Chapter 7: Faith

The last day of summer had an ugly sky of dark clouds. Jin Okami stood silently at the bedside, watching his father. Once a proud man, Mr. Okami now lay worn and weakened by his illness. Even in the summer, the mood was far from uplifting.

"He'll get through this," Jin's mother declared. She came up beside her son and placed her hands on his shoulders reassuringly. "Your father is a fighter. He'll survive this."

Meanwhile, Jin Okami's eyelids were starting to lower.

The words hung in the air, like a skywriting message from a plane. "Midoriya was here."

It was nothing short of validation. Ochaco's heart wanted to unleash an explosion. "You saw him?"

Even Jin understood what this meant to her as he nodded in acknowledgement.

"Tell me everything you saw."

Before he responded, Jin looked around cautiously. There was a change in his demeanor, suggesting that he was concerned with being noticed. "We'll leave this place first," he suggested.

As badly as she wanted to hear about the visualization, Ochaco nodded in agreement.

They went down the road for a while. The entire time, Ochaco's mind was racing. Months and months of searching. Of failing… of no progress. But now at last, they found something.

Eventually, Jin decided they'd gone far enough, and he paused off to the side of the road. "Izuku Midoriya was at that property."

"What was he doing there?" She fought to keep her voice down, even with just the two of them there.

Jin shrugged. "His purpose for being there appears to have been in support of Neito Monoma. They went there together."

"What?"

"I'm still figuring out the entire motive," Jin explained. "But I saw a few visions that revealed some details."

Even so, Ochaco wished she could have preoccupied Don Takahiro longer so that Jin could have found out more. Had she known that Jin would learn such valuable information, Ochaco would have done everything in her power to buy him time to search extensively. "What happened to him? Is Deku okay? Did they hurt him?"

It was like a shadow fell over Jin's face. "I do not know."

Emotions were sweeping quickly over Ochaco, but she was too focused to lose sight of things. "So, you saw that he was there… and you went over to the footprints, right?"

"I did." Jin searched his pockets, seeking his medication. "There were people there in the past. They looked like agents for some organization. It is unknown what their purpose was. But they hit Midoriya with a dart, knocked him out, and took him."

"Deku…" Ochaco was close to breaking down in tears by now. "I can't believe it. Poor Deku…"

With a sigh of relief, Jin swallowed a pill, washing it down with a drink from his canister. The stress of the case appeared to have carried over to him as well.

"So now, what do we do?" Ochaco clenched her hand into a fist as she prepared for the response.

"Our options stem around two figures: The first is Neito Monoma, and the second is Don Takahiro. Essentially, we'll need to confront one of them so that we can acquire the next piece of the puzzle."

"Which is?"

Jin motioned back toward the cabin property down the road. "We need to find out where those agents took Midoriya."

That was practical, and Ochaco obviously had no objections. Even so, picking who to move in on was difficult. "If we confront Monoma, we could get him to reveal details about these people he helped."

"That's true," Jin said, "But we would be unable to hold Monoma against his will. And if we let him go, he'll contact Takahiro to warn him of our intentions, and then they will all vanish for good."

Even with the latest victory, it was beginning to dawn in just how precarious the situation was now. Ochaco looked down, trying to gather her thoughts to come up with a contribution. She couldn't just say nothing. "What if Monoma can help us? He'll know something about who we're up against."

"Unfortunately, Neito Monoma is just a kid. Putting our faith in someone like him to provide us with what we need has a greater potential to backfire. As it stands now, I think we should steer clear of him."

"All right," Ochaco said. That logic certainly lined up with Monoma's personality. "So then… we go back to confront Don."

"I am concerned with that as well," Jin admitted. "His Quirk is unexpectedly powerful. There's a lot of risk in antagonizing someone like that. If we try to make a move against him, he could be too strong."

It was then that Ochaco made an important realization: They were both preparing to go dark a dark path, which would be against her hero training. Instead, it was wisest to communicate with other heroes, and to reveal the criminals at large. At the very least, they should be telling the police. "Jin, we…. I think we need to get some help here."

"That is a logical suggestion," Jin acknowledged. "And yet, it could be problematic for us."

"What do you mean?"

The Wolf sighed, already aware that she wasn't going to like what he told her. "If we start to hand this case over, they'll take it away from us."

Dusk was fast approaching over the horizon, bringing with it a sense of darkness. This was a pivotal checkpoint in this case.

Ochaco tried to run the scenarios through her mind. The pressure was increasing, along with the fear that they would lose their one chance if they didn't decide swiftly. "What if we can't stop them by ourselves? We need professional heroes."

Jin remained skeptical. "You forget my history with them."

As she reviewed things, she realized there was one element to the equation that she had not given much consideration. "The pro heroes… don't believe in your power?"

In the face of this reminder, the Wolf shrugged his shoulders, issuing a slight frown. "I have the power of Visualization, but not the ability to display those visions for others to see. They could never confirm in the validity of my Quirk."

"What do you mean? Your power is real! You've proven it to me." It just didn't make sense. Ochaco knew it was a real power. Why didn't the other pro heroes know?

"If I were to become associated with the pro heroes, either I'd be praised for my abilities, thus exposing my secrets to potential enemies, or I would be prohibited by the political limitations. I therefore made the decision to freelance. It's given me the freedom to work as I desire."

"But what about Deku?" Regardless of the politics, Ochaco placed Deku's life above everything else. "We have to do what is best for him! If we try to do things ourselves, we could blow it, and then his life could be lost."

"The same thing goes if we bring in too many figures to find him. These criminals are always watching over their shoulders. If they find out that pro heroes are on to them, they will just disappear again. We may lose the trail forever if that happens."

Just then, another thought crossed Ochaco's mind, although she nearly resisted bringing it up. "And you don't get paid if that happens. That's what you're worried about? Getting paid?"

The normally composed Jin was quickly angered at the accusation. "Don't insult my work simply because you're bitter."

"Bitter? About what? Bitter because you want to solve the whole case yourself, regardless of the risk to Deku? Yes, I'm very, very, bitter!"

Things seemed to peak at that. Jin didn't issue a response, instead letting silence return. The two didn't speak to each other for some time. They just headed back toward town. Once they reached the edge of the next town, they took a bus back to Tokyo.

The destination was Jin's office. Upon arriving, Jin dug through his pocket for his keys. When he pulled them out, one of his pill bottles emerged as well, rolling down the side of his coat and onto the ground.

With a sigh, Ochaco knelt to pick it up. Before handing it over to Jin, she couldn't resist glancing at it. It felt unusual being around someone young who needed this much medication.

After Jin unlocked the door, he took the pill bottle back from Ochaco and entered. He motioned a reminder for Ochaco to leave her shoes on as the two of them went inside. Instead of advancing to his office, Jin went straight to the kitchen, canister in hand.

When Ochaco noticed it, she let out a small growl… and hurried to the kitchen. Before Jin could react, Ochaco grabbed the canister and jerked it away. "What are you always drinking?" she asked. Not waiting for a response, she brought the canister to her nose to sniff it.

"Electrolyte drink mix," he answered with a confused face. "For my electrolytes."

It was enough to get her to simmer down a notch. "Sorry…" she said, handing it back to him.

"If only your ability to observe details about me carried over to solving cases better," he muttered irritably.

Despite the insult, Ochaco didn't seek any counter. At that point, she realized she had it coming. "I'm sorry. I was out of line to accuse you of only caring about getting paid."

"It's not the most far-fetched accusation," he admitted. "You are wise to consider my motives while you make decisions. Tap into that thought process more often."

"But we need to trust each other," she insisted, "Or else we'll never find Deku."

They both agreed on that, although Jin remained concerned about what transpired during their previous discovery. "You hired me to do a job. This is precisely why I've always worked alone. My judgment is vital to my work. It is my collection of visualizations that fuels my thought process." He mixed an electrolyte drink and refilled his canister while giving his explanation. "I can assure control over the case as it stands now. However, if we bring others in, I'll lose my hold, and then… I can't guarantee any success."

It was hard to accept, but Ochaco was calmer now, and she was able to adequately evaluate what she was told. "At what point may we call the heroes?"

Jin glanced away, rubbing his chin. "We need to confirm Deku's location, and not just through visualization. Once we are completely certain we have him located, you can call the entire Hero Association if you wish."

That seemed to bring the two of them to a better place. Ochaco remained worried about the risks, but she was relieved to have gotten Jin to permit her to call in the heroes if necessary. That was how she'd been trained after all.

Eventually, the two of them were both engaged with their work. To provide a calm environment, Jin put jazz music on the record player, while the two of them concentrated on their tasks. Ochaco was on one of the computers, researching the different companies involved with the U.A. and the Hero Association. Meanwhile, Jin was exploring the trail surrounding Doctor Don Takahiro, as well as the field of psychology revolving around superheroes and Quirks.

It was later in the evening when Ochaco noticed the time, and she paused in her work. "We never had any dinner."

Jin turned around from his laptop. "You may go. I'm going to keep working for now."

Despite the suggestion, Ochaco recalled that there was a kitchen in just the other room. "Why don't I cook something for us both?"

With that suggestion, Jin raised an eyebrow, and a curious gaze came to his face. "I suppose that would be efficient," he acknowledged, and then he returned to his research.

Now that she had the permission, Ochaco ventured to the kitchen. There weren't too many items in stock, but there were noodles, vegetables, eggs, and chicken. Once she found a few bottles of seasoning in another cupboard, she had enough items to cook some ramen.

While cooking, Ochaco thought back to memories of growing up. Her parents always worked hard, spending entire days busy with their jobs, yet they found the time and energy to cook meals at home. Money had always been tight for her family, but all her memories with them were positive ones. She realized that she had been privileged to spend her high school years chasing her dream thanks to them.

Now, she had made the decision to pay it all… to find Deku. No matter what, she was still committed to her choice, but occasionally it did make her feel guilty. Ultimately, it just meant she would work twice as hard to build it all back up.

Once she served two bowls of chicken ramen, Ochaco found two soup spoons, and two sets of chopsticks and called Jin to the table. He arrived moments later, peering at the food with intrigue. Although he looked hungry, he said nothing, aside from a 'thank you' once he took a seat. When he started eating, he was a surprisingly loud slurper, causing Ochaco to let out a tiny giggle.

He paused to glance at her, as if oblivious to the sounds, and then he resumed eating.

Meanwhile, Ochaco took small bites, giving the broth more time to cool down. "Why do you live in your office?" she reluctantly asked. She had been wondering about it for a while.

"Saves money on rent."

At least, Ochaco could empathize with that. "It's a nice place," she complimented.

Jin looked surprised at the compliment. "It's merely adequate… but thanks."

"Is the food good?"

He rolled his eyes. "It is adequate."

At least, Ochaco found humor in Jin's reluctance to loosen up. "Can't imagine what it would be like to see you get really excited."

Even the Wolf smirked at that remark.

Once the two of them finished dinner, Ochaco volunteered to clean up as well. Jin didn't extend much in the way of gratitude, but he did appear appreciative of her gestures. At the very least, it helped to smooth things over after the dispute earlier in the day.

Finally, Ochaco prepared two cups of matcha. When the tea was ready, she set Jin's down by his desk before tending to her own.

Although Jin normally drank coffee, he accepted the tea this time. After what appeared to be a suspicious sniff of the beverage, Jin took a loud sip.

That got another laugh out of Ochaco. "So… Okami-San."

"Uraraka-San," he replied, turning his chair to face her.

"How did you… get into this job? Have you always wanted to be a private investigator?"

Apparently, Jin wasn't too eager to divulge into his career path. "My Quirk made me an ideal private investigator. I merely wanted my abilities put to their best use."

"But with power like yours…" She paused before going back to that old subject. "You really could be doing amazing things. You deserve more credit."

"I do not care for that," he said.

"What do you care for then?"

"I care about completing my job. That's what matters to me. That keeps me going."

As admirable as his work ethic was, there was a sadness in it as well. It felt as though there was a void in his heart. "In the beginning, you told me that Deku was already dead. Do you still believe that?"

Hearing that question made Jin shift in his seat. "Nothing's changed. We're talking almost a year having passed." To his surprise, Ochaco raised her chin up, defiance in her eyes, and that caused Jin to squint his eyes. "But I guess that's not going to stop you."

"Of course not," she replied, as expected.

With his tea finished, Jin slid the cup to the side, then brought his hands together on the table. "When I was eight years old, my father got diagnosed with lung cancer."

It was a sudden peek into his past, and Ochaco hadn't seen it coming. "Jin… I'm sorry…"

He didn't dwell on her sympathy. "He ended up undergoing chemotherapy treatment, and his battle against cancer was underway. My mother always told me how he was a fighter, in every aspect of life. He was going to fight cancer… and he was going to win. For a long time, he fought valiantly. Each day, mom gave me her words of reassurance, like we were at a sporting event. 'Your father's a fighter. He's going to pull through. We need to be strong for him now. We cannot lose faith.' Even so… I remember the day."

Ochaco felt a sting of sorrow. "He passed away?"

"He did… but that's not what sticks in my mind. Instead, I remember the day when Mom lost her faith. That day, when we left the hospital to go back to the house, I caught a glimpse of her face. That proud smile of hope was diminished. It may have taken months for it to happen, but when it truly did, the change in her expression was instantly noticeable. From that, I knew Dad was not going to win his battle. That was the day where she lost her faith." Upon finishing sharing his thoughts, Jin reached for his coat hanging on the chair, searching for one of his pill bottles.

When it was said and done, Ochaco felt nothing short of terrible. The Wolf was not a figure who sought sympathy, but she felt for him, considering how much of an impact this loss in his childhood could have had over the years.

In fact, Ochaco felt the urge to speak up. She had to try and say something. "Jin… I'm sorry for your loss. That must have been incredibly difficult. And maybe you tend not to gravitate toward the path of faith with your profession. I can't blame you, given your experience. Perhaps I'm on that same road right now with Deku. But I still can't give up faith. Even knowing the potential truth, I have to see this through. If I lose faith, I could fail, and that can't happen. No matter what, I have to keep faith, and I have to give everything I have." It felt like she just poured her heart out.

"You are everything I am not," Jin simply said, rising from his seat. "When we do find Deku, you will have earned the credit."

She smiled, feeling refreshed. "You said yourself that the credit doesn't matter."

"So, I did." Jin glanced back to toward his office. "I shall resume my research."