[Live Chat](526,000 viewers)
P0wer8: I thought he’d look like Teto, but this is unexpected.
smash: Who’s your brother, anyway? Why are you looking for him?
Hawks Fan Club: Does Hawks’ agency even hire sidekicks based on looks? Damn, I love it...
Toaki: Is your brother a famous Hero? At least tell us who he is.
The chat reactions and viewer count kept climbing.
Keep it short and brutal.
For now, I still needed to prepare a little more for the war, but I had to make sure All For One showed his face for real.
"My brother is All For One. I’ll go live again when I want to see him."
At the end, I couldn’t even laugh, and my expression turned cold.
"...I’ll be waiting."
[Live Chat](678,000 viewers)
Beam56: ? Who’s All For One? Did he mean All Might?
smash: Doesn’t sound like a famous Pro Hero. Or is it some kind of code?
Songisongi: Isn’t he just an attention-seeker? A ridiculously strong one.
Black Tsukuyomi: All For One... surely a name hiding some dark truth.
Naga: Ban this edgy loser already
Without saying another word, I ended the stream.
Questions and conspiracy theories were far more stimulating than a long-winded explanation.
I put my costume away and returned to my original appearance.
After coming down, I finally answered Hawks’ call, which he’d been making nonstop.
"What the hell were you thinking?! Talking about All For One like that—whose face and name did you even steal?"
"And why should I care?"
[Are you kidding me right now? If All For One’s existence gets out, the Hero society could turn upside down!]
I answered his frantic outburst with utter disinterest.
"So what if it does?"
[...What?]
"Don’t make such a fuss. Did I say who All For One was?"
"Besides, the only one who knows the true meaning behind that face and name from long ago is All For One himself. If anything, I’m using the face of a dead man to completely hide Raven’s identity."
[Long ago? And this whole incident, the way you know so much about the past... just how old are you? How long have you been alive?]
Hawks’ voice turned serious. I could hear him trying hard not to let it shake.
I added a more oppressive edge to my voice.
"You seem to think that because you’ve seen a little of me lately, you can forget your place.
"Whether I listen to what you have to say is my choice.
"And whether Public Safety falls or Hero society collapses, I’m the only one who gets to give me orders.
"If you want to move me, pay the price—or go lick your fingers somewhere else."
[Damn it... you really don’t give me anything to work with.]
Then I softened my tone again and spoke as if tossing him a reward.
"I’ll tell you my age. I’m the same age as All For One."
A very deep sigh came through the phone.
[Because it’s you, I can’t even tell if that’s a joke. My fate is to keep placating some old man over a hundred years old...]
[At least let’s talk at the safe house. I’ll be there soon.
And about the Moonfish case, I’ll give you extra on top of that, so please, please stop causing trouble. ...Can I hang up now?]
After hearing words close to surrender, I felt satisfied and unilaterally ended the call.
***
In front of the safe house, Midoriya had been fidgeting since morning.
"Aaah! Don’t cling to me! And I just said blood, so..."
Beside him was Toga, grinning with her fangs bared.
"I’m kidding! I’m kidding! It would be even more wonderful if I could turn Izuku-kun into a complete mess, but... Tenma-kun might get jealous."
When Midoriya heard my name, he stopped backing away.
"You know Tenma?"
At the question, Toga laughed darkly for a long time.
"Of course! ...I’m living with Tenma-kun!"
"L-living together? Tenma-san... no way, already...?"
There she goes again. If she didn’t have a transformation Quirk, I would’ve thrown her out already.
Before the two of them could sink any deeper into their delusions, I moved first.
"Midoriya, what is it?"
I asked him, but Toga reacted first with astonishingly quick reflexes.
"Tenma-kun! I was good and patient! Praise me!"
Toga bounced over toward me.
Midoriya stared at me with even more confusion.
"W-what exactly is your relationship with Toga-san?
"Y-your girlfriend? But isn’t living together a little too soon...?"
I brushed past them and opened the door.
"Quit saying annoying things. Toga’s in a situation similar to yours. I’m just keeping her for a while because of family problems."
Midoriya’s red face settled into a worried one.
"...Won’t your ‘parents’ be worried? Sorry if I’m overstepping, but maybe you should go back."
For the first time, Toga went silent with a serious expression.
The friendliness she’d shown Midoriya vanished in an instant, and she moved closer to my side.
Midoriya realized he’d said something wrong, and his face went pale.
Toga looked at his face and smiled again.
I couldn’t tell whether it was her usual smile or a forced one.
"As expected... I like Tenma-kun more than Izuku-kun.
"Tenma-kun doesn’t say things like that."
Without paying much attention, I picked up the bag with my costume in it and stepped through the entrance.
"Enough nonsense. Move. We’ve got things to deal with, so if you want to talk, do it inside."
"Y-yes!"
Midoriya glanced at Toga, then hurried after me.
After hiding my costume, I went into the living room and was greeted by the smell of savory oil and the sour tang of tomatoes.
It wasn’t Rappa. Rappa was sprawled out asleep on the sofa.
The TV, still playing a martial arts match, hadn’t even been turned off.
Not Eri, then. Tsutsumi, probably.
Following the smell into the kitchen, I found Tsutsumi with her messy hair down, frying something in a pan she’d probably bought with the advance payment I gave her.
Eri was looking up at her with bright curiosity.
"Don’t come too close. The kitchen can be dangerous."
Despite the rough words, Tsutsumi was smiling.
"I haven’t seen someone cook in a long time. Tenma-oniisan and that old man Rappa always order delivery. I don’t hate that, but this feels kind of nostalgic..."
At Eri’s words, Tsutsumi made a bitter face.
"Well... I figured as much, looking at that guy sleeping like a log. Still, he paid plenty, so he’s not stingy."
"Actually, it’s been a long time since I did this too, but it’s going better than I expected. I made a little too much, so if you want, would you eat with me?"
For a moment, it felt like I was looking at sisters, or maybe a mother and daughter.
For some reason, I couldn’t keep watching.
Seeing a warm, ordinary life I had once had and lost forever made my stomach twist.
I started to step forward and cut the scene off, but when I saw the longing growing in Eri’s expression, I couldn’t move any farther.
It was just a whim. Thinking about it again, there was no benefit in interrupting them, and no need to.
While I stood there, Tsutsumi noticed me first.
"What, you’re here? I was told to stay here, so I should be able to use the kitchen, right?"
"Do whatever you want. You’re the one cleaning up too."
Tsutsumi scraped the pan with the spatula and gave me a dumbfounded look.
"Obviously. I’m not a kid."
Eri tilted her head at Tsutsumi’s words.
"You’re not my older sister...? Did you get younger like Tenma-oniisan?"
Tsutsumi froze for a moment.
Just then, Toga and Midoriya finally came back.
"Wha— Aunt..."
Toga quickly glanced at Midoriya and changed her words.
"Tsutsumi-chan! Is there some for me too? Eggs for breakfast? Then please put lots of ketchup on mine!"
"Sorry, there isn’t any for you. Is the green-haired kid your guest?"
Toga grumbled, while Midoriya scratched his head awkwardly.
"Y-yes? Kid? Are you older than I thought...?
Tsutsumi casually plated two servings with perfectly cooked eggs, bacon, and tomatoes—the kind of breakfast you’d expect anywhere.
"Ah, my mistake. Habit. I’m around your age too. My name’s Tsutsumi.
"I’m Tenma’s... cousin."
"M-my name is Midoriya! Tenma-san has a lot of cousins."
Before long, I heard the sound of a chair being dragged.
Eri was pulling out a chair and moving food from three more plates onto her own until there was almost nothing left on it.
Tsutsumi held the chair steady.
"What are you doing? Did I give you too much? Want me to take some off?"
Eri stopped moving the food and blushed, looking embarrassed.
"It’s not that. I thought Tenma-oniisan, Midoriya-oniisan, and Rappa-ojisan might not have eaten breakfast yet... I’m fine with not eating much."
Tsutsumi put a hand to her face and frowned.
She gently took Eri’s hand away and put the food back onto her plate.
"Ha... sounds like where you used to live was pretty damn awful.
"You can leave some if you want, but eat it all. I’ll make more for the others."
"Is that okay? You... no, Tenma, bought this with the money you gave me."
Meals were something I could allow without issue.
"Do whatever you want."
Eri smiled brightly and slowly climbed down from the chair.
"...Thank you! Tsutsumi-nee is so kind."
Smiling, Tsutsumi patted Eri’s head and then opened the fridge again.
***
And so, somehow, five of us ended up sitting at the table and eating together.
Tsutsumi kept wiping food from the corner of Eri’s mouth and looking after her.
On the other hand, when I saw Toga spraying ketchup everywhere and Rappa mixing white powder into something before tossing it into a blender, I gave them a sharp look.
I stayed silent and mechanically put food into my mouth.
Midoriya looked restless in the middle of that chaotic atmosphere.
After the meal ended, the safe house doorbell rang.
I knew exactly who it was, so I opened the door right away.
"Haa... You didn’t do anything weird while I was gone, did you?"
At this point, I didn’t even feel like answering.
But the others reacted much more strongly.
"H-Hawks!! I-it’s really Hawks!! You really know Tenma-san? C-could I get an autograph...?"
Midoriya quickly pulled a battered notebook from his bag.
"Hawks...!"
Tsutsumi looked wary, her hostility plain.
Hawks’ tired expression changed into something slick and easygoing the moment he saw the others.
"Looks like our Tenma brought a whole crowd of friends~"
He walked over to Midoriya, signed the notebook in a flash, and did the same for Tsutsumi.
"Want one too?"
"I don’t need that kind of thing. How disgusting. You’re pretty used to wearing a mask, huh?"
Hawks looked a little flustered and scratched his head.
"Haha... Usually girls like this sort of thing more."
I motioned for everyone except Hawks to leave.
"We need to talk business. Everyone else, go wait in your rooms."
A moment later, Hawks and I were alone, and the conversation began.
Unexpectedly, Hawks spoke first.
"What do you want? If I bring up anything else, you’ll just tell me to cut the small talk, right?"
"Now you’re speaking my language. Money, obviously—and send the two girls I brought this time to U.A. too."
"And give me some ‘results’ for my special admission. At this point, it’s practically free."
Hawks didn’t react much, as if he’d expected it.
"...Fine. If they’re the girls you want to send to school, they’re probably not normal, but okay. I’ll make it happen somehow. In exchange, stay with me for a while. You can boss me around if you want, so cut me some slack."
"I’ll think about it if you provide the payment soon."
"That’s a relief. I’ve got a driver too, so I’ll even come pick you up for school and back. Because of you, I’m so on edge I can’t even focus on work."
While we negotiated, I squeezed out a ridiculous amount of compensation and promises, beyond just increasing the time I’d spend accompanying Hawks.
U.A. special admission was no longer far off.
Preparations were going smoothly.
+++++
Meanwhile, in All For One’s hideout.
In a dark, cold, laboratory-like room, All For One’s features—normally just a mouth—couldn’t smile.
His eyes were grotesquely buried in flesh, but he was gripping a video tightly, watching it over and over with visible displeasure.
"...My Yoichi wouldn’t be like that. But it’s certain that that man knows Yoichi and me."
"To think someone other than me would dare defile that name and face.
"Wasn’t he Hawks’ sidekick?"
Squeak.
In the dark room, the sound of mice began to rise.
A shabby mouse with hornlike red crown on its head.
One, a hundred, ten thousand, tens of millions—the sound multiplied as if it were splitting apart.
All For One’s grin returned, baring his teeth.
He let the mice climb along his fingers and onto the back of his hand, then stroked them.
"Animals never betray me or reveal my identity. Truly splendid."
"This may be the second time an animal has gained a Quirk. And the first time one has been born from the [Quirk singularity], no doubt."
All For One whispered into the mouse’s ear and set it down.
"Now, go shake the world like it’s the Middle Ages, PEST. Wiping out a whole city should be nothing to ‘you people,’ so make sure you do it quietly."
"Then go and kill everyone who defiled Hawks’ and Yoichi’s names."
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