Over the Top

by papireaz

When I died, I expected a few manga volumes. Maybe to learn what the One Piece is. Instead, I found myself in a world that I recognised, a story I had read and what's worse was that it was a story I had no interest in wanting to involve myself in! Then and again, the offer to become a Hero is far too tempting...

60. Issue 58

The Zephyr Song - Red Hot Chili Peppers (Recorded in By the Way)

---

"The past days that we used to spend together are revived,

The two paths we've walked have been colourful,

But I suppose it's time we move on together."

---

Mina Ashido POV

Mina Ashido sat in silence.

There wasn't much else she could do as everyone felt uncomfortable and awkward in their hotel room. Most of all, it was Mina herself who felt the most stupid as she could only sit on top of her bed and close her eyes. She couldn't help but be stuck in the past, transported back in a time she wished for so long that she wouldn't remember.

'You'll never be beautiful or attractive. You're an eyesore. You look like a freak, and you'd do better to become a villain and scare kids than try and be a hero.'

Those were Sora's last words to her before he left, and they were words that wouldn't stop being replayed in her mind. How could they not be? Sora was… Sora was her friend. Back then, he saved her when she needed it, supported her when Mina was at her worst, and didn't ask for anything in return.

And then the event happened.

And events that changed and defined all of them.

It wasn't the fact that Sora had said something nasty to her that ultimately hurt her the most - It was the fact that those words came from Sora himself. The boy that she once looked up to, her friend, was the one who said something so horrible to all of them. Even back then, Mina herself knew that something was wrong. But Sora wasn't talking to them back then, and everyone was more comfortable to just move on.

But none of them truly moved on.

And yet, as she stared at Izuku Midoriya who also sat in silence, Mina couldn't help but wonder whether her anger at Sora all this time was even justified. Was she angry at Sora for what he said? Was she angry at Sora for hurting her? What the hell did she even feel toward Sora, was it hatred for leaving her and everyone else behind or guilt for not reaching out sooner?

At least Class A had each other.

Who did Sora have?

Who comforted him when he was all alone…

"Izuku," Mina said his name, watching as his tired eyes snapped towards her. "...I messaged everyone in our class the truth. About what you did, the lies you told us. I'm keeping your secret.I just, there is something I have to ask, why? Why did you lie about Sora that day? Why did you keep his secrets from us? And I want the real reason, not the lies you convinced yourself are the truth."

"...he was broken," Midoriya answered honestly. "I saw him struggle to maintain that facade of his, the one where nothing ever really gets him. He was struggling for so long after the League took him, but I couldn't help him. None of us could. Then on that day, he failed. I saw the sadness and sorrow that really followed him around, it chained him and everyone he loved, and then I saw him lose control. He was really out to kill Overhaul - My friend who had once said he wouldn't kill anyone at one point. The Sora Yamazaki we called a friend died that day."

"So you lied to us? Why didn't you tell us this?! You made us believe he was never our friend in the first place!" Mina screamed at him, allowing the guilt and shame she had pent up to burst out all at once. "...We treated him like shit. All of us hated him. And when he came back, instead of us trying to fix things we just pushed him aside. Who were we trying to prove wrong? Us? Or him, someone that we hurt."

Thankfully, Monoma shook his head at Mina.

"That's not how it went. It's not like Soa tried his hardest to be with you guys anyway, if anything he wanted to leave. Remember, he tried to leave before," Monoma told her. "At any point he could have come back to you guys. At any point he could have apologised and told you guys the truth, irrespective of Midoriya's decisions. It's not that Sora didn't have people who told him to do that, he just didn't want to listen. You're just looking at the surface, Ashido. You're just trying to defend him because you feel guilty."

Mina shook her head at that.

That wasn't true.

That wasn't how she felt at all!

"You didn't see the look on his face, Mina," Midoriya shifted as he said that. "There wasn't any hope in his eyes. That final attack of his… I think he was planning on killing himself with it. To sacrifice his entire life for one attack. To be honest, I'm grateful that wasn't the case even if that outcome would have been better for us all. How did you expect me to tell you all this when he was in a coma? When we had just lost so many people when the world was hurting. How did you expect me to tell everyone that our friend was willing to kill himself over something as stupid as revenge?"

"But that's-,"

"On that day during the Shie Hassaikai raid, Sora Yamazaki wasn't thinking of anyone else but himself. Even he knows that. Perhaps that's why he really wanted to punish himself, but I guess I'll never know how he felt that day," Midoriya replied. "But I do know that he left. At first, I did think that he betrayed us, but then Jiro came and was confused. He didn't even break up with her. He said all these hurtful things and spat on our trust, but he said nothing to Jiro. Everyone was so caught up in their own feelings that they didn't realise Sora had done this on purpose, but he was too saddened to say anything to Jiro."

Mina clenched her fists at that.

That was-,

"I was the first to realise that Sora was lying once again. And I did think it was to protect us, it's why none of us have even so much as had a run-in with the League of Villains. Sora will never admit it, but it was a factor in why he left. He felt so weak without his powers that he couldn't stand the sight of us walking ahead, so he asked a villain to protect us instead," Midoriya speculated. "I had to protect that lie, it was the least I could do after everything he sacrificed. The least I could do to the friend that betrayed my trust, but still gave a shit about us-,"

Smack.

Midoriya's left cheek had a red handprint on it as Mina stood over him with tears in her eyes. She couldn't help but feel betrayed by him, at the very least she accepted Sora had hurt them - But she couldn't accept that Midoriya would hurt them all just as much as Sora had once done.

"All this time I thought he really hated me. All this time, I resented him for something he never did because you kept your mouth shut! He's had to endure so much bullshit from all of us because you thought both of you had to endure it? He's our friend-,"

"You weren't there Mina!" Midoriya shouted at her angrily. "You weren't there that day, you have no idea how he feels. You can't blame this all on me without realising your own hands are guilty too. The reason Sora felt like he couldn't lose, the reason why he wanted to save everyone important to him, was because of you. Because of us. All of us. Everyonein our class constantly accepted his help, letting him save us because we were too weak to save ourselves."

"What?" Mina shook her head at that. That wasn't-, It wasn't their-, "No. You're wrong. You-,"

"He's not wrong, Ashido," Midnight chimed in, shaking her head softly at her. "It's the fault of us, the staff at U.A., too. Ultimately, had we been more careful and wary, we could have prevented the League of Villains from ever having met you during the USJ attack. Everyone accepted Sora as our hero, we all admired him and that only pushed him away. Because admiration is the furthest thing from understanding, and you can't claim that any of us other than Aizawa ever understood Sora."

"We could have-,"

"Drop it, Mina," Monoma yelled at her. "The truth is that no one was a good friend to Sora. And he wasn't a good friend either. We all have our own faults, and we were just kids. He crashed and burned because we weren't a proper friend to him, because we thought he could do it all. Because we wanted him to be invincible. And Sora will never blame us for that, he only blamed himself for not being strong enough to be your friend, and that his fault - If he were a better friend he would have realised the truth. I'm not saying he was right for keeping this all to himself, that's just him being his stupid self, but no one is faultless here. Least of all us."

Mina couldn't help but look down at the floor at that.

How many times had she seen Sora alone? How many times had she asked him for help, but she could never once remember a time when he asked for her help? How many times had Sora asked her if she was alright, but she just assumed that Sora was every single time.

Because why wouldn't he?

He was Sora Yamazaki, the person everyone in Class 1A desperately wanted to be like. With his warm smile, his light teasing and the way he always showed how much he cared for them all. Their friend who while lying to them, did so to protect them. Why wouldn't he be alright? Why wouldn't Sora Yamazaki be perfect?

But that was just…

That was a lie.

A lie Mina had helped perpetuate, a lie she was only starting to realise was detrimental in the breakdown of Sora. Why would he be alright? Throughout their first year at U.A. spent with Sora, it felt like they were going through one major event to another - Events that made them all stronger.

But it was also true that Sora himself was made stronger by them most of all.

He protected them all, no matter what. It was noble, like a samurai. And ultimately, without anyone to protect him, Sora's cracks eventually enveloped him. And all Mina could do was look at the past in guilt and anger toward herself for never realising the nebulous truth behind Class A.

It was her fault-,

"For what it's worth," Shirou added as he stood up from his seat, clutching his phone tightly. "Sora ultimately didn't want anyone to worry. He didn't message me or any of our old friends either, I think he really just wanted to be isolated. Punished. And we all continued on with our lives, because what else were we supposed to do? We can't stop at a standstill and save someone who doesn't want to be saved. But that doesn't matter anymore. We have a chance to change things around."

Bzzt.

Bzzt.

Shirou frowned as he looked at his phone, making a beeline for the door.

"Sorry. I gotta take this, but I'll be back later."

Mina sighed as she sat back down on her bed, her head resting on top of her knees as no one said anything. All she could think about was Sora. How many times had he been their hero? Not just within the USJ and during their camping trip, but also around school. How many times had he listened to them rant about the littlest of things, of them telling him their deepest insecurities and his reassurance that they could overcome them?

…and Mina had never even done anything to help him back.

It frustrated her to no end that she couldn't remember a time when she had helped Sora.

"Mina. We're going to go get food now. If someone knocks on the door, it's probably Sora so just let him in," Someone said to her. Mina nodded in response numbly, drowning out the outside world as she just closed her eyes and tried to remember those happy times spent together. "...M…A….Ge…es…t…Pl…ea…It…Wi..ll…e…All…ine…Trus…Us…"

…

…

…

…

…

…

'I'm such a failure.'

Mina Ashido cried all alone in her hotel room. Tears raced down her cheeks as she held her knees to her chest, a loud sob erupting from her as she broke down. Was this how Sora felt? All those times he-,

All the times that they ignored him.

"I'm such a failure-,"

Knock. Knock.

Knock. Knock.

She sniffled as she made her way to the door and opened it, Mina didn't care if Sora saw her like this. She just wanted to apologise for being a bad friend-, And yet when she opened the door, her blood ran cold immediately.

"Sora?"

Leaning against the opposite wall with his hands all red, Sora looked pale as he tried his hardest to stand up. Drip. Drip. It was then that Mina realised that the red on his hands was his blood. He was bleeding all over the floor-, He had been bleeding all the way to their hotel room.

"Yo," Sora weakly said as he stumbled forward into Mina's hands. "Could… ya… Help…m…e…?"

---

Chapter

Fifty

Eight

'Get Over the Barrier!'

---

"Ugh."

I woke up to a pounding headache, which was never a good sign. I cleared my throat as I sat on my bed and realised I wasn't wearing a top. Instead, I had bandages wrapped all over me, which also was never a good sign. But sitting right next to me was a cute girl, and if that wasn't the best sign the universe had ever given me-,

"Sora!"

Mina Ashido yelled excitedly as she wrapped her arms around me and hugged me tight.

"Ow."

"So-sorry," Mina apologised as she detached herself from me. "I'm glad you are awake. Everyone is currently out. Monoma and Kodai are ordering food for you while Midoriya and Midnight are on the phone with U.A. about what happened. You know, you really did scare me."

"Hehe," I rubbed the back of my head sheepishly. "Sorry, sorry. And where's Shirou?"

Mina shrugged her shoulders at me in response.

"I don't know. Why?"

"Well, he was the one that stabbed me," I told her, wincing in pain slightly. Damn. I hadn't healed from that wound yet. "But I think losing all that blood helped me realise what really happened."

"He stabbed-,"

"He was forced to stab me," I cut her off, explaining it to her. "Shirou's the only one that can be used as a weapon against our investigation. His company, the people in charge of manufacturing the weapons, probably thought that they could use Shirou to kill me and pin everything on him, it would destroy the entire investigation. But those bastards didn't expect me to live, now did they?"

"That's not a funny joke! You bleed out all over the floor, the cleaners nearly had a heart attack!"

I rolled my eyes at her, placing my feet on the ground as I shakily stood up.

"I'll apologise to them later. Right now I have a case to solve-,"

Mina rolled her eyes as she pushed me right back down on my bed without any notice. I groaned in pain but didn't reply as I realised that maybe I had lost a little too much blood. Despite that, I still sat up as I refused to lie down on the bed any longer.

"You can solve this case tomorrow," Mina told me. "Right now, you're injured. And even if you do have multiple Quirks, that doesn't mean that you don't need to rest. I don't care if you're a Detective or freakin' Aozora who time travelled, you're staying there."

"...Multiple Quirks… So, Midoriya told you the truth, didn't he?" I asked her. "The truth about me, I mean. Or the truth he knows and the speculation about my birth and existence he has."

"He did," Mina nodded at me in confirmation. "And while I have questions, they will wait. 'Cause Midoriya also told me that I should tie you down to the bed because there is a high chance of you escaping. But I thought that was too cruel, even for you. So I'm going to trust that you'll stay put and not aggravate your injuries by doing something stupid."

Tsk.

"I know what you're going to say-,"

"No you don't," Mina cut me off coldly. "You have no idea how I'm feeling right now. And I'm sure everyone in our class is feeling the same way considering how we treated you for so long. We didn't even care about how you were feeling-,"

"I didn't care about how I was feeling, let alone you guys. Please. Just forget it," I said to her. "I know you all probably feel a little guilty, and I can't take that away from you. But don't you forget that I put you in that position. Even if Midoriya intentionally kept what happened that day away from you, that doesn't mean what I did was okay either. I don't want your forgiveness or acceptance."

"Why not?"

I sighed, hunching over as I looked at my wounds.

Thankfully, I wasn't bleeding out all over the floor.

"What good is your forgiveness when I can't even forgive myself," I replied honestly. "It means nothing to me. It's just meaningless vague words that don't truly help me, it just proves to remind me how wrong I truly was back then. Forgiving me won't solve any of your problems either, the justified anger you felt towards me - still feel - shouldn't go away because you heard my sob story. What about everyone else who died that day? Forgiving me is the same as just forgetting about them-,"

"It wasn't-, You know, nothing-,"

"Nothing in life is so black and white. I know," I cut her off, smiling sadly at Mina. "That doesn't make everything go away, and it never will. I hate myself so much. And I probably always will, that was the real reason I left. I couldn't stand seeing everyone being happy around someone like me, and I thought I knew better. I still do. I hated feeling so weak I left, I abandoned my responsibility and thought I could live a 'carefree life'. And I hate myself for that decision. And until I forgive myself, I always will."

Surprisingly, Mina didn't disagree with me.

She only smiled warmly at me.

"Isn't that your barrier to get over?" Mina whispered. "I think I understand now why you haven't apologised to my class, to anyone. Because you're not really sorry about what happened, are you? You are just sorry about the outcome. You still don't think you deserve to be happy with us, don't you? I know you said it, but, you still think you need to be punished for what happened even though you got your powers back and are here at U.A. again."

…

"Yeah," I nodded at her. "That's right. I think Kyoka knows that the most, and I'm pretty sure Midoriya's on the right track to understanding that fact. My responsibility to you all isn't because I still want us to be friends, that doesn't matter. It's because I led you to be who you all are. Midoriya wanted to endure it all, saving the lives of the many over the few. I led you and everyone else to hate me only to become exactly like me. I can't do much for you as a friend, even if I do come back."

"But you can do something for us as a guide," Mina finished my sentence off, nodding as she sighed heavily. "As always, you are thinking about us. You're hurting yourself again and enduring that pain because you think it's what you have to do, but it's not what you really want to do, is it?"

I didn't answer that.

"You really are a fool, Sora," Mina laughed loudly. "You know, I once liked you. Before you got with Jiro, I really did like you. Maybe that's why your words really hurt me back then, and why they still do now. Even if you still want to act like you're fine, that nothing hurts you because you don't want anyone to worry - I think that's who you really want to be deep down. An immovable object. But I also think you know that you'll never be someone like that."

I shrugged my shoulders at her.

"Sora, you're an idiot," Mina refreshingly told me for what seemed like the hundredth time. "And you already know that. You nearly gave me a heart attack when I opened the door back there. You do know that pulling a knife out of a wound is the worst thing you can do, right?"

"It was a shallow cut."

"If I hadn't opened the door, you would have been lying in a pool of your own blood!"

I winced at that.

"Nice and refreshing. Almost like having a shower," I joked, rolling my eyes at Mina's genuine concern as I coughed up blood. Shit, now of all times. "M' fine. Just a thing that happens."

"...You nearly died, you know."

"Me? As if," I lied straight to her face."Imma' outlast all of you deranged and stupid idiots. Seriously, Midoriya's a stand-up guy but what do you see in a leader like him? He's a bit slow at times, especially when it comes to how he's feeling. He's one stubborn bastard, I'll give him that."

"Pot calling kettle?"

"Cute," I threw my pillow at her in protest. "But I'm not as stubborn as him. But, iff all of you cute girls in Class A agree to do an explicit New Year calendar for me as a late Christmas present, not only will you get your apology, but you'll also get a loyal servant-,"

Mina snorted at that, throwing my pillow back at me.

"Denied. I guess not even time and isolation can remove the fact that deep down in your big heart you're a perv. I suppose that's one of your more endearing traits," Mina sighed, leaning back in her chair as she ran a hand through her hair. "That along with your kindness. Are you sure that it's not your real Quirk? If anyone else had left our Class… They would never have tried to come back to teach them a lesson."

"See! That just proves I'm special."

"Oh definitely. You were born very special with a few brain cells missing in that tiny brain of yours," Mina sarcastically replied. "Forging your trail ahead of us. Just like when you were in Class A. You really haven't learned a damn thing, have you?"

Huh?

I frowned as I stared at her in confusion, waiting for her to clarify.

"You haven't reflected on what went wrong, did you?" Mina asked me. "Between you and everyone in our class. I don't exactly get it, I just want to scream and shout at myself. But when I saw you bleeding outside, I remembered what it felt like back then. You always went and did your own thing irrespective of how we felt, and you still haven't reflected on that."

"Reflect about what exactly?"

Mina took out her phone and she showed me her lock screen photo, and for a brief second, it felt like my heart stopped beating. It was a familiar photo, one of my favourites. The one class-wide photo we had taken right before our camping trip turned to shit, one I had been given to framed as a gift by Kaminari nearly two years ago now.

The one sitting on my desk in my room.

"Sora, you were always forging a path ahead of us. Scheming away, having plans that involved us in weird but cathartic ways. You helped us when we never asked for it, and I think that's why everything turned out the way it did," Mina said to me, her bottom lip quivering. "The entire time, I viewed this photo - Our time together - As a memory that could never be recaptured. Even though you are back, you still remind me of the person you were back then."

"I've changed-,"

"You can change how you act, what your priorities are and how honest you want to be to us, sure, in those regards you've changed," Mina agreed with me. "But just like back then, you're thinking too far into the future. Ultimately, I think we relied on you because of that. Because deep down, I think you loved the way we treated you. The fact that we prioritised you to help us with our problems, that you were our hero. You liked being the one charging ahead leaving us with the only option to just follow you."

I stared at her in surprise.

Maybe…

Hm.

"Mmh. I think you're right," I told her honestly, which surprised her even more than she did me. "The truth is that things got to a breaking point because I didn't want to put my foot down and stop myself from feeling like I was underwater. Those last few months were hell for me because I was forcing myself to help you all when I should have relied on you all to help me. You all were clueless, you were too comfortable with me solving your problems."

"And in turn, you were all too happy to put your life on the line for us, even when it was the furthest thing you wanted to do at that time," Mina finished my line of thought for me, smiling sadly at the window. "It's sad, isn't it? We were so caught up in the moment that we forgot to look toward our future, and you were so focused on the future that you neglected the present. It's ironic when you break it down like that."

I chuckled at that.

"It always is. All of us were just teenage idiots not knowing how to help each other out and cause' of that, we all paid the ultimate price. Sorry for Midoriya. He was probably a pain in the arse while I was out," I apologised to her. "Let me guess, he probably mentioned the fact that you weren't there that day while you argued? That only he saw the look in my eyes… Midoriya doesn't understand that those eyes aren't something to be ashamed of. The hopelessness? It wasn't the first nor the last time I felt that."

"He might have mentioned it once or twice."

I sighed at that.

"Predictable. I know for a fact that the Shie Hassaikai raid scarred him permanently, but this is ridiculous," I muttered loudly. "You lost your innocence that day. We all did. It forced us to grow up, did it not? Sure, you weren't there to see the death, but you saw the aftermath. And that's always the worst part, knowing how to live with all that knowledge. There were nights after my coma when I'd just see the dead people's faces. Denji's. Eri's. Nighteye's. Mirio's."

Mina sniffled as I said that.

"Really?"

I nodded at her.

"Yeah. I asked Aizawa for help, well he just saw that I was awake at three in the morning and figured it out. Bastard brought a whiskey bottle from his private collection and made us drink it until the sun came up," I explained to her. "Wasn't exactly the greatest help I've ever received, but certainly not the worst. But I don't have those dreams anymore. To be honest, ever since I came back to U.A, I haven't thought about that day as much. It still affects me, yeah, but bit-by-bit it's slowly being left behind, I think."

"Really? I suppose that's a good thing."

I smirked at her.

"It's because you and the rest of your class have been occupying my mind instead. You're all the biggest idiots I know, and that says something considering I'm self-aware of how much of an idiot I am," I said, lying back down on my bed. "I know a thing or two about enduring which is why I don't understand why you all believed you could do it when I couldn't. You just kept on following the same path I once did, despite knowing how I ended up."

"You changed-,"

"Not because my eyes were opened, Mina. I changed because I was forced to change. After all, if I didn't I would have lost. Again. Because someone else would have been hurt cause' of my decisions. Because I couldn't take responsibility for my own life, so I tried to run away from it. I convinced myself that I needed to punish myself, and I still do to some extent," I thought back to just two months ago and how different I was. How Yukari, Yui and even Gyro changed me for the better. "And I realised that I was taking the easy path."

Mina's ears perked up at that.

"You were?"

I nodded at her, stretching my right hand out to the ceiling as I clenched it into a fist.

"I was running away from everything, trying to live a carefree life. I hoped that it would lead the voices inside me to go away, that one day I'd feel happy again," It was just a year ago when I thought like this, until I met Yui. "But I was a fool to think I could sever my bonds to everyone and walk away freely. That hell of loneliness was my punishment. Knowing that deep down I wanted to reach out and make things right coupled with the stubbornness to live carefreely, the anxiety of you all not accepting me even if I did come back. And I was right, none of you can accept that fact can you?"

…

Mina didn't respond to that.

"It's not because of the way I left, though it certainly played a role. The real reason you're all angry is because I didn't even try to come back, right?" I asked her, smiling as looked at me in surprise. "It took me to get stabbed to understand why you didn't want me back. Because in your eyes, I'm still not trying to come back and make things right, am I? I'm simply ignoring you all and doing my own thing. It's a bitter reminder to you all that the friend you once had isn't here anymore."

"Is it selfish to want our friend back?" Mina asked me. "It's not just me who feels this way. Kirishima and Sero feel exactly the same way. Seeing you act like what happened can never be fixed, that what's done is done pisses me the fuck off! You've never given up before, and you never will. Not when it comes to saving us, and not when it comes to doing anything in life - So why give up now when it comes to us?! Are you that afraid that we are going to hate you forever?"

"Some of you already do-,"

"And fuck them!" Mina cut me off angrily. "I love everyone in our class, I do, but if they can't at the very least get along with you then they can be the ones to fuck off. You didn't give up on Denji, and I can see the burning fire in your eyes that tells me you won't give up on Shirou even though he just stabbed you. And whatever you came back to U.A. to achieve is something that you won't give up on either, so why give up on making things right with U.A.? Why give up on being our friend again?!"

"I need to forgive myself-,"

"That's just some bullshit excuse you made up so you wouldn't even try," Mina told me. "You could easily come back, tell us what not to do and we'll be stronger friends than ever. We can all reflect on what went wrong last time. The fact is that you don't want to. Do you think that this isn't needlessly punishing yourself for a day none of us blame you for? Don't make it sound like you're doing this to save us, you're just afraid, Sora. Afraid of messing up again."

I-,

Mina stood up from her seat and slapped me across my face.

"I don't care if you're injured or not, listen up 'cause I'm not going to say this again!" Mina yelled at me. "Focus on whatever it is you came to U.A. to do! If you think you can put your fingers in all these different pies and make it out alright, you're in for a rude awakening! Stop purposely being dense and really reflect on what it is you want! You can't guide us and do whatever it is you need to do at the same time."

"I can't if I don't try-,"

Mina hit me again.

I gaped at her like a fish out of the water as she tapped her foot impatiently against the floor, her arms crossed as she huffed out annoyed. Mina was never like this, not the Mina I remembered at least.

"Let me finish my speech before I hear your silly comments! If you have that much energy about us, then come back and try to be better! If you're still too afraid to reach out, then leave us alone and focus on what you came here to do! That way none of us will feel annoyed with each other! We got ourselves into this mess, and we sure as hell don't need to divert your attention away from important matters to help us. We've done that enough already in the past. It's time we changed too!"

I sat upright on my hotel bed as I stared at Mina in awe.

"Sora Yamazaki, I don't need you to help me at all! Likewise, I won't try to help you. We're both strong enough to help ourselves, so let's just leave it at that," Mina said. "It's hard for me to say, but I don't want an apology from you. So long as you can reflect and be better, that's enough for me. You have your own path, and so do we all, so let's walk down them all together. Got it?"

"..."

Mina yawned, sitting back down on her chair.

"That really took a lot out of me. Now go and rest. Don't we have a case to solve?"

I nodded at that, smirking in surprise.

Ever since I came back, I was under the impression that my decisions changed everyone in Class A for the worst. I was just staring at the ugly truth I wanted to hear, but not the real truth. I did change them, but not all of it was bad.

Staring at the strong willed woman in front of me made me realise that no, it wasn't bad at all.

I didn't recognise the Mina in front of me.

And yet, all the same I felt happy to see her like this.

Different, but better.

"Yeah, we do. Also, can everyone stop eavesdropping? I thought it was supposed to be a private conversation."

There was an awkward silence as Mina turned around to face the door in confusion, right before it opened up and everyone in our group alongside Midnight-sensei walked in looking sheepishly at me.

"Huh? When did you guys get here?" Mina asked.

I snorted at her.

"Sis... They've been here since I woke up."

"Eh? Ehhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh?!"

Midnight laughed as she sat down on the foot of my bed.

"Are you still going forward with your plan?" Midnight asked me, and it didn't take much for me to see the concerned look flash in her eyes. "You were just stabbed, by a friend no less. I can understand if you don't want to try and arrest another friend, it isn't fair for you to go through all this again-,"

"That's precisely why I need to do it," I told her, staring at my blood-stained hands. Perhaps the blood wasn't really there, but I couldn't help but see Denji and Eri's faces as I stared at them. "If I let something as trivial as this stop me from getting over the barriers in front of me, then why the hell did I even come back to U.A. in the first place?"

"Being stabbed isn't trivial-,"

I shook my head, cutting Monoma off as I smiled warmly at him.

"Thanks, really. I know you're all looking out for my best interests, but you gotta trust me. I know what I have to do, and I have the strength to do it. To finally do what I should have done with Denji. Running away now wouldn't solve anything, it would just prove to me that I haven't changed, that I'm still the same indecisive child I was back then," I closed my eyes, exhaling loudly as I stood up from my bed. "And I won't let any of you get in my way."

Midoriya scoffed from his position as he leaned against the wall.

"Do you even have a real plan? Your friend pretty much knows everything we know-,"

"I already suspected him a few hours ago," I said, stopping Midoriya's sentence midway. "I wanted to believe in another friend, and I guess I made the wrong decision. But I still have a plan. I still believe that we can solve this case."

"How?! All you are doing is being selfish. You couldn't care less about the weapons or the Yakuza at this point, you just want to deal with Shirou! I can see it in your eyes, Sora. What's it going to be this time? Are you going to arrest him, or are you going to let him go? Have you even made that decision yet?" Midoriya asked me. "...Or are you going to be indecisive again, just like during the Shie Hassakai? I refuse to see despair reflected in your eyes ever again, Sora. Even if I have to forcefully stop you."

…

"I've already made my decision," I told him, grabbing my sword and my coat. "I'm going out now. Don't follow me."

"Huh?"

"You're injured, don't be silly!"

"That's something I refuse to allow."

"Just shut up and listen!" I yelled at them all, taking an unlit cigarette and putting it in my mouth. I needed this. "There are things I need to do, alright? I don't have a full picture yet, but I have a rough plan. I've rested enough already. You guys just go to sleep and leave the investigation work to me because when you wake up that's when the real plan starts. Got it?"

They begrudgingly accepted it, even if they weren't all too happy with it.

I flashed my detective's badge at them, just to remind them of what I was.

They couldn't interfere with my investigation under our current set of laws. There wasn't any use of a Quirk in this case as of yet, thus their jurisdiction ended right there. But I could investigate further, and I had a feeling that this is what whoever wanted this to happen really wanted.

Whether it was Nezu or someone else.

It didn't matter.

I wasn't going to be a pawn in anyone's game!

---

Standing at their door, I couldn't help but grip my sword tightly.

"Brother…?" Slowly opening the door, I saw Sakura rub her eyes tiredly as she looked at me in confusion. "Sora? Sorry, I thought you were Shirou. Do you by any chance know where he is?"

"That's why I came here," I replied. "Shirou… We need to talk, Sakura."

"What happened? Is he in trouble?" Sakura asked, her voice rising slightly as I could see it in her eyes. Panic. "Sora, tell me my brother's alive. Please. Sora, why aren't you saying anything? Sora?!"

"He's alive. I just… Let's talk inside, it'll be easier for you to hear it." I told her quietly. Following her inside, I could see that she had fallen asleep in the living room judging by the fact that the TV was still on. "The self-proclaimed Hero of Musutafu, Death Arms, has once again proven that his nickname isn't just for show! The hero was seen earlier today saving a school bus filled with middle school kids after a nasty villain used their Quirk to-,"

Sakura shut the TV off as she sat down on the floor, rubbing her eyes to try and stay awake.

"What is this about?"

I sat down opposite her and I took a deep breath and exhaled loudly.

"Your father," I started. "He's dead, isn't he?"

Sakura flinched at that as she refused to meet my eyes.

"How?"

"How did I figure it out? He's been ill ever since I first became friends with you two all those years ago, and he's not here now. Hell, there aren't any photos of him up. I guess he died recently, right?"

"...Two months ago. Christmas Day."

I nodded at that.

"Sorry for your loss… But your Dad, he died with a smile on his face, right?" Sakura nodded in response. "I want to apologise for not being there for you, for not being there for Shirou. I guess I sort of understand it now. But even if I was here for you, I don't think I could have changed the outcome."

"What does this have to do with Shirou? Sora, please, is my brother in trouble?"

"When did you move into this apartment?"

Sakura's face twisted in confusion.

"Around a month ago. Shirou said he got a promotion in work, his salary was basically tripled and he even got his own office. Weird considering he's still on an internship, but it's not like I care to understand how his company works," Sakura told me. "Why? Is there anything wrong with it?"

…

I see.

So that's Shirou's role in all this.

I guess I really was blind the entire time.

"Shirou…" I paused as I looked into Sakura's eyes and swallowed whatever pride I had left in me. I lifted up my top and heard Sakura gasp in shock. "Shirou stabbed me. He was aiming to kill me, I think. Your brother has been helping his company make and sell weapons that are highly dangerous. And none of it is legal, obviously. I've been investigating the case, and well…"

"No-, Your-, That's-,"

"I know. It's Shirou, a friend that means a lot to me - your brother. The same goofball that used to spend lunchtime sat next to me as we daydreamed what supermodel we'd take on a date," I smiled sadly as I thought back to our friendship. The good days. "But those days were years ago now. We've all grown up. Sakura, I know telling you this is hard, but what I'm going to do is even harder. But it's a decision I have to make…"

"Sora-!"

Sakura's eyes latched onto me as tears ran down her cheeks.

"What are you going to do?"

I sighed as I closed my eyes and thought back to that day.

"I'm going to do what I should have done to Denji a year and a half ago," I answered honestly. "Hesitation only dulls a blade, and that's what happened to me. I hesitated. But this time, my mind is clear and I know what I have to do - I accept that responsibility wholeheartedly. There isn't any doubt in my heart, even if you're going to hate me for it, after all he's the last family member you have."

"...You're really going to fight him, aren't you?"

I smiled genuinely at Sakura.

"Yeah. I came here just to tell you about Shirou, about what I'm going to eventually do," I told her as I stood up from the floor. "You deserve to know at the very least. Just in case… I can't guarantee that things are going to go good, that Shirou will still be alive after this-,"

"Things won't go bad-,"

"You don't know that," I cut her off. "I can't promise anything. Shirou got mixed up with the Yakuza, with illegal weapon manufacturers. If you think this life is something easy to walk away from, then you're wrong. This has already backfired on him, what happens now isn't anything I can stop. I can't promise I can protect him, Sakura. I'm not going to-,"

"Are you afraid of failing again?" Sakura's words cut right through me and I deflated immediately. "It's okay to be afraid of failure, Sora. That just makes you human. You know, looking back at it, the only reason we all became friends was because of you. You were like our Sun, pulling us all together and we were happy to just be spinning around your orbit. Because despite your fear, you still want to walk forward. And there is a name for that."

Nodding, I made sure I had everything with me as I bowed my head to her, making my way to the main door. It was an apologetic bow, truthfully I could see the frustration in her eyes.

I…

I lost another friend.

There was no other way to put it, there was no going back. She was right. Everyone was right. I was afraid of failing, but despite that fear I did continue to walk forward, and there was a name for that.

Courage.

---

Neito Monoma POV

"I'm worried."

It was only two words, but they perfectly encapsulated how Neito Monoma felt as he anxiously waited in his hotel room. Sora had left hours ago. The fact that he still hadn't returned meant something - Either he was still doing some research, or the more likely cause, he was doing something absolutely reckless. Luckily, his sentiments were shared across the group.

"We just have to trust him," Ashido said. "It's the only way. Anyway, can't we get breakfast?"

"How can we do that?" Midoriya voiced his concerns. And while Midoriya was harsh on his friend, he was also right. Neito couldn't deny anything Midoriya had said about Sora, and neither could the man in question. "He didn't tell us anything at all about what he was going to do. As usual, he's leaving us in the dark."

"M-maybe he has a reason to do so?" Ashido argued. "I mean c'mon, it's not like any of us know his friend Shirou. If anyone were to get more information on him, it would be Sora. He's not maliciously keeping information away from us-,"

"He never kept information maliciously from us, Mina. Why do you think our friendship became a shitshow? At least if he did keep information from us because he didn't like us, it would be easier to ignore him," Midoriya scoffed. "You're rushing to be his friend again, especially after your little heart-to-heart. His reasons don't matter when he's keeping crucial information away from us."

Ashido's temper flared as she glared at her classmate.

"Of course you would say that, but when it comes to you withholding information suddenly it becomes all okay," Ashido mocked him. "Pot calling kettle? What other secrets are you hiding, Midoriya?!""

"That's none of your business. My secrets aren't going to cause the death of fifty-nine people! My secrets aren't going to hurt you or anyone else because my secrets aren't something that relates to me specifically," Midoriya yelled in response. "It's like we're going in circles. Mina, haven't you realised it? You say Sora's changed, that he won't hurt us again, but you have no idea how he feels."

Mina's eyes widened slightly at that.

"I have to agree with him," Neito threw his opinion in, drawing both of their attention. "It's unfair to pretend like what happened between you guys has been wiped away. Ashido, you're forcing yourself to do so. Please, stop. If Sora were here, he'd tell you the exact same thing."

"...was it that obvious?"

Midoriya's eyes softened as Ashido whispered that.

"It takes courage to do what you're doing. Certainly, more courage than I have," Midoriya admitted. "Seeing Sora makes my blood boil. I won't sugarcoat it - When I first heard he had come back to U.A. I wanted to fight him. I took our battle training so seriously that I forgot to never underestimate Sora, I just wanted to beat him so badly. I don't think I can accept the fact that he doesn't want to try and make things right between us, I just can't."

"I think what you said was right, Ashido. Sora's just afraid. I think it's gotten stuck in his head that he failed once, and inevitably he'll fail again. Despite that, he's still trying to make things right and ignore that fear," Neito told them proudly. It was a quality he most admired. "Sora remembered his responsibility to you all, to himself, that's why he came back. And since coming back he's had to do a lot of reflecting - especially on how he treated you guys, and what he can do to make things better. He just needs to…"

"Change," Midnight finished his sentence for him. "Sora needs to change. Yes, he's changed a considerable amount from the person he once was - But there are still a few things he has to change. Not just within himself, but in the world around him. You all knew Sora Yamazaki as the hero Aozora, and now you're starting to learn about Sora Yamazaki, the detective. But all of you haven't realised that these are just his masks."

"His masks? You mean he isn't being truthful to himself?" Ashido asked in confusion.

Midnight nodded in response.

"He wasn't back then. And he still isn't now. I understand that what I'm about to tell you will probably make Sora lose all his trust in the staff at U.A., and I already know Shota is going to lose his shit with me, but you all deserve to know," Midnight exhaled as she stared at the door, her gaze lingering on it for a few seconds as she tried to formulate what she had to say. "Do you remember the villain All Might killed on live TV last year? A lot of this is what Shota revealed to me considering it concerns both Sora and him, but also me and Hizashi to some extent."

Surprisingly, at least in Neito's opinion, it was Midoriya's reaction that was most curious.

"That villain's name was All For One. Now I don't know all the specific details, but from what Shota's explained to me, Sora was made by All For One," Midnight revealed them. "An experiment. Sora's biological father was Shota, Hizashi and I's best friend from when we were at U.A. Oboro Shirakumo. It's why Sora and Shota are so close. And from what I've also heard, Setsuna Tokage was also another product of these experiments, which explains their weird but close friendship."

Midoriya was the first and only person to react to that information, and rather violently too. Much to their surprise, he sat still for a few seconds as his brain processed the information before he stood up and threw his chair across the room, breaking it into different pieces.

"Fuck."

And for once, Neito Monoma couldn't help but agree.

There were multiple masks that Sora Yamazaki wore - The only issue was which one was the real him if there even was a real one. Neito still had hope, however. The real Sora was his friend, and that was that.

---

"So, what's this? Good cop, bad cop routine, ne?"

Standing in front of me wearing white traditional robes, Tadami Arakida looked at me as if he had caught prey. It was unnerving to say the least, especially with his snake-like eyes that simply stared not just at me - but beyond even myself. I was back at his factory, the one owned by the Yakuza of this city.

The White Orchid Dragons.

"Not exactly," I replied, brandishing my sword. "But you will tell me what I want to hear."

"Oh? And why's that?"

Before he or any of his men could even move, I held my sword just a few centimetres away from his neck, close enough where a single lunge from me would pierce his throat, killing him instantly.

"Because I'm angry, Tadami. You're the one that sent me around this wild goose chase for a crate of missing weapons that you yourself stole," Within seconds, members of the Yakuza drew their weapons. Pistols, knives. "Tell your men to back off or else they won't like what I'll do to them."

"And pray tell me, detective, what is it that you'll do exactly?" Tadami pushed gleefully. "Slit my throat? Kill everyone in this room? You came here all alone, without any backup, and your plan was to threaten me for information? I considered you a smart man, but I suppose even I can be wrong sometimes."

"I didn't come here to kill anyone. Tell me where you put the crate of weapons and I'll leave," I replied. "Hell, I'll even owe you a favour or two. I know that you Yakuza like favours, so how about that?"

"Now why would I want to do that?" Tadami grinned, pushing my blade away with just a single finger. "What you are asking me is impossible. To betray my own family and aid a detective isn't just suicide, there won't be a safe place for me in the whole of this country. Congratulations, you figured out the mystery but I still won't help you. So why did you come here, all alone if it isn't to slaughter me and my men?"

Tch.

I lowered my sword as I detested that smile on his face.

"Why don't we negotiate like men, son-,"

"I'm not your son," I cut him off angrily. "And I haven't figured it out yet. Not by a long shot. What's your Yakuza clan so afraid of that they want to have a monopoly on the weapons industry?"

Bingo.

Tadami's eyes widened as I said that, a low chuckle escaping from the man as he looked at me in awe, the bastard probably thought that I couldn't figure it out. But I was done being a pawn in someone's game.

Whether it was his, Shirou's or even Nezu's.

"You picked up on that. Well done. But I still refuse to answer your questions, at least not here," With a snap of his fingers, the weapons his men were holding and even pointing at me disappeared as they dispersed and eventually went. "How about we take this conversation to my office? There we won't be interrupted. I can't help you, but at the very least we can clear up any confusion."

I briefly stared at the clock.

It was two in the morning.

"Fine. But make it quick."

Tadami smirked at that.

"Don't you even worry about it. I'll have a car waiting for you to drive you back to your hotel afterwards. Don't you go back to Musutafu tomorrow evening?"

"..."

"Cold, ice cold. Strong and silent type deep down, huh? Wouldn't have pegged you as one, but I suppose everyone gets the wrong impression of someone every now and then, especially with the complicated souls,"Tadami told me as he led me to his office. It was big and minimalist in nature, just exactly what I expected from the man. "Hopefully you don't find me shallow. I just have a certain… Expectation to uphold in my line of work, I do hope that you understand."

We sat opposite each other as he poured a glass of whiskey for both him, but also myself.

"Sora Yamazaki. You know, when U.A. came knocking on my front door with a request, I thought that your principal was out of his goddamn mind," Tadami told me, drinking his alcohol neat without even blinking. "A joint operation between the Yakuza, Heroes and the police? But as I'm sure you're now aware, nothing in life is so simple."

"Nezu wanted us to take your case. Why?"

"Something about 'showing you all the true nature of this world'. A bunch of bullshit in my opinion, it's clear to see that Nezu of all people was just using me and the White Orchid Dragons as a pawn in his game," Tadami admitted. "Something you already guessed, judging by that look on your face. But being a part of this game has allowed my clan to gain access to weapons. Good weapons. So tell me, why are you here at two in the morning?"

"...The weapons manufacturers. They aren't just people looking to make a quick buck, selling technology that they couldn't use at their company. They're criminals looking for something more than just that, and I thought talking to you could help me understand both their actions, but also yours," I answered. "Why do you need the weapons? You practically control this city from the shadows. So why the hell are you interested in them? In maintaining a monopoly with them?"

"You make a fair point. Most of the elected officials either take bribes from us or have inadvertently ignored us, keeping us safe. And Ryukyu? Oh, me and her go way back. Elementary school to be precise. We all have our fair share of skeletons, and none more so than her," Tadami admitted. "...But I'm sure you know that, or guessed it. That's how this city is run. A simple fact of life. I'm sure you know how your city is also run because Musutafu isn't all that much different."

I shrugged my shoulders at that.

I had seen that fact of life first hand.

That didn't mean it was right, but I had more questions and not enough time to discuss moral philosophy with a hardened criminal of all people. I lifted my glass, taking a shot of the whiskey before I opened my mouth to speak once more.

"Who are you afraid of?"

Tadami snorted at my question.

"The criminal underworld never sleeps. If you don't think that groups like Stain and that cult of his down South, or the League of Villains don't pose a threat to me and my clan despite our very different spaces, then you have another thing coming," Tadami said bitterly. "It's always a race to survive. If it's not supervillains wanting to jump in on the fun, it's men who want to play God. People like Overhaul and the Shie Hassaikai. You get rid of one ambitious man, and another jumps right in."

"Okay,so you're afraid of other Yakuza. Who?"

"Ah, ah, ah," Tadami wagged his finger as he tutted at me. "You answer my question first. Why a detective? A detective in the hero track at U.A. is most unusual, and I can hardly believe it myself. You're legally the only Hero in the country who is able to investigate crimes that have had Quirks used as well as crimes that haven't had any Quirks used in them. Someone as young as you has more power than even All Might. Why?"

"...This is the only path I can take. I don't care about wearing a costume, another mask, and keeping public appearances," I told him truthfully. "Being a detective - Saving people the way I want to as a Hero - That's all I've ever known. But it's also allowing me to find out more and investigate something personal to me, and as a Hero, I wouldn't have gotten that opportunity."

Tadami nodded in response.

"I see. Well, I guess I'll answer your question finally. It's Kansai. The south of Japan. Some young upstart is trying to start a gang war, similar to Overhaul's big ideas, only this time it'll be region versus region," Tadami said. "Think of all the chaos and destruction something like that will cause. And I guess it's even worse considering, whatever happens, the Heroes won't be able to investigate. All the children, women and men could be killed and the Heroes won't be able to lift a single finger."

"What?!"

Tadami nodded as he finished his drink.

"Oh yes. The lobbyists, political leaders and even Cabinet members all voted for this law, did they not?. For some God-forsaken reason, the Heroes can't investigate a crime where Quirks haven't been used anymore - That's the job of the police only. But the police are just as corrupt, we all know that. If a gang war breaks out across the country, the pockets of those commissioners and chiefs in charge who were taking bribes before are now going to triple. A lot of blood is going to be spilt on the streets…"

"Almost like someone planned it," I bitterly said. "If something this nasty was brewing the entire time, why the hell did our government pass such a law? This is-, Damnit!"

Tadami nodded in agreement.

"Oh, I agree. Perhaps, for some reason, the government wanted this outcome. I mean ever since the Shie Hassaikai raid, companies that support heroes, the HPSC itself and so many agencies representing Heroes have been under attack. The questions the public asks nowadays have changed. Before it used to be what it means to be a Hero, and now people really ask if we even need Heroes," Tadami chuckled. "It's curious how decades of progress has halted and is even regressing. I suppose that's the fickle nature of humanity."

"Kansai. Are you sure they want to make a move here?"

Tadami nodded.

"You know, Kansai represents the West. And while I love Tohoku, we aren't a powerhouse like Kanto is. The East. And do you know where the East and the West meet? The middle. Or more commonly known as Musutafu," I grimaced as he said that. "I think you know that if a gang war breaks out, it'll be your city that suffers first. A city that's suffered a great deal already. I wonder if it's God punishing your city for whatever crimes have been committed there."

"..."

"And if fighting does break out, the weapons I took will be able to defend both my home and the innocents. I'm not a Hero, but the fact that the heroes won't be able to do anything leaves a sour taste in my mouth," Tadami bitterly spat out. "It's like our government couldn't care less about its citizens even if they tried. I'd rather not use the weapons, detective. I'd rather a gang war doesn't sweep across the country leaving mountains of bodies everywhere. So tell me, is it wrong to feel fear?"

"..."

"Is it wrong for me and my clan to hold onto those weapons? To give them out if such a time were to come when they will be needed to protect our home? To protect what's necessary? Just like the age of the Yakuza once did, the age of Heroes is swiftly coming to an end," Tadami told me fervently. "Change is coming. And it's going to sweep this country off its axis and into the absurd. That is fate. And I haven't even mentioned Stain and his cult, the League of Villains, and even that fool in charge of the Meta Liberation Army. This country is in for some turbulent times, and I have to wonder if you Heroes are strong enough to shield everyone from what's to come."

"..."

"Not saying anything, huh? Cat got your tongue?"

"...I get it now. But I just still have one more question," I narrowed my eyes as I stared at Tadami. It still didn't add up. "How did the people at Toyota get enough funds to start manufacturing experimental weapons? You bought them out of fear, which means they were manufacturing them anyway, but it doesn't make sense for them to know about this gang war. There is no way they can get money legally to fund a project such as weapons without getting caught by the government. They had to have been funded somehow."

Tadami hummed in response.

"I see. I didn't think of that actually," He replied, stroking his chin. "How did they get the money to manufacture these weapons? They don't have the backing of any large criminal organisation, and they were the ones to approach us after all."

"What?!"

Tadami nodded.

"Yeah. They came to us right as soon as we caught wind of big moves being made in Kansai," Tadami explained to me. "The elders of my clan jumped in on what was being sold immediately, much to my displeasure. But they were the ones who contacted us for a business deal."

…

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

Was this what Nezu wanted us to investigate?

I had a sinking feeling the more we talked about it because there were too many coincidences lining up. And I didn't like the picture that was starting to be formed, it wasn't even the implications, it was just how brazen it all was. And Tadami had a similar look on his face as we both sat in silence, digesting our conversation.

"You know, you're a detective. This is some serious shit if what we've discussed is actually similar to the truth… Well, I don't think I need to tell you how much outrage it's going to cause," Tadami spoke. "Be careful. Don't poke your nose into things that don't need to be looked into, you'll regret it."

I snorted at that.

"Now the career criminal is giving me advice? Listen, thanks for the concern but I'm seeing this through to the end," I replied. "If I can't even do something as simple as that, then I might as well quit here."

Tadami sighed, shrugging his shoulders at me.

"Suit yourself then. You know, you remind me of someone. He didn't exactly work for me, but I ran a few jobs with a kid like you a few years back. He wasn't that much older than you. It's not like he was a part of the White Orchid Dragons, he was just a contractor. Blonde hair, snarky, he even had an equally weird name like you," Tadami told me. "What was his name again? Ah, I remember. Raiden."

….?

"Excuse me, did you just say Raiden?" I asked in confusion.

"Yeah. The kid was a bit like you. I mean, he even looked similar now that I think about it. You know him?"

"S-something like that."

Raiden… my biological brother…

He was here once.

I couldn't help but smile - Yukari was right.

He's alive.

I could keep my promise to her.

"Boss!" Running into the room looking panicked, one of Tadami's workers had sweat dripping down his forehead as he shook his head in shock. "Boss. We're under attack."

The mood quickly shifted as Tadami rushed to the window in his office and swore loudly.

"Fuck. Detective, are you sure you weren't followed?"

"Pretty sure. Who is it?"

"Who do you think? Looks like these scumbags want their weapons back," Tadami grinned cruelly, and I was reminded that the man in front of me wasn't normal by any definition I had heard of. "Detective. Do you trust me?"

I stood up from the couch and narrowed my eyes at him.

"About as far as I can throw you. Which isn't all that far in the first place," I joked. "But… you're not a bad person. Not every Hero is a good person, likewise, not every Yakuza is a bad person. Not every villain deserves to be punished. But you're not a power-hungry person, you don't want anyone to lose their lives meaninglessly when you can prevent it. That sort of responsibility is rare to see in anyone. So yeah, I'll trust you with this one."

Tadami chuckled at that as he threw me a key.

I stared down at the key in shock.

"You know kid, trust like that is going to get you killed one day. But I don't think you care, right? Make sure no one gets their hands on that key. If you want to arrest the bastards that made them and follow a trail, that's your ticket to the weapons," Tadami told me as he pulled out a machine gun from his desk. "You're the one that said this is your case. You promised you'd see it through to the end. So don't disappoint me, got it? Because I'm deciding to trust you. Now run. I got this. You go and solve this before it's too late."

I gulped as I nodded at him confidently.

"Understood!"

---

"We need to go. Now," I told everyone back in the hotel room. "We don't have much time left."

"Huh?"

"It's four in the morning."

"Sora, relax," Midnight tried calming me down. "Explain."

I shook my head as I rushed to the window and looked at each corner of the street outside. It wasn't adding up. How the hell would a company like Toyota get armoured goons? They weren't in that business. The only logical explanation was that they hired mercenaries, which only raised more questions about how they got the money to do something like that.

I was missing something!

"Sora? You're scaring us," Mina's voice snapped me out of my thoughts. "Calm down. What's going on? Why don't we have enough time? And why the hell are you checking out the street outside the hotel?"

"Tadami was attacked by hired mercenaries," I told them, ignoring their gasps of shock as I closed the curtains and pulled out my sword. "We have a few hours to solve this case fully. They are either looking to reclaim their weapons or destroy them, and I'm not sure which is worse."

"If they destroy the weapons then no one is hurt," Midoriya reasoned. "Sometimes, you have to sacrifice capturing the true masterminds in order to keep the ordinary peace. That's how life works."

"I have to agree with Midoriya here," Midnight chimed in. "If what you say is true, Sora, then this is far too dangerous of a case to poke our noses in. Don't forget, you're all just students after all."

"Sora. Listen to them," Monoma whispered to me.

"I hate to say it, but maybe this is it," Kodai shrugged her shoulders at me.

…

"...No. I refuse to let it end here," I said, shaking my head at them. "Turning my back and living my life in ignorance because I got cold feet is something I won't do. Something I've never done and never will do. There's something bigger going on here, and I'm not going to let it go until I uncover the truth. That's who I really am. And anyway, I have the key to the weapons. Suddenly, I've become the most valuable person in the game."

Dangling the key in front of their eyes, everyone looked at me in shock.

"Huh? Is that really-,"

"Yep," I cut Mina off with a smirk. "Those bastards are going to come to us. We hold all the cards in this situation, we're the ones who can control the rest of the game. I'm taking the fight to them, and they're not getting this key no matter what. "

"...you're crazy," Monoma laughed. "Your plan is to swindle the bastards that would attack a Yakuza clan outright? They'd kill us in an instant without hesitating! Sora, I know your friend is on the other side, but you have to let go-,"

"This isn't about that!" I yelled at him. "I-, I know it seems like I'm doing this to save Shirou. That I'm just repeating the same mistakes I made with Denji back in the Shie Hassaikai raid, and I know I have no right to ask any of you in this room to do this but please - trust me! I don't have to do this alone. I don't want to do this alone. And I want to trust you, but you gotta trust me in return too!"

Maybe I was wrong.

Even Monoma, one of my closest friends, wasn't able to look at me. And I couldn't blame him, or any of them. What had I ever done to earn that trust? All I ever did as Aozora was betray them, all I ever did was hurt them and break their trust over and over again.

I was asking for the impossible.

Maybe… Maybe I should have done this alone-,

"...Alright," Mina said to me. "I'm in."

"Huh?"

"I'll trust you, even if I'm afraid of trusting you again. Even if every part of my body is telling me not to do so, and even if you've broken my trust before, I can see it in your eyes. You aren't trying to deceive us, you aren't trying to ruin anything," Mina stepped forward towards me without a single care in the world. "I'll trust you, Sora Yamazaki. I'll try and believe in you again, because after everything that's happened, you at least deserve that. A second chance."

"I trust you too," Monoma added as he grinned at me. "I can't allow you to do this on your own. If you have a plan, even if it means going to Hell and back, I'll follow you all the way there."

"Not like there's anything else I can do," Kodai spoke up. "Count me in."

"Ha. I guess even the tables can turn when pushed hard enough," Midnight laughed softly. "I'm with you, Yamazaki. I wouldn't be able to look Shota in the eye if I didn't at the very least help you, and I wouldn't be able to call myself a teacher or a Hero if I left things like this."

Finally, it was Izuku Midoriya's turn.

He stood up as he faced me fully, not shying away from staring deep into my eyes.

"All For One created you," He told me. It wasn't a question, it was a statement. "I guess I should have known, considering you had more than one Quirk, considering you went to him during our summer camp to find out the truth about yourself. You lied to us about so many things just to keep your damn secrets. It was because you were afraid of what we'd do to you if we ever found out, wasn't it?"

"...yeah."

"And you were also scared that if you told everyone about what happened that day, we'd all blame you," Midoriya continued. "Perhaps that's why you were so convinced that you needed to punish yourself. So that eventually, you'd be able to look us in the eyes without the guilt of what happened dragging you down. You should know I never blamed you for that day. It was all Overhaul's fault. I was in your corner that day. It was a tragedy and none of it was your fault specifically."

"Yeah. I know."

"I've strived to never be weak like I was that day ever again. That I'd be able to save everyone if I put my mind to it! But that strength isn't something one man can attain, All Might couldn't do it, let alone me," Midoriya told me. "And not even you could attain that power. Ultimately, I'll do anything to be a Hero. To protect as many people as I can, even if it hurts, even if I have to be someone you all hate, because that's the best thing we can do."

"That's all any of us can do," I agreed with him. "And I do agree with you. Or, I agreed with you once. I don't have the strength to do what you're doing, Izuku."

"You understand me more than I care to admit, and I think I understand you better now. The fear that courses through your body because of your secrets is in parallel to the secrets and fears I hold," Midoriya admitted as he raised his right hand. "But despite that, you want to continue to fight. We both do. That takes courage. You want to fight so you can never blame yourself again, and I respect that. So until you change whatever it is that's preventing you from coming back to Class A - a place I think you belong - I can work with you."

I shook his hand firmly.

"Heh, got it."

"Man, our little group's back together!" Mina yelled, wrapping her arms around both Midoriya's and my own shoulders. Despite trying to hide it, both Midoriya and I caught the small tears that fell down her face. While Midoriya smiled softly at her, I couldn't help but grin in response.

Those months I spent all alone in isolation - I don't regret them. Even after Yukari's sacrifice, it was because of that time all alone struggling with myself that I was able to grow.

How could I ever regret the mistakes that I learned a lesson from?

But I could freely admit how much of a fool I was.

Whenever I remembered the past, there was a sharp pain in my chest. Perhaps it was the guilt, but perhaps it was my love for everyone in Class A that made me feel that way. The way they sparkled endlessly under the sun while I was always stuck in the shadows, the way that they were always standing in front of me, the fact was that I was always chasing them from behind.

I wasn't back in Class A.

Many members of Class A still probably hated my guts.

I'd never be accepted by all of them.

But for a brief moment, all the negative thoughts in my head about Class A and their relationship with me disappeared. And the past that I clung to - It didn't feel like it was a memory that would never be seen again.

It felt real.

"So, what's the plan?" Kodai asked me.

I hummed in response as I stared at the key in my hands.

"You're not going to like this…"

---

I stared at my watch.

Nine AM.

I sat outside the Toyota building wearing my standard uniform, only I was wearing a pair of cheap shades I had bought at the local store which still had the price tag attached to them. Most salarymen were beginning to turn up to work, and each and every one of them stared at me in confusion as they passed me in order to walk to their office. And I smiled at each and every one of them.

Bzzt.

Bzzt.

Bzzt-,

"Yo," I answered cheerfully. "How's the preparations?"

"Done. Are you sure this is going to work?" Midnight's voice asked me. "This is a risky gamble. I know your plans usually involve a lot of moving parts, but if this even works the way you want it to there is still a chance that we don't get the outcome we want the most. You're gambling on the truth here."

"Aren't we all?" I questioned her, a bright smile on my face as I nodded at another worker who looked at me as if I had grown a second head. "This isn't a race against time, it's a race to see who uncovers the truth first. Whether the manufacturers find out where their stolen weapons were from or if we find out who they are first. Currently, we're the ones with the upper hand since only we know where the weapons are located."

"...Be careful."

"I always am. Ciao. I think it's time."

Closing the phone, I stared straight ahead as a group of workers left the main building and began to make a beeline for me. It was funny. They were all dressed up in suits and looked prepared to conduct 'business' and not the particularly nice kind, and walking alongside them was none other than Shirou.

"Detective," The leader acknowledged me. He looked like your average Japanese businessman, and if I didn't know that he was likely in charge of manufacturing and selling weapons, I'd assume he was a nice fella'. "I believe you have some… information that could be beneficial to us."

"Is that so?" I asked, taking a good look at the group.

Six guys, two women.

I had no idea if they were armed or not, and I didn't want to test that theory out anyway.

"Sora. Please, just drop the act," Shirou pleaded with me. "...They already know. And so do I. Don't make this any harder than it has to be."

"...fine," I reached deep into my pockets and pulled out a key. "You want the weapons? I have the key to them. You kill me, you won't know where to use the key. If you steal the key from me, you'll have even less of an idea of where to use it. You threaten to kill me or anyone I care about, and I'll destroy the key in front of your very eyes. You'll listen to me, and me alone, because if not my friends will send a copy of the key to the local and national news stations. Do you think you have enough time to run damage control before the papers are printed?"

The leader of the group growled in response but ultimately said nothing to me.

"You so much as try anything and I'll make sure you can never hold a knife in any direction again. See here's how it is going to go - And if you don't accept any of the terms then you can walk because I refuse to settle for anything less," I told them. "You," I pointed at the leader of the group. "You'll call whoever's in charge of this operation. You make sure to tell them that if they want what this key has hidden, then they better come down here and introduce themselves. Meanwhile, the rest of you can fuck off. Apart from Shirou, you stay."

"Detective, I'm not sure-,"

"As, ah, ah. What did I say?" I asked with a smile on my face, twirling the key around my finger. "I consider myself a nice person, so I'll give you another chance. Do as I say or I walk."

One of the women near the back snorted.

"Oh yeah? It's eight against one. How far do you think you can really get-,"

She was cut off as a red dot suddenly appeared on her chest.

"Threaten me again and whatever happens is going to be your responsibility. At least until you bleed to death," I told them, taking off my cheap sunglasses. "My friend with the sniper? He's a good shot. I think. Either way, I'm the one in control here. So either you can follow my simple instructions, or you can face the consequences."

The leader of the group gritted his teeth in response.

"...fine. I accept your commands."

"Brilliant. Tell your boss that they have ten minutes to get down here and that they should prepare a car. For myself, them and Shirou," I paused as my stomach grumbled. "Also tell them that I'm hungry. Breakfast makes me a lot more agreeable."

"Agreeable?"

I nodded.

"Mmh. I'm willing to conduct business with you and your… group," I told them. "I want in."

Those three words had a ripple effect across the group. It wasn't long until they all dispersed, other than Shirou who stood still and didn't dare try and make eye contact with me.

"You… you…"

"I spoke to your sister, by the way," I said to him. "Your dad died two months ago. Is that when you joined this? At least, that's the timeline I made in my , you joined so that you could pay the bills for you and your sister? Continue to live here even after your Dad's death, right?"

"...you have everything figured out, don't you?" Shirou asked me. "I've made my choice, Sora. These people - They'll kill me if I leave now. I knew that when I joined. I know that I can never go back to the person I once was, so please don't make me hurt you again-,"

"Don't bullshit me, Shirou. You joined out of your free will, and maybe they have threatened you, or Sakuram if you put a toe out of line. But you had the chance to get help," I told him. "I'm not judging you for making your decisions. I have no right to judge them. But I'm not offering you a way out for you, I can't do that. I won't. I'm just telling you the truth."

"Then what the hell are you doing?! Do you seriously think that you can just join us? This isn't a club you can waltz into!" Shirou warned me. "Are you sure you know what decisions you want to make? Because you can't save me. I-, I don't need to be saved!"

"You made that clear when you stabbed me, mate," I joked. "But it's not about that either. I can't save you. I don't want to save you because ultimately, you don't think that you're in the wrong. I could yell and scream at you all I want, but that'll just make us not understand each other even more. That's why I went to Sakura first. It's why I'm asking you to tell your story, not so I can try and save you but so I can understand."

It was something I never did with Denji.

I just tried to save him without understanding a single thing about why he joined the Shie Hassaikai, and why he wanted to fight for them. And they were answers I'd never get because Denji died before I even got the chance to pull my head outta my arse and ask him for them.

They were mistakes I wasn't going to repeat again.

"My Dad did die," Shirou admitted as he sat down next to me. "While Sakura mourned him, I had to be strong. But Dad died because he couldn't take the surgery I wanted to pay for him. He refused it. Ultimately, if I had pushed more, my father would still have been alive. I-, I didn't earn much from my apprenticeship. Certainly not enough to live in this city all alone without him, but that's when they came."

I nodded as I listened to his story.

"I already tore my family away from Musutafu, our home, I didn't want to tear Sakura away from another place again," Shirou admitted. "I just don't want her to snap out of her grief and blame me. If we hadn't moved here, Dad wouldn't have needed surgery to live. It was the stress of this city that hurt his already frail body. I just wanted to protect what family I had left."

"And they offered money?"

Shirou nodded in response.

"Triple my salary. I even got my own office. A when you came knocking, I panicked. I knew that they would see what was happening so when you told me to take everyone to who I assumed was in charge of the manufacturing, I went to my bosses and told them what was happening so they wouldn't hurt Sakura. I'm sorry. But you were slowly getting closer and closer to the truth, and it was between you or my only remaining family…"

"I get it," I told him. "I don't blame you."

"You… don't?"

I shook my head, staring wistfully up at the sky.

"How could I? You're an idiot, a real fucking dumbass. To be honest, I want to punch you hard enough to knock all your teeth out, but to say that I don't empathise with you is a lie," I said honestly. "Because I was once in your position too. I was powerless. It was either allowing my family to die or trying to fight an assassin and because of that, I trusted the wrong person too. I understand how you feel."

"Y-you do?" Shirou asked hopefully.

"Yeah. So don't take this personally."

"Huh?"

Before Shirou could even respond, I punched him in the face so hard he tumbled backwards. I watched as he rolled down the stairs, and it was sort of funny in a twisted sense.

I sighed at him, shaking my head at my once old friend.

"You shouldn't have alienated your sister, you fucking idiot," I told him as I walked down the stairs. "You say you did this for your family, but that's just your excuse. You do care for Sakura, and you do want the best for her. I care for my family too. And I did want to protect them. But I also won't deny the fact that I felt so powerless and helpless that I jumped at the first chance to get my powers back, to fight again. That was a decision made purely for me. You did this for yourself, don't twist it and say it was only for your family."

"That's-,"

"The hard truth," I cut him off. "You can choose not to accept it, deny it all you like, but we both know that it's the truth deep down. That's why I'm so annoyed right now because I completely understand why you made such a foolish decision. You just wanted some control over your life. I wanted that too, but I just didn't understand it. The man I was trying to fight was someone I understood more than I tried to ever understand myself. Because the assassin? It could have been me in another world."

"..."

I helped Shirou up with a sad smile on my face.

"You never realise how much something means to you until it's gone," I told him. "For me, it was my Quirks. They were always there for me, allowing me to protect everyone I wanted to protect. My powers allowed me to fight, but then I was forced to sacrifice them. I was put in a position where I couldn't help but sacrifice them in order to stay true to myself, to protect."

"Why?"

I laughed.

"Because I had already lost one friend, I didn't want to lose anymore. The man I fought couldn't let go of his bitter past, the only thing I could do was allow him the chance to let go," I explained. "I could have remained bitter, just like him. I could have ignored everyone just a little bit longer, I could have continued to ignore my own heart. But someone gave me that same chance to change."

"...you think you can do the same for me?" Shirou asked.

"I don't think so. I know I can," I told him. "I can't save you, and I couldn't save that man. It was never possible for me to save Denji either. Because the only person who can save you is yourself. I understand that now."

"..."

Shirou stared at me in surprise, and I didn't blame him.

If it wasn't for Yukari, I'd be stuck in the same cycle that Gyro was. Always being tied down by the past, unable to live in the present. And if it wasn't for Gyro, I never would have learned to appreciate my powers and how much they really meant to me - Not just as tools for me to fight and protect, but parts of my very being.

But it was because of myself that I had the courage to change.

And that was the only thing I could do for Shirou.

Allow him to change.

It was the only thing I could have done for Denji, but I wasn't mature enough back then. I was so afraid that I didn't allow myself to trust him. For so long I fought all alone, never allowing anyone to help me because ultimately how could I? How could I let someone help me when I couldn't help myself? Even when I was in Class A, I wasn't fighting with my friends - I was fighting alongside budding heroes.

"Sora…"

"Don't be a stranger to me or anyone, Shirou. Weep and ask for help if you need it, wipe your snot on my uniform if you really need to," I told him with a grin on my face, "Cry when you feel like crying. And laugh when you feel like you need to laugh - Because I promise you, someone will be there for you."

That was a promise.

One I would never break.

"Wow. What a riveting speech," A sarcastic voice said from behind me, clapping slowly. The way Shirou immediately clammed up told me all I needed to know as I turned around and faced the tall man standing in front of me. He wore an expensive pinstripe suit which suited his weird and wacky hair, that being a black and white hairstyle that was fully combed over to the left and reached down to the man's chin. "Koji Sakamoto. The CEO of the company that is standing behind me. I heard that you wish to… negotiate?"

The CEO huh?

So that's how far up it goes.

"Detective Sora Yamazaki," I replied with a small nod. "I guess it's time to make history then. So, can we have some brekkie? I'm starving."

---

Izuku Midoriya POV

"What is he doing?!"

Izuku Midoriya sighed as he looked at the other members of his group.

"I think he's still trying to fish for information," Izuku replied. "That or he's had another big idea. Either way, we don't have enough time to worry about him. It's like he said, we just have to trust him."

Mina grinned as he said that.

"Aw. Don't tell me Sora managed to change your heart?"

Izuku scowled in response, swatting away her hands.

"Sh-shush! It's not like that! I just… It doesn't matter. The point is that our mission is our priority right now, we can worry about Sora after it's done," Izuku replied, stuttering slightly. "And the guy he's with - That's the CEO of the company. This is going to be a shitshow…"

"We already knew that," Monoma replied. "We just have to wait until Sora gives us the signal."

"And you think that this CEO doesn't have guys following them around? We need to be ready, by the time Sora sends his signal that's when all the fighting is going to start," Mina reasoned. "Our jobs are simple. We just have to let Sora handle the arrest."

"Right!"

---

I yawned slightly as I sat down opposite Koji Sakamoto and Shirou.

The restaurant was a high-end place that was certainly way too expensive for my tastes, not only that but it was empty. Yes, it was morning. Not only that, but Koji had rented the entire second floor of the place to I at least thought more rich pillocks would have been here ordering a gold steak or something-,

"So Detective, is there anything you'd like to order? It's on me." Koji said with a smile.

Oooh.

I hummed in response as I flickered through the menu, flashing a smile at the cute waitress. Was she wearing a Chinese dress as her outfit? Damn. That and her purple hair done up really made her curves pop out and wasn't that fantastic.

"I'll have some karaage and a selection of fried tempura," I told them. "I know it's the lunch menu, but I'm not a big breakfast guy. Oh, and a round of sake for the three of us please."

Koji smirked as I said that.

"Eager to get down to business?" he asked me.

"Oh yeah. Definitely," I replied, handing over the menus to the waitress as she went to prepare our drinks. "Plus, alcohol is really the only best way to start the day. Mind if I smoke too?"

"Be my guest."

I sighed in relief as I lit the final cigarette in my packet and waited patiently for the alcohol to arrive. The cute waitress brought our three sake glasses over along with the food and wished us a pleasant meal as she went downstairs to set up the rest of the place, leaving us to discuss 'business' in private.

Clock.

"Tell me why I should splatter your brains out on that couch you're sitting on?" Koji's demeanour shifted as he pulled out a handgun from his blazer pocket and aimed it right at my head. "Negotiating? What do you think this is? You're going to give me the key to the weapons, and you're going to tell me where they are because if you don't I will kill you, Shirou and his sister. A triple homicide. And I'll get away with it easily."

I laughed at him.

"You won't kill anyone because if you do I'll chuck you in prison faster than you can say help," I threatened as I grabbed his pistol and raised it to my eye level. "But go ahead. Pull the trigger if you want to see how far you can go without being caught. My best guess is three steps. From the door, I mean."

"Three steps?" Koji growled. "Fine. Talk. What do you want?"

I grinned at that.

"You know, they say crime doesn't pay. I disagree," I told them honestly, taking a long drag out of my cigarette, "It doesn't pay for most idiots. The number one factor for criminals getting caught is because they were so arrogant that they thought they could get away with it. Usually, they miss the most minor of details."

"And what did I miss, Detective?" Koji's voice was oozing with sarcasm.

"Three things!" I made the number three with my left hand as I used my right to flick the ash off my cigarette. "Firstly, you started to sell with the Yakuza. Did you think they'd have any shred of loyalty for a fat cat like you? Secondly, you used your own company to manufacture and sell weapons. See if it was a shell company you could deny knowing about it, but since it happened under your eyes, that excuse won't fly. And thirdly, you're using your own workers to help you."

"Oh? Do you sincerely believe that Shirou here is going to testify against me? Even if he does, he's setting himself up for at the very least five years in prison," Koji replied with a smirk. "If you think I haven't talked to my lawyers about this, you're wrong. It's inevitable that you're struggling against this. I started manufacturing and selling weapons years ago. And shell companies? That's more needless paperwork, not that you'll find anything to trace it back to me."

"Okay, fair enough then," I nodded in response. "That's fine and all. But you fucked up big time. Not for your company, but the bastards that gave you the money to even start manufacturing these weapons."

Koji's eyes widened slightly, and that's when I knew I had him.

"What do you mean, Sora?" Shirou asked me in confusion, his eyes darting back between myself and Koji. "Isn't this just a way to get extra money?"

"You'd think so, and I'm pretty under any investigation the officers would agree. It probably would be ruled as greed. And I won't deny and say that greed wasn't an important factor here, after all, you accepted the money in the first place, Mister Sakamoto," I told Koji, eating a piece of karaage. "But that's a thread I'm determined to pull until the end. I mean, whoever backed you seriously has an invested interest in making sure that innocents die. So, who are they?"

"...I don't know."

I scoffed at him.

"How fuckin' lucky of ya'," I moaned. "I mean of course you don't know shit, did you seriously think whoever gave you that extra cash was willing to out themselves for your dumbass? But c'mon, at least give me a hint. How'd they approach you?"

Koji's face darkened.

"It was… It was a boy," Koji answered. "I don't know, honestly. It was just a boy who visited me and told me what would happen! He said if I didn't do as they said I'd be killed! T-that's under duress, right?"

"If you seriously think an imaginary boy you dreamed up is going to save you from going to prison, you have another thing coming," I told him plainly. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled out my phone and pressed record. "Fess up to your crimes. Both of you. I want a list of everyone involved in this conspiracy, and if you're nice enough I'll ask for leniency."

"Leniency?! We're friends!" Shirou yelled in anger. "You said you were going to give me a chance-,"

"A chance to change yourself. What, you think after lying to my face and stabbing me I was going to hold hands with you and sing songs around the campfire?" I asked Shirou, shaking my head at him. "I'm not going to risk my neck or anything else to save you, Shirou. Life doesn't work that way. Just because I'm a detective, that doesn't mean I'm an easy way out for you."

"B-But, I know everyone who works for Koji's plan!" Shirou yelled. "I know everyone who was involved in the project to make illegal weapons and sell them! Koji, Tachibana, Furukada, Sawamura, Shoyo-,"

"Shut your damn mouth, boy!" Koji grew angry as he aimed the pistol at Shirou's head. I simply stared at the man in boredom as the CEO began to grow more and more agitated with not just me, but Shirou as well. "Can't you see that the Detective here is just using your friendship with him to solve a case? He was never planning on helping you at all! He's just a selfish brat looking to make a big case."

"S-Sora?"

I sighed.

"Good grief, you seriously are an idiot for believing in this guy, Shirou," I said, trying out the fried tempura. "I'm not using anyone. The truth is I couldn't give less of a shit about the weapons, and honestly, I'm just doing this so I can ask that Tadami bastard a few questions about some other topic I'm far more interested in. This is just a midday kerfuffle for me."

"Midday kerfuffle? You're not even taking this seriously?" Koji roared angrily. "Are you insane? I'm the one with the loaded gun right now! Do you seriously think I won't blow your brains out for that disrespect-,"

Slink.

Despite my feet resting underneath the table, I unsheathed my sword so quickly that Koji had no time to react as my sword managed to get through the trigger guard of the gun, pointing it upwards as my sword began to slice his fingers slightly. Koji's blood poured down on the table as he began to panic, and even Shirou looked a little green at that, which was made worse by the fact that I glared at the two of them.

"You don't have the guts to shoot me. Don't aim a weapon at someone if you're not prepared to kill them, that's a lesson I had to learn the hard way," I told them. "If you think that I won't slice your hand off, you have another thing coming. The two of you are cowards. You can't accept responsibility for your own actions, so you try and blame it on someone else. One who got too greedy and wanted more, and the other who wanted to prove himself no matter what. Face it, you're done."

"Y-you! I refuse!" Koji yelled at me. "I-, I won't stand for this! GUARDS! COME AND KILL THIS BASTARD!"

It was pathetic, but what was more pathetic was that the people who did come up the stairs weren't the guards that Koji had requested. I snorted at their attire as the rest of my group along with Midnight and the cute waitress who had served us before strolled in and took a piece of my karaage and fried tempura, which only added to the fear on Koji's face.

"Y-you!"

"Oh, and this?" I waved the fake key in front of Koji and Shirou's faces before I dipped it in my sake and used my lighter to set it on fire. "It's a fake. I destroyed the real key hours ago. No one's getting the weapons now. You lost."

"B-but we didn't admit to anything!" Shirou yelled, pointing at my phone.

"Oh, this?" I snorted as I picked my phone up. "Idiot. This isn't for any evidence. I was just recording my sexy voice. This is me recording," I reached for my coat pocket where a thin line could be seen cellotaped to the edges of it. "Shirou, you basically gave a confession when we were alone outside your building. That's all I really needed. I just wanted a free breakfast and a chance to get some more answers, but it looks like I wasn't so lucky."

Midoriya snorted as he looked at me with an odd look on his face.

"Is that all? Can you hurry up and do your thing? We do have a train to catch soon."

Shirou buried his head in his hands as he couldn't believe what he was hearing, and I couldn't blame him. But I wasn't going to help him. He got himself stuck in this mess, and I gave him a chance to help. He went and stabbed me in response and ran away. There wasn't anything else I could do for him-, No.

There wasn't anything I could have done for Denji either.

It was a bitter pill to finally swallow. And even now, I couldn't help but feel partly responsible for the outcome - But I tried to help. I gave both Denji and Shirou a chance, and that was all I could do. Back then, I should have arrested Denji and tried to plead for a lighter sentence. That way he would have been alive. Instead, I tried fighting against everything I stood for just to save a friend who couldn't take responsibility for his actions.

And I wasn't going to do it again.

"Sora…" I heard Shirou say. "You-, If you let me get arrested, if I get punished. I know the truth about you. About who you used to be, about that day and your part in everything! You promised you'd be my friend until the end! That you'd protect me! And of course, you'd rest easy knowing your secret is safe with me!"

…

Midoriya's jaw tightened as he glared at Shirou, while Monoma was held back by Kodai and Midnight, who both looked at Shirou in disappointment. And Mina's reaction? She had gone from shocked to downright pissed as she edged forward, rolling up her sleeves as she prepared to hit him for that comment - But I stopped her.

I simply smiled at Shirou.

"Do what ya' want man. That's all any of us can do, just like that time with Denji during our school trip when we all became friends," I said to him. "If that's what you want to do, then do it. Go balls out, Shirou. I'll be sure to wave at you in the next cell over. Until then, take em' away, guys-,"

Crack.

Angrily, Koji yelled as he grabbed the cute waitress from before and pointed the gun at her head. He snarled at all of us as he took a step closer to the window behind him, shooting a hole through it.

"I refuse to lose to any of you! You can arrest me all you'd like, but you have no proof! I made sure of it!" Koji screamed at us. "What's the point in arresting me! Didn't you admit to yourself that you have no proof?! Even if Shirou testifies, I'll just pay anyone stupid enough to declare his testimony to be true! I have half of this city in my back pocket, and even if you want to record that and send it across the world nothing will change! I'll be a free man by the end of the day."

"...You're right," I smirked. I suppose it was time to play the final card. I winked at Shirou as we hi-fived each other, much to the dismay of everyone else. "But you feel for the oldest trick in the playbook, idiot."

"What?"

I laughed at him.

"I don't need to catch you for the investigation. I don't need Shirou or anyone else to testify or get evidence on your crimes. Catching you out is the biggest evidence of them all, idiot," I told him. "And you fell right for it, thinking that because you were some hotshot you were immune to slipping up. Sorry, but everyone cracks under pressure and your pathetic display just proved it."

"We had you tricked before you even came here," Midoriya explained. "We knew that there was no way we could get evidence of your misdeeds, but that wasn't the point. You still haven't figured it out, have you?"

"Inbetween Shirou showing everyone in my team around and eventually telling you that I was investigating the weapons, I went to search the recordings for CCTV, only to find out that they were all missing. I was also told the only person that could have done something like that must have been in the building working," I added, clarifying it for Koji. "Shirou said earlier that he was in the office all week at night. Something his sister corroborated. He was trying to tell me the truth the entire time, I just didn't catch on till he stabbed me."

"T-that's!" Koji's arm shook with anger as he let the innocent waitress go. "What?"

"I knew that there would be no evidence to tie the true perpetrators to the weapons. Any evidence left around was probably manufactured so you'd be able to take down people like Shirou, an easy scapegoat for you," I answered for him. "The second reason was because of what a certain Yakuza member told me. You approached the Yakuza gang of this city for weapons, and the Elders of the clan jumped on that opportunity. They don't want to get rid of you, it took me until just a few hours ago to get that."

"So what?! Their power along with my money practically makes me invincible! No judge would be stupid enough to hear this case! You've still lost!" Koji practically screamed at us. "So what the hell are you trying to say?!"

"Maybe so. But I'm not here because of the weapons," I replied, pointing at the gun he was holding in his hands. "The third reason is because of the new laws. With the way things have changed on what Heroes can and can't investigate, as well as police, the weapons you made were way out of our hands. But I don't think we were ever supposed to tie you to the weapons."

Koji's face twisted in anger as he realised what I was trying to say.

"You set me up to get angry and commit a crime without me using my Quirk so you could take me in and launch an official investigation into my dealings!" Koji yelled, pointing the gun at me. "This entire time? But how?! You bet this all on a fucking gamble that I'd slip up?! Are you insane?!"

Hehe.

I couldn't help but laugh at that.

"A gamble? Hah. You fool, none of this was a gamble. I mean, do you really think that we would have gotten this far if it was just a gamble?" I asked him. "...You just wanted to control your workers and get your way. But you still don't understand that you were sold out ages ago. It was Shirou's words that tipped me off, he hated you and your company so much that I didn't even realise that he was trying to betray you this entire time."

Everyone turned to look at Shirou in surprise who stared at me in shock.

And confusion.

A small lie.

A small bone.

This was his chance to change.

"...That's the power of acting. Brilliant, right?" Shirou explained to everyone, trying to convince them of this, or even himself.. "The key was in Sora's words. He told me to remember the first time we became friends, the fact that he owed me. I had to lie to cover for him back then, he went and did a favour for me and my sister. And this time he lied to cover for me. Fact is that Sora was baiting you into committing a Quirkless crime the entire time and you were oblivious."

That was the truth of the matter.

Albeit, with a few extra lies.

Something Shirou wanted to do the entire time, since I first set foot in this city and went up to meet with him after over a year of not having contact with him. It was funny how things turned out, especially since we were old friends.

And it took me this long to realise what Shirou really wanted to do.

Even if I forced him to admit it just now. At the very least, he could say that he wasn't a villain until the very end, at the very least he got the chance to do what was right instead of fight until the bitter end.

Unlike…

Unlike Denji.

Koji yelled as he went to pull the trigger, but I was faster.

I didn't even hesitate as I used my sword to slice his right hand cleanly, watching as the man screamed in pain and shock as his severed right hand flopped to the floor before I sweeped his legs off the ground and pulled out the dreaded things from my pocket.

Cuffs.

"I'd make a joke about how hard it's going to be to cuff ya' now, but that's a little tasteless," I told him, holding him down so he couldn't squirm. "You have the right to shut your fucking mouth. Say hi to the bastards in prison for me, won't ya'? I hear they don't take too kindly to threatening innocent women. Or children. Did you know that I'm underage, and you also gave me alcohol. I think that's a crime too. Who knew?"

Giving the criminal to Midnight, who promised she'd hand him over to the cops downstairs, I turned to face Shirou and the rest of my group. While Shirou had a massive shit-eating grin on his face, everyone else looked at me in shock. I couldn't blame them, it's not like I told them this plan in the first place.

This was all me.

"Sora…" Midoriya clenched his fists as he stepped forwards. "You idiot! I was bluffing, I didn't actually think that this was your plan! I thought you were going to pull out evidence or something."

I sighed at that.

"Don't get your pants in a twist. It wasn't as if this was my plan all along, I didn't even know if it was going to work until I met with Shirou again," I told him. "It was a leap of faith. If Shirou didn't trust me to catch him out, or rather if he didn't accept responsibility for his actions, this would have ended up a lot different. Like I said, I didn't do this to help him."

"You were working with him-,"

"I was working with a friend, although I did sorta lie near the end. He was never in on it.I'm not defending or excusing his actions, and I'm not going to let him go," I cut Midoriya off. "I gave him a chance to do what he should have done months ago. Clear out the trash. It's what I should have done with Denji back then too. And Shirou even until the very end was hesitant about it, why do you think he threatened to spill the secret about Aozora? If I hesitated for even a moment - just like back then - I would have failed. I put my blind faith into him, and all of you."

"That's-,! That's… Grah!" Midoriya yelled in anger, throwing his hands in the air. "Why do you have to be so infuriating? You could have at least told us something! Even a small little code word would have been better than thinking everything you worked for was in danger! Tch. You're really annoying, you know that?"

"I do," I smiled at him, raising my hand out for him to shake. "Sorry. For letting you try and take my place in carrying the weight of your Class. It was a stupid thing to do. I understand how much it feels like you have to endure, how you can't speak out because if you do things will change. But you're starting to act like I did back then. I was shattered because I held it all in, but you don't have to follow in my footsteps."

Midoriya growled at that.

"What else was I supposed to do? Sora, you were our best friend. More like a brother to everyone in the class, and then you just left. I reflected and reflected, and I could only blame myself for not being strong enough to endure alongside you," Midoriya told me. "We all looked up to you. I wanted to be like you. The good guy that wanted to protect us, the guy that helped me the most when I needed it, the guy that didn't give up even when I did."

"We all wanted to be like you. To walk alongside you and help," Mina added guiltily. "But we pushed you away. We hurt you because of how much we loved you, and isn't that fucked up? How toxic a relationship can become without any words or violence. I don't blame you for running away from us, from running away from your responsibilities after what happened to Denji - I think I understand you now."

I blinked in surprise at them.

"We were all gazing at your backs, and that's why we were so angry, Sora," Midoriya-, Izuku said to me, slapping my hand away. "And I don't want your apology for this. Words don't mean anything, not when I can see from how your actions that you've changed. And I think I'm jealous of that change. Being able to be better despite the responsibilities you have, I don't have that luxury-,"

"Oh shut up man. Didn't I tell you before? You're not One For All, and One For All isn't you," I told Izuku for what felt like the hundredth time. "And you - Mina - thanks for trying to understand why I left. I don't want it to be an excuse. Cause it's a really shit excuse. But thanks for trying to understand anyways, it means a lot to me. In a way, you two have both grown."

Izuku and Mina chuckled at that as they walked over to Monoma and Kodai, who were tending to the waitress from before. Ugh. She had a nasty cut on her arm thanks to Koji shooting the glass, and that meant more paperwork for me.

Fuck.

I knew it was a stupid plan.

"You know, you shouldn't put too much trust in a criminal," Shirou joked with me. "I'm not exactly the best person to trust. I did stab you after all. And I didn't have a plan, I was just following your lead and hoped you would win. I… I didn't even know what to do before you offered me that chance."

I snorted at that, punching him in the arm.

"Do you even know how much it fucking hurts getting stabbed? Jeez. I gave you a chance to trust yourself to do the right thing, and in the end you pulled through. So don't feel too bad about the mistakes ya' made, I've made plenty of horrendous ones myself," I winked at him. "But… I can't do much for you. Helping out with the investigation and my word might weaken your sentence, but the other charges are still there. A lot of serious ones. You're lucky Sakura turns eighteen in a few months, by the time you get sentenced she'll probably be in university."

"I know," Shirou nodded in acceptance. "And I-, I stabbed you because I was afraid. Afraid of what getting caught would mean for me, but also for Sakura. I just wanted to run away from that responsibility, from the mess I created because I was selfish. And I hated the fact that you were able to come back from that stronger than ever. You really reached out for the truth, no matter what thorny path stood in your way."

…

"I made a promise once. It was to this fiery girl that I was convinced hated me. And she did, at one point," I told Shirou."She said I was an idiot who sprouted things about protecting everyone without even thinking of the consequences, but I told her I'd walk through that thorny path anyways. And ever since then, I guess she's been my best friend, no matter the truths we had to face about our family and ourselves."

"She sounds like an all right person," Shirou replied. "She's single, right?"

"She's fucking crazy."

Shirou whined at that.

"Man. Why do you only know crazy chicks? Jiro, my sister, your sister, and now this mystery girl. Is there any way you can set me up with a nice girl that'll visit me in prison or something? I could really take a few conjugals."

I snorted at that, shoving him once more.

"You'll have your sister. And me. And I'll message everyone in our old friend group tonight 'll have three years max if you help identify everyone else like I asked, that I can promise you. Had to ask my supervisor. Plus, the Prime Minister may owe me a favour or two. Brushed up on the laws myself a few hours ago too. And if the judge views your work here today with me as good enough, well hopefully it'll be a year. You can change a lot in a year, you can be better."

Shirou chortled at that.

"Are you guessing that?"

"I'm telling you that," I answered, jamming my thumb at my chest. Right above my heart. "It took me a year to change too. And… I think it would have taken a similar amount of time for Denji to change. Just believe in yourself. And don't give up hope, even when it seems like the most useless thing to cling to in the world."

"Got it," Shirou nodded at me as Midnight came back upstairs and walked over to us. "So-, uh-, I guess this is goodbye?" He asked as Midnight waited patiently to escort him downstairs, probably where the police cars had arrived.

I shook my head at him.

"Nah. Just see ya' later. Like the end of middle school."

"By the time I'm out, you'll have finished high-school. Isn't that weird?"

"Oh yeah. Definitely."

Watching as Midnight took Shirou downstairs, I couldn't help but smile at it. He had learned his lesson, and hopefully he'd be better. It's what I should have done to Denji. The fact that I tried to help him without understanding him led to his death, the same way Class A never tried to understand me which led to our fallout. It was bittersweet to know what could have been, but surprisingly for once, the regrets weren't there weighing me down.

No 'what ifs'.

No 'buts.'

It was strange, before I always felt like there was a barrier in front of me. That everything happened because I wasn't good enough. And I still felt that way, to some extent. But - Things were different this time.

And that was also because of me.

Suddenly, the barriers in front of me didn't feel so big after all.

"Sora," Mina's voice snapped me back to reality. "You did good today. You're a pretty damn good detective."

"Way better than the lousy hero I once was, right? I agree. Plus I don't have to wear a tacky uniform and I get a cool badge," I flashed my badge at Mina, who rolled her eyes at me. "I still wasn't good enough though. I never found out who supplied the money to Koji to start building the weapons. But hey, I did get a big lead on a personal case I'm working on. So, not that bad of a school trip I'd say."

"I guess so."

Raiden Aotsuki.

My brother.

At one point he had worked alongside the Yakuza, and that meant something. That was a thread that I didn't have before, and it was a thread I intended to pull until the whole thing unravelled itself - That was a promise.

"I'm starving!" Monoma moaned, his stomach grumbling as he said that.

"I think this place is closed for the time being," I joked. "Come. Let's all go to a Mcdonalds or something - Drinks on me!"

As everyone cheered at that, I couldn't help but sigh. I totally wasn't going to pay for shit.

As we walked down the steps of the restaurant, it was odd.

The sound of the city was quiet. And I wasn't the only one who picked that up, Izuku and Kodai both looked around in confusion as we entered the streets. And it looked as if time had been stopped, cars simply stood in the middle of the road even if it was a green light. But time hadn't stopped.

The restaurant we had been taken to by Koji was one in the centre of Sendai.

Right outside a big TV screen.

And the headline on that big screen shocked everyone to their core.

"...The hell?" Monoma whispered.

"Oh." Mina gulped.

"..." Kodai didn't even have anything to say.

But worst of all was Midoriya's reactions - His eyes had widened comically, even if there was nothing comical about the situation. I rubbed my eyes once again, hoping that the headline I was reading was incorrect. I mean come on. There was no fucking way it was real? But the longer I stared at it, the longer I realised that it was the truth. And the more fucked I realised we all were.

'All Might - Dead?'

---

Wow.

I don't really like how this chapter turned out at first, but I'll give it a few edits. (Side note, I edited it and am far more happy with it :) Firstly, I just want to say that this is the first chapter showing Sora's growth. I understand you might say 'huh he's forgiven too easily' but he's not.

Mina's sentiments from the first part of this chapter was her guilt talking, and everyone calls her out for it. Sora said it himself, he doesn't need or want their forgiveness for what he did to them.

He just wants to forgive himself.

And so Mina's started her journey in Part 2, and so has Izuku Midoriya. Deku. Admitting he was sorta wrong (But not outright saying it, proving he still has a journey to go through) and the apparent death of his mentor?

Izuku's character arc is beginning to heat up.

This arc is going to wrap up soon.

I think it's only 6 chapters left, which may seem like a lot but trust me - A few of those will fly by. Expect a ton of twists coming your way soon, as well as some good conclusions to a few plotlines.

And the decision to let a friend go is a hard one, especially for someone like Sora. But like I said, hopefully it shows he's grown. He can't save and protect everyone he loves, because sometimes they need to save themselves.

Sora's just the guy giving them that chance.

Reminds me of that famous Gintoki rope: " I have no intention of bringing you a rope to hang yourself. But if it's a rope to pull you out of hell, I'll bring as many as you want."

Sora's planning skills were on show in this chapter, I mean he managed to arrest the villain of his 'mini-arc' by using the law against him. A small charge that will lead to the investigation of a bigger one, a snowball effect that no one can ignore, even if you're an influential person.

Sora was just being humble, saying it was Shirou's plan, as always.

Man.

I liked writing about the Sendai trip for the fact that it's led to a change of sorts. A lot of characters are now starting to develop and change, and that's what I want from Part 2 the most.

What I've been writing about the most.

Satisfying payoffs.

Anyways, I'll see you all next time!