All Might smiled as he chatted with Mirio Togata, who was seated next to young Midoriya.
His mind, though, was somewhere else, as it had remained ever since he had returned after meeting All For One.
There was something about that meeting that still unnerved him, like the worst kind of omen.
Was it related to All For One calling him a civilian?
No.
That was what All For One did to people, manipulating them with words, if not outright oppressing them with power.
All Might knew his old enemy's ways.
Yet, there was something in All For One's laugh—a suggestion.
The world was moving forward toward a darker path than the one he had left behind after his retirement.
Worse, he—the Symbol of Peace, the No. 1 Hero, All Might—did not know what kind of abomination this path would lead the world to.
"Worry not!" Mirio said energetically. "I will talk to Sir regarding Deku. We do need a bit of manpower at the Agency, to be honest."
Midoriya beamed at that proclamation.
All Might sighed inwardly.
Exams were scheduled to begin and end in the coming week.
All the second-year Hero Course students were supposed to submit the Hero Agencies they would be working at during the summer before then for Hero Work Studies.
Moreover, they needed to find such Agencies on their own, relying on the contacts they had made so far.
Like the others, young Midoriya had contacted someone as well. His old mentor—Gran Torino. However, the old man had outright refused the boy.
All Might couldn't blame him, though.
If Midoriya had come to him to ask Gran Torino on his behalf, he would have rejected the idea as well.
First, Gran Torino had lost most of the use of his Quirk after losing his legs to All For One in the Kamino Incident. If it hadn't been for Dr. Blessed, the old man would have all but died. Surprisingly, not only did he survive, but the international criminal had also saved his Quirk.
Even after all that, it had taken several weeks for Gran Torino to regain his health.
He still used his Quirk, but it was only a shadow of his previous style of combat.
All Might even believed that the only reason Gran Torino hadn't re-retired was that he wanted to actively participate in taking down the Claws of Conformity, formerly the League of Villains.
This was especially true after they had learned that Tomura Shigaraki was Nana Shimura's grandson.
And that was what the old man was doing while working with the police.
All Might could understand the stubbornness behind Gran Torino's decision to remain in the field instead of calling it a day.
The old man was sick with the idea of still making a difference.
And he, the Quirkless All Might, was also suffering from the same disease, though the symptoms were far worse in his case—growing worse by the day.
Then there was the second reason why Gran Torino could not accept Midoriya.
He had already accepted another student's request—young Bakugo.
Even at UA, not many knew of Bakugo's awakened Quirk.
That night, when Midoriya and Bakugo had fallen out, they had also talked—aside from the matter of One For All—about how the latter had produced explosions from the soles of his feet without equipment.
Bakugo had admitted that he had awakened his Quirk during the Training Camp incident.
However, after the Kamino Incident that had followed, he had found that he just couldn't control it—not with the same efficacy as with his hands.
If the boy had just told any Hero, then he would have learned that it was completely normal.
Awakened Quirks had been a source of both joy and headaches for Pros for ages, as it took months, if not years, to make them usable, depending on what the actual nature of the awakening was.
Bakugo's Quirk Awakening was the worst of its kind.
Taking his lack of control as a matter of shame, he had decided to bridge the gap with equipment instead.
That had been a good idea, surprisingly, as UA would have done the same for him.
But young Bakugo still refused to acknowledge that he had awakened his Quirk until he had mastered it completely.
Ordinarily, such awakened Quirks had to be updated in the Hero Database.
But UA—being a school that birthed extraordinary Heroes every year—had its privileges.
So, Principal Nezu and he had decided to grant young Bakugo's request at least until the next semester. Given the boy's nature, it was best to give him leeway, instead of trying to push him against his will.
Moreover, Bakugo already had an arrangement with Gran Torino—something All Might hadn't known about.
Young Midoriya had naturally come to him, then, asking him to talk with Sir Nighteye.
But remembering the last time he had met his old partner, in the hospital where Nighteye had again warned him of his impending death, All Might couldn't bring himself to do that.
That was how he had ended up calling Lemillion, the student who was supposed to be One For All's successor.
Some part of him thought he had failed Mirio by not choosing him, as the boy was clearly talented.
Still, it was nothing compared to the other part that thought he had failed… everyone.
Smiling broadly so the children would not sense the wrongness within him, All Might sent them off, laughing boisterously.
Then, he slumped back into the sofa.
He looked around and noticed the emptiness.
All Might could feel it in his bones; he still had it in him—an unquenchable urge to… help.
But how could he help anyone if he didn't even know why they needed help?!!
ORIGIN…
All For One hadn't mentioned that word merely to make him curious, All Might knew.
The bastard had mentioned it knowing that ignorance of its significance would eat away at him from the inside.
All Might took out his mobile and saw the dozens of messages he had sent to his friends all over the world.
Not one had replied, other than Star, who said she cannot share the details.
It was Star's clear helplessness that had pushed him to send another message.
All Might looked at it and couldn't believe that he had done it consciously—the most foolish act of his life, a gambit that would ruin his reputation if word got out, burying it deep beneath the earth.
But if that was the price to stand up for justice once again, then…
Buzz!
There was a new message, All Might saw.
No. Not from one of his old friends, but from a new one… Dr. Blessed.