Takeshi slowly raised his head and looked at Akira, who was smiling at him.
That ordinary smile sent a chill down Mr. Tsuda's spine.
In the next instant, he quickly withdrew his hand from Akira's abdomen.
Immediately after, he leaped backward, flipping in mid-air, creating distance between himself and Akira.
The hole in his abdomen began to heal at a speed visible to the naked eye.
"Just like that classmate said, you also have penetrating Quirks," Tsuda remarked while adjusting his pants.
Akira, momentarily taken aback, chose not to explain too much. "If you think so, then that's it."
"Thanks to the principal, who praised you as a 'monster freshman.' It's starting to feel troublesome," Tsuda said, frowning.
He wasn't being modest; it was the truth. Tsuda had assumed that Akira possessed multiple Quirks—sand manipulation and penetration. Add to that his unusual movements, and it made Tsuda feel cornered.
Moreover, there was something else that had truly shocked Tsuda—Akira's physical abilities. From their brief exchange, it was clear that his physical prowess was on par with Tsuda's own.
"What has this guy gone through?" Tsuda thought, wondering about Akira's background.
"Monster freshman? Should I be happy that the principal praised me? Or should I be concerned?" Akira smiled bitterly.
"None of that matters. Let's continue!" Tsuda said calmly.
"Alright," Akira replied.
The moment Akira finished speaking, Tsuda vanished from sight. His pants, meanwhile, continued to fall to the ground.
Behind Akira, the sound of impact rang out, signaling that Tsuda's attack had been blocked by the sand shield.
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Akira observed the sounds of continuous impacts around him.
"This guy's speed… it's faster than before," Akira muttered, not yet moving.
No sooner had he spoken than Tsuda's speed had already exceeded the sand shield's defense capabilities.
A punch came hurtling toward Akira. He instinctively reached out to defend, but the result was clear: Akira's hand passed right through Tsuda's fist.
Momentarily stunned, Akira didn't panic; in fact, he found the situation to be in his favor. As long as Tsuda couldn't land a hit, he couldn't touch Akira either.
Without hesitation, Tsuda launched another punch, aiming for Akira's abdomen.
But again, the punch passed right through, with no impact.
"Is this really a headache? This is getting repetitive!" Tsuda muttered, frustration creeping into his expression.
"Really?" Akira asked, raising his fist. The moment he did, his arm was enveloped in a layer of pitch black.
"If it's anything like what I think, you're in for even more trouble."
With that, he aimed a punch directly at Tsuda's face.
Tsuda froze for a moment before grinning. "Don't forget, I have penetrating Quirks like you."
"Let's see if that's enough!" Akira said, his punch connecting with Tsuda's face with a loud bang. Tsuda spun twice in mid-air before crashing to the ground.
---
"What... why didn't Tsuda dodge that?" Uzumaki Rasen asked, astonished.
Tian Naohuan's face darkened. "Tsuda's facing a tough opponent. If I'm right, the reason he didn't dodge is that he activated his penetrating Quirks."
"He thought Akira's attack would go right through him," Uzumaki Rasen added, eyes wide with curiosity.
"This is really troubling," Tian Naohuan murmured. "If Akira can attack Tsuda's physical form like that, then it means Tsuda's Quirks aren't as effective against him."
"Wow... how on earth did he do that?" Uzumaki Rasenaki was now full of curiosity.
"This is a serious question," Tian Naohuan continued. "If Akira can attack Tsuda's entity, does it mean Tsuda's Quirks don't affect him? How on earth does he...?" She paused, her thoughts racing.
"I see," Uzumaki Rasen suddenly spoke, her eyes lighting up.
Tian Naohuan looked at her. "What do you mean?"
"Before, Tsuda's penetration was effective for him, but when Akira's hand turned black, it was able to hit Tsuda's physical body. I guess it has something to do with that," Uzumaki Rasen reasoned.
Tian Naohuan glanced at Akira's hand and nodded in agreement.
"Teacher All Might? Can you tell us if there's a secret in Akira's hand?" Uzumaki Rasenaki asked, turning to All Might, who was standing by.
All Might hesitated for a moment, scratching his head. "Well, I claim to be his teacher, but honestly, I don't know much more than others."
"Really?" Uzumaki Rasen asked.
All Might nodded. "Actually, there's no big secret. Akira told me that it's part of his Quirk—a move that enhances both defense and attack."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah, that's what I think, too," All Might said.
"Then I'll ask him later," Uzumaki Rasen said, looking intrigued.