Two nights later.
Masato was back in Naruhata, scanning data from a hacked surveillance drone. The warehouse he'd raided had been scrubbed clean. Evidence gone. Police report "inconclusive."
He didn't trust the silence.
Then he heard footsteps.
Not from behind. From above.
Mirio landed in front of him like a comet, his usual cheer replaced by resolve.
"We're not done talking."
Masato stepped back. "You're persistent."
"You're hurting people."
"I'm stopping villains."
"You're breaking laws."
Masato's mask split open at the mouth, revealing his expressionless lower face. "Then maybe the law needs to break, too."
Mirio frowned. "You think you're helping. I get it. I really do. But this path you're on? You'll become the very thing you hate."
Masato's hands ignited with plasma.
"I already did."
With no warning, he lunged.
Their battle lit the night sky.
Masato moved like lightning—Solar Circuit amplifying his body's strength and speed, solar threads trailing every punch and kick.
Mirio phased through most of it, but he wasn't used to someone adapting that fast.
Masato analyzed his timing. Tracked the rhythm of Mirio's quirk. Waited until the instant he re-solidified—
Boom!
A direct hit. Mirio slammed into a wall but bounced off, shaking it off with a grin. "Okay. That one hurt."
Masato's fists glowed brighter. "You're fast."
"You're smart. Scary smart."
Mirio tried to reason again. "You don't have to do this alone, y'know. Come with me. Talk to Nighteye. Maybe even Principal Nezu. You could be something better than a vigilante."
Masato hesitated. The words rang strange in his ears. "Better"?
Then Garaki's voice came through his comms. Cold. Clinical.
"Masato. Stand down. Leave. He's not your mission."
Masato turned away.
"You're wasting your time, Lemillion."
Mirio didn't stop him.
But as Masato vanished into the night once more, Mirio whispered:
"I'll catch you next time. I promise."