𝐇𝐢𝐤𝐚𝐫𝐢 『Bakugo Katsuki』

◆Chapter 106◇

The Heroes Public Safety Commissions' emergency helicopters flew over the decimated battlefield, the sound of their blades filling the silent blue sky. Police vans and armoured vehicles soon arrived at the scene of the battle, ambulances in tow, and they quickly got to work tending to the injured heroes and surrounding the unconscious villains with Tsuksuchi at the helm of the round-up operation taking place in Jaku and the remainders of its city not too far from them.

Doing so was by no means easy, though. The battlefield was torn apart in nearly every area, shallow chasms in the ground and lengthy cracks along the earth making the scene appear as the aftermath of an Earthquake often did. Even so, he was relieved when they found Endeavour and Best Jeanist. The two were quickly tended to, as were the hero course students, many of them were unconscious - but alive and wholly intact.

Most of them were, at least.

The detective found the green-haired boy, Miyuki's close friend, an ash-blonde boy, and Miyuki herself lying within a few feet of each other, all of them out cold. His eyes widened when he took in the extent of their injuries and he quickly called over the paramedics to tend to the three work study students. His gut churned as he took in the extent of their wounds and injuries as they were loaded onto gurneys, being rushed towards the wailing ambulances alongside the others.

This... he thought, jaw clenching tightly as he helped one of his men carry an injured Shiketsu student from beneath a pile of rubble, blood splattered across the ground where they were.

In the far distance, he heard the sound of a people screaming within the city - shouting out and calling for help to anyone, anywhere, to save them, their loved ones - those they were about to lose within their grasp.

"You shouldn't be here."

Tsukauchi slowly turned around upon hearing the familiar voice. He came face to face with a man of scrawny height, average build, and pale blonde hair. Deep bags rested under his eyes, Tsukauchi noticed the closer he walked to him, arms swinging lazily at his sides.

"This area is outside your jurisdiction," said Mera Yokumiru drowsily, "Tsukauchi Noamasa. You've come a long way away from the station..."

"I can only assume you're here, too, for much of the same reason," Tsukauchi replied gravely, stepping carefully around a piece of crumbling earth. He looked toward the helicopters raising up Gigantomachia off of the ground, the giant villain restrained by Best Jeanist's fibers. "A lot of the heroes and work study students you sent out here for this operation are on their way to the hospital. As we speak, Tartarus escapees are running rampant and the other pro heroes are carrying out rescue operations en masse."

Mera sighed heavily, putting a hand on the back of his head as he yawned. "Man... what a hell of a day..." he raised his head and looked up at the blue sky. "The HPSC came out to do their part, too, but so soon after the chairwoman's passing... we're as much of a mess as this city right now. Still..." he glanced toward the student's being tended to and he shook his head. "There's only so much we can do, after letting them be mobilized in this way..."

"That was the chairwoman's doing, too, wasn't it?"

"Yes. She originally didn't intend for the public to know of this, and we're doing our best to edit the live news footage taken during the battle. Right now, we can't afford any more divisions than we currently have, so we're doing what we can to keep the kids out of it. I'm sure you can imagine the outcry that would come up if we didn't."

"Right now," Tsukauchi replied, his eyes following closely after one of the Nomus being carried away in a Maiden, "That should be the least of your concerns. After what happened here today, people aren't going to care a whole lot for what they think they know. They're going to want real answers for everything that happened."