"Good Morning, Mister Nezu. Thank you for accepting to meet me, this early in the morning." Shika Arozu spoke, taking a seat in front of the white-haired man's desk. The principal nodded, serving some tea to the young woman.
"No problem. Apologies for not being able to answer your email that quickly. I haven't had that much time on my hands, these days. But now... Izuku Midoriya... What did you want to talk to me about, exactly?" The middle-aged male questioned, sitting down in his chair. The woman leaned forward, gently putting down her cup of tea.
"Well, you see, I'm worried about Izuku's physical health. Here, look." The nurse started, handing the teenager's document to the principal. "He's super underweight, for a boy his age. I remember walking in... It took me a minute to process his body. Bruises were covering him from head to toe, scars and cuts, everywhere! Horrific! There's no way he's that depressed to cause himself that much harm... I just, refuse to believe it! He kept lying to me, as well. When I asked him about his diet, I caught him in a lie. He ran out, at the end... Which leads me to think that he was terrified of telling me the truth. I'm thinking his parents are abusing him, at home." The woman continued.
Nezu took a while, staring at the notes that were scribbled down on the papers.
"I see... Well, you're not aware of this, but Midoriya's mother went missing about 3 years ago... Police suspect she simply ran away. He's also an only child, so he's been living alone with his father ever since. Come to think of it, I think it's better if we bring in his friends and homeroom teacher, for questioning. I've been suspecting the same... Izuku comes in early, in the mornings to clean out his uniform. Apparently, his father doesn't give him much time to do so, at home. So he does it here... And he's also told me that his father has a drinking history. Therefore, what you're bringing up does make sense." The man continued, setting down the file. The woman sighed, looked down as she fixed her glasses.
"I just... Don't understand why he'd lie about it. He's in danger, and he's hiding it... Why?" She whispered. The man leaned back, taking a sip of tea.
"If it's not too much trouble, would you like to come by, around dinner hours? I'll bring his teacher and friends in, too."
Izuku swiftly closed his locker door, turning around to make his way out of the school. However, he was stopped by a blonde student, standing next to him.
"Hey."
The greenette flinched, looking around through the crowd of students.
"H-Hi." He stuttered, looking down.
"Um... So... Y'know, the Heroes won the Regional Basketball Game... So... I'm part of the team, and I was wondering if you wanted to come watch my Provincial Game... This weekend? Y'know... To cheer me on? I don't know if you'd be interested..." The blonde asked, nervously stuffing his hands in his pockets. Midoriya looked down, confused.
"No." He quickly spat, walking past the blonde. He didn't have time for jokes and games; his father is waiting for him at home. And if he's late, he'll surely earn a beating. The greenette quickly made his way towards the doors, exiting the building completely, leaving the blonde alone.
The tall teen sighed in disappointment, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He had never been rejected before, especially not by somebody in his interest. The teen turned around, making his way towards his own locker, which was only a few steps away. However, he too, was interrupted. Only he was interrupted by his school's principal.
"Good afternoon, Katsuki. Heading home?" The white-haired man asked, smiling nicely. The teen smiled back, nodding as he grabbed his bag. "I see. Could you meet me in my office, before you leave, please?" The man demanded, turning around to walk away. Bakugou frowned in confusion, following the man from afar. Usually, if Nezu had something to say, it was about Basketball. And he never needed to meet in the office, for such things.
After several minutes of walking, they eventually reached the principal's office. Inside, Katsuki recognized his homeroom teacher and a nurse he had seen at the Physical Exams, a week prior.
"Take a seat, Katsuki." The principal spoke, indicating a seat next to his teacher. The blonde sat down, resting his bag on the ground.
"I've brought you here today to ask you about Izuku Midoriya. We suspect that he's being abused at home, since his Physical Exam ended in worrisome results... Would you have anything that might help?" The man asked, earning an even more confused look on the blonde's face.
"Who?" He asked, tilting his head to the side. Everyone looked at him.
"Izuku Midoriya... You're not his friend? You were talking to him, just now." Nezu stated, now seeming also confused. Bakugou's eyes widened.
"Oh! Him... No, I'm not his friend... I barely know the guy. He doesn't hang out with anyone, either. I was talking to him because... I wanted to ask him something, related to Basketball." The teen cleared out, earning satisfied looks on the adults' faces.
"I see, you can leave, then." The principal spoke, making Katsuki frown.
"No, I'm not leaving. You brought this up, now I'm worried about him." He argued, determined to know more about the cute boy's situation. The adults exchanged looks, eventually letting the blonde stay, as long as he remained quiet while they spoke.
"Izuku's the quiet kid, in my class. As Katsuki said; he doesn't hang around with anyone. I rarely hear him speak out, too. He's got good grades, and is an exceptional student. Although I do remember, 3 years ago, when this school was still in shock. His mother went missing, back then. And it never affected his grades at all. Strange, for a young boy. Which led me to think it was something he was used to, no matter how awful the situation was. I never thought much of it..." Aizawa mumbled, staring at the student's Physical Examination results.
"I see. I think we should warn the police about suspection of domestic abuse. If we can help Izuku, then that's good." Nezu stated, picking up his phone. However, the nurse stopped him.
"Wait... Izuku lied. He avoided the subject of anything related to his home. Why would he hide it? I'm thinking there's something he's terrified of people knowing about. Maybe he's a part of his mother's disappearance... Like, his father forced him, or something? Or maybe he's being threatened to keep his mouth shut? We need to take precautions, here. If we take a wrong step, it could cost this kid's life." The woman spoke, shakily.
"I agree. What should we do?" The white-haired man hummed, looking down. The room remained silent for several minutes, every adult deep in thought. Bakugou looked around, trying his best to keep his mouth shut. But his idea was good, and he knew it.
"Maybe... Get proof? Like... Figure out a way to have definite proof of what's going on at home. That way, we'll be able to show police. But we can't let Izuku know about whichever way we collect the proof. I have a feeling he's simply scared of being in trouble, himself. He's scared for his own sake. So he'll do anything to protect his abuser. Therefore, we simply need to sneak some sort of recording device, maybe in his bag, and the next day, we take it back. The only thing we need to figure out is how to sneak the device in and out of his bag. If we don't have proof of any definite danger in his life, and the police go to his house, and find nothing, then that'll make his abuser even angrier." The blonde mumbled, looking down. During his youth, Katsuki would watch a lot of True Crime series, which led him to know a lot about murders, crime scenes, robberies, assaults and kidnappings.
The adults in the room thought for a moment, nodding.
"Katsuki, that's a wonderful idea. What device would you recommend putting in his bag?" The principal spoke, noting things down on a sheet of paper. Bakugou smiled softly, happy that his idea was being used.
"I'd got with a miniature camera. I have one at home, since my dad used to capture wildlife footage in the woods. I'll bring it over, tomorrow. As for the plantation, I'll ask M. Aizawa to use the restroom, tomorrow, and I'll go over to his locker, and sneak it into his bag's material. That way, we'll have a recording of the sounds and footage of what happens at his home." The blonde continued, watching as his principal took notes.
"Okay, great. We're counting on you, Katsuki. You're a smart kid, I'll trust you'll do the right thing." The man spoke, standing up, as well as the rest of the adults. The group left the room, walking in different directions. Bakugou smiled weakly, in disbelief.
Katsuki sighed, thinking about how he felt like the detective, in a murder show. Izuku Midoriya, the cute and mysterious boy, was being abused at home? At least, was being suspected of it. If that's the case, he's great at hiding it.
To Be Continued...
What do you think will happen in the next chapter? Let me know in the comments, and see if you get it right!
I hope you're all enjoying the story, so far! Chapter 5 should be out within the next week, since my schedule is packed for the next few days. I'll try my best! Have a nice day! Love and appreciate you all! :)
-Sucky Author