Chapter Text
"I AM HERE! I AM HERE!"
Izuku raised his head from where he'd dropped it defeatedly into a rapidly growing pile of study material. I really need to change my ringtone, he thought, filled with a strange sense of deja-vu. He checked the contact name and frowned. Random Guy. He'd didn't know anyone with that nickname, why had he saved--
RANDOM GUY!!!
Izuku grinned and pushed his chair away from his desk, rolling over to the place of honour where the only notebook he owned that wasn't dedicated to Hero Analysis or homework was resting. That is to say, his bedside locker. He brought his legs up criss-cross, placed the notebook on one knee and his phone on the other. He clicked his pen a few times before answering with a wide smile. "Shigaraki-san! I didn't expect to hear from you again so soon. Is everything still within budget?"
His mother, curious about who he was talking to at this hour, poked her head round the open door with a puzzled expression. Izuku gestured to the notebook and phone and Inko's confusion cleared. Izuku had immediately come clean about what had happened when she'd received the cheque. Oddly enough, she hadn't been mad, only surprised at the amount of money he'd received for it. Together, they'd researched how much financial advisors earned in Japan and were blown away. ￥4,207,850 a year, and that was entry level! The two Midoriyas had shared a look and dived deeper into the rabbit hole. Turns out, being a financial consultant was a very demanding job, but if you didn't wash out and managed to improve your productivity as you progressed, the rate increased to nearly 8,000,000 a year! That was enormous to them, a single income household that had to pull double-shifts to pay rent. Long gone were Midoriya Izuku's dreams of being the world's first Quirkless Pro Hero, but having more than enough money to make sure his mother would be looked after and wouldn't have to worry about people hiking prices because of her Quirkless son...
It was too alluring to miss.
So, instead of the Hero Course, Izuku altered his submission form for UA. Midoriya Izuku, Management Course, still had a pretty nice ring to it. Since then, he'd buried himself in whatever college business course material he could find. Strangely, most of it had belonged to Kacchan's father, Masaru. Apparently, before meeting Auntie Mitsuki, Masaru Ojisan studied Business and earned himself a degree in the subject. He worked for Deloitte (the only Pre-Quirk financial consultant company still running in Japan) before meeting Kacchan's mother, and the rest was history. He'd been delighted to hear that Izuku was interested in carrying on what he viewed as 'the family business', and had eagerly parted with his old study notes when Inko mentioned it. Izuku felt a little guilty about it; his father had met Masaru Ojisan through work, and when Masaru started dating Mitsuki Hisashi was introduced to his mother. Izuku didn't remember much of his father, he died too young in Izuku's life, but Masaru Ojisan clearly still had stories about him. Just because he had a poor relationship with his cousin didn't mean he had to neglect his relationship with his aunt and uncle.
Either way, Izuku had taken to the material like a fish to water, with only a few hiccups. Maths was far from Izuku's best subject, and he needed to improve enough so that in nine months when he took the entrance exam, he wouldn't give a lack-luster showing. His specialties would always lie in biology, physics and Quirk Analysis, but those had curated other skills. Like, say, his organisational capabilities.
"Ito-san, good evening," a familiar voice thrummed over the phone. They were still keeping up this charade, then? Izuku shrugged internally. He didn't mind all that much. Should he consider working under a pseudonym when he's older? "Ah, Kurogiri-san! It's good to hear from you. Is Shigaraki-san not joining us today?"
"No, Shigaraki-san is currently out on an errand for Sensei."
Sensei, Izuku had gathered from the last call, was an elderly man that acted as Shigaraki's guardian (apparently he and Shigaraki were a lot closer in age than he'd thought?) and Kurogiri's patron of sorts. He kept Kurogiri's bar running, and seemed to fund a lot of different businesses as well. He had a lot of money and focused it mostly towards medical research due to his own immense injuries he'd received a few years ago. He seemed like a generous and respectable man. Shigaraki clearly worshiped the ground he worked on and Kurogiri acted as an aid whenever the man needed support. It was a strange system, but Izuku could see how it benefited everyone. "Alright! Is there anything I can help you with, Kurogiri-san?"
"Yes. Sensei was wondering if you were knowledgeable about the stock market. He is looking to broaden his horizons and invest in new blood, as he put it."
Izuku felt his face light up and squirmed in his seat. "No, but I pride myself on my research abilities. Did Sensei give you any band-width for investments? How much he is willing to invest in one organisation at a time, how much liquid finances he has at the moment, the ones he's already funding? That will give me a good place to start."
Kurogiri talked him through the numbers and dutifully recited the names of businesses Sensei was currently supporting. Izuku frowned, tapping the list with his pen. "He's supporting Detnerat?" Izuku asked, clicking his tongue. He'd spent a night going down rabbit hole after rabbit hole about the company. Originally working on equipment that improved the lives of people with Mutant, dangerous or unruly Quirks, they'd branched into Support Items. Because of the new CEO's decision, customer bases amongst the civilian population had noticed an decline in the quality of products. When you took into account the fact that these were all commissioned products, it puts things in a poor light. "My cousin had his first set of hearing aids made by Detnerat. Overtime though, he's had to move to other developers as the efficiency declined. The production is sloppier, poorer quality, more expensive. The decision to move to the Hero industry won't bankrupt them, but it's already alienating civilian consumer bases." Kurogiri hummed, the sound distorted over the phone. "What would you recommend, Ito-san?" Izuku brought his hand to his chin, mind moving at rapid pace. "It would depend on what your Sensei was originally investing in. Was he an investor before Support Items came into the mix?" "I believe so. He has funded Detnerat since it was a small family business after the Quirk Wars." "Really!?" "Sensei has a longevity Quirk." Kurogiri certainly sounded amused now. Izuku was pratically salivating at the thought of getting to pick their Sensei's brains about what life was like back then and how Quirks had evolved over the years. No, Izuku, focus! You're here to help an old man with his finances, don't get distracted! "That means he likely invested in the lifestyle equipment. I doubt that the company thought to send out a new contract to investors to also receive a dividend from the shares the Support Items made. That means, as the demand for their old products decline, Sensei would get less and less money." "That does sound distressing," they agreed. "What would you have Sensei do?" "Liquidate whatever he has in the company," Izuku responded immediately. "Either that or start investing in the Support Items. Though, from what you've told me, he doesn't invest in the Hero Industry. I can't blame him, especially if he lived through the Quirk Wars; it's a fickle industry and the net-worth of most Heroes are always in fluctuation, with the exceptions of All Might and Endeavour."
"Sensei never deemed it wise to give the Heroes more than they were owed."
Izuku perked up. Oh? "He doesn't have the highest opinion of them, then?" "The work is too commercialized. They are celebrities now, not civil servants. Communities are left to rot because they are not deemed profitable or worth the Hero's time." Izuku nodded sadly. While he had grown up in Musutafu, which was basically Hero Central with how close it is to UA, his mother hadn't. She had always been scared of what would happen to him if he pursued Heroics because where she had lived as a child, they'd only really had vigilantes to rely on. "I understand. I may not agree with everything, but I can certainly see where he is coming from. People should not be neglected just because a Hero won't receive the spotlight for saving them. No one sees firefighters complaining." Kurogiri laughed, a low, wavering thing that was laced with static. "Sensei focuses his efforts on helping those that the Heroes won't." That explained the investments in lifestyle equipment and Quirk medicine. "Does Sensei have any companies of his own? If he wanted to, he could certainly do a lot of good with the connections he has. Not that I doubt he already has-" Izuku rushed to add. "But investments are one thing. If he could bring people together under a united goal..." His voice trailed off, but Kurogiri clearly caught on. "I understand what you are trying to say, and will pass it on to Sensei. It is not a bad idea. Perhaps Shigaraki-san might even enjoy working on it." "Why are you talking about me?" A faint voice yelled in the background and Izuku stifled a snort as Shigaraki audibly stomped over to wherever Kurogiri was.
"Hello, Shigaraki-san!" Izuku called out gleefully. "Kurogiri-san and I were discussing Sensei's finances. Specifically, his stock in Detnerat and how he should liquidate them, though we did get a bit off topic. I apologise for that." "That's quite alright, Ito-san," Kurogiri reassured. He could hear papers shuffling and Shigaraki's gruff tone, much clearer now (had Kurogiri put him on speaker?). "The fuck does liquidate mean?" "It means how quickly you can get cash from what you own," Izuku explained. "Like going to a game store and trading in an old catridge for money. Though for businesses it would mean their products, their stock, their equipment. If Sensei was to liquidate his finances, it would mean receiving all of his shares and dividends from the people he invested in, as well as the stock that he owns." "Huh. So it's like selling off your things because you need to pay the bills. But the resell value isn't always the same." "Exactly!" Izuku was delighted to hear that Shigaraki, game oriented as he was, understood.
"Sensei probably should liquidate his stuff with Detnerat," the man grumbled. "My gloves never came in." Izuku nodded to himself and noted that down. He could hear Kurogiri doing the same.
"Do you have any ideas on what Sensei should invest in, Shigaraki-san?" Izuku asked idly, looking back over the list. Hospitals, research funding, support groups for Quirks and mental illness alike...
"Animal shelters." Izuku blinked. "Sorry, what did you say?" "Animal shelters," Shigaraki repeated, not much louder than before. "You know, therapy animals and stuff. I heard it's good for people in hospitals long term. Sensei is always telling me to get more involved in Garaki-sensei's work. We could find out if therapy animals have effects on people trying to control destructive Quirks." "That sounds like a brilliant idea!" Izuku exclaimed, clicking his pen. Then he paused. "Actually, do you mind if I consult someone really quick? She's in the medical industry, and might be able to give a second opinion and tell us whether this is viable." "Whatever." "Of course, Ito-san."
Izuku grabbed his stuff and sprinted into his mother's room, skidding to a stop before her bed. She looked up from her book, confused. "I apologise for the late hour, Inko-san, but one of my clients has an investment opportunity that I would like to run past you." Inko stifled her giggles at his formality and nodded. "Of course, Ito-san, it's no problem at all." Izuku smirked as she played along, scrambling up onto the bed to join her and spreading his notebook in front of her. His phone was already on speaker, so he just plopped it down on the covers. Inko marked her page and put her book to the side. "Client confidentiality still stands, of course, but here is the run-down. Kurogiri-san has been instructed to help me work through Sensei's investment portfolio. So far, we have liquidated his stock in Detnerat and the rest of his shares seem to be in good hands. But Shigaraki-san has brought an interesting idea to the table. Sensei wants him to be more involved in his doctor's general research, and Shigaraki-san suggested providing funding to animal shelters to train therapy animals, with the caveat that it goes towards finding out the long term effects on patients struggling to control their Quirks, be it negative or positive. As our resident medical expert-" Inko snickered, eyes glinting with mischief. "-I wanted to ask you about the viability of such an investment, and where to start."
Inko hummed, tapping her chin. "It's a good idea, and there isn't much pre-existing information about it, so no competition. But you would need a dedicated team of various professionals and experts in different fields, a shelter and hospital willing to participate, and the money to keep this afloat. This would be a long-term project, several years in fact." "Sensei has been funding medical research towards Quirk evolution for decades," Kurogiri supplied. "i doubt he would find issue to such a beneficial investment. It could perhaps even contribute to Garaki-sensei's work." "Then you have a great idea on your hands!" Inko clapped, beaming at Izuku. "I advise that you all start looking into hospitals that specifically house patients of varying ages and Quirks, for a proper study group. It is very important that you cover all your bases."
"Thank you, Ito-san, Inko-san. You both have been incredibly helpful. But I find that the hour is far too late for business, and so we must bid you farewell, and goodnight." Kurogiri said, so formal it looped back around to being funny. "Thanks," Shigaraki added, not nearly as annoyed as he had sounded before.
The call ended.
The next day, the Midoriyas were delighted to find another cheque sitting in front of their door in the hall, and that the hospital Inko worked at was being sponsored by someone funding a large scale experiment and research programme, which meant the staff finally received a well over-due pay raise.