The unlikely trio of Todoroki, Mikumo, and Eri stride in a synchronous step. Their line creates an unintentional wall of tallest to shortest. Yet, none of them notice. Eri at the tail end clings to Akatani's hand like a lifeline, her tiny palm only managing to grab a few fingers in its small size. Todoroki keeps his heterochromic gaze forward while the other boy looks at him from the side.
Despite Todoroki's lack of making eye contact or at least glancing in Akatani's direction, the two carry a conversation seemingly well. Both boys overcome their shy by nature attitude for the most part. It's not like they've ascended from introvert to extrovert though. There's still plenty of awkward or curt responses from Todoroki in particular for example. A few of which gained giggles from Eri.
The three youths journey down a corridor, heading for the quirk support group meeting at the end of the hall. "Wow, I always dreamed of going to U.A. What's it like?", Akatani is only now getting over the initial stupor of learning Todoroki is attending Japan's top hero school.
Todoroki shrugs as though it's no big deal, treating it just, "Like any other school."
Akatani would be inclined to disagree, and he's not the only one. "Not if you're in the hero course.", Shinso overhears them as they draw near the building's vending machines. The snack station has become their usual meeting place due to their mutual love for coffee.
Akatani waves with his free hand, smiling despite the lazy look Shinso gives the group of three. "Shinso! I was wondering if you were gonna be here today.", though Akatani was admittedly hoping that the other boy would be so that he could introduce him to Todoroki, "This is-"
"I know who he is.", Shinso's eyes stop drooping so that they can squint at the hero in training who had tagged along. Todoroki returns the glare with one of his own, also noting the bitterness of Shinso's tone. The effort it takes to scowl with how heavy his eyebags are must be too much, because Shinso lets it drop first. However, not without asking first, "What's somebody with a privileged quirk like his doing here?"
Akatani's own eyes widen in shock at how harsh Shinso is being. "Come on, that's not fair-", he tries to step in between the two but Todoroki moves forward first.
"That's okay, Mikumo. I know when I'm not welcomed.", he continues to direct his glare at Shinso despite addressing Akatani.
Akatani makes sure that he gets in between them this time, letting go of Eri so that he can wave both hands in a placating manner. "I'm sure that's not what Shinso meant!", he forces a faked chuckle in an attempt to de-escalate the situation.
"Don't speak for me. I meant what I said.", Shinso snaps at Akatani next before returning his anger back to Todoroki, "He was blessed with a quirk meant for heroics, and yet he wants to come here to complain?"
Todoroki smirks mirthlessly, a scoff making him sound arrogant to the insomniac. When he raises his left hand to waist level, a few sparks of flame flicker from it. The power display reminds Akatani of someone he knew in his former life. Todoroki incredulously repeats, "A blessing?"
"Don't act like the son of Endeavor would be born with a curse.", Shinso sneers as he too looks at the side of Todoroki that's able to produce fire. Todoroki's glare flicks forward from his hand, staring at the other boy with animosity. "Some of us aren't the children of pro heroes.", the outstretched hand folds into a fist when Shinso voices his mutual disdain.
Before Akatani can try intervening again, he feels something small grab onto the leg of his pants. "Akata-nii..", he sees Eri looking up at him with a worrisome expression, "Why are they yelling?"
Taking one of her hands in one of his again to comfort her, he says, "It's okay, Eri. There's nothing to be worried about." Her gaze moves from him back to the other teenagers, unconvinced. Akatani sighs before raising his voice towards them, "Come on, guys. You're scaring Eri." The two stop their bickering to glance over at him and the horned little girl, surprised by the aggressiveness in his tone. Realizing he was perhaps too hostile with how he sounded, he dials it back down with a small plea of, "Can't we just get along?"
Shinso opens his mouth as though he's about to retort, pauses, and then frowns. Shaking his head in surrender, he turns his back to the group. "I'm going to grab a seat before they're all taken.", he doesn't bother glancing back as he uses his excuse to walk away from them.
Todoroki watches with Akatani, both boys wondering whether or not one of them should try calling out or going after him. Figuring he doesn't know Shinso well enough, Todoroki resigns himself to defeat as well, "I shouldn't have come.", he turns to walk in the opposite direction while apologizing to Akatani, "Sorry for causing a disturbance."
"No. Stay.", but Akatani won't let another one of his friends walk out on him; he grabs Todoroki by the shoulder in order to stop him in his tracks. Todoroki is surprised by the strength in the boy's grip, but doesn't say nor show any signs of it aside from a glance back. "I don't know what got into Shinso, but..", Akatani lets his hand slip from Todoroki's shoulder as he suggests, "This is a place for sharing. If you're comfortable, maybe you can make him understand how you feel."
Todoroki refrains from expressing his internal contemplation, only holding his stare with the other boy. It's as though he'd been frozen in place by the very implication of sharing his feelings. It's as though he'd been asked to tread on thin ice. "Have you or Eri ever told anyone how you feel?", he asks to see if they'd taken that confident chance yet.
Akatani's mouth forms a thin line, unable to say he has. He places a hand on Eri's head, looking down at the little girl. "I think if others show that it's okay to be open about it, that then she'll open up too.", it's a subtle way of saying he's mostly here for her and not himself.
Having siblings of his own, Todoroki can empathize to a certain extent. He sighs before giving a single nod of agreement, "Fine. I'll give it a try."
More relieved than surprised to hear it, Akatani perks up with a shout of, "Great!" He's about to lead the charge straight into the meeting before he realizes the other reason why they stopped by the snack station. "Oh, let me just grab a coffee first.", he digs into his pocket for his wallet to buy one from the vending machines while asking, "You want anything, Eri?" When the little girl shakes her head, he turns his towards the other boy, "Todoroki?"
"We just came from a coffee shop.", Todoroki deadpans with the monotone demeanor that Akatani had been more used to than the exchange between he and Shinso.
"Oh, I guess we did..", Akatani remembers that they did indeed come here from Anteiku while bashfully running a hand through his hair. He then chuckles nervously while trying to cover for himself with the usual excuse he's become accustomed to giving people, "My quirk actually makes me have to consume a certain amount of coffee though, so.."
"Oh.", is the only way Todoroki knows how to respond to that. Though there's no actual genuine shock in his voice nor face.
When a canned coffee rolls out upon purchase, Akatani grabs it with a disappointed downward sag of his shoulders. "Ah. They've only got heated left.", he was hoping to get one of the iced coffees but they're all sold out.
Todoroki holds out his right hand, prompting Akatani to hand him the can, "Let me see?" Akatani raises an eyebrow in confusion, but curiously passes it over. Almost instantaneously, frost flakes the metal as Todoroki cools the coffee down using his right side.
"Whoa!", Akatani exclaims in awe at the display of power. After seeing Todoroki create fire, he wasn't expecting to see ice as well. "Is that your quirk?", his astonishment becomes mistaken for wonderment when he asks a question that he already knows the answer to by this point.
Todoroki nods as he returns the chilled coffee to Akatani. A somber smile so small that it's easily missed forms from his mouth as he explains halfheartedly, "My mother's side."
Akatani cocks his head to the side in confusion as he pops open the lid to his coffee. "What do you mean?", he asks before taking a sip.
Todoroki's smile turns downwards, much more noticeable, as he says, "The other half is my father's quirk."
Akatani picks up on the boy's peculiar wording, swallowing his current gulp of coffee. "Your father's.. ?", but before he can try to figure out what Todoroki means..
"We're beginning!", a shout comes from the meeting room of the quirk support group.
Todoroki turns in the direction of which the voice came, planning on following it to its source to avoid discussing his quirk any further. "We should go. We wouldn't want to be late.", he says as an excuse to drop the topic and walk away.
Akatani looks down, planning on being downtrodden, but finds his illegitimate sister staring up at him instead. Not wanting to upset her more than the entire encounter just then may already have, he offers her an assuring smile as best as he can muster before taking her hands in his in order to lead her to the support group's makeshift circle of chairs.
"Thank you all for coming.", an orange skinned woman the size of the chair she's in welcomes everyone with a toothless smile. She flashes her gums towards Todoroki in what's meant to be a kind gesture, "I see we have a new face in the crowd.", before turning her gaze to everyone else, "Remember, all are welcome. Everyone is free to listen or share. None of us have the right to judge the other." Akatani catches Shinso staring at Todoroki, but the purple haired boy quickly looks away. "So no pressure, newbie. Take it at your own pace.", the ringleader then finishes her opening statement.
Todoroki glances at Akatani, remembering his agreement to speak. Shinso returns his gaze to the newcomer when he says, "I don't mind sharing."
"Oh-ho! Brave one!", the ringleader praises Todoroki with a tiny applause of encouragement.
"I sure as hell couldn't share during my first time!", an older man with five sets of eyes that each wears glasses chimes in as well.
The man next to him folds his arms before grumbling, "First time? Mikumo and Shinso haven't shared STILL!"
Todoroki hums as he looks over at Akatani. Both he and Shinso have their heads down, not wanting the unwarranted attention. "Will you if I do?", Todoroki asks anyways.
The entire room goes silent in anticipation, not wanting to miss hearing the answer. Akatani doesn't have to lift his head to see Todoroki is still staring at him. Even Shinso from across the room has an expectant look. Akatani turns his head to see Eri beaming up at him, clearly agreeing with everyone that she'd like to hear him share. "Maybe a little..", he mumbles.
That must be good enough for Todoroki. He responds, "Okay.", before readdressing the entire room to begin his sharing, "Are you all aware of what quirk marriages are?"
Meanwhile, someone else is going to have answers unwillingly pried out of them in the interrogation room of a police precinct. Uta, the mask maker, sits in a rickety chair waiting for someone to sit in the replica across the table in front of him. His own reflection in a one way mirror is all the company he has for now.
Eventually, Detective Naomasa enters the room through a steel door. It only opens from the outside, latches locking thanks to a mechanism on the other end when it closes behind him. "Sorry to keep you waiting.", the detective removes his tan overcoat to hang on the backrest of his chair before sitting down.
Uta narrows his eyes at the detective's rectangular ones. "I thought you didn't suspect me for anything.", he recalls their first meeting and compares it with where he is now.
"Is there a reason for us to suspect you?", Naomasa sounds nonchalant but the question is anything but casual. He's hoping his lie detecting quirk will be able to catch Uta right away, hook, line, and sinker.
Uta tugs on the handcuffs attached to his wrist. The other end is attached to a table leg, no second arm to connect to instead. "There's a reason why you arrested me.", he tries to hide his annoyance but it's evident in his tone.
"We took you into police custody. This isn't exactly a formal arrest.", Naomasa notes the difference for the record. He knows it's safe to add, "Although it can be.", to apply an intimidating pressure for the interrogation though.
"Like there's a difference..", Uta mutters under his breath before asking louder for Naomasa to hear, "Why am I here?"
Rather than beat around the bush any longer, Naomasa places a burlap sack on the table. It's not just any old potato sack though. It has eyeholes and a mouth stitching. "That search warrant I came back to your store with helped us find this.", Naomasa gestures to the mask before prompting Uta to elaborate, "Care to explain?"
Uta swallows the lump forming in his throat. He recognizes what he made for Soramitsu Tabe right away. Except, he also believes there's no evidence that would determine that's who it belongs to. "It's a mask. I run a mask shop. Hardly anything incriminating.", he tries to act unphased by it.
While Uta's poker face is good, Naomasa isn't willing to give up so easily. He leans back in his chair with a sigh, prepared for the long haul if that's what it takes to get answers. "I'm only about to tell you this because it's a legal requirement per interrogation.", he hopes that the revelation of his quirk will work in his favor and not against him as he says, "My quirk allows me to detect whether or not you are lying. A lie is considered an admission of guilt, so I suggest cooperating." When Uta's eyes broaden, Naomasa takes that as a sign to begin, since that can only mean he understands. "Did you sell to the Yakuza?", the detective starts with a simple question first.
Uta hesitates, not wanting to answer but knowing there's no use in being uncooperative or lying. So he relents and answers truthfully, "..Yes.."
Naomasa nods when his quirk lets him know that Uta wasn't lying. "That was a test.", he says since he already knew about the mask maker supplying the Yakuza. He returns to the particular mask sold and in his current possession, jabbing it with a finger, "This next question is important. Why were you in possession of the mask here?"
Uta grits his teeth, not quite baring them like fangs, but definitely being backed into a corner. He knows exactly who returned the mask to him. He won't so easily give a name though. "S- Someone brought it back to the shop..", is what he says instead as an attempt to mislead the detective.
Naomasa refrains from grinding his own teeth together in mutual frustration. Instead, he continues to pry Uta's mouth open for answers by asking for more specific details, "For repairs?"
"No.", Uta shoots the question down easily since his answer is true.
But that just provides Naomasa with a window of opportunity to dig a little deeper. He knows Uta has something to hide if he's trying to prolong the process this much. "Who brought it to you? Was it the Yakuza?", he feels like he already knows the answer but asks regardless.
Uta avoids the first question entirely, opting for the second. "No.. It wasn't the Yakuza.", and the answer he gives is exactly what Naomasa was expecting. Considering they both already knew the Yakuza were buying from him, it wouldn't have been an admission of any kind of guilt to say they just brought one of the masks back. Which means whoever had the mask wasn't a member of the Yakuza. Considering the Shie Hassaikai was massacred, Naomasa suspects that the person in question must be the one responsible for it. Regardless of whether that's the ghoul like Aizawa suspects or not, it'll be a huge break in the investigation to discover their identity.
"I see.", Naomasa nods as he comes to terms with his own deductive reasoning. Wanting to broach that possibility, he tries asking, "Are you aware that the Yakuza has been completely wiped out?"
An unreadable reaction comes from Uta. He's unable to remain stoic anymore, mouth as wide as his eyes. Naomasa almost mistakens it for complete and total surprise, prepared to dismiss his prior theory, but then notices the shakiness of Uta's single hand. The chain of the handcuffs rattles. "I- I don't know what to say..", Uta truly is shaken to the core. Not because he cares about the Yakuza though, and not quite because he wasn't expecting their demise either. To Naomasa, it looks more like an expression of awe over something finally happening. Perhaps there were no expectations, but something else. A possibility. A chance. He knew that it could MAYBE happen.
"I'll take that as a yes.", Naomasa keeps his eyes on Uta as he searches for any other nonverbal responses. When he finds none, he tries to be more direct, "Answer me this.. Do you know who did it?"
Uta's eyes begin to water. He's holding back tears, trying to shake them away with his head. "I- I do.", he hates himself for admitting that to the detective.
Naomasa leans forward in his seat. He's sure that the underground hero watching the interrogation from the other side of the one way mirror is leaning forward in anticipation too. "Was it the Tokyo Ghoul?", the detective's voice trembles as much as Uta himself.
Uta's body is wracked with sobs as he gives in to the tears. "Please..", he cries out to anyone that'll hear his begging. The detective. God, even though he's looking down at the floor from which the devil dwells. Uta knows he'll be going there, for how can God forgive him when he can't forgive himself? Akatani on the other hand.. Uta wipes the tears from his eyes so that he can look Naomasa in his, "He's just a kid. He doesn't know any better."