No Carry On chapter next week. Gems will have a release, however.

This is probably the most 'Medaka Box' chapter of the series so far. Had a lot of fun writing for Kumagawa in this chapter.

How many times can I say chapter

Anyways, here's your chapter. Here's the Discord: /cgFmXz3qJ5

Mirai Sasaki

May 10th, 20XX

Nighteye Hero Agency

Concerning Misogi Kumagawa

Mirai wasn't for coffee. Despite his typical business man demeanor, coffee was probably his least favorite drink. Insomnia, nervousness, restlessness, nausea, increased heart rate- they weren't good for the health of the hero. Yet, here he was. In some coffee shop.

With her.

Star sighed as she drank her coffee. "Man…American coffee and Japanese coffee taste the exact same." She frowned. "Thought there'd be a bit more kick." Star was dressed casually, wearing a white shirt with a red star on it, a blue leather jacket and jeans with a belt. Sir was wearing the most casual thing he could muster- a suit without a tie.

"Sorry to disappoint." Nighteye said flatly, sipping from his own personally brought bottle of water.

"Thanks again for meeting with me, Sir." Star said. "I know you and All Might don't talk anymore, but-"

"Just because I'm not speaking with him doesn't mean I have to cut off all the other relationships." Nighteye sighed. "Axillary relationships don't end because two people refuse to speak to each other."

"Fair, fair." Star said. "So, how've you been?"

"Busy. Can't go into it. Confidential info." Nighteye summarized.

"Lots of paperwork?"

"Absolutely." Nighteye nodded. "And how is Shiketsu treating you?"

"It's great. Been seeing some real progress these last few months." Star said. "I think UA lit a fire in them. Those kids really wanna surpass them."

Nighteye closed his eyes. "I presume you saw his successor."

"Who, the finger breaker kid? Hahaha, yeah. That kid's got guts!" Star grinned.

"Guts is a strange way to put carelessness." Nighteye frowned. "I had a better candidate aligned…"

"Heyyy, don't be like that. You haven't even met the kid."

"Have you?"

Star paused, before clearing her throat. "Y'know, speaking of kids…"

"I assumed you'd want to meet about this. Shiketsu's doing internships soon, aren't they?" Nighteye said.

"Yeeep. And there's a kid I want YOU to supervise." Star explained.

Supervise? Nighteye wondered, as Star pulled out a manilla folder from her bag. The folder was labeled: MISOGI KUMAGAWA.

"I can't get a read on this kid." Star admitted, opening the folder. Nighteye picked up the photo inside, examining Kumagawa's appearance. "He's a defeatist above all else. Even when he wins, he finds a way to lose."

"Interesting." Nighteye said. "Why enlist my help?"

"Well, one of his friends told me he's a big fan of yours." Star explained.

"A fan of me, you say?" He mused, his expression still serious.

Star nodded, taking a sip of her coffee. "Yeah, it surprised me too. But apparently, he's been following your career for a while. Maybe your guidance could help him find some direction."-

Nighteye continued to review the contents of the folder, his focus on the student's transcripts and Jaune's account of 'The Shibuya Incident.' He was silent for a while, deep in thought, his fingers occasionally tapping on the papers as he considered the situation.

Star watched him intently, waiting for his response. She knew Nighteye had a knack for assessing individuals, and if anyone could make sense of this enigmatic student, it would be him.

Nighteye closed the folder. "I suppose I can help."

Star smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, Sir. I knew I could count on you. I'll make the arrangements for the internship."

"Please do it sooner than later. I know how late you can be with paperwork." Sir bemused.

"Hey, I'm getting better..." Star pouted.

"A temp?"

"Yes. That is what I just told you." Sir said, now back at his office. "He's from Shiketsu. We'll be expecting him in two weeks."

"Man, I'm so PUMPED to work with a first year." His bright eyed sidekick grinned. "Ever since the sports fest, I wanna see what those kids can really do! They're barely scratching the surface, y'know?"

"I warn you, Mirio. Star and Stripe told me-"

Mirio's eyes widened. "You had lunch with THE Star and Stripe!? And didn't invite me!?"

"...It was just coffee. You don't drink coffee-"

"I'd still like to meet her!" Mirio laughed. "Did you bring your own meal again, Sir? Is that why I couldn't come?"

Sir chuckled. "Maybe."

Mirio was Sir's newest sidekick, and probably the one who could get Sir to 'break' the most. Whether it be a small chuckle, or a full on guffaw- Mirio was the guy for the job. He'd invited Mirio into his office to discuss this Kumagawa character- while he wasn't going to be fully responsible for the bulk of his training, he wanted Mirio to 'scope' out Kumagawa's personality when he was busy with 'the case'.

"The boy we're working with has an interesting personality." Nighteye explained. "His profile defined him as a defeatist."

"Oooh, don't worry. I got a friend like that." Mirio said.

Nighteye put his fingers together. "Interesting. Perhaps you can use your experience with Kumagawa. It might help him open up and see the potential within himself."

"I can make anyone see the bright side." Mirio grinned, before faux saluting. "You can count on me, Sir!"

"Always can. You're dismissed." Nighteye said. Mirio left, before Mirai pulled out the folder again. There was a document that caught his eye- it was a personal essay that Professor Arc had the students write before internships. It was a sort of 'pitch', giving them a run down of who the kid was. Sir Nighteye wanted to read it over again.

It read:

I want to beat them.

Even if I'm not cool. Or strong. Or beautiful. Or cute or pretty.

Even though I'm not blessed with talent, even though I'm stupid and have a bad personality, even though I have bad grades, am misguided and a good for nothing. I want to beat the talented, smart, likable over achieving people.

I want to beat those with friends when I can't have friends.

I want to beat people who work hard when I can't work hard.

I want to beat the victorious when I can't win.

I want to beat the happy people when I'm miserable.

Even if I'm hated.

Even if I'm depressed.

Even if I'm useless.

I want to prove I'm BETTER than the main characters of this story.

Sir Nighteye set the document down, and took a deep breath.

"What an interesting challenge this will be." He muttered.

Kumagawa wasn't exactly impressed with the agency when he first saw it. Honestly, it felt like he'd taken a wrong turn somewhere and just found a random office building, but no, this was it. This was the Nighteye Agency. Was he expecting something a little fancier? Maybe. A lot of the hero agency buildings were quite fancy highrises, but this one was just a normal office building. Ah, but maybe that was the point. Put up a normal front and no one suspects a thing.

Genius.

Kumagawa walked into the offices, and looked around. Plain. Just like he thought.

For the first time in a long while, Kumagawa's creepy smile was pretty genuine, even if it didn't look like it.

"Mr. Misogi," one of Nighteye's sidekicks greeted him. They were tall and thin individual, clad in a black tuxedo with matching pants and shoes, the only other bit of color in their ensemble was the white gloves on their hands. The outfit almost made him seem like a butler. His Quirk was very obvious to see, a mutant type that gave him the traits of a centipede.

「hello」Kumagawa greeted. 「how are you」

"I'm fine, thank you." Centipeder nodded. "Please. Sir is awaiting you."

「thank you. office is just down there, right?」

"That's right."

「thank you」Kumagawa nodded, before making his way over. Centipeder raised an eyebrow.

Aside from his voice being a bit strange, he seems relatively normal... Centipeder hummed.

It was hard to see why Star was so worried, honestly. But he had a feeling he'd figure it out soon.

Nighteye was waiting for Kumagawa in his office, once more looking at his document. The line "I want to prove I'm BETTER than the main characters of this story" stood out to him. Did he see life as a story or something?

A knock at the door alerted Nighteye. "Come in."

The door opened and Kumagawa walked in. He was definitely a little surprised by some of the All Might merchandise that decorated the office, but at the same time it did fit. Night Eye was the Number 1 Pro's former sidekick, so he probably still held him in some high regard.

"Welcome, Misogi Kumagawa." Nighteye said.

Kumagawa cleared his throat. "H-hello, sir."

...

Yeah, he was speaking normally. The kid was STARSTRUCK right now. That was Sir Nighteye, his hero. Inviting him into HIS office!

"No need for nervousness. I've read about you, Mr. Misogi," Nighteye explained.

"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?" Kumagawa asked.

"From what Kathleen told me, you're a self proclaimed defeatist with an antisocial personality and pessimistic look on life." Sir said, as Kumagawa entered the office, closing the door behind him.

"How nice of her." Kumagawa said.

"To be honest, I'm shocked you're a hero in training. Don't take this personally, but your teachers note how you want to 'weed out' certain undesirable traits in heroes. What's your end goal?"

Kumagawa stared at him. "To have a world without weak wills."

Nighteye raised a brow. "Is that so?"

"Or better yet, to have a world without weak-willed, corrupt heroes. I just won't do it like Stain does." Kumagawa explained. Nighteye was shocked at how easily he was giving all this info.

"…how introspective. Do you say this…because of self loathing? Do you not like seeing traits of yourself in others?" Nighteye asked.

Kumagawa blinked. "...maybe."

"I see potential in you... but also darkness. I want to help you hone both." Nighteye said, standing up from his chair. "And that's what your internship shall focus on. Getting you out of this rut."

"Thank you," Kumagawa said sincerely. "I... I appreciate this opportunity, Sir Nighteye."

"Now, as it stands, I do have another Pro-to-be on my team. Alongside my other sidekicks and myself, you'll be working with them. I only bring this up because they're from U.A. and, unless I've misinterpreted something, you have a bit of a rivalry with their students."

"Not all of them. Just one," Kumagawa clarified, 「Katsuki Bakugou」

"...why did you say it like that?" Nighteye raised a brow.

"Said it how?" Kumagawa asked, trying to brush aside the vocal difference.

"Hmmm...nevermind."

"I will try my hardest to work well with them, Sir." Kumagawa said. "I want to show you I'm more than just a satisfactory description."

"Hm. Good. Standard patrol for today then. Bubble Girl and the others are waiting for you in the briefing. Unfortunately, I won't be joining you today. I have some work to do for...an ongoing case."

"Understandable." Kumagawa said. "I didn't expect to work with you much due to your work ethic."

"You may still get to. This case just has...a lot of information to sift through," Nighteye vaguely explained. The fewer people that knew about the case the better.

"Right, right." Kumagawa said. "I'll get suited up and get to work, then."

"Yes, yes." Nighteye nodded. "And, Misogi?"

"Yes?"

"I won't frown upon your true self here."

...

「ok」

"There. Now Briefing's room is on this floor, a few doors down. Shouldn't be hard to miss."

「where can i put my stuff」

"Bedrooms on the first floor. Ask Bubble Girl for a card."

「thank you」Kumagawa nodded and politely bowed before turning to leave, going off to find the sidekick in question. Once he was gone, Nighteye turned his attention back to the case documents, mostly some of the more recent small-time drug busts. The names were ones he knew, clear affiliates.

Nighteye frowned. "What's the connection..."

"He's an issue."

"Yeah. But he's not even close to the truth."

"But he could be."

He looked up from his lab work. "Why is he a concern at the moment? Progress on the bullet is going well."

"Sources say he's been pressing the case more and more." His assistant said. "We need to do something."

He made a face. "..that so."

"Yeah."

He closed his eyes.

"...I don't feel like dealing with him personally," He huffed, readjusting his microscope. "Send an assassin after him."

"Yes, Overhaul."

Kumagawa opened the door to the briefing room, bags still in hand to try and find Bubble Girl. She wasn't exactly hard to miss, either, given she was the only other Pro sidekick Nighteye had at the agency.

「Bubble Girl?」

"Oh! Hey, you must be Kumagawa!" Bubble Girl said. "Lemme guess. You want the key card for the common area."

「yes」

Bubble Girl presented it. "Here you go! After you change, we'll immediately go on patrol, okay?"

「gotcha」

"We'll partner up after you get settled too, so no rush!"

「sounds nice」Kumagawa said, taking the card. 「be right back」

Bubble Girl watched Kumagawa exit...and then immediately come back in, already dressed in hero costume. "W-wha-"

「i change quickly」

"Um, okay..." Bubble Girl said. "Uh...let's go get Mirio and...yeah!"

「that wouldn't happen to be the U.A kid would it?」

"Yep, that's him. Our rising star," Bubble Girl chuckled.

「goodie」Kumagawa smiled. 「i look forward to working with him」

Bubble Girl raised an eyebrow.

「i'm not being sarcastic」

"Sorry! Couldn't tell."

「its okay, my text brackets are different from your quotations」

"What?" Bubble Girl asked, as the door opened behind Kumagawa.

"Couldn't help but feel like someone just mentioned me!" Mirio suddenly said after walking in.

"And where were you? Already gave the new guy the briefing," Bubble Girl asked.

"Sorry, I lost track of time."

Kumagawa turned around to see the third year UA student. Weirdly enough, he was reminded of Inasa upon a first glance. They had that nice, approachable vibe with a high spirit behind those eyes.

「i can never escape those people」He sighed.

"Huh?"

「nothing. hello, i'm kumagawa」

"Mirio Togata at your service!" the U.A. student greeted before extending a hand to shake.

Kumagawa shook his hand, nodding. 「i look forward to working with you」

"Same here!" Mirio said. Huh. So far, this guy SEEMS normal. But, don't judge a book by its cover. Could have some weird content inside.

"So! Now that your partner's here," Bubble Girl interjected, "Let's get your patrol routes."

Bubble Girl then went on some spiel about sticking to a few approved routes, which was mainly around the block of the hero office. Nighteye's office was casual for a reason- he wanted this element of surprise. Kumagawa could agree with that- surprise was a strong factor in the end.

Mirio and Kumagawa were given their route and were already making progress on it. No big crimes appeared that showed up that needed them to jump into the fray. No small crimes, either. It was like the Best Jeanist Agency tried to tell Bakugou. Seeing Heroes being an active presence, not just crime fighting but also a part of the community, criminals became less confident that they could actually get away with their crimes. Thankfully, Kumagawa was more accepting of that concept than the explosive U.A. student.

Mirio hummed as he walked on the street. "I doubt we'll run into trouble. Sir likes this new office because he blends in a bit too well with the salarymen around here."

「clever urban camo」

"So! What's your story? What's Shiketsu like?"

「what's it like? hmmm...very...oh how'd she describe it? Ah that's it. personal success is very valued」

"Who were you talking about?" Mirio asked.

「uh...just a classmate of mine」Kumagawa said, resisting the urge to break the fourth wall again.

"Personal success is a good thing to have. UA has a more organized curriculum. No real freedom," Mirio shrugged.

「in a way...i guess you could say there's a bit of a positive spin to being self-centered there. believe that egoism can positively affect heroics. but they still teach the students how to keep it balanced. make sure they're not going to become villains or anything.」

"Ego, huh?" Mirio said. "Weird thing to bring into the game. I think a good heart is all that's needed."

「like mine's any good」

"Huh?"

「nothing」

Mirio blinked. "So, uh...Sir sorta mentioned you had a tendency to put yourself down. I'm sorta seeing it right now."

「he did?」

"A little, yeah. I don't get why though."

「...」

「i'm what the world calls 'a good loser'」

Mirio raised an eyebrow. "What's that mean?"

「i've accepted how truly mediocre i am」

「it starts small」

「when you can't win a game you're really good at」

「when you come in second on something you've worked hard in」

「when you get so close to a goal but miss the cut off」

「it all piles up」

「soon those losses start to show up in other ways」

「friend cancels plans」

「someone better comes along」

「life just throws you curveballs constantly」

Kumagawa sighed. 「its my life. and i've accepted this is the way it'll be forever」

「so, i'm a good loser that just rolls with the punches」

"And...you're sure it'll be like that forever? Because sorry for saying this, but I don't really believe that."

「you'd think so」Kumagawa smiled. 「but life's never gonna go one way」

「life is a boat, and even though it looks like clear weather sailing across the grand line...」

Kumagawa stabbed a screw into a building, making Mirio flinch. 「sometimes a storm starts out of nowhere.」

"I mean...you're right, sometimes life throws a curveball. But sometimes you can hit it," Mirio said, trying to roll with the analogy.

Kumagawa pulled the screw out of the wall and sighed, before walking off.「i can never seem to hit them」

"Well then just keep swinging. No one ever hits every curveball, but you're bound to."

Kumagawa smiled bitterly.

「i've been whiffing those things for years」

「i don't think i'll ever hit a home run」

「and that's okay」

And then he walked off.

Nighteye was still overlooking some documents when there was a knock at the door. "Come in," He said. Mirio opened the door. "Ah, Lemillion. How was patrol with Misogi?"

Mirio walked over, with his lips pursed. "I thought my best friend was a pessimist. But this guy? He's...he needs help."

"Explain?" Nighteye asked, putting down one of the documents.

"He just...put himself down at every turn." Mirio explained, taking off his helmet. "Even my optimism couldn't shake him."

"Really? Your optimism did nothing?"

"Yeah! That's usually my best feature." Mirio said. "I think he needs...professional help."

Nighteye sighed. "I'm inclined to agree. Perhaps Kathleen was being too nice with her description."

"So, how should I handle it from here on out?" Mirio asked.

"I think this is gonna be a group effort." Nighteye said. "I'll have to leave the paperwork to the sidekicks for a brief outing."

"Oh! Really? You're gonna-?"

"Get directly involved, yes," Nighteye confirmed, adjusting his glasses.

"Dang. You're rarely on the field nowadays!" Mirio said.

"This investigation is incredibly important- and I don't want to risk it if something happens to me." Nighteye frowned. "As I've learned, the future can be very...twisted."

"Wait, investigation? You never said anything about a new case."

"It's...a little bit more complex than that. I'll explain everything when it's prepared."

"Alrighty. When do you wanna go out next?"

"Tomorrow. Early morning." Sir Nighteye said.

"Should I give Bubble and Centipeder a heads up or-?" Mirio asked.

"I appreciate it, but no, I'll handle that."

"Alrighty. We're just going round the block again-" Mirio guessed.

"Incorrect." Nighteye said. "We need a small 'retreat'. Are you familiar with the Sakuya Konohanakan?"

"That garden nearby?" Mirio asked. "Yeah, me and my class went there on a retreat not too long ago."

Nighteye nodded. "As much as I like the salaryman image, nature has long since been fascinating to me. Perhaps we need a free day of stress."

"That...that might work, yeah," Mirio thought it over. Some distress might give Kumagawa a bit of a clearer head. Though the obvious downside was that his head was already clear and he just wholeheartedly believed in that pessimistic view on life.

"I guarantee you- a day at the garden will help." Nighteye declared.

And he was sort of right.

The Sakuya Konohana Kan was one of the largest greenhouses and, in turn, one of the largest gardens. The exterior of the building resembled a metal frame filled with hundreds of windows and other glass panels, with obvious spots for the floors, that was neatly situated in the center of a massive man made lake. The garden itself was divided up into nine different specific houses, each one catering to a specific type of plant, ranging from insectivorous plants, such as pitcher plants and flytraps, to tropical orchids and palm trees. There was even an entire section of the garden dedicated to aquatic plants, all of them nicely arranged in a massive aquarium.

Of course, the latter was the first stop on Bubble Girl's trip around the garden. Centipeder was inclined to join her, but took a different route as the bubbly sidekick would pass through the insectivorous plant gardens which, for obvious reasons, didn't exactly sit well with Nighteye's sidekick. Bubble Girl, or rather Kaoruko Awata outside of her Hero duties, wore a pretty simple ensemble consisting of a light blue top and dark blue jeans with white shoes. Centipeder and Nighteye would have gone casual as well but their hero costumes were either pretty close to being casual already or, in Centipeder's case, he just preferred the more formal look.

"This is a nice place. How have I never been here before?" Bubble Girl asked.

"We barely get days off as is, especially nowadays." Centipeder noted. "This is a welcome change of pace."

"Totally." Mirio said, taking some photos. Kumagawa was just sticking close to Nighteye, who was taking time to read the details of every single plant plaque.

"Hmm, nature can be truly fascinating," Nighteye muttered to himself as he read over the plaques. And some inspiration seemed to strike him. Perhaps he could use the the arctic area for this.

Kumagawa hummed as he looked at some pink flowers.「cymbidium devonianum paxton 」He said. 「found in assam india, eastern himalayas, nepal, bhutan, myanmar, thailand and vietnam at altitudes of 1000 to 2000 meters in exposed locations on trees or mossy rocks in highland montane cloud forests from as a medium sized, cool growing epiphyte or lithophyte that has small, ovoid pseudobulbs enveloped by 5 to 6 scarious cataphylls and carrying 2 to 4 apical, suberect, thick, leathery, stoutly petiolate, channeled, oblong to lanceolate, obtuse to subacute, oblique, mucronate, margin entire leaves that are articulated from 2 to 6" away from the pseudobulb that blooms on a basal, sharply pendant, several to many [15 to 35] flowered, to more than 6 to 17.6" [15 to 44 cm] long, racemose inflorescence that has 6 to 7, cymbiform, acute, spreading, purple, subtending sheaths and triangular, acute floral bracts and carrying heavily textured, close set, long-lasting, color variable, non fragrant flowers occurring in late spring and early summer. 」

Kumagawa sighed. 「such a pretty flower」

Nighteye blinked. "You knew that off the top of your head. Impressive."

「i have an approximate knowledge of many things」

Nighteye nodded. "Always nice to have a bit of worldly knowledge."

「ah, it comes and goes」Kumagawa admitted. 「i'm a smart "C" student」

"...yes." Nighteye nodded. Mirio wasn't kidding. Kumagawa did put himself down at every single chance he got. It was concerning, especially since Star had grown numb to this sort of talk.

"Mirio. Misogi. Would you both like to join me in seeing the corpse flower?" The pro hero asked.

"Corpse flower? Oh, that sounds cool." Mirio said, already grabbing Kumagawa's arm and forcing him to come along.

「why are you dragging me, i was gonna join」

"Sorry. Force of habit!" Mirio said, releasing the boy. The trio made their way toward the area where the corpse flower was displayed, with Nighteye leading the way. Nighteye looked back at Kumagawa.

"Misogi," Nighteye began in a gentle tone, "you have more knowledge than you give yourself credit for. It's important to acknowledge your strengths and not constantly undermine your abilities."

「like i told mirio」

「its not undermining」

「its acceptance」

Nighteye frowned at that. He didn't offer a direct response but seemed to be absorbing the advice.

"Come onnnn. I'm sure you're great, man." Mirio grinned.

「depends」

Soon the group reached a small, secluded area within the garden, specifically designed for the corpse flower. The surroundings were dimly lit to create an almost mystical atmosphere. The air was thick with humidity, and lush greenery surrounded the plant, creating a sense of isolation from the rest of the greenhouse.

The corpse flower itself stood tall and imposing, its deep maroon petals unfurling like a dark, ominous cloak. It was a rare sight to behold, as these flowers were known for their infrequent and unpredictable blooms.

Mirio gagged. "Smells bad."

"Indeed." Nighteye said. "Shame we missed it at its bloom. The smell constantly changes. I've read multiple accounts of how it smelled at multiple phases."

Kumagawa sniffed. 「...we reached the brussel sprout stage」

Nighteye chuckled. "I would've preferred the gym sock stage."

As they admired the corpse flower, none of them noticed a boy with blue hair behind them, carefully watering each plant with a traditional Japanese bamboo water ladle. He wore a loose white jacket whose sleeves stopped at his forearms. He wore slender blue jeans that tucked neatly into white sneakers, matching the color scheme of his jacket.

His eyes drifted towards Nighteye and narrowed.

There was his target.

Under the guise of walking over to water some plants, the boy looked over to see the group was still distracted by the plant. Perfect. From out of thin air, a katana materialized in his hand and he swung it at Sir's neck...

And in an instant, Nighteye pushed his trainee and intern out of the way, ducked under the katana, and threw a high density stamp at his would-be attacker. The attacker blocked the stamp with a riot shield that also materialized out of nowhere.

"S-sir!" Mirio yelled, looking back in confusion.

The blue-haired boy grunted. "Disappointing. Even without Foresight, I was sure you couldn't dodge my attack."

Sir Nighteye adjusted his glasses and grimaced. "Sorry about that."

"I'm the one who should be apologizing..." The boy said, as Nighteye's eyes drifted down to the katana in his hand. The boy sheathed it, and it disappeared. "You're probably wondering where I pulled that sword from, aren't you?"

Not really! I'm just shocked this guy would just attack a pro in public! He didn't even hesitate with his attack! Mirio frowned.

「if sir didn't have foresight」Kumagawa thought. 「he would have killed him for sure」

「but」

「where DID the katana come from, author」

Geez. Getting to that.

The blue hair boy suddenly revealed his trick- a multitude of weapons suddenly shot out of his body. Katanas, spears, guns, sickles, all of different makes and sizes. "This is my power." He frowned. "I don't much like playing with my food. I go straight for the kill."

Sir Nighteye frowned. "So...they're sending people after me for that now, huh?"

「does this have something to do with that case」Kumagawa asked.

"In a way." Nighteye said. "I recognize you, weaponsmith. You're the assassin known as Kei Munakata, alias "Last Carpet". I didn't realize you were so...young."

"A-assassin!? No way. This guy looks like he could be a senior at UA!" Mirio said.

"Don't be fooled. He's on the nation's most wanted list." Nighteye said.

"Him? Seriously?!"

"It's all about talent," the assassin smirked.

「and let me guess. this is the part where you go on about how many confirmed kills you have, we're supposed to all intimidated and then you come at us, right?」

"I mean considering you two don't believe it, I think it'd help."

"It's his nature. When he looks at people, he can't help but think of killing them." Nighteye explained.

Munakata frowned. "Don't make it sound like I kill everyone I come across. Misinformation hurts. I'm not a killer that kills without reason. It's because I have a reason to kill."

「oh here we go」

"I'm busy right now. So I'll kill you."

"I don't have the time to deal with you. So I'll kill you."

"I don't want to stand in your way. So I'll kill you."

"I don't like fighting. So I'll kill you."

"I don't want to miss out on my pay day. So I'll kill you."

"The weather is nice today. So I'll kill you in it."

「oh hey a variation-」

"I liked the food I had today. So I'll kill you with a full stomach."

"I had a good dream last night. So I'll kill you while I think about it."

"I got good tickets to a movie I've been waiting to see. So I'll kill you on my way to the theater."

"My phone battery just died. So I'll kill you more aggressively."

"And for no reason whatsoever, I'll kill you." Munakata smiled. "The same way everyone thinks of those as nothing, I think of them as reasons to kill."

The group stared at Munakata in disbelief. This is insane! It's even more scary that he just comes to this conclusion every time! Mirio thought.

「i thought you were going to try and give us a good reason. make us care, make us sympathize so we pull our punches or something but that...that's just petty.」Kumagawa blinked. 「i might act petty sometimes, but it's for a greater good! you're just doing it because!」

"Not petty to me," the assassin rolled his eyes.

「obviously. doesn't make it any less dumb though.」

Nighteye tried to pull out his phone to alert the sidekicks, but Munakata countered- a perfect knife toss destroyed his flip phone.

"Didn't you see that coming?" Munakata said, a bit amused.

No. Nighteye thought. And that's the problem.

Usually, Foresight presented Sir with a clear path to the future. It was a handy quirk, especially in a fight like this. But, he'd made a clinical, unexpected error.

He used Foresight on Kumagawa. He knew the attack was going to happen from the second the boy walked over. For whatever reason, Nighteye was seeing...a jumbled mess of what seemed like multiple timelines. Sometimes they'd converge, but they would also branch off. It was a headache to look at. Was Kumagawa's chaotic, unpredictable nature to blame? Maybe.

But he never realized it was THIS out of hand.

"On our own then? That's fine," Mirio said.

"And why's that?" Munakata scoffed, "I've killed stronger people than two students and a Pro that can only selectively see the future."

"You know Sir's Quirk, sure. But do you know ours?"

That little taunt must've just annoyed Munakata just a bit too much. Normally, he wouldn't let such a simple thing get him angry, but it was just the way Mirio said it that got on his nerves. A trio of knives suddenly manifested between the assassin's fingers and, with expert precision, he tossed them all at the young hero. If things went accordingly, the knives would've found their marks between Mirio's eyes, stabbed into his throat, and pierced his heart.

Keyword there being "if." Much to the assassin's surprise, Mirio seemingly vanished right out of his clothes, letting them fall to the floor. The knives just flew through the air and stabbed into the wall across from the assassin.

"The hell? Where did he-?" Munakata asked before a fist suddenly cracked against his jaw from below and knocked him off his feet. The assassin thudded to the ground and looked to see what the hell just happened.

And then he sorely wished he hadn't.

"OH WHAT THE HELL?!" the assassin yelled, turning away from the now stark naked Mirio, "WHY ARE YOU NAKED?!"

"Downside of my Quirk!" Mirio admitted, "Clothes can be a bit of a challenge."

「just tell me when he has his pants back on」Kumagawa said, covering his eyes.

Mirio Togata! Quirk: Permeation! Mirio's Quirk allows him to become intangible, letting him pass through any tangible matter; he can phase through walls or the ground, as well as let enemy attacks pass through him harmlessly. According to the laws of physics, things with mass cannot overlap; if Mirio returns to his solid state while phasing through something, his body will be repelled outward. By adjusting the direction he is facing or the pose he is holding, he can control the direction from which he is repelled.

Mirio quickly threw his pants back on and smirked. "Sorry about the shock. If I was in costume, this would be WAY less weird."

Kumagawa walked over, producing two screws from his hands. 「doubtful」

"No, really! I don't pass through my costume because it's made from my own hair!" Mirio explained.

「that...that's supposed to be less weird?」

"Less weird than popping out of the ground in the nude!"

「...fair point」

Munakata growled and jumped back to his feet, quickly overcoming the shock from the sudden flashing and drawing another katana from out of nowhere. Without any further banter, the assassin just leapt into the fray and slashed at Kumagawa. The screw-using student quickly blocked the strike with the two giant screws he'd summoned, but his strength wasn't enough. The katana blade inched closer and closer to his face. Mirio then quickly raced in to help, pushing aside the assassin and forcing him away. The assassin quickly turned his blade on the permeation hero, but the blade just managed to phase through him when it should've connected. After the last swing, Mirio kicked the bottom of the blade's hilt and launched it up, letting the blade stab into the ceiling.

"What the hell?" a bystander muttered, seeing the blade cut through the air.

"They allow martial arts performances in the gardens?" another said.

"With swords?"

Kumagawa was still stunned though, his fingers moving up to his cheek. When he moved them away, there were small dots of crimson on them. He'd actually been cut by the blade. This wasn't just some schoolyard fight or a sparring match. This actually had his, Mirio's, and even Sir's lives on the line.

「oh my god...i'm actually gonna have to try here」Kumagawa gripped his screws tighter.

「first time for everything」