Sorry for another update gap but the vicinity was on fire, the heat was above 40ºC (105ºF) for a while, my meds are losing effectiveness and *Checks conspiracy news* China unleashed a virus onto the world to lift sanctions?
Kay. Anyway have a chapter.
"What do you want with my son?" asked Inko in an apprehensive tone.
"Are you aware of the current crisis at Orudera middle school?"
"I just saw it on the news, a villain attack?"
"We're investigating at present. A yellow All Might backpack was found near the epicentre of the wreckage as well as a pair of red sneakers," he said, producing said items from a large plastic bag, "The contents of the backpack suggests they belong to Midoriya-kun. Considering the shoe lockers are undamaged and at the front of the building we were hoping he could tell us why they might be present in the wreckage."
Inko's gaze turned to Izuku who looked just as puzzled as she did.
"Midoriya-kun?" asked the detective.
Hesitating briefly, eyebrows furrowed while answering, "I'm not entirely sure. I remember my notebook ended up going out the window earlier, because I was clumsy, but I don't remember leaving my stuff in the classroom."
"That's because they weren't in a classroom," Naomasa announced to the two greenettes' surprise, "Had they been within the building they would have been buried under the wreckage. For them to have ended up where they were they would have had to have been on the roof when it collapsed."
"But why were they there, I hardly ever go up th-"
Izuku froze. He looked down, his eyes hidden by his hair.
Tsukauchi, who wasn't just a detective because of his quirk, turned to the boy's mother.
"Midoriya-san, may I speak with your son privately for a moment? He's not in trouble."
Halfway through raising an objection Izuku cut her off "Kaasan … please. It's alright."
Looking between her son and the policeman, her discomfort at leaving Izuku's side clear from her body language. After the distressing phone call telling her he was in the hospital, being separated from her baby seemed to be akin to abandonment in his time of need.
Reluctantly, with a brief embrace and a watery smile to Izuku, she huffed a sigh, gave the detective an appraising look and made her way to the door.
"I'll go and see if the cafeteria does Katsudon."
Izuku didn't look up as the detective occupied the seat that had just been vacated.
"Midoriya-kun, can you tell me why your belongings were on the roof of your school?"
"Because I left them there."
TRUTH
"Why did you leave them there?"
"Because I wasn't going to need them"
TRUTH
"And why was that?"
"Because I was going to jump."
TRUTH
Sighing inwardly at the can of worms he'd opened, Naomasa's expression morphed from neutral to a frown.
"Going to? You changed your mind?" Mild relief.
"No."
TRUTH
His frown deepened. "You feel you will try to attempt suicide in the future?"
"Probably not."
TRUTH?
"Probably?"
"Well it didn't work this time ..."
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As Inko waited in line at the cafeteria she pondered her and her son's situation. She knew people treated him differently, sometimes very poorly, because he was quirkless. Would that change now that circumstances had? Would he still come home with scuffed clothing, hiding bruises and scorch marks from her? Would this affect his dreams of being a hero? Would he forgive her words all those years ago?
I'm so sorry Izuku!
Fighting back a shudder she turned her attention back to the queue she was now at the head of.
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"So you jumped?"
"Yes."
TRUTH
Well this certainly made things difficult. Well … more difficult. Removing his hat from under his arm to on his lap as he had nearly dropped it in his shock.
"Do you have anything to do with the destruction of the building?"
"I don't know."
TRUTH
"You don't?"
"I'm not really sure. I might be the reason but I don't remember. I woke up near the school's Koi pond and just sort of … wandered off."
Truth
"What happened after that?"
"I think I started walking home, I was a bit fuzzy afterwards, and when I got to an underpass-"
"You were attacked by a sludge villain?"
Izuku startled "How did you know that?"
"All Might reported a few hours ago about his pursuit and assisted capture of a sludge villain by a civilian with an out of control quirk."
"Is he alright?"
"All Might?"
"No- I mean yes him too, he looked like he was steaming before I passed out, but the villain? He was trapped in there with me for a long time and I don't know if he could breathe. Actually I don't know if he respires normally because of his mutation or if he can draw oxygen out of fluids because he didn't seem to have any organs besides his eyes-"
Steaming? "Midoriya-kun?"
"Although I suppose it might've been a transformation quirk? No he would've changed back before he was put in those bottles. But then how does he eat? How do his eyes send signals to his brain? Oh my goodness, what if his body is his br-"
"MIDORIYA-KUN!"
"S-sorry Detective s-sir."
"You were worried for the villain?" asked Naomasa, perplexed.
"W-well of course. H-he could've been seriously hurt when that … when my quirk activated."
Attributing the teens complete lack of self-preservation instincts to whatever had led him to being suicidal, which he made a mental note to look into after this conversation concluded, he instead focused on the apparent surprise.
"Your quirk doesn't normally work like that?"
"I don't normally have a quirk!"
TRUTH
"I beg your pardon!" he exclaimed, experiencing surprise of his own.
"Up until today I thought I was quirkless."
TRUTH
Realising that his eyebrows were beginning to hurt with how high they had risen, the detective readjusted his expression to something more professional.
"Could you please elaborate?"
After an abridged recounting of the what the doctor had informed him of earlier Tsukauchi made another mental note to follow up on that potential malpractice claim as well.
"Will everything be alright detective? I'm pretty sure the school is covered for accidental quirk damages up to and including total destruction due to the instabilities of quirks during pubert-"
"Considering the extenuating cirumstances," Naomasa interrupted, "There shouldn't be any legal repercussions for you or your family."
Izuku breathed a sigh of relief.
"However."
Which he immediately sucked back in.
"You will have get your quirk registered and I would recommend you see a quirk counsellor to get it properly identified. I would also suggest you seek psychological assistance as well. It should be covered as trauma assistance due to the villain attack you were involved in. You don't have to but it'd be a shame for such an intelligent kid to throw their life a way before it's begun."
Despising how that sounded but moving on to not appear emotionally compromised, the detective moved to the door, replacing his hat upon his head.
"I hope if we meet again it is under more favourable circumstances Midoriya Izuku."
"Me too, sir."
Opening the door and revealing a contemplative Inko seated in the hall, the detective beckoned her in.
Gathering up the to-go container of Katsudon she had procured she made her way back inside.
Reiterating to her that Izuku wasn't in trouble but needed to see a quirk counsellor he took his leave, thoughts of the amount of paperwork that awaited, further dampening his mood.
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That's it for this one. Would go longer but it's very late and, thankfully, cold.
The statue for malpractice in Japan is 3 years for tort claims and 10 years for contract claims (Not entirely clear on that because tired but there you go).
The drama and angst may have already begun but the horror gets going next chapter.
