Holding the provisional hero license in my hand, I felt complete.
It wasn't fair—Mirio and Tamaki had gotten theirs almost a year before me, while my quirk had always been pushed to the sidelines. But now? Now I finally had it too.
Reading the card again, I couldn't help smiling. My picture. My name.
Nejire Hado.
With this, I could finally fight without Ryuko's supervision—and in whatever clothes I wanted. No more assigned outfits. Though… I really needed to find something less tacky.
The mall buzzed with life as I stepped onto the escalator, riding it upward. From above, I looked down at the bottom floor and watched families wander together, chatting and laughing as they shopped.
I wonder if I'll have a family like that someday.
The thought drifted easily into something more embarrassing—some prince charming sweeping me off my feet. I shook my head quickly.
Focus, Nejire. Shopping first.
I stepped off the escalator and reached a hand forward, eyes locking onto my target: a clothing store across the floor.
Standing between me and victory was a massive obstacle.
Mall goers.
A huge batch of enemies.
You can't go over them.
You can't go under them.
And you definitely can't go through them.
You just have to dodge.
An hour later, Nejire found herself seated in the mall's food court, several paper bags resting beside her. Her hair was tied back into a ponytail now, keeping it out of her face.
"Slurp."
She sipped from her smoothie, a carton of fries sitting in front of her. Pulling the straw from her lips, she grabbed a few fries and ate them, humming lightly to herself.
Everything felt… normal.
Too normal.
Nejire set the plastic cup down and leaned back in her seat, staring up at the ceiling of the mall. A small whine escaped her lips.
"Mouuu! I thought with this card—"
She pulled her provisional license from her pocket and dropped it onto the table with a soft tap.
"—that my life would be way more thrilling. Like villains firing guns into the air!"
She raised her hand, mimicking a gun and making soft bang sounds. Once. Twice.
Then—
A real gunshot rang through the mall.
Nejire flinched.
Her brows furrowed as she stared at her fingers.
"…Is this some kind of quirk awakening?"
Another gunshot echoed, sharper this time. Panic erupted behind her as people screamed and began running.
Nejire spun around.
A crowd was flooding away from a jewelry shop.
"Trouble?!" she exclaimed.
She didn't hesitate. Abandoning her food, Nejire dashed forward, lifting herself a few feet off the ground as she accelerated. The rushing crowd nearly swallowed her—
Then she saw a small child stumble.
Nejire dove, scooping the girl into her arms just before she could be knocked over. She landed smoothly off to the side and gently set the child down, patting her head.
"Be more careful next time, okay?"
Without waiting for a response, Nejire shot forward again.
The jewelry store's glass walls made the scene inside painfully clear.
A man stood near the center, clutching a bag stuffed with jewelry. In his other hand was a gun.
And pressed against his side—
A boy her age, held hostage.
She took a step forward.
The moment she did, they noticed her.
The mugger's head snapped toward Nejire, his eyes widening as he raised the gun and aimed it straight at her.
"Don't come any— cough!cough!"
His body doubled slightly as he hacked violently, the sound rough and uncontrolled. Even as he coughed, the muzzle of the gun pressed harder into the young man's temple.
The boy furrowed his brows.
While the mugger was distracted, Nejire stepped fully into the store.
The door swung open behind her, and the employees hiding behind the counter seized the chance. They rushed past Nejire in a panic, bolting out of the store and into the mall.
Outside, a crowd was already forming. Some people held up their phones, recording. Others shouted while dialing the police.
"Stay there," the mugger barked, jerking the gun back toward the boy's forehead. "Don't come closer, or he gets it."
Nejire immediately raised her hands.
The boy looked at her—his eyes sharp, narrowed, almost annoyed.
"Please," Nejire said, forcing her voice to stay calm, "be reasonable. Put the gun down."
The boy's gaze hardened even further.
Inside, Nejire was screaming.
"Go away, lady," the mugger snapped. "I just want to get out of the mall."
He swung the gun toward Nejire and waved it aggressively, shooing her back.
With no one blocking the exit now, the mugger began moving toward the door, dragging the boy with him.
Nejire clenched her teeth.
She activated her quirk, lifting herself slightly off the floor—
"Don't move!" the mugger shouted. "Don't use your quirk!"
Nejire froze midair.
The boy turned his head and looked at her.
There was no fear in his expression.
Only disappointment.
Why was he looking at her like that?
It wasn't her fault the guy was so jumpy.
Waaaaahhhh… why am I always this unlucky?
The mugger still had the gun pressed firmly against the boy's temple. Nejire tried to activate her quirk again—just a little—but the familiar spirals flared too brightly.
Too shiny.
Too obvious.
The mugger reacted instantly.
A gunshot rang out.
"Next one goes through his skull!" he shouted. "Don't use your quirk!"
Nejire froze.
Her heart pounded as the weight of the situation finally sank in. She couldn't rush him. She couldn't blast him. She couldn't even distract him.
Why did it have to be her?
If Mirio were here, he could vanish in the blink of an eye, reappear behind the guy completely naked, and confuse him long enough to disarm him.
If Tamaki were here, dark tentacles would already be slithering across the floor. The mugger would probably drop the gun in terror—then Tamaki would sulk afterward for being called creepy.
And yet… that would still be progress.
Nejire swallowed and forced herself to breathe.
"Okay," she said slowly, keeping her hands raised. "Why do you want the jewelry?"
Maybe talking was the only option she had left.
She wasn't the fastest. She wasn't the strongest. But maybe—just maybe—she could talk him down.
"I… I want to sell it," the mugger said, his voice trembling. "For money."
Money.
Nejire tilted her head slightly, keeping her tone gentle. "What do you need the money for?"
For a moment, the mugger hesitated. His grip loosened just a little as he looked directly at her.
Still, that other gaze bothered her.
The boy hadn't stopped watching her—sharp, assessing, almost critical.
"I want to buy an enhancer," the mugger said. "With money… I could get more power."
As he spoke, he finally released the boy and scratched nervously at his neck.
"Villain," a calm voice cut in, "drop your weapon."
Relief surged through Nejire.
She turned toward the entrance just as Best Jeanist stepped inside. Shattered glass followed him in—but before it could scatter across the floor, fibers surged from his suit and caught every shard midair.
"Don't come closer!" the mugger yelled.
He fired.
The bullet never reached its target. The floating fibers hardened, forming a shield that stopped it cold.
The mugger's arms were extended.
And in that instant—
The boy moved.
He seized the arm aimed at Best Jeanist, twisted sharply, and disarmed the gun with practiced precision. The weapon clattered across the floor as the boy grabbed the mugger's other arm and threw him forward.
The mugger hit the ground hard.
The boy followed him down, flipping him onto his stomach and pressing his full body weight onto the man's back, pinning him in place.
The store fell silent.
Nejire stared.
As the boy held the mugger down, Best Jeanist acted immediately. Fibers unraveled from his suit, binding the man tightly until he was completely restrained.
Once he felt the pressure ease, the boy rose to his feet and brushed off his clothes as if nothing extraordinary had just happened. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a handkerchief, and calmly wiped his cheek.
Best Jeanist stepped forward, folding his hands neatly in front of him.
"Young man," he said evenly, "what is your name? And do you realize that you can't use your quirk on impulse in a public area?"
The boy looked at him without hesitation.
"Touma Zennosuke," he replied. "And I don't have a quirk."
He gave Best Jeanist a short, polite nod—then turned toward Nejire and nodded to her as well.
"Thank you for trying to save me," Touma added calmly. "I can walk to the police myself."
Before either hero could respond, he stepped past them and exited the jewelry store. Outside, officers had already arrived. Nejire watched as Touma approached them and began calmly giving his statement about the incident.
She stood there, unmoving.
Still processing what she had just seen.