"Oh, hey, I know you!" The redheaded boy waved at class 1-A with a smile. "You're from UA, right? It's so cool to see you all in person!"

Did he recognise them from the festival?

"Uh… yeah, we are." Hayate gave a small smile. "Guess it's not too difficult to recognise a six-foot-tall hare, huh?"

The redhead laughed. "Actually, it was Naito-san I recognised from somewhere. It didn't click until I saw the festival."

Ali-chan tipped her head at that, investigating the boy closely. "Do I… know you from somewhere?"

"The name's Aisaka Ryou. I go to a local ordinary high school."

Ali-chan squinted. "Aisaka-san? It… it is you! I thought you seemed familiar." She turned back to the rest of the class, who were watching her inquisitively. "Aisaka-san was in my class at middle school. Though we never really knew each other that well, which was why I didn't realize it at first."

"That's right! Fancy meeting you here! You got into UA, after all."

"I did, I guess." She smiled, slightly uncomfortably. "Well, it was nice seeing you again."

"Actually, I was wondering, since you guys are here…" He grinned. "A few of my friends and I have been given permission to tour a real-life hero office. I know you all have internships and so on, but you're welcome to tag along… Experience, you know."

The UA students looked at each other uncertainly. "We were… already going to a concert…" said Ali-chan, rubbing her arm. Something about this situation was wrong. There was something in the way Ali-chan's eyes kept darting around them, scouting the surrounding paths.

"Oh, concerts can come and go. If you come with us, it'll give us normal folks a chance to hang out with future heroes, right?" Aisaka-san clapped his hands together eagerly. "You know, Naito-san, some of our mutual friends and acquaintances will be there as well."

"Like who, for example?"

"Oh, you know, Miki-chan, Tora-kun…" He tipped his head to one side. "Izumi-chan."

Ali-chan stiffened. "Is she… well?"

"Well as can be expected."

"I… trust there would not be any issue with her."

The boy nodded. "I understand, yes. But I'm sure she'd be happy to see an old classmate. It's been, what, a few months now?"

Ali-chan leant her hand against the nearest wall and closed her eyes, contemplating whatever it was that had so disturbed her. A moment passed.

"You know, guys," said Miku to her own surprise, "perhaps we should get going to the concert. We don't want to keep Spike's friend waiting."

She put her hand to her mouth, suddenly woozy, and saw Ali-chan open her eyes and drop her hand to her side. Ah. So that was what had happened. "And, actually, my nose has started bleeding. I may need to be taken to Recovery Girl." Blood dripped down her face to emphasize her point. There was a ringing in her ears…

"Hmm. Is that so." Aisaka Ryou's expression didn't change. "Hikari-kun, if you could?"

Before any of them could react, a voice came from one of the side alleys behind Aisaka-san. "Activate!"

A small blue line appeared in a roughly square shape around class 1-A; some sort of translucent barrier rose up from it, arching over their heads and meeting in the middle. Then, in an instant, it disappeared again – only the blue line remained, containing class 1-A and conveniently excluding Aisaka-san. Behind him, another boy – a curly-haired blond with a blue stripe down his face – appeared with a grin; presumably he was behind whatever had just happened.

Abe-san stepped forward towards the line. "What do you think you're doing? It's illegal to use your Quirk in public without a license!" He took another tentative step forward, nearing the line cautiously. "I'm putting you under arrest. If you come quietly you may still be let off with a warning." He put out his foot to step over the line – and was sent flying back, his body pulsing with some sort of invisible force.

"I apologise, Naito-san, everyone. I did not introduce you to my friend here. This is Raino Hikari. When he draws lines with his fingers, he can create an invisible barrier such as you see here – or rather, such as you don't see here." He chuckled at his own joke. "It's really impenetrable unless you have some sort of teleportation Quirk and, as you have no doubt noticed, he can delay the activation of the barrier for a while." He smiled sadly. "We are all quite lucky that none of you stood on the line, or worse, straddled it. That… would not have been pretty."

"What kind of crowd have you got us mized up in, Aisaka-san? You were never this type at school…"

The redhead looked at Ali-chan coldly. "You, my dear Naito-san, never did know me that well. You said it yourself: I never showed this side of me… at school."

Ali-chan shuddered. "And the others you mentioned? Our old classmates? Are they in on this?"

"No. At least… Not the one I think you mean."

She grimaced and said nothing, and the boy smiled. "Well, time to get paid." With a flourish, Aisaka-san pulled out his phone and pushed a few buttons.

"Hello? Smoky? Yeah, it's me. Uh-huh. All 6. Yup. Trapped in Hikari's barrier in the place we agreed. Uh-huh. Okay. Standing by." He put the phone away again. "You know, for a guy that didn't get into UA, your barrier is doing surprisingly well against UA students, isn't it? I think getting Cloth Quirk Guy down was a good warning."

"Look, man, I just want the money. My talent isn't important here."

"Uh-huh. And how else would Smokey have been able to get access to these idiots, huh? It's not like anyone can get into the wonderful house of UA. Yet."

"Let's not gloat right now, is what I'm saying."

Before they could continue this tedious conversation, however, a black… something appeared inside the barrier. It grew, and morphed into a pitch black blob of some sort of smoke. A pair of yellow eyes appeared in the midst of it.

"Well, this isn't really my thing, to be honest," came a voice from the swirling abyss, "but I don't really have a choice when it comes to the Master. You did well, boys; you will receive the money shortly." The smoke extended, encircling the class of 1-A in its tendrils. "Master will be so pleased to finally meet you… Sasaki-kun."

With that, the darkness enveloped them, with no chance to ask Hima-kun what the voice meant.