Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you're all enjoying the last days of 2019!
Here's the new chapter! I hope you enjoy!
It was Sunday. Today was the day that Mizuha, Kirishima and Amajiki were going to Fat Gum's Hero Agency.
She actually told Kirishima that she could go on her own since she knew where it was, but he suggested they should all go together if they're going to the same place anyway. The idea of going by herself was to avoid an awkward atmosphere with her senior. However, having Kirishima around could make her less anxious about it. She could just pretend like she didn't know him. To her knowledge, that was her most effective tactic for trying to calm her nerves.
Presently, Mizuha was waiting on a bench near the exit of the school. They planned to meet up there (Kirishima made the plan) before heading to Fat Gum's together.
On her feet, Sho was resting on them quietly. The idea of making her dog tag along didn't seem so bad. He was a puppy, yes, but he was smart dog and often didn't try wandering away from her during their walks. She even tested him before leaving the dorm. He wouldn't leave her side no matter how many times she snuck away. He really wanted to stick to her.
She saw Sho's head perk up and he looked towards the left, making her do the same.
Kirishima was jogging to her spot while waving at her.
She did a lopsided smile and waved once.
"As usual, you're early even though we were going together." He said before taking a seat next to her.
"I left early to walk Sho."
Kirishima looked at the puppy between her feet who was wagging his tail at the sight of the newcomer, seemingly able to recognize him from their first meeting. Kirishima lowered his hand and started scratching him behind the ears.
He looked at Mizuha while pleasing the dog, "You're not going back to drop him off at the dorm?"
She shrugged, "We're allowed to bring pets in the train. Plus, I don't think Taishiro will mind too much… at least I think he won't."
"Taishiro?" he blinked.
"Er... sorry," she laughed a little, "I mean Fat Gum."
Mizuha stretched back her arms and rolled her shoulders back before slumping in her seat. Then she felt a yawn coming up so she covered her into the back side of her elbow. Kirishima heard her muffled yawn and turned his head to look at her, her eyes tightly shut before slowly opening when she closed her mouth. She lightly shook her head before blinking away the tears.
Kirishima's mouth curved to the side while his eyebrows curved upwards. She slept late again, didn't she?
When he pulled away from Sho and leaned back against the bench, without a word, Mizuha dropped head on his shoulder and just stared at the ball of fur. She stretched her arm out and wiggled her fingers in the air to play with her dog.
Mizuha having intimate habits was one thing he did not imagine her having, especially not with how distant she used to be. The first signs appeared back when they were at I-Island. Then it became more apparent to everyone when everyone moved into the dorm. The extra game console that Mizuha had up in her room was hooked up to the TV in the common room thanks to Kaminari's suggestion. When Byakuren would be downstairs playing a competitive game with one of the guys, she would drop by to see how things were going before trusting her back to his side before dropping her legs on the arm rest. Slowly, she started doing the same to Kirishima. He didn't mind though.
"Ruff!"
Sho looked at where Kirishima came from.
Kirishima looked in the same direction. Mizuha purposely slipped her head off Kirishima shoulder in a lazy manner and looked as well.
They found Amajiki walking towards them.
Kirishima stood up, "Good morning, Amajiki-senpai!" he greeted with much enthusiasm.
Mizuha looked at her senior, nodded once and then did a short wave.
Sho barked once more before padding towards Amajiki, who backed away a few steps before staring at the little creature with curiosity. The white dog started sniffing him before looking back at its owner.
"Cute…" the older boy muttered.
With that, they were off to Fat Gum's Hero Agency.
…
…
Needless to say, Mizuha spent most of the train ride sleeping against Kirishima's shoulder (no way was she going to sit next to Amajiki and carelessly drop her head on him). She chose earphones instead of headphones for the sake of the shoulder leaning. As she slept, Kirishima kept Sho on his lap while asking their senior questions about Fat Gum. After getting some answers, it became quiet between them until they arrived at their destination.
When they arrived at the front door, Amajiki entered first and held out the door behind him for Mizuha. She did the same for Kirishima and followed after him.
She recognized the woman behind the desk from the last time she was there. The woman looked up from the computer and set her eyes on the three students. A smile appeared on her face, "Hello, Amajiki."
Mizuha peeked from behind the third year.
"Oh, and Hyoumei's here too! I guess I know what this visit is for."
"Is he in right now?" Tamaki pointed in the direction of the office.
"Yes, he is."
With that, Tamaki nodded his head and thanked her before walking down the path leading to the office. Mizuha and Kirishima did the same as him and followed after the older boy. Sho gave one last glance at the lady when he padded after the three students.
When his doors were getting closer, Mizuha started scratching the back of her neck with a soft sigh. Kirishima, who heard this, looked at her and asked if she was alright. She glanced at him and tilted her head, "It's just… he tends to call me something in a joking manner… but I don't really want him to call me that now."
"Why not?"
"Because other people are here! And… and it's weird!" then she grabbed her face, "And it brings me shame and embarrassment."
Tamaki, who caught her words, started wondering if she had experienced the same torment as he always did. When knocked and was allowed to enter, he opened the door and walked in. There he was, sitting and eating Takoyaki. He greeted his intern with a happy grin and the moment he saw the familiar first year—
"Welcome back, wifey!"
Mizuha gave him a deadpanned look.
Kirishima and Amajiki glanced back at the girl when they registered the odd nickname, it was especially odd since there was no context. She could see amusement dancing in his eyes as he held up a waving hand. Mizuha smacked her lips and sighed a short one. She looked at her third year and nodded, then looked at Kirishima and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Well, you have fun. I'm going back to school." She said before slipping her hand off his shoulder when she started walking out the door.
Kirishima hooked his finger in the back of her shirt and yanked her back, "Come on, don't leave." he chuckled. She only whirled around in his fingerhold and pointed a finger at the Pro-Hero, "Stop calling me that!"
Taishiro only laughed heartily, "Not my fault you—"
"STOOOP IT!" she zoomed towards his desk.
Since Taishiro was the one to invite her to his agency, she got her paper stamped first. When that was done, she dropped herself on the couch in the office and watched from her spot as Kirishima took his time to talk to the Pro-Hero.
"I saw you at the Sports Festival!" Fat Gum said while smiling, "I welcome energetic kids like you!" he then pointed at the third year who was standing near the couch while facing away, "Tamaki always gets so nervous and ranks super low every year."
Mizuha discreetly glanced at Tamaki.
"Can we not talk about me?" he muttered.
"I did my internship with Fourth Kind, and he also said that the morale of the agency goes up when there are energetic guys around. But… that's all I am."
Mizuha looked at her friend.
"And I want to be more than that. I want… to become a hero who can protect, like Crimson Riot… That's why I kept pestering Tamaki to introduce me to you. I don't want to be pathetic and not act when someone's in trouble anymore."
Huh?
Those last words he said. It brought her back to that moment in the empty hallway. The day she cried and let down her walls for Kirishima.
"Unless you know how it feels to do nothing and just sit back and watch as people get hurt because you're scared as hell to even move!—"
Mizuha blinked.
"... you'll never understand what I'm going through!" She ended, breathing heavily.
Oh no… what the did hell did I know…?
She bit her lip and dropped her head in her hand while it rested on the armrest. Her dog that was resting on her lap whined a little when he saw the distressed look on her face. Mizuha's eyes shifted to look at her dog. He must be familiar with all the worry she keeps radiating off lately. With her free hand, she rubbed his head to dismiss his own worry.
A loud clap resonated in the office, announcing the announcement of Fat Gum's decision. "Looks, like I got myself two new interns! You guys can come back tomorrow with Tamaki. Bring along your Hero costumes because we'll start right away!"
A huge smile appeared on Kirishima's face as he watched Fat Gum stamp his seal on his paper. Once it was done, Kirishima took back his paper and bowed down. "I look forward to working with you!" he said before turning to look at the two initial interns and shot them a happy grin.
Mizuha couldn't help but give him her own small happy grin. Imagining the difficulty of trying to look for a place for an internship was not something she could experience since she got hers easily. Back at the dorm, she could see most of her classmates whining about how the Agencies they visited was not good enough. Her dog hopped off her lap once he felt Mizuha was about to stand. Tamaki opened the door and started leaving with Mizuha and Kirishima following after him.
"Oh, and Micchan."
Mizuha looked over her shoulder.
Taishiro pointed at the dog next to her feet, "Don't make it a habit."
She looked at Sho for a few seconds before looking back at Taishiro.
"Don't worry about it. This was just a long walk."
"Ruff!"
When they came back on school campus, Mizuha and Kirishima parted ways with Tamaki. The two were left alone on their way back to their dormitory. The afternoon scenery and the cool breeze around them seemed like a good time for Mizuha to speak her mind.
"Hey, um, Kirishima." she awkwardly said.
"Yeah?"
"About what you said back there in Fatgum's office…" she stopped walking and looked down. "You said that you didn't want to do anything when people were in trouble. It kinda reminded me of even when I said something back when I broke down…"
Kirishima sighed and then gave her small smile. He reached up for her head and affectionately ruffled the front of her hair, gently messing it up a little. "I think I have an idea about what you want to say." he pulled his hand away, "And you don't need to say anything."
"… Really? I mean… I made it seem like I'm the only one who knew something…" she rubbed the back her neck, "And that wasn't good."
He only shook his head and waved his hand. "Really. Don't worry about it."
Mizuha didn't say anything. She only stared up at him, still feeling unsure. Her hands went inside her pants pocket and her thumbs rubbed against her index fingers. The redhead observed her quiet demeanor for a few seconds before sighing. Without a warning, he threw his arm around her and started dragging her along with him. A yelp escaped her when she found herself stumbling a little after him.
"K-Kirishima!"
"I said it was fine, so stop looking like that!"
A few students walking looked at the two passing by, wondering what was going on.
Mizuha turned her head to look at him while she hunched and walked next to him. He only lifted his other hand and lightly flicked her forehead, making her narrow her eyes at him.
"Hey—"
"Besides, with the way you were back then, I didn't want to risk making the situation about me. If I did, I have a feeling that we wouldn't be like this," he motioned between the two of them with his finger, "today."
Mizuha gave him a weird look, "Huh?"
"You needed someone to listen to you and to talk to. You didn't need someone to talk about themselves. So, don't worry about it."
"… You sure?"
"Mizuha."
"Okay, I'll stop."
With a boyish grin, he released her, "There we go."
…
…
…
"So, what's the deal with Fat Gum calling you 'wifey'?"
Mizuha groaned and ran her fingers down her face. She didn't want to explain the whole story, it was embarrassing enough to remember it… but to recall even further to explain… That seemed like a bad idea. Who knows, she might even remember something that she forgot. Some things are best left forgotten.
With her hands still on her face, she looked at her friend. "Do I have to?"
Kirishima shrugged, "I mean, if you want me to take that without any context… then—"
Mizuha dropped her hands and grabbed his arm and shook it. "Don't go assuming things, man!"
He laughed, "Then tell me!"
She cringed and released his arm. "But…"
He snickered, "So, when was the wedding?"
"Okay, fine!"
…
…
…
After she told him the story, he covered his mouth to muffle his laughter.
"Aw, that's cute." he teased.
"No, it's not!" she crossed her arms, "It's freaking embarrassing!"
The next day, with authorized absences, they went to Fat Gum's Agency with their Hero costumes. Mizuha ended up being the first one ready as always. When everyone was ready, they headed out together to areas that were reported to have some type of villain activity.
His instructions were simple. Listen to him when he gives instructions, follow your guts (he looked at Mizuha and smiled when he said that) and to smile and interact with civilians when they talk to them (he looked at Mizuha again and pushed the corner of his mouth with his index fingers).
"Fat! Come get some Takoyaki!" a man waved from his stand.
"Sure, I'll pass by on the way back!" The big Hero said while waving back.
"Someone stop that thief!"
At that shout, the four stopped and turned away. They saw a man pointing towards the direction they came from, identifying a man who was running with a plastic bag. He ran into a fruit stand, throwing the fruits out of their containers.
Mizuha moved her arm and her water raced towards the falling fruits, maneuvering its way around the civilians. Apples, pears, oranges and bananas all fell into the water and floated inside. Her group was already going after the thief so she didn't mind staying back for this one.
She walked over to the fruit stand and helped the owner place his stand back on its feet.
"Thank you, young lady. You just saved me the trouble of picking up my fruit." He smiled at her.
Mizuha nodded, allowing to her mouth to curve upwards a bit for the sake of appearances. She started putting the fruits back in their appropriate boxes since she they want to just dump them and risk flooding his containers. He started helping her out to speed up the process. Then, someone else started lending a hand.
"I should help instead of just waiting for them to catch that guy."
Mizuha looked to her left to see the newcomer putting the bananas back in place.
Hold up, that's the guy who got his money stolen the last time I was here!
He seemed to have sense her staring since the young man stopped to look at her too. His eyebrows shot up in surprise when he recognized her, "Hey, it's you!" he grinned, "You're back in the area?"
"Uh… yeah."
"Cool, so I can count on you to help me out when I need it again?" he laughed.
"… What did they take this time?"
"Same thing. Money." He sighed.
Curiously, Mizuha looked in the direction where her internship team took off. She saw Kirishima running towards them while holding up the bag. She tapped the young clerk's shoulder and then pointed at her classmate. When he looked and saw the bag, he jogged up to Kirishima and started thanking him, Fat Gum and Amajiki.
The others pitched in to help out with the fruit stand.
After a while of patrolling, they decide to retire back to the Agency and call it a day. There were only two more incidents involving trouble. During one of those times, Mizuha was able to help out with catching one of them. They already left the thief into the police custody, so all that was left was to give their report.
On the way back, Mizuha walked between Taishiro and Amajiki, listening to the conversation without paying much attention. The Pro-Hero looked at his only female intern and wondered why she was being quiet. He was wondering if she was being shy like her senior, but even Tamaki was saying something now and then. She was just really silent.
"Somethin' wrong, Celsius?"
When the question was asked, she didn't answer. Kirishima and Amajiki looked at the girl who looked like she was spacing out. She blinked and moved her head up a little, her head looked up towards Fat Gum.
"Hm?"
Then it happened, something was starting to break free from her. She couldn't stop it. Mizuha started yawning a little but she tried to cover it up behind her hand. When she realized what just escaped her, she stared at Taishiro with widened eyes, knowing exactly what she might have just hinted. Taishiro started narrowing his eyes at her.
"Celsius."
Mizuha immediately started walking past Amajiki to stand in between Kirishima and him.
"Oi! Don't run away!"
She peeked a look from behind Amajiki's side and frowned. "It's not really what you think."
"I'll be the judge of that." He said flatly. "How many hours?"
"…"
"Micchan."
"Fine, five."
"That's still not enough, especially for a teenager." he chided with a disapproving look.
"Oof." Kirishima laughed in his fist. "Your sleeping habits are that bad that your internship supervisor took notice."
"Of course, I'd notice!" Taishiro scoffed. "She looked like a raccoon most of the time!"
Mizuha gaped, "No, I didn't!" she pointed a finger, "You're exaggerating!" she said before shoving her hands in her pockets, "In my defense, I was getting a lot of school work done in advance to avoid doing them last minute!"
"There's no need to feel pressured about that." Amajiki spoke up, "The teachers understand what we're doing so they will give you a little more time for your work." He explained while adjusting his hood. "It's a different story if you can't handle both at the same time though, take Mirio for example."
Oh yeah, I get what you mean.
"Amajiki-senpai is right! He's done this before." Kirishima patted her head, "So don't lose sleep over it."
She rubbed her right eye with her right finger and then nodded slowly like a sleepy little kid. That was probably for the best. From what she remembered, Togata said something about having to experience scary things during a work study like death. She should really take into consideration that sleep deprivation might be the end of her if she isn't careful.
"So, he knows about your sleeping habits? What about your eating habits?" Kirishima asked curiously.
Oh, for fuck's sake—
Fat Gum paused, "Eatin' habits?" he repeated slowly.
Mizuha shot Kirishima a tired look. But it seemed like he didn't get the message… or he did, but he was having was too much fun with this.
"She doesn't eat a lot!" he grinned.
"Kirishima!"
"Micchan! What is wrong with you?!"
Mizuha pointed a finger at the redhead, "He didn't phrase that right and he didn't use past tense!"
Her words didn't even reach Taishiro since he was in the middle of waving at the owner who called him earlier to eat some Takoyaki. He was marching over to his spot but then paused to turn around and start calling them over to grab some food, pointing specifically at Mizuha.
"Free food!" Kirishima said gleefully while catching up to the Pro Hero.
Amajiki stood next to Mizuha who was slumping. He turned his head a little to look at her, "He's not going to change his mind."
She sighed heavily, "I know."
While the boys had a reasonable amount to Takoyaki to eat, Mizuha had gotten three times more, much to her horror. By the time they came back to the Agency, the boys were done with their food while Mizuha was only half done. She was slow when it came to eating sometimes.
She didn't want to waste the food.
… her dog wasn't around either. She couldn't just toss him a Takoyaki for him to eat.
After she changed back into normal clothes, she announced that she was going to continue eating in the breakroom. And eating she did, followed by a food coma.
…
…
…
"Is Micchan still in the breakroom?" wondered Taishiro when he noticed how long she was absent for.
"Now that you mention it…" Kirishima scratched the back of his head, turning his head to look at the clock in the office. It had already been forty minutes.
"Tamaki, could you go get her?"
Said boy stiffened in his seat on the couch. He looked at Taishiro with a frown, "Why do I have to? She'd be better off seeing her own classmate…"
"Kirishima's not really familiar with this place like you. Go on, it's a simple task. She doesn't bite."
Tamaki waited a few more moments to see if Fat Gum would change his mind, but he didn't. He only smiled as he ate. Without a word, he got up from his seat and started walking off to the breakroom in a hunched manner.
There was a reason or two why he didn't want to go and fetch her. In no way did he hate her, but he just didn't feel like she was comfortable around him. It always seemed like she did her best to talk to either Fat Gum or Kirishima when she was next to him, trying to avoid communication with him.
"How is she like me?" he muttered to himself. "It seems like she dislikes me."
"You remember that girl you bumped into during the Sports Festival?! She's my tutor! She's super smart!" Mirio said with a huge smile on his face. He pulled out his notebook and started pointing at the problems he solved thanks to Mizuha's help. "I was able to solve these on my own so easily!"
"That's good." Tamaki smiled, "If you keep it up, you'll be able to continue with Sir Nighteye."
With a hum, he nodded and started putting his things away in his bag. "But y'know, she kinda reminds me of you. You both are a little similar."
There was another, pessimistic and average person like him? One was enough for the world.
"You sure about that? There can't be anyone worse than me…"
…
…
…
Tamaki faced the wall when a little kid called him weird for having chicken feet. His negative mood suddenly shifted when he heard people praising him for his hard work. He turned around to see just how many people were surrounding him. There was enough for him to start shaking from too much attention. He froze on the spot.
He lowered his face and hid underneath his hood before turning back towards the wall again.
"Don't worry about Suneater! He's just shy!"
..
…
"Honestly, Tamaki, you should be smiling at the people! Not hiding away because you're so nervous." Fat Gum said as they walked back to the Agency together. Now that Tamaki was not nervous, he was a little depressed that he couldn't help but show a lame side to the public.
He was pretty sure others would soon call him the Lame Hero.
"I had a first-year intern at my Agency this year. She reminded me of you. You have your wall and she…" he scratched his cheek in concern, "… has her red skin."
"What does that even mean?" Tamaki sweat dropped.
"It means anxiety."
…
…
…
"… No, she definitely dislikes me. She probably has since the first day we met. I'm sure I must have done something to her without even knowing…"
He turned around the corner.
"She was even crying that day."
And then he arrived at the door of the breakroom. He gently opened the door and was quick to realize how dark it was inside.
What is she doing sitting in the dark? I don't even see the light of her phone if she was even on it…
Tamaki's fingers danced along the wall as he searched for the light switch that was supposed to be around. When his fingers touched the edge of the frame of the switch, he moved his hand upwards and used his thumb to push the switch upwards. The breakroom instantly flashed and a figure was revealed. What he saw surprised him. The two chairs that were supposed to be on the other side of the table was down to one. The opposite side had three chairs, and on them rested Mizuha's body. She was rested in a way where her face would be facing the table. Her face was hidden from his view thanks to her school jacket that was lying on her head.
"Hyoumei."
…
…
Tamaki knocked on the door twice, "Hyoumei?"
…
…
He frowned.
How deep is she sleeping?
He walked over to her figure and gently pulled her jacket away from her head. When he dropped the jacket on the table, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
How can she even sleep like that?
Her headphones were on her head while she kept an arm underneath it.
Isn't that uncomfortable?
Tamaki hovered a hand over her. What was he supposed to do? Was it better to shake her or remove the headphones? He didn't even want to be in this situation in the first place.
...
...
He chose the latter.
But as soon as he tugged the headphones a centimeter away from where it was initial placed her eyes shot open. For Tamaki, everything seemed like it was in slow motion. The girl's eyes shot open and her head twisted to look at him dead in the eyes. He was never a fan of horror movies. Right now, it seemed like he was in one. He let go of the headphones and backed up against the wall with a startled yelp.
Mizuha was confused when she saw Tamaki dart towards the wall while letting out a sound (that she couldn't quite catch thanks to her muffled ears). She pushed herself up and stared at him, eyes squinting.
"… Hi?" she offered while lowering her headphones down to her neck.
Tamaki only lowered his head before pointing at the doorway. "Fat wants you in the office…" was all he said before holding his arm and walking out the breakroom.
Mizuha lifted a brow. Did I do something wrong…?
She separated the chairs to make space for her to get out of her makeshift bed. She grabbed her jacket and put it on herself. Her hands reached up automatically for her collar thanks to her mother's constant nagging about how she needed to always make sure her collar was out correctly. She left her jacket open and waltzed out of the breakroom while closing the lights and door behind her. As her head looked into the hallway, she was just in time to see Tamaki disappear around the corner in a haste.
She frowned.
From what she noticed so far during her time at as an intern, Amajiki seemed like he didn't want to socialize with her. He did with Kirishima and Fat Gum though. His timidity was obvious but…
I think… he doesn't like me that much.
Mizuha was waiting by herself in line during lunch. She took a glance at the table where Bakugo, Byakuren and Kirishima were at. They already had their damn lunch while she still didn't start eating because she was still in line. What, did they stampede their way to the cafeteria? She could be slow at eating, and that was making her worry about the time she was going to have left (even though the school gave her plenty of time to eat).
She crossed her arms and leaned her weight on one leg, sighing in frustration. She closed her eyes for a moment to inhale, then she opened them. She blinked. A hand was waving at her in front of her face.
What the? The girl in front of me isn't even looking at me!
She trailed down the arm and saw how the arm disappeared into her body. She let out a frightened gasp and stepped back, thinking it might do something about the arm. Suddenly, a hand firmly held her to stop her from tripping back. She whipped her head back to face the person and saw how her hair literally whipped into their face.
She scowled.
"Damn it, Togata! You scared me!"
Togata only pulled his arm away from her and brushed away a piece of her hair that got caught on his lip. Then he smiled at her, "Revenge for that time in the library?"
She scoffed. "Uh no, that was my revenge for that one time you scared me." She stepped away from him and stood to the side to watch the line in front of her while looking at her senior.
Togata held his hands behind his back, "So, how is the internship going?" he asked cheerfully.
She gave him a thumbs up. "Good. I've been getting a lot more experience compared to when I didn't have my Provisional License."
He grinned, "Right?"
They moved along with the line. Mizuha used that chance to peek behind Togata, then she pulled her head back and acted like nothing happened. The blond student looked behind him and then back at her. Nothing unusual was behind him. He stared at her and tilted his head to ask a silent question. She only shrugged, "I was just wondering if Amajiki was behind you."
"Oh," he turned around and pointed at his table where Tamaki sat alone with his tray. "He's waiting for me at our usual table." He turned back to her, "Why?"
Again, she shrugged and shook her head a little. "No reason…"
His lips formed a straight line as he stared at her, quietly asking the question again with his face. She stared back at him and shook her head. He leaned forward. She averted her eyes and took a step away from him.
"It's really not a big deal."
"If it's concerning my buddy, I think I need to know~"
They moved along the line again.
She looked at the table where Togata's friend was innocently eating his food. Then she looked back at Togata. It wouldn't hurt to tell him, right?
"… It's really not a big deal, but I think… Amajiki doesn't like me—" The blond's eyebrows shifted up a bit, "—but it's not like I'm bothered by it. I mean, I can't ignore it since we do our internship together so I just notice it." she sighed, "Again, it's not a big deal. I can live with that."
Then she heard it. She heard a muffled laugh.
"What's so funny?"
Togata waved his hand in front of him, "No, no… I just think it's kinda rich how two timid people are thinking the same thing."
"Oh— huh?!"
He nodded, "He actually told me something like that too." he revealed.
That was surprise to hear.
"Try talking to him a little more. You never know, you guys could end up friends," he motioned a finger between them, "just like we did. He just needs a little push since he's just shy like you."
He said we were friends!
She and Togata were friends. He considered them as such while she pondered over it before. It was only now that she realized that she needed some type of validation when it came to friendship. She was so used to having no friends before that sometimes she felt like there might be something needed to confirm a friendship. Validation.
But...
"Talking…" she mumbled.
Isn't that what Togata did with her? Her uncle had set up the whole tutoring thing. She was dead set on keeping the conversation to a minimum and only when necessary, but he changed everything when he started talking a lot and pulling her into the conversations. He saw how shy she was despite her efforts to hide it.
She stole another look at Amajiki and bit her lip.
Maybe… it might be nice to get along with him?
I'm getting anxious at the thought of it.
…
…
…
"Besides, I bet you're also doing the same thing as him."
"And what is that?"
"Avoiding speaking to each other because you're shy."
"What? No—"
Wait… maybe that's true.
…
…
…
"Leave me alone!"
Amajiki and Mizuha separated from each other when a box flew their way. It crashed in the spot where they previously were, making the villain curse in frustration before turning around the corner.
Earlier, trouble happened again. This time it was a duo causing problems which included assault. The two had split up, hoping to lose the four of them and meet up somewhere else. With Fat Gum's instructions, the group of four split into two groups. Mizuha was with Tamaki while Kirishima was with Taishiro. The police were assisting by following after the pursuit.
The two students followed after the villain, only to face a dead end.
Mizuha's eyes darted around, confused.
Amajiki's eyes looked upwards just in time to see the villain pass above their heads.
"Behind us!" he warned just the villain landed back on the ground.
Celsius turned around and prepared her right hand, ice swirling around it. However, the villain's tail slammed into her, effectively knocking the air out of her. She was sent flying and slamming into the opposite wall. Her body fell the ground and she groaned. While wincing, she watched as her partner jumped away from the massive tail that crushed the ground it hit.
Suneater manifested his octopus-fingers and tried to capture him. It wrapped around the villain's mid-section. With a growl, the villain slammed his tail into the nearby wall. Bricks were coming apart and falling down, destroying the building. Suneater moved away from the falling debris, turning his other hand into a clam to protect his head. The villain unfortunately broke free during the chaos.
It reminded her of the collapsing building she was holding up during the Provisional Licensing Exam. Hurriedly, she got up and slammed her hand on the falling building and supported it with strong ice. She even made the ice protect Suneater by creating a ceiling above them. She made sure to triple the density just in case it fell apart.
"Shit!"
The villain started running away again.
"Hell no!" Celsius shouted, slamming her hand on the pavement. The ice formed an ice trail, starting from her palm. The ice swerved away from Suneater and kept pursuing the villain. As he ran, the ice appeared beneath his feet when they left the ground, causing him to slip and fall flat on his face. The older student used that opportunity to use his clam to knock him out where he lay.
With that, their task was done. The police immediately took him into their custody.
Mizuha stepped out of the alley way and rubbed her back with a frown. Hearing her boots dragging, Amajiki turned around to face her, "Are you okay?"
She stopped in front of him. "Yeah, I'm fine." she winced when stretched her back.
They both heard the police's radio make a static noise.
"Fat and his intern have the other villain cornered on the other side!"
Mizuha frowned and looked at Amajiki, "Should we go there?"
Amajiki contemplated for a moment, thinking about it.
"If Fat and Kirishima have him cornered, everything should be fine now."
"Oh oka—"
Something ran into her. It grabbed her leg so suddenly. That sudden movement was enough to freak her out. She stumbled away from the source and practically stumbled into Amajiki. The older boy's hands shot up reflexively in an attempt to stop her from taking him down. Both students were equally surprised at what just happened. Mizuha got out of Amajiki's space and apologized with a cringe.
"I-It's fine."
She instantly turned her head to see what the hell just came at her. There, smiling, was a boy. He had brown hair and shining purple eyes. Something about him was familiar.
…
Wait.
"I knew it was you!"
Mizuha approached the child. "You're that kid I saved…"
"Awesome! You remember me!" he bounced in his spot. "I'm so happy I got to see you again!"
"Yuusuke, right?"
"Uh-huh!" he nodded vigorously.
She rubbed the back of her neck and gave him a little grin. Her head turned back to look at the villain that was getting thrown into the back of the police car. She gave her attention back to the boy. "What are you doing here?" she asked curiously.
Because you were literally in an area that had a villain running loose again.
Yuusuke turned around and pointed at the fruit stand she helped out before. "I was with my mommy."
His mother, who was watching him from afar, waved at her with a smile on her face. He must have seen her passing by with Amajiki and asked his mom if he could say hi. Mizuha nodded her head at the mother.
Yuusuke tugged on her jacket and she looked down at him, "Yes?"
"I never asked for your Hero name!"
She never thought telling her Hero name to someone would make her feel a little giddy inside. This made a genuine smile appear on her face, "Celsius."
"Celsius." he tested. Then a grin appeared on his face, "It sounds nice!"
She saw how his shinning eyes flickered to the side, looking at something (or someone) behind her. He pointed his finger at Amajiki, looking as if he just noticed his presence behind her. The older boy merely pulled his hood back on his head since it fell earlier. He kept his hand on his hood, tugging it over his eyes. Mizuha peeked over her shoulder to look at what he was pointing at.
"Who's that?"
"Oh, that's Suneater. He's also a Hero."
"And he's your boyfriend too?!" he asked excitedly, looking interested in that potential topic.
"Hah?"
Mizuha only stared back at the kid, trying to register what just came out of his mouth. Meanwhile, Amajiki just choked on his own spit.
"No, he's just a fr—" she stopped herself before she could say the word because she knew it wasn't true. But then again, what could hurt in lying to this kid? Seems like it would be more of a hassle to explain the truth anyway.
"He held you like how my daddy holds my mommy!" he grinned.
Mizuha dropped her head, slapped her hand on her forehead. Are you implying that your mom is just as jumpy as me then?
"No, listen. It's really not like that! He's just a friend—"
"Yuusuke!"
The said boy turned around and saw his mom waving at him to come back. The little boy gave his mom a thumbs up before turning around to wave goodbye to Mizuha and Amajiki. "Bye bye Celsius! Bye bye Suneater!" he said before running off, "Mommy! Celsius is so cool and she even has a boyfriend!"
"What the hell?!" She said, loud enough for only Amajiki to hear it. The mother actually turned to look at Mizuha and Amajiki. The girl immediately held up her arms in an X and shook her head while mouthing the word 'no'. The mother only offered her an understanding smile before walking off with her son.
Mizuha sighed, carding her bangs with her fingers. She glanced at her senior and muttered an apology, guessing he might have been a little embarrassed about the whole thing. He just shook his head and stuttered a low 'it's fine'.
With his suggestion, they were both walking next to each other and heading back to the Agency.
And of course, it was dead quiet between the two. Mizuha took off the visor off her face and rubbed her face with her hand. When she did so, she discreetly glanced at Amajiki out of nervousness. Just as she thought, she couldn't see his face at all thanks to his hood. She bit the inside of her cheek and looked back in front of her. The air around them was so awkward that her skin was beginning to prickle. She felt it on her arms and knees. Then, she remembered Togata's advice.
As if grasping onto courage the was floating around her, she clenched her right fist and took a deep breath.
"Togata told me… he said that you think I don't like you."
This definitely evoked a reaction in Amajiki. He couldn't believe his friend just ratted him out like that!
He turned his head a little while she faced the ground.
"But that's not true, and to be honest, I think you don't like me."
What?
He turned his head fully to see the slight dejected look on her face.
Oh nooo…
"… That's not true either." he stated, making her look at him. "I just think I might have done something wrong since you don't really want to talk with me." he looked down, "Did I make you cry when we ran into each other?"
Mizuha cringed again. "Oh god, you remember that?" she sighed and scratched the back of her head. "That was the time when the villains attacked in USJ. I… kinda got shaken up from seeing Aizawa-sensei look all beat up. It… reminded me of a bad memory." she explained, "As for the talking part, I know Fat Gum since I met him when I was little and I did my first internship with him. That makes it easier for me to talk to him. For Kirishima, well… he's my friend. You're new person, so it's getting me nervous."
Shit, look at me saying all of this without a worry. My heart feels like it's pounding in my ears though.
She laughed to herself and left her arm. Her right hand's fingers diligently pulled up her sleeve, revealing the red patches on her skin. "This basically screams how nervous I am right now."
As Amajiki stared at the redness, he finally began to piece Mirio and Fat's words together. He understood how similar they were. He could even see the faint shaking of her fingers when she began to pull her sleeve back down.
"Are you okay?"
Ah, the common question regarding her stressed skin.
"I'm fine, it's just super irritating."
"… At least you could hide your anxiety."
She scoffed, "Yeah, but I'm still freaking out internally though. At least you can live without having my red skin."
He shook his head, "It's better than looking pathetic and having to hide away in front of a wall."
"Oh, come on. I'd rather have that!"
The internship at Fat Gum's Hero Agency continued. This time, they were in Esuha. It was dark but the light from big advertisements illuminated the market brightly, making it look rather pleasant. Red Riot and Celsius were cheering up Suneater, who was proving to be even more pessimistic than Mizuha.
"If only Mirio'd been free…" he muttered, "You kept coming at me. It was scary."
Mizuha chuckled, "I tried to help."
"But he still continued."
Fat Gum only laughed, "Tamaki, we've gotta do somethin' about that cruddy mentality of yours. You've got so much talent too!"
As if his praise was a hidden insult, Tamaki flinched and hunched like he just got hit in the stomach. "That kind of pressure will only lead me down further." he covered his face with hands. "It's always like this! I swear he scouted me just to have someone to torment! It's power harassment! I want to go home!"
Kirishima smiled and gave him a guts pose. "Maybe he's trying to encourage you! At least, that's what it sounds like to me!"
"… Y'know, the tormenting part… I think I get it." Mizuha mumbled, referring to how Taishiro loved to tease her.
"Oh, be quiet Micchan."
"I can't be as cheery and positive like you or Mirio." Amajiki said to Kirishima.
"I know how it feels, man." assured the redhead, "There've been plenty of times when I can't do anything when everyone else is frantic. The gap in ability and experience between me and my classmates has gotten bigger… So, I want to at least close that gap so I can stand next to them!"
"That's called 'being positive', first year."
"Kirishima." Mizuha called flatly, "You're strong." she said while looking at him dead in the eyes.
The redhead only rubbed the back of his head and was about to say something until—
"A fight! Someone, help!"
The four of them immediately went on alert. As soon as they turned around, they saw a couple of people running away, five people to be precised. Fat Gum went straight up to them and they ran straight into his fat. But two people got away from his grip. The first one escaped by using his Quirk which was similar to Edgeshot's while the last one was small enough to wiggle out and run. He was running with his arms too, like a dog.
Mizuha looked at the shorter one dead in the eye when he came running towards the interns. She lowered herself to the ground and placed her palm on the ground. Ice raced across the surface of the pavement, she was planning to freeze him in this tracks. The troublemaker jumped away from the ice like a deer. The ice bulged out of the ground and it shot up like a snake and wrapped itself around the guy's body. Then he fell on the ground.
She let out a quick sigh and grinned, satisfied with her work. She stood back up and rolled her shoulders back.
"These are my interns!" Fat Gum proudly announced, motioning his hands towards the three students. "But Suneater over here is already outclassin' most Pros!" he praised. "Just needs a bit of mental trainin' though!"
Instantly, the crowd that gathered around them started cheering, causing Suneater to shake from the attention. Celsius looked at her senior and laughed a little, she walked over to him as he stayed low to the ground and stood in front of him to block away the people from his sight. As he looked up to her, she used her hands to imitate the form of a wall.
"Want me to make an ice wall to hide you?" she offered with a grin.
"… D-Don't tease me."
"But I'm not!" she crouched down and grinned wider.
"Get down!" Fat Gum's voice boomed which was followed by the sound of a gunshot.
Just when she was about to turn around and look, she felt something on her neck. Her eyes widened. Pain. That's what she felt before instantly collapsing to the ground next to Suneater. The second shot hit Suneater, making him fall too. The third shot, aimed at Red Riot, bounced off his forehead when he hardened his body.
"Celsius! Suneater! Red Riot!"
The crowd that was once cheering was now screaming and running from the culprit, horrified at the sight of young Heroes getting gunned down.
Mizuha blinked frantically, fingers trembling, She was still alive. But how? She was sure the bullet connected somewhere below her head. She got on her knees and shakily reached behind her head, touching the spot where she was hit.
She wasn't bleeding.
"I-I'm okay." she mumbled.
"It hurts less than I thought it would…" commented Suneater, also getting up on his knees.
"Mizuha! Senpai! Are you all right?!" Red Riot glanced back at them, standing before them protectively.
As soon as the culprit started fleeing, Red Riot dashed after him. To try and help, Suneater extended his arm and tried to use his octopus. Celsius watched his fingertips but was confused when barely any of his octopus started manifesting. He looked at his hand in confusion.
She put her hand on the ground to try and use the same move she did earlier, but she only felt a chill around her hand. Not a single icicle came out. Now, she was dreading what was going on. She looked at her senior with panic in her eyes. Shaken up, they both got back up on their feet.
"Wait! Don't go runnin' into things! Move too hastily and it'll come back to bite ya!" Fat Gum yelled after Red Riot before turning to his two other interns. "Suneater, Celsius, if you're alright, then I'll leave this place to you! Other Heroes will be here soon, so work with them!" he instructed before rushing after Red Riot.
"We're not hurt, but our Quirks won't activate!" Suneater exclaimed.
The Pro-Hero paused and looked at the two. "Is Eraser around here?!" he looked back at in front of him for a moment and then back at the Celsius and Suneater. "Don't do anythin' rash!" he added to his instructions before disappearing from their sight. He needed to help out Red Riot first and then figure out what was going on with the two who were shot.
They ended up barely helping since they couldn't really do much. Amajiki was probably not skilled in hand to hand combat like Mizuha because he stayed back when she tried to help. She didn't have any weapons with her so she ended up grabbing a nearby empty box. She threw it at one of the villains escaping and pinned them down to help the police handcuff them.
"Thanks, you guys really helped us out here! This gang's been selling illegal drugs and goods. We've been looking for a chance to catch them." Explained one of the police officers.
Suneater rubbed the spot where he was shot and then looked at one of the criminals. "So, our Quirks couldn't activate because one of those items?"
The criminal only clicked his tongue and glared at him. "Eat shit and die, stupid scum."
...
Celsius looked back at her senior who was facing the wall. She frowned and looked back at the officer and the criminal.
"Anyway, please leave the rest to us." the officer said before turning away from them and leaving with the group of criminals.
They weren't going to talk. They weren't going to find the answer fast, and that was worrisome. She lifted up her hands and stared at them. Compared to earlier, nothing was coming out at all. When she got shot, she was able to produce a chill but now... there was nothing. No matter how many times she tried to activate it.
She was…
Was she Quirkless?
After all this time, training, developing my Quirk properly… is it really just gone like that?
Taishiro suggested they pay a visit to the hospital to figure out what was wrong with Mizuha and Tamaki. They went back to the Agency and changed before heading there though. When Taishiro explained to the staff what had happened, they were quick in admitting them in to run a few tests on them. After conducting a few tests, a doctor emerged out of the room where Tamaki and Mizuha were being tested and informed Taishiro and Kirishima that the two would have to stay at the hospital overnight. They needed to monitor their condition. Their Quirk Factors were damaged because of substance that was found in the bullet, other than that, they were in perfect condition. That was the reason why their Quirks were not activating. However, there was a possibility that their bodies could naturally heal the damage done. Hence the reason why they wanted them to stay overnight.
"You two listen to the staff."
"I'll see you tomorrow Mizuha. You too, senpai."
Were the last things they heard from Taishiro and Kirishima before they were left with each other. The hospital had provided them with clothes for the night and placed them in a semi-private room, meaning they were sharing a room meant for two. The beds were facing each other but each one had a curtain to give privacy. She was probably going to use it block away the light coming from the hallway.
With a sigh, she dropped her bag on her chair and pulled out her phone and wallet. She looked at Amajiki who was settling his stuff down too.
"What are you going to do?"
Amajiki frowned and started pulling out his wallet, "I'll just go down and eat… then I'll head to bed. I'll just hope for the best after a goodnight's sleep."
She put a hand on her bandaged neck and brushed her fingers on the place where she got hit. "Yeah, I'll do that too… I don't know if I'll be able to sleep though… I'm worried." she said before putting her things in her pocket and walking to the door. Amajiki followed after her and they both walked to the canteen.
They were pretty much brooding as they ate. They couldn't cheer themselves up because both of them were not the type to radiate with optimism. They were assuming the worst.
When they went back to their room, embarrassment about the sleeping arrangement flew out the window. Their worry over their Quirks trampled their anxious mind. Amajiki ended up falling asleep first but Mizuha couldn't sleep. She tried closing her eyes and thinking about something nice… but it proved to be useless. She sat up in her bed and stared at the moon behind the window, wondering if she should call someone to calm her down. Her mother? Brother? Byakuren? But she glanced at her sleeping senior and noticed that he didn't call anyone. He was doing a good job at keeping himself together.
She ran her fingers in her hair, frustrated.
Mizuha launched herself backwards on her bed.
She ended up sleeping super late.
…
…
…
She woke up first even if she slept late. The curtain she moved to hide the light from the hallway was pushed back. She made the effort to do it as quietly as possible since her senior was still sleeping. Mizuha sat in a criss cross way and looked at her hands. She was scared of trying to activate her Quirk and feeling the despair if it didn't work. But when she held up her right hand there was water swirling around in her palm. Her face instantly brightened up. To test it even further, she made her water separate into small droplets similar to konpeito, and froze them. Then she made them fly around the room, making her contain a scream of joy. She was practically bouncing on her bed.
Tamaki shivered. Why was it cold? His eyes open and looked around, squinting. He shifted his head on the pillow to look at his junior. She was sitting there, using her Quirk, with smile on her face. He blinked a few times. Wasn't this the first time he saw her smile? As soon as sat up in his bed, creating a rustling noise, the ice evaporated in the air and Mizuha looked like she was just caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
The nurses ran more tests on them before letting them go. After eating breakfast, Tamaki is able to manifest the tail of a fish in his hand.
As soon as they arrived at school, Mizuha stretched her arms back.
"It's good that we got our Quirks back." she lowered her arms with a small sigh, "I wonder what would have happened since we're Hero Course students…"
"… You'd probably still have a place here." he said before slowly looking at the ground. "You still did something without your Quirk… unlike me."
"Hey, I fought old style and unprofessionally. I threw a damn box."
"It's still something."
Mizuha sweat dropped. She sighed and pulled out her phone out of her pocket. She only had fifteen minutes left before the break started before the second period. That should give her enough time to get ready. She immediately waved at her senior and said she needed to go off on her own now. Tamaki watched her leave. The Class 1-A dormitory was not too far so he saw her turn around and run into the building.
He turned and started walking in the direction of the school. He lifted left his arm and looked at the bandaged part. He was glad his Quirk was back. But what exactly was that drug? The hospital staff didn't tell him and Mizuha what the contents were but they did tell Fat Gum about it. He lowered his arm and sighed.
He recalled the moment where he found Mizuha playing with her Quirk.
She should smile more often.
Sidekick Celsius' second Hero feat! Amazing!
Mizuha blinked. The article was showing a picture of her catching the villain last night and a video of her saving Yuusuke. The same video that Byakuren showed her when they came back from their first internship. People must have done research and found the video.
"You saved a kid from death?!" Ashido pushed her phone closer to her face. Mizuha leaned back and tried reading it a little more.
"That was so dangerous… my heart dropped when I saw you almost hit the ground!" Jiro fretted while holding a hand to her heart.
"Right?!" Ashido pulled away her phone. "I literally got up from my bed and stared at my phone before that Pro-Hero saved her."
Mizuha chuckled at their worry. When Uraraka and Tsuyu came back into the classroom, Ashido and Jiro went up to them too. They were probably on the news too.
Kirishima was looking at the video too, he turned his phone to show it to her. "I don't remember this happening with Fat Gum…" he said, confused. His phone was showing an extended version of her saving the kid. It started from a few seconds before the villain dropped him all the way until Fat Gum caught her fall.
She scratched the back of her head, "Yeah… that happened before I had a license."
Kirishima lowered his phone, "Seriously?!"
"Yep… so I basically cheated." she whispered while making quotation marks with her fingers for that last word. She lowered one hand and used the other to swipe upwards on his phone. "It doesn't say anything about me and Amajiki not being able to use our Quirks though…" she looked up at Kirishima with a frown.
"I think only the police know about it since they picked up the bullet and the gun." Kirishima whispered. "And the hospital too I guess."
The people didn't know about the drug. They were keeping it quiet.
"About that, how is your Quirk?" Kirishima changed the subject since he never asked.
She offered him a small reassuring smile, "It's okay. I tested it out this morning."
"Senpai's too?"
She nodded.
"That's good to hear." He smiled.
Fat Gum didn't ask them to come back to the Agency. Maybe he was doing that to let those who were shot rest up and make sure nothing was wrong? They didn't know. He just told them that it was fine for them to not come back.
… Until the suddenly contacted them two days later, telling them to show up somewhere else and without their costumes. Mizuha was walking away from the dorm with Kirishima until they heard the door open behind them. They found Midoriya stepping out and going down the stairs.
"Morning, Midoriya!"
Mizuha waved at him.
"You're going to your work study today, too? What a coincidence."
Midoriya was saying something about how it was his first day back when Mizuha saw Uraraka and Tsuyu exit the dorm too.
"Hey." Mizuha waved at the girls, earning her two waving hands.
"You three are going in today too?" asked the brunette while walking down the steps with Tsuyu.
"Yeah!"
They all ended up taking the same train, stopping at same station and walking down the same path. They were all heading to the same destination. When they arrived, they found the Big Three getting ready to stop in. They were greeted by them. As soon as they entered, Mizuha's eye caught some words written next to the door.
Sir Nighteye's Hero Agency
An eyebrow lifted up. This is the agency where Togata did his internship and the same one that Midoriya had been accepted into. When they walked to the designated room, she couldn't help but feel a little nervous. A hand reached up behind and touched her nape. She blinked. Right, it was bandaged.
She looked up and saw how it was labeled as a meeting room.
Wait… a meeting?
When they opened the doors, a number of Heroes were already inside, waiting for the meeting to start. Mizuha sharply inhaled before taking a step back. The other nervous student turned away from the crowd.
Is that Aizawa-sensei?
"Fat!" Kirishima exclaimed, walking to the Pro-Hero. Hearing this, Mizuha followed after her classmate with Amajiki following after her. They wanted to know what was going.
But then someone spoke up at the front of the room. He walked a little toward the center. He was a tall man, dressed in a business outfit. Dark green hair smoothed down and parted to his left with three yellow streaks in the front. He wore glasses in front of his stern-looking eyes on his stern-looking face. He looked like the type who wouldn't laugh.
That's… he was the only Sidekick of All Might wasn't he? His name was... Sasaki Mirai? Right?
"Thanks to the information we received from you all, the investigation has moved forward substantially. We will now have a conference to share what information we have acquired regarding what the small organization, Shie Hassaikai, is planning."
"I'm completely in the dark about this…" Kirishima whispered to Fat Gum, "Hassai… what?"
"They might be thinkin' of doin' somethin' bad, so this is a time for us to discuss it together." he said before looking at each of his interns. "And it's got plenty to do with you three."
… Is it about the drug?
Mizuha reached for the spot where she was hit.
Oh man, I seriously enjoyed writing the interactions between Mizuha and Tamaki. In Team Anxiety, Mizuha obviously has a better hold of it since she can hide it meanwhile Tamaki is just shaking there.
Anyway, this chapter was light but the next chapter will have the story go more into the Shie Hassaikai Arc.
I'll see you in the next chapter soon!