The police had arrived, and were taking all the captured villains into custody, including the Nomu. It had been found in the forest, and was now completely docile. It allowed itself to be cuffed and taken in.
The adults explained the situation. Other than some bruises and scratches, all the students were fine. Aizawa was badly injured, but would survive. So would Thirteen and All Might. Len could tell that Mina was relieved after hearing that; in fact, she almost went straight back to her usual self.
Kaminari returned to a normal state, and many of the students began discussing what all had happened in groups.
"Kagamine, Sero," Shoji said, putting hands on both boy's shoulders. "We made a good team."
"I helped, too!" Mina exclaimed, butting in. "And so did Ura… oh she's over there, talking to Iida and Midoriya."
"It is frustrating, though," Sero smiled sadly. "If we'd held on to the portal guy, they would have caught everyone. But the boss guy slipped away."
"… that's why I went after him, instead of staying with you guys," Len confessed. "I'm sorry for worrying you."
"It's alright, dude," Sero reassured.
Shoji nodded. "Indeed. It may have been a different story had you injured yourself, but you came out fine."
"That's because All Might was there!" Mina proclaimed, pumping her fist. "Ain't none of us students getting hurt on his watch!"
"Ha… yeah…" None of you were close like I was. For a moment there… it seemed like All Might was the one who needed help, not us kids.
"Hey, Kagamine?" Len turned. It was Midoriya.
"Hmm? One second, guys." Len held up a finger to his friends, and then allowed the green-haired boy to pull him aside.
"Th-thanks," Midoriya stuttered. "For stopping me from jumping in and breaking my legs."
"Huh? I honestly thought you might have been mad at me for holding you back. Maybe if the pro heroes hadn't come when they did, your action would have made a difference there, but… I don't know."
Midoriya frowned. "Well, the villains were about to attack All Might… but thank you, seriously. I'd be in one of those ambulances if it wasn't for you."
Len shifted uncomfortably. "Anyone could have done it. I was just the guy with the right power." And that's why I'm here.
The green haired boy beamed, suddenly. "That's right! Taking responsibility for your what's within your power… is what being a hero is all about!"
"Ha… yeah." That had fired him up, for some reason. "Just… hey, try not to charge in so recklessly again. If your attack had failed, you'd have been dead on the ground. It didn't matter if you'd managed to buy All Might any time or not. I realise you're a fan of the guy, but… damn." Apparently Midoriya had been really moved by his "guy with the right power" comment, because he was still smiling, and tearing up. "Also… maybe work on the crying, a little…" Len nervously patted the other boy on the shoulder. "I'm gonna head back now."
Midoriya sniffed, wiping his face. "Right."
"Alright, everyone!" The lead detective announced. "You're heading back to the classroom! Sansa, I have some business at the nurse's office. Take over here."
Another policeman who was literally a cat saluted him. "Yessir."
"It's a cat," Mina commented, disquieted.
"Indeed." Len nodded sagely. What's with the animals?
***
Principal Nezu stood at the edge of the steps, looking out over the wreckage. Next to him on either side were Snipe and Midnight.
"The two that got away were the most dangerous," the cowboy hero said. "I shot a whole bunch into one of 'em, though. He'll be sulking and pained for a while."
"The other, the one with the portal Quirk…" Midnight frowned. "Warping and teleportation-type Quirks are already extremely rare. But for one to manifest in a suddenly active villain, so soon after we have a new student with one? It… unsettles me."
The new student. The first year with the warping Quirk. Kagamine Len, his name was. Nezu chewed on his thoughts for a moment.
"We will be needing to improve our security system," he said aloud, gesturing to the ruins. "Clearly, these past two incidents have proved that. I believe we can also proceed to the possibility that there is a traitor within the school."
The temperature around them seemed to drop several degrees. Snipe shuddered. "You can't mean…"
"Did the detective say he was questioning students?" Nezu asked.
"Hmm? I believe so, yes. Just after they've had some time to recover from the shock of the attack," Midnight told him.
"The boy with the warping quirk…"
"Kagamine," she supplied. "Tall for his age, that one. And not bad looking." She had a glint in her eye. Snipe have her a glare. "According to Thirteen," the cowboy hero said, "the boy spent a great deal of time being singled out by the portal villain. He was saved by his friends."
Nezu's eyes narrowed, but his smile remained. "Ensure that the police question him. And at some point, I'd like to speak with him myself."
***
Len arrived home exhausted. As he opened the door, he suddenly became acutely aware that yes, his parents existed. How would they react to this? Would they figure the attack as some excuse to pull him out of UA?
"You're back," his mother said when he entered the kitchen. She was cleaning the counter with a neutral expression. "That took a while."
"Ah yes, I was… held up a bit." What the FUCK? She literally doesn't know about it! Of course his parents barely watched the news, but surely the school had called? Were they ignoring calls from his school?
In any case, Len wasn't about to mess up the situation any more than he had to.
"Well, I'm glad you're back now." She dropped the rag onto the counter and indicated for him to take over cleaning. "Hurry up with dinner. Your father will be home soon."
Later that night, Len was laying in bed, thinking about everything that had happened, when he suddenly received a notification on his new phone.
"Hmm?" He picked it up and looked at it.
Toru Hagakure added Len Kagamine to the group
?: yo!
?: He's here. Is that everyone?
Toru: yep!
Len's eyes widened. He'd been added to a group chat. Five others were within.
Toru: so basically Kagamine-kun this is a group chat for our lunch table. sorry you were added last, but no one else besides me knew your number
Len: that's fine. who's who? I can add you lot to my contacts
?: im sero
?: Shoji here.
?: queen mina, at ur service!
?: Ribbit.
Len added the four numbers in. He hoped they'd do the same for him.
Len: got everyone. thanks
Hagakure Toru renamed the group to 1-A's Cool Lunch Club ft. Cloak and Dagger
Hanta: why
Tsuyu: every group chat must have a wacky name that changes every few hours. this is required
Len: oh, the humanity
Mina: what is cloak and dagger
Mina: i dont get it
Toru: Kagamine, would u like to explain?
Len: not in the slightest.
Toru: ok since Kagamine is being LAAAAME
Toru: me and him introduced ourselves as cloak and dagger. on the first day of class.
Hanta: oh, i remember that now. me and kaminari thought you guys were just idiots
Hanta: but i kinda get it now
Mina: KAMINARI thought they were idiots?!
Mina: who is he to talk
Hanta: lol did you see what his quirk did to him after the attack today
Mezo: I saw that. It seemed… unpleasant.
Tsuyu: perhaps we ought not to joke about the attack. no offense or anything sero
Hanta: oh fair enough yeah
Hanta: my b
Len: some people deal with trauma through humor
Toru: like you for instance?
Len: don't attack me like this
Len: im the dagger, remember? you just handle the cloaking
Toru: i cannot make other people invisible, unfortunately
Len: just like i cant teleport other people. our quirks are kinda similar huh
Mina: didnt u tell me u teleported a lizard one time?
Len: yea but its tail fell off. not eager to test it on a human.
Toru: tsuuuuu
Toru: do ur limbs grow back
Toru: is that a frog thing
Tsuyu: if only the world were so kind.
Hanta: careful, though. in an urge to make Kagamine realize his full potential, aizawa may make him test his shit on other classmates
Len: id straight up refuse
Len: no meme
Mezo: Speaking of which, I do hope Aizawa-sensei will be alright. He seemed to be the worst off.
Mina: the detective guy said he'd recover
Mina: i mean i was worried earlier but thinking on it it's not like he needs to be completely better just to teach class
Mina: if ya know what i mean
Hanta: ye i get it. any long term effects of the injuries might affect his hero work but he can still teach and everything
Len: does he even still operate as a hero? ik that all might still does, and some of the other teachers, but what about him
Mezo: I am unsure.
Tsuyu: he was an underground hero to begin with
Tsuyu: perhaps we'll never know.
Hanta: maybe he fights crime at night instead. since he has to teach us during the day
Hanta: that's why he always looks like he's about to pass the hell out
Tsuyu: that would certainly explain the sleeping bag.
Toru: adulting seems harrrrd
Toru: i feel bad that it was just the adults that got hurt. i mean, all of us students came out fine.
Len: excuse me
Len: i scraped my elbow
Len: i am in excruciating pain how dare you
Mina: shutup
Len: sorry, miss
Mina: anyway to answer your question toru
Mina: were super strong and awesome! so we put up a good fight!
Mezo: I agree, somewhat. Had we been completely passive and out of the fight as some of the adults might have liked us to be, things may have turned out far worse.
Hanta: yea, thats right. iida really came through by warning the school. mvp moment right there
Hanta: plus, we saved thirteen. and aizawa.
Tsuyu: All Might saved Aizawa
Tsuyu: you had very little to do with it
Hanta: ok well we carried him to safety
Toru: dont forget todoroki and them going in to help all might! he iced that big monster, and they all got really close to the main guy!
Hanta: oh yeah, bakugo and kirishima and them
Len: hi. i was there too.
Len: all might was down there with us, so there was never any real danger. I think.
Hanta: oh yeah you did go down with them
Hanta: and midoriya, too. he seems kinda unstable that guy
Mezo: But powerful. He has a lot of power. The potential to be up there with Bakugo and Todoroki if he manages to stop hurting himself.
Toru: mannnn that is a scary top three right there
Toru: i feel kinda inadequate. i mean, kirishima seems pretty down to earth, but then there's yaoyorozu… you boys haven't had to be in the same locker room as her. she's scaryyyyy
Toru: the whole top of the class is scary. i feel much better with us average people
Toru: meaning no offense to anyone!
Len sat back from the group chat for a moment. I was down there with who she'd call the top of the class. I faced the greatest danger. Heck, I saved Midoriya twice! And yet… I'm just being swept under the rug, for some reason. Even by my own friends?
Hagakure meant well, though. Besides, it wasn't like he wanted to be at the top anyway. After having seen the villains target All Might so desperately… maybe it was better to be under the radar.
Another notification appeared on his phone, separate from the group chat. It was from Mina. Just Mina.
Mina: dont mind me or the acid shoes. im just using them to sliiiiide into ur dms
Len: begone seductress
Len: also, that line was awful. like, really. i hated it.
Mina: i know
Mina: i got excited about the concept and kinda botched the execution
Mina: but anyway i wanted to ask you something outside the group setting
Len: ask away
Mina: r u not frustrated that toru's kinda discounting you?
Mina: and the others too kinda
Len: nah. they all mean well. these are early friendships we've formed here and im not really trying to toss some tension in there that quickly
Len: besides i gave it some thought and it's probably better not to be too noticed
Len: especially after today.
Mina: iiiii mean i see where ur coming from
Mina: but later on it'll help a lot to be up at the top with todoroki and bakugo and them
Mina: gets you agency dealings and stuff
Mina: That's why I'm trying to aim for the top!
Len: well, that and you like to be the center of attention.
Mina: i won't deny it
Mina: but anyway wyd rn?
He had to briefly break away from the convo to ask his sister the meaning of "wyd".
Len: just sitting in bed. how about you?
Mina: saaaaaame. normally id be gaming n stuff, but i'm just super exhausted
Len: you play video games?
Mina: yep! massive gamer girl alert
Len: that's not as appealing to me as it may be to some other boys
Mina: do u not play games at all?
Len: nope. don't own any.
Len: well, my sister might. i don't know
Mina: nerd. imagine reading
Mina: couldn't be me
Len: well, i'm pretty tired too. hope you don't mind if i go on to sleep.
Mina: nah i don't mind! i might try and do the same
Mina: gn len
Len: night mina. it was nice talking with ya
He shut his phone off and laid back in bed. I just texted a girl! For the first time ever! And she had initiated it, too.
He thought back to a few of the moments they'd shared in USJ. At first, he'd thought Mina was just messing around with flirting, like Toru had done a couple of times, but now he wasn't so sure.
And he'd started to think about how she looked. Pretty. And cute. She's… really cute.
Oh no. No no no.
Len put his face in his hands. As much as he'd wanted to focus on just hero training… he'd fallen for a girl.
I am well and truly hopeless.