After he pushed the door shut while walking back to his room, he looked out his half-opened window. The same one he used as an exit in order to partake in the Training Camp Raid.
He was three stories up. From there, he saw the two policemen already rushing towards their vehicles.
He studied the exterior further, poking his head outside.
The pipe against the wall was a fair distance away from it.
He already knew these things of course, but he wanted a proper visual. After a good 10 seconds, he pulled his head back inside; now with a clearer reference.
He wasn't worried about the alibi; they'd most likely ask the front desk, which had no memory nor footage of him exiting the building that day. For all they knew, he never left his room that day.
He looked in the mirror, inspecting parts of his hair. It still had trace of the black hair dye he used, which he couldn't entirely scrub off due to prioritizing the hours of sleep he could get.
He looked at the time. There was plenty.
"I might as well walk around," He mumbled, shoving his device in his pocket, and exiting through his door.
There were newspapers stacked in the front of the building, with people crowding around to purchase one.
"Good morning, sleepyhead!" An elder greeted.
He stayed in the next room over from Deku. Since day one, he socialized with him pretty often.
"Good morning," Deku smiled slightly, shielding his eyes from the sunlight. "Why is everyone trying to get a newspaper?"
"Some incident involving that school.. Yuuei?" He scratched his head. "That's at least what I heard."
"...Wouldn't there be articles online?" Deku tilted is head, confusion written on his face.
"They keep getting taken down before anyone can actually read 'em!" A woman who also lived in the building chimed in.
She was much younger, most likely only in her 20s.
She pointed her pinky finger, which lead straight to the person who was responsible.
"So now some people resorted to earning a quick buck by printing the information to be on physical ink."
"Ah, that makes sense. It's that serious?"
"I'm not sure myself, but I hope the police stops this from escalating. It was hard enough for not only me to exit the apartment complex!"
He saw what she meant. Residents that arrived after him couldn't exit due to the door practically being barricaded. Those trying to reenter couldn't even reach the door.
"Hey! You there!" A cop yelled. "I'm going to have to inspect whatever you're selling. There have been several complaints because of the ruckus!"
The man that the cop had called out started bolting the other direction, after taking a big chunk of the newspapers he couldn't sell.
"Hey! The rest of you, clear the area!"
Some people were able to get a copy, before starting to go in split directions. Interested, Deku decided to take one as well, and read it along his walk.
Everything. The accumulated number of the injured, the number of pro heroes involved, and even the amount of damage that was done to the area had been captured for shady dealers to publish. Last and definitely most of all, was the name and face of the missing Yuuei student.
"It's amazing how accurate they are," Midoriya mumbled. "Almost as if it was written by someone inside of Yuuei.."
If the people who've read the newspaper or got ahold of another source could easily be identified on the streets, it would easily be the ones who looked a different type of enraged, and had an obvious newfound bitterness for the heroes.
Shigaraki knew exactly what he was doing, not that it worried Deku as much. Now, the public's trust in heroes won't be as blinded as it was in the past. Which was a good starting point.
The news spread like poison, eventually earning the topic of the mouth.
As Deku continued to pass groups on the sidewalk, a hand grabbed his arm and yanked him into a dark alleyway.
The transition didn't even make him flinch, as he raised his fists to defend himself.
"Chill Deku, it's just me," Toga voiced.
Her back leaned against the wall, with her legs crossed. After her dialogue, she put her hood down.
"Toga, what are you--"
He stopped himself when he noticed she was glowering. Whatever it was caused her to be dead serious.
"...It's about Shigaraki," she got off of the wall and stood on her own 2 feet. "As I'm speaking right now, he's probably still telling Bakugou everything. Not only that, he's planning on forcing you to our side."
She received no reply, and got no visible reaction.
But that... definitely changed a part of Deku's plan.
---
The bar was silent, like it had remained in it's abandoned state.
"Well?" Shigaraki spoke. "For someone so loud, I didn't expect it to be so quiet from you!"
With those words, the student's bloodshot eyes met his.
"And why does a villain think he knows the nerd better than me?!" Bakugou demanded an answer, forcing his head forward. "When I get out of here I'll give you something to whine about!"
"As of right now, it seems we aren't on the correct terms," Shigaraki relaxed. "Maybe after tonight, you'll see just how ugly the heroes' reality will always be."
The door opened. And Deku walked through it.
The 2 heads turned to his direction.
It took a while for Bakugou to even process that it was actually him, and not someone else.
"Deku....!! What the hell are you doing here?!"
"Perfect, now he's even more noisy," Shigaraki shrugged, sitting on the last stool away from the hostage.
Deku brushed him off, walking towards the decaying villain to share the contents of his laptop.
"Don't ignore me!" the Yuuei student spat, thrashing around his restraints.
"Like I mentioned before, I'll have everything leaked by the time the Yuuei faculty's interview is live. That should make this process a lot easier."
"..And until then, all there is to do is wait," Shigaraki added, to which Deku nodded to.
"That's fine," Shigaraki nodded, though his face muscles stayed being impossible to read. "Just make sure it's done."
He couldn't tell whether he was pleased, aggravated, or a little bit of both.
He got off the stool and went to the back of the bar, leaving Midoriya and Bakugou alone.
"....Kacchan, we need to talk," Midoriya sighed, closing his laptop and sitting on the stool in front of the student.
"If you have anything to say to me, then don't even bother leaving anything out!" He yanked himself forward, only to be pulled back against the seat.
"Ok. The reality is what I know you think. For past few months, I was the one who sent you those emails."
"I knew it," Bakugou smirked, speaking in a low tone. "You always wanted to slow me down, so that you had a chance of getting ahead! It makes the most sense!"
"No," Deku said simply, in a tone of denial. "I think this is best for you. You aren't the type to be restricted to rules. Neither are you caring of how others view you, which means nothing holds you back from doing all types of things that harm others. Lastly you're aggressive, and don't seem to be bothered by how anyone takes that either."
The shorter boy smiled, even when the points he made created some of the worse time periods of his life. "Maybe.. you'll find this path better than what you ever could have got at UA."
"And what? All these years blabbing over and over about heroes, and now you're some villain?" Bakugou asked in disbelief, some of his harsh tone still present in his voice.
Midoriya shook his head. "I'm aware of how many rules I've broken, and the actions I took to get here can't be excused. I can at least be a hero in this way, so that at least the person I admire so much... doesn't end up where he wouldn't want to be."
"...You fucking idiot," Bakugou sighed deeply, resting his head on the chair's back. "Now look at the hole you digged yourself in. And all for something so stupid."
".....The day isn't over yet," Deku reminded him. "You might change your mind."
He got up, dusting off his black pants. "Goodbye, Bakugou."
The captive didn't get out what he needed to say in time, and his childhood friend was gone.
He knew that after today, he wouldn't see Bakugou in person again. After the other part of his plan that he failed to tell Shigaraki, he would be on the run from the League of Villains.