Chapter 9: A found purpose

Mikumo has always thought himself to be a logical person. It was just a natural benefit of his quirk.

But soon, he himself realized that his quirk had a side effect. There is a catch for everything, after all.

However powerful, however flashy, or even just subtle, a quirk always has weaknesses for everyone to exploit.

And curiosity kills the cat.

As an analyst, he constantly looked for quirks to dissect, for mysteries to solve.

A search for knowledge that never truly ended.

Maybe that's why he was so fascinated with Izuku Midoriya's quirk. A quirk filled with potential filled to the brim with unknowns that made his sense tingle.

So despite his better judgment, Mikumo is now standing before an apartment.

Specifically, Inko Midoriya's apartment.

He has crafted his greeting and many questions carefully, not wanting to cause the woman any distress.

Even though he was apathetic, it felt wrong to intentionally caused the woman needless traumas, especially when he's supposed to be her son, in a complicated biological/quirky kind of way.

For the record, this is still a terrible idea, but Mikumo had confidence that he was smart enough to deal with any situation.

And it could get awkward, knowing that he is basically her son, all the while not. But as long as she remains ignorant about that, it shouldn't give rise to any problems.

One of his goals was to obtain information. He needed to know more, information obscured that could only be seen from a different perspective. Inko Midoriya was perfect for that.

At least, she was supposed to be.

This isn't how Mikumo expected his simple endeavor to go.

"Hisashi?" A simple sentence from the woman sent a shiver up his spine.

Mikumo looked up, straight into her eyes.

Her eyes, they were widened in shock as she struggled to form sentences.

He looked behind him and found that there is no one standing there.

So this could only mean that-

Mikumo himself reminded Inko of her husband, Hisashi.

It was a startling thought, how could he-

"I'm Mikumo." Not Hisashi went unsaid

"Oh." She uttered in realization "I'm s-sorry, you reminded me of…someone I knew."

A bitter expression spread across her face. The way her fists clenched in frustration didn't go past his eyes.

In truth, Mikumo knew Hisashi himself was a terrible human being just from the information he dug up. Although it wasn't mentioned explicitly, he left his family to work overseas right after discovering the quirk status of his son.

No one spotted him since, but a little more digging revealed that he stopped sending money for child support after a year.

All the good sides of a scumbag.

But this information was interesting. It had 76,67% to be related to the ongoing mystery called Izuku Midoriya. The fact that he reminded her of her absent husband was a major red flag.

Let's see what else his analysis can dig up.

That uncomfortable feeling kept creeping up her spine.

Inko doesn't believe in coincidence. But the fact that this boy standing before her looked so alike to her husband that she promptly mistook him was alarming.

Their resemblance was uncanny. To the cold, glazed-like eyes to the color of his hair. Deep inside laid an unwavering sense of apathy.

He looked like Hisashi too much it made her wonder if-

"I was a friend of your son, Izuku Midoriya." That boy said suddenly, the fluency of his statement along with such a flat tone brought Inko nothing but dread.

He tried his best to frown, but his cold expression was unchanging. It doesn't reach his eyes.

In truth, Mikumo has tried to act a few times before Kakiru, but that maniac said his face was as cold as ice, and his smile was highly unusual.

'Okay, you looked really uncanny with that smile. Stop.' She has said 'Really, it was starting to creep me out.'

Granted, she wasn't a good judge, but Mikumo is self-aware enough to know that his acting was flimsy.

Since then, Mikumo decided that he'd better give a convincing excuse than rely on his disastrous acting skills.

Luckily, the green-hair woman was too occupied in her thought to notice his obviously failing attempt.

"I-I see." She gave an awkward smile "Come in, then."

Mikumo could tell that she was uncomfortable. More reason to tread lightly.

He nodded, following her inside without another word.

The apartment was simple, which brought him a homely feeling. It also showed that Inko Midoriya didn't have much. Especially now that she has quitted her job.

Seriously, patronizing a woman for mourning her dead son? That was heartless from the hospital, but Mikumo could see that they didn't have much sympathy for a quirkless person.

Somehow, that left a bad taste in his mouth.

"I apologize if the way I talk has made you uncomfortable." Mikumo said with an ever-changing expression "My quirk focused my brain on the logical side, so I was not good with emotions."

"Oh, it's alright. I was just baffled, that's all. You are the third one of Izuku's friends that has visited today." She waved her hand fondly "It was good to know that my Izuku had friends that cared so much about him."

"Truly?" Mikumo quirked his brow, skeptical

"Yes. His childhood friend Kacchan and best friend To-chan." She replied, while Mikumo silently stored away that information for later. "Tell me, how did you meet Izuku?"

"We were quick friends after meeting at a library. We often talked about…" Mikumo paused "Quirks."

"Oh!" Realization flashed past her face "Um…do you mind if I ask what your quirk is, then?"

"No problem, Mrs. Midoriya. My quirk is called Analysis. It allowed me to calculate probability and process information faster."

That was not all, of course, but it would derail the conversation should he ever go into details. And Mikumo did that a lot, courtesy of Kakiru for noticing.

Maybe he could show off how sophisticated and versatile his quirk was another time.

Recognition lid up in that tired eyes of hers. Slowly and brittle, like a layer of fresh frost, she gave him a smile.

"I can see why you two are friends." She said, sipping her tea slowly "You see, my Izuku has always been so passionate about quirks. He loved analyzing quirks, especially those belonging to heroes…"

Okay, that was a step in the right direction.

This personality, the personification of him had to come from somewhere, after all. This was likely what made his analysis come into being.

Interesting indeed.

And there was also the connection with the absent father, Hisashi.

Did Izuku get this trait from his father? It would be safe to assume so, considering the fact that Mikumo looked so alike to Hisashi that even his wife got it wrong. And if there is anything that Mikumo learned, it was the fact that nothing is a coincidence. His brain confirmed it's an 87,99% chance.

But admittedly, other than some miscellaneous confirmation, Mikumo didn't have the capability to dig deeper.

Granted, the man was slippery. Other than a name and assumed workplace, there wasn't much information about him, which was suspicious. Mikumo had half a mind to ask Inko about it but decided that it would be a bad idea.

"He was interesting to talk to. Enlightening, perhaps so, to find a mind so alike to mine." Mikumo answered finally. "My condocelense, Mrs. Midoriya."

"N-no. It's…" Inko heaved out a sigh "Thank you, Mikumo-kun. I'm sure he was glad to have a friend like you."

The green-hair woman smiled so sincerely, although her eyes looked pained. The wound was still fresh for her.

"I admitted I was…shocked." He said as solemnly as possible "It was so sudden and-"

Mikumo sighed, eyes casting downward.

"It was like nothing even happened. No one told me anything. That was enough for me to know something was amiss." He finally said, "I was hoping that you could-"

"It's complicated, Mikumo-kun." She cut in, his expression regretful "I think it would be better if you didn't know."

"He was my friend. I want to know and…" Mikumo sighed, hesitant about how to proceed "I'm sorry, I'm just…"

Feigning ignorant and guilt-tripping, are the two marvelous techniques that Kakiru told him about. Mikumo was skeptical at first, but even he can see that it was effective.

It made him feel a tad bit like a villain, though.

"It's okay, Mikumo-kun. I understand what you are feeling but-" She stopped herself abruptly when seeing his eyes "I guess there is no use hiding it from you."

"You don't have to if it makes you uncomfortable, Mrs. Midoriya."

"No, no, I'm fine." She waved her hand slightly, sighing deeply "My Izuku, h-he…he was bullied to death."

It came about in such a hard, raspy tone. Mikumo would have felt bad if it hadn't been for his apathy. And even still, it was kind of painful to hear.

"I didn't know." Mikumo cast his eyes down solemnly

Inko just let out a sigh, shaking her head.

"I don't blame you. He did a good job hiding it, as much as I failed at noticing." She smiled bitterly "No matter how nasty his wound was, he would always hide everything from me."

"…"

"I would never have known if I hadn't seen his body that day. Cold and unmoving, littered with bruises and burns." She whispered, her tone was anxious

"The worst part is that his childhood friend had a hand in it, all because of a misunderstanding…" She gritted her teeth in frustration

"Katsuki Bakugou?" Mikumo asked

"…yes." Inko widened her eyes in shock for a bit, before confirming it.

Honestly, it wasn't hard to put two and two together. He found some autopsy pictures of Izuku, and found along with bruises and apparently self-harm wounds and many starburst-shaped scars. One, in particular, looked fresh.

Then he searched in the vicinity for similar quirks. The closest one is Katsuki Bakugou with an explosion quirk. Considering in the school file, Inko had the Bakugous family as an emergency number spoke for itself. He barely needed this confirmation.

It was truly a shame they had a falling out like this.

"And you don't want to make him pay for it?" Mikumo asked absent-mindedly

"Of course I do!" She raised her voice in a defensive way, but immediately shimmered down upon realizing "I-I…I just didn't think it would be what Izuku wanted."

"Izuku wouldn't want Katsuki to lose his chances at U.A because of him. Even though I'm still in two minds about this, I respected Izuku's wish. His last wish."At this point, it was starting to grow weary for Inko.

'It's not your fault, Mom, and neither is Kacchan's. Just…be happy for me, okay?'

His last note was written in his notebook as it smeared with blood, dust, and filth.

"Besides, as much as I hated to admit it, Katsuki was beginning to change. As long as he makes an effort to change, I don't think I have the heart to take it away from him." She smiled sadly "He still had a long way to go, but I would believe in Izuku's trust in him."

"U.A has a very strict rule about bullying and discrimination. He must change himself if he wants to remain in that school." The woman whispered in a low voice "That's why I will him the benefit of the doubt for now…"

"I see." Mikumo nodded understandingly

Apparently, Inko had enough of talking about heavy and depressing stuff, so she promptly changed the subject.

"Come to think of it, aren't you about the same age as my Izuku?" She asked with a smile

"Yes?" Mikumo raised his brow at the question, apparently confused about her sudden interest.

"Are you applying for U.A?" She asked finally, eyes studying ho,

"I…" Mikumo was at a loss for words for a moment "Didn't really think about it before."

"Well, you still had a year or so until the entrance exam. I heard that U.A was spectacular." She said in a slightly reminiscent tone "It has always been Izuku's wish to get into U.A."

Truly?

It was like a bulb comically lit up inside his head.

Now, this can potentially be interesting.

That U.A is a ground for budding heroes was a fact. Analyzing heroes in training with their quirks, untrained and volatile had a nice ring in Mikumo's head.

U.A has thousands of students attending the entrance exam every year. This was a golden chance to analyze the copious number of participants' quirks.

Excitement took his mind by storm. Mikumo surely won't waste that opportunity.

And besides, it's also a good opportunity to approach Katsuki, if his quirk was as spectacular as he was told. Potentially killing two birds with one stone.

"I think it can be…fun?" Mikumo answered

Of course, he was hesitant about this, but overall, it will be…

'It will be fun, little bro.' He remembered that maniac said that quote in their many bickerings.

Yeah, it can be…fun.

Mikumo didn't notice his features has soften a bit, and Inko caught on quickly.

"I certainly understand the appeal there, Mikumo-kun." The green-hair woman smiled ever so gently "But I think if you want to catch up, you probably should start training now."

Okay, maybe not so fast.

Training, huh?

Now that's a problem

Seeing Kakiru's face like this made Mikumo feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"So…you want me to train you in martial art?" Kakiru asked while narrowing her eyes

"I won't repeat myself." He responded stoically

"…are you serious?" She raised her brow "That gotta be the dumbest thing you ever said."

"Maybe not really martial arts, but at least the basic, how to fight, where to hit, things like that. I would have done some research, but tutorials were hard to come by in this age of quirk. I want to learn, and you are the only one I know." He grumbled

Well, even Mikumo wasn't arrogant to think that he could win on only mind game and psychological warfare. After all, you can't think of a solution every time, have the right people, or be at the right place all the time.

There are many things you can only do by yourself. Mikumo realized that at least. He couldn't show extreme brute force like Kakiru, but it will at least increase his chances of passing the entrance exam.

And since they don't shift personalities at will, Mikumo won't be able to take advantage of Kakiru's brute force and technique.

Which brought him to this predicament.

"Why not go to a class, then?" She asked, tilting her head slightly

"They take too long, and I only have a year. Minus the time with my analysis and your misadventure. I figured you can teach me with our connection, and I will practice and research when I have free time."

"I can certainly see your point but…why?" She asked, still skeptical about his unusual change in behavior.

'That smartass wants to learn how to fight? Madness.' Was the gist of it

"I want to go to U.A."

"What?" Kakiru asked, apparently confused

"A hero school." He answered finally, making Kakiru's eyes widen in shock.

"Seriously? Becoming a hero?" She snorted a bit in amusement

"I was keen enough to notice the merit." He answered simply, and concluded that there was no point in another bickering.

Kakiru's eyes studied him for a while, and she eventually smile gleefully.

"Well, I know you are the smartest, little bro of mine. I would be happy to help!" She chirped cheerfully

"There is a 'but', isn't it?"

"Yep."

"Not ice cream again." He facepalmed

"No, no. Not that, I assure you." She laughed, waving her hand slightly "Well, I thought about it before, but I really want to improve my skill set."

A skeptical expression adorned Mikumo's face.

"What? Don't look at me like that!" She scowled, her expression still "Well, you know that Eraserhead is training me, right?"

"Yeah, you told me that before. It was surprising that he does that willingly." He deadpanned

"Shut up." She rolled her eyes "The point is, that guy is strong. I can't win against him in a fight, not like this."

"Half-baked strategy and poor awareness?" He inquired, and Mikumo could hear Kakiru groan against that.

"Say all you will, but I think you can help me with that. I can't really brute force against him, so I have to use my brain! Smart Kakiru for the win!" She said determinedly

For Mikumo, he could only feel that this is ironic somehow.

But he relented nonetheless.

"I think…that can be arranged." He mused "I can teach you how to pick apart your opponents, quirks, and weaknesses, and maybe how to make some basic strategies."

Mikumo suddenly looked at her, sighing deeply.

"Not that your brain can comprehend complicate done anyway." He jabbed lightly with his words, but Kakiru just kept on grinning like an idiot.

"You are the best, little bro! With my strength and your advice, I can finally beat that homeless hero!" She clenched her hand in excitement.

"I wouldn't count on it, but it will certainly bring you closer to your goal. I will see to that personally." He said firmly

Kakiru looked nervous, but her expression turned determined almost immediately.

"I wouldn't expect any less, little bro." Kakiru showed him her signature toothy grin again

This's not going to be easy, is it?

While then, Inko was sitting in her home, her thought drifted back to a certain white-hair boy.

She spent most of her time basically seeing a smaller Hisashi before, with a presence so similar that it made her feel so uncomfortable.

But looking back, she could only smile fondly.

Because when she mentioned U.A and quirks, his eyes lidded up with subtle excitement. It was so similar to the joy in Izuku's eyes.

It made Inko realize how much she had missed, how much she had failed to notice.

Was behind the joy in Izuku's eyes subtle sadness, too?

Sighing, Inko expulsed all these thoughts out of her mind.

'…'

Izuku's body hasn't been found yet. Possibly never.

Inko couldn't imagine what these people wanted to do to the body of the deceased. The body of her son. It made her feel cold and dreadful.

She calmed herself down as she shakily grabbed her phone, dialing a familiar number.

…no answer.

Inko put her phone down slowly. With silent tears sliding down, she closed her eyes and began to drift to sleep.

Maybe Hisashi will answer her call tomorrow…

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Okay, folks. Time-skip incoming!

Also, comment if you have any suggestions. Or questions about the story.