[Time: 09:00 PM][Location: A Cheap Apartment – Somewhere in Esuha City]
"Recording in three... two... one!"
A small, diminutive woman with dark hair tied in massive pigtails held up a camcorder. Her eyes sparkled with adoration.
"Action, Gentle!"
In the center of the cramped, tea-stained living room, a man spun around. He wore a crisp white trench coat with a high collar, gloves, and a cravat. He struck a pose, pointing a cane at the lens.
"Salutations, listeners! It is I!"
He tipped his hat.
" The Gentle Criminal!"
Danjuro Tobita.Villain Name: Gentle Criminal.Quirk: Elasticity.
"Cut!" Gentle dropped the pose, rushing over to the camera. "How was the lighting, La Brava? Did my mustache catch the glare?"
"It was perfect, Gentle!" La Brava (Manami Aiba) squealed, clutching the camera. "You looked so dashing! This video is going to get a million views for sure!"
Gentle sighed, pouring himself a cup of Earl Grey tea. "Views... Ah, the fickle currency of the modern age. Our last video, 'The Gentleman Robs a Convenience Store (Politely),' only garnered three thousand hits."
He took a sip, his expression darkening slightly.
"It seems the world is distracted. They only care about flash. Violence. The Yakuza raids. The League of Villains."
He walked over to his corkboard. It was covered in newspaper clippings.
Most of them featured All Might. But a new one was pinned in the center.
It was a blurry photo of Reiji Kurobane standing over the defeated Overhaul. The headline read: "U.A. Student Bruralizes Yakuza Boss? The Rise of the Dark Hero."
Gentle tapped the photo with his cane.
"Look at this, La Brava," Gentle muttered, disgust in his voice. "This is what society applauds now. A child who fights like a demon. No grace. No style. Just raw, ugly violence."
"He looks scary," La Brava whispered. "They say he broke Overhaul's arms before the police even arrived."
"Barbaric," Gentle shook his head. "Heroes used to be symbols of hope. Now they are just soldiers. The world has forgotten the art of the performance."
He turned back to the center of the room, his eyes burning with renewed purpose.
"That is why we must act, La Brava! We must remind them! We must pull off a heist so audacious, so elegant, that it wakes this society from its bloodthirsty slumber!"
He pointed to a map taped to the wall.
[Target: U.A. High School.]
"The U.A. School Festival," Gentle announced. "The most secure event in Japan. Guarded by Pro Heroes. Fortified by the Hound Dog. And protected by students like this... Kurobane."
Gentle grinned. It wasn't a malicious grin. It was the grin of a performer stepping onto a stage.
"They think their walls are impenetrable. They think their 'brutal hero' can stop anyone."
Gentle reached into his pocket and pulled out a small rubber ball. He threw it at the floor.
BOING-BOING-BOING.
The ball didn't just bounce; it accelerated. Gentle tapped the air, turning the oxygen itself elastic. The ball ricocheted off the invisible wall, gaining speed until it was a blur.
"But brute force cannot break something that bends," Gentle whispered.
He caught the ball effortlessly.
"We will infiltrate the festival. We will ring the alarm. And we will escape before they even know what happened. We will prove that a Gentleman is superior to a Brute!"
La Brava cheered, zooming the camera in on his face.
"Start the upload, La Brava!" Gentle swished his cape. "History is waiting for us!"
[Time: 10:00 PM][Location: U.A. Heights Alliance – Reiji's Room]
Reiji sat at his desk, his fingers moving rapidly across a keyboard.
The band practice had been... surprisingly fun. But now, he was back to work.
[System Quest: The Traitor's Trail (Progress: 45%).]
He was scanning the school's network logs, looking for the glitch that had allowed the Hassaikai intel to leak.
Ping.
A notification popped up on his second monitor. It was a video recommendation from an obscure sharing site he monitored for villain chatter.
Video Title:[URGENT] A Gentleman's Challenge to U.A. High!Views: 12.
Reiji raised an eyebrow. "Clickbait?"
He clicked the video.
A man in a white coat appeared on screen.
"Salutations! It is I, the Gentle Criminal! To the students of U.A.... enjoy your tea while it is hot. For I shall be adding a dash of chaos to your festival!"
Reiji watched the man turn the air into a trampoline and bounce away from a pursuing hero (who looked like a D-Lister).
Reiji paused the video. He zoomed in on the man's face.
[Database Search: Danjuro Tobita.][Status: Failed Hero Student / Internet Criminal.][Threat Level: D (Adjusted to C+ for Quirk Versatility).]
"A failed hero," Reiji muttered. "And he wants to crash the festival."
Reiji leaned back in his chair.
Normally, he would report this to Aizawa immediately. Or track the IP address and send the police.
But then he remembered the band practice. He remembered Jiro's smile. He remembered Bakugo actually enjoying himself.
"If I report this, Aizawa cancels the festival," Reiji realized. "If the alarm rings, the event is over. The students lose their one day of happiness."
Reiji looked at the smiling Gentle on the screen.
"You want to crash the party?" Reiji whispered, his eyes narrowing.
He cracked his knuckles.
"Fine. I won't tell the teachers."
He closed the laptop.
"I'll handle you myself."
[New Quest Generated: The Silent Guardian.][Objective: Defeat Gentle Criminal BEFORE he triggers the school alarm.][Failure Condition: Festival Cancelled.][Reward: Class 1-A Happiness.]
Reiji stood up and walked to his balcony, looking out at the city lights.
"Sorry, Gentle," Reiji smirked. "But this brutal hero plays guitar now. And I don't like critics."
End of Chapter 125.
_________________________________________________________________________
🔥 Hey legends! Quick updates! 🔥
💥 Can't wait for the next chapter? Good news—ALL advance chapters are available on Patreon for just $5! No more waiting, just pure binge-reading goodness! 🚀
👉 patreon.com/cyci07
✨ Power Stone Challenge! ✨
If we hit 100 power stones, I'll drop 2 bonus chapters! Let's see if you guys can make me suffer! 😂
💬 Enjoying the story? Leave a review and let me know your favorite moment so far! It helps the novel grow and reach more readers!
Thanks for all your support—you guys are awesome! ❤️