Detective Tsukauchi cradles the cup of coffee, exhausted.
What a shit show.
Villains attacking a bunch of children, breaking into U.A., and scattering the children at what was supposed to—should have been—one of the safest places in all of Japan. The most prestigious high school and hero training academy in Japan. Attacking it was unheard of! Practically suicidal.
It'd clearly been meant as a statement.
We can reach your children.
Be afraid.
And it'd worked, if only partly.
The press was on high alert, already eagerly sniffing for whatever story they could find, and several of the phone lines were currently tied with concerned families wondering if their children would be safe returning. Thankfully, most had been redirected to the school, where Nezu could deal with the fallout personally. But that, combined with the handful of calls from the higher-ups, the police chief himself calling to directly remind him of protocol (as if it hadn't all been followed), the hero commission of all people, and several top-tier heroes, led to a political nightmare. He hadn't realized the number two hero's child had been in the class, but there were inquiries to find out, had the boy been a target as well? Was All Might's meer presence a danger to the children?
What kind of establishment were they running...
It might not have created all-out fear, but the reactions were telling.
Then there was the case itself.
All Might, personally, had been the one to reach out first, explaining over the phone in a strangely clipped voice that one of the villains was standing guard, of all things, over Eraserhead and several teens.
He'd arrived too a very strange scene.
Villains scattered across the floor, U.A. heroes locked in a protective circle, and a massive monster-of-a-thing hoovering over a broken Eraserhead with three small students tucked protectively underneath it. Come to find out the creature had broken Eraserhead's elbow on command before going bat-shit-crazy.
He even had video footage thanks to Principal Nezu of several key moments of the fight. One of the monster snarling, clutching its head, and bashing itself into walls. He'd left his officers to deal with that, photographing and measuring several holes with meter-long diameters and facial implants.
Afterward, the creature had gone on a rampage, knocking through villains and snatching up three heroes-in-training from the nearby water. Erratic and hyper-focused, the massive creature dropped the water-logged students on top of an injured Eraserhead and then became a wall—a self-healing wall at that—between the children and villain.
It made absolutely no sense.
Luckily the thing seemed to respect All Might, relaxing long enough for him to safely remove the children and even allowing the number one to hand-cuff it.
Insanity.
He already had several testimonies that the creature was made by the villains. What level of idiot made a monster that didn't listen?
Karma?
Detective Tsukauchi cradles his coffee and sighs.
What a headache.
.
.
.
Outside world very strange.
I right, is story. Recognize broccoli boy. Know hero. Remember names, especially big hero.
All Might.
Not right, very not right.
Police not happy. Hear in other room. Hear in many rooms… Wish All Might return. Like. Like shiny hair, like smile. Wish had hair, maybe think better, more with hair? Brain not good out, need cover. Maybe hurt brain hitting wall? Scare little children, scare hero.
Be good now!
.
.
.
I very good.
I wait in quiet room, not break baby chains, very careful.
Man in hat come visit, brings All Might. Very shiny hair, so pretty. Hard listen with shiny hair. All Might red, says things, not sure. Leaves soon.
No lips, bird beak hard show sad.
Dip head.
Want shiny hair too…
"Are… Are you upset?"
I nod slow. Hat man look lost. Think he need hug.
"You… like All Might?"
Nod again. Hat man frowns, sips coffee and rubs nose. Hat man very tired, maybe need sleep? Many coffee bad...
"Can you speak?"
Shake head.
Too hard. Beak not good to talk. Growl, yes. Speak, no.
"Ah… that's going to make things difficult. But we'll start with some basic yes or no questions. Do you have a name?"
I blink at hat man.
Why hard question first?
"Ah… you don't know?" he asks.
Shrug.
This going be long.
Very, very long.
.
.
.
Principal Nezu observes from the side room as the detective attempts inutilely to interrogate the monstrous creation below them. Truly, quite the conundrum. The Nomu, perhaps a title or name, was clearly designed by villains for destruction, however, her polyphiloprogenitive nature appeared to have caught them by surprise.
But, had it?
Surely to plan so much, breaking into UA, separating the class from help, circumventing the alarms… Why waste such an advantage on such an unreliable asset?
What long-term opportunity did this present outside of maybe the slow detriment of hero society? An opportunity that would have been more effective without the creature.
Was this a proclivity for temerarious foolishness or rather an insidious tergiversation?
Humans so rarely considered their actions so presciently… perhaps it was yet another example of the subversive destruction that often convened alongside human empiricism.
Perhaps…
But perhaps not...
Principal Nezu waits, considering a thousand thoughts and holding his own counsel.
Despite his calm countenance, his fur itches to intervene. The girl clearly had some intelligence, though nothing as exceptional as his own. Not only that, but her strength and self-healing factor could also make her an ideal weapon (likely why the intruders had procured her for their assault), so if that could be harnessed, this time with her nature… Well, it could be an opportunity to market more anti-discriminatory media, further protect the students, and extend more favors to the clearly unprepared police force.
The principal clicks his nails against the table and ponders.
Hmm…
He is liking the idea more and more every minute.
.
.
.
Communicating is hard.
Hat-man tries paper and pencil. Break pencil and table. Oops.
Tries sign, brain too slow.
Tries word cards… not read. All Japanese.
I not know Japanese.
Bring food though! So good! Bring noodles and I eat with fingers. Makes hat-man green, but taste so good! Meet mouse-king too! Mouse-king rule school, remember story, very smart. Bring pictures, help tell story. Even add doctor picture!
Hat-man happy.
Tell many things. 3 more Nomu, 2 more soon. Want tell more, brain too slow. Make hard.
Hat-man and Mouse-king leave. Come back plan.
I go school! Need collar though.
Not like.
Shock if bad, many rules. Worry shadow-man get me. Not-like either. Want hero stay near.