The street was quiet, bathed in the soft gold of the late afternoon sun as Adam walked toward the Midoriya household. Familiar rooftops passed overhead, but a subtle shift hung in the air—an impression that time had not stood still during his absence.
He knocked on the door, and it opened swiftly.
Standing there was Izuku Midoriya, taller now—much taller, nearly 1.82 meters. His green curls still hung around his face, but his physique had transformed, lean muscle filling out his once-slender frame. But what caught Adam's eye more was the figure beside him, a girl with wild pink hair, goggles resting on her head, and a spark of manic brilliance in her eyes.
"Yo!" Izuku grinned, eyes bright. "Come in! You're here again, I thought that you wouldn't be back so soon. Also, Adam this is Mei, Mei Hatsume, my girlfriend and partner in the field."
Adam raised an eyebrow slightly at the unexpected development, but nodded, stepping inside.
Their appearance was… less than composed. Scuffed clothing, light oil stains on Mei's sleeves, and the unmistakable scent of things that only adults do clinging to the air. Yet, something about the scene felt natural.
Over tea, conversation flowed. Adam shared updates from the his adventures he'd have, his battles, his new subordinate Yuzuki, and his ongoing support of a group.
"I'm hoping to bring them here soon," he added.
Izuku's smile widened with almost childlike excitement. "Then I can't wait. I'm hoping for that day."
Adam leaned back, observing the calm confidence now resting in Izuku's eyes. "So… how've you been holding up here?"
Izuku set his cup down. "My mom's been out helping a friend in Osaka for a couple months. I've followed the training regimen exactly like you laid out. Pushed hard. Passed the B-rank Hunter exam. Got into a few tough gates. One of them… well, that's where I met Mei."
Mei leaned forward, pride evident in her posture. "He was a mess, but he had potential—and I had some babies that needed field testing."
Izuku flushed red, muttering something about her phrasing.
She bowed suddenly. "Seriously. Thank you—for helping him get to this point. If you hadn't, we wouldn't have crossed paths like this."
Even Adam, usually composed, found himself slightly disarmed by the sincerity. He looked away for a moment, hiding a small smile.
Dinner followed, warm and informal. Laughter, clinking dishes, and idle teasing filled the home.
As the evening wind down, Adam reached into his coat and pulled out two rolled parchments. He placed them gently on the table, unfurling them to reveal a schematic.
The weapon illustrated there was... odd. A single-handed dagger with reversed proportions. The hilt flowed into a narrow, twisted blade. There was no energy core, no circuit nodes, no visible edge. Just a dull-looking shape—like a shard of absence.
Mei tilted her head. "What's this supposed to be?"
"A relic," Adam said. "It's called the Inverted Spear of Heaven—a blade that nullifies mana, I want you two to replicate it. This of course will help you in your path Izuku"
Izuku's eyes gleamed. Mei, already muttering ideas to herself, snapped into work mode.
"A nullifier... If we can manufacture this, even a prototype... this could break theconfidence of many hunters and heros around the world"
Adam nodded. "That's the goal. A tool for our war against the gates and those who tried to harm us. The path ahead will not be easy but with time we'll get there. Since our first meeting my hopes for you were high Izuku, don't dissapoint me"
---------------------------------------
The first light of dawn crept lazily over Musutafu as Adam quietly rose from his place on the floor, where he had slept by his own choice despite Izuku and Mei's insistence on using the guest bed. The Midoriya home was peaceful, with the soft sound of birds outside and the occasional mechanical chirp from one of Mei's gadgets still humming in the corner.
He glanced at the closed bedroom door down the hall. The boy had grown. Not just in stature—but in will. He's almost ready, Adam thought with a hint of pride. But there was no time to linger.
He stepped outside, stretching once before addressing the interface in his head.
"Nano, purchase teleportation skill. High-tier. Precision targeting with zero flare. Destination: Osaka."
[Purchase complete. Skill learned: Spatial Shift - Tier IV: Void Step]
The next second, his body shimmered, dispersed, and reappeared with a faint pulse of gravity—in the heart of Osaka, standing amid the bustling crowd on a sidewalk between high-rises.
Despite the new environment, his thoughts were fixed on a month-old message—Inko Midoriya's urgent request. Though she hadn't given details, the timing and tone had told him enough: it wasn't about her, but someone she cared for deeply.
He didn't hesitate.
"Nano, locate Inko Midoriya's current signal using past proximity data. Ping active coordinates."
A map unfolded inside his mind, guiding him through the city streets to a gated property nestled in the northern district—a mansion of subtle prestige. It wasn't screaming money, but the reinforced walls and guards with earpieces told another story.
He walked up to the gate and rang the buzzer.
A voice crackled through the speaker. "State your name and business."
"Adam. I'm here at the request of Inko Midoriya."
The pause was short. "Come in."
Led across pristine stone paths and manicured gardens, he was escorted through polished doors and into a tall-ceiling room with wide windows and fine wooden furniture. Three women sat in the parlor.
Inko Midoriya looked relieved the moment she saw him. Her tense shoulders softened. She stood quickly, walking toward him.
"I told them you'd come," she said, her voice more motherly than he remembered. "Thank you, Adam."
On the couch sat Yuriko Takagi—a proud woman with noble features and steel in her bearing, though her eyes were red from sleepless nights. Beside her stood Bulma Briefs, as composed and unreadable as always, her sharp blue gaze already assessing him head to toe like a tactical AI.
Adam nodded once, addressing all three. "I take it this is why I was summoned?"
They motioned him to sit, and Bulma wasted no time.
"Yuriko's daughter, Saya, was taken six days ago during a gate raid outside Nara. The incident was clean—no trace. We only knew something was wrong because of a physical letter delivered to the Takagi compound."
"A group calling themselves the Slashers," Yuriko added quietly. "They're well-known in underground circles for assassinations, blackmail, and ransom schemes. High-level Hunters turned mercenary scum. They left demands."
Bulma interjected, "Payment is possible. But that's not all. They want a public denouncement of the Hunter Association from the Takagi family. Pulling out funding, calling them corrupt."
Adam's gaze narrowed. "So this is a political play. Backed by someone with real ambition."
Yuriko clenched her fists. "We'll pay the price. But the statement? That could destabilize regional hunter operations. We can't."
"Their deadline is in three days," Bulma continued. "After that, they promised to… 'return her in parts'."
Adam absorbed the information, then stood.
"I'll retrieve Saya within forty-eight hours," he said flatly.
Yuriko looked up sharply. "Can you really—?"
"I don't fail," he interrupted. "But I won't be gentle. Don't expect mercy."
There was silence.
Then Bulma smiled—just a fraction. "Do whatever's necessary. I'll manage public fallout."
Yuriko stood, stepping forward. "Whatever you need. Money. Resources. Clearance."
He shook his head. "This is a favor to Inko. I need nothing... but your silence and trust."
Inko looked at him with quiet pride, this was the man that make feel as a woman again in her dreams.
"Be safe," she whispered.
Adam gave a small nod, then turned to leave.
Outside, he vanished into the breeze—only a shimmer of shadow left behind.
"Nano. Begin target analysis. Tap into municipal security grids, black-market trade networks, and mercenary chatter. I want everything on the Slashers. Pattern their movement. Their base. Their lieutenants. We break them from the root."
[Understood. Initiating multi-tier scan. Primary nodes located in Kyoto, Osaka, and Mt. Omine. Initial probability cluster: 87% in Osaka's abandoned docklands. Time to breach readiness: 3 hours.]
Adam's eyes narrowed as the data streamed in.
"Then let's show them what real fear feels like."