There were worse ways to spend the morning. Present Mic thought to himself as he drank tea. This chocolate cornet was actually pretty good. Too bad this is a stakeout and not a time to just enjoy this.
The little Watari Bakery wasn't exactly high-end, but it wasn't a run-down den of villainy either. It was just a quiet little neighborhood place. Unfortunately, that meant that nearly everyone here was sure to be a regular. Any newcomer was sure to stand out. So to acknowledge and explain his presence, the pro hero was wearing a sort of hipster disguise. He hated this disguise because he felt like such a creep in it. But it was the only one he had on hand that could reasonably get away with suddenly showing up. He felt gross saying something pretentious about the atmosphere of the place or whatever when he first walked in.
The disguise also gave a ready explanation for his notebook. This was a case where documentation was critical. His notes were, of course, in code so that if any passers by wanted to be nosy, they would only see a harmless, cheesy novel. Just next door was his true target, the Bunker. Tucked into a space too small to be an empty lot but too large for a true alleyway was the nondescript entrance to a small medical facility. It was underground in both senses of the term. It had been a shelter dating back to around the time fear of quirks was at its peak, built several meters below the paved surface. While it had been apparently abandoned and forgotten for decades, the current occupants were using it as an unregistered clinic catering to residents of Musutafu who were desperate enough to be unbothered by the less-than-legal activity.
Based on Yamada Hizashi's cursory research, this bakery was being used as some sort of go-between. A place where supplies and "patients" could be covertly dropped off or picked up. What was unknown was whether the cooperation between the two establishments was merely the actions of one employee, or if it was more entrenched than that. Anyone here could be in on it in some way.
Though at least one regular wasn't. When Hizashi approached the Chief of Police about getting backup in case things went south, Umeda's name came up. Apparently, she had been coming here since she moved to the area two years ago. That made things easier since her presence wouldn't be abnormal, no need to bring in anyone new to have on his side.
She also gave him valuable intel. Mic asked about the pink-haired teen he'd met recently as he had suspected that she was one of the Bunker's workers, X-Ray. Unfortunately, it seems that Umeda didn't know much about the girl as they hadn't had a conversation before. It was confirmed however that the teen was actively attending one of the local high schools and did homework at the same table every afternoon. On Sundays, however, she came in in the mornings. Presumably because she didn't have any classes. She was quiet and kept to herself so little more could be said, but it meant that she had a predictable schedule. Predictable enough for Mic to orchestrate a serendipitous meeting.
So far, the plan was going smoothly, Hizashi chose to use the restroom during a busy point in the morning so that upon his return, his table would already be occupied again. Excellent. That would give him an excuse to walk around. He saw that Umeda was in position and watching. Time to execute the next phase of the operation. The undercover hero passed by the teen's table and 'dropped' his pen. Sure, it wasn't exactly original, but sometimes the classics were just as effective.
"Oh! Sorry about that, miss. My pen rolled under your chair. Do you mind grabbing it for me?"
Before looking up, the girl bent down and fished around for the writing utensil. There was no recognition when she first saw him, but when skin contact was made during the pen hand-over, surprise crossed her scarred face before it was quickly masked by a neutral expression. It was likely her quirk that allowed her to easily see through the disguise. A wig is one thing, but a person's unique set of scars was something difficult to hide or replicate. It didn't matter to the hero, however. She was the one person who he actually wanted to recognize him.
"Here," she said flatly.
"Thanks! Someone special gave it to me so I didn't want to lose it."
The pink-haired girl turned back to the book she was reading in a quiet and disinterested dismissal typical of any teenager.
"Hey," Hizashi continued, undeterred. "Do you mind if I sit here? I seem to have lost my spot."
She glared at the man before looking around the bakery to find that the only available seats were tables with other occupants. "I try not to share my table with strangers," she said after thinking for a moment.
Mic responded so quietly that only the girl could hear. "Then it's a good thing we're not strangers, X-Ray." It was a delicate balance to strike: welcoming to invite conversation, but also imposing enough to let his quarry know that he had no intention to let her run away again.
She stared into his unwavering expression. "I don't have much of a choice, do I?"
"Not really," the man said, already in the process of sitting down.
X-Ray cursed under her breath and closed her book. It seemed that she decided to get a dig on him to vent her annoyance. "So is this what you really look like?" For emphasis, she gestured to his brightly colored beanie. "I'm the last who would be judging, but I'd have thought you were a bit old for that ."
" No! " Hizashi spluttered, legitimately offended. "This is just a disguise. I don't want to get recognized. I think you as well as anyone would understand the need for a few layers of privacy."
"Hmph." The girl watched the older man for a moment, as if waiting for something to happen. "So, what do you want? You knew when I would be here. You could be putting me in handcuffs right now. Why aren't you?"
It was a curious and worrying question. Most kids her age who were caught tended to be more reactionary. Some fled, some begged for mercy, while others were confused as they didn't even know what they were doing was wrong. But this was pure emotionless acceptance that he usually saw in career criminals, those who showed no remorse, or who had lost their will to care about anything long ago. Hizashi couldn't help but wonder which one this was, hoping it wasn't all three.
"You've saved my life twice now. Though, the second time, I carried you out so we're even on that one. But I still owe you for the first. Thank you."
"Then, you're welcome," she halfheartedly shooed him off as if she knew that it wouldn't be that easy.
"This is the third time we've met but we haven't really talked ."
"And if I don't want to talk?"
"Well, the handcuffs are still on the table. Metaphorically, of course. Literally, they're on the other side of the bakery." Mic shrugged as if the ultimatum was out of his hands.
The girl watched him suspiciously. "It depends on what you want to talk about."
Not a guarantee, but the best he could hope for at the moment. The safest course of action, he figured, was to start off slow. "How is your leg?"
X-Ray lightly tapped the table leg with her foot, causing a soft thud from a thicker and heavier piece of footwear than the average sneaker. Like a medical boot. "I was able to get it properly set in time so it's just a matter of waiting for it to heal now."
"Why did you do it?"
"Do what?"
"Take my broken leg. You didn't need to do that."
"It just made the most sense, right?"
"But you're a civilian. Nobody would have faulted you for running for your own safety. Nobody knew you had a quirk that could have done anything. Most people don't. It's my job as a hero to worry about your safety, not the other way around. You shouldn't have to put yourself into harm's way for my sake."
That statement made her tense in a way that Mic hadn't been expecting. He could only hope that further conversation could enlighten him as to why, however considering how secretive she was, that was doubtful.
"At the end of the day," X-Ray said after some hesitation, "it's simple math."
That brought more confusion. "Math?"
"Yes. There was a confrontation between heroes and villains that had not been resolved yet. With you down, that gives a negative one for heroes available. If nothing changed, that would remain at negative one. If another hero came to help you, then that would bring another hero out of the fight and so negative two, even if temporarily to get you out of harm's way. But I was uninjured, at least when I first noticed. So if I took your injury, you would be able to get back into the fight, bringing it back to zero."
Hizashi was taken aback at how matter-of-factly she was talking about this. "Wait, so you were planning on taking my broken leg from the beginning?"
"I was hoping that it would turn out that I wouldn't have to, but basically, yeah." It was so casual, you'd think she was talking about choosing what shirt she wanted to wear that day.
The pro hero squinted at her, unsure what to make of that. He might expect such talk from a pro, but not a teen who was attending just a normal high school. If she was attending a hero school, he'd have known who she was by now. "So I know you 'take' my injury, but I got the cuts you had from the glass. How does your quirk work, exactly?"
She sighed. "Technically, I switch injuries. I can use a restrained form of my quirk just to look at the injuries someone else has. That's how I use it most of the time. But if I need to, I can switch any injuries with someone. It's one of those passive quirks activated by touch so I have to specifically get it to stop, and with enough concentration, I can focus in on specific parts of the body to be more precise. It was just that at the time, it wasn't feasible to try. But there are limitations. It doesn't transfer the cause of the injury so it's best to remove them beforehand. That includes illness, poisons, penetrating trauma…."
The look of sympathetic horror on Hizashi's face made her trail off. It was like the man was looking at her for the first time. She was absolutely covered in scars. Her face, shoulders, even a few on her neck, worryingly enough. Even though she wore a long shirt to cover her arms, he could see hints of them when the sleeve rode up. He could only presume that the rest of her body was just as bad. That means she got hurt over and over again. Some children were prone to injury as they sometimes played rough. But not to this extent. This was something else.
"X-Ray," his voice was soft and gentle, no longer addressing her like a criminal, but a victim in need. "It's normal for someone your age to know a lot of specifics about their quirk, but for one like yours-"
"No." Her voice was hardened.
"No?"
"We're not talking about that."
The man knew well enough that this was not the time to push it. There were too many people around. Even though they were having a private conversation nobody was listening to, that could change at any moment. Besides, he himself hadn't seemed to fully earn the girl's trust yet.
He put his hands up defensively, slowly waving them in a disarming manner. " Okay, okay, I won't pursue that. I have another question. How does someone such as yourself end up engaged in certain extracurricular activities ."
The teen paused as she tried to decide if and how she should respond. The hero made a point to close the notebook and set it aside to try to put X-Ray's mind at ease. She was apparently open to him taking notes about her quirk, but maybe not this. It didn't make much of a difference to him as his hearing aids were recording everything he heard. Hero perks.
"Your hands are already healed, aren't they?" The girl said when she was ready. "I sensed it when I gave you back the pen."
As a reply, Mic removed his usual fingerless glove to reveal slightly calloused, but otherwise unmarred palms. "Recovery Girl is a gift."
"A gift few ever have access to."
"She actually spends much of her time making hospital rounds to help who she can."
"Which is fine for those who feel safe going to hospitals in the first place," the girl countered.
Hizashi frowned. "There's no reason anyone shouldn't feel safe at a hospital. They don't turn anyone away and don't report people to the police just for arriving."
"They're not supposed to," X-Ray muttered. "Imagine how great things would be if everyone did what they're supposed to do. But I guess that would mean you would be losing your day job."
That made the hero chuckle a bit. "Well, I've been told many times that having three jobs is too much. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to lose one if it wasn't needed."
Genuine confusion crossed the teen's face. "Pro hero, radio host…."
"And high school English teacher. I teach at UA." He talked about that one only occasionally on his show. He had to keep that limited since it was inevitable that his students would be listening, hoping for hints on the next test or quiz. Fat chance.
The mention of UA gave Mic the first real emotional reaction from the girl across from him. Pained longing. He remained silent to allow her the chance to work through whatever must have been going through her mind. He was afraid that if he made any kind of interruption, she would be spooked and leave at the acknowledgement of emotions she hadn't quite kept under tight lid. The man waited patiently as she opened her mouth as if to say something before ultimately deciding against it.
When she finally spoke, it was unfortunately not about what had concerned her. "How did you find the Bunker?" Her composure was restored.
Well, this was the first real conversation they had so he wanted her to trust him so he was forced to make a mental note and move on. He chose to tell her the truth on good faith. Of course he had to omit identifying information. "I was working an undercover mission when I got caught up in an unexpected attack from a rival gang. Not realizing I was undercover, they brought me to you."
"So it wasn't a leak then?"
"No. The only person I knew who had even heard of it only overheard the name, Until I was brought there, we had nothing else. We didn't even know what the Bunker was even for."
"Good. Then let me say this, now." The girl leaned forward to grab Hizashi's pen and journal, flipping to a clean page.
I take sole responsibility for any illegal activities that may be occurring at the facility known as the Bunker. The individual, code-named 'Test Tube' is licensed to perform all procedures they are tasked with. Their participation is due to coercion on my part via blackmail. All operational decisions were made by me and me alone. Despite this, I have attempted to minimize the use of illegal measures to run the Bunker though I recognize that this was sometimes unavoidable. I have no remorse for my actions and accept whatever punishment is deemed necessary and appropriate by a court of law. I make no plans to resist arrest. This is my written confession made of my own free will. - X-Ray
Mic watched in shocked silence as the teen quietly wrote. She even added the date. This was obviously highly unusual and he was once again unsure what to make of this. He had come across surprisingly cooperative targets before, but not from a minor and certainly not one like this. He was brought out of his reverie when he was handed back the journal and pen.
"Sign and date as witness to my confession."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Everything will be cleaner this way. I don't want to take my chances. I need there to be some sort of record of my cooperation."
Bewildered and unable to unpack that response, the hero complied. However, when he started putting the pen away, the teen snatched it up once more. This time she wrote on a napkin before returning everything to him. The napkin was clearly not meant to be official like the confession was. The man began to speak, but was cut off before any sound escaped.
"You will not return unless you have a warrant." While her tone lacked malice, it was cold and business-like. Not a threat, per se, but clear in its message. Without another word, she had collected her things and was out the door.
What the hell was that?
The disguised hero stayed a little while longer. He didn't want to make his professional interest in the girl obvious to the bakery regulars. Even if they weren't in on the illicit activities happening next door, they would surely be keen to protect a poor teen from a middle-aged hipster acting creepy. Besides, he needed to write down his conversation while it was fresh in his mind. At least his observations as his hearing aids caught the discussion itself. But he didn't want to stay long. After all, he was anxious to know what the name on the napkin, Tanaka Shiho , was supposed to mean.
Of course it just had to be a fake name. That's not to say that there weren't plenty of Tanaka Shiho's in the country, as it had taken Mic the last three weeks to rule out every single one of them as potential leads. He knew it wasn't X-Ray's real name. If she was planning on outing herself, she would have signed her confession with that instead. However, the man was hoping that is was at least a known pseudonym or someone he could talk to for more information. But no, it just had to be another dead end.
"Mic, you need a break," said a voice from the desk next to him that sounded as tired as he felt.
The teacher's lounge was unusually empty. Since exams were coming up, most of the faculty were using the break period to meet with students who needed extra instruction. Today, Present Mic and Eraserhead had a rare moment of respite. While the blond hero would love to use the opportunity to sneak in some high-grade flirting, the risk of a student entering without warning was enough to deter him. Didn't mean he couldn't tease his husband though.
"Usually I'm the one telling you to get some proper rest. You do care!" It was complete with a big dopey grin.
The dark-haired man didn't miss a beat. "I care about the fact that if this case burns you out, then you will be more whiny when you grade your next set of essays."
"You know I just can't turn down a good mystery. I haven't had one this stimulating since that money laundering scheme. The one with the ice cream shop."
"You just wanted ice cream."
"Well that certainly didn't hurt ." Hizashi sighed and let his smile fade, getting serious. "Besides, I can't get what Hound Dog said about her out of my mind."
"About how, based on your report, there was a high probability of long-term severe physical and emotional trauma?"
"And that he highly recommended a psych eval as soon as she is taken into custody, yeah."
Aizawa placed a hand on the blond's shoulder, taking care to avoid the pad's studs. "That's exactly why I'm worried. We don't really know much about her except that she has access to really dangerous people who potentially owe her a debt. That's incredibly dangerous. I can only hope that she's given you good information, but when it's just her word, I'm not filled with a lot of confidence."
Hizashi placed his hand upon his husband's and squeezed it affectionately before they disengaged. "I know. That's why I'm trying to establish her true identity. If I can talk to people who actually knew her in any capacity, I can get a better picture of who exactly I'm working with."
"Need another set of eyes looking at this?" Shouta knew that Present Mic was the kind of hero to not let go of a case so easily. Even though Mic was usually more than content being involved from afar, the man had an insatiable curiosity that couldn't be quieted. The best way to dispel it was to see it through.
"Does the name Tanaka Shiho mean anything to you? It's clearly important if it was given to me separate from that 'confession' of hers, but I have exhausted all known users of that name as leads."
"Or it could be a red herring," Eraserhead offered unhelpfully.
The Voice Hero shrugged. "That's always possible, but I want to explore every avenue before I come to that conclusion."
Despite that suggestion, the darker man seemed to think of something as his brows furrowed as they often did when he was deep in thought. "What if it's not just one name?"
"What do you mean?"
"What if Tanaka was one person and Shiho was another?"
Yamada leaned back in his chair and folded his hands across his lap as he closed his eyes. It looked like a relaxed pose, but his husband knew it to be quite the opposite, indicating a racing mind instead. The possibility of two people instead of one was apparently a prospect that hadn't been considered yet. Aizawa knew better than to interrupt and continued with his own work until his partner eventually broke the silence.
"If that's the case, it will be pretty much impossible to be thorough. Tanaka is one of the most common surnames in the country and the idea of looking for someone by just their given name would be just as impractical. I'll have to narrow it down somehow."
"Or get a lucky break."
A smile broke out on Hizashi's face. "At this point, yeah. Hope you've got one hiding in that scarf of yours."
"I actually might. When is the next slot you have available for a one-on-one?"
That caught the blond's attention and he sat up in anticipation. "Wait, really?"
"Maybe, but it's compelling. You didn't answer my question."
"I have a spot available after school today. Would they be able to make it on such short notice?"
"She's one of my better students, more or less, so I haven't set her up with any other meetings with teachers." The man had his homeroom class roster pulled up on his screen with the schedule for one of his students opened. "If she has other plans, I'm sure this would be important enough to her to move things around."
Hizashi looked over Shouta's shoulder. "Tanaka Rin? Besides the name, what might be the connection?"
"Last week she came to me concerned and asked if it was possible to file a missing persons report as a non-family member and if so, how. She told me that when she went home over the semester break, she found out that nobody has seen her childhood best friend since they graduated from junior high despite supposedly attending a local high school. Thinking that maybe she was just somewhere else over the summer, she had her family keep an eye out. It's been a month since school started back up again, but no sign of her. The girl's father has been uncooperative to questions about it so it's unclear how much he knows. Tanaka's father is a firefighter and knows there hasn't been a report put out yet."
"Well, it's possible she just ended up going to a different high school."
"Of course, but the concern is that Tanaka said she always suspected domestic violence, but was dissuaded from reporting it. She seems to have a lot of guilt about that. Regardless, for there to even be suspicions of it, there's a strong possibility there was significant tension in the household. So either this girl ran away or something might have happened to her."
Aizawa rubbed the back of his neck with a sigh. "I know the link to your case is very loose, but a Tanaka connected to a missing girl of the right age might be worth looking into at least."
The blond contemplated his options. Yeah, it definitely wasn't anything solid, but it did have more potential than a wild stab in the dark. "Alright, set it up."
Present Mic patiently waited in the small side room that was kept for private meetings or as a quiet space for distraction-free grading. As this was a bit more sensitive of a meeting than the usual discussions over grades, he wasn't quite sure how Tanaka Rin would react. The two of them had a good rapport, actually since early on in the school year they had had a good conversation about performing hero work with perceived disabilities. However, this was a very distressing subject even for adults, let alone a teenager. As the girl was still a first-year, he had yet to see how she would handle that type of stress and needed to be prepared for anything.
A light knock came from the door before the tallest girl in class 1A entered the room. She was pretty hard to miss. Tanaka's bright, blue hair was short, but had an undercut on both sides that showed her darker roots. She also had a kick-ass visor to block out any residual light from reaching her blind eyes, thus allowing her to use her heat quirk better. The teen wasn't quite timid as she walked in, not that she normally was anyway, but she wasn't her usual upbeat self either. It was more cautious.
"Eraserhead-sensei said you wanted to talk about the missing persons case?"
"Yes, yes! Please, sit." Mic was sitting in a small chair, leaving the more comfortable couch to the girl. "I'm working a case right now and I'm trying to identify a person of interest," he said as she sat. "There's a small chance we may be looking for the same person."
Rin perked up. "Wait, you might have a lead on Hibi-chan?"
Hibi-chan , huh? "I don't know yet. First I need to figure out if Hibi-chan and X-Ray are the same person. Did you know her before you lost your sight? If so, would you be able to remember enough give a physical description?"
"Kind of. I lost my sight as a kid so she could have changed a lot since I last saw her." Rin screwed up her face with effort. "I know she had pink hair, but a darker, dusty pink. Not bright. And I never saw them, but I know she has scars. I don't know if she got them later on or just didn't want me to know until later or a bit of both so I never actually saw them. Just felt a couple. The way she was acting, it seemed like she had more, but I didn't want to upset her so I didn't ask. But maybe I should have."
Well, it wasn't much, but it was consistent. Maybe asking for a physical description wasn't the best way to go about this. "What about her quirk?" That would be more useful since it definitely wasn't a common quirk.
There was some hesitation in her voice as she fiddled with her visor. "Well, she would usually tell people that her quirk was that she could sense injuries. I think that's what she's registered for at least. But that's not her real quirk. Not all of it at least. She didn't tell me until I got back to school after my face healed up." For emphasis, she took her visor off, showing some old scarring around her eyes.
"Hibi-chan was upset that I was already better because it meant that she couldn't take it from me. That's her real quirk, injury switch . She can take an injury someone has onto herself and give anyone hers in return. But it doesn't work for old wounds or scars. Apparently her dad told her to keep it a secret from everyone or they'd just use her or something. As far as I know, I'm the only one she told. At least at school. I don't think even the teachers knew."
"And does she have any kind of family? Siblings? Parents?"
"Only her father. Not even cousins or grandparents or anything. I know her mom died when she was too young to remember, but that's it. I've only met him once and I never really liked him."
"Why was that?"
"He was really strict. He didn't let her join any clubs, or go anywhere besides school and maybe to the shops for food and other errands, in which case she was to hand over the receipt and the exact change to make sure she didn't get anything else. Technically, Hibi-chan wasn't even allowed to hang out with me, but we came up with ways. Sometimes I would accompany her to the shops or I'd invite her over to my house for a fake school project. I was never allowed in their house either. And if I remember right, they didn't even have a tv. Really controlling. Hibi-chan didn't want to talk about him so we never did. I don't even know what he does for a living. I think he's just a salaryman or something. I just don't know."
If the girl really didn't have any other family, then that would mean that the quirk couldn't be anyone else. X-Ray was this, Hibi-chan. Though what Rin said started raising red flags. "Eraserhead told me that part of your concern was that you suspected abuse. Was there anything in particular that made you think that?"
"Her father is really controlling, like I said, but I never knew anything for sure beyond that since Hibi-chan never talked about home very much. But after a while I started noticing she had more scars."
"Oh, really?" Mic sat forward, making sure that he kept himself composed despite his concerned curiosity. "What kind of scars?"
"On her arms, mostly. I think. I mean, I only knew they were there when I felt them. It's possible that she had more, but I can't confirm that."
"How many were there?" Mic recalled the glimpse he'd seen of X-Ray's arms in the bakery.
She shook her head. "I don't know. I mean, I didn't get to check very often since she almost always wore long-sleeves, but there seemed to be a lot."
"Do you know how she was getting them?"
"That's the thing. She isn't one to get into fights and again, I was the only one who knew about her quirk so it wasn't like she was taking everyone's injuries or anything. Where else could they have come from?" Rin sighed. "I even tried to talk to her about it a couple of years ago, but she got really mad at me for it. She said it wouldn't work because she tried herself and they didn't believe her. That if I said anything, it would just make it worse. So I didn't! I should have, though..."
"It's all right," Mic was sympathetic. "She was your friend. Nobody could ask you to break her trust."
"Yeah, but…" Rin looked down. "I should have at least tried. I'm just scared something happened to her and that it's my fault because I was quiet."
The man got up in order to kneel down in front of the upset girl in front of him. He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Whatever has happened to her is not in any way your fault. It's the fault of whoever was hurting her." And also that of other adults or teachers who surely should have noticed something amiss. Mic only had scant few interactions and noticed the scars that should have made any educational professional make a mandatory report. However, he chose not to mention that at this time as Tanaka might use that to blame herself.
"I… I know." The poor thing looked on the verge of tears, but was trying to keep a brave face. "I just want to know that she's okay.
Hizashi sighed. "If it makes you feel any better, I think your Hibi-chan is the same as my person of interest. We've had a few interactions already-"
Rin startled at the news. "You've seen her?! Do you know where she is? Can I talk to her?"
The hero needed to pick his words very carefully from here on out. To give himself an extra moment, he pat the girl's shoulder once more then returned to his chair. "I'm sorry, but that's classified and part of an open investigation that, unfortunately, looks to be a very complicated case. So, I'm going to ask you a few more questions because I need to know as much as I can about her. Everything you tell me will be kept confidential, but you're not obligated to tell me anything you don't want to. Every little bit will help me. Do you understand?"
Rin nodded. "Yes, sir."
With a nod, Mic took out the pen and notepad he had stashed under his chair before the meeting. He figured he would start with something simple. "Does the name Shiho mean anything to you?"
"Not anything specific. At least not to me. There was a girl named Shiho at school, but I don't think she had anything to do with it as we didn't really talk to her at all. Hibi-chan mentioned that she liked the name a lot, so maybe she used to know someone by that name?"
Well, it was worth a shot at least. It would have been nice if he could track down both contacts in one go, but he supposed he'd just have to work a little bit harder on that front. However, that was for later, he had to continue on with this informal interview. "How would you describe Hibi-chan?"
The teen took a moment to compose herself, glad to have a more positive contribution to the conversation. "Well, she's really smart. Smarter than I'll ever be, that's for sure. She didn't have anything to do in her spare time but read so I think that had a lot to do with it. But I guess the trade-off was that she never really knew about the latest trends or shows or anything."
Mic remembered how he was as a teenager. Sure, he was always bouncing around from one hobby to another, but he'd come back to reading fairly often. At the very least, it was one of the quieter pastimes and it definitely didn't require electricity. "Did she have any favorites?"
That question made Rin smile wistfully. "She always hated that question since she always had this weird and complicated list. There were so many favorites for every mood, genre, topic, anything. It was one of the few times where she could really talk your ear off."
"She didn't talk much? Was she shy?"
"I guess?" She screwed up her face as if trying to figure out the right words to express what she wanted to say. "It wasn't so much that Hibi-chan was shy, but just didn't really bother with talking to others. I think she told me once that she didn't want to waste her time with conversations she couldn't contribute to since she only talked if she had anything to say."
Well that certainly sounded very familiar. X-Ray didn't seem particularly quiet when he spoke with her at the bakery, but that was just one conversation where she did have a lot to say. Maybe he could get a better feel for it if he had more opportunities, but that wasn't something he could count on. The girl continued however, before he could come up with a follow-up question.
"She's pretty stubborn too and could get pretty assertive in group projects. I remember this one time when we wanted to do the presentation one way, but she refused." The memory made Rin laugh. "Apparently our way didn't go into enough detail. Eventually she convinced all of us to change it and we got the best grades in the class for that project so I guess she was right about it."
"Not afraid to have an unpopular opinion then?" Well, that take-charge nature was certainly consistent with everything he'd personally witnessed. Getting a bunch of criminals to cooperate so thoroughly to her rules was impressive enough for anyone, let alone a tiny teenager.
"Definitely not." The girl fell silent as if she thought of something she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to share.
Hizashi also remained silent. Silence was a powerful tool in interviews. Many people hated it and would grow uncomfortable enough to continue talking. It also gave them the space to formulate their thoughts before being pulled into another conversation thread. He himself was like that, and had to learn specifically to fight the urge to fill the empty space. It was crucial in his line of work. Luckily he didn't have to wait long for it to go into effect.
"She wasn't very fond of heroes," Tanaka began as she rubbed the back of her neck, nervously. "Not that she liked villains," she quickly added. "She's not one of those ."
The man raised a brow. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, she's not like one of those people who likes villains just to stick it to authority or anything. But it also meant that she didn't like heroes just because they were heroes either and was very critical whenever there was a story that didn't show both sides."
"Which is most of them." Mic couldn't help but grimace. He was more than aware of the fantastic ability of the news to twist words for the sake of a story. And while, as a hero, he came out looking pretty good whenever a criminal or villain of any kind was involved, the reporters tended to act like sharks in the water for all the times there wasn't one around. The unfortunate side effect of being a public figure.
The girl shrugged. "Pretty much. Villains can be bad, but they could also be misrepresented. Heroes can be good, but they could also have ulterior motives. Both are just people, with the only difference being who is accepted and who isn't. I mean, I agree to some extent, but not as defeatist as her, I guess."
"How did she feel about you wanting to be a hero?"
There was a hesitation before she answered. "I don't think she was particularly happy, but she tried to hide it. I think it helped that she knew me and that I just want to help people any way I can and to be a role model. Kind of like you, actually."
That took the pro hero by surprise. "Me?"
"Yeah!" Rin was beaming now, giving off a literal warmth as a side effect of her quirk. "Hibi-chan listened to the radio all the time and your show whenever she could catch it. She told me once that while you could be doing just the radio show and make a good living, you still choose to be a hero, meaning you really wanted to be a hero for its own sake. You were already famous by other means. I think she really respected that."
While that was certainly praise that sounded pretty rare, but he was thinking more about how it explained something that he'd been wondering about somewhere in the back of his mind. X-Ray is really protective of her identity and secrets, so why did she trust me so much to tell me everything? But if he really was a hero she respected, maybe that was the reason.
"Mic-sensei?"
That brought the teacher out of his reverie. "Hm?"
"Did you have any other questions for me?"
"One last one. What's Hibi-chan's full name?"
"Her-Her name?" It seemed that the momentary surprise caused by the question wore off quickly. "Oh… right. You wouldn't have asked me those questions in the beginning if you already knew."
"Right."
There was a reluctance in her voice. "I… Is she in trouble?" She seemed exasperated by her own choice of words almost immediately. "I know you can't tell me anything specific and I'm not asking you to, but I just want to know if she's in danger or if she is the danger?"
Oof. He couldn't say anything that would lead her to become more involved in the investigation than she already was, but he just couldn't lie to the girl after all the help she's been. "I'm trying to figure that out," he admitted honestly. "But it's looking like a bit of both."
Rin nodded as if she already suspected as such, even to some extent. "Saitou Hibiki. Her name is Saitou Hibiki. Please, Mic-sensei. I just hope you can help her. Whatever that ends up meaning."
"Me too." And he really, truly, meant it. He just wasn't sure if he really could help. On the one hand, he had the information he needed for a warrant that would allow the police to arrest her as soon as the paperwork was processed. On the other, he just knew that there was something darker roiling underneath the surface. He just needed to figure out what .