MY STONE GOALS!!!!!!!
OH WELL. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS IS THE END RESULT THOUGH. I WOULDN'T HAVE BELIEVED ANYONE WHO TOLD ME THIS WOULD HAPPEN BY THIS TIME MONDAY MORNING.
DAMN! NOW I HAVE TO GO INTO OVERTIME. REGARDLESS, A PROMISE IS A PROMISE. HERE IS THE FOURTH BONUS CHAPTER. I'M A MAN OF MY WORD.
FOR THOSE WHO ASK IF THERE IS ANOTHER GOAL, THERE IS ONE LAST ONE WHICH IS SIMPLY KEEPING THE FIRST PLACE POSITION. I PROMISED THREE MORE CHAPTERS BY THE END OF THE WEEK IF WE CAN KEEP THE FIRST RANK IN POWERSTONES.
HERE'S YOUR CHAPTER. ENJOY.
...
Hosu felt strangely empty.
Not abandoned—just quiet in the way cities get when everyone is inside watching the same thing.
Steel shutters were halfway closed on most storefronts. The usual smell of grilled yakitori drifting from street stalls was missing. Traffic lights blinked over nearly vacant intersections. Even the pigeons seemed confused by how few people were around.
Every few blocks, the silence broke: the roar of a crowd gathered around a shop with its TV pushed into the window. Ten, maybe fifteen people—workers on break, teenagers in uniform, old men with folded arms—standing shoulder-to-shoulder to watch the broadcast.
"—AND HE'S STILL IN FIRST PLACE!!"
Present Mic's voice burst from the speakers, echoing down the street.
THUD! THUD! THUD!
The sound of footsteps drew closer, though the watchers paid no heed.
Eventually it stopped right behind them. It lingered for a few seconds, then continued on its way.
'Huh?'
Someone broke away from the excitement and turned around. In the distance, a silver-haired man in a strange attire walked away without stopping.
His pace was unhurried, hands slipped into his pockets, eyes drifting across the unusually still cityscape.
A delivery cyclist sped by him, muttering, "I'm gonna miss the next match, dammit…"
Across the road, a convenience store had a small crowd pressed against its glass door, watching the mounted TV inside replay Todoroki's ice wave at the tunnel.
No one noticed the masked man pause at the curb.
He tilted his head up at a giant billboard. The screen flickered to a shot of the Cavalry Battle standings—Yuta's team at the top in massive bold letters.
A small murmur rippled through the people watching below.
"Did you see that kid's sprint…?"
"To think he beat the son of Endeavor …"
"Oh please. The kid's just got a good teammate. The advantages support gear brings is exactly why they are usually restricted from being used."
"Doesn't really matter if you ask me. There's no way he's staying in General Studies after this."
He listened, absorbing every word, though his expression never changed. 'He seems to be doing quite well.'
His eyes turned elsewhere.
'Though my job seems to be harder than I expected.'
The silver haired man contemplated with a hand on his chin.
Hosu was large, and finding someone in it would be difficult beyond belief. However, it wasn't without hope. He had already thought of a plan before he was split from the main body.
'Maybe I should ...'
Just then, a patrol car cruised slowly past the intersection—slower than usual. The officers inside weren't even watching the road; they were glancing down at a dashboard tablet streaming the Festival. One of them whispered, "Just another minute… the next event's about to start…"
".. Won't we get in trouble?"
"What's there to fear? The heroes have this handled. Not much we can do anyway .."
The car drove away.
"Hmm." The masked man nodded thoughtfully. "So they really are here. I just haven't seen them yet."
He stepped off the curb and continued walking. Eventually turning down an alley. Just as he prepared to walk up the walls ... "Hold it right there!"
His footsteps stopped.
"Huh?" Turning, what came into view was a woman standing at the mouth of the alley—tall, tense, and already half-crouched in a ready stance. She looked like a mid-tier pro: navy-blue jacket reinforced at the elbows, light armor along her shins, and a visor pushed up over sharp, focused eyes, and a communicator in her ears. Her hair was tied back in a tight loop that swung slightly with her breathing.
"Step out slowly," she ordered. "Hands where I can see them."
He blinked. "…Me?"
"Now."
The masked man raised both hands slightly, palms open, and complied.
"Is there a problem, officer?" he asked evenly.
Her eyes narrowed, sweeping over him—the white hair, the mask, the unusual clothing.
'Doesn't match the description,' she thought, frowning.
A crackle came from her earpiece.
"Mirage, report. Sector 7-C clear?"
She pressed a finger to the device without taking her eyes off him.
"Negative. False alarm. Moving to 7-D next."
"Copy."
The woman—Mirage—let her guard stance relax slightly, though she didn't step back.
"Apologies for the scare," she said, voice less sharp now. "We're conducting a search operation in this district. For your safety, I'd advise staying out of the alleys during this period."
The masked man tilted his head slightly.
"Search operation?"
"That's all I can say." She clipped the baton back into place. "Head home. Or at least stay on the main roads."
Without waiting for a response, she crouched low—
Her legs compressed like springs, before launching her onto the nearest rooftop in a single bound.
She landed with barely a sound, already moving to the next building.
The masked man watched her disappear over the edge.
Then exhaled slowly.
'A hero. Searching for someone.'
He glanced at the rooftop where she'd vanished.
'Just like in canon. A search operation for Stain is probably ongoing right now. Ingenium is probably among them.'
His visible eye sharpened.
'Which means my job is easier than I thought.'
If his appearance hadn't caused any butterfly effects, then this operation would end with Ingenium being the only one to come against the Hero Killer. The masked man looked up. He didn't need to find Stain. He just needed to find Ingenium. And to do that—
'I'll need that communicator.'
The masked man crouched slightly.
Chakra flooded his legs.
And then—
FWOOSH.
He vanished.
The alley returned to silence. Not far away, a billboard displaying the sports Festival echoes with Present Mic's voice.
"AND THAT WRAPS UP THE MORNING EVENTS! NOW WE'LL TAKE AN HOUR BREAK FOR LUNCH BEFORE WE START THE AFTERNOON FESTIVITIES! SEE YA THEN!"
Present Mic flipped off his mic.
"Oi, Eraser! Lunch?"
"Go by yourself," Aizawa muttered. "I'm sleeping."
Thousands had already begun vacating the arena to the carnival area outside the stadium. The participants on the other hand, took the backstage exit for staff and participants.
"So tired…" Mina groaned as the students shuffled out of the arena.
"That was the most intense battle I've ever been in," Mineta muttered.
"For once, I agree with Mineta," Asui said. "It was… chaotic. Though you were quite amazing Mina."
Mina scratched her head sheepishly. "Um, thanks. But Bakugo only let me join to deal with Todoroki's ice. We probably would've lost if not for Sero and Bakugo during the final scramble. I wasn't much help, really."
"Yeah. To think the whole Cavalry battle would turn into a one man show." Sero smiled.
"Don't even mention it," Mineta huffed. "That Yuta bastard turned everything into an all-out war and pitted everyone against each other while he took the biggest slice for himself. We couldn't even get any headbands as a result"
"Mineta, people were already against each other," Asui said flatly. "It's the whole point of the contest. Plus, we already lost our headbands before he stole it."
"Don't pay him any attention. If anything, he's just sore that he didn't make it and someone from general studies did." Sero uttered with a smirk.
"Honestly, it was pretty cool."
"Hey!" Mineta yelled at him angrily. "My point stands. The only reason he could pull that off was because of all that support gear. If I had equipment like that, I could be just as cool as he was."
"It's not good to talk behind people's backs," Shoji said calmly.
"So what? Let him come face to face—I'm not scared of him."
"You do know I can hear you, right, shortstack?"
Mineta stiffened.
'Uh oh.' Everyone turned to see Yuta a few paces behind them, having just emerged from the tunnel.
Crimson hair, sharp blue eyes, and an athletic build wrapped in his U.A. gym uniform. His expression was neutral, but his gaze was fixed squarely on Mineta.
Silence.
"Ribbit. You better apologise Mineta." Asui urged. However, Mineta, being Mineta, did the opposite.
"Hmph. I'll only apologise if I'm wrong. And I don't see it that way." He puffed up defensively.
"If anything. I sense a conspiracy going on."
Yuta raised an eyebrow.
"What?'
"Hmph. Don't think I don't see it. If your quirk is so awesome, then how come you didn't make it into the Hero Course huh? The way I see it, this is all just your conspiracy to act cool and replace one of us."
The air went silent. Looking at Mineta who looked like he had just solved Bigfoot, Mina slapped her forehead with exasperation. "Huh? What's the matter? Silent because I just exposed your plans?"
Yuta shrugged in response. "I'm not in the Hero course despite my quirk, while you're in it despite your height. Life is full of contradictions." Mineta immediately combusted.
"WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO—MMPH!!"
Mina clamped a hand over his mouth before he could finish.
"Don't mind him," Asui said, her tone apologetic. "That's how he usually is. Ribbit."
Mina waved with a bright smile, still restraining Mineta with her other hand.
"Hi! Nice to see you again, Yuta. Guys, you remember him, right?"
"Yes. From that unauthorized cafeteria incident," Iida said, adjusting his glasses. "Congratulations on taking first place. Your performance exceeded expectations."
"Thanks."
Yuta glanced at the group briefly, then nodded.
"I'll let you get to lunch."
He walked past them without another word.
Once he was out of earshot, Mina released Mineta.
"You idiot. Would you stop provoking our competitors!"
He gasped for air, then immediately puffed up again.
"Hmph. He only threw those headbands away to avoid getting ganged up on! It wasn't some genius move!"
"It was an effective strategy, though," Iida said thoughtfully.
"What do you think, Deku-kun?" Uraraka asked.
Midoriya nodded, muttering under his breath. "Indeed. He secured nine headbands before taking the ten million, then distributed the rest. His early speed showed that chasing him further would be unwise. With only two minutes left, no one was willing to take the risk of losing their own advancement just to go after him."
He paused. 'Not even Kacchan.'
Honestly, the strategy was sound.
"In that way, he excluded himself from being a target. His use of support gear also showed excellent planning. Plus his speed and general athletic ability,"
Everyone had their expressions grow serious.
"Either way, he'll be a difficult opponent for anyone to face. And if he keeps up this performance…" Midoriya trailed off. "…he might just replace someone from the hero course."
__
Enjoying the story? Want to read ahead?
Support the novel and unlock early access to unreleased chapters by joining my Patreon!
💧 WATER TIER (5$) – Read 3 chapters ahead of public releases
🌍 EARTH TIER ($7) – Read 5 chapters ahead, with bonus lore, author notes, and behind-the-scenes content
🔥 FIRE TIER ($10) – Read 8 chapters ahead, get full access to all extras, and vote in exclusive polls for bonus content
📎 Patreon.com/Future805
Even a small pledge makes a huge difference — thank you for reading