The afternoon patrol with Uwabami was nothing like Boa had expected.

  Instead of hunting down villains in dark alleys, they spent most of their time in busy shopping districts, where Uwabami stopped frequently to pose for photos with fans, sign autographes, and promote various hero-related initiatives.

  "This feels less like patrol and more like a publicity tour," Boa observed quietly as Uwabami finished another photo session.

  "That's because it is both," Uwabami replied, her professional smile never wavering as she waved to a group of excited children. "Watch the crowd, Hancock. What do you see?"

  Boa scanned the area. "Civilians going about their day. Shopping, eating, talking. They seem... relaxed."

  "Exactly. They're relaxed because they see heroes present. They feel safe." Uwabami gestured subtly to a man who'd been loitering near a jewelry store for the past ten minutes. "They also feel watched, which deters crime. That man has been casing that store, but he won't try anything while we're here."

  As if to prove her point, the man caught sight of them, went pale, and quickly walked away.

  "You stopped a crime without confrontation," Boa said, impressed despite herself.

  "Prevention is better than intervention. Remember that." Uwabami's demeanor shifted slightly as she addressed Boa more seriously. "Now, your turn. Walk ahead of me. Let's see how civilians respond to your presence."

  "What should I do?"

  "Just walk. Use what we practiced this morning—that commanding presence. Own the space."

  Boa took a breath and started walking ahead of Uwabami. She straightened her spine, lifted her chin, and moved with deliberate grace and confidence. She felt ridiculous, like she was putting on a show.

  But then she noticed people's reactions.

  Civilians moved aside without her having to ask. Some stared openly, whispering to their companions. A few pulled out phones to take pictures. Several young girls looked at her with something like admiration.

  "Much better!" Uwabami called from behind her. "See how they respond? That's presence. That's the Empress they saw at the Sports Festival."

  Boa felt a strange mixture of discomfort and empowerment. This was so different from how she'd lived for nine years—trying to be invisible, to take up minimal space, to avoid attention.

  But it was effective.

  They continued patrol for another hour, during which Uwabami taught her how to read crowds, how to identify potential threats, how to position yourself to maximize both visibility and tactical advantage.

  "Hero work isn't just about fighting," Uwabami explained as they walked. "It's about presence, prevention, and public relations. All three matter equally."

  As the sun began to set, they finally encountered an actual incident.

  A convenience store robbery—two men with mutation Quirks, one with enhanced strength and another with speed enhancement, were demanding money from a terrified clerk.

  "Finally," Uwabami said, her expression sharpening. "Hancock, you take the lead on this one. Show me what you've learned."

  Boa's heart rate increased, but she nodded. This was her first real villain encounter outside of the USJ attack.

  She entered the store through the front door, not bothering with stealth. The bell chimed, drawing both villains' attention.

  "What the—another hero?!" the strength enhancer growled. "Get lost, little girl, or you'll get hurt!"

  Boa stopped in the center of the store and looked at them with cold disdain. She channeled everything Uwabami had taught her about presence—stood tall, let her gaze convey absolute confidence, made them feel like they were beneath her notice.

  "You have one chance to surrender," she said, her voice calm and carrying an edge of imperial authority. "Take it."

  The speedster laughed. "You think you're scary? You're just some Sports Festival runner-up!"

  "Third place, actually," Boa corrected. "And I didn't ask if you were scared. I told you to surrender. There's a difference."

  The strength enhancer charged at her with a roar. Predictable.

  Boa enhanced her legs and sidestepped gracefully, her movement fluid and controlled. As he passed, she placed her palm on his back—just a brief touch—and pushed calm into him.

  His aggressive charge faltered. He stumbled, confused by the sudden absence of anger and adrenaline.

  The speedster tried to rush her from behind. Boa had been tracking him through her peripheral vision. She spun, her leg already glowing pink with enhanced power, and delivered a Perfume Femur kick imbued with intense adoration.

  Her foot connected with his chest.

  The speedster's eyes went wide as the emotion hit him—overwhelming, involuntary attraction that made his thoughts scatter. But more than that, from the point of impact, his chest began to turn gray, hardening into stone.

  "What—what is this?!" He tried to move but found his torso increasingly rigid, the petrification spreading outward from where she'd struck him.

  Within three seconds, he was completely stone from the waist up, frozen in mid-stumble.

  The strength enhancer, still fighting through the calm she'd imposed, stared at his petrified partner in horror.

  "What did you do to him?!"

  "Petrified him," Boa said simply. She walked toward him with that same commanding presence, each step deliberate. "It's temporary. He'll recover once I choose to release him. But you should know—I can make it permanent if I wish."

  It was a bluff. She hadn't yet mastered the permanent petrification, but he didn't need to know that.

  The strength enhancer's resolve crumbled. "I—I surrender! Don't turn me to stone!"

  "Wise choice." Boa gestured toward the door where Uwabami had appeared, already calling the police. "Outside. Hands where I can see them."

  The villain complied immediately, stumbling out with his hands raised.

  Uwabami secured him with her hair-snakes while Boa approached the petrified speedster. She placed her hand on the stone and concentrated, willing the petrification to reverse.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  Slowly, the gray stone receded, returning to flesh. The speedster collapsed, gasping and disoriented.

  "Mezameyo," Boa said quietly, naming the reversal technique in her mind.

  By the time the police arrived, both villains were restrained and the clerk was safe, if shaken.

  "Excellent work," Uwabami said as they gave their statements to the police. "You maintained control, used minimal force, and prioritized civilian safety. That's textbook hero work."

  But what struck Boa most was how effective the presence training had been. The villains had been intimidated before she'd even used her Quirk. Her demeanor, her confidence—it had put them on the defensive psychologically.

  Combined with her actual abilities, it had ended the encounter in under a minute.

  That evening, back at the agency, Uwabami reviewed the encounter in detail.

  "Your petrification technique—that's new, isn't it? Different from what you showed at the Sports Festival."

  "I've been developing it," Boa explained. "By imbuing my strikes with the emotion of adoration, I can petrify whatever I hit directly, even non-living objects. It's more targeted than my Mero Mero Mellow, which requires the opponent to already feel attraction and only works on living beings."

  "And the reversal? Mezameyo?"

  "I can undo the petrification when I choose. But..." Boa hesitated. "I'm working on making it permanent. For situations where temporary restraint isn't enough."

  "Like if you needed to seal away something dangerous," Uwabami said thoughtfully. "That's powerful, Hancock. But it's also a heavy responsibility. The ability to permanently petrify someone..."

  "I know. Which is why I'm being careful about developing it." Boa met her mentor's gaze. "I won't use permanent petrification lightly."

  "I trust that you won't. You've shown excellent judgment today." Uwabami smiled. "Now, let's talk about that entrance. The way you commanded the room, the way you made them feel beneath you—that was perfect. You're learning faster than I expected."

  They spent the evening reviewing the encounter from every angle, discussing what Boa could have done differently, how to improve her timing, when to use intimidation versus direct action.

  By the time Boa returned to her temporary lodgings—a small apartment Uwabami's agency provided for interns—she was exhausted but satisfied.

  Her phone buzzed with messages.

  From Katsuki: How'd your first day go? Do anything actually heroic or just pose for cameras?

  Boa smiled and typed back: Both. Stopped a robbery. Petrified one of the villains. How about you?

  Best Jeanist won't shut up about my 'aggressive tendencies' and 'lack of teamwork.' It's annoying as hell. But the combat training is decent. Wait, you petrified someone? Like fully turned them to stone?

  Yes. I've been developing a new application of my Quirk. I'll explain when we're back at school.

  You better. That sounds badass. Don't get too soft doing the model thing though.

  I could say the same about you and the teamwork lectures.

  Fuck off. I'm not going soft.

  Of course not. Good night, Katsuki.

  ...night, Boa.

  She set her phone aside and looked out the window at the Tokyo skyline. One day down, four more to go.

  She was learning to be more than just a fighter. She was learning to be a hero—someone who inspired, intimidated, and protected in equal measure.

  And she was learning to embrace rather than hide the aspects of herself that made her powerful.

  The next morning brought combat training.

  Uwabami led her to a private training facility where several pro heroes were sparring. "Today, you're going to work on that new petrification technique. The one you used yesterday."

  They moved to an empty section with various training dummies and obstacles—some living plant matter, some mechanical, some simple concrete and metal.

  "Show me the full technique," Uwabami instructed. "Not just a single strike. I want to see your ranged version."

  Boa nodded. This was the technique she'd been conceptualizing but hadn't fully tested yet—a way to petrify multiple targets simultaneously from a distance.

  She took a breath, centered herself, and enhanced her arms. Then she formed a large heart shape with her hands, concentrating intense adoration into the space between her palms.

  The heart materialized—a glowing pink construct of pure emotion made manifest.

  "Slave Arrow!"

  From the heart burst dozens of heart-shaped projectiles, each one carrying the petrifying adoration she'd imbued them with. They shot forward like a barrage of arrows, striking training dummies across the field.

  Where each arrow hit, petrification spread instantly. Unlike her Mero Mero Mellow which required the target's own attraction, these arrows imposed the emotion so forcefully that they petrified on contact—living or non-living, it didn't matter.

  Within seconds, fifteen training dummies across the field were turned to stone.

  Uwabami stared, her snakes hissing softly in what might have been appreciation.

  "That's... that's an incredibly powerful technique, Hancock. The range, the area coverage, the fact that it works on anything..." She walked over to examine one of the petrified dummies. "This is A-rank level work. Possibly S-rank if you can increase the range and arrow count."

  "I can make approximately thirty arrows currently," Boa said, slightly winded from the technique. "And the range is about twenty meters. Both could be improved with training."

  "And the petrification? How long does it last?"

  "Currently, it's temporary unless I consciously maintain it. They'll revert on their own after about thirty minutes, or I can reverse it immediately with Mezameyo." Boa approached one of the petrified dummies and placed her hand on it. "Mezameyo."

  The stone faded, returning to normal training dummy material.

  "But you're working on permanent petrification," Uwabami said.

  "Yes. For extreme situations." Boa's expression was serious. "A villain who's too dangerous to simply restrain. A creature or object that needs to be sealed. I want that option available."

  "Show me what you have so far."

  Boa selected a small training dummy and delivered a focused Perfume Femur: Gorgon Strike, but this time, instead of allowing the petrification to be temporary, she concentrated on making it permanent. She pushed the adoration deeper, made it fundamental to the object's structure rather than just a surface effect.

  The dummy turned to stone as before, but this time, the gray color was darker, more complete. She removed her hand and waited.

  Five minutes passed. Ten. Fifteen.

  The dummy remained stone.

  "Mezameyo," Boa said, touching it again.

  Nothing happened.

  She concentrated harder, trying to reverse the effect. After several long moments of intense focus, the stone finally, slowly, began to recede.

  "It's... resistant," she said, breathing hard. "The permanent version is harder to undo, even for me. But it's not truly permanent yet. With enough time and focus, I can still reverse it."

  "That might be for the best," Uwabami said carefully. "True permanent petrification with no reversal option... that's a killing technique, Hancock. Even if they're stone rather than dead, it's functionally the same."

  "I know. Which is why I'm being very careful about how I develop it." Boa looked at the dummy, now returned to normal. "But in a situation like the USJ, against something like that Nomu creature... having the option to permanently seal a threat might save lives."

  Uwabami nodded slowly. "I understand your reasoning. Just... promise me you'll only use permanent petrification as an absolute last resort. And only on targets that truly cannot be stopped any other way."

  "I promise."

  They spent the rest of the morning training. Boa practiced her Slave Arrow technique repeatedly, working on increasing the arrow count, the range, the speed of petrification. By lunch, she could produce thirty-five arrows and had extended her range to twenty-five meters.

  But each use drained her significantly. The technique required immense emotional focus and energy.

  "You need to build your stamina," Uwabami observed. "That technique is powerful, but if you can only use it twice before exhausting yourself, its battlefield utility is limited."

  "Agreed. I'll work on my endurance training."

  After lunch, they returned to image work and patrol. Uwabami taught her how to handle media inquiries, how to present herself in interviews, how to maintain her commanding presence even in casual situations.

  "Remember," Uwabami said as they walked through another shopping district, "your hero name is Empress. That's not just a title—it's a statement. You're telling the world that you command respect, authority, power. Every interaction should reinforce that image."

  Boa practiced throughout the patrol—how she spoke to civilians, how she carried herself, how she handled minor incidents. She was building a persona, the Empress, who was confident, commanding, and utterly in control.

  It was exhausting in a completely different way than physical training.

  That evening, as she returned to her lodgings, her phone buzzed with a message from Katsuki.

  Best Jeanist is making me do teamwork exercises with his sidekicks. I hate it. But... they're not completely useless. Don't tell anyone I said that.

  Boa smiled. Your secret is safe with me. I'm learning a lot too. Uwabami is teaching me how to weaponize my presence and image.

  Good. You need to stop hiding what you're capable of. When's your next actual villain encounter?

  Unknown. We're on patrol daily, so it could be anytime.

  Don't get hurt. I'm not there to bail you out this time.

  I never needed you to bail me out.

  Sure you didn't. That's why I had to save your ass from the Nomu.

  I saved you first.

  ...whatever. Just be careful. And keep developing that petrification thing. Sounds powerful.

  I will. You be careful too. And actually listen to Best Jeanist. He knows what he's doing.

  Don't tell me what to do.

  Someone has to.

  Annoying.

  Honest.

  Same thing. Night, Boa.

  Good night, Katsuki.

  She set her phone down and prepared for bed, her mind already planning tomorrow's training. Three more days with Uwabami, and she could feel herself changing, evolving.

  The Empress wasn't just a hero name anymore.

  It was becoming who she was.