Chapter VII: Omens
Deep within the underbelly of the criminal underworld, there exists a figure that no criminal wants to encounter. Thought to be the counterpart to the Hero Killer: Stain, this individual hunts down villains and either leaves them for dead or permanently crippled. Oftentimes, those who survive meeting this person wished for death than a lifetime of seeing him in their nightmares.
Clad in black and white, nobody knows who this hunter is other than the speculation of being a teenager. No one has ever seen his face because of the demonic white mask he wears when he strikes. The only thing these victims remember was the heavy feeling pushing down on them like the weight of the world was on their shoulders. Above all else, what truly frightened them was his golden eyes wreathed in blackness.
The criminals have a name for this vigilante…
The Villain Hunter: Hollow.
For the underground heroes Eraserhead and Midnight, this was one of the main objectives of their current nightly patrol. They've been receiving reports of said vigilante for over a year now and so far, none of them nor any of their fellow underground heroes have managed to I.D. the individual. The Hollow was a tough person to find and even harder to catch.
"When was the last report on the Hollow, Eraserhead?" Midnight asked while traversing over the rooftops of Musutafu.
"The most recent was two weeks ago," replied the Erasure Hero while scanning the streets of the city. "Two villains were left in critical condition with one dying a day later."
"Sheesh. This guy is relentless."
"Some say he's just a kid about the same age as our first-year students."
"Really!?"
"It's not conclusive, but most of his victims seem to share that fact."
If this was indeed a kid doing these things, Nemuri was concerned. "What could've pushed a child to vigilantism?"
"It could be any number of reasons," replied Aizawa, jumping off a rooftop and gracefully landing on another. "Loss, revenge, guilt – you name it. What concerns me though are the methods he dispatches his targets."
"I've read that too. It's not how ruthless he is that got my attention, it's the methods he uses."
"I know. Electrification, Superstrength, Pyrokinesis, Superspeed, Invulnerability, and a whole lot more. I'm afraid to say it, but this kid may have multiple quirks…powerful ones at that."
Suddenly, their coms received a call from one of their colleagues.
"Guys, we got a disturbance at Korriban Street. It's the Hollow and he's currently engaging a group of villains. You can already guess who's at the losing end of this confrontation."
"Copy that," Eraserhead replied. He then looked to his partner and said, "Let's go."
"Right."
The pair quickly made their way to the indicated location when a blur suddenly passed by them and crashed into the wall of a nearby building. Surprised, Eraserhead and Midnight turned around and saw one of the supposed villains battered to an inch of his life. Aizawa checked the pulse of the poor sod and found he was still alive, albeit barely. Midnight dialed in an ambulance to their location just in case.
They eventually arrived at the location and gasped. There, holding his sword, was the infamous vigilante known as Hollow. But it wasn't the fact the two finally got to see him in person. No, what Aizawa and Nemuri were shocked about was the blade protruding from one of the villains' heads. The vigilante kicked his victim and pulled out the blade and wiped the blood off of it.
The sight made everyone back up in terror. The sheer viciousness of the child was unlike anything they have ever seen. However, one of the criminals mustered up the courage to run and attack the masked teen for revenge. The man who was killed was his brother.
"You punk!" yelled the villain in anger. "That was my brother you just killed!"
Right before he could use his quirk, he found everything to be upside-down before all became black.
The Hollow decapitated the charging enemy with a smooth swing of his sword. There was no hesitation in his action. He was there to end these fools and if they managed to survive, then lucky them.
The teenage vigilante pointed an index finger and fired a stream of concentrated electricity, puncturing a hole through one of the remaining criminals and killing the target instantly. The others jumped in, hoping to overwhelm their attacker through numbers but that would also prove useless.
In all their years as a pro, Shota Aizawa and Nemuri Kayama had never seen such brutality. Even amongst the villains they fought, none showed the same ferocity and ruthlessness as this teen. Anyone who attempted to attack him got the sharp end of the blade for an answer. The two were so astonished that only one of the villains was left alive; the others were nothing more than bloody corpses.
"This needs to stop!" Eraserhead stated and ran to the young man. Launched his capture tape at the teen and it wrapped around his sword arm. "This is the end of the line, Hollow!"
"Sorry, kid, but we got to take you in," said Midnight preparing to tear her fabric away.
It was faint, but the Hollow's eyes widened when he caught sight of the two heroes. That momentary distraction was capitalized on by the villain when he sent a powerful punch to the boy's head using his strength quirk. However, all it ever did was make the kid stumble a bit and crack the white helm he was wearing. Chips fell off his mask and it exposed a bit of his hair.
The villain backed up, baffled that his superstrength only managed to chip away the vigilante's mask.
Mild irritation was what the kid felt but it was more than enough to warrant severe retaliation. Since his hand holding his sword was bound, he opened his left palm and an orb of red energy materialized. Aiming at the villain, he fired the crimson doom and all that was left of the criminal was the lower half. Everything else was vaporized.
Deciding that this has gone too far, Midnight ripped off her sleeves to let her pheromones subdue the vigilante. Aizawa charged while his partner was behind him. The Erasure Hero jumped and went for a head kick, only for his leg to be caught by the vigilante and get casually thrown into a pile of trash. He then tore off the capture tape from his arm. The R-Rated Hero was about to land a hit when the boy spoke one word.
"Sai."
"Eep!" Nemuri's arms and legs were suddenly tied by an unseen force, making her dive face-first into the pavement. "What the heck!? I can't move!"
"Darn. Midnight?" Eraserhead picked himself up but before he could do anything else, the Hollow appeared before him and spoke another word like earlier.
"Hainawa."
A rope made of light crawled from the boy's fingertips and snaked its way around Aizawa, effectively immobilizing the hero.
"Damn it!" Aizawa tried to free himself from his binds but nothing he did bore any fruit. He looked up to see the Hollow with the palm over his face.
"Hakufuku."
Eraserhead's vision must've been playing tricks on him since purple cherry blossom petals were falling from the sky. His vision gradually became blurry and unfocused. His consciousness slowly became hazy until finally, he blacked out.
"Hey! What did you do to him!" Midnight yelled from where she's at. "I swear, if you did something to my friend, I am going to make you regret ever being born!"
"It's alright. He's just asleep," the Hollow assured as he approached the bound woman. He crouched down and had his hand over her face. But before he made her fall asleep, the vigilante had a few words to say. "I'm not an enemy. I'm not here to fight the heroes. My only target is the villains."
"Then, why go so far!?" Midnight questioned. "Why kill them?"
"It's either them or the innocent," was the boy's answer. "The choice is obvious."
"But still! You don't have to kill them."
"And let them get captured, imprisoned, then released only to go back to doing the horrid things they've been doing?"
Nemuri had no counter to that.
"Sometimes, to truly protect those we care for, one must be willing to do things no ordinary hero would. Sometimes, we need to get our hands dirty for the world and everyone else to stay clean. Someone has to make that sacrifice, and I've taken it upon myself to do it."
"This boy," Midnight thought, "has the makings of a great hero. But he shouldn't be thinking like this."
Pity was what Midnight felt for finding out that this young man would go to great lengths to ensure the safety of the public. He doesn't care if his methods paint him as a cold-blooded killer, he is willing to cross that line no hero would. If this boy was going to such extremes, then what drove him to this?
"What happened to you?" was all Nemuri could muster to say.
Though not visible, the R-Rated Hero could see the teen's eyes to have softened. Despite the ruthlessness and the darkness that it held, there was an underlying kindness and gentleness in them.
"I lost everything," he answered. "And from that loss, came a promise that I'm willing to uphold until my dying breath."
Midnight's vision slowly blurred as sleepiness crept. From the corner of her eyes, she could see purple cherry blossom petals falling as her consciousness began to slip.
"I'm sorry. I know my methods aren't heroic, but I never considered myself to be a hero."
Midnight could still hear the Hollow's voice, but it was gradually becoming indiscernible.
"I'm just a protector; keeping watch over the city."
Before she finally blacked out, Nemuri caught sight of the chip on the vigilante's mask. She saw his hair.
"Orange…"
The following day was rough for Nemuri Kayama. Waking up with a splitting headache, the usually mischievous teacher was walking through the halls of U.A. with a hand on her head.
Her memory of last night was hazy, but she could recall a few details. She could remember her and Aizawa's encounter with the Hollow. The brutality, the blood, and their embarrassing attempt at apprehending the vigilante. However, most of the details were fuzzy, as if bits and pieces of the encounter were erased. That said, there was one little detail that stood above the rest.
"His hair was orange."
It might not be much, but oftentimes, it's the littlest of details that yield the best results. Midnight was about to head to the teacher's lounge for some much-needed coffee when she saw the students of Class 1-A happily chatting as they entered their classroom. And in the middle of these students was Kazui Kurosaki having a nice conversation with Momo Yaoyorozu.
"It's not possible, is it?" Coincidence or not, she was going to investigate this further at a later date. Besides, she needed to get this splitting headache under control.
"Rough night?"
Looking up, Nemuri saw Aizawa rubbing his eyes. It looks like he didn't get much sleep like her.
"Not the kind of rough night that I'd enjoy," she joked. "Hey, do you mind if I scheduled a session with Kurosaki?"
Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "What for?"
"Remember back during the entrance exams? I did say I'd do some counseling on him."
Aizawa took out some eye drops and poured a few on his eyes. "I don't see anything wrong with it. Go ahead. This might give us an idea about his quirk."
"Thanks, Shota!"
The R-rated Hero left her co-teacher who then went to his classroom to start the morning period. Upon reaching the teacher's lounge, she quickly sifted through a filer that housed the hard copy of each student's record used for counsel sessions.
Nemuri took one particular file and studied its contents. The more she looked at it, the more she began to question the validity of the information presented to her. Things just didn't add up and what's worse, the entries in the file in her hands were vague descriptions at best.
"Just who are you, Kazui Kurosaki?"
"Okay, class," Aizawa announced after yawning, "I reviewed your performances yesterday and while most did rather well, there are a few who I'd like to point out. Midoriya, good job yesterday. While you could've ended the test quicker, your quick thinking and reaction ensured the safety of both you and your partner. The same goes for Uraraka who did her best despite a speed disadvantage."
Both the brunette and the blue-eyed teen beamed at the praise from their teacher.
"Kurosaki," continued the teacher, "you took on the role of villain seriously and held no hesitation to show just how ruthless they can be in real life. Great display of your sword skills and performance." Seeing the carrot top nod, Aizawa then directed his attention to Momo. "As for Yaoyorozu, your file states you only have one quirk. Could you enlighten us why you didn't include superstrength in your application?"
"That's because I only really have one quirk," Momo answered truthfully.
This got the rest of Class 1-A to raise some questions. If her strength wasn't a quirk, what was it? Aizawa urged her to explain which she did.
"Creation is my quirk based on my quirk diagnosis when I was four. However, by the age of ten, I began developing physical strength not found in my age group. Thinking it was a secondary quirk, my parents took me to our doctor and confirmed that my strength was not a quirk."
"So, what is it?" their homeroom teacher questioned.
"I don't know. But, I'm not the first person to develop abnormal strength in my family lineage. That said, the last individuals who had the same strength I have lived four hundred years ago."
This revelation got the curiosity of both her teacher and classmates. Gojo raised an eyebrow. He knew of two individuals who fit close to that description.
"Can you tell us?" Izuku asked, quite interested in pre-quirk humans with powers.
"Sorry," Momo apologized. "The names of my ancestors were kept secret because they are revered figures in our family's history."
"Oh. Could you at least tell us from which side of the family were these ancestors of yours?"
"From my mother's side."
Aizawa took this all in. It was strange for someone to develop a power that wasn't a quirk in this day and age. He needed to dig deeper into Yaoyorozu's profile just to classify what her superstrength could be. However, pulling something from the pre-quirk era would be difficult. Most of the records from that time were either destroyed or kept well hidden during the first hundred years since the first appearance of quirks.
As for Gojo, only two people came to mind. Hearing Momo Yaoyorozu's situation and the description of these ancestors she spoke of made him remember his student, Maki Zen'in, and the Sorcerer Killer, Tōji Fushiguro. It may sound far-fetched but there is a possibility that Yaoyorozu was a descendant of those two and her strength was actually a Heavenly Restriction. Without definitive proof, it was all speculation for now.
"In any case," Aizawa was finishing his comments on the victors of the test. "The planning and execution were splendid. You considered who was best to fight against and never left the bomb without a guard. You even left Mineta some equipment in case you failed to subdue Shōji and Todoroki. All in all, well done.
"Bakugō." The teacher's expression got more serious. "This is your last warning. Any action remotely close to what you did yesterday will immediately result in expulsion. The only reason you're still here is that we teachers saw potential in you. Remember, you're on thin ice."
Bakugō wanted to argue but held his tongue, not wanting to get into further trouble than he is.
"Todoroki." This time, the Erasure Hero's focus was on the son of Endeavor. "If you think being confident in just your ice abilities is going to help you become a hero, then you're wrong. The world doesn't take half-measures and that kind of thinking will result in not just your life but the lives of your comrades and innocents. Think this through."
Todoroki didn't say anything. He just remained silent as Aizawa continued with the class.
"With that out of the way, there's still one thing you need to do." Aizawa sighed and looked at his students with a hardened gaze, making them nervous.
However, they didn't expect what he said next.
"You need to choose your class representatives."
The class erupted into cheers.
"A NORMAL SCHOOL ACTIVITY!" they cried in relief.
Unsurprisingly, the class devolved into a ruckus of students shouting to be class representatives. A normal teacher would blow a fuse from the noise, but Aizawa wasn't your normal teacher and U.A. wasn't a regular school. He just sat there and let the class sort this out.
"Silence, please!" Īda yelled, effectively making the classroom quiet. "Being class representative isn't just being voted. That is a position of leadership and only the most suitable and most trusted should take up the position. That's why I propose an election to choose our class leaders."
"Not to sound rude but I think that wouldn't work, ribbit," Tsuyu expressed. "We barely know each other, so how do we know who's qualified?"
"That's precisely the reason why the one who gets the most votes would be qualified," the speedster replied. "It means that whoever gets elected has had the most positive impact on this class in the two days since the classes began." He then turned to Aizawa and asked, "What do you think, Aizawa-sensei?"
"I'm fine either way as long as you leave me out of it," the homeroom teacher answered. He then crawled into his sleeping bag and fell asleep.
"…And how is he a teacher?" Kazui questioned with a sweat drop.
The election began. With Īda leading the proceedings, everyone wrote down the names of their preferred candidates but most just wrote their own names. They placed it inside a top hat that Yaoyorozu created and, after collecting all ballots and counting the votes, two names that had more than one score stood out.
"Alright," Kazui exclaimed while looking incredulously at the board. "How in the name of the Soul King did I get four points?"
Much to his chagrin, Kazui got four points, making him the class president while Momo came a close second with three points, making her vice president.
"WHO THE HELL VOTED FOR BABY FACE AND TOP-HEAVY!?" Bakugō yelled, pointing a finger at Kazui who didn't even notice him, and Momo who felt insulted.
"I'd rather have either one of them than you, though," Sero remarked.
"What did you say!?" shouted the ash blonde.
"Well, there you have it," Tenya announced dejectedly with regretful tears streaming from his face. "Our class representatives are Kurosaki and Yaoyorozu."
Kazui and Momo were now in front of the class with the former slightly flustered from getting chosen while the other stood with utmost confidence.
"Well, since some of you trust me then I'll do my best?" the reaper boy said with a sheepish chuckle, still questioning whether he deserved to lead this class.
"And I'll try my best to take some of the burdens from Kazui," the heiress added.
"It might actually be the other way around, Momo," Kazui thought with a smile.
The day didn't see much excitement like the day before. Aside from the elections for the class representative, Class 1-A only had regular classes. When the bell for the end of the last period rang, the students shuffled out of the campus and headed back to their respective houses.
Izuku walked to the train station along with Uraraka, Īda, Yaoyorozu, and Kurosaki. While nothing much happened today, he still found it quite productive in his opinion.
Right now, they were busy talking about a recent topic that had the hero community on the edge which was the vigilante known as the Hollow.
"It's crazy that someone like the Hollow is out there hunting villains," Uraraka remarked while looking over at Izuku who had his phone on the latest news. "I'm not saying that it's a good thing, I'm glad he's making sure the people are safe from the villains."
"Well, I, for one, find his actions an affront to our society," Īda remarked with a tone of displeasure. He had heard of the notorious vigilante, and he already felt negative about him. "It is not right for a civilian to take the law into his own hands. Quirk usage outside of legal heroics is against the law and therefore must be put to justice!"
"I also heard that his methods are rather extreme," Momo added. "They said he struck last night and killed a group of ten villains!"
This made Tenya, Ochako, and Izuku gasp.
"What's more is that rumors say he's about our age."
None of the three students saw the slight flinch coming from Kazui.
"Clearly this Hollow character is nothing more than a violent miscreant sullying the name of real heroes doing actual work," the speedster scoffed. "If he kills villains instead of apprehending them, then he's no better than the criminals he's targeting."
"How about his quirk?" Izuku asked. "Do any of you know what his quirk is?"
"Oh! I heard he uses lightning!" Uraraka answered.
"Well, I heard he can produce fire," Yaoyorozu replied.
"Huh? I thought it was enhanced strength and durability," added Īda.
Izuku stared at the three totally dumbfounded. A thought suddenly came to him. "Are you guys sure about what you said?"
"Yeah," all of them, save for Kazui, answered.
"If what you guys said were true, then could it be that the Hollow has multiple quirks?" It's uncommon, rare even, for an individual to have multiple quirks. If this was true, then the Hollow could be one of the most powerful humans on Earth who don't use curse energy.
The others seemed to understand the implications of this fact given their reaction.
"Then all the more reason he must be apprehended!" Tenya expressed heavily. "Someone that powerful shouldn't be going around freely using his quirk on villains like he's the law. He's too dangerous to be left alone."
"So, he's a villain then?" Kazui suddenly asked, making his friends look at him.
"He might as well be," replied Īda without hesitation.
"Then tell me, Īda, if you've heard of the Water Hose Duo." The reaper then looked at the others. "Have you three heard of them?"
Unsurprisingly, it was Midoriya who answered. "I have. They were a duo of heroes with water-based quirks." His demeanor became gloomy. "They…died two years ago to a villain while protecting a village."
"They died, yes," Kazui confirmed but continued explaining, "at the hands of Gōto Imasuji, otherwise known as the Carnal Murderer: Muscular. He's a sadistic man that openly admits liking using his quirk to kill people and his quirk happens to be powerful." The orange-haired boy then looked Īda in the eye and asked, "Is that the kind of man you imprison? Someone who could no doubt escape jail and go on another killing spree? Or would you rather do what's necessary and end the bastard, thereby preventing the possibility of him harming another innocent again."
Tenya…couldn't find an answer.
"No words, Īda?" Kazui asked with a hint of sarcasm. He directed the same question to the others. "How about the three of you? Got anything?"
Again, he was met with silence.
"While this is mostly directed to you, Īda, most people are quick to judge based on surface-level appearances." Kazui stopped and stood in front of his classmates. His eyes bore a seriousness that none of them have seen before. "The world isn't black and white. You can't just classify people into heroes and villains just to fit in your limited worldview. There's a fine line that separates those two extremes and that is where the Hollow stands. I've seen the reports and none of it ever depicted him assaulting any civilians or heroes. He's the kind of person willing to cross the line no hero will ever do."
"And you think that makes him a hero?" Uraraka questioned, wondering what Kazui was implying.
"I never said he was a hero, Ochako," replied Kazui. "Someone like him could never be a hero. He's simply a person who is willing to dirty their hands so that others wouldn't have to."
"What do you mean?" Momo inquired.
Kazui looked at her and answered, "Sometimes, we need to get our hands dirty for the world to stay clean. It doesn't matter to the Hollow if people think he's a cold-blooded killer as long as he protects the innocent and purges all villains."
"He's sacrificing himself," Izuku suddenly said, getting everyone's attention. "The Hollow doing this so that no one else should. He's not just protecting the civilians but also the heroes from ever having to kill a villain."
"The Hollow is basically making a statement to the villains," Gojo stated in Izuku's head. "I got to say, this Hollow dude has some balls to do something like that. I know I would."
"I figured you'd say that, Gojo-sensei."
After saying his piece, Kazui turned around and began walking away, leaving his four friends to watch him in silence. Before he left, he turned to look at Īda and said, "If it comes down to it, would you do what's necessary?"
With that, Kazui vanished with a flicker. The glasses-wearing teen would've scolded Kazui for illegal quirk usage but, the question his classmate left with conflicting thoughts.
It was the same for Uraraka. Would she be able to do it? To kill if it meant saving a life.
Izuku was lucky since he had Gojo guiding him.
"What do you think, Gojo-sensei?"
"I already said that I'd do the same thing the Hollow did if it comes to that."
"How come you make it sound so easy?"
"Because I'm a Jujutsu sorcerer."
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"It means that people like us aren't given the luxury of being spared from the dirty truth of the world. You experienced firsthand how it almost drove you to your death until I stepped in."
Izuku remembered that fateful day vividly. Had his master never come then he wouldn't be here.
"The world is never fair, and it takes a special kind of person to live through. That's one of the reasons why I chose you to be my successor, Izuku."
"I'm afraid I can't follow."
"I saw through your memories," Gojo revealed, startling the boy. "Years of torment and suffering yet you still held strong. It was only until All Might shattered your dreams that you finally broke. It's crazy that you lasted that long yet crazy is a requirement to be a Jujutsu practitioner. That resolve is one of the many aspects that make up a powerful jujutsu sorcerer and you have it in spades. It's also the reason why when it comes to the tough decisions, you'll make the right call."
The only thing Izuku could do was smile. It was nice having someone have that much faith in him when all he ever experienced was abuse.
As for Momo, she just stared at the space where Kazui stood. There was something in her heart telling her that there was more to what the young hybrid said than he let on. It was just a thought, yet she couldn't help herself. Why did he sound so sure? Why did he say it as he went through it all?
"Why does it feel like you're talking about yourself, Kazui?"
The following days later…
"Hey, you! Can you tell what it's like to work closely with All Might!?"
"Gojo-sensei, help!"
"Sorry, kid, but you're on your own on this one."
"Oh, come on!"
Izuku unexpectedly found himself in front of a sea of reporters. Ever since the news of All Might taking up a teaching position at UA, the media swarmed the school to get a story. These people had been at the front gates for two days just to get an interview from any of the faculty or students.
"You know, you could just use Limitless and teleport, right?" Gojo suggested.
"But I'd be breaking the law on quirk usage!" Izuku argued.
"Curse energy isn't a quirk, Izuku."
"It might as well be one!"
The snow-haired sorcerer shrugged. "Suit yourself."
A female reporter suddenly put her microphone in front of the greenette, much to his surprise, and asked, "Are you one of All Might's students? How is he fairing as a teacher!?"
Unused to so much attention, Izuku nervously waved his hands while taking a few steps back from the persistent news crew. "I… ummm… have an appointment with the school nurse. Yeah, that's right!"
"Izuku!"
The familiar voice of Uraraka made the green-haired teen look to his left to find his friend in the same situation as he did.
"Ochako!" shouted the sorcerer trainee. "Oh man, these guys are relentless."
"You said it," he agreed with the brunette. "They've been hounding me about All Might since I got here. Even Yaomomo, Tenya, and Kazui aren't spared. Although Tenya is taking the interview quite seriously." She and the greenette stared at their glasses-wearing classmate who was giving out a heartfelt lecture on All Might's dedication to public service.
"There you guys are." Momo came up to them with Kazui right behind her. they were lucky that they managed to get away from the reporters. "I never thought I'd be able to get myself out of that."
"Same here," Kazui added, wiping some sweat off of him. "No wonder they're called vultures from time to time."
"Guys," Uraraka squeaked, pointing to the horde of reporters headed towards them, "they're coming this way again."
Having had enough, Kazui quickly grabbed Īda and told his friends, "Brace yourselves, it's about to get heavy."
Unsure of what he meant; the four students were surprised to feel an oppressive force pushing down on them. The reporters also fell under the invisible weight's effects. They stopped in their tracks and began gasping for air. Īda, Momo, Uraraka, and Midoriya reacted to the sudden force. Izuku seemed to have been the least affected thanks to his curse energy. Yaoyorozu managed to cope with some difficulty while the other two were experiencing the worst of it.
"Now's our chance!" Kazui yelled before grabbing both Momo and Tenya and making a run for it.
Izuku did the same thing with Uraraka who seemed to have been the most affected among them. The boy looked at his orange-haired classmate in wonder. What was that pressure? The more he thought about it, the more his suspicion of Kazui being a Jujutsu sorcerer grew.
"I really need to confront him about this."
After that whole fiasco with the reporters, Class 1-A, and every student in general, were treated to a rather normal morning session which ended when the bell for lunch rang.
"Yummy!" Uraraka squealed in delight after taking a bite from her lunch. "I can't believe we get to eat delicious food like this every day!"
"It's all thanks to U.A.'s cook, the hero Lunch Rush!" Izuku exclaimed, eager to go into detail about the aptly named Cook Hero. "There's this one time where he managed to feed around ten thousand people who suffered from a natural disaster with a full-course French meal!"
"I've heard of that news as well," Momo added, taking a sip of her Jasmine tea. "The sheer amount of those he fed is impressive."
"Yep!" Ochako chirped. "I'm never getting tired of eating here! That said…"
All eyes turned to Kazui who was busy eating the strangest combination of food one could think of.
"Kurosaki, what are you eating?" Īda questioned the carrot top.
"Oh, this?" Kazui raised what looked like a piece of shrimp dipped in peanut butter. "It's shrimp."
"I can see that. What I meant was the dipping you used."
"Peanut butter," replied the reaper casually. "Is there something wrong?"
"Nothing is wrong!" Momo immediately said. "It's just that your choice of food is…"
"Out of this world," both Gojo and Izuku said at the same time; the former speaking inside his vessel's head.
"Yeah, what he said," Uraraka confirmed. "Not only that, but you also have cake topped with squid paste and mashed potatoes with cheese over it."
Kazui just shrugged. "I get that a lot."
Izuku, Uraraka, Momo, and Tenya just looked at each other and also shrugged. People have their differences, they supposed.
"Are these spots taken?" a voice suddenly asked.
The group of five saw a girl about their age with ginger hair and teal, almost light blue eyes. It wasn't as majestic as Izuku's that were hidden behind thick sunglasses, but it complimented her, nonetheless. Also, she seemed to be fit; presumably from an active lifestyle or training in martial arts.
With her was another girl with moss green hair that collectively reached just below the shoulders, green eyes, and a smile that screamed confidence.
Beside the talkative-looking one was a quiet girl with vine-like hair. Unlike the other two, this girl moved with utmost discipline, etiquette, and poise. One look is enough for them to recognize that this person is religious.
"Hey, Yaoyorozu, it's been a while," said the green-haired girl.
"Tokage! It's so good to see you again," Momo replied before adding, "And yes, these seats are free."
The two girls sat down, taking the empty seats next to Kazui and Tenya. Tokage had her attention on the reaper, taking in all the facial features of the baby-faced boy.
"So, this is Kazui Kurosaki," she commented before turning her gaze toward Yaoyorozu. "I can definitely see why you're so fond of him."
Kazui turned to Momo and asked, "Yaomomo, what's she talking about?"
"This again, Tokage?" groaned Momo in annoyance, and yet, there was a slight blush on her face.
While the two were having some friendly banter with the carrot top questioning what was happening, the orange-haired girl struck up a conversation with the others.
"Thanks for letting us sit next to you guys," said the ginger head. "I'm Itsuka Kendo, by the way." The girl now identified as Kendo jabbed a thumb at the other girl. "This here is Ibarra Shiozaki while the mischievous one is Setsuna Tokage."
"It is a pleasure to meet you, everyone," Ibarra greeted with a curt bow.
"The pleasure is ours, Shiozaki," Tenya returned the greeting with the same courtesy.
"We're always welcome, Shiozaki, Kendo," Ochako added gleefully.
"Yeah," Izuku nodded. "By the way, which class are you from?"
It was Itsuka who answered. "You're from Class 1-A, right?" She got a nod for a response. "We're from Class 1-B."
"That means you're from our sister class."
"Hey, what are the students from 1-B like?" Uraraka questioned Ibarra and Itsuka with curiosity.
"Most of it is the same with your class, I presume," Ibarra answered calmly. "However, there's this one classmate of ours that exhibits a rather…extreme behavior."
Tenya, Izuku, and Ochako immediately thought of Bakugō and Mineta. "I know what you mean," the three said in unison.
"Oh, Kurosaki, right?" Itsuka called, gaining the attention of the reaper. Setsuna and Momo stopped their talk to listen to the two ginger heads.
"What's up?"
"Not to insult or anything, but is your hair color natural?"
Kazui deadpanned at her. "It is natural, my fellow carrot top." He then turns to Momo and whispers, "Now I know how my parents felt when they get asked about their hair."
The reaper got a chortle from her.
"What's this about a trouble-making classmate of yours?" Kazui asked Itsuka.
"I'm going to warn your class about Neito Monoma. He can be a bit boastful."
"I think boastful doesn't begin to describe it, Kendo," Shiozaki interrupted.
"In any case, it's my job as class representative of 1-B to give you a heads up. He might antagonize for some ridiculous reason."
"Yeah, I know what you mean, fellow class rep," Kazui answered to Itsuka's slight surprise. "1-A has two problem children that I need to keep an eye on." He then raised a fist toward Class 1-B's representative. "Put 'er there, my fellow ginger-headed class representative."
That slight surprise from Itsuka slowly morphed into a grin. She answered the gesture from the boy with a fist bump. "Right back at you, Kurosaki. So, what were you guys talking about?"
"About heroes in general," Kazui answered. "I've got to admit though, I like the fact that there are heroes like Lunch Rush in the world."
"Is it because of the free food?" Uraraka questioned which made everyone chuckle.
"Well, there's that. But it's more about his contribution to society than just your typical media-sensationalized heroics."
"I couldn't agree more, Kurosaki," Īda expressed. "The core of heroism has always been public service. What we aspiring heroes should aim for is to help the people regardless of the circumstance – at least, that's how I was taught in our family agency."
The other seven perked up after hearing the speedster. "Agency?"
Tenya flinched. "It's nothing," he quickly denied. It just furthered their suspicions, however.
"You know," Ochako spoke, "I've been wondering something about you. You're filthy rich, admit it!"
Kazui snorted. "She didn't hesitate," he said which earned him an annoyed poke from Yaoyorozu. The interaction just made Tokage grin, much to their chagrin.
Thrown under the bus, Īda sighed and revealed his family legacy. "Do you know the Turbo Hero: Ingenium?"
When comes to heroes, there was no one more knowledgeable on the table than Izuku. Upon hearing the name of the famous Turbo Hero, he immediately perked up. "I know all about him," claimed the young Limitless holder. "he's a super popular hero with sixty-four sidekicks working alongside him in his Tokyo agency." Then realization struck him. "Wait, don't tell me…"
His embarrassment completely forgotten, Īda stood up and proudly declared, "He's my older brother!"
With that everyone at the table went bananas.
"I can't believe it!"
"You're brother's famous!"
"That's so awesome."
"Cool."
"You have such a great role model to emulate."
"That's actually very impressive."
"I knew you were filthy rich!"
You can probably guess who said that last one.
After basking in the praise and compliments from his schoolmates, Tenya went into further detail about his brother. "Ingenium is an unmatched commander that honors the hero code. As the second oldest Īda son, I aspire to be just like him. However," he then looked to Izuku and said, "I think it might be too early for me to be in a leadership role. That's why I voted for you to be our class representative."
This revelation shocked the green-haired teen. "You voted for me?"
"Of course! You found out about the hidden criterion behind the entrance exams."
Izuku blushed a bit. This was the first time someone acknowledged him. Though, to be fair, he didn't even vote for himself. "Actually, I voted for Kazui to be our class rep."
"Gee, thanks," replied the young hybrid. "Funny thing is, I cast my vote on Momo."
"Well, I voted for you, Kazui," revealed the raven-haired girl. "How about you, Uraraka?"
"I voted for Izuku, of course," answered the gravity girl.
The three girls from 1-B couldn't help but smile for the students of their sister class.
"It's nice seeing you trust one another like that," Kendo commented. "Shows how much you care for each other despite being in school for just barely a week."
"It might be even more than that for two people," Tokage said mischievously, raising her eyebrows to prove her point.
Momo just felt so annoyed, but her composure won over.
"Be that as it may, it is rather wholesome to see your class so united," Shiozaki remarked.
"I'm sure it's the same in your class, Shiozaki," Ochako said to the pious teen.
"It is," confirmed the vine-haired mutant. "Despite calling Monoma arrogant, even he feels very protective of our class."
"At least your troublemaker does want to be part of your class and has a good side," Kazui stated. "One of ours just likes to act like he's hot shit when he's not."
"Language!" Tenya reprimanded. He was just casually dismissed.
"In any case," Kazui stared at Izuku, "if I'm going to be 1-A's class rep, then I need to address the most obvious problem and that's Bakugō's obsessive antagonism towards you."
Izuku flinched at the mention of his and Bakugō's rivalry; one that he had no effort in creating. "It's okay, Kazui," he assured. "I can take care of him."
"I know you can." Kazui knew that on potential alone, Izuku was the strongest in their class excluding himself. "However, that punk isn't going to stop until he proves himself to be your better."
"Is he really that bad?" Itsuka asked. Setsuna and Ibarra were also curious.
"Is attempted murder bad?" the hybrid replied sarcastically, shocking the three 1-B girls.
"Come on, guys," Izuku spoke while trying to calm down everyone. "Bakugō's just determined to be the best hero."
"Well, he sure has one heck of a way to achieve it," the reaper said unimpressed. "You shouldn't defend him, Izuku. Just focus on being the best hero you could be and let me deal with him. After all, Momo and I are responsible for keeping our class out of trouble."
The Yaoyorozu heiress nodded in full agreement while Īda was impressed at the hybrid for taking responsibility.
"Look at that; he's already acting like a responsible parent," Tokage remarked. "Looks like Mom and Dad have their hands full."
Yaomomo sighed, feeling so done with Tokage and her teasing. Although, she did well to hide the faint blush on her cheeks. Kazui just pinched the bridge of his nose and leaned into Momo to say, "Now I know why you're so annoyed with her."
"And I think Mina would be the same trouble as her," added the ravenette.
"Shit."
While the others were busy chatting with each other, Izuku fell into a contemplative silence after the discussion fell on Bakugō. Although he may have said that he moves on from the Explosion boy, it didn't mean that he didn't miss the friendship he built with him when they were younger. If anything, Izuku just wanted to get everything back to the way things were before they drifted apart.
"It's going to be hard, Izuku," Gojo stated within him. "And to be honest, I don't think your relationship with Bakugō would ever be the same again."
"All I ever wanted was to be friends again," muttered in his thoughts. "I knew it's not all his fault and I've been giving him every chance to reconcile with me. Do I mean that little to him?"
"To put it bluntly, yes," the Honored One replied without hesitation. "You're a good kid, Izuku – much more than the ones from my time and they were all good kids, especially Yūji and Yūta. The only problem you have is you're too forgiving and too selfless."
"Isn't that a good thing?"
"I said too forgiving and too selfless," Gojo clarified. "While there's nothing wrong with forgiving people and thinking about their needs, not everyone deserves that. Case in point; Katsuki Bakugō. Time and again, you've given him every opportunity to mend your broken friendship, and yet, all he did was spit on it and took advantage of you. What's worse is that you let him do it. You just said it in front of him during that battle training, remember? During all those times he hurt you, you purposely lowered yourself thinking that looking weak and submissive would be the answer to regaining your friendship with him. Instead, it only made his treatment of you worse."
Now that he thinks about it, not once had he tried to fight back against his tormentor. Whether it was due to fear or being quirkless, he let Bakugō hurt him, and it fed into the ash blonde's ego. While it wasn't entirely the Explosion boy's fault, it wasn't right either to keep on bullying him even when he was already down.
Midoriya realized that he had every opportunity to get help – to stop the abuse. Even though most teachers turned a blind eye to his suffering, there were members of Aldera's teaching staff who were actually sympathetic to him. Heck, even the principal of that school was a good person and all he needed to do was tell his mom and his problem would've been over. The only problem was that his mother's attempts couldn't reach the school head. But no, he had to let his naivete take over and hoped for the bullying to stop.
In a way, he was the enabler of his own suffering.
"We're jujutsu sorcerers, Izuku," Gojo reminded. "While trusting others is good, it wouldn't do you good in situations where you are alone. To be a jujutsu sorcerer, you need to have a strong belief in yourself."
"So it's confidence."
"It's more than that." There was a short pause before the Limitless wielder continued. "Your morals, beliefs, desires, needs – how far are you willing to go to obtain them? It's more than just confidence in yourself; more than just letting go of your doubts. All of your life, you've only thought of others and rarely about yourself. The core of jujutsu sorcery is understanding the true you," he said that last sentence with a finger pointed at his successor. "The only one holding you back is yourself. You don't trust in your abilities and while we've been making progress so far, you have never, not a single instance, tried to find out what you truly want."
"I want to be a hero!" Izuku argued. "That's all I've ever wanted."
"Is it?"
The boy became quiet.
"Think about it Izuku; there's more to it than that. Being a hero is your dream because everybody else wants to be one. You're just following a trend. What do you truly want? What does Izuku Midoriya want?" His vessel had no answer. "The only way to truly bring out the full potential of Limitless and Six Eyes is for you to look deep within yourself and embrace it. Believe in it. Only then will you become a powerful sorcerer. Only then will you reach enlightenment and understand the core of Jujutsu itself."
"Izuku, are you okay?" Uraraka's sweet voice snapped him out of his deep thoughts. "You were quiet all of a sudden."
"It's fine, Ochako," the boy said with a smile. "I just have a lot to think about."
"Oh. If you say so."
He wasn't lying though. Izuku did have a lot to think about. What his sensei just said made him question why he wanted to become a hero in the first place. Was it really just because everybody else wanted to be a hero so he decided to be one? Or maybe, being a hero was just an excuse for what he truly wanted. The question is…
"If it's not being a hero, then what. What is it that I honestly want for myself?"
A loud buzz of alarms shattered the peaceful cafeteria into a wild frenzy. Things only got worse when the intercom made an announcement.
"Attention all students; there has been a Level 3 security breach. Please proceed outside in a calm and orderly manner."
Despite the announcement requesting a calm and orderly exit, the students in the cafeteria – scared out of their wits – began rushing out while pushing and shoving each other.
"What's a Level 3 breach?" Īda asked a nearby senior who just passed them by.
"It means that someone managed to infiltrate the school," answered the upperclassman. "This hasn't happened in the three years I've been to this school."
As the senior left, the group of first years tried their best not to fall over from students bumping into was a rather taxing endeavor.
"Who could possibly break into the school and cause all this?" Kazui questioned. He was becoming irritated from all the panicking. "Darn it. We need to get out of this stampede." He pointed a finger above and yelled, "Bakudō #37: Tsūriboshi!" The familiar net from the battle training a few days ago latched itself onto the wall above the cafeteria. "Izuku, use your teleportation and get Ochako, Tokage, and Shiozaki up there. I'll handle Tenya, Kendo, and Momo."
The two spiritually powered teens got their friends above and away from the ruckus. While everybody was safe, they needed to find out who or what got passed the school's defenses.
"Come on Izuku, let's get to the window and see what's all this about."
Nodding to the hybrid, the sorcerer trainee followed Kazui as he ran in the air toward the windows while he teleported there.
"You know, I'm never getting used to seeing Kurosaki walking, much less running, on air," Tokage stated as she and the others stared at the two boys moving away.
"It still amazes me how Midoriya can teleport anywhere," Īda added.
"They're just full of surprises, aren't they?" Uraraka asked to which the other agreed.
Meanwhile, the two boys finally reached the windows and got a look outside. At first, they thought it was some villain that got inside but instead…
"The press!?" Kazui exclaimed. "How the frick did they manage to get in!?"
"The school's security system is state-of-the-art. How were they able to get through it?" Izuku spoke.
"I know. The press isn't stupid enough to enter the school unless someone let them in." A thought came to Kazui. "Pesquisa." He sent out a pulse of spiritual energy to act as a sonar. Anything out of the ordinary will stand out in his senses. "So far, nothing seems out of place," he remarked as each image of the student's life force became vivid in his mind. "The classrooms, support course laboratories, teacher's lounge, courtyard…come on… THERE!" A foreign signature was present in one of the teacher's offices but just as quickly as he recognized it, the presence disappeared. "What the hell!?" He looked around, trying to feel out that unwanted figure by sending another Pesquisa pulse but nothing came up. "Damn it!"
"Kazui, what's wrong?" Izuku asked upon seeing his friend's frustration.
"Nothing, Izuku," Kazui assured. "We should get these idiots to calm down, however. This is just going to end badly if we let this continue."
"I know, but how are we going to do that?"
"Bakudō #73: Tozanshō." An inverted crystal pyramid formed around the others, assuring himself that whatever the reaper was planning, they won't be affected... probably. "Izuku," he called the greenette with a knowing look, "I'm going to do something stupid; so, flare up your reiatsu if you feel everything becoming heavy."
"Reiatsu? Does he mean my curse energy!? Wait, he already knows!?"
"Told you he'd know," Gojo remarked.
All of a sudden, the entire cafeteria felt a sudden shift in gravity. Everything suddenly became heavy. One by one, the stampeding students dropped to their knees and began heaving for what little oxygen they could gather. The feeling was suffocating and little by little, their consciousness was slowly fading.
Izuku quickly flared his curse energy to counteract whatever this sudden pressure was. It was the same as earlier yet this time, it was stronger due to the area it needed to cover. He can see the effects of the intense weight and, suffice it to say, it was dreadful. To think that sheer will and power alone can do this without lifting a finger. And even though he was glad that he had the means to resist it and his friends were spared, it didn't escape the fact that this is what they would've gone through had Kazui not taken any precautions.
Eventually, the flare of reiatsu died down, letting all who were panicking earlier catch their breath. Those inside the upside-down pyramid stared at their orange-haired schoolmate in wonder while Izuku was still reeling from the minor strain of fighting back such monstrous power.
"Listen!" shouted the Kurosaki teen in his hollowfied voice and gaining the attention of everyone. "Is this how future heroes should behave!? I can understand the first years since we're new here but the seniors? You behave like a bunch of maniacs and not once have thought of thinking first!" He then pointed at the windows. "Look outside! You'll see that the trespassers were the press; nothing to go crazy about."
"He's right!" a student near the window confirmed. "It's just the press and the police are already dealing with it."
That seemed to calm down everyone. Now that the commotion died down, Izuku and Kazui helped the rest of the others down. Their looks alone told the two that the flex of spiritual power still got to them despite the barrier Kazui erected.
"What… was that? It felt like I was in the presence of a god," Ibarra asked, still heaving while having a hand over her chest.
"It was just like earlier," Uraraka stated, shaking from fighting off the invisible weight. "Kazui, was that you?"
"It was," answered the hybrid. "I flexed my energy in the form of a pressure."
"That was both impressive and terrifying, especially with that scary voice of yours." Kendo was leaning on Yaoyorozu when she said that.
"In any case, that was great thinking from you, class rep!" Īda praised the boy who returned the order to the cafeteria.
"Somebody had to act," Kazui replied. "Besides, Izuku did help get you on that platform of energy I made."
"Yeah, thanks for that, by the way," Tokage said. "I don't know what would've happened to us if we remained on the ground."
"Nothing pretty, that's for sure. Come on, let's get the heck out of here."
The group consisting of 1-A and 1-B students gradually left the cafeteria. After this whole fiasco, they needed peace and quiet. Kazui was about to leave the area when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned to find out who it is and saw Izuku with an odd mix of determination and nervousness on his face. He knew where this was going but he wanted the greenette to instigate the conversation first.
"Kazui, about what you said earlier," Izuku began, "This reiatsu you spoke of; are you referring to…?"
"I don't know if it's the same with the energy I use, but yeah. I was referring to the spiritual energy inside you," he answered after cutting off his friend from speaking. "Also, I already knew you were different since the entrance exam."
"That long!?" the sorcerer trainee yelped.
"I know you have questions, and so do I. However, this isn't the right time yet."
"But I need to know – are you a Jujutsu sorcerer?"
"I promise I'll answer your questions. Besides, you and I aren't the only ones with suspicions of each other. Momo has some as well."
"Wait, Yaomomo?"
"She already knew that both of us are different."
"But how?"
"Honestly? She's more than just a pretty face, I can tell you that. We agreed to settle this on a later date and now that you know, you'll be informed when that is. Just be patient."
"What do you think, Gojo-sensei?"
"Go for it," answered the spirit. "This could be our chance to find out who or what he is. And, if Momo has answers too, the better."
"Alright," agreed Izuku. "Let's exchange numbers so we can keep in touch."
After sharing contact information, the two remnants of the supernatural finally proceeded back to their classroom. What most people didn't know was that the commotion today was an omen of something terrible happening days from now. The only one who seems to think about this was Kazui. That said, what would transpire on Saturday would be the beginning of a series of events that will plunge the hero world into disarray.