Here we are again, it is always such a pleasure.
Breaking past the 700 followers now. Holy crap.
-.
October 25th, U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 2130.
Atmosphere around Class 1-A was still a bit tense.
The whole event of having one of their group being accused of manslaughter and coming out as a supporter of the Hero Killer's ideology had everyone on edge for the better part of the day; it was like stepping on eggshells for everyone.
It had just been an unusually silent day.
People from Class 1-A were doing their best to just let that go and weren't actually buying into the accusations… there was just too much to unpack at once and no one wanted to stir any more trouble.
There were obviously others who were actively trying to ease things out as much as possible: Yaoyorozu hadn't left her boyfriend's side unless she had no other option. Midoriya, Kirishima and even Todoroki explained how they had met after Kamino and that how an accusation like that was something bound to come up eventually. Jiro and Shoji were always on the lookout throughout the day, and they had indeed heard a few comments from people outside their class, most of them not of the good kind. And Bakugo was just… being himself and threatening anybody that decided to meddle in business that weren't theirs.
The group that ended up tangled with Kamino, both the rescue and the reunion at Machibuse's apartment in the aftermath of the incident, became somewhat of a task force.
With a single exception.
Iida.
The class president was clearly very troubled about what he had learned regarding Machibuse and the Hero Killer. That would be another bridge in dire need of repairs, but that would be a task better done after Iida had sorted his thoughts out a little better.
"Dinner is ready." Machibuse's already monotone voice sounded even more deprived of enthusiasm than usual. And with that he picked up a serving for himself and made his way outside to eat by the courtyard.
Momo shot him a worried glance, an unspoken question that Hakuba answered with a light shake of his head. There was no need for her to come with him, she'd already spent the entire day worrying and it was only fair for her to catch a break.
In a moment Machibuse was sitting down in the fresh grass. Temperature had been gradually dropping now that they were closing in the last month before winter finally settled.
With a deep breath he picked up his bowl and began eating. Somehow during that mess of a week Machibuse managed to find some gōyā melons at a decent price at the nearby market which he intended on using to prepare something very Okinawan after returning from the cemetery yesterday… his father was particularly fond of gōyā champuru, so it was only fitting.
Well, yesterday did not work out but the taste was nostalgic all the same. That was one recipe he knew from heart.
Machibuse reached for his cellphone as he ate, at least the chaos created by the Edgeshot Forum plan turned out to be fairly entertaining. He was presented all kinds of public apologies from every kind of news media there was. A few still tried to swipe the "blunder" aside by emphasizing the relationship between him and the Hero Killer, but Machibuse was completely fine with that.
Out of his two supposed crimes, this one was simply a matter of opinion. People could look down upon him for accepting the ideology preached by Stain, but that was much, much better than having people digging up the claims about the Murakumo.
He placed his cellphone down onto the grass and resumed eating.
These last two days had been way too intense for his liking. He needed a break, honestly…
Machibuse was just about to resume his meal when something caught his eye. Something white and furry.
And scared.
"Guess your opinion about me hasn't changed that much…" Machibuse quirked an eyebrow as he spoke to the rabbit.
Little Yuwai was backed up against the corner of the courtyard, ready to sprint in any direction at any moment.
Machibuse stretched his neck, trying to peek over the edge of the third floor.
"Ah." he mouthed, noticing how Koda's door wasn't fully closed. The special effects team was still out, they had a few finishing touches remaining on their to do list, and there was a thing or two there that required the assistance of the tech-savvy people from the Support Department; properly wiring up lights, setting up channels for the instruments and all that jazz.
Well, now he had to wait for Koda to come back. Yuwai had a knack for escaping and hiding in the wildest places around the dorms, like under the couches and inside the bathroom stalls. The girls once found Yuwai inside the washing machine on their side of the laundry, that had been interesting… likely the rabbit had slipped unnoticed in the courtyard and it happened to get trapped in when Machibuse closed the door just now.
With a sigh, Machibuse picked up his phone once more just to message Koda about the situation and everyone else to keep the courtyard door closed. He knew that if anyone other than Koda happened to open that door now, Yuwai would just bolt away and hide somewhere else. Not the kind of trouble Class 1-A need this late into the night.
Back to eating then.
Time went on without much happening, Koda wouldn't be taking too long to return and at most Machibuse had to deal with people peeking through the glass to see if anything was happening.
It was just that weird one-sided tension as Yuwai just refused to move, anticipating an attack that would never come.
Machibuse looked down to his dinner.
The little furball likely was feeling hungry. Koda had been gone for a few hours now and it sounded improbable that Yuwai would've already eaten his... rations? Was that what Koda gave it usually? Machibuse had no idea of what taking care of a rabbit was like. Last time he held one it was in a stew, so yeah…
Calmly the boy began setting the carrot and broccoli bits of his rice aside, they were just cooked rather than fried so it seemed pretty safe. Then he pushed the vegetables into his food tray and carefully pushed it towards the rabbit with his foot.
All that was left to do was to scuttle away and turn around so that Yuwai felt as comfortable as possible with that peace offering.
He knew what the rabbit smelled like, so it wasn't that hard to track it around the enclosed space they were in.
It took a while, but Machibuse moving just a little but further was enough for Yuwai to build some more courage.
Both just ate in silence; it was still a weak trust so it was better to not push too much.
An unexpected moment of peace.
Both then turned to see what was happening as the sound of the glass door of the courtyard opening.
A voice Machibuse was used to hearing very little soon followed.
"Yuwai!" Koda called out as he came in.
The rabbit immediately responded with a squeak Machibuse could only assume was one of happiness. Now that he thought about it, none of his past interactions with rabbits had ended with the animal in such a mood. There were usually too many pointy objects involved for that to ever happen. His mother liked rabbit, it was low fat, protein rich and easy enough to hunt with simple traps or arrows.
Perhaps Yuwai had been warned by the ghosts of rabbit-kind about what had transpired over the many hunting trips Hakuba had taken with his mother?
"I have given your friend some vegetables." Machibuse informed as he watched Koda picking up his pet.
Koda bowed timidly, cradling the animal in his arms with care as he apologized for causing trouble.
"No harm done. After what happened yesterday, taking care of a rabbit is hardly a hassle." Machibuse responded, now calmly getting up to pick the tray that by now only had a few half-eaten bits left.
The rabbit perked up in attention but remained surprisingly calm now.
"Yuwai doesn't seem to be so scared of you anymore." Koda told in a cheerful tone.
"If only I could bribe everyone else with food like I did just now…" Machibuse sighed, his protocol face giving in a little.
"People are just scared…" Koda offered reluctantly.
"So am I." Machibuse admitted after a small pause. This likely had been only the second or third time he and Koda had a proper verbal conversation. Most times up until now they had opted for sign language.
Koda offered a small smile. An implied "Go beyond!" certainly there for motivational purposes.
"I suppose that fighting off fears is something people do around here. Present company included." Machibuse responded honestly.
It wasn't the "Plus Ultra!" Koda was expecting, but it would do.
-.
October 26th, U.A. Highschool Cafeteria, 1225.
"People sure are keeping an eye out for you."
"I would be far more surprised if that was not the case."
Sero just gave a small shrug in response to that. He, alongside Machibuse, Asui and Mineta were the ones in charge of picking up today's lunch for Class 1-A to refuel for another day of rehearsing their performance. Bakugo also tagged along a few feet ahead of the group, but his were other business: Today he had another full day at the remedial courses for those that failed the provisional license exam.
The canteen was packed full of people and the line was far from being a short one. Hopefully this would be one of the last times they would have to deal with this issue given that the festival was in just three days.
Yet, despite how crowded the cafeteria was, it was easy to tell that the other students were avoiding getting too close to the 1-A group.
"At least now that you got people scared we don't need to worry about getting squished like a bunch of sardines. We almost lost Mineta in here about a week ago." Sero joked.
To anybody watching from the outside that joke would feel rather harsh, but Machibuse was silently thanking the heavens above for Sero's existence. The term "breaking the ice" apparently was personified as someone with tape dispensers for elbows.
"You don't need to remind me of that. Even I have a limit when it comes to being stepped on… god I wish that it was just girls then…" Mineta shuddered in a concerning mix of weariness and lust.
"You need counseling, Mineta-chan." Asui stated bluntly.
"I dread imagining what would happen if he is put through a live interview like the one I did." Machibuse took a deep breath and took another step forward as the line progressed.
And just as he turned his eyes once more towards his destination, a familiar face showed up.
"Well, if it isn't the resident troublemaker. Any more surprises I should account for?" Shinso asked in a mildly tired tone. In each of his hands he carried bags loaded with a few boxed meals.
"Major." Machibuse greeted.
"People down in the trenches of the General Education are talking quite a bit about you, especially in my class because you popped up in there a few months ago. Give me a heads up before you pull a stunt like that so I can just lock myself in my room before people start asking me about stuff I don't know…" Shinso complained. His eyes veered off a bit towards the group accompanying Machibuse and he greeted them with a slightly stiff nod.
His last meaningful interaction with them had been a declaration of war, so things were still a bit awkward.
"I apologize for the trouble. That was far from something I had planned." Machibuse suppressed a sigh.
"So hey, you are the mind control guy… I've been wanting to have a talk with you for a while now." Mineta wedged into the conversation, a hand against his chin and a very methodical look on his face.
"That would indeed be me. Can I help you with something?" Shinso quirked an eyebrow.
"Say… your Quirk can make people do anything anything?" Mineta asked with a devilish grin.
Before Shinso even managed to open his mouth to answer that rather creepy question, something wrapped around Mineta's ankle and dragged him away as he screamed.
"Don't even try it -gero" Asui intervened.
"I'm going to assume that the small one is the "Mineta" you warned me about." Shinso just sighed.
"Indeed… Asui-san, my gratitude for helping. Giving people more reason's to speak about me is not what I need right now." Machibuse bowed lightly.
"Call me Tsu." Asui responded plainly. Her hand clasped around Mineta's face, preventing him from speaking.
Before that argument could start once more, another figure approached.
"Shinso, we got work to do. And your buddy there isn't good company; don't go and taint Class C's reputation. We don't need people thinking we have people who support the Hero Killer with us." a tall male approached with an expression that pretty much shouted trouble. Machibuse remembered the pompadour, but not the name.
"Drop the tough act, Agoyamoto. He is doing that to appease people like you who only know how to complain." Shinso fired back, now standing in the way.
Tension.
Silence.
"Oi, this is bad…" Sero muttered as he looked around.
"AM I GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE UP MY PLACE IN THIS HELL OF A LINE OR YOU ARE GOING TO DROP THIS BULLSHIT ALREADY?" Bakugo shouted from somewhere behind the crowd.
"Bakugo is right… Listen up, big guy! I'm the only one here at risk around Machibuse, and that is our problem to deal with! We don't want any more trouble, got it?" Mineta, of all people, stepped forth.
Machibuse made no effort to hide his surprise about that.
With that, Agoyamoto turned around a left.
"Sorry about him. As I said, you stirred up a lot of talk." Shinso rolled his eyes and also turned to leave.
"I suppose I will just have to get used to it." Machibuse nodded.
Slowly, the activity in the cafeteria returned to normal.
"My gratitude for that, Mineta-san." Machibuse spoke after that brief pause.
"You aren't the only one trying to look cool. Suppose that getting people to talk about me a little is not bad." Mineta bumped his chest proudly.
"Aren't you a little rascal?" Sero just laughed as the group watched Mineta striking a pose for a group of girls that had watched the scene unfold.
Machibuse and Asui just exchanged a quick glance.
"Still, we are not going to turn a blind eye because of that -gero" Asui informed coldly.
Mineta just cringed mid-pose.
"…Damn it."
-.
October 28th, U.A. Highschool Heights Alliance, 1-A, 2335.
"WOO I CAN'T EVEN SLEEP!"
"MAXIMUM EXCITEMENT!"
Kaminari and Mineta were primed and ready to go.
"Quiet down! Some people are trying to sleep!" Ashido scolded.
There was just a small group still awake, that would be their last night of rest prior to the live performance they had worked so hard for.
"I wonder if everyone will get excited with us…" Iida pondered with a hint of anxiety on his voice, but he was clearly also holding himself back from bursting into action much like the two running in circles behind the couch he was on.
"It's better not to think about stuff like that… getting embarrassed or nervous is the worse. Once we all get on the stage, all that is left is to have fun." Jiro tried to calm everyone down a notch.
"You were super embarrassed, though!" Kaminari took the jab, remembering about how reluctant Jiro was about this performance not so long ago.
"That was different." Jiro defended herself.
"Mission objective is still exactly the same, it is but a difficulty tweak at this point." Machibuse quirked an eyebrow as he joined the group, in his hands he had a tray with some late-night snacks for the night owls there present.
"You are taking this much better than I expected." Ashido noted as she reached for the food.
"I am holding up for now… Having a break down now is not something I can afford. There is too much riding on what happens tomorrow." Machibuse informed with a short sigh.
Iida opened his mouth to speak but decided against it. This was not the time for him to set a few things straight with the class' resident medic.
And everyone noticed that reluctance.
"And besides, someone called in a favor. That is a mission that takes precedence over my issues." Machibuse tried to move away from the subject, now glancing towards Midoriya.
"That reminds me, the ingredients you asked for are already mostly portioned. We are missing a few things, but those are easy to find if you can make it to the market before the festival begins. I will be texting you the full recipe once I get to my room." Machibuse spoke as an afterthought.
"Thank you, Machibuse-san." the greenhead smiled.
"What is this about?" Kirishima asked curiously.
"Just something I want to make for Eri-chan when she comes to U.A. tomorrow… What Jiro-san said works for a lot of things, huh?" Midoriya responded, now going back to the previous topic.
"Oui. When you think of others, it ends up helping you too." Aoyama added.
Those words caused Machibuse to doze off a bit as he was reminded of the words he had spoken to All Might months ago when he was still in the struggle of creating a signature move.
He would need to get back to that soon, but both Midoriya and Aoyama suddenly pointing out how frayed their rope was caused him to snap back to reality.
"Oh my, why don't you ask Yaomomo to make one?" Kaminari chirped in.
"Yaomomo is already sleeping… and don't treat her like a tool drawer!" Ashido interjected.
"But you people use me to charge your phones all the time." Kaminari responded with a dejected look on his eyes.
"This is what it means to look down on men." Mineta added.
"At least you are not the local pharmacy. Hatsume-san almost shouted my ears off because I was not available to keep her from falling asleep a couple of days ago." Machibuse scratched the back of his head as he spoke.
"You are using your Quirk to keep her awake? Isn't that bad for her health?" Iida asked with mild concern for the crazed engineer. Apparently he truly had decided to not linger on that issue for now.
"She would be running on minimal sleep regardless of I assisting her or not. At least this way I can ensure she cares for herself; I only agreed with helping her if she did so. Our agreement afforded her with about an hour of extra worktime per day, so it was a net win for her in a way. And I can sleep knowing that at the very least she ate properly." Machibuse explained, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.
"Well, now that you have one fox in the coop, how about you let in a few more? You know how it is, girls and hormones… we totally could use a pharmaceutical hotline for those days!" Ashido suggested in a cheeky tone. This clearly was something that she had thought about a few times already and was only waiting for an excuse to bring it up.
Machibuse stared at her with a blank expression. Somehow Hatsume managed to throw him under a bus without even being there.
Then he just turned around and began leaving.
There was already too much on his plate for him to even argue.
-.
October 29th, U.A. Highschool Training Grounds, Gym Gamma, 0955.
"Three-hundred… two-hundred and ninety-nine… two-hundred and ninety-eight… two-hundred and ninety-seven…"
Machibuse was just crouched in the corner blowing in a paper bag.
The damn live performance hadn't even started yet and things were already going south.
He almost forgot to pick up the case with his costume earlier, and he would be needing the tabi from his hero outfit.
"There are more people here than I thought that there'd be!" Uraraka informed as she poked her head out around the corner of the backstage area.
And that was not the end of it…
No.
Midoriya had just fucking vanished.
Machibuse just continued with the countdown. Been a while since he last brought out his personal doomsday clock.
"Hakuba…" Yaoyorozu called tenderly, placing her hand on his shoulder.
"I'm… fine? I think? It's not that bad…" he responded, slowly getting back on his feet.
"You sure, Captain?" Jiro posed the rhetorical question.
The back of Machibuse's shirt was all kinds of teared up, he had been pacing around for about half an hour now, and the Chelicerae on his back made short work of the fabric as he unconsciously sprung them out at random as he moved about.
No wonder the place felt breezy.
"Right. Focus. I've been through much deeper shit just this week… it's just an auditory full of people. What is the worse that could happen?" Machibuse told himself as he took the tattered shirt off and tossed it aside.
He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
A million possibilities immediately rushed a through his mind: People could boo the entire show because of his declarations earlier this week! He could mess up the accords! Midoriya could possible not make it in time! …The League of Villains could attack!
Then a pair of gentle hands cupped his face.
"You won't be alone out there… we all worked hard for this. You worked hard for this, so everything will be okay." Momo whispered gently, leaning her forehead against his.
The two just stood there for a moment, Hakuba's breathing slowly matching the much calmer rhythm of his girlfriend's.
People around them began moving into position.
Midoriya rushed in through the door, almost out of breath. He had a weird smell clinging onto him, masked beneath that of the soap of U.A.'s restrooms, that of dirt, grass, sweat and… blood. Something had happened, but that would be a question for later.
It was time.
Machibuse slowly walked towards the center of the stage where Jiro just had finishing plugging in all the instruments with the help of the special effects team, including hooking the one he would be playing with an extra-long cable. His walk was stiff and tense, but this was time to finally climb that wall.
Carefully he took his place behind his Lieutenant and passed the strap holding the purple bass guitar over his head. His back was turned towards the curtains that separated him from the crowd.
Machibuse almost missed something being tossed in his direction. An orange shirt, freshly created by Yaoyorozu to replace the one he had ruined.
He quickly reached for the strap, there was no way for him to get dressed with that thing in the way.
Then the buzzer sounded and the lights over the crowd turned off, leaving only the bright white coming from the back end of the stage.
"For fuck's sake!" he hissed, causing Jiro to stifle a laugh.
Time to improvise!
The curtains opened slowly.
The crowd began cheering.
"First years, do your best!"
"Show us what you've got, first years!"
Fine up until now. Everyone on stage was standing firmly still.
No one had called Machibuse out, and no one noticed how he was busy tying the shirt around his right bicep up until the last possible second. The white "A BAND" letters mirroring the black ink of the tattoo on his other arm.
Blinding white light washed over his face as he did his best to force those ghosts away.
Then the crowd began chanting the name of his girlfriend.
Hakuba just quirked an eyebrow. He knew Momo was popular, but this was a whole new level.
Well, if anything he sure wasn't giving her a bad rep…
He could feel Jiro taking one last breath behind him and moving to hold onto the microphone standing in front of her.
The background lights dimmed, soon the stage was in the dark.
Silence.
Anticipation.
Bakugo.
"LET'S GO, DAMMIT! LET'S KILL THEM ALL WITH OUT SOUND!" he shouted, slamming down into the drums with a massive explosion.
"Mission start." Machibuse whispered to himself.
The spotlights pushed back the darkness in a flash.
"THANK YOU FOR COMING TODAY!" Jiro welcomed the spectators with gusto.
The show had begun.
What am I to be?
What is my calling?
I gave up giving up, I'm ready to go
The future's left unseen
It all depends on me
Put it on the line to follow my dream
Yeah
Focus. Machibuse kept his posture rigid as he strummed his notes. One after another he continued to hit the tones needed of him, his eyes still focused on a fixed point in the back of the stage, as far away as possible from the crowd behind him.
He pulled each string methodically as if drawing his bow.
Tried all my life, I've tried to find
Something that makes me hold on and never let go
Oh
Chorus. Each movement had to be precisely calculated: Two cautiously measured steps forward, closer to the drums he was punctuating, then turn around, face the crowd and move on to the main accord.
A small unconscious adjustment, he stopped halfway through the turn, now displaying the "A BAND" on his arm proudly.
Hero too, I am a hero too
My heart is set (my heart is set) and I won't back down
Hero too, strength doesn't make a hero
True heroes (true heroes) stand up for what they believe
So wait and see
So wait and see
He kept on playing systematically, but… what had just happened? Aoyama had been launched and maneuvered successfully, Midoriya had moved out of stage. Everything was happening as he had expected, even the small bits of change as people got more and more into the performance.
But why he had been one to step out of routine? He was supposed to be the one least involved in all of this… damn, the Lieutenant's choice of song wasn't something he had thought about too much, but now it was hitting on his feelings a little bit too much.
What do they think of me?
Who do they think I'll be?
I could not care less, I don't wanna know
Am I doing right?
Am I satisfied?
I wanna live my life like it's meant to be
Yeah
Repetition. The accords came naturally as they were meant to; he had practiced them over and over and over. But why was he deviating from his plan? The pressure was there and so was the fear. Yet he strayed once more from the path he had so meticulously planned to thread over the last few weeks, the one path where he would be the least exposed.
But there he was, once more moving as he continued to play. This time closer to Momo. She looked at him and smiled… was he smiling?
Tried all my life, I've tried to find
Something that makes me hold on and never let go
Oh
Buildup. The main event was about to happen, he was nervous… more nervous than even. And still his body and mind felt light.
It was his time to move. There was a pause on his accords in a few seconds. Uraraka and Shoji were in position. He dashed forward as the opportunity presented itself.
Hero too, I am a hero too
My heart is set (my heart is set) and I won't back down
Hero too, strength doesn't make a hero
True heroes (true heroes) stand up for what they believe
So wait and see
With a light touch from the former and a good throw from the later, Machibuse was in the air.
Snow, lasers, confetti surrounded him as he landed upside down onto one of the ice paths Todoroki had created. Chelicerae dug deep onto the frost as he charged forward towards the center of the gym while hanging above the crowd all while playing.
People will judge for no reason at all
Yeah they might try
To say your dream's dumb, don't listen
They may look down on me and count me out
I'm going my own way
They may look down on me and count me out
I'm a hero, I've got music
Peace? The rhythm slowed down as the prelude developed.
He could see many eyes following him running across the ceiling. Yet…
Hero too, I am a hero too
My heart is set and I won't back down
Hero too, strength doesn't make a hero
True heroes stand up for what they believe
Full force! The chorus blasted off once more! The dance crew was taking off and the band cranked it up to the maximum! People were floating all around the gym as lights continued to dance around everyone.
He felt… happy.
Yeah I'll be
Hero too, I am a hero too
My heart is set and I won't back down
Hero too, strength doesn't make a hero
True heroes stand up for what they believe
So wait and see
Freedom! Young Eri was down there, her face pure amazement! The girl who didn't knew how to smile had been freed from her darkness!
And above her, someone else was also enjoying the light for the first time in eternity!
I have met so many heroes in my life
Gave me the strength and courage to survive
Gave me the power to smile everyday
Now it's my turn to be the one to make you smile
Release…
…
..
.
AN: When I first began writing this story, 1-A's band performance was a manga only thing, so I've been really eager to write this chapter ever since it got animated given that "Hero Too" turned out to be a song that very muc speaks to how Hakuba feels.
We are still not done with the culture festival though, there is still a bit more stuff I want to go over before we move on, but I wanted the performance to be a chapter on it's own. This arc had quite a big detour, but as much as I love Gentle, his fight is with Izuku. And Hakuba had no business there... Perhaps in the future I might end up writing a scene where Hakuba and Gentle meet, but those are plans for the future.
Then, let us talk about the future because this was something bound to happen sooner or later: Hiatus.
The shitstorm that I got caught in for a good chunk of this year delayed this decision, but I have been thinking about it since ending the Shie Hassaikai arc. I pride myself in writing a good story, and I need to be able to plan things around in order to maintain quality… and if you are up with the manga then you can imagine that planning around that clusterfuck of an arc is not a walk in the park. Mostly I just want to play it safe and see how that is going to play out in cannon for a while before I make any big decisions here. I've seen one too many good stories crashing down because the author tried to, as we say in Portugal, take a step larger than his or her own legs.
As a long-time fan of both Berserk and Hunter x Hunter I understand that hiatuses can be very scary things, but please be at ease. It's just that I like setting up things in advance and this sometimes doesn't work out when going over an ongoing story. Having to plan around characters being left on life or death situations without a definitive answer is a nightmare I much prefer to avoid given that I'm kinda against retconning stuff. I'm literally writing this author's note section here as I finish reading chapter 285 and HO BOY.
And worry not, this is not something immediate. There are still a good two or three chapters in the works before this hiatus settles in, and I've got something else planned to keep you all entertained after that. More on that on the next chapter.
That's all for now.
