Dreaming of Stars

by Gushy48

Sanji Inochi, a selfless man who is unable to use his Quirk—Dreams, being considered Quirkless. Through luck and seemingly-impossible odds, he finds his way to U.A. High School in Class 1-B. With what Life brings to 1-B, the society that they live in—the Hero Society—will forever be altered. (x-posted on AO3 and Quotev/bi-weekly schedule)

43. Onward to I-Island

Shinzo Mantora

Chomp!

Apple's pretty good. Summer Break isn't bad. And best of all, I don't have to deal with my classmates. Life is great. Today, I can just sit back on the couch and scroll through stuff on my phone.

"The Italian Villain group 'Iconoclast' is rumored to target Vatican City!" I'm not really caught up on international news, but I'm pretty sure that has something to do with the Protestant and Catholic conflict that's been going on for a while. They have their own views on Quirks, which obviously creates tensions between both parties, and terrorist attacks happen.

Next.

"Rumors have it: South Korean Idol Hero 'Starlight' and Japanese Idol Hero ' Kira-Kira ' will be performing together at the Eiyukawa Fireworks Festival!" Huh, neat. Starlight and Kira-Kira are performing together? Kazeha would love that. I'm not too interested in pop music though, but the idols are cute.

Next.

"The I-Expo is starting within a few days! Pro Heroes from all around the world are attending the event that will showcase the future of Quirk technology! All Might and other No.1 Pro Heroes are rumored to be there!" Oh, that explains a lot. Suzuki told me that he has to tutor his elementary kids by himself because Fukidashi won't be around. Must be because he's attending I-Expo with his classmates. Good on them.

Next.

Bzzt!

Nope, never mind. Kazeha's texting me. She said: "im bored" God, she wants me to entertain her. Why is she bothering me though?

Me: "i'm mantora"

Kazeha: "no dad jokes"

Me: "i'm not a dad, i'm mantora"

Kazeha: "why am i texting you again?"

Me: "because you're Bored Kazeha"
Kazeha: "hmph, whatre you doing?"

Me: "nothing, shouldn't you bother suzuki?"

Kazeha: "hes tutoring"

Me: "gera?"

Kazeha: "shes visiting relatives in germany"

Me: "the elegant mysterious queen who rules over the domain of heroism?"

Kazeha: "i have no idea what my adorable chuuni is doing right now" (I can hear Kakumi Yamajiru going "Kuku" in my head.)

Me: "...yibiju?"

Kazeha: "shes currently undergoing modification"

Me: "got any other friends i havent mentioned yet?"

Kazeha: "you"

Me: "friends who care about you"

Kazeha: "wow"

Kazeha: "jerk"

Me: "nympho"

Kazeha: "hentai protagonist"

Me: "virgin"

Kazeha left me on "Read". Would you look at that? I found a way to shut her up. Just gotta call her a virgin and her lips will zip up faster than a hoodie. I need to take a mental note of that for future encounters, especially ones in the wild.

Chomp!

Ate this apple to the core unfortunately.

Toss!

There we go, made a basket too. Too bad I'm not tall enough to play basketball. To be fair, I don't care about basketball anyway.

What else is on the news? Is the world going to end? Is North and South Korea gonna unite? Will America… Yeah, I don't have anything for America. Great place. Weird, but great. I—?

Click!

Clack clack clack clack!

Someone's here, coming from the back door. Multiple people.

Four sets of footsteps. One of them belongs to Mato, but I can't recognize the other three; good, doesn't mean I'm getting attacked if Mato is here. Two of the footsteps belong to adults, probably male from how heavy their steps are. The last one is faint and soft, kinda like a child—can't make out the gender. Hmm, it's not anyone from my Yakuza, I think. I don't have any proof other than my gut. Though, knowing Mato, my surprise guests are from another Yakuza group, or maybe Villains in general.

They're getting closer. I sit up and put my phone away. For some reason, I feel a sense of dread. The hairs on the back of my neck are standing up, and my stomach is twisting and turning. Whoever the hell is here, they mean serious business. Though, if one of those footsteps really is a child, then I know who's here…

Click!

"Shinzo," Mato says, walking into the living room with a resting serious face—or a jackass face depending on who you talk to. He never wears a smile. He always makes sure that everyone can see his face, so his black hair is swept back. Mato stops a few meters from the doorway, standing perpendicularly to the couch I'm sitting on. Looking towards the door, he announces, "We have guests."

Two men and a little girl come through the door. The obvious leader of the three is a tall guy wearing a black dress shirt with matching pants, white gloves, and a plague doctor mask that covers his mouth. His mask has a red-purple color, being tipped with gold. The other guy is wearing a white hoodie with gray-white hair with the tips naturally forming as arrows—he's a pretty boy. The little girl has pale hair with red eyes; she's wearing a tattered pale dress. Her arms and legs are bandaged up, but there's nothing that could bandage the dead look in her eyes.

I know these people. I hate these people—not the girl, obviously.

They're Kai Chisaki ("Overhaul") and Hari Kurono ("Chronostasis"). The little girl? I heard her name is Eri.

I stand up, shoving my hands in my pocket. I look at the three of them. They belong to the Shie Hassaikai, who is arguably the strongest Yakuza group at the moment. I look back at Mato, who has a small frown on his face. I ask him, "You know Dad isn't here right? You could be putting everything at risk, y'know." Casually, I turn towards a corner of the room. There's nothing there of course, but it's for dramatic effect. "There could be cameras." There aren't any cameras. We told the Commission to not spy on us, but they could always walk back on that promise.

"I know what I'm doing, Shinzo." Mato gives me a glare that could kill kittens, but I'm not intimidated by him. "You aren't going to tell our coward of a father, right? He—"

I interrupt, "Coward, haha… Yeah, this is coming from the same guy who's sneaking around behind said coward's back to meet up with the Shie Hassaikai, discussing God-knows-what. Yeah no, sounds a little bit hypocritical, doesn't it? Don't even know why you're doing this here. Could've done it somewhere else so I wouldn't have known." Overhaul and Chrono glance at one another. Eri shys her face away from us—poor thing.

Mato's frown worsens. Mhm, he's always disappointed in his little brother. We're two sides on the same coin: criminal and Hero. Well, I'm trying to be one at least. Didn't work out so well. "Either way, what's done is done. Are you really going to tell Dad about this, Shinzo? Or the Commission? Seeing as you're one of their puppets?"

For some reason, I hold my breath after he said that. I can't get an answer out. My words are caught in my throat. I can try and cough it out all I want, but I don't think I can dislodge them. Damnit all. Mato nods his head, taking my silence as an answer. "As I thought. You're no more of a coward than Dad. But let's not argue more in front of our guests. I'm sure you know who they are."

Mato steps aside to let them get a chance to introduce themselves. Overhaul walks up to me, maintaining a socially acceptable distance away. I put my hand out, but I immediately pull it back. "Right, I forgot… You're a little bit of a germaphobe, right?"

Overhaul huffs, scratching his cheek. "You still have some bit of sense, Shinzo Kichoki." His voice is husky like his throat is lined with sandpaper. From his presence alone, he's an intimidating man. I dealt with worse though. "Hmm, what can I say to someone as sick as you, Kichoki? Heroism is a sickness that ought to be eradicated."

"Uh huh, thanks. I don't know why you wanna work with us frankly. You know what kind of people we are." I look towards Eri, who looks away from me. "Unlike you, we draw a line somewhere."

"Then you should keep an eye on what your brother does," he tells me. "He draws a line and pushes beyond it. Oh, that reminds me of your school's slogan. What was it again? 'Go Beyond, Plus Ultra,' right?"

Of course Mato would compromise his morals to get what he wants. I didn't even know that he was interested in working with these guys. What kind of a man is he turning into? He's changing right before my eyes.

Chrono speaks up, "We should begin the meeting soon, Overhaul. We can't afford to waste time."

Mato nods. "Right, let's get to it." He walks up and puts a hand on my shoulder. "Watch Eri, would you?"

"Why didn't you leave her with the rest of your thugs?" I ask Overhaul, who gives me a really fake smile. I think he's smiling, because his eyes definitely are.

Overhaul simply answers, "None of your concern, Kichoki." Mato gestures to him and Chrono, wanting them to follow him down the hall, probably using one of the extra rooms here. Before they leave, Chrono whispers something to Eri, which prompts her to sit down on the couch in front of mine. She hangs her head, gripping her dress. Yeah… This is just great.

The three musketeers leave to conduct their shitty business, leaving me alone with this girl. Damnit all… I sit down where I was at before, taking my phone out. Ah, Kazeha texted me again and I didn't even realize. She sent: "no u". Great, exactly what I needed. That is the exact reassuring message I want when Mato is potentially risking the deal Dad made with the Hero Public Safety Commission all because he read a single book written by Wahrmann, who is the ultimate nihilist of heroism. There has to be a reason why he's doing this. Other than trying to bring the Jizen Mugen to a higher standing than before. It doesn't make sense why he literally brought the Shie Hassaikai into our own home and asked me to babysit the child that they're abusing. It's like Mato is testing me or something.

Ugh, either way, I shouldn't bash Kazeha. I'm not blaming her for any of this.

Me: "that took you awhile"

Kazeha: "quiet"

Wait, right… I have to babysit Eri. Glancing up from my phone, Eri is awkwardly sitting across from me. She isn't maintaining eye contact; she isn't trying to. God, what did Overhaul do to her? Let's...try something. "Hey, you're Eri, right?"

Eri slowly nods.

"Okay, good start…" I mutter. "Wanna watch TV or something? Do you like cartoons? Or anime?"

Eri takes a second to think. After that second, which felt like an hour, she shakes her head. Amazing, that's just great…

Let's—

Bzzt!

Oh right, I'm still texting Kazeha.

Kazeha: "now you're doing what i said? jerk"

Me: "actually i was busy doing something else rn"

Kazeha: "oh? is 'something else rn' me?"

Me: "no you virgin, i mean job stuff came up"

Kazeha: "hey!"

Kazeha: "also, you have a job?"

Me: "something like that"

Me: "gotta take care of some stuff, ttyl"

Kazeha: "mwah"

Okay, got Kazeha out of the way. Eri is still an issue. She doesn't wanna watch TV, and I don't think her goons are giving her the luxury of entertainment. Well, I don't think she'll intentionally be a nuisance. Whatever Overhaul and Chronostasis do to her, it numbed Eri from things the average person shouldn't experience. From going through stuff-I-don't-wanna-imagine, I don't think she'll ask for anything… In her shoes, she's trying to survive. Here, it'll mean she's gonna do nothing. Anything she does, Overhaul will probably know about it. It makes my job astronomically easier, but it doesn't mean I like it.

Ugh, let's hope Suzuki doesn't mind me texting him.

Me: "suzuki, i know you're at tutoring but i need help"

He answers immediately.

Suzuki: "i'm not"

Me: "you lied to kazeha, didn't you?"

Suzuki: "yup, anyway what's going on? must be desperate if you're coming to me for help"

Me: "how do i make a child happy"

It takes a minute for Suzuki to respond.

Suzuki: "what did you do to this child?"

Me: "wasn't me, it was the yakuza"

Suzuki: "uh huh, very funny"

Suzuki: "of all people to blame, even god, why did you pick the yakuza?"

Me: "first thing that came to my head"

Suzuki: "ugh, do you know what this child likes?"

I look at Eri. Yeah, this is the first time I met her.

Me: "nope"

Suzuki: "you're the worst babysitter i ever met"

Me: "thank you"

Suzuki: "god, what is this kid doing right now?"

Me: "sitting on the couch doing nothing"

Suzuki: "okay, give them an apple or something"

Me: "i'll try that, thanks"

Suzuki: "good luck"

I go into the kitchen, get a fresh apple, and slowly approach Eri. I really shouldn't move too hastily around her for obvious reasons. "Eri," I say, "want an apple?"

Eri looks at me, then down the hall where her kidnappers are at, back at me, back to the apple, back at me again. She has an uncertain expression on her face. Damn, she's traumatized to the point where she's questioning if she can even have an apple? Well, if Overhaul has a problem with keeping his captive fed, then I don't care. I tell Eri, "Open your hand, please."

A flash of panic runs through her eyes. She instinctively looks around probably gauging if this is a trap or not. But there's nothing here besides the both of us. Slowly, and very reluctantly, Eri lifts up her right arm and opens her hand. I place the apple in her hand. "There, you should eat it. You should have something nice once in a while."

God knows that you need something like that.

I walk back where I was at before, sitting back down. Eri holds the apple in her hand. After glancing at me for a second or two, she takes a small bite. Her eyes light up a little as she keeps eating. There we go… Look at me, changing lives an apple a day. I'm starting to act like an actual Hero...

Who happens to be the Yakuza Prince of U.A. High School.

Well, if life was a novel, then I'd be one interesting character.

For an hour, nothing outstanding happens. Pigs aren't flying, the moon isn't crashing down into the earth, and Kazeha doesn't stop acting like a nymphomaniac. So quite literally, nothing happened. Absolutely nothing, nada. I simply sat here scrolling through my phone while Eri ate, and finished, her apple. At one point, I did get up and toss it in the trash for her, but that's about it. Eri went back to being her isolated self.

Finally, we hear the creaking of a door and three sets of footsteps. Eri immediately tenses, glancing down at the floor. I hear the idle conversation of three businessmen.

"I hope you understand, Overhaul. I would help you if my hands weren't so tied up."

"I know, Kichoki. You're in bondage, unwillingly becoming a slave to the system. If I was in your position, I'd do something to your troublesome family of yours."

Tch.

"The other Kichoki can hear us, Overhaul."

"I know, Chrono. Either way, Kichoki, keep your eyes open. Take this as a sign of goodwill."

"Thank you. I'll see you out."

Mato walks into the living room with the terror duo behind him. He's holding a small black briefcase—the gift. We lock eyes from the moment he took his first step. Well, kinda. My bangs still cover my eyes from his perspective. With a motion of his wrist, Overhaul calls Eri to her, who promptly hides behind him. She's obedient, yet afraid. That's a bit redundant though. Obedient people are always afraid.

Chrono asks me, "How was Eri? Did she do anything?"

I shake my head. "She was good. You oughta give her some candy or something sweet."

He doesn't respond. Mato sighs and leads the three of them out. I don't follow with; I just sit here idly like ever. My brother gives them a nice farewell before closing the back door. Of course, they have to maintain some secrecy. They can't use the front door like a normal person. At least they're gone now. I don't have to worry about them any more.

I have to worry about Mato though. He comes back inside the living room still holding that briefcase. Seeing that I'm looking at it, he lays it down on the table in front of me. "Since you're curious, I'll show you what's inside."

Click click!

The briefcase opens.

Ah.

Looking at its contents, I comment, "So this is the Quirk-Destroying Drug I heard about. Five bullets, and it even comes with its own gun. It's temporary right?"

Mato nods, shutting the briefcase. "Yes, only temporary. If you want to know why the Shie Hassaikai wanted to speak with me, they need funding to make the drug take on a permanent effect. But we weren't able to make a deal due to extraneous circumstances."

"Basically, you're a slave to the system, huh? Well, sorry for ruining your dreams, Mato. I don't know how you could ally yourself with the man who abuses a child," I say.

"You ought to watch your tongue, Shinzo. Once Dad inevitably retires, I'll take his place. Within a heartbeat, I can ruin your dreams too. And I will."

"Go ahead. I'm sure our guys would love to have their moral code violated by some power-hungry prick who thinks he's smarter than everyone else. We're practically Vigilantes, but you're a Villain through and through."

"Hmph," Mato huffs, taking his gift and tucking it under his arm. "I'll be in my room, Shinzo. Have a good day."

He leaves with a very frustrated look on his steaming face. Heh… He's a problem… He's too much of a problem…

Bzzt!

It's Suzuki.

Suzuki: "did the yakuza kidnap you yet?"

Me: "yeah, you have to pay the ransom"

Suzuki: "one: i'm broke"

Suzuki: "two: i don't care about you that much"

Me: "at least you care"

---

Sanji Inochi

"Ho-hokekyyo!"

"That's a cute birdie, what is it, Papa?"

"A bush warbler, little one. Around the world, he would be referred to as the Japanese nightingale. Whenever you hear the nightingale's call, you know winter has ended, making way for spring," Dad told me holding the nightingale on his right index finger. The bird was olive brown about the size of Dad's palm. Its beak took on a lighter shade, shaped in such a way that it took on a permanent smile. Being the herald of springtime, of course it was smiling. Spring is the season of rebirth and growth, revitalization and development. With a single call from its smiling beak, it would usher a time where you can hear birds singing as nature begins to reopen itself from the still tranquility that winter brought.

My memory is still blurry. Everything is tinted in a white light, even Dad. I can't make out how he looked exactly, but compared to my past memories, he was clearer. He had a smile that complimented the nightingale perfectly, so I smiled too. "Really? That's so cool! You must be really good with birds if they sit on your finger like that!"

"Honestly little one, I never handled birds in my entire life," Dad said despite taming this small little bird who simply sat on his finger. "It doesn't matter. Finally, I can listen to the song of the nightingale. I never thought I would hear its music again."

"Why?" I asked, slowly approaching him and the nightingale, who was still chirping politely.

Dad sighed; his smile dropped. "I'm sure your mother will tell you when you are older. But let's not think about that, little one. Bring out your hand, would you?"

"Uhm, okay…" I shakily brought out my hand. I was nervous. Not because I was scared of birds, but I was afraid that I would hurt the nightingale somehow. I didn't have complete control of my body like how Dad did. Maybe that was how he could tame the nightingale so easily. He never wasted a single movement in his life. Life was a stage, and he was the main dancer. Most people would find themselves pushing against the grain, yet he somehow moved along with it. He found eternal peace which allowed him to waste not a single second of his life. There was no doubt that he was one of the strongest men I knew. Even with his frail body, he was still strong. When he was born into this world, he was already ingrained in nature.

To the nightingale, he probably thought he was resting on a tree branch.

Seeing my hand being offered, the nightingale didn't hesitate to land on my own finger, chirping. "Ho-hokekyyo!"

I was startled initially. The nightingale flew right towards me without hesitation, treating me exactly the same as Dad. Anxiety rose in my chest, but as the seconds flew by, that feeling subsided. And I laughed.

I never handled a bird, but I did it so easily with this one. It was hard to tell who was special. Me? Dad? Or this little bird who wasn't afraid of anything. With this adorable little thing in hand, I smiled along as he sang. Beautifully, the newfound spring air was filled with an orchestra of song. The nightingale took charge with his wondrous voice as if he was singing to the world; the wind was the sweeping chorus that chilled the audience to the bone; and the skies were damp with the tears of the trees clapping, celebrating.

The song ended, and the tiny singer had to leave. He bid Dad and I farewell before flying away wherever the skies beckoned him. I turned towards my father before I heard the door opening followed by a familiar voice that resonated deeply in my chest—my brother.

As I was about to go back inside my home, I took a second to look back outside hoping I would see the glimpse of the nightingale, but it disappeared. I sighed, heading inside to greet my brother. He stood in the doorway being engulfed in a reverie of white light, almost like dreams were overtaking his body. Once we saw each other, I couldn't help but form a goofy grin on my face.

I loved days like these. I was filled with a wonderful innocence ignorant to the cruelty of the outside world that grew darker as the years went by—I believe in the greatest heroism, the one that would shine the light on the shadows that the world made. And hopefully, on one fateful day…

Reaching up to the infinite space, my mind becoming one with my body—treasure unveiled—I would fight on until I could reach no more.

---

A warm hand touches my shoulder, holding it tightly as if they don't want to let me go. Having said that, at the same time, it feels like they want me to turn around and face them. "Wake up… Wake up, dreamer."

The real world comes into focus, prying me out of my daydream. The warm touch disappears as soon as my mind stops wandering. The voice fades away like a phantom haunting my mind. I don't recognize that voice; it doesn't sound like my father's or my brother's. It's a man's voice, but whose? Do I need an exorcism or something?

Crap, I've been experiencing this too much to ignore it. I forgot when it started to happen, but one day, I've been hearing voices that seem to be right next to me, but when I look around, there's no one who matches the voice. Before, I heard Dad and my brother talking to me, but now… I don't know. I'm going crazy, I swear…

Though…

The sun is nice.

Ah right! I'm going to I-Island for a few days or so. We're flying there thanks to Setsuna basically shoving us onto the plane. It's us three, Master Kendo, Hayami, Yui, and Mister Tokage. Everyone else from class is going to be there too, but they're taking different planes. Thanks to a little string-pulling by Mister Tokage, all twenty-one of us (plus Shojo) have invitations to the Early Access Event of I-Expo, which means we can experience everything before the mass public can. Unfortunately, Mister Kan couldn't make it due to his work, but he wants us to have a nice vacation before summer camp begins. That's how Operation I-Island was made, which can be summed up in one sentence: "Let's go nuts." (Thanks Awase.)

We're almost there! I can see I-Island in the distance; we're not too far now! I read up about its history before the flight! The United Hero Nations seeked further research on metaology and so did many other countries. Together, they formed the Council of I-Island to facilitate its construction. Engineers and scientists from all over the world made up the council, all to ensure that the construction goes well. The first obstacle was the location of I-Island. The United States wanted it to be off the coast of California because they donated the most to the project. However, pretty much everyone else disagreed and wanted I-Island to be near their country—even though some of the countries on the Council were landlocked! Thanks to one British engineer, he suggested that the island should move on its own and actually explained in-detail how that could work.

They listened to him.

And so, the world's largest artificial island was on its way! It took ten years for I-Island to be built from beginning to end. The United Hero Nations declared it a complete success and "the ultimate example of the heroic countries of the world coming together to uncover the mysteries of the world". Despite the U.H.N.'s statement on how successful the I-Island Project was, critics intensely scrutinized practically everything. They claimed that embezzlement was an often occurrence and the workers were treated like slaves. Some even said that I-Island was a cover for something sinister, though the "something sinister" was never elaborated upon. Those people were probably conspiracy theorists.

Today, companies all over the world have invested in I-Island in order to fund their research, like Tokage Industries. I heard it's pretty cutthroat.

That's enough about the history though. Today, I-Island is home to thousands upon thousands of scientists from every corner of the globe. The board who runs I-Island decided to have Japanese as the official language, but about two-thirds of the population speaks another language as well. Within I-Island are four distinct "islands" that are connected together via bridges and roads. Three of the islands form a triangle with one island being placed at the center. Each island is a district. There is the business district, the residential district (because scientists often live here with their families), the education district, and the research district which is the center island. The research district is where the I-Expo takes place, a yearly event that showcases the scientific and technological advances that I-Island has made. Every year, Pro Heroes around the world are invited to take part as the audience. Master Kendo was one of these Pro Heroes but he never went to the I-Expo until now, all because Setsuna wanted to drag Itsuka and I along.

Anyway, you need to mention David Shield if you say anything that is remotely connected to I-Island. He is a revolutionary scientist and engineer who did generations worth of research within a couple of decades. He published many papers and made many theories revolving around Quirks, even receiving a Nobel Prize at the age of 22. But most notably, he's a good friend of All Might. Setsuna said that we'll get to meet David Shield in person alongside her daughter, Melissa. She insisted that I should meet him. I think… I think she wants him to help me awaken my Quirk.

Let's hope something doesn't go wrong.

Eh, knowing life, something will… I just know it…

But…

"Mnn…" I think I'll be fine. Especially when I have her right next to me, taking a well-deserved nap. A few hours earlier, we got into a heated argument with Setsuna and Yui about who would win in a fight: Wash or Burnin'. I was on Wash's side with Yui, while Setsuna and Itsuka took Burnin''s side. Hayami had to be the tiebreaker and said Wash would win—Itsuka wasn't happy. Behind me, I hear Setsuna ramble to Yui about how "totally awesome" the I-Expo will be because it's a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity". For Setsuna Tokage, an heiress, I feel like it's more of a "one-thousand-in-a-lifetime opportunity". Yet, being the mere peasant I am, it's definitely an opportunity I get to experience once.

And the opportunity I'm witnessing at this very moment is just as rare: a sleeping Itsuka Kendo. I'm blessed to see her so vulnerable. I could do anything I want to her.

Click!

So that's why I took a picture of her. I'm not creepy; I'm just doing my duty as a good citizen of Japan! Granted, we're not in Japan but I'm still a citizen nonetheless! Now, I'm sending this to Hayami. She would love a picture of her own daughter.

Me: attached image "It's your daughter!"

Hayami: "It is! Did you really take a picture of her while she's sleeping?"

Me: "I had to"

Hayami: "Jeez, you really are a pervert, huh? Taking pictures of vulnerable girls while they sleep. You horndog"

She sends a smug-faced emoji.

Me: "I'm not a pervert or a horndog"

Hayami: "Right, you're a masochist"

Me: "Not that either"

Hayami: "Sadist?"

Me: "I'm not any kind of -ist"

Thud!

Ah! Itsuka startled me… She's still sleeping, but her head falls on my shoulder. Well, perfect time to take another picture! This time, it'll be a selfie with the two of us!

Click!

There we go!

Me: attached image "There has been a development"

Hayami: "Cute! You two look so natural together!"

Me: "Mhm"

Hayami: "Remember our conversation from a while back?"

Me: "Yeah"

Me: "I still remember"

Hayami: "Good, keep that in mind, horndog"

Heh… I put my phone down… Jeez, until the day I die, Hayami will remind me that Itsuka has feelings for me. It's… It's a bit shameful that I never felt love before. I'm sure that I'll recognize the feeling when I feel it, but that time never came.

Despite this, I'm happy with what I have now, especially with her. The only time my heart will race is when I'm in a life-and-death situation.

Tap!

Someone's tapping my shoulder. I call out, "Phantom of my memories? Are you haunting me again?"

"Boo," Setsuna says, smirking as she sees Itsuka using my shoulder as a pillow. She rubs my messy hair. "Itsuka's napping, huh? Well, she deserves a nap after how much she yelled at you. There's nothing better than falling in love with your enemy, right?"

"Heh, I'm not her enemy though," I reply. She's about to say something before Itsuka stirs, eventually waking up. Yawning, she instinctively lifts her head up and rolls her neck around. Her yawn is absolutely adorable.

"G'morning, Itsuka."

"Morning sunshine."

Itsuka groans, not because of us, but because of how stiff she is. She steps out of her seat to stretch, cracking her arms and neck. "That hits the spot… Anyway, are we almost there? I want to be as far away from this guy as possible." Itsuka glares at me, but I smile.

I sarcastically say, "I love you too." My sarcastic comment makes Itsuka frown, makes Setsuna smile, and makes Yui pop her head in.

I can sense three different reactions.

Itsuka: I hate you.

Setsuna: Say that again.

Yui: I'm hungry.

Like always, I solve this awkward situation by scratching the back of my neck. "Heh, so uh, what's everyone else doing? Are they throwing parties in their respective flights? I bet Komori is making her flight-mates do karaoke."

Setsuna grins. "That's exactly right! She sent me incredibly hilarious videos of everyone singing. Did you know that Tsuburaba has pipes? That guy can actually sing. Guess his Quirk helps out a lot, huh?"

Itsuka sighs and presses a hand against her forehead. "God, I don't wanna imagine the chaos right now. As much as I love you guys—" I smile, "—not you, leaving teenagers alone on a luxurious plane is screaming for trouble."

I assure her, "Don't worry! I don't think they're gonna hijack their flights. I'm sure they're having fun all by themselves.

---

Meanwhile…

"Who the hell is gonna stop me from getting drunk off of milk?! The government can't do crap! I am in control! "

"Please sit down, Honenuki. You're scaring me."

"Can I toss Honenuki out the plane?"

"Permission granted."

"W-Wait Kaibara! Don't—Ahhhh!"

---

Woah… I feel a disturbance in the air… I should ignore it. Itsuka shakes her head. Disagreeing, she says, "Look guys, there's only a small amount of people who I consider to be responsible enough. Most of them are standing right here." That's...fair.

Yui nods. "Mhm." We're pretty responsible, except for Sanji. I never know with him.

"Mnn," I reply. I heard that. It's ironic considering you're the embodiment of chaos. I stand up, joining the rest of my friends who are currently on their feet. Itsuka naturally gravitates a little closer to me. Setsuna and Yui stand in front of us as beautiful as ever. We're wearing something casual. No more school uniforms for a little while.

Itsuka lowers her hand and puts it on her hip. "I agree with you, Yui. Sometimes, Sanji is a guy that I can depend on. Most of the time though, he's a lunatic that ought to be put in a mental hospital." Ouch, she's still sore about her loss, huh?

Yui nods again. "Mhm." He's dangerous too. He knows how to use a sword.

Itsuka snaps her fingers. "Exactly! He's an enemy of the state!"

"Pfft!" A laugh comes out. From the corner of my eye, Itsuka can't help but smile from my laughter. I look over at Setsuna who's casually listening to their conversation; how about I engage in one with her? "Setsuna, can I ramble about Itsuka for a little bit?"

"Of course, my knight. Spill every single secret you know," she demands with an authoritative finger point that could command the world. Itsuka watches us, curious to see how our conversation will go.

I hold the lower half of my face with one of my hands, tapping my cheek. "The woman who I dare not say her name—" ("You just said my name a moment ago!") "—is absolutely unbelievable. I live in the same house as her everyday."

"Oh, I can already feel your pain. Having a pushy tomboy bossing you around can get annoying fast," Setsuna sympathizes, winking at Itsuka who's pouting. I bet she's thinking, I am not a pushy tomboy.

My tapping gets higher in frequency. "She isn't completely hopeless though—" ("Hey!") "—I'm teaching her how to cook. My lessons have been going well, but she still has a lot to learn. If only she can toss away her pride…"

"Mmf…" grumbles Itsuka.

"That's the thing with girls like her. They don't know when to drop the egotistical act, and this is coming from me of all people! Itsuka Kendo is a nutjob," Setsuna declares like it's fact. For right now, it's definitely that.

"Heh," I chuckle, my eyes wavering down towards the floor. "Even despite everything…"

"Mmm," Yui foreshadows. He's going to say it. He's going to compliment Itsuka.

"Itsuka is a weirdo." Setsuna sputters out a laugh.

TUG!

Itsuka's tugging my cheek! "Waah!" She stretches it out as far as she can before letting go. My cheek snaps back like a rubber hand, visibly red. A sharp pain flashes through my face before subsiding.

She angrily complains, "I thought you were gonna say, 'Even despite everything, Itsuka is the best partner I can ask for!' Why did you call me a weirdo?"

Blankly, I answer, "I'm defying expectations. You see, I wanted to perform what was called 'comedic timing' in order to get a laugh. I—"

"I know why you did that!" she exclaims before turning away in defiance of my terrible comedy. "Jeez Sanji…" I think she's just upset that I didn't compliment her. I bet that whenever I sing her praises, her heart flutters like a singing nightingale. Wish I could experience that without getting stabbed.

"Hahaha!" Get out of my head, Catharsis. You already gave me a few scars. No need to give me any more.

Click clack!

Footsteps. Solid footsteps; that sound can only be made by dress shoes. Considering that only one man on this plane is the owner of a massive corporation, it's Mister Tokage. The four of us stand to attention, going silent in an instant—don't know if it's a sign of respect or fear, maybe both. Mister Tokage walks through the door wearing his signature frown; a smile doesn't grace his face very often, does it? He's wearing a typical attire for a businessman, but with a jade and gold tie. Setsuna, being his daughter and all, approaches him first with her hands behind her back. She asks, "We're almost there, right? Don't worry, I got my things in order."

Her father nods, checking his what-it-seems-to-be platinum watch. "Good," he says, turning his eyes towards Itsuka and I, "one of you, go tell your family that they should prepare. As soon as we land, we need to get off and head into a self-driving cab that will take us to the hotel we're staying at for the entirety of the trip."

Itsuka scowls, crossing her arms. "I know, you told us this already, sir . Most of us here aren't forgetful." Wow, not only does she sound hostile to Mister Tokage, she also has the time to casually insult me too. She is sore . God, I might as well tell Master Kendo and Hayami since he asked.

I put a hand on Itsuka's shoulder, turning around. I whisper, "I'm gonna tell your grandpa and mom."

She whispers back, "And—"

" And once I come back," I interrupt, narrowing my eyes, "I should see you holding your tongue, Itsuka."

She sighs. "Yeah… I'll bite my tongue, Sanji. Don't worry."

"Good!" I exclaim, loud enough so that everyone hears. I look back at Mister Tokage whose frown has grown. Jeez, if it wasn't for me, Itsuka would drive her fist right into his skull. I understand her hostility; we don't agree with how he raises Setsuna. Yet, one can easily say that this isn't our business. Though, Heroes made their careers over not minding their own business. Really, this is just Itsuka doing what she thinks is right. But this is unbecoming, even for her.

For extra emotional support—for myself—I give Yui a headpat ("Mmm.") and head into the other lounge, where Master Kendo and Hayami are at. Their lounge is practically the same as ours, but they get to have more space since it's only the two of them. As soon as I enter—?!

Cock!

"What the hell—?!"

"Hey Sanji!" Hayami's holding a pistol. Let's not try to panic! I'm sure she knows how to handle a firearm! Let's see… She is holding a pistol with an extended magazine and a ported barrel. I think it's a Japanese-made firearm but I'm not sure. In the extended magazine, there is a slit where I can see the bullets inside. They're red-tipped, so I think they're rubber bullets. Thank God… I'm not getting shot today. Master Kendo is sitting at the back, watching Hayami fool around with her gun. She's standing up with a gun case laying on the table beside her. There's another pistol within the case; it's the same one she's holding right now, extended magazine and all.

Okay, analysis completed. Time to ask why Hayami has a gun. "So… Should I ask why you're dangerously brandishing a pistol around? And why do you have a pistol in the first place?" Why would she need a gun? I-Island has incredible security, being able to match Tartarus of all places!

She laughs and puts her pistol back in the case, shutting it. "I just wanna scare ya. And as to why I have these babies, the Police Force is paying me to take a gander at their guns. I want to modify their pistols first, but the I-Expo came up, so I just decided to take them with me."

"You're a gunsmith too?" I ask. Okay, so not only Hayami is a blacksmith and a mechanic, she's also a gunsmith? What can't she do?

Hayami nods and hums. "Yup. After U.A., I enrolled in a school for support scientists. I had to get a couple of more years under my belt in order to get all of the certifications I want. One of those certifications involved firearms. Unfortunately, I barely got a chance to showcase my gunsmithing prowess until now!"

...What other certifications does she have? Don't tell me that she can build a giant mechanized robot!

Let's avoid this topic altogether. Master Kendo will be my way out of the conversation. "Master Kendo," I say getting his attention, "how are you holding up? You look...disappointed."

"I always look like this whenever I'm around Hayami," he admits while he stands up from his seat; Hayami pouts—she pouts just like how Itsuka does. "Anyway, you're here 'cause we're about to land, right? I'm all ready. Let's hope my daughter is too, despite being an idiot about safety."

Hayami gives her father an intense glare before turning back to me with incredibly kind eyes—the duality of Hayami Kendo. "I'm perfectly ready! Please ignore my senile dad, he doesn't know what he's talking about!"

"Sweetheart, I love you, but you will literally kill me one day," Master Kendo replies, taking his suitcases out of the compartment above him. "Goodness gracious, what's the schedule again? I didn't bother to read it."

Hayami snorts. I kindly answer, "For today, we're immediately heading over to the Gemini Hotels. That's where everyone will be staying for the next five days. What we do after that is up to us. We can check out the Early Access Event, the beaches, get a tour of the I-Island Academy, stuff like that. Though, later today around four o'clock, I'm supposed to meet with David Shield. Tomorrow is a clear slate, and the day after that… God, I'm supposed to prepare for the I-Expo Premier Party later that night. Then we have the last two days with ourselves."

My beautiful guardian of mine, Hayami, puts a hand on her hip and flashes a smirk at Master Kendo. "Looks like we will meet David Shield. And Dad, Sanji was able to remember our schedule, and he's the forgetful one!" I am literally standing right here.

Master Kendo argues, "I can't forget something if I didn't bother to memorize it. Do you think I would listen to a man like Fuyushiro Tokage?" I figured Master Kendo wouldn't like him either. Itsuka doesn't, and from the look on Hayami's face, she's the same way. Hayami nods, agreeing with what he said before turning to me like I should comment on him too.

Fuyushiro Tokage… He's...complicated to say the least. He punched me because I threatened his plan for Setsuna. He has a plan for everything does he? His Quirk, Setsuna told me that he could levitate and float, so it doesn't contribute to his intelligence. That man, he's smart; no doubt about that—a natural-born genius. I harbor ill feelings towards him, but not to the point that I hate him. I don't like how he's parenting Setsuna, or that he is insistent on his masterplan. If he's smart enough to create a masterplan, then he's smart enough to choose his words. I think from the very beginning, when I was enrolled into Class 1-B, he purposely said the things he said and did the things he did—all with intention and purpose.

I have a feeling that a great gambit is being played. But to what goal? To what end? Whatever it is, I need to watch his actions closely.

For now, I say, "What's with the look? I don't like him as much as you guys. I simply don't have Kendo knack for confrontation. Speaking of which, I have to make sure Itsuka isn't trying to choke Mister Tokage with his own tie."

"You go do that," says Hayami with a kind smile, hands placed on her lap folded together like simple, yet beautiful origami.

Master Kendo grumbles and waves me away. With a head nod from me, I go back to the other cabin where Mister Tokage is casually explaining things to the three girls. They turn their attention towards me right away. Mister Tokage jokes, "I thought you jumped out of the plane, Mister Inochi. Jokes aside, we should talk about your appointment with David Shield while we have a chance."

I stand beside Itsuka, stuffing my hands in my pocket. She whispers to me, "We just talked about the Early Access Event. We'll get a deeper rundown later."

"Thanks," I whisper back before giving Mister Tokage my eyes. "Anyway yeah, uhm… What will the appointment be about?"

"Your Quirk obviously," he puts it bluntly. "David said he could find out more about it through some testing. With any luck, he could solve your mystery altogether. However, life is never simple, isn't it?" That last sentence has a double meaning.

Itsuka comments, "That's a little ironic considering your personality clashes with your first name." Dangit Itsuka, how many passive-aggressive comments are you gonna make? Still, that one made me think about it. Fuyushiro, Mister Tokage's first name, is made up of "fuyu" and "shiro". The character for "fuyu" means "beautiful" and "shiro" means "castle", so altogether, it makes up "beautiful castle".

Discreetly, I move closer to Itsuka with a kind smile on my face. She lowers her head slightly, being able to feel my disappointment emanating from me like an aura. Setsuna gives us a disappointed look too; she knows that Itsuka hates her father. There's a slight twinge of annoyance in Yui's face too. Anyway, being the only one who can control Itsuka, I say, "Aw Itsuka, we're one to talk considering we both have numbers in our names." (Yup, the "san" in "Sanji" means "three". For Itsuka, her "itsu" means "one".)

Mister Tokage straightens his lips, seeing my obvious ploy to decrease the tension in the air. He crosses his arms and looks to me as the one to speak with. Seems like he's gonna act like Itsuka isn't there. "Anyway, don't worry about me or my daughter finding out any information you don't want others to know. David won't tell anyone about your Quirk unless you give him permission too. Not even the United Hero Nations can force him."

What the? I'm not sure if he's using that as an extreme example or… "Why would they be interested in me? I'm just a random teenager."

He chuckles; apparently that was funny. "To yourself, yes. Remember, Mayor Yamamoto passed a law that all students in Hero Schools must have their AP Level measured. The city paid for the machines and everything. Do you think the Hero Public Safety Commission has your data on hand?"

I answer, "I would assume so… They are the Hero Public Safety Commission. They foresee almost everything involving heroics."

Mister Tokage nods. "Correct, almost everything. The Commission doesn't force every Hero School to measure the AP Levels of their students due to their budget and other factors. The city did. So technically, the city owns your data. And as a result—"

"They sell it," Setsuna says. "The city sells our information." They do what?! They sell our data? To who?! They need our consent, don't they?!

"From the look on your face, you must be thinking about consent," Mister Tokage concludes. "You would be correct, but since you're in the Hero Course, consent isn't needed because you already gave it once you signed those paperwork on the first day of school. Now, the city has a lot of buyers. First, they sell it to the Commission. Here, the Commission actually benefits because they are spending less money than they would've from buying the AP machines and distributing them to each Hero School in Japan. I would assume that the Japanese government has your information as well.

"But there comes the other buyers: Japanese companies. Companies in the heroism industry will pay a lot to have information on each wave of new Heroes. They want a headstart on any future sponsorships, representation, and the like. I haven't even mentioned companies in other industries such as lifestyle, so the market is incredibly wide. With all these companies fighting against one another, it becomes an auction house where the highest bidder wins. Despite the fact that the law was recently passed, your data easily garnered hundreds of millions of yen."

"Who brought our information? Was it you? You know Sanji's AP Level and all. Probably the rest of us too," Itsuka asks before I got the chance to.

He shakes his head. "No, I only knew due to a few close friends. For your information, the 'auction' ended just shortly before this flight. The company who has your data is Detnerat." At the mention of the name, Setsuna sucks in her breath. Detnerat… I heard that name before. Wait, I did remember that name but I completely forgot. Awesome…

"So uh, I forgot who that is… Can someone remind me?" I ask.

Itsuka clicks her tongue. "Seriously Sanji? You're a mess… Detnerat is a company in lifestyle support; it's the company in lifestyle support actually. They just recently rose to the top of the leaderboards."

"You know this how?"

"I randomly saw it when I was scrolling through the news. Don't think that I'm involved with business or law like Mister Tokage or Honenuki."

Mister Tokage adds, "Detnerat is not only a company. In the business world, there are three major 'alliances' so to speak. One is in lifestyle support, one is in heroism, and one is in medicine and technology. Detnerat is the leader in lifestyle support, the Yaoyorozu Group is the ruler of heroism, and Tokage Industries presides in medicine and technology. In your terms, we are the Big Three."

"But you're involved in heroism too, right?" Itsuka inquires.

"That's right, but not as much nor as efficiently as the Yaoyorozu Group. They are the leading company in heroism. Currently, I'm engaged in a friendly war with them, hence why I'm unveiling Hero support technology in I-Expo to rival their latest innovations. But out of the three of us, I'd say that the Yaoyorozu Group is ethically and morally the best."

"Dad, did you really have to say that?" Setsuna grumbles. "You're kinda right though… Momo is a sweetheart. She's too pure for my tainted heart."

"She's too pure for any of us," he replies, still maintaining a frown. Yet, his voice sounds happier, like how a father should sound. At least we all seem to agree that Yaoyorozu is a very pure-hearted woman. "Anyway, let's get back on topic. Mister Inochi, you haven't truly realized the gravity of your AP Level. The general public don't realize just how massive your potential is. Everyone assumes that you will be a future Top Ten, which would attract the attention of companies within our borders. But with your current predicted Growth Potential, you have the capability of becoming a world figure like All Might."

"Eh?" Me? The next All Might? That can't be possible. My Growth Potential is 12,500AP, which is enough to become the next All Might? There has to be something else! Back then, when I was measured, my friends didn't freak out. But was it because we didn't know how large my number was? From the look on my teachers, they seemed to be slightly concerned… Did they realize how much potential I have?

Setsuna smirks, shooting me a look that says, Always knew you would be someone great, my lovely knight. Itsuka doesn't look like she believes Mister Tokage as well. She keeps looking at me as if she can't imagine me being someone as great as All Might. No, that doesn't sound like her. She still has a look of disbelief on her face though.

Mister Tokage continues, "In U.A., there is only one other man who has the same potential as you do. In fact, his Growth Potential is larger than yours."

I conclude, "Izuku Midoriya. It's him, isn't it?"

Mister Tokage nods. "Mhm. Even though technology that can precisely and accurately determine one's AP Level is still imperfect, the data cannot be ignored. There is a high chance that your information is not only in the hands of Japan but in the United Hero Nations as well.

"You most likely haven't reached this unit in your Hero History class, but the United Hero Nations put forth the Great Heroes Doctrine which contains articles of what a Hero-bearing country ought to do. One of the articles, which was added after All Might's appearance, stated that anyone that has an AP Level of over 10,000 should be reported to the Heroism Welfare Block within the U.H.N."

Itsuka raises her hand. "Isn't anything put forth by the U.H.N. just words? They can't actually enforce what they say, otherwise we would be living in a world with one government."

"Of course, they cannot enforce their doctrines, but they can reward those who are willing to comply with them. Mayor Yamamoto is the kind of man who would claim that he 'discovered' Mister Inochi and Midoriya in order to achieve a higher standing with the U.H.N. for his own personal gain." Honenuki said that Mayor Yamamoto despised me… Even though our mayor isn't a Pro Hero, I have a feeling that Stain would kill him.

Setsuna sighs and stretches her arms. "Dad, you've been rambling a lot." Mister Tokage frowns at her daughter's words but he doesn't respond. "I'm taking your silence as an answer. Anyway you three, I think I understand what point he's trying to make. Basically, this entire thing is a web of information. There's a hundred ways where the world can be informed, especially if it involves heroism. It's hard to keep this stuff under wraps, especially when a guy like Mayor Yamamoto gives out information to line his pockets and gain himself a couple of favors. As a result of his tomfoolery, people in high places know about your massive potential. These people aren't limited to Japan but rather the entire world. And of course, where are we now? I-Island! It's a hodgepodge of powerful people. This place is filled with researchers and businessmen around the world, but don't think that they're working together for the common good. There are factions upon factions trying to get the upper hand over one another. If you think heroism on a national scale was competitive, it's nothing compared to heroism on an international scale.

"You may ask, 'Aw jeez Setsuna, why would Guatemala or Australia care about me?' Here's my answer: They will try to convince you to move to their country and study heroism there. They want their own All Might within their borders. Of course, the U.H.N. would be like, 'Why don't you become an agent for us?' As a little aside, I barely know anything regarding agents in the U.H.N., but they pretty much act as international Pro Heroes. Anyway, that's about it. None of what I said will 100% gonna happen, but it's not zero."

Oh my goodness, this is a lot of information. We were talking about David Shield then I asked about the U.H.N.! We went into a rabbit hole of discussion that I can't get myself out of! Okay, so Mayor Yamamoto took the data we collected at that one training exercise a while back, sold it to a Japanese company called Detnerat which apparently is some kind of super-company. The Commission and the Japanese government also have our information too! But but but, Mayor Yamamoto possibly could have given it to the United Hero Nations as well. From there, word must have gotten out that there are two Japanese students who have a Growth Potential of over 10,000AP: Sanji Inochi and Izuku Midoriya.

Good God.

This led up to the possibility that I will be harassed by representatives of other countries to leave Japan and study over there! Of course, there'll be the U.H.N. knocking at my door asking if I want to be an agent for them. I…

For some reason, I hate the thought of being their agent.

Click! Click!

Behind me. Those footsteps belong to Master Kendo and Hayami. I hear Master Kendo's voice, "Hey, we were eavesdropping." Thanks for being honest. "There's some truth in those words, you three. Heroism is a business, and in most cases, it's a country's entire livelihood."

We turn around, Yui too. She has been silent this entire conversation; that's typical of her. Master Kendo and Hayami have their bags with them. Itsuka asks Master Kendo, "Grandpa, have you ever met a U.H.N. agent before?"

He hesitates for a brief moment, then nods. "Yeah, I met one; he was even Japanese. The guy was a powerful bastard. Hope he's doing well."

Hayami grumbles, "Anyway Tokage, do you have to give my kids a lesson on heroism while they're about to enjoy a nice vacation?"

Mister Tokage chuckles again. "Let me give you a warning, especially for Mister Inochi: the world is watching you. You should be on guard during these five days, because on this vacation, you and the world will finally meet.

"Do you understand?"

I put a hand over my scarred heart and nod. "I understand. You make it sound like I'm going into war."

"Heh, you are. Welcome to heroism, Sanji Inochi."

"Huh," Yui says. I think the conversation is finally over.

Bzzt!

The intercoms. "We're about to arrive at I-Island shortly! Please take your seats for a smooth landing!" That was the pilot. All seven of us take a seat as I-Island looms closer into view. We're in the depths of the island now, with an airport built out of white steel and concrete appearing below us. There are other planes landing as well, making the same trip we did. Across the airport hundreds of meters away, I see an airplane with Chinese characters. From the door, I see a tall man with flowing golden hair with a beaming smile, as if he's the chosen emperor.

Ah, my hopes and dreams for a good vacation have been dashed… There's no rest for the wicked, I suppose.

Welcome to heroism.

Here, at I-Island, heroism is its foundations.

---

"I see…"

"You're with All Might right now, right Midoriya?" I ask him. Thank God I found some time to call Midoriya. Right after we got off our plane, Mister Tokage ushered us into a couple of sizable black cars. His car is driving to the business district where he has to attend a meeting while we're going to the Gemini Hotels.

To tease me, Setsuna and Yui are poking at my sides. Itsuka is batting their hands because I'm trying to make a serious phone call.

Midoriya replies, "Yeah… Uhm, we're still on the flight to I-Island. All Might never told me about those stuff… Does the entire world know who we are?" I didn't tell him about Mayor Yamamoto and his highly unethical, but legal actions. I only said that our data was distributed to "people of all kinds" without specifying who exactly. But Midoriya is smart. He probably could figure it out.

"I wouldn't say the entire world, but people in high places. Think CEOs and popular Pro Heroes. Even though our information was distributed, don't assume that those who received it will have a tight hold on the lid. People will naturally talk about our potential. And because of that…"

He finishes, "Word gets out and each country will try to convince us to leave Japan and join them." Setsuna pokes my cheek and Itsuka grabs her wrist, but Setsuna detaches her hand from her body.

"Exactly. Sorry Midoriya, but it looks like we'll have some trouble heading our way. Every country is looking out for themselves, and right now, we're Team Japan. Japan has been the ideal image of a Hero-bearing country, so others are trying to topple us from first place. I'm not saying that I'm angry about it; I'm not a competitive person at all, but that's the motive behind the actions we'll see momentarily."

"Okay… Thank you for telling me this, Inochi. I didn't know we were in the crosshairs of the world until now… I only had to worry about Japan. I never had to worry about the world ."

Setsuna's hand is flying around Itsuka, taunting her with random finger gestures. Itsuka can't catch it. Dangit all… Without a word, I use my free hand to grab Setsuna's hand out of the air, still being focused on his phone call. I give it back to Setsuna and she stops playing around. "Heh, I was like that until about thirty minutes ago. But you should've known. You're All Might's student; he's teaching you . I know that most of your classmates aren't aware that you're his secret son—"

"Wait, I'm not his son!"

"Moving on, my point still stands. They don't know your relationship with him, but they know your power. We all got our AP Levels measured, and our friends know our Growth Potential. Look Midoriya, we are not predicted to be in the Top Ten—I was wrong. With our power, with your power, you could be Number One. I hope with that realization, you can grasp the full magnitude of your responsibility."

"...Yeah, this puts everything into perspective. Just a year ago, I never thought I would follow the same road that All Might took. What about you, Inochi? We're dropped in the same river. You have the same responsibility as me. We live in the same world. We are both trying to be Heroes like All Might."

"Well, I'm not All Might's future, am I? Don't worry Midoriya, I'm more worried about you than myself. I have my own ways to push against the current," I say. Hayami gestures that we're almost at the Gemini Hotels.

Midoriya sighs. "Thank you for being concerned. I believe I can handle myself too. Anyway Inochi, I have to go. I'll see you at the I-Expo."

I nod. "Take care of yourself. Tell All Might we said 'hello' too! Oh, and Master Kendo has a special message for him."

Midoriya hangs up. Good choice. I rarely curse because I'm not that man, but Master Kendo is exactly that man. Look at him! He's smirking right now! That's the face of a retired Pro Hero who said something that no young child should ever hear!

I lay back in my seat, putting my phone back in my pocket. Beside me, Itsuka's on her phone texting Monoma. I casually look over her shoulder, but she frowns and pushes my face away. "No peeping."

"Sorry," I apologize, turning my attention to Yui. She's looking out the window with her trademarked blank look that says everything while showing nothing. Ah right, we're almost at the Gemini Hotels. Almost forgot…

Well, I'm looking through the window and it's very hard to forget. The Gemini Hotels consist of two buildings that must be at least fifty floors each, being connected by a skyway. The left building has a giant golden "C" in the middle; the right has a giant golden "P". Both buildings are mirror images of one another. On the outside, they're black and white plates being mixed together for a geometric pattern that spans from the bottom to the top. The windows are framed in bright gold, so shiny that the sun reflects off of them. The tips of both towers are shaped like golden pyramids but with only the frames. Through some of the windows, I see facilities such as an indoor swimming pool, a theater, a massive cafeteria, and an arcade, each having their own unique style.

The car slows down, joining a loop where we'll get dropped off at the front entrance. That's weird, the only people I see are adults in suits and the hotel workers themselves. I don't see anyone my age or little kids. I mean, there's an arcade here. That is geared towards children, so why are there only adults staying at this hotel? I'd imagine that someone brought their child along, but I don't see any. This is strange…

CLICK!

The doors are unlocked. Our chauffeur says, "Here you are, the Gemini Hotels! Enjoy your stay all!"

"Thank you, good sir!" Hayami exclaims, being the first one to step out. The rest of us follow her, grabbing the rest of our belongings from the trunk. Then, with slow, careful steps, we approach the front entrance of the Gemini Hotels. The glass doors are opened with a small army of workers inside, directing and advising the other guests. All kinds of different languages are being spoken here.

Setsuna playfully jabs at my side with an elbow. "You nervous, Sanji? Truth be told, this is the first time I actually stayed at the Gemini Hotels. During I-Expo, this place is usually reserved for businessmen due to how close we are to the business district and the center island."

"So that's why I only see adults in suits around…" I comment, taking another gander at the population that's gathered here. "Heh, and truth be told, I am a little anxious. This is the first time I've ever been to a hotel, let alone something this massive…" Honestly, I'm more than a little anxious, but it's not because of this hotel. Mister Tokage's words are still lingering in my mind. If what he said happens, then I'll be walking into Hell for the next five days.

Master Kendo sighs, sounding a little disappointed in me. "You'll get used to the chaos, Sanji. When your friends get here, you'll be right at home." Yui gives me a very supportive head nod.

"Speaking of friends," Itsuka says, "it seems like we're the first ones here. So uh, where are we supposed to go? Is there some sort of helper for us or…?"

A young, gorgeous woman with tanned skin approaches us wearing a black and white outfit with gold highlights. She seems like she's from the Middle East. Her name tag says her name is Ishtar. "That would be me! Welcome everyone to the Gemini Hotels! My name is Ishtar, one of the managers here. You all belong to Class 1-B right? Sponsored by Fuyushiro Tokage of Tokage Industries?" Wow, she speaks perfect Japanese.

Setsuna walks out to the front of the group. "I hope so, because I'm his daughter. Nice to meetcha, miss! Are you the goddess of love?" She extends her hand.

Ishtar shakes Setsuna's hand and bows. "Hehe, perhaps. Come and follow me. Let's not be in the way of the other guests." She leads us away from the front entrance, going off to the side where an array of soft, cushioned couches and benches roam. There are a few others besides from us who're waiting. I sit down on one of the couches with Itsuka sitting on the other side; Yui and Setsuna are sitting together on another couch on Itsuka's end. Once everything quiets downs, she asks, "So where is the rest of your class? I was told there will be over twenty of you."

"They're right behind us," Hayami tells her, putting her belongings down. "We should wait until everyone gets here."

Ishtar nods and smiles. "In that case, I'll wait here! If you have any small questions, I'll be happy to answer. After all, I was assigned to help you!" Hmm, while I'm looking at her, she might be the goddess of love. She is a stunning woman, having enough beauty to rival most supermodels. Her eyes are strikingly purple like a jewel, her skin is flawless, and her long black hair appears to be as soft as silk.

I hear Itsuka whispering to Yui, "Ishtar is really pretty, isn't she? I'm surprised she's working at this hotel and not a model or something…"

As Itsuka whispers that, Ishtar's eyes dart over to mine, catching them in her grasp. They narrow, and a mischievous smirk forms on her face. In an instant, my instincts flare up. "Fufu, you must be Sanji Inochi. You're more handsome than I thought. Does this dashing young man have any questions for me? After all, I caught your eyes~" (Itsuka's scowling. I'm not sure if she's angry at me or at Ishtar.)

She's definitely a seductress. Her voice lowers just enough to tease me, but not to the point where it's inappropriate. Everyone's eyes are on me now because they must think that I'm interested in her. That's not correct. There's something else about this woman. I should be polite and ask a question though. "Heh, that's my name… And yeah, I do have a question. How long have you been working here, Miss Ishtar?"

"Ah, I didn't anticipate a question about myself! And please, no need for formalities!" she exclaims, giggling. Ishtar tilts her head innocently thinking for a second or two. "For a couple of weeks at least. With the I-Expo, this hotel needed more workers on hand. So I decided to work here until the I-Expo is over in order to make some extra money."

Itsuka, out of spite, moves herself over; now, she's sitting right next to me with our shoulders nearly touching. Aw, she's jealous. "Interesting! I'm a little surprised that a woman like yourself is working here…"

"Because of my beauty? Yes, I get told that often!" Ishtar reads my mind, ending her sentence with another giggle. "Personally, I don't find fulfillment by gluttoning myself in my own vanity. I do find satisfaction in something else though."

"That doesn't involve being a manager in a fancy hotel like this?" Master Kendo asks. He's—? What's with that look on his face? His eyes are narrowed, almost like he's suspicious of Ishtar. She sees him and smiles more, exuding an aura that is filled with innocence and naive beauty.

"Mhm, I have a side occupation that I devote my life to. Please forgive me though, I'm too embarrassed to say that that actually is!" Ishtar blushes, putting a hand on top of her breasts.

I hear Setsuna is quietly muttering theories to Yui. They range from modeling for charity to being a Vigilante at night. Yeah, that's what I expected from Setsuna. Itsuka raises her head and decides to ask, "I hope you find whatever you're looking for, Ishtar." There's a hint of hostility in her voice. Yup, she's totally jealous.

Ishtar recognizes the same faint jealousy too, smirking. "Thank you. But my oh my, are you jealous, Itsuka? I merely pointed out the fact that Sanji has his eyes on me. Perhaps do you want his eyes for yourself?"

"I do not!" Itsuka quickly exclaims, immediately turning red and sliding herself as far away from me as possible. "And I'm not jealous! That's ridiculous that you would say that! Do you believe her, Sanji?"

I smile. Here's the golden question: Is Itsuka Kendo jealous? I shall be the judge, jury, and if need be, the executioner. For right now, I'll be the prosecutor. Now, I shall present the testimony of the first witness: Hayami Kendo, the defendant's own mother! She herself stated that the defendant is in love with me! And I believe her. For the longest time, I didn't want to admit that she could have feelings for me, but the evidence was insurmountable. If the defendant is indeed jealous, then we have our motive in place. Let's roll in the concrete evidence, shall we? Evidence 1: The defendant's face has the same shade of the ripest tomato in the bunch! She is flustered, blushing so much that every liter of her blood is rushed to her cheeks! Evidence 2: Her voice is pitched higher than usual, indicating anxiety and embarrassment! The defendant tried to deny this accusation set forth by Ishtar by lying! Yet I know whether or not Itsuka is lying! She always taps her leg when she lies! And would you look at that, Judge Sanji? She's tapping her leg right now! Finally, Evidence 3: When Ishtar started to flirt with me, Sanji Inochi, Itsuka felt the need to move closer where our shoulders touch! If that doesn't spell out "jealousy", then take away my license to practice law! She is undeniably jealous!

I rest my case.

Thank you, Prosecutor Sanji. I, Judge Sanji, shall look over the evidence with due haste. Yes yes, from the look of things, the prosecution formed a superb case against our lovely defendant. From the previous knowledge we gained beforehand and the defendant's current mannerisms, the defendant is indeed jealous, yes yes. Now, we need to decide on the charge the defendant will face, yes yes. Come in, Executioner Sanji.

Good grief, Itsuka's at it again. I have a few ideas in mind. Lemme go through them real quick. Everyone's waiting for our answer.

Idea 1: We—technically I—say, "Of course I don't, Itsuka." With this answer, we'll gain more of Itsuka's trust. However, if this was a video game, then our relationship would have already reached the max level of Trust. Oh, and everybody else would be disappointed in our answer.

Idea 2: We say, "Stop being jealous, Itsuka." This would embarrass the heck outta her. I predict that she'll be even more flustered, and she would feel the need to punch our face in. We will be murdered with this option.

Idea 3: We stay silent. By staying silent, we are basically saying that we think she's jealous but indirectly stating it. However, much like the last option, we will pretty much be killed.

Personally, I, Judge Sanji, believe that Idea 2 is the best. Yes yes, Itsuka will want to murder us, but there's a positive that you aren't seeing. Itsuka is already flustered, yes yes. Considering the fact that we're in a public space, she'll become even more flustered. The proud Big Sister of 1-B will turn into a bumbling mess just from four words. Hehe, I can imagine how adorable she would look, yes yes…

I, Prosecutor Sanji, do firmly believe that you are a pervert, but I agree with your reasoning. So we can safely assume that the three of us are perverts.

I agree with that statement, yes yes.

Sure.

Anyhow, for the defendant's punishment, we oughta take our phone out and take a picture. We have enough time before she pummels us to death. I even did the mathematical calculations, but holy crap, I am terrible at math so don't expect anything amazing. Anyway, Executioner Sanji, do you agree with our conclusion?

Sure. Let's execute the idea.

Court is adjourned.

I have my answer! Pushing up my imaginary glasses and taking out my gleaming, shining phone capable of taking a timeless photo, I tell Itsuka Kendo, "Could you stop being so jealous, Itsuka?"

"Bah?!" I see my desired reaction. Itsuka's face somehow turns even redder than before. Her hair stands up, defying gravity! She looks incredibly angry! Her cheeks are puffing up so much! Most of all, she is incredibly adorable! Quickly, I take a picture, saving it to my album with my other 103 pictures of her! "Don't take a picture of me, damnit!"

She rushes over and grabs me by the collar, using her other hand to try and grab at my phone. I pull my arm away from her, and now we're in a struggle. Everyone is watching us, and everyone is listening to Itsuka threatening me. Ah, to think I will die by Itsuka's own hand… All over a chance to see her so beautifully embarrassed…

Worth it.

"Good luck Sanji." Thanks Hayami.

"You should've seen that coming." I did, Master Kendo.

"Huh." Yui.

"I'm taking a video of this." That's Setsuna.

"Fufu, I should be a responsible manager and stop this, but I rather not." And Ishtar.

"Give me your phone or I'm crushing your ribcage!" Itsuka shouts at me. To get a better position, she straddles me and tries to reach for my phone, but it's just out of reach. Out of context, this is a very bad position to be caught in. Even more out of context, it's worse when our friends—and Itsuka's family—are watching us.

"Hey hey!" Oh God, that's Tetsutetsu's voice. Everyone stops and stares at him. Yeah, should I mention that literally everyone else is right behind him? Literally everyone? The entire gang plus Kagesuke and Shojo? Yeah, they're staring at us. Tetsutetsu asks, "Inochi bro, you wrestling with Kendo? Can I join?"

Behind him, Tsuburaba nearly spits out the water he's drinking. Kaibara walks up to Tetsutetsu and puts an arm on his shoulder. He says, "If you think you're hard enough, Tetsu. Actually never mind. I think you're more than hard enough to pound them."

"Eh?!" Itsuka exclaims, immediately hopping off of my lap. She shys her face away from everybody, not letting her friends see her blushing. Okay, I live for one more day. I'm lucky to be alive.

Kuroiro scowls at Kaibara. He has Kagesuke in his arms, who's casually nibbling on his thumb. "Kaibara, must you make such jokes? You are more perverted than Headband and Airhead combined."

"Why does everyone keep calling us that?!" Awase exclaims, looking around at everyone. No one gives him an answer, not even Airhead. He turns to the smirking Togaru Kamakiri, completely and utterly smug. "This is your fault, you damned mantis!"

"Oh, so it's my fault that you're stupid? Yeah no, ain't my fault, Headband," Kamakiri replies. Beside him, Pony pouts and tugs on his sleeve, basically gesturing for him to be nice. Unfortunately, Kamakiri is a terrible person, and he deserves a hug from one of the cutest girls in 1-B. He needs to be purified.

Oh, I just noticed Honenuki. Shishida's carrying him on his shoulder. Setsuna asks, "So uh, hey guys… Who killed Honenuki?"

Shoda explains, "He uhm… Uh, how do I say this… He kinda tripped and fell… And now he's unconscious… And uh, he's been unconscious for thirty minutes…"

Rin states, "So in summary, he passed away from his own idiocy. Despite the fact that he's a very smart man, he's not very bright."

I hear Monoma's cackle. "Yet, he's smarter than all of 1-A combined! Especially the trio that will eventually destroy Japan and leave it amok with chaos!" It's the rascal of 1-B! From his voice, everyone turns to him. Kaibara sighs and casually holds him by his shoulders like a good boyfriend who isn't going to punch him. Hayami smiles once she sees Monoma too… Heh, Monoma is the only one who failed his Final Exam, yet he's treating it as a victory. Something definitely changed in him. I'm glad he's happy. That's all I want.

Itsuka stands up no longer blushing like mad. Komori runs up to her remarking, "You should've been on my flight, Itsuka! We sang for hours! Tsuburaba's such a good singer! Shojo too! We had so much fun!"

Manga crosses his arms. "Hey Komori, I had a great voice, right? I mean, my Quirk Factor is my voice and all…"

Komori turns around and faces him, smiling. Too bad her pretty smile is a smile filled with pity. "Of course!"

Shojo immediately retorts, "You were absolutely awful, Manga. I, on the other hand, had the voice of an angel. Because that's what I am."

"I will punch you, Shojo."

Itsuka laughs, looking down at Komori. "Sorry, I was stuck with these guys all day. Especially with that shameless idiot right there." She points at me; I smile and wave. Komori waves back.

Ishtar giggles, standing in front of everybody with a prideful grin on her face. Everyone quiets down and focuses on her, knowing that she's someone important. I hear Ibara whispering that she's a fairly beautiful woman. "Welcome Class 1-B! I had the pleasure of meeting some of you before the rest of your party showed up! You all seem like good young men and women capable of being Pro Heroes! I am Ishtar, one of the managers at Gemini Hotels. I was specifically assigned to supervise you!

"As you can see, this hotel has some influences from Greek mythology. It was designed by a famous Greek architect who was inspired by Dioscuri, but you probably know them as the twin brothers who became the constellation Gemini. There are two towers here being exact copies of one another. The 'C' tower is named Castor, and the 'P' tower is named Pollux. Castor and Pollux are connected by a skyway which is a symbol for the immortality that both twins were blessed with by Zeus.

"For the buildings themselves, they are designed exactly the same having sixty floors each, containing 900 rooms total! Allow me to go over what each floor may contain!"

Ishtar goes over what each floor has.

Two basement levels: These are the parking lots. Yeah, I didn't bring Yume-no-Kami Ude with me. Hayami didn't want us to bring our bikes here.

Ground floor: It has the lobby and a Greek cafe. Ah, I should stop by sometime. I never tried Greek cuisine before.

Mezzanine floor: There is a bookstore containing literature ranging from pre-Quirk days to today. There's a special section for Greek plays.

Floors 1-15: Hotel rooms. They're the cheapest that the hotel has. But here, "cheap" still means "pretty dang fancy".

Floor 16: It's a service floor.

Floor 17: Ishtar called Floor 17 the "Children's Floor". It has the arcade from earlier along with other facilities meant for children, like a puppet show, one of those build-your-own-stuffed-animal places (Yui will love that), things of that nature. And of course, there's a gift shop.

Floors 18-33: More hotel rooms! It's more expensive than the last set. They have rooms that are more luxurious than the last.

Floor 34: Another service floor.

Floor 35: At this floor, this is where the skyway is at. Alongside the skyway, a massive cafeteria, a gym, business rooms, and other communal facilities exist here. There's also a theater too right in Pollux. In a few days, they'll perform a few Greek tragedies for us.

Floors 36-51: Even more hotel rooms! If you didn't think rooms can be even more luxurious, then you're dead wrong. These are the floors we'll be staying at. Specifically, floors 46-47—for Class 1-B plus Shojo anyway.

Floor 52: Yet another service floor.

Floors 53-55: These floors make up an "altrium" of sorts. A swimming pool is here, even though it's closed down for cleaning. Here, there's a variety of small facilities like a VR store, candy store, lots of stores. This is supposed to mimic a "mall".

Floors 56-58: The last hotel rooms within the Gemini Hotels. These are the most expensive rooms in the house. It's worth more than my entire life, which isn't saying much, but still…

Floor 59: The last service floor.

Floor 60: The spa and rooftop. Hayami says she's looking forward to the spa, saying that she would like to "become a new woman". I don't know what she means by that, but I'm scared.

In floors 46 and 47, there are special rooms for such a large party like us. They have rooms that connect to one another. For us specifically, two rooms are connected, joining together to make one big ol' space for everybody.

In Castor, floor 46: Kamakiri, Monoma, Honenuki, Manga, Yanagi, and Itsuka will have a room to themselves.

In Castor, floor 47: Awase, Tsuburaba, Kaibara, Kuroiro, and I will be roommates. I can already feel the chaos…

In Pollux, floor 46: Tetsutetsu, Ibara, Komori, Pony, and Shojo are together. Oddly enough, Tetsutetsu won't care that he'll be rooming with a bunch of girls.

In Pollux, floor 47: Setsuna, Rin, Shishida, Bondo, Shoda, and Yui are teaming up. Amazing, Setsuna is the leader of her bunch.

For Hayami and Master Kendo, Hayami is in Pollux on floor 46, having her own room to herself. Master Kendo is in Castor on floor 46 as well, being in the same situation as Hayami. They're our unofficial chaperones.

But personally, as much as I love my roommates, I feel an overwhelming amount of dread. It's like poison, killing me from the inside out. For the next five days, I'll be with my friends who are undoubtedly chaotic. I have Headband, Airhead, Vantablack, and Kaibara. My friends are amazing… Yet they are chaotic. If you look in the dictionary and find the word "unhinged", you would find a picture of them.

Of course, said picture would be burnt to a crisp. Not too unusual for a group of unhinged guys.

After everything's all said and done, Ishtar brings her hands together as the lobby is cooling down a little. She announces, "And that's the end of my little speech! Oh! Before I forget, I-Island is home for bright minds from all over the world! But don't expect too much of a language barrier. If you don't know already, the official language here is Japanese, the 'language of heroism'! Now, you should get settled in your rooms! Here, take this."

Ishtar gives us slips of paper with her phone number on it. "This is my number! If you need me for anything, you have a quick way of communicating with me! Have fun everyone! And I recommend that not all twenty-four of you stuff yourselves into one elevator."

"Thanks, Ishtar!" Hayami exclaims, showing her a kind smile. "I'll be sure to contact you if I need anything. If these kids don't kill me first that is, heh…"

Awase puts an arm around me, whispering, "Hey Inochi dude, I saw a beach nearby. What d'ya say dropping by and charming some chicks?"

Tsuburaba ambuses me from my other side, putting his arm around me. "That's the entire point of Operation I-Island! We oughta get wild . Vacations like these won't happen every year, so we need to let loose."

They're trying to seduce me with the allure of unrestrained fun…

And I think I'm slowly lusting for it…

Tetsutetsu suddenly yells, "Eh?! Did you guys say something about a beach?! Hell yea!" ("Language,") "I needed a socially acceptable excuse to go shirtless!"

Kamakiri scolds, "Why the hell did ya say that out loud, Metalhead?! How freakin' straightforward can you be?!"

Setsuna teases him, "Aw, Jack Mantis cares about his classmates. He does love us! Especially me!"

He snaps, "I will stab you."

"Hey, we're going to the beach?" Honenuki suddenly wakes up.

Komori exclaims, "Woah! You're alive, Honenuki! I thought you died!"

"Nah, just wanted Shishida to carry me over here."

THUD!

Shishida just dropped Honenuki.

Oh boy, everyone is getting riled up again. All it took was Tetsutetsu announcing that he wanted to go shirtless and the entire world lost their minds. Tsuburaba quietly says, "I'm gonna join the chaos." He pats my back and walks away, leaving me with Awase.

This guy, this headband-wearing guy, decides to take me away from the crowd. He pulls me in close and asks me, "Hey dude, explain why we saw Kendo straddling your lap? And why Ishtar is so freaking hot?"

"For your second question, that's called genetics. For your first question, I made her embarrassed. You happened to walk in at the perfect time," I answer while I take Awase's arm off of me.

He smiles, giving me a look of respect. "Nice, man… Seems like you're getting a lot bolder with her, huh?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, you tease her a lot more than usual lately." He pokes my chest. "Are you falling for her yet? C'mon, you must be falling for her!"

I laugh, swatting his finger away. "I'm not giving you any insider information, Awase! You literally have a betting ring centered around Itsuka and I! Look, if you want information that badly, ask Setsuna!"

"You know she's a snake! Both literally and figuratively! Look at that smile!" he exclaims, dramatically pointing at Setsuna. She sees us and gives us a very pretty smile. "You can't trust that smile if you're her enemy! When you have your back turned to her, she's gonna stick a knife in ya!"

"Like Manga," I point out.

"Exactly like Manga."

"By the way, this beach thing… It's just an excuse to see Shojo in a swimsuit, right?" I ask, casually changing the subject.

Awase smirks, shaking his head. "I'm not gonna confirm or deny that, dude. But, you'll gonna see Kendo in a bathing suit." Heh… Everyone did pack a swimsuit just in case we need it… I wouldn't mind seeing my best friend in one.

"Hehe…" a laugh escapes my lips. It's the laugh of a man with lacking morals.

"See? Not even you can resist a girl's body! C'mon, let's have a class trip to the beach, Inochi!" he pleads. Well, there's no harm in going to the beach. We should have as much fun as possible during these five days, especially Itsuka… Soon, we'll be bombarded by representatives of other countries. She'll enjoy the calm before the storm.

"Alright," I say, making my way back to my friends. Standing before them, the next generation of Pro Heroes, I announce, "Let's go to the beach, everyone!"

Shojo shrieks, "No one told me that there's gonna be a beach episode! I didn't pack a swimsuit!"

I hear the groan of a defeated man. Not everyone packed a swimsuit…

---

Click!

"You two look great," Kaibara kindly compliments Monoma and I after taking a quick photo. He brought his camera over, wanting to immortalize these memories. We're at the Mercer Beach—the beach was named after a famous American Pro Hero who passed away before I was born. It's a stunning beach. There's no litter or garbage staining the beach's beauty. The sand is soft and the water is crystal blue, having the same color as a sapphire jewel. It even sparkles!

Kaibara manages to crack a little smile before sitting down on his beach mat with Monoma laying on a beach chair next to him—he's reading a book he got from the library. He posed just for Kaibara's picture before he went back to reading. An umbrella provides the couple—and me—some much needed shade from the sun. They're both in their swim trunks, and they're both pretty toned men, even Monoma. Too bad no lady is gonna separate them. I myself am laying on a beach chair too, enjoying the sight of this beach.

Awase and Tsuburaba are having a competition to see who can hold their breath longer while underwater with Honenuki and Shoda timing them. Shishida is currently at the vendors behind us getting a popsicle with Kuroiro. Kamakiri is swimming on his own, using his Quirk to swim even faster—Quirk use is allowed during I-Expo, but we're not technically in the event yet so he's committing a crime. Eh, no one would care. Tetsutetsu is currently harassing Manga to do pull-ups on the nearby outside gym just about fifty meters down to my left. Finally, Rin and Bondo are having a nice conversation while a cute crab acts as their audience.

But… The guys are here. Only the guys. The girls of 1-B are trying to help Shojo out because she didn't bring a swimsuit. We have to wait for them to come back. For now, it's just me and the bros.

I'm wearing a black and white swim trunks that almost go down to my knees. I'm also wearing a thin, nylon white and blue jacket meant for beachwear. I have it partially zipped up about half-way. Lastly, I have shades. I am the definition of cool. Just gotta talk like a Californian and I'll be the epitome of coolness, oozing coolness like sweat.

I push my shades up, looking ahead to the beautiful waters ahead. Monoma glances at Kaibara and I, smiling. "My good men, are you excited for the plays that will be performed in a few days? One of them will be The Bacchae as an appetizer, and of course, the Iliad will be the main course."

"You'll drag the entire class to them, aren't you?" Kaibara coldly asks, seemingly unenthusiastic about this. He's joking; Kaibara is like that.

"Of course! I want them to appreciate the theater like I do!" Monoma exclaims smiling at his boyfriend. "What about musical theater, Sen? Do you like music? I mean, you posed as a boy band with Inochi that one time."

I comment, "The Anti-Heroes weren't meant to be. We had talent, but we didn't have the bonds between our hearts."

Kaibara looks at me and retorts, "I blame our breakup on you, Jun-Jun. We had a good thing going before you decided to become a tyrant."

I frown. "We're not gonna fight about this… Uh, yeah… I already forgot your fake name, sorry." Crap, what was it again? We had Tadashi right? Sora too… What was the last name? Doesn't matter now.

My ex-bandmate shoots me a dirty look, clearly displeased by the Mad Tyrant named Jun-Seo. "Hmph… By the way, can you sing, Inochi? I mean, you got the looks."

"Eh?" I make a noise.

Monoma sighs and clarifies for him, "You know this already, my friend! You're a handsome man capable of wooing any lady you come across! It's one of the reasons why you have a fanclub!"

Clearing my throat, I correct him, "Actually, I know where you're going with this, but I don't have any intentions on becoming an idol. Komori will put the fear of Shroom into me and end my life."

Kaibara puts his hands up. "Just wondering. We could make a lot of money off of you. I'm trying to get a new camera. Speaking of which, unzip your jacket and pose for me. I'm gonna sell this to your fanclub."

"I'm pretty sure selling pictures of teenagers is illegal. Also, your boyfriend is right next to you," I voice my opinion.

Monoma smirks. "We're just teasing you. There's no way we can corrupt an already corrupted man like you."

"What do you mean by 'already corru[ted'?! Mono—"

"Mister Inochi," Shishida steps inside my shade with a mango-flavored popsicle. Looks like my treat is here! He hands me by popsicle and pushes up his glasses. Ugh, I'm gonna eat my heart out.

"Thanks Shishida," I say, already sucking it. This thing is delicious! Cold, sweet, and refreshing. This is exactly what I needed! Shishida gives me a head nod before walking towards Rin and Bondo—the crab is gone.

Kaibara engages in a conversation with Monoma and I quietly listen. They have some quality banter that makes the Ally of Love in me squeal in joy. Ahead of me, Awase and Tsuburaba are making their way back to us with Awase taking some playful jabs at Tsuburaba's chest. Guess he won. Honenuki and Shoda are off elsewhere doing their own things.

I stand up and approach them, waving. "So I take it that Awase won?" Weird, I would've thought that Tsuburaba would win by a landslide.

Tsuburaba lowers his head in shame while Awase laughs. For once, Awase isn't wearing his headband. His hair is down. "I managed to stay underwater longer than this guy did! I'm better than Airhead!"

The loser pouts, seriously punching Awase in his gut. The latter recoils in pain but still manages to taunt him by laughing. "Ugh, I only lost because I saw a freaking jellyfish! Of course I had to swim up! That thing would've stung me!

"I should've made you wear it as a hat for losing!"

"Even if I did, I would still have more brain cells than you!"

"At least I have a brain!"

Y'know, I think this popsicle tastes even sweeter. I look around and—! Ibara's here! The goddess of 1-B has arrived to purify this sinful beach! Awase and Tsuburaba stop arguing to watch Ibara step onto the soft sand with a holy smile on her face. She's wearing a beautiful green beach dress with flowers adorned on the fabric. Seeing us, she smiles and says, "Good man of 1-B, and the two rascals, I see you're enjoying your time."

Awase laughs at her comment—what a rapscallion. "Glad to see you're here too, O' Holy One! Where's the rest of the girls?"

Tsuburaba mutters, "Ibara Shiozaki, a woman of God. She's blessed with such beauty that it makes us sinners weep. Her body is truly breathtaking. Such a shame she wants to keep herself modest and humble. I want her to step on me."

Ibara returns a smile and looks behind her. "They're approaching us as we speak."

Our next guest is Kinoko Komori! She's wearing a bikini that's red with white spots just like her Hero Costume. She also has a floppy beach hat that kinda looks like a mushroom cap. "Shemage has arrived! Hold your applause, boys!"

Tsuburaba narrates, "Kinoko Komori. Her siren song can seduce men just from a single note. Her body is so curvy that not even circles could compare."

Pony Tsunotori is here! She's wearing denim shorts with a cute, Hawaii-inspired top. Guess she isn't swimming today. Makes sense… Her feet are hooves. Also, she has a gun. "I have a water gun!" She's the angel of death.

"Yeah, I'm not gonna say anything for Pony. She's too innocent." Pony skips away to (probably) terrorize Kamakiri.

Reiko Yanagi materalizes from the air. Before, anyone would think that she's a girl who liked ghosts and dark things in general. But if they saw her now, they wouldn't believe that she's the same girl. Yanagi is wearing a white bikini with a pale blue towel wrapped around her waist. An edelweiss is pinned to her hair which is tied back into a bun. "Hello, everyone."

"Reiko Yanagi! She is a woman of fashion! Most men would dismiss her as an emo girl, but she's still stunning! In a blink of an eye, she can transform into one of the most beautiful women you can meet!"

("What the hell are ya doing, Horns?!" Yup, Kamakiri is being terrorized.)

Aha, it's Yui time! Our silent mistress casually strolls out onto the beach with a blank look. She's wearing a red and white beach bodysuit that clings tightly to her body. "Ah." Hi guys. Sorry that we took so long.

Tsuburaba squeals in delight. "Ohoho! It's Yui Kodai! I can't tell you how much we love her! She's an adorable kuudere that can charm anyone, men and women! Her breasts, her legs, they're perfect!"

The Queen of 1-B is next! Setsuna comes out wearing a green one-piece that compliments her very well. Like Yanagi, she has a flower pinned to her hair. But it's a chrysanthemum instead of an edelweiss. "Yo!"

"Your queen is here, Inochi! She looks cute as ever! Setsuna Tokage knows she's sexy and isn't afraid to tell everyone! That kind of confidence can hit a man right in his heart, y'know! She's one of the best girls in our class!"

Awase suddenly sputters. Yup, it's her, Shojo Fukidashi! Behind her is Hayami who's wearing a plain blue dress. Shojo is wearing a charming yellow bikini with red stripes. There's translucent red frills that're attached to both parts of her swimsuit. And of course, Shojo is blushing. She hasn't gone out to the beach in a long time if at all. I'm glad we can give her this opportunity. "D-Don't stare at me, p-perverts…"

Tsuburaba and I look at Awase. We give him a thumbs-up. Without a word, Awase runs up to Shojo and starts talking to her, doing his best to make Shojo feel comfortable. Hayami flashes a smile and mouths, Watch these two, Ally of Love! Also, the woman of the hour is arriving now!

I stand up straight, pushing my shades up. I finished my popsicle; the only thing that's left is the stick. I toss it away into the trash can. Tsuburaba notices that I'm tense, and soon realizes why. Itsuka Kendo arrives with flushed cheeks, meekly stepping foot on the beach. The first thing she sees is Tsuburaba and I. Itsuka is just how I imagined her. She's wearing a dark green bikini, the same color as the qipao she wears for her Hero Costume. Her hair, instead of being tied back into a ponytail, is braided. That's it, but it doesn't take much for Itsuka to be beautiful.

Tsuburaba doesn't say anything for Itsuka. He simply smiles and gives me a supportive look. Go talk to her, Inochi!

Heh, this is why I adore my friends. I never met more supportive people in my life, including Kamakiri. He says that he hates me, but let's face it, he loves me. Does it matter that he threatened to stab me a hundred times? No it doesn't. Leaving Tsuburaba behind, I approach Itsuka with a smile tugging at my lips. Once we're face-to-face, I ask, "New hair style?" Helping myself, I take her braided hair in hand, relishing the softness of each strand.

Slap!

And she slaps my hand away. Her blush gets a little worse. "Sanji, what excuse do you have for touching my hair like that?" she whines.

I press a hand against my cheek, my smile morphing into a smug smirk. "I have thousands of excuses."

"And…?"

"And all of them contain the word 'cute'." Itsuka grumbles; she can't deny that she didn't like my answer. "How about this, let's make a deal." I lower my hand, crossing my arms as if I am a shrewd businessman capable of swindling millions of dollars from my unsuspecting target. "You can touch my body as revenge."

"Why did you word it like that, you lughead?!" she exclaims, obviously displeased by my intentional unintentional phrasing. Itsuka sighs and shakes her head. Before I know it, she—!

PUNCH!

GRAB!

Yeah, I knew she would punch me. I managed to catch her fist before it turned my stomach into jelly. Crap though… She's a lot better than before. Her punch was faster and stronger. I'm pretty sure a small gust of wind pressure was generated too. I comment, " Touch me, not bruise me."

"Tch, pervert…" Itsuka grumbles, pulling back her arm. She smiles though. "Y'know, your reflexes are a lot better compared to the beginning of the year. Your resilience definitely got stronger too…"

"So have your strength. Soon, you'll be able to produce All Might -level of punches, Itsuka. I'm waiting for the day," I reply back. Our spars have gotten a lot more even now. Master Kendo said that I reached Itsuka's battle instinct. I'm actually starting to beat her in our spars. However, Itsuka is getting stronger. She can use Reversal alongside Big Fists. I already have so much adoration for Battle Fist. Any more and my heart will explode.

And speaking about my heart, Itsuka glances at it. Without a word, she tugs my nylon jacket open to get a good look. She drags her finger along the very noticeable scar. A slight cringe takes over her face. "Sanji… Catharsis didn't give you this scar, right? How did you get it? It's right over your heart."

Like clockwork, a dull pain wells in my chest almost like a memory. It's not the kind of pain that causes a man to scream, but the pain that's itching at you like a scab. You want to peel it off, but if you do, you'll feel more pain—a sharp pain like a knife sinking into your flesh. Just like my family and my past, I don't know. I take Itsuka's wrist and pull her hand back away from my chest. "No clue… But don't worry too much about it, okay?"

"You'll tell me when you're ready, right?" Itsuka asks.

"You'll be the first one I'll go to," I assure her, firmly holding her hand. To double-assure her, I give her a big smile, letting my shades droop a little. Itsuka smiles and lets go of my hands, pushing up my shades for me. She leans in close and—?!

Click!

Kaibara just took a photo of us. "That was a pretty romantic moment, you two. Want me to send you this, Inochi? You can add it to your collection."

Itsuka lets go of me and backs up. "Sanji, you have a collection of what? "

I casually turn around. I address Kaibara, "Sounds like I need to run. Don't worry, Kaibara. I'm faster than this slowpoke."

"You son of a bitch! I'll—!"

SPRINT!

Operation I-Island is starting off strong!

---

Itsuka Kendo

The entire day was filled with a lot of fun.

Operation Love Hunter was a thing. Awase, Tsuburaba, Kuroiro, and Honenuki decided to chase after women being the lovesick boys they are. Actually, all of them but Kuroiro. He was dragged into their mess. Their first mission involved water guns and chasing women away. Their second mission had them invading enemy waters before a jellyfish decided to ruin everything—that was when Kuroiro deserted them. God, on his own, Honenuki used his Quirk to pop his head out of the sand while two ladies were having a conversation! They kicked him in the head and ran away! I only knew about this when Kuroiro himself told me. He said, and I quote, "I'm only informing you of this operation to ensure that I remain without punishment, Kendo." So yeah, he only told me so he wouldn't have to meet my fist. I don't blame him, because once I heard that some of my cherished friends were harassing random girls, I had to do something. I distracted Sanji by giving him Yui so I could properly punish these idiots. It worked for the most part. I put the fear of God into them and now they're traumatized. Sanji ended up finding out and he's forever disappointed in me… Heh, wouldn't be the first time.

I did end up catching some tidbits from the other beachgoers. There's a ton of Pro Heroes attending I-Expo, including No.1 Heroes from other countries. I know that Monarch, a British Hero, and Odyesseus, a Greek Hero, are coming. But, there's this Chinese guy who I keep hearing about. He's "a very hot man" with long, flowing, golden hair. The people I heard this from said that he's probably the most powerful man in the world, stronger than All Might even. But… There's the issue with the Quirk Purists protest. They're planning to protest at David Shield's labs over his research. I can't be bothered to understand their issue honestly.

Pony and Reiko buried Shishida in the sand with his head sticking out. It was pretty funny since they molded a woman's body for him. Shishida had more curves than I did. However, it soon became a problem when a big wave was coming in. He couldn't break out of his prison in time. Yeah, I feel bad for him…

We played with water guns for a while. Eventually though, it ended up with Sanji fighting against half of our class—I sat out to take a video. Good thing too, because Sanji killed everyone. All he had was two water pistols and a dream, and he killed everyone. We watched a few American action movies together and they are really paying off. With his Adoptive Muscle Memory, I'm fairly certain he picked up some firearm training. I doubt he would actually use a gun in the first place though… Still, the sight of him standing tall with bodies surrounding him is permanently ingrained in my mind. He almost looked sad… Almost.

Volleyball happened. I was playing volleyball with Sanji on my team. We were doing pretty well before I spiked the ball. Setsuna claimed that "I recreated Hiroshima and Nagasaki and then some ". It wasn't that big of an explosion honestly. I mean, sand did get everywhere and into our eyes, but it wasn't awful. But even then… Everyone kicked me out, even Sanji! They all mutually decided that I was too good for them and they wanted "to avoid further bloodshed". Hmph, I'm still grumpy over that.

Monoma heard that 1-A is finally at I-Island and proposed that we should make their lives a living hell. He went really in-depth with his plan, coming up with contingencies and assigning us certain roles even though no one said they wanted to do it. Of course, I caught wind and promptly put an end to his scheming.

Kaibara wanted a class photo of everyone together—Shojo and Kagesuke are practically a part of 1-B already. We all decided to do some funny poses that definitely came out of an anime. Pony and Shojo were ordering everyone around making sure we were absolutely perfect, and we were. But Kaibara wasn't in the picture. That was when Mom took over, acting as the cameraman—or camerawoman in this case. We had a heartwarming class photo. Mom said it was perfect, and it is. Everyone was smiling; everyone was happy. This… This was the very thing I wanted to protect: our smiles. When I first saw that picture, my eyes immediately gravitated towards Sanji. He had the brightest smile out of everyone—a smile that I wanted to cherish so much. But immediately afterwards, I couldn't shake this feeling… It was a feeling that said, This is one of the last times you can smile like this . It felt like a cocktail of emotions honestly. Dread, foreboding, and fear all mixed into one. As much as I wanna look away, the world is changing. Everything… Everything that's happening is contributing to this change. It'll be so drastic that we have to devote our strength to adapting to it, and in the end, we wouldn't have the strength to smile.

It might be useless protecting everyone's smiles when I know that we won't be able to in the future, but I don't care. My friends are happy and I'm willing to do anything to keep it that way. What kind of person would I be if I make them depressed? We should be optimistic, mature but optimistic. Despite some of my classmates being complete idiots, we're mature enough to handle whatever's coming. In the end, I hope everything will turn out alright. For Sanji… Well, I'll be by his side so he doesn't get himself killed. Heh… When we first met, when I first got to know him better, I admired him. Then, that admiration turned into adoration, and that adoration turned into love. I wonder how he feels about me, but I wonder about a lot of things, like why he's such an airhead.

Jeez, I sure know how to pick them.

I tug on Sanji's jacket… He gave it to me seeing as my bikini doesn't exactly allow for pockets and I didn't feel like carrying around my phone. I'm at the boardwalk outside of Mercer Beach. It's filled with vendors and other commodities. I just wanted to use the bathroom. Did that and subsequently fell in love with a strawberry smoothie. Anyway, it's a little before three. Sanji has a meeting with David Shield at four, so we should start thinking about getting ready to go. We have to wear our Hero Costumes and try not to get flustered in the Early Access Event. There… If what Mister Tokage says is true, then Sanji will be harassed until he goes insane. I have to be with him. Ugh, there's so many things to think about. I don't wanna stress myself out.

Dump!

I throw away my smoothie; it was delicious. Time to head back. I know that everyone isn't waiting for me, but I know Sanji is—Mom too. Grandpa is back at the hotel doing whatever. For just a few minutes, I get to have peace and quiet. But of course, I pass a vendor where a loudmouth is bragging about how strong he is. He must be the kind of asshole who looks down on people just because genetics was nice to him. Exactly a man I would be disgusted with.

Let's just walk past him and—

"Hey you!"

Nope, he's not talking to me. Just keep walking—

"I'm talking to you, redhead."

Shit, there goes that idea. Eh, I'll just keep walking. He doesn't deserve my attention—

"I know you're Japanese. You can understand me," he says right behind me. I can sense his hand reaching out to grab my shoulder. I turn around and bat his hand away, glaring at him. The jackass is a little taller than Sanji, has short blonde hair that hangs off one side of his head, and is actually attractive. Too bad his personality isn't. Ah, there's that smile too. It's the I'm-hot-shit-and-I-know-it kind of smile. Monoma smirks like that, but it's not as obnoxious as this guy's. I bet he's American.

"What is it?" I ask, crossing my arms. I take a step back to create some distance, and he doesn't seem to step forward.

When I question him, his smile grows probably because I proved to him that I am Japanese, but that's easy to prove. It's pretty easy to differentiate an American from a Japanese person. "I haven't seen you around before. Are you here for the I-Expo?" he questions, eyes measuring me up. "From your physique, you're probably studying to be a Pro Hero. So am I!"

"Heh, shockingly observant," I comment. I probably should get on his good side. I don't like causing unnecessary scenes. "But yeah, I'm here for the I-Expo. Came from Japan with some of my friends."

"Haven't looked at Japan much… I'm from America, but I lived in I-Island for a little over a year now. My dad is one of the Pro Heroes guarding this place. When he worked in the States, he was No.7! You must be impressed," he assumes, but I'm not. Grandpa was No.2 at his prime and Dad was in the top fifteen.

"Okay." Good job Itsuka, you sounded very disinterested. It makes the guy frown, but who cares? He seems too stubborn to let go of me.

He puts a hand on his hip. "Y'know, I got evaluated by David Shield. My AP Level has the potential to be in the thousands, and when I go back to America, I'll be a Sidekick to the No.3 Hero. I'm basically slated for the Top Ten. I'm exactly the type of guy that the Quirkless wanna be. Wait, shoot!

"I haven't even told you my name yet, haven't I? You'll recognize it. My name is Jason Mercer. They named this beach after my grandfather. What's yours?"

"Charmed," I say. The answer doesn't satisfy him nor does my reaction. He's obviously trying to impress me. I knew he was the kind of guy who looked down upon those who're Quirkless. What an asshole.

Jason goes on, "Well Charmed, I'm charmed." He laughs like he made a witty joke. "How about I can show you around I-Island? My treat. You'll get to meet a lot of famous people—Heroes, people in entertainment, all kinds. I'm even throwing a party later tonight. Who knows what kinds of connections you can make…" Jason takes a step forward. Damnit all…

With my voice cold, I tell him, "I have other plans. My friend, he needs me for something important." C'mon, take the hint, asshole.

"Really? Is this thing more important than me?" He steps closer. "There's thousands of people who want to be in your shoes right now, Charmed! I'm pretty sure you're not Quirkless, so—"

"What if I am?" I ask him. "What if I'm Quirkless this entire time?" My voice is as sharp as a knife right now.

"Impossible. You're way too hot to be one!" he exclaims with a bold smile, thinking compliments like that can make me fall on my knees. "Every single Quirkless out there are depressed good-for-nothings who contribute jack shit to society. They look at us, the people who have Quirks, and be envious. I can't blame them honestly. I—"

"Oh shut up! I don't wanna—"

Jason interrupts me, "I'm not done talking. Look, you have no idea what you're missing out on, Charmed. I'm basically a celebrity. Wait no, not 'basically'. I am a celebrity. Everyone knows my name. So c'mon, lemme take a pretty thing like you out for a date you'll never forget!"

This guy is relentless. Even when I snapped back about his awful opinions about the Quirkless, he still insists on asking me out. All he wants is a pretty girl wrapped around his arm. "I'm not interested, jackass. How about getting a dent in your thick skull? Maybe then you'll leave me alone."

Jason laughs. He's laughing at me from how I'm acting. "This friend of yours, you wanna hop on his dick, don't you? Tell me, does he come from a famous family? Is he as strong as me? Or maybe since you like Quirkless guys so much, he must be one of 'em. You must like pathetic losers, don't you?!"

"You mother—!"

"Don't you start, you bitch—!" Jason reaches out for me. I—?!

GRASP!

"—Call her a 'bitch' one more time. Just try it." Sanji! Jason looks at him then winces. I hear his arm creaking as Sanji tightens his grip, but he shows mercy. He lets go and pushes Jason back a few steps.

Jason holds his arm clearly in pain. His face turns red, angrily pointing at Sanji. "Who the hell are you?!"

Sanji slowly approaches him with careful, methodical steps. "My name's Sanji. You probably never heard of a pathetic Quirkless loser like me. However, from the sounds of it, I'm training to be a Pro Hero just like you. I don't really care about fame, fortune, or any of that—I resent the mere idea of them. I want to save people and their smiles. But I'm a very flawed person, y'know? I make mistakes along the way, I get angry even though I don't like it. But…

"Seeing people like you? Hearing you call my favorite person in the world a 'bitch'? I have a right to be angry, don't you think? And let me tell you: I'm very angry right now, and I want to tear that smile off your lips."

"—!" Jason stares at Sanji, who's face-to-face with him. Despite what Sanji said, despite him telling Jason that he's Quirkless and that he's trying to be a Pro Hero, Jason doesn't seem willing to boast about himself. He seems afraid even. "How are you—?!"

"Apologize to Itsuka," demands Sanji. He's on the edge of taking Jason by the throat and slamming his face against the concrete. I remember that Sanji punched a pervert in the face before… I can't imagine how much he's holding back his anger.

"So that's her name—?"

"I didn't ask for any comments, did I?"

"Ugh…" Jason looks over to me and grunts a mediocre "Sorry" before walking away, huffing and puffing. Heh… Sanji scared him off… Seeing my absent-minded, daydreaming partner defend me like that… I think I fell in love with him more.

Sanji turns around and immediately takes my hand, starting to make our way back. "Sorry about that, Itsuka…"

"Sorry about what?" My chest is pretty warm, and so is my face. Jeez, I can't get my mind off of how amazing Sanji looked back there. He's so handsome when he's angry… And how he's so protective of me… His grip on my hand is tight too, but it's almost like he's afraid to let go of me… Despite all his muscles, Sanji looks so soft. God, these thoughts are gonna drive me wild.

He takes a good look at my face and grins. "What did you do to my Itsuka?" Whose Itsuka?

"What? I'm just a little flustered over that asshole. He was saying bad stuff about people like you and I wanted to put him in his place." I let out a small huff, but I don't hate the fact that Sanji came in.

Sanji does a little chuckle before replying, "Clearly. But I'd thought you would be angry at me for jumping in. You don't need anyone rescuing you and you're stubborn enough to keep it that way. You hate the thought of being a damsel in distress."

"I do , but have you ever heard about swallowing your pride? I don't want to be rescued all the damn time, but we don't get to decide that—life does. Besides…" My face starts to emit heat. "If I had to be saved, I want you to be my savior." He said it himself… Sanji wants to be the one who protects me, and I want to protect him. It's a mutualistic relationship—if only that relationship was an actual relationship.

"...Oh my God, you really are an imposter. My Itsuka Kendo actually admitting that she can be weak sometimes? The world has turned upside down!" Sanji stops and doesn't hold himself back from laughing.

"Oh shut up, lughead." I let go of his hand and elbow him in the side. He sharply gasps, but laughs some more. Ah right, I forgot that Sanji is a masochist. "By the way, am I really your favorite person in the world?"

Sanji stops laughing, giving me his adorable smile that never fails to make my heart skip a beat. "No, that's Setsuna."

Whack!

"Ow! I'm just joking!" Hmph, jerk. He rubs his head, frowning this time.

I snark, "You're an imposter. My Sanji Inochi doesn't have any favorites. He's too much of a people pleaser to actually claim that he likes some of his friends more than others."

"Ouch."

"Yup. Anyway, what's your favorite person doing now?" We start walking again.

Sanji immediately answers, "She just asked me a question."

Okay, I will admit that I walked right into that one. "I mean Setsuna, you goof."

"Heh, I know I know…" He scratches the back of his neck, turning towards the sky. "She had to take a call. I eavesdropped a little and found out that she's talking to Okichi Tokugawa. Remember him?"

"Her arranged fiance? Yeah, of course. You complain about him, which is rare for you to complain about anybody." There's only two people that Sanji is willing to talk ill about—who isn't a Villain. That's Suzuki and Tokugawa. Out of the two, he talks about Tokugawa more.

"Well, I just want Setsuna to be happy. She won't find happiness in a loveless marriage especially when she doesn't romantically like men," Sanji explains, which is pretty reasonable. Setsuna doesn't like Tokugawa and neither do we. But of course, we don't have a say in the matter. Only her father can, and only him. Her mother doesn't control her life, only her father.

"If only her dad takes that stick out of his ass and decides to be an actual father for once. He isn't letting Setsuna do anything he doesn't want. That's why Setsuna hasn't been hanging out with us much after Catharsis. That's why he punched you after the U.S.J. Incident. All because we threaten his perfect little plan that will supposedly give Setsuna everything she needs to succeed. Yeah right…" Wow, I really went on a tiny little rant, didn't I? Well, Fuyushiro Tokage gets my blood boiling. He doesn't respect me or Sanji, doesn't give Setsuna the freedom she deserves, and acts like he's the king of a castle—too bad that castle is made out of glass. But there's one thing that needs explaining.

And that's Sanji. From the very moment I started to talk about Mister Tokage, his face becomes stern. He has something to say, so he says it, "Speaking about Mister Tokage, you should stop being so provocative. I'm worried that every time you say something, it could start an argument. Setsuna already knows that you don't like him. If you keep doing that, then you'll create a rift between you and Setsuna again."

"Well, I want to give that bastard a piece of my mind. If he doesn't give us—if he doesn't give you much-deserved respect, then why should I give him any?" I ask him. Sanji stops again, taking me off to the side. Great, I can sense that we're about to have an argument.

Sanji leans against a nearby light pole and crosses his legs before deeply sighing. "I'm not fond of Mister Tokage either, but we owe him. He's the reason why I'm still in the Hero Course. If he didn't let me know about my transcript error, then I'd be in real danger. He even let us be aware of a possibility that I'd be recognized by some people high-up in the ladder."

I stand in front of him just less than a meter away. Yup, we're totally having an argument right now. "That's because he adapted us into his so-called 'masterplan' to include us. He admitted this personally. In fact, he explicitly said that he's only helping us in order to help Setsuna. He's a scumbag! Of course I'm grateful that he gave you a chance to prove yourself, but it wasn't out of the kindness of his own heart."

Sanji frowns, eyebrows furrowing. He puts a hand over his mouth and takes a second to think to himself. Quietly, he mutters, "...he did?"

"What? I can barely hear you," I tell him. My words cause Sanji to stand up a little straighter.

"Never mind, forget what I said," he dismisses whatever he muttered. "Look Itsuka, there's more to him. I mean, of course his actions are morally questionable; it's why I don't like him in the first place. Yet! Uhm, yet despite all of that, there's something we're missing. He's hiding a treasure trove of secrets and ulterior motives."

"So? What's your point here? We both agreed that Mister Tokage is a dubious man, but what does this have to do with anything? Why are you so adamant on being nice to him?"

"Because…" Sanji begins, "we're not teenagers anymore. Gran Torino said that to us. We're supposed to be Heroes, and do you know who else believes in that statement? Fuyushiro Tokage. We need to act like adults. I—"

I cut in, "So you're saying that my outbursts are childish and immature?"

"No, I wouldn't go that far." Sanji puts out his hand, trying to reassure me otherwise with hand motions. "Uhm, I'd admit that you're acting a little...unbecoming. I know you wanna give him a few words in the form of verbal punches, but what good will it do? Will it fix everything? Will it turn Mister Tokage into a good man?"

That's...a good point. A man like him won't be easily swayed with a few words. No matter how much I'll be passive-aggressive with him or even outright insult him, he wouldn't change his ways. I guess… I guess I wanted to make Mister Tokage feel terrible about himself. Damn, Sanji won another argument. I sigh, lowering my head. "I understand your point… Guess I'm still a little immature, huh? Don't worry, I'll try to act like a proper adult next time."

"So you'll be nice to him?"

"Yeah… You win this argument."

Sanji smiles. "Heh, alright then! You don't have to like him, but at least try to show some respect. There's nothing more mature than being nice to someone you don't like. Sure, it gets hard some days, but you'll manage." Why is he saying that like he experienced it for years?

"Yeah yeah… Anyway Sanji, we need to give Setsuna some extra love. We're her sidekicks in this crazy world." After the Catharsis fiasco, she still isn't on good terms with the rest of the school or Japan even when Catharsis was revealed to be behind the suicides. I didn't expect everything would turn back to normal anyhow.

"You think I wouldn't? Regardless…" Sanji stops leaning against the light pole. He—?!

"—Eep?! S-Sanji, right here?!" He's hugging me again! I'm not even sad this time! Why am I trapped in this shameless man's arms? Ugh… I wouldn't mind if he did this while we're alone, but in public? It's embarrassing…

"Yup," he replies without a hint of shame in his voice, my head resting against his warm chest. "We had an argument and we worked it out. Remember when I told you that winning or losing doesn't matter? We're supposed to reach a compromise and we did. And now, I'm sealing this compromise—and every compromise in the future—with a hug. It'll be one of our traditions from now on." One of our traditions…? God, he's such a lovable dork…

I shut my eyes. "Idiot…"

"Hehe…" He holds me closer. I don't think I can decide when this hug ends… Only Sanji can decide that. I'd be lying if I said that I want this hug to end soon. I remember when Yui told me that Sanji thinks of us as friends and he's willing to help me be with the guy I like. I originally dismissed it as him being a dense idiot, but… Right after I was told that, it was the moment when he became bolder. He's been teasing me a lot more, sarcastically saying that he loves me, and he's even willing to hug me out of the blue. This jerk even tricked me by pretending he was going to seduce me! Yui's words don't line up with his actions… Not at all…

What if… What if Sanji knows that—?

"Why, you two are adorable darlings, aren't you!" I immediately push Sanji away, standing a very modest distance away from him! Before I stammer like I have a speech impediment, my eyes glimpse at the man who decided to crash the party. He's…?

Who is this guy?

His voice is upbeat like The Count, but more arrogant and haughty. There's a gleaming, daring smile on his face as if nothing in the world can touch him. He's wearing nothing but pale-colored pants leaving him shirtless. His skin is fair, yet lights up when the sunlight touches him. He's toned and muscular, having a very envious body. He's taller than Sanji, probably being taller than Kamakiri actually. I can see glimpses of a tattoo on his back. It's a tattoo of a dragon. The man has golden-colored eyes and his hair is long and free-flowing, being golden as well, almost like he's saying, I'm a free spirit. I heard about him… He's the Chinese guy. I don't know his name, but why would he be talking to us?

Sanji stands in front of me, already being protective. I casually stand beside him and cross my arms. Sanji asks this man, "Uhm… Can we help you?"

The golden man chuckles at first, then he breaks out into laughter. "Hahaha!" He puts his hands on Sanji's shoulder, treating him nothing but kindness. "Don't worry! I'm not going to steal your woman away from you, darling! What kind of man would I be? I'd be absolute scum! Besides, your lady is obviously infatuated with you, friend!"

Sanji is terrified from how forward this guy is.

I raise my hand. "Could you explain who you—?"

The golden man interrupts, "Wait for just a moment, little fire!" Little fire? He lets go of Sanji and spins on his feet, his hair actually smacking Sanji a bit. He gives us some needed personal space, thank God. He mutters, "To think that I'm standing in the presence of two talented individuals! One is the mysterious man with a mysterious power, Sanji Inochi, and the other has the strength of an army, Itsuka Kendo!"

"You know our names?" Sanji asks before I did. "Wait, do you know about my—!" He stops himself realizing what he's about to say, "—my uh… My thing?"

The golden man grins. "Of course I do! Well, I don't know which thing you're referring to, but I probably do!"

I whisper to Sanji, "This guy is crazy."

Sanji whispers back, "He seems nice."

The crazy guy clears his throat. "Anyway my darlings, it's finally a pleasure to meet the Fist and the Baihu of 1-B."

"Baihu?" Sanji and I say at the same time. He nods.

Putting a hand over his heart, he exclaims, "That's right! In your language, 'Baihu' means 'White Tiger'."

Sanji replies, "So you're Chinese? What's your name?"

"I am—"

"—!" Someone gasps behind the golden man. We turn to him and it's...Rin. Rin's right behind him. His face is filled with shock and surprise. With careful breaths, he asks, "Why are you here…?"

The golden man's grin becomes wider.

"Lian?"

---

Finally! Chapter 43 is here! I'm sorry that I delayed this for a week. I'm having a crash of productivity because of the quarantine, but at least the chapter is posted!

Ch44: Embrace the Origin

Post-Chapter Discussion:

Shinzo's Scene: Okay, you might think it's a little weird that I placed Shinzo's scene in this arc instead of later/earlier in the story. However, I'm doing stuff chronologically. In terms of chronological events, this is the best place to put his scene because of the events that will happen in the future and after I introduced his backstory as a Yakuza Prince. Now, this scene won't impact the story of the I-Expo Arc, but it *will* impact the story. However, you won't get to see that impact for a while. I'm constantly setting up plot points that I need to have some events go smoothly. You'll often get reminded of these plot points so you won't forget about them. As for Shinzo's scene itself, it simply sets up the divide between him and his brother, his Yakuza against the Shie Hassaikai. (When Eri joins the cast in the Cultural Festival, things will get real awkward when she meets Shinzo again.)

Nightingale: Sanji remembers another memory where his father becomes a Disney princess. Seriously though, with each memory, more and more of Sanji's past (and abilities) will be revealed. He already hears phantoms, but what ability will be revealed with this flashback? Hmm...

Welcome to Heroism: Welcome to Heroism, y'all. If you think things aren't complicated, then you're in for a treat. I-Expo is the introduction to the world, and the world wants Sanji. Already, we have more insight on how much of a scumbag Mayor Yamamoto is and how he sold his denizens for some extra cash. As a result, he exposed that Sanji and Deku have the potential to become the next All Might. We all know that Deku *will* be the next All Might and exactly how he'll do it (because if you read the manga, you know what Deku has). However, Sanji is still an enigma. (Before you go: "Wait, Sanji will be as strong as Deku? Pfft, Gary Stu." Bro, Sanji will need all the power he can get for what's about to come.) Anyway, as an example of how the world is introduced, we have a few organizations and people already mentioned: The Iconoclast, United Hero Nations, Monarch, Odyesseus. Of course, we aren't going to explore what all of them have because this arc isn't meant to develop them. Like I said, this arc is meant to introduce you to the world.

Gemini Hotels: Keep this location in mind.

Beach: This is a nice fluffy scene. Unfortunately, I *did* want to write the scenes that Itsuka mentioned at the beginning of her scene, but the chapter was getting long as it is so I had to cut those scenes out. Anyway, let's go Sanji, defending Itsuka like that. Thanks Jason Mercer, a random character that won't be relevant to the story whatsoever and will only be a nuisance. At least Itsuka is beginning to realize that Sanji *is* bolder with her. Of course, he knows that Itsuka is in love with him, but is there something else to it? Who knows... I know, actually. I know everything. I am literally writing the story and writing chapters that are becoming 20k+ words long—please help me. Moving on...

Lian Fei-Long: Yup. I introduced him in Ch36 when Master Kendo said that he'll take over the Fei-Long Family. Then in the last chapter (42), Rin started to describe Lian more in-depth, citing him as the reason why he's in Japan. Lemme tell you something: I am excited to finally write Lian Fei-Long ("Shangdi"). You wanna know why? He's a very likable character and a badass. Not only that, he is *one of the strongest characters* in the entire fanfic. I'm not kidding. He's stronger than All Might (in the present) and can even rival him if AM was in his prime. If I had to make a ranking of the strongest characters right now, then he would be in the top five. You'll see him throughout the I-Expo Arc and even get to see him in action.