Face Me Like An Idiot

42

In all honesty, Izuku should have learnt his lesson by now. He should have already acknowledged that forming connections were no longer needed. But here he was, in the Shie Hassaikai's main base to meet their profound leader—Overhaul.

Izuku tightened the tie around his neck and adjusted the mask on his face. He then glanced behind him, to Tasei and… Mietto's temporary replacement, Anna. She had shiny golden hair and bright jade eyes. Her Quirk enabled her to make jade crystals with her fingernails, which matched the colour of her eyes.

The crystals were small, but Anna could sharpen them and utilise them to kill. Not to mention that they were very effective during stealth missions. She could also sell the crystals she made for profit, but she refused to do so. Why she didn't want to; Izuku remained unaware. Anna was still a new asset to his group that he had recently come in contact with; it would be impertinent to inquire about her past so soon.  Izuku would have brought Shouto along instead, but he was visiting his mother in the mental hospital she was in.

"Be on your best behaviour," Izuku commanded, his eyes narrowing threateningly.

"Yes, sir," Tasei and Anna responded, lowering their heads momentarily in the stead of bowing. Izuku then returned his gaze to his front, where there were two others.

However, instead of being his, they were a part of the Shie Hassaikai. Both had strange plague masks covering the bottom of their faces and gloves on their hands. Izuku inspected them; judging by their thick material, Overhaul was possibly germaphobic. He would take note of that, just in case.

"We're here," one of the Shie Hassaikai members said as the two of them stopped before reaching a wooden door. Each of them stood to one side of the door and gestured for Izuku to enter it on his own accord.

He huffed in irritation. They were clearly inexperienced; they didn't even open the door for him, despite him being a guest of theirs. Izuku turned to look at Tasei and Anna, giving them a dominant glare. "Stay outside."

He then grasped the door handle with his gloved hand—it was a relief that he always had them on—and pushed it open. "Pardon the intrusion," he said, stepping into the room and gently shutting the door behind him.

"My, you are much more polite than I thought you'd be." Overhaul chuckled, his eyes crinkling slightly. He then gestured to the sofa on the opposite side of him, "Please, take a seat."

Izuku obliged, taking a seat on the couch. He sat straight and placed his hands on his lap. Overhaul was a rather skinny man; with constantly narrowed eyes and piercing golden irises. His short, slightly spiky hair was neatly kept and looked to be trimmed regularly. The plague mask on the bottom half of his face, the white gloves that covered his hands and the spotlessness of the room, proved Izuku's earlier assumption to be correct—

—Overhaul was a germaphobe.

"It's such a pleasure to finally meet you, Decipher," Overhaul said courteously, "I have much respect for your group."

"Likewise," Izuku gave a friendly, yet business-like smile. "Now, I heard that you are producing… Quirk-erasing and Quirk-enhancing drugs?"

"Yes, but before we move on to business, I have a question for you…" Izuku's smile broadened mildly, before he made a simple hand gesture for Overhaul to continue his statement. "I really am curious; why did you decide to classify your group as a Yakuza, instead of a regular Villain group?"

"…I've heard about your association with the term ‘Yakuza’, so I suppose that it shouldn't be of any surprise to me that you ask this question." Izuku laughed slightly, but it was not humorous at all. In fact, it was duller than anything; as though no emotion dwelled within him.