I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.
Two days have passed since the strange encounter, but neither Mineta nor Midoriya had stayed focus on that for long. Currently, their greatest concern was catching up to their classmates, who were no doubt blazing ahead.
So when Mineta's suspension was up, he dedicated every ounce of focus to picking up what he had missed. All so that he could exposition dump it all onto his partner once his suspension finished. And today was that day.
"So… Got all that?" Mineta asked, panting like he ran a marathon. He'd been speaking nonstop to Midoriya for the entire morning. And based on how much there was, Mineta couldn't risk slowing down or they might run out of time. He just hoped his partner understood that flood of information… But then again, this was Midoriya.
"I did. And it was a pretty concise summary of everything."
"Then that was worth my lungs…" Mineta replied, still struggling for air.
"Take it easy then. I can't have you collapsing, not when the greatest duo just got back in action." Midoriya said, a small smile forming over his lips. Mineta was so taken aback that, for a moment, he just stopped in his tracks. But in another few seconds, the shorter boy's brain rebooted as his heart reignited with resolve.
"Then let's get down to business… UA won't know what'll hit them this term." Mineta replied with a smirk. The two arrived in front of 1A's classroom door. All their other friends were already inside, no doubt readying themselves for whatever trial Aizawa and their other teachers had for them. So, with straightened backs and squared shoulders, the pair opened the door to a new day. But the moment they stepped through… The usual chaos 1A was known for was missing.
Instead, Midoriya and Mineta witnessed their classmates in an unusually somber mood.
"Uhhh… I-Is everyone okay? Did something happen while we were gone?" Midoriya asked.
"Oh Midoriya-kun, Mineta-kun, it's nothing too serious… Or at least, we hope it isn't. We were all talking about this morning's news and there has been another murder." Iida replied, his glasses giving off an ominous glare. Mineta's eyes shot open as Midoriya whipped out his phone to check it himself. And when the green haired boy found the article, his hopeful light in his green eyes darkened a little.
"A venerated surgeon found dead in his home, fatally stabbed in the chest… The only evidence left by the culprit was a detailed report of the surgeon's undiscovered involvement with organ trafficking…"
Mineta swallowed the lump in his throat as his mind began reflecting on the subject. This was the sixth time a high profile person was killed and had their criminal secrets exposed by an unknown assailant. It all had begun just two months ago, but no one really put much thought into it. It's just some vigilante fabricating stuff to justify revenge; they'll be caught soon enough.
Then another body appeared…
And another, and another…
Worse still was the fact that the 'fabricated' criminal secrets were all actually true. The first victim, a CEO of a rising Hero Support company, was guilty of embezzling company funds and coerced his workers into paying off its debts. The second and third were a Police Commissioner and a Hero, they accepted bribes from a dangerous Villain and kept manufacturing the means to his escape.
The fourth and fifth was the Villain himself and an equally notorious criminal associate. Their secrets were just as bad as the previously listed victims, mostly things they weren't originally tried for.
But regardless of their crimes and alignment to the law, they were all found dead in their homes or work places. And in all cases, their bodies suffered a shallow wound before a fatal one was inflicted… Almost similar to…
"Is it the Hero Killer?" Mineta asked, his right hand balling into a fist.
"No one knows, but that's what people are speculating… However, it seems he isn't just targeting Heroes anymore." Iida replied with a restrained shrug. It was barely visible, but the shorter boy could tell their class president was suppressing his anger. Seems like his grudge still has a hold over him…
"And just when things were starting to feel normal…" Uraraka commented sadly.
"I could hardly call the things we've been through normal, Ochako-chan." Tsuyu said.
"Several League of Villain attacks, dealing with Bakugou on a daily basis, digging a hole for expensive art, Midoriya and Mineta… It's honestly a mystery how we managed all that." Jirou added, counting those points on her fingers.
"Uhhh… Jirou-san? Why are Mineta-kun and I on that list?" Midoriya asked. Before any real answer could be told, the door to the class opened and Aizawa walked through.
"She's saying it's mysterious how you two aren't seated even though the bell rang." He said, glaring at the duo with his Quirk. Both the shorter boy and the green haired boy darted over to their seats, settling down in less than a few seconds. Their scraggly teacher closed his eyes and sighed, walking over to the lectern to begin the day.
"Good morning everyone… Based on how serious the mood is, I'm guessing you've just saw the news. An unknown assailant is out and about, murdering people and leaving behind evidence of the victim's misdeeds. It could be Stain, it could be someone else… But that doesn't make it any less unnerving. Even seasoned veterans are a little wary of all this… However!" Aizawa began before hitting the lectern with his attendance book. 1A snapped to attention the sound. It was rare for their teacher to emote, meaning there was important to these words.
"That doesn't mean we should let that apprehension stop us from doing our jobs properly. If it did, the people who're more afraid than us will suffer for it. So I'll say this once… Don't let that unease get to you. It'll only grow if you do."
There was a certain heaviness surrounding those words, almost like Aizawa experienced such a moment. And though Mineta doesn't really know anything about his former master's personal life… These glimpses into the person beneath really made him want to learn more about Aizawa. Because, like them, it seems the erasure Hero has been through the wringer.
"We won't Sensei!" Kirishima replied loudly, darting to his feet. Mineta raised an eyebrow as Aizawa glared at the red head to sit back down. Sure, Kirishima has always been known for his intense reactions… But that response seemed to have been more for himself than 1A… Was there a reason for that?
"Now, with that and Midoriya's suspension out of the way, we can talk about the internships. Unlike the week you've spent back in Spring, this internship is the real deal. As such, I've asked for three of the best Third Years to explain everything using their own personal experiences in the field. So listen carefully, they've took time out of their busy schedules to speak with you." Aizawa said before he turned to the door. And, as if on cue, it opened and three students walked in.
The third was a dark haired guy with pointed ears and walked with a nervous slouch.
The second was a girl with long blue hair and was smiling without a care in the world.
And the one leading them was…
"It's the face man!" Mineta whispered to Midoriya. The green haired boy could only nod to that as the three Third Years stood before the class. Aizawa called them the Big Three and they soon began introducing themselves. But despite how they spoke and acted, Mineta knew better than to judge them based on that. He had to look deeper within for the truth…
They were UA's best students after all.
"Mirio, Nejire… I can't do it… I can't imagine them as potatoes… And now I don't know what to say… I'm going home…" The dark haired guy said as he began walking back towards the door. The blue haired girl quickly, but calmly, grabbed his hand and pulled him back. She then passed the hand she held to face man before holding his other hand, effectively trapping the guy.
"Whhhyyy...?" He moaned quietly as a blush consumed his skin.
"Oh don't be like that Tamaki, think of this as social anxiety training." Face man said with a gentle smile.
"I should've eaten an owl today…" Tamaki muttered as he desperately tried to turn his head away from the class.
Mineta… Wasn't sure how to react to this… His friends or partner had no idea what they're looking at either. Hell, most people wouldn't know approach this without making things even more awkward. In fact, this scene was so left field that even Mina, 1A's self proclaimed 'love expert', was stunned. And that's in spite of her giddy little grin…
"Oh sorry about our boy here, he's just big soft chicken. Anyhow, this is Amajiki Tamaki, I'm Hadou Nejire, and that's Togata Mirio." The blue haired girl, as she went from the dark haired guy, to herself, then to face man.
"H-Hi…" Tamaki greeted in a barely audible murmur.
"What's up? The ceiling of course!" Mirio joked with a smile.
"Now that's out of the way, tell us about yourselves! Like what's with that mask!?" Nejire said, pointing at Shouji. But before the multi-armed giant could give a proper answer, the girl just hopped right to the next person. And then she did it again. And again…
"I don't know what's happening anymore…" Mineta said to no one in particular as he rubbed his temples.
"Well… They're interesting to say the least…" Midoriya replied automatically as he continued to watch Nejire bounce around, Tamaki shrink his existence, and Mirio laugh at his friends antics. Thankfully, Aizawa brought things back on track with his usual stoicism and 'no fun' attitude. And so, it was Mirio who brought things back to Internships. Though not without sounding particularly… Ominous…
"Based on how you're all looking at us… You don't seem to understand how serious the internships are. And I get it, how could you learn anything from these three strange strangers that just walked in? So instead of just talking about, what if I showed you all WHAT the internships are about?"
"What Mirio, you're about to–!?" Tamaki asked loudly, speaking up for the first time.
"I challenge 1A to a multi-man melee! Is that okay Eraserhead?" Mirio said, dramatically pointing at the class before turning to the scraggly teacher. Mineta snapped to his former master, hoping the man wouldn't just throw them all into a random fight. But knowing him, the shorter boy immediately began stretching out his shoulders.
"1A, change into your PE uniforms and go to Gym Gamma."
Confused whispering buzzed about the classroom, though that didn't stop anyone from getting up. Mineta walked alongside Midoriya as he continued to stretch out his limbs. This wasn't what the shorter boy imagined when his partner finally came back. Though he supposed there's a bright side to this sudden challenge. So, with his chin held a little higher, Mineta turned to his partner.
"Midoriya, let's hit him with the M&M special."
"… Is that what we're calling it?" Midoriya asked, staring at his short friend.
"T-The name's a work in progress…" Mineta muttered with a blush. But before anything else, the shorter boy saw how Midoriya's reliable back straightened with a purpose. And that told Mineta what his partner's answer was long before he said it.
"Let's do it. Though we should tell the others about it... Getting hit with crossfire doesn't sound fun…"
"Of course dude. Senpai won't know what will hit him."
And that has been Chapter 96!
A little ominous, don't you think? The murders... But still, regardless of what that might actually be, we must all move forward with everything we got. And just so you know, I didn't mention that for nothing. There are new actors are about to enter the stage. Though when that will be will be revealed later...
For now, the update schedule still stands. I have a lot of things to deal with at the current moment, one of which is Elden Ring, and will be even more busy in the future. But whatever it takes, I will continue the adventures of The Saint and The Sinner. So for the next update, we'll get to see Mirio absolutely wreck everyone once more. Though not without a special twist regarding the baton Mineta has been using all this time...
So with all that said...
Until Next Time. T1.