Author's Note: Ya'll gonna hate me for this one.


13: Deadshot


"A Phone Call Is Here! A Phone Call Is Here! A Phone Call Is Here!" Toshinori groaned as he rolled over in his bed, reaching for his phone. "Who the hell calls in the middle of the night?" He moaned as he grasped the phone with half a mind to toss it across the room. But then he saw just who was calling. "Nighteye?" He accepted the call, "This better be good, Mirai."

"I suppose I should be thankful that you actually answered my call after our last encounter," Sir Nighteye said from the other end of the line, "But I assure you that I have good reason for calling so late: it has something to do with one of the children you seem to be sponsoring."

Toshinori sat up on the side of his bed with a tired groan, "I'm not sponsoring any of them, thank you very much," the man said, "Though I'm quite happy with their progress toward their goals...now, what is it that you've called me about?"

He heard the detective/Hero sigh over the phone, "It's an unpleasant situation, I'm afraid," Nighteye said, "The girl - Hatsume, I believe her name was? - I had some records pulled and found that she...her mother...her name is Kaina Tsutsumi."

Toshinori nearly dropped the phone, "This had better be a bad joke, Mirai."

"No, I'd never joke about something like this," the man said, "But that isn't the only thing that I think you should know about her."

"Go on." Toshinori said as he got up and headed for the kitchen to make a pot of coffee.

"Right," Nighteye said, "We both know that Ms. Tsutsumi, a.k.a. Lady Nagant, was imprisoned in Tartarus for assassinating the former president of the HPSC, but I've found out that that is only half of the truth." Toshinori put the phone on speaker and placed it on the countertop, "Apparently she was the HPSC's trained watchdog."

"A watchdog?" Toshinori asked as he filled the pot with water, "You mean that sweet young woman I used to know was just an act?"

"Possibly," Nighteye continued, "Keep in mind that I just uncovered the fact that she was Miss Hatsume's mother," he reminded the man while he filled the coffee maker, "But what I've found is that the former president used her to assassinate both terrorists, Villains, and Heroes."

Toshinori started, "Heroes? Why?!"

He heard papers shuffling from the phone's speaker, "According to these documents, she was used to put down Heroes that were corrupt, and easily bought." He continued, "She has the perfect Quirk for such work, after all."

"Rifle," Toshinori recalled with a slight shiver, "That Quirk of hers always made me uneasy, and I work with Snipe of all people." He said, "But why would she turn on the HPSC?"

More shuffling, "Somewhere along the lines she became pregnant," Nighteye said, "And when the child was born, she spent a great deal of time away to care for the child. The former president didn't like that."

"Ah, so he must have done something that put her child in danger," Toshinori sighed as the coffee brewed, "Then I would have to say that Ms. Tsutsumi was in the right: she was protecting her child from a corrupt politician."

"Normally I would agree with you," Nighteye said, "But the vice president, who went on to replace the former president, decided that it was best that Lady Nagant be put behind bars." He paused for a moment, "Surprisingly, the lady agreed."

Toshinori paused while reaching for a cup, "Why would she - ?"

"I have a statement here," Nighteye said, "'It's best for me daughter if she's raised away from me. What kind of mother could I be when my hands are stained with so much blood? I would corrupt her into become the way I am now.'"

Toshinori sighed as he poured a himself a cup of coffee, "It always surprises me just how little my time as the symbol of peace has accomplished." He sighed, "Sure, Villains behave themselves more if they know that I'm in the area. But those in the government are almost as bad."

"You mustn't be too hard on yourself, my friend," Nighteye said, "There will always be corruption in any government, whether we root them out or not, someone will always take their place." He sighed before getting back to the matter at hand, "There is something else, Toshinori...the real reason that I called." The blond paused with the cup half-way to his mouth, "Normally, since the girl doesn't know anything of her mother, I wouldn't have bothered to call you about this...but the girl's father...a team of police found what was left of him just a few hours ago."

Toshinori palmed his face, "Dear God," the man set the cup on the counter, "Mirai, tell me you haven't said anything to her, yet?"

"No...I thought it best that that particular duty fell to you, since she knows you." Nighteye said with as much sympathy as he could muster. "I'm sorry, Toshinori. I know that this will be hard, but - "

"No," Toshinori sighed, "You were right to speak with me first...how was he killed?"

Nighteye seemed to growl from his end of the phone, "While I can't prove it, I think that he may have been involved with one of the last remaining yakuza groups in Japan," he said which made Toshinori frown, "I don't know if he owed them money, or if he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, but his body was...taken apart. As if he had exploded...but all that was left was a large splattering of blood, which is where we managed to find enough DNA to figure out who the unlucky fellow was. And only one person in Japan has a Quirk that could do such damage: Kai Chisaki."

Toshinori thought for a moment, "I think I've heard of him...from you, no less," he said, "Haven't you been after this particular man for quite some time?"

"I have," Nighteye grumbled, "Not only is he a cold-blooded murderer, but he's also a Trigger dealer, and I suspect much more than that," he sighed, "But he never leaves witnesses, and those that he does leave alive are unwilling to testify against him. They're that frightened of him."

"I see," Toshinori sighed, "And you think her father may have had dealings with him?"

"Nothing of the sort, truthfully," Nighteye said, "All of the records I pulled on him indicated that the late Natsuo Hatsume was a very clean person." He continued, "Not so much as a parking ticket in the last thirty odd years of his life. No, I think he came upon something that he shouldn't have, which gave the yakuza no choice but to silence him."

Toshinori nodded in agreement, "Makes sense." He sighed, "Thank you for coming to for this, Mirai...and keep me informed of your dealings with this man," he said, sounding more serious now, "I may not be sponsoring these children, but they've come to mean a great deal to me. I will not allow this man to roam free for much longer."

On the other end of the phone, Nighteye sat back in his chair, "I know, my old friend," he sighed as the phone line went dead. He sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration, "What are they up to?" He wondered as he reached for a photo on his desk, one showing a young man with a black face mask holding a small, white-haired child.


僕ぼくのヒーローアカデミア


Tatooine junkyard was one of the many places that Mei frequented for spare parts. Dagobah beach had been another, but since meeting Izuku, the place had been picked clean, literally thanks to Upgrade, of all the raw materials that were there. Now the junkyard the last place the girl could go to get what she needed...or whatever Izuku needed to make use of his abilities when he transformed into Upgrade.

"Mei, are you sure about this?" Izuku asked as they walked around the area, various vehicles and scraps of iron laying all over the place. "I mean, the guy at the gate didn't seem too happy to see us."

Mei just scoffed, "Nah, he's always like that," she said nonchalantly, "Besides, aren't you dying to build that ship?" She asked, becoming excited, "The cars were one thing, but that schematic you showed me for that craft?!" She hugged herself and shivered, "Ugh, that was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen!"

Izuku grinned at her, "Still, though, we should've waited on Shinso." He felt bad for not telling their friend what they were up to.

Mei just rolled her eyes, "Are you kidding? He's probably setting something up with that mushroom girl from last night," she said, remembering that both had been pretty taken with each other. She grinned over her shoulder, "Kind'a like you were with that pink girl." She laughed as Izuku blushed, "Too bad Himiko couldn't come along, though. She looked pretty bummed out."

"Er..." Izuku flinched as he thought back to the conversation that had taken place earlier that morning. Finding out that her foster brother was basically half-alien had been a hard pill to swallow...or at least he had thought it would be. She'd taken it a bit better than he would have imagined. No, she had been very much okay with the idea of being the sister of an extraterrestrial...and then came the jokes. "Yeah, she and Mom went out for the day." That was the truth, at least.

Inko had decided to drop yet another bomb on the family and let the children know that she and Mr. Yagi had officially started dating. Himiko and Izuku were utterly thrilled, one more so than the other for very obvious reasons. [I can't believe that All Might's dating my mom!] He internally screamed: he made sure that he didn't go off on one of his muttering sprees in front of Mei on the topic. The last thing he needed was her knowing one of the many secrets he now found himself keeping.

At the top of that list was the fact that 1) One of his benefactors was the world's No.1 Hero. And 2) His other benefactor was an extrademensional time traveler. Izuku's life was getting more and more complicated by the day...and he loved it. He thought about it and laughed as he pictured himself all of those months ago.

"What's so funny?" Mei asked with a look in his direction.

Izuku just shook his head, "I just..." he smiled at her, "I'm glad I met you guys." Mei looked at him curiously, "You, Shinso, Himiko, even Uraraka and Komori," he said before rubbing the back of his neck bashfully and held up his right wrist, "Besides having this, you guys really are the best thing that's ever happened to me."

Mei just looked at him, her cheeks a light shade of pink, "Are you...trying to get me to kiss you again?" She asked with a dubious look on her face.

"What?!" The boy went as red as an apple, "Of course not! I-I-I-I mean I wouldn't mind it but I - !" The boy was waving his arms so frantically that he was practically lifting off the ground.

Mei just giggled, then, without any warning, stepped forward and kissed him. Full on the lips. Izuku, of course, went ramrod still. It was a quick kiss, however, and when Mei leaned back she couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up because of the shocked look on his face, or the fact that there was steam coming out of his ears.

After a moment, Izuku shook himself back to reality, "Mei, for someone that claims to like girls, you're really sending out mixed signals!" He stammered as the girl laughed. "Seriously! Why do you keep doing that?!"

Mei gave him a coy look, "Now I never said that I liked only girls, now did I?" She asked, making Izuku's jaw drop, "I said maybe I did." She turned around and continued walking deeper into the junkyard. "Besides, you're too cute to resist being nice to."

"That was you being nice?" Izuku muttered as he followed after her. "And what about if I get a girlfriend?" He asked as the girl looked over her shoulder, "You won't keep being nice to me then, will you?"

Mei just grinned, "Maybe, maybe not," she said cryptically, "Depends on if she'd mind being kissed by a girl like me, I guess."

"You guess?!" Izuku yelped while Mei skipped ahead, "Hey, wait a minute, Mei!" He chased after her, "Come back here!"

"Then keep up, slowpoke!" The girl called back laughingly, "The pile I wanted you to check out is just around the next corner!" She raced ahead of him, darting around a large mound of scrapped metal with the boy trailing behind her. "Tada!" Mei shouted with smile as if she were presenting a masterpiece, "What d'ya think of this?!"

Izuku bumbled around the corner and looked up at what Mei was presenting, "Oh, wow!" The boy's eyes nearly popped out of his head, "What the heck's a Pegasus doing here?"

The Pegasus, as Izuku had named it, was an old Eastern European eVTOL used by large companies which replaced most private jets as luxury planes. They were fast, durable, and easily flyable.

"I don't know, really," Mei said with a beaming smile, "Best guess is that a rich Hero had it for a time before it got scrapped, and sent here." She frowned at the machine's condition, "And this one took one hell of a beating." She pointed to the exposed right wing of the craft, "Something hit the wing with enough force to nearly shred it off." She then pointed to the cockpit, "And I noticed that there were some old blood stains in the pilot's chair, so whatever happened wasn't great." She turned to Izuku, "So...think you can use this thing for the Rust Bucket?"

Izuku's face split into a wide grin, "Oh, yeah," he reached for the Ultimatrix, "I definitely can." He dialed in the transformation and slammed his hand down. Mei knew enough to shield her eyes ahead of time as the blinding green flash erupted from around her friend. "Upgrade!"

Mei looked at the giant mechamorph, "Hey, I've always wondered something," she said as the teen moved toward the pile of junk containing the VTOL, "How come you always shout out the name of your mutations when you change into them?"

Upgrade paused a moment to think, raising a finger to his nonexistent mouth, "You know what? I don't know," Mei tilted her head in confusion, "It just happens. Sort'a like a reflex, I guess?"

Mei shrugged, "Well, whatever," she said as she stepped back to let the Galvanic Mechamorph work, "Man, I can't wait to see this new baby!"

Upgrade laughed as his body melted into goop and started swarming over the junk-covered plane, "You mean you can't wait to tinker with it!" He laughed while his body spread over the junk, "Man, there's a lot in here!" He commented as the nanites in his body started breaking down, and storing the materials inside, "I think there's another car in here!"

"Cool!" Mei squealed giddily, "We could actually make it into a real piece of Support Tech, this time!"

Upgrade suddenly reached out to another pile of junk and started absorbing it as well. "I need some more material." He said, before moving to another pile.

Mei was looking at the living blob with curiosity, "Uh, just what are you planning here, Izuku?"

"You'll see." The boy/alien said as he began to shrink back down to normal size for Upgrade. "Ah, man, I feel so full!" He said and tapped the Ultimatrix symbol on his chest to change back, "A-a-a-and it's gone." He grumbled, "I could go for a cheeseburger right now."

"How come you didn't build the ship?" Mei asked, "I was really looking forward to that!"

Izuku shrugged, "Well, I figured we'd do that when we left here," he jerked his thumb over at the entrance of the yard, "I mean, aren't we technically stealing?"

"Psh, that's what you're worried about?" Mei laughed, "I take junk outta here all the time, and the old coot never gives me flack about it."

"Yeah, but do you ever tell him what you're doing?" Izuku asked with his arms crossed, and his brow raised.

Mei just placed her arms behind her head, "So I might've...come in over the back fence a few times?"

"Uh-huh, that's what I thought," Izuku sighed, "At least this way we don't have to worry about him snapping at us."

"I probably shouldn't ask this, but how is this any different than what I was doing before?" Mei asked skeptically.

In answer, Izuku patted his stomach, "Technically, the stuff that Upgrade ate no longer exists, so we can't steal something that doesn't exist, right?" He grinned as Mei's jaw just dropped...a few seconds later, both of them burst out laughing. "I blame you for this," Izuku said, wiping a stray tear, "Before I met you, I never would've considered stealing scrap metal!"

Mei held her stomach as she giggled, "Hey, think of it this way," she laughed, "Most of this stuff is gonna go toward waste heaps and landfills." She gestured to the scrap piles, "It's kind'a why I get away with so much. This place isn't one of the recycling yards. It's just a cheap place for people to bring their scraps and garbage, just like the beach was until you cleaned it up."

That was one more plus to add to his list since obtaining the Ultimatrix. He had used Upgrade to clean the entire beach of the garbage littering it, and now it was a very popular spot for people to go and unwind. "You know, after we get our letters from U.A., we should do something there," he said as the two of them headed back toward the entrance.

"Like what?" Mei asked.

The boy just shrugged, "Well, I don't know," he muttered, "A cook out or something like a party to celebrate!" He grinned at her as she nodded in understanding, "What'cha think?"

"I like it, but..." she trailed off, looking at him skeptically, "Are you sure that we all got in?"

Izuku frowned, stroking his chin as he walked, "I...I think we did..." he muttered uncertainly, "I mean, I can't be sure, but I just have this feeling that we all made it: you, me, Shinso, and Himiko."

"And what about those other three girls that went with us to the burger joint?" She asked as she recalled the two brunettes and the all pink girl with horns that they had not so subtly pushed him toward. "Are you sure that they got in, too?" She wondered, "If they didn't, and we had a party for getting in, then wouldn't it be like rubbing salt in their wounds?"

Izuku grimaced, "I didn't think of that," he sighed, "But I just feel like all of this work is going to work out just fine."

Mei sighed and gave a small shrug, "Fine...but don't come whining to me if maybe one or two of us don't make it." She crossed her arms behind her head again as they passed by the grouchy attendant, who didn't even spare them a glance as he read his newspaper. "Speaking of those girls, have you even talked to that pinky since the entrance exams?"

Izuku jerked to a halt, "Er, no, I - "

"Ugh!" Mei yelled suddenly while scrabbling her hands in her hair, "Are you kidding me!" She demanded of the boy, "You'll never get a girlfriend if you keep up this shy as hell routine of yours!"

"I can't help it!" Izuku backpedaled, "I-I-I-I mean it's not like how it is with you!" She glared at him with her eyes narrowed, "That came out wrong!" He yelped.

"I bet it did." She muttered, "Just what do you mean it's not like it is with me?"

Izuku scrambled for an answer, "I mean I'm...I'm used to you..." he muttered, but the girl just looked on in confusion, "I mean, you practically live with me, Mei, and I'm used to...well, all of it!"

"Except the kissing," Mei pointed out with a giggle, "But I don't do that often, and I don't plan on it unless you just keep mucking things up like this."

Izuku frowned as she walked ahead of him toward the street, "What? You mean you'd be my pity-girlfriend or something?"

"And a mercy fuck if you asked for it." She said without missing a beat causing Izuku to fall flat on his face, "Well, think about it!" She laughed as the boy picked himself up from the ground, "Who else would it be?"

"Uh, someone I don't think of as a sister?" Izuku asked with a shaky grin and a small line of blood leaking from his nose. The images that she had just planted in his head had been...surprising, yet, normal all things considered (he saw her naked on a regular basis).

Mei huffed, "Then you'd better get your head outta your ass, and take things a little more seriously with this girl," she said before reaching out and yanking the boy back to his feet, "If it helps, change into a mutant, and give yourself a confidence boost!" She suggested as Izuku dusted himself off, "But don't be too hard on yourself, Izuku, 'cause I know you will."

"That I can't really help, either," the boy said whilst rubbing the back of his neck, "I mean I've been told I'm plain-looking for most of my life except by my mom."

"And I told you that I thought you were cute," Mei said, "Think I'm lying?"

Izuku shook his head, "Well, no, I guess not...I just don't see it." He shrugged.

Mei just rolled her eyes, "Trust me, someday someone is going to look at you, and see the most handsome boy she's ever known." She said with a sigh, "Come on, we should get back and see what Himiko and Mama Inko are up to."


僕ぼくのヒーローアカデミア


"Why the hell do I have to come along, Old Hag?" Katsuki demanded as his mother drove them to the Midoriya's apartment complex, "I don't even care about Deku!"

Mitsuki looked at him in the rearview mirror, "You're coming along because it's high time that you at least made an attempt at an apology, you brat," she snapped with half the heat that she normally had when reprimanding her son. As of late, things had come to light about his behavior that she had not been made aware of until recently when she had asked Toshinori for some information on Aldera.

"Besides that," Masaru muttered as he drove, "From the sound of things, Inko's going to need all the support she can get," he sighed, casting a look of his own at his son, "And I will not allow you to go out with those friends of yours that think bullying is fun." He said, "You realize that if Izuku had wanted it, you would have been sent straight to juvenile detention for what you've done."

Katsuki's palms started smoking.

"And if you use your Quirk for a single pop, young man, I'll have you pulled from the Hero Course, and placed in General Studies," Mitsuki snapped at him when she smelled the smoke moving through the car. "I don't know what that boy did to you to make you hate him so much, but it ends now!"

Katsuki held his tongue. [They wouldn't understand, even if I told them,] he thought, his mind going back to that day ten years ago when he fell into the creek. The fact that Izuku the Deku had been Quirkless made him the last person that he thought would show him sympathy, but that one moment had set him on fire, and his resentment toward the weakling had only grown over the years. [Where did he get off thinking I'm weak enough to need help from him?]

Masaru sighed, thankful that the boy hadn't started another argument before getting to the apartment complex. It wouldn't do poor Inko any good to have them fighting over who knows what in front of her. "Here we are," he said as he pulled into the parking lot, noticing a familiar white truck sitting on the curb, "It looks like Mr. Yagi's here, too."

"Who?" Katsuki asked.

"Inko's new boyfriend," his mother giggled, her son gaining a bug-eyed look, "Oh, that's right, you didn't know about the divorce." She said, "This is why you need to come down whenever we have company." She admonished, "You'd learn a few things about how to act around people."

"Like I care!" He huffed and turned his head toward the window.

Masaru frowned at him, "You had better care," he told the boy, "Remember that that young woman that you've been hung up on is also Inko's foster child." He saw his son's left brow begin twitching, "That was quite the handprint you were sporting, too."

Snarling, the boy got out of the car and headed for the stairs, "Katsuki, we're taking the elevator!" His mother shouted after, "Get your ass back here!"

"I'm takin' the stairs!" He roared back.

"Son!" Masaru shouted, "You listen to your mother, and I mean now!"

He halted...then grudgingly started toward the elevator where his mother was already waiting. She cuffed him behind the neck, "You're going to learn some better manners, young man, or you will be in for a rough ride when school starts!"

"The only difference is that I'll be learning to be a Hero," the boy grumbled while his father joined them.

The man only laughed, "I think you'll find that that's not the case," he said, "Not only have I heard that one of their teachers in the Hero course expelled his entire class last year, but there were several students that were put into the school through recommendations. None of them were forced to go through what you did, Son. They were that much better."

"Like hell they were!" The boy snapped at the man, which was normally enough to shut him up, but he only smiled at his son, shaking his head. He remained quiet for the remainder of the ride up, both of his parents keeping a hand on his shoulders to keep him from rushing ahead of them and stirring up trouble.

When they reached the apartment, they were greeted by a very somber-looking Inko, "Mitsuki, Masaru," she smiled at the two parents, a smaller, less inviting smile going toward their son, "Katsuki," she nodded before turning her attention back to his parents, "I'm glad you could come."

Mitsuki took in the woman's reddened eyes, "Inko, you've been crying!" She let go of her son and reached for her oldest friend, "Oh, sweetie what's happened?"

"Is it something to do with Hisashi?" Masaru asked, wondering if her former husband had decided to cause her trouble because of the divorce.

The woman shook her head, "No, no, it has nothing to do with him," she sighed as she invited them inside, the Bakugos finding the Midoriya household quite full. Katsuki recognized a few of their faces: the girl that had slapped him, claiming Deku and Auntie Inko as her family. The lazy-looking boy with purple hair. And the the skinny-ass blond geezer that had claimed to be an agent from Might Towers.

There were two other girls, one a brunette with a bob cut that hung down over her eyes, and a totally pink girl with...racoon eyes? Who the hell were all these extras?

"Mina, dear!" Mitsuki said to the pink girl with delight, "How are you, Sweetie?"

The girl smiled back at her, "I've been great, Mrs. Bakugo!"

"Ah, this must be the girl that you wanted for your winter exposé," her husband chuckled while the girl just gave a lovely blush of lavender. "And I can see why. She'd look wonderful in many of the outfits that you have drawn up."

"Wouldn't she, though?" Mitsuki giggled as she greeted the blond man, "Toshinori, always a pleasure. And congratulations to both you and Inko." She said while the new couple blushed. "You'd better keep her happy, or you'll definitely have hell to pay."

"Her happiness is all I want," the man said with a small smile, though it didn't reach his eyes, "but I'm afraid that today's topic isn't going to be a part of that." He sighed, looking over at Inko, "Are they on their way?"

Inko nodded, "Yes, according to Izuku, they've just turned down our street." She said as she took a seat next to Himiko. A short time later, the two they were waiting on came through the door. Katsuki easily recognized them both. One had been a constant thorn in his side since he'd met him, while the other was another pinky. Inko smiled at the pair, "I'm sorry to ruin your fun by calling you back so soon."

Izuku hesitated when he saw the room full of people, including, to his surprise, the Bakugos, but he gave his mother a smile anyway, "No need to worry, Mom," he said, "We were on our way back, anyway." He said before looking around, blushing when he saw Mina waving at him. "Er," Mei snickered and elbowed him in the side, and he pushed her away, "So what's with all the guests?"

"I'm afraid that's my doing, my boy," Toshinori said, gesturing for them to sit down. Mei saw that the only seats available were next to Mina, so the girl nudged him toward the couch where she sat him down, and took up the seat next to him. "I'm afraid that I have some rather...well, there's no sugar coating it: it's bad news."

Shinso frowned, "We didn't make the U.A., did we?" He asked with a sigh, "Should've known." Kinoko reached out and patted his arm.

"At least we'll still have General Studies? Right?" She asked, forgoing her usual mushroom puns.

Toshinori chuckled and waved his had to dismiss the notion, "Oh, no, that's not it at all," he said, "As a matter of fact, I took the liberty of getting your results from Principal Nezu early."

Inko smiled at the man, "Perhaps you could let them hear them first?" She asked, "It might take the sting out of all of this."

Toshinori nodded, looking around the room, "I can access all of your scores, if you'd like?" He asked as he reached into his coat to bring out a data pad.

"Hell yeah!" Mina shouted happily, "I've been on pins and needles since the exams!"

"Shroom here," Kinoko piped up, "But what about Ochako?"

Toshinori chuckled, "Ah, I wasn't able to reach her," he said, "But I can tell you right now that she passed." The girl smiled in relief. Toshinori then turned to the Bakugos, "First off, Katsuki Bakugo with a solid score of seventy combat points. And a ninety-nine on the written exams."

Katsuki just grinned. His father patted him on the back, "Good job, Son."

Toshinori nodded, "Indeed, he came in third place in the grand total."

[Third?!] Katsuki's eye began to twitch violently.

"Next, with a combat score of fifty, fifty rescue points, and a perfect score in the written exams," he smiled toward Izuku, "Izuku Midoriya comes in at first place with a grand total of one hundred overall points."

"Alright!" Shinso grinned at him while Mei and Mina high-fived him.

"Who got second place?" Himiko asked.

Toshinori smiled at the girl, "Second place was a tie between yourself and Miss Ashido for your work in herding the crowd away from the Zero Point robot as well as Miss Ashido's Heroic display in getting you to safety." The man laughed at the girls' shocked expression before Mina squealed and leaned over to hug the blonde. "And while you both didn't make it to the top ten, Young Shinso, both you, Miss Komori, and Miss Uraraka have all passed with flying colors." He smiled at Shinso.

"What about me?" Mei asked hopefully.

Toshinori tapped a few keys on the pad and smiled, "Mei Hatsume has been accepted into U.A.'s Support Item Course with top marks...but is advised against making anymore exploding tech for the foreseeable future."

Izuku grinned at her as the girl just stuck her tongue at him. "It wasn't my fault!" She argued while crossing her arms, "Some moron decided to try and sabotage me! Power Loader even caught it on video!"

"Sure it was," Shinso said mockingly.

"Oh, screw you, Mento!" Mei snapped.

The adults laughed at the banter while Izuku and Mina tried to calm Mei down. "Ahem, as pleasant as this news is," Inko interjected, looking at Toshinori with sad eyes, "I think it's time for what you came to tell her." She sighed.

Toshinori nodded, running a hand through his hair, "You're right," he muttered before looking straight at Hatsume, "Young lady...how close are you to your father?"

Mei shrugged, "We're not exactly what you'd call close," she said truthfully, "Ever since I learned to take care of myself, he's been gone a lot on out of town projects. Sometimes for days, or weeks at a time." She said, "But he always calls to check in on me, and make sure the house is fully stocked with food, bills are paid, and all that. And we always take time to talk and catch up whenever we have the time." She said, giving the man a look of confusion, "Why?"

The man took a breath, "Well, Dear, I don't know how you'll take this," he scrubbed his face with his palm, "Early this morning, I received a call from Nighteye's agency...and he reported to me that your father's remains had been found."

He didn't know what he was expecting as the others who hadn't already heard the news gasped around them. The Bakugos, including the son, looked sufficiently shocked by the news. Izuku, Hitoshi, Komori and Ashido looked horrified, of course.

Mei, however, had gone deathly pale. Her crossair-like pupils had shrunk down to nonexistent size. And he could see a light layer of sweat beading across her skin. He moved forward just in time as the girl's eyes rolled back and her body went slack. He just barely managed to catch her with Izuku and Mina's help before she hit the floor.

Inko and Mitsuki yelled in alarm while Masaru jumped over the back of the couch to help Toshinori carry her to the spare bedroom.

A short time later both women had the girl tucked away in bed, deciding that rest was better for her at the moment. Toshinori sighed as he sat down in one of the armchairs, "I should've seen that coming." He muttered as Masaru handed him a cup of tea that Inko had brewed.

"Come on, now, Toshi," the man sighed, "Something like this is never easy."

Toshinori nodded, "I admit that I'm glad to be out of practice," he muttered as he took a sip, "Telling someone that their loved ones are no more was not easy when I was young, and it sure as hell isn't any easier now, especially concerning a little girl."

Mitsuki was sitting with Inko holding onto the woman's hands in comfort. "Doesn't she have any other members of her family?"

The man shook his head slowly, "Not from her father's side," he said, sitting back, "Her mother, on the other hand..."

Izuku came back into the room with Mina trailing next to him, "Himiko's keeping an eye on her for now," he told his mother, "But it doesn't look like she's waking up anytime soon."

Inko nodded, "Understandable," she sighed, "It was quite a shock." She looked at her son, "I know that I don't need to ask, Dear, but since Mei's - "

"I already talked it over with Hitoshi and Miss Ashido," he gave Mina a grateful look while the girl gave him a bright smile, "We can start moving her things out of her house as soon as tomorrow."

Masaru looked at her, "You're taking her in?" He asked with a look around the apartment, "No offense, Inko, but this place is..."

"Small, I know," Inko smiled sadly, before giving Mitsuki's hand a squeeze, "But I decided to take Mitsuki's advice about using some of that money from my divorce settlement. I've found a very nice two story house near U.A." She told the woman, "I was just waiting on the children's letters to arrive before committing to making the purchase."

Toshinori smiled at her, "That's wonderful to hear, Inko. And I'm sure that Mei will appreciate the gesture."

Inko laughed softly, "She's already like another daughter to me just like Himiko," she smiled, "I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try to help her."

Toshinori nodded in understanding, "Before we can do anything about her living conditions," he sighed, "We have to meet with her one living relative before the legal system catches up with us and tries to put her in a home."

"I thought she didn't have any other family?" Mina asked, looking up at Izuku, "You said that her mom wasn't around anymore?"

Izuku shrugged, "She said she passed away just after she was born."

Toshinori just shook his head, "That...is simply what her mother asked her to be told." The man laced his fingers together, "Her mother...is in Tartarus."


僕ぼくのヒーローアカデミア


Author's Note: I had a lot of reasons for doing this chapter the way I did. But I hope you like the twisty turns in it! Next chapter...is a lot...

Wanna see what happens? Ya'll know what to do!

Adios Amigos!