Detective Tsukauchi walked through the waiting area of Toshinori's Agency and made his way straight to Yagi's office. "Good to see you here once in a while." He said taking a seat opposite All Might. The blonde man returned the smile and leaned forwards.
"Thank you for coming Naomasa. I know how busy your schedule is."
Naomasa took out a thin folder and placed it in front of All Might. "Here is the information you have requested." He said, while his rectangular eyes observed the blonde. "Why the sudden interest?"
All Might looked through the documentation, furrowing his eyebrows. The volume of the data presented was much less than he expected, and it came as a surprise. He put aside the file and interlocked his fingers.
"The number of attacks by individuals with mutant quirks increased rapidly over the past two months." His gaze was directed at Naomasa. "I've looked through the statistics of HN and there hasn't been a single attack by a villain with another type of quirk."
Naomasa nodded. "I've noticed."
"How many villains with mutant quirks have been arrested the other week?" All Might's question could have put anyone in a touch spot, but not Detective Tsukauchi.
"Fifteen,"
"That's the number for seven days. How about this week?"
"Twenty-one."
"And it's Thursday."
Two men fell silent, the same thought replaying in their heads.
"They are multiplying," Naomasa breathed out. He got up and started pacing around the room. "It is a known fact that not all quirks are registered in the Registry, however, this drift the city is currently experiencing does not strike me as natural."
All Might nodded; his fingers moved quickly over the keyboard and for a couple of minutes the only sound that filled the room was his typing. "Have a look at this."
Naomasa walked behind him and looked over his shoulder. All Might played the most recent attack in slow motion. "Tell me, how many of the arrested villains have been tested for the type of quirk?"
"All of them."
"And what was it?"
Naomasa rubbed his chin. "All of them were some sort of rodents."
"Here," Toshinori pointed at the screen. Naomasa looked closer. At first there was nothing out of the ordinary, until a small flash caught his gaze. "Stop." He ordered. "Can you zoom into the picture?" a couple of clicks were enough to enlarge the view.
"I want to say this is a mistake," he pushed himself away from the screen and straightened his back. "But my vision is not deceived. That flash," he paused. "Those were definitely wings."
Toshinori nodded with a solemn look on his face.
"They resemble bat wings but," Naomasa rubbed his forehead. "None of the villains had bat quirks."
The red bulb on All Might's desk started flashing indicating another attack. He rose to his feet and hurried out of the office, where his secretary quickly updated him on the location. Detective Tsukauchi rushed after him. "I will meet you at the crime scene." All Might said and disappeared in a flash.
That evening he returned home late and tired. Toshinori let the water in the shower run while he quickly checked the phone. He scrolled through the list of new messages looking for a certain name, but there was nothing. He sighed and put the phone away. It's been almost a week since he last saw Ren; their communication could be summed up in a few short messages here and there. The last three of his have been seen, but not answered.
Perhaps taking her out in a public area was a bad idea. After all it was his fault that they got separated after that movie. He couldn't blame her for leaving. Toshinori took off his clothes and got into the shower. Hot water relaxed his tense muscles, bringing such desirable feeling of relief.
His phone buzzed.
Hey, All Might, I need a favour.
It was from Nemuri Kayama.
Okay.
He typed quickly, wondering what she wanted. Kayama was a peculiar individual. Despite her appearance and overactive attitude, Midnight never did anything without a back thought to it.
Can you check on Ren for me? I have to patrol tonight. The last time I heard from her was two days ago and she seemed to be coming down with some sort of flu.
Before he could text back, Kayama sent another message.
Use protection.
Toshinori gasped and dropped the phone.
I meant, wear a mask, not what YOU were thinking about. Thanks, I owe you one.
The girl sent him the location of Ren's house and stopped responding. What was going through Kayama's mind when she gave him Ren's address was a mystery, but Toshinori was grateful. If Ren was ill, it meant that she didn't purposely ignore his messages. At least he hoped so.
Toshinori Yagi got dressed and hurried out of the house, hoping that he would not be called on duty that night.
