CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE - THE INTERVIEW
Shigaraki was the last of the three boys to sit down in one of the tall, director style chairs that had been neatly lined up in preparation for the interview. Cho, who was sitting in a similar chair opposite them, smiled and waved away the team of make-up artists who were busy touching up her face before greeting him enthusiastically.
"I bet you feel a little more like yourself now." She stated, motioning over to Shigaraki who was back in his school uniform. "Those shoots can be a lot to get used to."
Shigaraki nodded and pulled the hood of his sweatshirt up over his head. He had felt very vulnerable exposing himself for the photoshoot but hesitantly went through with it because he knew it was good publicity and it would pay off once the story was released. Plus, the entire Juzo News team had made it as comfortable as they could for him.
Now, all he had to do was get through this interview.
"Good! Those photos are going to be great!" She clapped her hands together and then adjusted the papers she had balanced precariously on her folded knees. "Now, I want you boys to relax. This is all very casual, a conversation, there is no script, so just be yourselves. And if you have any questions or concerns, please let me know."
"Is this being filmed?" Takami asked, looking from one camera to another.
"Yes! But don't worry if you fumble on your words or if you're not sure how to respond to something I ask. We'll edit the digital interview, only highlights will be included, not the full dialogue. And Tokuda will be capturing some more candid photos as we talk."
"I'm not worried." Takami declared smugly, sitting back coolly in his seat.
"Okay." Cho said, grinning at Takami. "Are we all set then?" She asked, the excitement in her eyes practically sparkling as she regarded each of the boys in front of her. "Let's get started then. Tokuda? Ready on camera?"
"They're rolling." He replied, giving her the thumbs up.
Cho cleared her throat, took a small sip of water and then sat up straighter before she began to speak. Her voice changed to full on interview mode in a matter of seconds.
"First off, let me just say how lucky I am to have this opportunity to interview UA High's three most promising heroes graduating this year. Welcome to the Juzo News Studios." Cho said, addressing each of the boys with what could only be considered as a TV smile.
"Let's start with some introductions." Cho waved her hand casually towards Takami, "Left to right, we have the very handsome, Takami Keigo. Hero Name, Hawks."
"Hi. Happy to be here, Cho."
"It's a pleasure to have you, Takami!" Cho smiled before moving on. "And then here in the middle, it is my honor to introduce Toya Todoroki. Pro-Hero Endeavor's oldest son."
"Hey. I go by Dabi."
"Dabi. Yes, of course! And I see in my notes here that you're also using that as your hero name?" She questioned, looking down at her papers and pretending to flip through them in search of an alternate, surprise hero name. She wouldn't find one.
"For now, yeah I suppose." Dabi shrugged his shoulders lightly, an assured grin firmly in place.
"You have plenty of time to make a name for yourself! Plus, I quite like Dabi." Cho exclaimed, smiling. She then turned her gaze over to Shigaraki. "Which also goes for our last but not in the very least student Shigaraki Tomura. Shigaraki, from what I understand, the students start having Hero name discussions in their first year. What makes it easy for some students and harder for others to choose their hero name?"
"Well, some of them practically write themselves. Especially for students with physical or mutation type quirks. Takami is a good example." Shigaraki said, hooking his thumb over to his classmate, "Didn't have to do much thinking there. You know, with the wings, feathers and all."
"Actually, Feathers would have been a perfect hero name. He should change it to that." Dabi joked. Shigaraki couldn't help but laugh, but it only lasted a moment, like he was just playing a part.
"Ha ha. Real funny." Takami rolled his eyes.
Cho hid a quiet giggle behind her hand. "So, Takami, there's thousands of species of birds, why did you choose Hawks?" She asked, looking over at him, still smiling. Shigaraki thought it looked painful to keep a face like that all day and they had been at the studio for eight hours already.
"Hawks are awesome! They are fast and fierce. Like, I wouldn't want to be called Parrots or… Feathers. It's not very menacing." He laughed, making light of the joke.
"Yes, I guess you're right." Cho chuckled again. "And while we are on the topic, let's talk about your quirks. We'll start with you, Takami. We know you can fly, what's that like? What else do you have in your arsenal?"
"Being able to fly is… amazing. The wind in your face, the freedom of the open air. It's hard to explain the feeling, Cho. And I'll admit at first it was a little terrifying taking my feet off the ground, and very hard to perfect the actual flying, but now it comes as naturally as walking does."
"I am a little bit jealous. I'm sure we all are." Cho admitted.
"It's not for everyone. Especially if you're afraid of heights." Takami went on to joke, chuckling. "But my wings have other useful functions too. Like, I can use the feathers as weapons or projectiles."
"Wow. Amazing. You have a real gift." Cho said.
"Thank you."
Shifting her gaze over to Dabi. "And Dabi, you have a fire quirk. Like your Father, Endeavor?"
"Yeah. Blueflame. I guess it's pretty similar to my Father's with just a touch of my mother mixed in. I can generate highly destructive flames from pretty much anywhere on my body I want to. But mostly I just use my hands." He said, lifting his hands and wriggling his fingers. A small flicker for fire flared from the tips.
"That's actually very pretty! Just like your eyes. In an intimidating kind of way, of course." She grinned. "Oh! You know what? You could use that as your hero name! Blueflame." She suggested, perking up.
"Yeah, I guess I could." Dabi chuckled.
"But now that I say it out loud, I'm sure I'm not the first to suggest it." She chuckled knowingly.
Dabi mimicked her amusement. "You're not."
"Okay. Nevermind then." She laughed again. "And Shigaraki, I know you have a fascinating quirk. Very… unique."
"It's definitely… unique."
"Decay?" She started, reading over her notes then looking back up, "When we first met you at UA High, our wonderful photographer and journalist Taneo Tokuda received a firsthand demonstration of your quirk and lost one of his favorite pens in the process."
"And I did apologize for that." Shigaraki bantered, trying to remain as personable as possible. It was a stretch for him, but Cho seemed to eat it right up. And it would look good when the story came out.
Cho laughed. "Yes. Tell me more about your abilities. And these gloves. Is it true you never take them off?"
"Yes, it's true. The gloves are kind of like a security blanket, I guess. After thirteen years, I still don't quite have full control of my quirk. Especially when I'm not actively thinking about my hands. Which before I got these, was honestly… exhausting. So, these allow me to do normal everyday things that most people take for granted. Like shaking someone's hand or sleeping without destroying a pillow every night."
"I see. Well kudos to the support team. They look great."
"Yeah. I can't thank them enough."
"So, without gloves, how does decay work?"
"It's pretty simple, actually. I can destroy anything that my hands touch, crumbling things entirely to dust. But it must be a complete touch, with all five fingers."
"Hence the two fingered gloves. It breaks the contact?"
'Yeah, exactly." Shigaraki looked down at his gloved hands, "But I can also spread the decay beyond physical touch."
"That is… fascinating." Cho said, leaning forward towards him. "Can I just say you have such striking features? Your eyes are incredible. And with that snow white hair?" Cho fanned herself, "Incredible."
"Ah, thanks." Shigaraki replied awkwardly.
"This leads me onto my next question for you boys." Cho's next grin was mischievous, "We all want to know, single or taken? Takami?"
"Free as a bird."
Cho smiled. "There will be a lot of happy girls, and boys, out there. Dabi?"
There was a moment of silence. Shigaraki subtly glanced sideways, the sound of his heartbeat thudding in his ears. He really didn't want Dabi to out himself or admit their relationship this publicly and was afraid of what he was going to say. It wasn't the right time, for a number of reasons.
"Um."
"We'll circle back to that later." Cho laughed. "Shigaraki?"
"Can I decline to answer?" He said, grinning tightly.
"You can but that's going to lead to some assumptions." Cho chuckled, looking from Shigaraki to Dabi and back again.
Shigaraki arched his brow. Did Cho know? It sure seemed like it.
"Assume away."
"Okay." More chuckling ensued. "Next up, we have some rapid-fire questions for you three. These were all sent in by our viewers via Twitter who wanted to get to know you better."
From off to the side, Tokuda appeared with an iPad. He handed it to Cho and then winked at the boys. "Good luck!"
"Let's see, let's see." Cho mumbled more to herself than anyone else as she scanned the Twitter questions on the Juzo News Feed. "Ah, an easy one. Your favorite food. Takami?"
"Chicken Nuggets."
"Really?" Cho laughed, surprised by his answer. "Interesting. Dabi?"
"Mapo Tofu. Or anything really spicy."
"That is rather fitting. Shigaraki?"
"Takoyaki."
"A favorite of mine too!"
"Next question, who is your favorite pro-hero?"
"Easy. Endeavor." Takami beamed.
"Oh god." Dabi mumbled, rolling his eyes. Shigaraki scoffed.
Cho laughed. "What about you Dabi? Endeavor's not your favorite hero?"
"Well, he's my dad. I guess I don't look at him the same way others do."
"That makes sense." Cho nodded, "Who's your pick then?"
"I don't really have one favorite. There are a lot of pro-heroes I admire though. Edgeshot, Snipe. All Might of course."
"All great heroes!" Cho agreed with a nod, "Shigaraki?"
"Uh, Eraser Head. He is a great Hero and maybe even a better teacher and mentor."
Cho's brows popped up and she looked over at Mr. Aizawa who was standing just off to the side, grinning, before she returned her attention to Shigaraki. "He must be very proud to have you as one of his students. All of you."
Aizawa gave Cho a thumbs up agreeing with her statement before she continued
"Okay, we'll pick just a couple more Twitter questions. Um, LittleBoP would like to know if you weren't going to become a pro-hero, what would you be or what would you be doing?"
"That's a really hard question." Takami admitted, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Definitely not an easy one. Dabi, while Takami thinks about it, what about you? Is this something you ever thought about?"
"Not really. I mean I was born into being a hero, I was supposed to follow in my Father's footsteps so it's all I've ever really known."
"That's a reasonable answer. The Todoroki's are one of this generation's greatest hero families." Cho nodded, still smiling. "Shigaraki?"
"I don't know. Probably a villain." Shigaraki said, deadpan.
"W-What? A villain?" Cho asked, stunned. She sat back in her chair, shocked. Her cheeks were flushed red though, like she approved of his response.
"Ha!" Dabi laughed hard.
"To be fair," Takami interjected, "He would make a great villain."
Shigaraki scoffed.
"Why do you say that Takami?"
"History. And we're not all going to make it as pro-heroes."
Shigaraki didn't bother to acknowledge Takami's snide remark. "I was joking, Cho." He said, smiling offhandedly.
She didn't seem convinced and swallowed hard. "In all seriousness then?"
"Ah, I love video games so maybe I'd go into that industry."
"I'm sure that would be a lot of fun." She eyed him curiously, staring for a moment, before looking back to Takami. "Takami? Any ideas yet?"
"I think being a model would suit me." He said pompously.
This time it was Shigaraki's turn to roll his eyes.
"I wholeheartedly agree with that! You would make an excellent model. And you could still pursue that on the side!" She cleared her throat of her over-excitement and then scrolled through the Twitter feed looking for another question. "Okay, for the next few questions, fast answers, the first thing that comes into your head. Your favorite season? Shigaraki, let's start with you."
"Summer."
"Dabi?"
"Winter."
"Takami?"
"Spring."
"Excellent! If you could travel to any country in the world for a vacation right now, where would you go? Dabi?"
"Iceland."
"Oh, nice. I would love to see those beautiful black sand beaches. Takami?"
"America."
"Land of the free. Shigaraki?"
"Australia."
"Oh yes. Give me some sun, sand and surf!"
"How about this one. Guilty pleasures? Takami?"
"Any junk food but especially McDonalds."
"I love me a Big Mac after a long day! Dabi?"
"Ah, smok… I mean, coffee. Yeah, lots of coffee."
Cho laughed. "Uh huh, I'm a caffeine addict too. Shigaraki?"
"Doritos. Cool Ranch is my favorite."
"I could eat a whole bag myself! Last Twitter question, it's a two part, allmight_allright wants to know when is your birthday and what is your sign? Shigaraki?"
"April 4th, Aries."
"Dabi?"
"January 18th, Capricorn." Dabi said, his words trailing off when he realized that he had missed Shigaraki's birthday. And though the topic never really came up, he probably should have talked to Shigaraki about when his Birthday was. At some point. Fuck. He really was a terrible boyfriend.
"Takami?"
"December 28, also a Capricorn."
"How about that?" Cho grinned, "So, Dabi, Takami. You two have a lot in common. You're both Capricorns, you both obviously have ties to Endeavor and the Endeavor agency and you've been best-friends for a number of years."
"Yeah, Dabi and I grew up together."
"We've known each for more than a decade." Dabi added.
"And Takami is practically part of the Todoroki family, I hear. Tell me about that."
"Oh, Takami has an unhealthy relationship with my dad." Dabi said. It came out like a joke but behind those words was a certain level of truth.
Takami snorted a laugh. "The Todoroki's are kind of like my adoptive family. I spend a lot of time with them. My birth parents were not really equipped to raise me so between my foster family and The Todoroki's I was able to get where I am today. I'm very thankful for that relationship, especially with Endeavor."
"That's an inspiring story. Dabi, do you consider Takami as one of your siblings?"
"Ah. There is a noticeable difference between how I see and interact with my blood-siblings versus how I do with Takami. So, kind of yes and kind of no."
Cho nodded. "Well, either way a friendship like yours is something special."
"Takami definitely thinks he is very special." Dabi agreed in a round-a-bout sort of way.
"Shut up." Takami chuckled. "We're lucky, for sure. Not everyone gets the same kind of support that we did. School can be hard, especially when quirks start to develop."
"Oh yes, for sure." Cho agreed. "And you two became friends around that time when your quirks were really developing?"
"Yeah, Dabi was a year ahead of me though."
"We ended up in the same class because I had to repeat a grade. Takami was the first one to talk to me and hasn't stopped talking since."
"True." Takami laughed and shook his head.
"If you don't mind me asking, why did you have to repeat a grade?" Cho asked.
"Well, when my quirk started to develop, I was sick a lot, you know my body couldn't handle the heat, so I missed most of grade two, I think it was?"
"Yeah." Takami verified with a nod. Cho also nodded but didn't interrupt.
"My parents thought it would be better for me to repeat the year. At the time, I hated the idea but now, considering where I am and the friends I have made, I think it was the right choice."
"Mm. And I'm sure all your classmates think so too."
"Most of them." Dabi joked, laughing softly.
"Okay, so Shigaraki, my next question is for you."
"Shoot."
"Dabi and Takami are obviously very close, what about the rest of your classmates? Are you all friends? Are there any rivalries?"
"UA High is just like any other High School. We all have our own groups of friends, and we definitely don't all get along."
"Well, this morning, I did receive a small tidbit of gossip from your teacher about the three of you having some history. Tell me about that."
Shigaraki scoffed. "We've had an ongoing… rivalry for the last three years. We used to fight a lot."
"Used to?"
Shigaraki nodded. "I think we've grown up a bit."
"You just grew out of it one day?" Cho asked, one eyebrow raised, as she grinned knowingly at Dabi.
Dabi narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. He knew she was trying to get one or all of them to confess the 'real' reason for their peace, but it wasn't going to happen. Shigaraki was definitely not going to admit to dating Dabi, not with the current condition of their relationship, and Takami would never want to acknowledge it so publicly. And Dabi, well, if the circumstances had been better, he may have but it wasn't fair to Shigaraki.
"Not really." Takami interjected. Dabi remained silent in the middle. "I think it's got more to do with us not having the time to fight with each other anymore. You know we have a lot more on our plates with our agencies, getting work experience and preparing for final exams."
"I see. So as of right now, are all three of you friends then?"
"No." Shigaraki and Takami said in unison.
"Actually, I can tell you a story about how our almost three-year rivalry started," Dabi said. "And how Takami ended up with a broken nose."
"A broken nose? Oh yes, I would absolutely love to hear it."
"Now keep in mind, this was also our very first day at UA High. We had literally just been taken to our assigned classrooms so most of us did not know each other. It was the first time we had all ever met."
"Yeah. And all the students were so excited to have a Todoroki in our class. They all wanted to talk to Dabi, crowding around him." Takami said.
Dabi nodded. "And obviously I thought I was pretty cool. You know, I had just turned seventeen and everyone was all over me." Dabi laughed and shook his head. "It definitely gave my ego a large and definitely unneeded boost."
"I can imagine." Cho laughed along with him.
"Mhm. I was totally arrogant." Dabi laughed again. "Anyway, I remember looking towards the back of the classroom, and I don't really know why I did exactly, but there was one student sitting in the very back row of desks completely ignoring me. And the rest of the class too."
"Shigaraki?" Cho guessed.
"Yep. And I suppose I was feeling especially pretentious because of all the attention I was getting so it bothered me that he didn't show me the same kind of… Awareness? Yeah, that's the right word. So, I go up to the back of the room to talk to him. I thought he would like that right. I was singling him out."
"I can see that. Go on."
"He was playing on an um, like handheld gaming system-"
"It was a Nintendo Switch." Shigaraki interjected without looking at Dabi.
"Yeah." Dabi nodded and smiled. "He was playing his game, and even though he knew I was standing right in front of his desk he did not stop playing or even look up at me. So, I say hey. He pauses his game and then finally looks up at me. And I vividly remember being kind of taken aback. Here's this random kid, with the most terrifyingly beautiful red eyes staring at me from under the shade of this dark hood he was wearing, who didn't look the slightest bit impressed by me."
"And still wearing hoodies to this day, I see." Cho added in, smiling at Shigaraki.
"I'm always cold." Shigaraki replied, shrugging his shoulders slightly.
Cho smiled. "Sorry. Dabi, please, continue."
"So yeah, he looks up at me but doesn't say a single word, not even a hi or hey back. So, I ask him if he knows who I am." Dabi looked over at Shigaraki, admiring his profile from the side and the way his loose, light hair framed his face. "Do you remember what you said to me?" He asked.
Again, Shigaraki nodded but he didn't return Dabi's gaze. "I think I told you that I didn't care who you were."
"Yep. You also said that I could return my groupies or something like that and then you went straight back to playing your game." Dabi chuckled softly. That was also the very moment he fell in love with Shigaraki. And he really wanted to say it but knew better.
"Cute. And how does Takami fit into this story?" Cho asked. "And this broken nose."
"Well, I thought it was pretty disrespectful of Shigaraki to blow off Dabi like that, so being Dabi's BFF, I came over to back him up. I'll admit I was being pretty obnoxious, Shigaraki and I shared some words and-"
"I punched him, right in the face." Shigaraki interjected, grinning haughtily. "And as you can imagine, it did not make me very popular."
"Oh my." Cho said, covering her mouth with the palm of her hand.
"Yep. He broke my nose-"
"Which was the first of many broken noses." Dabi added, chuckling.
Takami nodded and snorted a laugh. "We actually fought a lot."
Dabi agreed with a nod. "So, long story short, Cho. That was the start of a pretty brittle friendship between us three."
"That is quite a story." She said, almost bewildered.
"We're on somewhat better terms now." Takami thought to add.
"Okay. Wow." Cho said, shaking her head a little and taking another sip of water. "You boys certainly are entertaining." She chuckled. "So, I have a couple more exciting things I want to talk about and this first one is actually circling back to one of your earlier responses, Dabi."
Dabi's brows popped up. "Remind me."
"Single or taken. Your response was very ambiguous."
"Was it?" Dabi laughed, somewhat nervously.
"It was." Cho tsked him, and then grinned. "Though, I received a very suggestive image out of the blue just a few days ago that leads me to believe you do have a relationship status."
"Oh God." Dabi sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose.
Cho grinned wickedly. "You seem to know what I am referring to."
"Unfortunately." Dabi sighed.
Cho flipped through her stack of papers and then produced a printed photo. She grinned as she held it up, facing the boys. Takami snickered and after one glance Shigaraki dropped his chin, glad for the hood of his sweatshirt covering the disappointment and hurt written all over his face.
"I was hoping you could explain this photo then."
"I'd rather not." Dabi said, trying to play it off as nothing.
"This is Rumi Usagiyama, correct? One of your classmates."
"Yeah, but that picture is… completely out of context."
"Oh?" Cho grinned, looked at the photo and then back at Dabi. "It looks pretty self-explanatory."
"Yep. It sure looks like you are kissing her, Dabs." Takami chuckled, and then added, "Well, I know they were kissing Cho, because I was there."
"Thanks, Bird Brain."
"You're welcome."
Cho laughed. "So, I think we all want to know, are you dating Rumi Usagiyama?"
"No. No, no, no. I had just asked her to the prom, and this was right afterwards. Caught in the moment that's all. We're just friends."
"Just friends. Mhm." Cho chuckled and then to Shigaraki's relief, she tucked the photo away.
"Just friends." Dabi reaffirmed.
"With benefits!" Takami added, much too enthusiastically.
"No-"
"Well, I think you two make a lovely couple." Cho said, interjecting and trying to maintain the drama, it was good for the story. "We'll see what happens between you two in time, yes?"
Takami started humming the stereotypical "here comes the bride" tune and Dabi elbowed him hard in the ribs to shut him up.
"We're not a couple so."
"Okay." Cho laughed again. "My my, you boys have been a real delight to chat with this afternoon! I can't thank you enough for coming in." She beamed, clapping her hands together. "So, I have one last thing. Which our very own Taneo Tokuda just dropped at my door this morning, last minute. And I just want to take a moment to applaud him for his excellent journalistic skills because this is a real doozy and maybe the best story Juzo News has ever reported for our upcoming hero feature."
"Thanks, Cho. It wasn't easy but it was worth every minute of my time."
Shigaraki lifted his eyes from below the shadow of his hood. He wasn't sure how much more of this he could take. He had been trying so hard to be a willing and active participant the whole day whilst ignoring his feelings for Dabi and their broken relationship, but it was starting to catch up to him. He was exhausted and just wanted it to be done with.
"The information contained in this envelope is, for a lack of a better word, incredible." Cho started, sliding her finger under the already broken seal of the envelope and slowly removing the paper inside.
"The suspense is killing me. I have been waiting all day to share this." She admitted, squealing under her breath.
Takami and Dabi shared a brief glance at each other as they tried to figure out what it could be. Shigaraki sat up a little straighter, interested yet, hoping it wasn't just more gossip. Which he could only assume was. Probably more evidence of Dabi's infidelity. Maybe he had another boyfriend…
"Now, we all know that Dabi comes from a notable Hero family, but there is one other here who is blood related to a truly prestigious Hero, one who gave her life to protect others in battle."
Reflexively, Dabi and Shigaraki looked over at Takami expecting him to know what Cho was talking about. It had to be him, right?
"Don't look at me." Takami said, "I know who my family is, and they are not heroes."
Confused, the three boys looked between each other and then over to Mr. Aizawa who simply shrugged. He was equally as baffled and on top of that, seemed suddenly very anxious.
"Shigaraki."
When Cho said his name, Shigaraki looked at her and then jerked his chin over to Mr. Aizawa searching for… something. But as he suspected Mr. Aizawa had no clue what was coming so couldn't offer him any support. He did, however, slowly start to migrate over to where the boys were sitting like he was preparing for the worst.
Both Takami and Dabi swung their attention over to Shigaraki, their eyes wide and their mouths open in anticipation. Dabi desperately wanted to comfort his boyfriend. Shigaraki looked so uncomfortable and maybe even a little terrified.
"Shigaraki, does the name Nana Shimura mean anything to you?"
"What?"
"Nana Shimura."
"Yeah, I know who she is. The seventh One For All user, All Might's former mentor…"
"Yes. And, well, you, Shigaraki are a direct relative of the amazing Nana Shimura."
"No." Shigaraki shook his head. "That's… impossible. No." He shook his head, his movements erratic as a sense of panic started to wash over him. Was he awake? Was all of this just a fucking dream?
"It's not impossible. In fact, you are her Grandson. You are a Shimura! It says it right here, born Tenko Shimura. April 4th." She exclaimed excitedly, almost as if she expected Shigaraki would react in the exact same way to the news.
"No, I-" Shigaraki paused, stuttering, "I have my birth certificate. I am not a Shimura." He argued.
"I don't know what to say, Shigaraki but here. See for yourself."
She handed him the proof. It was a one-page document showing his family's ancestry along with a whole bunch of scientific jargon that didn't really make any sense to him. But what did stand out was the long list of dead family members. His grandparents: deceased, parents: deceased. Sister: Deceased. He had a sister.
Shigaraki looked up from the document and stared at Cho blankly. The world around him suddenly went very quiet as he recessed into his own head. He could see Cho's lips moving but could not make out the words, instead, they were replaced with an incessant ringing that caused him to shake his head, trying to dislodge the sound.
How could this be true? If what he was seeing and reading was real, he was the only living descendant of Nana Shimura.
He was her Grandson.
Tenko Shimura.
To be continued…