Every villain in the ballroom redirected their weapons toward Junsei. Yet Junsei had only the red-haired leader in his eyes.
The two stared at one another for a second as everyone thought this was going to become a disaster. Then David Shield lunged forward.
He grabbed Junsei's raised arm, attempting to force it downward.
"Stop!!" David shouted. "Many could die!!"
Junsei's glowing eyes shifted to him.
"Don't touch me."
The words were quiet.
David immediately stepped back, unsettled by the stare directed at him. He had no doubt in his mind that Junsei would attack him first if he dared to keep touching him.
From the stage, All Might strained against his restraints.
"Young Mori! Calm down! Thousands could die!!"
Junsei did not respond to All Might. His gaze returned to the leader.
The red-haired man cursed in his mind the situation. He considered using his Quirk to attack this lunatic in front of him. But if he did, the heroes might react and that was something he didn't want to see.
He was helpless in this situation as much as All Might and the rest of the heroes.
Junsei was about to attack. But he heard Mr Yaoyorozu whispering "Stop. Stay down."
Junsei's eyes shifted slightly for a moment. Momo Yaoyorozu's father sat among the restrained attendees, giving him an urgent look.
Junsei hesitated. He wanted to kill the man before him after attempting to take his life. But in the end, Junsei lowered his hand as his eyes locked on the leader's eyes.
"Attack me again," he said coldly, "and all of you will die."
Then he turned around, and walked back toward the dessert table.
Every person in the ballroom watched as Junsei picked up another plate and resumed eating as though nothing had occurred. But deep down, he was pondering if his agreement with Mr. Yaoyorozu made him just like the zoo animals, different reasoning but the same result.
The leader stared at him in disbelief.
"He is a lunatic," he muttered.
On the floor, still bound, All Might sighed in relief. He didn't say anything, but he somewhat agreed with the villain.
The leader straightened, regaining composure.
"All Might," he called out mockingly, "what kind of successor are you training? He is a villain."
All Might stiffened at the accusation, especially coming from the man who had taken an entire island hostage.
But before he could answer, David answered "He didn't come with All Might."
The leader glanced at David.
"No matter. You are David Shield, correct?"
——————
In the ballroom's ceiling, a wide glass viewing panel revealed part of the chaos to some of those in the third floor. And gathered there were Yaoyorozu Momo, Jiro Kyoka, Ashido Mina, Uraraka Ochaco, Iida Tenya, Midoriya Izuku, Todoroki Shoto, Melissa Shield, Kaminari Denki and Mineta Minoru.
They watched in fear. Below them, the situation was a moment away from becoming a catastrophe because of Junsei.
Jiro had one earjack embedded into the floor, listening to the conversations beneath and relaying everything to the others.
"I can't believe he just did that," Iida said, voice shaking. "He killed someone. And nearly caused a disaster."
Mina swallowed. "He went back to eating like nothing happened. He's insane."
Kaminari stared through the glass at Junsei's figure.
"I told you he's scary," he muttered. "Look at him. He's an unhinged murderer. He should be in prison, not school."
At that exact moment, Junsei's head tilted slightly. He looked upward, directly at Kaminari.
Kaminari's face drained of color.
"He heard you!" Mineta squeaked.
"I-I'm sorry!" Kaminari blurted immediately, backing away from the viewing panel. "I didn't mean it! Don't hurt me!"
Junsei looked at them for one more second, then he turned away.
Melissa's voice was quieter than the others.
"I thought you were exaggerating," she admitted. "But he's worse in person."
Her eyes remained fixed on the scene below.
"How is he any different from the villains down there?"
For once, Momo did not defend him. She simply watched Junsei standing among chaos, eating in silence, she had nothing to say to excuse what he did.
Midoriya took a deep breath and said "All Might and the heroes are unable to do anything because of the robots. We need to find a way to take the control back and free the heroes"
Melissa said "We can do that by going up to the 200th floor"
——————
Junsei listened to the conversation unfolding above. His gaze moved slowly across the masked men surrounding the hall. For a brief moment, he considered killing them all despite Mr. Yaoyorozu's earlier whisper.
If he did, Momo would not need to proceed with whatever plan was forming on the upper floor. Then he dismissed the thought .
Momo was not truly in danger, the green-haired boy could defeat any of the villains present with a single flick of his finger. Junsei had seen the destructive force the boy could release, he alone was enough.
Even if among these criminals there were individuals stronger than the purple one Junsei had just killed, the green-haired boy required only one decisive punch.
And he was not alone, there were others with her.
Junsei continued his silent observation. He noted how several villains kept their weapons subtly trained in his direction. They did not approach him, yet none allowed him to leave their sight. He could smell their fear.
His eyes shifted to the red-haired leader. Unlike the others, the man was wary but he did not emit the same scent.
He was tense and calculating but not afraid.
Suddenly, the leader turned toward him and began walking in his direction.
Junsei watched the approach without expression, though his body had already prepared to respond if necessary.
The leader stopped a few steps away.
"I thought you were a hero at first," he said. "But I was wrong about you."
His eyes flickered toward the headless corpse of his subordinate.
"You're more of a villain, no, you are a villain"
Junsei did not reply.
The leader pointed at the corpse.
"You killed someone. Even if he was one of the villains attacking the island, actions like that have consequences."
His tone became colder.
"And moments ago, we were seconds away from killing civilians. That would have brought even greater consequences."
Then a faint smile spread across his face.
"You're now a villain just like the rest of us. And even if we're captured tonight, you will still have to face the consequences of your choices and what you've done."
He tilted his head slightly.
"So I'm offering you a chance. Join us. I can now see clearly, you don't conform to society's rules. You live for yourself."
Before Junsei could respond, All Might's voice rose from the floor.
"You damn villain, what do you..."
The leader turned to All Might and interrupted him.
"Am I wrong, Symbol of Peace?"
His eyes narrowed.
"I've heard about his illegal Quirk use during the USJ incident. Then his behavior at the Sports Festival. And now this."
He gestured toward the body again.
"He will face consequences, whether you like it or not. And if he doesn't… how long before he's labeled a villain anyway? I am sure many are already thinking just like me"
All Might clenched his teeth.
"I am his teacher at U.A.," he declared. "I won't allow that to happen."
The leader faced Junsei once more.
"Deep down, you know it," he said. "You're not like these fools."
His voice lowered.
"You're a villain."
"Join me. You'll be free to use your power without restraint. No rules to bind you. Do whatever you want."
All Might's voice cut in urgently.
"Young Mori! Don't listen to him!"
Every person in the ballroom, villain or not, looked at Junsei.
In truth, most of them already thought the same thing. He was closer to a villain than a hero.
And tonight's events would follow him.
After a moment, Junsei finally said "I am not a hero nor a villain."
The leader chuckled and said "You killed someone without showing any remorse! You endanger the lives of thousands! So tell me, what's the difference between you and us?"
Junsei's expression remained the same
"Heroes and villains are driven by greed," he said. "By desire to take. They take recognition, money or anything they desire. They take as much as they can, that's all that matters."
A pause.
"I only want to live."
The leader's expression shifted slightly. That answer was unexpected.
To equate heroes and villains in the same category, especially in an era dominated by hero worship, was abnormal.
"Then it's even more reason to join us," the leader pressed. "You can have whatever you want without caring about rules. We could help each other."
He studied Junsei carefully. "What do you truly desire?"
Junsei's gaze drifted briefly toward All Might. Then across the restrained heroes and frightened civilians.
"I wish," he said quietly, "that I had never seen any of you."
The leader's smile faded.
"Remember my words," he said coldly. "You'll regret that choice tonight."
He turned away.
Across the ballroom, several people exhaled in relief. All Might closed his eyes for a moment. Junsei had not been swayed.
But none of them understood or could guess what Junsei's wish truly meant.