*hi how's it going

*i don't rly know what the point of this story is lmao. i wanted villain deku without villain deku and suddenly this idea was born

*the concept of this is loosely based off of a combination of the mafia game (like the actual game), hero class civil warfare, and the old bait and switch

*i don't know if the timeline for this is entirely accurate, but i'm going kinda based off where the anime has left off. i'm putting it in november bc nov has 30 days, and it's the last full month before the japanese second term ends, though what month it is doesnt really matter

*im using military time (even though it isn't what i normally use), so there won't be any am or pm. this was kinda a bad decision looking back on it bc i'm not familiar with military time HDHNFNGG

*also they take school every day bc i forgot weekends existed while planning this and i'm not changing it BDHNFNFNG

*im not really gonna use honorifics bc i don't know exactly how they work and i don't want to butcher them. i mean i'll use sensei and others when it's a part of a nickname but that's about it

*ok now figure it out GHEBTNGN

[OCTOBER 31ST - DAY 0]

[6:00]

Aizawa is the last to arrive in the teacher's lounge.

When he first walks in, he's fairly certain he's hallucinating, probably due to a lack of sleep. The other teachers are sat around a table, with the principal himself at the head, brandishing a dry-erase marker. Aizawa has half a mind to turn around and walk out, but instead, he blinks tiredly. "What's going on?"

Nemuri pats the chair next to her. "Shouta. Sit."

Too tired and unbothered to reply, he trudges over to the chair and plops down. Hizashi sits across from him and Kan diagonal. He notes the other teachers at the table: All Might, Ectoplasm, Cementoss, Snipe, and Powerloader. Nezu stands on the edge of the table, clapping his paws together once Aizawa fills the final seat.

"Finally," Nezu says, "we can get started!" Looking around, the principal's gaze lands on each of the pro-heroes. "I'm sure you're all wondering why you've been called today."

"Yeah!" Hizashi replies, and Nezu gives a sadistic smile in return.

"With the second term coming to an end, we need a way to test the students." Nezu's eyes dart from All Might to Aizawa, and he glares back. Nezu's smile grows. "I'm sure you all remember the Mafia Game, correct?"

Oh.

Oh no.

Aizawa wishes he walked out when he had the chance.

Nemuri's eyes widen. "I thought that was taken off the curriculum?"

Which it has been. Being deemed "too villainous" by the Hero Commission, the Mafia Game hasn't been played since Aizawa was in school. The Hero Commission argued that it "encouraged villainous behavior," and so despite Nezu's wishes, Yuuei was forced to take the game off of their curriculum. Aizawa can see why.

It's a simple concept. There's a hidden "mafia" within U.A, and it's up to the "police" to stop it. However, it gets a lot less simple when all the rules are thrown into the mix. It gets a lot more villainous when all the objectives are thrown into the mix. The Mafia Game is a blend of questionable morals, hidden agendas, and a shit ton of betrayal between everyone involved.

Nezu offers another maniac smile, and for the first time in a while, Aizawa feels a chill go down his spine. "It was. However, with the copious amounts of villain attacks this year, I was able to convince the Commission to allow the first years to play. With strict regulations and a multitude of changes, that is."

"Why exactly," Aizawa growls, trying very hard to not slam his fists on the table and deny the game's very existence, "would the amount of villain attacks be a reason to convince the Commission to allow this game? Shouldn't they have been against the idea?"

Nezu twirls the dry-erase marker in his paws. "The first years, especially your class, have faced more dangerous villains than many heroes will in a lifetime. The Commission and I believed it would be beneficial to allow students to see into the mind of a villain."

Powerloader holds up a hand. "Reasons for the game's approval aside, what does this have to do with this meeting?"

"Ah, yes!" Nezu claps his paws together. The principal turns to the blackboard, uncapping the dry-erase market and beginning to write. In black ink, he lists out '1-A' and '1-B.' He turns back to the teachers. "You need to appoint a police officer for each heroics class."

Aizawa hazily remembers this part of the game. He wasn't too involved with the police when he played, but he does remember how the police work.

The teachers choose a student to be the class's 'appointed police officer.' The appointed officers fulfill the role of guessing the identities of the mafia Inner Circle and Kingpin. The appointed police officer's guess reflects the entire class's suspicions, similar to how the class representatives actions speak for the class as a whole. The teachers get to appoint an officer, and the officer gets to choose a 'selected police officer' to help them.

What separates the appointed officer from the rest of the class, however, is the fact that appointed officers cannot be recruited into the mafia. The selected officer also can't be recruited. Any other student can be recruited into the mafia.

"Let's start with class 1-A," Cementoss suggests. "Do you have any candidates in mind, Eraserhead? 1-A is your class, after all."

The game is already in motion, and so he pushes down the urge to deny participating. Aizawa thinks about it, making a mental list of his class to rule out who should and shouldn't be the police officer.

Aoyama is too extravagant and loud; underground hero-esque missions don't suit him. Ashido is too energetic and not focused enough. Kaminari is too ditzy, Koda is too soft-spoken, Jirou isn't assertive enough, Sero doesn't posses the analysis skills needed and neither does Tokoyami. Bakugou is too explosive to work with anyone, Mineta shares the same reasons as Jirou, and Satou just... doesn't possess the traits he's looking for.

Asui is a potential candidate. She's observant and clever, but so is a lot of his class. He needs to form a criteria. He's already eliminated people based on analytical abilities, so the rest will be left up to who needs to chance to prove themselves. From a teacher's perspective, who will benefit the most from this exercise?

Asui would be a great candidate, maybe even the perfect one, but her classmates already know of her analytical and observation skills. Appointing her won't give her any new abilities.

With that in mind, he can rule out Iida. He's already class representative, and while he would make a great officer because of how he preaches the rules, that's also why he isn't a candidate. He won't be able to see underhanded schemes. Shoji would make a wonderful officer, but Aizawa wants to leave him open to the mafia. He doesn't think Tooru has the mind for an officer, and he doesn't want to take her away from the mafia either.

That leaves his final candidates as Uraraka, Ojiro, Kirishima, Todoroki, Yaoyorozu, and Midoriya.

Uraraka is smart and strong, and she could certainly benefit from a confidence boost. But he can't help but feel there's a better candidate, someone who could learn more from the game. Kirishima could also take this as a chance to prove himself, but he's a bit too focused on being "manly" and heroic that he could fail to see sneaky tactics. Ojiro has the same reasons as Uraraka, and he seems to be a bit too shy and sheepish.

Yaoyorozu is another perfect candidate, maybe even more so than Asui because unlike the frog, Yaoyorozu has more to gain. She's clever and moral, but not too moral to let cheap tricks slip past her. She's able to work with others, she's strong enough to take down mafia members in a fight, and she could definitely use the confidence boost of becoming a leader.

Even with all those reasons, there's a couple things stopping him. She's already a recommendation student and the vice class representative, so it would be nice to give someone else the spotlight. Her vice-president duties keep her hands full as well.

Actually, who is he kidding, he just doesn't want to take her away from the mafia.

Because even with all those amazing qualities, he believes she'd benefit more from being a mafia member than a police officer.

Midoriya is another obvious choice. He's a triple threat, possessing astounding physical strength, a powerful quirk, and a brilliant mind. He's seen glimpses of what his analysis can do, and a challenge might be just what Midoriya needs.

But Midoriya is a bit too heroic, a bit too moral, and shady things the mafia does could slink past him. Plus, he wants Midoriya to focus on training his quirk, and the kid has been through enough already. Having him chase down another mafia seems excessive.

And that leaves only one more candidate.

Todoroki has established himself as one of the heroics course's powerhouses, and while a strong quirk and excellent control over it make up for his faults, he lacks the social skills to cooperate with others. But Todoroki is analytical, Todoroki is powerful, and this exercise could give Todoroki the cooperation skills he needs. If he can learn from this exercise, he can go from a gun to a double-edged sword.

Plus, Endeavor was on the villain team, and he knows Todoroki will jump at the chance to differ from his father.

"I'll appoint Todoroki," Aizawa says, leaning so he hits the back of the chair.

"Todoroki is already strong though," Nemuri argues. "He's already in the spotlight."

"But he lacks cooperation. He needs to learn to work with others, and as a police officer, he'll be forced into doing just that. Plus, I can't envision him in the mafia."

"Any objections?" Nezu asks. Aizawa hears Nemuri grumble about him being an obvious choice, but no one speaks up, so Nezu exclaims, "Wonderful!" and turns to write his name on the board. "What about 1-B?"

"I think Kendou would be a good fit," Ken says. "She'd fit the role of an officer well, and she could benefit from trying to dissect an underground organization."

"Objections?" The teachers stay silent, and Nezu writes Kendou's name underneath Todoroki's. He caps the marker, and turns back to the staff with a smile. "Great! I have one more thing to discuss."

Nezu hops down from the table and into a chair. "The way the game works has changed since you played. It's easier for the mafia to win, which puts the winning criteria on par with the police. I'll be handing all of you a rulebook for both the Kingpin and the police. What I want to discuss right now is your role in all of this."

"Teachers couldn't help when we played," Snipe notes. "Is it still the same?"

"Kind of. You aren't allowed to help the mafia, but you aren't allowed to go after the mafia, either. It would be plain unfair to have not only hero students, but pro-heroes fighting the mafia as well."

"That's reasonable," Nemuri comments.

Nezu's eyes glint with something dark. "I want to propose a challenge. Similar to how the police guess the identity of the Kingpin, you will as well."

The guessing system to the game seems unnecessary to Aizawa. All it did was make it easier for the police to win. There's an assembly at the beginning and end of the game; at the end, any remaining mafia members are revealed. Before the assembly, the police submit their guesses as to the identity of the Inner Circle. If they can correctly identify the entire Inner Circle, regardless of the other criteria, the police win.

"Your guesses won't impact the scores, because that would again be unfair. I wanted to give you a challenge as well."

"Is the guessing system still the same?" Powerloader asks, and Nezu shakes his head.

"No. It's been altered slightly. The Kingpin gets guessed separately from the rest of the Inner Circle. I wanted to add this rule because it seems unfair for the mafia to be eligible to win but then the police has five chances to guess the Kingpin."

Aizawa nods. That makes a lot of sense; if the mafia manages to pull off making it through to the end, a month's worth of work shouldn't be thrown away because the police have a lucky guess.

Nezu claps his paws and beams. "I believe that concludes this meeting. Inform your classes that there will be an assembly. The game starts tomorrow."

When Aizawa shuffles out of the lounge, he can't help but feel like the adjusted rules won't be the only different thing about this year's round.

[OCTOBER 31ST - DAY 0]

[7:00]

Nezu has missed the Mafia Game.

Every time it is played, it's just as exciting as when it was first added to the curriculum. It's one of Nezu's favorite ideas. It's a masterful blend of strategic moves, outplaying the enemy, and bending morals, as well as dissecting loopholes, combat training, and cooperating with others. The game has never gotten so immoral Nezu had to step in, and so he was extremely disappointed when the Hero Commission struck it down, and rightfully so. Sure, the objectives could be viewed as villainous, but it had never gotten to that point, and so Nezu was understandably disappointed with it gone.

It was thrilling to piece together the mafia's plans before they were enacted, even if most of them were predictable and boring. It was rare that either side played the long game. In fact, the longest the game ever went on for was two weeks, only half of the full time. Nezu has never gotten to do a proper reveal assembly.

Which is why he knows how the game is played boils down to his choice. Since Nezu is the principal, he's on a completely neutral ground, being one of the two staff members able to help the mafia. The other one is Recovery Girl, as her being an enemy of the mafia is stripping them of a healer, and he must put his students' safety first. Nezu and Recovery Girl both don't get guesses. Other staff members, like Lunch Rush, don't get guesses either, but they also aren't exactly playing.

Which brings him back to the topic at hand : players. Who did he want playing the Kingpin? He has a lot of students to choose from and about an hour to sort through them, so it's high time he makes a decision.

The Kingpin needs to be analytical and clever, strategic enough to outsmart the police. They must also be someone others can rely on and trust, a natural born leader, capable of rallying fifteen people behind them. Another big problem is being morally ambiguous. The Kingpin needs to be willing to play the part of a villain. If they don't have the drive to complete the objectives, they won't get very far, and the first years are the most promising group he's seen play the game. Nezu must choose wisely.

Ultimately, even though Nezu selects the Kingpin, it's the Kingpin's choice. He won't force a child to play the role of a villain if they don't want to.

Besides being a good fit character wise, they also need to be a good fit from a teaching standpoint. At the end of the day, the Mafia Game is a lesson, and the Kingpin needs to be able to gain something from it, whether that's a new skill set, or a boost in confidence, or seeing villains in a different light.

He's got four courses to choose a Kingpin from, so Nezu knocks out candidates in a speedrun.

He doesn't want to choose anyone in Support or General Education; no one in Support stands out as a good Kingpin to him, and General Education students have a vendetta against Heroics and won't be able to cooperate. While Buisness students would be suited to this game well, he'd like to take this opportunity to let others play the strategic game.

There's two heroics classes: 1-B and 1-A. Running through 1-B, a couple students stand out to him. Kendou would've been a great choice had she not been a police officer. Setsuna could benefit from a chance to make plans, but at the same time, her plans often fall apart when they don't work exactly like they do on paper. While that could be a skill she would gain, he thinks there are better candidates. Yanagi holds a quiet intelligence, a bit similar to Asui, but he's not sure if she'd be able to cooperate with others. Tsunotori would be a perfect analytical match, and her innocent appearance would throw off suspicion. However, he's not sure she would be willing to play a villain. Honenuki shows promise, and Nezu notes him for later, should he not find a more suited candidate.

Moving onto 1-A, in terms of analytical abilities, Asui and Yaoyorozu immediately stand out. He can envision both of them as mafia members, but there are some concerns. Asui doesn't seem like the leader type, and Yaoyorozu doesn't seem like the confident type. He doesn't think either of them would be able to pull off the elaborate plans needed to play the long-game.

If Uraraka and Kirishima weren't so insistent on playing heroes, he would consider them. They're both all-rounders, sufficiently skilled in combat, quick thinking, and leadership. They're on his radar, but he thinks Honenuki suits the role more than them.

There aren't many other options. Iida is too much of a stickler for the rules to play a villain, Bakugou is too unhinged, Ojiro has potential, but once again, he thinks Honenuki would be a better fit. Shoji has potential, and Nezu considers him against Honenuki. Tokoyami, while used to the shadows, doesn't have the right personality, Jirou isn't who he's looking for, and Koda and Midoriya are too innocen—

Wait.

He saw the footage of the Sport's Festival. He saw security footage of the USJ. He saw the students during the Quirk Apprehension Test. And Nezu realizes he's been neglecting a student's potential.

It was Midoriya who took down a villain robot without a quirk, hanging on to a piece of metal. It was Midoriya who then used that metal to detonate mines to get ahead. Not only did he think about the long-game, but he proved he's not afraid to play dangerous to win, and he did it all without revealing his quirk.

It was Midoriya who employed Uraraka and Hatsume. It was Midoriya who added Tokoyami to balance their team. He showed a clear ability to form a well rounded lineup, as well as being open minded enough to branch to other departments.

It was Midoriya who figured out the League didn't know their quirks. It was Midoriya who came up with the plan to get Asui and Mineta out of the flood zone. It was Midoriya who moved to attack Shigaraki and Kurogiri. It was Midoriya who threw the ball while minimizing the damage done to himself. It was Midoriya who decimated the zero-pointer. It was Midoriya helped take down the Shie Hassaikai. It was Midoriya who predicted Toogata's attacks.

Midoriya is analytical and clever and strategic enough to outsmart the police. Midoriya is someone others can rely on and trust, a natural born leader, capable of rallying fifteen people behind him. And Nezu knows exactly what Midoriya can gain from the game.

Midoriya is moral and heroic, but the world isn't black and white, and the sooner he realizes that, the better. If Midoriya can find the drive and willingness to play the villain...

Well, Nezu is sorry for the police. They won't know what hit them until the Kingpin is unmasked.

[OCTOBER 31ST - DAY 0]

[8:30]

Izuku isn't late walking into homeroom, but he isn't early, either.

He arrives at the door with about five minutes to spare, skidding to a stop before he enters. The familiar hum of chatter fills his ears as soon as he walks in. Mina, Kirishima, Kaminari, and Sero are playing some sort of card game, while Kaachan watches and yells at them from the sidelines, an angry expression with no actual bite to it plastered on his face. The sight makes Midoriya smile as he takes in the rest of the room. His classmates are all talking, no one left out from a conversation. Since Kaachan's group of friends seem to be borrowing his desk, Izuku heads over to where his friends are conversing around Uraraka's desk.

Asui notices him first, greeting him and adding a 'kero' to the end. He can't hear what they're talking about, but they stop once they notice him. Izuku feels guilty for interrupting their conversation, but it's squashed down when Uraraka jumps up and embraces him.

"Good morning, Deku-kun!" Uraraka exclaims happily, and Izuku stutters over a reply. Gaze darting past Uraraka's shoulder, he notes Todoroki staring with a stoic gaze, Aoyama seeming to sparkle, and Iida has his hand raised in a chop.

"Good morning, Midoriya!" Iida stiffly greets. "You should try to be more punctual. Being on time is important for a hero!"

Izuku laughs as Uraraka detaches herself from him, the girl pouting about how she's late most of the time. Iida launches into a lecture, and Izuku strides past, giving a greeting to Todoroki and Aoyama.

"I heard there was a change in our schedule today, kero," Asui informs. "I hope it's not another field trip."

"May- maybe it's one of Aizawa-sensei's tests?" Izuku offers. "I- I mean, he did p-pull us aside on the first day..."

"Perhaps," Todoroki says cooly. "I wouldn't put it past him."

Aoyama jumps to his feet, appearing to glow as he exclaims, "No matter what it is, I'm sure I will shine!"

"What about the rest of us?" Asui asks flatly, and Aoyama stutters before dramatically claiming they will shimmer as bright and dazzling as diamonds.

Aizawa-sensei chooses that moment to step inside the classroom. Iida's quick shout alerts the class of his presence, and the student's scramble to their seats as Aizawa heads to the podium. At his desk, Ashido is hurriedly picking up cards when she drops them, scattering them over the floor.

"Ahh!" she wails. "Dammit!"

"I'll help," Izuku offers, and the two of them bend down to pick up the cards, Ashido giving Izuku an enthusiastic thanks.

By the time Izuku has placed the cards into Ashido's hands, everyone else has sat down. Noticing the many pairs of eyes on him, Izuku blushes and silently sits in his seat, head down so his hair curls over his face. He ignores the annoyed comment Kaachan makes under his breath.

Aizawa wait a couple seconds to speak, letting the class simmer in discomfort. After a moment and without changing his expression, Aizawa says, "I'm sure some of you have heard about a change to your schedule. Instead of going to first period, you'll be going to an assembly."

The class erupts into shouts, different voices merging together.

"An assembly?"

"What's it about?"

"I thought we were going to do something interesting!"

"Do we not get homework from first period because I didn't do yesterday's."

"We had homework?"

Iida's voice cuts above the rest. "Quiet down! I'm sure Aizawa-sensei will explain!"

Aizawa's hair rises, and the class's mouths snap shut with the erasure of their quirks. "Everything will be explained at the assembly. Basically, next month will be a sort of end-term exam."

"The whole month?" Kirishima asks, standing up from his seat.

Aizawa glares at him. "Yes, the whole month. And before you hate me for the assignment, just know I fought against it."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Mina exclaims.

The bell chooses that moment to ring, and Aizawa drops his quirk, hair falling around his shoulders. "It's time to go."

There's not much time for Izuku to think as he's swept up into the class's chatter. Iida and Yaoyorozu do their best to huddle the class into a line, organizing them by seat number, but with the class already splitting into their friend groups, they focus on just getting everyone to line up. Uraraka and Todoroki bound over to Izuku, the girl latching onto Izuku's arm and dragging him into line.

"What do you think the assembly will be about?" she asks, standing in front of Izuku and behind Iida, having to raise her voice and lean in close to be heard over the class rep's shouting.

"U-um—"

"Aizawa-sensei seemed to imply the next month will be an exam," Todoroki states, standing behind Izuku and at the end of the line. "He also seems to think we'll hate him for it."

Uraraka squeezes her cheeks and rocks back onto her heels. "I hope it's not too hard! The last exam was brutal!"

Izuku tries not to remember the sound of explosions and arguement with Kaachan, along with the desperation as he saw his friend in trouble, pinned by the hero he's always loved. "Y-yeah, hopefully this one isn't a-as bad."

"Can it get much worse than facing off against the teachers?" Uraraka asks, frightfully looking Izuku in the eye, as if she's begging him to say no.

"Don't jinx it," Todoroki replies flatly, and he grabs Izuku's shoulder, turning him in the opposite direction. The class has begun to leave without them. In sync, Uraraka and Izuku let out startled yelps, and they scramble to catch up to their classmates.

Had it not been for the class's excited prattle, Izuku would've no doubt launched into a mutter spree. Aizawa had given them about three sentences of explanation, but there's so much to anazlyze within them!

Apparently next month is going to be some sort of exam, similar to the one they had at the end of the first semester. However, the last exam was a complete surprise and only lasted a day. This exam will be a whole month? That seems like an awful lot of time for an exam. What could they possibly be testing?

Aizawa also insinuated the exam was so awful, the class would hate him afterwards, even going as far as mentioning he fought against the exam. While Aizawa's teaching methods can sometimes be extreme, Izuku knows he's ultimately an excellent teacher with excellent judgment. If even Aizawa thinks it's a bad idea, it most likely is.

"Deku-kun!" Uraraka shouts, shaking his shoulders. "Don't go into one of your mutter-storms!"

"S-sorry!" Izuku stutters, the apology practically instinct. Uraraka giggles and releases him, and Izuku peers over her shoulder. The class moves slowly in a line, already having arrived at the auditorium. He can see a couple faces from 1-B ahead of them, the other heroics class entering the room.

He's pulled from his observations by a cool hand on his shoulder. "I'm sure it will be fine," Todoroki assures, even though his tone is flat. "Whatever it is, we'll handle it. Plus ultra."

"Y-yeah!" Izuku says, making a fist. "Plus ultra!"

Aizawa stands by the doorway, guiding the class into the auditorium. The lights are dimmed, but not enough to be blinded. The stage is lit up, and there's a small podium with a microphone, but no one stands behind it. Todoroki keeps a hand on Izuku's shoulder, leading Izuku to a set of stairs. They pass two rows filled by class 1-B, and Izuku ignores the taunts Monoma throws their way, only ceasing when Kendou reprimands him. They're led up to where their class sits, and Uraraka, Izuku, and Todoroki take the last three seats on the top row.

Looking around, the auditorium isn't actually as full as it appears to be. The two heroics classes take up the middle seats, with Gen-Ed classes to their left, Buisness to their right, and Support below Gen-Ed. Izuku catches Shinsou's eye, and he waves. In return, Shinsou nods. He'll take it.

There are other seats above them, many of them empty. In fact, when Izuku glances around again, he makes note of how only the first years are in the auditorium, as if seeing the other courses wasn't enough of a surprise.

Along the wall, the teachers have chairs set up, spread far apart. Aizawa's chair isn't near them, but he's close enough to shout to.

The chatter dies down with the help of the class representatives and the arrival of someone on the stage. Unconsciously, Uraraka grabs Izuku's forearm, and that's when Izuku realizes they're looking down at the principal.

Principal Nezu walks to the podium, which explains the short size of it. He taps the microphone a couple times to get everyone's attention. Then, he spreads his arms wide.

"Welcome, first years, to the start of the Mafia Game!"

"The WHAT?" Uraraka whisper yells, eyes wide in shock. Mafia Game? What the heck was that supposed to mean?

Before the chatter can start up again, Nezu continues. "I'm sure you're all wondering what I mean. The full explanation will take a while, so please refrain from interrupting."

Nezu lets them quiet down for a second. "For the next month, you all are going to be playing what is known as the Mafia Game. Think of it as your final exam. You've probably never heard of this before. You couldn't have heard of it from older students because they didn't play it."

Nezu's gaze seems to linger on all of them. "We have revamped this game just for you to play. I hope you have fun with it!"

The way he says that makes a shiver go down Izuku's spine, and he has a feeling the game won't be fun at all.

"If you've ever played mafia, as in the actual game, you'll have a very vague understanding as to how this game works. In our version, one of you will be the mafia leader, known as the Kingpin. A select few of you will be police officers. The rest of you don't have an assigned role, but you still get to help.

Every other day, the Kingpin will recruit one more person into the mafia. By the end of the month, the Kingpin should have fifteen members in the mafia, sixteen including themself. The first four members, recruited within the first week, are known as the mafia's Inner Circle. The rest of the mafia are known as minion members.

The mafia's goal is to complete a set of objectives and evade the police. If you are the Kingpin, you will find all the information you will need in your rulebook.

As for the police, your objective is to find, take down, and unmask the mafia. The police also must guess the identities of the Inner Circle and the Kingpin.

The only police officers are in the heroics class, but remember, this is a year wide exercise. Anyone here can be recruited into the mafia, minus the appointed police."

Izuku's mind swims with the information. Nezu is throwing a lot at them very quickly.

Nezu smiles, as if he senses everyone's confusion. "Don't worry if you're confused. Everyone will be given a rulebook, and you can ask me questions at the end.

There are four total police officers. Before this meeting, Eraserhead and Vlad King selected their appointed police officer. The appointed police officers cannot be the Kingpin, nor can they be recruited into the mafia. They are the only people safe from the mafia.

Tomorrow, the appointed police officers will choose a selected police officer. The selected officer will be one other person from their class. Choose wisely. The selected officer cannot be recruited into the mafia, either."

Izuku raises an eyebrow at the wording. Nezu said the appointed officers can't be in the mafia or the Kingpin, but then he said the selected officers can't be in the mafia. But only the appointed officers are safe?

"The appointed and selected officers will work together to guess the identities of the Inner Circle and Kingpin. The police will also work to find and take down the mafia. Think of the police as your class representatives in this game. Their guesses will reflect who your class believes is the mafia, so pool your knowledge!

As for the rest of you, you will either end up in the mafia, or you'll be on the lookout for them. To make things easier for the mafia, if you are recruited, you are not allowed to refuse."

"WHAT?!" someone exclaims, and Izuku shares the sentiment. It's unfair to force them to play the villain!

Nezu holds up a hand. "If you are recruited, you may not tell people you are in the mafia. Howver, you can be as uncooperative as you'd like."

"Does that mean they can't tell anyone directly?" Todoroki whispers, eyes glued to the stage. "That means if they try to recruit you, drop as many hints as you can."

"There are a multitude of ways for the police to win. One, if all eleven minion members are taken down and unmasked. Two, if three out of the four Inner Circle are taken down and unmasked. Three, if the Kingpin is taken down and unmasked. And even if the police fails to do that, if they can successfully guess either all of the Inner Circle or the Kingpin, the police wins.

It's a lot harder for the mafia to win. To even be eligible to win, the mafia must complete five out of ten objectives, and have at least one minion member, two Inner Circle members, and the Kingpin still active. If even one of the Inner Circle members gets away unguessed, as well as the Kingpin, and all those requirements are met, the mafia wins."

Kendou stands and raises a hand. "Principal Nezu!"

"Hm?"

"Has the mafia ever won?"

Nezu doesn't hesitate to answer. "No, they have not."

The auditorium falls silent. What's the point of playing then? If the mafia is practically set up to fail, what makes their year any different?

"That is no reason to give up hope," Nezu says, answering the question on everyone's minds. "There is a first for everything. And the game has been modified, so this round is different from past versions."

Nezu claps his paws. "Any other rules will be covered in the rulebook. Remember, there's no neutral ground. You're either with the police or with the mafia. Does anyone have questions?"

A girl from buisness shoots out of her seat. "What's the teacher's role in all of this?"

"The teachers can't help the mafia, but they can't go after them either. They will also be guessing the Kingpin and the Kingpin only, but their votes won't affect the scores. Further information regarding the teachers can be found in the rulebook."

"Who is participating in this exam?"

"No students in the years above you are participating," Nezu replies.

"Are there any teachers the mafia can trust?"

"Recovery Girl and I are neutral parties."

"If the mafia is still at large at the end of the month, will we learn who the Kingpin is?"

"There will be another assembly like this one as soon as the game is over. Everyone in the mafia will reveal themselves then, going in reverse order. Be sure to note your seat. You'll be sitting in the same spot in the ending assembly."

"Who are the police officers?"

"Ah, I was waiting for someone to ask that. Selected officers will be chosen tomorrow during class by the appointed officers. As for the appointed officers, would Todoroki Shouto and Kendou Itsuka please stand up?"

Izuku glances at Todoroki as he rises out of his seat, face not betraying his thoughts. In the row below them, Kendou also stands.

Nezu spreads his arms wide. "Please welcome your appointed officers! Todoroki represents 1-A, and Kendou represents 1-B!"

Izuku can't help but smile at the news. He turns to Todoroki. "Congratulations, Todoroki! I'm sure you'll do great!"

"Thank you, Midoriya," Todoroki says curtly, nodding to the others in their class who call out to him.

"How come we don't get police?" a boy from Gen-Ed asks, and angered shouts rise from the other courses.

Nezu holds up a paw. "Once again, the mafia has never won before, and so changes were made to make it a bit easier for them. Also, don't forget that all of you can seek out the mafia, and the police simply submits their guesses on the final day. Since the hero students are the ones in need of deductive skills the most, they are the police."

The boy from Gen-Ed grumbles as he sits down. Izuku can sympathize; if he were in another department, he'd be jealous too. He cringes. All the more reason for everyone to hate them, right?

"I believe that's all," Nezu says. "You'll find rulebooks on your desks when you return to your classrooms. If you have any more questions, feel free to ask your teachers or me. You are dismissed. Good luck, go beyond, and plus ultra!"

"Plus ultra!" the students echo, with varying degrees of enthusiasm.

Todoroki was right; Uraraka should not have jinxed it. It can definitely get worse than fighting their teachers.

[OCTOBER 31ST - DAY 0]

[9:30]

Todoroki can say, with absolute certainty, he was not expecting to be chosen as police.

Looking around at his classmates, he can pick out multiple people who would be better suited towards the role. Yaoyorozu is extremely smart, Iida is a wonderful example of upholding the law, Uraraka is a double threat with both smarts and strength, Asui is extraordinarily observant and would be a great guesser, Midoriya is the epitome of everything a hero should be, hell, even Bakugou would be a better choice.

Okay, maybe not that last one.

He simply... doesn't understand it. Why would the teachers choose him? And he doesn't mean that in a self-depreciating way; he knows his strengths. Which is exactly why he's confused.

While his deductive skills aren't the worst, Todoroki is undeniably a powerhouse. He's better suited to physical fights, not unmasking a mafia. Todoroki is flashy and forcible, and this exercise is designed as more underground work, which Todoroki won't be doing much of when he becomes a pro-hero.

So his skillset must not be why he was chosen, but then what is?

This is an exam. It's a test. It's an exercise- oh. The teachers shouldn't be prioritizing who fits to the role; they should be focusing on who can gain the most from the experience.

But then... why him? Going back to his candidates, he can rule out a few of them. Asui wouldn't gain much because she already has deductive skills. Iida already has a multitude of leadership opportunities because he's class rep. Midoriya has already helped take down a sort-of-mafia, so he already has experience.

That leaves Uraraka and Yaoyorozu. They both fit character wise, and they could both gain a confidence boost. Uraraka could use the challenge of being a leader, and Yaoyorozu could use the confidence from winning.

Which brings him back to the question: why him?

What can he gain from this excercise? Maybe it's to improve his logical reasoning skills, but he feels there are people who need that more. Todoroki is already suited to be a leader based on power...

Oh. Was it to learn to cooperate with others? A big part of the game is working with his selected officer, as well as the police from 1-B, to take down the mafia. Todoroki is aware he doesn't have the greatest social skills, but that seems like a small reason to pick him above anyone else.

Though, he supposes being able to work with others is an important heroic skill. In that case, not only should he look for a capable selected officer, but he should also choose someone he can work well with. If he chooses someone he isn't very close to, they'll have a hard time working together.

Okay, he can work with that. In that case, he'll give it his all. Todoroki refuses to let the teachers and his class down.

Todoroki vows, right then and there, that he will find and he will catch the Kingpin.

[OCTOBER 31ST - DAY 0]

[16:10]

Class 1-A has been in a buzz ever since the assembly.

Izuku is surprised they managed to get through the day, much less get anything done. The rest of the day had been fairly simple, with no combat training or activities. He was half zoned out during class, thoughts swimming with different ways to help the police and determining who would be suitable to the mafia.

If they have to "take down and unmask" the Kingpin to win, they needed to work diligently during the first couple of days. The longer the game goes on, the more people the mafia recruits, and the more people they have to unmask. If they can weed out the Kingpin within the first or second day, they'll end the game before it can even begin.

Speaking of weeding out the Kingpin, what does "take down and unmask" even mean? It implies that the mafia members have to wear masks, but what does "take down" mean? What qualifies as "taking down?" Maybe Izuku can ask Todoroki; after all, Todoroki got a different rulebook to the rest of them.

Everyone in their class has a white rulebook except for Todoroki, who has a blue one. Izuku deduces Todoroki got a police specific book, and his probably details what "taking down" means. Either way, Izuku makes a note to himself to ask later.

The final bell rang a few minutes ago, and Izuku currently walks next to Uraraka, Iida, and Asui, heading back to Heights Alliance. Izuku is snapped out of his mutter-storm by Asui's voice.

"What do you think, Midoriya?"

"U-uh... can you repeat the question?" he asks, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck as his face burns red.

"I asked who do you think the Kingpin will be, kero."

"O-oh." Izuku taps his chin with his finger. "With Todoroki and Kendou as police, I think the Kingpin will be someone more analytical and smart to balance them out. The Kingpin has a lot more to juggle, so they can't be someone too straight-forward. They also have to be someone trustworthy so other people work with them, but they can't be so kind they won't be able to play the villain—"

"Okay, okay!" Uraraka waves her hands. "I think she meant specific people, Deku-kun."

He somehow blushes harder. "O-oh. Ri-right. Um... in that case... I'm not sure? I can't think of a lot of people who would be willing to play the villain..."

"That's what I was thinking as well!" Iida comments, adding a chopping motion while he speaks. "I don't see how having a hero student play the villain will be beneficial to their growth!"

"The Kingpin might not be a heroics student, kero," Asui says. "Principal Nezu said any of us first years could be in the mafia. That includes other courses."

"The game probably doesn't make the Kingpin do anything too villainous, either," Uraraka adds. "Like, at worst they have to steal or something."

"It's a shame we can't ask the older students," Asui remarks. "It would be helpful to know what they did."

Which is another thing bothering Izuku. Why didn't the older students play? Why was it only them? Nezu said the game was revamped for them, but why? And when was the last time the game was played?

If it hasn't been for a while, then... why was it taken off the curriculum?

"We've arrived!" Iida declares, and Izuku looks up to see the '1-A Alliance' sign. Iida strides ahead of them, holding open the door. "Ladies first!"

Uraraka giggles, latching onto Asui's arm and dragging her inside the building. Izuku follows suit and then Iida, with the class rep closing the door behind them.

A few of their classmates sit in the common room, working on homework or playing on their phones. Most of the students are in their rooms completing homework like usual.

Uraraka, Asui, and Iida head for the elevator. "I'm gonna take the stairs," Izuku says. He usually uses the stairs because he's only on the second floor, so going by elevator would be a waste. Plus, it's good exercise. "Bye!"

A chorus of goodbyes sound from his friends, and once the doors close, Izuku heads up to his room.

His head is surprisingly empty, too out of energy to go into overdrive. He could think more about the mafia game, or the homework, or anything, really, but there's an oddly calm buzz, like his mind is in the eye of the storm.

He's excited to work with the police. He's always loved to analyze quirks, and throughout the day, he had started a list of who's quirks would be beneficial to the mafia. Once he finishes his homework, he'll write out his list and give it to Todoroki. Izuku may not be a police officer, but he'll still help any way he can! After all, that's what a hero would do!

With newfound eagerness, Izuku bounces on his toes as he opens the door to his room.

And all his plans are promptly thrown out the window.

There's a sleek black book on his desk, and Izuku knows for a fact it wasn't there before. Confusion fills him first, and apprehensively, he crawls into his room, closing the door behind him.

Is this a prank? Did someone sneak into his room? Did the League of Villains put this here? Wait, that would mean the League is here! He should go alert someone!

Well, he should investigate first. Izuku walks over to his desk, ears out in case a villain jumps out of his closet. Carefully, he picks up the book.

Nothing happens.

Izuku raises an eyebrow, eyes darting around his room, looking for a hidden camera to indicate this is a prank. When he turns back to the book, he realizes it's backwards, so he flips it over.

Izuku almost drops it.

In red lettering, the cover reads 'Kingpin : The Mafia Game Rulebook.'

No. No, no, no. This can't be happening. He can't be a villain! He can't run a mafia! There's no way. There's... there's no way! Whatdid he do to deserve this? What did he do to make Nezu think he could be a villain?

Izuku has always loved heroes. Always. Since he was born. And now, said heroes are forcing him to become the very thing he hates.

When Izuku cracks open the cover, a slip of paper flutters to the ground. He picks it up and reads it.

'Dear Midoriya Izuku,

You have been chosen as the Mafia Game's Kingpin, aka the leader of the mafia! Please read through this guidebook and visit my office at 16:30. I'll answer any questions you have there.

P.S. If you absolutely do not want to be the Kingpin, you may return this book to me. I will not force you to be the villain if you don't think you can.

Good luck!

-Nezu'

Izuku breathes a sigh of relief. He can refuse. He doesn't have to be the Kingpin. He doesn't have to be the villain.

He should still flip through the rulebook, though. Even if he's going to return it, knowing what the Kingpin has to do will be a huge benefit to the police. Izuku makes his way to his desk chair, cracking open a notebook and beginning to read.

Much of it is what Nezu explained at the assembly, just with more detail. Izuku writes down phrases that stand out to him, loopholes the Kingpin will be able to exploit. If they can figure out the moves Kingpin might make, the police will no doubt be able to apprehend them.

Some of the wording throws Izuku off. He's on the second section, which is who can and can't be recruited, and he's already found a surprising number of loopholes. When he gets to how they can win, he finds it will be exceptionally difficult to apprehend the mafia towards the end, unless they catch the Kingpin. The 'three-out-of-four' Inner Circle rule would be practically impossible; if they aren't told who is in the Inner Circle, they would have about fifteen people to apprehend, and they'd have to hope three of them are Inner Circle members.

Izuku grew frustrated during the assembly because Nezu didn't quite explain what separates the Inner Circle from the minion members, other than the fact that the Inner Circle get guessed. The rulebook clears his confusion. The Inner Circle are the four members recruited during the first week, and they are supposed to be the members closest to the Kingpin. They are the people let in on plans, functioning as four right-hand-men. That's why they are also guessed; however, to make it easier on the mafia, the police have to guess all four Inner Circle members to win at the end.

That makes sense; it would be unfair to have the mafia get so far, only to set them up to fail. This further proves Izuku's hypothesis that they need to catch the Kingpin during the first couple days. It's highly unlikely they'll be able to accurately guess the four Inner Circle members and the Kingpin. Unless the Inner Circle explicitly says they're in the Inner Circle, they would have to pick four out of fifteen mafia members and pray they're all in the Inner Circle.

One big difference between the mafia and police is that the mafia has objectives, supposedly so the mafia has something to do to make it a mafia. He knows they can't be too mafia-like; this is a hero school, after all. There's ten total objectives, and the mafia needs to complete at least five of them to win. Izuku flips to the next page, and the ten objectives are listed out.

And holy shit.

Izuku isn't one to curse, but he thinks this warrants it.

Now he can see why the game was taken off the curriculum. This isn't borderline questionable. This isn't a bit out there. This is... this is downright villainous! How did the Hero Commission allow this? This is the kind of stuff that turns people into villains! How is Nezu allowing this? How is Nezu allowing him to do this? What made Nezu even think he could do this?

Morally, this is so, so wrong. Izuku can't imagine how the Kingpin will feel when they get this book. He can't imagine how the Kingpin will feel playing the game!

And yet...

Before he realizes what he's doing, his mind is flying a mile a minute, highlighting specific loopholes, creating plans, outlining exactly who and what are needed to complete certain objectives. Some of them are a lot easier than the others; some of them aren't nearly as villainous.

If... if he really wanted to... he could do this.

And... well... he doesn't want anyone else to play the villain. He doesn't want anyone else to have this on their conscience. Sure, it would be wrong to play this game, but wouldn't it be more wrong to pass the responsibility to someone else?

Izuku... logically, he could do it. In theory, he could pull this off. He could avoid the worst objectives and pick the lesser of ten evils. If Izuku does it, at least no one else has to.

No one else will have to lie to their friends. No one else will have to bend their morals. No one else will have to feel the exhilaration that comes with this kind of power.

And Izuku makes a decision.

He'll play Nezu's game. But he won't play against his friends. He won't pummel Todoroki into the ground, he won't snap Kendou in half, he won't hurt his classmates. He won't fight his friends.

If Izuku plays as Kingpin, he won't play against the police. Izuku will play against his morals.

Izuku will play as Kingpin so no one else has to.

And if he quietly admits that there's a part of him that maybe, just maybe, loves the challenge, and loves the chance to prove himself, and wants to play as Kingpin... no one will have to know.

[OCTOBER 31ST - DAY 0]

[16:30]

"Ah, Izuku, take a seat!"

In typical Nezu fashion, the door is opened before Izuku can step into the room. That means Nezu must have a camera system, possibly an alert system. He wouldn't be surprised if Nezu was able to program his computer to notify him when someone was outside his office. Does that mean he has motion sensors too?

"You appear to be lost in thought," Nezu says, retreating back to his desk. "Tea?"

"Sure," Izuku says, and Nezu turns around to prepare him a cup. Izuku slips a hand into his pocket and pulls out a pen as he takes a seat, laying the Kingpin rulebook, as well as his own notebook, on the table. Nezu hands him a teacup, and he accepts it and thanks him.

"Now," Nezu takes a sip from his own cup, "I'm sure you have a lot of questions, yes?"

"Why me?" Izuku blurts, and he has to actively restrain himself from rubbing the back of his neck. Nezu doesn't miss the twitch of his hands. "Not that I don't think I'm capable, I just want to know why."

Nezu takes a moment to both drink his tea and let them sit in silence. The principal sets his teacup on the table. "Why wouldn't I choose you? I believe out of all the heroics students, you have the most potential to win."

Izuku ponders on that. Nezu seems to love specific wording. He said out of all the heroics students, which means Izuku isn't necessarily the best candidate out of everyone. If he has to guess, he would say Buisness course students would be suited to the role of Kingpin as well, and choosing Izuku was both because the Buisness course already does similar exercises, and more chaos will be stirred up with the identity reveal.

"I see," Izuku mumbles, setting aside his own teacup in favor of his notebook and pen. "Do you mind if I ask some questions?"

"Of course not," Nezu replies, and Izuku launches in.

"Who can I recruit?"

"You cannot recruit any second or third years. However, any of the first years are fair game, no matter the course. You also can't recruit police officers."

"What exactly does 'take down and unmask' mean?"

"I assume you'll be wearing a mask to hide your identity. In that case, it means to either pin or render the member unconscious and take off their mask."

"Do I have to wear a mask?"

"It's not required, but the police would easily be able to identify you without one."

"How many people will I recruit per week?"

"It varies per week. You recruit someone new every other day, which means week one gets four people, week two gets four people, week three gets three people, and week four gets four people."

"Am I allowed to recruit multiple people per day?"

"No. It's one new member every other day."

"What if I fail to recruit someone?"

"You automatically lose."

"Does the game end on the 30th or the first day of December?"

"The final day is the 30th. The ending assembly is the first of December."

"What's the point of having the teachers guess our identities if their guesses don't affect the score?"

Nezu picks up his teacup and takes another sip. "It's more of a challenge for the teachers than anything else. Though, if you can manage to throw off the teachers, as well as the police, you'll certainly be rewarded."

"You said at the assembly that 'you're either on the side of the police or the mafia.' Should someone discover my identity, am I allowed to bribe them into not telling the police?"

Nezu smiles. "The rules don't say you can't."

"Are the teachers allowed to help me?"

"No, they cannot help mafia members. Well, they can't help you with anything related to the mafia. If you have a problem outside of that, then of course they can help you."

"Can the teachers help the police?"

"They can't help take you down. Allowing pro heroes to charge after you, along with hero students, would be unfair."

"You said you and Recovery Girl are 'neutral parties.' What does that mean?"

"Since I'm hosting the game, I can help both sides with the rules, but I cannot help either side in matters that directly interfere with the game. Recovery Girl is neutral because we can't strip either side of a healer."

"Is there a line I can't cross?"

"If things get too villainous, I'll stop the game."

"What's deemed 'too villainous?'"

"You'll know if it happens."

"How do you always open the door right before I walk in?"

"Cameras."

"Is objective ten hidden within Yuuei?"

"Perhaps."

"How can you drink so much tea?"

"Willpower."

"Is objective eight the reason the Hero Commission struck down the game?"

Nezu leans back, setting his teacup on his lap. "There were... a multitude of reasons for the game being removed. The Hero Commission believed it 'encouraged villainous behavior.'"

"I mean, that's kinda the whole point," Izuku points out, only half joking.

Nezu chuckles. "True. That's why objective eight has specific guidelines."

Izuku nods. "Then what weapons am I allowed to use?"

"The back of the rulebook states what's allowed and what's not. You aren't allowed to pull a knife on a student. Guns are allowed, so long as they are paint guns."

Izuku hums. "I'm not sure what else to ask."

"You can always come back later if you have any more questions," Nezu says. "I'll be speaking to Todoroki and Kendou after this, so come by again tomorrow."

"Are they going to see me leave?"

"No, they'll be arriving in about," Nezu checks the clock, "half an hour."

"I should get going then." Izuku stands, collecting the rulebook, notebook, and pen. He bows politely. "Thank you for the tea."

"You're welcome," Nezu says with a smile. "I'm looking forward to seeing your moves."

Izuku smiles, giving a final goodbye, and he turns to leave the office.

Nezu doesn't have to look forward to his performance. It's day zero, and Izuku has already executed his opening move.

*LMAO SO APPARENTLY I SPENT 16 HOURS PLANNING THIS STORY SO UHHHHH

*my screentime do be rising tho

*THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE ONE OF THE SHORTER CHAPTERS WTF HAPPENED LOL

*i feel like now is a bad time to make a game involving "police" but to be fair i started this long before anything happened. anyways blm and pls donate if you can!

*anyways thanks for reading