Izuku kept playing the scenes back in his head, something felt off, why get a detective for our statements? Any officer would have sufficed. He thought about what the lady said ‘Your kind is worth a lot.’ Not to mention what he overheard at the station, when the officers thought he couldn’t hear him
‘Another one?’
‘Surprised they even escaped, I mean I heard the assailant had blades for arms, how could some quirkless handle that?’
“Shut up you two, if Naomosa hears you he will skin you alive. You know how he gets when he's on a case.”
He has a feeling this is bigger than the detective is letting on. When he got home, he began scouring the web for any leads. Amid the several reports of missing quirkless people, he finds that most are under the age of 30, which seems weird. Because there are more quirkless people in their 60’s and up. Although he found some particularly concerning comments on QA, a quirkless discussion board. There are rumors of quirkless people on the black market being bought up at record rates. They debate the reasons, many claiming it's due to the perceived ease of captivity, to the near zero media attention brought about with missing quirkless. To ideas of experimentation. He kept digging until the early hours of the morning, eventually landing on a site he was fairly sure was used as a chat room for underground heroes. The deeper he dug into this, the more he heard rumors of a boogeyman of the underground. Most there saw it as baseless rumors, used to keep people afraid. But he found one conversation, between a tiredcoffee and a GoldChuckle.
GoldChuckle: Hey @tiredcoffee. I’ve been hearing a lot of a certain boogeyman whenever I look into your current project.
tiredcoffee: not this again
GoldChuckle: Hear me out!! There has been talk about him being the increase in demand.
tiredcoffee: why would a boogeyman want with some Q. yknow the rumors, no point if theyre true
GoldChuckle: Yes I know of the rumors. But think about this, if they are true, maybe he sees them as blank slates, as disturbing as it is, it does make some sense.
Tiredcoffee: siiiigh, ill look into it if this leads nowhere you owe me another latte.
GoldChuckle: Oh you're such a jokester! And don’t be afraid to ask me for help, i always love teaming up with you, boo bear.
tiredcoffee:i am not joking And We Are Not Dating siiiigh im logging off, before Ratgod decides to give me another task
tiredcoffee has logged off
GoldChuckle: Aww there goes my fun, oh well.
GoldChuckle has logged off
Could this be related to the increase in quirkless trafficking, definitely seems familiar to everything else he has heard, although that’d mean this tiredcoffee was investigating it. And Izuku knows there's no official news of a hero being assigned to the case. But then why would a hero investigate this on their own? There would be no reason for them to, I mean they won’t get publicity for saving some quirkless people. He yawns, well this can probably wait until tomorrow… It’s already 5!! At Least I don’t have anything planned today. Maybe I can catch some sle… He had already passed out, in his chair. His mother discovered him later and made sure to cover him in a blanket. Ruffling his hair and whispering her goodbyes before heading to her next 12 hour shift..
Naomosa arrived at the Sakai Home. knocking on the front door. It was only natural to do a wellness check, after an attempted kidnapping, but he also had some suspicions he wanted answered.
A Man answered the door, “Hello Mr. Sakai, I’m Detective Naomosa From the Mustafa Precinct. I have come to do a checkup on your son, Makoto, and to ask some questions if that is alright.”
Mr.Saikai put on a wide grin “ Yes of course, come right in”
Naomosa stepped right through the door, entering a relatively standard home. Albeit bare on decorations, holding the bare minimum for furniture.
“So detective, what would you like to talk about?”
“Well first, is your wife home Mr.Sakai, I'd like to speak to you both if possible.”
“No, She is out at the moment, with Makoto, She won’t be back for a couple hours.” True
Not good, that means I can’t talk to Makoto either.. Well best to get straight to the point then
"Alright then, Mr Sakai, do you mind if I take a tour of the house while we talk?
Mr Saikai, “Of course, follow me.” They walked into the kitchen, with it being spotless, and the fridge and cupboards seemed full enough. Overall a standard Japanese home.
“So how well did you know your sister in law”
Mr Saikai “Oh, I Didn’t really talk to her much, she always had a habit of getting into the wrong crowds. ”True
That matches what we know about her, although we still haven’t even heard a rumor of her since the incident.
“And your wife, how did they get along?’
“Oh they talked from time to time, but I do know she liked to keep her distance, you don’t think we were involved at all do you?” True
“I have to consider every option sir, I hope you understand”
“Oh of course, You’re just doing your job after all”
“One more question while we are in the kitchen, I’ve noticed Makoto is underweight for his age, do you have any idea as to why?”
“If you are trying to insinuate something, I’d recommend you come back with a warrant, because I treat that boy right. ”True
Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.
He caged off immediately, I doubt I'll get any more out of him right now, best to call it here and see about getting that warrant.
“Well then Mr. Sakai, it seems we won’t get any further with this conversation, I Wish you a good day.”
“Mhm”
He can’t wait, school starts the next day! He will be a student of UA.. now you might be asking, why is he currently prowling the streets the day before the school starts. With a bag full of his hero gear. And that's just to confirm a suspicion he has. He doesn’t plan to get in over his head! He even has the detective's contact on speed dial! Izuku finds himself overlooking an abandoned gas station. He has been watching this place for days now and has seen nothing. He had heard plenty of rumors about this being a hotspot for meet ups between the traffickers. He had been staking it out for hours, nearly giving up for the day when he saw the very same woman he stopped before. Kireru Yari if he remembered correctly. She seemed to have a slight limp, and looked very nervous as she entered the building. He held his finger over Naomosa’s contact as he stalked closer to the building. Eventually getting close enough to hear the conversation
Gruff Voice “You said you were gonna have the kid a month ago, and yet you still show up empty handed. How hard can it be to track down a child?
Yari “ I- They have the kid under lockdown after my first attempt, And no one told me All Might would be in the area! I c-an get the kid again. I just need some more time..”
Gruff Voice “ You know well enough that my employer doesn’t appreciate failure. And with your name plastered everywhere I doubt you can pay off my debt. Now why don’t you….”
“ Never Give In!”
Izuku felt dread fill his stomach as he heard the telltale sound of his ringtone, he quickly hit silent on the phone as he saw his moms face on the screen. Shit, She probably just got home, sorry mom he hits the end call button. Gruff voice “ shit someone is listening in, boys you know what we do with rats. I’ll deal with her” Izuku pulls out his staff and prepares himself, three knives, one staff, and at least two villains, I’m so dead. I can hear it now, “dumb kid killed because he forgot to silence his phone.
He readies himself, watching the door with bated breath. Two men come out, Shark mutation, seems to be localized to the mouth, and also has a fin on top of his head instead of hair. Having a rubbery sheen to his head. better avoid his jaws at all costs, second one seems to have no obvious sign of a quirk, only wearing a basic hoodie and with dark red hair. best to be careful around him.
The red haired villain smiles as he looks directly at Izuku’s hiding spot “ looks like we just got one kid, should be easy enough, careful though he seems to be armed.”
Shark Villain “You think he's a hero brat?”
Red Hair “ No he's not in one of those gaudy costumes. Should be easy prey then.”
How can he see me that well? I'm behind a gas tank, he must have a vision enhancement quirk, possibly a form of x-ray vision or remote vision to see that much of me, better stay in the open then, cover won’t help me.
He steps out into the open, eyeing both villains.
They seem hesitant to move at first, They’re probably worried I might have a dangerous quirk, I can use that to my advantage.
Shark villain “ screw it, I'm going in!!” The shark villain charges at Izuku, jaws snapping in an intimidating manner as he runs head first towards him. .Izuku stays still, waiting until the Villain was close enough to hear his ragged breathing, and sidesteps the villain, slamming the staff into what he correctly guessed as a gill. The villain tumbles, gasping for a second as izuku slams the pole directly into his gill again.
“I’d recommend staying down if you know what's good for you.”
:he makes sure to put the shark villain between him and his compatriot, who is now brandishing a knife. Izuku slams the staff into the shark-man's gills again, seeing him begin to stir. Wincing as he sees the man writhe in pain.
Red Hair “God damn it Fuzama, if you had waited we could’ve double teamed the punk”. The red haired villain then throws the knife, Izuku attempts a dodge when he sees the motion, before receiving a slice to his side for the trouble. He then jumps behind the nearby gas pump as another knife comes his way.
“Pretty agile for a punk, shame I have you cornered now.”
Damn he got me, looks like I'm bleeding. He scans the area before seeing the villain standing under a light fixture. Readying one of his two knives he sent it flying at the light fixture.
Red hair villain “ well kid, you might be good with a pole, but you clear..’ the villain freezes momentarily, covering his head as glass rains down on him, izuku uses the time to begin running towards the abandoned apartment complex he had been hiding in. managing to get in whilst the villain was still recovering.
“Get up! I saw where he went, he’ll be cornered there!”
Izuku was running down the halls, But no matter what he couldn’t shake these two, it's almost like they knew where he was… The vision quirk must be x-ray then, that makes setting a trap a bad option… think… thunk… he ran down a staircase, ending up on the second floor. Him being able to see me puts me at a disadvantage i need to
“Ah our little rat, so nice of you to corner yourself here.” said the X-ray villain, grinning eye to eye.
Izuku goes to turn around/ when he sees the shark villain, still holding his gill, glaring daggers at Izuku
Fuzuma “I can’t wait to tear you to shreds. I’m gonna be sore for days because of you brat”
Izuku gave a shaky grin, and charged the X-ray villain. Readying his staff before feigning into his knife last second, sliding past him as he leaves a knife in the villain's knee. He quickly stands up, pivoting on his right foot before putting all the power he has into a swing to the back of the villain's head.
“Sorry, but I can’t die here” he says as the villain crumbles to the floor. He glares at the shark villain, raising his staff slightly in a come hither motion.
“Grr..” the villain looks between his friend and Izuku several times. Before seemingly making the decision he runs down the stairs. Izuku sighs a breath of relief as he stares down at his unconscious villain. “What to do with you… He procured some zip ties, tying up the villains hands and feet. Before he feels an odd pain in his side, looking down to see his shirt stained red. Oh right, I'm bleeding. Should probably take care of that. He pulls some gauze out of his bag, lifting up his shirt, he wraps it around his midsection, doing it a good 4-5 times until it feels tight enough, before biting off some medical tape and finishing the bandage. This’ll work for now. I'll need to disinfect it later, but I've definitely had worse wounds. Ah the sirens are getting closer, better get this guy to the street.
Izuku finally drags the villain to the street, carrying him bridal style. Laying him down on the street, he dials the emergency number.
Feminine voice ”What is your emergency”
”hey-uh I kinda got into a fight with a villain, one of them ran away but i have the other one tied up at xxxx. I’d recommend you pick him up, he also has taken a big hit to the back of his head, so I'd recommend a medical team as well. Oh and this guy is involved in the trafficking of quirkless individuals.”
Operator “ alright, sending officers there now, are you safe right now?”
“Uh yea, I was about to leave actually, need to disinfect the cut I got.”
Operator “please wait for officers to arrive, they will check out your injury and collect your testimony, can I get a name?”
“Uh-no. I really got to go, bye!”
“Wait!’ beep beep beep
Well that could’ve gone better. I probably sounded like an idiot, well better get home and call back my mom, before she kills me.
Izuku headed back home, managing to hide the wound from his very worried mother. Apologizing profusely before heading to bed. Afterall he has to rest up, tomorrow he gets to actually go to UA!
They almost had a lead.. Some kid managed to capture this guy, A fact their captee wasn’t very pleased about. He answered every question with surprising ease, up until they asked about his employer, he refused to even talk about them. He’d have to talk to eraserhead again, see if the man has found any leads. He had volunteered to help on the case after he suddenly had a lot of free time. Seeing as the man expelled his entire class.
“Hey.”
Naomosa nearly jumped out of his Chair turning around to see a familiar sight, of Shota in full gear, standing in his windowsill “Would it kill you to use my door every once in a while?
Shota “Too many people, And It’s only logical to keep aware of your surroundings.”
“Well then, why are you here?”
“The kid you had me keep an eye on, he’s gone. Went to check in at their house, and I found it completely cleaned out, no sign of the parents or the kid.”
He felt his heart sink. Downing the rest of his cup he stood up. “Lets go” “ He should’ve known, It didn’t add up to him. The lack of care he saw from the parents. He should’ve acted sooner, he could’ve pushed harder for a warrant. It’s all his fault.