Once in Mina's bed after showering, Kotomi stared to the ceiling blankly. She'd indulged Mina only a bit in regard to how she was feeling. That was all she could manage at the time, but Mina understood. They were very different people, but they comprehended one another well. Unlocking her phone, Kotomi scrolled through her text messages. Her parents had finally stopped texting her and asking her to come home and talk. She felt bad for blocking them out, but at the same time, she had no desire to keep the conversation going. The conflict apparent between them was never compromising or even gentle. It was forced and oriented, whether quietly or loudly, toward one perspective, of which was only ever theirs. Kento's quirk, Paralyze, functioned to effectively stop neurons from firing and paralyze subjects for a limited amount of time; and Amane's quirk, Plug In, worked by plugging random thoughts into enemy's minds making combat increasingly difficult. Both were used largely in strategic work, but on their own, they didn't stand well in comparison to the top heroes. When their first daughter, near the age of five, exhibited traits of Mind Read, the couple was ecstatic and knew it would bring their family name great pride and stability. They hadn't counted on her being set on a life of a civilian, and when it became apparent that she had no interest in hero work, the friction came to a head and only increased from there on.
Shaking those thoughts away, Kotomi returned her attention to her phone. She felt a sharp pain rising behind her eyes like a tidal wave. She'd known the migraine from using her quirk would fully set in eventually, but she hadn't been banking on it hitting so intensely so fast. She adjusted the brightness on her phone and squinted her eyes, doubly lessening the light exposure.
New text message from Uraraka. She clicked on it and gave a small smile. "Hi, Tomi! It was so good to meet you. I hope we can continue to be friends!"
"It was great to meet you, too! We can be great friends if you'd like! Let's meet up again soon."
New text message from Uraraka. "Yes! Have a great night!" Kotomi exited the text thread and clicked to her contacts app, eyeing Eijiro's number. It was already near two in the morning, and she was hesitant to text him, afraid he'd already be asleep. The last thing she wanted was to stir him from much needed rest. She sighed and decided to message him anyways.
"Hey, Eijiro, it's Tomi. Hope you get some good sleep tonight. You deserve it after fighting so hard." Plugging her phone into the charger and setting it down, Kotomi finally parted with the electronic and rolled onto her side, bidding sleep to take her in its soft grasp. She had to fight the image of the masked man with the rusty umbrella spike pierced through his neck to feel any sort of relief from the day. It was a restless night that extended longer than she'd hoped, but eventually, slumber came.
At some point, in the early morning, Mina managed to roll out of bed and ready herself for the day. When Kotomi finally woke and rubbed the rest from her eyes, she got up and made a small breakfast in the kitchen, doing her best to ignore the loud throbbing in her head that pulsed in rhythm with her heartbeat. Cleaning up after herself and eating afterwards, she went into the bathroom and peered into the mirror. A woman with dull, tired green eyes and messy blonde tresses stared back at her. Her cheeks were puffy and swollen, her bottom lip was busted vertically, and bruises and cuts adorned her skin. Bruises extended to her arms and collarbone. She sighed and turned away. Even heavy makeup wouldn't cover the damage she'd copped. She looked as bad as she felt. From the next room, Kotomi heard her phone vibrate. Curious, she tread the distance to it to check the notifications.
Two new text messages from Eijiro. Heart skipping a beat, she opened them, noticing the first had been sent early in the morning.
"Good morning, Tomi! Thank you. You did, too, and I'll think about how hard you fought to give me an extra boost of determination today. Hope you're feeling all right!" Kotomi smiled. "He's so kind... what a great person," she thought. She read the following message, which had just been received.
"Hey, Tomi! Could you call me when you get a sec? I know it's sudden but it's important!" Her mind drew a blank. What would he want to talk about on the phone? She couldn't put a potential reason together. The girl took a deep breath and hit the call button, accidentally holding the air until she heard the line connect.
"Tomi, that was fast!"
"Oh, uh, yeah... I'm alone at Mina's right now. I just woke up."
"Makes sense! Hey, so I've got a proposition for you," he began. His voice was light and cheery and reminded her of the joy found at a boardwalk fair. "I don't know if you know but I work for Fat Gum's agency. I was talking to him earlier today and mentioned everything that happened last night, and he asked if you'd come here and meet with him!" It finally clicked. She was hesitant to extend a response but didn't want to seem as if she were ignoring him.
"I don't know, Eijiro. I've been scouted before, and it's just not for me," she said with a twinge of sadness in her voice. He laughed in response. "No, no! He's not really scouting you for hero work, it's something different. I mentioned that you wanted a part-time gig. So... what do you say? Can you swing by and talk to him?"
She paused, tossing the idea around in her mind before hesitantly settling. "I'll hear him out, but I'm not making promises, okay?"
"I completely support that. Boundaries are healthy and manly. If you can head here now, I'll be able to meet you outside since I'm on my way there from patrol anyways."
"Oh... yeah, sure! Let me get ready, and I'll be out the door in five. See you soon, Eijiro."
"Cool. Be careful, I'll see ya." Click. Kotomi felt confused. Meet at a hero agency to speak with a renowned hero but not for hero work? What would her proposition as a side hustle there be... paperwork? She shook her head and figured she'd approach it with an open mind. After changing into something appropriate and taming her hair, she grabbed her phone and Mina's spare key before jogging out the front door, locking it behind her.
It had been a long time since Kotomi had been to Esuha City. She couldn't help but marvel at all of the bright advertisement signs, which remained bright even under the midday sun's influence. It was much brighter here than in Musutafu, and she couldn't help but feel a twinge of envy as she took stock of all of the buildings around. This place was a journalist's playground, and it reminded her of what had happened earlier in the week. It still felt like a stab in the heart to think about it. There wasn't much in the way of a renter's insurance claim that she could make. Most of what was in the office was replaceable - Hana and her superior both regularly made a habit of keeping valuables with them at all times. They worked relentlessly on computers but only personal laptops. She'd received an email from the owner of the building terminating the lease that had been in place. Obviously, reconstruction was going to take a while. She was doing her best to not think about it was, ultimately, succeeding. She'd forgotten to even check for the final drafts that Hana said she'd send yesterday. She was really slipping, and she didn't know if it was because she didn't currently have the heart to or if there was a different underlying reason.
Walking down the sidewalk dodging the people around her, Kotomi finally caught sight of the Fat Gum Agency in the distance. As she grew closer, she could see the red hair poking up above the other pedestrians. Good to know if she ever lost him somewhere he wouldn't be difficult to find. Her chest tightened as she approached him. "Eijiro?" He spun around, hearing his name, and found Kotomi. Her hair, pulled back out of her face in a small bun, looked like white gold in the sun. Her fair skin was blotchy and littered with scratches and bruises. Her lip was puffy and cut. He thought she looked pitiful. Their eyes met, though, and he saw hers light up ever so slightly.
"Hey, Tomi, I'm glad you could come. Are you okay? You look a little tired." He observed. She looked away, her cheeks dusted with color. "I am, I didn't sleep too well. I'm okay enough to be here, though. Thanks for meeting me." He nodded as he crossed his arms coolly.
"Of course! Are you ready to walk into the world's coolest hero agency?" She observed the door. It was rather ornate and not what she'd expected. She enjoyed the design though. It was uniquely Fat Gum's.
"Yes! Lead the way." Walking into the building, Kotomi did her best to absorb everything around her. It was nice inside, presentable and comfortable.
"Hey, Fat Gum?" Eijiro called loudly as we went in through a door adjacent to the main area. "Tomi's here!" Suddenly, a large man came into view. He was sitting at a desk, reading something. Brief break between patrols, perhaps? When the hero realized they had walked in, he stood from his seat. If Kotomi had thought that Eijiro was a big dude, she was sorely mistaken. This guy was massive both in girth and in height. Easily eight feet tall, she wondered if he'd just gotten lucky that the ceilings were so high or if they'd been customized to fit him. It was hard physically visualizing heroes in the mind's eye: seeing them in person was very surreal. The near three foot difference felt intimidating.
"Here's the girl I've heard so much about!" Fat Gum proclaimed, clearing the space between to throw a hand out to her. "You're all Red's talked about today!" He took the girl's hand in his, shaking it enthusiastically. Eijiro stiffened, shooting him a flustered glare. "That's not true!" Fat Gum released her hand and laughed at his apprentice while Kotomi squeaked and looked down, color drawing to her cheeks.
"It is though. A lot happened last night, so it's only natural," Fat Gum replied, "Seems that you've got an interesting quirk. You don't have any interest in using it? I read the reports from last night. You took one of the assailants out on your own?"
"Yesterday was the first time I'd tried using it in combat that wasn't a fistfight after school, so..." She trailed off. "I'm a journalist by trade."
"Ah, I see. Can I ask if that's by choice?" Fat Gum inquired innocently. Kotomi's chest puffed up and she felt herself growing annoyed. She was used to these questions but was not a fan of them.
"It is, actually! And it's kinda rude for you to assume otherwise just because I have a quirk!" She responded. Her migraine was flaring with her frustration, and she briefly winced in pain.
"It's got a lot of kickback, doesn't it?" He asked.
"...Yeah. It sucks," the girl muttered quietly.
"Well, I didn't ask you here to berate you!" The large man said, obviously feeling very jolly. He smacked Eijiro's shoulder a little too hard unknowingly with a chuckle. Eijiro did his best not to recoil so as to protect his manly persona. "I wanted to meet you and let you know that I want my agency to be a resource to you! You have potential, kid. Whether that's in intern work or something else. Red told me you've got something like Foresight but not quite. You could probably use it in contract detective work, y'know?" Kotomi's eyes searched his face, feeling unsure. She considered using her quirk to see if he was telling the truth but decided against it. She felt that the pulsing in her head was taunting her to be stupid and try it again, but the condition she was in was already painful enough.
"It's not Foresight," she responded, rubbing her head, "It's called Mind Read." Both Fat Gum and Eijiro looked surprised as they gawked at her. The former held his chin as he tossed thoughts around.
"Whoa, really?" Eijiro yelled. "Tomi, that's so cool!" She felt embarrassed under his praise. He made her like her quirk... but only the tiniest, most minute bit.
"Thanks, Red," she replied in a small voice. "So... you said detective work is an option? Would that be with the police?" Fat Gum met her gaze thoughtfully.
"You could definitely go that route, but you'd also be a beneficial addition here. You'd be great in interrogations," he surmised. A moment later, he added, "Honestly, even though you seem pretty set against it, you could easily be part of an intensive adult hero course if you wanted to." Kotomi had been quick to anger in the conversation preceding that statement. She said she'd keep an open mind, so she needed to at least try to do that for Eijiro, if not herself. This conversation was only happening because of him after all, and it wasn't one that was forced. The blonde pinched the bridge of her nose and considered the different possible routes.
Suddenly, an alarm blared a room over. Jumping at the sound, Kotomi looked up quickly. Fat Gum and Red Riot tensed. The BMI Hero grabbed something from his desk and shoved it into her chest. "Gimme a ring if you wanna talk more. Gotta go!" He burst out the door. She took the business card, eyes wide. Eijiro placed his hands on her shoulders and gave them an encouraging squeeze. "You should think about it. You're awesome, Tomi. I'll talk to you later!" And just as immediately as the alarm began, the two heroes were gone with the same urgency. She watched after them as they barreled out of the door and then turned the card between her fingers. Fat Gum Hero Agency Services. It had fax and phones numbers on it beneath the golden text and a small embossed graphic of Fat Gum's face centered in the negative space. As the alarm was silenced, Tomi began walking out of the building. She grabbed her phone and went to her call log. Ring, ring, ring... Ring, ring -
"Kotomi?"
"Hey, Mom. Are you and Dad home?"
"Yeah, sweetie. Are you ready to talk?"
Sitting in the Tanaka family home felt bizarre. This wasn't the first time that Kotomi had picked her things up and stayed somewhere else for a few days. Really, as she'd grown older, it happened with more frequency, first beginning when she started secondary school. Every time prior, though, Kari had been there to happily hug her when she returned. This was different. She was met with her mother's arms instead and Kari's cold eyes from a distance where she sat on the futon in the living room. Kotomi's feeling of isolation hung heavy on her as she sat next to her sister, not far from her parents who sat on chairs across them, which had been brought in from the near dining room.
"So, Kotomi?" Amane asked expectantly.
"First, I wanted to say sorry to you guys," she said quietly. "I wasn't trying to hurt anyone's feelings, but... the pressure that you guys put on me is hard to handle. Second, I know you guys saw what happened last night. Whether on tv or online, I don't know. It wasn't planned."
"How did you get stuck in the middle of that mess?" Kento asked, his tone pointed and irritated. "Did you even try to protect yourself?"
"We saw you with Red Riot," the older woman stated, "If you're going to be around heroes, you need to be around ones that can make sure you're safe." Kotomi stared at them in slight disbelief, doing her best to not let the annoyance bubbling in her chest not boil over.
"Yes, I did protect myself. My friends did keep me safe." Kari laughed wryly and rolled her eyes. Amane shot her a testy look in attempt to discourage her cold attitude.
"Obviously not, you're beat to hell and back," Kento said angrily. "You have to preserve your well-being, Kotomi. You can't just run off when your feelings get hurt and not look out for yourself. Your quirk is important. Don't you realize that?" Kotomi, hearing this, looked up to the ceiling and took a deep, sharp breath in. She put her hands together. "I did. You're not hearing me, Dad."
"No, you're not hearing anything anyone else has to say," Kari suddenly interjected, her brows laced together in frustration, "You decide something is a certain way and that's it. That's how you've always been. You decided that your quirk just sucks so much that you never want to use it for good, even though you come from a whole family of heroes. It's in our blood to help people. I'm seventeen and already work at an agency. What do you do, Tomi? Write rumors about famous people and spread them around for money? What's respectable about you when you have the power to actually do something good but ignore it?" The words cut Kotomi to the core. Atop the migraine still seemingly splitting her head in half, the sheer coldness spewing from Kari was overwhelming. She could see the flames of rage building in her eyes higher than she'd seen before.
"Is this how you guys talk about me when I'm not here? You laugh about what a dirty 'tabloid' runner I am?" She asked in utter disbelief. "Kari, I love you, but you don't know what it's like to have this quirk. None of you guys do. You don't have the ability to hear the cruel things that people think about you at any given moment. You don't experience the god awful migraines that come from it and last the whole next day. You aren't faced with the constant, lifelong expectations pushed on you to be a top hero just because you can do a cool circus trick. All the people that demand greatness are the same people that think nothing of you outside of your quirk. So sure, let me apologize for trying to be a normal, decent person." Silence overtook the room. Each of Kotomi's family members watched her with wide eyes utterly speechless.
"I don't have much stuff in my room. I'll clear it out." Kotomi rose to her feet and briskly walked out of the room and upstairs to gather her things, leaving her family members to watch after her, still shocked by what she'd said. Nothing else was said, but she could her her mother crying quietly thanks to the stillness of the home. She hadn't lied when she said she didn't have much: most of it was clothes and folders filled with work-related documents. She was able to toss her belongings into a backpack and a canvas bag. Descending the stairs, she stopped to look back at them in the living room. Kento held Amane in his arms as she wept. Kari scrolled through her phone wordlessly.
"I wish you guys... could just be proud of me for being the person that I want to be." Kento's eyes met Kotomi's. She could see the same anger in his that she found in Kari's.
"How can we be proud when you won't push yourself to be better? When you won't be a hero?" Their eyes remained locked until Kotomi felt hers begin to blur and grow damp. She turned and left, wondering if she'd ever walk through that threshold again. As she made her way to the sidewalk, the tears finally ran over. That hadn't gone remotely close to how she had wanted it to. She wanted to tell them that she was considering doing part-time hero work for some extra money. She knew they would be happy about that: she would at least partially fit into the cookie cutter standard her parent's had set early on. It wouldn't have been perfect but it would have been something. What was made clear, though, was that nothing outside of perfection could begin to be accepted.
She had shocked herself by how candidly she spoke to them. Kotomi was no stranger to arguments with her parents, but seeing Kari so fueled by anger pushed her to a notch she hadn't reached before. A previously unpressed nerve was strangled. She felt awful and knew that they likely wouldn't talk to her again, but she didn't know who's fault it was exactly. She could see fault on both sides, and she wondered if she had just suppressed her personal goals from the start if things would be different now. Would she be a hero? If she were, would she be on better terms with her family? Memories of being young and hearing her parents' thoughts surfaced to mind.
"If she would be a hero, she wouldn't be so depressed..."
"I wish she'd just try to fit in."
"What did we do wrong?"
"She might as well be quirkless."
"I wish she would make something of herself."
"She's wasting her potential."
And almost every single time, they'd turn to find Kotomi nearby and apologize after seeing her expression in response, insisting that it wasn't how they really felt. If she had just done what they'd wanted her to do, would things be better or were they doomed by fate from the start? Kotomi sighed, shifting the bags on her shoulders. Bzzt, bzzt. She pulled her phone to view.
New text message from Eijiro. "Hey, sorry we had to jet on you like that. There was a robbery close by. I hope it didn't seem like Fat Gum was trying to talk you into anything. I see the potential in you and so does he, but everything's up to you! I thought having options would encourage you to keep your chin up. I know things are hard right now." Kotomi read the message a few times and then tucked it back into her pocket. There really were a few choices she'd had, and she wasn't used to it. It had always been either her parents' choice or hers. She couldn't help but consider what Fat Gum had said, but she was unsure of where it would lead.