Shigaraki Tomura: "…"
What the hell just happened?
Nomu… was killed?!
His eyes widened in disbelief, words catching in his throat. "Wasn't Nomu dominating before I left? How could it be killed in such a short time?!"
Even though Shina Etsuha's abilities could restrain Nomu to some extent, Nomu's physical capabilities had been engineered to rival All Might himself. A single full-force strike from it could shatter any ice Etsuha created, while Etsuha's own attacks barely made a dent.
It had been a completely one-sided fight.
Shigaraki had been confident enough in that outcome to leave through Kurogiri's portal without hesitation.
And yet—
In the blink of an eye, the Nomu that had held the advantage was gone.
"Not at all!" Kurogiri's voice was tense, still shaken. "Shina Etsuha must have other hidden abilities. Nomu was killed instantly—there wasn't even a mark left on its body!"
Even now, he couldn't fully process what he had witnessed.
Nomu had been right behind Etsuha, ready to deliver a fatal blow.
And then—
It simply… stopped.
Like its soul had been ripped away.
Its presence vanished in an instant.
Everything had happened in less than a heartbeat.
The sheer strangeness of it sent chills down Kurogiri's spine. He hadn't even dared to stay and observe further—he had fled immediately.
There was something deeply unsettling about Etsuha.
The boy's hidden abilities seemed endless.
The last time they'd clashed, even brief contact had damaged Kurogiri's Quirk itself. If he had lingered even a moment longer this time…
He didn't dare imagine the outcome.
"…Killed instantly…"
Shigaraki's expression darkened.
That Nomu had been one of the League's greatest assets—one of their trump cards against All Might.
And yet, against Etsuha, it had fallen in a single exchange.
What kind of power could do something like that?
As the two remained unsettled, a calm voice cut through the tension.
"He's not as invincible as you think."
All For One spoke evenly.
Shigaraki turned. "Really?"
"That Nomu was indeed nearly invincible physically," All For One continued. "But its brain had been severely damaged during the modification process. In that state, a mental-type Quirk would be devastating."
He smiled faintly.
"Against such a weakness, defeating it quickly isn't difficult."
Kurogiri seemed surprised. "So that's what happened…"
"And now that he's revealed so many of his abilities," All For One went on, "I can make a reasonable guess."
His voice carried quiet confidence.
"His Quirk is likely similar to mine—an ability that allows him to wield multiple powers without conflict."
"…That powerful?" Kurogiri murmured.
"It's only a hypothesis," All For One replied. "His versatility is still far below mine. He's only just beginning."
He paused, then added calmly:
"We've gathered enough experimental subjects recently. Among them are several promising Quirks."
A faint smile formed.
"The next Nomu… will be designed specifically to deal with Shina Etsuha."
"I'll make him understand what it truly means to wish for death."
On the television screen nearby, All For One rose and walked away. The camera angle shifted slightly, revealing rows of unconscious figures laid out in a laboratory.
A few days later, at Best Jeanist's agency.
Shina Etsuha sat in the office, bored out of his mind.
As expected, the Nomu incident had not been publicly reported.
The only real gain had been information—specifically, confirmation of Shigaraki Tomura's identity.
At least now they had a face, a name, and more concrete knowledge about Nomu.
Some media outlets had still picked up fragments of the incident, framing it as a major alert. The city had grown more cautious. Suspicion toward delinquent youths had increased, and many people found themselves unfairly targeted by public fear.
More importantly, remote and isolated areas had become deserted.
Which, in turn, made it harder for the League of Villains to gather new "materials."
As for Etsuha and Yusuke Tensen—
They weren't so lucky.
Because their "patrol" had turned into a direct confrontation with Villains, both of them were temporarily restricted by Best Jeanist.
The result of the mission didn't matter.
A mistake was a mistake.
Even if Etsuha had defeated Nomu, discipline still had to be enforced—though his contributions would reduce the severity of the punishment.
Which left him…
With far too much free time.
After finishing his comic work, Etsuha idly scrolled through his phone. Before long, he noticed a group chat among manga creators buzzing with discussion.
Yamano: "Ahhh! I want to start a new manga, but I have no ideas—it's so frustrating!"
Flashing Finger Press: "Same here. The hero genre is completely saturated. I want to try something else, but I have no clue what."
Matt047 Fan: "Shina-sensei's Naruto is already topping the charts—seriously, it's insane!"
Yamano: "Of course it is! The story's so hype! The Chūnin Exams arc is absolutely fire!"
Etsuha's eyes lit up.
Discussing story ideas?
This was a perfect opportunity.
Etsuha: "I can share a few concepts."
The Strongest Hero King: "Wait—Shina-sensei is here?!"
Yamano: "@Everyone come pay your respects to the god-tier author!"
Flashing Finger Press: "What kind of concepts?"
Etsuha: "I've got several. Let's start with something called A Certain Magical Index. The worldbuilding goes like this…"
Over the course of the afternoon, Etsuha laid out multiple story concepts in detail. Each one came with a well-developed setting and plot direction.
These were creators he trusted—both in skill and integrity. If they used his ideas, his name would be credited, ensuring continued recognition.
By the time he finished—
The entire group chat had exploded.