The next day, Tsutsumi walked beside Jiro through the streets of Musutafu, the city moving at its usual pace as if nothing unusual had happened the night before. People passed by without a second glance, conversations overlapped, shops were open, and everything carried on like normal.
Yesterday's incident has come and gone as quickly as it appeared.
After Tsutsumi realized he had slipped up, he apologized to All Might and yet still made no move to take the license properly. It wasn't something he resisted after thinking it through, just something he had overlooked in the moment. Spending so much time in different worlds had a way of shifting his sense of what mattered and what didn't, and somewhere along the line, he had gotten used to acting without needing permission from anyone.
Here, things were different.
This world still ran on structure, on rules, on systems that people relied on. Heroes needed licenses, authority had boundaries, and even strength had a place it was supposed to fit into. He understood that, even if he didn't always agree with it.
He had decided early on that if he was going to stay here, he would follow those rules as much as he reasonably could, if only to avoid throwing everything into chaos just by existing.
Still, the thought lingered.
Now that he actually considered it, a lot of what he could do didn't just bend the rules of this world, it ignored them entirely. If he stopped holding back and just acted without restriction, there really wasn't anything here that could properly deal with him.
Aizawa could shut down his Quirk, but that wasn't enough anymore. What Tsutsumi had went far beyond that. Magecraft, Semblance, Cursed Techniques, and everything else he had accumulated along the way didn't fall under a single system that could be erased with one ability.
All Might, even at his peak, wouldn't be able to break through something like Muteki Gamer's invincibility. Strength alone wouldn't bridge that gap.
Even if every hero and villain in this world came together, even if they coordinated perfectly and put everything they had into stopping him, the only real obstacle on his side wouldn't be power.
It would be whether or not he actually wanted to fight them.
If he ever reached the point where he discarded that hesitation, where he stopped caring about the people here and fully embraced the idea of being something outside their world entirely, then there wouldn't be anyone left who could stop him.
That wasn't a conclusion he liked thinking about, but it was one he couldn't deny.
"Hey, what was yesterday all about?" Jiro asked, breaking the silence as she walked beside him.
They were both in casual clothes, nothing that marked them as U.A. students or heroes. It was the weekend, and with no classes to worry about, Jiro had dragged him out to spend some time outside instead of letting him stay cooped up in the dorm or running off to who-knows-where again.
Tsutsumi glanced ahead, hands still in his pockets. "Nothing much," he said. "I just thought it was kinda stupid that you need a license just to help people."
He paused briefly, choosing his words.
"At least when it comes to people who are strong enough. By that point, it starts to feel meaningless."
Jiro let out a small sigh and rolled her eyes. "C'mon, I know you're strong and all, but don't start thinking you're above the law now."
Tsutsumi nodded slightly. "You're right," he said.
Jiro relaxed a bit at that, a small smile forming as she glanced at him. It sounded like him, but not in a way that crossed a line. For a moment, it felt like things were normal.
"I'm not above the laws," he continued.
Her smile stayed.
"They're only allowed to exist because I allow them to."
The smile disappeared.
Jiro stopped walking for half a step, then turned her head slowly to look at him, her expression flattening completely.
"...Seriously?"
Tsutsumi didn't react, his expression staying the same, like he had just stated something obvious.
Annoyance kicked in immediately. Jiro swung her leg and kicked him straight in the side, putting some force behind it out of pure frustration.
The moment her foot connected, she regretted it.
It felt like kicking solid metal.
"Ahhh!" she pulled her leg back instantly, hopping slightly as she grabbed it. "What the hell is your leg made of now?!"
Tsutsumi looked down briefly, then back at her. "Skin, bone, and muscle," he answered calmly. "Cybernetic enhancement would actually weaken me."
He wasn't joking.
With how his body functioned now, adding artificial components would only limit what it could do naturally. Anything mechanical would have a ceiling, and Tsutsumi didn't.
Jiro stared at him, still holding her leg, her expression caught somewhere between pain and confusion.
"You say stuff like that so casually," she muttered, trying to process it. "That's not normal, you know."
"Perhaps… this may be just who I am now," he said.
The words came out calmly, without hesitation, like he had already accepted that conclusion long before saying it out loud.
Jiro didn't answer right away. The two of them stood there for a moment, facing each other as a cool breeze passed through the street, lightly shifting their hair. It wasn't tense, but it wasn't relaxed either. It was the kind of pause where neither of them was sure what the other would say next.
"You really changed, Ryo," she said finally.
There was no accusation in her voice, just a quiet acknowledgment. Still, it carried weight. The image she had of him, the one she grew up with, the one she understood without needing explanations, felt like it was getting harder to hold onto each time they talked like this.
Tsutsumi looked at her for a second, then glanced away slightly, thinking.
"Maybe you're right," he said. "But everyone changes eventually. Some people change slowly, some change all at once. Doesn't really matter which. In the end, we all end up different from where we started."
Jiro crossed her arms. "That doesn't explain you turning into… whatever you are now."
He let out a small breath, not quite a sigh. "I didn't 'turn into' anything. This is just the result of everything that happened."
"That doesn't make it easier to understand," she replied.
"It's not supposed to be," he said, then after a short pause added, "Not for everyone, at least."
That didn't help.
Jiro frowned slightly but didn't push it further. Instead, she shook her head and started walking again. "You're really annoying sometimes, you know that?"
"Yeah," Tsutsumi said as he followed after her. "I've been told."
They fell back into step, side by side, the noise of Musutafu filling the space around them again. Cars passed, people talked, distant music played from a nearby store. Everything felt normal again on the surface, but the conversation lingered in Jiro's mind.
The more he talked like this, the more it felt like the version of him she knew was slipping further away.
Before she could think too much about it, a loud scream cut through the street.
Both of them turned immediately.
Up ahead, a crowd had started to gather, people backing away while shouting and pointing. The situation became clear quickly. A group of armed thugs had taken over a bank in broad daylight. Police had already set up a perimeter, and a few pro heroes stood at the front, trying to negotiate.
Hostages were visible with the thugs directly dragging a few of them out, wanting to make an escape.
Tsutsumi's gaze shifted slightly, focusing on one of them.
A woman, small build, familiar face.
He didn't know her name, but he recognized her. She ran a small donut stand on wheels, parked right outside the bank right now. He had stopped by more than once, usually just grabbing plain sugar donuts without saying much.
Without saying anything, Tsutsumi started walking forward.
"Hey, wait," Jiro said, but he didn't stop.
He stepped past the crowd, ignoring the murmurs and the tension, moving straight toward the scene.
One of the heroes, Death Arms, noticed immediately and reached out, grabbing his shoulder.
"Kid-" He didn't get to finish.
Tsutsumi didn't even slow down. He kept walking, and somehow, Death Arms' grip just slipped off, like he couldn't get a proper hold no matter how much force he used.
"Hey!" Death Arms called out, but Tsutsumi was already moving past him.
The thugs noticed him approaching.
"Stay back, kid!" one of them shouted, holding one of the hostages and pressing a gun to her head. "One more step and I'll blow this girl's head off!"
The crowd gasped in shock as Tsutsumi didn't stop. His hands stayed in his pockets as he kept walking forward, his expression unchanged.
Then he spoke.
"Frame-Trap."
Everything froze.
The group of thugs locked in place instantly, their bodies glitching slightly, movements stuttering into nothing. Their fingers stopped mid-motion, their weapons held in place, their expressions frozen.
Tsutsumi walked right past them.
He reached out, gently took the woman by the arm, and guided her out of their grip like it was nothing.
She blinked, still trying to process what just happened.
Tsutsumi looked at her. "Twenty plain sugar donuts, please."
"…What?"
"Twenty plain sugar donuts." he repeated.
"…Oh... right- yes- of course!"
She nodded quickly, still shaken and unable to process what had just happened, her body moving on autopilot as she hurried over to her small stand. Her hands moved fast, picking out the donuts and packing them into bags with practiced motion.
Behind them, the police and pro heroes snapped out of it and rushed in to secure the immobilized criminals, quickly restraining them before the effect wore off.
The woman handed over two full bags, her hands still slightly trembling, but she smiled anyway. "It's on the house."
Tsutsumi pulled out his wallet. "You don't have to-"
"It's fine," she said quickly. "Really. You save me... this is the least I can do."
He paused, then nodded once. "Thanks."
Turning around, he walked back toward Jiro, now holding both bags casually.
Jiro stared at him. "You… seriously stopped a robbery for donuts?"
"Why not?" he said. "I was going to buy them anyway,"
"…That's not the point." She said.
Before they could leave, reporters rushed in, cameras raised, voices overlapping as they surrounded him.
"That was incredible! What's your Quirk?"
"How did you stop them so easily?"
"Are you a student of a hero school?"
Tsutsumi didn't even look at them, clearly uninterested.
Before he could say anything, Death Arms and the other heroes stepped in, pushing the reporters back slightly.
Death Arms stood in front of Tsutsumi, puffing his chest out, trying to reassert control of the situation.
"We appreciate the help. But you shouldn't be using your Quirk without a license," he said firmly. "That kind of reckless behavior..."
Tsutsumi wasn't listening or even looking at him. His gaze had shifted upward, past him.
"Hey, are you even listening?" Death Arms snapped, irritation creeping into his voice.
Jiro stepped in slightly. "He actually has a-"
Tsutsumi cut her off by handing her the donut bags. "Hold these."
"…What?" She took them instinctively, confused.
Then Tsutsumi finally spoke, his tone still calm.
"Alright, everyone, back off," he said. "Unless you want to get caught in the crossfire."
The crowd hesitated, then instinctively stepped back, but the heroes and polices didn't.
"What are you talking about-"
A loud crash cut him off.
The ground split as something slammed down, the force sending several pro heroes flying and kicking up a massive cloud of dust.
Tsutsumi raised his hand, his sleeveless vest breaking apart into a swarm of metallic clusters that spread out and formed a barrier around Jiro, shielding her completely from the debris.
When the dust settled, the clusters retracted.
Jiro's eyes widened.
Standing in front of them were massive figures.
Three humanoid shapes, towering and unnatural, their skin dark and distorted, their brains exposed, their bodies reinforced with visible enhancements. The air around them felt heavy, wrong.
More movement followed.
Five High-End Nomus, similar to the one from the USJ incident.
Tsutsumi stared at them, expression unchanged. "…So it's one of those days."
While the crowd was still trying to process what had just appeared in front of them, panic spread almost instantly. Civilians began backing away, some running, others frozen in place as the presence of the High-End Nomus settled in. Even the pro heroes tensed, their expressions sharpening as they recognized exactly what they were dealing with.
These weren't ordinary enemies. Each one carried multiple Quirks, enhanced bodies, and enough durability to withstand most forms of attack. The memory of the last Nomu incident wasn't something anyone here had forgotten.
"Everyone fall back!" one of the heroes shouted, stepping forward. "Get the civilians out of here, now!"
Police officers began moving people away, guiding them behind barricades, trying to create distance as quickly as possible. The Nomu didn't rush immediately, but the way they stood, twitching slightly, as their eyes all locked onto the purple-haired target before them.
Tsutsumi didn't move from where he stood.
Jiro, still holding the bags of donuts, looked between the Nomus and him. "Ryo…?"
He didn't answer her. Instead, he raised his hand slightly, two fingers extended, his gaze fixed on the group in front of him.
There was no buildup, no visible surge of power, or any movement of him drawing a card to transform.
"Dismantle."
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
The Nomus stood exactly as they were, unmoving, unchanged. The heroes were still preparing to engage, some already stepping forward, others coordinating positions. Suddenly, a faint shift ran through the bodies of the Nomus as they came apart.
Clean cuts formed across their bodies in an instant, dividing them into perfectly even segments. With every section measured, every line exact. In less than a second, each of the five High-End Nomus had been reduced into countless cubes, roughly ten centimeters in size, their entire forms breaking down simultaneously.
The pieces separated and fell.
The sound of it hitting the ground followed, heavy and wet, as what had once been towering monsters collapsed into a scattered mass of uniform fragments. Blood spread across the pavement, staining the street, the remains unrecognizable compared to what they had been just moments before.
Silence fell.
The heroes froze, and the police paused mid-motion. Even the panicking civilians stood still, eyes locked on a scene they couldn't yet process.
Tsutsumi lowered his hand with the casual air of someone finishing a routine chore. Jiro looked from the aftermath back to him, her face a mask of disbelief. "You... just-"
"Yeah," he said.
None of the surrounding heroes spoke. Even Death Arms, who had been ready to reprimand him moments ago, stood completely still, his earlier frustration gone, replaced with something far more uncertain.
Tsutsumi didn't wait for the fallout. He raised his hand, opening a shimmering Aurora Curtain in the air. With a final, careless wave, the light swept over him and Jiro, pulling the two back to U.A.