Chapter 52: Future of UA
"I have room for three in the car," said Aizawa as the students walked by the parking lot of the hospital. "If some of you don't want to make the walk to the train station…"
Izuku Midoriya was feeling a little light-headed. The doctors had said time and again that Eri's Quirk had not any additional effect on him, but maybe they'd missed something? Perhaps he was just tired after all that had happened…
"If you don't mind, I'll take you up on that offer, sensei," he said wearily. Aizawa nodded.
Kirishima put a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Whoa, dude. You alright?"
"Yeah, fine. I'll see you guys back at the dorm. Unless someone else wants to come in the car…"
He met eyes with Uraraka. "Uraraka-san, since you probably don't need to walk too much…it might be a good idea to…"
"I'll be fine, Deku," she interrupted him, somewhat bluntly. Her brown eyes were missing their old bright spark. "See you at the dorm."
She turned and walked further down the sidewalk. Tsuyu and Kirishima, after pausing briefly to glance worriedly between them, followed her.
Katayama coughed. "Weirdos," he muttered under his breath, and headed for the train as well.
Aizawa sighed. "Well, Midoriya, I guess it'll just be me and you unle-"
"Car ride!" a peppy voice sang.
Izuku whirled. Bounding up next to him was the energetic third-year girl in the UA waistcoat, Nejire Hado. Her long blue hair rippled behind her in the wind, making Izuku really wonder if she shouldn't maybe tie it up. She had her bag over her shoulder. "Car ride!" she repeated. "Sounds like fun!"
Izuku felt heat spread to his cheeks. He'd been looking at her for far longer than he'd meant to. Riding in a car with Hado? She was so forward, and aggressive…and not unpleasant to look at…
Togata waved at them as he went to follow Katayama toward the train station. "Bye, Nejire! Don't have too much fun!"
"What a travesty that would be," Amajiki breathed, following Mirio at a slouch.
Aizawa pinched his eyes between his fingers. "Fine, Hado. Just…don't make too much noise. I need to concentrate on driving."
"But cars and roads are loud in and of themselves." Nejire leaned forward, seeming genuinely curious. "Are you sure you're a good driver, sensei?"
"Just come on," he growled, turning toward the parking lot, gesturing for the two of them to follow.
They began to walk through the parking lot behind him, side by side.
"Do you wanna sit shotgun?" Hado asked Izuku immediately. "Nah, you're not the type to go for shotgun, are you? At least, not the type to call SHOTGUN! And then jump for it. You probably think that I am, but I'm really not. I actually prefer the backseat, it's much more cozy. Then again, I haven't ridden in a car for a while, which is why I decided I would today. Do you ride in cars often? Mirio mentioned you live in Musutafu, so you probably just walk or take the train to school, right?"
She batted her eyelashes expectantly at him, somehow giving him her full attention with her head faced sideways even while walking forward.
"Uhhh…" Izuku felt heat crawling up his cheeks and cursed himself for it. "You're…r-right on the money, I suppose. I d-don't ride in cars often, and I do t-take the train to school."
"Ah, so you were curious like me then! Oh, unless you had a different motive." She gasped lightly, as if shocking herself with her own thoughts. "What could it be?"
"I'm just t-tired that's all. Feeling a little light in the head."
"Oh. That makes sense, I guess. You did defeat the big bad guy, after all. That was crazy, by the way! I saw the whole thing! You lit up all green and looked super angry! Seeing you around the hallways and how you talk and stuff, you'd never figure you could get so serious and cool like that! It was super awesome! It made me feel like I had nothing to worry about!"
"O-oh." Izuku scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. "Thanks, I guess." That's right, I did beat Overhaul. What am I doing getting so scared by riding in a car with a girl for?
They reached the car, and both of them ended up sitting in the backseat. Aizawa raised his eyebrow at this. "Trying to make me feel like a chauffeur or something?"
Izuku's eyebrows shot up. "S-sensei, I didn't mean to-!"
"Relax, I don't actually care. Just get in and let's go."
Nejire tapped her chin thoughtfully as Aizawa started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "I guess you being tired makes sense," she said, her eyes floating up toward the ceiling of the vehicle.
"Oh, are we still on that?" Izuku asked, somehow getting the somewhat dry question out without a stutter. Is Katayama starting to rub off on me?
"Still, that's not the motive I thought. Are you sure you didn't want to ride in a car with just you and Ochaco? You did seem to invite her along, after all."
Izuku's mouth closed shut. Nejire's face was pure curiosity, not an ounce of a smirk in sight. She wasn't teasing, she was genuinely asking.
Plus, Aizawa's in the front seat and can hear everything we're saying!
"That wasn't really…my intention…" he squeaked. "I just thought it would be good for her to get some rest…"
"Oh. I see. Well, it's nice to look out for her, although she didn't seem to take it very well. I wonder why that is?" Her eyes drifted back toward the ceiling again. How often did she transition in and out of her thoughts.
Izuku sighed. "I was probably being overprotective or s-something. I think that's a problem th-that I have."
"Well, it makes for good heroes!" Nejire told him brightly. "Bad boyfriends, though." This time, she DID smirk.
"H-huh?" Izuku practically felt steam eject out of his ears. "B-b-b-b-b…"
"Hado, please stop harassing my student," Aizawa called out rather loudly from the front seat, as he flicked his turn signal.
Nejire pouted. "Not harassing, just talking. It would be nice if it were less one-sided, though."
Suddenly, Izuku felt a little annoyed. He was feeling rather sick of letting dominant people like her lead him around like a dog on a leash.
"I mean, if you're so curious about Uraraka, why don't you ask her yourself? Since you guys are at the same work study and everything."
Nejire's mouth opened. "Oh, but I tried! She was open some of the time, but not as much as expected! I thought she was a lot more bubbly, based on what I'd heard around the school! It was surprising. Do you know why she might have changed? Was she always like that?"
"Well, wh-why would I know? You're probably closer to her than I am, these days."
She frowned. "I don't think that's true. You're her best friend, right?"
"Well, uh, I-" Izuku cut himself off, feeling strange. Were they best friends? She was certainly one of his closest friends, it was true…
He remembered how he'd felt at the mall, when he'd decided that if he was to date anyone, it would be her…
...and then Shigaraki had captured her.
He frowned, his face darkening.
"She, like all of my class, has been through a lot," he muttered. "That probably has something to do with it."
A hand rubbed against his arm.
Izuku looked up, surprised.
Nejire moved her hand up to his shoulder and patted it, a gentle, apologetic expression on her face. "I'm sorry, I get it. I didn't mean to be pushy. I get like that a lot and don't realize, and sometimes take it too far…"
"N-no, it's fine," Izuku said. "I'm not mad or anything."
"Right." She smiled. "I wouldn't blame anyone who was scared of you after seeing what I saw. But you save that stuff for the villains, don't ya? They're the ones who should be scared!"
"Ha…yea…"
"Ochaco gets really mad around villains too." Nejire frowned. "I had to pull her away from those guys at the edge of the collapsed street. If I hadn't, she might have gotten worse than stabbed…" Her face darkened. "Maybe I do understand after all. She really hates villains, doesn't she?"
"Uhh…yeah. I suppose she does," Izuku muttered. He remembered the bright, confident girl from the Sports Festival, the one who'd wanted to raise money for her parents, the one who'd bravely stood up to Bakugo and even earned his respect.
That was the girl that he had gotten romantic feelings for. But now, when he thought of Uraraka, the only really strong feeling that appeared was…concern. His heart sinking instead of fluttering. That wasn't particularly romantic.
"I guess I could have told you that," he said aloud. "Sorry I couldn't be of more help. I don't really know what to do about it. I really am a Deku when it comes to stuff like this…"
"Hey, don't say that!" Nejire punched his arm lightly. "Not everyone can be good at everything. Heck, you're already a better hero than me in your first year! I was the only other one in a position to help you with that Chisaki guy, and I didn't do anything…"
"Huh?" Izuku raised his eyebrows at her. "But you're great! You're one of the Big Three, your powers are really cool, and you took down that massive yakuza guy, and you saved Uraraka's life! You're amazing, Hado! Besides, with Eri's Quirk, it wouldn't have been good for you to get close to us anyway."
A moment of silence. Uh oh. Had he said something wrong?
"Thank you," she finally said at a meaningfully lower volume, a faint dusting of red across her cheeks. "And…you can call me Nejire. Not Hado, or senpai, or anything like that. It makes me feel like an old lady."
"Oh." His mouth opened and shut like a dumb fish. His face was going red again, he could feel it. God, I'm such a dork. "Right…Nejire." Do I say that she can call me Deku or something? That's fair, right? Although, Deku is more Uraraka and Bakugo's thing…even though my feelings towards both of them are growing more complicated…I dunno if that would be right…but it's rude to just make her keep calling me Midoriya if she's letting me be less formal…
"You're muttering," both Nejire and Aizawa told him at the same time.
"AH! Uhh, you can call me Izuku." Wait, did he really just say that? No one called him Izuku except his mom! And he was just letting this random third year girl do it? Wait! No, he-
"Uhh, if you want. I guess. Uh." He forced his mouth shut before he could make a further fool of himself.
Nejire giggled. "Sure, Izuku. You're such an interesting first year, you know? It's a shame I'm graduating this year. Seeing you grow would be so exciting! Maybe I'll fail my classes on purpose or something…"
"I heard that," Aizawa called. "If you try that I will let your teachers know what you're up to."
Nejire pouted, and Izuku felt a smile spreading across his lips as he looked at her.
Not even realizing what he was doing. What his heart was doing now.
She's…a very interesting person in her own right.
…
Doko, Tsu, Uraraka, and Kirishima went into the Class A dorm only to be met with happy cheers and applause.
All of the class was spread around the common room, cheering for them. A "WELCOME BACK" banner was strung across the ceiling, and on the counter, Sato had made a cake as well as some other food.
"Welcome back, you guys!" Sero said.
"It is most relieving to see you all in good health," Iida told them, adjusting his glasses.
"We all heard about what happened. We're glad you're all back!" echoed Momo.
"Wow!" said Kirishima, grinning ear-to-ear. "This is awesome, guys! Where's Midoriya?"
"Here," he waved from the couch. "Sorry, I got here before you guys and got a whole surprise cheer for m-myself."
Doko looked at him strangely. Midoriya seemed…different somehow. Maybe he'd been like that since the battle? I really do wonder what it looked like to see him defeat Overhaul by himself…
He was interrupted by someone throwing their arms around his neck.
There was a mix of groans, cheers, and whistles as Doko swept Mina up in his arms and twirled her, both of them laughing. She leaned in and kissed his cheek.
They parted and stared into each other's eyes for a moment, wrapped up in the middle of the room.
Mina had love in her eyes as she searched his. "You've got something to tell me?" she guessed.
"It can wait," he answered, grinning. "For now, let's celebrate. I'm so happy to see you."
They separated, and the party got going.
Later, Doko found himself on the couch, with other classmates scattered around the space and chairs.
"Good stuff as always, Sato," Kirishima commented in a muffled voice as he chewed.
Jiro's eye twitched. "Please have some manners."
"You sound like Yao-momo," he told her with an eyeroll.
Jiro's eyebrows shot up for a moment, and her ears went red. "D-do I?" she muttered. Then, she huffed and turned her head away. "I just think you're being gross, that's all!"
"How was your work study with Hawks?" Ojiro was asking Tokoyami.
"Better than the internship, at least," the bird boy muttered. "I got to actually see Hawks a bit."
"He'll probably end up being number two, you know," Sato said. "The next billboard chart is coming up in a few weeks."
"Oh right," said Toru, casually leading a bit of food between her chopsticks into Shoji's arm-mouth, as the multi-armed boy was sitting next to her. "I think Reflector mentioned something about that."
"Huh? When did you talk with Reflector?" Doko asked. "Did you get a work study after all?"
Shoji finished chewing, swallowed, and shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Hagakure and I asked, but she said she wasn't taking students this time around. I believe she referred to the chart back during our internship."
Jiro narrowed her eyes at the two of them. "Toru? Why are you feeding him?"
"Huh?" Hagakure's floating neck-hole angled up, as if she was looking up from something. "Am I?" She giggled knowingly, sending her chopsticks toward him again.
"Shoji, why are you letting her do that?"
He took another bite, chewed, swallowed. "It seemed to lift her spirits. Maybe you should be grateful, Jiro. I am waiting to speak until after I've gotten the food down, after all."
"I-" Jiro cut herself off and groaned, looking back at Kirishima, who snickered.
"Was that a snappy remark I detected?" Doko asked Shoji.
"Watch your step, Katayama-kun!" Hagakure warned. "He might remark on you too!"
"I always watch my steps."
Meanwhile, Ojiro was watching them all with a strange expression, specifically Toru and Shoji.
"Oh! By the way, Katayama-kun. I saw a few of your old friends the other day around town," said Toru.
"Huh? What were you doing back around Shinobu?" Doko asked. He and Toru had gone to the same middle school, and they lived in the same area.
We live in the same dorm, he corrected himself in his head. And her PARENTS live in the same area that my…former parents do.
"Just visiting family. Anyway, your friends told me to tell you that they saw you in the Sports Festival, and were cheering you on. They also gave me their numbers." She snickered. "I guess to pass on to you, since I told them you had a phone now. I'd never gotten so many boys' numbers at once!"
Jiro rolled her eyes.
"Revelry in the dark," Tokoyami mumbled.
…
After the activity downstairs had died down a bit (including Kirishima and Sero trying to get an annoyed Bakugo to participate), Doko led Mina upstairs to his room, hand-in-hand.
"Come onnnn!" they could hear Kirishima complaining. "You haven't been this angry in ages!"
"Who the fuck are you to tell me how angry I am?! I have to get some damn sleep! Todoroki and I are going back to training at like five in the fuckin morning!"
Mina snorted. "At least he's got his priorities straight now."
"And he used Todoroki's name," said Doko. "I hope they get their licenses, I really do."
They stopped in front of the door. Doko reached forward and unlocked it, letting Mina go in first.
"So what's this about?" she asked, turning around and walking backwards away from him, plopping herself down on the bed with a grin.
Doko smiled a relieved, tired smile. "You know now that we were fighting to dismantle a yakuza group, and rescue a little girl."
"Yes, it was on the news. We saw Midoriya fighting the main guy up in the sky." She frowned. "Where were you, Doko? Where were any of the rest of you?"
"Most of the fighting took place underground," he said. "Believe me, I would have loved to help Midoriya at the end. We all would have. But Kirishima got separated from us by one of the yakuza's Quirks, and while I did end up distracting Overhaul for a while, in the end…the little girl's Quirk, which is very powerful and was part of the yakuza's plan, ended up, erm…hitting me."
"Huh?" her eyes widened. "Are you okay?"
"I'm more than okay. The girl's Quirk rewinds living things back to previous states. They're not sure how it works entirely. It seems to heal people in some instances and harm them in others. But in my case, it rewound part of my DNA. As in, I no longer have a faster aging process inside my Quirk factor. I am going to live, Mina."
She gasped. "That's…that's amazing! You're…" She stood up abruptly, and ran into him, hugging him again. "Oh, I'm so happy! I'm so…" Their lips met, and they stayed there, spinning, locked together. She sighed into his mouth, tightening her grip…and then, just as Doko began to feel light-headed, she released him.
"Just for the record," she told him at a whisper, their faces still inches apart. "I was prepared to stay with you for the long haul, even with your DNA being as it was. I'd made my choice. So now you're REALLY not getting rid of me, Doko Katayama."
"And you're not getting rid of me, either." They untangled, and Doko began walking toward his desk. "Oh, one more thing," he said. "Aizawa told me it was okay to tell you. Kurogiri has been captured."
"Nice!" Mina said. "About time they got that slippery guy. I mean, I wish it had been us, but still."
"Yeah, the two of us and Uraraka deserved that victory. But still, a victory for us nonetheless." He reached down and began digging around for the bag. Now, where is it…
"But hey, doesn't Kurogiri have your…" Mina's voice dropped to a lower volume. "Your mother's Quirk?"
"Yes, he does." Doko's hand closed around the object he'd been looking for. "Aizawa wants me to help with interrogating him. And Recovery Girl wants my help with looking into both his Quirk, and mine, and how they react together…I guess that sort of thing can help us figure out all kinds of things. Like how the little girl's Quirk works, how All For One's powers work, how the Nomus are created…stuff like that. I'm a little apprehensive, in all honesty."
"Well, if you can be of help with all that, then you should totally go for it," said Mina. "Hey, what are you doing, by the way?"
"Just getting something." He stood up and held it behind his back, walking back toward her. "Do you remember when we visited that antique store?"
"Yes." Her face softened. "The day we had our…first time."
"Well…I've got something for you." Tentatively, he held out his hand, showing her the snowglobe he'd bought for her. A man and a woman embracing under a tree, in winter's clothes.
Mina's eyelids lowered, and there was a shimmering in her dark sclera. "You…" she breathed. "It's so pretty…"
She turned it over, letting the snow fall to the ceiling of the globe, and then back over again, letting it rain down on the tree and the lovers.
"I know you're not much for antiques," Doko said, "but…"
"I love it," she interrupted, holding it close to her chest and closing her eyes, a toothy grin spreading across her face. "Thank you, Doko. I love you."
"I love you, too."
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door.
They both whirled to look. Mina set the snowglobe down on the bed next to her. "What is it?" Doko asked.
The door was thrown open. Doko had left it unlocked, whoops.
It was Momo. She only gave the two of them the briefest of cursory glances, not seeming surprised or embarrassed at all, before saying, "Aizawa needs the whole class down in the common room. He's got something to say."
Doko's heart sank. He met eyes with Momo, and hers said everything. They both knew what was coming.
Kaminari.
…
All nineteen of Class A gathered in the common room. Aizawa stood before them. He looked at Doko and Momo in turn, with a knowing, somber gaze.
Whispering amongst the kids. Tokoyami shifted back and forth on his toes. Bakugo muttered about wanting to get some damn sleep, only to be elbowed by Kirishima.
"Class," he began. "I'm sorry to interrupt anything you might have been doing, especially since-" his eyes swept over them all. "Since I'm about to deliver some somber news."
There was a moment of silence. Clearly he expected some of them to ask questions, but no one came forward. None of them had a single idea what this was about. Doko felt sick to his stomach.
Eraser Head took a deep breath. "Students…when I told you that Kaminari's parents pulled him out of UA after the battle of Kamino Ward, I lied to you."
Gasps and mutters.
"Huh?" Sero's eyes widened. Jirou's earphone jacks flared up.
"The truth is that Kaminari left to join the League of Villains. He electrocuted Yaoyorozu before he left the hospital via a warp gate from the villain Kurogiri, which we have just confirmed from the villain himself, as he is in our custody. Kaminari was the one who leaked information to the League on the day we visited USJ, and the one who leaked the location of the training camp. He was an insider agent working with the League from the start, and is now working with them as a villain himself."
"WHAT?!" Sero roared. The gasps and mutters reached a fever pitch.
"There's no way!" Jiro called. "There's no way that idiot would have…"
"It's true," Bakugo said, and the whole class went silent to look at him. "Katayama and I saw the bastard at the League's base while we were captured. He tried to convince us to join them." The ashen blonde spat.
Doko winced. Mina was staring at him very intently.
"Bakugo? Katayama? You two knew about this?" Ojiro asked in disbelief.
"As did I," said Momo softly. "He electrocuted me. I remember everything…"
"And we saw him while fighting the yakuza," said Midoriya weakly. Uraraka's eyes were down on the ground, smote with silent fury. Tsu and Kirishima seemed weary, ashamed. "He attacked Aizawa and me," Midoriya continued. "He was working with Himiko Toga and the villain Twice as double agents inside the yakuza. He probably had a role in the League's attack on Overhaul's prison transport…"
"But…he was so dumb!" Jiro protested. "Always making stupid comments…acting like a pervert…he even called Stain cool to Iida's face, remember? What kind of secret traitor would act like that?"
"The kind that is smart enough to put on a very convincing show," Iida said quietly. "He clearly had you fooled."
Jiro flinched backward as if struck, an appalled look on her face. "I…"
Sero looked back at Aizawa angrily. "Why would you keep this a secret?"
"Because I was ordered to," Aizawa said. "It was decided that the risk of letting this get out was too great…"
"Oh, for the sake of your reputations," the tape user drawled in disgust. "I get it."
"Listen!" their teacher roared, and Sero snapped stiff, going silent. The others all watched in trepidation. "None of you feel this betrayal worse than I do. He was my student and slipped right under my nose. Every day I feel like I should have suspected it, and either outed him, or possibly even helped him discover the right path. But I was unable to do either. And now that he has been involved in an official incident, battling against heroes and declaring his intent, he has been registered as a villain on the Hero Network."
"So that's why you're telling us now," Mina muttered. "It's all but public, isn't it?"
"Wait, I don't understand." Sato looked back and forth. "Isn't the Hero Network accessible to heroes only?"
"In theory," said Aizawa. "But like all social media, the information on it can be leaked, if anyone finds that leaking it would be in their interest. Public opinion is already inclined against UA. The very air in Japan is ripe with distrust. Once the independent news outlets get a hold of it, it's over. I thought it best to go ahead and break the news to all of you, since you knew him personally."
"But apparently we didn't know him personally at all," Jiro mumbled. She seemed hit especially hard by the news.
Mina looked back and forth between Momo, Bakugo, and Doko. "You three have been keeping this to yourselves since Kamino?"
"It wasn't just our secret," Doko said. He felt the need to explain himself, for some reason.
She gazed at him, hurt swimming in her eyes. "I…understand that…but it just makes me wonder…" she hugged her arms close to her chest and averted her stare. "What else don't I know…"
"I would never keep anything from you that isn't something majorly systemic like this. I swear it." And he meant that. No more secrets. He was sick of them.
"Katayama, Yaoyorozu, and Bakugo bore a heavy burden," said Iida seriously. "We should not be trying to add more weight to it now that it has been lifted."
Midoriya blinked at his taller bespectacled friend, who was trembling slightly. "Iida? Are you going to…be okay?"
"I just…" he took his glasses off and rubbed them on his shirt, sniffing. "I feel like I could have done more…as class representative…"
"Don't worry about it," said Aizawa loudly. "Please, none of you, blame yourselves. There was nothing you could have done. You were likely the best friends he's had in a long time. If anything, the companionship you all gave him may have swayed him toward changing his mind about his traitorous path."
"But it wasn't enough in the end," Tokoyami muttered.
"Where is he now? You said you have Kurogiri in your custody. Where is the rest of the League?" asked Shoji.
"He, along with Twice and Himiko Toga, escaped justice at the base of the yakuza. They were the only ones to escape."
Ochaco clenched her fists.
"The League as a group has not been located or apprehended. Kurogiri was only found because he was on a mission far afield." Aizawa did not seem to want to comment further on the matter, and none of them pushed it.
"Anyway, you're all dismissed. I'm sorry to spring this onto you tonight. If you feel like you need to talk to someone, Hound-Dog is available. And if you feel like you might need time off from your studies, talk to me or Midnight. Night."
He turned, and left the dorm.
…
Doko began to walk toward his wing of the building, but a hand gripped his shirt sleeve.
He turned back. It was Mina.
"Stay with me?" she whispered. "Please…"
He nodded gently. They went to her room instead.
…
That night, a news report ran on one network, then another, then another.
A former first year hero student of UA, Denki Kaminari, had been identified on the Hero Network as a criminal affiliated with the League of Villains. It was speculated that he had been involved in both the Kamino incident and the recent heroes' raid on the Eight Precepts of Death.
It spread from TV to TV, from mouth to mouth, from mind to mind. Like a wildfire, like a pestilence.
…
"...what will UA's response to this be? Why did we not hear of this before? How long has this Kaminari boy been out of class? What other secrets are the heroes and the government keeping from the public that they are supposed to protect? All of this has been called into question tonight-"
Shigaraki switched the radio off. He was trembling with rage.
"They saw you," he said to Denki, deadly serious.
They were back in the League's dinky hideout. Toga and Twice flanked Denki, not quite threatening him but not quite protecting him either. Compress, one arm artificial, and Dabi, grinning like a skeleton, flanked Shigaraki. Spinner sat in front of the window, distant from everyone else.
Shigaraki turned to Toga and Twice. "Did you two know that they saw him?"
"Yeah," Toga said plainly. "They saw us too. We didn't think it was that big of a deal."
"So sorry, Shigaraki!" Twice babbled. "Hey, what's the big idea!?"
Denki nodded toward the radio. "They are turning against UA and the heroes. My reveal had the desired effect." Then why did he feel so frightened, so tense?
"I'm sure that's what Master wanted," Shigaraki growled. "However, he wanted it a different time. What good does this do us right now? We are STUCK in this abandoned shithole, with no money, no forces, and not nearly enough Quirk-destroying bullets to make this whole yakuza plan worthwhile. This nonsense that got us into this situation in the first place." He gestured toward the briefcase they had stolen from Overhaul on the highway, after assaulting the prison transport.
"But maybe recruits will flock to us now!" said Twice. "Like we did after what happened with Stain-"
"DON'T. TALK ABOUT HIM. RIGHT NOW. IN FRONT OF ME." Shigaraki paced back and forth, raging. "I keep having to deal with these ever-changing circumstances, time and time again. I keep watching other people fight my battles for me, keep watching other people make decisions, keep watching other people move pieces. This will no longer do. Not at all."
He turned to look straight at Denki.
"Toga tells me something curious, you know," he said, in a much lower voice. "Something she overheard you tell the Hassakai director, right before reuniting with her to make your escape."
"H-huh?" A shot of fear went through Denki's nerves, straight and sharp. Cold sweat and itches crawled down his back. "Something I…said?"
"Something very curious indeed." As Shigaraki spoke, Toga walked forward to stand by him instead, her yellow eyes glinting. "She tells me that you told our dear friend Mimic the following: that you were really working as a triple agent, that you planned to abandon us for them when the time was right, and that you planned to continue leaking info about us to them even after coming back here."
"I…that…" Denki swallowed. He couldn't deny it. That would never work. "Listen. I only said all that so he'd let me go. He was going crazy, do you realize? He was about to kill both me and all the heroes in there-"
"Great, then. You saved your own skin and have come crawling back to me." Shigaraki picked up a bullet out of the briefcase, let it dance over his fingers. "Tell me, Kaminari. If it came down to me or Overhaul to inherit All For One's power, who would you pick?"
Denki went pale. "I mean…Overhaul has no arms now…"
"Because we destroyed them," Shigaraki snarled. "You clearly felt differently before. Don't think I can't read your looks, interpret what might be going on in your head. You really meant to leave us for the yakuza."
In that moment, he decided to stop cowering, and stand up for himself.
He took a step forward, away from Twice. Closing his fists at his sides. "And so what if I was? You keep me pent up in this warehouse all the time. This yakuza thing is the first good thing that's happened to us in AGES! Overhaul had an actual plan that was ready to be implemented. A methodical, logical, motivated plan. That's what All For One would have done. If you think differently, then you never understood him at all! My loyalty is not to you or any of your cronies. My loyalty is to my master only. And I work in his best interest to the end of my days."
He stopped his speech, breathing in and out hard, waiting for Shigaraki to attack him. Surely he'd just pissed the guy off even further, right?
But Shigaraki did not move, or even blink. Neither did any of the other League members.
"If you have no loyalty to us," Shigaraki said, very quietly, "then you can get lost. Get out of here and never come back. If you do, I'll turn you to dust. Good luck finding someone else who'll take you in, you little shit."
He turned away, leaving Denki stunned, his feet frozen in place. Blinking, Denki could not seem to comprehend what had just happened. I have to…I have to go? Go where? Where will I-
"Did you HEAR ME?" Shigaraki roared, annoyed at him still standing there. "I'll GIVE YOU TO THE COUNT OF FIVE! ONE! TWO!"
Spurred on, Denki took off running, out of the building, out into the night. Tears streamed out of his eyes.
What have I…what have I done?
…
Principal Nezu sat at his office desks, the men in suits surrounding him.
Their ultimatum rang in his furry ears, over and over.
"This upcoming school festival, as well as any other forthcoming events this year, are cancelled."
"All outside work studies and internships the students are undertaking are cancelled."
"You have until the end of this academic year to continue training the hero students with the facilities here at this school only, and to capture all of the League of Villains and throw them into Tartarus."
"If the League is still at large by the end of this academic year, then UA will be shut down permanently."
"Heroes and hero education will slowly be phased out in favor of a special Quirk-based paramilitary police force, better equipped to deal with these threats without the added factor of public popularity contests."
"All Might is gone, Principal. The age of heroes is over. The best thing we can hope for is to save society before it's too late."
"Unless you can prove us otherwise. One year, Nezu. One. Find Shigaraki. Find this traitor boy. Find them all."