Another week passed before Izuku finally heard about the dead hero. The police kept it quiet while they investigated, not wanting to start a panic. They were blaming the villain for Ignition's death. The villain in question was still unidentified beyond a basic physical description. The fight apparently started because a civilian refused to serve her at a street cart. A hero patrol, consisting of Figaro and Ignition, happened by during the argument and sided with the worker.
It was a relief to not have to worry about it. Though he did feel bad that someone else was blamed. At least she wasn't innocent. He did still want to track her down but she was understandably illusive for the time being.
At the same time, the HeroTuber vigilante, Stain finally replied to Izuku's messages. The man was paranoid and refused to talk online. That was probably a good policy but it was frustrating. Tomura refused to let the greenette go alone until he was better at using the kusarigama but that was exactly what the vigilante wanted. So, for now, that plan was shelved.
Then there was the business with UA and All-Might. That gave Izuku stress migraines. After researching the teachers as much as possible he concluded that any plan executed on campus would fail, nomu or not. It was now the second week of February, giving him only eight weeks to convince Tomura to ignore Sensei's demands. No easy feat when All-Might was involved.
That was why he was currently digging up every obscure scrap of information he could find on All-Might. He'd researched him before, but with no goal in mind. Now he was hunting for a civilian identity. His appearance was distinct, meaning that people would have seen him wandering around residential neighborhoods where he might live. Izuku was searching under the assumption that the man could change his appearance in some way.
With that in mind, he was currently going through old UA sports festivals. His age and school weren't public knowledge but based on how long he'd been an active hero, Izuku was estimating late thirties or early forties. And in an early interview he used the school motto, Plus Ultra. It was only once that Izuku could tell, but it was enough. The problem was not knowing his age. When the blonde hero first debuted he was in his late teens or early twenties. That still left a few years worth of footage he had to watch.
He was noting down every blonde haired and blue eyed student he could see who had a strength related quirk. There were several, owing to UA's international popularity and immigrants to Japan. If he couldn't find anything from that, he'd move on to everyone with a strength quirk. It was an exhausting venture.
While combing through the videos he realized something. There were three years worth of footage missing. Everything he read claimed that an equipment malfunction corrupted that year's files. On a hunch, he wrote down the dates and exited his room in search of Tomura.
The man wasn't in the apartment, so he made his way down to the bar. It was crowded for a Thursday evening, most of the tables full. Dabi was actually helping Kurogiri behind the bar to keep up with orders. Both men greeted him when he approached.
"Izuku-san, what can I do for you?" The shadowy man was multitasking quite easily while he spoke.
The greenette still opted to make it quick. "Is Tomura here?"
"He's in a meeting." He nodded towards a back room near the restrooms. "I'll let him know you need him once he's done."
Nodding, relieved the pale man wasn't out, he retreated after bidding them goodbye. He was turning to make his way back to the apartment when something caught his attention. A person sat in a back corner facing the entrance, beer in hand, and a large, canvas-wrapped, object leaning against the wall next to them. It was the villain who killed Figaro.
Excitement thrummed through Izuku. At last, something was going right in his plans! Adjusting course, he approached the table, beaming at her brightly. If she didn't have sunglasses on it might have blinded her.
Confused wariness crossed her features as she took in his appearance. "Aren't you a bit young to be in here, kid?"
The familiar slight about his height and age couldn't dim his determination. "I need to talk to you. It's about something that happened two weeks ago."
Tension coiled in her frame and he saw her hand twitch towards the wrapped object. Realizing how his words must have sounded, he 'eeped' and waved his hands in a wild placating gesture. "It's nothing bad!" He leaned forward and lowered his voice to a murmur. The chatter of other patrons kept the words private. "Ignition's swan dive off the roof was interesting to watch."
That caught her interest, head tilting to the side. "... Got anywhere we can talk, kid?"
Izuku had to repress a cheer. He needed to make a good impression for recruitment and so she'd tell him about her quirk. Nodding, he gestured for her to follow him back to the bar. The other two paused to stare quizzically when he walked behind the counter to lead her into a back room, but didn't stop them.
There was a break room that had furniture and snacks beyond just alcohol and pretzels. It was mostly used for storage but Kurogiri was contemplating the idea of hiring employees so they wouldn't have to close down if he was busy with villainy. Waving her into a chair, he fetched bottled water for them both. Once they were settled, he began.
"I'm the one who killed Ignition. I was on a roof watching your fight and he tried grabbing me to drag me away. He was also incredibly rude. So, I threw him over the edge. I hate fake heroes." The explanation was concise and blunt.
It seemed to shock her for a moment, mouth open but no sound escaping. After a moment she frowned but nodded. "So do I. Do you follow Stain, too?" Her tone was still cautious but she was warming up to the conversation.
Izuku hummed and made a wavery 50/50 gesture with a hand. "Yes and no. He has some good ideas. But he's only going after the symptom, not the cause, of bad heroes. His definition of 'bad' is also unrealistic. If he truly wanted to make a difference he'd target the Hero Commission."
The woman leaned forward despite herself, elbows on her knees. "Why is that? It seems like killing the problem heroes is a good thing."
He paused to take a drink before explaining. "That's true, but not the entire story. It's the HPSC ranking system that forces heroes into popularity contests instead of saving people. It's their coverups keeping the public from judging heroes by their bad actions. It's their training standards that allow unsuitable hero candidates to get licenses. The only cure for this society is to dismantle and rebuild the Commission into the beacon of integrity it's supposed to be."
After his little speech he was embarrassed, those were usually Tomura's thing. But it seemed to work. A couple minutes after mulling it over she nodded and cracked a smile. "Alright kid, what's your plan?"
Rubbing the back of his neck, Izuku shrugged sheepishly. "For now we're just gathering support. In the meantime we're working on getting rid of the worst offenders. Once we have enough people we'll make a power move to shake public confidence in the Commission."
She sat up and cracked her knuckles menacingly. "As long as I'm killing fake heroes I don't mind waiting." A chuckle escaped her after a moment. "Call me Magne. What's your name?"
The greenette's bright smile made a comeback. "Izuku. Do you have a phone, so we can stay in contact? Also, do you need a job? Being a fugitive probably isn't the best for getting food and a place to stay."
The last question stumped her mid reaching for her phone. She shot him a strange look. "... Yeah, I could use one. I'm laying low in a half finished housing complex, but they'll start working on it again in spring."
Looking thoughtful, Izuku absently brought up his number on the phone so she could copy it to her contacts. "Let me talk to Kurogiri. All the apartments are full, but there's a college kid in one who's probably going to get evicted soon for late rent. He could also use help in the bar."
After exchanging numbers and promising to keep in touch Magne left. The greenette stayed in the break room, lost in thought. That was where Dabi found him a few minutes later.
"Was that the chick you wanted us to watch for?" He invited himself to plop down beside Izuku, draping an arm along the back of the couch. "Oh, and Tomura stormed off. I just got done cleaning blood stains and ash out of the meeting room, so I'm guessing it didn't go well."
A disappointed sigh rushed out at that. He'd needed the man's computer skills. "Yeah, that was Magne. She's the one who took out Figaro. She's interested in joining us, but needs stable housing and a job first."
The man chuckled. "Found another stray? Replacing me already?" It was said in a teasing tone.
Izuku missed that fact in the rush of dismay he felt. "No, never! I like you too much to ever replace you!"
The vehemence behind the words surprised both of them. A deep blush warmed the greenette's face and Dabi looked shocked. They spent a few seconds staring at each other, Izuku wishing the floor would open to swallow him. Hopefully the man took it to mean as a friend, even if it very much wasn't.
Finally, a small, soft, smile quirked the man's lips. "I like you a lot, Tomura too, you know. I don't say sappy shit often, but I'm glad we met."
Fingers threaded through his hair and kneaded his scalp briefly. Izuku closed his eyes and leaned into it. Dabi eventually spoke again, changing the subject. "Why were you looking for Tomura, anyway? I don't think I've seen you in the bar this late before."
"Hmm? Oh, I need him to hack into UA, if he can. There are three years worth of sports festival footage missing. I think it has to do with All-Might and when he was in school."
Icy blue eyes narrowed in thought. "You know, my dad once pitched a bitch fit because he couldn't find video of his performance at the festival…"
They exchanged a look of realization. "Do you think he still has his yearbooks?" Izuku sounded hopeful.
"I mean, the guy's a sociopathic narcissist. So, probably."
"Dabi, how tight was the security at your house?"