Replying to reviews:
MarieDL: Nope you're not wrong at all;) thank you for your support!
Also, extending submissions for 1-A's group chat name to the next chapter since this chapter was finished faster than expected! For details, see the A/N of the previous chapter :) thank you ichbinnureinnutzer for your submission so far!
On with the story!
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Chapter Twenty-Two: Reform
It seemed that her internship was doomed to be littered with smooth-haired blondes, for Morie arrived at the office only to spy two of them, one significantly more composed than his younger companion.
Bakugou, whose hair was sadly still messed up, the poor guy - was determinedly ignoring Shinsou, bristling at the seams of the tight denim jeans he was forced in - all the while suffering the stern (and somewhat resigned) stare from the Fifth Hero, Best Jeanist himself.
At long last, the last day of the internship had arrived. Not to mention, it was Patrol day - the brown-haired girl could not help but stare at the two guests in the lobby.
"Joint patrols?" She asked out loud. Dark eyes were now glancing over almost automatically at where Coriolis was standing, who sent her the briefest of nods.
"There comes a time where cooperation between Hero agencies in the same town becomes necessary. It seems that Stain's arrest has led to many being inspired by his ideology - this gang in particular seems to have decided to go public. They call themselves Bloodstain- "
Bakugou let out a scoff, earning himself a chastise from Best Jeanist. Pausing, the older woman laughed at that before she continued her address smoothly.
" - very original, I know. We'll be doing a quick sweep around town and raid their hideouts. They're a new group - two of the locations we've pinpointed are the apartments of the members, meaning that they have yet to set up a base. From our sources, we have reason to believe that the location where they usually gather is the car wash at the edge of the town."
A few sheets of paper were gently handed to them with a small rush of wind. Seizing the papers, Morie gingerly flipped through the sheets, scanning the faces and names of the suspects. What was worth noting was that most of them had a past criminal record of sorts, notably minor crimes such as robbery or pick-pocketing.
The gears in her head began to spin as her fingers lightly drummed against the papers in her hand.
If Bloodstain were a newly-founded gang, it would be reasonable to assume that they would lay low first, doing small-scale robberies perhaps to obtain more funds. Furthermore, if they made the assumption that they were inspired by Stain, it went without saying that they would eventually move on to directly targeting Heroes. If this went on long enough, and this group could even start attacking civilians to lure out the Heroes.
They had to nip this problem in the bud, then; that much was sure.
Now, considering that this town has two of the Top Heroes, it's safe to say that they seem confident in their firepower. I should take a look at their quirks -
A hand roughly nudged her then, and she jumped.
"Pay attention," Shinsou chided, darkened eyes staring forward at the pro-Heroes who were still addressing them; Best Jeanist was now speaking. Morie had not realised that the indigo-haired boy had come to stand beside her, and her hand crept up to rub the back of her neck.
"Right," came her sheepish reply. She looked up from the profiles in her hand to send him an appreciative glance, which was met with an indifferent shrug. "Thanks man."
The basic rundown was: the interns would be split up to follow Coriolis, Best Jeanist and Hikaru. She had always thought that Hikaru just showed up to work in formal outfits which caught his fancy, but it dawned on her then that that was actually his Hero costume - she'd never really paid attention to his Hero costume before since it barely struck her as one.
His costume, Morie noted, reminded her greatly of that of Monoma*, the guy with pale blonde hair from class B who seemed to derive validation from comparing class 1-A's achievements with his own class'.
Today Hikaru wore a simple white dress shirt and tuxedo pants, as well as shades to cover his eyes - was surprisingly not as 'extra' as Monoma's (if she was to be blunt.) Her mother's sidekick had what seemed to be an parasol-like item hidden under a dark cloak which seemed to mirror Coriolis' - possibly a weapon of sorts? If one thing was certain, he wasn't carrying it around because of the weather forecast.
"Miss Continental, I get that you've been checking me out these past few days, but I don't swing that way," Hikaru quipped, popping into her field of view with a grin. "Just for your info!"
A few days ago, the girl might have sputtered and became a walking tomato, but now Morie merely let out a Shinsou-worthy sigh - she was beginning to suspect that she was a terrible judge of character.
I can't believe I ever thought he was gentlemanly.
Her eyes fixed onto the older man before her flatly. "Well, I wasn't checking you out, but sure - whatever floats your boat, senpai."
A mock-wounded expression flashed over the (arguably) narcissistic blackhead, who held his hand up to his mouth as if she had just said the most scandalous thing ever. "Girl, you are so cancelled."
Morie giggled. It was highly amusing that Hikaru seemed to follow pop culture trends. Maybe if she dug hard enough, she would be able to find his profile on Ingram or uTube or some other trendy social media platform, secretly leading the life of an influencer.
(Frankly, that would not be a surprise at all.)
Thus came about the tragic story of how a petty bitch, Hikaru ended up doing patrols with Shinsou while Morie got to follow her mom all day. Not that she was going to complain about that arrangement.
All jokes aside - Shinsou was the one who had asked the older man if he could follow him on patrols that day.
The cobalt-haired student had been looking more contemplative of late, bordering on cold; was it just her overthinking it? It took her all her willpower to refrain from asking him what was on his mind: he would hardly want to open up to someone he had known for five days; she also figured that he would need the time to gather his thoughts for himself first. For that very reason, her gaze did not tear itself away from the boy's back even as he left for patrols with Hikaru.
A sigh escaped her - maybe she did worry too much. Trying to shake off her thoughts, she forced herself to get her act together.
Currently Morie trailed after her mother, attempting her best to look even half as dignified as the Wind Hero.
The mother-daughter duo were in-charge of patrolling the middle section of the town. If not for the walking reminder in front of her that they were on patrol duty, she was certain that she would have ended up with her eyes glued to the pavement, if only to avoid all the unwelcome stares they were attracting.
Inwardly, she was in awe with how well her mother was handling the attention. The patrols were clearly not a common occurrence, for practically everyone they crossed paths with stopped to gawk, some even excitedly calling out and cheering for the Third Hero and her unknown companion - in which Coriolis would graciously bow, wave and thank them for their support.
For a while, it was thrilling, knowing that there were people who respected her mother as much as she did.
Inevitably, however, her thoughts delved down a different direction - Heroes were celebrities, placed atop pedestals and judged and ranked by their abilities and popularity.
The looks of reverence. The pure awe in their expressions.
Standing behind Fū, the Hero worship was undoubtedly clear. Frankly, she did not know what to make of that - there was a fine line between worship and respect, the former having the implication that as long as they were in the spotlight, a Hero had to be perfect.
'It's a part of the job,' her inner voice pointed out. There was an uncomfortable feeling bubbling within her, one that she failed to pinpoint. 'I thought you already came to terms with this.'
Indeed, she really had thought so.
Questions flooded her mind at this point, as if to subtly distract herself ("I heard that there's this optimal order of directions your line of sight should follow when keeping a lookout, I wonder if Mom is following it?")
She tried her best to multitask, to keep a lookout for the targets - Bloodstain would reportedly be making their move soon. Yet she was unmistakably on edge, and she did not know why.
(Superficial, Morie thought, was the admiration that people held for Heroes. The pure irony was htat she could not condemn anyone in the least, for she herself was guilty of worshipping Heroes her whole life.
... what right did she have to criticise the people around her, as if she knew any better herself?)
"Patrol's done - let's head over to the car wash. You learn how to fly yet, Continental?"
Morie blinked, and snapped out of her thoughts.
She took in the sight of her mother's hooded figure stopping in front of her. The street was clear now, and her own vision was tinted grey by the visor which concealed her eyes; the realisation struck her that uncannily, it resembled the full-face visor that her own mother donned.
Slowly, her head shook itself. "I can't seem to sustain travelling by air for too long..."
"Follow after me, then," Coriolis stated. Within seconds, a torrent of wind was spiraling around her, lifting her above the ground. With a blink of the eye, the Hero was now propelled into the air.
Hands tightened into clammy fists, and the younger girl hurried to follow suit. Her brain distracted itself, whirling with the approximations on how to make the wind spin around her, and eventually her feet did lift off the ground.
"That's good - the key is having the wind around you go fast enough that you do not need to keep controlling it. Now, blast off with a good burst to set your momentum," the older woman had hovered in mid-air as she waited for her patiently.
Taking in her advice, she hesitated for just a moment. The pressure beneath her soles increased and Morie was shooting off into the air, into the direction of the car wash. She could hear her mother's laugh distantly as the Wind Hero appeared beside her within seconds.
Gracelessly, Morie tumbled slightly at the landing as they stopped short a few blocks away from the car wash.
"I normally only travel by air on cloudy days. If you go high enough, you can go through the clouds, even bring some along to hide you during the ride," her mother explained, reaching out a hand to pull the younger girl to her feet. Briefly, her mother's hand landed itself on the top of her head in unspoken affection before she continued. "Let's go - you still have the paper piece Calibri gave us?"
"Yes ma'am," the dark-haired girl's hand shot into one of her vest pockets to feel the torn piece of paper the pretty Paper Hero had tucked into her hand just before the duo set off earlier. "What is it supposed to be?"
"Her quirk, Paper Plane," her mother responded, though she could sense that the following explanation was deliberately kept vague. "She's our backup if the need arises. Come, we're going around the car wash."
Still feeling perplexed, Morie pursed her lips, deciding that she would probably understand soon enough. In silence they weaved through numerous side alleys - her mother evidently knowing the place like the back of her hand - before they came to a stop at a hidden clearing a stone's throw behind the car wash.
A gloved finger placed itself over Coriolis' lips. Morie followed her line of sight as her dark eyes landed on someone wearing a brown bowler hat, standing alone in the clearing.
He was middle-aged and distinguished-looking, almost looking like a kindly rich man. Rounded glasses rested on the tip of his hooked nose, as ash grey locks fell about the side of his face looking curled and dishevelled. His features were sharp, striking, and Morie recognised him from the criminal profiles almost immediately.
Suzuki Hide. Leader of Bloodstain.
Quirk: Jekyll and Hyde. Activated when his name is pronounced 'Hide' instead of 'Hee-de'. His personality and appearance shifts and he becomes physically stronger.
Another man, lean and younger-looking ambled into the clearing, his hands tucked into his pockets. He approached the leader, his shoulders tense, falling to a stop a few feet away from him.
"Hyde?" His voice echoed out, and the older man's head turned around.
Hide's features seemed to be shifting. His face growing distorted and small, aged wrinkles growing dark, defined. His hat fluttered to the dusty floor and he seemed to increase in size, muscles bulging against his dress shirt. With a livid sneer, the man flicked an arm outwards, his fingers sweeping back his grey strands before plucking his spectacles away from the tip of his nose.
"Continental," Coriolis' attention seemed to never leave the men before them, not even for a second. Her voice was low, and almost impossible to hear. "I give you permission to fight. These two together are a problem - we're taking them in."
Morie nodded, eyes trained on the unknown man who was standing before the creature who used to be Hide. Recognition clicked at last as he shifted about his position slightly, allowing her to catch a glimpse of his face - pale, pointed and framed by dark, greasy strands.
Fujishiro Yuuya, second-in-command.
Quirk: Helping Hand. The closer to the palm of the hand he touches, the more the Quirk of the recipient will be enhanced.
Suzuki Hide was now sauntering forwards, almost sluggishly. His rough hand thrust outwards, extending towards the younger man before him expectantly.
Yuuya's murky eyes regarded the outstretched hand pensively, before his head sank down in a curt nod. Lightning blue sparks crackled from his fingertips and his palm began to emanate a faint blue; slowly he reached out to touch Hide's outstretched palm, the distance growing closer, and closer...
Coriolis rushed out.
Faster than what her eyes could follow, Yuuya was knocked to the ground before the older man was tackled down to the ground as well. Morie sprinted forth, kicking in the back of his knees so that he stayed down. As the greasy-haired man struggled against the ground, the dark-haired girl quickly set to work, binding his hands and legs.
"... I hope Hyde crushes you damn wannabe Heroes," Yuuya managed to rasp, spitting out in contempt. His lips were spreading out in a curl as suddenly his voice raised itself, sounding almost manic. Gleeful.
"Oi Hyde, looks like we struck gold! The Third Hero, ripe for your picking!"
The reason for his elation was made clear as her mother was thrown off Suzuki Hide, who had begun to swell up in size, becoming almost Hulk-like in nature. He was almost as tall as the brick walls surrounding the clearing; his coat was ripped, and its underneath was bulging sickeningly with torn skin and muscle and sinew. The now-monster stood tall, looking twisted and demented as his flesh steamed red. In spite of herself Morie felt ice run through her veins.
Behind her, Fujishiro Yuuya was softly chuckling to himself - his work had been done, perhaps far too well.
"M- Coriolis!" Her cry escaped her, and the young girl rushed forward towards the fallen Hero. However, in an instant hardly passed before her mom was steadily back on her feet, and was reaching an arm out to block her from advancing any further.
"Stay back, kiddo," firmly, the Wind Hero instructed. Coriolis stared up at the creature before them as gusts of wind swirled around them in preparation. "He's mine."
The man seemed to be adjusting to his new size, staring down at his hands with a satisfied grin. Before making her move, Coriolis called back. "Call Calibri - crease the paper with your nails."
In a blur of black and white, Coriolis sped off to enter the fray, and Morie's eyes widened as she took in the billowing of her mother's cloak.
Wind soared around them viciously as a tornado of howling wind surrounded Hide, trapping him within the vortex - it took all she had to not be blown away, or for the paper clutched tightly between her fingers to not fly out of her hands. Without a second to waste, Coriolis had disappeared into the funnel of wind that was her creation.
A roar of pain tore through the air. Was that a good sign?
Shaking slightly, Morie hastened to complete her role in this mess - the fingernail of her thumb pressed into the paper scrap, forming a miniature crescent-shaped dent into its middle.
Moments later, the tiny paper scrap seemed to contort and fold open upon itself, and the pretty snow-haired lady she recognized to be Calibri materialized from the paper scrap, seemingly phasing out from it. Before her, the Paper rose to her full height, towering over Morie in the heels she wore.
"Hello again, little Continental," Calibri chirped, her head turning to look at the nearby tornado. Her long white hair was getting whipped around by the wind violently, causing her to hold up her hand to shield her face. Her ruby red eyes intently surveyed the scene before her, before turning towards the younger girl present. "Thanks for not letting go of the paper scrap, I'd hate to wind up in there."
"Yeah," the bubble of worry within her stomach escaped her, and Morie shifted in her feet. "Coriolis told me to call for you."
To which Calibri only let out a hum. "I gathered. Boss doesn't need me as backup, though - she needs me for transportation. Take a look."
At the older Sidekick's words, the Pressure user screwed up the courage to focus on the battle at hand.
The once-relentless winds were dissipating now, and the large shadow which could only be Hide was being carefully lowered to the ground. Coriolis, dark visor and cape and all, stepped out of the swirling tornado - now, only a few rings of wind persisted, swirling around Hide's arms and legs like makeshift handcuffs.
"Thanks, you two," hearing the familiar voice calmed her somewhat as the Wind Hero made her way towards them. "If you would do the honour, Calibri."
"No probs, boss."
With a swish of her hips, Calibri approached the now-unconscious Hide. Her fingers pulled out a deck of what seemed like blank cards from a card holster in her pocket. Pulling out a single card with ease, she deftly placed it over Hide's forehead before pressing her palm over it.
With a puff of smoke and a 'poof!', Suzuki Hide was gone. The little white card that Calibri placed onto him had fluttered to the ground.
As the Paper Hero bent over to pick it up, Morie saw that it was no longer blank - it was now etched with the likeness of the now unconscious leader of Bloodstain, his eyes closed and his grey locks dishevelled. Fascination rose through her as she watched the steady rise and fall of his chest, being shown on the paper like a miniature, hyper realistic animation.
"Thanks, Calibri. Fujishiro's quirk lasts for up to thirty minutes, and it's too inconvenient to lug around Suzuki as he is," Coriolis explained, moving forward to haul the long passed-out Yuuya over her back. "C'mon, we're heading to the police station."
Awe was the only feeling that Morie could discern at the moment as she trailed behind the senior Heroes, marveling at the seamless coordination they had demonstrated earlier. Or maybe she was just such a newbie at this whole Hero business that she was feeling impressed by all the little things that they were doing.
"The Rose and Hedgehog users, Sara and Spine have been apprehended by Hikaru and Shinsou-kun - they were trying to rob a jewelry shop," Calibri reported as she walked by Coriolis' side, stashing away the card which contained Hide. "I think only these two here saw fit to start wrecking havoc in the middle of the day."
"Thanks for your hard work, Calibri," the older woman then picked up her transceiver, speaking into it. "Jeanist? Any updates?"
The black device fizzled, then buzzed aloud with a prim voice she made out to be the Fifth Hero's. "Damien and Surusuru, users of the Rubber and Chameleon quirks apprehended. At one of the addresses listed as suspected hideouts - the one near to my side of town."
"That makes all of them, then." Coriolis responded, uttering one last statement before putting away the transceiver. Then she turned around, and if they could see through her visor, Morie suspected that her mom was shooting the both of them her trademark eye-smile. "Good job today, the both of you."
The trio fell into silence then, the only thing which could be heard being their footsteps and Calibri's lighthearted humming, which sounded suspiciously like 'Fly Me to the Moon'.
Inadvertently, dark almond eyes fell morosely to the pavement as she walked on behind them, the events of the day replaying in her mind.
Seeing her mother in action, Morie felt very much like a little girl again, watching the work of Coriolis through a glass screen. Yet even in person now, she had felt more helpless than ever to support her.
The irrational thoughts were flooding her head again; about how blessed she was to be born to a Hero of her calibre. How she had some big shoes to fill in into the future.
More than ever, her mother felt so far away. And Morie didn't know what to feel; in the midst of her overwhelming, almost drowning admiration, hid an ugly sting of shame.
She closed her eyes, and exhaled.
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「(゚ペ)「(゚ペ)「(゚ペ)
.
"Don't fall asleep on me, miss Continental!"
Her dark eyes snapped open. The end of the day had come, and the three interns had been safely returned to Coriolis' Office.
The bespectacled assistant seemed to be in a perpetually good mood since Patrols ended. He had led them to one of the nearest presentation rooms, humming and even almost skipping. Bakugou, who had by now established himself as the man's polar opposite, seemed extremely disgruntled by the Illusion user's overflowing energy.
"The hell is up with him," he grumbled out loud. From beside her, Shinsou suddenly let out an almost cynical snicker, and she took the chance to glance over at what he was looking at.
"Uh, senpai," Morie called out, bewilderment underlying her tone. "What's with that fancy hair all of a sudden?"
Hikaru's coal-like hair, which was normally a mess (somewhat stylish, but a mess nonetheless) was now neatly gelled and combed back. With his tall demeanour and his black glasses, it almost made him look like a waiter, especially with the folded white sleeves of his Hero costume.
"Well, you know how it's the last day of your internship?"
Even in the dimly lit room, she could hear the grin in his voice.
"Not to be mean, but it means that I don't have to do overtime today. Which means," he sounded almost giddy from excitement. "I can finally go get a nice dinner with my lovely boyfriend!"
Morie was not usually the type to get invested in anything related to romance, but even she found that confession to be adorable. Not to mention, it was quite sweet that he had presumably done his hair after getting back from Patrols - knowing him, he was probably getting ready to rush out of the office the moment the clock struck five.
"Awww," she couldn't help herself. The thought of two people wanting to commit to each other was very much a foreign concept to her - relationships just seemed like too much work to her - but it was warm and fuzzy seeing the happiness two people could inspire in one another. "I'm happy for you, senpai. Have you been together long?"
"What the actual hell," even Bakugou had something to say about that as he sounded genuinely disgusted. "Your boyfriend has shitty taste."
Dark eyes flickering towards him in amusement, Morie hummed. "At least he has a boyfriend."
She grinned, turning away from the red-eyed gaze that instantly shot towards her, full of needle-like ire.
"Well, jealousy isn't cute, Bakugou-kun!" Clearly unfazed by the rudeness, Hikaru rolled his eyes. The man's gloved hands clapped together elegantly before he turned to Morie with a flourish, obviously excited to be able to talk to someone who was relatively non-judgemental about his partner.
"Well, miss Continental, we've been together officially for two months, but we've been in contact for a year. It's sad, though - he's a Hero too, see. We're so busy that we barely get to see each other..."
The three students were treated to another one of his long, drawn-out sighs.
"I hope it will work out for the both of you," a look of conflict appeared on the brown-haired girl's features; curiosity had overtaken her now and it took all she had to stop herself from prying further. The moment he mentioned that his boyfriend was a Hero as well, her interest had literally spiked to a new high. "Last long, senpai!"
"Heh, thanks!" Almost shyly, the Illusion user rubbed the back of his neck; a wide, bordering on dreamy smile on his face. "Not to brag, but I think you kids would definitely know him. He's just a really amazing person y'know? Japan is so damn lucky to have a kindred soul like him."
Challenge accepted.
A giggle escaped her at how bad Hikaru had fallen for this mystery Hero. He then carried on with his talk nonchalantly, as if he had not just dropped a bomb on them - this entire situation reminded her of when their teachers rambled on sharing their life stories in classes instead of teaching the lesson material. "Think I'm going to start you guys on that post-internship survey now, I sense Shinsou-kun getting impatient."
"Thanks." The indigo-haired boy droned out sarcastically in response. True enough, he seemed to have tuned out a long while ago. Now he was giving a pointed sigh, the bags under his eyes looking darker than usual.
His tired demeanour was a norm for him, she thought, but his weary countenance had seemed especially heavy-hearted. Dark almond eyes flickered up at the taller boy in muted concern, but they quickly darted away before he could notice.
.
As it turned out, the survey had not taken very long at all - with that, the internship formally came to an end.
Dawdling to pack her belongings, Morie almost didn't want to leave, in fact. Perhaps that fact had been picked up by Hikaru, for he slid over a business card containing the agency's contact details as well as another business card, which spelled out the initials 'N.D'.
"Just a reminder to stay in touch, and perhaps come back for your work studies one day," he hummed cheerily, mouth widening into a grin. "You still haven't met Risk and the old lady, after all! Not that I think you'll have any problem finding us again, but y'know. Formalities."
Had it not been for the meaningful glance he sent her, and the slight upturn of his lips, Morie might not have picked up on his hidden meaning in his second sentence at all. Before the dark-haired girl was able to react, Hikaru had already jogged over to where Shinsou was packing up his belongings.
"Here you go," he lightly hit Shinsou over his shoulder, handing him the two cards as well. "You'll be a great Hero, for sure! Come back here when you get the chance, okay?"
"Thanks," Shinsou's dark eyes regarded the business cards, and a corner of her lips quirked up just in the slightest. Reverently, he tucked the cards into his wallet, before nodding at the black-haired Sidekick with an appreciative glance. "I'll keep that in mind."
The blue-haired boy was fondly pet on the back, before Hikaru abruptly called out to someone again with a bright gleaming grin.
"Bakugou-kun! Wait up for a bit."
"Hah?" The ash-blonde scowled, having had already been halfway out the door. Nevertheless, he stopped in his tracks and looked back, brimming with impatience.
Similarly, Hikaru stuffed the two business cards into Bakugou's hand. There was a brief silence - Bakugou generally tried to not cuss out pro-Heroes immediately - and Morie wondered if the older Hero was going to give the spiky-haired boy inspiring, life-changing advice of sorts.
Instead, the black-haired assistant slapped Bakugou roughly across the back, way harder than he had hit Shinsou. He responded to the burning glare the explosive boy shot him innocuously, a shit-eating grin spreading on his features.
"Good luck fixing that hair."
"... I fucking hate you." Bakugou's face scrunched up so much that she thought he might explode; his hair had after all become a sore spot for him over the course of the week. Amazingly, he managed to hold his temper for once, even as he growled through his grit teeth and the bulged vein in his forehead.
Hikaru mock-saluted as the younger student promptly stormed out the building without looking back.
"What a tsunder- shucks, forgot to tell him that he has to be more honest with himself! After all, who could hate me?"
Blue eyes gleaming with amusement, the man raised his shoulders in a shrug, as if responding to his own rhetorical question. After which, he sent off the other two students present with a carefree wave. "See ya again, Yuuei kids! I gotta run off to my date now."
The black-haired Sidekick made his dramatic exit, and once again the air within the meeting room was calm and still. An awkward silence befell them; they were both equally lost for words at Hikaru's eccentric antics.
Morie cleared her throat.
"So, you want to say bye to Coriolis and Calibri?" Dark eyes rested on her blue-haired companion somewhat cautiously.
"Sure." Shinsou's hand landed on the back of his neck, and in his flat, pulled-back grin she thought she saw bluer feelings - a sombre trace of what seemed to be melancholy. Maybe even longing.
"Let's go, then."
Perhaps it was because he was trying to keep his face hidden from her. But as they padded up the stairs of the building, hands tucked into his pockets and his gaze determinedly set forward, Shinsou was for once the person who was leading the way.
.
(っ- ‸ – ς)
.
Short and (bitter)sweet. That was how the week had concluded.
Currently, what was bugging her was that the time to say goodbye to Shinsou was approaching.
As they had done for the past few days, they were making their trip to the station together. The train station in question was now only metres away, and the growing nagging sensation within her urged her to say something to him before it was too late.
Maybe, she was just overthinking as usual. But as her past run-ins with Shinsou resurfaced in her mind one by one, she decided to trust herself on this: he was indeed acting unusual.
(Maybe.)
"Hey, Shinsou?"
Reaching out a hand, she lightly tugged the taller boy's sleeve. The dark-eyed boy's footsteps fell to a halt, as his face glanced down to look at her, an unspoken questioning look on his features.
She paused.
The sun was setting, casting a warm orange hue upon the town, and in that moment, the visage of Shinsou's striking indigo hair against the gently lit backdrop looked pretty, almost brilliant. It dawned on her then that she really would miss the blue-haired boy - owing to their different classes, it would be hard to see him around in school at all.
But right now, that was not the issue that she wanted to address. Her mouth opened, and she swallowed.
"Are you alright?"
Once again, Morie felt like she was poking her nose in someone else's business. For just a second she was reminded of the-boy-next-door, how he had looked when he sat sullenly, red eyes narrowed at the lone corner of the living room. This time, her dark eyes sought out Shinsou's - noting his silence, she took his lack of a response as a 'no'.
".. do you want to talk about anything?" She tried again, trying her hardest not to come across as too pushy. After all, all Morie had to guide her words was her own intuition. Dark purple eyes regarded her in silent scrutiny before shifting away.
"It's fine," his eyes set on hers plaintively. "I don't think this is something you would be able to understand, Minamoto."
Oh.
He was walking again now, climbing up the stairs to the train station, and she followed after him in silence. Her throat felt hollow.
It was a valid point - in his eyes, she was likely someone privileged enough to be born with a powerful quick. Someone who would never be able to understand how he had felt growing up. For someone who prided herself in her ability to feel other people's emotions, she was at a lost of what to say.
The fact was that her quirk, however troublesome it was, had granted her advantages he was not able to have. Anything she said would come across patronising to him. Condescending, be it unintentionally or not.
"Still," her voice was soft, and she found herself fiddling with her fingers. "You might feel better."
A sigh. Then the boy before her raised a hand to rub the back of his neck.
"You misunderstand," Shinsou was shaking his head now, and averting his eyes. Wearily, he exhaled. "I'm fine, just ... thinking."
Looking up, his dark purple eyes landed on her own. She waited for him to continue - to explain - dark eyes taking in the ever-present bags which shadowed his eyes.
And so he did. His words were now a self-deprecating scoff. "When I was rejected from the Hero course, I had a plan to transfer in from the start. But I'm not even on the starting line, yet. Being here made me realise that."
A smile spread across his features, resigned and bitter, and Morie's heart wrenched itself. It must have showed on her expression, for his eyes suddenly snapped towards her sharply.
"Don't." He cut across her bluntly. I don't need your pity, went unsaid.
Perhaps it came out harsher than intended, for he fell silent for a moment. "You really don't need to worry. For one, I'm not planning on giving up anytime soon."
A pause.
Morie was conflicted, but hearing that statement made a tentative smile rise onto her face.
"Good to hear," her smile was reciprocated by the slightest curl to Shinsou's lips. On the inside, regret flashed through her at the knowledge that all she could do to help him was to offer him her support. "I'm rooting for you, man."
She had used the exact same sentence only a few days ago, but now they seemed to hold a different weight.
"Yeah." There was a pause. Then the blue-haired boy let out a short, dry laugh in response. "I know."
They were on the platform now, and even as the crowds hurried about them, her attention was focused solely on the person before her. He took a step away from her, his hands slotting themselves back into his pockets.
"I'll see you around, Minamoto."
With a raise of his hand, Shinsou walked off into the station, a slight upward turn evident on his lips. With a final smile and a wave of parting, Morie walked off as well, stealing a glance behind her. His all-too-recognisable blue hair vanished into the crowd, and she turned her attention back to the front, her small frame getting swallowed up by the evening crowds herself.
Now standing on the train, Morie stared out the window, absent-mindedly taking in the blurred greens and blues of the passing scenery. Her hand reached into her pocket to fiddle around with a marble, only to feel the smooth flat surface of her phone - and it was only then did she realise that she did not have a way to contact her new acquaintance. Friend. She wasn't too sure.
'Next time,' she promised herself nevertheless.
Shinsou's words had struck a chord within her. There was an uncomfortable feeling which resonated with her too well - bordering between fear and uncertainty, perhaps - that she had been harboring since forever, but had been unable to vocalise before now. She could clearly remember the bitterness that lined his tone ("I'm not even on the starting line, yet,") and felt fresh hot shame running through her veins.
Here she was, on her way on becoming a Hero, yet she did not have half the spirit- or drive- that Shinsou possessed.
The painful reality was that Morie was nowhere near ready to be a Hero, and it scared her. There were so many aspects of herself that she wanted to work on, and so many things she had to do - so much that two years felt like an alarmingly short time. Unknowingly, Yuuei's stellar reputation had grown to become her own safety net, and she took it for granted that the school would be able to get her to where she wanted to be.
Undoubtedly - she worked hard, and she knew it - but more and more Morie felt like she had been doing so blindly. She had been doing the bare minimum, and laughably had convinced herself that she was trying her best. Blamed her setbacks on the difficulty of her quirk. Looking back at her progress now, it made her regret every last second she had wasted.
Surely, she was capable of much more?
With her limited world-view, it was no wonder that her progress with her quirk had been almost negligible compared to many of her peers; Morie remembered the spar that she had with her mother earlier on this week, and how it had truly put everything into perspective.
She had been unable to even land a single blow on her mother - not even close. And today, her mother had resolved the altercation with the gang leaders of Bloodstain earlier without so much as blinking an eye, while Morie herself had been frozen and almost unable to react.
(It was all reminding her of the Sludge incident once again, how she had been unable to act when it actually counted. It weighed on her to this very day, how people like Midoriya could leap into action but she, even with her experience, was unable to.)
On that note, even her performance in class was subpar (hell, she even placed after Mineta of all people in midterms in solid 10th place.) A lack of focus, perhaps? Morie had too many projects and hobbies that she was trying to keep up with - she should not be acting carefree when they were essentially going to make up the next generation of Heroes. It was as if she was not taking this Hero dream seriously enough. Was she?
... why did she want to be a Hero?
Other than following in the footsteps of her mother, did she even have an answer?
Morie's dark eyes stared listlessly out the train window and thought of Class 1-A. Her talented, driven classmates who made her feel like Yuuei was a second home, and made her laugh until she wanted to cry.
She thought of Kirishima and Bakugou and Midoriya, who could proclaim their promises out for the whole world to hear. She thought of Shinsou, who would do whatever he had to in order to chase his dreams. Unlike them, she had no definitive answer and because of that she felt almost ashamed to even stand next to them. She wasn't like them. She was just plain old Morie, content to settle with the way her life was now.
(Am I, though?)
At the very least - one thing was certain.
She had to do better. She could do better. She had to believe that she could.
Soon, the final exams would arrive. The reminder set afire a strange clarity, which was now registering within her.
All along, Morie was the only person she needed to prove herself too, and this time she was going to make sure she left no stones unturned in her bid to improve herself. If she needed to, she would force herself out of her comfort zone.
They said that Coriolis' presence was like the winds of change - a presence who could surely turn the tides on any situation. All her life, her ambitions had been built up around great Heroes - their impact on other people. Their kind words, and warm smiles. Their strength.
Was it wrong for her to want to be like her mother?
Only time, she thought, could tell the answer. Morie hoped that there was one to begin with.
And perhaps when that day came, she could dare to fully dream.
(One day.)
.
(。•́︿•̀。)
.
A/N:
*I just assume that class 1-A will encounter 1-B in hero training a lot more often than shown in the manga, because that makes more sense! I am aware that monoma's costume doesn't actually appear til later on.
One of the longest ever chapters! I don't really like this chapter but I don't really know how to fix it! But this does mark the end of the internship arc at last. I ended up getting too invested in the gang Bloodstain (like? I love their quirks!) appearing this chapter before realising that there's no way I can fit all of them in here. Maybe the fights that Bakugou and Shinsou underwent respectively this chapter will be posted in Kerosene Hearts as an extra, if anyone would want to see them. Also I'm interested in writing out the 2nd OVA because it's hilarious, but it will prolly be posted under KH too!
Regarding Morie's reflection, I feel like it echoes what some of you are probably thinking - she can do a lot better than how she is doing now. And her sometimes over-cautious nature and fear of expectations and failure is holding her back a lot. Ambitious, but lacks the confidence to fulfil her dreams - in the meantime restricting herself. It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, and I admit that I resonate with her a lot in this chapter In many ways, she is similar to Bakugou in his situation, realising that she is just a small fish in a big pond. Perhaps she does not exactly have the right motivations, yet. But I always thought that Shinsou in particular would be an inspiring person to her as she works on her self-esteem and confidence where it really counts.
tldr; mom (and daughter) take down some gang leaders. Hikaru is excited about his date. Morie does some thinking after talking to a brooding Shinsou.
Let me know what you think of this chapter, and as always thank you so much for reading this! I hope future chapters will be less of a mess.
P.S. Do remember to send in some class A group chat ideas hehe, the final name will be revealed next chapter!
- C
