Five months before UA.
Connection established. Yaoyoyorozu residence. 2:21 PM
Still shaken, Momo stood with her eyes wide open at the people gathered at the table.
"Momo, please show this young man-" Ichirou Yaoyorozu pointed at Midoriya. "-a couple of important places around the house. He's here for the first time."
Emiya, who is always attentive to the smallest details, noticed how one of the girl's eyebrows was slightly quivering.
"as expected" he thought.
"... yes, Father."
She quickly left the room, forcing Midoriya to quickly follow her.
"So, Emiya." Yoichirou began with a grin, "Did you find yourself a younger brother?"
Emiya felt his brow twitch.
"Please don't joke like that, Yaoyorozu-san. Our relationship is exclusively professional"
"Whatever you say." Ichirou smirked.
"About the purpose of our stay here..." Emiya now addressed him. "You said that the crime rate is rising. I do not know who gave you that information, but the situation is exactly the opposite."
"Hmm? In what sense? Are you saying the crime rate is falling?"
"That's exactly what I want to say. Recently, only the number of missing people has increased. The usual robberies have become slightly less often. However, the biggest change was in activity of all underground groups. The rate decreased by 27%. In addition to this, cases of cooperation between the groups have become more frequent."
Ichigou narrowed his eyes.
"Something's not right here. What happened to cause negative growth?"
"I have a suspicion, but I can't be completely sure. There is no direct evidence."
"And how bad is it?"
"9.5/10 bad"
"…darn. Then I understand why you don't talk about it in front of Izuku. Has Allmight been informed yet?"
"Not yet. As I said, his presence has no direct evidence."
"..." Ichirou leaned on a chair, rubbing nose between his eyes. The situation was not easy, but he was glad that he had prepared for something like this much in advance. Keeping his daughter's quirk a secret was the right decision.
"So," Emiya said, "Why us? You've got enough chain dogs as it is."
"I'll give you one try."
"The brat"
"Exactly!"
"Are you trying to collect Hisashi Midoriya's entire collection? All of you are rich fetishists, after all."
"Hey, don't be so offended. That's also why you worked for me for the first time. Hisashi was a good friend to me, so giving his boys the opportunity to prove themselves in isolation from him and his reputation is only a joy for me. Moreover, I pay, as far as I know, quite nicely. Didn't you buy your sportscar after the first month here?"
"This... did happen" Emiya gave up. Ichirou had a point.
"Well, it's not just that. Hisashi and I are the older generation." Ichirou frowned a little. "And Izuku and Momo are a newer one. I would like for our friendship to continue through generations."
Emiya raised an eyebrow.
"I think you fucked up, then." He said.
"Eh?" Ichirou was surprised. "What are you talking about?"
Ridiculous. Utterly ridiculous.
Yaoyorozu Momo was annoyed. Angry. And she had every right to be. A young girl leads her whole life with a certain level of secrecy.
"On the right there's an exit to the main courtyard" she said to the young operative following her, without turning around or slowing down.
As soon as her quirk appeared, her parents put several information barriers around her. Being old enough, Momo understood that such a universal quirk could interest too many people, hence the secrecy. But the problem is the very fact of secrecy. She practically does not leave the house, except from home to school, and then back. And even then, she had a personal chauffeur.
She's always under surveillance. Isn't that enough?
"On the right, through the window, you can see the servants' house where you are most likely to live." She continued walking down the hallway.
She hoped the young agent didn't fall behind. The house was big, and she had no particular desire to go around the second circle. Momo was very out of sorts.
It's not enough that she hides her quirk. Not only is it monitored at every step. Now there was a personal guard?!
Seriously?!
What's next, cameras in the room and the toilet?!
"And here is my room." Momo said. "Please don't bother me for now." She said without turning around.
SLAM
"Because it's obvious that your daughter wasn't thrilled with your decision." Emiya said, closing his eyes.
He wished he could see Midoriya's face now.
Izuku... wasn't familiar with this kind of situations.
Did he do something wrong?
But he didn't do anything.
No, he did follow her. But he did it because Ichirou-san said that she would show him places in the house.
Didn't that mean he had to go after her?
And it's hardly a problem that he said something wrong. Again, he didn't say anything.
Then maybe the problem is that he didn't say anything?!
By now, Midoriya's eyes had widened to the size of saucers.
How will he spend some more time here if he was disliked so quickly in the first...seconds! And by the person he was supposed to protect.
It seems that Ashido and Kirishima, whom he met a couple of days ago, were exceptions after all.
They are the ones who are easy to contact, and not Midoriya was good at communication.
Heck.
"Stop it!" Midoriya yelled at himself in his head. "How will you spend more time here? Through diligence and willpower, as always..."
"... Probably"
It's not really be possible to communicate well with people through sheer willpower. Apparently, all the conversations will have to be transferred to Emiya, and he himself will have to follow him in silence.
"Hmm. What if she was so angry because of him? Emiya-san doesn't seem to be here for the first time. Maybe she knows him?"
For the first time, Midoriya was filled with such confusion.
"Who are you?" an elderly woman asked him all of a sudden. She came with a tray of tea.
"Eh? I-a…Midoriya Izuku, mam." He bowed "An operative from Hero Public Safety Comission."
"Ah, a Midoriya in our house in a fancy suit and a firearm at his side. Years go by, but some things stay the same" she said with a chuckle. Before Izuku could ask for an explanation, the woman pointed at the door. "Could you let me in?"
Izuku turned back to the door and noticed that he, in fact, was still standing in the same spot from where the door was almost slammed at his face.
"Y-yeah, sorry." He took a different spot, but not too far from the room. He still had no idea what to do, so decided to wait for either Emiya, Ichirou-san or Momo-san to show up and tell him.
The woman entered the room and disappeared there for quite some time.
SLAM
Being in the safety of her room, Momo opened the window a crack and exhaled deeply. She sat down at her desk and took her face in her hands.
"I'm so tired of this" She thought. "I do not want to live like this. How long will it last?"
She sighed again. Then, her hands clenched into a fists and her face became more serious.
"That's it. No more lies, no more secrets, no more people trying to protect me at every step. And for that…"
This decision was based on years of reflection and doubt. But, it had to be done.
"…I'll become a professional hero."
She sighed.
Momo would be lying if she said that this decision was not made partly to spite her father. This goes against everything that has been done for her all these years – her quirk will become known very quickly. But, she's old enough to decide what to do with her life. To continue life the way she is leading it now will be a continuous psychological stress.
After all, the most unhappy people are the ones who have everything. The world was created to achieve.
Phew.
This decision is not an easy one. Maybe she should sleep on this first.
But if she decides to go down this path, the least she can do for her parents is to let them help her.
Now she will be a good girl, and will accept all their attempts to protect her.
Momo picked up the phone and called the head maid.
"Kumasawa-san? I'd like some tea. Could you bring it to my room?"
"Of course, Momo-chan, I'll be there in a few minutes."
Momo sighed, visibly calming down.
Thinking about becoming a hero, she thought first of all about her psychological well-being. To go against what her parents are doing with her life. She understood them. Truly. But she didn't want to live like that.
She has 5 more months to prepare herself for the practical exam in the hero school. Not that she doubted her physical abilities, but she would definitely be weaker than those with years of training. She needed to inform her father about the decision so that he could find someone to train her.
Momo glanced at the door.
"I should apologize for my behavior" She thought. "They were hired to risk themselves and protect me. It's not his fault. God, I didn't even ask his name! Momo, learn to control your emotions!"
Knock on the door.
"It's me, Momo-chan"
"Ah, Kumasawa-san. Please, come in."
An elderly woman came in with a tray of tea.
"Your favorite." Said the woman. "Has something happened? You look tired."
Eh, tired?
"You could say that. I made a very important decision today." Said the Yaoyorozu heiress.
"So that's how it is. With a cup of tea, it is always easier to think and relax! By the way, Momo-chan, who is that boy standing outside your door? Looks about your age! He looks, however, somehow lost. But he is so polite!"
My age?
"This is... one of my new bodyguards..." Momo said.
"Wow…Ichirou-sama, as always, does not skimp on you, Momo-chan. But... isn't he too young for that?"
"I don't know... to be honest, Kumasawa-san, I treated him rather rudely. I should apologize to him. I... lost my temper a little when I found out that my father decided to put a guard on me."
"I can understand your feelings, Momo-chan. But I think you should look at the situation from the other side."
"How's that?" Asked Momo, taking a sip of tea
"Well, this boy may be one of your guards, but you're about the same age. On top of that, he seems to be staying here for a while. Maybe you should try to treat him as a peer, and not as a bully with a weapon at his side?"
The elder maid had, as always, a soothing effect on young Yaoyorozu heiress.
"...You're probably right. Thank you, Kumasawa-san."
"Glad to help, Momo-chan"
Ichirou's mouth turned into a smirk before taking a sip of tea.
He glanced at Emiya.
"I think I know my daughter well enough."
A few minutes later, Izuku saw the woman leaving the room with Momo. While the maid decided to take her leave, Momo approached him.
"Indeed, he looks very young." She thought, looking at him fully for the first time.
Midoriya didn't know what to expect, given not the best first impression.
She bowed.
"I'm terribly sorry for my behavior. Please, let's start over." Momo said, straightening up. "My name is Yaoyorozu Momo. Please take care of me."
Izuku internally sighed in relieve.
He bowed in kind.
"I am Midoriya Izuku. Pleased to meet you."
Momo looked at him with a small smile.
"Father asked me to show you some places, so you won't get lost around here. Please, follow me."
"Y-yes, of course"
She took the lead.
"As far as I know, there is a detailed map of the building in the servants' house." Momo said. "But it barely helps"
Izuku chuckled.
"How do you not get lost here?" he asked.
"We don't use most of the house" She said. "There are both servants and guards here. Personally, I don't go much anywhere except the backyard, the entrance, my room and the dining room. And, by the way, there is a server room here."
"Oh, it's important."
"Uh-huh."
She opened the door to the server room.
Inside there was one man in ordinary clothes, behind blocks of equipment and monitors.
"Hello, Ken-san!" Said Momo "This is Midoriya Izuku. He is our addition to the security," She introduced him.
"Ah, the HPSC, right?" The asked. Izuku nodded. "Yes, we were noted about you."
"Was I the last person to know about it?" Momo thought.
"So, what do you do in HPSC?" Momo asked as they walked through the large backyard towards the servants' house.
"Well, me and Emiya-san are…well, the two of us are our own unit, we are scouts mostly. So…information gathering is our primary objective. But we are efficient in weapons and tactics, so we participate in combat operations. And, well, I'm close to finishing the quirk theory course. Well, I'm still kinda new in HPSC, so I have to learn under Emiya."
She looked at him.
"Speaking of being new. I'm sorry for bringing it up, but you do look very young for that kind of job. I mean, you look young, but maybe that's just my first impression. How old are you?"
"I'm fifteen." He said.
"Eh? Me too!"
"Really?"
"Yes." She said with a surprised face. "Oh well, I guess there is a way for someone to get into your position at your age, but uh…Why?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you decide to join HPSC?"
"Well…I wanted to help people. That's all."
Momo looked confused.
"Why not become a hero, then?"
He looked at her with a small smile.
"I can't. I'm quirkless."
"O-oh, I'm terribly sorry, I didn't-"
Izuku stopped her, expecting such a response.
"Please, no need, Yaoyorozu-san." He said. "I understand your concern, but it's fine. I would lie if I said I never wanted to be a hero. But I moved on. I mean, look at me, 15 years old Hero Comission Enforcer here to protect you. I think everything is working out just fine."
Izuku's words managed to calm her down a bit, and she let out a light laugh.
"Yeah, I can't argue with that."
A comfortable silence followed. Momo stopped.
"…Midoriya-san?"
"Hm?"
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Yes, of course."
"No, sorry, it's not just a question. I want to ask you specifically because of your…outside perspective."
"Oh…okay."
"And can I ask you to not talk about it with anyone else, please?"
"Eh, why would-"
"Please."
Izuku studied her for a moment. She was frowning, and clearly hesitating to speak right now.
"…Of course, Yaoyorozu-san."
"Okay…*Sigh* I want to become a professional hero."
"Oh…" Izuku wasn't really surprised about it. A lot of people their age still have a wish to be professional heroes – they still have a chance to enter a hero school.
"I-I understand that it's not that surprising, I guess…It's just…"
Izuku was silent, waiting for her to continue.
"I was kept hidden and protected for my whole life. I want to go out…and…well, show myself? To stop hiding in my house. To stop being protected by everyone. I know it's not noble, like, for example, a wish to help people or something along that or…" She completely lost her courage at that moment.
Oh.
"I understand." Said Izuku "so, what's the question?"
"Question? Oh! Sorry. Do…do you think it is a petty motivation? I mean, you work with heroes, so I thought maybe you could…."
"Yaoyorozu-san" Midoriya said in much more serious tone. "There's nothing wrong with becoming a hero for yourself. Really. As long as you do your work to save people and fight villains, I think there's no problem."
"Well, as long as they are doing everything within the law. If not, these heroes are becoming the job of HPSC" Thought Midoriya, but decided against telling Yaoyorozu about it.
Momo sighed in relief.
"Thanks for your opinion."
"…You are still hesitating about it, don't you?" Asked Midoriya.
"Eh?"
"I mean, it seems like you are questioning the decision of becoming a professional hero."
Momo visibly frowned.
"…I guess." She said.
They had stopped a long time ago on their way to the servants' house. Midoriya, feeling insecurity from Momo, stood in front of her.
"Yaoyorozu-san." He spoke. "You know, my life had a plenty of hard choices. While I cannot say that I was in your position, I can at least talk about what helped me during all of the choices I made…. *Sigh* It was the most important lesson from my father. He showed me the one thing that could help you, as well."
"What is it, Midoriya-san?"
"Persistence. Stubbornness. A resolve to make a hard decision and to not step back…so, Yaoyorozu-san. You've made your choice, haven't you. Why did you make it? Do you want to live your life in secret? To be watched at every step and protected by everyone?"
"No…"
"Do you want to stop living like this?"
"Yes."
"Do you want to stop the secrecy?"
"Yes."
"Do you want to become a hero and to start a new part of your life?"
"Yes!"
"To help people around you, but, more importantly, to help yourself?"
"Yes!"
"And what do you want to do to escape this life?"
"I want to become a hero."
"I didn't hear you, Yaoyorozu-san"
"I said I wanted to become a hero!"
"What? Sorry, I didn't hear you."
Years of silence. Years of secrets. Years of lies. Life of a fragile maiden in need of protection. No more! She snapped.
"I WANT TO BECOME A HERO" She shouted, and then started panting.
"You want to what?!" Shouted Ichirou Yaoyorozu from behind the pair. Izuku's and Momo's eyes widened in surprise.
Here goes Momo's confession about her plans for the future.
"Eh, father?!"
Ichirou and Emiya were going to find Midoriya, so both of the operatives could go home to take spare clothes. Emiya was barely holding his laugh, while Ichirou took his face in his hands.
"Okay…okay. Momo, honey, can we please talk about it. Emiya-san and Midoriya-kun were going back for a few hours. In that time, I want to talk to you."
Izuku glanced in worry at Momo, but was surprised to find her looking at her father with a serious face.
"Of course, father. But please, give me another moment with Midoriya-san"
"Sure"
Momo nodded for Izuku to follow her a bit further away. Then she leaned in and was about to whisper something to him. However, Midoriya stopped her.
"Wait. Emiya-san can read from lips from a huge distance."
"Oh."
She stood so her back was to her father and Emiya, and then leaned again.
"Midoriya-san, could you do something for me? Listen, my quirk is…"
Midoriya's face showed his sudden surprise, but his eyes quickly turned into a calculative gaze that Emiya quickly recognized. It lasted for a few moments, and then Midoriya's face turned serious once more. He nodded.
"I think I can do it" Said Midoriya quietly, though his words were clear to Emiya.
Momo was beaming, with a small, barely contained excited smile. It was the first time she told someone about her quirk in years.
Momo and Midoriya separated, and Midoriya approached Emiya.
"Let's go get our things." Midoriya said.
Yaoyorozu Ichirou and Momo were sitting at a table in the dining room.
The daughter's face was serious, even if there were definitely emotions in it.
That was... quite a sudden statement for Ichirou Yaoyorozu. Sudden, but not that completely unexpected.
As he said, he knew his daughter pretty well.
He understood that his daughter didn't like what he was doing. However, according to Emiya, there was an incredible threat hanging over society, and his daughter could be in danger because of her quirk.
She might not like it, but it was necessary. A way to protect her life, and her quirk.
"So, a professional hero" He said, initiating a conversation. His daughter sighed.
"Yes. A professional hero."
"Honey, you are beautiful, smart, strong and rich. You have every road opened for you. Are you sure this is the way?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, father, but…I really want to become a hero. I'm tired of the way my life is going right now. I understand your concern, really, so while I'm here, I'll accept everything you do for my protection. I won't continue this…whining about secrets and everything, but on the condition that you will help me become a hero."
Ichirou sighed.
"Before I give you my final word…one question."
"Of course, father."
"What do you think of one of your bodyguards. Midoriya Izuku?"
Well, that was a strange question that caught Momo off guard.
"Eh? Well, he…it feels as if he knows what he is talking about. And he was quite pleasing to talk to. I think we will get along."
"Did you decide to become a hero before talking to him, or after?"
"Before. Why?"
"Uh-huh. Ok, honey. You are a big girl now. You want to become a hero – you become a hero. But, I too, have a…No, it's not really a condition…"
"If you want to become a hero, then keep close connection to Midoriya. He will become a big man in a few years."
This is what Yoichirou Yaoyorozu wanted to say to his daughter.
But he changed his mind.
He will let them develop naturally.
However, doesn't mean he wouldn't help them. Hero Commission expressed its interest about expanding their influence onto hero schools. They, of course, did not phrase it like that. However, they wanted to place a few representatives into the schools.
HPSC was the organization that gives out the Hero Licenses. Having a representatives could help the students to get even better understanding of what they need to do to come closer to professionals.
And UA allowed this system to be implemented, as an experiment. It should start somewhere at the start of the next semester.
And with pulling a few strings, maybe he could get someone specific there.
Ichirou glanced at Momo.
"UA. That's my condition."
Momo looked at him, but then let out a few laughs.
"That's hardly a condition, father."
Ichirou smiled.
"I guess. So, we need to get someone to train you. The test for recommended students is not exactly easy."
"Eh?" Momo turned to him with surprise. "Recommended students?"
"Of course! What? You said you are going to agree with our ways of helping you. You have already agreed to this, my dear daughter."
Momo sighed with a slight smile. But then she remembered something.
"…Father."
"Hm?"
"…What is it with your interest in Midoriya-san?"
Ichirou thought for a few moments before looking into the window. The sun was still high, and the weather outside was quite good.
But in his mind, he flew back in time. Into a stormy night, five years ago. The night Allmight received his injury during the fight will All For One.
The night he lost his friend.
Ichirou sighed.
"I knew his father." He said, surprising Momo "Maybe you remember him. You know black hair, grim-looking, always wore long black trench coats."
Yaoyorozu concentrated, trying to remember someone like this.
"Maybe I remember. I'm not sure. Who was he?"
"His name was Hisashi Midoriya. And he…heh, he was that one person that comes into a fight of supervillains and superheroes with a gun…and then returns with a victory."
She couldn't really imagine the person that her father was talking about. She never knew him…
…But she could imagine Izuku in his place.
And that small fantasy brought a small smile to her face.
Musutafu city exteriors. 4:02 PM.
Emiya's black car was running down the highway. He and Miroriya were stopped once because of the speed, but a quick show of his badge and a statement of "we are on a mission" allowed Emiya to rush towards the Musutafu city.
Of course, Emiya was only like that outside the city. It's not everyday he could spread his wings, or wheels, in this case.
"So?" Started Emiya. "How did introduction go?"
Izuku rubbed the back of his head.
"…quite good? Had a tough start, but everything worked out in the end."
"Good. Is she fine with us around?"
Midoriya turned to the man.
"Since when are you interested in other people's feelings?" He asked.
"She will be less of a problem this way."
Well, that was Emiya he knew.
"Yes, she is fine with us."
"Good. We are here"
Emiya parked his car near Izuku's house.
"I'll be quick" Said Midoriya as he left the car.
Izuku quickly got into the house. His mother should be at work now, so he continued on his way without waiting for her to meet him.
He ran up to his room and quickly got some clothes stuffed into his bag.
However, before returning to Emiya, he went towards the basement.
"My quirk is Creation. I can create anything. But I need to know the structure of the items I create. Right now, I can only create very basic items. Could…you bring me something so I could try to create it?"
Yaoyorozu's quirk was very versatile. Creating anything can give her an edge in almost every situation. The only things that were limiting her were her own knowledge, her mental state, creativity and the body limit.
So, he decided to bring her his blueprints, as well as the items he knew the structure of.
That meant – a gas mask, his tracking device, a flashbang grenade (a pair, just in case), blueprints of his pistol and a rifle. While he did not expect Yaoyorozu heiress to perfectly replicate his blueprints, he still wanted her to understand the way weaponry works.
That should be enough.
Wait.
He noticed a note from HPSC he was asking to get.
A formula of Midnight's gas.
He wanted to try to ask for a replica of it in a lab, so he could use it as an ammunition. With Midnight's consent, of course.
Huh. This could work.
Hosu city business district, 5:42 PM.
Now it was the turn of Emiya's house.
He and Midoriya turned into the underground parking lot of the high-rise building where Emiya had an apartment.
Usually Emiya prefers simplicity, but he lived alone, there was nothing to spend much money on, and he always had to be ready on the first call, so he could not get far from the city.
And the view from the window here is beautiful.
Midoriya had plenty of time to evaluate it while he was having lunch at his house. One view from the window was enough to interest the young operative about the possible purchase of something similar in the future.
"How expensive can such a house be?" Izuku asked.
"I didn't count" Emiya said as he carefully packed up his things. He sighed. "I worked for many years in the Commission until I reached the age when I could buy my property. And when I got there, I just took it. And I haven't been counting my salary for a long time."
"Well... real estate is not falling in price, so I think it will be harder for me with this"
"Listen, Midoriya. Emiya asked, closing his bag. "Maybe it's none of my business, of course, but live with you mom while you can. Then there may not be an opportunity. You just started working, and you have and will have a place to spend the night and eat. Don't think about the apartment yet."
Midoriya frowned. If there was one man that could give such an advice, it would be Emiya.
"You finished?" Emiya aksed.
"I-yeah."
Emiya threw him the keys to the apartment. "Wash your dishes, I'll wait for you downstairs."
And then he left.
Midoriya shrugged his shoulders.
He's the junior here. Said and done.
Yaoyorozu residence, 9:20 PM.
The sun was already setting.
After parking their car in the garage, Emiya and Midoriya walked towards the servants' house with their bags.
"It turns out that our only arsenal is pistols?"
"The work of personal security is different. We can either walk threateningly next to the object of protection. This is in cases where the protected person is a fairly well–known person. In our case, we act more carefully. We blend in with the crowd. In both cases, the firearms must be kept hidden so that a potential enemy does not notice us in advance and does not steal our weapons in a surprise attack."
Midoriya listened with a serious face, nodding his head from time to time.
They both entered the building, meeting a couple of maids and a butler on their way.
They stopped and looked around, not sure where to go.
The butler approached them.
"Greetings. My name is Genji. You two are the two operatives from Hero Comission, right?" He asked in a polite manner.
Emiya crossed his arms.
"Yeah"
"Hello" Midoriya bowed.
"Please, follow me, young men. I'll show you your room." They both followed him.
Their room was on the ground floor. The time for their potential arrival at the main building should be as minimal as possible.
"Breakfast is served at 7 am. Lunch is at 2 pm, and dinner is at 7 pm."
"Excuse me" Midoriya addressed the butler.
"Hm? Yes, young man?"
"Can we use the kitchen?" he asked.
Genji thought for a few moments. The work at Yaoyorozu estate is like a clock, and it was his job as a butler to make sure every part of it works. But…maybe he could give in on such a small matter.
"Yes. I think it will be fine."
Midoriya quickly turned to Emiya with a questioning look.
Emiya glanced back at Midoriya and then…
He closed his eyes with a sigh.
"…Fine."
Genji looked at them having a silent dialogue, and then decided to take his leave.
"Gentleman, I will leave you now. Please, take note that lights are out at 11 pm. If it's not an emergency, please, keep your voices down after that time."
"Noted" said Emiya with a nod.
They got inside the room.
It was quite spacious. On the right side there was a door to the bathroom and a large closet that could be filled with all their clothes and still have some room left. On a wall near the entrance there was a phone. On the left side there was a long table with a pair of chairs and a PCs. In the far part of the room there was a pair of beds.
They put the bags on their beds and started to take out the clothes to put them in the closet.
Until a phone rang.
Emiya approached it.
"Yes?...Midoriya?...I'll tell him. Hm? Got it." He said and hung up. He turned to Izuku. "It's the girl. She asked for you to come to her. And that we are going to a mall tomorrow"
Oh. Midoriya blinked a few times. He turned to the clock. It was getting late. But, well, she asked for him, so he should go. He changed into more casual clothing, picked his bag and left.
Midoriya sighed and knocked at the door.
A muffled sound of footsteps quickly approached the door. It opened to reveal Momo with a small smile.
Which was contagious.
Her hair was down, and she was wearing a fitting shirt.
"Ah, Midoriya-san! Please, come in." She looked excited.
With a little hesitation, Midoriya complied.
The room…was very spacious. It was obviously much bigger than his and Emiya's room. He could notice a few musical instruments, a bō, a large bookshelf, filled with…every kind of book, it seemed. On her large white table there were a few pictures of different chemical formulas.
"So, hero stuff?" He asked in a joking manner.
"Yeah. Hero stuff." She answered in kind, and brought him a chair.
Midoriya put his bag on the floor.
"I think we should start with increasing your arsenal, and then we will work on limits of your quirk. Sorry, I didn't get a lot, but they are versatile. So…I guess, they match your quirk in it"
Talking about her quirk with someone was strangely exciting for the Yaoyorozu heiress. For some reason she just couldn't wipe that excited smile off her face. It felt as if her muscles were paralyzed in that position.
"Please, Midoriya-san, don't worry about it. It's just a start, isn't it?"
"I hope so" Midoriya thought.
"So, I have a gas mask, a tracking device, a flashbang grenade – please, be careful with it, it's a real one. I'll disassemble it for you. And…the tracking module. You know, the one that gives the signal."
Momo's eyes widened at the number of things.
"That's not all" He said with a smirk. He decided against bringing up his blueprints of firearms. But, the formula of Midnight's gas was soon on the table.
"So, where should we start?" Asked Momo.
"You want me to decide?" Midoriya turned back to the items, and then to her.
"Well, you are the quirk expert here, aren't you?" She asked with a smirk. She turned to the various items placed on her table.
In her excitement, she tried to replicate one thing she could replicate the easiest. A formula.
Which…was a formula of Midnight's gas.
Noticing the purple gas coming out of Momo's skin, Midoriya quickly got the gas mask and put it on Momo quite forcefully to make sure she won't breathe it in. She panicked when she noticed it was a gas and quickly stopped her quirk.
Still covering his mouth with his arm, Midoriya, with a few coughs quickly turned to the window and opened it. Momo was still in a slight panic.
A few moments later, he tried to remove his hand. Nodding to himself, he approached Momo and gently removed the gas mask.
"So you can make gases after all" He said with a nervous laugh.
"I-I'm terribly sorry, Midoriya-san. I-"
"Please, don't worry. Nothing bad happened" He tried to reassure her "Just be careful with gases, your body doesn't have a protection against fire or poison. You know what, let's start with a gas mask so you can actually use it."
Momo made a deep breath.
"Okay. A gas mask it is."
Momo started unbuttoning her shirt
"W-w-what are you doing, Yaoyorozu-san?!" Asked Midoriya and turned away with a blush.
He should turn away, right? It's not an insult, right?!
"I need to have more skin exposed to make something larger" Answered Momo with surprising calmness despite the situation.
This is going to be a long evening.
Yavin district. 2:49 PM of the next day.
"So, what's with the mall?" Asked Emiya.
He, Midoriya, and young Yaoyorozu were in her personal Chauffeur's car.
The black car was small, but it could accommodate four people.
Momo replied to Emiya sitting in front.
"There are different types of clothes in shopping malls. In addition to the most common, there are various things made of materials with high resistance to high temperatures, fire, of increased durability, and very stretching clothes. I want to buy all this so that I can have an example of such materials for... my own purposes. "
"I see." Emiya nodded.
Of course, he, being a senior officer, could order the materials she needed, but he could not allow every civilian to spend resources from the manufactories. You can get used to it very quickly.
Midoriya orders quite as it is. Yaoyorozu heiress made a right decision to notify him and Izuku about the mall beforehand.
While Izuku was spending his evening with the girl, Emiya called the Commission and asked for a detailed map of the building. When Midoriya returned, both of them examined it and made sure to memorize it.
In addition to this, Midoriya brought a new addition to his personal pistol – ammunition with an extremely fast-acting sedative effect.
Emiya looked at the driver. Yaoyorozu's personal chauffeur also turned out to be a trained bodyguard.
For security reasons, last night Emiya turned to this man who lived in the same house for servants.
His name was Suguru. His quirk was high speed, and he was licensed to use it. Well, if he wasn't, then Emiya and even Midoriya had the right to authorize the use of a quirk without consequences for the user. Like the two operatives, he was armed, and had armor under his clothes.
"I found the car" said a man, looking
"The destination?" asked the voice on the other end of the phone.
"Don't know yet. But they are going to the business district."
"It's good that we at least found her. Send us the current whereabouts and link up with the group"
Yavin district mall. 2:58 PM.
The mall was relatively small, but it contained a significant number of branded stores to which Momo was heading.
The only one who followed her was her personal chauffeur. Emiya and Midoriya were sitting on a bench, watching the store.
"Maybe we should go somewhere too?" Midoriya asked. It was not difficult for him to wait, but after half an hour of sitting in place, one particular place began to hurt. He wanted to get up and stretch his legs.
"No, don't move away," Emiya said with a serious look. For one reason or another, he was nervous. "Something's wrong"
Midoriya's eyes widened at these words. He looked around once more. "What is it, Emiya-san?"
Older operative's eyes were moving from side to side, as if searching for something.
One of the people in the crowd made a sudden move. A man in a business suit with a large case left cafeteria. Child's cry somewhere in a distance.
"I don't know" he said. "And I don't like it"
Midoriya noticed that Emiya's leg was bouncing. Then, his eyes turned to Momo and her chauffeur, Suguru, leaving the shop. The man approached them, while Momo took a moment to get to the restroom close to them.
Emiya pressed a button on his vest that was connected to a compact radio.
"It's Emiya" he said.
"Base is listening, agent Emiya"
The tanned operative noticed a group of men leaving a particular clothing shop. His eyes narrowed.
"Request for additional attention on the mall of Yavin business district, in the second quartal."
"…Acknowledged. The enforcers group has been notified. We are watching it until further notice"
"Emiya-san?" asked Suguru.
Emiya was reaching for his gun, but…
Gunshots in the air interrupted him. Midoriya and Suguru were about to get their firearms, but Emiya stopped them.
"Don't! We are in a crowd. Civilians are in the way"
"On your knees!" Shouted one of the man. He shot in the air again.
Shouts of panic spread through the mall and some people tried to run, but the exits were quickly sealed by armed men.
"I said ON. YOUR. KNEES" Said a man and enlarged in size a bit, ripping his suit.
One of the armed man was now standing with a pistol next to the three bodyguards.
"Need a personal invination, motherfuckers?"
"Do it" said Emiya quietly.
Midoriya's eyes were wide. He was now looking at the people with arms, counting-
"Ten of them" whispered Emiya. "two on the exits."
"Where is she?" Asked a calm man with an assault rifle, approaching the brute.
"She went there" the brute answered, and both of them went towards the girls restroom.
Midoriya was about to stand up with a snarl, but Emiya stopped him once again.
"Wait. Don't you hear?"
Midoriya was too angry to notice, but at the words of his mentor he barely contained himself and focused.
Police sirens. A lot of them. And since he notified the Comission…
A few men shot a few bullets in the air again.
"Alright you boys and girls, get on your feet and follow us. You don't want to get hurt, right?"
"Agent Emiya, this is base. Answer, if you can"
"They are getting everyone in one place" whispered Emiya to Midoriya, ignoring the call. He can't answer them right now. "We will have a chance then."
"How are you so damn calm, Emiya-san" asked snarling Midoriya in genuine interest. He barely could think right now.
"Oh, I'm furious. But they are not here to kidnap or kill the girl. They would do it much earlier. They are sealed here and they know it. This is ransom"
Those were the only good news, it seemed. Ichirou's decision to hide his daughter's quirk was a decisive factor here. Still, they needed to work carefully. When the criminals get the idea they can't get money from the girl, they can get desperate. And that will be the most dangerous moment.
The men led all the hostages into a shop on the opposite side of the restroom, where Momo was currently held. Midoriya, Emiya and Suguru were in the second row from the entrance. Good.
No, no, no, no…
Momo heard the gunshots and in panic, decided to hide.
"What's going on?" she barely could think.
And then she heard the door open.
"Everyone, get out" Said a calm voice.
Maybe…she should just comply.
She heard a few women get out and decided to take her chance.
She tried to leave, but a strong grip caught her shoulder, and her heart sank. Her arms were trembling.
A man with a cold, calm gaze looked at her. Behind him was a big man with a ripped suit.
"Not you, princess" He said. "You are staying for now"
Why, why, why, why…
Why her?
"Let me have a few minutes with her, Hairo" Said the brute with a grin. "I'll make sure she has no strength to rebel"
The man, the leader, it seemed, looked at the brute angrily.
"You and your…*sigh*" He started. "Get out of here."
"Oh, c'mon, Hairo, this will make the man desperate. We will get the money faster."
"Get. Out."
The brute rubbed the back of his head.
"Tch. Whatever."
As the brute left, the now named Hairo turned to Momo.
"How is everything?" He asked in his radio.
"Everything's fine, boss. We send Goro to get our message to the police. Her father should get the information soon."
"Good" Hairo nodded. Then, he addressed the shaking Yaoyorozu heiress.
"We will not hurt you. Just sit quietly." He could see her nod.
Momo was sitting leaning on a wall, her head was down, and Hairo couldn't see her eyes.
And he couldn't see her eyes stop tearing, and her face getting serious.
Momo bit her lip. If they wanted to get money for her, then they wouldn't kill her. It meant…maybe she could try it.
Maybe try it?…Maybe?! May-freaking-be?!
"-resolve to make a hard decision and to not step back…"
"I want to become a hero!"
She will fucking do it!
This restroom was small. There was only one enemy.
The conditions were perfect!
"What's the police saying?" Asked the leader.
For some strange reason, he did not get a response.
"Group? Answer me."
The radio was not working.
"What the hell are these idiots do…ing" He went straight to the door, turning away from Yaoyorozu Momo.
Because of that, he didn't notice pink smoke coming from the girl, that was making a gas mask, holding her breath and pinching her nose to not let the gas inside.
He didn't reach the door and fell on the floor.
Emiya was sitting with Izuku, waiting for a good moment to start.
The guard was standing outside the shop and turned to his radio.
"Guys, how is it going?" He asked, but the radio gave no response. "Guys?"
The man tried to hit the radio a few times to get it working.
At the same time, Midoriya's and Emiya's eyes widened.
"Did you miss me, Emiy-a-a-a-a-a!" There was a shout in Emiya and Midoriya's earphones. "Start on 3…
"Oh, for fuck's sake" Said smirking Emiya. "Midoriya, we start at this signal"
"But what about Yaoyorozu-san? And, Is that…"
"2…"
"I don't know and yes."
A special kind of hero. The one with unique abilities that barely had a use in a direct combat. But was perfect for this kind of work.
And add to this his hacking skills.
Technological hero, Technoblaze. He must have assessed the situation far better than Emiya. If he said that the operation begins now – it begins now.
"ONE"
"BACK IN BLACK, I HIT THE SACK…" Loudly shouted the speakers of the mall, turning on the music and startling the guards. The fronts of the shops were quickly shut down with metallic roller shutters, trapping a few criminals inside the shops.
"Midoriya, Suguru, to the other exit!" He shouted.
The crowd of people started shouting, but Suguru used his speed to push away the civilians and create space for the pair of operatives.
Getting out of the shop, Midoriya quickly shot the man that was guarding the hostages with his sedative ammunition. The enforcers were already storming the entrance, wasting the criminals at the entrance.
"I authorize the use of deadly force!" Shouted Emiya.
He aimed his pistol at the further end of the mall and shot another enemy in the head.
Midoriya, worried about Momo, noticed purple smoke coming out of the restroom and felt relieve.
The brute with ripped suit exited from the male's restroom and quickly got a good dosage of sedative from Midoriya.
A criminal with spiky hair showed up with a hostage at his gunpoint.
"Drop your fucking guns or I'll shoot her! EH? Didn't You-" He was interrupted as a fist approached him in highspeed, breaking his jaw. He shot the pistol out of reflex, but Suguru has already pointed the pistol in the air.
Emiya shot another criminal from the further end of the mall.
He looked around to assess the situation once again. Beside some of the criminals banging at the metal shutters, the enemy was neutralized.
Midoriya ran towards the girl's restroom.
Hesitant to go inside the room because of all the smoke coming out of it, Midoriya knocked.
"Yaoyorozu-san, are you-"
Before he finished the sentence, Momo ran out of room, still wearing her gas mask, dropped her wooden bo and hugged Midoriya tightly.
Izuku was about to drop on the floor just from the sheer relief he felt at the moment.
The incident at the mall shocked the entire Yaoyorozu family.
Ichiro, having received a message from his contacts, took his fastest car and personally headed towards the specified mall. On his way, he almost hit a couple of cars, but he didn't lose his head that much.
However, Emiya's call that everything was fine visibly calmed him down. The threat was eliminated, and some of the criminals were brought in for questioning. Apparently, Technoblaze hacked cameras and phones, so he got the image of what was happening to the Yaoyorozu heiress. That was the reason he commanded the start of the operation.
Emiya, Midoriya, Suguru and, most importantly, his daughter, were unharmed and headed towards the house, accompanied by representatives of the police and the Commission.
Now Emiya, Ichirou, and Momo were back in the dining room. Midoriya was giving his testimony about the incident to the police and the Commission.
"Your decision to hide your daughter's quirk played a key role here." Emiya said, standing at the window with his arms crossed.
"...*sigh" was the response from the head of the family.
Ichirou turned to his daughter, and then back to Emiya.
"Maybe it didn't go the way I would have liked, but... in the end, everything is fine." He said, rubbing his eyes. "However-"
Emiya turned to him.
"I have made a decision." Ichirou continued. "Momo, you want to be a hero, and I agreed to it. To think that if you hadn't practiced your quirk with Midoriya yesterday…Who knows how things would have turned out. However. You agreed to all our attempts to protect you until you enter the hero school. Therefore, until the moment of admission, you will be at home, under guard, and you will also study at home. I'll arrange with the school."
"But, Father-"
"No, Momo. I'm serious." He said with a frown. Then, he turned to Emiya. "That means, that you two won't be needed. Please, don't think I just want to throw you away after today. You know that's not true, you two are like nephews to me…And you can visit. It's just…I needed you to protect her outside the house. Not inside. You did your job. But from now on, this won't be needed."
Emiya sighed.
"I understand."
"Please, make sure Izuku-kun understands as well" Ichirou pressed.
"…I'll go pack my things."
"You won't stay for tea?"
Emiya chuckled.
"With all the captives we've been capturing last week, there will a lot of work for the second recon squad quite soon."
"Oh…that makes sense." Ichirou nodded.
"I'll go then."
"We will walk you out. Let's go, Honey." The head of the family addressed his daughet.
"Yes, father."
Midoriya and Emiya were walking on their way out when and Ichirou and Momo approached them near the garage.
"Midoriya-kun. Momo wants to talk to you in private. Again" Said Ichirou with a slight smile.
Midoriya avoided their gazes.
"Of course."
"Please, come with me, Midoriya-san."
They both hid behind the corner of the building.
"…kid works fast" commented Emiya.
"Yeah…" absent-mindedly agreed Ichirou. "Wait, what?"
"I-I'm sorry for today, Yaoyorozu-san. I-"
He was interrupted when she hugged him again.
...It felt nice. And warm.
"Please, don't be, Midoriya-san. If it wasn't for you, who knows where I would be right now."
"But…we went to he mall because you wanted to get things to train your quirk. Wasn't that because we started training your quirk?"
There was a small smile on her face.
"No, I would go there with or without you. But, thanks to you, Emiya-san, Suguru-san, I'm fine. But…If it was not for you, I wouldn't be able to pull my weight there. Thank you."
Midoriya made a deep breath.
"Thank you too. For, you know, being fine."
Momo raised her eyebrow for a moment, but then she giggled.
"Oh, wait." Midoriya suddenly said. He has put his bag to the ground and was looking for something.
"Here it is." He said and took out a blueprint.
"Is it…"
"Those are blueprints for my pistol. This is for the future, so I won't forget about it next time I visit." He said with a smile. "Please, take my number. You might have questions while you are working on it"
"Of course!" She exclaimed and got her phone.
After she got his number, he said.
"Please, don't try to make something this complex at once. Maybe try the fragments of it, but not the whole thing."
"As you say, mister quirk expert."
"Heh." He smirked…and then frowned. "So…I guess, until next time?"
Momo's smile faltered a bit.
"Yes…until next time."
"Midoriya!" They heard Emiya shouting "Are you going or not?!"
"Yea!" He shouted back. "I need to run" He said to Momo.
"I figured."
"Sorry. Bye! And goodnight!"
"Goodnight to you too."
As the young operative left, a sudden wave of boredom filled her. As if, her energy source dissapead and now, the life is going to return to normal.
Momo clenched her fist and looked at the blueprints in her hand.
No.
Now, she knows what she wants to do in her life. And, thanks to the young enforcer, she had the will to do it.
Thank you, Midoriya-san
Part I: An enforcer.
Status: Complete.
A/N: Please, leave a review, follow if you are interested, and like if you like the story
Funny fact - I somehow used a lot of things as tools for Midoriya that he later brought to Momo that she actually uses in the anime.
Gas mask - a common equipment used by all armed forces - used by Momo in third season, during the summer camp arc.
Tracking device - same - Momo used it during the summer camp.
Flashbang greande - same - used my Momo in different points of the story.
And, that's it for now. If you notice some typos that I missed, you can PM me, I try to fix them the moment I notice them.
Also, I noticed that the giant majority of the readers are from US and Canada. I want to apologize, since English is not my first language. I try my best, though.
So, Thank you for getting this far.
UPD: To guest review chumpatrol2: Thank you for your kind words. I use my native language mostly, and then use a trusted translator to turn it into English. I understand English quite well, around c2-c1 level, so I can see if it makes mistakes. Though, sometimes I get carried away writing in English as well. But writing large texts can turn into literal headaches. I have enough problems with my blood vessels as it is. Using a translator can mess up the pronouns "it, he, she/its, his, her" and those mistakes are so rare in between that it gets hard to notice even while re-reading the text.
Anyway, that's all I got for today.
