The gates of U.A. were somehow more intimidating than normal. They loomed over Izuku, and he couldn't help but feel uneasy. This was his first time being at the school while class was being held. All Might and Kacchan were waiting for him somewhere in here.

He did his best to regulate his breathing. It would be fine. He had faced Stain and the League of Villains. This was supposed to be a school for heroes, someone would stop Kacchan from killing him. Hopefully.

His hand slightly shook as he buzzed the intercom.

"Yes?"

He cleared his throat. "It's Midoriya Izuku with a guest. I'd like to speak to Principal Nezu, please."

"You know the way," the voice crackled before the gates swung open.

Gesturing for Makoto to follow, Izuku led the way through the behemoth campus. The walk to Nezu's office was short, but Makoto watched everything with frighteningly perceptive eyes. He could sense articles upon articles resulting from that - "An Insider Look Into U.A." and the like.

Nezu was in his office waiting with a serene smile. For some reason, Makoto seemed uneasy. Izuku only smiled brightly at the bear. Mouse? Dog? He smiled at the principal.

"Officer Midoriya, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Good morning, Principal Nezu. I'm actually not here on my own business, I'm accompanying Tsukauchi Makoto. She's a reporter with a favor to ask."

"Oh?" Nezu asked, eyes unreadable as they slid to the woman.

Even though Makoto seemed uneasy, she stepped forward boldly. "As Midoriya said, I'm Tsukauchi Makoto, a reporter for the Tokyo Times. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise. What brings you to our school, Ms. Tsukauchi, with a police escort no less?"

"I've been assigned to get an interview with All Might and some of his students," Makoto said bluntly. "To be perfectly frank, Principal Nezu, I will not be leaving until I get it."

Nezu's eyes sparkled, and from their chats Izuku knew that Makoto was playing a dangerous game. While Izuku would go as far as to call himself and Nezu friends, he knew never to challenge Nezu.

"Officer Midoriya, feel free to explore the campus. I believe Eraserhead just released his class until lunch to do research on an upcoming project. I believe a good portion of them are in the library. You can leave Ms. Tsuakauchi and me to our negotiations."

"Is that okay with you, Ms. Tsukauchi?" Izuku asked.

"Go. We're about to have a battle of wits."

Glad to somewhat decrease his chance of crossing paths with All Might, Izuku nodded at the two before stepping out the door. As he walked, he thought of the conversation he had had with Makoto on the way over here.

He wasn't sure how to handle the whole situation. Todoroki deserved to be saved from his father, he needed to be able to be a kid. But, even with as much as he despised Endeavor, Izuku just couldn't destroy the man. As the Number 2 Hero, if Endeavor was exposed, then the entire foundation of their heroic society would take a hit, and chaos would abound. While the whole society was problematic in a plethora of ways, right now, no one was really prepared to offer an alternative. His own prejudices aside, Izuku could see why All Might had worked so hard to establish himself as the symbol of peace. Statistically, it was effective. It significantly lowered crime rates, but it also fed into the somewhat toxic heroic culture.

This was why he couldn't bring the detective in on this. Tsukauchi would be legally and honor bound to go through the proper channels, which would only cause mass chaos. On the other hand, Makoto had no such reservations and a knack for sniffing out information, if her articles he'd briefly looked at were any indication. He just needed to swear her to secrecy if things worked out the way he hoped they would.

He had to halt this line of thinking as he approached the library. Izuku doubted that Kacchan would be there - there were likely too many extras in there for his taste. He was most likely holed up in his room doing what research he could on his laptop until he could go to the library when it was more empty.

Even with that reasoning, Izuku found himself hesitating before the library door. He debated heavily with himself - since he'd begun working and the U.A. students had moved to dorms, he hadn't been able to see Ojiro or Shinsou for quite some time, and he missed his friends. It would also be nice to see Iida if he could, and he couldn't deny a small longing to see Uraraka - Izuku spent more time thinking of the brunette than he cared to admit.

As expected of U.A., the library was vast. A part of him wanted to go examine the books - maybe he could ask Nezu's permission later. Before he could get very far into the library, however, a familiar voice stopped him.

"Hey there, Listener, are you lost?"

Izuku turned to blink at the voice hero Present Mic, a man he only knew from his radio show and an inordinately large amount of internet stalking - completely for analysis purposes, or course.

"Y-You're - I mean…" Izuku stuttered, physically forcing himself not to stutter.

The pro-hero feigned an ignorant, friendly persona, but Izuku felt the man's calculating gaze keenly. Izuku halfway wished Tsukauchi had let him wear his uniform, then he would have looked at least slightly credible instead of a trash gremlin. Sometimes he wanted to curse the amount of overly perceptive people in his life - if his analysis was accurate, Present Mic was scary smart.

And waiting for an answer. Izuku coughed, mentally shaking himself. "Sorry about that, I've just been a fan for a long time. I'm Officer Midoriya, I'm currently escorting someone who's in a meeting with Principal Nezu at the moment. I was given his permission to be here while they… negotiate," Izuku said, fumbling to pull out his badge.

Present Mic visibly relaxed, his smile growing in excitement. "You're Shota's kid! And Tsukauchi's! Whenever they get the chance, they both brag about you like you would not believe! I've wanted to meet you for a while, just call me Yamada."

"N-nice to meet you," Izuku said, trying his best not to look starstruck as he shook the man's hand.

"I've got a meeting to go to, but I'd love to chat with you sometime, Midoriya. Good luck with the person you're escorting," Mic said, waving.

The whole encounter felt a little surreal. Izuku made it into the library feeling a little dazed, but he was almost immediately greeted by a familiar face. "Ojiro!"

Head snapping up, the blond smiled at Izuku. "Midoriya, what are you doing here?"

"I'm acting as police escort right now, my charge is meeting with Nezu."

"Police escort?" asked Hagakure, startling Izuku, though he did his best not to show it. She was sitting behind a pile of books, so Izuku hadn't noticed her. Maybe he should analyze her next… "I thought you were an EMT?" she continued.

"I'm actually a certified field medic not," Izuku said, running a hand through his hair, "but that's kind of a side thing I do. I've recently finished the certifications to become a police officer."

"Impressive," said a nearby girl. "Congratulations, Midoriya. I don't believe we've officially met, I'm Yaoyorozu Momo."

"It's nice to see you all again. So what are you working on?"

"We're supposed to be coming up with ultimate moves," Ojiro said. "What I've come up with so far just isn't cutting it."

Izuku tapped the table. "How much of your body weight can your tail support without straining it?"

"All of it, it's just uncomfortable because physiologically my tail isn't meant to be used that way."

The tapping grew faster, the staccato percussion matching the speed of Izuku's thoughts. "Okay, hear me out…"

He ended up helping each of them, setting them onto previously unconsidered paths. As he was talking over a multitude of options over with Yaoyorozu, a few other students wandered over. Izuku didn't mind, he'd want to gauge his rapid analysis skills for a while. Their lunch period was impending when a voice utterly demolished his concentration.

"Midoriya, what are you doing here?"

Freezing, Izuku almost didn't want to turn around. Suddenly he felt kind of queasy and his heart was racing. Sure enough, when he turned around he found Uraraka bouncing toward him with Iida furiously whispering that it was unsafe to run in libraries as he followed.

Somehow swallowing was incredibly difficult. "H-hi, Uraraka, Iida."

"Uraraka, you know running is not permitted outside of training areas," Iida scolded, his arms chopping the air.

"Lighten up, Iida, Midoriya's here!" the girl exclaimed.

"It is nice to see you again, Midoriya. Congratulations on being inducted as an officer, as well. Uraraka and I wished to be at the ceremony, but my parents were busy that day, and as such I looked after my brother's wellbeing. Uraraka kindly offered to help me ensure that Tensei only has the best care," Iida said, tearing up a bit.

"He was in perfectly good shape," Uraraka stage-whispered to Izuku. "I think Iida's parents mainly wanted him to check in on Tensei - he's actually gotten really good in his wheelchair. We raced around the house when Tenya wasn't looking. It was even more fun when I used my quirk on Tensei!"

"Which is completely inappropriate outside of training grounds," Iida said severely. "Anyway, what are you doing here, Midoriya? And in such casual clothes as well."

"I'm acting as a police escort right now, but I'm in plainclothes so I don't draw attention to myself," Izuku explained. "My charge is with your principal right now, so Nezu told me I could come here. Actually, while you're all here, can I ask you all a favor?"

It was perfect - Makoto wanted between three and five students to interview from the hero course, and these five had been largely overlooked in the Sports Festival. Their voices would be a new facet of the narrative, and Izuku explained as much to the group. They all agreed, and Izuku was warmed by it. For whatever reason, he knew those five needed this opportunity.

Their lunch period rolled around, and students began filing out of the library. That was his cue to go see how negotiations were going between Nezu and Makoto, but he couldn't stop himself from glancing at Uraraka. He felt nervous and excited and guilty, and he didn't know when he would be able to see her again.

As she packed up to go, Izuku couldn't stop himself from tapping her shoulder. "Uraraka, could I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure!"

The library was empty after Iida promised to save her a seat in the cafeteria. More specifically, it was empty aside from Uraraka, Izuku, and his pounding heart.

"What did you need, Midoriya?"

Just her voice made Izuku's emotions intensify. He knew his face was bright red when he stammered, "Would you be willing to go out for boba tea with me tonight?"

Uraraka blinked a few times before blushing wildly herself. "What?"

"I just… There was something I wanted to talk to you about in private, but you have to get to lunch, and I'm still technically on the clock, but I get off soon after you're done with school, so I thought-"

"Oh, you don't have to explain yourself," Uraraka said, waving her hands frantically as her cheeks darkened. "I was just caught off guard, that's all. And I would love to go get boba tea with you."

"O-okay. I'll see you then," Izuku said, faltering a bit. "Have a nice day." With that, he bowed deeply before scurrying away.

As he put distance between himself and Uraraka, Izuku couldn't repress his muttering - this time mostly berating himself for the atrocity of whatever that had just been.

"Did I seriously just bow? I may as well have shook her hand and offered her some candy," Izuku fretted, drumming his fingers on his thigh. He was so focused on his own stupidity that he didn't see the other person in the hallway until he'd walked directly into them, spilling a mass of papers all over the floor.

"Sorry," Izuku said, immediately falling to his knees to begin collecting papers.

"Oh, thank you, my boy," said a deep voice. "I suppose I wasn't watching where I was going."

Izuku swallowed thickly before looking up into the face of All Might. The man was in his smaller form, his true form, apparently, and Izuku's blood felt frozen in his veins.

He was unable to move, rooted in place for a few, painfully long moments. But by the grace of some higher power, he mumbled, "I'm sorry, it was my fault."

Something shifted in All Might's eyes - sympathy, recognition, Izuku wasn't sure. "Are you-"

"Sorry again, I've got a meeting," Izuku blurted, thrusting the papers into the man's hands before practically sprinting down the hallway. Iida would be horrified, but Izuku couldn't find it in himself to care.

When he got to Nezu's office, he was distracted by his panic when he was almost taken out by the door flying open. An overly excited Makoto appeared, grabbing Izuku by the shoulders and shaking him wildly. "You're a miracle worker, Midoriya. I'm taking you out for lunch as a thank you."

Feeling like he was dangerously close to a concussion, Izuku grabbed her forearms, halting the woman. "What are you talking about?"

"I have an interview with All Might on Friday! No one ever gets them on such short notice! And it's because of you! Why didn't you tell me you knew most of the staff here already?" Makoto asked, cocking her head at him.

"It didn't seem relevant?" Izuku squeaked.

"I didn't seem relevant?" she echoed in disbelief. "Kid, I don't know who all you know, but you've got connections. My brother is one of those, but you are known and liked by Nezu himself! Nezu never actually likes anyone, he just enjoys manipulating people! I don't care if you're actually my brother's kid, I'm now your adoptive aunt, it's official."

Izuku spluttered as she slung an arm over his shoulders. Desperate to change the subject. Izuku said, "I have a list of students that agreed to being interviewed."

Seeing the list, Makoto's smile impossibly grew. "Interesting, I can make this work. Where do you want to go for lunch?"

Biting his lip, Izuku referred her to one of his favorite restaurants within walking distance. Once they were on their way on a sparsely populated road, she levelled him with a glance. "Okay, tell me the scoop, Midoriya, what do you know about Endeavor?"

"First I need you to promise that you'll keep all of this a secret unless I either give you the okay to go public, or I die in a suspicious Arson case," Izuku said adamantly.

"Now I'm even more intrigued. You have my word, Midoriya. I may be a hungry young reporter, but I know we can't just go around defaming top heroes."

"Okay, now I've had some suspicions for a while…"

A/N: First of all, I'm out of police officers to show analysis for, at least for now. Do you guys enjoy Izuku's analysis? If so, who else should I write analyses for?

I also wanted to go over a few things. First of all, I've seen a lot of people get really excited that we're getting to the prologue. We are, but not as soon as you're all thinking. The Overhaul arc is just going to be Izuku's first undercover mission, whereas the prologue takes place after Izuku is a full detective and when Class 1-A (technically 3-A at this point) are in the beginning of their third year. That means we're going to have a two-year time skip after this arc. It's a different organization that Izuku is dealing with, one that I just kind of made up. I'm sure I'll have a lot of Kit's input for that.

Secondly, as much as I love a good Endeavor bashing, I can't straight up demolish him without severe societal repercussions. However, while he won't have public scorn, he's going to have to deal with some stuff. The most important thing is that Shoto will be saved.

Lastly, I've gotten a LOT of comments recently asking if the chapters are shorter lately. No, they are not. There are a few exceptions, but most of my chapters are between two and three thousand words. That's my goal, that's what I have to offer. I've really been astounded and impressed by how much support I've had for this story, but bruh. Even if my chapters are getting shorter, I try to write for quality, not quantity.

On a brighter note, I know I've mentioned my coming story. I intended to have at least the first chapter by now, but for once I think I'm going to take my time, do some story planning and writing ahead. I'm really excited about it though, and Kit keeps giving me fabulous ideas. Be prepared to see a lot of Aizawa, because at least in the beginning he's the central character.

As always, let me know what you guys think! What's Izuku's plan to deal with Endeavor? Are other characters from the Vigilantes comic going to make an appearance? Is Naomasa going to kill his sister for corrupting sweet, little Midoriya? Let's find out!