The ballroom on the second floor of the I-Island Central Tower was already full of attendees by the time Junsei and Mr. Yaoyorozu arrived. A gathering of investors, scientists and pro heroes dressed in their hero attire or formal wear all conversing amongst themselves.
Mr. Yaoyorozu scanned the hall. "It seems my daughter is not here yet, but that's fine. There is still time before my announcement."
He then turned to Junsei.
"I will be speaking with some acquaintances. Feel free to walk around and enjoy yourself."
He paused, as though remembering something.
"The best food and desserts are served along the eastern side of the hall. You may enjoy them."
A faint smile formed on his lips.
"But leave something for the others."
With that, Mr. Yaoyorozu did not waste time. He stepped in and merged seamlessly into the surrounding circles of conversation, already shaking hands and exchanging polite laughter.
Junsei remained near the entrance. He watched the older man for several seconds.
Then his gaze shifted.
He began scanning the hall for what truly matters, and before long he located the long tables lined with desserts and drinks.
He was about to move when a loud voice boomed behind him.
"Sure is lively already here, David." All Might said
Another voice answered calmly, "What else did you expect?"
Junsei did not need to turn to recognize the presence of All Might.
"I expected this place to fill up a little later," All Might continued. "It feels early compared to the last time I was here."
Beside him walked David Shield.
As the two men passed Junsei, All Might suddenly stopped.
He stared.
Junsei met his gaze without expression.
One silent second passed between them.
Then All Might's wide smile stretched across his face.
"Young Mori! I didn't think you would be here!!"
Junsei's eyes drifted past him, toward the dessert table across the ballroom. Without responding, he began walking. He had no interest in this dreadful man.
Behind him, All Might remained still. He could not help but wonder how many times Junsei had ignored him by now. And why does he seem to always be eager to walk away from him? Junsei was a mystery to him.
David Shield frowned as he watched Junsei's retreating figure.
"He is a rude one, Toshi. Where do you know him from?"
"That is Mori Junsei," All Might replied. "The student I told you about."
David's frown deepened.
"So he is the one responsible for your current state. It looks like he holds a grudge against you. Perhaps his attack was intentional."
All Might shook his head and lowered his voice.
"No, David. He aggravated the injury, but he is not responsible for it. And I do not consider it his fault that it worsened. You are overthinking this."
He added quietly, "Young Mori has special circumstances. He behaves like that with everyone."
A small laugh escaped him.
"I am already used to being ignored by him. Hahaha."
David sighed.
"Toshi, you are too good-hearted to know better."
All Might frowned. "What is that supposed to mean?"
David chuckled lightly. "Forget it. Let us enjoy the party."
Across the hall, Junsei had already forgotten about the man whose presence carried the scent of death.
Soon, his attention was now entirely devoted to the dessert table. He sampled everything his eyes landed on without any pause. For several minutes, nothing else existed. But then a man's voice echoed through the speakers, politely requesting All Might to take the stage and deliver a speech.
And soon enough, applause followed as All Might ascended the stage. But just as he was about to start speaking, an alert rang through the hall.
Imminently, heavy metal doors began sliding shut. Simultaneously, sections of the floor split open and from the openings emerged blue glowing metallic, snake-like devices that shot upward and coiled around the pro heroes in attendance. The restraints tightened instantly, immobilizing them.
Gasps filled the hall.
Then individuals wearing helmets and carrying weapons rushed in, firing several shots into the ceiling to silence the growing panic.
A red-haired man stepped forward and positioned himself beside All Might.
"This party ends here," he announced coldly. "From this moment on, this place is under our control."
All Might strained against the metallic bindings, clearly intending to break free.
The red-haired man kicked him to the ground.
"If I were you, Symbol of Peace, I would remain obediently on the ground," he warned. "Or the entire island will pay the price."
At that moment, the enormous screens on the wall that were displaying presentations shifted to live footage from across the island. Scientists and their families are all surrounded by security robots that are being controlled by the villains.
"We are taking the entire island hostage," the red-haired man declared. "If any of you heroes attempt to resist, you already know how ugly the outcome will be."
All Might clenched his teeth.
"Damn villains…"
At the dessert table, Junsei glanced briefly toward the stage. Then toward the other side of the ballroom where Mr. Yaoyorozu was standing. The man noticed Junsei's stare and immediately shook his head clearly signaling him to not do anything.
This attack did not concern him and if those men didn't come after him, he wouldn't seek trouble with them. So Junsei returned to his plate. But unintentionally, that was precisely what drew the villains' attention.
While the heroes lay bound and furious, while civilians shook in fear, one person stood calmly at the side of the hall with a plate in his hand and a spoon between his lips. It was too eye-catching.
The shortest of the masked villains marched toward him immediately with a gun raised the moment he noticed him.
"What do you think you're doing?" the man barked. "On your knees. Now."
Every eye in the ballroom turned. All stared at Junsei as though he had lost his mind.
How could he be eating at a time like this?
To them, he was either insane or deliberately provoking the villains.
Most assumed the former.
On the stage, the red-haired leader narrowed his eyes.
"Oh," he said slowly. "I recognize you. You're the one who injured All Might months ago!"
His lips curved slightly.
"When I first heard that the great Symbol of Peace had been seriously injured by a child, I became very interested. And then I heard the rumors that you might be his successor."
A pause.
"So I suppose he brought you here, didn't he?"
Several villains lifted their guns and aimed them at Junsei.
The red-haired man chuckled. "So does All Might give you the courage to act like nothing is happening? Or are you searching for an opportunity to play hero?"
His smile vanished.
"We are here for real business. Not children's games."
The short villain in front of Junsei suddenly slapped the plate from his hand. It struck the floor and shattered.
All Might's voice thundered from the stage. "Stop it!! Leave him alone!!"
The leader's grin widened. "Teach him what the real world looks like."
The short man aimed his gun at Junsei and fired.
Everyone expected Junsei to fall with some averting their eyes from the tragedy that was about to happen.
Instead, his eyes began to glow faintly as he looked down at the man before him. The bullet that was meant to hurt or even kill him could only damage his clothes without breaking his skin.
The short man didn't even have a chance to realize his bullet didn't do anything before Junsei's hand rose and seized the short villain's helmeted head.
Junsei tightened his grip and the helmet began to crack under the pressure immediately.
The man groaned loudly before his body began to expand. Muscles swelled grotesquely as the clothes tore apart and his skin turned purple. He became a purple monster with two giant arms out of proportions with the rest of his body.
He roared and grabbed Junsei's arm, attempting to crush it. But moments later, the purple monster dropped to its knees. It trembled and howled in pain. He was not strong enough to break free.
The red-haired leader reacted instantly, he aimed and fired a bullet straight at Junsei's head. The bullet struck Junsei's forehead and stopped, as if it had collided with iron.
The leader's expression hardened. "You think you can play the hero?"
He turned abruptly and fired at a nearby attendee.
The bullet struck the man's shoulder. He collapsed, blood pooling beneath him.
"Look carefully, this is because of you" the leader said coldly. "and if you continue your childish game, the entire island dies because of you."
On stage, All Might strained against his restraints. "Damn villain! You will pay for this!"
The leader laughed "Tell your brat to stop resisting, and I might allow him to live past tonight."
All Might's jaw tightened. If he broke free now, the robots across the island would execute civilians. He was truly helpless in this situation.
So he looked at Junsei.
"Young Mori," he said firmly, "let go of that villain."
Junsei's gaze shifted from the writhing monster to the red-haired leader. His mind recalled the zoo animals accepting the humans' rules and control.
"So I should surrender my life," he said evenly, "or the people of the island die?"
The leader raised an eyebrow at the emotionless face before him.
"Release my man. I will count to three," he replied. "Then I order my men to attack the civilians. immediately."
Junsei replied with the same cold tone "No."
In the next instant, his hand holding the monster head released an explosion that enveloped the villain's head. The next moment, the monster body collapsed backward headless.
The sight froze all the villains.
Junsei looked straight into the leader's eyes.
"If you want my life," he said coldly, "or my freedom… I will take yours. I do not care about anything else."
Shock flashed across the leader's face. This was not how the scenario was meant to unfold. No hero behaved this way.
The leader clenched his teeth.
"You think I'm bluffing?!" he shouted. "Point all robots' weapons at the civilians!"
On the massive screens, security robots released their guns and aimed at clusters of terrified families.
Junsei did not respond. He began walking toward the leader.
On the side of the hall, David Shield, who had been stunned by the turn of events, suddenly surged to his feet.
"STOP!!" he shouted. "Are you insane?!"
All Might's voice followed. "Junsei! This will become a tragedy! Please stop!"
Junsei raised his hand toward the leader. His intent was clear.
Even the red-haired man knew it now. The person approaching him was a lunatic. He truly did not care about the civilians' fate.
The leader knew if the order to fire was given, every hero in the hall would break free in desperation and escape would become impossible.
If he doesn't give the order, this lunatic will attack him and this operation will turn into pure chaos. The heroes will break free to mitigate the damage leading to the same result.
He didn't know what to do, either way, he and his group would be taken down. He cursed whoever said this lunatic is a future hero. He was a villain.