I've changed the time when they're supposed to go back to the hotel, blah blah blah, yeah, yeah, whatever. Just know I changed some stuff in case you're confused over something that doesn't sound right. XP Also, an important announcement in the author's endnotes that involves me, my folks, and my home life! :)
Once they all had their dinner at Konami Diner(the food was really good), and each of them had paid their meals, they all met outside of the restaurant, with Aizawa leading the way.
"Okay," started Aizawa as he stopped and turned to face them, "From here on in, you can all do whatever you want in the park. Again, just be back at the hotel around 20:45 or until it reaches its closing time at 21:00 the very least. I trust you all don't go off with strangers and to stay in the park. Don't go using your Quirks as well." Once he saw and heard all the kids comply with Aizawa's rules, he said, "Good. Well, with that said, I'll see you all at the hotel. Be careful now." He turned around to walk back the path to the hotel.
"Huh? W-Wait," Midoriya said suddenly, causing Aizawa to stop, "Y-You're gonna go back to the hotel? You're leaving us here?" He asked, flabbergasted.
"That's what I said. And believe it or not, I know you kids can handle yourselves. But seriously, I trust you all to not do anything stupid. Until then, that meal was good, and I wish to take a nice long rest." Aizawa said as he walked off to the hotel, leaving the students all by themselves.
"Wow. Okay." Jirou blinked. "Um...I guess we can do whatever we want?"
"Hey, sounds like a plan!" Kaminari said with a grin. "I might just go on the rides! Who's with me on that?"
"I'm game!" Ashido said with excitement.
"Yeah, I could go for some amusement!" Kirishima said with a smile in agreement.
"Hm...it would be exhilarating to try out some rides." Tokoyami said with a nod.
"Hey, I'm down with that!" Sato said with a grin. "What do you all say, guys? Who's up for it?"
Sero, Ojiro, and Shoji cheered.
"Well, I'd rather go out and explore the shops here. Especially the souvenir shops!" Aoyama said with a sparkle in his eye.
"Oh! That sounds fun! I want to join!" Hagakure said with glee.
"Hmm… *ribbit* Well, I'm thinking of wanting to go to the museum instead. I think Aizawa-Sensei said that the admission fee was cheap. Does anybody want to come?" Tsuyu suggested.
"Sure! I would like to know a little bit more about the town!" Uraraka concurred with a smile.
"Yeah, I would think that could be a nice time passer. Count me in." Todoroki said with a nod.
"I think it would be interesting. I'd like to join." Yaoyorozu spoke up with a small smile.
"Aw heck, why not? It actually could be interesting. I'm in." Jirou shrugged with a smirk.
"Yeah, I bet it could be fun! I'll join too." Midoriya smiled at that.
Bakugou snorted and walked away from the group.
Midoriya looked over at the explosive blonde, "Uh, Kaachan? Where are you going?"
"Back to the hotel, ya dumbass." Bakugou snarked.
"Aw hey, come on Bakugou. I bet there's something you want to do around here?" Kirishima asked him in a friendly tone.
"No fucking way. I'm tired and I want this trip to be over. I would rather train back at UA than hang out with you 'extras'." Bakugou remarked curtly. And with that, he kept walking back to the hotel.
The rest of Class 1-A looked at the leaving Bakugou with either having expressions of annoyance or pity on their faces.
Midoriya was one of those who just felt pity for him, as well as Uraraka.
"Well, I would like to join your trip to the museum as well!" Mineta said to the museum group with a perverted and deceiving grin, thinking it would be a good opportunity to be with the girls.
However, almost as if reading his mind, Momo, Kyouka, and Tsuyu glared at Mineta while Uraraka looked at him with caution.
"Uh…" The short purple-balled haired sweatdropped.
Even Todoroki and Midoriya were doubtful and distrustful as they frowned at him.
"...Okay. You know what? I changed my mind. I rather just go on the rides." Mineta said with his hands raised in defense. 'Well, at least Mina's there…'
"We'll keep an eye on him." Sato assured the museum group.
Mina giggled. "Yeah, and I'll make sure he doesn't do anything stupid as well!"
"Aw, come on!" Whined Mineta.
"You're on your own on this one, pal." Kaminari said with a sheepish smile.
"TRAITOR!"
"Well then, it's settled." Midoriya said with a smile. "Let's have fun!"
Everyone cheered...except for Iida.
The museum group took notice of this, and Uraraka asked him, "Hey, Iida, would you like to go to the museum with us?"
Iida looked to have been in thought, as he snapped out of his trance. "Oh, um...n-no. Uh, no thank you. I-I'm thinking of just...getting some rest back at the hotel."
"Oh...okay." Uraraka said with a frown.
Midoriya also spoke up. "Are you sure, Iida? I mean, you don't want to be cooped up in our room all evening, do you?"
"Yeah." Yaoyorozu said with a nod. "You should try to enjoy this trip before we go off to our internships."
"Exactly." Midoriya agreed. "Come on, Iida, why not join us?"
"No."
Everyone looked at the Speed Quirk user with surprise at his tone.
"I-...Iida?" Midoriya asked with concern.
"I mean…" Iida sighed. "...I'm sorry. I thank you all for offering, but it's just...I have something to clear up in my mind…" Before he can turn around to go, he said, "I...I hope you all have fun though."
And with that, he turned around to walk back to the hotel. As he was walking though, he seemed to pick up the pace as he began to walk a little faster.
"Um...is Iida okay?" Jirou asked, a little concerned.
"I...don't really know." Todoroki said, perplexed as he blinked. "I hope he is, though."
"Okay, um, does anybody know what's wrong with our class representative?" Mina said in an innocent tone.
"Yeah! He hasn't even reprimanded me lately when I do pervy stuff!" Mineta said. "...Which, uh, I'm not complaining...but still! Kind of weird."
"Yeah, dude has been mad depressed-looking ever since…" Kaminari perked up as he thought of what it could be. "Oh…dude, that's right."
Kirishima caught on. "Oh, hey, yeah...aw, dude, I totally forgot about that."
"What happened?" Sero asked.
"Yeah, something happened to Iida?" Mina asked also.
"It's about his brother. *ribbit*" Tsuyu told them.
"His brother? Ingenium?" Tokoyami asked.
"Oh! That's right! His brother was involved in a fight with the Hero Killer!" Aoyama said.
"The Hero Killer?" Jirou wondered.
"Yeah." Midoriya said with a nod. "His brother was severely hurt..." He frowned as he remembered the report of Iida's brother's condition. "Ingenium is said to be paralyzed now from the waist down and won't be able to walk again."
"Really?" Jirou said with wide eyes. "Whoa...man, that's...that's harsh."
Momo looked down in thought as she processed this info.
Uraraka frowned as she looked down, muttering in sympathy. "This is starting to get really bad here...poor Iida."
"Well, maybe he does need to clear his head for a bit." Midoriya suggested. "He could probably just need some space right now."
"...Still," Momo said, causing Midoriya to look at her. "Internships are coming up, and we'll be starting them around tomorrow evening. Even though it is understandable to feel depressed over one's sibling being severely harmed, he shouldn't let this weigh him down. He had nothing to do with his injury, and he shouldn't feel bad about it, it comes with the job of being a Hero. If anything, he should keep going for his brother's sake in his internship…" She sighed. "...I think it's settled. We need to do something for Iida."
"W-Well, I agree, but…" Midoriya rubbed the back of his head. "It's just that...I don't want us to keep pushing him on trying to make him feel better if it only annoys him further. I just don't want him to be even more distant towards us when we're only trying to help him."
"That I understand." Yaoyorozu said with a nod. "But he's our classmate, and we should all look out for each other."
"Yeah!" Uraraka nodded with a smile. "I would still help him no matter what he's going through!"
"Yeah." Jirou said with a nod also. "Iida may be a little too serious about his job as class representative at times, but he is our friend. We got to help him out of this funk."
"I agree. *ribbit* We should try to get him back to his normal self at least." Tsuyu chimed in.
"Well then, I guess it is settled." Todoroki said. "Let's try to get him out of his room and try to get him outside to have some fun before our internship starts."
"Uh...w-well…" Midoriya thought about it for a second. 'Could we really get Iida out of his depression?'
Depression.
Midoriya frowned at that word.
'...He...no, he doesn't deserve to be ignored. I can't let him go on like this. Especially with internships coming up. He should at least feel motivated to keep going on being a Hero...yeah. We do need to help him.'
"...You know what? You're right. All of you." Midoriya said in determination. "Iida has been suffering long enough. We got to do something to get him back in good spirits." He nodded. "I'm in."
Momo blinked once and couldn't help but smile.
'Wow. Midoriya really is a nice guy...he really seems to be loyal to his friends.' Yaoyorozu stated in her mind. 'I wonder why I haven't communicated with him until now?'
"Well, hey, we would like to help, but we don't want to overcrowd him with all of us encouraging him." Kirishima said.
"Oh, no worries!" Midoriya told them. "You guys just go on ahead and have fun. We'll try to get Iida over here as best as we can."
"Yeah! We, as the museum group, will get him back to normal, as best as we can!" Uraraka declared with a smile and a confirmation nod.
"Well, what are we doing standing around here for?" Jirou said in good humor. "Let's get over to the hotel and get him out of the dumps."
"Right!" The rest of the 'museum group' said in unison.
'It's a good thing all of our rooms are on the first floor.' Midoriya thought as they went to his and Iida's room.
It took them exactly a four-minute walk, as they took a bridge that was over a man-made lake that took them across the hotel. Once they entered the hotel they all went to the room where Midoriya and Iida are staying.
When they stopped in front of the room, Midoriya took a deep breath, and got his card-key out.
"It's okay, Midoriya! We'll be out here if you need us!" Ochako said with a smile.
"Yeah. Just try to get Iida out of the room. *ribbit*" Tsuyu told him.
"Good luck, Midoriya." Momo said to him.
Todoroki nodded while Jirou gave Midoriya a thumbs up and smirk.
"Right…" Midoriya put in his card-key and unlocked his room door. "Um, Iida?" He went inside…
"Iida?" Izuku said inside the room, closing the door behind him.
...There was no answer.
"Hm?" He went further into the room…
...There wasn't anyone there. Not even a covered up sheeted body in his bed.
"...Iida?" Midoriya said, growing a little concerned.
He went and checked the bathroom to see he was in there.
He turned on the light...and no one was there.
Finding this very odd, but being rational, he went to check the beds one last time.
Iida's bed. Nothing.
Once he went to his own bed to check if he's there for whatever reason, he saw something on his bedside on the nightstand.
"Huh?" Midoriya uttered.
Looking down at it...was a note.
He picked it up and read it to himself.
...His eyes widened.
"...What?"
The group that was outside of Midoriya's and Iida's room were all quiet…
"...It sure is quiet in there…" Uraraka commented.
And then, Izuku opened the door frantically, startling the group.
"IIDA'S GONE!" Midoriya exclaimed.
"What!?" Uraraka, Tsuyu, and Yaoyorozu exclaimed in shock.
Todoroki and Jirou's eyes widened in equal shock.
"Gone?" Todoroki said in question. "What do you mean by 'gone'?"
"I-I mean he's not in the room! I-I mean, he's not here! I-I mean, he's not in the hotel! I-I mean, I think he isn't! I mean, I'm saying-" Midoriya was cut off by Momo.
"Midoriya, calm down. Are you saying he's not in the hotel at all?" Yaoyorozu asked him
"Hey, what's that in your hand?" Jirou said to the Quirk Inheritor.
Snapping out of his panic, he looked down at the note that was in his right hand. "Oh! W-Well, it's a letter! F-From Iida!"
"From Iida?" Uraraka said in worry. "What does it say?"
Izuku lifted up the piece of paper to his face and said what Iida wrote down.
Midoriya, I'm going to the abandoned town known as Chinmoku. I think I saw HIM.
"Him? Who's him?" Tsuyu asked curiously.
"Wait, he's going to that empty town? Chinmoku?" Jirou asked incredulously.
"Midoriya, why would he go there? Who's this person he's talking about?" Todoroki asked.
"Everyone, let's let Midoriya finish what Iida's written on the note." Yaoyorozu told them.
"Does it say anything else, Midoriya?" Uraraka asked him.
"Uh, w-well...yeah." Midoriya continued where he left off from the note.
I saw him. I actually saw him...and he will pay. He's in Chinmoku...the Hero Killer is in Chinmoku. Don't try to stop me. I NEED to do this. -Iida.
"The Hero Killer!?" Uraraka exclaimed in shock.
"Whoa, really?" Jirou said with wide eyes.
"Stain's in Chinmoku?" Todoroki blinked.
"Whoa, for real?" Asui asked with wide eyes.
"What? But...how? Wasn't he last seen in Hosu City?" Yaoyorozu asked in question.
"He was...but…" Midoriya shook his head. "I don't know what's gotten into him to make him think that he saw the Hero Killer, but we got to stop him!"
"How though?" Jirou asked. "He might be at Chinmoku right now even as we speak! He has like super speed, his legs are turbo engines, dude! And I also seriously doubt that he's in the right mind to not use his Quirk to get over there!"
"Should we tell someone working here about this?" Asui asked anyone.
"I think we should." Todoroki nodded.
"Wait, but won't that make Iida get in trouble?" Uraraka asked them. "I mean, if it's true that he'd used his Quirk illegally to get to Chinmoku, then that'll be another issue."
"Well, the tour guide did say that no one was allowed to set foot upon the town." Yaoyorozu reminded them. "Although, I don't know if that means if we're prohibited from entering it, but…"
Midoriya grunted in frustration. "I should've just kept reaching out to him! This is all my fault!"
"Midoriya, don't blame yourself for this!" Uraraka said with a frown. "You didn't know Iida was gonna do something this dramatic!"
"Yeah. This is totally not like Iida. You wouldn't know what was going on in his head." Asui said with an equal frown.
"I agree." Yaoyorozu said with a frown. "Don't beat yourself up over it, Midoriya. I should've known something was wrong with him too when I sat by him. He seemed...really preoccupied during half of the tour. In fact...he might've seen whoever it was he thought he saw out there during that time!"
"You think it could be the Hero Killer?" Jirou asked, a little worried.
"No, it...I mean, I don't think so." Yaoyorozu looked unsure. "Actually, it would make sense that someone like the Hero Killer can hide in an abandoned town to escape authorities, but...it would take a rather long trip on foot to get from Hosu City to here in the span of one week."
"Well, we need to do something now." Todoroki reminded everyone. "Whatever Iida saw could just be a worker or someone from the park, and he'll be in big trouble either way if he's caught over there."
"Well, what are we waiting for!?" Midoriya said hurriedly. "We gotta get goin-"
It was then another room door opened across from his and Iida's room abruptly.
"SHUT THE FUCK UP! I'M TRYING TO REST IN HERE!" Came the loud obnoxious yell of Bakugou.
All six teens jumped, a little startled as they turned their attention to Bakugou.
"Kaachan?" Midoriya said in surprise, his eyes blinking.
Bakugou growled. "What the fucking hell are all you idiots doing out here in the hallway anyway? What, you all got tired of this trip, too?"
Uraraka decided to speak up. "Bakugou! Iida is missing!"
The Explosion Quirk user turned his head to Uraraka. "Tch! Yeah, so what? Why is that my problem? Four Eyes is probably just doing some weird nerd shit."
"No, Kaachan, he's in Chinmoku! He's trying to find the Hero Killer, Stain!" Midoriya informed.
"The Hero Killer? The fuck are you on, Deku?" Bakugou said with a sneer, but seemed intrigued by what was said.
"Iida left a note in their room saying that he saw the Hero Killer during the tour, the same Villain who paralyzed his brother." Todoroki informed him.
"Huh?" Bakugou raised an eyebrow. "...Hmph. So that's why Four Eyes is mopey lately."
"Yeah! And he's trying to see if he can find him in Chinmoku!" Uraraka told him.
"The Hero Killer in Chinmoku, huh?" Bakugou seemed to think about that for a bit.
'Shit. If that fucker Stain really is there, then I can probably get some recognition if I take him down…'
Midoriya then also thought of something and said, "Wait, Bakugou, maybe you can help us! We all can try to band together to take out Stain if he's really there. It'll be seven, maybe even eight if we can find Iida, against one!"
Snapping out of his thoughts, Bakugou scowled. "Fuck off, Deku! I don't take orders from you! And hell, even if that Stain bastard is in Chinmoku, you and all you extras won't be able to take him down!"
Jirou frowned. "Oh really? What makes you so certain you can take him down all by yourself?"
Bakugou growled at Jirou. "Maybe because I won the Sports Festival, Earjack!"
"Oh, so you won a Festival. Tch, whoop-dee-doo. What does that make you, All Might now?" Jirou said with sarcasm aa she glared at him.
"Hey, shut up, ya purple-haired bitch! At least I did better than you did!" Bakugou snarled.
"Oh, excuse me! Not all of us have explosions coming out of their ass, chump!" Jirou sneered.
"Who are you calling chump, you-"
"Guys!" Uraraka interrupted them. "This isn't getting us anywhere! We need to find Iida!"
"That's right." Todoroki nodded. "We need to find him and maybe see who this person is that he saw."
"But we don't even know who Iida saw out there." Jirou let everyone know. "For all we know, it could be just an ordinary drifter or a worker in the town."
"Well, either way, we can't just stand here and let Iida get into even more trouble. We got to go now!" Yaoyorozu said to them.
Tsuyu turned to the dark-green haired boy. "What do you think we should do, Midoriya?"
"Huh?" Midoriya blinked. "M-Me?"
"Hey, why are you all turning to Deku for answers!?" Bakugou growled. "We should get our asses out there and find Four Eyes and kick the Hero Killer's ass!"
"Oh, now you want to join?" Jirou said with annoyed narrowed eyes.
"Shut up! I just don't want any of you extras as well as dumbass Deku here to get your asses embarrassed by the Hero Killer! It wouldn't also be good for my Hero record if I just let you all be killed by whomever! Tch, I also don't want that bastard Eraserhead to get onto me." Bakugou muttered the last bit.
"Oh gee. How selfless of you." Todoroki monotoned. Jirou snickered.
"Pfft! You better fuckin' believe it." Mumbled and growled Bakugou.
Yaoyorozu sighed exasperatedly and turned to Midoriya. "Midoriya, what do you think is the best option?"
"Hey! What the fuck did I just say!?" Bakugou yelled.
Everyone ignored him, which aggravated Bakugou more.
Midoriya blinked. "Uh...well, I just...think we should probably get going."
"Tch! That's what I said." Bakugou sneered.
"Not now, Bakugou!" Uraraka said with a frown.
Bakugou turned to Uraraka with glare and a scowl aimed at her, but was ignored when she looked over at Deku. It only frustrated him further.
"I mean...the more we stand here, the more Iida could be in bigger trouble. Maybe if we could find some workers here that might've seen him, we could have a lead. But we need to be discreet on not telling them that he went over to Chinmoku." Midoriya suggested.
"Then it's settled." Momo nodded. "We'll split up and ask anyone in the hotel if they saw Iida exiting the building anywhere."
"Then let's go and find Iida!" Ochako exclaimed, raising her fist in the air.
"Yeah!" They, excluding Bakugou, who only scoffed, all proclaimed with their fists in the air.
They all split up into pairs, each of them being Midoriya and Uraraka(they check the back of the first floor), Yaoyorozu and Todoroki(they checked the lobby), and Asui and Jirou(they check outside the front of the hotel). Bakugou wasn't paired up with anyone, much to his annoyance, so he decided to 'search for leads on Four Eyes better than all of them'. They all agreed to meet up in the lobby around fifteen minutes to see if they found out anything.
After asking some staff inside the hotel hallways on Iida's physical description, Midoriya and Uraraka have found a lead. They both met up with the others at the lobby around their designated time(even Bakugou was there, which was a surprise).
"Any luck?" Todoroki asked them.
"Nah-uh." Asui shook her head.
"No." Jirou said with a frown.
"Neither did we." Yaoyorozu said with a defeated frown.
"I think we got something!" Midoriya told them.
"Yeah! One of the chambermaids that was cleaning the rooms said that she saw a young man running in the hallways towards one of the back emergency exits!" Uraraka told them in a hurry.
"That has to be Iida!" Todoroki speculated.
"Tch, no shit." Bakugou mumbled.
Todoroki heard him and just glared at Bakugou, while Jirou calmed down the tension between them by saying. "Well, where do we go from here? We need assistance from someone, don't we? I mean, we can't drive or anything."
Midoriya frowned at that and thought hard on what they should do in this type of situation.
"Excuse me?" Said an older man's curious voice.
The teens turned to see that a man in his forties was walking over to them. The man was a little taller than the boys, and he has dark raven hair, glasses on, and is wearing a blue jumpsuit that has a nametag with the name 'Hari' on it.
"Oh, um, yes?" Midoriya asked the man.
"I couldn't help but see through the security cameras that you're looking for someone, am I right?" The man named Hari asked.
"S-Security cameras?" Uraraka squeaked. "Y-You've been watching us?"
"Wait, are you like the guy who observes the cameras around here? *ribbit*" Tsuyu asked in curiosity.
Hari nodded with a smile. "That I am, young lady. And I can only figure that you're all looking for your friend?"
"Um...yes." Momo said, a little baffled. "Have you, uh...seen where our friend went to? Do you have any cameras situated in the hallways?"
"That we do." Hari said. "I think I saw someone leave the back entranceway. The outside cameras showed that a speeding bullet of a person, which I'm thinking is your friend, is heading towards the direction of Chinmoku."
The kids' eyes widened in shock.
"Uh, u-um, well, he, uh..." Uraraka tried to explain.
Hari frowned. "He really shouldn't go into town at this time, especially since the tour is closing in about twenty minutes."
"W-We're sorry, uh, Hari, is it?" Midoriya said and asked.
"That's what the name on my tag says, son." Hari said with a kind smile.
"Right. W-Well, either way, we're sorry about our friend, he isn't usually like this. He's more of a rule follower than anything, but...he saw someone on the tour and wanted to...well, see if what he saw was true, I guess."
Hari gave out another nod, looking like he knew what Midoriya was getting at. "Hmm...I see." He glanced down at his watch.
"Please, Mr. Hari, don't let our friend get in trouble! He's been depressed lately because his brother was hurt in a fight, and...well, that's all I can say!" Uraraka told the older man.
"Huh?" Hari looked up and expressed what looked like...shock? "Oh my…"
"Yeah. And he thinks the person who hurt his brother is in that town." Todoroki told him.
"..." Hari was silent for a moment as he looked to be thinking.
Bakugou grunted. "Look, we don't have time for you to think about shit, are you gonna help us or not!?"
"Bakugou!" Todoroki said in frustration.
"Look, the more we stand here doing jackshit, the more Four Eyes is probably getting his ass kicked by the-" Bakugou hesitated. "...By the bastard who did his brother in, okay!?"
Jirou looked at Bakugou with a raised eyebrow at his choice of words.
Midoriya, who was quite pleasantly surprised by Bakugou's concern and his effort to hide Iida's and Stain's identity, agreed. "Um, yeah." He turned to Hari. "Please, Mr. Hari, we need to have access to the town! We don't want him to get into any more trouble, and we think we can get him to listen to us if we tried-"
"Follow me." Hari said to them as he turned to walk away from them.
All of the teens blinked at the sudden and abrupt halt in Midoriya's explanation as they stood there.
"Um...what?" Momo asked, making sure she heard that right.
Hari stopped and turned around with a neutral but somewhat knowing expression. "I said 'Follow me'. I can probably give you kids a ride to Chinmoku."
Eyes widened at that, the teens glanced at each other to know what they were thinking of that offer. Jirou, Momo, Uraraka, and Tsuyu all looked a little cautious, while Bakugou, Todoroki, and Midoriya looked unsure.
"Hey, don't worry. I just feel like I should help you kids out. Besides, I don't have anything on me besides my Quirk, which is just pencil fingers. See?" He raised his hand to show his fingers, which they are exactly like pencils instead of fingers. "Not very threatening, but it made me a good writer and artist. Also, you kids are from UA, right? You must have really good Quirks that can probably overwhelm someone like me."
"Um...okay." Midoriya, still a little hesitant. "But, uh...where exactly were you going to take us?"
"To one of the vans that belong to the park. I know another way to Chinmoku, and it's near the road where the park's left gated entrance is."
"Oh…" Midoriya felt like this was too good to be true...and that's why he was a little cautious about this.
Bakugou was apparently thinking the same thing. "Wait a minute, what's the catch? You can't be giving us a ride to town for nothin'." He said with a glare.
Hari, on the other hand, shook his head and sighed, saying, "Look, you don't have to follow me, but I think it would be a bit harder to get through without any security stopping you kids. Besides, it could be the only way into the town that doesn't involve official access."
The kids all looked at each other, wondering if this was a good idea to do this.
"You might need to hurry. The tour portion of this park will officially close at 19:00, and it's 18:43 right now." Hari told them.
Looking at the time on their phones, they decided that they really had no choice. Seeing that the man looked to be harmless enough, and seeing there's no other option, they all decided to follow him.
"Okay. Lead the way." Midoriya said with a nod.
Like Hari said, he led them to one of the park's company vans, which seated all seven of the kids and him in it. Bakugou sat in the front seat, just so he would keep an eye on the old man just in case he does anything suspicious. From the right of the van, Uraraka, Midoriya, and Yaoyorozu sat in the middle, while Jirou, Todoroki, and Asui sat in the back. Hari was in the driver's seat, driving them to the town-sized memorial park.
As soon as they neared the road lined with cherry blossoms, the van took a left off the path and into an almost nonexistent road where it looked like there were tire tracks on it.
"Oh…" Midoriya said when he looked outside the window to his left. "So...we're not using the road?"
"Nope. That we aren't." Hari said, shaking his head. "I'm using a shortcut to go to a gravel road that was once made by the people of Chinmoku that funded a camp over at the forest away from its town limits. I actually prefer going off this beaten path than just using the standard park road."
"A camp?" Uraraka asked in question.
"Mm-hmm. The camp is near the ranch that you all probably saw on the tour." Hari told them.
The kids were quiet after that.
As soon as the van went up a gravel road and entered the forest, it apparently was starting to bob up and down a bit when they were riding on the grass. The teens moved around in the van, almost hitting each other's sides thanks to the rough ride. It made the ride a little uncomfortable and awkward since the two other boys in the back and middle seats are in between the two girls, which made both boys a little nervous.
Todoroki tried to stay as stiff as he could when being in-between Jirou and Asui, which Jirou was trying not to blush even a tiny bit for being close to a boy. Asui was actually holding on to the grapple handles so she could keep herself balanced.
Midoriya, though, was just a nervous wreck, his face flushed at being in close quarters with the other girls. They were sitting next to him on each side, which Uraraka was blushing a tad as well as she sat close to Midoriya. Yaoyorozu was also trying hard to not think about the close proximity of a boy sitting next to her(although she did have a tiny blush on her face) and keeping herself balanced while holding onto the grapple handle as well...but thanks to the bumpy ride, the Creation Quirk user's...chest was bouncing a little bit...and it was right in Midoriya's right peripheral vision.
As said before, Midoriya was an absolute nervous wreck.
The van went through the forest for about three minutes, and right then and there they could see a little bit of the fog that they saw on the way here rolling in.
If you told Midoriya's mother that right now her son is riding in a van into the woods with a complete stranger, then she would either faint or have a heart attack. She might even do both. Midoriya doesn't really know why he and everyone else agreed to do this, but they were desperate to find Iida. Also, Hari looked honest enough, and he looks to be taking them to the town so far...albeit from a different way.
Either way, he was right on one thing; the teens have strong Quirks and they'll use them on him if he tries anything.
Momo then spoke up. "Um...thank you, Mr. Hari, for, uh...giving us a ride to the town."
Hari glanced back at the girl and smiled. "Oh no problem! I don't know what waits for you all over there, but please be careful when you get to the town, okay?"
Bakugou stares at Hari and narrows his eyes in suspicion. "What do you mean by that?"
"Well, I don't know what's waiting for you kids that made your friend go to Chinmoku in the first place, but I'm just saying it as a safety precaution." Hari explained.
"...Hmph." Bakugou said nothing to that, but kept his stare at him.
Midoriya, however, thought about that.
'What's waiting for us...I really hope it's not the Hero Killer.' He pondered.
As the van went further into the woods, the fog was growing immense…
About five minutes have passed, and they've reached what looked like the remains of a campground. It was still daytime, but was soon going to be sundown.
"Alright...here we are." Hari announced as he stopped the vehicle.
The teens looked around their surroundings once they stopped.
"Um…" Asui frowned. "We're stopping here?"
"Yeah, what gives?" Jirou asked, a little wary.
Todoroki, Midoriya, Uraraka, and Yaoyorozu felt tense as they weren't expecting to stop a little ways out of the town.
Bakugou also didn't like that they stopped as well. "Hey, why the hell did we stop?" He asked harshly with a glare.
Hari just sat there silently, not answering anyone's questions. It seemed his facial expression showed some form of...inner conflict.
"Hey! Old man! We stopped! Why is that?" Bakugou growled impatiently.
"...Sorry. I can only go this far. You'll all have to walk over there." Hari told them, his voice becoming a little monotone, yet there was a little guilt in his tone.
Bakugou, Midoriya, and the others all blinked at the man's words, all of them looking confused.
"What?" Jirou said. "We have to walk there?"
"Uh, why? *ribbit*" Tsuyu asked him.
"Mr. Hari? What's...What's going on?" Uraraka asked, a little fearful.
Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, and Midoriya all sat there a little silent, having a somewhat bad feeling about all of this.
Hari sat there quietly for a second, until he said, "I can't really go further beyond this point. I want to respect the people who died in the town as best as I can…"
"Oh…" Momo looked a little puzzled though. "Wait, then...should we go on further too, or...I mean, is that really a rule? We have to get our friend back to the hotel, so we really do need to get over there as fast-"
"Then please...exit the vehicle and go find your friend. Before it's too late." Hari said abruptly, the words a little soft but firm.
Momo blinked at the command, as did most of the kids.
Bakugou raised a brow. "Why are you fucking cryptic all of sudden?"
Hari sighed. "...Seriously, all of you kids...get out and find your friend. Or I'll turn this van around and drive us back to the hotel."
Everyone's eyes widened at that claim.
"Um…" Todoroki was kind of at a loss of words from that.
"The fuck? Are you threatening us?" Bakugou asked in irritation, a little offended as he looked like he was getting ready to let loose on the man.
"Kaachan, wait!" Midoriya called out to him. Before Bakugou could tell him to 'piss off', Midoriya asked Hari. "Mr. Hari, what's going on? Why can't you go any further?"
Hari turned his head to Izuku, his face having a frown on it. "...Your friend isn't going to last long if he's filled with anger and rage for that person he's trying to look for."
"Huh?" Midoriya's eyes widened, perplexed by his sentence.
Hari unlocked the van doors. He opened his driver seat door and exited out of the vehicle. He then walked over to the left side door and opened it, exposing the kids to the forest campground outside.
Still confused beyond recognition but also getting a little scared, Midoriya asked Hari, "Mr. Hari...do you...do you happen to know what's going on?"
Hari stood there, shaking his head. "Honestly son, I don't. But all I know is, is that all of you kids want to do at this moment is to save your friend by whatever it is out there. So if you're serious about that, then I suggest you all get out of the van. All I ask is that you all be careful out there."
Everyone in the van looked at each other, expressing unsureness and confusion about all of this. That is until Bakugou scoffed and opened his passenger seat door, getting out of the van and closing it harshly.
"Fuckin' fine!" Bakugou yelled. "If you won't drive us to the town, then I'll fuckin' walk there myself! But when you offer someone to ride with you somewhere, the least you could do is take us there!" He spat on the ground and stomped his way in the campground.
"Kaachan!" Midoriya called out. He turned to Momo, "We got to catch up to him!"
"Uh...okay." Momo said, still a little in shock at what's going on. She unbuckled her seatbelt, as did Midoriya, and soon Uraraka. Asui, Todoroki, and Jirou soon unbuckled their seatbelts as well, all of them getting out of the van.
Once they got out, Midoriya rushed over to Bakugou. "Kaachan!"
The rest of the kids followed Midoriya as they ran through the campground to get to the explosive blonde.
While they ran, unbeknownst to them, the fog was getting stronger…
Left behind them was Hari, who looked on at the kids with a somewhat stoic expression…
"...Be very careful, kids…" Hari muttered to them, even though he knew they couldn't hear him. He went around to his driver's side and went into the driver's seat. Before he inserts the key and cranks up the car, he takes one last look through his windshield at the kids running up to the loudmouth boy and into the fog.
"...I can only hope those kids will return safe and sound..." Hari said to himself.
...He sighed and cranked up the van. Turning the vehicle around, he made his way back to the path he came in and rode his way out of the forest.
Soon, in around eight more minutes or so on foot, those teens will take their literal first step onto the town…
Once they do...there's no turning back.
...The hills...will be very silent.
Hey all! Just a short chapter to let you all be excited! ;) And also, an announcement!
My family and I are moving sometime in the future! Not only to a new city but to a new state! My dad has a new job and it'll be in Houston, Texas! :) Either way, this is big news for me, and my folks are looking for a house there. We'll probably be moving around the end of July! :D Also, I'm planning on starting my online university classes around the end of August, which will be my birthday! How about that? 8D
Until then, let's all hope this crappy COVID-19 will go away, so we can all have our lives back and whatnot. D:
But yeah, tell me what you think of this chapter! I know not much has happened, but I plan to make chapter five the one where they all enter Silent Hi- I mean, Chinmoku! ^^;
Either way, things will get crazy from here on in, just you wait! ...Which you'll have to, sadly. XP
But again, tell me how it is in a review! Or fave and follow it if you want! :) By the way, when you hear the name Hari, who does that remind you of? ;D
Until then, thank you all for reading and keep on rocking everybody! ^_^
-TSP
