Here we go, the long awaited "interrogation" scene. We'll be away from Midoriya and co. for an entry but they'll be back.

Notes at the end. See y'all at the bottom.

A heavy tension hung in the air as the senior detective and the blonde teen locked gazes. Holding the staring contest was the only thing keeping Daichi from full body tremors. The urge to run was like an incessant wail blasting through his psyche.

And of course the old cop picked up on this. It would have been insulting if an acclaimed "veteran" of the force didn't pick up on his obvious anxiety. The old man's response was pretty tame though, little more than arching an eyebrow.

Ikezawa's expression became truly amused when he settled his sights on Ranko. The dog girl was affecting her most aggressive mean-mug, a rumbling, throaty growl quaking the air. Ranko was dead serious about the hostility, but the senior officer had clearly dealt with much nastier people. This was almost cute to him.

Ayato stood off near that gaudy window with his mouth kind of hanging open, his eyes sliding awkwardly across the room's occupants. Jamie took particular notice of the rookie cop's floundering display and was openly staring at the older male.

Taro, still secure in his ball and concealed from Kurou by Jamie's belly, remained catatonic.

"Well," Ayato clapped his hands, earning a swift glance from his superior but no attention from any of the teens save the red head, "this is Detective Ikezawa. He often acts as my direct superior."

The middle aged badge rolled his eyes at the introduction, but raised his arm in a half-hearted greeting. Daichi flinched as the large motion shifted his attire somewhat. What he caught immediately was the jostling mass of a snub revolver resting high on his left flank, housed in a dark leather chest holster.

From the small choke in her ongoing growl, it seemed Ranko had noticed as well.

Ayato probably realized that the mood was not improving and stepped over towards the cabinets on the left. He smiled through the intensity of Jamie's prolonged scrutiny, the boy's sight laser focused on the young cop's every move.

Snapping open a drawer and reaching inside, Ayato retrieved an honest to God cookie jar from its depths. Just a porcelain little thing with weaving designs of azure vines and roses all over. From the way Ayato was hefting it, there was some weight behind granny's sweet stash.

Of course, this new thing immediately commanded Jamie's full attention. The others only followed suit when the rookie cop slammed the rounded jar onto the desk.

"Fell free to have a cookie, take it easy," Ayato offered, scooping the top off of the pot and pushing it towards the teens.

Jamie had his hand in the jar before it even stopped moving. He pulled out three of the chocolate chunked goodies, favoring the cookie provider with a muted nod. Ranko glared across at their classmate like he'd just admitted to draining her bank account, the red head firmly unaware as he stuffed an entire cookie into his maw.

The bit of laughter Daichi allowed helped relieve some of his tension. A rather small amount. He then plucked his own crumbly sweet from the porcelain pot, securing his own share of Ranko's building ire.

Content that he'd appeased at least two of the middle schoolers, the blonde officer leaned across the table, his palms flat against the hard surface. Munching on the edge of his cookie, Daichi again cast his gaze onto the rather comfy looking chair Ayato had placed against the wall. Was he actually "afraid" to use it?

Kurou palmed his face, digits running over his bristly mug.

"Talk to me kids," Ayato chirped, boyish smile in place, "What brought you here today?"

By now the three middle schoolers had turned their attention back to the young detective. Ranko still had a tawny ear directed towards the seasoned cop behind. But neither she or Daichi made an effort to speak to Ayato.

Jamie rushed to the rescue, hefting Taro's ball up in front of his face. He looked like he was ready to slam the sphere down on the countertop, Daichi partially reaching out to stop the process. Jamie himself halted his actions, his face twisting as he seemingly rethought what he was about to do. The red head gently placed the ball onto the desk.

Taro was "conscious" again, at least enough that he was actively taking stock of the space around him. Setting eyes upon Ayato looked to have spooked the rodent back into stillness, his tubby form pressing back into the side of the ball closest to Jamie.

Ranko reached across Daichi, pointing to Taro, "He's why we're here, missing pet and all that."

The young officer brushed past Ranko's rather disparaging tone. From what Daichi gleaned of his character, "blissful ignorance" seemed to be Ayato's natural defense mechanism. He offered the students a round of "mm-hmm" enhanced nods.

"I understand the choice you made to come here. I want to know why you made it."

That line of inquiry was enough for even Jamie to toss the young man an arched brow. It wasn't even that it was suspicious… just weird. It was like he was trying to play shrink rather than interviewer.

Daichi could hear the rough sound of skin brushing on skin behind him. He pictured Det. Ikezawa exhaustively rubbing his brow, embarrassed to be associated with this nonce.

Ranko just stared back at a patient Ayato, her sights shifting to various points on his face. It felt like she was trying to spot a break in character, unbelieving that this was seriously his skill level. Jamie bit into his second cookie.

Ikezawa's "subtle" cough seemed to cue his junior in on the teens' unresponsiveness. Ayato's immediate solution was to redirect things.

"You've got on some very distinctive uniforms."

This was enough for Jamie to roll his eyes, effectively disengaging from the conversation. At this point Ranko reached forward to snatch up a cookie of her own, biting into the treat with vexed fervor. Process of elimination left Daichi as the only one willing to talk, the boy taking one swift breath to collect himself.

"Yeah," he affected an air of humor, gesturing up and down his form with one hand "'Santa's Little Helpers' wherever we go."

Ayato grinned, probably pleased to get any kind of response. "I know that nickname. That makes you middle schoolers, right?" He paused long enough for Daichi to nod back, Jamie partaking of his third cookie whilst reaching for a fourth. "Pretty sure it's still school hours…"

"They were looking to waste our time there anyway," came the swift snipe from Ranko, "figured doing this would be a better use of it."

Despite the girl's rather dismissive assertion, Ayato entertained her perspective with a thoughtful humm. He made no attempt to chastise her for truancy, seemingly mulling over what to say next.

"Mind if I get a glance at your student ID's?"

Now Ranko was caught rolling her entire head – the eyes alone would not have been enough. Daichi's own expression gained a touch of genuine disgust. This guy's charisma stat had to be bordering into the negatives.

Apparently though, that sort of thing was right up Jamie's alley. The boy, cookie in mouth, dug through his back pocket, quickly fishing out his identification. Daichi and Ranko had been too flabbergasted by the whole exchange to stop their classmate from handing the card over.

Ayato accepted the ID with a grateful grin and nod. He glanced between the photo and the boy briefly before focusing on the written information. Daichi could hear the detective behind them moving off to the side, leaning his bulk against the wall and settling in.

The blonde cringed as his quirk railed against his senses, screaming about possible escape routes. He crushed the desperate instinct down into the bottom of his being.

"Jamie Boyd?" Ayato blinked brightly as his sights rose to the boy in question. Jamie nodded, a single, sharp motion. "You're a foreigner?"

Ranko scoffed, "No, he's a time traveler." The rookie officer winced at the girl's tone, shaming the young man for such an obvious question.

But then Jamie came in with the unintentional assist, "That is not true. I cannot push myself through time."

"For fuck's sake, Boyd!" Ranko's words came out as an expulsion of air and emotions. She actually had a smile on her face, a light chuckle in her tone at the momentary release. "It's called a joke, spaz! You should know better than this."

Jamie turned to face the girl, looking across Daichi's tense features, "You should know better than to jest here."

Ranko immediately rebuffed that statement, flipping him off as she slumped in her seat. Ayato glanced between the teens, sparing a second of concern for the strangely still Daichi, then set his sights on the path of least resistance.

"Mr. Boyd, what motivated you to come here today?" The young man slid the student card back across the table, its owner taking it up with one hand.

Jamie's other palm still held Taro's ball, his reaching causing the sphere to shift lightly. Taro hardly reacted, still curled up against the edge of the orb, trying to get his breathing under control. Ayato's gaze lingered a little too long on the hamster, distracting him from the bespectacled boy's response.

"Boredom."

The blonde officer kept his sights on the rodent a moment longer, his eyes squinting in confusion as he registered what the boy had just said. "Wha," was the most eloquent rebuttal he could muster as he slowly faced the red head.

"Boredom," Jamie clarified, "Coming along seemed more interesting than sitting in the office. So far, I'd say the thought has proven thirty percent accurate."

"Fuck's sake," Kurou puffed out from behind. Daichi managed some scratchy chuckles, Jamie's personality always good for a laugh. He felt the threatening air in the room lift a modicum.

Ayato held his steadily stupefied gaze for a long moment. To his credit, his recovery was fast once it started, "therapist smile" back in place. "Well, I'm glad you found enjoyment in doing the right thing."

"You misunderstand."

Jamie's statement cut the older blonde off swiftly. It didn't seem to bother Ayato much, the man giving a short humm to urge the teen to speak further. The rookie cop was probably pretty used to being talked over.

"I don't take joy in being 'righteous' or 'moral.' I take joy in a good narrative." Jamie's admission was blunt, delivering flat facts. The red head swung a thumb out past Daichi towards a somewhat curious Ranko, "Her plot is so far the most interesting."

Rather ineffectively, Ranko leaned hard across Daichi's front, snapping her fangs at Jamie's thumb. She was woefully out of range, her classmate not even recoiling from the "attack." Daichi and Ayato had more visible reactions, the blondes flinching at the powerful clack of her teeth.

Jamie cocked his head and quirked a brow at the dog girl. She, in turn, scoffed before calling him a "cheeky tag-a-long" and settling back into her seat. The glasses wearing American shrugged as he drew his hand back to Taro's ball. Notably to Daichi, his fellow student had drawn the hamster's housing off the table and into his lap.

Ayato didn't notice the move, his interest redirected to the decidedly hostile dog girl. The smile he wore now was a good deal more pathetic, like he was wearing his weakness plain on his skin. Adding to Daichi prior observations, the shift seemed rather deliberate, a method for dealing with more "forceful" personalities.

"And you, young miss? Can I have your name?" His tone was as soft and meek as his expression. The strategy, Daichi mused, would actually be pretty effective on Ranko. Overly weak people were distasteful to her and she'd probably provide answers just to end the interaction faster. The young Senki was starting to reconsider his estimates of Ayato's speaking prowess.

"Ranko," the girl in question spat out.

Squinting slightly, Ayato pressed, "Ranko…?"

"'Just Ranko' ought to be enough for something this simple."

"Ranko Hakubi," came from Ikezawa. Daichi seized as the ongoing scene had distracted him from the other man in the room. His quirk was now practically snarling as the police veteran had subtly moved across the wall to stand alongside the row of middle schoolers.

Specifically, he was in lunging distance of Jamie… and Taro.

The man continued, "Has a 'respectable' list of minor infractions and misdemeanors to her name. Currently living with her cousin and grandma, Reika and Shuuko respectively. Formerly under the guardianship of her uncle-"

There was a metallic crunch that issued from the furry girl's seat. The steel frame of her foldout chair had been thoroughly crushed under the intense grip of her left hand. Daichi didn't need to look to know she was furious. Even Jamie kept his focus mostly on Taro, though that may have been because he cared more about the hamster.

Only Ayato openly stared at the girl. In truth, the young officer seemed unnerved by her expression. Her features were just… dead.

A beat of tense silence followed. Kurou relaxed after a moment or two, shifting his stance into something even more casual, expressing little concept of danger. But the slight upturn of his lips showed the sense of perceived victory.

They had info on Ranko, whether she wanted to share it or not. Not exactly an unexpected truth, given her rather recent past, but bringing it up so blatantly. This was a power move. Done over a report on a missing hamster…

Det. Ikezawa raised his head and gave his tongue a sharp click. This snapped Ayato once more into motion, the young man releasing a high pitched rumble as he cleared his throat. Ranko kept her gaze diverted, short, violent tremors wracking her form. Ayato, listening to his sense of self-preservation, turned his attention to his final subject.

"And you, young man? What is your name?"

"Daichi Senki." The teen had spoken automatically, his focus on monitoring Ranko rather than the older blonde's questioning. His watching her was what clued him in to his thoughtless blunder, Ranko suddenly inhaling swiftly.

Of all the people here, he was giving away the most by stating his full name.

Ayato perked a bit but that seemed more due to getting a speedy answer than anything else. The same was not true of the seasoned Kurou who appeared to sink into his thoughts. In quick order the old cop's eyes widened, his frame pushing lightly off its rest against the left wall.

The senior detective began, "Does the name Hoku-"

"He's my uncle." Again, Daichi readily supplied the answer, this time with a note of resignation. It wouldn't do to play coy about it, they could fact check things quickly enough and he didn't want to further aggravate the situation.

The young man told himself he wasn't being complacent just to appease Ikezawa. He wasn't freaking out at the man's approach, his quirk blaring like an emergency siren across all five senses.

Jamie sat comfortably enough, his head and shoulders shifting as he openly tracked the grizzled cop's movements. Kurou strode with a predator's confidence across the width of the room, walking along behind the teens. Daichi sat stock still, to overwhelmed to look. Ranko was still staring off into the ether though her ears pitched and swiveled with each footfall.

Ikezawa ended beside the desk, hand pressed into the countertop as he leaned his weight onto it. His pronounced gut had broken Ranko's line of sight, drawing the dog girl back into the present. Her features were still dead, but a smoldering rage was building in her. The old cop was standing just a little too close.

The senior detective leaned down, inclining towards Daichi, "Must be hard, having a pro in the family." Kurou's tone had become so soft, even the young blonde's quirk appeared taken aback.

"It's fine enough," the boy spoke, again on reflex. He caught himself partway through his statement but, realizing clamming up now would look super suspect, he licked his lips and continued, "my uncle's not exactly a 'top-tenner.' Most people don't recognize him on sight."

A warm smile spread across Ikezawa's face. It felt completely alien on the man, Daichi's power ever alerting him to the present danger. The teen's eyes stayed locked on the detective as he spoke.

"You strike me as a very 'conscious' young man, so to speak." The blonde still had enough working faculties to tilt his head in question. And damn if Ikezawa wasn't pushing that "understanding father" demeanor to its limit.

The man elaborated, "You're very observant of the world around you, of others in it. You've been tasking a good amount of your attention towards me ever since I entered the room, even if you haven't been looking directly." Daichi felt his breathing hitch at the cop's display of perception.

"You're gonna blame him for being nervous," came the surprisingly even reply of Ranko, her eyes frosted over in wrath, "when we got you ghosting into the room behind us with a piece on your side."

A brief pause was the only acknowledgment Det. Ikezawa gave the girl. He smoothly moved on, still speaking to Daichi, "I'm guessing you have a good affinity with people in general. Their moods, their wants, their motivations…"

Being directly in the line of fire with these inquiries, Daichi regained a bit of his nerve, "Is this really relevant to us wanting to turn in a lost pet?"

"I actually feel it's the inverse," Kurou declared, looking somehow more bemused than ever. "You try to uphold an air of indifference, but you're not exactly like these two." In saying this, the detective nodded towards Ranko and Jamie. The dog girl ineffectively bared her teeth at the man.

Jamie continued to ignored the conversation, his efforts geared towards the distressed, ball-bound rodent in his lap.

Ikezawa spoke on, "While I'm sure having an 'excuse' to skip class is welcome, let's not deny your actual reason for being here. It's that you care. You genuinely want to do the right thing."

Daichi felt like he was being picked apart. Both he and Ranko had their undivided attention on the veteran officer, the tawny furred girl very much wishing to set him on fire with her glare. And Jamie was still busy with Taro.

No one kept track of Ayato.

The detective stood proper, crossing his large arms over his barrel chest. "You're very much the image of the relative of a pro hero."

There it was. Daichi's warning sense spiked at the veiled threat. But the young man managed to contain himself, having grown more used to the tense atmosphere.

"I-It's really nothing. Again, my uncle isn't exactly in the spotlight."

"Not as a hero, no. But he's generated some buzz as an instructor, I hear. The rising star of Aozora High, if I'm not mistaken."

Daichi clammed up in an instant, even Ranko showing a gap in her mounting anger. Kurou noticed these things quite readily.

Jamie had picked Taro's ball up out of his lap, drawing the purple sphere up against his face. His scrutiny of the frightened hamster meant the teen was only slightly aware of Ayato's silent approach. The older male paused near the adjacent wall, well within arm's length of Jamie and Taro. Ayato watched the two with intense focus.

Det. Ikezawa pressed on, "I'm sure your uncle is quite confident having a young relative like you. Keeping a low profile whilst expressing a sympathetic sense of justice, all while living in the same city as the man."

Kurou practically marched around the room, uncrossing his arms and allowing them to swing together in a loud clap. He stalked slowly around the seated students, keeping a healthy berth from Ranko as he moved in behind Daichi's chair.

This put the senior officer in Taro's periphery. The sight caused the rodent to seize so violently his housing began to quake. Jamie removed the orb from is face and settled it on the table. Ayato watched closely.

Ikezawa closed in behind Daichi, "It's a scenario that could have lead to a good deal of controversy. An aspiring educator with a deviant nephew, and living minutes apart from one another? The tabloids would have eaten that up and come back for seconds. Who knows what it could have spelled for your uncle's career."

A heavy hand settled on Daichi's chair. The detective knew enough not to touch the boy directly, not to push him too far. Ikezawa completely ignored Ranko's snarls.

"But instead he has you, an acceptably righteous young man just looking to do his part. Your family is lucky to have you."

Daichi stared straight ahead, as though that gaudy stained glass "artwork" was the most impressive piece known to man. He could feel Kurou's grip on the back of his seat as though it was flush against his skin, pushing on his very being. Any sense of control over his instincts was hanging by a thread, his state very much mirrored by his neighbor Ranko.

But if there was one "person" worse off than them, it would have to be Taro. Jamie had tightened his grip on the hamster ball, his chin on he counter as he did his best to soothe the panicked animal.

No one was ready when Ayato chose to act. The rookie cop smoothly dipped in, his movements perfectly casual. Before anyone could react, one of Ayato's hands pressed down upon Taro's ball.

The rodent leapt so harshly away from the contact that he smacked into the top of the sphere. The impact ripped the hamster orb out of Jamie's hands, sailing Taro up into the air. The onslaught of terror in that moment was just too much for the little guy.

Taro's form froze in mid air, his housing similarly held in place. His little face turned towards the ceiling as his eyes flared with white light. As it had in their classroom, a projection bloomed into the space above Taro.

But this time… the imagery wasn't quite so hazy.

Rough shapes and shadows could be made out in the shifting cloud. What looked to be a modest living space was depicted, two human silhouettes present throughout the shifting scene. It was all devoid of finer details, but the viewers could discern the figures they were watching to be a man and a woman.

And then the "conversation" started.

"Why!? Where are you going? Say something you bastard!"

The female figure was in clear distress, stomping into the male shade's space. The man turned away, waving her off in dismissal.

"I have work to get to. You remember work, right? The thing that puts food on our table."

If possible, this just pissed off the woman more. Her hand raced up to snatch the retreating male's arm, "That's always your excuse but we both know it isn't true! The things you're doing-"

"Keep your hands off me you stupid bitch!" The sudden eruption looked to catch both of them off guard, the woman staggering as the guy tore his arm away. Perhaps more alarming, and the big reason for the pause that followed, was how the man raised his free hand, the fingers clenched into a fist.

The woman stared for a silent moment at the threatening gesture. And then, though shaky at first, she regained a bit of her fire, "S-So what now… huh? You gonna hit me!? Prove what kind of a man you really are, huh!?"

And then the larger shade's unclenched palm shot upwards. The teens – and even Ayato, to a degree – jumped at the escalation. The male silhouette had his partner by the throat, barely a hair away from lifting her off the ground.

The pair were jostled back, knocking against a blocky night stand. Something toppled off and then shattered against the floor. The harsh crash was a sharp prelude to the stillness that followed, broken only by the man's strained growls and the woman's desperate choking.

"… Say it again. Say one more word about the man I am. One more word about who I used to be. Come on, I fucking dare you! Just one more fucki-"

"Mama!"

This new voice shook the scene in the most literal fashion. The already jumpy visuals became hectically more so… as though shown through the view of a dashing cameraman. Daichi felt his heart clench at hearing that final voice for a second time, at noting the low angle from which the entire scene had played out. He had had suspicions before, but he was now quite certain that that was a child's scream.

And just like the time in the classroom, this was when the vision cut off. Taro and his ball dropped like a rock, Jamie catching the purple orb with both hands. For a good time, the interrogation room stayed eerily still. And then the old detective cleared his throat.

"That was all rather dramatic."

Daichi and Ranko startled at that, the girl staring wide-eyed at Ikezawa in frank astonishment. Hearing him say something with such nonchalance after that scene, almost joking in his mannerisms, would have been one thing. But hearing his voice so quickly after listening to those in the vision…

Observant as he as, Kurou picked up on the pair's thoughts quickly. The senior officer's demeanor shifted at once, his kindly act tossed aside. The hand clasping the back of Daichi's chair tensed, enough that the boy himself jolted.

It was all the warning he would get before, seat and all, the middle schooler was spun about. Det. Ikezawa loomed above him, features stern and hovering threateningly over his own face.

"You've seen that before, haven't you? That little display. Was it only you lot or were there others? Exactly when did you find that rodent?"

Daichi's mind was running miles per second now, fighting back his panic response as he tried to work through what to do next. His quirk howled possible escape routes, some even calling for physical confrontation with the two officers. He could see that Ranko was more than ready to throw down and did his damnedest to glare some sense into her.

It was utterly ineffective.

Jamie had persisted in his duties to watch over Taro, nearly blind to the other goings on around him. His bespectacled gaze flickered between the now hyperventilating hamster and the circular cut denoting the opening of the ball, debating his next course of action.

Ayato had recovered from the vision, at least enough to gather his thoughts. The weight of his seemingly confirmed suspicions dropped like a lead mass into his gut. But once Kurou started speaking to the students, once the mood settled into something more serious, the young cop locked in on his situation. Things were already in motion here…

But this time, even though Ayato acted with greater speed and precision than before, Jamie was much more aware of him in particular. So when the blonde rookie went to snatch up Taro's sphere, the boy pulled back. Ayato overreached and almost collapsed flat across the desk. This knocked over the cookie jar, spilling treats over the tabletop. It also prompted Jamie out of his seat, the folding piece crashing to the floor.

Kurou's sight snapped towards the sudden sounds and flurry of movement. Unconsciously, his hand darted to his chest holster. Ranko saw this all practically in slow motion. And right then, she made her final decision on fight or flight.

With a hateful snarl the dog girl launched from her roost. The detective looked shocked outright, the barrel of his revolver jerked free of its housing. Ranko slammed into him like a mad boar, shoving Daichi aside in passing and driving herself and the old man to the ground.

Seeing his senior under attack, Ayato bounced off the table and moved to assist. But Jamie was standing in his way. And seeing the older male rush towards him sent the American into a certain headspace. Dropping Taro's ball, Jamie dipped down to snatch up the leg of his fallen chair. That wrathful strength of his was on full display as Jamie swiftly pitched the steel frame into Ayato's chest.

Poor copper fell back into the corner of the table before dropping to the floor like a weighted sack.

Daichi himself was knocked lightly against the edge of the desk. It was enough to spur some life in the teen. A glance at Jamie showed the red head attempting to retrieve Taro, the hamster now free of his ball. Ayato was mostly incapacitated, lain out and wracked with pain all over.

When Daichi turned to the struggling detective and Ranko, the first thing he saw was metal. His friend had her fangs buried into the man's left arm, one hand clasping that elbow and the other pressing his face away from her. Ikezawa was loosing a muffled roar through his smooshed mouth as he attempted to reach his unbitten arm towards the girl.

That was the one holding the gun. Ranko was struggling to pin the limb down with one of her feet.

Daichi didn't pause to think. As Kurou was rotating his wrist to aim the snub nose at Ranko, the blonde teen swung his foot into the older man's hand. The revolver was kicked out of the cop's grasp.

But not before a shot went off.

Ranko belted out a pained yelp, releasing Ikezawa's arm. The detective shoved the dog girl off of him then quickly drilled his fist into her belly. Daichi made a run for the door, hoping to draw attention towards the mad clash. Kurou swung around like a rabid beast, taking hold of the boy's calf and wrenching his leg out from under him.

As Daichi face planted, Det. Ikezawa scrambled to his feet and hurried himself to the entrance. Daichi's quirk hammered his senses and the boy realized that he wasn't going for the door. He was going for the gun next to the door.

Flooded with adrenaline, Daichi about faced and rapidly crawled to Ranko. She was still on the floor, clutching her upper thigh when the blonde reached her. Daichi all but erupted to his feet, taking the tawny furred girl along with him.

He was just too focused to notice the blood.

But by then, the detective had retrieved his weapon. As the pair stood, Ranko leaning on her friend, Kurou was already whirling the gun on them.

A violet hamster ball pegged the man in the brow. A second later, Jame's vacated chair crashed into the beaned officer, the glasses wearing teen dipped forward following the powerful throw.

A pair of palms seized Jamie's belt and back leg. Ayato had returned and was ready to retaliate. He was still too dazed to notice a snarling Ranko stomping towards him, agony and wrath fueling every step. She sent a front kick with her left leg into the junior pig's skull. Ayato flew into the fucking wall, bashing the other side of his head in.

Ranko buckled the instant her lead leg touched the ground, gritting her teeth in a pained hiss. Jamie didn't really catch the girl so much as he was simply in the way of her collapse. He steadied her more so that he wouldn't fall over as opposed to genuine concern.

Taro was seated back on his hind legs, nose twitching and sight snapping to and fro, searching for an escape. Daichi snatched him up quickly, barely glancing at his classmates as he screamed, "The window! Now!"

Then the young man rolled himself across the desk, crushing a cookie or two before bouncing to his feet atop the heavy furniture. Going into a sprint, Daichi tucked Taro into his pants pocket before shrugging free of his uniform blazer.

Ranko stopped thinking the moment Daichi raised his voice. She was practically on the blonde's tail in seconds, albeit flanking around the table in her path towards the "artsy" window. The canine teen had Jamie hefted over her back in a fireman's carry, running like she barely felt the weight. She brutally pushed down the spike of pain that followed every time her left foot struck the ground.

The American managed to snag one last cookie off the table in passing.

Behind them, Ikezawa had scrambled over to his handgun, rolling onto his back and taking aim at the fleeing students.

Daichi covered his head with his jacket. The door to the room flew open and a figure in green filled the entry. Rino shrieked out an enraged "The fuck are you doing," as she smacked the magnum out of Kurou's grasp.

The glass burst into a colorful shower of shards as Daichi flung himself through the tasteless barrier. Ranko didn't hesitate to follow, dragging Jamie along behind her.

Another hard chapter for me, gotta say. I just did not feel like I nailed the tension the way I wanted to. And Jamie definitely got lost in the shuffle a few times, basically relegated to being Taro's minder.

So we get a bit more character for Ayato, the unfortunate rookie cop. He's not the best interrogator, if it wasn't clear throughout the past few chapters. Ayato is certainly the sort who shows his belly when others get aggressive. Being unassuming, in a sense, can be its own sort of security. And a deference to "authority" makes for a decent mook, as I'm sure Ikezawa can attest.

Though there is a bit of apprehension there, on Ayato's part. Not enough to stop him… but it is there.

Kurou shows a bit of his slimy side. Well, more of it. He's a bit more adept at pushing people's buttons and affecting a certain character when he needs to. And let's not forget that this is the guy who came into a "debriefing" with a bunch of teenagers armed with a pistol. And then was ready to use it…

Wonder what about that hamster-born projection could have set him off so much? Yeah, I don't think it's much of a mystery anymore, but I'll refrain from talking about it further for now.

The end bit ramps up all at once with that gun being drawn. Small note here, but originally Ranko and Jamie's positions were reversed in terms of who was carrying who. Swapped it around to demonstrate just how much of a fucking unit Ranko can be and to further display the solidarity between herself and Daichi.

Well, things have finally escalated on this side of the plot. Next time: Daichi's group flees and regroups, Ikezawa starts making more deliberate moves, and Izuku and crew waver through their school day.