" Just because you committed a crime doesn't make you a villain for life! Take my hand, Aoyama-kun, because you can still be a hero!"
Needless to say, Midoriya's offer was thwarted by the police's protocols. Sora hated that; it was as if they wanted to make liars of them. But at the same time, she couldn't shake off the concern of something being implanted into Aoyama that would put him and his parents in danger were they to speak more.
The situation was dire, and both their mentality and feelings were stretched far beyond what they could bear. Watching the adults discussing Aoyama's possible fate made Yuu's insides tie in knots.
" Tsukauchi-san," once again, Midoriya's enraged voice incurred their attention. " All For One is nowhere to be found. That's one way of looking at our current situation, right?"
Those words sparked an epiphany in Sora and Yuu's minds, and they looked at Aoyama as though he were some blessing thrown at them.
" At least for the first move, we can make Shigaraki and the others move the way we want!" Even Kaminari managed to grasp it rather quickly.
The only one who could turn the tables for them was the very one bawling his eyes out before them.
Aoyama.
Still... Yuu knew better than to voice his thoughts out loud, but the fact that Aoyama and his family suffered for too long under the thumb of All For One meant it would be all but impossible to get them to willingly help deceive the enemy.
They were too terrified.
" Wait a minute, guys! You're moving too fast." Mic tried to reason with them. " A crime is a crime. I don't want to say it, but you know... You guys are the main victims here. Can you still trust him?"
" I do believe Aoyama-san is more of a victim than any of us are." Surprisingly, Yuu was the first to declare his own decision. " Besides..." He looked back at the class rep as he joined him at the front of the group.
" That all happened in the past," said Iida. " We weren't able to understand his feelings, so it's partly our responsibility, as well. That's why we want to take the hand of our classmate who is crying in despair, as his friends. And for him to take our hands. Because that's the only way we can be equals again."
" I went through a lot at the training camp, you know. I'll give you five blasts of my Howitzer." Bakugo illustrated his pointing with miniature explosions from his palm.
" You will kill him that way!" Yuu shot back.
" Yeah! You went with what All For One said 'cause you thought you couldn't beat him, right?" It seemed Kirishima was trying to convince his classmates more than Aoyama. " But it's different now. You told your parents you wanted to stop, right? When we went to stop Midoriya, did anyone say anything bad about being Quirkless? Did anyone hate the guy who was hiding something while holding back tears? Back then, everyone said it, right? To let us share the responsibility, too! That we wouldn't let you go alone! That you ought to trust in us! That unnecessary meddling was the essence of a hero! Aoyama, it's not over yet! Let's all get through this together!"
Kirishima's words spurred them to call out for their friend as well. They needed him to know that they didn't blame him, that although it was a crime, they wanted to share the responsibility with him, just like how they did with Midoriya.
" Wait a minute." Again, Tsukauchi had to calm them down. " Sorry to cut in right now, but we first need to ask the Aoyamas to cooperate with our investigation. All For One won't fall for any lies. You heard them earlier... if they lie, they'll be punished. I understand how you feel, but we need to calm down."
" Tsukauchi-san," Sora piped in with a gravity in her tone. " If you mind me asking, what do you think you can gather from questioning Aoyama-kun and his parents right now?"
" That..." he trailed off as he considered his answers.
" Will you perhaps be able to glean anything that could point to their hideout or future plan?" Yuu continued. " The best you could gather from them is information about the past him that could no longer serve us, considering the situation we're in now. Plus, I doubt there is even anything else they hadn't already told us. All For One isn't someone to leave a trail. You know that better than anyone." Tsukauchi had to concede that one point. " Then isn't it more convenient for us to think what we can do from here on with what we have?"
Before Tsukauchi could argue, a voice cut him off.
" I commend your rational thinking, Seijin." A call tab appeared on the large screen behind the three confined family members. Aoyama made a point of not looking back out of guilt and shame.
" Aizawa-sensei..." Yuu couldn't help but allow a smile to manifest upon hearing his voice.
" Midoriya, you said you would lead All For One to where we want him, right?" The face of their teacher peered down at them. He was clad in his hospital pajamas, and a white folding screen behind him indicated he was in his room. " Did you have a concrete plan for that?"
The boy seemed hesitant. " No, not yet..."
" That's what I thought. Jeez. Tsukauchi-san, I bear responsibility for not catching this as their homeroom teacher. However, I feel the same as the students."
" Aizawa!" While Mic wasn't keen on expressing his disapproval of the idea when facing the students out of consideration, it didn't seem he was trying to do the same with his friend.
" Aoyama, I still... have no intention of expelling you." That was perhaps a much-needed push for the boy that none of them could have provided. " As Class A's homeroom teacher, I have an idea. Tsukauchi-san, can you make arrangements so Aoyama and his parents cannot hear what I'm about to say?"
" Yes, of course." Tsukauchi agreed rather automatically, and so, Aoyama and his parents were made to wear some kind of earmuffs while Aizawa elucidated his plan...
________________
While the principal, All Might, Tsukauchi, Mic, and Ectoplasm stayed behind to discuss further details with Aizawa, the class A students accompanied their classmate and his family as they were led out of the school. They wanted him to know they would be waiting for him.
Sora's heart was torn apart seeing Aoyama like that, and she renewed her oath to make All For One pay for yet again stealing the things she held dear in her life. A pat on her shoulder from Yuu told her that she wasn't the only person on that quest; all of her classmates felt the same way.
The return journey to the dorms was a heavy and long one, despite it being a couple of meters from the school, but the whole of class A kept quiet and were rather dragging themselves forward rather than walking. The atmosphere in the building was charged that a single word might have caused an eruption.
Everyone was roughly thinking the same thing. " We shouldn't fail this one mission."
Putting aside their shock and bitterness at the recent revelation, everyone started thinking of what they ought to do.
" Everyone..." Hagakure's unusual cold voice permeated the living area. " Let's make sure we defeat them."
Needless to say, their united answer was a solemn " yeah." One word that held too much weight...
________________
They couldn't afford a minute's rest, and so, less than an hour later, Mount Lady was waiting for them before the dorms to gather around. Midoriya and Iida, whose costumes were in bad need of repair, were the last to join them, having gone to visit Hatsune.
When they appeared, however, their faces were pulled inwards as though they had swallowed a whole crate of lemons each.
" I've heard about what happened with class A," Mount Lady said, nothing but seriousness and resolve could be picked from her tone. " But, we can't waste another day. Early detection of the Paranormal Liberation Front and the League of Villains and getting rid of them in one clean sweep is still the best plan! We can't abandon the quickest path to a decisive victory! Hesitating and stopping in our tracks is playing right into their hands!"
Despite her attempt at fanning the fire in them, some of their classmates were still concerned about Aoyama's answer. It couldn't be helped. They had every right to fear the opponent. However...
" I believe in him," Midoriya spoke, his voice returning to normal. " Aoyama-kun will definitely come back to us."
" I hope it doesn't turn into a curse, though." No one could blame Bakugo for fearing the worst.
" I think it'll be fine." It was Todoroki who affirmed Midoriya's belief further with a hand on his shoulder. " I'm sure he's looked hard at what he wants to be more than anyone."
All of them nodded in agreement.
" Let's switch gears!" At Mount Lady's call, Sora's feathers shot out, covering her like armor while her wings spread wide open. Yuu's eyes glowed as four blue flares flanked him. " Midoriya, Bakugo, and Todoroki... We'll build teams around those three and spread out! UA High School hero course Class 1A! Join the search!"
And so, for the first time since bringing back Midoriya, they were allowed to venture outside of the school...