"I'm home!" Izuku called out as he entered his house. His mother calmly walked up to him to greet her son as he closed the door behind him.
"Welcome back, Izuku! You were quicker than expected," Inko welcomed him while cleaning her hands with a cloth. She was used to him staying late after school was over, so he often came back just before dinner. Sometimes, he came back before his classes were even over… But she didn't question it much since the school certainly didn't mind.
"That's 'cause I've got a guest. She's…" He responded gesturing at his side… only to realize no one was there. "Where is she, now?" He grumbled in confusion.
"She?" Inko muttered to herself. He never brought any friends home before, let alone a girl.
"Right here!" A high-pitched voice made itself known from behind her son. Suddenly, a blonde girl poked her head above Izuku's shoulder. "Your size's so useful, Izu-kun! I don't even have to walk!" She stated with a wide smile, displaying her fangs.
"So that's why my hair felt heavier…" He grumbled under his breath. "Wait a second. Who told you could get up there?!" He shouted although he seemed more annoyed than angry.
"Alright, alright, I'm going down! It was comfy, though," The blonde snickered as she jumped down, landing at his side. Immediately, she greeted the horned boy's mother with a large smile, her left leg slightly bent behind her, and a peace sign over her bangs. "Hey there! Name's Himiko! Nice to meet you!" She introduced herself to the green-haired woman, who remained baffled into silence for a good second.
"... Nice to meet you, too. I'm Izuku's mother, but you can call me Inko if you want," The older woman finally introduced herself to the girl before turning her attention back to her son and arching an amused eyebrow. "Izu-kun?" She repeated with a snarky grin. The horned boy huffed but didn't say anything. "I'm happy my son finally decided to bring a friend home or are you two more… Maybe dating?" She asked. Could you blame her for asking? Despite their strange family situation and issues, she was still his mother!
"Oh, we're not there yet!" Himiko laughed while waving her hand dismissively. Inko chuckled in response, amused by the younger girl. Suddenly, the girl noticed the state of the woman's legs, or rather the lack of half of one. "Oh, what happened to your leg?!"
"You little shit, don't you have any tact?" Izuku groaned, clearly ticked off by the blonde's remark.
"It's alright, Izuku, I don't mind," Inko dismissed his comment. "I got it in an accident a long time ago. My son can tell you more about it!" She answered Toga's question, seemingly unbothered by it despite the history behind her injury. "Ah, but I held you off enough!" She remarked, realizing they had been standing at the front door for quite some time now.
"We'll go to my room," Izuku simply said before walking away, followed by his new and only teammate.
"Lead the way!" Toga cheerfully exclaimed. It was the first time she was invited to a boy's house… Or any house, really.
"Oh, I almost forgot to ask! Will you stay for dinner, Himiko-san?" Inko inquired just before the two of them left the room.
"I'd be glad to!" Himiko responded, beaming at Izuku's mother.
Inko watched them go in silence, a smile across her face. That Himiko girl was cute, and certainly cheerier than the kind of girl she thought her son would be friends with. If he ever came to tell her he was dating someone, she would expect to see a hulking figure of a woman. Someone as muscly as he was, at least. Even if they weren't together, she was happy to see he wasn't alone. He didn't tell her much about school life or his life in general, actually. However, she had never seen him with anyone except for when he was younger and hanging out with Katsuki. Indeed, she was reassured. Despite his talent, her boy needed allies, after all.
"This bed is huge!" Himiko commented in awe as she entered the boy's room, and quickly ran up to it. Before her partner could protest, the girl jumped on the bed, sprawling all over it to compare it to her size. Izuku just sat at his desk after throwing his backpack away. "Your mom's nice. You're lucky," She mumbled, turning to look at him.
"Yeah," He responded dismissively, earning an inquisitive look from Himiko. Before she could open her mouth, he added: "And before you ask, the father's out of the picture,"
"Oh," The blonde uttered. She was about to say she was sorry, but considering the disdain in Izuku's voice once he mentioned his father, he likely wasn't sad that his sperm donor was gone. "Does your mom know about what you do? It's something hard to hide, isn't it?" She asked. The girl was speaking from experience since she had to flee from home the moment she did something illegal. Her parents already knew she was a murderer and saw her as nothing but a monster.
"Eh, maybe," Izuku shrugged, not worried about it at all. "She never asks me questions about my activities, and I know she's smart enough to know I'm not doing anything lawful. Especially when I bring her bags of money. She either doesn't care or doesn't want to know," He explained nonchalantly.
Meanwhile, Himiko was simply baffled by his statement. She didn't know a lot about villains and such, but she was sure most of them would be disowned or ratted out by their families. The fact that his mother wasn't saying anything meant, at the very least, that she indirectly approved of what he was doing. Nevertheless, it was strange. Why would she behave like that? Even if they approved, people wouldn't just pretend that nothing was happening, would they? Ultimately, Toga had no knowledge of psychology, so she couldn't conclude anything.
"She sounds great," She expressed. She was also curious about the woman's leg injury, but she figured that was something she could ask about at a later time.
"Anyway, I'm still not going to talk about any of my plans in front of her, which is why I wanted us to get in my room first," Izuku explained as Himiko finally sat up, at the edge of his bed.
"I was wondering about that. Why does it start in 9 months?" She inquired, tilting her head inquisitively.
"It's not that it starts in 9 months. It gets harder in 9 months, that's the difference. But we're not there yet," Izuku replied. He didn't wish to talk about his plans out of order. "I've been doing some dirty work for some time, but you could say I'm seriously only starting now. Recruiting people is our top priority for now. Either people we can fully trust, the ones who will be in our inner circle or expendable lackeys,"
"That's why you told Giran to find some villains," Himiko deduced, to which the boy nodded.
"Yeah. I needed his help to find guys who would serve as my officers. For now, you're the only one," He responded in affirmation.
"That also means I'm your first one! I'm honored!" Himiko celebrated with a toothy grin.
"Don't be too presumptuous, though. You'll be useful for stealthy work, but I need people who'll be the big guns. Guys who can dish out a lot of pain," He cut her off, making the girl pout in denial.
"I can dish out pain, too," She mumbled with her arms crossed.
"I've been having a hard time finding them with Giran's help, so I may have to do it myself. Anyways, as you probably guessed, we need a group. You won't accomplish anything as a villain if you don't have expendable guns under you or a good income. I require both," The horned boy explained while the blonde nodded along.
"You have an idea how to get these?" She asked, leaning her chin on her hands. Izuku smirked at the question.
"The easiest way is to take over an existing group. They'll already have a zone they settled in. And if we choose well, they could even already have a source of income we could improve upon," He explained confidently.
"But won't these guys betray you? I doubt they'll be happy if you replace their boss," Toga inquired with furrowed brows.
"You remember when I told you all humans wanted to be free?" He questioned. The blonde simply nodded in response, confused. "Society and its laws aren't the only things that repress their freedom. Fear does it, too. Don't worry about me. I'll make sure the fear they'll have of me will be engraved in their bodies. They won't betray me," He scoffed in amusement. Humans were still animals. At the end of the day, fear would keep them in line. It would control them.
"I'm not following you out of fear though," Himiko grinned proudly. "I do it 'cause I like you,"
"And I don't intend to use fear for my top officers. These ones would be people I need to trust fully. It would also be disappointing if there's no one capable of holding a conversation with me without shitting their pants," He retorted. Of course, it was much better if his strongest followers were working for him because they respected him, or liked him in Himiko's case. "Since I need to be careful about my chosen group, I asked Giran for help. I don't want to stupidly start a war over territories by accident, and attract unwanted attention,"
"You rely a lot on Giran. That old guy must have a ton of contacts," Himiko commented. She was impressed he even thought about those things. He wasn't like her, whose plan was just to kill aimlessly. However, she had a feeling planning like this was recurring in the underground world.
"I do, and the faster I can get that group, the faster I can stop relying on him. I don't trust him," Izuku revealed with a frown.
"Huh? But why?" The blonde girl arched an eyebrow in surprise.
"Call it instincts. Mostly, it's because that guy does have a lot of contacts. Too many, even. I wouldn't be surprised if he has more loyalty to certain groups or individuals. There's a possibility he could betray me for the right price," He explained his suspicions, rubbing his chin in a thinking manner. He wasn't stupid enough to blindly trust Giran. Even if he had no evidence of his worries, he still knew the rule of no honor among thieves. If the old man was offered a sweet enough deal, he would throw Izuku under the bus.
"Wow! I thought you would only have muscles for brains, but you're actually really smart, Izu-kun!" Himiko exclaimed in awe.
"Huh? What is that supposed to mean? And didn't I tell you not to call me that?!" Izuku barked at her, annoyed that she still didn't drop that nickname.
"I think it's cute! Plus, your mom liked it!" Himiko snickered fearlessly.
"For fuck's sake," The horned boy held the bridge of his nose with his eyes closed. What did he do to deserve this? No, he could only blame himself since he was the one who recruited her in the first place. He needed to remind himself that she possessed good qualities and had some potential. It also didn't help that his dragon quirk screwed with his hormones at the worst times, too. "Moving on. I heard there are a lot of gangs here in Musutafu, so it's possible that whenever we get a group, we'll have to expand to the rest of Shizuoka at the start. Then, when we have enough resources, we can comfortably take under our control more zones in Musutafu. This is what I mainly plan on doing for the next 9 months," He explained, making the blonde cock an eyebrow.
"Those 9 months again! What's in 9 months?" Himiko questioned, starting to get really curious now.
"The UA entrance exam," Izuku revealed, much to the blonde's surprise.
"What about it?" She inquired, curious. She had no idea why a villain would plan anything around UA's entrance exam.
"Isn't that obvious? I'm going to sign up. I plan on taking the exam and entering UA," He bluntly disclosed.
"What?!" Himiko gasped in shock. Of all the things he could have said, this was the last thing she expected to hear! "I thought you wouldn't want to be a hero after everything you said!" She exclaimed, unsure of how to feel about this.
"Becoming a hero isn't really the end goal. Although it would help a lot if I were since I could mess things up from the inside," He replied. "But my main objective there would be recruiting," He revealed.
"Recruiting?" Himiko voiced in confusion. Who would he recruit and what for? He wasn't seriously considering doing it for their villainous crew, right?
"Yes. Recruit heroes in training for our cause, obviously. They're bound to be strong and good assets," He explained without a care in the world. He was aware of the difficulty of the task, but he was confident. He also understood human nature well thanks to his family. Moreover, that would mean there would be even more traitors in the heroes' ranks.
"I… don't mean to sound pessimistic, Izu-kun… But how are you going to convince heroes in training to join villains?" She also didn't want to sound like she didn't believe in him, but this plan didn't have promising odds.
"Convince them?" The horned boy repeated. After a second, he burst out laughing. Toga flinched in surprise since this action was the least she expected at this point. "Don't get too ahead of yourself, likely many of them will just be tools at best!" He laughed. "If there is anything valuable that my old man taught me, it's that there is a rotten heart inside everyone. Some people just have a different number of protective layers hiding that heart. Once I enter UA, I will help these heroes in training find the rotten core whose existence even they deny… Or I will forcefully shatter these layers one by one until they're broken beyond repair and they have no spirit to fight back," He explained as his father's training sessions flashed before his eyes. Yes, some individuals hid their true nature while others denied they existed in the first place. You could either show them their true colors… or hurt them to the point of breaking. However, there were special cases in this world… "Now, if some of them still hold on to their values even after that… They'll remain our enemies,"
Himiko stayed silent for several seconds, taking in his words. She understood what he meant. At least, she thought she did. It wasn't complicated, rather, she was familiar with it. Yes, even she could see people's dark hearts. The dark hearts of the ones who hurt and rejected her. They acted as if they were irreproachable while wishing for her to disappear. Even when she had done nothing wrong, they despised her. She wondered what it would be like to show them how rotten they truly were? Would they accept it? Would they hate themselves like they hated her? How funny.
"Hn… Make them bad guys?" She hummed in amusement. Izuku gazed at her, waiting to see if she would continue. "That reminds me of a manga. There was this guy… On the outside, he was totally normal," He was what society considered the norm, anyway. "He acted sweet around everyone and was pretty popular. But then, in the second chapter, you learn he's all twisted and crazy. He likes toying with people, stealing, and killing all the prostitutes he had fun with. Yep, his sweet demeanor is all an act 'cause he knows he'll be in trouble if he shows his real face to 'normal' people," She recounted while the horned boy listened in silence, nodding along from time to time. "Then one day, he has enough. He's tired of having to act, but he doesn't want to be rejected either. He loves the attention and being liked by everyone! So he gets a great idea. He wants to corrupt everyone he knows. He wanna make them just like him. He wanna make them dark and depraved. It sounded like an awesome idea," She grinned.
"Did he succeed?" The green-haired boy asked. For once, his curiosity was piqued.
"I don't know. I never read the ending. It was canceled after ten chapters," Himiko responded in disappointment. "Izu-kun… I want to help. I want to do it. I want to make everyone else just as crazy and rotten as we are," She grinned wide, showing nearly all her teeth. Her blood rose to her cheeks as she imagined their perfect little world.
In response, the boy lightly snickered, undeterred by her blood-lusted eyes. In fact, instead of being disgusted or freaked out by them, he was amused. She was showing her true self, and he enjoyed it. It mostly made his heart beat with trepidation; it made his own bloodlust rise. Among other things, he wanted to fight!
"I feel like we'll have a good partnership," Izuku sniggered, giving the girl a determined look.
"This is going to be so much fun!" The blonde exclaimed before jumping to her feet. She ran up to the massive boy and grabbed his shirt. "Please, let me have your blood, Izu-kun!"
"Huh? What the hell are you saying, now?" He asked, taken back by her sudden request.
"I crave blood even more if it comes from the people I like, so please give some to me!" She pleaded before taking out her knife. Izuku simply huffed in boredom and grabbed by the ankle. "Ah!" She yelped as she was lifted off the floor and held upside down. She quickly used her free hand to grab her skirt and hide her panties with it. "Hey! I can't stab you like this, Izu-kun!" She complained while trying to slash the boy.
"This is going to be troublesome, you know that, right?" The horned boy asked, only to be ignored. Instead, the girl insisted on behaving like she was throwing a tantrum. He needed to decide on how to take care of this, so it wouldn't impede on any of their operations. His eyes scanned her body, traveling all over it until he finally came to a conclusion. "Let's make a deal, then. Since you want my blood so bad, I'll let you stab or slash me once a day. If your knife can get through my skin and make me bleed, you can have my blood,"
"Really?" Himiko beamed.
"Yeah, you have my word. However, for every failed attempt, I get to do something to you in return," He responded, earning a curious glance from the blonde.
"What would that be?" She asked, suspicious. Whatever it was, she wouldn't mind if she got his blood, anyway.
"You'll see once you try to take my blood," He shrugged dismissively.
"Hn… Alright! I accept!" She giggled before getting ready to try and stab his hand.
"Izuku! Can you come here for a second? I can't open this jar!" Inko suddenly called her son from the living room, stopping Himiko mid-motion.
"We'll continue this later," He stated as he dropped her on the floor. The blonde yelped in pain and dropped her knife once her head met the floor.
"You could have been more gentle, you know?" She said, still lying on the floor. With a grunt, she stood up and picked up her knife to hide it in the seifuku under her cardigan. She was satisfied with the deal he offered. Not only would she get to make everyone as crazy as she was, but she would also get to taste the boy's blood. She was already imagining how good it must have been. Probably exquisite coming from someone so rotten and strong.
She thought about his plans again. Obviously, his end goal was to take over Japan, which was quite ambitious for any villain to accomplish. However, she could see it happening with a large army of villains and heroes alike. Especially if their enemies' camp was filled with traitors. They were going to have so much fun! She truly chose the right person to follow! If only her parents knew, they would surely regret treating her the way they did! She was going to be richer and stronger than they ever could have been! Nevertheless, she shouldn't get too ahead of herself either since this was only the beginning. They didn't even have a group yet.
Soon after their little discussion about their plans, Inko called them over for dinner. Himiko was aware that the older woman was preparing katsudon. What she didn't expect was the sheer size of it. Sure, she and Inko had a normal portion. Izuku on the other hand? His bowl had twice as much rice, at least, and a whole chicken! She didn't know what she expected given his massive size, but it still surprised her.
"This tastes great, Inko!" Himiko commented, still glancing at Izuku from the corner of her eyes. The boy was even spitting out pieces of chicken bones occasionally after accidentally biting some.
"Thank you! I'm happy I get to cook for someone other than myself and Izuku for once," The green-haired woman chortled. "I've been wondering: for how long have you two known each other?" She asked with curiosity.
"A few weeks," Izuku swiftly responded before Himiko could even open her mouth.
"Oh, really? And you're already bringing her to meet your mother?" She chuckled in amusement, also earning a giggle from the girl who was more than happy to see someone tease him. "I'm guessing you are from another school?"
"I'm going to Nabu Middle School!" She replied quite confidently given it was a lie. Well, not exactly. It was the school she went to before running from home. And it was last year, so even if she continued going there, she would have been in high school by now.
"That's pretty far from Aldera," Inko commented. Yet, she didn't ask how they met.
"From what you said, it sounds like Izu-kun doesn't have a lot of friends," The blonde pointed out. Izuku grunted but remained quiet.
"Yes, he prefers staying on his own, which is a shame," Inko responded before turning to her son. "You aren't even hanging out with Katsuki-kun anymore, even though he's your childhood friend," She told him with a hint of sadness in her tone.
"We just aren't meant to be buddies, that's all," The horned boy sighed in annoyance. "Why are you even mentioning him now of all times? Did you go to Mitsuki's again?"
"Well, of course!" Inko replied with furrowed brows. Mitsuki was her only friend, so it wasn't really surprising that his mother regularly visited her.
"If you really want to see her so badly, can't you call her over instead? You shouldn't be walking around so much with that leg," He pointed at her prosthetic leg.
"Her house is just more welcoming than ours," Inko crossed her arms. Translation: there was a risk of Mitsuki stumbling on the unrealistic stash of money Izuku was hiding inside the house. They didn't have a lot of income, so having too much money would be suspicious. "We were talking about you and Katsuki-kun, and how you were as children. She was really saddened that you two drifted apart," She explained while Toga listened intently. She was overjoyed to learn more about Izuku's childhood. "Mitsuki doesn't look like it, but she really cares for her son, you know? She would do anything if it was for his well-being. Understandably, she would be worried Katsuki doesn't have many friends," She added.
"Believe me, he isn't bothered by it," Izuku scoffed dismissively. Inko sighed.
"Just remember what I said," She softly reminded him, then looked at Himiko again. "Do you have any plans for the future? What school do you want to go to next?" She asked, cheerier.
"Eh, I'm not sure yet," Himiko shrugged. She didn't even know what lie to come up with since she didn't feel like sticking with it later on.
"Izuku wants to become a pro-hero. I'm sure he must have told you, but he wants to enter UA," The mother stated with a neutral expression.
"Yeah, he told me! He'll be an amazing hero!" Toga exclaimed cheerfully while Inko's expression remained unchanged.
"I don't doubt he'll be quite unique," She simply said quietly.
Meanwhile, Izuku continued chewing on his meal, largely ignoring their idle chatter. He only interjected once or twice, not fully engaging in the conversation. His mind was preoccupied with other matters, particularly his preparations for UA. Although he had nine months ahead of him, he was determined not to squander any time. Once he had his own group, he could start earning money and building influence without needing to skip school anymore. With a determined look, he took another bite of the chicken in his katsudon, only to wince as a bone piece was lodged between his teeth again. Why were bones so freaking brittle?!
***
After weeks had passed since he recruited Himiko among his ranks. Giran finally gave him some juicy information. Something useful! If what they planned succeeded, then he could stop selling his analysis, and maybe even cut ties with the old man. After all, he had outgrown his usefulness by providing him what he had been looking for all this time. No, it wasn't a new member, unfortunately, but it was a gang he could subjugate.
Izuku and Himiko were currently at the very edge of Musutafu, roughly 20 minutes from his home by metro, and an hour by car. They were in a Chinatown. Obviously, Shizuoka's Chinatown wasn't as large and as frequented as Yokohama's, but it was still there. It was late in the evening, so there were quite a few people outside. He would have worn a mask, but it was useless given his size and his horns. It wasn't important, anyway. If everything went right, there would be no commotion at all outside. At least, nothing that would suspect him in any way.
The gang he was interested in was called the "Wild Dogs", and from what Giran told him, they owned a strip club. Strip clubs weren't banned in Japan, but they had a lot of regulations that would hinder an establishment. Moreover, this gang also sold multiple drugs there. That was why it was kept a secret. According to Giran, it was a normal-looking restaurant. People would come in and go without hearing or seeing anything suspicious. However, there was a backdoor that led to an underground club. With the right password, the waiter would lead them to that door.
Giran gave him their location because they didn't respect the end of one of their deals in the past. These guys weren't a huge gang, but they still made some profit. They were the perfect start for him.
"They're closed," Himiko bluntly stated to an Izuku who was sitting on a wooden box against a wall.
"Huh? What do you mean they're closed? They should be open!" He replied in confusion. Because of their underground activities, even their restaurant needed to remain open until later hours than the others.
"I know, but the sign says they're closed. The door's locked, too. And I can't see anything inside because of the curtains," Himiko retorted with her hands raised. "You don't need to shout at me, you know," She pouted before holding her hands behind her back.
"Doesn't matter, I know one person's in there," Izuku noted before standing up. Thanks to his quirks, his senses were enhanced. His hearing, sight, and smell were several times stronger than the average person's.
"Do you know that because of your quirk? When are you going to show it to me?" The blonde asked impatiently.
"I'll show it when I need to use it against someone," He replied in dismissal.
"But that's unfair! I'm teaching you my stealth technique, so you could at least show me your quirk!" She complained as the boy suddenly picked her up by the back of her collar like a cat and transported her in front of the door.
"We're going in, so watch if anyone's looking our way," He instructed while telling her to look out for any curious passerby.
"Ya got it, Ryu-kun," She replied while blushing in embarrassment at having been held this way. Because of their circumstances, they used codenames in public to avoid revealing anything. Obviously, he also needed to think of a villain's name. Just like pro heroes, villains also needed names to be recognized, but he hadn't thought of one.
Now standing in front of the entrance door, Izuku leaned down and breathed out a small flame over the lock. Applying the fire for a few seconds was enough to turn the lock and the knob into molten metal.
"There, it's open," He stated before pushing the door open with a finger. He also made sure not to cause a fire to spread since he didn't wish to lose this building before even taking over it.
"You're sneakier than you look," Himiko commented in amusement as they entered the restaurant.
The interior was nothing special. For any average person, they would see nothing but a regular restaurant. At first glance, there was nothing suspicious going on. However, Izuku knew better. From behind the bar counter, a man was bent over it, seemingly playing on his phone. Naturally, the moment the two of them came in, the bartender hurriedly raised his head.
"The restaurant's closed, so piss off," He ordered. It seemed he hadn't realized they had come in even though the door was originally locked.
"I'm here to see your boss," Izuku stated, ignoring the man's order. The bartender raised an eyebrow. "The boss of the Wild Dogs," He clarified, making the Wild Dogs' member's eyes widen.
"I don't know who you are, buddy, but I've never seen you here! Everything here is closed, so if you want to see my manager, you'll have to come back," He snarled, walking around the counter to face the massive boy. "Or else," He threatened. Izuku had to admit that he certainly had guts. Most people wouldn't dare talk to him this way since he was three times their size.
"I'm not wasting time here with you," Izuku rolled his shoulders in boredom. "Ace, make him talk," He ordered.
The bartender froze as something hard and cold was pressed against his throat. He quickly recognized it as… a knife! His eyes darted to his left to see who had snuck up on him. It was a blonde girl who had climbed onto his back, wrapping her legs around his waist. She held his head with her left hand while the other hand threatened his throat with the blade.
He gulped in fear while drops of sweat rolled down his cheeks.
"Now… I'll say it again. Take me to your boss," Izuku repeated in a low tone.