Took a Two Day Break. New Week, New Chapters. Here we go again.
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The air in Hosu was thick with tension, even if the general public hadn't sensed it yet. The sidewalks were crowded with the after-work rush, but the rooftops were occupied by something else entirely.
Native adjusted the straps of his gauntlets, his boots against the pavement Beside him, Mirage was a study in rigid discipline. Her eyes never settled, darting from rooftop edges to the dark spaces between parked cars.
"You know," Native said after a stretch of silence, "I've been on this beat for three years. Never seen it this quiet during an alert."
"Quiet is when we need to be most vigilant," Mirage replied without looking at him.
"Right. Yeah, no, I get that." Native rubbed the back of his neck. "I just meant... usually there's at least some petty crime. Pickpockets. Drunk teenagers. Something. But everyone's either staying home or sticking to the main streets."
"Because every hero is looking for the Hero Killer. It's not going to change until he is either captured or spotted elsewhere."
"Exactly my point," Native said. "The whole city's on edge. Every agency's running double patrols. Endeavor himself showed up. If Stain's got any sense of self-preservation, he's lying low until the heat dies down."
Mirage's eyes swept across a group of salary workers hurrying past, heads down. "You're assuming he operates on logic."
"Most criminals do, in their own way." Native gestured vaguely. "Even the crazy ones have patterns. They just make sense to them instead of us."
"The Hero Killer has attacked seven pros in the last month," Mirage said flatly. "All of them isolated. Majority at night. All in areas with minimal surveillance. Not once has he stayed a full month without making an appearance."
"Yeah, but—" Native paused as they passed a convenience store, its bright lights spilling onto the sidewalk. A clerk was restocking shelves, completely oblivious to the two heroes walking by. "But that's what makes tonight different. There's nowhere in this city where a hero is truly isolated right now. We're all overlapping routes. Response times are cut in half."
"Which could force him to change tactics," Mirage countered.
Native considered that, then nodded slowly. "Fair point."
They turned down a side street, the crowds thinning as they moved away from the main shopping area.
"So..." Native tried again after a few moments, "how long have you been with Idaten's team?"
"Eight months."
"Right. And before that?"
"Different agency." Mirage's tone suggested she wasn't interested in elaborating.
"Cool, cool." Native cleared his throat. "I worked with a few different teams before settling here. Hosu's got good energy, you know? Big enough to stay busy, small enough that you can actually make a difference."
Mirage didn't respond.
"Plus the food scene's pretty great," Native added, then immediately winced at how desperate that sounded. "I mean, not that food's why I—what I meant was—"
"I'm aware Hosu has restaurants," Mirage said dryly.
"Right. Obviously." Native fell silent, mentally kicking himself.
They walked another block. A stray cat darted across their path, disappearing into a gap between buildings.
'Come on Native. Think. Think.' His mind spun.
"What about the vigilante?" He asked suddenly.
Mirage turned. "What about him?"
"You were part of the response team that night. When Ingenium was attacked. What's your assessment?"
Native tried sounding as normal as possible. "From what I heard, he's quite something. Capable of handling Stain when Ingenium couldn't. It's quite surprising."
Mirage's eyes narrowed at his words.
"He interfered with an active operation, engaged a known serial killer without authorization, and assaulted one of our team members." The last part carried a hint of venom.
"By every legal metric, he's a criminal. I don't know what to make of him besides that."
Native coughed slightly.
"I mean ... Yeah, but he did save Ingenium, and injured Stain. Who knows what would've happened if not for him, right?"
"The fact that a vigilante did our job for us isn't a reason to relax, Native," Mirage replied, her tone sharp and devoid of humor. "It's an embarrassment. And Stain didn't die. He's a cornered animal now. That makes him twice as dangerous."
"... Wow ... Tough crowd." He chuckled awkwardly. 'The guys weren't kidding when they said she wasn't easy to talk to.'
"Sorry. I just don't see the point in small talk while we're on duty," she said without a change in expression.
"..Fair enough." Native said. "Just trying to make the time pass."
"The time passes fine on its own."
"Does it though?" He said hesitantly. "I mean, we've got another two hours of patrol left. Might as well make it pleasant."
"Pleasant," Mirage raised an eyebrow. "We're looking for a serial killer and you want to make it pleasant?"
"... That .. I didn't mean it like that."
"I see. Forgive me if I find your way of flirting very confusing."
Native stiffened.
Mirage shot him a sideways glance.
"Is it not your way of flirting?"
"What? No. I was just—"
"Because if it is," Mirage continued, her tone unchanged, "you're not very good at it."
"I wasn't—" Native stopped, then let out a short laugh. "Okay, fine. Maybe a little."
"You're not my type," Mirage said bluntly.
"Ouch." Native put a hand over his heart in exaggerated pain. "Straight to the point, huh?"
"I don't see the benefit in pretending otherwise."
"No, no, I respect that. Most people would've let me embarrass myself for at least another week. I was just trying to lighten the mood really. I don't like the silence."
"Then focus on the silence. It'll tell you more than I will," she replied.
They crossed into the warehouse district, where the streetlights were spaced further apart, leaving long stretches of gray-black shadows between the pools of yellow light. The hum of the city was a distant murmur here.
"Actually... you're right. It is quiet. Too quiet." Native slowed his pace. "We're supposed to have met up with the next patrol team by now."
"Check the corner," Mirage whispered, her hand hovering near her belt.
Native stepped around a stack of shipping pallets, his eyes narrowing. "Nothing. Just some trash and—"
He stopped.
There, tucked into the recessed doorway of a closed textile shop, was a single, polished boot. It was attached to a leg that didn't move.
"Mirage," Native's voice turned grim.
They moved together, back-to-back as they approached the doorway. It wasn't a civilian. It was a pro hero, a local sidekick they both recognized from the morning briefing. He was slumped against the brickwork, his throat opened.
"He's still warm," Mirage dropped to check for a pulse she knew she wouldn't find.
"Call it in," Native said, his eyes darting to the rooftops. "Mirage, call it—"
CLINK.
The sound of metal on stone echoed from the alley directly across from them.
A shadow detached itself from the wall.
A blade whistled through the air.
Native barely reacted when a knife embedded itself into his chest.
"Move!" Mirage shouted, activating her quirk.
More blades sliced through the air.
They pierced through her arm, nailing her to the floor before she could move. "Contact!" she yelled into her Comms. "We found Stain. .."
SQUELCH!
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[HOSU CITY – HERO COORDINATION OFFICE]
Endeavor's arrival was impossible to miss.
The Number Two Hero strode through the front doors of Hosu's hero coordination office with All the arrogance of a force of nature.
Behind him, Shoto Todoroki followed at a comfortable distance, his expression bland as possible.
The receptionist nearly dropped her clipboard.
"E-Endeavor-san! We weren't expecting ..."
"Where's the regional coordinator?" Endeavor's voice cut through the air like a blade. "I need current intel on the Hero Killer sightings. Now."
"Y-Yes, of course! Right this way!"
She led them down a hallway to a conference room where several local heroes were already gathered around a large digital map of the city. The moment Endeavor entered, all conversation stopped.
"Endeavor," one of the heroes, a middle-aged man with a mechanical quirk, stood immediately.
"This is unexpected. We received word you might be joining the operation but ... Not so soon."
"Consider this your notification," Endeavor said without looking at him.
Shoto's gaze fell on the heroes in the room. The vast majority, he didn't recognize. There were only two exceptions. At the head of the table sat a man with his helmet placed aside and serious features.
'He must be The Turbo Hero, Ingenium.'
How was he sure? Because he bore an uncanny resemblance to his classmate in a similar Hero costume sitting right beside him.
'Iida.'
Currently, Tenya was returning said gaze.
As for Endeavor ... He couldn't be bothered to look at anything else besides the map. Red dots marked recent Hero Killer activity, attack sites, witness reports, suspected hiding locations.
"Brief me. What's the current situation?"
The coordinator gestured to the map. "Three confirmed sightings in the past week, all in the eastern district. The pattern suggests he's working his way toward the commercial center, targeting heroes on night patrol. We've increased our presence in the predicted zones, but he's been... elusive."
"Elusive," Endeavor repeated, his tone dripping with disdain. "You mean incompetent."
The room tensed.
"With all due respect, Endeavor-san," another hero spoke up. A woman with a support-class quirk, "the Hero Killer is highly tactical. He chooses his ground carefully and strikes when heroes are isolated. We're doing everything we can."
"Everything you can isn't enough," Endeavor interrupted. "That's why I'm here. This ends tonight."
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I'm Releasing Double Chapters Today. Tune in Three Hours Later.
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