Magnus: As promised, the Sports Festival starts here, but not without setting the stage. While the three events might be the same as in canon, don't expect them to play out the same!
Disclaimer: Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Enjoy the Holidays and try to have a good time!
Cursed Blood
Chapter 24
A sinister injustice.
The Seireitei Institution, Japan's quietly—and internationally—ranked center for the 'social re-adaptation of the dysfunctional,' was famously known for being willing to adapt to the needs of its patients and their families. Visitation was an encouraged affair, and all meetings were eagerly scheduled in whatever area was available that would fit the patient, their Quirk, and the level of care said patient needed.
The facilities for visitations were as numerous as the patients themselves. There were lofty balconies, home-style chambers that didn't look like dungeon cells, rooms divided by military grade ballistic glass, and even public seating in the Institution's own gardens. And those were only the more popular options.
So it was understandable to the informed that Mitsuki Bakugo would be shocked to find that she was allowed to visit her son in the Seireitei's mess hall.
"So. You've been… doing… a-alright?" Mitsuki asked hesitantly, the blonde woman doing her best to keep her fluctuating mood under control. The distraught mother was still feeling uncharacteristically off kilter, but she was still able to notice that while her son appeared more mellow than normal, his crimson eyes hadn't lost any of the aggressive passion she'd probably had more than her fair share of instilling in him. "At least… better than expected?"
Mitsuki was under no illusions regarding the situation, and no amount of reports or assurances from her son's doctors or therapists would fool her. She knew her son. Her brat might have avoided screwing up this long, but any close scrutiny would cause him to explode.
"Oi! What the fuck's that supposed to mean?" Katsuki hissed, just barely managing not to scream. The bomber's rage was contained, but only just. "I had a shitty start, yeah, but I'm telling you now I'm gonna pass this goddamn test!"
A large man that could've easily passed for a shaved gorilla, standing innocuously off to the side behind the explosive blond, snorted in bemusement. Mitsuki remembered the orderly vividly; he was one of the faces of her nightmares, the one that had taken her son away on that harrowing day so long ago.
"Oh shut it Bo-kemono!" Katsuki snapped, twisting in his seat to bark at the living mountain of muscle. Mitsuki tensed, but the easy smile on the orderly's face told the worried mother that her son's outburst was neither impactful nor worrisome. Her brat turned back to her, a pensive look crossing the scowl he normally wore. "So… any good news?"
The ashen mother forced herself not to flinch.
"Yes," Mitsuki said, digging into her purse to pull out a handful of sheets. She handed the shackles of ink and paper to her son. "Well… sort of…"
It had been its own special kind of hell, but Mitsuki had finally been able to meet face to face with her old friend Inko. The normally combative mother had tried calling the homely greenette over and over again first. When that hadn't worked, she'd tried stalking her old friend from a distance, hoping against hope that she'd find the perfect moment to approach. Unfortunately, she'd discovered that the Asui household was built like a fortress, cameras covering every inch of a perimeter blocked off by a stone wall.
And the streets, normally the best choice, hadn't been a safe option.
Wherever Inko had gone, a gang of biker girls, of all things, had followed her. That hadn't worried Mitsuki at first, she'd been her own brand of delinquent back in the day, but those girls had been… especially unfriendly. Getting within a hundred meters of her old friend had set the more aggressive of the protectors off something fierce.
Then…
Then Inko had seemingly disappeared. Or at least… she'd thought Inko had disappeared.
When she'd seen her old friend again, the plump woman had gone from her slightly haggard and out of shape physique and returned to how she'd looked before either of them had had children! The greenette was once again the knock out of her youth!
At the end of her rope, Mitsuki had decided to make one last gamble. She'd literally stood outside the Midoriya apartment and waited until her old friend had returned home. And after ten hours of agonizing…
Inko and Izuku had walked up the stairs.
If Mitsuki had thought the searching and waiting had been painful, then the resulting meeting had been a new sort of torture all of its own. Inko had turned out to no longer be the overly forgiving woman she'd once been. And Izuku, sweet, shy, standoffish Izuku, had shown the beginnings of an honest to god spine growing with his mannerisms.
The Midoriya mother and son duo hadn't sugarcoated anything when they'd recounted Katsuki's litany of crimes, not that Mitsuki had believed she'd deserved such niceties anyway. The two had also reminded the ashen mother that the explosive blond had already basically been forgiven by everyone in the past numerous times, forgiveness he honestly hadn't deserved. It had probably been one of the more painful pills to swallow; the truth that her brat had bullied Izuku for so long and so harshly, a burden the verdanette had basically shouldered alone, while his ex-friend had basked in the light of their biased society.
Three hours into the meeting, the blond bomber's final attempt to downright murder Inko's green-haired cinnamon roll of a son had not seemed like the straw that broke the camel's back, but the anvil.
In the end, it had actually been Izuku himself, her brat's most aggrieved victim, who had asked the two mothers to work something out peacefully. Mitsuki had blessed the boy's overly heroic heart even as she'd stifled tears.
"I know it doesn't look fair, but…" But there were no words to describe the situation they found themselves in. The agreement the ashen mother had just handed over was the only means of saving her family. "It was the best offer on the table."
Oddly enough, explosive cursing and-or ear splitting screams of outrage did not immediately follow.
Mitsuki blinked.
Katsuki was reading the document, actually reading the fucking document. Page by page.
"I… I believe you."
The words were spoken with an unbelievable softness, a tone Mitsuki hadn't heard from her son in… ever. The uncharacteristic empathy threw the ashen mother for a loop. What—?
"And I doubt it was easy," Katsuki continued, still flipping through the agreement, "Bowing and scrapping to get anything from those fuckers…"
The orderly huffed at that, and Mitsuki just barely noticed the pause and long blink her brat took at the towering man's reaction before returning to his reading. If she didn't know better, the ashen mother would've believed Katsuki had just been corrected for misbehaving. But that was bullshit. Nothing she'd ever done had ever been able to get her explosive son to behave. What could an institution do that a mother couldn't?
And language aside, Katsuki hadn't been too far off.
When Inko had finally agreed to another meeting, one without Izuku present, Mitsuki had felt like a billion yen. She'd written down the address of a certain coffee shop and happily left the Midoriya's apartment. That night had been the first peaceful sleep she'd gotten in weeks.
The following morning, Mitsuki had felt the beginnings of an ulcer form when she'd entered the coffee shop and immediately been confronted with the stern gazes of Inko, Beru Asui, and Tensei Iida. The intimidating lawyers that the ashen mother had confronted at UA, the ones that had mangled her soul the day they'd taken her son away, had seemed like harmless puppies compared to the combined might of the three family members of her brat's victims.
It had been a slaughter.
=Flashback=
A Certain Coffee...
"You can't be serious?!"
"We most certainly are Mrs. Bakugo."
"But it's just so—"
"These are the only terms we will accept."
A tense standoff had arisen between Mitsuki and the three representatives of her son's victims. The demands that had been made were stifling!
And none of the three sitting across from the ashen mother had seemed to have been moved by either her fiery words or impassioned pleas.
Mitsuki had slumped in her seat then, ignoring for a moment the steely gazes pinning her down. The normally spitfire of a woman had turned her thoughts inward, hoping for the last time that she had overlooked something, anything that even hinted that there was a way her brat, as ungrateful as he had always been, still had a way to live his dream.
For all his faults, and for all she acted so tough on him, Katsuki was still her baby boy.
But as she'd sat there, stark reality had reasserted itself over the foolish spark of optimism Mitsuki had woken up with only that morning. Five hours later, five hours of groveling, begging, and pleading later… this is where she'd ended up.
She could either agree to a binding promise written in the blood of her son's future… or lose him forever.
"You know Mrs. Bakugo, we only agreed to give you THIS offer because of Izuku, kero."
"And my brother. The two were adamant that your son be given this one—final—chance."
"It's the only chance he has Mitsuki."
That… that had finally broken the last of Mitsuki's unbending spirit.
She owed so much to Inko's boy.
=Flashback ~ END=
Present, Seireitei Institution, Mess Hall…
"You just have to sign…" Mitsuki said, swallowing her nerves. Salvation might've been at hand, but only if her volatile son chose it of his own free will.
Katsuki nodded, flipping over the last page of the agreement. The explosive blond put the document down and reclined back in his chair, arms crossed and eyes closed.
Mitsuki was struck speechless again.
Was her brat meditating?
The ashen mother took a deep breath, exhaling slowly to keep herself in check. If this was what her son had to do to calm down after reading the agreement… she just hoped he wasn't about to make the wrong choice out of spite.
The agreement wasn't ideal in the least, and contained clauses and requirements out the ass to stay in effect. If Katsuki signed the document, he would not only be accepting a sealed expulsion from UA, for good, but also a six month stay at Seireitei for proper rehabilitation. He'd be waiving rights against constant monitoring and be willing to be tracked for up to two years by a third party.
Less concerning, but still blows to the face, were the secondary points, such as agreeing to pay Iida's medical bills for the injuries his attack had caused and not objecting to a restraining order put into place regarding all three victims of said attack. Outside of official events and Hero work he wouldn't be allowed to even be in the same prefecture as any of them.
And even in the face of all of that, it was still the best option that had been given, as the payoff was a dropping of all charges, and a single chance. The only alternative given was prison time and a lifelong ban from the path of Heroes.
"If I do…" Katsuki said, snapping Mitsuki from her troubled thoughts as dual crimson gazes locked, "Will I still be able to apply to other Hero schools?"
"Yes!" The ashen mother nearly shouted, all too happy to answer, "Of course!"
There were no words for how thankful Mitsuki was for that clause to be added to the agreement. While it was painful to know that her son would never be able to achieve his dream of graduating from the best Hero school in the world, at least he would still be able to BE a Hero. Honestly, the ashen mother shivered to even consider what her brat would've done if Inko hadn't worn that Asui bitch down on that point.
At least Katsuki seemed to actually be considering the agreement now.
"Before I agree to this bullshit, I have a request," the explosive blond growled, the ominous words stilling the hope that had been growing in Mitsuki's heart. Of course her brat would wait until the last minute to fuck everything up! Did they even have room to compromise?! "I want to take someone out of here with me."
Mitsuki almost fell out of her chair.
This damn brat was going to kill her one of these days.
"Hey Legs! Get the fuck over here!" Katsuki shouted, turning in place once again to snap at a corner that led to a hallway out of the mess hall. "Stop hiding like a b— stop hiding so the old hag can see you. She needs to know how fat your ass is so she can get an idea of how much to widen the doors of our house!"
It took a second, but from around the corner, Mitsuki could just make out the shape of what appeared to be a teenage girl peeking at them.
Except…
What kind of teenager had dimensions like the… silvette's… but a height so disproportionate? The girl was hugging the wall, but while her torso and head appeared un-Quirked and what used to pass as normal, the placement put her at three meters tall.
Then the girl began to move, and Mitsuki understood.
First came the sounds, sharp chitineous blades clacking against the linoleum floor. Then, the girl's body came into view, a massive arachnid form straight out of myth. The distance between the newcomer and the blonde duo, already small, shrank rapidly as spindly legs rapidly carried the arachnotaur forward.
As the silvette approached, and her human features came into focus, Mitsuki took in the girl's full appearance.
Junko Konno didn't know what to expect as she neared the expectant blondes. Sure, her roommate accepted her, but he was a barbarian and a vulgar oaf. Sure, he saw her as a girl, and that felt nice, but he was a narcissist that cared more about himself than what others looked like. But none of that mattered now, since none of it meant his mother would feel the same way.
The utter shock on the elder Bakugo's face did nothing for the spider-girl's confidence, and she was one shriek away from bolting back to their room and hiding her head under a pillow. And fuck you she absolutely would NOT be crying as she did so.
Mitsuki pointed a shaking finger at the imposing form of the nervous silvette, which caused the girl to tense all eight of her arachne-esque limbs. Katsuki scowled even harder.
"Legs comes home with me," Katsuki loudly declared, jumping to his feet, "Or there's no fucking deal!"
Unbeknownst to the explosive blond, his outburst earned him a pleased grin from the still observing Bo as well as a furious blush from the girl in question. On top of that, the entirety of the mess hall was now silent as a grave as all present tuned in to the latest of the Bakugo family drama.
Mitsuki… Well, Mitsuki nearly exploded right back at her son for his declaration.
"HOW IN THE FLYING FUCK DID YOU MANAGE TO LAND SUCH A CUTIE YOU BRAT?!"
The ashen mother's explosion, however, was not at all what her combative son was expecting. Katsuki wasn't the only one flabbergasted by the elder blonde's scream. The entire population of the mess hall was shocked.
"Our house alone won't be big enough for all the babies!"
Immediately a wave of empathetic embarrassment was sent Katsuki's way from many of the onlookers. Mitsuki, completely oblivious, or just not caring, continued to ramble like a Midoriya.
"…and she's going to need a whole backyard just to have room to exercise, that's important for expecting mothers you know…"
"HEY! DON'T JUST JUMP TO CONCLUSIONS YOU OLD HAG!" Katsuki finally managed to overcome his own shock and jumped onto the table to lunge at his mother, the faintest trace of a blush coloring his cheeks. Thankfully, Bo leaned forward and caught his charge by the scruff of his shirt collar, aborting the explosive blond's attack.
Rooted in place, Konno was stuck in her own personal feedback loop, unable to decide how she felt about her roommate's mother's declaration. It was one thing to be hated on sight, another to be openly accepted and welcomed… but what had just happened…?
Then the silvette's brain caught up with the words the ashen mother had shouted, and immediately words of mortified denial flowed through a panicked teenage mind.
"Mrs. Bakugo, i-it really isn't like that!" Konno sputtered, arms flailing in mortification, "I-It's just…"
And as these two teenagers took the first steps to standing back up after life had knocked them down, another was just beginning to spiral out of control…
That Evening, Musutafu Police Station…
The day-to-day hustle and bustle of the headquarters of Musutafu's local non-Hero peacekeepers was muted. Officers continued to file paperwork, book small time villains and low-level crooks, and even refill the communal coffee pot, sure. But each and every ear in the bullpens was, at the same time, unrepentantly turned to one specific room where the juiciest gossip imaginable was about to unfold.
Musutafu Police Station, Interrogation Room #2…
Detective Tsukauchi sat at the single table in the room and made no effort to hide the scowl he was glaring into the teenager sitting across from him. The fifteen year old could've easily passed as a midget he was so small, but a baby face and childish voice did nothing to mask eyes that, even now, overflowed with lust only just kept in check by fear.
Minoru Mineta, the teen in question, had finally defaulted on the Devil's Luck he'd danced with so far throughout his life. Tsukauchi had easily found the diminutive ball-headed boy's unofficial rap sheet, pages filled with reports of improper behavior of all sorts, and honestly, the man was shocked and more than a little pissed off.
This had been a long time coming in the detective's opinion.
He just hated the reason it had become his problem. The thought alone threatened to fling him back into blinding rage.
"Mineta-san, tell me… Exactly why did you think you would get away with what you did?" Tsukauchi asked, his anger barely contained behind a veneer of professionalism. He was trying not to take this personally, but it was hard. "Sexual harassment and assault, in a public place no less, are both severe offences."
Mineta's near nonexistent jaw dropped, incredulous at the detective's words.
"I-it wasn't sexual harassment! Or assault!" The diminutive teen shouted, small fists pathetically thumping against the lone table. "I paid good money for a good time, and that skank refused to deliver!"
It wasn't supposed to have turned out like this. All he'd wanted was a little time to decompress and enjoy himself! Mineta, for the umpteenth time, internally quailed at how his simple trip to the edge of Musutafu's red light district had led to him sitting cuffed at the local police station.
It was supposed to be simple; just a quick trip over the weekend to enjoy some 'adult' fun after suffocating under Aizawa's thumb since his so-called therapist had turned in that report. Talking Kaminari and Sero into joining him had been simple, his two taller classmates almost as desperate as he'd been for some 'positive' attention. After Hell Week and that horrible post-USJ exam, they'd all agreed they'd deserved it.
The plan had been cake too. The trio had skimmed some sites using Mineta's dark web browser and found that while the red light district itself was a no-go zone for heroes-in-training, rumor had it that the edge of the infamous area was more of a grey area than a solid line. So all they'd needed to do was find an amiable business in that ambiguous zone that wouldn't mind servicing patrons of their age, hire some pretty ladies there that fit their tastes, and enjoy themselves while they blew off some steam.
Wasn't that was escorts were for?!
Apparently not.
Unlike Mineta's last experience in a 'shadier side of town,' which had been back in Yokohama, Kanagawa, the red light district in Musutafu had turned out to be much more rigidly divided. Businesses on the edge weren't at all like those farther in, the shadier ones he'd been so fervently searching for. Case and point, the establishment he and the other two had ended up settling on hadn't seen the profession of escort as just another name for prostitution… like the diminutive teen had.
"Escorts aren't prostitutes Mineta-san," Tsukauchi deadpanned, his grip so tight under the table that the detective was sure his knuckles were bleeding white. He relentlessly crushed the flare of fury that threatened to erupt in his stomach. "I believe you were repeatedly told exactly what you were and were not buying."
"Well they sure charge as much!" Mineta cried in response, wringing his tiny hands in a fit of nerves. "I thought that old hag was just saying that crap to cover her ass you know?!"
Tsukauchi paused, taking a deep breath before he did something he'd regret. The teen in front of him had gone from a slight frustration to a migraine-inducing aggravation. His attitude, even now, was appalling… and what he'd just said…
"That 'old hag' has a name Mineta-san," the irate detective grit out, taking another deep breath for good measure. "And for your sake you better remember it before this conversation is over."
Mineta did the smart thing for once, and shut up with a gulp of utter terror.
"Now, tell me what happened," Tsukauchi ordered.
The diminutive purple-headed teen nodded as quickly as he could, eager to comply with the scary man in front of him.
"W-w-well… I—I mean, Kaminari and Sero and I… WE l-looked up some places th-that were in th-the Akaien," Mineta stuttered out, hand wringing returning with a vengeance. "A-and we found Th-The Garden. It h-h-had five stars!"
The detective internally almost cursed, leaning on years of cultivated patience to keep from pushing the pathetic teen too hard too soon. Everything said had been the truth, but not what he'd wanted to hear. Instead of outwardly reacting, Tsukauchi merely raised a brow as he began to write in his notebook.
"S-so we go, right? It's n-not illegal or anything f-f-for us to g-go there," Mineta continued, hardly pausing to breathe he was speaking so quickly. "A-a-and it's perfect! The girls were s-sexy a-and—"
"And you missed the part where Yugiri—the Madame explained the rules because you were busy ogling," Tsukauchi interrupted, unable to keep the bite from his voice. His flub didn't help his deteriorating temper either. "Unlike your two friends apparently."
Filled with a sudden and idiotic rush of indignation, Mineta straightened up and smacked his tiny fists down onto the table.
"That's not fair!" The disgrace of a hero-in-training whined, "I heard the so-called 'rules.' We bought the 'date night' package. For the duration we were supposed to have our perfect matches. And as long as we had them back before ten thirty we could… do whatever we wanted…"
Tsukauchi said nothing, simply stared hard at the slowly cringing teen. The detective knew exactly what the disgraceful teen was talking about, and was just waiting for a lie to jump on.
Unfortunately, Mineta gulped, realizing at the last second what he was about to say. Swallowing thickly, the midget continued after a brief and sullen pause.
"…Within reason…"
The detective exhaled heavily as he wrote one last detail in his notebook. It was always more annoying when a perp was smart enough to—
"But! But she winked at me!" Mineta suddenly exploded. Tsukauchi sighed, putting his pen back to paper. His head hurt. "It's true. She winked right after the boss lady said the girls were under no obligation to go further in the date than they wanted. It was a sign! I'm telling you!"
Tsukauchi glared up from his notes, that hadn't felt entirely like the truth. More like wishful thinking mixed with delusion poured over a spotty recollection. Fortunately, he knew more about this particular business, its owner, and her employees than probably anyone else… and he was pretty damn sure it hadn't been a wink the diminutive teen had been given.
But… it wasn't enough. Not yet.
"A sign of what?" The detective asked lowly.
Mineta, survival instinct temporarily subdued by a misplaced feeling of vindication, sat back and crossed his arms triumphantly.
"It was a sign that things could go further."
A moment of silence filled the room as Tsukauchi tried to figure out the thought process of the disgrace to heroes-in-training sitting before him. Said disgrace sat back with a small, self-assured smile on his face.
"And what part of 'No' do you not understand?"
The smile deflated faster than a parade balloon introduced to a pair of scissors.
Tsukauchi slowly put his notebook down and stood up.
A young and cherubic face.
Tears and running makeup.
A dress torn and tattered.
That young face again, but on a child, smiling uncertainly as weathered hands wiped away weeks worth of grime and sorrow.
A dark alley with a spark of hope in shining eyes.
It was all too easy to lean forward, break into Mineta's personal space, and scowl menacingly.
The diminutive teen was suddenly too terrified to move a muscle.
"B-b-b-b-but I paid!" But not too terrified to speak. "I even of-f-f-offered extra m-m-money!"
"Only after that poor girl endured a night full of attempts to corral her into dark alleys and love motels," Tsukauchi growled. "Only after her distaste at your perversion became too great to hide. And then… and then, instead of being a better man and allowing her to return to The Garden, you commit the ultimate mistake when she tried to leave."
Tsukauchi leaned in even further, getting right up into Mineta's face. The midget whimpered at the fire he saw in the detective's hard obsidian gaze.
"You used your Quirk."
"N-no—"
A lie!
"Minoru Mineta, you used your Quirk, Pop Off, in an attempt to trap the escort you'd hired after she made every clear effort to leave your presence!" Tsukauchi roared, the act of catching the pathetic excuse for a young man in front of him in a falsehood overtaking the detective's already frayed controlled mannerism. "You used your… balls… to trap her against a wall, and when she struggled against your manhandling, you proceeded to start tearing apart her dress!"
Tears were streaming down Mineta's widened eyes. This was it, the moment he'd always feared. He was going to lose any chance of becoming a hero the ladies would love right here. And all because of a stupid bitch who'd lied about what she was offering!
"How far would you have gone if I hadn't just happened to see the two of you as I passed by on my way to an informant?" Tsukauchi pressed, smelling blood in the water. "How far Mineta?!"
The trapped teen shook his head frantically, curling inward and away from the force of righteous fury that was bearing down upon him. It was too much! Too much!
"…"
Tsukauchi pulled back, breathing heavily as he glared openly at the disgrace cowering in its chair.
"What was that?" The detective asked curtly.
"…j-just a p-prostitute man…" Mineta repeated, barely raising his voice above a whisper. All will to cover his actions had crumbled. "I p-p-paid f-for her…"
BOOM!
"She is NOT a PROSTITUTE!"
There was murder in Tsukauchi's eyes as the detective slammed his fists into the table. The continued slandering had reached the point of unforgivable. Prostitution was not Yugiri's business.
He would know.
The men and women in blue eavesdropping in on the interrogation collectively blinked in stunned awe. The diminutive teen might've just signed his future's death warrant, if he hadn't already.
To be fair, the kid didn't know what he'd just done. Or who he'd just insulted for the umpteenth time.
Before Tsukauchi could say or do anything more, the door to the interrogation room swung open, revealing the unmistakable silhouette of well-built man in a suit. The newcomer walked into the florescent lighting, revealing the deathly calm face of Sakamoto, UA's personal lawyer.
"Allow me to take it from here, Detective," Sakamoto said, smooth voice rolling over Mineta like a snake. For some reason, the diminutive teen didn't think he wanted the lawyer to 'take it.' Maybe it was the cold disgust that shown through the man's blank mask? "As you're well aware, this young man is a student of UA. And, due to recent events, it is felt that he needs to face the reprimands of the school before you get too far into things."
Mineta shivered again. Dread couldn't even begin to describe what the disgrace of a hero-in-training was feeling bubble up in his stomach at that moment.
Examining the newcomer, who'd technically interrupted an official interrogation, a pregnant moment came and went before Tsukauchi swiftly snatched up his notebook and stomped over to the door Sakamoto had just entered through.
"Fine," the detective groused, gripping the doorknob tightly, "I suppose I have a few phone calls to make anyway."
With that, Tsukauchi not so much slammed the door behind him as closed it… forcefully. Sakamoto sighed. He hated stepping into police business before it was finished. But this had to be done sooner rather than later.
"Minoru Mineta, whether you know me or not is inconsequential," Sakamoto said, breaking the silence. Said teen hesitantly looked up at the figure that now, even suddenly sitting right in front of him, towered over him. "All you need to know is that my words are those of UA, and they are final."
Mineta gulped, a cold sweating breaking out across his small frame. Sakamoto reached down, and pulled out a manila envelope from seemingly nowhere. The innocuous package was placed on the table without fanfare.
"Minoru Mineta, you are hereby held to be in contempt of the tenants of UA's charter on multiple accounts," the lawyer began. The diminutive teen whimpered and closed his eyes. "You have been found to be guilty of numerous crimes and offenses that are all both debased and irreconcilable with the profession of Heroism. Due to these findings, and the proof thereof, you are forthwith expelled from UA High School."
At that moment, Mineta felt his heart stop. His dream of paradise cracked.
And the nightmare wasn't over yet.
"It is also the official decision of the Hero Association that you be banned from this point onward from ever pursuing the career colloquially known as Pro Hero-ing," Sakamoto continued. "You are of course free to appeal these decisions, but you are also encouraged to remember the repercussions of retaliatory litigation against the former and latter parties mentioned."
Now Mineta's dream not only cracked, but shattered.
He was no longer a hero-in-training.
He was… a nothing.
Sakamoto continued to speak for a time after that, but Mineta hardly heard a word. The diminutive teen had slipped into a waking coma, his mind unable to process what had just happened. He'd known he'd screwed up, gotten caught, but it had happened before.
This was the first time he'd actually faced real consequences for what he'd done.
His life was over…
Far away from the despondent midget, Kaminari and Sero could be found still out enjoying their respective dates. The two had been told early on that they were honestly rather shitty dates, however, instead of getting discouraged the duo had taken the critiques to heart. At that very moment in fact, the blond and noirette were being offered the chance for pointers on how to become men that women would actually be attracted to.
And as it meant the possibility for real dates in the future, the pair were more than eager to agree to the lessons.
One Day Before the Sports Festival, UA Main Campus, Principal's Office…
"I'm in trouble… aren't I…?"
What else could one Izuku Midoriya say as he stood before an assortment of men and women he could hardly look in the eye?
And what else could he say when those men and women were part of UA's School Board?
With the sinister nature of Cursed Blood, and how much trouble he'd been involved in since being accepted, the verdanette was surprised he hadn't been called before the Board before now. It had really only been an inevitability, especially with the Sports Festival right around the corner.
Trying to remain optimistic, as Tsu-chan had basically demanded of him—unless the worst actually did happen—Izuku did his best to suppress his darker worries. Who knew, maybe he was only going to be 'asked' to refrain from participating in the festival of his own free will?
Feeling the worry radiating from their master, boss, and big brother, the trio of zombie-girls that had followed Izuku to the meeting leveled crimson glares at the gathered adults.
"Not at all Midoriya-san!" Nezu chirped quickly, eager to dispel any notion that there was about to be a confrontation. The Quirked animal knew, whether they portrayed it or not, that the men and women sitting to either side of him were incredibly nervous under the blatantly hostile eyes of Izuku's partners. He wanted to defuse the situation before it became a self-fulfilling prophecy. "In fact, we called you here specifically to speak to you about how to handle your publicity situation and the media's constant harassment."
The easy assurance of the principal allowed Izuku to visibly relax. His partners… not so much.
"Indeed," One of the Board members said, the plaque in front of the large man reading 'Public Relations.' "The sad truth is that, while you've more than proved yourself to be an upstanding member of society, there are still those who would wish to vilify you and your Quirk."
There was a round of nods, a quiet unanimous agreement to the unfortunate statement. Izuku viciously squeezed down on the self-recrimination that tried to boil up from his stomach. Unlike in the past, he knew better now. He believed better now.
He was not what those vultures said he was.
"It also goes without saying that those interested parties will be keeping their eyes on you during the Sports Festival Midoriya-san," 'Public Relations' continued, looking hesitantly to his peers before turning back to Izuku. "And they will not hesitate to exaggerate any perceived misbehavior from your Quirk's… attachments for their own benefit."
"Oi!"
The Board seemed to move as one, each and every member flinching back from the growled shout.
"We're not just accessories the boss carries around for shits and giggles!" Saki snarled, voicing her displeasure at being labeled a mere attachment.
Before the blonde zombie-girl could really let loose on the geezers who'd insulted her and her sisters, Izuku turned and began to calm the delinquent down with an affectionate smile and head-pats.
The sight was sweet enough to give a person diabetes.
"Yes well… The real concern here is that, while the school's staff has been made well aware of the capabilities and… understood… behavior of your… creatures? …Minions?" The Board member with 'Security' stamped on her plaque trailed off as she stumbled over how to correctly label the zombie-girls in a way that wouldn't offend. "…Followers?"
An uncomfortable silence grew as the adults failed to brainstorm a solution to a problem that didn't need to exist.
"Um… Lily thinks 'friends' would be best…" Lily offered, pouting at the stupidity of the adults. The entire issue shouldn't have even mattered. "Big brother calls us 'partners' too…"
Tae gave a barely audible huff.
"Friends… right…" 'Security' said, clearly unconvinced but unwilling to waste time and goodwill on the matter. "Anyway, while the staff members aren't a concern, the fact of the matter is that many students, and the public at large, are either unaware of said capabilities or completely ignorant of their existence."
Izuku furrowed his brows. The green-haired teen wasn't quite sure what the connection was here.
"I'm sorry, I don't understand," the young necromancer said, fidgeting in place. The Board members seemed unsure how to continue, so he took the opportunity to speak. "What does people not knowing my Quirk have to do with the Sports Festival?"
The older woman sitting next to the pinkette marked 'Security' sighed and adjusted both of her horn-rimmed glasses. Steepling her hands behind her own plaque labeled 'Finances,' the Board member's two pairs of eyes bore into Izuku.
"Midoriya-san, UA's Sports Festival is the biggest event in Japan, arguably even this entire hemisphere," 'Finances' said completely without a hint of pride or arrogance, as if she spoke an undeniable truth. "It's greater purpose outside of entertainment is to serve as a vehicle of exposure. Students get publicity of course, but more importantly, the public, hero agencies, and support companies are given an unrestricted view of up-and-coming heroes."
'Finances' took a deep breath before sighing, a look of consternation weighing down her aged visage.
"However, we will not lie to you here," the elderly woman continued. "The festival is also a tool for UA to maintain its various sponsorships and, in the best of cases, attract new ones."
Izuku blinked, surprised he'd never considered such an angle before. It made sense though; an institution as vaunted as UA would without a doubt need vast amounts of support to keep operating at the level it was famous for. And while he was sure alumni donated when they could, the verdanette was also sure that not even All Might made enough to make too much of a dent in the academy's budget.
"Your Quirk poses a threat—"
"Haruno-san!"
For one so small, Nezu could be incredibly imposing when he wanted to be. The principal curtailed 'Haruno-san's' lack of tact without hardly moving a paw, but the middle-aged woman sat back as if slapped by someone with a strength enhancing Quirk.
"You may be new to your position," Nezu chastised, glaring at the Board member with a venomous look, "But I will not forgive any of my students being mistreated!"
Tae's low growling did wonders for driving the principal's point home to those who might've otherwise internally scoffed at the Quirked animal's words. There were no objections to the reprimand.
"I… apologize…" Haruno said, the pinkette's tone in no way expressing remorse. "I only meant to get to the point. It wasn't my… intention to hurt anyone's tender sensibilities."
Izuku leaned back and calmed his undead partners before their hackles could even fully rise up from the thinly veiled insult. The verdanette did have to wonder, as he gave out head-pats, just how such a person as this Haruno woman could make it onto the Board. Then again, if he hadn't even considered UA sponsors existing, there was probably all sorts of business the academy dealt with that he probably hadn't even conceive of yet.
"How is my Quirk a threat?" The young necromancer asked once he'd gotten Tae and Saki relaxed. Lily, instead of being on the verge of an outburst like her sisters, was instead getting teary eyed. That required a hug, which Izuku was more than happy to give.
What he wasn't happy about was the silence that answered his rather simple question. When none of the Board members spoke up after a handful of minutes, Izuku turned to 'Finance.' The elderly woman looked away in shame.
"Midoriya-san…" 'Public Relations' finally broke the quiet, mirroring 'Finance,' "There are some sponsors that are… Quirkists…"
It was like a Band-Aid being ripped off, the realization catching Izuku in the chest with a painful sting. So that was why he'd been called here.
"Your Quirk is without question powerful," 'Public Relations' pushed on, still unable to look at the young necromancer in front of him. "But not many know its true nature as a Mutant-type. This will undoubtedly be revealed during the course of the Sports Festival. And with your allies…"
The large Board member hesitated again, his size belaying his soft heart. Unwilling to allow this meeting to drag on, Haruno gave a grunt loud enough to gain herself the attention of the room.
"There will be accusations of foul play if you participate with all your… friends… and win any of the stages of the festival," the pinkette laid out bluntly, "Even if one of them is… less than present, it would still be lambasted as unfair external aid. And that doesn't even begin to address the matter my peers seem to find too distasteful to speak on."
Izuku failed to suppress an eye-twitch at the thinly veiled disgust tainting Haruno words.
"Principal Nezu…" Izuku said, deciding it would be better for his health to just ignore the others in the room. "How does all this affect my participation? Am I being asked to drop from the Sports Festival?"
At first, the Quirked animal didn't answer. Locking eyes with the principal, the young necromancer realized it was because Nezu was doing his best not to lose control of the frustration and shame that were leaking out behind his beady black gaze.
It had been an impossible decision, and still Nezu hated himself for being unable to escape making it. The situation had just been too delicate, too last minute, and his influence just not strong enough in the correct areas, to allow for any other outcome, even with High Spec.
Midoriya's numerous victories, small as they were, had finally caught up to him and had gained the attention of agencies across the board, hero and support oriented alike.
At first it had just been the mid-level support company that UA contracted out incoming freshmen's hero suits to. When the young hero-in-training had gone to another student, one Mei Hatsume, to not only upgrade their original work, but to also build and patent a new ballistic material the two had invented together to use in said upgrades, the contractor had threatened to sue.
Then the Bioterrorism Security Assessment Alliance, or BSAA as it was known internationally, had caught wind of the more… undead aspect of Midoriya's Quirk. The organization had attempted to claim all three zombies through official channels numerous times, stating only that the girl's MIGHT be infectious as the single support to their demands.
And just the other week a small religious group, as rare as religion was in this day and age, had contacted UA condemning the academy for aid and abetting 'the Devil's Agent.' When the group's imbecilic letters had gone unanswered, call had been made that openly threatened protest and boycotting unless the 'undead abominations' were destroyed.
All of these separate incidents had been squashed, quieted, or ignored handedly thanks in no small part to Nezu's careful administration. They were, however, a stark reminder on just how staunch opposition to so-called 'Dark Quirks' would always face.
"Had the petition been submitted earlier, as it should have…" Nezu said, emphasizing exactly how unhappy he was about the whole ordeal, "then we could've worked out at least a fair compromise…"
The Quirked animal lightly bowed his head to Izuku, shocking all present.
"Midoriya-san, it is to my shame that such a deal could not be made," Nezu apologized. Unwilling to allow the Board a chance to speak and attempt to cover their asses, the principal pushed on without missing a beat. "However, we cannot ask you to absent yourself from such an important event. Instead, I must ask that you register your partners as 'special gear.' This means that their participation in the Sports Festival will be heavily restricted, but thankfully not entirely forbidden."
Izuku accepted the polite demand with aplomb, only exchanging glances with his three partners. Saki and Lily shrugged, although neither looked too happy with the decision.
Tae stared into the infinite, as she was prone to do.
"The final agreement hasn't been finalized yet," Nezu finished, sounding personally hurt at the idea he was party to handicapping such a prodigious student. "However you should be prepared for only being allowed a single supporter for only one event. Luckily, if you wish to file a complaint—"
"I understand," Izuku interrupted softly, earning a number of scandalized stares. "I'll just need to shine without my Quirk then."
Nezu winced at the sarcasm seething beneath the serene tone of his green-haired student. The Quirked animal hoped that his standing with the young necromancer hadn't just been irreparably damaged.
The rest of the meeting was spent under a miasma of sinister tension. Izuku, hurt by the treatment his partners were being forced to suffer, and his three partners, who took offense to their master, boss, big brother being considered a danger, made no effort to relieve the pressure building between them and the Board.
After the meeting came to a close, and the viridian hero-in-training and various Board members had departed, Nezu stayed behind.
"I swear to you Midoriya-kun," Nezu vowed to the empty chamber, "That I will do my damnedest to make sure that you never suffer such discrimination again."
The meeting room's auto-light timed out, throwing the principal into pitch darkness. It was an adequate metaphor for his mood.
"And I swear to change UA's sponsors after this. At the very least, I think it's about time to wrest some influence away from those pests."
The Opening Day of the Sports Festival, First Year Competition, UA Sports Festival Stadium…
It had taken a monumental logistical force, nearly a whole prefecture worth of extra Pro Hero security, and more than a few public relations miracles, but the first day of UA High School's Sports Festival had kicked off with a whirlwind of activity that would one day make the history books. Japan's greatest event had begun just as intended.
Scattered throughout the stadium were food stands and memorabilia shops, many operated by recent Business and Support Course graduates, that gave all attendees an opportunity to grab snacks and knickknacks before the real fun began. A generally lighthearted and jovial mood pervaded the air as the massive screens mounted on the stadium's walls counted down.
Everyone important for the festival's success was happy.
Unfortunately for one Izuku Midoriya, he learned that day that 'everyone important' didn't necessarily mean the students.
As he stood in the waiting room for Class 1-A, the young necromancer was, in a word, upset. After signing the 'request' for 'special gear' that morning, the verdanette had learned exactly how bad the odds were going to be stacked against him; for the entirety of the first two events, he would be unable to utilize his partners at all, and if he made it to the third, he would have to switch partners every round.
It didn't take a lot of his prodigious brainpower to catch on that those putting pressure on the Board and the principal didn't expect him to do very well on his own.
Izuku felt he should've been angrier than he actually was, but that might've had something to do with the fact that he wasn't the only competitor who'd had undue restrictions levied against them.
A number of his classmates from 1-A, and even those from the other Hero class and other courses, had been forced to sign 'requests' like him, even though none were quite so severe. Sato was being limited to only two doses of ten grams of sugar total for the first two events. Koda could take an animal with him into the first two events, but only one that could fit in his hands. Kuroiro had been outright denied his petition for a vantablack coated cloak unless he made it to the third event.
Conversely, Aoyama had been allowed his belt, no restrictions at all.
Those affected had wanted to cry foul but…
"This is so unfair…" Izuku mumbled, smiling sadly as he was given a gentle pat on the back. "They're not even trying to be impartial."
Tsuyu came around from behind the verdanette and hugged herself to him in a show of open affection. Izuku hugged back instinctively.
"You should've told Mom about his, kero," the frog-girl chided, the love and support suffusing her voice softening the bite of her words. "You know she would've gladly eviscerated those assholes who demanded this."
The young necromancer was fairly certain that the Asui Matriarch wouldn't have just metaphorically 'eviscerated' the Quirkists responsible if given the chance. The thought made the verdanette chuckle.
"To separate you from your partners, the manifestation of your formidable darkness…" Fumikage groused, joining the couple to show his support of his friend. "It is akin to cleaving your very body in twain!"
The declaration, over-the-top though it was, brought tears of happiness to Izuku's eyes. The hero-in-training couldn't explain how… good… it felt to be understood. And by those he could call friends no less!
Far off and many stories above him, Izuku could feel Tae, Lily, and Saki's worry for him slightly ease as his roiling emotions began to balance out. The young necromancer could tell his partners were glad that he wasn't alone during this difficult time.
"You know…" Kyouka drawled as she came up and leaned against Fumikage's side, slapping a hand on Izuku's shoulder at the same time, "Wouldn't it be rad if you won this whole shindig even with that handicap of yours?"
The scales of Izuku's emotions swung fully into joy. The undying support of his girlfriend, friends, and family was making his life feel brighter… and much easier to deal with.
"Hey! Hey! Izuchi! Izuchi!"
With no warning, Mei Hatsume appeared in 1-A's prep room, the pinkette's bad habit of invading Izuku's personal space causing Tsuyu to tighten her hold on her boyfriend protectively. "Where's Blondie?! I need her to look at my gear before the competition starts!"
Normally, this would've sounded like an odd request, especially coming from the Support Course's Pink Demon. But as it turned out, Saki's Quirk, Gearhead, had been just what the mad scientist had ordered.
The blonde delinquent was able to completely understand the analogical details of any machinery she touched. She could find flaws no matter how small, and could pinpoint areas of improvement in seconds. These abilities had come to light when Saki had first been taken to Mei's workshop and had started listing weaknesses in the inventor's work as she picked up the pinkette's 'babies' one by one.
After four hours of being inundated by the pinkette's inventions, the zombie-girl had thrown herself out of the Support Course's wing of UA. That hadn't stopped Power Loader from asking Izuku if the delinquent could swing by his development classes in her free time though.
But none of that mattered at the moment, because Izuku didn't even get a chance to reply to his overzealous friend before the Sports Festival's opening ceremony had begun.
Same Time, UA Sports Festival Stadium, First Year's Box Seats…
"Will Izu-nii be alright on his own?" Lily asked, uncomfortable being so far away from her big brother. The littlest zombie was full of worry and aching for a reassuring head-pat, but the entire seating area around the three undead was empty. "Lily doesn't like that Izu-nii's alone."
"GaAh!"
Tae's sudden grunt gained the frayed attention of her younger sisters. Saki snorted in response.
"Of course he isn't alone!" The rebellious zombie-girl seconded, arms crossed with a savage grin plastered across her face. "Besides, the boss is too much of a badass to be stopped by a couple of greedy old farts who don't know shit."
Down below, the 18+ Heroine Midnight had taken the stage. The already hyped cheers of the crowd rose in volume, appreciation for the risqué pro lighting a fire under many. Saki squinted, still having that lingering feeling that the voluptuous ravenette looked familiar; as if she had seen here before attending UA, but as someone else.
The delinquent's thoughts were pulled away as the pulsing music that had been vibrating her ribcage suddenly ceased.
"WHAT'S UP PEOPLE?! IT'S TIME TO KICK THIS FESTIVAL INTO GEAR! CAN I GET A YEAAAAAAAAHHHH!"
The amplified voice of the Pro Hero Present Mic belted out from the stadium's speakers, whipping the crowd into an even crazier frenzy.
"ALRIGHT! LET'S NOT WASTE ANY TIME THEN!" The Voice Hero screamed with a flourish. "THEY'RE THE HEROIC SENSATION THAT'S ENRAPTURED THE NATION! THEY'VE ALREADY SURVIVED A VILLAIN ATTACK AND SHOW NO SIGN OF SLOWING DOWN! IT'S CLASS 1-A!"
As the young heroes-in-training took the field, Tae continued to stare unblinkingly at Izuku. The eldest zombie-girl's face remained impassive, seemingly dead eyes failing to convey the depth of feeling transmitting through their bond. While the young necromancer was getting better, any extra cheering up he could have he deserved.
Izuku jerked his gaze upward, locking eyes with his oldest partner.
A single smile. Thankfulness and fondness flowed freely. A sense of empowerment filled the partners. Distance and physical separation meant nothing in the face of their bond.
For a certain other trio one section over, however, all was not well. These three were doing their upmost best to not fuck up their latest assignment.
"There they are!" A redheaded woman hissed, peeking out from her cover—designed to look like a janitorial service cart—at the three undead girls. "Just as the informant said; no supervision, and no leash. If those things had the slightest provocation…"
To any onlooker, the woman was just a suspicious janitor glaring at a group of girls. Only a single armband, emblazoned with the letters QRA, revealed her true affiliations as an agent in disguise. An agent, much to her frustration, that had failed to acquire a sample of undead flesh not too long ago.
"Such blatant disregard for public safety is the most unsightly example of negligence imaginable!" A man with shoulder length periwinkle hair added with a disturbing smile. Images of a fat paycheck floated before his eyes. "It is our public duty to protect the world from such troubles! Nightmarish monsters like those could go feral at any moment."
The man was dressed like his partner, as a simple janitor with an armband on the opposite arm, and his motivation was similar to the woman's as well. The humiliation he'd endured recently demanded repayment, and a resounding success here would wipe away the memory of serving as the division's clown very nicely.
"Musashi! Kojiro!"
The high pitched and scratchy voice calling their names snapped both agents from their thoughts. A diminutive figure stood between the two, no taller than four feet flat, frowning in disappointment. "Remember. We are only cleared to watch and wait. Intervention comes only when strictly necessary. You two better not cause any further problems for the boss, got it? Nya!"
The third wheel to the group of agents at first glance appeared to be a pre-teen boy. This was unfortunate, as the man was decidedly not that young, and hated being reminded of such. Mutant genetics had kept his face young though, as well as granted him feline features such as cat ears that poked out of short cut teal hair and a tail.
Correction. At first glance, the veteran agent looked like a pre-teen cosplayer.
"No need to remind us Nyanta-senpai," Musashi grumbled, petulant that she'd been scolded. "We're well aware of our standing in this situation."
"Don't worry, we weren't planning on doing anything stupid," Kojiro added, doing his best not to gulp under the sharp golden-eyed glare of his superior. "Jumping the gun isn't even our style!"
Nyanta narrowed his eyes at the pair of rowdy agents he'd been stuck with, not for the first time cursing the Persian bitch that had seduced his boss and had had him sent away to babysit these idiots. The veteran's glowering might've looked more intimidating if he hadn't been wearing an adorable looking hoodie with denim shorts and a child's pair of sneakers.
"Then tell me why you're packing reinforced nets and four pairs of bolas," Nyanta demanded, not asked, as he pointed at the sack laying open at the duo's feet. "You two understand how that looks… right? Nya."
Musashi nudged the sack until its opening was covered by excess material.
"We're just being cautious!" The redhead defended, "Preparing for an eventuality doesn't mean we're planning on forcing it."
"That's right!" Kojiro said, perhaps a little too fast. "It's not like we're going to strike first unprovoked or anything!"
Again, Nyanta cursed that damn Persian bitch. Standing a woman up one time in Paris should not result in torture like this! It hadn't even been his fault he'd forgotten his promise to meet her at that hotel. He'd gotten… distracted… by a lovely Egyptian wench. The same one that had put that golden ring on his finger.
That last thought brought with it a familiar heat to the veteran's cheeks… and then the catboy—man—noticed that his entire body was heating up.
What the—?
"Move."
The trio of QRA agents nearly jumped out of their skin. Turning as one, the three came face to face with none other than the Number Two Hero, Endeavor.
The Flame Hero, best known for his harsh attitude, paid the trash in his way no mind. The ironically cold man had his eyes laser-focused on the upcoming festival events, his thoughts divided between two fronts today.
On one hand, his current masterpiece was set to make its first public appearance, and its most important first impression, as a hero-in-training. On the other, his current target was about to be pushed until it revealed whatever its true capabilities were.
He'd know, he'd made sure of it.
As Present Mic belted out the remaining courses and first year students filed onto the field, Endeavor had no idea that his eyes were not the only ones to settle upon the young necromancer. For many, the wait was over.
The truth of Cursed Blood was about to be revealed.
Magnus: Expect more Bakugo in the future. The path to redemption is long and full of holes. But don't hold your breath for Mineta.
The 0bservanc3: Next up, Round 1! For reals this time.
Omake – Delivery Report
One of the perks of my job is that, when the rare opportunity appears, I can enjoy a bit of revenge. Sometimes it's a petty thing, other times it's well deserved vindication. But, it's always fulfilling to watch haughty villains and criminals suffer some karmic retribution.
"Agent Sato."
I call out the code name of the man in front of me, a Spook if I'd ever seen one. Sometimes I wonder if the naming convention truly is actually all about keeping anonymity, or if it's some type of joke.
The living mountain in front of me turns in my direction. The guy fit the bill of a classic Austrian body builder so perfectly it was almost stereotypical. But I didn't have room to talk, our own Agent Smith has long since checked all the boxes of the quintessential Japanese beauty.
"I have… questions about your last mission. Of course, this is just a formality. We all understand that the mission was a success, but a couple of blanks still need to be filled."
Agent Sato gave curt nod in response. I'd heard many of my coworkers call the solemn response intimidating, but after dealing with Smith's antics more than any sane man should have to, the man's coolness was actually appreciated.
"The first and most important question: Did the package arrive at the gates of VOID HELL prison?"
"Yes."
A simple answer. I scratched down a note. Placing my pen aside, I breathed a sigh of relief and began to relaxed.
That had been my job for the day. Ask a question, and more than likely get a monosyllabic answer. Easy.
Now for the part that most others couldn't handle.
"Off the record… Was it really necessary to kill all seventeen of the package's attackers?"
Seeing Agent Sato raise a brow at my question actually gave me goosebumps. I'd never gotten that response before, but perhaps it was warranted?
The Spook had reported killing seventeen villains on this mission alone, a particularly high count for a new resident of VOID HELL. It wasn't that the attacks hadn't been expected, just not in that quantity.
And far as I knew, Agent Sato either hadn't made use of his Quirk, or more likely, was Quirkless.
"Don't get me wrong, we couldn't accuse you of anything if we tried. It's just that… if one had been captured, we could've held a real gold mine of an interrogation."
"Of course you could have. You just got your hands on the most powerful truth serum in existence."
I nearly flinch. That was not a monosyllabic answer.
And it pricked at my conscience.
Midoriya's Quirk was already well known among the Spooks. He'd been earmarked before he even finished his first year at UA.
Sometimes I feel an itch to tell the poor boy about what joining such characters will do to his life. Call it biased, but the scuttlebutt about a Spook's life sounds like something no child deserves.
And then I have to hold back from smacking myself in the face as I remember that my country is already making Midoriya's life miserable.
"I had every intention of leaving the last one for you. As a gift. But then she decided to kill herself."
I don't know which is scarier, that the Spook can speak of death and murder like they're ingredients in a cake recipe, or that his accent made it impossible to tell his nationality. Remembering the crime scene photos of the attackers, I had to wonder…
Was Agent Sato just numb to the horrors of the level of carnage he could create… or did he enjoy his work?
"Were any of the attackers attempting to rescue the Trinity Raven?"
"No."
Back to monosyllabic answers. Some might've seen that as a good thing.
"Are you sure?"
I hated asking that question. You don't question Spooks like that. You especially don't question Spooks like that when you had pictures of mauled-to-death villains back at the office on your desk.
Villains that the man you'd just questioned had dealt with… with his bare hands.
"Yes. A few even managed to put a couple rounds in the Raven's chest. The kid's blood sure is powerful."
I sighed at that statement. Of course they'd managed to shoot Ikaruga. Even a Spook, if alone, would've had trouble dealing with snipers.
It was a good thing imagining the Trinity Raven bemoaning her survival, knowing she'd only be thrown into VOID HELL for her trouble regardless, made this all worthwhile.
"Even so, in spite of the obstacles, the package arrived safe and alive, so the mission was a success. Japan thanks you for removing another such hazard from its soil."
I had technically finished the session at that point, but there was something I wanted… needed to know before Agent Sato left and I probably never saw him ever again.
By the way the Spook remained stationary and silent, I knew he'd guessed I had something I'd wanted to ask.
"One last question, if you would? Off the records, of course."
Agent Sato nodded in his solemn way, as if he already knew what my question, personal as it was, was going to be. It felt kind of flattering to be taken so seriously.
"There, at the gates of oblivion… did she suffer?"
I watched as the Spook's lips curved into the faintest of smiles, flat eyes looking back at a pleasant memory. A smile had never terrified me so deeply… and I'd seen the King of the Underworld up close and personal.
"I watched as the Raven's eyes returned to normal just as the gates began to close upon her. I saw her spirit, her very soul, come back to her and instantly break as the kid's blood finally burned out and stopped giving her strength…"
I couldn't breath. The Spook's voice was hypnotic.
"She looked back then, probably to see if the kid had come to see her off. She began to cry when she realized there was only me."
I could almost imagine the scene. That once arrogant monster being reduced to a whimpering mess would've been sublime to see in person. As sick as it might have sounded, the image managed to warm my heart.
"Unfortunately, the gates closed before I could hear her scream."
Well, you can't have everything…
As I parted ways with the Spook known as Agent Sato, I could only smile. This was a momentous occasion, something that needed to be celebrated!
It looked like I'd be visiting The Garden again tonight.
Not that I imagined I'd be facing too much resistance.