Chapter 18: Happenstance

On a sandy beach, a red-skinned man in a Hawaiian shirt and shorts stood gazing at the distance with binoculars. Waves of ocean water grazed his feet, but he didn't budge from his spot, beads of sweat forming on his brow. In a world teeming with quirks and their users, it wasn't hard to find someone with red skin, but what was strange about this man was his lack of a head. Instead of a normal face, he had a pair of horns floating above his neck, and a pair of eyes hovering in the middle of them. He looked very bizarre indeed.

"Yep, Rihan got captured!" he said out loud in a nonchalant tone, without even a mouth to speak with.

Behind him, on the beach, a red-haired woman in a bikini lay flat on a beach mat. She looked up from her sunbathing and raised her sunglasses.

"Oh, man! Really?" she asked.

"Yeah, it seems like the intel we got was wrong. Tao is using her powers without much trouble, and the Nura clan patriarch isn't lifting a finger to help his son."

"Eh?! I thought that man loved his family too much?"

"Dunno about that, he doesn't seem particularly interested in saving Rihan… OH crap." The red-skinned man quickly crushed the binoculars in his hands, as if in a hurry. He hadn't expected Rihan to try and connect with them through the spiritual matrix. Doing so, especially in front of someone like Tao, was like flashing a metal in front of a metal detector. Not only would they detect that he was trying to contact someone, but they could also trace where the signal came from.

"Pack up the device, we need to get out of here fast." The red-skinned man didn't even finish his sentence before the woman was already running towards the center of the island. She had a neatly folded beach mat in one hand, while the other was securing her bountiful assets from slipping out of the bikini, especially with all the running. The spiritual matrix they were in was connected to her too, so she was able to move quickly as soon as a need arose.

Soon enough, the woman reached the center of the island, which was relatively small, only having roughly 3-4 acres of land. In the middle of the island was a rectangular device, half-buried in the sand. The woman opened the device like a suitcase. Inside, there were five quartz-shaped objects littered with runes, which shimmered in multicolored radiance. The woman touched the quartz that was placed in the middle of the rectangular formation, making the various small runes on the quartz move about.

"Oh, for fuck's sake." A second later, the woman widened her eyes in shock, closing the device as she quickly bolted in the direction she had come from. This time, she left behind the beach mat and her sunglasses, showing how urgent the situation was for her. The red-skinned man, who was folding up his own beach mat, looked up at the woman, asking her in puzzlement.

"Where's the device?"

"There's some catalyst in this island that's resonating with the rune quartz!"

"Huh?!"

"THAT SHIT'S GOING TO BLOW UP, get us out of here! Fast!" The woman jumped, violently crashing into the red-skinned man. The man was relatively puzzled, but the increased feeling of dread he was getting made him act decisively. Swish With a swish sound, both the woman and the man turned into mist, and a second later, the mist got compressed into a single point, disappearing from sight. Not even a second later, an explosion, magnitudes bigger than what was made by the talisman Youhara used, incinerated the island, spreading the destruction further.

The Ogasawara islands as a whole consisted of over 30 tropical and subtropical islands, with only two of them being permanently inhabited.

Now though, nearly one-third of the smallest permanently inhabited island of Osagawara was completely deleted from the map along with four other smaller islands surrounding the area. Having been obliterated out of existence by an artificially created magically nonsensical explosion, intending to obliterate the entirety of Ogasawara islands.

…

Yuuki was three-fourths of the way to Osagawara islands at that time. With all of this shit going on, Yuuki's mood wasn't particularly great. She had the opportunity to vent a little when she beat up the Nurarihyon. But the youkai was too weak for Yuuki.

Oh, how she wished his father Nara would get involved so that she could beat up the father and son duo to her heart's content. Although Kosuke was friends with Nara, he wouldn't have objected either if that man had decided to butt himself in. Fortunately for the Nura clan patriarch, his love for his family as a whole outweighed his love for his son. Otherwise, Yuuki would've helped Tao unite Japan's supernatural community once and for all.

While she had found herself a better target and flew over to capture them, she hadn't the slightest hope in her heart to capture the Nurarihyon's allies. If the perpetrators were worth their salt, they would've escaped the moment their presence was revealed. But even then, she couldn't just sit back and let the slightest chance of capturing them by. At the very least she could find some clues there.

What she was expecting even less was for those idiots to let out an explosion enough to level four islands in an instant. She hadn't expected that… not in the slightest. Even when they tried to kidnap Aito—Tao's son, even when they did not hesitate to target him in the middle of a city… she hadn't expected them to try and blow up literal human-inhibited islands.

Fortunately, Yuuki wasn't someone lacking in experience, nor was she indecisive. She had to burn through some resources, but she was able to reach the island in time to tank through the brunt of the explosion from reaching the main island.

Fortunately for the inhabitants of the main island, Yuuki had arrived in time. Unfortunately for the unfortunate inhabitants of the secondary island, the explosion had originated from an island close to them.

Some local fishing boats along with a luxury yacht that was close to the island were caught up in the explosion, along with the unfortunate people who were on the edge parts of the Hahajima island.

Nearly one-third of Hahajima Island was caught up in the explosion, but since the area wasn't particularly inhibited, the loss of lives was minimal.

On the airspace of Hahajima Island, a figure with the halo of a crescent moon hovered in mid-air as their hands were extended, keeping the barrier with silvery radiance in place. The halo on the person was particularly eye-catching, bending light in the surrounding area as it exuded a silvery sheen. The barrier was currently keeping off the shockwave and other forces made subsequently by the explosion.

Seconds later, the explosion had died down. But the vacuum made by the island that was obliterated, seawater that was boiled over and evaporated, atmosphere that was displaced had to be filled in. And the natural laws of physics didn't intend to stay idle.

As the massive vacuum was filled in, the sea, the atmosphere all of it was pulled in. Resulting in an outward explosion of tsunami and storm that could swallow down Ogasawara islands as a whole, the waves were enough to have far-reaching consequences in international waters.

The figure with the crescent moon halo extended another hand, emitting multiple times the radiance as before as she held the natural forces of the world at bay. Yuuki had to expend some time and energy to block off the explosion and the concurrent ocean wave which threatened to swallow the entire island whole, not to mention the sea bed boiling over.

That timeframe was enough for the perpetrators of Aito's kidnap to make their escape fully, and make sure to not leave any clue as to their whereabouts behind. They were confident enough to escape from Tao, and Yuuki certainly wouldn't be able to catch them now that they made their escape.

Neither Yuuki nor Tao or anyone involved in this matter had guessed someone would be bold enough to make such a scene just to escape.

"Fuck"

On the Air, Yuuki bit her lips as she cursed under her breath.

While taking care of such natural disasters wasn't as taxing on Yuuki, it was time-consuming, it wasn't something simple brute force could solve and she was forced to hold herself back as the perpetrators made their escape. And that wasn't a pleasant experience. She would be held down here for quite a while now.

…

The sight was magical to the inhabitants of the main island. A figure exuding endless silvery radiance, floating high in the atmosphere, holding off the explosion and the subsequent reactions by holding what seemed to be a wall of silver radiance. An ethereal form of a crescent moon hovered right behind the figure, making the whole scene look like an intricate painting done by an exquisite artisan… but… why was the god-like figure wearing a maid outfit?

…

On the island, one of the heroes that were in charge of the island's security, someone of considerable age, looked up and mumbled with a hint of awe and reverence, his shaky eyes not leaving the figure in the sky for a second.

"Moonlight Witch!"

---

Back in Osaka, the crater made by the explosion and solidified by Yuuki was being continuously filled with water from the Ogawa River, at this rate, Kema Sakuranomia Park would be turned into a lakeside park.

On the edge of the crater, close to the main road, fire engines and emergency vehicles littered the streets as various heroes and policemen roamed around the edges of the crater and inside, assessing the situation.

Although the landscape of Osaka and the famed Sakura Park was changed in the span of a few minutes, on record, there were no causalities with only a high school girl being injured. Landscape-changing battles weren't rare on earth nowadays, but one without casualties, this close to a highly populated city was certainly rare.

Mr. Kosuke was currently chatting with some police officers and the head of some hero agencies in Osaka. One could clearly see the exhaustion on these officers as they were dealing with a full-on villain raid which spanned the entirety of Osaka prior.

But they still had an amicable smile on their faces as they conversed with Mr. Kosuke. His skills in dealing with these kinds of situations were top-notch. Not to mention, Mr. Kosuke had an identity all too familiar to those who kept up with world events.

To their side, a relatively plumb hero wearing an orange hoodie and a domino mask stood as he continued to eat Takoyaki from the box he held.

The man was Fat Gum, a hero who had only started his debut one year prior. He and his colleagues had rushed over when the commotion of the giant dome covering the sky had occurred, he was also the same person who was ready to catch Aito as he was falling from the sky, but for some unknown reason, the kid had disappeared midway through his fall, and Toyomitsu was concerned to say the least.

He was waiting to the side for an opportunity to talk to Mr. Kosuke as the man seemed to know what happened inside the dome.

As he was waiting/eavesdropping, one of his fellow heroes came up to him and asked in a strange whisper.

"Isn't that…"

"…"

Toyomitsu didn't catch his friend's words and had no idea what he was referring to. As such, he stayed quiet, taking another bite of his Takoyaki.

"…" Seeing as his friend wasn't completing the sentence, the man looked at fat gum with a 'really' stare.

"Want some?" Fat Gum asked, showing the takoyaki box, along with a toothpick. "What? I didn't know what you were talking about."

His friend took a takoyaki and said while chewing "Isn't that Mr. Luminous, world hero Sheril Ortiz's sidekick?"

"Hmm." Fat Gum hummed absentmindedly, but a second later, he choked on his snack as he asked after a coughing fit. Alternating his gaze between Mr. Kosuke and at his friend. "Moonlight witches' sidekick, Mr. Luminous?"

Fat Gum's voice was relatively loud, making people in their relative vicinity look over and murmur against themselves. Quite fast, a commotion broke out, making Fat Gum's senior who was talking with Mr. Kosuke and the police glance over.

Fat Gum scratched his head as he looked at his captain apologetically, and dragged his friend to the side, away from the people's scrutinizing gazes.

Sheryl Ortiz—The Moonlight Witch. One of the seven Legendary World Heroes, the leading figures of humanity.

Back then, when the world became a chaotic mess with the emergence of quirks, the seven heroes of humanity had spearheaded the civilization to carve out a path for humanity from the chaos. They served as a symbol for all of humanity and the world hero association, maintaining the relative status quo of the world.

Sheryl Ortiz was one of these legendary figures, with extraordinary powers and achievements behind her that would make the greatest heroes of this generation look like chicks, and more often than not, these same heroes would end up criticizing her actions.

Sheryl Ortiz's turf was in Europe, she had defended Europe against multiple invasions and saved the lives of millions on three different occasions. She had played a major role in bringing a close to the war that plagued West Asia and Europe.

Mr. Luminous was one of the figures that was closest to Sheryl Ortiz, working as her assistant, and sidekick, doing what a sidekick would do. His fame wasn't inferior to the Moonlight Witch.

The seven world heroes have been in position for over a century now, active since the emergence of Quirks. They were known to be eternal, with a lot of controversies flying about. Still working to protect humanity, with their fame and the image of being at the forefront of humanity unchanging.

"I apologize for their rude behavior, Mr. Kosuke." Their hero captain apologized, giving a sidelong glance to Fat Gum who awkwardly scratched his head and was dragging his friend.

Mr. Kosuke didn't seem to mind in the slightest as he said with an amicable smile "It's quite all right, being enthusiastic is a trait of being young after all."

Mr. Luminous was one of Mr. Kosuke's names on earth, a hero name to be precise, one he wasn't particularly fond of having, but one which had its own uses nonetheless.

"As I said earlier, Miss Ortiz will take responsibility for everything that occurred here. the city will be given adequate funds for rebuilding Kema Sakuranomia Park. You can rest assured; I'll be contacting Japan's Hero Public Safety Commission to give a detailed report on what happened here."

"As for the high school girl who got involved in the fight, her situation is a bit complicated. Her injuries are quite concerning, don't worry though, our associates are taking care of her at the moment. And I'll be sure to bring up this topic with Japan's Hero Public Safety Commission" Mr Kosuke said with a bit of concern and assurance in his voice, there was no room to refute.

Right now, Mr. Kosuke was using his name to deal with the situation. Since he was assuring that Sheryl Ortiz would take responsibility for everything that happened there, the heroes and the police could only nod their heads.

Yuuki had already contacted Mr. Kosuke about the situation on the Osagawara islands. The situation there wasn't as lax as it was in Osaka, there were casualties.

Since Yuuki was already involved in the explosion on Ogasawara islands, Mr. Kosuke decided to weave a story corresponding to that incident.

Keeping Tenryu's name out of this incident was in their best interest. And Tomorrow's headline was already decided by Mr. Kosuke.

A criminal organization, who wanted to carry out a covert terrorist attack, stopped by Sheryl Ortiz, the Moonlight Witch and her associates. This wasn't the final headline, but this was a rough draft.

Now that their presence in Japan would be in the mainstream media, he didn't hesitate in aggroing the attention towards themselves.

At this time, one of the officers with an easygoing atmosphere around him asked,

"But Mr Luminous, why was Lady Ortiz wearing a maid Outfit?"

Mr Kosuke froze, his smile as stiff as could be.

Yep, Guess Miss Yuuki's Resume will be having Cosplaying as a hobby.

Just as Mr. Kosuke was about to throw Yuuki under the bus, A buff man with a hero suit landed a few meters from Mr. Kosuke and the officers.

It was All Might, Japan's number-one hero. At this moment, All Might had a pillow in his hands which raised some confusion among the onlookers. With his signature smile, he walked closer to Mr. Kosuke, gaining the man's attention.

All Might had returned to Osaka right after Tao had left here, but seeing as there wasn't anyone who needed his immediate attention, and the situation was under control, he was forced to deal with some of the small-time villains who were trying to use the unrest to make a profit.

Nevertheless, Nighteye was keeping All Might updated on the situation, including the part where Mr. Kosuke admitted responsibility for this incident, sir Nighteye's information network was formidable enough to pry into the conversation of the police officers, and the hero office captain, but not enough to instantly know of the things happening on Ogasawara islands.

"Mr. Luminous!!" All Might exclaimed out loud, keeping his signature radiant smile.

His smile was simply eye-blinding for Mr. Kosuke, even so, Mr. Kosuke kept his amicable smile as he stretched his hand and shook his with the rather large hand of All Might.

"All Might, it's a pleasure to meet the number one hero of Japan!"

"The pleasure is all mine; I've always looked up to you when I was still a child."

Does that mean, you don't look up to me right now?

Mr. Kosuke kept his thoughts to himself, outwardly showing his amicable.

"Can I have a minute of your time? I have something rather important to discuss with you!"

Seeing All Might's straightforwardness, Mr. Kosuke doubted it was anything simple. Nevertheless, he complied.

"I don't see why not."

…

"Holy fuck, that was close!"

"ahahaha."

A Red-haired woman with slightly elongated ears, and a man with a floating pair of eyes inside a pair of horns and a floating pair of wings for a head, laughed strangely with utter relief as they leaned against the stone walls of a corridor.

"I thought we were dead for real." The red-haired woman said, holding her belly as she gasped for breath.

"You think?!!" The strange man with red skin shouted back, agitated.

"We only had one job! Fucking one job!!! Escape from the island as soon as something goes WRONG! Then why the fuck did you blow up all those islands?" The red-skinned man shouted again, his voice getting increasingly agitated as he went on, his hands and feet were trembling incessantly, looking like he had had the scare of a lifetime.

"How the fuck would I know, I was trying to deactivate that shit, I didn't expect that shit to suddenly malfunction and blow UP!" the woman shouted back, equally as loud as the man. But the look of an adrenaline junkie with a creepy smile on her face didn't fade from her face as she spoke.

"HOW THE FUCK CAN A DEVICE MADE WITH ALL THE EFFOT JUST RANDOMLY BLOW UP?!!!"

"I DON'T KNOW?! DIDN'T I TELL YOU?! THERE WAS A FUCKING CATALYST IN THE ISLAND?"

"WHAT KIND OF CATALYST?"

"I DON'T KNOW! I'M NOT AN EXPERT AT THIS SHIT!"

"… fuck" the man looked deflated, shrinking down as he sat on the ground, leaning against the stone wall. He scratched his horn, looking like he was getting increasingly nervous. "What are we gonna do? We just painted ourselves a bigger target in everyone's eyes… But it wasn't time yet for us to reveal ourselves."

"Hey, but it was fun, right?" the red-haired woman asked, grinning wildly.

The man looked at the woman as if he was looking at a madwoman, who had given up on everything in life, and said, "It was." Although he had to give up one of the life-saving artefacts their boss had given them for emergencies, even then could only narrowly escape with their lives, the feeling of imminent death approaching and the subsequent feeling of relief as the understanding that they were safe settling in was enough of a thrill for him to attempt something like this again.

This time, it was the red-haired woman's turn to show a concerned expression on her face. "Do you think Bossman will kill us?"

"Naturally!" the man said so casually like talking about whether and stood up, dusting his butt. He walked closer to the wall, putting his hand behind his back as he plucked out his tail.

He inspected his tail for a moment, and a second later he plunged it right into the wall. The tail turned illusory, disappearing from anyone's sight, but it was still there.

"But we can try to make him understand. He won't be so unreasonable… I think?"

He walked into the darkness of the corridor, his stride confident.

"Hey, wait for me!"

The women followed him uncertain of the future that awaited them.

…

The weird-looking red-skinned man appeared right next to his tail, mid-air and fell right to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably as he clutched his tailbone area.

"Bossman is so fucking unreasonable. Why the fuck did we even take on this mission."

---