An Aurora Curtain opened quietly over the U.A. grounds, its surface shimmering for a brief moment before parting. Tsutsumi stepped through first, hands still in his pockets, with Jiro following right behind him. The curtain folded in on itself and vanished just as quickly as it had appeared, leaving the campus as calm as it had been before.
Jiro didn't move right away.
She stood there, still holding the two bags of donuts, her mind trying to catch up with everything that had just happened. The entire sequence replayed in her head, but it felt disjointed, like too many things had happened too quickly for her to process properly.
They had just gone out to spend time together, something simple and normal. She had wanted to talk to him, to understand what was going on in his head lately. Instead, the more he spoke, the less she felt like she understood him.
Then came the robbery, which he treated like a minor inconvenience, something he handled in seconds just to buy donuts.
Then those Nomus appeared, not one, but five, and all of them had been looking at him like he was their only target.
And then, without even pulling out a card, without any visible effort, he ended it.
Just two fingers and a word.
That was all it took.
Jiro tightened her grip slightly on the bags as she looked at Tsutsumi's back. "So that's why…" she murmured under her breath.
The pieces began to fall into place for her now.
The way he talked, the way he acted, the way he didn't seem to care about things that would normally matter. It wasn't arrogance, at least not in the usual sense. It came from somewhere else. It came from the fact that he is now so strong that threats that once seemed catastrophic toward many were nothing to him.
Even someone like All Might, the Symbol of Peace, wouldn't be able to do what Tsutsumi just did, at least not like that, not that quickly and effortlessly.
That gap changed things.
It made the rules feel smaller, the dangers feel less real, the stakes feel different.
Jiro exhaled quietly. "You really are… on a different level now."
Tsutsumi glanced back at her briefly. "Took you long enough to notice."
"That's not something I wanted to notice," she replied, frowning slightly as she walked up beside him. "It's like you're not even playing the same game as everyone."
"Maybe," he said simply.
They walked back toward the dorms without saying much after that. The normal sounds of U.A. filled the air, students moving around, conversations in the distance, everything continuing as usual.
It felt almost strange after what they had just left behind.
Not long after they returned, Tsutsumi was called in. Nezu, Aizawa, and All Might were already waiting inside Nezu's office for him.
The atmosphere in the room was noticeably more serious than usual, though Tsutsumi didn't seem to react to it at all. He walked in, glanced at the three of them, and then casually sat down on one of the sofas across from them.
"Yo, what's with the tense atmosphere?" he asked, leaning back slightly. "Don't tell me Midoriya broke his arms again."
Everyone: "..."
Aizawa sighed and rubbed his forehead. All Might let out a small, awkward breath. Nezu, on the other hand, let out a quiet chuckle, clearly amused by how easily Tsutsumi brushed past the tension.
"Nothing like that," Nezu said, lifting a paw slightly.
Then his expression shifted just a bit as his eyes focused on Tsutsumi. Without saying anything else, he pressed a button on a remote.
The television turned on. Footage filled the screen.
The robbery, Tsutsumi walking forward, the thugs freezing, the hostages being freed. Then the Nomus appeared, and the scene shifted again to Tsutsumi raising two fingers.
"Dismantle."
The five High-End Nomus fell apart on screen, reduced into uniform pieces in an instant.
The report continued, a news anchor narrating the entire incident, emphasizing the speed, the efficiency, and the overwhelming nature of what had just happened.
Tsutsumi watched it for a few seconds, but he didn't say anything.
Nezu observed him carefully before speaking again. "This is very interesting, Tsutsumi-kun. You've grown even stronger. At this point, even All Might wouldn't pose much of a threat to you, correct?"
The question was direct, more direct than Aizawa or All Might had expected.
Tsutsumi didn't hesitate. "Well, you're not wrong," he said casually.
Then his gaze shifted slightly toward All Might.
"I mean... you're weak."
The room went quiet again.
All Might didn't respond immediately. For someone who had stood at the top for so long, who had carried the title of Symbol of Peace, hearing that said so plainly, without hostility or mockery, just as a matter of fact, was something new.
Aizawa glanced at him briefly, then back at Tsutsumi, but didn't interrupt.
Nezu, however, didn't seem surprised.
"I see," he said, nodding once, as if confirming something he had already suspected. "Then, if you don't mind me asking. What is your view on the current Hero Society?"
"My view on this society? If you're asking me, I think that this current system is flawed." Tsutsumi said directly before leaning forward slightly, pulling out his deck of cards.
"The current Hero Society is built on a single pillar called the Symbol of Peace. The moment that pillar falls, everything will collapse." He said, before he started to stack his cards together. "But I don't think that is a bad thing."
He placed his cards, forming a structure with them, "Creation can't be born without destruction."
Tsutsumi continues to stack his cards. "And from that ruin, a new system can be built, where the world doesn't rely solely on a single pillar, but multiple. This way, if one ever falls, everything could remain standing."
The three teachers paused, seeing the miniature Ancient Greek sanctuary stack together from cards that had appeared on the table in such a short amount of time.
Still, they at least understand what he was saying, as Tsutsumi casually flicks one of the pillars, causing part of the structure to collapse but the rest remain standing.
The silence lingered for a moment before Nezu smiled, his tone returning to something lighter. "I see. That will be all for now. You can head back to your dorm. We'll handle the rest of this incident."
Tsutsumi didn't question it. "Alright."
He gathered his cards, stood up without another word, and walked out of the room, leaving the three of them behind.
Once the door closed, the atmosphere shifted again.
Aizawa leaned back slightly. "He's not wrong," he said. "And that's the problem."
All Might remained quiet, his expression thoughtful rather than offended.
Nezu folded his paws together, his eyes narrowing slightly in thought. There were still too many unknowns, too many questions about Tsutsumi's abilities, limits, and mindset. Pushing too hard now wouldn't help. If anything, it could make things worse.
Technically, Tsutsumi hadn't done anything wrong.
He had his license. He stopped a robbery without harming any civilians. When those Nomus appeared, he eliminated them immediately, before they could cause damage.
The method was extreme, but the result was effective.
Most heroes couldn't have done the same, not within that timeframe, not with that level of certainty. Strength was one factor, but hesitation was another. Even knowing what Nomus were, many would still hesitate because of how human they looked.
They only manage to get past that mental block when they enter a life-and-death battle against those things.
Tsutsumi didn't.
That difference alone said more than enough.
Nezu tapped the table lightly. "For now, we need to be more careful," he said. "Although Tsutsumi's mindset is distorted, his heart is still in the right place. We can't allow him to fall into darkness."
...
Inside the U.A. training facility, the reinforced floor trembled slightly under the force of repeated impacts as Bakugo and Todoroki charged in from opposite sides, both already in their Rider forms. Heat and explosive force converged at the same point as they closed in on Tsutsumi, who stood between them without moving until the last possible moment.
The three clashed at once, sparks and shockwaves spreading outward as their attacks met. Bakugo's explosive strikes came fast and aggressive, each blast timed to force Tsutsumi into Todoroki's range, while Todoroki layered pressure with controlled bursts of fire and ice, trying to limit Tsutsumi's movement.
Tsutsumi shifted slightly, redirecting Bakugo's momentum with the side of his arm before stepping just out of Todoroki's line, forcing the two to readjust instead of landing a clean hit. He wasn't overpowering them outright, but the difference in control was obvious.
Ever since the incident with the Nomu, the news had spread fast across Japan. The footage of Tsutsumi using "Dismantle" had been replayed everywhere, analyzed, debated, and criticized. Public opinion split almost immediately.
Some praised him for stopping a major threat instantly, pointing out that not a single civilian had been harmed and that the situation had been resolved faster than most heroes could manage.
Others pushed back just as strongly, calling his actions excessive, even dangerous. They argued that he had options, that he could have restrained the Nomus instead of killing them so casually, especially in broad daylight and on live broadcast.
That back-and-forth didn't slow down. If anything, it only grew louder.
U.A., along with Nezu and All Might, had publicly defended him, making it clear that he hadn't broken any laws and that his actions had prevented potential casualties. That helped, but it didn't settle the argument.
Tsutsumi himself didn't care. He hadn't changed anything about what he was doing.
The difference showed more inside the school than outside.
Some students had started keeping their distance, not openly, but noticeably. The idea that someone their age could erase something like a High-End Nomu that easily made people think twice. Fear and envy mixed together in a way that was hard to ignore.
Even Monoma, who usually never missed a chance to provoke Class 1-A, had gone completely silent whenever Tsutsumi was nearby.
But not everyone reacted that way.
The ones who actually knew him, who had spent enough time around him to understand how he thought, still treated him normally.
That was why they were here.
"With this treasure, I summon!"
Tsutsumi pulled out a card mid-motion and slid it into his driver.
Attack Ride: Mon3tr!
A surge of energy formed behind him as a crystalline, green, dragon-like creature materialized. Its long, serpentine body coiled into existence, sharp talons extending outward as it let out a low, echoing roar that filled the training room.
Mon3tr moved immediately. Bakugo fired a concentrated blast straight at it, while Todoroki followed up with a wave of fire layered with ice beneath, trying to disrupt its footing. The attacks hit, exploding across its body, but Mon3tr barely flinched, its crystalline structure holding firm against the impact.
"Seriously?!" Bakugo clicked his tongue. "Since when can you be a summoner!?"
"It's tanking everything," Todoroki added, already adjusting his stance.
From the side, Jiro stepped in, pulling multiple of her sound disks and throwing them forward.
"Sonic Doom!"
The disks unleashed a powerful sonic wave burst that latched onto Mon3tr's body, vibrating through its structure.
Cracks spread faintly across the surface as Mon3tr let out a sharp cry, pulling back and retreating behind Tsutsumi.
"Not bad," Tsutsumi said, glancing at Jiro briefly.
"Don't act like you're surprised," she shot back.
Form Ride: Ch'en!
Tsutsumi's form shifted instantly. Long blue hair flowed behind him, dark red horns angled backward from his head, and a small dragon tail formed at his lower back. Two blades appeared in his hands as he stepped forward again.
Kirishima met him head-on, arms hardened, bracing for impact.
The clash rang out clearly, steel against reinforced defense, the force pushing Kirishima back a step despite his stance. Tsutsumi followed with a second strike, faster this time, forcing Kirishima to guard again before disengaging.
From above, Tokoyami dropped in, Dark Shadow enveloping him as he brought down a heavy strike.
Tsutsumi jumped back just in time, the attack slamming into the ground where he had been standing.
He landed lightly, then stepped onto Mon3tr as it lowered itself beneath him, rising again to give him a higher vantage point.
From there, he looked down at the group in front of him.
Bakugo, Todoroki, Jiro, Kirishima, Tokoyami, Shoji, Ashido, Asui, and Ojiro stood ready, each of them focused, adjusting to the pace of the fight.
Originally, it had been one-on-one training. But since that hadn't worked.
With the gap being too large, Tsutsumi had changed it into something else entirely. An eighteen-on-one session where everyone could work together, learn how to coordinate, and how to pressure someone stronger than them.
Of course, not everyone had agreed to it. Many are still afraid of him; some don't have the courage, so they stay out.
But the ones who stepped forward now were the ones willing to try anyway.
Tsutsumi rested one of his blades on his shoulder, looking at them calmly.
"Alright," he said. "You're doing better than before."
Bakugo scoffed. "Don't talk like it's over."
"It's not," Tsutsumi replied. "You still haven't landed a clean hit."
Ashido stepped forward slightly. "Then stop dodging everything!"
"I'm not dodging everything," he said. "You're just not trying hard enough."
Asui nodded thoughtfully. "We need to limit his movement, ribbit."
Shoji extended his arms slightly. "That's easier said than done. We need to deal with Mon3tr too."
Kirishima hardened his arms once more. "I'll help."
Tokoyami added. "Maybe with enough darkness, Dark Shadow could match it..."
Todoroki glanced at Bakugo. "We push from both sides again, but tighter this time."
Bakugo grinned. "Heh. Don't slow me down."
Jiro looked up at Tsutsumi. "And maybe don't hold back so much. It's getting annoying."
"I'll only increase depending on your performance." Tsutsumi tilted his head slightly. "After all, if I end this too fast. Then where is the fun in that?"
All of their eyelid twitched, seeing how he isn't even denying that he enjoys hitting them at this point.