Chapter 3: Ingenium
For Akio Tatsuma, someone who could happily stay indoors for days studying his abilities, researching his Quirks at home was surprisingly enjoyable.
Over the past several days, he had grown familiar with the most basic applications of both lightning and air manipulation.
Akio opened his right hand.
Blue arcs of electricity crackled between his fingers, humming faintly in the quiet apartment.
With a small thought, the current shot forward.
CRACK!
The bolt struck a glass sitting on the sink five meters away.
The glass shattered instantly, fragments scattering through the air.
Akio calmly raised his left hand.
An invisible force spread outward.
The falling shards suddenly slowed, then stopped midair, as if caught in a silent current. Slowly, they drifted across the room and dropped neatly into the trash can.
Akio looked down at his hands, each holding a completely different kind of power.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"…Looks like it's time to apply for school overseas."
Specifically—
Japan.
That country had one of the highest concentrations of powerful heroes in the world.
Right now, the global balance of power was relatively stable. But Akio knew something others didn't.
Sooner or later, the Sludge Villain incident would occur.
And when it did, the curtain would rise on a new era.
As for the language barrier?
That wasn't a problem.
When Akio arrived in this world, he had inherited all the memories of the body's original owner.
One surprising detail stood out.
The previous owner had been an exceptional student—someone who had mastered eight languages.
Japanese was included.
Naturally, those abilities had become Akio's as well.
Because of his academic talent and his difficult financial situation, a charitable organization had been helping support his education.
Students with excellent grades were exactly the type of people they were willing to invest in.
Applying for overseas study turned out to be surprisingly simple.
The visa process was completed quickly. Since Akio was traveling for education, the duration of his stay was extended.
The officials handling his paperwork gave him one clear reminder.
After arriving in Japan, he would need to support himself financially.
The organization could help him get there, but they couldn't cover his living expenses forever.
At the time, Akio had confidently patted his chest.
"No problem. I'll handle everything myself."
In this world, many things that seemed complicated elsewhere were handled surprisingly efficiently.
Before long, all of his paperwork was complete.
He checked the calendar.
October 15th.
One week from now, he would set foot in Japan and finally see the world of heroes with his own eyes.
The thought filled him with anticipation.
Could he change events that once felt inevitable in the anime?
Izuku Midoriya might be the protagonist of that story…
But this world also had Akio Tatsuma.
As for who would ultimately stand stronger—
That remained to be seen.
After all, Akio had never fought against One For All.
One week later.
Akio boarded the plane carrying a small suitcase.
Over the past few days, he had quietly saved a considerable amount of money.
Most of it came from dealing with people who thought they could bully others.
Converted into Japanese currency, he now had 160,000 yen—roughly the equivalent of 10,000 yuan.
For the moment, that was more than enough.
Now that he had arrived in the homeland of professional heroes, casually collecting money from random troublemakers wasn't exactly a good idea.
Keeping a low profile was better.
The moment Akio stepped out of the airport, he planned to catch a taxi to Hirakawa High School, the school he would attend temporarily.
But before he could leave the terminal—
BOOM!
An explosion echoed from the left side of the airport.
"GET OUT OF THE WAY! I'M GOING TO KILL THIS GUY!"
A furious roar followed the blast.
Black smoke slowly cleared.
Akio saw a man with enormously enlarged arms standing over a trembling middle-aged man.
Akio rubbed his forehead.
"…Someone using their Quirk for violence already?"
He had just gotten off the plane.
He hadn't even left the airport yet.
And he was already witnessing a crime.
Japan really was the land of heroes… and apparently criminals too.
Back where he had lived before, he had never even heard of something like this happening at an airport.
Yet the moment he arrived here, he ran straight into it.
"D-Don't kill me!" the greasy middle-aged man begged, collapsing to the ground. "I'll give you everything! All my money!"
The attacker's Quirk was obvious.
His arms had swollen to several times their normal size, muscles bulging with unnatural strength.
"I did everything you told me!" the man shouted angrily. "And then you tried to run away behind my back! You think you can just leave?!"
The more he spoke, the angrier he became.
He raised one massive fist.
Akio sighed quietly.
Normally, he wasn't the type who liked interfering in other people's business.
But thanks to the Rescue System, sometimes he didn't really have a choice.
He began moving forward slowly, gathering strength in his legs.
Ten meters.
If he got within ten meters, he could launch a surprise attack.
Just as Akio was preparing to move—
A silver figure shot past him like a blur.
BAM!
A powerful kick slammed into the attacker's chest.
The man with enlarged arms flew backward.
"Suspect secured!"
The silver-armored hero raised a hand, then extended it toward the trembling victim.
"Are you alright?"
"Th-thank you… thank you so much, Ingenium!"
The middle-aged man burst into tears and clung to the hero in relief.
Meanwhile, airport security had already rushed forward and restrained the attacker.
A small crowd gathered quickly.
When people recognized the silver hero, excited cheers erupted.
"Hero! Ingenium!"
"Ingenium!"
"He's here!"
Someone in the crowd gasped in surprise.
"That's really Ingenium!"
Ingenium.
Real name: Tensei Iida.
The famous Turbo Hero.
He ran a large hero agency in Tokyo with over sixty employees.
And he was also the older brother of Tenya Iida.
Akio watched quietly from the side.
He hadn't expected to run into a professional hero the moment he arrived in Japan.
And honestly…
It was impressive.
Ingenium had knocked the attacker unconscious with a single kick.
Akio had originally planned to step in himself, but with his lightning Quirk still at Level 1, he couldn't guarantee a one-hit knockout.
Repelling the man would have been easy.
But knocking him out instantly?
That was a different story.
"Please remain calm and clear the area," Ingenium announced firmly as the police escorted the criminal away. "The suspect will be taken into custody."
The crowd slowly dispersed.
Eventually, Ingenium escorted the restrained attacker into a police vehicle.
Just before the door closed, his gaze briefly landed on Akio, who was standing beside a vending machine.
Ingenium paused for a moment.
Earlier, when the attacker had raised his fist, he had sensed something unusual.
It had seemed like this young man was about to intervene.
But now…
Looking at him again, the boy appeared completely ordinary.
Ingenium couldn't even sense what kind of Quirk he possessed.
Most people with Quirks avoided getting involved in dangerous situations.
Yet for some reason, this boy felt… different.
The police car door slammed shut.
With the wail of sirens, the vehicle drove away.
Akio casually dropped a few coins into the vending machine beside him.
A bottle of orange soda rolled down.
He opened it and took a sip as he walked toward the airport exit.
Outside, people were still discussing the earlier incident.
It seemed that the public here admired heroes deeply.
As if the moment a hero appeared, every problem would be solved.
People in this country seemed strangely fearless.
They weren't frightened by criminal violence.
They weren't intimidated by the darkness hiding beneath society.
In the era of heroes, many believed darkness simply didn't matter.
But Akio knew better.
Soon…
This world was going to change.
And the darkness was only just beginning to emerge.
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