Tsukauchi's POV

A few moments after the vigilante woke up the doctor came in. The doctor lectured all three of them on allowing Kaze to sit up. Naomasa had heard it all before the joys of being friends with Toshinori.

Kaze for his part seemed unfazed by the lecturing doctor. His emerald gaze was watching every move the doctor made. If Naomasa's observations were right he didnt trust doctors. Why though? Heroes and criminals alike might not like them but they did trust them enough to get treated. It was as if Kaze trusted no one but himself.

What a lonely existence that must be. To only trust in oneself meant that he was always alone. That he could walk amongst a crowd and feel nothing but loneliness. It was as if Naomasa was looking at a vigilante version of Toshinori. Both men had the same self sacrificing nature. They felt as if they had to take the world's problems on alone.

Frustration built within his chest at the thought. Why were those he cared about like this? At least the vigilante was young and there was the chance of showing him life didnt have to be that way. Maybe he would bounce back from it.

Naomasa watched over the vigilante as he was checked over again. The wounds were healing nicely but he had some concerns. Like their weight. He had been one to carry Kaze to the ambulance. If he was a teenager like they suspected then he should not be that light.

The doctor said after a moment, "You will need to put on some weight, Kaze. As it stands now you're underweight and it will cause you problems later down the line."

Tsukauchi answered before Izuku could, "I'll make sure he eats more doctor. Is there anything else?"

The man shook his head as he replied, "Not from us no. There is a woman insisting on speaking with you both however. She is waiting in the lobby."

Detective and vigilante exchanged glances before Izuku nodded. Curiosity was always one of his biggest weaknesses. If someone wanted to talk to them he would allow it. If only for the moment. Should he need to he would go out through the window. He could get back in contact with Tsukauchi later through his usual channels.

A tall blond-haired woman stepped out. She had piercing blue eyes and was in a business suit. Something about her set his teeth on edge. Every fiber of his being screamed at him to run and get away from there.

She greeted her eyes on Izuku, "Kirika Tachibana from Ciro. You must be Kaze the vigilante of Musutafu."

Izuku returned, "Nice to meet you, Tachibana and yes I'm Kaze. Why did you want to speak with me? As far I know we have never met."

She glanced as Tsukauchi before asking, "Do you want to have this conversation with him present," she paused for a second before she continued, "Contractor."

Ice flooded his veins. How did she know about the Contract? It should not have been possible for anyone to tell that he was a Contractor.

Then he glanced at Tsukauchi knowing he'd have to make a decision. To ask the man to stay. Or to tell him to leave. Telling him to leave wouldn't be surprising for Tsukauchi. Izuku didnt have the best track record with trusting others.

For a few long seconds he opened and shut his mouth. Then he made his decision, "Tsukauchi you need to go."

The detective flinched as he questioned, "You dont trust me?"

"I dont trust anyone. Especially not with this."

Tsukauchi sighed. There was an underlying hurt in his eyes but he stood anyways. Out of everyone in the world the detective was probably the second most trusted person he had. Hawks strangely enough was the first. Still neither man knew the truth of what he was. He would like to keep it that way.

After Tsukauchi left Tachibana closed and locked the door. For a moment they just stared at each other. Izuku could feel the spirits of the wind moving around them. Even in the building there were spirits around them. He was more intune with them due to his contract. They were responding to his emotions.

Tachibana said folding her arms across her chest, "As I said I am Agent Tachibana from CIRO. I am part of the special division that works with those who control the spirits."

Izuku interrupted confused, "I thought I was the last of the spirit mages. Reports had it that the others died out with quirks."

She shook her head as she replied, "No though unfortunately there are only a handful of the original families left. Most notable are the Kannagi family. They are most prominent fire magic family left. A wind family used to serve them but they died out a right after quirks appeared. Other than that there are still a handful of mages that appear every few decades."

"Just mages?" He questioned, "No contractors?"

She denied, "No Contractors. Even when spirit mages were at the height of their power Contractors like yourself were rare. Most of the contractors came from what would become the major families. Contracts allowed for protections from the element to the entire bloodline. Like now even branch families or those kicked out of the Kannagi family generations ago still have protections from fire."

Izuku contemplated, "So elemental quirks could be spirits coming back into the bloodlines. If so maybe it would be that their quirk factor would be communing with the spirits rather than the mind. But why would the Spirit Kings allow it?"

Tachibana commented lightly, "The rumors of your intelligence werent exaggerated then. We are unable to confirm this theory without the help of a highly skilled spirit mage or a Contractor. The only ones who would be able to see the spirits are those who are able to consciously use them. Not like those with elemental quirks. As for why the Spirit Kings would allow it. No one knows because we are unable to communicate with them. Only the Contractors are able to talk with Spirit Kings."

Oh no. She thought he would be able to talk with the Spirit King of the Wind. In theory she would be right. In practice he hadnt spoken to the King since he made the contract.

When he said as much she sighed, "I figured as much. The Spirit Kings have shown very little interest in the affairs of humans since we turned our backs on them. I wish to make a deal with you instead of trying to force the issue."

Izuku's face grew dark behind his cowl as he questioned in a low growl, "What kind of deal?"

"That you will agree to contact me if you come into contact with any other spirit mages," she said, "In return I will share any information I come across. If you need specific information you can also contact me."

Izuku questioned his eyes narrowing in suspicion, "What's the catch?"

She finished, "You dont tell your new friends the truth of your abilities. Unless absolutely necessary we dont need anyone else knowing about Contractors or magic. As far as they are concerned you have a powerful wind based quirk."

Izuku returned, "I reserve the right to decide when it is necessary for them to know. Eraser has already seen me access the Contract in battle. He might insist on his questions being answered in order to sponsor me for my hero license."

"That we can agree on."

With that they finalized the agreement and Tachibana left. After a few moments Izuku had removed his iv and went to the chair. To his surprise to find his kevlar vest and wrist computer there. Tsukauchi must have made sure they werent taken for evidence.

The sound of the door opening caught the 12 year old's attention. In walked Tsukauchi who had a change of clothes and a kevlar vest.

Izuku questioned carefully, "What is that for, Detective?"

Tsukauchi held them out to him as he replied sheepishly, "I took a look at your current vest and found it barely functional. So I had one of my officers go get some extra clothes and a new vest for you."

Oh... he was not expecting the man to take notice of or care about the state of his gear. Honestly what he had was refurbished and wasnt in the best state when he got it. It was all they could afford given their current situation though.

For the detective to give him a new one was a shock. One he didnt know how to deal with. For a long moment all he could do was stare.

Then slowly he reached out to take them with a muttered, "Thank you."

Tsukauchi said as Izuku glanced at the door, "You should stay here for a few more hours but I think if I tried to force the issue you'd disappear on me. Am I wrong?"

The look he gave in response was answer enough. Tsukauchi laughed easily the warmth reaching his eyes, "Get out of here, Kaze. Dont let Eraser or I catch you on patrol for a few days. By then we should have your provisional license ready."

Izuku grinned behind his cowl as he responded, "No promises detective. I'll see you around."

With that he left his room heading for the main floor. Once there he used the wind spirits to hide his presence. Then he disappeared heading back towards Castle. It would only be the next morning when Orion helped him change the bandages that he noticed the change in his soulmark.

Over his heart was a black leopard with onyx eyes wrapped around a green badger with green eyes. There were only two new people he met outside of the hospital staff. Only one met the description. God he hoped he was wrong.