The plan set by Nighteye had failed. Togata Mirio and All Might's attempt to capture their target was unsuccessful, and there was no chance of finding another opportunity like that again. This made the Japanese government increasingly anxious.
The actions of the League of Villains were gaining more and more public support, and many people were openly expressing their dissatisfaction with the government. But forcing the government to back down, such as revising the Hero Laws, was simply impossible.
The existing Hero Laws allowed the government to retain the power to judge criminals. If they granted heroes the authority to kill, it wouldn't take long for the government's credibility to become a joke in the eyes of the public… though, to be fair, it already wasn't in great shape.
Still, the Japanese government wasn't about to give in so easily. After all, heroes led by All Might were on their side, and as the Symbol of Peace, All Might had an incredibly strong influence over the people.
Midoriya Izuku understood this very well. The League of Villains' current actions couldn't possibly destroy All Might's reputation, and that worked out perfectly for Midoriya's own plans.
Sure, the League of Villains' actions were stirring up long-standing resentment among the people, but All Might had served them for decades. As the Symbol of Peace, he was still the greatest hero in their hearts.
Most people were making a lot of noise now, but deep down, they still believed in All Might. As long as the Symbol of Peace was there, they had faith in the system. And Midoriya believed in that, too.
As one of All Might's most devoted fans, Midoriya didn't think his actions alone could shake the peace All Might had worked so hard to protect. But he could at least stir up a storm.
On one side were the heroes, led by All Might, maintaining order in the open. On the other side were the villains, led by Midoriya Izuku, eliminating the darkness lurking within society.
*"Where there is light, there will always be shadows. And where there are shadows, light will always shine above."*
Midoriya's plan was to push for social progress through relatively mild methods. Extreme reforms would only lead to innocent bloodshed, so this approach was clearly the best choice.
The heroes maintained order on the surface, while the League of Villains hunted in the shadows. This would shrink the space where crime could thrive, creating an ideal win-win situation.
After all, Midoriya Izuku was a die-hard All Might fan. Expecting him to deliberately plot against his most admired hero? That was just unrealistic.
While the League of Villains was advancing smoothly, the heroes were clearly struggling.
---
"Is that so… I see…"
After hanging up the phone, All Might looked troubled as he spoke to Nighteye, who was sitting in his office chair.
"Tsukauchi just called. The government wants us to capture the League of Villains as soon as possible."
"Is that so… But I don't think that's the whole story, right?"
As Nighteye spoke, he turned on the screen mounted on his office wall. A news broadcast immediately appeared—it was the exact same report he had just pulled up on his computer.
"The League of Villains must be brought to justice! They must pay for my son's life!!"
A fat, round-faced man was shouting in front of a crowd of reporters. Judging by the expressions on the reporters' faces, they clearly found him unpleasant. Nighteye glanced at the screen and said calmly:
"He's the father of the third victim killed by the League of Villains. A well-known corporate chairman. But as they say, like father, like son. The dirt on his hands isn't much better than his son's."
"Still, since he pays a hefty amount of taxes every year and has deep ties with high-ranking government officials, most investigations into his company's corruption have been shut down. And with insufficient evidence, legal action has never gone through. He's basically being protected by the government."
"..."
All Might stared at the man on the screen without saying a word. He had once wanted to investigate this man thoroughly, but Tsukauchi had stopped him with desperate pleas.
*"All Might… Anyone else can act on impulse, but you can't. Right now, half of society's order depends on you. If even the Symbol of Peace ignores the law, this whole system will collapse."*
*"For the sake of the greater good… just endure it."*
Back then, Tsukauchi had pleaded with him over and over. If All Might had acted recklessly, Tsukauchi might have taken his own life on the spot to stop him. In the end, All Might had no choice but to hold himself back.
"But… this might be a good opportunity, don't you think?"
Nighteye's glasses reflected the light, hiding his eyes. But All Might, who knew his assistant well, immediately understood what that look meant—Nighteye was about to set someone up.
---
One day later, Kurogiri returned to the bar as usual after gathering intelligence. He had brought an interesting piece of news for Midoriya Izuku.
"Midoriya-kun, take a look at this."
All the information about the crimes committed by the chairman of the group that shouted on the news about making the "League of Villains" pay had been delivered to Midoriya.
Midoriya looked at the documents in his hand, tapping his fingers rhythmically on the bar counter as he slowly read aloud:
"Five years ago, they forcibly evicted local villagers for land development. Some elderly people even died during the eviction. Since the area was remote, no heroes or police investigated the matter?"
"Three years ago, they deliberately withheld wages from their workers. When the workers protested to demand their hard-earned money, security guards violently dispersed them. The government kept pushing the issue around, and neither heroes nor the police stepped in... In the end, it only got resolved—barely—after two desperate workers jumped to their deaths?"
...
Midoriya skimmed through the large stack of documents. These two crimes were just the tip of the iceberg.
"So he's that scumbag's father? What a disgusting pair."
"But Midoriya-kun..."
Kurogiri leaned in and shared the details of the information he had gathered:
"This should've been buried years ago, especially with the government covering it up. Normally, no one would have been able to dig it up by now. But when I was collecting it, I noticed that someone seemed to be deliberately spreading this information online."
"Hmm... So it's bait, luring us in."
Midoriya replied calmly, unfazed. There was probably only one person capable of setting something like this up, but...
———
"Sir Nighteye, are you sure about this?"
"There's nothing wrong with it."
As they walked through the halls of a tall building, All Might cautiously questioned his assistant. Nighteye had spread the chairman's crimes all over the internet.
The chairman had exploded in fury, practically shoving a finger in Nighteye's face as he shouted:
"What the hell are you doing?! Now I'll be targeted by the 'League of Villains'! Are you trying to get me killed?!"
"So you're saying those accusations are true? Sounds like we should settle this in court."
"N-No... I mean... I'm just scared..."
The chairman stammered, unable to refute Nighteye's sharp response. Nighteye simply adjusted his glasses, the glare hiding his expression.
"Don't worry. To protect you from the 'League of Villains,' All Might and many well-known heroes are here. You can rest easy."
With that, Nighteye turned and left without looking back. The chairman stood frozen, his face pale. He should have never gone on the news and run his mouth.
All Might had learned about this years ago. Back then, he was furious and wanted to beat the chairman to a pulp, but Tsukauchi had held him back. Still, Nighteye had taken note of it, quietly waiting for the right opportunity to make a move.
"My analysis tells me Midoriya Izuku and the 'League of Villains' will come. This time, we hold the advantage."
"Even so... I just..."
All Might hesitated. Something about this felt wrong. Nighteye's methods seemed too similar to those of their enemies.
"Relax. My plans never fail."
Nighteye pushed up his glasses, a dangerous smirk forming on his lips. The heroes were fully prepared, waiting for the enemy to walk right into their trap. And besides...
If that fat bastard ended up dead, well, it wouldn't be the heroes' fault, would it?
A flawless, win-win plan. No matter what happened, the heroes would come out on top. Nighteye had no doubts.
Meanwhile, behind him, All Might muttered under his breath:
"Two-faced glasses-wearing schemer..."
———
"They really set me up this time. After seeing this, of course, I'm bringing the 'League of Villains' out."
Midoriya tapped his fingers on the front desk, his face showing no sign of panic or trouble. He simply thought for a moment and calculated:
"All Might, Togata Mirio, Endeavor… In terms of combat power, we're at an absolute disadvantage. But…"
His fingers stopped tapping. Midoriya turned to Kurogiri and gave an order:
"Kurogiri, go gather some things for me. I need them right away!"
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