🌆 Musutafu – Two Nights Later
The city hummed with neon and noise. Somewhere above the rooftops, Hawks glided silently, the cool air rushing past his wings.
Patrols were usually dull, but lately, strange reports had kept him sharp — rumors of a light that healed, then vanished.
He remembered it vividly.
That warmth.
That voice.
That impossible miracle at the crash scene a year ago.
> "It's been popping up again," he muttered through his earpiece. "No face, no name. Just 'gold light saves people.'"
A pause.
> "Hawks," came the calm voice of his handler, "if it's not a quirk, it could be tech, or worse — black-market support gear. Don't get sentimental."
He smirked.
> "I'm not sentimental. Just curious."
But deep inside, he knew curiosity wasn't the whole story.
---
🕶️ Meanwhile – In the Shadows of Musutafu
In a dim warehouse, Kai Chisaki (Overhaul) studied a wall of monitors.
Grainy security footage from different districts showed faint flashes of light, energy readings that registered nothing.
> "You're sure this wasn't a quirk signature?" he asked quietly.
A subordinate stammered.
> "No sir, it's… like the scanners can't read it at all. It's just—gone."
Overhaul's gloved hands tapped the table.
> "A power that heals without trace. Without side effects."
He leaned forward, eyes narrowing behind the mask.
"Find her."
He didn't care how — the girl could rebuild what he destroyed, or unmake what he built. Either way, she was dangerous.
He sent three men out that night — silent scouts, armed with high-sensitivity quirk detectors.
They would never find her.
---
☕ The Café at Closing
At Café Soleil, Orihime stacked trays and hummed softly as the last customers left. The lights dimmed to a warm amber.
> "Another good day," she said aloud, stretching her arms.
To the passing pedestrians, she was just another cheerful worker closing up.
To the spirits hovering unseen around her, she was a glowing beacon.
> "Lady Orihime," Tsubaki warned quietly, "someone's watching this district."
"Again?" she sighed. "Maybe it's the hero patrols. They always look tense lately."
> "Not heroes," Shun'ō whispered. "These ones smell like fear."
Orihime blinked, then smiled softly.
> "Then I'll take the long way home."
She stepped out into the cool night air — unaware that shadows followed her from the rooftops.
---
🌌 Fate's Crossing
Far above, Hawks swooped silently across the same street, scanning for irregular movement. His feathers extended, sweeping the air currents, mapping the area like invisible sensors.
Then he felt it — that same gentle warmth. Not heat, not fire… something softer.
It brushed against his feathers like sunlight through clouds.
He slowed, eyes narrowing.
> "That again… same as before."
Below, Orihime turned a corner, clutching her bag, her orange hair catching the streetlight.
The faint glow of Shun Shun Rikka shimmered for a heartbeat, invisible to everyone but him — just barely.
> "What the hell…" Hawks whispered. "That light."
Before he could descend, a blur moved in the alley — one of Overhaul's scouts, approaching Orihime from behind.
> "Excuse me, miss," the man said smoothly. "Can you help us? We're looking for someone—"
The instant his hand brushed her sleeve, Tsubaki flared, slicing through the air. The man's glove shredded, his wrist forced back by an unseen barrier.
He screamed, stumbling back.
> "What the—?! It's like I hit a wall!"
Orihime gasped.
> "Oh! I'm so sorry! Are you hurt?"
The man bolted, terrified — the detectors in his pocket short-circuiting from the spiritual interference.
High above, Hawks landed silently on a nearby rooftop, eyes wide.
He'd seen everything.
The shimmer. The unseen strike.
The warmth that followed.
> "So it's you…" he murmured. "The girl from the crash."
But then she looked up, smiling softly at the night sky — not at him, but toward the stars.
And for some reason, he couldn't bring himself to confront her.
> "You're not dangerous," he whispered to himself. "You're just… strange."
His feathers retracted, wings folding as he took off again.
Below, Orihime walked on, humming softly, unaware that two worlds — hero and spirit — had just brushed against each other again.
---
🕶️ The Report
Hours later, Overhaul's surviving scout knelt before his leader.
> "She—she's not human, sir. The device broke. The air just—pushed me away."
Overhaul's eyes narrowed.
> "Not human?"
> "No quirk signature. No trace. Nothing."
A long silence.
Then, a cold whisper.
> "Interesting."
He looked at the flickering light on his monitor.
> "If she's not from this world… we'll simply teach her what it means to live in it."