The sky in Musutafu was clearer. Or at least, that's how it seed to Reiji as he sat on a bench tucked away in the central park, right where the trees were beginning to shed their leaves.
A faint fluttering tore through the air to his right, barely perceptible. He didn't need to turn around to know who had sat down beside him.
"Nice view," Hawks said, stretching his legs as if he were just another civilian.
Reiji didn't answer. He just tilted his head slightly.
"Have you settled in yet? The move was quick, even for you."
"I don't have many material possessions to get attached to," Reiji replied. "Besides, my Quirk helped a lot; it's only natural to finish early."
"Natural?" Hawks repeated, amused. Then he lowered his voice. "There's nothing natural about what we do, kid."
There was a brief silence, broken by the crunch of leaves under the feet of a girl running past them.
"Regarding your mission," Hawks continued, without looking at him. "Eraser filed his report. He noticed your presence at the scene. Although he didn't provide many specifics about your Quirk, and the physical description he gave was very different, so they're following a false lead. Which speaks even better of your work."
"I'd read things about Eraser, but… He seed like quite a different person from what I knew," Reiji said, mulling over a few things in his mind—above all, his precision and stealth.
"I know. He's a curious guy, to say the least. He was a student at U.A., but until recently he was involved in a case regarding Naruhata."
Reiji barely turned toward him.
"You didn't call in just to welco and tell I'm off the hook for the investigation. What's new?"
Hawks chuckled.
"No. I called you here because the job isn't finished." He pulled a small device from the inside pocket of his jacket and placed it on the bench. An image appeared on the screen: a blurred face, a white mask, dark glasses, hair slicked back. The image was shaky, as if it had been captured from a distance.
"That's the leader of the network you were investigating. No one knows his real na, but he moves freely through the districts. We had a lead on him near District 4... but he vanished. He hasn't been seen since you dismantled his main operation, but I'm almost certain that's not the only one."
Reiji studied the face for a mont.
"And I have to track him down again..." A long sigh accompanied his words.
"Not just that." Hawks lowered his voice even further. "We want you to find him, get close to him, and if possible... take him out without him going to prison. He's a complex guy, and having him behind bars could be more dangerous than anything else."
Reiji nodded; he knew things had just gotten complicated.
"You have so leeway. Use the move to a new city to your advantage. I'll get you a list of nas. They're all connected to the illegal Quirk trade. It's likely this guy isn't working alone."
"I already know that…" He sighed a little, trying to think about his first independent mission. Hawks was helping him, of course, but he was just passing through here and would eventually have to return to Tokyo.
"Take a break, explore the city, and get your bearings. You have so freedom of movent, as long as you complete the mission. Take advantage of it... Just keep in mind that information might co instantly or over ti—don't get desperate."
"I understand..."
And without another word, he walked away down the park path. Hawks didn't follow him. He just watched him go, with an expression that was a mix of pride and concern.
***
Musutafu was different from Tokyo.
The difference between a big city and a smaller one was striking. The streets were cleaner, the buildings more orderly, and the heroes… more efficient. Here, both cri and justice seed to operate with an almost corporate logic.
A "civilized" city. Even for the villains.
Unlike the operation a few days ago, organized cri wasn't very common in Musutafu.
Reiji was walking alone through a disused industrial area, partially converted into technical centers and school laboratories. It was close to his ho and seed like an interesting diversion to avoid having to help with the move when he got there.
From the shadow of a lamppost, he watched the cars pass by calmly.
He was already thinking about going to buy sothing to eat when a sound caught his attention.
BOOM!
A sudden explosion forced him to turn. White smoke rose from a building a few blocks away, accompanied by screams, sparks, and the tallic sound of falling objects. It wasn't serious, but it wasn't a normal scene either.
Reiji reacted instinctively.
He approached the scene, slipping through so open gates and alleys littered with trash. Judging by the sound, it wasn't a cri or anything like that—rather, an explosion for so other reason.
He peeked out cautiously, observing what had happened.
A small workshop engulfed in controlled flas. Several students were coming out with fire extinguishers, so coughing, others laughing. And in the center of it all, as if nothing had happened, a slender girl with tousled pink hair, huge soot-covered glasses… and a dangerous smile.
Reiji stopped dead in his tracks. With the move, he had re-morized all the nas he'd jotted down in his notebook years ago; his mory held a fresh recollection of those people.
'It can't be… Is that…?'
He recognized her imdiately. i Hatsu. There was no mistaking that pink mane that always made an appearance with a huge explosion. The chaotic mind of the Support Departnt, famous for creating teams as brilliant as they were unstable.
Though of course, he hadn't quite reached that level of quality yet.
'Is she already creating things that explode in high school?'
He watched her closely. She was excited, rummaging through charred pieces, talking to herself as if she'd already figured it all out.
"Yes, yes, yes! It worked way too well!" she shouted, pulling out a piece with torn gloves. "The thrust was perfect, just… it went through the roof! I need to adjust the ignition angle!"
Reiji couldn't help but raise an eyebrow.
He jumped out of his hiding spot and approached with firm steps.
"You're playing with fire… literally," he muttered. Before, he'd kept his distance from the main characters, mostly because there weren't many notable characters in Tokyo.
But what was the point now?
She looked up, showing no fear.
"Oooh! Another curious onlooker? Do you also get excited about high-density propulsion systems?"
Reiji looked at her; her words were a bit different from what he'd expected. More than anything, it was her almost complete lack of concern for the safety of the other students who'd had to evacuate the building.
The flas were already dying down when so authorities arrived on the scene.
"The explosion just caught my attention. Do you always test your inventions with people nearby?"
"Of course not!" she replied, as if that were obvious. "Today was an 'Unauthorized Spontaneous Test.' Which ans it worked, though not legally."
Reiji crossed his arms, barely smiling to himself.
"What if it blows up in your face next ti?"
"Then I'll improve the design! Nothing moves forward without failures. Ask Edison. Or ask . Or this poor fuse."
She held out her hand, completely covered in soot.
"i Hatsu, future genius of professional support. And you?"
Seeing the authorities approaching, Reiji decided his ti at the scene was over.
"I'm Reiji Toga. Just a guy who just moved here."
He turned to leave. But before disappearing into the district's alleys, he said in a low voice:
"Be careful what you create, genius. Not everything brilliant is harmless."
i stared in the direction he'd vanished.
"Hey! That was poetic and mysterious at the sa ti! I like it!"
And Reiji, walking away, thought:
'Musutafu... I'm starting to understand why the story takes place here.'
As he walked away from the spot, his phone began to vibrate in his pocket. His mind flashed back to the image of Himiko, probably complaining about sothing, but upon seeing the unknown number, his expression turned serious.
"Hello?"
"Your first mission in the new territory. Instructions are in the mailbox on ### Street. Finish the job today."
Reiji hung up the phone and headed to the location. He had never been to the city before, but he had studied landmarks beforehand, so he found his way there naturally.
***
Reiji walked down a narrow alley, behind an old sewing factory converted into a chanic's shop. The guy he was looking for had no official na.
They called him "Kumo," a small-ti dealer with connections to those who distributed Quirk destabilizers.
According to the latest report, soone like Kumo should at least have information on the most recent batches. The advantage of operating outside the law was that you could imdiately pinpoint his location and extract information from him no matter the cost.
He found him where he expected: an old tool shed covered in graffiti and reeking of rancid oil. Kumo was examining a box of tal tubes with fluorescent valves. He had a minor Quirk, one that allowed him to create dense fog within a short radius.
Nothing threatening, but he couldn't be trusted. It was all too common for these kinds of thugs to carry firearms.
"Are you expecting a visitor?" Reiji asked from the shadows.
Kumo spun around, startled. He barely had ti to grab his gun. A whip of blood disard him on the spot and shoved him against the wall with controlled force.
"What the hell…?!" he growled, dazed.
Reiji didn't answer. He walked toward Kumo, his eyes hidden behind the opaque reflection of his contact lenses. From his palm, a curved blade of blood dripped slowly.
"I have just one question," he said. "Where are they storing the new batches?"
Kumo tried to activate his Quirk. A thin mist began to cover the area. Reiji didn't flinch.
"I'm not Eraser Head," he warned, "but I don't need to nullify your Quirk to break your legs."
He pressed the blade against his collarbone.
"Speak."
The man hesitated for a few seconds. Then he spat to the side.
"All I know is that they moved to the western district… A warehouse for electronic parts. No one knows who the boss is. They just refer to him as 'Hunter.' No one has seen him. No one wants to."
Reiji frowned.
"Hunter…"
The nickna wasn't new. It appeared in so dark web posts. But this was the first ti he'd heard it linked directly to the destabilizers.
"Did you know him?"
Kumo shook his head quickly.
"I just deliver. I don't even collect the money… I just leave it in sealed boxes. There's another guy… one who always shows up in a white suit. They call him 'Whistle.' That guy must know more."
Reiji released the pressure. The blood whip retracted.
"If you lied to … I'll be back. And you won't be able to use that fog to hide even your own sweat."
Kumo swallowed.
Reiji disappeared down the alley, his silhouette fading into the darkness.
It wasn't much… but it was sothing.
A na. An alias.
Hunter.
And a new target on the list.
"Whistle"
He would report this to the commission and wait for his next mission; he had a feeling it wouldn't be soon.
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