hero's shadow // mha

77) from green to blue

"You're leaving," Izuku says, and he's looking at the wall in the back of the room, not feeling like meeting their eyes this time around. "Are we compromised?"

"No," the first board member responds, her voice soft by nature. "But we have to go now if we want to keep it that way."

Izuku drops his head. He counts the scuff marks on the tiled floor. He's been in this exact spot so many times now that his shoe prints are clearly visible. The ground has two little grooves in it, marking the place where all the other past champions stood too.

He is only one in a line of hundreds.

"Where will you go?" He asks, fists clenched tightly behind his back.

The man in blue sitting at the far left of the curved table taps his fingers against the glass. "Where we always go. We never move far, Rabbit. We're only a shadow away."

It's not the answer Izuku wanted, and the board member must know that, but that doesn't make him elaborate. Izuku shoulders the weight of their gazes and blows out a slow breath. "If I need you, how should I contact you? I take it that direct messaging will no longer be a safe option."

"You won't need us for a while yet. But even if you do need to contact us," the man in a red dress shirt responds, "you'll know how to do it when the time comes."

Izuku doesn't hide his eye roll. He's not a fan of their theatrics and riddles. Not this time. He doesn't voice these thoughts, though. He only crosses his arms, head tilting to the side. He sees the way their eyes linger on his newest set of cuts and bruises. "You won't disclose it to me."

The five members making up the Club's official board pause and glance at one another. Their silence is answer enough.

Izuku grits his teeth. "I can guard you."

"No need," the fourth member tells him. "You have your own affairs to tend to, which is why you're here, right?"

The prompt is clear: forget about it and move on.

Izuku takes a deep breath and walks closer to them, having to look up a little to face them directly. "I've gathered the information you asked for on Overhaul. I think I have a sufficient amount to bring to our anonymous hero partners. They'll have no choice but to react publicly."

The head of the board leans forward, and his face is still mostly shadowed. "Our ties with 70% of our partners have been severed since the recent events at Hosu. Because of this, I'm afraid we cannot go that route this time around."

Izuku falters. "They backed out? Why? I thought Hosu would have the opposite effect. With everyone crying Nomu left and right, you'd think the heroes would turn to us for some more insight."

The first member snaps her fingers, a white gleam to her eye. "That was my thought, too. I'm guessing they're too overwhelmed to deal with the likes of us."

"Oh, please, they're most likely scared shitless," Red adds. "They don't want the added weight of being involved with us on their conscience, especially now with the growing public distrust in heroes."

Blue rubs his forehead, leaving small needle marks in his wake. "We're better off forgetting about them."

This makes Izuku take another step forward, mouth dropping open. "You mean you want me to skip out on getting reinforcements? But the—the files. Didn't you see the files I sent over? We need help to take down Overhaul. I mean, not only can he turn ten times his size, but he has a bunch of B-tier villains as his henchmen. We need the heroes' support for this one!"

"We have a wide range of forces," the fourth member counters, "though I specifically remember you being told to only gather information on this case. It isn't your assignment to bring Overhaul in. You do remember he is the Yakuza heir, yes?" He doesn't wait for the boy's reply. "We are not in a position to challenge them so soon after the recent societal upheaval."