I am so sorry I've been so late! I finished a draft for this chapter weeks ago...
But my Parents got fevers and quarrantined themselves and we had to wait a week before they went to get their Covid tests and we got the results. Thank fully they tested negative.
But that really put a crazy stop to my explosion of writing, haha.
Plus, I started writing freelance articles! I mean, it was only one, but still. Plus, it was through a friend, and I sort of want to shoot out on my own. Does anyone here know any freelancing websites that have a wide range of writing jobs? Like articles and such.
Anyway, THANK YOU ALL FOR COMMENTING AND KUDOS-ING! AND STAYING HERE AFTER SUCH A LONG WHILE. LOVE YOU.
(As always, constructive criticism is welcome.)

"Are you okay?"

Flickering eyes. Distracted smile.

"Oh? Er, yeah, Quirky. Sorry. I thought I saw one of your fans, ha!"

Izuku breathed in raggedly.

Daisuke.

He had lied.

He had lied, and Izuku had known it and yet-

And yet.

Izuku had let him go.

"Are you okay?"

He hadn't been.

"Oh? Er, yeah, Quirky."

He hadn't been okay. And it was all Izuku's fault.

"I thought I saw one of your fans, ha!"

One of his fans… Izuku shuddered. Daisuke had probably seen someone aiming for him, and then stupidly stopped them. Because Daisuke was a hero.

He was a hero and one of the best people Izuku had met and now-

He sobbed.

And now he was gone.

"Izuku…?" A soft voice pushed past the door, never entering, but a hesitant worry that clashed against Izuku's guilt.

"Go away," He mumbled, burrowing deeper into his pillow, mind drowning in memories of Daisuke and the blame that came with them.

Inko, on the other side of the door, sighed heavily and stepped back, the plate of food in her hands going cold. Izuku had shut himself in his room for nearly two days now. He was barely eating. He spent the entire time huddled under a dark blanket, sniffing.

Usually, Inko would have pushed in anyway, and grabbed her son in a hug. She had tried the first day. But even that had served no purpose. Izuku had just cried harder, sniffed more, and mumbled out, "Daisuke- Daisuke-san is gone!"

And then he'd begun to cry again.

Inko swallowed.

She'd known Daisuke for less than a month, and known about him for just a few more, but…

But Izuku had bloomed under him. He had started to smile more. He came home from school happier. He looked as if a weight had dropped off his shoulders.

Inko loved Daisuke for that. And so, hearing that he was gone hurt her with a ferocity she hadn't even felt when Hisashi had left for America indefinitely. She could only imagine what Izuku was feeling.

She swallowed. What was she supposed to do? She'd felt helpless her entire life, never more so concerning Izuku.

But now…

At least now- no, especially now, she didn't want to disappoint her son. Not like she had when they'd found out he was quirkless.

She steeled herself and pulled up her phone. She didn't know what to do for Izuku, but she did know who to call. And if he were half the hero Izuku held him up to be, he would say something.

Accepting random calls from the public wasn't in Tensei's usual routine. It was definitely not routine when he was running ragged and on the verge of shutting down.

But when NomNom rushed in with an uncharacteristically solemn look and a mouthed 'Quirky's Mom,' he didn't hesitate.

"Er, good afternoon." He cleared his throat. "This is Ingenium."

The woman on the other end of the phone inhaled sharply. "Go- good afternoon, Ingenium-san," She answered in a soft tone that reminded Tensei of the warm summer afternoons he spent as a child with his grandmother. "… My name is Midoriya Inko, and I'm calling about my son."

Tensei snapped to attention. Quirky. "Is something wrong?" He asked, voice only barely under control. He'd promised Mirio he'd search for Daisuke, and the poor kid was already weighing on his conscience, but if something happened to Quirky-

Quirky's mother sighed. "He's… He's still here, but-" She swallowed, the sound crackling through the receiver. "His friend was reported missing, and I think Izuku might be blaming himself." She sniffed. "I'm sorry for taking- taking up your time, but I just…"

Tensei forced himself to relax. Why the hell would Quirky be blaming himself for Daisuke's disappearance? He knew that the kid had been receiving computer lessons from him since a bit after the whole cyberbullying fiasco (his blood had spectacularly boiled when he'd learnt of that, no joke), but why one earth would Quirky blame himself for some villain kidnapping Daisuke. He frowned. "Why does Quir- er, Midoriya-kun think this is his fault?"

Midoriya Inko huffed. "I don't know," She admitted. "Daisuke-kun and Izuku parted on great terms when he left our house after their last lesson, but two days ago, Izuku just called Mirio-kun and shut himself into his room."

Tensei's blood ran cold, his hand gripping onto the receiver much too tightly. "When did they hold their last lesson, Miss Midoriya?"

The other line grew quieter as if sensing the shift in tension. "Um… five days ago?"

Oh, damn. "Miss Midoriya," Tensei said with control he did not possess. "I must go. There has been a break in Daisuke-kun's case that we must follow."

"Oh, uh, of course. I'm so sorry for taking up your time."

Tensei exhaled lightly. "It was no problem. I will be getting back to you, ma'am. Thank you for contacting me. Goodbye." He clicked the phone shut and waiting, breathing once, twice, three times.

The excess energy in his body washed out, slowly.

He pursed his lips.

This was worse than Daisuke being kidnapped for random villain purposes they hadn't yet recognized.

"Metal!" He shouted, and the door flung open, his intern peering in carefully, NomNom at his side.

"Yes, Boss?"

"Inform the police that they should look at another angle concerning the kidnapping case." He grit his teeth. "Look for those who tried to access Quirky's account on Herotube, and villains who may be looking for him."

Metalwork's eyes grew wide. "You think they were after Quirky?"

NomNom frowned. "Why would they be after him? He's just-"

Tensei glared sharply. "A quirk analyst. Yeah. One whose analyses helped me capture actual villains. Why wouldn't they want to kidnap the kid?"

His co-workers flinched.

Tensei sighed. "Look, I'm sorry. Could you please just…?"

"Yeah, Boss."

"On it," Metalwork nodded.

"Thank you," Tensei said, falling back into his chair as soon as the two left. This was turning out to be a bigger mess than he had anticipated. He should have thought of it when he first stumbled over Quirky and his hidden talents. He should have thought of it when Quirky decided not to go public, citing the same reasons that were just now at the forefront of his mind.

He slammed his hand on his table, and the papers on the edge of it fluttered to the ground. Tensei couldn't be bothered to care.

This time, when the phone rang, it was his personal cell. He gave it a glance and frowned, because why would Mirio be calling? Tensei had told him he would inform him as soon as there were any updates on Daisuke's case, and Mirio hadn't called him once in the past five days, so why would he choose to now?

"Good Afternoon," He answered tightly.

Mirio's voice was just as tense. "Ingenium-san, I think Daisuke's abduction was worse than we think."

Tensei narrowed his eyes. "Quirky's involved."

There was a sharp intake of breath on the other side of the call. "How did you- Never mind." Mirio cleared his throat. "Dai gave my number to Izuku – that's Quirky's real name – and he called me up after Dai didn't arrive at their planned lesson. He didn't take it well, but especially not after I told him when he was reported missing."

"His mother just called," Tensei told him. "She said he blamed himself."

Mirio hissed. "Damn it!" He swore. "That's the thing, Ingenium-san," He continued. "Do you know of the huge order Izuku was commissioned?"

"The two hundred something profiles?"

"Yeah. It was Principal Nezu who did it, and he apparently loaded up these huge firewalls on Izuku's account right after he talked with, so the villains who were probably after him couldn't bypass them, and…" He hesitated. "They probably stumbled onto Daisuke's account and followed him."

Tensei closed his eyes and slumped back into his chair. "And thought he was Quirky."

"Or something." Mirio agreed.

"And now the real Quirky is beating himself over the fact that Daisuke-kun possibly got abducted because of him."

Mirio shuffled. "Do you… Do you think I should visit him? Quirky? I don't know if…" He sighed. "Dai probably wouldn't want him to blame himself."

Midoriya Inko's trembling words flashed by his mind. He swept a hand through his hair and sighed. "… I'll ask Midoriya-san for their address and pick you up as soon as I'm off duty."

"Okay," Mirio said. "Thank you, Ingenium-san!"

Tensei chuckled. "Call me Tensei, Mirio." And with a final goodbye, he hung up.