A/N:
Truthfully, this fan fiction makes me realize how lacking I am as a writer. A lot of the good writers on this site are all adults or college students, whereas I still haven't even graduated from high school yet. For every chapter, I still cringe at the first drafts and have to revise/rewrite every little part of the chapters so many times.
It is hella tiring, but I know that I have to put myself through this suffering to become a better writer and writing this fanfiction is fun, anyway! (Yes, I am a masochist, I know)
I regret not writing out more chapters beforehand….I am running out of drafts but at least I planned out the chapters. Because of this, I had decided to write out drafts for the next few chapters the last two weeks. I'm sorry for making you guys wait, but I truly want to do my best in this fanfiction, and I don't want to mess things up..!
Even though I ended the last chapter on a unexciting note, you guys still followed this fanfiction...! I'm eternally grateful to you guys! XD
Disclaimer: My Hero Academia belongs to Kohei Horikoshi
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Next Day
Fudgemallow Sticks! What should I do?! What in the fudgin hell do I do! Wrangling my hands, I nervously flitted around my room here and there, feeling anxiety take over me in full force.
Not knowing the huge mental crisis that I was going through, Momo Yaororozu's voice rang throughout the hallway that led to my room. Noooo! Don't come in!
"Ainiru? Where are you?"
Shootie Pie! Momo just appeared like a ghost at the front door! I barely had time to dash to my room! I didn't even know that she was coming over! Why is she here anyway!?
"Ainiru?" Momo Yaoyorozu poked her head through the doors to my room, her face breaking out into a relieved smile when she saw me.
Please don't tell me that I look like a stricken deer in headlights right now!
"...Hi…. Momo." On a reflex, her name just slid off my tongue. I swallowed nervously, wringing my hands behind my back. I felt sweat starting to gather across my brow.
This is so uncomfortable! But how come saying her name is comfortable at the same time! Is there a word to describe this feeling?!
"Why do you look so red? Are you still injured? I heard from your older brother that you slipped and fell down the stairs… Are you okay?"
"Yeah... I'm fine. It...was only a few steps that I slipped down on so I didn't even get a concussion." I heard myself say at first after a slight pause. Talking with her felt so natural... but I had never even talked to her in my life!
Through my hesitation, I blinked, slowly realizing that a character, a fictional character that I had seen drawn on paper, was standing right in front of me. She almost was a carbon copy of her drawn self, except that…
She was real. In flesh and blood. In all three dimensions. A real, living human being. She wasn't even an actress casted on a live-action show of My Hero Academia.
But something about her caught at my memories and I realized that some aspects of her face seemed more different.
Her cheeks are rounder and cuter! Makes sense because she's freaking 12 right now!
And her voice… her clear voice is so eerily similar to her voice actor in the anime… But.. it's squeakier…! It sounds more innocent and child-like now!
This is so…. weird! How is Ainiru the best friend of Momo Yaoyorozu?! Freaking Momo Yaoyorozu! As quick and sharp-minded as she is, she ought to notice that something's off! I mean, we have been best friends since we were five!
As soon as I thought of this, something ricocheted off my mind with the force of a bowling ball and exploded with a hazy vision that clouded everything.
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"Aumma, do I have to go?" I whined excessively as we walked to the sprawling red-painted buildings, filled with play structures and kids.
"Yes, Ainiru. I convinced your Otousan so you could come and make friends!"
"I don't need… friends." I pouted without reserve, tugging on onto Aumma's long navy-blue pea coat. Aumma bent down to my level and began to speak to me.
"Ainiru, you need to learn how to make friends. You will need friends everywhere you go..!"
"But, Aummmmaa! I don't want to go!" I strained my legs in place on the asphalt and refused to budge an inch.
Aumma tried to encourage me, seeing that I was stubborn. "I promise you it will be fun, Ainiru..! Didn't you always want to get out of the house and play? Here's your chance!"
"But still!"
"Ainiru." Aumma's voice suddenly changed, more direct and precise. I began to sniffle back tears, feeling that I was going to get in trouble.
"Do you know how many times I asked your Otousan to let you go here? I've counted. It's 173 times. You have to count—" She reached for my hands and touched all ten of my pudgy fingers.
"-all of these at least 17 times. Do you remember the time you tried to count all of your fingers and toes? You couldn't, no matter how much you tried, right? That was how hard it was to ask your Otousan." She said convincingly while wiping away every trace of my tears with a handkerchief.
"So, Ainiru… please listen to me. You always have to be brave in life, okay? You are going to go through this sooner or later…" Staring into my eyes with an insightful look, she then waited for my reply.
After a few minutes later, I gave a tiny feeble nod to Aumma. She stood up and I reluctantly tottered with her to the building's doors.
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"Look at that girl! It looks like air got pumped into her!" Some of the older boys playing next to me sniggered, pointing at a very plump girl with shiny black hair, who was standing by herself alone. The girl was somewhat tall, even taller than some of the older boys.
A girl that I was playing with sniffed disdainfully while glancing at the tall girl. "She does look chunky."
Hearing her comment from afar, the black-haired girl's face wavered, as if she was trying not to cry. I stopped while playing, feeling sorry for the tall girl.
….Aumma told me to make a friend everyday! Well, here's a chance!
Without further ado, I disentangled myself from the bars and bounded up to the tall girl. The girl drew back, as if expecting another barrage of ill-intended taunts.
"Hi, my name is Ainiru! What's yours?" I chirped as the girl's inky-black eyes flickered with surprise. She answered hesitatingly. "Hello…. My name is Yaororozu Momo."
"Ooo, like peaches! My little brother has peach colored hair!" Reaching an arm, I grabbed her hand. "Do you want to play with me? What game do you want to play?"
"I...don't know any games." She looked saddened. Noticing immediately, I switched to another topic. "Then what's your quirk? I can make butterflies for my quirk!"
She immediately brightened at the mention of quirks, with her eyes sparkling with excitement. "I can make things!"
"Like what?"
"Like this!" With a look of intense concentration, she put her hand over her arm that I had grasped. With a multi-colored flash, a small Russian nesting doll popped out of her arm. I oohed and ahhed over it as she showed it to me enthusiastically.
"Do you want to keep it?" Yaororozu asked. "Yeah! I never had dolls like this before!" I took it eagerly and after studying it for a few seconds, I tucked it inside a pocket of my skirt.
"You know what? If you don't know any games, let's make up a game with my butterflies!"
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The room spinned dizzyingly as I withdrew from the memory.
"Ainiru..! Are you okay?!"
"I'm fine, Momo... I-I just got dizzy for a second."
"Are you sure, Ainiru? You just swayed while standing right now..! I heard that you fainted twice… That cannot be good at all….!"
"The doctor had said that I was just dehydrated… I got plenty of water, Momo."
"But still… just in case, let's go sit on your bed." Taking a hold of my arm, Momo then helped me walk to my bed. I sat down slowly and leaned back on my pillows. Something on one of the bookshelves caught my eye as I rested, and I realized that it was the small Russian nesting doll that Momo had given me, no, Ainiru, 7 years ago.
"Are you sure that you are okay?" Momo hovered over me like a mother hen, concerned. "Should I get you something? Water? Medicine?"
I sighed. "I'm really fine, Momo."
"At least drink some water, Ainiru." She called for Natsumi to bring us water. Natsumi later reappeared with a cup of the said liquid.
Taking the cup, I obediently drank from it. Seeing that Momo was just standing there, I patted the spot right next to me. "Come sit down next to me, Momo."
She again inspected me for any ill symptoms and with some reluctance, collapsed face-forward on my bed right next me. Her shiny raven-black hair shone in the bright sunlight as she sank down on my bed, her impressive height disappearing as she did.
I watched her apprehensively and blurted out like a fool. "..So Momo… Why are you here?"
Immediately regretting asking that question, I smacked my head with a hand mentally. Why did I ask that?! Obviously she's here to see if I'm injured badly, duh!
Lifting her head to look at me, Momo tilted her head questioningly. "So you want me to stay in my home and do nothing while you're injured? What kind of a best friend would I be if I did that? It seemed to me that your injury was enough for you to miss my texts and calls about your status, which you usually see."
"...I'm sorry that I didn't answer you.. It has been really hectic these days..." I tried to go over the subject as quickly as possible.
Momo gave me a slow once over, and then seemed to forgive me for making her worry. I sheepishly scratched my neck, feeling my nervousness heightened somewhat as Momo sat up and rummaged through a familiar tote bag that she brought with her.
I didn't answer her texts or her calls because… what was I supposed to say! What if I had messed up? And it's been hectic... to me, because I was too busy trying to adjust to this world as smoothly as I could!
Anyway, let's just hope that she doesn't suspect anything off about me…!
"...Do you want to drink some tea? My mom bought a new type of tea. She said that I should have you drink it because it alleviates dizzying spells and headaches." Sitting up, Momo showed a tea box to me as her onyx eyes sparkled with expectations.
It looked like she had recovered from her strong worry, consoled by her trust in my words.
"..Sure, why not?"
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After receiving a ready-made tea set from Natsumi, Momo removed the strainer and poured the filtered tea into two dainty tea cups. I accepted the cup that she gave me and sniffed it, trying to get a hint of its flavor. It smelled herbal, with a hint of a spice that I vaguely remembered. Cardamom, maybe?
As I sipped my steaming cup hesitatingly, I tried to decipher the oriental flavors that danced on my tongue. This... actually does taste good! It actually competes with giggle water! Dang, I underestimated the power of tea…. Now I can see why Momo likes tea so much!
Even though tea reminds me of the… crazy lady, I refuse to let the memory sour this for me!
"So, how is your training going?" I deliberately pointed the conversation toward Momo's passion.
Ainiru had never ever brought up anything hero-related in their conversations… but I don't care. I need specific information on how the others are doing right now!
Momo perked up, as if she was bursting to tell me her news. "Yesterday, I finally managed to create the biggest weapon that I could make! I finally created a cannon! It was so hard and tiring but I managed to do it!"
...Wow! She succeeded in creating one of her most well-known objects! I never knew that she had achieved this when she was 11…. Oh, she's so good at her quirk!
Oh gosh. Wait a second, if she's this good, then… How far are the other people in my age group in learning the limits in their quirks!?
...It's fine, Aera! Momo had recommendations! There's a reason why she's recommended!
With a light clink, I set down my cup on my nearby drawer. The wind blew in from the open balcony doors which Momo had opened earlier, lightly tussling our hair.
"No wonder you seemed to be tired. Producing a cannon was a big bullet-point in your list and you managed it..! Did you make the cannonballs?"
"No, not exactly. I was really tired and was out of lipids. But I think with more training, I can finally create the cannonballs, along with the cannon!" Momo exclaimed animatedly, her ponytail swishing from side to side with her excitement.
"What els-'' I got cut off by a hard knock on my room's doors. Tsuiniko burst inside my room a second later, running up to us. "Momo-chan, I didn't know that you were here!"
"Tsuiniko!" Momo uttered delightedly, setting aside her tea cup. She spread her arms as Tsuiniko scampered into her embrace and gave her his signature squeezing hug.
I smiled. Oh my gosh, they look so cute!
Turning to look at me, Tsuiniko catched the smile on my face and tentatively questioned Momo, "Momo-chan, doesn't Oneechan seem weird to you? She should have been scolding me right now for running!"
Momo glanced at me and returned to smile down at Tsuiniko as she squeezed his cheeks. My heart froze as I struggled to keep my smile on my face. "Your sister is perfectly fine, Tsuiniko. She is just tired. Believe me, I'm her best friend…!"
Accepting her reply, Tsuiniko continued talking as Momo patted his peachy hair. I secretly sighed in total relief. "Momo-chan, can you be the excuse for me and Onee-chan to go outside? It's been halfway through summer vacation and I couldn't even go eat-" Giving puppy-dog eyes to her, he whispered out the last part of his sentence. "Ice-cream."
"I… I don't know, Tsuiniko." She glanced at me worriedly. "Your sister almost fainted a few seconds before you came… Even though I do want to take you outside, I don't think it would be the best for your sister."
Seeing Tsuiniko's crestfallen face, I stated my opinion. "I think I'm fine enough to go outside."
I tried to squash the surge of excitement at the thought of going outside. I really do want to go outside….! I've been stuck inside this house like a freaking bird in a cage! And I want to see for myself the actual city of My Hero Academia!
"Are you sure, Ainiru?" She moved over to me and placed her hand on my forehead. She withdrew when she felt that my temperature was fine. "I mean, are you just planning to go just because of Tsuiniko? ...I'm sure that Tsuiniko would understand."
"It's not because of Tsuiniko, Momo." I got off the side of the bed and stretched, feeling my bones pop slightly. I turned to Momo and Tsuiniko. "I really do want to go outside. I feel like it is because I have been staying inside so long that I am sick like this."
"Okay, then!" Ever so eagerly, Tsuiniko took that as a go-ahead signal. "I'm going to get dressed up and be there at the front door like lightning!" He disappeared as the doors to my room swung slightly, an indication of his exit.
Momo sighed lightly and stood up. "Oh well." She smiled falteringly at me. "I guess we are going. Let's take my limousine. Tell me anytime if you feel tired or dizzy, okay? I wouldn't want you to be in a worse condition because of me and Tsuiniko."
She stood up from my bed and went over to a pair of doors on one side of my room. She opened them. I looked at her, confused. She gestured to me as if asking why I was just standing there. "Ainiru, aren't you going to get dressed?"
Blinking, I remembered that the doors that Momo was holding wide open led to Ainiru's huge walk-in closet. "Oh, of course!"
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As Momo's limousine rumbled on the road, I didn't let myself touch anything inside there even though I wanted to. I have never been inside a limousine before! I can't even afford to be in one in my world!
Everything inside the limousine seemed to be so high-tech, considering that the world of My Hero Academia was more technologically advanced compared to my world. The lights inside the limousine glowed strongly, with refreshments lined up on the teakwood shelf that was on the side.
I gulped silently as I touched the expensive, black leather seats with my palms. Oh gosh, all of this is so expensive!
"Ainiru, hello?" Momo waved her hand in front of my view. "Are you feeling okay? Should we turn around?" She went forward to call her driver to turn back but I stopped her with a hand.
"No, it's fine, Momo." I smiled comfortingly at Tsuiniko, who had gotten still and comically pale at Momo's words. Inwardly I succeeded in trying to reassure myself that everything was going just fine.
Relieved, Tsuiniko began to ask Momo about her quirk. As Momo repeated enthusiastically what she had said to me before, I began to tune both of them out.
Pressing on a button to let the window down, I stared outside in outright wonder. The streets were almost all clean, with numerous colorful shops whizzing by every minute. Pedestrians passed by peacefully. Japanese letters were everywhere, and it surprised me that I could read them as easily as I could read English or Korean.
Wow! It's as if I'm on vacation in Japan!
Yep, let's keep on thinking like that so my brain can take a break from surprises and overthinking!
….OH MY GOSH, WHAT THE FUC- Bewildered, I whipped my head back to catch a small glimpse of a person who had octopus legs for hair and a face that resembled a cuttlefish. I sat there in my seat, staring at the fleeting backside of the person in total shock, feeling as if someone coldly jutted freezing metal down my spine.
Feeling totally thrown off, I rolled up the window and tried to compose myself. T-that...That person is…. total evidence that I am…. in My Hero Academia!
The bizarrest thing was that it felt like the two halves of my brain were rebelling against each other. One side, which I suspected was Ainiru's, felt that everything was fine and normal. On the other hand, half of my brain was screaming in total distress.
Okay, I now regret so hard that I wanted to go outside…! I shakily tucked a hair strand behind my ear, a repetitive motion that I found out that somewhat managed to kickstart my adaptation process. Thankfully, Momo and Tsuiniko didn't notice anything.
Okay. Let's just think that person's, um, extra accessories, are all makeup and props….! Yep, that person is just an actor. An Actor!
I will just admit to myself that it was real later….!
Staring down at the floor of the limousine, I closed my eyes to try to calm myself down and opened them. I tried to distract myself by grabbing at whatever memory that I had on hand.
….. Momo and Ainiru usually never go to convenience stores to eat snacks and other junk food. Momo must be really fond of Tsuiniko to go against what her parents told her to do—
As I rattled on through Ainiru's memories, the limousine glided to a stop in front of a convenience store. Hesitant to leave the car, I held back from exiting before Momo and Tsuiniko. The latter clambered off his seat immediately as Momo gracefully disembarked.
Feeling jittery, I bit my lower lip as I stared at the bright city that awaited me once I went outside. Come on, Aera! Let's be brave!
You have to go through this sooner or later! What's the point of staying inside when you have to go outside later anyway….!
There are tons of people like that in My Hero Academia! You have to get used to it! Or else, you will never be in your right mind!
Plus it's just a convenience store! There would be delicious food that you can buy with no worries for the first time in your life!
...Delicious food.
Taking a deep breath, I climbed off my seat and stepped into the strong sunlight of Japan's summer. For you, delicious food! I will do anything for you!
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The hot, humid air outside met my skin as a cold blast of the store's air conditioner simultaneously blew on my forehead. I exited out of the convenience store feeling more cheerful than ever.
Excitedly I ripped open a sweet watermelon popsicle that I had purchased, while holding a plastic bag full of goodies that I had been overjoyed to buy. Startled, Momo and Tsuiniko had given me looks of perplexity as I filled my plastic basket to the brim. Momo hadn't bought anything, and I knew that she expected me to do so too, but I didn't care. I needed the distraction of food.
This is awesome! I can use Ainiru's humongous stash of allowances for everything that I want to buy!
…Though I can't believe that the convenience store had so many pro-hero advertisements and merch! Heroes are like celebrities here, just like Deku said!
As I happily bit down on the popsicle while walking with Momo and Tsuiniko to the limousine, I felt a sudden unknown dread zip through my spine, causing erupting goosebumps on my limbs. I brushed it off, thinking that it was nothing.
Suddenly, a scarred man, who had huge surgical scalpels for arms, landed heavily before me, and swung an arm with all his strength while howling with blood-crazed glee.
I saw my life, no, lives flash before my eyes and all of the sudden, I froze. I froze with every part of my body refusing to perform its duty.
Move, Aera, Move!
Move!
But my body refused to move, and I stood there, watching my death come swerving toward me as time slowed down. Bright light reflected off his shiny blade as it cut through the air toward my face. I heard Momo and Tsuniko cry out loudly.
Suddenly the blade fell, as the man was bound by hundreds of wooden tendrils. I stood there in intense hysteria as a relatively familiar voice shouted, "Lacquered Chain Prison!"
A muscular man with wooden limbs, clad in a blue suit, had shot out the wooden tendrils, whom I had immediately recognized as….
"Kamui Woods?!" My mouth opened in amazement as I stood there, stupefied.
It's Kamui Woods!? The freaking character!? I had sputtered out the hero's name, after hearing and reading it so many times.
The hero with the wooden mask whirled around as the villain flipped to the side with a screech of metal on the asphalt. "How do you know my hero name?! This is my debut!"
I bumbled out my response through a panicked haze. "I-I remember you-from when….When you were an intern!"
Aaaaaa! Where did that come from!? Lies! Again!
"Ainiru!" "Oneechan!" Momo and Tsuiniko screamed out, the former losing her usual calm composure.
Oh.
I…
I almost died…! AGAIN..!
Shock again hacked and maimed its way through my heavily-bruised mind. Stunned, I collapsed to my knees, feeling cold sweat burst from every open duct in my body. Wracked with double the usual shock, I sat there on the burning sidewalk in a stupor, with my brain trying to protect itself with cloudiness.
"Hey kid, are you alright?!" Kamui Woods swung himself toward me and landed beside me. He held out his hand. In a daze, I placed a quivering hand in his wooden one and he gently pulled me up to my wobbly knees.
"Did you get hurt anywhere, kid? Do you need an ambulance?"
"No.." I gasped out. "No, I don't."
"Are you sure? You seem to be very shocked."
"Yes." I nodded with a jerk of my chin. With that movement, my hurriedly-conforming mind managed to stave off the onslaught of emotions that threatened to overcome me right there and then. Barely.
Police cars began to swarm the area, sirens ringing from everywhere. I began to hear the whispers and gasps from the onlooking pedestrians. Faintly.
"Oneechan!" Tsuiniko popped up right behind me and hugged me, while wailing hysterically. I stood there as Tsuiniko blubbered out between his sobs, "I thought you were going to die, Oneechan! I'm never going to go eat ice-cream again!"
"Ainiru, are you hurt?! Are you fine?" Gingerly, Momo clasped my shoulders, and turned me slightly toward her as I didn't look up at her.
Strong relief filled me to the brim, as overwhelming gratitude spread throughout my body. I felt.. somewhat okay. Fine.
My mind was finally able to accept surprises extremely fast and adjust to them as quickly as it could, even in the face of danger. Probably because of all the mental battles and stretching it had to do over the past few days.
Removing her hands gently, I surprised them, even myself by bending down and brushing dust off of my knees. Turning on my heel to face them, I smiled reassuringly. "Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine..!"
Feeling overfilling heartfelt thanks, I then turned to Kamui Woods, who still stood calmly at my side even though the arriving reporters clamored for his attention. "Thank you... Thank you so much, Kamui Woods!" I reached out and grabbed his wooden hand again in profound gratitude.
I... could see why people idolize heroes here so much! I get it now!
Saluting with a timbered hand, the pro hero's eyes crinkled as if he was grinning, though I couldn't see his grin because of his mask. "You are definitely welcome! I am just doing my duty as a hero!"
He then beckoned me over to a waiting ambulance despite my gentle protests. A paramedic checked me over meticulously, even though I insisted heavily that I was fine. As the paramedic finally let me go, I noticed something that made me upset.
"Oh, no!" Ignoring the reporters, I spotted a goopy pink and green mess on the sidewalk, that was for sure my melted popsicle. I groaned as I picked up my fallen snacks and candy that was spilled onto the floor when I had dropped my plastic bag. Picking them up, I stored them inside my bag again and approached Momo and Tsuiniko hurriedly, who were being bombarded with questions from the persistent media.
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After paying off with a large sum of yen bills from Ainiru's allowance, I got the reporters to not say anything about me in the newspapers. We clambered inside Momo's limousine, exhausted. "Momo, it's okay! Accidents could happen sometimes!" I said while ruffling Tsuiniko's hair as he sniffled. "Plus, you two got to see a pro-hero in action today!"
Momo reached over and hugged me. " Ainiru.. It was just that—" I shushed her gently.
"I know that I worried you but for my sake... let's just think of this matter as if it never happened, Momo! Life happens, all we can do is to move on." I turned to my left to address Tsuiniko.
"And Tsuiniko, you better not tell Otousan and our brothers that this incident happened..!" Tsuiniko nodded quickly, promising vigorously that he would never.
There was silent pause as the three of us reflected on what had happened. I broke the silence. "You two could use this to fuel your dreams... I mean, why aren't you guys excited that you saw a pro-hero today?"
Seeming to realize that he had been forgiven, Tsuiniko bounced up and down in his seat, his excitement returning. "Oneechan, did you see how that pro-hero used his quirk! He spread his wood thingys in a flash, and the villain was caught, just like that!" Her concern disappearing slowly as Tsuiniko chattered on and on, Momo finally chimed in somewhat elatedly, commenting on how fast Kamui Woods had been.
"You two.. really want to go to UA, right?" I interjected in their long exchange of exclamations, smiling as both of them looked toward me. "Of course, Ainiru! It's all we ever trained for..!" Momo said while beaming at me.
I smiled back at her, wondering whether to say to her that I was training for UA also.
Momo deserves to know if I am also aiming for the same school. She is my best friend, after all!
But if I do tell her, she's going to insist on helping me train since she knows my issue with my family. Lady Imagination said not to!
And also if I do tell her, what if I don't make it? She would be so disappointed and sad. I don't want to give her false hope! I'm not sure if I would be accepted anyway!
...Let's not tell her. If I do get accepted… after training by myself, I guess it can be a great surprise for Momo!
And if I don't get accepted….
…..I won't be even here anyway.
Nope, Aera! Stay optimistic! That's the way to complete this mission!
As I stared outside, I noticed a pinging message alert that was hovering in the right-upper corner of my vision. Watching shiftily at Momo and Tsuiniko to check if they weren't watching me, I pressed on it with a hesitant finger.
My eyes widened as I read a message from Lady Imagination.
Hello Aera Kim~
Did you like my surprise today? It was very entertaining to watch, especially when that pro-hero appeared. ;)
It seemed like you didn't take my words that seriously. As for today's incident, take it as a warning. Another... incident might come up if you don't try hard enough~
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It soon became night, as the hours flew past by. My fourth day in the world of My Hero Academia ended, the day's events fresh in my mind as Lady Imagination's words whirled inside my head.
In the sprawling parlor of our house, I sat on a plush loveseat, prim and proper like always. Even though I enjoyed wholeheartedly the luxury-like comforts of Ainiru's life, I hated being chained down by her family's expectations. Oh, to hell with this! I really hate sitting like this! My thighs are burning right now with the strain!
I slowly began to relax my legs, feeling my muscles cry out in relief. Looking around, I noticed the pleasant atmosphere. Tsuiniko was yammering away to Otousan as Keitomo was reading a book. Eldest and Second Brother were tapping away on their phones, while Misen was just quietly sitting there, just like me.
No one noticed my fingers tapping on the armrest, my eyes flickering all over the place restlessly, catching minimal details here and there. I then closed my tired eyes and turned to my thoughts to distract myself from the boringness of waiting.
Damn you, Lady Imagination! I tried to forget what Lady Imagination had written, choosing to focus on my planning. Which I was not good at.
Okay. I'm on summer vacation right now. About 1 week left until school starts again. Enough to test out how far Ainiru's body can go before collapsing into an exhausted heap.
...I should be careful that I don't get caught by Otousan or my two oldest brothers! They would probably rat me out to Otousan!
...Even though I am stressed by this, at least I have time. It is so much better than being forced jumping headfirst into the plot!
Shaken out of my thoughts by the constant ticking of the grandfather clock, I pressed my palms down on the soft leather, feeling my irritation pricking up again. I hate waiting! Why does Otousan need to invite business friends over so many times in the first place! Why do I need to be here to greet them!?
Hearing hard clacks, I looked to see our butler appearing at the door. He was a balding man of average height, and had a magnificent walrus mustache that must have been hard to groom everyday. I smiled slightly as the sight of him triggered a happy memory of my childhood. He would play with me when I was a kid during his free-time. In the games of tag, he would always let me win though.
...Ah, this is Ainiru's memories of her childhood...! Me, I got chased by my older brother while playing and I received no mercy!
"Yukimisaka-sama, your guests are here."
Otousan stood up from his armchair, straightening out his ironed jacket. Noticing the cue to go greet the guests, I gave a mental groan and stood up, dusting imaginary dust from my neat dress. Time to meet.. whoever boring person that Otousan is excited to have over...! How can he get so excited over this person?
Along with my family, I walked to the entrance, arriving just as the main door swung upon to let an unexpected looming, hulking figure come in, with a smaller, more unexpected person. My heart froze from the great shock as I stood there blinking, my body stiffening like ice.
Magnificent curls of scarlet flames flickered off Endeavor's broad shoulders as he strode forward to give Otousan a strong handshake.
?!
"Fu-" I immediately shut up, my jaw snapping shut. My eyes bulged as I barely managed to stop myself from openly gawking at him as if he was an exhibit at a gallery.
….Omg. Omg. Omg.
It's.. freaking Endeavor. I… did not expect this. At all. Turning my head, I averted my eyes to look at the floor. In my mind, I sputtered every curse word I knew to express my shock.
I didn't expect this! At all! First, Momo, Second, Kamui Woods, Third, Endeavor! They gave me three heart attacks in a day!
Wait a second. Wh—who was the second person that came with Endeavor? Please don't let it be who I think it would b—
Urged on by my curiosity, my eyes looked over to the person standing a few yards behind Endeavor. Colors of red and white met my vision as my eyes made contact with the cold, glaring eyes of Shoto Todoroki.
And there goes my fourth heart attack for the day.
.
A/N:
I originally was trying to post this chapter next week Monday but I couldn't take it any more! I thought I could hold out until next week but I guess my willpower was weak.
I know that this is slow, but please bear with me~ I promise that Aera's first day would be around the sixth chapter or so. I myself wish that I was writing the actual plot but… *sharp inhale* I have to wait~
Some thoughts while I was writing this chapter :
- You guys might think that Ainiru's quirk is only the example shown in this chapter. But nope, I'm happy to tell you guys that that's not all of what she can do. Notice that I said "anything" in the description of her quirk!
-When I was writing out Ainiru's memories of her befriending Momo, I thought about Momo's quirk for a while. Considering the amount and sizes of things that she produces, it seemed natural to me that she converts calories to fats way more than regular human beings do. Since she was five and was just starting out in her quirk, it made sense to me that she would be plump when she was younger. What do you guys think about this theory?
-Also, I know that almost all the OCs in My Hero Academia all are in Class 1-A. So I thought of making Ainiru go into Shiketsu, but I thought that Lady Imagination would find that too tedious. In my opinion, Aera wouldn't be able to interact with the characters in My Hero Academia as much..!
To Daphne Ackerman: Thank you so much for your review! I was at the ER waiting because of my grandfather (he's fine by the way, nothing serious) when I read your review. I cheered up a lot at your very kind words, and it encouraged me to write more! And as for Aera, I'm still thinking on her love interest. I do have people in mind, but I guess I will write it out as the story takes me!
To Zachary Boyd : I was very glad and happy to see your review! (I'm assuming that you like how the plot is going..) I had a lot of worries on how I would execute the plot (I'm not that good at plot) but I'm trying my very best!
Special thanks to MoreOrLess234, Flaming Kiwi, Daphne Ackerman, Divide bye Zero, Multiskin1, StrawberryGlow, suzga, cymbalists, and ketatrek for following!
(Also can someone give me some advice on how to write dialogue... I kind of had trouble writing some parts) T_T
Please review! As always, as analytical and thoroughly as possible, please! The longer the better! (i swear they are like my bread and butter)
What's your thoughts on Aera and her personality? What's your expectations of how this story would go? Tell your thoughts below!