Next Chapter Comes Out 30 Minutes After This
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The tragedy of the YAMANOTE LINE had spread across the country like wildfire.
News outlets published the full list. Social media exploded with shares, reposts, and desperate searches as people looked for familiar names—colleagues, neighbors, distant relatives, anyone they might have known. Within hours, the tragedy transformed from an abstract horror into something devastatingly personal for millions.
The emergence of the Hero Of Hosu on that list only worsened it ....
Five days since the disappearance, funeral Memorials had begun all over the country.
At the base of the massive screens in cities where the faces of the passengers were constantly displayed, flowers were placed. Within the first hour, there were hundreds of bouquets. By noon, the entire plaza was carpeted with white lilies and handwritten notes.
"In the Five Days since the Yamanote Line disappeared, the nation has come together in mourning. Vigils have been held in every major city. The prime minister has declared a national day of remembrance. And yet, the question remains: where are they?"
"All 716 passengers are now officially presumed deceased. The search, which covered over three million square kilometers of ocean, has been suspended after seven days with no bodies recovered and no signs of survival."
"Day six and public reaction has risen to new heights with each passing day. Social media has filled with both mourning and outrage. Many are questioning why a first-year student was traveling alone without security detail given his recent high-profile involvement in a major villain attack. Others are calling for increased protection for future students who have become public figures."
"... U.A facing a PR Crisis as parents and guardians across courses call for a withdrawal of their wards from the institution. The current movement which began with the League Of Villains first attack on U.A has escalated to current heights as a result of the unconfirmed death of one of its students, Yuta Akutami."
"Day seven and In related news, U.A is set to implement a brand new boarding system—"
Bakugo Katsuki locked his phone and tossed it onto his desk.
Idiots. All of them.
"Katsuki!"
His mother's voice echoed from downstairs.
"WHAT?!" he yelled back.
There was no answer. Frowning, he turned around only to see Mitsuki Bakugo in the doorway of his room, arms crossed, expression unreadable. She'd been weird all week. Not her usual aggressive self.
Ever since he returned from the internship, she screamed less, tried to talk to him about his feelings, and was considerate about a lot of things.
Frankly, It pissed him off.
"Car's gonna be here in ten minutes," she said. "You ready?"
"Obviously."
She nodded, yet didn't move from the entrance.
'Not this again.' Bakugo glared at her. "What?"
"Nothing." She walked into his room, grabbed his U.A. blazer from where he'd thrown it over his chair, and held it out. "Just making sure you actually go."
"Why the hell wouldn't I go?"
"Because of your classmate, Katsuki."
Bakugo snatched the blazer from her hands. "He's not dead."
"Katsuki—"
"I said he's not dead!" Bakugo shoved his arms through the sleeves with more force than necessary.
"They haven't found a body. Hell, they haven't found anything. So until they do, I'm not listening to that bullshit."
Mitsuki studied her son carefully.
Two days ago, when that principal ... Nezu, the freaky mouse-dog-bear thing, and All Might himself had shown up at their door, she'd been ready to pull Katsuki out of U.A. immediately.
Two villain attacks in two months. A student presumed dead during an authorized internship. 716 people gone without a trace.
What kind of school was this?
But then Katsuki had walked into the living room, looked All Might dead in the eye, and said:
"I'm not quitting. So whatever you're here to say, save it for someone else."
The argument this time practically went against her favor. "I'm going to be the Number One Hero. That's not changing because some villains got lucky once. If you try to stop me, I'll just go anyway."
He'd meant it. She'd seen it in his eyes. That was how he was here today, heading back to school.
Of course it wasn't that easy.
Had All Might not staked his honour on this situation not happening again as well as the reveal of the new dorms system, it would have been a completely different discussion they would be having now.
"Your breakfast is getting cold," she said finally.
"Don't care."
"Katsuki."
"WHAT?!"
She stepped forward and, before he could react, pulled him into a brief, fierce hug.
Bakugo went rigid.
"Mom .... what the hell ..."
"Shut up." She squeezed hard, then let go and stepped back. "Just... be careful, okay? At that damn school."
Bakugo stared at her like she'd grown a second head. "...Yeah. Whatever." The car from U.A arrived not long after.
It was stupidly fancy. Black, tinted windows, driver in a suit who hadn't said a single word since Bakugo climbed in. They weren't using trains anymore.
Obviously.
Bakugo stared out the window as the city rolled past, his reflection ghosting over the buildings and billboards. Every major intersection had them now. Massive digital displays showing faces. The Yamanote Line Memorial. Bored, he went through his phone, opening up a thread discussion and reading its contents.
Thread: YAMANOTE LINE MEMORIALTHREAD - 716 SOULS
User: @RememberingThem
My uncle was on that train. He was going to visit my grandmother in the hospital. She doesn't know yet. How do we tell an 89-year-old woman her son is gone?
User: @GriefSupport
@RememberingThem I'm so sorry for your loss. There's a family support group forming. DM me if you need resources.
User: @JusticeForThe716
They're calling it an "unprecedented tragedy" but where were the heroes? Where were the safeguards? How does an ENTIRE TRAIN just disappear and nobody can find it?
User: @SearchAndRescue_Pro
@JusticeForThe716 With respect, we've had 200+ heroes, Coast Guard, and JSDF searching nonstop. The ocean is vast. If the League dropped them in deep water, there may be nothing left to find.
User: @AngryAndHurting
"Nothing left to find"? That's 716 PEOPLE. Not objects. PEOPLE. They deserve better than "nothing left to find."
User: @HeroSystemFailed
This is what happens when villains get bolder and heroes get complacent. USJ. Hosu. Now this. The League is escalating and we're just... what? Waiting for the next attack?
User: @MourningWithYou
Can we not turn this into a political argument? Families are grieving. Let them grieve.
User: @SystemicChange
@MourningWithYou I wonder if you can say that when the next attack hits and your loved ones are in it. Grieving doesn't prevent the next tragedy. We need accountability. We need answers. We need to know WHY this happened and HOW to prevent it from happening again.
[Thread locked by moderators due to escalating tensions]
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"Tch. I really need to stop listening to this crap." He set the phone aside, unable to fathom why everything was pissing him off since the day started.
Well, not like he really needed a reason anyway.
However, ".... raises serious questions about whether hero schools are adequately protecting their students from retaliation by villain organizations. The HPSC has announced new security protocols, but many are asking if these measures come too late ..."
Veins appeared on Bakugo's head. His gaze turned to the voice of some analyst droning on about security failures and systemic problems from the car radio.
The driver, seeing this, was sensitive enough to change the channel
"The timing of Akutami's presence on the train has raised troubling questions. Less than 24 hours after his highly publicized performance in Hosu where he was credited with saving over 200 civilian lives ... he boards a train that is subsequently attacked by the same villain organization whose forces he'd just defeated."
The driver hurriedly changed again. "Sources confirm that the YAMANOTE LINE incident was not the first time U.A student Yuta Akutami was attacked. Our reports show that he was involved in a previous train attack, hours prior to Hosu."
The channel was changed again.
"Coincidence?" the anchor asked rhetorically. "Or targeted retaliation? The HPSC maintains that they cannot confirm the League's specific motivations, but the statistical improbability of this timing has not been lost on experts. If you're the League of Villains, and a sixteen-year-old just embarrassed you on national television and became the face of your failure .... you're going to want to send a message. And what better message than making him and everyone near him simply... disappear?"
"TURN THAT SHIT OFF!"
"Yes."
They passed another billboard. This one showed a panel discussion. Three talking heads with serious expressions beneath the caption: "U.A. SECURITY FAILURE? EXAMINING THE YAMANOTE TRAGEDY" Bakugo looked away. 'Why the hell is everyone making such a big deal outta this ..'
The car pulled up to U.A.'s main gate. The security checkpoint had tripled in size. Heroes Bakugo didn't recognize stood guard, checking IDs.
The driver showed clearance and they were waved through.
The campus didn't look more different than it previously was. The car stopped at the main building.
"Please proceed directly to your classroom," the driver said. "Aizawa-sensei is expecting all students by 8 AM."
Bakugo got out without responding. The hallways to class 1A were emptier than usual.
Bakugo noticed it the moment he stepped inside.
He pushed open the classroom door.
Six people were already there.
Kirishima by the window, staring at his phone.
The ponytail girl at her desk staring at her books.
The human phone charger, Mr stiffnecked.
His turned to the other end. 'Deku and Pinkcheeks.' Midoriya sat at his desk, a notebook open in front of him but the pen untouched. And Uraraka, head down, shoulders very still and that depressing feeling people had around them when they were upset.
Bakugo scanned the room once, noted who was missing, and dropped his bag at his desk without a word.
No one greeted him.
The silence was different from the usual morning quiet.
Kirishima glanced up. "Hey."
"Hey," Bakugo replied.
That was apparently the extent of conversation anyone was capable of this morning.
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