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Chapter 32: Truth Shines Through
🕑 Added 2025-01-13 16:00:22 +0000 UTCEveryone has questions for Aoyama, and Midoriya on what went down, and why they reacted the way they did, with Inko needing to buy them time
“Text” – Normal speech
‘Text’ – Thought
“Text” – Quirk Spirit speaking in the human world
“Text” - Attacks
“Text” – Radio/Communication lines
“Text” – None Japanese speech
(text) – Subtext/meaning behind a spoken word
Chapter 32: Truth Shines Through
Inko’s day was going well enough. Yes, it was sad that her baby had left the coop, but she had been preparing for that outcome for years. As much as she wanted him to go back to being her precious baby boy in his All Might onesie, he needed to live his life.
'Besides, he was already doing adult things under my roof.' She chuckled as she recalled the embarrassing incident when she stumbled in on him and his girlfriend in the living room. It was awkward for everyone at the time, needing to assure him that she wasn't mad. Still, she told him that if he wished to…continue, they would take precautions as they were too young to give her grandkids.
Now, she could laugh about it, having even brought it up in conversation with friends, much to her son's chagrin. But that was years ago, and he was off at U.A. chasing his dreams, and she hoped to study hard as no son of hers would have second-rate grades. Same for Yuga, as he wasn't the smartest but a diligent student who earned his way into the acclaimed university. Besides, if they ever needed up, they could rely on each other and their new classmates, who Inko was sure would be pleasant people.
Shaking her head to clear away thoughts of her son, she refocused on her work. She wasn't in her actual office, down below her building. She had left her researchers there in charge of things. Instead, she was up top in her faux office, reviewing some paperwork that had been piling up.
"I became a scientist to avoid this. How did I end up with more of it?" she asked herself with a sigh. Looking at the clock, she saw that she had already missed lunch. While she could take a break, she knew that if she did, she'd never get this done before she went home. When her assistant called, she had just picked up some forms detailing shipments of new lab equipment to replace some damaged in an accident.
Inko looked at the phone, confused about why she was being contacted. She had asked for private time and didn't have an appointment. Picking up, she answered, "Afternoon, Fujiwara. Is there something that needs my attention?"
The shark girl, whom she'd had under her employ for years, apologized. “Sorry to disturb you, but U.A.'s calling. There was an incident at school, and they want to speak with you.” Inko's brow creased as she felt sick in her stomach.
“U.A? Put them through.” Inko told her, the young woman following her directions with Inko hearing one line cut and another connecting as she calmed herself before she spoke. "Hello, this is Professor Midoriya speaking? Is this U.A.?"
“That is correct, mam. I’m sorry to inform you that there was a break-in on our campus earlier today,” She nearly dropped the phone as the person, some no-one administrator at U.A., told her about what had happened.
‘No.’ Her baby boy.
“There were several injuries among our students.”
'No, please, no.' He was training to be a hero; he shouldn't have been in real danger.
“Your son was one of them and was transported to Musutafu General for treatment.”
“I’m on my way!” She didn't even let the person finish before she cut the call. Grabbing her coat and purse, the middle-aged woman jetted out of her office as if she had a speed quirk, stopping long enough to yell over her shoulder at the 29-year-old shark heteromorph who served as her personal assistant. “Fujiwara, I’m stepping out for the rest of the day!”
"Oh, okay, mam! See you too," Fujiwara wasn't able to finish her sentence before Inko dashed down the corridor for the stairs, the elevator too slow for her. “morrow…I hope it’s not serious.” There weren't many things that could unnerve that woman, at least in a work setting, and she didn't get any alerts for happenings down below, so it could only be something relating to U.A. to Izuku.
Inko made it down to the underground parking in record time, where, as always, her car and driver were waiting for her. Seeing her approach, the goliath of a man bowed to her. “Afternoon, mam. Where would you like to go?”
“Musutafu general, and get us there as fast as possible.” She told him, walking right past as she entered the back of the sedan, not even waiting for him to open the door for her.
“Understood.” He didn't make anything of it. Instead, he quickly got into the driver's seat, started up the engine, reversed out, and they drove out of the parking area and onto the road. The GPS gave him the fastest route to the hospital. Seeing that her employer was shaken, he took the liberty of closing the window between them, which soundproofed the space so she could have some privacy.
Inko hardly noticed this as she pulled out her phone and was about to call the Aoyamas when they beat her to it. She just saw that it was Miyuki before she answered. “Inko! Did you hear? There was some attack on the U.A. The news is already talking about it. It seems bad!” He sounded as frantic as she was.
"I heard from the school that Izuku was injured and was taken to the hospital," Inko replied, as she dreaded to see what the news was talking about. Logically, she knew they wouldn't say too much, and they tended to overexaggerate to keep viewers. Still, her heart couldn't handle it if they implied her son's injuries were serious or life-threatening.
She wasn’t ready for this; she knew his life would be dangerous. She didn't need to work at a hospital to understand how badly heroes got hurt in the field or the many gruesome ways they could meet their end. But her son…he hadn't even been at U.A. an entire month yet; this shouldn't have happened. They should have done better to protect them! “My baby boy….I just can’t…he was at school!”
“Yuga as well…I’ll meet you there," Miyuki said, his voice hollowed by worry, the opposite of hers, which was entirely animated. The reminder that she wasn't the only one with a child in danger kept her from speaking, giving the man time to collect his thoughts. “It's bad, but there is a silver lining here. They're in the hospital, which means whatever issues they have, they can be treated.”
“But, what if…” She started but let out a grasp, unable to finish.
“We can't let what-ifs weigh on us. Our boys need us to be strong for them. We can fall apart over tea after seeing that they're fine.” Miyuki could have a weird sense of humor, but it did the job as she laughed at its randomness.
“Yeah…yeah, I would like that.” She reached for the tissues in her purse, wiping away her tears. “I’ll meet you there.” She ended the call, laying back into her chair, only now putting a seatbelt on as they sped through the streets. Inko hoped that traffic wouldn't worsen and that she wouldn’t be delayed in seeing her son alive and well.
'And just when were we getting fewer reports of quirk spirits.' Inko thought with a frown, as things had also been looking up, and then this happened.
Line Break
“Oh, my head…” Aoyama slowly stirred, blinking away his drowsiness; he looked above him, finding an unfamiliar ceiling. Trying to get up proved to be the wrong move, as it was immediately hit with a hefty dose of vertigo. “Wow…okay, everything is still spinning.” He seethed, taking several breaths to try and clear his head.
“I’ve been told that’s a side effect of quirk exhaustion,” someone said up to his side. Turning, he found it was Yaoyorozu, dressed in a hospital gown and resting in her own bed. Pulling his sheets, he saw he was dressed in the same one. Though you had a worse case than I did," she said.
“What…Oh.” Aoyama started before his memories returned in a flood. Their arrival at the USJ, the villain's surprise assault, and their counter-attack. The beast and its end. “Yeah, it's all coming back. Was a mess that was.” He was so out of it that it took him a moment to realize Momo conversed with him in French.
The two fell silent, trying to digest what had happened. Hours before, Aoyama could see that the sun was already setting, but they had arrived at the USJ right after lunch.
“Are you feeling okay?” Yaoyorozu asked perhaps a loaded question, which should be asked regardless.
“I should be asking you that, my fair maiden.” Aoyama tried to respond with his typical flamboyance, but it came out forced and cheap. Aoyama was still feeling weak, enough so that he couldn't hear his quirk.
All that, sans his quirk, was clear to Momo, who scoffed. "I didn't look like a corpse when they brought us in. They were so worried about you that they kept you by the window since you weren't responding to the artificial light." She pointed out that his bed wasn't just the one closest to the window; it was right next to it, having been moved by the nurses as it was faster than taking him and it up to the roof.
"A consequence of my quirk, I'm afraid. All light is not made equally, and I can only take in natural sources of it." Aoyama dropped the fact, laying back down to continue to soak in the last vestiges of the sun's rays. Was it going to be a full moon tonight? A new moon? He didn't know, but he'd be forced to wait until sunrise to recharge if neither happened.
But that was nothing compared to what truly worried him. “What about the others?”
Yaoyorozu figured he was worried for just one but didn't call him out. However, she didn't have the answers they both wanted. "I wouldn't know. I only woke up a while ago, and they came to do some check-ups on me. I should be cleared to leave soon."
Aoyama nodded his head but said nothing as he bit his lip. Midoriya…his wound had been severe; he was bleeding all over the place. Then there was Thirteen, who he was sure had also been injured, and Uraraka, who had to break her legs just to land that blow. So many questions, so few answers. He hated it.
"Would you return to your dorms or your parent's home?" He asked, trying to keep himself from going too deep down the worry rabbit hole.
Momo smiled, though it was more longing than happy. "My parents aren't in the country. Outside servants, there wouldn't be anyone to welcome me if I decided to. Tokage called and offered to make sure I returned to our building."
Her family had many homes, but she had her best memories in their Nagoya residence. Sadly, as she grew up, work kept her parents busy more, and even when she was in high school, she was lucky to see them both once a week. With her leaving the house, they had even less reason to stay in Japan and would no doubt be traveling abroad for business. Last she called, they were in New Zealand, so even if they had been informed, it would have been a day before they arrived.
"A good person then. As for me, my mother's visiting family is in France, so it should be my father, but if I recall his schedule correctly, he was supposed to be on a flight for Marseille." Aoyama replied. He could trust that Auntie Inko would be racing here if it wasn't already building.
"Maybe his flight was delayed, and it would be a long drive from Tokyo—at least two hours' drive." Yaoyorozu tried to cheer him up, which he appreciated, but one didn’t need a psychic-type quirk to tell where her mind was going.
“Aoyama…about what happened…with that…” She started but couldn't put her questions into words, and once more, he couldn't fault her. He hadn't been thinking when he first arrived. He forgot that he was there as a hero student and fell into his training and experience when dealing with quirks. Now, he didn't have the benefit of a mask and quick getaway before the authorities could even arrive.
Letting out a tired breath, he somehow felt more drained than he was. "I should have known you'd have questions. Honestly, I hoped you would have just not asked."
Yaoyorozu looked at him like he had grown a second head. “You went for the killing blow…without a moment’s hesitation. And even Midoriya was acting strange about it.” Oh yes, she was with his group from the start, wasn't she? What had she seen from him? He would have to ask, but he had a feeling she wouldn't take kindly to him answering her question with a question.
“So, what happened?” She finally went for the big one.
“Forgive me, Yaoyorozu. But I can’t give you the answers, not right now.” Aoyama told her, which got the expected response: Anger and disbelief.
"Then when? I saw you try and kill someone, and you expect me to just not ask?" She looked ready to march over and throttle him, his weakened state be damned.
He raised a hand to stop that. “No, it’s just that you won’t be the first one to have questions. You, our classmates, and our teachers will want to hear about this, and it would be best to tell you all at once. So we can answer all we can.” He stated that he didn't have the authority to give away much, but after a day like this, he was betting that many people would be up to speed.
“We? You mean Midoriya as well?” Yaoyorozu still looked cross, but at least she wasn’t hostile anymore.
Before he could answer, the door opened, and the nurse led in his father, the man looking relieved to see him alive and awake. He didn't even notice Yaoyorozu as he rushed and embraced his son. Aoyama looked over his father's crying, relieved shoulder to answer her. “As I said, we.”
Line Break
“His surgery was a success, Mrs. Midoriya. Recovery Girl’s visit also sped up the healing process. Outside a scar, he shouldn’t have any long-term issues relating to this.” In another hospital area, Inko wasn't getting the reunion she hoped for with her boy. She sat at his bedside, the curtains opened to let in the setting sun, but Izuku remained asleep, exhausted from battle, injuries, and the healing process.
"I understand. Thank you, doctor." Inko nodded, though her attention remained on her son, whose hand she held in both of hers. She took comfort in the fact that his hand was still warm and that she could still feel his heartbeat through it.
The medical professional doubted that she had heard half of what he said, but he had long since gotten used to people acting like this when loved ones got sent to them. “I’ll leave you to be.” With that, he quickly exited, the door closing behind him and leaving the parent and child alone.
"Don't go scaring me like that, Izuku," Inko whispered, as she had been worried sick when she arrived along with Miyuki and was told that Izuku had needed surgery and a visit from Recovery Girl. Miyuki had stayed with her the entire time, even meeting the parents of another injured student, the Urarakas. Their daughter had also needed treatment, though it was for self-inflicted injuries.
They had parted ways when they were informed that Recovery Girl had finished tending to her son, Inko wishing that Uraraka would make a full recovery before she left, Miyuki parting ways with her halfway to go see his son, who should still be unconscious.
“Inko.” A voice spoke up, and Inko turned to the other side of Izuku's bedside.
“Faunalution, what happened?” Inko asked. The woman was hardly surprised to see her son's primary quirk. While she couldn't get further than 5m from him, she and other quirks she'd developed could freely move about while their users slept. As to how she could even see her, she wore contact lenses, vast improvements over the bulky goggles she once created.
Faunalution, typically teasing and playful, looked as worried as she did. The quirk pawed at her user's face to stroke him as he rested in their inner world. “A quirk spirit. Level 4.” Inko gasped at that.
“How is that possible?” She asked, wondering what could possibly persuade her boy to challenge that? It was far beyond what he alone could do, what he and Aoyama could do. They should have pulled back and immediately requested a strike force.
“The villains brought this…thing. It was made in a lab. Worse, 2 stolen quirks were shoved into the damn thing. When Midoriya and Aoyama tried to handle things, they couldn't finish it without…complications.” Faunalution explained that they would need to discuss this in detail later as that was a simplified version of events.
Inko could focus on that later, but if this happened during class. “So…they all saw then?”
“Not the entire class, but too many to ignore," Faunalution replied. However, if she recalled it correctly, nearly a dozen people directly saw it. And if they told their classmates, they might as well consider the entire class in the know.
Looking off the side, the quirk paused before she frowned and turned back to Inko. “He says he's sorry that they couldn't handle things better. If they-we had been better, the situation wouldn't have devolved nearly as much, and the spirit could have been handled without anyone being the wiser.” She relayed that even while she projected herself in the human world, she still had a presence in their inner world, one that Izuku could speak with after she told him his mother had arrived.
Inko signed because it was like her son, taking too much responsibility and too little credit. “Tell him he’s putting too much blame on himself. We all made mistakes. We never imagined that something like this would happen, and…it was foolish to not realize that Izuku wouldn't just stand by when he could do something to help someone."
Quirk spirits didn't just pop into being; there were rules. Patterns, at the very least, and as far as she knew, there was no reason for one to have been born or attracted to the U.A. It had a spotless record, and while they had accidents over the years, the reasons were always quickly addressed. If there was a guilty party, they were punished or handed over to the authorities. Maybe one could have an attachment based on positive feelings, an old teacher or student, but if that were the case, they wouldn't have been a threat, certainly not one that would require force to handle.
There was so much she didn't know and needed to reconsider. It was too much to rethink, but she could focus on the important stuff right now, that being her son. Faunalution agreed though she snorted. “He’s a stubborn one, but we’ll keep at it. Just be sure to take care of yourself as well. I can’t keep an eye on you like I do him.” With that, the quirk faded as she returned to his inner world.
Inko remained at Izuku's side for a while, humming a lullaby she used to sing to him whenever he had nightmares as a little boy. He might have already been asleep and with good company in his inner world, but she felt like it was still something he needed to hear. A reminder that she was with him. Maybe an hour had passed, with visiting hours soon to end, when she got a message. Pulling her phone out, she saw it was from Miyuki.
“We have witnesses, Aoyama, and explaining things before they can get worse is best. Should we do that now or wait?”
"There is never enough time for the moments that matter…" She stressed as it felt like she only had a few minutes with her son before reality reared its ugly head. Still, she couldn't bury her head in the sand and was quick to send a response.
“We have no choice, but we need to win the support of the staff and students. If the police get involved, this could ruin us. We'll agree to explain things in a few days." She returned it to him, and Miyuki responded not even 30 seconds later.
“And should the police question us first?” Yes, that was a concern, wasn’t it?
“Lawyer up and don't say a word. They can suspect all they want; that's all they'll have," Inko replied before throwing her phone back into her purse. Such a move was dangerous; as the old saying went, the innocent had nothing to hide. This was an overly simplistic and downright unrealistic statement that favored those with the power of law, but one that, in this case, would carry through.
"And to think, once upon a time, I thought I would just make my baby boy a quirk and be done with it. Life sure has a way of getting complicated, doesn't it, Izuku?" Inko asked, smiling as she didn't regret it despite the dangerous waters she traversed.
There was a knock at the door before it opened, revealing Tsukauchi entering. The man had removed his hat, though he still wore his coat. "Pardon the interruption, " he stated as he quietly closed the door behind him.
"You don't get a pardon until I know who you are. I'm trying to spend time with my injured child and don't want any interruptions," Inko told him, coming off as rude, though she could be forgiven when things had been stressful. She already knew who this could be with that get-up and his timing.
Tsukauchi didn't react to her rude welcome. This was a personal time for her, after all. Even if the boy seemed to be doing well, that didn't change the fact he was in hospital after being wounded. “Right, I’m detective Tsukauchi Naomasa of the Japanese Police force. I've been-" Inko interrupted him.
"Neither I nor my son will tell you anything unless we have our attorney present." Her words were crisp, clear, and direct, and the man stumbled a little at how fast she was.
Looking at her, he didn't see a hint of panic; she was still calm and thinking clearly. However, her words really messed with things, as he had already spoken with Eraser, Vlad, and All Might, who had left the scene minutes after the rest of the staff arrived to cover up the fact that he had used up all his time.
When he arrived, the two teachers present had already explained what they saw, which left him with many questions. Nezu confided in him that, thanks to her research and other factors, he already had some suspicions about Professor Midoriya, making her a prime source of information.
A source that might as well have been damned up as he tried to get her to reconsider. "Pardon me? You're not suspects. I just want to-"
Again, she interrupted him, raising her hand before speaking to silence him. "I know we're not suspects. But my stance won't change until we have an attorney present and the time to discuss this with them. We will not say a word, and if you insist, I will file a complaint with the police. Now, please leave, or should I call for security?" Her words were rigid and uncompromising, which left him frustrated and only seemed to validate some of those suspicions as she knew something; he just knew it but couldn't proceed any further.
"No, I understand. I hope that your son recovers. What happened today was wrong and should never have occurred." Openly frowning, he kept the bulk of his disappointment invisible as he bowed before he left as calmly as he entered.
Line break
With the chaos of the USJ, U.A. postponed all classes, and those who desired so were allowed to return home, leaving the campus with around a third fewer students. Those that remained largely confided themselves in their accommodations, which most took as a chance to try and get ahead with their projects and studies or relax and have fun.
As their students did, the teachers were a different story. They worked with the police to search the grounds for any possible weak point. While none were found, the security protocols were to be heavily revised. Teleport and Warp-type quirks were rare, but now that they knew the villains had at least one, they would need to create counters and fail-safes for such going forward.
They also allowed the police free reign on campus. However, they mainly focused on the USJ when conducting their investigation. Now, with the sun having long set, Nezu had called for a meeting of the first-year hero course teachers so they could hear from the detective about what they had uncovered.
"We've looked into it, but sadly, they're little to be found about this League of Villains," Tsukauchi said their name with heavy air quotes. "If they existed before the USJ attack, they kept an incredibly low profile, as I can't even find whispers of the name. The same is true for Shigaraki, as no one matches his description or quirk in the underworld or our records. The same applies to Kurogiri."
"Our assumption is that they're people who were never registered to begin with or are foreign actors who have changed how they look, but until we can get something like DNA to run against our databases, it's all speculation." He concluded that the fact he had so little to share was vexing box parties.
“And that…Nomu creature?” Vlad asked, the detective frowning more as he recalled the beast. It took a crane and trucks to move it, and they had to be careful not to let the press spot it. Things would have been much worse if that…thing's corpse had made the news.
“The lab is still working on that. However, their preliminary tests did confirm that it used to be human. However, they had gone through significant experimental and highly illegal medical experiments that turned them into what you encountered." The teachers and heroes all grimaced at that as one got used to what evils lurked in the dark. But this was one of the worst things most of them had heard.
“So, if I understand correctly, we have 2 confirmed villains with unknown identities and dangerous, unregistered quirks. And on top of that, they have the means and skills necessary to conduct human experimentation?" Serenity asked. When the detective nodded, Snipe snapped his finger in frustration.
“Well, ain’t that dandy? So, we’re on the clock to find and stop them as those two managed to escape and could be making another one of those monsters if they don’t already have one.” The cowboy-themed hero made a good, if distressing, point. It was a combined effort to take out just the one. What if another just appeared in the middle of Tokyo or several?
"I'm not so confident we have that much time, " Eraser said, the man looking more tired than usual.
“Why’s there, Eraser?” Ectoplasm asked.
"We don't work with kids here, but we do work with people that, at times, can be illogical and immature, college being a time for such…unfortunately," Aizawa muttered the last part. “Because of that experience, I can tell you that this Shigaraki is worse than our freshmen."
Vlad grunted but agreed with him. "Now that you mention it, he came off as especially bratty. He didn't brag about his quirk but did so for his walking weapon, practically showing it off like kids do with new toys at the park. And just like an elementary student, when things didn't go his way, he got visibly upset, yelling and demanding that they just work for him again."
"A foolish mistake on his part, which tells us one of 2 things. He either didn't consider the tactical advantage of Nomu’s quirks going unconfirmed, or he was so sure in his victory that he didn’t care.” Nezu concluded.
"Sounds to me like we have a man-child on our hands, which just makes him all the more unpredictable," Supercharge complained, as the small woman taught Public Relations and knew more than the rest how terrible kids could be to plan around as a hero. Everyone was emotional, but they tried to restrain or justify it through reason and evidence.
Children didn't. They either lacked maturity or didn't care and could go from one extreme to another without warning. Giving someone with that temperament access to monsters was just asking for disaster.
"If that's the case, then we can rule them out as foreign villains, as even among criminals, most have gone through the counseling all children need to properly understand their quirks." Midnight stated that the odds of such being capable of sneaking into the country, never mind covering up their tracks so well they couldn't find anything about their previous crimes abroad, were slim.
"Unpredictable as he is, Shigaraki still seems to process some level of pull among villains as we arrested over 150 villains at the USJ. They all claimed they followed him because he convinced them to." Kaji Clemont, otherwise known as the hero, Lumiose mentioned.
“Sounds like an inverse of you, All Might.” Nezu mused, with All Might in his weakened form, turning to their boss.
“Pardon?”
As the rest of the room turned to him, he wasn't the only one, so Nezu explained. “You exude an uncompromising, simple-minded sense of righteousness. It's why so many believe in you and how you can be called a Symbol of Peace. But from what we're hearing, this Shigaraki seems to have the opposite of that. His simple-minded childish evil appeals to the criminal element in ways that money rarely can."
Sakanade, Shinji, otherwise known as the hero Inversal, sighed. “Which makes him all the more dangerous. With All Might here far from a spring chicken, the last thing the world needs is his opposite rising to prominence. As harsh as it is, we have to accept facts. We were lucky that only 4 students wound up in the hospital.”
Someone coughed, drawing their attention as the second hair-haired woman present frowned at the topics. All important, but there was an elephant that they were avoiding. “As distressing as it is to know that we have something brewing in the underbelly of society, there is another issue here. That nomu creature, and how it was handled not by Eraser or Vlad, but by 2 students who seemed to know more than we do and went for the kill."
Natsume Sabrina, the heroine Saffron, continued as Eraser and Vlad's faces grew clouded at the reminder. "I don't need to say how abnormal that is for anyone their age, and yet, from what you told us, Aoyama's surprise strike was a textbook clean killing thrust. Midoriya was no better as he cut at it without regard for its life. As if the situation wasn't screwy enough, these two were the only ones who seemed to be able to deal lasting damage."
Heroes might be symbols and publicly celebrated celebrities. However, they were still part of law enforcement, which meant there were times when lethal force was necessary. However, while the police just had their equipment, heroes had their quirks, training, and experience in using them; all that meant that while police had training for lethal take-downs, pros didn't get such.
It was how someone like Snipe, who used a revolver firing bullets as large as 454 casual, could boast no kills to his name. Even Endeavour, for all his personality faults, had only ever killed 4 villains in over 20 years of hero work. All Might had only ever killed 6 despite being in the business even longer. For them, to take a life was when all other options had been exhausted, when they were indeed no other way, and it left a mark on them.
And yet, despite that, Aoyama and Midoriya, by all accounts, immediately chose the lethal option before it became necessary, which possibly made things worse. And neither displayed any issues with it while they recovered in hospital.
"We didn't forget that, especially Eraser's testimony, which discussed the transmuted monster in French. Sadly, we couldn’t speak with any of them.” The detective replied.
“Why was that?” Present Mic asked, to which the detective frowned as he recalled that particularly short interaction.
"I went to speak with their parents, as they might know something, but Professor Midoriya stonewalled me and said she'd only speak with a lawyer present. My subordinate, Officer Tamagawa, had similar results with Mr. Aoyama." He revealed that Sansa had been as displeased as he was.
“So they do know something, then." Eraser frowned harder, as those weren't actions people just took. Both parents' going for the option spoke of a level of coordination.
“That is the belief, but we couldn’t dig any deeper as we have no cause or warrant.” The detective stated that while they had suspicions, neither the Aoyama nor Midoriya families had a criminal record. If anything, they were valued community members, with the Aoyamas having sway in government. The judge would laugh him out of his courthouse if he tried to request a warrant.
“And I suppose their other parents were similarly unwilling to talk with you?” Midnight asked.
"Mrs. Aoyama is currently in France and followed her husband's lead. Mr. Midoriya was willing to speak with us, but he and his wife divorced years ago. According to him, he last saw his son when he was 8 and still believed to be quirkless." Tsukauchi reported, though with Mrs. Aoyama, that getting in touch with her proved challenging as their caller barely identified themselves before she dropped the call 3 times. Hisashi was already remarried with a 6-year-old daughter and lived in Kyushu; from what he claimed, he gave up all rights as Izuku's father years ago.
It would seem that they would be forced to feel around in the dark on this, as both the League, the creature, and their students were mysterious and had clues they just didn't have, trying to complete a puzzle of a picture they did not know or have all the pieces.
When his phone rang, Nezu was contemplating trying to question the students close to Aoyama and Midoriya. “Excuse me, Oh?” He reached for it, as his work number wasn't known to many, and for someone to contact him directly typically meant it was necessary. But when he saw the caller ID, he was pleasantly surprised.
“What? Who is it?” All Might asked when he saw the smile forming on Nezu’s face.
"Someone who can offer us some answers, " he cryptically replied before he answered the phone, putting it on speaker and setting it down on the table. “Good evening, Professor Midoriya. I hope that things have been better since the incident.”
To the surprise of the gathered teacher and detective, Inko was on the line. “My son elected to remain at his apartment but is in good health. However, I think you can guess that's not why I called you on this number.”
"No, but it does have something to do with your son's behavior…and his quirk," Nezu replied, pretending he was by himself as he would typically be.
“It does. I won't insult your intelligence by saying otherwise. Still, I can say that whatever you think is happening is mostly false.”
Nezu's smile sharpened. It was a challenge in itself to imply that he was wrong. Still, he wasn't arrogant enough to believe it was impossible, merely improbable. "So, would you be so kind as to share the truth then?" The rest had fallen silent but leaned in all the same.
“Not over the phone. Come to my laboratory tomorrow at 10 a.m. sharp. It would be better if I just showed you everything. I hope you understand why I called you and not the authorities.” At that retort, Tsukauchi frowned, as it didn't help her case if she avoided him.
"You do realize that as a pro-hero, I'm obligated to report anything that I learn that might run afoul of the law, Professor.” Nezu reminded her, which some would say was foolish as if it could prevent her from giving them the needed information. Still, Nezu suspected that even though she made the first move, she was testing him. Yes, the call was suspicious, and she implied illegal work, but that was all implications and suspicions. She hadn't given them anything that changed their position.
“You do, but you also have more discretion than a policeman; you have the right to judge things on a more case-by-case basis and to lay my cards on the table…it would be a boon if you were someone I could consider an ally then an obstacle.” Oh, smart. Most people didn’t know that about pros, and he doubted she learned it from her son as only 2nd years would be taught such.
“Or an enemy?” He clarified, with Inko’s silence answer enough. "Before I say anything, I have one question: Would this threaten U.A. or any of my students or staff?" She might be testing him, but so was he testing her. No matter what she offered, what she knew his students, his academy would be put in harm's way, then he would move to see her stopped and arrested, and her son as well if he was involved.
“No. Quite the opposite as what you learn might help you keep them all safe and prepare them for what’s been brewing.” Inko's response saved their conversation and continued to tickle his interest.
“You mean this League of Villains situation?” He asked, only for the woman to laugh at the notion.
“If they didn’t harm my baby, I could care less about that. No, I’m talking about something far worse than some hooligans with too much time on their hands.” The rest of the staff were intrigued by that.
Yes, most civilians didn't care for villain groups unless they caused trouble, but that wasn't just thinking, 'Oh, the heroes will handle it.' It was a complete disregard of the villains as a threat born from a viewpoint comparing them to some unknown threat. Indeed, her son told her about the Nomu. What could she consider to be worse than that?
Oh, that was a question rattling around in Nezu’s head. "Oh, well, I can't say you don't have my interest. If I agreed to this, would I be expected to arrive alone?"
“No, you should bring those you trust. I would rather we explain this once and be done with it. Besides, you and your staff should hear it from me.” Inko replied that Nezu suspected she only made the concession as Nezu could have refused if it was just him or had agreed only on paper, bringing others with him who would remain distant.
"All right. We'll meet at 10 a.m. sharp. If you send the address, I'll see you in the morning." Nezu chirped as he ended the call, humming as he turned to the rest of the room.
“Was that wise?” Aizawa was, if nothing else, blunt.
Nezu snickered as if he had been wondering how long it had been since he'd had a nice juicy riddle to solve. “Of me? Yes. Of her? Also yes. She might have stopped us before, but she seems to be a smart woman. She wants to keep us as allies in whatever Endeavour she's facing. And it seems like Aoyama and Midoriya are already involved. Hence, as their guardians and teachers, it was only a matter of time before we got more involved.”
"Still, I hope you know I can't ignore what I heard. She admitted that whatever she's involved with isn't legal." Tsukauchi told him that while he was close to them, mainly All Might, and kept many of the man's secrets, none were conspiracies or illegal. This sounded to be both.
“Oh, I know you can't; that's why you'll be coming with us." Nezu smiled at him, and the detective blinked after he heard that.
“…Come again?”
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And I'm back at it. I just finished writing out the last chapter, but I haven't even edited it yet, and here I am, working on the second. I'll be satisfied if I can get 3 of these done before the New Year. It would give me more time to work on stuff for Path of Waves and More than You Think, as, for some reason, I'm in a bit of a slump for ideas.
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I still have some time left in the month, but this chapter was THICC, so I'll just leave things here. I'll work on that third chapter later.
