That was exactly why Kamui Woods was still arguing with Inspector Inoue.
Inoue wanted Shigaraki Tomura monitored. If necessary, detained.
Kamui Woods couldn't agree with that.
His impression of the blue-haired boy wasn't bad. Complicated, yes. But not bad. At the very least, he didn't want to see a kid treated like a criminal before he had actually become one.
The problem was that Kamui Woods was still young, still relatively new to this side of society, and the man in front of him was a veteran. Going head-to-head with Inoue would only make the conversation collapse faster.
So he tried a different angle.
"…Those three delinquents we questioned weren't exactly innocent," he said carefully. "They've got a record of luring girls, extortion, things like that. So what Shigaraki did could also be seen as—"
"That's not the point."
Inoue cut him off without even letting him finish.
His eyes sharpened.
"Punishing criminals is the job of the police and Pro Heroes. He is neither. So what gives him the right to act in our place?"
Kamui Woods frowned but said nothing.
Inoue continued, his voice growing heavier.
"And let's not forget something even more basic. He's a middle school student."
"When a child runs into a threat that can destroy an entire street, what should he feel?"
"Fear."
"What should he do?"
"Run."
"What should he think?"
"That the matter belongs to the police and the heroes."
His expression darkened.
"Not stand there."
"Not confront criminals."
"And definitely not beat them down with his own strength."
Kamui Woods' brow tightened.
He still didn't answer, but inwardly, he rejected every word.
If someone had no power, then yes—running made sense. Trusting others made sense. But if someone did have the power to stop a crime and you still demanded that they stand there obediently and do nothing?
That wasn't justice.
That was absurd.
The problem isn't that boy, Kamui Woods thought.
It's this man.
For the first time, he seriously wondered whether he should request a transfer.
If he stayed under someone like Inoue for too long, maybe he really would start getting used to this kind of thinking. And the thought alone made him uncomfortable.
"…What?"
Inoue let out a short, cold laugh.
"You think I'm being too harsh on people with power, don't you?"
Kamui Woods didn't answer.
He didn't need to.
The look in his eyes said enough.
Harsh?
No.
You want them leashed.
Inoue caught that look immediately.
Strangely, he didn't get angry.
In his mind, Kamui Woods was just another young man with too many ideals and not enough experience. Talented, yes. Promising, yes. But still young. Still naive. Still too easily moved by impulse.
That was normal.
And as a senior, Inoue had no interest in getting offended by it.
But some lessons, he believed, had to be taught.
"The times have changed, kid."
His tone went colder.
"This isn't some chaotic era where we have to dress sheep up as lions just to keep people from panicking."
"In an age of peace, people like Shigaraki Tomura—people with power and no sense of restraint—are a problem."
He picked up the case file and dropped it onto the desk with a dull thud.
"If he's studying at Kanzaki Academy…"
"If he has no intention of becoming a Pro Hero…"
"If he refuses to enter the proper system…"
"Then he needs to be taught where he stands."
His gaze narrowed.
"Clip his claws."
"Beat the arrogance out of him."
"Make him stop thinking he's some kind of lion."
"Turn him back into a sheep before that pride grows any further."
His voice lowered at the end, flat and final.
"Otherwise, he becomes an anomaly."
"And anomalies get removed."
Kamui Woods' expression hardened.
Yeah. I was right.
This wasn't normal.
This was extremism.
He had just opened his mouth, ready to stop holding back and argue properly this time, when a hoarse voice suddenly came from the side.
"Inspector Inoue… that's a pretty twisted way to look at people."
Both men turned.
Kamui Woods' eyes widened slightly.
He hadn't even noticed the man walk in.
Messy black hair.
Heavy dark circles.
Bandages around his neck.
A body that looked tired enough to collapse on the spot.
He looked like he hadn't slept in days.
And yet the moment he stood there, the atmosphere in the room changed.
Casually, like they were old coworkers, he draped one arm over Inoue's shoulder. Then he pushed his bangs aside with his other hand, exposing a pair of bloodshot, half-lidded eyes.
Sharp eyes.
The kind that didn't miss much.
"You're talking about people like they're livestock raised by the state," he said. His voice was low and flat, but it carried weight. "That way of thinking sounds like it has its own issues, don't you think?"
Inoue shrugged his arm off and turned to face him fully.
"…Who are you?"
His tone stayed cold, but not rattled. Years in this line of work meant strange entrances didn't shake him easily.
He threw Kamui Woods a questioning glance.
Kamui Woods straightened almost at once.
"…That's Eraser Head."
"A Pro Hero. Also one of U.A. High's senior instructors."
He paused, then added, "He doesn't like publicity, so he's not well known outside the field. But his ability is the real thing."
His tone unconsciously became more respectful.
"He can erase any Quirk he sees."
This time, Inoue's face changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
And beside him, Kamui Woods quietly let out a breath.
Finally.
Someone had arrived who could speak to this man without being talked down to.
Maybe now, this conversation would actually go somewhere.
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