The following morning, the entirety of Japan seemed to have decided to talk about only one thing.
Kamino.
Television networks broadcast aerial footage of the three city blocks that had vanished in a matter of seconds. Newspapers displayed photographs of the enormous crater carved into the heart of the devastated area, while morning programs replayed the footage captured by the Newscopter during the battle over and over again.
In one clip, a colossal cyclone blanketed the sky.
In another, a green flash came crashing toward the ground like a bolt of lightning.
Then came the image that had become practically impossible to escape.
Ryo standing at the edge of the crater, his clothes torn apart and his eyes still glowing green, staring directly into the camera.
"The events that occurred last night in Kamino continue to raise questions across the entire country."
The news anchor switched images.
"Following his abduction during the attack on U.A.'s training camp, student Rito Takeda was found alive at the center of the Kamino incident, apparently after confronting one of the individuals responsible for his capture."
Another recording showed the destruction from above.
"Although authorities have yet to release complete information regarding those involved, witnesses have confirmed that the young student directly participated in the confrontation that resulted in the destruction of part of the district."
On another channel, experts discussed the growing threat posed by villains.
"We are seeing a level of violence that simply wasn't common a few years ago. Criminal organizations are becoming more organized, more aggressive, and apparently have access to extremely dangerous Quirks and resources."
But even that inevitably circled back to the same subject.
"Perhaps the most surprising part of all this is that we're talking about a first-year student."
One commentator gestured toward an image from the Sports Festival.
"This is the same boy who won the U.A. Sports Festival only a few months ago."
"Exactly. At the time, many people considered his performance simply extraordinary. After what we witnessed in Kamino, perhaps we underestimated his true potential."
Another program displayed a photograph of Ryo alongside several other U.A. students.
"If this truly is the next generation of heroes being trained by the academy, then perhaps U.A. is doing something right despite the criticism it has faced recently."
One of the hosts smiled.
"People on social media are already calling Takeda a possible successor to the Symbol of Peace."
His co-host raised an eyebrow.
"Don't you think it's a little too early for that?"
"Maybe I would have yesterday."
He laughed.
An image of All Might appeared beside Ryo's.
"Could we be witnessing the birth of the next Symbol of Peace?"
At the D.S.C.S., Kenji Sakamoto wanted to tear his own hair out.
He sat in front of three tablets, two computers, and an entire wall covered with simultaneous broadcasts.
Every single one of them was talking about Ryo.
An assistant entered carrying yet another stack of reports.
"Mr. Sakamoto, six more networks have requested official confirmation regarding a possible feature on young Tanaka."
"Deny them."
"We already did."
"Deny them again."
"They're also asking about the I-Island incident."
Sakamoto stopped and looked at her.
"How did they find out about that?"
"We still don't know."
He closed his eyes.
"...Wonderful."
A few minutes later, in the main conference room, Sakamoto rubbed his temples while several people argued around the table.
"It's too late."
One of the men turned toward him.
"Too late for what?"
"To censor Tanaka's image."
Sakamoto pointed toward one of the screens, where Ryo was once again being shown on national television.
"His face is in every newspaper in the country. We have videos, photographs, cellphone recordings, aerial footage."
He swiped across a page on his tablet.
"Searches for his name have increased by several thousand percent since last night."
Another man sighed.
"So there's nothing we can do anymore."
"No."
Sakamoto rested his arms on the table.
"And if we start censoring information now, it'll only make things worse. Everyone already has their eyes and ears on this. If reports suddenly start disappearing, people are going to notice."
He pointed toward the screen.
"And before we know it, the questions start. Why are they hiding information? What does the government know? Who is Rito Takeda really?"
Sakamoto shook his head.
"The last thing we need is to turn this into a nationwide conspiracy theory and have thousands of people trying to uncover Tanaka's real identity."
Tetsuma Morita sat on the opposite side of the table, reading through the operation reports.
"And everyone seems far too busy celebrating the villains' defeat."
Sakamoto looked at him.
Morita closed the folder.
"I'd like to remind everyone that this wasn't exactly a victory. Japan's number one enemy, All For One, escaped."
The name alone changed the atmosphere in the room.
Morita continued.
"A completely unknown variable appeared at the end of the operation, retrieved him, and vanished without leaving a single trace behind."
An image of Bastion, captured from a distance by the Newscopter, appeared on the screen.
The quality wasn't perfect.
But it was enough to make out his white hair, dark uniform, and the glow produced by his teleportation.
"We have absolutely no idea who he is."
Another photograph.
"We have no registered Quirk that matches the abilities he displayed."
Another.
"And we have no reliable facial match in any database."
Kagemura, seated at the head of the table, stared silently at the image.
Morita switched files.
"We recovered several Nomu being held at the second hideout. The first team managed to capture several League members at the primary location... for approximately three minutes before they disappeared."
Body-camera footage began playing.
Handcuffed villains stood surrounded by police officers until a substance resembling thick, muddy sludge began pouring from their mouths.
"A sludge-like mass began enveloping them before transporting them away."
The footage showed one of the villains being swallowed by the substance and vanishing.
"Every attempt to stop the phenomenon failed."
Morita's secretary checked her tablet.
"There is another important matter."
Morita motioned for her to continue.
"The description almost perfectly matches reports from the attack on the training camp."
A photograph from the scene appeared beside the recording.
"The same black substance was observed enveloping the villains shortly before they disappeared."
She clasped her hands together in front of herself.
"With this, we can finally confirm that we are dealing with a teleportation Quirk."
"Or something equivalent," Morita added. "The practical result is the same."
He raised another report.
"And even after cross-referencing everything recovered from both hideouts, we still haven't managed to locate any of those involved."
A woman at the table asked,
"But don't we have the hero Ragdoll to help us locate them?"
Morita remained silent for a moment.
"I don't believe that will work anymore."
"But her Search should at least allow her to locate Shigaraki."
"It should."
Morita touched one of the controls embedded in the table, causing a holographic display to appear at its center.
The footage showed Ragdoll helping civilians after the conclusion of Ryo and All For One's battle, guiding them toward a safe area, until a hooded man appeared among a group of evacuees.
Ragdoll approached him.
The man seemed to stumble.
Ragdoll grabbed his arm to steady him, only for him to turn toward her and quickly press his hand against the side of her head for several seconds before walking away.
Ragdoll remained motionless for a few moments before blinking in confusion, apparently unsure of what had just happened.
Then she returned to helping the other civilians as though nothing had occurred.
Morita paused the footage.
One of the people in the room leaned forward.
"What did he do?"
"We believe he erased one of her memories."
A murmur spread around the table.
Morita continued.
"When Ragdoll attempted to use Search to locate Shigaraki after the operation, she discovered that she could no longer remember him, or even exactly who he was."
"That's possible?"
"A Quirk that erases memories?!"
"Is it permanent?"
The room quickly erupted into a chorus of voices.
Kagemura raised one hand.
"Silence."
The conversations died down.
"Given the severity of this matter, it will be addressed properly in a separate meeting."
He looked toward the frozen image of the hooded man.
"I want the Special Investigation Team looking for him."
Morita nodded.
"Understood. I'll assign our most qualified personnel."
Kagemura leaned back.
"Now, returning to the reason I called this meeting."
The screens changed, and Ryo's photograph appeared once again.
"We need to decide what to do with Tanaka now that the circumstances have changed."
He looked around the table.
"Two days ago, we were discussing the possibility of removing him from U.A. and returning him to the facility. I no longer believe that will be viable."
One of the advisers asked,
"Because of the press?"
"Among other things."
Kagemura gestured toward the screen.
"He has achieved national exposure."
Another image appeared.
A news report calling Ryo a possible future Symbol of Peace.
"And people are placing a great deal of expectation on him. Whether out of admiration or simple curiosity."
Kagemura crossed his arms.
"If we remove him from U.A. immediately after Kamino and make him disappear from public life, the media will ask why."
Sakamoto nodded.
"And they won't stop until they get an answer."
"Exactly."
Kagemura continued.
"Besides..."
He paused briefly.
"...I have no interest in finding out what Tanaka's mood would be after informing him that, after surviving a kidnapping, his reward is being sent back to the facility."
Several people grimaced.
Everyone in that room had read enough reports to imagine exactly how the boy would react to such an idea.
Sakamoto clasped his hands thoughtfully.
"If we can't hide his face from the public..."
Kagemura looked at him.
"...why don't we use it?"
Morita immediately turned toward him with a grimace.
"How?"
Sakamoto gestured toward the headlines.
"The public has already decided which story they want."
He began counting on his fingers.
"A boy was kidnapped."
"He survived."
"He protected civilians."
"He fought villains."
"And he showed the potential to become an incredibly powerful hero."
Sakamoto looked toward Kagemura.
"Instead of continuing to fight that narrative and drawing even more suspicion..."
A small, professional smile appeared on his face.
"Let's simply stop fighting it and embrace it with open arms."
Morita's frown deepened.
"You're suggesting we promote Tanaka?"
"I'm suggesting that we give the public exactly what they want."
Sakamoto raised his tablet.
"The public is interested in Ryo Tanaka's bright future?"
He opened one of the headlines.
"Then we give them a glimpse of that future."
He swiped again.
"Training at U.A. Responsible development. Promising young student. The next generation of heroes. Control. Discipline."
Kagemura was beginning to understand.
Sakamoto continued.
"The more time people spend discussing his promising future and wondering whether he really could become the next Symbol of Peace, the less time they'll spend asking questions about where he actually came from."
Morita's expression hardened.
"This is insane. The kid caused millions in damages in Kamino!"
He pointed toward the images.
"And you want to turn that into propaganda?"
Morita leaned forward.
"He may have been defending himself, and I understand that. But we're talking about the same thing that happened in Hosu. He could have caused civilian casualties!"
"Morita."
That single word stopped him.
Kagemura was staring directly at him.
"Did you read the report?"
Morita hesitated.
"I did."
"All of it?"
"...Yes."
"Then you must have read the part where All Might stated that, before the battle reached its most destructive point, Tanaka evacuated every civilian from the danger zone."
Morita said nothing.
"He also moved the fight away from their location."
Kagemura placed both hands on the table.
"And afterward, he deliberately directed his final attack toward an area that had already been destroyed by All For One's initial strike."
Morita's gaze shifted slightly away.
"The damage could have been much worse."
Kagemura continued staring at him.
"But it wasn't."
He paused.
"Stop looking at Tanaka as that unstable, unwanted child who came to us all those years ago."
Morita's expression changed.
"Chief Kagemura..."
"The boy has grown up."
Kagemura gestured toward the screen.
"He has matured."
His voice remained steady.
"Yesterday, after being kidnapped, threatened, and attacked by one of the most dangerous criminals this country has ever faced, that boy still had enough presence of mind to evacuate civilians from the combat zone before fighting back."
Kagemura leaned back in his chair.
"He is no longer the boy we dealt with back then."
His eyes returned to Ryo's photograph.
"He is someone new."
Morita remained silent for several seconds.
Then he lowered his head.
"...Understood."
With that, Kagemura turned once again toward the head of the telecommunications department, who had been waiting calmly throughout the exchange.
"Now..."
Kagemura interlaced his fingers.
"Tell me more about this publicity plan."
----------------------------------------
Later that day, after hours of answering police questions, being examined by doctors, and repeating for the tenth time that no, he really didn't need to be taken to a hospital, Ryo finally returned to the complex.
The hallway leading to his mother's room was quiet.
Ryo walked slowly, holding a small bouquet of flowers in one hand.
He had bought them at Rosa's Flower Shop on the way.
Maybe because it seemed like the right thing to do.
Maybe because he had no idea how to start that conversation and flowers seemed like some kind of socially acceptable shield.
When he finally reached the door, he stopped and stared at it.
A bead of sweat slowly rolled down the side of his face.
"...I'd rather fight that guy again."
Ryo looked at the flowers.
Then at the door.
Then back at the flowers.
"These aren't going to save me, are they?"
Taking a deep breath, he raised his hand toward the doorknob.
When he opened the door, he saw Yuuko sitting on the bed.
She immediately turned her head the moment she saw her son standing in the doorway.
The two of them remained still.
Ryo slowly raised the bouquet.
"...Hi, Mom."
Yuuko didn't answer, making Ryo swallow nervously.
"I brought flowers."
Her silence continued.
"Pretty, right?"
Ryo was starting to feel like All For One might actually have been the less terrifying option.
Yuuko slowly stood up, causing the boy to instinctively take a small step back.
"Mom..."
She walked toward him, her expression completely unreadable.
"You lied to me."
"I..."
"You lied."
Her voice trembled.
"About the camp."
Ryo slowly lowered the flowers as Yuuko continued approaching.
"You said everything was fine."
"I... thought it was..."
"You said you were at some random school in Musutafu, not U.A."
"I didn't know that—"
"You said I didn't have to worry about anything!"
Her voice finally rose.
Ryo fell silent.
"The principal came here and told me everything. At first, I wasn't sure, but they told me everything was fine, and I ended up accepting it quietly."
Yuuko stopped in front of him, her eyes filled with tears.
"And then I turn on the television..."
Her breath caught.
"...and find out my son was kidnapped."
Ryo looked up.
"Mom..."
"For two days."
She clenched her fists.
"Two days without knowing where you were."
Her voice became even quieter.
"Without knowing if you were hurt."
Yuuko lowered her head.
"Without knowing if you were... alive."
Ryo felt something tighten in his chest.
Yuuko raised her hands.
"Do you have any idea what that was like? Do you have any idea what went through my head?"
Ryo gripped the flowers a little tighter.
"I just didn't want you to worry."
Yuuko let out a short, humorless laugh.
"So you decided to lie to me so I wouldn't worry?"
Ryo let out a defeated sigh.
"I'm sorry...."
The irritation on her face didn't disappear, but something changed.
Ryo continued.
"I thought that if I told you everything, you'd get really nervous and worried."
"But I'm your mother."
"I know. But I wanted you to..."
He took a deep breath.
"I wanted you to have one less thing to worry about now that you're back."
Yuuko stared at him for a few seconds before beginning to examine his body.
"Did you get hurt?"
"No."
"Don't lie."
"I'm not lying."
She grabbed his arm.
"Let me see."
"Mom, I'm fine."
Yuuko pulled his sleeve up a little.
Then checked his other arm.
"You were on television with your clothes completely destroyed."
"Yeah, but I'm still in one piece."
She placed her hands on his face, turning Ryo's head from side to side.
"...Are you sure?"
"I'm sure."
Yuuko kept looking at him uncertainly.
Ryo tried to smile.
"I'm really fine."
With that, Yuuko pulled Ryo into her arms, crushing the flowers between them.
Ryo's eyes widened.
"Mom?"
She hugged him so tightly that he nearly lost his balance.
Then she started crying.
"Thank God..."
Ryo stood still for a second before wrapping his arms around her.
Yuuko buried her face in his shoulder.
"I thought you weren't going to come back."
Her voice broke.
Ryo tightened the embrace.
"It's okay... I'm here."
The two of them remained like that for some time.
Yuuko cried quietly while Ryo kept his arms around her, without trying to make a joke, without trying to downplay what had happened.
For a few minutes, there was nothing but a mother holding the son she thought she had almost lost.
When she finally pulled away, Yuuko quickly wiped her face with her hands.
Ryo raised the crushed bouquet.
"I think Rosa's going to yell at me..."
Yuuko let out a small laugh through her tears.
"Idiot."
Ryo placed the flowers on a nearby table.
When he turned around again, he noticed that her expression had changed.
Yuuko looked serious, very serious. But there was nervousness there too.
She clasped her hands together in front of her.
"Ryo."
"What?"
Yuuko took a deep breath.
"I... want you to leave U.A."
Ryo froze.
"...What?"
She raised her eyes.
"I want you to leave U.A."
"Mom..."
"I'm serious."
Yuuko clasped her hands together over her lap.
"I don't want to see you putting yourself in danger."
Ryo frowned.
"I didn't choose to get kidnapped."
"I know."
"So leaving U.A. isn't going to change—"
"Yes, it will!"
She cut him off.
Ryo went quiet.
Yuuko took a deep breath.
"Since you started attending that school, how many times have you already been through something like this?"
Ryo opened his mouth to answer, but nothing came out.
"How many times have villains come after you?"
He remained silent.
"How many times must you have gotten hurt?"
Ryo looked away.
Yuuko looked at him with a pained expression.
"I know you want to stay there, that you like your friends and that you're happy there."
She bit her lip.
"But seeing you get hurt and fight people who want to kill my baby..."
She held her own arm.
"It hurts knowing that whenever something like this happens, there's nothing I can do about it."
Ryo slowly lowered his head.
Yuuko tried to keep her voice steady.
"Am I really such a bad mother?"
She placed a hand over her chest.
"I don't want to live knowing there's a chance I might never see you again the next day."
The room went completely silent.
Yuuko reached a trembling hand toward him.
"P-Please... stay with me."