Princess Yurei
"The fun thing about being a ghost? No one's surprised when I have skeletons in my closet." Reiko Yanagi and Class 1B. Just what is going on over there? F/F romance, neurodivergent MC.
8-8
Chapter 6
8-8
Chopsticks clack and clatter against dishes as the last of the food is being worked in. The five of us are just busy getting our day started, but Tanaka seems most intent on strumming up a conversation for some reason.
Don't know what she's on about, or why she's wearing so much makeup, or why she keeps asking Yukie things. All I know, is that it has nothing to do with me.
With the last bit of rice down the hatch, I levitate all the dirty dishes up and over into the kitchen, wash them and pretty much just go about my day like there's nothing at all wrong.
"You seem annoyed." I don't turn to Ai. I don't need to. She hugs me from behind, two arms holding me, the other two buttoning up my jacket. "Tell me?"
"Just my period," I say, shrugging.
"Backache?"
"I never get that. It's mostly bloating and a bit cranky. I have chocolate in my bag already, and I have pads packed."
"No. There's more to this." Sigh. "What's really going on?"
I turn into her embrace. "It's…"
"The anniversary?" I nod, but tears don't fall. I don't even remember when I stopped crying about this.
"Ten years." My words come out colder than intended.
"Does." She holds me tighter. "Does it get easier?"
"We get stronger. Does that count?"
"You're not," she sighs, but doesn't complain when I pull back, "leaving me are you?"
I smile, best I can. "Not if I can help it."
8-8
"Good morning, class." Mister Kan stands tall, his fists balled at his sides and his shoulders tucked back. "Today, you're going to decide on your class representative. I'm not going to get involved in deciding who. So how are you going to solve this?"
Sigh. Today of all days, insanity has to ensue. And those stupid reporters outside the gate weren't helping much.
"Ooh, what about you, Reiko?" I'm not in the mood for you, chatty.
"No."
"Well, do you have any suggestions?"
"No."
"What's with you?"
I fish out my yoghurt drink, twist off the cap and gulp it down. Right in the middle of class where Mister Kan can see.
"Well, I think—"
"No one asked you, blondie."
"How rude. I would have you know I'm—"
I turn, crossing my legs as I sip away. Blondie wisely doesn't continue—me glaring daggers at him might be linked somehow.
"I say we vote." Shoda seems to have found a spine since our battle. Good on him. "It makes sense if you think about it. So I say we each take a paper, and write the name of the person we think should be the rep. With the one rule, you can't vote for yourself."
"Wait, what! How come?!"
"He's right," Kendo silences whoever is being that damn loud. "If the only way you win is by voting for yourself, then you're no leader. You're just trying to hog the glory. So if you can't vote for yourself, you'll actually think about who would make a great leader. And that's what the position represents."
No, it represents being scouted by agencies, that means publicity, that means making a name before you even leave UA. And that's what everything thinks they want.
"So I say we vote. You have to write three names. President, Vice-president, and officer. That way we're guaranteed to get someone with a majority." Kendo even fishes out one of her notebooks and tears out some pages, ripping them into mostly even pieces and hands them out.
Oh lovely. That means I actually have to think about this.
Hmm. Kendo is the only leader in our class. She can control even that dumbass copy-blondie. So, she's the obvious president. Who would make a good support team for her?
Shiozaki certainly would. She's calm and collected and has the poise to keep our attention. And… Uh…
Maybe…
Either Pony or Kodai? The class wouldn't take the lead from Pony—too much a Japan VS America vibe. So Kodai.
I write my three choices down and go back to sipping my yoghurt. Well, that and fold the damn thing. The last thing I need is to let nosey miss chatty see what I think on the matter.
8-8
"Alright! Scores are tallied." That Tetsutetsu is the one reading this means there's no hope for humanity. "The one with the most votes is Yanagi."
"No."
"Well, it's what the polls say."
"No."
"Why not?"
"No. Next option." Kendo, looks back, narrowing her eyes at me.
"Girls. I tell ya, man. There's just no understanding 'em. Fine. Next highest is Kendo. And that makes her VP Monoma."
"Oh hell no!" Chatty isn't having that. I walk to the front of the class, tossing my empty yoghurt container into the trash. I lean into Mister Kan's personal space whispering that I need to change my pad. He nods.
"Language."
"There's no way the biggest creep in our class is getting that." I walk out of the class, heading for the bathroom.
By the time I get back, the room is filled with happy, smiling faces. "No," I say, refusing to even listen to what they have to say.
"Just hear me out, Reiko." I'm not in the mood for you either, Kendo.
"I. Said. No."
"It's either you take VP, or it goes to Monoma. Do you really want someone like him to have any kind of power?"
There's a knock at the door; it slides open, revealing Tanaka. "Please forgive the intrusion, Sekijiro. Someone forgot their bento at home." Tanaka offers me the damn thing I didn't even notice I forgot.
I take it, walking right back over to my seat and sitting down, leaving my lunch on the table. The door's already closed, but for some reason, Mister Kan's eyes are wide, even if he stares at nothing in particular. And why is his fist balled on his desk—that isn't how he usually sits.
"Then it's settled. By popular vote, I, Neito Monoma accept—"
"No," Mister Kan says, shutting copy-blond up and folding him into his seat with little more than a glance. "Yanagi is VP. Shishida, first officer. Monoma, second officer."
8-8
"You need to eat." I heard you the first time.
Ai gets up from beside me, and takes chatty's chair, sitting reverse cowgirl on it. She grabs my chopsticks and brings some chicken to my lips.
"I'm no—"
She just shoves the food between my lips. "I'm not going to listen. You need to eat, so stop being difficult about it."
Sigh.
"If you cooperate, I'll take you to see a movie on Friday."
Sigh. I open my already empty mouth, letting her feed me.
There's a knock at the door. Yukie and Mei enter, each bearing their lunches. They don't say a word, just coming in and sitting to either side of me.
I straighten my spine and grab my chopsticks, eating everything without a word of complaint. "So, Mei. How's—"
A bell rings. Why is there a bell ringing?
"Warning. Level three security breach." You've got to be fucking with me. "Warning. Please evacuate the building in an orderly fashion."
Yukie looks about ready to wet herself, but it's Ai that truly worries me. She's looks so calm, smiling like nothing in the world is wrong. Doesn't she know I can see through that?
I scarf down the last of my meal, grab my bag and turn on my phone. With the basics handled, I grab the three of them and go full-ghost, dragging them along with me down and out of the building, passing the utter fucking mob-chaos that is the future of Japan's hero society. Fucking lemmings.
Out in the front courtyard, I look around trying to see what's going on. I un-ghost us, tossing my bag to Ai, and taking her hand to keep her near me.
The front gate, it's…rust? Pebbles? It's rubble, that much is certain. I've never even seen the front gate, and now it's in shambles?
"Mei. Yukie. Stay close. I don't trust this." I walk around, my rage and anxiety both on a hair trigger—time will tell which triggers first.
And I find a fucking gaggle of reporters swamping Present Mic and some worn down guy I don't know. They keep asking about All Might, and they want to ask him 'just one question', and they won't leave until they see him.
"Reporters aren't this aggressive. Someone egged them on," Yukie says. "I don't trust this, Rei. It isn't safe here."
I nod, fishing out my yoghurt squeeze and popping the top. We head back around to the front, finding the sheeply masses have calmed down enough to actually make their way outside in an orderly fashion. Tanaka is out here with a loudspeaker, ordering everyone to split off into their classes, and for all class reps to do a roll call so we know if anyone's missing.
Tanaka's gaze falls onto the four of us. "Let's go, let's go! Everyone to your classes please. Third years to the border wall. Second years to the main building side. First years, in the middle."
Yeah, she doesn't trust this much either.
Whoop-Whoop!
Oh, look. The police. So everything's fine—it's not like they'll show up when there's an actual emergency.
8-8
"So." Mister Kan paces back and forth in class. Everyone's looking about, nervous but no longer scared. Idiots. If they saw what I saw, they'd…
Well, probably better if they don't know that.
"You've all had quite an afternoon. Does anyone want to talk about what we've just been through?" Counselling. It would seem he really is trained to deal with things like this.
"Mister Kan?" Kendo's hand goes up, so he nods to her. "I think it everyone's still a bit shocked. I know I am. To not only go through this in our first week, but to hear our upperclassmen freaking out? We all kind of panicked."
"In situations like these, Kendo, it is wise not to speak for others." Mister Kan's voice is far calmer, far more soothing than ever. "Instead, formulate it as how you feel and let them agree or disagree with you. So, you felt scared?"
"I did. I panicked. If not for that guy with leg-boosters, I might well have been crushed in the ensuing panic. I was…It showed me that I have a long way to go in my training."
Nods abound.
"What about you, Yanagi? How did you feel when you heard the alarm?"
Sigh. What do I even say to that? That I didn't panic? They'd feel guilty and it won't be long before they're pestering me to be class rep again. "I was already having a crappy day. The alarm didn't help."
"Do you want to talk about it? I know we haven't known each other long, but this is the hero course. It's only a matter of time before you have to trust each other with your very lives."
"No." I fish out a yoghurt squeeze and pop the cap, sucking down the goo.
A knock at the door. Tanaka comes in with Ai, Mei, and Yukie right behind her. "Forgive the intrusion, Sekijiro. I need to get my girls home."
"We're right in the middle of decompressing. But you're more than welcome to join us." Mister Kan thinks he's helping. Any other time it would be really sweet of him. Right now, it just feels like yet another expectation, another burdon upon already weighed down shoulders.
"While I understand your position, Mister Kan, I'm afraid we will have to pass. I'll be sure to talk to them when we get home. Please allow me to handle this."
"Your position is important. Her need to confront this, more so. If she wants to walk the hero's path, she will need to learn right alongside her classmates. Again, you are welcome to join us."
Ai doesn't even hesitate, walking right in, right towards me. She scoops me up and takes my seat, carefully arranging my in her lap. Tiny compared to me, but still the strong one in the relationship.
"There, see. More than welcome. Please come in, and shut the door. And remember, what you hear here, stays here. Betray this trust, and it will not be offered again."
"You okay?" Ai murmurs into my ear, her arms wrapped around me so tight I can almost feel like I'm not falling apart.
The door clicks shut, Mei and Yukie standing in front with Tanaka.
"I don't want to talk about it," I say, my hands trailing over Ai's. I can't even begin to say how grateful I am to have her here just now. "Whether I trust you is irrelevant. That's not how I work."
"That's fair, Yanagi. What about you, Tsunotori? How are you holding up with all this?"
"I was freaking out! Sorry, I can't even form a Japanese word right now, I just…" Pony shakes her head, taking a deep, deeeeeeeeep breath. "It's not what you see on tv." She looks about ready to short-circuit. Not that anyone would blame her just now.
"Yeah. The most common complaint I hear, is how the movies were totally different," Mr Kan says, sounding more annoyed than anything. "This, what you went through today. This is what heroes deal with daily. But what about you, Miss…?"
"Who, me? Mei Hatsume, from One-G. That's the support course, if you please. And I didn't have much of anything to worry about. We were with Rei-rei. She was cool as a cucumber. Always is."
Thanks, Mei. I needed that.
"I'd believe it," Kendo says, sounding annoyed for some reason.
"And, Miss…?"
"Yukie Okimasa, from One-I. And same. Reiko's always been like that, and I've known her longest."
"I see. And Miss Ai from One-D?"
"Someone once told me," Ai says, squeezing me a little. "That it's when you're the most afraid, you should smile your brightest. So, I smiled as best I could."
"But were you afraid?"
"Terrified." I run my fingers through her hair, massaging her scalp to calm her down. "But I'm in good hands."
"That's it exactly," Mr Kan says, looking around. "When days like this happen, people often look back on it as the worst day of their lives. Some are even unlucky enough to have a lot of worst days like this. It's important, as heroes, to remember that when you approach a bystander to a crime, when you approach a survivor from a large-scale disaster. Just like today, they are having a horrid day. So even if you're scared. Even if you're ready to crap your pants."
A few chuckles abound.
"Even if you feel like you can no longer move. These are the moments we, the heroes, need to smile our brightest. Because if a hero is smiling, then there's nothing anyone needs to worry about. Right?"
"As long as you're actually doing something, and not just smiling like copy-blond," I say. "Or say something stupid like, hey cute girl!"
"Hey!" Everyone gets good laugh at his expense. "Aw, come on! I'm not that bad!"
"He totally is."
8-8
Everyone is allowed to leave for the day. Everyone but me. Mr Kan decided he needs to set the record straight, for some reason. As if I haven't already had a fucked up enough day without the stupid reporters making things worse.
"I'm not going to tell you to open up," Mr Kan says, plopping onto the front of his desk. "I'm not going to tell you all the things you've no doubt heard over the years. And no, pity isn't what I feel towards you."
"That's new."
"We're always full of surprises, us orphans." I jerk back, as if struck. "Yeah. I was there. All-boys orphanage—or whatever they call 'em these days."
I snort. Well, it's not like I could expect him to go to an all-girls home.
"You had the big sister thing, didn't you. That's why you won't open up to them. Your upbringing taught you to protect them, even from your bad mood."
"Unn." I nod, looking down at my desk. My arms lay tense on the desk, my palms flat on the surface.
"It's also why you took Nirengeki Shoda under your wing yesterday."
"Unn."
"Thought so." He stands, walking to the door. "Do yourself a favour, Yanagi. Find someone in your life you can decompress with, like I was trying to teach the others. If you feel Yonju isn't that one, I'll be a willing ear. But don't keep this in. It's how great heroes turn into even greater villains, and that's not what my parents wanted from me."
I run my finger in meaningless circles over my desk. "Unn."
"And, for the record. I'm going to work you hardest of all. Can't have the others think I'm going easy on you. Nothing personal."
I snort, laughter catching me by surprise.
But the scene earlier comes back to haunt me. "There were villains." He freezes. "Those reporters. They couldn't get in on their own. The gates were little better than rusted pebbles. They simply wouldn't have the power to do that. The only explanation is that there were villains. Given this hasn't happened in at least three years? Unless it's purely coincidental, I'm betting on this having something to do with a change in the status quo."
"Every teacher in this school is a pro hero, Yanagi. As long as any of us stands, we won't let anything happen to our students. You can bank on that."
He opens the door, catching Ai by surprise, who falls through the opening and onto all sixes. She laughs, nervous and clearly worried she's in trouble.
Mr Kan shakes his head, smiling dispite himself. "Go on. Your princess awaits."
8-8
The sitting room. There are a dozen people about, I recognize none of them. Some with cable-like hair. Some with thick coats of fur. Some with four or six arms. Some with cannons in their fingertips.
All bow to me, prostrating themselves and calling me 'your majesty' and 'boss' and 'princess'. "That's right, maggots! Do as your princess decrees! You, cook me up a meal! You, rub my feet! And you three, strip!"
Like the good little slaves they are, they obey. Three of the hottest women I've ever seen, faces oval with pouty lips sporting sultry smiles, start unbuttoning their UA uniforms. By the time their jackets hit the floor, another starts rubbing oil into my aching feet.
Skirts hit the floor, bras soon follow. My good little slaves stand there with nothing but silk panties and thigh-high socks.
"Don't stop now." As one, the three girls grab the hips of their panties and—
I jerk up, sweat pouring down my face, breath ragged. Gone is the scene, replaced by my room filled with darkness.
Was it a dream?
"Rei? What happened are you alight?"
"Unn." Arms wrap around me, a single digit nudges my chin to look at her. Hazel eyes, smiling just for me, even as they're weighed with worry.
"Talk to me?"
"It's…" I look away from her, hugging myself and tugging her arms tighter around me. "I enthralled a bunch of girls. In my dream." Better add that bit before she gets the wrong impression. "Treated them live slaves. Cooking and cleaning and…" I blush.
She laughs, tugging me back to lie with her. "Only you would think dreaming about sex slaves is a nightmare."
"Of course it's a nightmare." I huff, my cheeks flushed. My ear lies against her abdomen. Music, her music, floods into me—the soft warbling of her stomach, the steady beating of her heart. Her oversized t-shirt smells of mountain flowers. But it's her warmth.
"Come on, Rei. Is that even something you can do?"
Sigh.
She tenses.
My hands clutch her shirt, begging her not to push me away.
"Shit."
Tears sting my eyes.
"I'm sorry, I didn't know."
"You couldn't. I never told anyone."
"Since…since when?"
"I…" I clear my throat, hoping to chase away the frog. "We used to have a mouse problem. Matron told me to check the walls to find the nest and I…I possessed one of them by accident."
Hands massage my back, fingers comb through my hair. The tension eases, but not enterly.
"After a while, I could sense their thoughts. From there, altering wasn't hard."
"You think that would work on people?"
"I. Don't know."
"Too villainy for your tastes?" I nod, agreeing fully. "Well, what about mice? Maybe pigeons or something?"
"Slippery slope. If I can stomach that, then…?"
Dry kisses press to my head and my brow. Her heart rate relaxes to show she's at perfect peace. "It's late. And we have school in the morning."
I nod, but don't move. "Can…we sleep like this?"
Her thighs hug me, four hands lay atop me wherever they please.
"I like you," I murmur so soft she probably can't hear me. Soft snores announce she didn't. For the best, I guess.
8-8
"Come on, sit." Tanaka motions towards the table, already set and full of all things breakfasty. She never cooks, or cleans, or does much of anything.
I sit, making sure to scoot my chair over just enough that I can feel Ai's warmth. A hand snakes over my lower back and hugs my hip, another over my shoulder blades and lands on my shoulder. I blush, but don't dare give her the impression I want her to stop. I need her touch.
"How are you girls feeling?" Tanaka asks, looking to Mei and Yukie.
My chopsticks stack a little of everything in my plate. Sure, it's more efficient to simply levitate the food itself, but this way I practice manipulating things I can control—who knows if there are anti-telekinesis things out there, but better safe than dead.
"Horny," Mei says. My chopsticks clatter onto my plate. "But I also feel like I need to take a dump. And how do you girls feel about farting at the breakfast table?"
Sigh. She's never gonna change.
"What? Don't ask me things if you can't handle a real answer." I snort, agreeing with her.
"I mean, how are you coping after yesterday? Did the talk in One-B help?"
"I think it did," Yukie says, glaring at Mei. Obviously she hopes to 'culture' a tech that could care less about those things—if she really tried. "But it also taught me how much heroes really go through for everyone's sake. It. Taught me a lot."
"I'll say. Rei-rei's amazing to be able to cope with all that crap. But it makes me want to give inventing my all, too. I mean, with so many super awesome heroes out there, my babies need to work even harder to help them out!"
I look to Ai, finding a warm little smile that sets me at ease. Not that fake one to mask how she really feels. No, this one has my heart aflutter, setting my cheeks aflame. I set about fixing her plate, scooping up a little of everything for her—the distraction helps, but not so much that the blush eases.
"And the honeymooners?" Tanaka asks, narrowing her eyes at us. "Let me guess. Steamy night?"
"The steamiest." Ai grins, the twinkle in her eyes stealing the air from my lungs. Did…did she hear me?
She heard me, she had to have. There's no other explanation.
"Could you at least try to not rub in my face how happy you are?" Yukie glares at Ai, jealousy breaching the surface at last. "Some of us don't move on quickly."
"Don't worry." Ai gives me a gentle squeeze, thanking me for filling up her plate. "Rei won't abandon you if you need her."
Breath hitches, heart races, the butterflies go absolutely nuts. Her confidence sends a shiver of pleasure through me. I look down at my plate, wondering at the heaping helping of salad—I didn't put that there.
"I get it." Yukie tears up, her face scrunched up in pain as she stares off to one side. "I screwed up. I hurt her. Stop being nice about it."
Ai's finger captures my chin, gently inviting me to look at her. Her little smile, my heart races just seeing it. "Your food'll get cold."
"Unn."
8-8
I dry my hands and fish out an apple squeezes from my jacket pocket.
"Huh? I thought you were addicted to yoghurt." Kodai points at the new little pouch. "Isn't that chunky apple and honey?"
My cheeks redden. "Uh, well. It's just, I've been drinking so much yoghurt lately and…"
"Yonju figured a change was in order." My whole face is aflame. I pop off the cap, needing the distraction just now. "I don't blame her. Too much of anything is bad." Why'd we even come into the bathroom together?
"Jeez." Tokage pouts, for some reason. "I'm not even interested in her and she's ruining guys for me. Do you know how hard it's gonna be to not compare any guy I'm interested in to her?"
"Agreed. Yonju sets a high bar." Shiozaki joins the 'pick on Reiko' club. "But then, it makes sense. Even though Yanagi is into girls, I've never seen her eyes wander even once." She nudges me out of the way showing me her back as she washes her hands.
"True," Kodai says, fixing her skirt. "What about you, Itsuka? We all know you're into girls, so there's no shame in it."
Kendo buries her face in her hands. "How'd you…? I'm sorry, I…It's just…"
"Come on, class rep. Get a hold of yourself," Shiozaki says, laying a hand on Kendo's arm in support. After drying, luckily. "Yes, you were subtle in checking me out. But knowing you find me attractive is the highest compliment."
Kendo looks up to the ceiling as she groans. "Sorry, I. My former classmates weren't…accepting."
"If it helps." Shiozaki cups Kendo's cheek and smiles her brightest. "I'm bisexual, though I prefer my partners docile. Sorry."
"It's alright." Kendo smirks. "I have the same thing." Curious. Both dominant, both prefer submissive partners. I can imagine they'll be chick-watching together from now on.
I shake my head, smiling at how at ease I feel with them.
"I have a friend," I say, running my hands over the pleat of my skirt. "She's recently single, but she's definitely the submissive type." The squeeze is empty, so I pop back on the cap and toss it in the trash.
"The…ice girl?" Shiozaki must be guessing; she gave off no hints whatsoever. Not that I noticed, at least. Or it could be how Mei is obviously not the submissive type.
"Her name's Yukie. And yes, she has a mutant quirk, so it doesn't turn off. Ever."
8-8
"So, you see. If you think of any action in steps like this, you can turn even the most complex systems into a flowchart. Let's say it's for cooking rice. First you have to check if there's enough rice." A long rectangle appears on the screen, with an almost envelope style triangle under it with the kanji for 'yes' and 'no' to either side.
"If you have enough rice, your flow then follows the 'yes' path. If not, you follow the 'no' path."
I scribble it all down in my notebook, quite enjoying informatics. There's a knock at the door. Tanaka enters, her gaze flicking to me—she's been doing that a lot lately. She hands the teacher a note, and walks right out. It's almost as if she wanted to make sure I'm really here?
I mean, Tanaka works General Studies, doesn't she?
"Class. I have to handle a thing," Snipe says, his tone severe. Far too serious for this to be anything good. "You'll have free study this period. Go over the syllabus carefully, and write down any and all questions you have. We'll cover them during our next class." He rushes out, a little too fast. This reeks of emergency.
I fish out my phone, turning it on and sending Ai, Mei, and Yukie a message, asking them if everything's alright.
No response. Good.
I slip my phone into my jacket, turning the page of my syllabus and—
My phone vibrates, three times. Three messages. I fish it out.
Ai: "Miss Tanaka just came in with a message for Midnight. She seemed too eager to check if I was alright."
Mei: "I'm just heading to the lab. TO the lab. As in I didn't blow anything up."
Yukie: "Your teacher left, too? What's going on?"
Wait a minute. Mei knows the rules. Only put your phone on during class in an emergency. And she made sure to tell me where she is—protocol followed to the T.
My hair flares up, but only my eyes turn to mist. I look over my shoulder. Ai is dead ahead, her lips pursed as she reads her assignment. She jerks up, our eyes meet.
Yukie is right behind her, if considerably further away. She's talking to someone, something about meeting up after school. Her relaxed posture evaporates as she looks at me.
Over to one side and a few floors down, Mei walks—she's every bit as bubbly. I can't read her lips, not at this distance. She tenses and looks over her shoulder, up at me.
"What are you doing?" Copy-blond asks. My hair flops down and I right myself, going back to my syllabus.
"Nothing."
"You can check on them?" I narrow my eyes. "Your friends. You can check on them?"
Sigh. It's weird being around so many observant people. My phone vibrates.
Mei: "Something up?"
Ai: "You okay?"
Yukie: "What happened?"
"And apparently they can tell when you do." Copy-blond sounds amused. "Still, that's pretty cool."
Me: "Message me the second something happens and I'll come running."
"So what else can you do?"
"I can read. I'm potty trained."
"Aw, come on. That's just being mean."
I turn and glare at copy-blond, crossing my legs to get comfortable. My hair flares up, my visible eye shining with a dark joy. "There isn't a soul in this room that would blame me."
He buries his nose in his book, suddenly finding his informatics coursework so interesting.
8-8
"Alright, class, gather round!" Mr Kan doesn't give heroics. At least, not usually and certainly not to us. "Today's class is going to be different. Our current focus is rescue training."
I fish out an apple squeeze, popping the cap.
"So here's how we're going to do this. You will team up, just like battle training. Only this time, you will each have a chance to be both victim and rescuer. But before we get to that, I'd like to remind you of your battle training. Remember that if you are not careful, you could end up killing someone—directly or indirectly."
Pretty much, yeah.
"You've been through this before. So let's get you teamed up."
I end up with bandana-boy. "Keh. Lucked out at last," he says, sounding relieved. "Sup, Yanagi. Name's Yosetsu Awase. Quirk's weld. Basically I can molecularly fuse any two things I touch."
"Or un-fuse?"
"Keh. You catch on quick. It takes more out of me to rip it apart, but yeah. I can do that."
"Then you leave the ripping to me. I'll leave the building to you."
"You got it, boss!"
"One-B! Round one starts in less than five minutes. Kendo and Kodai, you'll stay here." He hands us the usual comms pieces. "I'll let you know when your timer starts. And you will rescue them without fail, do I make myself clear?"
"Yes, Mr Kan!"
"Yanagi and Awase, you'll be our first victims. Go get yourself into some kind of trouble. And give 'em a run for their money."
Awase and I share a look, grinning.
8-8
The pair walk down the main street, right into out setup. "Show time," I murmur as my hair flares up. With little more than a touch, I possess the crude mannequin he made—should be enough for the situation, and really it's amazing for having barely a minute to get done. That it's wearing my kimono should be enough at this distance to throw them off. The mannequin jerks to life, walking under its own power with my gate and posture, over to the edge of the building.
"Oh, no! I'm falling!" I throw my voice onto the mannequin and have it jump off the side of the building. The howling of wind fills my world, along with a sinking feeling in my gut. I have the mannequin shift itself so the blood stops rushing to my head—I don't need a headache.
"WHAT THE HELL!"
From our perch, Awase and I study the pair scrambling to 'rescue me'. On the way down, I even have it screaming in terror, its arms and legs flailing like it's trying to grab something to save its own life.
Kodai supersizes, holding Kendo in her palm and diving forward. Kendo's hands supersizes, catching the mannequin. The jolt of deceleration rips through me, but is quite cushioned.
"Aw, man. It's more fun when they mess up," I say.
"I dunno. Looked like she was gonna pee herself." Awase certainly is enjoying his heroics class. Can't say the same for those two down there.
"YANAGI! WHAT THE HELL! ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!" Kendo's voice travels well, even up the five floors of building between us.
"What do you think, Yanagi? Would that have saved you?" Mr Kan asks, all business.
I press my hand to my ear—not sure if that's needed, but that's what they do on tv. "Affirmative. The padding on her hands cushioned the fall, even from this height. She could have lowered her hands with the capture to increase the time for deceleration, but I'm fairly certain that's overkill."
"Understood. Kendo and Kodai pass. Please return to the observation room. And Yanagi, can I bother you and Awase to be our victims again?"
We share a look, he grins with a thumbs up.
I fish out an apple squeeze from my utility belt—and Mei said wearing two suits at once was overkill. "Affirmative. Warn the sprats that we're not using the same tactic twice, so they better be ready for anything."
"YOU'RE ENCOURAGING HER! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU! I NEARLY WET MYSELF, MR KAN!"
"It's rescue training. You need to be prepared for anything. Yanagi and Awase are prepared to get you there efficiently."
Awase holds out his fist grinning like a madman, and we fist-bump. "You should probably get your suit back."
My hair flops down as I look up at the clouds floating along. "Probably." I kinda like how the chill feels against my cat suit, though. The cover pops off of my apple squeeze and I suck down the sweet treat.
8-8
"Yanagi, seriously!" Kuroiro is so fricking loud. For a walking shadow, you'd think he'd be the quiet one. The other students glare at us as we make our way back to our classroom, but I ignore them. "You should have seen Neito's face! He seriously thought you drowned!"
I smirk, patting poor blondie's shoulder as consolation.
"I thought the others were overreacting," copy-blondie admits, shaking his head. "But there's no denying it, Yanagi. Your performance was flawless. When I didn't copy your quirk, I thought you were a goner for sure."
"Awase deserves most of the credit." I give my partner in crime a thumbs up. Awase beams, rubbing the back of his head. "Those mannequins only got better with each round. I was tempted to keep a few of them."
"Hey, don't sweat it. Give me a week and I'll have something that'll blow your socks off."
"Unn."
"Great. That means the next rescue class is gonna be even worse." Kuroiro isn't looking forward to that. At all. "I'd better check if my insurance is up to date."
"Well. Think of it this way," Kendo says, tapping her chin. "At least we know that when a real situation comes up, we really will be prepared for anything."
"And next time, there's gonna be some CPR training added to the mix." Awase grins, almost glowing with pride. If anyone can pull it off, it's him.
We file into class, putting our hero uniforms back into storage and taking our seats.
"Well, class." Mr Kan stands tall, his shoulders tucked back. "I'd like to offer my compliments. That was the most incredible first rescue class I've ever given. So, before we decompress for the day, I would like to offer a round of applause for our expert victims. Awase, Yanagi. Excellent work."
There's a polite round of applause, but I don't pay it much mind.
"Right. Having said that. We'll discuss the situation that called all teachers away earlier. You'll no doubt hear about it in the news, so it's best if you hear it from me."
His gaze turns solemn, his voice weighed down. "Everyone is gonna be alright, but there's been another attack." My hair flairs up and I turn around, checking Ai, Mei and Yukie—they're each in class, each looking like they want to cry. "It wasn't here on campus, but it was a UA facility. The perpetrators call themselves the 'league of villains'. We don't know much about them yet, but I'm sure the media will grasp at any tale they can string together. So here's the facts, so you can make an informed decision what you want to do."
I blink and narrow my eyes.
"Three teachers, three pro heroes, were injured in the attack. As was one student." There's a gasp, shocked that even the students were at risk in this. "Izuku Midoriya of…One-A."
"Mr Kan, seriously! What the hell, where was All Might with all this going on?!"
"All Might was one of the injured teachers."
My eyes widen, big as dinner plates. My chin falls.
"All. All Might. All Might was injured?"
"Yes. That's why the school will close tomorrow, so we can overhaul our entire security system to ensure this doesn't happen again. Because…while the majority were caught, the two biggest threats got away."
I shake my head, unable to believe what I'm hearing.
"There were more than seventy arrests made. But it's the two that got away that worry us. One that looks like black mist, another that wears dismembered hands clutching his limbs. One has a disintegration quirk, capable of turning anything he touches to rust." Mr Kan's eyes flick to me.
The same villain that let the reporters in the other day.
"The reason I am telling you is twofold. One, because you should choose this life with eyes wide open. Villains are part of a hero's life, whether working or not. In fact, this country is rife with orphans. Survivors of the acts of domestic terrorism perpetrated by villains. And if there's anything villains hate, if there's anyone villains target, it's heroes."
I fish out my last apple squeeze, popping the cap off and sucking it down.
"However, let me say that Class One-A were not victims in this. While they were there, they were targeted. And they fought back. For legal reasons, that information will be kept from the public sphere, since they are unlicensed." Mr Kan glares at all of us, wordlessly warning of the dire consequences of us betraying his trust. "They understand what it is to stare into the abyss, to go toe-to-toe with the worst of them. That's why I was pushing you so hard during rescue training. And, should you decide to continue your education here at UA, I will only push you harder."
"Heh. So I guess we'll need those rescue dummies more than ever." Awase's all fired up, pumping his fist up like some kind of idiot. "Yo, Yanagi. Gimme your number so we can meet up. We're gonna make the most awesome gear UA's ever seen!"
I nod, making a mental note to really introduce him to Mei—if anyone can make his little project fly, she can.
"Alright! One-B, what do you say?!" Kendo stands and faces us, grinning. "Are we gonna let some stupid villains stop us from becoming true heroes?!"
"NO WAY!" We all answer as one.
"I'mma punch those stupid villains right back to their mamas." Tetsutetsu goes full-steel, glaring at nothing in particular—obviously ready to face them now.
"Alright, alright. Calm down." Mr Kan gets us back on track. "If that's how you all feel, then take note. UA's closed tomorrow. So that means I'll see you on Friday. And remember, what is discussed during decompression, stays in decompression. No exceptions."
"Yes, Mr Kan!"
"Good. Does anyone have something they want to discuss? Even if it's just Yanagi giving you a heart attack?"
"I do!" Kendo stands and bows to us. "Reiko, Awase. Thank you. I didn't enjoy it, but I understand now. If you two could please continue helping us to grow, so that the next time those villains show their faces, we'll be ready."
"You can count on it!" Awase is such an attention whore. So why am I smiling? "But seriously. If villains are targeting UA students and staff alike. Doesn't that mean we should be allowed weapons?"
"Are you saying your quirk isn't weapon enough?" Mr Kan asks.
"No quirk is universally strong. We've all seen that first hand this week. None of us scored high on every test. So, what I mean is. Are we gonna be allowed to use specialised gear not necessarily working with our quirk to increase odds of survival?"
"Now that," Mr Kan motions to Awase, grinning, "is thinking like a hero. That's exactly what your hero costumes are about. Augmenting your quirk to bolster your strengths, but also offering you balance to cover your weaknesses. If it's designed to be all show, then you're doing it wrong.
"I want all of you thinking about that. Don't do anything yet, just think about it. Consider your weaknesses. Consider joining a local dojo." A few of the boys grin, making a peace sign to show they're already there. "Even if you're not a front lines fighter, knowing how to defend yourself can take you a long way. That's why the Space Hero Thirteen was injured. Not because their quirk isn't suited for combat. But because Thirteen's whole career and training was geared for rescue, so they weren't used to combat."
They got Thirteen?
"That's why, come Monday, after decompression, we're going to hit the gym together. All of us. And I'm going to start you all out on some hand-to-hand drills. Anything that gives my students an edge, discuss it with me and we'll figure out a way to make it a legal reality. Emphasis on LEGAL. So no, Awase. Until you're licenced, I will not condone the use of weapons."
A logical stance.
"Hey. Since we have no current engagements tomorrow? Let us convene at my residence," Shishida says. Is he always this overly correct? "We may facilitate my family dojo for training. That way we maximise time. What do you say, Mr Kan?"
"I'll be in meetings all day, so I won't be able to make it. But I have a friend that owes me a favour." Mr Kan smiles.
My phone rings. I take it out without even thinking. "Matron?"
"Reiko. What happened, are you alright? UA's all over the news. That some villains attacked you."
"Calm down. I can't talk now, and not because of something being wrong. We're here discussing the situation and making plans to ensure it doesn't happen again. Can you call me back in an hour?"
"What about—"
"I've been keeping an eye on them all day. They're fine. And I'm going to talk to them as soon as we get out. But I really need to go."
Matron sighs, relieved. "That's good. Please apologize to your teacher for me."
"I will." I hang up, putting my phone back. "Sorry about that. The story broke."
"Ma…matron? Why. Why did. You call her matron?" Tokage asks, tears in her eyes. She just sits there, in her chair, her body spun like play-doh to face me.
I look around chatty, unwilling to go there. "Mr Kan, she apologizes for calling during class. She knows better, but our emergency protocol is kind of set in stone."
"I don't doubt. Don't abuse the trust offered, Yanagi." I nod, ignoring the tear-filled stares. "So. Tomorrow, you're all meeting up at Shishida's house. I will arrange a martial arts instructor to give you some basic lessons. And starting Monday, we'll be doing an hour of extra training. Again, if anyone decides this isn't the life they want? There's no shame in backing down. This is a personal decision you make."
No it isn't. Some choices were made long ago.
"Alright. I'll see you bright and early Friday morning. Shishida, if you could give us your address? And class rep, I'll need you to make a calling list, so we can get in touch with each other in case of emergencies."
8-8
End Chapter 6
8-8
A/N: I'm starting to think no one reads my author's notes. Oh well. R&R.