The air was still, and the city, though alive, seemed to speak in whispers.
Reiji arrived at the meeting point unhurriedly. He wore a simple, dark scarf to cover the lower part of his face, the rest of it covered by a pair of contact lenses and hair dye, his hands in the pockets of a jacket. Musutafu was noisy during the day… but in that forgotten stretch of the canal, only the sound of the water crashing against the concrete walls remained.
Aizawa was there. Leaning on the rusty railing, he gazed out at the river as if reading a report written in its currents.
He didn't greet him.
Reiji stopped beside him. Keeping a certain distance, if anyone saw them, they would doubt whether they came together or not.
A few seconds passed before Aizawa spoke.
"They caught him this morning. He's already out of the system."
Reiji didn't look at him. He just let his eyes follow the flickering reflection of the lights on the water.
"The distributor?"
"The hero." Aizawa turned his face slightly, just enough for his voice to carry clearly. "Their agency was dismantled. The Public Safety Commission said it was due to 'accumulated stress.' Typical press release. Nice and hollow."
Reiji snorted softly. He knew perfectly well what had happened, but he still asked to maintain the facade.
"And the affected children?"
"They're being treated. Unstable Quirks, altered neurological responses... nothing they can't cover up with sufficient resources." Pause. "But not all of them will remember what happened to them. Some, perhaps, won't even know they were victims."
"Convenient."
"Conveniently tragic," Aizawa corrected. And he said it without anger, without sarcasm. Only with exhaustion.
There was a moment when neither of them spoke. They only breathed the same thick air.
"Why did you leave that message for me?" Aizawa asked suddenly.
Reiji lowered his gaze.
"Because I knew you'd read it. And act accordingly."
"You did it for me?"
"No, it's just that you have more resources than I do."
Aizawa wasn't offended. Nor did he seem surprised.
"Good."
Then he turned a little further, and for the first time since they arrived, he looked at him directly.
"What exactly are you? An undercover agent? A vigilante?"
Reiji waited a few seconds. Although Aizawa had mentioned the commission before, it was for the sake of it rather than because of suspicions against him.
"Does it matter?"
Aizawa nodded.
"Not at this point..."
And for a moment, it seemed as if the hero was about to end the conversation... but he didn't.
"You look young."
"I am," Reiji admitted. His height gave him away anyway; he was tall, but not tall enough to look like a full-fledged adult... At least, not yet.
"And yet you're doing things that many adults couldn't handle without breaking down inside."
Reiji didn't respond.
"You could be a good hero, you know."
"I don't want to be a hero," he lied.
Aizawa tilted his head.
"Not all heroes wear capes. But if you're going to keep going like this... you should know something."
"What?"
"Your methods aren't mine. They're not by the book. But I've seen plenty who hide behind rules to avoid acting. You're not one of them." Long pause. "What you're doing... is no less noble. A hero helps without needing people to know."
Reiji nodded slowly.
The word hero... why did it mean something so different to everyone? Even for him, its definition had changed more times than he could count.
In his previous life, his "father" once told him he was a hero. But he never believed it. Maybe because he knew he was saying it to justify everything that had been done to him. Because saving humanity shouldn't mean sacrificing the child you once were.
And here... in this new world, that word also slipped through his fingers. Of those he had learned to admire, some turned out to be well-glued masks; opportunists with perfect smiles. A few others held their convictions without trembling... but even they couldn't be everyone's hero; they lacked the strength to be a hero who saved children like he had in his previous life.
And then there was All Might. The symbol. The one who shone so brightly that it didn't reveal the shadow he cast behind him.
Reiji understood now: it wasn't that the crimes disappeared in its light, they just became quieter. More organized. Harder to find.
And much easier to ignore.
"Are you going to try to stop me?"
"No. But I'm not going to cover for you if you cross a line from which there's no turning back."
"I know that."
"Just make sure you remember why you started. When that fades from your mind... that's when you become the enemy."
The image of Himiko flashed through his mind, his entire body trembling as he recalled the peculiar event they had experienced... But there was nothing he could do about it for now; his purpose remained intact: that she not fall to the enemy side.
Aizawa took a step back, but he didn't leave yet.
"I don't need to know who you are," he added in a lower voice. "Just knowing what you do is enough for me."
Reiji stood alone in the dim light.
The case was closed. No extravagant fights, sentimentality, or the like... That was the way the commission and its work was, silent so others could act. His connection to the Commission was only indirect, nothing official. Just another pawn on the grand chessboard...
***
A few weeks had passed since the case, and nothing too big had happened during that time. Reiji had kept himself busy with observation and infiltration missions in certain locations, nothing demanding and confidential.
He was the only active agent in Musutafu, which meant that almost everything that happened in the city was inevitably assigned to him. It had been almost seven months since he arrived in the city... Six months since Himiko's case.
Things with them continued... the same. Reiji pretended nothing had happened, and Himiko had forced herself to hide it; after all, her urges for blood didn't subside. Reiji understood her; with the hormonal changes that adolescence brings, her urges for blood also increased. This perfectly explained why, in the original storyline, Himiko had lost control at 14 or 15 years old.
Although he himself had begun to experience some different things in his own body—his blood production had increased and his regeneration had also improved—it was something the Commission's experiments had revealed. He had to get regular checkups to make sure he was okay.
'But for some reason... Am I returning to the appearance of my previous life?' Reiji thought, looking at himself in the bathroom mirror. His previously blond hair had slowly faded, becoming a mix of brown with blonde streaks. His eyes were the only stable aspect of his changes; even some freckles he had in his previous life had appeared.
The results showed that his genetics were changing strangely and slowly, but Reiji knew where all this would lead... He didn't understand what had brought him to this world, he hadn't even given it much thought. But these changes made him question that again, without really knowing why they were happening.
However, it wasn't something he could investigate and say openly.
"Are you ready? The event is about to begin..." Shinso spoke casually at his side.
"Yeah, I just have a slight headache... Nothing serious."
"Hmm... Maybe it's because of your changes? I'm not saying your new look is bad, but it's not normal at all," he said in a comical tone. They had become closer friends. Reiji no longer tended to get lost in his thoughts due to his special case, nor because of his relationship with Himiko, so he had bonded much more with Shinso.
"No matter, this presentation is too interesting to miss," he said as he passed his purple-haired friend and left the bathroom. Outside, there was a great deal of bustle.
No wonder. The high school had been selected to attend a technical activity at the U.A. annex campus, organized by the Support Department. It wasn't unusual for U.A. to hold this type of open activity, but it was the first time Reiji had attended one.
The gymnasium on the technical campus had been completely transformed; it now resembled a small, futuristic convention center. Long tables filled with devices with flashing lights, drones in static suspension, holograms explaining complex functions in simple words, and young technicians presenting their work as if they were canned dreams. A distinct buzz, more enthusiastic than competitive.
Reiji entered with his hands in his pockets, letting his eyes calmly scan the room. He wasn't expecting much. In truth, he had attended more out of courtesy than interest. Shinso had insisted more than once.
"It'll be boring for you, but there are good people in the support department." Shinso's own words
For Reiji, this wasn't new. He knew perfectly well the value of geniuses no one wanted to look at twice. He had seen it on other missions, he had experienced it firsthand. And the Commission knew it too.
That's why he'd been given an informal instruction: "Observe. Memorize names. Don't interfere. But if you see potential... write it down." A kind of diplomatic hunt, where the hunters were friendly and the prey didn't know they were at stake.
There was nothing suspicious about the event. But that didn't mean it was harmless.
Beside him, Shinso walked with his usual expressionless face, though his eyes couldn't hide the spark of admiration.
"Are you nervous?" Reiji asked, without looking directly at him.
"Why would I be?"
"Because many of these people will be your partners in the future as you fight crime."
Shinso didn't respond immediately. Then he sighed.
"I don't have the confidence to enter the hero department."
Reiji nodded slowly. He knew Shinso had the makings, not of an idol, but of a silent hero. And so he blurted out a phrase that, for him, was unusual.
"Maybe here you'll find what you need to be a hero."
Shinso looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Are you motivating me?"
"A slip of the tongue. Don't get used to it."
They both laughed, in that short, dry way that becomes common when two people understand each other without needing to say much.
For Reiji, these kinds of events were simply another way to fulfill his mission. While the Commission hadn't directly forced him, it had suggested he pay attention to certain technological advances, especially those that could have applications in the field or lead to new weapons or supports.
So he walked among the tables leisurely, without dwelling too much on anything. He observed some clumsy designs, others too complex to be practical, and a few that truly had potential.
Reiji walked beside Shinso, leisurely.
"Do you see anything interesting?" Shinso asked, adjusting his hood.
"Not for now. Just a lot of technological wishful thinking." Reiji shifted his gaze to a group of drones rotating on a table.
Shinso shook his head. "You're too bitter. This is impressive. Some of these kids are going to be working with real heroes in a couple of years."
"With you, with me. Nothing to be surprised about."
Shinso stopped in front of a mechanical arm that activated when it detected vibrations.
"This would be good for me... If my Quirk could move objects with my voice."
"They'll find a way to integrate it," Reiji replied, arms crossed.
They continued between tables and display cases until a high-pitched voice interrupted them from a corner lit by warm lights.
"You!"
Reiji turned. A figure with large glasses, oil-stained blue overalls, and a screwdriver in hand was approaching him with firm steps.
Mei Hatsume.
"I knew it was you, but... What happened to your hair? I almost didn't recognize you," she said, squinting. "You're kind of... less blond."
"Natural change," Reiji replied. "Adolescence"
Mei circled him for a moment, still smiling. "No matter. Confirmed: you're still my lucky charm."
"Lucky charm?" Shinso asked, puzzled. As was Reiji at his side.
"Sure!" Mei pointed out excitedly. "Thanks to a crazy explosion this guy was involved in a while back, I came up with an amazing upgrade for one of my devices. Power Loader saw it, was impressed… and now I'm here."
Shinso raised his eyebrows. "An explosion?"
"I didn't cause anything…" Reiji interrupted.
"Your explosion changed my life," Mei insisted proudly. "So you can't leave here without taking something. Golden rule."
She turned back to her desk and rummaged through tools and metal parts. She pulled out a small rectangular device, about the size of a pack of gum.
"It's a reflex training aid for rookie heroes. It's still being tested, but if you're in the middle of weird stuff, it might help."
Reiji took it cautiously. He looked it over briefly. "Thanks."
"It's not free," Mei added, winking. "I want real feedback."
"If I survive, I'll write to you."
She laughed loudly and returned to her table. Then, as if remembering something, she stopped, rummaged through some boxes, and pulled out a card with her number engraved on silver tape.
"Here. So you don't just disappear. You're my amulet, remember?"
Reiji took the card and put it away without comment.
"Can I have your number too?" Mei asked hopefully.
"No," he replied tersely. "But if this helps me in any way, maybe I'll talk to you."
"I'll take that as a yes."
Shinso, who had been silently observing the whole scene, crossed his arms.
"Do you always meet such... noisy people?"
"Only on quiet days," Reiji replied as they walked away.
"Quiet days, huh..." Shinso muttered. "You have a strange definition of that... Plus, a girl just gave you her number, and you're acting like nothing happened!"
"Jealous?"
"Tsk..."