The purple mist didn't belong in the bright, midday sun, but Kurogiri had always been an expert at remaining unseen. From his vantage point on a high-voltage power pylon overlooking the tracks, the Shinkansen looked like a silver needle threading through the countryside.
It had slowed, stuttered, and was now accelerating again.
"He chose to abandon the passengers rather than give himself over."
Kurogiri murmured to the empty air.
The path with the highest survivability over the path of highest morality. "How... interesting."
While the details of the confrontation couldn't be witnessed, the result could be gleaned. The young hero had chosen to flee upon realising he was outmatched.
That was enough though, as it was time to leave.
The boy had escaped the Yakuza's hands, leading to a premature retreat. As for interacting with the Hassaikai remnants, his master's orders were clear.
The time wasn't yet ripe to recruit more members.
The League had no use for those who gave up after one setback.
Kurogiri's form began to dissolve back into mist.
He would report what he'd seen. And Master would decide the next move.
As always.
__
[U.A. HIGH SCHOOL – TEACHER'S LOUNGE – 1:47 PM]
The lounge was quieter than usual with most of the faculty either on patrol or handling their own business. Aizawa sat at one of the desks, red pen in hand, working through a stack of combat analysis reports from the previous week's training exercises.
His coffee had gone cold an hour ago. He drank it anyway.
Present Mic lounged on the couch nearby, scrolling through his phone with one earbud in, occasionally humming along to whatever he was listening to.
Cementoss sat at the table by the window, reviewing architectural plans for an upcoming training scenario.
Present Mic suddenly let out a low whistle, turning his phone screen toward the center of the room. "Yo, check the news cycle. Endeavor's at it again. He just gave a press conference in front in Tokyo concerning the Hero Killer."
Aizawa didn't look up from his grading, but his pen slowed. "The Number Two is making moves? He's usually too busy chasing his own shadow to talk to the press unless he's forced to."
"It's different this time. He gave another statement. Something about 'taking personal responsibility for eliminating the threat.'"
"Of course he did," Aizawa muttered. "Can't let a crisis go without making it about himself."
Present Mic snorted. "That's harsh, Sho."
"I've heard of that." Cementoss uttered without glancing up from his papers. "Hosu is under alert due to the Hero Killer sightings. It's said he's attacked another hero after his failed attempt on Ingenium."
"Third one this month," Snipe commented from his corner, where he'd been cleaning his equipment. "Guy's getting bold. Or sloppy."
"He'll slip up eventually. They always do."
Aizawa uttered.
"If I'm concerned about anything, it's one of our kids being caught in the splash zone"
Snipe's brows furrowed behind the mask "You mean Iida, don't you?"
"Indeed. Though he's with his brother so logically, nothing should happen. Ingenium is cautious; he won't let Iida near the front lines,"
A flicker of unease crossed his face.
"Though I can't shake a bad feeling I'm having with ..."
The phone on the wall rang.
All three teachers glanced toward it.
Cementoss stood, moving to answer. "U.A. High School, Teacher's Lounge. This is Cementoss speaking."
He listened.
His expression shifted—concern creeping into his usually calm features.
"I see. Yes. One moment."
He lowered the phone, turning toward Aizawa.
"It's for you."
Aizawa looked up, his dark eyes narrowing. "Who is it?"
"It's the Shizuoka Prefectural Police... They're calling about an incident involving two of your students."
The desk phone near Cementoss chirped—a sharp, insistent ring that cut through the conversation.
Aizawa set his pen down slowly, standing and crossing the room in three strides. He took the phone from Cementoss.
"This is Shota Aizawa."
Present Mic and Snipe were both watching now, their earlier conversation forgotten.
"When?"
Aizawa listened, his expression unreadable.
"Both students?"
Another pause, longer this time.
"A gunshot wound? And he jumped?"
It came out deeper than normal.
"Injuries?"
"I see. And the suspects?"
His grip on the phone tightened.
"I'll be right there."
__
[SHIZUOKA – LOCAL MEDICAL CLINIC]
The clinic was a quiet, one-story building tucked away from the main road. Two patrol cars were parked out front, police offers waiting near the entrance.
Yuta stood at a heavy, metal payphone in the hallway. The kind nurse had made it a duty to bandage his shoulder despite the fact that he didn't need it.
Nearly two hours had passed since the attack on the train by the Hassaikai Remnants. He had given his statement to the officers, played the part of the "lucky survivor," and waited while Uraraka was sleeping off the last of the gas.
Now, all he could do was wait and call his mom in the meantime.
He dropped a coin into the slot and dialed from memory.
The line clicked.
"Hello?"
"Mom. It's me."
"Yuta? Why are you calling from a landline? You're supposed to be in Osaka! I've been waiting for a text—"
"I'm fine, Mom," Yuta interrupted softly, leaning his forehead against the cool glass of the booth. "But there was a bit of trouble on the train. My phone... it got destroyed in the process."
"Yuta, what kind of trouble? Are you hurt?"
"Just ... I got wounded on my shoulder, but I've healed." he toned it down as best he could, knowing she would panic if he told her he had been shot with a gun.
However,
"You got wounded?" Her voice rose. Yep, should have seen that coming. "Yuta, explain to me. What happened?"
He exhaled. "On the way to Osaka, the train was attacked by villains. They used some kind of sleeping gas—everyone in the car passed. I managed to stay awake and got my classmate out before they could take us."
"Take you?"
'Shit!'
"I .. I'm okay, Mom. Really. Ura .. My classmate is fine as well. Just sleeping off the gas. The doctors said she'll wake up in a few hours. As for the train ... According to the police there were no deaths or casualties."
There was a long pause on the other end. He could hear her breathing. No doubt she was using her quirk right now to read his emotions through the phone line.
"Yuta. This wasn't random, was it?"
"Mom—"
"Don't." Her voice turned sharp. "Don't try to keep me in the dark about this. Were they after you specifically?"
He sighed.
"...Yes."
The silence was even longer this time.
"Who?" Aiko asked, though from her tone, he suspected she already knew.
"The people who had Eri," Yuta said quietly. "The Hassaikai. Some of them were on the train. They were looking for me."
He heard a muffled intake of breath on the other end.
"They're coming for you? Because of that Eri?" Her voice was thick with emotion. "I knew it... I knew this would happen..."
"Mom—"
"The detective said the organization had collapsed," Aiko continued, her words coming faster now. "He said they'd been disbanded, that they ..."
"Mom, please calm down."
"Yuta stop. Please stop acting like this is ok! Villains are after you. They want revenge."
Yuta didn't respond.
"Yuta." His mother's voice was steady now, the initial panic giving way to something harder. "You need to tell your teachers. The police. Someone who can protect you."
"I already gave a statement to the police. They know what happened, and my teachers are on their way. I just wanted you to hear it from me first."
"Yuta. Listen to me very carefully. If they are bold enough to attack a Shinkansen in broad daylight, they aren't just 'looking' for you. They are hunting you. I want you to come home. I'll call the school, I'll—"
"I can't do that, Mom," Yuta interrupted. "If I come home, I bring them to our doorstep. Right now, I'm surrounded by heroes and police. This is the safest place for me to be."
It was a half-truth, but it worked. He heard her let out a shaky breath, the logic winning over her instinct to hide him away.
"You're... you're sure you're okay? The shoulder?"
"The doctors already looked at it. It's just a scratch," he lied smoothly, his hand tracing the spot where his skin had already knit itself back together beneath the unnecessary gauze. "I'll call you again tonight. I promise. I have to go now—Sensei is here."
He hung up the receiver just as the automatic sliding doors of the clinic hissed open.
___
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