Earlier
__
"Listen."
Hawks finally lowered his hands, his expression settling into something considerably more serious.
"Whatever you think about becoming a hero... whatever your reasons are..."
He raised his hand. "...You can't keep blaming yourself for everything that happens around you."
Yuta blinked.
"That's not how this works, kid." Hawks pointed toward the ruined city in the distance. "The League of Villains attacked, All For One attacked .. and the country fell into chaos."
He tapped Yuta lightly on the forehead.
"Those were their choices."
Hawks sighed.
"Look, I'm not going to pretend I know exactly what's going on inside your head. You've been through more in the last few months than most professional heroes experience in their entire careers."
His smile faded.
"So I get it. You're tired. You're frustrated. You're angry." His eyes narrowed. "And maybe you're sick of having every tragedy in Japan somehow dumped at your feet."
Yuta's expression didn't change.
"But..."
Hawks raised a finger. "Regardless of whether you genuinely felt boxed into a corner back there..."
Another finger.
"...or whether you were just playing the emotional card to shut that reporter down..."
A third finger. "And regardless of what you do after. Don't do that again."
The emphasis on each word made Dark Shadow quietly snicker. "What's so funny?" Hawks immediately turned toward him.
"Nothing."
Yuta gave a light shrug, not really committing it to heart.
Hawks stared at him. "...That's the best I'm getting, isn't it?"
"Yep."
"...Kids." Hawks looked toward the sky. 'So much for being inspirational. I'm not sure I'll ever have them.'
"Anyway, enough of that."
He stretched his wings. "We've got to get moving."
Tokoyami immediately became more attentive.
Yuta blinked. "Already?"
"Unfortunately." Hawks glanced toward the city below. "The League has effectively disappeared. We've searched everything we can around here, but there's nothing left to find."
Tokoyami's brow furrowed. "So they have slipped back into the shadows once more. A darkness that consumes its own traces."
"Yeah, if you wanna put it like that, pretty much," Hawks replied. "Though the Commission isn't giving up that easily. They're already pooling resources and putting together specialized hero task forces to investigate deeper into the surrounding prefectures. Every border checkpoint, abandoned industrial sector, and underground transit line within a hundred miles is about to be turned inside out."
"And us?" Tokoyami asked, looking directly at the Pro Hero. "Are we joining the tracking effort?"
Hawks suddenly cleared his throat, a sheepish, overly casual grin flashing across his face as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Ah... well about that. I'm actually going to be heading elsewhere."
".."
"Huh?"
"Yep! Got a few... personal leads to chase down," Hawks said, waving a hand dismissively in the air. "Top secret high-level hero stuff, you know how it is. Highly confidential. Extremely boring paperwork involved, trust me, you guys are dodging a bullet."
Yuta turned to Tokoyami. "So he's ditching us, right?"
Tokoyami nodded. "I believe that is the case."
"Cool. Just wanted to make sure."
Hawks' grin twitched.
"Wow."
He placed a hand over his chest. "That really hurts, you know."
"I'm delegating! There's a distinct difference! As for you two fine young men, you're being handed over to temporarily assist Majestic. His agency is heading up the ground-level search sweep and logistics in the neighboring district, and frankly, he needs the extra hands."
"I see."
'Kids these days.' Seeing their blank expressions, Hawks grumbled internally and turned around. Taking two steps toward the ledge of the rooftop while uncurling his massive scarlet wings. "He's waiting for you guys at the emergency response center near the central station. Big guy, floating rings, can't miss him."
"Do try not to cause any problems while you're under his supervision, alright, Akutami-kun?"
Without waiting for an answer, Hawks threw himself backward off the edge of the building. His wings caught the updraft, instantly shooting him into the afternoon sky like a red streak before curving toward the northern horizon.
"...Catch you later, kids!"
The voice quickly faded. Yuta stood silently at the edge, his red hair fluttering in the sudden gust of wind left behind by the Number Two Hero. He stared at the empty sky for three long seconds, his eye twitching slightly, before letting out a breath.
"He really just gave a motivational speech, dumped his interns on another hero, and flew away." Yuta rubbed his temples. "I swear, the higher up you go in the hero rankings, the more unhinged their professional ethics become."
"I cannot dispute your words. Perhaps it is so." Tokoyami shook his head.
"Now what."
Yuta stood to his feet. "What else? Let's go meet our stand in superior."
_
Elsewhere, outside the conference hall... Staff members immediately sprang into motion.
Television crews were called. Government broadcasters received priority transmission.
The national press was notified.
Within minutes, every major news station across Japan received the same emergency message. The Hero Public Safety Commission would address the nation live. Not long after, every major television station interrupted its scheduled programming.
Emergency banners appeared across the bottom of the screen.
LIVE HERO PUBLIC SAFETY COMMISSION
NATIONAL ADDRESS
Across Japan... Families gathered around televisions and restaurants lowered their volume. Electronics stores filled with shoppers stopping in front of display screens.
Not long after, the President stood behind a plain wooden podium missing a sleeve.
"To every citizen watching this broadcast..."
"...good afternoon."
Her speech began.
"Earlier today..."
"...our nation experienced another coordinated villain incident."
Images appeared beside her. Destroyed highways. Collapsed buildings. Emergency responders.
"The situation has now been contained."
"On behalf of the Hero Public Safety Commission..."
"...I extend my gratitude to every professional hero, police officer, firefighter and civilian volunteer who risked their lives today."
More images appeared.
"And to the young hero known publicly as Akutami Yuta .."
"...thank you."
A wave of applause came from the audience. The President continued.
"However..."
"...I will not insult this nation by pretending today's attack was an isolated event." Her expression hardened.
"This morning, our country faced another reminder..."
"...of a truth every citizen has already begun to realize."
The next slide appeared. Crime statistics. Emergency call volume. Agency closures. Villain incidents.
"With the large number of villains released on the night of Tokyo, we have seen an unprecedented surge in criminal activity. The Hero System..." She paused. "...is under unprecedented pressure."
The room fell silent. "Across Japan, the number of active villain incidents has increased dramatically. The number of criminals operating within our borders has risen, while the number of available professional heroes has fallen."
The screen behind her changed. A map of Japan appeared. Hundreds of markers slowly spread across it. "Every day, our heroes are being asked to cover larger territories with fewer resources."
"An agency that once protected a single district may now be responsible for several."
"A hero who once responded to an emergency in five minutes may now require twenty."
"Ten minutes becomes twenty. And twenty becomes thirty. Thirty minutes can mean the difference between life and death. Which is something we cannot allow."
Her gaze swept across the cameras.
"Make no mistake."
"The Hero Public Safety Commission has not abandoned its responsibility to protect the people of Japan."
"Nor have the men and women serving as professional heroes. But we must acknowledge reality." That sentence hit like a hammer. Social media immediately erupted as the comment sections refreshed faster than they could be read.
*What the hell is she saying?*
*Can someone explain this? I hope she isn't saying what I think she's saying.*
*Fuck! This bearer of bad news is back. We're all in for it now.*
The President allowed the silence to linger.
Then she continued.
"Therefore, we have reached a difficult conclusion."
The slide behind her changed. A single word appeared across the screen, capturing the attention of the audience.
HAVEN
"Today, the Hero Public Safety Commission is announcing the immediate implementation of a national emergency initiative."
"Project Haven." A murmur swept through the room.
The President remained expressionless.
"Project Haven is a temporary civilian relocation program designed to protect the population while allowing our nation's professional heroes to focus their limited resources on combating the ongoing villain threat."
Another slide appeared, showing a map of Japan.
Several areas had been highlighted. "Under this initiative, designated regions across Japan will be temporarily consolidated into fortified safe zones."
"These locations include established hero academies, government facilities, major hospitals, and districts with a high concentration of professional hero agencies."
The map zoomed in.
"These facilities have already begun preparations. Food. Clean water. Medical supplies. Emergency shelters. Security. Every necessary provision has been arranged to accommodate civilians during this period."
"We strongly encourage citizens, particularly children, the elderly and those living alone, to relocate to these designated safety zones."
The room watching the broadcast remained completely silent.
Then...
Questions immediately began exploding across every livestream.
*So we're abandoning our homes?*
*What about my business?*
*My family has lived here for generations!*
*Who's protecting everyone else?*
The President had clearly expected this. She answered before the reporters could ask.
"No city is being abandoned."
"But until our national security situation stabilizes..."
"...we must prioritize where our limited resources can save the greatest number of lives."
A reporter immediately stood up. "So you're admitting heroes can't defend Japan anymore?"
"That is not what I said. Our heroes are more than capable and are giving their all. This is to further alleviate their burdens and ensure hero society can swiftly return to how things were."
That sentence spread across the internet within seconds.
"I understand this announcement will cause fear."
"I understand that the idea of leaving one's home is frightening."
"Many of you are asking yourselves... Why should I leave my house? Why should I abandon everything I have built? Those are reasonable questions. But I ask you to consider the alternative."
The screen behind her changed again. This time, there were no statistics.
Only images. A destroyed neighborhood. A burned apartment building. A family standing beside an ambulance. A child being carried away by a rescue worker.
"Every minute a hero spends traveling across an empty stretch of road is a minute they cannot spend protecting someone who needs them."
"If we concentrate our civilian population into secure locations, we can dramatically reduce the number of areas our heroes are required to defend simultaneously."
She bowed.
"Thank you."
No surprise, the backlash began almost immediately. Inside the HPSC press room, reporters surged to their feet all at once.
"Madam President!"
"Does this mean the government is abandoning rural prefectures?"
"What compensation will displaced families receive?"
"What about businesses that cannot relocate?"
"Are citizens expected to simply leave their homes?" The questions overlapped into a deafening wall of noise.
Outside... It was even worse.
Across every social media platform, millions of comments flooded in by the second. News panels. Livestreams. Radio stations.
Forums. Comment sections.
The silence barely lasted three seconds before everything exploded and arguments erupted everywhere.
"So they finally admitted it."
"I saw this coming since the 716. Heroes can't protect us anymore."
"They're abandoning us!"
"Martial law?"
"No..."
"They're telling us to leave our homes? What happens to the cities? What happens to our businesses?!"
"You are asking the wrong questions bub. What happens to everyone outside the shelters?"
"Leave my house? Are they insane?"
"I've paid taxes my whole life. This is the protection we get?"
"Shit! I did not expect to wake up to this."
"You're telling me. My parents are too old to travel!"
"Where exactly are we supposed to go? I can't find where my town is on the map."
"So we're sacrificing smaller communities now?"
Television stations immediately transitioned into discussion panels.
Meanwhile, at Detnerat Headquarters.
The executive conference room overlooked Deika City's sprawling skyline. Unlike the panic consuming the rest of the country...
This room was peacefully quiet.
Rows of executives sat around a polished black conference table.
At the far end...
Rikiya Yotsubashi—known publicly as Re-Destro—watched the replay of the press conference without saying a word.
The screen went black. Silence lingered for several seconds.
Then...
"...How unfortunate."
His tone carried neither anger nor mockery.
Only disappointment.
Around the table, several executives exchanged glances.
"They've finally reached this point."
One of them folded his hands.
"To ignore the simple solution right before them and resort to this, all just to maintain an already fracturing society."
Redestro calmly tapped his finger against the table.
'It would seem we can no longer sit back.'