The days after the battle passed in a haze.
The world had changed.
The news was everywhere.
"ALL MIGHT RETIRES AFTER FINAL BATTLE!"
"THE SYMBOL OF PEACE IS GONE—WHAT HAPPENS NOW?"
"VILLAIN ACTIVITY EXPECTED TO RISE AFTER ALL MIGHT'S DEFEAT!"
The world was in shock.
Fear crept into the hearts of civilians.
Criminals, once too afraid to act, now saw an opportunity.
The balance of power had shifted.
And in the middle of it all—Reiji sat silently, watching.
Back at U.A., the atmosphere was heavy.
The school had officially moved students into dorms, increasing security to prevent another League attack.
Class 1-A sat in their common area, but no one spoke.
Deku stared at the floor, his hands clenched.
Bakugo sat in the corner, arms crossed, his usual aggressive energy absent.
Todoroki watched the window, his expression unreadable.
Momo, Iida, and Kirishima all looked tense, the weight of the situation pressing on them.
Reiji?
He leaned back on the couch, arms crossed, eyes closed.
He wasn't sad.
He wasn't angry.
But something about all of this bothered him.
[Why does this feel… wrong?]
Aizawa finally entered the room, his usual tired gaze even darker than before.
"Listen up," he said firmly. "Things are changing. And not for the better."
The students sat up, listening.
"Crime rates are already rising. Villains are taking advantage of the fact that All Might is gone."
His sharp gaze swept over the class.
"U.A. is under strict watch. No one leaves without clearance. No one acts without orders."
Then—his eyes landed on Reiji.
"You included."
The room fell silent.
Reiji smirked slightly. "What, worried I'll run off and start burning people?"
Aizawa didn't blink. "I'm worried you'll make things worse."
The students tensed.
Reiji chuckled. "Tch. I'm not a hero, but I'm not an idiot."
Aizawa stared at him for a long moment—then sighed.
"Good. Because this isn't about you anymore."
Reiji's smirk twitched slightly.
[Oh?]
"This is about all of you," Aizawa continued, looking at the entire class.
"You've seen what happens when the world loses its strongest hero."
"You've seen what happens when fear takes over."
"Now you have to decide—what happens next?"
The weight of his words hung over them.
And for once, even Reiji didn't have a response.
Outside of U.A., villain activity skyrocketed.
News reports flooded in daily.
"Mass prison break in Hosu!""Villains openly attacking pro heroes in the streets!""Public confidence in heroes drops to an all-time low!"
The Symbol of Peace was gone.
And the world was falling apart.
Reiji watched the reports, listening in silence.
[So this is what happens when one guy holds everything together.]
Was it impressive?
Yeah.
Was it stupid?
Definitely.
[One man should never hold this much weight alone.]
That was why he had never cared about "saving people."
Because in the end—people needed to save themselves.
But now?
Now he wasn't sure.
Because for the first time, he had seen someone fight for more than just power.
And whether he liked it or not—it changed something.
Later that night, as Reiji stepped outside the dorms for fresh air, he heard footsteps behind him.
He didn't need to turn around.
"Yo, IcyHot. Something on your mind?"
Todoroki stepped up beside him, his usual calm expression unreadable.
"You've been quiet."
Reiji smirked. "That's rare, huh?"
Todoroki crossed his arms. "You saw what happened to All Might."
Reiji didn't answer.
Todoroki continued, "You fought alongside him. You saw what he was willing to give up."
Reiji's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Yeah. And?"
Todoroki exhaled slowly. "So why are you still acting like none of this matters?"
Reiji turned toward him, golden eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.
"Because I don't know if it does."
Todoroki's eyes narrowed. "What?"
Reiji smirked, but it lacked amusement.
"All Might gave everything, and what changed? Villains are still here. The world is still broken. The only difference is now it's worse."
Todoroki was silent for a long moment.
Then—he sighed.
"You really don't understand, do you?"
Reiji raised an eyebrow. "Enlighten me, genius."
Todoroki's gaze was sharp.
"All Might wasn't fighting to change the world in a single battle."
"He was fighting so that we could be the ones to change it after him."
Reiji's smirk faltered slightly.
For a moment—he didn't have a comeback.
Todoroki turned away.
"You can keep pretending this doesn't affect you. But you wouldn't be here if you really believed that."
Then—he walked back inside, leaving Reiji standing alone.
Reiji exhaled slowly, golden flames flickering at his fingertips.
Maybe Todoroki was right.
Maybe he wasn't.
But one thing was clear—
The world had changed.
And whether he liked it or not—he had to decide where he stood.
End of Chapter 46.
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