MHA Universe, Earth, Japan, Musutafu.
The next day came quickly. The second day of the three days off from school for the students of U.A. was here. And thanks to the efforts of the class representatives, Tatsuo and Momo, the students of Class 1-A were having a gathering at the local karaoke box.
However, it came as no surprise that all twenty students would not be in attendance. For example, Todoroki Shoto had no intention of showing up. However, to everyone's surprise, Bakugo Katsuki did intend to show up.
Though, no one could understand why.
Ever since the first day of the school year, Katsuki had treated everyone in the class as if they were beneath his notice. Well, almost everyone.
Tatsuo was an exception. In his own twisted way, Katsuki had shown that he respected him. Even if he just intended to surpass him one day. Then, there was Izuku. Though, Katsuki never showed any intention of needing to surpass his long time frenemy, to anyone who observed him, it was obvious that Katsuki paid significantly more attention to Izuku than the other students.
"So, there will be nineteen of us at this meet up, huh?" Tatsuo said as he looked down at his smartphone while walking through the streets of Musutafu. "Well, that's fine. It should still be a good time."
Tatsuo then put his smartphone back in his pocket and looked up towards the sky with a mixture of melancholy and ruthlessness on his face.
"I just hope that Alfonzo is able to find Garaki's location before the gathering ends." Tatsuo whispered. "If not, this world is going to have to deal with a whole bunch of shit that it really shouldn't have to. Hell, I bet the Hosu incident would end up being a lot simpler if that guy's gone."
As Tatsuo continued to talk to himself, he kept walking forward. And before long, he reached the shopping district where the karaoke box that would serve as the venue for today's meet up with is classmates was located. And upon arrival at the karaoke box, he found three people standing outside waiting for him.
"Hey, Tatsu-Kun!" Mina, one of the three people waiting outside, shouted when she caught sight of Tatsuo while waving her hands vigorously. "Over here! We kinda need you to hurry up and book the room so we don't' have to wait outside like this!"
"Mina-Chan, you're being rude." Ochaco said while tugging at the corner of Mina's shirt, her face flushed with second-hand embarrassment.
"She's right, though. *Ribbit*" Tsuyu added quietly.
Seeing his lively classmates, Tatsuo's slightly grim expression from thinking about his impending assassination faded, replaced by his usual smile that turned heads and drew attention.
"Yeah, sorry." Tatsuo said as he approached the group of three girls. "I meant to get here a little earlier, but Alfonzo wouldn't let me go. He was forcing me to train my [Quirk] until I could complete his objectives perfectly."
Tatsuo then pulled his smartphone out of his pocket and checked the time.
"But I'm not late, though." Tatsuo muttered as he raised an eyebrow to look at Mina suspiciously. "We're supposed to meet at two. And it's only 1:45…"
Mina, her pink skin brightening with her own blush, turned away from Tatsuo's gaze and began to whistle… Or at least, tried to whistle. Instead, she only succeeded in breathing sharply through her pursed lips.
"Yeah, we just got here early." Tsuyu said with a nod. "Mina-Chan rushed us to get here. I'm not sure why, though."
"Hey! Don't blame---" Mina began to protest weakly.
Yet, before Mina could finish, a black sedan pulled up in front of the karaoke box, drawing all four of their attention towards it.
"And that's probably Yaoyorozu." Tatsuo said.
The three girls all nodded in agreement. Then, as if she were trying to prove Tatsuo correct, the rear driver's side door was pushed open from the inside and Momo, dressed casually in brands that no normal student could afford, stepped out with a bright smile on her face.
"Ah! I thought I would be the first one to arrive." Momo said, sounding slightly embarrassed at her tardiness. "I intended to book the room for everyone then wait and guide our classmates to the room."
"Don't worry about it.' Tatsuo said while waving dismissively. "I wasn't the first one here, either. Instead, it was these three. All because someone got a little too excited."
Though Tatsuo did not say any names or even look at the three girls who were standing with him, Momo felt as though she knew exactly who he was talking about. Thus, her gaze slowly passed over Tatsuo, Ochaco, and Tsuyu before falling on Mina. And after it reached the pink-skinned girl, it never moved after that.
"Hey! Why do you automatically assume it's me he was talking about?" Mina asked indignantly.
"Because there is no other person here who fits that description."
However, it was not Momo who answered Mina's question.
Turning towards the source of the voice, the group of five saw three more girls, Akatsuki, Sakura, and Kyoka, approaching. And they all knew that it was Akatsuki who answered Mina's question.
"Shizu-Chan, don't be mean." Mina shouted with her cheeks puffed out in a pout.
That caused everyone to laugh.
"Anyway, let's head inside." Tatsuo said as his laughter died down. "I'll go book the room. Yaoyorozu-San, you go with the others to the room. I'll stay here and let everyone know which room we have booked."
"I don't' mind waiting outside for everyone, though." Momo said as she pushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear.
"Don't worry about it." Tatsuo replied with a smile. "You're probably the only one here who's more excited about going to karaoke than Mina-Chan. You did say this was your first time, right?"
"I suppose." Momo replied while lowering her head in embarrassment. "Very well, I'll follow your instructions."
With that, the group of eight made their way into the karaoke box. Upon entry, Tatsuo was the first to walk up to the counter to book a room. Making sure to book a room big enough for twenty people, Tatsuo allowed the karaoke attendant to lead the seven girls to the room he booked. Meanwhile, he made his way back outside to wait for Toru and the boys from his class.
Not long after Tatsuo returned to the outside of the karaoke box's door, a floating, feminine outfit rushed towards him with frantic movements.
"*Pant* *Pant* I thought I was gonna be late." Toru, the invisible girl wearing the floating outfit said as she bent over and braced herself with her hands on her knees… or so Tatsuo assumed. "I didn't think I'd be the first person here, though."
"Good afternoon, Hagakure-San." Tatsuo said in a friendly tone. "Well, you're not late. Not that being a few minutes late would have been all that bad."
"I guess." Toru said awkwardly.
"Also, you're not he first one there." Tatsuo added. He then continued while counting mentally. "You're the… ninth."
"Really? Who's here already?" Toru asked as she finally got her breathing under control completely.
Tatsuo then went on to tell Toru who was inside. However, he did not take her inside immediately. And the reason for that was because he saw Izuku and Katsuki approaching. And just as he expected when seeing those two walking together, Izuku was trying to carry on a conversation with Katsuki, though he looked rather nervous. Meanwhile, Katsuki was blatantly ignoring Izuku with a scowl on his face.
"Yo." Tatsuo called out in greeting to the two longtime frenemies. "You're right on time."
"Hmph!" Katsuki only snorted in response.
"Hel-Hello, Soramoto-Kun." Izuku stuttered out a greeting.
"Anyway, I can't see any of our other classmates yet." Tatsuo said with a shrug. "So, I'll take you three to the room we booked."
Then, without waiting for anyone to respond, Tatsuo turned around and opened the door to the karaoke box. Then, he gestured for the three to enter.
After the four Class 1-A students entered the building, Tatsuo took the lead and started walking to the room where the others were.
"Hey, Bakugo." Tatsuo said casually.
"What is it?" Katsuki replied gruffly.
"Midoriya told me that you know how to play the drums." Tatsuo said.
In the brief pause between Tatsuo's sentences, Katsuki shot a glare that made Izuku think that his [Quirk] had evolved to cover not only his palms, but his eyes, too, as that glare made Izuku feel like he might explode at any moment.
"Are you any good?" Tatsuo asked, completely ignoring the dynamic between Izuku and Katsuki. "Because Jiro-San and I were planning to have a jam session. And when I remembered what Midoriya said about you playing the drums, I thought I'd ask if you wanted to join."
"And why the hell would I wanna play music with you?" Katsuki asked in a huff without even looking at Tatsuo. "I'm going to be the number one Hero. Doo you think I have time to play around with you and some extra?"
Tatsuo only shrugged his shoulders in response. He did not really expect Katsuki to agree in the first place. But he did not want him to feel left out. So, he asked anyway.
"Well, whatever." Tatsuo said nonchalantly. "Then, let me give you a bit of advice on your rise to the top."
"Hmph!" Katsuki only snorted. Though, it was clear to everyone that he was listening.
"Hire a really good PR manager." Tatsuo said with a smirk. "Because with a personality like yours, if you don't' have someone that can deal with public relations, you're never gonna rise as high as you want to. People have to vote for you to be the number one Hero, after all."
When Tatsuo heard the sound of small explosions popping behind him, he only chuckled in response. Meanwhile, Izuku looked as if he did not know what to do, somewhat expecting Katsuki to lose it completely and attack Tatsuo right here and now.
As for Toru, even though no one could see her expression, if they could, they would see her eyes lighting up as she watched the show.
'This is better than any of the dramas I watch on TV with Mom.' Toru thought to herself. 'Come on, don't stop. Keep going. This is great. I want more. I need more!'
Undoubtedly, had Toru voiced her thoughts, even Tatsuo, who disdained Alfonzo's and James' childish jokes, would have had no choice but to respond with "That's what she said."
Yet, before the conversation could continue, Tatsuo felt his smartphone vibrate in his pocket. He then reached in to pull out the phone and check the notification, which was a text from Alfonzo.
Alfonzo Marcus: Found him.
Alfonzo Marcus: Gimme a call when you get a chance.
Alfonzo Marcus: But don't take too long.
Alfonzo Marcus: I don't know how long he'll stay in the same place.
After reading the texts, Tatsuo casually put his phone back in his pocket. Then, he continued chatting with the other three like nothing happened until they reached the room where the others were gathered.
"Hey! Look who I found." Tatsuo said as he opened the door to the karaoke room.
"Wow! Yaomomo, you weren't kidding." Mina said while covering her mouth with her hands, her tone filled with shock and surprise. "Bakugo-Kun really did come."
"I almost agree with Mina-Chan. *Ribbit*" Tsuyu added. "If it wasn't Yaomomo who said it, I wouldn't have believe that he would come, either."
"Hmph!" Katsuki snorted as he pushed past Tatsuo, walked across the room, and flopped down on a couch with his arms crossed. "You treat me like I'm some kinda of anti-social loser like that half-cold half-hot bastard."
Then, Katsuki picked up the menu and song list without paying any more attention to the other people in the room.
"Yeah, because that doesn't make you look anti-social." Akatsuki said while rolling her eyes.
Katsuki only snorted once again. But he did not pay attention otherwise.
"Anyway, Yaoyorozu-San, can you take over watching at the front door?" Tatsuo asked as he started rubbing his stomach. "I need to run to the wash room."
"Of course." Momo replied while standing up from the couch. "Do you need some medicine? I think I have some in my purse. And even if I don't, I can make some. I've learned many different kinds of over-the-counter medicines molecular makeups."
"It's not that serious." Tatsuo replied while waving off Momo's concern. "I just need to go to the wash room. That's all."
"Oh… Okay." Momo replied, her cheeks reddening slightly after realizing that she had overreacted.
Meanwhile, Sakura's eyes narrowed when she saw how concerned Momo was over Tatsuo's well-being. A moment later, however, she shook her head and let it go.
Seeing that, Akatsuki was actually surprised how quickly Sakura controlled herself.
"Aww! Does your little tummy hurt, Tatsu-Kun?" Mina asked in a high-pitched, babying tone.
"A little." Tatsuo replied without shame. "Anyway, I'll leave the front door to you, Yaoyorozu-San. I'll be back as fast as I can."
"Understood." Momo replied as she started walking towards the door. However, just as she reached the door, she stopped and turned around. Then, she bowed to everyone in the room. "Please enjoy yourselves."
After that, both Tatsuo and Momo left the room with Tatsuo heading to the karaoke box's rest room while Momo headed to the front door to greet the rest of Class 1-A as they arrived.
Shortly afterwards, Tatsuo reached the men's restroom. He then checked inside to make sure that no one else was there. Then, when he saw there were no other patrons in the rest room, he locked the door, pulled his smartphone out of his pocket, and called Alfonzo.
{"That was quick."} Alfonzo said from the other side of the phone. {"I thought you might be in the middle of singing. So, I didn't expect to hear from you for a few more minutes."}
"We're still waiting for everyone to arrive." Tatsuo replied casually. "Anyway, where is he?"
{"Jaku City."} Alfonzo replied succinctly. {"Jaku General Hospital. He should be in a board meeting at the moment. He's the board chairman, after all."}
"Hmm… I've never been to that hospital before." Tatsuo said with his brows furrowing slightly. "But that shouldn't be a problem. I've been to the city before. I'll just have to find the hospital after I get there."
{"Well, that shouldn't be a problem."} Alfonzo said. {"It shows up on GPS. The issue will be putting him down without any witnesses or clues."}
"Stop treating me like an amateur." Tatsuo said disdainfully. "I'll take care of it, don't worry."
{"Fine."} Alfonzo replied. {"I trust you. Anyway, if you can find any files about his connection with AFO, that would be even better. Though, I doubt that will happen."}
"Yeah, he's been operating without any suspicion for too long." Tatsuo agreed. "Still, I'll look around and find anything I can before getting out of there."
{"Alright."} Alfonzo said. {"Well then, good luck. You'd better get going before he leaves."}
"Got it." Tatsuo replied. "I'll call you back once I'm done."
{"I'll be waiting."} Alfonzo replied before ending the call.
With his smartphone beeping after the end of the call, Tatsuo threw his smartphone into his [Inventory]. Then, he pulled out a black tactical suit and quickly changed clothes before tearing open a hole in space and stepping through to a location he remembered in Jaku City.