Subject #259 [COMPLETE]

Chapter 11: Leads

Word Count: 573

Izuku's POV

Izuku sat in the infirmary for the rest of the day, eating fruit and being visited by staff and students alike. Nezu came towards the end of the day and played chess with Izuku.

"Izuku?" Nezu asks after he won another match. "Do you have any knowledge of this drug?"

Izuku shook his head. Please don't ask more, please don't ask more.

"Okay." Nezu helps Izuku reset the board. Silence hung in the air. Izuku could feel Nezu's unasked questions.

"Where were you before this?" Nezu asks after a pause.

"I don't know. I came from an island, that's all I know." Izuku moves his pawn. "Very far away."

"...okay." Nezu and Izuku sit in silence again.

After a pretty long and intense match, Izuku finally checkmates.

"I finally won!" Izuku cheered.

Nezu smiles and resets the board. "Good job Izuku. Tomorrow, I want you to meet class 1-B. They're the other hero course."

"They're nice right?" Izuku flops onto the bed.

"Yes, they have potential." Nezu watches Izuku fiddle with the rook piece.

"Nei-kun is weird." Izuku laughs. "And funny."

"You mean Monoma?"

"Yeah! The blond one." Izuku puts down the rook. "Itsu-san is very nice."

"Kendo? I'm assuming?"

"Yes! Can we play more?" Izuku's eyes sparkle.

Nezu pauses before saying yes. "However, this will be our last game. It's getting late and you need to be up early to meet class 1-B."

"Okay!" Izuku says happily and moves his horse.

Nezu's POV

Nezu walked back to his office, chessboard in hand. An island far away...

Nezu puts away the game and looks into the islands down south. I hardly believe that Izuku would have survived if he came from Hokkaido. The material of the clothes he was wearing were too light and thin to be winter wear.

Nezu calls Aizawa. "Hello, Aizawa?"

"What is it Nezu? Did something happen to Izuku?" Aizawa's voice filled with worry.

"Don't worry, everything's fine. I believe it will be easier to tell you once you come." Nezu says cheerfully. "I believe I have a lead."

Nezu calmly waits for Aizawa to arrive, and meanwhile, searches for the littlest details.

Stolen fruits? Nezu stumbles upon a small article with only a few thousand reads. Apple cores and banana peels found on the floor of truck...

"I've arrived." Aizawa was breathing harder then usual. "You said you may have a lead?"

"Ah! Perfect timing!" Nezu finishes reading the small article. "While I was talking with Izuku today, he said he came from an island. I believe one of the southern islands, because his clothes were too light to be winter wear correct?"

"It was light, and it did feel to thin." Aizawa's breathing slows down.

"Izuku was carrying a bag, I believe?" Nezu watches Aizawa carefully. "Do you recall what was in that bag?"

Aizawa thinks carefully. "Yes, with apple cores and banana peels. Why do you need to know this?"

"Coincidentally, a truck making a delivery from the south, had apple cores and banana peels inside." Nezu smiles as a look of realization went across Aizawa's face.

"That's...oddly specific." Aizawa sucks in a breath. "You think Izuku came from that truck."

"Correct." Nezu says, pleased that Aizawa caught on quickly. "We need to find out where that truck came from, then we can find ships that recently departed..."

"And then we can find where Izuku came from." Aizawa finished.
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Sorry for the short chapter.