Chương 49: A Rat's Machinations

(Nezu)

"I understand your concern, and rest assured that the safety of UA's students is our top priority!" Another twenty minutes of reassuring the concerned family on the other side of the phone call later, and collecting further information, and I hang up with a breath of relief.

"How… unexpected." I take a sip of tea before sending an email to the teachers to assemble for a meeting. Given my tendency to mix serious meetings with prank meetings, it doesn't take long for them to gather in the main conference room.

"I just had a rather interesting phone call with the Yaoyorozu family about school safety." I start off the meeting casually, watching as some of the teachers lose the tension in their shoulders.

"Apparently they learned about the 'death' of an applicant during the entrance exam, though they could not name the individual."

"Of course they did." Aizawa says in his usual tired voice. "People with the connections to make it big in the corporate world? I'm not surprised. Just that it took them so long to learn." He tips his head towards me. "I guess that gag order you put in place lasted longer than I thought it would."

Indeed. A gag order lasts only as long as people decide it's worth keeping. Even if I was not the one to decide that it should be implemented this time, I can agree it has value. Even beyond the copy of the email from the Commission I saved.

Though it wasn't particularly difficult to put into effect, given that most who witnessed the boy charging the zero-pointer found it inconceivable that anyone would die during the event in question. It was as simple as brewing a decent cup of tea to reinforce that idea within them by simply stating that the individual would not be attending the hero course.

The only real issue was the girl who seemed to have some familiarity with him, though when pressed she admitted that they'd only met the same day. In that short time though, coupled with how he talked to her when the boy went after the robot, she fully embraced the idea that he would sacrifice himself for others.

Thankfully her family has financial troubles. Or rather, had financial troubles. A hefty sum, coupled with her already secured enrollment, managed to convince the daughter to not speak about anyone dying during the exam, though it was with great reluctance. Additionally, she would not budge on fulfilling his 'last request'. Something I find admirable.

The content of the message itself is amusing, not to mention its intended recipient. It added another check mark on a certain list I started last year. But that's for another time. For now there is a certain concern regarding that very gag order.

"So you believe that the young Uraraka is the source of the leak that informed one of the Yaoyorozu's informants of the event?" I raise an eyebrow as I fold my paws in front of me.

"Don't answer Sho, it's a trap!" Yamada stage whispers to his long-time friend even while the third member of the trio enthusiastically nods in agreement with the man.

To which Aizawa simply rolls his eyes. "I doubt it. The bribe they were given was fairly large. But that doesn't mean rumors wouldn't circulate. We all know how difficult it is to squash those. Especially when they have some truth to it."

Kan, hero name Vlad King, interjects at this point, garnering an intense glare from the man. "You mean like how everyone knows you're going out with that teacher from Ketsubutsu but you keep denying it? Really, you should just accept her proposals already!"

Before the meeting can devolve into yet another shouting match between the two hero course teachers, I tell them why the Yaoyorozus knowing about the event is unusual.

"They were informed of the death by Midosagi."

Sudden silence reigns across the room. I give a mental nod of satisfaction. It's always pleasant to see that the people I employ haven't let themselves lose sight of proper behavior when the situation calls for it. Though Kayama occasionally worries me in that regard.

"You mean the villain, Midosagi?" Ishiyama, hero name Cementoss, asks.

"The same Midosagi who has killed thirty-seven heroes?" Oto Kuron, hero name Ectoplasm, questions.

"The Midosagi whose partner made their debut by murdering a group of highschool girls and posing their bodies at a cafe?" Inui, hero name Hound Dog, clarifies.

"Midosagi, who-" Tsuiseki, hero name Snipe, gets cut off by Aizawa's sigh of exasperation.

"We get it. Everyone's surprised that the Yaoyorozus came into contact with a wanted villain. We don't need the same question asked a dozen different ways. What we need," he stares at Nezu with piercing eyes, "is the why, and the how."

I nod. "There are indeed many whys, but only one how. Why did Midosagi meet them? Why did he not kill them? Why bring it up? How did he know of the event?"

I pause letting them consider on their own the answers to those questions. It would not do for me to simply hand them all the answers right away. They would lose the edge that makes them such superb heroes.

Still, we all have things to do, so I do not force them to think for long. "Why they met is simple. They have a persistent contract with an information broker to be informed should anyone target their family. Midosagi-"

"Showed up to collect." Kan nods with his eyes closed at his own theory, missing the smug looks directed at him by the others.

It seems that I will have to reinforce the reminder of not interrupting me. I wonder what it should be this time?

Seeing the man shiver, I continue. "Midosagi was working as that information broker's bodyguard, along with his partner Chusagi."

"Do we have profiles?" Kayama leans forward on her forearm. "Did they manage to get a look at either of their faces?"

It would be a great boon to have Midosagi's public identity be known to increase the chance that he would be caught, at least to anyone else's understanding.

"Regrettably Midosagi kept his mask on at all times, so there are no new leads on that front." The trouble trio all perk up, hearing the slightest emphasis regarding 'that' front. Given how important tone and inflection are for both Midnight's undercover work and Yamada's radio show, it's no surprise. And Aizawa prides himself on his perceptive abilities.

"As for Chusagi…" I tap one of the buttons blended into the wood of the table and folders appear in front of everyone. Opening them up reveals a picture of a young blonde girl tearing into a chicken leg with a bright smile.

"Chusagi, also known as Himiko Toga. From what is known she attacked one of her classmates during her final year of middle school and fled to the streets. She's been on the run for several years."

I tap the photo as the staff start to read through the information gathered on her. "The Yaoyorozus have someone on staff with a quirk to transmit the memory of another to paper, which is how we can be assured that the image is accurate. In the back, you will also find two different photos. Please take a look and tell me what you think."

Some continue to read through the information, putting the 'extra' information for last. Though I am once again pleased to note how Aizawa pinpoints those as the most important aspect. After only a brief moment of looking them over, his eyes widen and he swears.

"Damn. We were played." His words draw the attention of the others, who take a look at the photos themselves and either swear as well or continue to study them. I intervene before they can get to the overthinking stage of analysis.

"The applicant who supposedly died, was in fact Midosagi."

Another round of swears from those who hadn't realized it yet, with Inui putting forth the first of the expected guesses. "So he was trying to ruin UA's reputation? By faking an applicant's death?"

Kan snorts and crosses his arms. "Fat lot of good that did him. If we knew about this before we wouldn't have even needed the gag order!"

I sigh, mirrored by Aizawa. I gesture for him to explain. "Vlad, you're an idiot." Not what I wanted, but it is valid.

Ignoring the man's impotent sputtering, Aizawa continues to actually explain. "It doesn't matter if he faked his death as an applicant, if this gets out I wouldn't be surprised if the school were forced to shut down."

Seeing that Kan still doesn't understand, Aizawa rolls his eyes. "We had a moderate-profile villain within the boundaries of the school. Alone, isolated from any help he might have received." As he talks, eyes around the table slowly widen as they make the connections.

"It would have been a prime time to capture him. But not only did we fail to do that, we didn't even realize that he was here." He shakes his head, holding up a hand to forestall Kan's justifications. "Which means that we allowed a dangerous villain to surround themselves with a crowd of students, who he could have killed or taken hostage at any moment. Hell, he could have gone on a killing spree and slaughtered half of them before any of us even realized there was a problem."

He pauses, letting the information get absorbed before shrugging. "At least that's how the media would put it."

I allow them to discuss the matter, debating how they should handle the fallout should the media discover it. A discussion that Aizawa shies away from, given his avoidance of the media in all aspects of his life.

But it is a moot point. "Given how they have not come out with the news of infiltrating UA, either to brag or discredit us, discussing how to handle the news going public serves no purpose. Additionally I feel that you all are missing a simple yet key point from this."

I lean forward, seeing a lack of understanding from each of them, including Aizawa. "The Yaoyorozu daughter asked Midosagi to be her bodyguard, including at school." I hold up a paw to stem the outrage from the idea, giving them a small smile as I continue. "His response? 'We're too busy to attend whatever fancy posh school you're going to'."

I watch as Aizawa's smile grows, followed by Kayama tapping a fist into her palm in understanding. "While much of the information put on his application form is likely to be false, his age was real. And if he slipped with letting his age be revealed, what else could he have let slip? I want each of you to study his form, as well as all the information we have on Midosagi as a villain. Perhaps something new will be revealed."

Taking my words as the dismissal they are, the room is cleared. Each of them wearing a thoughtful expression.

All except for Aizawa.

He remains seated, staring at me. I meet his gaze, sipping from my tea. The silence stretches, long past the point of being awkward.

He's the first to lose patience, as I knew he would. "What aren't you telling us?"

"Oh? Why wouldn't I tell my staff something?"

"Spare me the patronizing, Nezu. We both know you always have another angle. You never do things simply, or by half measures." He leans forward on his elbows, his quirk activating as he tries to get answers. "So tell me what's so special about this kid that you're so focused on him. It can't just be because of his connection to Izuku Yagi."

I don't answer, finishing the last of my tea before folding my arms over my chest. I hum as I spin my chair around, staring out the window to the room. I consider if I should tell him, and if so, how much.

"What do you know of the quirkless, Shota?"

There's silence, and I know that I've taken him off guard with the seeming non-sequitur. "Well… they're quirkless," he starts slowly. "They're looked down on by a good portion of the population. Anyone I've spoken to who's a part of the HPSC actively tries to avoid talking about them, unless they're actively talking down about them…"

I can imagine his eyes narrowing at the back of my chair. "There's more to it, isn't there."

Not a question, a statement. I chuckle. "Isn't there always?" I spin around, placing my clasped paws on the table. "I will leave you with one thing to consider."

He leans forward, ready to internalize what I'm about to tell him. It's funny, given that I have no doubt that he will be unable to fit the piece into the puzzle.

After all, the piece I'm about to hand him does not belong to the one society has raised him on.

"It has always been about Izuku Yagi." I turn around once again, enjoying the peaceful view of UA grounds. For however long they last.

"Or as he is now officially known, post-mortem, Izuku Midoriya Usagi."