The town was reduced to rubble in the devastation wrought by Sukuna, while countless civilians fell victim to the ensuing massacre.
Ren Akagami and the wounded rabbit hero were admitted into the hospital. Principal Nezu, a small, white-furred, stoat-like creature with circular black eyes and a large scar over his right one, describes himself as a combination of dog, mouse, and bear.
"How are you feeling, Akagami?" Nezu stood on a chair, reassuring his student.
Ren blinked once, then twice. He let out a light moan, trying to discern his surroundings as he scanned the environment with blurry vision. "W-Where am I?" His voice was faint.
A wide smile crept across Nezu's face. "You're in the hospital—"
The doors slid open with a loud thud as Ren's parents surged inside, their chests heaving heavily as they glanced at their son on the bed.
"Ren, are you okay?" His mother pleaded, her eyes streaming with tears as she embraced her son in a motherly hug.
His eyes began to tear up for a brief moment before he wiped them away. "Thanks, Mom. I'm feeling better now."
"Are you sure you're fine?" His father chimed in, extracting his smartphone from his backpack and sending a text to his son studying abroad.
Nezu cleared his throat, redirecting the family's attention to him. "Ren, how are your wounds?"
"You can let go now, mom," Ren said, freeing himself from his mother's embrace. Staring at his hands, he swung them relentlessly for a second without feeling any pain or soreness in his muscles. "I'm definitely fine, Principal Nezu." His smile never faded from his lips.
"Are you sure about it?"
"Yes, sir!"
Ren's memories remained clouded; he couldn't recall a thing about what had transpired in that moment of despair after being flung aside by Mirko, who had protected him from the villain's attack.
"Mirko!" He yelled suddenly. "Where is she? Is she all right?"
"Calm down, Akagami," his homeroom teacher, Shota Aizawa, reassured him. "It's a miracle she's alive. She's being treated right now."
Huh? Ren couldn't apprehend the words he had just heard. "What do you mean she's barely alive?" Ren swallowed, sweat streaming down his cheeks.
Aizawa let out an exasperated sigh. "We don't really know the full details of what actually occurred, so we thought we might get a thing or two from you, who was found lying unconscious at the scene."
"Huh?" Ren's eyes widened in shock. "I-I think I'd remember what happened, but I can't remember anything after that."
Aizawa shifted his gaze to Principal Nezu, sharing a nod with him. "Fine. Tell us the details you can remember." He brought out a piece of paper and a pen.
"Hold on, Aizawa," Nezu cut in. "First," he said, turning to Ren's parents, "I am truly sorry for what happened to your son. From now on, we will do everything we can to ensure the safety of our students."
Eric, Ren's father, understood Nezu's point and also realized that, in one way or another, this was the path their son had chosen to live—to be a hero—and that, in the near future, he would have to face villains. "Thank you very much, Principal Nezu."
They both bowed their heads, shaking hands with one another.
"So what do you remember?"
Ren took a deep breath in a precise motion, exhaling slowly. He calmed his nerves and closed his eyes gradually as he faded into his own consciousness.
He began.
"Coming back from school that day…" The realization dawned on him as he jolted back to life, startling everyone. "How long was I out?"
"Two days."
"Two?" He yelled, his mouth agape. "I won't get punished for missing my assignment, right?" His eyes turned into puppy eyes, shooting an innocent glance at his homeroom teacher.
"No, you won't get punished. Focus."
"Okay, sensei."
Silence settled within the hospital room as Ren closed his eyes, meditating and concentrating to remember, though his memories remained fuzzy about what had actually occurred at the time of the incident.
Clearing his throat twice, he swallowed gently. "I remember going to the grocery store to purchase some ingredients for my mom. After that, I began walkin—"
"Ren, is something the matter?" His father hummed.
Giving them a thumbs-up signaled that he was all right—probably experiencing a severe headache as he tried to recall through his unstable memory.
He continued. "I was walking home, then boom! Villains and robbers surged out from nowhere and began attacking relentlessly. I was caught in the midst of their rampage, and before I could flee, I was paralyzed. I couldn't move my legs anymore, and then I collapsed onto the floor.
The villains set some stores and buildings ablaze. Civilians were wounded miserably, and before their rampage could worsen, some heroes and cops arrived at the scene. The villains then attacked the heroes' research facility, defeated the guards, and stole some kind of object."
The tension in the room pivoted upward.
"Don't tell me…" Nezu sweat-dropped. "And what happened after that?"
"Hey, Nezu, what kind of object was that?"
"I'm also curious," Eric chimed in.
"Unfortunately, I can't divulge the details right now. I still don't know whether it was rumors or the truth. All I can say right now is that we have to find the whereabouts of that object."
"Go on," Aizawa ordered.
Ren continued. "After obtaining the object, the villains tossed a huge tree at my location, and my body moved on its own, activating my quirk and cleaving the huge tree in half. Witnessing that, a monstrous villain saw me and chased me until I was caught.
He threatened me: if I didn't obey him, he would kill me instantly. And before I could call for help, I was knocked out cold with the dagger in his hand."
"And what happened after that?"
"I don't remember much," Ren whispered softly, his head feeling as though it was about to flare up. "I woke up with a scream as the monster villain held me in his arms, using me as a hostage so they could all escape—until Mirko came.
She saw me being held hostage and instantly sent the villain crashing into the ground while saving me. She told me to locate the nearest police officer and ensure my safety. Then she immediately pushed me aside, using her hand to block the villain's attack," he said.
"Go on."
Ren let out a low moan as he held his head. "I can't remember anything other than that. My memories aren't stable yet."
Aizawa shot Nezu at a glance. "Are you sure you can't remember anything else?"
"Yes, sir. My head hurts every time I try to remember."
"Thank you very much for the invaluable information, Akagami," Nezu said. "Get plenty of rest and make sure you're fully recovered before coming back to school."
"I will, principal Nezu."
"Thank you very much." Aizawa bowed to show his appreciation to Ren's parents as the duo left the hospital room, heading back to U.A. to analyze the information they had received from the student.
"Baby, does your head hurt?"
"I'm fine, mom. You worry too much."
"Get some rest, okay. When you wake up, kindly do well to eat some fruit." His father set the fruit down beside their son and took his wife as they left the hospital.
'Ha ha, be glad I healed your wounds, brat.' Sukuna's voice resonated in Ren's head.
"Who said that?" Ren's vision began to blur. "I must be hallucinating. Gotta take a nap."
He fell asleep while Sukuna could only laugh evilly in his mind. He had been given a second chance, and this time, he promised to wipe out hero society and anyone who dared call himself king.
…
{Principal Nezu's Office}
"All Might, this is really bad."
Toshinori Yagi—no, All Might—massaged his temples in his muscular form. "If the details are true, it is dangerous. Then I have to find that object as soon as possible."
"That's one thing," Aizawa said. "How the hell are we going to trace the villain who caused so much chaos the other day? The one who probably hurt Mirko?"
All Might swallowed hard. "It's not going to be easy. If a villain is out there who could hypothetically put Mirko on her deathbed, then we'll have to stay on high alert."
"The worst is about to commence."
"I'll talk to Endeavor and Hawks right away. It's my duty to keep Japan safe." All Might clenched his fist tightly, his smile almost fading from his lips.
"Okay, I'll be looking forward to it."
All Might dismissed himself from Nezu's office and exited the grounds of U.A. to meet with the number two hero, Endeavor.
'Why the hell am I thinking it's him? I doubt he would still be alive to be able to move.' All Might whispered to himself, his mind reminiscing about the villain he had fought in the past who had been able to inflict a lifelong wound on him.
"It'll be bad if he's the mastermind behind the attack… All For One!!"
**
For those who wants to read more advanced chapters and also support me, I've got few chapters ahead on patreon and also 10 chapters ahead on patreon on my One Piece fic.
Patreon.com/Hunchovroy848
**