Meeting in the Rain

The operation ended much faster than expected, so Renault didn't choose to go back immediately after it was over.

Looking at the gloomy sky, he wasn't in a hurry. He found a fast-food restaurant and went inside, ordering a combo meal. He ate while watching the light drizzle gradually turn into heavy rain.

Although he was stealing a moment of leisure, Renault's thoughts didn't stop for a second.

After finishing a hamburger, Renault took out a small transparent sealed bag from his pocket. Inside it was a long strand of purple hair.

"It's human female hair, and definitely not the doctor's. It's highly likely that there's a human in that cultivation tank, just like me and Yuriko."

Putting the item away, Renault let out a faint sigh.

After dealing with all the Nomu, they surveyed the area but found no other suspicious signs.

If the person in the cultivation tank really escaped, it would be impossible for them to evade the heroes' search range in such a short time.

"Could they have been taken away?"

That's the only possibility left.

Having spent an hour in the fast-food restaurant, Renault had initially thought the rain would ease up, but it continued without showing any signs of stopping. It even seemed like it would last into the night.

Renault checked the weather forecast on his phone and confirmed his suspicion.

"Forget it, let's head back."

To avoid drawing attention, even though he wouldn't get drenched, Renault still bought an umbrella from a convenience store across the street and headed towards the train station.

As he walked, Renault also noticed a message on his phone.

Today's combat training turned out to be a joint training battle between Class A and Class B, and there was an unexpected addition—Shinso Hitoshi, the person he had defeated in the sports festival from the general department.

Renault hadn't expected that guy to want to join the hero department.

It was unlikely for him to be admitted to Class A, so it should be Class B.

Renault had quite disliked the guy's personality in the past, but according to the message sent by Yaoyorozu, Shinso's character had undergone a significant change. It seemed like he genuinely wanted to become a hero.

In that case, Renault had nothing more to say. It would be good if he realized his mistakes and changed. Considering his abilities and age, it was understandable for his personality to undergo such transformations, and it's a positive thing that he managed to revert back.

*Step, Step, Step... Step... Step...*

"Go after her! Don't let that girl escape!"

"Hmm?" Stopping in his tracks, Renault looked towards the corner where the voices were coming from. It seemed like someone was being chased.

And judging from the shouts behind, it didn't seem like a friendly encounter.

"Let's go check it out."

Increasing his speed, Renault followed the source of the voices, maneuvering through several twists and turns to arrive at a small alley.

What he saw before him were five flashy-looking thugs blocking a person, a barefoot woman wearing a white lab coat, cornered at the end of the alley.

Although the lighting was poor and the raindrops obscured the view, Renault could still make out the woman's appearance at first glance.

Despite being somewhat dirty and disheveled, she was likely very beautiful.

But what caught his attention the most was her hair color.

Purple.

'Can my luck really be this good?'

While thinking about it, Renault took a step forward.

The five thugs hadn't noticed the presence of another person behind them. They smirked at the woman they had stopped and said, "You've got some guts, stealing our stuff and running so fast. Even though it's something others give us as tribute, it's not something you can touch, you know?"

"Boss, this chick looks pretty good. Why don't we..."

"Capture her first. We'll decide what to do later."

"Hehehe~"

Meanwhile, the woman who was surrounded tightly clutched her white coat, breathing heavily. She looked around, searching for an escape route.

But there was no way out. There were five people blocking her, and it was a dead end behind her.

Just then, ahead of her line of sight, not far behind the thugs, a person holding an umbrella suddenly appeared and made eye contact.

"Hmm?" The thug leader also noticed the woman's gaze and turned his head to see Renault.

"Brat, what are you doing here? If you've got nothing to do, get lost!"

Ignoring the fierce glares of the thugs, Renault walked past them and approached the woman.

No, it should be said that it was a girl. When Renault got closer and looked at her, he realized she was even younger than he had imagined, although her face was partially covered in dirt and grime.

He handed her the umbrella and said, "Here."

Looking at Renault, then at the umbrella, the girl took it and opened her mouth.

"Who... are... you?"

Her words were fragmented, but her voice was ethereal and pleasant, with a hint of maturity and mystery.

But after saying that, she suddenly covered her mouth.

Renault smiled, unperturbed. After the girl had secured the umbrella, he turned around to face the five thugs. As the rain poured down, it seemed to encounter an invisible barrier a second before reaching Renault, keeping him dry.

"Boss, be careful. This guy seems dangerous."

"Who cares! Don't forget who runs this street!!!"

After saying that, the thugs pulled out their knives. Two of them even underwent transformations, growing claws and displaying animalistic features, resembling wolves.

Renault looked left and right, furrowing his brow. He said to the thug leader and the thug beside him, "Your Quirk isn't a wolf, right? It should be a husky?"

"...You bastard, you're asking for trouble!"

The thug leader, stung by Renault's words, rushed forward, swinging his claws and knives, intending to tear Renault apart.

"That's right..." Renault spoke casually, allowing the attacks to land on him. His Vector Manipulation Quirk, Reflection, activated instantly.

In the next moment, all five of them were sent flying, crashing onto the ground and against the wall, in excruciating pain.

"Hooligans like you are really hard to deal with. You just sprout up everywhere, huh? Today, you had the misfortune of running into me and seeing something you shouldn't have. So, do me a favor and disappear forever."

Several black holes opened beneath the struggling thugs, swallowing them up slowly. They didn't even have time to beg for mercy before they vanished completely.

Originally, Renault didn't plan to do this, but the importance of the girl behind him was indisputable. He couldn't let these thugs know and leak the information.

After resolving the situation, Renault turned around and found the girl sitting on the ground, her face flushed unnaturally, breathing irregularly.