Do I Wanna Know? - Arctic Monkeys.
"Are you prepared for what's coming?
Because I know what I will do…"
The best way I could describe him was cold.
Just cold.
The way his left eye lifelessly stared deep into your soul, piercing the distance between your souls. There was no other way to describe it, other than his left hand tied to the chair so tightly that the blood that had been drawn was exposed to the air for so long it had begun to dry up and resemble more a coating of red icing than what was blood. His left knee had been broken, resting at an awkward angle and his left foot had toes sprawled across the floor.
But taking a look at the man's right side made me want to vomit.
His right eye had been gouged out, the flesh on his right arm had been stripped away leaving only his flesh and bone for the entire world to see. And his bones were sticking out of his elbow, almost like it had been outgrown rather than dislodged and moved out of its socket. He was missing his right leg that had been surgically cut, outside of a tiny few drops of blood on the floor that grimly reminded me of what had happened.
Along with the various burns that littered across the Mayor's half-naked body, it was a grisly sight to behold. The worst thing I had ever seen in my life, and even the police officer's around me either talked in a hush tone or were completely silent as I walked around the crime scene.
Mayor Daguchi lived in a lavish apartment, pictures of his family were dotted around the house, hung up on various walls or even just stood by the family TV. My mouth was firmly shut as I teetered closer to the corpse-,
"Hey! What the hell are you doing here?!"
I was shoved by an unfriendly officer with more badges on his blazer than hair on his head. I didn't reply as the officer stood in front of me, and I simply pointed at the badge I had clipped to my jacket.
"I know who you are," The officer snarled at me. "You're not welcome here."
I blinked at him in confusion.
"I'm a detective."
"You're a glorified Hero, you're not welcome here," The officer replied. "I don't want your kind here. Tch. You and the media need to leave, now. And I won't repeat my order again-,"
"Who the hell do you-,"
"Ahem," I was interrupted as two people suddenly appeared beside me. One was Nanao, who simply shook her head at me, and the other was another man I recognised. Vice Commissioner Suzuki. "Boss, just let the kid be. He won't interfere with the investigation, now will you, Sora?"
Boss?!
I turned back to the balding officer.
"You-,"
"Yes, now close your mouth, rookie," Commissioner Suwabe Munakata barked at me. "Hm. Whatever. If he does anything, it'll be on your head, Suzuki. You too, Iori. Tsk. And where is Tsukauchi?! I'm holding a press conference right now, and tell those bloody reporters to piss off already!"
I watched as the head of the Musutafu Police Department stormed off in a rage of fury.
"Sorry about him," Nanao apologised to me. "I want to say that he's nicer under different circumstances, but…"
I nodded at her.
Everyone had heard rumours about him. From civilians to even Heroes from other cities, the famous Suwabe Munakata who stepped up after the Overhaul Incident along with the Mayor nearly two years ago now. Along with their famous 'Restoration' project that led to buildings like the Millenium Spire being completed within a short time frame.
To 'restore' this city.
And now, I stared at the Mayor who had been brutally murdered.
Right after the U.N. declared that another incident would force them to get involved.
"What a mess," Suzuki sighed out. "And to think it happened right before the big election too."
"Election?"
"You don't know about the election? I suppose you just turned enough to vote. Mayoral elections are going to happen in two months."
"I see."
"You thought about voting then?"
I shook my head at Suzuki, drawing my eyes away from my boss back to the body. It was clear he had been tortured before he had been granted the mercy that was death, but it was also clear that whoever had done this was sick and twisted. I hummed, going closer to the remains of Mayor Daguchi, before I noticed something.
His face…
It wasn't right.
"Doesn't his face look… swollen?"
"That's just the process of decomposition-,"
"No, I mean, look," I pointed at his mouth. Something was off. It was like something was in his mouth, either his tongue was resting heavily on his right cheek or… I grimaced, reaching out to the Mayor's mouth ignoring the scathing looks everyone gave me. But when I pulled his mouth down, I was proven right - Inside was a scrunched up ball of paper. "...What the…?"
I turned around to look at Suzuki and Nanao, who looked at me and the Mayor in shock.
Reaching out for the ball of paper in trepidation, thankfully nothing happened.
But it was covered in blood.
With a nod from Suzuki, I slowly opened the ball of paper. Slowly, the blood splatters formed into a single word, a word that only made me more confused as Nanao leaned over to stare at the word with a blank expression on her face.
"Poser? What's that supposed to mean?"
I shrugged my shoulders at her, turning to one of the forensics at the scene.
"I don't know. Hey, bag this up and send it off. Do your analysis on it or whatever it is you do," I told the blonde forensics officer. "Sorry. Don't want to sound harsh or something. Just, send me the results when you're done."
She nodded at me, taking the only piece of evidence we had as I turned around to face Suzuki who was already on the phone. I could tell that the conversation was important judging by the loud tone of the person on the other side of the phone, and I sighed as Nanao bumped my shoulder.
"How'd you get here? Trains are shut."
"I flew."
"...My car is parked nearby. I'll drive you back to U.A."
"You don't-,"
I didn't have much of a choice as Nanao forcefully dragged me away from the crime scene, the rest of the Mayor's apartment was crawling with police officers as by the entrance, two people were huddled together. A woman who was sobbing her heart out, the wife of the deceased Mayor, and a small boy.
For a brief second I paused as the boy locked eye contact with me.
Pain.
Hurt.
Sadness.
I saw a lot of things reflected in that boy's eyes, he looked no older than nine. And I felt sorry for him, his father had been murdered in a horrific way. But I couldn't draw my eyes away from the boy, there was something invisible inexplicably drawing my gaze to him as he sat down on the seat comforting his mother in a quiet contemplation.
They weren't eyes a young kid should have.
Because I could see the anger leaking out of him.
The scars that were still fresh and raw only made me stare at the young boy, those scars that I couldn't quite ignore. He looked so fragile. And angry at the world who tore his father away from him-,
And it made me sick to my stomach.
If Gekko was murdered, I wonder what I would do?!
…
"Come on," Nanao urged me, pushing me through the front entrance. I followed her down the stairs of the barren but lavish apartment building, each step feeling heavier than the next as we found ourselves outside. I watched as a crowd of reporters crowded Suwabe, who looked even more under pressure than before. "My car isn't far from here. Are you hungry? I don't mind getting us some food."
I shook my head at her offer, however.
"I'm not hungry."
Who would be in this situation?
In the distance, I could hear the press conference.
"The unfortunate… Death of our Mayor has come as a shock to us all. However, we have not ruled out the fact that Mayor Daguchi may have committed suicide! Do not get carried away with the fact that our Mayor is dead! We are trying very hard to figure out the facts and report to you, the public, the truth on what happened this stormy night!"
…Tsk.
"It's just a generic PR speech. Ignore it, Sora."
"I know," I replied bitterly. "That doesn't mean it can't piss me off."
Rain drummed against my jacket as I trudged behind Nanao, the stormy skies of Musutafu brewing something that not even the weather forecast could have predicted. And all I could do was stare in silence at what was to come…
Chapter
Seventy
Three
'Red Swan of Anger'
It was late as I got back to the Class A dorm.
Not that anyone had gone to bed.
Crowded around the TV, everyone's eyes were so glued to the screen that it didn't immediately register in their minds that I had come back. It took until I went over to the kitchen and opened my fridge to microwave some leftovers that Midoriya spotted I had returned, and then the floodgates opened.
"Sora! What happened?"
"Did they catch the person responsible?"
"They're saying the Mayor was assassinated! Is this true?"
I sighed, resting on the counter as I watched my food in the microwave spin round and round. My silence was telling as some of the more loud members of Class A backed off, but that didn't mean that they didn't want answers - The issue was that neither I nor anyone else had them yet.
"I don't know," I bitterly told them. "I don't bloody know what happened. I just-, Can I eat my dinner in peace? And switch off the news, I don't want to deal with shit like this when I'm here too."
"Deal with what exactly?" Ojiro inquired with a frown. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but this isn't exactly something we're used to. Of course, we're curious about what happened considering we live in this city-,"
"That's not the point-,"
"We're Heroes, we have to know if something big is going down," Uraraka pressed further. "Don't withhold information from us, and don't use this dorm as an excuse to forget about our duty!"
"I'm not, I just-,"
Jiro, Kaminari, Mineta and Midoriya quickly realised something was off as they tried to move everyone away from me apologetically, but some people just refused to shut up as they kept on talking and talking.
"If this is serious maybe we should solve it together?"
"Yeah, this is our home too!"
"Please don't lie and keep important things from us again."
Something within me snapped as I angrily turned around and threw a nearby dirty plate at the wall, watching the plate crack into small shards. I wasn't so fortunate, however, with a shard of glass bouncing back and cutting my nose. The kitchen descended into an awkward silence as blood swiftly pooled up, leaking down from the thin cut across my nose and dripping down onto the floor.
Beep.
Beep.
Beep.
The sound of the microwave having finished heating up my food made me snap back to my senses as I growled, angrily turning on the taps to wash my face. But I could see from the reflection of the window how everyone looked at me with fear in their faces from my outburst as they shuffled away from me, allowing me to grab a fork from my drawer as I got my food and made my way to the stairs in utter silence.
Damn it.
Why'd I have to just…
I paused, thinking of what to say.
"…I don't know anything yet. And I'm not saying you can't help, I'm just saying I don't even know what I'm going to do, it seems like the main police want this investigated by them and not someone like me," I said to them. "Sorry about the plate. Just-, I know some of you still distrust me, but can you not jump to conclusions? A man was brutally murdered and tortured, could you all have some respect for me in that sense. None of you saw the corpse."
After that, no one bothered me as I went upstairs.
Although, not surprisingly, sitting in my room was Nejire.
"…Was there an argument downstairs or something?" She asked me, wearing her Hero costume as she sat down on my bed with a frown. "We were supposed to have a patrol tonight, but I don't think that's happening anymore."
I scoffed at that.
"If you want to go out, be my guest. I just want to eat my food and sleep."
Nejire smirked at that, rolling her eyes at me as I sat down at my desk and began to eat the pasta I had made earlier. It was a simple dish, I fried some chorizo and chopped up bacon, mixing it with some canned tomatoes and chillies before I added my boiled pasta on top, mixing it all together and finishing it off with some parmesan cheese – Nothing too fancy, but it got the calories in at the very least.
"Sora. How…"
"I'll tell you what I told everyone else downstairs, I don't know," I told Nejire before taking a bite out of my food. "I'm hungry. Is it possible for serious talks like this to wait until after I'm done eating. I'll share with you what happened after."
"I don't have time for that," Nejire told me with a sad smile. "It's sort of the reason I asked for the two of us to patrol tonight. I didn't want to tell you, but… I was asked by an international country to help come and solve a case for them."
I blinked at Nejire in confusion.
"Huh?"
"Yeah, I was surprised too. I nearly rejected it if it wasn't for the person who offered me the case in the first place, the only person in Japan who even wants me to go. Hachi Yamaguchi, our Prime Minister," Nejire told me. "There were some sightings in Italy of Yozora and Stain. Now, I don't know what they're doing out of the country, but they've kept Italian police and Heroes on their toes. They specifically asked for help from Japan because they came from here."
"But why you?"
Nejire smiled at that, pointing at me.
"Because, silly, I work with you. And Nanao. The Prime Minister told me that she wants me to take this case because it'll help you, and because it's not like we can allow our terrorists to muck about in foreign lands without trying to stop them," Nejire explained to me. "So, either you were going to be sent, or we went together instead. But, after everything that happened tonight…"
I couldn't afford to leave.
That was what was left unsaid.
"How long is it going to be?"
"A month. Maybe two. I'd like to say that I'll be back by the weekend, but I can't promise you that," Nejire told me with a frown. "B-but don't you worry! If you need me here for help with what just happened, I'll just tell the Prime Minister that someone else can solve the case!"
I sighed at that.
"No, don't be stupid now. This is bad, but Yozora and Stain are even worse," I shook my head at Nejire, humming deep in thought. "You should go. I have Nanao still here, as much as you're great, I don't think this 'case' is going to require much Hero work. I mean, for one, the murder looked to be committed without a Quirk. It was too precise – Too inhumane to be done by a Quirk."
"What do you mean?"
"Nejire, if I kill someone with my Quirk it'll leave behind residue. Say I stab someone with a sword I made, my swords that I make aren't 'smooth', any good forensics officer would be able to tell you that the weapon used was jagged, more likely to be from a Quirk than an actual sword. Not to mention it's sort of easy to tell if a Quirk was used, it makes the impossible possible," I said to her. "The mayor was brutally tortured and killed. It was a crime committed without the use of a Quirk. It was done on purpose, that's clear for everyone to see and that's why this case needs to be solved."
"But-,"
"Nejire, if you used your Quirk to murder someone it's not hard to find you down. No one Quirk is the exact same as the other. No, while we may have impressive technology now to find and locate Quirks, our technology regarding forensics in crimes without the use of Quirks has stagnated for centuries now," I explained to her. "There's not a chance that the person who killed the mayor used their Quirk, for one it would be too easy to identify and tie back to the culprit. No, this sick bastard enjoyed using his own hands to torture and kill him."
Nejire's eyes widened at that.
"That's-,"
I nodded, cutting her off with a grimace.
"Yeah. That's what's the most fucked up about this case."
Whoever did this knew what they were doing.
This was planned.
It was a taunt directly to society.
The Heroes couldn't even launch their own investigation, and the police were left scrambling trying to figure out what happened and what they should do next as everyone waited with bated breath on what was to come.
"Do you… think this is it?"
I blinked at Nejire in confusion.
"Do you think whoever killed the mayor will stop here? I'd like to say yes, but…" I thought back to the scrunched up ball of paper with the word 'poser' shoved inside the mayor's mouth. "...Something tells me it's not going to stop at just the mayor. Like I said, the police aren't exactly thrilled with the investigation. No leads, we don't even know how he died yet. I'm going to ask for the autopsy tomorrow."
"You sure you don't need me?"
I nodded at her, smiling gratefully at Nejire.
"Go to Italy, help as much as you can. And get me some souvenirs, I need some for my sisters now. Gosh. Isn't that weird, I have two sisters?! Well, technically three."
"Aw, it's a shame I still haven't met Katsumi! Or Mashiro!"
I shuddered at Nejire's disappointed look.
I prayed that she never would.
"It's why the staff at U.A. have all agreed to postpone the Sports Festival that was supposed to take place next week. We hope you understand considering recent events, and we look forward to presenting the U.A. Sports Festival sometime in the summer instead. Thank you for your time."
I scowled at the TV, watching Nezu make the announcement.
What were the chances this was another one of his calculated moves.
"What! They can't do that!"
"Man, I was putting in the hours to try and get to the finals this time!"
"Hehe," Kaminari sighed in relief beside me as he ate a sandwich he had made with eggs, sausages and marmite oddly enough. "Lucky me. I was dreading the festival, but hey, at least now I don't train for it anymore. Not that I was going to train anyway, what about you, Sora?"
I shrugged my shoulders in response as I had my ice-lolly in peace.
"To be honest, I was probably going to give up in the first round. I don't need to make an impression or anything. I couldn't care less about it," I answered honestly. "But I woulda' thought U.A. would have gone ahead with the festival, at the very least to distract the people of this city from what just happened. Fact that they cancelled it either means this is more serious than we realise, or that the rat bastard has a plan in place."
Jiro sighed at that.
"You really dislike Nezu, don't you?"
"I don't trust him," I replied honestly. "He's always been shady for as long as I can remember, but what he did regarding Katsumi is a step too far. I've always known that he has his own agenda, but when it starts to hide things that matter to me, that's a step too far. Just what else does he know that he doesn't want us to know?"
Yoayorozu hummed at that, shaking her head at me.
"Maybe it's for the best-,"
"How can it be for the best?!"
"You keep your own secrets too, Sora. Back then and even now, don't forget that," Yaoyorozu pointed out. "You're just annoyed that you were only told now, because if you had known before don't be under the impression that you would have told anyone but yourself."
"Hey! That's not true, Momo," Jiro defended me with a frown. "...We all have secrets, some are ones that just can't get out. At the very least Sora's trusting us and telling us what he feels comfortable with, and the secrets he still keeps will be revealed to us when he feels more comfortable."
Yaoyorozu shrugged her shoulders at that.
"I'm not saying that Sora has to tell us everything. But maybe Nezu didn't tell him about Katsumi for a reason, maybe Nezu has cancelled the Sports Festival for a reason that while we don't know yet - Is a reason that's important. It's sorta like time travel in movies, you know?"
I blinked at her in confusion.
"How?"
"Well I mean, you know, in movies like Back to the Future, changing the past events with knowledge from the future changes the future. If Nezu told us what his plan was, would his plan even work?" Yaoyorozu asked me. "Nezu is a great Hero renowned for his intellect and master planning skills. I have no doubt that he has in mind with every action that he takes, even if we don't understand it. But when we do, we will realise how important it was."
I scoffed at her.
"That's bullshit. That's just lying and controlling people."
"Maybe to you and your ideals, but I certainly understand where Nezu is coming from. Sometimes, in order to save the most people, the ones you love need to be kept in the dark, isn't that the basis of any popular Hero story? Batman, Spider-Man, even Superman," Yaoyorozu told me. "Even you, Sora. Say you had told us that we would be attacked during the Summer Camp, the outcome would have been different."
"..."
"Maybe Midoriya would have been captured and you weren't able to trade places with him, maybe it would have been Bakugo or someone else who was captured - Maybe one of us would have suffered from an injury or even death," Yaoyorozu explained. "It's a principle in business too. Even if you're planning on selling or downsizing a subsidiary, why would you tell them that in advance? You'll just lose workers. No, you just have to make them work till the last minute before you pull the plug on them."
I shook my head at that.
"You're just making a good crowd that follows your every word. I understand what you're saying, and once upon a time I would have agreed. But I… Think about it like this, what makes someone like Nezu or me get to decide what the future will be - Because of our knowledge? Quirks? I could have very well told you all about the attack on the summer camp, and maybe it would have led to a worse outcome. But maybe it wouldn't have," I said to her. "I'd rather bank on that small chance at victory than manipulate people again."
This time, it was Jiro who stared at me in confusion.
"...You say that, Sora, but I disagree. And I was on your side until you said that," Jiro spoke up. "Don't pretend that you aren't manipulating people even now. Your heart may be open, and you may have stopped lying, but that doesn't mean you aren't guiding us one way. I mean most people still don't know why you even came back. You still ignore yourself, you know."
"I told you and Kaminari-,"
"But does she know?" Jiro pointed at Yaoyorozu. "Or anyone else in our class? It's all well and good that you told Denki and I about your brother, but what about everyone else? Or would you rather Denki and me be used as an example for everyone else to follow. To just forgive you and let things go back to how they were."
"That's-,"
Jiro shook her head at me.
"Don't defend it. There's nothing wrong with it, you're not wrong. If anything, I'm on your side, but don't pretend that you haven't manipulated others even though you came back," Jiro told me. "You've just manipulated them in different ways than before, and that's not to say that none of us do the same. We're humans, we always want to exert our own influence on others, it just depends on if it's a positive or negative influence. This time, you're trying to be positive. I heard what you said to Kirishima last night."
"That's not-,"
Kaminari spoke up next, shrugging his shoulders at Jiro.
"...I gotta agree with Sora and his approach here. More than you, Jiro, and Yoayorozu. I wouldn't call that manipulation," Kaminari defended me. "It's his secret. One's he didn't know before when he was here, secrets he learnt during his time away. He has many reasons for coming back, some relating to us and some having nothing to do with us. That's no manipulation, he'll tell us those reasons when he himself is ready, not when everyone becomes good friends with him."
I huffed at that.
"I think all of you are wrong," I told the three of them plainly. "I haven't told everyone the real reasons I'm back, because I don't know how. I mean, yeah, one of them is to make things right with you all. That's obvious. But the other reasons? Hell, I find new reasons to solve a nasty case at work that's been crawling up my arse for a while now. I keep on getting hints at this bastard brother of mine being alive and I can't find a fucking clue where he is."
Yaoyorozu blinked at that.
"Brother?"
Ah.
I sighed, deflating as I nodded at her.
"Guess you don't know. I came back to find my half-brother. Then I find out I have a half-sister instead, and here she is as a Hero," I whispered. "Then not even a few days later the mayor is murdered, and I can't help but think that Nezu's spinning a fucking tale to make sure this his side wins."
"But… his side is our side, no?"
I didn't answer that question.
Because it wasn't true.
Ultimately, Nezu was somewhat aligned with the police and the Prime Minister. The most recent laws changing what Heroes can and can't do, as well as the lobbying and protests from across the country growing support for the ultimate law - The banning of all Heroes.
That's what Nezu was working against, to maintain what was set in the past no matter what, and I had no doubt that 'Katsumi' fit into his plans much like a puppet.
That this entire ordeal with the mayor could be solved with the help of Heroes.
That it needed them.
It was the direct opposite of what Hawks, Endeavour, the HPSC and even Izuku Midoriya stood for. They recognised the changing tides of society and were following suit so they could save as many lives as they could, even if it meant that the traditional idea of what it meant to be a 'Hero' was over, and as such they were far too dedicated in making sure that they weren't obsolete in the future - Too focused on trying to keep up with the ever changing future that wasn't set in stone.
So, what was our side?
Class A, even someone like me.
What did I want?
"...Thanks for the illuminating conversation," Yaoyorozu eventually said to me, getting out of her seat as she walked away. "I disagree with what you're saying, implicitly as well as explicitly. We just have to do our best in this situation and follow the path our elders have set out for us, perhaps there may be another path - But are you willing to destroy the world as we know it for a mere chance?"
I sighed, shrugging my shoulders at Kaminari and Jiro who looked at me deep in thought.
What would I do, huh?
…
I already knew that answer.
It was the same answer I gave to Tokage all those years back, it was the same answer I had come to appreciate and follow with every conflict I got into. It was a painful answer, but in my heart I understood that it was the only way to win.
And I could accept everything that came with it.
"Huh?! What do you mean the trips are still going on this month?!"
May quickly arrived as the news didn't shut up about what happened to the mayor. Even after I got the autopsy report, there was nothing I could really do to chase a lead - He was brutally tortured and died to a blow on the back of his head four hours before he was found, there wasn't a single weapon or piece of evidence other than a broken window suggesting who or why they might have broken in.
And still, U.A. was eating up most of my time.
"It's simple, the world still needs Heroes. And we at U.A. will show them Heroes," Nezu replied. "Classes A and B will be split up and distributed in eight groups of five across the country, supervised by a member of staff just as usual. You will complete the tasks set upon you and anything else that may catch your eye. However, this time one group will remain here in Musutafu. That's all."
Everyone in the room but Tokage and I were outraged, and Nezu simply only smirked back taking on all of their ire. Even the teachers were on edge as they stood against Nezu, their minds probably on the same track as the students which being what the hell was he thinking when this city had just lost its mayor to a murder.
I couldn't fault them for thinking that…
"First you cancel the sports festival, now you're sending us away? The hell?! Tch, you shitty fucking rat don't make me-," Bakugo paused as his anger took ahold of him for a comical moment, blasting the chair he was sitting on to pieces. "I swear to fucking God if you don't give me a good excuse why I won't send you to heaven to meet Tom and Jerry, I'll fucking kill you!"
"...It's necessary," Nezu replied. "U.A. is the face of Heroics. If, and I mean if, the situation here can be controlled and the other teams do good jobs, think about what it would mean? It would mean that the Heroes of today, you all, would have helped to prevent another crisis. That amongst your heroics during All Might's funeral as well as the most recent attempt at a gang war would propel you to heights unmatched. Each and every single one of you has a role here."
"And what if we don't fulfil it?" Midoriya challenged Nezu. "Even if tales of our Heroics spread across the country, what good will it do? We're already dealing with one dead mayor. We're already dealing with the U.N. trying to exert its influence over our country. Why are you doing this?"
Nezu giggled at that.
"That's for me to know, and for you to find out. This is non-negotiable. The first team that'll stay here under my supervision is as follows: Hanta Sero, Momo Yaoyorozu, Setsuna Tokage, Izuku Midoriya and Sora Yamazaki. Your one and only task will be to help with the investigation regarding the mayor's death, something your classmate has and can legally investigate with the rest of you as his 'aide's of sorts. That's one legal loophole we can get through~"
I sighed at how cheery Nezu sounded as everyone's eyes turned to stare at me.
"The investigation doesn't have a single lead. So don't expect much."
"Mmh, that's fine. I'm sure you can figure the mystery out, Detective Dragon," Nezu teased me with a slight edge to it. "Oh, and I forgot to mention that your trips won't last a weekend. Prepare for a three week trip, the rest of you will be moving around entire prefectures spending time in major cities and small towns. Please prepare accordingly, and as always U.A. will pay for the accommodations and food."
I grunted at that, turning to Tokage who sat beside me with her eyes closed.
Tuning out Nezu announcing the rest of the groups, I leaned back in my seat and fiddled around with my lighter, my finger briefly touching the fire before I pulled it away almost like it was a game to see when I'd get burnt.
"That's… interesting," Tokage eventually said to me. "I mean, I get it. He wants a good PR for Heroes, it'll keep the more aggressive protestors at bay for now. But he's basically telling us stationed here that we need to solve the case and put away the murderer. And if you really haven't found any clues then-, Tsk. Sometimes I want to kick that stupid rat in the face."
I snorted at that.
"Get in line."
I took a long drag from my cigarette, watching the city from afar.
The air in Musutafu was thick with tension, a palpable weight pressing down on the city like a suffocating blanket. As I stood outside the morgue, the normally bustling streets were eerily quiet, the only sound the occasional distant siren wailing even in the day time. The dim glow of streetlights flickered on and off again which would have made me terrified, if it was at night that would have given the city an abandoned, desolate feel.
Still, my imagination aside, she was late.
Graffiti had sprung up across the walls surrounding me, with some calling for Daguchi to rest in peace, and others celebrating his death. It wasn't that the morgue owned by the police where Daguchi was sent to was in a bad area, but it wasn't great.
There was something ironic about the last mayor of this city being sent here.
Washed out streets with broken pavements, flats with their blinds shut and bins carelessly tossed around the place with nowhere to be found even in the afternoon. Either people had somewhere to be, or what was most likely the case, people were too afraid to leave their own homes.
Thai was a different kind of fear than the gang war.
At least we knew what we were facing.
Here? It was still unknown what really occurred other than Daguchi's murder.
Running up beside me, Nanao showed up panting as she shook her head apologetically, the corners of my mouth twitching upwards as my 'boss' and friend glanced around uneasily, her sharp eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of trouble. She wore her usual expression of grim determination, but I could see the worry etched into the lines of her face as I pointed out her unbuttoned shirt.
"It's not like you to turn up late. Or not dressed properly."
"Bite me," Nanao replied sarcastically, taking my cigarette off my hands without warning and taking a long drag from it. "Had to deal with two robberies in a row. I swear, I was nearly reaching for my pistol just to end it all."
"Isn't that police brutality?"
"I was going to aim it at myself."
"Ooh, suicide. Nice."
"Musutafu feels different," Nanao murmured, her voice low and tense. "It's like the whole city is holding its breath, waiting for something to happen. Not that I can blame them, I mean the mayor was murdered unexpectedly. Even the protestors trying to ban Heroes in this city have had the wind taken out of their sails as they clammer to try and get a candidate out there.I found it out while listening to the radio as I was taking a shower."
"Do you listen to the radio when having a shower?"
Nanao blinked at me in surprise.
"You don't? Well, I assume you listen to a playlist."
I shook my head at that.
"Nah, not even. I just like the sound of water hitting the floor. Am I a psychopath?"
"Just a little," Nanao replied with a giggle. "I'm glad you could make it. Even on such short notice. I heard Nejire was sent away yesterday. Wasn't sure if your duties there would stop you from coming here with me to visit Daguchi."
I shrugged my shoulders at her, taking my cigarette back.
"The only duty U.A. gave me is to solve this case," I replied with a sigh. "Even though it looks mighty unsolvable right now. I can't lie, I just don't understand why the mayor would be the target, especially near the next election. Think it was the other candidate who took him out?"
Nanao shook her head, however.
"I sincerely doubt it. I looked into her, the opponent who was trying to run for mayor, but they were practically neck-and-neck. It'd be too easy to tie the murder to her," Nanao told me. "Not to mention she's dropped out of the election. Currently, we don't even have an interim mayor. It's as you said, it could be a third party responsible for of, I heard a little rumour that U.A. was sending its students across the country.
I sighed at that, stamping out my cigarette.
"It's getting harder to keep the peace that's been cultivated over the course of decades," I admitted, my voice tinged with frustration. "But U.A. is doing everything they can. Or Nezu is, at the very least. He has sent teams out across the country to help maintain order, but it feels like they're fighting a losing battle. Desperately trying to catch up and prevent what's coming…"
Nanao sighed, her shoulders slumping slightly under the weight of responsibility.
"I assume you think it's a stupid stunt too judging by your language," Nanao confessed, her tone grim. "I don't like it. The feeling of not knowing what the future holds as we enter a new era. It looks like the city is tearing itself apart at the seams, and who knows if we'll all survive the iceberg we're headed towards. At the very least, since you're the leader of the Special Reinforcement Group, a separate division of the police, you don't have to deal with the Commissioner's requests."
"Is it that bad? I thought he seemed like a pillock, but…"
"He's given the police two weeks to solve this case."
Ah.
I clenched my jaw, my fists tightening at my sides as I fought back a surge of anger.
Tsk.
"Well, no matter what it's like we can let this continue," I said fiercely. "We have to find out who killed Daguchi and why. We owe it to him, and to the people of Musutafu. His son. And of course to make sure you don't lose your job~"
Nanao rolled her eyes at me.
"You're motivated to solve this case because of me?"
"Why not? Do I get a little 'present' if I do it?"
"The only present you'll get is a gun in your mouth if you continue trying to insinuate what I think you're insinuating," Nanao teased. "Sorry pal, but I'm not into kids. Even if you turn eighteen in under a week, just remember that technically I am four years older than you. Absolutely no chance that I'll consider taking you out."
"Not even for a one night stand?"
"Remember a term called professionalism, Sora. Just so you don't get sued in the future," Nanao bit back. "And anyways, the only girl you'll date isn't even here. Where did she go? North? South?"
"...Okinawa," I admitted with a sigh. "And do you really have to bring up Jiro? Bit of a low blow."
"I bet you want her to blow you."
"Hey!"
Nanao sniggered at that, opening the door to the morgue as I followed her inside. Instantly, I was hit with the familiar smell of what seemed to resemble a hospital - Only much stronger. I couldn't really describe it as the two of us walked up to the receptionist and flashed our badges at the poor girl who seemed startled by our appearance.
"Uhm… Can I he-help you?"
"We're here to see Daguchi," I told her with a smile. "We're both detectives as you can see, call the main office if you aren't sure. We don't mind waiting. Well, I hope not too long. There's a show I really want to catch so…"
The girl squeaked at that.
"N-No, it's fine. I believe you!"
"Cheers," I replied with a wink. "Oh, and a quick question. Anyone been here to visit Daguchi? You know, maybe the sick bastard that did this wanted to see the corpse or something."
"N-no. No one has visited the may-, ex-mayor," The receptionist admitted truthfully. "Not even his family… I bet that's lonely. You two are the first detectives to even come here. Anyways, Daguchi's body is down the hallway on the left. The second refrigerator to the right."
I nodded at her gratefully as I led the way to the place.
The sight that greeted us was enough to turn my stomach. Daguchi's body lay on a metal table, his features twisted in a grotesque mask of pain and terror. I hadn't even realised it when I first saw him, but with his clothes taken off another story was told. It was clear from the state of his corpse that he had been subjected to unimaginable suffering before his death and I could only feel sorry for the bloke.
"Damn… You know, if I ever get captured I think I'd prefer a quick death," I admitted. "This is fucked in the head. Because if I ever managed to live to tell the tale, well, I'd hunt the bastards who tortured me for the rest of my life."
"The autopsy report is very brutal," Nanao murmured in agreement, her voice barely above a whisper as she scanned the document in her hands. "Daguchi was stabbed, cut, burned, and mutilated before he was finally killed. Only someone with a deep-seated vendetta could have done something like this. This wasn't a political assassination or anything along those lines, I don't think I've ever seen a case as messed up as this."
I blinked at her in confusion.
"Even Yozora?"
"Even Yozora," Nanao nodded at me. "He gave his victims the mercy of death, at the very least. He's a psychopath, but this is deranged. Cruel. Whoever did this certainly enjoyed it, I my father - Naomasa Tsukauchi - is staying far away from this case. Not that he would be able to investigate it anyway, he's been put on probation by Commissioner Suwabe."
"Huh? Why?"
Nanao shrugged her shoulders at that.
"Beats me. My Dad did say this was a rabbit hole. I mean just look at Daguchi."
I grimaced, the images flashing through my mind like a nightmare.
"The news is reporting that Daguchi was a family man," I said quietly. "He apparently never had a single scandal in his tenure as mayor, and even before that. I gotta agree with your Dad, there's no way this was just a random act of violence. Someone wanted him dead."
Nanao nodded in agreement, her expression thoughtful as she considered the implications of our conversation. "But why go to such lengths?" she wondered aloud. "Why subject him to such torture when they knew there would be a massive investigation?"
I frowned, my mind racing as I tried to piece together the puzzle before us.
"There has to be a reason we haven't realised yet," I said slowly. "A motive behind Daguchi's murder. Obviously. Okay, so, this is the timeline from two nights ago, right? Daguchi and his family go out to celebrate his son's music recital, Daguchi drops them off at their home near the outskirts of Musutafu and heads to his apartment for 'work'. Beats me what 'work' he had but his wife later reports him missing the next since he didn't come home and call. Later that night, police storm the apartment only to find him dead. Am I missing something?"
Nanao shook her head at me.
"No, that's the timeline of events as we currently know it. We do know that the murderer had broken into the apartment after Daguchi arrived, however… Which makes it all the more curious," Nanao added, humming to herself. "Then there's the issue of the note left in Daguchi's mouth saying 'poser' that you found. Nice work on that, by the way. There was a chance we could have missed it."
"Missed it… Huh, that's weird. What else was on his body?" I asked Nanao. "I mean, he's the mayor, right? Logically he'd, what, carry a phone? Maybe two? Something with a camera, something with a recorder. So, where is it?"
Nanao blinked at me in confusion.
"...They didn't find a phone on him."
"Yeah and isn't that weird?"
"Daguchi's phone!" Nanao said suddenly, her voice filled with realisation. "It's missing!"
My heart sank as I realised the implications of her words.
"Either the murderer took it," I said slowly, "Or we haven't found it yet. Holy shit, think? What if he took a picture of the murderer? We could solve this case right away? Or what if he was lured into the apartment from the murderer? We could track them down!"
Nanao's expression darkened as she considered the possibilities, her jaw clenched with determination.
"Either way," she said firmly, "We need to find out what happened to it. It could be the key to solving this case. Question is, how do we find the phone?"
I smirked at her.
"I got an idea. See, find your phone apps are quite common on modern phones," I explained to Nanao as we walked out of the morgue and into her car. "Now if we just call his wife, I'm sure she can give us some of his passwords to his phone or something."
"Call? Why not visit?"
"Are you willing to visit a recently made widow? It's easier this way," I replied. "Just let me work my charm. I got this you know… Probably."
Nanao sighed as I sat in silence, watching her call other officers and ask around for Daguchi's wife's number. Eventually, we got the number and I dialled it on my phone, watching it ring with a smile on my face.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring-,
"Hello?"
"Hi, this is Detective Yamazaki. I'm sorta in charge of the case regarding your husband's murder," I said in a cheerful voice. "Well, sorta, I'm not really involved and this is my own investigation into the matter because I'm sorta a separate division in the police-, It doesn't matter, I'm calling out of a potential lead in the case. And I need your help."
"Really?"
"Yeah, I know it sounds stupid. You've probably thought ah, there's no way, but I'm going to need your husband's account details," The silence on the other side of the line was telling. "...Okay, that makes me sound like a scammer. More specifically I need his account for his phone or phones. See I was doing a check of his belongings, and the only thing missing from him on the day of the-, He was missing his phone."
"..."
"Er, hello?"
"Detective… I-, I'm sorry. My husband was a very private man, he never told me his passwords," His wife told me from across the phone. "I really can't help you. But, may I ask what you would do with the information?"
"I woulda used to find his phone, as stupid as it sounds."
"Ah. I see…"
The call went silent for a few seconds.
"I wish I could help you detective, but I truly don't know."
"At the very least, do you know the email he used for his account?"
"Uhm… I think it was just his name. Full name. It was a gmail account, I think."
"Thanks. I'll let you know if I can find anything out."
I hung up the call with a sigh, Nanao sat beside me in her car as she looked at me with a sad expression on her face. I leaned back, rubbing my temples as I rolled down the windows and lit a cigarette for me.
"...Did it go that bad?"
"I never said it went bad," I snapped at her with a sigh. "...She didn't know the password, he didn't share it with her. Odd, but whatever. But she does know the email registered with his phone account. That's a good sign."
"How?"
"Er, what I'm going to say might be a little illegal," I replied, taking a long drag. "Maybe we brute force our way into the account. I know someone at U.A. who's smart enough and good enough with technology to do it, I don't know how long it'll take but it's the best lead we have."
Nanao's eyes widened at that.
"Your brilliant idea is to hack into the mayor's phone account?"
"Ex-mayor," I corrected. "And it's not hacking per se. It's… a friendly vacation? I mean his wife told us the email, and I mean seriously. Who doesn't tell their wife what passwords they use? It's his fucking fault. You don't have to be with me when I do this, I don't want to get you into trouble. I mean, you may be my boss but you're not a part of the S.R.G. If things go bad, at the very least I can still be a Hero."
Nanao shook her head at that.
"If things go south you'll be facing criminal charges."
"Potato, potatoe."
"I thought it was potato, potayto."
"Eh? Where the fuck did you hear that from?"
I watched as Mei Hatsume bounced up and down excitedly, much like a dog if you brought them a treat. In this case, I was handing a piece of paper with an email written down on it.
"Is this for me?!" Mei cackled as on her desk looked to be an unfinished ray gun. "Hm… Why'd you bring me an email? Are you planning on sending them a zettabyte of porn, or what?"
"Zetta? Like Gundam?" I asked, scratching my head in confusion. Nanao seemed equally as confused at that. "Uhm… Nah but do put a pin in that plan. For future use. This time, however,I need you to try and find out the password for this phone account - The issue is we don't have it and neither does the wife of the owner."
"Why not ask the owner?" Mei asked in confusion. "That would be easier, right?"
"I would, it's just that the owner of the phone is the bigger issue. He's dead. His phone is missing, and we have reasons to believe that it'll give us a lead on our case," I answered Mei's questions, putting on a pleading look. "Listen, I know that this isn't exactly your forte, but if you could do anything to help us-,"
Mei snatched the piece of paper out of my hand like it was food and she was a hungry child as she inspected it closer with a magnifying glass. With cat reflexes, she jumped backwards into her chair and began to type away at her computer, and I could only stand there and sigh.
"Mei… What did I say about saying please and thank you?"
"Yeah, yeah. Just give me a moment."
Mei kept on typing away.
"Is she usually this… eccentric?" Nanao asked me.
"Hah. You should see her when she makes babies with me," I snorted in response, nodding as Mei continued to work away diligently-, "Okay-, Woah, okay now that I said that I realised how fucked it sounded-,"
"Do you make babies with her often?"
"He used to make 'em with me a lot more when he was still Aozora," Mei replied before I could clarify what it meant. "But it's fine. I make babies with everyone, I'm nice like that. It's a shame I couldn't invite Jiro to make babies with us, Sora."
I blushed heavily at that.
"Hold on-,"
"You made babies with her while dating Jiro?!" Nanao asked me incredulously, a nasty look shot in my direction. "I didn't know you were this much of a scumbag or attracted to the school whore. No wonder Jiro left you. Hell, I half a mind to tell every woman present who has a role in your life how much they failed in raising a nice and respectable man-,"
"She's not talking about sex, Nanao!" I yelled in embarrassment, pointing at the half-finished things loitered all around Mei's lab. "She refers to her creations as 'babies'! I helped Mei originally in designing my weapons and costumes, that's what she's talking about. Not… sex."
"Oh."
Nanao flushed red with embarrassment as she refused to meet my eyes.
"I'm sorry, I take back what I said-,"
"It's fine, really. I can understand why you would-,"
"No but as your elder, it's my responsibility to make sure-,"
"Mei and her personality affects everyone. You're good-,"
"Seriously Sora, what I said was not okay and I apologise profusely-,"
"It's okay I promise you-,"
"It's not okay and I intend to make things right by also apologising to-,"
"Don't. You'll just confuse her-,"
"But Sora, I must-,"
Nanao and I's conversation was interrupted as Mei's hysterical giggles drew our attention, with Mei twirling around in her chair as if she had won the lottery before she banged her head against the corner of her unfinished gun with a slam and was promptly knocked out cold.
"Ouch…" I said, taking off my coat and placing it around her. "Don't worry. She's fine. Probably. Knowing Mei, she probably spent the last two nights working on this really legal weapon and her body is just telling her to shut up and sleep. Still, I have another person in my class who could help us logically narrow down potential passwords, so-, Oh, fuck."
"Sora?"
I leaned closer to Mei's computer screen and sighed.
"Sora? What's wrong?"
"…Mei, you're a clever bastard, you know that?" I whispered with a grin, staring at my friend who was fast asleep. "Thankfully, we don't have to ask Yaoyorozu for some help. Or ask anyone for help. Somehow, she managed to crack Daguchi's password in record time too."
"Huh?!" Nanao rushed over beside me, staring at the screen which showed that Mei had managed to successfully log in and now we were staring at what was a screen telling us if we wanted to find the location of Daguchi's phone. "How in the hell was she able to… Huh. I guess U.A. really does procure a lot of geniuses. I don't think anyone in the police would have been able to crack this, let alone within just a few minutes."
I smiled proudly at Nanao.
"Yeah, well, you guys don't have Mei Hatsume! Keep that name in mind, she's going to be the next best thing, I swear! If you're smart, when she opens a company you'll buy some stocks. God knows that's what I'm doing."
"Isn't that insider trading?"
"Boo, you're always ruining my fun."
"It's illegal and you're supposed to uphold the law," Nanao replied with a smirk, leaning forwards to take control of the computer screen. "Anyway, shall we see where Daguchi's phone is located? Or would you rather see me get fired from my job, honestly, I could take a break or two."
"Knowing you, your idea of a 'break' would be going after Nejire in Italy to help her and the Italian Heroes search for Yozora."
"You know me so well."
"Well, I have Zero and you have Yozora."
"They're not remotely similar. So, shall we end this investigation?"
I nodded at her.
Hopefully, this will be over soon.
We watched as a map of the city enlarged across the screen before a small dot appeared. Hm. Wait, what? I leaned closer to stare at the dot in shock, that was impossible-,
"Why the hell is his phone opposite from the place he was murdered?"
"Room… 104? Yeah, this is where the phone is," I told Nanao, glancing up from the phone tracker app I had installed on my own phone. "For some reason, his phone is in here. Woah, woah-,"
I paused as Nanao pulled out her pistol.
"There's no need for that."
"If a fight breaks out, I'm aiming for the head," Nanao told me stiffly. "That's justice. You can fight whoever you want honourably or whatever you believe in, that's what a Hero does. I just want to make sure that we get this case over and done with. Even with excessive force."
I frowned at that.
"Just put the gun down, you're not shooting anyone," I told her. "At the very least did you call for backup? I don't think Commissioner Suwabe isn't going to be pleased if the media catches attention of this and we arrest the guy. I'd rather not get in trouble for something I could have avoided with a simple phone call."
Nanao rolled her eyes at me, rapping her gun against the door.
"Open up."
We got no response however, much to our surprise.
"Maybe they're not home?" I asked with a sigh. "Just when I thought things could be a little easy. Step aside, I have a method to open it. But if anyone asks, just say we found a spare key under the doormat or something."
I summoned my Quirk, making a large hammer as I slammed it against the door, knocking it down completely with a loud thud. I winced at the noise, as well as the outcome but crept into the apartment, changing the hammer into a more comfortable short sword. My chokuto was tucked into its sheath by my belt, and I wanted a free hand to help investigate the apartment.
Only there was practically nothing to investigate.
"This place looks like it's brand new and hasn't been used. You sure this is the place?"
"Positive," I replied, dragging my finger through a thin layer of dust. "Someone was here recently. And the phone app said it would be on this floor in this location, so either the phone app is being stupid, or the damn thing is actually here."
We walked around in silence for a few minutes as we checked everything, but we couldn't find a single clue of a phone. I sighed as I sat down on the couch. If only we had a-,
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
I jumped up immediately as Nanao pointed her gun at the source of the noise… behind the TV? I looked at her in confusion, edging closer to the back of the TV only to find a small phone taped to the wall.
Huh?
I ripped the phone off the wall, staring at the lock screen as I saw that there was one missed call. I tried to open the phone to call them back, but a screen telling me to input the password showed up as I sighed heavily.
Guess I was shit out of luck.
"…I'll call the number on my phone," I told Nanao as I dialled the foreign number on my phone and pressed to call the number. It only rang for a few seconds before someone picked up. "Hello?"
"…"
"Who is this?"
"…"
"Hey! Are you… Why do you have this number?"
"…"
"Answer me-,"
"Hello, Sora," A familiar voice called from across the phone. It was Nezu. "May I ask what you're doing with Daguchi's phone? I assume you found it during your investigation, but on the off chance that you-,"
"Nezu? Sorry, what the fuck are you doing calling this phone?"
"You were trying to track down its last known location, no? Well, if it wasn't for me constantly calling it, you wouldn't have been able to triangulate its location," Nezu smugly replied. "…But you wouldn't believe me even if I tried to tell you that excuse. Would you believe me if I said I was just trying to help out the investigation? Please, bring the phone back to U.A. Bring it back to me. Make the right decision."
My face scrunched up at that.
"Huh? Why the hell should I do that? This is evidence."
"It would be in your best interest to hand me the phone, Sora," Nezu cryptically told me. "You can't open it, can you? I know that you can't. But of course you can hold onto it if you want to. You can hand it in to the police, and watch the case you want to solve fall through your hands and refuse to be solved, or you can give it to me. Do whatever you want – I can't force you to do anything. But whatever you do, the phone will eventually end up in my hands, so trust me on this. Hand me the phone."
…
"Trust you? Trust you? You want me to trust you after hiding Katsumi from me? What the hell is so important on this phone that you want it?!" I yelled at Nezu, shaking my head angrily as I stared down at Daguchi's phone. "No. You're not getting what you want, Nezu. Fuck you. I'm not your puppet or someone that follows your every word. I'll conduct my own investigation, and if I feel generous, I'll let you know the results."
Click.
I pocketed both phones.
"Sora?" Nanao asked me, her voice shaky. "…You should come see this."
"I'm not in the-,"
But not even I could look away once I glanced at it.
It was funny, I wouldn't have expected the TV to be on, much less show a second shocking headline within two days of the previous one. Yet somehow, this one felt more sinister as I felt my eyes widen at what was being reported, and that only made the phone in my pocket much more valuable as Nanao started to curse loudly.
"Ex-mayor Daguchi has had pictures leaked of his infidelity and affair with other women despite being married and in office," I read the headline from the TV that had no sound coming from it. "...What the fuck? When the hell did this come out? Are you seeing this shit?!"
I could only stare at Daguchi's phone in my pocket.
Just what the hell did this device have-,
"Freeze! Hands in the air!" My attention was swiftly taken as three officers and a familiar Hero stormed the apartment, their weapons raised only to catch a glimpse of Nanao and I and lower them. "Oh. Detective Yamazaki, Detective Iori. I didn't realise you two had entered the apartment already. Did you apprehend the culprit behind Daguchi's murder? Or find Daguchi's phone?"
Before Nanao could reply, I spoke up and answered their questions.
"The apartment was empty when we arrived," I told them, my hand gripping Daguchi's phone tightly. "And no, we didn't find Daguchi's phone. This was the last location it was at but… It's not here anymore."
Nanao stared at me in confusion but didn't correct me.
And the officers were none the wiser.
And the Hero - Hawks - stared at me in curiosity.
My face was reflected in his visor as his golden eyes looked at me suspiciously, it was clear that he didn't believe my lie. Tsk. If I was right, everyone from Nezu to the police wanted their hands on this phone. Whatever information Daguchi's phone had was important to them for some reason, and I intended on making sure that I found out exactly just what it was.
No matter what.
And the investigation starts!
Or rather, the one where the plot thickens. This arc will be 11 chapters long and this is the third, meaning it's right at the beginning of it - But trust me, it's pace will quicken and slow down at various parts because of what the story being told actually is.
But yes, the mayor's death is just the 'start' of what is an interesting arc.
One thing I want you all to keep in mind is that this is a payoff arc for various different reasons, one of them IS essential to Sora's character. Ultimately, I've shown constantly that Sora is an angry person, he's a hot-head and this arc asks questions about that idea.
Why is he an angry person?
Is his anger really justified?
Course that happened near the latter part of this arc, but I think it's something to keep in mind. I've constantly teased Sora's anger and it leaking out at the worst moments (USJ, Hosu, Summer Camp and most importantly Overhaul) as well as what it really means.
Point is that I'm excited to write this arc because of how long I've truly been building up to it, within Part 1 as well as the previous few arcs of Part 2 in terms of the actual overall plot relevance to Part 2's larger mystery.
So I hope you all enjoy it!