Kōki felt cold. Like the air in her lungs was suddenly removed.

"I mean- she didn't plan to be kidnapped." Hiroi-san hurriedly explained, "but judging from how often the league of villain have been attacking and some kind of anonymous source of information, she said it's almost guaranteed that they're going to attack them at the camp."

"Then why-"

"Because she thought they wouldn't be as powerful." Hiroi-san sighed, "Akemi's quirk is very, VERY versatile. And it takes a lot to counter it. Basically anything that comes in her range is dead, but she never, ever though that they'd have someone with gas."

Kōki gulps.

"She wanted to get injured, then play it up and make up some excuse to get out of the Hero Course, at least." Hiroi-san said, the faint sound of fingers tapping away on his computer sounded. "As you know, I'm in a few more... Uh, underground online forums, you know. Ones with hackers and other IT people. So Akemi asked me to help, and I cashed in a favour."

"What for, Hiroi-san, just- why would you—"

"There's a reason Akemi hates Morning Glories so much, Kōki."

Ah...

There really aren't anything that she shared with Akemi and no one else, are there?

"There's a reason Akemi had always been so scared of her father, you know," Hiroi-san sighed. "Akemi wanted to be a multimedia creator, a writer, and to do that successfully she created an online persona, and with that she plans to get attention, get people attracted to her projects and talent, and she did it. People liked her, and she now has a significant following online."

"I know that." Kōki said softly, "I know that, I'm one of those people who shared it around, you know—"

"Two million books are published every year." Hiroi-san cut her off, "It is so difficult to compete, and Akemi knows it. Her entire career depends on this, Kōki, and as much as she is optimistic, she know she can't mess this up."

Kōki has a bad feeling, a very bad feeling in her stomach. "What do you mean- what's in that USB, Hiroi-san-"

"Something that can ruin her." Hiroi-san said softly, "I have no idea what's in there, not even Hibiki knows what's inside, all she knows is that it's got something to do with her burning hate for those flowers. That person I've contacted's gotten rid of all the soft copies and left a dud behind, but that man left a hard copy hidden. Akemi knew that and tired to get it, but—"

"But she got caught." Kōki breathed, "she got caught that day, and had to leave for the camp right after..."


"Akemi, this is risky." Hiroi bit his lip as he watched the girl across him plan out the little details, "and how do you even know your teachers are going to do a home visit?"

"The school's been getting attacked left and right." Akemi smiled, "first USJ, then Stain and the Kiyashi ward, now with the training camp coming right up, the school can't just do nothing, UA isn't a school like that. So they're going to protect us."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Constant supervision is impossible." Akemi cuts in, walking around the table, " improving the security would just make the public disappointed in them, and with grounds as big as theirs and Cementoss, housing several hundred students should be an easy feat."

"Wait, you mean—"

"Dorms." Akemi smiled, and Hiroi suddenly felt just how scary this girl can be. "UA will be building dorms. And to let student into their dorms, especially after an attack, there is no way the teachers aren't gonna visit."

"So you want to play it up." Hiroi's eyes went round. "You won't tell your teachers about quitting the Hero Course, but you're going to tell him. So he'll..."

"I'm going to know precisely when they're going to visit." Akemi twirled her finger, "sound and light manipulation is pretty much easy for me, at this point, so it's going to be easy to make him think they're coming later." She grins darkly, "then I pick a fight."

"And they're going to be right there." Hiroi shook his head, "right there to see him throw you down a flight of stairs, enough to start an investigation."

"I'll have to give some credit to Aizawa-sensei, though." Akemi hummed, "he figured out something, that I know. And as my class teacher he's gonna be there, as is All Might, so I know for sure he isn't wriggling out of this one."

"But-" Hiroi paused, "wait, that's why you practiced illusions, right?"

"Yeah." Akemi's smirk soothes into a smile, "I basically accepted All Might's offer to be his super-secret-operation assistant because of this, too, I need to have someone influential on my side, but just All Might isn't enough. He had no reason to believe me, and I suppose..." her smile died a little, "sometimes, I guess I just find the authorities... not as trust worthy as they seem to be."

Hiroi's eyes softened. Despite not quite realizing it herself, Akemi, throughout her many years of abuse, have lost some degree of trust towards adults. Men, especially. He hadn't missed her instinctual little flinches, or her refusal to walk next to any on them in close proximity.

She has always been more trusting towards woman, and liked her female teachers better. This might become a bigger as she grows up and the fear transfers to her peers, and Hiroi couldn't help but imagine how he might react, if Akemi flinches away from him, from Tenya, Midoriya, or Shinsou and Todoroki.

It would break their hearts, for sure. To see Akemi flinch away from them.

"Well, it's not like they worth that trust." Akemi sighed, her gaze became wistful, "the police got bought off, the social workers didn't find a thing, and the heroes just believed dad because he's all famous and mother owns their support companies."

"Akemi..."

"But it's alright," Akemi throws him a smile over her shoulder, bright and so brilliant, and for that instance he thought he'd gone back to his first year in middle school, when he still had that hopeless little crush on Akemi, and would trip over his own words despite having known her for so long. "I trust All Might, and I trust Aizawa-Sensei too." She turned away once again, and looks out the window of Hiroi's room, "I mean... it's been so many years."

"It's time I get out of that place."

The sunset hits her face, illuminating her petite silhouette with an aura of gold, almost like a scene from a movie. And Hiroi is mesmerized.

"Akemi," Hiroi breathed, "you, are amazing."

Akemi smiles.

"I'm not." She grins. "Because what is another amazing person when everyone already is?"


She's crying.

Kōki's crying again, and she knows it. Her breaths hitches and stutters and she hates it, but her anger was superficial and missing Akemi is true. On the other side of the line, Hiroi stays silent.

"A-alright." Finally, still curled up attje base of the stairs, Kōki spoke, "I'll do it."

"Don't get caught."

"Don't worry." Kōki smiled through her tears, "I know a way."


Current Poll Results~ (from both the poll and the reviews)

Akemi's paring:

Todoroki Shouto: 26

Midoriya Izuku: 8

Ueno Hibiki: 7

Bakugou Katsuki: 5

Iida Tenya: 3

Dabi: 1

Iida Tensei: 1

Kaminari Denki: 1

Seiba Hiroi: 0

Others (Please state in review!)


Hibiki's pairing:

Shinsou Hitoshi: 10

Kimura Akemi: 7

Iida Tenya: 4

Midoriya Izuku: 0

Seiba Hiroi: 0

Todoroki Shouto: 0

Others (Please state in review!)


Onto the comment(s)!

Uhhh...

The other chapter is here~

I'm not very sure about keeping Akemi in the Hero course for the War arc actually, since it might damage the plot and I have other plans for the girl... also, Akemi need to go through being outside of 1A to see what 1A means to her and if she actually wants to be a Hero, with or without her father's influence. for her to live freely she needs to get out of this shadow, and I think leaving class 1A during this critical time might be it.

what are your thoughts?

I have a discord server where I share art about my fanfics, give instant updates, and generally just chat. This also applies to my original works but you can ignore that as long as you don't choose the specific roles. (but apparently my computer skills are shit and this doesn't work)

http/discord.gg/2S7Cy4R