The next morning at class, Mr. Aizawa had an important announcement regarding the Musutafu Mauler:

"Class, I'm sure all of you have heard about the Musutafu Mauler by now. I understand all of you are concerned, and the Hero Public Safety Commission understands your concerns as well, which is why we have to inform you about this edict: from now until the killer is caught or killed, none of you will be allowed to leave UA's campus unless you have a pro hero chaperoning you."

The class let out a simultaneous "WHAT!?"

"I understand none of you like this. However, the killer has already proven that they can take on the toughest pros without breaking a sweat, and this is for your own safety. Is that understood?"

"Yes, Mr. Aizawa," said the class.

"Good. Now, go about your usual classes and do your best."

At lunch, Todoroki made no bones about her position regarding the edict that Aizawa handed down:

"I can't believe we're not allowed to leave UA without a chaperone! How are we supposed to investigate the case now?"

"But Shoko, Endeavor's your father, right?" said Deku.

"Yeah, and…?"

"Why don't you call him? Since you're his daughter, I'm sure he could agree to chaperone us to whatever scene we need to investigate next."

Todoroki froze briefly. Then, she laughed.

"Oh, how could I be so silly!? That's brilliant, Deku!"

"Hey Deku, mind if we talk?"

Kacchan had sat down with Deku and Todoroki.

"Hey Kacchan!" Deku smiled. "What's on your mind?"

"Kirishima told me you guys were investigatin' the Musutafu Mauler. How's that goin'?"

"We still haven't caught the killer, but we found some weird clues. First of all, we found a bag of frozen peas with an unidentified blood sample. We also found a box of fish sticks with some blood on it, but Tsukauchi said that was Ryukyu's blood."

Kacchan scratched his head. "But why the crap would there be frozen peas and fish sticks at the crime scenes? I don't get it…"

"I don't get it either, Bakugo," said Todoroki. "Nevertheless, I trust Deku, and I have faith that he'll help us apprehend the killer."

Kacchan sighed. "Sorry, I guess I'm havin' a bit of trouble tryin' to wrap my head around how the killer operates and how Deku expects to do what the police and the pros can't."

Deku smiled. "Don't worry, Kacchan, I'm not mad at you! To be honest, this is puzzling for me, too, but we've been through worse, right?"

Kacchan shrugged. "I guess so. Hey, one more question…"

"Yes?"

"Mind if I join you, Todoroki and Kirishima in your next investigation? I wanna kick this guy's ass real hard."

Deku frowned. "OK, I'll allow it, but remember, this guy's killed pro heroes before."

Kacchan smirked. "Deku, has shit like that ever stopped me?"

Deku smiled nervously. "N-no…I guess not…"

Todoroki shrugged. Having Kacchan on the case was going to be interesting.

Later, Deku, Todoroki, Kirishima and now Kacchan were out to investigate the Musutafu Mauler's latest killing at a McDonald's…with Endeavor chaperoning, of course. He did, however, have a question for Deku:

"Midoriya, why are you and your friends investigating this case on your own time? What do you hope to accomplish that the police and us pros can't?"

"Endeavor, I understand where you're coming from, but you see, ever since the chaos that came after the Paranormal Liberation War, I'm more determined than ever to do what I can to help out the pros and the police. I realize I overdid it with that time I left UA, but this time, I have a clearer head, and I've vowed not to push myself too hard with this one."

Endeavor nodded. "Then I trust you. However, if I sense the first sign of burnout from you or any of your friends, I'm pulling you out of this investigation, no questions asked. Do I make myself clear?"

Deku nodded. "I understand. Now then, I…"

"OH MY GOD!" screamed Todoroki.

"Shoko, what's wrong?" asked Deku.

Todoroki pointed at a mess on the floor. "There's blood all over that broken ketchup bottle!"

"WHAT THE CRAP!?" yelled Kacchan. "HOW CAN YOU BE THAT STUPID, ICYHOT!?"

"BAKUGO!" exclaimed Endeavor. "Please calm yourself! I will not tolerate you insulting my daughter or anyone else while I'm in charge!"

Kacchan sighed. "Sorry, Endeavor."

"Anyways, I don't see anything really out of place here…" said Kirishima.

"Except for that…" Deku pointed out an empty box of Briggs Burgers.

"A box of burgers? But we're at a burger joint!"

"That's the thing, though: I know quite a bit about fast food operations, and I know that Briggs Industries isn't the primary supplier of meat for McDonald's of Japan, so that must be from the killer."

Kirishima smiled. "Sharp thinkin', Midoriya!"

"Indeed. Your knowledge base could be invaluable as a pro," said Endeavor.

Kacchan shrugged. "I dunno, I think that's the nerdiest thing anyone could know about, but at the same time, it's no wonder you and Todoroki won that trivia game against Class 1-B."

"In any case, let's get this to the police."

As soon as Deku and the gang got to the police station, they noticed Tsukauchi heading their way.

"Welcome back, Midoriya and Todoroki. Hello, Endeavor."

"Hello, Detective Tsukauchi," said Endeavor.

"I see you've got some more evidence. As a matter of fact, I had something for you too."

Deku raised his eyebrows. "Oh? What's that?"

"The guy who was attacked at McDonald's survived the killer's stabbing. He's still in the ICU, but we managed to get a description of the killer from him. See for yourself:"

Tsukauchi produced a wanted poster showing the sketch. It depicted a balding, broad-shouldered man with a big beard. Deku squinted looking at it.

"Hmmm…never seen anybody like him. Mind if we keep the poster?"

Tsukauchi gave a thumbs up. "Go ahead!"

Deku gave Tsukauchi the bag with the box of burgers, and Tsukauchi gave Deku the wanted poster in return. This case was about to get hot for sure.

Criticism is gold. Negativity and nitpicking are pyrite.