Inside the quiet office of Nezu, the principal sat reviewing documents when a strange sensation washed over him. It felt as if something far away had reached out to ask for his attention.
Nezu immediately knew the source.
Junsei.
The small principal slowly rose from his chair and walked toward the window. His sharp eyes scanned the distant horizon beyond the school grounds.
He could feel it. Junsei was coming to U.A.
Nezu frowned slightly. He could not determine Junsei's purpose, nor why he would come to the school now of all times. What troubled him more was the uncertainty of Junsei's goal. Junsei did not feel hostile at the moment, but his temperament was completely unpredictable.
He was like a switch. One moment calm. The next, catastrophic.
Nezu turned immediately and walked back to his desk. His paw pressed several controls as the school's emergency systems activated.
"Attention all students," his voice echoed through the campus intercom. "You are to leave your classrooms immediately and head to the bunker behind the main building. Staff members are to proceed to the main gate."
He paused briefly.
"This is not a drill. I repeat, this is not a drill. Move immediately."
Nezu grabbed a tablet from his desk and left the office. As he walked through the hallways, he began adjusting the U.A. defense systems from the screen.
Turrets, robots and barriers.
All were set to standby.
He would not gamble with the safety of his students.
As he turned a corner, he encountered Present Mic and Midnight rushing toward him.
"Sir, what's happening?" Midnight asked.
Nezu's voice was calm but grave.
"Junsei is approaching the school. I can feel him."
Both teachers froze then their expressions changed instantly.
Without another word, Present Mic and Midnight rushed away to prepare while Nezu continued walking, finalizing the defensive protocols.
Minutes later, Nezu stepped outside the main building.
The staff had already assembled near the front entrance.
They stood ready for battle.
Nezu walked past them calmly.
His gaze briefly met All Might.
"All Might," Nezu said, "please go and stay with the students."
All Might frowned.
"Principal, I cannot hide. Even if…"
Nezu raised a paw to interrupt him.
"I do not sense hostility from him right now. And we both know he dislikes you."
The principal's voice remained steady.
"The last thing I want is for him to see you and become irritated enough to attack."
Nezu glanced toward the entrance.
"Even with U.A.'s defense systems and our entire staff present, I am not certain we could stop him if he transforms."
He added quietly,
"I have already called for reinforcements. But I do not know how long they will take."
All Might fell silent.
After a moment, he lowered his head.
"I understand."
Without another word, he turned and walked back toward the student bunkers.
Nezu then looked at the assembled teachers.
"Everyone," he said calmly, "I trust you understand the gravity of this situation. Let us avoid provoking him and attempt to understand his intentions first."
His eyes hardened slightly.
"He doesn't value the life of students or humans in general, so a battle here would endanger the students."
The staff nodded grimly.
Then they waited.
Several minutes passed before a figure appeared in the distance, slowly approaching the entrance of U.A.
Midnight narrowed her eyes.
"Is that… a child he's carrying?"
Present Mic leaned forward slightly.
"Yeah… looks like it."
The figure grew clearer as it approached.
Junsei.
He walked through the front gate without hesitation despite the robots and turrets stationed around him.
The staff instinctively tensed.
Nezu stepped forward ahead of them.
Junsei stopped several meters away.
For a moment, Nezu's gaze lingered on something unusual.
A small blue horn protruded from Junsei's forehead.
He stared at it for a moment longer than intended before finally speaking.
"Why have you come here?"
His eyes shifted to the girl.
"And who is the child you are carrying?"
Junsei answered calmly.
"I came to deliver this human child. This is the only place I know that can take her."
Nezu looked closer at the small figure resting in Junsei's arms.
"Who is she?" he asked carefully. "Where did you find her?"
Junsei answered honestly.
"She was with Overhaul."
Nezu's eyes widened slightly.
"Is that… Eri?"
Junsei nodded.
Nezu immediately glanced back at Midnight and gave a silent signal.
Midnight moved quickly.
She approached Junsei carefully, took the unconscious girl from his arms, and retreated.
Junsei turned around.
Without another word, he began walking away from the school.
Nezu hesitated. Then he spoke.
"Wait."
Junsei stopped and turned back at him.
Nezu's voice was quiet.
"Why did you bring this child here?"
He looked at Junsei directly.
"You hate humans. You have killed and injured many of them. Why spare her?"
Junsei's expression remained calm.
"Does that matter to you?"
Nezu nodded slowly.
"Yes. I am trying to understand you. What are you trying to accomplish? What is your goal with all this killing?"
Junsei answered simply.
"I free life from humans."
He glanced briefly toward the building where Midnight had taken the girl.
"That child has nothing to free."
Nezu said "What you are doing is wrong, you have made yourself the enemy of everyone. Is that what you want? To be hunted and live a life where you kill or get killed?"
Junsei replied "But that is life, a cycle of sacrifice and evolution. One creature dies so a better life takes its place. It is humans that bring imbalance to everything."
Nezu said "So what are you going to do? Kill all humans?"
Junsei said "I can't do that, but I can restore balance as much as I can"
Nezu said "And if you could? Would you kill all humans?"
Junsei paused for a moment then said "Yes, balance will be restored if they are gone."
Nezu clenched his paw tightly. He still was not sure if Junsei's killing was just for the balance and life he claims to care about or if he was aiming for something else.
But the sight of that horn filled him with quiet dread. Junsei has the desire to kill all humans and that horn looked like an omen, an omen that Nighteye's vision would come true.
After some silence, Junsei's eyes moved behind Nezu and behind the staff, toward the UA main building, where UA 1-A class came rushing led by Bakugo.
Junsei's eyes landed on Momo briefly then moved to Aoyama.
At the same time, the staff noticed the students' approach and quickly moved to stop them.
Junsei said "It has nothing to do with me, but for the sake of you and Momo, you should know that AFO's subordinates are still out there, I didn't kill them. And they have a traitor among your students. Aoyama Yuga was born quirkless and he is now a spy in return for receiving a quirk. And he gave a valuable help during the USJ attack"
Junsei turned around and jumped off into the distance leaving the surprised Nezu. Nezu turned back and looked at his student, the supposed spy. Nezu didn't doubt Junsei's words. Junsei had no reason to lie and he had suspected the existence of a traitor for a while now.
Nezu looked at his staff and said "The danger is gone, and I believe you all heard what he said."
A short pause followed.
"Let us deal with our spy problem first."
Present Mic frowned.
"Yeah, but what about the Yakuza and the drug?" he asked. "When we searched their base, we couldn't find Overhaul and several of his subordinates among the dead. Does that mean Junsei found them afterward and eliminated them?"
Nezu replied. "It is possible that Junsei continued hunting them after he discovered the leader was not in the base when he attacked, but we should not jump to conclusions." His gaze moved briefly toward the direction Junsei had left before returning to the staff. "The girl is now safe with us, and we have a spy among our students. I would prefer we focus on this matter for now."
The teachers exchanged looks before nodding in agreement. For the moment, they could only deal with what was directly in front of them.
——————
Meanwhile, Junsei moved quietly through the city, heading back toward the Yakuza hideout. The trip took little time. He entered the Yakuza's house and descended directly into the basement laboratory.
Inside, Overhaul was standing at his worktable surrounded by glass containers, chemical vials, and equipment. His focus remained entirely on the research before him.
Junsei stepped into the room.
"I delivered Eri to U.A."
Overhaul paused and slowly lifted his head, his eyes settling on Junsei. "U.A.?" he repeated. "Why would you send her there?"
Junsei answered, "It is the only place I know."
Overhaul stared at him for a moment before nodding faintly, accepting the explanation. However, his attention quickly shifted back to the worktable in front of him.
"As long as she lives, it is fine. Now, more importantly than Eri," he said, gesturing toward several prepared samples, "I tested the blood and flesh from your arm."
Junsei remained silent, watching.
Overhaul continued explaining, his tone carrying a hint of excitement rarely seen from him. "Your flesh is saturated with the power of Rewind. Far more than what Eri originally possessed."
Junsei asked "Is that a good thing?"
Overhaul gave a small nod. "Of course. To put it into perspective, with the same amount of blood and flesh I used previously, I can now produce twenty times the quantity of the quirk-erasing drug."
That was a massive difference.
Junsei's eyes narrowed slightly.
Overhaul placed the vial back onto the table and looked directly at him. "You have opened an entirely new path for my research. I am closer than ever to achieving our goal."
Junsei remained quiet for a moment before speaking again.
"How much time do you need?"
Overhaul shook his head slowly. "I cannot give you a precise answer," he admitted. "But we are making progress. And just by using your arm, we can create enough drug to erase the quirk of hundreds"
Junsei nodded once.
For now, that answer was enough.