Yuuei Highschool, Year 2311.
Nezu.
Perched on his throne, Nezu silently watches Mirai Sasaki through the security cameras as he approaches Yuuei's back entrance.
Nezu quickly types opengate4.1, and the moment before Mirai presses the intercom button, the gate before him opens to let him in. Mirai hesitates, but he ultimately follows the path laid out before him, like a good little sheep. When Mirai reaches the next gate, he types opengate4.2, even quicker this time. Mirai hasn't even reached the door before it was already open. Then Nezu does the same thing for Gate4.3... establishing a pattern.
So when Mirai reaches Gate4.4, he expects it to open. But it doesn't.
1.2 seconds pass...
3.8 seconds pass...
5.8 seconds pass, and Mirai finally reaches for yet another intercom button, only for Gate4.4 to open.
Mirai pauses, but then he continues to walk towards the rodent that was playing god with his mind, with his decisions. Because Mirai Sasaki, like most humans, is forced to rationalize the discrepancy as a delay or something equally trivial.
Because in truth, that's all it was. A trivial matter.
"The human mind is a fascinating thing," Nezu cackled.
Nezu stops there, though. After all, going any further than that wouldn't be very heroic.
Sir Nighteye eventually makes it to his office, and Nezu greets him, offering the man some tea as they exchange basic pleasantries. Nezu doesn't really know Mirai that well on a personal level, but as one of the very few people who knew the truth of One For All, Nezu was more than willing to listen to what Mirai had to say... especially when he was asked for their discussion to be kept a 'secret.'
So Nezu listens... and listens... and listens.
"...And that's everything," Mirai eventually finished, sagging into his chair. "I just... I don't know what I should do."
'Well, this was certainly not what I expected,' Nezu thought, but he doesn't let his surprise show on his face. Mostly because he doesn't have the proper facial structure to actually show it.
When Mirai Sasaki reached out to him to schedule a 'meeting,' Nezu immediately assumed that it would be in regards to Toshinori Yagi's successor... or more accurately, his lack thereof. Because when one of the only people that knew the truth of One For All wanted to talk to you about something 'secret,' well, it was only natural to assume that the aforementioned meeting be about the mythical Quirk that the late Demonlord covets.
But no, this was a family matter of all things.
This was about Mirai's half-sister, Narumi, and her son, Seiki Yamazaki.
'Trickshot, hm?' Nezu thought, and while he was only mildly curious... his mind was already moving at hyper-speed, drawing and pulling information from everything that it possibly could.
'He has perfect aim, but in truth, he's a precog. Which means his Quirk guides his body,' Nezu instantly concluded. 'Interesting, very interesting. Let's see. If it works automatically, then Seiki has to 'suggest' a possible future to his Quirk, and then it follows aforementioned future. That would make his public Quirk, Trickshot, extremely easy to imitate. But Seiki also has to be able to win the lottery... as well as invest in stocks,' Nezu thinks, only 0.08 seconds passing in the real world. 'So his Quirk can work off of more vague information, over longer periods of time. Following suggestions like 'make money discreetly', or 'keep mom safe'.'
Then as thoughts keep pouring in, and connections are made... Nezu blinks. 'No... there's no way that Narumi's taking advantage of her son. At least not to the degree Mirai fears. First off, if my hypothesis is correct... Seiki's Quirk is way too powerful for anyone to realistically take advantage of him, not even his own mother. Second, Narumi would never think to keep her son's true Quirk a secret. Before 'Trickshot', she was just a common housewife— with Hiroshi Yamazaki being her highschool sweetheart. This wasn't a Quirk marriage— Seiki's Quirk wasn't a planned result. Seiki was just a lucky break... a lucky break that happened to hide his true Quirk on his own accord, since revealing it was an unviable future. Because...'
"Oh," Nezu finally spoke aloud. "So that's why."
"What is it?" Mirai asked, confused.
"Seiki awakened what could very well be the most powerful precognition Quirk in Japan, just over 7 years ago... when he was still at the height of his reign."
Mirai's face blanched. "You don't think—!"
"Think back to Seiki's actions. A security detail for him, for his mom. Never going to school, never going out in public if it can be avoided. But after all this time... Narumi finally reaches out to you," Nezu said, smiling down at his former student. "And why did she want to meet you?"
"Because..." Mirai thinks it over, drawing a blank. "She just did?"
"Because it made her happy, yes?" Nezu asked in turn, smiling down from his raised desk. "And because it was finally safe for her to do so."
"It... it did make her happy, didn't it..." Mirai realized with a smile. Happy beyond belief that his initial assumptions were wrong... before quickly realizing that there was still one glaring issue. "Wait, then what should we do now?"
"There's nothing that we can do, because Seiki Yamazaki has already won."
"Huh?" Mirai sputtered.
"Oh... you don't get it, do you," Nezu realized, not even trying to be dismissive. "Maybe if Seiki was a crippled orphan with zero backing, we'd have a chance. But no, Seiki has not only pushed his physique to the absolute limit, he has the small fortune that his mother acquired with his Quirk... he even has an elite strike team of would-be villains. Rinka Wolfe, D'Vorah Kytinn, and Azula Onozaki— Azula being the most obvious one, given that the girl is Firelord's daughter. Seiki has power, he has wealth, he has loyalty, and worst of all... he has options," Nezu said with a sigh. "In a lot of ways, Seiki is even more powerful than All For One, because not even All For One could see All Might coming. Despite the incredible threat the late Demonlord presented... we only needed that one shot in the dark, just that single chance for our Symbol of Peace to come out on top. But to defeat Seiki Yamazaki, we would need a 100% chance of success. An absolute victory. Something that, well," Nezu paused to think for a moment, before shaking his head. "No, we'll never have it."
"...So we do nothing?" Mirai eventually asked, sounding confused, as well as lost.
"Oh Mirai, you silly little human," Nezu cackled. "Of course we don't do nothing. Seiki values his mother highly, since he happily uses his Quirk for her benefit... and you've met Narumi. She's a good person, isn't she?" and when Mirai nodded, Nezu smiled. "That's all we need to know. Because despite the incredible power of Seiki Yamazaki's hypothetical Quirk, Seiki is still a child, a child with a mother that loves him dearly. We can't fight him... so we help him. We show Seiki just all the good that he could do with his Quirk, with his gift. We do our best to set him on the right path, on a path for good."
And Mirai couldn't help but feel the weight of those words, the weight of Nezu's declaration.
The words of the world's greatest principal.
"Can you do that, Mirai Sasaki?" Nezu pressed, leaning forward as he stared down All Might's former sidekick. "Can you help guide what could very well be the most powerful child in the world? Can you guide him down a path for good?"
"I... I can try."
"That's all we can really do," Nezu said in turn. "Now shoo, I have papers to grade."
But even though he said that, Nezu couldn't help but notice something that Mirai didn't... or maybe something he chose not to. 'Hiroshi Yamazaki. Died in a car accident, just a few weeks before Seiki awakens— no, before he registers his Quirk,' Nezu thinks, his mind racing as he considers the implications. 'It was written off as an accident... faulty brakes on an old car. But even if it was Seiki, it might not've been Seiki directly. His Quirk could've easily just let things play out the way they did. And given what I was able to dig up on the boy's father, I could see how such a result would qualify under 'keeping mom safe'.'
Well, there was nothing that Nezu could do. Because the moment Nezu 'knew' that Seiki was a precog, he quite literally thought himself into a corner.
If Nezu ever knew the true nature of Seiki's Quirk... well, the solution to that particular scenario was quite literally right under his nose, with Shota Aizawa, Eraserhead, being a brand new teacher at his school.
But no, that would never work, because in Nezu's mind... Seiki would simply see it coming.
'And even if it could work... I don't think I'd do it,' Nezu eventually decided. 'All of his actions point to one thing— security. Seiki Yamazaki doesn't want to take over the world. If he did... he probably would've done it already,' Nezu thought with a cackle. 'No, Seiki just wants to live his life... and I can't fault a boy for wanting to do just that. That's what I want, what everyone wants.'
Leaning back in his chair, Nezu could only hope to guide that Mirai would be a good influence on the boy, on the boy that could very well become the greatest hero in Japan, if not the world.
But as Mirai finally turned to leave, neither of them noticed the third person in the room.
Yuuei Highschool. It's publicly known as the most secure location in all of Japan, just after Tartarus. An all but impenetrable fortress of Nezu's own design, with layers and layers of defenses, every single one of them optimized to secure not only the safety of Yuuei's students, but himself as well. Because just like Seiki Yamazaki... Nezu was determined to never let the past, especially his own past, repeat itself. Because if there was one thing Nezu learned in that hell he clawed his way out of all those years ago, it was that no one could ever be prepared enough.
But not even Nezu could foresee this supposed gap in Yuuei's security.
Simply put, this 'intruder' had been let into Yuuei by Nezu himself.
A tiny slip of paper stuck to the back of Mirai Sasaki's coat. A second tiny slip of paper stuck to the leg cuff of Mirai's pants. And a third tiny slip of paper stuck to the edge of Mirai's sleeve.
All three slips perfectly flush with the cloth beneath them, all perfectly matching the color and texture.
Because even if Nezu could instantly analyze and make proper threat assessments for Rinka Wolfe, D'Vorah Kytinn, and Azula Onozaki... taking context clues from public information as he mapped out every conceivable threat that they could pose... Nezu's mind was only unfathomably smart, fast, and accurate. Yuuei's principal might very well be the greatest analyst in Japan, if not the world, but he could only analyze what he already knew.
Nezu believed Seiki to be a precog, because not only was Mirai Sasaki, his uncle, a precog, but the possibility that Seiki Yamazaki could 'endlessly rewind time' was inconceivable to him, to anyone for that matter. Even in a world of Quirks.
That was also why, even though Nezu could think of countless different deterrents for fire, for a wolf, and for bugs... he did not even think of paper.
For Narumi Yamazaki's security detail did not consist of a 'Konan.' In the eyes of the government, Konan has been missing for over 10 years, and was most likely dead, not having made a single public appearance since. For information in itself was a weapon, something that Seiki Yamazaki understood better than almost anyone else... and if no one knew that Konan existed by his side, then even if someone were to stumble upon— or were purposely led to believe— the truth of his Quirk, then Seiki Yamazaki would forever have one last card up his sleeve.
*
Meanwhile, Yamazaki Manor.
Seiki.
Sitting at home in his manor's living room, Konan was sitting in his lap as she narrated what she heard. Doing her best to repeat all the important bits of the conversation as they occur, all the way up until Mirai leaves the room.
"I wasn't expecting him to go to Nezu..." Seiki eventually muttered, frowning slightly. "I guess Mirai really did have a falling out with the big guy, huh?"
"Hm," Konan responded noncommittally, closing her eyes as she leaned into Seiki's chest.
"And this whole time, he thought mom was taking advantage of me?Has he not met my mother??? I mean, I love the woman, but she's clearly an idiot."
"Hm."
"Also... Demonlord of Japan? All For One? What kind of chunni-ass villain name is that?" Seiki cackled, tears forming in his eyes. "I can't believe someone actually went by such a title... I mean, c'mon man," Seiki rolled his eyes. "Naming yourself 'everything is mine'? Really?"
And just like that, Seiki Yamazaki has unknowingly won the most important battle of his life. A battle for information that he's been fighting from the very moment he awakened his Quirk, Save & Load. A Quirk that All For One would stop at nothing to acquire the moment he learned of its existence.
Now that Seiki knows that All For One exists, he could plan accordingly.
And if Seiki were to plan their first encounter, he could only win.
"I'm kinda curious why they were so worried about this 'Demonlord'... but I don't have to worry about a dead guy, by the sounds of it. What a dumbass."
But information was a weapon, and any weapon could be wielded against its user.
All For One was a moniker that very, very few people knew, so Seiki Yamazaki could not connect him to the tales of the Quirk Thief, to the Boogeyman.
Because in Seiki's eyes, in everybody's eyes, the man was still nothing more than a myth.
And because of Seiki's lack of interest, All For One still has a single chance, a single chance to take the entire world into the palm of his hand.
A chance that would be decided with a single Quirk activation.
"Alright, cons. Mirai knows who I am, and now does Nezu. That's... not good," Seiki said with a sigh. "I mean I knew Mirai did, he's still being 'interviewed.' But at the same time, they don't seem malicious. They think I'm a precog, so they think I'm a kid. I can definitely use that. But... is it worth it?" Seiki hummed aloud, voicing his thoughts. "Nezu has power. Political power. Power that easily rivals the HPSC. If I told them what they did to me... he'd be on my side. Easily. But at the same time... I would have to trust him," Seiki let out a groan. "Fuck, part of me wants to go back... Save3 is the day before my talk with Hikari, but that's a little too far back for my liking, and Save4 is even further. Not to mention that I'd have to seduce you all over again," Seiki sighed, before running his hands over Konan's figure as he let out a sly grin. "Not that I wouldn't enjoy it all over again."
"Hm..." Konan hummed, very much enjoying the attention.
'But the main problem... is that I still don't know what I want to do,' Seiki admitted, but only to himself. 'This first stretch of time is just the set-up, so to speak. Until my last year of middle school— something that I'll actually have to attend, ugh— none of this 'matters' in regards to my future. For now, I'm just leisurely living my life, because until I'm an adult, the things that I can do are pretty limited. And until I know HOW I want to live my life, until I know what I actually want to do with it, I can't know the right play.'
There was a very real chance that, depending on how Seiki wanted to live his life, that keeping his true Quirk a secret would be impossible. And if he ever wanted to live in a future like that— hell, even if he didn't— the current path certainly isn't a bad one. Not by any means.
"I still can't believe that Nezu sees me as this unbeatable god, mostly because he can't fathom that I'm a time-traveler. But I guess I can understand it. If every single attempt was the last one, meaning I did everything perfectly on the first try... I'd be invincible," Seiki muttered, before frowning slightly. "I guess there's a chance that Nezu was lying to Mirai since he knew that I'd be listening in, all to lure me into a false sense of security. But I don't think he's that smart. He can't be that smart, right?"
"I don't think he knows..." Konan agreed, but she wasn't truly certain.
"Whatever, I'll stick to this path for now... but I'll also keep Save4 and 3," Seiki eventually decided. "Tagging Nezu will be much harder than Mirai, but it should be doable. Because while I don't think Mirai will be telling anyone else, I know nothing about Nezu... besides that he's been the principal of Yuuei for nearly 20 years by this point. There's also some rumors that he's been experimented on and whatnot, so if I do ever go public with my Quirk, I guess we could bond over shared trauma..." he said with a bit of mirth. "Those two better fucking hope they don't softlock me, because if they do... I'm going to be very angry."
"So, time-travel?" Konan eventually asked, more than a little curious.
"Yeah, not really a precog," Seiki admitted. "You understand why I don't tell you, right?"
"If it means keeping you safe, I'm happy not knowing," Konan answered honestly, earnestly. And Seiki couldn't help but smile at that. "So... what happens now? This conversation never happens?"
"No, it still happens. It happened. You've protected me like you always do," Seiki said fondly, running his hand through her hair. "But then I go back, and no one else remembers it."
"Hm," Konan hummed, closing her eyes as Seiki's arms wrapped around her. "Then I guess I'll see you on the other side, Seiki-dono."
"See you, Konan."
LOAD2.
"—Seiki-dono," Konan whispered, materializing in front of him, wearing her 'serious' face.... which was incredibly cute. "You told me to notify you if Sir Nighteye were to ever have any 'unusual' behavior. A few seconds ago, Sir Nighteye entered Yuuei g-grounds, and, uh, um..." Konan trailed off as Seiki slid his hands around her waist, and then she let out an "eep!" when he lifted her in the air, leaning down to give her a slow, heartfelt kiss. The paper girl all but melted at his assault, her arms and legs going slack as she moaned back into his mouth.
Seiki could feel a bit of reluctance, a small part of her trying to pull away... but knowing Konan, it was because she wanted to warn him about Sir Nighteye's current actions, but at the same time, she couldn't decide whether or not it was worth breaking off their kiss.
Her need to protect him quite literally fighting against her desire to serve him.
'God, I think I'm in love.'
Eventually, Seiki pulled back from the kiss, yet again leaving Konan a blushing, panting mess... but despite her lack of breath, she immediately started to warn him, putting his safety before everything else. "Seiki-dono, hah, Sir Nighteye is currently discussing—"
"I know," Seiki cut her off, pulling her back into his chest. Something she didn't resist in the slightest. "But only because you would have told me. Either way, I already know what's going to be discussed in that room... so how about we go watch a movie?"
"Um, okay. If that's what you want, Seiki-dono."
*
*
*