The calm days in Musutafu never lasted long.
After weeks of silence, faint ripples of movement stirred in the city's underbelly. Hidden cars, unmarked men, quiet eyes watching the streets near Café Soleil.
They belonged to one name whispered in the dark—
Kai Chisaki. Overhaul.
---
🧩 The Observation
In a dim underground office, Overhaul sat before a flickering screen replaying the old footage from the car crash incident.
The image was grainy, the light distorted — but the golden energy healing the victims still shimmered faintly in the frame.
His eyes narrowed.
> "This isn't a quirk," he muttered, pausing the frame. "No quirk behaves this cleanly. No recoil, no side effect."
He leaned closer, frowning at the outline of a girl's hand raised in the light.
> "It's… rejection. Reversal. She denied the damage itself."
The monitor's light reflected on his mask.
> "Find her," he ordered coldly. "Before anyone else does."
Two of his subordinates bowed silently and left.
In their files, they already had a map — Musutafu City, circled in red.
---
🦅 Hawks' Report
Meanwhile, in U.A. High, Hawks stood in Principal Nezu's office with Recovery Girl beside him.
On the projector screen played the new readings from his feather sensors — faint traces of energy from his recent café visit.
Nezu's whiskers twitched as he analyzed the data.
> "Interesting. The wavelength matches the previous 'healing light' incident. You said this was near Café Soleil?"
> "Yeah," Hawks replied, crossing his arms. "Same area, same warmth. It's subtle, but I don't believe in coincidences."
Recovery Girl frowned.
> "If this girl truly healed those people… why stay hidden?"
Hawks shrugged slightly.
> "Maybe she doesn't want the attention. Or maybe she doesn't even realize how different she is."
Nezu's eyes gleamed with curiosity.
> "Keep an eye on the area, Hawks. Quietly. If she's as powerful as we think, she might attract the wrong kind of interest."
> "Got it," Hawks said. "I'll make sure she stays safe, even if she doesn't know she needs protecting."
He didn't say her name.
He didn't even know it yet.
But the image of a gentle smile and soft amber eyes lingered in his mind.
---
☕ Café Soleil – That Same Evening
Orihime closed up the café, wiping the last table.
The day had been calm — a few regulars, some noisy students, and one red-winged hero who kept showing up "coincidentally."
> "He's funny," she said to herself, locking the door. "Always pretending not to notice things."
Her laughter faded when she stepped outside.
The air felt… off.
Her Shun Shun Rikka whispered faintly in her mind — an instinctive hum of warning.
> "Someone's watching."
She turned, scanning the shadows of the narrow alley. No one there. Just the faint hum of neon signs and a car engine starting far away.
Orihime clutched her bag and hurried home, unaware of the eyes following from a distance — a man in a dark coat, a mask, a gloved hand resting calmly in his pocket.
---
🕶️ Elsewhere – Dabi
In another part of the city, a man with patchwork burns leaned against a lamppost, smoking idly.
He'd heard whispers too.
> "A girl who rejects death, huh?" he murmured. "Sounds like the kind of lie people make up to feel better."
He exhaled, the smoke curling upward.
> "Still… if she's real, maybe I'll find her first."
---
🕊️ End Scene
Above the city, Hawks flew his usual patrol route.
He didn't see the cars moving in the alleys below, didn't see the eyes tracking Orihime's path home.
All he noticed was a faint pulse of golden light, barely visible to human eyes — like a heartbeat echoing through the air.
> "There it is again…" he whispered.
"Who are you, really?"