"Ma... Why was I named Mayumi?"
"It's because when you were a baby, you were sickly," Her mother said from across the room as she sewed a patch on one of her worn out jeans. "You're grip was so gentle that we hardly felt it. Besides, we always had to be gentle with you –you were so fragile."
Really, huh?
"When I get old, I'm gonna change my name." Mayumi said, her legs resting against the wall as she was lazily sprawled on the bed.
"And what made you say that?" Her mother said, her voice suddenly stern, as she placed down the pair of jeans that she held to look at her daughter."You have a beautiful name! I gave that name to you. Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
Her mother had a point. Her name was a gift given to her by her parents, and it was something that she should hold on to. However, there was something wrong with her name. It doesn't fit her. In her whole life, she couldn't remember all of the vases, antiquities, laptops, phones, and other things that she had broken in her household, along with the discovery of her quirk. All she could remember were the disappointed looks and the tense talks that everyone gave her. With her and her parents living in the same house with other various relatives, this obviously caused tension between their family, and her.
"I'm anything but gentle."
She was fucking useless.
I destroy everything I hold.
Mayumi looked at her phone as it rung for, what probably felt, like the twelfth time this morning.
Four of them were from Uraraka, one from Midoriya, one from Iida, and six from Kirishima. All of them left voicemails that said the same thing.
'Nitta-san, where are you? Please don't be late in this very important day! It's our finals, Nitta-san, and you do know how this is an essential step in our journey into becoming a hero!'
'Yumi-san, where are you? Please pick up. Uraraka-san's been calling you, and you haven't been picking up. If this was about that night when Kacchan, Iida-kun, and I watched your fight, we're really sorry. We can talk about it, if you want. Please come back to school.'
'Yumi, I'm calling so you won't run late! It's finals today! I'm so excited and scared at the same time!'
'Yumi, you have ten minutes before the written exams start! Please hurry up!'
'Yamiii! Where are you, dude? Uraraka-san's been going around, asking if anyone could call you or something. Just make sure that you make it to the finals, 'kay? See ya later, Yami-san!'
'Yumi, I can see the teachers getting out of the faculty with the exam papers! Run, girl!'
'Yamiiii, answer the phone, or the next message will be Bakugou blaring through your speakers!'
'-UCK DO YOU WANT, HAH?! DON'T DISTURB ME, HAIR FOR BRAINS!'
'Yumi, please pick up. I'm starting to get worried!'
'Yami, are you alright? Bakugou probably ruined your speakers, so I'm sorry about that. But seriously, dude, are you alright?'
'Yami, please pick up. People are starting to get worried.'
'Yami, if you don't pick up the phone, I'm going to have Bakugou find you and pick it up for you!'
"Tch, fuck-shit." Mayumi muttered as she sat and swung her legs over the ledge of the roof top. It was nine in the morning, and she basked in the morning sun, her head leaning back as she closed her eyes.
Fuck, what the hell am I gonna do with my life?
Mayumi let out a frustrated sigh –a breath that she didn't know that she's been holding for a long time. Usually, around this time, classes would have already started. She'd either be having at this time, while learning all about Japanese literature, or internally laughing at the struggle her classmates had at English class. Then, she'd eat with Midoriya and Uraraka, or get dragged towards Kirishima's table, forcing herself to sit across or beside Bakugou. She'd then go back to class, as if she didn't have to prepare for a fight that was practically illegal, and could get her deported back to her country, given that she makes even just a minute mistake.
Now, she has nothing to do. In fact, during the three weeks that she's been absent, she often found herself skimming through the textbooks that she had, and taking notes in advance.
She was really getting caught up in being a student again, wasn't she?
Mayumi dangled her feet, looking at the sidewalk from five stories above, sighing in defeat. No, she didn't want to jump –she would if there was a bouncy house waiting for her below. She just felt like she could focus more as she looked at the people that passed below her feet. With everything going on in her life, focus was what she needed now.
"Yumi!" Mayumi felt her heart jump out of her chest, and if she didn't grip the brick railing hard enough, she felt as if she'd follow, too. It was that damned old man. "How many times did I tell you to stop sitting on that damn ledge! Yer gonna fall off, or somethin'!"
Mayumi swung her legs back to the roof top, and got off the ledge, shoving her hands into the pockets of her purple checkered pyjamas.
"If you startle me like that, I just might," Mayumi muttered, crossing her arms and walking towards her door. She knew what the Manager was going to say, and she didn't know if she was ready to answer what the hell it was he was about to ask. "You know, you need to get laid! You're too uptight about shit! You're such a fucking loner, you know that?"
"Hey, get back here, brat," The Manager said, and for some reason, Mayumi stopped in front of her door. "Why aren't you in school? Isn't it your finals?"
What use is studying when I have nowhere to go?
"The hero course is for fucking pussies," Mayumi grumbled, feeling her stomach drop. She felt like throwing up. She knew that she was telling the truth –at least in the context of what she believed in-, but she also felt as if she was lying, too. "There's no point in me becoming a hero."
There was a brief silence between the both of them, before either of them spoke.
"Yumi, come with me."
She's only been in the Manager's apartment once, and it was only for a brief moment.
She was asking for a toolbox, since she needed to repair the roof in her apartment. The door was open, and she thought that she could just let herself in. The Manager fell asleep watching television, and when he woke up, he kicked her out, throwing a toolbox at her. Even as he took her in, he never allowed her inside his apartment. When she got discharged from the hospital, he brought her to a park, and asked her who she was, what happened to her, and what did she plan to do with her life. It was after that trip to the park, when the Manager brought her back to this very building, and handed her a pillow and a sleeping bag.
"You'll sleep here for the night," Was what he said. "Rest. Then decide what you want to do tomorrow. You can either stay here, let me help you build a life of your own, or you can decide to turn yourself in tomorrow, and go back to where you're from."
The answer was obvious, for Mayumi, and three years later, here she was.
Mayumi looked around the apartment, and she wouldn't believe that a seventy year old alcoholic resided in there. In all honesty, one wouldn't imagine that a rich guy lived here. With the money that he earns from her fights, this apartment, and the many other unknown businesses that the Manager handles, he's got wealth that would last him two lifetimes –that's how rich he was, and that was how he was known in the underground as the Manager.
But in all the three years she's spent with him, she never heard him talk about a family, or even a long lost love that he's looking for. He never tells her anything personal, and she never cared for it. He was the man that saved her, and took her in –she would like to remember him as the man that she knows him to be, and not the man that he was.
However, sometimes, Mayumi couldn't help but get curious.
All of Mayumi's questions were answered when she saw a picture of a beautiful woman on a counter, with incense, candles, and what seemed to be fresh flowers beside the picture.
"She's beautiful." Mayumi said, stopping in front of the altar, sitting in front of it and paying her respects.
"Beautiful won't cut it." The Manager grumbled, sitting beside Mayumi, staring at the picture with unreadable eyes –albeit a bit soft.
"I didn't know you had a wife." Mayumi said, and the Manager huffed.
"It's not something that I'd like to remember." He said, and Mayumi felt her heart ache for this old man. All this time, she thought that he was grumpy because he was alone, and never had someone he cared about. She never thought that the reason that he always drank and was always so crass was because he was trying to forget someone that was always going to be a part of him.
Mayumi and the Manager sat in silence, both of them just looking at the picture of the woman, and her soft smile. In the picture, she had her hair down in a wavy mess, a shy smile on her face as she looked at the camera.
"She might look like the typical shy-type woman, but she's the exact opposite," The Manager suddenly said, breaking the silence. "Brought her to a festival on our first date, and got her shouting and yelling at all of the games we tried. She wins in drinking games, and could that girl hold her liquor." The Manager let out a small chuckle, the corner of his lips curling to form a proud smirk.
"She's smart, too," The Manager said. "Got a scholarship in London for college, and she took it. It was when she stayed away for a month was when I realized that I loved her."
Mayumi looked at her lap, not knowing how to react at this sudden revelation. The Manager was a private guy, and this was the most that he'd shared to her in the three years that she's been living in his care.
"She was perfect," The Manager admitted, letting out a huff, before opening his flask and taking a swig from it. "She even gave birth to a perfect daughter."
"Nakamura-kun," Mayumi never used the Manager's real name, and the name felt foreign on her lips. "You have a daughter?" The Manager just wiggled his eyebrows before taking another swig from his flask.
"Where is she now?"
The Manager didn't say anything. He simply took out his wallet, and held out a picture towards her. It was a simple family picture –the Manager was sitting on a chair, with a baby on his lap, and beside him was a woman that looked exactly like his wife –except Mayumi knew that it couldn't be his wife, since the Manager already had wrinkles on his face in the picture. She could guess that the woman beside him was his daughter.
"The woman beside me is my daughter, Anzu" The Manager said, pointing at the pretty lady beside him. "The baby is my granddaughter, Hina." He simply said, and Mayumi smiled at the goofy smile on the baby's face.
"How old is she, now?" Mayumi asked, handing back the picture.
"Nine." He said, placing the picture back in his wallet.
"Cool, she must be studying now." Mayumi said, trying to keep the topic light. However, one look at the Manager's face, and she knew that something was wrong –she hit a sore spot.
"She would be, if she wasn't stuck in a hospital."
Mayumi fell silent. What the fuck?
"Stage three, leukaemia," The Manager explained, not blinking an eye. "Anzu doesn't want anything to do with me, and keeps me from visiting Hina."
"Nakamura-kun," Mayumi said, reaching out to touch his arm. Usually, he'd shrug any sign of affection off, but this time, he sat still. "I'm sorry, I didn't-"
"Bah, I didn't want anyone to know," The Manager said, waving his hand in dismissal. "Once people in our line of business know that you have a heart, they'd take advantage of it. That's why I don't want anyone knowing shit about my life."
"Mayumi, I don't want you to waste your life away, like me," The Manager started. "This thing that we're stuck in –the underground fights, and the illegal money, you could walk away from it now, while you still have a chance."
"And do what, become a hero?" Mayumi asked, standing up. "Bullshit! I'm not fit enough to be a hero!"
"Says who, your failing grades, your classmates, that blonde idiot?"
"Says sixteen years of breaking and destroying everything I hold! My fucking quirk is not meant to save or heal people –it's meant for breaking things! Even if I want to be a hero, everything I am screams out no!" Mayumi exclaimed, pointing at herself, her body shaking as tears fell down on her cheek.
"I'm not good enough. I can't help anyone, not even myself."
Mayumi hung her head low, silently sobbing. She froze as she felt a hand rest upon her shoulder.
"Bullshit," She heard the Manager mutter. "You don't know this, Yumi, but ever since you decided to step up to that ring, you're doing something more than beating people up –you've been saving a life."
"The money you earn from your fights? It all goes to Hina." He said, and Mayumi looked at the old man.
"What?" Mayumi sniffled, rubbing her eyes.
"Every fight that you win –even when you lose, all of the money that I get from those fights all goes to Hina." The Manager said as he started kneeling down, albeit with a bit difficulty.
"Nakamura-kun, don't-"
"Mayumi," He said, hunching over as best as his old age allows him, his forehead touching the floor. "I do not give you enough credit for the help that you have given to me –for everything that you have done for my granddaughter."
"Nakamura-san," Mayumi said, falling to her knees, looking at the old man kneeling on the floor. "I haven't done anything."
"That's where you're wrong, Yumi." The Manager said, sitting up, placing a hand on Mayumi's shoulder.
"What you're doing is everything to me." The Manager said, pulling her close and wrapping his arms around her.
"You are Hina's hero –my hero. I'd be damned if I'd let you spiral down in the shitty world we got ourselves into."
Although Mayumi still had stuff to figure out, the talk with the Manager was enough for her to grab her hero costume, and run to school.
She still didn't know what it was that she wanted to do with her life. She didn't know if she's want to go down the path of the Fighting League, or, God forbid, become a hero. However, after knowing that everything she did was helping a sick little girl get better, it was as if she didn't feel so dismayed in being in the hero course anymore.
After their heart to heart talk, Mayumi went back to her apartment and went to her phone. Thank God for the internet, because she was able to search for a few of the many benefits of pro heroes, and one of them was guaranteed health care for the hero –and whoever name she writes on her contract. When Mayumi saw that, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and released it.
If she was going to waste her life chained to something she doesn't want to do, might as well help someone out along the way.
Mayumi doesn't know how many traffic violations she had that afternoon, but she'd be damned if she'd miss the physical examination and flunk out of U.A.. When she burst through the doors of her classroom, she was a heaving mess of sweat and tears, her lungs about to burst.
"I'm-... sorry-... I'm –HAH! Late!" Mayumi wheezed out, knees hunched over as she felt her knees go wobbly. She looked up to see her classmates, some of them laughing, and some of them shocked.
"Yumi-san, you're late!"
No shit!
"You missed the written exam!"
"I'll take a make-up exam." Mayumi panted, walking to her desk, and slamming her bag down.
"Yumi!" She heard a squeal, before she was tackled by a pair of arms. She looked to see a mop of brown locks just below her chin. "You weren't answering the phone, and I thought something bad happened to you!"
Mayumi awkwardly patted Uraraka's back, and tried to pry the brunette off of her.
"Sorry," Mayumi said. "My phone died in the middle of the night, and the alarm didn't go off."
"Even I've never overslept that much." She heard Kaminari said, laughing a bit. Mayumi rolled her eyes and just flipped him off, before she got the brunette to get off of her.
"Yami! You're here!" She heard. She turned her head to the door, and saw Kirishima walking towards her, his hand held high for what Mayumi presumes is a high five.
Somehow, she didn't hesitate to stick her palm out, Kirishima slapping it loudly.
"Got me a bit worried there, dude!"
When she saw Kirishima's toothy grin, it was as if yesterday never happened –it was as if the heavy burden on her chest was lifted, even just a bit.
He's a fucking ball of sunshine. Bakugou doesn't deserve to be his friend.
"Yumi-san, we'll finally be able to see your costume!" Uraraka exclaimed, picking up Mayumi's costume case.
"Drop that 'san'," Mayumi muttered, blushing a bit. "You started calling me by my name, so it's okay if you drop it."
"Oh, I didn't notice, sorry." Uraraka apologized, scratching the back of her head.
"Come on, Yumi," Uraraka said, grabbing Mayumi by the hand, and grabbing her own costume case. "Let's go to the locker room! The others are already there!"
Mayumi smiled as she let herself get dragged along by the brunette.
If there was anything that she missed in this class, it was that being with her classmates made her feel like a regular teenager again.
Mayumi didn't want to go out of the locker room.
Not because of the fact that she felt as if taking the exam was the wrong choice. Although Mayumi has no clear goal in mind, Mayumi was quite sure that she wanted to take and pass the exam –just to ease the Manager's worries.
It was her damn costume that made her reluctant to step out of the locker room.
"There's nothing wrong with it, Yumi," Uraraka said, grinning at her. "You look great!"
Mayumi did not feel like she looked great. She felt exposed.
Like what she did in all her fights, her black hair was tied in two braids, with her hair being too short to tie it in one. Although she only wore a sports bra and nylon shorts during her fights in the UFR, that was different –it felt like her second home. And besides, her shorts weren't tight fitted.
This one is.
Whoever made her costume must think that skin tight things are attractive as hell, and wasn't thinking of the wearer's comfort at all.
Whoever made this outfit must have their head in the fucking clouds.
"Mayumi-san, let's go!" She heard a polite voice say –it was most likely Yaoyorozu. "We might be late for the practical exam."
"Come on, Yumi!" Uraraka said, taking the tanned skinned girl by the hand. "You look great, and you're going to do even better!"
"Wait, I forgot something." Mayumi said, going back to her locker to open the costume case. When Midnight gave her a sketch for her costume design, Mayumi spent two hours staring at it, thinking of what it is that she wanted in her costume. As a UFR fighter, she never really thought of putting in flashy designs –as long as it was comfortable to wear. However, given that this was a hero costume, she knew that simply wearing a sports bra, nylon shorts, and smearing silver face paint on her won't do. She'd have to look like someone to be remembered by, without forgetting who she really was –the Iron Lady.
Mayumi grabbed the black eye mask, with silver linings for the design –an imitation of her "war paint", as the Manager puts it.
She might be a bit more willing to study in the Hero Course, but she would not lose sight of what she truly was, even though she wasn't sure if that is what she wanted.
"Yumi-san, you look rockin'!" Mina complimented when Mayumi caught up with the class.
"You look ready to fight! So manly, Yami!"
"Er-, thanks." Was all Mayumi said as she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.
"You ready for the Practical Exam, Yami?" Kirishima asked, hooking an arm around Mayumi's shoulders. She just crossed her arms and shrugged. Was she ready? No. She couldn't really say, since no one's been saying anything about how the practical exams are going to go. Was she confident? Maybe. As long as Mayumi gets near to whoever she was fighting, she has a high chance of gaining the upper ground
"Eh. I'll just wing it. How hard could it be?"
Mayumi was wrong. She could not wing it.
It was fucking impossible.
"What the fuck!"
Mayumi stared at the large viewing screen in the surveillance room where she and Midoriya were watching the exam of Kirishima and Sato. She looked, jaw hanging, at her two classmates, punching their way out of the walls that Cementos was creating.
This is fucking crazy.
"We're supposed to fight teachers?!" Mayumi exclaimed out loud. "Even with handicaps, they don't look handicapped at all to me! They seem just as strong!"
"While it is true that the difference in power and skill is great, it will be no different when we work as pro heroes," Midoriya muttered. "We'll be facing villains and opponents with quirks that might be stronger than hours. This whole first year's training is about us quickly adapting to the situations we face."
Right. And I've been gone for more than half of the semester. Just great. Might as well drop out now.
"Midoriya," Mayumi said, looking at the screen as the attack on both of her classmates were relentless. "What can you tell me about Ectoplasm?"
"He's your opponent?" He asked, and Mayumi nodded. "You're grouped with Tsuyu-chan and Tokoyami-kun?"
"No, er-... I'm facing him alone."
"What?!"
"Yeah... I have to make up with the practical exams and tests I missed on the first half of the semester."
So it's either-
"So you either pass or flunk out, don't you?" Mayumi just let out a frustrated huff, crossing her arms.
It's what she deserved, if one were to ask her. She's often been late, and took more absences than she's supposed to. She wasn't sure if she intentionally did it or not, but she never felt a twinge of guilt or worry from being late or absent.
However, after the talk with the Manager, it felt as if this fight was another one of her fights in the UFR –she can't risk losing in this fight.
As Mayumi watched her classmates get knocked out by Cementos, for the first time in U.A., she felt fear grip her heart. Everyone she faced so far were just amateurs –even she was just an amateur. These people were trained professionals –she couldn't stand a chance against them.
"Yumi," She heard from beside her. "I hope this might help you."
Mayumi turned to look at Midoriya, holding out a burnt and worn out notebook towards her. She took it, reading the hand written kanji in front: Hero Analysis for Future Purposes No. 13.
"What's this?"
"On page seventeen, I wrote an analysis on Ectoplasm. I hope it could help you out with your exam." He said, and Mayumi flipped open the page, scanning the various drawings and hand writings on the notebook. She felt herself smile at how Midoriya was able to put everything down to detail, and how dedicated he was in this line of business. However, she couldn't notice the smudges, from what seemed like water, and the burn marks that littered the pages.
"May I ask what happened?"
"Oh, er... That's nothing, don't mind that. It was just some accident back in Aldera." Midoriya said, scratching the back of his head. Mayumi wasn't dumb, though. She knew that Bakugou and Midoriya weren't the best of friends, and that for some reason, Bakugou hated Midoriya to the core (which was stupid, because how could anyone hate Midoriya, in all his innocence?).
"Hey," Mayumi said, tapping Midoriya's arm. "Whatever shit anyone told you before, forget about them." Said, giving him a smile.
"You're going to be greater than they will ever be... I just know it."
Hey guys, I apologize for a rather sloppy chapter. A classmate of mine recently died, finals are coming up, and I haven't really been thinking straight. I dunno. She wasn't really a close friend, but it's startling to see a person laughing one day, and find her gone from the world the next day.
Seriously, guys, if you guys have problems, please tell them to someone. You can PM me, if you feel like you can't tell anyone you personally know. My PM is always open for you, guys. It's better to let them out (like crying, shouting, or even punching your bed) rather than keeping it to yourself and letting all those negative emotions build up within you. I swear. Punching and shouting on your bed helps a lot.
Anyways, on to the reviews:
AmericanNidiot: HAHAHA TRUE! They're still tiptoeing around each other, though, and are mostly trying to figure the other out, so just give them time!
Keradon: I love that fellow Filipinos get to read this, hahaha! Thank you for your review, and I'm glad you're enjoying the story and I'm so happy that I managed to earn your follow ^-^ I'm glad that you know a bit of Tagalog, cuz I might (still thinking about it) incorporate some words or phrases into this story. It's a beautiful language, and the 'deeper' words are found to be very romantic. There are a lot of words in the language that are hard to translate to English. If we do, often times, the word loses its meaning and the emotions in it (I had a hard time translating the lyrics from the previous chapter). For example, the word "mayumi", means "gentle", but in a more feminine way. Also, one thing that I love about Tagalog (and often confuses people) is that pronouns are unisex. There is no he or she in Tagalog (only the word "siya"). Tagalog is a beautiful language, and it is perfect for poetry and song lyrics. If ever you feel like learning more about the language, or even just translating a few words, just PM me! I'll be more than happy to help you out! ^_^
Prince: Hahaha, their friendship is a work in progress, and they're getting there! No strong friendship is ever formed without misunderstandings! As for Mayumi, I suggest you hang on to something, cuz the feels are going to get even worse for a while, before things start to get better for her. Mayumi's dilemma is something that is inspired from real life situations I often encounter, wherein students are often forced to pick a course due to either family, life circumstances, or indecisiveness. What's sad about these situations is that their indecisiveness makes them feel so lost and useless. But it's a process, though, and people usually need to reflect and think a lot before realizing what it is they want. It might take a long time, but they get there :)
shahmeeralikhokhar: I'm sorry, I don't think I was able to fully describe Mayumi's appearance, hahaha! I didn't want to drop the description of her appearance in just one paragraph, and I decided to scatter the descriptions in various chapters and paragraphs. However, for your information (and for those who are confused), Mayumi is lightly tanned and has black hair. As for eye color, she has brown ones. She's not fat, given that she works out, but since she eats whatever, she doesn't have the buff or chiseled figure that most fighters have. She doesn't have the six pack abs and all that jazz. She's got a bit of healthy fat in her, hahaha. She's short, around 5"2, and after her fight with Knuckle Duster, she has a scab (that would turn into a scar) on her brow, and on her upper lip. Hope that clarified things ^_^
GrimmaulDee: I love the term emotionally constipated, hahaha! It captures our two idiots perfectly, and I'm gonna use that from now on. As I told one of the readers, hold on first to the oncoming waves of angst before Mayumi could experience a bit of happiness. She hasn't had an easy life, and it's gonna get harder, especially during her summer vacation, but she's going to gain people who she could call her own family.
Please don't hesitate to ask away, because I love discussing the details of this story with you, dear readers! Also, I'm so happy that this went beyond the intended 100 favorites and 150 follows mark! I really can't believe that people read and like this story, hahaha! Love you, guys!