The next morning, I woke to Bobby licking my face.
"Okay, okay, I'm up," I mumbled, pushing him away gently. He bounced around the room, tail wagging, clearly having been awake and bored for a while.
I got dressed and took him outside to the backyard. The snow from yesterday was untouched except for a few bird tracks. Bobby immediately dove into it, snuffling and rolling like it was the best thing he'd ever experienced.
I stood there, hands in my pockets, watching him play while my mind worked through last night's conversation with Shouko.
I was really agreeing to help investigate a potential killer. This is stupid, the rational part of my brain insisted. You should tell an adult and let them handle it.
But sometimes you needed answers more than you needed safety.
The back door slid open. My father stepped out, coffee in hand, still in his pajamas.
"Morning," he said, coming to stand beside me. "Sleep okay?"
"Yeah. You?"
"Better than I have in days." He took a sip of coffee, watching Bobby attempt to catch snowflakes. "Your mother and I were talking. We think this trip was a good idea. You seem... lighter here and less burdened."
I didn't know how to respond to that. Was I lighter? Or was I just distracted by a new mystery?
"The countryside's nice," I said finally.
"It is. Quiet. Simple. Your grandparents have a good life here." He paused. "Shouko seems like a good kid. You two getting along?"
"Yeah. She's cool."
"I'm glad. She's been through a lot, from what your grandmother says. It's good she has friends and now family." He looked down at me. "You're good at that, you know. Making people feel less alone. You did it with Izuku, and now with Shouko."
The praise made me uncomfortable. I didn't feel like I was doing anything special. Just... existing near people who needed someone to exist near them.
"I'm just being myself," I said.
"That's exactly what I mean." He ruffled my hair affectionately. "Come on. Breakfast is ready. And I think your grandmother made enough food for an army."
He wasn't exaggerating. The table was laden with rice, fish, miso soup, pickled vegetables, and tamagoyaki. Grandmother was still cooking, adding to the pile.
"Mornin', Kori!" she called cheerfully. "Sleep good?"
"Yes, thank you."
"Good, good! Eat up now. Growin' boy needs proper food."
Grandfather was already at the table, reading his newspaper. He nodded at me in acknowledgment but didn't speak.
My mother appeared, looking more rested than she had since the accident. She smiled at me, the kind of smile that reached her eyes.
Shouko stumbled in last, hair messy, still half-asleep. She grabbed tea and collapsed into her seat with a groan.
"Not a mornin' person, are ya?" Grandfather observed.
"Nope."
"Youth these days. In my time, we were up with the sun."
"In your time, there was no electricity," Shouko muttered into her tea.
Grandmother swatted her with a dish towel. "Don't sass yer grandfather!"
"Sorry, Gramps."
But there was no real heat in the exchange. Just familiar family banter.
We ate in comfortable silence, broken occasionally by Grandmother fussing over whether people were eating enough. Bobby sat at my feet under the table, hoping for dropped food.
"So what's the plan for today?" my mother asked.
"I've got errands in town," Grandfather said. "Hardware store, post office. Boring old man stuff."
"I can come help," my father offered.
"I'd appreciate that. Your back's younger than mine."
"Shouko, weren't you gonna show the town to Kori?" Grandmother asked. "You mentioned somethin' about the shopping district."
Shouko glanced at me. "Yeah. If he wants."
"Can I?" I asked my parents.
My mother hesitated. "Will your friends be there too?"
"Probably. I can text them."
"And you'll stay together? Keep an eye on him?"
"Ayumi-san, I'm not gonna lose Kori in a town this small."
"Alright. But be back by lunch."
"We will."
After breakfast, while Shouko got ready, I went back to my room to change into warmer clothes. When I emerged, she was waiting in the hallway, dressed in casual clothes, jeans, boots, and a heavy jacket.
"Ready?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Good. We've got investigating to do."
We headed outside. The morning was cold and bright, the sun making the snow sparkle. Shouko pulled out her phone as we walked, texting rapidly.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Asking Shoya if he knows who that man was. The one from yesterday."
"Think he'll know?"
"Maybe. Shoya's lived here his whole life. Knows pretty much everyone." She put her phone away. "Even if he doesn't, we can ask around. Small town, people talk."
We walked through the quiet streets. Most people were still inside, recovering from New Year's celebrations or sleeping off hangovers. The few we passed greeted Shouko by name.
"You're popular," I observed.
"More like notorious." She shrugged. "But I don't care anymore, let them fucking talk, bunch of assholes anyway."
Her phone buzzed. She checked it and frowned.
"Shoya says he might've seen the guy, but isn't sure. Wants to meet at the café to talk about it."
"There's a café?"
"Small one, they make good ass hot chocolate."
We walked for another ten minutes before reaching what I assumed was the town's main shopping district. It was modest, a single street with small shops lining both sides. A grocery store, a bookstore, and the hardware store Shoya worked at, as well as a café.
Shouko pushed open the café door, and warmth rushed out to meet us. Inside were cozy small tables, mismatched chairs, the smell of coffee, and baking bread.
Shoya was already there, sitting in a corner booth with Miki and Kazuki, then he waved us over.
"Hey, I ordered you both hot chocolate," he said as we slid into the booth.
"Thanks," Shouko said.
Kazuki grinned at me. "Morning, mini detective!"
"Why am I a detective?"
"Shouko told us you're helpin' her with somethin'. Sounds detectivey."
Miki adjusted her glasses, "Are you sure you should involve him? He's very young."
"He offered," Shouko said. "And honestly, he's probably smarter than all of us combined."
"I'm not that smart," I protested.
"You're six and using words like 'investigation' correctly. You're smart."
The waitress brought our hot chocolate. I wrapped my hands around the warm mug, grateful for the heat.
"So," Shoya said, his voice low. "You wanna tell us what happened yesterday? Why you freaked out?"
Shouko took a deep breath. "I smelled a scent I haven't smelled in four years."
"From..." Miki started, then stopped, understanding dawning. "Oh."
"Yeah."
Kazuki looked confused. "From what? What happened four years ago?"
"Her mom," Shoya said quietly. "She died."
"Oh." Kazuki's energy dimmed. "Oh, Shouko, I'm sorry. I didn't know—"
"It's fine. You moved here recently, you wouldn't know." Shouko stirred her hot chocolate absently. "But yeah. I smelled something from that day, from the dude I looked at, at the shrine. I need help figurin' out who he was."
Shoya pulled out his phone, scrolling through something. "Okay, so, I was thinkin' about it after you texted. He was talking to another dude, right, and they were laughing."
"Yes." She then closed her eyes, clearly trying to remember. "The other guy was younger. Maybe thirties? Dark hair. Wore glasses."
Miki's eyes widened slightly. "That might be Nakamura-san. He works at the post office."
"You know him?" Shouko asked.
"My dad does business with him sometimes. He's nice and friendly."
"If it's Nakamura," Shoya said slowly, "then he might've been with his father-in-law. I've seen them together before."
"What's the father-in-law's name?"
"Gaku, I think? Gaku Yashiro? He owns some property around town. Rents out apartments and stuff."
Shouko's hands tightened around her mug. "Where does he live?"
"Shouko," Shoya said carefully. "What are you planning?"
"I just want to know if it's him. If it's the right person."
"And then what?"
"I don't know yet but I need to know."
Miki spoke up, "This sounds dangerous. If this person really is connected to what happened to your mother, you shouldn't confront them alone."
"I'm not gonna confront anyone. I just... I need answers."
"Then let's be smart about it," Shoya said. "We gather information carefully and then figure out if this Gaku guy even matches who you saw."
"How do we do that?" Kazuki asked.
Everyone looked at each other. Then, surprisingly, they all looked at me.
"What?" I said.
"You're the detective," Kazuki said. "What would a detective do?"
I thought about it. "Observe first, gather facts, and don't approach the suspect directly until you have evidence."
"See?" Shouko said. "Smart."
"So we observe," Shoya said. "Find out where this Gaku guy goes, what he does. See if Shouko can confirm the scent."
"Without him noticing," Miki added.
"I can help with that," Kazuki volunteered. "I'm good at bein' sneaky!"
"You're the least sneaky person I know," Shouko said.
"That's what makes it perfect! Nobody suspects the loud guy!"
Despite the seriousness of the situation, I almost smiled. These people genuinely cared about Shouko, enough to help her with something potentially dangerous.
"Okay," Shouko said. "So we start by confirming it's Gaku, then we figure out if there's any connection to... to four years ago."
"Do you remember anything else from that day?" Miki asked gently. "Anything that might help?"
Shouko's expression darkened. "Not much. I wasn't there when it happened. I Came home and found... found everything already over. Police, ambulance, neighbors. All I remember is the smell of smoke and that other scent underneath it."
"Where were you?" I asked. "When it happened?"
"School. I had a club meeting that ran late. By the time I got home..." She trailed off, swallowing hard.
Shoya reached across the table, putting his hand over hers. "Hey. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want."
"No, it's fine. It was four years ago. I've processed it." But her voice said otherwise.
"What did the police say?" I asked. "About the cause?"
"Fire. They said it started in the living room, spread fast. My mom died from smoke inhalation before the flames got to her." Shouko's jaw tightened. "But the thing is, my mom was careful. She never left candles burning, never smoked, and was paranoid about electrical fires. There was no reason for a fire to just start."
"You think someone set it?" Shoya said.
"I know someone did. I told the police that, but they couldn't find evidence of accelerants or forced entry. The case went cold after six months."
"And now you think the person who did it lives here," Miki said quietly.
"Or at least was at the shrine yesterday. Yeah."
We sat in silence for a moment, the weight of it settling over the table.
"Alright," Shoya said finally. "We do this carefully. No confrontations and no accusations, we just observe and gather information. Agreed?"
"Agreed," Shouko said.
"Agreed," Miki echoed.
"I'm in!" Kazuki added.
They all looked at me.
"Agreed," I said.
"Good." Shoya pulled out his phone again. "I'll see what I can find out about Gaku Yashiro. Where he works, his schedule, and who he associates with. Miki, can you ask your dad about him? Casually?"
"I can try."
"Kazuki, you just... try not to be obvious."
"Hey!"
"I mean it. Can you do subtle?"
"I can be subtle! Watch me be so subtle!"
"That's literally the opposite of subtle," Shouko muttered.
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
We finished our hot chocolate and split up with a plan. Shoya would do background research. Miki would gather information through her father. Kazuki would try to be helpful without being obvious. And Shouko and I would do reconnaissance, trying to confirm if Gaku was the man from the shrine.
As we left the café, Shouko looked at me seriously.
"You sure you wanna be involved in this? It's not gonna be fun."
"I'm already involved."
"You could back out. No one would blame you."
"Would you? If you were me?"
She smiled slightly. "No. I wouldn't."
"Then there's your answer."
We walked back through town, both of us lost in thought. The shopping district was busier now, people emerging for their morning errands.
"Kori," Shouko said suddenly. "Why are you really helping me? You barely know me."
I thought about how to answer that honestly.
"Because I know what it's like to need answers," I said finally. "To have something happen that doesn't make sense, and need to understand it. And because... because when bad things happen, you either let them break you or you try to make sense of them. You're trying to make sense. I respect that."
"You're really not a normal kid."
"I know."
"Good cause, normal would be boring."
We walked in comfortable silence after that. When we got back to the house, Grandmother was in the kitchen preparing lunch. She looked up and smiled.
"Have fun in town?"
"Yeah," Shouko said. "Showed Kori around."
"Good, good! Lunch'll be ready in about an hour. Ya can play 'til then."
We headed to Shouko's room. She closed the door and pulled out her phone, typing quickly.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"Making notes. Everything I remember from four years ago that might be a clue. She looked up. "You said we gather facts first. So that's what we're doing."
I sat down cross-legged on her floor. "Tell me everything, from the beginning."
She took a deep breath and began.
Four years ago. Late afternoon.
Shouko was twelve years old, running late from the photography club. The meeting had gone over because they'd been reviewing everyone's submissions for the school festival, and Shouko had volunteered to help clean up.
The walk home took twenty minutes. Same route she always took. Past the convenience store, through the residential area with the ugly apartment buildings, turn left at the corner with the vending machines.
She was thinking about dinner. Mom had mentioned making her favorite katsudon. Shouko's mouth watered at the thought. She then turned onto her street and stopped.
There was a thick black smoke coming from her house.
Shouko's backpack hit the ground, then she ran.
The neighbors were already outside. Mrs. Kimura from next door was on her phone, talking frantically to what sounded like emergency services. Mr. Ishida was trying to get closer to the house, but the heat was driving him back.
"Mom!" Shouko screamed. "MOM!"
She tried to run to the door, but then strong hands grabbed her, held her back.
"You can't go in there!" Mr Ishida's voice, rough with smoke. "It's too dangerous!"
"My mom's in there! Let me go! MOM!"
She fought and kicked and screamed, but Mr. Ishida was a grown man, and she was a twelve-year-old girl.
She heard sirens in the distance getting closer, then the front window exploded outward from the heat, glass raining down onto the small yard. Orange flames visible now, consuming everything.
"Please," Shouko sobbed. "Please, someone get her out. Please."
The fire truck arrived. Firefighters in heavy gear rushed toward the house, dragging hoses. The water started, powerful jets hitting the flames.
But it was already too late. An ambulance pulled up, and the paramedics tried to check on her, but she pushed them away, eyes locked on her house, on what was left of it.
More time passed. Impossible to say how much. It could have been minutes or hours.
Then a firefighter emerged from the smoking building, shaking his head at the captain.
And a police officer was approaching her with that look on his face. The one adult got when they had to tell children terrible things.
"Are you Yashiro Shouko?"
She nodded, mute.
"Is this your house? Do you live here with your mother?"
Another nod.
"I'm very sorry, but we found her inside."
Everything after that was fragments.
Being wrapped in a blanket, even though it wasn't cold.
Questions she couldn't answer.
Someone mentioning her father, someone else saying he'd never been in the picture.
The smell. God, the smell. The smell of burning wood and plastic but underneath it, was something else that didn't fit.
A cheap cigarette smoke, the kind that clung to clothes and skin.
And the cologne. It was too sweet, like the kind middle-aged men wore when they wanted to seem younger than they were.
The combination burned into her enhanced-smell quirk like a brand.
She tried to tell the police officer about it later, when they questioned her.
"There was a smell. Someone was there that shouldn't have been there."
But they couldn't find evidence of forced entry. Her mother had no enemies, no debts, no suspicious relationships.
Just a tragic accident. Faulty wiring, they eventually concluded. An old house with old electrical systems.
Case closed.
Except Shouko knew. In her heart, that someone had been there, and whoever was there was the person who killed her mother.
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
Shouko's voice brought me back to the present. Her eyes were distant, lost in the memory.
"I stayed with Mrs. Kimura that night," she continued, her voice hollow. "She tried to be nice. Made me tea, let me use her phone to call relatives. But I just... I couldn't process it."
"What about after?" I asked quietly.
"Went to live with my mother's sister for a while. She meant well but she had three kids of her own and didn't really know what to do with a traumatized twelve-year-old. Lasted six months before she admitted she couldn't handle me."
"After that, it was a series of foster homes. Some were okay. Some were awful. Most just didn't know how to deal with a kid who had nightmares every night and couldn't stand the smell of smoke."
"But you kept remembering that other smell."
"Every single day. I thought I was going crazy, obsessing over something that might not even mean anything. The police said there was no evidence, and my aunt said I needed to let go. The therapists said I was creating patterns where there were none, trying to make sense of senseless tragedy."
"But I knew what I smelled. My quirk doesn't lie." Her hands clenched into fists.
She looked at me, and her eyes were fierce.
"I'm not crazy, and I'm not making this shit up. Someone murdered my mother and got away with it, and now I finally have a chance to prove it."
"I believe you," I said.
"Why? You barely know me. For all you know, I am crazy."
"Because I've killed someone too."
The words came out before I could stop them.
Shouko's eyes widened. "What?"
"Not on purpose, there was an accident and a truck lost control, I used my quirk to protect myself and my dad, and the driver died because of it." Everyone says it's not my fault, but he is still dead because of my ice wall."
"Kori—"
"So I get needing to make sense of death that doesn't make sense. Needing to know if you could have done something different." I met her eyes. "That's why I'm helping you. Because I know what it's like to carry that weight and if I can help you find answers, maybe... maybe it'll help me figure out how to live with what I did too."
Shouko stared at me for a moment, then she reached out and pulled me into a hug.
It was awkward, but it felt nice, like two people who understood each other's pain offering what comfort they could.
"We're a mess, aren't we?" she said.
"Yeah. But at least we're a mess together."
She laughed and held on a little tighter.
When she finally let go, her eyes were red but ready.
"Okay," she said. "Let's find the bastard who killed my mom, together."
"Together," I agreed.
Her phone buzzed. She checked it and smiled slightly.
"Shoya found an address. Gaku Yashiro lives on the east side of town. We could walk past tomorrow, see if we can spot him."
"Okay."
· · ─ ·✶· ─ · ·
A/N:
300 Powerstones: Complete
450 Powerstones: Incomplete