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Chapter Text

Nezu was not having an ideal day. The teachers at U.A had put up a fuss again–something about not involving them in his sneaky schemes again. As if! He would never endanger them if he could help it! He’d tried to tell them he wasn’t planning something this time of year–autumn really was reserved for enjoyment–but they didn’t buy it.

Then came the more pressing issue. Nezu was called into the HPSC office to solve a case. The HPSC sometimes contacted him to use his Quirk. A bit unusual, yes, but something even more concerning was that, for the first time ever, Nezu could not solve the murder case. That’s right, a serial killer was involved. The point is, the case was unsolvable. There was contradicting information, and mysterious motives. 

Usually the HPSC didn’t get involved in investigations, but something about this one was serious. The victims were killed in different ways and greatly differed from one another. There seemed to be no correlation except for the time of day they were killed. Sunset. Regardless, Nezu was unable to find the culprit. Something like that didn’t happen every day. If someone with an IQ Quirk couldn’t figure it out, who could? 

That was when Nezu heard of Ayatsuji Yukito. He was a man who lived in Yokohama, beyond the border, and beyond the reach of Heroes. Said to be a city overrun by crime, Nezu wondered how Yokohama hasn’t collapsed yet. He also wondered how exactly this Ayatsuji would solve the case. Additionally, Nezu wasn’t sure how the HPSC would contact him. And anyway, there was no way the HPSC was commissioning a foreign company. 

From what Nezu overheard, Ayatsuji didn’t have any sort of Quirk. Apparently, people in Yokohama had “Abilities”. Whatever that meant.

Needless to say, Nezu was curious. 

He sipped his tea, relishing the rich flavor of the beverage. Nezu gently set down the cup on his desk, making sure to move it far away from the edge so that he wouldn’t potentially knock it over in the future. Putting down the drink would prove helpful, as Nezu was sure he’d spill his tea if he was suddenly startled.

His desk telephone rang. It was an annoying, repetitive, shrill sound. Slightly irritated with subtly furrowed eyebrows, Nezu picked up the receiver. 

“Nezu of U.A High School speaking,” he said pleasantly, masking his true emotions once again. 

“Sir, the HPSC requests your presence. It has to do with the recent murder case.” the voice on the other end informed the principal. 

Huh. How peculiar. 

“Alright. I’ll be there soon.” 

—

When Nezu walked into the office, he was met with the looks of other familiar Pro Heroes. A smile stretched across his face on instinct. He had to act like a normal Quirk user, after all. 

“I wasn’t expecting to see you guys here! What’s the occasion?” he chirped, sitting down next to the others. 

“We’ve decided to seek aid from Yokohama–Ayatsuji Detective Agency, to be specific,” Madame President’s voice carried across the room. She had her hands folded behind her back as she walked back and forth, back and forth.

“The problem is, we have no way to contact them. Yokohama is sealed off from the rest of Japan.” she continued, pacing. 

Eraserhead raised his hand. 

“If I may, why were we called here? This has nothing to do with us U.A teachers,” he gestured at the Pro Heroes throughout the room.

Nezu could see Madame President opening her mouth to respond. She, however, didn’t get a chance to.

 “And what is so special about this company” interrupted Endeavor. “Are they really the only ones who can solve the case?” 

Nezu found himself clenching his fists. He had always disliked the No.2 Hero, even if he didn’t show that outwardly. He had an image to uphold, after all.

Madame President recovered quickly. “I was getting to that part. Eraserhead, since we can’t access the agency from here, you and other Heroes will have to go into Yokohama. Endeavor, Ayatsuji Detective Agency is rumored to have solved every single case they've been assigned. If they live up to their reputation, they’ll solve the case.” 

Solve the case? Solve that case?

“What?! No one has been able to solve that case so far. Not even Nezu over there,” Endeavor pointed towards the smartest being in the room.

Hmm. Endeavor was acting ever so slightly out of character. Ever so slightly. Perhaps it had to do with his son, Todoroki, who was also taught under Aizawa at U.A. Not just anyone could catch the change in demeanor. In fact, Nezu was certain he only picked up on the Hero’s mood because of his Quirk.

“That’s why we’re seeking outside help.” Madame President gritted her teeth. It didn’t take a genius like Nezu to understand what she was feeling. “Now, I hear the Special Division of Yokohama is affiliated with the Ayatsuji Detective Agency. I have already sent a request to the Special Division for an audience, which they accepted. You shall go into Yokohama in a day. Please be ready. The peace of the public depends on you.”

___

“I have already sent a request to the Special Division for an audience, which they accepted. You shall go into Yokohama in a day. Please be ready. The peace of the public depends on you.”

Aizawa didn’t quite know what to make of that. No Pro Hero who’d ever dared to step into Yokohama had come back out. Sending them was a kamikaze mission. And all this for what? To have a chance to beg the Detective Agency to solve a case–one that was impossible to solve? He doubted the President of the HPSC knew what she was getting them into. 

Aizawa wanted to refuse, but the HPSC was dangerous. They were all about image, and they “disposed” of anyone who they didn’t approve of. Also–just who was this Agency? Could they really solve the case which even Nezu of all people couldn’t solve? 

He trudged home, exhausted. Luckily, he wasn’t scheduled for patrol that night. He fell asleep before his head hit the pillow. 

—

The car came to a stop as they’d finally reached the Yokohama border. There was a golden barrier around the city as far as the eye could see, and armed guards were patrolling the boundary. As Yokohama was a Quirkless city, the Heroes were out of their costumes and were instead in regular, if not a bit formal, attire. 

As Nezu came out of the car, the agents seemed to be a bit surprised at his appearance. 

“Are you Nezu from U.A High School?” one asked. 

“Yes. I take it we have clearance to enter?” 

“Yes. However, we need to verify the identity of everyone in your group.” 

After that, the group took a car until they arrived at their destination. They walked into a waiting area, where a man with round glasses was waiting. 

“I am Sakaguchi Ango from the Special Division. Please follow me.” he introduced himself. 

Sakaguchi led them into an office, where he proceeded to sit down. 

“What was it you wanted with the Ayatsuji Detective Agency?” he asked. 

Aizawa piped up. He hated jumping through hoops just for a simple thing. “Why can’t we speak to the agency directly? I think it’ll save time.”

Sakaguchi’s sharp eyes pierced the teacher. 

“That wasn’t the answer I asked for. However, I’ll still answer it. The Ayatsuji Detective Agency does not accept requests from outside companies.” 

“Well, that was the whole purpose of this visit!” Nezu giggled. “May I ask why the agency doesn’t solve cases outside of Yokohama?” 

“…The Ayatsuji Detective Agency only accepts cases if they come from us, the Special Division.” 

“That’s absurd.” 

“It’s true. I apologize, but you’ll have to solve this case on your own.” 

“I bet you just don’t want to lose that solving streak,” Aizawa crossed his arms. 

“What did you just say?” Sakaguchi’s eyes flickered dangerously. “Ayatsuji Yukito has never failed at solving a case.” 

“Then prove it.” 

“It’s for your own good.” 

“How.” 

At that moment, a pair of voices could be heard past the door, passing by. 

“Ayatsuji-sensei, please stop going out on your own and solving cases. And please stop escaping in general.” A woman’s voice pleaded. 

“Tsujimura-kun, you know I hate the Division’s surveillance.” This time, a man. 

“You know that you have to be monitored!” The woman snapped back. 

The pair’s voices got fainter as they walked further away. 

The Heroes looked at each other. Then ran to the door. 

“Wait—!” Sakaguchi called out, standing up in alarm.

It was too late. Aizawa burst through the door. He saw a blonde man with tinted glasses and a hat looking curiously at them with a blue-haired woman at his side. 

“Sorry for the commotion,” Nezu waved his arms around apologetically, walking up to the pair. 

“And just who might you be?” The man leaned back, smoking his pipe. 

“Nezu of U.A High School. Who are you?” Nezu asked the question everyone was waiting for. 

“Aya—“ 

“Stop!” Sakaguchi finally caught up to them. “And what are you doing out here?” he said accusingly, giving the blonde man a pointed look.

“What do you think?” The blonde man had a bored expression on his face. 

“You should get back to your office.” 

“…Fine,” The man sighed, then began to let the blue-haired woman drag him away. 

“Wait! Are you Ayatsuji?” Present Mic called after him. 

“Ye—,” 

“I suggest you don’t answer that,” Sakaguchi interrupted. 

The blonde man took another puff of his pipe, then started walking away with the woman. 

Sounds of protest were heard. 

“That was our only chance!” 

“Can we please talk about this in the office?” Sakaguchi adjusted his glasses.

Again, the Heroes followed him to his office. 

“You really don’t want him to solve this case.” 

“Why not? I thought he was capable.” 

There was a moment of silence before Sakaguchi spoke again. 

“There is a reason why Ayatsuji has stayed number one on Yokohama’s watchlist for criminals. I repeat, you don’t want him to solve your case.” 

“Is he really that strong?” 

“Strong and dangerous are not the same thing. Ayatsuji is dangerous, yes, but he’s not strong in the slightest.” 

“That guy is dangerous?” 

“And why is he the most dangerous, then?” Nezu tilted his head. 

“I shouldn’t say.” 

Annoyance broke out between the Heroes again. 

“At least tell us why! People are getting murdered because of you!” 

That seemed to have struck a nerve. 

“Don’t say I didn’t warn you. You know about Abilities, yes?” 

Some nodded, some looked around in confusion. 

“I can explain!” Nezu volunteered. “Abilities are more powerful than Quirks, and usually have more conditions to meet. However, they’re very rare.” 

“That’s right.” Sakaguchi nodded. “Ayatsuji has an Ability. A very dangerous one at that. That’s all I’ll say. Please take your leave.” 

As Aizawa watched Yokohama fade into obscurity, he thought about what Sakaguchi had said. 

He wondered about what Ability Ayatsuji had that he would be the most dangerous man in Yokohama, if not Japan. 

But then he remembered the League of Villains. They’re probably more dangerous than Ayatsuji. Probably.

—-

“So, what are we going to do now?” Present Mic asked inside the HPSC office. Madame President had left earlier. Something about being tired. Nezu, now the unofficial leader, was pacing around the room. 

“We could always just talk to Ayatsuji directly ourselves.” Endeavor supplied. 

“Weren’t you listening? He’s dangerous, or something.” Midnight contradicted. 

The telephone rang. Everyone jumped. Nezu picked up the receiver. “Hello?”

His face hardened. “Okay.” 

He turned to the Heroes. 

“Madame President is dead.” 

Shocked shouts broke out around the room.

“How?!”

“It was a freak accident. A loose pipe in her apartment building.” Nezu said. 

—-

“I hate cases like that.” Ayatsuji muttered absentmindedly, stroking his cat’s chin. 

“It was for the greater good.” Tsujimura stated, standing by the coffee machine. 

“I know, she could’ve been dangerous. Scratch that. She’d just be annoying.” The detective rolled his eyes. “I wonder how the rest of Japan is going to react to her death.” His eyes crinkled into a smile. 

—- 

“Breaking news! President of the Hero Public Safety Commission, Madame President, has been found dead in her home! I wonder what will happen now; I hope Villains don’t take advantage of this! Come back today at 8:00 pm for more information!” A reporter’s voice rattled off on Izuku’s television.

His previously half-shut eyes jerked open. 

“Mom! Have you seen this?” 

—-

Nezu scrolled on the website until he’d found what he was looking for. 

The governmentally ranked list of the most dangerous people in Japan. 

His face twisted into a curious expression as he skipped to the very top. 

Ayatsuji Yukito

Nezu clicked on the name. He saw a picture of a very recently met blonde man. 

Name: Ayatsuji Yukito

Age: 27

Height: 179 cm

Weight: 62 kg

Affiliation: Ayatsuji Detective Agency, Special Division of Yokohama

And finally, exactly what Nezu was looking for. 

Ability: Another

“Another? What kind of name is that? That doesn’t tell us anything,” he murmured. “So what could his Ability possibly do?” 

He continued searching before remembering one of his old friends. 

“Hello, Yuki. It’s been a while. May I ask for a favor? Find out the Ability of this man.”

—-

Aizawa was walking home, using an almost deserted street, until he saw a familiar mop of blonde hair. He was looking blankly at a hysterical man in handcuffs.  

The blonde man was smoking a pipe, leaning against the brick wall while a girl with blue hair lectured him. 

“How many times have I told you to not run off!” 

“I’m simply solving the case, which the Special Division asked me to do.” 

“Would it kill you to wait for me once in a while?” 

The blonde man took a puff before replying, “Would it kill you to catch up?” 

Just as he said that, the man in handcuffs screeched, “I won’t go! I won’t! Oh, my clean record! Gone!” He staggered to his feet, probably intending to run for it, when the girl braced herself to sprint after him. 

“Calm down, Tsujimura-kun. Just let him. You don’t want to get caught in it, do you?” 

The girl, Tsujimura, stiffened. 

Taking that as a sign, the handcuffed man started running. The blonde man stuck a hand in front of Tsujimura to keep her from pursuing him. 

Just as Aizawa was planning to stop the criminal, a semi-truck swerved off of the road and into the running man. 

Aizawa heard a splat! before running to the injured if not dead man. 

His bones were crushed, and the teacher saw a hint of bone poking out of skin. He turned to the side and threw up. 

“My, my. Are you alright?” 

Aizawa heard a voice behind him. He turned around. He saw the pair approaching him. Tsujimura looked a bit nervous, but otherwise unbothered. Ayatsuji—Aizawa thought that was his name—appeared as if this was a regular Tuesday evening for him. 

“If I am alright?! What about this poor man?!” Aizawa spat. Then he looked at the injured man. “If we hurry, we can make it to the hospital to save him.” Just as he was about to check the man’s pulse, Ayatsuji interrupted. 

“He’s already dead.” 

—-

“It was horrible.” Aizawa rubbed his eyes, sitting in Nezu’s office with All Might, Endeavor, Midnight, Present Mic, and of course, Nezu. 

“I couldn’t even save him. One moment he was alive, and the next he was dead. And through it all, that Ayatsuji was acting like this happened every day.”

“Ayatsuji?” Nezu perked up. “He was there?”

Aizawa nodded. “Yes, and that girl Tsujimura too.” 

“I found out what Ayatsuji’s Ability is. We need to do something about him.” Nezu folded his hands on the desk. 

Everyone looked at him expectedly. 

Nezu pulled up a document with all known information regarding Ayatsuji, then flipped his computer around so the others could see it. 

“His Ability is to grant people an accidental death no matter what.”

The Heroes looked horrified. 

“What?!” roared Endeavor. 

Nezu ignored him. “However, his Ability has a few conditions that have to be met in order to activate. One, it only works on individuals who have committed murder or attempted to. Two, since Ayatsuji is a detective, he needs hard evidence in order to deduce the criminal is guilty. Three, his Ability only activates in cases he’s commissioned to solve.” 

“Uhm…I hope there’s a fourth condition where his Ability only has a one percent chance of activating or something?” Midnight nervously smiled. 

“There’s no such thing. Once Ayatsuji finds the criminal, the person has a one hundred percent chance of being accidentally killed.” Nezu said coldly. 

“Sheesh, no wonder he’s so dangerous.” Midnight closed her eyes in defeat.

“Well, Aizawa can always erase his Ability.” 

People’s eyes finally had a spark of hope. 

“Now, we need to decide what to do about him.” Nezu settled back into his chair.

“Can’t we just leave him be?” 

Everyone turned to Present Mic. “Uh. I-I’m not defending him!” He cried out, putting his arms up.

The ordeal was cut short by a chime from Nezu’s laptop. 

“Apologies. It seems as though my informant has more information about Ayatsuji.” His eyes widened in alarm as he read the file. 

“Nezu? What is it?” questioned All Might. 

“…He’s been working at the office for twenty years now. And…his kill count is known to be two billion people. We can not let this disgusting behavior be excused.” 

Present Mic’s face hardened. “What do we do about him?” 

Nezu regained his composure. “We should talk to the Special Division. If they don’t give him to us, we’ll schedule a raid squad immediately. We should interrogate Ayatsuji, and, if we find evidence of his crimes, we shall imprison him in Tartarus.”

Everyone nodded hesitantly. 

“Now, who’s going?” 

—-

“Ah. It’s you again.” Sakaguchi interlaced his hands. “What do you want this time?”

“We know you’ve been harboring a criminal.” Endeavor said. 

Sakaguchi raised an eyebrow, but otherwise stayed the same. “Who?”

“Ayatsuji.” answered Aizawa. 

“So what?” 

Present Mic sputtered. “W-what do you mean ‘So what’?” 

“I mean so what. What are you going to do about it?” Sakaguchi remained as impassive as ever. 

“We want you to surrender him to us, where he’ll face consequences for his crimes.” Nezu answered. 

“What crimes? He’d just been doing his job.” 

“We know about his Ability, and his list of victims. We know he killed two billion people!”

“Do you have any proof of that?” Sakaguchi’s eyes glinted in the light. 

“We don’t need proof, my friend.” Nezu gestured vaguely with his hands. “We suspect it, so you’re required to surrender him to the authorities.” 

“And what law requires it, exactly? Which authorities? We’re in Yokohama. Your rules don’t apply here. Now, please leave. For your sake, I hope this is the last time I see you.” 

As the group filed out, they took refuge in an empty street. 

“So, now we take him unwillingly?” Midnight questioned. 

“Yes, it seems we have to, doesn’t it? This is our only option.” Nezu said. “Everyone, remember your roles and your positions. I have Ayatsuji’s whereabouts here.” He pointed to a red pin on his phone. 

—-

Ayatsuji took another puff of his kiseru as he organized his dolls again. Normally he’d be drinking coffee upstairs right now, but he knew the Heroes were due any second. God, it was so easy to figure them out. If every Hero was as predictable as this, he couldn’t believe Villains didn’t rule Musutafu and every other city, for that matter. 

He’d made sure to snatch his two cats with him; he didn’t know what he’d do if someone hurt his cats (he’d find the person who did it and somehow connect them to a murder). 

Ayatsuji wished he could escape, but that took loads of work and time for planning, time he didn’t have right now.

Ayatsuji also made sure to contact Tsujimura in advance, so if the Heroes found him she knew what happened, and Sakaguchi already figured out what the Heroes were up to. 

There was a thump upstairs. Ayatsuji made a face. He’d add to his kill count if someone broke something. 

As usual, Kyogoku was grinning creepily at him, from the corner of the doll-ridden room this time. Ayatsuji would say something nasty, but he didn’t want to alert the Heroes to his presence. 

Ayatsuji looked up at the ceiling as he heard another sound, closer this time. 

So the Heroes weren’t completely hopeless, he’d give them that. If it came down to fighting, Ayatsuji wouldn’t. He wouldn’t want his dolls to get mangled, after that. 

He deposited his precious kiseru into his pocket. If he woke up and his pipe wasn’t with him, he’d start acting like the Special Grade-A Dangerous Ability User he was. 

He hid his smirk as the door swung open. 

“Ayatsuji Yukito? You’re under arrest.”

—-

“Present Mic! Slow down!” Everyone screamed as he broke the speed limit countless times. 

“Sorry!” he yelled. “I just don’t want to get caught with an unconscious Special Grade-A Dangerous Ability User in the back!” 

“We’re Heroes, it’s fine. We won’t get caught.” Aizawa answered, hastily moisturizing his glowing red eyes again.

“Eraserhead, you don’t have to keep using your Quirk. He’s unconscious, and so far, none of the conditions have been met.” 

“We’ve kidnapped a person.” Midnight shut her eyes and held her head. 

“It was easy. Who knew that the most dangerous person in Yokohama would be so weak?” Endeavor barked. 

“I guess Sakaguchi was right when he said strong and dangerous weren’t the same.” Aizawa said. “When is Tsukauchi meeting us?” 

“Hmm, in maybe five minutes? We’re almost there anyway.” 

—-

“About time you got here.” Tsukauchi said. He swiftly handcuffed Ayatsuji, not wanting to take any chances. 

They ascended in the elevator. They got some weird looks as the group passed by, carrying an unconscious man. 

They reached the interrogation room, where Ayatsuji was placed. When he began to wake up two minutes later, Tsukauchi was ready to interrogate him. 

“My Quirk can sense when you lie. Do not try to deceive me.” 

“Hmm, how interesting. Okay.” Ayatsuji took out his pipe and began to smoke with his newly free hands. 

Tsukauchi goggled at him. “I could’ve sworn I—-“ his face turned serious. “Nevermind. Please answer these questions to the best of your ability.”

Midnight, Aizawa, Nezu, Present Mic, and All Might watched from the one-way glass. 

“Are you Ayatsuji Yukito?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have a Quirk?” 

“No.” 

“Do you have…an Ability?” 

“Yes.” 

“Has your Ability killed someone before?” 

“Yes.”

“How many people has your Ability killed?” 

The group held their breath. 

“Over two billion.” 

Tsukauchi looked shocked at the announcement before recommencing the interrogation. 

“How old are you?” 

“Twenty seven years old.”

“How long have you worked for the Special Division?” 

“Twenty years.” 

Tsukauchi’s jaw dropped before moving on. 

“Are there any conditions for your Ability?” 

“Yes.”

“I think that’s it.” Tsukauchi scribbled some more in his notebook, then looked at the Heroes through the glass. 

—-

“So? Do we send him to Tartarus?” 

Nezu bit his fingernails, or whatever he had. “He might be useful.” He finally said. “And it’s true his detective skills are unmatched. If he finds the criminal, Aizawa can just use his Quirk and the person won’t die.” 

“That’s true.” 

“We shall send him to Tartarus after he solves the case,” he decided. 

—-

“Hmm. What a weird case.” 

Aizawa watched as the man leisurely flipped through the pages of a detailing of a crime that took place before the Sunset Killings. 

“So? Can you solve it?” 

Ayatsuji rolled his eyes. “Patience, patience.” 

“I don’t even know why and how the Special Division tolerates you!” Aizawa huffed. 

“I’m useful to them,” Ayatsuji answered. 

“How’ve you not been imprisoned yet?” 

“Well, frankly, I’m lucky they haven’t killed me yet. I’m starting to think they don’t have the guts to do it.” 

Aizawa’s eyes widened. 

“Do you not care at all?!” 

“Not really, no.” 

“What about your girlfriend? That Tsujimura girl?” 

“Excuse me?! That’s ridiculous.” Ayatsuji giggled. 

“Why’re you always together, then?” 

“Ah…she’s in charge of me, that’s why.” Ayatsuji took another puff from his kiseru. 

“Anyway. Let’s go to the crime scene. Solving cases based on files isn’t my favorite.” Ayatsuji said, standing up. 

“Fine. Just know, I’m watching you.” 

—-

As Aizawa watched the detective navigate around the streets easily, he had a thought. 

“Have you been here before? How’d you know where to go?” 

“Well, the Division lets me out periodically.” Ayatsuji examined the crime scene. 

“‘Lets you out’? Are you not usually allowed outside?”

“Not unless Tsujimura-kun or someone else is with me, and even that’s for business.” 

Aizawa hesitated, then spoke. “I think that’s cruel. Even if you have killed two billion people.” 

Ayatsuji was silent. Aizawa took that as a sign to change the topic. 

“What’s the most frustrating case you’ve ever been assigned?” 

“The ones my arch nemesis would orchestrate.”

“‘Arch nemesis’? And why?” 

“Yes, arch nemesis. He would manipulate people into being murderers, so that my Ability would activate on the manipulates, not himself.” 

“That’s…clever.” Aizawa frowned. “Did you end up catching him?” 

“Yes.” 

“So he’s dead?” 

“Kind of. He’s still here.” 

Still here? What’d that even mean? 

“How come he’s not dead? Where is he right now? Behind bars, I hope.” 

“He’s here.” 

“I mean in the world, where is he?” 

“And I mean ‘here’. In fact, he’s standing right next to you now.” 

Aizawa whipped around with a pounding heart, but he didn’t see anyone else. 

“I don’t think this is very funny.” He gritted his teeth. 

“I’m being truthful, but okay. Anyway, I almost figured it out. Bring in the suspects.” 

“That quick?” But Aizawa still obliged, calling the person in charge of the file to contact the suspects. 

—-

Aizawa surveyed the group. Neither of them looked guilty. In fact, all of them looked nervous and scared. 

“The murderer is…him.” Ayatsuji pointed at the file holder, who was standing off to the side.

“Uhm…pardon? I’m not a suspect, I think you misunderstood.” The file holder, Hiro, laughed anxiously. 

“No, I think you’ve misunderstood. The rest of you are dismissed.” 

“Wait!” Aizawa jumped. “How can you be so sure?” 

“I just can. I don’t have to explain anything to you.” 

The suspects quickly filed out, only leaving Aizawa, Hiro, and Ayatsuji. 

“It’s not me! I swear it’s not me!” Hiro shrieked. 

Ayatsuji lit his kiseru before removing it from his mouth. 

“You were the victim’s coworker, correct? She found out you were embezzling money from the company, so you killed her. You just tried to frame the other suspects because the evidence is lying at the bottom of the fake floor under your desk with the stolen money, isn’t it? It was easy to frame others because they all had a connection to the victim and were past convicts in prison, where you met them. However, you weren’t counted as a suspect because you wiped your record clean by faking your own death, murdering your twin brother, and taking his identity. No one would notice because your brother was a shut-in with no connections to anyone. Isn’t that right? Hiro, or should I say Teko Koyasha?” 

Aizawa was stunned. There was barely any information about anything in the case file, and countless detectives have given up that case from frustration. But was it really true? Aizawa glanced at Teko, only to be met with shrill screaming. 

Teko staggered to his feet. Aizawa activated his Quirk, getting ready to capture Teko with his scarf, before there was a clatter and a loose brick slipped from the hinges, falling directly on top of Teko’s head. 

His Ability…wasn’t erased? 

There was a wet smack! and then silence. Ayatsuji didn’t even look at the corpse, instead choosing to take a hit out of his pipe. 

Aizawa quickly ran up to Teko and checked his pulse. There was none. He turned around to Ayatsuji, before yelling, “What is wrong with you?!” 

Ayatsuji looked at him coldly. He had no emotion on his face. Like some sort of robot. 

Aizawa grabbed Ayatsuji by his shirt. “He could’ve lived! If not for your cursed Ability!” 

“‘Twas merely a coincidence.” 

“I know it wasn’t.” Aizawa snarled. 

“If you wanted him to live so badly, maybe you should’ve solved the case.” 

That was like a slap in the face. 

“What did you just say to me?!” 

“Maybe if the police force was smarter, maybe this man would be alive.” 

“Maybe if you hadn’t activated your Ability!” 

Ayatsuji looked him in the eyes and blinked. “Oh. That? I thought you’d be smarter.” 

“What does that mean?” Aizawa yelled, shaking Ayatsuji.

“Oh, I guess it’s my fault for thinking you’d be sharper. I’ll spell it out for you. I have no control over my Ability.” 

—-

Chapter Text

“I have no control over my Ability.” 

Aizawa’s face changed into a more surprised one. His eyes watered with angry tears. He couldn’t stand it. He just couldn’t. He couldn’t stand this man just acting as if he didn’t just kill a person, and now he was trying to shift the blame? He was trying to act innocent, as if he hadn’t murdered so many people in the past? 

“I can’t believe you have the nerve to lie about something so important now.” He clenched Ayatsuji’s shirt tighter. The fabric crumpled with his touch. His fists shook with rage. “I take back my words. Confining a monster such as you isn’t cruel at all. I’d do the same thing.” 

The detective’s face didn’t change, nor show even a hint of emotion. His face was neutral, blank. Like he was just a shell of a man. Like he was just purposefully trying to anger the other with his lack of humanity. 

Aizawa shook Ayatsuji, hard. “Say something.” he growled. 

“Something.” Ayatsuji’s tone was listless, as if he was bored. 

This was the last straw. 

The teacher opened his mouth to retort, yell, anything, but stopped himself. His shoulders slumped. There was no winning. Not with this man. Not with this cold hearted murderer, who took countless lives of people; people who’d never get the chance to wake up in the morning, to go to sleep at night. People who had emotions, empathy. People who likely weren’t necessarily good, but people who deserved the chance at life. People who weren’t like this poor excuse of a human being. 

“Maybe I should inform the others about this ordeal. About how Tartarus isn’t even a viable option but maybe execution is. It’s the least of what you deserve.” Aizawa said. His voice was cold. He had to keep his feelings in check, to at least appear as if he had even a sliver of composure. 

Ayatsuji didn’t even look fazed. He blinked. “Oh well. You’re entitled to your opinion, I suppose.” 

This angered Aizawa even more. His grip switched to Ayatsuji’s wrists, tightening around them painfully. “The Special Division is stupid for not killing you.” 

The detective finally looked up, meeting Aizawa’s piercing gaze.

“Blah blah blah. Maybe you’re the insane one. You keep repeating the same thing every time, yet hoping for a different reaction. What do you want me to do? What do you want me to do so that you’ll stop this endless droning? Do you want me to miraculously drag this man from hell back to life? Do you want me to rewind the last 2 minutes so that maybe you’ll do what you were supposed to and stop me?” 

Aizawa froze. “Hell? Teko was a better person than you’ll ever be. Maybe he didn’t make the best choices, but he didn’t deserve to die! And also: so I’ll stop? Maybe you shouldn’t have killed that poor man Teko for no reason! Even though he was a criminal, you didn’t have to kill him!” he practically screamed. 

Ayatsuji blinked again. It looked like he finally understood why Aizawa was mad.

“Haven’t I already told you that I can’t control my Ability? Heroes should really listen more. You never know when someone, or a ‘Villain’ says something important!” Ayatsuji had a small smile on his face now, contrary to his emotionless demeanor before. 

Aaand now the guy was trying to deceive him again. This confirmed it. This confirmed that who Aizawa was dealing with now was a government psycho who found a situation where a man lost his life (because of the said psycho, may Aizawa add) humorous. 

“I don’t think Nezu mentioned this part of your Ability before.” the raven frowned.

Ayatsuji’s smile grew. Now he looked borderline manic. 

“Aw, I am so flattered that the rat went out of his way to find out more information about little old me.” 

The teacher’s blood boiled when he heard the description of the respected principal. Aizawa squeezed the other man’s wrists even harder unconsciously. He didn’t realize what he was doing. Ayatsuji didn’t make a single noise, of pain or otherwise. The detective was completely silent.

Aizawa didn’t stop even as he heard crunches of bone. He was too preoccupied about the utter gall of this person in front of him. The person who currently looked kind of annoyed. 

“Are you done with your tantrum? Aren’t you supposed to report the death, or something? Do your job. Or will you fail at this one too? I guess we’ll find out!”  

Aizawa flinched, now snapped out of his unusually violent trance. He looked away in embarrassment, letting go of Ayatsuji. 

His ears caught a small sound; there was a small snap. Aizawa peered down, wincing when his eyes caught sight of the detective’s limp wrists bending in the wrong direction. 

The Hero’s eyes widened as he registered what happened. 

“I—I don’t know what came over me.” He glanced up to view the reaction of Ayatsuji. 

Even in that moment, he didn’t have a single shred of emotion. His eyes bored into Aizawa. He studied them, or tried to. Ayatsuji’s eyes—Aizawa had never seen any that looked like that. People said that eyes were the window to the soul, and Aizawa had agreed at the time. No matter who a criminal was or what crime they committed, Aizawa could still sense their soul. Or at least he thought so. But Ayatsuji was different. His eyes were different. Ayatsuji’s eyes—they looked dead. Aizawa was certain that if souls existed, the man in front of him didn’t possess one. Aizawa held back a shudder.

There was a flicker of movement. Ayatsuji’s face stretched into an eerie grin. 

“My, I wonder how you’re going to explain this!” 

—-

“He provoked you so you broke both his wrists?” Nezu questioned. The other Heroes in the room looked at Aizawa concerningly. He could feel some of their glances pushing him down, down into a pit in the earth he desperately wanted to crawl into and die. 

The silence was suffocating. 

“Yes.” Aizawa’s voice cracked. 

There were gasps in the room. Heads swiveled to meet his gaze.

Nezu appeared a bit surprised at the blunt confession before placing a more natural expression on his face. The animal folded his hands together before continuing. 

“Why?” 

Aizawa didn’t have an answer for that. He had thought of potential reasons why he injured the detective in the police station when recounting his experience, but in the end he confirmed in his head that none of them met the circumstances.

The teacher himself couldn’t even come up with an excuse for his act. He hadn’t realized what he was doing until he was too late. Hell, he didn’t know what he’d done until he heard a crack. 

“This is crossing the line of Hero work, Eraserhead.” warned Nezu. “As much as I consider you a trusted friend, I can’t give you another chance after this. And it’s not my decision to make. Do you understand?” 

Aizawa numbly nodded. It felt as though his head was filled with cotton, and he was very deep underwater. He barely registered the words being thrown at him. 

The rest of the meeting went smoothly. Or, as smoothly as it could. Odd yet strangely pitiful looks were directed at Aizawa throughout the session. The group also had to discuss why Another still activated, but nobody was up to that after the events of today’s ordeal. So, they agreed to put it off for another day. 

Aizawa sighed, getting up after everyone else had left. He had been too caught up in his thoughts. 

With a click, he stepped into the empty hallway. His feet carried him to the holding cell where Ayatsuji was kept (after getting medical treatment, of course). 

He hesitantly knocked before opening the door. 

Ayatsuji was sitting at the beat-up table with the case files. He appeared to Aizawa that he was lost in thought, but those eyes snapped up to meet him as the door automatically closed behind the teacher. 

Aizawa felt pinned down by the gaze. But then he remembered what he’d done, and his back straightened. 

“I came here to apologize.” 

For the second time that day, silence. Ayatsuji was looking at him expectantly before speaking. 

“And?” 

‘And’? What did he mean by that? Aizawa internally sighed, it seemed like he was the one who had to act mature in this situation. After all, he was the antagonist in this story. 

“And…I’m sorry. It was my fault for letting my emotions get the best of me. I uhm…” Aizawa rubbed his neck sheepishly. “I’m sorry for saying all those awful things to you. I didn’t mean any of it.” 

And that’s when Ayatsuji knew he’d caught the Hero in his trap.  

He held himself back from smirking, that would probably send Eraserhead into a frenzy, especially right now. 

“Well, I suppose if you put it like that…I have to forgive you. Although, that’s not really gonna fix anything. Reports are still supposed to be written, and how will I smoke my pipe?” 

Aizawa looks absolutely flabbergasted by his actual concerns. They can’t be too outlandish, can they? Ayatsuji doesn’t know a lot of people, but he thought that not being able to smoke was a large factor in sad people. Perhaps not. He mentally stores this information in his head, relaxing when the data slips into one of his favorite and most reliable boxes. 

Ayatsuji glances at Aizawa. He’s not even looking in his general direction, instead choosing to look at his own feet or in the corner, where rats are the biggest point of interest. 

He’s ashamed. Ashamed for losing his cool, ashamed for breaking Ayatsuji’s wrists, and ashamed for acting like a pathetic fool during his mundane, predictable, and equally stupid apology. 

He misses Tsujimura. He misses how easy she was to rile up, how she always got a latte to cheer herself up after getting scolded by her boss, Sakaguchi Ango, and how she always said dumb, heroic lines from spy movies she adored in the morning to encourage her to do her job, of all things. 

That was kind of cute. 

Ayatsuji immediately banishes the thought from his head, because thoughts like that have no place in his brain. He was only kept around for his brain and his Ability, after all. And his brain was supposed to be filled to the brim with handy knowledge, knowledge that may very well save his life one day. And now thoughts of Tsujimura were occupying that space. And now Tsujimura would be the cause of his inevitable murder, which would mean she was the murderer, which meant….which meant that the orders Tsujimura's mom had commanded to the Shadow Child have a chance of not applying, and then Another would count Tsujimura as the culprit. 

Ugh. He hated being left alone with his thoughts like this.

—-