Cubicity

Chapter 31: A Thin Line

"I guess we both underestimated the stir my presence would bring, even at such a bureaucratic place like this," All Might said while rubbing the back of his head.

Ojiro shrugged but then turned his gaze towards his guest who was looking quite bewildered. He grinned as he asked, "Surprised?"

"Your son never mentioned you worked with Vigilantes," Midoriya said as he stepped inside the office.

"Cause Mashirao doesn't know. There's a lot of classified information I must keep a secret, even with my family. Though in this case, my wife knows the specifics of what I do here. Especially since she is a cop too."

Yagi closed the door as he said, "Ah yes, you mentioned her earlier. Does she work at this station too?"

Ojiro shook his head as he answered, "No. She's at a small local station that is much closer to home. Though I started my profession there before I got this job."

Midoriya scratched his head as he asked, "What is your job? You don't even have a title on the door like the others."

"An investigator of vigilante activity. At least to most of the people here. However, if you ask the right people, I'm the head of the Vigilante Task Force," the detective explained. He then chuckled before saying, "Even if I am the only permanent member of the group."

"But why the secrecy, even among your coworkers?"

Yagi then replied, "Because vigilantism is even more loathed with the police than with pro heroes. To work with them would be very controversial if made public."

"Indeed. Many of my superiors still think my work is unethical and borderline illegal. I feel I only have this job because I have the approval of the Superintendent General."

Superintendent General? Izuku almost gasped aloud upon hearing this. That position was held only by the Chief of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department, the 2nd highest law enforcement position in the entire country. Just what did Mashirao's dad have or do that could have such a person's trust?

Midoriya then sat down at one of the two chairs in front of the desk. Yagi took a seat as well, to his student's left. Izuku collected his thoughts and then asked, "So you work with vigilantes that follow the law?"

Ojiro rubbed his neck and coughed before saying, "Existing as one is already considered illegal to most people. I work with a wide range of individuals, and a 'lawful' vigilante is quite a rare term among them. Even then, they are a fickle bunch and can just as quickly turn into villains at a moment's notice."

All Might then asked, "So why even work with them?"

"Right. The whole reason you two came here today. Never thought I would be talking to All Might over the phone, let alone in person," the detective replied. He then took a deep breath before explaining, "After graduating with my degree in Criminal Justice, I was hoping I would be put on cases involving white-collar crime, but that wasn't the case."

Izuku guessed it had to do with the injustice the man and his family dealt with in his youth. Also, considering his condition, white-collar crime would have him in the office more often than blue-collar would.

"I was given cold or low priority cases. As I was a rookie, it made sense I was given the unwanted tasks. However, I wanted to get out of such work as quickly as possible. I thought if I did a good enough job, I would be promoted or at the very least be given a choice on what I wanted to work with. So I focused on the one thing almost everyone avoided. Vigilantes."

Midoriya then asked, "What kind of cases were involved with them?"

"The most common is identification. We get eyewitness reports or footage of unidentified heroes from the public, media, or heroes themselves. I would first double-check to make sure it wasn't some pro hero that was undercover or a newly debuted hero as that happens from time to time. From there, I would determine the conduct of the individual. What was it they did? Was there anything questionable in their methods? Are there any other incidents that are similar in profile? Because with vigilantes, they often change their appearances to avoid detection, so that can complicate things"