A/N:
Junsei's current state is mostly fear toward humans. Hatred is secondary and it is not properly justified at this point of time. He died to other creatures, old age and natural events just as much as he died to humans. And some seems to forget or not realize this: Nature is one cruel bitch on par with humans.
Now, if you think I am hating on humans for no reason, I am not. There is a reason for his state down the line in the setting. And if you think this is going to be about happy slow domestication filled with understanding and forgiveness of humans, then it is not.
Without spoilers the following ten or so chapters are the start of explaining why he feels differently about humans and the start of his ideology.
By the way this is going to be 120 chapters long and the first 26 chapters are the setting.
———
When the group finally emerged from the forest, Mr. Yaoyorozu rested a firm hand on his daughter's shoulder as they moved toward the waiting car.
"You were brave back there, Momo," he said, "But we are going straight to the hospital. We need a full checkup."
Momo nodded, then hesitated. "Dad… were you serious about him becoming a bodyguard?"
Only then did Mandalay say "I was wondering the same thing. This isn't as simple as making a deal with him. He's an unregistered minor for all we know, with a unique situation and a dangerous quirk. You would be breaking several laws."
Mr. Yaoyorozu did not show much reaction to that.
"Do you think I don't know that?" he said calmly. "It's obvious he has been living alone in that forest for years, at best he is considered dead or lost. He values animals and insects more than humans, he even calls them friends. The only reason we are alive is because he feared for their safety."
Mandalay's expression tightened. "And that is exactly why he needs to be taken into custody and handled by specialists. He needs continuous observation and a lot of thera…"
"That won't work," Yaoyorozu interrupted, shaking his head. "He won't leave the forest by force alone. His quirk allows him to command animals, and in his mind, he is one of them. If you try to drag him out, every insect, every beast nearby becomes your enemy. It would be a disaster. And let's assume you succeed, you would continuously face the same issue wherever he goes."
"But we can't leave him like that," Mandalay insisted. "He's a danger to himself and to others."
Yaoyorozu nodded slowly. "That is why I made him that offer. I want to give him a chance to live among humans, to see for himself that life isn't meant to be spent hiding in trees and among animals. I will contact the quirk registration and classification department myself. With the proper paperwork and permissions, accommodations can be made. I am confident I can obtain them."
"And if he refuses?" Mandalay asked.
"Then I will leave," Yaoyorozu replied simply. "Just as I told him. An agreement is an agreement. What happens with him and the forest has nothing to do with me. You or someone else will come along and antagonize him, that's just a matter of time."
With that, he turned away, entering the car and signaling the chauffeur to drive. Mandalay watched the car pull away, then glanced back toward the forest, unease settling in her chest.
Inside the moving car, Mr. Yaoyorozu sat beside his daughter.
"Tell me everything," he said. "What happened while you were with him?"
Momo recounted what she could, there was not much to tell to begin with, and when she finished, she asked again, "Dad… do you really want him to be a bodyguard?"
"I do," Yaoyorozu said without hesitation. "I want to tie him to us. That boy has lived outside society for years. His understanding of the world may be simple, but his abilities are anything but. He confronted trained pro heroes without any training and won easily. He controls animals and insects across a vast area and can use them to spy on others. I won't be surprised if he was listening to every word we are saying right now. You might think this is an overestimation but he knew we were coming and that Mirko intended to fight him, he was spying on us before we entered the forest."
He paused, then continued, voice thoughtful. "He is still a boy, yet he is already like this. Imagine him in a few years. With guidance, he could rival Endeavor… perhaps even All Might. He has no allegiances, no history, no ties. In that sense, he is ideal to be recruited."
Momo frowned. "That sounds… manipulative."
Yaoyorozu shook his head. "I am not deceiving him, nor harming him. It is a fair trade. He learns to live as a person instead of a wild animal. In return, we gain someone capable of protecting our home if necessary. Villains grow stronger every year. We cannot rely on the hope that a hero will always arrive in time. One day you are going to inherit our wealth and businesses and you must understand that the most valuable thing to have is capable and trusted subordinates. There is a limit to how much you can manage and keep track of."
Momo considered this, then asked, "What should I do… if he agrees and comes with us?"
"Nothing special," her father replied. "Be yourself. Treat him as you would anyone else. Do not fear him, he is powerful and different, yes, but he understands restraint and consequences. Otherwise, none of us would have walked away from that forest."
He leaned back slightly, eyes distant. "Still… I can't help but wonder. How does a boy like that end up alone in a forest, with nothing but animals for company?"
——————
Mr. Yaoyorozu had been right.
Junsei listened long after the humans left the forest. He heard the man's words, the intent to keep the promise of leaving the forest untouched, and for that alone Junsei felt a measure of relief.
But it was what followed that worried him.
Even after Mr. Yaoyorozu and his daughter departed, Junsei continued to listen. Mandalay stepped aside and made a call. She reported everything. The response on the other end was brief. If the boy agreed to Yaoyorozu's offer, they would step back and leave him alone, declaring him no longer their problem.
If he refused, it would be different.
They would send the strongest top heroes. They would extract him from the forest at any cost.
Junsei felt something twist in his chest. These humans would not stop. They would come again, and again, until they had him. And if they failed… they might turn their anger on the forest itself. Fire, machines, destruction. The thought made his jaw clench.
He considered leaving, vanishing deeper into the land, abandoning this place entirely. But where would he go? There was no promise the humans would stop hunting him, and even if they did, what of the others? He could not take the forest with him. If he left, humans would return eventually, cutting, burning, building. Fighting humans was bad for the forest. Leaving it unguarded was also bad.
For a fleeting moment, a darker thought surfaced: go to the nearby city and kill them all. End it at the source. But he knew what would follow. Retaliation. Nothing will remain alive if the humans aim to destroy the forest.
He was only one and can't protect everything by himself.
His thoughts returned to the ones he had fought, the humans in bright colors. They were not weak. The white-haired woman who smelled like rabbits was especially dangerous; her kick could kill a bear outright. If many like her came together, the forest would not survive an all-out battle.
There was only one option left.
Accept the offer.
Protect the man's family for a time. Force the humans to acknowledge the forest as his home, to promise they would not intrude again. It would solve all his problems, but can he trust him? And if yes, the thought of living among humans again made his skin crawl. As the night deepened, he kept asking himself what he should do over and over, without finding an answer.
——————
Hours later, far from the trees, Momo left the hospital with a clean bill of health. Nothing unusual, no infection, no injuries nor scratches.
As she climbed into the car beside her father, she noticed his phone buzz. He picked the call and listened, then froze.
"Are you sure?" he asked.
There was a pause. His expression shifted to one of clear surprise. "Send me any photo you have. Immediately."
Momo looked up at him. "Dad? What's wrong?"
"I asked someone to look into the boy," he replied. "I requested records of any child named Junsei, born roughly ten to twelve years ago, possibly an orphan."
"And?" Momo asked.
"There is one," he replied. "An orphan named Junsei, registered six years ago. His quirk was classified as the ability to understand animals. He lived not far from here."
Momo blinked. "Really? Then how did no one miss him? Or find him all this time?"
Her father's gaze darkened. "The orphanage he belonged to burned down one night," he said quietly. "All the children disappeared."
Momo's breath caught. "All of them? How could they just disappear?"
Mr. Yaoyorozu leaned back slightly, eyes distant. "That," he said, "is something I would very much like to know myself. This incident made it to the national news, and this boy might know what happened that night and where did the children go."