The doors of the observation room hissed shut behind them, muffling the murmurs of classmates watching from behind reinforced glass. All Might's voice still echoed faintly in Takuma's ears:
"Hero Team: Shoji Mezo and Itsuno Takuma. Villain Team: Kirishima Eijiro and Hanta Sero. The bomb is located on the top floor of Building D."
Shoji walked beside him in silence as they entered the staging area. The massive structure loomed ahead — five stories of concrete, metal, and glass. A standard simulation facility designed to mimic an office building taken hostage. The perfect playground for Quirks.
Takuma stood still just inside the doorway, one hand pressed gently against the wall. Shoji tilted his head in curiosity, but said nothing.
"Give me a second," Takuma murmured.
His breath slowed. He didn't pull energy into himself — not yet. Instead, he extended his awareness through the concrete wall, lightly brushing the material's essence. Like dipping his fingers into the edge of a current, he felt the slow, passive thrum of the building's structure.
It was faint, but there: a muted imprint of vibrations through walls and floors. Footsteps. Dull thumps. The low creak of shifting weight.
"There," Takuma whispered, eyes half-lidded as the faint sense grew sharper. "One is pacing on the third floor. The other just moved to the fourth. They're spreading out. Trying to bait us."
Shoji's arms flexed slightly, his extra limbs adjusting like antennae. "You can sense that through the walls?"
"Only slightly. The concrete reacts when something impacts it, it's enough to build a rough map."
Shoji nodded slowly, clearly impressed. "Then we let them think it's working."
Takuma drew back from the wall and cracked his neck, recalibrating his focus. "I'll take point. You're stronger — if we're ambushed, cover me. But if we play this right, we won't need to engage directly."
Shoji gave a nod of agreement, his expression unreadable under the mask.
They moved quietly through the halls, Takuma pausing at key intersections to press his fingers to the walls or floor, using short bursts of sensory input to track movement above and below. The interior echoed with subtle tension — Kirishima's confident stride, Sero's light, bounding steps, the taut energy of a coming clash.
They made it to the second floor stairwell without detection.
"They've left traps," Takuma said under his breath. "Sero's probably laid tape across key access points to limit mobility."
"Then we don't take the obvious route," Shoji offered. "I can climb the outside if needed."
"Hold on," Takuma said, turning back toward a nearby maintenance hall. "We'll use the maintenance shafts. If we're quiet, we can reach the fourth floor through the ductwork. Minimal damage, zero confrontation until we're close."
Shoji looked impressed again, and perhaps — just faintly — a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You really did think this through."
"I don't like improvising," Takuma replied, eyes sharp. "Not when there's risk of collateral."
They moved again, faster now. The ducts were narrow but stable. Shoji, surprisingly nimble for his size, managed without complaint. Takuma moved in complete silence, careful to stay low and limit vibration through the walls.
Eventually, they reached the fourth floor — a sealed hallway behind the bomb room, based on his earlier readings. Takuma crouched against the vent cover, letting the concrete speak to him one last time.
Inside, Sero stood near the bomb, tape coiled loosely in one hand. Kirishima patrolled the far side. Two entrances, one direct, one guarded.
Takuma pulled back and looked to Shoji. "We split. You engage Kirishima. His Quirk makes him strong, but he relies on it too much. Force him to commit."
"And Sero?"
Takuma's eyes narrowed. "Leave him to me."
Shoji hesitated for only a moment, then gave a sharp nod. "On your mark."
"Go."
Shoji moved first, bursting through the stairwell in a flurry of limbs, charging Kirishima and drawing the redhead's immediate attention with a bark of surprise. Kirishima's laugh echoed as the two clashed, his skin hardening into a jagged shell of crimson armor.
At the same moment, Takuma slipped through the vent and dropped lightly into the room behind Sero.
The tape-user whirled, surprised — too late.
Smoke flared around Takuma's arm as he propelled himself forward, not with brute force but with a precise arc of pressure. He wasn't trying to hurt Sero — just disarm and destabilize. A snap of pressure knocked the capture tape from Sero's hand. The boy fell back, instinctively firing a tether that Takuma tilted his body to dodge.
Glowing orange smog flickered in his fingertips as he swiped his hand upward, causing the concrete under Sero's feet to crack and knock him off balance when it shifted suddenly.
Before Sero could recover, Takuma launched himself again and touched the bomb, causing All Might's voice to sound loud and clear over the speakers.
"HERO TEAM WINS!"
The simulation sirens blared.
Silence followed as the realization sank in.
Takuma let out a long breath, smoke drifting faintly from his fingertips. Still floating concrete fragments fell from the air where they waited, ready to strike if necessary.
He walked over and offered Sero a hand. "You okay?"
Sero looked up, more surprised than anything. "Yeah, I'm— Man, that was clean, not to mention fast. You planned that out?"
Takuma nodded. "I tried."
Sero took his hand with a grin, pulling himself up. "You've got a scary calm about you, dude."
From down the hall, Kirishima's voice rang out. "Yo, Shoji! That was so MANLY! Acting as the decoy while Itsuno went for the bomb? AWESOME!"
Shoji gave a rare nod of appreciation. "You were strong. I don't know if I can beat you in a prolonged battle."
All Might's booming voice crackled over the intercom. "Excellent performance from both teams! The Hero team showed exemplary coordination and tactical planning! Report to the observation room for debrief!"
As the four boys filed out, Takuma lingered a step behind, gaze flicking up at the walls.
Still stable. No significant damage...I'm getting better at control!
He allowed himself a small exhale of relief.
But as they walked, Shoji's quiet voice reached him again.
"You planned everything… but you didn't account for praise, did you?"
Takuma blinked. "What?"
Shoji's eyes didn't waver. "You were ready for battle, for failure — even pain. But when people admire you, you don't know what to do."
Takuma glanced away.
"…I don't need admiration."
"Maybe not. But you've earned it. Not many people in class know about your...recent past, but I do. And you've changed, Itsuno. Most would say for the better."
They stepped through the doors into the light of the observation chamber, classmates buzzing with conversation and All Might's voice booming once more in celebration.
And yet, despite everything, Takuma's mind was already turning — reviewing every movement, every interaction.
What comes next?
He didn't really know. I think...the best thing I can do is keep moving. And maybe then...
Something unknown caught in his throat, like a ball of air was suddenly lodged there. I can do what Aoi always dreamed to.