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Testing his Quirk had been rougher than Ren expected, but the result was still good.
His Insight was not exactly the same as the version he remembered from those stories, but missing the catastrophic illness was a blessing.
Ren had no interest in spending his life as a sickly genius.
Losing the absurd recovery and poison resistance that came with the original version was a shame, but in a world overflowing with Quirks, did Ren really need to panic about that?
If he ran into a useful ability, he could just learn it.
Problem solved.
His side mission for the day – roughing up the local problem child – was complete.
Perfectly satisfied, Ren turned toward home.
The sun had dropped low, throwing the last of its warmth through the trees while specks of light danced over the ground.
A familiar ringtone cut through the evening.
Ren pulled out his phone.
When he saw the name on the screen, his brows rose.
“Why is he calling me now?”
Confused or not, he answered at once.
“Hello?
This is Ren Mikage.”
“Ahahaha!
Young man, this is All Might.
You remember me, yes?”
Ren instinctively pulled the phone away from his ear and rolled his eyes.
With that voice, forgetting All Might would take actual effort.
Once the booming laugh finally ended, Ren put the phone back to his ear.
“So, invincible hero uncle,” he said, helpless, “what business does the world’s strongest Pro Hero have with a humble middle school student?”
“Hahaha!
Young man, you really are amusing.” All Might laughed again, but this time his voice lowered.
“If you are not busy, come to Dagobah Municipal Beach Park.”
“Fine.
Wait there.
I’ll be right over.”
Ren hung up, his expression turning uncertain.
All Might had tried to bury everything under that awkward laugh, but Ren still heard the seriousness beneath it.
No, not just seriousness.
Wariness.
As a hero, All Might was absolutely the No.
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As an actor, he was hopeless.
But what was he wary of?
Was it because Ren’s ability resembled the origin of One For All?
That did not make sense.
Ren had only finished testing it moments ago.
All Might could not possibly know.
Then what else about him would make All Might cautious?
Running through possibilities in his head, Ren arrived at Dagobah Municipal Beach Park.
Mountains of illegally dumped junk greeted him.
In the dimming light, he could barely make out a tall figure standing atop one of the piles like a statue on a peak.
“I am not trying to complain,” Ren called out, “but you are the strongest Pro Hero alive.
Why invite the future strongest hero to a place covered in garbage?”
“Such ambition, young man!
You remind me of myself.
Hahaha!”
The voice came from right beside his ear.
Ren stumbled and almost fell.
A hand caught him from behind before he hit the sand.
“I swear, are you jealous of my youth?
Do you have to scare me every single…”
Ren turned around, still grumbling.
Then his body froze.
His pale eyes widened with a flash of panic.
“You…
what happened to you?”
The massive muscles were gone.
The man in front of him looked like a walking skeleton.
Without the iconic V-shaped tufts of blond hair, the huge white grin, and Ren’s memories from another world, he would never have believed this was All Might.
Even knowing All Might had been wounded, seriously wounded, did not make seeing it easier.
“So you did know.” All Might did not miss the panic in Ren’s eyes.
He grinned, then patted Ren lightly on the shoulder.
“Hahaha!
You were right, young man.
When it comes to acting, you are the Oscar-level one here.”
‘Oscar-level, my ass.
If you want the trophy, take it.
I do not want it.’
Ren’s mind spun.
Even if All Might did not silence him, he was definitely headed for some sealed interrogation room.
So that was what All Might had been worried about.
Mom, forgive your son.
I may not be able to fulfill my filial duties after all.
Under All Might’s enormous hand, Ren’s eyes filled with tears.
His face twisted into such tragic grief that anyone watching would have felt sorry for him.
“Young man,” All Might said after a pause, “your acting really is impressive.”
Looking at Ren’s rich, immediate performance, All Might could not help sighing.
Were kids these days already this terrifying?
Had he fallen that far behind?
Those tears.
That grief on command.
If the world refused to give this boy an award, could it even call itself fair?
All Might sighed again, partly relieved.
“Fortunately, Principal Nezu warned me.
Otherwise, I never would have realized you had discovered my secret.”
“Principal Nezu?”
That tea-drinking mastermind.
Of course it was him.
Ren had known All Might was too open and straightforward to catch that slip by himself.
Seeing Ren’s anger and frustration, All Might almost laughed.
No matter how strong the boy’s acting was, he was still a child.
His emotions showed too easily.
Hopefully Nezu would not toy with him too much later.
Still, what needed to be said had to be said.
Perhaps All Might’s tone softened a little.
“Do not worry.
I will not do anything to you.
I only…”
“You only need me to keep your injury and your limited hero-form time secret, right?” Ren dropped the theatrics and cut him off, suddenly serious.
“You are the pillar holding society’s peace in place.
This cannot get out.
If certain people with bad intentions heard about it, they would not stay quiet.”
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I hope this chapter pulled you deeper into the story.
Stick around, because there’s still a lot waiting just ahead.