章 2304: 46
And we're back at it! This time around it's more of a setup chapter. Action comes later and all that fun stuff. I need to have some pause time between the Nine and the Precepts, after all.
Chapter Text
"How about you, Midoriya?"
Izuku snapped out of his thoughts. "Huh?"
Kaminari shook his head, already used to Izuku's tendency of zoning in and out of conversation. "How much of what we talking about did you hear?" Kaminari asked.
"Uhh…" Izuku gave them a sheepish look. "None of it?"
"Midoriya!" Ashido whined.
"Sorry," Izuku apologized, moving his hand through his hair. "I'm just thinking about some stuff, is all." Specifically, Izuku spent long hours into the night pondering over the last words told to him by QA. There was merely too much at stake to just allow QA to remain silent. And thus, Izuku had a plan. If he could just forge a connection...
"Anyways," Ashido continued, "we were just talking about Tsu, Uraraka, and Kirishima's work studies. Did you know that all three of them got on the news!? Uraraka and Tsu with Ryuku, and Kirishima with this Fat Gum guy!"
"Fat Gum, eh?" Izuku mused. "So I guess I was right." He turned to Kirishima. "Whatever happened to Fourth Kind?"
"Fourth Kind was busy with some stuff, so he couldn't take me in." Kirishima shrugged, his toothy smile showing. "But s'alright. Fat Gum's a pretty cool guy! I'm liking my work study already!"
Izuku gave a non committal nod. "Right." A small frown appeared on his face.
"Hey, are you alright, Midoriya?" Ashido asked.
"Mhm." Izuku nodded, doing away with his frown. "Just thinking again." It almost felt as if he fostered the connection between him and QA, but that feeling resided just as quickly as it came. Is QA actively avoiding me? Just how much concentration does she need to do whatever it is she's doing?
"It seems like you're always thinking about stuff lately," Ashido said.
"Midoriya-kun has always been like this," Uraraka interjected. "Haven't you noticed?"
"Usually yes, Midoriya's fairly contemplative about things," Yaoyorozu chimed in. "Though I think that there is something up." She gave Izuku a long look. "He's a bit quieter than usual."
"Am I?" Izuku asked, genuinely curious. "I haven't really noticed."
Yaoyorozu's mouth turned to a thin line. "Is it because of the raid you partook in the other day?"
Izuku's eyes tightened. "How do you know about it?" he asked. "Info on the incident is currently being withheld and kept tight and away from the public until further notice."
Yaoyorozu shrugged her shoulders. "I listen around. And my dad sort of also knows a couple people in the force. Some of them were those who didn't… come back from the raid that day."
"Oh."
"Raid? What raid?" Kaminari asked. "I didn't see any news about any major raids in Kyoto."
"That's because the one I'm talking about occurred in Hokkaido," Yaoyorozu said, matter of factly. She turned a worried gaze back at Izuku. "Are you sure you don't want to talk about it, Midoriya?"
Izuku gave a hum of affirmation.
"Wait. Hokkaido? Hold on..." Ashido began scrolling through her phone. "Aha! Here's something. It's on some random forum site, but it says that… Wait, that can't be right. How…?"
"What is it?" Uraraka asked.
"Ashido," Yaoyorozu began, "maybe you shoul—"
"What!?!?" Kaminari exclaimed, reading the information from over Ashido's shoulders. "It says that over twenty police officers died in some sort of operation! And around a dozen or so more were badly injured."
Kaminari turned to Izuku. "Shit Midoriya, are you sure that you're okay? No damage on you or anything?"
Izuku grimaced. "Yeah. Promise."
"You sure? What about that other green-haired friend of yours from 1-B?" Ashido asked.
Izuku sighed. "Setsuna's fine as well." His gaze became distant. Maybe if he poked the barrier between his mind and wherever it was that QA resided at just this angle of thought…
"Midoriya. You know that we'll always be there for you if you want to talk, right?" Izuku left his own mind, actually looking at his friends. He nodded. "Thank you."
"...uku… Izu… ke up..."
Izuku rolled in his bed, going from his back onto his side.
He was immensely tired, Aizawa having doubled down on his punishments due to the upcoming events regarding work studies. It caused Izuku to curse his past actions, even if he didn't actually regret any of them. He mostly just hated himself for getting him into his current situation.
A faint sensation of air brushed against Izuku's face once he settled onto his side.
"Izuku… wake up…"
His eyes shot open, noticing that the voice wasn't some sort of dream. His opening eyes were immediately greeted with two glowing orbs of yellow, delicately peering into him.
"Gah!" His hands shot out from under his covers, causing the unknown intruder of his room to fall back and land on their behind with an rather anticlimactic 'Oomf.'
It was only when Izuku sat up and rubbed his eyes to clear up his vision that he discovered the identity of the intruder.
"Mei?"
"Heyo!" Mei waved, completely disregarding that fact that she had fallen to the ground. She slowly raised herself from her pseudo-seated position, but exhibited no urgency in doing so.
"Nice job on actually hitting me this time!" Mei cheered once she was up. "It seems like you finally listened to my advice and actually started working on your situational morning awareness. It's definitely improved if you're able to actually land a hit in the midst of your morning grogginess."
"Mhm." Izuku collapsed back on his bed, closing his eyes. "That only happened four other times," he said automatically. "It's not like I had much practice to get it right. And you still never told me why you had to break into my apartment all those times."
"It was a challenge!" Mei exclaimed rather loudly. Izuku winced. He used a small bug to check his alarm clock and let out an internal sigh. It was way too early for him to be dealing with Mei's antics.
"And besides," Mei continued, "my auto-lockpicking baby improved with each attempt! It wasn't ready then, but it is now! I feel as if being able to pick all the door types here at UA should count as a qualifier."
"A lock picking device? When did you— no, never mind. I'll leave that issue be." Izuku took a breath, compiling his thoughts. "Instead, I'm going to ask why you couldn't have done that at home. It sounds like an easy experiment."
"Nothing beats the thrill of field experiments! You know that!"
Izuku remembered all the times he had regretted allowing Mei to use that justification. He hoped that now wasn't one of those times.
"Why are you here, exactly?" Izuku asked. "I doubt this is just a friendly morning visit. All those other times certainly weren't."
"And you'd be right with that assumption!" Mei cheered. "Here, look! I've got something for ya!"
Izuku found something being abruptly dropped onto him, startling him further awake. Resigned to the prospect that he wouldn't be getting anymore sleep, Izuku slowly opened his eyes. Once Izuku saw the thing that had made its home on his stomach, he sat up in his bed to further examine it.
After a minute or so of doing so, Izuku didn't know what to say. The thing that was handed to him was just so… normal.
"It's a backpack?" he asked.
"Yep!"
Izuku further scanned the backpack. As he had observed earlier, it was rather normal looking, colored in a single shade of black.
The only glaring detail that Izuku noticed was how the exterior of the backpack was covered in some sort of metallic shell. It was hard to see it if you weren't looking for it, but with the way it felt in his hands and how it sounded when he knocked on it, there was definitely a metallic element to the backpack.
That metal was probably responsible for the shape of the backpack as well. A few tests revealed that the bag was completely inelastic and rigid in its shape.
The interior wasn't so different. When he opened the backpack up, Izuku found a thick layer of metal making up most of the inside. Only a thin rectangular space was left open at the bag's center — just barely enough space to fit his usual amount of school supplies.
"Why's the layer of metal so thick going inwards?" Izuku asked. He then knocked on its inner layer; it echoed. "And why's it sound hollow?"
"The metal makes sure the inner contents don't get damaged, duh." Mei exclaimed.
"But… so much of it? And is it even at all comfortable? It's almost entirely metal. Plus, this space could be used for storing more stu—"
"Shh!!!" Mei hushed, closing in on Izuku and clamping her hand over his mouth. "You'll appreciate later. Trust me."
Mei then backed away. "Besides, it can change colors, look!"
Mei took out an oval remote from her belt and began typing away at it. Within moments, the plates that made up the backpack seemingly rippled. The pack had suddenly changed from its more discreet and muted black into a vibrant patterned yellow and green.
Izuku blinked. "This looks like something that might go along with my costume… Mei—"
"I know, I know." Mei typed away at the remote in her hands, and the pack shifted back to its previous color. "I'll leave it like that for now."
"Now!" Mei yelled. "You need to get ready! You have your work study thingy today!"
Izuku groaned, he knew what time it was. "You're early, Mei. My alarm doesn't go off for another two hours. Did you just stumble in here the moment you finished this?"
"Of course!"
Izuku sighed, then nodded, a small smile forming. "Thanks, Mei."
Surprisingly — though Izuku thought that he shouldn't have expected anything less — the backpack was impossibly lightweight and rather comfortable. He was currently wearing it, and he could barely tell that the pack was made of metal. This was true even with the straps, something of which Mei had introduced a little later right before he had left. Mei had said that they were to ensure the bag couldn't just be swiped off of him. Izuku thought that it was a bit much, but he appreciated the gesture.
At the current moment, he was walking alongside Uraraka, Tsu, Kirishima, and Setsuna. Izuku was surprised at first when all five of them had ended up following the same route as they all left UA at the same time, and he likely would have remained confused if he was anyone else. However, considering Kaniko's previous words to him and Edgeshot's warnings, Izuku had a good idea of what was happening.
Izuku's beliefs were enforced when the group stumbled upon the Big Three. He was certain that somebody was summoning not only the police, but also certain heroes and their work study pupils to aid in whatever big operation was planned.
And so, when they all entered the building that they were all told to meet at, Izuku wasn't surprised by the gathering of heroes within.
He was, however, surprised to see Bubble Girl and Centipeder. That was mostly because of the implications of Sir Nighteye being involved with this case since they were present. In fact, Izuku's excitement soared when his bugs finally took note of Sir Nighteye, sitting still with eyes closed and hidden away in a conference room.
Izuku's view was cut short when something caught his attention. A small part of his mind felt a tingle from something within the main room that everybody was standing in. Something strange was calling out to him… His attention honed in on Centipeder.
There was something off about the hero; actually, there was something off about him that felt wrong to Izuku's senses. Izuku reached out. And then it felt as if something hit him with a speeding truck barreling down a highway.
"Oww!" Izuku clutched at his head, a sharp pain racing through it.
"Hey, hey. You alright there, Izuku?" Setsuna asked, moving to keep Izuku steady. "What happened? Something wrong with your head?"
Izuku waved them off. "No, no… I'm fine. I just…"
He felt an antenna twitch. And then another one. Moving back and forth in tandem, writhing and wiggling in place. Izuku's head shot up, looking towards Centipeder. The hero was staring right back at him.
Izuku gulped as Centipeder closed in on him with a brisk pace. Within seconds, Centipeder was looming over Izuku with a curious look.
"If I may ask, what is it that you are doing?" Centipeder asked.
Izuku let out a nervous laugh. "I… sorry. It was an accident, Mister Centipeder sir."
"If I may, could I learn what it was that you were doing?"
"I'd rather not," Izuku mumbled.
Centipeder hummed. "Well, no harm done, I suppose. And Ii can let it pass just this once. However, I must insist that you refrain from doing whatever it is that you did anytime in the future. It was a rather unnerving feeling I felt."
Izuku quickly nodded. "Of course sir. It won't happen again if I can help it."
Centipeder nodded. "Thank you. Now, if you would excuse me, I have some business to attend to before we formally begin this meeting."
As Centipeder walked away without any further incident, Setsuna elbowed Izuku in his side. "What was that about?"
Izuku immediately went to rub the area that Setsuna had hit. "Really?"
"What?" Setsuna asked, a smirk appearing on her lips. "Anyways, the Centipeder business?"
Izuku sighed. "It was nothing. Just a bit of a misunderstanding, I think."
"A misunderstanding, you say?" Setsuna gave him a knowing look. "Another one of your mysterious secrets, I see. Hmph." Her arms crossed as she pouted.
"Well, if you're sure that you're alright, I'm going to go off and ask Edgeshot a question. I think I saw him just a second ago…"
"He's in the northeastern corner of the room, behind the tall potted plant," Izuku informed.
Setsuna nodded. "Thanks!"
Izuku watched his friend wander off, and noticed that everyone else that he had arrived with doing something similar. As is, he had a moment to himself to reflect over the incident with Centipeder. However, as much as it frustrated Izuku, there wasn't much that he could infer.
Is it because he looks like a bug? That's a rather specific stipulation then. But how about the crabs? Is this like that? I'm going to be able to affect Centipeder, even if it's only with a light pressure to his mind?
He sighed. "If only QA wasn't ignoring me," he mumbled.
Suddenly, Izuku found another figure looming over him from behind. However, rather than being thin and spindly like Centipeder, the man behind Izuku was much larger and wider in shape. When Izuku turned to face the man, Izuku found a large comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Looks like I finally get to meet the infamous Midoriya!" Fat Gum exclaimed.
"Oh!" Izuku smiled. "Uh, hello, Fat Gum sir," Izuku greeted. "I'm guessing that Kaniko talks about me then, if you're able to identify me just by my looks?"
Fat Gum laughed. "You bet! I've got to say, you've had quite the effect on her! She never gets to have as much fun as she does with anybody else she works with!"
"Pfft. If by fun you mean pain staking sparring sessions, then sure."
Fat Gum patted Izuku on the back, almost causing him to topple over. "I'm sure you understand. Kaniko likes playing around every once in a while. She barely gets to go all out, she says! And what better an outlet for her than her very own troublesome vigi—"
"SHH!"
Fat Gum jumped a bit when the bugs in Izuku's hair buzzed out the words. He watched as the emerged bugs slowly retreated to their hiding place, quickly realizing his mistake while doing so. "Right, right. Sorry 'bout that. Almost let it slip. Good thing tha—"
"Whoa whoa, hold up a second!" Kirishima exclaimed, virtually popping out of nowhere. "Fat Gum? Midoriya? You two know each other?!"
"Ah, Kirishima!" Fat Gum exclaimed. "Nice to see you! And yes, I suppose that you could say that we know each other… or not." Fat Gum ran his hand over his head. "Well, we knew of each other, and now we do know each other, but, um…" Fat Gum looked to Izuku.
"Oh," Izuku lamely sputtered. "I mean, uh… We're, uh... friends by association, I guess? We both know the same person, you could say."
"That Kaniko person I heard you guys talking about, then?" Kirishima asked.
Izuku hesitated for a second. "... Yes?"
"Huh. Well, that's pretty cool!" Kirishima said. "What are the chances, eh? And to think that you'd get to meet up like this!"
Fat Gum laughed. "Yeah, well—"
"Excuse me, everyone? If I could have your attention?"
Izuku turned, it was Sir Nighteye speaking. The room had grown silent.
"Thank you. Now, before we begin, I'd like to thank all of you for your contributions to this investigation. We're making great strides of progress. In fact, as you all know, the organization known as the Eight Precepts of Death are planning something. And today, you've all been called together; today I will share with you exactly what we know."
Everybody found themselves seated in the designated conference room within a few short minutes. Izuku looked in awe at the gathered contingent, realizing that this was his very first organized, large scale hero meeting.
Most notable to Izuku's sights was the Dragoon Hero Ryukyu, All Might's friend Gran Torino, and Aizawa himself. Izuku found Edgeshot giving him a nod from the seat across from him, which Izuku returned.
A few observations had Izuku thinking that Togata was most liking working under Sir Nighteye for his work study, and such a prospect intrigued Izuku to no end. However, when Nighteye began to talk in earnest, Izuku switched his mental gears and paid full attention to All Might's former sidekick.
Izuku listened on with interest, learning about the growing influence of the yakuza group known as the Eight Precepts of Death. From their role in the criminal underworld as drug suppliers of a quirk neutralizing drug to their potential partnership with the league, Izuku wondered if he had ran into them at one point due to his years as Snitch.
The talks went on. Simple intrigue turned into horror and disgust as he heard Nighteye's theories of Overhaul and his apparent daughter. The fact that such a thing could be happening to a little girl was made all the worse when Togata's initial interaction with the girl was brought up.
Izuku's resolve took the helm; Eri was going to be saved no matter what. Izuku only hoped that they weren't too late.
Notes:
A bit short this time around, and not much actually happened. And a bit lacking at the end, I think. Sorry 'bout that. (I blame coronavirus. It's kinda hard to do any type of shopping when it gets bad enough that even the chip aisle starts running dry. My writing time this week was severely diminished!) But hey, more action soon! Especially since the actual raid is coming up.
Anyhow, I hope to see you all next time! And stay safe, everyone! I hope all of you are doing alright considering what's happening right now. Try not to strain yourselves too hard now! We can all get through this.
週次パワーステータス
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