Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
Matsumoto Shizue / President of the Japanese Hunting Association – Pov.
"Then it's all decided, we'll organize everything on our end, and we'll send you a list of participants shortly." I said firmly, and I could see the president of the Korean Hunting Association, Go Gunhee, nodding in agreement.
"Of course, we will do the same. It's decided, in a month and a half, on November 19th, the fourth search and destroy raid on Jeju Island will take place, a joint effort between the Korean Hunters Association and the Japanese Hunters Association." Go Gunhee said firmly; even through the screen, I could see her eyes shining brightly.
"The Japanese Government and the Japanese Hunting Association eagerly anticipate the success of the raid; we will be in touch." I said firmly as I bowed slightly.
"And so are we. Good luck." Go Gunhee said with a firm nod before the call cut off. I just stared at the black screen before sighing. I ran a hand over my face as I swiveled my chair and stood up. I took a phone from one of the desk drawers and dialed a number.
"Matsumoto." Listen to the voice on the other end of the phone.
"Goto-san," I said politely. "It's settled. The fourth incursion to Jeju has been authorized by both governments. A date has been set in a month and a half." I said, getting straight to the point. The phone remained silent for a few moments.
"Good," Goto said. I could hear a hint of excitement in her voice. "I'll make sure Draw Sword is ready. I suppose the plans are still on track?" Goto asked directly.
"Yes, the plan remains the same: to take advantage of the incursion and assault to annihilate the Korean hunters present on Jeju." I said easily, as if it were a given.
"Well, what about Hebert?" Goto asked, and I grimaced at that.
"With all due respect, Goto-san, is the foreign girl really necessary? At this point, she'd cause more problems than she solves. I'm sure we can push your promotion to national rank on your merits alone." I said with a grimace.
"On the contrary, Matsumoto, with Hebert returning from the United States without accepting the government's offer to stay there and instead going back to Japan, I have no doubt that the Federal Bureau of Hunters will strongly oppose my promotion, solely as 'revenge' for taking one of their S ranks."
"Therefore, getting rid of Hebert now is more necessary than ever. Hebert's popularity not only grew in Japan but also in the United States during her internship. Hebert's death at the height of her fame will definitely have a greater impact. Being the one to avenge her and continue her 'legacy' and Ryuma's legacy will be more than enough to ensure no one opposes my promotion to national rank," Goto said maliciously. I just snorted and frowned.
"I'll see what I can do." I grunted firmly.
"Do it," Goto ordered as she hung up. I clicked my tongue, grabbed the phone, and threw it back into the drawer before pulling out a second phone and dialing one of the few available numbers.
"Matsumoto, good news?" I heard the lazy voice on the other end of the phone.
"Zenin-sama." I said politely upon hearing Naoka Zenin's voice. "The raid on Jeju has been confirmed for a month and a half from now. Goto-san and Draw Sword have already been notified and are preparing." I said without hesitation, and I heard Naoya's voice hum.
"Well, my mother is waiting for results," Naoka said dully. "I suppose they'll continue with that plan to kill the S-ranks in Korea, won't they?" Naoka asked matter-of-factly.
"Yes, we're doing it." Confirm quickly. Naoka hummed softly.
"You know... it might be a good idea if you considered adding Izumi Miyamura to the raid, you know, as Ryuma's grandson and demonstrating such... a level of power, I'm sure it would be good for the Japanese government to showcase the power of... youth and all that." She said, and I could hear the malicious tone in her voice. It wasn't a suggestion; it was an order. She wanted Miyamura to go; she wanted him to die, just like the Korean hunters. I gritted my teeth.
"I... I don't know if I can do it if Ryuma-sama gets involved." I tried to remain neutral.
"But you can do it, right?" Naoka asked in the same tone of voice—no, it was colder, the threat implicit. Either I complied or I'd be replaced, and I wouldn't get out alive. I suppressed the urge to shudder.
"I'll make sure it gets resolved." I forced myself to say it as I closed my eyes. I could hear Naoka's laughter.
"Good, I'm glad we're on the same page, Matsumoto. I'll go tell my mother about the raid, and remember, this stays between us." Naoka threatened again as she hung up. I looked at my phone.
"Damn it! Two teenagers! I have to find a way to send and kill two teenagers on an international raid!! One of the most important raids in the world!" I yelled in fury. Damn Hebert and Miyamura. And they weren't just any two unknown students, no! They had to be Ryuma's damn grandson and his fiancée, Shusui's heir.
Their political influence and public visibility were too great; not only did they have Ryuma defending them, but also that damned Nezu. That scheming rat.
I took a deep breath as I began to calm down. After a few minutes, I picked up my phone and put it back in the drawer. Finally, I took out my work phone and dialed a specific number, but I paused and stared at it for a few seconds, several thoughts racing through my head. Finally, I sighed and called the number. Just like the previous calls, the call connected immediately.
"Matsumoto, how did the meeting go?" Madam President asked immediately.
"The incursion to Jeju Island has been confirmed for a month and a half from now." I said immediately, and I could hear a sigh of relief on the other end of the phone.
"Well, well, just what we needed. With the damned All For One incident on Kamino, and the recent disaster with the Shie Hassaikai in Kyoto, we definitely need a victory from somewhere. The Japanese government is going crazy and they're betting everything on Goto; if she's named National Hunter, it could ease some tensions both within the country and abroad." Madam President said, and I snorted.
"I know, you don't need to tell me about it. I've had enough talks with those idiots to get the raid going as fast as possible." I grunted in annoyance. Madam President snorted.
"So? A month and a half, huh? That would be... before or after the Hero Billboard Chart JP." Madam President asked quickly. I frowned, trying to quickly recall the dates.
"The Hero Billboard Chart is still on... November 26th, right? So earlier. A week earlier. The incursion will be on November 19th." Confirm immediately. "We'll make the official announcement to the public in a couple of weeks when we finish polishing all the details with the Koreans." I said while humming.
"Perfect, with the incursion being a success, the general public's approval will be extremely positive, and All Might's absence for the first time in decades from the Hero Billboard Chart should be sufficiently cushioned," Madam President said with a sigh of relief, and I hummed lightly.
"And what if... we make this a... joint effort? The hunters with the heroes." I hummed softly. Madam President remained silent.
"You want to send one of my heroes to that hellhole? They're heroes, not hunters," Madam President snapped.
"And yet, the HPSC would benefit from the visibility by bringing a hero on the raid," I said easily. Madam President remained silent, knowing I was right. "And don't worry, in fact, I have some... suggestions that could benefit the HPSC and Japan in general," I said gently.
"Who? We can't send Endeavour," Madam President said immediately.
"It's not Endeavor," I said immediately. "I was thinking more about… Izumi Miyamura and Taylor Hebert," I said casually. Madam President remained silent, long enough to actually wonder if she had hung up on me.
"Do you want to... send two students to Jeju?" Madam President hissed, and I snorted.
"Don't come at me with your false justice, Madam President. You would do the same if necessary, and in fact, you were an enabler." I mocked her. I could hear her teeth grinding.
"Was it the Zenin?" she asked, almost resigned. I sighed. Of course she could put two and two together; she wasn't stupid. Even with the Zenin's support, becoming president of the HPSC wasn't easy. She was the one who had given the Zenin the most information about Miyamura and his girls.
"You know I can't confirm that," I scoffed, though well, that was as good a confirmation as saying it outright. And from Madam President's hiss, she knew it too.
"So, you want them killed in Jeju? I thought you wanted to have them both, all of them, especially Miyamura, under your control." Madam President hissed, and I rolled my eyes.
"Another thing I can't confirm," I repeated. "But hypothetically speaking, it's possible that one or both of them might be too problematic to keep under control," I said vaguely.
I wasn't really aware of what had happened. I knew Miyamura had gone to the Zenin estate and come out completely unharmed. There had also been some kind of confrontation, because Akari Shimizu was called in to heal someone there, but the Zenin were trying to keep the whole thing quiet.
The fact that Miyamura emerged completely unscathed from the confrontation with the Zenin while taking two of their members to UA, while the Zenin themselves needed a healer of Shimizu's level, meant that they had underestimated him and Miyamura was much stronger, strong enough to hurt the Zenin.
That… had different implications.
For a moment, the thought of using Miyamura and pitting him directly against the Zenin crossed my mind. In the best-case scenario, all the Zenin would end up completely dead, and I'd be free to remain in my position without any rope around my neck like a slave.
But I quickly dismissed that idea. To entrust my life to a teenager who spent his time clowning around and picking up women left and right... well, I'd be crazy if that day came.
Especially because if the Zenin had the slightest suspicion that I was involved in any way, I would die anyway before Miyamura could kill them.
It wasn't worth taking the risk. As long as I fulfilled the Zenin's requests, they mostly left me free to do as I pleased; it was best to keep them happy.
"Damn it." Madam President grunted, bringing me back into the conversation. "I hope you have some ideas," Madam President finally said. I hummed.
"Some. The main one, Taylor Hebert, is able to control insect monsters with her quirk. It should be easy to take her to Jeju just for that," I said easily. Madam President paused momentarily.
"That's a good idea," Madam President hummed.
"We'll even put her with other S-Rank hunters," I added with a hum. An S-Rank capable of getting the job done. And that would be the easiest part; Hebert's rank, though high, definitely wouldn't cover the entirety of Jeju Island.
The Koreans wanted to broadcast the raid and recapture of the island, and the cameraman would follow the main Korean team against the ant queen. Meanwhile, both Hebert and Miyamura would be completely unprotected. We might have to get rid of one of our hunters, just so it wouldn't look suspicious.
Hmm, I'd have to think about it carefully.
"You—" Madam President said bitterly, but stopped mid-sentence. I almost snorted; at least the woman knew what not to say on the phone. "And Miyamura?" she asked with a sigh.
"From what I could gather about him, he likes to fight, and he's also stupid and recklessly protective of his partners. Just offer him a trip to Jeju with Hebert. He'll accept immediately," I said, shrugging. Madam President snorted heavily.
"Yes, because it won't raise any suspicions for Ryuma, or especially for Nezu. We can't fool Nezu, he'll notice immediately." Madam President grumbled. I grimaced because, yes, that annoying rat would notice without hesitation.
"I might be able to handle that myself. Two separate invitations. You invite Hebert, I'll take care of Miyamura," I said, thinking quickly. "Let's say... one invitation. Based on his performance against All For One and Overhaul, he's capable of fighting at a level close to S-rank, no doubt. I'll just tell him that the Japanese government can't do without more S-rank fighters for the raid, but since Miyamura is still in training, he's not technically a fully-fledged hunter yet."
"As insurance, we'll beg him. We'll be so worried about our hunters that we want everything to go well. He's a man, I'm sure he'll agree." I said almost dismissively. Madam President sighed wearily.
"I hope you know what you're doing," Madam President said resignedly. "I'll take care of Hebert. You owe me one," Madam President said before hanging up. I grimaced. That was the best I'd get from her, and it was better than nothing.
I sighed wearily as I slumped back in my seat. I still had a dozen more calls to make, but my mental exhaustion was already at its peak. I sighed again, opened one of the drawers, and took out a glass, then a bottle of whiskey. I opened it without hesitation and began pouring it into the glass.
I set the open bottle aside and started drinking from the glass. I winced as the alcohol burned the back of my throat, but I kept drinking.
Author's Notes: Jeju is confirmed! Now, about these two chapters. I had planned to put them at the end of all the POVs, but I decided to write them first, just to have a sort of event calendar.
The next arc, which is coming up, will be the UA Cultural Festival. It shouldn't be long, but the chapters will mainly focus on Izumi and the girls, more like slice-of-life stories than anything else. There will probably be a lot of interaction with Eri, mainly to see how the dynamic of adopting her works out. I'm totally in favor; Eri is the most adorable thing in BNHA that needs to be adopted, and she will be, as long as the other characters aren't overshadowed too much. Some are already lagging a bit behind, so I'll use this arc to see how it all turns out.
Speaking of which, I had planned to include different POVs from various girls in Class 1-A who aren't part of the main group, simply to show their reactions to Izumi and the others' craziness. However, since there's more than a month until the festival (current date in the novel is October 2nd, the festival is on November 12th), I might use that month to also include different POVs from various girls throughout that time, instead of posting them all now.
As I said, nothing really 'interesting' should happen, just a lot of random and light stuff.
Now, once the festival ends (November 12th in the novel), Jeju will begin almost immediately; there's only a week's difference, so nothing will happen in between. After Jeju (November 19th), there will be another month of Izumi's Shenanigans and the rest until Christmas (which, I still don't know which arc will be placed in that month, so for now, it's a surprise, even to me), and then Izumi and Azula's journey to the Fire Nation will begin.
So… now we have a sort of calendar to guide us.
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