Ember Sunblaze: Happy New Year! I hope everyone has had a fun and restful holiday season. Now that the festivities are over with, I can get back to my usually updating schedule. As a forewarning, this chapter was a very experimental project for me. The police and student interrogations have been planned out since the very beginning drafts of this fanfiction, but I was never quite sure how I wanted to go about writing it. I decided to try going a different route and having the interrogations be led with the police's POV. Some people might enjoy this, others may not. I would love to hear your opinions on it with a review ^_^

Originally all the interrogations were supposed to be in one chapter, but since the chapter was getting far too long, I decided to split it into two parts. Enjoy!

Chapter 19: The Interrogations, Part 1

"This… has been a long day."

Police Detective Loid Fujikawa mulled over this sentence as he absently poured coffee into this mug. He stood alone in the empty police break room, most of his colleagues still in the office handling the never-ending phone calls from worried and impatient family members of the recently found highschoolers.

He frowned, thinking of the few phone calls he had taken. An uncle, two islands away, demanding to know why his favorite nephew hasn't been returned to his weeping mother yet. A great-grandmother who claims she has a quirk that allows her to communicate with bees and that if we don't let her poor Koda out, she will send a swarm their way. So many impatient threats and wails. It made Loid grateful he only had to communicate with them from a phone signal and not in real life.

"The shock itself would probably send me to the hospital." Loid concurred, taking a careful sip of his drink. This statement was not far off the mark, for Loid had a very unique quirk, one that made him very efficient at his craft.

Detective Loid was, in short, a mood reader. Anytime he came near a person, their emotions hit him like waves on the beach, giving him a pretty firm insight on their feelings and emotions. The quirk itself was quite useless when it came to fighting criminals, but with investigations and interrogations of suspects, he found it was quite a handy instrument. Like a human lie detector, his quirk made it possible to feel the inner turmoil of a guilty suspect. And though it wasn't as clear as reading minds, years of touching the emotions of criminals, murderers, and general-low lives has allowed him to form a pattern of what to feel for in the instance that someone is, indeed, guilty of a crime.

Of course, living with a quirk like this could also be quite difficult. Imagine everyday, absolutely dreading the five o'clock rush because you know you'll be squished into a packed subway, with no escape from nonverbal assaults of negative emotions from teens struggling with love and school to salarymen moaning about due dates and overtime. Loid vividly remembers the blinding suffocations of these episodes back when he lived on the mainland. It's what drove him away to Okinawa, a place he had only visited sparingly as a child when visiting his Father's kin.

People all around the world often wondered about the incredibly long life spans held by residents of the Okinawa islands. Most believe it to be a mix of a diet and a rich climate which makes energizing outdoor recreational activities possible year round. But to Loid, he felt it due to the nature of the people in general. So easy going, so mellow. It's not that they didn't share the same worries or sorrows of people elsewhere. They just didn't let it fester like a bacteria within, slowly sapping the life force away from them. They fretted, yes, as humans do. But in the end, life goes on and so do they. It was a simple philosophy but for Loid it was like a breath of fresh air, making him decide to move here permanently.

Of course, lately that peace has been disrupted by the disappearance of not one or two, but twenty highschoolers. All abducted during class trips to one of Naha's more popular southern beaches. He let the steam rise, the rich scent of the ground beans stirring up his memories of late nights interviewing residents local to the area, of rushing to speak with tourists before they departed, and of collaborating with both local and mainland heroes on stake outs and search parties.

He sighed, taking a long sip as he mulled over the recent developments in the case. After a two week stretch of nothing, in a last ditch act of desperation, he and his team had contacted U.A. in hopes of collaborating on a stake-out with real teens in hopes of luring out the culprit. With parents already on edge, using any other highschool class from the islands would have been firmly denied. Having teens who are already on track for hero missions perform a stake-out seemed to make the higher ups breathe a little more easily. It also helped that this particular group had dealt with very versatile villains before.

"But here we are." Loid grumbled, setting his coffee down a little harder than he meant to on the counter top. The teen heroes had done their job. They had located the abducted highschoolers and even apprehended both culprits responsible for the crime. In theory, he should be doing cartwheels and celebrating. All the missing boys were frazzled but alive. No fatalities on either the hero or villain sides. It was the closing to a case that everyone involved strives for.

"But still…" He moved to the table, lightly setting down his mug as he quietly opened up a folder. Spreading the contents out in front of him, he carefully studied the files, each containing a picture and bio of the group of girls he was due to interview soon. Clipped to each one was a newly printed document, a hospital report of the injuries they sustained from their unplanned trek into the heart of the enemies' domain. He frowned, scanning the list.

"Momo Yaoyorozu, ailments: exhaustion, quirk overuse, two cracked ribs in right rib cavity, BMI levels at 15.25 percent…"

Loid recalled speaking to her briefly, before leaving her alone with one of her teacher chaperones, Midnight to discuss what had conspired down in the caverns. With the girl in such a delicate state, he had thought it best to let her speak first with someone she was more familiar with.

"Kyoka Jiro, ailments: fractured nose, electrical shock to the muscle tissues causing temporary paralysis, one cracked rib on right chest cavity…."

"Fought against an electric quirk user. She was lucky there wasn't any permanent internal organ damage."

"Ochako Uraraka, ailments: fractures to both the humerus and radius bones of the right limb, three cracked ribs in the left chest cavity, severe friction burns along right limb, and quirk overuse…"

"This is the one who was able to break one of her classmates free from Siren's quirk." Loid noted, "She's the one we'll need to get some answers from."

"Toru Hagakure, ailments; Second degree burns across outer forearms, severely bruised trachea, two broken rib bones in right chest chest cavity, abrasions along inner right thigh, upper and lower spine, and severe bruising on up chest…"

"This one had been an especially difficult case. Due to the conditions of her quirk, the doctors had to find just the right shade of ultraviolet light to make the extent of her injuries visible."

"Mina Ashido, ailments: First degree burn on upper right forearm, multiple abrasions to the spine, upper and lower on both arms, two cracked ribs in left rib cavity and quirk overuse…"

Loid keenly remembered her coming in, half the clothing on her either torn or melted away, revealing arms literally shredded as if she had raked herself against a cheese grater. "And yet she still had time to joke with the staff…"

"Tsuyu Asui, ailments: Puncture wound along right shoulder, cracked right scapula (shoulder blade), and fractured right humerus."

"It was this girl, in particular, who had all of us fearfully holding our breath." Loid thought back to that moment, the feeling of being stricken as she was hurriedly wheeled in. Her small body, covered in blood, her skin pale, her breathing weak. He had felt the nervousness creeping from the staff, who despite living near the ocean, were all quite unused to seeing shark attacks like this. If it wasn't the blood loss from the wound, the threat of an infection killing her was also in the back of everyone's minds. Both the mouth of a shark and the waters of the ocean were stock full of different bacteria that could be lethal inside an open wound. "Though with her being bitten by a shark-quirked boy rather than a real shark, the risk may have been lessened." Loid pondered this, before adding. "Though, I can't with any confidence say a human's mouth is any cleaner."

"Yes, the mission was accomplished. But not in a way I can say I can be proud of." He concluded, closing the files.

Luckily, despite the severity of all their injuries, Loid was happy to say that each girl was recovering well. Almost immediately after word got out about battles happening between the young heroines and unknown villains, his team and officials from U.A. directed messages to nearest mainland hospitals for doctors with quirk's that were equipped for medical purposes. This included flying in one specialized doctor from nearby Taiwan, who had a particular talent for healing muscle tissues torn by shark bites.

"Now comes the tough part of speaking with them." Loid murmured, draining the last of his drink.

"Hey Boss!" A cheerful voice interrupted his thoughts, "Taking a breather, eh?" Without waiting for a response, a spiky haired officer in his mid twenties strolled in, heading straight to the coffee maker. "Sweet! There's still some left!" He poured a cup, casually sitting across from Loid. He took a sip, eyeing the folder on the tabletop. "Oh, these must be the profiles on the heroines! Boy, I can't wait to meet them!"

"Inappropriate behavior and matrimonial advances towards underage minors is strictly outlawed under jurisdiction Articles 372 and can lead to loss of employment for those prosecuted, along with imprisonment for up to…." Loud muttered robotically, not bothering to glance up.

The young officer, Hibiki Tamaki or "Hedgie" as his friends called him, chuckled as he spooned sugar into his mug. Loid noted his quill-like hair puffed out slightly, always a signal of apprehension. "Yeah, yeah I know, I know. Everything always ends in jail time."

"Did someone say…Jail Tiiiiiiiime!" A vibrant lavender skinned female officer danced through the doorway, strands of her jelly like hair bouncing at her shoulders. She took the seat between the two men, asking, "Soooo what did Hedgie do this time to deserve a jail time sentence?"

"Loid thinks I'm a little too excited about our next set of interrogations." Hedgie explained, not at all perturbed at the translucent jelly-fish tentacles dangling mere inches from where his hand rested. "But you have to admit talking with the girls will be a nice change of pace compared to dealing with those boys!"

"I know right!?" She chirped, clasping her hands together excitedly. "They were a handful! Especially that Bakugo!"

"Pull that hair back before you shock someone, Uehara." Loid commented, again not bothering to look up from his notes. Kana Uehara, the lone female of their team and who's quirk was jellyfish, gave a surprised yelp before quickly pulling out a scrunchie. She bundled up the tentacles that adored her head like shimmering braids and pulled them into a professional bun.

"Oops! My bad! Hedgie, you should have said something!" Kana exclaimed, turning him. "I could have shocked you!" Loid felt small waves of guilt lapsing off of her, while Hedgie's warm feelings of affection overshadowed these waves.

"It was fine, I thought it looked pretty down for a change." Hedgie replied, brightly. Kana beamed at the compliment, red-hot feelings of adoration gushing outwards, slamming into Loid like a brick wall and making him want to puke.

"Oh, thanks but it really is a bother." She replied casually, completely masking the swirling vortex of emotions spewing from her.

Loid glanced between the two, wishing he hadn't drank that coffee. "Why can't these two just sleep together and get it over with?" He glanced at his phone, checking the time. "Okay, you two. Let's head out."

"Time to get typing!" Kana exclaimed, hyping herself as she straightened her glasses and patted her navy skirt. She playfully flicked one of Hedgie's head spikes. "Ready for round two?"

Hedgie nodded, bringing his mug along. "Let's hope we get a bit more details this go around, eh?"

Loid grabbed his briefcase, following them out of the break room as Kana replied. "I know right!? Earlier I felt like all I was typing was, "I can't remember, I don't know, not sure, and do you have Invisible Girls' number?"

The detective remained silent, mulling through the last few hours of interviews with both the abducted highschoolers and the young male heroes who had been under Siren's control down in the caverns. The objective was pretty straight forward. Along with getting details of how the abduction occurred and intel on the villains, another important aspect of these interviews was to determine if there could have possibly been a double spy amongst those affected by Siren. This was where Loid's quirk came into use.

"Anyone can lie through their teeth, but hiding your emotions is not such an easy task." Though Loid had high doubts about the possibility of a double agent, especially amongst the young heroes who had arrived in Naha only yesterday, he understood the paranoia behind such precautions. "When it comes to quirks that manipulate the minds, the line between willing and unwilling participants in a crime can get murky for those having to investigate such a case. In the scenario where we unintentionally let loose a guilty party that seeks to continue the operation, the people's trust in the justice system would surely crumble."

So with these thoughts in mind, Loid and his team had conducted one on one interrogations with each boy, leaving the group from U.A the last to be spoken to. The talks began in a simple format: Hedgie would be the spokesperson, using a light-carefree tone as he went down a list of prepared questions. Kana listened, typing their responses. Like a satellite picking up signals, Loid would slowly circle the room as he used his quirk to decipher the emotions rolling off the teen in question. It was a system he and his team had used consistently and had always given favorable results.

For the most part, the emotions remained constant. Loid found most of the boys giving off vibes of confusion, anxiety, relief, and, for some, anger. Though the emotions remained similar, what differed was the decree and volume of each feeling. "Emotions are like the waves of the ocean. To thoroughly decipher a person, you need to first get a feel for the pattern of their waves. Some people are a constant storm of emotions, while others can barely produce a ripple. A change to this pattern or ,worse, the lack of any emotion at all…." Loid added, with a dark undertone. "...can hint at something amiss."

A change of pace occurred once the young heroes from U.A. were brought in for their interrogations. Unlike the last bunch, Loid found this group carried not only feelings of confusion, but of guilt as well. It leaked from their skin like a cold sweat, casting a gloom upon the room. Loid brushed off these emotions, already aware of their core. "Unlike the others, these boys knew they had shedded blood. Feeling guilt was not enough to call one a criminal."

Loid scanned the group, pinpointing which boys would be his main focus. He found them sitting next to each other, one sullen and with a newly bandaged shoulder and the other hunched over in his chair, with a desolate and far-off air about him. "Katsuki Bakugo and Izuku Midoriya…" Loid had specifically highlighted their names on the typed report given to him by Midnight as suspects of interest. "For Bakugo, his suspicions lie in that he, alone, was sent on a separate task to track down his invisible classmate. Was this from orders from Siren or was he in fact in control of his actions? For Midoriya, he had been the first to awaken from Siren's quirk, with no details given on how that was possible with Siren still being conscious at the time." Loid had received no explanation in Midnight's report and it was infuriating to be unaware of such a keen detail to the nature of this highly dangerous quirk.

They first began with Midoriya. The green-hair teen sat obediently in the chair facing Hedgie and Kana. Loid stood to the side, sensing the unease in the space surrounding the boy. "He's nervous." He observed, "But that altogether is nothing to blink an eye about." Most people, whether guilty or not, felt at least a bit of apprehension during these interrogations.

Hedgie smiled, introducing himself and the rest of the team, at which Midoriya nodded politely. Once the introductions were over, the questions began in a similar pattern as the others, asking what they remembered doing being falling under Siren's control.

"I was about to go into the water with my friend, Tokoyami." Midoriya answered, "That's when…everything went blank." Hedgie nodded, while Kana silently typed. Loid sensed a flash of anger, mixed with unease.

"Midoriya, from the details given to us from your classmates, it was stated you were the first of the controlled boys to break through Siren's quirk." Hedgie continued, "Can you give us more details on this? Such as how you were able to break through?"

A sharp spike of surprise hit Loid. The detective flinched, the emotion feeling like the prick of a needle. He observed the boy, noting an uneasy grimace, cheeks flushing slightly. His hands gripped his knees, shoulders stiffening up.

"I can't…really say." Midoriya quietly answered, looking very much uncomfortable. "I just remember snapping out of it during the middle of the fight with Uraraka." The feeling of surprise that had shocked the detective had withered, leaving much stronger waves of guilt, so heavy it that it felt like the air before a storm. Swirling with it was confusion, bitterness, and…longing?

Loid closed his eyes, double checking that last one. Yes…it was there….like a small bird fluttering in a hurricane of other emotions. "Odd, but he is a teenage boy." Loid knew Hedgie was waiting on a signal from him. Deciding to shelve that emotion for now, he focused on the others. "From the report, it did say Midoriya and Uraraka had been engaged in a forced one-on-one battle before he had recovered his senses. The guilt he's carrying is strong, unbearably strong. The confusion is pretty evident also. Maybe he really doesn't know how he broke free? Could the exhaustion of the combat be the culprit? Or even an environmental trigger? Perhaps this question is better suited for the other person present during that time…" Loid concluded, thinking of the other set of interviews that were scheduled later this evening.

Loid lifted his finger to his left ear, giving it a small scratch. Hedgie smiled, continuing on to the next question. Midoriya's interview was a long one, with him giving clear details on the battle between the villain known as Kai. The lingering feelings of guilt still remained, even sticking to the teen as he was dismissed. "It's an unfortunate situation." Loid reflected. "When all you want to do is protect and yet…this happens."

The detective's thoughts were violently interrupted by a full blast of red hot fury that suddenly engulfed the room. He whipped around, catching Midnight leading Bakugo inside. The blonde teen wore a dark scowl as he slouched into the chair, crossing his arms and acting like he would rather eat dog vomit than be here in this room. Loid pulled at the collar of his shirt, feeling sweat starting to build. "I can already tell this is going to be a lovely talk."

Luckily, Hedgie could not feel the hostility coming off the boy, or if he did, he chose to ignore it. He shot his usual welcoming smile and began with introductions. "Good evening Mr. Bakugo! I'm Officer Tamaki…"

"Don't care." Bakugo spat, leaning forward with livid eyes. "Why the hell are we even doing this stupid interrogation? I'm sure all the other dimwit extras you spoke to have spewed the same damn thing! We were at the beach…then we weren't'! And every blasted thing that happened between is complete garbage cause NONE OF US FREAKING REMEMBER!"

He shot up from his chair, pointing a threatening finger at an unnerved Officer Hedgie. "And if anyone here says they do then they're lying through their stinking rotten teeth because IF I CAN'T REMEMBER THEN NO OTHER SNIFFLING WEAKLING CAN EITHER!"

Though Hedgie had managed to retain his signature smile, his quill-like hair was puffed out and quivering as he tried to quell the angry teen. "Now, Now, Mr. Bakugo. This is all just part of standard procedure. We just want to get a few statements of the things you do remember from your time down in the caverns. I assure you, if you cooperate this will all go by rather quickly."

Bakugo looked ready to bark something back, but was interrupted by a well aimed shot by his teacher with a spray bottle filled with water.

"Bakugo, be polite!" Midnight ordered cheekily, enjoying herself. Bakugo shot her glare before obediently slouching back into the chair. She gave Officer Hedgie an encouraging thumbs up. "Don't worry, he's just a little worked up today."

"A little might be an understatement." Loid thought, wiping his damp forehead. He had been forced to retreat to the back of the room next to Midnight due to the uncomfortable atmosphere surrounding the seething teen. Hot, simmering waves of angry waves lapsed off him, not faltering even with Hedgie's words or Midnight's water. "This boy is like an oven of bent up anger." Though anger is often a key trigger to violence in villains, having an angry disposition didn't automatically make you a prime suspect. "Guilt…anger…they're emotions that everyone feels, not just criminals. The key is to find the source of these emotions."

As Bakugo wiped his damp face, Officer Hedgie took the moment to quickly finish the introductions and get on to the questioning. Loid noticed he skipped the usual first question and went right into what he remembered happening after being freed from Siren's quirk.

"I woke up surrounded by a bunch of the useless twerps who got themselves hijacked by Siren." Bakugo answered, tone laced with impatience.

"He does realize he's part of that group too?" Loid mused, feeling the anger spike. He knew from the earlier interviews with the highschoolers (especially a rather spirited fellow named Daisuke) that Bakugo's presence within the group was not a welcome affair. Mostly due to many of them guessing he had been the one to injure Miss Hagakure. "Based on this hostility, I imagine the feeling was mutual for him." He shot Hedgie a sidelong glance, discreetly raising his index finger and tapping his nose.

The young officer frowned and gave a confirming cough before moving on to ask. "Before your meeting with the hostages, our reports show you were separated from your classmates? Do you recall why?"

Bakugo's eyes narrowed dangerously. "No."

"While alone you were able to track down Miss Hagakure." The officer continued. "That's a pretty impressive feat considering she's invisible."

"Not really." Bakugo muttered, absently touching the medical patch that covered a scratch on his cheek. "She's pretty loud." Despite his annoyed response, Loid felt a shifting of emotions. For the first time since he entered the room, guilt overshadowed anger. Guilt and anxiety swirling together as one, with a smaller emotion flickering in their midst.

"Admiration." Loid flicked his gaze to the side, studying the blonde hero. His permanent scowl showed no hints of any change in his disposition. "This one here has quite the poker face. But despite his exaggerated show of contempt, it's clear he's worried for the girl and even a little impressed with her actions."

"And you two battled? Is that correct?"

Loid could feel anger spiking again. He watched as the boy clenched his knuckles, answering through grinding teeth. "It's what I've been told."

"Can you recall anything about the fight between you two…"

"ARE YOUR EARS NOT WORKING?!" Bakugo snapped, jumping from his seat. "Stop asking me crap that you bloody well know I don't remember! YES, I was alone! YES, I fought Hagakure! Isn't it clear enough for you wannabe heroes that none of us remember a bloody thing that happened down there?!"

Though the detective was expecting it, it was still an unpleasant experience feeling the heat radiating from the outburst. Anger once more dominated, smashing at him like waves from a tsunami. Mixed in were small pulses of an even stronger emotion….fear.

"Ah, so that's the source." Loid quietly remarked, the answer becoming clear. "This boy has the nature of one who believes he is tougher than those around him. That nothing can break him. This whole experience…of being taken, of being used, of having your memory swiped has taken a far greater toll on him than Bakugo would ever care to admit, even to himself." Loid was swept away from these thoughts at the sound of his partner's voice once again trying to reason with the enraged teenager.

"This is all just part of the documentation process…" Hedgie began, holding both palms up peacefully.

"How about this!" Bakugo growled, ignoring him. "Instead of wasting time talking to us, how about you force out all the facts you want from the psycho hag and her spineless octopus pet?!"

"I'm afraid Siren is being kept under strict lockdown until the nature of her quirk is better understood. As for Mr. Sasaki, he is not quite in the mental state to answer any of our questions at the moment."

"Don't tell him that!" Loid wanted to scream, frustratedly covering his face. "Never admit a weakness to the person being questioned!" The detective was right to worry as Bakugo gave Officer Hedgie a haughty sneer. "So because you all suck at forcing out the facts, you think it's okay to waste our time?! If he won't talk, make him! Tie those stupid tentacles in knots! Dump him in the ocean with sharks until he squeals. FORCE HIM TO EAT HIS OWN TENTACLES!"

As Bakugo went on with his own colorful list of torture techniques, Officer Hedgie slowly became paler and paler, his hair quills quivering. "You do understand that this isn't the medieval era right?" Officer Hedgie commented, the corner of his mouth twitching nervously. Behind him, Kana's typing had paused, eyes widened fearfully from behind her glasses. Loid shook his head, massaging his temple.

Midnight groaned, looking up to the heavens impatiently. "Bakugo, can't you play nice with the police for just FIVE MINUTES so we can just go back to the ryokan? Your classmates are tired and hungry!"

Bakugo was ready to snap a terse reply, when Loid suddenly appeared before him, posture cool and disarming as the two surveyed each other. The detective was the first to speak. "Your frustration is quite understandable. But do understand that my colleagues and I have certain procedures and obligations to fill within the legal system." Loid explained, his tone even and no nonsense. "As for your concerns over Mr. Sasaki or simply "Kai '' as you all know him as. Rest assured that our force has every intention of extracting the information we need from him. Until that time, is it vital to this investigation that you, your peers, and all those involved with this case cooperate." Loid felt the teen's glare studying him, sizing the detective up. To his annoyance, the blonde detective seemed unperturbed by this. "In any case, details and facts given to us by the culprits can't always be trusted. Villains, by nature, aren't always keen to cooperate." The detective shot the glowering Bakugo a formal smile. "Surely you would agree our resources would be better put to use getting information from more reliable sources such as future pro-heroes?"

The two faced each other, with everyone in the room seeming to hold their breaths in anticipation. Finally, Bakugo turned back around, slouching in his chair as he grumbled a sulky, "Fine! Ask your stupid questions then!" Officer Hedgie visibly relaxed, nodding at Loid gratefully. In turn, Loid inclined his chin, signaling that Bakugo needed no more prodding.

Loid felt himself being pulled back to the present as the conversation between his two coworkers changed into a different direction. Kana moved beside the detective with a skip to her step, one finger tapping her chin as she wondered aloud, "You know, after listening to all those boys, it really makes me believe that Siren really does have a pretty neat quirk. Imagine how crazy it would be to be able to make someone do what you want and then make them not even remember what they did! Talk about bonkers!"

On Loid's other side, Hedgie replied casually. "There are limitations. Like the age restrictions for instance."

Kana frowned, finger moving to swirl a stray tentacle that had escaped her bun. "It's kind of unfortunate. With a quirk like that you're kind of destined to do naughty things."

"I don't see you going around stinging people just because you can." Loid remarked, casting a stern look her way. She puffed out her cheeks, annoyed.

"Well of course not! Stinging people isn't fun!" Kana indignantly. "But if I had Siren's quirk, I could totally imagine having a team of boys come every night to clean my apartment and cook me all the delicious food I want while I catch up on my shows I recorded." She sighed blissfully, unaware of the horrified stares of her two coworkers. "Aww, it would be a dream come true!"

"Using minors for labor without pay falls under the definition of child trafficking and slavery which violates Japan's judicial…."

"Stop ruining my fantasies!" Kana snapped, the tentacles on her head giving off small bursts of electricity.

"You know…" Hedgie ventured, blushing slightly. " I can come clean your apartment for you if you want." Unfortunately for him, this meek statement was unheard by Kana as she angrily jabbed at the detective.

"Okay Mr. Straight-laced, what would YOU do if you had a quirk that let you control teenage girls, ehhh?"

In a hollow tone, dead of any emotion, Loid replied, "I would travel to the far out reaches of the Siberian wilderness, living my life as a recluse away from society."

Kana gaped, taken aback by this odd response. "Isn't that a bit dramatic?" She turned to Hedgie. "What about you…?"

"I'd kill myself." The young officer answered, looking desolate. Kana gawked.

"YOU TWO AREN'T TAKING THIS SERIOUSLY!"

"We're dead serious." Was their silent response.

Loid pulled at his notes, remarking, "Let's rein in this conversation, shall we? We need to discuss the upcoming interviews. Going forward, I would like to lead the discussions. Particularly with the Uraraka case."

"Still curious about how that Midoriya kid broke free from Siren?" Hedgie inquired, already aware of his partner's obsessive tendencies. "For all we know, it could just have been a fluke on Siren's part, nothing more."

"And that's the problem. We don't know." Loid replied curtly. "It's our job as detectives to find out. With the degree of quirks that are evolving, the only way we can keep these villains safely contained from the public is to know the ins and outs of their quirks."

"You know…" Kana cut in, sounding excited as she wondered aloud. "Wouldn't it be sooooo lovely if it was a kiss that broke Siren's spell?" She gave a dreamy sigh. "It would be just like a romantic fairy tale!" Her happy aura evaporated as she was met with the deadpan stare of Loid.

"I deeply question your mental stability if you still believe something as absurd as a simple kiss could solve any real world issue."

"And people wonder why you're still single." She muttered, earning an annoyed scowl from her superior.

"Miss Midnight, did you enjoy your break?" Hedgie's loud and polite greeting halted the two's bickering as they paused in front of the interrogation room, where Midnight and the girls were waiting. "I assume the boys made it safely back to the ryokan?"

"Yes! Thanks again for supplying the transportation and an escort. I'm afraid with only myself and another teacher, we're been pretty limited on supervision."

"It was our pleasure! Our local heroine, Vitamin C, was more than happy to help."

"I also appreciate your help with….that other issue." Behind the teacher's spectacles, her eyes twinkled mischievously. The officers smiled in understanding. Loid especially looked pleased with himself.

"Taking a disturbed and morally misguided juvenile and demonstrating what future struggles await him if he continues down this path of indecency and sexual misconduct is what I live for." Loid explained with a fire that was not normally seen in the mild detective.

Midnight massaged her forehead, clearly still feeling irritated. "I just hope with your lecture, along with being expelled, Mineta can change his ways. Really, though! I still can't believe he went that far as to take naughty pictures of his own classmates!"

Mineta's deviate scheme was the one of the first things Yaoyorozu had reported to Midnight. The teacher had been shown further evidence once she had powered Mineta's phone back up and had seen the pictures for herself. Needless to say, she hadn't been pleased. But her fury was nothing compared to Aizawa Sensei. Midnight could practically feel him seething from over the phone as he demanded that Mineta be dealt with by the authorities there until he could confront the boy himself. Midnight could practically smell an expulsion on the horizon.

Midnight's arms crossed over her chest, worried. "I really hope with both your help and Aizawa Sensei's fury, we can turn that boy around."

Loid shared a reassuring smile, but secretly shared her concerns. "After all, even with my fifty-two information slides and graphic photos of villain on villain jail riots, I still never felt an ounce of guilt coming from Mineta. Just a fear….a lot of fear." The detective turned his attention to the six teenage girls seated in chairs behind Midnight. As Hedgie and Kana continued the conversation with their teacher, Loid reached out, getting a quick gauge on the girl's emotions.

Unlike the boys, the mood felt lighter with this group. With them sitting together, it was difficult to distinguish individual emotions. But the overall feel was pretty cheerful, excited even. "I imagine they're just enthusiastic about being discharged from the hospital." Loid assumed, the air around him feeling fizzy with suppressed emotions. He stealthily glanced to the side, finding the girls sitting patiently, unperturbed with the upcoming interviews. With their bios in mind, his gaze instantly fell on the girl he was most anticipated to speak with. "Ochako Uraraka. The one who had fought and somehow mysteriously snapped Midoriya from the effect of Siren's quirk."

"The girls are all ready for you." Loid withdrew his gaze, returning his attention back to Midnight. "Who would you like to speak with first?"

"If it's alright, we would like to begin the interrogations with Ms. Uraraka." Loid answered cordially, noticing the young brunette perk up as her name was announced. His blue eyes fell on the long spiral shaped burns that adorned her arm. "Repercussions from the battle with Midoriya, perhaps?"

Midnight nodded, turning to her student. "Are you fine with going first, Uraraka?"

"Sure." She answered, getting up from her seat as Officer Hedgie politely opened the door for both her and Midnight. Now that she was separated from the rest, Loid could feel a small sense of apprehension that had not been noticed before.

The detective followed them in, warmly pulling a chair out for Uraraka. "Good evening, Miss Uraraka. My name is Detective Loid Fujikawa and I'll be the one who has the pleasure of speaking with you today. Please have a seat and make yourself comfortable."

"Thank you." she replied, sitting down.

The nervous waves faltered slightly. Loid continued the introductions, keeping his tone light and friendly. "Along with myself, Officer Tamaki and Officer Uehara will also be listening in and taking notes." They nodded politely at her from their table. Loid raised his hand towards his heart, inclining downwards in a slight bow as he remarked sincerely, "Before we begin, I do want to extend an enormous thank you on behalf of my team and everyone involved in this case. You and your peers have done us and the community here a huge favor in finding and returning our missing youth. I'm sure I speak for everyone here that I say we are eternally grateful for your service."

"Thank you very much!" Hedgie and Kana echoed, bowing their heads also.

The apprehension had returned, along with waves upon waves of embarrassment as Uraraka's cheeks reddened. "No, please! That's really unnecessary! We were only doing what we could!" She brought her hands together, smiling bashfully. "But…I think I speak for all my classmates when I say that we're all glad we were able to help."

Loid nodded, shuffling his notes. "Spoken like a hero in training. Shall we get started then?"

The detective began by asking her to describe her version of the events from the very beginning. Starting from when she first noticed something off with her classmates all the way until her one-on-one fight with Midoriya. Before this point, Loid hadn't felt much, as her focus seemed to be on giving as much details as possible on the sequence of events that had befallen her and her peers. But that all changed as he cleared his throat, asking the question he had been craving an answer for.

"In both your words and Miss Yaoyorozu's account, during your skirmish with Mr. Midoriya, Midoriya had managed to snap free from Siren's quirk and come to your aid. Is that correct?" Loid asked, feeling the fluttering of nervous energy pulsing from Uraraka. She sat up straighter, her fingers curling together in her lap.

"Umm…that's correct." She answered in a tiny voice. Loid felt her apprehension increasing.

"If I may, I would like to go into more details on this particular development." Loid pressed, trying to keep his tone casual. "For instance, was there anything that happened during the fight that could have possibly triggered his awakening?"

Uraraka glanced down, squirming uncomfortably in her seat. "Ummmm…didn't you speak with the boys before us? I mean….didn't Midoriya…." She visibly gulped, cheeks reddening. "Didn't he…say anything?"

Behind Uraraka, Midnight's eyebrows rose in interest. Loid kept focused, lightly replying, "Mr. Midoriya merely explained that he was freed from her quirk during the skirmish between the two of you, but seemed hesitant to go into details. With many of the boys having memories hindered by Siren's quirk, we thought it best to just get the rest of the information we needed from you."

Panic, dismay, fear, embarrassment….Loid was not quite expecting the bombardment of emotions that stabbed at him like daggers. All these emotions seemed to hit Loid within a millisecond of finishing his sentence. He staggered, sweat forming under his collar as he fought against the churning in his gut. Masking his discomfort,he focused again on the girl and found her in what could only be called a state of disarray.

The poor heroine had nervous sweat pouring down her face, with her hands clenching the helm of her shorts tightly. "Oh….I see…." She mumbled, lips trying to curl into a strained smile but miserably failing.

The detective pulled at his collar, her discomfort and embarrassment making the room feel uncomfortably warm and humid. "Miss Uraraka, if you don't mind explaining further on what went on between you and Mr. Midoriya that caused him to break away from Siren? It's vital we get all the information we can to better understand what kind of quirk we're dealing with."

"Of…of course." Uraraka replied shakily, hands trembling in her lap. She took a deep breath, keeping her gaze glued to the floor as she attempted to explain. "Well…you see…Deku…I mean Midoriya! During the fight I tried to get through to him by talking…but it seemed like nothing I said could get through to him." Loid felt sadness joining the vortex of other emotions rumbling around the room. "Then when my arm got broken, I knew I didn't have many options left and I knew Midoriya was going to finish me off."

At these words, Loid was temporarily distracted by the wave of pity that bombarded him from both the back and the front of the room. His gaze momentarily flickered to the shadows, where Midnight Sensei stood with a deep frown, sympathetically listening to her student speak. It was clear to Loid that the students were not the only ones pained by this experience.

Focusing back, he watched as Uraraka seemed to fumble over the next part. "I obviously didn't want that to happen….and most importantly, I didn't want Midoriya to carry that guilt around…so….uhh…well…I needed to get through to him….so…I…talking didn't work…so I….well…I….I…"

At this point, the poor girl's entire body had turned beet red, beads of sweat pouring off her face. Loid heard Kana's typing halt and felt both her and Hedgie's concern for the girl that seemed on the verge of a melt down. The detective, feeling as if he was messing with a ticking time bomb, cautiously ventured forward. "Ahem, Miss Uraraka? I know this may be difficult. Please understand, no one here will judge you on your actions against Mr. Midoriya."

He instantly regretted his words.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE I DID THAT!" Uraraka suddenly shrieked, her hands pressing against her cheeks as her body gently floated upwards. "WHAT HAVE I DONE? HOW CAN I EVER FACE HIM AGAIN?" The adults gaped in stunned silence as the teenage girl continued to berate herself as she floated about the room, as she hid her mortified face in her hands.

Hedgie and Kana stood up from their back table, helplessly looking to their superior for guidance. Loid himself was trying his best to stay calm while also trying to decipher what felt like a hundred different emotions swirling around the girl like a tornado. "Mortification and embarrassment are definitely the strongest, but what in the world did she do that is THAT embarrassing? Then there was guilt and betrayal? What in the world was she guilty about? Did she torture the poor boy? Dismay and agony? Apprehension? Anger? WAIT, IS THAT JOY?!"

"I have absolutely no idea on what's going on." Loid could decipher the thoughts and feelings of homicidal psychopaths and deadly serial killers, but the feelings of this teenage girl were beyond his comprehension. He felt his stomach churn uncomfortably, all these different sensations making him want to puke. He met Midnight Sensei's gaze and the teacher quickly stepped in, calling out gently to her upset pupil.

"Uraraka, please calm down! The detectives just want to know what happened between you and Midoriya."

"THINGS WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AGAIN!"

Loid clutched the edge of Uraraka's chair, steadying himself against the severe force of dismay and sorrow that stabbed at him like a knife at these words. Hedgie and Kana approached him, still curiously watching the miserable teen float across the room.

"Ummm…sir, maybe we should take a ten minute break?" Hedgie suggested. "Or even dismiss Miss Uraraka for now? We did get a lot of details from her already."

"But not all of it." Loid grumbled, trying to keep his composure. Midnight glanced from him, back up to the floating Uraraka.

"Sorry detective, but I'm going to have to agree with your partner." She said, her tone polite but firm. "As her teacher and temporary caregiver, I think she's been through enough for one day. Whatever happened between her and Midoriya is obviously something she isn't comfortable sharing just yet."

Despite the pain, Loid managed to push himself up to his full height to sternly face the teacher. "Need I remind you, Miss Midnight, that it is part of protocol to get a full statement from any observers of a crime scene so that…" the detective was cut off by a feminine finger demurely pressed against his lips.

Midnight smirked, winking at him. "Now, now detective. Waiting in the next room are a bunch of teenage witnesses pumped with morphine, sugar, and a whole lot of drama. Trust me…you'll get your statements."

Despite her reassuring words, Detective Loid had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Ember Sunblaze: Why yes, I did base Detective Loid on Loid Forger from the anime Spy x Family. I couldn't help myself ^_^