A few minutes later, Shina Etsuha finally arrived at the station. The moment he stepped off the bus, he broke into a run, heading straight for the Heroes office.
"It's an enviable kind of talent… To have that level of strength at such a young age—even compared to that troublesome guy…"
Back on the bus, Aizawa Shouta watched Etsuha's retreating figure with his usual half-lidded, exhausted eyes, quietly thinking to himself.
Dididi…
Just then, his phone suddenly rang.
Aizawa glanced at the caller ID—and was momentarily surprised to see it was All Might. He quickly answered.
"Hello? Is this Aizawa? I'm currently in Tanshoin Town. I've run into a bit of trouble here, so it might take a few days before I can make it to U.A."
A deep, steady voice came through the phone.
"Tanshoin Town? What happened? Is it serious? Do you need nearby Heroes to assist?" Aizawa frowned slightly. For someone like All Might to describe something as "trouble" was enough to raise concern.
"Ah… it's not that serious," All Might replied. "It's just that the sludge villain's abilities exceeded my expectations. I smashed him with one punch, but his body turned liquid and escaped into the sewer. My time limit… cough, cough…"
"I see." Aizawa let out a quiet breath of relief. So it wasn't that All Might had been overpowered—it was simply that the enemy had an unusual escape method.
Even injured, All Might remained one of the strongest Pro Heroes in the world. If something truly threatened him, the entire town would already be in danger.
"It just so happens that Kamui Woods is operating near Tanshoin Town. I'll have him assist you in tracking the sludge villain."
"That would help a lot," All Might replied, clearly relieved. "That villain's quirk is troublesome. He can engulf people—and even their quirks. If civilians get involved… I wouldn't be able to forgive myself."
After hanging up, Aizawa Shouta remained thoughtful.
"A villain who can escape from All Might…"
The sludge villain's quirk was indeed terrifying. Its fluid nature made it extremely difficult to capture, and many Pro Heroes had already failed against it in the past, allowing it to act more and more recklessly.
Normally, facing All Might would have ended things instantly.
And yet… it escaped.
That meant it was likely still hiding somewhere in Tanshoin Town.
Aizawa promptly contacted nearby Hero agencies, warning them to stay alert. He even conducted a brief search himself, but tracking a villain that could liquefy at will proved nearly impossible.
In the end, he had no choice but to return to U.A.
After all, besides being a Pro Hero, he was still a teacher.
Meanwhile, Shina Etsuha had just returned to the agency when he received a new instruction from his sister, Yu Takeyama:
He needed to formally request leave from his middle school.
Etsuha sighed helplessly.
Even though he had already secured a recommendation for U.A and no longer needed to attend classes, the procedure still had to be followed. He needed an official letter signed and submitted.
But then he suddenly realized something—
"It's already the end of the school term…"
Holding the letter, Etsuha hesitated.
"If I go now… will the teacher even still be there?"
Just as he was debating whether to make the trip, something strange happened.
The drainage channel beside him began to bubble.
Dark green liquid slowly seeped out, forming a grotesque, shifting mass. Within seconds, an eye emerged from the sludge—staring directly at him.
"I didn't expect to encounter such a promising body in this city… how dangerous. But what a perfect vessel… If I take over him, my revenge will finally be within reach! Hahaha…"
The sludge surged outward, preparing to form a complete body.
BOOM!
Suddenly, a massive figure passed overhead.
With just a single step, it crushed the ground into a deep crater. In the blink of an eye, it had already moved dozens of meters away.
"What… what kind of monster is that?!"
The sludge villain trembled violently.
For a brief moment, it felt as if death itself had brushed past.
The pressure—overwhelming, suffocating—was almost identical to what it had felt when facing All Might.
"T-That's terrifying… but it doesn't seem to be here for me?"
Although the aura was monstrous, the figure's movements were strangely dull, almost mechanical. Its vacant eyes suggested a lack of intelligence, which eased the sludge villain's fear slightly.
"Hmm?"
Up ahead, Shina Etsuha suddenly stopped.
He turned sharply, his pupils shrinking as he focused on the figure in the distance.
That thing…
"…Nomu?!"