Here's Chapter 46! Apologies for another long wait period of 6 months, but I had a lot going on with law school applications, research, and studying, so I couldn't devote as much time to the story. I really hope you enjoy this chapter.

Perseverance. Despite the pain and the ticking clock before the license exam, the students of Class 1-A continued to showcase the same unwavering perseverance that Kageyama had demonstrated. Their refusal to give up until they excelled and passed this exam was truly inspiring.

In the training grounds, Ectoplasm's clones continued to monitor the students' progress and guide them on improving their Quirks. Several of them managed to make surprisingly good leeway. Bakugo and Ashido had learned to focus their power into a smaller point for greater speed and piercing ability, Yaoyorozu was learning to craft multiple objects simultaneously while also working on a new weapon that could do devastating damage, and Tokoyami had learned to utilize Dark Shadow more uniquely by cloaking his body with the shadowy creature, boosting his offensive power and allowing him to fight in close-quarters combat more easily.

Deku, on the other hand, was still having some trouble. He was working on increasing his physical strength and the percentage of One For All he could utilize, but there had to be something more he could do. He needed to be creative and think outside the box. He'd been able to help Shige come up with multiple ways to use his energy projection, and those techniques ended up leading him to victory. So he should be able to do the same! But what else could he do with One For All besides punches? Izuku's eyes went to his feet as he tried to devise an idea. But then, an idea stared right in front of him... His legs!

Since acquiring One For All, Deku had been striving to emulate All Might's fighting style, relying almost exclusively on punches. But what if he switched to using his legs? With the acrobatics he could perform using One For All, a fighting style centered around kicks could be remarkably effective! And by not depending solely on his arms, he could face villains with a better strategy. Perhaps he could have found a way to defeat Muscular without injuring his arms...

Izuku slapped his cheeks. Now wasn't the time to get caught up in his shame and guilt. If he did, he wouldn't be able to focus for the rest of the day. The first step was to get Ectoplasm's advice.

"Mr. Ectoplasm!" Deku called out for the teacher, who jumped down to assist. "Do you think it would be a smart idea to try developing ultimate moves based around kicks?

"Hmmm... With the physical abilities your Quirk grants you, ultimate moves centered around kicks could provide you with a good advantage in battle. I think supporting items bolstering the power of your kicks would also be beneficial and something you should look into before the license exam. The support course has plenty of students who would be eager to take on the job. And from what I've observed from your classmates, you could try emulating some of their fighting styles to help in this manner. Iida would be a great model for developing your techniques."

"I do have a list of all my classmate's Quirks..."

"Then use those notes to help you. Though you may have limited time, I'm sure the answers will come to you if you put your mind to it."

"Thank you, sir."

The green-eyed teenager was glad to have teachers at this school who could provide him the wisdom and guidance to improve, and as much as he loved All Might, teaching him wasn't exactly his strong suit. Izuku's smile quickly turned into a frown. He'd spent so much time trying to ignore his pain over Kageyama's imprisonment that he'd almost completely forgotten about All Might. He was still in the hospital, being treated for his injuries. Surely he could find a way to get Kageyama out of prison. But how long would it take for him to get out of his coma? And what if he never woke up? Would that mean Shige would be stuck in Tartarus for the rest of his life? Izuku shook his head: this wasn't the time to allow his negative emotions to get ahold of him. He needed to stay strong and pass this exam. If he were lucky, Kageyama would get out and be with the rest of his class to take the exam, but if not, then Kageyama would return to U.A. High to find all of their classmates with provisional hero licenses. That was the future Izuku was seeking, and it was the one he'd achieve no matter what.

While the students of the hero course were making progress, the members of the Hero Commission were progressing toward their investigation into Kageyama's past. Sitting alone in an abandoned building far from anyone's sight, the number three hero was ruminating over his talk with the head of the orphanage. During the entire conversation, Hawks had felt something was off. Though Shirogane had been nervous about being questioned by the number three hero who had come to the orphanage in disguise, that wasn't the only factor in his behavior.

All the answers he'd been given were vague or suspicious. Apparently, Kageyama had been left at the orphanage when he was only a baby, and Shirogane had raised him since birth. He had homeschooled Kageyama and described him as a shut-in growing up. One of Hawks' biggest questions was how All Might had learned about Kageyama if he'd been a homeschooled orphan. He had been looking for young talent to enroll at U.A. High before becoming a teacher and had come to the orphanage to search for potential. It was an odd line of reasoning, but not one Hawks could automatically disprove. But another thing that bothered the number three hero: if this man had supposedly raised Mob since childhood, why wasn't he more upset about everything that had happened to him? Surely, Shirogane would've been tremendously impacted by Mob's kidnapping, his grievous injuries during his battle with All For One, and his extended stay at the hospital. And why wouldn't he have tried to visit Mob at the hospital? Shirogone had tried to excuse his absence by saying the other foster children were having problems that needed his immediate attention, but even then, he couldn't sense any deep regret or shame in his voice. Somehow, this man did not give off the image of a foster father who truly cared about Mob as a surrogate son.

They might have had a complicated relationship, but after getting to know Mob and witnessing his kindness firsthand, it was doubtful that Mob would hold a grudge against this man. Mob was good at reading people, and this man appeared to be a generally kind and helpful person. He couldn't find any hints that the other foster children were abused, either. The most probable explanation is that Mob was never placed in this orphanage. He had no clear evidence to prove this, but today's interactions were enough to further raise his suspicions about Mob's origins.

The hero dialed the Hero Commission, ensuring no one was in earshot to overhear the conversation. "It's Hawks. I investigated the orphanage as instructed, and I found some discrepancies. I didn't obtain any physical proof, but from the information I gathered speaking with the head of the orphanage, I have reason to believe Mob never lived there."

On the other end of the line, Fujino rapidly tapped his finger against the desk. He was growing increasingly concerned about what all this meant, and as head of the Hero Commission's investigative division, he was the only one with the resources to investigate.

"So the Commission's suspicions aren't unfounded after all," Fujino said. "From here on out, this investigation will be given top priority, and all resources available will be deployed. I'll send some agents from my division to assist you. I want you to dig up whatever you can about the orphanage. Find any hard proof that could confirm your theory. We need all the pieces before we can make any decisions."

"Understood, sir."

"Remember, be discreet. The public can't learn ANYTHING about this. There is too much at stake here. Don't disappoint us." With that, Fujino ended the call with the Hero Commission's top spy. As Hawks put his phone in his pocket, he gazed out into the night sky. He was still having a hard time wrapping his head around all of this. He knew Mob had been facing some inner demons, that he wasn't like normal people. But it had never occurred to him that he could be hiding secrets of this magnitude. Hawks truly wanted to believe Mob was innocent, especially after having felt Mob's pain when he shared his energy with Hawks and the other heroes. But in his field of work, Hawks could never guarantee anything. On all his missions, his targets had their own agendas and their own demons they kept hidden, no matter how amiable they appeared to be. So even if it pained him to do this, Hawks knew he had to see this mission through and figure out what Mob had been hiding all this time.

Deep in Tartarus, Shigeo Kageyama continued to be monitored and kept under maximum surveillance. None of the scientists had brought him back out for any more examinations, and the guards hadn't come in to take him anywhere else in the facility. It had been nearly two days since Mob had telepathically communicated with All For One, though with how isolated his chamber was, keeping track of time became a lot more complicated.

His talk with the villain had given Mob a lot more to think about. A part of him hoped that his words had managed to stir something profound within All For One, but Mob also knew that there were those who couldn't change so easily. Regardless, it was a relief to have had someone to talk to in the wake of this unbearable silence.

Unfortunately, that relief would eventually fade as the solitude he experienced in his prison cell returned to him. He was still not allowed any visitors, some staff or heroes who could let him know what was happening in the outside world or someone to just talk with and process everything that happened. Though he had spoken with All For One, Shigeo knew that another conversation with the villain likely wouldn't go any better than before, and after everything All For One had done, the esper felt he'd had enough of him for the time being.

Eventually, the esper decided to try to find someone to talk to again. He attempted to communicate with other prisoners or staff within the complex using his newly awakened telepathic abilities. However, sending his telepathic signals through the facility was difficult. There were so many electric signals being transmitted throughout the prison, it was hard to focus. It felt like electric feedback blaring in his mind. It took him a little bit before he managed to deal with this incessant noise.

Once he managed to extend his telepathic range enough, he finally detected someone else's presence in the compound. However, he would quickly realize that finding someone to speak with in Tartarus would be even more challenging than he anticipated.

"Beautiful flesh... Need to break free... Need to cut them open..."

Mob felt his entire body shiver when he heard these thoughts echo in his mind. He had never heard anyone so psychotic in his life. Were these really what all the prisoners in Tartarus were like? It was haunting to think so many people with such inner darkness could be held in a prison like this. Even so, there still had to be SOMEONE else in this prison he could talk to.

So the esper continued telepathically prowling the cold and isolated halls of the stronghold. But the things he heard from the minds of the criminals... were nothing less than revolting. One was reminiscing about the details of one of his favorite murders, another was thinking of how he wanted to gut some of the prison guards for the comments they made against him. It was a daunting experience, to peer into the minds of these insane criminals. To think these were the kind of people that were held in Tartarus. And Mob was placed in a deeper level than them. So did that mean that the Hero Commission viewed him as even more dangerous and villainous than those other criminals? Shigeo tried to dispel this thought as he resumed his search in the prison.

"Guy in the right cell's been bangin' his head against the wall for 15 minutes. Guess he had a rough night. Poor guy."

Shigeo picked up this thought from another prisoner. This was the first prisoner who sounded like a somewhat regular person. Their voice sounded higher, so he assumed it was a woman. Maybe this was the chance he had been looking for.

"Hello? Can you hear me?"

The female prisoner's head immediately perched up. Her previously slouched posture was now perfectly straight as she tried to be sure of what she just heard.

"Did I just hear a voice in my head? Have I finally lost it in here?"

"No, you didn't imagine it. I'm a real person talking to you with telepathy."

"Really..." The prisoner took this with cautious curiosity. It wasn't impossible to imagine someone with a telepathic Quirk had just been placed in Tartarus, but it was nevertheless a surprise.

"You're the first prisoner with telepathy who's ever been put in Tartarus. Then again, they never let us out of our cells, so I don't know zip about any of the other prisoners here. But there's something else off... How come your voice is so high? It almost sounds like you're a teenager."

"Mm-hmm. I'm sixteen years old."

She let out a chuckle of disbelief. "Wow. And I thought hero society couldn't get any more rotten. But putting a teenager in Tartarus is a new low for the Hero Commission."

"Wait, do you know about the Hero Commission?"

"Oh yeah. Let's say we had some conflicts of interest, and they decided the best way to resolve it was to put me in here."

Shigeo didn't expect the conversation to lead in this direction. He didn't know what kind of person she was, but from what she said, it sounded like she had some personal connection with the Hero Commission. Mob had only recently heard about the Hero Commission when the guards who'd imprisoned him mentioned receiving orders from them.

"It's a real bummer you got thrown into this place, kid. Don't know what happened to make the Commission do something this drastic, but I'm sure whatever it is, it must've been something huge."

"Yeah, it was..."

The prisoner could tell her comment had discouraged him, and tried to lighten the mood. "Come on, don't beat yourself up about it. What's your name, kid."

"My name's Shigeo. Shigeo Kageyama."

"Kageyama. I'm Kaina Tsutsumi, otherwise known as Lady Nagant. Ever heard of me?"

"Nope."

"Guess that makes sense. After what I did, I figure the Hero Commission would do their best to try and have the public slowly forget I ever existed."

"You don't sound like a bad person. It's nice to talk to someone who isn't a completely amoral villain. In fact..." For the esper, simply having a somewhat regular conversation with what seemed like a normal person was a relief after these days of complete confinement. However, Shigeo still wanted to go a step further in having a human interaction.

"I want to have a face-to-face conversation. I'm going to strengthen the psychic connection I made and create a mental mindscape where both of us can talk to one another. Is that alright with you?"

"Go for it."

The esper closed his eyes. Forming a mindscape like this required immense concentration. He had to remember his previous experiences in the world of the mind, when he was trapped in Mogami's world, and more recently when he spoke with All For One.

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Clear the mind to fill it with his world. Imagine the world. Shape it, like a stream of water being guided by invisible hands. Shigeo gradually began to feel that world shape around him. The darkness he saw with his shut eyes was soon beginning to be replaced by a landscape of white. His form quickly took shape in this mindscape, and he appeared in his prison outfit. Shigeo watched as Kaina entered the mental mindscape with him. Just from his brief conversation with her, Mob had already begun to imagine what kind of person Kaina would look like. Likely an aged, frail woman with a gentle smile. But Shigeo's assumptions were instantly proven wrong.

Kaina was a beautiful woman with a notably muscular yet curvaceous build, looking to be in her mid to late 30s. She had short, deep indigo hair streaked with pink lines and paired with crookedly shaped frontal bangs that parted at her forehead and went down to the top of her shoulders. She had gradient light purple eyes that gave her a stern expression. But staring into her eyes, Mob could see that she looked... tired. Not from a lack of sleep, but from some sort of damage deep in her soul. Mob had seen this look somewhere before, but he couldn't remember from where.

As Mob observed Kaina, she took note of Shigeo. "You look even more innocent than I thought you'd be, kid. But I can tell just from the look in your eyes that you've been through some serious shit."

The esper's eyes went to the ground in shame. So she could read him that easily, huh? With how much pain he had endured these past few days, he supposed it wouldn't be too hard for someone to glean from him.

"I have to ask: why did you want to speak with me? Going this far, making this empty mindscape so we could talk face-to-face, you must have something pretty big on your mind."

"Honestly... I just wanted someone to talk to. Right now, I'm wrapped in a bodysuit that makes it impossible to move. Nobody in the prison is telling me anything, and I haven't gotten any visitors for the past few days. It's been unbearable."

Kaina's eyes widened in surprise. "They'd really go that far with a kid?" The female prisoner felt her heart go out to this young child. Being thrown into Tartarus and treated like a villain would traumatize anyone. But for someone as young as him and the lengths the Commission had gone to compared to other prisoners, the experience must have been ten times worse for Kageyama. Lady Nagant wasn't exactly sure how she could help, but it sounded like the best way to help was simply by being a listening ear. But to do that, she would need to have a better idea of what the situation was.

"I got your name, but exactly who are you? How did a teenager get put into Tartarus?"

Shigeo decided to start with the basics. He still wasn't sure if he wanted to reveal the truth about where he came from, but he had to begin somewhere. "I'm a student who attends U.A. High. I enrolled this year as part of the hero course."

"And would you consider yourself strong?"

"I guess you could say that. But even with my powers, things at U.A. High have been rough. Ever since enrolling, my class has been attacked by villains. They first showed up a few months ago during one of our training sessions. Then, last week, the hero course was sent to a training camp in the forest, but the villains found us. They came because they wanted to bring me back to their base, so I gave myself up to protect my class."

Shigeo focused on the memory of leaving with the League of Villains to bring it to the forefront of his mind. The blank white canvas rapidly changed, and the two were now in the forest. Lady Nagant saw Shigeo standing with a group of villains, all while his friends stared with utter horror in their eyes, unable to accept Shigeo's giving himself up for their sake.

"I thought maybe I could talk with the villains, convince them to stop everything they'd been doing. But I was forced to fight their leader, All For One."

"All For One? You actually fought him?" Lady Nagant's eyes widened in mild surprise. She was well aware of All For One's reputation. Before she had been put into Tartarus, the Hero Commission had ordered her to find and kill him. She never got around to it since she put a bullet in the head of the previous head of the Commission, but to imagine anyone else fighting a villain like him was a shock. And a kid, no less.

The esper nodded. He focused on his battle with the Symbol of Evil. Both Mob and Kaina were now floating in the air, watching Shigeo and All For One exchange blows in their legendary battle. Kaina instantly went slack-jawed: both fighters were unleashing a torrent of energy blasts that illuminated the night sky. Lady Nagant had heard the rumors of All For One's power, how he was the Dark Emperor who had ruled over Japan in the shadows for decades as an unstoppable god who left the corpses of countless heroes along the path he walked. Witnessing his power first-hand, she understood that these rumors were fact. But even more astonishing was that a teenager could replicate such unbelievable feats of strength.

"I barely managed to win, thanks to everyone who cheered me on." Now, the two were on the ground, and Lady Nagant witnessed All For One lying on the ground, defeated, while Shigeo held his fist in the air and looked towards a helicopter in the sky. From what he said, it sounded like the knowledge that the fight was being broadcast and people were cheering for him gave him a second wind that allowed him to triumph over All For One. Though this was all shedding some light on who this boy was, it didn't answer the bigger question.

"I don't get it. You were put in here because you defeated the biggest villain in Japan?"

Shigeo shook his head. "It's not the fight. It's what happened after the fight." The mindscape returned to its blank white setting. "My classmates had been ordered to leave my rescue to the heroes, but some tried to go anyway. All For One sensed them and would've killed them all if I hadn't saved them at the last second. My teacher had the classmates and everyone who knew about their rescue attempt expelled..."

The esper's body began to shake. Recounting these memories when the pain was so fresh proved to be a greater challenge than he expected. Still, he had to finish the explanation. "And when I heard about it, I rushed over to U.A. High to convince him to change his mind. But I..."

This time, the memory instinctually formed inside the mindscape. All around them, charred trees were slowly breaking and burning away. Several nearby buildings appeared to have been severely damaged, and a few were on the brink of collapse. Several heroes were gathered around Shigeo, who looked at the scene of destruction with utter despair in his eyes. Shigeo immediately dispelled the memory from the landscape, but this brief glimpse was more than enough for Lady Nagant to grasp the situation.

"Now I understand. The Commission must have panicked when you lost control of your Quirk. They probably want to maintain your image after you defeated All For One, so they're keeping you locked in Tartarus until they figure out what to do. I'll bet they also spun a false narrative that a villain was responsible in order to keep the truth hidden from the public."

Mob could feel his body tense up. His uncertainty over his fate loomed over him, but now he grew more uneasy hearing what the Hero Commission would be doing. He wanted to have at least some idea what this Commission had in store for him, and that meant understanding what caused them to put Kaina in here in the first place.

"You mentioned before that you used to work for the Hero Commission, but they put you in here because you had some disagreements. What happened?"

The former hero's eyes diverted themselves to stare into the distance. The pain of her past, the sacrifices she had to make to follow the Hero Commission's orders and preserve their false utopia, they were all still fresh in her mind. Reliving them would only cause that pain to bubble to the surface. However, she just watched this boy share his past, memories that were far more recent with pain far more fresh than hers. It would be unfair to keep her story hidden. Besides, if the Commission really was going to make Mob their next puppet, it was better he be prepared.

"It's a bit of a long story." Kaina's eyes went back to Mob. Just as he had done, she decided that some visuals would better portray the story she was about to tell. So she closed her eyes and focused on a memory of her youth, back when she was a hero-in-training. Unsure if it worked, she opened her eyes and found both her and Mob in her old classroom, talking with a man and a woman in a suit. Mob could see that the tired expression in this younger Kaina's eyes was replaced by bright energy, brimming with hope and optimism. It was the kind of expression that Izuku carried with him whenever he was impassioned.

"Back when I was a kid, I dreamt about being a hero. I trained my Quirk, hoping to go out and become someone invaluable to hero society. The Hero Commission saw my talent. The Commission President and his Vice President came to hire me. It was like a dream come true." Lady Nagant let out a short, bitter laugh. "I was so naive."

"Back in the earlier days of hero society, before heroes became officially licensed by the government, vigilantes were commonplace. They ended up winning the hearts of the people. That's when the government decided to sanction their activities. They realized trust in heroes was the best way to build the foundation of a superpowered society. I was chosen to be a cog to keep that system running smoothly. And that system had two sides: a front and a back."

Shigeo was already getting an idea of where this story was going: it was very similar to another story he'd been told. "So you were forced to kill for the Hero Commission. But the shame and guilt were too much for you, and you turned against them."

The esper only realized he'd said this out loud when he saw Kaina's shocked reaction. "H-How the hell did you know?"

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt. Keep going."

Kaina eyed the esper suspiciously for a few more seconds before continuing her story. "The Commission had me murder villains who were only planning to commit acts of terrorism and any corrupt heroes looking for more fame and fortune." Lady Nagant focused on one of the many memories of the assassinations she'd carried out. It was a dark room with multiple pieces of paper containing maps and news articles tacked on the walls, strings connecting the papers together. A desk was in the center of the room with a man sitting in the middle. However, this man had just been murdered by a bullet to the head. His corpse was laid out over the desk, the blood slowly spilling onto the wood. At the entrance of the woman stood a younger Lady Nagant. Her right arm had a rifle extending out from her elbow. So her Quirk was some sort of rifle Quirk that allowed her to shoot bullets from her arm...

Another man with a mutant Quirk was at the heroine's mercy, pleading for his life. "Wait! No! We haven't done anything yet! We only started talking about–."

She put a bullet in his head before he could finish his sentence. The older Lady Nagant covered her face with her hand in shame and disgust. Just one of the many sins that had stained her soul. Shigeo could see the same tired expression in this younger Kaina's eyes, even as her entire body was coated in blood. So this was the kind of work the Hero Commission had her do. Truly heartless of them to do to her...

"They wanted to create the illusion of this utopia where all the heroes were saints who protected everyone, and they used people like me to maintain that illusion. I walked around acting I was a paragon of virtue while my hands were stained with the blood of so many people..."

The two were now in the downtown area of an unknown city. A younger Lady Nagant was speaking with two police officers. Behind them, a group of six children approached, each with eager smiles on their faces.

"Lady Nagant! Oh, wow! Can I shake your hand?"

"Me, too!"

"You're the best!"

Lady Nagant returned the smile and extended her hand out to the children. "Sure, but only if you kids have been good." The younger heroine's eyes widened. Mob saw the younger Kaina's extended arm suddenly get covered in blood while the scene momentarily darkened. Lady Nagant grimaced: her memories and emotions were altering the scene, showing what she'd envisioned in that moment.

"It was so pathetic: lecturing them about being good as if I hadn't butchered so many people. But that's the lie the Commission wanted to sell. Eventually, I had enough of it. I wanted to walk away from it all, but the president of the Commission wouldn't let me."

The scene changed: Lady Nagant was in an office with the man who'd hired her in the previous flashback. He was digging his hand into his suit to grab what Mob assumed was a gun. But before he could pull the weapon out, Kaina activated her Quirk and put a bullet through his head.

The scene faded, and the mindscape returned to its white canvas. "They put me in Tartarus and lied that I'd killed another hero in an argument to keep up the illusion. And here is where I've been ever since. For top agents of the Commission, that's how it goes: either be their puppet or get locked up for the rest of your life."

With her story finished, the weight of her words and Mob's situation began to set in. The esper dropped down and sat on the floor of this empty mindscape. Lady Nagant sat beside him, patiently watching and waiting for him to respond. It was clear he had a lot to think about after what he'd just heard.

"...so that's what's going to happen to me." Shigeo's neck bent down, his eyes staring at the blank white floor between his legs. "None of this is exactly new for me. I had an idea of your backstory because I already met someone who was a lot like you. His name was Keiji Mogami. He wanted to make a difference with his powers, but he ended up being used and manipulated by the people around him. Eventually, he became bitter and hateful. He started killing people he thought deserved it. When Mogami met me, he saw a lot of his past self in me. He tried molding me into adopting his mentality, and it almost worked. Still, I didn't let myself succumb to him. I held onto the idea that I could endure life and all its challenges while staying true to myself."

"Huh..." So this kid had already met another assassin like her, and this man had attempted to mold Shigeo's ideology? "So you've seen the rot of society, and you're still set on being a hero? Seems you're still holding onto a useless sense of naivety. Take it from me; the longer you hold onto it, the worse you'll end up. Especially if you're put in the hands of the Hero Commission. You'll only be thrust into the center of this sham of a hero society, propped up and paraded around like a messiah. Eventually, you won't even know who you are anymore."

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The esper's hands began to tremble while his eyes misted. "That's just like Mogami said, too. He told me that no matter what I did, my path would lead me to ruin, just like him. Was he right? Am I going to end up being a tool for them? If they end up having me kill, what am I supposed to do? Am I going to have to hurt them, too? Even saying that makes me feel sick. I don't want to hurt people. I never have. But no matter what I do, it feels like I'm always forced to make that choice."

Tears began to pool and drip down onto the empty mindscape. "Why did this become such a mess? Why can't I live the life I want to live?" The young esper began sobbing lightly. Once again, he was but a helpless child, put into a situation where he had no control and no chance of victory. Try as he might, the hand of fate could not lend him support, and because of that, he was left alone. A broken, sobbing wreck.

Lady Nagant watched this young, hopeful child break down, and her heart went to him. She knew all too well the pain of having to be forced into a life you never wanted. It was horrible to watch someone so young be forced down the same path she had once walked. The former hero reached over and gently pulled Shigeo into a hug. The esper held tightly onto Kaina, his head resting gently against her shoulder. Kaina laid her hands on the esper's back and gently patted him as he cried.

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"It's alright, kid. You'll get through this." Even if Kaina didn't believe her words, she knew nothing else to say to put Shigeo's mind at ease. She didn't even feel like she was worthy of embracing and comforting a child in this manner. But if her presence, her lies could ease his pain even slightly, she would speak these lies without question.

As the esper continued sobbing, he remembered the last time someone had hugged him while he was in great pain. Endeavor, Hawks, Mr. Aizawa, Best Jeanist, and Edgeshot had all embraced him and been there for him even after he'd attacked them and destroyed Yavin Forest. Knowing they were there to help him had lightened his anguish ever-so-slightly. Now, Kaina was doing the same thing for him despite having just met each other. After experiencing the coldness the staff of Tartarus had given him and All For One's childish hatred, this simple kindness was a much-needed reprieve from his seemingly never-ending pain.

Shigeo continued the embrace for about two minutes before breaking away. He wiped away the tears from his eyes as he regained his composure.

"...thank you for that. I know you won't agree with me, but I think you're a good person. If you weren't, you would've just left me to suffer in silence."

Lady Nagant let out a self-deprecatory scoff. He must not have understood the gravity of what she'd done. A false hero like her, a good person? She couldn't accept the idea that Mob's words were true. Still, even if they weren't, there was a small part of her that liked hearing it regardless, even if she couldn't admit it.

"Sure, kid. Anyway, I think that's enough reminiscing our painful pasts for one day. It's about time we get out of this mindscape and–"

"Wait." Shigeo wasn't ready to return to his cell and stare at a white wall for hours on end. "I don't know how much longer I can keep this mindscape together, but I don't want to leave just yet."

"Oh? Is there something else you wanted to talk about?"

"Not really. Right now, I only want something that might distract me from everything that's happened." Shigeo was desperate to find this escape. He wanted to go back with his friends, basking in the serenity of their company. He remembered one moment in particular where he felt a sense of peace and contentment. Back when he and Momo were sitting together on a hill at her mansion, staring at the night sky. He could never forget that moment. Right now, it was perhaps the closest thing that could give him some semblance of peace.

Lady Nagant watched as the white mindscape changed yet again. She and Shigeo were now resting on a hill. The night sky was clear, with the moon shining brightly in the distance and stars dancing alongside it. A fountain with a variety of flowers planted around it reflected the moonlight, giving it a brilliant glow that added to the lure of the scenery.

"Where is this?"

"It's a memory of when I went over to a friend's house. We sat together on this hill and talked while we stared at the sky." A small smile formed across Shigeo's face. "That moment really means a lot to me. If it's alright, I'd like to sit here for as long as possible."

Shigeo expected Lady Nagant to protest and insist that he get rid of the mindscape. Instead, she flashed him a smile and laid her back against the grass. "It works for me. They never let prisoners out of our cells, so getting a change in scenery isn't too bad when I think about it. Besides-" Lady Nagant took another look at the garden and the array of colors from the various flowers. "You chose a pretty good memory."

Mob gave a small smile and rested against the hill. Neither had any words to exchange at that moment. They only focused on immersing themselves in the peace of this moonlit night. They weren't sure how long this memory would last or what would happen afterward, but it didn't matter. Even if this was only a memory, the serenity of this fake environment was good enough for them. And unfortunately, "good enough" was all they could ask for.

It was now five days since Kageyama's rampage and All Might's hospitalization. The top heroes had tried their best to get Mob out of Tartarus, use whatever connections they had, but unfortunately, the decision ultimately laid in the hands of the Hero Commission, and they were adamant on keeping Kageyama imprisoned until they had all the answers.

At U.A. High School, Principal Nezu was doing his best to manage the chaos at the school and ensure that the students were adequately acclimating to their new home. At the same time, Nezu was growing increasingly nervous about Kageyama's situation. While the principal didn't know him particularly well, he was still a student at U.A. High who had already accomplished more than most heroes ever could, and the thought of keeping Kageyama in Tartarus for so many days unsettled him. Nezu was also aware that the Hero Commission would investigate the issue. They had the resources and the manpower. If they dug deep enough, they could discover the truth about Kageyama. And if that happened while All Might was still hospitalized, he had no idea how the Commission would react. But how long could this secret be kept under wraps? They needed All Might to wake up now!

As he had done a few times these past days, Principal Nezu called the hospital where All Might was being held. Surely, his condition had to be improving by now. As he spoke to the doctors treating All Might, he heard a knock on the door. The person on the other side opened the door without waiting for a response. To Nezu's surprise and slight concern, Hawks had returned to U.A. High.

"So that's his current condition? That is great to hear. Apologies, but I have to go now. Please give me an update if anything big changes." Nezu put down the phone to greet the number three hero. "Good afternoon, Hawks."

"Afternoon, Principal Nezu. Sorry for interrupting your call."

"Oh, it's fine. I was calling the hospital where All Might is being treated to see his condition. The doctors told me he should be waking up in the next few days."

"That's a relief."

"Indeed. With him awake, we can formulate the best way to convince the Hero Commission to release Kageyama."

"Definitely."

"Now, if I may ask, what brings you to U.A. High?"

"Well, I had some questions that've been itching at the back of my mind for a few days now..." Immediately, the principal could feel the air grow cold. Hawks' typical lackadaisical expression was replaced by a cold, piercing gaze. It was clear that this conversation meant serious business.

"The Hero Commission assigned me to investigate Mob, and I've found some pretty big discrepancies..." Nezu's heart began to race as he clutched the armrests on his chair. "First, I went to the orphanage where Mob grew up. But when I spoke to the head of the orphanage, Ginrei Shirogane, he didn't give off the impression of someone who truly cared about Mob. Didn't seem to phase him that he'd been kidnapped and so critically injured by All For One. It was odd because he seemed to be a pretty stand-up guy that the rest of the orphans looked up to. So I looked into it a little deeper. A couple of agents and I went into the city and questioned all of Shirogane's friends and family we could find. They told us they'd never heard a whisper of Mob from Shirogane. They didn't even know he'd been placed in that orphanage.

"Then there's his legal documents. I was able to gain access to all the files that were submitted when he was registered at U.A. High. I spoke to members of the Notary Public, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Legal Affairs Bureau. After some extensive review, they confirmed all the legal documents provided were fakes. Legally speaking, Mob has never existed."

Hawks leaned forward and slammed both hands on Nezu's desk. "You know something. You've been nervous since I said I had questions I wanted answered. All Might must have let you in on this when he admitted Mob to U.A. High. So what's the story? If you want any chance of getting him out of there, tell me now: who's Shigeo Kageyama?"

The principal leaned back against his chair, his paws clamped together on his lap. It was just as he feared. The Hero Commission had investigated and found the holes in Kageyama's story. So, how would he proceed?

"Have you already informed the Hero Commission?"

"I've told them about the orphanage and Mob's papers, but they don't know I'm here. I promise you, if you tell me the truth right now, I won't blab about it to the Commission as soon as I walk out the door. You know that I want Mob out of Tartarus just as much as you do. So please, no more lies."

Nezu sighed. At this point, the game was up. If he had to reveal the truth to the Hero Commission before All Might woke up, his best option would be Hawks.

"Very well. All Might didn't provide me with many details, but I will share everything he told me." Nezu inched forward, staring the number three hero dead in the eye.

"Kageyama is from another world." The usually calm and collected hero felt his entire body jerk back in shock.

"I reacted similarly when All Might first told me the truth. Anyway, the reality he comes from doesn't have Quirks. Instead, a select portion of the population possesses what Kageyama and All Might call psychic powers. That is why Kageyama has so many unique abilities compared to most Quirk users. Due to his immense power, he ended up creating a tear in reality that transported him to our world. All Might found him and has acted as his guardian since he arrived more than a year ago."

"Wow..." Hawks rapidly felt the shock of this revelation weaken his legs, forcing the hero to slump back in his chair. Although he had thought he'd been prepared to hear anything, this was still a massive pill for him to swallow. Nezu gave Hawks time to process this information while the hero collected his thoughts.

"It sounds crazy, but when I think about it, it's one of the only plausible explanations. Mob's always been in a league of his own compared to nearly everyone around him. Like you said, his powers let him do way more than anyone with a telekinesis Quirk could ever hope to manage." Hawks could try to think of a plethora of other alternative theories to try and rationalize what he knew of Mob and what he'd discovered during his investigation, but he knew people well enough to see that Nezu wasn't lying to him. The number three hero looked back at Nezu with a serious expression. "Who helped him forge Mob's legal documents?"

"All Might has a friend in the police force who assisted with the documentation."

"Explains why red flags weren't raised sooner about that. Who else knows besides you, All Might, and his friend in the police force?"

"Recovery Girl and Eraserhead. All Might could have told others, but I doubt he would share this with many others."

"So Eraserhead knows too, huh? Guess both of you were holding out on me and the other top heroes when we were all in this office."

"Neither of us knew whether it was the correct decision to reveal such a monumental secret at the time. We were hoping All Might would wake up to speak with him before anyone else caught on, but you spotted the holes in Kageyama's background earlier than I had hoped."

Hawks sighed. "Eh, I can't judge you for lying. I'd have done the same thing in your shoes. But more importantly, is what you've said everything All Might told you?"

"Yes. As I told you before, he didn't provide many details, and I trusted him enough not to pry."

The number three hero put his fingers under his chin, thinking about their options. "I meant what I said when I told you I wouldn't tell the Commission about this yet. The same goes for Endeavor, Best Jeanist, and Edgeshot. We need the whole picture, and All Might's the only one who can help. But I can only keep the lid on this for so long. I can keep this meeting hidden from them for probably two to three days tops. After that, they're gonna start hounding me on my lack of progress and figure out what I've uncovered. You said All Might would wake up in a few days, right?"

"Correct."

"Well, let's just hope the big guy wakes up. Otherwise, if we're not careful, we could be up shit creek without a paddle. Honestly, we already might be."

"Indeed, circumstances are dire. All we can do now is wait and hope for the best."

Hawks nodded in agreement. The missing pieces of this puzzle were quickly being found, but with every piece found, Hawks felt this completed puzzle would show a grim and despondent future for Mob and hero society. Right now, All Might felt like the only person who could turn this bleak situation around. With his insight and his power, maybe they could find a solution to Mob's imprisonment and his rampage. It was a long shot, but Hawks was an optimist at heart, and considering the mess they were in, optimism was a sorely needed mindset.