Reason for delay on chapter?
Quality checks, not to mention a ton of edits adding things that I thought would flesh everything out some more. Easily the longest chapter I've ever written, but I'll try and make all the chapters like this!
Song for today's chapter… Castelia City OST from Pokemon Black & White, can't go wrong with some Pokemon. I won't be doing this for every chapter mind you, just for ones if I'am listening to it at the time, or one which I believe fits in with the chapter. But, If I had to pick a song for you to keep in mind for reading this entire fanfic, it would be 'I Believe' from the Persona 5 Royale Soundtrack inn hype moments, an opening song of "Asterisk*" by Orange Range, aka Bleach OP1 and an ending song of Never More, aka the Persona 4 Golden ending song.
Solid choices... I think.
Anyway let's get into this!
Recap:
I died. Sort of. Now I'm called Sora Yamazaki, with tacky light blue hair and a cloud Quirk named Nimbus. My journey starts here, and the only way is up… only do other people want me to climb up? Find out in my week long work experience on the business side of Endeavour's Agency!
Portable games console?
Check.
Phone?
Check.
A few volumes of manga?
Check.
What I didn't realise at the time was that this Endeavour agency business internship/trip was going to require me to actually leave my house.
Not in a, 'Oh no I have to leave my house!' Kinda way, but more of a 'Going to stay with people in my school in a place' way.
While the Endeavour agency was in the same city as me, the fact was that one of its protocols meant that we had to stay in a hotel near the building that was actually owned by the agency.
This protocol was meant to 'ward of intruders', which sounded like bull shit to me.
Anyway, Hinata and Gekko both agreed very easily to me attending the week long study. Miwa, the poor girl, couldn't simply understand my change in attitude. Or rather, she was wary about my change in attitude. It was a welcomed change for sure, but she couldn't help to be suspicious every now and then.
I mean I was the unpopular kid that did what he wanted, had no friends etc. I was basically the social pariah of the school, and a genius prodigy at one as well. Turning from that, into someone that cared for someone outside of himself must have shocked her, me acting finally like the person she always wanted me to be.
And honestly, the positive reception was worth it. Miwa hung out more with me, and by extension so did her friends. Rumours quickly spread around the school that maybe, just maybe, I wasn't that bad of a guy after all.
Anyway, that wasn't the point.
The point was that I was currently packing for my week long trip to the other side of Musatafu, and it wasn't just from Monday to Friday, no, no.
It was Monday to Sunday, eight to five with a chance of overtime. Sometimes, I even pondered why I did this, then I saw the smiling face of my home room tutor bragging about how good a student I was.
How he practically told me how he saw it.
I wasn't just doing this for him of course, and for Hinata and Gekko who supported me. And for Miwa, who always hoped for the best for me.
And for myself.
This was the first step to me not only becoming a hero, but for me becoming a better person than who I was before. A bully.
I zipped my bag up, swinging it around my back and carrying my suitcase with me. Overkill? Maybe.
But it was time to make history.
It was a hot day.
Hotter than usual. Here I was in a plain white t-shirt and some dark blue shorts, wearing a white bucket hat to cover my hair.
It wasn't "professional" by all means, and in my bag I had a spare set of clothes if I needed to change quickly.
However looking at the rest of my nine classmates who were selected along with me, my clothes were fine.
As we had ten different home room tutor classes, a representative from each was perfect for this. Naturally, the other nine knew each other quite well.
They were the upper echelon of my year in academics, and popularity and overall achievements while in middle school. What everyone wanted to be like, or associated with. Calm, collected and in general pretty cool people, the people that your parents wanted you to be around with.
And then there was me, taking photos of the building in awe of it. It was a big building, a luxurious skyscraper that easily towered over the buildings nearby. A flaming "E" that was also stylised in italics it seems was decorated over the front entrance, no doubt showing the world who's agency this was.
Endeavour.
Enji Todoroki.
The big boss himself.
I had vague memories of someone called Shoto, something about child abuse or training and I think a cute girl called Fuyumi?
Wait… it must have been Asui, wait no Toga? Who are those people again?
Eh, who cares, certainly not me. Whatever happens happens, I'm pretty sure 'Deku', or whatever he's called is gladly going to make the same changes as he did in cannon.
Ah right, now I remembered.
The tournament!
Ice quirk… something, something… fire quirk not used, something, then some broken bones and then… a win?
It had been fourteen years since my rebirth, and over time, without constant reminders, I certainly lost some details over what happens in cannon.
Well, some details at least.
One For All, All For One, Izuku Midoriya, All Might and Itsuka Kendo all stuck out in my mind. Why Itsuka Kendo? I-,
I don't actually know.
She had orange hair from what I remembered, and so did Miwa, so it probably stuck with me because of the constant reminder of orange hair I saw daily.
Thanks Miwa-chan!
"Oi, teach," I said to our leader. He was the head of the business department, Shinji Emiya, a middle aged man already balding. He was sweating beads from the heat, ruining his suit that he had put on.
"Yes Yamazaki?" He asked me. I rubbed the back of my head as I questioned him when we would eat, I was feeling kind of hungry.
Before my teacher could reply, someone snorted behind me. "Of course Yamazaki-san is thinking of things like food right now. Honestly, did you not have breakfast or saw the rest of us eating food on the train?." A student said behind me.
I turned around and was greeted by one of the nine other chosen students, Sakura Ikari. She was your average snobby student, a real rule stickler. From what I remember she was fine a year ago, before she suddenly turned like this.
She had long dark brown hair, and the most unusual green eyes. Standard, with a solid Quirk that allowed her to shoot lasers from her eyes but only one eye at a time, and the lasers tickled...
And she was someone who disliked me greatly.
"Ya' know Sakura-chan, food is important to gain energy. I'm just worried about our performance, you know, especially in this heat." I returned. She huffed as she coldly replied "I didn't give you permission to call me by my first name. Of course with the brain you have, it's no wonder you get hints easily confused."
I simply tuned her out.
I had much better things to do with my time then verbally abuse a fourteen year old. My teacher agreed with me however, choosing to take us towards a restaurant chain nearby.
Italian, my favourite.
After we had ordered, the students talked among themselves. Sakura Ikari was just another one of those annoying students, that I could safely say that I disliked. All of the students here with me right now were either okay, or I didn't know much about them.
In addition to her, we had her twin brother, Shirou Ikari who was just a copy and paste of her, with a more stupid Quirk that allowed him to shoot lasers from his fingers. However, Shirou here was more approachable unlike his sister, someone who I didn't mind to speak to on occasion. Then you had a trio of close girls, Keiko Uzumaki, Makoto Tendou and Saki Saki.
Keiko had short brown hair and brown eyes, with a Quirk that allowed her soul to detach from her body like a ghost. Makoto, a short girl with long silver hair and purple eyes, had a Quirk that discharged purple flames for as long as she stopped breathing. And finally, Saki Saki could duplicate her arms. No extra abilities, just four arms.
The final four were made up of boys, members of the school baseball team as well. Renji Aburame, Kenji Sakata, Genji Amamiya and Denji Narukami. Apart from their ridiculous first names, the one I was probably closest to was Denji, which was due to him helping around on the football club sometimes.
Renji and Genji were both blonds, probably from the fact that they were cousins. Renji has the ability to stretch his left arm like a snake, only up to five metres, while Genji could make ropes from his body, like snakes. Kenji had a Quirk that allowed him to borrow other people's Quirk, only for a time limit of a minute and at one hundredths of its true power. And finally, Denji had a Quirk that allowed his arms to be converted to hammers, something that he constantly joked about with me.
Still we wouldn't be called friends or anything, but I suppose he was okay. My large pizza arrived, with extra cheese and pepperoni, with some olives sprinkled on top.
Not the most outrageous order, but not the best order. Compared to the moderate orders of others, such as all the girls getting pasta or the boys grouping up to get lasagna, I definitely was the odd one out, but I didn't really care.
I mean I was eating my pizza.
Our teacher had gone off inside the agency to ensure that once we were done eating, we could start our work experience without any delay.
"So, Yamazaki-san." Someone asked. I looked up to see the rest of the nine students looking at me, some curiously, others thoughtfully and Sakura just downright pissed at whoever spoke considering the massive scowl that had developed on her face.
She has some serious issues...
It was Keiko who talked to me as she asked if I was comfortable being here. "Yeah, why wouldn't I be?" I replied, lying effortlessly. I most certainly was not comfortable, but that was for me to know.
"Ah, I just thought since we are all friends here, and well you are…" Keiko tried to say, but she trailed off at the end. I simply nodded as I continued to eat my pizza. It was surprisingly tasty, maybe I should have ordered pineapple on it?
Renji backed her up, swinging an arm around me as he shouted loudly "We wouldn't want you being uncomfortable around us dude, so what she says. We are all friends here, right?"
No, we most certainly were not, after glancing at the daggers Sakura Ikari was giving me. Sakura was trying to burn me alive, and Shirou was just trying to do some damage control as he looked at me apologetically.
"Yeah, fair enough I guess. But like I said, I'm comfortable enough as it is, no need really." I replied, eating some more of my pizza.
The rest nodded, the 'RKGD' Quadruple nodding, the trio of girls pouting slightly and of course the Ikari girl being annoying as ever by maintaining a level of superiority that she lorded over me, or something like that. I wasn't exactly the best at reading people.
Seriously, I can't believe she acted like this! It was infuriating as I bit back my tongue, and my Quirk so I wouldn't ruin the trip for everyone else.
That's what heroes do.
"Yamazaki," Denji called out to me. "You saw the game last night?" I nodded. FC Tokyo against Gamba Osaka, leading to a three - nil win for FC Tokyo. "Yeah, it was a cool game I guess." I replied.
After that, everyone seemed at ease with my presence as they all developed into their own conversations, with the only ones not really partaking all that much being the Ikari twins.
The rest of the students sometimes asked my opinions on things, like what my thoughts on a celebrity, or a pro-hero stuck in a controversy to even my favourite type of drink.
Eventually, our teacher finally came back and told us to get ready for a late start at one, after the agency had their lunch break. As I looked at the time in my phone, a simple one with some random brand I had never heard of before, I saw that we had forty minutes roughly before it started.
And so I did what any normal person would do, I laid my head on the table and slept.
-amazaki-san! Yamazaki-san, wake up or we will be late!"
I opened my eyes to Keiko, shaking me, I could see worry on her face. "Jeez, I've been trying to wake you up for the last five minutes. You really are a cloud watcher, aren't you?"
I rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment as I thanked her. "Yeah, I guess so. I mean it is a part of my Quirk…" She smiled a little as she replied "I thought I was going to have to use my Quirk to scare you awake for a hot moment."
I laughed a little at that joke. "Yeah well I'm not afraid of jokes, so I would have liked it really." Keiko smiled some more as she walked with me towards the group.
I was rubbing my eyes as I saw the Ikari girl glare at me, whatever her problem was. Shitty elitists. We all go to the same school, what part of that do you not understand?!
"Yosh!" Kenji shouted, raising his hand up to the air. "Now we can finally begin our training trip!" Genji sighed as he smacked his friend on the head lightly. "Idiot, this is a work experience. Not a 'training trip', how the hell did they allow you of all people to get in here?"
Before Genji could reply, Renji smacked both of their backs as he muttered "Kenji, didn't you almost fail Japanese last semester?" Kenji spluttered as Genji rolled around in laughter, right before our teacher whispered for them to take this seriously.
"So class," our teacher started. "Today begins your week long work experience, now I expect you all to be on your best behaviour, okay?"
We all nodded.
"Excellent then. Oh and remember, not only do you represent our school but you also represent yourselves. Bad actions here may result in your future being impacted, so keep that in mind. Now, after the day finishes I'll be waiting here for you all as I'll show you the way to the hotel before splitting you all off into groups of two."
I tuned him out as I pulled out my phone and checked my messages. The most recent one being two weeks ago from Gekko saying he will be late for dinner. Well… that's depressing.
I then checked my social media. If it wasn't for the fact everyone my age used them to communicate, they wouldn't even be installed. See the social media here was really stupid, in order to sign up you have to give your Quirk for some unfathomable reason.
Luckily, I used this one only to get information regarding new games being announced. But still, it was a poor design choice.
Ping
Wait, that was-
Ping
Sure enough I just got two messages on my phone. Swiping down, my eyes widened as I saw who messaged me.
Miwa - 12:54
Sora-kun good luck for your work experience today!
Miwa - 12:55
P.S I snuck in some extra sweets in your bag :)
Sure enough, as I opened my bag I saw that my stash was extended even further. I grinned as I replied back to her a thank you.
"Oi, Yamazaki-san, were you listening?" Keiko asked me. I shook my head and she smiled a little. "Ah, same here. I dislike it when Emiya-Sensei drones on like that, it's not like we misbehave or anything, so I don't see the point in it."
"I guess so," I replied. Pulling out a bag of sour sweets, I opened it before offering some to Keiko. "Have some." I said. She thanked me as she took a few before eating them, her face scrunching up once the sourness kicked in.
I laughed at her face, she looked constipated. "Ah, my bad. Should have warned you they were sour." I said, and she nodded in between wiping away her tears. "I think that would be most beneficial Yamazaki-kun."
As we followed the group into the building, she stuck with me near the back for a while which confused me. Her friends were up front, and sometimes turned back and looked at us before giggling.
Was I missing a memo?
"So, uhm, Uzumaki-san, are you excited about the work experience?" She nodded as she replied "Yeah, very. I've always wanted to help an agency in regards to its finances, especially since my Quirk was diagnosed, preferably away from home. And it's Keiko. My name, that is." She said, blushing near the end.
Keiko…
Wait, she was giving me permission… to use her name?
How many people do I call them by their first name, in person?
M-Miwa and…
I glanced sideways to look at Keiko, the redness from her cheeks were still there yet she looked ahead determined not to meet me.
Was I? Was I dreaming?
Was this a sick joke played by the pantheons of the universe that sent me here for their sick, twisted amusement?
Was this the start of my teen romantic comedy? Featuring me, a cloud watcher and Keiko, a ghost!
"O-okay K-Keiko-chan," I replied, stuttering as my face heated up. God damn it, I was fourteen! Thirty one spiritually - Wait thirty one? And she was…
Oh fuck, was this even legal?
Despite my internal discussion on whether or not I was breaking the law, Keiko giggled at my face as she said "You look like you're contemplating something that could change the fate of the entire world?"
Well she was right - Wait, if I asked her I could get some external opinions!
"Say, Keiko-chan. Do you know about the reincarnation into another world genre?" I asked. She nodded. "Yes, I suppose I Am familiar with the Isekai styled literature. May I ask why?"
I inwardly smirked. "Well I was just thinking, say when the protagonist is reincarnated into another world, would it be alright for them to date people there? Do you count their age spiritually or just physically?" I asked her.
Keiko hummed to herself as she got lost in her thoughts. C'mon, please, please, please-
"Well I suppose it would be alright for them to date in the other world. However, an age limit would need to be set, after all mentally they are older, however, the real question is actually if the reincarnated protagonist is actually reincarnated in the first place? They may just be holding someone else's memories, therefore them thinking they are reincarnated when they actually are not."
That's-, that's actually a good point. Was I, was I even reincarnated? Well, the answer was yes as I remember my birth. That should not happen, at all.
"However," She continued. "To answer your question once again, I would say as long as they are the same age as when you previously died, or close enough then it would be fine. Does that help?"
Same age huh… well I was seventeen, and I'm currently fourteen… and Keiko is fifteen I'm pretty sure, so then that means…
Two years?
But she did say close enough - NO! It will be seventeen until I date! That's the law!
I started grinning as I replied "You just answered a question that has been plaguing me for years. Thanks Keiko-chan, you're the best!"
She nodded.
Score.
Up the lift, up the lift, up the lift!
I was getting more, and more excited as we all came closer towards the designated meeting room.
Keiko was a little bit up ahead, she was now with her friends giggling a bunch, sometimes sneaking a few looks my way, her face flustered.
And then I looked away, probably blushing.
I was near the 'RKGD' Quadruple, they were probably talking about the latest baseball game, or something. Not like I actually cared that much.
No, my thoughts were instead occupied by the growing anxiousness on what the work experience would actually be like.
A business centred experience about the Hero industry is what was promised, but how far would it actually go?
I mean "technically" we were fourteen, well the rest of my classmates were, so obviously that meant I understood the economy a lot better then when they did when we were seven… or at least I hoped so.
My rambling stopped as we all parted away from giant lift, presumably made to be fair to all Quirks, no matter their shapes and sizes. We were led into a big room with lots of chairs and tables, and a few people in suits already inside sorting through some piles.
"Uhh - Ah, I forgot the work experience was starting today." A younger man began, he had short dirty blonde hair and green eyes, however his left eye was covered completely by his hair. "Hello all, my name is Gingko Sorachi, a pleasure to meet you all. Please sit down anywhere, uhm, I'll sort you into groups later after I'm done with my explanation."
I sat down in front of me, unfortunately due to a lack of space Sakura also had to sit on my table, however that was quickly changed when Keiko also sat down here, brightening my mood a little more.
"So," Gingko began, this time with a presentation behind him. "Your week long business work experience will be divided into groups. Despite how I look, I actually work with Endeavour himself when discussing our quarterly earnings, with our accountants included yearly, which is one of the many responsibilities I have as the head of the finance department here. The two people currently sitting with you will be your 'teams' for the next week, there will be no opportunity to change it so please to act accordingly."
I sighed.
Keiko I can handle, but Sakura Ikari?
Was I in hell?
"Now, how it will work is simple. Since there are three teams of three, and one left out, that one person left out will help out my personal assistant in assistance to paperwork, with some opportunities to work with a team of their choosing." Ginkgo said to the odd one left out, the other Ikari twin.
Great, now I'm gonna have both of them to annoy me.
"But, for the rest of you I have specifically hand picked some people who are linked to sidekicks here and you will be working as a team with both for the week. Excited? You should be, not to mention on Wednesday we will have a special surprise for you all."
From the corner of my eyes I could see Sakura stiffen at the mention of sidekicks, her face hardened… that was not a normal reaction, right?
Meanwhile I was ecstatic, a chance to work with a sidekick? Building links before I'm even enrolled in UA, man, I sure felt like Lelouch right now.
I Sora Yamazaki, the first reincarnation here, demand you to give me a job!
"Of course it won't be easy. We will be testing and developing your entire skill set, something that will be important when you choose to go into the working world." At this point I tuned Gingko out, It wasn't worth paying anymore concentration to this. It was standard garble that nearly everyone said, blah blah, let's move on to good stuff.
Eventually he parted ways with us and three pairs of both sidekicks in their costumes, and normal-ish people in suits came in.
We had to present ourselves as a team, each highlighting ourselves in order to attract which pair would want us the most.
An interview.
I groaned as our group was told to go first. I glanced at Keiko who was playing with her fingers nervously, while Sakura was as unfazed as ever. I leaned back on my chair, thinking hard about what to say.
Should I go all in? Or act reserved, but confidant? Arrogant? So many ways to present myself, and so little time…
Unfortunately, in my past life I never had an official job, so I had no clue on what to do in this situation. It was like walking into a battlefield blind, with only twelve bullets and a combat knife, whilst set on fire.
Okay, maybe not that extreme, but it was close.
Once our prep time was done, we stood up and walked to the front, with me going last and Sakura and Keiko being first and second.
"My name is Ikari Sakura, I like some things, and I dislike certain people. You should consider picking my team due to my excellent managerial skills, and mental math experience with my father's shop making me an invaluable member of any team."
Very strict, if I was the judge I would disqualify her.
"Hello all, I'm Uzumaki Keiko and, uhm, my team would be a great fit for you all due to my adaptability and ability to think on the spot quickly and efficiently, along with my experience in drama during school I can remain calm and composed in most situations and provide valuable support."
Cool.
Wait, was it me next?
All the eyes on the room shifted towards me, and I gulped. I couldn't mess up now.
"Uhm, yo-, I mean salutations to everyone. You may call me Sora Yamazaki, and ultimately our team is a great pick due to my extensive experience in teamwork from my football, soccer if you call it that, club and my determination to be as productive as possible!" I said, lying effortlessly near the end.
My classmates were grinning slightly once they heard the last thing I had said, and well I couldn't blame them.
However, lying during an interview was a necessary skill to have! I think...
As a team we sat back down, while the other two teams went up and presented themselves, however I was constantly distracted by the pair closest to us.
The sidekick was a woman, with fiery green-ish hair, and red-orange eyes, she looked real fierce. And she was staring right at our team with a grin, as if she was about the devour us like prey. Probably a hardcore dominatrix-
Please, I was only fourteen! Have mercy!
Her light-gray jacket was covering most of her body, with her collar, beaky and wrist guards black with a thin red line through it, and on top of her face was a black mask, eerily similar to someone that I knew was important.
Next to her chair was a fire extinguisher, which was never a good sign, especially with fire Quirks. I gulped once again, this time however Sakura noticed my predicament and glared right at the sidekick, only causing her to grin at us even more.
It was unnerving, unnatural even, why was I surrounded by a bunch of psychopaths?
Of course, that sidekick and her pair, a middle aged man that looked both sleepy and depressed with purple hair, and heavy bags, chose our team.
This was either going to go brilliantly, or horribly.
First thing the sidekick did was introduce herself, nearly making my ears bleed in the process. "Yo, I'm the sidekick known as Burnin, my real name being Kamiji Moe. I have a badass fire Quirk, powerful enough to maybe burn down a building in an accident which is why I carry this around at all times, plus it fits my aesthetic." She said, pointing at her fire extinguisher.
The other member stood up next to her, his face clearly used to her antics as he introduced himself as Daisuke Shinso, something having sparked within me as he said that name.
It felt… familiar.
"Hello all, I'll be the one you will be working with the most during your work experience trip. Burnin here is my client, on the business side of things, I guess you call me her agent, technically speaking I handle all the damages she may cause, not to mention any branding deal she has, currently or in the future. Our relationship is an important part here, and I want you all to not only understand this, but form some of your own bonds with the rest of your teammates, since we will be working in group tasks." He explained to us.
I nodded, glancing to my left where Sakura was making notes, and on my right, Keiko was smiling softly, her eyes showing fierce determination.
"Now, I know you all introduced yourselves, but we, that is Burnin and I, would like to know more about your aspirations in the future, what you would like to learn from this work experience."
Sakura went first, her hands trembling slightly as she looked at the sidekick. Huh, weird. "Well, I wish to develop my skills regarding finance, and for the future I would like to help my fathers business." She said politely, surprising me.
I would have at least thought she would have sneered once, but no, she was polite - Just not to me.
Burnin's face fell slightly, probably hoping for something to do with heroics, but Daisuke smiled slightly. "Well I believe you came to the right place Ikari-san, luckily finance is my speciality, but you already knew that I hope."
Daisuke motioned for me to go next, nodding as I stood up as I awkwardly gave a thumbs up. "Uhm, for this work experience, I don't really have a goal. But for the future, I do want to be a hero."
Burnin grinned at my statement, holding her hand out for a high five. "C'mon kid, I'll show you the ropes… or as much as I can. I can't promise any fighting, but I'll try and find some time to tell you some tips and tricks. That's good for you, right?"
I nodded, thanking her. "Well Yamazaki-san, I can't promise that I'll be able to help you fully, but like Burnin said, I can help you in some areas regarding hero work." Daisuke said to me.
Keiko, timidly standing up, spoke softly when it came to her turn. "I-, uhm. I wish to gain links with this agency, so uhm, in the future once I get more experience in finance I could possibly work across the country, just not here in Musatafu."
Daisuke nodded, taking a few notes into her board he was holding. "Yeah, that's fine. It's important to network, especially at your age. Having links is important to the future, so any questions about networking can be asked directly to me." He said to Keiko, before turning to us all.
"Excellent, now today is going to be more of an introduction day before we really get you into the swing of things tomorrow. Now, if you will please follow me, we will start your task for today." He told us all.
We followed the indigo haired man as he led us through the building into presumably his office. It was a small room, with large piles of paper on his desk, enough to nearly cover the one picture he had.
Inside was him, presumably his wife who was a bluenette with gold eyes, while a smaller purple haired boy that looked remarkably like Daisuke, probably his son, grinning at the camera. "Sorry for the mess," Daisuke apologised to us. "Usually, people don't really visit my office. Honestly, if my wife saw the mess I was in right now she'd have a real pickle. Not to mention my son… Ah, here it is!" He exclaimed, holding three sheets of paper.
He handed us each one, explaining them as he did. "This is a timetable of what I have decided for you all. As you can see, today you will be helping me file some documents regarding property damage. Nothing important mind you, but it's good to get into the swing of mundane tasks like this, especially if you are thinking into getting into finance. Now, tomorrow through Thursday, you will all be working on a project that you will present to me regarding the financial position of the Endeavour agency, with some predictions for the future. A Cash Flow Forecast would be nice if you know how to do one, and of course feel free to ask for statistics regarding Burnin from me. After this, Friday to Saturday will be much easier for you all, just some simple information gathering on the internet regarding what you think we can improve on from an outsider's perspective. Questions?" He asked us.
I raised my hand. "Just one," I said. "When do we start?" Daisuke grinned as he pulled three seats next to his desk.
"You already have." Was the reply, his face lighting up as he said that in glee as he gave each of us our own pile.
Great, we had a real riot here.
I groaned. It had been two hours since the start of paperwork duty, and I was already bored outta my mind. Daisuke had already left to get coffee, leaving us three students in the room. Burnin had left ages ago, saying she was going on patrol. Lucky.
I was so bored I thought of bringing out my phone, or my portable games console. It was no PSP or a DS, but it did the job as I played Monster Island, a knock-off Pokemon with light story elements. Eventually I chose against it, it would be awkward if Daisuke walked in to me slacking off work to me either cruising on my phone, or catching cute monsters.
"Pst." I whispered to the Ikari girl next to me. She barely registered me as she flipped to the next page of her document, making me sigh even more.
Really, ignoring me? Such juvenile behaviour...
"Hey, come on Ikari-chan. Please answer me, I'm bored-" Sakura snapped as she chucked her pen at me. "Oops, I must have dropped it. Say, Yamazaki-san, could please be a hero and pick it up for me." She said venomously. Keiko giggled at our antics as she retrieved the Ikari girl's pen instead of me. "Here you go, Sakura. Please do be more careful not to drop it next time."
Sakura glared at the sweet and innocent Keiko, but what surprised me was Keiko glaring back at the demon. Uhm, they definitely had history, that I was sure off. Tensions died and eventually it all went back to normal, much to my relief.
"Psst. Keiko." I said to the friendly, timid girl on my right. "How are you finding this?" I asked her. She motioned to her pile with a small frown. "Just like you and Sakura-"
"Don't call me that Uzumaki." Sakura whispered in cold fury. Keiko frowned some more as she hesitantly nodded, replying back to the girl "Sure. Whatever tantrum you want to throw today, just make sure not to start a fight again."
Was it just me or did the room suddenly get colder? I whistled nervously as the two girls next to me were staring daggers directly at each other, something that I was positively sure could end in a brawl.
"Now, now children. Remember we are in an agency, not in school. So let's all behave." I tried to say, but it did nothing to defuse the situation. Both girls seemingly ignored me for the time being, instead choosing to head back into their pile of paperwork.
I sighed.
Silently I started to count penguins in my head. Anything to get away from the small print on the palate in front of me.
One Penguin!
Two Penguins!
Three Penguins!
Four Penguins!
Five Penguins!
Six Penguins!
Seven Penguins!
Eight Penguins!
Nine-
"God damn it! Please just kill me now, this pile is not ending."
Snap!
I looked around confused. What the hell was that? Keiko was also looking owlishly around, looking at me confusingly. Eventually I found the cause of the sound, Sakura Ikari, who was holding her pen so hard it broke.
Her knuckles were white as he whispered furiously "Don't joke about that."
"Joke about what?" I asked, rubbing the back of my head. "You know what you bastard." She replied, storming away from her chair. The ink from the pen was mixed with a dark red, presumably her blood.
I scratched my head in confusion. The hell did I say to get a trigger reaction? Keiko was looking at me sadly as she said "You know that wasn't a nice Yamazaki-kun. Sakura doesn't like those things, I don't need to remind you why."
"Huh, what are you talking about? I'm confused as to what just happened?" I replied. Keiko's eyes widened as she stuttered out "Uhm, I mean don't worry. It's, uhm, it's nothing. Just… Just don't bring up suicide in front of her again. We may not get alone but… Listen I've made a mistake like that as well."
"What about her brother?" I asked. She nodded at that as well. "Yes, with Shirou-kun as well. It's… it's complicated."
I nodded before sighing. Now I felt like a prick.
No doubt Sakura now though I had sided with Keiko in whatever their feud was, I mean I would think of the same thing. From the sounds of it, Keiko made a similar mistake to me as well, which led to their current predicament.
Two questions.
Why am I hearing about this now?
And, why do I feel guilty?
"Sorry, I have to breathe some fresh air for a bit, be back soon." I said to Keiko before following the Ikari girl. Being guilty wasn't something I particularly enjoyed, neither was being an insensitive person.
Maybe I did have the emotional range of a read spoon? No, I didn't know. But that shouldn't be my excuse, right?
It was a tasteless joke in the first place.
I left Keiko alone in the room as I went down the corridor, looking for any signs from my classmate. My shoulders were slumped slightly, and I still felt very guilty. Didn't I say I was going to be better?
How could I be a Hero when I still hurt people? When all I do is bring pain to people?
"Gah, stupid pen!" I heard someone yell. Sure enough, the staff toilet was wide open with Sakura standing at the sink. Tears in her green eyes as she washed her hands from the mix of ink and blood.
My mouth opened, but it quickly shut at the sight of her. What would I say? Fortunately, I didn't have to say much as she turned to see me, tears trailing down her face.
"Go away."
I didn't move an inch. Blood was still pouring from her wound.
"I said go away-" I cut her off, "Are you alright?" She blinked at my statement, before chuckling coldly.
"Take a guess? Here to say something else Hm? Maybe talk about my fathers business-'' I cut her off again. "None of that. I just, uhm…" I trailed off near the end. Why was this so hard?
"Great, going to gloat that you made a girl cry?" She spat at me. I winced, from her perspective I was the bad guy.
No, I was the bad guy.
"Sorry," I managed to say. "I-, I didn't know that you would take it poorly. I, uhm, I didn't mean to offend you. Sorry." She momentarily was taken back, allowing her face to fall slightly, before huffing out "Yeah well a sorry isn't going to fix this!"
"I can help ya' know? I know some basic first aid." I offered, Sakura paused slightly before hesitantly nodding. Grabbing some tissue, I wrapped her hand around with it, applying some pressure.
It stopped the blood from clotting or something right? Science wasn't, and still isn't my strong suit, even as a self proclaimed prodigy. Neither was medicine, I barely knew anything about it apart from wrapping up injuries.
"There should be fine. Sorry once again, I was stupid." I muttered to her, shoving my hands in my pockets.
"... it's fine." She said to me after a while. "I-, thank you. For apologising, but also for helping me. Most people ignore me, or laugh at me, no doubt because of her. Did that cow even care, I bet she didn't."
Cow? Who the hell was she talking about-
"You mean Keiko?" I asked. Ikari nodded, growling slightly as she brushed her purple hair away from her eyes. "That cow has always had it out for me, honestly I wouldn't have put it past her to tell you about it after she got real cozy with you. Please Yamazaki-san, do not take that cow lightly. She never knows where the limit is, and because of that she can be a nasty person."
I shrugged, not really sure she was saying. "Uhm, okay sure. But are you okay?" I asked once again.
A small smile crept on top of her face. "Yes. Uhm, I also would like to apologise to you." She said so quiet I nearly missed it. "For what?" I asked. "I was the prick, and not to mention probably deserved it." I added.
She shook her head.
"No, I antagonised you for no reason. I took the rumours about you at face value, after all how could a delinquent like you be invited here, Not to mention I accepted them so easily without any regard for your feelings. No doubt it made you angry towards me. Which is why I have to apologise for acting on my assumptions." Sakura said to me, twiddling her thumbs anxiously.
Great, now I feel worse.
"It's okay," I said. "I mean, arguably I was a delinquent. I got into fights constantly, disregarded the rules and I still got exceptional grades, top ten in our entire year. But, I'm trying to change, trying to be better then just act like a prick to everyone for no reason." I needed to fully understand that these were people and not characters.
Sakura was hurt over my comment, thus she wasn't some random character that had no name in cannon.
Miwa texted me today to say good luck, she also was not a side character. Keiko, acting nice to me also wasn't from a faceless character.
They were like me, human.
And I was going to do better.
"But," I said. "That doesn't excuse my actions towards you. And you don't have to apologise to me, I do deserve it." Sakura nodded slightly as she raised her bandaged hand "Uhm, a 'prick' as you called yourself, wouldn't have apologised to me. And a delinquent wouldn't have helped patch me up. You already are an alright person Yamazaki-san. So please, do give yourself credit. As the face of your tutor group, RB, you need to take more pride in yourself." She told me plainly.
I grinned a little.
Ya know, maybe Sakura Ikari wasn't as bad as I thought.
"I guess, so wanna head back, or do you want to stay a little longer?" I asked. She shook her head as she answered "I'm fine now, let's go back before Shinsou-Sensei shouts at us, it would be bad if we made the ring impression."
Right, we were at work experience.
Paperwork…
Fuck.
"Tick, tock, the clock ran up the spider~The clock struck one, and it impaled the spider~" I sang while filing the huge mountain in front of me. Keiko giggled at my antics, meanwhile Sakura smiled a little.
Inwardly I grinned, things were so much less awakened. Daisuke on the other hand… "Yamazaki-san, please do not disturb the rest of us. I understand this isn't the most interesting thing in the world, but it's still important. So please, do try to concentrate."
I rolled my eyes for the fifth time as I saluted him. "Yes Sensei, of course!" He rolled my eyes at my antics, but the grin in his face told me it was working.
After Daisuke heard what had happened he quickly asked Sakura if she wanted to report me, which made me anxious, but she politely declined. I then had a serious talk with the older man, where I also apologised to him for nearly disturbing the work experience.
He quickly brushed it off however, saying all of us make mistakes and as long as we learn from them, it's good. Plus he told me it would be a pain, causing more paperwork if he did choose to report me to my teacher.
I thanked him once again, before going back to work diligently on the pile in front of me…
Only for fifteen minutes later to be bored once again. Seriously, how did he stand this? I would have hoped to see the hotel we were going to be staying at, but instead I'd probably be sleeping in this office for the night, going over the damned paperwork!
I sighed.
I totally did not see this coming, which made it all the worse as I looked at the time. Four pm, which meant that Miwa had already finished school for today. No doubt she was at home, either revising for the day or helping Hinata out with some chores, or she was watching the documentary we were watching about medical science.
Groaning, I looked around the office. Keiko and Sakura both had similar piles to mine, Keiko focusing so hard on her work that she didn't realise her knuckles were turning white - Or was the way she held the pen?
Sakura on the other hand had her brows furrowed so hard she looked… well I don't actually know what she looked like, probably a chipmunk or something.
I groaned lightly as I leaned back on my chair, I just wished that I could use my Quirk and fly around or something! Anything better than this!
I quickly realised I was falling - Wait, why was I falling-
"OW!" I yelled as I collapsed on the floor, clutching my head. Keiko buddy out giggling at my expression, Daisuke barely looked at me before sighing heavily, and Sakura looked at me in concern.
Wait, shouldn't it be the other way around?
"I think that's enough for today. Good work you lot, looking forward to a full day tomorrow. Yamazaki, get yourself up from the floor, and stop looking like a gaping fish. It's not cute." The man lectured us, and I could feel him making fun of me at the end.
"Well brats, I didn't expect Daisuke to like you that much." I turned my head to see the grinning sidekick we had met earlier standing at the door, her face coated In what appeared to be sweat. "My patrol is over, so I'll be guiding you back to the rest of your class. Daisuke-kun has some work to do." She told us.
The man lightly groaned, banging his head on the table making his pile shake slightly. "Don't remind me. Go on then, and remember eight AM tomorrow, no excuses!"
We nodded, before packing up our things and following the sidekick. "So," I started. "How was your patrol?"
She grinned at me as she replied "Eager to know the trick of the trade, eh hero boy? Well to answer your question, it was the same as always, stop a few petty crimes and help a few grandma's down the street. It ain't much, but it's honest work."
I nodded. I had guessed that patrols were boring for heroes, I mean it sounded like glorified community service. At least you get paid though…
Eventually, we met up with the other seven members of our temporary class, and our teacher who was nervously glancing at his watch. "Ah, you're all here. Good, now we can go to the hotel."
Sakura met up with her brother, Shirou, who immediately noticed his sister's hand and glared at Keiko and I.
Gulping I nodded at him, hoping to defuse the situation. Keiko surprisingly glared back at him full force. Sakura whispered something to her brother, and he calmed down considerably, but his gaze still lingered towards us.
Keiko met her friends, leaving me alone. They all gave me a few glances, before giggling slightly and then ignoring me.
If it was meant to piss me off, it was working. I don't mind Keiko, but Makoto and Saki should know better then to giggle like a pair of Hyenas. It didn't suit them.
I sighed as I shoved my hands into my pockets, but a sudden ringing made me pull out my phone, nearly dropping it in the process.
"Hello?" I answered.
"Sora-kun," Miwa said over the phone. "How was the first day?" I grinned slightly. This was better, having someone to talk to. "Eh, it was fine. Just did some paperwork, how about school? Same as always?"
I could hear Hinata in the background, no doubt lecturing her husband on feet on top of the table. "Hm, it was the same as always Sora-kun. Although, Fujiwara-Sensei did highlight you as a key student in Maths class today. He even used your working out as an example on how to do algebra correctly." I grinned at that, leave it to my favourite teacher to constantly praise me!
Honestly, the man was a godsend. Even allowing me to go on the trip, despite massive outcry from the rest of the staff, the man believed in me. He really was excellent at his job.
"Anyway Sora-kun, did you meet the big boss?" I sighed sadly. "Unfortunately no, but if I do I'll try and get you an autograph. Though I did meet Burnin, she's kinda like one for the people in charge of me here. I can get you something cool from her if you want?"
She squealed over the phone. "Burnin? As in the Burnin? The sidekick? Why didn't you start off with that right away? Yes please, I would love it! Burnin inspired me lately, I even bought her plushie line." I grinned.
Leave it to Miwa to fangirl over a hero. "No problem, I'll get you a video of her as well. Cool? Anyway, how's Hinata and Gekko? I think I heard them a while ago, but what's it like now?" The phone shuffled slightly as Hinata got on the phone.
"Sora? We told you to message us and call us as soon as possible, goodness it's nearly five!? You had us worried for a second, we thought a villain attack had occurred." I rolled my eyes, leave it to Hinata to think of the worst for her adopted son. "Eh, we'll be fine, after all, we do have Endeavour here. Anyway, I'll call you guys back properly when I get to the hotel. Bye!"
I closed my phone as we walked out of the agency, and turned a left towards the hotel. It looked fairly standard, a nice entrance and a long, very expensive reception table with three women sitting inside.
The hotel wasn't packed, rather it was empty. Our teacher got on with talking to one of the ladies, and each of us got into small groups as they looked around the hotel. Apparently we were getting into groups of two - Wait two? Oh right, Emiya-Sensei told us about this beforehand.
Fuck.
I sighed as I realised me not paying attention could have caused me to potentially bunk with my teacher, something that I did not want to do - Wait, my bad. Ten of us, so five pairs of two.
Keiko and Saki had paired up, giggling as they described what movie to watch during the night, Renji and Genji were next to each other, while Denji and Kenji were talking excitedly about a new training regime.
Makoto was striking a conversation with Sakura, who was frowning slightly, which left Shirou Ikari and me alone. "So, uhm, roommates?" I said to him awkwardly. He nodded as he replied "Roommates."
Six rooms, one of each of us five pairs and a room all for our teacher himself. Once we got the keys, me and Shirou were staying in room ten, next to Denji and Kenji whilst opposite Sakura and Makoto.
Once me and Shirou got into our room, I gulped. What was he gonna say? Was he gonna fight me? Was he gonna kill me? I was not expecting him to bow down his head and thank me however. "Thank you for helping my sister today. I understand she may have been rude to you, however for you to help my sister in a time of need is a marking of a true hero. So thank you!"
I rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment. "Really man, it's not that big of a deal." However, Shirou simply wouldn't agree with me on that. Eventually I tuned him out as I got straight to unpacking before dinner.
Shirou was a solid dude, taller than me, standing at five foot seven while I was five foot four, small for a fourteen year old unfortunately. His suitcase was way more organised than mine, only packing the bare essentials and nothing else.
Luckily, I had a spare packet of sweets, or ones that I didn't like all that much as I tossed it to him. "Here, have some." Shirou thanked me as he opened the packet and ate some.
Eventually, I started charging my phone and went to the balcony. It was starting to get dark, we were nearing closer to six PM now. The buddy streets of Musatafu weren't so busy anymore, on the other side of the city, Miwa was probably eating dinner with Hinata and Gekko right now.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Shirou asked me. I nodded. "Yeah, guess I'm a city boy through and through." I replied.
He leaned out the balcony, his eyes wide open. "See over there?" He asked me, pointing at a small building near the outskirts. "That's where I live, or close enough. Our dads shop is directly below us.
I nodded. "What does your dad do?" I asked, before quickly rephrasing after realising how stupid I sounded. "Like, what does he sell in his shop I mean?"
Shirou replied "Electronics, repairs, things like that. It used to be popular a few years ago, before… anyway. What about you, what does your dad do?"
"Honestly, I don't know. I live with my adoptive parents, and my adoptive dad is a doctor. My adoptive mum is a teacher for elementary school. What about your mum?" I asked.
His face lowered slightly as he didn't reply for a while. "We don't have a mum. She… she died a few years ago. A villain attack was nearby, and it left my dad paralysed from the waste down, causing his shop to dramatically decrease in terms of actual sales. She… yeah, it doesn't matter."
Shit, inwardly I slapped myself. That should have been obvious to see from the way his sister reacted earlier…
"Sorry to hear that." I said. Shirou shook his head, grinning as he said "It was a while ago, unlike my sister I wasn't close to my mum at all. She constantly took Sakura out for trips and what not, while I stayed and helped my dad work, even now I help out in fixing stuff."
"That's cool," I said. "I'd love to fix stuff, but unfortunately it seems all I do is break them." Shirou slapped my back as he joked "Come to my dad's shop, I can promise cheap prices and excellent quality! I'll even throw in a discount for you, how about that?"
I laughed as I replied "Sure, sure. Next time Miwa breaks the TV when watching something, I'll come to your shop, alright?" Shirou grinned at me. "Miwa Hayate right? She's in my tutor. I assume her family adopted you in?"
I shook my head. "Nah, we both got adopted into the same family. Since she had a second name, hers wasn't changed, while I only had a first name so I took on theirs." Shirou nodded as he replied "Ah, makes sense, makes sense. Anyway, it's getting kinda cold, let's head inside."
I complied, shutting the balcony door as I plopped on top of my bed with a groan. We still had an hour until we were supposed to leave for dinner.
Suddenly, a knock on my door distracted me from my thoughts. Shirou opened the door to reveal his sister, who came marching in furiously. "Gah," she shouted. "Why do I even bother with that cow and her groupies? Makoto was acting just like a right-" She cut herself off once she saw me, looking down in embarrassment.
"A bitch?" I finished it for her. She nodded as I added. "Well what do you expect, for them to all be like All Might? Anyway, you still haven't told me why Keiko is a 'cow', I mean you don't need to tell me, but it would be nice considering I just don't see it."
Sakura sat down on Shirou's bed, who started to pout at his sister. "Shirou, we aren't five anymore, grow up." Sakura teased her brother. Shirou on the other hand, smirked as he replied "Need I remind you that I'm older by exactly-" Sakura cut her brother off as she mimicked his gruff voice poorly "Three minutes, ten seconds and three point five milliseconds older than you?"
Before Shirou could respond, Sakura took the sweets he had opened and tore into them. "You get my favourite sweets and don't tell me? Honestly. You should be grateful you're sharing a room with Yamazaki, if it was with those other apes, I would honestly never forgive you."
I frowned. I thought Sakura had gotten past her bitchy faze? Or was it just for me? How lucky…
"Ya' know Ikari-san, you don't have to be so rude to them." Both Shirou and Sakura looked at me, which made me pause for a moment before correcting myself. "The girl Ikari." They both nodded, Sakura turning to me as she said "Well why not, Renji and the cow used to date. Not to mention, Saki and Kenji are still going out from last year. It's horrible."
I shrugged my shoulders as I replied "So? It's not like I'm good friends with them either, but why does it bother you so much?" Sakura sighed as she asked if I remembered what happened last year. "Uhm… school?" I answered.
Before Sakura could respond, her brother beat her as he explained it to me. "Keiko and Sakura used to be friends, but something happened between them that he caused a lot of bad blood. Instead of being with her friends, Sakura now hangs out with me, her older brother."
"Oh, I see." I responded. "See I'm not exactly 'popular' to have known this, but if I may ask, what was said that caused all of this?"
Sakura shifted nervously, and Shirou's fist curled up. Eventually Sakura answered, "She talked about our dead mother. Mocked her in front of everyone after I got a higher score than her. She was jealous of it, and started talking about how I would drive away boys like that, and eventually it got out of hand."
I nodded.
So Keiko was secretly a bitch. No doubt all those giggles or whatever with her friends were to make Sakura angry about the lack of male attention, some petty bullshit. And since I followed Keiko exactly like she wanted, it made Sakura both more agitated and insecure.
And then I just didn't shut up, making it even worse. "Oh," I said bluntly. There wasn't anything else to add. "Yeah," Sakura said sadly. "We even had to be separated in tutor, and ever since it's been like this."
I scratched the back of my head, which I just realised was something I was doing more and more often. "Well at least you have your brother. And… you have me I guess." I said to the girl.
She blinked at me. She then blinked again.
"Huh…?"
I sighed. Did I really have to explain it? "Keiko might not be your friend anymore, but your brother never gave up on you. And well, I won't too. Unfortunately, I danced exactly how Keiko wanted me to, right? So the best course of action would be to be friends with you. Makes sense, right?"
Sakura's lip quivered, before she burst out laughing. She was clutching her stomach, tears even coming out of her eyes. Shirou too was smirking, wheather at me or her sister I don't know.
"That's, That's-" she managed to say in between laughs. "That's so petty. Who would have thought? Well, if you're certain about it, why not Yamazaki."
I grinned at that. I felt less guilty now, but I was still bugged about one thing. "Sora. My name is Sora."
She smiled as she held out her hand, her eyes full of joy as she said, "Sakura Ikari, a pleasure to be friends with you Sora."
Chapter 2, done!
Maybe biweekly updates from now on? Easier for me really, plus allows me to plan ahead more often.
I'm taking some time before cannon starts, now this doesn't mean that cannon characters will not be introduced, they will be introduced earlier, however UA Entrance exams won't start until at least chapter 8, if not 9.
Fleshing out the world is important to me, as Sora here is now connected to this world. It's now his home, and if it doesn't feel like one then what I have planned just won't work at all. That's the reality of it.
Thanks to everyone who reviewed chapter 1: Kakaroto10000, MagerMog, Crywolfseven, Warlord Of Chaos, Guest and zsxcfvbhnmk123.
To answer your questions, Aizawa will be a key character in the story. Cloud Quirks are not common, and there is a reason as to why Sora has one.
Sora forgetting things helps to add tension. Plus it allows me to make changes easily when new information is found out in the manga, rather than me editing the entire story for it to fit in.
Sora being flippant and kind of annoying was purposefully written. It was a choice I made, most reincarnation fics have their protags treat unknown/side characters as if they are less than human as they aren't 'important'. I merely wanted to highlight this, and rectify it in the first chapter. Sora will grow into a hero, he just isn't one yet.
Sora using lightning is a cool idea, whether it will happen, who knows. Only I do. :)
Hope you do stick around Guest, as things will get even better (I hope!)
And finally, Sora will always be his own character. His past life will constantly be mentioned, as it impacted him, and will continue to impact him. You can't just shrug off seventeen years of a previous life like nothing, it's not normal. I want Sora to act like a human rather than a robot, rather than a mouthpiece for myself as we aren't alike. Apart from the One Piece fixation, Sora and I are completely different on purpose, as I want people to see Sora as Sora, and not me as the author.
Once again, thank you all for reviewing, and thank you all who favorited and followed! Over 100 combined, only on chapter 1. Insane.
Thank you all!
Next chapter will be the mid point of the arc, with a showdown between the two girls, and maybe some new truths? Will Shirou finally see his sister be happy once again? And will Sora finally get to meet Endeavour?
Find out… in about two weeks.
Peace, Papireaz!