"Hmmm, not the best find I can get." Tsutsumi murmured, finally dropping himself onto the sofa and placing the thick deck of cards onto the table beside him.
His journey to that other world with all those Riders has gotten him a lot of cards to play with. But the downside to that is even after he finishes off all other Riders, he still wasn't granted any wish.
The identity of Decade is both a blessing and a curse.
Making him an anomaly point in a world. As an anomaly, he didn't exactly fully follow the rules of any world he stepped into.
For example, in the world of Blade, the Undead are known as these immortal creatures that can't be killed and can only be sealed away. But when it was Decade who fought them, he could actually kill these unkillable monsters.
That alone said enough about what kind of interference Decade brought into every world.
Which is why Tsutsumi is currently wondering, he did not gain a wish because he entered the War incorrectly, or because he is just Decade.
"I'll figure this out later..." he muttered, already deciding it wasn't worth the mental energy. If the universe didn't want him to have a wish, he is going to look for a different way.
He reached toward the thick deck again. More than half of these cards were spoils he obtained by defeating the other Riders. He began sorting them carefully, flicking through each card, picking out the ones that could actually serve a purpose.
By now, it was no surprise that he had access to a whole catalog of abilities, from simple form rides to ridiculous power-ups.
The real problem was figuring out which ones weren't a waste of storage space.
While Tsutsumi was busy reorganizing his ever-growing arsenal, the Heroes Association and police force were working themselves down to the bone, coordinating with Nezu in tracking down the League of Villains' hideout.
Nezu had already delivered the most important piece of information: U.A. had been targeted and infiltrated, but thankfully the mole had been found and apprehended before anything worse happened.
Unfortunately, now that this news had spread among the higher-ups, everything had turned into a national scramble.
If villains could plant a mole in U.A., the top of the top, then what guarantee did any other hero school have?
The panic snowballed from there.
Pro Heroes, detectives, special task forces, support units, the entire police structure, everyone was suddenly doing overtime.
Villain groups got raided, hideouts got exposed, and crime across the country plummeted from 17% down to a staggering 4% in just days.
…
"Hmm. So even after a week, they still haven't found anything on the League of Villains…" Tsutsumi murmured, listening to Azu's calm update on the situation.
Once the higher-ups realized villains had tried to sabotage the next generation by planting spies in hero schools, they went all-out, no restraint whatsoever.
And although the only confirmed mole was Aoyama from U.A., Nezu had been far from passive during questioning.
The Principal used his words carefully, very carefully, and even turned the pressure back on the higher-ups.If a place like U.A. could be infiltrated, how could other schools claim they were completely secure?
That single statement set off a chain reaction nationwide.
Civilians panicked for a few days, but once the crime rate began dropping like a stone, people gradually settled down. If anything, many of them felt safer than before.
And the one person responsible for kick-starting this entire domino effect…
Tsutsumi Ryoko.
Who was, at this moment, standing outside an airport in a relaxed stance, hands in his pockets, waiting for his little sister and the Jiros to return from their vacation.
Some time passed before Miyu finally returned, walking out of the airport with the Jiros after their long vacation.
Tsutsumi had already booked a taxi for them in advance, and once they stepped outside, he gave both Mr. Kyotoku and Ms. Mika a polite bow.
"Thanks for taking her out to see the world," he said.
The couple immediately waved their hands.
"No, no, we enjoyed it too," Mr. Kyotoku laughed.
"Really. Miyu-chan was wonderful to travel with," Ms. Mika added warmly.
That didn't surprise Tsutsumi. Miyu wasn't just a smaller, younger version of Kyoka, she carried the same quiet curiosity.
But unlike Kyoka's sometimes sharp edges, Miyu was soft-spoken, polite, and genuinely fascinated with everything around her.
During the trip, she apparently asked all sorts of strange yet interesting questions, enough to make the Jiros pause once or twice just to think.
And instead of getting tired of it, they enjoyed every second. The two of them even admitted they wouldn't mind doing another trip with her.
At some point, they had even brought up the idea of becoming her godparents.
Tsutsumi didn't hesitate to agree.
He knew he wouldn't always be able to stay by Miyu's side forever. Their lives might go in different directions, and he wasn't blind to the possibility that his existence as "Tsutsumi Ryoko" could one day be overwritten by Decade.
If that ever happened...
If the world rejected him,
And only Decade remained...
Then, at the very least, Miyu would still have another home waiting for her. Another family who loved her.
...
"Heh? Moving into the school dorm?" Tsutsumi repeated, like he was waiting for someone to tell him it was a joke.
"Yes. We'll be moving into U.A.'s dormitory from now on," Jiro said while packing, her tone calm and matter-of-fact. She pushed folded clothes into her suitcase without slowing down. "It's safer for us to stay on school grounds in case villains try anything on the way to class."
"You sure they're the ones attacking us and not me attacking them?" Tsutsumi replied in a flat tone. Jiro didn't even try to hide her eye-roll.
"Not everyone is like you," she said, snapping her suitcase shut.
"Still, I didn't agree to this transfer. What about Miyu?" he asked.
"My parents are her godparents now. They already said they'd look after her. You don't have to worry." Jiro dropped her chargers and gadgets into his open bag like this was completely normal. "They approved our transfer too."
Tsutsumi: "…."
He wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or annoyed, but hearing that Miyu finally had a stable, normal life, something she always wanted, made him more willing to leave his own home behind.
When they reached the U.A. gate, Tsutsumi drove his Yusei Go straight past the glaring Hound Dog, who immediately looked like he wanted to bite something.
"I don't think Hound Dog likes you very much," Jiro murmured. The hero's killing intent shifted toward him like a spotlight.
"He's all bark, no bite," Tsutsumi answered casually. "If he starts something with me, even his mother might have trouble recognizing him afterward."
It sounded like teenage arrogance, but Jiro, and honestly most people, could easily imagine Tsutsumi following through.
Aizawa stepped out from behind the gate just as Tsutsumi parked. The crimson motorcycle faded away like it was never there.
"I didn't expect you to actually show up," Aizawa said.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Tsutsumi asked, even though he already knew.
"You know exactly what I mean. You never attend the student council meetings." Aizawa sounded tired just mentioning it.
The Presidents and Vice-Presidents in the hero courses from different classes usually gathered together to discuss important matters. Relating to class issues, heroes work, studies, etc, basically giving them work experience, trying to run a hero agency.
Yaoyorozu Momo, the Vice-President of 1-A, has attended these council meetings without fail, while her own President didn't even bother leaving a message saying that he isn't going to show up.
"What council meeting?" Tsutsumi asks, causing Aizawa to pause, not sure if this Problem Child is messing with him or if he really didn't know.
"Yo! Tsutsumi-bro! You actually came!?" Kirishima yelled, jogging over with Kaminari and Tokoyami.
"No way! The Class President is actually moving into the dorm too? Sweet!" Kaminari grinned.
"I am grateful to witness a light that walks among us," Tokoyami said dramatically.
Tsutsumi: "..."
Something isn't right here... the atmosphere around him should be more finger-pointing and shouting, saying this was all his fault.
What with this lively atmosphere?
"Morning Tsutsumi-kun." Asui greeted him with a smile.
"Good morning!" Hagakure added, then ran up and shoved her phone into his hands. "Can you take a couple pictures for me? Please?"
Soon, more and more students from 1-A and 1-B all show up, greeting him with smiles and acknowledgment, which makes Tsutsumi feel like he has traveled into the wrong timeline.
Tsutsumi finally sighed. "Alright, which one of you caused trouble this time?"
Everyone: "..."
It's one thing that those whom he trained greeted him nicely, but it's another thing when everyone greeted him nicely, including many from 1-B.
Jiro let out a breath and kicked his leg, doing absolutely no damage. "You idiot! Everyone is simply grateful that you helped us get through the Summer Camp without injuries."
Although what happened during the Summer Camp was unexpected, many of them couldn't help but feel appreciated that they were safe and didn't have to go through surgery like Midoriya's arm.
Sure, they are hero in training, but by the end of the day, they are still teenagers with big dreams. Not every one of them is willing to jump out and fight villains like Bakugo or Todoroki.
Most of them were still figuring things out, still growing. Surviving that mess intact mattered a lot more than anyone said out loud.
"Has anyone seen Aoyama?" Uraraka asked suddenly, looking around. No sign of the sparkling blond anywhere.
Even though U.A. had announced a mole existed, the identity wasn't revealed. That part was still under investigation.
"Now that you mention it… yeah, kinda weird he's not here," Ashido said, scanning the crowd.
"He might be running late. Or maybe his parents didn't approve the dorm transfer," Ida said, already tapping out a message in the student group chat.
Minutes passed. No reply. Not even a "seen."
This caused many to worry for their classmate, with some of them even going as far as asking Aizawa about Aoyama, but since this matter was still under investigation, Aizawa couldn't give them a clear answer.
The investigation was still ongoing, and revealing the identity of a caught mole could scare any remaining ones into hiding.
So Nezu is trying to bait out any other moles that might have gone unnoticed.
It's better to be safe than sorry.
After hours, Aoyama hasn't responded or even seen the messages in the chat group.
Tsutsumi had already suspected that Aoyama was the rat he had talked about not long ago. But since no one confirmed anything, he saw no reason to bring it up again.
He isn't in the Teacher Chat group anymore, so he didn't know what they were talking about, and he simply didn't want to intrude on their privacy by letting Azu hack him back in.
While the rest of the class focused on arranging furniture and getting used to their new rooms, Tsutsumi summoned a row of Illusion clones. They immediately started unpacking his boxes, stacking items, and setting things up exactly the way he liked.
Meanwhile, the original Tsutsumi lay across his bed, relaxing without guilt.
After a few minutes of doing nothing, he let out a bored exhale. "...Yeah, this is way too comfortable."
He stood up and decided to move before laziness rooted him to the mattress. With a flick of his hand, the Aurora Curtain opened beside him, its shifting colors reflecting off the wall.
A quick step through, and he left U.A. behind.
...
Appearing back in Beacon Academy, Tsutsumi pulled out his phone and scrolled through the list he had written for himself.
Help his team improve: checked
Make unlimited pancakes for Nora: not checked
Take Pyrrha out on a date: not checked
Defeat Team RWBY in the exam and grab an early mission: checked
Pick a mission for Team TNPR: ongoing
"Nothing urgent," Tsutsumi murmured, shutting his phone. "Guess I'll-"
Before he could even finish, a furious shout echoed across the courtyard, shaking a few birds out of nearby trees.
"DAMN YOU TSUTSUMI!!"
The voice was loud enough that several Beacon students flinched. A few even ducked like they expected an explosion.