TIME TRAVEL - I ADOPT A BUNCH OF BRATS

CHAPTER 41 - INVESTIGATION PART IV

The week following All Might's retirement was chaos. No one knew what to do with the new information they were presented. Most people had grown up with All Might as a prominent figure protecting them, so having him disappear from the limelight left many questioning where hero society was headed to next. Crime picked up as villains grew confident in their ability to escape detection in light of the No. 1 Hero retiring, and some would be right. Hero society was not ready for All Might to go, but one family withstood the tumultuous waves as people scrambled to make sense of this new normal.

The Todoroki Family stood firm as Endeavor became the new No. 1 Hero, and Blaze became the No. 3 Hero. With All Might gone, there was immense pressure on the Todoroki Patriarch to live up to the other man's legacy. The pressure was enough to make any hero stumble, yet Endeavor remained tall.

During the Hero Billboard, he stood firm, stable in his new position, and made his promise to Japan.

"I will be here. I will protect you. So watch me."

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"I think it's time we finally talked about it." Touya was the first to broach the issue as Tenko, Natsuo and Fuyumi met up in an empty meeting room in the agency. They locked the door, knowing that the sound proof walls would secure their privacy.

"I've noticed it too." Natsuo agreed, crossing his arms over his chest. Tenko was briefly distracted by the way the muscles bulged in his arm as they did so. No. Tenko had to focus. Now was no time to be distracted by Natsuo, no matter how handsome he looked.

"Null has a weird protective streak. This isn't the first time he's been there to help us, even when he wasn't asked. I think he knows us in civilian life." It was Fuyumi's turn to throw in some theories of her own, and her two brothers looked at her.

"And I thought Shouto was the conspiracy theorist." Touya smiled jokingly at Fuyumi. It was funny to him. Fuyumi was usually the voice of reason, the "sensible sibling", and here she was making theories that Shouto would be proud of.

"I'm serious!" Touya's little sister blushed, cheeks puffed up in a pout as she glared at him.

"I seriously think that Null must be someone we know! Why else would he protect Shouto? Why would he appear to take a blow for you? It doesn't make sense any other way!" Frustrated tears pricked at Fuyumi's eyes. Touya watched as she furiously wiped them away.

"YOU COULD HAVE DIED TOUYA! IF IT WASN'T FOR HIM-" Finally, Fuyumi broke down, her true emotions from Kamino seeping out in her voice and actions.

"You could have died...and I couldn't do anything to help.." Touya pulled Fuyumi to him, Natsuo joining the hug as Tenko stood to the side. The trio needed some time to themselves right now. He'll join them later.

"B-but...I'm serious, Touya...Null isn't some stranger!" Face wet with her own tears, Fuyumi still tried her best to convince the boys of her theory.

"Why else would he protect us so much?"

"Maybe he's a fan?" Natsuo shrugged noncommittally as he leaned on Tenko. Touya noted that his best friend shifted slightly at the pressure. 'Damn man. You couldn't be more obvious.' Touya agreed with Natsuo, and he made sure to tell Fuyumi that.

"Tons of heroes have fans, Yumi. You know that. Stain's a good example. You can't say that Stain personally knew All Might, and he was obsessed with the man." Fuyumi didn't look convinced, but backed down. Too much has happened in too little time, and Tenko could tell that she didn't have the energy to argue with her brothers.

Tenko on the other hand...agreed with her.

Something was very off about that vigilante. Tenko had worked with multiple informants and vigilantes in his years as an underground hero, but none had stuck out nearly as much as Null did. They respected him as a hero, and were willing to help him so long as their interests aligned, but he knew they would never go out of their way to protect him the way Null seemed to protect his little family. Fuyumi was right, there was no reason for him to protect Shouto, and then Touya unless he truly knew them and cared about them outside of hero work.