[Time: 12:05 PM][Location: Fukuoka City – Rooftop overlooking the crash site]
The dust was settling. The cheers for Endeavor were beginning to rise from the streets below.
Reiji stood on the edge of a neighboring building, his Twilight Cuirass deactivated, blending back into the shadows of the water tower.
"Mission Complete," Reiji whispered, checking his mana levels. [Spirit Energy: 15%.]
He turned to leave. The jet was waiting.
WHOOSH.
A sudden spike in thermal energy registered on his danger sense. It wasn't the orange heat of Endeavor. It was colder. Malicious.
Blue fire.
Reiji spun around.
Down in the crater, where the injured Endeavor and Hawks were trying to catch their breath, a circle of azure flames erupted.
Stepping out of the fire was a man in a black trench coat. Staples held his burnt purple skin together.
[Enemy Detected: Dabi (League of Villains).][Threat Level: High.][Quirk: Cremation.]
"Long time no see, Number One," Dabi's voice drifted up, amplified by the silence of the stunned crowd.
Reiji's eyes narrowed.
'He waited for the cooldown,' Reiji analyzed. 'Endeavor is overheated. Hawks has no feathers left. This is a kill steal attempt.'
Reiji raised his hand. He summoned a Shadow Clone.
"Do I intervene?" Reiji calculated. "If I snipe him from here, I can disrupt his flame. But Dabi is a glass cannon. If I miss, he burns the heroes. If I hit, the League knows I'm here."
Down below, Dabi raised his hand.
"Let's dance, Enji Todoroki!"
Blue flames surged toward the two exhausted heroes.
Reiji prepared to teleport. He wouldn't let the Number One die after all that effort.
CRASH!
Suddenly, the sky broke again.
A white blur slammed into the pavement between Dabi and the heroes.
"DONT YOU DARE!"
Mirko, the Rabbit Hero, landed with enough force to crack the tectonic plate. She kicked the ground, creating a shockwave that blew Dabi's flames away.
"You scaly bastard!" Mirko shouted, bouncing into a fighting stance. "Trying to kick a man when he's down?!"
Dabi clicked his tongue, stepping back into a portal of grey sludge that Ujiko (the Doctor) had opened for him.
"More heroes..." Dabi sneered. "Whatever. I've said my piece."
As the portal began to close, Dabi looked up.
He didn't look at the crowd. He looked directly at the rooftop where Reiji was hiding.
His turquoise eyes locked onto Reiji's violet ones.
Dabi smiled. A grotesque stretching of stapled skin.
"See you soon... Shadow."
The portal vanished.
Reiji stood frozen for a moment.
[System Warning: Hostile Recognition confirmed.][Dabi is aware of your interference.]
"He saw me," Reiji muttered. "Or he sensed the darkness."
Reiji turned away from the edge. The heroes were safe. The police were swarming the area. His job was done.
"Let him look," Reiji said cold-bloodedly, adjusting his suit jacket. "Next time he tries to burn something, I'll extinguish him permanently."
[Time: 11:30 PM][Location: U.A. High School – Class 1-A Dorms]
The flight back had been uneventful. Reiji had slipped back onto campus using a blind spot in the sensors he had discovered weeks ago.
He changed out of his suit and into his casual wear—a black hoodie and sweatpants.
The dorms were quiet. Most students were asleep, exhausted from the emotional rollercoaster of the news cycle.
Reiji walked into the common area to get water.
Someone was already there.
Sitting at the kitchen island, staring at a cold bowl of soba, was Todoroki Shoto.
The room was dark, lit only by the blue light of the refrigerator and the faint glow of the TV, which was replaying the battle on mute.
Reiji walked to the fridge. He grabbed a bottle of water.
"You should eat that before it turns into paste," Reiji said, breaking the silence.
Todoroki didn't look up.
"He almost died," Todoroki whispered.
"He did," Reiji leaned against the counter, opening his water. "The High-End was stronger than anything we've seen. It was designed to kill him."
Todoroki looked at the TV screen. It showed the image of Endeavor, bloodied and scarred, raising his fist in victory.
"I hate him," Todoroki said, his voice trembling slightly. "I still hate what he did to Mom. To my brothers. To me."
He clenched his fist on the table.
"But when I saw him fall... when I saw that monster tear his face open..."
Todoroki looked up at Reiji. His mismatched eyes were wet.
"I was scared. I didn't want him to die."
Reiji took a sip of water. He understood that feeling. The conflict between hating the person but needing the pillar.
"That's normal," Reiji said flatly. "He's your father. Biology is a difficult code to rewrite."
Reiji walked over to the table. He placed a hand on Todoroki's shoulder.
"He stood up, Shoto. He didn't run. He took the hit so the city wouldn't burn."
Reiji looked at the scar on Endeavor's face on the screen.
"He's trying to change. Maybe he's failing. Maybe he's clumsy. But today... he was the Number One Hero."
Todoroki stared at the screen for a long time. Then, he picked up his chopsticks.
"Yeah," Todoroki murmured, finally taking a bite of the cold noodles. "He was."
He chewed slowly, then looked at Reiji with a sudden frown. He sniffed the air.
"Reiji."
"What?"
"You smell like ozone," Todoroki noted. "And jet fuel."
Reiji didn't flinch.
"I was testing a new support item," Reiji lied effortlessly. "Simulated flight."
Todoroki narrowed his eyes. He wasn't stupid. He remembered the reports of a "Student" assisting in Kyushu. He remembered the black flames that cleared the small Nomus.
But Todoroki didn't push. He simply nodded.
"Thanks," Todoroki said. Not for the water. But for the unsaid thing.
"Don't mention it."
Reiji turned to leave.
[Relationship Update: Todoroki Shoto.][Bond Level: Trusted Ally.]
"Get some sleep," Reiji called back over his shoulder. "We have practical training tomorrow. And I heard Class 1-B is looking for a fight."
Reiji walked into the elevator.
The High-End was dead. The League was moving. And the students of U.A. were getting stronger.
Reiji closed his eyes as the doors shut.
'Joint Training Arc next,' Reiji thought. 'Shinso Hitoshi is joining the fray. Time to see if the brainwasher has leveled up.'
End of Chapter 134.