"I am All Might."
The man said it without hesitation, even as blood traced a thin line from the corner of his mouth.
"W-Wait—you're bleeding!" Izuku fumbled through his pocket and pulled out a pack of tissues, offering it with both hands.
All Might accepted them and sat down, wiping the blood away with calm familiarity.
"You're… not more surprised?" he asked, glancing at Izuku.
"I am," Izuku said. "It just… doesn't feel real yet."
A faint, tired smile crossed All Might's face.
"You've seen people flex to make themselves look bigger, right? It's… something along those lines."
Izuku blinked. "…That doesn't really explain it."
All Might let out a quiet breath.
"You weren't supposed to see this," he said. "So consider yourself lucky—and keep it to yourself."
Izuku nodded, though the words barely registered.
Then All Might lifted his shirt.
The scar was impossible to ignore—deep, jagged, and far too large to look like anything but a near-fatal wound.
Izuku's breath caught. "That's…"
"Five years ago," All Might said, lowering his gaze slightly, "I was critically injured in a fight with a villain. Half of my respiratory system was destroyed. My stomach had to be removed. The surgeries kept me alive… but not much more than that."
He let the shirt fall back into place.
"I can only maintain my hero form for about three hours a day now."
Izuku swallowed. "Was that… during your fight with Toxic Chainsaw?"
All Might's expression hardened immediately. "I wouldn't lose to someone like that."
His fist tightened.
"The Symbol of Peace doesn't get to fall in public."
His eyes drifted toward the distant skyline.
"So the truth stayed hidden. That was my decision."
The wind moved between them, quiet but steady.
"My smile…" he said after a moment, "…isn't just for everyone else. It's how I keep myself standing."
He exhaled slowly.
"Being a hero means risking your life. Every time."
Izuku lowered his head. His hands curled into fists at his sides.
"Wanting to be a hero without a Quirk…" All Might continued, "…isn't completely impossible. But wanting it alone isn't enough."
The words landed with weight.
"If your goal is to help people," he added, rising to his feet, "there are other paths. Being a police officer is one of them."
He turned toward the rooftop door.
"Dreams aren't a bad thing," he said, pausing briefly. "But you still have to face reality."
The door closed behind him.
—
Izuku stood there alone.
The rooftop felt emptier than before. Even the wind seemed sharper now.
Even All Might says I can't…
Does that mean I really can't?
A quiet voice answered from somewhere inside him.
You can't.
"No…"
His grip tightened around his notebook.
"I can."
The two thoughts pressed against each other, neither willing to give way.
Then—
A distant explosion shattered the silence.
Izuku looked up sharply.
"What was that…?"
Another sound followed, louder, closer.
"A villain…? Where are the heroes?"
He took a step forward on instinct—then stopped.
If you want to be a hero… what are you doing right now?
He didn't answer.
Instead, he looked down at his notebook. The fresh signature on the page caught his eye.
Then he turned and headed for the stairs.
—
By the time he reached the street, a crowd had already gathered.
People pressed in from all sides, blocking the view.
"I can't see…"
He shifted, trying to find a gap between shoulders.
Then he caught sight of it.
His breath caught.
"That's… the same villain…"
The sludge creature surged in the middle of the street, forcing several pro heroes back.
The same one All Might had captured.
How is it out…?
The thought settled cold in his chest.
Did it escape because of me…?
Izuku covered his mouth, his pulse quickening.
"Why aren't the heroes doing anything?"
"There's a hostage!"
"A middle schooler's trapped!"
"Wasn't that the villain All Might was chasing earlier?"
"Where is All Might?!"
Izuku's eyes searched the chaos—
—and found him.
Katsuki Bakugo.
Caught in the sludge, his movements restricted, his face twisted with anger and desperation as he struggled to breathe.
Izuku didn't think.
His body moved first.
He ran.
"Hey! Stop! Don't go!" a hero at the front shouted, reaching out to block him.
Izuku slipped past the outstretched hand.
And kept running.