In the office in the Yaoyorozu mansion, Junsei sat across from Sai. To Sai's right stood a large monitor. Upon it, Mr. Yaoyorozu appeared.
"When I saw you in the UA Festival," Mr. Yaoyorozu began, "I knew you would go far. I even believed you had a high chance to win, just by recalling your display in the forest years ago."
He paused.
"But not in my wildest imagination did I think you would attempt murder on live television."
Junsei did not interrupt.
"Considering the circumstances," Mr. Yaoyorozu continued, "I will not fault you. However, I must ask, how strong are you right now? To defeat professional heroes one after another…"
Junsei answered.
"It was not a proper fight. Many of them held back. They did not give it their all." He paused briefly. "And All Might is injured. Severely weakened. From the videos I have seen of him at his peak… I am not certain I could defeat him."
Mr. Yaoyorozu gave a small nod.
"And the others?"
"If it is one-on-one," Junsei said calmly, "I will win. If all of them at once… I am not sure."
"Still," Mr. Yaoyorozu replied, "that is impressive."
Sai cleared his throat. "Sir, the issue is that what Junsei did was broadcasted nationwide. This will cause complications. I have already heard that the police and the Hero Public Safety Commission attempted to take him into custody. Principal Nezu intervened and stopped them, but they could try to find faults with him after what happened."
"If that principal is assisting," Mr. Yaoyorozu said thoughtfully, "then matters should remain stable for now. I have contacts within the Hero Public Safety Commission. I will see what can be done to calm the situation."
His gaze sharpened slightly through the screen.
"Do not concern yourself with it, Junsei. I have your back. However, for the time being, avoid high-profile events as much as possible. If another sports festival or similar public competition arises, skip it."
Sai nodded. "I agree. This was an extraordinary situation. I would prefer not to see you placed in such a position again." He paused for a moment before adding, "By the way, I noticed you stopped focusing on the green-haired boy mid-fight. That lapse led to your injury. What happened?"
"I heard two of the individuals who attacked the orphanage speaking, they were among the audience," Junsei said. "And they recognized me. I tried to find them."
Both Sai and Mr. Yaoyorozu visibly stiffened.
"You did not inform anyone?" Mr. Yaoyorozu asked.
Junsei shook his head. "I do not know who they were. The moment I looked in their general direction, they stopped speaking."
Sai said. "That explains your reaction."
Mr. Yaoyorozu asked. "Are you certain of what you heard?"
"Yes," Junsei replied. "I heard them clearly."
There was a brief silence while Mr. Yaoyorozu considered this.
"If they ceased speaking when you looked their way," he said at last, "then you startled them. It is likely you will not encounter them again. They will avoid you deliberately."
Junsei did not respond.
Mr. Yaoyorozu sighed faintly. "Do not overthink it. The past is the past. It was long ago. Live your life and forget about what happened that night."
His expression softened just slightly.
"And in the future, if you find yourself in another event against Momo… go easy on her. Even if she requests otherwise. My wife was displeased watching her lose to you in that manner, especially after witnessing students far less capable advance to the final round."
Junsei nodded. "Understood."
The call ended. The monitor went dark.
Sai looked at him thoughtfully. "If you had located those two… what would you have done?"
Junsei's gaze remained forward.
"I do not know," he said. "I wanted to ask why they did it. Depending on the answer… I would have acted."
Sai sighed. "I told you before, revenge will only hurt you."
"I have nothing or anyone I want to avenge," Junsei replied.
"Is it now? Then tell me, why do you hate them?" Sai pressed.
Junsei paused, then said with some hesitation "I don't know."
Sai said "I think you cared for those who died deep down, even if you think otherwise"
Junsei said "I don't care about the humans that died"
Sai said "You didn't feel anything when you saw them die?"
Junsei replied "I didn't"
Junsei thought [I hated I did]
Junsei stood up and left the office without any more words, Sai watched him leave and sighed.
——————
The next morning, the Yaoyorozu car stopped before the gates of U.A. When Junsei and Momo stepped out of the car, they were met by a wall of reporters.
Momo stiffened for a moment before moving following Junsei, who had already started moving as if he saw nothing.
And for a fleeting moment, she feared his presence will attract these reporters and might end up with someone provoking him.
She was proven somewhat right almost instantly, Junsei's arrival effect was immediate. Reporters who had been partially blocking the gate instinctively parted. They created a clear path for him as if afraid he might go berserk again.
They were clearly interested in him considering the cameras following him, but no one dared to approach him or start a conversation. She wondered if these reporters thought he was in a bad mood because of his expressionless face.
But as they crossed the gates into school grounds, Momo realized the reaction was not limited to the press. Students who spotted Junsei slowed or stepped aside. Others lowered their voices and avoided eye contact. It was like they were looking at something inhuman.
Momo glanced sideways at Junsei. He appeared entirely unaffected and she believed it, he truly didn't care what others thought or how he was treated. She sighed quietly.
After entering the building, they separated for their respective classes.
When Junsei stepped into his classroom, the effect was instantaneous. Conversation ceased. Not a single student met his eyes. Junsei walked to his seat as if nothing had occurred and sat down.
Beside him, Shinso leaned slightly in his chair.
"Congratulations," Shinso said dryly. "You are officially the scariest person in school. No one will ever annoy you again. A dream come true."
Junsei looked at him.
"You are not scared?"
Shinso waved a hand dismissively, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "I am far too weak to turn you into a bloodthirsty berserker. I know my limits. And being labeled a potential villain because of a quirk gives you a different perspective around life"
Junsei turned forward again. The silence remained.
——————
In Class 1-A, the atmosphere was no less tense.
Students were still discussing the final match when Momo entered.
The room went quiet as all eyes turned to her.
"Good morning," Momo said calmly.
No one responded at first.
Then Mina rose from her seat. "Did he come today?"
Momo nodded.
Denki frowned. "I can't believe they're keeping him here after what he did."
"He nearly died," Momo replied evenly.
"You're always defending him," Denki shot back.
Jiro crossed her arms. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but Denki's right. He tried to kill Midoriya. And he hurt All Might and other heroes."
Momo's expression tightened.
"After he nearly died because of Midoriya."
Midoriya spoke in a weak voice. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to do that."
"And he didn't mean to do it either," Momo replied. "The difference is, you know your quirk is destructive, and you still use it at full power."
Uraraka quickly intervened. "That's not fair! He didn't know his punch would hurt him that badly."
Before Momo could respond, Bakugo joined in.
"Ponytail is right."
Several heads snapped toward him.
"Deku started it," Bakugo continued bluntly. "I was watching from the medical wing. The white weirdo wasn't even looking at him. Then this smartass decided to sneak attack him with everything he had."
Cero blinked. "Hold on. You're defending him? After what he did to you?"
Bakugo scoffed.
"He was stronger. He beat me. That's it. I'm not pathetic enough to bad-mouth someone just because I lost."
His eyes sharpened.
"He's stronger today. Tomorrow, I'll beat the hell out of him."
Cero stared. "Holy shit! Is that character development?"
Bakugo turned to Cero and said "Have a problem Bondage Face?"
Cero shrugged while Kirishima grinned. "That's actually kind of cool, man."
Todoroki spoke up next "He is strong. And he fought with restraint at first. He even allowed Midoriya an opportunity to fight back instead of finishing him immediately. In fact, he went easy on everyone if you don't count the Cavalry Battle"
The discussion was cut short as the door slid open.
Eraser Head stepped inside.
His tired eyes swept across the class.
"I don't approve of this blame game," he said flatly. "You're aspiring heroes. What happened was an unfortunate accident. Incidents like this will occur in the real world."
His gaze sharpened.
"What matters is learning from them and not whatever this is."
The class quieted.
Mina hesitated before raising her hand. "Sensei… what is the school going to do with him?"
"Nothing," Aizawa replied. "It was an accident. That's the end of it."
He paused slightly.
"However… there is growing sentiment among the staff that allowing someone with a quirk that powerful to waste his potential would be a significant loss."
Several students exchanged glances.
"He has the potential to become a second All Might," Aizawa continued dryly. "Well, the no-smile All Might, if you will."