Standing far back in the corner, Tsutsumi watched as his classmates lined up one by one to take their photos and receive their temporary hero licenses. Although they were all confused and somewhat worried upon finding out his points, Tsutsumi told them not to worry about it, and they should go get their license first.
"Excuse me, you're Tsutsumi Ryoko, correct?"
The voice pulled him out of his thoughts. He turned his head and saw two people approaching, both wearing neat suits with the subtle badges of the Hero Public Safety Commission.
"That's me," he replied. His tone was flat, almost absent, as if part of his mind was still stuck on the same question it had been looping since the results were announced.
The male agent stepped forward first, offering a polite, practiced smile. "Greetings. We're from the Hero Public Safety Commission. We've been observing you and noticed that your Quirk has a great deal of potential."
Tsutsumi didn't say anything.
The agent continued anyway, smoothly transitioning into praise. His Quirk was unique and highly adaptable. With proper guidance, Tsutsumi could do great things. He could become a pillar of the next generation. Maybe even the next Number One Hero.
They were willing to invest in him. Personally. Giving him special training. With direct oversight. A fast track most heroes could only dream of.
Tsutsumi listened in silence.
They talked about his future while he stared at them, thinking about how the same organization had just failed him without explanation.
They said he could be the next Number One Hero, yet they failed him.
Seeing that Tsutsumi hadn't reacted at all and just gave them the blank stare the entire time, the two agents began to look slightly uneasy.
"There's no rush," the male agent added, clearing his throat. He reached into his pocket and handed Tsutsumi a card. "If you're interested, you can contact us anytime. This would be enrollment into our Special Hero Training Program."
Tsutsumi accepted the card without comment.
The two agents excused themselves and walked away, their footsteps fading into the noise of the room.
Soon after, Class 1-A regrouped and boarded the bus back to U.A.
While the ride was loud, filled with students talking over one another, bragging about scores, laughing about close calls, replaying moments from the exam like highlights from a sports match.
Tsutsumi sat in the back, silent, eyes half-lidded, head tilted slightly toward the window.
"Quiet down!" Aizawa barked from the driver's seat.
The bus gradually settled, the noise dropping to a low murmur. Aizawa glanced at the rearview mirror and caught sight of Tsutsumi sitting there, unnervingly calm.
He knew Tsutsumi Ryoko better than most. The kid didn't lash out often, but when he did, it was usually after deciding something quietly and sticking to it.
The bus rolled along the empty road toward U.A., the hum of the engine filling the gaps between breaths.
Then Tsutsumi finally spoke.
"Azu," he said calmly, drawing the attention of everyone in the now quiet bus. "Hack into the Hero Public Safety Commission system and find the reason for my zero points."
Everyone: "!!?"
The reaction was immediate. Several students sat up straight. Some gasped. Others turned around in their seats. Tsutsumi didn't look at them. He just leaned back slightly, eyes forward, like he'd asked for the time.
"Tsutsumi!" Aizawa barked, slamming his foot on the brake and twisting around in his seat, red eyes locking onto him. "What do you think you're doing?"
"Looking for an answer," Tsutsumi replied flatly.
Unfortunately, Azu's soft voice rang out before Aizawa could say anything else.
"Interesting..." Her tone was as polite as ever, "According to their system, every student participates in the Final Phase of the exam, starting with 100 points, then their points are deducted for every mistake they make. Once their points dropped below 50, they failed the exam. Yet..."
There was a pause before Azu suddenly materialized before him, she smile yet her gaze was cold as she looked directly into her master's eyes.
"They dare to set Master's starting point at zero."
The revelation silenced the entire bus, yet it did little to lessen the tension.
"That has to be a mistake!" Ida said quickly, pushing his glasses up. "Tsutsumi-kun! Don't frighten us like that, no way she can hack into the Hero-"
Azu's voice rang out again, cutting him off.
"Ida Tenya. Final result: 80 points. Minus five for rough handling of an injured bystander. Minus ten for excessive speed during evacuation. Minus five for being unnecessarily loud."
Ida froze, and Azu continued again.
"Do you want me to describe the appearance and location of your house? The location of your grandparents' retirement house in Hokkaido? The name, playtime, favorite activity, and treat for your family pet dog? Do you want to know about the girl your brother has a crush on?"
Azu's crimson eyes glowed faintly, her smile never wavering. Ida's face went pale, he opened his mouth, but no words came out, so he just quietly sat back down, not daring to look back up.
She then shifted her gaze toward the other person in the bus.
"Still believe I am lying? Would you like me to continue?" she asked pleasantly. "Or perhaps list everyone's personal information instead?"
No one spoke after that. Whatever thoughts they had, they kept them to themselves, as they could clearly see that this part wasn't a suggestion, but a threat.
A white carbon-fiber scarf snapped forward, wrapping tightly around Azu's body.
Her neck stretched unnaturally as her head slid closer, eyes locking directly onto Aizawa's while her body remained in place. Several students flinched at the sight, as she now resembled a Rokurokubi.
"Eraser Head," she said calmly. "Real name: Aizawa Shota. Underground Pro Hero. U.A. High School, Class 1-A homeroom teacher. Thirty years old. Virgin. Currently residing in the teacher dorms, room number 11, second floor, previously lived alone in apartment 602 on Sixth Street, Musutafu. Owns an orange cat named Mikan."
Aizawa's grip on his scarf tightened before he loosened it, knowing full well that he wasn't a threat to them, so fighting would only be pointless.
"As you can see," Azu continued, voice steady as her neck slowly retracted, "my Master and I are not in the mood to play games. So don't… antagonize… us."
"Tsutsumi-kun…" Everyone turned toward Midoriya.
He looked pale but determined, hands clenched on his knees. "Please don't do anything impulsive. This could still be a mistake from the Commission's side."
Tsutsumi finally looked at him.
"Midoriya," he said quietly, "I suggest you shut the fuck up before I reveal your secret... And him."
That was enough.
Midoriya went white. His mouth opened, then closed. He slowly leaned back into his seat and didn't say another word.
Although Tsutsumi didn't reveal who "him" was, the greenhead, after seeing Azu being able to reveal such detailed information about Aizawa and everyone else in the class. Has already concluded that the "him" here is none other than All Might.
Aizawa exhaled slowly. "Tsutsumi," he said, keeping his voice level. "Wait. Let's talk to Nezu first. I know you are mad, and I understand. But, please don't make any decisions you can't take back."
He can understand why the boy was angry.
He has taken the exam somewhat seriously and finished it properly, yet the Hero Public Safety Commission decided to fail him without reason, and even deliberately went out of their way to make sure he failed.
If something like that were to happen to him, he would undoubtedly be pissed, too. You pour everything you got into an exam, yet the higher-ups have already decide than you failed without any reason, even a saint couldn't stay calm in this situation.
Tsutsumi leaned back. "Call him."
Aizawa made the call immediately. Nezu's original cheerful tone sharpened the moment he heard the situation. He instructed Aizawa to bring Tsutsumi directly back to U.A., straight to his office, where they can properly chat.
Agreeing to this arrangement, Tsutsumi stood up and kicked Aizawa out of the driver's seat.
Before anyone could react, he took the wheel.
The tires screeched. Smoke rose as the bus surged forward, accelerating far faster than anyone expected.
...
In the quiet yard of U.A., the Class 1-B bus had been parked for a while as students stepped off one by one. Kan followed near the back, keeping an eye on them like usual.
Then shouting erupted near the front gate.
Several heads turned at once. Kan looked up just in time to see Hound Dog yelling, his voice carrying across the yard, as the Class 1-A bus tore past the gate at an unreasonable speed, heading directly toward him and his students.
Kan reacted on instinct.
"Everyone, move back now!" he shouted, stepping forward and spreading his arms wide, putting himself between the bus and his students.
The sound of brakes screaming across asphalt cut through the air. The bus skidded hard, thick smoke pouring from the tires as black lines carved into the ground. The sudden stop sent the vehicle spinning, momentum carrying it over, and then it flipped.
Kan's eyes widened as the bus rolled, windows rattling, students inside visibly thrown around. For a brief second, he caught a glimpse of the driver through the front glass.
He saw the cold, furious expression of the driver, while in the back, was filled with the panic and fearful expression of the passengers.
The bus slammed back onto its wheels with a heavy thud, dragging itself across the yard before finally grinding to a stop a good distance away.
No one from Class 1-B spoke. Most of them were still processing what they had just seen.
Hound Dog, already furious, didn't wait. He let out a roar and charged straight at the bus. The bus door blasted outward, ripped clean from its hinges, and slammed directly into Hound Dog's face. The pro hero was sent flying back, skidding across the ground before crashing to a halt.
Then black boots stepped down from the bus.
Tsutsumi emerged, a faint, ominous magenta glow wrapped around his body. His eyes were rimmed with dark green pigment, the glow within them sharp and unnatural.
Class 1-B finally got a clear look at him.
Several students stiffened. A few took an unconscious step back.
Right now, he didn't look like a student. He didn't even look like a hero in training. He looked closer to a villain who has decided to destroy the world.
Tsutsumi was one card away from Violent Emotion.
After the exam, agents from the Hero Public Safety Commission had approached him directly. They offered him a deal to join them, and they will train him into a proper hero, and provide him with his hero licence much faster than his classmate.
Tsutsumi didn't accept right away, since, from his own discovery, his mother, Tsutsumi Kaina, was once a Pro Hero for the Hero Public Safety Commission before disappearing completely.
Then, when he found out that they purposefully failed him, it finally clicked for him; they wanted to make him depend on them. Meaning even if he retakes their test, the result would still be the same, and it might continue until he agrees to their offer.
Although a part of him wanted to look for his missing mother, but the warning of his future self was still fresh in his mind, so he held back from raiding the Hero Public Safety Commission Main HQ.
This continuous conflict in his mind, the build up anger and suppressed desire, caused him to subconsciously enter his current state.
Tsutsumi ignored everyone around him and started walking toward the main building, heading straight for Nezu's office.
Only then did the students from Class 1-A finally stumble off the bus. Several of them immediately bent over, gagging or throwing up onto the pavement.
Aizawa dropped to one knee, one hand braced against the ground as he fought his stomach.
Kan approached him, rubbing the back of his neck. "…You okay, Shota?" he asked.
Aizawa didn't look up. "Do I," he muttered weakly, pale and exhausted, "look okay to you?"
...
The large door leading to Nezu's office didn't open so much as it stopped existing as a door. Tsutsumi pulled it clean off its hinges, glanced at it once, then walked inside and carefully leaned the broken door back into its frame, as if that somehow made things even.
Inside, the room was quiet.
Nezu sat calmly on the sofa, paws folded, his expression serious but controlled. Beside him was All Might, in his skeletal form, hands resting on his knees. Neither of them looked surprised at the broken door.
"Hello, Tsutsumi-kun," Nezu said evenly, eyes following him, "please have a seat."
Tsutsumi did. He dropped into the chair opposite them, leaning back and resting one elbow on the armrest, posture relaxed in a way that didn't match the faint, ominous glow still clinging to him.
Nezu stood and bowed deeply.
"First of all," the principal said, "I offer you my sincerest apology for the trouble the Hero Public Safety Commission has caused you."
All Might followed suit, bowing his head as well.
Tsutsumi didn't react. He just watched.
After a moment, they straightened. Nezu adjusted his posture and spoke again, his voice calm but firm.
"Tsutsumi-kun, what the Hero Public Safety Commission did to you was not only unfair," he said, "it was unprofessional, unethical, and completely unacceptable."
He paused, letting the words settle before continuing.
"So," Nezu asked, "what do you intend to do with the information you have gathered?"
Tsutsumi's gaze lowered slightly.
"Simple," he said flatly. "If the Hero Public Safety Commission is corrupt, then I'll just destroy it."
His right hand curled in on itself, fingers tightening one by one.
All Might stiffened. "Y-Young Tsutsumi," he said quickly, forcing his tone to stay steady, "please calm down. There's no need to go that far."
Witnessing Decade Complete form up close, All Might knew Tsutsumi was even stronger than him, so the Number One Hero didn't dare to take his words lightly, as he had the power to follow up with his threat.
Nezu, meanwhile, remained composed.
"Are you referring to exposure," he asked directly, "or physical action?"
"Both," Tsutsumi replied without hesitation. "I already have evidence of their actions. And I have the power to deal with the rest myself."
All Might opened his mouth to argue, but Nezu raised a paw, stopping him.
"You may send me the evidence," Nezu said calmly. "I will see to it that it is published through U.A.'s official channels."
He met Tsutsumi's eyes, unflinching.
"As the principal of U.A.," Nezu continued, "I will not allow one of my students to suffer this kind of injustice in silence."