(I don't understand what's going on, but I'm pretty sure it's something big.)
(Gran Torino?) thought Izuku. (And Aizawa-sensei's here too... Ryukyu, Fat Gum, Rock Lock, Kesagiri man, and Mr. Brave.)
(Why are there so many heroes reunited?) Satoru wondered. (Just what in the world is about to start...?)
"Hey, hey, what's this?" Nejire asked. "What're we gonna do? Ryukyu, you said it was a meeting, but what about?"
"You'll find out soon, Young Hado," replied Hikaru.
"Oh, you!" Nejire pointed at him. "You're Shirakawa-kun's brother!"
(Usually, they say this thing to me...) Satoru thought.
"Aizawa-sensei, why are you here?" Izuku asked.
"I was called out suddenly," Aizawa replied.
"Nighteye," said Hikaru. "Let's get started."
Sir Nighteye stepped up. "Thanks to the information we received from you all, the investigation has moved forward substantially. We will now have a conference to share what information we have acquired regarding what Shie Hassaikai is planning."
Satoru stepped up. "Aniki, don't tell you knew it from the beginning and didn't tell me anything."
Hikaru shrugged. "I couldn't. Sorry, Ototo!"
"Anyway, why am I here?" Satoru asked.
"Why are you even asking?" Hikaru laughed. "You're here because the help of the best student in the school would be crucial, don't you think so?"
"Well, you're right..." Satoru rubbed his chin. "Fine. I'm in, by the way."
__________
Conference
"Well then, let us begin," said Bubble Girl, Nighteye's assistant. "Those of us from Nighteye agency have been conducting an independent investigation into the designed villain group called Shie Hassaikai for about two weeks."
"What prompted this?" Oro asked.
"An accident involving a gang of thieves called the Reservoir Dogs," replied Bubble Girl. "The police wrote it off as an accident, but there were some points that didn't make sense, so we began tailing them."
"I found that, in the past year, the members of Shie Hassaikai have increased contact with those outside of their organization, moving to expand their organization and increasing their funds."
"Ototo, Young Midoriya, and everyone else," said Hikaru. "I didn't think it would end up like this. I'm afraid I've pulled you into something troublesome."
"Are you kidding me?" Satoru tilted his head. "I don't see it as troublesome."
"Why are there kids here?" Rock Lock asked. "Even if they're from U.A., we'll never get anywhere with them here."
"Don't say that!" Fat Gum said, pointing at Kirishima and Amajiki. "These two have super important information!"
"We suspect one of the Hassaikai's main sources of income is unauthorized drugs," said Nighteye. "So I requested help from heroes who are well-versed in those matters."
"During Red Riot's debut fight the other day, a type I'd never seen before was shot into Tamaki," Fat Gum explained. "And it is a drug that destroys quirks. Or at least, it inhibits them."
"You're okay now, aren't you, Amajiki-senpai?" Satoru asked.
"Yeah, I recovered after I slept," said Tamaki. "But now I have this cow hoof."
"So you had a beef bowl for breakfast?"
"Thanks to Kirishima, we were able to get one still filled with the drug," said Fat Gum.
"Good job, Kirishima," said Uraraka.
(I'm not understanding a thing about this.) thought Satoru. (The only thing I understood is that we're going to beat someone up.)
"After we analyzed the contents, we discovered that human blood and cells were inside!" Fat Gum added.
(Human blood? How disgusting...)
"So, in other words," said Hikaru. "Those bullets are affected by someone's quirk?"
"Kinda," said Fat Gum.
"Don't you have anything to make it more obvious?" Hikaru asked.
"Yes, we have," said Nighteye. A picture of someone appeared on the screen. Satoru recognized him.
(Overhaul?)
"The young head, Chisaki's Quirk, is Overhaul," Nighteye explained. "It allows him to disassemble and restore things when he touches them."
"Disassemble... A Quirk that lets him break things and then fix them. And a bullet that can break down Quirks."
"Nighteye, I have a question," said Hikaru.
"Speak up, Oro," said Nighteye.
"Doesn't Chisaki have a daughter whom he uses to create these bullets?"
"That's the point," said Nighteye. "We have to rescue her."
Suddenly, Satoru noticed that Izuku's and Mirio's faces were strange.
"When Midoriya and Mirio encountered her, she had a large number of bandages wrapped around her arms and legs," said Nighteye.
(Tch, treating your own daughter this way...) thought Hikaru. (You really are a monster...)
"I'll only say this once," said Rock Lock. "We're wondering if this Chisaki bastard is turning his daughter's body into bullets and selling them."
(No way...)
"We don't know if he's actually selling them," said Nighteye. "At their current stage, their efficacy is still too uncertain. However, if they're at the test stage, and he's using them as samples to gather more for his cause."
"Just imaginin' it makes my blood boil!" said Fat Gum.
"Wouldn't this have been resolved already if those two had taken the child?" Rock Lock asked.
"I take full responsibility for what happened," said Nighteye. "Do not blame them, the ones most frustrated here are these two."
"Have you already identified where she is?" Hikaru asked.
"That is the real issue," Nighteye replied. "Since we don't know how far their plans have gotten, we have one chance to strike when it counts. To that end, we've found the groups with connections to the Hassaikai or land owned by the Hassaikai."
"But if you can see the future, why don't you use your Foresight to see our futures?" Satoru asked. "If we continue like this, it seems a bit illogical."
"I cannot do that," said Nighteye. "My Foresight requires a 24-hour interval between activations. In other words, I can only use it on one person for one hour each day. My Quirk should be used only after we have already drawn out the highest probability of success."
"Anyway, let's do this," said Ryukyu. "A girl's in trouble."
"Yeah, Ryukyu's right," said Hikaru. "Let's save Eri."
__________
Satoru was sitting at the head of the table, in front of Amajiki and next to Izuku and Tsuyu.
"If only I had taken her back then, right now, Eri would be..."
Satoru playfully slapped his nape. "C'mon, don't be sad. There's no use crying over spilt milk."
"I know, it's frustrating," said Kirishima.
Eraser Head entered the room. "Is this a wake or something?"
"Aizawa-sensei!" said Izuku.
"Call me Eraser Head outside school," said Eraser Head. "I was going to recommend that your work studies be suspended today."
"What?" said the students in unison.
"Why, after all this time?" Kirishima asked.
"You heard them say the League of Villains could be involved, right?" said Eraser. "That changes things."
He turned to Izuku. "And you know, Midoriya, you still haven't regained my trust. Unfortunately, I'm sure that if I stop you now, you'll rush out again on your own. I'll watch you. If you're going to do this, do it properly. Got that, problem child?"
Izuku nodded.
"Hey, Eraser, why don't you come teach in my class?" Satoru asked. "Vlad King never does this kind of speech!"
"I'll think about it," replied Eraser, getting the joke. "Anyway, I'll say this to give you some peace of mind. The hand you missed grabbing onto did not necessarily mean despair for Eri. Face forward."
"Yes, sir," said Izuku.
"Midoriya," said Mirio. "This time, we'll definitely save her."
"Izuku," said Satoru. "We're friends, right?"
"Yeah, of course we are," said Izuku.
"Then I'll help you save Eri," said Satoru.
Izuku smiled. "Thanks, Hideki."
Chapter 41 - End