The announcement that one hundred students had passed to the next round was met with a mixture of cheers, groans of disappointment, and overwhelming relief. The entire Class 1-A had passed, an unprecedented achievement that solidified our reputation but also placed a larger target on our backs. I myself felt relieved, not because of the victory, but because this chaotic first round was over. I retracted my Incursio blade, feeling a cold, painful sensation as the armor receded beneath my skin, leaving my arm trembling with exhaustion.
We were given an hour's break before the second round began. Most students used that time to eat, recover their stamina, or treat minor injuries. I, however, had a different priority. The vague unease I had felt during the exam had now grown into a real anxiety.
I walked through the crowd of students, my eyes scanning the spectator stands. I was looking for one person. Distinctive long blue hair, and an overflowing energy that could be felt even from a distance. But I couldn't find her.
"Have you seen Hado-senpai?" I asked Uraraka and Tsuyu, who were chatting with Midoriya.
Uraraka shook her head. "No, I haven't seen her since this morning. I thought she was in the special stands for senior students."
"I haven't seen her either, kero," Tsuyu added, her large eyes looking at me with curiosity. "Usually she'd be the loudest one cheering for us."
My anxiety grew. This wasn't like Nejire. She lived for things like this. She would never miss a chance to see a fight and "interesting things" up close. I took out my phone and tried to call her. The call went straight to voicemail. I tried again. The same result. My heart began to pound for a completely different reason than the fight.
I approached Momo, who was calmly analyzing a replay of her fight on her tablet. "Yaoyorozu," I said, trying to keep my voice calm. "You have connections with the senior student network, right? Could you try to find out where Hado-senpai is?"
She looked up, sensing the urgency in my voice. "Nejire-senpai? Of course." She quickly typed a few messages. A few minutes later, she looked at me with a confused expression. "That's strange. Her friends said she was really excited to come today, but none of them have seen her since this morning. She's not in any of the stands."
A chill ran down my spine. This was wrong. This was very wrong. I quickly walked to a quiet corner, took out my secret communicator, and sent an encrypted message to Ryukyu.
"Nejire Hado is unreachable. She was supposed to be here to watch the exam. I have a very bad feeling."
The reply came almost instantly, much faster than usual. "I'm looking into it. The last signal from her hero tracker was near your location, but it went dead a few hours ago. Stay alert. Continue with your exam and don't draw attention. I don't want to cause a panic. I'll keep you updated."
The message didn't calm me at all. Quite the opposite. The signal was dead? That could only mean two things: the battery had run out, or someone had deliberately destroyed it. And I doubted a hero from the Big Three would be foolish enough to let her tracker's battery die. Someone had ambushed her. Someone strong enough to defeat Nejire Hado. And it had happened near here.
In her high-tech office, Ryukyu felt a wave of cold anger and fear. She stared at the screen in front of her, which displayed a map of the area around the Dagobah National Arena. The dot marking Nejire's tracker was flashing red with the words "SIGNAL LOST." Nejire wasn't just her best sidekick; she was like a daughter to her.
"Show me all CCTV footage from Sector 7-B in the last three hours," she commanded her assistant. Dozens of video windows appeared on her main screen. Ryukyu scanned them all with superhuman speed, her eagle-like eyes searching for a single blue-haired figure.
After a few minutes that felt like an eternity, she found it. A blurry recording from a traffic camera on a small street behind the arena. The footage showed Nejire walking, looking cheerful as usual. Then, a shadowy figure stepped out of an alley, blocking her path. The person wore a dark raincoat with a hood covering their face. They seemed to be talking. Not fighting. Just talking. Nejire even seemed to smile and wave at the figure as if she knew them. Then, they both walked off together, out of the camera's range. After that, Nejire's tracker signal went dead.
"Who is that person?" Ryukyu muttered. She tried to zoom in on the image, but the resolution was too low. She couldn't see the face. But she knew one thing: Nejire wasn't forcibly kidnapped. She went willingly. And that, somehow, was even more terrifying.
I returned to my friends, my face must have been as white as a ghost. I had to pretend everything was fine, to focus on the second round of the exam, while inside, my mind was screaming. Who could defeat Nejire? And why? Was this related to the League of Villains? Or Yozakura?
It was then that Mera, the exhausted hero, returned to the stage. "Alright, you remaining hero candidates," he said with a yawn. "Congratulations on passing the first round. Now, for the second and final round."
The giant screen behind him changed. "This exam is a rescue simulation!"
A section of the previously flat arena suddenly collapsed and shattered, transforming into a cityscape that had been hit by a disaster. Buildings were tilted, cars were crushed, and fires began to burn in several places. Then, a group of people with very realistic wound makeup began to emerge from the rubble, screaming for help.
"They are actors from the 'Help Us Company' or H.U.C.!" Mera explained. "Your job is to rescue as many of these 'victims' as possible and bring them to the first aid area safely. We will be grading you on your speed, efficiency, and how you handle their injuries."
He paused for a moment. "Oh, and one more thing. To make this more realistic, there will be 'villains' trying to hinder you."
As he said that, a massive explosion shook one corner of the arena. From the smoke emerged the Pro Hero Gang Orca and a group of his sidekicks, all wearing villain masks.
"Crush those little heroes!" Gang Orca roared.
"The second round... BEGINS!"
My mind was in turmoil. I had to focus on the exam, but my worry for Nejire kept gnawing at me. I took a deep breath, forcing myself to be calm. I couldn't help Nejire if I failed here. I had to get through this as quickly as possible.
I immediately moved, my sensory Quirk connected to Incursio instinctively scanning the area, not for Akame, but for the victims who needed help the most. I found a small family trapped under a concrete slab. I manifested my Incursio gauntlets and carefully lifted the debris.
I worked with a cold efficiency, my usually strategy-filled mind now focused only on the task at hand: save, stabilize, evacuate. I saw my friends doing the same, each using their Quirks in creative ways to save people.
But as I was carrying an elderly actor to the first aid post, a small object landed silently near my feet. It was a pebble wrapped in a piece of paper. My heart stopped. I quickly picked it up when no one was looking and opened it.
The handwriting on it was neat and efficient. It wasn't from Ryukyu. It was from Akame. She must have been watching me the whole time.
The message didn't contain an explanation or an apology. It only contained two things. A drawing of a strange symbol I had never seen before—a circle with three curved lines inside it. And below it, one word that made my blood run cold.
Humarise.
The name meant nothing to me from my knowledge of the My Hero Academia storyline. But the symbol... I had seen it before. In a flash of a dream, in an echo of the original Tatsumi's memory. It was a symbol worn by a group of enemies he had once fought, long before the Empire fell. A fanatical cult.
What did any of this have to do with anything? Nejire had disappeared, kidnapped by someone she apparently knew. And Akame, instead of giving me a clue about Yozakura, had given me a name and a symbol from an even more distant past.
As I was trying to process all of this, a massive explosion from the other side of the arena caught my attention. Gang Orca and his forces had launched a full-scale assault on our first aid post, where most of the students and 'victims' were gathered. Chaos erupted.
I crumpled the paper in my hand. I didn't have time to solve this puzzle now. My friends were in danger. I looked toward the battle, my now cold and sharp eyes glowing with a faint red light. My worry for Nejire and this new mystery merged into one thing: a cold determination to end this game as quickly as possible.
"I don't have time for this game," I whispered to myself, as I began to run toward the battle, the serrated black blade of Incursio beginning to form with a threatening hiss on my arm.