Chapter 29

Chapter 29 – Interludes

[Ando Ryota POV]

"Thank you all for coming so quickly," Chief Tsuragamae began. "it's been a long evening already, but it's best to work out these issues quickly, before things get any further out of hand."

It was late, after midnight. It had taken some hours to gather the needed people around the table to deal with the four U.A. High students involved in what was already being called the Hosu Incident – as if there was just one incidental thing that happened. It was chaos and blood, fire and death. And in the middle of it all four fifteen-year-old children were forced to fight for their lives against the wishes and orders of their mentors – the adults the system had placed in a position of legal responsibility over them. And in one horrible case the child found herself forced to fight against that very mentor – betrayed by the false hero and by the system.

And now that system was gearing up to pass judgment on these same children. Ando was disgusted. He was part of that system and, like all the rest, he had failed to do what should have been done – whatever it was, for he was convinced that there must have been something – to prevent this tragedy.

At the table were nine men, all good and true and with the best of intentions. At the head of the table was Chief Tsuragamae of the Hosu City Police. A giant of a man, over two and a half meters tall, with the head of a dog – dressed in a blue three-piece suit with a most unfortunate dalmatian spotted tie. Ando had met him a time or two, but never worked with him. His reputation among the law enforcement community was good. There was some talk of him earning a place at the national headquarters. On the Chief's left was the delegation from U.A. – the Principal, the counselor, and homeroom teachers of the students in question. They were all famous heroes, except the Principal – who many said would have become a frightening villain if he had not been steered into the position of running U.A. to challenge his inhuman intellect. On the right side of the table were three of the four students' mentors – Endeavor, the Flame hero; Manual, a local son; and a relic from the past, Gran Torino. The fourth mentor – Greedo – was currently in a holding cell eight floors below them. Ando had plans for that individual.

That left the foot of the table for the Director of the Hero Public Safety Commission – Custodes Division. Ando Ryota had started as a classmate of Endeavor's at U.A. High. He had become the promising young pro hero Starman. His career had followed the typical path – taking a position as a sidekick to Prismatic, the Shining Hero soon after graduation. It had been good, until Prismatic had betrayed him. For reasons Ando still could not comprehend, the pro hero had taken it into his head to throw away his principles and everything he had been taught to embrace the path of domination and destruction. He became the villain Darklight and had enslaved Ando to power his doomsday device. Like all villains, he had failed. Like so many others, his failure was at the hands of the Symbol of Peace – All Might himself. The number one hero had rescued Ando. But the naïve young hero Starman was gone for good. Ando had lost all faith in the system and was considering hanging up his cape. It was at this time that the first Director of the newly established Custodes Division had approached him. The Custodes' mission was to police the Heroes and Hero agencies to ensure they followed the law. Who watches the watchmen was their motto

That was some years ago. Ando was saddened to find yet another promising young hero so similarly betrayed. And like that first Director had for him, Ando had a plan for her.

"I believe most of you know each other," the Chief continued. "We're here because four pro hero mentors failed in their duty as supervisors. But more importantly four U.A. Students chose, for whatever reason, to take the law into their own hands, acting well beyond the bounds of self-defense. There were several deaths and even more serious injuries – including injuries to all four of the students."

He turned his canine gaze on the three mentors. "You gentlemen can be dealt with later. Believe me when I say you will face consequences. What we are here to discuss is how to salvage what we can of these students. How we can be lenient where we can and what must be done where we cannot."

"Despite what I just said of the mentor's responsibility – you must realize that the majority of the blame for this fiasco must lie squarely with the faculty and leadership of U.A. High School itself. These are your students. You prepared them for their internships, and you guided their selection of mentors. This is not the time to discuss it, but I must ask what are you teaching these kids?" He slammed his palm down on to the table, sending a cannon shot echoing through the room.

"As you say, this is not the time for that discussion," Nezu replied politely. "You speak of students that may be salvaged and students that may not. Who do you place in each category, and why?"

"Shoto acted with …" Endeavor started blustering when Ando cleared his throat. The big man stopped and looked at his former rival. The two had traded first and second place for most of their years in school. The pro hero looked like he just remembered lying blatantly in front of the man who could pull his license was a bad idea and shifted course in mid-sentence, "… little consideration to the legalities, but with the best of intentions and more importantly – with decisive results."

"It's true the capture of the Hero Killer: Stain was a great deed." The Chief looked around the table. His features were hard for a human to read, even though his eyes were so expressive. "And if that were all that happened – given the relative secrecy under which it occurred – we might have been able to sweep it under the rug. But the public actions of the other student make that much more difficult. As I said before. People died in that fight."

"People died all around the city." Nezu countered. "Endeavor himself killed one of the Nomu. Sometimes that is necessary. From your obfuscation I believe you are trying to lay blame on Yanagi-san for crimes you have not yet specified. Your own forensics specialists have come to the initial conclusion that none of the deaths in the Volcano Thieves/Nine Head Dragon battle are directly attributable to my student. From my examination of the evidence, including the several videos, I agree with them. What point are you trying to make, Chief?"

The Chief looked at the Principal for some seconds. Despite not being able to read either man's face, it was obvious the two were not happy with each other. Hound Dog, near the foot of the table, let out a high-pitched whine which broke the building tension.

"I have several," The Chief snapped. "The altercation with Stain – despite the danger posed by the criminal and the severity of the injuries sustained on all parts – is really just a case of first-time defense of others. An almost negligible offence. This is something that, if we are honest, every person at the table was probably guilty of before licensure. We scold them, scare them, and provide more strict supervision for a while. Again, except for the criminal involved, this would not rise to my lieutenant's desk, much less mine."

He keyed something on his tablets and several videos showing a white-haired girl in combat situations started playing on the table. "But this is Yanagi-san's seventh case of unauthorized quirk use, almost all of which involved serious injury to someone. This is not even the first death she is involved in – in the last three months!" He pounded his fist. "I think we need to look into her actions very closely. I think we'll find unnecessary and excessive use of force. I think we'll find negligence. I think we may even find unsavory connections to criminal associates." Images of the winged dragon vigilante and two unidentified men in costumes, as well as the Bounty Hero Agency personnel, were framed around the video of Yanagi blasting Volcano's arm off.

"I am saying we need to make an example of this girl before her unfortunate and questionable popularity in the media convinces every teenager with a quirk it is 'cool' to kill people and broadcast it on the net!" The Chief's voice took on a definite growl at the end.

"I object!" Vlad King's voice had a growl of its own. His elongated fangs were a sure sign of his agitation. "You cannot punish her if she has broken no laws. All of the previous incidents have been adjudicated and she has been found to have acted within the law."

"As may be," Tsuragamae barked. "But this time the investigation …"

"Falls under the jurisdiction of the Custodes," Ando interrupted, projecting his voice without raising it. Everyone looked to him. They had all been wondering either who he was, or if they knew, why he was there.

The Chief was actually snarling a little, hints of teeth showing. No police officer likes to have a case snatched out of their hands, especially not a potentially juicy one like this. Ando also suspected there was more to the Chief's enmity for the Burakumin girl, but couldn't make such an accusation without proof. His quick perusal of the Chief's biography had shown he was raised in a rural mountain area. Not Kesuru, but the old prejudices were often more prevalent in the backcountry.

"Due to the apparent criminal actions of the Bounty Hero Agency and the three licensed heroes therein, the Custodes mandate overrides all local inquiries. If, in the pursuance of our investigations, we determine that crimes have been committed by any person of interest, we will prosecute them in the classified HPSC courts, to better preserve the essential relations between the public and the pro heroes. I am speaking solely of Yanagi-san in this. The Custodes have no interest in the other three students at this time." Ando bowed to the Principal and the mentors. They all looked somewhat relieved. Though Nezu was staring at him unblinkingly.

"In that case," Endeavor said, "I think we need to treat the other three students like the good Chief suggested – scold them, scare them, and give them some in-school punishment of some sort. As for the defeat of Stain – I think it might be best if we hide the fact that it was the three students that did it – for their own good. Given the physical evidence and the lack of direct witnesses, it should be easy enough to concoct a story that someone else – a pro hero with fire powers most likely – brought the murderer to justice."

"Removing the fame and glory from their accomplishment is significant punishment in and of itself. Neh?" Vlad King pointed out.

"I don't think those three need more things to grow their egos," Eraser Head muttered. "I agree it's a rational deception in their best interests."

"I have some ideas for an appropriately unpleasant yet educational detention," added Hound Dog. "I would, of course, include Yanagi-san in that as well."

The Chief shook his head at the girl's name but addressed the Flame Hero. "I might suggest you take the credit …"

In the morning, Ando made his way to the City Hospital to speak to the Yanagi girl. He had reviewed her records for the fifth time. There was something in them he couldn't quite understand. Her obvious skill with her quirk and her tactical ability and ferocity in combat had been demonstrated multiple times. But they simply did not fit with the upbringing of a sheltered temple maiden from a family without military or heroic tradition.

Only his security override had uncovered the Principal's notes on his suspicions that the person presenting as Yanagi Reiko was not her. He suggested several possibilities – from a shape changer, to a programmed clone, to a dimensional doppelganger. He did note the explanation the Yanagi family had offered of a spiritual coach, but that was as hard to believe as the theory of a future Yanagi's personality time traveling back to her younger body.

Regardless of how she got there, Yanagi had proven herself the equal of most pro heroes and he wanted to make use of that while protecting her as best he could. With that in mind he knocked on her door, then entered.

He was not surprised to find Vlad King waiting with her. He had a reputation as a very diligent teacher. He stood in loco parentis and was thus responsible for at least agreeing to the interview, if not staying by her side.

"Good moring, Kan-sensei." Ando had done his homework and knew Vlad King preferred to use his civilian name in U.A. matters, even if the press and most people still referred to him by his hero name.

"Ando-bucho." He offered a shallow bow. "This is my student Yanagi Reiko." He turned to the girl. "This is Ando-bucho, Director of the Custodes Division of the Hero Public Safety Commission. The Custodes are the division that investigate crimes perpetrated by licensed heroes. He would like to talk to you about yesterday and your internship. If you would like I can stay in the room during the interview. I will leave that up to you."

The young woman looked at Ando with a single eye and a still expression. The only movement she made was her breathing. Ando was sure he detected a spark of light in the near infra-red spectrum coming from behind her eyepatch. His quirk gave him a far greater visual range than normal humans. Nothing in his notes mentioned a prosthetic. He wondered if it was something she had gotten from Greedo. She waited for almost a minute before replying.

"I don't think that will be necessary, Kan-sensei. I appreciate your coming to see me this morning. I don't know when they plan on releasing me. If it's late, you don't need to stick around to see me home. I'm sure I can make it back to Mosuaizuri on my own."

"I'll ask the doctors and let you know," the white-haired man replied. Ando wondered if they felt kinship over their shared hair color.

He waited until the teacher had left the room to pull up a chair and sit near Yanagi's bedside. "Thank you for talking with me. As you may gather from Kan-sensei's introduction, the Custodes are interested in finding out all you can tell us about the Bounty Hero Agency and their possible involvement in criminal activities."

"Did you know about them before this?" Yanagi asked. "Or at least suspect something?"

"We have been aware that there are irregularities in Mosuaizuri-cho. But, as you may have heard, the HPSC is perennially understaffed. The Custodes are perhaps the least popular division within the commission so we have simply not had the resources to send investigators. We still don't. But this has been a high-profile crime, part of an even higher profile 'incident'." Ando looked at her frankly. She was wearing a robe over a hospital gown. Her left arm was bandaged, and she had a few cuts and bruises, but was otherwise in good shape.

She returned his appraisal. He tried to picture himself objectively. He was tall and broad shouldered, still trim through the middle, with somewhat wild dark blue hair and glowing golden eyes. He wore a dark grey suit with a red bow tie. He thought the eccentricity put people at their ease.

"To be honest," he continued, "I am hoping to be able to leverage this investigation to bring the necessary resources to bear on your neighborhood to start to address some of the root causes of the problems there."

"Poverty, unemployment, drugs, and lack of hope?" Yanagi asked sarcastically.

"Those exist, certainly," Ando agreed. "But did you realize much of that is a deliberate situation created by a particular criminal planner."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Have you ever heard the name Giran?"

"Sure. In some of Greedo and Jeeta's files. I've been told he's the person behind Landmark Enterprises." Yanagi raised her visible eyebrow. The way she wore her hair to cover half her face was bothersome.

Ando hid his surprise at the confirmation of something his people had suspected, but not been able to prove. "Giran has spent the last eight years trying to turn Mosuaizuri into a model of a city without laws or He has bribed, extorted, and bullied city planners and other officials to cut the neighborhood off from the rest of the city, with a few basic exceptions. He has also corrupted local law enforcement and other civil administrative functions while encouraging and supporting a flourishing black market. He has welcomed other criminal and villainous enterprises." Ando paused. "Or so we believe. The problem is we cannot prove it."

He deliberately met the young hero's eye. "That is where we are hoping you might be able to help us."

"Go on." Her tone was perfectly controlled. She didn't sound at all surprised or nervous.

"If, as your evidence suggests, Greedo had been working for Giran in the past, he has changed his coat and was working for the Nine Head Dragon last night. We will need to dig deeper to find out if, as Thunderer claims, Greedo has been involved in the smuggling for some time."

"I don't think he has," Yanagi offered. "His back invoices didn't show anything like that, and he was excited about a new client on Tuesday. Also, Bosuku called Greedo and Jeeta traitors when they attacked the Volcano crew, who said they were working for Giran. If Greedo had been working the Express for a while, then Bosuku would have known something about it. I think this was a onetime deal – or Greedo expected it to be. I also think the Triad has set him up to cover for them." She paused for several seconds, falling very still. "It doesn't make much sense for the Dragons to risk a full drug shipment on what they knew was a compromised smuggling route. They knew in advance about the Volcanos' attack. I bet the cache on the train wasn't more than 10-20% dragon blood. The rest would have been something else – water for all I know."

"Very good." Ando smiled. "Investigators have found exactly what you predicted – 10% drugs, the rest Chinese wine."

Yanagi nodded. "So what do you want me to do?"

"You are already established in the neighborhood – and are known as a U.A. hero student. We suspect Giran wants to recruit you, which is why we think he had Greedo make you an internship offer. We want you to continue as you are – attending U.A. and being part of the neighborhood. But we want you to report anything interesting or unusual to us." Ando wondered what her counteroffer would be. He had some guesses, but they were changing the more he spoke with her.

She answered almost immediately. "I want a license, and if possible, a badge. There's no way I am doing this while any action I take might get me arrested for breaking the quirk laws. I need to be legal."

"Done… provisional only. And you can officially be interning with the Custodes – or at least the HPSC. So we can keep our eye on you, as it were. It's not a badge but it will give you the cover you need. The Custodes have the only on-staff pro heroes in the HPSC. I'm one myself." Ando knocked his U.A. class ring on the bedside table. "We'll let your Principal know, but you'll need to keep it secret otherwise. Agreed?"

"I also want back up."

"We can't provide a full-time team."

"Not yours, mine. I have two or three people I have been working with on occasion. They may not be correctly licensed, but I think you could fix that, if they agree to abide by your rules." Ando tried to read her look.

"Nightwing, Zerox, and …" he checked his tablet, "Spinner, I suppose."

She nodded. Ando considered. Nightwing was a known vigilante who had been active in the Mosuaizuri district for eight or nine months but had stayed mostly within the law. Zerox was new, though there was some thought that he might be the rebranding of a thief called Twice who disappeared several months ago. Again, nothing that couldn't be worked around. Spinner was an unknown – the victim of the recorded attack by the Face Border Clan that Yanagi had broken up earlier in the week.

"They'll be provisional as well. I will need names, real names. If they have outstanding warrants there will be an issue, though we have been known to offer immunity for effective confidential informants. They may qualify. You talk to them and let me know what you want to do. I'll be honest and let you know what is possible. Unless there is a murder or rape charge, we can probably do a deal. If there are charges like that, you shouldn't be working with them, unless you're trying to turn them in."

"I'll talk with them." She replied, tight lipped. Ando wondered just how big an issue with authority she had. She was a teenager, so she obviously had some. Also anyone that could be effective in the field as an informer or undercover agent was not someone that would do well in a bureaucratic desk job. How much would her attitude interfere with her work for the Custodes? Only time would tell.

He thought he would be able to work with her.

[Giran's POV]

"Damn," Giran muttered as he watched another site erase the 'Stain Destroys the City, But the Heroes Don't Want You to Know!' video. In the three days since the Hosu Fiasco he had produced and uploaded four different versions of Stain videos – all of which hinted at a connection to the League of Villains and played up the mad man's "heroes as hypocrites" message. Each had different details and was wrapped in a different conspiracy theory packaging. Giran was trying to find one that would spark the sort of frenzy around the Hero Killer he knew could change the world. Stain had such potential. He was a genuine badass with an attractive philosophy and a serious body count to lend it credibility.

"He's got charisma," Jojo said, looking at the video of Stain's final rant. "Watchin' him makes the hair on my neck stand straight – at least until the little chippy strips him nekkid and shoves a sock in his mouth. He kinda loses a lot of badass points right there."

Giran checked the screen to make sure he was showing the right video. He and Jojo, his old associate in the black market, were meeting at Kurogiri's bar, the D'arcSide, to discuss changes in the underworld. The fixer grimaced internally at the man's mention of the stripping. He had hoped one of his versions of 'the truth' would wipe from the public consciousness the videos showing Tatari taking down Stain like he was the first year and she the veteran.

Sure, Stain was seriously wounded and without most of his weapons, but the Iron Miko, as he'd heard her called, still made the Hero Killer look like an amateur. If that image became the common truth, any association with the League of Villains would damage the League's brand as well. If Stain became a laughing stock – as Jojo's reaction showed he might – then the League would have to disavow any relation and would still take a hit, reputation-wise.

"I think that video was faked," Giran offered. "No way an experienced killer like Stain falls to a first year, or even a whole class of first years. I heard it was Endeavor that beat him in the end. Hard to resist the number two hero."

"Sure it was," Jojo nodded. "At least that's what the Stained are saying. No one but a top pro – maybe more than one some say – could take out the Hero Killer. They're also saying the HPSC brought in a full team of Icelandic, or maybe Swiss, assassins. That girl looked Icelandic to me – what with the white hair and all."

"The Stained?" Giran asked. He had put out an Icelandic assassins story in the third video. It was ridiculous, but it fit the 'Big Lie' theory of information operations. Maybe this had something to do with that.

"A small but vocal bunch of online nutjobs that claim to be the true disciples of Stain. They grab onto the weirdest conspiracy theories about him – the odder and more contradictory the better – and wrap them all up in pseudo-religious language. There is one kid here in Tokyo that kinda scares me. Powerful flame quirk and a questionable grasp on reality. He claims to be the first Stained." Jojo let out a bark of laughter to release the tension. "It's all bullshit of course. The Maroon had a good run, whittled down the number of heroes some. But in the end, he was just another tidbit for Tartarus."

Giran made a note to track down that flame kid. The boss wanted to gather a group of villains more powerful and skilled than the mass of mediocrity that was used in the USJ attack. The Ravagers still owed him some favors – especially after he brought in Croaker to heal them. He had a line on a big bruiser who was looking for a way to avoid the police. There were also a couple of kids who wanted to prove themselves. One even had a prior relationship with the Yanagi girl – though it would take some serious quirk-boosting to make him at all useful, except as bait. But he needed more. Twice was apparently out of the picture. He would send out some feelers. He was sure he could find what he needed – even if he had to pay for it.

The League was going to have to make a big, showy strike to regain the reputation they had lost in Hosu City. And it was his job to build the team to make that strike a success. The loss of reputation they had already suffered was mostly Shigaraki's fault, but Giran knew he would have to be the one to have to fix things. Not a problem. Fixing things was what he did.

[Myriad's POV]

What a week it's been, Myriad thought. And how much is the Yanagi girl's fault? I certainly wouldn't be on this floating monument to male overcompensation if she hadn't interfered. She and those damned Nomu.

"Explain yourself." Li Bing demanded. He was the senior member of the Nine Head Dragon present as none of the actual Heads had stirred themselves from China, not even her father. Li managed the Zheng He, called the Treasure Ship in English. It was a massive floating casino and bordello. Myriad had worked on it when she was younger, though never turning tricks. That would have shamed her father. She and Li had not gotten along well then, and their relationship had never improved.

"Explain what?" She asked seating herself in the offered chair. Across the table were three of the four other sub-heads in East Asia – Zheng Zhi and Fan Enhua. Li was in the center of the three, directly across from her. Each of them held sway over one of the Triad's major operations. These were her peers, though she was the youngest and newest of them – also the only woman.

"Explain how you bungled the dragon blood trade in Japan so badly." Li hissed. He was a tall, thin man with sallow, acne scared skin and a high widow's peak. He was dressed in his preferred long Indian-cut suits that accented his stature. His face flushed in anger as he tightened his fist on his goblet.

Myriad laughed, long and loud. The other sub-heads looked at each other in confusion. Finally, she stopped and saw the uncertainty on the other faces. "What? You were serious? Either you are very poorly informed, or you seriously overestimate the impact of one minor incident."

She paused and struck a pose that emphasized her décolletage. She knew well how to distract old men. "All we lost was just over a liter of product and thirty liters of huangjiu. Admittedly, we also lost five soldiers and we owe some indemnity for the Yokohama Express, but insurance will pay for that. Even Lin Shen-Long is back in the fold after we were able to intercept his police transport. The trade flourishes and we foiled an attempt by a local to try and disrupt us – costing him two villain teams, one of which he had taken great efforts to camouflage as legitimate pro heroes. I call it a victory."

"You do?" Li sounded confused. "When you have exposed us and our once clandestine operation to the Hero Public Safety Commission. We have word that the young hero that foiled your ridiculous plan was the same girl that cost us the Inoue debt."

"Yanagi Reiko," Myriad said, her voice falling flat. The Yanagi girl confused her. She somehow blocked Myriad's Mind Reading quirk – returning scrambled thoughts in multiple languages that effectively rendered her unreadable. Worse, she demonstrated powers and abilities Myriad could not understand.

When the Japanese government began an investigation on one of Li's largest debtors, the old snake had asked a favor of Myriad – to thwart the investigation and protect the debt owed. Failing that, to try to divert as many funds from Inoue's accounts to the Triad as possible. Over the years Myriad has used a team of forgers, disguise experts, and doubles to create and maintain a number of different personae throughout Japan and East Asia. This included Kanjiya Yūko, a National Tax Agency Investigator. Myriad assumed this role to accompany Sir Nighteye and the rest to Kesuru Valley.

While she had managed to secretly liquidate almost a half a billion yen in Inoue holdings and diverted the profits to Nine Head Dragon accounts under the guise of investigating his finances, she had not been pleased with the trip. Her interactions with the young temple maiden had proven vexatious, even frightening. Myriad could only vaguely remember the events of the night battle. She could recall the small army outside the temple grounds, but not how they had been defeated. Nor could she be sure who the powerful quirk wielder that had directly attacked the compound was. All she knew was that the girl had somehow driven him off. That and the fact that someone had pierced her mental defenses and meddled with her memory.

At first, she suspected the father. Despite being a supposedly peaceful priest, he had a psychic aura that broadcast power and tight control. Seeing videos of Reiko in action outside the Valley proved that, powerful though the father may be, the girl was the true monster of the family.

"Yes," Li sneered. "Her. She cost this organization billions of yen when she removed Inoue. Now she interferes in our business again. I believe an example must be made of her."

The other two old men started nodding and muttering their agreement when Myriad slapped the table, her rings leaving a gouge in the expensive wood. "No."

"What?" asked Fan, confused.

"Challenge that creature at your own risk. Bringing her full attention to our organization will spell nothing but disaster. It will cost untold blood and gold. Listen to me for once, you old fools. Leave her be. For all of our sakes."

"Peace, my friends," Old Zheng, who had ruled Korea like his own kingdom for decades, held up his hands to forestall Li's incipient outburst. "If you feel so strongly that she must be ignored, we will take no action against her. Are we all agreed?"

The other two nodded slowly.

The mind reader could see they were lying. Li would send assassins after the Yanagi girl.

Now Myriad just had to decide what she would do with that knowledge.