"Hey, what was that about? Were you planning to crash into the ground?" Allen asked with a half-smile.
Kaina laughed softly and whispered, "Maybe I was a little jealous of those girls and just wanted to be caught by you?"
As Allen looked at this woman, he wondered what kind of past had led her to this point. Unlike Nemuri—who felt like she would have followed the same path even without him—Kaina was different. Allen felt that this woman carried a deep-seated darkness within her heart.
They stayed like that for a few seconds until Momo's voice broke the moment.
"Is this also part of the class?" the girl asked coldly, with a hint of jealousy.
Allen had set her down so he could catch Kaina, and from Momo's point of view, even if it hadn't been intentional, Allen had still chosen his teacher over her.
The rest of the students also looked confused by what they had just seen. It was the same strange sense of closeness they had felt between Midnight and Allen. But no matter how curious they were, they knew they wouldn't get answers easily.
Kaina snapped back to reality and gently pushed Allen away, then adjusted her clothes, cleared her throat, and crossed her arms.
"Allen Walker passed the test. That concludes today's training."
....
The class ended, and the students boarded the bus after saying goodbye to Thirteen. This heroine had earned their affection and respect after protecting them from All For One, even at the risk of her own life.
Inside the bus, the atmosphere was quiet. Everyone was exhausted.
The training had been several levels harder than expected. It was like jumping straight from casual difficulty to extreme, and no one had been ready for it—except Allen.
Allen, who was sitting next to Itsuka, noticed that the girl hadn't spoken much.
"What's wrong?"
"It's nothing..."
Allen might not know everything about a girl's heart, but he could recognize when an "It's nothing" was a lie.
He reviewed everything that had happened today.
'Itsuka's bad mood started during the last class...' Allen chuckled softly before whispering into her ear, "Don't tell me you're upset because you weren't used against me in the last class?"
Itsuka blushed and looked away. "Shut up, that's not it."
It was strange to see the usually calm Itsuka act like this, so Allen knew he had hit the mark.
Mirajane – Ara, how cute~
Juvia – Juvia understands. If it were Juvia who wasn't chosen, she would think it unimportant to Allen-sama, she would cry... and fall into depression.
"Don't worry, that won't happen because you're important to me"
Juvia – Kya! Is that a marriage proposal?!
Lucy – I don't think so.
Nanao – I see. She used the girls closest to you to try to anger and worry you.
"Honestly... it worked."
Shizuka – Kaina-chan is mean and clever~
Natasha – Though maybe there was a bit of 'motherly' jealousy involved~
"..."
Akeno – Ara ara, I would have done the same to teach those thieving cats a lesson for getting close to my little brother ❤️~
"I don't know whether to feel flattered or concerned."
Akeno – Ufufu, we'll find out when you come visit me~
MJ – Allen, you need to control your impulses. Don't give in to temptation! She may not be your mother, and you may not remember, but she's still the one who raised you... or something like that. Don't give in!
"Don't say it like I'm some kind of degenerate!"
Felicia – MJ, you know it's useless to warn him. This guy is like a pig that eats whatever lands on his plate.
"Hey!"
Allen stopped paying attention to his chat. Whenever he did for too long, insults started flying everywhere.
'No respect anymore...'
[Did you really expect conquering girls left and right to have no consequences?]
'In my defense, I'm actually making an effort not to get romantically involved with women in this world.'
[... Keep repeating that until you actually believe it -_-]
Allen was about to reply when a comment from the back seat snapped him out of his thoughts.
"So, you're still not going to tell us what kind of relationship you have with Tsutsumi-sensei?"
Momo's voice sounded indifferent, but beneath it was a mix of emotions: anger and confusion over her own irritation, a trace of jealousy, denial of that jealousy, and a strange frustration pressing against her chest.
Besides Momo, Toru was also staring straight at Allen's seat. From the right side seats, Mina looked extremely curious, while Ibara, sitting next to her, quietly laughed at the situation.
Ochako stared out the window with apparent indifference, but her ears seemed pointed in Allen's direction.
Several boys mocked Allen in their minds with thoughts like, "Popular guys should explode," "As expected," "Screw you, you can't be born strong and handsome without consequences!" or "He brought this on himself!"
Allen, however, didn't look nervous or pressured. He simply relaxed in his seat and smiled.
"Isn't it obvious? Kaina is my lover. We've been together for years. I didn't expect her to show up, but since she's here, there's nothing to hide. Sorry."
"HUH?!"
A collective shout erupted throughout the bus.
From the front seats, Kaina turned around with a murderous glare.
"SHUT UP, BRATS!"
Sensing danger, the entire bus fell silent.
Allen chuckled, making everyone feel stupid for falling for the joke.
Several girls blushed in embarrassment, realizing they had been completely played.
At the front, Kaina crossed her arms and stared out the window, seemingly annoyed by the commotion. However, from the right side, Aizawa, who glanced at her from the corner of his eye, noticed that her ears were red.
"I'll pretend I didn't see anything..." Aizawa, being a prudent man, chose to close his eyes and not get involved in troublesome matters.
As Kaina looked out the window, a mix of emotions swirled inside her—but among them was a faint sense of happiness.
For now. For her current life. Something she never would have imagined in the past. And it all started that day.
"How many years has it been...?" Kaina slowly closed her eyes and fell asleep.
....
It was a dark alley.
It was a rainy night.
In a place where one would expect nothing but trash and rats, a woman leaned against a wall, panting from exhaustion.
Her arm was bleeding, the blood being carried away along the ground by the rain.
Her job was simple. She was given names of "bad" people—those with money, power, and fame—people that heroes normally couldn't touch, because many of these white-collar criminals operated above the law. Or at least, that was what Kaina Tsutsumi had been told.
Lady Nagant had once walked the path of a hero, but someone decided her Quirk was better suited for other tasks.
Deceived by the belief that she was doing the right thing, she took many lives. She became the dark face of heroism. While other heroes defeated villains, she killed criminals... because they were criminals, right?
But that night, something went wrong. Information had apparently been leaked, and she fell into a trap. As a result, she was injured and could only drag herself into this alley while her pursuers searched for her.
"So this is it?" Kaina murmured, laughing at herself. She didn't like killing. She had never wanted to become what she was. Yet the world that cursed her with a Quirk specialized for killing seemed to whisper that this was her destiny from the very beginning—and she accepted it, believing that if she had to kill, it would at least be bad people.
"This must be my karma..."
Lady Nagant closed her eyes. Whether she was killed or captured, she decided to accept her fate. With that thought, she let the rain be the last thing she heard.
Just then, a warm light enveloped her. She thought it might be the symptoms of hypothermia mixed with blood loss—until the pain in her arm began to fade.
"Are you okay, big sister?"
"...!"
When she opened her eyes, she found herself staring at an eleven-year-old boy. One of his hands was on her arm, emitting a faint glow.
....
"Tsutsumi-sensei?" a familiar voice called out.
When she opened her eyes, Kaina suddenly realized she wasn't in that alley, but on the bus.
"You sleep that hard?"
The teasing tone made Kaina frown. When she turned to glare resentfully at Allen, he was smiling as if he had already anticipated her reaction.
The rest of the students had already gotten off the bus, leaving only the two of them behind. No one besides Allen had the courage to wake Lady Nagant.
"Let's go," Kaina said as she stood up and walked toward the door.
Allen stayed silent, watching her walk, unable to stop himself from noticing how beautiful she looked from behind.
Sensing his gaze, Kaina felt embarrassed.
"This brat is turning into a total pervert. What happened to my sweet Allen?!" Despite her thoughts, she did nothing to stop him from looking.
....
Classes ended, along with an exhausting day.
Allen had promised to treat Ochako and Toru to a meal, but he had to apologize—he needed to fulfill the punishment Nemuri had given him.
When he arrived at the teachers' lounge, Allen entered casually. Obviously, Nemuri had to act like a proper teacher in front of others, but he trusted she wouldn't be too harsh with him.
The moment he opened the door, a woman crashed into him and hugged him tightly.
She lifted her face from his chest. Her cheeks were red, and tears filled her eyes.
Allen was taken completely by surprise. What had caused this reaction?
"Nemuri? Did something happen?"
The first thing Allen did was wipe her tears, worried that something had gone wrong. However, his actions only made the twenty-six-year-old woman puff out her cheeks.
"Tell me yourself, you cheater!"
"Huh?"
....
Allen sat down in Nemuri's chair while she settled onto his lap, clinging to him like a spoiled child.
The situation was completely surreal. Allen had always thought Nemuri wasn't a very jealous or possessive woman. Whenever she noticed how well he got along with other girls, she usually joked about it, almost as if she were proud of how popular he was.
Of course, from time to time, she did feel jealous or annoyed when Allen spent too much time with those girls, but in general, she accepted it. That said, whenever Allen went out with Toru, Momo, or Itsuka to the mall, the movies, or to eat "as friends," she always demanded a "date" the following day.
This time, however, it was different. She was genuinely jealous, and it was all because of Kaina.
When Allen asked what she meant, she told him who he thought was in charge of handling the drones.
Nemuri had seen the entire test, including how it ended with Allen confronting Kaina and the "closeness" that followed between them.
As a result, the twenty-six-year-old woman was throwing a full-on tantrum.
"Come on, it's not like I haven't lived with her for years, right?" Allen chuckled softly. Nemuri's jealous side was cute.
Nemuri pressed her lips together before suddenly changing her attitude. She straddled Allen and stared at him in silence.
"It's different..." Nemuri said seriously. "This time it's different... I... I don't want her to steal you away from me."
"Nemuri..." Allen didn't joke with her and took her words seriously.
Silence lingered between them. It was a situation they had never been in before. Despite Nemuri's usual behavior—which often danced dangerously close to the line—it could normally be brushed off as part of her perverted nature.
But this time was different. There was no joke in her eyes, no teasing question—only seriousness, casting aside her usual playfulness.
The temptation of the forbidden, that immoral desire to cross the final line, mixed with the urgent fear of losing something forever, pushed Nemuri to show something she never would have under other circumstances.
"We..." the woman said, her sweet, warm breath brushing against Allen's face.
The beautiful woman's blue pupils were dilated, her cheeks flushed with a faint sheen of moisture. Her body temperature rose, and a sweet scent began to emanate from her skin—one that, for the first time, had nothing to do with her Quirk.
In that moment, anyone could see what was hidden beneath Nemuri's gaze.
The only question was: how would Allen react to Nemuri's deepest feelings and desires?
"..." Allen smiled faintly and began to move his hands. But before anything could happen, footsteps echoed outside, snapping Nemuri out of her trance. She jumped up in a panic, hiding her face.
'What are you doing, Nemuri?!'
Nemuri couldn't believe what had almost happened. It was true that she had a rather perverted nature, but she wasn't crazy. She knew her limits, and although there was conscious attraction and jealousy, she had sworn she would never cross that line with Allen.
Allen coughed. He had gotten carried away too.
Even with that lingering atmosphere, the door opened and Aizawa appeared.
"Allen? Tsutsumi-sensei? What..."
Aizawa observed them for a moment before his eyes widened in surprise. Then he slowly closed the door, hurried away from the room, pretending—once again—that nothing had happened, though sweat trickled down his forehead as he walked.
'Damn my luck!'
....
(The next day)
It was an old warehouse located in the far outskirts of the city. On the surface, it appeared to be a normal warehouse, with all permits in order, and in practice, it supplied several electronics stores around the city. However, that was only a front.
The place was a drug distribution center run by the organization known as the Villain Factory. Originally, they dealt only in standard drugs and illegal substances, but now they had shifted their focus to Trigger, treating it like their Mona Lisa.
Needless to say, this organization belonged to All For One—though no one knew that.
"Hurry up, destroy all the evidence!" a criminal shouted. He was dressed like a classic yakuza in a white suit, his most notable feature being a vertical scar over his left eye.
The rest of the men moved quickly, loading boxes onto parked trucks. Others fed documents into shredders and then burned the remains in metal trash bins.
All of this was the aftermath of the large-scale attack that had taken place a week earlier.
All For One had mobilized villains from all over Japan for the operation. Now that those villains had been captured, more than a few of them hadn't been happy about being controlled by Kuin, and as expected, once they regained consciousness, the first name that surfaced was that of the organization.
At this moment, both the police and hero agencies had made hunting down the Villain Factory a top priority.
Amid the chaos, a gangster approached the leader.
"Boss, we got confirmation. We're moving to Osaka!"
"Good!"
The leader felt a wave of relief wash over him. Staying in Musutafu right now was dangerous.
"Move fast. We're leaving before dawn."
Boom
The sound of thunder made the boss frown. There was a chance of a storm tonight.
On the third floor of the warehouse, things were calmer. Only the CCTV room and the security guards were there—criminals disguised as guards, of course.
"Busy night," one guard said, sipping his coffee as he watched the chaos below.
The other guard shook his head.
"It was insane to attack UA and the whole city. What were the higher-ups thinking?"
"Who knows? We're just grunts. As long as we're paid, we obey... hm?"
"What is it?" the other guard asked, confused.
"It's probably nothing, but I thought I saw a silhouette on camera three."
On the screen, the northern rooftop was visible. A guard stood in the corner, armed and smoking.
"Pan it to the right..." the second guard murmured.
The camera shifted right, revealing only a trash bag and nothing else. When it moved back, the guard was gone.
"What?" The first guard grabbed his radio. "North rooftop, this is CCTV. Do you copy?"
Only static answered.
The two guards exchanged uneasy looks before the first spoke again.
"East rooftop, can you check the north rooftop?"
"Roger."
On camera four, the assigned guard left his post, went down a set of metal stairs, and exited the camera's range.
They waited. One minute passed, then two—but the guard never reached the north rooftop.
"What's going on?!" the second guard exclaimed.
"South rooftop, we've got a situation!"
"..."
"South rooftop?! West rooftop?! Answer me! Third floor, armory room! What's happening?!"
The desperate guard called everyone on the third floor over the radio, but no one responded. It was as if they had vanished.
He was about to sound the alarm when the other guard grabbed his arm.
"What do you want? I don't have time!"
When he looked back at the screens, he froze in shock.
Camera five had lost its signal. Camera seven showed static. On camera eight, someone was firing a gun, but then the hallway went dark and fell silent.
On camera nine, a guard was dragged into a room by something unseen.
On camera eleven, a guard was running in terror, as if fleeing from the devil himself.
Slowly, one camera after another lost signal, like scenes from a horror movie. Then the power to the entire warehouse was cut out, leaving only silence.
The two guards stared at the dark screens, their hearts pounding. In just a few minutes, the entire third floor had been cleared—and the worst part was that they didn't even know what they were facing.
Creeeak
The sound of the door opening echoed behind them, but neither dared to turn around.
Both had Quirks. Both were armed. Yet neither dared to move—nor even look at whatever stood behind them.
A pair of white eyes watched them silently. Only when a flash of lightning lit up the sky did they see the silhouette of someone behind them.
It looked terrifying, like a demon—or at least that's how it appeared to the two men, who could only tremble in place. Without saying a word, the man dressed in black extended his hand and picked up a folder from the table.
– Villain Factory –
The knight of the night narrowed his eyes as he read the name.
Without another word, he left the room. The moment he was gone, both men sighed in relief.
"We need to get out of here!" one guard said, but as he stood up, his legs gave out and he collapsed to the floor. His companion was already unconscious. The last thing he noticed was a small metallic sphere on the ground, releasing an almost imperceptible gas.
"Ugh... I'd heard rumors about him... I thought they were exaggerating... there's no way he should be this terrifying... that man isn't a superhero... he's a monster..."
====
A/N: You never stop to think that it's like being in a horror movie. 🗿
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