A Tarnished Hero

Chapter 13: Remember Me

Tsukauchi's heart beat once, twice, thrice, then skipped the fourth before it continued as normal. His eyes locked onto the teen's green orbs, the palpable hope lying underneath nearly making the detective refuse his request right then and there.

The watch on his wrist continued to tick by as he found his mouth unable to utter a single sound while the man in front of him slowly became a bit perturbed.

"Is something wrong?" Midoriya pursed his lips, the words exiting his mouth slapping Tsukauchi out of his sudden inability to speak.

"My apologies, Midoriya, but I'm afraid your request is impossible to consider at this point in time." Tsukauchi was quick to think of various excuses as to why. "You see, the authorities have labeled you, as of now, as a tentative villain, bordering on vigilante due to what happened in the USJ. As such, any outside contact is prohibited due to security reasons. I hope you're understanding of your situation."

"Hmm..." Midoriya hummed, and the detective had a feeling that the man didn't like it, but he was accepting of the situation that surrounded him. "Very well. That said, how long until all this is over?"

"Once the villains are all accounted for and give their testimonies, we shall see what will happen." Tsukauchi's heart slowed down, a breath of relief leaving his lips. "But rest assured, from the testimonies gathered from the victims, we will make sure that you will be free from charges labeling you a villain."

"Good to know." Izuku sighed as Tsukauchi made to exit the room. With his back turned, his stomach flipped back and forth as he felt the stare from Midoriya bore onto his back. Grabbing the handle, he looked once more at the man and gave him a slight nod, before he headed out and was greeted by All Might and Nezu with frowns on their faces.

All Might wasn't that one that spooked him, however, it was Nezu's frown that made all of his mental danger bells whine in panic. Whenever the rat looked like that, somebody's day was about to be ruined. He sure hoped it wasn't him.

He already had his hands full with this... confusing case.

"Detective Tsukauchi. I assume you are done with questioning Midoriya Izuku?" Tsukauchi hastily nodded his head, not wanting to be the target of ire the little rat could give. "Good, then allow me permission to speak with the man who had saved my students and one of my employees."

In but a split-second, Tsukauchi stepped aside from the door and allowed the rat entry. No way would he jeopardize his job and safety because he wanted to deny the rat the satisfaction of his curiosity.

"Oh, by the way. This will be off the record, am I clear?" Tsukauchi moved to deactivate the sound recording devices faster than ever in his life.

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Nezu's beady eyes locked onto the man sitting behind the desk, hands chained like a dangerous criminal. However, his eyes said otherwise.

This being was a beast. A dangerous beast that could rip of his restraints in but a fraction of a second if he was so inclined. But he surmised that the man viewed it as either beneath him, or counter-productive to his goals. A sentiment that Nezu could respect.

Climbing up the chair because human-sized chairs weren't kind to his plush-sized body, Nezu couldn't help but gaze into the piercing green orbs that was Midoriya's eyes. Or more specifically, the hint of a slit pupil.

If he squinted his gaze long enough, Nezu could spot the slight constriction of his pupil from circle shaped to slit shaped. It was a nice touch of detail to add to the mysterious savior of his precious students. And that begs one of the many questions he had in store for the man.