Only after the receding students’ footsteps had completely faded did Tori Marumine let out a tiny sigh. He still couldn’t believe he was engaging in something so bizarre.
Despite the storm of thoughts within him, his face remained impassive while his lips chattered nonstop.
"I know my own value."
Tori continued to stare at Shigaraki while lightly pressing his foot down on Kurogiri. A suppressed groan escaped Kurogiri.
"I’m not a Pro Hero; I’m only a student. Sacrificing your sole escape route—a tactical asset in the form of a spatial Quirk user—to kill me just isn’t worth it. The math doesn’t add up."
He shrugged, a cold, calculated weighing of his own life’s worth.
"And above all..."
Tori’s eyes narrowed into a thin curve. Any trace of youthful freshness had vanished from his smile.
"There are certain methods of restraint I can only deploy when there are no witnesses."
He snapped his finger. Cling.
An iron pin fell from thin air and landed in his hand, which he then twirled like a mere toy.
"I can’t just push someone to the brink of lethal harm in front of everyone, can I? It’s neither educational nor good for my image."
At those words, the corner of Shigaraki’s mouth twisted into a grotesque sneer.
"Heh... you villainous bastard...!"
Shigaraki chuckled, the hand scratching at his neck moving even faster.
"I really do like you, Marumine."
Those blood-red eyes scanned Tori greedily—the look of a child who’s just discovered the toy they’ve longed for, mixed with the predatory glare of a dangerous beast.
"Next is you."
"Hmm?"
"Once this is over, I’m going to kidnap you and turn you into a villain—a U.A. student falling from grace and joining our side... haha! The ultimate propaganda tool."
"Blegh."
Tori stuck out his tongue in disgust.
"No thanks. Your benefits package is a disaster—and seriously, work on your skin. It makes me itchy just looking at you."
"That insolent mouth... I like that, too."
With that, Shigaraki fell silent, and the conversation abruptly ended.
Silence.
A suffocating quiet settled over the scene. Tori held Kurogiri hostage at his feet, while Shigaraki and Nomu stood as if rooted to the spot—bound by an unspoken agreement to ensure Kurogiri’s safety.
Tick, tick.
It was as if the sound of invisible clock hands turning filled the air.
One minute. Two minutes... and then, perhaps five minutes had passed.
BOOOM—!!!
The massive main gates of the USJ were ripped open as though by an explosion. Along with a billowing cloud of dust came a wave of power that was anything but a mere gust of wind.
"It’s fine... now!"
A thunderous voice reverberated throughout the dome.
"Because I...!!"
A massive silhouette strode through the dust, his brow furrowed and his face contorted in furious determination.
"I’ve arrived!!"
It was the Symbol of Peace—All Might.
Ripping his tie away roughly, he swept the scene before him in one swift glance.
Nomu and the snickering Shigaraki, and then there was the lone student standing against them.
All Might’s blue eyes flickered with a mix of relief and complex emotion.
He saw it clearly: the villain bleeding beneath Tori Marumine’s feet, and the sharp iron pin—no different from a lethal weapon—clutched in Tori’s hand.
'Young man...'
Efficiency personified.
He had managed to get all the other students to safety, choosing to stay behind to control the crisis by taking the most dangerous enemy hostage—a feat of crisis management that even a Pro Hero would envy.
If it had been executed by an old-school vigilante, it might have been seen as justifiable.
But when a modern-day student pulls this off, the stakes are entirely different.
For a boy aspiring to be a hero, wielding such formidable weapons of intimidation and lethal intent was recklessly dangerous.
All Might moved Tori and the captured villain toward the opposite exit.
The aura emanating from the villain known as Nomu was unnervingly menacing.
The impending fight promised to be brutal.
"All Might..."
The corners of Shigaraki’s mouth split into a grin so wide it threatened to tear him apart.
"You finally arrived. I was beginning to tire of waiting."
Hero and monster now faced off.
He lightly tapped Nomu.
"Go, Nomu. Crush the Symbol of Peace."
"KRAAAAAARGH!!!"
At once, the black monster Nomu sprang upward and lunged—the speed of his movement nearly impossible to follow.
All Might charged forward with a deafening roar.
"DETROIT...... SMASH───!!!"
BOOM!
The two monstrous fists collided head-on.
A shockwave roared like a typhoon, shaking the trees within the USJ as if they might be uprooted.
Before Tori’s eyes, a battle of gods was unfolding.
CRASH! BOOM!!!
A cascade of ear-splitting explosions thundered around them.
In the heart of that chaos—where the ground trembled and the very air screamed—Tori Marumine felt an unexpected calm.
Though his tie whipped wildly in the tumult and the concrete floor was being shredded like paper, his pulse remained unwavering.
'He is... strong, indeed.'
Through swirling dust, he focused on All Might’s resolute back.
Overwhelming power. Even with Nomu’s near-cheat-like abilities—shock absorption and super regeneration—All Might never faltered. Every punch unleashed a shockwave that dominated the space like a raging typhoon.
Were it any other student or an ordinary would-be hero, they might have fretted for All Might, thinking, "That fight’s too mismatched," or "He’s in danger!"
But Tori was different. He was completely at ease.
It was a conviction born from deeply personal beliefs, forged by the very atmosphere of his family.
The Marumine family.
On the surface, they appeared to be just another ordinary, old-fashioned household—but beneath that facade lay a cult-like devotion to All Might. His parents would watch the news at breakfast, shedding tears over All Might’s heroic feats, and one corner of their living room was devoted to limited-edition All Might figurines and merchandise, treated as sacred relics.
The reason was simple.
Between direct and indirect interventions, Kenshin and Chiyoko had received All Might’s help fifteen times.
On five of those occasions, their lives had been saved.
It didn’t hurt that Kenshin’s career as a hero journalist added to the tally.
Since childhood, one message had been hammered into Tori’s head:
'All Might is invincible.'
'He isn’t just a hero; he’s a living god who upholds our era.'
Of course, the current Tori didn’t harbor even a shred of reverence for All Might—if anything, he pitied him, wondering, "How can anyone live such an exhausting life?" Nonetheless, he accepted it as truth.
[All Might = Victory]
That formula was nearly unerring.
Especially since Tori believed in something else—something his family knew nothing about.
"PLUS... ULTRRAAAAA!!!"
All Might’s massive fist detonated against Nomu’s abdomen.
It wasn’t just a simple blow—it was a raw, unbridled assault that forced Nomu’s shock-absorption limits to shatter, channeling speed and power beyond imaginable limits.
In that split second, Tori saw it.
Not merely an aura, but brilliant golden particles radiating from All Might’s muscular frame.
The dazzling shimmer of power that transcended a mere Quirk.
The words slipped from Tori’s lips.
"As expected of the embodiment of the Quirk Singularity."
Tori murmured softly.
The golden light reflecting in his eyes was nothing short of marvelous.
Power accumulated and evolved over generations, finally crossing a critical threshold—no longer just simple physical enhancement.
It was a storm of pure energy that twisted the laws of nature and forced even causality to bow down.
"One For All" is the power amassed over generations.
But could the combined might of eight people really reduce a building to dust?
No, it couldn’t.
The reason One For All had reemerged as such a formidable Quirk was solely the result of the Quirk Singularity.
That brilliant golden glow was the light of the Singularity.
Though the genius of its creator was undeniable, it was still nowhere near enough to contend with this evolved might.
There was simply no way that an incomplete singularity—cobbled together from various Quirks—could overcome a power that had already reached its pinnacle.
"UAAAAAAARGH!!!"
With All Might’s resounding war cry, the final blow struck Nomu.
BOOOOOOOOM—!!!
With a roar that seemed to collapse the very atmosphere, Nomu’s massive frame was launched like a cannonball.
The steel ceiling of the USJ was pierced in an instant, and Nomu soared high into the sky—through the clouds and beyond the atmosphere.
All Might’s strike cut right through shock absorption, launching Nomu at fourth cosmic velocity and effectively banishing him from Earth.
When else could the phrase “became a star” be so literally apt?
"Phew..."
All Might panted heavily, his fist clenched, as white steam billowed from his back.
He looked every bit the mythic giant, the very pillar upon which the world rests.
"How’s that, villain? This is my full power."
All Might spoke directly to Shigaraki.
Shigaraki gazed blankly at the gaping hole in the ceiling before he began frantically scratching his neck.
"Lies... it's a lie! That's cheating! The game balance is a mess!"
Against the backdrop of Shigaraki’s despair and rage, Tori simply nodded.
Just as expected—the greatest hero was still standing strong.
Which meant there was only one thing left to do: clean up.
"It’s a deal."
Tori raised his voice so Shigaraki could clearly hear him.
"Get lost."
He kicked Kurogiri at his feet with all his might—as if shooing away a crumpled bag of trash.
"Ugh...!"
Kurogiri tumbled across the floor. The performance was meaningless; the iron pin Tori had planted had already been retrieved as if by magic.
"I let him live, as promised. So vanish from my sight right now—you’re ruining my mood."
Tori then rubbed the sole of his shoe on the ground as though he’d stepped in something filthy.
Kurogiri shuffled over to Shigaraki, and Shigaraki, more by force than concern, grabbed the staggering Kurogiri by the collar. His red eyes fixed once more on Tori—and then on All Might.
"Just you wait... today is game over... though I still have some continue coins left."
He spat the words out, each syllable dripping with venom.
"Marumine... Tori... you too... will surely—"
"Ugh, so noisy. If you’re leaving, just go already. It’s nearly rush hour."
Tori waved his hand dismissively.
For a moment, it seemed Shigaraki wanted to protest more, but he eventually barked a final command to Kurogiri.
"We're leaving."
Sshhh...
Black mist began to seep from Kurogiri’s body as a warp gate opened, swallowing the two villains whole.
Even in his final moments, Shigaraki’s red eyes remained fixed on Tori.
Pop.
As the mist vanished, peace returned to the USJ—or rather, a heavy silence settled over the dome in the wake of the storm.
"Haah..."
Only then did Tori finally release his tension, his legs surrendering to exhaustion.
He was tired. Incredibly, terribly tired.
Day three since the entrance ceremony: he’d become class rep, made a scene in the cafeteria, and even been taken hostage by villains.
At this rate, he could easily break the Guinness World Record for the worst day at U.A.
—Ironically, even this disastrous day didn’t top the worst candidates in Marumine’s life. A woman’s jealousy, after all, was far more terrifying than anything else.—
With heavy steps, he trudged over toward All Might.
"Good job, Mr. Hero."
All Might slowly turned his head to regard Tori.
In those blue eyes flickered both relief and a tangle of complicated emotions.
"Young Marumine."
All Might’s massive hand rested reassuringly on Tori’s shoulder.
"I’m glad you’re safe... and I’m sorry."
"Huh?"
"I’m sorry that I forced you—a mere student—to shoulder such a heavy burden... that my own strength fell short, making you pick up a blade."
There was genuine sincerity in All Might’s voice.
Tori believed that the murderous intent and threats he’d displayed were nothing more than a desperate, boyish struggle to survive in a world where the adults had failed him.
"Nah, it wasn’t really a blade. Just a scrap of iron."
Tori shrugged, feigning nonchalance.
"More importantly, let’s get back. The kids are worried—and I’m absolutely starving."
That prompted All Might to let out a soft chuckle.
"Right. Let’s head back. To where everyone is waiting."
The two strode across the ruined plaza toward the exit, the sunlight streaming from behind them stretching their shadows long.
The greatest hero and the greatest slacker—what a strange duo they made.
As they emerged from the USJ, the waiting Class 1-A students swarmed around them.
"Marumine!!!"
"Class Rep!!!"
"Teacher!!!"
From tearful students to Bakugo—who growled, yet couldn’t hide his relief—everyone greeted them warmly.
"You’re alive, dammit!"
Bakugo spat out the words.
"Of course. Who do you think I am?"
Tori smirked and flashed a V-sign.
His peaceful high school life was long gone, but surviving the day was enough to make it not so terrible.
Of course, he was silently steeling himself for the mountain of incident reports and interviews that awaited him tomorrow.
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