Uproar // Villain Deku // Book 2

Chapter 8: Oh My God.

Tamaki Amajiki's P.O.V

    I stood before Hado with a murderous glint in my eyes. I knew she had known something about Mirio's death. Whether she had partaken a role in his murder, or she had information, I knew there was something amiss.

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"Shocking news of hero-in-training, Mirio Togata's, body being discovered in Tokyo's Edo River has put U.A High School — famous nation-wide for their world-class hero program and top-ranking hero-alumni — under more pressure." A reporter's voice sounded from the other end of our dorm's TV. "With multiple deaths in first-year Class 1-A, concerned parents and civilians all have the same question on their minds: Are our children safe under U.A's supervision?"

    I glared daggers towards Hado's head. She looked unbothered; dispassionate; indifferent, as the whole of our class watched the broadcast. Hado, Mirio, and I had been friends since the start of our roads of becoming heroes — Mirio and I had even been friends for longer — so it was definitely eye-brow-raising to see Hado acting as if nothing had happened. She was acting as if Mirio was solely an acquaintance — not even that, as her face, void of any and all emotion, suggested.

    I had noticed something had seemed off about Hado from the day she had returned from her 'vacation with her grandparents'; however, I had decided it would be best not to speak up about her strange behaviors. She had just lost her parents and others around the school seemed to think she could have done something to prevent their deaths.

    With the pressure she must have been under, it made sense that she would be trying to suppress her emotions or that she would have changed as a person, but after losing one of her best friends, this was definitely not the reaction that would have fit her character.

There was something she was hiding.

    Reminiscing, I remembered Mirio speaking of something earlier — weeks ago, I mean. Mirio had told me that he had suspected something to be off about Hado, and he seemed adamant on discovering what it was exactly that had been setting off his alarms. As I thought more and more about every suspicion, doubt, and odd thing Mirio had pointed out about Hado, something Mirio had said began to invade my senses. Taking over my mind, vision, and hearing.

Hado wasn't Hado.

If Mirio's suspicions related to Hado's change in personality were correct — that she really wasn't Hado — and he had discovered something he shouldn't have discovered, what would any normal person do?

They'd get rid of the evidence.

    Thoughts began to sprout in my mind as flames of conspiracies began to grow. Perhaps Mirio confronted Hado about his theories. Perhaps he had explained that he knew Hado wasn't who she said she was. Perhaps Hado had Mirio murdered after she discovered that Mirio was onto her.

    My mind battled itself, one portion completely believing that this version of my old friend was really an imposter or something along those lines, and another believing that she had solely changed or that she was just trying to stay strong during these times.

    I didn't want to accept that she just didn't care about Mirio's death, so I pinned his old conspiracies onto her and believed them — connecting metaphorical dots as best I could to support an argument that she had something to do with his murder.

    Mirio meant so much to me, but now he was dead, and our friend didn't seem to even batt an eyelash. There must have been a reason.

    I stood up abruptly and stalked over towards Hado harshly as the reporter continued talking. Grabbing her arm firmly, I began to speak.