During the lunch period, Shinso entered the cafeteria alone. He took his tray and sat on one of the empty tables. Seconds later, he saw Momo coming his way along two of her classmates.
"Hello, Shinso. Where is Junsei?"
"He went to the principal's office," Shinso replied.
Momo nodded and took the seat across from him. It did not take long for others, Mina and Jiro, to join her.
"How was your class today?" Momo asked.
Shinso shrugged lightly. "Nothing much. Everyone is scared of Junsei now. And Junsei doesn't seem to care at all."
Momo gave a small nod.
Jiro leaned back in her chair. "You're defending him and worrying about him too much."
Momo laughed weakly. "I can't help it. He is not exactly talkative, and people misunderstand him. He doesn't truly mean anything bad to others. He just likes his quiet and peace."
"I don't think anyone misunderstands him," Jiro replied bluntly. "He doesn't like people, and he's not hiding it. And ' he doesn't mean anything bad'? You saw what he did to Bakugo intentionally."
Shinso interjected calmly. "He doesn't like people. On that, I agree. But he is not as bad as you and many others think. During the Cavalry Battle, I wanted to disqualify all the teams. Junsei was the one who refused saying it would ruin the festival. He is not the bad guy you all think him to be."
That drew a moment of silence from Jiro, while Momo smiled.
Mina looked at Momo thoughtfully. Then she smiled.
"Now that I think about it… Momo, what do you really think of Junsei?"
Momo blinked. "He is not a bad person. Just unfortunate and misunderstood."
Mina grinned wider. "Not like that. I mean, do you like him? You grew up with him. Maybe you have a crush?"
Momo was visibly taken aback, but she answered without hesitation.
"I care for him like a little brother. It is my responsibility to help him."
Mina groaned. "You are no fun."
"Not everyone is like you," Jiro remarked dryly.
——————
Meanwhile, in the principal's office, Junsei sat across from Nezu.
"I am not going to become a hero," Junsei stated.
"I am not asking you to," Nezu replied evenly. "I am simply telling you what others think. I understand your dislike for humans."
Junsei said nothing.
Nezu folded his paws together.
"You are on thin ice right now. The public dislikes you and sees you as a threat. You are on the police and the Hero Public Safety Commission radars."
"And?" Junsei asked.
Nezu's tone sharpened slightly. "If another incident like this happens, not even I will be able to help you."
Junsei nodded.
"You don't care about any of that, do you?" Nezu asked.
Junsei nodded again.
Nezu studied him carefully. "Do you realize that if they decide you are a villain to be taken into custody, it will be extremely dangerous for you?"
"I know."
"Then why are you like this?" Nezu pressed. "You said you want to return to live in the forest when your agreement ends. If they call for your imprisonment, you will not be left alone, even if you run or hide in a forest."
Junsei's gaze remained steady.
"The only reason I am still living as a human is that I fear death," he said calmly. "Death is not nice, Okina. It hurts a lot."
Nezu's eyes narrowed slightly.
"I came to live among humans because I wanted to live in the forest eventually. But if I am pushed to it and can't go back to the forest, I would gladly die."
The room fell silent. Nezu remained quiet for several seconds.
"You would kill yourself again?" he asked finally.
"Or die fighting them," Junsei said.
"How can you think like that?" Nezu demanded.
"Death, as painful as it is, is a new beginning. A new cycle."
Nezu's voice grew firm. "The way you think and see the world is wrong."
"I told you," he said. "You see the world as a human. I am not."
——————
During the weekend, the Yaoyorozu Mansion was more lively than usual.
Class 1-A's girls had arrived to complete a school assignment together. Momo had invited them over as her home had more than enough space for group homework without distraction.
The moment the girls arrived at the mansion and passed through the front gate toward the Mansion door, they were already staring around in surprise at this place. Momo waited for them in front of the mansion door with a smile.
As soon as the girls reached Momo, Ochako said "Momo, you are rich!!"
Mina added dramatically. "It turns out Momo is a liar. She said she comes from a well-off family. Which part of this is 'well-off'?"
"Technically she is, ribbit," Tsuyu added.
Momo only smiled.
"Please, come inside. I have prepared the guest room and snacks for the rest of the day."
"As expected of a noble rich young lady," Mina declared grandly.
Jiro gave her a sidelong look. "I don't think Momo likes that joke."
They stepped inside behind her, and noted how the inside screamed rich even more than the outside.
And as the group walked behind Momo, Toru said "Junsei lives here as well, right? Where is he?"
Momo glanced back at her. "He won't interrupt our school work."
Toru waved her hands quickly. "No, it's not that. I'm just curious about him. What does he do in his private time? Does he brood expressionlessly all day? Or maybe study?"
Momo considered the question seriously.
"He is usually helping Mr. Sai and the others with cleaning and maintenance. He monitors the mansion and the surrounding grounds. And he reads in his room."
Mina blinked. "And?"
"That's it."
Mina asked "He doesn't do anything for fun?"
Momo shook her head.
Ochako asked next. "What does 'monitor the mansion and the surrounding' mean?"
Momo answered. "He oversees the entire property. Not a single person can enter or leave without him knowing about it. There have been a few cases over the years where thieves attempted to sneak in, or people watching the place because of my parents' work. They are all caught by Junsei as soon as they approach."
The group fell quieter at that.
Jiro asked. "So he knows we're here?"
Momo nodded. "And he is probably hearing everything we are saying."
Several of the girls stiffened instinctively.
Mina looked around uncomfortable now. "Is there no privacy in this place?"
"Of course there is," Momo replied. "He doesn't monitor inside the rooms. His main focus is the surroundings."
Jiro folded her arms. "I don't know how to put this better, but it sounds like he's some sort of super guard dog."
"That's not nice," Momo said gently. "He is part of this place like everyone else. He just takes territory a little too seriously and it proved helpful over the years"
Toru laughed lightly. "I doubt any normal person would agree with that."
"Rich people have different standards," Mina concluded sagely.
The girls did not linger long on the topic of Junsei much longer. Within minutes, the girls were in the prepared guest room with notebooks opened.
Two hours later, Mina suddenly pushed her chair back.
"Girls, look what I drew!!"
The others turned.
On her paper was a sketch of All Might, standing in a heroic pose and his wide signature smile.
Momo glanced at it politely. "Nice drawing of All Might. But we still have not finished our homework."
Mina groaned. "We've been going at this for two hours now. A little break won't kill you."
"Mina has a point," Jiro admitted, rubbing her neck. "I'm tired."
The others nodded in agreement.
Momo closed her notebook with some reluctance. "Fine. Let's take a break."
Ochako asked. "So… did any of you decide which hero you're going to intern with?"
"I'm still thinking," Mina replied. "I have a lot of good options."
Momo said. "I am thinking of going with Uwabami. She is the only good option I have."
Tsuyu blinked. "Junsei ruined your chances of getting better offers, ribbit."
Momo exhaled quietly.
"It is all my fault. I told him not to hold back and to give it his all. I didn't expect my entire team would be eliminated like that. I feel sorry especially for Kaminari. He got the least amount of offers in the class. Even Mineta is doing better than him."
Before anyone could respond, there was a knock on the door.
Momo looked toward it. "Please, enter."
The door opened.
Junsei stepped inside, carrying a tray of juice and neatly arranged snacks.
"Mr. Sai told me to bring you this when you take a break."
Momo stood and took the tray from him. "Thank you, Junsei."
Mina's eyes widened "He was really listening!! Not gonna lie, it's kind of creepy."
A few of the girls nodded.
Momo and Junsei ignored the remark.
Junsei's gaze shifted briefly, landing on Mina's drawing of All Might. He paused for two seconds, staring at it. Then he turned to leave.
Mina noticed.
"Do you like my drawing of All Might?"
Junsei stopped.
"No. It is terrible."
Silence.
Mina looked at her sketch, offended. "I know I'm not painter-quality, but calling it terrible?"
"Junsei," Momo said calmly, "the drawing is not that bad."
"But it looks nothing like All Might," Junsei replied.
Mina frowned. "Do you know how hard drawing and sketching are?"
"You draw in lines of what you see on paper."
"You're saying it as if you've never drawn anything."
"I haven't."
Jiro's eyes widened. "Are you for real?"
"Yes."
The girls stared at him.
Mina abruptly shoved a blank sheet and pencil toward him. "Here. Paper and pencil. Do a sketch."
Junsei accepted them, looking first at Mina, then at the paper.
"What should I do?"
"Draw anything you want. Or see. And see for yourself how difficult drawing really is."
Momo added, "Give it a try. You might find it fun."
Junsei regarded them for a moment, then walked to a corner of the room and sat down.
Ochako shook her head quietly. "I can't believe anyone is this old and never tried to draw before."
"He's completely different from the rest of us," Toru said.
The conversation gradually returned to internships.
Roughly twenty minutes later, Junsei stood.
"I am done."
Momo looked up. "Why don't you show us what you drew?"
Junsei turned the paper toward them.
Every single one of them froze.
Ochako leaned forward. "He drew us?"
"What the hell?" Mina whispered. "How is this a first-time drawing? It's the best sketch I've ever seen."
Tsuyu tilted her head. "If he used colors instead of just black, it would have been perfect, ribbit."
The detail was astonishing.
Jiro narrowed her eyes.
"Hold on. Who is that?"
Only then did the others notice.
Among them, perfectly rendered, was a girl none of them recognized, seated exactly where Toru had been.
Toru tilted her invisible head. "You drew her in place of me?"
"That's you," Junsei replied.
"That's not how I look."
"No. That's how you look."
A heavy silence followed.
Momo swallowed lightly. "Umm… Junsei. Do you see Toru?"
Junsei looked mildly puzzled. "Who is Toru?"
"Me!!" Toru shouted in frustration. "What do you call me if you don't know my name?"
"I was never told your name. I think of you as the naked one."
The room went still.
"And yes," Junsei added evenly, "I can see you. Why?"
Mina's hands slammed onto the table. "Wait, wait, wait. You can see her? During the Sports Festival, when she wasn't wearing a top, you saw her body?"
Junsei answered with the same straight face.
"Yes."
Toru shrieked. "You are a disgusting pervert!!"
"Why? You are the one who took off your clothes" Junsei asked calmly. "and everyone saw you."
"No, they didn't!!"
Momo said "Junsei, Toru is completely invisible, we can't see her."
"You can't see her?" Junsei asked.
Momo shook her head.
Toru said "Even I don't know what I look like!!"
Junsei pointed at the drawing and said "You look like that"