Chapter Text
In the early morning hours of December 22, 2021, an arson-related incident occurred on the Todoroki estate on Sekoto Peak and resulted in the deaths of Keigo “Hawks” Takami, a ranger for the local Park Service, and Touya Todoroki, eldest son of Enji Todoroki. The fires also destroyed hundreds of wooded acres and two buildings on the Todoroki property.
The following are excerpts from interviews of eight survivors—Izuku Midoriya, Denki Kaminari, Hitoshi Shinsou, Kyouka Jirou, Momo Yaoyorozu, Tenya Iida, Ochako Uraraka, and Shouto Todoroki—all of which were conducted by lead investigator Naomasa Tsukauchi on the same morning. All interviewees were medically cleared before participating.
Interview #1: Izuku Midoriya
Tsukauchi: How are you feeling?
Midoriya: Better, but everything still hurts.
Tsukauchi: I’m sorry. We’ll try to make this quick, but given the circumstances, I want to make sure we cover everything thoroughly. Lives were lost tonight, and I need to know how that happened. Do I have your full cooperation?
Midoriya: Yes.
Tsukauchi: Perfect. First, I have a question about your injuries. How did you get them?
Midoriya: That’s… That’s going to be difficult to answer.
Tsukauchi: I understand you’re a pre-med student. Surely you have an idea of what your injuries are and what caused them.
Midoriya: I know what they are. I have five broken fingers in my right hand, a broken ulna and a broken radius in my left arm, a broken tibia in my right leg, and a possible fracture in the femur. That’s not what’s difficult to answer, it’s what caused them to break.
Tsukauchi: Please, try to explain it to me.
Midoriya: I… I’m sorry, sir, I’m not sure you’ll believe me.
Tsukauchi: I’ll try to keep an open mind, but whether I believe you or not shouldn’t keep you from telling me everything you know. It’s important that you give your complete side of the story. There are seven more people I need to interview after you, and if their accounts line up with yours, then I’ll have to consider whatever you say as truth, no matter what it may be.
Midoriya: Did you watch the video on Shinsou’s camera?
Tsukauchi: …I did.
Midoriya: So you know what caused this already. You know why it’s unbelievable.
Tsukauchi: Not necessarily. There were mentions of ‘curses’ but I don’t know what that means in this case. Ranger Takami seemed to be familiar with what they were. Could you elaborate on that?
Midoriya: He told us they were caused by lighting fires. Yaomomo and I felt it first since we lit the first fires.
Tsukauchi: Why did you light fires?
Midoriya: Shouto needed us to. It was just a few lanterns and a fireplace, but he was afraid of fire, so we had to do it for him. We wanted to do it for him.
Tsukauchi: Shouto Todoroki is afraid of fire?
Midoriya: Yes. Well, he was.
Tsukauchi: Does his fear have anything to do with his brother’s history of arson?
Midoriya: Yes. Touya’s curse made him burn Shouto’s face when they were kids.
Tsukauchi: His curse?
Midoriya: Dabi.
Tsukauchi: Right, that name came up quite a bit on the video. Can you explain to me what Dabi is?
Midoriya: Honestly, sir, I don’t know much more about Dabi than what he told Iida in the video. What happened in the mines was… was…
Tsukauchi: Midoriya?
Midoriya: Yes, sir, sorry, I’m…
Tsukauchi: Take your time. It must have been hard, watching that video.
Midoriya: It was frustrating. I couldn’t do anything for them. I couldn’t…
Tsukauchi: Listen, I know I still have to talk to the rest of you, but from what I’ve gathered so far, you’ve all done much more than anyone could have expected. I hate to ask more from you kids after what you’ve been through, but I’ve got to ask these questions as soon as possible so the night is still fresh in your minds. Instead of thinking about what you couldn’t do, it will help me enough to know everything you did do.
Midoriya: Yeah, okay. Where should I start?
Tsukauchi: Perhaps it’d be best to start from the beginning.
Midoriya: Alright. I’ll try my best.
Interview #2: Denki Kaminari
Tsukauchi: Now, before we begin, I was told you were one of the least fit candidates for an interview, considering your medical condition. With that in mind, please let me know if you start to feel uncomfortable or in pain, and we can end the interview.
Kaminari: I mean, I’m already in pain. Just look at this thing on my neck. It feels as bad as it looks.
Tsukauchi: I understand, but you were medically cleared for this interview, and you gave your consent to participate before we started. If you’re having seconds thoughts—
Kaminari: Nah, it’s fine. I don’t think this interview will take very long anyway.
Tsukauchi: Why is that?
Kaminari: Well, for one, I wasn’t supposed to be here. Todoroki never invited me and I didn’t know who his brother was before I got to the lodge. Second of all, I’m pretty sure I was unconscious for most everything after I got zapped.
Tsukauchi: You mean struck by lightning?
Kaminari: Yeah.
Tsukauchi: I see. So, why did you come to the lodge?
Kaminari: I, um… I thought it was going to be a party.
Tsukauchi: Why did you think that?
Kaminari: Jirou told me she was going to Todoroki’s lodge and I guess I just assumed.
Tsukauchi: What is your relationship with Todoroki?
Kaminari: Just old high school classmates. We got along fine.
Tsukauchi: And what is your relationship with Jirou?
Kaminari: We’re friends, and, uh… exes. Broke up last year.
Tsukauchi: So your intention was to—
Kaminari: Make her jealous. Yeah, I know. I’m over it now.
Tsukauchi: So you were not at all aware of Todoroki’s intention to find his brother before you arrived?
Kaminari: Like I said, this’ll be a short interview.
Tsukauchi: Everyone’s story is important to me, no matter how short. Let’s not focus on the investigation, then. Midoriya told me you did a lot to help Shinsou, from what he knew. What is your relationship with Shinsou?
Kaminari: Uh… nothing? Well, not nothing. I mean, he was just a stranger to me a while ago, but a couple of near-death experiences really breaks the ice I guess. I wouldn’t call us friends, but… Actually, I think I'd call us friends, but I’m not sure what he’d call us, so I don’t want to put a label on it, you know? It’s complicated.
Tsukauchi: So, acquaintances, then?
Kaminari: Sure, that’s a word for it.
Tsukauchi: Back on topic, how did you help Shinsou?
Kaminari: Okay, this is going to sound really hard to believe, but Shinsou had this sleepwalking curse where he’d act like a puppet and would walk around places without any control over himself. I was supposed to slap him out of it whenever it happened, but when we got to the shed puppet-Shinsou locked me in and started wandering off. I was able to break out and stop him from walking off a cliff, but that’s when I got struck by lightning. He gave me CPR while I was out, I guess. I think Hawks helped us after he found us in the woods. I never really got the chance to talk to him.
Tsukauchi: You never met Ranger Takami? Midoriya said he carried you into the lodge.
Kaminari: I was passed out for all of that. Sorry.
Tsukauchi: That’s fine. In that case, I’d like to know how sure you were that Shinsou’s curse was real instead of an act?
Kaminari: No way, dude. If you saw his eyes you’d know. There was no way Shinsou could have faked that.
Tsukauchi: Maybe it was just regular sleepwalking?
Kaminari: Couldn’t be. He was never sleeping when it happened.
Tsukauchi: Not even during the match incident?
Kaminari: Nope.
Tsukauchi: I was told you helped Shinsou then too. How?
Kaminari: You mean when I tried to stop Yaomomo from throwing him out? Yeah, that was tense.
Tsukauchi: You were able to stop her though, weren’t you?
Kaminari: I convinced Jirou to stop her, so I guess in a roundabout way I did. I just knew Shinsou didn’t deserve that. Plus, I’m pretty sure Yaomomo was cursed too. It just wasn’t like her.
Tsukauchi: Stressful situations can have a profound impact on character. She may have been undergoing—
Kaminari: You sound like Shinsou, you know that? Trying to rationalize things that aren’t rational. I don’t know how else to convince you she was cursed, but she was. We all were.
Tsukauchi: So I’ve been told, but I need to consider all other possibilities before I’m ready to accept that claim. Besides, it’s already clear to me that one of your claims isn’t true.
Kaminari: What?! No way! I haven’t lied about anything!
Tsukauchi: You said you weren’t supposed to be there. That’s not true.
Kaminari: But it is! How would you—
Tsukauchi: If you weren’t there, it sounds like Shinsou would have died, and Yaoyorozu might have lived with guilt over something she couldn’t control. Things could have ended up a lot worse if you didn’t intervene. I think you were supposed to be there after all.
Kaminari: Oh, that’s, well… I’m… Mr. Detective, sir?
Tsukauchi: You can call me Tsukauchi.
Kaminari: Okay, uh, Tsukauchi?
Tsukauchi: Yes?
Kaminari: Thanks.
Interview #3: Hitoshi Shinsou
Tsukauchi: Ah, Shinsou. Have a seat, and we’ll—
Shinsou: Kaminari’s still here. Why?
Tsukauchi: Excuse me?
Shinsou: I just saw Kaminari leave the room. Why is he still here? He got struck by lightning. He should be in the hospital.
Tsukauchi: He was medically cleared to participate in the interview and he voluntarily gave us as much information as he felt he could give. I assure you we didn’t want to put him in more pain than was necessary. He’s on his way to the hospital now.
Shinsou: Good. And Midoriya?
Tsukauchi: Also on his way to the hospital.
Shinsou: Okay.
Tsukauchi: I must say, Shinsou, you were quite the subject of the past two interviews. You’re closest to Midoriya and Kaminari, is that right?
Shinsou: Midoriya is my roommate at uni, so yeah. I just met Kaminari last night.
Tsukauchi: What would you consider him now?
Shinsou: Hm, that’s a tough one. I’ll get back to you on that.
Tsukauchi: Can you try now?
Shinsou: Uh… he’s a friend, I guess? What else are you supposed to call a guy who saved your life?
Tsukauchi: Fair point. Now, Midoriya told me your relationship with Yaoyorozu was strained, and I want to… are you laughing?
Shinsou: No, I’m… yeah, maybe a little.
Tsukauchi: Why?
Shinsou: 'Strained' is just a funny word for it.
Tsukauchi: What’s funny about it?
Shinsou: She could have killed me. She would have killed me if Jirou and Kaminari hadn’t done something about it.
Tsukauchi: I know she tried to throw you out of the lodge after you attempted arson in the basement, but—
Shinsou: I didn’t 'attempt' anything.
Tsukauchi: Right, because it was your curse.
Shinsou: Which you don’t believe in.
Tsukauchi: Please, try to see this from my perspective. Curses aren’t—
Shinsou: I don’t need to try to see it from your perspective, because I know exactly what you’re seeing. I used to think these curses were bullshit too until it happened to me. The curses are broken now, so we can’t prove it to you even if we wanted to. You’re never going to believe anything we tell you anyway, so what’s the point of this?
Tsukauchi: Please, Shinsou, I need everyone’s cooperation here. Midoriya gave me a good picture of everyone’s point of view, but your motivations are still unclear to me, and that’s why I would like to get to know you better.
Shinsou: Yeah, okay, you want to know what my relationship was like with Yaoyorozu, then? It was strained. She almost threw me out into a blizzard knowing that it could have been the death of me. She put Kaminari in danger too, stalling her decision the way she did. But, you know, I can’t even blame her for it, because she apologized for everything. It was her curse that made her do those things, and I believe her, even if you don’t.
Tsukauchi: Shinsou, I’m… listen, let’s start over.
Shinsou: Fine by me.
Tsukauchi: Let’s go back to the reason you came to the lodge. Midoriya said he recruited you for this investigation due to your studies in psychology and forensic science, but otherwise, you had no personal connection to the Todoroki’s, correct?
Shinsou: That’s right.
Tsukauchi: Wanted to be a detective, then?
Shinsou: Keep the badge. I don’t want the job, I’m just good at it. I thought I could help out.
Tsukauchi: Why did you want to help Todoroki when you didn’t know him?
Shinsou: He’s Midoriya’s friend, and I thought it’d be good practice for me.
Tsukauchi: Practice?
Shinsou: Yeah, at least the psychological part of it. I wanted to figure out what Touya’s motivations were, kind of like how you’re trying to figure out mine. Guess you have your answer.
Tsukauchi: I see. And it’s my understanding that you were able to talk to Touya directly when you were carrying Kaminari to the lodge. Were you able to come to any conclusions about his motivations then?
Shinsou: No, not Touya’s, but I learned more about Dabi’s.
Tsukauchi: Can you explain the difference between the two?
Shinsou: Between what, Touya and Dabi? I didn’t know Touya at all so I can’t vouch for his character, but I’m pretty sure he wasn’t as bad as Dabi. You’re still confused about it though, huh? I would have thought you’d get the picture from that video.
Tsukauchi: If the video is to be believed, Dabi was the spirit possessing Touya, correct?
Shinsou: If the video is to be believed.
Tsukauchi: It’s on your camera, isn’t it?
Shinsou: It is.
Tsukauchi: So, is there a reason I shouldn’t believe the video?
Shinsou: Hey, your words, not mine.
Tsukauchi: But would there be a reason to doubt its credibility? Besides, even if it was on your camera, you weren’t the one filming.
Shinsou: No, but Iida was. If you want to question that guy’s credibility then go right ahead, but you won’t get anywhere.
Tsukauchi: Why’s that?
Shinsou: Iida’s honest. So are Uraraka and Todoroki, and they were in that video too, weren’t they? Ask them if you won’t take my word for it. It’s too bad you can’t ask Hawks. I bet you’d believe him.
Tsukauchi: I am trying to work with you, Shinsou. I know my approach might not be—
Shinsou: Hawks is dead. You heard that whole scene in the video. Even when the camera turns over and you can’t see it anymore, you can still hear his voice and hear what he’s talking about before it happens. I don’t know what more you need to believe that.
Tsukauchi: Well, while we’re on that topic, it was brought to my attention that you have a talent for imitating voices, and I was inter—
Shinsou: Are you serious?
Tsukauchi: Shin—
Shinsou: No, no, I get it. With Touya dead, you might need another scapegoat to fall back on to close the case, right? I know how this works. Let’s pin it on the kid with no friends here, is that what you’re thinking? He can imitate voices and falsify footage, he’s studying psychology to manipulate people, he talked to Dabi and lied about it, he nearly set the basement on fire, he even owns the camera with that damn video on it. Why wouldn’t he be a prime suspect?
Tsukauchi: That wasn’t what I—
Shinsou: I’m done. I’m sure you’ll get what you need from everyone else.
Tsukauchi: Please, Shinsou, just sit down and we can—
Shinsou: No. I know how this looks, and I know when to bail on a losing hand. It doesn’t matter, anyway. My friends know I’m not the bad guy. They’ll tell you. I’m not the bad guy.
Interview #4: Kyouka Jirou
Tsukauchi: Jirou, please, take a seat and we’ll begin.
Jirou: Sure. Hey, what’d you say to Shinsou? He looked pretty pissed when he left.
Tsukauchi: I’ll keep that between me and Shinsou, for now. But speaking of Shinsou, what would you say your relationship is like with him?
Jirou: What was that about Shinsou?
Tsukauchi: I asked what your relationship is like with Shinsou.
Jirou: With Shinsou? It’s, uh… good?
Tsukauchi: You seem unsure about that.
Jirou: Look, I know Shinsou seems really rough around the edges. From what I can tell, he likes to keep people at a distance, so he’s not exactly great at making friends. He made a lot of mistakes tonight, but I’m pretty sure we all did. He shouldn’t be punished for that.
Tsukauchi: Do you think you made any mistakes tonight?
Jirou: I know I did.
Tsukauchi: Like what?
Jirou: Well, for starters, it was my idea to play Kokkuri, and if we didn’t do that then I wouldn’t have gotten Shinsou or Kaminari cursed. Then I, um…
Tsukauchi: Then you what?
Jirou: Okay, I didn’t want to say anything because I know Iida’s gonna deny it, but I was the one who stabbed him in the shoulder. It was a total accident, I swear! I hid in a locker because I thought someone was after me, but I didn’t know it was him! How was I supposed to know it was him from just his heartbeat?!
Tsukauchi: Hey, it’s oka—
Jirou: If you ask him about it then he’s going to lie for me because he doesn’t want me to get in trouble! Please don’t hold it against him! He really respects authority so this is the only thing he would ever try to hide from you!
Tsukauchi: Take a breath. I’ll keep that in mind when it’s his turn for an interview, okay?
Jirou: Okay. Yeah, okay.
Tsukauchi: Though, since you brought it up, what was the weapon you stabbed him with? We didn’t find anything on you.
Jirou: Huh? What was that?
Tsukauchi: What did you stab Iida with?
Jirou: A butterfly knife.
Tsukauchi: Do you have it on you?
Jirou: Hawks confiscated it. He didn’t want me to have it in case it incriminated me.
Tsukauchi: Was it your knife?
Jirou: No. we got it from one of Momo’s dolls, the one that looks like me with blue fire around it. Have you seen them?
Tsukauchi: I have, I know which one you’re referring to. So, it truly wasn’t in your possession before Momo received the doll?
Jirou: I’m sorry, can you repeat that?
Tsukauchi: I asked if you owned the knife before the doll appeared.
Jirou: No. I just told you, the doll gave it to us.
Tsukauchi: Right.
Jirou: You don’t believe that though, do you?
Tsukauchi: I’m trying to.
Jirou: That sucks. This must have been what Shinsou was pissed about.
Tsukauchi: I know this night has been frustrating for you, but please know we’re all doing our best to—
Jirou: Can you talk louder? I can barely hear you.
Tsukauchi: I’m speaking at a normal volume, Jirou. Do you mind me asking if you have a hearing impairment?
Jirou: Hm?
Tsukauchi: Do you have any hearing impairments?
Jirou: No… not before tonight. After all the drumming in my head, I thought maybe my eardrums ruptured, but if it’s more serious than that… What if this is permanent?! I’m a musician, I need to hear my music!
Tsukauchi: I’m sorry, I don’t know if it’s permanent. Once we’re done with this interview then we’ll have a doctor take a look and let you know, alright?
Jirou: Okay…
Tsukauchi: I’ll try to speak up for you, in the meantime. Midoriya said your curse was hearing heartbeats, is that what caused it?
Jirou: Yes.
Tsukauchi: Did you hear everyone’s heartbeat at the same time?
Jirou: Usually, yes. Sometimes I’d hear only the ones the curse wanted me to hear. It was how we found Hawks in the woods.
Tsukauchi: You also used it to tell when someone was lying, right?
Jirou: Midoriya was thorough, huh?
Tsukauchi: His account was helpful, yes, but there are still some holes I’d like to fill in. He mentioned that it was you who knew Shinsou was lying about Dabi.
Jirou: Yeah… I guess that was another mistake I made.
Tsukauchi: A mistake? Was Shinsou not lying?
Jirou: Oh, no, he was. It was a mistake that I didn’t call him out on it sooner. Instead, I only told Momo about it, and that just made her angrier.
Tsukauchi: It must have been difficult, being caught in the middle of that.
Jirou: It was. I know Shinsou was lying, but he was only trying to help. He didn’t want anyone to get hurt. I mean, look, the guy was willing to put his own life on the line just to keep Touya from killing Todoroki and the rest of us. I just didn’t want Momo to do something to him that I know she’d regret. It’s not like her to be so angry.
Tsukauchi: You and Yaoyorozu are close, I take it?
Jirou: We’ve been best friends for years. She needed me. If Kaminari didn’t remind me of that, I might have let her down.
Tsukauchi: How did you convince her to stop?
Jirou: I… I don’t know, I just told her that I knew what she was doing wasn’t really her and that I would be there for her whenever she needed me. We, um… we mean a lot to each other.
Tsukauchi: I see. Well, Jirou, for all of the mistakes you think you made tonight, to me it seems you made up for them.
Jirou: How’s that?
Tsukauchi: You did your fair share of good, just like I told Kaminari. Though, if you don’t mind, can I have your help making up for one of my own mistakes?
Jirou: Uh… What would that be?
Tsukauchi: I may have handled Shinsou’s interview with less tact than I should have. Please let him know I apologize for it if you see him. He might listen to you.
Jirou: Yeah, okay. I’ll do it, but I can’t promise anything.
Tsukauchi: Of course.
Jirou: You know, you’re pretty alright for a cop. I think you and Hawks would have gotten along.
Tsukauchi: Why do you think that?
Jirou: He was going to cover for me about that knife he took and pretend like he didn’t remember who he took it from. It was cool of him, and I think he was… um… h-he…
Tsukauchi: Jirou? Are you alright?
Jirou: Yeah, I just… I stopped hearing his heartbeat, you know? I heard it stop. I wonder if I could have… If I…
Tsukauchi: Do you need any—
Jirou: I’m sorry. I can’t… I can't hear you.
Interview #5: Momo Yaoyorozu
Tsukauchi: Ms. Yaoyorozu, how are you feeling?
Yaoyorozu: Alright.
Tsukauchi: You had been suffering from nausea tonight, correct?
Yaoyorozu: Nausea was only a small part of it, but yes.
Tsukauchi: You must be referring to the dolls that came with it.
Yaoyorozu: Not only the dolls. I also meant my temper.
Tsukauchi: Right. Why don’t you explain your curse in more detail for me? Midoriya tried his best to explain everyone’s curse, but yours was a little more complex.
Yaoyorozu: The curses are based on our fears. My fear was that I couldn’t choose between the emotion of anger or love for a matryoshka doll I had made to cope with my own feelings, and so I was battling with myself over those two emotions.
Tsukauchi: Why those two emotions?
Yaoyorozu: Because I love Kyouka, and I was angry at myself for it.
Tsukauchi: Oh. Had you told Jirou about that at all?
Yaoyorozu: Yes. I had to. I had to tell her I loved her in order to make it stop.
Tsukauchi: So you broke your own curse? Is that possible?
Yaoyorozu: …Yes, I suppose so. It makes sense, doesn't it? If you are able to eliminate the fear, then there isn’t anything the curse can do to you. Truthfully, I was just so desperate to put an end to my curse, I did the only thing I could think of to do. I wasn’t thinking about the repercussions.
Tsukauchi: Why were you so desperate to stop it?
Yaoyorozu: Many reasons. I couldn’t take the sickness anymore. More often than not, the dolls only brought with them more misery than they were worth. And then there was Shinsou…
Tsukauchi: Yes, I’ve heard a lot about that. Do you know why you were angry with Shinsou in particular?
Yaoyorozu: It was easy to be. I didn’t know him very well, and when I learned he was lying to us then he gave me a good reason to be upset. But I think… I think I also saw a little of myself in him too. And since I was angry with myself, well… I took it out on the part of myself I saw in him.
Tsukauchi: And what is it about yourself you saw in him?
Yaoyorozu: I needed to be in control. Todoroki trusted me with this investigation, and I wanted to do everything within my power to help him and keep the others focused. Shinsou wanted to be in control too, he just approached it differently.
Tsukauchi: You’ve thought a lot about these curses, haven’t you?
Yaoyorozu: How else were we going to break them? If we didn’t do anything, then we would have ended up missing in the mines just like all the others, and I could have done something awful to Shinsou.
Tsukauchi: What would you have done?
Yaoyorozu: I would have thrown him out into the blizzard alone, and knowing what happened to him the last time he was alone in the woods, his curse would have walked him into the mines. He would have died. I would have killed him.
Tsukauchi: Well, from what I’ve been told so far, no one seems to hold you responsible for the decision. They’ve all blamed your curse.
Yaoyorozu: Even Shinsou?
Tsukauchi: Even Shinsou.
Yaoyorozu: Well… I’d like to say that’s reassuring, but it isn’t. There’s no excusing my behavior. I put them all in danger.
Tsukauchi: You saved Jirou, though, didn’t you? At the Winter Solstice Mining Company?
Yaoyorozu: I should have acted sooner. We came too close to dying in that fire.
Tsukauchi: But you saved Todoroki too. You kept Touya from burning him at the lodge.
Yaoyorozu: I couldn’t let Dabi kill him, and besides, I might have died myself if it weren’t for Uraraka's self-defense lesson and Shinsou's quick reflexes. I wish I could have done more to save Touya.
Tsukauchi: I think you’re too hard on yourself. You saved a lot of people from Touya’s fires, and you—
Yaoyorozu: Dabi’s fires.
Tsukauchi: What?
Yaoyorozu: Touya didn’t start those fires. Dabi did. Please, the distinction is important to Shouto.
Tsukauchi: So you wouldn’t say Touya is responsible at all?
Yaoyorozu: It’s difficult to say. I don’t think it’s my place to say. What Touya was capable of and what Dabi made him do… Well, he was like Shinsou that way, I suppose. Shinsou didn’t want to pour gasoline or drop a match, but his curse made him do those things anyway. If he’s not holding me responsible for my anger, and I’m not holding him responsible for the things he did while cursed, then can Touya be held responsible for anything he did while he was Dabi?
Tsukauchi: Assuming the curses are real, you may have a point.
Yaoyorozu: I understand you need to be skeptical, but I assure you, everything we’re telling you is real. If you saw what I saw down there… that body…
Tsukauchi: What body? Yaoyorozu?
Yaoyorozu: I think it was the missing man Dabi killed earlier this year.
Tsukauchi: Right, Touya mentioned something about that on one of his tapes. You saw the body?
Yaoyorozu: I did… I…
Tsukauchi: It’s okay, Yaoyorozu. If you need any—
Yaoyorozu: I’m fine.
Tsukauchi: Sometimes, in a traumatic event—
Yaoyorozu: I said I’m fine.
Tsukauchi: I’m just worried about your ment—
Yaoyorozu: Listen, it doesn’t matter if you believe me, it doesn’t matter because you will. You need to go down into the mines. We’ve seen what’s down there, and we’d give anything to unsee it.
Interview #6: Tenya Iida
Tsukauchi: Now, Iida, before we begin, you were among the two least recommended for an interview, given your medical condition. Kaminari opted to give his interview, but that doesn’t mean you have to do the same. If you feel faint at any time, let me know and we can end the interview.
Iida: No, I can give the interview.
Tsukauchi: Alright. To start, can you explain how you received your injuries?
Iida: The wound in my leg was inflicted by a rod I landed on when I fell into the mines. My hands were also damaged from digging.
Tsukauchi: And what about the wound in your shoulder?
Iida: My, um… my shoulder, sir?
Tsukauchi: As I understand it, you have a stab wound in your shoulder. How did you get that one?
Iida: I… It was an accident. I opened a locker and wasn’t careful enough to avoid a knife in one of them.
Tsukauchi: Ah, I see. Clever wording, by the way.
Iida: Sir?
Tsukauchi: Jirou already confessed to stabbing you.
Iida: What?
Tsukauchi: She told me she was sure you were going to lie about it to cover for her. I wouldn’t consider what you just said a lie, really, but it certainly wasn’t the whole truth, was it?
Iida: No, sir. I apologize.
Tsukauchi: No need. She told me this was the only lie you would tell me, and Shinsou testified for your character as well. So, I take it I can expect nothing but the truth from now on, is that correct?
Iida: Yes, sir.
Tsukauchi: Perfect. While we’re on the subject of your injuries, how were you able to survive the watchtower collapse and the fall into the mines?
Iida: Uraraka and I were caught on a cable as the watchtower fell. It dragged us into a ravine that feeds into the mines, but the watchtower became stuck between the walls. I was able to get Uraraka to safety before the tower fell again and I lost consciousness. When I woke up I found it stopped just short of the bottom, so I was able to release myself from the cable and fall the rest of the way without any major injuries, with the exception of my leg.
Tsukauchi: I see. Then what did you do?
Iida: I found Shinsou’s bag and camera in the mines. I didn’t know what they were doing there, but I decided to use them to try to find the miners.
Tsukauchi: Why did you decide to look for the miners? Why didn’t you try to find a way out immediately? You must have known how dangerous it was to stay, considering the injury you have.
Iida: Yes, sir, I did. But my friends needed help. I didn’t want to see them suffer from their curses anymore.
Tsukauchi: So, you believed in these curses too?
Iida: No, not at first.
Tsukauchi: What changed your mind?
Iida: There was a hawk on blue fire that flew into the lodge earlier last night. I put the fire out, but I couldn’t save the hawk. That was the first moment I seriously considered something was wrong. Later, when we were traveling to the watchtower, I couldn’t pick up Uraraka when she fell down in the snow. She’s normally very light, so I should have been able to carry her without any problem. That’s what confirmed it for me.
Tsukauchi: And what was Uraraka’s curse?
Iida: Weight, I believe. She became heavier as if gravity applied more force onto her. It only lasted a few minutes, but she couldn’t breathe very well while it was happening.
Tsukauchi: I see. And judging by what you and Ranger Takami discussed in the—
Iida: Hawks.
Tsukauchi: Hm?
Iida: His name is Hawks.
Tsukauchi: Right, of course. Judging by what you and Hawks discussed in the video, your curse was a loss of feeling in your legs, correct?
Iida: Yes, sir.
Tsukauchi: And that must be because of your brother’s condition, is that right?
Iida: I… I apologize, sir. I don’t follow.
Tsukauchi: The others mentioned the curses were reflections of their fears. Were you aware of this?
Iida: No, sir. I suspected the curses were influenced by an individual's traits, but that particular explanation didn’t occur to me.
Tsukauchi: Do you think that it’s an accurate reflection of your fear?
Iida: …Yes, sir. I felt helpless. I never wanted to feel that way again.
Tsukauchi: Of course not. Nobody would. It was a good thing your friends were there to help you.
Iida: Yes.
Tsukauchi: You don’t seem to really agree with that.
Iida: I am grateful for their help. I know I would have died if Uraraka hadn’t retrieved Hawks for his aid. But they also risked their lives for me. Forgive me if I am not happy they did so.
Tsukauchi: You know, you seem to care more for your friends’ wellbeing than for your own. It’s a noble trait to have, but you should think about yourself every now and then, Iida.
Iida: Uraraka told me the same.
Tsukauchi: Sounds like she has sense.
Iida: She does. I was being rash, trying to take responsibility for everyone as I did when I was Class President. I apologized to her for my behavior but… I fear it’s not enough.
Tsukauchi: Why not?
Iida: I hurt the same people I tried to save. How could I atone for that?
Tsukauchi: I can see why you and Yaoyorozu were class representatives together. You two share very similar values. So, I’ll tell you what I told her: I think you’re being too hard on yourself. I don’t know what your relationship is like with Uraraka, but from what you’ve told me, I’m sure she would agree. What do you think?
Iida: She would agree. She’s… we’ve been friends for a long time. I know she's forgiven me, but I suppose I still need time to accept it.
Tsukauchi: Understandable. Let me change the subject back to the video. Is it true, you were the one who filmed it?
Iida: Yes, sir.
Tsukauchi: Why did you decide to record it?
Iida: I didn’t know if I was going to escape the mines. I wanted to leave behind something as evidence, just in case the worst happened.
Tsukauchi: And were you expecting Dab—Touya to appear in the mines?
Iida: No, sir. Last I was aware, Dabi had burned down the watchtower. I assumed he was still above ground at that time.
Tsukauchi: I see. Listening to Touya’s tapes, I learned Touya is your brother-in-law. How well did you know him? Do you think he had any reason to harm you?
Iida: I only met Touya once before, at my brother’s wedding. I didn’t know him well, but I don’t believe he would have had reason to hurt me or anyone else. Any harm that was done was done by Dabi.
Tsukauchi: Right.
Iida: It was Dabi, sir.
Tsukauchi: So, you don’t believe Dabi was an alter ego for Touya? Maybe it was a side of him he had been suppressing.
Iida: No. He may have been suppressing Dabi before he came to the mountain, but Dabi wasn’t a part of Touya.
Tsukauchi: And was Hawks aware of this? He seemed to address Touya as Dabi in the video, but I don’t believe he had any ties to Touya before this incident.
Iida: I’m not sure how much Hawks knew about Dabi or Touya. He met up with the others while I was still in the mines, so I don’t know what they told him.
Tsukauchi: I see. Do you think they had an influence on Hawks or his actions? They were all understandably scared, but if he was motivated to act on their… implausible claims, maybe he took an unnecessary risk—
Iida: With all due respect, sir, I trust everything they told him was true.
Tsukauchi: And everything you recorded, was that true too?
Iida: Yes.
Tsukauchi: Hawks wasn’t in on this, was he? He—
Iida: No. No, never.
Tsukauchi: Iida—
Iida: He saved my life, and I watched him die.
Interview #7: Ochako Uraraka
Tsukauchi: Now, Uraraka, before we begin, I’ve been informed that while you’ve been medically cleared for this interview, speaking is still difficult for you. You agreed to nod or shake your head to indicate 'yes' or 'no' to my questions, so I will try to keep them simple. Are you ready to proceed?
Uraraka: [Yes]
Tsukauchi: Perfect. Normally, I would ask you to give your detailed account of certain events, but since that won’t be an option, I’ll ask you to validate the accounts of others. First, your injuries. You broke your rib in the mines, correct?
Uraraka: [Yes]
Tsukauchi: Was that during the fall of the watchtower?
Uraraka: [No]
Tsukauchi: The mine collapse, then?
Uraraka: [Yes]
Tsukauchi: You used your curse to do that, yes? Iida told me your curse was a feeling of increased weight.
Uraraka: [Yes]
Tsukauchi: And you already knew you had your curse when you left the lodge to join Iida at the Winter Solstice Mining Company?
Uraraka: …
Tsukauchi: Uraraka, that’s a yes or no question.
Uraraka: [Yes] [No]
Tsukauchi: Both? Did you know it was a curse?
Uraraka: [Yes]
Tsukauchi: So why did you… hm, how do I phrase this…
Uraraka: I… I found out after I left the lodge, but before I got to the-
Tsukauchi: Okay, okay. Sorry, I’m not used to asking these kinds of questions exclusively. I’ll try to keep them straightforward. Back to the topic, I was asking this question because I was told you had kept this information from Iida and the others when you decided to go to the watchtower. I obviously can’t ask you why you did that, but tell me if I’m right in my assumption that you didn’t want to be stopped on your mission to go to the watchtower.
Uraraka: [Yes]
Tsukauchi: Was there any other reason you had for hiding your curse?
Uraraka: [Yes]
Tsukauchi: Did it have anything to do with Touya? I was told you were the first one to see him on your way to the Winter Solstice Mining Company.
Uraraka: [No]
Tsukauchi: Nothing to do with Touya? Did it have to do with anyone else?
Uraraka: [Yes]
Tsukauchi: Iida?
Uraraka: [Yes]
Tsukauchi: You… let’s see, you wanted to keep it from Iida to… to make sure he didn’t worry about you when you went together to the watchtower?
Uraraka: [Yes]
Tsukauchi: Yeah, I could see that. He seemed to think highly of you.
Uraraka: I just didn’t want him to go alone. If he knew, he might… might have…
Tsukauchi: Take it easy. It sounds like you did what you did for good reason. What about when you saw Touya? Did you think to go after him? You were there to find him, after all.
Uraraka: [Yes]
Tsukauchi: And you didn’t because you needed to catch Iida before he left for the watchtower alone, I take it?
Uraraka: [Yes]
Tsukauchi: Well, I’d say you made the right call, given what Touya was capable of.
Uraraka: Dabi.
Tsukauchi: Dabi, yes. I’ll be more careful about that. Now, I also recall you and Iida were the first ones to make contact with Ranger Hawks. Did he seem skeptical about anything you told him?
Uraraka: [Yes]
Tsukauchi: Did he believe in curses?
Uraraka: [No]
Tsukauchi: Interesting. He must have changed his mind about that by the time you came back to the lodge, especially if he decided to follow you into the mines without question. You told him Touya was going to kill Iida?
Uraraka: [Yes]
Tsukauchi: And Touya told you this himself?
Uraraka: Dabi.
Tsukauchi: I’m sorry, I’m confused. You told Hawks it was Touya who was going to kill Iida?
Uraraka: [Yes]
Tsukauchi: But it was Dabi?
Uraraka: [Yes]
Tsukauchi: Did you know Touya was Dabi?
Uraraka: I knew… I knew he wasn’t Touya, but Hawks didn’t, so… so I just called him Touya.
Tsukauchi: How did you know that… um…
Uraraka: He called him “Shou.”
Tsukauchi: What?
Uraraka: I got through to Touya for a second, back in the mines. He was scared. He called his brother “Shou.”
Tsukauchi: How did you get through to—no, I’m sorry, let me rephrase—
Uraraka: I told him burning Shouto wasn’t his fault.
Tsukauchi: And you knew this because you—
Uraraka: I found that picture Touya drew as a kid. He didn’t want to hurt him. He didn’t want… he didn’t want to hurt any of us.
Tsukauchi: Uraraka, he killed Hawks.
Uraraka: Who did?
Tsukauchi: Tou… Dabi.
Uraraka: [Yes]
Interview #8: Shouto Todoroki
Tsukauchi: Todoroki, my condolences about what happened to your brother. I know it isn’t easy to give these interviews after witnessing something like that. Let me know if you need to stop the interview at any time, and we can—
Todoroki: No.
Tsukauchi: Excuse me?
Todoroki: I need to tell you about Touya. I’ll stay here as long as I have to.
Tsukauchi: Well, I appreciate your dedication, but I’m concerned about your mental and emotional state.
Todoroki: That doesn’t matter.
Tsukauchi: Yes, it does. We’ve contacted your father letting him know you’re here, but we haven’t given him any details yet. It’s up to you what you want to share with him outside our confidential interview, but you’re free to speak your mind here. Don’t think you have to put on a brave face for your father’s sake.
Todoroki: I wasn’t. This is for Touya. I’m not doing anything for my father’s sake.
Tsukauchi: I understand. Speaking of your father, I’m curious how much you think he knew about any of this before you came to the mountain?
Todoroki: Any of what?
Tsukauchi: These curses. Dabi.
Todoroki: None of it. He didn’t know anything. He only knew about the mining accident. He tried to hide it, just like he tried to hide Touya.
Tsukauchi: I see. Touya resented that, I assume?
Todoroki: Hated. He hated that.
Tsukauchi: So was arson the way Touya lashed out?
Todoroki: It was the way Dabi lashed out.
Tsukauchi: Todoroki, I… How much do you believe Dabi was someone separate from Touya?
Todoroki: I know what you’re doing.
Tsukauchi: What is that?
Todoroki: You’re afraid. Everyone’s been saying the same thing, haven’t they? The curses were real, Dabi was real, and Touya’s not Dabi. You’re just trying to find any other explanation than the one you don’t want to come to.
Tsukauchi: 'Afraid' isn’t the right word. 'Concerned,' maybe. I know you’ve all been in some very distressing situations last night. I’ve been taking that into account.
Todoroki: Do you see this blood on my jacket?
Tsukauchi: Todor-
Todoroki: It’s Touya’s. Touya’s. Touya hugged me, Dabi tried to kill me. Do you get it now?
Tsukauchi: I… Todoroki—
Todoroki: Have you found them yet?
Tsukauchi: What do you mean?
Todoroki: Their bodies. Hawks' and Touya's.
Tsukauchi: From the evidence, Hawks was last seen alive in the mines. We're sending evacuation crews down there now, but it might be some time before we recover a body. As for Touya, we found, um…
Todoroki: What?
Tsukauchi: There wasn't much that survived that fire, Todoroki. So far, we've only recovered what we believe is a piece of jawbone. It's being sent to the lab for testing.
Todoroki: Okay.
Tsukauchi: I'm sorry, I need to ask… Why did you kill your brother?
Todoroki: He asked me to. A Todoroki had to kill a Todoroki. That was the only way to stop Dabi. Do you really think I’d take my own brother’s life over something that wasn’t real? I only came here to find him. I never wanted to do this.
Tsukauchi: Believe me, I understand what you did was in self-defense. I’m not accusing you of murder. I just want to understand why it had to happen.
Todoroki: Have you looked at any of the evidence? The video?
Tsukauchi: Yes, I have.
Todoroki: Then what’s the—
Tsukauchi: Things can be faked, Todoroki. I don’t want to assume that’s the case. All of you have suffered from very real injuries and traumatic events, and I’d love to give you all the benefit of the doubt, but—
Todoroki: But you can’t. Because even if you believe us, you know no one else will.
Tsukauchi: Yes. Yes, I’m afraid so.
Todoroki: There it is. 'Afraid.' I wonder what your curse would have been.
Tsukauchi: I wonder.
Todoroki: …Fine. What you write in your report doesn’t matter to me. You can say Touya was a murder, and you can say we were all crazy, and none of that will matter because we all know the truth. I’ll make sure no one forgets him. No one will remember him as the Lost Todoroki.
Tsukauchi: Who?
Todoroki: Touya. Touya Todoroki.