Chapter 16: School days and adult manipulations.
Monday. The most dreaded day of the week, the end of the weekend, and the bringer of school.
Most people hated Mondays with a passion, but Izuku loved school. Why wouldn't he? It was the place where he could meet his friends again.
So, when the alarm went on, with his usual All-Might greeting, Izuku got up with haste, before cleaning up himself and taking his breakfast in the company of his stepdad and his mom. Atsuhiro fluffed, as he did often now, through Izuku's hair. His mom hummed happily as she gave him his bento for the day.
On the road, he met Katsuki, and to his great surprise, Todoroki. Weird.
"Didn't you say you live at school now?"
"Oh, I do. I asked my grandpa if I could sleep at Katsuki's house to know how a true family felt. It somehow involved as much screaming and yelling as at my home, but it was different. Also, no hit and no one saying you were a disappointment. It was… Nice."
Shouto was always in a mood, but honestly, Izuku could see where he came from and forgave.
"You should come to my house one day. Less yelling and more movie night. Last night, we watched an old super-heroes flick. Endgame."
"That might be fun, thank you."
"Hey, any friend of Katsuki is also one of my friends. Besides, we can probably form a 'shitty dad with a fire quirk' club."
"I asked Iida, and you need over three members to make a club."
"He is serious, Izuku, and you should really speak with Shouto about his theories. I have never heard so much rambling since I asked you about my quirk." Katsuki warned Izuku.
"Oh?"
"I just shared with Katsuki some of my theories about everyone's family, including you, possibly a cousin of mine since… Well… There haven't been many fire quirk users since the Burning of Tokyo."
"Don't say the only one who makes sense, Shouto. Tell the real fun ones, like Kyouka being Eraser Head and Present Mic's daughter!"
"That one is half cursed since there is actually no registered quirk allowing male impregnation and I am pretty sure Aizawa-sensei is only in his thirties… Not to mention, most likely married to Miss Joke… However, if we go on that road, it might have been a shotgun marriage but seeing them…"
"You know what? Have fun, you two, discussing crazy theories, instead of using Occam's razor and thinking Kyouka is her parents' daughter."
"He has a point if you think about it. That aside, I have several theories about your father Izuku, one of them being that Atsuhiro, your true father, killed your fake father to reclaim his son."
"Sadly, I remember Hisashi, and believe me, the similarities are there."
"Then how about the fact All-Might might have helped in his ultimate demise? I got the date pretty exactly thanks to a few people, and I am sure he fought…"
"The Mole Queen, 3 Km from the airport and it caused a shock-wave so powerful it flipped a few cars." Izuku's face was straight when he gave that answer.
"Izuku, you seem fairly knowledgeable about your father's death."
"No, that one is because he is a huge All-Might nerd. Seriously, he has a room for all his goodies, and the only missing piece in that collection is the legendary poster which was never put to sell."
"I WILL ROB A DEADMAN'S GRAVE IF NEEDED FOR THAT ONE."
"He is pretty upset about it and will do a lot of things for it. I'm not even sure he is kidding about the graverobbing."
The boys, laughing loudly for Katsuki and quieter in Todoroki's case, went on to U.A. They were teenagers, on the way to becoming heroes, among the greatest, and even so, they wanted to have fun.
————
"Impressive Toru, you learned very well for your English lesson! Did someone help you with the pronunciation?" Present Mic was surprised but pleased.
Toru, while technically in the student's top in Japan, was not really among the best in 1-A. He didn't know what happened during the weekend, but it was effective.
"Oh yes, Izuku helped me a lot." Toru said happily, while Izuku tried to look away a bit.
It got some snickering from the boys before they saw Izuku's light shade of red. Then they were jealous of the only man among them who got a girlfriend and had wonderful dates with her.
As for the girls, well, most of them knew what happened. Toru loved to gossip and make them jealous, though to be fair, when you grabbed someone like Izuku as your boyfriend, you had various reasons to be happy.
What was the point of grabbing the best boy in the classroom if she couldn't explain how adorable and pure he was?
"Well, you should continue studying with him, as it works well for you."
Toru hummed happily as an answer before sitting back.
Todoroki nudged Bakugou, before asking something that was on his mind.
"Is that one moment where we can say fuck?"
"Not during classes unless it is an exercise with All-Might/Aizawa."
"Oh…"
————
"I saw something weird." Momo was shocked as she spoke to the other girls during the break. "I saw Todoroki who laughed, really, with Katsuki."
"Todoroki… Laughing? Are you sure? I mean, no offense to him, and I think I speak for pretty much everyone when I say he is nice to look at, but he pretty much has the emotional range of a teaspoon." Mina had doubts but Kyouka corrected her.
"No, she is right. I spoke about it with the boys. Apparently, this weekend, Katsuki taught Shouto how to say fuck and definitely adopted him in the Bakusquad. It is therapeutic for him."
"I mean… It makes sense when you think about it. Shouto must have a lot of anger bottled up and who better to teach him how to get angry than Katsuki? Especially if Kirishima, Kaminari, or Izuku are there to make sure we don't have an angry mad boy 2.0?"
Ochako made her point and every other girl nodded. However, most of them kind of wanted to see Shouto smile now, as it should look like an eclipse: something rare but beautiful.
Momo, meanwhile, thought about the fact the classroom had more to offer if they cooperated. Katsuki and Todoroki were examples, but Izuku and Toru too, to a degree.
"Do you think we should begin to organize group study during the weekend? I mean, with me, Katsuki and Izuku, we could form three groups. I don't count Todoroki because… Well…"
"He is learning how to be social and doesn't probably know how to teach anything except with the Endeavor Method?"
"And what about Katsuki? Do you think he knows how to teach properly? I doubt he can do that."
"MY HOME, SATURDAY, EARJACK"
"… Isn't he supposed to be at the cafeteria, on the other side of the building?"
"He has a loud voice and a very good hearing actually, especially when someone doubts he can do anything. Izuku told me once he explicitly said he doubted Katsuki could clean his room. Katsuki finished Izuku's bedroom before realizing he got caught."
Toru giggled a bit about it while the other girls noted this tidbit.
"Does he know how to play any instruments?"
"Drums, according to Inko. By the way, Izuku's mom looks awesome and nice. She is adorable and honestly, you can clearly see from who he got his kindness. However… There is something about her I cannot place exactly. Like, if someone hurt Izuku, there would be no place on Earth. She would hunt the one who did that. I can understand why Izuku doesn't search for who killed her father. However, his stepdad is hilarious, knowing old memes and teaching him magic tricks. Apparently, he is some kind of physical coach, though he is very confidential about his job. I think he takes heroes as clients."
Toru was very into Izuku and honestly, it wasn't just because he was cute or because he helped her grade. He was kind, loved to speak with her, and was caring. Listening to him was one moment to get to know him better, just as he loved to hear about her.
"… So, Toru is clearly as in love with Izuku as he is with her. Katsuki, despite being very loud, has a lot of qualities. Once Shouto becomes more human and less Terminator, he will be high in the ranking of the best boys in the class. Who else should we put on the list?"
Jiro had fun animating the discussion.
Mina raised her hand before she added her own opinion.
"Kirishima. He has changed a lot since last years, like his hair. However, he is one of the kindest boys I know and honestly, you can always count on him if you have a problem."
"And he likes to show off. I mean, my parents would love him at their construction company, and clearly, he works out."
Ochako loved this discussion between girls, as they each added their tidbits about each boy in the class. Iida? Caring about the others, even though he was too rigid. Hanta? A funny guy and duct tape were always useful. Each one had its strong and weak points, and honestly, it was nice.
Even Momo joined in the discussion, despite it being most uncouth… But it was to make sure everything stayed within reasonable limits, not because she wanted to gossip among girls her age.
The study sessions were not to allow girls to know more personally about each boy so they could potentially make their choice.
That was pure coincidental.
————
"So, you work out here after school? That's pretty neat. I guess having the principal as your new legal guardian and your grandfather is useful."
Katsuki was happy, as they had a full city to train after school. The Bakusquad, Izuku, and Toru were here to train as well, as they got the authorization.
"To be fair, I was thinking of doing more of Bakugou's therapy." Todoroki explained before gathering some of his powers and creating a glacier while yelling his rage against his paternal, while Katsuki glared at him.
"Yes, I know, you told me to use my fire because it is kick-ass and there is no better fuck you to my dad than become even better than him. When I asked Nedzu, he told me to avoid it because there is no sprinkler here to avoid the fire becoming too big. Unless Izuku has a card for that…"
"Nope, still trying to find some old Pokemon, but damn, they became rare and pricey."
"Give me a list. I can still use my father's credit card." Todoroki had a lot to evacuate and having Izuku exercise his damage control was a pleasant bonus. Izuku took a page from his notebook (everyone still wondered where it came from) and gave it immediately.
Also, his father should pay for his therapy, goddamnit. Well he was but... Still, his point stood.
"Meanwhile, I am going to test a few Arcanas. I am going to try the Fool and the Lover. After that… Well…"
"Kirishima will lift you, and Round face will negate your weight, so you are not too much of a deadweight."
Katsuki was way too used to his friend's tendency to be dead tired after testing cards. It was quite fun with Izuku's power, how cards like that could have various effects.
"As for me, I would like to test one of Zuku's theories. According to him, if I train a bit I could redirect light and maybe do a flashbang attack. If I can do that and follow by a right hook, it would be super effective!"
Toru was as excited as one might be, even though she knew it would be hard to do that.
"I propose we do three zones of training: One for the heavy destruction," Kirishima, who wanted to train his body, Katsuki and Shouto high fived after Kirishima explained the concept to the latter.
"One for the middle ranged destruction, so, Kaminari, Mina and maybe Kyouka… And self-improvement like me and Toru. And Kyouka possibly."
Izuku simply wanted to avoid being in the splash zone of the attacks.
Everyone approved, however, and the Quirk-practicing club began their first session, supervised by a Midnight who had a free period at that time. She could also make any boy fall asleep if one of them went overkill.
Izuku surprised her when, in the self-improvement zone, a Kirishima miniature appeared and began to throw around parts of houses to everyone's surprise.
Then, Izuku took out another card, before using it and creating a miniature Katsuki which exploded shortly after. Weirdly, for an Arcana, it didn't seem to use that much energy.
Either that, or he got better at using his power? Small testings were vital, after all.
——
"So… You are sure, Kirishima, you want to stay in the center of our attack?"
"Yes, sure Todoman! Don't worry, I can take both your and Bakubro's attacks! Or rather… I must if I want to be a hero as awesome as Crimson Riot."
"Did you know he saved my father's life when he was a kid?"
"Nope, but Crimson Riot is the best hero who ever existed, no offense to All-Might!"
"He punched fire. Barehanded. It makes no fucking sense, but I love that."
Katsuki was as much a fan of Crimson Riot as of All Might, to Kirishima's joy and Todoroki's wonder.
"I should probably speak about other heroes than my father, and learn about them."
"Endeavor, aside from how he treated you, is an excellent hero. However, you should know he isn't the only hero in the world. Like Miruko, the Rabbit hero who can destroy steel with her kick! Wash, the water hero who stopped the emblem of Madness a few years ago! Seriously, there are plenty of heroes to model yourself after. Or even vigilantes, look at Izuku who took a note from Mr. Compress after all."
Kirishima, after all, modeled himself after Crimson Riot and knew what he was talking about.
"Theory #3 about Atsuhiro. He is Mr. Compress and Random Bullshit is just a fake quirk."
"I saw the man getting on his knees to be forgiven by Auntie Inko because he didn't remember to get out the trash. It would be the same Mr. Compress who stole all the archives of the HPSC? The same who fought once your father and a few other heroes in the top 10 to a standstill?"
Katsuki respected the man, but damn, he was also totally under his wife's thumb.
"Maybe Izuku's mom is really strong and could beat my father?"
"… Ok, you know what? That one is plausible. However, Icyhot, think about it. If, and it is a big if, Atsuhiro is Mr. Compress, it means if his secret is out, Izuku will lose his stepdad and he will be sad."
Kirishima had met Inko that weekend at Katsuk's house and he met Atsuhiro too. Now, it was time to make Shouto learn a bit about empathy.
"Oh… Ooooh…"
"… One emotion at a time, Bitchy Hot. We will turn you into a real boy."
"Does that mean I can call you the Blue Fairy, Katsuki?"
"FUCK YOU ICYHOT!"
———
"Just throwing this idea like this, Kaminari, but have you ever learned martial arts?"
Jiro worked on her soundwave, but it didn't stop her from also speaking with her friend.
"Euh… No? Not really, why?"
"Because you can generate a lot of electricity but cannot direct it, and it makes you dumb. If the villains were serious back in the USJ, it could have been dangerous! However, you can use electricity as you want in close contact. We are all charging our phones on your arms during break and you didn't destroy any of them."
"… I could use some support tools, yes. And some training. Because let's be honest, when I discharge my Giga attack, I am a liability afterward."
Kaminari knew when someone had a point and honestly it was not half a bad idea.
"At least you are aware of that. As for me… Well, I am a scout, so I should focus on spying, but I wonder if I shouldn't focus on some ranged weapons?"
"How about a guitar that amplifies your amplification to rock the enemy?"
Mina, while she projected acid on various targets, added her own ideas to the discussion.
"… That would be awesome!" Kaminari said.
"You know what? This is actually a good idea. Helping my teammate and saving people with music? That would make me…"
"The Rockstar Hero." Kaminari nodded in approbation.
"And you Mina? How do you improve?"
"Oh? I am trying to strengthen my acid or more liquid, so I can run on it. I had the idea after seeing how Todoroki used his ice."
"Seems nice. And you think you can give me some tips to train my body?" Kaminari did want to work on that if he was to learn close combat. Mina was also the most athletic of them.
"Of course!"
————
"They are cute, don't you think? How do you think your card works?"
"My opinion is… It takes someone I trust randomly, and it creates a weaker clone of them. If I ever pick you, can I call it my stand?"
Izuku laughed a bit at his joke.
"Sure! Though I don't have the reference…"
"Old mangas, from the pre-Quirk era. An inheritance from my gramps."
"That seems nice. And what do you think… The Lovers do as a card? Make us kiss again, maybe?"
Midnight swore she could hear the grin of the invisible girl.
"Toru! Stop teasing me!"
"Never, your blushing is too cute! More seriously, though, I think you should try if you aren't tired yet."
"Yep. After that, I will help you with the flash attack. I think I know how you can do it."
"Oh? I wonder~"
"You will see. Meanwhile… SIXTH ARCANA, THE LOVERS."
It would be time for payback soon enough.
Izuku disappeared just after that and… Could see Toru, just like she could apparently notice something weird happened to his appearance.
"Izuku, can you tell me why you turned invisible?"
"Oh, Midnight Sensei! I tried to use the Lovers card, and…" Izuku tried to explain the situation, but Nemuri nodded, smiling as she observed both of them.
"So, your card allows you to use the quirk of someone you love, hence the invisibility, and that is so adorable!" Midnight was a romantic at heart and that kind of love power was what she liked to observe.
The two blushing teenagers (yes, they were invisible, but it was easy to guess) were a bonus she appreciated.
The silhouette of Izuku, trying to hide himself despite being invisible, was also quite fun.
They discovered the power had a time limit on it, around 30 secs. Either that or it used Izuku's own energy quickly, as blood dripped quietly from his nose, a sign he was close to his daily limit.
"Urgh… I hate it. At least I can still move correctly, so there is no need for Kacchan to help me."
"So… What about the flash attack?" Toru was happy her boyfriend was okay, but she also needed to work on her technique.
"Oh, right, I promised to help with that."
And then, out of nowhere, Izuku hugged her. Quickly, Toru emitted enough light to blind Midnight, who was close to them, and she yelled.
"TOO PURE, IT HURTS!"
It made Izuku laugh as he released Toru from her hug, still dazzling people.
"Izuku, It's not that I don't like it but why did you do it?!"
"I noticed this weekend you were shining when Mom complimented you, and you were always more noticeable when you were thrilled. So I thought if I could make you blush with joy, you would most likely be shining!"
"So, you used a hug instead of a kiss? That is…" Midnight tried to add her idea, as it was her specialty after all… LOVE.
"Chht, ma'am. I am teaching him, but I love him as a pure cinnamon roll, too."
"Fair enough, girl."
"… You think a kiss would have worked better?"
Izuku, always one for an experiment, kissed Toru on the cheek. He was used to her now, and could safely guess something like that.
Then came the light.
———
"So you're telling me half the testing site is encased in ice, exploded, all-electric circuits down, and with structural damage thanks to noise and acid because… Of a kiss that terrified everyone?"
"That's what happened. On the bright side, pun not intended, we are now sure Toru can flash pretty hard when she is properly motivated."
"Midnight, you were supposed to avoid that! Did we even get Kirishima from the ice?"
"Majima called one of his problem students to help. Her solution to everything includes fire and explosion but she is very good at solving problems. Kirishima should be out any minute now."
"Also, can we agree that her being able to blind everyone is actually amazing? Imagine what she can do as a limelight hero? Infiltration, sabotage, and during a fight, sabotage the enemy… I'm thinking I might teach her a bit for her internship." Midnight suggested.
"That… Is a wonderful idea and I support it with all my whole heart. Still, the damages are quite high. Maybe another teacher might be a good idea to help supervise the students. I am thinking of Cementoss, to repair what the heavy hitter destroys, Mic, for those who call himself the mid-range and Midnight, keeps her role as a mentor for self-improvement. Any questions?"
"No, sir!"
"Good. Also, you might want to tell Vlad about it and how it can be useful. Good day!"
"And who will cover the cost for the repair?"
"I will. My grandson is partly responsible, no? It is logical that I do that and honestly, it is not as close as the damage Endeavor did when he was a student here and didn't have the control he has now."
"Yes, we all know why the mountain behind the academy doesn't have vegetation anymore. I can't believe he caused a fire because of a pollen allergy."
"It took a lot of work to convince him to get out of his room afterward. Still, get to work!"
———
After the incident got out, pretty much everyone in the class voted to join in, to help each other with their quirk. Yes, Izuku was the quirk nerd resident. It didn't mean he had a solution for everyone or that no one else had one.
As an example, no one had a solution to Koda, as it was technically not heroic to summon once again all the rats in the city, especially before asking Shoji to teach them ninjutsu. When Iida tried to say anything, a horde of rats looked at him. He retracted anything he was going to say with the wisdom of almost facing death.
It scared him almost like the time he thought he killed a man in a hospital after using his quirk for fun and kicking him in the face as he fell through the stairs. Hard to remember the date, though, even if the man had the same hair as Izuku.
———
"So, it is our fated meeting, oh class 1-A!"
No one in class 1-A knew who Monoma was, and he lost Izuku as to why he talked to him instead of Momo, the class rep, Todoroki, the son of one of the most famous heroes in Japan, or Bakugou, the angriest person on earth.
"… Hello, random person I have never seen before?"
"I came here to declare war on 1-A during the Sport Festi…"
"I am sure it is interesting, but see, I am going to join my girlfriend for lunch. Can you… Do that another time?" Izuku had many things on his mind. Monoma wasn't one of them.
"What, are you saying that a girl is more important than a rival?!"
"My rival is Katsuki. If you want to take this spot, talk to him." In doubt, always point to Katsuki.
Katsuki, who waved with his "happy" smile at Monoma. The student thought furiously about how he could escape his current predicament.
"I meant as a quirk specialist?"
"The closest then is Todoroki. He has a lot of theories and I heard Nedzu is teaching him."
Todoroki, who decided Katsuki probably knew what he was doing and imitated him, with less emotion but it was as creepy.
"… As an outstanding student?"
"I point you to Momo, Todoroki, and Katsuki, who are all above me in grade."
Momo created a fan to cool herself a bit while the boys smiled (well, Katsuki smiled, Shouto simply had a little smirk).
"… I just wanted to pick with a weak quirk and the same skills like me, as a rival, okay? Because of the joint-toe, you know? I read on the internet either they had a powerful as hell quirk but died quickly or had a weak quirk. Since you are alive, I bet you are the latter."
Izuku inhaled.
"What did you say?"
He knew it was partly his fault because he asked everyone to not speak about his quirk, just like Hitoshi did.
As a result, a rumor went around that he was quirkless and won his place because he saved many people during the exam, which was not untrue. Also, he knew pretty much anyone who went to the infirmary at the same time they treated him, be it post-USJ, after Aizawa's test the first day, or even after he was sent to the infirmary on the day of the exam.
So many opportunities for someone to read his files.
"I said I wanted an easy opponent because you might as well be a quirk…"
Itsuka shut up the idiot with her trademark chop on his head.
"Sorry about this idiot, he's not bad, just a bit…"
"Completely insensitive. Tell him I accept his declaration of war when he wakes up and he will deserve everything he will get."
Izuku had a dead cold store, his voice making the temperature drop in the room.
"Same for me, the only one who can pick on Izuku because he is weaker than me, IS ME!" It was certainly not because he didn't like someone underestimating Izuku's effort to be a hero that Katsuki was on his friend's side.
"I just don't like how he talks, so I guess I will join them." Shouto joined too.
"Si je le vois reparler de ce sujet, je vais le savater tellement fort que son visage ressemblera à son cul, comme ça il aura une bonne raison de dire de la merde."
Everyone turned to the French resident student, while the horned girl in class 1-B was shocked, knowing a bit about French. She didn't expect someone usually so shiny to have such a foul vocabulary.
"Sensitive topic for me as well." Yuga said as if speaking of weather, before cracking his knuckle, his trademark smile gone.
"… So, Monoma pissed almost a quarter of your class. That is better than I expected."
"Better?"
"If I didn't stop him, your entire class would have ganged up on him. He isn't bad. He is just way way too much into the supposed rivalry between 1-A and 1-B. Please, don't put us in the same basket."
"Don't worry ma chère, I only want to break his bone a little if I can."
"… Honestly, that seems fair."
"We have a deal, then. Tell Monoma he wanted a rivalry, and he got four of them. Five if we count Toru, as she is very protective of Izuku."
Some people almost felt something like pity for Monoma. Most thought it was deserved.
————
In a dark alley, in the evening.
"Seems we arrived just in time, ma'am. No one is there yet." In the alley, in front of the tall man in a dark suit, a costumed corpse laid.
"Is Flathead alive or possible to save?" A feminine cold voice emerged from his cellphone, as he looked at the body.
"Depend, do we have someone that can heal a decapitation?"
"Sad, he was useful to help up the local S.MA.S.H. The Hero Killer?"
"Not here. However, Foxtails found something interesting. Flathead fought better than the others and drew blood, from what I can see. A fair amount." He said, looking at his charge who was excitingly sniffing the corpse and lapping his blood.
"Oh? Interesting. Enough for…"
"She estimates she can take his appearance for a few hours. Enough for one usage. Maybe two if we are quick."
He knew better than anyone the limit of their best assassin.
"Just enough to destroy any credit the Hero Killer has."
"Can I recommend a target, ma'am? I think using Foxtails against Ingenium might be interesting. It would show the Hero Killer is just a killer, doesn't hesitate to strike someone helping former vigilantes, and also put a stop to the Iida family's investment in the zone, which stopped the support for the local criminal and the use of our heroes there."
"That is an interesting idea. I want a draft with the potential effects and how to deal with the fallout afterward to serve our narrative."
"Yes Ma'am"
The HSPC agent smiled at the prospect of his future promotion. He disliked a lot to be the handler of some of the weapons of the HPSC, especially when they were half maniacs like this one.
"FOXTAILS, stop drinking the blood on the corpse, and collect the hero killer's blood, please!"
"… Does that mean I will become Mr. Stainy?! Will I kill him?!" Said the assassin, as she began to work.
"If you are a useful and obedient girl, yes."
A certain blond girl with two buns jumped happily at the idea while she used an item and her nose to smell the right blood to collect, for her support item.
"I can't wait to kill someone like Mr. Stainy, and get their blood!"
"Fox Tails, please, calm yourself, otherwise I might ask for more sessions with Miss Seijin Nomin."
Fox Tails immediately froze, while shivering. It wasn't something she wanted to repeat. She had to be a good girl until they released her. Good girl. She was a good girl.
The agent smoked quietly as the silence set in.
Everything was going all according to the HPSC's prediction, after all, to cement its position now All for One was gone.
————
In the private sanatorium Tamashi No Nokori, later that week.
"Rei Todoroki? There is a visitor for you, so can you come please, in room 6?"
Rei wasn't a stranger to the proper procedure in the place. There were seven rooms for a visit. It was when, for some reason, they had to be private and couldn't be in the resident's bedroom.
Room 1 to 4 was when the police needed to interrogate someone. 5 was for a conjugal visit.
6 was for when you wanted to avoid seeing the face of your visitor or the resident.
There was only one person for whom she asked to use room 6.
"So, he finally came… Thank you Sakura, it is nice to warn me. I will… Come."
The nurse helped Rei stand, as it was obvious the woman was taking it upon herself to move. The #2's wife recovered a lot in the years she spent here, and many people here wanted to help her. Some tried to speak to the journalists, but every time it had been silenced.
It was pretty much why everyone gave Enji a freezing stare, even if the #2 seemed less passionate than on T.V.
Alone, on a small chair, all Endeavor could do was wait with a stack of paper, and hope Rei accepted to speak. She had every right to refuse, and even now, he didn't know if he could tell her about Touya. Something was fishy about his death, it was now confirmed. However, it was not as if he had proof their boy was still alive. It was a possibility, but he didn't count too much on it. He didn't want to give her false hope.
"So. You finally came."
An icy voice came through the speaker, as Enji took his microphone to speak.
"Yes."
"So, what happened? Did one of our kids finally follow their grandfather's path?"
"Technically speaking, yes. Nedzu took them, and they are safe."
The silence set in between the couple, separated by a wall. Enji could picture her angered at him with good reasons. As she processed what he was saying, he continued.
"You were right, all these years. I was… Becoming a new him. Differently, yes, as I wasn't burning people left and right."
"And?"
"And I am sorry. Shouto found good people at U.A. and they protected him from me. Nedzu… Nedzu told me I wasn't his son anymore."
A pin dropped as Rei tried to comprehend what had happened during the last weeks. Nedzu repudiated Endeavor as his adoptive son in all but name? He then took their children and took them somewhere safe?
"So, he took all the kids and dressed you down? You didn't punch him?"
"I tried. All Might bitchslapped me. I brought you the video if you want to watch it. It might make you laugh."
"I might, thank you, Enji. So, you came here for what? To apologize and be forgiven?"
To the cold voice, a small chuckle answered.
"As if any apologies could repair what I have done, Rei. I learned from the doctor all you needed to get out was my signature, and I already gave it.
No, my real motive is to bring you divorce papers. You will have 95% of my assets, a new house as I am thinking of burning the old one, and the custody of the children, once the therapist and they think they are ready to see you… Though only Shouto is still a kid."
When Enji stopped talking, Rei took her time thinking. It was not what she was expecting. Was it… Was it a trap? After all these years, Enji finally came back to his senses? Did the man she loves…
She then remembered her therapy. She should stop thinking she could fix him. Even if he remembered her favorite flower, she should stop thinking he was a good husband.
"And you hope for forgiveness, then?"
"No. I don't hope nor deserve forgiveness from you and the children. I am… Just finally doing something right, I guess."
His tone, as soft as an ember dying, almost convinced Rei of his sincerity. Then, she remembered something really important.
"Even after you silenced anyone from the sanatorium who tried to speak to the journalists? Three of them received menace, Enji. Their children, taken in pictures."
Enji felt the anger rise in him. He couldn't blame her for thinking of him as someone capable of doing that. However, it was horrible the HPSC did that to cover everything.
"I am NOT responsible for that. However, I am tracking the culprits."
"… Are seriously implying someone was responsible for your fu…" Rei tried to yell at him, as there were more believable lies when Enji interrupted her.
"Rei, the HPSC tried to make me their personal Ashen King."
It was enough for the room to drop below 0C. Rei tried to hate and use it to cool her head and think Endeavor was manipulating her, but she knew. She knew it was the only thing he would never use in a lie, and her stupor stopped the ice from emanating from her for a second.
"What?"
"I… I cannot give you all the details here. But… Rei? I am not hoping for you to forgive me or anything. I am hoping to fix, as much as I can, your life. You won't have to see me again once I'm done."
He felt the words dying on his lips when he wanted to say he still loved her. He would always, despite everything.
It wasn't as if he still had the right to.
"Enji? What are you thinking of doing? What is going on?"
"… All I can tell you now, Rei… Is that Touya didn't die because of Trigger that day. And for all that is worth… I am sorry. For being a bad husband and ruining your life."
"… Enji, that is NOT an answer and you will tell ME."
"REI IT IS DANGEROUS AND I CAN NOT ALLOW YOU TO GET HURT." The only moment Enji dared to raise his voice this time and it was to protect her? Who was he kidding?
"NO MORE THAN YOU HURT ME?"
It hit like an uppercut. He also knew she was right, which still didn't make him wrong.
"Yes, Rei. Exactly. Now, stop the ice. I don't think the wall will support more of your frost."
Just as he said that the wall exploded, and he saw Rei, his wife, while the room was full of ice. Uh, maybe she froze the camera and everyone thought everything was still fine. Or they were just too stunned to do anything.
Was it normal he could feel his heart clenched when he saw her that angry against him?
When Rei smacked him with a giant ice hand against the wall, he asked himself the same question as all these years ago.
Why didn't she become a hero?
She was him, but with ice. The fact they had a sparring battle during one of the prearranged dates of the Omai was one of the reasons he fell hard for her, especially as she beat him with so much grace.
Sure, he could technically free himself and beat her easily now, but if she wanted to hurt him, who was he to refuse her wish? She had the right to.
"Enji TODOROKI. ARE YOU SERIOUSLY TRYING TO IMPLY THERE WAS SOMETHING FISHY WITH MY SON'S DEATH AND I AM NOT ALLOWED TO KNOW?"
"… Well, I feared some micro and spying device, but seeing how you destroyed the room…"
"TELL ME EVERYTHING!"
Endeavor had to use his fire to cool the room, as Rei went full mama bear and forgot she was not that immune to her own ice.
Her anger stopped her to feel the flame of Endeavor, not motivated by pride but remorse. All she wanted was the truth.
Then, he told her everything, as the ice destroyed the papers.
————
"Doctor, do we agree we should destroy any record of what just happened?"
"Oh definitely. Especially if Endeavor said the truth, and he is not responsible for the silence about his abuse."
"At least, it is… Nice to see him properly taking action. Also, aren't we in trouble? I mean, are we not in a lot of trouble to hear about the Ashen King?"
"Yes, yes, you are," Nedzu said, as he entered the room, with a small silver object in his hand. Everyone had barely the time to register what happened. Nedzu pulled up some sunglasses, and a flash went into the room.
"However, all you heard was Rei and Enji having a really heated conversation, and Rei standing up to a very sad Enji. There was no secret talk whatsoever."
"There was no secret talk whatsoever." The personnel in the room repeated, without any emotion.
"Seriously, when will that boy ever make me stop worrying about him?"
Nedzu sighed as he exited the room and stole the video records and replaced them with fake ones.
————
Meanwhile, in once again another place…
All for One was thinking, as all his agents reported to him what they discovered. Everything was falling into place, just as expected.
Tomura was doing better than expected and learned valuable lessons. The HPSC was also doing its job to worsen the society and the other things were fine.
He even had the pleasure of discovering that one of his side projects resurrected from the ground. Having a plan C was always nice, after all.
Drinking some high-quality wine, he also looked forward to the dinner next week.
After all… It was always nice to see some family, no?