The afternoon classes passed quietly, and before long, school was dismissed. Lock parted ways with Kyōka Jirō, intending to stop by his agency before heading home.
On the street, he glanced casually toward a small hobby shop—and noticed a boy with messy dark-green hair standing before the display window. His palms were pressed to the glass as he stared longingly at an All Might figurine.
"So it's finally time, huh?"
Lock recognized him instantly.
Midoriya Izuku.
If he remembered correctly, Izuku attended Aldera Junior High—not far from Lock's own school. Since it was after dismissal for both schools, the coincidence wasn't surprising.
Lock walked closer.
"Hey. You—the kid over there."
But Izuku didn't react, still fixated on the figurine.
Lock tried again, louder this time:
"The boy with the seaweed hair!"
Izuku jumped slightly and finally turned around. He blinked shyly, clearly startled that someone was addressing him.
"E-Excuse me… um… do you need something?"
Lock studied him. The freckles, the timid posture—and the bruise on his cheek.
Yeah. This was definitely Izuku.
"What's your name?" Lock asked.
"M-My name is Midoriya Izuku."
The moment he said it, Izuku's eyes widened in shock—as if he suddenly recognized the person standing before him.
He fumbled a scorched black notebook from his backpack, its charred cover just barely showing the fading title:
"Hero Analysis for the Future."
"A-Are you really the Pro Hero Mage, ranked No.128?!" Izuku's voice trembled with excitement.
Since acquiring his license last autumn, Lock's reputation had skyrocketed. The Flamingo incident. The license exam broadcast. The Iron Shark battle. The destruction of an Evolutionary stronghold.
By the latest Hero Billboard update, he had risen to No.128.
Lock smiled. "Yeah. Mind if I take a look at that notebook?"
"Of course! P-Please!"
Izuku held it out with both hands, bowing deeply. To him, Lock was someone only slightly behind All Might in admiration.
Lock flipped through the pages. Meticulous notes on Pro Heroes, abilities, tactics—dozens of profiles, written with obsessive detail. The burn marks and water-stained edges told Lock everything he needed to know.
The same bullying incident he remembered.
As if on cue—
Ding.
A mechanical chime sounded in Lock's mind.
[Side Mission Triggered: Help Midoriya Izuku.
Reward: B-Rank Draw]
Lock paused. Help Izuku… how?
Train him like All Might? Intervene in fate?
The system remained silent.
Izuku's timid voice drew Lock back.
"Um… I-is something wrong with my notes?"
"No. They're good. You've worked hard." Lock handed the notebook back.
Izuku's face lit up instantly.
Then Lock pointed lightly at the bruise on Izuku's cheek.
"Mind telling me what happened?"
Izuku stiffened. "Ah—I… fell on the stairs…"
A terrible lie.
Lock had asked a casual question first, then the real one—making it easy to catch the flinch and micro-expressions.
Izuku couldn't hide it.
Lock's tone sharpened.
"Really? Because that looks a lot like someone hit you."
"Ah—!"
"Tell me the truth."
So Izuku confessed everything—voice small and ashamed.
Two days ago, while filling out their high-school aspirations, Izuku had gathered his courage to write U.A. High School.
Just like the person he admired most—All Might.
Just like Bakugō Katsuki, his childhood friend turned tormentor.
But Bakugō had exploded his notebook using his Quirk, thrown it into the school fountain, and forced Izuku to change his dream.
The bruise came from being shoved down the stairs after class.
Izuku had been going home immediately after the bell since then—trying to avoid Bakugō.
Lock's brows lowered.
So it really was bullying.
He already had a terrible first impression of Bakugō Katsuki—and not only because of this. Even in canon, Bakugō's early behavior was that of a complete scumbag. Izuku survived only through sheer mental resilience.
A weaker kid… could have died.
Lock exhaled sharply.
"Bakugō Katsuki… Help Midoriya Izuku… so the mission refers to this?"
Just as he thought that, someone approached.
A tall boy with spiky ash-blond hair. Black school uniform. Hood up. Eyes sharp and feral.
Walking straight toward Izuku.
Speak of the devil.
Izuku shrank back instantly.
"K-Kacchan…"
Bakugō's lip curled.
"Deku. You think leaving school right after the bell means I can't find you?"
He strode right up to them.
"How many times do I have to say it? A Quirkless nobody won't get into U.A.!"
Bakugō jabbed a finger toward Izuku's chest.
"The only way you'd ever be a Hero is if you get reincarnated with a Quirk—and even then you should just do everyone a favor, jump off a roof, and pray you respawn like a dog."
His voice dropped to a dangerous growl.
"I'll say it once more—don't you dare apply to U.A., Deku."
Then he reached to snatch the burned notebook from Izuku's hands—
But before he could, a figure stepped between them.
Lock.
He didn't raise his voice. He didn't need to.
"Hey," Lock said coldly.
"You know it's rude to interrupt someone else's conversation, right?"
His eyes locked onto Bakugō's—flat, unimpressed, openly disgusted.
And that's exactly where your raw chapter ends.
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A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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