Chapter 11: Difficult Choices

It had been a strange start to a Monday for Toshinori, to be sure. Periodically through the rest of the day he had more flashes of the dream Nozomi-san had given him, usually popping up when he had a calm moment to reflect on it. It was the same odd sensation of seeing two completely different scenes out of each eye - one seeing the daytime lunch and the other seeing the rainy night.

As a hero, he knew. He knew that using her Quirk to help him was illegal. He also knew it was potentially dangerous for him - not only she but also everyone else had stressed that repeatedly.

He should do as she advised and try to forget the dream so that the effects would fade. But he couldn't bring himself to. He wanted to cherish the memory of it and the meaning behind it. Or maybe he was imagining that there was meaning behind it - it could simply have been her sense of medical duty that led her to help. But that begged the question if doctors normally chose to break the law for just anyone in distress.

He wasn't going to turn her in though. She hadn't meant any harm and he wasn't as nitpicky about the law as some other heroes. All Might was the Symbol of Peace, not the symbol of blindly following the rules. And to judge by her apology, she understood that she'd done wrong and wasn't likely to repeat it.

The remainder of the day was uneventful.

Tuesday was a complete one-eighty. Early that morning he found himself outside the police station - not so unusual for All Might. More unusual was that it was by invitation.

Entering the station with his usual mantra, All Might was greeted by the police officers and spent a bit of time chatting and shaking hands, with a few autographs mixed in. His autograph was always a solid icebreaker to make a connection with new officers on the force.

Each hero took their own approach to law enforcement. Some looked down on them (privately, of course) as failed heroes or wannabes and kept them at a distance. Personally All Might viewed it as a partnership: each had skills and talents that the other needed. A hero's job would be much more difficult without the police, and vice versa. Plus, as a hero of the people, an elitist attitude just didn't fit All Might's image.

At the back near the interrogation rooms, he saw Tsukauchi waiting for him. He was a good, patient friend; All Might appreciated that the detective was willing to wait for him to finish his hero duties, even when he'd been the one to request the meeting.

Extricating himself from the crowd as politely as he could, All Might approached Tsukauchi. "Good morning, old friend. I am here!"

"Good morning, All Might. Thank you for coming in."

"Always! Though I must say, it was quite strange getting a text from you so late last night asking to meet in-person. It must be something serious."

"It is," Tsukauchi replied gravely. He gestured to the nearest room. "We'll be meeting in here."

All Might strode inside and took a seat as the detective prepared some tea for them. He considered the possibilities of what Tsukauchi needed to discuss. It was very rare for his friend to call in a favor from the Number One Hero, let alone do it twice in the same month. Could it have something to do with the young man from before? Tsukauchi had mentioned that there had been other suspicious deaths related to him, which was why Nozomi-san had been brought in to try to save him.

Suddenly he had a suspicion that Nozomi-san might've been invited to this meeting as well. He dismissed the thought - what were the odds? But he couldn't shake the feeling in his gut that his first guess had been correct.

When Tsukauchi set down three cups of tea, the bad gut feeling intensified. "We're expecting someone else?"

The answer was disappointing but not a surprise. "Yes, I asked Nozomi-sensei here as well. It's hopeful that she can also lend her talents, though I need to ask for some details."

"Ah, I see." He got an odd look from Tsukauchi, though he'd tried hard to not let his emotions show in his words.

"She should be here soon. I'll be right back." The detective left, leaving All Might with his thoughts.

To say he was nervous would be an understatement. He hadn't been expecting that the two of them would need to confront their misunderstanding so soon. He wasn't prepared!

Nozomi-san must've arrived at about the same time that Tsukauchi stepped out because they returned together quickly. She was dressed in professional attire, much like what she had worn in the hospital, with her hair pulled back into a braid. She looked perplexed and maybe a little nervous to be walking into an interrogation room - at least until she noticed All Might. The obvious shock gave way to equally apparent disappointment, which he pretended not to see as he greeted her.

"Good morning, Nozomi-san! I hope you've been well?"

Her face cleared into a pleasant neutral expression - perhaps his enthusiasm had made her think her reaction had offended him? Or was he overthinking things again?

"Good morning, All Might-san. I'm surprised to see you here."

He had to put more effort into keeping up his smile after that response. "Indeed, I'm also rather surprised to be here. But the good Detective asked for my help, so here I am!"

"The same goes for me, though I can't imagine what sort of help I could be."

"Please take a seat, Nozomi-san, and I'll explain why I called you both here today," Tsukauchi said. He gestured to the chair beside All Might where the third cup of tea sat.

After the slightest hesitation she sat, stiffly facing forward with her hands clasped in her lap. All Might would've had to be blind to not pick up on how unhappy she was being that close to him. It seemed that his misstep at the hospital had a much deeper impact than he'd thought. Would she ever forgive him or was that a pipe dream?

"Now then," Tsukauchi began as he laid four folders on the table between them all. "This is why I asked you both here.

"The patient from the hospital - Takamura Takao - was not an isolated case. He was only the most recent in a series of deaths attributed to mental breakdowns due to sleep deprivation. Furthermore, each of these subjects in turn was a person of interest in other suspicious deaths."

He flipped open the first folder, causing All Might and Nozomi-san to lean in. There must've been almost two dozen sheets of paper in it; the top page All Might recognized as a standard police incident form. Clipped to it was a picture of the young man from the hospital, though clearly at a better time in his life. It appeared to be a school yearbook or roster photo with Takamura smiling like a carefree teen. It made him wince internally.

"Takamura looked straight-laced on the surface, but he had some dealings with shady characters at points. He was on police radar for potential gang involvement in his senior year of high school. And while violence and death aren't unusual with those sorts, there were more strange occurrences around him than we would expect."

Tsukauchi moved the folder to one side and opened the second. This one was thicker, with the picture showing a young, well-dressed man with slicked back hair. Fine wrinkles lined his eyes and the corners of his mouth. "Niigata Minoru, 29. He stood to inherit a large amount of money if certain members of his family passed away… which conveniently happened. Not that he got to enjoy that wealth."

A third folder was presented with the corresponding photo showing a teen girl decked out in a pink and black lolita-style dress. It looked like a picture taken from a profile on social media or a modeling shoot. "This was Ashitaka Kyoko, 15. She was a popular internet idol with a large following of admirers. Scandals always swirl around idols, but when their biggest rival is publicly humiliated and unexpectedly commits suicide, it gets more attention than usual."

Tsukauchi laid out the last folder so that the pictures of each one could be seen. "Last is Edo Yuichi, 34. He was your typical middle manager until he got a sudden promotion, following the mysterious deaths of his supervisor and senior coworker."

"I see why these cases caught your attention," All Might said thoughtfully. "Each of these people met their unfortunate end after profiting from oddly timed deaths."

"Correct. In each case they were investigated and interviewed, but there was never evidence of their involvement. Each had alibis, multiple witnesses, or phone records to put them in other cities when the deaths occurred. There were no suspicious contacts with known criminals, no unusual money transactions, no threats. There was simply no evidence of any kind."

"I take it that the sleep deprivation cases are why you asked me here," Nozomi-san said. She pulled Edo's case file closer and flipped through the pages. "Somniphobia… Hallucinations… Erratic vital signs… I'm sure the others are just the same."

"Not quite, Nozomi-sensei. Teams of doctors have already reviewed all the medical records and compared them to one another. It's well established that they all match. I called you in because I'm hoping you can use your Quirk to assist with the criminal investigation side of things."

"Oh." She paused for a moment. "I wasn't expecting that."

All Might turned to check her expression, concerned by the guarded tone in her voice. Her face was less controlled - worry, or even fear, was evident. She looked like a creature caught in a snare.

"I… have some reservations, Detective."

"I understand." Tsukauchi was trying to strike a delicate balance between encouraging and insistent. "Believe me, I considered it carefully. I think you're the best chance we have."

That only seemed to amplify her fear. "Detective, my lack of training and credentials aside, I think you're misunderstanding the limits and dangers of my Quirk. I can't, in good conscience, participate in the investigation if it means using my Quirk for anything other than treating mental disorders."

Detective Tsukauchi looked pained. "Please reconsider, Nozomi-sensei. I haven't forgotten your warning about Dreamwalk, but there are just as many lives at stake as if it were medical. Perhaps more so."

"I can't - I mean, what do you even want me to do?!" she cried in desperation.

All Might gently rested his hand on Nozomi-san's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "I'm sure Tsukauchi is about to explain."

The detective nodded. "Of course. Admittedly I'm not aware of the intricacies of your Quirk, so I have some questions that I need answered first.

"Dreamwalk allows you to enter the subconscious of people who are asleep, yes?" When Nozomi-san answered in the affirmative, he continued the questioning. "Is there a maximum range? Or is it possible for you to search all the minds in a set area?"

Nozomi-san took a deep shaky breath. "I don't know if there's a maximum range. Typically I only use it at short distances. I think to be able to use it from farther away would require me to know the person better than just an acquaintance. It'd probably be impossible for someone who I don't know at all. And it might be possible for me to search people in an area but again, I've never tried it and I'd have to be close by."

"I see," Tsukauchi replied in a glum tone. "I was hoping it was more flexible than that. What about if we come up with suspects? Would you be be able to tap into their minds to look for evidence of their involvement?"

Nozomi-san shrugged off All Might's hand with a motion that was almost angry. "Detective, my Quirk has been honed to provide medical treatment, not to deal with villains. That's why a hero would be better suited for this!"

"I understand your reluctance, Nozomi-sensei, but the fact of the matter is that there are no heroes with a Quirk like yours."

She regained control of herself, though she still looked distraught. "With all the Quirks out there? You couldn't find anyone with one that would work?"

"Not a single one. And any civilians with similar Quirks wouldn't have even basic training like you received at U.A. You and All Might are the best chance that I have to crack this case."

"I see. But, uh…" Nozomi-san mumbled hesitantly. "Not to downplay the seriousness of these deaths, but… do they really require the attention of All Might? I would think he would have more important hero duties taking up his time."

Well, that stung a bit. And here he'd been looking forward to getting the opportunity to try improving her opinion of him. This might turn out to be his greatest challenge yet as All Might.

"While you have a point, Nozomi-san, a hero doesn't turn away a case because others think it might be beneath him," All Might declared. "If the Detective believes I can be of help catching the culprit of such heinous murders, I will lend every ounce of my strength to do so. That's what it means to be the Number One Hero!"

"It also saves us the time it would take to find and bring a replacement hero up to speed," Tsukauchi added.

She nodded acquiescence without making eye contact with the two men. "Fair enough."

The meeting continued on but Nozomi-san didn't say much after that. In fact, the meeting ended without her giving a commitment to assist or refusing outright. She just said she needed time to consider it and would get back to Tsukauchi.

"I understand," he replied, though he was obviously disappointed by her reluctance. "I hope that you'll agree though. Your Quirk would be invaluable."

"I'll take that into consideration," Nozomi-san allowed. "But I need to think this over. This is much different than how I normally use my Quirk and I don't know if I'm comfortable with it."

"Very well. But please let me know as soon as possible, whatever you decide."

Ayumu had been staring at the pattern in the tree bark for hours, but it wasn't giving her the answers she sought. Or maybe it was the three beers preventing that. She'd been hoping that musing over a beer would help her make a decision, but no such luck. The second and third beers likewise didn't bring out a decision, they only served to make her deliberations more murky.

"Shit," she sighed. "I screwed that up."

Musing had given way to brooding by this point. She wasn't making any progress, only going around in circles.

Had she been cursed by something? Had she offended one of the gods in some way without realizing it? That was the only reason she could think of for all this shit to be happening to her all at once.

Being confronted by All Might so soon after their conflict at the hospital had really shaken her. Granted, it'd been over a week and she'd had time to reflect and calm down; she hadn't felt the urge to strike him like she had previously. It was just beginning to seem like she might need to actually apologize to him - as responsible adults do - when the unexpected meeting occurred. Any chance of composure went right out the window.

Ayumu groaned and moved to lean her forehead against the tree's rough bark - a mistake in her tipsy state. She stumbled to the side and landed heavily on her ass in the dirt, spilling her beer.

"SONUVA-!" she raged before quieting into sullen grumbles. Not that finishing the drink was advisable in her current state.

"Nozomi-san?"

Shit.

There was a momentary pause before she responded. Unsurprisingly, her silent wish to vanish off the face of the earth went unfulfilled. "Evening, Yagi-san." She tilted her head to look up at him, swaying slightly as she tried to focus her blurry eyes.

It was obvious he noticed her inebriation, not that she made any attempts to hide it. He hesitated before continuing in a more timid tone. "Good evening. Uh… are you all right?"

"Yes! I'm great!" she cried, enthusiastically sweeping one arm up. It just so happened to be the one still holding the beer bottle. The last of the liquid splashed down onto her head. "Dammit!"

She growled angrily and briefly contemplated throwing the bottle but Yagi-san distracted her once again. With a light cough he moved closer cautiously. "Are you sure everything is all right?"

"Yeah, it's fine!" she slurred brightly. But immediately after her face fell. "Except it all sucks."

With a deep sigh she brought the bottle to her lips again, belatedly realizing it was empty. She set it down with another sigh and hung her head. "I just don't know what to do. What should I do, Yagi-san?" Depression rolled back over her, making her shoulders droop.

Yagi-san sat down beside her beneath the tree. "What happened?"

In a rambling disjointed way she tried to relate the problems on her mind. Primarily it was the Detective's request for her to use her Quirk in an unorthodox manner. She had enough presence of mind to not talk about the details of the cases - as someone familiar with medical confidentiality, she expected police confidentiality would be similar - but instead told him about her reservations that the police wanted her to use her Quirk to locate a villain.

"And I tried to tell them, I'm not qualified to do that! I mean, I've had the usual Quirk ethics training as a kid, plus even more as part of my medical education. So, it's not like the power would go to my head and stuff," she ranted. "But I'm not trained for that! I've never done that before! What if I hurt someone?!"

She lapsed into a thoughtful morose silence as Yagi-san listened patiently. "But… the police probably know all that, right? They wouldn't have asked for my help for no reason. And if I don't help, more people might die. I couldn't live with that either."

Desperate, almost tearful, she met his eyes. "What should I do?"

She broke eye contact again to hang her head; Yagi-san didn't reply, but she hadn't really been expecting him to.

"And All Might being there doesn't help!" she suddenly shouted as her mood abruptly shifted once again.

He jumped in response to her outburst and coughed from the surprise. "O-Oh? Was All Might there?"

"Yeah. Him and his giant muscles, and his big smile, and his freaking spandex." She paused. "Or whatever hero suits are made of."

She grumbled a few more things that weren't as intelligible. The alcohol was beginning to make her sleepy and her tongue was tangling worse than ever. "They probably thought I'd jush agree 'cuz All Might. But I'm not that eashy! I… HAVE STANDARDSH!"

Folding her arms with an emphatic grunt she tried to lean back, only to realize that there was nothing behind her. She fell backward with a squeak.

She flailed for a bit until Yagi-san helped her sit up. "Dammit, here I am making a fool of myshelf again. I'm such an idiot."

"Everyone makes mistakes," he consoled her. "But I think this decision would be better made when sober."

"Yesh. I'm too shcrewed up to do it now," she agreed. "Gotta sleep it off."

Ayumu focused her entire mind on getting her feet under her to stand. It was almost guaranteed to end badly - most likely with a faceplant - but fortunately Yagi-san was there to save her. He quickly got up and grabbed hold of her waist before she could topple over.

"Ah, thanksh." Accompanying her words with a warm smile, she gave him a half-hug. "You're such a great guy, y'know?"

He tensed and stammered a bit but Ayumu was too focused on trying to stay on her feet to notice. "Okay, now back to the apartment. Here we go!"

She managed three steps before losing her balance once again, half dragging Yagi-san down with her.

"… Maybe you should wait here a while."

"You might be right."