Iwao and Kazuho walked out of the black teleportation vortex and immediately sensed the oddness through their enhanced Spirituality.
Exchanging a glance, but saying nothing, they approached their seats to Dr. Blessed's right and left, respectively.
As per the unwritten protocol, both Knuckleduster and Pop*Step were dressed in long white coats, with black, clownish masks on their faces.
As the Leader stood up, they took off their masks and put them down on the table in front of them.
Dr. Blessed, like usual, kept his on.
The oddness of only their faces out in the open didn't unnerve the two members, though.
Both Iwao and Kazuho had known each other for years. Moreover, the Leader of the Apostle of Fools had always carried a mystery about him — presumably about his past.
In time, they did expect to know Dr. Blessed more.
That time wasn't now.
"Praise be to Mr. Fool…" The three said together, putting their right hand on their chest.
Then, they simultaneously sat down, and, after a long time, the meeting finally began.
"Congratulations on graduating from your college, Ms. Pop*Step," Dr. Blessed said. "And… Congratulations on becoming a Trickmaster."
Kazuho smiled, blushing a little.
She had already digested her Apprentice Potion during the I-Island incident.
However, because Dr. Blessed was busy with some work, he hadn't passed on the next Sequence to her.
It was only yesterday that he finally contacted her and gave her the Sequence 8 Potion.
Now, Pop*Step was also a Trickmaster — the Sequence she had been looking forward to the most!
"Thank you, Dr. Blessed," Kazuho said. She spied Iwao winking at her and hurriedly added, "… It's all thanks to Mr. Fool's benevolence…"
Luke: "…"
Ms. Justice: "…"
Nyx hiding in a dark corner: "…"
Dr. Blessed looked toward Iwao, then.
"Congratulations on advancing to Sequence 8," he said. "Swindler might not seem much in a direct conflict, but it will help you a lot in the long run."
Knuckleduster nodded heavily. He did not gain an enormous amount of Stamina after advancing to Swindler, but the few abilities he did receive were quite practical — especially to gather intel.
Plus, he was liking that his innate intuition became stronger, along with his nimbleness.
For a guy as huge as him, any point in Agility could be a battle-turning factor.
"Before we begin," Dr. Blessed said, lampooning, "I have a few things to say. First, as you know, they have elevated me to the status of an International Criminal."
Despite the humor in the Leader's voice, both members could feel the seriousness in his words.
"This is not an empty title," Dr. Blessed continued. "Before, even if we were to go out of Japan, we would have been seen as common Villains. Nothing else. Now, Heroes all over the world will exclusively come after us once they learned of our presence."
Iwao nodded. "That makes sense," he replied. "If Conformity was behind this, then it got us good."
"…" Dr. Blessed held back a twitch on his lips.
These weren't normal people anymore, but Beyonders. Even if Mr. Iwao dared not use a Marauder's abilities to look at his face behind the mask, it was better to err on the side of caution.
"No." Dr. Blessed rejected the guess with confidence. "It wasn't Conformity."
Both Iwao and Kazuho's brows rose. "Then…"
"It was Saionji Group's Chairman," Dr. Blessed said. "I think he felt offended by me repeatedly kidnapping his stepson…"
This time, Iwao's mouth twitched, and he didn't even try to hide it.
Knowing the oddities of this fanatic, Knuckleduster mostly ignored some of his acts. This kidnapping of a UA student was one of those acts.
"I will try…" Dr. Blessed said, hesitating, as if he himself didn't believe the words. "… not to kidnap him anymore."
Kazuho put a hand over her mouth, her brows fidgeting as she smothered a laugh.
"Anyway," Dr. Blessed continued. "Second, I hope you two will consider coming with new identities."
"New identity?!" Kazuho's right eye widened.
Iwao was more experienced, though. "… Yeah, that will be for the best," he said, holding his chin. "Dr. Blessed is being painted as one of the worst Villains across countries. By association, it's only time when they come down on me and little Kazuho as well."
Pop*Step's face paled. No. Only recently had she become a Trickmaster. She hadn't even begun acting as a true Beyonder, with all those cool abilities.
"This is wrong!" Kazuho complained. "Leader saved those people! If it wasn't for him…"
Iwao frowned. "People wouldn't care," he said, shaking his head. "Not until All Might himself declares this to the public… which he won't."
"… but why?!" Kazuho asked, shocked. "He's a Hero! He should…"
"Because that's what we chose, Ms. Kazuho," Dr. Blessed said. "All Might wants us to come out in the open, hand ourselves over to the police, and admit our wrongs… Only then would he step forward and go against all the top people. We are the gray area lingering between the boundaries of Heroes and Villains. Neither of those two will ever accept us."
A silence lingered between the three of them as Kazuho's mouth flattened.
Suddenly, Dr. Blessed chuckled. "No need to worry," he said. "This is only the beginning. The more we spread Mr. Fool's faith, the more people will realize that this world cannot function by merely being black and white. It also needs those who tread the gray path… the path that leads to the Gray Castle of Mr. Fool."
Iwao and Kazuho's mouths opened as if they had just heard something truly meaningful.
[… Wow! All those history and religious books you've been reading are showing their effect, huh?] Miss Justice quipped, making Luke struggle against a shy cough.
"Alright," Dr. Blessed said authoritatively. "Let's…"
"Trick*Step…"
"Iron Mentor…"
Kazuho and Iwao shared a glance as both worded out their new names simultaneously.
Then, slowly, both began laughing, saying goodbye to their years-old image of Naruhata Vigilantes.
Watching them from the side, Luke smiled behind the mask as well.
I guess… Luke thought, narrowing his eyes. It's finally time to grow our numbers…
********************
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