The parking lot of the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall was relatively quiet when a black car navigated through the spaces until it stopped in a free one, more towards the back.
The door opened first from the rear.
Ryo stepped out, adjusting his backpack, tapped his foot twice on the ground to settle his red Crocs, and stretched slightly.
Soon after, Kobayashi got out from the passenger seat almost leaping out.
"Wow, it's been forever since I came to a mall!" she said excitedly, stretching her arms. "Senpai, maybe we could walk around a bit later, right?"
Sakamoto got out from the driver's side, closing the door calmly.
"We're not here to hang out," he replied seriously. "We have work to do."
Kobayashi's excitement deflated instantly, her shoulders slumping.
"...Okay."
Sakamoto shook his head in mild disapproval, then turned to Ryo, who was still adjusting his backpack and giving little taps with the heels of his Crocs.
He arched an eyebrow.
"You still wear those?"
Ryo turned, looked down at his own feet, and shrugged.
"Yeah. They're comfortable."
Sakamoto sighed.
"You need to develop a bit more of a fashion sense."
"Hey, don't be like that," Kobayashi chimed in. "He doesn't look that bad. He's actually kinda cute... in a silly way."
"Even so—"
"Weren't you the one who gave me these Crocs?" Ryo interrupted, raising an eyebrow.
Sakamoto froze.
"...Huh?"
Kobayashi slowly turned to her senior, her eyes wide.
"Wait, you were the one who gave them to him?!" she said, surprised. "I didn't expect you to be the type to give gifts, Senpai!"
"It wasn't a gift," Sakamoto replied quickly, clearing his throat. "He needed them."
"It was," Ryo corrected. "He gave them to me as a birthday present last year."
Kobayashi was silent for a second... and then burst out laughing.
"BIRTHDAY CROCS?!" she laughed loudly. "I can't believe it!"
"I didn't have many options at the time!" Sakamoto retorted, clearly embarrassed.
Ryo smirked and took two steps forward, straightening his posture and deepening his voice, imitating the man.
"Ryo... I hope you appreciate something simple. It's nothing much."
He extended his hands in an exaggeratedly formal manner, as if presenting a precious item.
Kobayashi almost doubled over laughing.
"That is so like him!" she said between laughs.
Sakamoto brought a hand to his face, sighing deeply.
"You two are just messing with me..."
But when he looked up again, he saw Ryo laughing and smiling. And, without realizing it, Sakamoto smiled too.
A few seconds later, Ryo took a step back.
"Well... I'm going to meet my friends now."
"Be back by six-thirty," Sakamoto immediately reminded him.
"Got it."
Ryo was already walking away when—
"Ryo."
He stopped and turned around once more.
Sakamoto hesitated for a brief moment.
"Be honest..." he said. "Did you... like the present?"
Ryo blinked, surprised.
For a moment, he remembered the feeling of that birthday. Of receiving a present... from someone, after so long.
He smiled.
"I liked it a lot."
Sakamoto simply nodded in silence.
With that, Ryo headed into the mall, while his two guardians watched him walk away in silence.
One too serious to admit, and the other too excitable to hide, that looking after that boy meant more than just a job to them.
Some time later...
Kobayashi paced in short circles near the car, clearly restless, while Sakamoto remained leaning against the vehicle, arms crossed and gaze watchful of their surroundings.
"Senpaaai…" she began, drawing out the word. "We could just take a quick little peek inside the mall."
"No," he replied without even turning his head.
"But think about it!" she insisted, taking a step forward. "Ryo's already inside. If we stay out here, we can't see anything. Inside, we can keep watch from a distance, still do our job… and it's even safer."
Sakamoto closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath.
"Kobayashi—"
"I promise I won't get distracted!" she said too quickly. "Okay, maybe just a little. But it's for the mission, I swear!"
There were a few seconds of silence.
"…Five minutes," he conceded. "And you stay in line."
Kobayashi's eyes sparkled.
"Okay!!"
The mall's central plaza was crowded, noisy, and lively. People laughed, children ran, shopping bags went back and forth. Kobayashi looked around with genuine curiosity.
"Wow, look at that store!" she commented. "And that one over there too!"
"Don't get excited," Sakamoto replied. "Focus."
"Okay~" she said, clearly not focused.
They walked past a few stores, or rather… they stopped at several. Kobayashi always found something "just to look at." The fifth stop was at an ice cream shop.
"Just this one, senpai!" she said, already analyzing the flavors. "Dark chocolate… pistachio… vanilla… which one would you pick, senpai?"
"Pistachio. Now choose already," he urged, already looking back over his shoulder.
"Right, right. It's rude to rush a woman, you know?"
Sakamoto ignored her, his gaze sweeping through the crowd until it locked onto a target.
In the center of the flow of people, a man in a dark coat, hood pulled low, face hidden.
Sakamoto frowned.
"Kobayashi—"
"I know, I know…" she replied distractedly. "Just a few more seconds!"
"Not that. There's a guy—"
He looked back again.
The man was gone.
"…He's gone."
Sakamoto's eyes scanned the plaza, alert, his body already on guard.
"Kobayashi," he called again.
But she was still choosing.
He hesitated for a second… and decided to act alone.
Sakamoto moved away, stepping into the crowd, his eyes searching for any trace of the hooded figure. People passed by, bumping into him and complainin. Then he saw it—further ahead—a hooded figure, walking slowly towards the center of the plaza.
And right there, just ahead… were Ryo and his friends.
Laughing and having fun, but completely oblivious.
Sakamoto's face hardened.
He quickened his pace, his hand instinctively going to the gun under his jacket. When he got close enough, he grabbed the man by the shoulder and spun him around forcefully.
"Hey—"
But he was met with a man with a blue dog's face, startled, eyes wide.
"W-What the hell?!" the man complained. "Are you crazy?!"
Sakamoto immediately let go.
"Sorry. My mistake."
"That wasn't cool at all," the dog-man grumbled before walking away.
Sakamoto stood still in the middle of the crowd for a few seconds, confused.
"…Must be seeing things," he muttered.
He looked again at Ryo in the distance, being practically dragged along by his friends.
It drew a small laugh from him.
Sakamoto turned and started walking back towards the ice cream shop, near the mall entrance.
"I guess I need to relax more…"
He stopped for a moment and reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a photo of his daughter. She was smiling brightly, in contrast to the cold hospital environment in the background.
And three days after that sweet smile… she was gone.
"Enjoy it, kid…" he murmured. "Happiness doesn't last as long as we imagine."
"Like I always told my daughter… Always be strong."
He starts walking again—
"So you know him…"
The voice sounded right behind him.
Sakamoto's body reacted before his mind. He tried to turn—
But a hand covered his face.
And everything went dark.
----------------------------------------
After the incident, the police were called almost immediately, and the Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall ended up being temporarily closed.
Caution tape, sirens, overlapping voices. Still, none of that could erase the image of Ryo crying from the class mind.
Despite the combined efforts of the police and heroes, Shigaraki was never found.
Meanwhile, at the League of Villains' hideout, the atmosphere was completely different.
The bar door swung open forcefully, and Shigaraki almost bounced into the place, a wide, disturbing grin plastered on his face. Kurogiri flinched, the white cloth he was using to wipe a glass nearly slipping from his grasp.
"Tomura…?" he called, surprised.
Giran, leaning against the counter with a glass in hand, watched the scene with interest. Noticing Shigaraki's macabre smile, he cracked a crooked grin of his own.
"Well, well…" he commented. "Looks like someone's mood improved overnight. Was the air outside really that good?"
Shigaraki slowly turned his head towards him.
"Good…?" he repeated, his voice vibrating.
Then he laughed.
"It wasn't good… it was amazing!"
He turned abruptly towards the sofas, where Dabi was lounging lazily and Toga was swinging her feet, bored.
Shigaraki pointed at the two.
"Hey… You still wanna join the League?"
Toga grinned widely, her eyes sparkling.
"Of course~!" she said, almost singing.
Dabi raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe."
Shigaraki spread his arms.
"Then you better take the opportunity now," he replied. "Because I'm in a very good mood."
Later that day, Ryo was taken to the police station to give a statement.
The room was simple and cold.
One table, two chairs, light that was too white.
Detective Tsukauchi arranged the documents carefully, flipping through them one last time before lightly tapping the stack on the table.
"That's all for now," he said in a calm voice. "Thank you for your cooperation, you're free to go."
Ryo didn't respond.
His empty gaze remained fixed on some undefined point ahead.
Tsukauchi noticed this and let out a soft sigh.
"My condolences for your loss," he said sincerely. "I know it's hard… but with time, the pain lessens. The people who leave us keep living in the memories they leave behind. Moving on isn't forgetting; it's carrying them forward—"
"Thank you for your words." Ryo's voice came out low, hoarse.
He stood up before the detective could continue, walking to the door and leaving the room.
Outside, night had already taken hold of the city. The parking lot was illuminated only by streetlights, which cast long shadows on the asphalt.
Several men in suits, reinforcements dispatched by the government, were waiting for him beside a black car.
As Ryo approached, one of them opened the rear door.
"This way, please."
He got in without a word.
The car drove off.
Two other vehicles followed close behind, in an escort formation, heading towards U.A.
Ryo rested his forehead against the car window, watching the city go by. The lights, once so vibrant, now seemed dim, distant, almost unreal.
He lowered his gaze.
His hands rested open on his lap.
Then his eyes were drawn to the bright red of his Crocs.
The contrast was cruel.
The tears came without warning, falling one by one onto his hands. He clenched them tightly, his fingers trembling with the pure rage he felt in the silence of the moving car.
----------------------------------------
The next morning, Class 1-A was quiet.
It wasn't the lazy silence before class, nor the typical morning disinterest. It was a heavy, dense silence that seemed to spread between the desks.
The previous day's incident was still fresh in some minds… and for others, it had arrived hours later, via television.
Dash slowly turned his head to the empty desk on his left.
"…Takeda…" he murmured, almost voiceless.
After that, he went back to staring ahead, with the same dejected look many there carried — especially those who had witnessed everything up close.
The classroom door opened.
Aizawa entered as usual, his bag slung over his shoulder, his gaze tired.
"Good morning."
"Good morning…" the class responded in unison, but with no energy whatsoever.
Aizawa sighed.
"Yeah…" he murmured. "It seems yesterday's incident really shook you up."
His gaze swept across the room until it inevitably stopped on the empty desk in the back.
"Takeda isn't here today," he said. "As I suspected."
He lightly tapped the papers on the podium.
"To a certain extent, that's good. He needs time to process everything." He made a brief pause. "He was the most affected by what happened."
Kirishima made a discreet grimace, remembering the scene of Ryo crying, his body trembling on his knees on the ground.
Aizawa continued:
"What happened made one thing clear: they are in the villains' crosshairs." His tone became more serious. "Because of this, the original plans for the camp were canceled last minute."
The room reacted immediately.
"What?!" several voices echoed.
Midoriya raised his hand, distressed.
"Does that mean… we're not going to the Training Camp anymore?"
"No," replied Aizawa. "You are still going."
The relief was short-lived.
"What was canceled were the planned accommodations," he added. "The new location has already been decided, but it will not be revealed until the day of the trip."
The low buzz returned, nervous.
After that, classes proceeded as normal, at least on paper.
The atmosphere remained heavy.
Midoriya tried to focus on his notebook, following the explanation, when something caught his attention.
His pen rolled on its own across the desk.
He frowned.
The pen moved again. A subtle tremor.
Midoriya blinked, confused.
He didn't feel anything shaking, but something was definitely wrong.
Meanwhile, in the basement of U.A.
In the anti-radiation containment chamber.
THUD!
THUD!
THUD!
Heavy blows echoed against the reinforced walls, accompanied by dry booms.
Ryo punched the wall in front of him.
The surface was already covered in web-like cracks, a massive crater marked on the special concrete.
Each punch made the air shudder.
"Hngh…!"
The first impact came with a black flash.
The second one too.
The third.
The fourth.
One after the other.
Five.
Six.
Seven.
Eight.
Eight punches — each one exploding in distorted black flashes, the energy tearing the space around his fist.
Then came the ninth.
THUD!
But no flash came.
On the other side of the reinforced glass, Anan watched everything in silence. Her expression was unmistakably sorrowful. She had tried to speak to him earlier, tried to console him, tried to say a few words of support.
Ryo had even thanked her, even smiled… but she knew that smile wasn't real.
He hid the pain he was feeling all too well. And the hatred.
Anan clenched her fists. She wanted to do something, wanted to go in, say something more… but she knew that pushing now would only make things worse. So she decided to give him space. It was the best she could do at that moment.
Ryo punched the wall again.
The first punch in this new sequence produced a black flash.
The second did too.
On the third, the flash emerged weakly.
On the fourth, nothing.
His fist remained embedded in the wall.
Ryo stood there, motionless, breathing heavily, his chest rising and falling irregularly. Sweat streamed down his face, dripping onto the floor.
"…Don't stop now…" he muttered through clenched teeth.
His voice trembled.
"Keep going…" he said to himself. "You have to keep going."
He clenched his fist tightly.
ᶫᵉᵗ ᵍᵒ
"I have…"
ᶫLͤeͭtᵍ ͦgo
"I have to keep going…"
ᶫEͤvͭeᵍrͦything
The voices in his head, which had remained silent until now, began to surface once more. He felt hands emerge from his back, enveloping him and gripping him tightly, as if trying to drag him back into the darkness that was once again overtaking his consciousness.
Lͤeͮtͤ ͬgʸoͭoͪᶦⁿᵍ
Lˡeͤtͤ ͮgͭoͤ fͬoᵍrʸ ͦeͭvͦeͪrᶦyⁿtᵍhing
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Stone Goals:
̶5̶0̶0̶ ̶P̶S̶ – Complete
1500 PS – Not Complete
3000 PS – Not Complete