Chapter 52: Inspector Tsukauchi
"Name."
"Yoshikage Kira."
"Status."
"Student, U.A. High School, Hero Course, Class 1-A."
Kira was currently at the police station, being questioned. Since the police already knew what had happened on the day of the incident, questioning him was just a formality.
Every student in Class 1-A had been questioned the day before. In addition to asking about the incident, there was also a psychologist in the monitoring room next door, observing each student's mental state to check for any signs of trauma.
However, Kira had only rushed over this morning after receiving a sudden message from All Might. The police officer in charge of his questioning seemed to be an old acquaintance of All Might's. After a brief exchange with All Might, he was pushed into the interrogation room.
Overall, the interrogation process was quite pleasant and ended with a simple question-and-answer session.
"Kira-kun, thank you for your report," Inspector Tsukauchi said, signaling for the officer beside him to close his notebook. He stood up and shook Kira's hand. "I'm confident that your report will be helpful in finding the enemy's location."
"The League of Villains..." Kira said flatly. "Finding their location is probably like looking for a needle in a haystack. I just recounted my experience. It probably won't change anything."
Inspector Tsukauchi smiled. "Not at all. We interrogated the enemies who attacked U.A. overnight. Most of them have criminal records. I'm sure that with a thorough investigation, the enemy will reveal their whereabouts."
The police are really efficient... No, it's because the government is taking this incident so seriously.
A prestigious school that trains heroes was invaded by enemies. Even though they were repelled, it was still a major embarrassment for the higher-ups.
"In any case, you're free to go, Kira-kun. Isn't today a school holiday? It's a good chance to relax."
Inspector Tsukauchi... no, it should be Police Inspector. Kira saw the nameplate on his chest and was a little surprised.
The rank of Police Inspector was quite rare for someone who looked to be under thirty. In a country as class-conscious as Japan, to be promoted from a mere patrolman to an inspector, even with an outstanding performance, would usually take until one's thirties or forties.
Then... there was another possibility. This Inspector Tsukauchi was a police academy graduate who had passed the national civil service exam. He would have been given the position of Assistant Inspector right out of school and could be promoted to Inspector in less than two years of practical study.
And from his unguarded, friendly conversation with All Might, Kira could tell that this Inspector Tsukauchi was likely the liaison between the government and the "Symbol of Peace."
It was only natural. Even the number one hero would be considered a traitor, an enemy of the state, if he wasn't under the government's supervision.
In this hero society, even heroes were monitored. No one could be sure that with their immense power, they wouldn't go out of control and harm the country. And for a powerful hero like All Might, this was even more true.
But it seemed that All Might and he got along well, which meant the country was currently in a stable period. It also indirectly showed that they didn't see this suddenly appearing "League of Villains" as a major threat.
Is it really okay to be so relaxed...?
Kira silently worried for this society. He followed Inspector Tsukauchi out of the interrogation room. Outside, All Might was sitting on a chair, reading a newspaper. Seeing the two of them come out, he immediately folded the newspaper and stood up.
"Tsukauchi-kun, how is Young Kira...?"
All Might first looked at Inspector Tsukauchi. After he gave a slight nod, All Might breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, his hands on his hips.
"I knew it..." All Might didn't say what he had been worried about. He squatted down, placed his hands on Kira's shoulders, and said with pride, "Young Kira, you did an amazing job during the enemy invasion. You'll definitely become a great Pro Hero!"
All Might had heard from the others about what Kira had done during the crisis—calmly analyzing the situation after defeating the enemies in his own zone, going to support Young Midoriya himself while sending Young Ojiro to the other side, obtaining the crucial communication device and contacting the other students, and risking his own life to save others several times...
You were truly brilliant, Young Kira... Without you knowing it, you and your classmates really saved me...
All Might didn't intend to say this out loud. He just laughed a few times and patted Kira's shoulder. "Don't worry, Young Kira. The police and I will definitely find the enemy."
Although the students were all safe, his friends, Aizawa-kun and Thirteen, were seriously injured because of the League of Villains and were now lying in the hospital.
As All Might thought of this, the blue light in his eyes intensified. "I will make them pay."
As expected of All Might. Even if he's unreliable at times and needs to look at his notes during class, when he gets serious, he's really reassuring...
"By the way, All Might, don't you want to go see the one called Nomu?" Inspector Tsukauchi suddenly suggested. "That guy hasn't said a word since he was locked up. He hasn't revealed any information at all, not even eating."
"Is that so..." All Might thought for a moment and said to Kira, "Young Kira, would you like to come with me?"
"Me... sure." Kira was taken aback for a moment, then nodded in agreement. To be honest, he was also a little interested in the guy with multiple Quirks.
"Sansa," Inspector Tsukauchi called out to a police officer. "Could you please take All Might and this student to the detention center? I have some other things to attend to."
A police officer with a cat's face and covered in fur ran over. He twitched his ears and saluted first to Tsukauchi, then to All Might. "Understood! It's an honor to serve you!"
All Might laughed. "Sansa-kun, we've met so many times. There's no need to be so formal!"
Sansa stood at attention, his back straight, and said loudly, "Proper etiquette must be observed!"
Inspector Tsukauchi chimed in with a smile, "All Might, you might not know this, but this little guy is a fan of yours... If his Quirk were stronger, he would have applied to U.A. too."
"That's a real honor," All Might said, smiling and saluting him back, revealing his pearly white teeth. "You work hard to protect the people. Now I'm a fan of yours too!"
"All Might!!" Sansa's eyes lit up and gradually became moist.
...Perhaps this was All Might's charisma. It really made you want to smile just watching him.
Kira's lips unknowingly curled into a smile.