When Momo had insisted on coming to the forest, not for a single moment had she imagined it would end like this. What she had called a learning experience had turned, quite abruptly, into a kidnapping by a strange boy deep in the wilderness. This reality was cartoonishly absurd, the sort of thing that belonged to a fictional story rather than her own life.
She glanced at the boy sitting across from her.
Since they had sat down, nearly an hour ago, he had not moved, nor made a single sound. He simply stared at her, though somehow not at her at the same time. His gaze seemed distant, unfocused, as if he were looking through her rather than at her face. At first, she felt only fear. Now that fear still lingered, but it had been joined by curiosity.
He violated every rule of decency she had been taught since childhood simply by existing as he was. He walked around naked, without the faintest hint of embarrassment or awareness that such a thing might even be improper. He did not try to cover himself. He did not look ashamed. He simply was.
Momo found herself wondering how long he had been alone in the forest. How long had he lived like this? He looked about her age, but his tangled white hair reached nearly to his lower back, and his body bore the quiet marks of long neglect. Dirt clung to him as though it had become part of his skin. Surely, he had been here for years.
Finally, she gathered what courage she could.
"U-umm… Mr. Junsei," she said softly. "How long have you been in the forest?"
His eyes shifted at once. The vacant haze lifted, and for the first time, his attention seemed truly fixed on her. The intensity of his gaze made her skin prickle uncomfortably.
"I don't know," he said.
Momo blinked. That was certainly not the answer she had expected.
After a few moments of awkward silence, she tried again. "Then… why are you here?"
"To live," Junsei replied.
Another answer that meant almost nothing.
Momo exhaled and decided that asking questions would get her nowhere.
Hours passed in silence. Then her stomach betrayed her with a soft, unmistakable growl. She placed a hand over it instinctively, cheeks warming, but said nothing.
Junsei noticed.
"If you are hungry," he said calmly, "make food. I won't stop you."
Momo shook her head. "It doesn't work like that. I create things from the fat I store. Eating the food I make wastes my energy because of inefficient energy transformation."
Junsei was clearly confused.
She paused, realizing that most children her age and with good education struggle to understand how her quirk works. Expecting understanding from someone who had lived alone in the forest for who knew how long was unreasonable.
In the end, she said, "others can eat my food. I can't."
Junsei blinked. Then, without warning, he stood and rushed out of the cave at full speed.
Momo gasped, startled by the suddenness of it. She barely had time to react before he was gone. The cave, once merely uncomfortable, now felt terrifyingly empty.
She understood his presence was what kept the animals away. Without him, she was vulnerable. She was a food for the animals.
Her fear did not last long.
Only a few minutes later, Junsei returned, his arms full of pears. He placed them in front of her and sat down again as if nothing unusual had happened.
"Where did you get these?" Momo asked.
"A tree," Junsei replied.
She picked one up hesitantly, then created a small handkerchief and wiped the fruit thoroughly before taking a cautious bite. The taste was different from the pears she knew but not unpleasant.
She looked at Junsei, who had already returned to his quiet stillness.
"Thank you," she said. "I didn't think you'd bring me food when you left."
Junsei did not reply.
——————
At the edge of the forest, Mr. Yaoyorozu's angry voice rang through the clearing.
"A single boy," he shouted, face red with fury, "made you all come back like beaten dogs and leave my daughter behind! Do you have no shame saying this to my face?!"
The heroes, rangers, and officers stood in silence, heads lowered. No one argued. His anger was justified. It was shameful, dozens of trained professionals driven back by a child, forced to abandon a little girl to save themselves.
Mandalay said with a heavy tone. "We are sorry, Mr. Yaoyorozu. We've already contacted the Hero Public Safety Commission. They're reaching out to available heroes and agencies for reinforcements. Right now, we simply don't have the firepower or the capacity to deal with this situation."
Mr. Yaoyorozu laughed bitterly. "This is ridiculous. I can't believe this is happening. A single child is too much for you!!"
"I understand your anger and concern," Mandalay said. "We will do our best to save your daughter."
He pressed his fingers to his temples, breathing hard. Then he looked up.
"He wants to talk to me, right?" he said. "Then I'm going."
Mandalay stiffened. "We can't allow that. It's far too dangerous."
"I don't care," Mr. Yaoyorozu snapped. "I will save my daughter myself. I'm not waiting for you to mess things up again. I would rather give my entire fortune than leave my daughter defenseless in that forest for a single night."
"We can't allow this," Mandalay said again, her expression strained. "It's too dangerous. No one will agree to this."
"I don't care!" Mr. Yaoyorozu shouted. "Either you join me and show me the path, or you let me go in alone. Either way, I am not waiting until tomorrow to speak with this boy."
At that moment, Pixie-Bob hurried toward them. "Rabbit Hero: Mirko has arrived to assist."
Mr. Yaoyorozu turned sharply. "Isn't that the rookie who's been rising recently? Rank thirteen?"
"Yes," Mandalay replied. "Mirko's been active for three years now. She's already considered one of the strongest heroes in close combat."
As they spoke, no one noticed the small fly resting inside a nearby bush, its eyes glowing faintly blue.
——————
Sometime later deep in the forest, Junsei stood suddenly. He looked at Momo and spoke with calm certainty. "Your father is coming."
Then he turned and walked out of the cave.
Momo hesitated only a moment before standing and following him.
Back at the forest's edge, Mr. Yaoyorozu walked into the forest. At his side walked the Wild Wild Cats and the rabbit hero along with a few rangers and officers who came to assist with whatever they could. Mirko stretched lazily, a grin on her face.
She said, "I am looking to meet the boy who beat your asses."
Tiger glanced at her. "Don't underestimate him. He's fast, and he can electrocute you with a touch. If not for my quirk, I'd be dead."
"Yeah, yeah," Mirko replied dismissively. "If you're scared, just go back."
The Wild Wild Cats didn't respond. They had already heard of Mirko's rude, aggressive reputation. As for Mr. Yaoyorozu, he frowned slightly. He wondered how a hero with such a personality had risen so high in the rankings. Such behavior should have held her back, unless she truly possessed power comparable to legends like All Might or Endeavor. If not, then the public taste had changed and now they preferred unrefined aggressive rude women.
Ragdoll suddenly stiffened. "He's coming toward us," she said. "And the girl is with him."
Mirko's grin widened. "Great. Saves us the trouble of finding him."
Mandalay turned sharply to her. "Don't start with a fight. Our top priority is saving the girl."
Mirko cracked her knuckles. "I know."
Minutes passed before the two sides finally came face to face.
Mr. Yaoyorozu felt relieved seeing his daughter alive and unharmed. Then his gaze shifted to the boy beside her.
Seeing Junsei in person was nothing like hearing the report. The child looked feral, more animal than a human, his long white hair tangled, his posture alert in a way that reminded Manami of a cornered animal. And then he noticed something else. All around them. Bears, foxes, birds, insects, forming a silent ring.
It was unsettling. But panic would help no one.
Mr. Yaoyorozu inhaled deeply, steadying himself, then stepped a few paces ahead of the heroes. "I am Yaoyorozu Manami," he said clearly. "I came to retrieve my daughter, Momo, as you said. What do you want in return for letting her go?"
Junsei's voice came without hesitation. "Don't send more people into this forest. It is our home. We don't welcome you. We will fight you if we have to."
Manami was not surprised. He had expected something like this.
"Who is we?" he asked.
"Life," Junsei replied.
Manami frowned slightly, then nodded. "I can agree to that as long as you release my daughter."
Junsei did not answer. His eyes flared blue.
In the next instant, he vanished.
He reappeared in a blur of motion, charging forward with terrifying speed. His target was Mirko.
The rabbit hero's eyes widened, then lit up with excitement. A wild grin spread across her face as she kicked forward, ready to meet him head-on. But halfway through the motion, her blood turned ice-cold. It was as if her quirk itself screamed at her to stop.
For a fraction of a second, her vision warped. An enormous python loomed before her. She blinked.
Her leg struck nothing.
Then she felt him, behind her. His hands held her cheeks, his touch cold, more like a snake coil than human grip.
Pain detonated inside her skull. Her body convulsed violently, and the world went black.
To everyone watching, it happened almost too fast to follow. One moment Junsei charged, the next Mirko was flying forward, kicking empty air, before collapsing to the ground foaming at the mouth.
Manami staggered back in shock. The heroes moved instinctively in front of him, while rangers and officers raised their guns toward Junsei with trembling hands.
Junsei ignored them. He looked straight at Manami, his eyes glowing.
"You wanted to take your daughter. Then let this woman beat me," he said calmly. "I am strong. It would be easy for me to kill all of you. But all I want is that no one comes into the forest. If I don't get that, I will kill everyone you send. Then I will come after you. There is nowhere in the world you can hide that I can't find."
Manami went pale as the animals' eyes glowed in unison with the boy's. The threat was real and he knew it.
Still, his mind raced. Fear gave way to calculation.
He stepped forward again after calming himself, waving the heroes back.
"You can kill everyone," he said, "but you didn't. You don't want more people coming here because they will hurt the animals you call friends. Am I right?"
Junsei's eyes narrowed.
"You have my word," Manami continued. "I won't send a single person here, as long as we leave today. But I am curious, who is your family?"
Junsei was silent for a moment. "I have never had one."
Manami frowned. "Are you an orphan?"
Junsei nodded.
"And how did you end up here?" Manami asked gently.
"It doesn't matter to you," Junsei replied.
"Fair enough," Manami said. Then his expression hardened. "But I must warn you. I and my people won't return, but others might. This land belongs to those who pay. You are the intruder."
Junsei's eyes flared dangerously.
Manami raised his hands. "Ownership can change. This is only a temporary solution for you. But I might be able to help."
Junsei growled, low and animalistic, but Manami pressed on despite the fear curling in his stomach. "You want to protect this place and keep people away. I can help you do that. In return, you do something for me. A simple trade. You can understand me, right?"
Junsei stared at him for a long moment. "What do you want?"
Manami smiled faintly. "I want you to be a bodyguard."
Gasps rippled through the group behind him and his own daughter.
Junsei tilted his head. "What is that?"
Manami hesitated, then said, "A bodyguard is a protector. You protect someone from harm."
"You want me to protect you?" Junsei asked.
"Yes," Manami said. "My home. My family. You do that for a time, and you can return here and remain for the rest of your life."
Junsei did not answer.
"Think about it," Manami said. "Give me your answer tomorrow. I trust you know how to find us. If you don't come, I'll assume you refused and you will never see me or my men again."
He turned to the heroes and pointed at Mirko. "Someone pick that one up."
Then he looked at Momo. "Come here, my dear. We're leaving."
They retreated slowly, everyone glancing back at Junsei with fear etched into their faces except for Manami. Junsei remained where he stood, watching as they disappeared from the forest's edge.