Finals are coming faster than Suzume ever knew that they could.
Everyone is cracking down and studying like maniacs, trying desperately to figure out how to combat the robots that they think they're going to be fighting and cramming for the written exam in study sessions or solo. Yaomomo is hosting them at her house for some of the folks who are doing the worst in the class, and Kirishima is studying with Bakugou who is, unfortunately, a genius.
According to their grades so is Suzume herself, but she's cheating so she doesn't really count that. Even if it does give her bragging rights now and again.
She still has to work hard to retain her information and learn what isn't the same as before, like history and new genetics and all of that. But she loves history, and she's spent so long devouring this new history in books and articles in her freetime that it barely registers as studying. It's so much fun. And it gives her a leg up as well.
A couple of times Shouto, or Kirishima, or even Shinsou has come over to her house again. Suzume has invested in a hammock chair for her bedroom, since the one at her desk isn't really made for lounging and her bed is only big enough for two people to sit comfortably even though you could technically squeeze three. Since she'll be entertaining more often, as it happens.
Toru is over almost every weekend, but they've never had a big enough group to play murder with again. Mostly they play board games, or talk, or play video games.
Suzume never considered herself much of a gamer before, but apparently having friends to play those games with will change that.
Friends like Shouto, Kaminari, Toru, and of course Dusty and Spinner.
They finally beat Portrait of Hell (Dusty's character had to sacrifice himself for the greater good in the end) and they play a long distance version of 'Keep Talking and Nobody Explodes', 'Tail of Wonder', 'Knights of the Deepmines' and 'Among Us' now-a-days while Seiji works on the sequel, 'Under the Blossoming Cherry Trees'. Because he has some kind of affinity for old japanese literature.
Sometimes they don't even really play anything, they just chat and talk.
Dusty is getting more and more sociable, for better or worse, and even mentions that he's made two new 'Friends?' outside of the two of them.
"Why do you sound so uncertain?" Suzume asks. She's staring down at a stack of letters that have her name on them, for some reason. Why is she getting so much mail?
"I don't know. One of them is younger than me and totally nuts, but she keeps trying to paint my nails."
Suzume pauses.
"I mean I'm younger than you are, and I would absolutely paint your nails. What about the other one?"
"He's an opaque asshole."
Suzume slowly cuts the seal on one of the letters open.
"Do you mean obtuse? Because opaque means something is impenetrable to types of radiation."
"Obtuse, opaque, who cares? You knew what I meant!"
"You're also an obtuse asshole so I don't see what the problem is," Spinner says helpfully.
"Echoed. Isn't it obvious? You two are peas in a pod. Two opaque assholes."
"Fuck both of you."
"I just told you I'm younger than you are."
"I will disintegrate all of your teeth one by one."
"Oh I'm so scared."
"You should be."
"Oh my god you two are losers. Anyways, speaking of Dusty making friends, I'm moving to Yokohama soon. That's pretty close to the two of you isn't it?"
"Yeah, I live in Kamino," Dusty agreed.
"I'm a little over an hour away by train, but I'm not too far. In Yasuoka."
"I thought you lived in Kusagawa."
"That's my home town. We moved away a few years ago after my dad got arrested.
"Fucking yikes girl."
"It's not like that's news!"
"No, but it still sucks. Anyways, since I won't be way out in the boonies anymore maybe we could actually meet? Like IRL?"
Suzume pauses, and stares at the letter in her hands. It's an offer for a credit card of all things. She tosses it in the bin and moves on to the next one, methodically opening up the seal.
"I mean. I don't know if I can since you guys are like. Guys. And if I did I would definitely be giving my mother, brother, and anyone else I could think of your information, where we were meeting, and all of that. You know. In case you're rapists."
"That's- I mean I'm not, but you know what that's fair," Spinner admits. "There's people who like to traffic heteromorphic people. We're 'exotic' on the black market."
"What twats."
"Mhmm."
"I'm not a rapist either, for the record. That's really stuff you need to worry about?"
"Unfortunately, it is. I'm decent at fighting, but there's always a chance of something going wrong. Better safe than sorry. The way I see it, anyone who kicks up a fuss about other people knowing where you are together is probably not someone you want to be alone with in general. Once I went out with a guy," A lifetime ago, "And right in front of him I took a picture of his car and license plate. I am not a subtle person when it comes to my own safety."
"That's smart. What did he say?"
"He was fine with it, and even asked if I wanted to call my friend while he was driving. Otherwise I would not have gotten in his car."
"I don't mind if you do all that. We can even meet somewhere super public, like a park or something. I just thought it would be fun to meet face to face. I mean if you want to, you don't have to or if you don't want to I won't be offended or anything."
"Spinner," Suzume cuts him off, not unkindly. "I think it sounds like fun. I've got finals coming up soon though, so I might not be able to stay out for the whole day."
"Oh. Okay, yeah!"
Spinner was definitely not used to having people want to hang out with him.
Suzume makes a private note that if she ever finds herself in his hometown, she's going to go and start a fight.
Several, in fact.
Spinner has been too surprised too many times by the fact that she and Dusty actively want to talk and play with him.
So yeah. She's going to start a fight.
The paper opens and falls in front of her.
She skims it quickly. Then skims it again, and again.
Congratulations Yusada Suzume!
My name is Christopher Glass. I am a proud member of the I Island Board of Overseers, who manage the daily operations of I Island. I Island is a man-made island that hosts a conglomeration of the world's very best scientists, all working together to build top grade support equipment for our current heroes and the heroes of the future, like yourself and your classmates. The island is a paradise for scientists looking to make their name and help the world.
Every year we hold an exposition to show off the very best of our new product, to promote our scientists and their work and of course to give our clients a look at what we've spent so much time and effort working on. This is where we gain new investors, and meet the heroes that we work so hard to cater to and assist in our own ways.
This is the I Expo.
As the winner of the UA sports festival you have been invited, with one guest of your choice, to join us at the I Island Expo this summer! All transportation, logging, and dining expenses will be paid by I Island, as a part of an arrangement we have with the prestigious UA High School's Hero Course. We are honored to be hosting you and your chosen companion this year, and showing you all the help we can offer in your future career as a budding hero.
Please contact our liaison at the following email address as soon as possible. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing you this summer.
Regard, I Island Board of Overseers President Christopher Glass.
Underneath the writing is an email address, as promised, for Christopher Glass and the liaison, Cloudine Elle.
It occurs to her that she's about to have a very, very busy summer.
Between the Training Camp (which may or may not included Bakugou getting kidnapped?), her venture to meet Shihan's own master, and now I Island Expo?
Jesus, when is she supposed to sleep?
"I've got to get going. We'll work something out. Text me once you get settled in? Maybe visit Dusty when you get in. Get pizza or something normal humans do."
"Okay. Talk to you later!"
"Later losers."
Suzume rolls her eyes and hangs up the call. How did she even end up in this weird situation in the first place? Honestly, being internet friends with people who might one day try to kill her and her friends (again)? She must be insane.
She types in the email address and drafts up something she hopes is at least marginally persuasive. It's not fair if only she gets to go when Bakugou and Shinsou gave it their all as well. She can only take one person as her guest, but maybe if she's lucky she can convince this Christopher Glass guy to let her two friends come along with her too. It would mean the world to Shinsou, and Bakugou will be insufferable if he doesn't get to come along.
So with that done she logs off her computer, goes to get her coat on, and leaves the house for a run into the city.
She needs to stretch her legs, and with the upcoming training she's going to be subjected to she wants to be in top shape. Or else Shihan's master might very well kill her.
It's probably a bad thing that she's so excited to potentially die.
Suzume tucks herself into the corner of the cafe.
The camera's haven't seen her, and she doesn't want them too. She has no intention of leaving any sort of trail that would lead heroes or the HPSC to her with this little… endeavor.
She plugs her flash drive into the computer and waits impatiently for it to boot up. She paid in cash for a full two hours in the internet cafe, but she's not going to be staying here for that long.
No way no how.
To anyone else Suzume looks as calm and relaxed as she ever does. It's only behind her yellow tinted glasses that her eyes are sharp and focused on what's in front of her. Her plain brown hoodie with a red eye figure stamped on it is bland and unassuming. Her gray leggings are just as nondescript and so are her running shoes.
She's wearing a little All Might charm in her ponytail today, which she's somehow convinced to curl instead of spike messily.
It's something familiar and eye-catching and something that will give people something to remember. It's also an accessory that she would never, ever, wear outside of this place. So it has no connection to her and no way to lead anyone to her once she leaves.
She watches the computer think for a minute before it finally pops open.
She opens up firefox, enters a private browsing window, and starts logging onto forums in different tabs.
Under different names she uploads files and talks about them. She links people to internet archive saved pages of articles taken down over the last twenty years. Things that have been swept under the rug and forgotten or banished from memory.
Afterall, it's easier to love your heroes than kill your darlings.
Admittedly it's hard for Suzume to think that Endeavor might be anyone's darling, but that's beside the point.
Each and every article, each and every police report that she's not supposed to have in her hands is yet more damning evidence of something that some folks have known the entire time.
Endeavor does not deserve to be called a hero.
Out of everyone on the billboards he has the highest casualty count, be it criminal or civilian. Bystander after bystander caught up in heat and falling buildings. Especially in his younger days. Lives cut short and ruined all because he had poor control over his quirk.
And what does it matter that those numbers are better now than they were years ago? Those people will never get their lives back. They're corpses in the ground while the man who killed them walks free and is lauded by the masses as a hero.
He may not be the most popular, he's standoffish at best and cruel to his own fans at worst. Plenty of people also have posts of him being mean to their children and she boosts those as well.
She can't go too fast. She can't make it too obvious that someone is suddenly gunning for his reputation.
But she stirs the pot.
She gets people talking about all the wrongs he's committed just to the public.
It will be months yet before she starts to point out that his wife was sent to the hospital under duress, after filling out paperwork for a divorce no less. That's if no one else catches the fever she's been slowly stoking online and goes hunting for more information. There are plenty of cyber sleuths out there who are just as hungry for truth and justice as she is.
That's why this method will work the best.
In another month she will take some of the more damning stories to the paper's and new outlouds and the more eye-catching ones to magazines and tabloids. All of them she will turn in as anonymous tips from various concerned citizens. A sweet mother of four, an irate businessman, and teenage boy who uses the word Dude too much.
Once she's properly doused the public's admiration for him she'll light the final match that will burn this man to the ground.
Touya.
His dead son. Consumed in a fiery inferno.
It feels wrong somehow, to use him as a martyr without his permission, but she figures that if he doesn't want her doing all of this he would have said something by now. After all, he knows her. He knows her intention and he knows how to contact her if he decides that he doesn't want this to be happening.
But he doesn't.
So Suzume works on a method that she's used to drag down politicians and celebrities in another life. In some ways Endeavor is both. It makes it easy almost, once you know what you're doing. She just has to make sure no one ever finds out that it's her. Hence the cafe and the sunglasses and the cash she uses as she works to destroy Endeavors life.
She starts to sour the fruits of his labors.