High above the eastern prefecture, the wind whipped against Hawks' crimson feathers as he cut through the cloud line at a leisure speed.
The small earpiece wedged into his ear buzzed with chatter.
"I see. So nothing huh?" He asked, eyes scanning the sprawling urban grid below. There was a long report on the other end. Hawks listened in silence for a few moments.
"Well, even if it was a waste, thanks for the info. Saved me quite some time myself."
"Yeah. Later."
The line went dead. 'Sigh ... I'm honestly getting tired of this.'
Keigo let out a weary sigh. Honestly, work just got more and more frantic with each day. If he hadn't gotten some capable interns to share the workload, who knows what would have become of him now.
'Still. At this rate, I'll be exhausted sooner or later.'
He reached into his pocket and took out a phone with an encrypted line and placed a call. On the other end was a voice with no warmth.
"Hawks. Report."
"It was another dead end." The winged hero said mid flight. "There was nothing valuable in the locations given by the captured villains. The place was already cleared out besides a few unlucky corpses."
"Our guys estimate that the warehouse was used for storing Nomu but it was empty when we got there. I've checked other places as well. Turned out to be nothing but rumors."
He looked at the cities below. "For now, I'm chasing after a lead i found."
"I see. Head back as quickly as you can. We have a few more locations we need you to investigate." The president replied.
"More?"
Hawks raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Guess I should have seen that coming."
"I'm sorry for the trouble, but you are the only one I can currently rely on for things like this."
The man remained silent.
"Hawks?"
"Heh ... No worries. It's my job after all, right?"
"We'll discuss that later."
"...Roger."
Hawks banked around the corner of a high-rise ...
Then suddenly slowed down.
"...Huh?" A crowd had gathered in front of a massive electronic billboard. Hundreds of civilians stood shoulder-to-shoulder, staring upward.
Traffic had begun slowing. Some people had even stopped walking entirely.
'Another news report?'
Hawks frowned as he circled once before hovering above the street.
The enormous screen wasn't showing another discussion panel.
Instead...
It showed a familiar corporate logo.
DETNERAT
Below it ran a bright red banner.
LIVE PRESS CONFERENCE
Hawks blinked.
"...Detnerat?"
Even through the communicator he could hear papers shifting.
"Hawks? What happened?"
"Nothing. I've got..." He narrowed his eyes at the screen.
"...something interesting."
"Report."
"It seems Detnerat's holding a press conference."
Silence.
"Detnerat?" The President repeated in confusion.
"Yeah."
Hawks looked down at the growing crowd. "...Looks like it just started."
Detnerat, a lifestyle support manufacturing company that recently entered the hero industry and had received growing suspicion from the HPSC.
The camera shifted to show a man in a tailored business suit stepping onto the stage as dozens of reporters turned toward him.
Rikiya Yotsubashi. President of Detnerat. "...What's a support company doing holding a national press conference?"
Many people across the country held similar questions. As a lifestyle company, Detnerat was extremely reputable due to their quality services.
When the company expanded into the hero market with the retirement of All Might, many had speculated their intentions of launching right when hero society was facing an unprecedented crisis.
"Good evening Citizens of Japan," Yotsubashi began.
"My name is Rikiya Yotsubashi. CEO of Detnerat enterprises." The scene was played through countless homes across Japan.
"First.."
"I would like to take the time to thank every hero currently for risking their lives across this country."
The statement caught many people off guard. In the conference room, Rikiya continued with a solemn expression.
"Like all of you, we at Detnerat have been listening closely to the recent announcements regarding our national security. We understand the immense pressure our public leaders and brave heroes are under during these unprecedented times as over the past few weeks, our country has experienced tragedy after tragedy."
His expression grew even more solemn.
"Families have lost loved ones. Businesses have been destroyed. Communities have been forced to confront a level of criminal activity that none of us could have imagined."
The screen behind him displayed images of damaged buildings, emergency responders and law enforcement alongside Heroes carrying injured civilians.
"The men and women serving as professional heroes have been working tirelessly to protect us. Many have been injured as well as lost their lives. And yet, despite their exhaustion, they continue to answer the call."
The statement was met with silence.
"To those heroes..." Yotsubashi looked directly into the nearest camera. "...I want to say this. Thank you."
Looking at the billboard, Hawks frowned, having a bad feeling about where this was going.
"Next ..."
"...allow me to express my admiration. To the young hero known as The Black Phantom who saved countless lives today."
"I believe every citizen of this country owes him their gratitude."
In U.A, Nezu's brows furrowed.
"However, it is with sadness I say that the events that followed concern me deeply."
The footage changed to show the Commission conference and Operation Haven. "Project Haven. The Hero Commission's solution to the current crisis plaguing our society. Like many of you, I also listened carefully to the announcement."
Rikiya stretched his arm out to the screen "It is understandable why this was proposed in the first place as the burden currently placed upon our heroes is extraordinary."
"Fewer heroes remain due to the loss of many of Japan's finest, as well as the subsequent retirement ..." The word "retirement" carried a heavy emphasis.
"...more villains..."
"... And larger territories to defend..."
"No reasonable person can deny those realities. Nor do I believe the Commission arrived at this decision lightly."
"I do not envy the burden carried by our government."
He paused.
"But..."
"...I cannot support them."
Silence. In the Commission headquarters, the president watched everything unfolding coldly, her hand tightly gripping the documents within her grasp.
Simultaneously, across Japan... Millions leaned closer to their televisions.
"It is clear that our state infrastructure is stretched to its absolute limit," Yotsubashi continued, offering a sad, understanding smile to the camera. "And while large-scale evacuation efforts like Project Haven are designed with the best of intentions, Detnerat recognizes that many communities—our farmers, our local shopkeepers, our rural families, simply cannot pack their lives into a suitcase overnight."
The sadness on his face disappeared just as quickly as it was displayed.
"Government resources must naturally focus on the densest population centers. That is logical. But we at Detnerat believe no citizen should ever feel forgotten simply because of their postal code. And I as its CEO cannot support asking millions of hardworking citizens to abandon the places they have spent their lives building."
"I refuse to believe that telling families that the home their grandparents built... the business they inherited... And the community they devoted decades to cultivating... Even if only temporarily, is the only future available to us."
"As for the commission's belief that relocating will save lives? I sincerely hope it does. But a society cannot remain strong if its people are taught that their only role in times of crisis is to wait behind walls."
"Some may have elderly family members who cannot travel. Medical conditions that make relocation difficult. Or simply be unable to leave their livelihoods behind."
Yotsubashi folded his hands together. "These concerns are understandable. And they are concerns that we at Detnerat have been considering very carefully."
The comment sections exploded.
"What's he saying?"
"I don't believe it. Did a corporate Fatcat actually grow some balls to disagree with this shit?"
"Finally, somebody said it."
"Is this really live?"
"A healthy society should never forget how to stand on its own feet. Therefore," Yotsubashi declared, "in the spirit of civic unity and public burden-sharing, Detnerat Corporation is proud to announce the Civilian Relief and Support Partner Program. To show the people of this country that they deserve another option."
Another slide appeared behind him.
"This afternoon, Detnerat will begin opening its nationwide logistics network to support every community affected by the recent rise in villain activity." Images appeared one after another. Warehouses. Transport trucks. Medical supplies. Portable generators. Emergency food reserves.
"Beginning immediately..."
"...our regional facilities will begin distributing emergency supplies."
"We will provide portable power stations. Emergency communications equipment. Medical necessities. Food. Water. And temporary financial assistance for businesses affected by villain attacks."
"Detnerat will also be opening designated facilities across the country to civilians seeking temporary shelter. Fully equipped with our own licensed and authorized bodyguard teams to protect those in need."
The room erupted. Reporters immediately began speaking over one another.
"Mr. Yotsubashi!"
"Are you saying—"
"How many people can you accommodate?"
"Which facilities?"
Yotsubashi calmly raised his hand to settle the crowd.
"We are still coordinating with local authorities to determine the exact locations and capacities."
He smiled.
"But our intention is simple."
"Wherever possible, we want to provide another option to citizens who have none. We encourage everyone to listen to the guidance of their local authorities and professional heroes."
"If you have been instructed to relocate to a designated Haven facility, and are fully capable of doing so, please do. We are not asking anyone to ignore those instructions."
"But for those who are unable to relocate..."
He paused.
"...or those who require additional assistance. Detnerat will do everything within its capabilities to help. Japan belongs to all of us. We cannot simply leave the burden of carrying that weight all to heroes till they collapse. "
A murmur swept through the gathered reporters.
Yotsubashi gave a small bow. "That is all I wished to say. Stay safe, stay united, and rely on one another. Thank you."
The broadcast faded seamlessly into a Detnerat corporate logo before returning to the local news studio, where the anchors sat momentarily stunned by the sheer generosity of the announcement.
Down on the street below, the reaction among the civilians was electric. "They're giving out relief supplies?" a man called out, looking up at his wife.
"Detnerat isn't abandoning us," a shop owner muttered, looking far more relieved than he had been moments prior. "If the heroes have to pull back, at least someone is helping us hold down the fort."
"Finally, something I wanna hear."
"Yeah. I would hate to have to leave my house."
High above, Hawks hovered in dead silence, his mind filled with numerous thoughts.
"You seeing this?" He said to the encrypted phone still at his ear.
"Yes." The voice came from the other end.
There was a long silence after that.
"So we have a big problem, don't we?"
"A very, very big one."
'Well, there goes any hope I had of taking some time off.'
Hawks sighed before cutting the call.
"Things just got a whole lot worse."