A/N: Greetings all, and wishing you a very Happy Valentine's day! This year in particular is a very special one for my wife and I, as we are celebrating 10 years of being together! In light of that (and the fact that last chapter was so dang late), I thought an early release for this chapter was in order. This also marks the 50th entry for Your Hero Academia- holy stinking super crap, am I right?!

Even though chapter 50 proper doesn't come along for another couple of weeks, this is still a pretty big milestone for us. Thanks so much to all of my readers who have been with me since the beginning, and I look forward to welcoming new readers with each chapter's release. Here's to the next fifty, guys! Enjoy a fluffy chapter with lots of feel-good times!

Just for a While

Class 1-A was buzzing with excitement while they waited for class to start, many of them checking their phones' notifications or talking to their friends in small clusters. The only exceptions were Kurai, who was staring down at his desk with a blank look, staying so still that some of his friends had started to wonder if he wasn't asleep with his eyes open, and Midoriya, who looked like he was lost in thought, though his trademark muttering storm was absent. However, both were drawn out of their respective trances when Kaminari shouted, "Holy crap, you guys! Hikari and Kirishima are all over the news' sites!"

Kirishima and Kurai exchanged a look of confusion before they both moved to look at their friend's phone, which had a news' article on display. The title read, 'New Sidekicks Kai and Red Riot Burst onto the Scene!' It was a coverage of their hero debut, complete with a picture of them in action against the blade villain. Kurai flinched at the sight of the man, but it went unnoticed by his friends.

"It goes on to talk about how you two saved civilians and beat a villain on your first patrol!" the electric boy said excitedly. "This is so crazy!" While the others began to clamor over the news, Bakugo could be seen grinding his teeth and growling impotently.

"Dudes, check this out!" Yang said proudly as she held up her phone, which displayed an article and a photo depicting Ruby and Ochaco floating in the air amid their prepared rock storm. "My little sister made headlines, too!"

"Wait, what?!" Ruby yelped. "When did that happen?!"

"That's so cool!" Uraraka said excitedly as she took a closer look at Yang's phone.

"When did they even take that picture?!" the younger girl demanded.

"I'm sending this to Dad and Uncle Crow!" her sister declared as she moved away. "They're gonna lose it!"

"I just got the same hit on my social media," Jiro said as she held up her own phone. "It says some pretty flattering stuff about you guys."

"Hang on, I got it!" Mina said excitedly. She began to read, "The new temps at the Ryukyu agency arrived on the scene of last night's crime in stellar fashion to assist in the takedown of two colossal fighters. Uravity is a local, and Crescent Rose is representing the heroes from the west. They're efficient, cute, and they get the job done safely!" She got even more excited for her friends, practically jumping up and down as she squealed, "You two already have an underground following, just like Mt. Lady did!"

"That was fast," Asui commented as she looked at the article with intrigue.

Iida was nodding with approval as he looked across the classroom before saying, "You have provisional licenses, and you're doing well in representing our school while working as temp heroes. But…" He readjusted his glasses before declaring loudly, "A student's top priority is academics! So hit those books!"

"Yeah!" Kirishima shouted, followed by Midoriya's grunt of agreement. Of the students involved in the work studies, he, Todoroki, and Tokoyami had managed to evade the headlines, though none of them seemed to be overly worried by the fact. There was some buzz about Endeavor's son working for a different agency and what that could mean for the Flame Hero, but it was mostly kept to online forums and the rumor mill, nothing like the clickbait that their classmates' debuts had turned out to be.

However, only one student still seemed completely subdued in his mannerisms. After looking at the article that Kaminari had shown, Kurai had returned to his seat and resumed his blank stare, hardly even blinking while he did. Hagakure noticed it, mostly because she was well-versed in silent observation, so she approached his desk and asked him quietly, "Hey- you doing okay?"

"Hmm?" the boy replied as he looked up at her with a blank expression. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just stayed up late trying to catch up on assignments, is all. I didn't get enough sleep, I guess."

"Oh, okay," Hagakure said cheerily. "You just looked a little out of it. I was worried you wouldn't be up for your plan tonight."

"No, I'll definitely be ready in time," Kurai said quickly, checking over his shoulder to make sure that Mina was still engrossed in her conversation with the others. "Everything else is set, though?"

"You know it," the invisible girl giggled. "She won't know what hit her."

"Can I take this stupid thing off yet?"

"No! That'd ruin the whole point!" Hagakure laughed as she and Uraraka led Ashido along the darkened corridor of the first floor. It was early in the evening, and most of UA had gone dark, but the student buildings were still usually pretty active at this time of day.

Ashido was dressed in a purple dancing outfit, as Kurai had promised to take her to a dance club in town for her birthday, but her friends had suddenly accosted her, saying that they had a surprise for the girl before she met up with her boyfriend. This would turn out to be only half-true.

Unbeknownst to Mina, everyone else in class 1-A was upstairs, either studying or hanging out in one room or another, having agreed- or in Bakugo's case, practically bribed by Kirishima- to stay out of the common space for the next hour or so. The original plan was meant to take place outside so that the routine of their classmates would not be disturbed, but the weather had decided to turn foul on them and dump a rainstorm on the city.

"Girls, I love the both of you, but I hate thunderstorms," Mina said thinly as they heard an ominous rumble in the distance. "So if you don't explain why the hell I'm blindfolded in the next ten seconds, I'm gonna start melting stuff, and I can't guarantee that you won't be a part of 'stuff'."

"Five seconds, we're almost there," Uraraka told her with a cheery smile as they reached the main room. "Okay, and… You can take it off."

"Finally!" Mina breathed as the girls released her hands, allowing her to reach up and yank off her school tie, which had been used in place of an actual blindfold. "I was about to- Oh, wow." The words were drawn out of her as she saw that the common space had been redecorated to resemble a dance floor from well before quirks started appearing, complete with a vinyl record player.

Mina's eyes went as wide as dinner plates when she saw the old piece sitting on top of the coffee table in front of the TV. "Is that for real, or a replica?" she gasped. It was all ready to go with a vinyl disk sitting in place- someone just needed to put the needle on the record.

"That is an authentic piece from 1973." Mina was stunned to see her boyfriend step out from the kitchen, wearing a dark blue dancing suit that looked like it belonged in a movie from the same era as the music player. "It also now belong to you," he added with a big smile. "Happy Birthday, Mina." As he spoke, he nodded his thanks to the other two girls, who smiled back at him and quickly took their leave.

The pink girl was completely stunned. Never, in all her life, had anybody ever put in such an effort for her birthday, not even her closest family members. "Dude, you're kinda shooting yourself in the foot," was all the dumbstruck teenager could think to say.

Kurai cocked his head at her, confused. "Why is that?" he asked her. This was not exactly the reaction that he was hoping for, but she didn't seem to hate it, either.

"Like, you set the bar way too high for the first birthday," she laughed at him as she moved in to hug him tightly. "All my other birthdays are gonna suck after this! And there's no way I can top this when your birthday comes around!"

"Even if that's the case, the look on your face was totally worth it," he said before he kissed her neck while wrapping his arms around her back. "I'm glad you like it."

"Where did you even get one of these things?" the girl giggled as she pulled back slightly to look at the vinyl player. "They're like, the definition of retro! I love it!"

"My Aunt Sakura said I could have it if I cleaned it up," Kurai told her. "She brought it to the school the other day for me. It was from her great-grandfather's collection, or something like that. She said she wasn't sure why she hadn't just gotten rid of it or pawned it off yet, but here we are. It was a little damaged, but Yaomomo helped me do the repairs on it. Make sure to thank her for the gift, too."

"Okay, but before all that, I gotta know- what kind of tunes are on that thing?" she asked as she practically dragged him over to the device. "If we're about to boogie- and you know we are- what beats are we gonna be pumping out?"

"I figured we could start with something a little nostalgic," Kurai answered with an impish grin. "You remember our song?" Strictly speaking, Mina had a fair number of songs that she claimed were attributed to the two of them, but Kurai only had one tune in mind whenever he thought back to music pieces that had played a significant part in their relationship.

"Kurai…" Mina said with a shiver of barely contained excitement. "Did you not only fix up a vinyl record player for me, but also got a vinyl of Ed-fricking-Sheeran?!"

"I actually have a lot more vinyl than this one," he answered calmly, though he braced himself for what was sure to be a bone-crushing embrace. "Izuku and Ochaco are probably moving them into your room from his by now." Since he and Mina often shared a room, he'd asked Izuku to hide the collection until the time was right.

True to his prediction, he was then on the receiving end of a very tight hug and an incredibly happy laugh from his girlfriend. "You're so cool!" she told him as she held him close. "How do you do this?"

"I put a lot of effort into the things and people that I care about," he answered honestly as she started to loosen her hold on him. "And there are very few things that I care about as much as you, Mina."

"I am so glad that I got to you before any of the other girls did," Mina giggled before she pecked him on the mouth. "You're too good to let go of, you know that?"

"What are you talking about?" he laughed back as he messed with her frizzy hair. "If you're talking about Xiao Long, there's no way that was ever gonna happen."

"No, not her," she told him with a roll of her eyes. "But I'm not the only girl that noticed you, Kurai. I'm just counting my lucky stars that I got you, anyway."

Now Kurai was curious about who she seemed to be very purposefully not mentioning, but he also knew that it was discussion for another time. For now, it was his girlfriend's birthday, and she was all that mattered in that moment. So he said, "Yes, you did. And you're probably gonna regret it as soon as I try to keep up with your dance moves, but I did promise to take you dancing."

"Yes, you did."

"I even tried to take extra lessons, but they could only do so much." As he spoke, he put the needle on the track and let the music begin, filling the room with the harmonious sounds composed by Ed Sheeran.

Mina gasped with feigned insult before she asked him, "You cheated on me with another dancer? How dare you?" She was laughing, so he didn't take the accusation seriously. "With whom did you violate our sacred trust?"

"I'll tell you if you tell me who else was checking me out earlier."

"Oh, that's playing dirty!"

By the end of their allotted time down in the common space, Mina would have considered the entire thing to be the perfect birthday- if it weren't for what happened shortly after they were headed to bed. She had just hopped into Kurai's comforter, fully expecting him to follow her immediately, but instead he sat down at his desk and pulled open his laptop. Confused, she asked him, "What'cha doing?"

He gave her a brief smile as he answered, "Sorry, I'm not gonna be heading to bed for a while. I still need to look through these profiles while I have some free time."

"Find anything yet?" she asked him as she propped up the pillows so that she could sit against the wall more comfortably.

"No, and I only have nineteen left to go," Kurai sighed in disappointment. "I suppose the upside is that it's starting to look like nobody involved in the raid tipped off the League that they were going."

"Wait, you've already read through over fifty of those things?!" his girlfriend practically yelped. "Dude, how much sleep did you get last night?"

"…I didn't?" he answered with a slight grimace, causing Mina to frown at him.

"Kurai…" she said warningly. "How long has this been happening?"

"Since my debut with Kirishima."

"You haven't slept in three days?!" she yelped. "Dude!"

"I'm sorry!" he groaned. "I'm not allowed to talk about what happens at my work study with anybody outside the agency until after the details have been disclosed to the public! I really wanted to tell you about it, but I'm under contract not to. I'm sorry…" Kurai looked exhausted, and Mina felt bad that she hadn't noticed anything before now.

"You've been using your quirk just to get through the day, haven't you?" she asked him.

"And the night," he mumbled. "I'm getting close to my limits, though. I'll have to sleep tonight, and I really don't want to."

"Why, what happened during your patrol?" she asked as she scooted toward the edge of the bed. "The news made it sound like you guys did really well."

"Honestly, I wouldn't be here to celebrate your birthday if it wasn't for Kirishima," he admitted. "The villain that we fought had a blade-type quirk. It wasn't anything too special, and we thought we had him ready to take in, but he had a quirk-enhancer on him. Once he took that… It was crazy, Mina. He started sprouting blades from every other inch of his body, and they…" Kurai closed his eyes and shuddered, but that only made it easier for him to relive the worst night of his young life. "He could have given Moonfish a run for his money." Just saying it made him want to be sick again, but he managed to keep his stomach under control. "Kirishima managed to protect me and get me back in the fight, but I still froze up long enough that the guy could have killed me."

"Oh, damn," the girl said softly. "And you couldn't tell anybody?"

"Well, I talked to Kirishima a little bit, cos he's part of the same agency, but there wasn't much that he could do," Kurai answered. "I was going to tell you tomorrow, I swear. I would have said something earlier today, but I wanted you to have a good birthday."

"I did," Mina assured him. "I really did. Thank you for that. And I appreciate that you were willing to talk to me about this; but next time? Don't wait until after my birthday, or holiday, or whatever else is happening. I know you're under contract not to talk sometimes, but as soon as you can, please come to me. I wanna help."

Kurai sagged his head before he mumbled, "I do not deserve you… Thank you for understanding."

"Well, I may not be thrilled about the whole thing, but it's not like I can fault you this time," she said as she reached over to tug on his chin so that he would face her. "That being said, you need sleep. So put away the case files for the night, mister detective hero, and get over here. I'll help you however else I can tomorrow."

"Mina…" Kurai grimaced in spite of his sagging eyelids. "I don't want to see him again. I can't keep seeing him every time I need to rest. I can't keep reliving this." He held up his robotic hand, which rattled as it tremored. The pink girl flinched slightly at the sight of the arm, leading him to sigh. "See?" he asked softly. "You can't even hardly look at it. Imagine having to accept it as a part of you because some crazy guy decided to make a meal out of your classmate, and you just happened to get in the way." She had held onto the limb while they were dancing earlier, but it had become increasingly obvious over the last few weeks that she wanted as little contact with it as possible.

"Kurai…" Mina hesitated before she reached out and grabbed the metal hand in both of hers'. Her skin still crawled with goosebumps, but she held his gaze as she said, "I'm sorry that I haven't been wanting to… accept this."

"Accept it?" Kurai was confused.

"It's stupid," Mina said, looked embarrassed. "I just… I couldn't help you that day. And I can't help thinking that maybe if I'd been there with you, I could've done something to keep this thing from happening. And in my head, I kept telling myself that if I could pretend that it wasn't there, it would almost be like it hadn't happened…" She fell into a miserable silence.

"It did happen, though," he told her as he put his flesh hand over hers'.

"I know," she sniffled. "I'm sorry I've been selfish about it, especially after giving you crap for the way you've been handling everything."

"There's nothing to forgive," he assured her with a gentle smile. "I think it's about time you'd make some kind of mistake."

"Why's that?"

"Well, I was starting to worry that you were actually perfect."

This made Mina blush like crazy, but it didn't stop her from asking, "Why would that be a bad thing?"

Kurai grinned tiredly as he answered, "Because the perfect girl doesn't really exist, so if you actually were perfect, then it would mean that you were just a figment of my imagination this entire time, and I'm actually sitting in a psych ward because I'm so delusional as to the point where I've invented an entire narrative just so I can cope with my existence." The boy had to gasp for breath at the end of his tirade, which had left his girlfriend a little nonplussed.

"You sure know how to flatter a girl," she chortled as she wiped at her eyes.

"To be fair, I haven't slept in three days."

"Let's fix that- get over here."

"But-"

"No buts. Tonight, you're gonna have sweet dreams that involve you and me, and nobody else."

"…Yes ma'am."

Whether it was because of his best friend lying next to him, or because he was so tired from overtaxing his body with his quirk, Kurai was able to sleep soundly, with only the faintest touch of the dreams Mina had spoken of brushing against his subconscious.

It was early the next morning when Kurai stumbled across an unexpected hint. The sun was barely up, and Mina was still sleeping soundly under his covers, though she had a habit of sleeping in very late on the weekend.

He was reviewing one of the last police files that he had been given when he noticed something odd in the officer's report that saw to him calling Tsukauchi. It took a couple of tries, but he eventually got through to the man.

"What'd you find?" the detective asked him.

"Since when do the police superintendents take calls on the tip line?" Kurai asked as he frowned at the file in front of him.

"What?" Tsukauchi sounded very confused. "What does this have to do with-?"

"Officer Matsui stated in his report that you guys found out about the League's bar hideout when an unknown caller tipped you off," Kurai interjected. "This guy was the one that checked it out after my father told him that he had just received the call from the tip line set up to handle civilian information on the League of Villains. He confirmed that it was Dabi and Twice that were seen entering the establishment."

"Let's see… Officer Matsui…" Tsukauchi repeated as he clacked away at his own computer. "Yes, he was the guy that tracked down Shigaraki from the tip we got, and he was a part of the raid. You think he warned the League?"

"I'd interview him to be sure, but that's your call," Kurai shrugged. "My interest lies in the fact that he said my dad received the anonymous tip. I'd have thought he was too busy coordinating with his guys in the field to be working the tip line, not to mention that he was in the hospital, waiting for me to wake up. He wasn't at the station that night until you guys were prepping for the raid."

"…You're right, that is strange," Tsukauchi said slowly.

Kurai hesitated, but he knew what he needed to ask. "Do you think he was ordered to lead the heroes into a trap set by All For One?"

"Possibly," the detective sighed. "I'll pull up his phone records leading up to his death and get back to you this afternoon if I find anything. I've got other leads to follow right now."

"I understand," Kurai nodded as he closed his eyes. "Thank you, detective."

"Thank you for bringing this to my attention." With that, the line was disconnected, and Kurai hung up.

He slowly turned in his chair to look at the curtain behind which his father's shrine lay, a mix of emotions welling up inside of him that he did not know what to do with. Do you deserve this homage, Dad? He wondered silently. Am I going to have to ruin everything that you built- or appeared to build?

"Kurai?" Mina's voice was sleepy as she stirred under the blankets. "What's happening?"

He turned back around to see that she was peering at him through sleep-addled eyes. "Found something that might be an actual lead on my theory," he said in a dejected tone. "I was starting to hope that I really was wrong."

"There's still time for that to happen," she told him drowsily. "We don't know everything, yet."

He knew that she was right, that it was possible that he was wrong, and that there was another explanation for what had happened to him as a kid, something that didn't involve the League. However, the cynic in him refused to allow him to genuinely entertain the idea. There's plenty of other things in my life that are jacked up enough for me to wonder, 'why shouldn't this go wrong, too?' he thought sourly.

"Stop pouting and get back in here," Mina said as she tugged insistently on his arm. "You're not getting up until the sun has been up for at least three hours."

"That's ridiculous!"

"Maybe, but you're gonna do it, because you love cuddles with me."

"…You're a bad influence."

"Hehe."

After some playful arguing and tussling between the young couple, they joined their friends downstairs for breakfast, where their friends were waiting with a cake and presents for the pink girl. "Took you guys long enough!" Kirishima grinned as they approached the table. "Happy birthday, Ashido!"

"Aw, thanks, you guys!" she answered as Kurai surrendered her to a gathering of hugs and well-wishes from their classmates.

As this was happening, Kaminari sidled up to him and asked in a whisper, "So, how far did you guys get-?"

"Kaminari, what in the entirety of the time that you have known me leads you to believe that I'm going to answer the question you'd be very wise not to finish?" Kurai asked him with narrowed eyes.

"Man, Ashido hasn't loosened you up, at all!" the blond boy complained as he walked away.

"I take it that she liked her gift?" Yaoyorozu asked as she approached her friend.

"She loved it," Kurai nodded with a grateful smile. "Thanks again for your help."

"It was my pleasure," she answered. "I was honestly surprised that you thought all of that up on your own. You're full of surprises, Hikari."

He shrugged and said, "I had some help figuring it out, so I can't take all the credit. It just took me some time to remember how for my mom's first birthday with my dad, he set up this whole day trip for them to go up to Oshimai, since her grandparents came from there. She always said that it was her favorite place to go as a little girl, so he did his best to make sure that she could revisit those good memories. Mina loves pre-quirk music and culture, so I wanted to make sure she could enjoy those things as much as possible."

Yaoyorozu smiled before patting her friend on the shoulder and saying, "You're a good person, Hikari. Don't ever let that change."

"Don't worry," he chuckled, albeit a little dryly. "I know what path I'm taking from now on. Nothing's gonna change that." Silently, he added, Even if I am right about my father being involved somehow with All For One… I was raised by my parents to do good, and my origins won't change that. If I can return my quirk to the person it was stolen from- should that be the case- that won't stop me from doing the right thing, or from becoming a hero. Izuku was determined to find a way before he inherited One For All, and that means that I can, too.

"Oh, something I forgot to bring up before," the class vice-rep said as she clicked her fingers. "Do you remember how I was in that commercial for cosmetic products during my internship?"

"Yeah, but I thought you never wanted to talk about that," Kurai answered, thoroughly confused by the sudden change in topic.

"Well, I reached out to Miss Uwabami recently concerning work studies, but she doesn't do them," she said as she waved the matter aside. "But before we finished talking, I came to mention what happened with your hair following your injury. I've been wanting to find some way to help you with all the changes you've had to go through, but between your brother and Mina, it didn't seem like there was a whole lot that I could do, and it kind of made me feel guilty that I haven't been able to help my friend when he needs it…" She appeared downcast for a moment, but before Kurai could ask what she was getting at, she perked up and said, "But I think I found something that I can contribute, even if it's just a little."

"Something to do with my hair, I imagine?" Kurai grinned good-naturedly.

"Yes!" Yaoyorozu beamed. "I asked her if she had any advice on way to get your hair back to normal, or at least looking like it used to. She said that she didn't have anything to get the silver out, but she did give me a few tips on hair dyes that look just like the real thing, and they don't come out for months at a time, even with stark contrasts like the one you have." She paused before saying in a slightly less enthusiastic tone, "I know it's not the same as getting you a replacement limb or helping you settle in with dorm life, but I wanted to do something at least a little meaningful for you. I'm sure it would be nice to look in the mirror and see your old self again, right?"

Kurai was touched by the gesture, but he already knew his answer. "I really appreciate you going to all the effort on my behalf," he told her. "That's really thoughtful of you, and honestly, a couple of weeks ago, I'd have been happy to look even a hair more like I did before the summer camp." He grinned at his own choice of words before adding, "But I was recently given a reminder that it doesn't do us much good to hold on to the way that things were. Altering my appearance like that would just make it harder for me to keep that in mind."

"I see," Yaoyorozu replied, looking visibly deflated. "I suppose it's on me for not consulting you before I did all the research that Miss Uwabami pointed me toward…"

Seeing her dejection, Kurai tilted his head and asked, "Did you… already order a bunch of the dyes for me?"

"…Yes."

"Well…" Kurai said slowly, a sinister smile crawling across his face as he glanced across the room at a certain blond girl, who was currently engaged in a fierce struggle against her sister on Smash Bros. "It'd be a shame to let all that product go to waste, you know? And I still owe Xiao Long for a few stunts that she's pulled since coming here."

"Hikari, please tell me you're not planning something nefarious."

"Okay, but I'll be lying."

"I see that Mina's mischievous tendencies are rubbing off on you."

"Hehe."

The day passed by in a blur. Mina opened her gifts, they all had some cake and hung out, enjoying their day off. Midoriya, Tokoyami, Todoroki, and Bakugo were absent from the celebrations. The first three were because they had patrols with their agencies, and Bakugo was out because of his supplementary classes that were in aid of his getting his provisional license.

For just a little while, Kurai was able to forget about his private investigation and the disturbing revelation that villains were somehow being armed with a weapon that could temporarily nullify a person's quirk. He laughed with Kirishima, danced with Mina, and played against the other boys on the game consoles that they had lined up. Moments where they could act like normal kids were far and few between these days, and he was sure to enjoy every moment of it that he could.

However, when the time was over, he faced it willingly, knowing that without the hard times he was sure to face, he could not find true joy in the moments of peace.

His phone buzzed in his pocket, so he handed off his controller to Sato, saying, "Go with Silver if you want to take down Kaminari- Pikachu sucks against him."

"Dude!" the electric boy complained. "See if I ever charge your phone again!"

Kurai laughed as he walked away, out onto the porch in front of the building, dropping the smile as soon as he was outside. He picked up the phone and answered it, already knowing who would be on the other line. "What's up?"

"Your father was not contacted by anybody outside of the department prior to his call to Officer Matsui," Tsukauchi told him. "The people that did call him are all clean, too. My first thought was that he may have used a burner phone to stay in touch with the League, should he have been working with them, or maybe even spoken to an informant to pass on a message. But when I checked the security footage of him in the hospital the night that you were injured, nothing caught my eye."

"So what does that mean?"

"I think we can safely say that your father had no contact with the League in the days leading up to the raid," Tsukauchi said, causing a dizzying relief to sweep through Kurai. "However, that doesn't explain your diagnosis as a child, nor how your father knew about the bar in the first place. Also…" The boy's relief was gone as soon as it had come when he detected his ally's hesitation.

"What is it?" he asked pensively.

"Your mother and father were arguing about something before he called the station with his 'tip', and it looked pretty heated," the man answered. "Was that a common occurrence between them?"

"I'd seen them mad at each other, but not shouting, if that's what you're asking," Kurai answered with a slight thrill of alarm. "Were they?"

"Not quite, but it looked pretty close," the detective replied. "I never remembered your father for losing his temper, either, yet he did that a few times while you were in the hospital, which I suppose is understandable."

"I saw that for myself, and I agree, it felt off," Kurai reluctantly admitted. "He didn't get that worked up when Akarui was put in a wheelchair, either."

"True," Tsukauchi mused. He hesitated again before he said, "I hate to do this, Hikari, but… given the evidence- circumstantial though it is- we need to bring your mother in for questioning. She may know of your father's involvement, or lack thereof, with the League."

Kurai's first instinct was to remain silent. His second told him to say that his mother wasn't saying much of anything to anyone these days. So it was nothing less than a surprise to him when he heard himself say, "Let me talk to her."

"What?"

"I won't need a warrant to get into my own house, and you can listen in through my scouter," he went on, unable to stop the words from coming out. "She's more likely to open up to her son if she thinks he's just in for a chat as opposed to being on her guard under police questioning. She knows every trick in the book that you can throw at her, but she won't expect this."

"Hikari, that would a be conflict of interest, and-"

"You said it yourself, heroes aren't bound by the same restrictions as the police are," Kurai said to cut him off, though he desperately wanted to stop. I can't investigate my mother after everything that she's already gone through! he thought rapidly. Out loud, his voice did not betray his inner conflict as he continued, "You don't have resources to spare, and we wanted to keep this quiet, right? This is the best shot we have at finding out if my father really was connected to the League."

There was silence on the other end of the phone long enough that Kurai started to wonder if the detective hadn't hung up on him. Just before he could ask if he was still there, Tsukauchi told him, "You'll get one chance at this, and I'll be listening in the entire time, as will Fat Gum. You can't make an arrest without him there to supervise, after all. If you think you can trust him with this, then you can question your mother."

Kurai's brain screamed at him to stop, to take no further part in this madness, but his mouth formed the words, "Alright. I'll have you an answer by Monday." He hit the hang-up button and dropped his phone into his pocket, suddenly feeling as though his arm was lined with lead, in addition to the metal that constituted his replacement.

What did I just do?

Kai: Hey! You promised a feel-good chapter!

Mataras: Okay, with circumstances being what they are in the story, that was about as feel-good as I could make it. Also, I think you're being a little harsh. Sure, there was some heavier stuff involved, but for the most part, it led to positive resolutions.

Kai: ...Alright, fine. Something tells me the warm fuzzies aren't gonna last very long, though.

Tsukuyomi: Indeed, the clouds of fate gather with dark strength in the near horizon.

Mataras: What the-?! Who invited this guy?!

Kai: Deku still wanted some time off, and the fans seem to want a little more variety when it comes to this segment. Tsukuyomi was kind enough to step in for our absent classmate.

Tsukuyomi: The pleasure is all mine, Kai.

Mataras: As long as Small Might is back in time for chapter 50 proper...

Kai: He will be.

Mataras: Okay, good. Moving on, I did want to announce that I'm going to be creating a Discord server for this story. Anyone who is interested in joining, please DM me, and I'll walk you through joining the server.

Kai: Basically, it'll be a place for readers of this story to have the opportunity to chat more easily with Mataras and each other. We're interested to see what kind of theories you guys might be able to come up with concerning various factors of this story- like when does my part in the story end, or possible pairings that could be seen before this story reaches its conclusion, etc.

Tsukuyomi: A mad banquet of darkness is sure to be laid before our eyes... And yet, I feel that there is more to this offer than simply an opportunity to share in our musings.

Mataras: Well, depending on how many people join, I may eventually offer to host a gaming event of some sort. Probably something simple like 'Among Us', but we'll see. If not enough people are interested or schedules don't line up as needed for such an event, I still want to have the server available for use.

Kai: you really like interacting with your readers, don't you?

Mataras: Have you been watching my channel for the last few years? Interacting with my fans is always a highlight of my week.

Tsukuyomi: For one so intrigued by the latent darkness of the mind, you have an odd penchant for attempting to draw out the light in others... I wonder how your venture shall fare...?

Kai: And with that, we are out of time. Mataras has some new cover art coming to this story very soon- next chapter, right?

Mataras: Yep. I've already posted the image on my Instagram, but it'll be up for everyone on this site to see in two weeks! I also finished my first digital art commission (courtesy of Silver4700), which was a blast to work on!

Kai: Mataras, focus. We're making our exit.

Mataras: Never!

Tsukuyomi: In the next revelation of our doomed comrade's tale- Kurai Hikari: Origin

Kai: I guess it's time I get the answers I've been looking for.

Mataras: It just might be. I suggest your spirit be prepared to Go Beyond.

Kai: Plus Ultra.

Next time on Your Hero Academia: Unveiling...

"Nighteye, we're all here," said Ryukyu, which drew everyone's attention to a tall man with dark green hair and glasses. He stood near the front of the room, in front of a large monitor that glowed blue, but Kurai guessed was going to be used in a presentation.

"Very well, then, let's get started." He was soft-spoken, but not to the point where it was difficult to make out what he was saying. The way he carried himself spoke of self-assurance, born of many years spent fighting some of the world's worst evils, and coming out alive every time.

As he walked forward a few paces, he addressed the room by saying, "Thanks to all of you, our investigation has taken great leaps and bounds in its progress. You are all here for this joint conference so that we can share what we have learned about the Yakuza group: the Shie Hassaikai. We also now have enough Intel that we feel comfortable sharing our hypothesis about their plans for the future."

While the other students gave one another confused looks, Kurai couldn't stop himself from smacking his face- with the metal hand. "Gah, dammit!" he cursed, trying to muffle his voice with his other hand. "Every time!" Fortunately, the only ones who noticed his mistake were the other UA students, as most of the other heroes had gone to set up tables and chairs for the meeting that Nighteye would be leading.

"Dude, are you okay?" Kirishima asked him while he massaged his bruising flesh.

"Fine," Kurai gritted out, even as his nose throbbed and tears threatened to sneak out of his eyes.

"Why did he do that?" Hado asked Amajiki, who shrugged and shied away.

"He kinda forgets that he had a robot arm, sometimes…" Uraraka explained to her teammate.