Chapter Two
Embezzling? [405]. ku Does Not Allow
The coffeehouse Detective Tsukauchi picks is only a short walk away, and Ochako has been there before. It's a nicer one, with a few tables and booths for different university students to study or work in. He holds the door open for her, and she flounders at the register- uncertain what this has turned into.
"Black. Large." He asks, startling her as he comes up from behind. "And you Ms. Uravity?"
"Vanilla latte?" A pause. "Two shots of espresso please." Her sleep schedule is still suffering, and the caffeine is probably going to be the only thing that keeps her from collapsing halfway through this conversation.
The barista cocks one of his green eyebrows at her but adds the two coffees into the order and takes Detective Tsukauchi's card. He swipes it, hands it back and then disappears behind the counter.
It only strikes Ochako when she and the detective slip into a small table by the window that the man hadn't said three words to them in the entire exchange. She frowns, looking over at him as he works on their orders.
He's thin and lanky, a pair of glasses pushed up to contain his wild and unruly green locks. Most of his body is hidden behind the counter and the retaining wall as he works the coffee machines. A ceramic cup is set at the end of the bar first, steam rolling off it.
Detective Tsukauchi retrieves it, breathing in the scent of the roast before adding a sugar packet. He drinks it slowly, carrying it back to their shared table before sitting down.
"He's not very talkative, if you're wondering." The detective laughs. "But Midoriya is a good kid." He hums, pausing as he considers his next statement.
Whatever additional information the detective might have handed out is discarded as he focuses back on her.
"He's quiet," Ochako observes.
The boy- well, he might be older than he appears, but the apron and how he has his hair pulled back make him appear younger, make him look youthful. He's probably in a university or something, and whatever his Quirk is must be minimal since she hasn't seen anything that would identify it.
"Well, he's just like that. You get used to it," Tsukauchi dismisses. "He started working here a few years ago, and he's basically been making me coffee since."
Ochako watches him for a moment longer, just long enough to get caught doing so- intelligent green eyes meet hers for just a moment before looking back down to the work of his hands.
Her latte is deposited at the end of the counter, and the man holds the lid down, looking at her expectantly.
"He doesn't do the whole 'shout your name' thing, if you're wondering."
She stands, and before she gets to the counter he walks away, gaze drifting behind him just long enough for them to lock eyes a second time. He winks, his expression flat and controlled despite the action. And then it's back to normal business, his green eyes straight ahead as he leans against the counter, waiting for the next customer.
Odd, Ochako decides, picking up her coffee and joining Detective Tsukauchi again. She sips her latte, enjoying the burn of caffeine and the sizzle of near boiling liquid down her throat.
"So."
".ku" She says, and the Detective hums and agrees, but still continues to stew in his thoughts.
"I guess the best place to begin would be the beginning, would it not?" He jokes, and there's something about the easy-going nature of the detective that makes Ochako relax. Just a smidge.
"The first instance of a .ku tip occurred a few years ago, two or three most likely. It was a minor leak- just a location- but when a task force investigated it, we found a lab that was being used to create the Nomu creatures."
Ochako hums. She never saw any of those creatures, but apparently one of the other hero schools, UA, had been attacked by one. All-Might was supposedly the one that defeated it.
"We shut it down, quarantined the site, and dug back into the anonymous tip." He huffs at this point, looking dissatisfied with the twist of this story. "Instead of finding the source, we got hacked. The entirety of the Hero net and most police servers were compromised by this hacker. Never got a trace on him. The tip was removed from the server, and we just got a mocking message back for our efforts. .ku continued to tip us though. Primarily locations of buildings or hideouts we later connected to the League of Villains that was shut down. This led to quite a few arrests."
"Sounds like his information was useful," Ochako supplies, leaning back in her chair and sipping her drink.
She isn't sure what else to say or do. It was more of a lecture than a briefing or questioning.
"It was," Tsukauchi acknowledges. "Until last year, when .ku stopped giving police tips about villains and instead started turning in file packets on Heroes."
That piques Ochako's interest.
"Such as?"
"DiamondEdge was arrested for embezzling and falsifying records. Those reports were pulled when .ku accessed your agency's records last night." There's an accusatory pause that has Ochako's cheeks burning with embarrassment before he continues. "He sent us a detailed list of reports he falsified, either about what villains were captured, collateral damage accrued, or expense reports."
Ochako grimaces, considering the implications of that. She was still a new sidekick, and while it wasn't her job to catch it, the incident would still be associated with her. And whatever experience she got working under DiamondEdge- even on solo patrols- would be forfeit.
".ku has already handled damage control for you and your fellow sidekicks."
She jolts out of her thoughts, frowning at him. "Excuse me?"
The detective shrugs but pulls out his phone and navigates the touchscreen with a few taps. He holds it out to her. She hesitates. Not only is his phone so much newer than her own (what if she drops it? Or spills her coffee on it? Or floats it into the ceiling?) but it's also a detective's personal phone.
She takes it all the same, unable to find a reasonable excuse not to do so as she spins it around and considers the email he has up.
The contact [.ku] is loaded, but when she clicks it instead of getting an email address she gets an emoji sticking its tongue out at her.
Okay then.
She skims the email, her frown deepening as she digests its contents. The summary of it is that .ku is clearing her, GrapeJuice and 'Shade' from the charges. Timestamps and spreadsheet modification dates are cross-referenced with their off days or patrol cycles, and as it turns out DiamondEdge and his other main sidekick jointly filed the false reports when it was just them. There was no one else in the office during the reports [.ku] pulled, and he uses that as an excuse for them.
His closing line in the email is 'why would sidekicks ever suspect or double check their Hero's reports?'
Which...
He's not wrong.
Guilt and shame boil in Ochako's gut all the same. She was supposed to be a Hero, and yet she let a man use that title to enact his own personal gain and fill his pockets with money that never belonged to him in the first place.
"What changed to make .ku start targeting Heroes?" She asks, extending the phone back out to the detective.
"Unknown." He takes it, stowing it in his pocket as he finishes off his cup of coffee. "We still get reports on villain activity, but it looks like .ku's main objectives now are unveiling these Heroes."
"Is corruption really that much of a problem?"
Detective Tsukauchi's expression morphs into a grimace, and he looks down into his empty mug instead of answering. When he answers, his words are careful and slow.
"Corruption has always been a concern. It hits in law enforcement, Heroing, politics, any occupation that presents its members with power or authority inevitably is weakened by corruption. But cases are hard to prove, either because information gathering is tricky, circumstantial or worthless even in the best of times. Even some of the information we get from .ku has to be cross-referenced and proven on our end before it can ever be utilized in court."
"And what of those that you can't convict?" Ochako asks.
"We keep getting larger packets." The detective shrugs and shakes his head. "Sometimes it helps, sometimes it just… sits. The laws prohibit us from using it sometimes, but there have been a few times .ku has circumvented us and gone to the media or other outlets to get what he wants done. Do you recall the Overhaul trial?"
She does, if nothing else then because Ms. Joke was one of the handful of people that was involved in the raid. Those that went came back different, just a little quieter. Just a little softer spoken around kids.
She wasn't sure why.
And no one ever elaborated.
"That raid wasn't fully sanctioned, and in court there were arguments made that the Hero Commission overstepped their bounds of investigation, despite what they found. So there was push back from the jury and the judge on if it should even be a trial. .ku didn't agree with that, and in probably the most heavy-handed act he's ever taken, created an entire forum, site, and dozens of hours of video detailing all of Overhaul's experiments and crimes. Civilian outrage overruled any judge's opinion, and the man was executed to quell the public."
She didn't know about that. Then again- she rubs her thumb over the outline of her own phone- she didn't really have the ability to check the news outside of her work laptop.
"So where does that put this event?"
"As an interesting conundrum."
She cocks an eyebrow at him, and the detective smiles. "You're the first person outside of the police that .ku has fully interacted with."
She finds that hard to believe if his roster of deeds is truly as long or as impressive as Detective Tsukauchi has stated. Any person that was involved in the League of Villain's being taken down, or the Overhaul Trials practically belonged in a history book.
Depending on which book edition schools currently had, then some of the tactics used in both raids are taught in practical exercises.
She scoffs at the idea, shaking her head and leaning back. Detective Tsukauchi doesn't look impressed, and his gaze doesn't waver as he looks at her expectantly.
"So… so what does that mean?"
"Even if just by chance, .ku has contacted you. He's likely to do so again. We'd like to be able to contact him back."
She frowns. "So why not just email him? He's a contact in your phone and email. Just like in mine."
"Because none of our emails go through. They bounce back, and whatever routing he's using for his own messages always seems to loop back into our own systems. There is no out for his messages. We can't contact him. It's a one way street with us."
"And you expect me to change that?" Ochako asks. "I'm new. I'm a sidekick, I don't have an agency or even a reputation yet."
"Doesn't matter."
She stares at him, unsure of what to say or do or even think. And it wasn't like she was any good with tech to begin with, she wasn't a hacker or a computer geek or anything. As long as her computer worked and her phone didn't crack, she was fine with it. No need to upgrade to the latest version or keep up with the latest trends.
"I don't think I can do that, Detective."
He blinks, frowning for just a moment before asking, "Is there a conflict of interests, Uravity?"
She shakes her head. "Not a conflict of interests. I don't know this .ku, or what he's after or anything. I just…" She hesitates.
She's never done anything like this. She handles street patrols that have straight forward action-reaction tactics. And sure, she did pretty well in her training, but something like this? Cyberwarfare wasn't even in her wheelhouse, much less something she could call in her skillset.
"I don't think I would be the best person to try and talk with this .ku. I'm not familiar with tech, or what he's even doing. You'd have a novice fumbling their way around in the world of a mastermind."
"I understand, but I think you need to consider that he's familiar with masterminds in his own craft. He's used to that technical confrontation. But he's not used to you. A good person that has a genuine spirit for being a Hero. I think that's something that might put him off his guard," Detective Tsukauchi insists.
She shakes her head again. "I'm sorry Detective." She picks up her coffee. "I don't think I can be the Hero you need me to be in your case. But I'll contact you if he contacts me." She stands, and when the detective does nothing but sigh, she heads to the door. "Thanks for the coffee, Detective."
The green haired barista glances at her as she walks out, and she flashes him a faint smile and a half-hearted wave before pushing the door open. His response is the barest inclination of his head, his attention returning to a laptop he has open on the counter.
Must be doing schoolwork. She must have guessed right about him being a university student.
She huffs, setting off down the sidewalk. The espresso in her latte soothes her nerves, but there's still something that leaves her unsettled about the entire debacle. It follows her all the way down the street, up the flight of stairs to her second story apartment, and through her door.
She has other things to worry about right now.
She's now technically jobless, as DiamondEdge's agency is officially no longer DiamondEdge's. And neither she nor any of the other sidekicks have enough experience to manage the agency without someone above them.
Which means it's resume time.
And probably time to call a few people.
The feeling that plagued her all the way from the coffeeshop to her apartment is set on the backburner as she gets to work. Her first act is to change out of her jeans into a pair of pink sleep shorts and a tank top before plopping down at her kitchen table and pulling back up her laptop.
She skims through the two emails from Thirteen and GunHead first, a surge of joy running through her as she realizes that BOTH of them would love for her to come down so they could teach her a few things. There's a comment about them being eager to pass on their knowledge to the next generation- which makes sense given Thirteen is a teacher when they aren't working, but is interesting coming from GunHead.
She marks both events on her calendar in her phone, then gets to the real work.
.ku mentioned a few agencies she could apply at, and she drafts up emails, cover letters, and spends a few moments tailoring her resume for each one. Once that's done she calls Ms. Joke.
"Hey hey hey!" Her ex-teacher answers, a chortle echoing through the line before "I heard the news, Uravity, sorry to hear about you getting untethered."
Ochako frowns, mentally filling 'tethered' away for any future reference. Sometimes Ms. Joke had long winded ups for some really obscure punchlines. She liked to do that with her students.
"Yeah, I was hoping you might know a few Heroes that are looking for another sidekick. I'd even take an interning position if it could guarantee a paycheck," Ochako replies, tabbing back through her email before refreshing it.
She knows she just sent out the email to Ryukyus' HR department, but she was hoping that she would get a timely response.
"I'll ask around for you hon! I always look out for my students! I can call up Eraserhead and see if he knows anything too. My hubby has been avoiding me quite fiercely for some reason."
At this point, she isn't sure if Eraserhead and Ms. Joke are actually a couple or not, but the length that this 'marriage' joke has gone on makes her suspect they are at least friends.
Either that or it's all leading up to a terrible pun.
"Thanks Ms. Joke."
"Come on, you can call me Emi. You are one of my favorites. And you graduated! We talked about this."
Ochako smiles despite herself, "Okay Emi. Let me know when you're in town. We should catch up."
"I don't think I can, love. You're in the stratosphere half the time." Joke laughs, and suddenly Ochako has a flash back to the 'untethered' remark at the start of the call. She groans, shaking her head.
There's a momentary break before she says, "How about lunch next week? On me until you get another gig."
"That'd be great." Ochako confirms. "Let me know if you hear anything though. I know I'm not the easiest student to get a job for, I wasn't really all that impressive. I'm sorry for that."
"Hey I think I heard enough of that when you were in school! I don't call you my favorite for nothing. You might not have been flashy, but your spirit was out of this world Uravity!"
It's a dumb pun. And it's one that Ochako has heard before, but it still makes her giggle a little and crack a smile. "Thanks Joke."
"Course." Emi laughs on the other end of the line. "Let me know what you find on your end, and I'll make a few calls on mine. And we can get together next week and have a few laughs. How's that sound?"
"Sounds great."
"Alright, See ya' later, alligator!"
Ochako laughs again as the call ends, and she turns back to her laptop with a new sense of drive. Ms. Joke might not be the flashiest hero, but there was something to be said about her determination and drive. There were a lot of Heroes that didn't take her seriously, saying that her Quirk was too circumstantial, or even indiscriminate, but when push came to shove, there was no one else that Ochako wanted as badly in her corner.
That could just be because she had a helluva left hook though.
She combs through her laptop again, but she hasn't gotten any bites on the emails she's sent out. She sighs, staring at it for only a few moments longer before deciding she's done enough for the day. She's sent out a dozen emails, drafted an equal amount of cover letters and tailored resumes, and called Jok- Emi.
She deserves a break.
She mashes the power button on her TV remote, flipping mindlessly through the channels before an old romcom finally catches her attention. She abandons her laptop on the table and takes only her phone with her before collapsing onto her loveseat.
The cushions smush and the springs in it creak and squeal before she settles in it. Her feet easily find the depression in the cushion, sliding into the gap between it and the armrest. Her head goes on the other armrest, and she drags the blanket off the back of it and cuddles up under it.
Naturally as soon as she gets comfortable her phone buzzes, and she whines about having to move from her comfy position. Her phone flips open, and the text automatically blinks to the top of her inbox.
Ochako frowns at the unfamiliar number, but opens the message all the same.
Oh my god you own ONE OF THESE?
How old is this thing?
I can't even hack in.
2:11 PM
Who is this?
2:13 PM
You know.
I'm about to order you a new phone. How do you text with a number pad?
2:13 PM
Carefully?
2:14PM
She isn't certain who this is, but typing out 'wrong number' seems like it would take too much effort considering this person apparently knows her. Instead she opts for:
Who are you?
2:14 PM
Please, Uravity, you're smarter than that to ask the same question twice.
2:14PM
Uravity… Wait…? Uravity. They call her Uravity. Not Ochako, or Uraraka like anyone else who knows her number. Uravity.
It takes a moment to even find which keys are required, and she doesn't have brackets, so she substitutes with parentheses.
(.ku?!)
2:16PM
Hello.
I look forward to having you talk with me for the Mustafu Police Department.
2:17PM
Ochako groans, tossing her phone down into the floor. It chirps again, letting her know there was another message after that one.
"Why can't I catch a break?" She bemoans her circumstance.
Her cell phone chirps one more time, and in response she simply clicks her TV a notch or two louder. She doesn't need this right now.
She doesn't need some hacker keyed into her conversations. She doesn't need to be some weird liaison or third-party informant/contact. She doesn't need to be anything other than a successful sidekick that can finally pay her parents back for her student loans, her cellphone, her apartment down payment, and everything else. She just wants to be able to do that much.
Is that too much to ask for?