Chapter 37: Aftermath
Cid's body felt impossibly heavy. The last thing he registered was the faint taste of iron in his mouth before everything went dark.
Cid's eyes cracked open again some time later.
A deep, bone-deep cold had settled into him. He felt light-headed and distant, like his body wasn't fully connected to him anymore. Everything sounded muffled, and a constant ringing filled his ears. He could feel his own blood, cold and sticky against his skin, trailing down the side of his face and into his eye. His vision was red and heavily blurred, the colors around him started to fade and wash out.
He could hear movement nearby — the sound of rubble crunching under hurried footsteps.
A figure came into view, blurry and distorted through the red tint. It took him a second to even register who it was. The shape moved closer, breathing hard and fast, like they had just sprinted across the rooftop.
"Shit— Cid!"
The voice was panicked and out of breath.
Mirio dropped to his knees beside him, eyes wide as he took in the blood pooling under Cid's body.
"Hang on— I got you, buddy. Just stay awake, okay? Just stay awa—"
Cid's vision darkened again before Mirio could finish.
Cid's eyes opened slowly.
For a few seconds, he didn't know where he was. The ceiling above him was white and unfamiliar, and the steady beeping of machines filled the room. His body felt stiff, like he had been lying in the same position for too long. A dull ache lingered in his ribs, shoulder, and the side of his head but the sharp, burning pain from before was gone.
He blinked a few times, trying to clear the fog in his head. His throat was dry and he felt like he hadn't eaten in a few days.
A soft hum drew his attention to the side of the room. The television mounted on the wall was on, the volume low. The screen showed aerial footage of a city skyline — or what was left of one. Smoke still rose from collapsed buildings as rescue teams moved through the rubble.
Cid stared at the screen, his mind slowly catching up.
The news anchor's voice was calm but heavy as she spoke.
"…following up on the coordinated attacks that struck three major cities a few days ago. While Osaka saw the most concentrated fighting, both Hosu also suffered heavy damage from League of Villains forces, while Tokyo was relatively unharmed in comparison. Casualty numbers are still being confirmed, but officials have confirmed that this was one of the largest attacks the country has faced in years."
The footage changed, showing different cities in turn.
[Osaka], entire districts had been reduced to rubble. Heroes and rescue teams were still pulling people from the wreckage. The camera panned over a familiar district, the same area where Cid had been fighting the Nomu.
[Hosu], the damage was more scattered but no less severe. Several buildings had collapsed, and the streets were filled with emergency vehicles.
[Tokyo] had taken light damage with only a city block or 2 damaged.
Cid's hands slowly curled into fists on top of the blanket.
The scale of it all was worse than he had expected. This wasn't just one big fight. It had been a planned, multi-city assault. And from the looks of it, the heroes had barely managed to contain it.
A soft knock came from the door.
Cid turned his head slightly as it opened. Nighteye stepped inside, his usual sharp expression softening just a fraction when he saw Cid sitting up. The tension in his shoulders eased noticeably, though it didn't disappear completely.
"You're awake," Nighteye said, closing the door behind him. "That's good. I was starting to worry."
Cid shifted then winced, He pushed himself up a little higher against the pillows.
"What happened?" he asked, voice rough.
Nighteye pulled the chair closer to the bed and sat down, crossing one leg over the other. For a moment, he didn't speak. He simply studied Cid, as if making sure he was truly okay before answering.
"After you went down, more heroes started arriving," Nighteye began. "Ryukyu, Nejire, Fat Gum, and Tamaki were the first to reach you and Mirio. They managed to draw the Nomu away from the more populated areas. The time you bought them by keeping it occupied made a difference. It gave the others a chance to set up and keep the fight contained."
He paused, his gaze drifting toward the television for a brief second before returning to Cid.
"They eventually overwhelmed it. It wasn't easy. Even with multiple heroes working together, the Nomu was incredibly durable. Its regeneration was slower after the damage you dealt it, but it still put up a serious fight. In the end, they managed to bring it down."
Cid stayed quiet, listening.
"Something similar happened in Tokyo, though on a smaller scale. All Might was already in the area when the attack started. He handled the majority of the threat before it could spread too far. The damage there was limited to roughly a block or two of residential buildings. Still serious, but nothing compared to what could have happened."
He folded his hands in his lap.
"Hosu was… different. There were already a large number of heroes in the city because of an ongoing operation to capture the Hero Killer, Stain. They succeeded in that, by the way. However, the League also launched an attack there, most likely in an attempt to rescue him. The damage to the city was less severe than what we saw in Osaka, but it was still significant. Endeavor and the heroes already on the ground were able to respond quickly and keep things from escalating further than it could have."
Nighteye's expression grew slightly more serious.
"As a result of these coordinated attacks, the League of Villains' threat level has officially been raised from A-Tier to S-Tier. The Hero Public Safety Commission is treating them as a national-level threat now."
Cid's fingers tightened slightly around the blanket. He didn't say anything right away. His mind was still catching up to everything Nighteye had said and the new details it brought on the situation.
Nighteye watched him quietly for a moment before speaking again.
"You did well, Cid. More than you probably realize. Keeping that Nomu occupied for as long as you did gave everyone else the time they needed to arrive. It wasn't just about winning the fight. It was about limiting how many people got caught in the crossfire. If you hadn't done what you did it would have been so much worse on the Casualty count." Nighteye said while staring him in the eye to get his point across.
Cid didn't respond immediately. His eyes drifted back toward the television, where footage of the destroyed streets was being shown.
Then another knock came from the door.
Nighteye glanced over as it opened. A man in a dark suit stepped inside, his posture rigid. He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with neatly combed hair and a thin folder tucked under one arm. The second his eyes landed on Cid, a flicker of unease crossed his face.
Cid let out a tired groan the moment he saw the suit.
"What is it with you people and bothering me while I'm in the hospital?" he muttered. "Can't even get one day to recover without you people showing up?"
The agent's shoulders tensed. He glanced quickly at Nighteye before looking back at Cid, visibly sweating.
"My name is Agent Kuroda," he said, keeping his tone carefully formal. "I'm here on behalf of the Hero Public Safety Commission." He says nervous then takes a breath to steady himself. "Given the current situation, the Commission's shifting priorities, and the Commission's past with you, the Chairwoman would like to propose a… mutual agreement."
Cid's eyes narrowed slightly.
Agent Kuroda continued, though his voice was a little tighter now.
"The Commission has decided that we will no longer be monitoring or interfering with your life moving forward. In return, we ask that you extend the same courtesy to us. With the recent attacks and the increased activity from the League of Villains, the Commission is being tasked elsewhere. You are no longer considered a priority."
Cid stayed quiet, but his mind was already moving.
'This isn't how they usually do things.'
He knew how the HSPC operated. They didn't just back off. They pressured, they manipulated, they found leverage. This sudden "mutual agreement" felt off.
Then the agent reached into his folder and pulled out a plain white envelope.
"As a show of good faith," Kuroda said, holding it out, "the Chairwoman has authorized and granted you your hero license early."
Cid took the envelope slowly. He opened it, and for a moment, he just stared at what was inside.
His hero license.
He was genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected to receive it this early — not while he was still a student. His thoughts started moving quickly.
'Are they trying to bribe me? Do they think I'll leave UA early and become a hero under their watch? What the hell are they playing at?'
He looked back up at the agent, his expression unreadable but his eyes sharp.
Agent Kuroda shifted uncomfortably under his gaze. The man was clearly nervous now, and there was a hint of fear in the way he avoided holding eye contact for too long.
"That will be all," Kuroda said quickly, already stepping back toward the door. "I won't take up any more of your time, have a good day Mr. Kageno."
He turned and left the room in a hurry without another word, closing the door behind him a little too fast.
After the door clicked shut behind the agent.
Cid stared at the hero license in his hand for a moment longer before slowly setting the envelope down on the small table beside his bed. He turned his head toward Nighteye, who was still seated nearby.
"How long was I out?" Cid asked, his voice still rough.
Nighteye looked at him quietly for a second before answering.
"Two days."
Cid's brow furrowed slightly. Two days. That explained why his body felt so stiff.
"When can I leave?"
Nighteye's expression didn't change, but there was a brief pause before he spoke.
"You need to rest and recover, Cid. Your body took a significant amount of damage, and pushing yourself too soon would only set you back. Take it easy, don't try to rush it."
It wasn't a direct answer.
Cid didn't push it. He could already tell Nighteye wasn't going to give him a clear timeline. Instead, the man simply stood up from the chair, adjusting his coat.
"Get some rest," Nighteye said. "We can talk more once you've recovered a bit."
He gave Cid one last look before turning and leaving the room, the door closing softly behind him.
Cid stayed where he was, staring at the ceiling.
'Rest…'
The word felt almost foreign to him right now.
He needed to train.
Not just train harder. He needed to push himself further than he ever had before. He needed to understand his Quirk on a level he hadn't even considered possible and then some. And he already knew exactly who could push him to that point.
Nezu.
If anyone could design the kind of training that he wanted, it was that rat. Cid was already thinking about how he would approach it, what he would ask for, what kind of insane regimen he was willing to put himself through to get the results he wanted.
He had no intention of resting.