Chapter 42

"Is there really no way for us to expedite the process?"

Mirai Sasaki, also known by his Hero Name Sir Nighteye, let out a patient sigh as he pushed his glasses up and regarded his ward, Mirio Togata..

"We've been over this Mirio. We cannot hope to rush the situation. We need every bit of intelligence and evidence on the Eight Precepts before we make any such move." Mirai dismissed, linking his fingers in front of him as he stared back into his ward's eyes.

"But… that girl.. Eri…" Mirio's optimism was hard to put a dent in. So seeing his more vulnerable, emotional side was a rare sight.

"It's unfortunate that she might be under such treatment…" I don't enjoy the thought of her being in the care of those monsters either, but… this is reality. "... but we cannot act prematurely. The less prepared we are, the more likely we are to have casualties among our ranks. That's something I Wish to avoid."

"But… Sir-"

"Mirio. To be the hero we need, you must learn to act with patience and critical thinking." Mirai put a finger to his temple, eyes narrowing as he spoke. "Acting with emotion can be a weapon, but also a detriment. And in an operation this big, it is to our detriment."

Mirio winced at his words, silent but clearly not happy as he lowered his head. "... I understand." he muttered in answer, slowly turning around and taking his leave. Mirai kept his posture stiff and professional, waiting for his ward to close the door behind him. Once the tumbler clicked, his shoulders sank a bit and his head lowered.

I need time, Mirio… time to try and alter the vision I've seen.

The man known as Sir Nighteye possessed the Quirk of Foresight: the ability to see into one's future, and as far into it as he wished. And the future that awaited his agency, his heroes and his friends… was littered in death. His own… and Mirio's.


Mirio's head continued to hang as he stood outside Sir Nighteye's office, his lips pressed together and his fist balled in frustration. Are we really so powerless?

"Did he shoot you down again?"

Mirio's gaze trailed up to the woman at the reception desk close by. She had dirty blonde hair and was his elder by a couple years. She wore a dark blue headband and long sleeve shirt under a lavender dress, her eyes brimming with sympathy as she looked at him.

"Ah, sorry to ignore you Chihaya-san!" Mirio quickly straightened up his posture and put on a smile, swinging his arm around as if he were in his typical mood. "Unfortunately it seems so, but it's not a big deal!"

"Come on, Togata. You don't have to put a strong face on. It's clear you feel a certain way about it." Her kind smile made his shoulders slump, his own lips falling into a frown. "You can vent to me if you like."

"I… I don't want to burden you with something like that, Chihaya-san." Mirio walked over to her desk, sparing a glance back at Sir Nighteye's office door. "You know I believe in his wisdom. Sir is brilliant… but…"

"Sometimes smart people make hard choices we don't like." Chihaya frowned in sympathy, her eyes drifting to the table. Tarot cards sat in front of her, a sigh escaping her mouth. "And we do what we can with what we know."

Mirio looked to the side, a silent question going unasked. It was over half a year ago that Chihaya came to join their agency. A former country bumpkin who had nearly been manipulated by some sketchy religious group. But as fate would have it, she would meet Sir Nighteye. He helped her avoid these men like the plague, and made her a secretary at the agency so that her power might not be abused by such groups.

The power to predict the future. A power not unlike Sir Nighteye, yet one that did not stem from a Quirk. Most don't believe this fact, but Nighteye and Mirio have seen several times that it was indeed not from any sort of Quirk. But for the sake of normality, it was hammered into Chihaya that it was best to say it was.

He wanted to ask 'do you see our success in your cards?" but had long since been told not to do so. Not of Nighteye and not of Chihaya. And in most cases, it was an easy task. But right now, as his patience was tested, he could feel the words on the edge of his tongue.

But he held back, trying to keep himself in check. Don't ask something you don't want the answer to, Mirio reminded himself. If Nighteye was taking so much time to prepare, he must have seen something that required all of the time they could afford.

At the cost of Eri's well being…

No matter what logical thinking came to mind, her scared face… and the desperate anger of that old man… both were seared into his memory.

"I'm… gonna go on patrol." Mirio mumbled, heading for the door. "I'll see you later, Chihaya-san…"

"See you, Togata…" The dirty blonde frowned, watching him helplessly. Once his cape was no longer in sight, Chihaya turned to her cards. Her eyes darted back and forth, making sure the coast was clear and Sir Nighteye's office door was shut. "Okay, cards… please, show me something good…"

Chihaya called to whatever divine powers had graced, or cursed, her with her foresight. She shuffled the deck in front of her and quickly dealt the cards. As she opened her eyes, she set the deck down again. With a deep breath, she slowly drew the top card.

Death

She frowned, a pit forming in her stomach. No change… why..? She could feel herself nearly cry, quickly shaking her head.

"It hasn't changed for you either, has it?"

Chihaya jumped, realizing Nighteye was standing at his door. She wasn't sure when he got there, but puffed her cheeks out. "I hate it when you sneak out like that."

"I was planning to ask you about your own prediction. If anything had changed." Nighteye ignored her complaint, walking over to her desk and seeing the card dealt. "I see neither of our visions have."

Chihaya looked down, her expression solemn. "No. It's still… the same path."

"I see." Nighteye muttered, a tense silence following. "I want to give Mirio what he asks. But not at the cost of his life or the lives of others. I need more time."

".. . Do you really think that will change your fates?" Chihaya asked, her voice absolutely sapped of energy. "Our predictions have both been terrifyingly accurate up to this point… I… I don't know if-"

"I haven't given up." Nighteye declared, his expression unreadable as he looked at her. Chihaya looked into his eyes, seeing his determination. It clearly was wavering, but it had not completely faltered. "I'll do as much as I possibly can to change it. Mirio might not understand now, but one day he will."

"... Alright." Chihaya muttered, looking at the card of Death. She wanted to crumple it in her hand. She wanted to save the people that saved her. But taking it out on the cards would do her no good. She folded it back into the deck, looking up at Nighteye. "I'll do what I can to help, even if it's not a lot."

"I look forward to it." Nighteye turned away from her desk, moving to return to his office.

"Sir! Sir we have an emergency!"

Chihaya and Nigheye drew their gazes up, a blue skinned woman wearing a diving mask and undercut costume running through the office.

"Bubble Girl. What is it?" Nighteye cocked a brow in wonder, the young female hero taking a moment to catch her breath.

"I was out on my patrol near the Precepts base… and unfortunately uh… well…"

"Out with it."

"Y-You better take a look for yourself, Sir." Bubble girl fished into her pants pocket, producing a card. Sir blinked, slowly taking it and examining the back. A small red design of a hat and mask decorated the back.

"The Phantom Thieves." He muttered, quickly flipping it around. His eyes became owlish as he read the contents. "Impossible… their target is Chisaki?!"

"What?" Chihaya stood up from her seat, unable to unhear their conversation.

"Where did you get this?" Nighteye asked, sweat trailing down his brow.

"It was littered on the street side, one of the direct paths to the compounds! We tried to clean it up as much as possible but plenty of people have already seen it!"

"Damn it. Of all the targets for the Phantom Thieves to take…" Nighteye pushed his glasses up. He had to make a rather brash decision now. Not only were the Eight Precepts their target for investigation, they were also incredibly dangerous. The Phantom Thieves of Heart couldn't possibly understand what hell they would be walking into.

If we don't act soon, those vigilantes, whoever they are, will be killed. That wasn't the only concern, either. If Chisaki and his men felt their compound was compromised, they could potentially flee and be lost to the wind. Leaving them with no arrests or evidence of wrongdoing. And with no way to save Eri either.

Mirio would never forgive himself.

"I'm going to see a judge tomorrow." Nighteye declared, looking at Bubble Girl. "Call Fatgums agency. Let them know we'll have to expedite our plans."

"Sir?" Bubble Girl's eyes nearly popped out of her head.

"We no longer have time on our side. Tell them that we're having an emergency meeting in the afternoon. I'm going to the judge's office in the morning. They're most assuredly gone for the day now." Nighteye checked his watch, cursing the poor timing of this. "We'll have to launch our raid as soon as possible."

"Nighteye, you can't!" Chihaya's voice was desperate, eyes shaking as she stared at him. "What we've seen-"

"We don't have the luxury to worry about that anymore." Nighteye admitted. "If we act too late… I see more blood in our future than either of us feared."


"Good to see ya, Nighteye!"

The bespectacled hero stared up at the rotund mass that stood before him. Fatgum, a fellow hero in charge of his own agency, greeted him with a big, cartoonish grin from the top of his round body.

"Thank you for coming on such short notice." Nighteye shook his hand, motioning down the hall. "We'll begin the meeting shortly. Has Rocs arrived?"

"Not yet. Apparently had some family issues to take care of since the meeting was last second." Fatgum shook his head, hand fishing into a bag of chips he carried in his free hand. "He should be here soon. Hope you don't mind a small delay in the meeting."

"No, it's completely fine. I still have some members in the field that should be returning soon. I only arrived myself from the courthouse." Nighteye declared. "Bubble Girl and Chihaya-san will be bringing the briefing soon."

"Nighteye!" Sir turned around, seeing said secretary running to him almost desperately. "We need to talk!"

"It'll have to wait until after, Chiahaya. Do you have-"

"You should REALLY see this! It's important!" Chihaya shook her head, eyes burning with excitement and anxiety.

Nighteye cocked a brow, wanting to dismiss her but feeling compelled to listen. He took the papers from her hand-glad she did not disregard her duty-and handed them to Fatgum. "Would you mind passing this briefing out to the others? I'll join you shortly."

"No problem! See ya in there!" Fatgum gave Chihaya a wave. "Also, hi Chihaya!"

"Hi Toyomitsu-san!" She greeted back, quickly but friendly.

"Chihaya-"

"Right, come on!" She said, grabbing his arm and dragging Nighteye behind her. He wasn't expecting this kind of push from her but allowed her to drag him forward. They soon arrived at her desk, the clairvoyant letting his arm go. "Look! Look!"

Nighteye walked over to her desk and saw her cards laid out across it. But it wasn't the Death card that was drawn this time.

It was the Fool.

"What..?" Nightieye's gaze drifted to Chihaya, a smile now plastered across her face.

"My prediction, it changed! I don't know how, but it changed! Tomorrow, when you go to raid the Eight Precepts' base, it won't end like we've been seeing!" Chihahya shook his arm, tears nearly shedding at the edge of her eyes. "I'm positive, it-it's changed! Look, look into your own future! Tell me I'm wrong!"

Nighteye stared at the cards in awe. He wanted to believe them, but he couldn't be sure. So he did as she said, and peered into the future. Into the events of tomorrow. And what did he see?

"... They will… surrender to us and… hand over Eri." He muttered, his hand shaking slightly as he adjusted his glasses. "The future… it's changed."

"So it's not just me! That's… that's incredible. I've never been wrong before but I am… We both are…" Chihaya looked up at Nigheye, swallowing a lump in her throat. "How?"

Nighteye could only think of one thing that had changed the future entirely. The one third party that had thrown a wrench into everything.

"The Phantom Thieves…"


"Hey, you damn heroes can't get in!"

"We have a warrant, surrender peacefully or be detained!"

As expected a fight had broken out at the front gate. Fatgum and his agency led the way, breaking through the first barriers of men without issue.

The soldiers of the Eight Precepts were clearly unprepared nor were they receiving any sort of guidance. Nighteye and his men kept a wary eye out, but none of the 8 bullets had made an appearance.

"POWER~!"

Leading the charge was none other than Lemillion, Mirio moving with purpose and ferocity. Several physically morphed gangsters attempted to assault him, swinging large, meaty arms his way. But their attacks passed through him as if he were a mirage, his arm cocked back and slamming into one's gut before whirling a kick into the other's face. Once both crumpled to the ground from the strikes, he sank into the ground, leaving no trace of himself behind.

"Where the hell is he?! Where-" A fist rocketed up from the ground and swung into the jaw of another yakuza, sending him tumbling on his back. Mirio's body soon followed after his arm, grinning as he regarded the number of yakuza standing between him and his goal.

"Maaan~ Mirio's on a rampage!" A young woman hovered by, adorning a skin tight hero suit and using curled tendrils to hover above with her Quirk. She blasted another yakuza with wind as he approached, almost absent mindedly dealing with their enemies. "I thought he was feeling down?"

"He's been waiting for this chance for a while…" A quieter voice echoed out from beneath the hood of another teenage hero. A crab claw restrained another punk against the ground, his tired eyes trailing to Mirio's back as he took down another thug. "Good to see him in better spirits."

"Come on, Suneater! You should be rushing in alongside him! You too, Nejire-chan!" A hand slapped against the hooded young man's back, Fatgum soon rushing past him. He grabbed whatever offenders were knocked down and swallowed them into the rotund body of his, their heads poking out like they were buried in the dirt.

"Lemillion! Don't get too far ahead!" Sir Nighteye called out, walking through the entrance now that most of the rank and file yakuza were out of the way. "We still…"Mirai's voice trailed off when he saw Mirio now stock still at the entrance.

"You…" Mirio muttered. The number of heroes gathered around to see what caused his halt. Mirai Sasaki felt his eyes bulge when he realized it was their main target: Kai Chisaki. Several of his underbosses stood at his side, though notably half were gone.

"Chisaki, you should have left this to us." Nemoto pleaded, motioning to the elevator. "You need to make your escape."

"Chisaki! Hand over Eri right now and surrender!" Mirio demanded, his fist balling in front of him as he prepared to charge forward. Suneater and Nejire quickly moved to his sides, both preparing their Quirks to battle his underlings.

"He's not here to fight…" Mirai declared, moving in front of them and meeting Chisaki's gaze. "Am I right?"

"Young master, please! You have to-" Nemoto pleaded, only for Chisaki to put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you for your help until now…" Chisaki muttered before walking forward, his men looking at him in wonder as he stood out in front of Mirai. He slowly lifted his hands up high, his head sinking low.

"I surrender. And I order my men to do the same."

"Chisaki!" His men cried out, helpless to stop him as he got on his knees.

"Don't let him use his Quirk! It could be a trick!" Fatgum ordered, several cops and heroes rushing past to secure him. Nemoto and his men looked around in panic, at first looking ready to resist-

"I said we SURRENDER!"

Chisaki's words bit into the Bullets, each of them becoming still. They looked at Chisaki as he remained on the ground, his eyes peering back at them. Slowly, starting with Nemoto, the Bullets began to surrender, getting on their knees and mimicking his pose, hands up and on their knees.

"What is this?" Mirio asked, eyes narrowed as sweat trailed down his cheek.

"It's what you asked for." Chisaki declared, his head sinking back down. "Eri's in her room several floors down."

"Where are the rest of your Bullets?" Mrai asked, walking forward before the others while officers started to cuff him and his men.

"Gone… they likely knew it was over." Chisaki admitted, his hands now cuffed behind his back. "We've done so much wrong… so many terrible things… and for what..?"

Mirio and Mirai's eyes widened, watching as tears started to stream down his face.

"Even… to my old man… and to Eri…"

"... So this is what people are referring to." Mirio's eyes trailed to Nighteye, the tactician pushing his glasses up. "The battle was won long before we arrived. His heart has been changed."


Mirai stood outside of Chisaki's cell, currently being held at a holding cell in the center of Tokyo. His cell was reinforced with steel walls and his hands were locked in an advanced set of cuffs, covering them completely and rendering him unable to touch anything with his Quirk.

Not that he's capable of anything in his condition.

"It'll be a bit before we can get a statement." Detective Tsukauchi informed him, the pea-coated man scribbling something onto a clipboard. "Until he's able to properly give a confession, we'll have to wait."

"... is this similar to the previous 'change of hearts'?" Mirai inquired, eyes drifting to the detective.

"Not exactly. The others went public with their confessions. But statements taken from multiple sources do sasy that Kamoshida and Madarame were unwell for some time before they made full blown confessions." Tsukauchi sighed, eyes drifting back up to Chisaki. He was shaking like a leaf, curled up as he muttered quietly to himself. "It's possible that they were in the same state leading up to their confessions."

"I see." Mirai answered. "Then it's the waiting game."

"Pretty much. We'll try and get more out of his men, but they seem more liable to keep their mouths shut." Tsukauchi grit his teeth in frustration. "To think, the Phantom Thieves would beat us to the punch on this. Knowing you, you must be furious."

Nighteye didn't answer that statement, eyes remaining plastered to Chisaki's prone body.

"I'm sorry… old man… Eri…" He whimpered from his cell, clearly a shell of the man he once was.

""Even without a confession, we have more than enough to put Chisaki and his men away with what we gathered from the compound." Tsukauchi continued, breaking the silence between them. "Trigger, the quirk erasing bullets… and the condition of that girl, Eri."

"I spoke to Recovery Girl earlier. She was… in worse shape than we imagined." Nighteye's hands twitched for a brief moment as he felt guilt creep. "We think her body was the secret key to the quirk erasing bullets. And he had to use his deconstruction quirk to extract it for this use."

"I see…" Tsukauchi visibly paled, a silent understanding passing between them. Eri had suffered more than they dared imagine.

And Mirai had to go on knowing that he had pushed for their raid to launch much later.

*Ring Ring*

His thoughts pulled away from his guilt, Mirai digging into his pocket and answering his phone. "Mirio. Did you need something?"

"A couple things, but first… has Chisaki talked yet?"

"Not yet. He's in no state to answer questions. We'll have to wait and see how long before he gives his confession like the others did."

"I see… still, at least we have him. But the reason I really called was about Eri-chan…" Mirio's voice was hesitant but Nigheye patiently waited to hear his request. "She's a bit more responsive now, but she's still not receiving us well."

Mirai sighed, massaging the bridge of his nose. "I see. Well, so long as Eraserhead can keep her Quirk in check for now, that's the best we can do."

"I suppose, but… There was one thing that came up. Something that got her attention."

"And what was that?"

"I… know we have a policy of not bringing civilians into such work, but… the boy and elderly gentleman from before. I asked her if there was some way she'd talk to us and she said… she wants to see them."

Nighteye cocked a brow in wonder, eyes shifting to Tsukauchi. "I see… I'll make the necessary requests. You said this old man you met knew me, correct? And he owns a coffee shop?"

"Yeah. He kicked me out of it. I'm sorry for not getting his name…"

"I see. It's alright. I think I have an idea of who you're referring to." Mirai held his chin in thought. "That might make it easier to set up a meeting, if true."


Izuku swallowed the lump that formed in his throat as he walked behind Sojiro. It had been a day since the news broke out that the Nighteye agency had cracked down on the Eight Precepts. And to his disbelief, Sojiro had gotten a direct call from Sir Nighteye soon after. There was some clear disdain in the way he addressed the Agency Head as well as familiarity. Despite this, Sojiro agreed to come into his office after being asked.

Both of them had been asked for.

I have to keep my head. Izuku told himself, knowing that he was walking into the lion's den. There shouldn't have been anything to link them to the Phantom Thieves or Chisaki. Well… except for that one meeting. Could that be enough to have him be under suspicion? It wouldn't surprise him if it was. But he still had several advantages on his side that helped him play innocent.

"Alright, listen kid. You need to be silent and let me do the talking." Sojiro looked back at Izuku, surprising him. "I'm not sure why they're calling us here, but I don't like it. Especially right after that bust."

"I understand, but…" Izuku raised a brow. "Why did you agree to come if so, Sakura-san?"

"... Why do you think, kid?" Sojiro frowned, turning back forward. "I want to know how Eri's doing."

Of course… Izuku smiled. Sojiro had offered to let him stay as well. But he had been urged to go and learn more. They both had.

It wasn't long until they reached the end of the office, passing by several scrambling pro-heroes. Izuku didn't fail to notice how busy they were, though he couldn't determine whether it was because of the previous bust or if this was a normal day at the office for Hero Agencies.

"Ah, you must be Sojiro." Izuku and Sojiro's eyes trailed to a desk sitting right outside of the office door. A blonde woman putting her hands together as she stood up and ushered them to the door. "He's expecting you both. Please go right in."

"Thank you, young lady." Sojiro shot her his usual smooth smile before facing the door, lips immediately falling into a frown. Izuku fought the tension in his chest, lips thinning into a line. Sojiro opened the door and led them in.

Trepidation and caution should have ruled more over Izuku. But as he saw the walls and posters plastered around him, he felt his guard crumble a little. He blinked, the large face of All Might staring back at them from the back wall. He looked around and found another poster, again All Might. Limited edition prints that he had desired before but couldn't get his hands on.

I knew he was All Might's sidekick, but he's… also a mega fan like me.

"It's been some time, former commissioner Sakura."

Izuku had to snap back to reality, his caution settling back in. Sir Nighteye was waiting for them behind his desk, standing with his hands held behind his back.

"Just Sakura works, Sasaki. I haven't been part of the commission for some time." Sojiro huffed, his hands stuffed in his pockets as he stood with ill concealed contempt.

"Of course." Nighteye's glare trailed to Izuku. His gaze was piercing, as if assessing a potential threat. "So this is your ward?"

"He's a kid I'm looking after at the moment." Sojiro answered shortly.

"I'm Izuku Midoriya. It's nice to meet you." Izuku gave his curt response, bowing in greeting.

"... Good to meet you." Nighteye watched him like a hawk, and it took every bit in Izuku not to buckle under his gaze.

"Are you going to tell me why you called us here or keep staring at the kid?" Sojiro cut in, his arms crossed over his chest.

"Yes… I'm sure you've heard about the raid on the Eight Precepts by now," Nighteye peeled his gaze away from Izuku to look at Sojiro again.

"I heard it went off without a hitch. Barely any fighting, really." Sojiro nodded, his foot tapping impatiently. "What about it?"

"That peaceful conclusion is what's in question. Right now we're trying to get details as to the reason behind such. After all, Chisaki had been considered a large threat for some time. You were still around when he was, were you not?"

"I was. I know exactly how dangerous he was and is. Me and the kid were reminded not too long ago." Sojiro's fingers dug into the fabric of his sleeve. "Any idea why he surrendered so easily?"

"Typically it'd be classified, but word is soon to break out. After all, these were found scattered near the compound not long before the raid.." Nighteye reached into his suit jacket and produced something Izuku immediately recognized: their calling card.

Sojiro couldn't stop a single laugh from escaping his lips, a smirk crawling at the edge. "I'll be damned… So, a third party kicked all this off."

"Indeed. Far ahead of my intended timeline." Nighteye placed the calling card on the table, his eyes now leering between them. "But what I'm trying to determine… is how they came to this target. And why now of all times?"

"The Eight Precepts weren't unknown. They could have heard about them easily enough in the street." Sojiro scoffed.

"Perhaps. But the Eight Precepts' latest movements have been well disguised for some time. Very few leaks as, after all, any man who would risk speaking would have been dealt with by them. But then… we have the incident with you both." Nighteye's words and intense gaze made sweat perspiration from Izuku's skin.

"Is this an accusation?" Sojiro scoffed, unperturbed by his words. "That me and the kid are Phantom Thieves?"

"No. But it is quite the coincidence that only a few weeks after such an incident where you and Chisaki came into direct contact that he would become a target for the Phantom Thieves. Don't you think?" Chisaki countered, hands crossing behind his back again.

"Sounds like they picked up some slack your office was letting drag." Sojiro dismissed, eyes narrowing behind his glasses. "You should be happy that they acted."

"I am. More than you realize." Izuku and Sojiro blinked, his voice as unreadable as it was before. "But that's not the topic we're discussing. Regardless of my feelings, I'm trying to determine how Chisaki became a target for the Phantom Thieves. And the only link we have right now is you two."

"Look, I don't know what you're fishing for here, but-"

"I told them."

Sojiro snapped his head to Izuku and Nighteye glared right into his eyes. Izuku had been preparing for this. He had been over it several times with his friends. That if the topic of how the Phantom Thieves came to find out, there was one easy solution:

"Izuku… you-"

"I posted Chisaki's name on the Phan-site. I asked them to make Chisaki their target because… because I wanted to save Eri-chan." Izuku looked guiltily at Sojiro. "I… I didn't want to wait for the Heroes… I couldn't stand waiting. So I put in a request."

This was a last minute tactic Makoto had suggested to Izuku should such questions arise. It was a little daring but made a lot of sense. The Phantom Thieves had been getting a decent name as of late. It was an easy excuse with a good amount of plausible deniability.

Sojiro stared in disbelief, silent. Izuku swallowed the new lump that formed before looking at Nighteye. Despite his stone cold visage, he could see… something in his eyes. A shade of remorse and possibly understanding. His lips were no longer so tight.

"I see…" Nighteye straightened out, adjusting his glasses. "I've seen the Phan-site. It's nothing more than a children's forum. There's no way to confirm whether or not that request is what sparked their attention regardless."

"What?" Sojiro blinked, raising a brow as he turned back to the pro-hero.

"It's a dead lead. We'll have to explore other avenues of pursuing the Phantom Thieves." Izuku shared a glance with Sojiro, the underlying message getting through but confusing them both. "I think it best to leave it at that. You should have no other contact with the authorities in this case. So long as this information never leaves this room. Are we clear?"

"But-"

"We're clear." Sojiro slapped Izukus' shoulder, gripping it. Izuku's lips tightened as his guardian eyed him carefully. Izuku quickly got the message to shut up and accept it.

"Yeah."

"Good." Nighteye adjusted his glasses and nodded. "With that out of the way, let's move onto the reason I actually called you here," He pressed the speaker function on his office phone. "Chihaya, send them in."

The door opened behind them, Sojiro and Izuku first being greeted by the sight of Mirio. He wore a guilty smile as he scratched his head, but stepped aside. Izuku felt his breath hitch and his eyes threatened to leak with tears. Standing so close at hand was Eri, the meek young girl staring at them with bright orbs.

"Eri…" Izuku and Sojiro mumbled, turning fully. The young girl burst forth, running at them with little hesitation in her step. Izuku and Sojiro fell to their knees and smiled, quickly taking her in their arms. She hugged Izuku first, giving him a tight hug around the neck. Izuku pursed his lips, his mind flashing back to the Palace. It felt the same as back then, when he held her Shadow so close. But to hold the true Eri here in the real world… It brought the tears streaming down.

"Thank you…" she whispered into his ear, and he couldn't help but blink. Does she know..?

He didn't have much time to question it as she broke the hug from him, now hugging Sojiro around the neck. The old barista laughed, returning the hug as he fought the tears that threatened in his eyes.

"She's had a lot of trouble speaking to anyone. She said…" Mirio's voice brought their eyes to him, his head hanging low. "She said she only wanted to see you guys. Only you two."

Sojiro stood up, still holding Eri in his arms to look at Mirio. His lips thinned but he looked somewhat more sympathetic. "I see… I'm guessing it's thanks to you that Sasaki brought us in."

"Yes… I've wanted to say it for some time, but… I'm sorry." Mirio bowed low, his hands tight to his side. "I… My actions were-"

"Save it, kid… you did what you had to." Izuku looked at Sojiro, his expression softening. "We… we couldn't have done anything. We probably would have died if not for you." Sojiro rubbed Eri's back before putting her down, the little girl looking up at them silently. "And we got to see her again, so… thanks for letting us see her."

"Sakura-san…" Izuku looked at his guardian with respect. He turned back to Mirio and bowed as well. "The same goes for me. I'm sorry we spoke so harshly…"

"No. It was a valuable moment for me." Izuku and Sojiro looked at the young man in wonder. Mirio no longer looked discouraged, determined even. "Even if there was a limit to what I could do, I could have done better. And I'll strive to be better. And I'll value the training UA still has to offer me." He looked at Sojiro and smiled. "So don't worry, I will be going back to school."

Sojiro was guffawed, his jaw slacking a bit before letting out a chuckle. "You really know how to bounce back, kid. I'll keep an eye out for you when you become a true pro hero."

"Please do!" Mirio bowed again.

"And make sure you keep takin' good care of Eri here, got it?" Sojiro knelt down in front of the girl, smiling at her. "Speaking of, what's the plan for her going forward?"

"She'll be under my care." Izuku and Sojiro drew their gaze up as a foreign voice echoed in the room. A tired looking man with a mob of black hair on his head, all black clothing and some strange bandages around his neck entered the room.

"Aizawa?" Sojiro stood up, hand resting on Eri's head. "Didn't peg you for the adoptive type."

"You know him, Sakura-san?" Izuku looked at the man as a small sense of familiarity struck him.

"You wouldn't know him by his look, but he's a pro hero named Eraserhead." Sojiro put a hand on his hip. "He-"

"OH! I remember hearing about him! He's an underground hero who doesn't do interviews or get any sort of spotlight!" Izuku recited the ingrained text of heroes in his mind, causing the surrounding adults and Eri to stare at him oddly. "... s-sorry…"

"You're pretty well informed, kid. But yeah, I'm taking care of her due to her Quirk." Aizawa turned his tired eyes back to Sojiro. "I've been outside for a bit but I wanted to see how Eri reacted to you and the kid first. She hasn't been too receptive of anyone else."

"She's been through a lot." Sojiro rubbed the top of her head.

"She has. But seeing that she's opening up to you both… we have a request." Sojiro and Izuku raised a brow. "At least until Eri's comfortable enough, would it be possible to arrange for you to see her sometime? We can work out an accommodating schedule if need be."

"We can see Eri-chan again?!" Izuku asked excitedly.

"You can?" Eri grabbed the pants of Sojiro, looking up at him hopefully.

"So long as Sakura-san approves. Sorry to pressure you like this, but we want to make her as comfortable as possible." Aizawa explained, rubbing the back of his neck. "So-"

"No." Izuku and Eri blinked, looking up at Sojiro in shock. "You think I want to come to this stuffy office to see Eri-chan? Not really a great environment for a kid… instead, bring her by my cafe." Sojiro looked back down at Eri and smiled. "I need to give her a taste of the best curry she'll ever have."

"Curry?" Eri's eyes lit up, clearly hungry as a bit of drool dripped down her lip.

"... Guess I have been meaning to visit Leblanc… that's what it's called right?" Aizawa asked, letting out a half hearted chuckle. "We can make some arrangements for that."

"Good. You look like you could use all the coffee in the world anyways." Sojiro chuckled. "But I am still wondering how you landed the job of taking care of her."

"It's out of necessity." Aizawa answered, looking down at Eri. "Her Quirk needs to be managed, and I can at least help get it under control when the need arises. Thankfully we've had no incidents."

"Eraserhead has been a great help since the raid took place!" Mirio gave a thumbs up and smiled.

"And your help to get her adjusted to things will be greatly appreciated as well, Sakura-san." said Aizawa.

"I see… I'm still not pleased with how you handled the Chisaki situation, but…" Sojiro looked down at Eri and knelt down in front of her. "At least you're taking steps to make it right. I'll do what I can. Can I count on you as well, kid?" Sojiro asked, looking at Izuku.

"Of course, Sakura-san!" Izuku grinned.


"Damn, so they didn't really push it?"

Izuku had quickly called together a small meetup with the others once he had returned back home with Sojiro, meeting at Leblanc once Sojiro headed home. There was clear tension among his friends about the topic of discussion, but he was quickly able to reassure them once he explained what happened.

"Not really. Sir Nighteye seemed ready to let it go. I thought they might ask more questions about the Phan-site, but nothing." Izuku explained.

"Weird. Figured they'd be pissed off that we pulled one under their nose." Bakugou's eyes narrowed, his voice suspicious.

"They all seemed… really remorseful about what happened before." Izuku looked down. "I feel a little guilty for putting so much on Togata-san. Sakura-san was right to forgive him so I did the same. He seems to want to improve as a hero too."

"And Eri was okay?" Ann asked hopefully, Izuku's bright smile spreading again.

"Yeah, she was. She's being taken care of by a Hero because of her Quirks' instability, but she was really happy to see us…. She looked like… she did in the palace…" He had to wipe his eyes, afraid he'd cry again.

"I'm so happy to hear that. So what was the arrangement they worked out with Boss?" Makoto asked curiously.

"She's going to pay us a visit now and then! She seems to open up more to us, so Eraserhead is going to be bringing her off and on."

"Eraserhead?" Bakugou's eyes widened when he heard the name. "He's looking after her?"

"You know him?" Ryuji asked.

"He's my teacher at UA."

"Huh?!" The group looked at him in wonder, the dirty blond shrugging.

"It's normal for heroes to teach there, ya know. Still, it's weird that he's lookin' after the girl."

"His Quirk can suppress hers, so that's why they have him looking after hers. Apparently it can get a little out of control…" Izuku explained, earning a grunt from Bakugou.

"Makes sense. Still, I'll have to look out for him whenever we're havin' a meetin'. Don't need him getting on my case."

"Still, all things considered I'd say that's a job well done." Morgana's feline smile spread on his face. "We stopped Chisaki's operation, saved Eri and now he's captured. All in a days' work for the Phantom Thieves."

"You say that, but I do see one problem in all this." Yusuke supplied, his eyes narrowed in concern. "While all of our accomplishments this past Palace have yielded are great for us personally, we have one problem: the police now possess Chisaki, meaning we won't have any confession to show for it."

The Thieves looked around at one another for a moment before his words fully sank in.

"Agh, damn it he's right! That means ain't no one gonna know we did that!" Ryuji slapped the top of his head.

"W-Well we did have the calling cards we spread around the street block right?" Ann suggested hopefully.

"The Heroes cleaned it up rather hastily afterwards. Only a few people saw it. It had the effect we wanted, but it wasn't nearly as widespread as the last couple calling cards." Makoto admitted, a frown forming on her face.

"I thought you idiots weren't doing this for fame?" Bakugou scoffed, looking around.

"We're not. But we're still trying to spread our names out there. To spread the message of the Phantom Thieves to more people and give courage to the unseen. Remember?" Morgana retorted.

"Well, not all of our jobs are going to get so publicly seen." Izuku shrugged, the others looking at him to see his mood shining through as he continued to smile. "I'm just happy with all of our good work. Next time we'll spread our names even more. Right?"

Everyone could tell he was far too pleased with the days' events to be brought down by such news. They all sighed, smiling along with him. "Yeah, I guess it's not-"

"Tch! Stop settling for mediocrity!" Bakugou snapped, making Izuku recoil. "You're not gonna make a damn splash like you want in society actin' like that! Pathetic!"

"S-So harsh!"

"Oh, relax. Like he said, we'll get more eyes next time." Makoto rolled her eyes.

"Whatever!" Bakugou hopped out of his chair, his hand fishing into his pockets. "At least we got this crap done. I don't need you idiots bothering me for the next week anyways."

"What do you got goin' on that's so important?" Ann scoffed, looking at him with half lidded eyes.

"The UA Sports Festival is coming up." Everyone's eyes lit up in realization. "I've gotta train before then. We did plenty 'till now, but now I gotta work on my own."

"Oh shit, that is pretty soon!" Ryuji looked at Bakugou with a wry grin. "Hey, maybe you should hook us up with some tickets? We did need to do your party after all."

"I don't think Bakugou would-"

"Here." The Thieves blinked when a stack of tickets were dropped on the counter. Their jaws dropped in awe, Ryuji quickly snatching them up. "Don't ask me for shit now."

"Holy shit these are actually…" Ryuji looked through the tickets in hand, looking at the others. "We can actually go see the UA Festival live!"

"No way! I thought only heroes and students could attend?!" Ann's jaw dropped, running over and leaning on Ryuji's shoulder.

"Parents can technically attend, but most can't make it." Bakugou shrugged. "Aizawa-sensei said it wasn't a big deal so he got me some."

"T-That was really cool of you, Kacchan…" Izuku smiled at Bakugou, grateful.

"Tch, whatever. I'm just making sure my welcome party is more memorable than any of yours." Bakugou grinned wickedly before stomping out. "I better not see you idiots sell those! Be there to watch me win or I'll kill you!"

The Thieves watched Bakugou as he left, the stoor bell ringing as he closed the door behind him. "He really is hard to read sometimes." Ryuji laughed, looking at the others ."But whatever. I'll let him have this win. Most people don't ever get a chance to see the UA Festival live!"

"Is the festival really that big of a deal?" Morgana tilted his head in wonder. "I remember it outshined Kamoshida's whole Olympic medal, but…"

"No, it's as big if not bigger than all that!" Izuku exclaimed, his eyes shining. "It's an event celebrated by all of Japan! Watching the potential young stars of the next generation in action! A lot of top heroes attend it live, too! I'm so excited!" Izuku rambled a bit, his fists in front of his chest as he trembled with excitement.

"Even if these were nosebleed seats, they're way valuable!" Ryuji declared, grinning in anticipation.

"I suppose that does make our celebration plans much easier. It's a little over a week from now, correct?"

"Yes. Hence why Baku-chan's going to be focused on training for a bit." Makoto explained. "He's going to be under the spotlight at one of the biggest stages of his life. It'll be a valuable opportunity as many agencies will be scouting students to take for internships."

"I see. I'm quite familiar with such pressure. Many aspiring artists hope to be noticed by art agencies as well. I'm sure the pressure on him will be quite high." Yusuke nodded. "Then it truly is best that we show our support of him as a team."

"Heh, yeah I guess you're right. Still, he'd hate hearing that." Ryuji chuckled. With that, everyone grabbed their ticket and started to take their leave, Izuku waving them out.

Once they were gone, he took a deep breath and smiled at Morgana. "It's been a really good day."

"It has. So much came together quite neatly. Still, the cherry on top would have been a public confession by Chisaki." Morgana said with a slight bit of disappointment in his voice. "But maybe let's not look a gift horse in the mouth."

"Right. We'll have another opportunity for it, I'm sure."


"And you're sure it was the result of a change of heart?"

"Indeed, sir. There's no doubt about it. Both the heroes and our own detectives have determined it to be so." A balding older gentleman answered, his voice low. He was at least in his sixties and wore a plain blue suit. His office overlooked the bright lights of Tokyo, the man standing by his window. He was the head of the Special Investigations Unit, one that Sae Nijima was affiliated with.

"Damn. Everything Chisaki was working on is being tossed down the drain. Were any of the bullets recoverable?"

"They were, but I'm afraid… The Nighteye Agency has seized all contraband. I can get my agents to try and claim some for evidence, but it wouldn't be enough for anything grand."

"Unless it was the full erasure that he had promised, it's useless then. Forget it."

"As you wish, sir. What about Chisaki?" The SIU Director asked, eyes narrowed. "There are a lot of eyes on him, and not all my men."

"Best to leave him be for now. I don't need any unwanted attention being drawn trying to take care of a liability. Besides, he has no direct link or knowledge of who we were. We had fall men for that in place."

"I figured you would. Alright, then I'll keep you updated on-"

"Wait. Has he given his direct confession? One like those we've seen from the past victims of the Phantom Thieves of Heart?"

"Hm? Uh, no sir, he has yet to do so. He's been in a poor state since his arrest. The heroes and detectives are waiting to see when he'll be able to talk like the others." The SIU Director explained, stroking his chin. "Why do you ask?"

"When his confession is given, make sure it's recorded. Not just on tape, I want video too. I have an idea for how to turn this to our advantage."

To be continued…

Thank you again Chidoriprime for your awesome work!

Hey everyone! Sorry again for the long breaks in between. As I've said before, I've started working on many personal projects, both original and fanmade. I do appreciate everyone's support of this story and hope you enjoyed that chapter!

And just a heads up, I don't know where the fate of Fanfiction dot net is headed, so I want to inform everyone that should this site disappear, you will see this story and many others brought over to Archiveofourown dot org. The lifespan of this site is unknown, but know that I do have a plan should it suddenly disappear.

Anyways, hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Thank you again for reading and see you next time!