A few days went by and before you knew it, everything was fixed. My class was kind enough to also help me out in rebuilding Mephisto's school.
And with that, I continued my work study at Sir Nighteye's agency. I still couldn't stop thinking about Eri. Sir Nigheye told us that we were called in for a meeting at Sir Nighteye's agency. As Midoriya and I got out of the dorms, we saw Kirishima. "Uh--Midoriya! Akia! Good morning." Kirishima said. "Good morning!" I said. "Are you two headed off to your work study, too? Cool, so'm I!" Kirishima said.
"Yeah, we finally got called in again. Feels like it's been forever." Midoriya said. 'I wonder why they said not to wear our costumes, though." I said. Just then I hear the door behind us open. "Oh! Good morning, guys! You going in today?" Uraraka asked. "Yeah." Midoriya replied. "Huh, so are we. That's kinda weird." Midoriya said.
"Hey. Us, too!" One of the pro heroes said. "Wanna walk to the station together?" "Ooh! Please! I mean, if you don't mind." Uraraka said. "We appreciate it!" I said. "What's with all the heroes?" I heard Kirishima whisper.
We were all going the exact same way. That was weird. After a few more turns, I realised that maybe it wasn't a coincidence. What if our agencies were teaming up for something big. Like a case they were all investigating. Soon we were about to find out, as we arrived at Sir Nighteye's agency. The Big Three were standing right in front of us. What in the world? What was going on? There were many pro heroes gathered at the agency, which included Mr. Aizawa as well. Whatever was happening must be crucial.
I walked over to Mr. Aizawa with Tsu and Uraraka. "You, too, Mr. Aizawa?" I asked. "I'm confused. Why are you here?" Tsu asked. "I was called in last minute for this thing. I think I've got a rough idea of what it's about." Mr. Aizawa said. Just then, I felt someone tap my shoulder.
I turned around to see that it was none other than Shura?! What was she doing here? "I also got called for this too, kid. So you better behave during this case." Shura told me, pinching my ear. "Ok! Ok! Cut it out!" I said. Shura laughed. "We're all here, Nighteye. Let's get started." The dragoon hero, Ryukyu said.
"Thanks to the information provided by all of you, our investigation has progressed substantially. We've invited you all here for a joint conference to share the intel we've acquired. Regarding the yakuza group Shie Hassaikai and what we believe they might be planning." Nighteye said.
We all gathered at the conference hall where a long table awaited us. I sat next to Midoriya and Mirio, and Shura sat beside me. "All right, let's begin at the beginning. For the past couple of weeks now, those of us at Nighteye Agency have been conducting an investigation into Shie Hassaikai, a small but organized group of criminals." Bubble Girl said. "What prompted this?" One of the Pro Heroes asked.
"An accident involving a gang of thieves called the Reservoir Dogs." Bubble Girl said. "Yeah, I heard about that." Another hero said. "The police thought the whole thing was an accident, but there were a number of details that didn't add up, so we began tailing them" Bubble Girl said.
"In my capacity as a Nighteye Agency sidekick, I began following leads to what I could uncover. I found that, in the past year, the members of Shie Hassaikai have increased contact with those outside of their organization, including other groups whose business dealings are less than reputable. Their aim seemed to be expanding their organization and enriching its coffers. Shortly after our investigation began, they made contact with a member of the League of Villains. Jin Bubaigawara, villain name: Twice. They were wary of being tailed, so I was unable to follow them, but with the help of the police, I confirmed that an altercation had occurred between the two groups." Centipeder said.
"That'd be about when they decided to reach out to Tsukauchi and me. Figured we'd be able to assist, given the League's involvement." Gran Torino said. 'Where is Tsukauchi?" One of the heroes asked. "Follow-ups with some other eyewitnesses. Y'know, cop stuff." Gran Torino then turned to face Midoriya. "Sorry, kid. I didn't see something like this coming. I've got a bad feeling that things are about to get ugly." He said. "I don't care if they do. I wanna help." Midoriya said.
"Hold up, you know him?" Mirio asked. "Oh, Gran Torino? I did my internship with him." Midoriya explained. "Go on, Bubble Girl." Nighteye said. "So, after all that went down, we posted a notice on the HN requesting assistance." Bubble Girl said. "I think we can skip that part." Centipeder said. "Sorry!" Bubble girl apologised. I could tell she was nervous.
"What's the "HN"?" Uraraka asked. "Stands for Hero Network. It's an online service that can only be accessed by pros. You can see what all the heroes in the country are up to, and you can ask for help from people whose Quirks might come in handy." Nejire explained.
"Does anybody wanna tell me why a buncha high school kids were invited to this conference? I don't care if they are from UA. If we have to keep stopping to explain this stuff, we'll never get to the actual plan." The hero sitting next to Midoriya said. "Don't say that. These two have important information to pass along." Fatgum said. "Uh, we do?" Kirishima asked. "I wanna go home." Amajiki said. "Anyway, I see a lot of new faces, so let me introduce myself. Nice to meetcha. I'm Fatgum." Fatgum said. "He's so cute and squishy." Uraraka, Tsu and I said. "Hah! Who wants candy?" He asked.
"Hassaikai's movements are hard to trace, but we suspect one of their main sources of income is illegal drug sales. So I requested help from heroes who have some expertise in that area." Nighteye said. "Yup, I brought in my fair share of drug dealers back in the day, and at Red Riot's debut fight, he proved he could, too! Tamiki was shot, and the bullet contained some kinda drug I've never heard of before. One that destroys Quirks." Fatgum explained.
"Destroys Quirks?" A hero asked. Hold up! Was Amajiki alright?! "Whoa, what? Tamaki, you're okay, right?" Mirio asked, concerned. "Yeah, the stuff wore off while I slept. Here, look." Amajiki showed his right hand which was a cow's limb. Cool, I guess. "I've got this cow hoof and everything." Amajiki said. "Guess we know what you had for breakfast!" Mirio said.
I'm glad to know the effects aren't permanent at least. So this stuff doesn't zap a Quirk for good." Rock Lock said. "No. But Eraser Head has some further insight." Nighteye said. "It doesn't seem to function exactly like my Erasure does. Since I'm not actually attacking the Quirk directly. What we call a Quirk is an extraordinary addition to an ordinary human body. Those additions are collectively referred to as "Quirk genes." I can shield those genes and temporarily block their expression, but I don't actually damage them." Mr. Aizawa explained.
"But after Tamaki here was shot, we brought him to the hospital, and they found that his Quirk genes had sustained damage. Fortunately, they seem to have healed on their own, and he's back to normal now." Fatgum said.
"What do we know about the substance he was shot with?" Nighteye asked. "Whatever it was didn't harm the rest of his body. Nothing but his Quirk was impaired in any way. The guy who shot him clammed up. He won't say a word. And the round that hit Tamaki was totally spent. However, Kirishima bravely defended Tamaki from a bullet, which then bounced off his own body and should now provide us with a viable sample." Fatgum explained. "Whoa, I did that? Really? That's crazy!" Kirishima asked.
"Wow, awesome job, Kirishima!" Uraraka said. That's so cool!" Tsu said. "Oh, yeah. Hid Quirk. It's Hardening, right?" Nejire asked. "And when we analyzed the substance from the bullet, we discovered something that made me sick to my stomach. It contained human blood and cells."
The second Fatgum said that, I felt my face becoming extremely pale and my heart sink to the bottom of my chest.
'Human blood?' I thought to myself. The girl... She had bandages all over her body. Don't tell me... "Sounds like something out of a scary movie." Tsu said. "In other words, that effect came from a person. From someone's power. A Quirk that can destroy Quirks." Shura said. "I'm not connecting the dots here. How is all this related to Hassaikai?" the Masked Hero asked.
"The man who shot Tamaki used an illegal drug to boost his Quirk during his fight with Kirishima. The distribution channels for stuff like that are complex. Although things've shrunk since the old days, drugs still pass through various people and organizations before they finally reach the end user. There's no concrete evidence that Hassaikai handled the drug, but we know for a fact that they interacted with one of the middlemen responsible for moving it." Fatgum explained.
"That's all?" The Masked Hero asked. "The other day, Ryukyu's team broke up a fight between two villain groups. One of those groups was controlled by the intermediary organization that Fatgum just mentioned." Nighteye said.
"One of the two giants had been given an inferior drug that didn't last long." Ryukyu said. "There have been a rash of gang-related crimes recently, and most could be connected to the Hassaikai if you tried hard enough." another hero said. "Which is what it seems like you're doing: trying to make them guilty. Don't you have anything that implicates them more clearly?" The Masked Hero asked.
The slide changed to an all too familiar face. Kai Chisaki. The Hassaikai leader and girl we ran into. My nightmare was manifesting into reality. "Their young head, Chisaki: Quirk, Overhaul. With this power, he can disassemble things and then reassemble them. A Quirk that allows him to completely break down matter. And a bullet that can break down Quirks." Nighteye said.
I could feel my mind going blank. My heart was beating faster. Was I having a panic attack? Now? No! That can't be! Eri! What were they doing to her now, as we speak? Those bandages on her limbs.
Dear God! I covered my mouth, trying not to vomit. I felt my stomach turn in an unpleasant way. "Please. Please don't go." I could hear Ei's voice inside my head. Those monsters! "Chisaki has a daughter named Eri. There are no records or details about her birth. But when Mirio, Midoriya and Akia encountered her, they noticed there were bandages wrapped around her arms and legs." Nighteye said.
"Could he really do something so horrific? Ryukyu asked. "Unfortunately, yes. In a world of superhumans, if you can dream it, you can do it." Gran Torino said. "Hold on, what are they talking about?" Kirishima asked.
"Once again, why do we have children in this meeting? I'll say this one time: We're wondering if this Chisaki bastard is turning his daughter's body into bullets and selling them on the black market." Rock Lock said. "No." Kirishima said. "Oh, don't tell me..." Uraraka started.
"To be clear, we aren't certain that he's actually selling the bullets. At this point, their efficacy appears to be questionable. It's possible that they're still in the testing phase, and he's giving them out as samples to rally more people to his cause. We have no hard evidence, but we do know he's gathering allies and funds from across the nation. If the completed drug allows him to annihilate someone's Quirk entirely, imagine the devastation he could cause." Nighteye said.
"Just talking about it's enough to make my blood boil. Let's go get this monster!" Fatgum said. "Tch. Woulda saved us a lot of trouble if these three amateurs had just gotten the girl away from him." Rock Lock was right. That girl.
That girl was in my arms telling me to not leave here and yet...I left her! I was completely useless! I felt a few tears escape my eyes. I clenched my fists together. "I take full responsibility. The blame should not fall on them. Even without knowing the whole story, they acted to save the child, each in their own way. Akia and Midoriya were willing to bear the risk of taking her then, while Mirio chose to wait for another opportunity, when success would be more likely. I assure you, nobody in this room is more frustrated than they are." Nighteye said.
At that point, I didn't care if I got everyone's attention. I stood up. As well as Mirio and Midoriya. I was furious. Us three were all furious. "We'll get Eri away from next time..." Midoriya said. "...and we'll protect her!" Mirio, Midoriya and I said. "Indeed. That's precisely what we've come here to discuss." Nighteye said.
'I promise that I'll risk my life and power to save her.' I thought to myself. I wasn't going to let Eri suffer any longer by Chisaki's hands.
"Huh. You kids wanna talk big, that's fine. But if what Nighteye is saying is for real, that little girl is at the center of Hassaikai's entire underground drug operation. She may have managed to get away from Overhaul for a few minutes, but she got herself seen by a couple of heroes. You think he's still gonna keep her at home after all that? Hell, I know I sure wouldn't. And if we go bustin' into their headquarters and she's not there, They're gonna know that we're onto them. We gotta be sure where he's hidin' her." Rock Lock said.
"He has a point. Do you have a plan for that, Nighteye?" Ryukyu asked.
"That's our conundrum. Since we don't currently know how far they've taken their plans, the success of our initial strike is crucial. To that end, we've made a thorough list of groups with connections to Hassaikai, as well as properties owned by the organization. This is our starting point. I would like you all to investigate each coordinate on this map. It is the most logical way to narrow down our targets." Nighteye explained.
"So that's why you asked minor heroes like us to join you." "What do you mean?" "Go on. Look. The heroes in this room all operate in one of those locales. We know the areas better than most." "Didn't expect someone who worked with All Might for so long to be such a careful planner. Let's just go bring 'em down! While we're takin' our sweet time, that abused girl's out there crying somewhere." Fatgum said.
"We can't do this like All Might would. That's why we must be meticulous about our strategies and predictions from the outset. So we have the highest chance of saving her." Nighteye said.
"He's right. We shouldn't rush. If we show our hand and then don't end up rescuing her, then we'd just be throwing gas on a fire. Like how Stain's capture was a beacon that led criminals to seek out and join the League. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if they handed out Quirk-destroying weapons to those hoodlums in order to increase their recruitment." Gran Torino said.
"You're thinkin' too dang much. If we keep sitting here yappin' about it, we're never gonna get anything done!" Fatgum yelled. "Excuse me. I've got a question." Mr. Aizawa said, and Nighteye nodded. "I don't know the specifics of your Quirk, Nighteye. Feel free to correct. But from what I've heard of it, your Quirk, Foresight allows you to see into the future. So why not use it on us. That's logical, right?"
"I'm sorry. But I cannot. My Foresight has some limitations. I need a full 24 hours between activations. That means I get one person, and then I'm spent for the rest of the day. Additionally, the future is played in my mind like a flashback. Think of it like viewing a filmstrip. For one hour, I have the power to watch a person's life as a movie. The issue is, everything I see is from a tight perspective on the person in question. This severely limits my capacity to interpret context." Nighteye explained.
"That should still provide more than enough information to be useful, don't you think? And it doesn't explain why you can't do it." Mr. Aizawa said. "What if I saw imminent death in your near future. Worse... What if it were a cruel, merciless demise? My Quirk should only be employed only after we've confirmed the highest likelihood of success. Then it can help ensure our victory. It shouldn't be relied upon when there are still too many uncertainties." Nighteye said.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa hold up. Death is still information. If we know what's comin', we can figure out how to survive." Rock Lock said. "You don't understand. It's possible what I see is unavoidable." Nighteye said. "Bro, that's the only excuse you have, for real? Oh, hell no, just use it on me now! I'll show you I can beat death." Rock Lock said. "I can't." There was silence in the room.
"Yeah, all right." Rock Lock said. Everything was awkward. The silence continued on. Just then, I heard Shura sigh. "We should get started then. I should give you guys some paper and whenever the little girl or Chisaki is nearby, my familiar will come out and tell you guys that they're close."Shura said, handing the paper over to the heroes.
The Big Three, Kirishima, Tsu, Uraraka, Midoriya and I all sat together in silence. "If only I'd rescued her then, even if I had to use my flame. At least she'd be safe." I said. "Aw, man. So that's what happened that day?" Kirishima asked, clenching his fist. "So frustrating!" Kirishima said.
"We know you two tried, Akia. Deku." Uraraka said. Just then, the door opened, showing Shura and Mr. Aizawa. "Is this a funeral or something I walked into? Shura asked. "Mr. Aizawa, Ms. Kirigakure, hello. Tsu said. "Ah, Call me Eraser head outside of school. You know, it's just my luck. Before you got involved in this, I was going to recommend that your work studies be suspended." Mr. Aizawa said.
"What? Why would you do that?" I asked. "You weren't listening when he said the League of Villains is involved, right? That changes things." Mr. Aizawa said. I couldn't. I simply couldn't. I had to fight. I had to save that little girl. It didn't matter what Mr. Aizawa or Shura said. I wanted to save Eri no matter the cost.
"Here's the deal. Midoriya...you still haven't proven I can trust you again. Unfortunately, I'm positive that if I try to stop you now, you'll do something reckless and attempt to take things into your own hands. So, I'll watch you. If you're going to see this through, you gotta do it the right way. Use your head. Ya hear me? Problem child?" Mr. Aizawa asked.
"I'll only say this once, in case it gives you a little peace of mind. Just because you didn't hold onto here this time, doesn't mean you didn't give Eri hope. So keep looking forward." Shura told me. Shura. The Shura actually gave good advice! "What's the matter, kid?" Shura asked me.
"You actually gave me advice..." I said. "I always give advice, ya dumbass!" Shura told me. I put my hand on my chin, trying to remember when, but nothing came. "Nope. I don't remember." I told her. I soon felt her hand on my head, messing up my long, wavy, dark brown hair.
"H-Hey. S-Stop that, will you?" I asked, holding my head after she was done messing it up. I'll be watching over you too so you won't give any one another death scare." Shura said. "Death scare?" I asked. "Since when have I given everyone a death scare?" Shura had a plain look on her face.
"Since the last time you and Rin fought Amaimon." Shura said. I started to remember that day. That was when I thought I died, but got sent to another world, and met these people. A lot of things had changed over the months.
"Hey, Midoriya. Akia. Next time we'll definitely save her." Mirio told us. "Right!" Midoriya said. 'No matter what!" I said. A few days had passed since we'd learn the truth. The pro heroes that had teamed up with Sir Nighteye, which included Shura were doing their best to pinpoint the location of Chisaki.
I swear, when I get my hands on him, I'll make him regret the day that he was born. Until the pro heroes could, us work study students were on standby. And we were under orders not to say anything about our work studies to anyone, which included Rin and Yukio. "Hey! What've you guys been learning? Tell me!" Bakugo yelled. "Sorry, we can't!" Kirishima said. "Kirishima, Uraraka, Tsu, Midoriya. Everyone who was there for the conference would be part of the operation to save Eri.