"What the hell do you mean 'Nana's granddaughter', Toshinori?!" The raspy voice of Gran Torino, on the other side of the phone, still made Toshinori Yagi, the Symbol of Peace known as All Might, shiver a bit at the memory of his training, but this time around he wasn't going to let that stop him.
"I know! I have no idea what's going on, but she is right here, training!"
"What?! Wait, wait, one thing at a time. So, you stumbled into a girl named Shimura, right?"
"Yes!"
"And why do you think she is Nana's granddaughter, exactly? She might just come from another Shimura family." Gran Torino pointed out. Toshinori admitted that was possible, but looking at the girl training on the beach, currently busy helping Mustard move a large drawer, he couldn't pretend to not see the resemblance. Aside from the same hair and eye color, she also had a similar shape of the nose, eye shape, and other small details through her face that made her look very, very similar to Nana.
You couldn't just fake small aspects like that. "I'm confident sir."
The man scoffed, "Fine, pretend that this is actually Nana's granddaughter. How old is she?"
"Fifteen." He replied. Apparently, the girl had taken a leap year between middle school and high school, as he had found out asking a few questions.
"The family?"
Toshinori frowned. "All I know is that her father is a coworker of my protégé's father." All Might answered. Then he froze.
"Protégé? Who is that?" The man on the other end of the line took a moment, then his eyes went wide, "Wait, Toshinori, you also mentioned training. Did you find a successor?"
'Well, the cat is out of the bag I guess.' "Yes sir, his name is Izuku. A very smart young man."
"Good. For a second I thought you had chosen the Shimura child out of some misplaced sense of debt and was going to come over there to stop you."
Toshinori had to admit, for a second, after Young Himiko's resemblance clicked into place, he had thought of that. He had however dismissed the thought immediately afterwards. Not only because it would have been a massive insult toward Young Midoriya, who was working hard to succeed him, but also because the Shimura family had suffered enough. Nana's child – who he assumed was Himiko's father – had suffered enough for it without having his daughter also getting involved in the whole One for All legacy mess. Especially now that All for One was gone and he could just focus on keeping their society stable in the next generation. "I would never, sir."
"Good. I see there is some sense in that brain of yours. Well, that was interesting."
"Wait, don't you want to…"
"To what? Come see her? Talk to her father? I am a stranger to her Toshinori." He pointed out, "Though… Thank you. It's nice to know Nana's family is doing well."
-x-
Tomura reached that spot on the back with a sigh of relief, then put down his old father's hand next to the others. Man, he really made an excellent backscratcher.
-x-
"Yeah, I agree. Thank you sir." He answered. He had to admit, he actually was a lot more curious about Himiko, and he was sure Nezu would be delighted to see if his theories on what One for All could do to the heirs' children were right. 'Yeah, maybe let's wait a few years before telling him.' He closed the phone after saying goodbye to his teacher and walked up to the children. "Well then, you seem to be doing well."
They were both sweaty and panting hard. More or less what he expected: they both had a lean physique that wasn't built for strength but more for agility and nimble movements. "Out of curiosity sir, does Izuku do this every day?" The young man, Masutaro, asked.
"Indeed! Well, except on Sunday, when he has to study hard, and when he is busy swimming or running."
"Man, no wonder he is bulking up." Masutaro muttered, and Toshinori let out another chortle, accompanied by blood. Once again, Himiko stared at him transfixed.
"Indeed, that is what we designed this training for. I notice you two are more on the nimble side. Nothing wrong with that of course, I know a few Heroes with that same skillset, like Best Jeanist or Edgeshot. Can I ask what you plan to do for UA's exam?"
"Well, we are studying for the written portion." Himiko explained, "Then I guess it depends on the practical."
Toshinori hummed. Nedzu would be using robots like he did every other year, but he wasn't going to tell them. It was supposed to simulate an impromptu villain attack by only informing the students of the enemy at the last second, after all. Telling them in advance would betray the purpose of it all. "And what do you assume that is?"
"Combat of some kind? Maybe sparring with other students." Himiko grinned, "In that case I should do well."
"Me too. I mean, I have this." Masutaro added, and proceeded to pull a revolver out of his pocket, Toshinori's eyes going wide.
"Young Masutaro, is that a gun?"
He took a second to look at it, then at him, before shaking his head, "N-No, of course not, this is a, err, Projectile Launching Multifunctional Support Item. Yes. Definitely not a gun."
"Oh. Oh, of course, you wouldn't have a gun, my bad." Toshinori laughed, and Masutaro laughed too, if a bit loudly, while Himiko glared at him. "A good choice to have a support item from the start. I guess you will be quite proficient in it by the time of the exam."
"That's what I hope too sir." He replied, and Toshinori chuckled. Ah, the nervousness of young Heroes in the making at school exams. They seemed so terrifying, and yet All Might knew they were but a starting line.
"Very well, that's enough for a pause, let's go running a few laps."
They both sighed, but didn't complain when he pulled out a Segway and started to lead them both. Hopefully, young Midoriya was having as much fun.
-x-
"Sir is that a real sword?!" Izuku shouted as he did his best to block with his wooden sword the opponent's attack.
"The edge is dulled." Stendhal replied, as the two came into contact and the wooden sword flew away, "And as I said, tighter grip, kid, or this happens!" And with that, he slammed his sword on Izuku's side, making him cry out in pain as he flew back against the wall. "You died again."
"I noticed…" The teenager said lying on the ground. Looking up, he saw he had landed right in front of Tomura, who was munching absentmindedly into some pop-corn. "A little help?" He asked, raising his hand toward him.
"Nope." The man replied, munching on another hand of the snack as Izuku tried to bring himself to his feet.
"Jerk."
"Heroboo."
Izuku sighed, rolled on his side and stood back up, going to pick up his sword when a wooden knife hit him in the temple, making him step back. "And again. Come on kid, try to at least keep your mind sharp. What villain is going to let you just pick up your weapon?"
Izuku had to admit the ex-vigilante had a point, so this time he kept a careful eye on him as he picked up the wooden sword and rushed forward.
Masutaro wasn't joking about this training being harsh, he was going to be sore for days.
-x-
Mustard limped to the apartment complex where Midoriya lived, landing on his ass on the sidewalk in front to it. Next to him, Himiko looked pale as a sheet, after all the running and muscle exercises they had done. She sat down next to him and immediately sighed in relief.
"Well then, that was a good day of training." Toshinori Yagi said from his Segway, "I'll go back to the beach and take the pickup to the garbage dump. Good luck with your training, young Heroes in the making."
The two made sounds that might have been a goodbye and he chuckled, turning around and starting his route back to Dagoba.
Once he was sure the man was gone, Masutaro pulled out his phone and called Kurogiri, who opened a portal. Out of it, bruised and exhausted, walked Izuku.
The two looked at each other.
And then as one they extended their hand, shaking the other's. "I really underestimated your training, Izukun."
"Me too, Masuchan." He replied, and they both realized they had just formed a friendship born from the strongest of bonds.
Exhaustion after a long day of training.
-x-
Somewhere out there, a young man that was buying red hair dye felt a manly tear surge to his eyes, and knew that out there somewhere two bros had just become bros.
"So manly…" He whispered, not knowing exactly what was happening but sure it made sense in context.
-x-
Himiko shook her head as she walked through the portal. "Boys are dumb." She decided, collapsing on the closest chair on the other side, face on one of the tables of the bar.
"Welcome back." All for One said. She waved at her dad, without taking her face up from the table. "Not going to try and kill that Bakugo today?" He added.
She groaned, "He gets to live a bit longer."
"Are you sure you don't want me to send a Noumu after him? Or even just Dabi or Compress."
"No, no, he is mine. I'm just too tired today…" Toga leaned back as Masutaro walked through the portal too and followed her lead, collapsing on the chair right next to her, his face also planting itself on the table.
"Kill me…" He muttered, before he noticed Toga's hand move to the knife, "I was joking!"
"Go take a shower, both of you." All for One said after a moment, "You stink."
"Nooooo…" They both groaned.
Compress, from the side, chuckled, "Mh. If Midoriya is training to the point you two end up like this and can't even do as you are told, maybe we should ask Stain to make his training harsher too…"
"We are going, we are going!" They both jumped up and rushed to their respective room. Or well, more limped to them, but the point remained.
"I'm impressed Compress."
"Thank you, sir." The magician replied, "I figured I'd put some effort into parenting for Mustard."
"Ah, because of my example?"
"No, because that way you will never feel compelled to spend another day with Tomura to set an example again, and I won't have to worry about internet lingo coming out of your mouth." He paused, then quickly added, "Sir."
All for One scoffed. He didn't think being a parent could be fun, especially when the daughter was a teenager too, but so far he was acing it. Taking it as a challenge, he stood up and walked to Tomura's room.
"I wouldn't go in boss." Dabi commented when he reached the room, but All for One ignored it, taking only a moment to think on how to greet his student. Of course, the best way would be showing pride in Tomura's achievements, scant and unimportant as they might be.
How to express that?
Ah, of course.
"Are you winning son?" He asked opening the door.
Tomura's hand froze on the mouse. The other hand was conspicuously hidden, and All for One thanked heaven that the chair was covering most of Tomura's body. Unfortunately, his Heat Vision Quirk was a very refined thing, that allowed him to tell the small difference in the color of various pixels of a screen. So, right now, he knew the screen showed a particular piece of Tomura's 'homework' collection that his student had been very proud of. A waifu, he believed that was called.
Said waifu was currently in a very uncomfortable situation, considering the various back-bending positions she was executing while fully naked. She seemed to be enjoying it though. Good for her.
All for One said nothing and just walked out, closing the door. He turned to Dabi, who just shrugged. "I told you."
He sighed and wondered if he had a Quirk to remove short-term memory. Oh wait, he didn't since he had sold it for the Jet-like Shoulders.
Just his luck.
-x-
Four days after his first day of asking out girls, Bakugou snarled, kicking an empty can down the road and watching it tumble on the gravel. His 'find a girl and rub in Deku and the bitch's face that I would be a better boyfriend than he is' operation had been a failure on day five too.
"Fuck! Why can't they just say yes once?!" Admittedly, one of the girls of the other class had explained she didn't like him because of his personality, but what did she know? He had the personality of a winner, dammit! Was she implying girls liked more a loser personality like Deku's?!
He kicked the can again, before turning a corner. He was in the same alley where that Sludge bastard had tried to take him over. He always made it a point to pass through it to show he wasn't scarred by the experience or anything. As if fucking mud could make him scared. He was reminiscing on that when he felt a shiver down his spine, a sort of primal fear that made him tense. A moment later, from a corner, emerged a girl with blonde hair, her face covered by some sort of weird mouth-scarf from the nose down, leaving only her pale skin and golden eyes in sight. She was wearing a school uniform, though Bakugo couldn't recognize a specific school from it.
He blinked, and when his eyes opened again, she was gone. It was only his instincts that made him move in time to dodge a knife to his neck coming from his left, where the girl had clearly managed to rush to in the instant he had blinked. He turned around releasing a series of explosions and she moved back. "Again?!" He growled, but there was no answer.
She didn't answer, just slicing, aiming for his tendons, neck and stomach. He had to focus his whole to just not get killed by her knife. Then he saw his chance, grabbing a trash can lid and causing an explosion to propel it forward. The blonde girl's head got hit and she started to bleed.
"That hurt…" She hissed, her voice sounding weird, like she was in a daxe. Looking at her face, now uncovered because of the hit, he realized she also looked familiar in general, but before he could see more steps rushed toward the street from behind him. Instinctively he turned around, in time to see the Hero Death Arms turn the corner too, probably having her his explosion.
"Ah! You are fucked now b…" He turned to see that she was gone.
-x-
"I told you, she was a blonde girl with buns, about this tall, with golden eyes." Katsuki explained for the fifth time to the police officer, "She attacked me with a knife, and I had to fend her off until a Hero arrived."
The police officer nodded, taking down the statement, "And she attacked you first, is that correct? You didn't pursue her or anything?" He added.
"Yes! Do you think I would just run after a random girl?"
"Of course not, of course." He smiled politely, "No, you ran into someone we know well."
"Someone you know?" Mitsuki asked. She had reached Bakugo at the Police station after he called her – or most likely was forced to call her – because he was being interviewed and legally a guardian should have been present for a fourteen-year-old interview.
"Yes. Recently, just a few months ago, a young girl stabbed her classmate to drink his blood. You might have heard about it."
"Oh, I remember. She ran from home, right?" Mitsuki nodded, "You are saying it's the same person?"
"The description matches. Golden eyes, blonde hair and a knife as weapon are all compatible."
Mitsuki looked at her son, who was quietly fuming. She knew what he was most likely thinking. The girl was a Villain, not managing to beat her immediately must have angered him far more than being attacked. She did wonder why he also looked thoughtful. "So, what's the name of this villain? I think we should know."
"Of course. Her name is Himiko Toga. There is no point in hiding the information since her name was spread all over the news." The policeman calmly replied.
Their reactions were very different. Mitsuki just let out a soft 'oh my…' of surprise, while her son…
Well, he was her son, of course he would explode. "What?!"
"What is it?"
Mitsuki jumped in first, before Katsuki had a chance to reply, "It's just… my son's best friend has recently started a relation with a girl named Himiko."
"It makes sense now!" Bakugo roared, "That bitch wants to kill me before I can show I'm a better boyfriend than Deku!" He laughed, "That idiot…"
"Wait, wait, Katsuki, they don't look that similar. And Inko and Hisashi mentioned they met her father." She clarified to the police officer, "I have a picture in case, but…"
"Well ma'am, may I see it?" The officer took her phone the moment she handed it to him, and looked at the girl. "They don't really resemble each other. Himiko's Quirk might be at play, but her modus operandi is to kill within a day at most of finding her victim, so this is very different from her usual actions. Just to confirm, did any member of the other's family seem distressed?"
"I dare say they were all quite thrilled." Mitsuki replied instead. She knew something about that. Inko had kept her on the phone for literal ages talking about Izu's girlfriend. She couldn't blame her, seeing Izuku build any sort of confidence made her feel proud of him too, but man did she know a lot about Himiko now. "And again, they also met her father… and I believe Inko mentioned an older brother too."
"Bullshit." Katsuki growled instead, making her sigh internally, "That's her, for sure."
"How are you so sure, son? You understand that this is quite the accusation you are moving against-"
"Because there is no way in hell Deku could have a girlfriend! Especially before me!"
"Well, I don't think that's proof enough. Just in case, could I take a phone number from the family?"
Her son started to shout that 'It was their job to prove it, not his!' while she frowned as she handed him Inko's contact. Katsuki wasn't the kind of person to accuse someone just out of anger, and he had been angry since their dinner a few days prior. Well, 'angry' was usually his mood, as she knew far too well, but him getting to the point of hitting on girls and accusing a person he barely knew of being a serial killer just because of a spat seemed weird. And she was also Izuku's…
Oh.
Oh.
She realized at that moment that she might have misjudged her son. Or at least his preferences.
-x-
Katsuki felt burning anger in his chest as they left the police station. How the fuck was everyone stupid enough to not see that Deku's girlfriend had to be Himiko? She was probably holding the whole family hostage and forcing them to play along with the girlfriend play until she got bored. There was no other explanation at him having a girlfriend. He certainly wasn't the kind of guy that would get one normally.
"Fucking bitch…" He muttered, entering the car. She was quite smart, going after him, the only intelligent person around Deku first. With Katsuki out of the picture, all those idiots would just blindly believe her while she pulled off her schemes, whatever those were. Which probably meant Deku was also in danger. Looking online, it didn't take a genius to figure out Himiko had a 'date and kill' modus operandi. That fool was probably her next dish.
Of course he didn't believe that Deku knew she was a villain. He probably just thought he had lucked out or something.
"Soooo…" His mom suddenly said, making him look up from his phone, "About Himiko…"
"What about her? The police won't listen-"
"Because the serial killer and Izuku's girlfriend are two different people. I told you, Inko and Hisashi both met her father."
"She is probably forcing them to play along!" Katsuki shouted back.
Mitsuki snorted.
Then she started to laugh, and Katsuki felt himself explode. Again. "What's so funny, old hag?!"
"Th-the image of a teenager fo-forcing Inko to do something against her f-family. Pfft. Ahah. Oh god my stomach hurts." Mitsuki replied between giggles. Katsuki looked at her in confusion. As far as he knew, Deku's mom was a sweet, innocent woman. Even he couldn't get angry at her for anything. "Eh, that brings me back to our old job…"
"What are you talking about?!"
"Nothing, just reminiscing. Anyway son, I understand that you are jealous-"
"I'm not jealous of fucking Deku for dating a serial killer!" He shouted back, "The bitch tried to kill me!"
"I wasn't talking about Izuku, I was more thinking that maybe you were feeling bad for not managing to… you know… confess first."
Katsuki's anger was replaced with confusion. What the fuck was the old hag talking about? This had nothing to do with anything. He didn't even know Himiko, and who the fuck would want to confess to a murderer?
"I mean, I understand that dealing with your feelings must be hard, but it makes just so much sense now. Since you were very young it was always 'Deku this, Deku that', and now that you are in middle school you are always buzzing around him from what I hear. And then he helped saving you a month ago, your feelings must have been crushed when he found himself a girlfriend."
Katsuki was in utter confusion, for a long minute.
Then what her mother was saying sunk in.
"But jealousy is not a reason to try to-"
"I'm not into-!" Katsuki shouted, unable to finish the sentence, "What the hell?!"
"Dear, I understand you probably wanted to come out on your own accord…" Mitsuki said.
"Oh god, with fucking Deku?!"
"I'm saying, there are a lot more fishes in the sea, even if you and Izuku cannot be an item…"
"I'm gonna throw up…" He said, the image starting to crawl its way into his mind. He had nothing against same-sex relationships, but him, with Deku? Hell no.
"And I assure you that you have the family's support in any relationship you might entertain, dear." She added, and Bakugo could only stare at her wide, encouraging smile at the thought that he might have wanted to go out with Deku.
She actually believed that shit. "I'm not into him, mom!"
Mitsuki bit her lower lip, "I see, you probably want to take your time to tell us. But please, don't hit on girls you don't even like anymore to try and hide your feelings, the school is getting worried. Unless you are into both genders dear, I will support you in that too, but the timing is a bit off for that. And it's still wrong to hit on girls you don't like-"
Bakugo literally exploded, his hand sending sparks out and the car seat getting a bit burnt, "I'm not in love with fucking Deku!"
His mom slowly nodded, and Katsuki knew she wasn't going to let go her theory. He grumbled quietly. What the hell was the hag thinking? Just because he didn't give a shit about having a girlfriend before?
'Another fucking can of worms to deal with. Why is my life so complicated? I never did anything wrong.'
-x-
Izuku paused while picking up a small microwave.
"Something wrong, young Midoriya?" All Might asked.
"I don't know. I just feel like someone somewhere told a lie so big I could sense it."
"That is odd, young Midoriya, I won't lie."
"For me too, All Might. So uh, can I talk to you about something? It's about a Yakuza…"
"Yakuza?!" The Pro Hero started looking around frantically, "Where?!"
Izuku sighed, "Nothing, nothing." He wasn't really one to criticize lies, he supposed.
-x-
Bakugo kept grinding his teeth together as his mother went on and on about accepting yourself and stormed out of the car the moment they made it home, rushing to his room after giving a quick wave to his father. Once he was inside, he grabbed his pillow and shouted into it. He used to just scream, but the neighbors had called the police a few too many times.
"What the fuck do I do?" He wondered. "The logical thing is telling Deku and then punch her teeth in."
Then he paused. He thought back at what the detective had said about her modus operandi. She clearly wasn't trying to kill Deku yet, because let's be honest, that couldn't be that hard. So, she had to be doing something else.
'Of course! She is playing with her food. She is letting him believe she is in love with him, and if I tell him…' If he told him, she would kill Deku. Probably his whole family too.
Bakugo considered his options. Going after Toga by himself sounded like the right thing to do anyway. All Might didn't need anyone's help, and has the person born to surpass him, he didn't either. How tough could it be to prove Toga and Izuku's girlfriend were one and the same anyway?
He started to build a plan.
-x-
"Hello?" Inko Midoriya picked up her home phone calmly, putting down the plates she was about to put away.
"Good morning, is this Inko Midoriya?" The voice on the other side asked, and she stiffened, "This is the Musutafu Police Force, might I ask you some questions?"
"Oh. Good morning, officer. Who do I have the pleasure to speak with?"
"This is Detective Goretaro. I'm sorry to bother you miss, but I have a few questions regarding a person you might know?"
"Truly?" She asked, raising her eyebrow slightly. Was this about the old days?
"Yes, it's a certain Himiko." She paused. Little Himiko? That seemed odd. "I just would like to ask a few questions on her."
"Of course. Did something happen to her?"
"No ma'am, it's just that there was a Villain attack we think she might be involved in, and we would like to…"
"Is she ok?!"
"Again, ma'am, she wasn't a victim." The man replied, and she took a deep breath. Of course. Shiggy would never allow her daughter to get hurt. "I just have a few questions. When was the last time you met her?"
"About four days ago, when she came to visit my son with a friend." She replied.
"And did she have a parent, or a tutor, to accompany her?"
"Yes, of course. Her father, an employee of his, and her older brother came by, though the latter only briefly. You know how those twenty-something years old are." She chuckled. She hadn't even seen Tomura, but according to Izuku he had just walked in and then back out, so it wasn't a surprise, "Ah, my husband and my son also met them three days ago, though."
"I see. Now, could you tell me her full name?" He asked.
Inko winced. Truth was, she knew Shiggy probably had planned to change her surname for UA. It was such a Shiggy thing to do. Always so paranoid, that guy. "Uhm, I don't quite remember… We always call her Himiko around the house, you see. My husband should know though, her father is a colleague after all."
"… I see. Now, if I might ask, could you give me a description of her?"
Inko winced. So they were investigating her. Up to now, she had worked on the assumption that Himiko had been involved in a villain attack, but now she had to assume she was either the Villain or on the Villain's side. "So uhm, I can, but can I ask more information? I don't understand the reason for all those questions…"
There was a pause on the other side, then the man sighed, "Miss Midoriya, today a young man was attacked by a serial killer known as Himiko Toga. He mentioned that your son has been in a relation with a person of the same name for a while now, and so we need to check. Although, I assure you that the fact you mentioned her having a family and said family having employment is already enough. We just want a description for completeness."
Inko closed her eyes, pinching the bridge of her nose. Of course. It made so much more sense now. She knew she never heard of Shiggy having children, and he certainly wasn't the type to make up a family. Of course he would have adopted a serial killer – and probably whoever Tomura was – for his selfish reasons.
She wondered if her husband knew and had agreed anyway or if he was in the dark. Hisashi was a smart man, and handsome too, but sometimes he fuzzed over the details, like, I don't know, thinking his son would never question the fact he was a Yakuza.
He was such a dumb-dumb sometimes, but he was her dumb-dumb.
Then again, her husband never cared much about the old family politics, as he had proven marrying her. He was more of a progressive, and she was fairly sure the decision to organize the marriage in the first place came from the insistence of the other high-ranking members of the gang. Those old men were all about tradition.
"Well, sir, I will give you a description, if it can help, but I assure you, Little Himiko is as innocent as can be." She answered, before launching into a long description of her appearance, down to the shape of her shoulders and the height and estimate weight.
What? She was good at picking up details.
The man on the other side was clearly taking note of everything. "Thank you miss Inko. One last question, if you don't mind. How long as your son been in a relation with the girl?"
"Oh, about a month, I would say." She answered.
There was a pause from the other side, then a simple goodbye she returned, before the phone went silent.
Inko stared at the phone and quickly opened her browser. A quick search gave her all the information she needed on Himiko Toga, including a picture that, while not identical, made her think this could very well be the Himiko she knew.
About five deaths were to her name. Well, amateur numbers, in fact maybe a little low, but still a bit for the girlfriend of her son. Would a responsible mother let him continue that relation?
Then she looked at a picture of his son she had taken when he was a bit younger, of him being all nervous, and thought back at the night a few days before, when Himiko had jumped on Katsuki for his outburst and thorn him to shred for talking back to Izuku.
She sighed, using her Quirk to pick up the plates. Truth was, she liked Himiko a lot, so for now she would let Shiggy and her off the hook. Izuku was growing up and didn't seem to dislike her either, and Hisashi certainly had no qualms with having a family member marrying a bloody bride. Far be it from Inko to ruin a young girl's chance to happiness, especially a young girl that reminded her of herself when she was young.
Also, she could really protect her grandchildren if it came to it.
For now Himiko would stay, and if she somehow did something bad…
Well, Inko wasn't that out of shape, now was she?
But before it came to that, she supposed a phone call was a good idea.
-x-
The Symbol of Evil dreaded only a few things.
The end of his life, that would come, by his estimate, around the age of 150-160, so unfortunately close. The day when All Might had destroyed his head with a punch. The horror of making eye-contact with Tomura since that Monday.
The number on the screen of his phone.
He took in a sharp breath. 'Calm down. She is retired. She and the others all are. You are the Symbol of Evil. Don't get scared.'
His finger hovered on the answer button and, admittedly, a few times on the reject call button. But he was the Symbol of Evil. He wasn't about to chicken out of a phone call. "Hello?"
"Oh, Shiggy, hello."
"I-Inko," 'Don't stammer, she will smell your fear through the phone!' "Hello, how did you get this number?"
"Why, I asked Hisashi."
'Son of a bitch.' "How nice of him. So, how can I help you?"
"Well, I was thinking, you could start by telling your daughter to not try and kill Mitsuki's son. You know, she wouldn't take it gently." She replied flatly, calmly.
"Mitsuki's… son?"
"Yes. You don't want her to go wild, do you?" Inko's voice had a hint of smugness that All for One normally would have killed. Alright, maybe he had lied to Tomura when he had claimed that it was only because of big guns and a few strong heroes that he didn't want a war with the Green Valley Clan.
Really, those two were nothing compared to the other reason.
'That Katsuki brat. Really?' He sighed, 'What did I do wrong in my life to get punished like this.'
-x-
All Might felt One for All swell inside him, burning with what he could only describe as righteous anger. Odd.
-x-
"I don't know what you are talking about, but I suppose I can tell Himiko to stay away from Mitsuki's son, whoever that is."
"Yes, do that Shiggy. Oh, by the way, thanks to that I think it would be best if we keep Katsuki away from her, if we can, right? We wouldn't want any incidents."
"Ah, of course, an excellent idea."
"Good. It's just a pity I won't be able to organize another dinner like the one we had the other day, it was delightful, but it is what it is. Oh, All for One, one last thing."
"Y-Yes?" 'Stop stammering!'
"I'm fine with their relation – we know our family can't judge her for a few accounts of murder and assault – but if she hurts Izuku…"
"It won't happen. I assure you, Himiko will be of her best behavior. Actually, I believe Mustard said something about having procured her some material to help being a better girlfriend."
Inko cooed. All for One had never felt relief so palpable in his life.
-x-
"Are you done pouting?" Mustard asked entering Himiko's room.
"Five more minutes…"Himiko grumbled on her pillow, "Mustard, have I lost my touch?"
"You mean 'was it stupid to attack a guy in broad daylight on a small side road when said guy makes explosions that will alert anyone around?'" He shook his head, "In that case I'm afraid that yes, it was."
"Jerk."
"Don't call me that, I'm here because what you asked for has arrived!" He showed her a large box of cardboard. "It took Kurogiri a few days, but he finally stole everything."
"What's that."
"The only source of knowledge on couple affairs I could think of."
Curious, Himiko opened the box, and stared at the content, before slowly looking up toward Mustard.
"Mustard, those are…"
"The best romance manga I know of. Early 21st century stuff mostly, but there is some older and newer content."
"Why?!"
"What do you mean why? Those work. I think. I mean I never tried but those character always hook up together in the end, so it must work, right?"
"Why not movies."
He snorted. "Pffft. Movies are so unrealistic."
Himiko blinked once. Then twice. Then she realized that she was rather desperate. I mean, at worst she was going to waste a few hours a day, right? This advice couldn't be that bad. "Are you sure that will work?"
He scratched the back of his head, "Honestly no idea. Izukun is kind of a dork too though, right? He probably doesn't know much about love life either, so maybe?"
Himiko opened one, and watched the main boy and girl kiss.
"Fine. But if this doesn't work I'll murder you."
"… Uh. Alright. Well, for starter, try this one. It's about a tsundere, a hajidere and the MC in a love triangle." She pushed an azure book in her hand.
"What is a 'tsundere'?"
Mustard sighed and put a hand on her shoulder, "We have a lot of work to do."
(xx)
"Mustard no."
"Mustard yes!"
So yeah, end of this chapter. Man that was one that made me sweat. I went through so many iterations of the jokes and events before they landed the way I wanted them to, especially for the second half. I rewrote everything from Himiko's attack forward eight times before I was satisfied.
For those wondering, this is what I call the middle school arc, that should not last that much longer before UA Entrance Exam happens and we enter again canon land. I hope you all are not disappointed.