"In truth, besides the two of you, there actually are other heroes whose Quirks could counter his ability."
Tsukauchi adjusted his glasses calmly as he continued his explanation.
"Unfortunately, among the remaining candidates, some lack sufficient combat capability, some don't have enough field experience, and others are currently occupied with important assignments and cannot be mobilized."
"The only remaining person who fulfills all three conditions—strength, experience, and availability…"
"…is the current No. 2 Hero, Endeavor."
The moment that name was mentioned, several heroes present instinctively twitched at the corners of their mouths.
"If Endeavor unleashed his Hellflame at full power and carried out a large-scale saturation attack…"
"…then those criminals would have nowhere to run."
Tsukauchi paused.
"But unfortunately, the battlefield is a crowded shopping mall."
"Not an open plain."
"So no matter how you look at it, bringing him here would be a terrible idea."
"And letting him activate his Quirk inside the mall would be even worse."
"Because once Endeavor starts fighting seriously in that kind of environment…"
"…the casualties he causes might exceed those caused by the criminals themselves."
"And at that point, the other heroes wouldn't even be able to support him properly."
"There would be fire everywhere."
"Not only would the criminals have a chance to escape…"
"…we might end up trapped in a disaster zone ourselves."
The heroes exchanged awkward looks.
But none of them could deny it.
Because Tsukauchi was absolutely right.
If Endeavor entered that shopping mall and unleashed Hellflame—
the entire building would probably become a sea of fire within minutes.
At that point, forget capturing criminals.
They would all be too busy evacuating civilians and extinguishing flames.
And if they failed to contain the fire quickly enough—
both heroes and criminals alike might end up dying in the blaze.
That would truly be a catastrophic loss.
Seeing that everyone understood his reasoning, Tsukauchi finally revealed a faint smile.
But it vanished almost immediately as he turned serious once more and looked directly toward Best Jeanist.
"That's why neither Endeavor nor All Might is the optimal choice for executing this operation."
"Only you…"
"Only you, Best Jeanist…"
"…are the most suitable person for this mission."
"Because not only do you fulfill those three conditions…"
"…your Quirk can also completely bypass visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory interference and directly restrain the target's body."
"And most importantly…"
"…your Quirk can accomplish this without causing excessive damage to the surrounding environment."
"Only a Quirk like yours can reliably avoid being manipulated by Tsuki Sen'gen's illusion abilities and successfully capture him."
After saying that, Tsukauchi unexpectedly lowered his head slightly.
"Also…"
"The method we used to bring you here earlier…"
"…was my decision."
"I apologize."
"No matter the reason, having All Might transport you in that manner was inappropriate."
Best Jeanist blinked slightly.
Then he sighed helplessly and raised a hand, stopping Tsukauchi before he could bow any further.
"You don't need to apologize."
Honestly, after hearing Tsukauchi's perfectly logical analysis earlier—
the little resentment still lingering in his heart had already mostly disappeared.
After all, the reason they concealed his arrival was understandable.
This wasn't some childish prank.
It was a strategic operation.
And as a professional hero, Best Jeanist naturally understood the importance of prioritizing the mission.
If he allowed personal emotions to interfere with an operation simply because he'd been treated roughly during transportation—
then what kind of hero would he even be?
Thinking of that, he let out another sigh.
"I've carried out enough missions to understand that the mission comes first."
Hearing that, Tsukauchi visibly relaxed.
"Thank you for understanding."
He had genuinely been worried that the rather barbaric transportation method might negatively affect Best Jeanist's mood and ultimately impact the mission.
Fortunately—
Best Jeanist was far more reasonable than he had feared.
Just as Tsukauchi was about to say a few more polite words, one of his subordinates nearby suddenly gestured urgently toward him.
The scheduled operation time was approaching.
Realizing this, Tsukauchi immediately stopped wasting time on pleasantries and quickly shifted to the next topic.
"We're running out of time."
"So I'll now explain your task in detail."
He looked directly at Best Jeanist.
"According to the operation plan…"
"…your mission is to restrain Tsuki Sen'gen by any means necessary."
Best Jeanist raised an eyebrow slightly.
"By any means necessary?"
As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward the surveillance image of the blue-haired man displayed on the monitor.
In the frozen frame—
that sharply raised gaze of Tsuki Sen'gen seemed filled with mockery toward everyone present.
Best Jeanist narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So…"
"…any method is acceptable?"
"Even a sneak attack?"
"Of course."
Tsukauchi answered without hesitation.
Not only did he not think there was anything shameful about ambushing a dangerous criminal—
he actually approved of the idea.
Because in his view—
whether as police officers or heroes—
the safety of civilians always came first.
As long as civilians could be protected and the criminal subdued quickly—
then no tactic was too cautious.
And no tactic was too dirty.
"So long as Tsuki Sen'gen can be captured swiftly and civilian casualties are minimized…"
"…then any tactic is a good tactic."
"No matter how underhanded it may seem."
Best Jeanist's expression turned rather strange.
It wasn't that he disagreed with current hero society's unspoken rule—
"Heroes must not kill."
Even when facing villains.
Rather—
he simply felt Tsukauchi's request was ridiculously demanding.
Because even he himself wasn't entirely certain he could defeat Tsuki Sen'gen cleanly while holding back.
Yet now—
Tsukauchi was specifically asking him to "subdue" the enemy.
In other words—
he was being told to carefully control his strength and avoid causing excessive harm.
Wasn't that asking far too much?
What if his restraint failed?
What if his binding wasn't strong enough?
What if Tsuki Sen'gen escaped his capture midway through the fight?
At that point—
the situation would become truly troublesome.
As if sensing his concern, Tsukauchi pushed his glasses up slightly and spoke again.
"You don't need to worry too much."
"You won't be fighting alone."
"The instant you successfully restrain Tsuki Sen'gen, the surrounding heroes will immediately move in and reinforce the capture."
"Your primary responsibility is simply to create the opening."
Best Jeanist remained silent for a moment.
Then he sighed softly.
"…Fine."
"I understand."
Though inwardly, he still found the entire situation somewhat absurd.
Sneak attacking villains.
Launching ambushes.
Using misinformation and layered traps.
If ordinary civilians heard about this operation in detail, they'd probably think the police and heroes had turned into scheming criminals.
At that thought, Best Jeanist suddenly glanced toward Tsukauchi with a rather subtle expression.
"…You tacticians really are black-hearted."
The moment those words fell—
the atmosphere in the room froze briefly.
Several heroes coughed awkwardly and looked away.
Even All Might's expression became slightly strange.
Because honestly…
Best Jeanist wasn't wrong.
Tsukauchi's plan genuinely did feel ruthless.
Everything had been calculated.
The criminals' psychology.
Their movements.
Their assumptions.
Even the timing of their emotional reactions.
Every layer had been manipulated in advance.
From a strategic standpoint, it was brilliant.
From the enemy's perspective—
it was horrifying.
Meanwhile, Tsukauchi himself merely smiled helplessly.
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Then his expression sharpened once more.
"Everyone."
"The operation begins now."
The atmosphere instantly changed.
All casualness vanished.
The heroes' expressions turned serious one after another.
Because they all understood—
the next few hours would determine everything.
Success—
or failure.
Capture—
or disaster.
And somewhere inside that shopping mall—
two dangerous villains still believed themselves to be hidden safely within the shadows.
Completely unaware…
that the net around them had already begun to close.
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