Lock sent his finalized Hero name to Ryūko via email—
Sorcerer, the identity he would carry into the world.
Then he pulled a business card from his drawer.
Tsukauchi Yanei, Prosecutor.
A man who had promised him a favor after being rescued.
Lock dialed the number. The call connected almost immediately.
"Hello, Prosecutor Tsukauchi?"
A brief pause. Then a surprised voice answered,
"Lock? Congratulations. Becoming a professional Hero at your age—remarkable!"
Lock smiled a little at the compliment. "It was mostly luck. Honestly, I'm still wondering if I'll measure up."
They traded a few pleasantries before Lock cut to the real reason he was calling.
"It's about my parents' Hero office. I want to inherit it… properly."
"That won't be a problem," Tsukauchi replied. "Bring the necessary documents to the Hero Public Safety Commission and file the paperwork. But—it's complicated. Why don't we meet in person and go over it?"
"Sure."
They arranged a meeting place and ended the call.
Lock let out a long sigh.
"Man… this is going to be such a hassle."
Hero licensing. National registration. Business documents.
ID. Family registry. Property titles.
Business license from the City Commerce Bureau.
Tax filing.
Contract paperwork.
It was enough to make him miss fighting Iron Shark.
After dinner, Lock stood to go shower before bed.
He needed to wake up early tomorrow—to draft contracts for Mt. Lady, Kamui Woods, Death Arms, and Sirius, and make sure no other agencies tried to steal them before his was even open.
"Master," Virgo said gently from his side, "would you like me to warm your bed?"
Lock stared at her flatly. "You learned that online again, didn't you?"
Virgo nodded seriously. "It is written that a woman serving this way will make a man euphoric."
"That's not euphoria—that's delusion!"
He waved her off, refusing the offer. Virgo simply nodded, expression blank but… softer somehow, as if the rejection pleased her.
He had a feeling that someday—eventually—he would "eat" his Celestial Spirit maid, just as her strange catchphrases implied.
But not yet.
Meanwhile, at a police headquarters
A private briefing room was filled with top Pro Heroes:
No.5 Hero: Edgeshot
No.32 Hero team: the Wild, Wild Pussycats — Mandalay, Pixie-Bob, Ragdoll, and Tiger
U.A. instructor: Ectoplasm
A young man in a sharp suit stood at the front of the room.
"Thank you for coming. I'm Naomasa Tsukauchi, detective with the National Police Agency's Special Crimes Division, and lead investigator on the illegal Quirk-Enhancement Drug case."
A knock sounded.
"Enter."
The door swung open.
"Sorry, I'm late! Ran into a villain on the way," boomed a familiar, larger-than-life voice.
Blonde tufts resembling rabbit ears bounced as the towering figure entered the room.
All Might himself.
"The Symbol of Peace is here too…" murmured one of the Heroes. "This must be serious."
Naomasa nodded, handing out folders.
"Let's get straight to business. Through the interrogation of the villain known as Iron Shark, we've obtained our first solid lead."
The folder's cover bore a single English word:
EVOLVER
All Might narrowed his eyes. "…'Evolver,' huh?"
"Correct," Naomasa said. "They call themselves Evolutionaries. They've been gathering individuals whose Quirks have altered their appearance—mutant-type users—and distributing their homemade Quirk-Enhancement Drug."
Flamingo.
Iron Shark.
Both had animalistic mutant Quirks. Both had been "targeted."
Naomasa continued,
"We checked Iron Shark's body before interrogation. As expected, there was a lethal toxin embedded in his system—exactly like Flamingo. But Iron Shark survived. Not because of our medical team—but because the boy who defeated him burned the toxin out of his body."
The Heroes exchanged startled looks.
"That allowed us to interrogate him. We confirmed:
The organization's name
The existence of the drug
And the site where Iron Shark received his supply."
It wasn't much, but it was the first real opening in an investigation that had gone nowhere for months.
"We'll track them from one location to the next until we uncover their headquarters."
His eyes moved to Ectoplasm, whose Clones Quirk made him vital for large-scale searches.
Then to the Pussycats, who specialized in mountainous terrain where the hideout might be.
And finally—
To Edgeshot and All Might, whose sheer power ensured the operation's success.
Naomasa bowed deeply.
"The Quirk-Enhancement Drug threatens the stability of our society. We must find Evolver's base and crush them before more people die."
The room fell silent.
Then the meeting adjourned.
---
A/N: Advanced Chapters Have Been Uploaded On My Patreon
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