( ・ω・)The next day…
Maki woke up and noticed arms wrapped around his waist.
He opened his eyes and looked down. Nemuri and Mei were clinging to him like koalas.
He wanted to get up, but the two were holding him in place.
So he had no choice but to wait for them to wake up.
Before anything else, he opened his system again. It was a daily habit.
Nothing had changed except his points.
From 804… to 1200.
They kept increasing for some reason, but he didn't think too much about it.
Then he checked the second panel.
Still on cooldown.
He closed the system.
He began thinking about what Nemuri had said yesterday.
Identity checking.
And it was happening today.
But what would happen after that?
That was what he really wanted to know.
He had already been kicked out of the examination. Whether he passed or failed didn't matter much to him.
He looked down again at the sleeping faces of Mei and Nemuri.
Nemuri had told him before that their world's population was decreasing each day because of anomaly attacks. The hierarchy was unequal.
Only the strongest survived.
He knew this setting. But he didn't want to jump to conclusions.
He had seen how Thanos acted as a villain for his own reasons. In some twisted way, he saw him as a visionary trying to save the universe from itself rather than a man driven purely by malice.
He viewed this world differently.
But he still knew what was good and what was evil.
As he looked at the two women beside him, he asked himself something.
Was he strong enough to protect someone?
Back in his hometown, he would have answered yes without hesitation.
When it came to street fights and brawls, he used whatever was available to win.
"Fear No Fish."
That was their town's mantra.
They didn't just fight for food in the sea.
They also fought rebels who tried to sabotage their town. Invasions often led to mass displacement. Residents fled violence and harsh occupation. They were people running from the government, seeking shelter in secluded places.
Their town was one of those places.
And that was when he lost his father.
The memory made his chest tighten.
Tears slipped from his eyes.
He couldn't stop them.
That was when he learned how unfair the world was. Anyone could die when fate decided.
Now that he was here… he didn't know if he was strong enough to protect someone.
Maybe not even himself.
Mei and Nemuri were already awake.
But they didn't dare look up.
They could hear his heartbeat getting louder and faster.
They heard him sob softly.
So they stayed still.
Silent.
It hurt them to realize that they didn't truly know who he was.
Not even a little.
((o(￣ー￣)o))At the entrance of U.A., a police car was parked.
Inside were two people.
One was a man wearing a brown coat.
The other was a woman in a white sweater.
It was Naomasa Tsukauchi.
A key detective and a close friend of All Might.
A tall man with short black hair and rectangular eyes. He was almost always seen wearing a tan trench coat and matching fedora. In later years, he looked more exhausted, sporting a goatee and dark bags under his eyes.
He was highly intelligent, professional, and strictly adhered to the law. Despite his rigid nature, he was deeply empathetic, believing that even villains were not always a lost cause.
He was one of the few people Toshinori Yagi fully trusted.
Beside him was his sister.
Makoto Tsukauchi.
She was fashionable and attractive, with a slim build. Her jet-black hair reached her mid-to-lower back and was often parted to the right. Like her brother, she had naturally black irises but usually wore bright green contact lenses.
A beauty mark rested on the lower left corner of her mouth.
Makoto was sharp and charismatic, far more rebellious than her rule-abiding brother.
Unlike Naomasa, she was suspicious of authority and prone to challenging rules, though she avoided illegal acts.
She was skilled at social engineering and knew how to get her way, sometimes using subtle manipulation.
Since childhood, she had used her Quirk to tease her brother, often asking uncomfortable questions to force him to tell the truth.
Makoto possessed the Polygraph Quirk.
Through direct physical contact, she could detect lies by monitoring physiological signals like heart rate. However, her ability could be bypassed if someone genuinely believed their own lie or remained perfectly calm.
Naomasa possessed a similar Quirk.
Lie Detection.
Yesterday, they had received an urgent call from All Might.
The details were to be discussed at U.A.
Naomasa, being a close friend, immediately agreed to help.
Makoto, however, became curious. The lack of details intrigued her.
So she followed him.
After passing through the white walls, their car continued toward the main gate of U.A.
When they arrived, All Might was already waiting, waving his hand.
After parking in the underground lot, they entered the elevator in the basement.
All Might thanked Naomasa for coming despite his busy schedule and greeted Makoto warmly.
The siblings returned the greeting.
They briefly discussed the recent case of the escaped prisoner from Impel Down.
It was a rare situation.
Makoto listened carefully.
But All Might still hadn't mentioned the reason for the call.
The elevator brought them to the 49th floor, where Nezu's office was located.
They knocked.
A cute voice responded, "Come in."
Inside, Nezu sat in his small chair, reading a file.
"Good morning, Naomasa. Makoto as well. Thank you for arriving," Nezu said.
"Principal Nezu. It's been a while," Naomasa replied.
Makoto bowed slightly. "Good morning."
Nezu smiled and offered them breakfast, coffee, tea, and snacks.
They both chose coffee.
After a short break, Naomasa finally asked,
"Principal Nezu, why did you call me here?"
The atmosphere grew heavier.
Nezu simply smiled.
"We require verification… of someone's identity."
Naomasa and Makoto raised their eyebrows.
"That's not a simple matter," Makoto said calmly.
For U.A. to be unable to verify someone's identity—
Nezu's smile deepened.
"Sharp as ever, Makoto-san."