**Ten Minutes Earlier**
**In The Hallways,**
'Well, that could have gone better,' I thought as I walked out of Principal Nezu's office.
I had only felt this unsettled on three other occasions. Day one of finding out I was in a fictional universe, and day 21 where I discovered that I had a mother. Finally, day .... Of finding out I was under mind control.
The meeting had been... intense. Explaining my recovered memories of All For One's experiments, the mind control, and my reaction to said mind control—all while carefully omitting certain details about my true nature and the shadow entity that had just eliminated an entire villain organization. Another secret that ought not to see the light of day.
Hopefully.
Though, despite going over everything in my head and finding no obvious flaws, I was pretty sure Nezu was suspicious.
Why?
No reason. Just intuition. Throughout the whole discussion, Nezu had listened with that unnerving intelligence of his, occasionally asking pointed questions that made me wonder just how much he suspected.
Yet never called me out on anything.
I wasn't cocky enough to think my explanation was fullproof enough to clear me of all suspicion, hence I had mentally prepared myself to be questioned heavily. For someone with Nezu's intellect, not pointing out any problems was a problem in its own. Though it wasn't all bad.
The biggest bonus here was All Might. A character whose personality was much easier to predict than Nezu. With my earlier actions and the life saving grace, he would definitely defend any possible inconsistencies in my story on the grounds of me being a victim, which I was.
I'd sold the story. Mostly.
But Nezu's final words stuck with me like a splinter under skin. "Knowledge is power... it is remarkable how your memories resurfaced at such a fortuitous time."He knew something was off. He just couldn't prove it.'Stay calm. You did what you had to do. All For One is the real threat here, and you just gave them everything they need to start connecting the dots.'
The walk back to felt longer than usual. Maybe because the adrenaline had finally burned out. Maybe because the silence of U.A. was unnervingly still—an unfamiliar calm after hours of chaos, sirens, and screaming. With the attack on ground Beta, all classes had been put on hold.
The police and Emergency crews had already cleared most of the debris. The once-scorched earth around Ground Beta was cordoned off with yellow tape, scattered with the outlines of bodies and impact marks.
The villains left behind had been arrested long ago, yet police still patrolled the school grounds on high alert.
I turned a corner, heading toward where I assumed the rest of Class 1-A would be gathered, when voices filtered through the hallway ahead.
"—can't believe we're actually back—"
"Jiro, you need to sit down. You're still shaking—"
"I'm fine, Yaomomo. I just—"
The voices cut off as I rounded the corner, and suddenly I was face-to-face with my classmates
Finally. Team B had been recovered and brought back from their teleportation site, escorted by exhausted pro heroes. They were gathered near one of the side courtyards, still inside U.A.'s secure perimeter.
I quickly spotted their faces from above. Yaoyorozu stood near the wall, one hand steadying Jiro who did indeed look unsteady on her feet. Kirishima sat slumped against the opposite wall, his usually bright expression dimmed. Ojiro was nearby, tail wrapped around himself defensively. And Koda—Koda was there. Alive. Unharmed.
'Thank goodness.'
I sighed with relief.
"Ken!" Kirishima spotted me first. His voice cracked with something between exhaustion and genuine relief. He pushed off the wall he'd been leaning against, crossing the distance in a few long strides. "Man, you're okay!"
The group's attention snapped to me. Yaoyorozu's eyes widened slightly. "Takumi-san."
Before I could respond, Kirishima had crossed the distance and clapped a hand on my shoulder
"Glad to see you're ok."
"Same to you. I heard what happened." I glanced at the group, taking stock. "Everyone alright?"
Scratches, bruises, torn uniforms. Jiro's earphone jacks hung limp like she'd overused them. Yaoyorozu's usually immaculate appearance was marred by dirt and what looked like dried blood—not hers, I hoped.
Kirishima's costume was torn beyond repair. He looked more like a homeless person than a hero in training.
"Physically? Yeah." Kirishima rubbed the back of his neck. "But man... today was something else."
"That's putting it lightly," Jiro muttered, arms crossed tight over her chest. "But yeah. Can't believe what we just went through."
"We were together, at least," Yaoyorozu added quietly. "That made it… easier."
"Easier than fighting alone," Ojiro muttered. "Some of those villains were no joke."
"Yeah. Until that thing showed up." Kirishima added. Instinctively, Jiro shivered slightly.
"That thing?"
"Yeah. It's ... Kinda complicated."
"Can we not?" Jiro cut in, "Some of us are still processing the fact that we almost died."
'Guess seeing someone actual die must have done a number on her.'
"What... what exactly happened out there?"
Silence stretched. Kirishima's jaw tightened. Yaoyorozu's gaze dropped to the floor. "It was bad," Kirishima finally said, voice uncharacteristically subdued. "Real bad. We got jumped when the attack started and got warped pretty far out—somewhere near the outskirts of the city. Then the villains showed up. There were so many of them—maybe thirty, forty villains? They cornered us in this courtyard. We tried to fight back, but..."
"... There were too many of them at once. For a moment, I thought we were goners. But then ..."
He recounted the entire story. And I listened to it anyway despite already hearing from Nezu and knowing what happened firsthand. Why? Because hearing their side of the story was essential. There was no doubt that today's events wouldn't simply end here.
To avoid any problems, getting a good grasp of what they understood would make sure I didn't unintentionally reveal any details that would leave me having to explain how I knew what they didn't.
Looking at you NEZU.
".... Thankfully, Yaoyorozu made a phone and called for help, or it would have taken the authorities forever to find and bring us back."
I nodded and surveyed the group.
"What about the others?"
"Tokoyami and Hagakure are out getting questioned alongside ..."
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN 'INSUFFICIENT DETAIL'?!" Came the roar of a pissed off blonde in a dynamite costume from a distance.
I turned to see Bakugo, yelling hysterically at the Pros trying to calm him down. His costume was still intact and he looked much better than the others.
".... Bakugo." Kirishima added rubbing his head. "He's been acting all wild since this whole thing started ... Well, more than usual. Authorities could barely get anything out of him."
"He's giving them quite an earful," Jiro said dryly. "I can't imagine he's taking this well." That was an understatement. Bakugo had been captured by a hero team during the exercise, then forcibly teleported into an actual villain attack, witnessed a massacre, and had to be rescued by authorities. For someone with his pride, that had to be eating him alive
And to think I was initially planning to add more salt to his wounds.
'Probably for the best that didn't happen. Might still do it though. Who knows.'
"How long have you all been back?" I asked.
"Maybe ten minutes?" Kirishima checked an imaginary watch.
"The pros brought us in through the east entrance, then immediately started separating us for questioning. We just finished giving our statements."
"All except Bakugo," Ojiro added quietly. "He's on his third interrogator." Another distant roar echoed through, followed by what sounded like an explosion being hastily suppressed.
"Make that his fourth," Momo uttered, her gaze shifting towards Ground Beta not too far away. Watching as smoke rose from certain parts of he facility, she took a deep breath. "Honestly, I never expected this to happen."
"I don't think any of us expected it."
"Yeah. An attack on U.A? Who in their right minds would do such a thing?"
"No sane adult, if you ask me." Kirishima uttered, then his eyes widened as if remembering something.
"Hey Ken. Is All Might ok?"
"Huh?"
"All Might. Midoriya told us he was injured and was taken to recovery girl's room. Is that really true?"
"Oh, yeah. Don't worry, he's fine though."
"I ... Alright."
"You ok?"
"Um, yeah. Just can't believe they managed to injure All Might to the point of needing a bed."
"Indeed." Yaoyorozu added. "It may have been crazy to invade U.A, but those guys certainly had a way to achieve their goals."
"Exactly. If even All Might couldn't make it out unscathed, makes me wonder what would have happened to us if that thing hadn't shown up."
I kept my expression neutral.
"Sounds like you got lucky. Whatever it was, it saved your lives."
"That's what I said!" Kirishima agreed, some energy returning to his voice. "Yeah, it was brutal, but those guys were about to kill us. If that thing hadn't ..." He shuddered. "I don't want to think about it."
"But it bothers you anyway," I observed.
"Yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I mean, I've seen hero fights on TV. Seen villains get beat up, arrested, taken away. But I've never seen someone actually... die. Not up close like that. Not so many at once."
"It was surreal," Ojiro said quietly. "One moment they were there, threatening us, and the next..." He made a gesture like something vanishing. "Gone. Just blood and bodies."
Jiro's jaw clenched. "Some of them were cut clean through. Others just... stopped. Like someone flipped a switch and they shut off."
The trauma in her voice was evident. She was trying to sound tough, analytical, but the crack in her facade showed through. "How are you holding up?" I asked her directly. She met my eyes, and for a moment I saw the fear underneath.
"Honestly? I'm not sure yet. Ask me tomorrow when it actually sinks in."
"That's fair."
"What about you?" Yaoyorozu asked, turning the question back on me. "We heard that you fought alongside All Might. That you helped him defeat his opponent."
"Midoriya?"
"Todoroki actually."
I blinked. That ... Actually checked out.
Kirishima explained. "He came by a few minutes before you did. He told us everything that happened."
'Of course he did.'
"It wasn't quite that dramatic," I said. "Part of my Quirk allows me to create weapons that nullify other quirks temporarily. All Might had some trouble doing any damage due to his opponent's quirk. I just had to get it in him. All Might did the actual fighting."
"Don't downplay it," Yaoyorozu said firmly. "Creating a quirk-nullifying weapon mid-combat and using it effectively against an opponent strong enough to match All Might? That's exceptional tactical thinking under pressure."
"I just did what needed to be done."
"That's what heroes do," Kirishima said with a tired smile. "Man, we really got thrown into the deep end on day two, huh?"
"Day two," Jiro repeated with a bitter laugh. "We haven't even finished our first week and we've already been in a real villain attack."
"Welcome to U.A.," Ojiro said dryly. Despite everything, a few of them managed weak smiles at that.
The door behind them opened, and Tokoyami emerged, Dark Shadow barely visible as a faint shimmer around his shoulders. His red eyes surveyed the group before settling on me."Ken," he acknowledged with a nod.
"Tokoyami. You okay?"
"Physically, yes. Mentally..." He paused, considering. "Processing. The darkness I witnessed today was... instructive."
"Instructive?" Jiro repeated incredulously.
"Dark Shadow and I are bound to shadow and darkness," Tokoyami explained. "What we encountered today was darkness given form and purpose. Lethal purpose, yes, but also protective. It's given me much to contemplate about the nature of our own power."
In the entire group, Tokoyami's report would probably be the most valuable. As his quirk, Dark shadow had gauged the intent of the entity that attacked them.
Full of radiating hostility to the villains and none at all to the students.
This would drive the authorities to classify this mystery entity as a vigilante with a darkness Quirk.
"That's a surprisingly philosophical take on watching people die," Jiro muttered.
"Death is part of the cycle," Tokoyami said simply. "Those villains came to kill. They were met with their own medicine. There's a certain... symmetry to that."
"Symmetry," Yaoyorozu repeated softly. "I suppose that's one way to frame it.
Down the hallway, Bakugo's voice rose again. "I ALREADY TOLD YOU WHAT HAPPENED! WHAT PART OF 'SHADOW BASTARD MURDERED EVERYONE' DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?!"
"He's handling this well," I observed dryly.
"I think watching helplessly while other people saved us really got under his skin."
"I've known the guy for a day and I can confidently say that everything gets under his skin," Jiro pointed out. "Yeah, but this is different. He actually looked... scared. For like, a second. Before the anger kicked back in."
"If you want to live, don't let him hear you say that."
"Another door opened, and Hagakure emerged—or rather, her floating uniform did. "That was intense. They asked me so many questions about what I saw—well, didn't see, since the shadow thing was basically invisible half the time anyway—"She stopped when she noticed me. "Oh! Ken! You're okay!"
"I'm fine. Glad to see you made it back safely."
"Barely! Those villains were seriously scary. But then that shadow thing showed up and just..." She made a whooshing sound. "Took care of everything. It was terrifying and amazing and I never want to see anything like it again."
"Mood," Jiro muttered.
"That's a hard goal to achieve while training to be heroes. This won't be the last time you see violence. Won't be the last time people die."
"You're right. We've gotta be tougher than this. More... manly." The word came out from Kirishima with less conviction than usual, but he was trying.
Hagakure's voice was small. "I've never seen anyone die before today."
The weight of that statement settled over the group.
"I have."
I said, much to their surprise.
"There was a murder at a store a few streets past my home. I saw it. Felt bad, even if I didn't see it directly. But..." I looked at each of them in turn. "But I'm here, and so are you. We're here, we're alive. And we have each other."
Feeling all eyes on me, I shrugged with a slight smile.
"And because of that, we all went up against actual villains on our second day of hero training, and came out unscathed. Sure it was a bit traumatizing for most of us, but that's not nothing." My attention was particularly on Jiro who seemed the most shaken up by everything that happened.
Knowing most of it was technically my fault, this was the least I could do to remedy the situation, clear my slightly guilty conscience, and score some favorable impression points.
All for the best price.
Free.
___
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