It was a dark place, a secret hideout—one of the many that All For One possessed.
When the portal opened, All For One, Shigaraki, and Kurogiri crossed through.
All For One remained silent from the moment he crossed the portal, limiting himself to walking forward. His black suit had been repaired, as had his mask.
No one would imagine what he had faced not long ago.
Both Shigaraki and Kurogiri avoided speaking. They knew All For One was in a very bad mood. None of his objectives had been achieved, and worst of all, they had wasted a large amount of resources for nothing.
'How long has it been since I suffered this many injuries?'
All For One had been forced to regenerate his body from severe damage, especially from Allen's techniques, which were fundamentally far more dangerous.
'That young man will be a serious problem... Ideally, Allen should be eliminated as soon as possible. But I also cannot take him lightly.'
All For One lamented it. If he had not underestimated Allen, if he had tried to learn more about his Quirk before confronting him, the outcome could have been different.
"Sensei."
With a bead of sweat on his forehead, Shigaraki called out to the thoughtful All For One.
"What is it, Tomura-kun?"
"Please allow me to take care of Allen Walker! I'll make him pay for what he did!"
All For One smiled. "That's very kind of you, but… You can't."
"...!"
Shigaraki's eyes became bloodshot. His teeth clenched so tightly they began to crack. With an overwhelming amount of rage inside him, he started scratching his neck until it bled.
He knew it. He had no chance of defeating Allen. He understood that—but hearing it from his sensei's own mouth was a devastating blow.
"For now..." All For One added.
"Sensei?"
"Tomura-kun, don't be impatient. I know the time will come when you can face Allen Walker. I have faith in your potential—but not yet."
Shigaraki looked down before murmuring,
"I understand, sensei."
Kurogiri remained silent. However, unlike All For One, he could not see a future where Shigaraki would reach Allen Walker's level.
'What is Master thinking when he tells him this?'
All For One resumed walking toward the end of the corridor. Without stopping, he left his final words behind him.
"Tomura-kun… Kurogiri… you both worked hard. This was a situation even I could not control, so there will be no punishment, no scolding. Just rest."
Kurogiri looked at Shigaraki before disappearing.
As for Shigaraki, despite All For One's words, he held far too much resentment toward Allen.
"I don't think I'll be able to sleep until I do something that wipes that smile off his face! Something—does he have family?! Friends outside U.A.?! A girlfriend?!"
Shigaraki began imagining Allen's face as he found the heads of his loved ones mounted on stakes.
"He must have something he values!"
Just as All For One thought, they had made a grave mistake by not studying Allen—by not even trying to understand him, and by not knowing where his limits were before he would be willing to stain his hands.
Without realizing it, Shigaraki was risking far more than he could afford to lose.
....
(Late at night, U.A. infirmary...)
School infirmaries at normal schools are usually very simple, equipped only to provide first aid—but U.A. was different.
Because injuries were common during hero course training, the infirmary was equipped like a real hospital, if not better.
Momo let out a sigh as she lay back on her bed.
Her hair was usually tied up during the day, but at night she wore it loose, giving her a more subdued beauty.
It wasn't the luxurious, soft bed from her home, but a hospital bed. Still, being one designed for superheroes, it wasn't that bad.
She looked out the window at the night sky. Like many students, she wore the same discouraged expression.
During All For One's attack, they had only been able to fight weak villains, unable to help in the main battle. That was natural—after all, they had only been at U.A. for two weeks, and their opponent was the final boss.
Momo understood that. Everyone did. But what frustrated her was that there was one classmate who had been able to intervene—not only that, but he had faced All For One alongside All Might and managed to force him to retreat, a feat Momo could not even imagine achieving right now...
"No. Even if I become a professional hero, I can't imagine a future where I could stand against that monster..."
No one could choose what Quirk they would be born with.
Momo's was incredible—a Quirk that could create things out of nothing. That alone earned her countless praises. In fact, before Principal Nezu changed the entrance exam rules, both she and Todoroki were going to be admitted by recommendation. That was how highly valued her Quirk was.
Momo clenched the sheets in frustration as she looked at the bandage on her leg.
"And yet, I couldn't do anything—not even move."
Momo's Quirk was incredible but not suited for direct confrontation.
A gentle breeze entered through the window, brushing against Momo's hair. Feeling the night air, she stood up to close it, but when she stepped with her right leg, a sharp pain shot through her, making her groan.
Recovery Girl's treatments were almost miraculous, but like any Quirk, they had limits. She had chosen to prioritize the critically injured—especially Aizawa, Thirteen, and discreetly, All Might. That was why many students would have to wait a few days using conventional treatment.
Annoyed with herself, Momo decided to ignore the pain and walk toward the window, using it for support.
After taking two steps, she lost her balance and fell.
"Ah!"
Momo closed her eyes, but instead of hitting the cold floor, she ended up in someone's arms. For a moment, she panicked until she recognized a familiar scent.
"As always, you're incredibly stubborn when you set your mind to it, miss."
Momo looked up, preparing herself to see that mischievous smile she had grown used to.
"Alle—"
Momo froze when she saw Allen. He was dressed in a red-and-white suit. For a moment, she thought she was dreaming—until Allen smiled.
"Merry Christmas."
"What are you doing?..."
Momo stared at him blankly. She had seen this side of Allen before, and she didn't like it—he always did things just to tease her.
"What's wrong, little Momo? Aren't you happy to see Santa?~"
"Ah! What are you doing?!"
Allen picked Momo up and carried her to the bed as a gust of wind closed the window behind them.
After roughly tossing her onto the bed, Momo scrambled backward, covering herself with the blanket as if she feared Allen would attack her like some kind of pervert.
Allen laughed at her reaction.
"Relax, I'm not a degenerate. And of course, I'm not going to do anything to you."
Momo snorted in disdain, covering herself even more.
"Says the pervert who sneaks into a girl's room at night while cosplaying as Santa Claus!"
Allen felt offended for a second before replying,
"It's not a cosplay—I'm the real Santa~"
"Shut up and get away from me! My mom warned me about guys like you—you won't eat me!" Momo threw her pillow at Allen, but he caught it and placed it back on the bed.
Allen shrugged.
"Wow, you really are a difficult child. Luckily, I have an ace up my sleeve."
From behind his back, Allen pulled out a large red sack, shocking Momo, who could have sworn there had been nothing there before.
"What is that?"
Momo stared at the red sack with curiosity. She knew Allen's Quirk was capable of absurd things, so this couldn't be anything normal.
Allen smiled playfully.
"Want to know?~"
Annoyed by his smile—one that always seemed to underestimate her—Momo crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks in defiance.
"I don't care what it is!"
Allen blinked twice before letting out an exaggerated sigh, then hoisted the sack onto his back.
"Well, I can't force a naughty child to behave, so I'll go to the next name on my list—Itsuka Kendo-chan."
"Huh?"
Momo felt a shock run through her head.
She imagined Allen visiting Itsuka in a calm, sweet atmosphere....
Somehow, her imagination jumped ten years into the future, with the two of them getting married.
"Wait!" Momo shouted in panic, grabbing Santa's clothes.
Allen turned around with a teasing look.
"What is it?"
"I..." Momo blushed even more but didn't let him go. "I—I'm sorry, Santa! Please don't leave me!"
Her expression was pitiful, tears in her eyes, a blush spreading all the way to her ears—it all made her look incredibly cute.
Momo attacked with her most powerful weapon, dealing devastating damage.
"Well..." Allen coughed before placing the sack on the bed.
"Alright. Second chances are rare—don't waste them." Allen winked before pointing at the sack. "Back to the point, it's time for a little Christmas magic."
"But it's April..."
"Don't worry about the details. Just think about what you want and let the Christmas miracle manifest."
Momo wanted to argue that it was spring and even the cherry blossoms were blooming outside, but she decided not to fight it anymore.
She eyed the sack suspiciously before closing her eyes and thinking of something she wanted. However, nothing came to mind—except maybe teaching Allen a lesson.
The sack opened, releasing a golden puff of smoke that quickly dispersed. Inside was a large box wrapped in gift paper with a big bow.
Momo was left in shock.
"Huh? Did it really work?" Allen said in surprise.
"Why are you surprised?!"
Allen shook his head. "Well, I didn't know it would work. It's my first time being Santa and all."
"You..."
Momo really wanted to hit Allen right now, but her curiosity about the gift won out. She stretched out her hand and untied the ribbon. There was a small expectation about what it could be.
When she opened the gift box, Allen made a completely out-of-place comment.
"At least it didn't explode. That's already a victory, right?"
Momo ignored Allen's comment. Her attention was focused on the contents—it was a plushie.
It was a plush toy, a chibi version of a young man with white hair and light-colored eyes, someone Allen knew very well, since he saw him every day in the mirror.
Momo immediately blushed and tried to deny it.
"What is this?! This has to be a mistake! I would never wish for something like this!"
Allen smiled mockingly. "I see, so it must be a mistake. I guess I'll just throw it away."
"Huh?" Momo froze.
Allen's hand reached toward the plushie, but at the last moment, Momo hugged it tightly and glared at Allen like a lioness protecting her cubs.
"Don't you dare!"
"Relax, it's fine. If you really want that plushie of some kind of very handsome guy we definitely don't know, you can keep it."
"Ah!"
Momo screamed in embarrassment and hid under the blankets.
Seeing that Momo had reached her limit, Allen didn't tease her anymore. He picked up the red sack and walked toward the door.
"See you later, Momo. I hope you feel better."
"Wait!"
"What is it now, Miss Yaoyorozu?"
Once again, Momo stopped him. When he looked at her, she poked her head out from under the blankets.
"Thank you for coming..."
Allen's expression lost its teasing edge and softened.
"No need. I'm sure you'd do the same for me."
Momo hid under the blankets again and hugged the plushie, trying to control the pounding of her heart.
'That's impossible… do I like him?' Momo wondered, without knowing how to answer—or rather, without wanting to answer that question.
Allen looked down the hallway. He still had to visit Toru; the girl had taken a blow to the head, but it wasn't anything serious. As for Itsuka, she hadn't suffered too much either.
The real problem was Aizawa and Thirteen, whose injuries were severe. Allen visited them as well.
....
(The next day)
In the streets of Mustafu City, peace had been restored. Only a few streets remained closed, with damaged buildings and destroyed cars. Even so, there was a heavy atmosphere in the air that Allen could sense as he walked.
The day before, hundreds of dangerous villains had been captured, breaking records as the highest number of villains apprehended in a single day in the last decade. Even so, the "peace" that Allen saw in this world upon his arrival was not restored.
Annie – I guess they got a reality check.
Kara – From the beginning, it was abnormal for people to fear villains so little.
Barbara – This isn't something to celebrate...
Kate – It drove me crazy seeing guys recording while heroes were fighting. If someone did that to me in this world, I'd kick their ass!
Amanda – I would too!
Raven – With All For One still at large, pretending nothing is happening, and escaping from reality is dangerous. When the time comes, people will panic.
Tony – It was a dream that lasted quite a while. The reality is that as long as there's a chance to be born with a power that turns you into a god among men, there will be those who choose to use it to make others suffer.
Superman – It's sad to see a world that had achieved peace turn into this.
Batman – No. The world was always like this. It's just that Japan had an All Might...
"Speaking of All Might, I should go visit him..."
Rei – Why?
"After fighting together and knowing he saved me in the past, I'd be a monster if I didn't show him my respect."
[You were never in danger...]
The system became jealous upon hearing that. From its point of view, All Might had done something unnecessary. The system always takes care of protecting that Allen before he becomes this Allen.
'Of course, there was no danger with you protecting me, but All Might didn't know that, right?'
[Hmph, fine.]
"..." Allen smiled.
For many, All Might's mindset might be overly idealistic, but the world needs someone like him after so many people only focused on the worst parts of it.
Allen entered an alley and decided to fly the rest of the way to U.A.
Without realizing it, a girl with sharp fangs watched him with a disturbing smile. She was none other than Himiko Toga.
"Hehe, so that's Allen. I like his eyes~"
The girl laughed before disappearing into the crowd.
She wasn't there by coincidence—she had been looking for him. But it wasn't particularly hard to find Allen; he was a U.A. student who could be easily located.
In this world, secret identities made little sense, since from schools like U.A., future superheroes were already presented publicly—either through competitions or when they went on internships at superhero agencies as apprentices.
Of course, that wasn't the case for everyone. For example, people only knew All Might, not Toshinori Yagi.
....
Meanwhile...
In Principal Nezu's office, a meeting was taking place via video call.
"Nezu, what do you plan to do to guarantee the students' safety?!" said a man in a suit whose face wasn't visible.
A woman, her face also in shadow, growled, "This is unacceptable. You have enough budget to build a fortress, and even so, you couldn't prevent villains from entering and putting students in danger."
Despite the pressure, Nezu remained calm.
"Of course, I understand the seriousness of this situation, and I won't make excuses. Security was lacking, and we are already improving it. Even so, I'd like to remind you of something."
Without changing his expression, Nezu's eyes turned cold.
"Just as U.A. was my responsibility, I heard that the Commission was quite ineffective in dealing with hundreds of villains..."
"Nezu, watch your words. I represent the Prime Minister!"
"My apologies. I merely wanted to point out that despite everything, no students died, and the villain All For One was repelled."
The room fell silent. These bureaucrats only wanted a scapegoat to blame, and of course, Nezu had been their first choice.
Nezu didn't blame them. Not only had All For One returned, but a kaiju had also appeared—one believed to be real due to its size. So all of this was the predictable result of fear, and when important people are afraid, they tend to blame others to hide it.
The rest of the meeting was calmer, concluding with an agreement to increase security at U.A. and build safe shelters in the event of another large-scale attack.
Nezu slumped into his chair as the tension finally faded.
"It seems Allen's matter will be kept secret... I'm sorry, Kayama-sensei, Tsutsumi-sensei."
Both Nemuri and Kaina had been present as observers. Both were afraid that Allen would end up as the government's target, especially Kaina, who knew what politicians were capable of when they wanted something.
"Don't worry, Director. Thank you," Nemuri said with a bow.
"You anticipated all of this, didn't you?" Kaina asked, narrowing her eyes.
"Hey—"
Nemuri tried to scold her, but Nezu stopped her.
"Don't worry, Kayama-sensei. In fact, you're partly right. I thought that in the future, to prevent greedy hands from reaching for Allen, I needed to give him strong backing—and what better than four superheroines who would definitely never let anyone put him in prison clothes."
Lady Nagant felt a bead of sweat slide down her cheek.
'How long has he been planning this scenario?!'
Kaina had heard of Nezu's intelligence, but it seemed she had underestimated him.
"I see. Thank you, Director Nezu," Nemuri said, bowing once more.
"You..." Kaina was left stunned by Nemuri's actions.
Nemuri turned to Kaina and smiled. "If it weren't for Director Nezu, I would never have met my Allen~"
"A—" Lady Nagant looked as if she'd been struck by lightning upon realizing that significant detail. "Hmph, who is your Allen?"
Nemuri laughed and pushed Kaina out of the room before she could say anything else.
Nezu shook his head as he watched the two heroines leave his office.
====
A/N: There's nothing like Christmas in spring to win over the girls. 🍷🗿
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