"All Might, do you understand what you're doing?!"
At the police station, Sir Nighteye had rushed over to confront him. By personally protecting Shigaraki Tomura, All Might had thrown himself right into the public eye. Now, negative news about him was everywhere, and he wasn't even trying to explain himself.
"Nighteye, I told you before. Shimura Tenko is important to me."
"But right now, as the Symbol of Peace, you are even more important! Do you really want to see all the reputation you've built over the years go up in flames?!"
"..."
Faced with Nighteye's furious outburst, All Might stayed silent. This time, he had indeed gone against his principles. He didn't even have a solid reason—just his own selfish wish.
He had used a flimsy excuse to protect Shigaraki Tomura. The Japanese government had put on an act of backing down, but behind the scenes, they were using this situation to their advantage, dragging All Might through the mud in every possible way. And the worst part was that they did it in such a way that no one could directly call them out for it.
Normally, people wouldn't pay attention to this kind of thing. Over the years, All Might had faced plenty of negative press, and most people had learned to ignore it. But this time, something was different—All Might wasn't speaking up in his own defense.
As the Symbol of Peace, All Might had to maintain his image of justice in the public eye. Baseless accusations were usually brushed aside because people simply didn't believe them. But for serious scandals, All Might would always step forward to clear things up, and the public had always trusted him.
Yet now, he remained silent.
This time… the fact that All Might didn't step in, and the unspoken but apparent cover-up of Shigaraki Tomura, sparked a huge controversy online.
Rumors spread like wildfire across the internet. Leaving aside the unreliable ones, one particular analysis from a longtime All Might fan gained widespread agreement.
"All Might probably isn't happy with Japan's laws either. His decision not to hand over those League of Villains members he caught might be his way of showing his dissatisfaction."
This theory quickly gained traction. Meanwhile, the Japanese government, which had been trying to bring down All Might's reputation, saw some success. On one hand, they hadn't expected public support for All Might to be this deep. On the other, they were already preparing their next move.
The League of Villains' actions had exposed flaws in the current system, and the frustration from both civilians and heroes was growing. The government had no choice but to figure out how to maintain order.
The powerful families and financial groups controlling the government weren't stupid. There were plenty of reasons why Japan had rarely enforced the death penalty, but the biggest one was self-interest. Illegal trade was still the most profitable business, and they had plenty of use for these so-called "villains." Keeping heroes in check was just another part of the plan.
The "Hero Laws" were created by the ruling class, designed to serve their own interests above all else. But when those laws started to cause problems, they had to be adjusted. So how should they go about it?
All Might's actions gave politicians the perfect opportunity. They could use this situation to fuel the controversy.
"You all think the current laws don't work? Fine, we'll change them."
Since All Might had publicly shown dissatisfaction with the system, the government could frame the legal reforms as aligning with the wishes of the Symbol of Peace.
This way, the government appeared to be responding to public demand. And if the new laws caused problems later? That wouldn't be their fault—it would be on All Might.
It might sound ridiculous that a single person could force a government to change, but there was no denying it—All Might, the nation's most beloved hero, had that kind of influence.
If the new laws led to chaos, All Might would take the blame, while the government, which had supposedly been "forced" into making changes by public pressure, would walk away unscathed.
Little by little, this would chip away at the reputation of the Symbol of Peace. After all, people are driven by self-interest. Once their own well-being is threatened, loyalty and belief in ideals mean nothing.
At the same time, the government could finally take direct action against the League of Villains. Once heroes and civilians stopped directing their anger at the government, the League—stripped of public support—would become nothing more than a rogue criminal group. No matter how much they fought back, they wouldn't pose a real threat to the government's control.
From a strategic standpoint, this was a win-win plan for the government. But even the most cunning opportunists weren't as skilled at manipulating people as their true master.
After all… the one who handed Shigaraki Tomura over to All Might was a terrifying man.
Admiration is one of the most powerful emotions. But it can also become the most devastating wound.
———
All Might was an incredibly principled person. If something went against his beliefs, he would rather stay silent than lie.
Protecting Shigaraki Tomura… protecting Shimura Tenko…
Shimura Nana's grandson was someone All Might was willing to break his own principles for. Even though he had committed crimes and taken lives, All Might still believed there was a chance for him to turn back.
All Might truly believed this, without a shred of doubt.
This nearly made Nighteye cough up blood in frustration. He was willing to help cover for All Might, and he had the ability to suppress all these ridiculous rumors.
But… the biggest problem was that All Might himself refused to cooperate.
As All For One had said, at the end of the day, All Might was a stubborn fool. Once he believed he had done something wrong, he would admit to it without hesitation.
Covering for Shigaraki Tomura was already breaking his principles. Asking him to lie on top of that? He'd rather die.
Nighteye and the others who knew the truth were doing everything they could to help All Might, but he didn't care. He was too focused on trying to change Shigaraki Tomura's way of thinking.
…Though so far, progress wasn't great.
Meanwhile, the government took advantage of the situation, moving forward with their plan.
They would make some legal revisions that appeared to align with public demand, while secretly adding new restrictions behind the scenes.
And when things inevitably went wrong, they'd let All Might take the fall.
For politicians used to playing dirty, this was just another day at the office.
Finally, Midoriya Izuku decided to act.
All Might was trapped in this situation. And he was the only one who could step in.
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