Chapter: 5 Togeike's ballad

(Shinso's pov)

I expected Midoriya to seem a bit more excited in all honesty, but from the car ride to the station to Nagakura's confirmation that the suspect was apprehended he seemed almost…bored. Like reviewing before a test when you've already studied the night before. But maybe it was just my nerves and dare I say excitement getting to me, it was after all the most excitement I've had in a while. Nagakura gruff as I've always seen him was explaining how the arrest went while escorting us to the interrogation room. It sounded like Chiako Togeike upon seeing the cops at her door just surrendered without a fight and admitted to killing Mineta. After that the police entered her apartment and found all the evidence the commission would need, from her dress covered in Mineta's blood to a blood soaked rag in her sink. Easiest collar they've had in months, or would've had if the case stayed with them.

Nagakura opened the door to the observation room and pointed at Chiako, my breath caught for a second. The familial looks we're there even if she was of a slightly darker complexion to Chikuchi, her sharp eyes almost the exact same as her sister's except brown instead of grey. The most striking feature though was her small yet content smile, as if everything was fine. Her soul is at ease. "Well there she is Midoriya just like you asked." Nagakura then sighed. "As much as I'd like to keep her here the Commission will be here in half an hour to grab her. She'll be their problem then."

Midoriya nodded before clapping his hand and smiling. "Plenty of time to find out what I want to know." He then turned to Nagakura. "With your permission of course."

I looked at the Lieutenant as he shrugged. "Not sure what's left to figure out but go ahead you found her after all." While Midoriya left observation to head into interrogation. "Interesting guy huh?"

I looked back into the room as the door opened. "Yea, he is."

The door closed behind the greenette and i saw him look at miss Togeike and smile. "Good afternoon, I do hope you've been treated well." He then looked at the chair in front of her. "May I?"

She blinked in slight confusion. "Uh…sure. And yes considering what I've done I have been."

I watched as Midoriya sat in the chair humming in agreement. "From what I saw you've avenged quite the number of other women."

Her eyebrow raised. "You know then."

"Wasn't hard to discover. But what I'd like to know is how did you hm? Care to share?"

She looked away. "A little birdie told me."

He nodded. "I take it the birdie's name was Chikuchi, your sister."

She then turned her head to glare at him. "You don't know a damn thing."

"Hence this interrogation. I can guess but I hate doing so, beyond that I feel as though your story should be told. If only to be remembered during what I assume will be quite a long stay of court in Tartarus."

She looked away for a bit silent. "Not even a trial you think?"

I shook my head. "You'll be treated like a villain, and with what you know, I find it unlikely you'll get a public or fair trial if the Commission would have its way." I looked at Midoriya for a moment in surprise at the lack of faith he had in the Commission, I mean sure they've done a lot of shady things but locking up people without a trial? That seemed a step to far. Even if I had to push the thought from the back of my mind that agreed with him.

For a moment she simply stared at me, before smiling softly. "At least he's gone." To which I nodded. "How'd you find out about Chiku?"

"The bartender at Cerezos, Agoyamato, heard about your argument with Mineta. More importantly he remembered your family name. I noticed a look of shame on his face when he mentioned it at which point it was quite easy to look up Togeike's that went to U.A, and find out what happened."

She nodded as he explained. "Smart." He then shrugged. "Did he mention that they dated for a bit?" He shook his head. "Didn't think so. They broke up, he accused her of cheating. 'Lying whore' I think was what he exactly said." Explains the guilty look. "But when the whole school says you're nothing but a lying skank what else would he think?" She looked away again.

Before he could speak after a minute of waiting she spoke. "It was a party. 1-A and 1-B had just gotten licensed and threw a massive party in their dorms. Back then the teachers were so busy with all the villains that it was easy for them to sneak alcohol and people into there."

"Your sister went I take it?"

She nodded. "Her and Agoyamato. They just started dating, everyone was excited to party with the hero classes that actually fought off the villains in the training camp." I remembered that party, Kirishima, Kaminari and a few others brought in a keg while Jirou brought a portable DJ table, fun if forgotten night.

"Even back then they were local legends and celebrities, everyone dying to get close to them. At the party Agoyamato and her started drinking and dancing but he claims they got separated when he went to the bathroom to piss. When he got back Chiku was gone. 'She was feeling sick and walked back to her dorm' they told him. And like a good boyfriend he decides to just stay and enjoy the party." Her face contorted to one of intense rage. "Can you imagine that? Your girlfriend goes missing at a party and instead of looking you just keep partying."

"A poor choice I agree."

"Not for him, while he was partying the Goddamn night away, my sister was being raped by a purple dwarf. Woke up in his room just to be told to leave like trash." I had to take a breath at that, to recenter myself. I had to remind myself that Mineta was already dead, and me killing him wouldn't have solved anything.

"I assume she reported it to the school."

She nodded her head. "My parents took her and wanna know what they said?" He nodded. "That they couldn't investigate due to a lack of evidence, but to keep in mind the repercussions that would happen to him if she continued her current statement."

"It was a chaotic time I hear."

She stood enraged. "Bullshit! They just didn't want one of their precious 1-A brats to look bad! Never mind that he was a fucking rapist."

"What of the police?"

She laughed maliciously hard at that. "The police! They were worse! They demanded to know how she could be willing to ruin the future of a promising young hero in training just because she regretted sleeping with him. They took his side without fucking question! The whole school did after all why wouldn't he brag about sleeping with a girl at a party? Everyone just saw her as some skank hero groupie!" I looked down a bit. I remembered those rumors and gossip. How people would whisper to each other as Chikuchi passed by. I can't even remember why I never stepped in to stop it. Maybe I thought someone else would, after all it was a hero school, maybe I was busy with training and focused on that. But in all honesty I knew why. I just didn't care, I was so busy and excited to finally become a hero I just let an old classmate get brutally bullied. Even worse? I might have just been a vindictive and anger filled shit to allow it. I could even see the logic I would have used 'better her than me.' Some hero I became.

Midoriya just listened to her as she continued, asking questions every now and then. "Is that why she dropped out? To avoid the bullying?"

She nodded, biting her lip, holding back tears at this rate. Her voice quivering and shaking. "S-she looked so tired by then. We moved t-to our grandma's in Hokkaido. Figured a change of pace would be nice." So he was right about that. "But it just…it never stopped. She'd just get these horrible emails and posts online about how dirty and how much of a whore she was. We reported it but we just got waved off kids being kids and all that, plus who gives a shit about some slut being shamed when the League is using giant monsters around Japan right?" Ahh the nomu I remembered. It took a while but the Commission was finally able to stop their production a year or so back. Doesn't help Chikuchi now though. If she ever got any. "S-she started closing herself off more but then she…she got so happy and I…I thought she…I thought I had my sister back." Tears started to fall as she began to sob, I watched as Midoriya's face softened with sympathy before rising and putting a hand on her back to comfort her. I looked away.

Coward I thought, heroes never really dealt with the aftermath. I realized. No, we're too busy swinging our fists, or using our powers on villains to even care about it. Always on to the next case just like how Endeavor says, how Aizawa is too in a way. We save lives. But as I watched a woman cry over the death of her sister and Midoriya comforted her silently, I had to wonder if I was more of a grunt than a hero. The crying finally began to die out, Midoriya leaving his coat on her as she clung onto it before speaking. "I'm sorry for making you go through that again. It must have been hard to move past it."

She nodded. "I didn't really…but I…I tried…left home got a job as a bartender but I…you already know all that." He nodded. "Mineta…he…he showed up to the club a month ago…anniversary of getting his hero license he said." I took a breath, the anniversary of the party as well then. "Said he wanted to have a good time…I…I lost it…started yelling at him….manager fired me then." So she didn't quit then. She let out a tear filled laugh. "It'd been a while but I thought that maybe I was being crazy that it was just a one time thing he did but I…I followed him for a bit just to…to make sure he didn't do it again. People change right? But then I…I saw him dragging a girl into his apartment and I…I fucking knew."

"You went behind the building didn't you? You saw into his bedroom?" And she nodded.

"The sick fucker never changed…he was using his quirk on her…." She made a motion to her hair and squeezed as if squeezing a ball. "His hair balls….he had her held down and…"

"We can move on." She nodded thankfully. "Was that when you decided to kill him?" And she nodded again. "Your quirk lets you sharpen your nails, correct?"

She nodded and demonstrated. Her nails even when cut short were sharp enough to cut paper. "I waited weeks and was finally able to do it…he took me home and I killed him like the pig he was." She gave Midoriya a hard look, a determined face graced her. "He killed my sister. I evened the score. He won't hurt anyone ever again."

"You searched for the photos he took didn't you?"

She nodded once more, before sighing. "Yea, but no matter where I looked I couldn't find anything. I'm guessing you were able to?"

I watched him nod before tiring to the sound of the observation room opening, with Neito Monoma and a few other agents entering. Lieutenant Nagakura intercommed to Midoriya that his time was up earning another nod from the detective, rising to his feet the door then opened with two commission agents rushing in and roughly grabbing Chiako bringing her to her feet. "Is that truly necessary? She's already in cuffs I'm sure she wouldn't be much of a threat."

The agents looked at him with a glare. "She's being treated like the villain she is you'd do well to remember she killed a hero."

Midoriya scoffed at that. "Mineta was hardly a hero." The agents ignored him, read Chiako her rights and dragged her to the door, all the while she complied calmly with her head held high. Midoriya watched as she was taken before entering the observation room joining the three of us. He looked at Kodai and greeted her before looking at me. "Well Shinso it seems our partnership is at an end."

I nodded, surprising myself with the bit of sadness I felt at the notion of separating from the detective. I couldn't deny the small amount of respect that began to build up for him nor the fascination of seeing him crack what I thought was the unsolvable. "Yea it looks like it."

He smiled a bit as he reached into his coat and pulled out a business card handing it to me. "I must admit I enjoyed having you for a partner, please take my contact info in case you ever need my help again." I smiled thanking him. "Well if that's all I'll bid you all a good day, I look forward to seeing the announcement of your heroic capture on the news." With that he turned and made for the door.

Monoma looked at me and the Lieutenant before speaking. "You know, when I heard about him I thought he'd be taller." I couldn't help but chuckle at that. We bid the Lieutenant farewell and made our way to the car as Monoma asked various questions about the investigation.