MHA: A Cat’s Way

Nezu looks down at the list I’ve given him, humming in thought. “This is quite the treasure trove of information, Miss Catia. Your spy has done excellent work.”

I shrug, not mentioning that the only reason the reports on the ‘Eight Bullets’ is because Co- Rappa is one of them. Since we’re on opposite sides right now I should call him by his name. “The Cult has good cats.” I say simply.

“Indeed.” Nezu nods. There’s silence as he continues to look through the files while I consider who would be a good match for Rappa. I could see if the giant idiot banana would join, but I don’t want Eri or Himiko to be caught in a collapse from his reckless attacks. Not to mention that, with how closely the news follows him, the yakuza would know about the raid before we’d even left.

A hazy memory comes back to me then, one where smoked catnip filled the room. I remember doors flying off their hinges, and a battle-hungry smile. If I’m remembering right, I’m pretty sure…

I’m pulled out of my thoughts by a knock on the door, Nezu looking up from the papers as he calls out for them to enter. In walks a tall lanky man in a gray suit and red tie with white polka dots on it. His dark green hair has some yellow highlights, which matches his yellow glasses and yellow eyes.

He gives off a no-nonsense attitude as he surveys Nezu’s office, his eyes falling to rest on the clear outlier. “Why is a student here, Nezu? I was under the impression that we were going to discuss the information that will be presented to the raid team.”

He nods happily in reply. “That’s correct! In fact, that’s exactly why Miss Catia is joining us. She’s presented us with the details on the Shie Hassaikai’s top members, the Eight Bullets, as well as having seen their leader’s quirk in action.”

He peers at me with a new light in his eyes, one that’s judging my value, making me squirm uncomfortably. He stalks forward until he’s standing above me, glaring down. He opens his mouth, and I’m prepared for his derisive words about how a first year student who doesn’t even have a provisional license couldn’t have much to contribute, but that’s not what I hear.

“Make me laugh.”

“Nya?” I blink in confusion and tilt my head, sure that I heard him wrong.

“Make me laugh,” he says again, and now I’m sure I heard him right the first time.

I shoot a confused look at Nezu, getting a chuckle in reply. “Sir Nighteye is a man who values humor and laughter. As All Might’s former sidekick, it only makes sense that he wishes for people to smile.”

I hold back a scowl at that reminder. I’d completely forgotten that All Might used to have a sidekick. Though now that I’m reminded, I’m pretty sure that I have some murder plans for him stashed in a drawer somewhere…

Not that I’d expect any of them to work of course. I made them when I was, like, nine or something. Hardly the best age to plot the murder of a prominent hero’s sidekick. I was still going after random thugs in attacks of opportunity. I had Nekomura to help by that point at least, so I started getting less injured.

I shake the reminiscence out of my mind, focusing back on the here and now. Make him laugh…

Well, I didn’t have anything planned for now, but let’s see if he can wait for the meeting. After explaining what I’d planned he smiles, agreeing with it. But Nezu has a problem with it. “You don’t have a provisional license, so I cannot allow you to participate in the raid.”

I raise a finger. “Counterpawnt. I don’t have to participate in purrson. My cats can work separately from me so long as I meow them instructions beforehand.”

“Hmm. While that may be the case, it is still a risk without you being there to direct them in the case of unforeseen circumstances.”

I smirk, summoning a brawler cat. “Who meowed that I wouldn’t be able to direct them?”

Curling into a ball I let sleep take me, my mind transferring to the brawler. I show them that I have full control of the cat, as well as my mental facilities being unaffected. After letting Nighteye destroy it -which he does by launching a ridiculously heavy stamp at its head- and seeing that there’s no detriments when they’re destroyed they agree with some further negotiation. Let’s just ignore the fact that I’d pulled out before he’d attacked. It wouldn’t be good to let them know how unpleasant it is to feel them die when I’m connected to them.

“So, can we expect any reinforcements from the Cult of Nya?” Nezu asks, having already filled Nighteye in on how I’m a part of the charity/underground organization. Can’t say I’m particularly happy about that, but I’m not in a position to complain.

At least I get the satisfaction of seeing the rat’s jaw drop when I tell him who to expect at the meeting tomorrow. Let’s see if the rat can keep his word…

`~`

Nezu looks at the room full of heroes, assembled so that they could be given the details of the raid on the Shie Hassaikai. Other than the presence of the Rabbit Hero: Mirko, the only one his student expressly requested to be involved was Eraserhead. He’d questioned her as to why she did not wish for Midnight to join the raid -merely as a test of course, given he could see the clear problems himself- and she looked genuinely confused.

“They’re all wearing masks, nya. Overhaul’s brain would have to be fish-sized to nyat make them gas masks.”

He’d simply nodded, as it was the answer he expected from her. Or at least the minimum of what he expected from a first year hero course student. Though he suspects that there’s more to her desire for Miss Kayama’s absence he will not pry. At least not in a way she’d know about.

Other than Eraserhead, Mirko, and Sir Nighteye -who’d brought his entire agency, including the third year student Mirio Togata, AKA Lemillion- several other heroes had also been invited.

The Dragoon Hero: Ryukyu. The BMI Hero: Fat Gum. And with them their own understudies: Tamaki Amajiki, AKA Suneater, and Nejire Hado, AKA Nejire-chan. With this, the Big Three of UA shall be participating in the raid.

Some of the lesser known heroes that will be participating are Rock Lock, Kesagiriman, and Mr. Brave. This does not include the handful of lower ranked heroes who were made aware of the raid and wished to join in the hopes their ranks will increase. Normally they would have been turned away, but they do need more fighters. And they needed to ensure that none of them would leak news of the raid in petty vengeance for being refused.

Nezu shakes his head, lamenting the fact that such a thing needs to be considered when it comes to heroes. But he’s well aware that heroes are only human. And his very existence is a testament to how little humans think of the future.

But those are thoughts for another time, one where he’s collected enough blackmail on the Safety Committee that he can finally force them to make worthwhile changes to the hero system in an effort to make them actual heroes.

Sir Nighteye stands at the front of the room, addressing the seated heroes with a serious look on his face. I wonder how everyone will react to the little surprise they’ll be given, Nezu wonders idly with a smirk, ignoring how several of the assembled heroes flinch, including Mirko. She’d been subjected to Rat Satan’s punishments quite often during her time at UA for a variety of reasons that really all boiled down into one.

She’d been fighting outside of training.

But her underlying trauma is buried enough that she doesn’t flee from him, so it’s fine.

“Thank you all for coming on such short notice,” Nighteye starts, refocusing the attention on him. “Normally you would have been made aware sooner, but someone has given my agency enough information to catapult our case forward. They discovered what likely would have taken several months for us to learn, in less than a week.” He adjusts his glasses as the heroes erupt into shouts of surprise, a not unexpected reaction. It likely would have been more pronounced had they learned that the time-frame would be closer to half a year.

Rock Lock, as one of the most judgemental of those assembled, is the first to question him. “How is that possible? Did someone turn traitor? If that’s the case, how do we know that the information is true? They could be trying to lure us into a trap.”

Sir Nighteye shakes his head. “It is not a trap, nor did someone from the organization we’ve been investigating turn traitor. You have my assurances that the information is accurate and trustworthy. In fact, they are waiting in the other room along with their… associates, should you wish to meet them.”

At the collective nods he sends Bubble Girl to let them in, and judging by her squeal the man had not informed his sidekicks of the surprise either. Nezu holds back a chuckle at the thought, as he’d also not informed Eraserhead about the surprise.

As the room full of heroes watches, practically salivating at the thought of possibly recruiting such a skilled information specialist into their agency, they walk in. They make their way next to Sir Nighteye, taking place next to him in clear view of those assembled. Only to be ignored, everyone’s focus still on the doorway Bubble Girl is standing in front of, a confused look on her face as her head turns from the room back to the ‘information specialist’.

Losing patience, one of them calls out. “Are they going to come in or not? We have hero work to do!” Rock Lock yells. A sentiment that’s silently shared by many in the room.

The exceptions are Eraserhead, of course, who’s glare alternates between Nezu, Sir Nighteye, and the one who entered, Nejire-chan, who’s positively beaming at the new arrival, and Mirko, who’s staring at them suspiciously with her ears twitching in thought.

Sir Nighteye clears his throat, drawing their attention back as he gestures next to him. “This is the one who gave us our information.”

Everyone stares, entirely focused on the dark blue cat sitting on the desk next to him. It stares back, seemingly with a glint of amusement in its eyes as it opens its mouth. “Meow~.”