Their Hero Academia – Chapter 17: Asuka Tokoyami Hears Voices
Sitting in her room, Asuka carefully put pen to paper for the letter she was writing. She had promised her parents that she would write them each Sunday, so long as she was able.
Frog-Shadow materialized on her shoulder, giving her a critical look. "Did the internet go down?"
"No," she told her familiar, mentally bracing herself for the questions she knew were coming.
"Are the phones broken?"
"No," she repeated.
"Is it a hundred years ago?"
"No," Asuka said again, letting the weariness creep into her voice. This was actually going on longer than she expected.
"Then why are you using snail mail?"
"Because it's a peaceful way to organize my thoughts, *chirp*" she said.
"Boooring," Frog-Shadow said. "I'm going back inside until you're done." Her complaint registered, Frog-Shadow vanished back inside her. She could still feel the presence of the light-being, like a warmth centered around her middle, still hear the whispers of her thoughts in her own mind. Some might call it strange, and she would certainly call Frog-Shadow aggravating at times, but it was a comforting presence all the same. Ever since she had turned four, she had never really been alone. Many children had imaginary friends; she'd had a real one. Even if most of the time, the things Frog-Shadow said to other people made her want to crawl under a table and hide.
Deliberately, she put pen to paper.
Dear Mom and Dad,
To say the first week of school has been chaotic would be an understatement. But in spite of the strangeness and uncertainty revolving around the Quirk Virus, things here have passed without the chaos that engulfed your early school days. We are going to the USJ on Monday though, so I will keep you updated on whether or not we experience any Villain attacks.
I have made a new friend, Isamu Haimawari, from Naruhata. He seemed a bit nervous on his first day, but Toshi invited him into our group, and now he seems much more relaxed. That was to be expected, I suppose. Toshi tends to have that effect on everyone.
In more personal news, Toshi and I were elected Class Representative and Vice-Representative, respectively. In my case, the vote was actually unanimous! Toshi's nearly was as well, though there was one hold out. I hope that I can be worthy of the faith my friends have in me.
You may let Dark Shadow know that Frog-Shadow is mostly behaving herself. She has only truly embarrassed me a few times.
How is everything at home? I hope that
Her writing was interrupted by someone kncoking on her door.
Thee sharp and precise raps, then, "Tokoyami." Again, three sharp and precise raps, then "Tokoyami." And once more, three sharp and precise raps, then "Tokoyami." Even if she hadn't recognized the voice, the pattern would have given it away. There were only two people who knocked like that.
Askuka opened the door to find Sora Iida standing there, as she expected. She stood ramrod straight, her hands folded in front of her and collapsed together. Her eyes were slightly unfocused, no doubt she was working out some complex problem or formula in her head while she was waiting for the door to be answered.
Oh, boy, it's crazy girl! What could she want?!
Asuka pointedly did not answer the voice in her head.
"Hello, Iida," she said. "What can I do for you?"
Iida returned to focus almost immediately. "I wish to engage in "girl talk" with you. There are questions that I require the answers for before I can formulate a plan of action."
Well, the world was certainly turning upside down. Asuka was used to being a source of advice for her classmates. She was the oldest of them, albeit only by about six months. But somehow that, combined with what Toshi had described as a state of "you just seem like you know what you're doing" often led them to consult her on their various problems. She did not begrudge her friends for seeking her advice and she was happy to help them when she could. But there were times when she wished they were more capable of solving their own problems.
She would not have expected Sora Iida to be one of them, though. But after Takuma Sero had taken Sora's brother Tensei on a date, she supposed anything was now possible.
Usually, however, they waited until after 0800 to seek out her advice. But she had long known that the Iida Twins kept their own time tables that only occasionally intersected with anyone else's.
"Come in, please," she said, stepping back and gesturing in the general direction of her desk chairs. "Can I offer you anything to drink? I've got water, ice coffee, and soda—no, sorry, I remember, soda jams your engines, doesn't it?"
Iida nodded. "It does. But I am fine, thank you."
Asuka nodded as they took a seat. "What did you wish to talk about?"
Probably something nerdy!
Iida waved her hands in front of her rapidly, as though she could shake out the right words. "I am good friends with Toshi," she said. "But you are even better friends with him. You know even more about him than I do."
"I am not sure I would say that," Asuka said. More to the point, she paid more attention to people than to machines, as Iida did. "But for now, we can go with that as an assumption."
The blue-black haired girl's head snapped up and she looked Asuka straight in the eye. "Does Toshi have a girlfriend? Or is he interested in anyone?"
Okay, I didn't see that coming. This is finally getting interesting!
Asuka mentally growled, hoping that would at least temporarily silence Frog-Shadow so she could properly advise Iida.
"If he does or if he is," she said after a moment, "he's never said anything to me. And Toshi pretty much wears his heart on his sleeve, so it's not like he'd be able to hide it very well if he did or was. And he's a terrible liar, so I don't think he could cover it up."
Iida's head was nodding so rapidly in response to her words that Asuka was fairly certain it would fly off.
"So," Asuka ventured, "are you interested in Toshi?"
Duh, Boss.
Honestly, it wasn't surprising. Toshi was a really great guy, everyone's friend, and very good looking. Not really her type, and she really thought of him as just a friend, but she could see how it could happen. The relationship damn breaking for both Iida Twins at the same time was surprising, though.
Iida's nodding came to a stop. "I suppose I left myself open for that. It is the logical conclusion from my questions. And the correct one."
She put a finger to the side of her beak. "Then you should ask him out. The worst he can say is that he's not interested in you like that."
"That is good advice," Iida agreed. "It is a risk… but on the other hand, there is nothing gained if there is not risk. And have you seen his muscles?"
She is right about that. He is pretty hunky. I bet if you ran, you could ask him out first!
Great. The last thing she needed for was Frog-Shadow to start "shipping" people. Let alone trying to manage her own romantic life.
Still, Iida was not… incorrect either. "You are correct about that," she told her. "Toshi is quite fit. And you know, if you wish to catch him, he will probably be back from his morning run soon…"
Iida stood so rapidly that her chair tipped over and banged on the floor. "Thank you for your help, Tokoyami. But I must be going!" Just as quickly, she ran out the door. As Asuka had assumed she could.
You did that on purpose.
You can't prove that.
How is everything at home? I hope that everyone is doing well and that Nanmi, Asahi, and Taki are behaving themselves. Not that I would expect otherwise, of course, but one never knows.
I must also extend congratulations to you, Mother, on your recent victory against Octo-Pod. Shinso was somehow able to find video of the fight on the internet. I swear, the boy is an absolute fiend when it comes to finding Hero content. Regardless of how he found it, it looked like you had the matter well in hand. I am sure the fight was more challenging than it looked.
Heroics classes are
Frog-Shadow materialized outside her body, peering over her shoulder. "How are you still writing this? I'm booooooored!"
There were times where Asuka wished she was capable of greater, or at least more readable, expression. True, the narrowing of her eyes and the slight rise of the plumage on top of her head should have been a clue, but it would have been nice to be able to actually frown or scowl at Frog-Shadow on occasion.
"You do realize life does not revolve around keeping you entertained? *chirp*"
Frog-Shadow gave her a curious look. "Are you sure about that? Maybe we should check."
Reason was not working. Not that she had expected it to. It rarely did where Frog-Shadow was concerned. Perhaps it was time to try bargaining.
"If I let you stay out while I go downstairs to get breakfast, will you allow me to complete my letter afterwards?"
Her familiar seemed to be considering this, big froggy eyes half-closing as she considered the idea. "Okay, deal. But I get a cookie."
Asuka buried her face in her hands. "…Fine."
She had long ago learned that sometimes, she had to pick her battles. And if a cookie was the price of a quiet morning, then so be it.
It was only a little after 0800, and being Sunday, not many of her classmates were up yet. Most of them preferred to sleep in when they could. Toshi and Kirishima-Bakugo were already up, of course, and Sora Iida obviously had been as well (though in her case, it was just as likely she'd not actually been to bed). Asuka too, generally preferred to be up early, to get a good start on the day (there had been so many chicken jokes when she was a child).
Having successfully obtained a bowl of cereal for herself and a cookie from Frog-Shadow, she was on her way back to her dorm.
"Can I eat it now?" Frog-Shadow asked from her shoulder, cookie held tightly in its hands.
"Wait until we get back," she told her. "I don't want you getting crumbs on my shoulder."
"Aaaaugh. That's gonna take forever!"
"We're on the floor already. It'll be less than a minute."
"Still too long! I wanna eat my cookie!"
Asuka closed her eyes and took in a breath, then let it out. It was going to be one of those days.
"Tokoyami!"
Her eyes snapped out to reveal Mika Mineta sticking her head out of dorm room, waving at her. "I need your help!" the horned girl declared.
Not even 0900 and this was the second person in need of her advice. It really was turning into one of those days.
Asuka indicated the bowl in her hand. "Is this something I can eat my cereal with while I help, Mineta?"
"And my cookie!" Frog-Shadow added.
Mineta shrugged. "Sure?"
This was the first time Asuka had seen Mineta's dorm room, and she wasn't surprised by any of it. The walls were adorned with posters of Pro-Heroes, male and female, all of whom were know from being especially prone to fan service. There were a pair of swimsuit calendars by her desk, one male, one female. Lustful though she may have been, Mineta was obviously not discriminating in her tastes. Next to the laptop on the desk was a framed family photo, featuring Mineta, her parents, and a grey-haired older woman with horns that Asuka assumed was Mineta's grandmother, the retired American Pro-Hero, Cow Lady. On the bed was a Red Riot body pillow that Asuka was very certain wasn't authorized merchandise and was even more certain Kirishima-Bakugo would destroy if she knew about it.
All things considered, the room could have been a lot worse. She'd honestly been expecting something that looked like it belonged in an adult film and this was not much worse than any other overly hormonal teenager's room.
Asuka took a seat in one of the desk chairs. From her shoulder, Frog-Shadow asked again, "Can I eat my cookie, or do we have to help the horny girl first?"
She nearly dropped her cereal bowl. "Frog-Shadow! Manners!"
"What? She's got horns, doesn't she? What did you think I meant?"
Mineta, meanwhile, was laughing so hard Asuka was afraid she'd fall out of her chair.
"Eat your darn cookie," she growled.
"Oooh, "darn?" Careful, you might start having to put money in the swear jar!" Fortunately, Frog-Shadow began eating her cookie, so that she couldn't contribute any more to the conversation.
Asuka closed her eyes and took another deep breath. She then took a bite of cereal, carefully manipulating the spoon around her beak. "What can I do for you, Mineta?"
Mineta tapped a hoof on the floor, a bundle of nervous energy. "You gotta help me figure out a way to sneak out of here tonight and back in!"
Frog-Shadow looked up from her cookie. "Okay, now it's getting interesting!"
"Quiet you," Asuka snapped. She returned her attention to Mineta. You had to try and steer the girl very carefully. "You know that's against the rules. Why?"
Mineta pulled out her phone, pulling up a social media site. She showed Asuka a picture of a pair of women who looked like twins, with pink hair and wearing black leather. "They're Double*Pop! The Pop*Step homage group! It's a pop up idol concert! Tonight! One night only! Did you see them? They're super hot! And look at how their butts look in that leather…! And apparently they're good at music too, at least according to Chihiro, but that's really second to…"
"Geeze," Frog-Shadow said, "take a breath before you start panting."
A part of Asuka wondered if the best way to handle this conversation would be to just get up and pretend it had never happened. It would be the easiest way to get out of having to try and prevent whatever trouble this would cause. Unfortunately, her sense of responsibility wouldn't allow her to just ignore it, especially in case Mineta actually tried her fool's errand and got in trouble or worse.
"Mineta," she said after a moment. "Let me advise you against this. Someone will catch you. You are not exactly the stealthiest of people. And since I can only assume Kaminari is in on this with you, you increase your chances of failure significantly."
"That's a risk I'm willing to take!" Mineta said. "Besides," she went on, giving Asuka a conspiratorial wink, "Vice-Principal Midnight is in charge of discipline. If you know what I mean."
"Kinky," Frog-Shadow said.
"Mineta…" Asuka cautioned. "If I leave here thinking you're still going to try this, I will tell your father."
Mineta's features paled. "You wouldn't."
"I would."
"You can't! He still thinks I'm a child! He chases off every boy who gets within fifteen feet of me! I'll be grounded forever!"
"So you'll be staying in tonight?"
She bowed her head and Asuka had to scooch her chair back to avoid getting smacked with her horns. "Maybe somebody'll be streaming it."
"Good," Asuka said. "Have a good day, Mineta."
Mineta properly dealt with, Asuka returned to her room. On a hunch, she decided to leave the door open. It was turning into one of those days where she wasn't likely to get much peace.
"That was pretty cold," Frog-Shadow said.
"Sometimes necessary," Asuka told her. "Especially with Mineta."
"I'm not saying I disapproved. It's just surprising."
She resumed her writing.
Heroics classes are even more challenging than expected, but I believe I am improving. I am striving to improve directing Frog-Shadow, but as you well know, that is not without its challenges. All Might and Mister Aizawa think I may even be able to use her to travel underwater.
"Oooh, that'll be fun," Frog-Shadow said, peering over her shoulder at her writing. "Let's try it! Let's try it now!"
"Not until we have a lot more practice on coordinating our actions," Asuka said. "You still don't always listen to me."
"Because you're so boooooring."
My other classes are going well, though English remains something of a challenge. It truly is not a logical language at all. Even Mineta, who speaks it fluently, has great difficulty, though I suspect that to be more for lack of effort than anything else.
There was a light knock on her doorframe, and she turned to see Isamu Haimawari standing there. "Ah, hey, Tokoyami. Am I interrupting something? Cause I can always come back…"
He was so apologetic, she couldn't blame him for the interruption. She shook her head. "Come in, please, Haimawari."
He smiled and nodded. "Thanks. I'll try not to take up too much of your time. But since you seem like the kind of person who pretty much knows everything…"
She held up a hand. "Before you begin, is this relationship advice or are you planning something against the rules?"
He gave her a strange look. "No? Do people ask you about that kind of thing a lot?"
She rolled her eyes. "Like you would not believe."
"She's no fun," Frog-Shadow said. "Always tries to shut it down."
"What can I do for you, Haimawari?" Asuka asked instead. Because engaging Frog-Shadow when she was in one of her "why am I the Quirk of such a boring person" moods was pointless.
"Oh! I was just hoping you could tell me everybody's birthdays? I mean, you all know each other and I'm kind of the odd man out, so I just figured maybe that was something I could know? Dad always says knowing stuff like that about people is a good way to make friends and all."
"Your father seems like a wise person."
Haimawari smiled. "I like to think he is. You and he have kind of the same thing going. Everybody always goes to him with their problems too. Usually not the kind that it sounds like you're solving, but still."
Asuka picked up her phone. "I've actually got it saved in a file. I can send it to you."
He pulled out his own. "Great, thanks. I've got air drop enabled, so you can just shoot it over."
She did, and he spent a moment looking over the chart she'd sent. "Okay, so you're the oldest, then Kirishima-Bakugo, then me, then… pretty much everybody else, and Shinso's the youngest?" He scratched his head. "Lot of birthdays in late September and early October."
According to Aunt Mina at Sero's thirteenth birthday party, this was entirely traceable to a "really wild New Year's Eve party" that she and Uncle Hanta had thrown. Aunts Ochako and Momo had tried very hard to deny this, Uncle Izuku had gotten very flustered and gone red, and Uncle Denki had just started laughing until Aunt Kyoka had punched him in the arm. So it while it was not confirmed… there was a certain degree of evidence to support it.
But that was not something that needed to be shared. "Coincidence," she said. "Most of our parents started getting ready to have families at about the same time. Successful hero careers and relationships, stability, it just worked out. Mine just had a head start."
"Ah, I get it," Haimawari said. "My parents waited a while to have me, so I get it. Timing's gotta work out."
He nodded. "Well, thanks, Tokoyami. Appreciate it."
"Any time, Haimawari."
By the time she was able to return to writing her letter, Asuka had helped Kaminari with her math homework, watched a video of Ground Zero fighting Mustang Flame that Shinso had found, convinced Mineta that her threats about calling her father were serious, and listened to Kenta vent about how, while he was happy his father was considering dating and stepping back into life, he was also worried about him getting hurt. Frog-Shadow had provided her own color commentary throughout.
She was about to put pen back to paper when someone else knocked on her doorframe. "What?"
"Whoa! Sorry, Tokoyami," Daisuke Shoji said, standing in the doorway with a plate of sandwiches and fruit. "Thought you might like some lunch. Hadn't seen you come down yet."
Ah, Shoji. Mercifully uncomplicated, unproblematic Shoji. He rarely ever brought trouble to her door. She wished she could have smiled for him.
"I must have lost track of time," she told him.
He gave her a sympathetic look. "Still solving everyone's problems?"
"She oughta have her own therapist couch by now!" Frog-Shadow declared.
Shoji hid a laugh behind a hand, even as Asuka buried her head in hers. "She's not wrong, you know," Shoji said. "You really are a problem solver, Tokoyami."
Asuka looked up. "Just tell me there aren't any problems in those sandwiches."
He shook his head. "Just ham and cheese. With mustard."
"Then," she said, "you can come in."
It has been a busy week—today in particular—but I must say that it has been good as well. I'm looking forward to what lies ahead.
All my love,
Asuka