While Katsuki went off to vent about his defeat to Izuku, the green-haired hero rejoined his wife and intern.
"Impressive, Deku." Ochako smirked with her arms folded.
"Y-You think so?" Izuku asked.
"Still as stuttery as ever." She chuckled and gave him a hug.
Izuku smiled with a blush in his cheeks.
They decided together to take advantage of their day and found a decent Chinese food stand.
As Hansuke grabbed his order of food, the couple sat on a bench and ate, almost in silence.
Izuku's mind wandered to the events of this day. Then, finally, it clicked. He'd been so occupied with catching the prisoners, and spending time with Ochako, he forgot about what happened the other night.
"Can you tell me about the villain who attacked the festival today?" He asked.
Ochako, who was resting her head on his shoulder, looked up from her food and chopsticks and into his emerald eyes.
"W-Well he... He was wearing a plague doctor costume, almost like one of the Eight Precepts of Death."
Izuku instantly connected the dots. "He had prosthetic fingers, right?"
She tilted her head at him with a worried look. "Izu..."
"Something happened the other night... Remember when I woke up not feeling very well?" Izuku asked.
Ochako's eyes grew wide.
"In the middle of that night, I had an encounter with a villain in a plague doctor suit, prosthetic fingers, and some sort of illness he stabbed into me... He said it was a test for something..."
Ochako jumped off the bench and slapped him across the face. "You had that happen and you didn't tell me?!"
"I didn't want to worry you! Besides what happened to me wasn't permanent so there was nothing to worry about."
"IT'S PERMANENT TO ME!" She shouted. "It's permanent to us, Izuku! But lucky you! Mr. Symbol of Peace!"
Hansuke looked on at the couple in shock. Izuku knew about this?
Izuku didn't know what to say. He was completely at fault and he knew it.
"I'm sorry..." He sighed.
Ochako just continued to glare at him. "I'm going to spend some time with Momo and the others... See you later, Izuku."
Izuku reached out to her as she turned around and stormed away.
Hansuke approached the hero slowly. "You knew about that guy?" He asked him softly.
Izuku sighed. "Yes. He injected me with something similar the other night, but when I woke up and could use my Quirk again, I didn't bother to tell anyone."
"Didn't you try to stop him?" He asked.
"He overpowered me with whatever he injected me with. I could barely lift a fist to him. Yet, I woke up in my bed again."
"So he must have been testing his virus on you." Hansuke concluded.
"He must have. And it must have just been a prototype to what happened today..." Izuku sighed. "But I should have told Ochako."
"H-Honestly, I've seen this behavior in my mom... When she's had a bad day, no bad news helps at all, even in providing context." Hansuke said with a slight chuckle trying to lighten the mood.
Izuku leaned back on the bench. "This is more than just a bad day. Ochako has bad days... But... She's next to Quirkless now..." It made him feel worse, because he knew exactly how that felt.
"Well they have the villain detained. Maybe we could go interrogate him for answers. M-Maybe a cure." Hansuke suggested.
Izuku looked up, a light gleaming in his eyes. "That's not a bad idea at all. And it'll help the people and the festival here too! The heroes from around the world won't have to go home Quirkless!"
"Let's do it, sensei!" Hansuke reached out.
Izuku clasped his hand in his own and was pulled on to his feet.
"If you're going to interrogate the villain responsible, I'm going with you." Shoto said, seemingly appearing out of no where.
"Whoa." Hansuke jumped.
"What brings you into our conversation?" Izuku asked.
"Ochako seemed upset and wanted to be with Momo so she kicked me out of the circle, so I figured I'd go with you instead." Shoto explained. "And besides, it's the closest thing to revenge I can legally, and morally do on behalf of Momo."
Izuku raised his eyebrow at his good friend. "Good enough for me."
Hansuke smiled. "Two of the best heroes going to interrogate a villain. He's going to shit himself!"
"Hansuke, language. One crude hero is enough." Izuku counseled, gesturing to Katsuki who, in the distance, was challenging other heroes while appearing extremely drunk and using more profanity than usual. Despite his intoxication, he was still winning.
"Let's get going. If I'm right, they sent him to the closest district's jail. And from what I heard, it's where they're housing most of the recaptured convicts, including the one you caught when you encountered that multi-Quirk villain. Perhaps they may have an explanation for themselves." Shoto said.
"And maybe the events are connected!" Hansuke added.
Izuku nodded and threw away the remains of their Chinese food, before they marched toward the exit.
~~~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Momo had gathered all their old girl-friends together to help Ochako.
"Ok, who is not here?" Momo asked clasping her hands together like a clam shell.
"Mina and Tooru are out on patrol. They were here earlier this morning and early afternoon." Kyoka Jiro answered.
"That's fine..." Ochako sighed. "Were they here when the attack happened?"
"Well since they are out on patrol, no." Kyoka shrugged.
"Ochako, what happened?" Tsuyu Asui asked.
"It wasn't Izuku, was it?" Kyoka asked.
"N-No... Well, yes it was. I don't know..." Ochako sighed.
Tsuyu put her hand on her friend's shoulder. "We don't expect this of Izuku. He's a good man and especially good to you."
"I did." An uninvited guest added her input behind the girls.
They turned to see RipJaw still confident as ever, leaning against a column.
"Men are pigs. I mean, that's not why I'm gay. But when you see through the eyes of something they want, but something they can never have, you start to notice a thing or two." She smirked.
"You're wrong. I'm mad at Izuku, he made a mistake... But he's not a bad person." Ochako frowned at her.
"You know this girl?" Tsuyu asked.
"Yeah. We're pretty acquainted." RipJaw said keeping her large toothed smile. For a moment, she licked her lips. "By the way, any oof you girls single?"
All of them ignored her and turned back to Ochako.
"Well can you at least point me to some girls looking for some American?" She groaned.
"Anyway, back to what you were saying." Kyoka said.
"I wasn't saying anything. Izuku knew about the villain but didn't tell me." Ochako sighed.
RipJaw listened in the back, still resting on the pillar.
"So he knew the villain would attack here?"
Ochako shook her head. "N-No but he was attacked by the villain a few nights ago. It didn't affect him... So he felt it wasn't necessary to tell me!" She grew mad again.
"I see." Momo said.
"In the world of romance, there is no black and white, good and evil. Either one of you is wrong, or you both are." Tsuyu explained.
"To be frank, it seems like you both are." RipJaw added.
"Would you get lost?!" Kyoka snapped at her.
"Only in your bedsheets." RipJaw chuckled, sticking her tongue out.
"RipJaw! There you are!" Her American partner in his cowboy hat stormed up to her in red-blooded English so thick, they couldn't understand him but her.
"Oh great." She rolled her eyes.
He greeted her in a big bear hug, lifting her off the ground, and carrying her away.
"Dammit! Let me go!" She struggled and squirmed but to no avail. Quirk or not, he had impressive strength to match his XXXL size.
"Honestly, Ochako, she might have a point..." Tsuyu said.
"Izuku didn't know the villain was planning something this big with that disease. After all, Inflictor is a small scale assassin, not a terrorist." Momo explained.
"He still could have thought of that though. Y'know? If I got attacked with something that cancels my Quirk, I'd be on high alert even if the affects wore off." Kyoka added.
"I get it, girls." Ochako sighed. "Maybe I should go apologize to him..."
"Shoto mentioned something about interrogating the villain responsible, Inflictor. I think he took Izuku and Hansuke with him." Momo said.
"Then Momo. You and me, let's go talk to our men and figure this out together."
Momo smiled, knowing how important and precious Ochako's time with other girls meant. "Sounds good to me. Kyoka and Tsuyu. You stay here and scout things out. We'll fill you in on the details first."
"Right." Tsuyu and Kyoka said in unison.