A Tarnished Hero

Chapter 49: Modern Troubles

Today was a good day. The sun was shining, the flowers were blooming, and on days like these, Nezu would've been ecstatic about the upcoming internships for his students. However, recent news that the villains might be byproducts of another villain's Quirk — at least according to the leading theory that he already knew courtesy of his position — had just been leaked to the public. And thanks to that preventable, idiotic breach, the revelation now weighed heavily on his mind.

The public wouldn't take that well — not with everything else already going on. Bad enough that the 'villains' all looked the same — wielding demented weapons and sharing the same twisted temperament — they were spreading across Musutafu and into other districts like a plague. Already, dozens of deaths had been documented, with some survivors left traumatized by the creatures.

His beady eyes locked onto the laptop screen as he hummed, reading the article posted just half an hour earlier. It detailed another 'villain' attack, this time in a warehouse storing everyday goods. Luckily, no civilians were harmed — a local hero had been nearby and managed to apprehend the creatures, though not without injury. One of them had bitten off his finger.

Nezu had to suppress a wince. It wasn't easy losing a finger — or a paw, in his case and having it regrown by one of his captors in the past. With advancements from I-Island, regrowing lost limbs was no longer a pipe dream.

It would still cost a pretty penny, though.

He dismissed the so-called 'selfless' hero with a click of his tongue and set down his teacup, the warm liquid still trailing down his throat. The 'villains' taken into custody were placed in a maximum-security prison within the district. Not on the level of Tartarus, but secure enough to lock them up and throw away the key. If it were up to him, he'd have had them euthanized like rabid dogs — cruel, perhaps, but necessary. They were sentient, possibly even sapient, but their barbaric acts made reason seem beyond them.

Also, they ate humans. That's a major turn-off for most people.

Already, the public was torn between trying to understand them and demanding retribution. Some said they were just born, with no concept beyond what their creator had given them. Others believed they were controlled, never given a choice.

Truly, society and its endless clashing viewpoints grated his nerves. These creatures were clearly dangerous and had already left a body count nearing triple digits across the country. They needed to be put down, one way or another, to ensure the safeguarding of human life.

As he continued on his plans to nudge the government toward seeing things his way — guided, of course, by his unmatched intellect — a knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Shelving the matter for now, Nezu turned toward the sound and opened his snout.

"Come in." His even tone echoed throughout the room, and a moment later, the doorknob turned and clicked. In came a haggard man dressed in black with a giant white scarf draped around his neck holding a stack of papers in his arms. "Ah, Aizawa, I assume those are the details I have requested."

"Yes." Aizawa's one note answers never failed to amuse Nezu, the bedraggled man carelessly dropping the stack of papers onto his desk. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have a class to be."

"Ah, kindly put a hold on that." Nezu's words stopped Aizawa from grabbing the doorknob and twisting it open. "Come, sit. Have some tea, I have something I want to discuss with you."

"... What about my students?" Aizawa's eyes narrowed, causing Nezu to chuckle. Ah, as cold his exterior may be, he deeply cares for his students, a quality he never would've thought would be hidden deep underneath the man. Pressing a button under his desk that connected to the PA system, more specifically, one that led directly into class 1-A's classroom, he leaned in closer to the mic hidden within his desk.