A/N: Aaaand we're back! As promised~ Still getting myself back into the swing of things, along with a LOT of re-reading what I've already written to keep track of everything. Fortunately, I think I've found my groove, and I'm having an absolute blast! Today's chapter includes some angst, some suspiciousness, and a little bit of *spice.* Get jazzed, my SeroSetsu fans, it's not a lot, but I threw you guys a few crumbs in this chapter~ As always, biggest thank you for keeping up with this story and continuing to read it, and I hope you sincerely enjoy this addition!
Dear Third Year Hero Course Students,
After much deliberation, we have decided to relent our initial intention to rescind the third years' attendance at the gala. You have put in an immeasurable amount of work for both your gala performances and your accomplishments in the hero course as a whole. Hesitant as we are to put you in a dangerous position, we recognize that your skill is simply too important to suppress at a time like this.
Bearing that in mind, a mandatory meeting will be held in the principal's office at 3 PM today to discuss specific safety measures we plan to take. No one is to miss this meeting with the exception of our students currently assisting the police force.
Best Regards,
Principal Nezu
Mina grouchily exited out of her email app, scrolling hungrily through social media. Text threads, Instagram, Messenger, every possible way Kirishima could have contacted her in the last twenty four hours. What did she find?
Nothing.
It made sense. After all, it's not like he dipped to go on vacation or something. Right now, whatever the reason, he'd been taken into police custody. Mina imagined he probably wasn't allowed to be posting Instagram stories from an interrogation room.
Or worse.
Initially, she'd been angry. What girl wouldn't be, getting nothing but cryptic answers for a whole week straight? And then after what happened at the awards, her mind refused to turn off the accusations. Kirishima knew something, she didn't doubt that at all. Having (briefly) slept on it, though, the look on his face replayed over and over.
That time he'd proven their classmate innocent. The day she confronted him under the guise of cheating. And yesterday, when he pleaded with her to give him a moment to explain. Same horrified, pain ridden eyes every time. What made her believe him in the first place.
Again, she knew he was involved. Something happened, and he had full knowledge of what. Partial, at least. But maybe that didn't necessarily mean he was guilty. Did it? Try as she might, Mina found it difficult to believe her boyfriend to be someone who'd willingly take part in a full scale kidnapping scheme.
Ruminating on this gave her a headache deep enough to ponder getting out of bed at all. She tried to sit up, got dizzy, and laid back down. Lack of sleep could be a killer, and Kirishima's return to the dorms likely wouldn't be until the afternoon if he got out at all today. Which, she acknowledged, he might not. Too much to think about, she concluded. Sleep could fix her, at least temporarily. She'd deal with everything else later.
XxXxXxX
Every student received the email declaring their reapproval for the gala, but Aizawa woke everyone up with a verbal reminder along with the reassurance that class A's dorm rooms had been thoroughly inspected by police. Wires had been removed, the entire building scoured for any remains, and once both pros and police agreed on the safety level, class A was permitted to return to their non-electrocuted home.
The majority of the class dispersed, deciding to double check every corner of the building so no stone had been left unturned. They trusted the police, but one could never be too sure, as Iida put it. Sero, Ojiro, and Hagakure offered to remain in the lounge in case another breach invaded from the front; a stealth, a speed, and a brawler seemed like a safe combination to act as security, and their classmates trekked onward.
"Whoa." Sero looked around the lounge. "Didn't realize how high the ceiling was. Can you believe Kaminari took in enough electricity to fry this place?"
Ojiro smiled softly. "Honestly, I'm proud of him. He's come such a long way, you know?"
"I hope him and Jiro are doing okay." Hagakure instinctively hugged her boyfriend's arm. "They texted that they should be back with us today, but I haven't heard anything since last night."
"Maybe they finally got too busy to text other people." Smirking, Sero nudged Ojiro with a wink. "That'd be something to come back to, huh?"
Ojiro shook his head. "Keep your mind above ground, Sero."
"Yeah, we all know whose room you slept in last night, lover boy!" Hagakure poked Sero's midsection teasingly.
Sero's eyes widened, uncharacteristically caught off guard. He figured his classmates would assume certain things, but he hadn't taken the time to come up with something to tell them. Not that he had anything to hide, it's not like he and Tokage did anything…unsavory. Truthfully, they'd been too tired to venture past kissing. But falling asleep in the same bed was pretty incriminating, and he knew he'd have to explain himself.
Too bad he lacked an explanation.
"I-I, um, you can't prove that–"
"Hey, guys."
The sound of the door swinging open cut off the conversation. As if on cue, Tokage's frame stepped through the doorway, a nervous smile across her lips.
"Tokage!" Hagakure greeted her brightly. "That's so funny, we were just talking about you, weren't we, Sero?"
Ojiro shook his head, wrapping an arm around her waist. "Okay, that's enough, you little instigator."
Thank God for Ojiro. The last thing Sero wanted was for Tokage to get the impression any dishonorable rumors started from his mouth. Weirdly enough, that felt like the kind of thing he'd be happy to spread around had he spent the night in some random girl's room. But Tokage…was different. Especially now.
The warmth of Tokage's palm pressing against his steadied his emotions, bringing him back down to earth. Immediately, he turned his attention to her, completely forgetting the exchange with Hagakure.
"Hey, gorgeous." He pressed an instinctive kiss to her forehead. "What are you doing here?"
Tokage's eyes twinkled up at him. "Just checking in. Wanted to make sure my new boyfriend wasn't in any danger. Is that a crime?"
Grinning, Sero turned to face her, his arms sliding around her waist. "Not at all."
In the background, Hagakure gasped. "Boyfriend? Did I hear that right?!"
Jesus, they couldn't have one moment of privacy around their classmates, could they? Thankfully, Tokage didn't seem to mind, giggling and turning her head toward Ojiro and Hagakure.
"Yeah, since last night, actually." She gazed up at Sero, her eyelids half closed. "I take it he hasn't told anyone?"
"I wanted to wait a minute." He crooned, trying to speak softly. "You know, just let us be…us."
"Aww!" Hagakure swooned, leaning on Ojiro. Chuckling, he took her arm and led her to the kitchen.
"Let's let them have that minute, babe." He patted Sero's shoulder on their way past them. "Congratulations, both of you."
"Thanks, man." For both the congratulations, and letting him be alone with Tokage for a second.
Once they were gone, Sero took Tokage's hand again and gestured to the couch. She nodded, and the two settled down, Sero propping his legs across the cushions while Tokage curled up on top of him, her head resting in the crook of his neck.
"You want to do breakfast once you're done here?" She tilted her head to look at him. "We can go to the cafe or even go off campus?"
"Sure, sounds great." He nodded, already excited about egg bites and coffee with her. "I might be a little while, though, is that okay?"
"Of course." She awkwardly adjusted her hair to one side of her neck. "I get more time to look cute."
As if she weren't tempting enough in joggers and a sports bra. He knew she'd slept in them, of course, and Tokage certainly valued presentation. Unless she were working out, she wouldn't be caught dead outside in any sort of sportswear, with her hair undone and makeup from yesterday still on her face. All that made sense coming from a recommendations student.
For Sero, though? She looked perfect.
"You already look cute." He rested a hand at the small of her back, unsure if that fell under the "inappropriate" category. As long as Tokage didn't stop him, he figured he was in the clear.
"Ugh, no I don't. I woke up and ran over here, there's no way that's cute."
"Disagreed." He pulled her closer in a hug. "Why'd you run here, anyway? You could have called. I mean, I'm not mad, I just—"
"Well, what if something happened?" For the first time during their interaction, Tokage allowed her facade to drop a bit, showing her boyfriend the fear she'd been holding in. "I don't know, I just…after yesterday, I couldn't stand the thought of you being here without me around to save you. You know, should I need to."
Sero's heart swelled. "Aw, babe, that's…so sweet. You don't have to do stuff like that."
"I do." She insisted, resting a hand on his jaw. "I care about you, and I don't want you or your friends getting electrocuted or…I don't know, something worse, I just–"
"Hey." He bent his forehead to hers, trying his best to meet her at eye level. "We're heroes, babe. We fight for who we care about. But that doesn't mean you should stress yourself out. Especially not about me. I'll be fine, okay?"
In a move fueled entirely by emotion, Tokage dove forward, meeting his lips in a kiss that spoke more than any words ever could. Fine by him; he couldn't think of anything more to say. His brain went haywire, unable to grasp words. All he managed to come up with pushed him forward, his lips pressing further into hers, letting the kiss communicate everything he felt. She reciprocated, adjusting herself to a straddling position (which did not help anything going on in Sero's male ape brain.) Her hands rested on either side of his face, bringing him even closer.
"Mmm." She moaned a bit against his mouth. At that, Sero kissed her harder, tangling his hand in her hair. Finally, his brain stopped malfunctioning, giving him the idea to travel downwards to her neck. Did he have any idea what to do once he got there? No. Would that stop him? Well, also no.
Starting slow sounded best in this situation; they could always build up to faster and rougher. Just the thought of those words sped him up, trailing kisses from her cheek to her collarbone, then working his way hastily back upwards, stopping right below her jaw.
"R-right there?" He half growled, worked up with anticipation.
"Yes." She gasped back.
Her breathlessness drove him forward, baring down on her. First with his lips, a simple, elongated kiss. When she moaned again, he increased the pressure, sucking her skin between his teeth, fighting himself to be delicate. Only when she shakily begged him to go harder did he bite, his tongue dancing along the mark he didn't realize was forming on her.
"Oh, God, we shouldn't be doing this." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "Someone could walk in, babe, we have to stop."
Immediately, he pulled back, panting slightly. "You're right, I'm…sorry, that was my fault, I–"
"Hey." She lifted his chin, forcing him to look at her. "Don't apologize for any of that. I wanted it. I asked for it. I wish we could do more, but…now's not the time."
The sight of her dusky green eyes staring down at him in a mix of affection and lust sent him spiraling for a moment. All he wanted to do was get back on her, make another dozen of those marks across her neck, maybe even venture a little further down…
And just like that, he snapped out of it.
Not because he wanted to. Nor because the thoughts had left his mind entirely. But her telling him to stop achieved exactly that; he didn't dare make another move after that. If she didn't want it, neither did he. Hormones be damned.
"Whatever you want, babe." He sat back on his elbows. "I'm happy as long as you're here."
"Same." She kissed his cheek.
XxXxXxX
Yaoyorozu's father couldn't fly back until the following morning, postponing their meeting until then. Why her father needed to be included at all confused her since he'd never done so before, but she found it best not to question her parents.
Adding to the strangeness, none of her cousins had been called in for this. Usually, all of them were required to attend publicist briefings, at the very least to maintain consistency. Yet when she'd asked the new housekeeper when the others would arrive, she blinked at her, simply stating Yaoyorozu to be the only arrival they expected. As usual, she shrugged it off with dignity, allowing herself to be shown to her room.
Bright and early the next day, she stood toe to toe with the door to the conference hall, a section of the house she knew quite well. Vague childhood memories of being told not to make any noise near the door lapped at the more recent recollections of briskly stepping into the room, ready for the next order of business. How things had changed, she realized with a small smirk, her heels clacking along the marble floor as she, like many times before, pulled the giant handle and made her way to her seat.
Already present sat their nervous PR manager, Mr. Kobayashi, who jumped at the sound of the door opening. Beside him sat his sleazy assistant, Jun Ogino. Yaoyorozu couldn't remember which one of her cousins told her this, but ever since she was about seven, she'd heard an older girl's voice echoing in her mind to stay away from that man. He flashed her a wink as she sat down, which she politely ignored.
"Good morning, gentlemen." She kept her tone professional.
"To you as well, young miss." Kobayashi didn't make eye contact as he half-bowed.
"Well, good morning, indeed." Ogino wiggled his eyebrows. "Out of high school yet, Miss Momo?"
Cringe.
"My name is Yaoyorozu to you, sir." She needed to stay pleasant and polite for preservation's sake, but…ick. "And yes, I'm still in school."
And as far as he's concerned, she would be until she turned forty.
"Shame." Ogino shook his head, keeping his off-putting grin. "Well, I've waited this long, huh?"
Good. God. He's like the business version of Mineta.
Thankfully, the door swept open, causing another jolt out of Kobayashi. Based solely on the dramatic swing, Yaoyorozu knew exactly who'd entered the room. The distinct scent of Dior Sauvage filling the air around them merely confirmed it.
Mitsutaka Yaoyorozu.
Polished. Distinguished. Gleaming from head to toe with hair gel and shoeshine, crisp obsidian suit perfectly tailored to every inch of his body. A silk, ruby red tie completed the ensemble, shade perfectly matching the business blazer Yaoyorozu bought for today's meeting. Naturally; the Yaoyorozu's stuck to their red, no matter the occasion.
An air of intensity hung in the room the moment he entered. Even Ogino dropped his facade, cowering to all six foot four of their boss. The man who taught Yaoyorozu how to walk terrified absolutely everyone he came into contact with.
Except her.
"Father." She rose to greet him.
The sharp, chilling glaze in his eyes softened upon the sight of her.
"Ah, my princess." He reached out and clasped both of her hands in his, a genuine smile lighting up his handsome face. "You look lovely, darling. They treated you well at the police station, I hope?"
"Oh, of course!" She nodded vigorously. "Everyone's been amazing, Father, you've nothing to worry about."
"Good to hear. Ludley also tells me your transcripts are looking excellent this year." He reached up and pinched her cheek. "Top of your class for the third year in a row. Well done."
Yaoyorozu blushed, bowing politely at her father's praise. "Thank you, Father."
One more squeeze of her hands and he released her, making his way to the head of the table. Unnecessary, seeing as there were only three people present, but Mr. Yaoyorozu had a statement to make. Whether he addressed three or three hundred, the control was always, undoubtedly his. He led this meeting, and everyone needed to know it.
"Mr. Kobayashi, I trust you've already seen the video and run the numbers. Where are we with things?" No greeting or introduction; instant damage control mode.
Flustered, Kobayashi shuffled a few papers, muttering something about how he had his graph around here somewhere. Sweat gathered on his bald head as he searched, his anxiety heightening already.
"W-well, Mr. Yaoyorozu, it's…the video's gotten a lot of attention on social media." Kobayashi started out. "The views are in the millions already, and there's dozens of knockoffs relaying essentially the same information, all the usual, um, social media trappings that come with a scandal, if you will."
Unamused, Mr. Yaoyorozu sat forward in his chair. "Groundbreaking detective work, Kobayashi. I'm confident I never could have figured that out from a cursory Google search. What do you suggest we do about it, exactly?"
Kobayashi floundered, pulling out his phone and nervously chattering about something else indiscernible. Yaoyorozu always found it strange that someone so skittish and awkward had not only managed to salvage their reputation throughout every PR crisis, but kept their image perfectly intact every time. His expertise kept him employed, though, and by her parents, no less. Whatever he did with his words seemed to be working like a charm. So, she refrained from thinking too deeply about it.
"Ah, so, the public is…doing some digging." He finally set his device down. "They're trying to come up with a connection between…us and her."
"Perfect, that won't go anywhere." Mr. Yaoyorozu shrugged. "She's been severed from us for years now."
She has? Yaoyorozu recalled a halting memory of hearing that her cousin Megumi had chosen to take her mother's maiden name for high school, but she thought that had been at most a legal name change. What did he mean she'd been severed from the family?
"Precisely." Kobayashi pointed to his boss approvingly. "However, we've no idea what she plans on saying. She could talk about quite a number of different things, which we need to be one step ahead of."
"There are already rumors sprouting up all over the place." Ogino supplied. "Some are connecting her as a relative, though they theorize that she's your illegitimate daughter or your wife's drastically younger sister."
Mr. Yaoyorozu cocked an eyebrow. "Ah, the usual suspicions. Naturally."
"Others, however, are turning their attention where we don't want it." Kobayashi's tone suddenly dropped. "Your money. People wonder what exactly she knows regarding your income and the exact nature of your…financial affairs."
At this, Yaoyorozu noticed her father bristle ever so slightly.
"And has anyone found anything?" The seriousness of his question sent a chill through Yaoyorozu.
"Oh, heavens, no!" Kobayashi's demeanor resumed nervousness, shaking his head frantically. "As I'm sure you're aware, your accounting records are kept on full lockdown, and we've added extra cybersecurity to curb any and all potential breaches. No one should be able to break through, sir, and I've already contacted Majima and asked him to start moving records around. That way, even if someone found one piece, they'd never be able to decipher the puzzle."
Somehow, Yaoyorozu got the impression the three men in the room were having a conversation completely above her head. That's how these meetings used to feel when she was younger; the grown ups seemed to have a specific code that only they could understand, one that would remain unbeknownst to the children until…well, Yaoyorozu couldn't be sure when.
Her father relaxed at the mention of his accounts being locked down, sitting back in his chair, his shoulders deflating a bit. "Perfect. Well done, gentlemen. And if Nagase leaks anything…important?"
Kobayashi stiffened, unable to move for a second. "It's…we haven't formed an answer for everything, sir, it's–"
"What do you mean?" Yaoyorozu frowned, turning back and forth between Kobayashi and her father. "She's…talking nonsense. In the video. Right?"
She didn't miss her father and Kobayashi exchange a glance. Ogino even lifted his eyes from the notes he'd been taking on his laptop, uncertainty crossing his gaze. Immediately, she grew self conscious, suddenly clear that everyone in this room knew something she didn't.
"Of course she is, princess." From the head of the table, Mr. Yaoyorozu reached out toward her. "But we haven't any idea what this person will try and make up. We need to be prepared with a blanket statement that curbs any sort of wild claim she'd take to the media."
This person was once her cousin. Her father's niece. The daughter of his brother. Now she'd been reduced to, well, nobody. Severed from them, as her father put it. Something about that notion scared Yaoyorozu.
"I don't suggest we lie." Kobayashi continued after a moment. "We should not come out and claim not to know who she is or what she's talking about. However, we will not be disclosing her exact relation to this family."
"Obviously." Mr. Yaoyorozu practically audibly rolled his eyes.
"The cover story Ogino and I have drafted so far is as follows." Kobayashi ignored the comment, likely for the sake of his job. "Nagase interned at the Yaoyorozu estate for a year in high school to get a better sense for hero business. That's all. Anything else she claims to know or have seen is of no relevance to her internship and cannot be confirmed. Keep it short. In this situation, less is more."
He then turned to Yaoyorozu, his tiny blue eyes growing more serious.
"You're the only child she would have had any interaction with, presumably. You lived here while she interned and had already decided to pursue a career as a hero." He explained. "Listen closely; she interviewed you once, and she seemed slightly off, but you were thirteen and didn't know anything for sure."
He spoke so earnestly she started to believe him herself. She did remember a time Nagase wanted to discuss heroism with her. The conversation didn't have a lot of depth to it, and truth be told, she did seem to be digging for answers more than actually listening to what Yaoyorozu had to say. It'd be easy enough to spin that into what Kobayashi asked of her.
"Understood." She nodded respectfully. "And my other cousins?"
"They don't know who she is." Mr. Yaoyorozu put in flatly. "That's all there is to it."
Made sense. Scared Yaoyorozu a bit, but she understood this had to be done. Whatever Nagase planned to release to the public, her father clearly wanted nothing to do with it. Perhaps Nagase was known in her youth for stretching the truth or coming up with outlandish stories that led him to prepare for the worst outcome. She could go along with that.
"Now, Momo." Her father turned to face her, suddenly acting as if Kobayashi and Ogino weren't in the room. "It's vital that you don't tell a soul the truth about our affiliation with Miss Nagase. She's been accused of some dangerous crimes, ones that we can't have associated with our name."
"Yes, what sort of comment are we releasing regarding the kidnappings?" Yaoyorozu bit her lip.
"None." Kobayashi cut in. "We're deeply sorry for their occurrence and we hope their families find justice. We have nothing to do with Megumi Nagase, and even less the crimes she's committed."
"But did she do it?"
A tense silence followed her question, which now hung awkwardly above her head. It gave her a moment to ruminate on asking such a thing, something a child would be curious about. Her job had never been to ask question; what was she thinking, pushing for answers like that?
"...That's not ours to know." Her father replied after a moment, his eyes glazing over. "You just stick with what we discussed and all will go over well. You can continue your courses at UA and go on about your life as if this never happened. Understood, my dear?"
Much of what happened today she didn't understand worth a damn. She did grasp her role in the cover story, however, and had no plans to deviate from them. So, with a bow of her head, she agreed.
"I understand, Father."
Once the meeting adjourned, Kobayashi hung back to discuss other business matters with Mr. Yaoyorozu. Nothing that concerned the princess of the house, her father kindly stated, dismissing her to prepare for her return to school the following day. Accepting this, she retreated, returning to her room filled with more questions than answers. What were they so worried about Nagase exposing (or fabricating?) How did they plan to address the kidnappings taking place? Did Nagase really have something to do with those?
Her phone ringing cut off all thoughts, catching her attention completely. Quickly, she stopped in the hallway just shy of her room and pulled the device from her blazer's pocket, hopeful to see Jiro or Todoroki's name flashing across her screen. Once those names registered, however, she chastised herself, especially when she saw who was actually calling her.
"Hey, Awase!" She answered cheerfully.
"Holy crap, you scared me!"
She frowned at her screen, confused. "I…did? You called me, I thought–"
"No, babe, I don't…" She heard him laugh a little. "You didn't scare me when you answered, I meant…this whole thing scared me, it's–wait, where are you? Are you still with the police? What happened?"
This is where the lying needs to start. Now, before wires get crossed and rumors start flying. Unfortunately, this presented her with a dilemma she only now realized she'd need to consider; lying to the press was one thing, but lying to her friends? People she cared about?
"Oh, that!" Her voice skyrocketed at least an octave, peppiness overtaking her entire demeanor. "Nothing to worry about there, my family, um, happened to know the suspect they arrested so they just needed me to answer a couple questions. Nothing crazy, and definitely not anything worth mentioning."
Drop it. Please, just let that be the end of it.
"Oh. Uh, okay." Awase didn't sound convinced. "Why aren't you back yet, though?"
God. Damn. It.
"Um, yeah, about that, well…" She bit her lip. "My parents…actually surprised me! Turns out, they were in town for a change, and after going through interrogation, they, uh, thought I could use a quick break to pop back home and spend some time with them. I-I'll be back tomorrow, of course, it's a short visit. But I…I think I needed it, honestly."
That part wasn't at all false. Being away from her classmates for a day had helped her put some of the drama out of her head. Granted, she'd needed the brain space to focus on different issues, but it did help to have a bit of a break.
"Wow, that's awesome of them. Are they still there now?"
"Uh, yeah, we just had some tea and…I think my mother and I are gonna go shopping before I head back."
"Ooh, sounds fun." An awkward pause. "So…did you maybe want to…hang out or something when you get back?"
Is this him asking her on a date? Or just something casual? Hang on, weren't they dating? Just as she'd started getting confused about that, shit hit the fan too hard for her to think about anything else.
"Sorry to be bold and stuff." He went on, nervous chuckles underlying his tone. "It's just, you know…I miss you is all."
"Of course!" She reflexively chirped, half cutting him off. "I'll meet you at the B dorms?"
"Uh, yeah, sounds–"
"I miss you…too." She had to say that, right? That felt like the right thing to say.
"...Cool." Relief colored his tone now. Okay, she had done that right. Great. "I'll see you soon, Yaomomo."
"Yeah, bye."
Was she supposed to hang up first? What if he had something else to say? Well, it can't be that important, and she'd be seeing him later today, anyway. So if he really needed to tell her anything, he could do so when they hung out. Whatever that entailed.
"A gentleman caller?"
Yaoyorozu yelped, practically jumping out of her skin. To her surprise, her father's statuesque frame towered behind her, having seemingly just appeared out of thin air.
"Oh…y-yes, Father. Something to that effect. He's my date for the gala, is that…alright?"
Despite his stiffness, Mr. Yaoyorozu offered a gentle (but slightly cracked) smile.
"But of course, princess. I should like to meet him, if opportunity permits. A hero course student, I presume?"
"He is. Yosetsu Awase, Class B, conducting his work study under pro Hydraulic. Apparently, he'll be offered a sidekick position following graduation." She rattled off basically everything her parents would care about in a suitor. Never mind she'd already exhausted basically everything she herself knew about him.
Mr. Yaoyorozu gave a nod of approval. "Lovely to hear you've done your research before accepting his advances. He sounds perfectly suitable for a gala date, my darling."
A gala date, sure. But what about a boyfriend?
Well, there's no reason to be worrying about that right now. Once they grew more serious, she could address that with her parents when the time came.
If such a time came.
"Gather your things, Momo." Her father cut off her thoughts, resting a cool but loving hand on her shoulder. "You've got a brief release statement to make, and you have school in the morning, do you not?"
Swallowing her anxiety, she nodded. "Yes, Father. I'll be ready to film in thirty minutes. Will you be here to see me off?"
Mr. Yaoyorozu shook his head. "Alas, I've already another meeting to attend. But I'm pleased to have seen and spoken to you, my precious little flower."
"Likewise, Father." She gave a small bow with her head. "If nothing else, I'll see you at the gala, then?"
"I look forward to it." He kissed her hand, his eyes twinkling up at hers. "Continue training, Momo. You're going to make the finest hero ever seen if you do."
Quick as he arrived, he disappeared. She'd never seen anything quite like it; his ability to seemingly melt into the air. However, she didn't see a need to question it. Mr. Yaoyorozu was a busy man and didn't have time to waste idly chatting in hallways.
"Miss Yaoyorozu?" Madame Tremblay, their newest French housekeeper for the south wing, bowed to her delicately. "I've cleaned your suite and packed your bag. Would you like to take another look before I call you a car?"
Perfect. She'd be back just in time for the other meeting she'd need to be present at, as her student email stated. Thankfully this time, she'd be surrounded by friends, comrades, and mentors.
People she never wanted to deceive.
XxXxXxX
"As stated yesterday, we have several genuine safety concerns regarding your attendance at the gala."
Once again, the same crowd of students gathered in Nezu's spacious office, ready to discuss the latest security measures. It hadn't been twenty-four hours since the threat of not attending got dropped on them, and now here they were, already putting together a new plan. Kendo resisted the smugness tinging her subconscious, but she couldn't help but wonder if her speech the other day had something to do with this.
"So, we're for sure allowed to go, then?" Kaminari spoke up excitedly. "Yesterday was some wild fluke?"
Aizawa briefly shut his eyes; he'd forgotten to mentally prepare for Kaminari.
"Obviously, Kaminari, we merely suggested students' attendance be rescinded." He explained once he got his bearings. "We never committed to anything, just gave you guys a heads up in case things went that direction."
"And I'm pleased to announce that they haven't!" Nezu's cheery voice contrasted with Aizawa's deep, beaten down response. "With the help of our fabulous support course students, we've managed to work around every potential obstacle!"
From the back of the room, Bakugo grunted. His and Kirishima's return could be described as uneventful, aligning precisely with everyone filing into Nezu's office for the meeting. Thus, no one had time to ask them any questions or even process that they'd come back.
"Alright, let's get on with it, shall we?" A holographic screen appeared behind Nezu resembling a power point indicating two hexagon-shaped orange dots. "First order of business, you will all be fitted with an undetectable tracking device. Removal is password-protected and only possible within a certain range of the core system, which will remain on campus guarded by second-year hero course students until all of you return."
"So there's no way to take them off? At all?" Monoma raised his eyebrows.
"Precisely." Nezu pressed a button on the remote before him, changing the screen to show two orange dots standing beside each other. "That way, even if anyone should fall into trouble, we will have access to their location and be able to assist at the drop of a hat."
That sounded reassuring, but also predictable.
"Uh, no offense, Principal, but…wouldn't any villain be able to guess something like that?" Deku spoke up hesitantly.
"Very observant, Midoriya." Nezu maintained his peppiness. "That's why this isn't our only security measure!"
Well, Nezu didn't half-ass anything. That much everyone could be certain of.
"At our request, the venue has implemented the maximum amount of guards at every corner of the building, some of which include police force from different cities. All eyes, everywhere, around the clock of the event."
The orange dots on the screen multiplied to form the shape of the Hinata Grand Hotel, green dots appearing around the perimeter of every floor.
"Because this is a hotel, we have no means of verifying who's been checked in and what sort of clearance they have." Nezu explained. "So police are going to be stationed in every hallway of the building, with mandatory ID checks for every person using any part of the facility. It will certainly be a pain for their residents, but it should curb any nefarious activity threatening to emerge."
"Hotel rooms are also off-limits for students." Aizawa glared right at Mineta as he spoke. "For whatever you might use them for."
"Yes, yes, please conduct yourselves with the utmost dignity, students." A mischievous twinkle lit up Nezu's dark pupils. "Because these last measures are the only points of effort we're going to ask you to make on your part."
"Oh, we're all ears, Principal." Kendo nodded him along once the silence that followed went on for long enough.
"I know there's a few odds and ends, but for the most part, we have even numbers within our classes." Nezu folded his hands together. "Therefore, we've also decided to rely on the tried and true buddy system for added safety. By the end of next week, each of you is to choose a partner–friend or date, your choice–and give your names to your teachers as a pair. Your job will then be to stick by each other for the night, ensure no harm comes to your buddy, and, should things come to a head, be responsible for retrieving your buddy from danger. If you don't find anyone by the end of next Saturday, you'll be automatically assigned with whoever's left. So I'd hop to it with those gala-posals, if I were you!"
…Did he just order them to have dates by the end of next week?
An awkward, stunned silence followed his statement. He didn't say to do anything particularly outlandish at all. Just the thought of having to hustle and push themselves to find dates (or "buddies," whatever) put an inherent amount of pressure on the situation that no one anticipated.
"Does anyone have any questions?" He asked as if he'd just told them to study for a quiz or something.
Mineta's hand extended slowly. Sero swatted it down, shooting a strip of tape around his body for good measure. Throughout the exchange, no one stopped him.
"I'm sure if we come up with anything, we can ask our teachers, correct?" Shoda eyed Mineta's taped form nervously, unsure whether or not to mention it.
"Correct, young Shoda." Nezu didn't even acknowledge anything else happening in the room.
With no more questions (mostly due to shock) the students were once again dismissed, free to use the rest of their day off however they saw fit. Now, though, they each had a million different issues spinning in their minds.
"Nezu, be straight with me." Aizawa only spoke up once the doors behind the last students closed. "Is this buddy system really necessary?"
"Oh, probably not." Nezu waved his question off lightheartedly. "But with so little time left until the gala, it's high time these kids made some moves, is it not?"
Aizawa's eyes narrowed. "You're quite the agent of chaos, I see."
"I just like to have fun with the human specimens I choose to surround myself with." A shrug colored the principal's voice. "After all, if humans could have fun with my life, what's the harm in having a little fun with theirs?"
Now might be a good time to thank their lucky stars that Nezu never decided to become a villain.
XxXxXxX
"Yo, Kirishima?"
The redhead swung up to a sitting position. Sero poked his head into the room, Kaminari right behind him. Upon seeing their friend upright in bed, they nudged the door open a little more, allowing some light to pour in.
"Hey, guys." Kirishima's voice sounded hoarse. "Sorry, I'm…kinda tired, but what's up?"
"What's up?!" Kaminari's eyes bulged. "Homie, you were in police custody for like, a whole day! What the hell happened? Are you okay?"
His classmates had tried to hold off on the questioning. Seeing how tired all three of their friends returned to campus indicated immediately asking them what happened might not bode well, especially in Bakugo's case. They were welcomed warmly, of course, but everyone refrained from mentioning the police situation at all.
But Kirishima still needed people. This much his friends knew.
"Dude!" Sero shoved Kaminari's shoulder scoldingly. "Give him a minute, will ya?"
"Sorry." Kaminari rubbed his shoulder dejectedly.
"It's all good, guys." Kirishima chuckled. "Actually, I'm glad you're here."
Taking this as an invitation, the two stepped fully into the room, settling down on the floor in front of Kirishima.
"We're glad to see you." Sero hugged his knees to his chest. "Talk to us, man. You doing okay?"
Okay? At this point, okay felt like an island so distantly secluded from his location, he'd need a spaceship to get to it. Did that metaphor make sense? Better he didn't say it out loud, in case it didn't.
"I'm…good." He finalized. "You know, just tired. Been a long day and all."
The three sat for a moment, trying to figure out what to say. Normally, the three of them brought the energy to the group, throwing chaos around like candy. Bakugo would yell at them to be quiet, and occasionally Mina might scold them for being too reckless, but at its core, their squad revolved around the shenanigans their trio caused. For them to be in a room together, all alone, and be this quiet felt…wrong. Disorienting, almost.
"I, uh, think it'd be better if we just…talked, you know?" Sero finally spoke again. "Not about anything in particular, we can chill and stuff, but…I don't know, anyone got anything?"
"Uhhhh–oh! I have a scar now from the electrical intake!" Kaminari supplied.
Both Kirishima and Sero stopped, their expressions a mixture of shocked and concerned.
"Wait, really?" Kirishima dropped his tiredness, curiosity piqued.
"Yep!" Beaming with pride, Kaminari scurried to his feet and lifted his shirt. Sure enough, tracing from his collarbone diagonally across his chest, a thin, jagged white line tattooed his skin. A little bit of redness tinged the outline of it, likely from the freshness of the injury.
"Whoa!" Kirishima's feet dropped to the floor in his effort to sit forward and get a better look.
"Dude, that's badass." Sero gave a small, approving nod. "Makes you being dumb enough to take in all that electricity worth it, I bet."
Kaminari dropped his shirt, suddenly indignant. "Hey! I did that to save my friends, thank you!"
"You sure did." Kirishima sighed. "Like it or not, we would have gotten fried had you not been there. You're a real hero, Kaminari, I mean that."
A look of guilt settled over his expression. Sero tried not to notice it, opting to stare down at his own feet while Kaminari sat back down. He wanted so badly to keep his mouth shut; don't be a chismoso, as his mother would order him (ironic, coming from her and his three gossipy tias who trash talked absolutely everyone, all the time.) Between morbid curiosity and concern for his friend, though, he found himself struggling.
"Hey, Kiri." He spoke carefully. "You know us, man. We listen, and we don't judge. We'd never do that. But…well, people are gonna talk, you know, and…we want to be able to defend you."
Kirishima hung his head, an exhausted breath escaping his lungs.
"You don't have to tell us anything you don't want to!" Kaminari added hastily. "But us guys and Mina are worried, is all. You've gotta tell us you're okay and that…I don't know, you're not mixed up with dangerous people or anything."
Mina. He hadn't even had the chance to see her yet. The second he got back, he was carted off to the meeting, and once that ended, he didn't have the energy to entertain anyone or anything. Not that she sought him out, either; from the look of things, they both obviously needed some space.
That being established, though, it felt wrong to tell anyone else before her. Sero and Kaminari were two of his best friends, and he knew he could trust them if he really pushed them to keep quiet. But a secret like this–especially certain parts of it–he felt needed to reach her ears ahead of everyone else's.
Still, he wanted to tell them something. Not only for checking in on him, but because Sero had a point; he'd need defenders in this situation. Someone might not believe him, and his friends would become his only lifeline in that case. He hated that he even needed to consider that. Everyone in his class seemed trusting and fair, which is why he loved all of them so much. Getting put into police custody would raise anyone's suspicions, though, especially with all the kidnappings going on.
"Ugh, okay, guys, I can promise you one thing: I have no idea what happened last night."
Kaminari frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, I wasn't behind it." Kirishima clarified. "The electricity and Tamaki getting kidnapped and…I don't know, anything else. I didn't have anything to do with that part."
"Well, then why did the police want to talk to you?" Kaminari's eyes gleamed, fear seeping through just a bit.
Kirishima released a frustrated sigh. "Because…I was the last person Tamaki texted before he went missing."
"Ooh, yeah, Mina mentioned something about some weird text messages." Sero winced, not wanting to put any accusations on his friend but still unable to resist questioning. "Was that Tamaki or what?"
Great. Of course Sero knew about that. Well, there wasn't anything wrong with Mina venting to her friends, he guessed, he just wanted the chance to explain himself before word got out to other people.
"Yeah." He replied, tight-lipped.
"Okay, well, what's his deal?" Kaminari urged Kirishima to keep talking. "Is everything okay?"
"That's…not anybody else's business, it's–"
"I don't know, man, him going missing kinda makes his business open season." Sero didn't want to be that guy, but the truth was, any personal information might be useful in a case like this.
Kirishima, picking up on that immediately, eyed Sero wearily. "Not everything needs to be put on display. I mean, let's have some respect for the guy's privacy, he could…he could be dead, for all we know!"
Yeah, there's that possibility. "And knowing certain things about him could lead us to who killed him, you know."
"I already talked to the police, man, why are you getting on me about this?" Kirishima couldn't hold it in anymore. After almost twenty-four grueling hours of being interrogated like some kind of criminal, the last thing he needed were his best friends ambushing him from the exact same angle.
"Okay, that's cool, dude, we just–"
"The police aren't gonna tell us whether or not we can trust our friend." Cutting Kaminari off, Sero dropped his facade as well, his face hardening as he rose to his feet. "Look, man, I want to be in your corner more than anything, but I can't be if you–"
"Who says I want you there, huh?" Kirishima didn't stack up to Sero height-wise, yet he jumped up all the same, doing his best to get in his face. "I didn't ask for any of this to happen, you know! All I tried to do was help my friend, is that such a crime?"
"Guys, seriously, this doesn't need to be a big deal!" Kaminari insisted, inching toward the two of them in case he needed to stop a fight.
"Help your friend with what, exactly?" Sero cocked an eyebrow.
Kirishima flinched, feeling cornered. Normally, he'd take this as a cue to cool down and stop the interaction, something that never would have started if he'd had any amount of sleep. Right now, however, his fight or flight was activated, and even his buddies weren't immune to his rising temper.
"With something that's none of your damn concern, got that?" He snapped.
"If you helped him do something like go missing, or led him into a situation that got him kidnapped, yeah, sorry, I'm gonna take that as my concern." Sero kept his voice level, trying to control his anger while still explaining his point of view. "How do we know you won't put us in the same position, huh?"
Kaminari's eyes widened. "Sero, you…we didn't come here to do this–"
Kirishima shrank back. Now Sero knew he'd struck a nerve, and it did sting to see his friend so distraught. But in a weird counter emotion, he wasn't particularly sorry. After all, he couldn't say he retracted any of his points; Tamaki had gone missing, and if Kirishima knew or did something, that definitely muddled the trust Sero had in him. Acting cagey and dodging questions only worsened his suspicions.
To some degree, Sero questioned him for his own sanity.
"So what is it, man?" He pressed harder. "Is all this some sort of misunderstanding, or are you secretly some dishonored hero grasping at straws for a cover story?"
"Hey, man, don't talk to me about honor!" Kirishima turned it back on him. "I haven't been back five minutes and I already know whose room you slept in last night! Want to talk about dishonorable behavior? She's not even your girlfriend, you sleaze!"
That caught Sero off guard. In all the accusations, he hadn't planned to talk about anything pertaining to his newfound relationship. Why would he? This had nothing to do with that. Kirishima seemed desperate to change the subject, though, so he remained standing his ground, hands balling into fists. Kaminari watched nervously, Kirishima's words suddenly sinking in.
"Wait a minute, where did you sleep last night?" He asked innocently.
"How I handle my relationship is none of your concern." Sero insisted. "I came here to help you, dude, but if you–"
"Who's keeping secrets now, huh?" In a 'gotcha' moment, Kirishima poked Sero's chest, grinning slightly maniacally. "So you can keep things to yourself, but I can't? If I have to spill, so do you! How does that work, exactly, when you're–"
"I asked Tokage to be my girlfriend last night, and I'm still a virgin!"
"Oh? W-well…I helped Tamaki secretly plan something for months, okay?!"
"...I don't know how to spell 'mayonnaise' from memory!"
All tension in the room ceased. Both Kirishima and Sero froze for a second. Kaminari's confession hung in the air as somehow the most difficult piece of information to process for the other two people in the room.
"Kaminari, what the hell are you talking about?" Sero finally broke the silence.
"Sorry, I just…" Kaminari floundered. "I thought we were, uh, confessing things, and—I mean, if I ever had to like, type it out I'd just put 'mayo' and no one ever corrected me, so I–"
Kirishima couldn't help it. The absurdity of Kaminari's statement mixed with his lack of sleep officially got the better of him to the point of no return. Rather than be upset or confused or feel even anything at all, he cracked a smile and did something he hadn't managed to do since him and Mina had the scariest conversation of their relationship.
He laughed.
Sero was right behind him, unable to resist cracking up at Kaminari's dorkiness. Both of them doubled over, slapping each other on the shoulders, practically crying from the hysterics. Kaminari halfheartedly chuckled, unsure how to react; yeah, they were laughing at him, but after all the dramatics, he preferred this.
"Holy crap, Kaminari, we totally needed that." Kirishima roughly patted the blond's arm as if congratulating him.
"I'll say." Sero wiped his eye.
The laughter subsided, breathing returned to normal, and finally, the three guys were able to face one another.
"I'm sorry, man." Kirishima's shoulders deflated. "I'm just so tired and aggravated, I…I didn't mean for–"
"You're good." Sero assured him. "I pushed you to. That wasn't fair of me, I'm…I'm sorry, too."
Kirishima extended his hand, eyeing Sero hopefully. "Are, uh, are we good?"
Sero caught Kirishima's hand in a half handshake, half hug, patting his friend's back as he did so.
"Yeah, man." The typical Sero Smile returned to his face. "We're Gucci."
Kaminari just exhaled in relief, glad his friends weren't fighting anymore.
"So, Tokage's your girlfriend now?" Once the three settled on the floor in a circle, Kirishima reached over and ruffled Sero's hair. "Congrats, man, welcome to the boyfriend club!"
"Thanks." Sero blushed, unable to suppress his smile. "It still doesn't feel real. I mean, she's so smart and beautiful, I just can't believe she's with me."
"Are you kidding? You're awesome, dude, she's super lucky!" Kaminari nudged him.
Much as Sero wanted to gush about his new girlfriend, Kirishima's secret suddenly registered in his brain. "So, wait, what did Amajiki need to plan with you for months?"
Kirishima hoped the girlfriend talk would distract from that. Seems he didn't get that lucky. Chuckling nervously, he rubbed his hand on the back of his neck.
"Uh, yeah, it's…a bit of a story."
Kaminari sat forward. "We're here for it, dude."
Sighing, Kirishima nodded, figuring at this point, it didn't matter who knew.
"Okay. I'll tell you everything."
XxXxXxX
"Yaomomo?"
"Hm?" Yaoyorozu looked up from the protein yogurt she'd been mixing.
On the other side of the counter stood Todoroki, his expression startling her a bit. Seriousness and urgency overtook his entire demeanor. He shifted slightly, looking uncomfortable in his determination.
"Oh, are you…alright?" She fidgeted a bit herself.
"We need to talk about Nagase."
Her stomach dropped. The spoon trembled slightly in her hand, signaling that her anxiety was visible. Quickly, she steadied herself, refocusing on the yogurt to keep her eyes from meeting his.
"Of course." Voice steady, she carried on with her snack. "It's quite a shame. She seemed like such a promising young woman."
Todoroki leaned in, his urgency unwavering. "Did you know her well, then?"
Why would he think that? He couldn't possibly know anything. Maybe he, like the majority of the public, got swept up in some sort of rumor mill. Honestly, that didn't surprise her; smart as he is, Todoroki could be quite gullible when it came to social situations. Gossip and celebrity rumors weren't something he took the time to deep dive and research, so if he came across some sort of scandal, he'd likely take it at face value and continue about his day.
Making it easy to change his mind on the subject.
"Oh, no, we only ever spoke once when I was thirteen." Yaoyorozu nonchalantly turned to return the Greek yogurt to the fridge. "When she interned with my family, I was so young, and I had to focus on getting into UA. You know how the tests for recommendation students are different and all."
"Really?" The shock in his voice wasn't lost on her. "So…you only ever spoke to your cousin one time?"
The yogurt tub dropped from her hand, exploding at her feet in a motion she barely even registered. Immediate panic set in; suddenly, everything sounded distant, as if the sound of the TV and her classmates laughing in the lounge came through a fog. Her vision blurred slightly, not enough to be concerning, just enough to keep her dissociated from the open fridge in front of her.
What did he just say?
"Yaomomo, are you alright?" Todoroki randomly appeared beside her, his former stoicness giving way to concern. "Look at me, is everything okay?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
All at once, the panic ceased. A strange wave of calm swept over her, everything from the meeting that morning resurfacing to the forefront of her mind. Collected as ever, she turned to face Todoroki with a look so certain, he flinched, taking a small step back.
"Yaoyorozu, you–"
"Megumi Nagase is of no relation to me." Her response sounded calculated, almost rehearsed, but stable all the same. "She interned with my family for a month when I was thirteen, then transferred to the hero business course at Shiketsu. Other than that, she has no connection to me or my family. These rumors are of no business or interest of mine."
Whoa. Where did all that come from? She definitely hadn't had time to plan a script that specific. Her media training must be working overtime here.
No matter. Todoroki seemed to buy it, more or less, watching her with an expression she could only label as confused.
"Don't believe everything you see online, Todoroki." She rested a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I must clean this up before I meet with Awase."
Todoroki had no time to react. Yaoyorozu seemed to move at hyperspeed, having the mess cleaned and thrown away before he could get his bearings. He watched her go, so calm and unbothered, it made his head spin a little. One simple question had somehow led to…that reaction. It didn't make sense to him.
"Ah." Deku poked his head around the corner once she'd left the building, Iida and Uraraka behind him. "That didn't seem to go well."
"I'm so confused." Todoroki blinked after her. "Can we actually be sure Nagase's related to her?"
"It's impossible she isn't." Iida insisted. "I've met miss Megumi multiple times at various functions. Always as a Yaoyorozu; she's the only daughter of Masataka Yaoyorozu. I can't imagine I have that wrong."
Uraraka, having finally been caught up to speed on the Yaoyorozu portion of this saga, looked between the boys curiously.
"Well, Todoroki, how do you know that she's related to Yaomomo? You said your dad told you?" She asked hesitantly.
At the mention of his dad, Todoroki's face darkened a bit. "He did. But I don't know how he knows about any of this."
Deku raised his eyebrows. "Maybe your dad…knows the Yaoyorozu's?"
"I have no idea." Todoroki kept staring at the door, as if still watching Yaoyorozu leave. "But I do know that Yaomomo's not telling the truth. And she seems way too comfortable with her lie."
"Indeed, her media training was quite vigorous, if it had any similarities to mine." Iida pointed out. "This is likely some sort of cover up. I imagine a family as prestigious as hers wouldn't want to be associated with something as dark as a kidnapping suspect."
Maybe Iida was right. It could be as simple as the specific case; the family didn't want any connections to someone committing such a heinous crime. Todoroki didn't have any grounds for his suspicions, but nothing about that sat right with him. Something deeper simmered just below the surface of Yaoyorozu's deflection.
Something he hoped she had nothing to do with.
