Aizawa: "Alright… mind explaining to me why it wasn't you last night?"
Ryujin: "…"
Aizawa: "Take a look at today's headline: 'UA's Mad Student Who Took Down the Hero Killer Without Mercy—To the Point He Nearly Looked Like a Villain Himself.'"
Ryujin: "…"
Aizawa: "And there's even a nickname… 'MAD MAN.' What do you think?"
Ryujin: "Honestly, maybe it wasn't me at all, sir. Could've been a villain disguising himself as me… That night, I just… went to take a dump."
Before he could even finish, Aizawa's scarf wrapped around his neck, and Ryujin swore he saw a light at the end of the tunnel for a split second.
One day after the Hero Killer's arrest, Ryujin had become the country's newest superstar—like he'd just won the lottery. The media covered him non-stop, but the images shown made him look far more like a villain than a hero. Not a single photo made him look cool.
But what caught his attention… was the news about The Thumb.
There wasn't a single channel that reported it.
That alone told him his orders had been carried out flawlessly.
At UA, Principal Nezu was chuckling like a kid who'd just gotten a new toy—his school's public image skyrocketing thanks to one of his students. Aizawa, however, still saw Ryujin as a wild monkey living in his house.
Now, Ryujin was at the hospital following the events of last night. Midoriya, Iida, and Todoroki were recovering in rooms along the hallway. Before long, Aizawa had dragged him in for questioning. Ryujin now sat in a dogeza pose before a homeless-looking man holding a wooden plank, ready to smack him.
Even the nurses and doctors passing by gave him encouraging smiles, as if saying "Hang in there, okay?"
"Thanks a lot, everyone," he muttered.
Suddenly, Aizawa crouched down and pulled Ryujin into a tight hug. It caught him completely off guard, and he hesitantly hugged back in confusion.
Aizawa sighed: "You stupid kid… thank God you're alright. Don't ever pull something that reckless again, got it? I nearly had a heart attack!"
Ryujin, pretending to tear up: "Never thought a homeless guy would have feelings for me… I'm actually touched—"
Before he could finish, the scarf smacked him again.
And that, really, was the normal state of their relationship.
Ryujin preferred provoking people to having a normal conversation anyway.
Aizawa: "Anyway… thanks for helping your classmates. I'll be giving Iida some very strict punishment."
Ryujin: "But… sensei, if you knew Iida was going after Stain, why didn't you stop him?"
He asked with genuine curiosity—surely there had been warning signs earlier.
Aizawa sighed and sat down on the bench. Ryujin followed and took a seat beside him.
Aizawa: "Honestly… I expected more from him. What happened last night is my fault as a teacher. I thought Iida would have the sense not to do something that reckless."
He sighed again, the kind of heavy sigh that felt like it carried the weight of the whole universe.
Aizawa: "Three of my students nearly died. I might not forgive your performance last night so easily… but I will never punish a student who saved their friends. You did well, Ryujin. I'm proud of you."
As they spoke, the sound of a camera shutter clicked. Both turned their heads to find Ms. Emi—better known as "Joke"—snapping a photo.
In seconds, Aizawa's scarf shot forward and wrapped her up like a cocoon.
Joke: "Aaaah! Let me go, Shota!!"
Aizawa: "Emi! Delete. The. Picture!"
Emi: "Nooo—! Aaaah!!!"
Ryujin stood off to the side, then quietly backed away, leaving the two teachers to… flirt or whatever it was they were doing.
He headed for the recovery room where Midoriya, Iida, and Todoroki were resting.
Midoriya was barely conscious, Todoroki looked lost in thought, and Iida… well, his condition deserved a thumbs-up for sheer endurance.
Todoroki: "I can't believe you stood your ground that long… Stain's killing intent was so strong, even I froze."
Midoriya: "Yeah… didn't you feel anything at all?"
Ryujin was peeling an apple, set the knife down, and looked out the window before replying in a calm tone.
Ryujin: "I don't know. Maybe… if you've faced something worse, you stop fearing things like that."
Ryujin: "But if that level of fear is enough to break you, then you should stop being a hero. A hero's job is to stand at the front against evil— not to collapse from the mere presence of a killer."
He gave a faint smirk just as the door swung open, revealing a man stepping in wearing a prototype Exo Suit—his face identical to Iida's.
Ryujin's smile widened instantly at the sight. The suit, designed by The Thumb's engineering team in collaboration with his own support department, was working perfectly. They had begun expanding their market to heroes with disabilities or to those who simply wished to return to a normal life.
A girl from U.A.'s Support Course—once a standout in the Sports Festival—was now working for The Thumb after receiving an irresistible offer: a guaranteed position upon graduation and unlimited funding. She was currently tasked with perfecting the Exo Suit.
It seemed Ryujin's mission was far from over… in fact, this might just be the beginning.
He glanced to the side with mild curiosity, wondering if there was any more drama for him to sit back and watch.
Iida: "Big brother!? What are you doing here!? And you can walk again!?"
Without a word, Iida's brother simply reached out and smacked him on the head to knock some sense into him. Ryujin watched with an amused grin.
Tensei: "You idiot! Why did you go after the Hero Killer!? Do you have any idea I nearly died because of that man!? And what could you have done? You're just an ordinary U.A. student!"
He shouted in frustration, and within minutes, the two were in tears, crying openly without a care for who was watching. The scene turned into a light drama almost instantly. Tensei explained that he'd been given a prototype unit, allowing him to temporarily return to hero work until its battery ran out and needed recharging.
Tears streaming down his face, he pulled his younger brother into a tight hug, as if terrified they might never see each other again.
It was then that Iida declared—right in front of Ryujin—that he would strive with everything he had to become a hero greater than his brother. Because he was Tenya! A hero who would surpass Ingenium! (Name chosen entirely on his own.)
Ryujin quietly looked up at the sky, his thoughts drifting back over the events of the past twelve hours.
From a routine patrol… to fighting Nomu and the Hero Killer… to making headlines across the nation… and finally to witnessing this touching scene between brothers.
It stirred memories of his own past—memories he didn't want to recall. Because every time he did, the pain was unbearable. Too much for him to handle.
He sighed before heading back to Ketsubutsu Academy for the final day of his internship.
After sitting through two whole hours of Momo's lecture on the importance of attentiveness in a relationship—and another fifteen minutes of Mina's muttered complaints, followed by an enormous snack request—Ryujin unwillingly accepted his fate. He tried to argue, tried to make excuses, but in the end, he lost completely, as if "indulging women" was simply the natural order for a man of honor.
They had given him only two rules since the start of their relationship:
Rule #1: She is always right.Rule #2: If you don't understand Rule #1… go back and read Rule #1 again.
Ryujin let out a sigh before playing a video that had gone viral across the internet.It was a clip of him saying something in front of the public…
He couldn't even remember exactly what he had said. Whoever took the video must have recorded it secretly from the side. All he had done was shrug and speak without much thought."I just said whatever came to mind," he thought."At least… I do look cool in the video."
Strangely, the government hadn't taken the video down. In fact, some comments were calling Ryujin their "Night Hero," saying he made them feel safer. A few people thought he was a bit too ruthless—but they were clearly a small minority whose voices carried little weight.
Most agreed with him—that heroes shouldn't be bound solely by rules and regulations, but should do whatever it takes to protect people, even if it meant using extreme measures.An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth… as someone once said.
Ryujin: "Thank you for the lesson, Sensei."
He bowed to Ms. Emi at the school gate. She gave him a wide grin and patted him on the head like a dog.
Emi: "Don't mention it, kid! Interning with one of Shota's students was a blast! Oh, oh—look, I even took a selfie with him yesterday!"
She held out her phone. The picture showed her beaming while Eraser Head stood next to her with his usual stone-faced scowl, which made Ryujin chuckle involuntarily.
Emi: "Take care of yourself, Ryujin. After last night's little 'show,' people are going to be keeping an eye on you. I'm sure the government will start moving soon. Trust me—you have what it takes to become a great hero!"
Ryujin: "Thank you, Sensei."
Emi: "See you around, Ryujin! Text me anytime you're free—I'm always free for Shota's favorite student!"
Favorite student? Me?Ryujin let out a small laugh before waving goodbye. He slipped on his earphones, boarded the bus home, and felt the weight of countless eyes on him. Some people pointed, some smiled, others whispered among themselves.
He didn't say a word back. He didn't need to. Everyone already knew who he was… and that he would protect them—no matter what it took.
What he didn't know… was that just a few seats away, a messy-haired blonde girl was quietly giggling, watching him intently… as if she wanted to make him hers.
After his internship ended, Ryujin walked into his classroom.
The chatter died instantly as his classmates turned to stare. He strode in carrying a bouquet of flowers, placed it gently on the podium, brushed off a stray petal to neaten it up, and chuckled to himself.
Looking up, he saw the confusion on everyone's faces and gave them a mischievous grin, as if he was definitely plotting something.
Ryujin: "Don't worry about this… trust me."
Mina: "Ryo! Over here! You have to see this!"
She shouted, dragging him over to someone's desk.
The moment he saw what she meant, Ryujin burst out laughing.
Sitting there was… something that looked like a hedgehog turned human—its hair meticulously styled in a way that was completely out of character.
Kirishima and Sero were barely holding back their laughter, while Midoriya had a hand over his mouth, desperately trying not to snort.
Bakugo: "You idiots… If you laugh, I'll blow your faces off!"
Kaminari: "Whoa… you're even grumpier than usual today. Hahaha!"
Bakugo: "I mean it! I'll kill you all!!"
Ryujin covered his mouth to muffle his own laughter, but before it could escape, Momo walked up to him, her face filled with concern.
Momo: "Are you okay? I've been so worried about you, you know…"
Mina chimed in right away.
Mina: "Yeah! I was so scared when I heard what you had to go through!"
Kaminari: "Speaking of internships… how was it for you guys?"
Jirou: "Well… nothing too exciting, honestly. Mostly just lectures about a hero's duties."
Mina: "But you did fight some villains, right? Same with Tsuyu!"
Tsuyu: "It was just some smuggling cases from overseas. I didn't really do much."
Mina: "Still! That's amazing! And what about you, Uraraka? How was yours?"
She turned toward Uraraka, who was chatting with Midoriya while tending to the bandages on his injured hand. Uraraka glanced back at the group, cheeks flushing pink.
Uraraka: "Uh… well… I learned a lot, actually!"
Midoriya: "Th-then… maybe we could… you know… train together…?"
He spoke with his hands partly covering his face, his cheeks glowing red from embarrassment.
Uraraka smiled, then—without warning—leaned in and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.
Uraraka: "Okay, Deku-kun! Let's train together!"
The whole class erupted into laughter at the adorable exchange between the two.
Kaminari: "Speaking of internships and fighting villains… I'd say these four definitely saw the real deal!"
He pointed straight at Ryujin.
Kaminari: "That video of you fighting Stain is blowing up everywhere! It's all over the news! Just hearing the words 'Hero Killer' gives me chills!"
Ryujin: "He's just some chuuni wannabe. I don't scare that easily—and why should I be afraid of a wannabe like him?"
Ojiro: "You're probably the only person who'd call a serial killer a 'wannabe.'"
The room went dead silent, beads of sweat forming on everyone's foreheads—until the classroom door swung open.
Aizawa stepped in, his face as perpetually sour as ever. He scanned the room, then walked to his desk and began the homeroom session.
But then his eyes landed on the vase of flowers sitting on his desk. His brows furrowed sharply. Without a word, he activated his Quirk and used his capture scarf to lock Ryujin's neck in place.
Everyone froze, some even half-rising from their seats in alarm—except Ryujin, who only grinned mischievously and gave his teacher a thumbs-up.
Ryujin: "Ms. Emi… told me to tell you… she loves you."