Naomasa Tsukauchi hasn't left his house in several days. He was living off a combination of coffee and food deliveries that barely kept him awake enough to continue his investigation. He was in sweatpants and a stained white shirt. His stubble teetered on the edge of being a full beard.
He was in his home office. There was a desk covered in papers he sorted through but hadn't thrown out. His bookshelf full of law books was missing many of them because of his research. He'd neglected to put the books back after rereading them for the fifth time. He had to make sure he was following the law to the letter.
He was working with a pinboard covered in notes, red string, and a picture of Izuku Midoriya with a red circle around his face. The red text on the top of it said 'The Quirkless Killer.' He added a note to a pinboard next to a picture of his pinkie nail. It said 'Results still pending.' He had to wait multiple weeks for the lab results.
He found his nail in Izuku Midoriya's hospital room. He used every waking moment since to prove the nail's validity. He got sworn statements from everyone in the hospital with multiple phone calls that he only ever went into Kanako Suzume's and Midoriya's rooms and put them onto the board. He put in a request to test the nail's DNA against his own. It would take weeks because he kept the purpose secret so it wasn't a priority. He put together all the other evidence pointing at Midoriya being the killer and put that on the board as well. Getting permission to take the statements alone took days. He spent many more making the board and compiling the evidence.
He rubbed his eyes. He hated not being able to do anything. All he wanted to do was bring Izuku Midoriya in to question him but nobody would listen. Just because he was stabbed by some imposter it's all 'It's too hot.' or 'The public is on his side.' It's all about politics with these things. Naomasa hated it. He needed overwhelming evidence for even a light suspicion of him now. Only the nail could provide that and it's such an insane theory he had to do it in secret.
It was simple in concept. His nail was cut when the portal under Kanako Suzume's bed closed. If he could prove that he found it in Midoriya's room, then he could have him arrested. Then he could question him, and catch him lying about being the killer.
He could also prove that it was cut using a portal. Usually, when a nail is cut, the tool used slightly distorts it. When a portal trims a nail, it's a perfect cut that no tools can replicate. It can only be seen by the best forensics specialists. He had to wait on that for days.
He sat in his chair and drank a cup of coffee in seconds. He had a throbbing headache. Everything was terrible. If one more thing happened he would explode.
His landline rang, and he was startled out of his chair. He got up and yelled into it. "What!" He specifically asked to only hear about the Quirkless Killer and he was smart enough to lay low. Especially after Naomasa threatened him. It was a bad idea, but it was so cathartic to see him afraid for even the briefest of seconds.
"You're lucky your quirk is so valuable," said Kenji Tsuragamae, the police chief. Naomasa felt himself die a little on the inside. He screamed at his boss like he was a common crook. "Or I would've fired you on the spot, woof." He had a dog quirk and sometimes said 'woof.' It was considered rude to mention it.
"Sorry," said Naomasa, calming himself. "What were you saying?"
"A new homicide. Teenage male with multiple stab wounds. I want you to be the first investigator on the scene. I think it might be the Quirkless Killer." He sent a text with a location attached.
Naomasa couldn't believe it. Did this mean Akatani was dead? If the Quirkless Killer was more paranoid, then he could've gone after him sooner, to hell with the consequences. He immediately got his coat and drove to the scene. He prayed he wouldn't recognize the body.
Naomasa did recognize the body, but it wasn't Mikumo Akatani. It was Hitoshi Shinsou, a finalist at the U.A. High Sports Festival. He had been stabbed repeatedly in the gut and left dead, lying next to a dumpster. He was wearing workout clothes and sunglasses. He had a horrific smell coming off of him. That was what he noticed at his first look. He put on some gloves and leaned in closer.
The scene was in an alleyway on the outskirts of Chinatown. It explained why nobody noticed the corpse. Naomasa smelled the distinct odor of rotten durian in the dumpster. The area was blocked off by police. It was a filthy area, with barely anybody going back there. It was the kind of place you'd go to get shivved. It seemed like the kid in front of him learned that the hard way.
"Hey, Namomasa." All Might came behind him. He was in his buff form. He still had a smile. Naomasa kinda didn't want to see it, but it was nice to see his friend. "Glad to see you're alive. I thought you'd never leave your house!" He gave a mighty laugh.
"All Might, can you chill out? I have the biggest headache."
All Might did chill out. He stopped yelling, that was all. "Excuse my behavior. I'm only able to see you in this form currently, and I have a brand to uphold," he whispered the confidential stuff. "I also want to help in your investigation."
Naomasa sighed. "I'm sorry, but I don't think you have the right skill set for this." He looked at the body again. He noticed that blood stained the bottom of the shirt, but it stopped. It was like it disappeared when it was meant to hit the pavement. "I mean, look at this. Why isn't there any blood on the floor here?"
All Might turned his head. A bead of sweat appeared on his forehead. "He didn't bleed enough?" Naomasa didn't believe that All Might thought that.
"Wrong," Naomasa said bluntly. "So wrong." He pointed at the wounds. "I don't have a clear view, but I can assume he was stabbed enough to bleed more than enough for the floor to have at least a small amount of blood. Since there isn't any here, I can tell that the body was moved here posthumously. Also-" He wiggled the body's arm, but it stayed still. "-rigor mortis, the murder was less than 24 hours ago." This was important because nobody said a thing about seeing someone drag a corpse anywhere in a mile's radius of the scene. It was either done when nobody was out, which was impossible in that part of the city.
"That's amazing. I never could've seen that." Once again, he couldn't believe it.
"Come on, even an idiot could see that much," he said while shaking his head. "I don't need you to make me feel better."
"Don't underestimate yourself. Most people don't see what's right in front of them," said All Might with a huge smile. Naomasa gave that heavy thought.
Naomasa looked at the sunglasses. "Hey, did this kid ever wear sunglasses? You're a teacher at his school, aren't you?"
"It's not a part of the uniform. He wouldn't be allowed to wear it anyway." That put a wrench in his plans.
"This might be a stretch, but what if the killer put the sunglasses on him?"
"Why would they do that?" Tsukauchi could tell that All Might knew the reason, he wanted Naomasa to say it.
"Simple, to make people think he's still alive. Either to make them less suspicious while moving the body or to delay reports of the corpse." It happened only one other time in documented history, as well as a movie. It was so ridiculous that no sane person would think of it. Maybe he overestimated the Quirkless Killer. "His body was likely moved while he was still warm. The killer could've used a portal, but if they were in a crowded place, they'd have to justify Shinsou's sudden disappearance." He wouldn't say this out loud, but it was clear that Izuku Midoriya had an accomplice. Particularly one with a quirk.
The accomplice could've had a portal quirk, most likely with the League of Villains. Maybe even a transformation quirk, they could leave the scene disguised as Shinsou, while the body is moved away and set up by the dumpster. Either way, they were just as conniving and sick as him.
"I need to say this for my sanity," said Izuku as he put on more foundation. "That idea never should've worked."
He was in an abandoned salon near the Villain League's hideout. The owners and staff were arrested for vague crimes and nobody cared to clean it out. The lights turned on with a little work and they were able to get full use of all their facilities. A single light gave Izuku and Toga a spotlight. The rest of the salon was dark. Izuku dyed his hair to look exactly like Mikumo Akatani, and he was getting rid of his freckles. All he needed was some eye-color-changing contacts. He got those delivered with a random person's account he hacked into. He deleted the transaction records when they were delivered. They were never the wiser.
Himiko Toga was sitting next to him in a chair, she was out of her disguise. She was sipping on a cup of Izuku's blood. She said she didn't want to drink it, so Kurogiri mixed her three milkshakes to get her three day's worth of blood. He gave her all he could without any effects. They'd have to make it work, he won't be able to give any more for nearly a month.
"Come on," she said in a joking tone. "Just because it's stupid, redundant, and based on a mediocre movie, doesn't mean it wasn't a good idea." She spun around in her chair. "I mean, we're villains. That's half of the plans we do." He couldn't disagree.
"You're a villain. I'm doing important work." He finished applying his makeup, put the contact lenses in, and looked at Toga. "What do you think?"
"You just became a million times more attractive, but the eyes still have a bloodlust. I feel like you want to strangle me."
"That's normal. I do want to murder you."
"Thank you," she said in a bubbly tone. "But no thank you. I'm saving myself for someone special." She finished the last milkshake and put it aside. "Alright, what's the plan?"
"We swap. You do a convincing impression of me while I pretend to be you, pretending to be Akatani." Izuku explained it the best he could. It was a little complicated.
"What," asked Toga. She wasn't the brightest.
"Become me for a while. Just act like a completely unassuming teenager. When you get home, make sure nobody sees you leave. Contact Kurogiri to portal you into wherever you stashed Akatani. Make sure that he thinks you're pretending to be him. Let him go when I give the signal, a text message. And I can't stress this enough. No killing!"
Toga might've been paying attention. "So, I get to have a fun time with Miku-kun?" She had a blush the shade of a sunset. Izuku rolled his eyes. He would deal with the problems as they appear.
"Sure, whatever. I just hope I can pull off your type of crazy when I get exposed."
"Ah, it's easy. Just act naturally." She said that Izuku was just as crazy as her. He didn't like that but didn't make a fuss. That would mean spending more time with her.
Izuku set his makeup with a spray. As it set, they went over the plan multiple times. When they were done, Toga shapeshifted into Izuku. She was completely naked to use his clothes and was transported to his room by Kurogiri. He didn't have high hopes for her.
Izuku got into Akatani's workout clothes. He got his address off the internet and started walking to Akatani's apartment. It was the same day as the swap and he didn't want to make Akatani's parents worried. Their child teleporting into his room could raise a red flag. During his walk, he practiced his Akatani impression, a slow, drab cadence that occasionally sped up. He had worked on it for weeks and fooled everyone he tested it on.
He reached Akatani's place, he used the stolen key to get inside. When he got in, he noticed something. There was only one room in the entire apartment. There was a fridge, a hotplate plugged into the wall, and a futon folded in the corner. He gave a glance at a calendar on the wall with several markings on it. A closet with a single uniform hung open. There were mismatched papers on a small table in the corner, mostly homework. It was clear when he entered, Mikumo Akatani lived alone.
A.N.: Sorry it's been so long. My other story is so long I figured it needed more attention. Also, ADHD, that means I'm immune to all criticism.