"Damn it… they actually told me to abandon the mission?!"
Endeavour's eyes were bloodshot as he scanned his surroundings, anger simmering beneath the surface. Being compared to someone else—especially being told he couldn't act until All Might arrived—felt like a direct insult.
"Stop him from causing destruction… Hah. Just don't let me find you," Endeavour muttered coldly, recalling the orders from headquarters.
Tracking Shina Etsuha wasn't difficult. Whether out of confidence or indifference, Etsuha hadn't even tried to conceal his trail. To someone of Endeavour's experience, the direction of his movement was practically obvious.
Meanwhile, no one would have expected that Etsuha wasn't hiding at all.
His crimson, tomoe-patterned eyes remained active as he walked openly through a bustling commercial street. He spent money casually—money taken from others—and not a single person questioned him.
There were two reasons for this.
First, his illusion subtly influenced those around him, dulling their sense of danger and making them perceive him as harmless.
Second, the news of what had happened was only just beginning to spread. The full impact hadn't reached the general public yet. Most people going about their daily lives had only vague impressions of events online—if they noticed anything at all.
This was reality.
People believed disasters and criminals shown on TV were distant from them. They never imagined danger could be standing right beside them.
Etsuha, however, had no interest in ordinary civilians.
He entered a ramen shop and sat down casually.
"Five bowls of beef rice, please. And make the side dishes high-calorie. Thanks."
"Working out, huh?" the owner joked.
He wasn't surprised. Customers with massive appetites weren't unusual—especially in a world where Quirks could drastically increase physical demands.
Etsuha nodded, then pulled out his phone and began browsing forums.
He had just bought it. His previous one had been destroyed during his fight with a Nomu, so he'd lost all contact and messages. Under normal circumstances, his inbox would have been flooded by now.
"...No news about me?" he murmured, frowning.
That didn't make sense.
Hawks was the No. 3 Hero—his influence was enormous. If someone like that died, the internet should have exploded. Yet there was almost nothing.
What Etsuha didn't know was that discussions about Hawks had already been heavily censored. The authorities had begun deleting posts en masse to prevent panic.
Confused, Etsuha tried posting himself:
"Does anyone know about Hawks?"
[Post failed. Content contains sensitive words. Please revise.]
"…Oh?"
His eyes narrowed slightly.
He tried different keywords—"Etsuha," "Wing Hero," "Hosu City." Every single one was blocked or deleted almost instantly.
"The authorities are suppressing everything related to Hosu…" he realized.
The scale of the response surprised him. For them to go this far, the impact of what he'd done must have been far greater than he initially thought.
Even during major past incidents, broadcasts hadn't been restricted like this. But now, after Hawks' death, they were scrambling to contain the situation.
Just then, a notification popped up:
[Your account has been suspended due to repeated violations. Please contact customer service for details.]
Banned.
"Heh… interesting methods," Etsuha muttered, unfazed. "But how long can you keep it hidden?"
He knew the truth couldn't be buried forever. Even if public platforms were silenced, people would share the information privately. Suppression would only create stronger undercurrents.
"Here you go!"
The owner placed a large bowl of beef rice in front of him, along with a complimentary fruit salad.
"Young people need proper nutrition," the man said warmly.
"Thanks, uncle," Etsuha replied with a small smile.
It was precisely because of people like this that he didn't want to lose control completely.
"Boss, three servings of chanko hot pot."
A deep, commanding voice suddenly cut through the air.
A man wreathed in flames stepped into the shop and sat down directly beside Etsuha.
It was Endeavour.