Next Chapter Comes out Ten Minutes After This
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[BEST JEANIST'S AGENCY – TOKYO – 12:03 PM]
"... Akutami gained national attention less than 72 hours ago for his performance during the Hosu Crisis," the anchor continued. "According to station records, he boarded the Yamanote Line at Mustafu Station at 1:03 PM on the day of the attack. Witnesses report he was traveling alone, returning from an internship assignment."
"This revelation has sparked widespread speculation about whether the League of Villains' attack was specifically targeted," the anchor said. "While the HPSC has declined to comment on the possibility, experts note that Akutami's involvement in neutralizing multiple League-deployed threats during the Hosu Crisis may have made him a person of interest to the villain organization."
The break room had gone completely silent.
Bakugo Katsuki stood frozen in front of the television, his freshly combed hair already starting to revert to its natural explosive state as heat radiated from his scalp. His hands, one holding a can of soda, weren't sparking.
Ironically, that was somehow worse.
"Bakugo?" one of the sidekicks ventured cautiously.
He didn't respond.
On screen, the footage shifted to the Sports Festival recording. Then the one from Hosu.
'You know you're just gonna lose, right?' The words echoed in Bakugo's head.
"The timing is particularly significant," the anchor continued. "Less than twenty-four hours after his performance in Hosu, which many are calling the most impressive debut by a first-year student in history, Akutami was aboard a train that subsequently vanished without a trace."
The screen split. On one side: Yuta standing in the Hosu crater, chain in hand, the defeated Nomu at his feet.
On the other: The empty Yamanote Line platform. The timestamp frozen at 1:06 PM.
"It raises the uncomfortable question," the anchor said quietly, "of whether 715 innocent people died simply because they happened to be on the same train as someone the League of Villains wanted dead."
Best Jeanist's hand came to rest on Bakugo's shoulder.
The boy didn't react.
"Bakugo," Best Jeanist said, his voice unusually gentle. "Perhaps you should ..."
"He's not dead." The words came out flat.
Best Jeanist's grip tightened slightly. "Bakugo—"
CRACK!
The sound of cracking glass echoed from his palms. Then, .... BOOM!
It was blown to bits.
"I said ... He's not dead!" The boy was, strangely not yelling his words out as he normally would.
Best Jeanist narrowed his eyes. "Oh? Why so?"
"Simple."
He turned away, heading to the exit. "That bastard doesn't get to die before I beat him."
Hidden from everyone's gazes was a dark face carrying nothing but irritation. "The idiot's probably somewhere unconscious or something. No way am I believing he's dead until I see a body."
Everyone turned to look at each other.
'Such confidence?' Best Jeanist frowned. "What makes you so sure?"
The boy stopped right at the exit.
"Because even without his full power, he was able to last against me." He turned his head to reveal his side profile.
"And I'm not someone who goes down easily, so if he did ..." His voice was growling at this point. "It's like saying i'd do no better, so yeah ... That bastard's still alive. He's too strong to be anything else. Not even The League Of Villains is getting him out of that rematch with me."
".."
What sort of logic was this? In a weird way, this was perhaps Bakugo's way of respecting someone?
"The reports are confirmed. His name is on the manifest. The evidence—"
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT THE EVIDENCE!" He yelled. "There's no way. There's no fucking way he survived four Nomu just to die on a train. They won't find anything, because he's not dead. That's all there can be to it."
Those were his last words before walking out of the room.
His destination? The training room to let out a lot of accumulated irritation in the past few days. Today's events had pushed them to the limit.
The sidekicks exchanged worried glances.
Best Jeanist simply stood there, watching the empty doorway, his expression unreadable behind his high collar.
"Poor kid," one of the sidekicks murmured.
"Which one?" another replied.
_
[SELKIE'S SHIP – SEA OF JAPAN – 1:30 PM]
Asui Tsuyu stood at the bow of the Oki Mariner, her large eyes scanning the churning grey water.
They'd been searching for five hours today.
Still nothing.
Behind her, the crew worked tirelessly. Checking coordinates. Adjusting search patterns. Trying to cover as much area as possible.
Tsuyu's phone buzzed in her pocket.
She pulled it out, saw the Class Girls group chat notification, and felt her stomach drop.
Hagakure Toru: did you guys know he was on that train?
Hagakure Toru: did ANY of you know?
Ashido Mina: no
Ashido Mina: i had no idea
Jiro Kyoka: why would we know? he was interning with aizawa-sensei
Yaoyorozu Momo: According to the news, his internship was cut short after Hosu. Aizawa-sensei was injured and couldn't continue supervision. That would explain the timing. He was likely returning home for whatever reason.
Ashido Mina: This is so messed up. Is anyone else just, like not processing this??
Asui Tsuyu: I'm on a search ship right now. We're looking for survivors.
The chat went silent.
Then:
Ashido Mina: tsuyu???
Ashido Mina: you're SEARCHING for them?
Asui Tsuyu: Yes. I'm interning with Selkie. We've been out since morning.
Hagakure Toru: have you found anything.
Tsuyu's fingers hovered over the screen.
She looked out at the endless expanse of grey water, then at the grim expressions of the crew who'd been doing this long enough to know what "nothing" meant after three days.
Asui Tsuyu: Not yet. But we're still looking.
Yaoyorozu Momo: Please be careful out there, Asui-san.
Asui Tsuyu: I will. I have to go now. Selkie is calling me.
Yaoyorozu Momo: By the way. Has anyone heard from Uraraka?
Asui pocketed the phone and made her way back to the bridge.
Selkie stood at the helm, binoculars pressed to his seal-like face. He lowered them as she approached.
"Anything?" Tsuyu asked, though she already knew the answer.
"Nothing," Selkie confirmed. "We're approaching the edge of our search sector. We'll need to turn back soon."
Tsuyu looked out at the water.
Three days ago, she'd been excited about this internship. Maritime rescue. Coast Guard operations. Real hero work on the open sea.
She hadn't expected this.
"Selkie-san," she said quietly. "Do you think... is there any chance?"
The hero was silent for a long moment.
"I've been doing maritime rescue for fifteen years, Froppy. I've seen people survive impossible situations. Hypothermia that should have killed them. Drowning incidents with zero oxygen for minutes. Storms that should have torn them apart."
He paused.
"But I've also seen the ocean. I know what it does to people who aren't prepared. And three days..."
He didn't finish.
"I see." Tsuyu uttered.
"You were friends huh?"
"He was our classmate," she said, her voice barely audible over the wind.
Her large eyes turned to Selkie.
"He's not just a number on a manifest. He's... he's strong. Really strong. So maybe..."
"Maybe he's the exception," Selkie finished gently. "Maybe he survived when others didn't."
Tsuyu nodded.
"It's okay to hope, Froppy," Selkie said. "Hope is important. It's what keeps us searching even when the odds are impossible."
He lifted his binoculars again.
"But it's also okay to grieve. Because even if we hope... we have to be realistic about what we might find."
Tsuyu swallowed. "I understand. Ribbit."
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[ENDEAVOR'S AGENCY – TOKYO – 12:15 PM]
Todoroki Shoto sat in Endeavors private lounge wing, dressed in his hero costume, hands scrolling through news reports on his phone.
An Ice pack was pressed against his ribs where training had gotten a bit too intense that morning.
The television mounted in the corner had been background noise until it wasn't.
".... Akutami gained national attention more than 72 hours ago for his performance during the Hosu Crisis. According to station records, he boarded the Yamanote Line at Mustafu Station at 1:03 PM on the day of the attack on his way home ..."
His grip on the ice pack tightened. 'So he was going home,' Shoto thought.
After Hosu, Aizawa had been injured. His internship with Yuta would have been cut short, even if only temporarily to get patched up by recovery girl.
And with nowhere else to go, Yuta would have simply...
"This revelation has sparked widespread speculation about whether the League of Villains' attack was specifically targeted ...."
The ice pack froze solid in Shoto's grip.
Frost spread across his fingers, up his wrist, crystallizing the medical tape wrapped around his hand.
"Todoroki?"
'Huh?' Shoto blinked, turning to see a sidekick standing at the doorway. "Your father wants to see you. In his office."
Todoroki frowned, then stood up and followed.
_
[SOCIAL MEDIA – TWITTER/X – 1:00 PM]
The internet had reached critical mass.
#YutaAkutami – 47.2M tweets
#BlackPhantom – 31.8M tweets
#YamanoteTragedy – 52.1M tweets
#LeagueOfMurderers – 18.9M tweets
@HeroWatchJapan:
BREAKING: Analysis suggests League of Villains may have specifically targeted U.A. student Yuta Akutami in retaliation for Hosu Crisis. If confirmed, this represents the first known instance of the League conducting targeted assassination of a minor.
87k retweets | 312k likes
@UAAlumni_Official:
We are devastated by today's news. Yuta Akutami represented the best of what U.A. stands for—courage, strength, and selflessness. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all those affected by this tragedy.
#NeverForgetThe716
124k retweets | 589k likes
@SportsAnalyst_Pro:
Just 72 hours ago, I called Yuta Akutami the future of hero society. Now he's presumed dead at 16. Don't even know what to feel at this point.
This is terrorism in its purest form.
43k retweets | 156k likes
@ConcernedCitizen_88:
So let me get this straight:
League attacks USJ
League attacks Hosu
Student defeats League threats
Student gets on train
Train disappears
And we're supposed to believe this is a coincidence???
67k retweets | 201k likes
@MediaEthics_Now:
The media's rush to declare Yuta Akutami dead is irresponsible. 716 people are missing. MISSING. Not dead. Stop writing obituaries for people who might still be alive. Have some basic human decency.
12k retweets | 48k likes
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