Fitz ... fitz ... fitz ...

A smoke trail fumed beneath the afternoon sunlight. But it was merely that of a torn strip-turned-wad of newspaper. Atop, a smokeless orange flame simmered minutely. Within moments, however, amid progressively crackling phosphorous, slow exhales followed. Then a sizzling puff ... and another puff, followed by another, and five more.

Silenced followed afterwards, until a long tiresome huff swept over the tomato-like pot of burning tobacco. There was no glow, however, even as the wad completely incinerated itself. Eventually, Midoriya removed the pipe from his lips, holding it in his right hand...

...before he coughed-gagged into his left elbow pit.

He rose his head slightly a few seconds later, coughing a few more times, albeit audibly.

"Ah..." He groaned relievingly-labouriously, leaning back against the school rooftop bench.

He stared at the cityscape momentarily before his left hand reached and lifted the newspaper in front of him. He didn't bother raising the pipe to his lips, not when his eyes were passively fixated at the stock prices. There in the depths of the financial section:

Mitsui & Co Ltd.

Down by a few hundred points since last week.

Lackadaisically, he tossed the paper aside, where it landed and slid onto the ground. Crossing his legs, he sluggishly placed the pipe into his lips again, crossing his arms thereafter. The semi-bent tomato-like pot pipe hung from the right side of his lips, mere centimeters from his face. He cared naught, however, with a slightly droopy scowl on his face. For a long moment, he stared, his lips eventually puckering briefly to puff a few times...

...

...

...

"You smoke?" Bakugo frowned ... befuddled.

"Yes ... I always have." Midoriya glanced to his left and lied with a soothing sigh.

"Since when?"

"Well," Midoriya huffed, almost pausing if not for the soothing, sizzling aroma of cinnamon warming his chest, "You know me. I have an extraordinary faculty for idle thought."

"Whatever. I'm just glad you been taking my advise, after all." The firecracker sarcastically sniggered.

"Oh, well, defenestration wasn't exactly an elegant way to go out. It was then I remembered the medicinal pipe I had, only this time, I'm smoking tobacco."

"Then you certainly got a bloody cheek yourself!"

"And you got the audacity to unlawfully tail me."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Of course not, you sent someone else to do it. Though I can't blame you, it just might be a coincidence th-"

"Would you stop the British act?! I can barely understand, let alone tolerate you!"

"Sorry, it can't be helped." Midoriya calmly shrugged, his sense of fear tempered by the tobacco, even as he lied again. "I had a British English tutor, after all."

Bakugo snarled, but he said nothing. Quite frankly, it was halfhearted, twitching rather restrainedly. Meanwhile, Midoriya's lips puckered inwardly, a couple muffled 'pops' emanating minutely, puffs of smoke seeping through concurrently.

"Well that can explain your bad taste." The firecracker coughed and fanned.

"That's not to mention that my mum works in an English-speaking community."

"Georgetown?"

"No, American households."

"Oh, well that explains where you got that chimney. You know, if your mommy is so rich, why did she send you here of all places?"

"Actually," Midoriya continued to lie, taking the pipe out of his lips, "it was my idea. I grew tired of the long commutes or labourious relocations. Time and space is extraordinarily expensive in this country, after all."

"Well no shit, Deku. Not everyone can afford such lavish comforts as you."

"Oh Kacchan, I am anything but posh and sumptuous."

"And you are anything but an English cracker."

"Ah~, so you have been to Georgetown?" Midoriya smiled, barely containing his humoured ire, even as he clamped the pipe with his lips again.

"I never said that!"

"No, but you keep insinuating it."

"So have you!" Bakugo barked, "But as long as you're staying out of my way, I will gladly leave you to your own devices."

"Ah, why thank you." The greenhead smiled lightly, reached and offering his right hand to him.

The firecracker stood with a seething scowl, but his lips remained inexpressive.

...

...

...

But he eventually reached and shook the greenhead's hand...

"Don't think I'm doing this because I'm wasting any respect for you." Bakugo reminded after the handshake, "I'm just glad you're finally listening to me."

"I understand." Midoriya smiled lightly, a deadpan almost seeping into his voice.

The firecracker was about to snarl a few words, but he began coughing again. Only after a few times, he turned and began to walk away...

"Good day~" The deceptively depressed freckle-faced teenager bid farewell before he sat down.

But as soon as he took the pipe from his lips...

"Oh, FYI, if you're going to choke on smoke, don't ever use a lighter - I can smell the butane from here. Use matches, it preserves the flavor. In fact..." The firecracker stopped after some distance, turned, and reached into his pocket, where he threw him a box of matches.

"Thanks." Midoriya murmured, the matches landing besides his feet.

For once, that was one of the nicest things Bakugo ever said to him in a very long time...

Fortunately, Bakugo had already left the rooftop. In fact, when he heard the door slammed and clicked shut, Midoriya simply left the matches. He closed his eyes, enjoying four slow puffs ... until he felt no more heat.

Opening his eyes, he barely raised his right hand when he looked up...

"Well then," Holmes marvelled inexpressively, holding the pipe in his left hand, "You are becoming like your father."

"Holmes ... this is not exactly what you think it is..." Midoriya sighed calmly; any sign of panic or anxiety was dulled by the tobacco.

"Of course~. I should have known you were too careful to be caught with this in your possession. But if you wish to make it a habit, I don't blame you."

"A habit? It's not like I'm smoking cigarettes; I now understand why you like pipe smoking. It's so relaxing..."

"Again, don't make it habit. I do not condone young boys and girls to contract lung and mouth cancer, let alone addiction. But you have lied to me, nonetheless: You said you don't smoke, but here I am catching you smoking from your father's pipe."

"Well, I mean- wait a minute. My father's pipe...?"

"This was your father's pipe. If you haven't noticed, which you clearly didn't, it's a finely varnished oak pipe. Your mother would instantly recognise it, because when they were young, she first remembered him for the aroma on his person. It was also because he has a fire quirk: He had the convenience of lighting his pipe using only his breath. Quite frankly, I was expecting you to get caught with it - your mother would have known it was either me or your father that gave it to you."

"But I didn't..."

"Indeed, you were too careful." Holmes murmured.

"Holmes, it's been two weeks since we last seen each other, yet you're still acting as if you know me very well. I thought you didn't want to see me again."

"I never said that. I only said: No more words. Get out." Holmes shook his head. "If I never wanted to see you again, I would have said it and meant it."

"..."

"Now, I pray you to head home and be with your mother as opposed to up here. You have no more business being up here lest I am solemnly interrupting a sunbath."

"Yeah ... I'm sunbathing, Holmes." Midoriya deadpanned.

"No you're not, and you never had. Your complexion remains perfectly unblemished since the last time I seen you."

There was a long silence between them, but the teenager remained unchanged ... that is until a tiresome sigh left his lips...

"Holmes, if you would please, can I at least smoke the rest of that?"

Rolling his eyes and shrugging, Holmes scoffed, "As you wish."

"Thanks." Midoriya reached and grabbed the pipe. But as soon as he lifted his other arm with the lighter, Holmes plucked and tossed it over himself. Normally, Midoriya would gasp or help, but again, the tobacco blunted his nerves - he made no objections when Holmes reached and flicked a match alight.

A moment later, Midoriya muffled a few coughs upon reigniting the pipe.

"Sip the smoke as if you're drinking from a straw." Holmes coached.

"But don't swallow." The teenager added, the pipe hanging from the right side of his lips.

"Hmm." The Englishman hummed sharply, his right hand reflexively flicking away the match.

"You know..." Midoriya took a puff, "You were right."

"About what?"

"My friend and his friends would be the least of my concerns. He came to me before you and remarked at my 'habit'. But it was the politeness and amicability that surprised me; he's letting me do my own thing at-"

*FWOOSH*

"Hmm...?" The teenager frowned innocently before he turned at his newspaper. "HOLMES!"

While immediately erecting to his feet, he kicked away the blazing newspaper from the bench. But not a second later, Holmes stamped on it, with Midoriya promptly joining him. Eventually, the fire was smothered...

...

...

...

"Wait a minute ... Holmes?" The teenager uttered after staring at the smoky newspaper.

"Hmm?"

"You said that the algorithm was akin to a slow-burning incendiary explosive?"

"Yes."

"And you never said that Roido never made it unless proven otherwise?"

"What is your point?"

"You're right again - The algorithm is too sophisticated and intricate even for a man of Roido's skill and talent. If this was purely revenge, he would have outright destroyed the company and drag everyone down with it, not leave a fuse where it could burn quietly and slowly. But, you said it was revenge, however."

"Yes, but again, I never said it was HIS revenge."

"Well, if it was not his revenge, but no one else's revenge ... oh my god." Midoriya grabbed and lowered the pipe into his right hand. "This is a conspiracy!"

"Shh, not so loud, my dear boy. But yes, that is deliciously damming."

"This is no longer a case of jealousy; we been aiming at the wrong target this whole time."

"I knew he was innocent from the start." Holmes deadpanned. "Remember when I said that I knew he was filing for bankruptcy?"

"Yes."

"Well, surely indeed, a foreclosure would have been just fine."

"Yeah. He was filing bankruptcy, but not on himself or his assets." Midoriya nodded, holding the smouldering pipe in his right hand. "He was filing it for Hanasōgen; he was trying to blow the whistle, but in a rather subtle manner."

"Oh no, you couldn't have possibly known that." The Englishman coyly chirped.

"I should have probably told you at the time, but the only thing on my mind was evading the law."

"You should have said something! Had you said so, I would have known we were on the same path."

"I do apologise, Holmes. It was a good thing I didn't, however, because I needed to rethink a few things."

"Oh ... such as?"

"Your client: Hīragi Shinya. Tell me what you know about him?"

"I thought you would never ask. But I refuse."

"Common Law Duty of Confidentiality?"

"Mhm."

Midoriya solemnly sighed upon hearing his reply, thereby retreating to a final couple dying puffs from his pipe.

"But, if you do wish to see him, I shall gladly take you to Chi-Ha-Tan Academy."

"Whoa-w-w-waitwaitwaitwaitwait...!" The teenager swiftly stuttered, narrowly catching the pipe slipping from his lips. "Where did that come from?"

"The Hīragike are one of the most prominent supporters of the army, even today."

"Okay, I get that. But isn't Chi-Ha-Tan a girls-only school?"

"Mhm."

"Which is also a ... SENSHADŌ SCHOOL?!"

"Of course, and it's not just any tanks. They are early-mid 20th century tanks, specifically the Second World War."

"But Holmes, I don't get it, even for a native Japanese citizen like me. A tank, let alone a 20th century one, is not any more powerful than even the weakest pro-hero out there. And it's not like the world is going to war any time sooner, not since the 21st or 20th centuries."

"That's not what the Hīragike think. Of all their fronts, Chi-Ha-Tan is the most prominent one since the Sengoku period. They have integrated if not perfected archery and horseback into their arsenal from this very institution, but it was also there where they developed and pioneered the army's armoured warfare doctrine and tactics. It's also the very school where they train young women into future soldiers, commanders, and even mothers."

"It's ridiculous!" Midoriya sniggered.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Well, I mean, I totally get the part about preparing the next generation of female soldiers and commanders. But mothers? I don't get it - senshadō doesn't teach you a thing about parenthood or childcare."

"Not entirely. You be surprised of how the exhilaration and hardships of war can unite people together for common causes. Chi-Ha-Tan has perfected and preserved the art of Totsugeki. The name might familiar, because it resembles the infamous Banzai charges."

"Banzai? I thought it meant 'hurray' or 'yippie'...?"

"That's its modern, albeit euphemistic, definition. Chi-Ha-Tan is one of the few places in your country where the Empire of Japan lives on."

"Aren't there laws against Imperialist memorabilia or symbolisms? I mean, it took us more than two centuries to finally owe up to our atrocities and wrongdoings; it's kind of rich for a prideful and proud culture like us to openly apologise and mend our ways only to turn around and begin doing it again."

"Indeed, there is a profound diffusion of responsibility. But it be insulting to say that it's too rich to apologise. For all what the law sees, Chi-Ha-Tan is teaching women to become strong, disciplined, and responsible denizens. They masquerade as soldiers, but at the end of the day, most of them are naive and ignorant schoolgirls."

"That's pretty strong, Holmes. But yes, war is where the old and bitter send the young and innocent to settle their differences."

"Military and political affairs are all one in the same; it's a reflection of a nation's fears and ambitions. The times have changed, but the Hīragike continue to live in the past."

"Ideas are peaceful, but history is violent."

"Exactly. Which is why we're going to Chi-Ta-Han."

"W-Well yeah, yeah, but Holmes, there's no way I can go with you. Both because I'm, well, a boy, and I won't be back in time to be with my mum. I don't want to repeat what happened the last time."

"Fear naught. I am in your mother's confidence."

...

...

...

"No way…" The teenager gravely shuddered, where he slowly realised something. "She knew it was you..."

"She knew; she always known. No disguises or tongues could conceal me from a woman's instinct, least of all a mother. Hence, it surprised me that day when you saw through me. It seems, apart from your uncouth sense of observation and deduction, you have inherited something far greater than a quirk."

"Oh come on, Holmes. You're being too kind. In fact, you deliberately set that fire, didn't you?"

The Englishman didn't reply, save for an extremely minute twitch of his lips, which Midoriya noticed while staring at him.

"Yep, I freakin' knew it. You threw the match on there so you can get me thinking again. Needless to say, you found something on the Hanasōgen algorithm bomb. Let me guess..." Midoriya then paused, his right hand solely fiddling the pipe around. "Its creator."

"Mmm."

"A Hīragi?"

"Mhm."

"I knew it!"

"Are you certain of that?"

"Yes, very. Ever since our last meeting, I couldn't stop but wonder what I was missing or doing wrong. I began to suspect the Hīragike when I looked at his wife."

"Yes ... you said something was foul about it..."

"Yeah. It's when you said Mitsuba's name that I ran her name, then her picture, on the internet, where I then found her face, not on her own profile, but other people's pictures. Now it seems she hung around quite a lot of people, two of them I've known when I was a toddler: Amane and Mikaela."

"Did the former had black hair and green eyes?"

"Yeah."

"Good lord, that's Yūichiro Amane! Or should I say, Private Yūichiro Hyakuya."

"Wait ... what?!"

"He's a soldier in the JGSDF, or rather, a current Ranger-in-training. Him, Mikaela, Yoichi, Shihō, Shinoa and dozens of others are under Leftenant Mitsuba's command."

"They're all Rangers?"

"Everyone except Mitsuba, and her commanding officer, Colonel Guren Ichinose."

"They're both army jarheads?"

"That's quite a colourful metaphor, but yes."

"Wait ... what's the time and date?"

"It's ten before five, 4th of May."

"Well I'll be damned!"

"Good heavens, my dear boy, calm yourself."

"Calm myself? Holmes, this whole case has become obvious! This isn't about corporate sabotage or marital intrigue - this is a massive coverup. No wonder you want to go to Chi-Ha-Tan; everyone is going to be graduating tomorrow, and you KNOW that the Hīragike are going to be there to see the fruits of their labour."

"Not to mention, Shinya's fiancée, or rather Guren's wife, Mahiru, is going to be there too."

"Does she so happen to be a teacher?"

"Yes."

"For the academy?"

"Yes."

"Is she a Hīragi?"

"Yes."

"The same woman who is also Shinoa's older sister?"

Holmes was about to reply, but he froze momentarily, his eyebrows minutely raising themselves.

"Yes." The Englishman finally nodded. "How on Earth did you make that connection?"

"Shinoa is a social media butterfly, and apparently an infamous troll and prankster. I posed as some random friend on Facebook and Discord, where I simply sat back and, in your words, observed. She has an extraordinary faculty for sarcastic satire; she enjoys seeing people's reactions or probing their insecurities. But apparently, it belies a soft and tormented soul."

"How long have you been doing that?"

"Ever since our last meeting. Last Tuesday, she confided in Mitsuba over their family dramas. There, she mentioned Mahiru, but shared no pictures of her. I've searched through her Facebook history and kept finding pictures of a mystery woman that retained some of her likeness. When I examined them together, they're all from the same family. Therefore, sisters."

"You gathered all that in two weeks? Without detection?"

"Absolutely."

"Did you post anything?"

"Nope."

"Very good. Listen very carefully and do what I say: Go home and delete your accounts at once; leave no trace of your existence whatsoever. If you created it on your computer, smash it, including your ph-"

"W-Wait, wait, you want me to destroy my computer and phone?"

"Yes. Don't hesitate whatsoever, just do it."

"You want me to smash my computer? In front of my mum?"

"Yes. In fact, does your mum have a cellphone?"

"Uh ... no."

"Landline?"

"Yes."

"Excellent, she's untraceable."

"Do you suspect that our electronics are..." Midoriya leaned and then completed with a whisper, "Hacked?"

"I cannot be certain, but it would be in your best interest and safety to leave no trace of yourself, not even where you came from. Chances are, the Hīragike and their associates are already beginning to suspect something afoot."

"Yeah ... okay. But, I'll be without a computer or phone once all is said and done."

"I will make it up to you. For now, I will be making the arrangements for your sick leave."

"What about my mum?"

"Don't worry about her, she'll know."

"I hope so. I mean, what mother wouldn't be worried about their child?"

"Midoriya, women are naturally secretive, and they like to do their own secreting."

"Uh yeah ... I saw that. In fact, I almost forgot: What do you know about Mahiru?"

"You know that the algorithm's creator is a Hīragi?"

"Yes."

"Then you would be correct if you think a little further."

...

...

...

Then, Midoriya's eyes dilated and slowly stared at him.

"Oh my god, Holmes..."