The silence stretched, heavy and suffocating. All Might looked stricken, his gaunt face clearly troubled. Aizawa's perpetual exhaustion seemed to deepen into something closer to defeat. Even Nezu's ever-present smile had faded entirely, replaced by an expression of careful calculation.
'Just as I initially feared.'
The Principal thought with an inward sigh. Without a doubt, he had known this would happen.
Not just him. All three men knew that the greatest obstacle to retaining their student was the parent herself. It was the natural reaction of every concerned parent to fear for the safety of their young. And the attack on U.A, however unsuccessful it might have been, had dealt a great blow to their credibility just for its mere happening.
For other parents, Nezu was sure some persuasion would have been enough to smooth out the situation.
However ..., The Takumi Household was different.
Mrs. Takumi wasn't worried about her son getting scraped knees during hero training or the general dangers of hero work. She was terrified of a specific, tangible threat—an organization that had already stolen ten years of her son's life. An organization sophisticated enough to run human experimentation programs undetected. An organization that was still out there, watching, waiting.
And now her son's face was plastered across every news outlet in Japan, making him exponentially easier to find.
From a parent's perspective, the math was simple and devastating: U.A. couldn't protect him from villains who'd breached their security. The media exposure made him a walking target. The hero path meant constantly putting himself in danger.
The logical conclusion? Remove him from all of it.
Nezu's mind raced through possible arguments, calculating odds, analyzing approaches. What could he say that wouldn't sound like empty platitudes to a mother who'd already lost everything once?
Ken sat beside his mother, her hand clutching his like a lifeline, and the weight of what she'd just said settled over the room like a physical thing.
I DON'T WANT HIM TO BE A HERO ANYMORE
"Mrs. Takumi," All Might began, his voice thick with emotion, "I understand your fears. I truly do. But your son has a gift—"
"A gift that's already cost him ten years of his life," Akira cut him off. "A gift that made him a target for monsters who treated him like a lab rat. And now that gift is public knowledge, which means those monsters—or others like them—know exactly where to find him."
She looked at All Might with the ferocity only a mother could produce in her tear-stained eyes.
"With all due respect, Mr. Toshinori, I don't care about gifts or potential or making a difference in the world. I care about my son surviving to see his nineteenth birthday. I care about him not being kidnapped again. I care about him not disappearing for another ten years—or permanently this time."
All Might flinched as if physically struck.
Nezu had been silent throughout this exchange, his calculating gaze moving between mother and son. Now he spoke, his tone carefully neutral.
"Mrs. Takumi, may I ask you a question?"
She nodded, wiping her eyes.
"If your son weren't enrolled at U.A.—if he were simply living at home as a civilian—do you believe that would make him safer from the organization that took him?"
Akira opened her mouth, then closed it, uncertainty flickering across her face.
"Because from my analysis," Nezu continued gently, "the organization already knows who he is. They likely knew before yesterday's identity leak—the attempted mental conditioning proves that. The public exposure changes the scale of attention, certainly, but not the fundamental threat."
He paused, letting that sink in.
"If they want to find him, they will. Whether he's at U.A. or at home or anywhere else in Japan. The question isn't whether he's a target—he already is. The question is whether he's a prepared target or an unprepared one."
"But hero training means constantly putting himself in danger—" Akira protested.
"With respect, Mrs. Takumi, he's already in danger," Aizawa interrupted, his voice rough but honest. "The danger didn't start when he enrolled at U.A. It started ten years ago when that organization took him. Everything since then has just been... managing that reality."
"Mom, they're not wrong."
Akira turned to him, fresh tears spilling. "Rei, don't. Just don't. Don't try to change my mind on this."
"I'm not trying to change your mind," Ken said quiet with a head massage. "I'm just pointing out that ... They're right—the danger exists whether I'm at U.A. or not. It's not going to go away just because I drop out of hero school."
"Then we'll leave," Akira said, her voice gaining strength through desperation. "We'll leave Japan entirely. Start fresh somewhere else. You can write your books anywhere. We don't need to stay here where they can find us."
"Mrs. Takumi—" Nezu started.
"No," she interrupted, standing up now, her hands trembling but her voice firm. "I've already lost my husband. I will not—I will not—sit here and watch my son m throw himself into danger over and over again while I wait for the day he doesn't come home. If staying in Japan means he's a target, if being at U.A. means he's in constant danger, then we'll go somewhere else. Canada. Australia. Somewhere they can't reach him. I have some savings and contacts. Rei will have money from his book. We can make it work."
"Mom—" Ken started, but she shook her head.
"I mean it, Rei. I'm not negotiating on this. Your safety—your life—is more important than any hero license or training program. If we have to leave everything behind to keep you safe, then that's what we'll do."
The room fell silent. Even All Might seemed at a loss for words in the face of a mother's absolute conviction.
Nezu, however, was watching Akira with an expression that was equal parts sympathetic and calculating. When he spoke, his voice had lost all traces of cheer.
"Mrs. Takumi, before you make that decision, there's something you need to know. Something that's been classified by the Hero Public Safety Commission for decades, but which directly relates to your son's safety."
Akira frowned. "What are you talking about?"
Nezu hopped down from the couch, his small form somehow conveying immense gravity.
"The organization that took your son—we have strong reason to believe it's connected to a man named All For One."
The name hung in the air like a curse.
"All For One?" Akira repeated, confused. "I've never heard of—"
"You wouldn't have," Aizawa interrupted, his voice grim. "The Commission has kept his existence classified. Public knowledge of him would cause mass panic."
"I don't understand," Akira said, but there was growing unease in her voice. "Who is he? Some kind of villain?"
"Not just some villain," All Might said quietly, and there was something ancient and terrible in his voice. "The original villain. The Symbol of Evil."
Ken had gone very still.
"All For One is over a hundred years old, Mrs. Takumi. He's been alive since the dawn of quirks, manipulating society from the shadows for longer than most countries have had organized hero systems. His quirk allows him to steal other people's quirks and give them away as he pleases."
Akira's face had gone pale. "That's... that's not possible. No one can live that long—"
"He can," Nezu said simply. "And has. Most likely through a combination of stolen quirks—life extension, regeneration, various other abilities he's accumulated over a century of theft. He once ruled Japan's criminal underworld absolutely. He distributed quirks internationally to destabilize hero societies across the globe. He's responsible for more deaths than any villain in recorded history."
"But if he's so dangerous, why isn't this public knowledge?" Akira demanded, though her voice shook. "Why aren't people warned about this?"
"Because the panic would be worse than the threat," Aizawa said bluntly. "Imagine telling the entire country that there's an immortal villain who can steal anyone's quirk, who's been operating for over a century, who could be anyone, anywhere. Society would collapse. Trust in heroes would evaporate. That's exactly what he'd want."
Nezu continued, his tone measured. "Six years ago, All Might fought All For One in a devastating battle. It was reported as a massive villain incident, but the true details were classified. All Might won—barely—and All For One was believed to have been killed. Now it seems that isn't the case."
Akira had sunk back onto the couch, her face ashen. "You're saying... you're saying the man behind my son's kidnapping is an immortal monster who can steal quirks and has been operating for over a century?"
"We believe so, yes," Nezu confirmed.
"Then..." Her voice was barely a whisper now. "Then running to another country won't help at all, will it?"
"No," Nezu said gently. "It won't. All For One's influence isn't limited to Japan. He gave quirks to people internationally during the early days of quirk emergence specifically to destabilize foreign hero societies. He most likely has resources, contacts, and operations across multiple countries. If he wants to find you, distance won't stop him. Only time."
"Time?" Akira echoed.
"He's patient," All Might said, his voice heavy with bitter experience. "Extraordinarily patient. He thinks in decades, not days. If you fled to Canada or Australia, he would simply... wait. Monitor you from a distance. Let you settle in. Let you feel safe. And then, when you'd dropped your guard—when you were isolated in a foreign country with no support network, no heroes who understood the threat—he'd strike."
Akira was trembling now, her hands clutching at the couch cushions. "This can't be real. This can't be real. You're telling me my son is being hunted by an immortal supervillain and there's nothing—nothing—we can do about it?"
"Not nothing," Nezu said carefully. "But running isn't the solution. At least in Japan, you have support. Pro hero networks who are aware of All For One's existence. U.A.'s resources. Law enforcement and the Hero Commission coordinating. As you know, All Might is now a teacher at U.A High. You would have The world's greatest hero as an ally."
"Abroad, you'd have none of that. You'd be isolated, visible as 'that famous Japanese family,' and vulnerable. The human trafficking operation that took your son didn't operate in a vacuum—that level of sophistication requires international infrastructure. If they could run experiments in Japan for a decade undetected, they likely have branches or contacts in other countries."
Ken had been silent throughout this exchange. Watching his Mom's pale face grow even more distressed as the teachers went on. Nezu's words didn't suprise him as he had considered the same scenario.
Upon reaching home the previous night, he had revealed exactly what he had told to Principal Nezu to her.
As much as he didn't want her to worry, he also didn't want this to be revealed later on and hurt her for keeping secrets.
Like they say, honestly is the best policy. No surprise, she panicked.
Much like his mom, he had also considered leaving the country, not for himself but for her.
All For One was a looming presence over them. An irritating one he couldn't get rid of. With Shigaraki gone, predicting the plot had become impossible in matters concerning him.
Based on his understanding, the old bastard wouldn't make a move lightly. When he did though, it certainly wouldn't be good.
Maybe he would come after him, or his mom, or a different objective, but he would come regardless. The last stunt with Shigaraki was a clear reminder that his mom wasn't as strong as he was.
Of course, he wasn't too worried.
To prevent such a possibility, he had learned from the actions of a certain Shadow Monarch and placed his shadow into hers the moment they got back home yesterday.
Her personal bodyguard springing up at the first sight of danger. If things were too much, he could even teleport over to solve the crisis himself.
However, this wasn't a full proof plan and came with problems of its own. Once the shadow was forced to appear in a public area, it would automatically link him to the monster that massacred the league of villains.
The troubles that would follow were things he didn't want to think about but it was the only method he could think of. This was why he had considered leaving the country to begin.
"Mom, if what they're saying is true—and I believe it is, based on what I remember—then leaving Japan doesn't solve our problem. It just relocates us to somewhere we're weaker."
He looked at Nezu. "You said All For One is patient. That he thinks in decades. That means any decision we make has to account for long-term consequences, not just immediate fear."
"Precisely."
"So fleeing to another country isn't really an option then." He sighed. "If we can't leave then ... Logically speaking, U.A is logically the safest choice for me."
"But that puts you in constant danger," Akira protested weakly.
"I'm already in constant danger," Ken countered. "The only question is whether I'm prepared for it or not. At U.A., I'm preparing. Anywhere else, I'm just waiting."
He looked at his mother, and his expression softened slightly.
"I know you're worried about me. I'm just as worried about you. But leaving the country is just going to make things even more uncertain for us."
Akira was crying again, silent tears streaming down her face. "I just want you to be safe. Is that too much to ask? After everything we've been through, can't we just... be safe?"
"I wish we could," Ken said quietly. "But it's difficult right now. I'm not worried about myself. I'm strong enough to handle myself. What I am worried about is ... OUCH."
"Don't say that." Akira said with teary eyes as she flicked his forehead.
"I'm the adult. I'm your mother, I'm the one who should be worried about you. Not the other way around."
Ken smiled faintly, rubbing the sore spot on his forehead.
Ken chuckled softly, rubbing his forehead. "That hurt, you know."
"Good," Akira said, though her voice trembled. "Maybe it'll remind you you're still my son."
He smiled faintly. "Then let me act like it. Let me protect us too."
Her gaze faltered at that, torn between love and fear.
"Mom," he continued gently, "running won't solve anything. It'll just make it harder for either of us to fight back when it counts. At least here… we have people who understand what we're dealing with."
He looked up, meeting the eyes of the three heroes across from them.
"We can stay where we have allies. Where I can train and prepare. Where there are people who can help protect both of us."
Akira looked at the three U.A. staff members, her expression anguished. "You promise—you swear—that you'll keep him safe? That yesterday's security failure won't happen again?"
"We swear it," All Might said, his voice carrying the full weight of the Symbol of Peace, even if she didn't know it. "U.A will personally ensure your son's safety. Whatever it takes."
"The security upgrades are already underway," Nezu added. "What happened yesterday was our failure, and we take full responsibility. But it won't happen again. I stake U.A.'s reputation on it."
Akira was quiet for a long moment.
Finally, she spoke with a hollow voice. "Alright. Alright. We'll stay in Japan. We won't run to another country."
Relief flickered across the faces of the U.A. staff.
"But," Akira continued, and her voice gained steel, "I will not compromise on this: Rei will not continue hero training. I don't want him becoming a hero. I don't want him throwing himself into villain fights and rescue operations and all the constant danger that comes with that career."
"Mom—" Ken started.
"No," she said firmly. "You want to talk about analyzing options? Fine. Here's my analysis: being a hero means constantly putting yourself in situations where you could die. Villain attacks. Natural disasters. Rescue operations gone wrong. That's on top of the threat from All For One. I won't accept that."
She looked at Nezu. "He can take a leave of absence from the hero course. Transfer to general studies, or support, or just withdraw entirely. But I will not watch my son train to throw himself into danger for a living."
"Mrs. Takumi, with respect—" All Might began.
"No," Akira interrupted. "This is non-negotiable. You want us to stay in Japan? You want us not to flee? Fine. But the price is that Rei stops training to be a hero. That's my line. Cross it, and we're gone, All For One or no All For One."
The silence stretched once again as the teachers faces crumpled.
Their gazes shifting from her to ken and back. While Ken sat there pensively.
He should say something. Argue. Explain that he needed the training, that U.A. was the safest place for him despite yesterday's breach, that running wouldn't solve anything.
But when he opened his mouth, what came out was: "Okay."