'How long has it been since that day?'

I found myself thinking back to exactly that as I opened my eyes to an all-to-familiar ceiling. I couldn't help but feel that way since it was as if time had passed by in the blink of an eye. And it's been like that ever since I killed my father. What happened afterwards was exactly what you'd expect. I licked up some of the blood that he left on my face before becoming him. In then made sure to procure the blood that had been spilled onto the floor before it dried up. But even that wasn't all that much in the grand scheme of things.

'Whoosh.' A few weeks had passed since that day. It was now December. And I could feel the cold winter air go through my hair and mess it up a bit. That could be easily fixed by simply combing it, so I didn't mind all that much. In fact, it felt quite refreshing. I always appreciated the colder weather a lot more than the alternative. The winds of winter soothed me like no other season ever had. I was right in my element because of it. That's why I'll bask in it for a bit longer before getting things ready for the day.

That's right. Even on a day like today there was still 'work' to be done. Though I didn't need to worry about keeping up my appearance as my father today. For the record, I've been doing just that lately. And it's been taxing to say the least. What my father had to do just to keep this school running was a lot more work than I honestly expected. Not only that but he also had his fair share of meetings with his investors in order to keep the White Room running, which only added to the workload that I had to get done by the inevitable deadline.

However, that's not to say that I'm complaining or anything. I made a choice to kill my father and take up his role. So, I have to live with the consequences of it. But it's not all that bad. The amount of paperwork was far more than what was required of a student even at ANHS but to focus on one thing like a cog in the machine was something that I have always excelled in. Even now I find no issue doing just that. Although it is a tad boring. Talking with the investors in Zoom meetings was significantly more interesting. I was able to learn who exactly my father had to answer to, which included several politicians and even the Prime Minister.

I knew full well that the investors had to be people deep rooted in Japan's politics. But to see that the Prime Minister was one of them was surprising even for me. It seems that even he has a reason to use his country's assets to fund the school that is now mine. Though whatever his reason may be, frankly I could care less. The fact that he's supporting it is enough in of itself. That way if I ever see a potential reason that he needs to be 'replaced' my father's connections has just made that a billion times easier. I feel as if I'm at the top of the world. That I'm untouchable. That I'm finally free to do whatever I want.

'… Haah…' I let out a breath as I could see the cold air come out of my throat. But even so, that's only a misconception on my part. Whether I want to acknowledge it or not, I won't truly be free till everyone that poses a threat to me is gone like the air being released from my throat. Izuku Midoriya and his allies are still out there. Waiting. Waiting for me to either strike or make a mistake. But I won't be doing either for the time being. There's no reason for me to fight when they have no idea who I am or where I am. I might as well be a ghost. Something that is impossible to touch just like air…

… So just try and touch me… Izuku Midoriya.

'Kiyotaka… are you by any chance giving Izuku Midoriya the time that he needs to recover and launch a counterattack on you? Do you have any idea how reckless that is?!' Garaki spoke within my mind as the little enjoyment I was feeling vanished the moment I heard his voice. Add him to the reasons why I'm not yet free. Even if I were to kill Izuku Midoriya here and now in front of all his friends so that they would instantly lose whatever 'will' they have to resist, he will still be inside of me. That's why I can't truly be free until I rid myself of him. But at the same time without him, and more specifically his 'Life Force' Quirk, I'll lose my immortality. I don't want to lose that if I so desire to outlive all of the specimens around me.

But if that's the case, then will I ever truly be free? How can a man be free when he's still tied down by something else? Or perhaps I'm going about it the wrong way. Perhaps my thinking is still that of a 'human' and not of a 'God?' Yes. That might be it. I'll keep that in mind for the inevitable future that will come to pass in due time. Because it really will only be a matter of time until I use up the last of my father's blood. And after that I won't be able to use my Transform Quirk to become him again. Even though his blood runs through my veins that is not enough for the Quirk to work. Judging by how much blood I used and how little I have left…

… I estimate that I will be forced to have everything ready and all according to plan by the start of January. That's right. Shortly after the new year begins is when everything will end for the 'heroes' and begin for me.

'Hardly. I know how little time there is left until I'm forced to do what I must to ensure that I gain my freedom in the end. And you of all people must know exactly what I think of you Garaki. But even if you don't, allow me to just admit it. I never once thought of you as an ally. Not you. Not my father. And not a single person from the White Room. All people are nothing but tools. It doesn't matter how it's done. It doesn't matter what needs to be sacrificed. In this world, winning is everything. As long as I win in the end… that's all that matters.' Kiyotaka declared internally once more. Nothing had changed for him since that night back on the cruise.

But even so, things have changed. So much has happened since that fateful night that began this story so long ago. And now it's inching closer and closer to what will inevitably be its conclusion. 'The Final Battle Between Good and Evil…'

THREE MONTHS REMAIN UNTIL THE FINAL BATTLE BETWEEN GOOD AND EVIL BEGINS

… And the day March 8th that will bring forth the end of an era. And perhaps something else too? Who knows? Only time will tell. And until then…

Chapter 60: Kiyotaka Ayanokoji Just Wants to Live a Quiet Life

'I will enjoy my quiet life to my heart's content.' Kiyotaka declared internally before assuming the disguise of Kanji Ike once more. He then made his way out of the deceased man's apartment that he had been using for a while now. That's right. Today was his day off. Atsoumi said that he would be going out of town for a bit. So, now's the time to take things easy till he returns, yes? And that's exactly what Kiyotaka sought out to do. Assume the identity of a normal student and enjoy himself until the very end. What happens after that can wait. After all, nothing can or will stop him now. Or at least that's what he so earnestly believed in…

… But even now, while just walking on the street in the midst of a bunch of carefree students. One person stood out amongst them. And that person was watching him. A girl with nothing that makes her stand out from the rest of the crowd. Her hair color was brown, and it was swept to the right. Her blue eyes were also rather common. So, it was sufficient to say that nothing really stood out about her. But even with the slightest glance, by checking his phone and positioning it in a way that revealed his pursuer's appearance, he recognized her immediately. But this meant that Garaki now noticed her too.

'Kiyotaka… that woman… have you noticed her? She's been following you relentlessly.' Garaki commented as he was all too aware of the fact that Kiyotaka knew he was being followed due to the sound of her footsteps being audible long after they had traversed substantial ground. And since today was a Sunday that meant the excuse of her coincidentally following behind him in order to get to school was ruled moot. That meant she really was following him. For what reason was she? Even with his high intellect, Kiyotaka couldn't fathom why he was being followed by one of his classmates. Or it would be more accurate to say Kanji Ike's classmate, Chiaki Matsushita.

'So, you do know her. And to make matters worse she's one of your classmates! You know who else happens to be in your class!?' Garaki yelled out within his mind. But even though Ayanokoji knew exactly what the Doctor was getting at, he decided to remain coy about it.

'And who might you be referring to? Not counting Horikita who's still in the hospital, 'that woman' and me, there's still Twenty-One students that you could be referring to.' Kiyotaka replied internally much to the Doctor's annoyance.

'You know damn well who I'm referring to! Izuku Midoriya! That's who! And since that woman happens to be one of his classmates there's a high chance that she will confide in him considering she's obviously suspicious of you! What happens if she starts to suspect that you are the same person responsible for all of the events that have occurred so far?! Especially if she gets the idea that you are responsible for unleashing High End, that ended up killing one of her classmates?!' Garaki raised his voice within Kiyotaka's mind to the point that it was like nails on a chalkboard for the latter. But even so, he remained calm and composed as ever even in the face of adversity.

'That's a lot of 'ifs' you know. You honestly expect some woman to be capable of figuring all that out. Oh please. You're far overestimating her Garaki. That woman, Chiaki Matsushita is as 'average' as it gets. Even her looks are so common that you'd be able to notice Waldo before even coming close to recognizing her. Not to mention her grades are utterly pathetic. She's barely passed every exam thus far by the skin of her teeth. I doubt she even did all that well on the exams before I assumed Kanji Ike's identity. So, believe me when I say that she doesn't have a damn clue who I am. She might as well just be a stalker.' Kiyotaka declared internally as he was completely sure of his deductions.

And he would be right on the money. Chiaki Matsushita has blended into the background without so much of a role to play thus far. Even before this she had scored a middling fifty-two points on the exam that took place earlier this year. So, it was right to say that his opinions of her were right. But just because he was right doesn't mean that he's necessarily correct. But if that's the case then why was Matsushita following him so relentlessly? Well, that could be answered by simply acknowledging the events that took place the other day-

Yesterday…

"Aaah! Man, this hot chocolate is good! Nothing beats this on a day like this!" A girl spoke enthusiastically. But this was not Chiaki Matsushita. Even though she may at first glance look exactly like her. They even had the same color hair and eyes too boot. Though unlike how Matsushita's hair that was swept to the right side of her face, this girl had her bangs hung on the left side of her face. You could also say that while her hair was long it was a bit shorter than Matsushita's hair. That is to say that this girl is a completely different person! And her name is-

"You really seem to be enjoying yourself Maya. And that hot cocoa looks super good! Mind if I have a sip? Just a few? Please?" Another girl who was not Matsushita in the slightest spoke to the girl named Maya Sato. Her appearance was radically different when compared to her friends who might be mistaken for sister. This girl named Satsuki Shinohara (Though her friends call her Sacchin, a nickname being a contraction of Satsuki-Chan.) has blue hair that reached down to her neck but didn't go past it. She also had a pink hair clip in the middle of her hair that stood out along with her eyes. Her eyes were almost the same color as her hair clip but also happened to be a bit of same color of her hair too. They certainly, along with her upbeat personality, made her stand out like a sore thumb.

"No way! Buy your own! This right here is mine! MINE! Hssssssssss!" Maya replied as she grabbed her mug of hot chocolate and held onto it with the intention of keeping it all to herself. She even hissed like a cat to exhilarate her point. But since she grabbed onto the mug without wearing gloves, she was forced to put it back onto the table. She then went on to repeat the word 'Hot!' Like a broken record as her hands became bright red. Shinohara didn't waste this opportunity by grabbing the mug by the handle and scoring herself some delicious hot cocoa in the process! One for Sacchin! Zero for Maya! And the crowd doesn't remotely go wild in the slightest.

"Of course, it's hot. It's called 'hot chocolate' for a reason, you know?" Matsushita finally spoke up with a slight smile on her face as she enjoyed her friends being so over the top. Though in contrast to them, she was rather quiet and didn't go out of her way to make much conversation. It was sufficient to say that if these girls were all sisters, then she would be the mature oldest one of them who kept her younger sisters in check. And if that was the case then Sacchin would be the middle child, and Maya would be the youngest. And like the youngest child maya ignored her older sibling's words completely and glared daggers at her slightly older sibling.

"Hey. That was mine. GIVE IT BACK." Maya ordered with a serious expression while glaring daggers at Shinohara as the latter said 'Too bad so sad' before finishing off her hot cocoa. But not before thanking her for it.

"Aw man! Now I'm gonna have to order another one! I think I'm gonna cry." Maya spoke with a saddened look as all her anger vanished like sand in the wind as it was all simply an act on her part. And so were the crocodile tears in her eyes. But Sacchin noticed them and smiled before resting a hand on Maya's shoulder.

"Don't worry Maya. I'll pay for the next one. How does that sound?" Sacchin asked right as Maya perked up the moment her friend said she was going to pay for the next cup of delicious hot cocoa.

"R-Really?! For real? You'll do that for me? And I don't have to spend a single point?" Maya asked with stars in her eyes as she earnestly believed in her friend's words. But with everything there's a catch.

"Of course… not. I'll pay for half of it, and you give me half of it. Deal?" Sacchin asked with her eyes closed and a smile on her face. Maya's eyes instantly went downward, realizing just how wrong her assumptions were. But wait! There's still a way she can get hot chocolate and not have to pay a single point! After all…

… She doesn't have a single point to her name! She just spent the last of it on that mug of delicious hot cocoa! Meaning that she can't pay for it! But if she says she can and will then she can just make Sacchin pay for it in full after they have to pay the bill! It was a full proof plan! Or a fool proof plan depending on how you view it.

"That's a hard bargain… BUT I'LL TAKE IT!" Maya declared with as much enthusiasm as she could muster as her eyes were practically beaming like stars. It was so perfect! She could practically taste the hot chocolate going down her throat! And yet-

'Sucker.' Sacchin thought internally with a mischievous grin. Coincidentally she was trying to pull the exact same thing that Maya was planning on her. So, it was sufficient to say that they were both penniless… or pointless, in terms of not having a single point to their name.

'Great. I'm going to have fork over most of the points aren't I?' Matsushita thought internally with an unamused look on her face while sipping some of the water in her water bottle. In stellar contrast to her friends who spent all their points on everything that caught their eye, Matsushita was a conservatist. She made damn sure to conserve every single point she didn't have to spend after the hell she had to endure a few months back when she intentionally failed the exam that took place at the beginning of the semester.

At the time she thought that the majority of her class wouldn't take the exam seriously and she was right. That's why in order to avoid standing out from the crowd she purposely did bad on it. Though even she couldn't expect that the result would end up being a grand total of zero points for an entire month. And since she foolishly spent all her points prior to that exam she was broke. Like hell that was going to happen to her ever again. That's why no matter what she's going to make sure to keep a substantial number of points for the worst-case scenario! Not that she'd ever fail another exam after that again. But still. If it meant that she was going to be stared at for being the one person to bring a water bottle to a café then…

… SO, BE IT!

"GLUG! GLUG! GLUG!" Matsushita then chugged down the rest of her water bottle before sending it crashing to the table with a 'Baaaaaam!' She then got up out of her seat and walked over to the bathroom. And the moment the door of the restroom shut behind her, both Maya and Shinohara's eyes focused on the empty water bottle resting on the table. And then…

'I have to get rid of that unholy thing if it's the last thing I do!' Maya and Sacchin both thought in sync before reaching for the piece of plastic in the shape of a bottle at the same time. Their fingers then touched each other as they held onto it. They then looked at each other with astonished expressions before grinning, knowing full well that they had the same intentions.

"YEAH!" Maya and Sacchin yelled out before slapping their free hands together before chucking the water bottle at a nearby trashcan. But since they both threw it; their precision was a bit off and completely missed the trashcan. But one of the waiters noticed it and sighed in exasperation before throwing it out for them.

"THANK YOU!" Maya and Sacchin shouted in sync, but it was so loud and sudden that it almost made the waiter drop the tray full of food refreshments onto the floor. He then glared daggers at the two girls. They could only mutter 'sorry' with looks of embarrassment on their faces. Shortly after that, Matsushita returned.

"Where's my water bottle?" Matsushita asked as she looked at her friends and was already suspecting them of their usual tomfoolery. But this made Maya look out into the distance as she whistled not knowing how to break the news to her friend. This left Sacchin with the responsibility of doing just that much to her annoyance concerning Maya who shoved all of that onto her. Was that karma for her drinking the rest of her friend's hot chocolate without her consent? Absolutely.

"Oh, ummmm… a waiter took it! I swear!" Sacchin spoke with a nervous smile on her face. This made Matsushita click her tongue as she knew too well when her friend was lying and knew that this wasn't one of those many many occurrences of that happening.

"Fine. Which one was it?" Matsushita asked with a straight face. But this confused both of her friends.

"Wait. What does that have to do with anything?" Maya asked as she tilted her head to the side. At the same time Sacchin's eyes narrowed onto Matsushita as she thought 'There's no way!' Unfortunately, she was right.

"What do you think? I'm going to fish it out of the garbage." Matsushita replied so casually but at the same time she was dead serious. The words alone almost made Maya fall out of her chair over the utter insanity that her friend would go to converse points!

'No! You can't! You've had that thing for months!' Sacchin yelled out as if she was expecting other people to find out would be a motivating factor for her friend to just let it be. But this had no effect on Matsushita's thought process whatsoever.

'You even brought it the movie theater!' You cheapskate! Maya chimed in with no intention of publicly embarrassing her friend but was unintentionally adding gasoline to the fire that Sacchin started. But just like before Matsushita did not give a damn what other people thought about her. Besides the fact that she was way smarter than she was letting on. Now that is where she drew the line. But even so, she sunk back in her chair, with a defeated look on her face. This was the clear indicator that Matsushita had given up.

"YAY!" Maya and Sacchin exclaimed with looks of pure happiness while high fiving each other. They had won the battle. Now the score tally was Sacchin: 2, Maya: 1, and Matsushita: 0. Not that anyone was keeping check of that of course.

'Everyone here is an idiot. Including me, I guess.' Matsushita thought internally with a smile on her face as she gave in to her friends' antics once again. Even though they came nowhere close to the intellect she possessed, she honestly didn't mind that. Sure, it was a challenge just to have them study with her let alone retain enough information so that they wouldn't fail an exam. But even still, Maya and Sacchin were her only precious friends at ANHS and she was proud to be their friend. Not that she'd admit it straight to their face though. They would never let her hear the end of it.

"Excuse me. Can I have a glass of water with a few ice cubes. Like three-no. Make it four." Matsushita asked a waiter who happened to be beside her table with a tray full of food and drinks. The waiter replied with a nod before walking off in another direction. But while Matsushita was a bit bummed that she lost her trusty water bottle, she quickly got over it and was already planning to buy another at the local convenience store right after this. However, a certain somebody who looked like her sister was all too concerned about her and happened to be staring at her too. Matsushita noticed this and said, 'What's up?' And then…

"Do you have any idea what you have just done?" Maya asked with a look of fear in her eyes and an expression that matched it. This alerted Sacchin and now both of her friends were confused over this sudden question.

"Maya, what are you getting at? She just ordered a glass of water. Sure, she could have ordered like anything else, but this is what we wanted." Sacchin replied bluntly which irritated Matsushita just a little bit. But even though what she said was the truth, Maya still seemed afraid of something. But what could it be?

"You don't understand! Ordering the water is not the problem! It's the number of ice cubes she asked for! Four! You do realize how unlucky that number is!? Do you have a death wish or something?!" Maya snapped back before slamming the table with her hands to illustrate the severity of the situation. Her friends in stellar contrast were as cool as cucumbers.

"Again, with this Maya? We talked about this. The number four being considered unlucky is just a superstition." Matsushita replied with a neutral look on her face. But this made Maya slam the table again.

"You idiot! It's bad luck to choose four! You could have chosen three or five! Why four?! Damn it!" Maya snapped back once more before slamming the table again. But this was the last straw for Shinohara as she lost what little patience she had left.

"Stop slamming the table you moron!" Sacchin yelled out before putting her arm around Maya's neck and pulling her close. She then gave Maya the noogie of a lifetime while the latter cried out of terror.

"NO! STOOOOP! I'M BEING SEXUALLY HARRASSED! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Maya screamed at the top of her lungs much to Sacchin's growing annoyance.

"LIKE HELL YOU ARE! DORAAAAAH!" Sacchin snapped back at the top of her lungs, finishing with something resembling a primal scream that even Matsushita couldn't make heads or tails of.

'Siiiiiiiiip.' Even so Matsushita watched her friend suffer while sipping on her glass of water that the waiter graciously gave to her. This didn't last for much longer since some of the other people in the café, all of which happened to be fellow students of ANHS gave noise complaints on masse till they were forced to stop unless they wanted to be kicked out.

"We're sorry." Maya and Shinohara apologized in sync to the same waiter that almost fell due to their earlier antics. They then sunk back into their chairs with looks of utter defeat on their faces. And now the score tally was Sacchin: -1, Maya -2, and Matsushita: 0. Looks like Matsushita somehow came out of this victorious! Not like she cared whatsoever.

"You done yet? Sacchin. Didn't you say that you wanted to discuss something here of 'grave importance?' Don't tell me you forgotten?" Matsushita asked while leaning back in her chair while finishing off the glass of water before handing it back to the waiter for a refill. This caught both of her friends' attention. But before Sacchin could reply, Maya beat her to the punch.

"Wait. There was a reason why we're hanging out right now? I thought you just wanted the café's hot chocolate?" Maya asked with a look of confusion. Well, that may have been one of Sacchin's reasons for picking this café specifically. There was a far more important reason just waiting to be discussed.

"That's not it, Maya. There's a bit more to it than that. I'm just gonna cut to the chase. Hasn't Ike been acting like really weird lately?" Shinohara asked but what she said was very vague. Even for Matsushita.

"Define 'weird.'" Matsushita asked with a serious look on her face. But this made Sacchin scratch her head a bit before responding. Matsushita took note of it since it seemed like a nervous tick. Now she was more interested than before and encouraged her friend to continue.

"I… I don't know. Weird! Like remember that time back on the island when him and I were arguing, and he called me ugly straight to my face?" Sacchin asked with an annoyed look while remembering something that she had no intention of thinking about again. The same could be said for her friends who didn't let Ike off the hook for trash talking their friend.

"Yeah. I was gonna tear him limb from limb if you didn't stop me, Matsushita. But what about it?" Maya commented while glaring daggers off into the distance with a menacing look on her face.

'Cute. Nice try, Maya. But you're not fooling anyone.' Matsushita thought internally while calmly sipping on the glass of water that the waiter refilled and returned to her. But at the same time Shinohara looked like she was struggling to get the next set of words out of her throat. Matsushita was about to say something, but Sacchin beat her to the punch. And then…

"Well… turns out just the other day… he called me… cute." Sacchin squeaked out while her friends stared back at her with dumbfounded looks on their faces. A silence occurred for a few seconds until Matsushita almost said her friend's name before being interrupted by Maya.

"Oh my god! You should have led with this! You do realize this means he actually likes you right?! Oh wow! You've got to call him! Wait, don't! I got something better! Next time we all have class together you should walk up to him and say… 'My, my, you must really like me if you said I was cute. You're not bad either hot stuff.'" Maya replied with an excited look on her face. Much to Shinohara's embarrassment, Maya also went out of her way to imitate the former's voice in a seductive way with that last part, only fanning the flames in the process.

"Like hell I'm gonna say something so e-e-embarrassing!" Sacchin snapped back before hiding her face that was so red it might as well have become a tomato. But while this was amusing for Matsushita, she was more concerned with something else.

'What happened to tearing him limb from limb?' Matsushita thought internally while looking at Maya who was practically jumping out of her chair with a face full of glee. But while that was also funny to her, that wasn't it either. What concerned her was-

"Yeah. That does seem a bit weird. Ike never apologized to you about that, right?" Matsushita asked with a serious look. She would have definitely heard Ike apologizing from Shinohara herself if that actually happened. But it didn't. Now only that but now he has the audacity to call her cute after months of letting it ride for so long? Something wasn't adding up. And Matsushita was determined to figure that out. But not before Maya had something to say.

"Seems to me he finally noticed how sexy you are. And now he's determined to not lose you to another guy. Sure, that doesn't make up for what he said. But personally, I like a man who says what's on his mind without any bs getting in the way." Maya replied with a mischievous grin, but Shinohara was only concerned with a single word she said. Just one.

"S-S-Sexy?! Me?!" Sacchin squeaked out while blushing profusely only to end up hiding her face again.

"Of course! Soon people will start calling you 'Quadruple S!' Stupid sexy Satsuki Shinohara!" Maya declared as if her words were set in stone like the legend surrounding Caliburn from Arthurian legend.

'No one's ever going to call her that.' Matsushita thought internally while sipping her water. But Sacchin squeaked like a plush toy after hearing what Maya said. This caused Maya to incessantly poke her on the top of her head until Shinohara muttered 'Quit it.' With just her eyes being visible. Incurring a hearty laugh from Maya. But Matsushita barely noticed any of this transpiring before her eyes as she was deep in thought. It was just as Shinohara said. It was weird. It was almost as if the Ike who they knew from the entrance ceremony till the island and the one who returned with them from the cruise were two completely different people…

… No. It couldn't be… right? Then again-

"He has been absent quite frequently as of late." Matsushita commented much to her friends' surprise.

"He has?" Maya and Sacchin asked in sync with oblivious expressions on their faces much to Matsushita's confusion.

"Y-You didn't notice?" Matsushita asked with a bewildered look on her face. She knew that her friends could be quite clueless at times, but this was something else entirely. Then again perhaps they had grown used to absences with how many Midoriya racked up as of late. Even so, at least he had an excuse. Just what on earth was Ike's excuse? She then grabbed out her phone and scrolled through her list of contacts. It was probably for the best that she avoided asking Ike up front about it since it could be a family related problem. That's why she picked one of his friends. And since she didn't want to talk to Yamauchi, the class clown, she picked Sudo by process of elimination.

'Ring~Ring.' Matsushita's phone ringing got her friends' attention as they became all too curious who she was calling out of the blue. Matsushita noticed this.

"I'm just calling Sudo. He should be able to give a proper explanation on what's been going on with his friend." Matsushita explained but this only further confused both of her friends.

"Since when did you get Sudo's phone number?" Sacchin asked with a weirded-out expression on her face. Now this achieved the same effect for Matsushita since she thought the answer was obvious. But before she could properly explain herself, Maya chimed in.

"Don't tell me… that you also have a crush on one of the three idiots?!" Maya asked with hearts in her eyes. But Matsushita had no feelings whatsoever toward Sudo. She didn't like him, nor did she hate him. She was simply indifferent to the matter. Wait. What did she mean by also? But before Matsushita could say anything, Maya responded by pointing at Sacchin, much to the latter's embarrassment.

"I never said that I liked him! And I don't! You baka!" Shinohara snapped back while squeezing Maya's cheeks. This not only made Matsushita chuckle to herself, but it also gave her a chance to explain how she acquired Sudo's phone number.

"We all exchanged phone numbers when Horikita held her study group back in June. But clearly you both forgot about that." Matsushita explained causing both of her friends' eyes to go wide as they remembered that. Well, that was the case for Sacchin at least. As for Maya though that was because of something completely different.

"Wait a second… what was the last exam again?" Maya asked with a finger on her chin as she struggled to remember it. This ended up concerning her friends.

"Maya… did you forget about the Paper Shuffle? You realize that was only last week, right?" Sacchin asked while gently grasping her friend's shoulder as she knew her friend was a bit of a 'dumb dumb.' But not to the point that she forgot events that might as well have just happened. Thankfully she remembered.

"Oh yeah! I forgot all about that! You know that was super boring. Not nearly as climatic as the stuff on the island or the cruise so it just slipped my mind. But doesn't it feel like we haven't done all that much for a while. Like the entire school year?" Maya asked while winking at nowhere in particular as her friends grew more concerned.

"Who are you winking at? I don't see any cute guy over there." Matsushita commented while looking at what Maya was winking at. Well, that wasn't entirely true. Koenji happened to be there. But he seemed too busy looking at his handheld mirror to even notice anything around him.

"S-Sorry I got something caught in my eye. All better now." Maya replied after wiping her eye with a napkin before regaining her smile. Anyway, with that out of the way-

'The number that you have called is not available. If you want to leave a voicemail, do so after the beep.' Matsushita's phone said as it became obvious that Sudo avoided answering her call. Well, to Matsushita at least.

"Looks like he's busy or something. Try calling him again." Sacchin commented as if that would solve the problem. But Matsushita already figured that there was an underlying issue with this. But since her friends didn't seem aware of it, she ought to explain things to them.

"No. That probably won't work. I mean it makes sense if you think about it. Sudo has been a bit quiet lately. You know, with Midoriya being really depressed over what happened with Karuizawa." Matsushita replied. It was a given that since Midoriya and Sudo were pretty close that if one of them wasn't feeling the greatest then the other would feel the same way. Even if he did pick up the chances of him giving them a clear answer were zero at the moment. And if Ike was also going through some stuff too that would only give Sudo further reason to reject them.

That being said, while Karuizawa's murder was shocking to say the least, they've practically moved on from it. Not only had it been a few weeks ago but they also caught the perp. It was someone from Class C by the name of Shiho Manabe. Not that they were especially close to either of them. Even though they happened to be in the same class, Karuizawa was practically a loner and only made conversation when she seemed kind of bored. In fact, Matsushita personally didn't like how she stuck to Hirata like tissue paper all the time. And what happened with Midoriya a few months back only increased her dislike of Karuizawa. But she wasn't alone in this sentiment.

"If we're talking about things that are weird, doesn't that fit the bill? I mean after what she pulled on Midoriya, I don't really feel all that bad for her. She may have suffered in the past but so what? We've all gone through our fair share of crap. Doesn't give her the right to be such a stuck-up bitch. In fact, if I were Midoriya I'd feel relieved. Either way she got what was coming to her." Maya commented with a serious look on her face. Her friends knew how Maya was and that she joked around with them constantly. But this was completely different. She was dead serious. So much so that even her friends were surprised with how ruthless Maya's words were. Not that they disagreed with her.

"Who are you?! And what have you done with my cute and precious Maya?!" Sacchin chimed in as she wanted nothing more than to add some levity after her friend's harsh confession. Maya realized and smiled.

"Sorry. I was just saying how it is; you know? And don't worry! You're cute and precious Maya isn't going anywhere." Maya replied while pointing at herself before giving out a hearty laugh. This made both Matsushita and Sacchin smile out of relief. Maya was super cheerful and full of vivacity. She was practically their source of happiness since it might as well have been impossible to not crack a smile by just being around her. And if she wasn't her usual self then the entire mood would become depressing as a result. They were blessed to have her in their lives.

However, the same could be said for Midoriya and his group of friends. He was almost always smiling. So, when he wasn't the overall vibe seemed to shift in a not so good direction. At least that's what Matsushita had gathered over her time spent being in the same class with him. It was crazy when it was revealed that he was that bunny superhero a few months back. So insane that she couldn't believe it. But after all this time, it's become understandable for her. She understood that he's just been trying to do the right thing all this time. And what happened quite recently has only proved that.

That's why it's no surprise to her that Midoriya was heartbroken over Karuizawa's murder. They might not have been on the best of terms, but he clearly cared about her and didn't want to see her die. Matsushita didn't know for sure but judging from how he literally leaped out of the classroom the day before Karuizawa's murder was reported, there was a high chance that he found her corpse. It must have been awful to see someone die right before his eyes, especially after what happened to Sakura to the point that even Matsushita felt bad for him. She wanted to do something to comfort him, but what could she possibly say that would make him feel better?

There was probably nothing that could be said. So, Matsushita thought it was for the best to leave things to Shiina and hope that she cheers Midoriya up back to his usual self. Until then, asking for his opinion on the matter of Kanji Ike was a no go. And knowing that's the case there was only one option left. And she didn't like it. But there was no other choice. So, Matsushita scrolled through her list of contacts and clicked on 'his' name. The phone number belonging to-

"Oh wow. A girl going out of her way to call me? Must be my lucky day." Yamauchi said with what was definitely a grin on his face. This alerted both Maya and Sacchin as they both cringed upon hearing him. The same thing happened to Matsushita. But there really wasn't any other choice. He was the only other guy available who was remotely close to Ike. So, if they were going to get to the bottom of this mystery…

'This guy? Seriously?' Maya and Sacchin thought internally with looks of utter disgust. They were going to have to work alongside a man who might as well have been considered an enemy to all women, Haruki Yamauchi.

To Be Continued...

Next Chapter: All for a Certain One: Part 2

Go Beyond!

Plus Ultra!