The building's terrace was silent, as if even the wind knew better than to interrupt this conversation.
Hawks was leaning against the railing, one of his wings slightly spread, catching the night breeze. Reiji, for his part, stood in front of him, arms crossed, without the tension he usually carried. His shoulders were more relaxed, his eyes no longer as hard.
"I want to get into U.A." he said bluntly.
Hawks glanced at him, without changing his position.
"As a student, to a hero?"
"Yes," Reiji replied.
The silence was brief.
"And why now?" Hawks asked, his tone neutral. "It's not like the Commission had prepared you for a normal school life."
"Ever since I joined you, I told you my dream was to be a hero. I said it for show, of course... to keep the story alive in front of Himiko. But over time... that lie became useful." He paused briefly. "The move to Musutafu wasn't just for her. It was for me too. To pave the way for that."
Hawks nodded slowly, as if he'd already suspected as much.
"You don't want to stay hidden forever, do you?"
"Not anymore... If I'd had to choose, I wouldn't have joined the commission, but I knew the consequences all too well."
"And do you know what being at U.A. entails? You'll be surrounded by the future protagonists of the real world. You'll have to act every day as if you were one of them, with teachers on your heels and classmates watching everything."
"I know. But I also know that's where the real objectives lie. If I continue like this, I'll never be able to truly influence what comes next."
Hawks smiled, but without mirth. He had misunderstood the part about intervening too much...
"Wow... you're getting quite idealistic for someone trained by the Commission."
"Maybe..."
The breeze lightly touched the fabric of his jacket. Hawks turned completely around, facing the boy head-on.
"So listen to this: if you want the Commission to let you in, you don't have to hide anymore... you have to become so visible that all they can do is reveal you to the world."
Reiji raised an eyebrow.
"Like you?"
"Exactly. If you're brilliant enough in the public eye, then you become more useful as a visible hero than as a shadowy agent."
Reiji looked down for a second, thoughtful.
"Being visible isn't the same as being famous. It's controlling the narrative. If you can do that without losing your way, you'll be one step closer to what you wanted."
Reiji nodded, processing everything.
"Then I'll start building that image."
Hawks smiled faintly.
"I knew you were going to say that."
They were both silent for a few seconds. Only the sound of the wind rushing across the rooftop marked the rhythm of the conversation.
"Thank you, Hawks. You're always a good advisor, even if your life is more disastrous than mine..." A smile escaped Reiji, causing Hawks to respond in kind.
"Don't thank me yet. This is just getting started."
And Reiji descended the metal ladder without looking back.
He didn't need to have all the answers yet. He just needed to get moving.
***
Reiji walked through the streets, lost in thought, Hawks's words playing in his mind. Not because they had affected him deeply, but rather because he was pondering how to carry them out.
The commission had its eye on him; he couldn't act recklessly and start attracting attention in any way. It had to look natural... not forced. He looked at the sunset with a sigh. Musutafu hadn't only given him a new place to fulfill his ideas since he was reborn, he'd also begun to live like a normal person.
Throughout his childhood, he always focused on Himiko not giving in to her impulses and began to prepare the ground for her future. This was interrupted by the commission due to his "Double Quirk," leaving only the option of working for them, or he and his family would be put on a death list. From that moment until he moved to Musutafu and solved the case that brought him there in the first place, he worked to use the commission in the same way they were using him.
He got an address in the city, established more human relationships, and finally, Himiko was stable; she had begun to live without realizing it. She had solved her biggest worries. And she hadn't even reached the age to enter university!
He knew there were dangers, but he trusted that he was physically and mentally prepared, which finally removed his last worry. His own desire to be a true hero remained after what he'd suffered in his other life, Aizawa had said it... He had his own way of being a hero, but at the end of the day, his ways weren't the best.
Going to U.A. would put him in the eye of the storm, while he polished his more human side and gathered connections to eventually become the hero he'd always hoped for in his previous life, although he knew he still had some things to live through to achieve that. Solving the AFO problem was a start.
Rather, that was the next step. And in his mind, he was already beginning to plan it.
It was in the midst of that calm that he heard something. A hurried voice, a dull noise against the wall.
Reiji frowned and turned toward the sound. At the end of an alley, almost hidden by the shadow of a metal awning, a large man was cornering a hooded figure. The scene was clear. The big boy, despite his size, didn't look like an adult... Just a child abusing his power to intimidate another.
It wasn't his problem. He could move on.
But he didn't. Making a name for himself while fighting for what he believes in meant he couldn't leave the situation like that.
"Hey," he said, approaching with a firm stride.
The teenager raised his head. He wasn't a bully with brains, that was clear. More brawn than reason.
"What do you want, kid?"
"Back off."
The guy took a step forward, sizing Reiji up. But the look he received wasn't that of your average teenager. There was something about it. Coldness, control. And a hint of threat. He could sense something was wrong, yet he stood his ground.
"Mind your own business," she said as she grabbed Reiji by the collar, but Reiji remained calm. He slowly grabbed his attacker's wrist, blood strands entangling his hand, squeezing tightly.
"Now it's my business..." As he increased his force, a muffled sound escaped the attacker's mouth, causing him to release Reiji and stare at him in terror, still feeling his wrist begin to thump in ways it shouldn't.
Before he could break the joint, he let go.
The teenager staggered back, clutching his wrist with his other hand. The reddened skin trembled with pain, and the expression on his face had changed completely. There was no more defiance. Only fear.
"You're crazy..." he muttered.
Reiji took another step, but didn't attack. There was no need. The message was already clear.
"Last warning: don't touch anyone again with that kind of intent." His tone was flat, controlled. More effective than any scream.
The other didn't respond. He ran through the alleyway without looking back, disappearing among the people who were walking by, unaware of what had just happened.
Reiji let out the breath he'd been holding in a sigh and slowly deactivated the blood fibers in his hand. The pressure dissipated, reintegrating with his system. It had been mild, but the sensation of blood returned to him... Faint enough to ignore.
Then he turned to the hooded figure.
The boy, because he could see it more clearly now, still hadn't fully raised his head. He clutched a notebook to his chest, its corners already bent from use. His body was trembling slightly, not just from fright—there was something else: pent-up tension, frustration, or perhaps habitual fear.
"Are you okay?"
He nodded without saying anything.
Reiji looked at him more closely, noticing details he hadn't connected with before. The curly hair barely sticking out of his hood. The way he held that notebook, as if it were the most valuable thing he owned. The hands covered in ink marks… and small, recent scars.
It was a type of person Reiji knew well. Not by name yet. But by history. By gestures.
"Thank you," the boy finally said, his voice low.
Reiji nodded, seeing a backpack discarded next to some supplies, and decided to help pick it up. It was hard to be oppressed by others. He hadn't experienced that specific situation, but his life had revolved around being merely an object, which, generally speaking, was the same thing he could see the boy in front of him suffering.
"I don't know your situation, but I can tell this isn't the first time this has happened to you. I'm not going to give you an idealistic speech... It's just that sometimes the best option is to be your own hero. Do it while you can."
The boy lowered his gaze. His fingers tightened around the notebook, as if Reiji's words had stirred something he'd long buried.
"Being my own... hero," he repeated in a whisper, as if testing how the idea felt in his mouth for the first time. There was no mockery, no sarcasm. Just honest confusion, mixed with a hint of longing. As if that phrase was something he needed to hear, even if he didn't fully understand it yet.
Reiji said nothing more. He handed him his already closed backpack, and the boy received it with a slight, awkward bow, as if unsure how to truly thank him. In the process, his hood shifted enough to reveal his face.
It was at that moment that Reiji felt a chill run down his spine.
Green locks, erratic and shy behavior, awkwardness when moving, social outcast, and the notebook he was holding.
"Pro Hero Analysis for the Future Vol. 11"
'I just... Shit,' Reiji thought, realizing the situation.
Izuku Midoriya stood before him, and although it was only slight, he had interacted with him in a way that could change his mindset. And that wasn't good at all!
To put it simply, some things were inevitably going to change with his actions, but there were others he preferred to keep the same, like Izuku receiving the OFA. He was the perfect heir to that power; his convictions and personality allowed him to take advantage of it in ways not even All Might could, unlocking the Quirk in all his successors.
He had considered himself to possess it, but with his interaction with the commission and the fact that he had not just one, but two Quirks, things changed drastically. He definitely didn't want to die soon, even with his regeneration. He feared that the consequences of that power would be much greater on his body.
Therefore, Izuku Midoriya had to continue being the recipient of that power. His personality made him an invaluable ally in the future, which was also a good thing... But now. What would change?
Reiji suppressed a curse as he took a step back, as if eye contact with Izuku could crystallize the mistake he had made. If his words had triggered something, if his intervention became a critical variable that altered the course of that destiny...
'No. I can't allow it.'
"Forget what I said," he muttered quickly, lowering his gaze as he turned around.
"Huh?"
"Just take care of your notebook."
Midoriya watched him in confusion, but Reiji was already walking steadily away, avoiding any further eye contact. He couldn't risk saying anything else. Each additional word was another drop in a glass that shouldn't overflow.
As he turned the corner of the alley, he paused for a few seconds, gritting his teeth. Hawks's words echoed in his head.
"Make yourself visible. Controlthe narrative."
"Great way to start..." He muttered to himself. Visibility, yes, but not to the point of touching the wrong lines. That boy wasn't just a future hero. He was the backbone of everything to come. And if Reiji interfered with that…
He could bring down everything he'd tried to protect.
He took a breath, trying to calm his mind. Midoriya was unharmed. He hadn't recognized his face. He'd likely forget it tomorrow. It had only been a fleeting intervention. A miscalculated impulse.
But… what if not?
He didn't know if this encounter would have consequences, but deep down, something told him that the encounter with Midoriya had already left an invisible mark.