AN: Merry Christmas and have a happy new year, everyone!
Before we being I want to make something clear, the first and main part of this chapter takes place at the same time as the latter half of the last chapter (AKA the second day of Internships). Thought I'd clear that up to avoid confusion later.
And a word of warning not much happens in this chapter, but I do hope you all enjoy it regardless.
Bakugo continued to grumble as he cleaned and repaired the ADA's office on the second day of their internships. Why the hell was this supposed to be his first task? At least the copycat bastard was stuck with this, too. Currently, the two were plastering over the bullet holes in the walls. "How did no one get hurt?" Monoma wondered.
"I'm not sure myself. I only saw the immediate aftermath," Atsushi admitted. The white-haired young man had told the two that he wasn't at the Agency when the Port Mafia's Black Lizard squadron raided.
"I got a better question," Bakugo growled. "Why the hell is Squinty-Eyes not helping?" He gestured to the person in question, the young man in the detective getup. He wasn't helping at all, just sitting on a desk holding an empty ramune bottle.
"Hey, Haruno," he called out to the clerk. "A little challenge for you. Do you think you can get the marble out of this bottle?"
"Of course, Ranpo-san," the brown-haired woman gladly took the bottle.
'That's a good question,' Atsushi silently thought.
The sound of glass shattering sounded throughout the office, catching Bakugo, Monoma, and Atsushi's attention. Returning from the kitchen, Haruno presented the marble to Ranpo.
"He's not even helping, yet she did such a simple task for him," Monoma grumbled. Bakugo wanted to blow something up, preferably Ranpo.
"Kunikida-san, isn't Ranpo-san gonna help?" Atsushi asked the spectacled man.
"He can't," Kunikida replied, putting away a phone. "Because Ranpo has been requested to help with a murder case."
"Gotcha!" Ranpo hopped off the desk. "Ah, the police are always so desperate for my help. They can't catch a single criminal without me. Heck, some heroes even need me and my Quirk to find the villains they were chasing!" Ranpo boasted. "My Ultra Deduction is arguable the best power in this agency. Maybe even the whole country. I mean, you lot can't even call yourselves a 'Detective Agency' if it weren't for me, since you have the collective deduction power of a monkey."
Bakugo felt both eyes twitch dangerously as Ranpo continued to talk.
Atsushi stared deadpanned at Ranpo as the detective continued to talk.
Monoma could only look on in surprise, wondering if Ranpo would allow him to copy his Quirk.
"We're all indebted to you, Ranpo," Kunikida said.
"The way you can deduce the truth behind everything once you use Ultra Deduction is so amazing!"
"You're a role model to all of us, Ranpo," Kunikida added.
"Man, it's almost like you're basking in the glory of my Ultra Deduction, huh?"
"Hahaha! That goes without saying!"
Bakugo grounded his teeth at the kind of attention Ranpo was getting.
"Should we be worried?" Atsushi asked Monoma.
"I'm not sure. We're in different classes, thank god," Monoma muttered.
"Hey, kid," Kunikida addressed Atsushi. "We'll handle the rest of the clean-up. You, Monoma, and Bakugo will go with Ranpo," he handed him a paper with an address written on it. "Here's the address. You'll need to take the train to get there."
"We're gonna be the assistants of a great detective?" Monoma asked already sucking up to Ranpo. "What an honor to-"
"Nope, I don't need any assistants," Ranpo bluntly replied, popping Monoma's ego.
"Then why the hell are we going with you?" Bakugo demanded.
"Because I don't know how to take the train."
Bakugo growled as he, Atsushi, Monoma, and Ranpo rode the train to the murder scene, the ADA member admiring the marble all the way. 'How is it possible for someone to not know how to ride the fucking train!?' Bakugo mentally yelled.
Ranpo didn't seem to know how to buy a ticket, how to get through the turn style, or how to figure out which platform to go to, which meant it took longer than necessary to get abroad the train. They even almost missed it. Needless to say, Bakugo and Monoma were not happy about being glorified babysitters. Atsushi seemed to take it in stride, though.
By the time they arrived, police were combing around a beach area along a river, while some others were manning a crane at the river's edge. "You're late, agents," an older man wearing a long dark green coat reprimanded them.
Atsushi hid behind Ranpo while Bakugo and Monoma stood to the side. "Hold on, who're you? Where's Yasui-san?"
"I'm Minoura, I took over from Yasui," the man answered. "This case has been reassigned to our division. So we no longer need you or your agency."
"That's ridiculous!" Ranpo exclaimed. "Everyone knows that difficult cases should be solved by famous detectives, right?"
"Humph. You think I'd rely on some fraudulent detective agency?" Minoura shot back. "Especially since the murder victim was my subordinate."
"What?"
A young officer lifted a sheet, revealing the body. It was a young woman, blood staining her chest.
Atsushi nearly gagged at the sight while Bakugo and Monoma stared in shock. This was the first time the three of them had seen a dead body.
"A woman, huh?" Ranpo took his hat off in respect.
"Yes, sir," a nearby officer said. "Her body was found floating in the river this morning."
"Her name's Yamagiwa," Minoura had a mournful look on his face. "She was shot three times in the chest. We don't know when or where she was killed. We haven't found the bullets since they went through her body."
"Any suspects?" Ranpo asked.
"No idea," Minoura admitted. "It's hard to determine who she last came into contact with. And as far as anyone at the office knew, she wasn't in any form of relationship so it's unlikely to be a jealous lover."
"Very interesting," Ranpo commented as he put his hat back on. "So basically, you don't have any leads, right?"
"All the more reason not to hand this over to some amateurs like you," Minoura growled. "So hurry up and-"
"Hey, the net's caught something!" An officer by the crane yelled.
"They put out a net?" Atsushi asked.
"To prevent evidence from being washed away, we've spread a net in the river for the investigation and-"
"It's a man!"
"A man!?" Minoura gasped.
"A second victim?" Monoma asked.
Everyone rushed over to the crane as it pulled the net out of the water, dragging with it the body of… a very much alive Dazai Osamu.
Atsushi felt an eye twitch as he stared at Dazai with a deadpanned expression.
"Hello, Atsushi!" Dazai cheerfully greeted, not being bothered at all that he was hanging upside down in a net. "This is quite the strange coincidence."
"Don't tell me you jumped into the river to commit suicide again?" Atsushi sighed.
'Again!?' Minoura, Bakugo, and Monoma all thought.
"Don't be silly," Dazai waved his finder. "Committing suicide alone? That's so passé these days. I have made the decision that if I'm going to end everything, it'll be by the side of a beautiful woman! Ah, double suicide has such a lovely ring to it! By comparison, it feels so empty to think about departing from this world all by my lonesome. That's my new plan. I'm looking for a passionate and suicidal woman to die with me!"
"So then why did you end up in the net?" Atsushi asked.
"I was drifting along," Dazai put his hand beneath his chin, striking a pose with a sparkle. "Enjoying the glories river."
"Right…" Atsushi sighed.
"But enough about me? Who are your new friends? And why are you all the way out here?" Dazai asked.
"These are Bakugo and Monoma, the interns from U.A." Atsushi answered.
"Oh right, I nearly forgot."
"As for why we're here, we're with Ranpo-san on a job."
"Oh, a job?" Dazai glanced past Atsushi and saw the body. He gasped in horror, quickly dislodging himself from the net, and ran to the corpse. "No… How on earth did this happen? How did such an exquisite lady lose her life at such a young age…?! How tragic!" Tears began rolling down Dazai's face. "This grief is breaking my heart! Since you were going to die anyway, you could've committed double suicide with me!" Dazai continued to wail, waving his arms frantically.
"Who the hell is your weird friend?" Minoura asked, totally baffled.
"He's a colleague at the agency, and yes he's always like this," Ranpo replied. "He's an enigma even to me."
"This freak is a detective?!" Bakugo gasped. "I don't buy it!"
"However, rest assured, ma belle! The extraordinary famous detective will surely avenge you!" Dazai declared before turning to Ranpo. "Right, Ranpo-san?"
"The's tough to say. I haven't officially gotten the job yet."
"What? Why?"
"Ask Minoura," Ranpo pointed to the officer next to him.
"We don't need private eyes on this," Minoura replied. "Anyone on my team is better than any detective out there, including you bums."
"WHAT'D YOU CALL ME!?" Bakugo exclaimed.
"Bakugo, calm down!" Atsushi begged. "Besides, I don't think he was talking to you."
"Oh, then let's test that," Ranpo smiled before suddenly pointing to a nearby officer. "You there, what's your name, officer?"
"Me?" The officer quickly did a salute. "I-I am Officer Sugimoto, junior of the murdered Yamagiwa-senpai."
"Well then, Sugimoto-kun," Ranpo patted the officer's shoulder. "Right now you're a famous detective. Try to solve this case in 60 seconds. Ready, set…"
"What?!"
"Go," Ranpo pulled out a pocket watch. "I can easily solve this in under a minute. So if you're as good as Minoura said you are then you should too," Ranpo added, making Minoura growl.
"H-Hold on, no one can solve a case in 60 seconds!" Sugimoto shouted. "That's-!"
"50 seconds left~!" Ranpo said.
"Erm… uh…" Sugimoto appeared to be having a meltdown.
Bakugo grumbled, Sugimoto's muttering reminding him of someone. 'Great, first a White-Haired Deku, now a Police Deku,' the ash-blond thought, referring to Atsushi and Sugimoto respectively.
"Oh, that's right!" Sugimoto suddenly gasped, as if he had an epiphany. "Yamagiwa-senpai was investigating a political corruption case, along with tracking the activities of the Port Mafia."
"The Port Mafia?" Atsushi gasped.
"Now that I think about it, the MO of the murderer is similar to when the Port Mafia does a retribution murder," Sugimoto added. "Maybe the Port Mafia felt she was getting too close and silenced her before-"
"No," Dazai spoke up, cutting Sugimoto off. "The Port Mafia's retaliatory methods are quite specific. They have a signature that's basically their fingerprint. First, the victim is forced onto the ground and made the bite into a stair. Then they stop on the head to shatter the jaw. Finally, as the victim is writhing in pain, they flip them over and shoot them in the chest three times."
Atsushi and Monoma flinched at Dazai's description, while Bakugo stared on in slight shock.
"R-Right, that's how they do it…" Sugimoto admitted.
"This MO was similar to the Mafia's but not exactly the same," Dazai pointed toward the corpse. "Her jaw is still intact, which means…"
"The killer was attempting a coverup!" Minoura realized.
"So she was shot two more times to make it look like a Mafia hit?" Sugimoto asked. "How cruel…"
Bakugo turned to Sugimoto with a glare.
"Beeeep!" Sugimoto jumped at Ranpo's sound effect. "Sorry, time's up! Nice try, officer," Ranpo patted Sugimoto's reassuringly. "Too bad. You've still got a ways to go before your case solving skills match mine. But don't feel too bad, you proved useful. You proved that Minoura's team is inferior to me."
"Cut the crap!" Minoura snapped. "I'm tired of all your jabber. This isn't some crime novel where you can crack hard cases with just deduction. Cases are solved through investigation, interviewing persons of interest, and closely analyzing the crime scene."
"Huh," Ranpo stepped up to Minoura. "You still don't get it, do you? A great detective doesn't do 'investigations'. My Quirk, Ultra Deduction, can instantly identify the killer," Ranpo tapped his head for emphasis. "I can also figure out when and how the murder was committed. But there's more. I can see in my eye's mind how to make the killer confess and where the evidence is to prove our case. It truly is an amazing Quirk."
"I've seen plenty of weird Quirks during my time on the force, some mundane, others downright outlandish," Minoura admitted. "But if you have such a special Quirk then why do my colleagues and I still have a job?"
"My thoughts exactly," Ranpo smiled. "Now we're starting to understand each other, detective."
Minoura clenched his fist in anger. "Why you little…"
"Now, now, calm down," Dazai stepped in between Ranpo and Minoura. "Please excuse Ranpo-san's tactless behavior. He's always like this."
"What can I say? My personal motto is: 'All's well that's well for me!'"
'What kind of motto is that?' Both Atsushi and Monoma thought.
For reference, Atsushi's motto is: 'What's better than being alive?'
Monoma's motto: 'Be sure to upstage the lead role.'
Bakugo's motto: 'Be the strongest hero!'
Dazai's motto: 'Have a pure, cheerful, and energetic suicide.'
"You just won't stop bragging about your Quirk, huh?" Minoura scoffed. "I've seen plenty of people who were full of themselves because they thought their Quirks were the best thing ever. Let me tell you, those people are always among the first to die. But we might as well see what it can do."
"Really?" Ranpo smiled. "So I'm on the case now? You could've just asked nicely when I first got here."
"Too bad you got a lot more confidence than experienced," Minoura laughed. "You realize there's no hard evidence, right? Do you want me to count to 60 for ya?"
Ranpo smirked. "I won't need that long."
"Atsushi, Monoma, Bakugo, watch carefully," Dazai whispered to the three. "You're about to see the power that's the backbone of the Armed Detective Agency."
Ranpo then pulled out a pair of glasses, to the confusion of the boys.
"What's with the glasses?" Monoma asked.
"From what I heard, Ranpo-san needs to wear those glasses in order to use his Quirk," Dazai answered.
"That's a strange requirement for a Quirk," Atsushi commented.
Ranpo put on the glasses, and for a moment nothing happened. "…I see," he muttered, opening his brown eyes.
"You know who the culprit is?" Minoura asked skeptically.
"Of course!" Ranpo declared. "In fact, the culprit is right here…" Ranpo pointed a finger at Sugimoto.
"Eh…?" Sugimoto gapped.
Minoura started laughing. "Pahahahah! Is your Quirk like Ms. Jokes?! Because that's hilarious! Sugimoto is my subordinate on the force!"
"Sugimoto is the one who killed her," Ranpo repeated.
"Ridiculous!" Minoura snapped. "Even if he was the killer, why would he return to the scene of the crime?!"
"That's precisely why he's here," Ranpo stated, turning to Minoura. "He wants to stay close to the investigation, and don't forget that my Quirk can also tell me where to find the evidence to prove it," Ranpo toured back to Sugimoto. "Let's see your gun."
"You can't be serious!" Sugimoto responded. "I can't hand my firearm over to a civilian. They would take my badge away!"
"Oh yeah?" Bakugo spoke up, still glaring at Sugimoto. "Then why did you say she was shot two more times?"
Sugimoto notably flinched while Minoura looked at Bakugo in surprise before he gradually turned to glare at Sugimoto. "That's a good question. Why say something so specific, Sugimoto? Do you know details about Yamagiwa's murder? Show us your gun, now!"
Sugimoto stood still, his face unreadable.
"Even in a large city like Yokohama, it's not easy to acquire government-issued ammunition, let alone a government-issued weapon," Ranpo said. "Right now his mind's racing, trying to explain the absence of the three bullets he's used."
"Sugimoto, I want to believe you're not the killer! Show us the gun so we can get this over with!" Minoura demanded, almost pleading.
After a few more seconds, Sugimoto sighed and removed the gun from his holster, and aimed it at Ranpo.
"Sugimoto! Are you crazy!" Minoura yelled. "Don't do it!"
*BANG!*
The gun was fired, but harmless Ito the air. In a split second, Bakugo had tackled Sugimoto to the ground, pinning him. "Nice try, you bastard!" Bakugo growled as the others officers gathered around.
"Let me go!" Sugimoto begged. "This has nothing to do with me!"
"There's no use trying to run," Ranpo walked up and knelt down next to Sugimoto. "I've already detained that the murder took place early yesterday morning at the abandoned shipyard upstream, 140 meters from here."
Sugimoto's eyes widened in shock. "H-How did you…?"
"If we go there, we should be able to find your footprints as well as Yamagiwa's, along with the bloodstains you tried but failed to erase."
"How…?" Sugimoto muttered. "How could you have possibly…"
Minoura put a hand on Sugimoto's shoulder. "Let's hear the whole story at the station. Though…" the senior officer pulled out a pair of handcuffs. "It won't be your workplace anymore."
Later at the police station, the sun was beginning to set, its orange light shining into the interrogation room. Former Officer Sugimoto was cuffed to the table, Minoura sitting across from him, Ranpo sitting to the side, having removed his glasses along the way.
Behind the one-way glass window, Atsushi, Bakugo, Monoma, and Dazai watched.
"I never meant to kill her," Sugimoto admitted. "You see, she had been investigating a minor corruption case, but as she dug into it, she uncovered a larger crime involving a politician. But the politician knew he was vulnerable and had a mole in the police force to get rid of any evidence."
"That mole was you, right?" Ranpo asked.
"I always wanted to be a police officer. They seemed so much cooler than heroes since they stopped crime without Quirks," Sugimoto appeared to be on the verge of a breakdown. "But I failed the entrance exam three times."
"That can't be right," Minoura spoke up. "I've seen how diligent you are. You should've easily passed."
"I didn't because my Quirk, making cedar trees grow, wasn't suited for police," Sugimoto admitted. "At least that's what they told me."
"That's just plain bullshit!" Minoura growled. "But we're getting off-topic. I assume that this politician pulled strings for you to become a police officer, becoming that bastard's dog. He ordered you to kill Yamagiwa, didn't he!?"
"I didn't want to kill her!" Sugimoto defended. "I was trying to warn her because if she turned in the evidence, the politician would send an assassin to kill her! So, I ask if we could meet yesterday at the shipyard," Sugimoto went on to explain what happened, how he threatened to kill himself if Yamagiwa didn't hand him the evidence she had collected. But when he was about to fire, Yamagiwa jumped in and pulled the gun away… getting herself shot in the chest.
"But we both know the story doesn't end there," Ranpo said. "There was still the issue of the body. You panicked, and ironically, there was only one person you could rely on. You called the crooked politician and he told you to destroy the evidence by shooting her in the chest two more times, making it look like a Mafia hit. To delay the discovery of the body you dumped it into the river."
"Where's the evidence Yamagiwa collected!" Minoura demand, standing up and slamming his fist into the table. "I must expose that criminal and avenge Yamagiwa! Tell me, Sugimoto, and I can at least make sure you don't go to jail!"
"Hey, Sugimoto-kun," Ranpo got up and stood next to the reluctant mole. "Want me to guess what her final words were?" Ranpo lowered his head and whispered, "'I'm sorry'."
Tears began to fill Sugimoto's eyes. Because those words would always haunt him.
"I'm sorry."
"How…" Sugimoto sobbed, breaking down crying. "How can a Quirk let you see all that? *sob* Everything's in my desk drawer."
A strange feeling began to overtake Bakugo as he watched Sugimoto cry. For a brief moment, he instead saw Deku in the ex-officers place.
"…Thank you for your help," Minoura said to Ranpo, they along with Atsushi, Bakugo, Monoma, and Dazai, were outside the station. "Also, I'm sorry for doubting you and your Quirk. I'll get in touch with you again if I ever come across a difficult case."
"If you need my Ultra Deduction, detective, all you have to do is ask," Ranpo replied. "I might even give you a discount."
Minoura smiled. "I appreciate the offer."
With that, the five began to make their way to the train station, Ranpo in the lead.
"What Ranpo-san did back there was amazing!" Atsushi gushed. "I never would've thought he'd be able to solve a case like that so easily! And instantly, too!"
"Yes, but I probably would've figured out half of it, too," Dazai said.
"Half of it?" Monoma wondered. "But Ranpo-sama was able to solve the whole case in an instant. I wonder if he will let me copy his Quirk?" Monoma thought out loud.
"Will you shut up?" Bakugo grumbled, tired of hearing them gush about Ranpo's Quirk.
"Oh, that's right. You just joined so you wouldn't know yet," Dazai said.
"Know what?" Atsushi asked.
"That he's faking," Bakugo grumbled. "'Ultra Deduction' my ass, that Squinty-Eyed bastard is playing us."
"I wouldn't put it like that, but this is surprising," Dazai smiled. "You figured it out, Bakugo-kun?"
"Of course I did. Anyone with half a brain would," Bakugo replied.
"So wait, Ranpo-san's Ultra Deduction isn't a Quirk?" Atsushi asked.
"Yep," Dazai confirmed.
"Then what is Ranpo-sama's Quirk?" Monoma asked. "It must be something that can help him solve cases like that, right?"
"That's the thing. You see, Ranpo-san is Quirkless," Dazai revealed.
Atsushi, Bakugo, and Monoma stopped in their tracks. They stared at Ranpo ahead of them before they stared at Dazai. "WHAT!?"
"Okay, THAT I call bullshit on!" Bakugo exclaimed.
"It's true," Dazai said. "Ranpo-san's a rare breed. He certainly seems to believe he has a superpower of some sort, but he doesn't. And while he may act childish, he's actually 26 years old."
"Huh?!"
"Yep. He's a totally normal, baseline human," Dazai added. "The reason everyone at the Agency respects Ranpo-san is because they know his Ultra Deduction isn't a Quirk."
"How, though?" Monoma asked. "How was he able to-"
"Pure deduction," Dazai answered. "There's nothing 'ultra' about it."
"But how?" Atsushi asked. "How was Ranpo-san able to figure out who the killer was so quickly? How could deduction alone do that?"
"Well, I don't have a power like that and I figured it out. Do any of you remember when Sugimoto said that she was 'shot two more times to make it look like a Mafia hit'?" Dazai asked.
"Yeah," Bakugo nodded. "The bastard gave himself away with that."
"I was wondering about that. Why is that so important?" Atsushi asked.
"Because any innocent person who saw a body with three gunshot wounds would assume they were fired at the same time," Dazai explained. "What Sugimoto said implied that the victim died from the first shot. How could he have known that before the autopsy was performed?"
"Because… he was the shooter," Monoma nodded in understanding. "But then how did Ranpo-sama deduce it happened yesterday morning?"
"That's because the body was still in good condition and can be ID'd," Dazai further explained, "which meant it had only been in the river for a day at most. Yesterday was Monday, a workday, but she was dressed in casual wear and had no makeup. A busy police officer and frequent overtime worker in casual war and no makeup on a working day? That would likely mean that she died early in the morning."
"Then how about the location and the bit about her being threatened by the gun?" Atsushi asked.
"I'll admit, I'm stumped on that one," Dazai shrugged. "I guess Ranpo's keen mind found more clues than mine did."
"Okay, then how the hell did he figure out the lady's last words?" Bakugo demanded.
"Oh, that," Dazai had a solemn look. "Minoura had said that Yamagiwa was single, but she was wearing an expensive European wristwatch, not something a single woman would buy for herself. Sugimoto had the same model, but for men."
"So, wait, does that mean…" Atsushi trailed off.
"Yeah," Dazai nodded. "She agreed to meet him early in the morning and set off without putting on makeup, which meant she deeply trusted him. And they were wearing matching watches. Those two were dating, keeping it secret from their colleagues. That's why he didn't break her face with a kick, which gave away the fact that it wasn't a Mafia hit. He knew it wouldn't, but it was too much for him to take."
"He… killed the person he loved by accident," Monoma realized. "That's so sad."
Bakugo silently agreed. But that wasn't the only thing bothering him. Earlier he had thought of Sugimoto as a Deku in the police. Now, he can't help but wonder. If things were slightly different, would Deku had been like him? The loyal dog of some power-hungry fuck.
"Bakugo-kun, Monoma-kun, try to take what happened with Sugimoto as a lesson," Dazai said.
"A lesson?" Monoma asked.
"About what? Not trusting politicians? I already don't trust them," Bakugo muttered.
"About how not every criminal or villain became like that willingly," Dazai added, to the hero students surprise. "While there are some people who use their gifts to bring misfortune to others just because they can, there are even more who do so because they felt they had no choice. Life dealt time a bad hand, forcing them to rock bottom. Maybe they need money to save someone they care for or avoid debt. Maybe they felt they need retribution for how society abandoned them for not fitting in. Point is, just like how you both have different reasons for wanting to become heroes, villains have different reasons for why they commit crimes. Some are understandable. You may even encounter a villain who, at one point, was exactly like you, only to be driven down a dark path because of circumstances outside their control. In fact, if things were slightly different for you two, you might've turned into villains instead of heroes."
Both Monoma and Bakugo took that in, what they knew about villains having been shaken by what Dazai-
"Someone's not doing their job!" Ranpo suddenly yelled. "You're supposed to help me find my way back to the agency!"
"Right, on our way, Ranpo-san!" Dazai waved, walking up to Ranpo.
"Well, at least now I understand why everyone at the agency praises Ranpo," Atsushi said as he followed, Bakugo and Monoma close behind.
As they continued their way back to the agency, Bakugo could only grumble in thought, 'I bet Deku isn't dealing with something as annoying as this.'
"Uh, Fuyuko, c-can you p-please let me go now?" Izuku asked, shaking a little due to how cold Fuyuko's body felt as she hugged his arm.
"No," Fuyuko replied, having not let go of his arm even after they arrived back at Ryukyu's agency.
"You can't hold onto him forever," Milia complained. That and she was jealous at how long Fuyuko was holding onto his arm like that. 'I'll need to sneak into his room again tonight.'
"Don't worry, Mili-chan!" Nejire spoke up. "Fuyuko-chan won't steal your boyfriend."
"B-boyfriend!?" Milia and Izuku exclaimed, blushes forming on their faces, "He's not my/I'm not her boyfriend!"
"Really?" Nejire tilted her head. "Does that mean he's free? Because I wouldn't mind dating him. Or Mili-chan. Or both. Either is fine."
"Wait, what!?" The other three all exclaimed.
Nearby Ryukyu watched with a bemused smile. 'I suppose I should've warn them that Nejire develops crushes at the drop of the hat. Oh well.'
"In other news, the volleyball coach of the prestigious Shujin Academy was arrested earlier today for crimes of sexual harassment and abuse toward students." Izuku's eyes quickly looked back up at the hanging TV, along with Milia, Fuyuko, and Nejire. A picture of Uchishiba appeared on the screen next to the broadcaster. "The principal of the school has yet to make any comment on the situation. However, several students have been coming forward, regarding the alleged behavior of their gym teacher."
As the reporter spoke, an image of a student in a male Shujin Academy uniform appeared on the screen. His face was obscured, and his voice distorted to the point subtitles needed to be added to the screen so he could be understood.
"My friends would come back from practice with bruises all the time. It was scary, but I'm relieved the abuse is finally going to end."
Another image, this time of a female student, again face obscured and voice masked. "He would touch me and stuff all the time… I'm so relieved I don't have to deal with the sexual harassment anymore…"
A third image, another girl with light red skin.
"You said you tried to come forward and were beaten to stay silent correct?"
"Yes. Uchishiba had me followed and threatened me to stay silent. If it's alright, I'd rather not go into any details."
"Looks like Uchishiba's hit the news," Fuyuko said. "I hope he gets locked away for life."
"Given it's Ryukyu's word over his, along with the video evidence Milia got, that's very possible," Izuku said.
"Speaking of the school, I wonder how the staff are reacting to this," Milia said.
"Knowing Principal Pighead, he's panicking and trying to do damage control, all to protect the school's 'reputation'," Fuyuko spat out the last word in disgust. "He needs to be sent to jail along with Uchishiba."
"Unfortunately, that won't be happening," a new voice spoke up.
When everyone turned to face the voice's source, the teens could be heard giving audible gasps at who they saw. "Oh my gosh!" Izuku gasped, the fanboy within him exploding. "It's Zero and Guren!"
"No way!" Fuyuko gasped.
"Hey, what about us?" Setsuna's voice spoke up, walking behind Zero along with Liana and Cynthia.
"Setsuna!" Milia said in surprise.
"Sorry for dropping in unannounced, Ryuko," Guren apologized to her fellow female pro.
"Not at all, Kallen," Ryukyu greeted. "Though when you and Lelouch do come unannounced… it means you found something suspicious and need my help."
"Close," Guren replied.
"We were doing our daily patrol when a friend of mine in the police contacted me about what happened at Shujin. When I learned about one particular detail, I decided to take a detour," Zero explained. "It's about Shujin's principal, Hiraoka Yukio," Zero's tone became serious
Izuku and the girls tensed at the mention of Hiraoka's name. "What about him?" Fuyuko asked.
"He was found dead in his apartment, a large knife in his chest," Guren further explained. "They're saying he committed suicide, not wanting to deal with the scandal he helped create."
"The principal… killed himself?" Fuyuko whispered in shock. Sure, she hated the fat bastard almost as much as she hated Uchishiba, but that didn't mean she wanted him dead.
"I don't believe so," Zero said. "The police were speaking to the staff at Shujin. They said that the principal was acting strangely after he learned of Uchishiba's arrest. His secretary said he collected several items from his office in a hurry before he went home. Not to mention the timing is suspicious. Committing suicide less than a day after one of his teachers was arrested? No, I believe someone killed Hiraoka and attempted to frame it as suicide."
"So, he was murdered?" Izuku asked. "Why?"
"We were hoping Yukimura would tell us," Zero replied, looking at the girl in question. "Hiraoka's death hasn't been officially revealed yet, so this is technically a leak. But I do believe that Uchishiba's arrest was the catalyst. Yukimura, was there anything that happened at the school that stood out? Any little detail could help."
Fuyuko fidgeted slightly, but she calmed down a little as Izuku put a hand on her shoulder. "I… I'm not sure," Fuyuko said. "Everything about the school seemed normal. Other than Uchishiba, nothing really stood out. …wait. One thing did," the Yuki-onna reached into her bag and pulled out a certain book.
"The Meta Liberation War?" Guren blinked upon seeing the book.
"It's a required read at the school," Fuyuko looked at the book with a hint of contempt. "I always thought it was odd, especially since the Social Studies class seems revolved around it."
"Interesting," Zero muttered. "Mind if I hold onto it?"
"I was gonna burn it when I transfer to U.A., but sure," Fuyuko handed the book to Zero.
"Transfer to U.A.?" Setsuna questioned. As Setsuna started asking Izuku and the others questions, Zero looked over the book Fuyuko had given him.
"What're you thinking of, Lelouch?" Guren asked.
"Yukimura is right, having this be a required read is a bit unusual, especially since the Meta Liberation Army is long disbanded… supposedly," opening the cover, Zero looked over the book's contents. "Ever since we first heard about this, I can't help but get this feeling. And in my experiences, I've learned to trust my instincts."
"You idiot!" Slidin' Go flinched at the tone. When two of the Top Commanders of the Meta Liberation Army, Chikazoku Tomoyasu, aka Skeptic, and Kizuki Chitose, aka Curious, had requested a video conference, the traitorous pro had expected they were going to assign him an important mission. What he wasn't expecting was for none other than Yotsubashi Rikiya, their Grand Commander, Re-Destro himself, to join them. When he had joined the call, Tokoname almost swallowed his tongue. And right now he wished he hadn't answered.
"Do you have any notion of the potential consequences of your blunder!?" Skeptic yelled. "When I said that his death needed to look either like a suicide or an accident, I was expecting something like him jumping off a building or being hit by a truck. I did not mean for you to go into his apartment and stab him! Do you have any idea how suspicious the timing is!?"
Slidin' Go tired to answer, but Curious cut him off. "Now Skeptic, there's no need to be so harsh. He only did as he was told."
"Indeed," Rikiya stated, wiping his forehead with a handkerchief.
They all swallowed at that, the Grand Commander was getting stressed.
"Still, Tokoname, it may be best for you to lay low for now, and in the event your involvement is somehow discovered it be best to retreat to Deika City until the situation is fully sorted out. It is incredibly difficult to have people on the inside of the hero organizations, so we cannot afford to lose you just yet."
Slidin' Go instinctively gulped. 'Yet…?'
"Skeptic, you managed to destroy any evidence of our involvement, correct?" Re-Destro asked.
"Of course," Skeptic declared, typing on his laptop, "I was able to wipe anything that may have tied them to us. In addition, Tokoname did manage to remove any ties Hiraoka had at his home."
"Then there should be nothing to worry about," Re-Destro stated.
"Not exactly," Curious stepped in. "There is still the matter of the books carried by the students."
"We can easily explain that as part of the history classes," Skeptic replied. "I highly doubt any detective or pro hero working on this case will give it a second thought."
"If I may interject for just a moment," another voice spoke up, the screen splitting to show a man in a black business suit, black hair swept back, and purple-tinted glasses.
"Ah, Trumpet. To what do we owe the pleasure?" Skeptic asked.
"I am sorry for interrupting your conversation, Grand Commander," Hanabata Koku, aka Trumpet, apologized. "But the mess with Shujin isn't our old problem. One of my political allies has informed me that an informant he placed in the Yokohama police force who was supposed to destroy incriminating evidence against him has been compromised."
"Will this be led back to us?" Re-Destro asked, more black splotches appearing on his neck.
"I rather not risk it. I would like Skeptic's help in severing any ties I have with him."
"Consider it done," Skeptic began typing away at his laptop furiously.
"How was this informant compromised?" Curious asked.
"From what I had been able to gather, he killed a fellow officer, but someone from the Armed Detective Agency uncovered the truth the next day," Trumpet answered. "And what's most unsettling is that he was able to do so in less than a minute. If they were able to find this informant so quickly, I fear they may discover us."
Re-Destro hummed in thought. Yokohama was dangerous territory for them. Not only did they have to deal with the Port Mafia, which practically runs the city despite the heroes' best efforts, but there were also rumors in the criminal underworld about a powerful villain hiding there. They need to trend carefully. "Skeptic, Curious, I want to find out everything you can about this Armed Detective Agency. Who their members are and what Meta Abilities they have."
"Right away!"
"Yes, sir!"
Nezu typed away at his computer, doing routine paperwork. It was a tedious process, one that Nezu believed wasn't fully necessary. Once the strange mammal finished, Nezu let out a small sigh of relief before he moved on to the next part of today's schedule. He had someone wishing to speak with him. He pressed his intercom, "Send him in."
A few moments later, a familiar American walked in. "Sorry if I came in at a bad time."
"Not at all, Agent Coulson," Nezu replied. "I understand you wanted to speak with me for some time, so I should be the one apologizing for how long it took. How are the students you're accompanying adjusting?"
"Pretty well," Coulson replied, taking a seat. "One of them is fluent in Japanese, so she's been helping them learn basic Japanese. The translators we provided them can only help with so much."
"Yes, that is fortunate," Nezu nodded with a chuckle. "But I suspect the reason for this meeting isn't just to see how the students are adjusting."
Coulson nodded. "Officially, I'm here to supervise the American hero students that'll be staying here," he said. "Plus I get the chance to visit my niece for a little while, see how she's doing here."
"And unofficially?" Nezu poured some tea, giving a cup to Coulson.
Coulson took a sip. "Recently, the Hero Public Safety Commission requested UNIT to escort a Tartarus inmate to the Raft."
"A prison transfer to the Raft?" The Raft was THE top supervillain prison in the world, designed to house the most dangerous villains on the planet, all S-ranked, with rumors of villains ranking even higher confined there. It was also the subject of heavy scrutiny due to how the prisoners have no contact with the outside world, and never return to it, among other allegations. "Why would that gain Nicholas' attention?"
"Because of who they wish to transfer," Coulson pulled out a packet from his suit and handed it to Nezu. "Prisoner 656698."
Nezu frowned slightly as he read over the files in the packet Coulson handed him. "Ah, yes, Lady Nagant. She was such a promising young hero. When I heard of her arrest, I was deeply shocked… because of how suspicious it was. She allegedly killed a fellow hero in an argument."
"That's what tipped us off. Killing a hero is a serious offense, but it's definitely not something deserving of being sent to the Raft. And there's more," Coulson continued. "Her case was open-and-shut and closed trial, yet all records of her crime and of the trial itself are sealed from the public. The files regarding her case I received from the Commission were heavily censored as well. I looked into her time behind bars and turns out that, despite numerous requests from reporters and heroes who worked alongside her, Nagant was always denied having visitors. I don't need to be a secret agent to know that there's a lot more to her arrest than they're willing to admit."
"Indeed," Nezu nodded. "I, too, have been suspicious of the HPSC for some time. Fortunately, Zero is suspicious as well and is collecting evidence."
"Zero? He's Japan's 5th ranked hero, right?"
"Was," Nezu corrected. "He recently took the spot from his wife… again. Those two always banter over it. It's rather enjoyable."
"Guess I'll know who I'll be visiting next," Coulson looked at the time. "I better get going. The Director is expecting a call from me in about 20 minutes and the time change is a pain."
"Then don't keep him waiting," Nezu said. "If you find something incriminating, be sure to inform me. I'll be sure to help in any way I can."
"Will do," Coulson added as he took his leave.
AN: Welp, that's that. The last chapter of the fic for 2021. Next time I update it will be 2022. Amazing how time flies, huh?
As I said, nothing major happened in this chapter. And sorry to any Bakugo haters for a chapter that mostly focused on what he's doing. Though being upstaged by Ranpo is probably worth it a little.
Anyway, I'll see you all next time when we finally get to Hosu! Until then, stay safe, stay healthy, don't be racist, have a merry Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Festivus, or whatever holiday you celebrate this time of year. And a happy new year! Go beyond, PLUS ULTRA!