I do not own any character or settings used in this piece of fan fiction, all rights belong to the creators of my hero academia and Sherlock Holmes, Horikoshi Kōhei, Arthur Conan Doyle. Thank you to all those that beta read.
Revenge is an act of passion, vengeance of justice. Injuries are revenged, crimes are avenged.
Few things could be said to so swiftly shake and alter Kaminari's mood, especially during the few days he and Mineta could finally make time to simply veg-out and watch the most mind numbing shows of tv. Even after all that's happened in the last few years, he's remained carefree and, in his humble opinion, electrifyingly upbeat and social. So to say he was a man of ever changing emotions would be a false statement. In fact, he can pinpoint the exact moment that his mood had changed today.
It wasn't when Mineta didn't open the door to his loft after a few minutes of knocking. It was well known that Grape Juice was a busy hero, constantly aiding the other local heroes in whatever endeavor they found themselves in (much to the chagrin of the many female heroes; some things never change). As such waiting outside the loft door wasn't such an odd occurrence, all he'd do was pull out his phone and call Mineta to ask permission (that was always given) to simply use the hidden key under the mat and enter. Perhaps the lack of answer would have seemed strange to the living Tesla coil, but heroes were busy and phones were known to break often during assignments; so once more nothing to cause alarm or concern.
No, it wasn't either of those instances that caused Kaminari's mood to so drastically shift. It was once he opened the door and yelled out his arrival, which was met with silence, that he began to notice a chill of dread creeping up his neck. Even more so, it was when he scanned the room and looked towards the kitchen, spotting a small foot on the floor that his mood went from relaxed excitement to panicked dread as he rushed into the kitchen. Although, perhaps it was more accurate to say it was the sight before him that caused his soul to break and heart shatter.
Mineta Minoru laid on his back on the linoleum tile of his kitchen, dressed in an opened purple button up and black jeans with a red stained undershirt completing his ensemble. The most noticeable, however, was the look of shock and fear frozen on the short man's eyes and face. Kaminari didn't have to wonder what caused the red stain on his friend's shirt, the long gaping slash on Mineta's neck acting as the obvious source.
Few things could ruin Kaminari's mood, but as he fell to his knees screaming, torn between reaching for his friend's corpse and a phone to call for help, he admitted to himself that seeing another dead friend would certainly be one of the few things that did it.
It was thirty or so minutes until local law enforcement arrived and began their inspection, roping off the crime scene and taking Kaminari's statement, a side of hero work he'd rarely ever seen or thought of (though in all fairness, few hero's would). He watched, shaken, as the officers tiredly began dusting for prints and took photos of the scene, and for a moment he mused that they seemed as tired as he did.
Logically, it made sense; all of the hero's had a rough few years, of course law enforcement must have had a hard time as the clean up crew. His ears perked to listen as one of the officers spoke to his lieutenant, speaking of a possible robbery gone wrong Perhaps that's why he wasn't surprised when Kirishima and Mina entered the space, the latter announcing how this was now a Hero Commission investigation and for the officers to vacate the premises.
The Lieutenant, Nagakura, bristled at Mina's words and turned to yell back at the pro hero. The two argued over jurisdiction. Mineta, for all his faults, was a pro hero, so technically this fell under the Commission's jurisdiction. However, this happened in a private residence with no evidence of a villain being involved, making all parties civilians. Kirishima simply stood between the two, attempting to diffuse the tension and resolve the conflict. That's when a third party entered the loft with wild green hair and a black trench coat with a suit underneath it.
At the sight of the newcomer, Lieutenant Nagakura sighed in relief and dropped his argument with Mina. The Lieutenant offered a hand, to which the newcomer took and greeted the senior officer. He overheard the Lieutenant mumble "Midoriya". Kaminari assumed that must be the green-haired guy's name.
But why was he here? He didn't look like an officer or detective. As he thought about it, Nagakura went to Mina and almost demanded that Midoriya be allowed to inspect the premises and once done, all non-commission personnel would leave. Kirishima and Mina shrugged amongst themselves, finally ceasing their argument.
What happened next was odd to the hero's to say the least. They watched as the plain green-haired newcomer began walking around the room. First to the body where, after a moment of studying and observing, he posed exactly like the body, his left hand reaching for his neck. He paused for a moment before springing up, muttering creepily to himself as he looked at the counter next to Mineta. He paused once more as he noticed a glass of wine sitting near the edge and grabbed it, sniffing into the glass. He returned it to the counter before looking around the kitchen floor. Walking towards the fridge, he fell onto his hands and knees and reached under the fridge.
Sitting up, he called for Nagakura, the bottom of a broken glass in his hand and a simple request to 'have it tested for any interesting substances'. Once done, he looked over the kitchen once more, seeming satisfied with his initial observations, before continuing towards the living room, which consisted of a loveseat sat behind an ottoman and a small flatscreen.
Stopping at the couch, Midoriya took some time to simply look at the pillows before bending over and taking a large sniff of the seats. He then brought his hand to his mouth and continued his stream of conscious muttering, a few words such as lavender and rosemary being repeated. He soon stopped and looked up, asking in a timid voice if the bedroom had been inspected yet. Nagakura confirmed that it hadn't and led Midoriya towards the room.
It was a small thing. There was a king size bed and no windows, a dresser that appeared to have been searched and a nightstand cramped into the corner of what Mineta claimed as his room and yet the green haired newcomer stared at it as though it were an endless trove of treasures. He began to meticulously walk around the room, scanning it before walking to the dresser . He stared at it before reaching into the tossed drawers, as though attempting to find something only he could.
Just as Kirishima demanded that the police leave the area due to Midoriya's actions, a clicking sound was heard as a hidden compartment beneath the drawer opened. He reached down into the hole and lifted a small metallic grey box with a lock on it, and a small bag with what looked like a white powder in it, which he handed to Nagakura before returning to the kitchen.
Upon returning to the murder location, he put on a pair of nitrile gloves and opened Mineta's mouth, sniffing it before standing up once more. He looked at the group before him then turned to him then began, "Upon observing all the evidence, I believe that Mineta Minarou, otherwise known as the Hero Grape Juice, was killed in relation to the contents of the box," he said, his voice more confident than the timid tone he used earlier. He turned to us, and motioned for the lock box and bag. Upon receiving it he pulled out a lock pick and began to work on the small lock.
Mina spoke with confusion on her face. "Wait what evidence? You didn't even do anything!" At that the lock clicked open and Midoriya opened the box. Inside were photos of a terrible nature. Mineta naked, while horrific enough, paled in comparison to the contents of the other photos. Every photo revealed Mineta being accompanied by a different woman, each naked, battered and unconscious on his bed. Midoriya began to take each photo, flipping them over as he began to mentally count the amount of photos.
"It may seem that way, Miss Alien Queen, however although my method seems strange, I can explain each detail that led to my conclusion. We can begin with the fact that Mineta Minoru was not alone when he entered his apartment. His outfit suggests he went out and invited a person home with him. Also, he doesn't strike me as a wine connoisseur, which can be confirmed with his purchase of cheap boxed wine and the low quantities of it. Obviously he purchased this to show the appearance of a higher class than he cares for. As for the invited party, it's obviously a woman. Mineta was known to be obsessed with women and the scent of lavender and rosemary are both common ingredients in women's hygiene and perfume products. These facts lead me to believe he invited her here to partake in a glass of wine after an evening dancing."
He finished counting, placing the photos back in the box and closing it. He then reached for the pouch and continued. "However, he had a nefarious purpose, as evidenced by the twenty photos he kept stored away. In addition to grabbing the wine, he also retrieved his favorite weapon." He opened it, showing the Lieutenant. "Mister Nagakura, when you test this I'd wager that you'll discover it to be similar to Rohypnol, but more importantly, you'll discover it on the bottom of the broken glass I handed to you earlier. Notice the slightly sweet smell it gives off, easily masked by the cheap wine which is known for its strong taste and smell. However, what leads me to believe that young Mineta was murdered due to his previous actions is the fact that as he turned to walk towards his guest, altered drink in hand, when he was attacked with a quick slash to the neck." He placed the date rape pouch back on the counter. "He died drowning in his own blood after a failed rape attempt. The only question now is who knew of his actions and how we might capture them."
The hero's and officers looked on amazed, at least until Kirishima turned as red as his hair in anger and frustration. "Now wait a minute! I know he wasn't the manliest of guys but how did you know the safe would be there, huh? I mean, why didn't the killer take it with him or blackmail Mineta?"
Midoriya nodded as he took in Kirishima's question, staying silent for a moment before answering. "When I entered the room and began to walk, I noticed that his dresser is of a rare American brand known for their hidden compartments, It was then easy to ascertain the location of the opening mechanism, as for why I believe Mineta was killed in relation to the photos why the answer is quite obvious. The woman he invited must have known of his previous actions hence why she killed him as he returned with her drugged drink in hand. As for the photos, I deduce that the killer did indeed try to find the photos but was unable to do so, notice how nothing of value was stolen, why the TVs alone would fetch a fair price, even just some of Mineta's hero gear would as well, yet none of it was touched. No this shows our killer was here for the sole purpose of killing Mineta and finding his trove of filth. Lieutenant I suggest you start with finding the names of the women from each photo, I believe that most might have been locals and perhaps even women he's saved at one point. Lieutenant I also believe that it was one of these women or at least someone close to them that killed mister Mineta."
Lieutenant Nagakura nodded, ordering his men to confiscate the box and begin working on identifying the women in the photos. Midoriya, for his part, simply spoke to the Lieutenant, giving a promise of continuing support when needed. He then turned towards myself, Kirishima and Mina, reaching into his coat pocket and taking out a business card. He handed one to each of us and then bowed, stating to call him if needed and then left.
Glancing down, it was a simple thing. His card was white with a green outline, black lettering, and contained a name, phone number and address. 'Izuku Midoriya, consulting detective.'