I'm standing with Enji at an overpass in the city where we're meeting Shoto and his two friends. I'm wearing my hero suit since we're still on patrol; Enji has his under his regular clothes. He fiddles with his phone as he continues to check the time.
"Relax, Enji…" I say. "They'll be here soon."
"I'm more eager to see Shoto," he admits. "I'm still annoyed that he brought his friends along."
"It can't be helped," I shrug.
"Mmm…" Enji grumbles to himself as he crosses his arms.
Enji actually wanted me to tag along to help me deal with the other two boys. I feel bad for his plan to leave them with the sidekicks while he focuses on Shoto. Our attention turns to where we see Shoto approaching with Katsuki and Izuku behind him.
"Please don't scare them…" I plead with Enji.
The three boys make their way over to us with their school bags and hero suit cases.
"Welcome!" Enji smiles.
"Hm?" I raise a brow at his sudden friendly demeanor.
"Psyche. As if I'd be that friendly," Enji's expression turns into a harsher one.
"Eh…" I have a sweat drop.
"I only accepted you guys because Shoto asked me to! But to be honest, I wanted Shoto to come alone."
"That...isn't very welcoming…" I twitch a brow in disbelief.
"You accepted, so stop complaining," Shoto firmly states.
"Sho-Shoto!" Enji exclaims.
"Here we go…" I sigh to myself.
"I've been thinking this ever since our courses together, but…" Katsuki says to Enji. "You're a real stick-in-the-mud, aren't you," causing me to hold back a smile.
"Shoto!" Enji exclaims. "Do you really get along well with this brat?!"
"Well, I guess it's alright as long as I can see what the top agency is like," Katsuki continues to remark.
"I thought I told you to bring your friends!" Enji tells Shoto, his reaction almost cracking me up.
"Thank you for accepting us as your interns!" Izuku says. "Please, allow us to learn from you!"
Enji is surprised for a moment.
"It seems...Shoto is not me," Enji glances away.
"Eh?" Izuku wonders.
I glance at Izuku, surprised to see him so appreciative despite Enji's intimidating and harsh comments. Enji turns and begins to head away and we begin to follow him down the street.
"Sorry about his attitude…" I smile with a sweat drop at Izuku and Katsuki.
"That's okay!" Izuku smiles. "Besides, he seems different from the last time I saw him…"
I raise my brows at Izuku, wondering if he's noticed Enji's shift in character.
"So you're Nova, huh," Katsuki turns to me. "How do you deal with that jerk?"
"He's not always a jerk…" I smile with a sweat drop. "Once you get to know him…"
"I find that hard to believe."
I lightly laugh at his comment as we continue to walk down the street. There's the sound of a sudden commotion. Enji runs off in the direction and immediately leaps into action.
"Unfortunately, I have no plans to concern myself with anyone but Shoto," Enji remarks as he heads away, his flames flaring up on his face. "If you want to learn from me, watch me from behind!"
I stay behind the boys to observe them. The three of them immediately jump into action after Enji, which surprises him.
"Your instructions, please!" Izuku exclaims.
"Watch me! From behind!" Enji says.
'He really does need to be less of a jerk though…' I think to myself with a sweat drop.
"Watch him from behind, huh," Shoto comments.
"To do that, we're gonna have to keep up with him!" Izuku says.
The boys witness Enji engulf himself in his flames to shoot himself through the air to move at a faster speed. We soon catch up to Enji and arrive at the scene of the commotion. A man floating in midair with his knees crossed is where the ruckus is coming from. He wears clothes that resemble a mix between a magician and a monk. He begins to scatter many of what look like glass orbs throughout the area. As this villain creates a massive glass orb, Enji shoots himself in a stream of fire into it, shattering it at the center with his Flashfire Fist.
"Glass manipulation, huh, Gramps?" Enji says to the villain. "You seem to be quite skilled...but it seems you don't quite understand...That's not something you do on my turf."
Enji's flames heat the surrounding area, causing civilians to make a run for it.
"Ooooh! My throat is burning!" the villain exclaims.
The villain then darts through the air, escaping through an alleyway. Enji shoots himself after him, while I watch over the boys who also run into action. At the end of the alley, there are other villains waiting for Enji to attack him.
"An ambush!" I say.
I move to protect the boys but to my surprise, they've jumped into action to halt the villains' ambush. Enji grabs a hold of the main villain while the boys move in with their attacks to the other criminals. Just as they're about to clash, familiar bright red feathers pierce through the air at the criminals. A figure swoops in with bright red wings to quickly stop the criminals' attack on Enji. We all regroup once the minions and the main villain are apprehended by Enji and Keigo.
"Sorry!" Keigo says. "Looks like I was a bit faster than ya'll!"
"Hawks?!" Izuku is surprised.
"I thought Endeavor might've been in a pinch, so…"
"Did it look like I was in a pinch?!" Enji is irritated at Keigo.
"It sure did," Keigo smiles. "Didn't it, Shoto?"
"Um...ah...sure…" Shoto responds.
"If you're planning to assist, contact me first," Enji scowls at Keigo.
"Nah, I really just dropped in on a whim," Keigo replies.
I watch Keigo as he has a certain look in his eyes after saying that. Keigo approaches me and is pleased to see me.
"Hey there, Akira!" he happily greets.
"Hey," I return the smile.
"I see you're watching over Endeavor's interns."
"Something like that," I laugh.
As I converse with Keigo, I glance over at Enji and notice him observing us. Soon after, the police arrive and arrest the villains, taking them in police vehicles as they shout.
"I was ordered by the servant of stars!" one villain shouts.
"Let me go!" another says.
"If you don't let me go, it'll be too late for you!" the main villain warns.
"We'll take it from here," the officer tells Enji.
"Thanks," Enji replies.
"He is the root of darkness!" the main villain continues. "The light he radiates! It invites darkness! It beckons destruction!"
Enji listens intently at what he's spewing. I also watch as the villain refers to Enji when shouting those words, wondering what he means.
"Looks like there were zero casualties!" the officer confirms. "This city is safe wherever your light shines!" He praises Enji.
Meanwhile, I'm still with Hawks as we chat a bit to ourselves.
"Everything going okay for you?" I ask.
"Yup! Not a complaint!" Keigo chirps.
I notice how more carefree Keigo is acting, more than usual. It looks like he's exaggerating his words and personality, as if trying to mask himself.
"Hope you train these interns well!" Keigo playfully puts an arm over my shoulder.
Keigo brings me closer as he says this, looking me straight in the eyes with a serious expression. I know this look. All the years we've worked together under the Commission, we've learned how to read each other and communicate in code. He then flashes the red Meta Liberation War book in his pocket, clearly telling me something. A photographer aims his camera at us, the flash snapping us back to the scene.
"My name is Izuku Midoriya!" Izuku approaches me and Keigo.
"Ah, the finger-destroyer kid," Keigo glances over at him. "I heard about you from Tsukuyomi. Man, I really wanted to work with him again, too…"
"Tokoyami? Did he not return to your agency?"
"I had him go do some sidekick work in his hometown. My schedule has been just packed, you see...I felt kinda...bad about it, but…" Keigo notices Katsuki's grumpy stare.
"I was faster back there, you hear?!" Katsuki scowls at him.
"Haha! Sure kid!" Keigo chuckles.
"Well?!" Enji exclaims. "What business do you have?! Hawks!"
"It's not much business, but…" Keigo reaches into his pocket. "Endeavor, have you read this book?" He holds up the red Meta Liberation War book.
"The Special Ability Liberation Front…" Izuku reads the title.
"Man, it's incredible!" Keigo continues. "Did you know? They've been expanding like crazy recently! And they've been getting even more attention after the Deika City incident! Even though it's a pretty old book, it's predicted our current society! If we only allow freedom to a certain few, the consequences shall fall on those who lack it."
I notice he's quoted a phrase from the book.
"If you don't have the time," Keigo continues. "Just take a look at the parts I bookmarked!
I figure out he's trying to tell Enji to read the code and what's bookmarked.
"What Destro wanted was the ultimate society!" Keigo says. "One where each person takes responsibility for themselves! Now is the time!"
"What are you trying to say?" Enji questions.
"If that ever happens, Endeavor, we heroes are gonna have too much time to spare!"
Enji stares at Keigo as he's figuring out what he's trying to say. Keigo walks over and gives him the same look he gave me as he hands Enji the red book.
"Make sure you give it a read, alright?" Keigo taps the book in Enji's hand.
"A recommended reading from the No. 2…!" Izuku exclaims. "Now I want to read it too! Maybe I'll learn the secret to his speed…"
"Then you'll be happy to know I brought extra copies for kids like you!" Keigo swiftly turns around with a handful of copies of the books in his hand.
'Where did those even come from?' I think to myself with a sweatdrop.
"That's right!" Keigo hands the boys a copy. "This is the era of the No. 2! It's not just raw speed, you need to be quick on the uptake! And for that, you need the ability to predict what the new era will bring us!"
"You must really love this book if you were carrying that many…" Shoto comments.
"He must be doing missionary work," Izuku says.
"Midoriya gets it," Keigo smiles. "I'm recommending this book to all my acquaintances and fellow heroes across the country. I truly believe that, at the very least, the Liberation ideology will form the groundwork of society from here on out. Make sure you look over the sections I marked, if nothing else," he gazes at Enji. "I especially recommend the second one."
That's another code from Keigo to Enji about the book. With that, Keigo flaps his wings as he ascends into the air.
"Make sure you make the most of the internship!" Keigo says as he flies away. "That goes for all four of you!" he tells the boys.
'He's telling Enji…' I think to myself. 'To train these boys well.'
"He's not that much older than us, but he really has a whole different perspective on things…" Izuku comments on Keigo. "He's only 23, you know."
"Only six years apart, huh?" Shoto is also in awe.
"Pisses me off…" Katsuki grumbles.
"Say, you're 23 also, right Nova?" Izuku breaks me away from my thoughts.
"Oh, yeah," I reply. "I'm actually two days older than him."
"What? Really?" Izuku is surprised. "You both are so young to be such skilled heroes!"
"Yeah, I guess so!" I give him a light hearted smile.
I turn my attention to Enji who's staring down at the red book in his hands in deep thought.
After meeting with Keigo, we made our way to Enji's agency. Enji and I are locked away in his office while the three boys are left with Burnin and the other sidekicks. The commotion from them can be faintly heard outside Enji's office. Enji stares down at the red book Keigo gave him, trying to figure out what was going on with Keigo earlier.
"Something doesn't add up here…" Enji says. "Hawks was acting completely different from last time… He's completely contradicting himself. He always says exactly what's on his mind with a dumb grin on his face like he's boasting about it, never hiding his true feelings… That's the kind of man he is. At least, I thought as much. At the very least, when he was around me, he always looked like he was clowning around. But this is the opposite."
"You're right about that dumb grin of his and everything else," I keep it light hearted. "It's true. That's not his true feelings at all."
Enji looks up at me in thought.
"You and that man…" he refers to Hawks. "You worked closely together under the Commission...I'm sure you can read him much better than I can."
"He's trying to tell us something," I say. "You saw his uptight serious face...He was faking. He wants you to read the bookmarks in the copy of the book he gave you."
Enji perks up and opens the red book to read the highlighted parts Keigo made. Gradually, Enji begins to realize what Keigo is trying to convey to him. I'm assuming Keigo wanted me to help him decipher the message.
"He means…" Enji keeps scanning the highlighted words. "The second word of each marked section. They're all connected."
"What do they say?" I ask.
"The enemy...Liberation Army...The League...Take over...Numbers...Over 100,000…" Enji's eyes widen. "Four...Months...From...Now…Uprising...Until...Then… I will...Send signals…In case...Of failure...Prepare...Numbers..." he continues to read through the pages.
My brows rise at this. I know from what Touya told me that the Liberation Army and the League allied themselves...but I didn't imagine they'd have that many villains in numbers. I can't help but think about what Touya is involving himself in.
'This means…' I think to myself. 'Touya...with the Paranormal Liberation Front...plans on attacking within four months… And on top of that...why is Keigo involved in this?'