Chapter 5

Something didn't feel right in the air. He recalled this feeling before, from that moment he first encountered Stain. and then again with Shigaraki, the feeling of blood curdling danger. It didn't appear at first when he entered the building, but as soon as those three walked in, it emerged, almost like a shadow lingering behind them. The image of a dark hooded person had caught his peripheral vision when he saw Hattori and Hatsumodo making their way to the clothing stores. At first, he brushed it off as an ordinary person shopping around, but the appearance he made the second time around forced him to stop to pay closer attention.

There was a strange pattern in his behavior. Whenever the two of them walked, the person was at least thirty feet behind them. Whenever they stopped, he stopped. Whoever it was, he was carefully watching them, maybe some freaky stalker waiting for the right time to pull something sinister. Whatever the reason may be, it didn't appear to be good, and Deku had enough experience and evidence to know the signs of a threat when it was in front of him.

Keeping his distance, he cautiously followed them.

Hattori and Hatsumodo finished getting their clothes and went on to stop at the used game store. At the same time, the guy following them stayed near the public restrooms, leaning against the wall as if he was waiting for someone, trying to look casual. Hatsumodo went into the store, leaving the red haired girl sitting alone on the bench. The stranger shifted his hands in the pocket of his hoodie, staring down the back of her head. Midoriya immediately fell alert, assuming that the guy might have some kind of weapon, just waiting for a chance to use it.

After a minute or two, Akane walked over to the candy kiosk to buy a large bag of sweets. The suspect seized the moment by moving his body a few feet closer. Deku began to feel the fear knotting up his insides at the shortened distance between them. He had to act very carefully about this. He was still just a kid, still unable to completely control All Might's given quirk, and he was also in a public place. If he moved in right away, he could become spotted and that could put her and everyone around her in danger. He didn't want another altercation, like that time with Shigaraki, but it seems that she and Yuto were unknowingly placed in the same situation.

What was he to do?

The realization hit him when he looked back to that dark hooded person. Could it be Shigaraki? If so, why of all places would he choose to show up here for the second time? The security guards already knew his face. Deku strained his eyes to try and get a better look. The physique appeared to be male with a sort of laid back, cautious attitude, which didn't seem to match Shigaraki. From where he was standing, he didn't look to be the same height either, or have the same red-colored shoes as him. His face and hair was mostly covered up by the hoodie. If he wanted a more detailed description to give to the cops, he would have to move closer.

That was the real problem. Deku knew that he was one of the main targets on The League of Villain's payroll. If it turned out to be him or someone affiliated with the villains, the mere sight of him would be bound to start an unwanted battle. Just what was this stalker doing following them around? And for what reason? For now, he decided to just observe him. If worse comes to worse, he could activate his quirk to jump in instantly, if he dared to make a move.

Hattori returned to the bench where Hatsumodo came out with a massive bag of games and a box, both completely unaware of what was going on. He sighed, thankful that she went back, keeping the distance further away. As they talked on the bench, the guy still didn't move from his new location.

Suddenly, Midoriya heard a loud ding coming from his pants pocket. Frustrated, he pulled out his phone. He really shouldn't be taking his eyes off of him, but since he wasn't doing anything and there was a good stretch between them, it seemed okay for a quick look. It was a mass text from Ashido telling everyone to meet at the food court for lunch. Not important right now. He turned it off and went back to his stakeout.

Deku raised his brows in alarm when he noticed Hatsumodo reaching for his phone at the same time. He must have gotten the text too. The two of them stood up and to his surprise, they did not leave together. Instead, they took different turns. Yuto was heading down the direction of the food court, but Akane went the opposite way. That was unexpected. Looking back to the stranger, Deku watched to see what his next move would be. He must've been following them for a reason. Who was he going to go after now that they've split up?

Shock unfurled him as the man started to follow the girl. A stalker was starting to look like a low title now, since the risk just went higher. Anything happening to a girl alone could be more… gruesome than anticipated.

Instinctively, Midoriya walked behind them, not once taking his eyes off the back of their heads. Several steps later, Hattori disappeared through the entrance of the book store, but the man was still on her trail. If he was going to catch him, he needed to stop him now. Taking the other innocent people around into account, he couldn't fight him here. At the very least, he needed to get to her before he did.

Just when the guy was about to walk through the doorway, he stopped. The back of his head turned slightly to the side at the sight of another person strutting dangerously close to him. The pedestrian was not just some person wandering the mall. His blonde hair and green jacket was a dead giveaway. Kacchan! He casually walked into the store, not even taking notice of the criminal he passed by. For what he could assume, the very sight of Kacchan going into the same place caused the guy to change his mind about heading in. Instead, he decided against it and walked into a different store nearby.

Deku felt immense relief that the situation had changed in a positive direction. As long as Kacchan was there, she was safe, but his curiosity peaked as to why that was? He must have known about Bakugo's power.

For a while, Deku stood there idly waiting for him to show up again, but when he didn't, Midoriya allowed himself to take advantage of the opportune time to shop at the novelty kiosk close by that was plastered with All Might fan stuff. He was sure to remain vigilant by taking a few glances back to the guy's location while he shopped. There was an amazing new poster capturing All Might standing gloriously above a massive pile of rubble, giving his heroic salute as the symbol of peace with that same amazing smile. The excitement coming off the image enabled him to buy it along with several collectible pins and comics. He took one more glance before ringing up his purchases. It all appeared fine, that is, until his peripheral vision drew his attention to an army green jacket. Kacchan?

The salesperson handed him his bag of items, which he quickly took before directing his focus back on the situation. Why was he out so soon? The look on his face wasn't the same as it usually was, it read more along the lines of pissed. Peering around, he still didn't see Hattori or the strange guy. Maybe he should let Kacchan know so he could try and help. It didn't take long for Bakugo to notice him because as soon as he did, his eyes narrowed into a death glare. He was never happy to see him.

"Get out of my way, you fucking Nerd!"

"Wait! Kacchan, there's something I need to-"

Before he could finish that sentence, Bakugo shoved him by the shoulder to move him out of the way. Midoriya staggered as he glanced back to the bookstore. He still didn't see them. Now that Bakugo was gone, the guy had free reign to go after her. He needed some help. Maybe he could come up with a plan to corner him, but he couldn't do something like that on his own. Looking back, Katsuki only continued to walk away.

"Kacchan!" he called, but got no response. A part of him wanted to run up and force him to listen, but he couldn't abandon Akane. As frustrating as it was, it was his duty to protect his friend.

Deku took post to lean up against one of the pillars holding up the second floor to stakeout the adjacent store. After a while, there was still nothing new to report when an idea instantly came to him. The mass text! He could do what he did that time he went to find Ida, when he went after Stain, he could text everyone to come meet him here and let them in on the situation. Someone was sure to call security and help save Hattori.

Midoriya went to pull out his phone when all of a sudden, her bright red hair caught the corner of his eye. Akane had walked right past him carrying a large set of books, heading into the direction of the food court. This must have been a shortstop before going to meet with the others for lunch. His eyes immediately fell back to the entrance next door as the hooded stranger stepped back out into the hall. Now that he was closer, Deku was able to see that his hair was very dark, almost black, and his face was covered by a medical face mask. It wasn't Shigaraki, but regardless he was still going after her. The man shifted his hands out of his pocket to his sides, his fingers clenching down as if they were holding something. Midoriya moved out on his trail.

Suddenly, the guy started to pick up his pace, which forced him to move faster. Eventually, the girl made it to the food court, standing off to the side to search for the class' table. The majority of the people were all located in this one area of the mall, which meant that the stranger needed to act carefully. Too many witnesses could impede his goal, whatever it may be. With her back turned and defenses low, the stranger slowed down his speed to a casual walk. He unclenched his hand and threw a small item into one of her bags before she was able to notice. Deku couldn't tell exactly what he threw in, but it looked too small to be a weapon. Then again, he had been wrong in his assumptions before. If it was a weapon, why would he throw it in her bag of all places? Could it be a small bomb? Or maybe a tracker? The hooded figure moved past her towards the crowd of people on the other side of the hall. Deku wanted so desperately to go after him, to find out what he wanted, and what he just placed in her bag. He wanted to, but when he tried to follow him, the crowd of people coming in for the lunch rush left him completely unable to spot him. He was gone. Damn! Turning back to Hattori, he stepped until he was right in front of her face.

"Hattori? You meeting with the others?" he asked, forcing a smile on his face.

Though the bad guy got away, he could still make the effort to stay beside her to keep her safe. Just like the symbol of peace, he showed her a smile to show that everything was going to be okay. She didn't seem to have any clue of what all went down just now, but that could be discussed at a later time when they were all secure back at U.A. campus. In truth, he felt the smile was mostly to mask the worry building inside him, just like All Might.

Together, they walked around the many rows of tables until they found class 1-A sitting by the soba stand. She sat beside Hatsumodo while he took his seat next to Ida and Todoroki. It was quite nerve-racking trying to act as if everything was fine. For the time being, it was. The guy was gone and he should be able to relax, but there was no telling when and if he would come back. This was something he would have to discuss with All Might. As for the mystery item he put in her bag, maybe he could find some way to get her alone to explain what had happened. Then they might be able to go through and find it. Hopefully, it wasn't anything life-threatening. Deku tried to pull himself together before he started muttering to himself again. Looking around all his classmates having such a good time, it made him feel a bit selfish thinking about telling them right now. At the moment, he just wanted to enjoy their time. That didn't mean he was going to let this go.

The group finished their meals and after a few more hours of shopping, they were ready to call it quits. Midoriya took advantage of the extra time to scout the area. He walked all around the mall twice and sadly was still unable to find a single trace of him. Looks like whatever he came to do, he finished it.

He walked beside Kirishima and Tokoyami on the way back to U.A., though he was a little quieter than usual. Pulling out his phone, he opened the message app and texted a brief message to All Might, asking him to meet outside the dorms later tonight. As instructed, Aizawa met them at the gate at the specified time to escort the group back. The exhausted students slowly entered the dorm, most of them crashed on the big couch in the living area. He would be lying if he said he wasn't as beat as them. Man, what a day. Even if it was just to help them buy new stuff, they had plenty of time to goof off and relax. How long has it been since they've actually hung out like this? On the brighter side, this fatigue meant that they had made the most of it.

Not wasting any more time, he went up to Hattori as she was walking towards the elevator with Uraraka.

"Hey, Deku!" said the bright bubbly girl of his dreams. Just seeing her naturally rose-colored cheeks and that perfect smile caused his heart to thump aggressively and send nerve sweat down the back of his neck. For a split second, he forgot what he was even doing there.

"Ummm… I-I uh-" he stuttered, trying to force himself to snap out of it. Damn this incredible shyness! While waiting for the elevator, the girl stepped up to peek into the bag he was carrying.

"What'd you buy, Izuku?" she asked. Oh good, a distraction! He lifted it high and opened the bag to reveal his new All Might collectibles. "Oh, figures you would get that."

"Well, you know, I always like this kind of stuff." He explained nervously.

"You mean, you just like All Might." Well, she wasn't technically wrong.

Ding! The metal doors slid open, to which they walked in. Just when Midoriya was about to join them, he felt the vibrations of his phone in his pocket again. Quickly, he pulled it out to see that All Might had replied. He was outside waiting for him. Uraraka pushed the button to hold the doors open.

"You coming, Deku?"

"I just remembered something I have to do. I'll come back later."

"Okay." She released the button and the doors closed. He'll have to try and talk to Akane later on, hopefully without Uraraka around. She was enough of a distraction being in the same room as him. He also didn't want her to worry. Turning around, he casually walked back towards the entrance of the dorm. The frail shadow of his mentor stood idly waiting out on the front concrete patio. Even though his form looked weak, he was still his hero and he was as overjoyed as ever to see him.

"All Might!" He said with a smile.

"Midoriya, what's up?" Excitedly, he was about to lift up the bag to show him his cool fan stuff when he realized what he actually called him for. His smile then faded to gloom.

"When we were out shopping today at the mall, I saw a man following Hattori around. He looked very suspicious and kept his distance from other classmates who were near her."

"Did you get a good look at him?"

"He was wearing a mask over most of his face, but it wasn't Shigaraki. He's at least a few inches taller and his hair looked to be darker, though it was covered by a hoodie."

"What did he do? Was he just following her around?" he asked.

"He made an effort to get closer when she was by herself. Before I was able to reach him, he slipped something into one of her bags before he disappeared. There were so many people around that I wasn't able to find him. From what I could tell, he didn't hurt her. I don't think she even knew he was there to begin with."

"What exactly did he put in her bag?"

"I don't know. It was really small."

"Have you told her about it?"

"Not yet. I was about to when I got the text that you were outside, so here I am." Said Midoriya.

All Might took a minute to think it all over. He wasn't supposed to give too much information on her to single her out. Bakugo had dealt with enough of that when he returned to U.A. and the staff didn't want it to repeat. However, seeing that this is Izuku, his protégé, it seemed like it was okay. He had proven to be trustworthy with his secret up until now, so he could trust him with this.

"Listen, Midoriya. I need you to keep a close eye on Hattori. There's a reason why she's being followed."

"Wh-what?"

"You've probably heard rumors from the other students that The League of Villains had tried to kidnap another student. The fire set to the dorm wasn't just an act of arson to get our attention. The student that they were after was Hattori."

"?!" So it's true. He could feel the knot forming into his chest out of sympathy for her. She must have had it so rough.

"We think that they were after her for the same reasons they had when they took Bakugo. They're trying to recruit young adults with unstable quirks to join their cause while at the same time diminishing U.A.'s image. It won't be long before humanity has lost faith in heroes altogether. I'm actually not supposed to tell you this because the teachers don't want to cause her anymore trouble. I'm sure she's had a difficult time since the attack."

"If it was anything like how Kacchan was, she probably blames herself for that fire."

"What the people need to know is that the symbol of peace wasn't just me as the number one hero. The true symbol of peace is the will to fight back when others cannot, the will that lies in the hearts of all heroes with or without a quirk. When things seem hopeless, we can't give up. If we do that, the symbol of peace will disappear. You and all the other students at this academy need to show them that you are here to give them hope… Hattori is different from Bakugo. She's smart, but she still has trouble controlling her quirk. That may be one of the reasons they're targeting her specifically, but then again, she is the daughter of the Prime Minister. If they were to take her, whatever information she has with the PSI could be a threat to public security, especially if she were to take their side."

"What should I do?" asked Deku.

"You need to find out what that thing was that the stranger dropped in her bag. If it's anything serious, you need to let me know. For now, I want you to be near her in case there happens to be more followers. I'll let the teachers know about this, but for her safety, I think it's best if this was kept between us. Do what you have to to keep her safe. Telling her about the stranger might help her keep her guard up, but keep an eye out for any signs that she might want to be a villain."

"But all of us attended U.A. to become heroes, not villains."

All Might sighed. "If there's one thing I had to learn the hard way, it's that people change, sometimes for better and sometimes for the worst. Even the people who seem the happiest are the ones suffering the most. And that suffering is what draws them into the side of the villain."

He understood now. She was so quiet and collected that it was so hard to tell what exactly was going on with her. Even her emotions were too subtle to read. Could it be that her image is just a simple mask, hiding her true self from the world? Was it meant to hide the aspirations of a criminal? No, he couldn't jump to conclusions just yet. She had no idea that the guy was following her. If she had any kind of relation to The League of Villains, she probably would have joined the stalker and go do God knows what. It was possible that her collective personality is the result of shyness, like him, but much more severe. Regardless, he had to stick with his gut. He truly believed that no one comes to U.A. just to end up becoming a villain. No one!

"I'll do it. I'll protect her."

Pleased to see his positive attitude, All Might smiled at his student. They exchanged a few training notes on One for All quirk before parting ways for the night. Deku walked back into his dorm, ready to go find Akane when he paused in the middle of the living area. She was standing there in the center of the room holding out the massive bag of candy she had brought to Kaminari and Mineta. Her head sunk low in a respectful bow as she offered it to them. The two boys were dumbstruck at the gesture.

"Is this for us?" asked Kaminari, surprised to see that it was the exact same candy he couldn't pay for earlier today. Mineta was just as astonished.

"Aww man! She got us the atomic sour bombs!" he exclaimed.

"Yea, but why did you get this for us?" he asked her. There was a long pause waiting for her answer, but Midoriya could see the skepticism in her trembling hands. She was afraid to talk. The other classmates glanced over watching them.

"I think she's trying to apologize." Kirishima suggested from his spot on the couch.

"But we're the ones who went too far. You didn't have to do this for us. We should be the ones saying sorry." The electric boy explained with a heavy heart. He felt so guilty ever since this morning. He knew that he got what he deserved for touching her arm. Akane immediately looked up to him, building all the courage from the depths of her heart.

"No, I'm sorry… "

Everyone was in awe at the fact that she actually spoke, including Yuto. Seeing that act of kindness brought a warm feeling in his chest. She didn't speak often, but when she did, it took a lot of bravery. After that, Kaminari and Mineta could no longer deny her and accepted her thoughtful gift. They willingly went around the room to share since she bought such a hefty amount.

When Deku saw that smile on her face, his thoughts in that moment were clear. She couldn't possibly become a villain. No matter what he was going to help her. She bent down to pick up a bag she had brought with her before making her way to the empty breakfast nook. As soon as he caught a glimpse of the bag, his face went cold. That was it. That was the bag he saw the stranger mess with.

Akane took out a seat and pulled out the contents. He moved in for a closer look only to find out that it was merely books. She took the small comic off the top and opened it to begin reading, but stopped at the sight of something falling out. Deku deadpanned when he noticed her surprised face. Whatever it was, she did not expect to see it.

Carefully, he watched her pick it up and unfold it. A paper? He could feel his heart drop in relief at the fact that it wasn't a bomb. Thank God it wasn't dangerous, but the question remained – why did that guy give her a paper? Midoriya took out his phone to pretend that he was playing some game while he continued to watch her reaction. He couldn't let the others know what he was doing. He had to protect her secret.

She read the paper quickly. When she finished, her eyes became wide, almost in shock. She immediately crumpled up the paper and shoved it back in her bag. Something wasn't right. It took her a minute to collect herself before sticking her nose back into her comic. He needed to know what was on that paper.