(っ－＿－)っAM N. NOT.
While all this unfolded, Nemuri sat in her car, stuck in traffic that hadn't moved an inch in over an hour. A strange feeling gnawed at her – like something was deeply wrong – but there was no sign of the gridlock clearing up. She pulled out her phone; the wallpaper showed her kissing Maki's left cheek, a rare warm moment they'd shared. She pressed her finger to the back sensor, unlocking the screen, and scrolled through her contacts to find his number.
She knew calling was a long shot – Maki kept his phone on silent always. When she'd asked why, he'd just said "not a good idea." She'd tried to argue, pointing out she'd want to reach him if something was wrong, but he'd only shrugged and said "no one will call me anyway." She never knew how to respond to that – sometimes his words felt like walls he'd built around himself. Still, she dialed his number.
No answer.
She tried again – same result. With a shake of her head, she set the phone down and stared at the endless line of cars ahead. She had no idea a void crack had torn open on 23rd Street – the very place she was heading – and she was still miles away from reaching it.
Back on 23rd Street, Phylax crews worked frantically to clear the damage as quickly as possible. Inside what was left of the wooden pyramid, All Might and the woman still studied the Anomalies carefully, not daring to touch them. Then another voice rushed up beside them.
"Hey! Why'd you run off like that?!"
The woman turned to see her assistant teacher approaching. "We'll talk later," she said sharply. "First, contact the Haruspex. This looks like a new variant we've never seen before."
The assistant looked up at the wooden centaurs, her eyes wide as she took in the creatures' strange forms – almost identical to the other Anomalies but with that distinctive flower on each Anomaly's head. She'd never seen anything like their bodies… or their blood. Most Anomalies had dark green, blue, or violet blood – but this looked almost human-red. Maybe it was just the dim light, she thought, pushing the thought aside as she pulled out her phone.
The Haruspex – the official group that specialized in studying Anomalies, widely regarded as the most knowledgeable on the subject – answered immediately, eager to investigate. She relayed the details and requested an inspection team be dispatched at once.
While she spoke, All Might stretched his arms overhead, cracking his neck. "So – should we get started on cleaning this up? It's a main street – traffic must be backed up for miles by now."
"Leave the centaurs and Anomalies untouched for now," the woman said. "We need to preserve everything for the Haruspex. But the rest of the pyramid can come down."
All Might grinned, rolling his shoulders. "You got it – time to get to work!"
He crouched low, muscles coiling like springs. Then swooooooooooosh – he vanished in a blur, leaving splintered wood in his wake. He reappeared at the pyramid's left wall, right fist clenched tight.
"OKLAHOMA… SMAAAAAAAASH!"
His wide hook punch slammed into the wood, and BoooooooooOoooOoOOoOoOM – the entire structure vibrated. The wall exploded into countless small pieces, completely obliterated by a single blow. But he wasn't finished – large branches still tumbled down, so he drew back his fist again.
"DETROITOOOOOOOO SMAAAAAAAASH!"
The upper cut connected with a deafening crack, sending branches turning to fine dust. The force of the punch shot upward, parting clouds in the sky with its wind pressure. He moved to each side of the pyramid in turn, demolishing the remaining walls with precise, powerful strikes – every movement controlled so his punches never touched the street below.
All of it was done in under a minute.
As small debris rained down, other Phylax moved in to clear it away. Soon, the pyramid was gone – only piles of wood and branches remained, and the street was fully visible at last. Craters left by the Anomalies' rampage scarred the asphalt, and crews began hauling away other wreckage. But nothing drew more eyes than the three behemoth centaurs, standing in perfect parallel lines, holding the Anomalies' heads high like trophies. The sight left everyone staring in awe.
"Hey – look at that!"
"What the fuck could make something like that?!"
"It's so cool – I wanna ride one!"
"Shut up! You're blocking my shot – move your head!"
"What's up chat! See? I told you about the deer-serpent things – believe me now?!"
"Destroy those statues already – they're just in the way!"
"Bystanders move it! We're trying to clean up here!"
"Yeah! Get out of the road!"
"I'm not done filming yet!"
"Thanks to 'Sack Maaah Dik' for the $1 donation!"
"I said MOVE!"
"Old man, back off – I'm trying to get a shot of that ass!"
"BAAAAAAM – get the hell out of here, creep!"
"Hey! Watch it – I'll report you!"
"Who stole my wallet?!"
"Someone just touched my butt!"
Their chatter drifted into chaos as people argued, filmed, and jostled for position. All Might, the woman, and her assistant stood by, waiting for the Haruspex team to arrive.
Meanwhile, Nemuri was still trapped in traffic, tapping her fingers against the steering wheel. And Maki – in their quiet condo kitchen – was humming softly, trying to piece together the lyrics of that song as he washed vegetables and laid out ingredients for dinner.
(っ－＿－)っAM N. NOT.