Chapter 79
.::Tourist Traps::.
On Thursday morning, Hizashi threw on a hat and facemask and boarded the first train to Odawara. He knew from the start that this was a long shot and unlikely to bear any results. Just because that Anjou girl walked with the blond kid he thought might know Midoriya didn't mean there was any connection, especially to her largely-estranged brother.
But the facts were that Ashido Mina and Kirishima Eijirou had suddenly run away from home one day after Anjou Ran visited Ashido. And Ashido had been in contact with Uraraka Ochako, who had also run away after meeting Midoriya Izuku. In the end, if he found Ashido, he could potentially find Uraraka, and then he could potentially find Midoriya and thus the Alliance—and thus, Shouta.
...That was also admittedly a long shot. Which was why he hadn't bothered telling Nemuri this time. In his frantic searches for Shouta, he'd chased after the slimmest of leads. Even so much as a whisper about a dark-haired man seen at some random bar was sometimes enough to set him into action. Countless hours had been spent following up on such leads, and of course, he'd kept Nemuri fully in the loop every time.
At first she'd gone along with it, but it got to the point that she'd become mildly (highly) exasperated with him. Hizashi couldn't blame her anymore for getting tired of all the false leads; he felt just as frustrated by all the hours spent on searches that turned up nothing.
So for now, he'd play it low-key. Scout out this Meisanki guy's place, and see if he hit paydirt. If he did, then he'd call Nemuri. If he didn't, he'd just go home.
After getting off the train, Hizashi went straight to the address nabbed from the notes Oracle sent him. To his dismay though it wasn't an apartment building like he'd hoped, but a house located in a residential area. That meant he couldn't hang around too long without drawing attention. Not like he had a dog he could walk or anything.
After much deliberation, Hizashi reluctantly headed to the nearest convenience store to regroup and re-strategize somewhere a little warmer. He could already tell this was going to be a long day.
"It's for Shouta," he reminded himself as he perused the shelves for a snack to give himself an energy boost. He'd had a light breakfast so he could catch the first train, so he wanted to get something filling and easy to eat to keep his energy up. "I just gotta get through today, and hope I find something..."
While he considered his options he heard the chime of the door opening and closing a couple times. After a few minutes he decided on a package of soy sauce rice crackers and a small pack of cookies, and took his purchases to the register. Not many people had been in the store when he'd arrived, but by now there were two people waiting to check out. He got in line behind a teenager wearing a red beanie over shaggy black hair, and a denim jacket over a long coat with faded black jeans. It gave him some punk rock vibes that had him nodding in silent approval.
The person at the register finished and the punk stepped forward, depositing two breakfast bars on the counter. "Just this?" the cashier asked.
"Yeah!" replied a bubbly female voice, which was enough to make Hizashi do a double-take because that tone did not fit those threads. She coughed and then said in a slightly more gravelly and bored tone, "I mean, yeah. Sure. Whatever."
Well if he wasn't suspicious before, he was now. That was a pretty deliberate attempt to change her voice. He watched with a more critical eye as the teenager rummaged through her pockets for the money, and as she slapped the bills on the counter he noticed on something: her skin was pink.
Ashido? Hizashi's mind instantly went to the runaway who'd partially spawned this whole trip. Normally he'd dismiss it as an overactive imagination, but combined with the deliberate voice change... Well, it was enough to make him look closer.
He watched intently as the girl took her purchase, and when she turned away from the register he saw she wore tinted gold aviator shades. Perfect for concealing distinctive eyes, another point towards his suspicions. As she left he quickly finished his own purchase and exited the store, glancing around until he saw her walking away. He pretended to check his phone as he began following her, discreetly glancing over her.
The girl's skin color was definitely a similar shade to Ashido Mina, and not many people had pink skin. The hat's shape would be loose enough to cover up her horns, and her hair could easily be dyed. The girl's fashion also seemed to deviate heavily from what Ashido would (probably) wear. And the store was close to Meisanki's house.
Still, it wasn't enough to be sure yet. He'd follow the girl for a little longer, and see if he could find any decisive proof.
deku_breaks_bones: so
deku_breaks_bones: Kurogiri's apparently having another off-day
deku_breaks_bones: I woke up to you-know-who making breakfast instead.
deku_breaks_bones: As in, the person who Space can't mention and I had to write that whole letter about?
deku_breaks_bones: She's actually a pretty decent cook so that was kinda nice. WAY better than waking up to Seiko yesterday
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Wait, is there? Why is there!?
deku_breaks_bones: Yeah, she's here because apparently she wants to keep an eye on Kurogiri for, some reason? I'll explain more when we meet.
deku_breaks_bones: But uh, I won't be able to leave today either since, you know, I need to warp.
halfnhalfpeppermint: So no meeting today?
deku_breaks_bones: Nope. At this rate, might be safest to meet on Saturday to minimize suspicion. Sorry guys.
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: Keep away from sensei
1A_Dancing_Queen: If she goes near sensei, break HER bones! No mercy!
halfnhalfpeppermint: Okay. We'll just go to Numazu instead and try to meet this weekend.
deku_breaks_bones: I won't let her near sensei, don't worry!
deku_breaks_bones:? What's in Numazu?
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: It's a long story. We'll explain when we meet again!
1A_Dancing_Queen: Until then, I demand pictures of the Ghost Kitty!
1A_Dancing_Queen: Please. I'm going to be so bored and alone ;_;
deku_breaks_bones: ...I feel like I missed a lot of information
1-A_SpaceRescueHero: yeah you kinda are
1A_Dancing_Queen: not being able to talk about this stuff over text suuuuucks
halfnhalfpeppermint: Sorry.
deku_breaks_bones: I miss just living in the dorms
After making plans to start searching for Porter there hadn't really been any reason to just wait, so everyone decided to just head out. The first two pairs in Odawara had boarded buses and trains after breakfast, including Kirishima and Shouji, leaving only Ashido behind at Kuroe's house. Since Deku messaged them about Kurogiri having a second off-day in a row, Ochako and Todoroki had decided to go to Numazu instead of Nabu.
She felt kinda guilty as she glanced over the conversation again. It sucked they couldn't really tell Deku about everything with this Porter guy over text, it was their first real lead after all! But between Yaoyorozu and Mail spying on them, they'd learned to be extra paranoid.
He has his hands full anyway, she tried to reassure herself. With Aiko at the Alliance's base, keeping her away from Aizawa-sensei would take priority. Learning that they might have a lead would just make him as restless as Ashido had been when they left. Earlier she'd spammed the group chat with demands for memes and photos. Ochako had none to offer, but Kaminari seemed happy to satisfy her demands until Ashido finally stopped responding.
"Ura—be." She startled at Todoroki's voice, and turned to find him watching her curiously. "Urabe, did anything else happen on the chat?"
"No, just looking at the memes Kami sent Mi-chan. I think she found finally something else to do because she stopped responding." She pocketed the phone and turned to face him. "More importantly, we should get to work and start strategizing!" Todoroki nodded and turned back to the wall display of brochures and pamphlets.
They'd gotten off the bus to Numazu around half an hour ago, and decided their first stop would be the nearest tourist center. Neither of them had ever really been to Numazu before, so it seemed like a good place to start getting information. Not just for them, but for this Porter guy, too.
Of course, they'd donned disguises for the trip, Ochako with her pink wig and fake glasses, and Todoroki with his eyepatch and a beanie. They'd then taken it a step farther and started the day with a brief thrift shop raid just to be really safe. The end result had her in a light blue coat with rainbow buttons and a unicorn head on the back, and Todoroki dressed like he was prepared for a mountain expedition.
In short, they probably made a really weird looking pair. She just had to hope they wouldn't draw too much attention.
She stepped a little closer to Todoroki, peering at the brochure he held. "Did you find anything interesting, Yuki-kun?" she asked, using his fake name.
"Not yet," he replied, frowning down at it. "I don't think Numazu really has an active tourism industry. This brochure is all about the fishing businesses."
"Y-yeah, I noticed," Ochako said with a sheepish smile as she glanced at all the brochures. As Todoroki noted, most of them talked about the local fishing industry, great places to find seafood, and local markets. The city didn't even have many historical sites, as most had been destroyed by aerial bombings even before the initial chaos from the onset of Quirks. She perked up as a pamphlet for an aquarium caught her eye. "Oh, the aquarium looks neat!"
"But would Porter go there?" Todoroki wondered, and her shoulders slumped a bit.
"No, he wouldn't," she allowed with a sigh, and frowned at the rest of the brochures and pamphlets. "And I don't think he'd go to any of these other places, either. I mean, not any of them specifically. Well, except maybe that memorial park," she added thoughtfully when one more brochure caught her eye. "That seems maybe kinda specific?"
Even as she spoke she pulled out the brochure. The park seemed to be for a ship that sank near the port during a storm. Opening it up, she skimmed the information and startled. "Oh hey, this happened right before All Might died. So it could be kinda variable, like that statue?"
Todoroki hummed noncommittally. He returned the brochure he'd grabbed and plucked another one from the shelf. "It seems like the only active hero agency in Numazu is Team Storm Chaser."
The mention had Ochako nodding and frowning slightly, returning the memorial park brochure. "And they're not really active anyway," she muttered. "Skylight seems like the only one still active in this world, too, and he still works in America." Her cheeks puffed slightly, and Todoroki side-eyed her curiously.
"You're... a pretty big fan, right?" he asked, and she bobbed her head eagerly.
"Yeah! They're like, the first rescue team I ever idolized! I'm just confused on why this Oracle guy works there, since he's underground and all." The whole reason they'd marked Numazu as a point of interest at all was because Porter would likely go there to check if Oracle was, well, Oracle. Seeing him enter or exit Storm Chaser's headquarters would be a pretty dead giveaway of his alignment in this world.
"Do you think he'll recognize us?" Todoroki asked curiously, and Ochako grimaced.
"I don't know, maybe?" Mail hadn't really been willing to divulge how much his siblings knew about her or the investigation into her running away. However, they knew Oracle had been present when Ashido was interrogated about their connection over FacePage. The thought made her reach out to adjust her wig slightly, making sure no strands of her actual hair showed. "Actually, he'd probably know about me, since Ashido got questioned about me and all."
"Right, I forgot about that," Todoroki murmured, and frowned. "I don't know if I've ever met Oracle in this world, but Kuroe recognized me even with the eyepatch. And since he's underground..." He trailed off, but Ochako caught his point. His photo would have probably particularly circulated among underground heroes since they'd be more likely to encounter people who'd want to kidnap him.
"It's still so weird they have an underground hero here," she whispered, and he nodded slightly in agreement.
"I know Team Storm Chaser specialized in rescue in our world before shutting down. I don't think I ever met any of them, but I know my father worked with them a few times. I know there's a photo somewhere of Shadesse visiting our house."
Ochako glanced at him in surprise, her inner fangirl rearing his head. "Wait, really?"
"I can't really remember it that clearly or the story behind it, I just know it exists. I think it was before I even manifested my Quirk." He shrugged, seeming mildly puzzled, and Ochako frowned as she glanced down at the table. Something about that nagged at her memories, reminding her of her searches yesterday into the state of Team Storm Chaser in this world.
"...You know, in our world Shadesse quit around the time we were four," she said. "I still don't know the details, they just released an announcement saying she'd decided to leave the hero scene, nothing else. She didn't even want a goodbye party or anything. But here, she actually had a formal retirement announcement with an actual statement from her! And apparently she still shows up at events sometimes, too!"
Her cheeks puffed in annoyance. It might be petty, but she felt like she'd been cheated after learning this world still had some appearances from the ninja-themed heroine. Todoroki meanwhile glanced at her with a frown, his visible eye narrowing in thought. "She didn't make any announcements or appearances in our world?"
"No, none," Ochako confirmed with a head shake, still feeling mildly cheated. When she glanced at him she felt her irritation fade though, finding his expression to be oddly... haunted. Something about it filled her with a pang of dread, and she barely remembered to use his false name as she hesitantly prodded, "Yuki?"
"...She's probably dead or missing in our world then," he declared after a few moments, and Ochako felt her blood turn to ice.
"What?" she whispered faintly, and he turned to meet her gaze.
"Depending on the circumstances, some heroes' deaths are never formally announced to the public," he explained, blunt but not too cruel. "It's rare, but it usually happens with underground heroes or if they think it would cause a panic. Since Team Storm Chaser operates internationally, they must have decided announcing it would impact morale."
Her heart sank, horrified by the logic. "But, but they announced all the other deaths!" she argued. "Like, Cosmonaut died in an earthquake, and Phoenix had some kind of chronic illness! And they didn't say how Storm Chaser died, but they still announced it! So why would they hide hers?"
"I don't know," he replied. "She may have gotten involved in an investigation they wanted to keep confidential for some reason. Was her Quirk only good for rescue?"
Ochako swallowed thickly, feeling a sudden apprehension. "No, it let her store stuff in scrolls. She'd mostly use it to transport supplies and remove debris." It was a versatile Quirk that made her indispensable on many occasions. From what she knew, it might not even be restricted to scrolls; that could easily just be part of her ninja aesthetic. It seemed like Shadesse only really needed ink and paper to make them.
"Then she could have been asked to help on some other missions outside their usual work," Todoroki said with a nod. "If she worked on an undercover investigation, it would make sense to cover it up, especially if it wasn't fully resolved."
"Y-yeah..." Ochako nodded slowly. She didn't like it, but it made sense, especially when she thought about Shadesse. She remembered thinking even as a child how almost out of place her ninja aesthetic felt for a rescue hero. Working underground like Aizawa did seemed like a perfect fit for her.
Underground... like Oracle.
The thought had her freezing. "...Hey," she said quietly, making Todoroki glance at her. "I don't think Shadesse lives in Numazu, and everyone else is definitely dead in this world except for Skylight and Oracle."
"And Oracle might not be here since he'll be looking for Ashido and Kirishima," Todoroki muttered thoughtfully. "So we probably don't need to worry about anyone who would recognize us." Ochako bit her lip and ducked her head.
"Unless... they did shift to underground heroics, and have more people," she muttered. She saw Todoroki freeze, visible eye growing wide.
"...Oh," he said, and left it at that.
It looked like their search for Porter might be a little more risky than they'd expected.
"So... we're here, I guess," Kirishima declared awkwardly.
"Mm." Mezou didn't have anything else to say, and apparently neither did Kirishima, so the two lapsed into silence. They stood in front of the gates of UA High School's former campus, the entrance barred and sealed. Beyond the stone walls of the fence, they could see the glistening glass tower housing the school itself still looming tall, though the windows had been dulled by a lack of maintenance.
After the UA Massacre, the school had closed its gates and the campus all but abandoned, even demolishing a good portion of the remaining buildings. All that remained were the school, a few structures still used for training, and an on-site memorial for Pro Heroes and alumni to visit. Families of the victims could visit too, but they'd need an escort to enter.
Standing before the sealed entrance left the two boys feeling solemn and somber. In all the old photos, the gate had usually been open, allowing a glimpse of the school and campus beyond. The thick metal door and the bars covering it just reminded them that those gates might never open again.
"You know, I used to dream of coming here," Kirishima commented after a few seconds. "But being here now feels kinda... creepy." Mezou just hummed, still having nothing to say. He turned and walked away, the other boy following in silence.
Dream, huh... Mezou hadn't seen much of UA in the dream, and certainly not the entrance, so it didn't give him a rush of familiarity like he'd half-expected. He felt... nothing, really. A bit sad, sure, for all the people who died there (teenagers, younger than he was right now), but that was it. No disappointment, or déjà vu or emptiness. No yearning for what once was.
At the end of the day, it was just a sealed gate to a once-famous school.
"We won't be able to go inside, and I doubt that Porter can either," he commented. "So he'd go to the public memorial garden instead."
"Yeah, but we can't really hang around there constantly, can we?" Kirishima asked. "We're supposed to stay here until Saturday or Sunday, and it'd be kinda weird to spend all day there every day." Mezou nodded in agreement. Today was Thursday, so that would make at least two days of waiting. He hadn't actually seen the garden, had simply looked up directions on his phone, but he doubted there would be enough reason for two teenagers to spend time there. Even family members of the victims probably wouldn't spend that much time around it.
"I might not be able to visit it much," he mused aloud. "I stand out too much." There was only so much he could do to disguise his massive build, even if Musutafu had gone through a population boom following Tokyo's destruction. Thanks to already housing several agencies due to the teachers who worked at UA, as well as its location relative to Tokyo, its rise hadn't been surprising. It still hadn't reached Tokyo's level though, so he suspected a hulking figure with a masked lower face would still stand out.
...In retrospect, he may have been a bad choice to scout UA. He'd only volunteered because of the dream.
"Oof, yeah, I guess I'll be going solo," Kirishima muttered with a grimace. "Guess I'll have to come up with some extra disguises, just to be safe. Think I could get away with a wig one of those days? I don't really wanna dye my hair again."
"Aren't most wigs cheap and fake-looking?" Mezou muttered. Some of the other runaways had looked into that a few times in the past, most looked a bit too fake. "If you just get one from a costume store, it might stand out as suspicious."
"Really? But Uraraka and Ashido had pretty neat ones though!"
"Theirs seemed to be the exception more than the rule. After the meeting I heard some of the others comment on how high quality they were." Nakamura and Glitch had seemed almost jealous of the wigs based on their muttering, though he didn't see a reason to mention that part. "I think this 'Aiko' just has a high-quality collection."
"And you don't think we can find ones that are that good?"
"We probably could, but they wouldn't be cheap."
"Ah, yeah." Kirishima hissed a sharp breath, scratching the back of his neck. "Right, we're on a budget..." Most of the money they had on hand came from the funds Jirou brought to the original meeting. The two of them had already decided to set most of it aside for hotels and food, with plans to give the leftover funds to the runaways. They didn't really have many stable sources of income after all, mostly just doing odd jobs, and limited savings.
For that reason, Mezou would rather not spend more than absolutely necessary. Any bit of leftover money could make a significant difference, especially in winter.
He pushed the thought aside as they reached the public memorial garden. It was in a park not too far away from UA's campus, a traditional roofed wall enclosing the area to give it a more subdued atmosphere. The second they passed through the gates the pair fell quiet, something in the air compelling them to stay hushed.
The garden itself was beautiful, and Mezou was mildly surprised at how colorful it was. Flowering bushes and trees of different varieties filled the area, some in bloom even now in the dead of winter with frost on the ground. The winding stone pathways themselves had been cleared of frost, allowing them to walk peacefully. Dark stone plaques had been erected along the pathways, containing the names of the victims and small etchings of their faces.
As grim and somber as the memorial's purpose was, the garden also had an air of peace and comfort. Mezou felt a sense of tranquility as he and Kirishima slowly made their way along. Perhaps he'd been a bit rash in thinking they couldn't visit more than once without being suspicious. The garden had a sense of serenity that made it seem like repeat visitors would be absolutely normal, regardless of connections to the victims. Even now an old woman sat on a bench reading a book, and a man walked behind a little girl pointing out different flowers.
As he glanced around he suddenly felt a jolt as he spied a girl standing alone on an arched bridge crossing over a pond. She leaned against the railing to watch koi swim belong, her orange hair tied in a long ponytail that tumbled over the railing. A sudden rush of déjà vu flooded him as his eyes zeroed in on her.
"That girl," he murmured lowly, making Kirishima glance at him. "She was in the dream." The redhead's eyes grew wide while Mezou kept staring at her. It had been only in passing while chasing the janitor robot, but he distinctly remembered her pulling someone out of the way. Her hand had grown giant in the process, effectively using it as a shield before the robot could crash into the other person.
Seeing her now just made him more certain of it than ever before: it hadn't been a dream. He really had seen UA.
His thoughts were interrupted by a small chime, the sound seeming to cut through the quiet of the park. Several people glanced their way as Kirishima scrambled to pull out his phone, looking a bit sheepish. "Sorry!" he whisper-shouted, and people soon turned away. Kirishima checked the screen and froze, eyes going wide. "Oh, shit."
"What?" Mezou asked, feeling a rising alarm. Rather than respond Kirishima held out the phone to show him a group text from Ashido.
'Sooooo uh. Big problem.'
Below it was a photo of an unconscious blond man tied up on the floor of one of the runaways' hideouts. That alone was alarming enough, but then Mezou saw the reply below from Uraraka.
'Oh my gosh PLEASE tell me that's not Loud-sensei'
'...I would, but that would be lying'
And just like that, the worst case scenario unfolded before their eyes: a Pro Hero had found Odawara.
And a new record for quickest escalation in a single chapter!
Thanks for your patience last week! It was really useful to have a week off and just breathe without worrying about the buffer. Also, I really hope any readers in Texas are okay! Last week's weather was crazy for most of the US, but Texas has it especially rough. If you're stuck there, I hope you're safe and warm! Words of advice I've seen online: you can use candles to heat water, flashlights inside empty milk cartons can be VERY bright, and a lot of thin layers are better than just a long-sleeved shirt and a heavy coat.
Question for next time: How do you think Mic got himself captured by a bunch of teenagers?