After realizing his helplessness in the face of a villain who could have easily killed him and his entire class. From what his classmates who had stayed near the exit said, the villain had appeared near the fountain, withstood a blow from All Might, and then escaped.

A thought had hovered at the edge of his consciousness: could he have done something if he had used his father's Quirk? Shoto had dismissed it and immersed himself in training. Only the fight with Midoriya brought it back.

Now the teenager was troubled by two questions. What if someone died in the future because of his refusal to use his fire Quirk? And could he still call himself a hero after that?

[End Pov Shoto Todoroki]

- - -

*

*

*

Falling onto my bed after a walk with Mei that we decided to take after the award ceremony, I couldn't help but exhale. I could finally focus on reconnaissance and searching for Haijima.

That flash drive contained only information about the probable location of one of Haijima's complexes, as well as data on a few of the organization's employees. But one of them caught my attention.

I stood up and turned on my computer on the desk, entering the password. I found and opened a photo of one of the scientists. An elegant, black haired man in a suit looked at me from the screen. His eyes were attentive and calm.

A smile spread across my face.

I finally found you, Yoishi Miura. The man with the cold eyes.

*********************
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Chapter 36 :Waiting

I was checking my gear. The desire to simply grab Miura and then give him a proper "reception" was something I had to suppress. That action might scare off the others.

Several days had passed since I started tailing him. It was difficult. Seeing that slightly aged face, which had appeared in my dreams so many times, was unpleasant. I wanted to destroy him, to see terror on his face, and then kill him slowly. Hatred, impatience, and bloodlust boiled beneath my cold mask of a hunter.

Finding Miura's workplace was easy, as was noting the faces of the people working there. But the four story office building in the city of Hoshu, I decided to scout only tonight.

Despite the seemingly standard security system, I managed to identify certain elements that didn't fit the typical patterns for such office buildings.

The urge to go there immediately was strong. That was exactly why I was now sorting through my gear. Hidden knife sheaths, attachments for incendiary and smoke bombs, a small flare gun with two smoke flares, my costume and shoes, the mask with the voice changer.

Impatience is a common mistake of amateurs. It could cost me dearly. I had to be focused and calm. My goal tonight was to gather information, not to kill or torture. But if the situation changed, I would be glad to kill them.

My wide grin was reflected in the blade of my knife.

- - -

Breaking into the office building turned out to be surprisingly easy. But a quick search of the above ground four floors yielded nothing. I hadn't expected it to, but it would have been a shame to miss something due to carelessness.

I could reach the basement floor by elevator, but it would be hard to think of a more obvious way to announce an intruder. So, without overthinking it, I used "Choice" to penetrate the lower floors.

My "Gaze" revealed a picture of black walls and glowing silhouettes of guards or workers. I began searching for the central server or archives.

I moved carefully, so as not to give myself away by disturbing the air. When maintaining permeability to air, I can't breathe. Fortunately, my passive physical enhancement and training allow me to quickly adapt and master the possibilities of "Choice" with virtuosic skill.

This was the last room on this floor, and there was nothing I needed here. If the research was anywhere, it would be on the central server, which should be here.

I went down further.

Another half hour of searching was rewarded by finding the server room. Looking at the towering racks of computing equipment, I tried to visualize the overall layout of the two basement floors. I realized that building them without the use of a Quirk, undetected and without risk of collapsing the office building above, was practically impossible.

Interesting, but currently useless information. I needed to find a computer from which I could download the necessary information. And a very useful program, courtesy of a programmer who owed me a favor, along with a hard drive, would help me with that.

Ten minutes later, I was more relaxed as I searched the remaining part of the basement level, until I stumbled upon a tunnel.

Now that was interesting.

I examined the huge, empty hall from which the tunnel began. I wondered what had been here?

---

[Pov Endeavor]

A rather colorful pair walked down the city streets. A teenager with red and white hair, wearing a dark blue hero costume with white boots and a combat vest, followed a tall, muscular man. The dark blue costume and the flames burning on his shoulders and face, along with his heavy presence, made it impossible for anyone not to recognize him. It was impossible not to recognize the number two hero.

At that moment, Enji Todoroki was pleased. His son had finally accepted his heritage, his fire. Now he had become stronger. The fact that he hadn't made it to the finals during the U.A. sports festival was irrelevant. Fame is fleeting and fickle. The important thing is diligence and power. The path to becoming the strongest is long and thorny.

Shoto had taken a significant step along that path by realizing his mistakes. Although his son was strong, he was only strong in comparison to that gray mass who considered themselves professional heroes and didn't strive to be better, satisfied with their small, comfortable world.

Senior Todoroki despised them. Even his son's classmates were better than them. They had ambition. Like him.

While others watched from afar and admired All Might, he moved forward to stand beside him, and then to surpass him. And even if he couldn't achieve that, even if the Symbol of Peace still shone in the distance, his son, his legacy, would surpass them both.

And this internship, which included the possibility of capturing the Hero Killer, would bring him one step closer to his dream.

Explosions and screams caught the fiery hero's attention. Looking toward the source of the screams, the number two hero addressed his son in a heavy, commanding voice.

"Shoto, join the heroes from my agency and focus on evacuating the civilians. Do not engage in battle. Observe how real heroes work."

With these words, the flames around him intensified. His powerful figure turned in the direction of the commotion. The hero ran, not noticing the change in Shoto's expression as he looked at his phone. His tall, seemingly clumsy body was like a flash of fire in the perception of other people. Years of grueling training and battles, along with virtuoso control of his Quirk, "Hellfire," which provided jet propulsion, allowed him to develop tremendous speed.

A blue skinned, eyeless monster with an exposed brain, over two meters tall, raised its hand to strike a heroine who had noticed it too late. A moment later, a fist knocked the monster away.

He looked like the Nomu that All Might had fought, but weaker.

Endo recalled information about the creature that had appeared at U.A. The knocked back monster got up and screamed.

"CRAAAAAA!"

Frowning slightly, the fiery hero dodged the Nomu's lunge and grabbed its head with his hand. The screech of the burning monster, trying to regenerate its flesh and break free from Endeavor's grip, filled the alley with other heroes and Nomu. The thrashing body fell limply a few seconds later.

Having only taken a step toward the Nomu that an old man in a yellow and white costume was trying to restrain, Todoroki sensed something and quickly turned his head toward the sky.

A body crashed into the asphalt with a crash, accompanied by a flash of light. The rising dust was swept away by a gust of wind that came from where the body had landed.

The tense heroes saw the battered figure of a man in a black cracked mask, with black and purple lightning crackling across his torn clothes. He stared intently at the sky.

"A mutt that ran away from its masters has decided to bite them. For such insolence, you will be punished when I return you to your place. To your cage."

An arrogant voice came from the sky. A man in a burgundy suit hovered in the air, his yellow eyes fixed directly on the masked figure. The man's very appearance would have given the impression of a stuffy aristocrat, if not for two streams of amber light emanating from his back.

Finally paying attention to his surroundings, he said, without changing his tone:

"Because of you, mutt, we've attracted attention. And for that, you will pay."

A ball of light began to form on the tip of his raised left index finger.

[End Pov Endeavor]

*********************
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Chapter 37 : The Dandy

Walking through the tunnel, I thought about everything I had seen before. The laboratories, which I could identify by the empty fixtures where equipment should have been and some left behind furniture, were empty. Yet it was clear that someone had been working there just a few days ago. And judging by the actions of the remaining personnel, this complex would soon be vacated.

If I had waited a few more days, I would have had to make do with only the people I had managed to spot. So the question arose: why were they leaving this place? The most likely answer was that they had learned that this location had been discovered by the League of Villains. This proved that Haijima and the League of Villains were, at the very least, not allies. At most, they were enemies.

But one thing still bothered me. Or rather, one creature. Nomu. I had managed to secretly take a sample of Nomu's blood, and through some discreet medics who knew how to keep quiet about their clients, I learned that there was human DNA in this thing.

Two organizations that knew each other. Both working on creating enhanced, subservient monsters from humans. The League of Villains' goal was clear: to destroy the current social system. Or so Shigaraki, who acted as the "leader," claimed. But what did Haijima want? Did they also want to start a coup, but had some disagreement with the League of Villains? The lack of information was frustrating.

I felt like I was wandering in the dark, blindly clutching at any lead to Haijima. To increase my chances of revenge, I needed allies. Or to become as strong as All Might in his prime. That would be very difficult. Alternatively, I could cooperate with the League of Villains, but they might demand my complete submission. Maintaining equal allied relationships for long is very hard. Although Giran seemed to manage it somehow.

After I finished this self appointed mission, I needed to think everything over carefully.

Throughout this time, I hadn't lowered my guard. I maintained my invisibility with "Choice." When the tunnel ended, I found another empty hall, but with a freight elevator that had just risen to the surface.

Without hesitation, using "Choice" to its fullest, I went up.

The room I ended up in was an ordinary warehouse, the likes of which I had seen dozens of times in my life. From the elevator that had just risen, workers were unloading cargo that a forklift was loading onto a truck parked there.

But my attention was immediately drawn to a bright radiance with several blurry colors. The owner of this radiance was talking to a man whose radiance was much dimmer in comparison.

I moved closer.

"…seventy percent of the work is done. In a couple of days, we can move the remaining equipment, then begin eliminating traces of our presence here. No significant or unusual incidents have occurred."

Nodding slightly, the man with the bright radiance asked with a slight smirk that could be heard in his voice.

"What about rats?"

Confusion was evident in the reply.

"Tokiomi sama, we have taken all preventive measures to prevent the appearance of pests."

I quickly ducked my head. A beam of light with orange hues flashed where my head had been. I stopped maintaining my invisibility and carefully examined the man whose finger was pointing at me.

Dressed in a crimson jacket with a white shirt underneath, burgundy pants, and brown patent leather shoes, his entire appearance contrasted sharply with his surroundings. At that moment, his yellow eyes, set in an arrogant face with a goatee, stared at me with contempt.

"You missed one pest. Though I've made a slight mistake in my designation. It would be more accurate to call him not a rat, but a stray dog. Decided to return to his masters?"

He now addressed me directly. The enemy clearly liked to talk. Carelessness or confidence in his own strength?

"Ticci Micc decided to pay a courtesy visit to his old acquaintances. I also brought gifts…"

Two knives flew toward the goateed man and his recent companion in a white coat holding a tablet. They were deflected by two beams of yellow orange light.

"Wretched tricks and pieces of metal won't get you…"

The man, who had begun to speak mockingly, stopped. He frowned, looking at the truck and the cargo in crates, which had started to catch fire. Flipping another incendiary bomb in my hand, I threw it at the forklift driver. I pressed my hands to my mask in mock surprise, shaking my head sadly, all while not taking my eyes off this dandy.

"Oh, dear. Your truck is on fire. And the cargo. I wonder how much it cost? Probably a lot, judging by your sour face. Don't worry, money isn't the most important thing in life."

I jumped out of the path of five light beams. I quickly drew my pistol, hoping to put some unplanned holes in this Tokiomi's body. But a thin, hexagonal wall of yellow light, connected at the center to the dandy's fingers, stopped the bullets.

The sound of his former companion's body falling to the ground didn't elicit any emotion from Tokiomi. The man, who could safely be called a slowpoke for trying to get away too late, was dead.

My jump smoothly turned into a run. I began circling the dandy, continuously firing my pistol. His yellow eyes closely followed my movements. His hand still held the hexagonal shield, moving it slightly.

Suddenly, a beam of light from his other hand passed through the yellow shield and flew toward where I was predicted to be. However, my figure, ignoring inertia, sharply changed direction toward the dandy. Skillful use of the recoil from "Rejection," combined with weightlessness from "Choice," allowed me to pull off even more impressive maneuvers.

A knife, unlike its predecessors, accelerated by "Rejection," struck the upper edge of the light shield, causing it to tilt sharply. The dandy's eyes widened. He couldn't block the next shot from my pistol with his shield. I had saved the last bullet for this moment.

In slow motion, I watched as golden particles of light began to swirl in the palm of his free hand. Damn. I barely had time to cover my body with "Hardening" before a whirlwind of golden particles struck me, sending my body through the wall.

Ignoring the pain and the loss of my pistol, I threw off my belt of bombs, which, by some miracle, hadn't detonated from that searing whirlwind. I dodged the subsequent beams by launching myself into the air, planning to tire out my opponent by making him shoot at a flying target.

Soaring through the air, I tried to spot my opponent. A light beam, as wide as my chest, flew straight at me. I dodged, only to watch with wide eyes as it changed direction at a perfect ninety degree angle. Straight toward me.

I barely had time to cover myself with my hands, protected by "Hardening." My body was knocked aside. Colors blurred around me as I covered the rest of my body with "Hardening." My body slammed into the asphalt.

Oh. The indescribable feeling. One I wanted to pass along to that bastard.

I stood up. I blew away the wind with "Rejection," preparing to survey my surroundings and then fly off to kill the dandy. But the sensation of a rapidly approaching radiance caught my attention.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed a group of heroes, including Endeavor who had appeared out of nowhere, and creatures suspiciously resembling Nomu. I watched as the dandy flew toward me. He hovered majestically over the roof of a building across from me and began to speak.

"A mutt that ran away from its masters has decided to bite them. For such insolence, you will be punished when I return you to your place. To your cage."

Two streams of amber light emanated from his back, somehow allowing him to fly. But judging by the crimson cracks that had appeared on his neck, that beam of light hadn't come easily to him.

"Because of you, mutt, we've attracted attention. And for that…"

He finally noticed his surroundings. A ball of light began to form on the tip of his raised left index finger.

A single thought raced through my mind as I watched this damn "light mage."

"…you will pay."

What else could this damn "light mage" do?

Chapter 38: Goal

I prepared myself for the dandy's next move. Or the heroes'. However, the first to protest being ignored was some flying monster that lunged at Tokiomi. He had no choice but to pierce its head with a beam of light, killing it instantly. I made a mental note that these creatures were likely also called Nomu.

Parallel to my thoughts, this "mage" turned his head toward me and almost got knocked off his feet by a backhanded slap from some old man in a yellow and white hero costume.

But I quickly lost interest in them. A jump upward, using "Choice" to negate gravity, and a stream of orange fire passed just beneath me. I noticed Endeavor's dark blue figure, already pushing off a building wall toward me, his fist raised.

Fast.

I pushed myself aside, but his fist headed toward me, glowing brighter and brighter. I extended my arms toward the nascent stream of fire and used "Rejection." The shockwave only slowed the powerful orange flame, but the preserved recoil from the ability pushed me out of the attack's radius, straight toward the dandy, who was trying to hit the nimble old man bouncing around like a jumping bean.

With a spinning kick, I struck the damn "light mage." My leg, hardened and accelerated by "Rejection," met his hexagonal light shield. The shield held, but he couldn't dodge the swift stream of air that the old man had somehow exhaled into his back. My enemy's body flew past me and crashed into the asphalt.

Endeavor, who had been about to knock out the man in the torn burgundy suit as he tried to get up, was forced to turn his attention back to the remaining Nomu.

The man raised his hand. With an inaudible snap of his fingers, a blinding flash of light flooded the entire street, blinding everyone for a few seconds.

- - -
* * *

[Pov Tokiomi Tosaka]

One of the founding families of Haijima was furious. Proud of his position and strength, Tokiomi was forced to flee like a beaten dog. From humiliation and wounded pride, the man wanted to destroy everything around him. He could already imagine the mockery from his colleagues and representatives of other houses over the loss of valuable equipment and his failure to capture the escaped test subject. "Always successful, illustrious Tokiomi made such a blunder. How could this be?"

The pain in his body forced the man to focus on his steps. Thanks to the flash of light, he had managed to slip away unnoticed and fly away from the battlefield. But further flight would cost him energy, and his radiance would be visible from afar. One of the downsides of his Quirk, "Heavenly Light." Too flashy. But that was nothing compared to the power of his Quirk.

The energy he creates is easily controlled. It can be destabilized for attacks or stabilized for shields. The more energy used for an action, the easier it is to control. Tokiomi quickened his pace down the alley toward where his car was parked.

Of course, it was a shame he couldn't catch number twenty three, but getting caught in the sight of the number two hero would have been foolish. Rage and wounded pride are poor advisors for the mind. His fingertips were already beginning to ache from the intense use of his Quirk, as were the spots where he had been hit by that fast old man.

"What the hell were they doing there? If it weren't for them, this mutt would already be in my hands. That old man Takahashi found something interesting in his blood. That's why he ordered him captured alive. Oh well, this mutt won't be so lucky next time…"

Tokiomi's eyes widened. He quickly spun around, raising his left hand. But his wrist was grabbed by a hand that crushed it. The masked silhouette's free hand struck his elbow. Tokiomi let out an involuntary cry of pain from the broken arm. A blow to his stomach sent him flying into a wall.

With a blurry gaze, he watched the figure in black approach. The fingers of his right hand, where particles of light had begun to gather for a beam, were crushed by a descending foot. Through the pain, he barely registered number twenty three's words.

"So you can sense when someone else activates their Quirk nearby. As long as I wasn't actively using my Quirk, you didn't notice me. Is this ability your own, or are you like number forty one?"

"How dare you compare me to trash like you, number twenty three, or number forty one? You're only good for experiments and serving us."

From fear and pain, Tokiomi's nerves began to fail him. He was beginning to realize that he wouldn't get out of here alive.

"And that's interesting. Can you tell me more about that? I'm a good listener."

The villain in the mask crouched before the man. Red eyes gleamed with pleasure at the sight of Tokiomi's wounded body.

"Do you really think Haijima won't find you? After I die, you'll have big problems…"

As he spoke, the man's hands and collarbones began to glow faintly from within.

"…by letting me capture you, you can only hope for better treatment. Otherwise, your past stay with us might seem like paradise."

Tosaka tried to distract number twenty three. He needed time for a powerful, undetectable attack. But his words were cut off by a hand gripping his shoulder.

"Let's change the subject. You know, I'm very glad to have found such a conversation partner. It's a shame we don't have much time…"

The clenched hand began to be covered in a dark purple haze. The man watched in horror as he began to lose strength and control over his Quirk.

"…stretching out the absorption over a long period is very difficult. But I think we'll have enough time. And I'd like to tell you one thing…"

The mask with the glowing red eyes approached.

"…my name is not number twenty three. It's Ticci Micc."

[End Pov Tokiomi Tosaka]

- - -

*

*

*

I looked thoughtfully at the pale corpse of Tokiomi Tosaka. In the middle of the interrogation, when he had just begun to speak, his body started shaking, and then his heart stopped. That didn't stop me from absorbing his life force, but I didn't get much information.

Too many events had happened today. Judging by the Nomu fighting the heroes, the League of Villains had decided to launch an attack. Why? I had no idea. But Endeavor was probably there to capture the Hero Killer.

I needed to figure out my next move. Because I had been spotted and had killed one of the higher ups in Haijima, all the more or less valuable members of the organization that I knew about might soon go into hiding. I needed to at least skim the information I had managed to retrieve from the server room. There might be lists of employees and their positions.

I also needed to rest for at least an hour and change into my spare gear. Infiltrating the complex, gathering information, the brief skirmish with a Haijima operative that had dragged us into the heroes' and Nomus' fight, and the subsequent capture and torture of said operative had considerably drained my energy. Mostly mentally.

But I had already achieved my main goal. The hard drive was secured in a case made of a durable, heat resistant alloy attached to my thigh. It had survived the attacks relatively unscathed.

Despite my fatigue, I felt a growing excitement. The object of my revenge was getting closer.

Chapter 39: Ideology

Dressed in a dark combat costume with metal plates and a red scarf, a figure advanced toward a group of frozen people. His body, covered in numerous wounds and burns, was trembling. Anyone could see that he was at his limit, that the slightest blow could knock him off his feet. But under the gaze of his small red eyes, no one could move. His silhouette seemed to fill the entire world, and his words fell like heavy boulders, crushing the people.

"THE ONLY ONE ALLOWED TO KILL ME IS ALL MIGHT!"

I paused the video. Staring at my phone screen, I paid little attention to the cup of black tea clenched in my hands. A mild headache and the slight drowsiness from not having slept for the past two days faded to the back of my mind. My gaze studied the silhouette of the Hero Killer, Stain, the former vigilante turned mass murderer.

Busy searching for Haijima's employees, followed by interrogations and executions, I had paid little attention to the changes beginning to occur in society. I was more interested in ways to bypass the restrictions that prevented my victims from telling me the organization's secrets. But killing them brought me pleasure.

An illusory sense of justice flickered through my thoughts. My emotions peaked when I finally caught Miura.

I had interrogated and killed my other victims quickly, most often right where I found them. But I treated Miura differently. I locked him in a basement, strapped him to a bed that was tilted vertically for a better view of a large mirror. Then I injected him with a certain drug.

Two days later, the formerly handsome, intelligent looking man had transformed into a moaning body covered in scabs and sores. In his eyes, which in my memory had always been cold and indifferent, there was only animal terror and a shattered mind.

I didn't want to talk to him, to learn his story or his personality. I had long understood that there are no absolutely right or wrong people. That every person has their own reasons for their actions, reasons we simply cannot always understand. They could be terrible, noble, or mundane. But at that moment, I didn't care about any of that. My strongest desire was to make Miura feel at least a fraction of the pain and fear I had felt back then. What those child test subjects he had watched over had felt.

Only after that did I take his life.

Returning home and taking a shower, I decided to first catch up on the news before going to sleep. My appearance and the subsequent clash with the heroes and Tokiomi were still raising questions and speculation on social media. But Ticci Micc and Stain had been unequivocally linked to the League of Villains, while Tokiomi was called an unknown villain who had a disagreement with us.

As a result, I was promoted to S class, and my subsequent killings were linked back to me.

What was most interesting, however, was how society perceived a villain like Stain. His words, his ideology, his beliefs, and his story resonated in the hearts of countless people. He had become a symbol pointing out the flaws in hero society. His arrest left in people's memories not just a notorious serial killer, but a man who wanted to change the world for the better.

Looking at the image of the Hero Killer, I felt… admiration?

I wasn't sure what he was like in combat, but the ability to intimidate Endeavor with nothing but his intent was remarkable. Even from a video recording, you could feel his resolve and his compelling charisma.

I also noticed the figures of Midoriya and his classmates among the group of heroes. I would have to ask him about that incident later.

My thoughts involuntarily turned to the League of Villains. They had profited the most from this incident. During the fight, I hadn't known about Stain's involvement, so I hadn't realized what was happening. Using the Hero Killer's fame to attract his followers while simultaneously proclaiming themselves not just as a group of ordinary villains, but as a group with their own ideology.

If this was Shigaraki's plan, he wasn't as childish as he appeared. And while Tomura might become more dangerous in the future, my greatest concern was the identity of his master. I had my suspicions about who he was, but I needed to confirm them.

For now, I needed to rest. The past few days had been very stressful.

- - -

Sitting at my desk, I stared at the blackboard with glazed eyes. I had to use all my strength not to fall asleep during our literature teacher's lecture. His hero name was Cementoss.

I liked reading, but the works of ancient authors didn't interest me. Haiku and European poetry left me indifferent. Reading the enormous novel "The Tale of Genji" by Murasaki Shikibu made me want to howl with boredom. But for my studies, I had to read about the love adventures of the "shining Genji," the most beautiful man who ever existed. Judging by the novel, the Emperor and the courtiers did nothing but pursue love affairs and attend festivals. Taxes, wars, famine, political intrigue. Nothing mattered.

What else could you expect from an author who was a court lady and decided to write a romance novel?

I glanced at the desk next to mine, where Mei was sitting. She was propping up her chin with her hands, wearing a smart, attentive expression. Her eyes were fixed on a single point. I noticed her elbow beginning to slip. It seemed someone was about to wake up soon.

Bang.

"Hatsume!"

Cementoss called out to the pink haired girl in a clear, calm voice.

"Yes, Ishiyama san!"

Mei nearly jumped out of her seat and flashed her signature smile.

"What was I talking about?"

He asked in the same calm voice. The hero himself, from the outside, might seem to have a personality similar to his Quirk. A serious, calm character, like stone. Which made the moments when he decided to make a joke all the more surprising.

"Umm, about Jun'ichiro Tanizaki's novel?"

She attempted to guess and bluff. How I understood her.

"No. I was talking about the work of Yukio Mishima. I suggest you not sleep during my lessons."

The attempt had failed, but she got off with a light fright. Or not. I don't always understand Mei's emotions.

Oh well. I continued pretending to be an attentive listener and a diligent student. The main thing was not to fail like Mei.

The bell rang.

Finally. After saying goodbye to the teacher, we were free.

Mei, who had suddenly perked up, quickly gathered her things and dragged me toward her workshop. I somehow managed to owe her a favor, so I was once again a test subject for her "babies."

In my defense, I hadn't fully recovered from the events involving the Hero Killer.

Damn.

My gaze fell on the new version of the exoskeleton. I hoped nothing would break. No dislocated joints. No exploding at the worst possible moment.

Damn.

A few hours later, Mei and I were arguing about the types of engines to be used in the new design and their placement depending on the choice. With feverish eyes, I tried to sketch a kinematic diagram of the resulting machine on a piece of A4 paper.

Suddenly, I noticed Hatsume's flushed face approaching me. I don't know what came over me, but I leaned toward her and kissed her on the lips.

She froze for a moment, then began to kiss me back. Our hands began to explore each other's bodies. During our clumsy kiss, we even managed to bump teeth, but we quickly corrected ourselves.

Almost knocking over the table, I landed on a chair, and Mei landed on my lap, not breaking the kiss.

My last rational thought was: "Please don't let Power Loader walk in right now."
*********************
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Chapter 40: Uncertainty

[Naomasa Tsukauchi's Pov ]

Tsukauchi had a headache.

Tsukauchi wanted to sleep.

Sighing heavily, the man glanced at the corner of his computer monitor at home.

2:14 AM.

"It's already two in the morning. I need to rest. I have to go to police headquarters tomorrow morning to report on the investigation into the Hero Killer incident and the League of Villains."

Naomasa was not working alone on this case, but he was the one supervising the entire investigation and reporting on it. And now he couldn't sleep. His mind feverishly analyzed and reexamined one piece of information after another, trying to find connections between them.

The riots began that evening at eight o'clock with the appearance of four Nomu. At almost the same time, Stain attacked the professional hero, Native. Soon after, students from U.A. appeared and miraculously managed to defeat the S class villain.

Meanwhile, ten heroes, including Endeavor and Gran Torino, tried to subdue the Nomu. And in the middle of their battle, Ticci Micc and his unknown opponent had burst in.

Thanks to the testimony of several witnesses, it was determined where the fight between the villain and the unknown assailant had begun. The warehouse itself was searched, and damaged medical equipment was found, along with a tunnel leading to unmarked rooms beneath an office building belonging to a research company that was part of the Tosaka conglomerate.

When questioned about this matter, the company's management deflected, placing the blame on the company's president, who was already dead. As were many other company employees who held executive positions or were leading specialists. Ticci Micc had been spotted at the murder scenes of several of them.

The black haired man frowned again. The League of Villains' and the Hero Killer's goals were clear to him. But what were Ticci Micc's goals? And what were the goals of the side that was hostile to him and presumably connected to, or actually was, the Tosaka conglomerate?

Of course, one could assume the villain simply liked to kill and had a grudge against this company. But his past actions didn't fit that assumption. Previously, the villain had not been known to kill civilians who were in no way involved in hero or villain activities. Among law enforcement and hero society, only the hero Snatch and the police officers with him had died by his hand.

Even during the attack on the U.S.J., Ticci Micc could have easily killed all the Class 1A students, but he didn't. This selectivity in choosing his victims was somewhat reminiscent of Stain's twisted idealism. Stain also only killed certain people whose deaths were dictated by his principles.

The detective was also troubled by the words of the unknown villain whose body was found the next day.

"A mutt that ran away from its masters has decided to bite them. For such insolence, you will be punished when I return you to your place. To your cage."

These words indicated that Ticci Micc had previously been part of this organization, perhaps even as a prisoner. That would explain the villain's apparent motives in this situation. But it also hinted at the supposed power of an organization about which almost nothing was known, except for its enmity with an S class villain and some connection to the Tosaka conglomerate.

Any items in the underground facility that could have served as evidence were either not useful or had been destroyed. The unknown villain, who had been given the nickname "Aristocrat," had appeared out of nowhere, much like Tomura Shigaraki and Kurogiri. Any information about this man in any form was completely absent from police archives and Japan's citizen registry.

That was frightening. The appearance of such powerful villains, just as his friend Toshinori was beginning to weaken, did not bode well. It seemed that all the major hidden forces sensed the imminent departure of the Symbol of Peace and had already begun to act.

Glancing one more time at the corner of the screen displaying the time, Naomasa sighed and closed his documents and turned off his computer. He needed sleep. He also needed to look somewhat presentable for his superiors.

[End Pov Naomasa Tsukauchi]

- - -

*

*

*

I felt great. The memory of Mei's embarrassed face brought a stupid grin to my own. I confirmed this by looking at my reflection in the mirror.

Back then, in the U.A. workshop, we hadn't gone beyond hugging and passionate kisses. I didn't want to ruin anything with my haste, and Hatsume was a little afraid of going further. However, this incident gave our relationship a very unusual tint.

While working on gadgets and "babies," it didn't show at all. But in our free time, when we were alone, we often hugged and moved on to kisses. My body demanded further action, and my mind went blank, mesmerized by her unusual yellow eyes.

Only a small worm of fear and doubt gnawed at me from the inside. Would she accept a killer like me? Was I worthy of this? Could I protect us and our relationship?

Excitement, infatuation, lust, joy, fear, and doubt were driving me mad. These new and unfamiliar feelings attracted and repelled me at the same time. They swirled and shifted places.

To calm myself down, I threw myself more intensely into training and studying. There was almost no time left for ordinary entertainment, like listening to music or reading light literature.

My training regimen allowed me to distract myself from negative and distracting thoughts. And I finally found time to talk to Midoriya about his fight with the Hero Killer.

When I met him after school, he looked extremely thoughtful. My eyes didn't miss the several new scars on his hands. They reminded me that my own wounds healed almost without a trace. Except for the fight with that creature, number forty one.

At the start of our conversation, I had to snap Izuku out of his reverie. Then we got into a very lively discussion. We hadn't talked properly in a long time.

Listening to the details of his internship and his most recent heroics lesson, which had been more like an obstacle course where the obstacles were the city buildings themselves, I told him about my own studies, the funny moments in classes where Mei had made her presence known in at least half of them, and shared my observations about the heroes who had participated in the Hoshu City incident.

Only when the topic turned to Stain did I sense his slight nervousness. His story about his encounter with the villain was quite strange, as was his account of how Endeavor had defeated the Hero Killer.

Accustomed to lies and with experience in acting, I easily saw through his deception, but I didn't let on. However, I was intrigued by how they had actually defeated the S class villain. I even joked about how funny it would be if a dangerous killer who had murdered seventeen heroes and crippled twenty four others had been taken down by three first year students from U.A.

His awkward laugh made me suspicious.

So I jokingly asked if they had actually defeated Stain before Endeavor arrived. His answer made my eyes widen.

Having spent a lot of time studying Midoriya's character and personality, it was easy for me to tell that his "no, of course not" was a lie.

The realization that my clumsy joke was true made me struggle to compose myself. The only sensible explanation that didn't shatter my belief in my ability to judge other people's strength was that Stain hadn't wanted to kill them.

And looking at All Might's successor, I understood why. The Hero Killer only killed and maimed "fakes." And Izuku, although still weak, insecure, naive, and inexperienced, possessed something that many professional heroes lacked.

The desire to save people, regardless of his own life and health. And I couldn't call that desire "fake."

Chapter 41: Desire and Fatigue

I stared at the dark smoke with purple hues swirling around my hand. The sight of this substance, the foundation of my power, mesmerized me. The knowledge that I had not fully grasped all the possibilities of this substance filled me with bitterness. In moments like these, I felt like a monkey holding a modern weapon, having learned to use it through trial and error.

Perhaps the scientists from Haijima and the League of Villains knew more about it. The information I managed to decrypt from those servers contained very detailed research on the genetic card catalogs of Quirk bearers, the influence of Quirks on space, physical phenomena, and energy.

Some reports raised and explored the question regarding the popular theory of the origin of this phenomenon. According to the theory, thanks to evolution and the accumulation of mutations, human genes allow them to use Quirks. The fact that the next generation can have a parent's Quirk or even a better one seemed to prove this theory.

But the people of Haijima asked a different question. Genes and Quirks. Which is the cause and which is the consequence? Do genes create a phenomenon called a Quirk, or does the presence of a Quirk alter the genes?

I was disgusted looking at the photos of the experiments they had conducted. Dozens of people had been killed during experiments to answer this question. Videos of autopsies performed on dead bodies, and sometimes not quite dead ones, evoked cold hatred.

The dry lines of laboratory journals saved on the servers could not convey everything that had happened in this laboratory complex in Hoshu City. But my experience and vivid imagination more than filled in the electronic text with images of test subjects and their deaths.

Rejection of transplanted organs. Pain shock from attempts to alter the genome. Madness and loss of sanity. Radiation sickness. Death from exhaustion due to the continuous activity of a radiation type Quirk.

I didn't understand much. Many of the experiments were completely incomprehensible to me. Sometimes it seemed to me that they were simply looking for an excuse to conduct sophisticated torture.

Looking at the photos, videos, and records, I felt something inside me changing. Something that had been inside me for a long time was falling into place or becoming distorted. I felt myself becoming more… corrupted and perverted.

Desire. Desire. Desire. Desire. Desire. Desire. I wanted to do certain things to these peo… creatures. Thoughts full of ideas swirled in my mind. Dark Matter seethed inside me, demanding action.

But not now. Not yet.

The middle management of Haijima had always known how to hide and cover their tracks. Some of the threads leading to the leadership pointed to the Tosaka conglomerate. But even if the main Tosaka family was connected to Haijima, I couldn't just storm in and interrogate them. Besides their considerable influence on the Public Safety Commission, which oversees the activities of professional heroes, they had very serious security with several hero agencies nearby that they partially sponsored.

Going there without a clear plan and specific goals would be too reckless and risky.

But if they really were part of Haijima…

A wide smile spread across my face. My crimson eyes stared unblinkingly at the raging streams of Dark Matter swirling around my hand with crackling lightning.

…then no amount of security or heroes would stop me.

---

Walking toward the house where Ayame and Hana lived, I thought about the results of my Dark Matter training.

Music played from my headphones. It was one of the songs by the band "Brian the Sun," which Kyotoku Jiro liked to listen to. He had mentioned this on his social media page and often played it at home.

Maybe stalking my idol and his family all day was a little excessive? I would think about that another time.

My gaze caught the bandages wrapped around my arms. Training had increased my control over Dark Matter. Without touching my skin, I could freely manipulate it within a thirty centimeter radius of my body, and also saturate objects with it, partially controlling them.

However, the amount of Dark Matter I could release from my body at once without harming myself had increased only slightly. So I thought about how to diversify my fighting style for greater versatility.

Eraserhead's and Best Jeanist's fighting styles had given me the idea of using bandages that were essentially tapes only slightly inferior in strength to Eraserhead's capture weapon. Inferior until I saturated them with Dark Matter.

Although my manipulation of them was orders of magnitude weaker than Best Jeanist's control over fabric fibers, they would allow me to add new techniques for close and medium range combat. They could also help capture prisoners for a better conversation.

So I was getting used to wearing them. I also tried to constantly keep them saturated with Dark Matter, which required much less energy than "Hardening."

I approached the door and pressed the doorbell. I now visited them mostly because I wanted to, not because the little blackmailer threatened to reveal my identity.

Hana, quiet and seemingly innocent, had a sharp tongue and knew when to use it for maximum effect. She had clearly picked up the skill from her aunt.

Hmm, no one was answering the door, although I could feel Ayame's radiance inside the house. But I couldn't sense Hana's. Maybe Ayame was asleep? But the door was unlocked.

I pressed the bell again.

No answer.

Hmm. I didn't like this.

I opened the door and walked toward where I sensed my friend's radiance. The silence in the house did not improve my mood.

I walked into the kitchen and froze.

She was sitting on a stool, leaning her elbows on the table. Quiet sobs came from behind her hands, which covered her face. Her work clothes, which she usually wore to the office, were disheveled.

"Ayame?"

At the sound of my voice, the girl flinched slightly and tried to wipe her face. A tear stained face with slightly reddened eyes stared at me.

"Oh, it's you, Ken. I forgot you were coming. Hana chan is visiting my friend, so you won't see her today."

I looked at a bottle of some alcoholic beverage, then shifted my gaze to Ayame, whose slurred voice had trailed off at the end of her sentence. I walked over and sat on the stool closest to her.

"What happened?"

I asked softly. Seeing the always composed and sarcastic Ayame so weak and broken was unpleasant. I had only seen her like this once before, during our first meeting.

"Nothing important."

The girl answered quietly, staring blankly at the table with a glazed look.

I sighed softly.

"Can I just sit here?"

"Why?"

"Because I want to."

Silence fell over the kitchen. I sat with my hands on my knees, staring at the kitchen ceiling. I didn't know what words could comfort her, despite the hours I had spent studying human relationships. All those psychology books and advice from knowledgeable people seemed completely out of place and meaningless at that moment. So I decided to simply be near her. Sometimes silence can be better than any words.

"I quit my job."

A hoarse voice came a few minutes later. I turned my head toward the girl, who still hadn't lifted her gaze from the table.

"Officially, I resigned voluntarily. My former department manager had been paying me a lot of attention for quite some time, and he didn't notice my polite refusals. I had to put up with his persistence. Hana and I needed the money. But today, I was distracted and ended up alone with Masuda. He decided it was his chance and started groping me…"

I didn't notice the cracking of the table under my fingers as she spoke.

"…the only thing he got was a kick to the groin. Then he threatened that if I didn't satisfy him properly, he could cause me serious problems. And looking at his wrinkled, fat face with those small, lustful eyes, I felt nothing but disgust. Hana and I need money, but I couldn't do something like that with him. I couldn't stay there any longer. So instead of looking for a new job, I'm sitting here in the kitchen, getting drunk and whining about my life to a high school student. Pretty pathetic, right?"

Only then did Ayame look at me with a crooked smile on her face.

I stood up silently and hugged her. Her arms wrapped around me.

"I'm just tired. Our parents died when we were kids because of a villain attack. My older brother always took care of me, and thanks to him, I was able to get a good education. His death and his wife's death were a shock to me. And I swore I would take care of his daughter, my only remaining relative…"

Her voice grew louder, and I felt wetness on my shirt.

"When Hana disappeared, I felt horror and despair. I wanted to end my life, but the hope of finding Hana was still there. Every day I called a police officer I knew, until he stopped answering. During those months, I couldn't sleep from worry, and I almost got fired. And imagine how I felt when I found out she had been found in a brothel. My sweet, cheerful Hana had been violated by some bastards. I broke my promise. And she wasn't found by heroes, not by the police, not by some conscientious citizen, but by a villain. Ticci Micc did more for me than the entire damn police force. What irony. And now I can't even provide for Hana properly. It's so hard for Quirkless people like me to find work. I'm just the worst guardian in the world."

My hand stroked the crying girl's back. She said nothing more.

An hour passed before she finally calmed down and fell asleep. Carefully lifting her in my arms, I carried Ayame to the bedroom and covered her with a blanket. No perverted thoughts crossed my mind, despite the closeness of a rather beautiful female body.

When I left the house, the sun was setting. The color of blood stained part of the sky.

"Masuda, was it?"

Chapter 42: Invitation

[Togaru Masuda's Pov]

Togaru was a boring person.

No one had ever told him this or even hinted at it, but he considered himself one. He did not possess an outstanding intellect, a beautiful appearance, or the charm that attracts attention. His own Quirk was of little use anywhere. Weak manipulation of paper sheets, not even strong enough to restrain a child.

So he decided to simply go with the flow. Kindergarten, school, university, a job obtained thanks to relatives who held good positions in the Yaoyorozu conglomerate, an unremarkable and ordinary wife, children who had already started high school, a position as a department head.

One could say that his life had turned out well. And he would have agreed with that. But watching the countless heroes surrounded by fans, the businessmen and people who, thanks to their Quirks, earned more in a month than he could in a lifetime, the top managers of the conglomerate who could instantly get him fired if they wished, he felt envy and dissatisfaction.

His life seemed as gray as the jacket he wore to work. But he did not show it. He maintained the image of a model family man and an effective department head. And thanks to his relatives and accumulated experience, he had several useful connections.

Everything went as usual until one subordinate needed help. And she decided to pay in a very pleasant way. Togaru appreciated it and wanted more. Soon, he became quite adept at understanding the phenomenon of harassment. A word there, creating a problem here, brief touches, threats, and proposals.

The main thing was to choose the right targets and the right approach. And then Masuda could enjoy the female body. Those soft curves, the delicate skin of her thighs, her slightly plump lips. Failures happened, but the man was extremely cautious in his actions and knew when to back down.

And unfortunately for Togaru, he had made too grave a mistake with Yoshioka. The beautiful, lonely brunette with charming, slightly reddish eyes drove all the men in his department crazy. The woman's coldness and inaccessibility only fueled the desire to possess her. To enjoy the sight of her lustful little face and the sound of obscene moans from her mouth.

And he rushed, acted too roughly, miscalculated the pressure.

Now, sighing at the lost opportunity, he walked home. Despite his rather plain appearance and his wife's slightly plump figure, he highly valued her cooking, so he moved quickly toward their street, ignoring his surroundings. So he did not have time to register the sharp pain in his head, after which darkness fell.

The man woke up from the pain in his body, which was lying somewhere other than his bed, and from the cold. Before Masuda's eyes stood trees and the stars of the night sky, barely visible through their branches. Still feeling the pain in the back of his head, he looked around more carefully. Forest stretched all around him, with no sign of the city. A rising feeling of fear began to creep up from inside. Patting his pockets, an increasingly panicking Togaru could not find his phone.

"Isn't this what you're looking for?"

His smartphone fell in front of him, pierced straight through the middle by something. The invisible interlocutor's voice continued to reach him.

"You know, usually I don't care about people like you. People who use their position to satisfy their base desires and passions. I'm not a hero, and I have enough other problems. But it's because of your actions that my acquaintance got upset, which means I got upset too. I don't like being upset, and I like even less those who upset me and my acquaintance. So I wanted to play a little game with you…"

A voice with faint metallic echoes held the attention of the profusely sweating man. The invisible owner of this voice slowly circled Masuda before stopping in front of him.

"…The rules are simple. You have thirty minutes to escape from the forest. After thirty minutes, if you are still in the forest, you will receive a cut every minute. And each time, the cut will go deeper and deeper. So, you can run. Time has started."

A few days later, a group of tourists would find the dead body of the missing Togaru Masuda, abundantly covered in knife wounds. A medical examination would confirm that the victim had received mostly non fatal wounds but had died from massive blood loss.

[End Pov Togaru Masuda]

- - -

*

*

*

I was in a great mood.

Mei and I had aced our trimester exams. Most of our subjects were in the exact sciences, so there were no problems. The most interesting exams, however, were for Midoriya's class. They had to face off against professional heroes who were also their teachers.

Out of curiosity, I even secretly copied the video of that exam from the school archive. Of course, it was stupid to risk it out of mere curiosity, but I had not had the opportunity before to see U.A.'s principal in action.

Principal Nezu's story was shrouded in mystery. He became known only after assuming the position of principal. His entire biography before that could be summed up in a few sentences. He was a rare example of an animal that had acquired a Quirk. He had previously been subjected to experiments. He was a professional hero. He had written and continued to write various scientific dissertations on education, management, and relationships in various collectives. That was it.

How did he become a professional hero? What did he do? Why did the government trust an animal that had been experimented on by humans enough to appoint him to the position of essentially the head of the number one hero academy, whose prestige and reputation had considerable influence not only in Japan but also in the world?

The uncertainty was unsettling. And it only grew after watching Nezu's fight with two first years, Mina Ashido and Denki Kaminari. A subtle, incredibly fast calculation of his actions, phenomenal memory allowing him to keep track of the layout of all objects on the Gamma field and effortlessly predict the first years' actions while allowing them to pass the test.

If an opponent like that learned about my abilities, it would be easy for him to come up with several plans to capture me. Opponents like him were the most inconvenient. And the most formidable, once they had information and time.

I looked at Melissa's message, brightly glowing on my smartphone screen. She was inviting me to visit I Island at the end of June. I had some plans for the summer break, but I didn't feel like refusing Melissa. And seeing the "Mecca" of all the world's scientists appealed to me.

It just so happened that an event was taking place on the island at that time, which would be attended by prominent scientists and delegations from many countries. I wasn't sure I could smuggle my villain costume in without any problems. But I wouldn't need it there. I wasn't stupid enough to commit crimes on an island whose security system rivaled Tartarus'.

I looked at the invitation again. I figured I could do everything I had planned and still fly to visit Melissa.