HONK.
The morning commute was loud and packed.
People bumped elbows on the sidewalk, rushing to get to the train stations.
Sir Nighteye stood near a street lamp, adjusting his tie.
Centipeder stood next to him. They weren't walking. They were just watching.
Twenty feet ahead, Mirio, Tamaki, and Nejire were leading the patrol.
"It's so hot today," Nejire complained.
She floated backward a few inches off the ground so she could face the boys while they walked. "And my legs are still sore from yesterday."
"Mr. Kaito really didn't hold back on those drills," Mirio laughed, stretching his arms over his head. "But hey, it's the last day. We made it through the seven days internship."
Tamaki pulled his hood down a little lower to block the sun. "I still feel like my arms are going to fall off."
"Yeah, but your clam-shell armor actually held together!" Mirio bumped Tamaki's shoulder. "That was awesome!"
"Stop!"
A loud scream cut through the crowd.
VROOM.
A guy in a black jacket swerved onto the sidewalk on a stolen moped.
He was clutching a woman's handbag. People scattered, screaming and diving out of the way.
Mirai didn't say a word.
He just watched his interns.
They moved instantly.
Nejire spun around in the air. She didn't wave at the crowd or check for cameras. She kept her eyes locked on the moped.
The thief swerved too hard to avoid a fruit stand.
CLANK.
The back of the bike clipped the metal pole of a heavy street sign.
The pole snapped.
SCREEEK.
The heavy sign tilted, falling straight toward an old woman frozen in shock on the sidewalk.
Nejire didn't panic. She cupped her hands, leaving a tiny diamond gap between her fingers.
BZZZT-PEW!
A thin, compressed laser of kinetic energy shot out.
THUD.
It hit the falling sign perfectly, pinning it flat against the brick wall harmlessly.
Nejire didn't even stop to look at it, her eyes stayed locked on the thief.
"He's cutting right!" Nejire yelled, pointing down a narrow side alley.
"I'll cut him off," Tamaki said.
Swoosh.
Tamaki dashed past the fruit stand and jumped directly in front of the alley exit. The moped came barreling toward him.
"Move out of the way, kid!" the thief yelled, revving the engine to scare him.
Thump. Thump.
Tamaki's heart was pounding.
A week ago, he would have flinched, panicked, and put his arms up to block.
Instead, he forced his shoulders back. He stood tall, planted his boots, and gave the man a dead, stoic glare from under his dark hood.
BZZZT.
"The hells is wrong with you!?" The thief slammed on the brakes.
Tamaki's absolute silence freaked him out.
SKRRTTT.
The bike skidded, completely stopping inches away from Tamaki's boots.
FWOOSH.
Mirio sank into the concrete sidewalk right behind the thief.
POP.
He shot out of the ground directly next to the moped.
Mirio just reached out, grabbed the handlebars, and yanked the front tire right off the ground.
"Whoa!" the thief yelled, tumbling off the seat and landing hard in a pile of empty cardboard boxes.
Mirio picked up the stolen bag. He looked down at the groaning thief and flashed a massive, confident smile.
"You should really look where you're driving," Mirio said brightly. "It's dangerous out here."
Clap. Clap. Clap.
The crowd started clapping.
A boy with a smartphone ran up to Tamaki.
"Hey, mister!" the kid smiled, holding up his phone. "You looked so cool just standing there. Can I get a picture?"
"...."
Tamaki froze.
His social anxiety spiked instantly. He wanted to turn his back to the wall.
But he remembered the training.
Gulp.
He swallowed hard.
He gave a sharp, stiff nod, and stared right into the camera lens with that same cold, intense glare.
CLICK.
"Whoa, so edgy," the boy grinned, looking at the photo on his screen. "Thanks, future hero!"
Sigh.
Tamaki let out a long, quiet sigh of relief. He didn't run away.
Back by the street lamp, Centipeder crossed his arms.
"They didn't even wait for orders," Centipeder noted, sounding impressed. "They executed it perfectly."
Mirai pushed his glasses up his nose. He gave a small, genuine smile.
"They've grown," Mirai said softly.
Mirio jogged over to them, holding the stolen handbag.
"Here you go, Sir," Mirio handed the bag to Centipeder.
"Good job securing the target," Mirai nodded.
"Thanks," Mirio said. But he didn't look relaxed.
He pointed down the alley where the thief had been heading. "Sir, I noticed something."
Mirai raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
"He wasn't just running away blindly," Mirio explained, his voice turning serious. "He took two sharp lefts specifically to get to that alley. That path leads straight to the old train yard. If he's just snatching bags, why take the hard route? Maybe he has a fence or a drop-off spot set up over there?"
"...."
Mirai looked at Mirio.
The kid wasn't just fighting anymore. He was thinking. He was analyzing the street like a real detective.
"Good observation, Mirio," Mirai nodded approvingly. "Centipeder, call the police for the pickup. Then, we are going to go check that train yard."
"Yes, Sir!" Mirio smiled, cracking his knuckles.
*-*-*-*
Location: Sir Nighteye's Agency – Mirai's Office
Time: Afternoon
BZZZT.
The lights in the office were turned off.
The only light came from the large holographic projector sitting on Mirai Sasaki's heavy wooden desk.
It projected a chaotic digital scene right into the middle of the room.
It was a crowded scramble crossing in the pouring rain.
Hundreds of digital people walked past each other. Neon signs flashed brightly in the background.
Mirai sat behind his desk. He stared directly at the chaotic hologram.
Click.
The door to the office clicked open. Kaito walked in holding two cups of coffee, but he didn't say a word.
He just leaned against the doorframe and watched.
"Anchor point found," Mirai said quietly to himself. "The red blinking pharmacy sign."
Using that steady red light to stabilize his tracking, Mirai shifted his focus.
He locked his eyes onto a digital target, a man in a grey suit walking through the thick crowd.
Mirai watched the target's lips move for exactly four seconds before a passing bus blocked the view.
"He told the informant the shipment is delayed until Tuesday," Mirai said.
Kaito walked over and hit the spacebar on Mirai's laptop.
The hologram vanished, and the loud rain audio cut off.
"Ninety-five percent accurate," Kaito grinned, setting a coffee cup on the desk. "The actual word was Thursday, but the lip shape is nearly identical. You nailed it."
Mirai took his glasses off and rubbed his tired eyes. He let out a long breath.
"Ignoring the visual noise is still giving me a headache," Mirai admitted, picking up the coffee. "But anchoring the eyes works. I am reading lips twice as fast as last time."
"You're a veteran pro for a reason," Kaito said casually. "Your brain adapts incredibly fast. Once you get this down to a hundred percent, we can move on to next training."
Mirai nodded, putting his glasses back on. He looked at the clock on the wall.
"The interns should be warmed up by now," Mirai said, grabbing his suit jacket. "Let's go see if they actually learned anything this seven days."
*-*-*-*
Location: Agency Underground Gym
Mirio, Tamaki, and Nejire were stretching on the center mats when Kaito and Mirai walked in.
"Alright," Kaito clapped his hands together. "Final review. Show me what you got."
Tamaki stood up first.
He didn't walk over to Kaito's cooler.
Instead, he reached into his own gym bag and pulled out a small, crinkly plastic pouch.
Mirio blinked. "Wait, did you buy those yourself?"
"Yeah," Tamaki muttered, looking down. "I bought them three days ago."
He opened the bag, popped two dried grasshoppers into his mouth, and chewed them quickly.
He followed it up with a small piece of crab meat from a container.
Tamaki walked to the center of the mat. He closed his eyes.
SHHH-POP.
His legs suddenly shifted, expanding into thick, powerful green grasshopper legs.
He didn't hesitate.
He bent his knees and jumped.
WHOOSH.
Tamaki shot fifteen meters straight up into the air, completely clearing the gym lights.
"Whoa!" Nejire yelled, looking straight up.
Gravity caught him.
As Tamaki started falling back down toward the mats, he gritted his teeth. He focused hard on his right arm.
He didn't try to make a tentacle.
He just focused on the armor.
A thick, hard white crab shell rapidly formed over his forearm.
He hit the mat hard, rolling forward and bracing his entire weight against the shelled arm.
CRACK.
The heavy impact cracked the crab shell down the middle.
It shattered into white flakes after three seconds, and his arm reverted to normal skin.
But Tamaki didn't collapse. He stood up, breathing hard.
HUFF-PUFF.
"I didn't pass out," Tamaki said, looking at his hands. "I held it."
"You chose your own food and layered the armor exactly when you needed it," Kaito gave him a thumbs-up. "That is massive progress, Tamaki. Great job."
Tamaki actually smiled a little and stepped back.
"My turn!" Nejire cheered, floating to the center.
She stood in front of the heavy practice dummy.
She didn't hold her hands out flat.
She dropped into a wide, low stance, planting her boots firmly into the rubber mat.
Nejire brought the heels of her hands together, interlocking her fingers to form the tiny diamond gap.
She took a deep breath, keeping her core tight.
BZZZT-PEW!
A compressed, hyper-fast kinetic laser ripped through the air.
It punched a clean hole right through the dummy's thick chest padding.
The recoil hit Nejire's arms hard, but her boots didn't slide backward at all. She stayed planted exactly where she stood.
"I didn't move!" Nejire laughed, breaking her stance and jumping up and down. "The stance totally works!"
"Your nozzle control is perfect," Kaito nodded. "Keep practicing that stance until you can drop into it in your sleep."
Mirio stepped up last.
He walked over to the heavy gym mat Kaito had propped against the wall at a sharp angle.
Mirio didn't rush. He stood there, visualizing the physics.
Matter displacement.
The ground rejecting him.
He took three steps back, then sprinted at the mat.
FWOOSH.
He sank directly into the concrete floor.
Underneath the ground, he purposely dropped his left shoulder, fixing his center of gravity. He angled his knees against the solid dirt.
POP.
The floor violently rejected him.
Mirio launched perfectly straight, flying forward like a human bullet.
He flew across the gym and landed smoothly on both feet, skidding just a little on the rubber.
"Yes!" Mirio yelled loudly, pumping his fist in the air. "Straight down the middle!"
"You fixed your quirk well," Kaito grinned. "That's a reliable basic move."
*-*-*-*
Location: Local Katsudon Restaurant
The small restaurant was packed with people getting off work, but the agency had a large booth to themselves in the back.
The table was covered in empty bowls of pork cutlets, rice, and cold sodas.
"I am so full I can't even float," Nejire groaned happily, leaning back in her seat.
Mirio was finishing his second bowl of rice.
Tamaki was sipping a glass of water, looking more relaxed than he had all week.
Mirai sat across from them, wiping his mouth with a napkin. Kaito sat next to him, finishing off some fries.
Mirai set his napkin down.
He adjusted his glasses and looked at the three teenagers. The mood instantly shifted.
The kids sat up straight, giving him their full attention.
"Your internship is officially complete," Mirai announced.
Mirio grinned. "Thank you, Sir."
"You three came to my agency with terrible habits," Mirai told them bluntly. "But you listened. You put in the work. You laid down a real foundation this week."
Mirai leaned forward slightly. His eyes were totally serious.
"When you return to U.A. High on Monday, everyone is going to be watching you," Mirai said. "And when you take your Provisional Hero License exams next year, the Hero Commission will be watching you. You represent the Nighteye Agency now. I expect you to dominate your classes."
The weight of the expectation hit them, but they didn't look scared. They looked fired up.
"We won't let you down!" Mirio promised, gripping his fists.
Mirai held his serious expression for three more seconds. Then, he tapped his finger on the table.
"Speaking of expectations," Mirai said, his voice completely deadpan. "Kaito usually charges other hero agencies millions of yen for this level of consulting. Since you three are technically my interns, I'll just deduct his fee from your future U.A. stipends."
Tamaki froze.
All the color drained from his face. He looked like his soul was leaving his body.
Mirio's jaw dropped. "Wait, really?! We're going to be in debt?!"
Mirai stared at their terrified faces.
The corner of his mouth twitched. He let out a short, quiet chuckle.
"I'm joking," Mirai said.
Sigh.
Mirio let out a massive breath, holding his chest and slouching back in the booth. "Oh man, Sir! Don't do that to us! My heart almost stopped!"
"I think Tamaki actually stopped breathing," Nejire laughed, poking Tamaki's shoulder.
"Alright, enough stressing the kids out," Kaito laughed, tossing a few bills onto the table to cover the check. "It's time to head home. And don't forget the future development on your quirks."
Mirio, Tamaki, and Nejire slid out of the booth.
They stood in front of Mirai and Kaito. They bent perfectly at the waist, bowing at a strict ninety-degree angle right there in the middle of the restaurant.
"Thank you so much!" they yelled together, completely ignoring the other customers staring at them.
"We won't waste your teachings," Tamaki added softly, standing back up.
Mira gave them a small nod. "See that you don't. Dismissed."
*-*-*-*
Location: Musutafu – Dark Alleyway
Time: Evening
SLAM.
A baseball bat smashed into the brick wall, barely missing a convenience store worker who was backed into the corner.
"Hand over the cash register bag," the villain growled, pulling the bat back for another swing.
Izuku dropped from the fire escape, landing quietly between them.
He wore his dark green hoodie, a smooth black combat mask covering his lower face, and his custom-built kinetic bracers on his forearms.
Kuro, his fluffy black and white cat, sat perfectly balanced on his shoulder.
The thug with the bat stopped.
He looked at the green hoodie, then looked at the cat.
"Are you kidding me?" the thug groaned, lowering his bat just a little. "Greenhood?"
The second partner, who was holding a switchblade, immediately took a step back.
"I thought he only patrolled the east side on this day!" the second guy panicked. "Man, the rumors said the Phantom Cat was fast. Let's just run!"
"Shut up! He's just a man in a hoodie!" the first thug snapped. He gripped his bat tight. "I'm not going to jail because of some neighborhood vigilante!"
SWISH.
The thug swung the heavy wooden bat right at Izuku's ribs.
Izuku didn't dodge. He raised his left arm.
CLANG.
The bat hit the thick metal bracer. Izuku didn't even flinch.
The kinetic dispersion system he built inside the metal totally ate the shock.
"What the—" the thug gasped, feeling his hands go numb from the impact.
Izuku tapped a button on his wrist gear.
FWOOSH.
A custom-built electric bola shot out. The weighted cables wrapped tightly around the thug's legs.
BZZZT.
The low-voltage shock instantly locked up the guy's muscles.
"UGH!" He dropped the bat and fell face-first onto the dirty pavement, groaning.
"DAMN! I shouldn't have listened to you. Bastard!"
His partner tried to run, but Izuku quickly fired a second bola, tripping him up just as fast.
Thud.
Izuku let out a breath and lowered his arms.
Sigh.
"Are you okay?" Izuku asked, looking over his shoulder at the store worker.
The worker stared at him with wide eyes, clutching his bag. Then, a huge smile broke across his face.
"I'm fine!" the worker pointed excitedly. "Thank you so much, Greenhood! You guys are famous around here!"
Izuku completely froze. His cool, serious vigilante posture vanished instantly.
"Ah! Um!" Izuku stammered, his face turning bright red under the mask.
He nervously waved his hands back and forth. "It's really no big deal! Please just get home safe! The police will be here in a minute!"
"Will do! Keep up the good work! Don't worry, I didn't see you. They just tripped accidentally." the worker bowed quickly before running down the alley toward the main street.
Izuku sighed, letting his shoulders slump. "I am never going to get used to people thanking me."
Then, he looked up.
Mounted high on the brick wall was a city security camera.
Its little red light was blinking. It recorded the whole fight.
Izuku didn't say a word.
He didn't have to.
He just looked at the camera and pictured exactly what he needed in his head. A hacker.
Meow.
Kuro jumped off Izuku's shoulder.
POP.
Mid-jump, Kuro's shape completely changed. He stood up on two legs, transforming into a bipedal, humanoid cat.
He looked like a miniature guy in a fur suit, complete with a tiny, serious frown.
Humanoid Kuro quickly walked over to Izuku's tactical belt.
He unzipped one of the pouches with his paws and pulled out a custom bypass cable Izuku had built last month.
Kuro scaled the water pipe like a pro.
He reached the camera, popped open the junction box cover, and plugged the cable in.
BEEP.
The blinking red light turned solid green. The camera's feed was cleanly looped.
No broken property, no alarms.
Click.
Kuro unplugged the cable, dropped back down to the pavement, and instantly shrank back into a normal, fluffy cat.
He hopped back up onto Izuku's shoulder and purred.
WEE-WOO. WEE-WOO.
Police sirens echoed a few blocks away.
"Let's go," Izuku whispered.
He jumped up, grabbing the bottom rung of the fire escape, and quickly scaled the side of the building.
When they reached the flat rooftop, Izuku ran to the center, ducking behind a large air conditioning unit.
He sat down on the gravel roof and pulled his mask down around his neck.
Huff-puff.
He took a deep breath of the cool night air.
"Thanks, Kuro," Izuku said, scratching the cat behind the ears. "That was close."
Kuro tilted his head, meowing softly as he rubbed against Izuku's hand.
Izuku looked out over the city skyline. He didn't look happy about the successful patrol. He looked stressed.
"I don't know why," Izuku muttered, bringing his knees to his chest. "But my neck has been prickling all week. I have this awful gut feeling that someone is watching us."
Izuku looked at his partner.
"And it doesn't feel like the local police," Izuku said quietly. "It feels like someone way smarter is paying attention."
Kuro sat down, wrapping his tail around his paws, listening closely.
"If we get caught, it's over," Izuku said, gripping the fabric of his jeans. "Vigilantism is a crime. If they find out who I am, I get a permanent criminal record. U.A. High will permanently ban me from the entrance exam."
Izuku looked back out at the city lights.
"I can't let the dream die before I even take the test," Izuku told Kuro. "We have to be more careful from now on. No mistakes."
Meow.
"Or maybe we can take a week or two off.... That also works... Your absolutely right Kuro."
*-*-*-*
Location: Sir Nighteye's Agency – Data Network Floor
Time: One Month Later
CLICK. CLACK. CLICK.
The Data Network floor was loud. Phones rang every few seconds.
Dozens of cyber agents typed rapidly at their glowing blue desks.
The room didn't look like a hero agency anymore.
It looked exactly like a government command center.
Kaito Arisaka leaned over a desk near the back wall.
His suit jacket was hanging on a chair, and his tie was loose. He stared at the monitor alongside Yumi.
"The firewall is bouncing the signal," Yumi muttered, her fingers flying across the keyboard. "This black-market server is annoying."
"Slide over," Kaito said.
Yumi rolled her chair back a few inches. Kaito leaned in and quickly typed a long string of code into the terminal.
"Run the decryptor now," Kaito told her.
Yumi hit the key.
BEEP.
The red warning screen vanished. A green progress bar popped up, completely bypassing the security.
"Yes!" Yumi cheered, spinning her chair around.
Kaito laughed and gave her a quick high-five.
He walked over to a small break table, grabbed a powdered donut, and took a drink of black coffee.
THUD.
Kaoruko walked by and dropped a massive stack of manila folders onto an empty desk.
She groaned loudly, rubbing her temples.
"I completely hate this new system," Kaoruko complained, looking at the papers. "So much paperwork. I have to fill out three forms just to get a raid approval now."
"It's better than getting punched in the face out on the street," Kaito joked, taking a bite of his donut.
Juzo walked over holding a warm cup of tea.
"He is right, Bubble Girl," Centipeder said calmly. "The new system works. Look at the dock raid yesterday. We arrested an entire weapon smuggling ring without having any difficulties."
Kaoruko crossed her arms. "Only because you guys froze their bank accounts while they were sleeping."
"That's the point," Kaito smiled, pointing his coffee cup at her. "When criminals wake up and realize all their money is gone, they completely lose the motivation to fight. Work smarter, not harder."
The heavy wooden double doors at the front of the room swung open.
Mirai Sasaki walked in.
The banter in the room stopped instantly. The agents kept typing, but it got quiet out of respect.
Mirai walked straight past the desks and stopped in front of the massive digital map of Japan taking up the main wall.
Kaito put his coffee down and walked over to the master terminal sitting on a pedestal near the map.
"We finished linking the local police databases to the financial trackers," Kaito told Mirai. "The master server is ready to boot up."
"Do it," Mirai said, keeping his eyes on the blank map.
Click.
Kaito hit the 'Enter' key.
WIRRR.
The giant screen flashed. Thousands of green and blue data streams lit up the map.
The system was tracking burner phone locations, offshore bank transfers, and flagged cargo shipments all across the country in real-time.
"We are one hundred percent online," Kaito announced, stepping back from the terminal.
Mirai stared at the live data. He pushed his glasses up his nose. He looked completely satisfied.
Mirai turned around to face Kaito, Bubble Girl, and Centipeder.
"The Hero Public Safety Commission called me this morning," Mirai told them.
Kaoruko sighed. "Did they complain about our budget again?"
"No," Mirai said plainly. "They officially recognized us as the central intelligence hub of Japan. And they approved the orbital budget."
Kaoruko's jaw dropped. "Wait. They actually said yes?"
Kaito grinned widely and shoved his hands in his pockets.
"Four dedicated surveillance satellites," Kaito explained to the sidekicks. "Low Earth Orbit. They launch in three weeks. We are going to have our own unhackable, real-time cameras covering the entire Japanese archipelago."
Centipeder looked genuinely shocked. "That is an unbelievable amount of coverage."
"It means we won't have to rely on street cameras anymore," Kaito nodded. "We own the sky."
Mirai looked back at the glowing map of Japan.
"Once those satellites are in orbit, our blind spots are gone," Mirai said, his voice carrying clearly across the quiet room. "The agency is ready for whatever happens next."
...
[A/N]
I've been having a writers block this past few days together with problems in my job. Hence the schedule errors. But thankfully I've managed to map it out.
...
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