Chapter 54 - Mission Failed!? Beni's Counselling!?
"So you're telling me that she didn't show?" Hawks asked incredulously as Airdriver leaned forwards, head in his hands, at his Agency Office.
The Pro Hero had waited in that warehouse the entire night, his candle slowly burning out as he leaned against that stone wall for any sign of the elusive Crimson Shadow. He was so sure that she was going to meet with him, so sure that he knew who the Crimson Shadow was but this... This threw his entire plan out of the window. Had he been correct, she would have shown herself. But she didn't appear at all. The only other explanation was that she knew that the meeting was a trap.
And he had wasted an entire night, following an already trying day, with no sleep and the only thing keeping him going was the adrenaline and the concern he had for the city knowing that the Crimson Shadow was still at large.
What on earth was he going to tell the Police? How would they react knowing that his carefully thought out plan had ended in complete failure? And with Hawks on the case as well, being a Hero of such high regard, it only added to the embarrassment and frustration that was beginning to mount. It was an asbolute failure from a publicity standpoint, should anyone find out about it.
"She had to have known something was wrong," Beni suggested in a vain attempt to cheer up her boss. "Maybe she sensed the radio I built or she didn't want to be alone with you because you could have beaten her in a figh-"
"That's not it Beni!" Hayate growled, slamming a fist on his desk in frustration. "That warehouse was pitch black. She can use shadows to her will, we know that. She'd have had the advantage."
Hawks, meanwhile, was glancing out of the windows at the busy streets below, having moved away from the pair to give his old teacher some space. This trickster of a thief had somehow known about their plans in advance. Was there a plant amongst those at the meeting who was feeding her information? It was unlikely to be the other Pro Heroes, they had nothing to gain from the Crimson Shadow's actions...
But the police...
"What if someone on the Police Force made a deal with her?" Hawks asked cautiously, voice lowered as if anyone could be listening in.
"The Police?" Beni replied in shock. "But why would they be working with a criminal?"
"Damien Rogers was a prisoner of fifteen years already, right? Perhaps they figured they wanted to be rid of him and couldn't execute him themselves as his sentence didn't allow for it, so instead they hired the Crimson Shadow to commit the crime for them." Hawks folded his arms and looked over to his teacher, who had perked up at his suggestion.
"We cannot act on this information Hawks," He stated coldly. "It is a hunch, nothing more."
Hawks shrugged. "I'm just saying, it's a possibility we need to consider."
With that, Hawks decided it would be best to head out and scout the city. He didn't feel like sticking around in that stuffy room with Hayate and he certainly didn't trust the police force enough to go to another of their meetings. Beni would be better at calming the tired Hero down anyway, he'd only serve to aggravate him further.
Pushing open the office door, the blonde haired man stepped out into the main Agency, coming face to face with the two students that were interning at the Agency for the week.
Fumikage Tokoyami, trained by Hayate himself, with the power of darkness at his disposal and performing admirably in the Sport's Festival. Hawks had to admit, his personality was quite refreshing as he seemed, not reserved, but quiet. He enjoyed the silence and his interests didn't seem to line up with your typical school child, probably thanks to his Quirk's nature.
Had Airdriver not picked Tokoyami up, Hawks was sure he would have snatched the boy in his talons, so to speak, and taught him how a Pro in the big leagues can work.
And next to him, the taller of the two, was that six-armed student that was accompanying him. He could vaguely remember his name from the day before... Mezi... Mezu... Mezou, that sounded right. Mezou Shouji, he believed. The student seemed to have more of a commanding presence with his large stature and build, but from the moment Hawks laid eyes on the boy, he could sense an insecurity that was hindering him.
His eyes were drawn to that mask that the taller boy wore. He hadn't seen him without it, from what he could recall. Perhaps that had something to do with it, not that he had time to care. He had a job to do, after all.
Though as he walked past the boys who both nodded to him, he noticed that the moment he was out of their site, they remained extremely distant from each other, each drifting to a different part of the lobby. Probably a friendly squabble or something. They'd sort it out amongst themselves, he was sure. They seemed like great friends from the day before so he imagined this was one of those best friend arguments that got fixed within a day or two.
Shaking his head clear of those students, he set his sights on the roof and quickly climbed up, ready to patrol and help the people of Fukuoka as best he could. He could leave the internship to the one who brought them here.
And so he climbed out into the crisp morning air, breathing in that cool scent of spring that would very soon be coming to an end. He stepped up to the helipad, getting a perfect view of the city from where he was, seeing all the parks, attractions, tourist spots and everything notable. He'd work his way through the city and ensure that everyone would be okay.
He was a Pro after all.
Hayate had called off his attendance to the Police Force's meeting that afternoon, Beni making the executive decision of telling him to go and rest. Having been on high alert all night, he wasn't in a position to do anything, so while Beni dealt with Agency business, he was forced to rest in his office for the rest of the day, his mind dwelling on the incident as he tried to figure out what went wrong.
Beni, meanwhile, slipped out of his office as quietly as she could, not wanting to cause any more disturbances for her boss.
She was surprised though, to see Shouji and Tokoyami both sitting on opposite ends of the lobby, the pair both looking exceptionally gloomy. Apparently, it was going to be one of those days, she thought to herself. The pair of them both faced towards her as she exited the office, however. But she could only shrug at them when they seemed to be waiting for instructions.
"I'm afraid Hayate is in no position to intern you today," She explained solemnly.
"Is he alright?" Tokoyami asked, concern etched into his tone as he glanced towards the office of his former teacher.
Beni nodded. "He's fine, he just needs rest. Our plan to catch the Crimson Shadow didn't go so well and he ended up wasting a lot of energy." She moved over to her tech desk, choosing to busy her hands in an attempt to distract herself. "He hasn't slept since the night of the Incident."
"I'm sorry to hear that," Tokoyami muttered, voice low.
Shouji said nothing, looking towards Beni, then back to his clenched fists, barely registering that stuff was going on around him. He was definitely out of it, so was Tokoyami. She didn't like that. Sure, Shouji had been a little distant the day before, but the pair were still having fun and teasing each other when she left them the day before.
She had to wonder what was going on... Perhaps there was a way to find out.
"Actually, while I can't afford to leave the Agency today as we have no one else on staff, I do have a job you can do," Beni explained to the pair, though when Shouji moved to head over to Beni, she shook her head. "I'm afraid I only want Tsukuyomi to handle this job."
Tokoyami seemed momentarily surprised, his eyes widening ever so slightly as he headed over to Beni, who proceeded to give him a fairly long list of items to collect from various stores around the city that she needed for some weapon upgrades. "If you're able to collect all of this, I'll be extremely grateful. But this is an internship, so consider this a task of paramount importance."
"Of course, I'll get it done, Beni-"
"Benzaiten, if you will. We're on duty," She said forcefully, much to the pair's surprise.
"Right, Benzaiten, I'll get it done," Tokoyami repeated, taking the slip of paper from her with the materials needed. "Should I change into my Hero Costume or...?"
Beni shook her head. "Civilian gear is fine, I saw how you were yesterday. You really shouldn't wear a dark black cloak like that in this heat," She explained. Even though she was being hard on him, she didn't want to give the poor boy heatstroke.
Tokoyami nodded to her and quickly turned to the elevator, jogging over. Beni noticed Shouji looking to his friend, clearly wanting to say something, but as Tokoyami turned back to look at them one more time, Shouji turned away, having lost the confidence to say what he wanted to say. So Tokoyami stepped into the elevator alone. The doors shut behind him and with a small ding, he was gone.
Her plan had worked, thank goodness, leaving her alone with Shouji.
"Alright, now that he's gone," She stated loudly, enough for Shouji to notice, the six-armed boy looking to her surprised. "You, me, break room, now. We need to talk."
Shouji couldn't help the nervous gulp of air he took in as she led the way, striding straight into the break room, knowing Shouji would definitely be following close behind.
She took a seat on one of the sofas, motioning for him to sit opposite her, her hands folded in her lap as she looked him over, noticing the tension in his shoulders. Though whether he was concerned about the situation or the potential questions she might ask, she couldn't tell.
"I'm not going to beat around the bush, Shouji. Something is bothering you," Beni stated, watching for his reaction. Though it seemed he was aware of her watchful eye as he had a poker face she couldn't figure out. "I understand that you have your own problems, but in an actual agency, if you aren't able to work effectively in a team due to bad communication or an issue you don't want to talk about, you'd be fired on the spot."
"I know," Shouji muttered quietly.
"Then tell me, what's on your mind?" Beni asked.
She wasn't sure what to expect from Shouji, having only known him for two days, but her gut was telling her that he was under a lot more pressure than people seemed to realize. It wasn't hard to tell if someone was under pressure when their entire career was built around pressured situations.
Finally, the taller boy sighed, one of his arms forming a mouth to speak, his voice confused in tone. "I've had a lot on my mind these past few days. I guess being back in Fukuoka is bringing up the past and it wasn't always good." Shouji motioned to his mask. "This mask is a result of my childhood here. I can't go into the details, I promised myself I'd only tell those who had earned my utmost trust..."
Shouji shook his head silently. "...Honestly, I feel small. Like I'm not worthy of being able to intern here."
"What makes you say that?" Beni asked, attempting to push past whatever barriers this taller boy was holding up.
She knew from experience that some light prodding would always work when it came to getting people to talk about what was bothering them, though she also knew that it was best to let them talk at their own pace and not to rush them. By getting Tokoyami out of the building on a tough errand, she made she they'd have more than enough time to talk things through.
"I didn't receive any other offers. Just this one," Shouji stated. "And even then, it was a joint-offer with Toko."
"You mean Tokoyami, right?" She asked, curiously glancing at him as he realized his brief mistake.
The slight flush of colour that peeked from the top of his mask was enough to show she'd flustered him somewhat with her comment, and it gave her just a little bit more of an idea of what was going through his head. This wasn't going to be as simple as she thought.
"I think I know my boss pretty well," Beni stated, tilting her head back in thought. "And I got to look through the candidates along with him, y'know, so I know he didn't add you to the list just because you were Tokoyami's friend or as a pity offer."
Shouji looked unconvinced, even though she was telling the truth. In all honesty, Airdriver had looked at Shouji and remembered him from the Hero Exams and how he was an excellent surveillance Hero, perfect for scouting out from rooftops and on the ground. They couldn't have known going forwards that he wanted to be more than just the scouter of a group.
"I'm the voice of reason in my group of friends," Shouji admitted quietly, trying to steer the subject. "Tokoyami, he's driven and motivated, but he wasn't always like that. He just wants to prove to Hayate how much he's changed. And my friend Midoriya, he's inspired our whole class with his ability to be so selfless and attempt to save everyone. Kouda too, he's shy and knows his limitations but he's attempting to overcome those fears and prove to the world that he can be just as Heroic as the rest of us, even with a non-combative Quirk." Shouji's voice lowered in tone as he continued though. "But then there's me... Everyone else is making strides forwards and I feel stuck at the starting line."
Beni couldn't help but feel for the boy. Being in a class with nineteen other Hero Trainees, it was bound to get tough when everyone's egos were probably as fragile as glass and with the world of Heroism being so cutthroat, those weaker-willed Heroes found themselves being eaten by the stronger.
"I guess I feel frozen in place," He humourlessly laughed, a comment that seemed to have a double meaning, though she had no idea what. "I wanted so much to impress at the Sport's Festival, yet I was stopped by someone who has become a barrier I have yet to overcome."
"Who was it?" Beni asked.
"Shouto Todoroki," He replied bitterly. "He is a friend and a classmate, but he has stopped me twice from being able to show my usefulness. Once in our first training class where he simply didn't even need me to succeed in our objective and then once again in the Cavalry Battle when he froze most of us in place to stop us from collecting more headbands."
"Endeavour's kid, I watched his battles. He seems like someone with a lot of demons in his head, though given his father, I can see why," She shrugged, leaning back in her chair. "You may have more in common with him than you might think. Have you tried talking with Todoroki about your feelings?"
Shouji shook his head.
"Okay then, have you tried confiding in anyone at all?" Shouji hesitated for a moment, as if about to say something, but shut his mouth. And Beni was having none of that. "What were you about to say? Out with it, c'mon!"
"I talked about it with Tokoyami yesterday morning," He admitted, glancing to the changing rooms. "While we were changing, he approached me about my mood and I told him about how I knew I was holding myself back. And then Hawks came and I just-" His voice cut off as he breathed a deep breath and sighed.
Now she was started to get it. "Let me guess, Hawks barely spoke to you yesterday, right? So you're feeling like if the Number Three Hero doesn't care about you, why are you even trying. Am I wrong?"
Shouji seemed surprised at her bluntness, but after a minute of silent contemplation, he finally shook his head. "You're not wrong. It's exactly as you said. He sees something in Toko, but he doesn't see anything in me. It just proves that I've fallen behind and failed to showcase my skills."
"Or maybe you're getting overly worked up about the situation," Beni supplied, leaning forwards on her palms. "He's the Number Three Hero and you're a Trainee Student. It's only been a month since you started work in the Hero Course, right? So maybe you're thinking too far ahead too early and not allowing yourself to revel in the little victories."
"Like how you were able to complete the obstacle course race, how you helped come up with a brilliant strategy in your Cavalry Battle. And from reports of the USJ incident, you helped to save your Class President so he could escape and inform the school of what was happening. Who cares if you messed up at the Sport's Festival. You actually saved your classmates' lives when you stopped that villain." Beni looked him over once more, hoping that her words were getting through in some way.
"That is true..." Shouji mumbled, though she was sensing there was something else going on here. Just because he felt inadequate, that didn't explain why Shouji and Tokoyami weren't speaking.
"Is there a reason why the two of you aren't speaking?" Beni asked before the silence could become too oppressive. She needed to keep him talking if he was to explain the situation. "What you've told me, it explains your distance, but not the rift between you two. And don't lie to me, it's clear something's up."
Shouji paused once more, looking down at his closest pair of hands, fiddling with them as he tried to come up with what to say, eventually settling on, "He apologized to me last night."
"Apologized?"
"He feels he forced me into accepting this internship," Shouji explained, his posture drooping as he explained. "Last night, I was frustrated and tired after feeling upset from Hawks. I thought talking with Midoriya would help, he tried to give me some advice..." He trailed off at that, a dark shadow crossing his face as his fists clenched. "When Toko came to chat, they were chatting so much and were having such a good time, I felt awful for being such a burden on m friends... But I wanted nothing more than for them to just stop talking."
"Why did you want them to stop talking?"
"I was tired and..." He took a deep breath as he said quietly, "...selfish."
It was very clear to Beni from the pain in his voice that he didn't agree with his own actions, or at least he didn't want to feel the way he was feeling. He seemed like quite the selfless friend to the rest of his group and of all the people he mentioned, he probably got the least time to talk about his own problems, always focused on someone else's story. "What were you selfish about?"
"I wanted to tell Toko that he was right about him forcing me into this position. I wanted, for once, to not have to take the weight of my actions on my shoulders... I wanted to talk with my friends without feeling envious of how they could talk without a care in the world..." Shouji couldn't stop himself as he whispered, "I wish I was on their level."
Beni hadn't expected the questioning to take this turn, seeing the weight of his frustrations clear in Shouji's eyes as the taller boy looked towards her, his eyes dimmed with confusion and a sense of guilt. He didn't want to feel the way he did, he didn't want to cause any trouble and yet it all seemed to be seeping out to a point where he couldn't hold it back.
"I think it's truly unfair," Beni started, "Truly unfair that you seem to have taken on everyone's burdens with no care for your own wants or needs. It's not healthy," she explained. "I will admit, it is your fault in the end that you chose to come to this internship, regardless of how Tokoyami may, or may not, have sold you on the choice. But your emotions and feelings are important as well. That's why Tokoyami approached you yesterday morning, he saw a friend in need."
She glanced up at the clock. Almost ten in the morning. They'd started this conversation over an hour ago. "You tried to confide in your friend Midoriya, which shows you trust him and that's a great step forwards. But you're also jealous of the relationship that he seems to have with Tokoyami, at least that's what I'm gathering from how you wanted them to stop talking the night before."
Shouji nodded tensely.
"Alright, one more question, then I'll let you go. What is it that you want from your friends? They are both reaching out to you, but you've got to let them both in if you want to have that friendship you're envious of. It sounds like Tokoyami and Midoriya have known each other for longer, so they're more familiar with each other as well, so perhaps you just need to be upfront and honest with them."
"It's complicated," Shouji countered awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. She noticed that blush from before returning on the tips of his mask, and thinking back to what he told her, something seemed to click into place.
"Is it because you like one of them?" She asked out of the blue.
Shouji's eyes widened in sheer surprise, his entire body tensing up as he stammered a, "What gave you that idea?" We're just friends!"
Beni rolled her eyes. "Just then, you blushed. You can see it faintly on the tips of your mask. Look Shouji, surely you can tell them the truth without telling them the whole truth. Just omit the part about the crush or whatever it is you're feeling and focus on everything else." With that, she pushed herself up from the break room sofa, leaving Shouji somewhat flabbergasted. "Anyway, I have to get back to work. I'd go talk to Tokoyami, he should be near Canal City since most of the shops on the list sent him there."
Shouji gave a nod, speeding past her for the elevator in an attempt to get out of the room before she asked any more questions. But then...
"We do want you here, Shouji," Beni called out. "In a team, confiding and figuring things out is a process you go through to become stronger. For as long as you're here, I'm happy to listen and help you out with that crush of yours in any way I can," She giggled, much to Shouji's utter horror. "But first, I'd try patching up your friendships, then think about the fun stuff afterwards."
"Yeah, I'm leaving," Shouji announced, walking into the now open elevator, though not before muttering a, "Thank you though Beni. This helped."
"Anytime!"
