Toji stared at the ceiling of his room. It was the crack of dawn, but his mind was still caught in a tangle of thoughts that wouldn't leave him in peace. He sighed deeply, lazily got out of bed, grabbed his jacket from the back of the chair, and left the apartment. The cold street air greeted him with a gentle slap, clearing the knot in his chest a bit.
He walked aimlessly through the city, letting his feet guide him while his mind replayed one memory after another. Come to think of it, it was around this age that he had started contemplating the idea of leaving the Zenin clan to become a bounty hunter. The irony wasn't lost on him; a bitter smile crossed his face as he thought, "Seems like I'm still the same. Though now I don't have the excuse of being an outcast to my family."
A vending machine on a corner caught his attention. He stopped in front of it, rummaged through his jacket pocket, and pulled out some change. He stared at the options for a moment before making up his mind. Once the beer can dropped into the dispenser with a dull thud, he picked it up and, without overthinking it, popped it open.
It wasn't something he did often. In fact, he had never drunk alcohol in this life, not because he was underage, nor out of fear from when his mother almost castrated him the first time he even mentioned alcohol; he simply hadn't felt the need. But right now, it seemed... appropriate.
He took a sip and wrinkled his nose. The bitter taste was just as he remembered. Of course, even if he did get drunk, his body would flush out the alcohol in minutes. That was one of the many things he had been noticing lately: his body, even with the basic training he put it through, was improving faster than he remembered. "It's strange," he thought, taking another sip.
When he finished, he crushed the can in an automatic motion and tossed it into the bin next to the machine. He looked at the horizon for a moment, the city lights flickering like artificial stars. He whispered to himself, "I guess I'll keep up the farce."
He shrugged. After all, he had a family now, a life he was supposed to protect. But there was something about all of this that didn't add up. He closed his eyes, letting the silence of the night envelop him for a moment.
"I just want answers," he thought. "Whether all of this is how it's supposed to be... or if someone is playing a prank on me."
Without expecting to find any comfort, he shoved his hands into his pockets and kept walking toward the city.
Momo sat in front of her computer, surrounded by the glow of several open windows and tabs on her screens. She had been researching for hours, going over the terms Toji had mentioned again and again: cursed energy, heavenly restriction, sorcerers, curses. It all sounded like something straight out of a movie, but his tone when he spoke left no room for doubt that he was dead serious.
She had spent the entire night searching, digging through historical archives, reports, and even obscure forums and conspiracy theories about strange events around the year 2000. But she found nothing concrete. Just the usual: rumors, urban legends, and a bunch of sensationalist garbage.
In her notebook, she had barely managed to jot down a few scattered ideas, theories she debated whether they were even worth showing Toji. Most likely, he would consider them irrelevant, just as she did. Without more context or clues, moving forward seemed impossible.
She let out a long sigh and turned off the computer, her eyes strained from the screen's glare. She leaned her head back against the chair, staring at the ceiling. "I need to sleep," she murmured to herself, though she knew her mind wouldn't stop spinning around the mystery.
She closed her eyes, trying to ignore the urge to turn the computer back on and review everything one more time. There was something about all of this that didn't fit, something just out of her reach. But for now, the only thing she could do was try to rest, even if only a little.
Momo stood at the entrance of UA, waiting for Toji. She went over the notes in her notebook again and again, her mind full of questions and details she still couldn't fully grasp. The hours of research from the night before had left her exhausted, and the dark circles under her eyes, which she had tried to hide, confirmed it. She sighed and closed the notebook with a weary gesture, deciding she couldn't do much more for now.
In the distance, she saw Toji approaching, and for a split second, a smile graced her face. But it quickly vanished when she noticed something off about his expression. Toji looked... lost, as if his mind were somewhere else entirely.
When he reached her, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow upon seeing her. "What's with the dark circles? A new fashion trend?" he asked jokingly.
Momo was caught off guard by the observation and quickly tried to play it down. "H-how... how do you know?" On an impulse, she began applying makeup over the dark circles so they wouldn't be so noticeable. But her nervousness only spiked with Toji's question.
"I spent all night looking for information on what you told me, but I barely found anything. Can you be more specific? What exactly do you want me to look for?" she said, trying to take control of the situation.
Toji looked at her as if she were the most naive person in the world, showing a total lack of sympathy. "Didn't it cross your mind that searching the internet would be the very first thing I'd do?" he said, as if it were the most obvious answer in the world.
Momo blinked, feeling her nervousness make her act clumsily. "Well..." she muttered, laughing nervously. She felt a bit foolish for not considering that sooner.
"You guessed right," Toji continued with an ironic smile. "I barely searched for anything, but I highly doubt there's anything relevant there. If you insist, I'll tell you more later, but for now..."
Momo looked at him, noticing something strange about his demeanor. It was the first time she had seen him look so... different. "Toji-kun..." she said softly, unable to help herself. "Are you okay?"
Toji looked at her for a moment, his eyes widening slightly as if he had been snapped out of a daze. "Yeah... I'm fine," he replied, crossing the UA gates with a distant attitude.
However, what he didn't expect was that, upon crossing, they would run into a horde of reporters. They quickly surrounded him, cameras flashing and microphones thrusting toward his face. Toji's eyes narrowed, but he showed no signs of discomfort.
"Student, what do you think of All Might as your new teacher?" a reporter asked, extending a microphone toward him, hunting for a juicy soundbite.
Toji raised an eyebrow, his gaze remaining somewhat detached. He genuinely didn't care about any of it. However, he knew he had to answer somehow, or they wouldn't leave him alone.
"He's... a hero, right?" he said, his voice flat, almost as if he were talking about a complete stranger. "I don't really care. I'm only here out of obligation. It has nothing to do with him."
The reporter seemed a bit taken aback by the lack of enthusiasm. "But... what about the idea of being taught by someone like All Might? He's the number one hero..."
Toji stared at him for a second, as if he were about to give a profound answer. Instead, he let out a short, mocking, humorless chuckle. "I'm not here to admire heroes. I've already seen enough of that kind of stuff. So, get out of my way," he warned, putting some weight behind his final words.
Another reporter tried to follow up with a similar question, ignoring his clear reluctance, but Toji was already tired of talking. It was obvious he had no interest in giving them what they wanted to hear. With a sigh, he turned slightly, looking down at the reporters with disdain, as if brushing them aside. "You know what? Ask All Might."
Finally, without waiting for more questions, he started walking toward the UA building, never stopping for a single second. The reporters were left behind, unable to do anything but record his indifference.