At the other side of the city, Tamaki studied a man carefully. He seemed to be carrying something, though it wasn't enough to make any assumptions just yet. Still, Tamaki kept watching, his curiosity piqued. He walked over to a bench and sat down, keeping his eyes on the target without making it obvious.
A few moments later, someone else approached from the side and sat facing the opposite direction on the same bench. It was a young woman, likely in her early twenties. Her striking green hair cascaded down her back, and two sharp horns jutted out from her head. She was tall, with an air of confidence that made her presence impossible to ignore, she sat there like owing the place.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________
While Raiden was engaged in a fight against a drug trafficking group and the team at U.A. faced their own set of challenges, Tamaki was in the middle of his own operation under the guidance of the pro hero Hawks.
Earlier that morning, Tamaki had woken up around 9 AM. After taking a quick shower, he made himself breakfast and sat down to wait for Hawks. By 10 AM, there was still no sign of him. Finally, at 11 AM, the pro hero emerged from the bathroom, a towel draped over his head as he dried his hair.
"Morning, kid. Sleep well? Ugh," Hawks groaned, stretching as he yawned.
"Y-yeah, but I thought we were heading out at ten," Tamaki said, shifting uncomfortably on the couch.
"Relax, relax," Hawks said, waving a hand dismissively as he grabbed a box of cereal. "Today's gonna be a long one. We need to gather intel on what happened yesterday, so we'll be out late."
Tamaki nodded, though he still felt uneasy about Hawks' laid-back attitude.
"Munch—so, Lady Nagant and I worked out a plan," Hawks continued between bites.
"We need to dig into the underworld and see if we can pull any leads on the incident. For that, we'll have to be a little... unconventional. We're going to use a group of traffickers to extract information.
After that, we'll compare what we find with what your classmate and Nagant uncover, then put together an action plan."
"I-I understand," Tamaki stammered. "So... where do we start?"
Hawks finished chewing and flicked a few crumbs off his hand before standing up. "Follow me. Kaina's investigating a group in the city center.
We're checking out another one in the suburbs. We don't know who'll find something first, but we have to try."
Tamaki took a deep breath and followed Hawks out the door, bracing himself for whatever lay ahead.
After breakfast, Hawks and Tamaki suited up in their hero gear. Hawks had brought Tamaki's things the day before, so everything he needed was already at Hawks' place—including the ingredients he used to activate his powers.
Once they were ready, they headed toward the suburbs. The trip was quick, and as they arrived, Tamaki looked at the area.
The buildings here were modest, none taller than five stories. The atmosphere was quieter than the city center, but something about it felt off—like there was an undercurrent of tension beneath the surface.
Positioning themselves on a rooftop near the subway, Hawks pulled out a pair of binoculars and handed one to Tamaki.
"We got intel that this area is another hotspot for missing people and drug activity," Hawks said, scanning the streets below. "Over the past year, four people have vanished here—not like the kidnappings in the stores, but just... gone. The connection is slim, but if there's even a chance it ties into our case, we need to check it out."
"I understand," Tamaki said, raising the binoculars to his eyes. "So we just observe?"
"Yup," exclaimed Hawks quite relaxed.
The two of them silently watched the neighborhood. They spotted a couple of petty crimes—robberies and pickpocketing—but when Tamaki instinctively tensed to intervene, Hawks held up a hand, signaling him to stay put.
Their mission was clear. As much as it went against Tamaki's instincts, they couldn't just step in and help everyone. Not now. They had to pick their battles carefully.
An hour passed as they moved stealthily across the rooftops, keeping watch from different angles. Then, Hawks suddenly spoke.
"There. Look."
He pointed toward a man walking near a small park. His head, oddly enough, was shaped like a whiskey bottle, but the rest of his body was human-like. He moved with purpose, occasionally glancing around as if checking for unwanted attention.
"See his hand? And that bag under his shoulder?" Hawks murmured.
Tamaki focused his binoculars. The bottle-headed man casually placed a newspaper on a bench, then walked past a woman sitting nearby. As he passed, their hands brushed for a split second—just enough time for a small exchange. The woman stood, grabbed the newspaper, and walked away.
"He's dealing, isn't he?" Tamaki asked.
"Yep. But he's sloppy. Too obvious," Hawks replied. "And judging by how careful he's trying to be, he's not just selling pot. If that were the case, he wouldn't be so paranoid. He's clumsy, which means he's still an amateur, but whatever he's pushing is something more serious."
"So what's the plan? Do we let him go?"
"Nope. We follow him," Hawks said, a smirk creeping onto his face. "We trail him back to wherever he's headed—his home, his hideout, whatever.
Then, we make him spill who's really running things in this area. Once we have that name, we go after the real target."
"And after he talks? Do we arrest him?" Tamaki asked.
Hawks shook his head. "Nah. We're not wasting time on small fry. We call another hero or the police and let them handle it. We're after something bigger."
Tamaki exhaled, gripping his binoculars a little tighter. This wasn't how he was used to working or how the teachers told him to work, actually, but he trusted Hawks. If this was the way to get to the truth, he'd follow through.
"Understood," Tamaki replied, keeping his eyes fixed on the dealer in front of him. He and Hawks continued watching for another hour as the man made several quiet transactions. Finally, the dealer stood up and left the park, heading toward a small apartment complex.
Without hesitation, Hawks took to the air, gliding silently toward the building. He slipped in through a rear window, careful to remain unseen.
Tamaki followed, landing lightly as they trailed the man through the dimly lit hallways. Their target walked at a steady pace, completely unaware of the two heroes moving in the shadows behind him.
The dealer reached his apartment and stepped inside, shutting the door behind him. To Tamaki's surprise, Hawks didn't pick the lock or force his way in. Instead, he strode right up to the door and knocked.
Tamaki blinked. Seriously?
But just as Hawks knocked, he casually placed a finger over the peephole, blocking the man's view.
"Who is it? Why can't I see anything?" the dealer called from inside, suspicion creeping into his voice.
"Sorry, sorry!" Hawks replied smoothly. "I've got a package for this address. It's big—like, really big. I had to prop it up, and now I can't move without tipping it over. That's why I'm blocking your view."
"Eh? I didn't order anything. Go away!" the dealer snapped.
At the same time, Hawks subtly angled his wing toward the door handle, ready to force his way in if needed.
"Come on, man, help me out here," Hawks continued, his tone lighthearted but insistent. "If I leave, I'll get blamed for the package going missing. Just open up for a second, yeah?"
There was a pause. Then, with a frustrated grumble, the dealer unlatched the door.
The moment Hawks heard the click of the lock, he struck.
With a powerful shove, he threw the door open, rushing inside with Tamaki right behind him. In one swift motion, he slammed the door shut and spread his wings, sending razor-sharp feathers flying. Before the dealer could react, Hawks' feathers pinned him to the ground, and another hovered dangerously close to his throat.
Tamaki hesitated. This... wasn't exactly how he was taught to handle situations. But he kept silent, watching.
The dealer, now face-to-face with one of the top heroes, trembled and barely managed to breathe. He knew exactly who Hawks was.
"Hey there," Hawks said with a casual smile. "Nice place you got here. So, here's the thing—we've been watching you. We know what you've been up to." His smile widened, but there was nothing friendly about it. "But don't worry. Today's your lucky day."
Hawks kept his sharp smile as he leaned in slightly.
"You see, I'm not here for small-time dealers. What I want is simple—a name. Give me a name, and I walk away." His tone was casual, but the weight of his words pressed down like a blade. "I know you're not a major player. A real trafficker wouldn't be this easy to catch. So tell me—who's running this part of the city?"
The dealer swallowed hard, his breath shaky. "N-no one… You heroes took him down a couple of months ago. It was... the Dragon Hero."
Hawks clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Nah, I don't buy that. Every time we take out one leader, another pops up to fill the gap. That's how this game works. What I want to know is—who's in charge now?"
The man shuddered at Hawks' words, his hands trembling as he bit his lip in hesitation.
"Look," Hawks continued, voice as light as ever, "I'm making this easy for you. Give me a name, and we walk out of here like this never happened. If not, well... let's just say you'll be taking a direct trip to a nice, cozy jail cell." He pressed one of his sharp feathers against the man's throat, just enough to make his threat crystal clear. "And don't worry—no one will know you talked. No one even knows we're here."
The dealer's breath hitched, his body rigid. He hesitated, eyes darting around the room, searching for an escape that didn't exist. Finally, he exhaled shakily.
"I-I... I'll talk," he stammered.
Hawks eased off the pressure, his grin widening. "That's the spirit." He gave a small, encouraging wave. "Go on, spill."
The dealer licked his lips before speaking, his voice barely above a whisper.
"He showed up just a few weeks after Martial got caught. Took over everything—or at least that's what I've heard. People say he didn't negotiate. He took control by force, beat down anyone who resisted. That's how he got Martial's men to submit."
Hawks raised a brow. "Oh? So we're dealing with someone strong."
The man nodded frantically. "Yeah, yeah. No doubt about it. He's set up on the other side of the neighborhood, in one of the big houses. No one dares go near it anymore. That's why I do business over here—far away from him."
Hawks let out a low whistle. "Well, that's interesting." His golden eyes gleamed with intrigue as he exchanged a quick glance with Tamaki. "Looks like we've got ourselves a real challenge."
"Good, good. Now, what's his name?" Hawks pressed.
The dealer shook his head quickly. "I don't know. Never seen him, never met him. I only hear things from security. Look, I like being alive—I don't mess with people like that." His hands trembled as he gestured nervously.
Hawks sighed, tilting his head. "Alright, fine. What about a nickname? An alias? That's all I need." His golden eyes narrowed slightly, watching the man's reaction.
The dealer hesitated, licking his lips. "Yeah… yeah, I've heard it. But just—don't laugh." His voice dropped lower. "People who laughed… something bad happened to them. They just disappeared after. No one ever saw them again." He swallowed hard before whispering, "They call him 'la Culebra."
Hawks blinked. "la culebra? As in… the snake? Or like, serpent? why I should laugh?" His expression twisted in confusion as he glanced at Tamaki.
Tamaki, as always, remained unreadable.
Hawks exhaled, shaking his head with a smirk. "Well, kid, looks like we've got ourselves a snake to track down."