Toru and Kuroiro were being trained specifically for spying, while Jiro and Setsuna focused on surveillance. They rarely saw each other, as they were paired with sidekicks whose quirks best matched their own. Though they had arrived together for this internship, their paths had mostly diverged after the first day. Day after day, it was small-scale training missions—repetitive and low-stakes, but essential for sharpening their skills.

  Today, however, was different. For the first time in weeks, Toru was reunited with her friends for an actual mission—not just another exercise, but a serious operation with real stakes. And leading them was none other than her favorite Pro Heroine, Ryukyu.

  That morning, the agency had received intel about a gathering of drug dealers conducting a large transaction. The location was heavily guarded, with hired enforcers skilled at using their quirks to protect the operation. In response, a team had been assembled: Toru, Kuroiro, Jiro, and Setsuna, along with Ryukyu and two of her sidekicks. The rest of the agency’s personnel were occupied with other missions, leaving this group to handle the job. Initially, Ryukyu had been hesitant to include the interns. However, after persistent recommendations and assurances from the sidekicks who had overseen their training, she agreed—on the condition that they follow her orders to the letter.

  And so, here they were, standing with a small distance away from the building where the deal was taking place. Toru could barely contain her excitement, her hands clenching involuntarily as a wide grin spread across her face. Even Jiro flashed a small, eager smile. Kuroiro and Setsuna, on the other hand, wore more serious expressions, their focus already on the mission ahead.

  Ryukyu, in her human form, frowned slightly as she addressed them. “I understand your excitement, Jiro, Toru,” she said, her tone firm. “This is your first real mission, but don’t make the mistake of treating it like a walk in the park. Anything can go wrong out here.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Jiro replied quickly, her earphone jacks crossing in a gesture of apology. Toru nodded as well, scratching her head sheepishly. She had completely forgotten that she wasn’t currently invisible.

  Yes, she could control her quirk now. For the first time, Toru was able to make herself visible at will, an ability she had worked tirelessly to master. It was all thanks to Shin, who had guided her through the process. Without his help, it would have been impossible. She had also taken his advice and requested a suit from the Support Course students. Initially, they were unsure how to approach the task, but with the collaboration of Mei Hatsume, the genius inventor, and Momo Yaoyorozu, her resourceful classmate, they had created a suit that was nothing short of amazing.

  The suit could turn invisible alongside her, allowing her to operate without the constant fear of exposing her bare body. For the first time, she didn’t have to worry about someone possibly seeing her nudity while she was in her former hero suit, which was essentially her being entirely bare of clothes.

  And it was not just a possibility, as proven by Shin who was able to unconsciously see through it. Just remembering that event fills her with a sense of shame and humiliation. Yet in a corner of her mind, she couldn’t help but be pleased at the very fact, how at that time he had expressed him fancying to stare at her nakedness. Especially now that she had started catch feeling for him after experiencing his care and support in addition to that handsome face of his.

  Returning to the mission, Ryukyu gave the command, “Kuroiro and Toru, enter the building, find out exactly what’s going on, and report back.”

  Kuroiro vanished into the shadows, but not before securing the eye piece Setsuna had given him, using her quirk. Toru nodded in acknowledgment and followed the orders, turning herself completely invisible. She too took the eye that had been handed to her by Setsuna, who now had no eyes on her face. Toru wrapped her left hand around the eye, making it invisible as well. As she glanced at Setsuna, Toru felt a sense of disgust at both the appearance and the unsettling nature of her quirk, yet she couldn’t help but feel thankful for the power her own quirk provided.

  Without hesitation, Toru moved into the building through the front entrance, unnoticed by the guards. Inside, she found a long corridor leading to a large hall. She could see at least thirty to forty people in the room. From the white substance packets they were carrying; she identified them as likely being drug dealers. There were another fifty or so individuals armed with guns and other weapons, apparently standing guard.

  This setup was proving to be far more dangerous than Toru had originally anticipated. She had expected a small-time deal or transaction, but instead, she had walked into what appeared to be a massive gang gathering. She hadn’t even explored the other rooms yet, which could be just as crowded.

  Toru stepped into a corner, checking her surroundings to make sure no one was watching. She slightly unclenched her left hand, allowing the eye resting there to show her what was inside. This was her method of reporting her findings back to the team. Even though the eye was far from Setsuna, it was still connected to her in some way, enabling Setsuna to see exactly what Toru was seeing. Whenever Toru sensed someone might be looking her way, she quickly closed her hand, making the eye invisible again. When she was certain no one was paying attention, she’d open her hand and Setsuna could continue observing through the eye.

  But Toru didn’t stop there. She proceeded to check the other rooms, only to discover they were also packed with people. The worst-case scenario was unfolding—this wasn’t just a small drug deal but something far larger and more dangerous. Despite that, she was confident that with Ryukyu’s help, they could shut it down swiftly. But in order for that to happen, every bit of information about this place had to be sent to her as quickly as possible.

  When it wasn’t possible to make the eye visible, Toru resorted to tapping the floor with her knuckles, using tap code. It was a discreet method of communication when silence was required. You might be wondering how the team could pick up on these taps? That’s where Jiro’s quirk came into play. She could listen to the vibrations, make sense of the chaotic signals, and relay the information back to the team.

  In this way, Toru and Kuroiro split the work and managed to cover the massive building within an hour. Most of the rooms were empty, aside from the five main halls where all the transactions were taking place. Throughout the mission, both Toru and Kuroiro quietly eliminated many of the guards stationed outside, easing the workload for Ryukyu and her sidekicks, who were more suited for combat than reconnaissance.

  Once their part was done, Toru and Kuroiro stepped outside, only to find that reinforcements had arrived from the agency. Some of their mentors, who had trained them during the internship, were there too. Toru even got the chance to see Ryukyu transform into her dragon form up close.

  Ryukyu’s dragon form was massive and imposing. Her body was covered in smooth, skin-colored scales, and her wings were large and strong, built for flight. Her head was sharp and angular, with glowing eyes that held a calm intensity. Her tail was long, tapering to a point, and her entire form seemed to radiate power. Ryukyu turned her head toward the interns and said, “Now stay while we deal with this mess.”

  She then took off into the air, her sidekicks on her back, and crashed into the building. With their help, Ryukyu quickly took down everyone involved, and within half an hour, she had arrested them all, just as the police arrived to take over the scene making the mission a complete success.

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  ……

  Dodging the sword that was incoming, Ida shifted on his right heel and threw a kick that had been enhanced with his speed towards the villain he was fighting. However, his strike missed as the enemy dodged backward, taking a somersault while also swinging both his katanas horizontally in a cross action. This prompted Ida to stop his charge while backing off to create a small distance from his enemy.

  This was because he knew exactly who he was fighting. After all, this was a villain that had attacked his brother, paralyzing him completely and therefore ending his hero career. This was the Hero Killer Stain. According to his brother, Stain had the ability to completely paralyze someone if he consumed their blood, and therefore Ida couldn’t allow Stain’s sword to cut him. If that happened, it would be the end of him.

  And why was he fighting Stain, you ask? At first, he wanted revenge on him. However, after being convinced by his classmates, he didn’t take that approach. Still, while patrolling during his internship, he had heard a sound—a scream—from a dark alley. And he had to investigate, even though he felt the danger. There, he found Stain attacking and trying to kill a hero. The wrath that had been suppressed and calmed by his friends erupted, and he attacked Stain while also preventing him from killing the hero.

  Immediately after, he instructed the hero to run and bring reinforcements while he started fighting Stain. Not to kill him, because he wanted to be a hero, not a villain. No matter how much he wanted vengeance, he would not stoop to that, because his brother would be ashamed of him. Additionally, it was because he had promised his friends that he would not kill Stain, and he intended to keep his promise.

  As he prepared to confront Stain again, knowing he couldn’t let him escape, especially with the chance he had, Stain looked up, clicked his tongue, and voiced out, “Kurogiri, I know you are there listening. Take care of this pest for me. Don’t kill him; he is just a young man and has nothing to do with my plans. If you dare kill him, I’ll kill you all.”

  Suddenly, a purple cloud he recognized all too well appeared, and he raised his guard. He had to be ready for anything to emerge from it, as he’d seen this very purple mist during the USJ incident. From that purple cloud emerged a monster, an abomination. It was very similar to the Nomu that had appeared during the USJ incident.

  However, this time it was completely black, and instead of a brain-like skull, it had a white skeletal head. It was muscular and exuded strength from all its limbs. The purple cloud vanished after that, while the Nomu fixed its threatening gaze on Ida. Surprisingly, it opened its mouth and giggled in a harsh voice, “Ha ha ha, a prey to hunt. Sadly, I can’t kill you, but I will have fun with you.”

  By looking at the Nomu in front of him, Ida knew that he could not defeat it. He gritted his teeth hard in indignation, realizing he would have to let Stain escape. However, as the Nomu jumped toward him, he heard a voice behind him, a voice that surprised him and made him smile. Within a second, before the Nomu could even reach him, it was sent flying as Ida saw his friend, Izuku, who had delivered a punch, arrive in front of him.

  “Are you okay?” Izuku asked with concern. “I sensed something was wrong and had to come. Thankfully, I got here in time to save you. You go deal with Stain. I’ll handle this Nomu.”

  Ida nodded at this but still expressed his concern. “Would you really be able to deal with him all alone? I think he’s stronger than the Nomu that attacked USJ. It can even talk.”

  “Huh, it can talk? Really?” Izuku turned his surprised face to the Nomu, now standing back up and glaring at them angrily. He continued, “That’s interesting, but I don’t think you need to worry about me. After all, I’m not alone. I’ve brought reinforcements with me.”

  Before the Nomu could completely stand up, however, it was hit with a torrent of flames, and an explosion occurred simultaneously, blowing its arms into bits. Ida was completely flabbergasted and recognized who the reinforcements were. It was Todoroki and Bakugo, who were both interning at Endeavor’s agency. It wasn’t too surprising for them to appear here, given that this was the main city where Endeavor’s agency was located. Still, he was shocked to see that all four of them had gathered in one place, united in this moment of danger.

  Todoroki, who had appeared amidst the flames, looked back at him and said, “Go. We’ll take care of him. Defeat Stain. Beat him up as much as you like. Take out whatever frustrations you have on him. Just make sure not to kill him.”

  Ida smiled, feeling happy. He also saw Bakugo, who was looking at him intently. He thanked them and launched himself in the direction Stain had fled.

  It didn’t take much effort to reach him. Since Stain was more focused on running, he didn’t notice Ida closing in from behind. Ida seized the perfect opportunity to slam a kick directly into Stain’s face. A complete surprise attack, one that Stain probably didn’t see coming at all, as it sent him flying into a building beside him.

  However, Stain was quite resilient, throwing his katana directly at Ida’s face. Thankfully, Ida was alert and observing every move. He dodged the attack and simultaneously unleashed a move he’d created himself, inspired by his brother. He felt it was fitting to end things that way, believing his brother’s revenge would be fulfilled. He kicked the very air with such force that a slash of wind flew toward his enemy.

  The resulting attack was impossible for Stain to dodge. Though he tried, he was pinned against the wall by the force of the previous blow, leaving him trapped. Ida didn’t let up, continuing to attack Stain with his kicks, letting out all his frustration. He kept going even after realizing his enemy was unconscious, unable to control his own wrath. Slowly, though, he stopped. Thankfully, Stain hadn’t died from his brutal onslaught.

  Looking at the mess he had caused, Ida felt both slightly satisfied and slightly guilty. He knew he had crossed the line and attacked Stain too much. He was sure Stain would have many broken bones and suspected he himself would face reprimand from the police or even his brother. He then scooped up Stain but not before binding his hands with the bandages already on his body and throwing away his katanas. With that done, he ran back to the scene where his friends were likely still fighting the Nomus.

  When he arrived, he was surprised. Although he hadn’t felt much time pass, it had been over 25 minutes since he’d left. The battlefield had changed dramatically. It wasn’t just his friends now—there were four or five Nomus of varying sizes and shapes, all being dealt with by the heroes from Endeavor’s agency. Even among so many people, Ida could clearly see his friends handling most of the Nomus on their own. Watching them, he realized how much each of them had grown.

  Todoroki, who had once refused to use his fire side, was now wielding it like an expert, blasting Nomus and preventing them from regenerating. He even used his ice strategically, controlling the battlefield and assisting the other heroes.

  Midoriya was fighting two Nomus by himself. Instead of just holding them off, he was overwhelming them with sheer power. His fighting style was reminiscent of All Might’s, but with his own flair—especially his devastating kicks.

  Then there was Bakugo, supporting both his friends and the other heroes. His behavior was worlds apart from when he’d first joined UA. The old Bakugo would have tried to take down all the abominations alone, berating the other heroes along the way. Now, he was calm and effective, leading like a natural-born leader.

  Even Ida himself had grown. His speed and mastery over his quirk had improved drastically. Reflecting on his past, he couldn’t help but cringe at his former prideful, over-the-top persona. Though not entirely proud of his current self, he was undoubtedly better than before.

  It wasn’t just UA that had made them stronger—it was one person in particular. A classmate who had become like a teacher to them all. This person inspired them, and pushing them to grow and mature. Thanks to him, they were now strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with even some of the pro heroes. As he processed all this, the heroes and his classmates worked together to defeat the Nomus, extinguish the spreading fires, and bring an end to what could have been a devastating nightmare.

  ……

  Putting down the tools she had been using, Momo comfortably settled into the chair behind her. She exhaled deeply, wiped the sweat off her forehead, and looked up at the finished creation she had been tirelessly working on for the past five days. A bright smile spread across her face as she basked in the euphoria of this phenomenal success.

  Two identical guns lay on the table, their black metal frames filled with golden engravings and were embedded with glowing purple gemstones. Their barrels were thick and intricately detailed, while the grips featured delicate patterns that added to their sleek, regal appearance.

  “These two were really tough to create,” Momo muttered, her face filled with exhaustion. “Though, surprisingly, it didn’t take as long as I initially thought it would. Ha… Just from how they look, no one would ever guess the sheer amount of technology packed into these two handguns. I’ve incorporated everything I could possibly learn about compression, storage, and transformation ever since I stepped foot on I-Island to craft this masterpiece.”

  Momo couldn’t contain her joy at finally completing what she currently considered her most important project. After all, this was something requested by her lovely boyfriend, Shin. She could hardly wait to see the look on his face when he realized that she had actually managed to finish creating it— and that too in less than a month.