One week after the battle, the Yaoyorozu mansion welcomed three visitors. Principal Nezu, Eraser Head and the now officially retired All Might.
Inside the mansion, they were received in a spacious guest room, where Mr. Yaoyorozu sat opposite them. He acted composed and dignified, but the faint shadows beneath his eyes betrayed exhaustion.
The U.A. staff took their seats across from him.
Nezu began.
"Thank you for meeting us on such short notice, Mr. Yaoyorozu. I understand the past week has not been easy for you, especially after returning to Japan. Junsei's situation caught everyone off guard."
Mr. Yaoyorozu inclined his head slightly.
"It is… an unpleasant development. When I first met him years ago, I did not imagine matters would escalate to this point." His tone remained measured. "I know you are searching for information about Junsei. As I told the police, and every official who came before you, I do not know his whereabouts or what he intends to do. The only place that comes to mind is the forest where I found him. Or any forest in this country, for that matter. My daughter knows no more than I do."
Nezu nodded.
"I have reviewed your statements and the police reports. However, I would still like to speak with Momo directly."
Mr. Yaoyorozu's eyes narrowed.
"She does not possess information I have not already provided. I would prefer to leave her out of this. She has endured sufficient interrogations."
"I understand your concern," Nezu replied calmly. "But sometimes what is dismissed as insignificant becomes vital later. Mr. Yaoyorozu, Junsei harbors deep resentment toward people. I fear the next time we hear of him, it may be through another tragedy."
Silence lingered between them.
"Unless this is mandated by law," Mr. Yaoyorozu said evenly, "I will not subject my daughter to another interrogation. That is final."
All Might spoke next. "I understand your concern. I truly do. And I am ashamed to admit this… but none of his teachers can claim to understand what is happening inside his mind."
He paused, eyes lowering briefly.
"We cannot predict his behavior. We do not know whether he would intentionally cause another tragedy because of his hatred… or if he would retreat and live in isolation. At present, we have only speculation. The person who understands him best is Momo. And part of the reason he acted as he did… was to save her."
Mr. Yaoyorozu's frown deepened. He did not respond.
Seconds passed in heavy silence.
Then a knock sounded.
Before anyone could speak, the door opened and Momo stepped inside.
Mr. Yaoyorozu began "Momo…"
"It's fine, dad," she said gently, interrupting him. "They are my teachers. And I have questions of my own."
Mr. Yaoyorozu hesitated. Then, slowly nodded.
Nezu, Eraser Head, and All Might observed her carefully.
She looked exhausted. Her complexion was paler than usual. Her eyes were faintly red.
Eraser Head spoke first, voice softer than usual.
"How are you feeling? Is there any lingering discomfort?"
Momo offered a small, restrained smile.
"I'm fine. When I woke up, all my injuries were gone. My quirk had returned as well… thanks to Junsei."
Eraser Head gave a slight nod.
"I'm glad to hear that," Nezu said.
Momo's gaze shifted to him.
"Do you believe he will attack and kill more people intentionally?"
Nezu answered honestly.
"This is only a theory, based on what I observed and what I heard from him. Nothing is confirmed. But I believe he views himself as a creature born to hunt humans and restore stolen life. He thinks when a human kills a creature, they steal life and prevent it from returning to nature"
Momo nodded slowly.
"He told me something similar. He said he can see life… and that humans steal it from nature."
Nezu leaned forward slightly.
"Did he ever elaborate? About his understanding of life or the nature of his quirk?"
She shook her head at first. Then she paused, searching her memory.
"He once said… life is a cycle. When something dies, life moves on. It grows and evolves. Humans break the cycle."
Nezu asked again "Anything else? Does life have anything to do with his quirk?"
Momo shook her head. A brief silence settled over the room.
"When he first came here," Nezu continued, "was he particularly interested in something? Did he focus on a specific topic, anything that stood out?"
Momo lowered her gaze, thinking back.
"When he first learned about the internet… the first thing he searched was where humans come from. And what their purpose is." She hesitated. "He said there was an emptiness inside humans."
Nezu's eyes narrowed slightly. "Emptiness?"
"I don't know exactly what he meant. It was something he could feel with his quirk. He said animals don't have emptiness, only humans do."
"Anything else unusual that caught his attention?"
Momo replied " No, he read myths, history and religious texts. He was trying to find answers about humanity's origin. He also showed interest in biology and evolution theory."
Nezu replied "I see. Were there any incidents in the past? Did he ever harm anyone?"
Momo shook her head immediately. "He didn't like speaking to others, but he never acted aggressively."
Eraser Head leaned forward slightly. "Were there accidents no one could explain? His abilities are versatile. Invisibility alone would make many things possible."
Momo began to shake her head again. "There weren't any…"
She stopped.
Eraser Head's gaze sharpened. "Something came to mind?"
"Years ago," she said slowly, "three students from our school… and their families… were found dead. The case was never solved."
Eraser Head spoke plainly. "You think he could be responsible?"
Momo lowered her head. "I don't know. But one of those students was with Junsei in the orphanage. Junsei didn't think well of him. He said that boy tried to kill him."
Her eyes widened slightly as realization formed.
"They died the same night Junsei met Sykes."
Her voice dropped to a whisper. "All these years ago… did he kill people?"
The three U.A. staff exchanged glances.
If Junsei could turn invisible back then and with his strength being enough to overwhelm professional heroes, then he had both the means and the motive. His quirk had been mischaracterized from the beginning. That would have removed him from suspicion entirely.
Mr. Yaoyorozu had forgotten about what Junsei had done back then. It was a horrible misunderstanding that led to Junsei eliminating what he believed to be a threat to Momo. Mr. Yaoyorozu believed it would remain buried forever and never expected it to resurface.
He looked at Momo. "Don't overthink it. I believe this particular incident may be a coincidence."
Nezu turned to him. "Why do you believe so?"
Mr. Yaoyorozu exhaled slowly. "Sai told me back then that Junsei always lived on edge, prepared to fight for his life at any moment. It took a long time before he relaxed here. I do not deny the possibility… but someone constantly afraid of his surroundings does not seek unnecessary confrontation. Fearful individuals run from threat."
He paused.
"Momo, do you remember whether he met or spoke with the other two victims at the time?"
She shook her head. "No. We only saw one of them."
Mr. Yaoyorozu nodded faintly. "If it were only the family of the one he hated, that would be plausible. But three separate families? A scared person won't take such risks."
Momo's expression hardened slightly.
"Junsei is intelligent when he chooses to be. He could have done it as a misdirection to confuse everyone. And if he thought of Sykes as bad and dangerous, it would be better to remove the threat early on "
Her fist tightened.
"If he truly did that… then what else did he do over the years?"
Momo's eyes teared at the thought
Mr. Yaoyorozu fell silent then sighed.
The three teachers watched the father and daughter pair. From their point of view, Mr. Yaoyorozu was defending Junsei for Momo's sake. She looks too affected by this.
If Junsei had been killing as far back as those years without anyone connecting the dots, then this was not necessarily a recent change.
Momo suddenly lifted her head, her gaze fixed on Nezu.
"Sir… what is your relationship with Junsei, truly? You gave him the nickname Ao and used it more than once. He calls you Okina. The two of you behaved strangely from the moment you met."
Her voice steadied.
"And after the trial, you said, 'You are going to die again.' What did you mean?"
Eraser Head turned slowly toward Nezu. He remembered hearing those words that day but never had the opportunity to question them. Events had spiraled too quickly.
All Might also looked at Nezu, silent but attentive. Nezu felt their eyes on him, suspicion and curiosity.
He exhaled quietly as he weighed the options.
The truth sounded absurd. If believed, it could bring further trouble upon Junsei. Yet how much worse could the situation become? The boy was already declared a national threat.
Refusing to answer would plant mistrust. Lying would be worse, especially with Junsei still at large. A single contradictory sentence from him could unravel everything.
Nezu closed his eyes briefly, then opened them.
"No word of this leaves this room. It could bring trouble to everyone involved."
Curiosity only grew hearing that.
"I was born in a laboratory," Nezu said calmly. "The scientists named me Nezu Okina. I had a brother. Nezu Ao."
Momo blinked. "You named Junsei after your brother?"
Nezu continued "We endured inhumane experimentation. We fought and protected each other to survive." Nezu lifted a paw, tracing the faint scar across his eye. "The scientists concluded that while Ao possessed superior strength while I had superior intelligence. In truth, I believe Ao was as intelligent as I was or perhaps more. He simply refused to cooperate. He hated the scientists. He understood our captivity for what it was."
Nezu paused.
"I hoped the experiments would eventually stop. Ao knew they would only worsen. So he did something none of the scientists anticipated."
Nezu closed his eyes.
"He took his own life."
Shock flickered across everyone's face.
Momo asked. " But what does that have to do with Junsei?"
Nezu looked directly at her.
"Junsei is Ao. He was reborn as a human, with his memories intact along with his deep seated hatred for humans. He recognized me the day we met at U.A."
Everyone stared at Nezu as if he was crazy.
"That cannot be true," All Might said slowly. "How would that even be possible? Perhaps you were mistaken or misled by him."
"I considered that," Nezu replied. "Repeatedly. I do not understand the mechanism. But I believe Ao awakened a quirk back then, one that allowed his consciousness to persist and reincarnate."
He lowered his gaze slightly.
"No theory I constructed offered a better explanation. My brother was reborn, of that much I was certain."
He looked up again.
"And since that day, I have tried to help him. To make him let go of the prejudice and hatred he carries toward humanity."
A pause.
"In the end… I failed."