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With a grunt, Koichi Haimawari heaved the last of his boxes across the apartment threshold. Raising his arms, he stretched. “Finally done!” Except for unpacking all the boxes, but Koichi preferred to think about that later.
From the kitchen, Hisashi called, “It’s not too late to move back home.” Koichi’s father, Hisashi Haimawari, had been less than thrilled about his only child’s decision to move out to attend college. Koichi supposed his father had empty nest syndrome. Despite his grumbling, Hisashi had come to help Koichi move in to his new place.
Koichi called back, “Our house is too far from campus, Dad.”
Hisashi said, “Kurogiri could take you to class every day.” The shadow-faced Kurogiri was the family butler.
Mildly, Koichi said, “I couldn’t put Kurogiri to all that trouble.” His father had already lost this argument, and they both knew it. Koichi threw his father a bone. “I’ll come home every school break.”
“And on weekends,” Hisashi said.
“I’ll stop over for dinner on weekends,” Koichi said. He loved his father, who had doted on him since the day he’d been born. But he’d picked a slightly distant college with the intention of getting out from under the eye of his beloved smotherer.
After washing his hands, Koichi went to set the table. A few minutes later, Hisashi carried out a plate of teriyaki salmon. “You must be hungry after moving.”
Koichi smiled. “It smells delicious. I’ll miss your cooking, Dad.” He meant it.
Hisashi sat down and served them both. “I’m proud of you, son. You’re about to start an exciting new adventure in college, and you’ve finally given up on those foolish heroism dreams.”
“Right,” Koichi said, briefly panicking before he remembered he’d safely packed his new vigilante costume in the very bottom of a tightly sealed box.
Ever since Koichi had been a young boy, his heroic ambitions had been a sore subject for his father. Koichi understood why. His uncle Yoichi, his namesake, had been a hero and died in the line of duty. His father didn’t like to talk about it much, but it had plainly left deep emotional scars. The subject of heroism had been taboo in the Haimawari household. Koichi had never quite been able to let go of his dreams. But his quirk, Slide and Glide, was merely a weak ability that let him slide over flat surfaces. His teachers and quirk counselors had all told him that it would be a waste of time to even try to develop the power. He’d applied to hero schools but failed to get into a single one. After crossing the threshold to adulthood, Koichi had realized it was time to be realistic and give up on becoming a hero.
So he’d decided to become a vigilante instead. What his father didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him!
Tapping the table, Hisashi said, “If anyone gives you even the tiniest bit of trouble, then tell me immediately. I’ll take care of it.”
“Of course,” Koichi lied. His father was a wealthy businessman, but Koichi didn’t want to become the kind of spoiled rich son who threw around daddy’s money. He was determined to gain independence by living on his own. He’d even picked a cheap apartment and a parttime so he didn’t need his father’s help paying rent.
“You can always move back home if you get lonely,” Hisashi said wistfully. “I’ll even give you another bank vault of hero merchandise as a moving present. Think about it.”
Koichi chuckled. “Oh, you and your bank vaults, Dad.”
After dinner, Hisashi hugged his son farewell. He couldn’t help holding a bit tighter, since this would be the last time he’d see his baby for a whole week. Or at least, the last time in-person. In the hallway, a camera whirred behind the painting of the Golden Pavilion that Hisashi had gifted his son. Hisashi had filled the apartment with surveillance equipment. If his son insisted on staying in such a cheap and unsafe neighborhood, then Hisashi had no choice but to take precautions. Getting to see his beloved child every day was merely an extra bonus.
Hisashi had been so worried when Koichi had first expressed the desire to become a hero. It had been like Yoichi all over again. If All for One lost another relative to heroism, then he’d burn Japan to ashes. Hisashi had put great effort into convincing Koichi that his quirk (actually a very interesting power) was weak and useless. He’d bribed Koichi’s quirk counselors to stop him from reaching his full potential. He’d sabotaged Koichi’s applications to hero schools. When Koichi had been a small child, Hisashi had stopped him every time he tried to use his ability to fly until he’d forgotten how. Flying was too dangerous an ability. It could be used to go where his loving father couldn’t easily catch him. Based on his past experience, Hisashi had realized that with frequent use, Slide and Glide would develop into a far stronger quirk than first appearances would suggest. Hisashi had considered swapping his son’s ability out for a weaker one, but Koichi had inherited a bit from his uncle and his quirk couldn’t be taken against his will.
Fortunately, the bank vault in the basement had not been necessary. More subtle tactics had worked. Koichi had been successfully diverted from hero schools to a nice, safe civilian life. In his relief, Hisashi had been willing to bend his rules and let his son live alone. Koichi could have his illusion of independence, but his father would always still keep him safe.
That reminded Hisashi. There was one more thing he needed to do. In his alter ego as All for One, he sent out a notification to every villain in Tokyo that Koichi Haimawari was off-limits. If anyone harmed a single hair on the boy’s head, then they and everyone associated with them would die. The villains of Tokyo didn’t need to know why. An order from All for One would suffice to keep them in line.
Koichi’s vigilante costume consisted of his normal clothing, a cold mask, and an All Might hoodie. His father would be furious if he could see it. Hisashi hated everything to do with All Might, but still loved his son so much he’d bought enough merchandise to fill a bank vault.
Koichi spent a peaceful day helping elderly people cross the street and lost children find their parents. That seemed about his speed in vigilantism. He didn’t have a very high opinion of his own abilities. His father and his teachers had told him that he was weak so frequently he’d come to believe them. It was enough for him to merely help in the small ways that he could.
On his way home, Koichi ran into a young man with spiky hair and sharp teeth, accidentally spilling his juice. “Oops! I’m sorry.”
“Huh? How dare you?” The young man glared, and Koichi flinched. His father had always told him to be extremely wary of people with spiky hair because they were all kidnappers and murderers. Koichi had never taken that very seriously. But this one looked like a juvenile delinquent at least. Koichi raised his hands to shield his face from a blow. But the hit never landed.
Half a dozen men in black suits ran out of the alley. They grabbed the spiky-haired man and pushed his head down into a bow. A man with a scar across his left eye bellowed, “We’re very sorry that this fool bumped into you, sir. How would you like to deal with him?”
Koichi blinked. “Uh, no, I’m the one who bumped into him. Are you okay?” he asked the spiky-haired man. “Um, here’s some money for your juice.” He held out the cash.
Spiky-hair thrashed but could not raise his head. “What the hell is going on?”
“Your generosity is unparalleled, sir,” said the leader. Then the men who looked a lot like yakuza scattered. Spiky-hair ran too.
Koichi stared after them in confusion. He supposed that this was a valuable lesson about judging people by their appearances. Those men had dressed like yakuza but they’d actually been very kind and leapt in to help him. The world was full of good people. Humming to himself, Koichi headed home.
Koichi’s next villainous encounter was with a trio of brothers all wearing black suits with an S across the chest. He confronted them as they made an escape carrying stolen panties. “Um.” Koichi summoned all his courage and tried to scold them. “Maybe you should just buy women’s underwear at the clothing store if you want it.”
The three Sturm und Drang Brothers gasped. They immediately dropped to their hands and knees in front of Koichi. “You’re completely right, sir,” the oldest brother said without raising his forehead from the pavement. “We’ll do that from now on. No more stealing. We’ll never trouble you again!”
The youngest brother handed Koichi their stolen sack. “We’re going straight from now on. I won’t even speed or park illegally.”
“That’s great. Congratulations.” Koichi waved after the brothers as they departed. Huh, that had been a lot easier than he’d thought. Maybe he had a gift for reforming villains. Could it be that he’d finally found a calling that would let even someone as weak as him become a hero?
Then a woman rounded the corner and screamed, “Panty thief!”
Koichi realized he was holding a bag of incriminating stolen goods. He hastily set it down and glided away. It appeared he would need to change his vigilante name yet again if he didn’t want to be branded as a pervert.
A giant praying mantis mutant bellowed incoherently as he smashed a window.
Koichi trembled. This was the first real villain he’d encountered as a vigilante. (The pathetic brothers barely qualified.) Something was clearly wrong with the man. Drool flew from his mandibles as he rampaged, destroying everything in sight. Was he perhaps doused on trigger? The incoherent nonsense could not be called human or insect speech.
Even so, Koichi had previously had such great luck talking to villains that he decided to try again. Stepping forward, he cleared his throat. “Excuse me, mister, but you seem to be unwell. If you stop destroying everything in sight then I could call an ambulance.”
The praying mantis mutant bellowed and lunged at Koichi.
With a squeak, Koichi turned and fled. Using his quirk, he slid on all fours down the street with the praying mantis fast in pursuit. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw that his pursuer was gaining on him. He glided faster.
The mantis ripped up parts of the street. Chunks of pavement struck Koichi’s costume. He winced, feeling bruises form on his back.
This had all been a mistake. His father had been right. Koichi wasn’t strong enough to be a hero.
As the praying mantis mutant rounded a corner, he bashed into a street sign. The sign tumbled toward a pet dog tied to a fire hydrant. The dog jerked on the leash, but couldn’t escape.
Koichi reacted without thinking. He took to the air, soaring and grabbing the falling sign before it could hit the dog.
Koichi was…flying? In his shock, he forgot what he was doing and dropped to the ground.
Whirling around, the praying mantis mutant loomed over Koichi. Drool fell from his jaws onto the sign that Koichi held out like a shield. He could run. But then the dog behind him barked, and Koichi remembered the dog was leashed in place and couldn’t escape. His face hardened with resolve.
How had Koichi flown before? He’d been able to fly as a baby, but he’d forgotten how. His heart hammered a frantic drum beat. He knew he ought to run away, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. Not with the dog trembling behind him.
A claw swiped down at Koichi. Jumping up, he concentrated on dragging out every last bit of energy in his body and tried to take flight.
Instead, Koichi accidentally used his quirk to produce a repulsive field through his palms. The sign in his hands blasted forward, striking the praying mantis mutant in the face. The mutant fell over backward, unconscious.
Koichi looked down at his hands. “I did that?”
The dog whimpered. Koichi knelt down to pet the tiny white terrier. “It’s okay. Everything is all right now. He’s unconscious, I think.” He glanced over at the praying mantis mutant lying on the street, a bump on his head and the sign fallen next to him.
The sound of sirens in the distance announced that the authorities had arrived. Koichi glided away before anyone could arrest him for vigilantism.
Dr. Garaki loomed over his fellow villain sitting at the metal table. “How could you have failed the master like this? You had strict orders. Koichi Haimawari must never be in danger. You’re lucky that All for One didn’t notice. Very, very lucky.” They were both lucky, in fact. Dr. Garaki had no intentions of bringing the incident to All for One’s attention, because the praying mantis mutant had been bio-engineered and doused with Trigger by Garaki himself. The master would not be happy if he found out that Garaki’s experiment had accidentally put his son in danger.
The villain who’d been assigned as Koichi’s bodyguard looked up. “Is that kid All for One’s son?”
Dr. Garaki twitched. “Why would you say that?”
The bodyguard said, “He used multiple quirks to fight off that praying mantis mutant. Also, they look a bit alike. He’s definitely All for One’s son, isn’t he?” The bodyguard shuddered. “I arrived just in time to see him knock out your science experiment, and for a second he had a look as scary as the boss’ in his eyes.”
“Multiple quirks, you say? How fascinating, he always did have an unusual quirk that seemed to have elements varying off his uncle…” Dr. Garaki’s voice trailed off as he realized he’d given away the answer to the bodyguard’s question. He glared. “You’re not to tell anyone else about this.”
The bodyguard raised his hands. “Of course not! But does the boss know that his son became a vigilante?”
Dr. Garaki hesitated. “The master must know. He’s always watched over his son very carefully.” If All for One didn’t know, then Garaki would not want to be the person to break that bad news. But it would be even worse if he kept it secret and the master found out later.
Humming, All for One pushed open the door. “Ah, I see you’re delivering your report.”
The master seemed to be in a good mood. Garaki decided to venture a test. “Master, did you hear about Koichi Haimawari’s latest accomplishment?”
All for One beamed. “Yes, what a clever boy!”
Both Garaki and the bodyguard breathed a sigh of relief that the master didn’t seem to be upset about his son getting into a fight. Carefully, Garaki asked, “Is the path that the young master picked acceptable to you?”
All for One shrugged. “It might not be what I would have chosen for him, but anything is better than becoming a hero. I’ll use all my power and influence to make him a success in his chosen career.”
Message received. Garaki and the bodyguard exchanged glances, already formulating plans to make Koichi into the most successful vigilante in Japan.
As Hisashi left his workplace, it occurred to him for a brief moment to wonder how his minions had known that his son had gotten 100% on his last Hero Sociology exam. He supposed Koichi must have bragged to someone at work and the bodyguard overheard. Hisashi wouldn’t have picked Hero Sociology as a major for his son, but it would be a nice, safe career path so he could tolerate it. After his failures with Yoichi, Hisashi considered it his greatest success that he’d convinced the second child that he’d raised not to become a hero.
On his phone, Hisashi checked the camera feed in Koichi’s apartment. Koichi was tucked into bed, sleeping peacefully on top of an All Might pillow. His hair fell messily over his face.
Hisashi smiled, content his beloved son was safely nestled in the palm of his hand.
OMAKE TIME!
Omake: One Possible Future
Hisashi: Since I already have a son who wants to become a hero, surely my next one will join me in villainy.
Baby Izuku: Hero!
Hisashi: Oh no, was that his first word? Maybe he meant a hero sandwich. Come on, say Daddy next.
Baby Izuku: All Might!
#
Omake: An Uncle-Nephew Conversation
Yoichi: I have an adorable nephew! I’m glad big brother changed to become a loving father.
Koichi: Hi, Uncle Yoichi! My name was supposed to be Yoichi except Dad spelled the hiragana wrong when he stole the birth certificate in order to name me without Mom’s permission. He slips up and calls me Yoichi sometimes. He also let me have all your old toys, your clothing, and your former bedroom.
Yoichi: …That’s a picture of a bank vault.
Koichi: Yeah, Dad sure is obsessed with bank vaults. I guess you must have been too since you decorated your bedroom to look like one. I finally got a normal bedroom in high school. Then we played fun family games like find the hidden camera.
Yoichi: Big brother didn’t change at all!
#
Omake: The Main Vigilantes Cast Joins the Fray
Knuckleduster: Funny how villains have been running away from me in terror ever since I picked up a new student. I guess I’ve gotten more intimidating.
Pop☆Step: There are so many men in black suits watching my performances. I’m popular!