Hearing those conditions, the expressions of the three Pro Heroes in the room gradually darkened.
It wasn't the confirmation that the world was destroyed that unsettled them the most, nor was it the revelation that All For One was still alive. It was the final condition that felt wrong.
Although neither Aizawa nor Yagi were particularly skilled at deciphering layered meanings the way Nezu was, they could still understand the direction the future Tsutsumi was pointing toward.
When he spoke about becoming what they hated, walking a path of no return, becoming the necessary evil, and discarding hesitation, the meaning behind it was clear enough.
The current Tsutsumi Ryoko would need to become heartless.
That was the part that directly contradicted the first condition about reigniting his sense of justice, and that contradiction was what confused them.
From Aizawa's understanding of Tsutsumi, his personality had always been difficult, sometimes even borderline dangerous in the way he spoke and acted. However, he was not heartless. He repaid kindness in his own way, even if it did not always look conventional. He had emotions, attachments, and people he cared about. He could act impulsively, and at times he let his emotions guide his actions, but unless someone truly became his enemy or pushed him to a point where he believed eliminating them was the only option, he never crossed that line.
The idea that allowing him to become heartless would somehow prevent the destruction of the world did not make sense at first.
However, when Aizawa began focusing on the second condition, the pieces slowly began to connect.
In that timeline, the Hero Public Safety Commission used Tsutsumi Kaina to lure Tsutsumi Ryoko into lowering his guard. They exploited his desire to find his mother and used it against him. They betrayed him and attempted to forcefully take his Quirk in order to control his power.
Tsutsumi Ryoko's Quirk was the belt that remained fastened around his waist at almost all times. Taking it by force would mean physically ripping it off his body.
The future Tsutsumi sitting in front of them had already shown that the belt was no longer permanently attached to him.
That alone implied that at some point, it had been removed.
Aizawa's expression changed slightly as the implication became clearer. Tsutsumi Ryoko's primary motivation had always been to find his missing mother. If in that future he managed to find her, only to be betrayed or manipulated through her, then that single event could have triggered everything that followed. The Commission's betrayal, the loss of his Quirk, this All For One gaining access to his power, and eventually the destruction of the world could all stem from that moment.
If that was the case, then the final condition was no longer vague.
In order to prevent history from repeating itself, Tsutsumi Ryoko would need to sever the attachment that could be used against him. He would need to become someone who would not hesitate even if the person standing in front of him was his own mother.
The conclusion was uncomfortable.
Aizawa felt a tightness forming in his chest as he reached that realization. If that was truly the meaning behind the future Tsutsumi's words, then the path required to save the world demanded something no fifteen-year-old should ever be forced to consider.
And judging by how calmly the future Tsutsumi had explained it, he had already come to terms with that reality himself.
Yagi Toshinori, on the other hand, did not think nearly as far ahead as Aizawa. To him, the idea of becoming heartless was already unacceptable. A hero without heart was no hero at all. Everything he had built his life upon revolved around protecting others with a smile, carrying hope forward, and inspiring the next generation. The thought that one of his students might need to abandon that entirely felt fundamentally wrong to him.
Nezu, however, had already gone several layers deeper.
While Aizawa was still processing the emotional weight of the conclusion he reached, Nezu had mentally run through hundreds of possible interpretations. Aizawa's theory about Tsutsumi Kaina and the betrayal had appeared among those possibilities almost immediately, but Nezu also noticed several smaller inconsistencies that did not completely align yet. He needed more information before settling on a final answer.
"Then if you don't mind…" Nezu began, his black bead-like eyes fixed steadily on the older Tsutsumi. "Previously, you revealed to Aizawa that both the you of now and the you of our time are capable of traveling across space and time."
Tsutsumi remained silent, allowing him to continue.
"So I want to ask, why doesn't your younger self simply step into a parallel world to investigate what happened to his mother there? If there are countless variations of reality, surely one of them would provide the answer without triggering the events of your timeline."
Tsutsumi looked at him calmly before replying with a question of his own.
"If I traveled to a world where you were still a lab rat and another experiment obtained your Quirk instead, should I conclude that the you of that world and the you of this world are identical with no meaningful difference?"
Nezu chuckled softly at that.
"I see. So no matter how similar two worlds may appear on the surface, there will always be small differences that branch into entirely different outcomes."
He tapped his paw lightly against his armrest, clearly intrigued.
"Like how in one world, U.A. stands as Japan's Number One Hero School, while in another world, U.A. may not exist at all."
"Now you're getting it," Tsutsumi replied with a faint smile.
"That makes sense," Nezu murmured thoughtfully. "Even if he finds his mother in another world, that version of her would not necessarily reflect the one in this timeline. The variables would be different, and acting on that information could create even greater instability."
Tsutsumi did not confirm or deny it directly, but his silence was answer enough.
Nezu's eyes narrowed slightly as he shifted directions.
"Then allow me to ask something else. Is there any limit to what your Quirk can do?"
"Depends," Tsutsumi replied simply.
The vague answer did not frustrate Nezu; instead, it confirmed something. His power really does have limitless potential to grow and get stronger.
"I see," Nezu said calmly. "Then one final question. When All For One took your Quirk, how were you able to reclaim it, and what happened afterward?"
The room stilled slightly at that. Even Yagi unconsciously leaned forward.
Tsutsumi smiled faintly before standing up from his seat.
"My younger self has returned," he said.
Before any of them could question how he knew that, he waved his hand and summoned an Aurora Curtain in front of him.
"As for your question," he continued, pausing briefly as light from the curtain reflected across his figure, "my power is my very own existence."
He stepped forward.
As he passed through, his silhouette briefly shifted into that of Decade, the outline of the masked rider turned back toward them, his big glowing green eyes looked back before fading along with the Aurora Curtain itself.
The room fell into silence.
Aizawa, Yagi, and Nezu remained seated, each absorbed in their own thoughts as the weight of the future settled heavily around them.
Nezu's previously cheerful expression gradually hardened as he began carefully analyzing everything the future Tsutsumi had revealed.
To begin with, Tsutsumi Ryoko's ability was far more dangerous than they had originally estimated. It was not simply a versatile Quirk or something that bent certain physical rules. It broke them entirely. Traveling across space was one matter, but traveling across time and even stepping into other worlds meant his existence itself no longer followed the natural laws. That alone shifted the scale of the situation beyond anything they had previously prepared for.
Then there was the third condition.
It was not merely a dramatic way of telling his younger self to become heartless. The wording had been deliberate. Every phrase carried weight, and Nezu doubted someone like Tsutsumi would choose those words casually.
He began dissecting each part of it and comparing it with what the future Tsutsumi had admitted.
Tsutsumi Ryoko had failed to meet that final condition.
That meant the older and younger Tsutsumi had not become what they most hated. He had not fully stepped onto that path of no return. He still retained something that allowed him to turn back. He had not completely accepted the role of monster, devil, ghost, or evil. In fact, the way he spoke suggested he rejected those identities. He still saw himself as someone who could feel, someone who could hesitate, someone who still possessed a heart.
If that was the case, then the requirement was not simply emotional detachment.
It was something further.
Whatever he needed to become likely required him to discard his humanity entirely, not just suppress his feelings. It implied crossing a threshold where there would be no return, no lingering attachment, and no emotional weakness to exploit.
"But what could that thing be…" Nezu murmured quietly, resting a paw against his chin as he sank deeper into thought.
The room remained silent until Yagi spoke up.
"Uh, Nezu. What should we do now?" he asked, pulling the principal out of his thoughts.
Nezu looked at both of them calmly.
"Well, Toshinori, Shota. What are your thoughts on how we should handle this moving forward with Tsutsumi?" he asked in return, clearly wanting to hear their perspectives first.
"I say we guide young Tsutsumi back onto the path of heroism," Yagi Toshinori answered without hesitation. "He is still young and has a bright future ahead of him. As Pro Heroes and as his teachers, we cannot allow him to stray onto a dark path with no return."
As he spoke, his skinny fist clenched instinctively, and for a brief moment, he transformed into his muscular form with his usual confident smile. After a second, he returned to his thinner state, calming himself down.
Aizawa remained seated, arms folded.
"We should deal with the Hero Public Safety Commission first," he said plainly. "From everything we heard, they are the ones who triggered the chain of events. If we don't address that, then even if we help him regain his sense of justice, it won't matter. The root cause will still be there waiting."
Nezu nodded slightly.
"That is a valid conclusion," he agreed. "As for today's matter, if Tsutsumi Ryoko mentions his future self or hints at something, do not completely hide it from him. There is no need to be overly secretive. If necessary, tell him the final condition directly."
Both Aizawa and Yagi looked slightly confused at that suggestion, but neither of them interrupted. They trusted Nezu's judgment.
"If he is capable of traveling across space and time, then withholding information will only encourage him to search for it himself," Nezu continued. "It is better that we remain transparent, at least to a degree."
"Also, if possible, we should let him continue to travel across different worlds. He likes to travel after all, and it will buy us more time to deal with the Commission before he decides to do it himself." Nezu added.
He then shifted to the more sensitive topic.
"As for the matter concerning his mother, we should do our best to prevent them from meeting for now. Future Tsutsumi made it clear that her involvement was what led to his downfall. If we delay that encounter, we may buy ourselves time to find another solution."
Both Aizawa and Yagi nodded in agreement.
It was not an ideal plan, but given what little they knew and what little time they had, extending the time and stabilizing Tsutsumi's mental state were their most practical options.
For now, that would have to be enough.