The dust finally settled, and the area was cordoned off. A fleet of police vehicles surround the site. Half of the building was destroyed.
Red and blue lights flashed across the shattered windows and dented metal shutters. Officers were going in and out of the area looking for the remaining casualties or yakuza members. Thankfully, there weren't any civilian fatalities, just a few injured individuals who were in the vicinity.
Endeavor was already at home when an emergency alert went off. Most of his sidekicks would not arrive on time, so he went personally. He stood near the entrance with his arms crossed, his flames burning low around his shoulders as he looked over the damage.
There were multiple quirk signatures all over the area. It was like a massive brawl.
Scorch marks across the ground. Cracked walls. Broken metal. Ice spread through the scorched floor and walls in jagged lines.
Whoever attacked here wasn't trying to be subtle at all.
But they were fast.
"Endeavor."
Endeavor turned his head toward the voice.
A group of police officers approached him. Walking in the center of them was a very tall, sturdily built man with the head of a beagle. The area around his eyes and long ears was dark brown, separated by a tan line running down his forehead and widening around his muzzle. His large black nose twitched slightly as he looked over the scene, and his dark eyes were calm but sharp.
He wore a formal suit with a dress shirt, waistcoat, unbuttoned black blazer, and matching dress pants. Around his neck was a black and white tie that looked like a dalmatian's coat.
Endeavor's eyes narrowed a bit.
"Oi, keep those reporters out of the area for now. We don't need them rushing over the crime scene while we try to work. He yelled over to the officer
"Yes, Sir!" The officer replied before walking away.
"Tsuragamae," Endeavor said. "Why is the head of the police department personally at the scene?"
Kenji Tsuragamae stopped beside him and looked toward the ruins of the building.
"This was not a normal gang hideout," he said. "The group operating here was one of the few remaining yakuza remnants we were tracking. We were ready to attack them."
"So someone beat you to it."
"In a way."
Tsuragamae looked toward the bodies being carried out under sheets.
"There were barely any survivors from the group. The ones left were unresponsive. The outside witnesses we have don't really have any useful information either. They said it was two fighters, but they didn't get a clear look at them."
Endeavor's brows furrowed. 'What a mess.'
Tsuragamae walked a few steps forward, his shoes crunching against frozen debris. He stopped near a long trail of ice that cut through the floor.
"From what we can see, several quirks were used here. I am sure you already see that" Tsuragamae said. "Some match the information we have on the yakuza members themselves. But the main source of damage seems to be from one attacker."
Endeavor followed his gaze. He saw what the chief looked at. Despite the multiple quirks, they all met towards the ice, and based on the one person telling them, it was obvious.
"The ice user," Endeavor said.
Tsuragamae nodded.
"That is our current guess. The ice damage is the most prominent. "If I had to guess, I'd say he took out many members in an instant.
He pointed toward the floor where jagged ice had formed across an exit path.
Endeavor stared at the ice.
Tsuragamae turned slightly toward him.
"That is why I wanted your opinion. You are familiar with high-level elemental quirks. What do you think?"
Endeavor crouched down and examined the ground. There were burn marks near the ice, but the pattern was too messy to make sense of right away.
"It's difficult to say," Endeavor said. "There are too many overlapping quirk signatures. Fire, ice, impact damage, maybe explosions. Some of this could have come from the yakuza members."
"And the ice?"
Endeavor stayed silent for a moment.
"The ice is different," he admitted. "You are right, it was probably the assailant. But I don't know anyone who fits the description in this city."
Tsuragamae's ears twitched slightly.
"Do you know any ice-based quirk users capable of this anywhere?"
"No," Endeavor answered honestly. The Chief was looking at him intently. He knew what he was asking for.
Then he paused.
"My wife and some of my children have ice quirks, but none of them are capable of something like this."
He said it firmly.
Fuyumi and Natsuo had never trained. Rei's quirk was strong, but she never trained to be a hero or master her quirk. He thought about Haise
Haise trained, but there was no way he could have done something on this level. He was still a middle school student.
Tsuragamae watched him for a second longer before looking back at the scene.
"Do you think it might be a vigilante?"
"I hope not. Dealing with it last time was already annoying."
The two stood in silence as the police lights continued flashing around them.
Tsuragamae glanced toward one of the scorched walls. One of the officers came by with a piece of paper.
"There is also the fire damage. We have records of the quirks used by some of the group members. None of them had a strong fire quirk."
Endeavor looked toward the burns.
"Plenty of people have fire quirks," he said. "Several work under me."
His eyes moved slowly over the blackened floor.
"But none of my sidekicks or heroes were dispatched to this area."
"Then who did this?"
Endeavor didn't answer right away.
"I don't know," he said finally. "I'll ask around."
Tsuragamae nodded.
"For now, our theory is that the ice user was the primary attacker. The fire damage may have come from another combatant, one of the yakuza members, or a chain reaction during the fight."
Endeavor's eyes narrowed.
"And if the ice user wasn't alone?"
"Then we have more than one unknown to find."
Endeavor's flames rose slightly.
Tsuragamae looked back at the building.
"Whoever they are, they interfered with an active investigation. Even if they helped remove a dangerous group, vigilantism is still illegal."
Endeavor remained quiet for a moment.
"I know." he finally said.
"I'll send over what information I've gathered on the group. Let us know if you get any clues on your end. You can look over them tomorrow." Tsuragamae said before turning away and began giving orders to the nearby officers.
Endeavor nodded.
-
Endeavor decided to return to his office instead of going home.
The ride back was quiet.
His driver kept both hands on the wheel, eyes forward, wisely choosing not to say anything
The crime scene remained in his mind.
It bothered him. Such a large attack near the areas he patrols. Did the attacker know he or other heroes would be away?
The second was the ice quirk.
Ice quirks were not rare, exactly. But ice quirks with that much range, power, and control were another matter. He didn't recall anyone with that kind of capability. Why would such a person be a vigilante? That kind of strength would give them a position in the most prominent Hero agencies.
Endeavor's eyes narrowed slightly.
A few minutes later, the car pulled up to the front of the Endeavor Hero Agency. The building was mostly dark at this hour, with only a few upper floors still lit. The night staff moved quietly through the lobby as Endeavor entered, their conversations dying immediately when they noticed him.
Strangely, Burnin was still in the office, frantically finishing her paperwork. She looked up surprised, clearly not expecting to see her boss this late.
"What are you doing back at the agency, I thought you went home?"
Endeavor raised a brow. "I thought you said you finished your work."
Burnin blushed. "I might have had some left. I'll finish before I leave."
Endeavor just walked past her. "Go home, you can finish it tomorrow."
Burnin was about to protest, but a stern look from Endeavor changed her mind. She nodded and started packing up.
He ignored the rest of the night staff and went straight to his office.
The room was silent when he stepped inside. His desk was clean, his reports stacked neatly, and the city stretched beyond the large windows behind him.
He checked his computer, and apparently Tsurugamae had already sent the file over.
Tsurugamae had sent him the information on the Yakuza gang. It was everything from their potential members, quirks and their recent activities.
He sat down and began reading.
The group had been active for months. Smuggling. Enhancement drugs, illegal weapons, and extortion in smaller coastal and industrial districts. They were not powerful enough to challenge major hero agencies directly, but organized enough to be a problem. Unfortunately, most of their records were destroyed thanks to the attacker.
Endeavor flipped to the witness statements.
Most were useless. The attack just happened and they barely had time to question anyone. He skipped past the few that were given.
One civilian claimed the attacker was wore a mask. When asked what kind, he didn't have any answers. It was too dark to see.
Another said there had been two people. Those were the most useful pieces of information.
He moved to the photos.
That was where things became more interesting.
The only thing captured was a man walking into the building wearing the mask. But the camera that took the photo was from a gas station further away. The picture was completely blurry. There was no way to tell who it could've been.
The rest were photos taken by the officers at the scene. The Chief must have had them sent immediately after they were taken.
Endeavor leaned back in his chair.
"Dead end," he muttered.
He turned to another page. Known quirk users among the yakuza remnants. But it didn't help. Most of the members were dead so there's no one to question. He looked for any potential enemies the Yakuza might have had, but there wasn't much information. There were barely any Yakuza groups left in Japan. They almost never interacted or fought with other groups.
His fingers tapped once against the desk. "Strong ice user, huh."
His gaze shifted toward the window.
For a brief moment, his thoughts went to Rei. Then Fuyumi. Natsuo.
Then Haise.
Endeavor dismissed the thought almost immediately.
Haise was a child. It was impossible.
He closed the folder, then opened it again.
Another report.
This one contained the estimated timeline. The attack had been extremely short. By the time the first emergency calls had gone through, the fight was already near its end. By the time police arrived, the attacker was gone.
Endeavor let out a slow breath through his nose. It was dangerous to have such a powerful person running loose. He buzzed his sidekicks.
A knock came at the door.
"Enter."
There were two people at the door. One of his sidekicks and his driver.
His sidekick stepped inside, standing straight near the entrance. "You asked for me, sir?"
Endeavor turned to him.
"Pull up recent reports involving any criminals with ice quirks that we have." he said. "It doesn't matter about the severity of their offences. Even if it's for something minor, I want to know."
"Yes sir. Any specific region?"
"Start with Musutafu and surrounding districts. Expand outward if necessary."
"Understood."
The sidekick left, leaving the Driver and Endeavor behind.
"Kurumada."
He stopped at the door. "Yes, sir?"
Endeavor looked back down at the files spread across his desk.
"I'll be staying late," he said. "Go back to the house and keep an eye on the children."
Kurumada straightened. "Understood, sir."
Kurumada bowed once and stepped out, closing the office door behind him.
Endeavor remained at his desk, staring at the damage in the photos. Then he reached for the next report.
–