After finishing the training session with his classmates, Tsutsumi went right back to doing what he usually did when he wasn't needed, which was nothing in particular. Classes weren't a problem for him, not when he could easily get ahead of anything they were going to cover. Tests, assignments, even practical evaluations didn't carry much weight when he could already see how they would play out if he wanted to.
Combat training was the same.
He wasn't really a participant anymore. At some point, that had quietly shifted, and now he stood on the other side of it, acting as something the others had to overcome rather than someone learning alongside them.
So when he wasn't being dragged into training, he defaulted to slacking off.
That was how he ended up back in the dorm, sitting on the couch with the TV on, a box of plain sugar donuts resting on the table in front of him.
"Why are you here?" Tsutsumi asked, glancing to the side.
Mirko was already sitting next to him like she owned the place, one leg stretched out, the other resting casually, her foot planted right on the table. She had a bucket of popcorn in hand and was eating it without any concern for the fact that she had just walked into a student dorm uninvited.
"Things have been boring lately," she said, not even looking at him as she grabbed another handful. "Crime rate's been dropping like crazy. Nothing worth showing up for."
She leaned back into the couch, stretching slightly before continuing. "Yesterday, I heard some idiot was robbing a bank, so I rushed over from Hokkaido as fast as I could. Thought I'd finally get something decent."
Tsutsumi took a bite of his donut. "And?"
"And by the time I got close to Musutafu, I hear it's already handled," she said, her tone flat with disappointment. "Then I hear there's a Nomu attack right after that, and that gets wiped out in less than a minute."
She finally turned her head and looked at him directly.
"And guess who handled both."
Tsutsumi didn't even pause. "I see. Bakugo Katsuki sure works fast."
Bakugo: "???"
Mirko stared at Tsutsumi for a second, then let out a short laugh. "You think you're slick or something?"
She reached over and grabbed his head, roughly messing up his hair. "Your face is all over the place right now, you little punk. News, social media, forums, everything."
Tsutsumi didn't bother fixing his hair. "That sounds annoying."
"It is," she said, pulling out her phone. "Look."
She typed in one word.
Dismantle.
The screen filled instantly with videos, edits, clips, and recreations. People mimicking his stance, copying the two-finger motion, adding dramatic effects, over-the-top sound design, and exaggerated reactions.
Some tried to make it look cool.
Most didn't.
"Huh," Tsutsumi said, leaning slightly to look. "This is… really cringe."
"That's what I said," Mirko replied, scrolling through a few more before locking her phone. "There are a couple decent ones, but most of this is just people trying too hard."
Mirko tossed another piece of popcorn into her mouth. "Anyway, since you seem to attract trouble, I figured I'd hang around for a bit. See if something interesting shows up."
She said it casually, like she was talking about the weather.
Tsutsumi nodded once. "That makes sense."
"You're not even gonna question it?"
"No."
"Good," she said, settling in more comfortably. "I'd hate to waste the trip."
There was a brief stretch of silence as the TV played in the background and Tsutsumi grabbed another donut.
Then Mirko spoke again.
"Hey," she said, glancing at him. "That thing you did. Show me."
Tsutsumi looked at her. "Which part?"
"The cutting everything into cubes part," she said. "You didn't use any of your cards for that."
"That's because I don't need them for that one."
She raised an eyebrow. "So it's just something you can do now?"
"Yeah."
"Then do it."
Tsutsumi didn't argue.
He raised his hand slightly, pointing two fingers off to the side.
"Dismantle."
There was no visible effect. For a split second, nothing changed. Then, in the corner of the room, something shifted.
A small hidden camera, tucked into the upper wall, split cleanly into dozens of perfectly even cubes. The pieces separated and dropped to the floor with a series of light clinks.
A second later, a loud, distressed wail echoed down from the upper floor.
"MY CAMERA!!" Mineta's voice cracked as it carried through the dorm.
No one cares enough to react.
Mirko leaned forward slightly, looking at the remains of the device. "Huh."
She leaned back again, crossing her arms. "That's actually pretty insane. So you can just do that whenever you want?"
"Pretty much."
"To anything?"
"Depends on how much effort I put in it."
Mirko smirked. "That's busted."
"Yeah," Tsutsumi agreed, taking another bite of his donut.
She glanced at him again, a grin forming. "Unfair, but I like it."
...
The two of them continued doing nothing productive for the rest of the morning and well into the afternoon. The TV kept playing, Mirko kept eating, and Tsutsumi went through his donuts at a steady pace without much thought. It wasn't until the sun had already shifted that the door suddenly opened again.
Miyabi stepped in.
She took one look at the scene, Mirko sprawled on the couch with an empty popcorn bucket and Tsutsumi half-slouched beside her, and let out a quiet breath.
"So this is where you disappeared to."
Mirko didn't even look guilty. "Had to make sure your favorite sidekick wasn't getting into trouble."
"I'm more concerned about you getting into trouble," Miyabi replied, walking further in. "We have work."
Mirko stretched her arms over her head before standing up. "Finally."
Tsutsumi glanced at them. "Work?"
Miyabi nodded. "If you're bored, you can come along."
He didn't even need to think about it. "Sure."
And just like that, he ended up following them back.
The three of them arrived at the Hollow Operations Hero Agency, Section 6. It wasn't unfamiliar to Tsutsumi, considering he had already worked under both of them before. Nezu and Aizawa hadn't raised any objections when Miyabi brought up that she wanted to take Tsutsumi Ryoko in for Hero Work-Studies. If anything, they seemed more relieved knowing someone capable could keep an eye on him outside of school grounds.
Mirko was already walking ahead when they entered, cracking her knuckles like she had been waiting for this all day.
Tsutsumi, on the other hand, slowed slightly when he noticed the desk.
It was covered by stacks of documents, files, and printed reports, all spread out in a way that suggested this wasn't something minor.
"What is this?" he asked.
Miyabi walked over and placed a hand on one of the stacks. "Wanted international criminals. Last seen within Japan's borders."
Tsutsumi picked up one of the files and flipped through it casually. "That's a lot."
"There are thirty-four primary targets," Miyabi said. "Along with a network of accomplices. We were planning to start tracking them down."
She didn't hide it. There wasn't much point.
Tsutsumi glanced through a few more pages before closing the file.
"Azu," he said.
A faint shimmer formed beside him as Azu materialized, her mechanical body appearing smoothly as she looked around the room.
"Run simulations, research, and calculations to estimate and track the exact location of all of them."
Miyabi immediately tensed. "What the, who is-" As her hand reaches for her blade, Tsutsumi quickly stops her.
"You don't need to be alarmed, Mo- Mrs. Miyabi," Tsutsumi said, correcting himself mid-sentence. "This is Azu. She is a highly advanced super artificial intelligence I made, now granted a special mechanical body. She can assist with this task, so you don't need to be alarmed."
Azu had already begun scanning the documents.
Without waiting for permission, she moved through the files at a speed no human could match, her eyes processing information rapidly as data streamed through her system.
Miyabi watched for a moment, then exhaled slowly. "Since when can you start making advanced artificial intelligence? Even the government's digital and cyber system doesn't have something like her."
"To put it simply, I got bored." He said, deciding this would sound better than telling them he just ran through multiple different alternative realities to gather enough data to make her.
Everyone: "..."
They clearly don't believe him, but they have no way to refuse his claim.
After a few minutes, Azu stopped and looked back at Tsutsumi.
"Master, I have completed the calculations. I have identified the most probable current locations of all targets. Would you like me to proceed with capture?"
Miyabi immediately stepped forward. "Wait, you can't just-"
"There's no need," Tsutsumi said before she could finish.
Azu didn't react, just looked at him calmly, with a warm smile.
"I'm bored anyway," he continued. "Might as well do it myself."
Azu nodded once. "Understood."
Her body broke apart into a swarm of cluster cells, flowing back toward Tsutsumi and reforming into his coat. By now, everyone inside the hero agency didn't know what to say to him anymore.
Tsutsumi adjusted it slightly, then turned toward the door. "Let's go."
Mirko was already moving, seeing that her trouble magnet was about to get into trouble again. "Finally something fun."
Miyabi sighed, but followed right behind them. At this point, the best option was making sure things didn't get out of control.
The other staff and workers inside the agency just stare at their backs, watching as the three of them walk out.
With Azu's calculations guiding them, the process became straightforward.
They moved across Japan, location after location, tracking down targets with efficiency that bordered on absurd. Safehouses, abandoned facilities, underground networks, none of it mattered. If a target had been within range of surveillance or left behind even minimal digital traces, Azu could find them.
And once they were found, it didn't take long for them to be arrested.
Some surrendered immediately. While most didn't. Those who resisted were usually handed over to Mirko.
Which she seemed more energized with each encounter, charging straight into fights with a grin, taking down criminals one after another while Tsutsumi and Miyabi stayed back, observing and only stepping in if necessary.
While Mirko handled most of the fights, Tsutsumi used this time to experiment.
Instead of relying on his strongest abilities, he deliberately limited himself, switching through weaker forms, testing how far he could push them, how efficiently he could operate without overwhelming everything instantly.
The pace they worked at made it hard for anything to catch up. By the time news outlets started reporting on one arrest, they had already moved on to the next. Even many police stations are having a hard time keeping all of these arrested criminals in their temporary station cells due to how fast they are being arrested.
During this time, he had also shared his idea with the two women about wanting to create a hero society that doesn't rely on a single pillar but multiple. They both agree with him, with Miyabi seeing that it is a way to stabilize and form a sturdier society, while Mirko agrees because that means there will be more powerful people for her to fight.
Within a little over a month, all thirty-four primary targets and two hundred ninety-two accomplices were successfully arrested.
Now, the three of them sat in a sushi restaurant.
Mirko was already on her tenth plate, not slowing down at all, while Miyabi ate at a steady, composed pace. Tsutsumi sat across from them, eating more slowly as he scrolled through his camera, looking at the photos he had taken during the trip.
Different cities, different places, small moments in between all the work, he has treated this more like a vacation than actual works but he couldn't deny that he quite enjoyed it. Still, how many of those picture going to turn out great is still up for debate.
Then Miyabi's phone buzzed. She glanced at it, her expression shifting slightly as she read the message.
Mirko noticed immediately. "What is it?"
Miyabi looked up. "Nighteye."
That got Mirko's attention. "He's inviting us to assist in a yakuza raid."
Mirko grinned. "Sounds fun. I'm in."
She didn't hesitate for even a second.
Tsutsumi didn't either. "Sure. I don't mind."
Miyabi studied both of them for a moment, then nodded.
"Alright."
She typed out a response and sent it.