Toshinori had been expecting delight, or the rushing tide of word vomit that was the green-hair boy's usual response to something exciting when he posed his question - a question that he honestly hadn't even thought that much of. The bewildered surprise and wide-eyed disbelief was neither of those two, and he waited with patience and smidge of concern for the kid to remember how to speak coherently again.
Midoriya was still mildly out of breath from this morning's training, and Toshinori was glad that he'd been able to meet up with the boy to help him work through his latest brainstorming on Shoot Style. He still was pushing himself harder than he probably should between school, work study, and training his powers, but his mentor was tired of sounding like a broken record on the subject. As long as the boy wasn't neglecting his health, he'd bite his tongue. His fierce determination was a good thing, after all.
"You want to... hang out?" Midoroya finally stuttered, and his hero nodded easily.
"Sure. As long as you don't already have plans?" It was entirely possible the boy did have plans, after all - maybe he was going to visit his mother, or hang out with his classmates - and perhaps it wasn't the most responsible thing for him to pull him away from studying, if that's all the teen had intended to do with his afternoon. Regardless, Toshinori thought the boy deserved a break.
"Ah, n-no! I was just going to study and train a little more," he said, confirming his mentor's previous guess.
"Take a break, my boy - you've earned it." The retired hero clapped one large hand over the boy's shoulder as he smiled at him, and it took only a second for an answering grin to spread across Midoriya's face.
"Yeah, okay!" he agreed cheerfully.
Despite autumn looming in the distance, today was a scorcher, and when Toshinori suggested they grab some ice cream, Midoriya nodded enthusiastically. So together they walked, the green-eyed teen chattering happily and the blonde man listening contentedly. The boy's stories were peppered here and there with questions for his mentor, and All Might was amused to compare him now to the anxious middle school kid he'd begun training almost a year and a half ago. Even after all these months, Izuku was still a fanboy, but it warmed Toshinori's heart to see the noticeable difference in his comfort level around his hero. He was less anxious when he asked questions now, and seemed more confident in the way he spoke to him.
In the past, All Might would have been annoyed with all the questions - Midoriya always seemed to have a ceaseless supply of them ready - but today, the retired hero was happy to indulge the kid, and in fact even asked a few questions of his own. It was nice getting to know his boy a little better.
Once inside the ice cream shop, Izuku peered over the flavor options with such concentration that one would have thought there was a much more serious decision being made here. "What's your favorite flavor?" he asked the older man thoughtfully.
"Hm. Definitely mint chocolate chip," Toshinori hummed, smiling. "What about you?"
"Uh... cookie dough, I think. Or maybe Oreo," he answered, still considering his options seriously.
The hero chuckled. "We'll get you a scoop of each then," he said, nodding politely to the girl behind the counter.
It had been ages since the last time Toshinori had ice cream (really he was supposed to be careful with dairy products since his gallbladder had been one the organs he'd lost years ago), and he enjoyed the small cone of lactose-free mint chocolate chip almost as much as he enjoyed the smile on the green-haired boy's face as they walked with their treats.
"What's your favorite part of Japan? You've been all over the country," Midoriya conversed, continuing the never-ending game of Twenty Questions.
"That's an easy one," All Might replied immediately. "Yakushima."
"Why Yakushima?" he asked, expression full of curiosity.
The memories that came to the front of his mind now were fond ones, albeit they were a bit fuzzy at the edges from time. "When I was a few years younger than you are now, my parents took me on a camping trip in Yakushima National Park. I'd never been camping before, and my parents both worked a lot, so it was a memory that stuck with me. I guess it's just always held a special place in my heart since then." Those big emerald eyes were somehow even wider, and Toshinori chuckled. "What's that look for, kiddo?"
"Huh? Oh, nothing... I guess it's just strange to think about you before you were, well, before you were All Might," the boy admitted a tad sheepishly. "Like, somehow I never even thought about you having parents."
Toshinori barked out a laugh at that. "Rest assured, young Midoriya, I definitely had both a mother and a father," he guffawed. Damn, the kid really did have him on quite the pedestal if he wasn't even able to fathom his hero as being so human. His rolling laughter caught in his throat a minute later, however, with the teen's next question spoken in a quiet and hesitant tone.
"What was your dad like?"
That certainly threw him for a loop. Should he answer honestly? Absent. Stringent. Unapproachable. None of those were adjectives a son would normally use to respectfully describe their late father, even if they were the first to spring to his mind. That trip to Yakushima National Park was sadly one of the longest stretches of uninterrupted time he'd ever spent with his dad, which was probably another reason why the memory had stuck with him so fiercely.
"He was a hard working man," Toshinori answered after a pause, "and a stern one. He wasn't around much."
It took another moment for Midoriya to reply, and when he did his words were so quiet the older hero could barely hear them. But even as he did he was a tad surprised by the bitter note in them. "Sounds like my dad."
Ah. So his assumptions about the boy's family had been correct. It takes one to know one, after all.
All Might cleared his throat, glancing down at the boy walking beside him. The kid seemed to have shrunk somehow, and his shoulders hunched forward as his head bowed slightly. It broke his heart to see, because he understood it for what it was.
But, surprisingly, it also made him kind of livid.
He counted to ten in his head before he spoke again. "You know, my own father might not have been the most affectionate guardian, but I found family in other ways. My predecessor for One for All, Nana... she was more a parent to me than either of my folks were, and Gran Torino-" Toshinori simultaneously shivered and chuckled. "Well, he was like a hard-ass uncle." That got a small chuckle out of teen, and All Might smiled as he ruffled the boy's hair and continued. "I guess what I'm trying to say is, family is more than just blood, my boy."
Izuku finally looked up at him again at that, and while the sadness still lingered behind emerald irises, it was already quickly being overshadowed by that same look of awe and happiness he always had when he looked at his hero. That look never failed to soften the retired hero's heart. "Yeah, I think you're right about that, All Might," he beamed.
"You know, you don't have to call me All Might all the time - when we're not around others, I mean," Toshinori said, and Midoriya jumped in surprise. "You know my real name, don't you?" he asked, watching the boy's shock with amusement.
Midoriya gaped at him, jaw slack and eyes wide, before he swallowed and nodded his head frantically. "Uh, y-yeah! Gran Torino called you Toshinori, and I heard Hara call you Yagi."
He nodded, "You can call me either, if you want. Yagi's my family name, but Toshinori works just as well."
The teen still looked a bit shaken, but he was smiling now. "R-right... Yagi," he tried it out.
They settled into a comfortable silence as they finished their ice creams. When Izuku spoke again, the hero couldn't help but think that they must have crossed some sort of hurdle the boy hadn't been able to overcome before today - he was a tad bit bolder, and All Might was glad the kid had relaxed more, even if this was the next avenue of conversation he chose.
"So what's Hara up to today?" the boy asked slyly - or at least he thought he was successfully portraying an air of nonchalantness. The tell-tale way he couldn't quite make eye contact gave him away to the retired hero, however.
"What makes you think I'd have any clue?" All Might hummed, eyeing the teen curiously and wondering how much Midoriya had guessed. He'd seen Mei in his rooms during I-Expo after all, and along with all the other not-so-subtle signs between the woman and retired hero, Izuku was smart enough to have figured out something was going on. Honestly, he was surprised it had taken this long for the kid to voice his curiosity.
"Well, you guys seem pretty close," he said dismissively, still not convincing his mentor.
Toshinori rubbed the back of his head, considering what he wanted to say. Part of him (and it was weird that he now acknowledged it as the previous part of him - the part he was learning to grow past) told him it was not the young boy's business what his teacher did in his private life. The newer, and more honest part of him laughed at the first voice. Who are you kidding, Toshinori? Izuku is a part of your private life now. He's more than just your student, he thought, which prompted him to clear his throat awkwardly. "Mei and I are dating, you know," he admitted quietly, and raised a brow when Midoriya simply grinned.
"I'm not blind. It was pretty obvious there was something going on after I-island."
He had to laugh at that. "Obvious, huh? That seems to be how everyone keeps reacting to that news."
Izuku chuckled. "I'm glad though. You seem happier when she's around, and she's happier around you too."
Later, after feet were tired from walking and tongues were tired from talking, All Might escorted his student back to the dorms. Just outside though, the boy hesitated. "Thank you for hanging out with me today, All Mi- Yagi," Midoriya said quietly, looking down at his red sneakers as he shuffled his feet awkwardly. "It was a lot of fun."
With a warm, fuzzy feeling sitting in his chest, his mentor smiled back at him before clasping a hand on his shoulder. "Anytime, my boy," he said, and he meant it.
If Nana was like a mother to him, then maybe, just maybe it was okay if he was a kind of father figure to Izuku, right?
Toshi and I were in the teacher's lounge eating lunch together when my phone rang, and while I didn't recognize the number, I picked up anyway.
"Hello?"
"Miss Hara," a cool voice on the other end greeted me, and he didn't even have to introduce himself for me to immediately recognize the voice, albeit I'd only met him once.
"Sir Nighteye?!" I nearly choked, and beside me Toshinori dropped his chopsticks.
"Indeed. I do hope I'm not catching you at an inopportune moment, but I'm short on time myself. If you truly meant it and you said you wanted to help, then come to my agency tomorrow at noon."
"Short notice much?" I huffed, deliberately ignoring Toshinori's intense gaze. From the way his jaw was set, it was safe to bet he was able to hear the voice on the other end of the phone.
"Then don't come. You reached out to me first, if you recall," he snapped, voice still just as cold in the phone as it had been in person.
"You drive a hard bargain," I chuckled, rolling my eyes. "I'll be there," I promised.
"I assume you had some sort of documentation drafted up between you and the school or the police? Something legitimizing your borrowed authority while you work on your hero license?" he asked, and when I assured him I did he continued, "Good. Bring a copy with you."
"What's going on?" I asked curiously, leaning forward on my knees and still ignoring Toshinori.
"You'll find out tomorrow," he said simply, and I frowned. However, before I could protest he quickly excused himself and ended the call.
Finally, I allowed my gaze to sweep back over to the retired hero's, and his blue eyes were both hesitant and questioning. Sighing, I picked my lunch back up. "I really hate surprises," I groaned.
Toshinori's frown broke, and he simply laughed.
The next day as I left campus, I was surprised to see four familiar figures ahead of me, headed the same way. "Hey guys!" I called out, and waved when the students turned around. Jogging lightly, I caught up with them and fell in step with Midoriya, Uraraka, Tsu, and Kirishima. "Where are you guys headed?" I asked.
"Work study," Midoriya answered, and the other three nodded.
"Neat, I'm actually on my way to the agency you're doing your work study at," I said, nodding to the green-haired boy. "Mind if I walk with you guys to the station?"
"Of course!" Uraraka said cheerfully while Midoriya looked surprised.
"Wha- wait, what are you going to Sir Nighteye's agency for?" he asked, eyeing my suit. I'd decided to wear it as a 'just in case' since I didn't really know what the goal of today's meeting was. About a week ago I'd finally gotten around to submitting my newly redesigned costume for approval, but in the interim my previous suit I'd worn as a student would have to suffice.
"I dunno, actually," I said with a shrug as we walked. It was strange how easy it felt walking and talking with the kids - it was like I was one of them again. "Nighteye was frustratingly vague on the phone yesterday."
Arriving at the station, I expected the other three to split off to head their respective ways. But when we all realized we'd be aboard the same train, I began to get suspicious. "Where exactly are you three going?" I asked, raising a brow.
"Yeah, I thought you were working in Kansai?" Midoriya asked, looking at Kirishima.
The red haired boy shook his head. "Usually, yeah. But I think we're meeting somewhere different today," he said, sounding slightly confused.
"Let me see the address," I asked, holding out my hand and he passed me his phone with his screen display confirming my suspicions. I handed it back and looked at the girls. "What about you guys?"
"What's going on, Miss Hara?" Tsu asked, and I chuckled as I handed her phone back after a moment. We were on the train now, all bound for the same destination I knew.
"Oh please, don't go calling me 'miss.' Hara or Mei still works just fine for you lot, regardless of whether I'm your teacher now," I laughed, shaking my head and suddenly feeling my age again. "But to answer your question, you all have the same address - you're headed for Sir Nighteye's agency as well."
Midoriya gasped. "But, why?" he asked.
"Guess we'll see when we get there," I said, not really sure of the answer myself. I knew it had something to do with Overhaul, or the League of Villains - or both - but that was about all I had to go off of. If he was calling in other agencies though (which was my guess based on the Yūei students accompanying me), it must be something big.
Sure enough, there was a crowd of people - both well known, and local heroes - when we reached Nighteye Agency and made our way inside.
"Eraser Head?" I acknowledged, approaching the pro and then recognizing who he stood with, I nodded politely to them as well. "And Gran Torino - a pleasure to see you again, sir."
"Hmf. You're the vigilante girl who works at Yūei now, aren't you? You were there at the Kamino Incident. And in Hosu when the Hero Killer, Stain was captured," the elderly hero said gruffly.
"That would be me, yes," I sighed. I was starting to get tired of being first recognized as 'that vigilante' and was ready to start being seen for being myself finally. It will all come in time, and with hard work, I tried to assure myself. "I'm working towards my untraditional hero license currently."
Gran Torino nodded, gaze not even the slightest bit friendly - and why should it be? Because of Toshinori, I knew much more about him than he had any idea of. To him, I was still a stranger. "Right. And I see you brought some students with you," he said, glancing past me to look at the kids as they fanned out to talk to their various connections around the room.
"I didn't bring them, we just walked together," I clarified. "But what about you, Eraser? I didn't expect to see you here."
"I was called in last minute for this thing," he said, looking only slightly more awake than normal as he stood with his hands shoved in his pockets. "But I really only have a rough idea of what it's about."
"Same," I groaned, "and I really, really hate surprises."
As everyone settled, Nighteye and his sidekicks addressed the room, calling the meeting to order. "Thanks to the information provided by all of you, our investigation has progressed substantially. We've invited you all here for a joint conference to share the intel we've acquired regarding the Yakuza group Shie Hassaikai and what we believe they might be planning," the tall, green and yellow haired man said.
I took a seat at the end of the table next to Aizawa, and folded my hands in front of me, listening intently. As Bubble Girl and Centipeder went through a brief of the situation, I felt my frown grow deeper and deeper. When they mentioned the League of Villains, I gritted my teeth. Everything is even more involved than I thought. This is all very concerning, I worried internally. My eye flitted over to the Yūei students - not only the ones from 1A, but the Big Three as well. Was it a good idea for them to be involved in this?
"That'd be about when they decided to reach out to Tsukauchi and me," Gran Torino spoke up in response to Centipeder's information about the altercation with Shigaraki's group. "Figured we'd be able to assist, given the League's involvement." I was interested to hear him mention Tsukauchi as well, and the irony that this case somehow involved literally every person in All Might's life yet didn't involve him was strange for sure. Suddenly, I felt sort of bad - how left out Toshinori must feel right now.
After some prompting from Sir Nighteye, Bubble Girl continued the brief. When the meeting was yet again halted to explain something to the aspiring heroes present (this was like the second or third time now, and I was even more so questioning whether it was a good idea to have them here), the hero known as Rocklock seemed to be losing his patience. "Does anybody wanna tell me why a bunch of high school kids were invited to this conference? I don't care if they are from Yūei, if we have to keep stopping to explain this stuff, we'll never get to the actual plan."
"Don't say that!" the BMI hero, Fat Gum, protested indignantly, knocking his chair back as he stood up a lot quicker than his size would suggest he was capable of. "These two have important information to pass along!" he objected, indicating Kirishima and Amajiki beside him.
I leaned even further on the table, engrossed in the reports that followed, listening in growing horror to the details of this quirk-canceling bullet. Was this the secret drug Ankoku had heard about? It had to be. Then, when it was revealed the components found inside the bullet, I thought I might be sick.
Human blood and tissue? my mind repeated numbly.
"In other words, that effect came from a person - from someone's power," the dragoon heroine, Ryukyu inferred somberly. "A quirk that can destroy quirks." Simultaneously, like a wave a shudder went through the room.
As the meeting went on, the more over my head I felt. Panic was balling up in my chest, and it was harder and harder to swallow it down the more I heard. Nighteye went over Overhaul's quirk and position with the Yakuza, and I balled my fists, fighting to keep the rivaling rage and fear at bay. A buzzing was filling my ears and as I fought to keep my emotions in check, the whitenoise was on the verge of driving me insane. The smallest hint of purple sparks glittred at my fingertips, and quickly and hid my hands under the table. It wasn't quick enough, however.
"Keep it together, Hara," Aizawa muttered quietly, leaning over slightly so that no one else could hear. "Stay professional."
"Yes, sir," I gritted out, not even realizing for a second I'd reverted back to addressing him like a teacher. Thankfully, he didn't comment on it either.
So Overhaul is turning his own daughter's body into bullets, huh? I'll fucking kill the bastard, I thought vehemently, and not very heroically.
For a moment I wondered if the students weren't the only ones I should be concerned about the involvement of. Was Nighteye right when he said I shouldn't be a part of this? Was I too emotionally invested? Too handicapped by my desire for revenge? If I couldn't keep my head when crunch time came, I might just end up getting myself - or someone else - killed.
No, my inner voice growled defiantly. You can do this, Mei. You've been through worse before, and held your calm in the worst of situations. But self-doubt was still a bitch to get rid of, and vengeance harder still.
With effort, I pulled my attention back to what was being said around the meeting table. "Just talking about it is enough to make my blood boil," Fat Gum seethed. "Let's go get this monster!" And I quite agreed with him.
When we heard about Midoriya's run in with Overhaul and the girl, Eri, the information simultaneously made me worry for the boy's safety, as well as make my heart ache in sympathy for the frustration he must be feeling. Judging from the look on his face, I wasn't the only one with further motives concerning this mission.
"I assure you, nobody in this room is more frustrated than they are," Nighteye said, defending his two work study students against more biting remarks from Rocklock.
He then began laying out the next plan of action, and I practiced deep breathing while he did, working to get a grip on my emotions. I wasn't usually this off balance - this sensitive. What the hell was going on with me? The whitenoise was threatening to close in again.
Nighteye's plan to ascertain the girl's location and rescue her in one solid stroke seemed logical and was likely our best course of action. My anger began to slowly cool at the idea there was at least a plan that could be executed, and for a split second amusement even pushed through when Fat Gum angrily interjected, "I didn't expect someone who worked with All Might for so long to be such a careful planner. Let's just go bring 'em down! While we're taking our sweet time, that abused girl is out there crying somewhere."
All Might needed someone who was a careful planner, Fat Gum. That's probably why they worked so well, I thought, shaking my head. The more I was around Sir Nighteye, the more I understood that the younger man had been the one to keep Toshinori grounded.
"We can't do this like All Might would," Nighteye said, a hint of exhaustion creeping into his voice. "That's why we must be meticulous about our strategies and predictions from the outset, so we have the highest chance of saving her."
"He's right, we can't rush into this," I spoke up for the first time, and it took all my willpower not to flinch when all eyes turned to me. "Overhaul is too smart - if we show our hand and fail to rescue the girl, we won't get another shot at her."
"It will be like throwing gas on a fire," Gran Torino added in agreement, "like how Stain's capture was a beacon that led criminals to seek out and join the League of Villains. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they handed out some of those quirk-destroying weapons to those hoodlums in order to increase their recruitment."
"You're thinking too dang much! If we keep sitting here yappin' about it, we're never gonna get anything done!" the BMI hero argued.
"Excuse me, I've got a question," Aizawa spoke up, and I was amused by his polite interjection and raised hand. "I don't know the specifics of your quirk, Nighteye - feel free to correct - but from what I've heard of it, your quirk allows you to see into the future. So why not use it on us? That's logical, right?"
The expression on the meeting leader's face darkened, and I was only one of three people in the room who understood why that was. "I'm sorry, but I can not," he said simply. He went on to explain his quirk in more detail, proving why that course of action wasn't actually feasible.
Aizawa didn't seem convinced, however. "That should still provide more than enough information to be useful, don't you think? And it doesn't explain why you can't do it."
"What if I saw imminent death in your near future, or worse," he said tiredly, pushing his glasses up to scrub a hand over his face in a sort of exhausted agitation, "what if it were a cruel, merciless demise?" his eyes snapped open at the last bit, and whether he meant to be looking at me or not when he spoke those words, I found myself paralyzed by his sunset gaze. I knew all too well what he was referencing, and he knew that I knew too. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Midoriya flinch as well.
After Nighteye reinstated his inability to use his quirk in this situation, Rocklock spoke again. "Woah, woah, woah - hold up. Death is still information. If we know what's coming, we could figure out a way to survive."
"You don't understand. It's possible what I see is unavoidable," Nighteye gritted out.
"Bro, that's the only excuse you have? For real? Oh hell no, just use it on me right now! I'll show you I can beat death!" Rocklock shot back.
"I can't!" Nighteye all but shouted.
Silence reverberated around the room.
After a beat, Rocklock sighed. "Yeah, alright," he relinquished.
The air was tense and awkward as everyone in the room looked about in confusion - everyone but Gran Torino, Midoriya, and me.
"We... we should get started," I said hesitantly.
Ryukyu nodded. "Yes. There's a child in trouble. That's what's important here."
The meeting concluded, and I stood with Aizawa a moment as everyone filed out in their own time. "Should the kids really be involved in this?" I asked him softly, and he sighed.
"No. No, they shouldn't."
"The League already has far too great of an interest in these students, and just because my mission is over doesn't mean I'm done protecting them," I said, clenching my fist as I watched the students exit the room together. They were all quiet - pensive - and both Mirio and Midoriya had their heads hung low.
The pro beside me scoffed at that. "Of course you're not done protecting them - you're a teacher now - but still, I understand what you meant. If it was completely up to me, I'd pull the plug on work studies right now."
"Can't you still do that though? At least for the first years?" I asked, looking up at dark, tired eyes.
"Not exactly. And even if I could, the problem child probably would run off and take matters into his own hands," he groaned, using his thumb and forefinger to pinch the bridge of his nose - likely in response to an oncoming headache. I knew my head was certainly pounding at the temples after all this.
I let out a single, humorless laugh at that. "Sadly, I think you might be right about that."
"Your vigilante ideals seemed to have rubbed off on the boy," he complained, only half serious, and I chuckled as I shook my head.
"Nah. The kid is just too bull-headed and soft-hearted for his own good."
"Well, I suppose I ought to go talk to the kids. See you later, Hara," Aizawa said with a wave thrown over his shoulder as he turned and walked off.
Deciding it was probably about time I made my exit, I started down the hall before stopping when I saw two figures standing alone in front of the window ahead of me.
Sir Nighteye and Gran Torino? Whatever they were discussing, their expressions told me it was a somber matter. I should probably go, I thought hastily, warring with conflicting curiosity and the innate desire to avoid whatever the hell that was. My footsteps faltered, and I looked around for another path to take that would avoid putting me too close to the two pros. However, Nighteye's head turned towards me, and I knew it was too late to avoid being seen.
"Hara, come here a moment, if you would," he called to me, and with no small amount of nerves fluttering in my stomach, I approached the two.
"Yes, Sir?"
"What does All Might make of this situation?" Nighteye asked, looking forward out the window as he spoke, and on his other side I saw Gran Torino react in surprise.
For whatever reason, his tone created a spark of annoyance in me. "Well, he doesn't know any of what I learned in the meeting today - we were only aware of what I filled you in on, and what he told you, Gran Torino," I said awkwardly, shuffling my feet. "But we haven't actually talked about it a ton. He does know I came to see you that day, though, and he's aware of my being here today as well."
"Well that was the bare minimum, I'd say," Nighteye huffed.
"Oh, step off your high horse," I shot back before I had a chance to even filter myself. "I'm here to help. You don't have to treat me like some child. I'm not Izuku - whether you approve of Toshinori's actions or not has nothing to do with me."
Gran Torino watched me with narrowed eyes, and Nighteye slowly turned to look at me, making me feel suddenly like I had indeed stepped way out of line. God dammit, Mei, I groaned inwardly.
"No, you're right. It has nothing to do with you," Sir Nighteye said slowly.
I sighed and ran my hand through my hair, trying for the life of me to figure out a way to salvage this now. "Look, I know things are tense between you two, but I do exist independently of him. I won't be a go-between for you two - know that now. If you want to fix the relationship, I'm not the solution. Your problems started way before I came into the picture."
Nighteye glowered at me, golden eyes flashing, and I was shocked when on his other side Gran Torino barked out a laugh. "Who are you, girl?" he asked bluntly.
I shrugged, adopting as nonchalant of a tone as I could. "I'm Hara Mei: ex-villain, ex-vigilante, and aspiring hero. I used to work for All for One, and my best friend was murdered by Overhaul. I'm a master of disguise. I teach at Yūei. I also happen to be dating Yagi Toshinori. Does that answer your question?" I summarized, staring straight ahead. For a moment, the two men beside me were silent.
"Yeah. Yeah, I suppose it does," Gran Torino finally answered in a gruff voice. A moment later he added in a tone that almost suggested offense, "I would have thought he might have told me," he grumbled.
At that I had to laugh, and I looked over at the older hero with a smile. "Since when has Toshi ever been good at communicating?"
He chuckled and shook his head. "You've got a point there." The older man scratched at his beard and looked up at Nighteye. "Regardless, I think it's about time you two found a way to move past this."
"He won't listen to me," Nighteye responded tiredly, and I now understood what they must have been discussing before.
"Then stop trying to tell him what to do, and just try being his friend," I snorted, a tad miffed. "He's already retired - you got what you wanted on that front - and he's not dead yet. Whether the future is immovable or not is irrelevant now, but I know I for one am going to be doing my best to give him every reason to keep living. I agree with Rocklock on that front - if anyone has the drive to beat death, it's All Might."
The tall hero was a statue staring out the window, and for a moment the tense silence stretched again. "No one can beat death," he said finally, quietly, and with a finality that just made me feel more sad than anything.
"Then start focusing on living more than dying," I replied somberly, turning away. Just like our last conversation, I left Sir Nighteye's agency with the sinking feeling that nothing I said would really change his mind.