Quick AN: the previous chapter received some minor updates near the end that kinda tie into this chapter. It's not particularly important but it does exist.

Yosetsu woke with a start, and when he did, he found himself gasping for air as he sprang upright from his previous position, with his eyes widened to their absolute limits and his heart rate spiking through the roof.

His heart raced as he breathed in and out deeply, with his eyes darting around in a panicked fashion as he surveyed the room he was in with nauseating vigor, only for him to slowly but surely calm himself down when he realized that he wasn't where he thought he was as he gulped and brought a hand up to his chest in a feeble attempt to slow his racing heart. His efforts amounted to nothing more than wishful thinking, however, as the adrenaline that came with his sudden awakening still lingered within him.

His heart rate did take a moment or two to steady itself, perhaps a full minute or so, but by the time it was stabilized, Awase found himself perking his ears up a little when he heard a faint beeping sound to his side. Out of curiosity, the still on edge teen turned towards the source of the noise and saw that it was a heart monitor, one that was showing a rather panicked heartbeat, the Welder noticed… and then he noticed that it was displaying his heartbeat, something that made the lines on the monitor spike up briefly when he realized this.

Seconds later, Yosetsu, after taking his eyes off the heartbeat monitor, saw that, rather than the cold, hard concrete floor he was once sitting atop with bound wrists, the Welder was now sitting atop a clean hospital bed, one that wasn't particularly comfortable, though considering where he was previously, he reckoned that he couldn't really complain. Likewise, the pure white, sanitized hospital room he was in, whilst much smaller than the one he was in previously, held a calmer atmosphere than that dank room he, Itagami, Derma and Aston were once in, and though he would've preferred to be out of it, Awase still saw it as a good sign as he leaned his back against the bed's pillow and sighed deeply to himself.

Huffing to himself in an attempt to further calm his nerves, Yosetsu grimaced as he closed his eyes briefly to help himself focus on what had happened prior to him passing out. His mind was trying its best to suppress the memories, but even so, Awase was able to dig them up with very little resistance. He recalled Atra rushing in to help a kid, Reroutata-Kun was the boy's name if he recalled, and Yosetsu rushing in to help, resulting in him getting kidnapped in her place, being knocked out and dragged to a building where he met Derma, Aston and Itagami… and Mikazuki somehow tracking them down and rescuing them…

That last part set something inside of Yosetsu off as he opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling impassively. His frown deepened a little as he acknowledged how he needed Augus to risk his life on his behalf for little to no gain, and though he wasn't sure if Mikazuki felt this way, Awase was very certain that his life didn't hold that much meaning in the long run. The orphan would've been better off just… leaving it well enough alone than actually rushing in to rescue him.

But at the same time, however, Augus' selflessness did leave quite an impression on Yosetsu. He already knew that the orphan was a good person, even if most of their classmates didn't agree with him on that, but this in itself cemented his stance on Mikazuki's heroic nature, so to speak, more so than anything else could. To rush in headfirst without any care or concern for one's safety… now that was the mark of a true Hero…

Before Yosetsu could think too deeply into the issue, however, he found himself perking up a little when he heard a knock on the door to his hospital room, prompting him to snap out of it rather quickly as he sat upright, and he did so just in time to see it swing open, allowing two civilians dressed in still dirty overalls and a doctor to enter the room.

The two civilians were the first to enter the room, something that didn't surprise anyone honestly, considering how they were Yosetsu's parents, and despite it going completely against health and safety regulations, especially when one considered how they were still slathered in sweat, oil and grease, the doctor, more so because he knew that the Welder's injuries were skin-deep at worst, didn't stop Awase's mother from rushing up to her son and engulfing him in a hug that could suffocate a weaker person.

It was probably a good thing that Yosetsu wasn't any weaker than he currently was!

Awase's mother, Awase Toketa, was a woman of average height, though she certainly stood taller than her son. Her skin had tanned due to her occupation as a factory worker alongside her husband, and she had a few work-related scars dotting her exposed limbs, namely portions of her forearms and legs. Outside of her minor scars, however, Toketa did look rather plain, with her grey eyes, unassumingly short hairstyle and youthful face (despite being in her late 30s) allowed her to blend into a crowd rather easily.

That and she was as flat as an ironing board, though that was more or less an issue relating to her Quirk, which was currently being subconsciously activated, as evident by the steam that was beginning to rise from the woman's hair. Neither her husband nor Yosetsu liked bringing the issue up, more so for their own sakes than anything.

Whilst Toketa held onto her son as though her life depended on it, Yosetsu's father awkwardly shimmied around her and smiled meekly at his kid with a mild wave of his hand. Much to his surprise, however, despite him being engulfed in a hug that could very well crush bone, his little Welder didn't seem to mind it all that much as he gently patted his mother's back reassuringly, with him smiling all the while. It didn't take Yosetsu long to catch onto his dad's staring, and when he took note of it, he turned his attention towards him and gave him an awkward wave of his hand.

His father, Awase Mazeru, was quick to return the gesture with a smile, one that was incredibly flimsy, to say the least, as even he wasn't sure if he had the mental fortitude to give his son a

genuine one at the moment. Despite this, however, Yosetsu seemed to accept his father's flimsy smile as he smiled right back at him, much to Mazeru's relief.

Awase Mazeru, much like his wife, wasn't exactly much in terms of looks either. Like Toketa, Mazeru was lightly tanned as well, with there being a small handful of cuts and bruises on his forearms and legs due to workplace related incidents, though outside of that, he didn't really look too noteworthy, with the only real point of interest in regards to his appearance being the hairband that he used to keep his hair out of his eyes whilst at work,.

On occasion, Mazeru would wonder if Yosetsu had taken inspiration from him to wear a headband all the time. All signs seemed to point to yes.

Regardless of Awase's inspiration, everyone present more or less remained silent as they watched Toketa hold her son close to her, with her sounding close to sobbing into his hair as she clung her baby tightly. Yosetsu was, admittedly, a tad uncomfortable about his current predicament, but even so, he didn't let it show as he smiled and did his best to comfort his mother to the best of his abilities, something that was, admittedly much easier said than done.

"Hey there, mum, dad…" greeted Yosetsu meekly as he patted his mother's back, eliciting a small, awkward smile from the latter as Mazeru smiled and gave him an awkward, two fingered salute. The younger Awase would've returned the gesture to the best of his abilities, though before he could attempt to do so,he suddenly felt Toketa loosen her grip around her son, something that happened so slowly that it honestly unsettled him, before she leaned back and looked the Welder dead in the eye. At that point in time, Awase felt a massive shudder go up his spine as he gulped a little in response to his mum's sharp gaze, and before he could say much more, the older Awase spoke up in a tone that could've made even All Might whimper in fear.

"What were you thinking, Awase Yosetsu?! You could have gotten hurt, which you have, or worse!" protested Toketa as she held her son's shoulders tightly, eliciting a wince from the aforementioned teen as he reddened in acknowledgement. Toketa berating her son in such a public setting did sting the Welder to a certain extent, but even so, he understood her worries enough to not want to cut her off mid-sentence.

Though it was certainly an in the moment situation, Awase will acknowledge how he had been rash in rushing in after Atra back then. By all accounts, it probably would've been smarter to contact the authorities, and by proxy some Heroes that were hopefully within the area, to deal with the situation in a much more efficient manner. But even so… Yosetsu would never claim to regret that move, if only because he had saved Mixta a few hours of torture or, at worst, a life of torment.

"Toketa… lay off the little Yoyo, why don't you… he just woke up," suggested Mazeru awkwardly as he smiled meekly at his wife, with him trying to calm her down as he gently patted her back. His words had also brought Awase out of a mild trance, during which his mother had apparently been scolding him for doing something so reckless, though buried deep down beneath her

words, there was still a small glimmer of pride to be taken note of as, despite his reckless acts, Yosetsu was indeed rather heroic back then.

As Awase snapped out of his mild trance-like state, however, the Welder glanced up at his father with a raised brow and saw that he was giving him another flimsy smile. It looked genuine enough, though Yosetsu could still tell that he was just as worried as, if not even more so than, Toketa, though he was doing a better job at hiding it than she was. In response to his words, the woman reddened a little as she recoiled a tiny bit from her child, seeming a little apologetic at first, though before long, her expression hardened once more as she crossed her arms and pouted a fair bit.

"Fine… but even so, you are grounded, young man! After what you've done today, I'm tempted to ground you until you reach your early twenties!" complained Toketa as she stared down at her son with a serious glint in her eye, and though Awase did feel like arguing against such a harsh sentence, he thought better of it as he nodded, with him still feeling sore and more than a little intimidated by his mother as he gulped a fair bit at her maternal anger.

"A-Alright, mum!" squeaked Yosetsu meekly as he felt his soul leave his body temporarily, only for a Mikazuki shaped demon chibi to force its way out of his mouth to drag it back into where it belonged. As it did so, the doctor in the room, having found this to be a good time to speak up, stepped forward, with him clearing his throat awkwardly, catching the attention of the family all the while.

"I do apologise for interrupting your reunion, Awase-San, but… perhaps we should run over the medical report for your son before I leave you three alone," suggested the doctor kindly, with him smiling gently all the while. Toketa and Mazeru both nodded at this, and Yosetsu himself tilted his head a little at what he was about to hear, and without wasting a second, the doctor informed them of Awase's current medical condition.

Simply put, outside of a bruise on his back that would disappear within a week and a minor issue with his breathing, something that had been very easily fixed when a nurse had used his Quirk on him, there were no severe injuries present on Yosetsu's body, something that came as a surprise to him as he recalled feeling rather banged up during the whole ordeal, though the doctor did state that he'd have to stay the night just to be sure that he was completely clean. Despite this, however, he never did complain about it as he nodded in thanks once the doctor had finished his report, though before he could excuse himself from the room, the youngest member of the Awase family suddenly remembered something, or rather someone, as he jolted upright and spoke before he could stop himself.

"Wait! W-What about Augus-Kun? And Aston, Itagami and Derma?" asked Yosetsu in a hurry, stopping the doctor mid-turn as he moved to leave the room. Upon hearing him, the aforementioned doctor noticeable froze as he turned back to face Awase with an uncertain look on his face, though vice versa, both Toketa and Mazeru perked up at the mention of Mikazuki as they both looked rather thoughtful.

"Augus-Kun? As in… your friend from school?" asked Mazeru curiously, with him sounding genuinely curious about Mikazuki's involvement in all this. Neither Toketa nor Mazeru had been informed on the finer details behind Yosetsu's kidnapping, and as such, they had no idea that he was even here, and neither one of them have pried too much into their son's personal life, more so out of a mixture of being too busy and respect for his privacy, though they knew enough about Mikazuki, the bare minimum at the very least, to know that he had a positive impact on Awase's life. Likewise, they knew that their son had been a bit more chipper after he became friends with the orphan, so much so that, if they were honest, had they not been informed of how content Augus was with his life in the orphanage, they would've been tempted to adopt him into their family!

"Y-Yeah…" responded Yosetsu meekly as he clenched his hands into tight fists, holding fistfuls of the blanket that was atop him all the while. The gesture told his parents more than they needed to know as they felt a small surge of panic run through them, and Toketa was the first to speak their minds as she bit her lip uncertainly.

"Was he… taken as well, my little Welder?" asked Toketa uncertainly, with her almost fearing the answer as she spoke, to which Yosetsu shook his head, calming her down a little, though not by much as he responded.

"No… he… Augus-Kun… h-he was the one that rescued me and t-the others from the kidnappers in the first place…" corrected Yosetsu in a stutter, to which the older Awase duo perked up in surprise. They weren't particularly supportive of vigilantism, especially not of the underaged variety, but at the same time, to learn that someone, their son's friend no less, had rescued him from his bleak predicament… well, it was more than enough to ignite their interest in Mikazuki, even more so than it already has been, as they blinked and let this new piece of information sink in. "And he… h-he was injured when trying to…"

The words were lost to Awase as he was forced to recall those last few moments spent in that god forsaken building, with Mikazuki on the ground, bleeding out, and his tail… his Quirk, slicing off that man's arm. There had been no remorse behind his gaze, no sense of guilt or even a hint of compassion in his eyes as he did so, and though one could argue that Mikazuki was always rather light with his positive emotions, Yosetsu knew enough about him to know how to tell if he was pretending not to care or outright focusing on the kill. Back then, he just looked so… focused on killing the man with the Kinetic Quirk, even before he had shot him in the head with his pistol… and that alone was almost enough to make Yosetsu vomit right there and then as he held a hand up to his mouth in reflex.

But even so… all that he had done… it was to protect him. It was to get him, and the other children, out of that situation to the best of his ability… and he had done so with very little issue, even in spite of his injury. Mikazuki had only taken a life because it was necessary, he had done so because he had no choice in the matter… and he had only done so because Yosetsu had forced his hand…

Perhaps if he had been better… if he had been stronger… perhaps-

"-se! Awase Yosetsu! Yosetsu! Look at me!"

Gasping a little as he felt himself being forced from his thoughts, Yosetsu widened his eyes uncomfortably as he felt his shoulders being seized. At that, he found himself coming face to face with Mazeru, who was staring at him with worried eyes as he held onto his son's shoulders tightly. The older Awase's gaze was intense as he stared into his son's eyes, though as soon as he had his kid's attention, Mazeru softened his gaze and held a hand up to Yosetsu's eyes, causing him to instinctively follow it with his own.

"Yosetsu, take in a few deep breaths. Match my timing, breath in… hold… breath out… and hold…" instructed Mazeru gently as he helped his son calm himself down, and though the younger Awase was struggling to match his timing at first, he eventually slowed his breathing to a reasonable pace as he inhaled and exhaled slowly, and before long, his heart and breathing rate had subsided to a reasonable degree as he was able to focus on the world around him with just a bit more clarity. "Better…?"

"B-Better…" answered Yosetsu with a shaky nod, eliciting gentle smiles from both Mazeru and Toketa as the latter moved to the former's side and placed a hand on his back, glad that he was able to calm their son down from his panicked state as she smiled down at him fondly, though before long, she went back to being neutral as both she and her husband turned their attention towards the doctor standing behind them, who appeared a little awkward as he watched the altercation unfold.

"Now, if we may… is Augus-Kun alright?"

Meanwhile

"..."

"I never thought you'd be the type to hesitate, Detective."

Perking up a little at that comment from one of the Pro-Heroes that were currently on site, the aforementioned detective, Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa, blinked and glanced in her direction. The man dressed in a somewhat old fashion detective outfit consisting of a trenchcoat and a rather ridiculous hat couldn't help but give a tiny smile in response to the Hero, or rather the Heroine's words as he nodded in greeting towards her, to which she grinned and gave him a two fingered salute.

"Sorry to disappoint you then, Ms Joke, but it just doesn't really feel… right to be interrogating these kids, least of which this one," apologised Tsukauchi, with there being quite a bit of guilt behind his words as he lowered his head in apparent disappointment, more so in himself than

anything, and sighed. In response to this, the Pro Heroine beside him, Ms Joke, offered him a small smile and placed her hand atop his shoulder, something that made him glance in her direction once more.

"Hey, keep your chin up, Detective. We can still garner a few leads from that crime scene, after all. I'm sure that forensics will be able to scrounge up a clue or two for us to follow, and besides, one of the perpetrators survived that beatdown our former Vigilante brought down onto them, so we even have a potential informant!" assured Ms Joke gently as she held her hand up and gave her colleague a thumbs up, one that almost got him to smile as he nodded in acknowledgement. He could only hope for that to be the case, as questioning children that had just lived through something as traumatizing as being kidnapped didn't exactly sit well with Naomasa.

"Yeah, you're right on that from, Fuka- I mean, Ms Joke," commented Naomasa with a nod, with him almost calling the Smile Heroine by her real name, only to catch himself mid-way through. For her part, Ms Joke simply gave a hearty laugh, one that sounded a little more forced than usual, as she punched the Detective on the shoulder, eliciting a wince from him as he wasn't exactly as well built as the jokester was.

"Jeez, trying to one up Eraser on calling me by my real name, huh?" laughed Ms Joke with a wide grin, to which Naomasa rolled his eyes.

"Since when has he ever called you by your real name when out on the field, Joke?" asked Tsukauchi sarcastically, to which the Heroine opened her mouth to speak, only to shut it when she realized that he had a good point. It took her a solid minute of consideration before she responded accordingly, with her snapping her fingers somewhat dramatically as she sighed with just as much fanfare.

"Shit, you got me there," sighed the Smile Heroine in defeat as she leaned against the wall closest to her, eliciting a small chuckle from the Detective as he nodded victoriously, with him acknowledging that weird obsession Joke had with the Erasure Hero, Eraserhead, all the while, though before he could revel in it completely, Naomasa remembered something that was rather important to him, prompting him to clear his throat and change the topic.

"By the by, Joke, how are the other kids?" asked Tsukauchi, with his question being more than enough to make Ms Joke tense up a little as she went silent for the briefest of moments, seemingly trying to regather herself before responding in an uncharacteristically somber tone of voice.

"Most of them are awake, but they're mostly unresponsive to us," apologised Ms Joke sadly as she frowned deeply. "I got one of their names, Derma, but the other two were either unresponsive thanks to trauma or still unconscious after the doctors healed them with their Quirks."

"I see. Has the staff here made any connections with their DNA? Family, perhaps?" asked the Detective, to which the Pro shook her head.

"Unfortunately not. Aside from… him, we weren't able to find much in the way of relatives for either of the boys. At best, one of the staff here with an ancestry Quirk confirmed that the kid with the scar seems to be loosely tied to Endeavour, but it's a very distant, practically nonexistent family tree branch, so distant that even the doctors are willing to dismiss it on principle."

"I see…" muttered Naomasa, with him clasping his hands together as he spoke, though not long after, he nodded and turned back towards Ms Joke with a serious gaze, one that told her about what he was about to ask as he took in a deep breath and spoke. "And… what about…"

"Augus Mikazuki is awake, Detective. The doctor said as much when I asked them about it, and from what little I know about the kid, I think he's expecting to see you at this point," cut off Ms Joke as she crossed her arms in a surprisingly serious manner, and in response to this, the Detective winced and nodded, with him gesturing for the Pro Heroine to follow him all the while.

"I was hoping to save his talk for tomorrow, especially considering how… stressful the situation must've been for him," commented Tsukauchi as he walked towards Mikazuki's hospital room, with Ms Joke nodding in apparent agreement all the while.

"I understand. When I got here, I read up on his file, or at least what little of it the doctors and officers already on site were allowed to share. His upbringing isn't exactly the best, and from what I can garner from the files I skimmed through, you've pulled a lot of strings to keep his record as clean as possible, haven't you, Tsukauchi?" questioned Ms Joke gently, to which Naomasa smiled sadly, nodding all the while.

"Yes, I have. I hoped that the previous fiasco all those years prior would've been the turning point for him to lead a more… quiet life, at least until he was old enough to join a Hero school, but I guess you can't predict everything, now can you?" laughed the Detective humorlessly as he walked on, with him only stopping when the two of them were standing in front of a door, the door to Augus' room. Naomasa appeared hesitant to knock on it as he held his hand up against it meekly, though upon noticing his uncertainty, Ms Joke, rather than knocking for him, simply grasped onto his wrist and shifted his fist forwards, much to his chagrin.

"C'mon now, it's no time to get cold feet, Detective!" scolded Ms Joke warmly as she released Naomasa's wrist, eliciting a grimace from him as he nodded in apparent agreement, and shortly thereafter, he reached for the doorknob and twisted it, with him pushing the door open seconds later…

SHRIEK!

Widening his eyes in shock, the Detective found himself gasping briefly when he saw a blade flying straight at him, with it embedding itself into the door frame within a handful of seconds after he had pushed the door open. The sudden appearance of this… thing was more than enough to make Tsukauchi jump backwards a little out of shock, and both he and Ms Joke remained on guard as they watched the blade jerk itself out of the wall it had embedded itself in.

As soon as it was yanked free from the wall, the blade shifted backwards and hovered itself mere inches away from the Detective's face, with it seemingly examining him as it did so. Vice versa, Naomasa narrowed his eyes and took in the blade as well, with him taking note of the boney texture of its surface and just how… cruel it looked to be. The blade looked more like a sharpened shard of bone than an actual sword, something that unsettled both Detective and Heroine alike as they kept their gaze firmly affixed onto it.

Ms Joke, however, took note of how one end of the bone blade had a fleshy tendril connected to it, and on instinct, she trailed the tendril back to where it was connected to, and when she did, she spotted none other than Mikazuki himself, dressed in a sleeveless blue shirt and a pair of padded pants. His puffy green jacket hung by a chair not too far from his hospital bed, and his blue eyes were locked firmly onto both herself and Tsukauchi, with him silently observing them as the Bone Blade… his Quirk pondered on if it should skewer the latter for even daring to show his face to it.

Ultimately, however, the Bone Blade decided to spare Naomasa the fate it had in store for him, more so because it had been recalled by Mikazuki, who grunted to it, forcing it to back away from the Detective as it trembled in apparent anger before it swooped further back into the room. The Detective and Pro Heroine watched as the Bone Blade expertly coiled the tendril that connected it to its host atop the bed the latter was sitting atop before it nestled itself inside the coil, and shortly thereafter, it went dormant for the time being as Augus turned his full attention up to the two adults.

"Detective," greeted Mikazuki flatly as he watched Detective Naomasa walk into the room, with him fixing his tie all the while. The orphan looked just as expressionless as Tsukauchi remembered from years back, though his gaze did seem just a bit softer than it usually was as he eyed both him and the Heroine closely. Rather noticeably, however, when Mikazuki's gaze fell onto Ms Joke, his brows seemed to perk up a little, almost in recognition, before they went back to their usual states as he nodded in greeting towards her as well. "Ms Joke."

"Oh! I've got a fan, huh?" laughed Ms Joke with a smile before she brought her hand up to her forehead to give a peace sign. As she did so, Mikazuki's Tail Bone squawked a little through unknown means before it unraveled itself and slithered up to the Pro Heroine, who, despite being a little unsettled by it, smiled and stroked the flat end of the blade, causing both it and Mikazuki to shudder a little in pleasure and awkwardness, respectively. Naomasa found himself blinking incredulously as he watched this unfold, though he chose not to comment on it as he watched Ms Joke cradle Augus' tail in her arm and pat it like a cat.

How strange… the first time they met one another, the Rex Tail seemed more keen on eviscerating Tsukauchi rather than being the equivalent of a fucked up cat, though he was quick to disregard it as he moved to take a seat next to Mikazuki's hospital bed. The Tail Blade noticeably perked up at his movement as the tip of its blade turned to face Naomasa briefly, though when it confirmed that he wasn't attempting any hostilities against its host, it went back to being passive, much to the Detective's relief.

He hasn't seen it in battle, but the reports he's garnered in the past told him that it was a force to be reckoned with…

"I'm guessing that you have questions for me, Detective," commented Mikazuki bluntly, eliciting a blink from the aforementioned man as he snapped out of his mild trance. Upon recovering from that, Naomasa simply smiled and nodded in affirmation, eliciting a nod back from the orphan as he raised his left arm up for the guy to see. Tsukauchi's eyes noticeably widened when he took note of the fact that Augus had been handcuffed down onto the bed, though considering his record, the Detective couldn't exactly blame the staff for it. "It's not like I have anywhere else I can be at this time."

"I understand…" muttered Naomasa, sounding rather uncertain with his words as he watched Mikazuki lower his cuffed arm. It was hard not to feel at least some amount of pity for the kid, especially as him being here was caused by him doing what he thought to be right, but even so, based on the report given to him by the first respondents onto the scene, Augus had taken more than a handful of lives, and though he had good intentions, the murder of three individuals and the severe injuring of two, alongside a multitude of past violations, had left Mikazuki teetering on the fence of being sent to jail and walking away scott free, and by all means, he was leaning closer and closer to the former option with each passing second.

Part of Tsukauchi wished that he could do more for Mikazuki. The kid had been wronged by so many individuals in the past, and as a man of the law, Tsukauchi could never bring himself to sleep easy when he knew that he could've done something… anything to change the orphan's fate. But alas, that was all in the past, and all he could do now was to simply give Augus Mikazuki justice… though with that being said, Naomasa would also have to bring justice upon him as well.

No good deed goes unpunished, after all, and even if Mikazuki did save those kids out of the kindness of his heart, he still murdered three people in cold blood, and he would have to pay for it.

Reaching into his trenchcoat, Naomasa grabbed a recording device and placed it onto the table beside Mikazuki's bed. Ms Joke perked up a little upon seeing it, with him noticing how it was that blue and silver recording device that she had gifted him all those years prior. Catching her gaze, the Detective gave her a lopsided smile before he hit the record button on the device, and as soon as it was rolling, Tsukauchi cleared his throat.

"Leaving dead-space in three, two, one. The following is an… interrogation procedure between myself, Detective Tsukauchi Naomasa, and the key suspect of a Vigilante Rescue Mission, Augus Mikazuki. During this procedure, I will be making use of my Quirk, Lie Detector, to ensure that the suspect is speaking nothing more than the truth. Does the suspect consent to the use of my Quirk?" began Naomasa, to which Mikazuki nodded whilst adding a gruff grunt to show his affirmation, eliciting a nod back from Tsukauchi whilst Ms Joke simply snickered at how wordless he could be, prompting the Detective to roll his eyes. "Accompanying us will be the Smile Heroine, Ms Joke, who will be present to restrain the suspect should they become aggressive or unstable during the interrogation process."

The look that Mikazuki gave Ms Joke thereafter told her exactly what he was thinking at the time, and in response to that gaze, she simply motioned for him to just go along with him, which he did.

"Before we conduct the interrogation, in order to ensure that everything is working as intended, I will be asking the suspect three questions to ensure that my Quirk is working as intended. This is just a standard precaution," continued Naomasa, with him going through the usual record procedures as he cleared his throat. "Augus Mikazuki, if you may, please tell me two Lies and one Truth."

"... Ms Joke is a bad Heroine."

A Lie, and a somewhat faux hurt looking Ms Joke to boot.

"I don't like Mustard."

Another Lie, one that made Tsukauchi flinch.

"I'm worried about Awase-Kun."

Truth, something that also came as no surprise to the Detective as he nodded, with him lowering his head a fair bit in acknowledgement of that.

"The first two were Lies whilst the last was the Truth, were they not?" asked Naomasa, eliciting another grunt-nod from Mikazuki. "Good. Let it be known that my Quirk is functioning as intended, and Augus Mikazuki, I will try to have the staff clear you to visit your friend once we are done. I believe that he has regained consciousness and is in good health."

"... ah," was the only response from Mikazuki as he nodded at the Detective's generous offer, and though it was subtle, Ms Joke noticed how not only had Mika's shoulders sagged a little in apparent relief at that news, but his Tail seemed to noticeably relax a little as well, eliciting a small smile from the Heroine as she patted its side.

"Now then, may I have your name, age, and Quirk for the record?" inquired Tsukauchi, eliciting a bewildered look from Ms Joke as she realized that it had been less than a minute since he had introduced him as Augus Mikazuki, though he mostly ignored it as the orphan nodded and did as he was told.

"Ah. Augus Mikazuki, Thirteen… my Quirk… my Quirk…" began Mikazuki, only to trail off faintly as he found himself unwilling to actually speak the name of his Meta Ability as he shut his eyes to compose himself. As he did so, his Tail shuddered a little as it sensed the influx of negativity that was now surging through its host, prompting Ms Joke to flinch a little as she wondered if it would stab her, intentional or not, though before long, the boy recomposed himself and answered accordingly. "My Quirk is Rex Lupus."

"All truths. Thank you, Augus Mikazuki. Now let us begin," continued Naomasa, with him offering the teen a reassuring smile as he nodded encouragingly. "Where were you on Friday, XX/XX/2XXX, from the hours of 6pm to 1130pm?"

"I was back at the orphanage around 6 to 8, when Atra called me and told me that Awase-Kun was kidnapped, I left to help him," responded Mikazuki, short and simple as he maintained eye contact with Naomasa, who made use of his Quirk to confirm that he was speaking the truth. Meanwhile, Ms Joke raised a brow at the mention of this 'Atra', though she didn't comment on it as she smiled sadly at how… nonchalantly Mikazuki had spoken about himself jumping into danger to help his friend.

That was the mark of a Hero more so than anything. The will to jump into the fire just to save another… she would have to keep an eye on him.

"I see. If I may, Augus Mikazuki, why did you insist on jumping in without hesitation to save Awase Yosetsu? You of all people know that Vigilantism is highly illegal, and yet…" began Tsukauchi, with him trailing off near the end when he took note of Augus' gaze. Though it has been more than a few years since he's come face to face with him, Naomasa still recognised that look in Mikazuki's eye from way back when. That was the look of disgust that made even him feel nauseous, and likewise, Ms Joke found herself flinching a little at the sight of it whilst Mika's tail simply twisted itself a little as it processed the disgusted sensation that ran through its host's spine.

"You would've taken too long. You always take too long," snarled Mikazuki, sounding close to feral as he glared at Naomasa harshly, eliciting a wince from the Detective as he recoiled and nodded. His words were harsh, sure… but at the same time, he couldn't blame him for his coldness towards Hero society.

"I… I-I see. But even so, why did you feel the need to throw yourself into danger like that? There is no denying that your Quirk and, even more so than that, your skill are incredibly noteworthy, but even you had to acknowledge that going one-to-five was a death sentence, right?" inquired Tsukauchi, to which Mikazuki nodded. Thereafter, the orphans remained silent for the briefest of

moments as he exhaled sharply through his nostrils, building up a small amount of tension between the three (technically four) people in the room as they waited for his answer, and before long, he offered it to them.

"I charged in because I wanted to save Awase-Kun. I didn't want him to be hurt more than he probably already was. I didn't want his parents to cry because I did nothing to stop this," answered Mikazuki in rapid succession, with him keeping his reasons short and simple as Naomasa's Quirk registered everything as the Truth. He had to give it to the orphan. He knew his way with words, however limited he was with them. "I didn't want any of my friends to mourn him. I didn't want to lose a friend."

"... you have a lot of reasons for doing this, don't you, Augus-Kun," smiled Ms Joke as she nodded at his reasons for saving his friend. Mikazuki was, somewhat rightfully, taken aback by her words, so much so that his cold facade had crumbled briefly as his expression became one of mild surprise, though it was built back up so quickly that it was nearly impossible to take note of as he nodded in appreciation, eliciting another smile from the Smile Heroine all the while.

"Regardless of his reasonings, be they noble or self-serving, we must still acknowledge the fact that, in his attempt to rescue his friend, Augus Mikazuki has also taken the lives of three of the five kidnappers, and left the remaining two in various states of mental and physical disablement," stated Tsukauchi, with his once calm and collected voice now breaking apart as he wondered how he should feel about this. He should've felt disgusted at Mikazuki, to have so willingly killed these men without so much as a second thought… but at the same time, the orphan had only done so to rescue the lives of the innocent, something that tugged at Naomasa's moral compass fiercely.

Was it morally correct to end the life of an evil individual to save another…? Naomasa wanted to say no, he wanted very badly to say that everyone deserves second chances… but at the same time, a rather recent battle between a… colleague of his and their arch-nemesis told him otherwise…

As with his old colleague, Mikazuki didn't seem all too broken up about the fact that he had killed three individuals whilst severely wounding two others. If anything, he seemed rather… pleased with this as he huffed and sat up just a bit straighter, eliciting a wince from Ms Joke while Naomasa himself frowned a little deeper than usual, though he shook it off rather quickly as he exhaled shortly.

"I… I wish for you to state for the record, Augus Mikazuki… but… when you killed those three men and severely injured the other two… did you feel… regret? Or rather, do you feel remorse for your actions now, seeing as how you've had some time to let the issue sit…?" asked Tsukauchi seriously, with him biting his lip as he awaited a response. Though he knew what Augus' answer would be by now, Naomasa still hoped that he would say the opposite. This wasn't the Vigilante boy that he met all those years prior… he was a more mature child, he

could tell that much… but even so, deep down, he knew that regardless of how much time had passed, Mikazuki's answer would forever remain the same.

Ms Joke, on the other hand, found herself expecting Mikazuki to say that he did. Based on what little she had read up on him, she could very much tell that, despite his harsh nature, or at least what the police records described as such, Augus was, deep down, a good soul, one that tended to take things too far, sure, but a good child nonetheless, and as such, Joke had honestly expected for him to say that he regretted his actions.

And as such…

"No. I do not, Detective."

When he gave his response, and when Naomasa closed his eyes, exhaled sharply and nodded in a subdued manner, confirming that Mikazuki's response was indeed the Truth, Ms Joke found herself floored as she blinked and stumbled a bit out of shock.

"I see… let it be known for the record's sake that Augus Mikazuki is indeed speaking the truth," stated Naomasa with a heavy heart as he reached his hand up to end the recording, eliciting a look of sadness from Ms Joke as she realized that this could've meant the end of Mikazuki's short life. Though he was still a minor, murder on this scale would not be let off without severe repercussions, and to add on, Augus had acted as a Vigilante, which only strengthened the fines that would be put against him should he be taken to court.

And to add on, Mikazuki was also convicted of Vigilantism in the past, and though the case was closed, it was still relevant to his current situation as his punishment could be amplified by him being a repeat offender, and that wasn't including all the additional issues that he's been charged with in the past, all of which had been put on ice after the orphan had finished his three year probationary period!

If she did the calculations in her head, if every single case regarding Mikazuki (that she knew of) were to be reopened… the orphan could very well be in juvenile detention and prison until he reached the age of 50 at minimum, and though she knew that to a certain degree, Mika did deserve this… Ms Joke couldn't stand for this without at least trying to do something about it as she grimaced and clenched her fists tightly.

"Thank you for being cooperative with us, Augus Mikazuki… thus ends the interrogation recording. Entering dead-space in three, two, one…" concluded Tsukauchi heavily as he stopped the recording, and at that, he frowned and slid the recorder into his coat and leaned forwards to look Mikazuki in the eye. Rather dishearteningly, the Detective removed his hat and held it in his hands, with him frowning deeply as he stared at it with a blank gaze. "I… feel I should apologise for all this, Augus-Kun."

"Why? You weren't the one that kidnapped Awase-Kun," rebutted Mikazuki, sounding almost worryingly calm as he raised a brow at Naomasa, who chuckled humorlessly as he shook his head. Ms Joke raised a brow at the exchange, with her finding it odd that Tsukauchi was speaking to Augus in such a casual manner, though she kept her thoughts to herself as the Detective responded accordingly.

"You're right on that front, but even so… what you went through was entirely preventable, but even so, both the Police Force and the Hero Commission failed you. Multiple times," lamented Naomasa, prompting Ms Joke to perk up as the Rex Tail snarled in apparent agreement with the Detective's words. "We could've done so much more for people like you… but we-"

"It's okay, Detective," cut Mikazuki off with a frown as he massaged his cuffed hand nonchalantly, eliciting a blink of surprise from the aforementioned Detective as well as a tilted head from Ms Joke as she too felt rather shocked at the orphan's words, prompting him to explain himself. "You've done more than enough when we first met, keeping me out of juvenile detention."

"Even so…" muttered Tsukauchi with a large frown, to which Augus huffed and shook his head.

"There's nothing more to be said, so if you're done here, I'd like to see Awase-Kun," stated Mikazuki, with him not leaving any room for arguments as he gave Naomasa a flat stare, one that made the Detective shudder briefly as he nodded in acknowledgement. He would've preferred to stay and speak just a bit more to Augus, if only to relieve him of the remorseful doubt that still lingered within him, but it was rather obvious to him that the conversation was over at this point, and attempting to continue it wouldn't have been worth it, and as such, Tsukauchi, somewhat reluctantly, nodded and stood up, with him bowing his head once more before he motioned for Ms Joke to follow him out of the room.

Though reluctant to do so as well, the Smile Heroine complied, with her giving the Rex Tail one last pat over its bladed 'head' before she released it, allowing it to hover in front of her as it jolted from side to side, seemingly sad that Ms Joke was leaving. Despite this, it made no move to stop her as she moved towards the exit, though before she left the room, she turned back towards Mikazuki and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Hey, Augus-Kun?" said Ms Joke as she gave the kid the side eye, prompting him to glance in her direction in an oddly meek manner. He almost looked… shy, something that was oddly funny to her as it contradicted how he acted mere moments prior, though she didn't let that stop her from continuing as she brought her index fingers up to either side of her lips and pushed their edges up into a smile, one that made Augus raise a brow. "Don't forget to smile, because you're never fully dressed without one!"

And with that, Ms Joke offered Mikazuki one final thumbs up alongside the most reassuring smile that she could muster up before leaving the room. The orphan reckoned that she had

meant well with those words, though he couldn't help but feel a little insulted by her words as he huffed to himself in annoyance.

But with that being said… the kid couldn't help but frown a little as he brought his uncuffed hand up to his face and rubbed at his cheeks. Shortly thereafter, he tried for a small smile, with him staring into the window to his hospital room to have a look at his reflection, and when he did, he promptly dropped his miniscule smile in favour of his usual, neutral look.

He preferred it this way.

Outside

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Ms Joke?"

"Tsukauchi, I want all the information regarding Augus Mikazuki that you can give me. All the case files, all the reports regarding his Vigilante days, everything."

"I-I'm sorry?"

Ms Joke's request had been so out of left field that Naoamsa had been taken aback by the suddenness of it, but even so, he was even more surprised by the look of absolute determination that was building up in the woman's eyes. The last time he had seen her this determined was when she stated that she would one day marry Eraserhead, and that was over a decade ago!

So why…

"... you're taking pity on Augus Mikazuki, aren't you?" stated Tsukauchi with a frown, eliciting a firm nod from the Smile Heroine all the while. Naomasa's only response to this was a mild sigh as he removed his hat and held it in his hands, with him pursing his lips together briefly as he nodded in acknowledgement of her intentions.

Strong willed, with a heart of gold and the willingness to see the best in others, there was no doubt that Ms Joke was a tried and true Heroine, and despite being an Underground Hero, she still retained the morals she had from back in her days as a Heroine-in-training, something that the Detective admired greatly as he stared down at his hat in silence. He honestly wished that

he was as optimistic as the Smile Heroine sometimes, though then again, he didn't become a Hero for that very reason.

The cynical tended to stay out of the limelight whilst the optimists remained in it, and though Naomasa wasn't the worst case of cynicism within the force, he was also not the shining beacon of optimism that someone like Ms Joke was either.

"You do know that, even if you're a Hero, getting Augus Mikazuki out of his current predicament will be an uphill battle, yes?" commented Naomasa with a frown as he glanced over at the aforementioned Heroine with a defeated look on his face, one that the Smile Heroine did not share as she nodded, determined to set things right as she held a fist up to her chest.

"I know, Tsukauchi. I know. It'll be difficult… but that kid… based on what little I've read on him… I… I just think that he's suffered enough in the past, y'know?" stated Ms Joke with a frown, to which Naomasa nodded. "I just want him to live his best life, that's all…"

"... if anyone can do it, then it's you, Fukukado," muttered Naomasa with the faintest of smiles, with his tone of voice sounding rather hopeful as he placed his hat back atop his head and reached into his coat. Pulling out his notebook, the Detective wrote into it for a bit before he pulled the page he was writing on, with him passing it to Ms Joke thereafter, who read it swiftly.

XXXX-XXXX - Nanamagari Brave Police Chief, Saejima

"Call Deckerd tomorrow in the afternoon. He's got a higher clearance level than me, and if you want to get those files as fast as possible, he's your man," stated Naomasa seriously, to which Ms Joke nodded.

"Thank you, Tsukauchi," thanked the Smile Heroine genuinely as she nodded in appreciation towards Naomasa, who simply waved her off as he began to leave the hospital.

"Thank me by getting that kid some justice for once. I couldn't do much, but I'm sure you can, Fukukado," muttered Tsukauchi with a smile, and before long, he was gone, leaving the Pro Heroine alone in the hospital's mostly empty corridors for quite some time. She remained there briefly before she sighed and pocketed the slip of paper that she had been given, and shortly thereafter, she reached into her back pocket and pulled out her phone.

Dialing a number into the device, she held it up to her ear and waited for the person on the other end of the line to pick up, and as she did so, she glanced back at Mikazuki's room with a saddened look on her face.

That poor kid… wronged in almost every way, shape and form by the world around him, and whenever he tried to do something to save those that were wronged in ways similar to him, he ended up suffering for his kindness… the least Ms Joke could've done was help lessen the punishment that would come upon him, she supposed, though it wouldn't be easy, far from it

really, but even so, Hero duty was never easy, and the Smile Heroine was ready to fight for the kid, regardless of what came in her way!

And before long, the ringing ceased, and from the other end of the phone, a somewhat disconcerting, and slightly tired, voice spoke up in greeting, and shortly thereafter, Ms Joke responded to them accordingly.

"Sup, Javor? You remember how you owed me a few favors, yes? Well, I'd like to cash one in right now!"

Lots of revelations were had in this chapter! I won't reveal much more till much later, but I hope you enjoyed what I did show off regarding Mikazuki's history!

What will happen to him? Will Fukukado-San be able to get him out of this mess? Who knows?

Review replies!

Spyro Fanboy: I do try

Hat109: I'm glad that you enjoyed this different take on Mikazuki. And regarding the Quirk… it was revealed, now wasn't it?

I still don't think I'm doing review replies that well but hey, sue me.

By the by, discounting the courtroom chapter from Tekketsu No Kyojin, this is my first time writing an interrogation. Hopefully it suffices!

Toketa is a direct translation of the Japanese word Melt and Mazeru is the same for Combine.

Also this chapter was published via my phone lmao. I'll touch it up via PC when I get home

Till next time!