Samehada Usoha and her friends got to Usoha's classroom before anyone else.
"Great, there's no one here"
"Quick, before someone comes"
Anshin Amai and Kyosei Nise smirked, getting inside and closing the door to the classroom behind them.
"Which is Midoriya's desk?" Nise asked.
"This one, in front of mine"
"Wow, this is the mark she made with her scissors that day?" Amai hovered centimeters above the floor, next to Usoha's desk.
"Yeah, she threw them back without even looking! She could have killed me and didn't even care!"
"She must feel some sort of power trip, being friends with those flying menaces. I mean, who even wants to get close to them? She really acts like a villain."
"You said that, sister. Being powerless must feel pretty bad. But lacking any individuality doesn't mean you can send flying menaces to attack people! She's really taking advantage of lacking a quirk to do as she pleases. That's some villain behavior right there."
Amai and Nise nodded to themselves. Usoha opened her bag and took out a white container.
"Well, wanna do the honors, Amai? She assaulted you after all" Usoha smirked, handing her the container.
"Of course! She'll regret sending her flying menaces after me, or anyone for that matter!"
The pink haired girl opened the container and squeezed it over the chair at Izumi's desk. A transparent liquid fell off and spread all over the seat.
"Let's see how you like getting your fat ass stuck to your chair!" Amai and Nise high fived each other, snickering.
"I wish we could get a flying menace trapped like this too." Usoha wondered, drawing a finger through her pointy teeth, enjoying the sound it made. "It wouldn't even count as animal cruelty. Those flying demons are more monsters than anything else"
"And they even hang out all over Midoriya, what's up with that? Sometimes I wonder if she really is quirkless." Nise sighed, sjakong her head.
"If she isn't, faking quirklessnes is a crime, so she really would be a villain." Usoha punched the palm of her hand with her other fist. "If that's the case I'll beat her up when I become a pro!"
"Haha, don't say things like that or it could be taken as bullying or harassment" Amai said, in a lecturing tone.
They kept silent for a few seconds. Then they burst out in laughter.
"Hahaha! Amai, that was great!" Usoha slapped her thigh and clenched her sides.
"HA! Harassment! Wow, I haven't laughed so hard in so long" Nise wiped a tear from her eye.
Some students started coming inside the classroom at that moment, and the three girls started settling down, snickering to themselves. Usoha hid the glue bottle in her bag again.
No one would see the transparent, odorless glue unless they got close to Midoriya's desk. And just who would? They were safe, no one's going to catch them, and if some suspect, who is going to say anything to defend Midoriya? Pfff, just thinking about it made Usoha smirk.
"Usoha, tell us later about it, ok?" Amai grinned, holding Usoha's hand.
"Of course, I won't leave you two in the dark~" Usoha winked at them. "But just where is our friend, by the way. Shouldn't we go to properly greet her?"
"That's a great idea Usoha~" Nise grinned, smirking with the other two, and getting out of the classroom.
They went towards the entrance, but found Midoriya already coming their way. She hadn't seen them yet, great. Behind her there was some kind of ruckus, but Usoha pay it no-
"Kyaaaa!"
They stopped in their tracks, and saw Toga-senpai on top of one boy, her hands in his chest, and blood pouring out of him.
"Wh-what?"
Usoha felt her legs tremble as she saw that, and felt something pull her arm back.
"Usoha! Let's get out of here! Toga-senpai has gone mad!"
Nise screamed at her. Usoha forced her legs to start moving, running away from the sight. She looked back, and saw Midoriya standing them, watching Toga-senpai laugh over that boy's bloodied body.
She's crazy! Why isn't she running! Well, not my problem! Die if you want, freak!
Usoha ran, leaving behind Midoriya and Toga-senpai, following everyone else to get as far away as possible from Toga-senpai.
"Good afternoon everyone, this is Hisō Kabā from Channel Six, reporting just outside of Railosu Middle School, where a student has suddenly assaulted a fellow classmate with a cutter knife. The school has been evacuated, and the victim safely transported into an ambulance just moments ago"
The cameraman moves the focus to the back of the reporter, where a student was being put inside an ambulance in a stretcher. Even though he was slightly covered, blood was apparent in his chest.
"It is unknown why the perpetrator of the attack assaulted their fellow classmate, but reports from students that saw it happen say that she was seen drinking the victim's blood. Heroes and police had entered the school in search of the perpetrator but haven't found her yet."
The scared and confused yells of the evacuated students around the reporter made the chaos apparent, the police hanging a line in between them and the school.
"We'll continue to tell you everything we know as more information comes out and-"
"So, tell me, Mr. Toga, what could have caused your daughter to attack poor Saito?" A reporter asked through a phone line in the news network to Toga's father, his face hidden and voice obscured to hide his identity.
"The first thing I want to say is to apologize to Saito-kun and his family. What my daughter has done is inexcusable, and me and my family are deeply sorry for what she has done."
"Of course, Toga-san. Did Himiko ever show any signs of instability?"
"I'm afraid so. She was always a troubled girl, thinking of making others bleed and hurting small animals. Me and my wife did our best to correct her behavior, even had her go to a specialized quirk counselor to help her ignore her rotten urges."
"I take it the quirk is the problem then? Did she inherit it from you or your wife, Toga-san?"
"Oh no, her quirk is completely different from mine or from my wife's. They are nothing alike. Himiko found fascination in senseless violence and making small animals bleed because it'd feed her quirk. Me and my wife never expressed any desire to be violent to fuel our quirks. Himiko craved blood since she could talk and walk on her own."
"I see, so you say her murderous tendencies came from wanting to fuel a mutated quirk that required blood to activate?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so."
"What an unfortunate scenario, pulling out such an unsettling quirk with villainous inclinations… I'm sure it wasn't easy to raise such a kid."
"Oh, certainly not, one time she came back from the garden, a dead sparrow in her hands and…"
"...and what about the victim, Saito, how is he doing?" The host of a late night show asked one of his co-hosts.
"He's apparently in critical condition at Musutafu's General Hospital. The family wants to keep his state privately, but with Recovery Girl being stationed so close, he's bound to recover once she goes to the hospital, if she hasn't gone already."
"Yes, certainly. The rest of the students of Railosu must have been traumatized as well. Imagine one of your friends getting stabbed by another one of your friends, who secretly was waiting for this moment all along!"
"Oh, that sounds terrifying."
"Doesn't it? The school, clearly, was shut down for the rest of the week since the incident, to give the children and the staff time to process the tragedy."
"I can only pray for the students that had to see it happen first hand."
"It must have been so hard for them. Nowadays we don't see violence of that level in schools anymore. That Toga Himiko is certainly worrying. What if there are more kids wanting to test their quirks by hurting others like that and we just don't know about it?"
"Now, now, there's no need to fearmonger about it. This was just one case of an exceptionally problematic kid wanting to use her even more problematic quirk. Not all kids would disregard quirk laws to use their power like that, with a complete disregard to each other like that."
"As a parent, I can't help but worry about my children's safety knowing that Toga Himiko managed to get away."
"Yes, that is indeed quite problematic. With her kind of quirk, as long as there's people, it'll be hard to locate her."
"Are you talking about the leak on her quirk?"
"It is unofficial, just a rumor, but considering she disappeared without leaving a trace, it makes you think, right?"
"Indeed, now, while we won't spread any baseless rumors, know that…"
"What do you mean I'm emotionally involved in the case!? I don't know her at all!"
Kamui Woods slammed his fist against the table, glaring down at fellow hero, Taser.
"I was raised in Gaulusu, I have patrolled those streets and half of Musutafu countless times!"
"And that's exactly why we can't let you join in the investigations, Kamui" The large blonde man that was Taser responded.
He wore a light blue jacket over a jet black shirt, straps of lightning adorning his sides, and tight black jeans over his muscled legs that even Best Jeanist would approve.
"Every kid loves heroes, so she'd know the ones that usually patrol the area. That's why we need to send heroes that she may be unfamiliar with."
"Do you even hear yourself? And what does that even matter!? Are you saying that local heroes won't be able to catch a teenager!?"
"Kamui! Kamui, Kamui, I'm not saying that. You have to understand, as a member of the official investigation ,I've learned about her quirk, and all I have to say to keep her privacy is that she has the means to remain hidden from anyone should she feel like it."
Taser was smug about denying the upstart about involvement in his own patrol area. Kamui forced his anger down and lowered his tone, feeling the stares of the other non-local heroes and sidekicks involved in the case.
"For as much as you treat the kid like a villain already, you don't understand that if her status was truly classified that her quirk would become accessible knowledge to any hero and police database. Playing both the privacy and the extremely dangerous villain routes is contradictory."
Taser clicked his tongue, but otherwise maintained his cheerful persona. Static seemed to form in the air. He leaned down to face Kamui Woods right on his face, his face cheerful but his aura displaying a completely different feeling.
"That may seem so, that's why we have to capture her as quickly as possible, so she doesn't become a full fledged villain. I understand your concerns, but understand that this case has been handled by the HPSC directly after learning about her quirk, and that they deemed necessary for local heroes to not get involved. If you have further issues, you should file a complaint to them."
Kamui Woods held his ground, not flinching at the sudden change in his demeanor. He controlled his anger and turned around.
"That I'll do then. I'll ask for someone that is allowed to answer for this mess then"
He knew he'd hit a nerve, and left the room just as the static increased. Questioning the HPSC would do nothing but to mark him as a liability to them. Kamui Woods, no, Shinji had learned as much in his years at UA.
There was something fishy going on with this case, be it an artificial manufacture of accomplishments for heroes favored by the HPSC or something else. Being left in the dark did nothing but make Shinji uncomfortable.
But he had no other option but to trust the HPSC in that their methods were warranted. They may behold school, but they held the country together before All Might's Golden Age.
There had to be a reason for their decision. A warranted one.
5 - Empathy
The citizens of Musutafu, well, of the neighborhood of Gaulusu to be more exact, have been uneasy for the last week. The incident in the local school, Railosu, had made it to the news, and hero and police patrols had increased in the last week in search for the girl that had snapped.
But that wasn't what made them uneasy. They trusted the heroes to take care of everything. Parents were calm with their children in their houses, heroes in search of the young villain. It was the change in the crows of Gaulusu that unnerved them.
Crows all over Musutafu were acting differently, even other neighborhoods recognized something had changed. They were more snappy, a bit violent even, and there were more of them together than before.
The next monday after the incident, Railosu Middle School opened its doors again, welcoming their students, well, most of their students back.
Izumi wordlessly made her way towards school. Having to stand Inko for almost a full week in her worried hen mode had been insufferable. She wasn't even allowed to leave home because of her worries of "that girl" being still on the loose.
In the end, Izumi had just left home on friday, and didn't come back until sunday. Inko had been worried sick, and she had cried a lot when Izumi had come back from her extended hunting session.
She didn't feel bad about worrying her though. Anything she did worried Inko, so what was the point in carrying about it anymore?
More students started to walk to school closer to Izumi as she got closer to Railosu.
"Have you heard? Taser is in charge of looking after Toga?"
"Really? I'm just surprised she's been able to evade heroes for so long. Most villains get captured right away."
Izumi kept herself straight, controlling her breathing with incredible precision, to not allow herself to show any emotion that would label her a villain.
She didn't quite understand why everyone, adults and her fellow students alike, seemed to label Toga-senpai as a villain. Villains were criminals that used their quirks to assist in their crimes, and Toga, at the very least, had committed assault and public quirk use.
It was also slightly unnerving how upperclassmen that Izumi was sure were friends of Toga-senpai were also in the 'Toga is a villain' school of thought. Didn't they know Toga-senpai better than Izumi? Why did they talk about her as if she were a scary monster in disguise?"
Even though she kept herself in the zone, Izumi felt a weight form in her chest throughout last week, and right now, she could feel it push down on her harder than her unbinded chest.
The murder was also uneasy because of it. Izumi suspected they were searching for Toga-senpai in her behalf, even after she'd told them to leave it, that she didn't want to put more pressure on her.
She knew what betrayal felt like. It seemed like everyone close to Toga-senpai had betrayed her, and disregarded her as a dangerous and unpleasing thought. Izumi didn't want to get close to her, confident that Toga-senpai would take offense.
After all, who would want someone to get close to you after you've been betrayed by everyone?
Wuji landed on Izumi's shoulder, and she did nothing to acknowledge the change in her center of gravity that that caused.
Izumi was actually surprised that Samehada and her group did nothing at the action of Wuji. She knew they were just behind her, Wuji and other crows in nearby trees and buildings had told her as much.
Maybe the outburst of last time was a flake and they had decided to leave Izumi alone?
Yeah, fat chance.
Izumi snorted, shaking her head and petting Wuji, who flew to a tree shortly after. Izumi pouted. Someone doesn't want pats today.
Well, it doesn't matter, Izumi understands not wanting to be touched sometimes, so she respects the crows when they don't want to be touched.
Anyway, it was nice that Samehada and her friends didn't do anything to Izumi this time, not even a passing comment or anything, they just kept walking behind her without saying anything.
They arrived to the school without any problem, and to be honest, Izumi was surprised by it. She didn't lower her guard though, keeping her face emotionless and secure, her heartbeat steady and calm.
All students had been told they had to go to the auditorium of the school, for a meeting about what happened last tuesday. Izumi feared she may not like the stance the school may take. Everyone seemed to put down others when their wants and needs didn't align with their values.
With a sigh, she passed through the doors of the entrance and headed to the auditorium with the rest of the students.
A plump man with blue skin and two tentacles coming from his bald head walked towards the podium, once every student was accounted for. He wore a suit that was held together by a miracle, barely managing to contain the man's fat.
He poked the microphone a few times.
"Testing, testing. Alright. Good morning everyone. I'm your honorable director, Orunu Furita-san, it is great to see that no one other than poor Higaisha Saito was hurt over the incident last week."
The students shifted uncomfortably in their seats at the mention of the event. Izumi didn't even flinch, glaring straight ahead at the director.
"First of all, I want to say that the staff of the school is deeply sorry about what happened, and that we are working together with the police and heroes to find where Toga Himiko has run off too."
Izumi refused to blink, glaring daggers at the man. The other students though? They whispered to each other, concerned over the possibility of Toga-senpai hiding at the school. Izumi clenched her fist tightly, popping her bones.
"That's why!" The director raised his voice to quiet the whispers, feedback in the microphone and speakers pitching uncomfortably. "That's why the heroes working on the investigation had come to the school to gather clues"
There were shocked gasps as the hero Taser appeared from the side of the podium. The whispers turned from concern to barely contained excitement, until the cacophony of voices mixed together completely drowned any other sound.
What was all the fuss about? Taser was just a top 50 hero, hell, even Gaulusu's Rising Star, Kamui Woods was already higher than him in the hero rankings, and he patrolled Musutafu and the neighborhood of Gaulusu semi-regularly.
"Thank you, Orunu-san" The hero said, grabbing the microphone, speaking over every voice echoing in the auditorium, making them quiet down, the feedback of the speakers pitching higher.
"As your director has already said, you have nothing to worry about. No one is in trouble, this is just a formality and a check to see if everyone of you is alright." Even far away from where Izumi was seated, she could feel the confident smirk the hero let out. "It's just a hero's job to check that everyone is alright!"
That set off the students, screaming and cheering for him. The students in the front rows asked for autographs and the teachers did their best to try to settle everyone down, to no avail.
Izumi felt her heartbeat go faster, the words Taser had used itching inside her.
To check if everyone is alright? How come Toga-senpai's state hasn't been a concern? Is that not part of your job, hero? Because she's different…because she was herself?"
After a few minutes, the teachers managed to get everyone under control, the director and hero waiting on the podium.
Izumi did raise an eyebrow at that. She expected their mess of a director to not really try to do anything, but didn't the hero just say that it's his job to check on everyone? Seriously? Not really trying to tell people to settle down or say anything?
"Well, I'll be coming to your classes shortly later. I'll ask some questions and you'll be able to tell me directly anything that you think could help the case. With your help, we'll stop anyone else from suffering like your classmate Higaisha-kun has!"
The students cheered and clapped at the hero, even the teachers and the director were clapping with neutral expressions. Well, the director had a false looking smile, but Izumi ignored it.
Cheers surrounded her from every side, while she stood completely still, only her chest moving slightly every time she breathed in air.
Izumi gripped her skirt, keeping herself down and without standing out, masking her thoughts and emotions.
This is going to be a long day.
It was in the third period when Taser knocked on the door of Izumi's class to enter, stopping the math class currently going on.
"Hello everyone!"
The hero flashed them a confident smile, making the students relax and get excited over having him even closer than earlier in the morning in the auditorium.
"As I said earlier I'll ask some questions and then you'll be able to ask your own! Don't be afraid, you aren't in any sort of trouble! I just want to understand Toga Himiko more, to learn where she might be hiding."
He asked his questions, not getting much from them, as Toga-senpai was an upperclassmate, and as such not many in this class interacted with her much. Judging by his face, Izumi assumed he'd been getting similar answers in other classes as well.
Perhaps I was wrong and Toga-senpai didn't really have true friends…
She ignored the urge to add "either" to her thoughts, and kept her face completely neutral, an effort that didn't cost her much while keeping herself in the zone.
"Taser-san, when you find Toga-sen- hmmm, Toga, what will happen to her?"
One of the students in the front row asked. Izumi perked up, interested in what kind of response he'd make.
"Well, that will depend on her. I'm afraid that Toga Himiko has become a villain, evading the heroes after so many testimonies have confirmed what she did, she'll be arrested and questioned for what she did to poor Higaisha-kun. But don't worry too much about that! She's become a criminal, and I won't let her come near you to harm any of you again."
There were several sighs of relief, and it was only having been in the zone countless times that made Izumi not snap out, simply containing the furious heartbeat of her chest, beating against her binds.
"And what will happen after you learn why she did it?"
Izumi's voice seemed to startle every student, even the Lanbosu was surprised she had spoken out.
"As I said, after we understand why she did it, the appropriate people will decide on her punish-"
"But you already know why she did it. They media leaked her quirk days ago. She attacked him to use her quirk."
"Eh, well, that information hasn't been confirmed to keep the privacy of-"
"What privacy? You are asking for anything a former friend or even an acquaintance may know about her. Did you even think that she just wanted to express her quirk like everyone else in this school has done in the past at least once? But she bottled up until she couldn't deny expressing herself anymore?"
Taser coughed into his fist. Izumi noticed his smile was getting strained.
"Well, young girl, do you perhaps know something others may not? As you seem to now a bit more about her Toga Hiomiko's quirk."
Izumi quickly averted her eyes for the first time. Too quick.
"No."
"Didn't you stay behind for a while after Toga jumped Saito, Midoriya?"
Izumi felt a chill go through her back as Samehada spoke. She should have known her lack of torment all day, be it insults or kicks to her chair were just temporary to hit right on this moment.
"Hmmmm, you did, Midoriya-san?" The hero, now showing interest, mussed to himself.
"I didn't stay for long. I just took a while to get away."
"And I was thinking Midoriya, you are quirkless. You don't have any individuality, so don't go saying stuff like expressing yourself through your quirk. You don't know the first thing about expressing yourself through your quirk. Toga went nuts and attacked someone. She's a villain, end of story."
The rest of the class nodded and said empty comments, agreeing with Samehada.
"Hey, settle down, Midoriya-san was only saying her opinion."
Lanbosu tried to calm down the class, finally getting up from the corner in the room to say something.
"And what does it matter? She doesn't have an individuality to know what she's talking about. If anything, she is acting awfully suspicious, as if she feels sympathy for the villain. She has always hang out with those problematic flying menaces, so it isn't weird to think she'd stop to talk with a villain"
Izumi's chair screeched against the floor as she moved her chair and turned around ,to glare at Samehada.
Samehada felt all her instincts kick in. Her quirk, Bullshark, gave Samehada the instincts of a predator, but this time, she felt the scales in her hands and fin straighten up. It was difficult to describe, Midoriya was just glaring at her. Deep, empty dark green eyes stabbing at her, daring her to say anything else and face the repercussions.
She seemed completely calm and unthreatening, but that was the most unnerving part. She was on edge over just being stared down, her instincts telling her to get up and run away from imminent danger.
Clap!
"That's enough." Lanbosu clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "Samehada-san, that was out of line, we'll talk about that later."
Samehada nodded numbly, still stunned by Izumi's glare.
Izumi was completely calm. Her heartbeat going at a normal rate, not raising her voice or doing brush movements. But she was incredibly pissed.
She went back to looking to the front. The others looked at her, trying to decide if she was angry or didn't feel a thing from it.
Taser seemed to sense Izumi's anger, as he went closer to her, putting up a soft smile.
"Here, let's go outside for a bit, to cool off."
Izumi looked at Lanbosu, who nodded, and she got up, going outside to the hall, Taser following her.
"I'm sorry she said that. The point of me coming from class to class was exactly this, to question why things happened the way they did and to understand why Toga-san snapped."
Izumi blinked a few times, her anger changing to surprise. So he wanted to understand Toga-senpai after all?
"Are you serious?"
"Of course, Midoriya-san! I don't know why that girl said those things, but I can tell you were concerned for Toga-san. Trust me, I am too. I want to understand her, more than I want to arrest her. You do understand why she has to be arrested, right?"
Izumi nodded, slowly, observing the hero.
"Good. And you understand why it is important for us to find her before she goes on her own and attacks someone else."
Again, Izumi nodded, her green eyes taking every movement of the hero.
"Good, good. Is it true that you stayed behind after Toga Hi-, ahem, Toga-san attacked Higaisha-kun?"
Izumi nodded again. Taser noticed he hadn't seen her blink once since they've gotten outside.
"Ehm, it's, ahem, excuse me, it's alright, Midoriya-san. It was a scary moment, I assure you that you aren't in any trouble for freezing in place after seeing something so traumatic."
Izumi nodded, her eyes locked at Taser, following him perfectly even through her nod. Taser used part of his training to keep his cool. The way she looked at him, as if she was deciding his very fate depending on what he said, was slightly unnerving.
"Uhm, was there something you noticed about Toga-san at that moment? Maybe she left a clue as to why she attacked Saito-kun. If we know her exact reason for the attack we'll be able to get help for her."
Izumi stood there, in the zone, without moving or even shifting a little. The only way to tell she was still alive was the movement of her chest as she kept her breathing calm, otherwise Taser could mix her up for a very creepy doll.
She stood motionless and emotionless for some long, Taser realized he could have inadvertently triggered her to freeze up by making her remember the moment she froze up in front of Toga. He cursed to himself and tried to roll back to get back to talk.
"I-it's alright to take your time to think, I know it must be hard for you to remember such a-"
"He was fighting"
Taser stopped in his tracks.
"He?"
"Higaisha-kun. Please don't call him by his first name, it sounds wrong."
"Ah, of course, sorry" Taser put an apologetic smiled, but internally he cursed at himself. He had used his first name to try to get her to open up, since everyone at school seemed to use it. It seems that he'd made a mistake. Still, he had gotten new information.
"So, fighting you say? Him and Toga-san?"
"No, him and another student, before Toga-senpai did anything."
Izumi noticed his gaze change subtly when he heard her call Toga senpai.
"I see… Were you and Toga-san close? Do you think that she jumped to protect the other student from Higaisha-kun? Who was him by the way?" Taser was hungry for information.
"I don't know. I didn't really care about the fight, in fact I only learned about Higaisha-kun after Toga-senpai jumped at him. Also, Toga-senpai and I aren't close. At all."
There were a few seconds of silence as Taser pondered about the new information.
"It's alright to admit if you were friends with her, you won't get in trouble for that. It was-"
"There's nothing to admit. Toga-senpai and I only spoke to each other once."
"Ah, um… I see" He shifted a bit uncomfortably. "So you think there's a reason she jumped into the fight? As far as I know from other students, Toga-san wasn't prone to ever get into conflicts."
"Yes, I have a theory. Toga-senpai used a straw to drink Higaisha-kun's blood directly from his wound."
Taser's eyes widened a bit.
She knows that? How long did she stay? And she was coherent enough to remember it and be able to tell me this with a completely straight face! Just what the hell is this kid?
"There's also the fact that Higaisha–kun had a nosebleed. That makes me think that it was the fact Toga-senpai saw him bleed what made her want to stop repressing her true self, and attacked him, in order to get more of the blood she craves."
Taser's face shifted. Finally some useful information!
"Crave blood? You think that's what she wants?"
"Taser-san, please. Toga-senpai's parents have not done their best to deny the rumors of her quirk, so it's been practically leaked for a while now. Also you should know about it already."
Taser ignored her, thinking to himself, a hand on his mouth.
"She needs blood to activate… so that means she also craves it… I see, could be used as a lure…"
He mumbled and whispered to himself.
Izumi's pupils thinned out, eyes becoming bloodshot from the long time without blinking. Her breathing, mechanical as every other time she was in the zone, slowed down even more. She could hear her heartbeat inside her head.
"You'll use this information to help Toga-senpai go through this, right?"
"Hmm… oh, yes, yes. Don't worry, your help has been great, we'll get help to get her thanks to it. I feel like we can finally get a proper anti-villain task force specialized for her now. She won't be a problem"
He nodded, giving Izumi a reassuring smile, before going back to his previous course of thought, not realizing Izumi's change, as he had completely switched his attention to the point he forgot to maintain a consistent bias with her.
"I see."
Izumi said, her chest burning in fury and disgust, her tone completely hiding it. Were Taser to not have his mind somewhere else, he'd be able to tell that something was off, but he was too distracted with his future plans to realize.
"You can go back to class now"
He said offhandedly, dismissing Izumi now that he didn't need her.
Izumi obediently went back to class, everyone looking at her as she entered the door.
Samehada was sulking, frowning after seeing Izumi, but still recoiling when they locked eyes, unable to forget her glare.
"Everything alright, Midoriya-san? Did Taser-san move on to the next class already?"
Izumi nodded to Lanbosu, without uttering a word, and sat on her seat.
She spent the rest of the day without uttering a single word. It was enough to creep everyone in her class out. Izumi wasn't exactly known for speaking out, mostly ignoring Samehada whenever she teased her, but everyone noticed the strange aura around Izumi.
Izumi was completely calm and didn't seem even upset at Samehada's comment anymore. She was just calm, too calm. The class had seen Izumi lose her cool a few times, but there was something wrong this time around. Maybe it was because Samehada, the most successful in flustering and annoying Izumi, was uncharacteristically dialing it back after her previous comments. She seemed almost scared of Izumi, but why would she? Samehada is the strongest student in the class, and Izumi was harmless. Right?
After classes ended and Lanbosu left the classroom first to no one's surprise, Anshin and Kyosei came inside, to meet with Samehada and tease Izumi together, they quickly realized that it was going to be impossible, the mood in the room surrounding Izumi completely.
They all looked at them as if expecting her to set them back to normalcy, teasing Izumi and getting Samehada back to herself. Samehada was sweating bullets, paralyzed in her seat, frozen completely. The two girls were stunned a bit, sensing that something was wrong with Izumi right now.
And then, Izumi walked around Anshin and Kyosei and left the classroom, without making a fuss.
Everyone let out a sigh of relief they didn't know they were holding.
"What the hell was all that!?"
Anshin said, turning her head to look between Kyosei and Samehada, Kyosei doing the same.
No one was able to respond to them, and they chuckled it off as Izumi, having become even creepier if that was even possible, deciding to forget all about it.
There were reporters asking questions about the case to students outside the school, hoping to get some new information that Taser may have left behind at the school.
One of them tried shoving a microphone in Izumi's face as she passed, stopping her and getting on her way.
"Excuse me young miss, can you tell us how you are feeling after coming back to school after the attack- ahh!"
The reporter screamed as a crow flew right on her face, trying to get the microphone out of her hands, and then later went for the camera.
They struggled to keep the flying menace away, as it seemed adamant to at least take something away from them.
"What's up with this thing!?"
"Don't let it get to the camera!"
Then, as soon as it had flown to them, the crow left, not taking anything from them. Izumi was nowhere to be seen, having walked out of their sight already.
"Well, that was odd"
The reporter scratched her head, before going back to ask questions to another student that passed near them.
Izumi made sure to take out her rifle and a few bullets from her safe when she went to Tia forest, and headed straight for the abandoned building.
Wuji had followed her from Musutafu, along with a few other crows with nests there. Hatori, Kuro and Shiro were also there in the building.
Izumi turned to look at the crows, her face devoid of any emotion.
I want to burn something. Can you get wood?
Alright.
Sure.
Maybe.
I will.
Anyone to punish?
That last comment was from Wuji. Izumi turned to look at him, and shifted to show him the proper body language to be understood.
Yes.
Some crows left from a broken window, in search of some firewood. Izumi stayed inside, gathering stray white feathers that had fallen from Shiro.
She then turned and picked up two of Kuro's feathers, leaving them in the pot. Izumi prepared the baking gloves, and got the sand casts on top of the table.
Izumi buried her hands in the hardened casts. The previous butter-like paste had hardened slightly, specially around the edges that formed the shape of the Black Arrows. Izumi scooped those parts of the cast and mixed the soft parts with the rest to soften the material.
The crows had started coming back with stickers, dry leaves and different kind of logs and firewood. Izumi petted them and threw a coin into the air. The crows cawed, going after it. Izumi let herself smile after seeing that.
She opened the furnace, throwing the fire wood inside, along with the leaves and dry sticks. It wasn't as much as last time, but she didn't need as much metal as last time. She clacked the flint against a rock on top of the dry leaves, making sparks that fell into the leave, making it smoke.
Izumi put a white feather on top of the leaves and then carefully set them inside the furnace with the rest of the firewood. The heat spread to the feather, making it ignite in a white flash, and spreading fire into the firewood.
Izumi closed the furnace and let the fire consume and heat up inside. She went to the table, and took one of her bullets out of her pocket. What she was about to do was highly illegal. This wasn't something she could hide behind the SASC's privacy and independence agreement.
There was a tight control on firearms in Japan, even before the appearance of quirks. She was only able to get them through Giran's connections with the SASC, and as a member of the Order of Orion that worked for the SASC.
She let the bullet roll on the table. The fire cracked in the background, muffled by the walls of the furnace. The crows cawed, trying to take the shiny coin from each other.
"Don't worry, your help has been great, we'll get help to get her thanks to it. I feel like we can finally get a proper anti-villain task force specialized for her now. She won't be a problem."
Izumi closed her eyes, thinking about what Taser had said.
When she opened them, there was a fiery determination on them, one that wouldn't let anyone get in her way. The same determination as the one she showed when she was hunting.
Izumi turned, and bent down, grabbing her knees, looking at Wuji.
I have to ask a favor.
Wuji cawed, alongside a few other crows, and got off, flying off the building and heading towards the station in Konukoru.
Izumi got back to the table, and grabbed the shard of Kuro's melted feather's that she got from making the Black Arrows.
She poked into the prim of the bullet, pulling it from the case by using the Black Shard as a lever. The case gave up, and cartridge case opened, the black powder inside and the actual bullet spilling into the table.
Izumi carefully picked the black powder and got it all into her palm, and whistled for Shiro to come. She offered the powder to him, who eyed it with his deep red eyes. Shiro took some of it with his beak.
His feathers sparkled and seemed to become a brighter white. After deeming it a good treat, he ate the rest of the powder.
Other crows tried getting close to get some of that treat, but Izumi pushed them away with her free hand.
No. That's bad for you.
They complained about it, but Izumi threw another yen coin at them and they immediately forgot about the powder in order to catch the shiny thing for themselves.
After making sure there wasn't any more of the black powder in her hand, Izumi petted Shiro and went to grab the pot with the black feather in it.
She put on the baking gloves and put the pot inside the furnace, the fire roaring, heat escaping from the furnace the little time she got it open.
Shiro's feathers were something else. Even with so little firewood, if given the chance they could get a pretty intense fire.
Izumi grabbed the actual bullet she'd extracted from the round. She pressed it against the cast. The bullet was small enough and not as complex as to not need to use both casts to put the correct shape.
After carefully removing the bullet of the cast, once its conic shape had been properly engraved into the cast, she repeated the process a few times. The metal she'd gain from melting two feathers was more than just one measly bullet. Maybe at least five, so she made seven bullet-shaped holes in the cast.
Once she was done, she whistled and threw the bullet into Kuro's direction, with her catching it in her mouth and swallowing it. She'd use the metal on it to produce more of the alloy her feathers, claws and beak are made off.
Izumi put the hood of her sweater over her mouth again, along with her baking gloves (she really needs to ask Giran for proper gear to work around a furnace) and opened the furnace.
She grabbed the pot and closed the furnace, the crows getting away from the intense heat. Izumi got to the cast and carefully put the molten orange liquid metal into the holes in the cast.
After filling them, she put the steaming pot away in a corner near the furnace. While waiting for the metal to cool off, Izumi gently grabbed Shiro, and started petting her feathers. After eating the gunpowder, they were shinier than ever.
Izumi made sure to catch the hairs that came out of the feathers as she petted Shiro, making sure to get as many as she could without hurting him. After a while, Shiro cawed, getting tired of the attention and flying off.
It was fine, Izumi had enough of the white hairs of his feathers.
Half an hour after she had poured the metal, she went to the cast, and carefully grabbed one of the bullets. She inspected it, looking for anything that could have gone wrong in the sand casting.
She didn't find any, and checked the rest of the bullets, storing them after she was done.
Izumi then grabbed the cartridge case and the prim she had taken off before. She put the black bullet on its place in the case, and then, very carefully added the white hairs of Shiro's feather where the gunpowder had been.
She closed the round off, making sure the case and the prim were properly pieces together. Izumi checked the primer, to check if it had been damaged when she had taken off the bullet.
As the part which ignites the powder inside the round, it was important to make sure it was still intact. Satisfied, Izumi grabbed a loose black feather from Kuro that was on the floor, and dipped the point in the leftover mush of metal inside the pot.
Izumi spread it over the cracks and broken parts of the case she herself had broken, in an alternative way of the art of kintsugi. She was careful to not use too much metal, watching for her fingers to not get burned and also not get it inside of the case, lest it explode on her face.
The hunter took her time, getting into the zone for more precision. She let out her tongue as she worked, deep concentration on her face.
Eventually she was done, and the round was repaired. She had used what she'd learned last week creating a Black Arrow, to create the very first Black Bullet.
The Black Bullet looked like a cursed bullet taken from hell itself, broken and repaired by a dark alloy with only one purpose. To take down its target.
Izumi stored the round and grabbed her bag with her rifle, and wordlessly left the abandoned building. The furnace let gentle puffs of smoke, the fire having died out already.
Crows cawed and flew next to Izumi as she skipped her save hidden in the ground, and went directly to Konukoru in her hunting gear.
Once there, she stopped at a store, seeing a full face black bike helmet. The teen got inside the shop, and left it with the helmet under her arm.
The sun was starting to set in the horizon. Izumi went to the Shinkanshen station, the crows following along and sneaking in in their usual spots.
When the Shikashen arrived at Musutafu, the sun had finally set, and the dark of the night filled the streets. Izumi wordlessly left the Shikashen.
Unlike other times, the crows got out by making a scene, managing to quickly and quietly fly out of the train and the station. Some workers, used to the crows' shenanigans, noticed their presence, but couldn't do anything (they never could) as the crows flew away.
Izumi passed them, clad in the black of her hunting gear, hearing them talk about how strange it was that they got away without making much of a fuss and being a nuisance to the passengers.
"I don't like it. Crows' been acting strange all week. Let's forget about them. Don't want to get involved with the flying menaces more than I need to."
"That I can agree with"
Izumi ignored the workers and turned into an alley as she left the station. Wuji and a bunch of other crows that come to Gaulusu earlier were there.
Izumi nodded to them, and they flew out, cawing and mixing against the black sky. Shiro was careful and flew higher than the rest. His feathers were pristine and whiter than ever, so he took more effort than the rest to mix in.
Izumi put on the helmet, sealing her face. Urusai landed on her shoulder.
Izumi nodded to him, and went into the darkness of the alley, and into the dark streets of Gaulusu that one shouldn't walk by themselves at night.
But she wasn't by herself. Urusai and the rest of the crows, flying as they may be, were by her side. Izumi gripped the bag on her back. It was time for a hunt.
It had taken the rest of the afternoon for Taser to inform his superiors in the HPSC of what he'd learnt in Railosu, and to get the authorized bloodbag to use as a lure for Toga Himiko.
It had been a pain, but he'd finally be able to hunt down the brat that had been evading him and his search team for a week now! It was embarrassing having to go to the school itself to gather clues, as they hadn't found a single trace of her in Musutafu.
The thought of her having managed to flee to another city had crossed his mind, and that of the HPSC's, but after finding a bunch of corpses of rats, bitten and dry of blood, their suspicions over the teen still lingering around in Musutafu had been reinforced.
Now, they just needed to set up a trap for her to fall into, using the fresh blood that she craved, information courtesy of that creepy middle schooler, Midoriya.
Taser still didn't know what exactly to think of her. She was weird, and was surprisingly empathetic of someone with such a villainous quirk, even after seeing her snap firsthand.
Well, if she grows up to become a villain like that bloodsucking freak, it'll be my job to catch her too.
Taser smiled to himself, as he walked towards the spot the search time was going to set up the trap with the blood that Taser was going to give them.
He was tasked to bring it from the local hospital, as that was were the donor was being held.
You should be proud, Saito-kun, your blood started this, and is going to end this too. If that freak jumped him at the first sight of his blood, I bet that seeing and/or smelling it again will make her come out of hiding!
Normally, one of Taser's sidekicks would be the one delivering something as trivial as a boys blood, but there was the risk of that villain smelling the blood even from the mini-fridge and attacking them.
In that case, Taser didn't want the glory of her capture to go to one of his sidekicks. Better to go to himself directly, and improve his standing. He didn't allow Kamui Woods or other local heroes to join for that reason.
Yes, the HPSC preferred him to handle Toga Himiko's capture. They had many ideas for her, with a quirk with that much potential.
Taser didn't envy her. If rumors of Hawks' training were true (and judging from Lady Nagant's snap a few years back, they might as well be), it was better to be in the commission's good graces rather than being directly employed by them.
Still, the agreement he'd managed to get with the HPSC was going to do him great. Do any shady work they asked for in exchange of manipulating cases for him to solve and rise in the ranks?
All the fame and money he'd get from bringing the "Vampire of Musutafu" in, even if it was to the HPSC's clutches, was going to catapult him on par with that annoying newbie, Kamui Woods.
The HPSC was already preparing to manipulate the narrative of Toga Himiko's attack in order to put him in a good light when she gets captured.
Taser was snapped out of his thoughts after hearing the wing beats of some bird and the rustling of leaves in the tree next to him.
He turned his head, and saw a black crow looking down at him from the tree.
The search team had seen a bunch of crows when they were investigating. Apparently they were a nuisance of the locals, and started becoming agitated ever since the attack of Toga Himiko.
The team thought the two things must be related somehow, but in the end, it became clear the unrest over the crows was generated from the unrest over the attack, with no connection at all in between the two.
As Taser passed the tree, he realized the crow had a scar on its right eye, giving it a menacing look, as it kept following him with its head.
"So that's why locals call you flying menaces, eh? Bunch of creepy fucks"
He pointed at the crow with two fingers, and sent a zap into the bird. Unfortunately, the crow managed to fly away just in time, cawing at Taser and flying away.
Taser shrugged away and kept on his way, finally seeing the rest of the research team. Unbeknownst to him, more and more crows flew above him, stalking him from the air, or hidden at the edge of buildings and from trees.
Izumi, no, the hunter climbed the emergency exit stairs at the side of a building in order to get on top of it. Her helmet hid her face completely, her dark clothes and silent movements making her presence be completely undetected.
The murder led the hunter outside Gaulusu, and into the neighboring neighborhoods, until she finally reached her prey.
She was now on top of one of the buildings of Musutafu. It wasn't a skyscraper like the ones in Tokyo, but its height was enough for the hunter to go unnoticed from below in the streets, thanks to the darkness of the night.
Unlike on her turf in Tia forest, where the light of the stars and the moon was enough to be able to see clearly at night, Musutafu had too much light pollution for the light of the stars to come back.
The result was that a black figure on top of a dimly lit building was perfectly hidden.
The hunter took out the weapon from the bag on her back. Wuji landed next to the hunter, pointing far to the end of the street with his beak.
Few other crows gathered around the hunter as she took the rifle out and laid on the edge of the roof. She pulled the glass of the helmet up, revealing her dark eyes, usually a deep green, now reflecting only a dark green not unlike the one found in the murky waters of a sinister swamp.
The hunter lined the sight of the rifle with her eye, and pointed to the spot Wuji had pointed to. She didn't take long to find her target, her prey, the blonde hero with a smug grin on his face and blood bag on his hands.
He was speaking with other people, looking like heroes and police officers. Sidekicks and the local police perhaps? It didn't matter. The hunter was so far away that it didn't matter if her prey was in a pack.
She wasn't looking to retrieve it after all.
The hunter took the Black Bullet from her pocket, and pulled the side of the rifle, inserting her creation inside.
Her breath was steady and calm. She pointed to the head of her prey. Everything had gone perfectly, she had tracked him effortlessly thanks to the murder, her heart had stayed collected through the whole ordeal, and she didn't find any sort of challenge.
Without breaking a sweat, the hunter, Izumi, pulled the trigger, and saw the hero's head snap back as the force of the Black Bullet pushed him like a punch.
The hunter adjusted the rifle into position again, lining the sight into position again. There was blood painting the building that was right behind her prey, with a clean hole coming from her direction inside the building.
The police and sidekicks screamed, or at least the hunter saw their faces twist into what she guessed were screams. She looked at her prey, beaten, on the cold floor, blood spilling.
Kill confirmed.
Without waiting a single moment more, she got up, put her rifle back into her bag, and walked away.