When All Might opened the door to the teachers' office, he was startled to find Inko standing there. "M-Mrs. Midoriya?" Nezu had said there had been a request from one of the students' parents to meet with him, Midnight and Nezu, but the principal had neglected to tell him who would be coming. All Might suspected he had been set up. "W-what a wonderful surprise. Do come in."
Moving aside to let Inko in, he caught Midnight eyeing him and mouthing, 'smooth.'
Inko, fortunately, missed the mock, as she smiled up at the large hero and bowed as she entered the room. Nezu smiled and waved her into the office, motioning towards an empty seat in front of his desk. "Ah, Mrs. Midoriya. Please have a seat. Tea? I hope little Eri is well."
"Oh, why thank you. And she is doing very well, thank you. She's enjoying those treats and toys you left for her in the teachers' lounge. Snipe and Present Mic said they were more than happy to keep her company too. Such kind men," Inko said as she walked in.
Midnight slid up beside All Might and the larger man leaned over to ask, "You wouldn't happen to know what this meeting is about, would you?"
"Nope. But hey, look at the bright side, at least it doesn't look like she requested this meeting to complain about you beating the crap out of her son."
That thought hadn't even crossed All Might's mind until Midnight had brought it up. He shuddered. "I think she'd just kill me and skip the formalities altogether."
Midnight chuckled. "You sound like you're scared of her." All Might coughed into his hand which only made Midnight grin widen. "Wow, you got it bad."
Deciding to ignore Midnight, All Might strolled over and took a seat at the desk. "I hope all is well at home."
"It is," Inko said with a smile as she took her seat. She regarded All Might for a second. "You seem nervous?"
"Ha ha ha ha!" All Might laughed, throwing his head back and striking a classic heroic pose. "Me? Nervous? Whatever gave you that idea?"
"Maybe because I happened to see some rather nasty bruises on my poor boy? After he gushed about getting to fight you in his exam." Inko raised an eyebrow with all the cockiness of a chess champion that just put their opponent into check.
All Might gulped. Loudly. Inko however just chuckled. "Oh my. You're almost as easy as Toshinori to tease. Back when he was training Izuku and Uraraka they would sometimes come back so exhausted or covered in bruises, I would give him the business."
All Might coughed loudly and looked away while Midnight found the cuffs on her wrists suddenly very interesting. Nezu just hummed into his teacup.
Soon everyone was seated, and Nezu motioned toward her. "So I think we should go ahead and discuss what brings you here today. You had called me wanting to talk about Toga. Correct?"
Midnight sat up a little straighter in her chair. "Toga? What about her? She hasn't done anything, has she?"
Inko tapped her chin. "I mean, this is Toga. She's always doing something, right?" Midnight groaned but Inko waved it off. "But no. She hasn't done anything bad. In fact, from everything I've heard from Izuku and Uraraka, she's been on her best…ish behavior."
Midnight sighed, and relaxed. "Okay, that's good. You had me worried there was something wrong and I missed it."
Inko's smile fell and she shook her head. "Oh, there is most definitely something wrong. It's why I asked for you all, in particular, to be here. Since you both seem to have a constant hand in Toga's upbringing now. What with her rehabilitation and hero training." Midnight and All Might both seemed confused by that, while Nezu was just watching things carefully. Inko addressed the group, "My son would like to celebrate his and his friends passing their term finals. He would like to throw a party. A barbecue."
"Ah, and you're wanting to seek permission to have it here?" All Might asked, though he didn't sound completely convinced with his own take. It didn't exactly line up with Inko saying there was something wrong with Himiko.
Inko shook her head. "No. You see, Izuku and Uraraka had the idea of having the barbecue at Dagobah Beach." As the heroes started to grasp the situation, Inko kept going. "I'd like for Toga to be allowed off campus to join her friends," Inko stated plainly.
All Might frowned while Nezu folded his paws in front of his face. "I see."
Midnight shook her head. "I think… that might be too… premature at this time."
Inko turned to look at Midnight. "Why?" she asked bluntly. "Honestly speaking, I think you all are the only ones that even still care about the incident that happened. Surely people such as yourselves understand how news cycles work. After a few weeks, the next big story drops and everyone moves on."
"That is… a surprisingly blunt viewpoint." All Might scratched his chin.
"But not an inaccurate one," Nezu conceded. "But I'm afraid you may only just be looking at the public in your assessment. There is still a danger that Toga might attract even more unsavory attention."
"You mean villains?" Inko asked, keeping herself surprisingly calm. "Or the local law enforcement?" The teachers shared some looks while Inko explained, "My son and Uraraka told me how Toga was treated by the Hosu City police."
Midnight sighed as she leaned forward in her chair, hands clasped together. "Toga isn't… very popular with the police or… some government agencies, that's true. But we're not worried they would try anything at this point. We have… let's call it an 'understanding.'"
"An understanding that involves lawyers I assume?"
"Bucket loads."
Midnight continued, "We're worried that some criminal elements might be interested in her. Her… connection with the Hero Killer, Stain… Some could see her as a disciple… or a traitor. I just think… We need to let a little more time pass."
When Midnight didn't continue right away, Inko finished off with, "And then there's the League of Villains, the group more than likely to try and make a move against her since it was that Shigaraki that killed the boy that exposed her and hurt my son."
Inko's voice had a slightly nasty edge to it as she finished speaking. Clearly, even though the incident had happened a while back now, Inko still wasn't in a forgiving mood. For either Tomura or Saito. Again the teachers shared some looks. "My son… doesn't always close his door when he's talking on the phone. Even late in the morning."
Inko turned and looked at Midnight. Looked her in the eye. "It's scary, isn't it?"
Midnight blinked, not sure why the question being directed at her suddenly made her feel put on the spot. "I… huh? Scary? What's scary?"
Inko smiled, softly and with understanding. "Being a parent."
Midnight looked genuinely shocked at that idea. "I… I'm not…"
She frowned and shifted around while Inko looked over at Nezu. "I think the same could be said with the rest of your staff here, in their own way. But from what I've been told, Midnight spends a lot of time with Toga."
"As her counselor and her therapist," Midnight corrected, though not harshly.
Inko didn't look convinced. "Oh, I'm sure those are the roles you took up for her… how many months ago by now? But I think that's changed. You and this school don't just see Toga as some student. It's much more familiar."
Nezu hummed, which wasn't a sound Midnight liked. Not that she had any reason not to like it, but something about him humming after Inko had said that put her on edge. "Familiar? In what way?"
Inko shrugged. "Well, you're doing what every fiber of my being is screaming at me to do with Izuku. Keep him safe, keep him protected. Keep him locked away, so that all the dangerous horrible things in the world don't have a chance to hurt him… again." Inko sunk into her chair. "I still have nightmares, of getting those phone calls telling me my son was in the hospital. After almost dying. Twice."
All Might flinched hard, grateful that Inko wasn't looking over at him. Those two times were complete failures on his part to protect Izuku. By some grace, or act of mercy, Inko had not come after him in a well-deserved rage. Of course, that didn't mean there wasn't some bitterness there. But rage, and maybe even hate? He wasn't sure what he'd do if it ever came to that.
And what's going to happen when she finds out everything, huh? The little voice in the back of his mind asked. Because All Might had a sneaking suspicion that sooner or later, Inko was going to learn. The woman had a keen mind, more so than her homely appearance would have others believe. His time spent with her as Toshinori had shown him that.
Also apparently I and Young Midoriya are just horrible at keeping things a secret. I swear I used to be good at this.
Inko sat up straight and looked Midnight in the eye. "When you talk about thinking it would be best to keep Toga inside the school, you have a look in your eyes. It's the same one I see every time I look in the mirror. That fear, I see it every single day. But," Inko took a breath, steadying herself, "even after everything, my son still goes to school. He goes out into the world that has done him so much wrong because there is still so much good in it. Even with the League of Villains still out there… I know it wouldn't be right to let my own fears keep my son from living his life. Living his dream." Midnight turned away, frowning. "You've done so much for Toga here. But, sooner or later, you have to trust that everything you've taught your child will help them in the world. You can't keep them locked away forever. She deserves a chance to live her life, out there."
Nezu reached over and grabbed his cup of tea. "You make some valid points, but you must acknowledge that Toga's case is much more delicate. She is every bit a wild animal as she is a student. It's not just her safety we must be aware of. Her mental stability is an important factor in making sure she is able to return to a… semi-normal life."
Inko looked at Nezu and drank from her own tea cup. Putting it down she calmly replied back, "If her mental stability is so important, why are you keeping her in a cage? Isn't that the worst thing for a wild animal?"
There was an uncomfortable silence as All Might and Midnight looked between Inko and Nezu. No one in the room missed the way Inko had turned Nezu's wording around on him. No one missed Inko specifically bringing up wild animals. However, after a second, Nezu smiled. "It's so nice to hear someone finally come out and say that."
"Huh?" Midnight blinked when Nezu shot her a look. "Wait? You agree?"
"Oh, of course. In the short term, keeping Toga restricted to the school was the correct choice. Maybe for the first couple of weeks at least. But after that, especially after Saito and his family were killed off," the teachers groaned at Nezu's lack of tact but he ignored them, "the restriction would have been fine to lift."
"Hold on, you said it was a good idea to keep it going!" Midnight was on her feet. "We had a meeting, and—"
"I said, if you think it's a good idea, we'll keep the restriction up. I never said I thought it was a good idea," Nezu countered easily. Midnight's jaw fell open so Nezu kept going, "I was just waiting for you to realize the time was up, and Toga should be free to wander outside again… With proper permission, of course." Nezu glanced over at Inko. "If we gave her completely free reign to come and go as she pleases, I think your son would have had some very interesting midnight visits."
Inko chuckled. "Him or Uraraka at this point." More surprised looks. "Just how naive do you think I am? Also again, my son needs to learn to close his door when he thinks I'm asleep."
Midnight slumped back into her seat, sighing. "When did this get so complicated?"
"Young Toga or yourself?"
"You hush," Midnight warned. Looking down at her hands, she gave Inko's words a lot of thought. And she couldn't deny that the other woman had made some excellent points. Not that they weren't worrying though. "A scared parent, huh. There's a terrifying thought."
Inko gave her a sympathetic smile. "It can be."
"… Alright… I'm… alright with the restrictions going back to how they were," Midnight finally said.
Inko bowed. "Thank you. I'm sure Toga will be grateful to you."
"Yeah… just as long as she doesn't hear the rest of this convo. Or that I'm the reason she's been made to be cooped up for so long. Because oh boy, that'll make our next meeting fuuun."
Nezu hummed and sipped his tea. "Oh, I'm sure it won't be that bad." He put his tea down and looked up at the ceiling tiles. "Isn't that so, Toga?"
There was silence before a ceiling tile above them was pulled back and Himiko stuck her head through. While All Might and Midnight gaped at her and Inko smiled and waved, Himiko directed her bored glare at Nezu. "When and how?"
"Never and a guess," was the intellectual's instant reply. "A meeting with Midoriya's mother, of course you'd figure out a way to listen in."
She stuck out her tongue, then looked over at Inko with a smile. "A beach party? I'd love to go. Thank you so much." Her face was awash with excitement and joy. "I'll need to find the perfect swimsuit to celebrate my freedom." Her smile turned coy. "Oh, this will be so much fun."
Inko held up a hand. "Nothing too provocative, please. I'd like my son to be able to function during the party."
Himiko's smile turned hungry. "Oh, I'm sure he'll be just fine. And I'd be happy to get him used to it."
"Oh, I'm sure you would," Inko hummed. "But I'd like to bring Eri too. And if I feel things are too…" Inko gave Himiko an amused knowing look, "mature, then she'd have to stay home. And she was so looking forward to going to the beach for the first time."
Himiko's face froze. "Eri's coming?"
"Hmm-hm."
"…I'll wear something nice, then."
"Thank you."
With that settled, Himiko then twisted around and looked at Midnight, face taking an unreadable natural look. Midnight tried not to look nervous as Himiko just stared at her.
"Um."
"I'm not calling you mom," Himiko stated plainly before pulling her head back into the ceiling and replacing the tile.
Midnight put her face into her hands. "Fucking… great."
With her mission complete and Himiko now given back her permission to leave the campus, All Might, Midnight and Inko left Nezu's office. Facing Inko, All Might was ready for the mother to bid her goodbyes and journey to collect Eri and head on home. Instead, however, he saw that she was looking up at him intently.
She's not… actually mad about Young Midoriya getting a little roughed up yesterday, right? I mean, he gave as good as he got.
"All Might," Inko asked after a few careful seconds, "do you think the two of us could talk? Privately?"
"You want to talk privately?" All Might repeated, eyebrows raised as he suddenly felt a pair of eyes on him. Glancing over, he saw Midnight was giving him a scandalized gasp, that could hide just how amused she was. While Himiko had poked her head through a ceiling air vent, grinning wickedly and making small "tsk tsk" noises as she landed in the hallway.
"That won't be a problem will it?" Inko asked.
"Oh, um, no! Not at all." All Might recovered quickly. "We can go to my office to talk."
"Thank you. That would be perfect," Inko said with a small bow. As All Might turned to lead her away, Inko hesitated, as her eyes met Himiko's. For a second, the young vampire looked at Inko with amusement, but slowly her face changed as recognition swept over her. Amusement turned into serious consideration, before finally settling on approval. She nodded at Inko and Inko nodded back before she turned and left.
Himiko decided that it'd probably be a good idea not to rush off to sleep tonight. She had a feeling she was going to have a visitor later.
"Sooo tea?" All Might immediately winced at his offer. She had just had a cup while meeting with Nezu. Of course she wasn't going to be thirsty. Especially for the supermarket brands he had.
Inko took a seat on the offered couch and sighed to herself. "I think a stiff drink would hit the spot right about now."
It took her a second to realize what she had just let slip out. She quickly covered her mouth while All Might stared at her in shock. The stunned mood soon broke when Inko burst into laughter, followed soon by All Might.
"I must say, I never pegged you for an early-hour drinker," All Might said with a smile.
Inko rubbed her hands together. "I'm practically a single mother. You think I never threw back something to help take the edge off once in a while… a long while, I mean." Inko smiled, almost wickedly. "And it's five o'clock somewhere, isn't it?"
All Might laughed again, then, looking shiftily around, leaned over and whispered, "I do keep a bottle hidden away in here. Just for emergencies of course."
Inko's eyes lit up. "Ooh?"
All Might walked over to his desk and opened a drawer. Pulling out some stacks of papers revealed just an empty drawer, until he pressed a finger down on the back of the drawer's bottom, making it pivot up and showing it to be a false bottom. Inside was a mostly full bottle of amber liquid, with a picture of a buffalo on its label, a couple of lowball glasses and a jigger.
Walking over to a counter, All Might dug into a small freezer and pulled out some ice for each glass. Then after pouring Inko a drink, he filled the jigger to give him a shot's worth. He had to be careful. With no stomach, his body—well, his liver—couldn't handle an excessive amount of alcohol. But a sip once in a blue moon wasn't much to worry about.
"Here you go, some old-fashioned bourbon from Kentucky." All Might offered Inko her glass before pulling out a chair and taking a seat across from her. "To your health, cheers."
"To yours, cheers," Inko said back as they clinked glasses. The bourbon was sweet, with Inko tasting some brown sugar and spice. "Hmm, this is very nice. I don't think I've had anything from America before."
"After I graduated I spent a good many years in America. Perfecting my craft, so to speak, for my eventual return to Japan. I traveled all over the country with a good friend of mine. One of the places we stopped was this distillery along the Kentucky river. We might've… drank just a tad too much. According to the town's sheriff, we might've gotten into a little mischief." All Might laughed at the good memory. "But ever since I moved back to Japan, my friend has sent me a bottle from that distillery whenever I get low." All Might took a sip of his drink. "But I'm sure you didn't wish to speak to me so I could tell you about my colorful past. I assume this is something important though."
All Might had to admit, his curiosity was more than piqued. Inko was obviously nervous. When she had spoken up for Himiko, she had spoken with empathy for Midnight and the teachers, but also from a position of experience. It wasn't the fire-breathing speech she had delivered to the Togas, but Inko's words had carried weight. But pulling him aside, and now in this room, Inko was nervous. He doubted she would have let slip her desire to have a drink like that otherwise.
It can't be about Young Eri. If there was anythingwrong, she wouldn't have hesitated to inform me. In fact, Young Midoriya might have beaten her to the punch. Perhaps… something has happened with her husband Hisashi… Has he done anything?
All Might found himself paying extra close attention to Inko as she had another sip of her drink. As far as he could tell, he didn't see any signs of trauma or attempts to cover those signs up. So at the very least, it didn't look like she had been struck. But Katsuki's words still echoed in All Might's head.
'I know he's never hit them. He's too much of a coward to risk that.'
Inko ran a finger around the rim of her glass. "There are actually a couple of things I'd like to talk with you about. Though one I only just found out about."
All Might's head tilted to the side, looking a little confused. "Oh? And that would be over what exactly?"
Inko fixed All Might with a level look. "The I-Expo."
… Uh oh. Young Midoriya must have called or texted her… I might be in trouble…
"Fortunately Izuku told me you were making sure everything was going to get taken care of given the shorttime frame." Inko's smile had enough frost coming off it that it felt like the whole room was suddenly transported to the arctic. "I let him know that of course he could go."
"Ah! G-Good. I will of course be keeping a close eye on him and Young Uraraka. They are in good hands."
Inko hummed and took another sip. "Maybe not that close of an eye on them."
All Might raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"
"I wouldn't want their chance to spend some private time together smothered because you were being overly cautious." The frost melted off of Inko as her smile turned warm. "These are precious moments for them. I'd like for them to have a chance to make the most of them."
"I… of course want them to be able to enjoy themselves. They have been through a lot together and deserve a chance to unwind. I just want to make sure they don't go and get into too much trouble." Inko chuckled into her glass at that.
"What better time to get into a little trouble. But I of course leave them in your capable hands." All Might bowed his head. "But if I hear you interrupted a confession or kiss," Inko warned, a fire in her eyes that made All Might gulp nervously.
"That most definitely will not happen!"
Seemingly satisfied with that. Inko's posture seemed to change, becoming a little more rigid. Nervous and unsettled. She didn't look ready to bolt out of her chair, but she definitely didn't seem to like being there either. Her next sip seemed more to steady her nerves than to enjoy the drink itself. "I suppose then… I should discuss with you the original reason I wanted to speak with you… privately."
All Might leaned forward. "Is everything alright?"
"Yes I… I suppose I'm just…" Inko frowned, finger tapping the glass she held. "Maybe I'm overthinking things. Maybe… having a group of villains going after my son multiple times now has me paranoid. I talked a good game in that meeting, but… I'm terrified for Izuku. And I suppose all that fear dug up some… old memories."
"Memories?"
Well… here I go.
"When I was… younger. I was a bit of… a handful. Well, more like I was delinquent. I'd run off whenever I felt like it. Wasn't one to listen to authority."
All Might looked genuinely surprised. "You? Really?"
Inko looked a little offended. "Oh, I was a real troublemaker."
"I don't believe it."
Inko scoffed. "Well, I was. I even had some run-ins with some unsavory characters. Didn't like them very much. Most of those run-ins were because I liked sneaking into places I really shouldn't be."
"I'd have never guessed. But what does this have to do with what you wanted to talk with me about?"
Inko steadied herself. "All my worrying got me thinking about this one man, this villain I ran into years and years ago. And after everything, I started thinking about him. To calm myself I decided to look him up. I thought for sure there was some news about him or something but I didn't find anything. It was like they never existed."
All Might had put his glass down and was rubbing his chin. "Nothing huh? Unusual, but not every villain is readily documented. Some don't even have a chance to become famous and commit crimes they can put their names towards. Sometimes they get taken out by their fellow criminals and villains before meeting a hero."
Inko frowned. "Toga said something similar to that. She also said that if this was a villain I saw when I was a kid… well, she implied that enough time would have passed that even if he had done something no one would remember anyway."
All Might blinked. "You spoke with Young Toga about this?"
Some guilt crossed Inko's face. "I assumed because of her time living with a villain she may have heard things." All Might hummed, at least following the logic Inko was using. "And well… I just didn't see those reasons being good enough. The man I saw… he wasn't just some nobody. He had power and a presence about him. So Toga said that if I could give her a name, she'd see what she could dig up or recall."
"Hmm, Young Toga's life on the streets did bring her into contact with many different organizations and such belonging to the underworld. It's possible she could have heard something if this man was known. Were you able to give her a name?"
"I was. She got back to me after the term finals and was only really able to give me rumors and such. Ultimately, she told me I needed to speak with you." Inko put her drink down and wrung her hands together. "I was nervous about coming here because… all that trouble I got into as a child is… well it could make people think I was…"
"You are a good, kind person, Mrs. Midoriya. If you were a troublemaker as a child, it has done nothing but make the present you a good and strong human being. Someone that has raised a son and has taken in a little girl who needed to be saved." All Might almost reached out and put his hand on Inko's. But he had to remind himself that he wasn't Toshinori right now, he was All Might, and Inko was not familiar with him enough to let something like that slide. Also, he wasn't even sure if it would be proper as Toshinori. "So have no fear. And if Young Toga told you to speak with me, I will do everything in my power to put your mind at ease. So tell me. What was this miscreant's name?"
Inko took a second to breathe, then dropped her bomb. "All for One."
If the ground suddenly opened up and Lucifer himself reached up to drag All Might into the depths of hell, he wouldn't have been as surprised as he was hearing thatname come out of Inko's mouth.
"How… how do you know that name?" All Might tried to stay calm. He was trying really hard. But the way Inko flinched made it crystal clear he was not doing a great job. Though why Himiko had pointed Inko in his direction was now suddenly obvious.
"It's what he called himself after I saw him… steal someone's Quirk. He… saw me. I got the feeling that trying to run wouldn't have worked. I guess seeing me in that old warehouse amused him. He showed off some of his Quirks for me. And then… said it would be a good idea if I didn't mention seeing him to anyone else. After that, I just… ran home and didn't tell a soul about him. Not until… well, Toga and now you." Inko looked at All Might. "She told me that the two of you fought. But no one really knows what happened between you. Just at some point, he just vanished."
All Might broke eye contact with Inko, looking away from her. She could see he was uncomfortable about this. Which meant Himiko had been right on the money. She needed to come here. "Please. I need to know that this man isn't still on the streets. I couldn't find anything, and Toga could only give me rumors. All I can remember about him when I saw him was that he was a monster. And the idea that Izuku… that my little boy might meet him one day too… I don't know if I can take it."
All Might was cornered. In so many different ways. One wrong move here, and so many secrets could unravel. He had to be careful about what he said. He also realized as he looked at the tearful woman, that he had to give her something. He didn't know exactly what rumors Himiko had told Inko before sending her his way. But it was clear it was enough.
"All for One… was one of… no. He was the most dangerous person I ever fought. During his long life, he was able to steal and amass inside his body several Quirks that made him more of a demon than a person. Quirks that prolonged his life. Quirks that made his body almost indestructible and Quirks that gave him enough power to level whole city blocks. This man was responsible for the death of many heroes. Some of them were my friends. There was never anyone like him, and there hasn't been anyone like him since."
Inko caught the wording All Might was using. "Was?"
All Might nodded, though once again he couldn't look Inko in the eye, knowing what he was about to say was in many ways a betrayal of trust. "Six years ago, we faced each other in battle for the last time. I… I killed him."
Inko went stiff, eyes wide as she looked at All Might in shock. "You killed…?"
Wait, wait that doesn't make sense? Pemphredo said that the Demon would come for Izuku. 'As a demon offering a trade, a reward you must take for your aid. When Midoriya blood is thinned by half, the demon will come back to take the calf.' I met him. The Demon is All for One. I had to take Fa Jin from him. The calf is Izuku. Right? Unless… Could it… What is going on?
Pemphredo wasn't wrong. She's been right about everything… Unless I'm wrong? Could the Demon be someone else? Unless he's not really dead… Inko looked at All Might closely. No. that's shame on his face. He's ashamed of himself. Izuku has told me all of All Might's exploits, and I've heard more than my fair share on the news, but not once has he ever had to kill someone. He was always… above that.
"So… he's really gone."
"He is."
Inko mulled that over, taking care of how she responded. "I never… the news never… If something like that happened, I'm sure Izuku would…"
All Might leaned forward, deciding to play the trump card that makes every lie believable. Adding a pinch of truth. Inko had made some discoveries about All for One. The fact she knew about him and tried to look him up, and that she had asked Himiko first, meant she had a very basic knowledge of things. So to put her mind at ease, All Might knew he had to explain something to her.
"That fight was never made public. One, because the idea that I would be forced to take such drastic measures to stop a villain might have shaken the public's faith. And two… well, I didn't exactly come out of that battle unscathed." All Might almost laughed at the surprised look on Inko's face. "It's true. I was cooped up in a hospital for almost a whole month. I can not tell you how utterly boring it was. So, another thing the Hero Public Safety Commission didn't want to get out."
"So they covered everything up? Including any public information about All for One?"
"They did. I can't stress enough the threat that man was to the peace we have now. It wasn't just his power alone that made him a threat. It was his ability to amass followers. So, to make sure his story and legacy couldn't spread after… after his death, the government worked to erase him. Until he was nothing more than a rumor."
Another cover-up by the Hero Public Safety Commission, huh… They don't want anything to disrupt their perfect little world. Inko worked hard to keep the old bitter memories from bubbling to the surface. But considering her own history with the government organization, she completely believed the idea they would try to make it so All for One never existed.
Finally, she let out a sigh and picked up her drink. "Then…thank you. I'm sorry for bringing something up that clearly weighs heavily on you. But… you've given me some peace of mind. So thank you."
Himiko wasn't surprised that after school had been let out and everyone had gone home, she heard someone knocking at her door. It was still annoying that it had to come while she was in the middle of watching the gold mine video Mina had sent her.
"Come in."
She also wasn't surprised to see All Might pull open her door and quietly slip in. After closing the door, he wilted in a puff of steam. "Young Toga."
"I hope your talk with Inko went well."
All Might crossed his arms. "You should have told me the moment she started inquiring about All for One." He didn't sound all that angry. Just stressed. Himiko however didn't really care and wasn't about to offer him much in the way of sympathy.
"The man whose whole life is built of secrets is upset that someone kept a secret? Wow." Himiko's voice dripped with sarcasm.
All Might frowned. "There are certain things that—"
"She asked me to keep this between us. She didn't even want Izuku to know about this. Inko put her trust in me. Not gonna immediately go behind her back. And I pointed her to you in the end anyway. So what if there were a few extra steps."
All Might grunted as he rubbed his brow. "Of all the things I ever expected to have to talk to her about, All for One was never on that list."
"Are you serious? Your whole deal is getting Izuku ready to fight that bastard."
"I know, I know… Fortunately, All for One prefers to stay in the shadows even when he takes a direct approach. So at the very least, I think I've put all her worries to bed. At least regarding this topic."
Himiko frowned, a little confused. "Wait, you did? I figured this was just the start of a huge thing."
It was All Might's turn to also look confused. "Why would you say that?"
"I mean, you can't really talk about All for One without talking about One for All. So I figured you must have… you know… let her in on the secret."
"Absolutely not!" All Might was shocked at the idea. "I have always operated with the intent to keep as many people safe by making sure they knew nothing of the topic. Less chance of them getting involved. I would not willingly involve Mrs. Midoriya in this conflict. And… it's not my place to decide who gets brought in now. That responsibility lies with Young Midoriya. And as of now, he has chosen to keep his mother out of this war."
Himiko leaned back, looking up at All Might. "Fine, so then how exactly were you able to put her mind at ease then? I'm not seeing a lot of options here if we're sticking to the whole 'need to know' rules."
"I told her he was dead."
"…Eh?"
"I told her about our last battle, and that I had been the one to kill him. Not a complete lie. As I had gone into that fight prepared and willing to commit to the act."
"Wait, hold on." Himiko held up a hand, looking honestly shocked at what she had just heard All Might say. "You told her he was dead? That seems like… a really stupid thing to do."
All Might ran his fingers through his hair. "Inko has…enough on her plate. The fact that we haven't been able to capture Shigaraki or Kurogiri means she has to constantly worry if the League of Villains is going to go after Young Midoriya a third time. She needed… some kind of reassurance that things aren't as dark as they could be."
"So you're protecting her, by lying to her that the possibly immortal bogeyman that reigned over this country from the shadows and has hunted down and killed the past One for All users, isn't a threat," Himiko clarified.
"Um, yes."
"Which when you think about it, is kinda what you do to the populace at large. Being the shining symbol, and letting them know that everything is going to be okay."
All Might gave her a thumbs up. "That's exactly right!"
Himiko tapped her fingers together and hummed before she swung her feet over the side of her bed and lay back down. "You're royally fucked."
"I—"
"Treating Inko like one of the masses, that is going to come back and bite you in the ass."
"Young Toga, this is the only way I know how to keep people close to me safe. I… she is a very kind woman. I would like to do everything I can to at least ease the burden she feels as her son trains to become a hero."
Himiko pulled her eyepatch off and rubbed her eyes, before hissing out a swear, "God damn it. This means if she ever brings it up I can't ever say anything that goes against your story without there being a huge issue."
"This is for the best. It's worked for me for decades."
"…You know, I'm pretty sure Izuku is getting ready to bring the rest of the squad in on the secret."
All Might nodded slowly. "Young Asui, Young Iida, Young Todoroki and Young Shinsou. I'm aware. After Young Bakugou and Young Hatsume learned, I had a feeling the rest of his friends would soon be joining." His tone showed he seemed to have accepted this, but didn't completely approve. But at the very least he would support it.
"What's going to happen if Izuku decides to let his mom know?"
All Might shook his head. "I know the strain that keeping this a secret from his mother puts on the boy. I also know that telling her and having to deal with a constant fear she would become involved in the fight would be even worse. Young Toga, I do not ever see Young Midoriya telling his mother about any of this."
"You better hope you're right."
Good Evening Class 1-A,
I'm sure finding an email from your principal on the very first day of your summer break might be making you all a little nervous. However, have no fear. I'm not about to be the bearer of bad news. I'll leave that to your homeroom teacher. I simply wished to let you all know that from now until your summer training camp we will be offering some special hero classes. These are of course not obligatory, as we at U.A. are well aware that many of you may have made plans to spend time with family or procure a summer job before the term had ended. Each class will be for only a handful of students at a time, so they will be first come, first served. As each class will go over the same lesson, you'll only have to sign up for one. If you are interested, please click the link below and sign up.
Have a wonderful rest of your evening,
Principal Nezu.
Izuku hummed as he looked over the class times. Most of them fell on days when he was going to be on his date at the I-Expo, which made another nervous shudder run up his body as that was still a phrase he was getting used to. However, as he looked through the times, he saw one he could go to. It was the very first one tomorrow. Looking at the time slot, the class was only going to be a couple of hours, so Izuku just shrugged and clicked on the link to sign up for the class.
No sooner had he closed the sign up page when his phone chirped with Ochako's personal ringtone.
Uraraka: Hey. U c th class thng?
Uraraka: got 1 class.
Midoriya: Same. 1st class.
Uraraka: Sweet.
Uraraka: Only 1 we culd tak anyway.
Uraraka: cause our d8t
Izuku's hands trembled as he tried to punch in a message.
Midoriya: ypp daydhw
Smooth, real smooth.
Midoriya: Yup, our d8t.
Uraraka: lol
Uraraka: Nervous?
Midoriya: Yes.
Midoriya: A little.
Midoriya: I want this 2 b perfct
Izuku felt his face heat up as he added,
Midoriya: Cause u r perfect.
Izuku swore he heard some high-fives after that one. There was also a long pause before Ochako's next message, even though he could see the little (… is typing) icon flashing during the whole time.
Uraraka: Deku. Sve tht kind of tlk 4 aftr our d8t.
Midoriya: Did I say somthing wrong?
Izuku was starting to panic. Did he just cross a line or—
Uraraka: Bcause after, I can play th flirtng game 2.
Izuku gulped. He would really like that.
Uraraka: And th reward game.
Oh, Izuku's mind started racing with that. He had to steady himself as he typed out,
Midoriya: Wht kind of rewards?
That slow (… is typing) icon was back. Izuku, despite himself, could feel his body heating up.
Uraraka: (*^ ‿ *)
Oh, that's so freaking mean! Izuku thought with a huff. That could mean anything. Like holding his hand at lunch, or maybe a secret peck on the cheek in the hallway at school.
Uraraka: By the way. Howd ur mom tak th news?
Izuku thought back to telling his mom that he was taking Ochako out on a date. By the time she was done crying, Eri had gone off to find her raincoat.
Midoriya: bout wht u'd expect
Uraraka: lol
Uraraka: I wonder wht this xtra class will b abt?
Uraraka: Do u think Toga will go?
Izuku almost laughed out loud, though he made sure to muffle it, not wanting to wake the sleeping Eri in the lower bunk.
Midoriya: Not a chance.
Himiko burst out laughing right in Midnight's face, so hard that she fell out of her bed and rolled on the ground, all the while Midnight crossed her arms and just looked annoyed.
"Ha ha ha ha! You want me to, ha ha ha, go take, ha ha, extra lessons?! Are you drunk?"
Despite just how unruly Himiko was, Midnight pressed on, "You know, Midoriya and Uraraka both signed up for the class. Asui too."
Pulling herself up by her sheets, Himiko looked Midnight dead in the eye as she fought, and failed, to keep her laughter at bay. "I don't, ha ha ha, give a shit. I'm fucking free of those damned classes." Letting herself fall back to the ground, Himiko's hand popped up and waved around over the edge of her bed. "Besides, I got more important things to do with my time."
After saying that, Himiko sighed and pointed over at Midnight. "I can hear that look by the way. It just so happens I do have some plans, you know."
"And what exactly do you plan on doing? You still need permission to leave campus, you know," Midnight reminded her.
Sitting up, Himiko rolled back onto her bed. "I'm actually going to be spending some time with Recovery Girl. She's gonna give me some field medic training."
Midnight's eyebrows shot up as she looked genuinely shocked to hear this. "You're actually going through with the medical training?"
Himiko just shrugged. "At this point, it's just proving to the old maid that I know what the hell I'm doing. Once I do, I'll get a little gold star that says I can work on other people. I get the feeling I'm going to be spending a lot of time putting Izuku back together."
"Hopefully," a voice that most definitely wasn't Midnight's cut in, "that won't be the case."
"GAH!" Himiko jumped in her bed and looked over to see Nezu casually strolling into her room.
"After all, Midoriya has worked hard to put that bad habit behind him."
"Do you not know how to knock?!"
"The door was open," Nezu countered with a smile. Himiko just glared at him. "But I must say, I'm delighted to hear that you'll be taking the time to have Recovery Girl sign off on your medical proficiencies. Once again, you astound me with your constant progress, Toga."
Himiko squinted at Nezu, letting all her suspicion be known. She knew when the little white dog mouse thing was up to something. Especially when he was all smiles. "So how about we just cut to the chase, alright? What's your game this time? I'm not taking extra hero lessons. I'm not an overachiever, thank you very much."
Nezu just kept smiling. "All evidence to the contrary. Would you like to know where you ranked in your final exam scores? It was quite high."
Himiko's face scrunched up. "Ew, please no."
"High enough in fact, that maybe you don't need to take the extra classes we're offering. Instead, how would you like to teach one?"
"Huh?"
"What?"
Came the simultaneous responses from Himiko and Midnight. Both of them looked at Nezu like he had just grown a second head.
"You want me to—"
"—teach a class?"
They continued to speak over each other, much to Nezu's delight. "Oh my. It's like a stereo. But yes, I would like Toga to be the one to teach this class."
"Principal," Midnight began, trying to keep her composure, "that's… completely insane."
Himiko pointed at Midnight. "What she said! Why would I want to teach a class if I didn't want to take the class?"
"Because I'd give you free rein to run it as you see fit," Nezu said with the smuggest smile either had ever seen.
While Midnight's jaw slammed through the floor, Himiko sat up and, despite her better judgment, was obviously intrigued. "Free reign to run it as I see fit? What, so I can do whatever I want?"
"Correct. As long as you stick to the lesson we are trying to teach and the basic outline of the test."
"… Okay, and just what is the lesson?" Himiko asked, leaning forward.
"Simple, I want to impart to the students that the circumstances of a mission can change instantly. So, we're setting up a mock hostage situation, which won't play out anywhere near how one would expect. Originally, it was All Might who was going to help run the little lesson, with the help of the other teachers, but since he's now busy helping Midoriya prepare for his trip, after failing to make sure he was properly notified beforehand, the class is suddenly short-staffed," Nezu explained.
"Okay, but why me?"
"Simply put, his lesson had a diabolical twist at the end that would guarantee the villain, himself, would escape the hostage crisis. One that I'm sure would leave any student lost and confused. But since he's not available to teach the class as he saw fit, we'll need a replacement. And it's only fair to give the class to someone that could come up with an equally diabolical lesson. One that could go a long way to teach the students something that you won't find in a textbook."
Himiko sat for a little bit, and thought about that. "So the idea is to, what, get into where these hostages are being held, free them and catch the bad guy?"
"Correct."
"While teaching them that their grasp on the situation can get turned on its head at a moment's notice?"
"Correct again."
"… Who exactly is taking the class I'd be teaching?"
"Midoriya, Uraraka, Asui, Jirou and Yaoyorozu."
"And I can do whatever I want?" Himiko leaned forward, the wheels in her head starting to turn.
"As long as there isn't any risk of the students being physically injured."
Himiko sat and she puzzled and puzzled 'till her puzzler was sore. Then she got an idea. An awful idea! Himiko got a wonderful, awful idea. And the smile that twisted its way up her face, would have made even monsters with hearts two sizes too small green with envy. "So, here's what I want to do."
A little while later, if anyone had been outside of Himiko's room, or even down the long empty hallway, they would have heard a sudden, violently mortified scream ripping through the calm evening silence. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING MIND?!"