Disclaimer: I don't own Boku no Hero Academia
Chapter 154:
Zach returned to Shiketsu on Monday to a warmer reception than he had the Wednesday before. He avoided a couple reporters on his way towards the school, but he had to jog away from one who tried to get him unawares while undercover herself. Zach half-suspected the woman was an assassin, but the way she had her hand reaching into her coat told him she was pulling out a camera and not a weapon, and he gave her a nice surprised look when she got the camera up to snap a picture of him.
He went into the school building though and greeted a few people he knew or who said hi to him as he put his stuff away. Class 1 seemed generally happy to see him back too, though Kotsumura had a questioning look and asked Zach if he got attacked on the way to school again. After the first day, Zach had come in super early to class so Zach understood the question, but he just said he took a different route to school today which was much longer. "Have to keep those villains guessing," Zach said jokingly, and Kotsumura scratched the back of his head but laughed along, even if he did not get the humor in his routine that much.
Dendo Takashi walked in the classroom, and most of his classmates watched in disdain as he walked straight towards where Kotsumura and Zach were standing. Himazuri was already in, and she put her hands down on her desk nervously as she saw Dendo moving straight for Zach. Kotsmura looked over Zach's shoulders with a surprised look that lowered into more of an upset expression that this was starting so early. Zach looked behind him, and he moved a bit which allowed Dendo to walk right up and make a triangle with him and Kotsumura. Dendo looked to Kotsumura for a second, and the shorter blond-haired boy got a more confused look on his face, then Dendo turned to his left and at Zach who was watching him closely wondering what was happening.
"What'd you do this weekend?" Dendo asked.
Did something happen? Kotsumura thought. He turned to Zach, wondering what Dendo was referencing.
Zach just looked surprised for a second though and then cracked a small smile. "Not much. Walked around Yutapu a lot. It's pretty similar to Musutafu."
"You even know what Musutafu was like?" Dendo muttered back. Zach got somewhat confused, and Dendo hesitated as he noticed everyone staring towards him with looks similar to Kotsumura's gawking expression. "Since, U.A.'s a boarding school," he explained, looking away in annoyance at the looks he was getting.
"Ah, got you, but I actually lived in Musutafu since I was a kid," Zach said, nodding as he understood why Dendo would ask. "What about you? Do anything this weekend?"
What is happening? Muoko Kimi stared towards her classmates in astonishment. What the hell changed with Dendo over the weekend?
I don't- how- Kotsumura looked back and forth between the two having… a decent conversation with each other? What happened over the weekend that they're suddenly chill? Wait- they're asking what each other did, like they didn't even see… What?!
Zach had been pretty surprised too, but he smiled as he talked to Dendo even though the green-haired boy was not overly enthusiastic in their conversation. Looks like Dendo spent the weekend thinking about it. Was a great move saying all that and then giving him a few days of space. I really think he changed how he thinks about me. Might've even learned something if he took it seriously.
Hazano came into the classroom on time, and he got questioned by his students on where the hero Hachiman was going to be spending his Fridays. Hazano did not give them much other than he had been out of the country over the weekend, not just Friday. Zach spent the next fifteen minutes of class thinking back on all the different news reports he had seen over the weekend. He could not come up with anything conclusive, deciding it was more likely that none of his theories about where he could have been were right. Enorma said he'd be out on all Fridays. It might not be an actual incident or villain group, but some other kind of mission that wouldn't get any publicity. It doesn't sound right though, considering Hachiman's record. Could have something to do with them. If they still think I'm top suspect, could be inviting Hachiman to report on me and my actions through the week; see if there's any indicator that I'm him and I'm here.
Zach's thoughts were vague, but Himazuri was keeping out of his thoughts that morning. He chose to be careful anyway though since she had caught a couple strange thoughts the week before. Questioning where their homeroom teacher was on Friday was something many of the students in the room were doing. He focused on his morning studies, and he felt he did fine on the pop quiz Hazano gave on stuff Enorma taught, which Zach figured he did so his students would be sure to treat her lessons as seriously as his on the days she ran the class.
At lunch, Dendo sat at his usual table instead of next to Zach, though he did look over for a second like he was considering it. Flugeru gave his best friend the most confused look when Dendo sat down next to him. Kerushi had his eyebrows raised too, as the last time they talked Dendo was still enraged at Zach. Kerushi could see during that last conversation too that Dendo was still stuck on what happened during their fight on Ranking Day, but there was no more lingering embarrassment or humiliation in the way Dendo was acting. It was a breath of relief for him and most others in Class 1, but Flugeru was at a loss for words as Dendo said calmly, "We're not going after Sazaki anymore."
"Fuck that," Flugeru snapped. Dendo turned to his left, but the tallest teen in the class lost his shocked look and just glared harder at his green-haired friend. "He got you. He really got you?" Flugeru raised his voice, checking if Dendo was really serious about this and it was not just a new plan to lure Zach into a false sense of security.
"We were wrong-"
"No, we weren't," Flugeru said. His tone was flat and he looked into Dendo's eyes seriously. "I don't want to hear it. I don't want you to tell me," Flugeru cut off Dendo before he could speak. "Whatever it was that convinced you, was part of his plan. I thought you knew it was coming."
"Flugeru," Kerushi started across the table. Flugeru looked across and twisted his face into a more frustrated expression at Kerushi's tired-of-this look. "Just give him a chance. It's getting annoying."
Without Dendo backing it up anymore, the side against Zach had lost its strongest defender. Flugeru lowered his bottom lip that Kerushi would say that flat-out, but Dendo got a more self-annoyed look on his face showing he could see from the other side now how he must have looked doing this. "He's right," Dendo said, glancing back at Flugeru. "Let it go before you feel like an idiot."
"What changed your mind?" Kerushi asked, looking back to Dendo with an interested look as Dendo was not even hiding that he thought he was wrong before.
Dendo opened his mouth, but Flugeru stood up before he could listen to this. Am I the last hold-out? Is no one left? Flugeru looked around, and his eyes narrowed on Zach's table full of his classmates all talking without a care to this villain.
At the table Zach was sitting at, a few of the students next to him looked in at their scar-faced classmate when a dinging sound came out of his pocket. Zach looked surprised as he heard it, and he pulled his phone out and opened the notification he just got. A smile broke out on his face and he let out a small laugh as he looked at the line graph that showed a very sharp incline at the end of it. The line shot up more, making it look almost vertical, and Zach's eyes opened wider before he scrolled down on the app he had open. A news alert popped up as he looked down, showing the Rembro Therapeutics board had just released an investment report suggesting earnings for that quarter were going to skyrocket. The news caused a rapid increase in the amount of people who wanted to buy a stock in Rembro, which shot up the price of the stock as all the holdings were being bought up and not many people were selling.
Zach already had a large number of stocks in Rembro though, and every dollar amount that the stock went up, Zach got that increase by a multiple of five hundred. The app showed his net profit since buying those stocks above the news report Zach just looked down at, and Kotsumura and Reika who leaned in from his sides looked down at his screen and spotted the increase of almost double what Zach had initially put in only a week ago.
"Did you-" Kotsumura paused, his eyes opening wider as the incline of the stock moved up higher so now Zach really did have double what he first put in.
No way it's getting much higher. Zach slid to a button down near the bottom of the app's screen, and he sold ninety percent of his stocks at the new high point. I spent almost this much on shopping and just throw-away cash this past week. Haven't really made much, but it's a solid way to keep the amount I have the same.
"You just made a million yen?" Reika asked, looking up from Zach's phone to his face after looking at the total amount he had invested in the Arkitock app. "That for real?"
10k in dollars, but I guess I'm not international anymore. I should think more in terms of yen. Get used to it. Feels strange though after adapting to use $ everywhere. "Yep," Zach replied. He turned off his phone and put it back in his pocket. I'll re-invest most of that, take some out once I need some more spending cash. Still have about ten- a million in hard cash on me though. "Needed some way to support myself before I get a full license," Zach explained with a tilt of his head as he looked at Reika, then around at the others who were all looking at him after what Reika said. "And investing just seemed-"
"Wait- you really," Kotsumura shook his head around again. "Could I have, done that?" He got hesitant near the end, looking at Zach's face in confusion and then with big eyes as Zach shrugged and looked at him like 'why not?' Kotsumura's face lit up and he pulled out his own phone, "What was that app called?"
"Well- wait," Zach hesitated and he changed up his last expression a bit. "You know it's not easy, what I just did. It might have seemed that way, but you could lose that much money just as easily as I made it."
Keiji's excited look lowered down a bit, as that was what he always thought (even though he had never put too much thought into it). The way Zach just calmly took out his stocks though once he hit a certain profit made it look so easy though, and he still thought about looking into it once he got home later. He shook his head around though and then asked, "How'd you invest that much in the first place anyway? Are you loaded?"
Zach shook his head back at his classmate. "Not really. I don't have that much, but if I could make a lot more," Zach hesitated and looked over his shoulder. He looked at Flugeru who stood six feet ten inches, had bright blue eyes contrasting his short crimson hair, and his skin was tanner than most in the class. Surprised he's the last one of those three. He seemed the least harsh the first day. Reserved against going in too harshly, but restraining from giving in as easily. Definitely not going to be easy if he hasn't already given up. "With more spending cash on me," Zach continued, looking back at Kotsumura who hesitantly turned back to him too despite looking back and noticing Flugeru had just walked over. "I could do a lot more. Help more people out."
Kotsumura opened his mouth to ask what Zach meant by that, but Flugeru was not going to just stand there and be ignored. "'You can't do good without money?' Is that what you're saying?" His question was harsh and he glared at the black-haired teen who glanced back at him and shook his head.
"No," Zach said, denying the false quote Flugeru was calling him out on saying. "You can do good without a single yen to your name. But you can always do more good, with money," Zach said it to the confusion of the boy who came to confront him as well as to the others who started listening, wondering what he was getting at with this weird theory. Zach looked back at Kotsumura, and seeing the equally as confused look on his face as was on Flugeru's, he held up his right hand in front of him to give an example. "I could go out right now and stop a villain from beating on a homeless man, or I could stop that fight and give the homeless man some spending cash to get back on his feet, buy a suit and go to a job interview. That's a simple example but it all kind of works the same way," Zach finished and lowered his hand back down.
"I mean, I get how in that case I guess you'd do more because you had some money," Kotsumura began.
Zach cut back in, as Kotsumura clearly wasn't getting what he was trying to get at if all he was thinking of was that single case. "Stopping villains is good and all, but that rarely stops the root problems that face society," Zach looked down at his food while he was mentioning this, and he lifted his chopsticks and pushed around the different items on his tray. There was a variety of food in front of him, and those were just the choices that Zach took from up at the lunch line where he had a much larger variety, and yet today's lunch was different from every other day he had been at Shiketsu so far. While looking down at his food Zach continued, "It always comes down to money. Why people become villains, why children grow up hungry, why women are willing to take jobs they don't actually want…" Zach curled the right corner of his lip down as he started to mutter near the end, his words trailing off as he looked to drop deep into thought.
"You're thinking too deep into it," Reika said, and Zach turned to his left to the girl on his other side as Kotsumura. Reika picked up a piece of meat and shoved it in her mouth without a second's hesitation after how she saw Zach staring at his food there for a moment. "It's the way things are. Some people in crap circumstances turn into villains, but there are just as many rich a-holes who break the law."
"And they, more often than the poor, get away with those crimes," Zach countered. Reika frowned while chewing her food, glancing to her right at Zach with a look that did not deny what he said had some truth in it. "With more resources and more money, they have the power to get away with things that people without money couldn't. I'm not saying there's a better alternative, but when someone rich breaks the law it's not often because of 'necessity.' They didn't feel forced into evading taxes, or abusing foreign laborers, or skipping out on inspections that caused huge accidents. They do those things to make more money. And sure, poor people do those things to make more money too, but if they can't make that money sometimes it's the difference between life and death for them. Or for whether or not their kids go hungry, or they have a roof over their heads for a night."
"What are you even talking about?" Flugeru muttered. He wanted to sound more angry, but it just came out as annoyed since getting angry over Zach talking about the disenfranchised would just make him seem like a dick. "You want to help the poor? And so you're trying to make more money to what, give it to the homeless?"
Why not? Zach hesitated after looking at Flugeru for a moment, then he shook his head and tssked under his breath. Except that won't work. It's small time. It's something, there's no questioning that. It helped those people for sure, but that's not going to fix the institutional problems. "It's not like that- it's not that simple," Zach said, correcting himself midway as what he was saying could be like that too. "One person, even one hero, can't solve issues like that. And no matter how much money I could make, I wouldn't be able to solve problems like those without other people helping. You can't force them to help though. Taking from those who have and giving to those who don't isn't a solution. That's just communism. And admittedly, some people do deserve more than others. They work harder and try harder, and many of those people do then give up a lot of their money themselves, to charity and to those who need it more than them."
Zach looked to his left back at Reika who had a quizzical look on her face but also appeared to be listening closely to what he was talking about. He glanced across the other side of the table as he turned back to Kotsumura, to notice that the others were all staring at him again. He looked to Kotsumura and back at Flugeru behind him, "And if a philanthropist who might be rich and own a mansion and a yacht, gives a few million to a charity to build schools in third world countries, or develop sustainable agricultural tech to keep people in those countries from ever being hungry again, then they are as much of a hero in my eyes as any hero who fights villains for a living and gives people hope."
Manzo lifted up some rice to her mouth and chewed thoughtfully while watching the side of Zach's head. He wasn't embarrassed saying his point of view here, he just calmly stated what he believed in and looked confident doing so. If he had hesitated any more or acted unsure about what he was saying then maybe some of them wouldn't have thought deeper into it, especially since they barely thought that much of it before in the first place. We're here to become heroes. That other stuff, is supposed to be for other people. He even said it there at the end, Manzo thought, looking around the side of Zach's face towards his eyes. Do they have to be different people though? If the richest people in society were heroes, then we'd know that money is going to the best-
"Those who want to do good and help each other far outnumber the bad people in this world," Zach said after pausing for a moment and allowing the two he had looked at the end to say something if they wanted to. Neither did though, both just getting more thoughtful looks on their faces. "And I think some just need assurances that if they're going to put their money towards something good, that they know it's actually making a difference. There are too many barriers in place holding non-heroes from doing these heroic things, I think at least…" I've seen the worst in humanity. But, I've seen much more often the good in people who stand up for what's right. Zach continued speaking to his classmates who were willing to listen to what he had to say. We all know, somewhere inside, that there are so fewer bad people in the world who just get so much more publicity. And the percentage of those villains who could not have been prevented is 0. If we focus more on development and treatment of mental illness too, even the most radical cases could have been prevented.
Should heroes make more? Endeavor already makes a ton of money. The Todoroki's are loaded because of it, but that means Endeavor also spent a lot selfishly. Which is fine. He had kids… not that- whatever the kind of man Endeavor was before, I don't judge that man against other heroes who do the same. A hero like Endeavor who resolved more incidents than any hero Japan's seen before, deserves to get paid more. Risking their life every day. Sure, he could have spent that money better, in more inspirational ways to people watching him. He could have gotten the news to report on him without telling them to, just them catching him giving his money in a heroic way to RCW or Homes For Kids. Stain was wrong though. Heroes making money is important, because society is run by money. Making it so heroes get paid nothing would be stupid since the best society has to offer would be given minimal power to only stop villains and do nothing else for the betterment of society. And heroes are the best of society, but because of heroes' actions a lot of other good people tend to follow their examples. So if through using money, I show people ways they can all help in ways that they can't without being heroes, they could- and would all help.
I know it. Zach finished talking to his classmates while having his own internal dialogue. He ate more of his lunch, a smile spreading over his face as he thought back on a really hot day in a country covered in desert. I know it's true, because as much as a smaller thing like helping the homeless does translate up into societal issues, more radical ones also transfer down. All those people in Saudi Arabia who rose up when we invaded, who fought to take back their country from those who killed their heroes. And all those people who stood up when given the chance to fight for what was right, for their homes and their children. When the situation arose that they could help, they did. But we had to tell them that they could. We had to tell them that they should and show them it was true. If people knew that they could make differences like that, in every day life… if I show them, then it wouldn't just be helping a few random people at a time. Fixing whole societal issues as a group. It's not what heroes do. This isn't the job of a hero, but I've always thought it should be.
"Rafaielo's?" Zach looked from the sign back down to his right at Hanodo.
"It's great. We come here all the time," Jaime mentioned, motioning forward with her head and then starting in herself. Roger followed right next to her, and Zach walked forward with Hanodo, Kotsumura, and Subara. The cafe was not very full, but there were a couple of other students from Shiketsu there already on line or sitting at a counter near the window.
Everyone looked surprised to see Zach walk in with the group who invited him to come out for some after-school coffee. It made sense to him that it was mainly other students there, high-school students at that as middle school and elementary ended after the high-schools did. There were some people there who looked around their age but were not wearing Shiketsu uniforms even under their outer warmer garments. The non-Shiketsu students who had seen none of Zach Sazaki since he moved into their town all nearly spat out their coffees (or actually did for one guy who was not expecting to turn left and see Zach walking past his seat).
Zach stopped for a moment as the guy nearly spat a mouthful of coffee on him. He turned to the guy who looked his age and who looked mortified as they made eye contact after what caused it. Zach just laughed though and nodded his head at the napkin dispenser on the center of the guy's table as he kept walking towards the counter. He got on line with the others and never looked back at the teen who quickly got to wiping up the floor while cursing internally in embarrassment.
"Told you," Subara said to the male barista behind the counter. She made the remark after he took her drink order, and the slightly older man looked over her shoulder to see Lifebringer talking with some of her classmates.
"Yeah, I take it back," the barista with a nametag on that said 'Tanaka' smiled as he glanced back at the girl right in front of the counter.
Subara frowned as even winning here felt more like she was giving the cute barista she was flirting with the win. She turned and walked over to the waiting area for her finished drink, and she noticed happily that he watched her go for a second longer than for most people before turning to get Jaime's drink order.
Even if it's not every day, Zach thought while still talking with Hanodo and Kotsumura. She mentioned it to the barista. That I'm in her class maybe. Maybe more. Zach hummed to himself, and he just ordered a small regular coffee. Tanaka did not make a big deal about serving him which Zach appreciated, as it was a first since he had returned to not even get a comment. I'd actually come here more often because of that, so it's a good move on his part. Don't think I can though.
Zach got quieter in the conversation his classmates were having. He chimed in less often than usual, which was noticeable since he was talkative enough that most of the conversations bounced back and forth off him to the others. They were even on a topic he had brought up in the first place, but Zach lost some interest in it and just focused on the workers of the coffee place as they made his and his friends' drinks. In the corner of his eyes he could see people who had ordered their drinks right before Subara. They were drinking, and he had seen their coffees being made too, using the same technique and ingredients that they were making his coffee with now.
He keeps looking towards me. Everyone keeps looking my way though, which means looking towards me is also a way he could be blending in. It would be more suspicious if he didn't look, and he knows if he acts like he's worried about me thinking he's trying to poison me he'll give away that he's thinking about poisoning me. "You guys have been coming here for a while?" Zach asked, looking around the place like that was why he had been distant for a minute; he was just too focused on the cafe they brought him to.
"It's got good coffee," Kotsumura said with a shrug, wondering if there was anything else it needed.
"Not far from the school, and it's got good reviews," Roger added in agreement.
Zach looked at Subara who just got handed her coffee and stepped back into their group. They were all going to get their cups before going to sit down, but Zach looked at Subara and then lifted his eyebrows and shifted his gaze over to the guy behind the counter she had flirted with. "And you and the barista?" Zach asked.
Kotsumura, Roger, and Hanodo gave Zach confused looks at the question. Subara attempted to play it off like Zach was making a joke, though Zach could tell from Jaime's first split second reaction the things he wanted to know. He allowed Subara to just ask him what he meant by that, and he just said he thought they knew each other by the way they were talking. She replied that since they came so often he's usually working there at this time, and Jaime looked confused for a moment before nodding and agreeing about that. Subara continued to keep a straight expression that made the conversation move on, neither Kotsumura, Roger, nor Hanodo realizing what the question had really been as Zach played it off so well that even Jaime thought she had initially misunderstood what Zach asked.
Is he just calling me out on it? I think he's asking if there's some secret relationship going on here, but I'll let him know what… but, what if he really just- no, no he knew exactly what he was asking. I'm not as easy to trick as these guys, Zach Sazaki. Subara watched Zach closely even as she was facing Kotsumura while he talked.
By Jaime's reaction, Subara's mentioned it before. Maybe several times. Jaime says she knows him too, which means even someone not into the barista is familiar with him. Familiar enough that he couldn't have just gotten the job to get close, because he's worked here for a long time. What about the other worker though? Or what if that's not even Tanaka? Doesn't seem like there is anything other than a crush, so the chances they know him well enough to be able to tell if it was an imposter are low. Zach grabbed his coffee that was the last one to come out, and he nodded in thanks at the older female barista who smiled back at him in a friendly way though cautious too. It's caution because of my past crimes, not because she's nervous that I'll figure her out. It has to be. Didn't see anyone following me today, but I still can't risk it. Not with Lemillion so close.
Zach walked over to the counter with the creamers and sugars on it. Hanodo came over too, and the muscular boy six inches shorter than Zach gave him an odd glance as Zach hesitated at the creamers. Even without anyone needing to be planted. I get a cream and a sugar in my coffee. I just, do that sometimes. How often? Often enough to be considered a pattern. Zach gave a hesitant look and then turned and headed over to the table his friends grabbed, looking like he just decided he'd rather go straight black today.
It's a new place, relatively. Not part of a big chain, but it seems popular with students. Like its product is directed at students. People knew I might get out of prison months before I actually did. Soon as pardon talk came around, or even before possibly? People who might have made the first push, because even having me in prison was too dangerous knowing that I was still too close. The others who backed the push don't have any idea that the ones who created it in the first place could have done so just to get a shot on me. Was Nikko involved? Or just riding the wave? How many of the people here are watching me get ready to drink this coffee?
Zach turned to Kotsumura and replied to something he just mentioned to Hanodo, getting both of them to look towards him. Roger turned from Jaime after a second as Zach said something interesting, but when Roger looked towards him Zach quickly got to the point in a natural way. That way he was able to just turn to Roger who he saw looking at him, and he asked, "When you mentioned reviews before, who told you about this place?"
"Well, I think we all heard about it when it was opening up," Roger mentioned.
"There were those fliers that they handed out before opening day," Kotsumura added. "Why?" He asked too, looking at Zach wondering what was the point of his question.
Zach opened his mouth, closed it, and he lifted up his coffee like he was going to take a sip. He hesitated in responding, but then he doubly hesitated as he did not finish bringing his cup up to his mouth. He started to lower it while opening his mouth again like he was just stopping because he was going to start talking, but he grimaced as he did that too. It just came naturally to him to play that off and lie about why he was lowering the cup, or as to what he was doing altogether, but he was just sitting there with a cup full of hot coffee that he just decided he was not going to drink. He did not have a great way to lie his way out of it, and the longer he would have to think about it the harder that was going to get. "I, don't really…"
It's a little out of the way. Not directly on line with the station. There are other cafes that way. Zach frowned for a second and he looked down at his cup, then at his classmates around him who had already started drinking and were fine. How many people were watching me on my way here? Could any of them have known beforehand that this was my destination? Yes. That's the problem. You wouldn't have to be a mind reader to know.
"I'm just not sure about my drink," Zach admitted, lifting his cup and moving it into the middle of the table.
Hanodo thought on how Zach hesitated at the creamers, and Subara on his question about the barista who took his order. Kotsumura was already half-suspicious without noticing it, but his eyes still opened wide at Zach's admission right there of something he rarely ever mentioned despite what happened on the first day of school. Roger tilted his head to the side confusedly though and glanced next to him to see Jaime looked just as lost. "You think someone poi-" Subara started, only to stop as Zach gave her a look to get her not to say that so loudly.
The eighteen year old girl with smooth, hairless, snow-white skin, and the Quirk- Soap, lowered her voice as she leaned in more over the table. "If you thought so, why didn't you say so earlier? Before we started drinking?" She got an annoyed look on her face, and she shook around her own iced coffee that she was a quarter of the way through.
"It's not that I think it happened, I'm just being overly cautious," Zach countered with a shake of his head. "I know I said I'd come when you guys invited me, but I probably just over-thought it since then and psyched myself out." Why'd I mention anything?
"If you think so, then why not take a sip?" Kotsumura suggested, lifting his own cup and taking a nice long one to show there was nothing to worry about. "No one could have known you were coming here. You just decided to come before leaving school," he added, when Zach did not just reach out and grab his own coffee after his suggestive question.
"I don't think that's true," Zach argued, shaking his head with a look to his side at the blond on his left. "That no one could have known," he specified at Kotsumura's confused look.
"How could they have?" Jaime wondered. The fact that Zach did not counter that he had just decided to come, but that someone could have known he'd be there made her think deeper on it. "You think someone had a Quirk telling them you'd come? Like, Foresight? Or-"
"It doesn't have to be that, specific," Zach replied with a shake of his head. Though it could just as easily be that. If I spend my life thinking there's someone with Foresight after me though, I wouldn't be able to eat or drink anything again. On that one you just have to live with the fact that you can't avoid it. Seeing the future is rare though, very rare, and it always has its drawbacks. Zach paused for a moment after the start of his response, but his classmates were all listening too closely now. The conversation was stuck on this topic, and Zach hummed before speaking in a low voice, "So, maybe I decided to come here just at the end of the day, but other people could have known I'd be coming here for much longer. People like, you guys?"
Zach asked it and rose an eyebrow to see if they got what he was saying. "You guys came up and asked if I would come at the end of the day, but you were planning to do that before, right?" It made sense that they had done so, considering they all came up to him together and seemed to be going whether he went with them or not.
"Sure, but we aren't trying to…" Jaime trailed off, as she felt like that was not what he was accusing her of.
"We didn't tell people that we were going to ask you either," Subara mentioned. He looked towards her and his look showed he was asking if she really meant that. She nodded and then added, "We get that people are after you. Unless those guys you took down really were the same ones who shot you coming out of jail," she finished, suggesting it was a possibility and maybe Zach did not have to be so paranoid.
"No one did?" Zach asked, glancing around at the others besides Subara too. "Not even say, your parents?" Zach immediately got frowned at by his classmates who thought he was accusing their parents of trying to kill him. He stayed calm though and just said, "Listen, does this sound familiar? 'Hey guys, might be home a little late today. Heading to Rafaielo's. Yeah, yeah with Jaime and the others. We're going to see if Zach wants to come today too.' …" Zach paused after he finished, glancing around at each of them and seeing a couple of more hesitant looks on his classmates' faces.
Roger nor Jaime had that kind of look, but Subara frowned deeply as it sounded far too much like a conversation she had that morning to be coincidence. She opened her mouth to accuse Zach of something, because the way he said 'Jaime and the others' was a direct quote out of her mouth that had her feeling deja-vu too strongly. She had called him Lifebringer to her parents though, unlike Kotsumura who did use 'Zach' when saying the final part of the line that Zach mentioned. Kotsumura also thought about how his sister was at the table with him then too, and his eyes darted around the coffee shop in a sudden panic. Anima can't keep a secret for her life, and I didn't even tell her it was a secret! I was pretty much boasting about it anyway to her-
"Even if we said something like that," Subara started. She did not admit that she had, and a lingering piece of her believed that somehow he knew for a certainty, but she played it off as a hypothetical for now. "How could that, have given someone the opportunity to poison your coffee?"
Kotsumura started nodding, realizing that too and calming himself down from the idea that he had almost gotten Zach poisoned. "Well if what I just said sounded realistic," Zach began again, feeling more confident about his caution now after seeing a few of those reactions. "Then how about this one: 'Hey Subara, how's your daughter? Carina staying away from that Lifebringer?' Or, 'Your son's in Lifebringer's class? No way, I don't believe you. They don't really know each other, there's no way!' And then in response to these things: 'No, the opposite. Just this morning she told me…' or 'Really! I mean it! They're friends now. Going out for coffee-"
"Alright alright," Kotsumura held up a hand to get Zach to stop having these theoretical conversations with himself. "So, sure. I'll admit I told my parents about this, and yeah maybe, maybe they could have-"
"Any villain after me could have bugged any public area where people I know, or people who know people I know, frequent," Zach explained before Kotsumura could question further. "It's unlikely, but it's possible they heard about this opportunity if they're around here doing recon before making an attempt on my life. If they want to be 100% sure they can take me, especially after seeing how I handled those pros last week, then doing something like this where they wouldn't have to even be here is entirely probable."
"Probable," he says that like a joke instead of saying "possible" at the end there, Subara frowned and looked down at her coffee herself. "What do you mean, they wouldn't even have to be here?"
"As I said, it's probably not-" Zach stopped himself as Subara looked up at him. She was asking him this seriously, and he frowned at the sight of her look before getting a slightly more serious expression on his face too. He nodded at her and then looked to his coffee. "There's this poison, that I'm thinking of. It's unique, because it's not technically a 'poison' at all, though it is still something you'd ingest which would kill you."
Zach paused, checking with the others seeing if they wanted to hear more. All of them looked interested though and not that afraid of what he was saying, and Zach relaxed a bit as he reminded himself these were all people about to become pro heroes in a few months. "This poison consists of two different liquids that react a certain way to each other. Separately, neither would really hurt your digestive system and you could pass it like nothing. They're harmless. Because of this, it's a popular tactic among assassins as they can casually move around with a vial of one of the liquids without being seen as suspicious or even technically having a weapon on them. Maybe one person holds each vial and they work in a team," Zach trailed off for a second, as a couple of the others had more serious looks and even accusatory or disbelieving looks at what he was saying.
Is he getting his worlds mixed up? Kotsumura thought. The thought made his chest churn, and he had almost a pitying look forming on his face though he was still taking Zach seriously.
Are there actually, assassins- like I would get it if he had said hired-killers so maybe, Subara frowned in a darker way. Unless, he just counts all of them from all the different worlds as assassins. The ones on Terra he talked about really sounded like assassins, so associating them with the people trying to kill him here makes sense. Maybe this way of killing even existed in that world too.
What is he even talking about? Hanodo asked himself, as he was already lost.
Zach continued more on track with just describing the poison. "When mixed together, however, they bubble and then create a violent explosion." The others all thinking about different things opened their eyes wide and looked back at the coffee that they thought might have some completed poison inside it. The cup was not exploding though, which meant that Zach was suggesting it had one of the parts of the poison in it.
"How could you find out?" Subara asked, looking back up from the cup after a second.
"I can't," Zach replied. "They both taste and smell bad, but there are other liquids that can get rid of a scent and nullify taste. They're pretty common solutions in science labs and classrooms so anyone could get their hands on them. If some of the taste and smell nullifiers were mixed with each part, then I were to ingest one part here unknowingly, I could wind up having a drink in my next meal or something- or maybe the second part is going to be the juice in a burger, or the soup of the ramen I eat next. Or maybe," Zach hesitated and looked at the drink with a darker expression. "Maybe this is already the second part."
If I'm worried because they could have predicted I'd be here, and they could have contaminated all of the coffee, then they could have gotten Shiketsu's food supply knowing I'd be there too. In order not to just massacre everyone though, they'd have to make sure it was mine specifically. That's why this doesn't make too much sense. It's why if anything this would be the first part, because everyone else could have just ingested it, yet the other Shiketsu students aren't all exploding right now. They could target me more specifically later, or in a big group just without people who could have been here with me.
"Dude," Kotsumura reached a hand out and placed it down on Zach's left shoulder. "I really think, you're overthinking this."
Zach sighed and let out a laugh as Kotsumura's tone shifted the mood instantly. He nodded in reluctant acceptance to that, but said with a look over at him, "Probably. Still not going to drink it though." Zach leaned back in his chair, "I'd rather not risk exploding from the inside, unless it's from eating too much Burger Lando."
"Haha, I saw a story on the news the other night about you and a Burger Lando…"
Zach put a hand on his forehead like half-embarrassed and half-exasperated that there was another news story about him and this time at a fast food place. It does feel a bit like paranoia, Zach looked at the palm of his head he just dragged over his eyes for an instant. His eyes were dark in that moment even as he was still smiling about the conversation he just shifted them onto which could lead to him talking about the others' weekends. But people have called me paranoid for years.
And I'm still alive.
"Yeah yeah, won't do it again," Bakugo muttered. "Seems like you already know all about our weekend." His voice was accusatory, and he glared at the older blond standing in front of him who had tried to give him a lecture there about reckless actions he heard Explosion King made that past weekend.
Scorchle frowned at Bakugo for the tone he had with their pro, but the sidekick of Lemillion's agency also looked to Lemillion like Deku for an answer to the intern's implied question. Lemillion gave Bakugo an annoyed look and made Bakugo look hesitant for a second. Lemillion's expression was serious and also fed-up, but he turned after a second and scratched his chin with a deeper frown on his face. It's not him I'm angry at. Cool it. Togata let out a breath to relax, as he figured he might be overly mad at Bakugo for reasons other than Bakugo's own attitude.
Lemillion continued to frown as he looked away from his comrades who he called to the agency that afternoon. I made the decision already. It's no time to back down now. "I've started an investigation into Lifebringer," Lemillion turned back to his interns and his sidekick who all looked at him in surprise at this news. "That's what I spent the weekend doing, and I'm bringing you into it."
Scorchle got a bit of a hesitant look on his face. The man of nineteen had what looked like steel pipes sticking up over his shoulders out from his back, with openings on the ends that he could fire water from. His costume was orange like his straight hair that curled up at the front, and there were flame patterns on his sleeves and pant legs too. He looked to either of the other younger boys in the agency, then back at Lemillion with a questioning look at why Togata would do something like this with the two of them there.
"What, are you investigating him for?" Deku asked, trying to push his emotions down for a second as Lemillion had an intense look on his face and was waiting for some kind of response from them.
"Being Death," Lemillion replied. Scorchle's eyes opened wide though neither of the other two reacted. "I've talked it over with certain hero officials, and I already started an investigation on my own. I've found it is going to be difficult to do this on my own though, and I need your assistance." I'm not doing it because I want you two to betray him. We're not there, yet. Right now I just need my agency's support in this.
"Did you find any proof this weekend?" Scorchle questioned.
"If he did, you think Zach'd still be a free man?" Bakugo scoffed at his senpai's unnecessary question. Midoriya glanced at Bakugo hesitantly, wondering what he thought of this. Bakugo did not look back at Midoriya though, just frowning more and humming to himself in a pissed way.
I knew, Zach would get investigated for… Midoriya's conflicted feelings could not stay internal and showed strongly on his face. But by me? I, I thought we might have to fight one day, but if I'm the one who pushes it…
"I did not find definitive proof that Sazaki was Death," Lemillion began after a long silence in his office. "But that is not to say I did not already begin gathering evidence." Lemillion lifted up a recorder and he pressed play before anyone could ask him what it was.
"Everything's fine. Okay? I don't want to capture you. That's not why I'm here…"
As the recording started, Lemillion spoke up to his comrades listening to Zach Sazaki's voice. "I followed him to an abandoned industrial complex that he discovered a large gang to be operating from. Drugs, guns…"
"This is my operation now."
"It's not what it sounds like," Lemillion said, looking to Scorchle. Not even a flinch. The two of them, Lemillion frowned while they continued to listen to the recording. His expression darkened at the way his two younger interns reacted to the things Zach was saying. They know exactly what he's doing.
It worked?! Wait- Midoriya's bottom lip lowered and his eyes shot open huge.
Bakugo's eyes snapped open wide too and then his teeth clenched down hard. "Spade?" That mother fucker. They just gave it to him. He didn't even have to push that hard. The corner of Bakugo's lip curled up a small amount but dropped back down far in under a second. They're scared shitless by him. The only reason they'd say all this. Straight to a hero. Even if they thought he was… it's because they're scared. They're so scared, they would rather believe he was just taking over their operation than he was tricking them into giving up everything.
"Spade, is the one everyone's been talking about," Deku started slowly, looking into Lemillion's eyes for confirmation at what was not really a question. It was not public, but heroes shared information and Sunday morning was full of updates about the investigation and how it had started in Japan, which was not widely known because the operation occurred in so many questions at once. Lemillion gave Deku a single nod at the statement that made the youngest in the agency grind his teeth frustratedly.
You can't do things like this, Zach. You're, you're not allowed to without a pro hero- and in this way, that's not…
"So what?" Bakugo asked once Lemillion lowered the recorder. Lemillion looked to the blond with spiky hair who shook his head once and asked, "What kind of evidence is that? Evidence of what?"
Scorchle looked to his side at Bakugo, then back to Togata who he shook his head at too which made Deku look at him in surprise that he was agreeing with Bakugo. "Did the villains say-"
"Not one of them has said a word about Lifebringer since they woke up arrested," Lemillion replied. "Even if they did, I had followed Lifebringer through the day leading up to that night's capture. His path is clean, as he just 'heard' about some people who might be able to tell him more about the bad part of Yutapu. Then he just happened to 'see' some illegal substances in said store. And then he created a new C.I., like it was nothing." Lemillion paused and then added in a lower voice, "It's the one thing I could get him on. The only thing: that he didn't turn in the two men he caught with drugs first, and instead had them tell him where they bought from in order to catch a bigger fish."
"And the way you know that, is by following him around all day hoping to find something," Bakugo muttered. He scoffed at Lemillion when the older man looked back at him, his own expression already turning to a grimace at the way Bakugo worded that. "Yeah, like Zach would get punished for it. If anything, you go after him like that and he'll make you look like an idiot."
"That's what he told me," Lemillion said, his voice darker and making Bakugo lose his look to instead stare at Lemillion in shock at that.
"You confronted him?" Deku asked with wide eyes.
"No. He led me into an abandoned building with no one else around, then he called me out," Lemillion replied. His expression was dark and he looked back and forth between his three sidekicks. "Sazaki, is dangerous."
He was glad not to see either of his interns denying that statement, but he still needed to continue. "He threatened to attack me, and that he could claim that he thought I was a villain, following him like I was. He said that even if he knew it was me, I could have been working with the people after him. Sazaki knew I was there, from the minute I started following him, and yet for over twenty four hours I believed he had no idea that I was there. He did things in front of me that don't make sense for him to have done, knowing that a hero was following him." Lemillion paused and his voice got lower, his eyes serious and smoldering as he said, "He was testing the water. Seeing how long I would stay in hiding. He did just enough, that he thought I would come out and try to stop him. I think he wanted me to try earlier, so that he could see where the limit was while also being able to use his excuses to get me off his back with the support of whoever heard what had happened."
"And now that he called you out and thinks you'll be staying away from him," Scorchle began. "You think he's going to do something worse than… that?" Scorchle paused before saying 'that,' wondering about the way he was wording it. "Worse?" Was what he did really a bad thing?
"I don't think he'd assume that," Lemillion replied. "I don't think, he'd make any assumption of safety at any time." Lemillion looked around between the three in front of him, and he focused more on his interns who had thoughtful looks yet reluctance in them as well. "Whether or not he is Death, Zach Sazaki is a threat to everyone. The way he acted, knowing he was under surveillance for as long as he did," Lemillion paused and then lowered his voice more, "How he switched tones instantly, moving in and out of different personalities. It almost seemed like he was an entirely different person, several times throughout this weekend."
Midoriya lowered his eyes down to his fists that he had clenched so hard at his sides. Zach.
"The way he acted was not that of a stable individual," Lemillion said. "He changed up the way he confronted me midway through, revealing that he knew I was watching for longer than he did at first. Then he changed tactics to telling me we were on the same side, and we both did not want him getting the credit for what happened with Spade. And then he made threats. Veiled threats against me, a promise to take me down if a fight had happened, and he got angry. He set a trap that he planned out right before my eyes, and before he walked away his voice got darker, his words more threatening. If I had followed him on his way out, I am certain he would have attacked me."
Bakugo turned his head to the side and glared out the windows on his left. Scorchle got a more nervous look on his face at all Lemillion was saying. Deku's face got more intense though, his eyes hardening as he looked into Lemillion's eyes. "I don't think he would have," Midoriya said. Bakugo looked back and Scorchle turned to the younger intern too. Togata frowned at the green-haired boy but Midoriya did not back down, "Zach's wrong to go outside of the rules. I don't know why, he did what he did knowing that you were watching him… But he's trying to help people, Lemillion. If you want to investigate him for being Death I think that's, fine, but otherwise… Zach served his time."
"He served a fraction of his already lenient sentence, which I believe he knew he would," Lemillion countered without losing his dark and low voice. Midoriya got a less sure look on his face as he had had that doubt before himself, wondering if Zach knew everything that would happen before he even turned himself in. Lemillion continued with a frustrated look on his face, "What he did to Rancor and his men. Betraying them like that after joining them, just to move right on to his next… And how he dealt with the first drug dealers he found. What he spent his entire weekend doing: mapping out Yutapu, and studying foreign languages, and searching public records. He's manipulating everything and everyone around him. And what he did to Faith-"
Midoriya and Bakugo's expressions changed fast although both had already been looking conflicted or grinding their teeth at how Lemillion was listing those things. The tone in Lemillion's voice showed he really thought Zach to be a villain, and neither of them could blame him as they thought similar things but knew a better side of Zach that he didn't. Bakugo growled when Lemillion cut himself off though, "What he did to Faith? The fuck do you mean by that?"
Lemillion glanced to his spiky haired intern then to the one with short curly green hair. Deku's eyes were huge and his breathing started to pick up which had Scorchle looking to him and the other intern nervously. Lemillion ground his teeth for a moment and then took in a deep breath. "Keep this to yourselves," Togata began in a low, soft voice. "I know both of you fought against Faith though," Lemillion said with a look into Deku's eyes and then to Bakugo's. "And I want you to know, so you understand why it is I believe Sazaki is the most dangerous villain in Japan right now."
"While Sazaki was in Tartaros," Lemillion continued without pause. "He destroyed Faith. When I heard about this I should have realized how dangerous he was, but I only understood it after what I saw this weekend." Lemillion paused and he stared into Deku's eyes with an intense look that had not pity or apologetic tone to it at what he was telling him about his friend. "Faith attempted to escape, killed several prison guards, and he came face to face with Sazaki. Whatever it was he had to say, Sazaki did not allow him to. Your old classmate stayed in place, and he called Faith 'predictable.' Then from the position he was waiting for Faith in, still inside his own cell, he attacked and knocked out Faith without listening to him."
Bakugo's eyes widened again and his fists shook down at his sides. He could feel the tingling sensation and shocks leftover, and a jagged scar on his right side and under his right arm hurt at the thought of the Stain Cult's leader. Midoriya thought about what he saw when he came out to fight Faith though. When he saw Faith standing there over heroes' bodies, and the look he saw on Ms. Joke's scarred face when he went to her to ask what had happened weeks after the fight. His breathing sped up more as he thought about what Faith had said to him, what Faith had managed to do and how he had destroyed as many heroes as he had killed.
"Faith is currently in a padded cell, in a straightjacket," Lemillion went on after a moment. "It was not his failed jailbreak that did it, but what Sazaki said to him. And Sazaki knew what he was doing, when he did it." Lemillion's lips curled farther down and his face twisted for a moment as he thought about it. "The guards' reports confirm that Sazaki knew exactly how Faith would react. The state he's currently in, Sazaki planned to do that to him, and yet he did not- Sazaki didn't force Faith to…" Lemillion's expression got so much darker as he thought deeper on this. He thought about it in a way that he did not want to the first time, because the idea of it was actually horrifying to him.
"A man like Faith," Lemillion started in his darkest voice. "Who spent his entire life doing 'random' villainous deeds. Whose entire personality built off of his spontaneity… He gave up information on other villains to get moved, so that he could see Sazaki, but after what he did there's no way that he'd ever get a chance again. Even his mental instability could be just another manipulation. It could all be a ruse to get the guards to let him out again, to kill them again, so he won't get the chance. He's now trapped in a single room for the rest of his life. Stuck, in the, paradox, Sazaki put him in. The idea that he was predictable. Sazaki could have had two reasons for saying it. Either, he really meant that Faith was predictable and that's how he was able to see him coming, to just stand in place and take him down effortlessly. Or, Sazaki could have said it just to mess with Faith's head to make him think that he was always predictable because Sazaki knew that he cared about that. But… but even if it was the second option, even if Sazaki did just say that to him to make him think about it and be stuck on it, then by thinking about it and being stuck on it Faith showed that he really was predictable. And that means it was really the first option? Was he really always that predictable? Is that why he's in jail now, stuck there for his entire life? Was he never the random and chaotic evil that the rest of the world knows him as? Was-"
Lemillion stopped himself as he had been speeding up how he was talking. He cut himself off and just bit down hard while trying to push away how that man must currently be losing his mind. "It confuses me just thinking about it. Hurts me to know, that the paradox exists- so to even imagine what it's like for that man who it's actually affecting. The man trapped in the center of it, stuck in a cage that will always remind him of how he got put there, always return him to the paradox that no matter what he was predictable." Lemillion paused and shook his head before speaking to his interns who had been staring at him in shock for all of that. "You know the kind of villain Faith was. Probably worse than Intanzo, he's the worst villain Japan has seen in years. A manipulative monster… and your friend shattered his mind. Intentionally."
Faith, fucking deserved it, Bakugo thought. The thought did not make his frown lift any though, and his eyes were cold as he pictured Zach's face.
Why, Zach? Midoriya's shaking fists steadied on his sides and his eyes opened wider. Gogogo? Or Mandalay and Pixie Bob? Was it for revenge, Zach? Revenge for heroes you knew… or for Ashido? Because he almost got her killed? Did you really predict him? You really saw it coming and- but even if you didn't, you knew what you said to him would do that. I, I believe that. I don't want to believe that's something you would do though.
"He's, insane," Scorchle whispered. He looked around at the others to see if they all felt the same way after hearing that.
Lemillion waited a second and then nodded his head. He felt he got across how dangerous Zach was, and he said to the members of his small agency, "I believe he is. Mentally unstable at the least. He was messing around with me over a course of two days while at the same time acting like a hero to certain people, a monster to others, and he has plans for something that he's in the midst of working on. I haven't figured that part out yet, but I need you to help me figure out what it is. We cannot just wait for Sazaki to make his move. By that time, I'm afraid it will already be too late."
"Fine, don't tell me." Kotsumura sighed in exasperation and then shrugged his shoulders. "But whatever you told him, Dendo really seemed like he's cool with you now. Didn't think Flugeru would jump on your back like that, but hey, can't win 'em all."
"If Dendo's changed his mind, anyone can," Roger admitted with a laugh. "I think Flugeru's just being careful. Don't take it too personally."
"I don't," Zach replied with a shake of his head and a small smile towards the American boy. They were walking on the sidewalk away from Rafaielo's, and Zach continued to the five with him, "He's not wrong to be suspicious of me. Some people are just going to take longer for me to convince I really am trying to do good, this time around-"
"Hey," Subara cut in. Zach turned from the boy on his left to the girl on his right side, but when he turned, his eyes looked past the girl on his right to the other side of the road. He stared straight past her as the white-haired pale-skinned girl said in surprise, "Is that, Yaoyorozu?"
"Oh hey, it is Creati."
Zach stared down the sidewalk to the busty girl whose chest pushed out even in heavy winter clothing that still looked great on her. Her hair fell behind her in a ponytail instead of spiked up in it, allowing her to wear a wool hat that went well with her peach snow-jacket and black pants. "Hey, you guys can go on ahead," Zach said. He looked around at the others after they all looked across the road at the girl standing there. "I'll see you tomorrow in class," Zach said, and he started away before any of them could say something about coming along too.
"Let's go," Jaime grabbed Roger by the inside of his arm and pulled him along down the sidewalk. Roger's head turned more and more the farther they walked, and an elbow caught him in the side when his head was twisted almost all the way around.
Zach jogged across the street at the close-by crosswalk, as they had just rounded a corner a moment ago anyway. The girl on the other side of the road as him but farther down from the corner started walking towards it again after stopping when he and his friends rounded onto the same street. "Hey," Zach said, slowing down and walking towards the girl in front of him who stopped when they were close. "I'm, surprised you're here," Zach said as he stopped five feet in front of her.
"I wanted to check in on you," Momo Yaoyorozu said. "And I finished the practical class early, so I could get here…"
Several other people on the sidewalk were staring towards the two of them with wide eyes. Zach saw his classmates across the street and down a bit were all looking over their shoulders and towards them. He turned the opposite direction and motioned that way with his head. "Want to go on a walk?" He suggested, and Yaoyorozu nodded at him and walked the rest of the way up to his side. She was a few inches shorter than him, but they were both pretty tall. Yaoyorozu stepped onto Zach's side and they started walking together down the road, with Zach's hands down at his sides, and Yaoyorozu's in her pockets.
A/N Thanks for reading! Dendo's chilled out with Zach, Zach's being cautious as usual, Midoriya and Bakugo are let in on an investigation, and Yaoyorozu shows up at the end... What is she there for? How will Zach's old classmates handle Lemillion's investigation? Find out next time... soon! Since I just defended my thesis yesterday, and I have finals' week next week so that'll probably slow me down for a day or so. I have the next chapter finished though, with the one after it going to be started up later tonight once I finish this paper I'm procrastinating right now. Should probs get to that though, so 2-3 review responses now. Let's go:
Guest chapter 153 . Apr 30
Right now im just waiting for zach to casually mention that he killed stain and then turn around and say "nobody will ever believe you"
Might be a little dangerous with Lemillion's trusty tape recorder on hand! XD
yasideen1 chapter 153 . Apr 29
Imagine Zach as a politician. This man would be conquering countries by the hour
His fear factor and ability to throw curveballs at people is insane as well
Thanks for the chappy
I can imagine it. Things would be much better with Zach in charge, I think. Especially with some of what he was saying at the start of this chapter, he was getting more political than heroic on his classmates with his "money matters" talk. If Zach wanted to conquer countries too, think he could've done it a long time ago too. (Saudi Arabia seemed like they were down for a King Death back when Zach was on the walls of Hatto's palace). Thanks for the review!
Guessst chapter 153 . May 1
Great chapter! Looks like you'll be breaking the 2 million words mark next chapter! Wow! Very nice! You've definitely ruined a lot of fics for me lol. "Only 400k words? Ehhh" lol that's me now after reading this
Lol maybe not this chapter... or next chapter. Guess it's a good sign when I have you guys expecting 24k+ chapters every time though. Could've happened, but only 12k this chapter and a little less in the next one I think. Definitely hitting that 2 million mark though, and I want to say thanks for keeping up with this story as I reach another milestone in it! Thanks to all you guys for all your interest in Death, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter and continue to enjoy Death moving forward!