Izuku doesn't have any choice, does he?
Working for his dad? Or jail?
The answer was obvious.
"Can I ask a question?" Izuku asked ironically after a few minutes of awkward silence.
His father's eyes lit up like he's planning to equip some lame dad joke. Izuku will not allow that.
"Are we allowed to set conditions?" he followed up immediately.
Disappointed by his stolen chance, the president halfheartedly answered, "as long as it's reasonable. And only three max."
Izuku paused for a moment. Are the conditions he has in mind reasonable enough?
"Okay, three's enough I guess," Izuku then started enumerating his conditions.
"One, you will tell us the truth, the whole truth about your team. Your history, goals, the complete roster of members, short-term and long-term plans, especially that we are going to be a part too"
His father nodded, "Fair enough, as long as you do the same. The second one?"
Nodding in agreement, Izuku continued, "Kaminari Hero and his company should not be under police or any sort of investigation unless a party unrelated among us will file a complaint against them."
This condition made his father tilt his head in consideration. "That is borderline reasonable. But that could be done. Then the last one?"
Izuku took his time finishing his three conditions. He felt like making his last wish to the genie of the lamp.
Is it too soon to reveal his end-game? Will his father accept it? Or even take him seriously? Is it worth the trouble? Is it really a good idea?
Ever since his quirk manifested, Izuku's future was immediately set to a stone. He already has a superman complex to begin with, then having a powerful quirk like this and his eidetic memory to back it all up, Izuku was the perfect hero in training.
But after learning about the House of Karma, Izuku had a new perspective about the world in general. Things were never just black and white, good or bad, heroes or villains.
The world is more than that. There was always a space for a grey area. An area which the best and the worst of both worlds meet.
For the past two years, Izuku lingered in that area. He's been taking out unsuspecting villains hiding under the nose of those who should be busting them and has been working with unnamed heroes hiding in the shadows who wanted nothing but a brighter future for the next generations.
He never told anyone about his end game except for Kacchan, and according to her: It's stupid.
"my third condition is..."
All the other occupants of the room gave him an expectant look.
"a wish," he supplied.
"that when the time is right, you will grant it no matter what."
Awkward silence filled the room.
His father's eyes lingered on his face as if searching for something. When he assumed his father found what he was looking for, he nodded in agreement.
"Very well," Hisashi replied. "I think we are all in agreement here, am I right?" he ask scanning the room and landed his gaze to Hero-san.
"I trust Izuku's judgement in this matter, if he decides to work for you, then I will support him." Said the older Kaminari.
"Izuku finally acknowledged me as his bestfriend. I will not leave him alone, we're a package deal." Denki rebutted.
Izuku's heart swelled by the support the father and son gave him. He hopes he's really making the right choice here.
"glad to hear that", his father exclaimed more cheerful than necessary.
"You are all dismissed now." He continued while gesturing at the guard who was watching them earlier to unlock the cuffs.
"except, obviously for you Izuku." His father placed a stern hold on his shoulder while his cuffs were being unlocked. "You have a lot of explaining to do young man. Let's head home."
***
Izuku would rather jump in a pond full of piranha than explain things to his mother and Mitsuki-san. At least there, he has a chance of survival.
Izuku's quirk is already at its limit for the day. And Izuku was more than grateful for the long ride home. Call it delaying the agony, but he really must prepare himself for the disaster to come.
Mitsuki-san is already a force to be reckon with. Being a former high ranking military official and all. But his mother is another matter. Inko Midoriya may seem the personification of gentle and comfort, but she's another kind of force when it comes to her family.
Izuku only heard of stories though.
One story was about how the gentle Inko Midoriya made the kidnappers of her husband regret all the decisions they've made their entire life.
The police who told him those stories were still shivering while recalling the memories, and Izuku was glad he wasn't around yet that time to witness it.
Izuku knew that his exposure as Karma is inevitable. But he didn't expect it to be this soon. He wasn't ready.
The awkward but nonetheless desired journey home comes to and end. Izuku is going to face the most dangerous battle he will ever face.
Once he settled himself on a couch in the large study room that also his father's home office. Izuku was praying to all the gods he knew to intervene this fated event. But his prayers where unanswered when he heard voices outside the room.
"Hisashi, I don't like this tone of yours." His mother said in the other side of the door. "And with Mitsuki here, it just means one thing. It's about Izuku. I swear Hisashi, if something bad happened to him I'll have your head on a stake." She continued. All the hairs on Izuku's neck are standing in uneasiness.
The door suddenly opened that made Izuku jumped on his seat. As his mother spotted him, she immediately came to him and inspecting him from every angle possible.
"are you alright baby?" his mother asked him worriedly. He wanted to reply but was too nervous to do it.
"Now, now Inko, I tell you nothing major happened. Izuku just want to explain something to us." His father said while placing a gentle hold in his mother's shoulders and guide her to the couch opposite to Izuku.
His mother seated herself between his father and Mitsuki-san who was giving him a worried look.
the heavy silence of the room did nothing but amplified Izuku's anxiety. He's very well tempted to use his quirk and ran off somewhere till everyone forgets any of this happened.
The silence continued long enough to make his patient mother broke it.
"Izuku, honey, whatever it is, we're not going to be mad at you. Just tell us everything so we can understand," she said softly.
Tears are threatening to flow on his tear duct. And he is doing his all to stop them.
All the events happened in the past two years came rushing in. All the lies he made to his parents and and the people he grew up with. All the adrenaline induced adventures he wants to share with Mitsuki-san, all the puzzling investigations he wants to consult to his dad, and the new people he met and wanted to tell his mom about.
Izuku just realize he had grown up tremendously in these two years without them knowing it. And the worst part of it? He chose this. He chose to lie to his to confidante, to hide from his role model, to work behind the back of his mentor. For two years.
Izuku haven't noticed it till a choked sob escaped on his throat.
He felt his mother attempted to move towards him but was stopped by Mitsuki-san.
Right. Izuku chose this path himself, he must face the consequences alone.
"I.. I uh.." Izuku barely managed while forcing down his sobs.
Even though Izuku accepts his fate, it didn't made things easier.
He patted his chest hard three times to give himself a boost and sighed deeply.
"S-so," he started again, eying his ever-attentive audience. He settled his eyes to his mother, whom he thought would needed the most attention.
"I am the vigilante Karma"
It will be forever embedded, eidetic memory or not, in Izuku's mind how his mother fainted in front of him.