Chapter Text
“Hey, Toshi, someone found your notebook.” Naomasa Tsukauchi tapped on Toshinori’s open door before stepping inside. He set it on the desk, next to the small sign that read Detective Yagi.
Toshinori looked up from his computer, frowning. “That isn’t mine.”
“It’s got your name on it.” Tsukauchi tapped the cover of the book and read aloud, “If found, please return to Detective Yagi at the Musutafu Police Station."
Toshinori picked the book up and flipped through the pages. They were filled margin to margin with fast scribbling. Names, labeled pictures, tiny notes squeezed into every space. It was chaotic, overwhelming. Turning to the first page, he was surprised to see a hastily formatted letter addressed to himself. His eyes flickered to the bottom of the page to see who the letter was from. “Izuku Midoriya?”
“Isn’t that the kid from the other day?” Tsukauchi asked. “The one who was off his medication, ran away from home? He had multiple personalities or something like that.”
Toshinori nodded. It had only been a week since the boy’s father had come in asking them to help find the missing sixteen year old. He had a history of neglecting his medication and had disappeared on his way to school after skipping one morning. His parents were both worried sick and once Toshi had tracked him down, it was clear why. Izuku Midoriya seemed to believe that he was from a superhero society and that he himself was training to become a superhero. Toshinori had only talked to him briefly, but the depth of his delusions were clear. It had made him feel guilty to win the boy’s trust, then see the look of betrayal in his eyes when he’d brought him back home. The whole situation had put him on edge and he had only just begun to relax. Now there was this.
“Maybe we should check up on him. Looking at this, he may be trying to run away again.” Toshi scratched his head and sighed.
“It’s not like you to be nosy.” Tsukauchi grinned at him. “You like the kid, don’t you? Is it because he thought that you were one of those superheroes too? What did he call you again? Almighty?”
“All Might.” Toshinori corrected him. He sat back in his chair and slowly thumbed through the pages of the notebook. It hadn’t taken much for him to convince Izuku to come with him. Despite how much the boy mistrusted his family, as soon as they’d met he’d gone with him without asking any questions. In fact, the first time they met, Izuku had started crying. It still gave Toshi a chill down his spine remember how Izuku had already known his name before he’d introduced himself.
Turning back to the first page of the notebook, Toshi read the letter.
Dear Mr. Yagi,
I know you don’t know me, or at least you think you don’t, but I’ve been searching for you. You are the only one who can help me. I know that you think I’m crazy. Everyone does. But please, hear me out before you throw this notebook away. Where I come from, 80% of the world’s population is born with some sort of special ability or power. We call these unique traits Quirks. To fight against villains using their Quirks to commit crimes, the profession ‘hero’ was created. Of all the heroes that have ever lived, the greatest of them all is you. All Might, the #1 Hero, the Symbol of Peace. Your unique Quirk is called One for All, and unlike any other Quirk, yours can be passed down from one person to another. It’s a stockpiling Quirk, building the power from one carrier to the next. You were the eighth holder of One for All. I am the ninth. One for All was created by mistake by the worst villain to ever live, a man who goes by the name of his Quirk- All for One. His ability allows him to steal Quirks from others and redistribute them. He is the reason that we are trapped here in this nightmare. While fighting against him and his League of Villains, a mysterious Quirk was activated called Dreamary. The Quirk twists the subjects' memories into a lifelike fantasy. From what I can tell, only All for One and I were affected. In this dream, he says that he’s my father and has been forcing me to take medication that erases my memories of the real world. I can’t run away and I can’t wake up. You always know what to do, All Might, so please help me escape. I’ve written down everything I can remember in this book that might help us break this illusion. I only have minutes a day where I regain my consciousness. Please help me. If anyone can, it’s you. You’re my hero, All Might. I want to wake up, I want to go home, I want to see the real you again.
Your student, Izuku Midoriya
“This is worse than I thought.” Toshi sighed as he closed the cover.
“Poor kid.” Tsukauchi agreed. “It’s a good thing his family is so supportive of him.”
“He thinks his father is a villian.” Toshi frowned. “You don’t think there’s something else going on, do you?”
“I think you’re overreacting. Come on, let’s go get a drink. I’ll treat you this time.” Tsukauchi headed for the door.
“I’m coming.” Toshi stood and moved to toss the notebook into the recycling. He hesitated last second and instead dropped the notebook into his desk drawer. It was harmless, there was nothing wrong with keeping it. That and he couldn’t shake the feeling that his interactions with Izuku Midoriya had just begun.