Part 2: Chapter 9

Nemuri's contacts hadn't been able to give her much on Kakurete. Most of them had never met him and those that had really didn't have anything incriminating to say. The man was their boss, nothing more. He occasionally came in to approve a particular advertising campaign but for the most part his duties as a Representative took precedence. They all reported that Kakurete wasn't much involved with the companies he owned. He ran Kunshu, and allowed Kunshu to run the other companies.

But one of her contacts had whispered something to her about BioSimip. It wasn't about their QERI program, but about something before that. BioSimip made sleeping pills that they calmed were derived from natural ingredients. The mag had tested the pills and agreed they were natural ingredients, but they had found something else. They had isolated what BioSimip claimed was a quirk based ingredient. It was only found in the high end sleeping pills. The lower quality ones used a synthesized variant. Her source had wanted it investigated further but no one ever did, except for now, when there were people asking questions. Nemuri had tried to find out who else her source had told but he'd shrugged, and told her he'd given the information to anyone who asked. She'd focused on the information after that. Who else knew only became important if she had something.

By itself, the incorrect listing, wasn't anything that bad. What made it noteworthy was that the ingredient wasn't actually registered. Not properly anyway. The registration had holes in it. It wasn't like someone had forgotten to sign a page or something. The source had not been filled in on the registration. The source always had to be filled in to ensure that they were being properly compensated for their contribution. The fact that the source wasn't listed was odd and could mean a few things.

One, the source wasn't actually a quirk but was something BioSimip had synthesised completely. That would cause a bit of a scandal if true. The testing regime on a quirk based drug was different for that on a laboratory created drug. If BioSimip had listed the compound as being quirk based when it wasn't, they could be in trouble for that. Another possibility was that the source wasn't one they wanted to admit to. And that, with BioSimip's link to Kakurete could be a link to the League.

Her contacts told her they believed the compound was quirk based. Through the years, they had made several observations that lead them to that belief, but Nemuri wasn't interested in that. She was interested in the fact that they had managed to confirm that a young man with light brown hair made a biological delivery each week. It was a smallish canister. The routine was so established that he simply delivered it to the receptionist, who handed over an envelope and he went on his way.

Apart from the fact that it was a completely improper way to accept what was a potential biohazard, Nemuri was interested in the description. He sounded like Mustard.

And wouldn't that be interesting, if Mustard was producing the quirk based ingredient BioSimip used? It would provide a direct tie between Kakurete and the League, though Nemuri was not so blind to realise it would be that easy. Kakurete could claim he didn't know. But if they could tie BioSimip to the League then that would cause problems.

She sighed. They had enough information to cause Kakurete problems but nothing big enough to bring him down. It was getting to the point when they should just release their information. Giving him problems was not their goal but at the moment, it might be all they were capable of, and you never knew which problem would be the one to snow ball into the one that did bring him down.

That's why she was following the young man who had made the delivery this week. If not for the missing teeth, he might have been called handsome. He had several tattoos on his forearms, but she couldn't see much more. He'd taken the envelope and shoved it into his pocket before leaving BioSimip. Then he'd walked back to a train station.

That much had been easy to follow. She was sitting in an adjacent carriage watching him through the glass. He was tapping at his phone. Nemuri was pretending to read hers.

Finally he got up. She was surprised. It was a good neighbourhood. Working class but not lower working class. Middle working class. The young man walked out of the station, confidently strolling down the empty roads. It was an older part of town. They were narrow. You could fit one small car down them. They were mostly for walking. She wondered if he'd lead her here deliberately. At this time of day, the suburb was empty.

Still, for all that many thought her a one trick pony, Nemuri had been a fully fledged Pro Hero. She could convincingly follow someone, even when there were no crowds to hide behind. It just required the ability to pay attention to your surroundings.

The man didn't look back often, but when he did, Nemuri was always out of sight. In the inset of a narrow walkway, around the corner of one of the tall garden walls, behind some bins that had been left out to clog up the available space. It wasn't glamorous but it got the job done. At least, that's what Nemuri thought until the man turned a corner, and she then heard his feet plet against the ground as he ran.

She swore, and took off after him. Thankfully she was close enough that she didn't lose him in the rabbit warren that was the suburb. Instead she ran straight into his trap.

It was a cul-de-sac. He stood at the end. Pink gas surrounded him. Nemuri ran into it, and breathed it in before she realised what had happened.

"Mustard!" She gasped the identification.

The bastard grinned at her looking up and she could see he had a thin mask over his face. It wasn't the old style gas mask he had worn when he was younger. This was something new, more modern. It did the job without being anywhere near as bulky.

"You should be asleep soon," he told her casually.

Midnight nodded, and then staggered.

He took a step closer.

She leaned against one of the fences, her hands steadying her. And then Nemuri felt her legs collapse. She folded them under her.

He chuckled and moved in.

Just what she had been waiting for. She hadn't collapsed without a purpose, instead, she was resting on her feet, and Nemuri lashed out now, spinning to sweep Mustard's legs out from under him. He went down cursing, straight into a quagmire of the compounds her quirk allowed her to make. Nemuri lunged at him, reaching for his gas mask.

Mustard wasn't a large man, but he was fit. Thankfully she hadn't let her training go to waste, and one thing no one really expected with her theme was for her to be a grappler fighter. But really, grappling was just another position for sex, and she was expected to be proficient there.

It was an interesting thing when those who created compounds fought. Nemuri was affected by Mustard's sleeping agent, but after so long of making her own, she did have some resistance. She wasn't sure if he did. He always seemed to wear a mask, indicating that he may be susceptible to his own creation.

Nemuri hoped he was. She might pass out for a little, but she should wake up first. And then she could capture him.

She got her fingers under his mask and then allowed Mustard to push her off him. His mast went with her. Nemuri rolled on the ground, gaining distance but she still heard him gasp.

"Two can play the sleeping game," she told him as she rose. Mustard snarled at her. Nemuri tried to breathe lightly as she directed her quirk towards him.

He recognised the gesture and made his own. She felt her chemicals pushed away but Mustard raised one hand, holding it over his face. "Is the little boy feeling sleepy?" she mocked She wished she had her whip. If she did, then she could have pulled him over.

"Bitch," he growled and Nemuri was surprised when he lunged at her. Despite the years, there wasn't much information about Mustard's fighting style. He tended to hold back and let his gas take care of his enemies but he was known for carrying a gun. Nemuri examined him, tossing the mask away as far as she could. She couldn't see a gun, but it was something to be wary of.

"You are just like those morons! The world pandered to you because your quirk was good but still safe." Mustard swung at her. It seemed slow. She tried to hit him back but Nemuri knew her reaction time was compromised. They both ended up swinging wide and staggering like two drunks. Except, the fact that Mustard could move meant he also had some immunity.

This was not going to be fun, in any sense of the word. She had been trained to fight under the influence of drugs. It was in the third year curriculum and was meant to help if you were ever targeted or kidnapped. Nemuri wasn't sure if it really helped but at least she was still on her feet. They took another few swings at each other, staggering when they managed to connect but Nemuri could feel her eyes growing heavy and her thoughts were logy. She couldn't last much longer.

Thankfully Mustard appeared to be in the same boat. The villain was obviously stronger now than he had been. He glared at her, and then staggered away, weaving his way back down the cul-de-sac. Midnight considered following but it was all she could do to keep her eyes open. This time, when she slumped against a fence and her legs collapsed under her, it wasn't a ploy. She kept her eyes on Mustard. He went through a gate, entering the tiny front gardens the houses in this area had.

The gate closed and she collapsed. She barely heard him collapse before sleep dragged her under.

-afop-

Dabi made his way down the road. He didn't like visiting Mustard. The League member lived too much in society for his comfort. The surrounds were proof of that. The houses weren't mansions, not like the traditional house he'd grown up in but they weren't small. These houses belonged to those on the upper end of comfortable.

They all had gardens and high fences but the houses looked over those fences and judged him. To say nothing of the rabbit warren the twisting streets were. He always felt exposed here, despite everything closing in. Still, Mustard was correct about one thing, at this time of day, he almost never ran into anyone, so from that point of view, it was safe enough.

There were cameras on a lot of houses but so long as no one stole anything, there was no reason to look at those cameras.

Still, he was cautious and made sure he wasn't being followed. That was routine so as he walked, Dabi thought about what Imoku wanted. Killing ExplodoKill was something the League wanted but it wasn't like killing a villain. The vigilante didn't follow a routine. Though maybe… Dabi frowned, thinking about what he knew of the man.

ExplodoKill was a childish name. It reflected his childish nature. He had been enrolled in UA's hero course, and had failed the first round of mandated psyche testing. After that, he'd just never shown up to the General Studies course and… that was when people lost track of him. He wasn't in the underworld. Dabi had checked, though he had been around the fringes. So who was his supplier?

That was something to ask Giran.

The fire villain nodded. And if the vigilante wouldn't play ball, then there were other ways to make him. ExplodoKill still had family.

Dabi felt his scarred skin stretch in a smile. It wasn't honourable, but the League were villains and it was time to remind the world of that. Taking out a vigilante's family would send a message. And Imoku had said they could go wild against ExplodoKill providing the vigilante died. Dabi wondered what Imoku had against the man… Nothing sprang to mind. He snorted to himself, nothing would spring to mind. The boss was very good at hiding his desires and his past.

Dabi wasn't stupid. He had looked into Imoku's past as much as he could. There wasn't much to find. There wasn't meant to be much to find and everything he did was legit. Over the years, while it was like pulling teeth, he'd managed to extract some information from Kurogiri about Imoku. The warp villain was ridiculously loyal. Just like Toga.

But Kurogiri confirmed that Imoku had been set up in the system by the Old Man. He ran the League's legitimate businesses, and paid the League. At least he had, until he turned the League into its own business. Very successful businesses too, Dabi was forced to admit. Mustard worked once a week and made enough to live here. He worked more, but he had he Noumu's and had gone into a more underground business. With the reintegration of heroes, the public was not able to see Villain versus Hero quirk battles on a daily basis, and to compensate, quirk based fighting rings exploded in popularity. There were some legit ones, but they were wussy. The ones that were really popular were the underground rings. He was at the centre of them all, and actually ran several levels of quirk fighting rings. The rules got harder, as did the fighters as you moved up the ranks.

The final champion was the Noumu High End. The creature loved to fight, and the harder his opponent the more he loved it. Dabi loved High End as well. There was a huge winner's purse for anyone who could defeat the Noumu. He'd never had to pay it out.

But that was beside the point. There wasn't much to learn about Imoku and even when Dabi took Toga's pet name of Izuku and looked for information, there was even less. He had managed to make the connection between Imoku and Izuku Midoriya. Imoku looked exactly like a much older Izuku but was that really possible? Not the aging. Dabi knew that was possible, but the knowledge and the rest of it. Could Imoku really only be about 28… in which case, how the hell had he managed to run the companies and be a Member of the House of Representatives at 16? That bit beggared belief.

But if it was true, then that would explain the connection between Imoku and ExplodoKill. The two of them had supposedly been friends.

Hah! Friends. Not that good a friend if Imoku wanted the other man dead.

Dabi shrugged as he neared Mustard's house. He'd think about it later, and maybe he'd even just ask. Given that ExplodoKill had taken out Twice, and captured Ujiko, the League didn't need any more reason to kill him. But it would be nice to get to know the boss a bit more.

Dabi stopped. His nose twitched. He knew that smell. You work with a man for more than 13 years and you learn what his Quirk smelt like. Mustard had been using his in the street. But it wasn't his quirk alone. There was something else mixed in with it.

The smell was subtle but Dabi had practice. He also knew that this toxicity wasn't enough to affect him but he still pulled out a mask. It was better to be safe than sorry. The League still carried their gas masks. It was good practice and a defense against more than just Mustard, and if nothing else, it doubled as a regular mask to hide his identity.

Dabi looked around carefully. He couldn't see anyone and he couldn't feel anyone but before he moved forward he palmed his phone and messaged Kurogiri. He waited for a reply before he walked further, cautiously towards Mustard's house. The gas grew thicker but he could tell it was dissipating.

Mustard lived in a cul-de-sac. Dabi knew that and so peeked around the fence of one of the neighbours to check the coast was clear. He hadn't expected to see a woman slumped against the fence a little way into the road. She had tried to keep herself upright but had fallen and was now asleep. At least Dabi assumed she was asleep. He examined her carefully. Here was a good place for an ambush. Her eyes were closed and her hair was black… but there was something familiar about the spiky tufts. He was sure he'd seen her before. Dabi's eyes narrowed as he continued to examine the street. He couldn't see Mustard and if he'd gotten into a fight and had managed to subdue the woman, then why was she still on the street?

He looked to the gate that lead to Mustard's house. It was closed. Dabi examined the bottom of it but couldn't see anything underneath it. Then he looked back at the woman. She hadn't moved. That was good. Those who were pretending to be asleep often liked to shift and murmur things to enhance the illusion, except it broke it. People stayed still when they were asleep, and under the influence of Mustard's Quirk one didn't go through the dream phase which might allow some movement. Either the woman knew what she was doing, or she was really asleep. Given Mustard's Quirk, the later was most likely true.

Dabi examined her again, looking at her face. He still thought he'd seen her before. It was a long time ago, back before the integration of her- Midnight. Dabi felt his eyes widen when he finally placed her.

What the hell was Midnight doing here, passed out in the street near Mustard's… Well, that was the explanation of itself. But where was Mustard? Dabi brought his phone out again.

Has Mustard messaged you? He sent to Kurogiri.

No. The reply was quick. The answer wasn't helpful. Who else would Mustard have called? Though that didn't explain why Midnight was in the street. If he'd won, he would have…

Shit. That meant Mustard was probably inside and passed out. The idiot! If he'd known Midnight was there, why hadn't he called for back up? Dabi phoned Kurogiri and once the League's warper had picked up he put the phone back in his pocket. With this question, the warp villain would know what was needed.

Dabi strode forward, reaching down to grab the back of Midnight's shirt and drag her towards Mustard's house. He was almost at the gate when it exploded outwards. Dabi might not have been in the news as a Villain for the last few years, but he had kept up his training. He jumped back. The motion took the former hero with him and he dropped her, covering both of his hands in blue flame as he raised them.

He half expected to hear an alarm but the area remained eerily quiet.

"Fucker!"

The expletive wasn't expected. Out of the dust caused by the explosion, someone Dabi hadn't expected to see walked through the ruins of the gate. He was dragging Mustard. Mustard was unconscious. His mouth was agape and Dabi could see that the vigilante had knocked out his false teeth.

"ExplodoKill," Dabi greeted the conscious man.

The blond glared at him before a vicious smile spread across the vigilante's face. "Dabi," he replied. "Just the man I wanted to see."

"Oh?" He asked, raising one eyebrow, but not lowering his hands. The vigilante was fast and with his explosive quirk, he was dangerous.

ExplodoKill dumped Mustard's body, throwing it to the ground harshly and he raised one hand, half mirroring Dabi's stance. Small explosions danced in his palm. "Because you can tell me about your boss!"

Dabi snorted and held his ground, matching ExplodoKill's explosion with a burst of fire. "Now, why would you want to know about him?" He asked. According to Toga ExplodoKill already knew about their boss. He could feel Kurogiri listening in but the warp villain would wait for a signal before making his move. Besides, Imoku had said they could kill ExplodoKill and what type of Leader would he be if he didn't at least try.

"I want to know all about the fucker!" ExplodoKill snarled.

Dabi tossed a fireball back and forth between his hands. "As it happens, the boss has an interest in you," he told the vigilante.

"That fucking Deku!" ExplodoKing roared and drove forward again.

The fire villain dodged to the side to avoid the blast and then he extended one hand, trying to get a hit in on the vigilante's chest. He was well balanced, and managed to jerk back in time, though Dabi knew the heat of his quirk would have been felt. The vigilante leapt backwards, somersaulting back, and attempting to lash out with his feet. Dabi was a little jealous. He wasn't sure he could pull that move. Instead he threw the fire ball at ExplodoKill.

The vigilante swatted it from the air an exploding hand. Dabi didn't smile as he generated a new fireball. Again he tossed it like a ball. The vigilante's eyes followed it, and Dabi generated another fireball, dropping this one quickly.

"You're gonna juggle?" ExplodoKill mocked.

"Maybe," Dabi joked, generating more fireballs. He tossed them into the air, and did actually juggle a few before he flicked them towards the blond.

The first few he allowed the vigilante to swat away. It established a routine. Then one exploded as ExplodoKill tried to whack it. The vigilante hissed as the heat wave washed over him and jumped back from the other fireballs coming at him. Dabi snapped his fingers, exploding the others. He was used to the heat but he knew the vigilante would have burns.

"Fucker!" the curse confirmed his thought.

Dabi created a new set of fireballs. They were his current favourite trick and over the years, he had learned a thing or two about how to use his quirk. This time ExplodoKill was slightly more cautious but the vigilante was determined to get him, and the vigilante knew how many times he'd slipped away via Ujiko's or Kurogiri's warp gates. He was probably suspicious of those.

ExplodoKill narrowed his eyes, and then he raised his hands. He made an odd gesture, curling his fingers into a circle. Dabi was wary and felt a flash of concern when a concentrated explosion shot forth. It was almost like a laser. He hadn't been the only one to create new tricks over the years. The fire villain didn't like to but he drove forward. To defeat the vigilante, all he had to do was get one hand on him. Then… flames did so like to spread. But Dabi knew that ExplodoKill wouldn't make it easy for him.

The vigilante dodged, throwing several explosions in his way. They scored the white facing of the tall fences. The cul-de-sac was going to need a makeover by the time they were done. They traded blows but both were well trained. ExplodoKill snarled but Dabi knew better than to think it was because the vigilante was losing his cool. The man was just naturally angry.

It was confirmed when ExplodoKill formed a fist. Dabi could feel the explosions within it. He countered with his own fire covered hand, and there was a larger explosion when the two of them meet. The windows in the surrounding houses rattled. From the sound a few shattered, but Dabi didn't have time to pay attention to that.

ExplodoKill was grinning at him. That wasn't a good sign. Dabi knew the smiles of those who were addicted to combat, this was different. This was the smile of someone who's plans had come together. The vigilante moved. Dabi blinked. He was far faster than he had been but before the fire villain could brace, he was pushed forward by an explosion. His eyes widened. ExplodoKill was still in front of him, how had the explosion come from behind. Then he was pushed to the side. Again there was nothing there.

Then there was. The vigilante was upon him, hitting hard. "I'm better than you," he hissed. "Stronger. Faster. Superior."

Dabi gritted his teeth. He knew how to take a beating, even if he didn't like it. It was one of the lessons daddy-dearest had literally beaten into him. He retaliated when he could, pushing out flames to ward off the worst of ExplodoKill's punches as he tried to work out how the vigilante had hit him from behind and the side. There was no reason!

He cried out when something snapped. His arm. That hurt! Dabi leapt back, almost hitting the fence of one of the houses.

ExplodoKill allowed the movement, his expression smug. Dabi stood, flexing his fingers slightly. His arm hurt, but he had to push past that, no matter how hard it was. A glance told him the skin was unbroken. That was something. It was a clean break. His eyes narrowed as he considered the problem. It wasn't his arm, it was ExplodoKill's quirk. If the vigilante could hit him from angles he couldn't cover, then he needed reinforcements. Mustard was still on the street where the blond had dumped him and no one in the League was quite ready for this. Kurogiri was ready but the warp villain wouldn't fight. Which meant…

Midnight could be leverage. Maybe.

It was worth trying. Especially with his arm. He had to at least make some strike against ExplodoKill before he retreated. "You aren't a very good vigilante, are you?" Dabi mocked. "All the vigilante's I've know have wanted to be heroes. You? You are just in it for the thrill of the fight."

ExplodoKill glared at him through narrowed eyes but didn't deny it.

"Even so, I would have thought, you might give some consideration to your allies." Dabi lit up one hand, and held it out towards the still unconscious former pro hero.

ExplodoKill snorted. There was no concern in his expression. Instead he raised one hand, letting explosions pass over it before he tilted it backwards, straight at Mustard.

Bugger.

The vigilante grinned. "I don't give a fuck about her."

That was probably true but Dabi had to get leverage somewhere. "I think you do," he scoffed. "You've been careful so far, not to kill. You know what would happen if you do," he added.

ExplodoKill scowled. It was his default expression but Dabi could see that he wasn't happy. There was a certain amount of truth in his words. Vigilante's weren't tolerated but there were those who had survived for longer because they didn't rock the boat too much. ExplodoKill was relatively new. ExplodoKill wanted to shake the foundations. The Government couldn't allow that. Even losing an election, the institution couldn't allow it, since they had to preserve the law.

"He might be a villain but if you kill him, I think you will find his life has more worth than you thought," Dabi finished with a smile, that was more of a grimace, given the pain from his arm. He didn't have to say the rest, that if he killed Midnight, it would just be written off as a villain attack. There might be a bit more searching for him, but Dabi had lived through campaigns like that before. He wasn't in Tartarus. He'd be laying low for a bit with his arm, anyway.

The vigilante hissed.

It was enough of an acknowledgement of Dabi's truth.

"I don't care," the blond growled, and Mustard's body was rocked by several explosions. The vigilante hadn't moved. It was the same technique he'd used on Dabi earlier.

The fire villain watched carefully. He still couldn't see how it was being done but it didn't matter. In retaliation he let out a small jet of flame. It hit Midnight, catching the midriff of her clothes and setting it alight. Dabi controlled the fire, not letting it spread. He wasn't some perv who needed to burn off women's clothing to get his jollies.

The vigilante's expression didn't change. Instead he allowed a few more explosions to shake Mustard's body. Dabi stared flatly, but he knew where this was going. He sent more fire towards the former pro hero.

"Kurogiri," Dabi whispered, knowing the warp villain was still listening. He'd know what the name meant.

"Let's finish this, fucker!" ExplodoKill snarled.

"Yes, let's," Dabi agreed. He snapped the fingers of his good hand. A wall of fire appeared between them.

"Weakling!" the vigilante cried and dove through the flames.

Dabi expected that and while it hurt like a bitch he held up his broken arm, sending a gout of flame towards the vigilante. The man was wise enough to avoid it but it did stop his charge. It gave Dabi time to send more fire towards the fallen pro hero.

"Oh, if that's the way you want it!" ExplodoKill yelled. His hands pointed backwards and Dabi winced at the noise as explosions covered Mustard. The other villain didn't wake up but nor had Midnight.

Internally Dabi sighed. "That's the way it will be," he said, affecting an unconcerned tone. He really didn't want to lose another member of the League but at least they would get Midnight as well. He increased the intensity of his fire. The smell of burning flesh filled the cul-de-sac. Fat and hair had an odd smell. It wasn't nice. He was used to it. From the expression on ExplodoKill's face, the vigilante wasn't.

Kurogiri finally opened a portal.

"No!" the vigilante screamed.

Dabi smiled. He wished he'd done more but he recognised reality and retreating was the better option, for now. "You can deal with this," he told the blond as he stepped back.

ExplodoKill lunged towards him, both hands extended and throwing explosions towards him. Dabi raised his arms protectively over his body, groaning as the break pained him. He was going to pay for that. The pressure passed over him and then the warp closed around him and he was in the familiar surrounds of his office.

"Argh!" he cried out, allowing himself to fully feel the pain in his arm. And from the places ExplodoKill had hit with his Quirk.

Kurogiri appeared. The man didn't say anything. Instead he looked him over and Dabi was thankful when another small warp appeared over the table, disgorging a first aid kit.

"Fucking vigilante!" Dabi growled.

"Mustard?" the warp villain asked.

Dabi shook his head, as he opened the first aid supplies one handed. He grabbed the pain killers, downing them quickly before he looked for a splint for his arm. At least the break was clean. "Fucking ExplodoKill was waiting for him," Dabi explained.

"Did you kill him?" Kurogiri asked.

Dabi didn't glare but the warp villain knew the answer to that. "The fucker is strong," he admitted. "I got Midnight," he told him.

"It will be a group effort," Kurogiri agreed. The warp villain rarely let his opinion be known but Dabi thought the old League member was slightly disappointed. It was hard to tell.

"Next time," Dabi said, wincing as he splinted his arm. Kurogiri approached and took over the procedure. The warp villain was better at it anyway. "Next time," Dabi repeated.

"Next time," Kurogiri agreed. "Though possibly there won't be a next time," he added.

Dabi looked at him sharply. The question obvious.

"The police won't take well to vigilantism," the warp villain said, reminding Dabi of what he had told ExplodoKill.

"We can hope," the fire villain agreed with a nod. He could hope, but while he knew what Police procedure was, he didn't think it would be enough to stop ExplodoKill.

Imoku was right. They had to kill him.

They just needed the right opportunity.

-afop-

FORMER PRO HERO FOUND DEAD

Aizawa swore at his news feed and clicked the article. It wouldn't be news unless there was something unusual about it.

The leafy suburb of Seibu has been rocked by the discovery of two bodies. One has been positively identified as former Pro Hero Midnight. The other is an unidentified male, who is reportedly a resident of the area. He was found just outside his home.

There was evidence of a fight, and both deaths are being treated as suspicious. Police are wanting to question the Vigilante ExplodoKill in relation to the deaths.

"Shit!" Shouta exploded. He didn't need to read any more. He forwarded the article to Bakugou. It was his demand for an explanation.

His phone beeped in response, far too quickly for his comfort.

The male is Mustard.

And? Aizawa sent back. The explanation was not appropriate. It explained nothing, despite the fact that Bakugou obviously thought that it would. The boy was intelligent but he often forgot that others did not share his base assumptions. The former pro hero glared at his phone.

I was waiting for him to come home, came the further response. Aizawa began to have an inkling of what happened now. He didn't like his conclusions.

The bastard didn't come in, so I went to investigate. Midnight was down. Looks like they gassed each other

Shouta blinked at the message, not sure what to think. They gassed each other? It was technically possible. But that didn't explain why Midnight was dead, especially if Bakugou was there. Maybe Mustard would have died, but Midnight should have received treatment. That doesn't explain their deaths. He sent the message.

Dabi was there.

Seriously, at times it was like pulling teeth to get information. Aizawa looked at the article again. There was no mention of the villain, and usually there would be.

Dabi left no evidence, he noted.

The bastard ran.

That may be but the police want you. He felt obligated to point out, as he deliberately took several calming breaths. He wasn't being paid enough to deal with this shit. Hell, he wasn't being paid to deal with Bakugou!

They won't catch me.

The boy was as cocky as ever. Aizawa knew he couldn't say much more. Katsuki wouldn't listen. Make sure of that. Kakurete will influence charges, he told his former student. Probably QERI too, he added.

They won't.

He seemed sure. Shouta knew that it was a facade and he left it. He had enough to think about now. Briefly he closed his eyes, thinking about Midnight.

Her presence raised questions. What had she been doing? Had it been chance she'd encountered Mustard or something else.?

He sighed. Now he had another thing to look into. Maybe Sir Nighteye knew.

He hoped Sir Nighteye knew.

Aizawa had a feeling that All Might's former sidekick wouldn't. It was going to be a long few weeks.

-afop-

Imoku sat in the Parliament. With an election called, and campaigning underway, the Government was in caretaker mode so he wasn't sure why they were in session. They were though, and he never missed a session. It wasn't any comfort that Yatou Rida, the opposition leader didn't look pleased. He'd asked Masami what the purpose was but the current Foreign Minister didn't know. She was seated near the bottom of the tiered room, her expression studiously neutral.

It was probably just the Prime Minister wanting to show off his power. That was normal. Kiyoshi Takenaka had been acceptable as the Deputy but once he got to the chief position he had slowly become less reasonable. It was one of the reasons the public was disenchanted with the government. This particular stunt today was most likely one of his last opportunities to show off power. Imoku imagined once the election was lost, the party would elect a new leader. Maybe even Masami.

That would be convenient for him but he would think on that when it happened.

His phone buzzed. It was set on silent, but Imoku pulled it out. There wasn't anything interesting happening and the reporters who were ever present in the public gallery were almost asleep. No one would comment about him being on his phone, especially when Imoku could see several others tapping away. It was better to get some work done.

He glanced at the message and froze.

There's been an RFI on BioSimip.

It wasn't much of a message but there was a reason it had been sent to him. Because BioSimip was involved with the Justice Department, certain pieces of information had to be given to the public when it was requested. That's what the RFI was, a request for information. There had been a few after QERI became known and he hadn't got a message. This one meant someone had requested specific, sensitive information.

Who? Imoku typed back.

PI Industries

Imoku frowned. He didn't recognise the name and he had a pretty good understanding of companies out there. He did a quick search. Nothing came up. BioSimip could reject the information request on the grounds that the company was a front but that meant a legitimate company would be used next time. PI Industries.

The obvious expansion to it was private investigator. Imoku smiled to himself. It would make sense but who was the private investigator?

Who signed the request? Imoku asked. That would tell him more.

There was a delay as his contact no doubt checked. The agent knew to tell him immediately if there was a certain request. The details could follow.

Kagareta Hyojo, came the response.

Imoku didn't recognise the name but he recognised the kanji. His informant was one of the quirkless people he had employed. This particular contact had been forced to pull out of school early due to the bullying and her written language skills weren't the best. Still, she could read enough and the answer as to who requested the information was obvious.

He wasn't sure if his contact meant it, but she had used the kanji for 'dirty look' with the name. And if it was dirty look requesting information from BioSimip, then it was an easy deduction as to who was really looking. Look equalled eye, and dirty could mean dark, which could also become night… So Sir Nighteye, looking for PI Industries, which was probably something that was standing in for Mighty Industries.

The only question was if All Might was involved.

All Might still ran his company. The retired pro hero had reintegrated just like everyone else, but there was still a demand for posters and toys from the hero age. And Mighty Industries didn't just produce All Might merchandise. They had several contracts with movie studios. All Might was not a complete fool when it came to business but Imoku knew Kunshu could take him.

Except there had been no need. Mighty Industries did merchandise. That was all. They made a good income there, but they didn't trade in the same things Kunshu did, and up until now, there had been no conflict between the two companies.

There was now.

And he thought he knew why. His lips pressed together in a narrow line. He had told BioSimip to keep a stockpile of Mustard's sleeping gas, and to only use the oldest in making their premium brand pill. They hadn't. And now, the connection was too obvious. Mustard was dead, killed by Bakugou, or if he wanted, he could blame Dabi, except that was a thought for another day, and BioSimip had to announce they only had limited supplies of their premium brand. The coincidence would be lost on most, but it could be enough to point others in the right direction, especially with this request.

He was going to have to check that other companies were obeying his instructions. But again, not today.

So, with Sir Nighteye looking into BioSimip, using a fake name that put a very different slant on the RFI. Sir Nighteye would know about Mustard. He would know about BioSimip. He might make the connection.

You've done well, Imoku typed, and closed the message stream as he thought.

He couldn't deny the RFI. Well BioSimip couldn't, because that would invalidate the QERI contract, and no doubt that was something Sir Nighteye wanted. Though the former pro hero would know that was a long shot.

What he could do though was make sure that Sir Nighteye was buried in information. BioSimip had an RFI response pack. It didn't include the information requested this time, but it would be a delaying tactic. It would take them a few days, at least to realise that information wasn't just buried. The response would let Imoku know what they were truly searching for. There was nothing incriminating with the requested information, it was just commercially sensitive, and BioSimip had the right to protect their commercial advantage.

And he had the right to shift the responsibility for employing Mustard, a known villain to one of the executives. Yagi Keikan would do nicely. The others would then fall in line.

Still, the information request was a warning.

They were closing in.

Imoku smiled, putting his phone away. No doubt Sir Nighteye thought of himself as a hunter, tracking down the information required. He was willing to bet that the former pro hero had forgotten the first rule of the hunt.

Gazelle never cornered the lion.

-afop-

Notes:

汚れた表情 Kegareta hyōjō - Dirty Look