I continued making my rounds, greeting the neighbors.
As I walked toward the front door of the fifth house and rang the bell, I noted the freshly manicured lawn and pruned bushes. But not all the cuts were precise.
A clear sign that the caretakers did not hire someone to professionally do it.
Meaning they were gardening their own house.
The door opened, and an old man greeted me.
It took a few seconds for him to process my presence, but once he did, he waved wildly towards the back of the house.
"Oh! We've got a guest dear!"
His wife peered over her knitting, glasses slipping down her nose, "Hello sweetie~", she chimed in a sweet voice, "You can call me Granny Mito."
Then the old man tapped his own chest, "Jiro Hiroshi's the name."
I bowed slightly, "Evening. Hakuro Amago. New neighbor from across the street."
The old man leaned in closer to me, scratching his scraggly beard, before his eyes widened in recognition.
"Oh, honey! This is the one I was tellin' ya about! The kid who was airing the cashier's dirty laundry out at the convenience store!"
He turned back to me, "Saw you last week spreading gossip and dissectin' the cashier's divorce!"
"Making deductions" I tried to correct. "Not gossip."
But they ignored me.
Granny Mito clapped her hands as she waddled towards the door. "Oooh, a detective! Like the ones on TV! How do you do it dearie?!"
I blinked in bewilderment before explaining with a smile, "The cashier had a fading tan line on her ring finger, with no ring. And she also had a single opened wine bottle during work hours with eye bags. So it was simply basic observations. Not detective work."
Old Man Masato chuckled while elbowing his wife, "Modest, ain't he? Bet you've got our whole life story figured out already, huh kid!"
Granny Mito looked at me with wonder, "Please could you do us? It's not everyday that a detective analyzes you in person!"
I glanced at the old couple. Both looked at me expectedly.
So I scanned them over.
'Faded matching wedding rings.'
'His left knee was stiff—old injury.'
'Her yarn: cheap acrylic, bought on sale. Pension budget.'
'Their expressions showed that they were still happy after their long marriage.'
I shrugged, "You've been married 40-50 years. You garden; she knits excessively. And you—," I pointed to the old man— "still sneak candy when she's not looking."
Granny Mito gasped, swatting her husband's shoulder, "MASATO! Your diabetes!"
He scowled in guilt, trying to protect himself from his wife's furious hits, "The kid's a snitch!"
I raised my hands in peace, "Hey. You brought this on yourself."
Granny Mito Dug into her blouse, "Well, I've got a treat for our clever new friend!"
My spine stiffened.
She pulled out a dusty, unwrapped butterscotch candy, flecked with… lint?
'No.' I leaned back, horrified.
'The texture isn't the same. It's not lint.'
'It's… Gray hair.'
She beamed with enthusiasm, "Here, dearie! A treat for your big brain!"
I stared at the offering, my OCD flaring with warning signs.
'Saliva. Dead skin cells. A biohazard in cellophane.'
I forced a smile. "How… thoughtful. Though I'd hate to deprive you of your, ah, personalized confectionery. I don't want to take away Mr. Masato's favorite snack."
But he wheezed with laughter. "She's been stashin' 'em there since the 80s! Secret recipe!"
'...Charming'
Granny Mito was still staring at me with hope.
So I pocketed the candy without touching it any more than I needed to. "I'll savor it. After industrial grade sterilization."
She chuckled, cluelessly cheerful. "Visit anytime, dear! And bring some scandal about the neighbors when you do!"
I started backing away, "Of course. Enjoy your evening."
"See ya kid!" Old Man Masato called out.
I waved back and began speed walking away.
I turned the corner, and immediately dumped the candy into a trash bin, scrubbing my hands with my personal sanitizer.
'How has Old Man Masato not died of a disease from those candies yet???'
***
Two days later. (February 30th)
Sunlight streamed in through the kitchen window, warming the wooden table where I sat.
I'd just finished assembling my favorite post-study snack: precise and equally cut apple slices, each dipped in a smooth spoonful of peanut butter.
'Nutritious. Sweet. And tasty' I told myself.
U.A.'s envelope laid beside my plate, its crimson seal glinting.
'It's about time this came.'
I tore it open with a letter knife, and a small hologram device tumbled out into my palm.
I set it on the table, and with a click, All Might's towering figure materialized, grinning like a sunbeam in human form.
"I AM HERE... IN A RECORDING!" He struck his iconic pose, though the projection flickered slightly.
"HAHA! Good morning, applicant Hakuro! You've performed exceptionally well—Succeeding in the written exam, combat portion, and showcasing your heroic spirit!"
'Heroic spirit? Oh, right—the rescue points.' I smirked, popping another apple slice into my mouth.
'Helping those panicked examinees to dodge debris and robot beams paid off. Who says kindness isn't rewarded?'
All Might leaned forward, his holographic eyes twinkling. "You're probably wondering why I'm personally delivering the news! WELL…" He paused for dramatic effect.
"I'LL BE TEACHING AT U.A. THIS YEAR! Prepare yourself, young man—for the future!"
'Teaching? Him?' I stifled a laugh.
'I mean, his practical knowledge was something I would definitely learn from. But when he tried to explain something theoretically, he wasn't any better than Kaminari.'
'He's lucky Midoriya was an intuitive protegeé.'
All Might continued.
"Now then, it is my pleasure to say that you have been accepted into U.A.! I, like many others, were impressed by your integrity from this exam young man! Why integrity you might ask? Because besides fighting robots in the combat exam, you were graded on your 'heroic spirit' in helping others! A criteria you especially excelled in!"
'Heroic spirit huh.'
I tossed the term around in my mind for a while.
'I wonder if I truly have that storybook trait.'
'Heroic Spirit.'
'I mean sure, I didn't like seeing injustice. And I was more inclined to help people in need, but I couldn't really say I was a Hero in the true sense.'
'I was petty when I wanted to be.'
'Greedy for knowledge or anything I set my sights on.'
'Would gladly break the law if I saw the need to.'
'Definitely held bias towards people.'
'And wasn't averse to violence.'
The recording spoke out again.
"I cannot wait to see and meet you in class in two months Hakuro! Always keep striving to be better, with passion, and with vigor!"
"PLUUUS ULTRAAAAA!" He struck a final pose, staying like that for a few seconds.
"..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
He eventually moved his head off-screen.
"How do we end the recording—? Oh, this button? Thank you, thank you-" Then the hologram vanished, the leaderboard replacing its position.
Place | Name | Villain Points | Rescue Points
1st | Katsuki Bakugo | 77 | 0
2nd | Eijiro Kirishima | 39 | 35
3rd | Ochaco Uraraka | 28 | 45
4th | Ibara Shiozaki | 36 | 32
5th | Itsuka Kendo | 25 | 40
6th | Tenya Iida | 52 | 9
7th | Izuku Midoriya | 0 | 60
8th | Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu | 49 | 10
9th | Fumikage Tokoyami | 47 | 10
10th | Pony Tsunotori | 31 | 25
I looked over the scores.
'Bakugo's first place, not surprising.'
'Ochaco got third? I mean, it makes sense. Her quirk is extremely useful. I'm just surprised she did so well. Was it like that in the anime?'
'Congrats Iida, 6th place. I'm sure you'll make your brother proud.'
My eyes skimmed lower.
[Midoriya Izuku: Eighth place. 60 Rescue Points]
'Good. Canon's the same.'
Midoriya was the key to countering All for One. A quirk user who could literally flip the world on its head with enough preparation.
I never finished the anime, but I knew Izuku would defeat him. It was a Shonen afterall.
And the main character was always gifted with the power to overturn the chaos of the world.
I leaned back in thought.
'In the end, in a world of superpowers, overwhelming power was the victor.'
'Even with all the plans in the world, if you can't deliver a killing blow, you were fated to lose.'
'So I had to make sure Midoriya was up to that task when the time came.'
'I'll help guide his path at the very least to make both of our lives easier.'
I looked below him on the leaderboard.
'Wow. Pony got into the top 10. I bet she's ecstatic. I wonder if that would get her into class A, or if she'll remain in class B.'
I scrolled the screen down until my name appeared.
24th | Hakuro Amago | 7 | 35
I would have said that this score would have assured that I got into class 1B, but my accompanying student ID proved otherwise.
With big bold letters, the ID read: CLASS 1-A, practically glowing on the table.
'I wonder why they placed me here? My quirk isn't that remarkable.'
I flipped the ID to its back for the code, and opened the U.A. app from my phone, pulling up the class roster.
'Kirishima, Uraraka, Iida…Familiar names from the leaderboard.'
'Midoriya. Kaminari, Asui… same people from the anime so far.
'Jiro, Mina, Momo. Hmmm. I don't see Kouda, the animal communicator. Did I replace him? Will he be in Class 1B then?'
I paused.
The peanut butter jar caught my eye.
'Nutrition first.'
I scooped another glob onto a slice, savoring the sweet-salty crunch before I looked back at my phone.
'Well, Kouda had no major impact on the plot so that's fine. And I had more important things to consider.
'All Might said two months until the term at UA starts.'
'Time to prep.'
'I still needed to memorize all the streets and undocumented alleyways in this city.'
'Getting some connections in the hero agencies and the Police force through 'Insight' would also be ideal.'
I pushed my chair back as I stood up to clear the table.
'And I still need to decide on how I want to deal with the League of Villains, Liberation Army, Chisaki, and the rest.'
'All the villains that appeared in MHA.'
'Each one with a more troublesome power or plan than the last.'
Dink— Click.
"I AM HERE... IN A RECORDING!"
I accidentally dropped the holographic device on the floor, causing holographic All Might to pop up once more, repeating the earlier message with his enthusiastic smile greeting me.
'I'm going to a Hero school. To U.A.…' I thought, the realization slowly dawning on me as I picked up the device.
'Never thought I'd care about it, but…' I smiled, tucking the ID into my pocket.
'This could actually be fun. New villains to capture. Some of which were originally captured in the anime through sheer dumb luck or plot armor.'
'I wonder how my plans will hold up against them.'
Hologram All Might did another pose at that moment.
I did a mock salute towards him.
"Relax, Teach. I'll bring the brains. You bring the muscle. I won't let the class I'm in fall into harm's way."
'But two months huh.'
'I'm sure I can find something to do until then.'
***
[Just under two months later…]
'Agh!!!' I rubbed my head in frustration.
'I can't find something to do!!!"
'It's been one month, three weeks, two days, eight hours, and…. (I checked my phone), 23 minutes since UA's acceptance letter came.'
'My boredom level's have hit critical.'
I flopped onto my front porch bench, glaring at the cloudless sky above.
'Nothing.'
'No crimes to investigate.'
'No calls for Insight.'
'Not even a rogue specimen or criminal to analyze.'
'Kesagiri Man never called me from my business card. It was probably still untouched, laying on his desk. Unless Adhesion secretly burned it.'
Kesagiri man was my only source of potential crime scenes to join, because all the other heroes, detectives, or cops I met didn't bother taking my card.
'Maybe I should've added glitter on the card like Yuna said. Or a meme.'
'The first month was bearable because I had hope, and I spent time tending to my garden.'
'Yes, my garden.'
'It was growing all the essentials that I required for my experiments. As well as useful potions and poisons, like the paralyzing agent I used on the thugs in the alleyway.'
'I had the basics of course, Nightshade, Hemlock, Foxglove, Monkshood and Mandrake.'
'And then I had some from the Black Market; Angel's Trumpet, Black Vasin, Henbane, and Lily of the Valley.'
I turned over, muttering to a squirrel in a tree, "If I have to rewatch another detective drama, I'll solve the mystery of why they're all so predictable."
The squirrel chittered.
"Can't you find me a case?" I pleaded.
But then, I heard the spirited voice of an adult man, "Oh! Hakuro! Lovely day, isn't it?"
I sat upright.
A family of three strolled past—dad in a faded Hawks T-shirt, mom with a sun hat, and a kid clutching a half-melted popsicle.
The Kurosawas.
All three possessed some sort of variation of plant manipulation quirks.
'But it was more useful for gardening than combat.'
The kid's eyes, Aiko, who was the same age as my own sisters, widened like I'd just materialized out of a case file.
I noticed her eyes looked a bit red and puffy.
'She's been crying. Probably for a couple hours by the look of it.'
I forced a neighborly smile, "Uh. Yeah. Great weather for… photosynthesis."
The mother, Rina Kurosawa, smirked at me. "And congratulations, our little neighborhood detective! UA's lucky to have you."
I blinked slowly.
I don't remember telling anyone that.
"How'd you—?"
But the mom interrupted with a bright chuckle, "Fufufu~" She adjusted her hat, mock-mysterious.
"Kitsuki said that if a 'bright child' like you didn't get in, UA shouldn't call itself number one. Especially if her 'brat' placed first. Her words, not mine."
And then she posed like a detective, "But I'll steal the flare for her deductions."
I snorted, "Ah. So Bakugo's mom is part of my hype squad. Good to know."
Aiko ran up to me.
She tugged at my sleeve while I took a swift step back before her popsicle dripped onto my shoe.
"Mister Detective! You're gonna be a hero? Like All Might?!"
I sighed in relief from preserving my boots, "More like… I be All Might's grumpy intern. But with less muscle and more brains."
"Please please pleeeeease" Aiko pleaded. "Help me! I want to report a missing person!"
My ears twitched and a shiver ran through my body.
"A case?!"
The dad, Sora Kurosawa, walked forward and lifted up Aiko in his arms, "What she means is… our cat, Mochi, went missing last night. Have you seen her? Fluffy, gray, hates everything except tuna?"
My excitement already began dwindling, "Haven't seen her. I would recommend calling the fire department—"
But Aiko jumped out of her dad's hold, and with puppy eyes activated, lip trembling, she stood over me.
"Pleeeeease? We checked everywhere! Even under the fridge!"
Puppy eyes.
"..."
Puppy eyes.
'Oh no.'
Puppy eyes.
Her eyes reminded me of Hana and Yuna's eyes—glaring at me from memory.
My twin sisters' patented "big brother, fix it" stare.
I'd folded to that look for 7 years without fail.
'Traitorous nostalgia.'
Sigh~
I breathed out in defeat as I stood up. "…Fine. But I charge payment in popsicles. Unmelted ones. Tropical flavor."
"Yaaaaaay!" Aiko screamed as she ran through the yard.
***
Twenty Minutes Later
I crouched in their backyard, examining a flowerbed.
'Scuffed soil. Tiny pawprints. A shred of gray fur on the fence.'
I called out over my shoulder, "When'd she vanish?"
The mom answered from across the yard as she tended to her flowers, "Last night! She never stays out past dinner!"
Aiko crouched near me, whispering in my ear, "Do you need a magnifying glass? I have a toy one!"
I made a deadpanned look, and stared at her.
With a serious tone I said, "You're more professional than me. I forgot mine at home, so you saved us a lot of time."
She ran off in glee to fetch the magnifying glass, squealing "I'm a detective's assistant!"
She came back, and I pretended to scrutinize the fur through the plastic lens while Aiko beamed with pride.
'Drama sells.'
I turned to the father who was gathering the dead leaves with his quirk, "Mochi's mainly an indoor cat, right? But she's climbed this fence before in the past. There are claw marks decorating your whole fence."
I stood up and continued, "And you've got a bird feeder next door. Prime hunting ground for a cat."
The dad answered, "Yeah, she would frequently go there in the past. But we've already checked the neighbor's yard. Twice."
I grinned, "But did you check their roof?"
I pointed upward.
There, like a disgruntled roof installer, was an array of claw marks, and dislodged roof panels.
Aiko squealed, "MOCHI! She really did go this way!"
I dusted my hands, "Cats seek high ground when stressed. Our neighborhood's garbage trucks came at 6 a.m.—loud, sudden. She most likely bolted when she heard the noise."
The mom laughed, "And here I thought we were the cat experts."
"But then where did Mochi go?" Aiko asked.
"I'll find out soon," I reassured her while patting her head.
"If she left clues, I'll find her. Afterall, I'm the world's greatest—"
Chapter 8 - "Neighborhood Detective"
-------------------------
Hello Everyone!
Like always, any critiques about the Chapter are appreciated. I want to become a better writer obviously.
But some compliments about the story wouldn't hurt... (It motivates me to keep writing this for free.)
Leave any thoughts and suggestions here and I'll take a look! From OC's, to side stories you want to see. I have an open mind!