The awkward encounter between me, Midoriya and Bakugo was soon forgotten. Midoriya's suspension also ended with Bakugo having one day left. The morning Midoriya was back in classes, we first met up with All Might beforehand under the guise of training. It was an uncomfortable conversation. All Might really emphasized the importance of keeping it a secret. I found myself unexpectedly apologizing.
"I have no intention of telling anyone, All Might. I-I'm sorry I found out," I say.
"I implore that you be someone we can trust, Young Nakashima," All Might had said. He masked his face with encouragement. Maybe it was just due to the fact that his skeletal form was putting me off but I felt an air of uneasiness. I wondered if he didn't believe me... or if it was just my nerves getting to me.
Midoriya and I left the room to go to homeroom. My anxiety shifted when I saw Midoriya's expression. He looks really fired up to be back in class. I grinned as I followed him into class, taking our seats. The class filled up. Eventually Aizawa etnered, clapping his hands to get our attention.
"Good morning everyone. Now that Midoriya-kun is back I'd like to speak further on the offering of work studies. Come inside please," Aizawa said. We turned to look at the door. In came three older students. I watch them closely as they enter. They seemed... eccentric? There was an air about them that I couldn't quite place.
"We've got a few students to speak on the benefits of work studies from their first hand experience. You may know them as the big three," Aizawa explains.
I study each of them carefully. One is a tall, strong but plain looking guy. Next to him is a really cute looking blue haired girl. Finally a nervous looking dark haired boy with pointed ears follows.
"These are UAs top students. Could you introduce yourselves, starting with you Amajiki-kun," Aizawa says. The dark haired boy looks up. He's got an amazingly intense stare. I raise my eyebrows, taking note of the feeling for later training. He opens his mouth to try to speak but seems to be struggling.
"I-I can't do this," he says. He immediately turns away, facing the wall. Is he experiencing stage fright? What an eccentric guy. The pretty blue haired girl grins, stepping forward.
"This is Anajiki Tamaki. And I'm Hado Nejire. We've come here to talk to you about the work study opportunity!" She says. She looks around the class excitedly. She approaches Shoji in the front row.
"Hey... why do you where a mask like that?" She asks. Shoji appears taken aback.
"Oh... uh..." he starts but before he has an opportunity to reply she's moved onto Tododoki.
"You're Todoroki-kun, right? How'd you get that scar?" she asks. I watch her, mouth agape. Does she have to boundaries? She cycles through members of the class. She's certainly an eccentric as well. Aizawa looks exasperated. He turns to the third student.
"Please, don't worry Sensei. I'm the main performer for today!" our taller senpai says. He grins towards the class.
"I'm Togata Mirio. I hope to instill in you the great benefits of completing work studies. I've got an idea... Why don't you all fight me? Wouldn't you say it's best for them to get a first hand experience, Sensei?" He asks. Aizawa considers the request. Wait... all of us fight him at once?
"I'll allow it," Aizawa replies.
—-
We head out to change into our gym uniforms. I wonder what kind of quirk our senpai has that's given him such confidence that he can take us all in a fight? As I pull on my runners I feel a tear along the side of my left shoe. I groan and look down at it, rotating my foot. Along the outer seam the sole on my runner has disconnected from the shoe. Can I ignore this? I stand up to take a few steps but my foot shifts uncomfortably in the shoe.
"Is everything alright, Haruki-chan?" Kyoka asks. I frown.
"My runners have finally given out. What a pain," I say, sighing. I sit back down and unlace them.
"Ehh? What will you do?" Mina asks. I slip my shoes off, assessing the damage. They'd been on their last legs for a while. It had only been a matter of time.
"I'll fight barefoot for now. I'll have to grab some new ones on the weekend," I explain. I roll up the cuffs of my tracksuit.
We head out to the gym. We stand as a group in front of Togata who stretched his legs in preparation. He looks calm. This must mean he seriously thinks he can take us all on in a fight. I look over to Amajiki whose standing facing into the wall at the side.
"Mirio-kun, don't completely destroy their ambition," he says softly. I raise my eyebrows. They think he's that much stronger than us? I begin stretching out my own arms. I notice Midoriya stretching as well. He seems really determined. Then again, he always does take everything seriously. I guess that's a product of inheriting All Might's power.
"So... who wants to go first?" Togata asks. I hang behind with the group at the back. I want to get a look at his style first. The class gets into a defensive stance, myself included. I activate my quirk, erasing my presence. I watch him closely.
My eyes widen as his clothes begin to fall off him. What the fuck? In my periphery I see Kyoka who was standing nearby shields her eyes. I keep looking forward.
No... they're not falling off him rather it's like they're falling through his body. His shirt falls through him to the ground. He grabs his pants, covering himself as much as possible. He appears careless.
At first glance it doesn't look like he's taking this seriously. He's full of openings. It seems Midoriya thought similarly because he leaped forward with his quirk activated, sending a kick straight to his face. However his foot doesn't connect, it goes straight through Togata.
Is it an illusion? Is that why Midoriya's foot went straight through. I look around myself for signs of the "real" Togata. Did he move elsewhere while distracting us with a vision up front? No if that was the case why did he allow his clothes to slip off like that? I look back to the front.
"I suppose I should start with the long range guys, huh?" he says. Before I can process what's happened he's gone. I feel my breath catch in my throat.
Suddenly behind Kyoka he shoots up from the ground, fully naked. He knocks her off her feet. I leap backwards. He flies in and out of the ground, taking out my classmates in his stead. I watch the pattern of attack. No matter what we do our attacks are slipping through him while he's able to make contact every time.
"Is he teleporting?!" Kirishima shouts. No that's not it. I watch the attacks, feeling overwhelmed. There's a trajectory he's following each time he shoots out from the ground. What would you call this? It's like he's phasing in and out.
I think I'm next. Where will he appear from? I sense the air rush from behind me. I roll forward as his leg swings across my head. I'm low to the ground so I twist around, frowning as I become head height with his groin. I guess with a quirk like his you lose your sense of shame. I swipe my feet under him but my foot goes straight through his ankles. Damn! He lunges forward, grabbing my outstretched foot.
This guy's like Bakugo. His awareness of his environment is crazy. He's the type who can fight blind. He's physically strong too, he tosses me away into the wall, winding me. He's too quick.
He ascends on the rest of the class, taking them out effortlessly. I roll over, resting against the wall, clutching my ribs as I catch my breath. I frown watching the rest of the fight. I didn't stand a chance. Hado steps over to me smiling as I recover.
I feel frustrated. I still have a long way to go.
"He's basically invincible," I hear Midoriya say near the front. I furrow my eyebrows. That's not right. We're just all still weak.
"You don't look convinced," Hado says smiling at me. I look up at my blue haired senpai displeased.
"Well I'm not as dramatic as Midoriya-kun," I say flatly.
"Tell me, have you figured it out? How his quirk works that is?" She asked excitedly.
"I think I've got the general idea. He can phase in and out of solid matter," I say. I rest my head backwards against the wall. "Not that knowing is helpful. I still can't fight against it."
She crouched down next to me, tucking her school skirt beneath her thighs. She studies me closely with a smile.
"I'm curious, you're the one with the perception quirk right? Are you observant because of your quirk?" She asks.
"Not directly. My quirk an emitter type. It's not transformative so it has no impact on my own brain function or ability to categorise stimuli. I guess I have perhaps developed a more keen awareness through the experience of using it," I explain. I'm sure that's common for those of us who have quirks that focus on invisibility or camouflage. I pull on my braids, thinking about it.
"That thing you're doing with your braids, is that an anxiety response?" She asks. I drop my hands. For fucks sake she really has no boundaries.
Before I respond Togata has finished taking out the rest of the class. The class lays on the ground recovering from the one man onslaught. I stand up and make my way back over. He dresses himself.
"Phew, managed to keep my jewels mostly under wrap there. Sorry girls... Ah especially you in particular," he says gesturing towards me. I wave my hand dismissively.
"Don't worry about it. I'm sure I'm not the first," I reply flatly.
"So what did you guys think? Am I strong?" He says. The class erupts into outrage.
"You're way too strong! You can phase and teleport?!" Mina shouts.
"No! Let me explain... My quirk is permeation. I can pass through anything, including the ground," he says.
"So you can move through anything and avoid attack. That's a strong quirk," Tsu says. Togata shakes his head.
"Not at all. It's strong because I made it strong. When I activate my quirk everything passes through... light, sound and oxygen included. I can't hear, see or breath. Even simple tasks like moving through a wall takes a lot of steps to be successful," he explains. So he's no stranger to sensory deprivation then. That explains how he was so effective against me. Someone with such a quirk would learn to adapt to fighting without sight.
"It took time and practice. But that combined with the experience gained through my work study had allowed me to master my quirk. And it's for that reason you can't let an opportunity like work study pass you by," he explains. I look down to my hands. Ever since my internship with Shroud they've become calloused. I have learnt the most during real world experiences like I had with her. Togata is right. We have a long way to go and experience is what we need.
Class is dismissed. Before I head out to get changed I walk over to see Aizawa.
"Yo, sensei," I say as I approach him.
"What can I do for you, Nakashima-chan," he asks.
"I need to get some new runners on the weekend. Can I get a pass to leave the school for Saturday?" I ask. He looks down to my bare feet.
"Sure. Come by my office tomorrow afternoon," he says. I thank him and leave.
—
I spend my evening researching shoe shops. I really don't have much money so I need to find somewhere cheap but still good quality. I find a place about an hour away that has a decent sale on. I guess I'll go there.
On Friday afternoon I make my way to Aizawa's office. I run into Midoriya on the way there.
"Nakashima-chan, are you going to talk to Aizawa-sensei too?" He asks. I nod.
"Yeah I'm getting a permit to leave on Saturday. Gotta buy some new shoes," I explain as we walk together. "What about yourself?"
"Oh... uh I'm actually heading out with Togata-senpai to meet Nighteye. I thought it might be good experience to do my work study with someone who was close to All Might," he explains quietly. It makes sense.
"Wow you sure are well connected. Uh... does Nighteye already know about you?" I ask. Midoriya nods. He looks sad.
"Umm.. I'm a bit nervous. I'm not sure what he thinks of me or how I can make a good impression." Midoriya explains. I pat him on the back. It's crazy to me that this guy, even with all his power could be this nervous.
"Don't let it bother you. I'm sure you'll get a chance to prove yourself," I say. He gives me a small smile. We spend a few moments in silence.
"Did you hear Kirishima-kun is interning with Fatgum?" Midoriya asks. I shake my head.
"I hadn't. That's wild though. That's who Amajiki-senpai is working with right?" I ask. From memory Fatgum is a large round hero whose quirk is absorption. He can suck people into his belly fat.
"Mm that's right. Uraraka-chan and Tsu-chan got scouted by Dragon on Hado-senpai's recommendation as well," he explains excitedly.
"Amazing. Not gonna lie I'm kind of jealous. Dragon is super cool," I say. We arrive at the staff room. I knock. Aizawa lets us in and hands us our permits for tomorrow. Before we go a question comes to mind. I know he said we could only intern with heroes with good track records but I really would love to work with Shroud again.
"Hey Aizawa-sensei. I know you said we could do our work studies with heroes with good interning track record but so you think there's any chance..." I start.
"No," he cuts in flatly. I frown.
"Hey you didn't even let me finish!" I reply curtly.
"You didn't need to," he replies. I guess that's that. I might push again later.
"Whatever. Later Sensei," I huff. Midoriya says goodbye politely. We head back to the dorms together.
—-
The weekend arrives. I get up relatively early. I learn when I get down to the common area Midoriya has already left. I send him a text wishing him good luck. I pull on my backpack and exit the dorms to head to the station.
It's long boring train ride to the store. About an hour away from school. When my train arrives at the end station I take my phone out. The shop should be just a 15 minute walk away from the station. It's a big effort just for some shoes but this way I can avoid spending too much money.
I mentally calculate my savings as I walk. However I'm suddenly pulled from my thoughts when I hear a commotion ahead. There's a huge explosion. My heart stops. Civilians start running in my direction from down the street.
"Villains!" Someone shouts.
Fuck! I look around. There's no heroes in sight. I take a breath. I have to do something. This I'd what I got my licence for isn't it? I leap forward.
I see a crushed car and flames ahead. I toss my backpack to the side and activate my quirk, erasing my presence. I see several figures in the distance. I squint. Are they wearing plague masks?
There are four men getting ready to defend themselves. I duck behind a wall.
"Who the fuck are you?" A larger one of the group asks. "This is our loot. Piss off!"
One of the men wearing the plague mask steps forward.
"How insolent," he says. He swoops forward, grabbing the man by his face with one hand and the side of the side of the car with with his other hand. I watch him melt of the face of his victim and merge it with the car. I feel the blood drain from my face.
...He just killed a guy right in front of me.
My body shakes. Just who is this villain? This guys a real deal. My mind races for any memories, any news stories about who this guys is. One things for sure...I need a weapon.
That quirk is dangerous he's got and he's fast. He'd literally fused that guy with a car. THere's no telling what he could do! If I let him touch me he's gonna kill me. The area is void of civilians. Do I run as well? No I can't do that. There's no heroes around and I can't let someone with such a destructive quirk leave. I glance back to the group.
Those guys they're confronting don't look innocent either but they just look like petty criminals. Villains or not I don't want to see anyone else get killed.
I take a deep breath. I can do this... right? I just can't let him touch me. In the very least I'll delay him before the real heroes arrive. That's it... I don't have to beat him. I just have to delay him. I look around me, the explosions have thrown rubble everywhere. I just need something I can defend myself with.
Before I can find a weapon the plague mask wearing leader moves again. I watch him disassembled the petty villains and merge them with the ground. I squeak. He looks up to my direction. Fuck, he's also the type who is hyper aware of his environment.
This is it. I'm going to die.
"Oh... someone's still here. That won't do," he says. My breath quickens as my panic response sets in. I try to hide further around the wall but I can hear him approaching. I see a shard of glass. I tear the bottom of my shirt off she wrap it around my hand. With my protected hand I pick up the shard of glass. It's better than nothing.
His footsteps get closer, this will need to do. I activate my total Might presence and jump out from my cover. He looks unbothered by it. I reactivate my quirk erasure and duck in lowly at him, wielding the glass shard in hand. I need to do this quickly. I get in close.
"I hate being touched, girl," he says scornfully. I slash at him but he jumps backwards. I land awkwardly. I go to run at him again but he reaches down, touching the ground. The asphalt wraps around my ankles. I try to pull out my legs but I'm stuck. He steps over to me. My stomach drops.
I'm actually going to die. I didn't even get to become a proper hero. I proved nothing. His stare is intense. I feel myself tremble in fear. My eyes dart over the petty villains deconstructed bodies. I can't do anything. I should have run. I don't stand a chance.
He reaches out, I try to slash him in a desperate last attempt to defend myself but I know I've lost. He catches my wrist. He squeezes tight causing me to drop the glass shard.
"That's enough," he said. He presses a hand against my throat. I try to scream but nothing comes.
Next, I feel the worst pain I've ever experienced. I feel the tendons in my neck snap and a searing pain in my body before everything goes black.