Location: Tokyo Sky Egg – Main Plaza and Perimeter
HIIISSSSSS.
The sound of cold rain hitting superheated steel was constant.
It was a sharp, biting noise that echoed across the plaza.
Thick plumes of white steam rolled off the cracked ribs of the Sky Egg, rising into the dark sky and blurring the red warning lights of the hovering drones.
Now, the darkness was pushed back by the harsh, white glare of portable floodlights and the rhythmic, dizzying strobes of a thousand emergency vehicles.
WEE-WOO. WEE-WOO. WEE-WOO.
Thirty minutes had passed since Hero X had vanished.
The silence that followed his departure had been short-lived.
Now, the plaza was a hive of frantic movement. Thousands of police officers, HPSC tactical units, and rescue workers were crawling over the debris.
Despite the number of people, the scale of the disaster was so large that the authorities looked small and disorganized in the face of it.
But there was a sound coming from the crowds held behind the barricades.
It wasn't a cry for help. It was a rhythmic, low-frequency chant that started at the edges of the police line and moved inward, shaking the very asphalt of Shinjuku.
"X! X! X! X!"
_-_-_-_-_-_
SNN News Helicopter – Mid-Air
RAT-TAT-TAT-TAT.
The Sato News Network helicopter banked hard.
Inside, Hideki Sato was leaning so far out of the open door that his safety harness was pulled taut.
His suit was soaked, his hair was plastered to his forehead by the rain, and his eyes were wide with a frantic, manic energy.
He was staring at the scene below through a high-powered lens.
"Do you see the difference, Japan?! Look at the feed!"
Hideki's voice was a hoarse, ragged shout that cut through the wind and into the microphones.
"Look at the South Sector! That's the HPSC's primary response zone! They are in total disarray! The tactical squads are bottlenecked at the secondary exits, and their triage tents are overflowing because they can't manage the flow of the crowd!"
The camera panned across a scene of shouting officers and confused civilians. Then, Hideki pointed a shaking finger toward the North and West sectors.
"Now look at the 'Standard'! Look at the agencies under the management of Mr. Arisaka!"
The camera zoomed in on the Idaten speedsters.
They weren't just running; they were moving in a synchronized grid, funnelling thousands of people into waiting transports without a single person being trampled.
"Team Idaten is clearing the perimeter in record time! And there—Ryukyu!"
The dragon hero had positioned herself as a living shield, her massive wings tilted to keep the freezing rain off the primary medical station.
Beside her, the Genius Office sidekicks were using high-tensile fibers to weave temporary support structures for the leaning debris, making the area safe for paramedics to move.
"This is the power of the Golden Manager!" Hideki screamed into the mic. "Kaito Arisaka didn't just give these heroes a schedule; he gave them a blueprint for a god-tier disaster! While the rest is paralyzed, these agencies are the only thing keeping the death toll at zero!"
Hideki turned back to the camera, his face twisted in a grin of pure, fanatical excitement.
"But even with that management... even with the Top 10 on the roof... they were struggling! We all saw it! Endeavor was nearly down! All Might was limited due to the environment. And the building Captain Celebrity supported is tilting.!"
Hideki looked up at the empty sky above the spire.
"But then, he appeared! The man who ignores every thing! The one who treated All For One like a common criminal in Ota Ward! Hero X!"
Hideki's voice cracked as he yelled over the roar of the helicopter.
"He stabilized 100,000 tons of steel with a snap of his fingers! He turned a biological army into paper! We are witnessing the a reality manipulation on another level! On one hand, we have the Golden Manager, Arisaka, proving that human coordination can reach perfection... and on the other, we have Hero X, proving that one man can stand above the entire system!"
Hideki looked down at the police force and the weeping survivors and civilians.
"The HPSC wants to talk about 'illegal quirk usage' and 'vigilantism'! But listen to the people! They don't want a license! They want a miracle! And tonight, Hero X gave them one!"
_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Location: Tokyo Sky Egg – Primary Triage Zone
CLACK. TAP. CLACK.
The sound of the wooden cane was sharp, hitting the wet pavement with a rhythmic authority that made even the frantic paramedics step aside.
Recovery Girl moved through the wreckage of the plaza, her eyes darting over the sea of blankets and IV drips.
She stepped over a frayed denim cable and a pile of broken glass, her lips pressed into a thin, hard line of grandmotherly irritation.
Behind her, a team of specialized medics carried cases of quirk-suppressing sedatives and high-grade bandages.
She stopped in front of a row of ambulances where the heavy hitters of the Top 10 were slumped against the bumpers.
Endeavor was a mess. His white shirt was hanging in scorched ribbons, his skin caked in soot and dried blood.
He was hunched over, clutching his side, his breath hitching in a painful, jagged hiss.
Next to him, the lion-hero Shishido was growling at a medic trying to wrap his arm.
Yoroi Musha sat silently, his ancient armor cracked in a dozen places, while Gang Orca held a cold pack to his throat, his blowhole whistling with exhaustion.
"You're all lucky I don't leave you here to rot for being so stubborn," Recovery Girl chirped.
Her voice wasn't soft. It carried the weight of a judge passing a sentence. She walked straight up to Endeavor and whacked his shin with her cane.
THWACK.
"GAH! Chiyo, what are you—" Endeavor growled, his eyes sparking with a dying orange flame.
"Silence, Enji!" she snapped, standing on her tiptoes to glare at him. "Look at you! Scorched lungs, fractured ribs, and a pride that's bloated enough to tip this tower over! You nearly burned your own life force away trying to prove you're better than a man! You're a professional, not a brat on a playground!"
Endeavor looked away, his jaw tightening so hard a vein throbbed in his temple. "I...I.. was treated like a brat by him.. I don't understand how I suddenly become a graffiti on the wall. I became an ink and witnessed another perspective of this world."
"He helped, you big oaf," she muttered.
POCH.
She pressed a firm kiss to his forehead. Endeavor's entire body went rigid.
The orange glow in his eyes faded as his ribs knitted back together and the fluid in his lungs cleared.
PUUFF.
He let out a long, heavy exhale, looking down at his hands with a hollow, brooding expression.
Recovery Girl moved down the line, smacking Shishido on the head when he tried to complain about Nine.
"DAMN! That villain was too fast." Shishido barked, though he flinched when she reached for his forehead. "I really don't understand why he has so many quirks and he can even move like O'Clock. Thankfully, thay guy was apprehended by All Might and Captain Celebrity. Hero X or something, he isn't needed at all."
"You were being squeezed like a grape, furball," Gang Orca rasped, his voice sounding like sandpaper. "Accept the help and shut up."
The flashbulbs of a dozen cameras suddenly erupted from behind the police line as a swarm of reporters broke through, microphones shoved forward like spears.
"All Might! Captain Celebrity! A word for the public!"
All Might stood near a pile of rubble, his golden hair matted with rain.
He looked weary, the massive muscles of his form still present but lacking the usual vibrant energy.
Beside him, Christopher Skyline (Captain Celebrity) was smiling when looking at the camera, while his cape was torn and heavy with water, his still maintained his heroic pose.
"Toshinori-san!" a reporter from NHA shouted. "The public wants to know—why did it take so long? We saw the tower leaning! We saw the icons of two nations struggling against a single villain!"
All Might sighed, a sound that was lost in the roar of the chanting crowd in the distance.
"The situation was... delicate," All Might answered, his voice deep but strained. "That villain, was not just strong; he was a catastrophe. In an urban environment like this, with one hundred thousand lives inside that dome, I cannot simply unleash my full power. A single misplaced shockwave from my fist would have shattered the supports Captain Celebrity was holding. I have to be a hero first, and a fighter second."
"Exactly!" Captain Celebrity added, crossing his arms and huffing. "Do you have any idea how much effort it takes to hold up a hundred thousand tons of steel while some violet-haired brat is throwing lightning at your face? I couldn't move! I was a stationary target!"
"And what about Hero X?" another reporter pressed. "He's a vigilante. He doesn't have a license, yet he solved the crisis in minutes. He didn't seem worried about the urban area. He created a field that defied physics. Does this make the current hero system look... obsolete?"
Captain Celebrity's face turned a bright, ego-bruised red. "Obsolete? He used a car made out of a billboard! That's not heroics, that's... that's just showing off!"
"Christopher," All Might said softly, putting a hand on the American's shoulder.
All Might looked directly into the camera lens.
"Hero X is a powerful man," All Might stated firmly. "He possesses a power that allows him to bypass the collateral damage we have to account for. We acknowledge his strength. He saved the tower, and he saved us. But vigilantism is a dangerous path. It lacks the accountability and the structure that keeps society stable."
All Might paused, his eyes drifting toward the shadows where X had vanished.
"He is a man of incredible talent. I would encourage him... no, I would personally invite him to seek a proper license. To join us. Because a man with that much power shouldn't have to stay in the shadows forever. He has found his roots here; now he should find his place in the law."
"Whatever!" Endeavor barked from the ambulance, standing up as his strength returned. "He's a nuisance with a good tailor. Tell the HPSC to file the report. I'm going back to my agency."
Endeavor marched away, his boots clicking on the wet stone, but everyone saw the way he looked at the scraps of white paper still drifting in the wind.
_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_
Location: HPSC Mobile Command Center – Shinjuku Intersection
HUMMMMMM.
The low vibration of the armored trailer's cooling fans was the only constant sound in the room.
The air inside was stagnant, smelling of burnt coffee and the dry heat coming off the high-end server racks.
On the main wall, a mosaic of monitors displayed live feeds from the plaza.
The most prominent screen showed a sea of thousands of people. They weren't moving toward the evacuation zones.
They were standing their ground, their faces lit by the red-and-gold strobes of the emergency lights, their voices merging into a single, heavy roar that rattled the trailer's reinforced walls.
"X! X! X!"
Yokumiru Mera sat at the central console, his head resting in his palms.
The dark bags under his eyes looked like bruises.
Beside him, Agent Mera stood with her arms crossed, her eyes fixed on the data scrolling across her tablet.
"Zero hits," Agent Mera said. Her voice was cold. "We've run the biometric data from the Sky Egg cameras against every database we have. It's the same result as the Ota Ward incident years ago. No name. No Quirk factor on file."
SLAM.
A high-ranking HPSC official, his face a deep shade of frustrated red, slammed his fist onto the metal desk next to Yokumiru.
"I don't care if he's a void! He used a high-output Quirk in a city zone without a license!" the official shouted. "He interfered with a Top 10 operation and bypassed the Hero Public Safety Act! If we don't issue an arrest warrant for vigilantism right now, our authority is dead! The law is absolute!"
Yokumiru Mera slowly lifted his head, looking at the official with a tired and bloodshot stare, internally noting how useless the man was.
"The law," Yokumiru rasped. "You're talking about the law while a hundred thousand people are outside chanting the name of a man who just saved them from being crushed. Do you remember the report Lady Nagant filed after Shizouka? She was one of our best, and she was shaking. She told us to stop looking for him. We listened for years and now he shows up again after the Ota Ward incident and does the one thing the Top 10 couldn't"
"He's a criminal!" the official hissed. "He humiliated the Commission on global television!"
"He didn't humiliate us," Agent Mera interrupted, pointing at the monitors. "He made us look irrelevant. Look at the people. They aren't looking for a license. They're looking at the fact that All Might and Endeavor were struggling while a man who doesn't exist solved the problem with a snap of his fingers. If we put out an arrest warrant tonight, we aren't protecting the law. We're starting a riot."
Yokumiru reached for a cold cup of coffee, his hand steady despite his exhaustion.
"Vigilantism is a crime because it lacks accountability," Yokumiru said. "But look at what he did. He stabilized the structure. He protected the environment. He didn't leave a single scratch on the city. He showed more accountability for the civilians than we did. If we call him a criminal now, we're telling those people that their lives mattered less than our paperwork."
"So we just let him walk?!" the official demanded.
Yokumiru Mera didn't answer immediately. He began typing on the console, his fingers moving with a slow, deliberate rhythm.
CLICK. CLACK. CLICK.
"We create a loophole," Yokumiru said. "We don't call him a hero, and we don't call him a vigilante. We classify him as a 'Special Asset: Category Zero' under the Emergency Management Act."
Yokumiru looked at the official.
"We tell the press that Hero X is a deep-cover consultant acting under a secret HPSC mandate for Singularity-level events. We claim him. We lie to the public to make it look like we were in control the whole time. It's the only way to save the face of the Commission."
Agent Mera looked at her brother. "And if he ignores the classification?"
"He doesn't care about us," Yokumiru sighed, leaning back as the "Special Asset" file uploaded. "He doesn't talk to the media. He doesn't take the credit. He just leaves. We aren't protecting him; we're protecting the illusion that the government still has a say in who gets to save the world. Because if the public realizes they don't need us... then we're all out of a job."
WEE-WOO. WEE-WOO.
The sirens outside continued to wail, but the officials in the trailer remained silent.
They watched the screens, seeing the hand-drawn "X" signs held by the crowd.
The "Special Asset" classification wasn't justice, but in a world that had just seen a miracle, it was the only thing the HPSC had left.
-_-_-_-_-_-_
Location: Tokyo Sky Egg – Backstage VIP Corridor
HIIIISSSSS.
A broken pipe in the ceiling hissed out a final cloud of steam, the sound echoing down the narrow, red-lit corridor.
The walls were cracked, and a thin layer of grey concrete dust covered the expensive carpet.
Outside, the muffled roar of thousands of people chanting was still audible, a low vibration that felt like a second heartbeat.
Iwao was long gone.
The moment the tunnel was cleared, the police and HPSC officials had swarmed him.
As the head of the O'Clock Agency and a veteran Pro, he had been pulled into the chaos of the plaza to manage the fallout.
Koichi, Kazuho, and Makoto were left in the quiet of the restricted zone.
They sat on a row of heavy equipment trunks, their tactical gear scorched and messy. None of them were talking about the danger they just escaped.
"..."
"..."
"..."
They were just... staring.
"Did you see his face?" Koichi finally whispered, his voice cracking with pure, unshielded amazement. "When he snapped those creatures... he didn't even widen his stance. He didn't even look like he was trying. He just stood there with his hand in his pockets and yawning."
"The red soles of those shoes," Kazuho muttered, kicking her boots against the trunk.
She let out a jagged, breathless laugh. "He was wearing a white suit in the middle of a war zone and didn't get a single speck of dust on it. I'm out here sweating and covered in soot, and he's out there turning 300-percent-enhanced monsters into flat drawings like he's just cleaning up a messy room."
She looked at Koichi, her eyes wide. "The snap, Koichi. I felt it in my teeth. It wasn't just a quirk. It was like... too strong. I've heard of that hero in America who can mess with rules, but what Kaito did... that's on a whole different level."
"It makes so much sense now," Makoto said, leaning forward.
She was looking at the hallway where Kaito had disappeared. "Everything about him. Why he's so good at everything. Why he could fix Hanako-san's brain when the doctors said it was impossible. He didn't just 'treat' Tamao's mom... he did it silently as well. Maybe he was also the one that restored Iwao-san quirk. And he's acting like he wasn't the reason."
Koichi nodded slowly, the realization hitting him harder now. "The singing... the way he managed those agencies... the part where he just knows everything."
"He looked so... imposing," Kazuho added, a small, reverent smile on her face. "Cool doesn't even cover it. He was like a demigod who decided to be a normal because he was bored."
Koichi asked, looking at both of them. "Remember what he told us? Or what Grandma Saki said? That he can't use his quirk as a kid despite having the factor... that when it finally showed up in his teens, it was a 'Biological Rejection'. That it would destroy his body if he used it."
"He probably had to say that," Makoto said, her voice filled with admiration rather than hurt. "If the world knew he could do that, he'd never have a moment of peace. He'd be a weapon or a target. He chose to be a manager, so he could live his life. It's actually brilliant."
"I don't think it was a total lie, though," Kazuho mused. "Maybe it was hard for him once. But did you see him tonight? He wasn't rejecting anything. He was the one in control."
She hopped off the trunk, pacing the small hallway. "The way he put all those Nomus into a ball... just a snap and a shrug. And then the paper. And also the part where he just evaded all of them while being so nonchalant. He even dragged and made Endeavor a grafitti."
Koichi then replied. "I'm still shaking. Not because I'm scared, but because... damn. Our neighbor is the strongest person on the planet. And he's our friend."
"He asked us to keep the secret," Makoto reminded them. "He counted on us."
"Of course we're keeping it!" Koichi said, standing up, his energy returning. "I'm just... I'm going to have a really hard time not staring at him next time we're at the apartment. How do you even act normal around a guy who can shred the sky?"
"You don't," Kazuho grinned. "You just do what he says so he doesn't turn your favorite hoodie into a 2D drawing."
Makoto went quiet for a second, her investigative mind reaching a dead end. "But the question is... what is it? Really? If the 'Rejection' thing was a cover... what do you even call a power like that?"
"I don't think there's a name for it," Koichi said, looking at the ceiling. "It's not in any hero registry. It's just... Kaito. After all even All Might's quirk was not known and revealed."
The three of them sat there in the red light, the silence of the VIP corridor feeling like a sanctuary.
They knew the truth.
The main in the white suit was the same man who helped them with their tactical gear and scolded Koichi for his messy footwork.
To the world, he was an anomaly. To them, he was just their impossibly cool, overpowered friend.
_-_-_-_-_-_
Location: Naruhata Ward – Naruhata Apartment
Date: Sunday | 12:45 AM
CLICK.
The light in the small entryway flickered to life, casting a warm, yellow glow over the cramped space.
The air inside the apartment was still, smelling faintly of old wood and the lingering scent of the lavender incense Grandma Saki liked to burn.
It was a sharp, grounding contrast to the rain that had dominated the last four hours.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
One by one, the group stepped into the hallway, shedding wet jackets and heavy boots.
They moved with a strange, heavy-limbed exhaustion.
It wasn't just the physical toll of the evacuation; it was the weight of having witnessed something that shouldn't have been possible.
Kimiko stepped in first, clutching Emi tightly against her chest.
The baby was fast asleep, her tiny face peaceful despite the chaos they had just fled.
Her husband, Kenji, followed close behind, his hand resting protectively on Kimiko's shoulder.
His face was pale, his eyes still wide with the shock of seeing the sky turn violet.
Next came Hanako Oguro, leaning slightly on her daughter Tamao.
Hanako's recovery was still a miracle in progress, and the stress of the stadium had clearly taken a toll on her strength, but her eyes were alert.
Tamao held her mother's hand with a grip that suggested she would never let go again.
Shoko Haimawari was the last of the guests, her face a mess of dried tears and frantic pride.
She was clutching her phone, waiting for a text from Koichi, who was still at the venue with the rest of the O'Clock Agency.
CREAK.
Grandma Saki walked into the living room, her steps steady.
She didn't look like a woman who had just been at the center of a terrorist attack. She looked like a mountain that had weathered a light breeze.
In the corner of the room, sitting on the floor mat by the window, was Kaito Arisaka.
To the rest of the family, he had been there the whole time.
He had been the one who guided them through the crowds, the one who stayed calm when the ceiling groaned, the one who kept them shielded in the VIP box.
But as the door to the entryway closed, Kaito's seated form flickered like a dying television screen.
SHIIIING.
The 'Projection' turned its head, its eyes meeting the real Kaito's as he stepped in from the balcony.
With a silent, knowing nod, the golden dust dissolved into the air, leaving the real Arisaka to take his place before anyone noticed the swap.
Kaito leaned his back against the wall, his charcoal-grey jacket draped over his arm.
He took off his glasses, rubbing the bridge of his nose where the "Hero X" mask had pressed against his skin only an hour prior.
"Kaito... you're still awake?," Kimiko whispered, as she sat down on the sofa. "I thought you'd be exhausted after getting us all home."
"I'm fine, Kimiko," Kaito replied, his voice a low, tired rasp. "Just wanted to make sure everyone was settled."
HIIISSSSSS.
Grandma Saki set the kettle on the stove in the small kitchen.
The sound of the rising steam was the only thing filling the room for a long minute.
"I can't believe it," Shoko suddenly blurted out, her voice breaking the silence. She sat on the edge of a chair, her hands shaking. "The man in white... Hero X!"
"I've never seen anything like it," Kenji added, sitting next to his wife. He looked at Kaito, his eyes searching for some kind of explanation.
"Arisaka-san, you work with heroes every day. Have you ever... is there anyone else who can do that? The way he just snapped his fingers and those monsters turned into paper?"
Kaito looked at the ceiling, the light reflecting off his tired eyes.
"No," Kaito said simply. "There isn't anyone else."
"He looked stronger than All Might in person," Tamao whispered. She was sitting on the floor by her mother's feet.
"When he drive that car in the sky... he didn't even look like he was fighting. He looked like so relax. I've seen pro heroes on TV a thousand times, but he felt different."
Hanako Oguro, who had remained quiet, turned her gaze toward Kaito.
She didn't say anything, but her eyes were deep and thoughtful. She remembered the warmth in the hospital room months ago—the same warmth that had radiated from the golden light at the stadium.
CLINK. CLINK.
Grandma Saki walked back into the room, carrying a tray with several cups of hot barley tea.
She distributed them silently, her movements graceful. When she reached Kaito, she lingered for a second, her hand brushing against his shoulder.
"The world is going to be very loud tomorrow," Saki said, her voice grounded and calm. "But in this room, it is quiet. Drink your tea, everyone. You are safe."
"I keep thinking about Koichi," Shoko said, blowing on her tea. "He was down there. He and Kazuho and Iwao-san. They were in the middle of it. I'm so proud of him... but I'm so scared."
"They're alright, Shoko-sam" Kaito replied, "Iwao-san is a veteran pro hero. And Koichi and the others are strong and dependable."
SLURP.
Kenji took a long drink of his tea, the warmth finally bringing some color back to his face. "If it wasn't for him, we'd be still in that building. After all, the other heroes were struggling in that fight."
They sat there for an hour, the conversation circling back again and again to the miracle they had witnessed.
They talked about the way that some agencies had moved much better than the other, like Ryukyu and Snipe, unaware that the man who had trained those agencies was sitting five feet away from them.
They talked about the song, and how the music had seemed to give everyone heart when the darkness was at its worst.
Kaito listened to them. He watched the way Kimiko's hands finally stopped shaking.
He watched the way Tamao smiled when her mother took a sip of tea. He watched the relief on their faces.
Every second of the "cringe" persona, every snap of his fingers that had drained his energy, every risk he had taken to reveal his power—it was all worth it for this peace.
YAWN.
Finally, the exhaustion began to win. Kenji stood up, gently taking the sleeping Emi from Kimiko's arms.
"We should get to sleep," Kenji said.
"You're right," Kimiko said, standing up and smoothing her skirt.
She turned to Kaito and Grandma Saki, her eyes shiny with gratitude. "Thank you for letting us stay here tonight. I don't think I could have handled being alone in our apartment after... after all that."
"You're family, Kimiko," Saki said, rising to her feet. "There's always room."
One by one, they retreated to their beds Kaito and Saki had prepared.
Kimiko and her family settled into the living room area, which had been converted with soft futons. While Shoko chose the other one near door.
CLICK.
The main lights went out, leaving only the small lamp in the kitchen and the dim moonlight filtering through the blinds.
Kaito stayed in his spot by the window. The rain was still tapping against the glass, a rhythmic, peaceful sound.
CREAK.
Grandma Saki walked back into the living room.
She didn't go to her room. She sat down on the mat across from Kaito, her back straight, her hands folded in her lap.
She looked at him for a long time, the silence between them thick and full of things that didn't need to be said.
"You look tired, Kaito," she said softly.
"I am," he admitted.
"You did well today," Saki said.
She didn't ask how he held up the building. She didn't ask how he turned monsters into paper. She didn't ask about the white hair transformation.
She just looked at him with a pride.
"I saw the way you looked at them," Saki continued,"When you were standing on that spire. You looked like you were carrying the weight of the whole world. But you weren't, were you?"
Kaito looked at his grandmother. "I wasn't carrying the sky, Grandma. I was just holding onto this room. The rest of the stadium just happened to be attached to it."
Saki let out a soft, dry laugh. "That's the Arisaka way. We're a selfish lot, aren't we?"
"Maybe," Kaito smiled, his first real smile of the night.
"Your parents and grandfather would have been proud," Saki said, her eyes glistening for a brief second before she regained her composure. "He always said that a man's true worth isn't in what he can take, but in what he can protect without anyone ever knowing it was him."
She stood up, smoothing her apron.
"Go to bed, Kaito. You've earned your sleep. And don't worry about the morning. I'll make sure the tea is hot when the world starts knocking on the door."
TAP. TAP.
_-_-_-_-_
Author's Note
Thanks for sticking with me while the updates slowed down! My real-world project management tasks are finally wrapping up. Regular updates will resume this Sunday.
I appreciate your support and understanding!
....
Support the journey here:
patreon.com/Dr_Chad
(9 Advanced Chapters)