It's a warm touch, searing into his skin, from the sweltering sun reaching out by the means of golden beams for arms. Sweat streaks down his face and under his clothes. Under the glare of the broad window opposing him, Izuku feels as though he's standing in hell rather than Makima's office; perhaps those two places are one in the same as he sees her sin shining through. The woman's heels suspend her over the view of the city but she doesn't quite reach the skyline, a halo of light above her head, and the shadow of Hawks' wings making her appear as a fallen angel. Izuku glances over at his mentor, the hero having tagged along for the boy's mission debrief. A heavy silence hangs over the room, the weight making Izuku shift uncomfortably. He doesn't know whether to be grateful or not when Makima unsettles the hushed environment by finally addressing him.

"I believe it is safe to assume from Sir Nighteye's absence that there were casualties", she levels her gaze with Izuku's by leaning forward. Her hands place themselves atop her desk, bracing her bend as she's propped up by her arms. Shimmering swirls in the woman's eyes reflect against the sun shining behind her. He'd be hypnotized if not from the predatory sheen to them.

He dry swallows, but tastes the salt of his own sweat on his lips. "Yes", the answer comes easy since it's the truth but that doesn't make it any less painful of a thing to say. Izuku hangs his head, mourning the mental image of Nighteye slowly bleeding out. He hadn't known the hero personally, nor as an acquaintance for very long, but he still feels somewhat responsible.

Makima shifts her hips to lean more on her right, tilting her head with the slight change to maintain contact with Izuku's eye level. He can't help but glance up, meeting her gaze again. "Should I be led to believe that you were the only survivor of the team that was dispatched?", the HPSC Director's next question makes him look away from her just as quickly.

Izuku is not only aware of Makima's gaze, but he can now feel Hawks staring at him as well. He's hesitant to respond, though there's an immense pressure to answer sooner rather than later. "Yes", the reluctance makes his voice waver but he hardens his eyes to compensate when returning them to meet Makima's. She holds his gaze, searching for any cracks in the tough act.

"None of Nighteye's Agency made it out?", her reiteration of the previous question is a way of telling him that she isn't quite convinced by the performance. When she stops supporting herself against her desk and returns to her full height, she stands over him with a more critical stare. The rings in her eyes spiral like the shadows casted by the sun, dimming the room's atmosphere.

Izuku stiffens, standing a little straighter to match the Director's posture. He finds it in himself to look her in the eyes and speak with a voice as solid as his stare. "No, ma'am, not to my knowledge", the sturdy stance holds well against Makima's judgmental stature. They find themselves locked in a stalemate, neither one folding first.

Makima hums. When she sits down in her office chair, Izuku allows his shoulders to stoop. "And what of the Yakuza?", her slight change in questioning helps him quell his concerns a little more. As such, he takes her sitting down as an invitation to do the same, stealing the seat across from her.

"I didn't kill any of them", his personal report is again the truth but it's not like he was a witness to everything either, "I can't speak for Nighteye and the others" Chisaki was a bit of a special case that he can only presume there might have been other instances of lethal force. Considering Izuku had a close call of his own when up against Stain 2.0, he can't say he blames anybody for exercising a lack of restraint.

Makima nods, accepting that answer. What comes next, however, is a return to the interrogation. "And what of the girl that the Yakuza had in their possession? You were unable to retrieve her?", Izuku curses himself for letting his guard down as he grips his seat's armrests. Makima has that analytical glint to her gaze again, not allowing the boy any time to pause in his responses.

"No", the answer comes out a little too hastily and way too forced. Hoping to smooth things over with some careful clarification, he tries and fails to not stutter while explaining, "I- I think she died in the wreckage…" A mental recollection of the collapsing tunnel helps him to sell his point of view but he still wasn't ready to answer that question quite yet.

"Oh?", Makima's eyes narrow into a focused stare as she asks, "What makes you 'think' that?"

Hawks glances between his protege and his boss, working up the nerve to step in between them in order to interject. He comes to Izuku's defense, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder, "I think he's been through enough already that–"

"Hawks", but Makima's critically sharp tone cuts through the hero's words as promptly as her glare does. She stops him in his tracks, gesturing to the exit behind him. "Would you be as kind to leave the room and provide us with a moment of privacy?", her request is more of a direct order that ruffles the man's feathers.

Hawks steps back, faltering. His hand slips off of Izuku's shoulder, his body swaying between staying and leaving. His face scrunches into a strenuous expression, "But–"

"Seeing as how you weren't apart of the mission that took place, I don't think you have much to add to this debrief", Makima interrupts him with another manner of speaking that pierces straight through him, "You were allowed to join us as a courtesy but that right is now revoked."

And that does it. Hawks must give in to defeat. He gives Izuku a parting look, one to convey he's sorry. He closes the door on the way out as he promises the very least he can do, "I'll be right outside, kid…"

Once they're alone, Makima stands up again to address Izuku. "The HPSC recovered the remains of Kai Chisaki and his Eight Bullets", she gradually works her way around her desk to close the short gap between them, "I had a team scour the tunnels and retrieve the bodies of Sir Nighteye's sidekicks as well" The close proximity makes the boy flinch when she says, "I find it odd that your story states there were complete casualties when there are two corpses missing."

"M- Missing?", he can't help but squirm under her gaze. The tie around his neck feels too constricting, leading to him loosening it with a small tug.

Makima nods while she leans her backside against her desk, half sitting and half standing as she crosses her legs. "Mirio Togata and the girl that Chisaki had in his possession", the redhead raises a single eyebrow, "You know nothing?"

There's no more beating around the bush. He sighs. His head hangs until the only way to keep it from falling is placing it in his hands. "I saw Lemillion lose an arm in his fight with Chisaki, as well as get stabbed various times", the gruesome battle replays in his head as he recollects the events that transpired in the Yakuza base.

Makima brings a hand to her chin, index finger settling atop her lip, making her appear as Asui usually would when she thinks. "That would explain the traces of DNA we found", she prompts Izuku to continue with his story.

"He lost a good amount of blood", but that's all there is to tell when he sits up straight again to say, "I don't think anyone could survive that" Whatever expression he's making must be convincing enough since his superior doesn't press the issue.

"Perhaps", she leaves the matter of Mirio alone. Instead, she leans back into asking about the other missing person. She asks about Eri, "And the girl?"

The sun encases the room in a ray of light as clouds part, the window's glare brighter than ever. Enveloped by the blinding beams, Izuku steels himself and answers, "I have no idea where she is."

Makima covers her mouth with her hand, stifling some sort of noise she makes. Momentarily, Izuku thinks that she's coughing. However, when her hand slips away to unveil a smile on her lips, it's then that he realizes that the woman is laughing. She uncrosses her legs, standing up as she reverts to her serious state. And asks, "Are you lying to me … Izuku Midoriya?"

Izuku stares up at her, perturbed as he is unsettled. He swallows the last of his resolve to answer. "As far as anyone knows, everybody involved died."

Makima's head tilts to the side, her smile staying on her face. "As far as anyone knows, the raid never even happened."

Izuku's jaw loosens, his mouth gaping. He struggles at first, but manages to get it working again to ask in a hushed tone, "No funerals?"

"We'll notify and inform family", Makima waves away his concern. He tries to track her when she begins moving. But she works her way behind him. "You did well for your first mission, considering the circumstances", her hands place themselves on his shoulders; polished nails trace his deltoids, "Don't be too hard on yourself."

"I'm not", Izuku tenses at her touch.

When the woman's voice draws closer to his ear, a shiver runs down his spine despite the warmth of her breath. "Good boy", Makima's whisper sounds as loud as ever.


"You all did good", Aizawa addresses his class from the front of the room. Each student looks at their individual handouts, exam scores discreetly disclosed. "Some of you performed better than others but — well done", it's a broad overview but it's a fact that the teacher can be very proud of. He allows himself a small smile.

But that smile doesn't last very long. Ashido shoots up from her seat, an arm raised in the air despite already asking her question as an outbursting disruption, "Does that mean we all get to go to the summer camp?!"

Aizawa tries to tame his temper as he grates out through gritted teeth, "Yes…" She should know better from all her previous reprimandings to wait and be called on.

A vein bulges from the man's forehead when the rest of the room gets just as rowdy. A chorus of cheers washes over the class like a wave. He waits for them to simmer down, performing breathing exercises to maintain his sanity.

"You were all going anyways", the tired teacher exhales when the children finally settle back into place.

But he relaxed too soon. As an underground hero, he should have known better than to lower his guard. "What?!", Sero screams and starts another uproar.

"Was this another one of your logical ruses?", Uraraka nervously glances around like somebody is bound to spring a pop quiz on her. With the way his class is misbehaving, Aizawa considers making her fear a rational reality.

Instead, the man sighs and shakes his head. "No, the summer camp is a good opportunity to strengthen your quirks", he opens a desk drawer to grab a grape juice pouch; the energy drink may as well be a substitute for alcohol at this point, "We would have simply placed you in extracurricular remedials if you had scored low on your exams."

Ojiro shares a look with Kaminari and Ashido, a single sweat drop rolling down his forehead. The blonde wipes it away with his tail as he laughs, "We made it by the skin of our teeth, huh?"

Aizawa rolls his eyes, sleep deprivation nearly making them get stuck in the back of his head. "Now that you know, make sure you're all prepared for the trip…", the tired teacher pauses to slurp on the straw of his juice pouch before adding, "You're dismissed" With class over, he collapses into his sleeping bag and hopes to forget about his problem children for a few hours.

Sato swivels from watching his sensei pass out to searching his class for somebody who can answer him, "How are we supposed to prepare? What does that mean?"

"It means we should make a trip to the mall!", Ashido shoots from her seat to latch onto the boy and put him in a headlock. Already claiming her first victim, she scours the others for her next target.

"Ooo! Yeah! Let's all go together!", Hagakure hops around to collect Shoji and Tokoyami as the pinkette's partner in crime. Though invisible, the girl shares a grin with her friend.

Shinso shrugs his backpack over one shoulder by a single strap. "Hard pass", the boy is just about to slip out of the room but makes the mistake of walking past Kaminari.

"Come on, bro, don't be a downer!", the blonde moves as briskly as lightning to catch Shinso. Kaminari ropes his peer in with an arm draped across the boy's shoulders.

Kirishima flashes his friend a thumbs up before gesturing with it towards another blonde. "Even Bakubro is gonna come!", the redhead gives one of his patented shark toothed grins as an extra boost of encouragement.

Bakugo scoffs, brushing them off. "I'm only tagging along because I needed shit anyways", he objects but only with a slight grumble and growl.

"See?", Kirishima takes that as a sign of victory anyways. Which also manages to convince Todoroki for some reason, much to Ashido's elation.

Asui performs her signature frog-like pose, squatting in her seat with a curious touch to her chin as she asks, "Are you coming too, Jirou?"

The girl flinches at the mention of her existence, all eyes turning to look at her. She shrugs, toying with an ear jack. "Oh, I dunno…", the indecisive girl avoids meeting anyone's gaze.

"It'll be my treat", until Yaoyorozu comes to her aid. The class rep offers her friend a small smile.

All Jirou can do is sigh and agree with a nod, "I guess I can't say no to that…"

The class collectively cheers. Ashido pats Jirou on the back, "Atta girl!"


A familiar little girl looks around with wide red eyes. The airport is a cocoon of steel, the walls elegantly curving to wrap around everything, but not in the way that the Yakuza tunnels did. This place is supported by structural beams, separated by broad windows that let in the light of the world. People move with the sun, casting colors to create a moving rainbow. The flow from check-in desks to ticket lines is a constant flux of commotion unlike the reclusive underground of the Yakuza. Eri's eyes twinkle in the daylight.

She swivels her tiny head to gaze up at the blonde boy that brought her here. He's kind like the chainsaw boy; he fought to rescue and free her like the chainsaw boy. He even lost one of his arms for her. "Veteran?", a lady behind a counter asks him about the missing appendage. But he doesn't look upset about it. If anything, the shiny white toothed grin he's always flashing grows even bigger.

"Not exactly", Mirio laughs as he hands the woman his passport. Eri clings to the boy's leg, hugging him apologetically even if he isn't angry with her for costing him a body part. He places his remaining hand atop her head, combing his fingers through her hair.

He's not out of action quite yet. As a matter of fact, once he gets this little girl to safety, he'll be back to save another million.