Arthur POV
I looked upon the woman seated in front of me. She looked... kind. That was just the feel I got from her though, I could be wrong.
"So you're Arthur. Nice to finally meet you," she said, offering what seemed like a genuine smile. Her green eyes, no they weren't green, I realized, they were dark brown, almost black, she was wearing contact lenses. "Look, I'm not going to lie to you, I don't work for the police. I'm Makoto Tsukauchi, General Manager of the Captain Celebrity Corporation. I'm also the younger sister of the detective who brought you here."
I tilted my head slightly. Captain Celebrity Corporation? I'd heard that name before, but couldn't place it exactly.
"They called me in to ask you some questions, probably because I have the quirk polygraph which allows me to detect lies," she continued, setting her papers down on the metal table between us. "I don't have any ill will towards you for your past as a vigilante. I'm also not as stuck up as my brother."
Despite everything that had happened today, despite the weight of what I'd done at USJ still pressing down on my chest like a stone, I wanted to laugh at that. The detective did seem pretty strict.
"Well now that you know everything, we can start. I hope you will be as truthful with me as I am with you."
She looked down at her stack of papers, flipping through a few pages before settling on one.
"Let's see, first question. Your name is Arthur Pendragon, right?"
"No, it isn't."
She looked up at me, raising an eyebrow but not seeming particularly surprised. "What's your real name then?"
"Can't tell you that."
My fingers found their way to Excalibur's hilt beneath the table.
"Alrighty then," she said with a slight shrug. "Next question. Let's see. Hmm, the reports from your classmates are here, but honestly, they're just telling me to ask you about your own testimony. So?" She gestured with her hand. "Your testimony?"
I took a breath, organizing my thoughts. The events at USJ felt both crystal clear and impossibly distant, like remembering a nightmare after waking up.
"I heard the swirling of the warp gate and saw it a moment later, so I decided to confront the villains on my own accord. I carved a line in the ground and told them to head back."
"I'm guessing they didn't listen to you."
"Yeah," I sighed, my grip tightening on Excalibur's pommel. "They didn't. In fact, me talking with them is what led to one of the villains using his quirk on me. The person who I think was the leader called one of them Nomu 2, and that one... it stole my speed and used it for himself."
The memory of that moment still made my stomach twist. The sudden sluggishness, the horrible realization that my greatest asset had been turned against me.
God if only, I could turn back time. I should have used mana burst which along with my speed would have allowed me to instantly knock them out. Just like I had done with Mirko.
"Nomu 2?" Makoto asked, making a note on her paper.
"Yes."
"Why do you think he called it Nomu 2?"
I paused, thinking back to those artificial-looking creatures with their exposed brains and bird-like features, which I though should have been a mutant type quirk. "I'm not sure. Maybe his quirk took away his rationality and he could only be bossed around like that. The point is there was another one called Nomu 1. They both teamed up to fight me, however the fight was difficult as they could regenerate whatever part I cut off."
My voice caught slightly on those last words. I really hadn't liked that part either.
"I couldn't incapacitate them, at least not quickly."
"Wait," Makoto interjected, looking up from her notes. "You said they took away your speed? How were you able to keep up?"
"I found a workaround." I didn't elaborate on the continuous mana bursts, I didn't think it was necessary for them to know.
"The point is that the leader, whose name was Shigaraki, I overheard it being said, told the nomus to attack my classmates and teachers all around USJ. So I had to divide my attention even more to keep them safe, and I didn't have the time to knock them out properly."
The frustration of that moment came flooding back. God if only.
"However, with my speed compromised, it was only a matter of time until something went wrong."
"And did it?"
I closed my eyes for a moment, seeing Tsuyu's terrified face, the Nomu's fist inching closer and closer. "Almost. I was able to incapacitate Nomu 2, but to do that, Nomu 1 got a lot more time and was about to kill one of my classmates. A friend. Tsuyu Asui."
My voice grew quieter. "So I had no choice but to kill him from far away as I wouldn't make it in time. The only thing that remains is an arm of Nomu 1. After that, I blanked out, and before I knew it, the villains were gone and my speed was back."
Makoto was quiet for a moment, studying my face. When she spoke again, her voice was gentler. "Where did you go after finishing the fight? Actually, the better question is why didn't you stay at the facility?"
"I needed to get away from the arm."
"Why?"
I felt my throat tighten, and gripped Excalibur's hilt even tighter, my knuckles turning white.
"I had never killed before. I needed time to process it."
"And did you get it? The time?"
"Yes." I paused. "I don't like it, but it was necessary action."
My fingers rattled as I gripped Excalibur tighter. The more I talked about it, the more I wanted to bolt away, to run until my legs gave out and dissipate my worries in the wind hitting my face, making my hair run wild. But I couldn't run from this. Not from what I'd done, what was done, was done, and yet I thought once more.
God if only.
I looked towards the window at our side, I had been overhearing them talk for a bit now, and finally I decided to look at them, I was done for today with this fiasco.
"Is that all?"
Narration POV
Naomasa took an instinctive step back as the boy turned to look directly at him through the supposedly opaque glass. It wasn't as if Arthur was mad, or angry, or aggressive in any way, shape, or form. There was just something about those blue eyes that made Naomasa feel exposed, like he was the one being interrogated.
"Can he see us?" he asked Nezu, his voice barely above a whisper.
"He shouldn't be able to, no. However, he should be able to hear -"
"I can see you," Arthur said clearly, his voice carrying easily through the glass. "I can also hear you, yes. You are right on that account, Nezu."
Nezu blinked several times, his small paws coming together in a gesture that might have been embarrassment if anyone else had been doing it. "Huh, I guess my calculations were wrong. I mean, I knew his enhanced hearing was on another level, but his eyesight is too, I guess."
Arthur's voice came through again, tinged with what might have been the faintest hint of impatience. "May I repeat, is that all?"
Makoto glanced toward the window, then back at Arthur with something that looked like approval. "Yes, that is all," she said, standing up from her seat. Arthur did as well, he really wanted to get out of here.
She opened the door, and Arthur paused in the doorway, offering her a small bow instinctively, his polite demeanor showing through even at this time.
"Thank you," he said.
"No problem," Makoto replied, her smile never leaving her face.
Nezu and Naomasa emerged from their observation room, and Nezu immediately ran over to Arthur, jumping up to give him a small pat on the back that was probably meant to be encouraging.
"You did great," Nezu said with that distinctly eerie smile of his, which made everyone in the room except Arthur visibly shiver. Arthur, for his part, simply smiled back with what looked like genuine affection.
"Yes, thank you for answering all of our questions," Naomasa said, extending his hand towards Arthur.
"I'm sorry for disappearing from the scene," Arthur said as he shook the detective's hand. "I know I shouldn't have done that."
"The important part is that you came forward."
They walked toward the exit together, their footsteps echoing in the institutional hallway. The conversation was light, almost casual.
"We'll have a car bring you back to U.A.," Naomasa offered as they reached the main entrance.
"Thank you," both Nezu and Arthur said in unison, which might have been funny under different circumstances.
It didn't take long for a police car to arrive. As Arthur and Nezu settled into the back seat and the vehicle pulled away from the curb, Naomasa found himself watching until it disappeared around a corner.
When he was sure they were far enough away, Naomasa finally spoke.
"That kid is something else, huh, Makoto. I mean seriously I don't want to say it but I kind of got spooked when he turned to the glass.
Makoto remained silent. Actions spoke louder than words after all, and her action was stepping on her brother's shoe with her heel, applying enough pressure to make him yelp.
"Ow! Dammit! Why did you do that?!"
"You wanted me to ask a kid these questions," she said, her voice rising as she waved the papers still clutched in her hand. "I know you're a stickler for the rules, but jeez, Naomasa."
Her brother rubbed his foot, looking genuinely confused by her anger. "He was still a vigilante. Who's to say he didn't have partners? Seriously, do you know how many vigilantes have risen because of him? I get that you have a soft spot for vigilantism, like you did with the Narahata vigilantes, but those are routine questions."
"Well, I didn't ask them," Makoto shot back, "since they had nothing to do with the case at hand, did they?"
Naomasa considered this for a moment, his expression slowly shifting from defensive to thoughtful. "I guess not," he replied with a sigh.
"Seriously, you're going to become a walking board if you get any stricter."
"I get it, I get it."
A/N: Sorry for the incredibly late chapter, I know I said I would update in nine hours, but I was fucking beat after everything and I decided not to rush the chapter. You'll still get the next chapter at the normal time (I think so at least)
Also I'm sure some of you didn't see this coming. The police actually asking questions only to do with the case at hand and no badgering Arthur about his past, impossible. Well actually they would have badgered him, but Makoto ain't like that.
Let's pray for Makoto and thank her for not making Arthur feel worse than he already does.
Oh, I loved writing the dynamic between Naomasa and Makoto as a brother myself.
That's pretty much it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thx for reading. Author out.