Chapter Text
At the End of Summer Vacation…
Nedzu waited patiently at the table of a small cafe, sitting and typing away at a laptop he’d brought with him. Beside him, one Togata Mirio sat, doing his summer homework. The restaurant was quiet, and they were the only people inside - the curtains were drawn and there wasn’t any way to see inside. Even the blinds on the door had been shut, and on the outside of the door, he’d seen a ‘closed’ sign. It was set up that way on purpose. Today, Nedzu had finally managed to get everything together to have a quiet, secret meeting.
“Principal Nedzu? Are you here?”
There was a small jingle above the door as somebody made their way inside despite the ‘closed’ sign on the door. Nedzu glanced up to see two of the first-year students entering, two of the ones he’d invited. Iida Tenya was the first to enter, followed shortly after by Yaoyorozu Momo.
“Ah, good to see you two! Please, come in, come in. Have a seat. Thank you for agreeing to meet with me on such short notice. I know this is a bit strange, meeting like this, but I assure you I have my reasons,” Nedzu reassured. Iida shook his head.
“It’s alright, Principal. When you said we’d be able to see Izuku, that was enough for me. I haven’t been able to see him since he was released; my brother advised me to stay away until things calm down. Honestly, I can’t blame him, either.”
Yaoyorozu nodded in agreement. “My father said much the same. It’ll be nice to finally see him. I’m a little surprised to see you here, though, Togata-senpai… I was even more surprised when the principal told us you know about our friend’s identity. I didn’t think you’d be the type to approve of his… er, lifestyle. He told us that Sir Nighteye had been investigating the Shie Hassaikai and everything.”
Togata set down the pencil he was using with a small frown. “I didn’t think I’d be okay with it either, honestly… It’s still strange to think about. But I trust Principal Nedzu’s judgement.”
The two sat down at the table, next to Togata. They talked among themselves while Nedzu returned to working on his laptop. He was combing further through all the evidence that the Shie Hassaikai had given him, sorting it by importance and usability in his plans to come. Because if Nedzu knew anything, it was that the battle was far from over.
Yes, All for One was dead. But there were still pieces of his operation missing. The source of the created Nomu, for one. The complex medical procedures required to create Nomu weren’t conducted by All for One alone; they couldn’t possibly have been. Then, there was the League of Villains. They’d captured the members that remained alive - Shigaraki, Dabi, Magne, and Mr. Compress had all been captured, and the remains of others aside from All for One had been confirmed at the scene, so it was likely any remaining members were dead. Kurogiri, however, was currently still at large.
And then there was the Hero Public Safety Commission. The blackmail Nedzu had on them would only keep them at bay for so long. It was a temporary measure - a stopgap at best, meant purely to keep the Shie Hassaikai members from being charged, and to continue to keep the law off of both his and the Shie Hassaikai’s back. The Commission was sure to try something else eventually, sure to make a move against either Nedzu or his allies, so he had to work quickly to rectify that.
There were several things, however - loose ends, really - that needed to be handled before he could sink his teeth into the real meat of the Commission and its corruption. If he tried removing the current President and dismantling her operations without knowing the full scope of them, people complicit in her actions might get away in the chaos, and he refused to let even a single person escape his sight in the days to come. Plus, he still had plenty of other normal school business to attend to. Otherwise, he would’ve already started his formal investigation…
“Hello…?”
Another voice joined them, and the group looked up to see Asui and Yoarashi poke their heads inside, worried about whether it was really alright to enter a place even though it said ‘closed.’ Once they saw Nedzu and the others, however, they both entered.
“My friends!” Yoarashi grinned and immediately took a seat without prompting. “I’m so glad to see you again! It’s been so crazy since everything happened at Kamino… have you been well?”
“As well as can be expected,” Momo nodded. “Although I was saddened after you told us about what happened with Bakugou… tell me, principal, are you finally able to do something about him? If the truth is out regardless… then maybe, at least he…”
“Oh, most certainly. Don’t you worry. I’ll be dealing with Bakugou-kun’s behavior quite harshly,” Nedzu replied seriously. “As soon as school resumes, I’ll be bringing him and his parents in for a lengthy discussion, but that’s all I’ll say on that matter. What happens afterwards should remain private - privacy laws and all, I’m sure you understand.”
“Bakugou? That first-year who Midoriya beat in the sports festival? What did he do?” Togata wondered, looking a little confused.
“It’s really something Izuku should tell you, but… he was one of Izuku’s main bullies before U.A,” Asui explained. “Bakugou caused him a lot of grief. And from the way it was explained to me, he was the one that got Izuku expelled from his middle school and forced him into joining the Shie Hassaikai. If it weren’t for him, Izuku wouldn’t have joined. At least, not until he was a proper adult, anyway.”
“You’re kidding…” Togata’s expression was dismayed, to say the least. “I guess that was why Midoriya seemed so angry when they were fighting…”
“Yeah. And it sure didn’t help when he went around blabbing about Izuku after they escaped Kamino,” Yoarashi muttered angrily. “He doesn’t know what he’s talking about. He doesn’t know how Midoriya really is. Makes me so mad…”
The bell above the restaurant jingled again.
“Sorry I’m late!”
This time, one Shinsou Hitoshi entered the restaurant next. To help ease the frustrated, somber tone the conversation had taken, Nedzu welcomed Shinsou in himself. “Welcome, Shinsou-kun! Not to worry - we haven’t gotten started yet. We’re still waiting on Midoriya-kun and his father to join us. You haven’t missed any of the important subjects yet; your friends were just catching up with one another in the meantime. Perhaps you’d like to join them?”
“For sure,” Shinsou nodded, taking one of the free seats. “… Kinda tense in here. Everything alright?”
“We just got onto the subject of Bakugou,” Iida sounded quite sour about it as he shook his head. “But never mind that. Picking up that paperwork of yours must’ve taken longer than intended. I thought since we left at the same time, you wouldn’t be that far behind me.”
At his statement, Nedzu seemed a little puzzled. Left at the same time…?
Shinsou caught his confused expression and looked sheepish in return. “Uh, Tenya offered to let me stay with his family. Things are… weird at home. But they’re helping me out. I’ve been staying with them for the last week or so while I’m figuring things out with my parents. I planned on changing my school paperwork and stuff to reflect that when we go back next week.”
“Ah, I see. No worries, then.” Nedzu said reassuringly. “So long as you’re alright. I’m sure a standout hero like Ingenium is doing a fine job of assisting you.”
“Feels weird, though,” Shinsou quickly changed subjects. “Being called to a meeting like this, I mean. You sure you meant to bring a bunch of first-years to this thing?”
Nedzu just chuckled. “Positive, Shinsou-kun. Now, for a lighter subject! Chisaki-san has arranged for us all to have some food while we’re here. He’s put in his and Midoriya-kun’s orders ahead of time, so while we’re waiting on them, why don’t we place our own orders? He’s paid for us to have the place to ourselves for this meeting, so we should graciously accept. He said to order what you’d like, pay no mind to cost.”
“Sounds great! I’m starving!” Yoarashi grinned and looked over the menus that had been laid out on the table ahead of time. “Ooh, they have hamburger steak here! I’m totally getting that.”
“Sometimes I forget just how rich those guys are until they do stuff like pay for a whole restaurant or whatever,” Shinsou muttered to himself, looking at the menu with a lost sort of expression. “Well, if they’re buying and they don’t care about price, I’m getting something nice. I don’t get to eat out very much, and no offense to Midoriya, but I’m sure they have better food here than the shelter does.”
The group of students all got to talking about what they were going to order, and Nedzu watched them quietly. Midoriya really did find himself a good group of friends. Nedzu would have preferred working with more experienced pro heroes for his upcoming plan, but students provided their own sort of advantages. Especially since they already knew Midoriya, and they would all have no problems working with him.
“You guys are all really okay sitting in on a meeting with a yakuza boss?” Togata asked suddenly, not having looked at the menu one bit. “Even if Midoriya’s here too, that ‘father’ of his…”
“If Principal Nedzu asked us to come, there must surely be a good reason,” Yaoyorozu said, sounding quite sure of herself. “I personally have no qualms with it. Besides, Izuku wouldn’t let anything happen to us, and all of us save Inasa have met Chisaki-san at one point or another. He was always fairly respectful to us, despite our being hero students. I don’t know why that would change now.”
“Yeah. The Shie Hassaikai’s pretty nice to their guests from what I’ve seen,” Shinsou shrugged. “Even when I stayed at the shelter, the people who ran it didn’t act like criminals or anything. I think he sets a good example for them or something.”
Togata looked surprised to hear such a thing, and he picked up his menu again to properly look it over this time. “Well… if you say so…”
Izuku finished carrying over several heavy buckets of paint and a half dozen rollers, setting them down by a wall that had just been rebuilt. The sun was high in the sky above the compound, beating down on everyone who was working on repairs. The whole compound was nearly back to normal at this point, and their neighbors’ homes and businesses had long since been finished. Those had been prioritized first.
Repairs were going smoothly thanks to everyone working together. The idea of leaving clones at the compound had saved the lives of nearly all of their members, and they were happy to express their relief by handling the reconstruction personally. Chisaki needed to readjust and recover after losing an arm, as Izuku learned, so they couldn’t just have him overhaul everything and put it back to normal like he normally would have. (Izuku nearly had a heart attack hearing about it, but he was glad to know his theory about using the clones for self-repair was at least viable. It felt good, knowing he'd been of some help to his oyaji in his time of need after all.)
“You should take a break, Midoriya,” Nemoto murmured, handing Izuku a cold water bottle. Izuku accepted it gratefully, taking several swallows immediately. “You’ve been working in the heat all day. You’ve done plenty already. Go get something to eat and rest a while.”
Izuku waved a hand nonchalantly. “I’m fine. I’m staying hydrated and keeping sunscreen on. Thanks for looking out for me, though.”
“Now, now, you know you should listen when somebody gives you good advice, Midoriya.”
Izuku turned to see none other than Chisaki walking over, in a suit and everything. He must’ve just gotten out of a meeting… or was he going into one? They were both so busy these days that Izuku honestly had no clue. “Er, if you want me to take a break, oyaji, I will. But I really do feel fine.”
“A break will be necessary, yes. I’ve set up a lunch meeting you need to be present for,” Chisaki gestured to the outside of the compound. “I’ve already put in an order for you. I hope you’re in the mood for katsudon. Clean up and meet me at the south exit. I’ll be waiting for you.”
A lunch meeting involving him? What did he need to be there for?
The only things Izuku had done since getting out of police custody were manage the Eyes, work on repairs, and make sure things were going smoothly at the shelter. It was all Chisaki had him doing, anyway. There were a few odds and ends Izuku took care of as well, but mostly, it was just basic work until the Shie Hassaikai recovered. But whatever the case, if his oyaji was asking for him, he would be there.
Izuku hurried back to the living quarters and cleaned up, got changed into his ‘Caretaker’ clothes (if it was a work meeting, he would present himself appropriately), and hurried back over to the south exit. It wasn’t really a normal exit - it was one of the hidden entrances to the compound, the one Izuku had brought his friends in through the day they came over. He didn’t know what this was about, but it seemed quite important, so he’d be sure to take it seriously.
Chisaki gestured for Izuku to follow, and he took him through the tunnel and out into the neighborhood at large. They knew the routes to take in order to get around hero patrols, even after they’d gotten heavier lately. They took a train ride out of Tokyo - Izuku knew his oyaji had likely chosen to have the meeting further out to avoid said heavier patrols. Even though they hadn’t done anything, they were being accosted quite frequently, and it was better to just get around having to deal with heroes altogether.
Finally, they came to their destination: a nice restaurant at a midway between Musutafu and Tokyo. It had been marked as closed, though Izuku knew it was owned by one of their allies, so it was no problem when Chisaki walked right in anyhow.
To Izuku’s surprise, however, he did not see anybody he expected in the dining area.
Rather than an important client or the other heads of their new subsidiary families like Izuku expected, it was his friends in there, chatting and drinking soft drinks and tea together. Tenya, Momo, Hitoshi, Inasa, Tsu, and even his senpai, Togata, all sat around a table, alongside Principal Nedzu.
“What the…” Izuku asked incredulously, rubbing his eyes as if to check that he wasn’t seeing things. “What are you guys doing here?!”
“Well, we have a lot to talk about, don’t we?” Togata gestured to the empty chairs next to them where he and Chisaki could sit. As they sat down, some of the restaurant staff brought out plates and bowls of food to everyone. When the food had all been laid out and the staff returned to the back to give them privacy, Togata continued. “I did say we’d be talking about those tattoos of yours some time. Principal Nedzu asked me to come to this meeting, and I thought it would be the perfect chance to do that.”
“Us as well!” Tenya explained. “Principal Nedzu asked us to attend. We weren’t sure why, but he said it was quite important. And when I heard we’d get to see you again since you would be joining us, I for one couldn’t help but want to come. It’s good to see you’re alright after everything that happened this summer.”
“Yeah, we all wanted to see you,” Hitoshi nodded. “I’m seriously glad you’re alright.”
Izuku stared at Togata in particular as he took his seat. “I’m really just surprised you’re even willing to be here right now, Togata-senpai… I thought for sure you’d want to arrest me too…”
“Yeah, well, I had a lot of thinking to do. Especially while things were getting settled after the fight at Kamino,” Togata murmured, looking thoughtful as he took a bite of food. He stared at Chisaki for a moment, then shook his head. “And plenty of time to think about it too, since the training camp got canceled and all.”
“I haven’t heard much about what’s been going on outside of the compound since I came home,” Izuku said as he took a sip from a cup of tea. “I know Tenya said we have something important to talk about, especially since everyone was brought here like this, but I’d like to catch up a little bit, if that’s okay.”
“I have no issues with it. We have time,” Nedzu sipped at his own cup of tea with a pleasant expression. “Besides, I like to enjoy my tea and food while it’s hot.”
“You haven’t heard much, Izuku? I thought knowing stuff was kind of your bread and butter,” Tsu wondered, taking a bite of her own meal.
“I haven’t been able to leave very often aside from going to the shelter,” Izuku explained, grabbing a pair of chopsticks that had been laid next to his bowl of katsudon. “Heroes who work in the area have mysteriously started increasing their patrol times around the compound. If it weren’t for Ingenium patrolling the area as well and making them focus on actual problems, none of us would get anything done with all the ‘inquiries’ we’d be subject to.”
“Ah, my apologies. That’s my fault,” Nedzu murmured, setting his cup down for a moment. “It’s likely a side effect of my pressuring the Hero Public Safety Commission. They know not to antagonize me right now, so they’re probably taking it out on you. They know even I couldn’t protect you from being arrested for blatant criminal activity, after all. They were only willing to drop the charges after the fight that occurred in Kamino because of a… special exception due to the nature of the villain.”
Ah. Because it was All for One, Izuku assumed. The other students likely didn’t know a villain of his magnitude existed, and it could stay that way. They didn’t need to know that a villain capable of seriously injuring and hospitalizing All Might had existed, nor that Chisaki had killed him. Judging by the look on Nedzu’s face, he didn’t want the others knowing, either.
“It’s not an issue. We pay the heroes no mind.” Chisaki waved his hand nonchalantly. “There’s nothing there for them to see in the first place, anyway. They could search our compound as many times as they’d like and there would be nothing of note.”
Togata let out a small, relieved sigh. “That’s good, right? Nothing to find means you’re not doing anything illegal.”
Chisaki stifled a laugh. “Something like that.”
“Anyway,” Izuku gave Chisaki a look that said not to antagonize him. The last thing they needed was to make an enemy out of somebody as strong as Togata, especially since he quite literally had the perfect counter to Chisaki’s quirk in the form of Permeation. “I noticed nothing’s been said about Eri. The way Eraserhead spoke in my interrogation, I thought for sure they’d try to get her taken by social services. I wouldn’t have let them, of course, but I’m surprised they didn’t try.”
“That was also my doing. I made sure to include her in my… negotiation with the Hero Commission president,” Nedzu explained. “Right now, when I say jump, she asks how high. That is, if she doesn’t want to lose her job and very likely be sent to prison. That is what we’re here to speak about as a matter of fact, but please, finish catching up first. This is a very good cup of tea.”
“Well… how have things been with your class since the summer camp got canceled?” Izuku asked his friends. They all looked suddenly, incredibly uncomfortable at the question, like they were afraid to answer. Hitoshi took the initiative, however, and broke the awkward silence first.
“Our class… they found out about you being yakuza,” Hitoshi muttered, running a nervous hand through his hair. “Bakugou told them. I went to talk to him about it because I thought he might do something like that, but I was a little late. The others already found out about him being rescued and they went to visit him. He told them about why you both were kidnapped and that you were with the yakuza while you were locked up. They’re… not your biggest fans any more.”
“Yes… most were of the mind that you were trying to trick them and use them this whole time,” Momo murmured, looking regretful. “We tried to explain that it wasn’t like that, but it just made them mad at us as well… A few did decide to talk to us later, though. They wanted to get the full picture, and thankfully, they seemed to grasp that things were more nuanced than Bakugou made it out to be.”
Izuku’s eyebrows rose in surprise. “Who, exactly?”
He wasn’t surprised Bakugou had used the opportunity to try and spread the word about his connection to the yakuza. He’d already attempted that once with Principal Nedzu - Izuku being arrested must’ve seemed like the perfect chance to try and get somebody to believe him again. He said as much before the summer camp, that he was determined to prove something was wrong with Izuku. This was him just making good on his word, Izuku supposed.
“Aoyama, Ashido, Kirishima and Shoji!” Inasa explained. “They took things rather well once we explained the full situation. Aoyama especially - he seemed to really understand you! Kirishima was really on the fence, but I think Ashido convinced him you didn't mean any harm. He didn't want to fight with his best friend, as he put it."
“One thing’s for certain, though. It’s unlikely you’ll be able to return to U.A,” Tenya explained, looking quite upset. “If for no other reason than there’s nearly an entire class of hero students who distrust you now. All of us here in this room know you haven’t done anything illegal, and I’m sure according to the school rules you could technically still go, but it would probably be hard for you to have anything resembling a normal education any more… I’m sorry we couldn’t make them understand.”
“It’s alright. I already heard as much from Eraserhead. He doesn’t want me back in the school while I’m a member of the Shie Hassaikai either. Thank you for trying, though. I’ll just withdraw from U.A and continue my schooling from home like I did in middle school. We can just visit each other outside of school like this if you still want to hang out. It’s not a big deal,” Izuku muttered. It did sting, since he ended up liking U.A more than he thought he would, but he wouldn't get broken up over it. "I just hope this doesn't gause too much trouble for you guys."
Nedzu nodded understandingly. “I do not blame you for wanting to continue your schooling elsewhere. I’ll be happy to supplement your new work to match your education level. I’ll email lesson plans and analysis coursework to whomever your teacher ends up being, and of course, you’re welcome to video call me if you need a one-on-one lesson. We can draw up the paperwork for all of that later, though. And rest assured - I will not tolerate your friends being harassed simply because of their association with you, as you once were years ago.”
“Thank you, Principal. That means a lot to me… and you?” Izuku looked to Togata. “What have you been doing since Kamino, senpai?”
“Like I said - a lot of thinking, mostly,” Togata set down his chopsticks, a conflicted look on his face. “I really respect Sir Nighteye a lot. He trained me with my quirk, taught me nearly everything I know about being a hero, the whole nine yards. But… he doesn’t see shades of gray very well. I probably wouldn’t either, but I had a couple of other teachers recently that’ve been changing my mind about these kinds of things. Sometimes, even if I don’t like it, there are things that just have to be done in order to get to a good outcome. I… I have to follow what my gut says about this stuff. This is me just following my gut. After hearing about everything, I just feel like Principal Nedzu has the right of things.”
Izuku studied Togata for a moment, genuinely surprised to hear that from him. “Well, thank you for being so understanding. I’m sure Principal Nedzu is very grateful to have somebody as sharp as you helping out.”
“Indeed I am! He is a wonderful boy, isn’t he? He’ll make a fantastic hero some day,” Nedzu said pleasantly, his tail swishing behind him as he finished off his cup of tea. “I’m proud to call him a student of U.A. It’s why I asked him to come to this meeting as well.”
“And you, Principal? How have things been on your end? Setting aside the Hero Commission for a moment - we’ll get to that. Things can’t be easy with your staff knowing about your deal with us,” Chisaki hummed thoughtfully. Izuku didn’t think about that - Eraserhead knew everything now, so it was probably making things really tense at work.
“I’ve asked Aizawa to keep things quiet. He’s the only staff member of mine who knows the truth of what happened. Same with 1-A; they’ve been asked not to bring up what they heard from Bakugou. All I had to do was claim it to be part of an ongoing investigation - it was easy enough to convince them to keep quiet. As for Aizawa, once I explained my objective, he reluctantly came to understand. He knows the Hero Commission is not something to take lightly. He’s simply asked that he be made aware next time I ‘do something as risky as enrolling the next in line to a yakuza family’ in pursuit of a target.”
Izuku’s friends promptly choked on their food.
“Y-You - I - you what?” Hitoshi spluttered. “You never said you were… what is he talking about?”
“Oh… right… I never told you guys. Yeah, um… before Kamino, when my oyaji thought there was a chance he might be killed, he asked me to take over the family if he died,” Izuku admitted sheepishly. “So I guess that makes me the next in line, technically.”
“I do still plan to pass the family to you someday,” Chisaki said, sipping his tea. “Much later in life, however. Assuming we don’t face odds like the ones we have recently.”
His friends stared at him like they didn’t know what to make of him all of a sudden. Togata, however, didn’t seem surprised. Had Principal Nedzu told him about that? How much did he know, exactly?
“I… feel a little faint…” Tenya muttered, shaking his head. “Knowing I’m friends with a future yakuza oyabun… I suppose it means the family is in good hands, at least…”
“Good hands, indeed,” Nedzu chuckled and clapped his paws together. “But it’s time we get into the reason I asked for this meeting: we must discus the Hero Public Safety Commission. First things first… let me bring the kids here up to speed. I’m going to need their help as well as yours if I’m going to fully handle things regarding the Commission, kumicho-san, so I’d like your permission to bring them in on the information we now have - the information you shared with me.”
“This is your battle, Principal. What you do with the information I provided you is your choice,” Chisaki said easily. “We’ll still be happy to lend a hand in return for all you’ve done for us, but I am not the one in charge of this particular operation.”
Nedzu nodded understandingly. So, he turned his laptop around to show off the evidence the Shie Hassaikai had gathered for him, and explained himself to Izuku’s friends.
He explained what exactly the Hero Public Safety Commission had done to him, what they were still doing to others even now, and his intention to fully investigate their current operations. He needed to understand the scope of their power and influence to fully take down all of the corrupt officials currently in office or otherwise involved with them. It would be a long, drawn-out process, but with time and effort, he fully believed that he would be able to achieve the goal he’d been working towards ever since he escaped the lab that had experimented on him all those years ago.
“But,” Nedzu finished up, “right now, it’s only blackmail that’s keeping the Hero Commission at bay. The truth of my involvement with the Shie Hassaikai has stayed within a very small circle, but it might not stay that way for long if President Kaneshiro decides to make a move against either one of us to destroy the evidence we have against her. I’m developing a plan to launch a full investigation and overhaul the Hero Public Safety Commission, but to do that, I’ll need more than just blackmail. I need to know if I can count on everyone at this table to help.”
“I’m willing,” Momo rose her hand, “but how exactly can students help in a situation like this?”
Nedzu calmly folded his paws atop the table. “I assure you, you will each have vital roles to play, should you choose to assist. Though while vital, they would not put you in danger - I would never, ever endanger children for personal vengeance, let alone students under my care. I cannot force you either way, of course, but having others who know of the Shie Hassaikai and are willing to work with me despite my connection to them is a gift unlike any other. It’s why I’m asking you instead of bringing in adults and other pros. That being said, the choice is yours. I would not blame you if you said you wanted no part of this fight.”
The first one to reply to the principal was Tenya. “I want to be a hero to do good, but I cannot do that working under the purview of a group like the Hero Public Safety Commission if even half of what you said is true. Hurting children and experimenting on quirked animals is beyond reprehensible… I’m also willing to help if I can, Principal Nedzu.”
The others agreed easily. Even Tsu, to Izuku’s surprise.
Tsu gave Izuku a mildly offended side-eye. “Don’t look so shocked, kero. Of course I’m going to help. This is a pretty clear-cut case of something bad happening. It’s a hero’s job to stop this sort of stuff. I don’t want to work for a corrupt organization, so if there’s really something I can do, I’ll do it.”
“The Shie Hassaikai of course will also lend its assistance,” Chisaki murmured, finishing off his own cup of tea. “We’re allies. You’re a friend of the family, Principal. Friends of the family may as well be family themselves, and we in the Shie Hassaikai never let family fight alone. Therefore, you’ll have our resources at your disposal for the war you plan on waging.”
A determined fire shone in Nedzu’s eyes.
“If that’s the case… then our enemy is in sight. Together, we’ll take down the corruption inside the Hero Public Safety Commission.”