The streets were buzzing with activity every evening, and this time was not an exception. Hundreds of random faces were memorized without much effort, reminding Izuku about the way his memories work.
Memories of those he absorbed, despite their condition, were separate sources of data that he could access at every moment, and they weren't becoming vaguer with time. The same logic applied to him, as every second of his conscious life was more recorded than remembered. He did not know his limits yet, but even after full two days in Tokyo he could remember the faces of random privates in the military base.
Hopefully, if he ever reaches his limit, his memories will become vaguer, and not disappear completely like when people remove the media on their phones to get more space on the hard drive.
And so, the second theory of his memory loss was born.
'So it's either me completely wiping my own memory for some reason, or there was so little space left in my head that I had no choice but to remove it…" He started whispering under his nose, looking down. "Hm, usually, when people have quirks that in one way or another alter the way their brain works with memories, the brain is adjusted to meet the requirements of the quirk, in the same way how people with poison quirks are immune to it because of the adjustments of their own bodies.'
"..I..ya-kun"
'From what I witnessed, the memories I got after waking up were rather vague, or even damaged. It is possible that they didn't even fill the space of what a brain can handle, and I somewhat store them apart from each other.'
"M…dori..-..n!"
'Considering how good I can remember everything, it's obvious that my memories contain much more information, and that could be a reason for me to clean it if I couldn't handle it. Hm…I wonder if I can create a new…cell? – to store my own memories like I did with memories of other people inside me…'
Nah, that just sounds weird.
"Midoriya-kun!"
Izuku blinked.
"Naomasa-san? Did you say something?"
The detective sighed. When he got in Tokyo with All Might, the last thing he expected was to be a babysitter for a problem child.
Well, with a great potential to be a problem child, to be accurate. Some time ago, All Might, knowing that Tsukaichi was stationed in the Police Department, called to update him on Izuku's status. While the man was glad that Izuku was getting closer to a normal life, he had not forgotten the events that got the boy into the police station in the first place. If something happens, there was no way he will be able to do something with the boy. He wasn't All Might. Heck, he wasn't even close to weaker heroes. He was chosen to look after the boy for one reason only.
"I tried to get Eraserhead to look after him while the process of Midoriya-kun's enrollment is going, but he refused. Said something about him having too much problem kids on him at the moment... Ah, right, he did tell me about managing the process of getting temporary dorms for the first year students. Anyway, with him out of the picture, I can only trust the boy to you. He is comfortable around you, and that is the most important at the moment. Don't worry, he shouldn't be a problem, if what Recovery Girl said is true."
And that's how Naomasa got here. Honestly, he wasn't sure why choosing someone from the police station wouldn't work. Considering that Izuku's reason for staying there changed quite quickly, he got awfully comfortable there. He even goes to the same cafeteria as the officers.
Honestly, Naomasa wouldn't be surprised if All Might would watch after Izuku personally if he could. With everything media related postponed, he had a moment to be a little more personal with those he helped. Considering his searches for a successor - it wasn't that surprising.
The only downside of it would be the reactions of those who All Might saved. Situations when people aren't able to even speak coherently with the man weren't that uncommon. There was an interview once when the interviewer fainted from the excitement when seeing the number one hero in the same room. Nobody really knows about that, since it wasn't in the final cut.
However, strangely enough, neither Izuku Midoriya, nor Bakugou Katsuki - the boy that All Might saved during the outbreak - didn't have such reactions.
Izuku just couldn't control his body, but was overall calm about the man... When he could. Bakugou's reaction, however, was even more violent than Izuku's, considering that he was sane and in control of his actions.
Looking at Izuku, the detective solemnly noted that All Might got a strange tendency to care for those who were in one or another way aggressive towards him.
"We missed the electronics store" Naomasa replied to waiting Izuku. "Come, we need to get you a phone."
Izuku blinked again and started approaching the detective.
"But... I don't have much money. Didn't we go to buy some school belongings? "
"All Might left you a tip, it should be enough for a phone and some clothes. "
"But how's it small, then? It's much more than most refugees get." Izuku half-accused.
"It is relatively small considering his savings and the income from the merch. "
"Why wouldn't he help more refugees in such way then? "
"He actually buys a third of all the food given to the refugees, you know. But he can't just go around giving out money. Consider it a small investment in your case. "
"Investment? I'm not sure what you mean"
As they entered the shop, Naomasa started explaining.
"Do you know that sometimes companies can send you to a university, even pay for it, but in return you have to work in this company for several years? It is called either 'targeted training' or 'education'. I'm not sure."
"No, I didn't hear about it. Why are you bringing this up?"
"As analogy. Your case is quite similar, don't you think? "
"Hm... So All Might invested in me so I would... Work for him? "
"No, no. You did say that you want to become a hero, right? "
Izuku nodded.
"Well, he 'invests' in you to make sure you can achieve this dream. Some money, school enrollment, transportation, housing... "
"Housing?! "
"Well, kind of. Don't expect a luxury hotel, though. Just one floor of a simple apartment complex for everyone he sends there. "
"Even then, that's a lot! "
"That's why I called it an investment. It is a lot." Naomasa nodded with a serious expression "The point is…let's return to the analogy. The Hero association is the company, and All Might, being a representative of the company, invests in you to get you educated. In return, you do what it takes to become a hero."
Izuku nodded with a smile.
"I get it now. Though, the analogy was unnecessary."
Naomasa slightly frowned.
"You were the one who was confused about 'investments'." Before Izuku managed to reply, the detective continued "Now, let's get you a phone and continue"
Izuku nodded, actually a bit excited. The last time the phones failed him not once, but twice in a row. Getting a normal map of Musutafu proved to be incredibly hard, since everyone usually has it installed on the phones, and the phones are usually password locked.
Izuku won't make the same mistake twice. He won't have a lock just in case of him losing memory again. He could actually leave notes about himself, to prepare for such scenario.
Speaking of which, Izuku had yet to prove his first half-serious theory about memory loss to be true or false.
As he was browsing the phone models on the display, he decided to ask Naomasa a question.
"Naomasa-san?"
"Midoriya-kun?"
"You are a detective, right?"
"If nothing changed in the last few minutes, then yes. What's the matter?"
Izuku hummed for a few seconds, before taking a cheaper phone. It's not like he will use it for anything but calls, messages, maps, managing bank account, alarm clocks, schedules, notes about himself and possibly music when he feels rich enough for a few spendings on entertainment.
"Did you ever have cases with criminals that lost their memories?"
Naomasa widened his eyes in slight surprise.
"Lost their memories?"
"Yeah…I'm wondering if there's a chance of me erasing it myself. I hoped that you would have some experience with this kind of things."
Naomasa scratched his chin, thinking, counting.
"Well, there was quite a lot of people who tried to convince us that they lost their memories. You know, tried to play a victim, or hoped to receive a lighter punishment. Hm…I do remember one interesting case, though. It was a genuine problem with the memory."
"And what was interesting about it?"
"The man continued to lose his memory every few days because of guilt. He started to make notes to try and remember everything quicker before he loses it again. But, in the end, with the notes he left he manipulated his own sense of reality and started to hunt the criminal that killed his wife… even though he was the one who did it."
Izuku stared at Naomasa for a few seconds as the information fully sunk in. The concept itself sounded interesting, but
"So…he did something with himself because he felt guilty…"
"Yes. Why are you interested? Afraid of something like that happening to you?"
Izuku stopped on his way to the cashier.
Fourteen years of his life.
His family.
His quirk.
His friends.
Everything was taken. Now, he was left with glimpses, and had to use every chance he had to regain the knowledge…That is, if the topic of the discussion wasn't scaring him.
Like the topic of his mother. He was nervous about even trying to speak about it with someone. Sometimes, ignorance gives you better sleep.
"There has to be…there has to be a reason why all this happened to me" he growled out quietly, before shaking his head. "I'm sorry you had to see this. I'm just…frustrated."
A warm hand landed on his shoulder and shook it a bit. Izuku turned to see the face of the man that was asked to watch after him. His eyes were soft, and the small smile helped Izuku to calm down.
"It's fine, really. You shouldn't keep all the negatives emotions inside."
Izuku sighed, looking down.
"What's the point of letting those emotions out if you can't do anything about them? It is unprofessional, and only lowers the morale of those around you."
Naomasa raised his eyebrow, and Izuku quickly turned away with wide eyes. He didn't even notice, but the words he said weren't exactly his.
He wouldn't say it this way. Lowers the morale? Whose morale?! It's unprofessional for who? He was not a hero yet! He remembered hearing those words in the Major's memories, as the man was berating a newcomer. Izuku really needed to be more careful with his words, or else he will say something from military vocabulary without even noticing it. Damn, he was lucky he didn't absorb anyone but the Major.
"Even then" Naomasa continued "You shouldn't keep everything negative inside. It will start eating you from inside at some point."
'I really hope my quirks doesn't work that way' Izuku mentally added.
The older man patter boy's shoulder.
"Pay for the phone and let's go. I think I know a place for you to boost your morale a bit."
Izuku nodded in agreement.
The boy chewed his food without much enthusiasm. Contrary to Naomasa's expectations, he was not exactly interested in food. He didn't care that much about the taste, and most of the time he just thought if he could just absorb the food like everything he absorbed before – right into his body.
Even if he could, it would look rather inappropriate. And, well, what would happen to the plate? Will it be absorbed too? Everything needed to be tested, and a public restaurant wasn't the best place for it.
Absorption… people needed food as an energy source among other things. A week passed since his quite unpleasant waking up in Musutafu at this point, and not even once he felt a desire to eat anything. He did it because it was appropriate. Everyone did it. It was a norm that he followed.
And, considering that he has fought quite a lot during those few days, he would surely need to refill his energy. But he didn't want to, which made his state even more intriguing to Izuku.
He wondered if there were some other ways he could use this ability. It had very close ties to his shapeshifting ability, so maybe that was the key for Izuku to change his clothes.
Because, speaking quite frankly, using the same clothes for two days was starting to look quite boring. Of course, they weren't 'clothes' exactly, but the point stays the same.
He should try to do some experiments with his powers once he has privacy and free time.
"You look quite bored" Noted Naomasa, finishing his bowl. "I hoped bringing you here would cheer you up a bit"
Izuku felt a pang of guilt for a moment. The atmosphere around was quiet and cozy, with warm light, and that was something he actually preferred. It was the direct opposite of the refugee center, and Izuku was glad that he didn't spend even a single night at that place.
"Sorry. I actually like it here. Thanks for bringing me here, and, well…sorry if it looks like I don't enjoy it."
"You know, after seeing you and All Might interacting after you woke up…was it first or second time you woke up? – anyway, I thought you would be an expressive type. Well, you turned out to be a quiet one."
"Yeah…so I was told" Izuku said with a small smile, remembering the protective woman that he escorted to safety.
"Ah, and here's that illusive smile" The man finally relaxed a bit, leaning back in his chair. Though, he couldn't help but wonder who was that person that told Izuku those words, considering his amnesia. "You know, considering that I will have to watch after you while you are in Tokyo, we can skip the part where I have to figure out what you like and dislike. I mean, it's clear you didn't enjoy the food much, but like the atmosphere."
"Eh? How could you tell?" Izuku asked with honest interest. Naomasa smiled and pointed at Izuku's eyes.
"Your body language. You had quite blank expression while you were chewing, which indicated that you either didn't like the food or just didn't care about it. But every time you looked around, your eyes softened, telling me that you felt relaxed"
"Every time?"
"Uh huh"
Izuku sighed, since the man's words were spot on.
"Well…you are right. I don't really care about the food. I wouldn't be that surprised if I ate a plate without really noticing, heh." They both chuckled slightly, though Naomasa wouldn't get the real meaning behind it. "But the atmosphere around… it feels quite cozy. Maybe…I don't know if safe is the right word here, but I really want to use it. I like it."
"You like the sense of security?" Naomasa asked with a light frown.
Izuku slightly frowned and looked down at the table, picking the right words.
"I…well, you proposed to skip the part of you figuring out what I like and dislike. You wanted me to simply tell you, right?" When Naomasa nodded, Izuku continued. "Well, um…I have yet to figure out most of it myself, really, considering my memory loss. But what I definitely noticed is that I enjoy when people I care about are safe."
Now that was something much more heroic in Naomasa's eyes. Though, it was a miracle that the boy still had it in him, considering how much he most likely lost in Musutafu.
Naomasa made a mental note to remember it.
"Well…" He cleared his throat "When I proposed it, I, not going to lie, expected something not this deep. Well, it means that we will have to figure it out ourselves. Though, you gave me another reason to believe that you will be a good hero in the future."
Izuku smiled, while mentally breathing out since the man didn't press him on the subject.
The detective and the boy stood up after paying, and continued their little trip through the crowded streets of Tokyo at late evening.
"Naomasa-san?" Izuku began, staying close to the man. "You said that you will look after me while I'm in Tokyo. What did you mean by that?"
"Oh, that?" The man smiled mischievously "A little surprise. Come, we must get you some school belongings and some clothes."
Izuku sighed, turning another page of the textbook. His cell in the police station served more as a place of mental rest than anything, since it was quite private – luckily. He didn't really want to return to the refugee center, and with the requirement of the medical expert to have some kind of observation on Izuku, he was allowed to stay there.
He didn't make problems to anyone, and thus he quickly got along with people working there. Some even compared the situation with one that happened decades ago, when a man committed a minor crime to purposely go in jail…just to run from his wife.
He didn't remember reading this textbook, but the content inside was very familiar. It was a good sign. His bag with clothes and other things was prepared. There was no real point in unpacking it, since it was obvious he won't stay there for long.
While he was there, he asked an officer to look for his mother in the files on refugees, and nothing was found. Looking for his classmates proved to be problematic as well, since Izuku didn't remember their names, and the data on his class was somewhere in Musutafu, most likely in school.
He sighed, closing the book.
Suddenly, two officers appeared in at the door, holding a man with very angry expression, though he didn't resist.
Izuku stood up from his bed, unsure of what was going on.
"Mirodiya-kun, can you take your things to the lounge zone?"
"What's going on?"
Naomasa quickly appeared in the doors as well and grabbed Izuku's bag. He nodded Izuku to get out of the cell, and Izuku did just that.
"What's going on, Naomasa-san?" The boy asked, looking back and seeing a man being locked in the cell he used as his temple of mental restoration.
"There are some riots on the street where the refugee registration center is located."
As they both reached the main hall, Izuku noticed that a lot of the officers were on edge, and patrols were bringing at least a dozen of more people.
"Why?"
Naomasa didn't answer immediately, thinking over his next steps. The boy used this place to live more than he did wit the refugee center, and now, with all the chaos around, he knew that Izuku won't be comfortable here, and officers needed to work without thinking about the boy and where they should put him.
The man stood in place, thinking.
He wasn't that thrilled with leaving Izuku unsupervised. However, at the same time Naomasa couldn't ignore a chance of Izuku going out of control while the detective himself was sleeping.
"People are quite unhappy with the way the government handled the Red Flu outbreak. Some even say that the crude method they used indirectly killed just as much as the parasite" Naomasa answered absentmindedly.
"Excuse me! Excuse me!" a familiar voice echoed through the streets as someone was running towards a police station.
Once the source of the shouts got inside the station, he stood in place, panting heavily.
"Ex..Excuse me…I…huh…huh…"
"Sir, don't stop in place after running. Walk a bit, get your breathing under control." A random officer suggested to the man.
"Ah…Ah'll manage…Don't…worry…about…anyway…" He coughed a bit. "I'm looking for Izu- there you are"
Midoriya recognized the owner of the voice. It was Rin Tokigawa, the supervisor of the 15th refugee center. He didn't speak with the man even once after the incident with the broken bed, and they couldn't interact because Izuku simply did not have a phone.
The man approached the boy and the detective, and continued to breath heavily.
"There…you…are"
"Tokigawa-san? What are you doing here?"
"That's my question! What are you doing here? Why are you in a police station?!"
Izuku stood silent, not knowing what was the best thing to say.
"He is under police supervision. Details are private." Naomasa replied.
"Private, my ass" The man cursed for the first time in Izuku's presence. "Couldn't you call me, Midoriya-kun? Warn me?"
"Sorry, Tokigawa-san"
The man finally rested just enough to not breathe like a smoker after a marathon.
"I noticed… the riot on the street. People are angry that the government used such crude methods that most likely killed as much people as the plague at that moment. After that, I ran to the supervision center, but, luckily, no one from the 15th center went to that demonstration, but then I noticed that you are absent. I went to check to my office to check if you even entered the center in the last few hours. And what did I find?! You haven't returned for more than a day! And then, there's the message about you that I got about you enrolling into a quite nice middle school in Osaka, but I didn't care about that at the moment. I ran back to the riot, and since there weren't that many people, I thought that you could be there and…-"
"School in Osaka?" Izuku asked Naomasa as the man continued to explain his adventures.
The detective sighed.
"Yeah...here goes my surprise, I guess." He rolled his eyes, returning his attention to the supervisor
"And then since I couldn't find you there, I called the police and they told me about you. I was scared you were taken because of the riots. I ran here, but on the way I remembered that you didn't have any school belongings, and considering that you will leave tomorrow, I thought that I would help you a bit. In such times, you need to be set on positive thinking and pray for the best. I ran to a store and then I ran here"
The man started to breath hard again. Was it because the memories were that exhausting or because of him saying so many so fast, neither Izuku nor Naomasa would know.
Izuku stared at the man in slight confusion and admiration to his perseverance, until the real meaning finally reached his brains.
"Wait, enrollment? Already?"
"Well…it was slower than the last time, so…" Naomasa finally relaxed a bit.
Mr. Tokigawa nodded.
"Yes, as I said, a school in Osaka agreed to accept you. From what they told me, they have your housing problem covered"
Izuku turned to Naomasa.
"Is that his doing?" He asked.
"Of course. Though it took a day longer this time." Replied the detective.
"His doing? Who do you mean?" Asked Rin, not really understanding the current situation.
"All Might" Izuku explained.
"Um…All Might what?" the supervisor asked.
"All Might solved Izuku's school and housing problems" Naomasa explained.
The man stood agape for a few seconds.
'I guess I really shouldn't run this much. I can swear he said All Might.'
He shook his head, trying to ignore it.
"If you are his supervisor in the police department, take this" Rin handed Naomasa the documents on Izuku and the tickets for the plane. "Keep them safe. The boy will need them" He added with overserious tone.
Naomasa quirked his eyebrow before nodding. "Of course"
The man then turned to Izuku and lowered himself a bit.
"And, well…Midoriya-kun. I'm glad that everything was resolved this quickly with you. Here, take my number" the man handed the boy a piece of paper. "Call me once you get to Osaka. I need to know that everything is fine with you. I know you weren't part of the 15th center for long, but if you need anything, call me. I'll try to help you somehow"
Izuku smiled despite the chaos around them.
"Thank you. It means a lot to me."
The supervisor nodded and started going to the exit.
"Good. I'll be going, then. I need to make sure that everyone is behaving. Don't forget to call!"
"Bye!"
The man ran out.
"He is quite good." Naomasa commented, earning a nod from Izuku. "So…Osaka it is, then."
"Yeah…"
"I'll go with you" Naomasa added. "I'll leave a request to the administration."
"Eh? Are you sure? Aren't you needed here, Naomasa-san?"
"Well, I need to get you there since you are to be under observation. Once we get there, I'll note the closest police station about your situation and return here. Though, I think we will see each other sooner than you think."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Though, the reason behind is a secret for now."
Midoriya sighed, seeing the retreating detective.
"And Midoriya?"
"Yeah?"
"You okay with sleeping in lounge zone today?"
Izuku shrugged, quite indifferent.
"At this point I don't expect anything better"
Naomasa nodded and went to the chief of the station.
At the same time, Izuku was glad and sad about his situation.
On one hand, he was closer to become a hero. On the other hand, people that he used to know – his easiest way to remember everything - most likely were in Tokyo.
Oh well. He promised to Izumi to create new memories, and promised himself to not be focused solely on his past.
He couldn't turn down such an invitation.
Especially so, considering that Osaka had the second (now first) best hero school in Japan – Shiketsu High.
Izuku breathed shakily with excitement.
The excitement didn't last long.
Now, Izuku was sure that flying was just as scary as fighting All Might
The boy hugged the mother earth, earning a quirked eyebrow from Naomasa.
"What are you doing?"
"I'm glad to be here."
"Where? In Osaka?"
"On the ground."
He wouldn't mind sleeping there for a few minutes. Izuku wasn't sure if it was his body instincts messing with his head again, or if he just was afraid of flights. The point was that he was scared shitless, and was constantly switching between being afraid and calm because of the calming feeling.
Scared and blank expressions were replacing each other every few minutes, slightly scaring Naomasa himself, even if the man wouldn't admit it.
"Come on, don't make a scene. I don't have much time before my flight back to Tokyo"
Oh, right, they were in rush. Izuku quickly got up and almost ran towards the airport terminal.
The road was uneventful, luckily. The city reminded him a lot of Tokyo in the midday, though he didn't have much time to explore the capital.
Hm, at least now he could finally experiment with his quirk.
Finally, some quietness and…loneliness.
'I did just as I wanted to…I got a place for myself.' He thought with a sad smile, looking out of the window.
As Naomasa left him in front of a simple apartment complex, the feeling of loneliness doubled.
That was understandable. Even if he could contact the man and his supervisor, it didn't change the fact that he was in a middle of an unknown to him city, with nothing but a bag of clothes and some books. He needed to rely on himself now, just like he had to when he woke up in that dome.
Sighing, he started wondering about a passable part-time job. A loader, maybe? It had some nice money, and considering his rather impressive strength and stamina, he would do great there. He just hoped he won't be replacing a crane with his tendrils.
'Well…if they offer more money, I don't see any reason to decline' Izuku thought, reaching the fourth floor – the one that All Might owned.
There was ten doors for ten different apartments. Izuku's was supposed to be the fourth one from his side. Once he reached the doorknob, he sighed to calm his nerves again and reached the lock.
At the same moment, the door of the sixth apartment opened, and Izuku quickly turned to greet his neighbor.
A boy with sandy blond hair and with a scowling expression emerged from the apartment. Oncee his eyes turned to Izuku, the boy froze. After a few seconds of silence, he opened his mouth.
"Deku?"
Izuku blinked in surprise.
"Who?"