Raw666 - Interesting theory. To be honest, this story might be a story of the Twilight of Quirks, so you might get more some of the answers from it eventually :V
Shahryar - He is, isn't he?
MosesArk Reborn2000 - Tbh Tsuyu would probably refuse. It's not the infertility that made her become a death seeker (it was more of a final catalyst), it was what happened to her family and the guilt over what she did later.
(***)
"Yaomomo." Midoriya announces the day after the next way of raids. "We're ending the Paragon Program in three days from now on. Simultaneous attacks against all located facilities. Rescuing the kids is a priority."
They are presently alone. Or, to be exact, in the Overlook command center, though there is no one particularly close by.
"Kids… as in all of them?" Yaoyorozu replies. Wow, what a great way of showcasing how much she changed from their time in school. "Or is your daughter the priority?"
"She is, indeed, a priority." Midoriya decides to prove that he changed just as much. Or, well, almost just as much. "However, the remaining kids are a level above in importance over killing all of their handlers. Did I make myself clear?"
"Crystal clear." Yaoyorozu replies. "We've been monitoring the facilities for several days already, and I think we have enough intel about their defenses to make it flawless… or, well, as close to flawless as possible. I'll start crafting the operation plan right away."
Good. He needs to get Eri to safety before the Marukane Ward. After that, things are going to get… tricky.
The Prime Minister was going to discover just how weak her grasp over the country was. She had no idea how much anger her politics were causing. PLF's rebirth was a spark, but the fire from it was about to reach the powderkeg.
Did she honestly believe that she could change a first world country into some sort of totalitarian dystopia and not sow the seeds of her own downfall? Midoriya might have been focusing on the raids for now, but…
It was just the most publicly noticeable thing that he was doing.
"What are we going to do with the children we recover?" Yaoyorozu asks. Yes, that's a very good question.
"Have Cloud warp them to Overlook." Midoriya replies. "Then I'll have Uraraka, Hypothermia and Quicksilver sort them out. They'll be out of your responsibility either way, so focus on the raid."
Three days. The attack should coincide with Oka Mariner's arrival at Verize Island. Most if not all of those kids will have nowhere to go.
One - although big - plane was enough to carry the remaining kids under the care of the Support Network out of the country. The almost-Paragons? Hard to say. Midoriya already talked with Tenko about it a week earlier.
Worst case scenario, they'll have Selkie pretend that his ship is having technical issues (before abandoning it for real) and stay around for a day or two so that the plane that Midoriya chartered would have the time to return for the second course.
The fact that Midoriya paid for it with money from one of the many secret accounts of All for One was still hilarious to him. The old demon lord would be rolling in his grave if he knew how his money was being used.
And if he had a grave.
Three days. He was going to get his little girl back in three days. And he was already smiling to himself (when no one was looking AND slightly nervously) about introducing her to Tsuyu.
He was also finding it very hard to pretend that he didn't notice the fact that Tsuyu was suddenly extremely curious about Eri, asking a lot of questions to both him and Uraraka. Even about things as simple as Eri's favorite color.
It was adorable, though.
(***)
Shihai Kuroiro had a relatively nice day.
He might have been an A-Rank villain, but it's not like he couldn't enjoy little things in his life.
A cup of coffee in his favorite cafe the day after a nice evening with Komori (who was as vigorous, kinky and ready to experiment as always), all while using his sneak skills to ogle the waitresses - that was enough to make him satisfied with his life.
Not planning to sample it never deterred him from admiring beauty in his life.
Of course, the disguise was a pain in the ass AND he had to seriously revamp his security (and sever a lot of contacts) after the Revival Celebration, but otherwise, he was happy.
Then he almost choked on his coffee when Neito fucking Monoma suddenly sat on the other side of the table.
With his signature smug look of superiority.
"Stop doing that." Kuroiro says a few seconds later while trying not to start coughing again. "You could have just fucking called me, you shit."
"I prefer to leave less evidence for someone to trace." Monoma replies calmly. Then the talk is temporarily on hold, because Neito decides to make an order, while completely ignoring the villain in front of him.
That's a lot of espresso.
"You know that you can just ask for cocaine?" Kuroiro grumbles. "This cafe is a front for a local gang, they literally sell that shit here. I can vouch for you if you ask."
"Tempting, but no." Monoma replies calmly. "Things are getting needlessly complicated nowadays, did you notice?"
"If you're going to ask me to set you up for a date with Midoriya, it's a hard pass from me." Kuroiro replies immediately. "I've severed all contacts with him and anyone connected to the Paranormal Liberation Front. I'm from the organized crime branch of villainy, political terrorism is a different department."
"Much more intermingled than people assume." Monoma replies dryly. "Do you want to talk about how exactly the NVA is financed nowadays? It's one more sobbing story of a group of revolutionaries with honest intentions that just can't seem to win and have eventually ended up trading drugs and robbing banks to finance their continued fight for the greater good of the society."
"I told you, I don't do politics." Kuroiro replies slightly more aggressively. "Not lucrative enough, to begin with. And way too high profile. Not to mention getting your hands too dirty for my taste. I'm getting courted by Glassmaker, who seems to be intent on rebuilding her syndicate, though. And I think I'm game."
That bought Monoma's attention.
"She didn't flee the country?" Neito appears surprised by that. "That's unexpectedly brave of her."
Yeah, Glassmaker had a reputation for fleeing at the first sight of the trouble - and for having an unbelievable intuition when trouble was involved. The government needed to invest so much money, heroes and police into finally cornering her that it was almost ridiculous.
There was a running joke among the heroes that if Glassmaker had a twin sister with similar skills, they would manage to defeat the entire hero system. Because there weren't enough assets in it to catch TWO Glassmakers at the same time.
"She seems to think that there are more opportunities here than threats at the present time." Kuroiro replies dryly. "Seeing as the heroes are getting one-sidedly pummeled and have no time or manpower left to pursue her, she might have a point."
Monoma has to agree with him. And he hates himself for that.
"Alrighty then." Kuroiro sighs loudly. "Enough chit chat. The hell do you want from me? Because I know that you're not going to leave until I give it to you."
"I need you to kill someone for me." Monoma says. His face is entirely unmoved by the words he just spoke.
"Good joke." Kuroiro sighs. "We both know that you don't need me for that. I can dispose of a body if you ask, though. But for a modest donation to the retirement fund that I set for myself and Kinoko. So cut to the chase and don't waste my time."
Monoma sighs loudly. Yeah, that really wasn't a good joke at all.
"I'm on a trail for something that Midoriya holds extremely dear." Monoma replies. "And if things go extremely well or extremely bad, depending on the circumstances really, I'm going to need your help housing it."
"Dude, you remember you're supposed to be the hero, right?" Kuroiro replies, looking at Monoma with maybe slight disappointment and disgust on his face. "Could you please stop kidnapping people?"
"Bold words from an A-Rank villain." Monoma cuts back. "Stop acting like an innocent virgin, you've done worse things."
"You aren't wrong with that." Kuroiro replies. "But the fact that you were more or less involved in a solid bunch of those 'worse things' really robs you of any moral high ground on this. Besides…" He points his finger accusatively at Monoma. "... I know why you are doing this."
"And?" Monoma looks entirely unmoved by his words.
"And if the HPSC ever finds out, they're going to shit bricks before slapping you in the face with an SS-Rank villain designation." Kuroiro replies. "And I'm being nice here. Could you please just stop involving me? Even an A-Rank is slightly too high for my taste, I don't want to be designated as an S-Rank simply because I was seen next to you."
"You're competent, useful, and adept at ignoring the law." Monoma replies. "Besides, I'm making sure that your girlfriend doesn't get the 'snitches get stitches' treatment from the Hero Commission. We're both benefiting, aren't we?"
Kuroiro grumbles something rather negative. Monoma isn't wrong. Kinoko also doesn't know that her boyfriend is technically selling his ass to Monoma to make sure that there is someone next to her to pull her own ass out of the fire if something bad happens.
He really likes her ass.
Monoma is also attempting to justify his own actions - that are getting more and more morally gray as the time passes, and Kuroiro is trying to be nice here - by not selling the intel himself.
He just makes sure that Kinoko knows the things he wants the villains to know. Everyone involved in the deal benefits to one degree or another.
"Alright, I'll keep our little mystery basement up and ready for you." Kuroiro surrenders. "Anything else?"
"I'm going to need a few things." Monoma decides to shift the subject for now. "Like, a car. Something decidedly unstolen and with a fool-proof bureaucratic backstory in case someone decided to run a background check after spotting it somewhere where it shouldn't be."
"Do you also want it to shoot lasers, or are missile launchers enough?" Kuroiri says dryly, before sighing when Monoma gives him a slightly tired look. "Right, right, I'll get it, no problem. You also want a complimentary false identity, don't you?"
"Yes." Monoma replies. "I'm going to do something very illegal, with a lot of heroes in the area. Make sure that no one you like is involved in the process of establishing those documents, because the worst case scenario is the HPSC 'shitting bricks', as you said."
"Sure, I can do that." Kuroiro replies. "Day as any other, really. Anything else?"
Gods, just a year or two more of this bullshit and he and his girlfriend can just run the fuck away from the country. Then, they will buy a house on Hawaii islands, marry officially and pretend they earned all that money legally while having children that they are going to bullshit about their parents' past their whole life.
And, probably a dog. A big one. Kinoko is surprisingly cuddly when dogs are involved.
"I need you to keep an eye on Reiko Yanagi." Monoma replies. "You personally, if possible."
"The hell did she do, say something uncool about Kendou or what?" Kuroiro asks, raising his eyebrow in surprise.
"I'm about ninety percent sure she is working for Midoriya." Monoma replies calmly. Kuroiro is suddenly extremely happy that he wasn't sipping his coffee at this very moment or he would probably choke on it. "But I need it to be one hundred percent before trying to arrest her."
"Are you kidding me?" Kuroiro says while staring at Monoma. Who took that very moment to focus on ascending into a higher state of consciousness by caffeine overdose. "Yanagi is… I thought it was just me and Kodai from our class."
"Seeing as Shiozaki and Fukidashi were both confirmed to be working for Midoriya as well…" Monoma replies dryly, while Kuroiro feels his jaw dropping. "... and that I believe that Yanagi was the one who warned them that I was coming, I think that the 'Cursed Class' name should be expanded into plural."
"Well, fuck me." Kuroiro before starting to cackle loudly. When people start to stare, he controls himself and leans forward to speak quietly. "Oh God, Neito, this shit is hilarious. Add Komori and you, and we're like half-way fucking there. Who do you think is going to defect next? Setsuna? Tetsutetsu? Honnenuki maybe? I wouldn't even count Kamakiri out, the HPSC might be owning his ass after Sendai, but it's not like he is happy about it."
"I'm not a villain." Neito replies. His face, an ice sculpture.
"Neither is the Prime Minister, by technicality." Kuroiro retorts. "The fact that you weren't designated a villain means simply that you're fucking good at it, not that you aren't one. And we both know that. Do you want me to start listing the corpses you had me dispose of for you?"
The hit seems to have connected… somewhat. Monoma is as stoic as ever. He really isn't easily provoked nowadays.
"Kendou is also a good and honest hero." Monoma decides to go for that counterargument instead.
"How much do you want to bet that if you actually told her about things like the Paragon Program, she would stop being a hero faster than Kinoko stops wearing clothes when I'm around?" Kuroiro asks. Monoma gives him an actual mean stare this time around. "You know what, fine. Seeing what you're capable of, I'm really happy you have someone that makes you stay more or less, you know, decent, even if mostly on the outside. You do you."
"Great." Monoma replies dryly. "Because I'm about to do something extremely stupid, and I really need your help in that."
(***)
"That's… an extremely surprising thing to see you here." Saiko says when Mirio enters her office. "Again."
And yes, he is wearing the 'comfortable clothes' again. Slightly baggy, deliciously casual, not showing anything but what was her imagination for?
She had a rather colorful one.
She looked at the All Might themed sweater for like five seconds and her opinion could already be summed up to 'this bad boy can fit so many muscles'. Which wasn't super eloquent, but still.
Stop it, Intelli, don't start drooling on him.
"I'm extremely interested in getting the man responsible for the death of my mentor dead or arrested." Mirio replies. "It's not a surprise that I'm trying to be up to date with the news about the investigation."
She gestures at the couch by the wall, and he sits on it. She decides that not joining him there would be a sign of bad manners. Besides, something in the atmosphere is rather promising.
"That's naturally understandable." Saiko replies, her eyes locked with Mirio's. Oh, she is soooo getting fucked this afternoon. "And, it seems, that you like your news… hot and straight from the oven."
"In a manner of speaking, yes." Mirio replies. "I think that my general lack of any news whatsoever in a longer while has contributed greatly to my readiness to stomach your presence if it means getting some fresh ones."
The fact that he seems natural at interspersing flirting with belittling her really spuns Saiko's bottom engine to life.
Yes, she read more about the subject, and she is quite certain that she is a bottom. Oh, well. Is it the whole 'too much pressure, need to unwind by just following orders for a moment without thinking about anything else' or is she still trying to justify herself in her own eyes?
"I think that I can help you with getting some news…" Saiko winks at him, a fact that elicits a faint smile on his face. "... and getting some. Who said that you can't mix business and pleasure, sheesh."
"Most people." Mirio replies dryly. "But I think that we can safely assume that we do not belong to that category."
Ohshitshitshitshit.
Okay, fuck that, this is as far as she can go.
It's a rather quick move, but she swings herself over him. He says nothing as she sits on his lap, facing him. She is looking down at him, but… she has a feeling that this isn't going to last for long.
Then their lips lock.
And, damn, if he isn't aggressive with his tongue.
She then is suddenly aware of his hands finding their way to her ass, and damn, not just with his tongue.
Saiko pulls back a little (thank god she left the monocle on the desk expecting some action, or it would probably fall off right now), looking closely at Mirio. Looks like the 'smiley in the public, serious in the private' hero has some limits to self-control, because that's a surprisingly lustful look in his eyes.
"I should make some version of 'is that a knife or are you this happy to see me' joke, but judging from what I can feel between my legs, it seems like a 'baseball bat' would be more applicable." Saiko announces. She manages not to drool while thinking about the details, but, wow. Nejire had to be a complete idiot to miss out on that.
Then again, Saiko Intelli's assessment of Nejire Hadou's intelligence was never the highest. Although in her defense it seemed to have gotten better nowadays.
"Compliments are going to get you nowhere." Mirio replies, and… oh, she likes him being so… assertive. "You know, after getting to hear you talk so much during our regular official meetings, I think I'm really looking forward to having you use your mouth a bit more… constructively."
Okay, now she is even closer to openly drooling.
"Is that an order…master?" She replies., smiling at him lustfully.
"Yes." Mirio replies in kind. "But before that, there are things on you that you won't be needing anytime soon. So I'm going to have to ask to take them off. Take them all off."
Yesyesyesyesyesyes, it's really happening, it's really happening and…
A moment later her phone - the 'work' one - started to ring.
"Oh, crap." She practically shrinks, her striptease (she was now standing in front of him, and she seemed to be doing well with the whole 'take your clothes off seductively' judging from the look on his face) interrupted.
She was, at this point, almost naked. And seeing Mirio's eyes drift to her almost exposed breasts was just making the moment even better to her.
"What happened?" Mirio's self-control is remarkable. Then again, he was a highly experienced SS-Rank hero. That meant a lot.
"I told my sidekicks to not relay any calls… unless it's the Prime Minister." Saiko decides to speak the damning term. "And even that only if it's urgent."
Mirio sighs.
"Go and pick it up." He says. "Sex can wait. Prime Minister, probably, can't."
Looks like they are in agreement over their opinion of this… interruption. There was a lot of venom accompanying the last four words of his statements.
Saiko gives him a shuush gesture before picking the call on a loudspeaker.
"Yes, how can I help…" Saiko says, only to be rudely interrupted.
"In my office. In thirty minutes." Is all that the Prime Minister says before disconnecting.
Mindscape looks a Lemillion, looking as if she just bit a sour lemon. No, more like drunk the juice from several of them at once.
"... this phone call is going to become my villain origin story." Mirio announces. His face is so expressionless while saying it that Saiko lets out chuckling loudly. Then, Mirio smiles faintly. "Go, and try not to get arrested or anything. We can continue on another occasion."
"Well, I'm totally planning to use all my sneak skills to visit you at your home this evening." Saiko announces while picking up her clothes (and yes, Mirio is totally checking her out during the process). "And finally get what I deserve."
"Handcuffs?" Mirio asks dryly. Saiko chuckles again.
"Now that's just kinky." She says, while seamlessly moving over from picking her clothes to putting them on. "But a nice and subtle threat, together with a simultaneous suggestion that I'm a villain for following her."
"It wasn't a threat, it was a promise." Mirio says. When she glances at him, he decides to elaborate. "Nejire Hadou was my wife. She didn't take everything with her."
Saiko looks at him for a solid five seconds, suddenly blushes more, then manages to control herself again.
And her imagination. Especially her imagination. It went wild there for a second.
"That's… errr…" She quickly calculates how much time it will take her to get to the Prime Minister's office, and decides that she can still waste two or three minutes if she hurries there. "Why the hell did you two even break off?"
She barely got to know him, but… she can scarcely find the reason for a break-up, logically speaking. He is only starting to open up to her (it's due to the whole 'working for the woman that changed the hero system into a sad joke' thing she has going in his eyes), but…
… he DOES have a nice sense of humor. And abs. And a baseball bat, clearly enough. And he is reasonably handsome. Unless there is something really weird in him that she's yet to dig to, he's really a dream boyfriend.
"I was led to believe…" Mirio replies. "... that there was more than one reason for the divorce, if you catch my drift."
Okay, now it makes even less sense. Unless Nejire Hadou's sex drive is literally off the roof (not entirely unreasonable assumption seeing the stuff she was up to nowadays, really) and he just couldn't measure up to it, just… why? Why would she cheat on him?
Then again, people are sometimes unreasonable. She learned that lesson during her face-off with Yaoyorozu all those years ago. Sometimes the smallest of things can escalate into some unexpected places.
Especially with all the stress of being one of the Top Heroes. Saiko knows it from an autopsy (although to be honest she is more of a Bottom Hero now, heh).
She has a major feeling about attempting to investigate her boyfriend's ex-wife might have caused said boyfriend's understandable ire. Then again…
Nejire-chan is honestly her number two or three suspect when potential disloyalty among the Top Heroes are involved. Her whole switch to being pro-government was played out reasonably well, and her divorce with Lemillion (who was mostly anti-government) really strengthened the feeling of honesty, but…
Intelli can't help but find it sus. Although she is also smart enough to realize that suspecting disloyalty on the basis of divorcing such a delicious (she is looking forward to discovering just how much in practice) person is a major stretch.
Then again, she learned to trust her intuition, for as long as she could find at least some evidence to support it. And this was…
Mirio clears his throat loudly.
"Aren't you in a hurry somewhere?" He asks.
Oh, crap.
Days until the Second Battle of the Marukane Ward:
20