Detective Midoriya

Chapter 29

"You want me to establish contact with the League of Villains?" Deku asked, making sure not to allow any emotion into his voice. "To what end?"

"I want to talk with their leader to further the cause," Overhaul said. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"Not at all," Deku said easily, settling father into the role. "I must say, though, I'm a little disappointed. I've been here for almost a week, and you haven't even thought to ask what I can contribute to the cause other than my sword. I'm more than a pretty face, you know."

His hands were steady when he pulled a small notebook out of his fanny pack, handing it to Overhaul. A part of him regretted it, but this would ultimately cement his place in the Shie Hassaikai. It was filled from cover to cover with an analysis of Overhaul and the Eight Expendables. A notebook that size meant that it was really a pitiable attempt at analysis, just the bare bones of what he was used to doing by now.

It was just enough to further prove himself as a valuable asset. "That's just a taste of what I can do. I'll have contact with the League of Villains within the week. Don't bother following me, it will end poorly for anyone who tries."

Deku left the room without another word, knowing that he would be long gone before they were done paging through the notebook, let alone understanding the full ramifications of the analysis in there. He remembered exactly where the front door of the compound was, and his only barrier to exit was one of the underlings that he'd come across on that first day. It wasn't much of a barrier, though, as Izuku only had to arch a single eyebrow to send the man scurrying away.

The sunlight felt wonderful on Izuku's skin - he knew he could have left the compound at any time, but he'd stayed inside if for no other reason than to give them no reason to doubt him. He'd been feeling a bit stir-crazy couped up in the compound. He could only train so much, and his analysis skills were already fairly exhausted. Checking his burner phone for the time, Izuku smiled a bit to himself - the timing was perfect. He just had to get rid of his tail, first.

Mimic, or Irinaka Joi, probably thought he was being discreet. Izuku knew plenty about the man's quirk, like the fact that it would have been child's play for him to fuse himself into the bouncy ball that had been following him for at least a block, pretending to be an abandoned child's plaything.

He played oblivious for another block until he spotted the perfect solution in a back alley. Deku plucked the bouncy ball off of the ground and hissed, "I warned you not to follow me." Then he threw the ball at the ground with all the force he could muster, watching in satisfaction as it arched into the dumpster, landing amongst half-rotted food.

"Next time it won't be a warning," Izuku said harshly. "I get that you guys don't trust me, and I definitely don't trust you. I'll be back when I've made contact."

It was highly unlikely that any of the Shie Hassaikai would attempt following Izuku any further - if they could even find him, that is. He found himself smiling, genuinely smiling for the first time in days.

His legs carried him across Musutafu, darting through alleyways and around buildings, finding himself at a rundown ramen shop. It was Tuesday, after all, and it was twelve-thirty on the dot. He slipped inside just as the only customer said, "I'll have a bowl of shoyu ramen."

"Tonkotsu for me," Izuku said, drawing the attention of both the customer and the waitress.

The elderly woman's eyebrows furrowed. "I'll take your order in a moment if you'll wait to be seated-"

"No, he's with me," Detective Tsukauchi interrupted, a broad smile breaking across his face. "I just wasn't sure if he could make it today."

Izuku took off the medical mask so the detective could see his matching grin. "You know the academy teaches us not to be predictable for safety purposes, right? Coming here every Tuesday kind of undermines that."