With the Hero Killer incident wrapped up, Tsutsumi still had about three days left on his one-week internship. However…
"I don't think your friend is as nice as everyone says she is," Tsutsumi remarked, side-eyeing Mirko.
"Yeah, well, she's got a stick up her ass. Doesn't take kindly to me letting you run wild with your quirk." Mirko shrugged.
The two of them were currently sitting in a holding cell inside Hollow Operations Hero Agency Section 6.
"And do you need me to remind you why letting Nagant's kid fight the Hero Killer alone is not only reckless but downright idiotic?" A sharp voice cut in. Miyabi's booted heels clicked against the marble floor as she approached.
Black leggings, long combat skirt, a crisp white shirt under a turquoise haori, high-tech katana at her hip. Her crimson glare locked onto Mirko, her tall fox ears twitching slightly as her long black hair flowed behind her.
Mirko actually flinched at the glare, though she covered it quickly. "Oh, c'mon, Miyabi, the kid can handled himself."
"Even so, it was dangerous and irresponsible," Miyabi pressed. She held up her phone, playing back Tsutsumi's 'battle' with Stain, though most of the footage was just him beating the hell out of Ida.
"Tch. I knew you were irresponsible." Tsutsumi clicked his tongue and turned to Mirko, arms crossed. The angle of the footage made it obvious: Mirko had filmed it from above.
"I would've helped if you'd spent more time fighting Stain and less time punting your classmate across the alley," Mirko shot back, refusing to let him have the last word.
"Then why didn't you? Glasses never stood a chance if both of us jumped him," Tsutsumi deadpanned.
Mirko: "…"
Miyabi: "…"
You can even say that with a straight face. Are you even human?
"Anyway, since I'm just a minor, I'll let the adults deal with the paperwork." Tsutsumi slid a card into his belt.
Attack Ride: Invisible!
His body vanished instantly. Miyabi's fox ears twitched, then in one smooth motion she drew her sword and hurled it at the exit. The blade embedded itself in the wall, inches from Tsutsumi's reappearing form.
"How the hell did you see me?" he asked, genuinely surprised.
"My Quirk, Fox Spirit. It let me see and interact with spirits to some extent." Her tone was calm, but her answer clearly caught Tsutsumi's interest.
So even with Invisible, she could still see him.
"…Interesting," he murmured, before cutting straight to the point. "So, what do you want?"
"I've heard plenty about you, how much of a rule-breaker you are. But from the footage, I also saw someone with a sharper understanding of heroism than most kids your age. Still…" She stepped closer, her heels clicking against the marble. "You're impulsive. Too impulsive."
Stopping right in front of him, her crimson gaze bore down. "Your time with Mirko indeed helped you understand about hero works, but you still lack discipline. Work under me, and I'll reform that reckless behavior. Hero work is more than just simply fighting villains. We don't need another Mirko."
Mirko: "HEY!!"
"Impulsive, huh? Sure, let's go with that." Tsutsumi didn't even try to deny it.
"You didn't argue. At least you've got some self-awareness," Miyabi muttered. She nodded, satisfied. "Then it's settled. Your last three days of internship will be with me."
Mirko opened her mouth to protest, but Tsutsumi cut her off: "Sure."
Mirko: "TRAITOR!"
Miyabi inclined her head. "Nice to meet you. I'm Hoshimi Miyabi, Pro Hero, and the Chief of Hollow Operations, a department that worked closely with the Police. Hero name: Miyabi."
"Tsutsumi Ryoko. U.A first-year. Code name: Decade." He gave a curt nod before asking bluntly, "Before we start… do you know anything about my mother? Where she is?"
For a moment, Miyabi's eyes widened. She shook her head slightly. "Nagant and I worked together several times, but one day she vanished. I filed a report with the Hero Public Safety Commission, but it was ignored."
"Ignored?"Tsutsumi and Mirko asked in unison.
"My request's been sitting for years. But the only response is that the information is classified. So I couldn't get any information on her status and whereabouts." Miyabi replied.
Tsutsumi's face darkened, his chest tightening before he forced a steady breath.
"Come," Miyabi said softly. "The training ground is large enough. A quick spar will help you release some steam… and give me a chance to evaluate your abilities outside of reports."
She thinks that Tsutsumi being able to work so well with Mirko is because he is also a battle junky like her.
Tsutsumi: "?"
She added, "And I want to see for myself how you fight."
Miyabi retrieved her sword and walked toward the training ground. Tsutsumi sighed, dragging himself after her. He glanced at Mirko, who casually slipped out of the unlocked cell.
"No wonder you're friends with her," he muttered.
Mirko: "???"
Sure, they had studied and graduated in the same class at U.A., but Mirko never considered Miyabi a 'friend.' To her, Miyabi was always the strict class president who made her life hell. Still… Mirko respected her. The number of times Miyabi had pulled her out of trouble was too high to count.
Now, Tsutsumi stood face-to-face with Miyabi while Mirko leaned against the wall, arms crossed, watching.
"Shall we begin?" Miyabi asked, her hand resting on the scabbard of her sword.
"Let's get this over with." Tsutsumi held up a card with a very familiar image on it. "Henshin."
Form Ride: Mirko!
A flash of light covered him, and when it faded, another Mirko stood in the room, belt and all. Neither Pro Hero looked surprised; after all, they'd already seen him turn into Bakugo during the Sports Festival.
Stretching his legs, Tsutsumi lunged forward. His kick clashed against Miyabi's scabbard, the metal ringing sharply. In the same motion she drew her blade, releasing a streak of blue spirit energy.
Tsutsumi darted aside, narrowly avoiding the slash. Another one followed, forcing him into a weaving sprint before he flipped forward, his dropkick aimed straight at her.
Miyabi slid back, the kick smashing into the floor instead. She reset her stance, only for Tsutsumi to rush toward her, closing the distance, his elbow slamming toward her gut. The sudden switch from Mirko's trademark kicks to an upper-body strike threw her off. He grabbed her wrist and yanked her forward, fist cocked to smash into her face.
But Miyabi twisted her scabbard, drew her blade upward, and slashed. The impact sent Tsutsumi tumbling across the floor, light breaking apart as he reverted to himself.
Only then did Miyabi catch herself. For that brief clash, she hadn't seen a boy, she'd seen Mirko. Her expression softened before she stopped herself from rushing to him. Tsutsumi stood up without a scratch.
"Sorry. For a second, I mistook you for Mirko," she admitted.
"Understandable." Tsutsumi reached for another card.
Even at his age, he could mimic Mirko's style so well that the only giveaway was the belt. Worse, he added his own twists, an unexpected elbow strike followed by a grapple Mirko herself never used. Against someone who only prepared for Mirko's signature kicks, he could've ended the fight then and there.
For someone so young, yet he could mimic a Pro to that point is truly impressive.
Her impression of him rose.
Mirko tapped her foot impatiently, itching to jump in. "Didn't I tell you, rabbits fight with their legs? That's what works best."
"True. But your body's still human. Even a weaker strike with your arms can catch someone off guard." Tsutsumi smirked and turned back to Miyabi. "Let's continue."
He slid in another card. "Henshin!"
Form Ride: Miyabi!
Another flash, and Tsutsumi now stood as Miyabi herself, down to the last detail.
Miyabi blinked, her composure faltering for just a moment. "Your ability… only copies the outer's appearance, right? Or does it copy even more?" Miyabi asks carefully, uncomfortable seeing her own face being used by a teenage boy. From her face down to the details of her dress.
"Right, forgot not everyone is comfortable with me taking their full appearance." Tsutsumi dismissed the form, returning to normal, which was enough of an answer.
When he transforms into someone else, he doesn't have just their appearance but also their equipment, ability, combat style, and the clothes they wear at the same time.
"This should be more appropriate." Tsutsumi slid in another card.
Attack Ride: Fox Spirit!
His human ears vanished, replaced by two large fox ears on top of his head, looking identical to Miyabi's, but with purple furs matching his hair color, with the tips and inner furs being magenta.
For the first time, Miyabi's calm broke. Her heart skipped, her crimson eyes widening. For a split second, looking at him felt like looking at… family. Memories of her mother, the one who once shielded her as a child at the cost of her own life, threatened to resurface.
"Let's continue." Tsutsumi's tone snapped her out of it. He drew his Rider Book in sword mode and swung, sending a magenta slash of spirit energy.
Miyabi countered instantly, her blade unleashing a blue arc. The two slashes collided midair, scattering embers of blue and magenta.
They traded strike after strike, spirit energy clashing until the training room glowed with sparks. Just as Tsutsumi prepared to close the distance, Miyabi suddenly sheathed her blade and raised a hand.
"That's enough. I'm satisfied." Her smile returned as she walked toward him.
He just looked too much like her child if she had one, so Miyabi couldn't bring herself to directly clash blades with him.
Tsutsumi dismissed his Rider Book, his fox ears fading as he returned to normal. A flicker of sadness crossed Miyabi's face before she hid it again.
"One question," she said. "Using my Quirk… does it cost you anything? Energy, calories?"
"Not really," Tsutsumi replied with a shrug.
"I see. Then while you're here, keep using it. Even if only for appearances."
Tsutsumi: "?"
He didn't get the reasoning, but it wasn't outrageous. Besides, Miyabi clearly knew more about his mother than Mirko did. That alone was enough for him to comply.
"Oi! What about me? You just hijacked my sidekick!" Mirko barked, marching up.
"You can go back outside and play with the local thugs," Miyabi said coolly, waving her off. "I'll be guiding Tsutsumi properly."
Her crimson gaze flicked back toward him.
Mirko: "!!?"
For the rest of the internship, Tsutsumi stayed at Hollow Operations Hero Agency Section 6. Miyabi tried drilling him in proper rules and procedures, only to quickly realize that Tsutsumi wasn't the type to follow them blindly. He would obey when it suited him, but if bending or breaking the rules gave him an advantage, he didn't hesitate.
It gave her more than a few headaches, but at least he wasn't doing it out of malice or anything that directly broke any major laws.
Still, she persisted, teaching him about law enforcement protocols, what a hero could and couldn't do. To her, a hero's purpose wasn't all that different from a policeman's: keeping the peace.
Hollow Operations itself specialized in working closely with the police to dismantle criminal and villain gangs across Japan.
For Tsutsumi, having a proper Hero Agency this time meant he could actually sleep in a real room at night. Yet, he couldn't help but think of Miyu, waiting at home with his future self. It was the only reason he'd been able to focus on the internship at all, because he knew the moment it ended, he'd return to the exact time it began and be there for her.
When both the past and future him existed in one timeline, the past him only had a guess of what the future him would do, and by following the clues the future him left behind, the past him would follow and also leave a trail of clues, creating a timeloop.
And it had to stay that way. If past and future Tsutsumi ever stood face-to-face, the meeting would fracture into a new branch of reality, an alternate future. One where the past Tsutsumi, altered by the encounter, would walk a different path, while the future Tsutsumi who returned would simply cease to exist once the timeline corrected itself.