CoTE X MHA Fanfiction : Life Behind Masks

V3 Chapter 3 : Calm Before the Storm

1

I glided along the icy bridge Todoroki formed and crossed the rooftops. My hair fluttered in the wind, the icy breeze that came off of Todoroki's ice blew in my face, washing away any fatigue I may have had from chasing villains all across the city. Several ways ahead of us, Endeavor's flaming figure flew across the sky looking like a meteorite with a mind of its own, dodging buildings and birds in its way.

Just a few minutes prior, we were patrolling the streets when Endeavor suddenly flew away, leaving us in the dust. We'd immediately rushed after him and found out first-hand just how hard it was to follow a guy who was traveling by air when you're on the ground with obstacles like citizens and buildings. We'd taken to the rooftops, but it didn't change the situation much; the gap was already present.

Still, we tried our best and eventually the gap shortened. Endeavor glanced back at us and managed to hide his surprise quite well. Soon, we could hear police sirens and saw that a crime was taking place on the street. A couple of thugs were raiding a store, storing the goods in a... little kid's backpack? How are those things fitting inside such a small thing?

Endeavor immediately changed his trajectory and went smashing right into the center of the chaos. Flames erupted all around the thugs, inducing blood-curdling screams that sent shivers down the spines of the people nearby, citizens and cops alike. Todoroki summoned an icy slope that led right to the center of attraction and we both slid down to the ground in a grandiose fashion.

"It's the heroes!" The citizens cheered. "Endeavor is here!"

Endeavor pulled himself up to his full height and faced the crowd with an indifferent expression, but we all knew that he was feeling ecstasy on the inside. Nothing like receiving praise to tickle someone's ego, even if it was for barely anything. Todoroki shot his father a hateful glance, but otherwise focused on the task at hand—saving and detaining the criminals.

A volley of ice spread out and froze everything in its path in accordance with its master's will. The flames turned into beautiful ice sculptures, and in them were the criminals on full display. The officers on the scene regarded him with a thankful gaze.

"Do we have a list of the stolen goods?" I asked the officer.

"Excuse me, who...?"

"Ayanokouji Kiyotaka," I said. "I'm an intern at Endeavor's agency. This is—"

"Shoto," Todoroki said.

"Ah! I see... Well, here is what we have at the moment." He passed us a paper that was so long it reached the floor. "The total amount of missing items are...there." He pointed at the very bottom of the list. "352 items."

"I saw them stuffing those items inside a kid's backpack. You think one of them has a dimensional-type quirk?"

The officer nodded. "That's right. This is the kind of stuff we hate, though. If they're strong-willed, it's likely we'll never see those items again..."

"It'll be fine, I'm telling you, officer." A slim man with slicked-back hair and an above-average face came out of the store smiling. "Everyone, no matter how strong their will is, has a limit. It's only a matter of time."

"If you say so..."

The slim man turned to us.

"Greetings gentlemen," he bowed. "I'm Matsumoto Sasaki, a freelance detective affiliated with most of the law enforcement agencies in the country. It's good to meet you again, Todoroki-kun—Endeavor, and... Ayanokouji-kun and Shoto-kun, was it?"

We nodded and shook hands.

"I'll leave the rest in your hands, Matsumoto," Endeavor said without returning the greeting. Matsumoto retracted his hand and kept his smile.