Disclaimer: I do not own Hero Academia/Boku No Hero Academia, or any other property in this work that I did not make myself.
My Hero Academia: Entreri Gaiden
Chapter fifty: Citrinitas
Ochaco, Reiko and Tsuyu went running through the halls of Faerun High the moment that they caught word from Fuyuki and Samidare that Toya was resting in the nurse's office. The three pro hero women ran into the nurse's office, ran into a side room where Fuyuki and Samidare, the latter having Great Shadow out, were sitting in chairs along the wall opposite of a bed that Toya was laying on. He was passed out, as if asleep, but nothing else of note.
The two boys and the sentient quirk turned to look at the women. "Yeah, apparently Ice Cube here passed out due to sheer boredom while some lady was asking him a lot of questions and going on about points related to a part time employment offer her boss wanted to extend to the dude," Great Shadow said to the women, "I believe his passing out served as a sufficient answer as to it he was interested in the offer or not."
The women, Reiko in particular, all sighed in relief. After the women regained their bearings, it was Tsuyu who asked, "Wait a minute, what woman?"
"From what I was able to gather, Mrs. Tokoyami," Fuyuki began to explain, "The woman gave her name as Sylvia Hamsuke."
Ochaco and the other women looked like they were considering what the boys had said. "...Hmm, I think that's the name of the lady who was here previously looking for Momo because that Van Nicolas guy wanted to discuss business," Ochaco said.
"Why would Van be interested in offering my son some part time employment?" Reiko asked, a curious look on her face.
"I wouldn't be able to tell you that, Mrs. Todoroki," Fuyuki replied, "All I can tell is that Toya won't be doing the employment thingy if him falling asleep while Ms. Hamsuke was talking to him is any indication."
Reiko took a quick look at her son. "...He's just tired is all. Nothing to worry about."
Turning to look at the other boys, Tsuyu said, "And given that it's after school hours, I think that we ought to get you home now kero."
"Yeah, I have to agree with heading on home now, Mrs. Tokoyami," Fuyuki said, "I'd like to get home so I can get cracking on my homework."
The three women smiled approvingly at Fuyuki's dedication to his academics. "Well I for one am glad that you care about your schooling, sweetie," Ochaco said.
"Kind of like Tenya's and Kinoko's respective boys," Reiko commented. The women all proceeded to go about taking their respective sons home for the night, as they all undoubtedly had a rather big day today, Toya especially so. However, none of the women, nor any of the boys for that matter, had any idea how big of a day Toya had. And none of them had any idea what kinds of big days awaited them around the corner.
The next day at Faerun, Fuyuki, Toya, and Samidare had met up with their friends Tengoh and Aizawa. "Wait, you passed out yesterday when that Hamsuke lady was talking to you, dude?" Aizawa asked in concerned alarm.
Nodding once, Toya replied, "Yeah, but nothing bad came of it. I felt a little tired, but other than that, that's it."
Fuyuki couldn't help but shake the feeling that there was something more here going on than what meets the eye. A survivor's instinct, one that had been grown and cultivated during the son of Deku's time as Entreri, was going off in the back of Fuyuki's mind. Fuyuki was about to speak up, but he stopped short when he and the boys heard Inko call out, "Oi, cous." The boys then all turned around to look as the daughter of Dynamight came up to them.
Fuyuki was still a bit unsure about his cousin because of how it had been her who had gone and ruined his life, even though she did confess to everyone in their class. "Is there anything that we can help you with?" Fuyuki asked.
"Aizawa-sensei said that we're going to be working on a memorial project to honor every person who was affiliated with UA, student and staff alike, at the time of the siege on UA who was killed in the siege," Inko explained, "I was sent to find you."
The boys nodded in understanding to that before they proceeded to follow Inko to their class's homeroom. Fuyuki still didn't like having to associate with his cousin, but he wasn't going to hold it against Shouta for sending Inko on the job to find them.
Over in the classroom that UA's class 1-A was using while UA was being hosted by Faerun, the boys in Fuyuki's circle of friends, plus Hikari who was added, were working on the part of the memorial that would be about Kababah. "Hiyami Kababah," Toya said in a dry tone as he read aloud the epitaph that would accompany Kababah's photo on the memorial, "Cherished teacher and good friend." Looking up at his group, Toya said, "It this serious?"
"Despite how Kababah-sensei was a misandristic, sexist idiot," Aizawa began pointing out, "The stuff said about her at the memorial service has to be all good. We can't say anything bad about her." Gesturing to the slip of paper that Toya held, the catboy went on, "That paper that we were given is an example of what has to be said."
Fuyuki looked like he wore a look of consideration on his face. "...I bet that we can come up with what to say about Kababah-sensei that not only fulfills the need of the assignment, but also still points out how she had been a terrible person who should never have been a teacher in the first place with all due respect."
"If anything, her quirk was pretty neat," Samidare said, "I think it was called Golden Gleam."
Tengoh nodded in confirmation to his classmate and friend. "Yes. Golden Gleam was a quirk that functioned similar to the Steel quirk possessed by Real Steel, in the sense that while Steel turns Real Steel's skin into a steel like substance, Golden Gleam turned Kababah-sensei's skin into a gold like substance. Additionally, when transformed, Kababah-sensei's skin was able to rather effectively reflect light, allowing her to blind people temporarily if she aimed right."
Fuyuki nodded in the affirmative; he remembered from when he killed Kababah-sensei during the siege on UA, and was lucky he was able to savage her throat before she had been able to use her quirk. He's not sure how things would have turned out had Kababah been able to save herself from death during the siege.
"It's also a defensive quirk, like Steel and the comparable Hardening," Tengoh went on, "But not as effective as either. I think it's because gold is a soft metal."
As the boys and Hikari continued to work on, Fuyuki by chance looked over to where his older cousin was. Inko was working on something small alone, given that no one wanted to work with the daughter of Dynamight. After what had come out about her because she had confessed it, she was being shunned. A part of Fuyuki felt that Inko was getting what she deserved; his life was ruined by her hand, and in turn her own life was spiraling down.
...But another part of Fuyuki, one just as large, felt that Inko being shunned like this might be a bit much. She was all alone, and the fire that always seemed to be lit within her was now blown out completely. It seemed as if a slight tap would be sufficient to push her over onto the floor. Inko was a shell of her former self, and although some would claim what Inko is going through is her having made her own bed and laying in it, others could make the argument that she ought to be given a break.
Fuyuki lingered on watching his cousin for long enough for his friends to notice that he was looking at something, so they turned to see themselves. "...Ah yes, the trickster whore," Hikari scowled bitterly, "Can't believe she was able to fool me into acting against my heart."
"Can't you guys cut her at least a little slack?" Fuyuki asked everyone in his group wryly, an eyebrow arched. The other boys and Hikari all looked at Fuyuki with some degree of surprise in their eyes.
"Don't tell me that you're letting her off the hook, dude," Aizawa said.
Fuyuki, with a hint of an amused hum in his tone, replied, "Certainly not. And if Inko thinks that I'll forgive her if she wallows around in sadness like that for a long enough time, then she's got another thing coming. If she wants me to take her back, then she has to prove to me that she actually cares about me."
The others all nodded in agreement with the son of Deku. "Well that goes without saying, my good dude," Toya remarked. The rest of the group then pushed on ahead with their part for the memorial project where they had to come up with a nice eulogy for the late Hiyami Kababah, but at the same time it wasn't nice.
Over at Van Nicolas's cubic zirconium creating plant, the man himself was in the front lobby that people step into when they first enter the plant as he was called by a buzz that was made when his receptionist pressed a button. When he entered the front lobby, Van saw that he was met up by the pro heroes Uravity, Emily and Froppy. "Oh, hello ladies," Van greeted in a polite tone, "Is there anything that I can help you all with, might I ask?"
"I wanted to ask about how you apparently offered my son Toya some part time employment here," Reiko said. It was clear that the pro hero Emily was suspicious of what was going on.
Van nodded once. "Ah, yes. You see, I was hoping to employ a talented youth with some recognition is all. Your son is quite the individual, and he does have quite the lineage if the fact that his father is the number two hero is any indication."
Reiko, as well as the other women, narrowed their eyes as they regarded Van. "...I see," Reiko remarked, her tone carrying a hint suggesting that she was suspicious, "Well, I believe that you got my son's answer when your employee Sylvia Hamsuke got back to you."
"Speaking of Sylvia," Ochaco said, "We need to talk to her, ask her a few questions."
The reception, the same slender older woman from before, was about to speak up (not that the ladies noticed it), but she zipped it when Van immediately replied to the pro hero Uravity. "I'm sorry, but Sylvia isn't in at the moment. I sent her to take care of a few errands for me."
"Well can you contact one of us when she does get back? We really need to ask her those questions," Reiko said. Van nodded in agreement as the ladies took their leave, there being not one thing left for them at the cubic zirconium creating plant for them to do. Once the female pro heroes had left, the receptionist turned to look at her boss.
"Sir, is there a reason why you lied to those pro hero women?" the receptionist asked in an honestly confused, curious tone.
Van sighed as he gently shook his head. "I really can't let the pro heroes sniff out what I'm working on, Number Fifty. Especially when I still need to-" Van was cut off when a ring tone went off at that moment. Recognizing it as his ringtone, Van reached into his coat pocket to pull it out and answer it. "Yes, Number One?" Van said, sounding just slightly irate.
"I got a notice from the bottom work floor," Number One said on the other end, "Your latest homunculus has finished the growth period needed to be a basic homunculus. Further time will have to be given if she is to have a higher cognitive level like myself when she's awakened."
Van calmed down notably, all irate feelings in his person melting away. "...That is great news, Number One," Van said, "And she won't need that much more time. But even so, her being ready now means I am one step closer. I shall see you shortly." Van ended the call then looked right to Number Fifty as he slipped his phone away. "If anyone calls or asks, tell them that I am busy and can't do anything right now, and that Sylvia Hamsuke is not in at the moment."
Number Fifty nodded in understanding as she went back to work manning her station. Van turned around and went right into the factory floor, where the machines used in making all of the cubic zirconiums were working hard as the people working them focused on creating those fine stones. He kept going until he reached the elevator doors that would lead up or down. As always, sitting at the desk stationed near the elevator doors was Number One.
The female homunculus turned to look up at her boss. "I assume you wish to go down to see the successful growth of the latest homunculus?"
"There is already a use for her, now that she's finished the basic growth period," Van said, "A use that will bring me one step closer to my ultimate goal." Getting up and following Van at his order, Number One got into the elevator with him, waited for the doors to close, then saw it as he got his special key out to use to make the elevator go down, down to the lowest reaches where the dark work was being carried out in secrecy.
The following day at Faerun High, Shouta was reviewing the eulogy that Fuyuki's group had come up with for the late Kababah. "...While all of this on the surface level does meet the needs of the assignment," the older underground hero began, a hint of knowing dryness in his tone, "At the same time it also shows how she was a blatant misandrist." Shouta then looked up from the paper and to the teens.
After a few seconds of silence passed, Shouta cracked a small smile. "...Heh, I knew that I could count on you kids. Alright, this passes."
As Fuyuki and his group all cheered in celebration, they were cut off from their revelry when Hizashi came into the classroom and walked up to Shouta. "Hey Sho," Hizashi said to his fellow teacher and pro hero while pointing at Toya, "Would now be a good time to get lil' Toya here to help with the case you and I are personally looking into?"
The teens all looked at the loud older pro hero with some degree of curiosity. "You and Aizawa-sensei need me for something, Hizashi-sensei?" Toya asked in a curious tone.
Shouta sighed in a knowing tone before he proceeded to explain things to the son of Shoto. "Here's the deal, Todoroki. That woman who talked to you about the part time employment offer that was being extended to you, that Sylvia Hamsuke lady. She's someone of interest to me and Hizashi here for personal reasons. We're trying to investigate her."
"What did she do, sir?" Aizawa asked as he turned to regard his godfather.
Both Shouta and Hizashi shook their heads. "...We aren't sure, lil' Sho," Hizashi replied, "But we both have the feeling that there is more to her than what meets the eye. That's why the two of us are looking into her."
"Well she did bore me to sleep, and I was technically at her mercy since I was alone with her at the time," Toya pointed out dryly, "Thankfully she's a reasonable person who collected me and took me right down to the nurse's office to drop me off before she took her leave from Faerun."
Both Shouta and Hizashi turned to look at Toya, surprised looks on their faces. "You were alone with that Hamsuke lady?" Shouta said, looking and sounding mildly alarmed.
"Yeah, I'm certain that I speak for Sho here when I say that the two of us are going to want to talk to you during the next break so we can get what info from you that we need," Hizashi said in a tone leaving no room for arguments. Not that Hizashi had to worry about any arguments from Shouta as he nodded in agreement with the older loud pro hero.
After Toya agreed to meet with the senseis during the upcoming lunch break, Hizashi took his leave from the classroom and allowed Shouta to continue running the class, as they still had the memorial project to work on. As all of the students in class continued to work away on their respective parts for the project, Fuyuki and his friends went back to where all of them had been sitting in the first place.
"Hey, I heard from the group consisting of Goukazaru, Kurama, Sigurd and Omono, who's working on eulogies for the girls in class who were killed, that they still have to act like it was Rem who had screwed you over, dude," Samidare said to Fuyuki.
Fuyuki nodded in agreement. "Yes. Given that the criminal Entreri had for some odd reason taken an interest in what all had gone on with all of that, the adults have fair reason to assume that Entreri would be interested in killing my cousin if he were to learn that she's the true culprit behind the scheme that got me booted from UA in the first place. As bad as Inko had been to me, she doesn't deserve to die for it."
Fuyuki's friends, with some reluctance among them, agreed with the son of Deku. Given that the criminal Entreri is still out there, were he to learn the truth about what he had taken an interest in, then who knows what he'll do. Granted, Fuyuki's friends had no idea that Fuyuki himself is the very assassin-style thug in question, but it's not like any of them actually had to know that little bit right there.
There's also how, despite what people were saying, Fuyuki wouldn't have killed Inko, mainly because she can't suffer if she's dead. Fuyuki wanted the person who had ruined his life, who had made him suffer, to suffer in return for what they had done. Taking a look at where his older cousin was sitting in the classroom, seeing the air that she was giving off, Fuyuki would have to say that Inko is suffering right now.
...Although a part of him was suggesting that she ought to be allowed to break out of said suffering at some point.
Over at Van Nicolas's cubic zirconium creating plant, down in the lowest reaches where Van's private work floor was located, Van himself, with Number One at his side, looked at a growing pod, in which the latest homunculus was floating in the green liquid as she was in the induced slumber that she won't awaken from until Van decided to wake her up. The man looked at the slumbering homunculus with a gentle, sincerely appreciative look.
"It took me a while to figure out who I would need for the Citrinitas phase of my ultimate goal," Van said in a casual conversational tone, "I was even contemplating that Yellow fellow from that Team Reservoir Dogs group."
"If I recall correctly, sir," Number One began, "All four of them were killed in a prison riot that took place six and a half years ago. It would explain why you made homunculi of all of them."
Van nodded in confirmation. "...Yes, and having the homunculus of Yellow, Number Fifty-Four, right at my beck and call would have made things a breeze for me either way." Looking back to the growing pod in front of him and Number One, Van went on, "But the siege on UA, similar to how it had provided me with my dear Vantablack, also provided me with another treasure, one who will be even more effective than what Number Fifty-Four would have been."
Van and Number One looked at the growing pod as the homunculus of Hiyami Kababah, wearing only a bra and underwear, was floating in the green liquid as she snoozed away in the induced slumber, connected to a breathing mask and other things similar to how the Shihai homunculus was over in his growing pod. "...Number Ninty-Five here, with that marvelous quirk of hers, is the perfect candidate to contribute to the Citrinitas phase of my ultimate goal," Van said, "Really, there is no one who could contribute to the third phase better than her."
"Also," Number One added, "With Number Ninty-Five contributing, the collection of four persons you had in mind to contribute to your ultimate goal has some female representation. It would have been male only otherwise."
Van nodded in understanding and agreement. "Well there is some debate on whether Citrinitas refers to a wise old man or wise old woman," Van remarked. Looking at the growing pod where the homunculus of Kababah was floating in the green liquid within, Van placed his hand against the glass pod, in a gesture of sincere appreciation. "...Although in this case I would have to say that it refers to a woman."
Van picked up a container that held about 3/4 of a pint of blood collected from the homunculus of Kababah, then walked over to where his safe of dark treasures was located. He opened the safe, then placed the container that held the Kababah homunculus blood inside on the very top shelf, next to the container that held a similar amount of blood from Toya. From Van's left to his right, the top shelf held containers that held blood from the Shihai homunculus, Toya, and the Kababah homunculus respectively.
Once the precious container was safely stored away, Van gently closed the safe door and locked it back up. "Now all that remains is collecting an amount of blood from someone who will fit the requirements for the last phase of the plan," Van remarked.
"I believe that the homunculus of Red from Team Reservoir Dogs would be best, given that we have him right here and ready to go," Number One suggested.
"A valid point, Number One," Van replied in an understanding tone, "But there is someone else that I have in mind, someone who is still alive thus I don't have a homunculus of them."
Number One looked to be thinking about it for a moment. "...Ah, I believe that Sekijiro Kan, the pro hero Vlad King who is now the current principal of UA High School, is who you are talking about, sir. Blood is red, Sekijiro wears a lot of red in his costume, and given what Sekijiro's quirk is, collecting a sufficient amount of blood from him wouldn't be difficult exactly."
"Not quite, Number One," Van replied in an understanding tone, "But your logic is sound." Van took his phone out, used it to pull up a photo on the internet. "The person who I actually have in mind fits the color red quite well," Van explained to his number one homunculus, "And his quirk will be perfect to help with the durability of the fruit that my ultimate goal shall be producing, ensuring that it shall be...unbreakable."
Van looked contemplatively at a photo of Eijiro Kirishima, the number three hero Red Riot, that he had pulled up on his phone.
END, CHAPTER FIFTY
Author's notes;
This chapter shows some efforts being made to look into what Van Nicolas is up to, although the heroes still have no idea what exactly it is that they ought to be looking for. It also shows that Shouta and Hizashi are looking into Van's number one homunculus, Sylvia Hamsuke, out of suspicion that there's more to her than what meets the eye. There was also attention given to the late character Hiyami Kababah, the original homeroom teacher of the current class 1-A of UA before Shouta returned to the position due to Kababah's death in the siege on UA.
I also realized that I hadn't shown what Kababah's quirk was up until now; you'd figure that as a pro hero and a person employed by UA High School, that Kababah would have a quirk. As such, with a little bit of research, I decided on making Kababah's quirk Golden Gleam, which is pretty much a gold recoloring of Tetsutetsu's quirk Steel. Given what I have going on in this part of the story, Kababah having Golden Gleam makes her very useful, as I seriously would have had to use that Yellow fellow from Team Reservoir Dogs otherwise in order to fit the theme.
There is only one primary person left in Van's sights, that being Kirishima. The manly hero will be in some degree of danger in the next chapter, as he's being targeted for some of his blood that Van wants to get a hold of in order to bring his ultimate goal to fruition. How things will be going down will have to be waited for in order to see. Stay frosty, my dudes.