The next day—after a train ride free of odd strangers—the four arrived back at Endeavor agency. Kuri was excited to hear more about the "special investigation", though she suspected it was code for "not real work".
They were once again welcomed into Endeavor's office, where their employer was sitting at his desk. He stood up as they walked in, picking up a file and bringing it to the couches they'd sat on before.
Once again, Kuri and the three boys crowded themselves onto one couch while Endeavor sat on the other. This time, she was sandwiched between Bakugo and Midoriya. Talk about awkward…
"Picking up where we left off yesterday," Endeavor said, "My agency has been tasked with helping in a case about a vigilante duo who have been going around and murdering criminals."
Vigilantes. Kuri had never quite decided if she agreed with their actions or not. Most of them seemed to do things for the greater good. Just not with super great methods… Though, to be fair, professional heroes weren't perfect either.
"This case is not currently disclosed to the public," he continued. "But the police have been working on it for weeks. It's now been assigned to my agency due to the arrival of you four."
"Why's that?" Midoriya asked. Endeavor sighed.
"The police thought it would be better for students to perform certain parts of the investigative work since many of the authorities who have tried to stop these vigilantes have been… killed."
Kuri blinked.
"Um, sir," she said. "Why would they want children to investigate a case where the investigators are actively being murdered? Isn't that kind of… unethical?"
Well, not just kind of… but whatever.
Endeavor sighed again.
"I'm not in charge of this case. However, the idea is that the vigilantes are unlikely to target you if you are not law enforcement. Additionally, you will have backup nearby during your confrontation with them."
The police seem pretty desperate to take them down, considering they're going as far as to make high school students do their work for them…
"I'll let you four take a look at the case file now," Endeavor said, sliding it across the table towards them.
Midoriya leaned forward and opened it, revealing the profile of one of the two vigilantes. Kuri leaned in to get a closer look and gasped.
In the top left corner of the page was a face that she recognized. Bright pink, wavy hair; cold eyes; a smirk on her face; thick black eyeliner.
"Oh my god. It's her," Kuri said. "The woman from the train."
"You've met her?" Endeavor asked.
"Yesterday, she was on the same train as us. She talked to Bun—uh, Nakano about the sports festival. Said she did good or whatever," Bakugo answered.
"Shit…" Endeavor very audibly whispered, staring at the floor, deep in thought. He turned back to them. "I'll contact the head of the investigation and ask whether we should proceed with the plan to confront them. You can keep looking at the file for now. I've got to make a call."
Then, Endeavor got up and left the room. The four looked at each other.
"...Guess we should look at the case file then," Todoroki said. The four of them crowded around the table and began to read.
Nana Sakamoto, it read at the top of her profile. Twenty-one years old and an alumnus of UA, she had once been a pro hero. She'd worked as a sidekick and quit about six months prior before starting her new career as a wanted criminal.
Nana actually had quite the interesting quirk: Wine Blood. If her blood entered another person's body, whether injected directly into the bloodstream or otherwise, the person would experience an effect similar to drunkenness. The length of the effect was dependent on the person's tolerance to alcohol, ranging from a few minutes to a few hours. Her quirk could also negatively affect her, making her light-headed, and overuse could lead to fainting.
Some other notes on her page were that she was about 152 centimeters tall and often wielded daggers and other sharp objects hidden in her coat pockets or elsewhere.
Flipping the page, they saw the profile of her accomplice. It was the woman who had been sitting next to Nana on the train.
Hayami Chiba. She was mixed-race like Kuri, except that Hayami was Black. She was also twenty-one, having gone to UA with Nana and worked at the same agency as her. She had quit around the same time as well, likely to join in on being a vigilante.
In her picture, Hayami had the same long braids and the same tired demeanor. Kuri guessed that it had something to do with her quirk: Lucid Dream.
Hayami's quirk allowed her to create a separate freaking dimension through her dreams which she could physically travel into. Kuri thought it sounded super cool. She added it to the mental list in her head of quirks that she wished she had. She could manipulate the dreamscape as well as bring other people into it. All damage done to the people inside the dimension would affect them in reality. Also, if the dreamscape itself takes severe damage, Hayami can be injured. It was noted below that she'd had past complications with internal organs due to battles fought while a sidekick.
Kuri's eyes scanned the profiles over and over again, trying to soak up every piece of information.
She had worked on a few cases through her old high school's program but never had she done something like stop murderous vigilantes.
This would be interesting.
When Endeavor returned to the room a few minutes later, Bakugo finally found relief in being able to stop hovering uncomfortably over Nakano just to read the case file. Although, strangely, he seemed to feel fine sitting so close next to her. Almost as if he were excited.
He pushed that feeling deep, deep down.
"We've been given the permission to continue with the current plan, though it has been modified slightly. Since the pair know who you are," Endeavor gestured towards Nakano, "The head of the investigation has advised that you spark conversation and lead them away from crowds to apprehend them.."
"Why can't we just arrest them once we find them?" Deku asked.
"Well, from observations of their previous tactics, there is a risk of civilians being roped in as hostages, so it's better to have fewer people around," Endeavor answered.
"How are we supposed to know where they are?" Todoroki asked. "Is there any information on their whereabouts?"
Endeavor seemed excited that his son had a question.
"Actually, I was just about to get to that," he said. "Recently, the two have been spotted in public: both by law enforcement and now you four. The investigative team has noticed a pattern: every Saturday, around noon, the two of them go to a mall a few train stops away from here."
"So are we just going to go over there and try to find them on Saturday?" Nakano asked.
"That's the idea," Endeavor answered. "Now, who wants to be the ones to approach the vigilantes? The head of the investigation suggested that two people do so, and the other two serve as backup to assist in the arrest."
"I'll do it."
Before Bakugo had even had a chance to contemplate his decision, Nakano had already volunteered. He glanced at Deku and Todoroki, who had yet to decide. Deku looked like he was on the verge of volunteering.
"Since they seem interested in me, I think it only makes sense that I do it," Nakano continued.
"Thank you, Nakano. Now which of you three would like to volunteer. Don't be shy. Just because you two are alone doesn't mean it's like a date," Endeavor laughed, attempting a joke?
Nakano chuckled awkwardly, as did Deku.
Fuck, that's right, whoever does this gets to be alone with Nakano. Gets to hang out with her. Talk to her. Be the one to make her laugh. Walk alongside her. Make her smile. All things that were Bakugo's job. And he'd be damned if he let someone take that away from him.
Because he was her friend, of course.
Endeavor cleared his throat, realizing the tension he had created.
"Anyways," Endeavor said. "I think it would be a good idea for Sho—"
"I'll do it."
Nakano glanced over at Bakugo inquisitively, a smile forming at the corner of her lips. He wasn't sure what had come over him, but before he knew it, the words slipped out of his mouth.
"Oh," Endeavor said. "Okay. Then, Shoto and Midoriya will serve as reinforcements if needed."
"Happy to work with you, partner," Nakano said, turning to face Bakugo and holding her hand out. She was grinning, as she always did whenever she set eyes on him. He shook her hand.
"Same here."
