Junsei shook his head slowly. "No amount of effort you make will change what they are."
"You hate them too much," Nezu replied calmly, "so much that you are blind to the seeds of good inside them."
"There are many things to hate about them," Junsei said, his voice steady but heavy. "They kill more than anything else in this world and they enjoy it. They are greedy and liars. They take joy in the suffering of what they do not understand or what they deem different." He paused. "But that is not their greatest sin."
Nezu tilted his head, curiosity filling his gaze. "Then what is it?"
"They steal life," Junsei answered.
Nezu blinked. "Please explain."
"That is what they took from you," Junsei said.
Nezu went very still. After a moment, he spoke quietly. "I don't understand."
"Every living thing," Junsei said, "every plant and every animal, comes from the same source. We are all connected to it."
"Are you talking about evolution?" Nezu asked.
"Yes," Junsei replied. "All creatures on this planet evolved from the same root. Creatures grow, procreate, kill, and eat one another. They change to survive and expand life. Life moves from one body to another. And at the end, when we die, our life goes back to the world."
Nezu listened intently, his tea forgotten. It was the first time he had ever heard such an explanation.
"And how does this relate," he asked slowly, "to what I lost and to humans?"
"All of us know this instinctively," Junsei said. "It is something we are born with, every creature, small or big. You don't have that instinct anymore. You can't feel life. You lost the connection that made you part of us." His eyes darkened slightly. "And when you die… I don't know what will happen to you."
Nezu let out a small, uncertain laugh. "You sound like a religion. Are you saying I won't go to paradise?"
"I don't know what will happen when you die," Junsei said. "But I think religions speak some truth."
Nezu stared at him. "You believe in religion?"
"I believe parts of the stories," Junsei replied.
"That is another thing I never expected to hear," Nezu murmured. "Ao, science tells us humans evolved from apes, closely related to…"
"No," Junsei said sharply. "They did not. Humans did not evolve from apes or any other life on this planet. One day, they simply came to be."
Nezu frowned. "But our science…"
"Humans are not part of us," Junsei continued. "Not a single one of them has a connection to the life that unites the rest of us. Humans are unique among all creatures in this world." His voice lowered. "They become what they kill."
Nezu's ears twitched. "How?"
"When humans kill a living thing," Junsei said, "the life within it moves toward the killer. At first, I thought they did it intentionally. But then I realized they don't know. They do it instinctively."
"And other creatures don't?" Nezu asked.
Junsei nodded his head. "If a cat hunts a mouse, the mouse's life goes back to the world. But if a human does it, life goes into the human. This is why humans evolve faster than any other creature. This is why they dominated the planet. This is why their evolution accelerated as their weapons grew more devestating."
Nezu thought for a long moment. "The birth of quirks," he said at last.
Junsei nodded. "I believe quirks are born from life. Humans killed so much that they began developing quirks. The acceleration of their evolution in recent decades comes from the sheer amount of killing they do."
Nezu could feel the hatred pouring from Junsei now.
"So that is why you hate them," he said quietly. "Why you call them thieves. Is there no way to stop this?"
Junsei shook his head. "No. I don't know why they can do this. But this is why I believe religion holds truth. Humans were born separately from nature, created to devour our life. It is as if the world was made for the sole purpose of their convenience."
Nezu sighed deeply. "It goes against everything I understand," he admitted. "But I believe you. The fact that you came back from death after so many years means even the rules we take for granted may not be absolute."
He looked at Junsei carefully. "You never tried to tell anyone this?"
"They can't sense it," Junsei replied. "They can't understand it. What should I tell them? To stop killing everything? Or that they need to die so the world can reclaim what was stolen?"
Nezu raised an eyebrow. "Life returns when humans die?"
Junsei nodded.
Nezu fell silent, then asked softly, "Did you kill humans? Do you wish that they all die?"
"Yes," Junsei said. "I did. And I want them gone. But it's impossible. They are dangerous. They have numbers and power. They could destroy everything and I won't be able to stop them" His gaze sharpened. "All Might alone is a disaster."
Nezu absorbed this. "You fear All Might?"
"Of all humans I have met," Junsei said, "All Might radiates life like no other. It shows how much devastation he brought the world and there are others like him out there."
Nezu asked quietly, "Does the life you sense in humans relate to how much they have killed?"
Junsei nodded.
Nezu's gaze drifted, unseeing, as a familiar image filled his mind. All Might, towering, radiant, the symbol of peace and hope in the eyes of humanity. Strength so overwhelming it could bend the weather itself. When a single punch is thrown toward the sky or a shockwave rippling through a forest. How many birds had been torn from the air? How many insects crushed, how many animals slain without notice or intent?
At that moment, Nezu understood. To Junsei, All Might was not a symbol of peace and hope. He was a symbol of destruction and despair.
Nezu sighed deeply.
"Ao," he said "All Might is a good person at heart. He would never choose to harm others. I have no doubt that any killing he caused was unintentional. He and everyone else do not see the world the way you do." He gave a small, self-aware smile. "And even I, the smartest creature in the world, find it difficult to fully grasp… though I am willing to believe you unconditionally."
"That changes nothing," Junsei replied.
Nezu nodded. "Humans will never stop killing. They must eat, expand their land, and search for resources." He paused, then continued, "But they can learn the value of the life you see. They can learn restraint and have better control over their actions. They can lessen the damage they cause."
He looked Junsei straight in the eyes. "You cannot stop them, and you fear what they are capable of. Then try to teach them. Reduce the harm as much as possible."
"It is a hopeless endeavor and I have no desire to interact with humans more than necessary," Junsei said flatly.
"I see," Nezu replied. "When I called you here, I did not intend to discuss humans at all. I only wanted you to know that I am not as biased toward them as you believed." He hesitated for a fraction of a second. "Would you mind having lunch with me from now on?"
"I am fine with that," Junsei answered.
Nezu smiled, genuine and warm. "Excellent. I will make sure Lunch Rush prepares you the finest deserts. I cannot let my brother eat ordinary food, can I?"
From that day onward, Junsei ate with Nezu every day. Over lunches filled with sugar and tea, Nezu shared stories of his long life, and the strange path that led him to U.A. Junsei, in turn, spoke in fragments about the forest, about quiet years spent among animals and creatures living inside it.
The school, meanwhile, was left utterly baffled.
——————
A few days later, in the staff room, Eraser Head, Present Mic, and Midnight gathered around a table, discussing the hottest topic in the school.
"I'm telling you," Midnight said, eyes gleaming, "there is something going on between those two. Their relationship must be forbidden."
"That's disgusting to even think about," Present Mic shot back. "Even for you, that's too much."
"At first," Eraser Head said calmly, "I thought Junsei's quirk was affecting Principal Nezu. But the way the principal speaks around him… the way he acts, it's more like trust. Too much trust." He paused. "Almost like family."
"Honestly," Midnight added, "it feels like the boy is the principal's pet."
"Or," Present Mic said slowly, "could it be the other way around? Their dynamic is just… weird."
Similar discussions spread throughout the school. Some students whispered that Junsei was secretly controlling the principal's mind. Others claimed Nezu was grooming him to become a hero. Even Momo, usually so composed, found herself unsettled. When she finally asked Junsei directly, all she received was a simple answer: Nezu was family.
Momo didn't know what to make of it. None of her classmates did. The only theory that vaguely fit was that of some strange bond of the animal kingdom as absurd as it sounded. Yet, as days passed and Junsei continued walking calmly with the principal perched on his shoulder, that absurd idea was the only one no one could entirely dismiss.