It didn't take long for Masata to arrive at the area where Shenmu Hospital was located.
"This place really is deserted…"
He walked along the empty street, not a single person in sight. Although it was only a few blocks away from the city center, it felt like a completely different world—quiet, lifeless, and cut off from the bustle of modern life.
After turning several corners, following faded street signs, and passing through a narrow alley, Masata finally stopped in front of the so-called Shenmu Hospital.
Compared to the already sparsely populated surroundings, this place felt even more wrong.
Dead leaves lay piled on the ground, clearly untouched for years, releasing a faint stench of decay. The surrounding buildings were stained black with age and grime. Ironically, the hospital itself was the cleanest structure around—yet its rusted gate was wrapped in barbed wire, sealed shut with wooden boards. The hospital's name was crookedly painted across them.
"…Heh. No way this is normal."
The sudden advertisements near his home, the repeated "coincidences" in daily life—everything pointed unmistakably to this place. His curiosity had driven him here, but now that he stood at the entrance, Masata felt a strong urge to turn around and leave.
"Good evening, Igarashi Masata."
A voice suddenly echoed through the silent street.
"Who's there?!"
Masata spun around instantly—but there was no one behind him.
"No need to look around. I'm not here."
The voice spoke again.
This time, Masata pinpointed the source: a speaker mounted near the hospital gate.
"Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Nishio Hunter. You can call me Hunter."
Masata narrowed his eyes.
"Cut the formalities. I don't know how you're doing this, but tell me straight—why did you bring me here? Since you know my name, you obviously know my Quirk too. So you'd better be honest."
By now, Masata was certain that all the strange events over the past few days had been designed to lure him here. Even confident in his own strength, he preferred answers before fists.
"Hahaha… just as impatient as the data says," Hunter chuckled, clearly unbothered.
"Then I'll start by answering your questions."
"Nishio Hunter. Quirk: Psychological Suggestion."
"I merely gave you a small hint. The reason you're standing here right now is because your own curiosity pushed you to come."
"…A hint?" Masata frowned. "What are you talking about?"
"Do you remember the convenience store downstairs from your house?" Hunter asked calmly.
"Didn't the clerk change a few days ago?"
Masata froze.
That unfamiliar voice…
It matched perfectly.
"…You're saying—"
"Just as you guessed," the voice replied smoothly.
"I was that temporary clerk."
"My Quirk allows me to implant a suggestion into a target within three meters. It can be a word, a concept, a name, a movie… or even an unfamiliar hospital."
So that's when it happened.
Masata felt a chill crawl up his spine.
"At the moment you saw the poster in the convenience store, the suggestion was already planted," Hunter continued.
"You might not have noticed, but it took root in your subconscious."
Masata remembered the strange sense of familiarity he'd felt when seeing the advertisement later.
"And after that," Hunter said lightly, "all I had to do was create a few coincidences—posting ads near your home, having shop signs mention similar words, letting daily life reinforce the hint naturally."
"This kind of Quirk…"
Masata clenched his fists.
It had almost no combat power—but it was terrifying.
The constant fixation, the inability to concentrate, the nagging sense of discomfort—if left unchecked, it could easily drive someone unstable over time.
"So why me?" Masata demanded. "Do I have a grudge with you?"
"No," Hunter replied immediately.
"I have no personal issue with you. The one truly interested in you… is someone else."
"Before meeting that person, however, you need to be tested."
"…So it comes down to fighting anyway?"
Masata let out a dry laugh.
"You don't seriously think that kind of disgusting Quirk can beat me, do you?"
"As I said, I'm not here," Hunter answered calmly.
"And I'm not good at combat. The one who'll fight you… should be appearing soon."
With that, the speaker went silent.
No matter how Masata shouted, there was no response.
"Tch. What a waste of time."
Strangely enough, as he turned to leave, the obsessive fixation in his mind began to fade. It seemed that once the source of the suggestion was exposed, its influence weakened.
But just as Masata took a step—
ROOOOAAAR!!
A monstrous roar erupted from inside Shenmu Hospital.
The iron gate was blasted outward by a tremendous force, crashing to the ground as a massive figure emerged.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
Masata stared at the creature before him.
Nomu.
The same monster that had nearly killed him at USJ.
"Hah… so this thing is still being produced."
Masata grinned, flames flickering faintly in his eyes.
"If you're anything like the last one, then I guess I won't be leaving quietly."
Remembering Nomu's terrifying speed and grotesque strength, Masata abandoned any thought of retreat. The drooling monster in front of him clearly had no intention of letting him walk away.
"Then let me take back what you did to me last time."
The battle was about to begin.