When Allen arrived at U.A.'s gates, he noticed something was different—the walls now looked far more robust.
Allen used the Superman template to activate X-ray vision. Halfway underground, he saw robots and people working beneath the surface, reinforcing the defensive walls.
As he scanned the crowd, his attention was drawn to a beautiful girl with pink hair and amber eyes, her pupils marked with a cross-like pattern. She wore protective goggles and safety gloves. Her skills were clearly competent, but beyond that, what truly caught his attention was that she looked younger than the rest.
After observing her for a few seconds, a label appeared above her head.
[Mei Hatsume
Quirk: Zoom]
"I guess she's like Melissa..." Allen thought, remembering the girl he saved the other day.
They didn't talk much, but in gratitude, she offered to improve his suit, something Allen wasn't sure was necessary, but he didn't refuse the kindness of a beautiful woman.
....
Rebecca – For a moment I thought it was some implant, but it seems it's her Quirk… this world really is strange.
Rebecca came from a world set in the year 2076. By then, her world had become a cyberpunk dystopia filled with cybernetic implants and flying cars, making it hard to explain how, nearly a century later, this world didn't even look remotely similar.
Saya – It's most likely due to what's called the Dark Age.
Gwen – You mean what Allen read about? That period in the past when society collapsed into an era dominated by crime, where villains did whatever they wanted and people lived in fear?
Eve – That makes sense. Because of the appearance of Quirks, the world went through a period of stagnation in technological development. So even if advanced technology exists, everyday society in the twenty-second century still looks like the early twenty-first.
....
Toru, who was walking beside Allen, stopped when she noticed he had gone silent, staring at the ground near the entrance.
"Allen, is something wrong?"
Ochako noticed as well and tilted her head.
"Allen-kun?"
Allen shook his head before giving a slight smile.
"It's nothing. I just find it curious that there's a security system capable of instantly raising a multi-layered barrier… yet I'm still forced to take notes in a boring math class."
Ochako laughed nervously.
"Hehehe, well, not everything can be about fighting villains and stuff."
Toru laughed.
"Someday in the future someone will invent a device that injects information directly into our brains and studying will be over!~"
Allen looked at Toru with pity. She didn't know that students over a century ago had imagined something similar for this era. And more than anything, Allen's main complaint was that he had to relearn everything all over again.
On the way to class, they ran into Ibara, who was talking with Reiko and Setsuna from Class 1-B.
"Did you forget about us already?~" Setsuna said with playful mockery and fake resentment.
Ibara felt embarrassed and bowed.
"I'm sorry, I haven't had time to hang out with you."
"Just let it go, Tokage-san," Reiko said with a bored look. "Besides, you were the only one insisting on karaoke."
"Huh?" Setsuna pouted. "That's not my fault! I was just trying to get us closer, but both you and Yui are like blocks of ice."
Reiko looked away, uninterested.
"If it bothers you that much, don't invite me to anything."
"Tsk..." Setsuna smacked her own forehead.
Ibara seemed overwhelmed and waved her hands nervously, trying to stop the argument.
"Please, don't fight."
Neither girl seemed very cooperative.
Seeing this, the three of them had stopped—but the moment Allen laughed, Reiko's eyes lit up and she walked toward him.
"Hi..." Despite her calm words, she looked far more lively than before.
Allen was glad to see the peculiar girl.
"Hi, Reiko." Allen was happy to see the peculiar girl, and without thinking, he stroked her head.
"Mm~" Reiko smiled beneath her face covering.
Both Ochako and Toru narrowed their eyes. Where was the expressionless girl from a moment ago?
"Hey, don't forget about me, handsome~"
Setsuna changed too. Without hesitation or embarrassment, she walked up to Allen and placed a hand on his shoulder. This gesture shocked all the girls.
"Allen-kun, what's your relationship with her?!" Ochako exclaimed.
"Hm?" Setsuna smiled mischievously as she grabbed Allen's arm. "Isn't it obvious? We're lovers~"
Ochako and Toru froze like stone. Ibara covered her mouth. As for Reiko, a chilling spectral aura began to leak from her as she stared at Setsuna.
"That's enough." Allen flicked Setsuna on the forehead, then glanced at her sideways. "I don't recall having that kind of relationship with you."
Setsuna laughed.
"Tokage-san..." Reiko snapped, clearly annoyed, but Setsuna ignored her.
"Don't be such a buzzkill." She gave Allen a meaningful look before leaning close to his ear. "One of these days we should go out—you know, get to know each other better..."
Ochako and Toru laughed awkwardly. They could only stare in amazement at how bold Setsuna was. Even Allen felt confused—he still couldn't tell how serious Setsuna was, or if she was just having fun.
Allen ended up exchanging contact information with the girls from Class 1-B, then said goodbye as he headed toward Class 1-A. Along the way, he noticed Ochako looked like she wanted to say something but was holding back.
That was, of course, easy to figure out. Allen gave Ochako his contact information. She blushed but accepted it—and he did the same with Ibara, who smiled, a bit confused but also slightly embarrassed.
'Why are they blushing? We're just exchanging contacts,' Allen thought.
Gwen – Don't forget where you are -_-
'Huh?'
"Allen..." Toru puffed out her cheeks in a pout.
Even though she was invisible, Allen could tell Toru was angry.
"What?" Allen blinked in confusion.
"Maybe for you exchanging phone numbers is no big deal, but you come off like a womanizer when you casually ask girls for their contact info..."
Allen's eyes widened slightly, then he looked at Ochako and Ibara.
"Well, that only applies to strangers. We're already f-friends, right?" Ochako replied, avoiding eye contact.
"That is correct. I believe Allen-san is someone worthy of admiration, so I have no issue with it," Ibara said with her hands clasped.
"Sorry." Allen laughed.
He had spent so much time with Nemuri that he forgot he was in Japan, where girls tended to be more reserved with people they didn't know well.
"How about I treat you all to lunch after class?"
"Really?" Ochako's eyes lit up, but then she became embarrassed, not wanting to seem like she was taking advantage.
"Don't worry. In fact, feel free to spend my money—I'm used to it."
Ochako turned even redder, making Ibara and Toru laugh.
...
In the classroom, everyone was already present.
The moment Bakugo saw Allen, he began radiating anger—but when Allen stared back at him, Bakugo looked away, cursing under his breath.
Amanda – Looks like even a rabid dog knows better than to bite a tiger~
Rebecca – I told you castration was the best option, hahaha.
Allen greeted several classmates, including Deku, who looked worried.
"Did something happen?" Allen asked the green-haired boy.
"It's nothing!" Deku denied, but it was obvious he was hiding something.
The truth was that Recovery Girl had warned him to be careful about breaking his limbs when using his Quirk—his power wasn't omnipotent, and he could permanently lose mobility if he kept pushing himself.
Allen didn't press further. Deku wasn't a child; he had to overcome his own struggles.
Just as the door opened, Midnight entered.
"Quiet down, children~"
Class began, and despite Allen's best efforts to pay attention, he ended up falling asleep—earning himself a scolding from Nemuri and detention after school.
Allen noticed a pink glint in Nemuri's eyes when she said that, but chose to ignore it.
During lunch, Allen ate with Itsuka and Momo.
The classes passed uneventfully, until the final lesson arrived.
....
The students stared at the door. They hadn't seen All Might since that day—since learning about his current condition, something they would, of course, never reveal to anyone.
The door opened, but instead of All Might, a woman walked in with a cigarette in her mouth. Everyone recognized her—it was Kaina Tsutsumi, also known as Lady Nagant.
Kaina walked to the front of the class and looked at them with a stern expression.
"Hi kids, I am Kaina Tsutsumi..."
"Huh?!" Mina stood up.
"Wait, what happened to All Might?!" Kirishima shouted.
"Is he okay?!" Deku exclaimed.
In response to the uproar, Kaina's expression hardened as she raised her voice.
"Shut up, you brats!"
The class fell silent, intimidated by Kaina's aura.
Allen, for his part, remained quiet, not interrupting and showing no visible reaction.
"You all know very well what happened, yet you still ask?" Kaina tossed her cigarette out the window. "All Might hasn't recovered enough to teach yet, so I'll be in charge of this class, which I'll be merging with mine."
There were clenched fists, tense jaws, and a clear sense of shared concern.
Kaina walked across the classroom until her gaze stopped on Allen, who met her gaze, offering her only a slight smile.
Understanding Allen's intentions, Kaina sighed in irritation—but said it anyway.
"You'd better get rid of those stupid ideas that this was your fault, that All Might ended up like this. There was nothing you could have done!"
All For One was a monster. Even professional heroes wouldn't have been able to defeat him, let alone students. Everyone could understand that—if it weren't for the fact that there had been someone who participated.
The atmosphere became heavy and depressing, but Allen wasn't worried because he was sure Kaina knew how to handle the situation.
"Brats, you should all stop being heroes."
"What did you say?!" Bakugo stood up, filled with rage.
"You call yourself a teacher?!" Momo exclaimed.
"Calm down, Momo," Allen said.
"But—" Momo protested, yet in the end she sat back down under Allen's serious gaze.
"Don't you get it yet? You don't get to choose what Quirk you're born with. If you could, who among you wouldn't choose All Might's powers?!"
Kaina slammed her fist into the wall behind her, leaving a small crack.
"Stop acting like brats!"
Everyone was left in shock by her actions. What kind of teacher was this? Allen, meanwhile, smiled.
"You think you're the first ones to go through this? Do you think no one has ever felt inferior to All Might?"
Todoroki clenched his jaw.
"If every idiot who felt inferior to All Might gave up, there wouldn't be any professional heroes," Kaina snorted. "Listen up, you little bastards—instead of trying to be something you're not, aim to become the best version of yourselves! Save lives within your capabilities. That's what heroes do!"
The words that came from Kaina's mouth weren't comforting.
They weren't encouragement or hope—they were a harsh reality check, a scolding, and also a path forward.
"Before coming here, none of you knew about Allen Walker. None of you had seen the full extent of All Might, or how terrifying All For One truly is. Now you do—and yet you're still sitting here. So stop thinking about useless things and get stronger in your own way."
Once again, silence filled the classroom—but this time it wasn't pessimistic. Instead, the students' eyes filled with determination, excitement, respect, gratitude, and ambition.
Seeing this, Kaina nodded in satisfaction.
"Good, brats. I like those eyes. Now let's continue with the class you still owe." Kaina smiled with a hint of sadism, making many of them shiver.
Outside the classroom, Aizawa—who had been listening—remained deep in thought.
Just like with All Might, Allen had healed him using the reverse ritual, fortunately possible thanks to a Yuta Okkotsu template—though it only lasted a minute.
Allen noticed that templates with healing abilities were scarce, which led him to deduce that this was likely Lucifer's doing.
It made sense that the devil wouldn't allow him to possess the power to heal any injury or resurrect people at will.
....
(USJ)
Once again, they boarded the same bus. Once again, they headed to the USJ. At first, no one understood why—but upon arrival, they were struck by surprise.
"What is this?!" Tetsutetsu exclaimed.
"Wasn't it destroyed?" Iida rubbed his eyes.
"What kind of witchcraft was used to pull this off?" Tsuyu asked, half-jokingly afraid.
Ochako joked, "Maybe it was all an illusion and that terrifying villain never existed, hehe... he..."
"I didn't know it could be rebuilt this fast," Itsuka said, resting a hand on her chin.
By this era, machinery and construction methods had improved significantly, so restoring streets only took days. But the USJ was a massive building with many functional facilities—not something that could be fixed in a week.
"It really is repaired..." Aizawa murmured.
"Why are you surprised, Aizawa-sensei?!" Kaminari exclaimed.
"I'd heard it was repaired, but I didn't know how—or by whom."
Kaina glanced at Allen, who shrugged.
"There's nothing a Dumbledore template and a Reparo spell can't fix," Allen said—though only loud enough for his Chat to hear.
MJ – I've always thought that spell is straight-up cheating in the worst way.
Saeko – Is magic really that incredible?
Erza – Of course! If you want, come to our world—we have plenty of it~
McDragon – I'm so jealous. I want to visit other worlds too.
Rick – Just turn into a girl. Otherwise, it's impossible, hahaha Burp
McDragon – Ugh, the world is so unfair!
While the entire class was still amazed, the door opened and the space hero Thirteen appeared.
"Welcome back!"
She was alive and ready for action—thanks, of course, to the combined powers of Recovery Girl and Allen.
"Thirteen-sensei! Are you okay?!" Ochako exclaimed.
Her eyes grew misty—Thirteen had taken the worst injury while saving her. If Thirteen hadn't recovered, Ochako would never have forgiven herself.
Thirteen flashed a peace sign.
"I'm fine, Uraraka-chan~"
With both Thirteen and Aizawa present, the students cleared their minds of worries about All Might.
Thirteen guided them inside.
"I've got a chilling sense of déjà vu..." Momo murmured, gripping her arm.
Allen smiled and stepped forward. This immediately startled everyone and put them on guard—but then Allen started laughing.
"It was a joke."
"Idiot!" Kaina scolded him.
"Sorry." Allen raised his hands in surrender. "But it wasn't just a joke. I wanted to see how much your mental resilience has improved. What do you think, teachers?"
Kaina snorted, "Next time, tell me first."
Aizawa nodded and gave a creepy smile. "They've all grown."
"I'm happy too!" Thirteen said. "Experiences like that—if you survive them—bring tremendous growth."
Once Thirteen finished speaking, she led them to the first zone, a replica of a mountain cliff.
"As you already know, this is a rescue class. Your task is to save the people trapped below. They're injured and frightened, so you'll need to figure out how to help them," Thirteen explained.
It was basic training—but necessary. Even if some students didn't plan to specialize in rescue, as Froppy had stated, they couldn't neglect these lessons. After all, they couldn't expect a rescue hero to always be nearby.
Kaina stepped forward. "Alright, who wants to go first?"
"I'll do it!" Bakugo shouted, stepping forward.
"I will too," Todoroki said, doing the same.
Both were eager to increase their capabilities as soon as possible—especially after what had happened and Kaina's words.
"Fine. You two—and you and you." Kaina pointed at Momo and Tokoyami.
Unexpectedly, the civilians to rescue were once again mannequins. This immediately put Allen on alert. U.A.'s new rules had made trials far harsher for young heroes—this wouldn't be a simple rescue exercise.
"I trust you," Allen said to Momo.
Momo smiled confidently as she adjusted her hair. "Of course, I'm Momo Yaoyorozu!~"
Seeing the girl's back, Allen smiled pityingly.
He already knew what would happen with Bakugo and Todoroki on the same team.
Once the rescue began, Todoroki laid out his plan.
"Yaoyorozu, create a pulley. Tokoyami will go down, and Bakugo and I will pull."
"Wait, why are you giving orders?!" Bakugo grabbed Todoroki by the collar, but Todoroki shoved him away.
Tokoyami shook his head.
"It's the best option," Todoroki said, pushing Bakugo aside. "If you want to play around, you don't have to do anything. I'm not wasting time on you as Allen does."
"What did you say?!"
"Both of you, shut up!" Momo snapped. "You're pathetic—and we need to do something before the rescue!"
Momo ran to the edge and crouched down.
"Is everyone okay down there? We're here to help—there's nothing to worry about!"
Allen smiled. "A very kind way of being a hero..."
Under Momo's leadership, Todoroki's plan moved forward—and even included Bakugo cooperating. However, just as they were about to succeed, an explosion went off on the cliff, and both Tokoyami and the mannequin fell.
"What?!" Bakugo thought it was another villain attack.
"Again?" Todoroki also went on guard.
"Tokoyami-kun, are you okay?!" Momo exclaimed.
"Yes... but..." Tokoyami, who had latched on with his shadow, looked in frustration at the mannequin, now shattered at the bottom of the fake cliff.
"Alright, you failed," Kaina said mercilessly. In her hand was a detonator.
"Tsutsumi-sensei, you did this?!" Deku asked nervously.
"Of course. Did you really expect it to be that easy?" Kaina mocked. "In real life, you never know what will happen. That's why you must be prepared for everything."
"Isn't this unfair?" Momo looked at Kaina with frustration. "That rule only applied to us. The rest of the class will know about it beforehand."
"She's right!" Bakugo growled.
"That's why I asked who wanted to go first—and you, ice boy, and you, explosion boy, were the first to step forward!"
"Don't screw with me!" Bakugo shouted—but instantly regretted it as a chill ran down his spine.
When he looked into Kaina's eyes, he felt that if he moved even an inch, his head would be blown off.
Kaina wasn't just another teacher. She had come to U.A. to teach them how cruel and unfair reality truly was. She had come to slap these aspiring heroes with the truth.
"I want you to understand one thing. I didn't come here to teach you the pretty side of being a hero. I didn't come to be liked. I came to make you suffer—to make you feel pain with every step you take, to be unfair to you. You will hate me, and that's fine, because I'll show you how cruel this world really is..."
Silence followed as the courage they had gained moments ago turned into fear.
This was the dark side of the coin—the antithesis of a hero like All Might.
The former assassin: Lady Nagant.
====
A/N: Chapter 777 Jackpot!
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