14

Chapter 14: Chapter #14 | Changelings Oath

Chapter Text

Izuku leaned back into his seat and stared at the ceiling of the bio suite. He'd been stuck dealing with the fallout of the attack for the last two days. Meetings, into information gathering, into more meetings. He was learning that he really hated bureaucrats, even if they had their use. The silver lining was that he'd gotten out of it without anyone any wiser as to what they were doing, and since the last of those meetings had finished up that morning, unless the powers that be tried to pull something that caused him to be dragged back into it, this was now an issue for them to deal with.

"Phoenix, what is the status on projects MSIS, Icarus, and MG?" It took only a moment for the soft female voice to chime in from the aether. It was good to be working again.

"Mei finished the final implants for project MSIS this morning. The last of the parts for Icarus came in last night and await you in hangar bay one. The prototype parts for MG have finished printing and await your assembly." Izuku stretched, standing. If the implants were finished for MSIS then he would go pick them up from the workshop and start getting them prepped for surgery. It also gave him a chance to check in on Mei. She said she was alright with what happened, but Izuku knew better than most how easily that could change without warning.

He was just passing by the common area and was almost to the weapons suite when he heard his communicator crackle to life. "Uh, Midoriya. You have a visitor. It's a. Actually, I don't know what it is. It looks like a giant mouse. It's uh. It's talking to me." Midoriya actually couldn't help but snort when he heard the confusion in Dabi's voice. To be fair to him, though, if Izuku hadn't known someone fitting that exact description, then he would likely be just as confused.

Izuku reached up and tapped the communicator under his own ear and responded, a bit of the chuckle still lilting his voice. "Alright, Dabi, I'll be down in just a moment. Show him to my office please." Izuku stepped through the door to the forge and found Hatsume face down, asleep, in a pile of components. He sighed, pulling Mei up and picking chipsets off of her face. Putting them on the table, he picked her up in his arms. Izuku decided to set her on the couch in the common room before heading down to meet with his guest. If she finally crashed, then she at least deserved to wake up without back and neck pain.

Mei curled into him, resting her head against his body while he carried her. She snuggled into him like she had wanted to for a while, even if Izuku didn't know it. When he'd finally gotten to the couch, he tried to deposit her, only to frown when she whimpered and held on. No, Izuku thought, she wasn't alright at all.

…

"I'm rather sorry about the wait." Izuku gave a smile as he entered his office. "My partner fell asleep in the forge. I wanted to move her so she'd sleep a bit better than she would on a circuit board." Izuku circled around his desk, pulling his chair out and sitting down, before crossing his hands in front of him and giving his guest a small business smile. "To what do I deserve the honor of a visit, President Nedzu?"

"Am I a mouse? A dog? A bear? Who knows? But you are correct! I'm Nedzu, president of UA University. I have heard a lot about you from several mutual acquaintances of ours. I must say, you've made quite the impression on two of the heroes working for me."

The president was a stout creature that many might consider cute. He had a head that was mostly mouse. The scar, prominent over his right eye, was the only feature that stood out on his face. But his muzzle was slightly too long, hiding the sharp teeth of a predator, his paws a little too large for a mouse, his fur a little too dense, and his eyes showed intelligence, not unlike his own. He set Midoriya on edge with how civilized he was behaving. He looked entirely too much like the Nightwalkers that had stalked through the forests, hunting the innocent people who had tried to escape, for Izuku to be drawn in by his cute, fluffy demeanor. "I came here today to see for myself what Snipe and Eraserhead have been going on about. Besides that, I have a request of Moonlit Industries."

Izuku tried his best to keep his smile on his face as he responded. "I must admit, I'm not certain as to what I've done to catch the attention of the top strategic hero in Japan. As far as a request of our company, we'll certainly do our best to accommodate whatever you need."

"Now, now, there is no need to be modest. It doesn't suit people like us." Nedzu smiled, showing the sharp incisors and canines hiding in his mouth. Izuku felt a chill run down his spine as the memories of packs of Nightwalkers came unbidden to his mind. "You are sixteen and have completed two doctoral degrees, plus you are working on two more. And if that wasn't enough, you plan on getting a hero license according to my two professors. You shoot as well as a professional hero, something that he is still confused over. Besides, if that wasn't impressive enough, from what I've heard from Eraser, you are also more than able to hold your own in crisis situations."

Izuku narrowed his eyes. He'd had quite enough with the compliment and preen in these last two days dealing with the politicians and bureaucrats, but that wasn't what this was. "Where are you going with this, sir? From my knowledge, senseless compliments aren't your style."

Nedzu's smile widened now into a hungry one. "Quite right you are, and straight to the point, which I like. Not enough of that, if you ask me. There is a time and place for small talk, after all. The fact of the matter is that, without attending one of the institutions dedicated to training heroes and support technicians, neither you nor your partner will be able to get your respective licenses. It is a requirement for a reason, after all. We wouldn't want anyone to get hurt in the field from inexperience. The issue lies in the fact that if you attend any normal institution, you'll quickly find yourself repeating much of what I'm quite sure you already know."

Izuku leaned back, now nodding. "And with the discretion afforded to one of the top hero schools in the world, you're proposing I attend U.A. University. Am I correct?"

"Quite right. However, I would like to offer you now a position as my personal student in two years. I have no doubt that you'll get into the hero program if you've caught Aizawa's attention. You'll be able to learn at an accelerated rate in courses that you wouldn't normally be offered. Besides that, it would also offer you the chance to double up as a support course student, as well. You'd be able to get that license at the same time."

Izuku nodded. Everything that he'd said made sense, and it was a good offer. "I'll keep the offer in mind when it comes time to choose a hero institution. I'm sure the offer will still be on the table. After all, having Mei and myself as alumni will certainly look good, won't it?" If anyone had entered the room at that moment, they would have found two individuals with a maniacal glint in their eyes and a smile to match. They both laughed before moving on.

"As I said, I also have a request for your company. I have one particular student with a quirk that has a certain peculiarity to it that desperately needs solving. Togata Mirio." Nedzu said his name with a tinge of pain in his tone and a wince.

Izuku couldn't help but snort. "Ah yes, this year's sports festival is coming up, isn't it? What, don't you want your first-year hero student stripping naked for the entire world on international television?" Izuku got the pleasure of seeing Nedzu jerk in surprise. "Oh, don't give me that look. I have my ways of finding out things just as you do." Though it always helped to have Phoenix feeding him details through his comm.

Nedzu cleared his throat before confirming that was indeed the issue he was speaking of. Izuku nodded, understanding why. "Send him over at his earliest convenience and we'll take a look. The worst-case scenario is that it takes us a bit, but we'll figure it out."

…

Aizawa dropped down to the alleyway from where he had been on the roof. Nedzu had brought him and Snipe along to keep watch from across the road, though that ended up being just an extra precaution. Especially since the moment Nedzu had entered the building, their head of security had smiled straight at their nest atop the building across the road. Snipe packed away his rifle, and they both slipped back into their car before picking Nedzu up from the front of the building. Aizawa spoke first when Nedzu had clipped himself into his seat. "So, how'd it go?" Nedzu slowly nodded his head.

"I would say that we came to an… understanding is the word I'll use. Likely, we'll see those two as our students in two years. As for the other reason for this visit… You know how I refrain from showing my teeth, yes?" Aizawa nodded his head and Snipe shuddered.

"Yes, it's damn creepy, sir. No mouse ah ever seen has had razor-sharp teeth." Nedzu chuckled before nodding his head.

"Exactly why I don't show them. I find that humans don't respond well to them. I did smile at Mr. Midoriya back there and caught what you were talking about. It was only for a moment when I showed my teeth, but you are quite right. That is no mere boy. I've not felt pressure like that in a very long time. If I'd threatened him at that moment, I would have been dead before I could get across the desk." Nedzu felt a chill go down his spine and a sense of thrill.

Much to the dismay of the two in the front, Nedzu smiled and laughed. A maniacal smile and crazed sound that made the two heroes with him look at each other in worry. Oh yes, he would enjoy their time together.

…

Midoriya sighed now that the giant mouse-bear-thing was gone and out of his building. There was no question in his mind that he would have some bad moments if he became Nedzu's personal student. He smirked, though, because he knew the man was just as crazy as he was. It doesn't suit people like us. If that wasn't a double meaning, then I don't know what is.

Izuku glanced up from where he had taken a seat in reception to collect his thoughts after that encounter and laughed. Across the parking lot strowed one Togata Mirio. The damn rat had absolutely planned on him saying yes if he'd had the student on standby outside. Togata stopped outside the glass doors and waved to Izuku sitting at the front desk. We really need to hire a receptionist.

Pressing a button under the desk and letting Togata in, he smiled and leaned forward again. "I suppose your president is quite good at predicting the flow of a conversation. Let's deal with your stripping habit, shall we?" Mirio blushed and scratched his head.

"Let's. I may be used to accidentally flashing people, but it doesn't mean they are used to it. And if it makes sense, I don't particularly want to end up naked on television."

…

Hatsume woke up to the feeling of plush fabric under her and soft warmth above her. She groaned and stretched, rubbing her eyes and scratching her head. How had she got here? Last thing she remembered, she was soldering chipsets for project MG. If they could complete that, it could completely change how heroes maneuvered around terrain. Especially if they combined it with the neural link they had designed for MSIS.

As if anticipating her question, Phoenix chimed in. "Izuku carried you here after he found you face down in your project. It appears that you crashed again." Mei nearly jumped through the roof. Not that she wasn't used to Phoenix chiming in, but sudden sounds had been getting to her lately. I'm probably just overworked. Maybe I should take Izu's advice and take a break for a bit. "Phoenix, where is Izuku right now?"

"He is currently in the bio suite running tests on a Togata Mirio. He agreed to do so after a visit from President Nedzu of U.A University around noon. Mr. Togata evidently has had an issue with his quirk, wherein it tends to render him nude. Which, as I understand, is an undesirable outcome in hero work."

Mei simply shook her head. That would be problematic in anyone's line of work, much less a hero. She tapped her comm, connecting to Izuku's. "Hey, Izuku. I'm on the way over to you. I might be able to help with the Togata situation. Thanks for putting me on the couch, by the way. I feel much better."

When she did step into the bio suite, she found a very confused Midoriya staring at a half-naked man, who was by all accounts trying to act bashful. Midoriya glanced back when he heard the security door hiss and started to talk to her as she approached the sensor station he was working at. "I don't get it. I've run every test that I could conceivably run. There is no reason he should be able to pass through things. My last theory was that he was vibrating his molecules at the right frequency to slip between the empty space between the material's molecules. But no, his cells aren't vibrating in the slightest."

Mei quirked her eyebrows at that. "If you're pulling inspiration from twentieth-century comic books, you've really hit a wall here."

Izuku snorted. "Don't I know it. If you've got any ideas, I'm open to them. From what he's told me, even those fancy suits made of someone's own DNA didn't work for him."

Mirio was standing awkwardly in the sensor tube now. Having one person staring at him had been mildly embarrassing, but it was two now and one of them was female. Though, he supposed, it did help, oddly, that she was looking at him like she wanted to dissect him more than anything else.

Suddenly, after several tense moments of staring, her eyes popped wide. "Izuku, what if the reason all of you have been having an issue figuring out how his quirk works is because it isn't something biological?" Izuku scrunched his eyebrows at her.

"In what way? I mean, stranger things have happened before with quirks. What are you thinking?"

"What if the reason he's able to pass through solid objects is because it's happening at an even smaller level than cellular? What if the reason you aren't finding it is that it's in my wheelhouse? What if he's subconsciously QT'ing through objects?"

Now it was Izuku's turn for his eyes to blow wide. "You think he's quantum tunneling through objects? I mean it's possible but… no, it's more than possible. Togata." Izuku turned now to the man still in the sensor tube and directed his question at him. "Earlier, when you told me about coming out of objects, does it ever feel like you're picking up speed? Like you're getting forced out of the material?"

Finally, it was Mirio's turn for his brows to shoot up. "Why, yes. How did you know?" Rather than answer, Izuku turned back to Mei.

"You have the tools to measure that in the forge, right?" Mei nodded and Izuku got up to let Togata out of the sensor tube.

…

It was getting late in the day, and Dabi was debating handing over security to Phoenix. It had been an interesting day, he decided. Midoriya nearly killed some politicians during his meeting with the Japanese officials and Russian Consulate. Of course, that second half was off the record. Then he had gotten to see a talking animal. Though the sniper across the road had been a tad bit unsettling, he had faith the UL 752 Level 10 glass would do its job if they decided it was a good idea to pull that trigger.

That was why, when a scraggly looking blond girl that looked like she had been living on the streets for several years started beating on the front doors, Dabi wished he could say that it was out of the norm around here. He would willingly admit to anyone that asked that he had thought this would be a more normal job than his last one. He had been very wrong.

The silver lining, he supposed, was that he could now use his quirk without feeling like he was dying, though he was still getting used to being able to feel things again. The first time he had stubbed his toe on his sideboard had been a rude awakening. Dabi leaned forward to the microphone that sat as part of the security console in his office. Pressing the button for the front intercom, he thought they really needed to hire a receptionist soon.

"This is private property, miss. Can we help you?" Through the overhead camera, Dabi could see the girl jerk and look around before her eyes finally settled on the intercom next to the door.

"Yes. Yes please." The girl sounded desperate, setting off alarms in Dabi's head. "I need to speak with Midoriya Izuku, please." The day just keeps getting stranger.

…

"Amazing, this is absolutely fascinating. Do you know the things we could do if we could replicate his quirk, Izuku? The babies we could make…" Hatsume trailed off, voice practically purring at the idea. Mirio didn't look quite as enthused as she was.

"Does this mean that you'll be able to make me something that won't come off when I use my quirk?" Mei looked up at him, waving her hand as if dismissing the question.

"Oh yes, that shouldn't be an issue. We'll need to study how exactly your quirk functions, but after that, we should be able to put together some kind of material using your DNA as a mediator to mimic your quirk and yada yada. Yes, we'll be able to do it. But think just how much." Mei cut herself off when she saw Izuku with his head down, frowning, with his index and middle fingers on his communicator. "What is it?"

"Dabi says that I have another guest. Guess I'm popular today. I'll be back. You go ahead and get the rest of the data we need. Togata, come up with a design for your outfit. You'll need two. A casual set of clothing and a costume. You're going to be a hero and not a circus performer, so for the love of the gods, prioritize function over form."

…

The first thing Izuku noticed was the girl's sunken, bloodshot eyes. Her gaunt expression hung on her like what little flesh she had on her bones. Her pale, practically white skin was painted in the sickly hue of bruising. But it was when she stumbled, trying to stand for him, that he saw what he didn't want to remember. Izuku breathed through his teeth, desperately pushing down the memories of reeducation camps and broken people.

Dabi had caught her when she stumbled and now looked Izuku in the eyes. The sickening fury that lived there was reflected in his own. Izuku was practically growling when he spoke to his head of security, his singular word biting out, "Report."

Dabi nodded and recited what had happened. That the girl had been banging on the front doors, practically begging to speak with him. Dabi had initially just thought it to be another weird visitor for him. That opinion had changed quickly when he stepped into the lobby to meet the girl.

Izuku crouched down in front of the girl and spoke, doing his best to keep his tone gentle. "Hey there. My name is Midoriya Izuku. I heard that you were asking for me. How can I help you?"

The girl met Midoriya's gaze and the fear and desperation in her eyes made him sick. "What you said on the TV, was that true? You won't judge someone for their quirk?" Izuku nodded slowly. He was most certainly not going to judge someone based on something they couldn't help but be born with.

The tears that leaked from the corners of her eyes hurt Izuku. No one should have such a reaction just for not being judged. "Please help me. Please, I didn't know what else to do, where else to go." Izuku did his best to calm her down and to coax more information out of her. Her name was Toga Himiko, and she was the same age as him and Mei. Though you would never know it with how small she was. She was barely five two, and if he had to guess, maybe sixty-five pounds soaking wet.

"Have you been living on the streets?" Izuku had to ask, because he was praying that was the case. The alternative was far worse.

Toga shook her head, and he felt his heart drop. "I've always lived at home with my family, though I'm not really allowed to do much. They call me a demon because of my quirk. Say that I'm evil." Her voice hitched, and Izuku felt the need to strangle her idiotic parents. He asked what her quirk was, and she jerked before curling in on herself. He cursed in her head and was getting ready to shift the subject when he heard her whisper.

"I can turn into other people if I taste their blood." Of all the things Izuku had expected, that was as far from his thoughts as possible. That was an amazing quirk! What he would have given to have had that ability even a handful of times. Then a terrible thought crossed his mind, and his heart sank further.

"Toga, were you ever allowed to drink blood at your home?" She jerked again, and he felt his fear validated.

"No no no." There was panic now in her tone, and she curled further in on herself. "If I drink blood, I get beat and dad starts yelling. I don't want that to happen, so I avoid drinking blood." Izuku could feel Dabi's gaze searing into the back of his head in an emotion of pure rage. Something that, at the moment, he could relate to rather well.

Izuku whispered now to Dabi so that he was the only one that could hear him. "Keep an eye on her. I need to make some calls." Izuku spun around and took several steps towards the back of reception before tapping his communicator. "Mei, drop what you're doing. I need you down here asap, and bring my medical kit with you." He didn't wait to hear her response before he was dragging out his phone.

When the line connected, he simply said, "Nao, I need you here at Moonlit Industries as soon as you can get here. Something's come up." Tsukauchi could hear the fury in his voice and agreed to be down there in a few minutes. When he hung up, Izuku made one more call. Mei stepped into the lobby with his bag, and he put a finger up in a gesture of one moment.

"Mom, sorry to call you at work, but I'm going to need you over at the company building as soon as you can. I'll explain when you get here. Yes. Thanks, I love you too." Izuku put his phone in his pocket before turning back to Mei to get his bag. Her pale face told him all he needed to know about what she was thinking. "Yeah, I know."

Walking back over to Himiko, he coaxed her into letting him draw some blood. Taking the vial, he returned to Mei before handing it to her. "Could you go run a CBC, CMP, and iron test for me? You know the machine, yeah?" She nodded, eyes hard.

"Izuku? Get the bastards." She walked back through the doors leading into the facility while Naomasa and his partner stepped through the front. Izuku walked over to them and shook hands with them both.

"It's good to see you again, Tamakawa. I'd love to catch up, but I've got a more pressing issue at the moment." Tamakawa nodded, acknowledging the fact that this wasn't the time. Naomasa, in the meantime, had been taking in the room, and upon seeing Dabi coddling the skeleton of a girl in the corner on a couch, snapped his eyes back to Izuku.

"Unfortunately, yes, she's what I called you about. I need you to verify what she's been telling me. And if what I suspect comes back true, you may just have a case for attempted murder with child abuse."

…

When Mei came back to the lobby carrying the results of the blood panel, as well as a bag of O blood, she was immediately struck by the look of righteous fury that was on Inko's face. When the woman had gotten there, she didn't know, but she certainly didn't want to be the one to mess with the woman right now. The serious look on the detective's face and the murderous one on Dabi's told her that the conversation hadn't been pleasant.

She whispered Izuku's name and handed him the paper. "You were right, if I'm reading the test results properly." Izuku only took a moment to see exactly what he had been worried about. Her insulin levels, prealbumin, vitamins A, D, B, and leptin levels were all utterly fucked. He thanked Mei and took the chilled bag of his blood from her before turning back to the group in the seating area.

"Well congrats, Nao. This has gotten even more fucked up. Here, drink this." He tossed the bag of blood onto Himiko's lap, making her jump. She tried to shake her head and refuse, that ingrained fear putting her back up. He decided he would need to nip that in the bud. "No, don't argue. These are the results of the blood tests I just had done for you. You have almost every marker of malnutrition, bordering on starvation. Some quirks require specialized diets. That is just a part of their lives, and they live with it. Your quirk is evidently one of them. Normal food is giving you barely enough nutrients to keep you alive. Mom, make sure she drinks it before it kills her."

Izuku shook his head and turned, trusting his mother to be able to deal with the situation. He knew no one better to look after the poor girl while he was dealing with what needed to be done. He may be biased on that, but in this case, it was the truth. He tapped Tsukauchi on the arm to pull him away from the group before speaking to him and his partner who had followed. "I need you both to come with me in a moment after I get some paperwork out of my desk."

Tsukauchi had no issues doing so, but felt wary and asked him why and where they were going. The hard glint in his eyes made Tamakawa's fur fluff up and Naomasa feel uneasy. "I'm going to go deal with her parents, and to put it simply? I need you there to keep me from doing something you'll have to arrest me for."

…

Izuku stepped to the side of his motorcycle and placed his helmet on the seat. It was a sleek thing. All black and streamlined to provide minimal bulk with maximum power. It was refined enough that if Izuku had had to, he could have carried it with him. He didn't have any plans to be here any longer than necessary and had no issue leaving his helmet with it. Though, in this area, the sleek leather jacket that he wore over his holster stood out as much as the bike. Tsukauchi and Tamakawa stepped out of their nondescript vehicle and stepped up beside him.

It took the three only a moment to make their way to the door of the family home, and only a moment for the aforementioned family to answer the door. The man that answered was a thin man wearing what looked like a cardigan and slacks. "Yes, hello. What can I do for you folks?"

Izuku decided that if he wanted to start polite, then that suited him fine. He put on his best business smile before speaking. "Hello. My name is Midoriya Izuku. I am one of the two CEO's of Moonlit Industries, and my two associates here are detectives Tamakawa and Tsukauchi. May we come in for a moment to speak with you?"

The man was understandably startled but allowed them in, anyway. What did the CEO of a major company and two police detectives want with his family, after all? He took them to their living room, took a seat, offered them refreshments, the whole nine yards, clearly not knowing what this was about.

Izuku noted several things about the house once they were in, as he was sure the detectives did, as well. The first thing that he noticed was that the family was clearly religious in a traditional sense of the word. Everything was clean, whitewashed practically. There was at least one cross in every room of the house that they had been in thus far, and when the man had offered them refreshments, he had made motions as if he'd have his wife bring them in for them.

"You have a wonderful home here, Mr. Toga. Is your family all home?"

The man nodded and preened at the praise. "I do indeed, don't I? My wife and daughter are home with me right now."

Izuku kept the smile on his face, even if he could feel it practically begging to come off. "Oh? I was under the impression you had two daughters, Mr. Toga." The man froze, the easy smile dropping off his face. He openly glared at Izuku now.

"I'm sorry, you must be mistaken. I only have one daughter, and she's in the kitchen with my wife." Naomasa glared back at the man before speaking himself.

"And that was a lie. I would advise that you start telling the truth before you dig yourself a hole you can't crawl out of." Izuku couldn't help the quirking of his eyebrow. This must have gotten to Tsukauchi as much as it had the rest of them if he was using such forceful wording.

"No. As I said, I only have the one daughter. Now I think you all should leave." Izuku shook his head, practically purring with malice. His smile turned from business to one that was razor sharp.

"Oh no, Mr. Toga, I don't think we'll be going anywhere quite yet." He pulled a packet of papers out of his inner jacket pocket and slapped them down on the coffee table in front of him. "You see, I have a poor girl in my facility right now that looks like she's been through hell because of you and your family. You will be signing these papers that I had drawn up by our lawyer. As of the moment you sign those papers, Toga Himiko will be a ward of Moonlit Industries. You will cease all contact with her, and you'll have nothing more to do with her."

The man sneered now. "What? The devil has come to take the demon back into his fold? The only place that thing belongs is chained back up. You can't make me sign anything, and I demand you return it."

The temperature in the room dropped several degrees. Where Izuku had been polite before that had gone out the window and, although the two detectives came along to stop Izuku from going too far, they had no intention of stopping what was coming. Izuku growled at the man. "Oh, you have no idea of what I'm capable of. I don't have to make you do anything. I can spend the rest of your life making you as miserable as possible, and in the end, you still won't win on this topic. I am allowing you to sign these papers as a courtesy. Last chance. Sign the papers and walk away."

The man blanched and grabbed the pen, signing and all but throwing the papers back at Izuku. "Fine. There, it's done. Take the demon. We don't want her. Get out of my house." The man's voice pitched up the longer he spoke. By the time he was done, he was entering the territory of shrill, something that his wife and daughter had noticed from the kitchen and had come to investigate. Izuku looked down when he felt a pull at the leg of his jeans.

There stood a little girl, no more than seven or eight in age. All blond hair and golden eyes like her big sister, but in this case, she hadn't had her face marred from years of abuse and starvation. "Are you taking big sis' away? I don't want her to go. She's always nice to me." Izuku's smile softened, and he was about to speak when the father piped up once again.

"Hiromi, get away from him. For the last time, that thing isn't your sister. It's a demon sent to ruin us." The little girl puffed up her cheeks and held onto Izuku's pants leg a little tighter.

"Big sis' isn't a demon. She's just hungry. She can't help that." Naomasa exchanged one look with his partner before kneeling down in front of the little girl. He gave her a big smile. He'd always had a soft spot for kids.

"Hey there, I'm Detective Tsukauchi. I'm with the police. Would you like to go see your big sister?" The girl let go of Izuku's pant leg and started jumping up and down, excited. He had his partner take her out to wait by Izuku's motorcycle before turning back to the couple screaming at him.

"Shut up. Quite contrary to your belief, I'm well within my authority to do this. You've abandoned and abused one child, which calls for the other to be removed from your care." Naomasa pulled two sets of cuffs from his coat pocket and moved towards the two parents. The mother seemed sadly resigned to her fate. The father, of course, put up a fight. "You're both under arrest for child abuse, criminal negligence, and other charges that will be presented to you at a later time. Izuku, take little Hiromi to see her big sister. Tamakawa and I will be by after we've dealt with these two."

Izuku nodded and stepped outside to where Tamakawa was waiting for him with the little girl. He bit back laughter when he saw Tamakawa handing him a small bike helmet that he had fished out of the trunk of their car. They both shrugged. It was better than nothing. As Tamakawa went back inside to aid his partner in dragging the two to the police cruiser, Izuku plopped the helmet on Hiromi's head and said the words that made her beam with a big smile.

"Let's go see your big sis, shall we?"