Inside the Hollow Operations Hero Agency, Section 6, the evening had already gone quiet.
Miyabi had taken her own room and rested in the office bed, while Mirko had claimed the couch without asking anyone and acted like she had no intention of moving from it. Tsutsumi, meanwhile, had gone to the room he had been staying in during his previous work study here, carrying himself like this was all completely normal.
When Nighteye texted Miyabi about joining the raid against the yakuza base, it was already late enough that there was no point in forcing everyone to keep moving. So Miyabi decided to have them rest first and handle the trip to Nighteye's agency the next day. Mirko didn't complain much, mostly because she was too busy eating snacks and calling it a good way to end the day. Tsutsumi also didn't object, since he had no reason to.
And Nighteye has scheduled the meeting to happen tomorrow, not tonight.
Now, inside his room, he was sitting on the bed with a book in his hands.
The title on the cover read Jujutsu Kaisen.
He flipped through it at a steady pace, casually turning pages as if he had all the time in the world. Some of the pages were missing, mostly because he was the one who tore them up. The story itself was still interesting enough to hold his attention.
"So that's how their fight ends," he murmured, reading over the final stretch of the battle between Gojo and Sukuna, this time without his interference.
He stared at the page for a while, his expression calm and relaxed. There was something satisfying about seeing the result laid out directly like this, especially when it was different from what he had experienced himself. It felt strangely distant and personal at the same time.
Before he could turn to the next page, the door to his room opened.
Tsutsumi looked up.
Miyabi was standing in the doorway with her arms crossed, her expression already telling him she had come here for a reason. She didn't look angry, but she also didn't look like she was planning to let him keep doing whatever he wanted.
"Shouldn't you be asleep by now?" she asked as she stepped inside.
Tsutsumi glanced down at the book in his hands, then back at her. "I was reading."
Miyabi walked closer and took the book from him without any hesitation. "And now you're sleeping. We have work tomorrow."
Tsutsumi blinked once, then leaned back slightly. "It's not even that late."
"10:36 PM is late enough," she said, still holding the book. "I can't have you falling asleep on us if the raid actually happens the same day."
Tsutsumi opened his mouth, ready to say that she wasn't his mother. Then he paused. Because technically, she was his mother, just not in this world.
That made the situation a little more complicated than it should have been, so instead of arguing, he simply fell back onto the bed and looked up at the ceiling.
Miyabi seemed slightly surprised by how easily he gave in. Based on how she knew that he was in a phase of not wanting to listen to anyone, she had probably expected him to complain first, maybe make a small scene, before finally going to sleep. Instead, he had just stopped.
The silence lasted for a moment.
Then Miyabi's expression softened just a little.
"Good," she said.
She turned off the light, placed the book on the nearby table, and started walking back toward the door. Before leaving, she glanced back at him once more, making sure he was actually staying down.
Tsutsumi watched her go, then heard the door close behind her.
The room went quiet again.
He stayed still for a few seconds, staring at the dark ceiling, then slowly sat up.
From under the blanket, he pulled out another identical book.
The moment he opened it, the room door swung open again.
Miyabi had returned almost immediately, reached in, took the book from his hands with the same calm efficiency as before, and walked right back out without saying a word.
The door closed a second time.
Tsutsumi stared at it for a moment, then let out a small breath.
"Right. She can see through walls."
He remembered it now. Her Quirk, Fox Spirit, allowed the user to see the outline of spirits, and that apparently made sneaking past her a little difficult.
In a way, she doesn't need to come into your room, pull off the blanket to catch you playing a game late at night like other mothers; she can see and catch you from the second floor or through the wall.
Tsutsumi lay back down, this time without trying anything else. He closed his eyes and finally settled into the bed, letting the quiet of the room take over.
...
The next day, Tsutsumi was walking toward Nighteye's agency with Mirko and Miyabi, the three of them moving through the streets at an easy pace. It was one of those quiet mornings where nothing seemed urgent, but Tsutsumi still looked as if he had already found something to entertain himself with.
In his hand, he was holding a small straw doll connected to a thin strand of Mirko's hair.
He had found out something useful.
By transforming into a Jujutsu sorcerer, the techniques of that form would be engraved onto his body. That meant he could use them even after canceling the transformation. The ability did not vanish just because the form ended. It stayed with him, stored in a way that made it accessible whenever he needed it.
It was similar to how Itadori Yuji, as Sukuna's vessel, had Shrine engraved into his body and could use Dismantle and Cleave even after separating from Sukuna. Tsutsumi had realized the same principle applied to him as well. If a form had a technique worth keeping, he could make it part of himself permanently.
After figuring that out, he had started experimenting.
He wasn't interested in taking something like Ten Shadows, Limitless, or stacking even more broken power onto an already ridiculous foundation.
He was already overpowered enough without transforming; even his human form could already be considered superhuman.
What he wanted were abilities that could actually be useful in different situations, techniques that could support what he already had, fill in gaps, powers that did something different from the ones he already had, or could be carried into other worlds as long as he still had cursed energy.
That was the real value.
So while walking, he casually flicked the straw doll's head.
Mirko immediately stopped in her tracks and flinched, rubbing the back of her own head with a sharp scowl as if someone had just hit her from behind.
Her hand immediately went to the back of her head as she turned slightly, frowning. "The hell?"
She looked around like someone had just hit her from behind, her ears twitching slightly as she tried to figure out where it came from.
Tsutsumi quietly slid the doll back into his pocket before she noticed him.
"Something wrong?" Miyabi asked without stopping.
"Thought something hit me," Mirko muttered, still rubbing the spot. "Weird."
"You're imagining things," Tsutsumi said, as he now looked completely innocent.
Mirko narrowed her eyes, suspicious but unable to prove anything. "Yeah, sure."
For a second, she stared at him like she was trying to decide whether to punch him or not.
Miyabi, walking beside them, gave them a brief sideways glance. "Then pay attention to your surroundings."
"I am paying attention," Mirko said, still scanning. "That's why I'm asking."
Tsutsumi walked past her. "Probably just your imagination."
Mirko clicked her tongue but didn't press further, though she kept glancing around for a bit before eventually dropping it.
The three of them continued forward, the city moving around them as usual, but the shift in pace was clear.
...
"Heh?"
Tsutsumi paused mid-step the moment he entered the agency and saw one of the sidekicks standing near the entrance.
It wasn't her light blue skin tone that caught his attention. It was her outfit. More specifically, how much of it wasn't there.
His eyes lingered for a second longer than usual, not out of interest, but confusion, like he was trying to understand the logic behind it.
He had seen strange outfits, impractical designs, and even outright ridiculous costumes before, but this one stood out in a very specific way.
As her hero outfit basically reveals her torso from the underside of her breasts.
"…Why are you an exhibitionist?" he asked plainly.
Everyone: "..."
The entire room went still.
A few heroes and sidekicks froze mid-motion, one of them almost dropping their phone.
Bubble Girl blinked, her face going blank for a second as her brain tried to catch up with what she had just heard.
"U-Uh… can I help you?" she asked, her voice noticeably less steady now.
Tsutsumi tilted his head slightly. "I'm asking why your outfit is like that."
"…That's not how you ask that!" someone muttered under their breath.
Mirko, standing just behind him, leaned to the side and took another look. "Huh… now that you mention it…"
She tilted her head slightly, examining Bubble Girl like she was actually considering the statement.
She nodded once. "Yeah, I see it, that outfit does look like something an exhibitionist would wear."
"Don't encourage him," Miyabi said immediately, stepping in before it went any further.
Mirko shrugged. "I'm just being honest."
Bubble Girl's face turned red instantly.
"I-It's not like that!" she said quickly, her voice rising as she tried to explain herself.
Mirko let out a small breath. "Are female heroes these days really that desperate for attention? Trying to copy some R-rated gimmick or something?"
"STOP." Miyabi moved instantly.
She grabbed both Tsutsumi and Mirko by the head and forced them down into a bow before either of them could react.
"I sincerely apologize," she said, her tone calm but firm. "They don't think before they speak sometimes."
Her grip tightened slightly, making sure neither of them moved.
Neither Tsutsumi nor Mirko resisted. Mostly because resisting didn't really help.
"I-I-It's fine!" Bubble Girl said quickly, flustered, her voice speeding up as she tried to recover. "It's really not a big deal! I'll just- I'll go change!"
She turned and rushed out of the room before anyone could say anything else.
The silence lingered for a moment after she left.
Miyabi slowly let go.
Attack Ride: Fox Spirit!
A pair of soft, purple fox ears had appeared on top of Tsutsumi's head.
She paused. Then, without hesitation, she reached up and started rubbing them.
Tsutsumi didn't react much, just glancing at her briefly before looking away again as she spread her scent onto him once more.
From the side, Aizawa watched the entire interaction quietly.
His gaze lingered on Tsutsumi for a moment longer than usual. Seeing that his problem child is actually quite obedient when around Miyabi for some reason.
"…Interesting," he muttered under his breath, already making a mental note to bring this up with Nezu later.
Before anything else could derail the situation again, a man in a gray suit stepped forward.
"Thanks to the information we received from you all, the investigation has moved forward substantially." Sir Nighteye said, adjusting his glasses slightly. His tone was composed, his posture straight, giving off the impression of someone who had everything under control.
His two sidekicks, Bubble Girl and Centipeder, were standing beside him. The former have returned shortly after, now wearing an additional layer to cover up properly. While the latter is just a man with the face of a brown centipede, wearing a black tuxedo.
"We will now have a conference to share what information we have acquired, regarding what the small organization, Shie Hassaikai, is planning." he said, gesturing toward the meeting room. "Please, follow me."
Everyone moved inside.
The atmosphere shifted into something more focused as they took their seats.
Bubble Girl stepped forward, holding a tablet.
"Well, let us begin. Those of us from Nighteye Agency have been conducting an independent investigation into the designated villain group known as the Shie Hassaikai for about two weeks."
Centipeder followed up, as they began explaining about the Shie Hassaikai and found out that they have been contacting other villainous groups and involved with black market groups all over Japan.
Their motive for doing so is to increase their organization and finances. Soon after the official investigation began, the Shie Hassaikai made contact with a member of the League of Villains.
He continued, explaining how, after the U.A. Summer Camp incident, one of the transport vehicles carrying captured members had been attacked, leading to several escaping.
"Please continue." Sir Nighteye said.
Bubble Girl nodded. "After confirming this, we submitted a request for assistance through the HN-"
"You can skip that part," Centipeder said.
"Right."
"HN?" Uraraka asked quietly.
"Hero Network," Hado explained cheerfully to her junior. "It's a system only licensed heroes can access. You can see reports of what all the heroes in the country are working on and request help from heroes with helpful Quirks."
Tsutsumi suddenly remembered his Quirk's description was still just a simple Belt that connected to his waist.
"Even if they're from U.A., why are there kids here? We'll never get anywhere with them here." Across the room, Rock Lock, the dark-skinned hero, said, crossing his arms as he glanced toward the U.A. students. "The sun'll set before we get to the actual plan."
"You sure about that?" Mirko suddenly cut in, looking at Rock Lock like she was looking at an idiot.
By suddenly targeting U.A. students and saying there were just kids who only slow down the operation, he is also referring to the boy with purple fox ears sitting beside her.
Rock Lock frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"
Mirko nudged Tsutsumi with her elbow and said in a smug tone. "Kid. Do the thing."
Tsutsumi glanced at her before shifting his gaze toward Rock Lock and simply raised his two fingers.
"Dismantle."
The moment those words left his mouth, a thin section of Rock Lock's hair simply separated cleanly from the rest, falling to the floor in neat strands, leaving behind a perfectly cut bald patch.
Those who already knew about him and his personality only shifted slightly, but quickly calmed down, seeing that he only gave him a haircut and not decapitation.
Rock Lock slowly raised a hand and touched the spot. "…What?"
His voice came out flat.
A few of the people in the room exchanged looks. Others stared directly at Tsutsumi now, recognition setting in.
The boy from the news. The one who erased five High-End Nomu with a single word.
Tsutsumi lowered his hand.
"Still think they'll slow us down?" Mirko asked, grinning.
Rock Lock didn't answer right away.
He just stared at the fallen strands of his own hair for a second longer before letting out a breath.
"…No."