—Apartment, Musutafu—
Emi opened the door to her apartment with a sigh, today had been quite the rodeo with the influx of new transfer students at the school. As the head librarian, it wasn't like it affected her as much as it would the teachers, but she had been assigned multiple students to help out.
Setting down her bag on one of the chairs next to the counter, she walked over to the nearby bathroom to wash up.
After tying her hair back in a neat ponytail, she went back to the kitchen to start fixing up some dinner.
Emi rolled up her sleeves, set a pan on the stovetop, and clicked the burner on. The soft whoosh of the flame filled the silence, and she allowed herself a small hum as she reached into the fridge.
"Let's see…" she murmured, pulling out a carton of eggs, a bundle of green onions, and leftover rice wrapped neatly in plastic. Simple fried rice would do for tonight.
She chopped the onions with steady, practiced motions, the knife's rhythmic tok-tok-tok against the cutting board almost soothing after hours of chatter and questions from students. Tossing the vegetables into the hot pan, the sizzle rose like applause. Emi smiled faintly.
As she cracked eggs into the mixture, she found her thoughts wandering back to the transfer students—bright-eyed, nervous, some overly eager. A few reminded her of herself at that age: uncertain but desperate to make a mark.
Having finished cooking, she stirred the rice, letting it soak up the savory aroma of the soy sauce and plated it nicely.
Moving over to the sofa, Emi sat down, carefully placing her place down on the coffee table and grabbing the remote.
She casually flicked on the T.V., switching over to her favorite channel to catch up on the latest news.
The anchor's serious tone filled the room.
"In today's top story—U.A. High School was attacked by the League of Villains during a class exercise at their training facility. Authorities confirm that All Might was the primary target. While seventy-two villains were apprehended, the leader remains at large. No civilian casualties have been reported."
Emi let out a long breath and shook her head. "U.A.… those poor kids. I hope no one got hurt."
She muted the television and reached for her phone, thumb hovering for a moment before dialing Renji's number. Better safe than sorry.
The line rang twice before he picked up.
"Hey, Auntie." His voice was casual, almost cheerful.
"Renji!" Emi sat up straighter, her tone sharp with worry. "Are you safe? Did anything happen to you? The news—"
"Relax, relax," he cut in with a chuckle. "Yeah, I was there. Fought a ton of villains, actually. No biggie."
Her eyes widened. "No biggie?! Do you even hear yourself?"
Renji only laughed again, utterly unfazed, and Emi pressed her free hand to her forehead, torn between relief and exasperation.
—
[The Next Day]
—Private Meeting Room, U.A. High—
The teachers of U.A. sat patiently at their seats. In the center of the room was a large rectangular table made of the finest wood that they could import. The doors to the room were facing the short side of the table, meaning the room was very long in nature.
At the end of the table sat Nezu, patiently waiting along with his peers for the Detective to arrive.
Soon, Police Force Investigator Naomasa Tsukauchi arrived, coming in with a serious expression and multiple folders worth of data.
After greeting All Might and setting down his things, Tsukauchi sat at the front end of the table, directly facing Nezu from afar.
"Let's get started," He began, flipping open one of the folders. "Shall we?"
Tsukauchi began with the overview.
"The villains' objective was clear—eliminate All Might. Their leader, the one with pale hair and the hand covering his face, escaped before anyone could apprehend him. Even with seventy-two arrests, none of the captured villains knew anything beyond their orders to attack."
Aizawa leaned back in his chair, eyes narrowing. "So they were pawns."
"Exactly," Tsukauchi confirmed, tapping the folder with his pen. "We can't determine how many more they have waiting in the wings, or how far their influence spreads. The men and women we apprehended were criminals for sure, but not masterminds. They're fragments of a much larger machine."
Present Mic drummed his fingers nervously against the table. "And their leader? We don't know anything about him?"
Nezu folded his paws neatly in front of him, his expression unreadable. "Indeed. A group capable of organizing this scale of assault, targeting the Symbol of Peace, and infiltrating our training grounds without prior detection… it suggests resources far beyond what we anticipated."
All Might, seated stiffly, broke his silence. "This may have been targeted towards me, but they went after the students too." His voice carried the weight of guilt, heavy enough that the room seemed to grow stiller.
Recovery Girl gave a tired sigh. "We were lucky no one was hurt. But luck isn't a strategy we can depend on moving forward."
"At least we have that monster to look over." Cementoss commented, remembering the dead Nomu that was hauled in the other day.
Cementoss's words hung heavy in the air.
Tsukauchi adjusted his tie, his expression grim. "That creature… From what I've been told, one of your students is already examining it. Kanzaki Renji, wasn't it?"
A murmur rippled across the table. Recovery Girl nearly dropped her cane. "A student? Surely you're not serious."
But Nezu's calm voice cut through the noise. "I authorized it."
Every eye turned to him. The principal's paws were folded neatly on the polished wood, his expression pleasant, but his gaze sharp.
"Renji possesses both the intellect and the unique quirk necessary to study the Nomu at a level none of us can. Refusing him access would be a waste of potential."
"Potential or recklessness?" Recovery Girl snapped. "The boy is fifteen!"
Aizawa leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "He's not wrong, though. Renji would've found a way regardless. You should've seen the look in his eye when he talked about dissecting it."
Tsukauchi's brow furrowed. "And what if the student uncovers something dangerous—something meant to be kept hidden? We're dealing with an organization that can possibly mass-produce these monsters."
Nezu's smile widened ever so slightly. "Then I'd very much like to know what he uncovers. Wouldn't you?"
The room went silent again, unsettled.
Tsukauchi's brow furrowed as he flipped to another report. "And what of Kanzaki Renji's… methods? The Nomu was one thing, but my investigation shows he also killed one of the villains during the chaos."
A low murmur spread across the table, though none of the teachers looked surprised.
Midnight sighed, folding her arms. "I saw the footage. Poor guy's head exploded on impact, not even a hint of remorse on that boy's face."
Recovery Girl's cane tapped sharply against the floor. "Cold-blooded. He's not even trying to hold back."
Aizawa, arms crossed, leaned forward just slightly. His voice was steady, cutting through the unease. "Cold-blooded or not, he helped more than anyone to save the students. Without him, we'd be counting bodies right now."
That made the room falter. Even Tsukauchi hesitated, pen hovering over the page.
All Might grimaced, clearly torn, but Aizawa pressed on. "We don't have the luxury of ignoring what he did. He fought, he protected, and he bought time we desperately needed. I won't pretend it was pretty—but it worked."
Nezu's smile curled as though he had been waiting for that acknowledgment. "Precisely. Kanzaki Renji is… unorthodox, yes. But unorthodox is often what survives when the rules no longer apply."