Own Up (Rody Soul x Reader) [My Hero Academia/Buko No Hero Academia]

Chapter V - Homefront

The group of five hide behind a boulder that covered them, away from the explosion. They had assumed beforehand that the authorities would visit to see what was the cause of the accident, and proceeded with caution.

(Y/n) opens the tiny box that was in the compartment, finding a rectangular object of some kind, sealed into a lock that most likely likely contained the answer to this case. "What is this?" She holds the item with both hands, examining it up close. She fails to figure out what exactly it was, this being the very first time she's ever encountered something like this. She moves the two white ovals that was separate ends of the end, to which does nothing. She pouts in frustration, already impatient.

Todoroki points at the circle that was had a taller surface in the center, in the shape of a rectangle. "Trying pressing it here." He suggests.

"I already tried that. But that'll only make things go back to the way it was." (Y/n) says.

"Is it a puzzle?" Midoriya leans a hand over (Y/n)'s shoulder, standing behind her.

"Yeah, looks like it." (Y/n) sighs in defeat. "I'm guessing that the objective is to get rid of these two things." She points at the white ovals that were inside. "It's so complex...I can't figure it out at all..." She doesn't notice that Rody was glancing down at the puzzle with her, not even realizing that her words had brought a certain memory to him.

"Ugh, hand it over, I'll blow it up!" Bakugou wasn't one to waste time waiting.

"What? No! You can't do that, Kacchan!" Midoriya scolds at Bakugou, receiving an agitated sulk in return.

Rody would soon volunteer to make an attempt. "Can I see that, (Y/n)?" (Y/n) does so, and once he holds that puzzle, he sits right in front of her, his eyes on the item. "I know how to solve it." At a consistent pace, he performs a certain pattern in turning the interior ovals, each end of the upper surface, and the circle that was connected to both the middle and top of the puzzle. With concentration, he manages to unlock the puzzle. "I think I got it!" He pulls apart the top and bottom, and out comes two file chips, both in micro size.

(Y/n) is astonished by Rody's puzzle-solving ability. "Wow, Rody! You just did that in only a minute! We couldn't even do that!"

Rody blushes slightly, flattered by the girl's compliment. "Well, I use to do it back then. My dad taught me how. It was just a coincidence that I even remembered it." He sheepishly rubs the back of his neck, and looks the other way.

Midoriya grabs one of the micro-chips, holding it up to his eyes. "What is this...?"

Todoroki does the same with the other one. "We need to figure out what's stored on this card." He makes the next move for the group. "Okay, there's a town on the foot of this mountain. Let's investigate there." He leads the way, down the slope. "Let's go." Bakugou and Midoriya follow. (Y/n)'s about to, but she sees how troubled Rody looked. She makes the decision to stay behind a few feet, to walk at Rody's pace.

(Y/n) accompanies Rody the entire walk down. "Are you okay?"

Rody simply nods. "Yeah..." He embraces himself, as though he was trying to reassure to himself that what he was thinking wasn't the actual possibility. "I'm fine..."

With how often (Y/n) had studied, she's gained a great benefit in her intelligence. So much so that she was able to apply that to the real world. And given how much she's learned from his classmates and mentors, she's come far in reading one's body language and habits, based on a certain psychology that varied in scenarios.

"You said that your dad taught you how to solve that puzzle." (Y/n) remarks. "But I also remembered you saying...that he left to join Humarise..." Rody doesn't reaffirm this reminder, his eyes kept on the ground. "You think that he probably has something to do with all this, don't you?"