FLASHBACK:
The alley was silent in the pre-dawn hours, still bearing the scars from the night's battle. Shirai Takeru stood near the incident site, checking his watch and tapping his foot with growing impatience.
"You called me, Shirai-san."
Takeru turned to see Kujou Tanaka approaching through the shadows.
"You are late. I called you an hour ago."
"Sorry, Shirai-san. I couldn't find a cab this late, so I had to jog my way here."
Takeru sighed deeply. "Well anyway. There's some important meeting I need to attend, so I'm assigning you a task here."
Tanaka's eyes lit up with excitement. "Woah. Really? Also, a meeting at this hour?"
"Yes, it's a... very important... and a secret meeting," Takeru stammered. "I need to leave right away."
"Oh, got it. What's the task?"
"I want you to patrol this area. You can set up a personal perimeter of 200 meters. No one should come here. Be wary of any suspicious activity, and report back to me in the evening when I take over."
"You got it, big bro."
"Good. And DO NOT USE ANY POWERS. I don't want this place to have more mess than it already has. If any altercation takes place, you call me or you call the police and wait until help arrives. Okay?"
"You got me big bro. Also, bro... would this task help me get into the 'Inner Circle'?"
Takeru's expression shifted slightly. "It might. Some higher-ups have been impressed with your recent work."
Tanaka placed his right fist over his heart with reverence. "Thanks a lot, bro. I'll make you proud."
"And yeah, there's a specific person I want you to watch out for. He's about 5'10", has lean fitness, and most importantly has some electricity-based powers. He's good but wouldn't be much of a problem for you. If you catch him, I'll put in a really good word to get you in the 'Inner Circle'."
An evil smile crept across Tanaka's face.
PRESENT:
Kazama rounded the corner and found himself face-to-face with the hero he'd been trying to avoid. Tanaka looked at him and smiled.
"Hey there! You lost, kid?"
"I was on my way."
"Way to where? Judging from your uniform, you're from Tokyo Super High, which is on the other side."
He caught me off guard. I need to come up with something.
"I was headed to a Senpai's place," Kazama replied smoothly. "He's helping me prep for the upcoming entrance mock evaluations involving hand-to-hand combat. Said he could only meet early in the morning before his club practice. He lives somewhere around here, but I think I took a wrong turn."
"Oh, is that so."
Seems like a valid answer. But he fits most of the description of the guy Shirai-san told me to keep an eye on. This kid is around 5'10" and has lean fitness. The only thing left is that electricity thing. If I can somehow draw him out to use his powers, then maybe I can clear this suspicion and maybe even call his bluff if there is any. And this is my only chance.
"If there's nothing else, sir, I should get going. My senior doesn't like being kept waiting."
Tanaka's smile widened unnaturally. "Oh, speaking of that... you know, I'm pretty good at hand-to-hand myself. You wouldn't learn anything from your Senpai that you couldn't pick up from me. I am a pro hero, after all."
What? Why? That smile is really creepy. Does he suspect me of anything? This is bad. I need to get out of here.
Kazama forced a dumb smile. "Oh, I wouldn't want to bother you. Plus I gave a commitment to my Senpai."
Tanaka stepped closer casually. "I insist. How about you call him here, or we can get him here together? You guys can 2v1 against me. It would be fun. Besides, I got a bit rusty as well in these past few months. It would be a good training session for me too."
He closed the gap so casually. Kujou Tanaka. He is no joke. He's ranked 47 in all of Japan, and all that hand-to-hand stuff he mentioned—he's not lying. If he gets serious in any sense, he could beat me to a pulp. But if push comes to shove...
"What do you say? You and me then?" Tanaka asked sarcastically. "If you don't want to see your Senpai getting embarrassed."
"I appreciate the offer, sir. But I don't fight when I don't have to. I choose my sparring partners carefully. That's rule number six at Tokyo Super High—Don't waste your strength. If there is nothi—"
Without warning, Tanaka swung with his right arm. Kazama quickly ducked. Tanaka followed up with an uppercut with his left, which Kazama sidestepped before hopping back to create space between them.
"What is the meaning of this?"
"Not bad, kid. I was expecting to land at least one of those hits. Your ability to read what's coming next is really good."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Not everything needs to have a meaning. Come on now. It's your turn to come at me."
"There is—"
Tanaka dashed in for another combo—right punch, left hook, and left punch. Kazama dodged all of them while stepping back. Tanaka went for a chop, but Kazama grabbed his arm with both hands, swung around him, and pushed him while letting go.
"Not bad! Hahaha! Not bad at all for a high schooler!" Tanaka said, smiling and scratching his head. "You surely have my attention now! Your ability to read, move, and analyze situations has highly intrigued me! Hahaha! I think it's time for me to get a bit more serious."
I don't think I can hold him off for long. I barely dodged all of his attacks, but exhaustion will soon catch up to me and...
Tanaka jumped in for another combo. This time he went in with a flurry of right and left punches. Kazama dodged some and blocked some, but one punch grazed him. Kazama dodged and dragged the fight across the street, using a wall for support when needed.
I shouldn't use my powers in any case here—it would only make things messier. Maybe riling him up will reveal who he really is.
"Come on, kid! I know you have it in you," Tanaka called out while throwing punches, a smile on his face. "You can't just bob and weave forever. Show some fight."
Kazama decided to taunt him. "Some hero you are. Going after a high school student just to mask your failures as a hero."
Tanaka's smile disappeared completely.
He threw one punch with extra force, which Kazama dodged by sliding to the right. Tanaka's fist connected with the wall instead, leaving a huge dent in the concrete.
Kazama couldn't believe Tanaka would go that far.
Tanaka lowered his stance, the atmosphere growing tense. "What do you know about being a hero? You wear a uniform and ace a few training drills and suddenly you think you understand justice?"
"No. But I know this isn't it. Hunting down students in an alley before sunrise... That's not justice. That's abusing your authority."
"Authority? You think I care about that? I'm not here for a lesson. I'm here because the system only listens when you break it hard enough."
"What system? You talk like you're trying to fix something, but all I see is a hero going rogue because he couldn't fix things on time."
"Maybe that's what you're supposed to see. Maybe I am what happens when the system fails to fix itself."
That tone... he believes in something twisted. This isn't just about me. He's connected to whatever happened last night, but he's also hiding who's really pulling the strings.
"So who exactly are you fixing things for, Tanaka-san? Or are you just clearing a path for someone else?"
"You're smarter than you look. But being smart doesn't matter if you can't survive the next minute. I gave you chances, kid. I wanted to see what you'd do under pressure. I wanted to see if you were him."
Him...? He wasn't just testing my strength. He was matching me to a profile.
Tanaka began unrolling his cuff, his eyes slowly beginning to glow. "I'll give you this—you held back. Most wouldn't. You've got control. Discipline. I respect that. But you've reached the limit of my patience. The next part isn't built for rules."
"You're not just after a fight, are you?"
"Maybe. Call it whatever you want. I couldn't draw out your powers through old ways. Now it's time to test some new ones."
Draw out my powers? He wanted to see me use my powers. So he is onto me because of that. I guess he's got me in a corner now.
"Now let's see you dodge this without your powers."
Tanaka charged his right hand. A chunk of road beneath him got pulled toward his fist in a spiral motion and fused with his arm. His arm turned glowing red, steam rising from it.
"BLAZING FIST!"
He leaped forward, about to absolutely destroy Kazama.
If it has come to this...
Kazama had one hand behind his back where electricity was sparking. Then suddenly a force field surrounded him and took the full impact of Tanaka's special attack as someone shouted, "ENCHANTED FORCE FIELD!"
Tachibana Takemi stood about ten meters behind Kazama, her face set with determination. Kazama looked at her with a neutral expression, his hand still crackling with barely contained electricity.
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