Chapter 23: Inheritence.
"You saw the news right?"
"Yeah I can't believe he would do that."
"I mean what did he think was going to happen? They'd just let him keep doing it?"
"I always knew he was a bad guy, he's just creepy."
"He saved my mom from a car crash last month but….man I don't know if I can support him now."
These were but some of the whispers that populated the route Itsuka took to school and in the classrooms she sat down in. It wasn't until lunch when she could get on her phone and browse for a minute that she saw what everyone was talking about, and promptly almost choked on her baby carrots.
'Vigilante Escapes!'
'In the late afternoon of Sunday, Hero Public Safety Commission Agents reported that they had surrounded the dangerous Vigilante known as Spider-Man and were attempting to apprehend him. He resisted and attacked agents who attempted to place him under arrest, while none were seriously injured. The vigilante escaped the HPSC before destroying their vehicles and fleeing the scene of the crime.'
'The Safety Commission released a statement, saying that their efforts to apprehend this dangerous criminal will be increased as he has shown a total disregard for lack of law and order. Endangering civilians by fighting known criminals in public with no thought to safety, as well as interfering with criminal investigations. Police have been authorized to use whatever force they deem necessary in order to apprehend the suspect.'
"....just trying to do good my ass." She muttered to herself as she shook her head. Thinking back to the vigilante's casualness about his activities when he spoke to Eri the night before.
She didn't doubt that this was an overreaction on the Safety Commission's part. Her dad had stories to tell about how the governing body would overstep his authority on procedure and practice to suit their needs back when he first became the Chief of Police. However while it was annoying to deal with he was the first to admit that it was always with a good intention in mind.
And, despite how she thought Spider-Man was a good enough guy, she understood full well that he WAS a vigilante who needed to be brought in...she just hoped that he would stop this before that happened..But thinking back to their very first meeting, where she unintentionally gave him his hero name? Somehow she doubted that would ever even cross his mind.Her dad, being the chief of police, of course instilled in her the values of having laws so people didn't do something that could endanger lives. You don't drive a motorcycle without a license because if you don't know how to drive it you run it into a wall. The same principal applied to pro heroes, they knew what they were doing from education and training, Spider-Man didn't have either of those things. So even though she liked the guy...they had to bring him in.
Setting her phone down, she sighed as Setsuna and Yui sat down on either side of her.
"Heya Ken." Set greeted before taking a bite of her sandwich.
"Mm." Yui greeted.
"Hey guys." She replied with a smile.
Yui placed her lunchbox on the table, opening it up one would see that it was stuffed to the brim with what appeared to be miniatures of food and drink. Reaching in, she pulled out a bento box, and with her quirk expanded it to full size.
Both Set and Itsuka gave their looks of envy for her large selection of possible lunches.
Yui noticed and silently closed her lunchbox.
"Can't believe you still get away with that." Set muttered before taking a bite of her rice.
"Think smarter. Not harder." Yui replied simply as she opened the bento box she had selected. Humming approvingly upon seeing what was inside before taking a bite.
Itsuka shook her head, "Come on Set if you could do it? You'd be doing the same exact thing." She replied before taking a bite of her sandwich.
The sharp toothed girl grinned, "Maybe but I'd at least share."
"...…she's got you there Yui." Itsuka acquiesced.
Yui held her hand out and gave them the 'gimme' gesture, "Thousand yen a box."
"That's extortion!" Setsuna accused.
"That's capitalism."
The three girls paused, then chuckled as they ate their lunch together. "So Ken, how was the weekend?"
Itsuka paused mid sandwich chewing, "....well…..Midoriya brought me a child so I'm adjusting to that."
Both girls nearly choked on their respective food. Yui turned to her with an uncharacteristic look of shock while Setsuna in kind was confused, "The fucking what now!?!?!" She asked.
Yui pointed at Setsuna. "What she said." she added between coughs.
Kendo couldn't help but smile at their reactions as they took a few seconds to recover, when they were at least somewhat composed. She gave them the version of events that her father had told her to inform them of. Izuku had been out near her home when he found Eri wandering the streets, she had signs of abuse and that she was staying with Itsuka and her family for her own safety while the police investigated. It wasn't a total fabrication but as she told it, she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt for obstructing the full truth from her best friends.
"-and the pro in charge of the investigation is coming by my place after school to ask for details. Midoriya is coming by to give him his side." She finished explaining, the three of them eating while she told the story between bites.
Setsuna and Yui both gave her concerned looks, the later's more subdued but still present, and Setsuna's usual laid back and cherry demeanor was gone. "Holy shit...how's she doing?" the green haired girl asked softly, picturing a little girl going through something like that. It made her think of Sera.
Itsuka sighed, setting her food down on her paper plate, "She's…..adjusting. She didn't really have any normalcy from what we can tell. God, when she saw our bath tub with hot water? She was shocked that it could be warm water." She recalled, causing her friend's expressions to turn even more shocked.
".....so we're going to murder whoever did these things to a little girl right?" Yui asked with her usual stoicism, however the words she said made it seem more cold than usual.
"You can take a swing at them if you see them but I've known her longer, I get first dibs…..maybe second, Midroiya sounded like he was ready to hit whoever did it." Itsuka replied with a sympathetic smile, not knowing that he had in fact done so.
Setsuna chuckled, "You know if I hadn't seen you two going at it in the dojo that one time? I would say he doesn't have it in him, but honestly? Parsley gives me the same vibes as you Ken." she replied with a cheeky smile. Kendo scratched her cheek sheepishly, thinking back to her and Izuku's sparring session when they invited him to train with them. However, thinking of Izuku and the dojo also made her think of the impromptu sleepover he had at Eri's request…..and the subsequent morning of where she and her crush were entangled in each other.
Feeling her face warm a little she cleared her throat to mask it, "Ahem, anyway, that's what I got going on today but...the entrance exam is coming up." she said with a mixture of anxiety and excitement.
Yui nodded, "I'm pretty confident in the both of us." she told her encouragingly.
Set detached her arm and slung it around Yui's shoulder, pulling on her slightly in a ghostly attempt at a hug, "You both will do it. And if you don't, I'll hold over getting in on recommendations on your heads FOREVER." she taunted in an attempt to get them even more motivated. Yui patted the detached hand while Itsuka gave her friend a playful shove. As Setsuna retracted her hand, she paused, "Hey, Parsley is taking the exam for general studies the same day right?" she asked.
Itsuka thought for a moment, "....Yeah, I think so? No, wait, yeah! He showed me the confirmation email he got for the time like we did."
"So what do you think he's going to be doing?" Set asked.
"..."
"....."
"....."
"I guess…..a test? I assume?" Itsuka pondered.
Yui tilted her head, "I mean we have a test as well, but we also have a practical exam, and Nejire mentioned that the Support Course does something as well." she pointed out. It made sense, while UA was most known for its hero course that didn't mean that the other departments there wouldn't be lacking in quality. It was still a great school to get into after all.
Setsuna made a face, "Well then what the hell does 'General Studies' do? I mean....do you have to take a gym class or something?"
Itsuka's expression grew curious, the email that Izuku showed her didn't indicate anything like that. "You know, I know that U.A. is known for its Hero Course because it's so hard to get into but I can't remember anything about General Studies." she admitted.
Setsuna shrugged, "Well whatever it is I'm sure Midroiya has got it covered, he's a pretty smart guy. Right?"
Itsuka remained quiet. .....says the guy who somehow got a Vigilante to visit a little girl he saved last night...and also went face to face with some Yakuza boss without realizing it...but I'm sure he'll be fine…..right? She thought hopefully.
...….I did not study a single thing for this test over the weekend. Izuku thought direly as he continued to try his best at the test laid out in front of him. In his defense he had a pretty busy weekend, what with rescuing Eri, fighting the Scorpion and Lady Nagant, AND the HPSC? It had been a pretty eventful 72 hours all things considered. And he also had to go to Itsuka's to not only see Eri but to answer whatever questions the pro hero who was looking into her case had to ask. So finding out which train would arrive at the station first with the x and y variables applied to each, wasn't the most pressing thing on his mind.
His only consolation was that if he bombed this test, which as he was going through it seemed like a more and more likely possibility, his grade wouldn't suffer too bad. He had made a promise to his mom to not neglect his school work when he first started being Spider-Man and he had kept it. Which thankfully made some of this test understandable.
Reaching the last page, he didn't feel quite as confident as usual when he set his paper down to look over again. But did so anyway, correcting a few answers just in time to turn it in for the day. Standing up from his desk, he laid it on the teacher's desk, the man was already busy grading the ones that had been put down, and made his way out of the classroom.
His classroom which had…..an oddness to it for the last couple weeks. Ever since that day when Itsuka had come to pick him up on her bike, everyone was…..treating him weird. There was still the whispers of 'deku' but if he listened enough he could catch other words, 'motorcycle', 'hot', and 'redhead' being some of them. Bakugo strangely enough had also not been on his case, though Izuku chalked that up to him being focused on the upcoming entrance exam for U.A. in a few weeks. His own exams were scheduled for the same day, and after a week they would presumably hear back on if they were accepted in or not.
Though if he were being honest? Izuku liked his chances, his grades were good despite what hiccups here and there he had like today. Having his job as a freelance photographer at a news station would be a nice bonus to his college application, and he was pretty confident in his overall academic ability that whatever the exam was he could get in. However his real concern was....he had no idea what he wanted to do…..in fact he hadn't for a while now. But as the day grew closer that fact just seemed to become more and more relevant.
Maybe I could get more into journalism? I like photography after all. He mused as he shifted his backpack as he walked through school. And he had seen that his job could lead to a positive effect, but being Spider-Man also factored into that, he couldn't use what he learned as a vigilante to chase down a story all the time without hard evidence. Not to mention if he kept bringing them stories that were related to Spider-Man in some way then people who investigate coincidences for a living would eventually figure it out, it's why he didn't mention the involvement of his alter ego yesterday when he talked to Hado.
And I can't risk working with a pro hero directly at an agency, they could somehow find out my secret identity as well.....maybe…..maybe I should just stop being Spider-Man after I graduate? He posed. While having great power came with responsibility, it didn't necessarily mean that he would only be able to help as Spider-Man. Becoming a dispatcher for instance, a lesser known but still very important profession in pro hero work, could lead him to saving way more lives than he did as Spider-Man.
He shook the thought aside as soon as it appeared, his father had left him the chance to be more, to be greater. And yes he had done great work taking down the Kingpin of crime but he could never seriously think of just not helping others when they needed it. But...he had been so focused on Spider-Man that his other life had taken a back seat.
So maybe for now he should focus on Izuku Midoriya and not Spider-Man, at least until the HPSC heat cools off. Maybe I'll be able to decide what I want to do with my life by then...…though I doubt it.
Walking out the doors of school, he sighed in frustration, he knew that he didn't HAVE to have a plan going into college. But after years of determination to be a pro hero, and then being able to....well, not fully achieve his dream but at the very least fulfill himself with what he could do? Not having a plan just felt like he was…..floundering.
Reaching for his phone, he scolded through his contacts and dialed his mom's number.
"Hey mom, I just got out of school and I'm heading to Kendo's now." he told her with a smile.
"Already? I thought school wouldn't let out for another two hours?" Inko asked.
"Well remember it's Exam week mom, if we finish them we go straight home after." he told her.
"OH! Right, I forgot, sorry sweetie. How was the exam then?" Inko asked innocently.
Izuku was glad this wasn't a face to face conversation, "It was kind of hard, but I think I did ok...how's work?" he asked, deciding to veer off that topic.
"Oh we're fine today, nothing really exciting. I'm just organizing our filing system right now." she replied, Izuku chuckling a little at how bored she sounded. "Well give Kendo my best when you see her, and little Eri too!" she added with a sweet tone of voice.
Izuku's smile broadened, "I will mom, I'm sure she misses you." he laughed.
"Oh hush you, I wasn't the one pouting yesterday after we had to leave." She lightly scolded.
".....she gave me a hug goodbye and it was too short." he quietly complained.
"Alright, I love you honey. Thanks for letting me know." Inko said with a laugh.
"Love you too mom." he replied before hanging up. The green haired teen smiled fondly as he put his phone away, his mother had always supported him and more importantly she believed in him. Yes, there were times he thought of when he was little and they found out he was quirkless. And maybe she didn't say the words that he needed to hear….but now he understood, it wasn't out of disbelief that he could do something, but sadness that his life wouldn't be like everyone else's.
However this past year showed him that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
As Izuku walked past the windows of the Kendo family dojo, he glanced into the dojo and smiled fondly as he recalled when he hung out kendo's…..well, his friends now. He still could hardly believe it sometimes, last year he was all alone but now? Well things had changed.
Entering her home through the stairwell, he knocked on the door to the apartment and waited. He heard the patter of feet on the other side, but they stopped before the door. "U-um. W-Who is it?" A timid but familiar voice asked.
Izuku smiled, glad that Eri hadn't simply opened the door for a stranger. "Hey Eri, it's-" he began before the door opened and the little girl rushed into his legs and hugged them tightly, an excited smile blooming on her face as he awkwardly knelt over to return. Stepping back, she shyly looked away as he knelt down to her eye level.
"Hi Deku." She greeted warmly.
"Heya Eri. Is Ms-er, Emi here?" He asked, looking over her head, half expecting the matriarch of the Kendo clan to be watching them.
Eri shook her head, "No, Emi had to go out to run errands. But Itsuka's here. " She informed him. "And she told me not to open the door unless I knew who it was for sure, and if I didn't know, to go get her." she repeated the lessons about safety that the family had been instilling in her showing fruit.
Izuku smiled, "And you did very good Eri. But next time, you should probably let whoever is at the door finish what they're saying." He advised her. She nodded in understanding and he stood up and walked inside, Eri padded over to the living room where the TV was playing some children's show featuring talking animals in various outfits on an island. She hopped up into the couch, the first attempt not making it up completely but the second she managed to do it.
He sat down beside her, and she looked at him with a smile, "Ken and I were watching TV, but she said that you were coming and needed to do something first. And to call her if I needed anything, but I don't think I do." She said, her face scrunching up in thought as she looked around. There was a juice box and a bowl of grapes, which she found out were actually really sweet to eat, on the table that she could reach, and Izuku guessed that she probably set whatever streaming service this was on to 'kids' mode so she wouldn't accidently flick over to something not meant for her.
"Well that's good." He said, setting his schoolbag down.
Eri tilted her head at the yellow book bag, "What's that?" She asked curiously.
He blinked, and looked over at his bag, he didn't have anything hanging out of it. But then he realized what she meant, "Oh! This is a backpack Eri, I use it to hold my books and stuff on my way to school." He freely explained. He slid it over and opened it up for her to see, inside was a couple textbooks and notebooks that he had brought with him.
Eri hummed, "Deku…..what is school?" she asked, "Ken said that she had to go to it today, which made me sad because I wanted her to stay. But Emi said that she needed to go to it." she asked, making Izuku frown just a little at seeing just how little she had experienced.
"Well, school is a place that people go to learn...we start at, well around your age actually." he explained, making her red eyes blink in confusion. "We learn about many different subjects, such as how to read and write, add and subtract, history and science. Eventually we graduate, which means we finish." he explained.
"Oh….are you…going to grad…graduate soon?" she asked, her voice twinged with hope at the idea that Deku and Kendo could start spending all day with her again like over the weekend.
Izuku felt a pang of sadness that he had to burst her bubble, "Erm…..well, yes Eri. But, after that, Kendo and I are going to apply for U.A. erm, a hero school." he explained, expecting her mood to be damped by the fact they were trading mandatory schooling for….well, MORE school. However the little girl's eye lit up at the term, 'Hero School'.
"You…..you wanna be a hero Deku??" she asked, her little hands balling up into fists in excitement as a smile spread out over her face, "And Ken too?!"
He decided to give her an answer that wouldn't dampen her spirits, "Itsuka is, yeah. In fact, soon she's going to take the entrance exam to see if she can get into the course." he told her. He glanced down into his bag, he had his notes on quirks in there, and the thought of showing her them to keep her entertained seemed fun. But he stopped when he noticed a book stuffed inside. "Oh man I forgot about this." he said, reaching inside to pull out a book that Itsuka had actually let him borrow. "Um, Eri, I'm gonna drop this off in Itsuka's room real quick, I'll be right back." he said.
"Okay." Eri replied before turning back to the TV while Izuku left to put the book in Itsuka's room.
Most of what Izuku liked to read, outside of hero and quirk related books or magazines he was unsurprisingly interested in science fiction novels. Nothing insane out there like the old pulp science fiction stories of the old days, but stuff that had somewhat of a basis in what they considered 'normal' reality. Itsuka had a copy of a new book about an astronaut in a space station when earth gets hit by an EMP pulse that knocks out all communication and how he survives long term. She had let him borrow it months ago and only recently finished it last week. All that he had to do was promise no spoilers.
Reaching her bedroom door, he saw that it was cracked but knocked regardless, "Itsuka? It's me." he said before pushing the door open.
Only to be met with no one in the room, "Huh." he shrugged as he entered, Eri said that Itsuka had to go do something real quick. Maybe she had to do something like bring her motorcycle in the garage or something? Regardless he walked over to the desk and set the book down just as he heard something that sounded like a mix of a gasp and a 'eep' behind him.
"Itsu-su-su-su-" izuku sputtered at the sight before him.
Which was Itsuka Kendo.
In her underwear.
When Eri said that Itsuka had to go do something, she had neglected to explain that she had gone to take a quick shower. Thankfully with her bedroom right down the hall from the bathroom she simply grabbed a bra and pair of panties to take into the bathroom to change into once she was done drying off and walking right back into her room to change. It was something she'd done a hundred times by now and never had any problem with.
Until now. Standing in her doorway in a pair of deep blue panties with a white trim to them, which did nothing to hide her long legs and toned thighs but did a good job of accentuating her rear with how they hugged it. And the matching bra, while containing her sizable chest, showed off more of her skin than Izuku had ever seen...skin that was…..turning red….as her hair.
"IZUKU WHAT THE HELL?!?" She yelled as her hands enlarged to their full size before she used them to cover herself.
"I-I-I-I-I-" he treated like a computer key being stuck. "...book." He squeaked out before passing out.
"Oh shit! Not again!"
"....Ken…..why is Deku doing that?" Eri asked the older girl as she looked at Deku on the ground in a full dogeza position, his knees tucked and his forehead touching the ground as a form of submission and asking forgiveness.
Itsuka, whose face was still pink from embarrassment and was now dressed in a pair of jeans and a sweater, looked down at him and sighed. Upon reconvening from his state of shock he had immediately thrown himself into a muttering storm of self deprecation that Kendo knew better than to try and pull him out of. Thankfully by then she had thrown some clothes on and had stormed out into the living room and sat down beside Eri in a bit of a huff.
"Izuku…..I'm…..saw something...that he….shouldn't have." She explained with a blush, looking down at the green haired boy.
"Oh." Was the seven year old's reply.
"Itsuka if you wish to squash me like a bug. I understand." Izuku said from his place on the floor. The martial artist sighed and with a roll of her eyes, leaned forward, reaching her hand out, she poked him in the back of the head.
"There. Squished. Now get up from there." She told him, he looked up, though his eyes couldn't meet hers dead on as they quickly darted to the side. And she was grateful because she was pretty sure she couldn't do it either. She knew that it was an honest mistake, and if it were anyone else she would probably be over it but the fact it was Izuku...well her crush seeing her in her underwear is just embarrassing.
Izuku stood up and took his seat on the other side of Eri, the little girl blissfully unaware to the emotional roller coaster she may have inadvertently caused.
Izuku on the other hand was…..was….
God I can't get that image out of my mind. He thought, his face turning red as steam seemed to pour off him. He hadn't meant to…..oogle, but at the time they had both been in shock at the situation itself…..he had gotten a VERY good look at Itsuka.
He…..he was a young man, so he had…..seen things online…..and in magazines, that Wild Wild Pussycat deep dive with photos in Heroics Weekly one he got showed off some stuff that might have awoken something in him-anyway, he knew what girls looked like. But…..being in the same room alone was different but…..the fact it was Itsuka? Someone he KNEW had feelings for him?
How his heart hadn't shot out of his ribcage he had no idea.
Itsuka meanwhile was...not doing much better. It wasn't that she felt ashamed or self conscious, just….flat out embarrassed. It was the guy she was crushing on for crying out loud! She wanted to shove her head in a pillow and scream about it, but noooooo. She couldn't because she also had to deal with goddamn Nighteye coming over soon!
There was a knock at the door.
Oh thank god. Izuku thought.
Oh god. Itsuka groaned internally.
Eri just turned her head to the door.
With a deep breath, Itsuka rose up from her seat and made her way towards the door with Izuku a few steps behind her. Ok, let's just get this over with. Itsuka thought as she approached the entrance of her home. She opened the door, and there he was, the tall lanky man looking at her with both dismission and curiosity, however what she hadn't expected was the second person present, who made Izuku freeze behind her.
"Yo! You must be Kendo!" A cheerful blonde young man greeted, he was a well built young man. Older than either Itsuka or Izuku by a few years, and while both his height and his build could easily come off as intimidating but the gentle smile and friendly look in his eyes came off more gentle. The hero costume he wore also helped, bright and colorful with a golden one million across his broad chest.
Izuku was only taken aback because he KNEW this person, well, Spider-Man did at least.
"My name is Le Million., and this is Sir Nighteye. We're from the Nighteye hero agency." he introduced respectfully.
Itsuka smiled, despite Nighteye's presence that had made her on edge this guy seemed to at least have a much more personable personality. And honestly having another buffer between her and Nighteye might be for the best. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Itsuka. And this is Izuku Midroiya, please, come in." she said, stepping aside as the two entered her home.
Eri, who had hopped off the couch, took cover behind Izuku's leg, the boy looking down at her as she peeked out from behind him. He reached a hand down and gently patted her head, she relaxed at his touch but her anxious demeanor still shone through. When he turned back, he couldn't help but geek out a little, Sir Nighteye, All Might's sidekick! He didn't realize that Lemillion, or rather Mirio, was a sidekick for him!
Wait, then that means that the guys behind Eri's…..situation…..were the same people who were pushing Trigger on the streets. He realized. He made sure to hide this light bulb moment as Sir Nighteye regarded him, "I-It's a great honor to meet you sir!" He stuttered as he bowed his head.
The pro hero bowed in response, "You must be Midoriya." He assumed. "The Police Chief explained the general situation to me, but I was hoping we could get more details." He explained, before his eyes darted down to zero, the little girl shyly hid behind Izuku but her eyes were wide with curiosity. "And this little girl must be Eri, correct?"
Izuku nodded as Eri perked up at her name, "...you're very tall."
Mirio snorted, "Pssh! Good joke Eri." He snickered.
I'm not sure she was joking. Was the same thought Izuku and Itsuka had.
"I'm the pro hero Sir Nighteye, I'm here to make sure that you're safe and that the bad people who hurt you are brought to justice." he said, he knelt down but he was still tall enough that Eri had to look up at him. Mention of the 'bad people' made her frown unsurely but she nodded in understanding, "Mirio here will ask you some questions. But if you find any of them too hard to answer, for whatever reason, don't be afraid to say so." He told her gently.
While her own relationship with the pro was….complicated, it wasn't as though Itsuka expected him to be as curt with Eri as he had been with her. In fact she found the candor to be…..well, very professional. Le Million approached her and knelt down, holding up a hand in greeting. Eri looked at him and shyly looked down, "....I like your hair."
Itsuka and Izuku felt their chests contort again from cuteness. How the sidekick could only smile they didn't know. Eri stepped out from behind Izuku and stood in front of Le Million, as she regarded him Itsuka looked between him and Nighteye, suspecting that he had brought his sidekick so they could interview both Izuku and Eri at once. "Um, would you like to speak down in the dojo?" Itsuka offered. "Eri hangs out down there with me when I do some training." She explained.
Mirio grinned, "Sounds awesome! I've never been to a dojo before!" He said with infectious enthusiasm.
"That's fine, I need to speak with Midoriya, Kendo, please join us when you're able." He requested.
Itsuka nodded, as she led Mirio and Eri downstairs Izuku and Nighteye sat down in the living room with a note pad he pulled from his coat pocket. Sitting down in the chair, Izuku took his spot on the couch once more. Personally Izuku had…..well he had a million questions for All Might's former sidekick but he knew that now wasn't an appropriate time to ask him. "Now then, lets start from the beginning. According to the report you filed with Chief Kendo, you were on your way home from work when you ran into Eri, correct?" he asked.
Izuku nodded, "Y-Yes sir, I wanted to cut through an alley to try and get to the train station a little sooner when Eri bumped into me." he replied.
Nighteye hummed, "Do you recall what direction she came from?" he asked.
Izuku….had to think about that actually, "WellitwasthenorthboundstationIwasheadingtobutIdidn'tgodirectlythere,thatalleywastohelpmecrosstheroadfurtheronwithoutgettingtotthatfourwaystopsoitwaseastIthink? Um…..I think she came from the East?" he said after hs muttering spree.
"....ok then." the pro hero said as he tried to retrance exactly what the young man had been saying in his head. At that moment Itsuka returned from the dojo and walked over towards the couch to sit next to Izuku. Nighteye observed how their eyes briefly met and then darted away before their faces turned a little red, he raised an eye and jolted a note down. "Now then, Chief Kendo informed me that you work as a freelancer for news outlets." He began before carefully watching Midoriya, "I hope you realize that…..sensitive information like this shouldn't be shared."
Itsuka squinted at the way he said that, given that Midoriya helped work on the whole Kingpin expose? She thought it sort of went without saying. "Well, I did ask someone at my work if she heard anything about missing kids, but I didn't share any details regarding Eri herself." Izuku admitted.
Mirai's gaze focused on him, "And what possessed you to do that?" He asked, causing the young man to flinch slightly. Itsuka felt her hand clench into a fist but kept quiet.
"I…..I wanted to help." Izuku admitted.
He didn't notice Kendo's gaze on him, or the soft expression it held. Of course he wanted to help, that was all Izuku ever wanted to do.
The pro hero hummed, "While well intended, it's not advised you speak to the press on this matter. Or any matters related to hero business." He said firmly. He looked down at his notes, "Now, after being confronted by the man identified as Chesaki, you said that Spider-Man got you away from the area and to a secure location before telling you to go. Why didn't you continue to contact the authorities?" He asked.
Izuku rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "I….well to be honest I thought that with Spider-Man there, I assumed he would have taken Eri to a police station…..but instead he called me…..which I'm not entirely sure how he got my number."
"Yeah that is actually really weird." Itsuka agreed. Nighteye spared her a glance and saw the confused expression she held.
"We did check the call logs with your phone's service provider, it seems that he somehow uploaded a program onto your phone wirelessly that both concealed his information while giving him yours." He explained, "How a vigilante has access to that technology is beyond me." Izuku was very thankful he left his costume at home today just in case. "Now, after going to the location where he indicated, you didn't call the police, but Itsuka Kendo." His eyes went to All Might's pupil with barely concealed disappointment.
Itsuka recognized the look, and just stared right back, Izuku, unaware, only nodded. "Y-yeah. I was going to call the police, but Eri mentioned that he had friends in the police, and hospitals. And I thought of a pro hero but if the man were looking for her then he might be waiting at the closest one. So I called Itsuka so she could get me in touch with her father." He explained.
Mirai's expression turned suspect upon the young man's reply. "…..that's why?" He asked with heavy skepticism.
Izuku rubbed the back of his head as Itsuka curled a brow, she could admit that there was probably a more well thought out way of handling the situation but in the heat of the moment she could understand why he choose to reach out to her for her dad. NIGHTEYE'S gaze turned to hers, "No other reason?" He asked….but it was her his question was directed to.
Izuku blinked, "U-um. No?"
Nighteye's expression remained critical, "So when you contacted Itsuka Kekdo, you weren't aware she was with her trainer?" He asked, his tone shifting slightly to a more accusatory tone. Itsuka was pretty sure she had the biggest 'what the hell' look on her face as he asked that. She didn't see what Todhinori being with her at that time really had to do with anything.
But then...no….that was it. THAT was why he was here, realization flashed through the martial artist's face as quickly as she realized it.
The person who becomes involved in a case that Nighteye is working on, contacts the daughter of the police chief, who also happens to be the successor All Might chooses to pass on one for all too.
He thinks she told him.
SHIT. She thought in dreadful realization. This was bad, if he came in here with that assumption then he could say something that could tip Midoriya off to the secret! So she spoke up, "Well there's no real way he could have KNOWN I was with my coach." She answers for Izuku, causing both of them to turn to her. "I mean Midoriya doesn't really know about my training routine. Or ANYTHING that has to do with that."
Nighteye's expression remained critical and wasn't convinced, Oh you bitch! She thought.
"Er-yeah. I mean I know that Itsuka has been cleaning up that beach as part of her training, I ran into her there one morning while out doing some errands." Izuku answered truthfully without much thought before internally cringing at himself. That happened on the same day they ran into the Enforcers who were searching for Spider-Man! And the same day that the video used to discredit him as Spider-Man was filmed!!! WHY DID YOU OPEN YOUR STUPID MOUTH!?
"Regardless, after this you met with Ryuji Kendo here at his home and explained the situation to him." Mirai finished, "What I want to know is about your interaction with the man in the mask you described." he said, flipping back in his notes. "You said that Eri ran into you, was the man far behind or was there a few moments you were alone with her?"
Izuku thought for a moment, "I didn't really have a moment with her alone, she bumped into me and when I knelt down to help her up she…..well…she got scared." he recalled sadly.
Mirai frowned but wrote down the information, "And the man who you encountered, he claimed to be her father?" he asked.
Izuku's brow furrowed. "He did…..but the way Eri was scared of him….." he shook his head.
Nighteye frowned, "And after that, she left with him and you left as well..." he said, looking down at the timeline he had written down. Izuku's hand grabbed a handful of his school pants, Itsuka noticed and reached her hand out to his, placing it overtop it.
His hand relaxed at her touch.
Mirai made a note. "And she left with him. Willingly?" He questioned.
Izuku balked, "W-wha-? No, she….I mean she went with him but only so I wouldn't get hurt by him."
"But still. She went with him. Was then taken by a vigilante, given to you. And then brought here." Nighteye explained, his pencil tracing along the line of events written in his little notebook as he laid them out. "While this series of events does show you saving a child from harm, it could also be seen as kidnapping."
That made both of them blink, Izuku faltered and felt himself look down in shame….only for Itsuka's grip on his hand to tighten as she spoke.
Anger coursed though her chest, and before she could stop herself it was coming up her throat, "She was covered in bandages." She said in a low voice that almost came out in a growl, "She has, SCARS, all over her arms and legs."
Nighteye's gaze turned to her, "And that justifies breaking the law?"
That gave her pause....did it?
.....it did.
"....maybe you should be focused on doing what is right instead of what the rules are." Itsuka briskly said, her eyes narrowing at Nighteye's. "Midoriya saw a little girl in trouble, and went to her aid, and you're criticizing him for it? When you know with absolute certainty that the person he saved her from is part of a Yakuza clan???" The pro hero's expression focused it's disapproval at her. This time, she didn't shrink back, she glared right back at him. "He did the right thing, that's what matters."
Izuku meanwhile could feel the tension rising between his…..maybe…probably crush, and the Pro Hero. So he coughed into his hand, "Erm." They both turned to him, "...if I may ask, what do you know about Eri exactly? If anything at all?" He asked curiously.
The question seemed to bring Nighteye out of targeted sights on Kendo, and back to the matter of his visit. "Well, assuming that is her birth name, and I can't think of any reason it wouldn't be, given her age we have a possible match for her parents but…..it seems to be a dead end." He said, causing both the young adults to pale slightly. "Not literally." He quickly corrected, "We have records of her mother and father in the hospital, but when we reached out to them, we couldn't find any trace of them. Neighbors said that the husband seemed to vanish one day, and the wife and child soon after."
It caused the pair to look at each other sorrowfully, and Nighteye felt his own expression soften at the care they both held for the girl. "...Midoriya, I apologize for my questioning being aggressive. This case is admittedly complicated, but Eri being safe is a good thing."
"O-Oh! Good. It's….its ok….um, is it ok if I use the restroom really quickly?" He asked. The pro nodded and as Izuku stood and left, Itsuka's eyes trained on Nighteye's.
When she heard the door closed, she spoke, "He doesn't know...I haven't told anyone."
Nighteye sighed, "…..I hope you can understand this isn't personal."
Itsuka scoffed, "Not personal?" She asked with sarcasm before giving him a dirty look. "You ambushed me out of nowhere and just…attacked me, you don't even know me, but because I wasn't who you wanted One for All to go to, you tried to sabotage me not even halfway into my training." She sat back and crossed her arms.
Nighteye pursed his lips together, "Your potential as a pro hero doesn't hinge on having One for All. But if it goes to the right person-" he began.
Itsuka shook her head before leaning forward with a look of anger, "You really-ok, first of all, I get it. I'm going to bet that Le Million, great guy by the way, don't know why he's your intern, is who you picked. Which is probably why you brought him here just so I could see what a 'good' choice would be." she said with a bitterness to her voice.Nighteye was quiet, "You wanna go on about how I'm not worthy? Fine. Go ahead. But it's not going to change anything."
Nighteye's face remained its usual cold calculating expression, the only light in it were his eyes boring into hers with fiery criticism. "I'm just stating the facts. Mirio, who has been interning with me for three years now, has more experience and would be a better inheritor than you would be."
"Good for you." Itsuka replied. "He's a nice guy, doesn't change anything." That made his brow crease, and while it admittedly WAS petty? Itsuka felt satisfied with it. "You know why? Because it's not. Up. To. You." She leaned forward so she was upright, "It's All Might's, and the fact that you keep coming after me? Trying to make me doubt myself and my place in this? Tells me that you've tried convincing him and he's said no."
She had had plenty of time to think of this, and more than that she had spent more than enough time with All Might to know that if he had any doubts, he would have voiced them by now.
As Nighteye opened his mouth to speak, the bathroom door opened and Izuku entered the room again, "Sorry about that. Where were we?" He asked, oblivious to the verbal confrontation that had just taken place. Though he could feel that the subtle tension in the room from before was now almost sparking. "Um...I think it was about the guy who Eri was running from?"
"....yes. Your description of him had him wearing a mask, yes?" Nighteye asked in a clipped voice.
"Oh! Un, I actually was able to sketch his face out." Izuku explained as he reached into his bag and pulled out his notebook. Presenting it to Nighteye, the man took it and flipped through it. However before he got to the page, he paused, "Um....is something wrong?" He asked.
"...your hero notes in this are very observant." He commented, causing the green haired young man to let out a high pitched noise.
"T-Thank you! I….um….like quirks…..not in a weird way!" he quickly added.
He didn't exactly know why things were tense but he got a compliment from Sir Nighteye of all people about his notes! That by itself was pretty cool! "Oh no far from it, that's actually something that's valuable for hero work.....Is that All Might's signature?" he asked, turning it around and showing the double page spread that had All Might's name signed across it.
....shit this does not really help my case. Itsuka winced.
"Yes! He gave it to me after he defeated a Slug Villain who tried to take over my body." Izuku said excitedly, making Itsuka's head whirl around to look at him.
"WHAT!?!"
"......did….did I not mention that?" Izuku asked nervously upon seeing the look of disbelief on Ituska's expression.
Nighteye looked at the signature, "Hmmm….yes it is more recent, but not the latest iteration of his signature. The Logo is slightly smaller compared to how it's usually drawn." he observed. Which caused Itsuka and Izuku to both stop what they were doing, Izuku's hands slowly raising to calm her while Itsuka looked ready to start chewing him out for never mentioning that detail to her, and stared at the pro hero.
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I noticed that too, to be honest I liked how he signed stuff in the silver age, but I think the best example is when he gave it for someone to get tattooed on their back."
Nighteye hummed as he continued through the notebook, "Ah yes, I remember that, having his name centered above the eyebrows, a good design. Wish he did it more often." he said, Izuku nodding in agreement.
...someone….anyone….just….come in here and slap me….please. Itsuka thought, not exactly liking what was happening at the moment.
However after turning the page, she saw as Mirai's eyes narrowed at the sketch Izuku had done. Most of the entry was left blank outside of questions regarding the mask, posing that maybe it was related to his quirk. "Yes….this is the suspect we believed to be involved." he said, "Kai Chisaki."
Izuku's own eyes slanted slightly at the name, glad that he finally had something to label him other than a monster. Nighteye closed the notebook, "You were right to leave when you did Midoriya, he possesses a...dangerous quirk." he said as he handed it back to the young man. Itsuka frowned while Izuku showed curiosity, "He has the ability to disassemble, and reassemble, anything that he touches…..if he had touched you when meeting him….well to be safe I advise you to avoid the area where you met him." he said.
He watched as Izuku's face went from confused to intrigued, and quickly jolted that down in his notebook, but what drew his attention was Itsuka's face growing noticeably paler and looking at her friend with wide, concerned eyes. Her hand lifted up but she stopped herself from touching his shoulder...which made things click for the adult. He looked down at the notes he had taken himself, below the timeline of events Izuku had witnessed, he also jolted down the theories he had.
Knows Spider-Man? No. Data from the Phone is recently made and matches up with the story.
Contact with Kendo. Not a Pro Hero?
Kendo informed Midoriya of One For All and contacted her out of fear?
Midoriya and Kendo, Partners?
As it turned out…that last line might be true…..but not in the way he believed initially.
He took another look at Kendo, and then sighed, "Well, thank you Midoriya, this information is helpful." he said as he put his notebook away in his jacket pocket and also took out his card for his agency, "This is my contact info, if you ever see Chesaki, or anyone else wearing a mask similar to his I want you to call me right away."
Itsuka turned to him, "You….think he's in danger?" She asked, whatever animosity she held earlier completely vanished at the thought of Izuku's life being in danger.
Nighteye pursed his lips, "I do not think so, but the fact is that Midoriya is the last person to see Chesaki with Eri before Spider-Man showed up. It's not a direct connection but if they were desperate enough to find Eri? I think they wouldn't hesitate to use anything at their disposal to do so." He explained truthfully. Izuku frowned as he took the card. Not in anger like he did with Chesaki but with discomfort at that fact. "However, given how far away you live from where you encountered him? And that he doesn't know your name, I think your safe. But I want to be sure regardless.Now then, I think Mirio will have gotten enough information from young Eri for us." He said, making his way towards the door that led to the downstairs dojo.
Izuku followed after him, with Itsuka taking up the rear….but her blue eyes were only trained on Izuku as they went down.
As they reached the dojo, the trio paused at the sight of Mirio, sunk halfway into the ground so that he was at eye level with Eri. Giving her a gentle smile as the little frowned slightly. Upon seeing Mirai, he reached out and patted her head, "You did very good Eri, you've been really brave telling me about all this." He said, giving her hair a little ruffle which made a small smile appear on her face. He pulled himself out of the ground, a sight that caused Itsuka's brain to short circuit for a second until she realized he was using his work, and stood at the ready.
"Ok…..thank you Le mi…million?" She said unsurely.
"Yep! Got it in one and a half!" He said positively as he gave her finger guns.
Eri looked down at her own hands, curled her fingers except for her thumbs and pointer fingers and then directed them at Mirio. Izuku and Itsuka were once again overcome with the cuteness that was the little girl. Walking the pro and his sidekick out of the dojo, Le Million grinned at both of them, "Thank you all so much for your help."
Izuku rubbed the back of his head as Eri stood on his right side with Itsuka on her's in front of the dojo. "Er-n-no problem. I hope that what I shared helps." He said before holding out and offering his hand. Nighteye extended his hand to him regardless of his perception, Izuku looked down at the hand and then shook it.
Nighteye withdrew it, "Hm...well I think you have nothing to worry about. But if something seems amiss, don't hesitate to contact us." He said before turning to Eri, the little girl's head craned back to look at him. And for the first time he offered her a small smile, "And thank you for being so brave Eri."
She shyly looked down and nodded, her hand reaching up to Izuku's and taking it. He looked at Kendo, whatever warmth in his expression subsided before giving her a curt nod and walking off with Le Million in tow.
As they walked off, Itsuka released a breath she felt like she had been holding all day. Looking down to Eri, she smiled, "You ok honey?"
"Mmmhmm." Eri nodded, "Le Million was nice, we talked about what I like to watch, what our favorite colors were. And…." She frowned. "….but he was nice." She said again, clearly still a little sensitive about what she had to talk about again. Itsuka reached around her and pulled her into a one armed hug for comfort.
"How about this, for being a good girl, we can watch a movie together. Your pick." Itsuka offered.
Eri turned to her and smiled, then it faltered before looking up at Izuku hopefully, "Um….can Deku watch too?" She asked shyly.
Izuku beamed at her, "Of course!"
That made the smile reappear on her face, "Ok! I'm gonna look for one!" She said excitedly as she ran back inside, making both the young adults chuckle as she entered the dojo.
Itsuka's eyes settled on Izuku, he turned to her and felt his face warm up and glance away, still thinking of the little mishap from earlier. "Um…..so…..was it just me or was that kind of weirdly stressful?" He asked.
She snorted, "No, yeah that was….kinda tense." She admitted. Then she paused, considered it, and then sighed, "Which wasn't your fault at all…..it was mine." She admitted.
"Huh?" He tilted his head.
She sighed almost tiredly, "So…..remember when I told you about how when I was training a couple months back? I was….really doubting myself because someone said that I was wasting All Might's agency's time by training me?" She asked. Izuku blinked, recalling that day after kingpin smacked him around, and then his eyes widened as he put two and two together, pointing at her, then the direction Nighteye left, "Yep." Itsuka conformed, popping the 'p'.
Izuku deflated, "Oh Itsuka….I didn't realize-"
"Don't. It's fine." She dismissed with a wave of the hand, "He was a jerk to me, but this was for Eri's sake. Honestly if it meant locking the guy away for life, he could call me a bitch to my face if it meant-"
"If he did that I'd punch him." Izuku replied.
They both paused. Izuku seemed to realize that wasn't an internal thought and instead spoke out loud and looked away with a blush. And in that moment, Itsuka thought of what Nighteye had told them about this Chesaki villain, his quirk being able to unmake anything….or anyone. At first she was scared, the thought of someone who could do that to either Eri or Izuku if he was close enough.
And he HAD been close enough.
He could have erased Izuku, killed him with just a touch. That thought alone shook her to her core, the thought that he'd just disappear one day, no one would even know? His mom, losing her only family, she loosing her crush before she could ever say anything to him. And hearing him defend her now also made her realize just how close that came, if Spider-Man hadn't been there to save him?
The smart thing to do would have been to leave on his own, to contact a hero and get them involved, only that's not what happened. Spider-Man intervened, a vigilante who just today she heard was assaulting the HPSC. He was, in no uncertain terms, breaking the law. Then again the same could be said about Izuku when he took Eri after hearing that this Chesaki was apparently her father. But she defended his actions without a second thought because it WAS the right thing to do...and if Spider-Man hadn't been there. There was a decent chance that…..no not a decent chance, there was no doubt Izuku would have tried to save Eri himself because it was the right thing to do, like a tiger protecting its cub.
That thought sat with her....both did….the fact that not doing the legal thing but the right thing is what saved Izuku's life, and the fact that she was…..so damn close to losing him.
"....fuck it." She whispered to herself.
"Hm?" He hummed, not quite sure what he heard before she turned to face him entirely.
"Izuku, do you want to go out with me on a date?" She asked directly.
"…."
"…."
"HUH?!?!"
Itsuka's arms crossed over her chest, a small smirk tugging at her lips at the absolutely dumbfounded expression the boy's face took on. "You heard me. Do you want to go out on a date?" She asked again.
Izuku was….well he was bluescreening. His mouth was opening and closing, his face was turning every hue of red, and his eyes seemed to be adjusting to whatever focus because he could not believe what was happening right now. "I...a…..a date?"
"Yes." she replied.
"…..l….like….just you….and me?"
"Yes." she repeated.
He was quiet for a second, but Itsuka waited, her teal eyes didn't leave his green ones for a moment. She wasn't demanding, she was asking, genuinely asking. She was tired of this….of dancing around it, not when she could have lost him and this go unresolved forever, it was time to fucking act. And as his mind seemed to finally understand what was happening, he felt his lips moving before he could register what he was saying. "O-ok! Yeah, yes! I'd…..I'd like that." He answered.
It felt like his heart froze.
Itsuka felt like hers went into a higher gear. She smiled, "Ok...how about this weekend? I have training this week with coach Yagi but I….well I should be done pretty soon and….and we can celebrate." She decided, coming up with the plan on the fly. He found himself nodding and her smile seemed to brighten.
A date.
Not a get together, not something two friends just hanging out. A date. And all that it entailed.
Izuku and Itsuka felt both their chests thrum, Itsuka thought back to her earlier comparison of Izuku to some force jungle beast and almost snorted in comparison to how nervous but excited he looked at the moment. "Ok then Tiger, it's a date." She said.
Izuku felt his entire being shiver at that nickname…..he didn't hate it…..in fact he liked it…..in fact he REALLY liked it. "R-R-right!" He squeaked.
Itsuka smiled, and as she turned to open the door to the dojo, she paused, turned back to him, and stepped forward, izuku became aware of her hands on his shoulders pulling him forward. And then the soft press of her lips on his cheek, pecking it not too dissimilar in a way that he did to her under the mistletoe on Christmas.
Without another word, she slipped back inside the dojo. Leaving Izuku's brain frozen as she entered the stairwell that led up to her apartment. When she was sure that he didn't enter yet when she grinned to herself and hopped up the step in joy.
The next few days were…..interesting.
Yagi was walking down the path which led to the beach in his small form, the late winter coat he wore concealing his skinny frame well and keeping him comfortable in the elements. It was Thursday now and the entrance exam was little over two weeks away from today. Itsuka was expected to finish her training by next week,
But Toshinori had noticed a change in his young pupil, while she had always taken her training seriously, the last few days since she talked with Sir Nighteye seemed to have lit a fire in Itsuka. She was pushing herself harder than ever, it was like she had been training with invisible weights the past nine and a half months and something finally unlocked them. He could only suspect that something happened when she spoke to his former sidekick. She had only told him that Nighteye had gotten the information he needed for his investigation from her and Midoriya. Though he suspected that there was more to it than that, he considered pressing the matter….but held off.
This wasn't a bad development, but it was a curious one.
As he arrived at the spot of the beach, he stopped dead in his tracks at the sight before him. Itsuka Kendo sat on the sand panting. Behind her, the section of the beach which had been marked for clearing out at the start of their training was now empty, with a clear view to the sea. "W…..wh….what?!" he yelped.
Itsuka's huffing form weakly looked up, sweat soaked through her clothes and her hair barely contained in the side ponytail she typically wore. She was tired, dirty, and on the verge of actual exhaustion. But she couldn't resist giving her mentor a wobbly smirk of triumph, "Huff…hufff….hufff….Heya….huff….huff…..coach." she greeted.
"All Might's blue eyes were wide as his mouth opened and closed, "Oh...my…." he suddenly buffed up into his mighty form. "GOODNESS!"
Kendo fell back, expecting the soft sand behind her to catch her, only for All Might to rush over in the blink of an eye and catch her himself, helping her sit upright again. "You have…..surpisingly soft hands…." she admitted, not expecting the hands of the strongest hero on the planet to have pillowy palms.
"Young Kendo, I am astounded!" He said joyfully as he gently helped her up to her feet, the tee shirt she was wearing was soaked with sweat and her pants were scuffed but she didn't care. "Look at how far you've come!" he praised with a gesture to her as she got up onto her feet fully on her own. Itsuka did look over herself, and….the change was evident. While not sudden it had been gradual over time. Her body had become more refined and stronger, "You've become the perfect vessel to receive One for All…..and in less time than I planned."
She looked up at the towering hero and smiled, "Yeah...bet your ass I did coach." she said before cuckling. "Sorry I'm just…..giddy with satisfaction." she admitted.
All Might shook his head, "No need to apologize, Young Kendo. You've earned this victory." he said as he put his hands on his hips, looking down at his pupil with pride. "I've noticed the last week there's been a fire lit inside you but I didn't expect this. You've really exceeded my expectations, you were already on track to finish early but even still!"
Itsuka's smile widened a fraction, what All Might probably didn't know was that she had been coming here extra early each day, putting in more time on training and then leaving to 'meet up' here. And when they left, she would double back to get a couple more hours in before heading home late and collapsing in bed. So she was doubly tired, doubly sore, and doubly washing her workout clothes.
But All Might was right. A fire had been lit in her.
It wasn't the date with Izuku she had finally planned out, though she did allow herself the time to quietly freak out a little bit about that the night she asked him. It was what she learned of that day. That someone close to her could easily have been killed if someone else didn't step up to do what was right….despite it not being what was legal.
So...maybe the law wasn't always right. That didn't mean she was going to blatantly disobey it, but if one of her friend were ever in trouble like Izuku had been? Before she might have hesitated, but now? Now she would act.
As these deep thoughts swirled through her head however, she didn't really notice All Might reach up to one of the antlers of hair sticking up and plucking a hair free. "Young Kendo, take this to heart. Someone told me this once, 'There is a difference between being lucky and deserving a reward, one's an accident, the other a reward. Never get the two confused.' you've earned this reward. Not only for your hard work, but your dedication, and above all else, your patience." he said.
Itsuka felt her cheeks warm a little at the praise, and then he held the hair before her and said.
"Eat this."
"......"
"....."
"The fuck you say?!" she screeched loudly as it echoed across the entire beach.
"N-Now now! It's not like that! To transfer one for all I need to give you some of my DNA! This is how it works!" All Might explained sheepishly.
Itsuka looked at him, then the hair, then at him, a look of utter disgust on her face, "...this...this is...wait, so your master did this with you?!"
All Might gave her a blank look, as though he was remembering the day….or living through the trauma of it. She couldn't tell. "...Young Kendo. Let me ask you this….how would YOU like me to do this?" he asked skeptically.
".......Fuck it's litterally the least gross option isn't it?" she sighed, facepalming as she ran through whatever other...DNA transfers she could consider. All Might nodded solemnly, the ginger haired girl took a long, deep, DEEP breath. And then held out her palm without looking up, "I should have let Nighteye talk you into his choice." she pouted as he handed her the hair. "God why did you pick the LONGEST one?!" she asked upon getting a look at it.
"Erk!"
She looked up at him, none too pleased by this development, "...you turn around, I don't want you watching me do this. This is weird enough."
"Understood!" All Might complied.
Itsuka was now very, VERY glad she planned to take Izuku out this weekend and not today…..because the next few days she would spend washing her mouth out with every single dental cleaning product she could find.