Chapter 56: The Care Of A Friend
As the UA bus drove the members of Class 1-A and Izuku back to UA, they all enjoyed their ice cream, telling stories about what they had done during their internship. Some had interesting stories like Tsuyu helping take down a group of smugglers that were picking a shipment of triggers. Jirou had played a key point in a hostage situation, even saving one of the sidekicks by alerting her that one of the hostages was pulling a gun on her.
While a few members of Class 1-A were oddly silent about their internships and what they had done. Gizon didn't say a single word about what he had done under Edgeshot, while Momo only called her decision a mistake. She then once again thanked Izuku for her sunglasses, claiming they had saved her some dignity but didn't explain what she meant by that, leaving Izuku quite confused.
As the stories of the internships came to an end, Mina had somehow convinced the bus driver to allow her to connect her to the intercom/speaker system on the bus. After turning on some music a small dance party was held on the bus. With that and many more activities being held on the bus the drive back to Musutafu and UA didn't seem to take as long.
Around three in the afternoon, the bus turned and began to head up the hill to UA. The noise in the bus quieted down and Ochaco walked down the aisle to the back of the bus. Where Gizon disappeared an hour into the trip to take a nap. She nudged his feet and after he grunted she said, "Wake up, we're back at UA."
Without opening his eyes Gizon mumbled, "I'll get up once we stop."
Ochaco just sighed and headed back to her seat. Once the bus was at the top of the hill, it slowed down and parked in line at UA's front gate. As the brakes of the bus stopped hissing, everyone began to get up to get off but all stopped by the moment the door opened and Present Mic and Midnight walked on.
"Oh, Present Mic, Midnight, are you here to send us off?" Momo asked, surprised to see the two pro heroes.
Present Mic shook his head as Midnight scanned the students, "Where is the man behind this gathering?"
"Madam?" Izuku questioned as he fully stood up. Class 1-A had gathered in Hosu to support him in court, but it wasn't like he had asked them to do that.
"Hello, Midoriya. Good job in court, we're happy you were able to prove your innocence, but no. We're looking for the student who paid for everyone's tickets." Midnight said, projecting her voice to make sure she had everyone's attention. While everyone wildly looked around for Gizon, Midnight noticed Ochaco's eyes darting to the back of the bus. Following Ochaco's line of sight, Midnight expected to see Gizon trying to escape out the back window. But instead, Midnight saw Gizon standing up from his seat, wiping the sleep from his eyes, "Ruin. Front and center!"
Gizon lazily raised his head and looked down the aisle at Midnight, who was seducingly gesturing with her finger for him to step forward. Snuffling a yawn, Gizon walked down the aisle until he was standing in front of Midnight. She looked Gizon up and top, then licked her lips, but once again Gizon didn't give a reaction so she sighed and said, "For your actions over the past few days, disrupting UA's weekly hero internships. Disregarding the responsibility placed upon you for the week, your homeroom teacher saw it fit not only to expel you from Class 1-A but to have you expelled from UA and have a black mark placed upon your records."
A silence fell over the members of the bus as they all realized what that meant. Gizon would not only be expelled from UA, but the black mark would bar him from enrolling into any other hero high school.
Then suddenly Midnight's stern look became soft and she let out a small chuckle, "Fortunately for you, all of Shota's expellsions must first be approved by Principal Nezu." A giant sigh came from Class 1-A, except for Mineta, "As a compromise you will be serving after school detention for the next two weeks." Midnight looked back at Gizon and saw he still had a neutral expression, so she stuck her tongue out at him and then turned to the rest of the class, "As for the rest of you, because you went along with your classmate's plan, you will be spending the rest of day training, with an hour of detention afterwards."
"Meaning those who are still in uniform head to gym Alpha, everyone else gets dressed and then meets up with your class." Present Mic called out.
While several members of Class 1-A groaned, they had just finished a week-long internship, they wanted a chance to recover. But then Iida began chopping the air, "We all made the decision to support Midoriya in court, now we must live with the consequences."
As Ochaco walked past Shoto she mumbled, "Look who's talking."
Shoto's only response was a small nod before he stood up and followed the class out of the bus. While Class 1-A headed through the gate and the majority of them began heading for gym Alpha, Izuku took a noticeable left turn and began to head for the Supports department. Yet before he could make it too far Present Mic called out, "Hey Midoriya where do you think you're going."
"To the support department, there's someone…" Izuku pointed in the direction of the support department, but was cut off by Present Mic, "I'm sure they can wait, Principal Nezu added you to today's training."
"But," Izuku stated. He really needed to get to Mei, to let her know he was okay. To make sure she didn't spiral too far, make some too dangerous and blow UA to kingdom come. Izuku just had to hope Mei could hold out for a few more minutes.
"Come, you want to be transferred to the hero course. Here's your chance to see how they train." Midnight said with a wave for him to follow Class 1-A to training.
Izuku looked over at Class 1-A as they walked down the path. For the past few days, Izuku had been learning everything he could, making his dream come true. And he had learned a lot over the past few days, being able to train under Hawks was a dream come true. To get up and personal to watch how pro heroes worked. And while it was scary, it was the perfect chance to see what he and his suit was capable of doing in the heat of battle.
But now there is something more pressing on his mind. Maybe before this whole week had occurred Izuku would have jumped at the chance to train with Class 1-A, or even 1-B. Yet at that moment, there was something more important he needed to attend to.
"Thanks, but there is something else I need to turn my attention to." Izuku said and then started walking to the support department.
Midnight whistled loudly and said, "You don't have a choice, Principal Nezu made it clear you'll be joining Class 1-A in today's training."
"Well, what is he going to do?" Izuku said and waved without turning around. He took a few more steps back down the stone path then called over his shoulder, "Expel me?"
Hearing this Gizon turned towards Ochaco and asked, "Where do you think he gained the confidence to say something like that? Defeating a Nomu or shoving it to the HPSC."
"Probably a combination of both." Ochaco said with a shrug.
With Midnight and Present Mic dumbfounded by the confidence Izuku had just displayed, he was left alone as he walked to the support department. At the front door, Izuku scanned his student ID and once the light turned green he pulled open the door. Stepping inside Izuku's shoes squeaked as he walked across the polished floor.
"Jabisu, where is Mei?" Izuku said as he ran a hand through his hair, which didn't do much with all the hair gel Hawks had used to make it more presentable.
"In her workshop." Jabisu said from Izuku's phone.
"Thanks," Izuku said and now with a destination in mind, Izuku's pace quickened. He didn't slow until he reached the personal workshop Mei had scheduled time in until she graduated from UA. Taking a short breath, Izuku raised a hand up to the door handle and finding it unlocked, pushed the door open.
On the other side of the door, Izuku came across a very bad sight, one he had only come across a few times. Mei's quirk, Zoom, allowed her to zoom in on an item as if she were looking through a telescope, and as a byproduct, she had increased sensitivity to light. Normally this wasn't too much of an issue as her body had adapted and she got used to the sensitivity. The only time she had an issue was when she was working on a project.
That's where her goggles came in, while most would assume it was to help further her quirk. They did, but Mei mostly used it to help block out light when she was trying to focus. But there were times when Mei felt like her goggles weren't working well enough, so she would turn off all the lights in the room and work from a small desk lamp she would keep on low. And that's what Izuku saw within the room.
All the overhead lights were turned off, making the only light source of the room a dim desk lamp that barely illuminates the desk in front of Mei. The rest of the room and Mei were shrouded in darkness.
That alone told Izuku how bad the situation was, everything else just compounded the issue. Because while Mei used her goggles to block out light, and Izuku could testify to how comfortable they were, the only reason she wouldn't be using them was because she was feeling stressed. Unfortunately, that was the least self-destructive difference between Mei normally hyper-focusing on a project and her distracting herself on a project while she was feeling stressed.
While most people would stress eat or stress bake or stress exercise, Mei would stress invention. Normally when Mei was inventing she could forget to take a break, forget to shower or eat. But eventually she would remember to do one of those things. When she was stress inventing she would force herself to stay inventing, even to the point she could normally pass out at her work bench, she would force herself to stay awake.
Because if she wasn't inventing her mind would be drawn back to whatever was stressing her.
So Izuku quietly hung his suit jacket on the hook on the back of the door and slowly walked up behind Mei. As he approached he saw the other signs of stress inventing. Her hair was beyond a mess, as it was covered in grease, making it seem like her hair was naturally black. Even at that point Mei would stop and clean out her hair.
Then there was Mei's skin, from where little Izuku could see, mainly her arms and the back of her neck, it was extremely pale. She must have not been outside this room to see the sun since the moment she entered. Which must have been since the moment the news of Izuku's potential arrest went out.
Now standing behind Mei, Izuku felt his foot hit something. Looking down Izuku could barely make a scrap of burnt and charred metal. Pulling out his phone, Izuku knelt down and turned it on. Using the light of the screen, Izuku was able to see the floor around Mei's chair and desk was covered in similar pieces of inventions.
If Izuku was someone who cursed he would have mumbled a few under his breath. But instead, Izuku looked back up at Mei. From this new angle, Izuku could see her face was covered in soot, this made Izuku let out a heavy sigh. He needed to break Mei out of her funk but knew he had to be so careful.
When Mei was focused she would just ignore anyone trying to get her attention. But when she got like this, she was more likely to attack and Izuku didn't want anything screwdriver to be stabbed into his hand.
So slowly standing up, Izuku slipped his phone back into his pocket and then slowly raised his hand. He then slowly and gently laid his hand on Mei's shoulder and then whispered, "Mei."
Yet Mei didn't give a response, so Izuku gently squeezed her shoulder while leaning forward and whispering directly into her ear, "Mei. It's Izuku."
Izuku felt Mei slightly flinch and the spring she was trying to put in place went launching into the wall. Then after a pause, Mei went back to inventing, grabbing a new spring and trying to put it in place. Izuku then heard her start to mumble, "He's gone. I'll never see him again. He's gone."
Izuku's attention was drawn to Mei's hand. Over the years Mei's hand had grown several calluses, something Izuku was slowly playing catch with. But it seems in her stress inventing Mei had forgotten to grab her gloves, and after three days of inventing, her finger was raw and pink.
Izuku hated himself. He was the reason Mei was like this. In the days he had taken to prepare for court, he hadn't taken a break. He hadn't called Mei to tell her he was okay. The only news she had of him since the start of the week was his arrest.
"He's gone." Mei mumbled.
Izuku had to take a deep breath to stop himself from tearing up. Izuku then brought down his hand while bringing the other one up to hug Mei, while in a soothing voice said, "Mei, I'm right here. Please come back to me."
A moment later Izuku noticed Mei's hand stopping. Before he could say anything Mei started to cry and in a voice weaker than a whisper said, "Izuku."
"Yeah Mei, I'm here." Izuku's next breath got stuck in his chest. It had been a while since Mei had gotten this bad. It had happened more often at the start of their friendship, but the closer they grew as friends the less Mei ever got to this point. Izuku guessed, hearing that she might never be able to see her only friend again, it broke her.
Mei's hands slowly withdrew from her invention and she put them over Izuku's. She couldn't believe it, she wanted to believe it. Izuku had come back to her, but after three days she struggled to believe it was true, "You're here?"
"I'm here. Sorry it took me so long, but yeah, I'm here." Izuku then kissed Mei's temple and when he pulled back a small layer of soot was on his lips.
"But the news said you had been arrested by a squad of Tartarus guards. I thought…." Mei fell silent. When she had heard that she thought Izuku was being shipped off to Tartarus, with her never being able to see him again.
"It was the HPSC and Military trying to get ahold of my suits again." Izuku said as Mei turned around in her seat. This allowed Izuku to see just how sunken Mei's eyes were and the large dark rings around her eyes just made it very evident how little sleep she had gotten over the past few days, "I'm sorry I didn't text you. I'm sorry I let you get this bad."
As Mei continued to cry, the tears running down her cheek became black from the soot. Mei then leaned forward and buried her face in Izuku's chest, as her arms shot out and wrapped Izuku in a tight hug. She didn't say anything as she cried into Izuku's chest.
"I'm sorry." Izuku repeated over and over again as one hand rubbed circles on Mei's back while the other came up and patted her head. And for the next few minutes, Izuku and Mei stay like that, enjoying each other's company. Then Izuku withdrew a bit from the hug, "Come on, it's time to get you out of this room."
"What, no. I want to continue inventing." Mei said, sounding like a little child was being pulled away from their favorite game. It sounds like the normal kind of Mei, and Izuku knew how to handle that.
"Mei, you've been in this room for the past three days. You haven't showered, slept…" Izuku was interrupted by Mei's stomach growling. With everything else he had seen, he should have seen that coming as well, "Eaten. You need to rest. Remember your health is just as important as inventing"
"I don't care about those things, now that you're here." Mei said, trying to push Izuku away and turn back to her creation, but Izuku kept her piece.
"Mei Hatsume." Izuku said in a gentle but stern voice, "You will leave this room and take a shower. We enjoyed a small dinner together and then you will be going to bed. It is your choice whether you do so willingly or I have to call in Midnight to knock you out. Just know if you force my hand I will restrict you from Classroom 6-G and have Powerloader block your worship hours for the next month."
"You won't dare. You're threatened to use Midnight before, you never follow through." Mei said still struggling against Izuku's hold.
"Maybe." Izuku said and after he had just acted he wasn't sure if Midnight was willing to do him a favor, "Alright, do you remember that student who was a part of our team for the cavalry battle."
"Kirby, who made us fly?" Mei asked, briefly pausing in her struggle.
"No other one, Shinsou. Lavender hair." Izuku said.
Mei thought for a moment, "Cat."
Izuku paused, that must be how Mei decided to remember Shinsou, "Yes. Remember how his quirk allows him to brainwash people. Well if you don't leave with me right now, then I will have him come over and brainwash you. And I'll still have Powerloader block your workshop hours."
Mei's eyes went wide at Izuku's threat. She looked over her shoulder at the invention she had been working on. Of everything she had created over the past three days, this one had the greatest potential.
"You have five seconds to decide what you rather put up with," Izuku said, using a bit more of a stern tone.
Mei's response was her no longer fighting against Izuku's hold, then she said, "Fine I'll put up with your demands."
"I only demand it because I care about you." Izuku said.
Mei pouted as she stood up, only for her legs to give out and she fell into Izuku's chest. While Mei reached up and pushed against Izuku's shoulders to stand up, he just sighed- "See, that's what happens when you don't eat for three days." -Izuku then took one of Mei's arms and looped over his shoulder so he could help her walk.
Together Izuku and Mei walked to the door and stepped out to the hallway. Just as the door was about to close, Izuku's explosion sense went off and after the door fully closed a muffled explosion could be heard. Izuku let out a defeat sigh but decided he would let the fire suppression system in the room handle that mess.
Izuku helped Mei walk to the front door of the support department and out into the world. As Mei stepped into the sunlight she immediately winced and tightly closed her eyes, noticing this, Izuku said, "Sorry, I don't know where your goggles are."
Mei just huffed while keeping her eyes closed. Izuku helped her watch down the path to UA's main building, where they would use one of the many shower rooms. As they neared the building a voice called out from behind them, "Midoriya what are you doing here? You're supposed to be training with 1-A."
Izuku turned and saw Mr Aizawa and Powerloader walking up to them. He stumbled for a moment coming up with an answer before saying, "Sorry sir, had to stop a nuclear bomb from accidentally being created."
It was hard to say who was more taken aback by the answer, Izuku or Mr Aizawa. But before either could say anything, Powerloader caught sight of Mei. He quickly took in everything, the pale skin, sunk eyes with the dark sleepless rings and the mess her face and hair were. He knew Mei had been holed up in her workshop area for the past three days, but he didn't think it had gotten this bad. So before Mr Aizawa could demand Izuku to go to training, the support course teacher put a hand on his shoulder and said, "Hatsume demands more of Midoriya's attention than hero training does at the moment."
Mr Aizawa's eyes jumped to Mei and then without any noticeable type of reaction he walked away. Once Mr Aizawa was out of earshot, Izuku turned to Powerloader and said, "Thanks for that."
"It's no problem." Powerloader said, stepping up and taking Mei's other arm, "I knew she was staying in that room, but I didn't think it was this bad."
"She hasn't gotten this bad in awhile, I usually catch it before this happens." Izuku said.
"You know I can still hear you." Mei mumbled with her eyes still closed.
"Just go to your happy place." Izuku mocked.
"What's the plan with her?" Powerloader asked, as he opened the glass door and the trio stepped inside.
"Shower, dinner, then bed." Izuku said, then noticed Powerloader's smirk, "What's that for?"
"Oh nothing. But you've just given me some to talk about with Midnight." Powerloader said.
The conversation fell silent as the two of them helped Mei walk through the hallways of UA until they reached a secluded shower room. Izuku helped Mei to stall while Powerloader dragged a wooden bench into the stall. Izuku pulled out the detachable shower head and turned the water on. While the water warmed up, Izuku helped Mei lay down on the wooden bench, her hair hanging over the edge, while Powerloader tucked a towel under her head to act like a pillow.
Izuku then stepped out of the stall and walked over to a cabinet. Over rummaging through it he found a bottle of shampoo and a brush. Returning to the shower stall, he rolled his shirt sleeves up before testing the water again. Finding it warm he quickly went over Mei's hair to wet it down. Then using his left hand Izuku held the showerhead in place, allowing the water to flow through Mei's hair, turning a shade of gray from the grease before going through the drain.
Izuku then moved on to the hard part. Grabbing a hold of the shampoo bottle with his right hand, Izuku used the edge of the bench to open the cap. He then flipped the bottle around in his hand and poured nearly half of the bottle onto Mei's hair. He then set the bottle on the ground next to the bench, then grabbed the brush and began to attack Mei's hair. As he pulled the brush through Mei's hair, he closely followed the strokes with the shower head. As the grease became detached from Mei's hair it flowed with the water, turning the water into a darker shade of black.
Watching this Powerloader couldn't help but ask, "Have you had to do this before?"
Izuku suddenly stopped brushing Mei's hair but didn't look up at Powerloader like he was going to answer. A few seconds later a quiet relaxed hum came from Mei and Izuku continued brushing her hair, "You've noticed how she can become hyper-focused on a project." Powerloader nodded, "Well outside of school she will forget to eat, sleep or shower. Sometimes she does this long enough that it can begin to affect her health. It gets worse when she stresses inventing. There's been a few times I've had to step in and help her recover." Izuku stopped brushing Mei's hair and hit the brush against the side of the wooden bench to knock off bits of grease that had become stuck within the bristles.
As the pieces of grease went down the drain Izuku resumed brushing Mei's hair, as now some parts of her natural pink hair color could be seen, "It hasn't gotten this bad in years. Typically a hot shower, some food and then a night's rest and she will bounce back."- Izuku then paused before continuing in a more somber tone- "But this time I'm afraid it will be more serious."
"If you're concerned, then you should have Recovery Girl check her out." Powerloader said, as Izuku grabbed the shampoo bottle and poured more onto Mei's hair.
"I'll think about that." Izuku said as he worked through a knot in Mei's hair. This caused her to wince and Izuku whispered a sorry into her ear, "Thank you for your help, Sir. And I'm sorry for whatever stress I've caused you over the past few days."
Powerloader just held up his hands as if to say everything was okay, "It's not the first time one of my students has gotten into legal trouble. First time I've had one of them go up directly against the Hero Public Safety Commission and the military, but you did a good job holding yourself in court."
"Thank you. Sir if you don't mind I was hoping you could do me one or two more favors." Izuku said as withdrew the brush, allowing the warm water to flow freely through Mei's hair.
"Whatever you need." Powerloader said. Teachers weren't supposed to play favorites, but any teachers that truly believed they didn't have a favorite student were just lying to themselves. From that, every teacher had a student they wanted to see success more than the rest of the class. For Powerloader that was Izuku and Mei. Their passion for engineering and learning new things, was beyond anything he had seen in any of his prior students.
"Mei and I usually bring an extra pair of clothes to school. You've seen how messy we can get after workshops. Can you swing by her locker and bring me her change of clothes?" Izuku said. With a nod, Powerloader stepped out of the stall, but before the stall door could close Izuku called out, "Powerloader."
Powerloader caught the door and opened it to look down at his students, "I was wanting to take Mei out for an apology dinner but in the states she is in.…"
"Probably not the best time." Powerloader said with a hint of understanding.
"But I'd still like to take her out. So I was wondering if you could talk to Lunchrush, ask him if he could make some dinner for us. I'd be happy to pay for the extra cost." Izuku said as his own stomach growled a bit. Between court and the bus ride home, he hadn't had much of a chance to eat, not that he could have eaten since he didn't have an appetite.
"Yeah I can do that." Powerloader. Both of his students had survived three extremely stressful days, and they deserved a well-cooked meal, "What do you want me to ask Lunchrush to cook?"
"Wagyu Steak, Sous vide style. With a side of Matsutake Soup and some chocolate shu creams." Izuku said as he continued to clean Mei's hair.
"I wasn't aware you had such an expensive platelet." Powerloader said in surprise.
"I can cover the cost. And please have it delivered to Classroom 6-G." Izuku said, as he switched the brush for the shampoo and poured the last of it onto Mei's hair to get the last bit of grease out.
Powerloader left without another word and when the door closed Mei mumbled something but Izuku couldn't understand it, "I'm sorry what was that, you'll have to speak up."
"Next time lead with the chocolate shu cream, otherwise I would have been more willing to come with you." Mei repeated in a clear tone with a small hum as she enjoyed the feeling of the warm water against her scalp.
"I would hope that me having to care for you like this would be enough to convince you to take a step back from inventing for a bit." Izuku said, not that he minded helping Mei like this, he just wished she didn't let it get this bad.
Mei hummed again and Izuku thought that was a good thing but then she said, "I prefer chocolate."
Izuku just shook his head and flicked Mei on the forehead, "Someday you will be the death of me."
Mei didn't have a comeback so the room fell quiet, the only noise being the rushing water of the shower. Izuku continued to wash Mei's hair even long after it was clean and there was no grease in it. Eventually, Izuku disregarded the brush and turned off the water, which just left him running his fingers through Mei's hair.
Growing up and becoming friends with Mei, Izuku noticed she didn't like physical contact. This could sound strange with how Mei would sometimes disregard personal space, but like always when Mei was focused on inventing, it was overwriting a lot of stuff about her. Outside of inventing, Izuku always found Mei wearing similar overalls to the ones she wore while working, albeit ones that were cleaner. And whenever she had to wear a different style of clothing it was loose fitting.
So being curious Izuku had looked up his behavior and found something that made him appreciate her friendship even more. Thinking about this, Izuku suddenly realized what he was doing.
"I'm sorry, you must not like this, I'll stop." Izuku said in a comforting voice as he started to pull his fingers from Mei's hair, but stopped when Mei spoke.
"No, it's okay." Mei paused as she opened her eyes. The fluorescent lights of the room were still a bit harsh but Mei worked through it to look up at Izuku. Before meeting Izuku, the only thing that caught Mei's interest was inventing and building new babies. TV shows about people building new things, she enjoyed watching those every once in and while, but day to day she preferred doing the inventing herself. But as she grew up and became friends with Izuku she found herself more and more often being drawn to doing things with him, even those things weren't inventing, "I like it when you do it. Please don't stop."
So Izuku resumed running his fingers through Mei's freshly cleaned hair, but the silence from before didn't continue as Mei asked, "Midoriya, is the HPSC going to come after you again?"
Izuku was quiet for a moment, that nagging feeling from before rose in the back of his mind, "They do seem determine to get my suits and It doesn't seem like them to give up so easily I'm sure they're angry for how quickly I defeated them in court. On my way out of the courthouse, Madam President. That's the head honcho for the HPSC. She tried to stop me and have a conversation."
"What did she say?" Mei asked.
"Huh, she wasn't given a chance to say anything else, as one of the members of Class 1-A, blocked the door before she could take a step through." Izuku said, recalling how quickly Gizon acted to block Madam President from getting to him.
Mei let out a small chuckle, "That must have been funny to see." Her whole life Mei had heard stories about the president of the HPSC, and how she wasn't one to be trifled with. And shortly after being humiliated by Izuku, she was blocked by a different schooler from talking to Izuku.
"No, what was funny was seeing Sunflower use a bench to block the door." Izuku chuckled, using Mei's nickname for Gizon since she wouldn't recognize his name. Izuku fell silent as he looked down at Mei, "Mei, I want you to know, I'm sorry. I left you by yourself, in that room. I should have reached out, everything around me was happening so fast. Training to get transferred to the hero course, keeping myself out of jail, and preventing the military from getting my suits. I…." Izuku paused once again as he thought about everything he had done since getting into UA. All the training, building and preparing he had done to build a better life. He had been so focused on there he had almost lost sight of what he was leaving behind, "I didn't realize how distant I had become."
"Izuku," Mei said but couldn't begin to think of how to explain her feelings. She always struggled to voice things like that. Being about to rattle off a complex equation and explain the science behind rockets: no problem. But being able to explain to someone why she enjoyed something so much, she struggled to find the word. It was like trying to explain instinct, Mei couldn't explain why she found herself being drawn to Izuku.
Watching Izuku as he worked on his suit of armor. All the training and effort he put in to make his dreams a reality. But all that training was slowly taking Izuku away from her more and more often.
"No it's not fine, you are my friend and I left you. I was so focused on my dream, being a pro hero to protect others. I was working so hard to make my dream a reality. I didn't see what I was leaving behind to accomplish that.." Izuku's eyes became watery and tears started to run back his cheek, "I was leaving you behind. The first person to stand by me, to always be there for me."
Was that the cost of getting transferred to Class 1-A, to the hero course? Did becoming a pro hero mean he had to leave behind his first true friends? The person who could always make him laugh. Someone he cared for so much and had done so for such a long time. How could he have been so blind to getting what he wanted, he had forgotten what he already had?
Was that the choice he had to make?
For the first time since Izuku had met Mei, he was hesitant in believing all this was possible. He was hesitant if he still wanted to become a pro hero. Not if it meant he could no longer feel this way for Mei. If he could no longer love Mei Hatsume.
"Mei Hastume, I…" Izuku was cut off by a sudden knock on the door and Powerloader called, "Hey I got the change of clothes and Lunchrush is working on dinner."
Izuku sighed and his shoulder dropped, "Thanks." Izuku then looked back at Mei, "Wait here."
Izuku fully stood up and stepped out of the shower stall. He walked across the tile floor to the door that led out to the hallway. Opening it he saw Powerloader standing outside with Mei's backpack. Izuku grabbed one of the straps and closed the door but Powerlaoder stopped him, "Midoriya have you been crying?"
Izuku brought his free hand up to his cheeks and felt them. They were wet, it had been a while since the Midoriya waterwork had appeared, "Yeah, I just need to do something I should have done months ago."
Izuku turned and walked back to the shower stall. After stepping inside, he put the backpack against the wall and then pushed the wooden bench against the other wall. Izuku then helped Mei sit up as she leaned heavily against the wall. Izuku couldn't help but look at Mei's beautiful crosshair eyes. Her clean hair was a stark contrast to her soot-covered face.
The next second Izuku leaned forward and kissed Mei on the lips. It was quick and Izuku immediately regretted how forward he had been as he pulled back, well mostly regretted it. As Izuku's mind caught up with his action, he looked back at Mei, who was giving him the same blank stare she always had when she was being forced to do something that wasn't inventing, "What was that for?'
Izuku had to hold back a chuckle, of course, Mei wouldn't get what something like that would mean. So after wiping the soot from his lips, Izuku said, "Just doing something I should have done for a while. Now, how about we clean you up and get you into some fresh clothes. Lunchrush should have our food ready by the time we're done."
Izuku grabbed the towel that had been used as a pillow. It was damp, allowing him to use it to wipe the soot off of Mei's face. He then handed Mei her clean clothes and turned his back to give her some privacy.
A few minutes later Izuku felt a hand on his shoulder. Taking that as a signal he was clear to turn away, he did so and his eyes landed on Mei, a smile appearing on his face, "Come on, let's get to Classroom G-6, I still need to deactivate the security measures."
Rolling up Mei's old clothes, Izuku grabbed her backpack as together they walked out of the shower room. As they walked through the halls, Izuku made sure to throw Mei's old clothes into the trash bin, as there was no way of recovering them through a washing machine. The final bell of the day rang as they reached the front door.
With the headstart they had on the other students, Izuku and Mei leisurely walked down the cement path that led from the main building to the support department building. As they walked up the front door, Izuku pulled out his student ID and scanned it again. Izuku then held the door open for Mei, before stepping through and taking her arm again.
The hot shower had done wonders for Mei and she was able to walk on her own. But Izuku had been watching her carefully as he didn't want to take any chances. And from the way Mei started to lean against Izuku as they walked the hallway to Classroom 6-G, she was getting tired again.
Luckily they didn't come across anyone in the hallways. And when they arrived at the door to Classroom 6-G Izuku held his hand against the hidden scanner and said, "Deactivate security protocols. A04F14E08."
"Code recognized. Welcome back sir." Jabisu said as a small hiss of air sounded and the door slid to the side.
Stepping in the room Izuku saw something weird. Everything that was normally within the room had been pushed off to the side and in the center of the room was a small table with a tablecloth on it and two chairs on either side. Even weirder, Izuku swore he could smell roses and strawberries. Being the gentleman he was, Izuku walked Mei over to her chair and then pulled it out for her. Mei unceremoniously flopped down into her chair, eliciting a small chuckle from Izuku.
Izuku pushed Mei in and then walked over to his chair. As he sat down a knock from the door and a voice called out, "Hello. Powerloader wants a meal delivered to this room.'
"Jabisu, you can unlock the door." Izuku said and another small hiss of air sounded off as the door slid to the side. Standing on the outside was Lunchrush pushing a cart with multiple metal tins.
"Ah, Midoriya. Powerloader said this order was for some of his students." Lunchrush said as he pushed the cart into the room, "Do I smell roses and strawberries?" -Before Izuku could answer Lunchrush looked at Izuku, "Is this supposed to be a date?"
Izuku blushed as he shamelessly nodded. Lunchrush gave a hearty chuckle as he parked the cart next to the table, "I guess that explains why Powerloader had me bring these along." Lunchrush reached into a metal tin and then with a flurry of movement, a centerpiece of yellow Chrysanthemums, Carnations, Japanese Irises and a single Cosmos. But that wasn't the end as a couple of small candles were set around the centerpiece. And to finish it off, Lunchrush set out glasses and a water pitcher, utensils and napkins.
As this was going on, Izuku noticed the light in the room had lowered, making the atmosphere feel like they were at a romantic restaurant as he could hear distant music that could only be described as cliche romantic. Something told Izuku that Powerloader was the mastermind behind all of this.
"Now for the main course, we have Sous vide style Wagyu steak, with a side of matsutake soup and chile tofu. And for dessert, chocolate shu creams." Lunchrush said as he set some plates with metal domes on top of them in front of Izuku and Mei. He then pulled out some smaller plates with the chilled tofu and shu creams, before setting them off to the side of the table.
"You're enjoying this too much, aren't you?" Izuku said. It had been a last-minute request, so Izuku was sure Lunchrush was going to make the most of it.
"Kid, this is how I got through high school and college. It's been a while since I've catered for a private date or been able to cook such luxury items." Lunchrush said as he removed the metal half dome, revealing the wagyu steaks and matsutake soup underneath, "Enjoy."
Lunchrush turned and pushed the cart out of the room, leaving Izuku and Mei to give thanks over their meals and begin eating. While Izuku started with the wagyu steak, he noticed Mei started to reach for the chocolate shu creams. And while he allowed her to take one, he stopped her from taking another until she had the main part of the course.
Mei grumbled but eventually, she grabbed her fork and knife and began to eat her steak. As the pair ate their dinner, there was not much of a conversation as neither of them were that kind of person. Izuku very much enjoyed the steak and took his time with it while Mei made quick work of the steak to get back to her chocolate shu creams.
When dinner was done, Izuku pulled out his cot and helped Mei over to it. Izuku then covered her with the blanket and she was soon fast asleep. Izuku let out a slow sigh as he stood up and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He dialed his mom's phone number but it immediately went to voicemail. It seemed the news of Mr Sutein being a villain had spread like wildfire and Sutein co had boarded themselves for the time being.
This meant Inko would most likely not be available to make phone calls for a while. So as Izuku sat down at the table he pulled up Mrs Hatsume's phone number. The phone line rang a few times before it connected, "Hey Midoriya, how's life."
Izuku let out a defeated chuckle, "Have you been watching the news?'
Mrs Hatsume was quiet for a few seconds before saying, "Yeah. You need someone to talk to about it."
"Yeah." Izuku said but didn't really know where to start.
Chapter 57: A Web Of Lies
Present Mic and Midnight made sure Class 1-A made good on their punishment. As even after the final bell of the day rang they didn't let any member of Class 1-A leave. No one was stupid enough to try and sneak out, mainly because they didn't want to incur Eraserhead's wrath. Once they were released everyone ran for the shower to clean themselves off and get started on their weekend.
While on a normal weekend, the members of Class 1-A would fill their time with different items. A few would play video games or read a book, while others would do a little studying or a small workout. Yet this weekend all members of Class 1-A had a very lazy weekend to recover from their internships and prepare themselves for going back to school the next Monday.
They were right to do so, as from the start of the first class it was obvious the next week or so was set aside for catching up on the school work and homework they missed over the past week. Yet that wasn't the most annoying part. The most annoying part was Bakugo talking his head off about how because he had an extra two days in the internship he had gotten that much better than everyone else. The class had gotten used to Bakugo's comments since the beginning of the school year, so they tried their best to just ignore him. Yet a few members of Class 1-a struggle to do so more than others.
Mainly Ochaco, Shoto and Iida as they had been first and center of the support Izuku provided in Hosu.
And the way Bakugo spoke, it sounded like the internship was more important than going and supporting a close friend. Yet they couldn't dwell on it for too long because the most important class was about to start. And while heroics class was the one class that didn't feel rushed, there was a new atmosphere to it.
Perhaps it was because now Class 1-A had first-hand experience in the field, not counting the disaster rescue training. Yet, as the class started there was this feeling around the student telling their teachers they were ready for the next level of training. They were ready to hit the ground running. Literally, as they were about to find out.
As the heroic class began, Class 1-A found a note left for them on the teacher's desk. It was from All Might and instructed the class to get into their costume and gather at City Delta. After a quick change, the class headed to the city and found All Might waiting for them outside of the gate.
"OVER THE PAST WEEK, EACH YOU HAS GAINED NEW EXPERIENCES THROUGH YOUR INTERNSHIPS. SOME SKILL YOU MAY SEE AS USEFUL, OTHER YOU MAY STRUGGLE TO UNDERSTAND, BUT EXPERIENCE IS IMPORTANT ABOVE ALL ELSE. SO TODAY WE WILL BE SEEING HOW YOUR EXPERIENCE HAS CHANGED YOU. TODAY'S CLASS IS A SIMPLE RESCUE RACE; SOMEWHERE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CITY THERE IS A PEDESTAL AND FROM YOUR PERSONAL STARTING AREA FOUR STUDENTS WILL RACE TO REACH IT. USE THE EXPERIENCE YOU HAVE GAINED TO BE THE FIRST TO ARRIVE AND TOUCH THE PEDESTAL."
All Might then turned and led the class to an empty parking lot where there were monitors so everyone could watch the racers, "FOR THE FIRST GROUP WE WILL HAVE YOUNG URARAKA, YOUNG SERO, YOUNG IIDA AND YOUNG HISAHITO." -All Might then direct the four chosen to robots that would direct them to their starting point.
"All Might, do we have a way to know the location of the pedestal?" Iida asked.
"A SIGNAL FLARE WILL BE LAUNCHED TO SIGNAL THE START OF THE ROUND AND WILL BE YOUR ONLY CLUE TO THE PEDESTAL'S LOCATION." All Might answered as he began turning on the monitor.
"Well happy hunting everyone." Gizon said as he turned and followed the robot to his starting place. As Gizon left one of the monitors switched between cameras to follow him along. Iida, Ochaco and Sero followed suit.
Once all of the four were out of earshot, the rest of Class 1-A talked about who they thought was going to use. Most agreed it would either be Iida or Sero as their quirks provided the most mobility, while it would take Gizon a while since he didn't have anyone to fight and couldn't absorb much kinetic energy from running. And while Ochaco could travel with zero gravity, a week of practice wasn't much against Sero and Iida who had been training in mobility for years. But to the surprise of the class, Shoto had Ochaco down as the winner.
When asked what he knew, Shoto just said it wasn't his secret to tell.
It was around this time the four arrived at their starting area and started to warm up. While Ochaco, Iida and Sero began to stretch, Gizon seemed to look around for something. Yet before anyone could question his odd behavior, Gizon seemed to find something to his liking. He walked up to a power pole and with a kick, knocked it over.
Gizon grabbed the power line and pulled the line of the transformer. As electricity shot out of the powerline, Gizon tightly gripped the exposed wires. His face turned into a pained expression, but it was clear what he was doing when his hair stood up and his eyes began to glow.
"Well I feel a little less useful now." Denki said.
"At least he can't shoot lightning dude. You are the only one in the class that can do that." Kirishima said to try to make his friend feel better.
All Might grabbed a remote and without a warning hit the button. In the middle of the fake city, a signal flare shot up into the air. Seeing this, Gizon, Iida, Ochaco and Sero took off to be the first to get them. The cameras following Gizon, Iida and Sero switch quickly to follow them, as the two grounded hero students blitzed down the street, while Sero took to the sky and began swinging past the buildings.
"I didn't expect Hisahito to get so serious about this. Usually he's only this serious during a fight." Momo said, and the rest of Class 1-A agreed, making them question what exactly had happened with Edgeshot, as Gizon still hadn't said a word about what he had done.
While it was clear Ilda and Sero would make good time, Gizon was a step above them. Weaving his way through the destroyed city, like water through a stream. It was like he was following a pre-set path in a video game, on a particular level he had played multiple times. This made it seem like he was going to get to the pedestal first, but then a pink light shot across one of the monitors drawing everyone's attention.
"Is that Uraraka?" Jirou asked. The cameras certainly thought so as they followed the pink light. Yet no one could believe it was Ochaco until the pink light shot up and clung to the side of a water tower. The pink blur slowed down enough for the camera to focus and Ochaco came into view.
"Wait, what? Since when can Uraraka move like that?" Mina asked as Ochaco shot down from the water tower and bolted towards the center of the fake city.
"Yeah, it looks like she's doing a lot then just removing her quirk." Shoji said.
He did well to hide it, but All Might was extremely nervous. The purpose of training with Gran Toniro was for Ochaco to improve her control over One for All. His old mentor had told All Might, that Ochaco had progressed and was a lot more comfortable using it. But to use the generational quirk so freely in front of everyone. All Might thought he and Ochaco had agreed she would use it more privately, at least until an opportunity presented itself where she could explain her new quirk.
All Might watched as Ochaco slipped through a narrow alleyway, before swinging around a light pole and flinging herself down the street. She didn't even roll as she hit the ground, but just kept her pace up as she began to run. It seemed her internship at Gran Torino had helped her in more ways than one.
Ochaco's movements were fluid as she weaved down the street, determination evident on her face. While on the other side of the city, unnoticed by the other students at the moment, Gizon slid to a stop as he cocked his head in the direction of Ochaco. A small part of his internship with Edgehost, which he was willing to admit was useful was training his new ability to use quirk usage. It turned out to be useful in determining how many villains were hiding in the shadows and getting a sense of what their quirks were.
As Gizon stood there he could sense Ochaco using One for All: it felt more controlled than it had during the Sports Festival. Gaining a grin, Gizon took a step as an ethereal yellow glow appeared around his body, showing he was redirecting his primary quirk's energy through Force Multiplier and then directed that energy towards his muscles. He took another step forward, then the cement under his foot as he took off.
With everyone's attention now on them, Gizon and Ochaco arrived at the city center at the same time. As Gizon came sliding in from a side street, Ochaco floated over a car. They locked eyes with each other and then looked at the pedestal that was waiting for them in the middle of a park. On the pedestal was a small trophy, an action figure All Might.
Gizon laughed but quickly shot forward as Ochaco pushed herself forwards. Their footsteps cracked the cement as they raced forwards. Ochaco saw that Gizon was going to get there first, so she increased One for All up to 10%. They reached the edge of the park at the same time and as she got in closed Ochaco dove for the trophy. While Gizon instead went low and kicked the base of the pedestal.
This resulted in Ochaco flying over the All Might trophy as it and the pedestal fell to the ground. As Gizon slid across the ground to a stop the trophy fell into his lap. Gizon grabbed a hold of the trophy as he stood him. He then turned and looked down at Ochaco and flipped the trophy into the air. As he caught it he laughed, "Oh, and you were so close."
"HISAHITO WINS." All Might said through the speaker system, then muffled screams and demands came through. Gizon picked up the pedestal and put the trophy back on it, "UM THE TROPHY IS YOURS TO KEEP."
Gizon made a face as if he had bitten into a lime. He looked down at the All Might trophy and with a sigh grabbed it, "Maybe I'll give it to Midoriya." -He then turned to Ochaco, "You used it." -Ochaco nodded, "In front of our classmates." -Ochaco nodded again- "What are you going to tell them?"
"Aren't you the better liar." Ochaco questioned as she picked herself up off the ground.
"True, but you're the one that has to live with the lie, so it needs to be one that you remember." Gizon said as Ilda and Sero arrived. Seeing Gizon they slowed down, then as they walked over their eyes drifted over Ochaco. All Might had announced Gizon had won, but they were surprised Ochaco had gotten to the area before them as well.
Ochaco thought for a moment before leaning towards Gizon, "I've got this." Yet this was more to herself to prepare and hype herself up for the conversation with her classmates. Ever since the Sports Festival, Ochaco knew her classmates would notice something strange about her. She was sure some of them were suspecting something since the Sports Festival.
The four walked back to the starting area and all eyes were on Ochaco. Yet before she was even about to get a word out she was bombarded with questions. All about her new speed and strength. Hearing this Gizon looked over the class and it became clear they were going to give Ochaco a chance to breathe.
So Gizon brought up his left hand and held his index and thumb against his lips. Then without any warning, he let out such a high-pitched whistle it sounded like a dog whistle. Immediately everyone shut up while Jirou covered her ears. While she glared at Gizon, he said, "Sorry Jirou. Now if you could all calm down. Uraraka can answer your questions."
Ochaco took a slow breath before saying, "Thank you Hisahito. I understand you are all curious about the new abilities I just demonstrated despite them being such a contrast from my zero gravity quirk."
"Does it deal with that stupid strength you f432king gained during the Sports Festival?" Bakugo suddenly called out, drawing everyone's attention. He knew there had to be something because there was no way pink cheeks could have beaten him, "How did you damn idiots not notice? She was holding her ground against Glow squid and he stood against Nomu at the USJ."
Ochaco had to hold back her shock because, of course, Bakugo would be one of the first to notice. He might be rude and cruel but he is one the smartest members of the class, "Yes it deals with that. The truth is I essentially gained a second quirk." Everyone besides Gizon and Shoto looked at Ochaco confused about what she was talking about, "We've all heard stories about people in life and death situations, where their quirk suddenly evolves and becomes stronger."
"Life and death, you're talking about the USJ attack." Tsuyu said.
"Yes. When Hisahito and I were facing Nomu. my zero gravity quirk evolved in an unexpected way. The abilities I gained are so far from my primary quirks it was easier to categorize them as a secondary quirk. The strain of my body underwent during this evolution, well most of my injuries from the USJ were self-inflicted rather than from Nomu."
"But why the secrets?" Ilda asked in a tone that showed he was offended. He thought he and Ochaco were becoming good friends.
Instead of Ochaco or Gizon answering, Shoto stepped up and gave one, "Because she didn't know how we would react. She was afraid we would react negatively." Class 1-A shifted their confused gazes to Shoto, "Think about it, most people live their lives with the one quirk they're born with. Now within less than a month of high school, Uaraka gains new abilities, essentially a new quirk, and a good one at that. She hit the quirk jackpot, allowing her to become more powerful than any of us would normally have a chance at. So she assumed we would feel cheated and call life unfair."
"I mean you're not wrong." Mina said in a defeated tone of voice and others agreed with her.
Jirou then looked back at Ochaco and recalled the private training they did with each other, "Your training with Hisahito for Lunar Launch. That was cover for training your new quirk, wasn't it?"
Ochaco nodded, "Yes. While I was keeping my abilities from you, I knew there was no way for me to keep it a secret from Hisahito. He witnessed him gaining my new quirk. And instead of trying to figure everything out on my own, I looked towards him for assistance."
This caused Class 1-A to look at Gizon as if to ask, 'Why him?' Noticing this Gizon spoke up, "Uraraka's additional abilities and my quirk are similar as they enhance our strength and speed. Growing up with my quirk I had to quickly learn what my limits were or I would always be accidentally breaking a bone or worse, completely destroy my limbs. And I have a few times. So with my experiences, and a few tips from All Might." Everyone looked at All Might, who tried his best to not show how nervous he was. He really wished his successor would have talked to him about this first, "I helped Uraraka learn how to control her secondary quirk, until she was able to safely use it."
"That was an issue?" Denki said.
Bakugo growled then clicked his tongue, as Gizon's statement made him remember something Izuku always talked about when they were young, "We gain our quirk when we're young, so our bodies have a chance to adjust and adapt to our powers. Imagine you didn't have your quirk, then suddenly gained it tomorrow."
Momo paused for a moment as she recalled all the training she had to do to understand how her quirk worked. It had taken months to figure out the ins and outs, then years to become proficient with it, "We won't know how to control it. We would have to relearn everything."
"And until then we could easily hurt ourselves," Denki said, remembering how often he accidentally short-circuited himself and was passed out until the next day when he was younger.
Gizon nodded, "And with the strength Uraraka gained she was straining her body with every punch she threw. Making it clear why her evolved abilities hadn't shown themselves until her body was prepared to handle the backlash. Even so it took its kilogram of flesh, making us believe that if the USJ hadn't occurred, such abilities wouldn't have shown themselves until later."
"My focus for my internship would learn more about my new abilities and further my control over them. And thanks to Gran Torino I am now able to use them without accidentally hurting myself." Ochaco said with a small bow.
The class was quiet as everyone thought about everything Gizon and Ochaco had shared and the trust Ochaoc had in everyone to do so. And while a few members of Class 1-A did feel a bit cheated, Gizon had made it very clear it wouldn't be the sunshine and rainbows they thought it would be. They would have to work twice as hard as they did now.
Then finally Shoji asked, "What is its name? You said your new abilities were essentially a second quirk. What do you call it?'
Ochaco stood tall as that was a topic she had talked about with Gran Toniro, "After some family history, I discovered my great grandfather on my father's side had a similar quirk. So I have decided to call my new abilities by the same name. Percent Strength, as I have been able to augment my strength by different percentages."
"Kind of like Kio-ken." Sero said.
Ochaco wasn't sure what Sero was talking about but Gizon quickly asked, "Yes." After weeks of trying to come up with a way to liken One for All to something everyone would get, Gizon was disappointed he hadn't thought of that. If he could he would kick himself in the back of the head for being an idiot.
It was at this time All Might decided to cut the conversation as he didn't want to give Class 1-A too much of a chance to dive into One for All. He cleared his throat and said, "WHILE I AM GLAD YOUNG URARAKA HAS FOUND IT WITHIN HERSELF TO TRUST EVERYONE WITH HER SECRET, THERE IS STILL A LESSON WE NEED TO FINISH. I ASK ALL FURTHER QUESTIONING TO BE HELD OFF UNTIL AFTER CLASS IS DONE. FOR THE NEXT GROUP WE WIL LHAVE YOUNG BAKUGO, YOUNG KODA, YOUNG KIRISHIMA AND YOUNG ASHIDO."
While Class 1-A and the rest of UA continued on with their lesson, Inko was sitting in a coffee shop thinking about how quickly her world had gotten the flipped-turned upside down. It was only what felt like mere months ago she had been hired as Mr Sutein's secretary. By the time she thought she had a handle on the job, Mr Sutein disappeared and she was made acting CEO.
Since then it felt like the only time she could get a proper break during the day was when she went out and got coffee. Which she was doing as she was looking down at her phone and reading a news article. It wasn't the only news article that was talking about the specific topic, this news outlet was just the one she followed. The title of the article she was reading was, "Dark Side of Sutein Co revealed in court battle!"
Inko had read the article multiple times since it first came out last Friday. She had lost count, but if she had, this would be the 13th time she had read it. And each time she read she was thankful her son had only used the information needed to free himself and to tie Sutein to Iron Monger and the League of Villain. She wasn't sure what other information Izuku had come across on Sutein Co's server, but most of the information on those servers needed to stay hidden to be Inko's aces in the coming fight.
Of which Inko would come to learn she needed as many as she could, as the day following Izuku's fight in court she had been approached by the Fukuoka police department. They stated Izuku had directed them to her. Yet from what she had seen on those servers she knew she couldn't fully trust the Fukuoka police department. On the other hand, she couldn't fully turn them away or that would turn suspicion towards her, so she offered to work with them but only if Detective Naomasa Tsukauchi led the investigation.
For their first meeting, Inko had chosen this coffee ship as it was far from the police department and the Sutein Co's Board of Directors. For that very reason it was one she frequented, as such it wouldn't raise suspicions, because if the wrong people caught on to what she was doing. The investigation into Sutein Co would be dead, and Inko along with it.
Inko's focus was pulled from her phone as she heard the front bell ring. Looking up, Inko saw Detective Tsukauchi walking up to her. Once he reached the table he sat down, while pulling his hat off and setting it on the table. "Ms Midoirya, thank you for your cooperation in the investigation. Having a higher up will help the progress go smoothly. And your son wasn't kidding when he said how much of a help you would be. The information you handed over Saturday's evening hasn't painted Mr Sutien in a very friendly light."
A waitress walked up and took Detective Tsukauchi's order and after she walked away he turned back to Inko, "Though, I am curious to do so to why you asked for me specifically? I deal more with hero public relations than anything else?"
"A soon-to-be hero student discovered a villain who was a part of a villain league attack against a hero school." Inko said and Detective Tsukauchi gave a small nod to show he could follow the logic, "And due to some information I have discovered I'm not so trusting of the Fukuoka police department." -That made Detective Tsukauchi's eyes wide at the implications, "I also remembered your names from the investigation of the USJ attack. Iron Monger was a part of that attack, best to have someone who is already familiar with that part of Sutein Co. And your help in those instant villains attacked a few years ago. As I recall you went hard for a bit, but in the end you let go of the people who were just trying to do the right thing. And your quirk will be instructmental in the investigation. You can take your pick from the options."
"My quirk?" Detective Tsukauchi asked.
Inko swirled her coffee a bit before taking a small sip, "I heard from my son that your quirk acts like a lie detector allowing you to know whether someone is lying or not. And since taking over as acting CEO, I've noticed some odd going-ons with my former boss's company, so being able to discern the truth of everything will be important."
"What odd going-ons have you noticed?" Detective Tsukauchi asked as the going-ons must be serious if Inko had set up a meeting like this and was being cautious about who she met with.
"Shipping order to hidden customers, manifest disappearing into thin air. Odd expenses to no name companies and profit not matching in monthly reports. Backroom deals, altered documents of sensitive information." Inko said, in a low voice.
"Well, Mr Sutein was a secretive man, but we now know why." Detective Tsukauchi said, yet the way Inko was acting she was making it sound like there was more than just Mr Sutein who had their hands in these off-the-record deals.
"Detective Tsukauchi, do you not find it odd that when Mr Sutein first disappeared, Sutein Co did their best to hide the news? I mean beyond the usual reasons a business is private about the actions of its CEO. It wasn't until the public pushback became too much that Sutein Co. launched a private investigation into Mr Sutein's disappearance, overseen by the Board of Directors.
"Yet when I personally approached the Board of Directors a week and a half ago. They said not a single lead was found. Now finding this strange, because surely an investigation into a man as important, powerful, well respected and public as Mr Sutien, something would have turned up, I asked for the contact information of the PI that was in charge of the investigation. Yet I soon discovered I was given a false name and a fake phone number.
"Now I ask why would the Board of Directors of Sutein Company not care about opening a case about their CEO?" Inko asked as she took another sip of her coffee.
"They could have feared that if the public learned he was a villain, it would destroy the company's reputation. And since last Friday that fear has been proven true." Detective Tsukauchi said, which had been proven true as in three days Sutein Co stock had dropped by nearly half.
"That is the best case scenario, and perhaps the board didn't trust me. Believing I too was a villain as Mr Sutein had hired me directly. But what do you think would be the worst case scenario for them not to believe me?" Inko asked.
Detective Tsukauchi thought about it and as he did his coffee arrived, "Worst case scenario the members of the board also had a hand in those backroom deals and an actual investigation would have brought that to light. The entire company was corrupt and was double-dealing under the table. They build technology for the public while providing equipment to villains." Detective Tsukauchi shook his head, if that was true then there was a lot more work to be done. The police already had their hands full with Mr Sutein being Iron Monger. And there was a lot of red tape to be careful about, as Inko had stated Mr Sutein was a wealthy and well-respected man within the community. The only reason such an investigation could be opened was because of the evidence Izuku had presented in court and witness statements from Class 1-A.
Detective Tsukauchi then saw the serious expression on Inko's face. He had to take a deep breath to remain calm, the storm of red tape that could cause, "That's quite the accusation, Ms Midoriya. The investigation at the moment is into Mr Sutein's personal life and connection to the League of Villains. To open an investigation into the entire board of directors and company, that would take time and effort to compile evidence and get a warrant for further investigation."
"Detective, can you spot that man wearing the black hoodie sitting in the corner opposite of us?" Inko asked as she gestured over Detective Tsukauchi's shoulder as she tilted her coffee cup to take a sip. Detective Tsukachi looked over and spotted a man wearing a black hoodie with a pair of sunglasses over his eyes- "He arrived not two minutes after I did and has not left since. I've been sitting here waiting for over ten minutes and he hasn't ordered a single idea."
Detective Tsukauchi turned back to Inko and noticed her calm demeanor had a small crack in it. She was afraid for her life, "Do you think he's here to kill you?"
"Maybe, but I don't think the board wants my name on the evening news as being dead. That would cause too much PR for them to handle, so I believe he's simply a tail to follow me, to see who I talk to." Inko said as she took another sip of coffee to calm herself down- "Now that I have your attention I'll ask another question. Mr Sutein is a villian, that much is clear, but how did he get away with everything? He is the CEO, but with a board of directors over him, with the power to look into anything within Sutein Co. It would have been difficult to keep everything hidden."
Detective Tsukauchi could see what question Inko was getting to, "So why hadn't they noticed anything?" -Everything started to connect for the detective. With everything laid out, it made sense- "Unless they were already aware of the activity, meaning they were either paid off or had a personal hand in it. Do you have anything to prove their involvement."
"I am not as tech-savvy as my late husband or my son, but the one thing I'm good at is reading people. So after guessing a few passwords, I gained access to a hidden server within Sutein Co's network. Luckily if there's one thing I learn from my husband, it's how to create a ghost file." Inko said as she grabbed her purse and set it on the table as if she was getting up to pay for her coffee. Underneath Inko's purse, Detective Tsukauchi spotted a flash drive, "The information I handed over on Saturday is nothing compared to the information on the flash drive. It's meant for your eyes only."
Inko then shouldered her purse and stood up. As Inko walked over to the counter, Detective Tsukauchi grabbed the flash drive and slipped it into his pocket. He sat at the table by himself and enjoyed his coffee. When he was finished he walked up to the counter to pay but found that it was already paid for.
Figuring it was Inko, Detective Tsukauchi walked out to his car and headed for Fukuoka's police station. Parking out front he walked up the steps and to the front desk, "Officer Yutto, I am wondering if Fukuoka police station has any ghost laptops I could use."
If Inko was being truthful and Detective Tsukauchi's quirk was telling him she was, then he needed a way to look at the flash drive without it being able to be tracked. A ghost laptop was the best way to do that, as ghost laptops were unable to connect to the internet and after each use the IP was rewritten along with the harddrive being wiped.
Looking up from her desktop, Officer Yuuto said, "I think we've got a few in the back."
"Thank you and can you have one sent to my temporary office." Detective Tsukuahci said, then as he walked around the desk he noticed her reach for the phone, but she didn't pull it out until she thought he was gone.
While Officer Yuuto did call for a ghost laptop to be sent to Detective Tsukauchi, she also reported his movement to a blocked number that would delete itself from the record the moment the call was finished.
Detective Tsukauchi walked to his temporary office and after an hour, a ghost laptop was brought to his office. He thanked the officer and locked the door behind him, then after closing the blinds, Detective Tsukauchi turned the laptop on. Once it was fully turned on, Detective Tsukauchi inserted the flash drive and the icon appeared on the screen, which he clicked.
He expected files to open but instead, he was greeted by a text box where he could enter a password. Along with a separate textbox that told him he only had three chances to guess.
Detective Tsukauchi sighed because, of course, Inko would password-protect something like this, only she hadn't told him a password. With nothing to go off of, he hit enter, the text box turned red and the other textbox switched to give a hint, "World's Greatest Hero."
Detective Tsukauchi could almost laugh at how easy the answer was. It was Inko's son, Inko Midoriya with the hero name of Iron Mon. Detective Tsukauchi typed in his answer and after he made sure to spell it correctly, he hit enter. But the text box turned red and he was told he only had one guess left before the flash drive erased itself.
This made Detective Tsukauchi pause and sit back in his chair. He was sure Inko wouldn't be too happy about having to make another ghost flash drive for him, so he had to really think about what the password could be. This made him think back over everything that had been said during his conversation with Inko.
Sutein Co's acting CEO had talked a lot about different people, the only mention she had made of herself was that she was good at reading people and she knew how to create a ghost file and ended the conversation by stating the contents of the flash drive were meant for his eyes only. Maybe the hint was to lead anyone who hadn't talked to Inko down the wrong path for the password. With that in mind, Detective Tsukauchi leaned forward and typed his own name in.
With a bit of hesitation, Detective Tsukauchi hit enter but breathed a sigh of relief when the text box turned green and he was able to access the files on the flash drive. He opened the flash drive and was met with a window that had 12 different folders, each with a name that Detective Tsukauchi recognized as separate members of the board of directors. At the very top was a folder with the name Obadiah Sutein
Clicking on that folder Detective Tsukauchi was greeted by files. Clicking on the first one, he pulled up a file he recognized as part of the package Inko had handed over Saturday. For the next few minutes Detective Tsukauchi clicked through the different files, and found that while most of them were just digital copies that Inko had already given, there were a few new files.
Backtracking out the 'Obadiah Sutein' folder, Detective Tsukauchi looked through the folder that had the name of 'Aki Nao' the chief director of Sutein Co's board. The files within were just as extensive and just as detailed. As he looked through the files, he started to feel sick to his stomach. How could two people get away with this much stuff, and the other ten folders he still needed to get through told him the sick sinking feeling was only going to get worse.
Three hours later, Detective Tsukauchi found himself to be right. Closing the window on the laptop, he caught his reflection on the screen. He was extremely pale, the only thing he was missing was bloodshot eyes otherwise he could be mistaken for a ghost.
The only conscious thought Detective Tsukauchi could form at the moment was he needed to contact All Might. Then as he reached for his phone, he yawned, he could also go for another cup of coffee. So as he dialed Toshinori's phone number Detective Tsukauchi got over and walked over to the small coffee maker that was on a file cabinet.
While he waited for the call to be picked up, Detective Tsukauchi poured himself a cup of coffee.
"Tsukauchi, what can I do for you?" Toshinori asked.
Detective Tsukauchi nearly dropped his coffee as he said, "How fast can you, Endeavour and the other top ten heroes get to Fukuoka?"
"Fukuoka? That's when Sutein Co is based isn't it. I was unaware you had been attached to the case."
"Inko Midoriya personally asked for me. How soon can you get here?" Detective Tsukauchi asked in a serious tone.
"A few days? Tsukauchi, what's going on? The investigation has only been open for a few days. Did you find something?" Toshinori asked, worried about the way his friend was acting. He sounded nervous and Tsukuach had been a detective for years, he didn't easily get spooked.
"More given than found." Detective Tsukauchi walked back to his desk to sit down so he didn't accidentally faint, "Izuku Midoriya wasn't lying when he said his mom would be able to provide insight on the investigation."
"What exactly did she hand over to warrant this call?" Toshinori asked.
"I talked with her today and she gave me a flash drive with enough information to not only put Mr Sutein away from life but the Board of Directors as well." Detective Tsukauchi said as he took a sip of coffee but it did little to calm his nerves. Maybe he needed to get some tea.
"Wait, hold on. The board of directors. I thought of the investigation into Mr Sutein and his connection to the League of Villains. Why are you pivoting to the Board of Directors?" Toshinori asked, as for once news and media outlets weren't constantly being flooded with articles about him, so it wasn't hard to miss how many people were talking about Sutein Co.
"We know Mr Sutein has been missing since the USJ attack and is involved with the League of Villains. If All for One hasn't let him out of his sight since, he isn't going to anytime soon. So whatever case we plan it would be useless until we catch Iron Monger. As for the Board of Directors, Ms Midoriya threw us an All Might sized bone."
Toshinory gave a dry laugh, "I've never heard you use that one before." This was true as Tsukauchi knew the pro hero personally and he never used the pro hero's name to exaggerate anything.
"Toshinori, do you remember how big All for One's network was, not just personal connections or people under his employment. But all the black market and backroom deals." -Tsohinori confirmed he remembered- "And do you remember how I said that destroying a network like that, just doesn't happen. It leaves behind a void of power, and if we were lucky that power would be disturbed evenly. From the files Ms Midoriya gave me, Sutein Co hadn't just taken a majority, they were getting close to matching it."
Toshinori froze at the next thought he had. While All For One was feared for his ability to steal and give quirk. Such power was only limited to one man and wherever he was. All For One's real power was all the people he had under his control.
At the height of his power, All For One had every single villain within Japan under his control. A villain couldn't rob a bank without All For One knowing beforehand. If Sutein Co had that kind of network and Mr Sutein was working with the League of Villains and the League of Villains were controlled by All For One. Then All For One had regained his control over Japan, if he ever lost it in the first place.
"Tsukauchi, send word out to all of the top ten heroes. I'll personally be there the day after tomorrow." Toshinori said.
"I will." Detective Tsukauchi said, then ended the call. He looked back at the laptop and the information he just looked over. He would need to work through the night to get all the pro heroes in place.