I own nothing. May contain Out of Character moments.
It was the next day. And there Mineta sat, on his bed, trying to practice writing his name. But every time, it came out more and more sloppy. The shorter boy let out a groan of frustration, sinking into the angled mattress behind him. All the dexterity and finesse his right arm had, gone. If this was how things were going to be for the next eight months, he might as well learn how to use his left hand.
That's not to say all was lost. His right arm could still perform large movements without issue. And there was no decrease to his arm or his hand's overall strength. So, at the very least, Mineta could still use the baton and the martial arts connected to it.
"But this still sucks… So many projects have to be shelved until my hand gets better…" Mineta thought before looking over to Iida on the other bed. He was currently reading a book on Hero Professionalism and Etiquette. Due to the talk with the Police Chief yesterday, he needed to brush up on the inner workings of Hero Society again. So when the time came, Iida would know what to do and how far they could push things legally.
He was Class 1A's leader, so he needed to act like it.
"… Still worth it though." Mineta thought as he settled into his bed. A knock on the door drew his attention and not long after, it opened. Midoriya stepped through, wearing his Hero costume, and greeted the occupants.
"Good morning guys, how are you feeling?" Midoriya said, closing the door behind him.
"Oh Midoriya-kun, good morning. We're doing well, though Mineta-kun's feeling a bit frustrated." Iida replied, putting down his book.
"Understatement of the decade, it's like I'm constantly writing on jelly. But that's enough about me, how about you dude? That old man you're working with putting you through the wringer?" Mineta asked, gesturing to a free chair in the room. Midoriya walked over and sat down before rummaging through the bag he was carrying.
"Absolutely, Gran Torino's pretty intense. Just before we came here, we had a spar and he literally mopped the floor with me. Right now he's meeting with several Heroes here in Hosu to discuss the situation with Stain. And that leaves me to wait here until he's done." Midoriya replied.
"Strange, you would think he would bring you along to show you the inner workings of Hero procedures. Did he mention why?" Iida asked, hand cupping his chin in thought.
"Well Fenghuang handed something off to him for Mineta-kun, something to keep him occupied. And he gave it to me to deliver because... Uh… He didn't want any misunderstandings around him." Midoriya answered after an awkward pause. Mineta and Iida raised an eyebrow to that. What was it that could cause misunderstandings?
But once Midoriya pulled said item out, the shorter boy knew exactly what Gran Torino meant.
In Midoriya's hand was an issue of the world famous, ultra premium, subscription only, gentlemen's magazine Worship. But it wasn't just any issue of Worship; it was the strange riddle filled one that Mineta and Kaminari found. This brought up so many questions in Mineta's mind. First off, why did his Shifu dig through his belongings? Two, why did she hand it off to two others knowing it could cause problems? And three, WHY NOW!?
But back to the current situation… The green haired boy was blushing, not looking at anyone as he handed it to Mineta. Iida blankly stared at the shorter boy, glasses reflecting the light in a particularly ominous way.
"Mineta-kun… Please explain to me why you've brought such explicit reading material to your internship?" Iida asked.
"Yeah, this isn't actually what you think it is. Someone actually gutted the original pages and replaced it with scribbles. See?" Mineta answered as he showed a random page in the magazine. Midoriya and Iida looked away blushing, hands shielding their face. And as funny as seeing two guys trying preserve their innocence was…
This was not the time.
Mineta didn't say anything as he kept holding out the book, becoming a beacon of curiosity. At some point, someone's got to wonder what was written in this. And luckily for the shorter boy, it was his partner that gave in first. Midoriya slowly peaked over his hands, green eyes locking with the nearly incomprehensible scrawlings.
"Huh… You're right…" Midoriya said, studying the shapes with interest. This was when their Class President lowered his barrier to gaze at the bizarre book. And his reaction to it was unexpected to say the least.
"Wha–? Even if I don't partake in these sorts of works, they shouldn't be vandalized! Don't they know the struggles that go into making even a regular magazine? In this era of digital publications? Honestly, the nerve of some people…" Iida said with a surprising amount of distress. And as Mineta watched him make all sorts of wild gestures, he wondered if Iida too had a secret dark side.
Granted, Mineta already saw it with Iida's meeting with Stain…
"Mineta-kun, why do you have this exactly?" Midoriya asked, bringing the shorter boy's attention back to the matter at hand.
"I randomly found it with Kaminari and never threw it away. And one day, when I decided to study it, the thing's hiding a big secret. Believe it or not, but the thing's a treasure map." Mineta answered. The shorter boy swore their eyes almost exploded out of its sockets. But it was only seconds later that he saw their expressions returned to reason and doubt.
"Really Mineta-kun? That sounds a bit implausible." Iida asked before adjusting his glasses.
"Yeah, it's probably some elaborate prank." Midoriya said, nodding his head in agreement.
"I thought the same thing… But take a look at this Midoriya." Mineta replied, holding the first page in a particular way. The green haired boy stared at the scribbles, only to notice the very thing that led Mineta on this path.
"Is that the Fig Grove Logo? And are those serial numbers?" He asked, looking back up to his partner. Mineta only responded with a nod as he saw the gears turn in Midoriya's head. The green haired boy sat in silence before looking back at Mineta, curiosity written all over his face.
"Was the next code easier or harder?"
"It was about the same, figuring out more serial numbers. But the next two were so absolutely bullshit that I'm surprised me and Kaminari got past it. The first was a riddle about finding a certain person at a certain place and time based on the movement of someone else. The next was sorting words from a cluttered flyer for specific words by using an ancient, western poem. And now we're stuck on this riddle, 'North and South, once was one but now away in more than two. And though they oppose, they be bound by forces greater than blood'." Mineta explained.
Midoriya began mulling over that last statement as Iida let out a cough. This drew in the shorter boy's attention, patiently waiting for his Class President's response to this.
"Mineta-kun, these are not riddles. Riddles have clues within them that make sense. But based on what you said, these are far too outlandish to be anything more than a time waster. I think it's best to stop before you're horribly disappointed." Iida said.
"Iida-kun… That last riddle convinced me that, BECAUSE it's this complex, this treasure is real. No prankster alive would take this much effort to learn all this just to trick someone. It'd be completely absurd." Midoriya replied as he looked to his class president.
"Then what if this belongs to some criminal element? We're putting ourselves in danger by discussing this. And we were told not to do things illegally remember?" Iida asked.
"I know, but I don't think a Villain or Criminal made this. If they did, they'd be using their own codes and cipher systems. Not a bunch of riddles that anyone who was smart or observant enough to figure out. Like that last one, I know the answer to it. If someone didn't want just anyone to find it, I'd still be thinking about the meaning of the riddle." Midoriya explained. Iida opened his mouth but no words came out. He then began to ponder the green haired boy's words, leaving Mineta free to talk.
"So… What's the riddle about? I couldn't any sense of it." Mineta asked.
"That's because you need to know a lot of intimate trivia about Heroes and Villains. 'Bound by forces greater than blood' and 'once was one but now away in more than two' hints at the identities of the riddle's subjects. Have you ever heard of the Polar War?" Midoriya asked.
"Wasn't that the series of battles between the Hero Gauss and Villain Revulsion? What about them?" Iida asked.
"They weren't just nemeses… They were brothers, conjoined twins with two halves of a magnetism Quirk. They were attached at the shoulder for most of their childhood. But when they were surgically separated before high school, the twins drifted apart. One became a model student, the other turned into a rebel. And upon graduation, their first battle erupted. Since then, they became the worst enemies and fought from Hokkaido to Okinawa." Midoriya explained.
Mineta began nodding to that, finally seeing where this was going. The riddle described the brothers in their entirety. Their lives, their powers, their bond, their hate, it was all there. But there was one part that the shorter boy still doesn't quite understand.
"If that's the answer to the riddle, how does that relate to this treasure hunt?" Mineta asked, once more showing the magazine to Midoriya.
"Did you find this in Musutafu?" He asked, to which Mineta nodded in response.
"Well… The twins fought in Musutafu eight times in eight different areas. Whoever made this has likely hid the treasure in one of those eight areas. The riddles that come after this must be to narrow down the search." Midoriya answered. Mineta nodded in as the pieces began to click into place, it was all connected all along.
Just then, Iida coughed, drawing the two boy's attention back to their class president.
"While I'm glad you both reached an answer… There is still the problem of the dangers this could pose. While there might not be any criminals involved, we could still break the law by being in places we're not supposed to be. So before you both continue… Can you promise me that you won't be stepping over legal boundaries? We are trying to be Heroes in Training after all." Iida asked.
"Of course Iida-kun, yesterday's talk reminded me of that." Midoriya answered.
"You got it Class Pres. We'll try not to get into any more trouble." Mineta replied.
"Good, now… Allow me to assist you with this. I've grown curious about this strange puzzle and I won't rest easy until I help solve it. It's the least I can do since you helped me with the Hero Killer." Iida added, setting aside his book before getting up. It was a surprising thing to hear for Mineta and Midoriya. But given the circumstances, they might as well pool their knowledge together. The sooner this was solved, the better.
So, once Iida was seated next to Midoriya, Mineta flipped to the next page. The scribbles there were just as incomprehensible as the last. But with two extra brains, the shorter boy knew it was only a matter of time before the code was cracked.
There will be an answer to this riddle.
And that has been Chapter 49. Here we go, the next step in treasure hunt. And that is the thing about a great treasure hunt, the clues will always make some degree of sense. It's all about perspective.
Beyond that... I've got no other news for you. For my readers in the US, I hope you've had a great Thanksgiving and continue to stay safe as we head into December. The same goes out for my readers across the rest of the world. Continue to fight against this pandemic and we'll find ourselves back exploring the world at large.
And of course, I'll be here all the while doing my thing. In the next update, we'll be heading back to UA and see what's going on with our favorite class of misfits. So...
Until Next Time. T1.