Detective Izuku Case Closed Chapter 8: The Four Corners Case
"Stop in the name of the law!" Exclaimed an officer as a villain defeated a hero who was lying
"But how does that connect to him being a ghost?" Asked Izuku.
"Easy, your reaction." Said Rick as Izuku slapped himself on his forehead. "So there's a reason he's hiding this tidbit from people?"
Izuku let out a sigh knowing he can't hide Sherlock's secret anymore. "It's because he doesn't remember who he is."
"So Sherlock… isn't actually his name." He said finishing Rick's sentence. "So does he have any leads?"
"He has one." Said Izuku. "His blood is blue."
"...Not really a clue given that there are people who can bleed different colors." Explained Rick. "Though I suppose it is unusual for a ghost to bleed. Usually when they're damaged, ectoplasm comes out of their bodies, not blood."
"Are there ghost's that bleed?" Asked Izuku as he suddenly had a notebook and was writing stuff down.
"I suppose it's hypothetically possible, but I'm not an expert in ghost physics." Answered Rick as he checked his watch.
"You have done that at least four times now." Said Izuku. "Is there someone you're waiting for?"
"I wanted to introduce you to a friend of mine, but he's late." Said Rick. "I should give… Sorry I'm late!" Shouted a teenage boy as he was breathing heavily.
The teenage boy was wearing a blue t-shirt with a green hoodie, black jeans, and brown shoes. His hair was brown and his eyes green. "There was construction and I had to take a different route."
"It's cool man." Said Rick with a chuckle. "Izuku, this is Simon Moore, a good friend of mine that just got back from Mistral."
"It's nice to meet you," Said Izuku as he extended his hand to Simon.
"Likewise." Said Simon as he shook Izuku's hand. "Rick has told me a lot about you, detective."
"O, oh I'm not a professional." He said with a stumble.
"You have solved six murders." Said Rick. "I believe that puts you in the detective spotlight."
"I, I guess." Said Izuku shyly with a small blush.
"Humbleness gets you places, Izuku." Said Simon. "Anyone who gets wrapped up in the spotlight tends to forget that."
"That's true." Said Izuku. "Where do you go to school, Simon?"
"I'm homeschooled, I have online classes and I tend to fly through them." Explained Simon.
"And yet you quit a good job to help pay for those classes." Said Rick. "Though I can't blame you given how your grandmother was sick. How is she by the way?"
"She passed away last week, sadly." Said Simon.
"Oh… shit man I didn't know." Said Rick feeling bad.
"It's okay, I know she's in a better place." Said Simon. "So, how's the tea here?"
"It's good, you should…" Was all Izuku said as he noticed something in the corner of his eye.
"You okay Izuku?" Asked Rick as Izuku bolted to two people, a teenage girl and a little girl that was crossing the street. As Izuku reached and pushed them out of the way, Rick noticed a car slamming on its breaks. "Holy shit!"
Rick and Simon bolted towards Izuku and the two pedestrians
"Are you okay?" Asked Izuku.
"I, I think so." Said the teenage girl as the little girl cried.
"The fuck man!" Shouted Rick as he slammed on the guy's window.
The car window goes down as the man shivers. "I, I'm sorry, I didn't see them."
"How the fuck did you not see them?!" Exclaimed Rick.
"Dude, chill out." Said Simon. "No one got hurt so it's fine."
"...I guess." Said Rick with annoyance.
After checking for serious injuries, the driver was allowed to leave. They pulled forward to the stop sign when something popped out of the ground and floated.
"The hell is that thing?!" Exclaimed Simon.
"Oh crap." Said Rick as his eyes went wide with fear.
"You know what that is Rick?" Asked Izuku as he carefully helped the teenage girl and little girl off the ground.
"I've heard of these things from Muruko, but didn't think they were around still." Responded Rick.
"What is that?" Asked the driver as he opened his door and started to get out of the car.
"Stop!" Shouted Rick making the driver stop. "That is a Static Mine, they were used in battles to take out tanks and electronics."
"S, so it will release an explosion and an EMP?!" Exclaimed Izuku.
"Not if anything else comes into its range." Said Rick. "So don't move a fucking muscle."
"That may be a problem." Said Simon as he pointed out three other cars coming toward the intersection.
"HIT THE DIRT!" Screamed Rick as used the car door as coverage.
Izuku then picked up the little girl and dragged the teenage girl into a nearby shop and took cover as Simon ran into an alleyway.
"Hey! What are you doing in my shop!" Shouted the owner.
Before he could answer, the mine had exploded shaking the streets.
"The hell was that?!" Shouted the owner.
"An explosion." Said Izuku as he got off the floor. "Stay here miss."
"My name is Tsuyu." Said the teen girl. "Thank you for saving me and Satsuki."
Izuku nodded and went outside. He saw the middle of the road blown to bits, a fire hydrant busted and flowing into the street, and damage to the four cars. The one that almost hit Tsuyu and his sister had it's window smashed, the front left side door blown, and the front was blown open with a small fire going, the second had a pole from a stop light inside it with the stop light detached from it and a shattered headlight, the third across from the second car seemed to suffer less damage with only it's tires blown and its front bumper on the ground, the fourth and final car was a van and it also had a stop light with the pole it was attached to still on it through the window and out the rear left window.
"Oh my god." Said Izuku as he viewed the scene.
"Is it always 'coughs' this lively here?" Asked Simon as he coughed.
"Simon, you're okay!" Exclaimed Izuku.
"Barely, I think I got some cement dust in my mouth." He said as he looked around. "Wait, where's Rick?"
"Over here!" Shouted Rick as he pushed the car door off him.
"...How are you alive from that?" Questioned Simon.
"Easy, this is one of the cars from Izuku's world." He said as he pointed to a picture of Ingenium on the front of the door. "Ever since The Merge, a lot of cars use Vibranium as a material."
"But don't they need permission from the king of Wakanda?" Asked Izuku.
"That's just it, when The Merge happened, Vibranium and other rare material spawned everywhere!" Answered Rick as he brushed some dust off. "But enough of that. We really should do something about that fire."
Izuku looked around and grabbed a trash can lid he saw on the ground and used the water from the exposed hydrant to put out the fire. "That should do it for now."
"That shouldn't have been that easy." Said Simon.
"Uh guys? Where's the driver?" Asked Rick as he examined the car.
"Maybe he got out the other way?" Questioned Simon.
"No, that explosion took seconds to go off. He didn't have time to get away from the blast." Explained Izuku.
Then where… 'Bang, bang, bang.' Was all Rick got to say as they heard pounding coming from the trunk. "...No way, I call bullshit. He couldn't have gotten in there."
"Actually, I think he did." Said Simon as he pulled on the seat in the middle with a spike in it. As he did, they saw the man curled up in the trunk.
"I have so many questions." Said Rick as he went to open the trunk. As he did, he had some trouble.
"You have to pull up when you pull on the latch." Said the driver. "It sticks a little.
Rick did as the driver said and pulled up on the trunk. He then helped the driver out of the car as Izuku and Simon walked over to him. "Okay, why do you have a big opening in your backseat?"
"My wife's quirk is a rhino one and her horn tends to get in the way." Said the driver. "So I made the backseat wider so she can get in there to grab groceries."
"That's pretty clever Mr… Azai Tomomochi." Said the driver finishing Izuku's sentence.
"Well, Mr. Tomomochi, can I examine you for any wounds or injuries?" Asked Rick.
"No need, I just bumped my back on the way in. It's minor and not as… worse than the possible others." Replied Azai, he looked at the other cars. "It's a miracle there are no other fires."
"It is… the mine must have been old for it to only cause this much damage." Said Izuku as he looked around the scene.
"Help!" A girl from the second car.
Izuku and Simon ran over while Rick stopped Azai.
"Stay here." Said Rick.
"But there are people who need help." Said Azai. "Besides it's a minor bruise on my back."
"Bruise or not, I'm not letting you do anything before an ambulance gets here." He said as ran over to Izuku and Simon. "What's the… oh fuck." In front of Rick and the others was a man in the driver's seat of the second car with the stop light in his side causing it to bleed. "Simon, I need you to hold his side with my jacket." Rick takes off his jacket and hands it to Simon. "Make sure to put it between the light so it soaks up the blood and stops the wound from releasing more, got it?"
"What?! Are you crazy!?" Exclaimed Simon. "The only medical knowledge I have is giving old ladies medicine!" The man groans in pain as more blood spurts. "Oh fuck it." Simion does what Rick said and applies the jacket to stop the bleeding. "How long is it going to take for an ambulance to arrive?"
"Given the mine was an EMP as well, we might have to run to somewhere with power." Said Izuku.
"Damn, where are we… No need to worry." Said a woman as she floated over.
The woman had platinum blonde hair that was in a neck length haircut with a gold halo headband worn backwards and blue eyes. She wore a white suit with brown accents, orange-yellow ombre fabric on the front and back of the suit with yellow armor on her hips, white mechanical wings with yellow accents, gray gloves, and silver boots. She held a black staff with white metal attachment and a black and white gun on her hip. "I'm here to help."
"Your Mercy!" Exclaimed Izuku. "You're a part of Overwatch and… Not the time, Izuku." Said Rick as he interrupted Izuku's rant. "Right, can you help this man?"
Mercy looks over the man's wounds to see the damage. "It's quite serious, I can administer aid, but he needs proper medical attention. Luckily, I called Overwatch on my way here when I heard the explosion."
"So will my dad be okay?" Asked the girl.
"Yes, he will be fine." Replied Mercy as she looked toward Simon. "Can you assist me?"
"I already have blood on my hands." Said Simon with a shy chuckle. "Might as well."
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Asked the girl.
"There is actually, in that shop over there is a little girl and her sister." Said Izuku as he pointed to the shop. "Could you go see if they have any injuries, Miss… Jiro Kyoka." Said the girl finishing Izuku's sentence.
Jirou then went to the store as Rick took Izuku to the third car. Inside they find…
"Mr. Uraraka!" Exclaimed Izuku as he went to help him.
"Hold on, Izuku. We need to assess his injuries." Said Rick.
"I'm fine." Said Mr. Uraraka as he felt pain in his neck.
"No, you're not." Said Rick. "You have a possible neck injury and need to stay still."
"I'm fine really." He said as he tried to sit up and felt pain again.
"Mr. Uraraka, please listen to Rick." Said Izuku. "Think of your family."
"...Your right Izuku." Mr. Uraraka then let Rick look at his neck.
"Well, it looks like you have a case of whiplash, but I think you should still sit here until medical aid arrives." Said Rick as he turned to Mercy. "I need a c-collar over here!"
"That's going to be hard to come by right now." Said Mercy. "You'll need to improvise."
"Right… what the hell can we make a c-collar out of?" Questioned Rick.
"There's a blanket in the back." Answered Izuku. "Will that work?"
"Not unless it's made of foil." Said Rick with a sigh.
"There's a towel in my trunk." Said Mr. Uraraka.
"That will work." Said Rick as he looked for a latch for the trunk. "Ah, here we go." Rick then pulls the latch opening the trunk.
Izuku then grabbed the towel and handed it to Rick. "I'm going to check on the van."
Rick nods as Izuku heads over there. Inside, Izuku could hear panicking voices.
"Get us out of here!" Shouted a girl.
'Wait, that sounds like…' Was all Izuku thought as he grabbed a piece of broken cement and broke the window to see… "Ran!"
"Izuku!" Exclaimed Ran.
"Izuku?" Said another girl who peered out the window, which was Himiko. "Izuku! It is you!"
"H, Himiko!" Exclaimed Izuku.
"I'm here too." Said Sonoko as lean in holding her arm with a cloth.
"Sonoko too!" Said Izuku. "What's going on here?"
"Explanations later, we need help and the door won't open." She said while not trying to move so much.
Izuku tried to open the door with all his might, but the door wouldn't open. "I can't! It's wedged shut!"
"Perhaps I could help." Said a familiar voice.
Izuku froze when he heard the voice, realizing who it was. "Vezor?!"
"In the flesh." He said with a sinister grin. "It's been a while, about two weeks or so I think."
"What are you even doing here?" Asked Izuku
"I heard a fucking explosion nearby in Aladine and came to check out th3e carnage." Replied Vezor with a grin.
"Oh hell no!" Exclaimed Sonoko. "That creep is not going anywhere near us!"
"Lady, I'm the only one with the ability to tear off a door with my demonic strength." He said with an annoyed look. "Or do you want to sit in there with a corpse?"
"What are you talking about!" Exclaimed Sonoko. "There's no corpse in here!"
"You sure because someone is missing half a heart." Said Vezor as he held up the heart.
"Oh god!" Said Ran with a horrified look as Sonoko threw up.
"Where did you even find that!" Exclaimed Izuku.
"It was on the ground near the rear tire." Explained Vezor. "I figured whoever the poor bastard who was impaled by the pole got hit in the chest. Or does that not match anyone in the van."
"M, Mr. Yaoyorozu." Stuttered Ran.
"Who?" Asked Izuku.
"Mr. Yaoyorozu and Sonoko's uncle recently made a contract for something big and took us out to celebrate." "Explained Ran. "He and Sonoko's uncle brought us to celebrate with dinner."
"Yeah, Sonoko invited Ran and Momo invited me." Said Himiko.
"Whose Momo?" Asked Izuku.
"Momo is… was Mr. Yaoyorozu's daughter. I went to the same school as her after Aldera shut down and we became fast friends." Explained Himiko.
"I see, and how is Momo?" He asked as Vezor tapped his foot impatiently.
"She just froze after the crash after seeing her father… impaled." Said Himiko. "I think Sonoko's uncle is unconscious."
"Yeah, excuse me, Izuku." Said Vezor as he grabbed the door of the van and ripped it open. "There, you're free."
Inside, Izuku could see Mr. Yaoyorozu's body, Sonoko's uncle, and Momo.
Momo wore a fancy girl's school uniform like Himiko's which was purple with white stripes on both the shirt and skirt, her shoes were also white. Her black hair was undone and frazzled from the crash as her Onyx eyes focused on her father's body.
Sonoko's Uncle was hunched over with a bruise on his bald head and his eyes were closed. He has a grey mustache and wore a beige color coat with a red t-shirt and wore blue pants with brown shoes. Izuku crawled underneath the pipe to check and he indeed had a pulse indicating he was knocked out.
Mr. Yaoyorozu wore a black suit jacket and red suit shirt which were torn through by the pipe, black blood stain suit pants, and brown blood stain dress shoes. His hair was also black, but short and his eyes were Onyx as well.
"Given how this entered and where Vezor found… some evidence. I'd say he died instantaneously." Said Izuku.
"Who died instantaneously?" Asked Rick as looked into the van. "The hell? Himiko?"
"Hey Ricky!" She said with a wide grin as Sonoko let out a weak chuckle.
"...You didn't hear that." Said Rick as he gave an annoyed stare to Ran and Sonoko. "Though I have to say you're correct, Izuku. The victim definitely died quickly… and that's not including the heart that Vezor gave me. Speaking of which, do you know why he is here?"
"He said he heard the explosion and came to see the… damage." Answered Izuku. "Is Vezor still here?"
"Yes and I made sure to point out that he's touched evidence and has to stay here until he's been processed and questioned." Said Rick. "I don't think he's stupid enough to run from Overwatch to do anything rash, but I wouldn't be surprised if he does."
After a while, three Overwatch members arrived at the scene. The first was Winston and he helped the girls out of the van and Sonoko's uncle. The second was Echo who set up a miniature crime lab nearby. The third and final member was a man with a stern face… well stern enough to tell through his red visor.
"Yeah, this is definitely a Static Mine." Said the man.
"I could have told you that." Said Vezor as he looked into the hole.
"This is a crime scene." Said the man as he pushed Vezor away. "The only reason you're here is because you touched evidence."
"Chill, you Cyclops wanna be." Said Vezor with a grin. "I was just curious."
"Hey, don't talk to Soldier 76 like that!" Exclaimed Izuku.
"I can damn well talk to him anyway I like as long as I don't cause any violence." He said as he leaned on an intact stop light pole in the ground.
"But… Save it, kid. He's just trying to get a rise out of you." Said Soldier 76 as he interrupted Izuku.
"Are you sure we can't handcuff him or tie him down so he doesn't try anything?" Asked Rick as Winston and Echo worked.
"I'm sorry, Rick, but if he hasn't done anything wrong we can't do anything." Replied Winston as he looked at the broken Static Mine.
"He touched evidence! Or if you want to get more specific, a part of the victim!" Exclaimed Rick.
"Which he gave to you." Said Echo. "The most we can do is give him a slap on the wrist."
"See Rick, I haven't done anything wrong." Said Vezor with a grin.
"Okay will you stop it!" Exclaimed Simon.
"And you are?" Asked Vezor with a raised eyebrow.
"A friend of Rick's and I know well enough to not joke or cause trouble here!" He exclaimed while pushing his finger into Vezor's chest with a glare. "A man has been murder, a daughter traumatized, and people injured! This is not the time to do foolish things!"
"...Wow, you're either brave enough or foolish enough to take that tone with me." Said Vezor with a glare. "But, seeing how Izuku saved one of my bosses, I'll let this slide." Vezor then walked off to a different part of the crime scene as he looked at his phone.
"That was rather impressive." Said Sonoko.
"Wait for it." Said Rick.
"...OH MY GOD, I BACK TALKED A DEMON!" Exclaimed Simon. "THE HELL IS WRONG WITH ME!?"
"...Talk about false bravado." Said Sonoko with a sweatdrop going down her head.
"By the way, Himiko, I thought you were hanging out with a friend today?" Asked Rick.
"I am or was." She replied as she looked at Momo. "Momo invited me to lunch with her father and business partner to celebrate a contract."
"What was the contract?" Asked Izuku.
"We don't know." Said Himiko. "Mr. Yaoyorozu, Sonoko's uncle, and Momo were the only ones who knew and Mr. Yaoyorozu was going to tell us when the crash happened."
"Speaking of the crash." Said Soldier 76. "Where's the driver?"
"It's a self-driving car." Said Sonoko whose arm was now in a bandage. "Mr. Yaoyorozu recently got a few for his company to deliver his products to stores on time."
"Okay, but why take a van to lunch, when he clearly has enough money for a limo?" Asked Rick.
"Well…" Said Sonoko as she looked like she didn't want to say anything.
"If it's related to the case, we need to know, Sonoko." Said Izuku.
"Apparently, Mr. Yaoyorozu has gotten some death threats." Explained Sonoko.
"Did he know who was sending them?" Asked Izuku.
"No. Momo said he had some enemies, but none to do something like this." Answered Sonoko.
"I feel so bad for her." Said Ran. "She just lost her father in the most horrific way possible."
"I could… no, stop and shut up, Vezor." Said Rick as he glared at Vezor.
"...So, how long is it going to take your questioning, Izuku?" He asked with an eyebrow raised.
"A while… Why do you ask?" Questioned Izuku.
"Because I need a word with you when you have time to spare." Said Vezor as he went back to his phone.
Izuku then walked over to Mr. Uraraka who was sitting on a bench as he was talking into a phone Echo gave him to use to contact his family.
"Yes, I'm fine… Yes, there's a collar on my neck, but Overwatch said it's a sprain… Love you too, Ochako. Tell your mother I'll be late." Said Mr. Uraraka as he hung up the phone.
"I'm glad you were able to contact your family." Said Izuku.
"I wouldn't have been able to if it wasn't for this special phone that Echo gave me." Said Mr. Uraraka. "I suppose you're here to question me about the accident?"
"If you're able to, that is." Said Izuku with a concerned look.
"Thank you for the concern, but I can manage some questions." He said with a weak smile.
"Where were you coming from?" Asked Izuku.
"I just came from one of my work sites. We recently got a big project from a wealthy corporation." Afterwards, my GPS directed me this way due to construction. The next thing I knew i'm blinded by a flash and my car shook violently." Explained Mr. Uraraka.
"So other than that, you didn't see anything else?" Asked Izuku.
"Nothing noteworthy." Replied Mr. Uraraka.
"Oyama?" Questioned Azai as he walked over with a shocked look.
"Azai? What are you doing this far from home?" Asked Oyama.
"You know each other?" Asked Izuku.
"Yeah, I work for Mr. Uraraka as a welder." Replied Azai.
"Not just a welder, my best welder." Said Oyama. "He is a hard worker and his… 'Coughs!' Was all he got to say as Azai started coughing.
"Sorry, must be my allergies." Said Azai as he continued to cough.
"You should go check in with Mercy if you need something for that cough." Explained Izuku.
"Thank you, I think I'll do that." He said as he walked to Mercy.
"Poor Azai, first his daughter, now this." Said Oyama.
"What do you mean?" Asked Izuku.
"He just lost his daughter a couple of weeks ago. He and his wife took it really hard." He explained with a somber look.
"Oh that's rough." Said Izuku. "It must have taken a toll on their mental health."
"It did, but they were able to push through it." Said Oyama. "But, I took enough of your time. Finish your investigation, Izuku."
Izuku nodded and went towards Jiro who was with Tsuyu and Momo.
"She hasn't budged an inch?" Asked Tsuyu.
"Nothing, I hugged her, talked to her, poked her with my ear jacks. She is just staring off in the distance." Said Jiro. "Not that I can blame her, the emergency helicopter that airlifted my dad to the hospital says his chances of survival are slim."
"I'm sure they're doing everything they can." Said Tsuyu. "They'll save your dad."
"I hope so." She said with a somber look on her face.
"I hope I'm not interrupting." Said Izuku as he approached.
"Oh no, you're not interrupting." Said Tsuyu. "If anything, you're worth the time to talk after all you did for me and Satsuki."
"Speaking of your sister, where is she?" Asked Izuku.
"Mercy is watching her for me while I talk to Momo and Jiro." Answered Tsuyu as she pointed to Mercy and Satsuki playing pattycake.
"Not that talking to Momo has been any help." Said Jiro. "She hasn't responded to anything I have done."
"She's traumatized. I doubt we could do anything to get a response from her." Said Izuku.
"Still…" Said Jiro with a sad look in her eyes.
"Speaking of people, aren't you the Detective of Musutafu?" Asked Tsuyu.
"Guilty." Said Izuku as he chuckled nervously.
"Wait, you're that Detective?" Questioned Jiro with wide eyes. "I saw an article on the news about you and thought it was false news."
"No, it's all true." Said Izuku. "I'm Izuku Midoriya." Izuku then extended his hand and as he did Momo grabbed his arm. "Momo!"
"Murder…" Said Momo.
"Murder!" Exclaimed Jiro.
"I think it was more of a wrong place at the wrong time than murder." Said Tsuyu as she put a finger on her chin.
"No… the letter said this would happen." Replied Momo as she looked at the van.
"Sonoko mentioned your father had been getting death threats." Said Izuku. "Do you know who did it?"
Momo shakes her head as tears fall from her face. "No, but last week death later mentioned this." She then pulled a letter out from her shoe and gave it to Izuku. "Sonoko mentioned she knew a detective and I planned to ask her for their information. I'm guessing it's you?"
"Yeah, it is." Said Izuku as he began to read the letter.
X
Mr. Yaoyorozu,
This is my final warning. If you don't own up to your sins you'll feel the fire of my rage! You know what you did so turn yourself in!
X
'The fire this letter mentions must be the explosion. But why to this extent?' Thought Izuku. "How many death threats did your father get, Momo?"
"It's been a couple of weeks. In total, there are eight. They consistently send them every Monday and Thursday." Explained Momo.
"Eight is a lot of death threats." Said Tsuyu. "If they were this angry, how come they didn't send one everyday?"
"Maybe they couldn't afford the postage?" Questioned Jirou.
"Whatever it is, there's no reason to take a life." Said Izuku as he looked at the hole in the ground. "Especially to this extent."
"This is pretty overkill." Said Jiro. "I even heard a pole fly by my dad's car."
"You heard?" Questioned Izuku until he saw Jiro's ear jacks. "Oh, your quirk allows you to hear things!"
"I can also produce vibrations with them." She said with a small smile.
"Could you explain to me your view and hearing of the events?" Asked Izuku.
"Yeah, me and my dad were coming back from a concert in Neon City and home was an hour away from here. We reach the intersection to be blinded by a light from the explosion. During that, I heard multiple things flying about, but the one that stuck the most was a sudden change in the wind." Explained Jiro.
"A sudden change?" Asked Izuku. "Could you explain that to me?"
"The best way I could describe it was that something made a turn in the wind." Answered Jiro. "I can't really describe it any other way."
"It's okay, Jiro, there was… Momo!" Shouted Ran, Sonoko, and Himiko as soon as they heard Momo speak.
"You worried us Momo!" Exclaimed Ran.
"I'm glad you're okay!" Said Sonoko.
"Well, as okay as you can be given the circumstances." Said Himiko.
"Thank you girls, I'm sorry I didn't say anything. I was just too… We understand." Said Himiko as she interrupted Momo. "We would have done the same thing if we saw one of our family members die in front of us."
Momo and the girls hugged as she cried in their arms.
'I better give them some space.' Thought Izuku as he walked over to Echo and the others. "Do you have anything?"
"We do and there's something wrong with the design of this mine." Answered Echo.
"There is?" Asked Izuku.
"Yeah, this isn't a Static Mine." Replied Soldier 76.
"HUH?!" Exclaimed Izuku.
"That was my reaction as well, Izuku." Said Rick. "It looks like a Static Mine, but it isn't."
"But the EMP!" Exclaimed Izuku.
"Was a timed electronic device inside one of the stop lights." Said Winston as he showed Izuku the stop light. Inside the red stop light was a small circular device. "I'm surprised it even survived the blast."
"So the light everyone saw was probably this." Said Izuku.
"A light?" Questioned Rick.
"Everyone says they saw a light during the explosion. It must have overloaded the stop light causing the flash of light!"
"Well, not everyone." Said Simon. "Azai fled to the trunk of his car for protection so he didn't see it."
"What do you mean, he didn't see it?" Questioned Soldier 76. "If what Izuku said is correct, then he should have seen some sort of glimpse of it when getting into his truck."
"There's a compartment door big enough to crawl through in his car." Explained Simon. "He made it himself so his wife could get groceries from the trunk easier."
"Even so, he still would have seen some of it." Said Mercy.
"It's possible, he didn't remember it in the panic." Said Izuku. "A mine was about to explode in front of him. I think that would mess with anyone's memory."
"That's true." Said Winston. "Panic and fear can cause anyone to forget something easily."
"So if it wasn't the mine that made the light, and it's not a Static Mine. What is it actually?" Asked Izuku.
"In short, a homemade bomb made to look like a Static Mine." Said Rick.
"And it has a special connector allowing anyone to manipulate it." Said Echo.
"So the reason that there wasn't as much destruction… was because it was lowered to the ground before the explosion." Said Izuku as he interrupted Rick. "But what about the spike in Azai's car?"
"It also came from the bomb." Said Winston as he pointed to what was left. "Around the rims of the mine were metallic spikes. They were made small to fit inside them."
"And if given the correct command, it does this." Said Echo as she hovered a hand over a metallic spike and it expanded into a triangular shape.
"That's terrifying." Said Simon as he backed away from it.
"How many of these are there?" Asked Izuku.
"From what we could tell from the rim, four." Replied Winston. "We know of the one in Azai's car."
"And there was one behind Oyama's car." Said Soldier 76.
"The third was inside the stop light that impaled the side of Mr. Kyoka." Said Mercy.
"That leaves one missing." Said Rick. "So where the hell is it?"
"We still haven't figured that out yet." Said Winston.
"On a different note, is there any way we can triangulate the rubble in the explosion?" Asked Izuku.
"Any specific reason?" Asked Echo.
"Jiro says she heard something turn in the wind of the explosion. I want to know what it was." Explained Izuku.
"I can run a simulation on all possible outcomes and see if we can deduce it." She said as she made a mini hologram in her hand showing the possible outcomes. As she did, one thing stood out.
"Hold on, that stop light has hit that corner of the street multiple times." Said Simon as he pointed to it.
"Yes, that's the only conclusion I could come up with." Explained Echo.
"But that stop light is where the van is." Said Simon. "And if that was supposed to hit the corner between the van and the Kyoka's car… how the hell did it get into the van?"
'Simon's right, it doesn't make any sense.' Thought Izuku. Suddenly, his eyes widened at the realization of something. 'Unless…' Izuku looked between the van and another car. "Echo… what controls the mine?"
"Ironically enough, electricity. But, we haven't found a controller or any other device that could make it work." Explained Echo.
"What if it's not an it… but a who." Said Izuku.
"You have someone in mind?" Asked Soldier 76.
"I think I do." Replied Izuku as he walked to Oyama as Azai was talking with him. "Mr. Uraraka, could you tell me about Azai's quirk?"
"Certainly, it's… Oh come on Oyama, it's not really anything special." Said Azai as he interrupted Oyama.
"I think you're selling yourself short, Mr. Tomomochi." Said Izuku with a smile. "I think manipulating electricity is a great way to use it for welding."
"H, how did you figure that out, kid?" Asked Azai with a stutter.
"Because you're the one who planted that mine." Answered Izuku, gaining everyone's attention.
"Now hold on, Izuku, that's a rather bold claim you're making of my friend here." Said Oyama as stood up from the bench with a stern stare. "Do you have any evidence that points to Azai?"
"I do." Said Izuku. "The mine wasn't originally what we thought it was. Instead of a Static Mine, it was a homemade bomb which was triggered by an electronic frequency. The bomb was purposely lowered so no one would get mortal hurt other than the bomb's target which was Mr. Yaoyorozu. As the bomb blew up, specially made metallic spikes were shot out from its rim and expanded hitting multiple objects. The most important being the stop light by Mr. Yaoyorozu's vehicle and the Kyoka's vehicle… but, it didn't go where it originally intended to. The killer then manipulated one of the already fired spikes to hit the stop light's pole so the force of the explosion would hit Mr. Yaoyorozu. But, after they did that, they needed to make it look like the spike they used went into their car so there was no suspicion of the trajectory, so they used their quirk to pull the one that missed the stop light into their car for it to be mathematically correct. And the only one who could focus that well is someone with a steady hand, someone like a welder. So tell me Azai Tomomochi, am I wrong?"
Azai stood there in shock as Overwatch closed in on him. "Well… w, what you said sounds possible, but, what is my motive in all this?"
"...It's your daughter, Azai." Answered Oyama with a disappointed look.
"Daughter? …Wait, I remember a lawsuit my father got a month ago! The name of the victim was Kou Tomomochi! Her phone overheated because of her quirk and died from blood loss!" Exclaimed Momo as Azai gripped his fists.
"And that phone was made from your father's company." Said Azai with malice. "All I wanted to do was give my daughter something she could use to keep in contact with me and her mother and it blew up in her face and hands!"
"Dear god!" Exclaimed Ran as she put a hand to her mouth in horror.
"We didn't even recognise my little girl until we saw her Ingenium necklace when the coroner found her lifeless body! I went through all the proper channels and our lawyer lost the case! After that happened, my wife left me and I was all alone in the world. I was originally just going to shoot him in broad daylight until I watched a documentary that a battle from before The Merge Treaty was made happened on this very street and that Static Mines could be found here. So with my welding skills I made the perfect duplicate and used it to get my revenge!" Shouted Azai.
"What about the spikes and explosive material?" Asked Rick.
"The spikes were a last minute idea I had in case any debris missed the van or Mr. Yaoyorozu entirely. I'm glad I did because I watched the explosion happen and it almost missed him! As for the explosive material, it was fire dust I bought from Remnant as a gift for my daughter." He explained as tears went down his face.
"No offense, but that sounds incredibly irresponsible." Said Simon.
"I wasn't actually going to let her use it. I was holding onto it because she wanted to become a Huntress when she grew up. And now… 'sniffles' now she can't because of the faulty workmanship of Mr. Yaoyorozu." Replied Azai as he cried.
"Mr. Tomomochi…" Said Momo as she walked towards him. "I'm so sorry that you went through this, but if you had waited, you would have been compensated."
"What are you talking about?" Asked Azai.
"The reason why my father made a deal with Sonoko's uncle was to do a charity to any victims of those faulty phones. He knew what happened was wrong, but he couldn't afford to do it without help." Explained Momo with a sympathetic look.
"Y, you mean… I killed your father… for nothing?" He asked as he fell to his knees.
"Not to mention injuring others." Said Mercy. "How could you do something so reckless?"
"It was supposed to be just him in a limo. No one else was supposed to come to this intersection during this time. I had made sure to follow his schedule perfectly so that… so that… OH DEAR GOD! WHAT HAVE I DONE!?" Explained Azai as he wailed in despair.
As soon as Overwatch took Azai in for his crimes, and anyone involved in the crime didn't have further injuries. Izuku had one more thing to do outside of the hospital…
"The fuck did you do to my boss?" Asked Vezor with a stern look.
"Your boss?" Asked Izuku. "...Wait, do you mean Velvette?"
"No, I meant the fucking Queen of England. Of course, I mean her!" He exclaimed as he held out his phone.
On it was an ad made by Velvette for a limited custom design clothing set called "Emerald Sleuth" with miniature images of a demon that looked like Izuku on purses and gloves.
"S, she made merchandise!?" Exclaimed Izuku.
"No shit, sherlock!" Shouted Vezor. "Do you know how long I've been trying to get her to do celebrity branding of famous people that are not in Hell!?"
"I'm guessing a lifetime?" He asked with a shy chuckle.
"...If that's your attempt at making a joke to smooth things over, it sucks." Said Vezor with a glare. "I need to know, what in the seven hells you did to get to this!? Did you give a good fuck or something!?"
"W, what!" Exclaimed Izuku with a heavy blush. "N, no. All I did was to talk to her!"
"So you're telling me you silver tongued your way into her panties to do this!?" Asked Vezor.
"C, could you please stop with innuendos?" Asked Izuku.
"The fuck I will!" Shouted Vezor as pushed Izuku into the wall, making the card that Zane Grimm gave him fall to the ground. "The hell is this?" He then picks up the card and his face goes pale. "...Do you know what this is?"
"It's a card that Mr. Grimm gave me." Explained Izuku. "I haven't figured out what it does yet given it's blank, but I'm sure it does something."
"...You're a fucking idiot." Said Vezor as Izuku looked shocked. "This card is basically a genie's lamp!"
"You mean I get three wishes from Death?" Asked Izuku.
"No you dumbass!" Shouted Vezor. "You literally have three favors you can call him for! You can fucking avoid actual death with this thing!"
"H, he only gave me this because I convinced him to let Ashlin go to court for her crime!" Exclaimed Izuku. "I didn't know he gave such an important item to me!"
"You're the moron that stood up to Death and lived!?" Exclaimed Vezor. "...Actually, now that I think about it, you're probably the only one who could do it given that pure ass soul of yours." Vezor then shoved the card into Izuku's hands and started to leave.
"You're not taking it?" Questioned Izuku as he tilted his head in confusion.
"Are you kidding me? Zane would fucking know if someone else would used it and I'm not going to be the idiot to test that out!" Said Vezor as he left through a portal he summoned.
"...And I thought the trip to the Fire Nation was the only thing I was going to think about, tomorrow." Said Izuku with a sigh as he walked to a bus stop to head home.