[Time: 11:45 AM][Location: Fukuoka City – Central District]
The city of Fukuoka was bustling. The late autumn sun was surprisingly warm, reflecting off the glass skyscrapers and the calm waters of the bay.
To the average civilian, it was a peaceful Monday. People were shopping, eating lunch, and gossiping about the new Hero Billboard Chart.
To Reiji Kurobane, it was a waiting room for a catastrophe.
He sat at an open-air cafe terrace across the street from a high-rise building. He wore a sharp, tailored grey suit instead of a uniform or hero costume. A black briefcase sat by his feet—not filled with documents, but with his compressed hero gear.
[System Clock: 11:48 AM.][Time to Event: ~15 Minutes.]
He took a sip of black coffee.
"They're inside," Reiji muttered, his eyes fixed on the top floor of the building across the street.
Endeavor and Hawks were currently having lunch in a private room on the top floor. It was the famous scene where Hawks asked Endeavor for a team-up. The scene that would be interrupted by a nightmare.
"If I intervene now," Reiji calculated, tapping the table, "I could evacuate the building. But if the High-End doesn't find Endeavor there, it will attack the city center to draw him out. Casualties would increase exponentially."
The most efficient path was to let the attack happen in the controlled environment of the skyscraper, then contain the fallout.
Reiji finished his coffee. He placed a bill on the table.
"Time to crash the meeting."
[Location: Top Floor Restaurant – "La Vue"]
"I'm just saying, Number One," Hawks leaned back in his chair, picking at a skewer of yakitori. "We need to work together. The rumors about these 'Nomu' sightings in my district... they aren't just rumors."
Endeavor grunted, staring out the window with a scowl. "If there are villains, I will burn them. I don't need a team-up for pest control."
"So cold!" Hawks laughed, waving a feather. "But the public loves a duo! Think of the ratings!"
The waitress approached their table, looking nervous. But she wasn't bringing the bill.
"Um... excuse me, Sirs," she stammered. "There is a... representative here to see you. He says he has an appointment with the Kurobane Corporation."
Endeavor frowned. "Kurobane? The support tech giant? I didn't schedule anything."
"I did," a voice cut in.
Reiji walked past the waitress. He looked like a young CEO, his suit perfectly pressed, his expression unreadable.
"Reiji Kurobane," Hawks' eyes widened slightly, though his smile didn't waver. "U.A. Class 1-A. The 'Brutal Hero.' What is a student doing in a place like this?"
"Business," Reiji said smoothly, pulling out a chair uninvited. "My father, the CEO, is interested in the new Number Two. He thinks your... speed... requires better aerodynamics. He sent me to offer a sponsorship."
"A sponsorship?" Hawks raised an eyebrow. "While I'm on a date with the Number One?"
"I multitask," Reiji replied.
Endeavor slammed his hand on the table. "Boy! You are a student! You should be in class, not playing businessman! Leave!"
Reiji looked at Endeavor. The flame mustache was flickering with irritation.
"I'll leave in a moment, Endeavor-san," Reiji said, his voice dropping to a serious register. "But first, a warning."
Reiji leaned in. He tapped the table twice.
"The stock market is volatile today. We predict a... massive crash in this sector. specifically, right here."
Hawks stopped smiling. His golden eyes locked onto Reiji. He sensed it—the underlying message. Reiji wasn't talking about stocks.
"A crash?" Hawks asked slowly. "How soon?"
"Imminent," Reiji said.
He stood up and walked to the window. He looked down at the street below.
[Sensor Activation: High Energy Signature Detected.][Target: High-End Nomu (Hood).][Status: Approaching at Mach 1.]
"In fact," Reiji placed his hand on the glass. "It's already here."
CRASH!
The window didn't just break. It exploded inward.
A black blur smashed through the reinforced glass, carrying the force of a missile.
"WATCH OUT!" Hawks screamed.
His feathers reacted instantly. He grabbed the waitress and the other civilians, pulling them back.
Endeavor reacted with pure instinct.
"Flashfire Fist!"
He punched the blur.
BOOM!
Fire erupted, filling the restaurant with searing heat. The shockwave blew the tables apart.
Reiji didn't move. He activated his Twilight Cuirass. A barrier of white light formed instantly around him, deflecting the glass shards and the shockwave.
Through the smoke, a voice spoke. It wasn't human. It was deep, distorted, and hungry.
"Which... one... is... the... strongest?"
The smoke cleared.
Standing in the center of the ruined restaurant was a nightmare. Black skin. Exposed brain. Massive muscular arms. And jets on its shoulders.
The High-End Nomu: Hood.
Hood looked at Endeavor. Then at Hawks.
Then, its six eyes shifted to Reiji.
"You..." the monster drooled. "Smell... like... Master."
Reiji summoned his Netherrealm Sword from the briefcase in a flash of digital particles.
"Wrong," Reiji said, his eyes glowing violet. "I smell like your funeral."
Endeavor stepped forward, his flames turning blue with intensity.
"Hawks! Evacuate the civilians!" Endeavor roared. "I will handle this creature!"
"Roger that!" Hawks grabbed the waitress. "Kid! You too! Get out!"
Reiji looked at the shattered window. The Nomu was already preparing to lunge.
"Go, Hawks," Reiji commanded, stepping up beside the Number One Hero. "I'm not a civilian today."
He pointed his sword at the monster.
"I'm the insurance policy."
[System Quest: The Kyushu Incident.][Objective: Survive until Endeavor wins.][Difficulty: S-Rank.]
The High-End roared, a sound that shattered every remaining window in the building.
The battle for the top had begun.
End of Chapter 132.