After taking another shower and changing clothes to her student uniform, Maribel left the stadium at her own pace. Earlier than either of her classmates, which left a few of them kind of stumped. The blonde excused herself as being especially tired, but that wasn't true, she was wide awake. Before leaving, she also told Yaoyorozu that she felt completely spent after the tournament. But she'd be glad to go over to her tomorrow. She seemed fine with that compromise.

Now, walking out onto the parking lot and waiting for the student buss to be ready for take off, she had a fortunate meeting with someone she met during the festival.

As if waiting for her, Kasen Ibara, the Horned Hermit, took a well-waited step toward Maribel. Dressed in a pink jacket, with a set of white gloves stuck into its pockets, she looked a little odd. But it was probably not her hero uniform, the pink hair wouldn't match with many outfits either. "Hello again." She greeted, quite friendly. Hearn couldn't see past anything in her expression or tone, so it was quite honest. Eye-to-eye, Maribel was about half a head smaller than her. Though, there was a difference from before, for whatever reason.

"You again." Maribel blankly said, then she shook her head a little and equipped a more engaged expression. The young girl held out her arms a bit leisurely, as if presenting something. "What you told me back there was very helpful, so you have my thanks."

"It was no bother..." Kasen nodded. Opening her eyes, she began on what she actually wanted to say. "The other heroes say that they wouldn't dislike you as an intern, by the way."

"Oh?" Maribel left her mouth agape, just a little.

Nodding again, and smiling, Kasen declared her intention. "Since we are somewhat acquainted in ability, I figured that maybe you would consider me. My discipline can be quite healthy for someone like you. And I feel that you may have other troubles I could help you with."

"You know?" The blonde raised an eyebrow, but kept her cool.

Putting her clothed hands on her hips, Kasen nodded. "I can tell. You do look a little different now, after all."

Sighing, Maribel shrugged. "I'll join you if you do give me an offer. But I am wondering, where even is your agency? You must be some local hero somewhere."

"Ah... That... Well, you can find me in Nagano. Just look in one of those registries if the internship comes to fruition."

Maribel nodded a bit weakly, looking a bit puzzled. "Well, alright."

The hermit turned on her heel and looked back at Maribel, waving at her as she left. "Don't get yourself into trouble."

In the midst of this, the blonde couldn't help but feel that Kasen acted as if she was her mom or something.

After the hermit had left, the rest of the class arrived in short order. Maribel had been left to think mostly for herself while everyone talked about her, the sports festival or the other top performers from the class in the background. Leaning against a window, she just thought about some seemingly random things.

What kind of test was it? I'm stronger, but I don't feel so accomplished. More trouble than ever, and I feel like I started acting without any checks when I was really pressured. On that topic, did I really do the right thing when I gave in fighting that idiot? The girl wondered, briefly eyeing Bakugo, who sat on the other side of the bus, around the same row. He looked sad, more than anything. Looking back at the reflection, she wondered.

A test of character, perhaps.

There was suddenly a bit of rocking in the seat next to her. Maribel hummed a little as it happened and reared her head to look. "Huh?"

Yaoyorozu had planted herself next to the blonde. Unexpectedly bubbly. "It's gonna be so fun at my house later! Do you want anything special to eat!? I could get us a cake if you want!"

While eyeing her, Maribel avoided allowing herself to fully gaze upon Momo. Her eyes weren't returning to normal, after all. Eye contact should be avoided. "I feel so spent after today..." Maribel moaned, wearily. "Uh..." She let out, before suddenly having her phone out. "Could I have your contact info? I can come over to you tomorrow."

Momo looked at her, a little taken aback at first. "Well, alright. I guess it's understandable after all the trouble you went through. Give me a moment." She replied, taking out her phone and looking through her settings.

A few clicks from them both and their information were shared.

The blonde looked out the window, with the sun a few hours away from setting in the background. Trees and bushes passed her by. Another bother out of the way.

ZUN - Retrospective 53 Minutes - The Purest Sky and Sea

"Nice show, you kids." Eraserhead complimented his students. Eyes carefully surveying each of those sitting by their desks. Everyone looked a bit roughened up, Bakugo and Midoriya especially. Both of broke some bones in the fight. Shouto still looked a little burnt from his bout with Maribel, and the girl herself was... strangely, completely fine. Her hair was a tiny bit messy, but it didn't stand out too much. Running all the way down to her shoulders and neatly tied at the tips with red ribbons.

"There'll be no school tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, you've earned it." The teacher declared, and everyone sighed in relief. There were always stories about how school overburdened the schoolkids many many decades ago, but nowadays, it seems far more optimized. Perhaps it was just because there were far more good examples of optimal teaching strategies. "As well, the pro-heroes who watched the festival have been scouting you during the festival. They're looking for interns, but we'll consolidate all of that and announce it when you've returned. Understood?"

"Understood!" Everyone said in unison.

"Dismissed. You may go home, now."

All of the students got out of their seats and started grabbing their things. Maribel was a bit slow as she did this, but she was calm and relaxed. The girl went behind her chair and stretched. She felt a surge that energized her as she did this and briefly crackled with purple energy. It got some attention.

"Ah." She blinked as it happened, and then exhaled, standing idly. Bakugo, among very few others, gave her a slight stink eye. Likely her performance in the festival had angered them, if anything. But everything remained silent.

It wasn't long before the girl left the classroom, she quickly found herself talking to Yaoyorozu.

They talked about random things, how they felt, and eventually, Maribel talked about the festival.

"Some may say it was unfair of me to do so, but this festival was about using our quirks, was it not? If I could get who I wanted as an enemy, then I wouldn't have any surprises. Someone else with a powerful enhancement type-quirk could probably have done the same..."

"So that's why you weren't just crushing everyone at the obstacle course?"

The two walked through the halls and down a stairway. Around them were other students, few from other classes, and a few from their own walking the same path out of school. "Yeah. I also feel that many would simply give up if I beat them at the beginning. ...I'm sorry if that sounds unfair."

"Well, quirks were never fair to begin with. Even if each one has its strengths. You don't many heroes complaining that All Might is stronger than them, no?"

"True, true... By the way, sorry for not wanting to come over to you today. I'm just feeling really overwhelmed after all that fighting."

"That's alright."

Leaving the main building, they both walked toward the gate. The attractive young ladies waved to each other and parted ways, Momo making her way to a private taxi. It was to be expected. She was an upperclasswoman after all. At least that's what Maribel thought about it. Soon enough, it drove away, and Maribel was left alone. Her purple eyes looked about, and she walked over to a bench. Swinging her backpack onto her lap, she leaned onto it and sighed. Relaxing as she watched the sun starting to set down the street.

Footsteps came and went, but Maribel did not pay much attention. She heard comments. Many good, some simple goodbyes, and some felt vexed by her power. Class 1-B, 1-A, and so on. It was not until Katsuki Bakugo walked past her that she took notice. He stopped and stared at her, and she stared back. The youkai-like eyes of hers had completely settled in their purple color, as if a spell had been cast on her. The guy didn't look afraid. Only skeptical, angry at her, and somewhat in disbelief. She breathed and did nothing. He did the same, before he snapped his head away and walked down the street on the way to the train.

A voice came from her left, as Shouto wandered close. "Uh, Merry-san... Thank you."

"It was no problem..." She muttered. Audible enough to hear. The girl looked tired, no matter what way you could slice it.

"Mhm." He nodded in understanding. "Rest well." He said and waved goodbye, walking down the road again.

Another sigh and Maribel decided to stand up. Her arms flapped about, swinging her backpack back where it belonged in a smooth motion. The girl was impressed by the ease of her dexterity now. As if she had access to some sort of explosive power in each of her limbs that let her quickly let loose a lot of force. Satisfied with today, the girl started walking home. Taking a road that no one else seemed to, not going toward the main station.

About twenty seconds came and went, and Maribel enjoyed the moment as the sunshine weakened. Rays having to gleam through more and more of the atmosphere as the globe rotated. That was when she heard rapid footsteps. "Merry!"

It was the voice of Izuku Midoriya. Her reaction was to feel irritation, but she did not display it on her face. Slowly turning around, Midoriya slowed down his running and stopped when he was close.

"Can you finally answer? H-how do you actually feel about it all?"

No sound left her mouth as it was agape for a moment. Groaning, she finally let it out. Her voice raised a little, but there wasn't anyone on the street to hear them anyway. "You are like how I was a few years ago. Someone like Bakugo just walks all over you, and you keep letting him... Is this how it's always been for you?! Your quirk is incomprehensibly strong, how can you still be like this?!"

Midoriya looked at her, steadfast, as if he was ready to take all of the words she was about to put on him. "You got the strongest quirk known to all heroes, and you're still like this?" A drop of sweat ran down his face. She knew, All Might must've told her.

She held her arms out at waist level as she explained. Her expression progressively twisted with anger at him. "Back when I was like you, I was bullied relentlessly by a clique of dumb girls because of how meek I was. Do you think I like to see someone like that? No! You offend me by acting like such a pathetic person! You should be better, so go be that! If I got the power to do that, then so do you! Pfah!" She let out and took a deep breath. "Are you too concerned to offend someone by standing up for yourself?"

He looked at her for a moment, mixed in expression. "I admire Bakugo... He's gotten so far just explosions, it's inspiring. Even if he hounded me, I will still believe in and respect him!"

"Aren't you angry at him? How can't you be?" She looked at Midoriya, dumbfounded. He looked ready to respond, until she put her hands on her hips and calmed down. Sighing again, she spoke. "If you want to be like All Might, you can't let Bakugo-san shout you down. So please, just stop moping around... I hate it."

They locked eyes for a bit, but swiftly looked away from each other. But Midoriya nodded.

"Your eyes haven't changed back yet?" He wondered. Clearly hinting at her quirk changing. Maribel knew someone had to pay attention at some point.

The girl turned around a little to watch down the road, at the sunset. "Recently, my quirk has been developing... Recovery Girl said it was quirk training, but I'm not certain. A few years ago I had a quirk awakening that let my quirk manipulate boundaries. Maybe it's another one, If that's possible." She paused, holding a hand out in his general direction in a display of body language. "Ever since I learned to focus with it, my quirk's been doing this. After the festival, I can't even turn it back to normal."

"A-are you alright?" Midoriya wondered as she walked up next to her, both of them looking at the descending light by the horizon.

She looked over to him. "M-my quirk..." The bottomless feeling in her throat left, her hands moved around as a way to grab his attention. She wanted him to comprehend this. "My quirk messes with my head... I hate it. My quirk. It's been ruining everything for me since I was ten!" She started spewing out her words with frustration as she moved a little closer to her classmate. "All the trouble I've had was just because of it, and maybe all of the feelings as well! I got angry at you because I didn't want to see anyone be like how I was! It pisses me off!" She leaned forward and vented at him, making him jump, a little intimidated. For a moment, she just stands there. Looking at him angrily. "Can you be better?! No crying, no cowering and be tough when you need to be?!"

"Y-yes, Merry-san!" He meekly lets out. The blonde pouted, almost humorously. A great weight seemingly lifted from her shoulders.

Slap!

"Don't stutter!"

"YES, MERRY-SAN!"

"CALL ME MARIBEL!"

This went on for a short while, as the teenage girl vented some of her frustration with the boy right then and there. He honestly thought she was acting like some nagging older sister. But Midoriya was happy anyway, and even Maribel seemed more open than before. Ironically, letting go of her personal inhibitions had made her feel far more free and comfortable than she would have otherwise.

Eventually, they left, on better terms than before. But still, Maribel would have to do some warming up to Midoriya, and to an extent the vice versa was the same.

Song: End

Walking down the street came a man with quite disheveled hair. White like chalk, with a face of dry and somewhat cracked skin, his red eyes looked about the concrete facade he found himself in.

Those kids piss me off... It feels like I've lost some of my levels!

He scratched his throat in slight irritation. His eyes aimlessly wandered about, looking at bags of garbage, cans and trash containers found in the alleyway he'd walked into.

The girl must be a boss... I don't know how to deal with her yet, but I'll need a stronger party...

His thinking turned to imagination, and into a daydream. How he wanted to destroy her for messing up his hand so badly. Currently, the villain was disabled in a way. Although his sensei had seen to it that his finger got a replacement, he could not heal it, not without undergoing some extreme measures. Thus, Shigaraki's quirk was limited to one hand.

It made him angry to no end, because he could not destroy that which he hated as easily as before. At the same time, it also sucked some of the life out of him. The decay-wielding man felt as if he had been robbed, in a way, something was missing. He imagined himself, and the Maribel, Midoriya, he thought back to the past as his thoughts wondered. But they could not quite reach, and soon enough, it all whirled.

"Dreaming?" A vaguely familiar voice asked him. He looked over his shoulder to see a black and white clad lady, of sorts. She had a long tail, similar to that of a tapir, and a long nightcap that was red in color. Stylized after sleep. For once, Shigaraki seemed to be able to grasp this dreaming thing that he felt he'd seen before. One second, it was a lady, the other, it was a fancily clad tapir. This person, thing, had the ability to mess with thought.

Tomura looked at her oddly for a bit. This was the first time while he was waking that he'd gotten to see her. "You aren't-... real? Are you?" He asked in his usually monotone voice.

The girl drifted past him, laying on what looked like a cloud of pink. She turned over and onto her back as she did, looking down at him. "This is a figment of your imagination, but please, do follow me."

Shigaraki trailed along, fascinated more than anything. "Are you a villain?"

Reorienting herself to almost stand up, the girl hovered in front of her and down the alleyway. Shrugging at his remark, she replied. "To some." It didn't seem like his words were important to her, but she had something important to show him. "I know what you want, but that's not what I'm here for."

As she flew past an odd window in the alleyway, right in the middle of a T-section, she pointed toward it. Light shone through, golden, as if someone just set a lit a big fire inside. He soon came close to her. While mostly interested in the girl herself, e could not bring himself not to look, and what he saw was a long hall. The window was not made of glass. It was simply a window, leading into this hall. A sign pointed toward a door on the right, conference room, it said. Two figures walked out of this door. One wearing a vaguely familiar attire, a hero costume. Mostly white, adorned with ornate purple garments. Evoking what could either be called lolita fashion, or an odd mix of Victorian and eastern style. But the detail he instantly recognized was a white mob cap.

The other person was a girl of almost the same age. Shorter, she wore far more modern clothing. A blouse, with a red tie, and a black skirt with white frills. The girl held a hat by her side, an odd combination, but it would certainly look decent once paired together with the attire. This kind of fashion was... quite common. People wanted to stand out, exemplifying their quirks or such, heroes were but one expression of this aside from their role in administration of the law.

It vexed him, even if he didn't seem to find reason for it. Vaguely relating it to heroes brought irritation to him. So, he grasped the window frame and ran in. Rushing after the two, he held out the hand that was not injured and reached immediately out in pure spite at the brunette. Within an instant of his touch, her body turned into a bloody mess, reduced almost to dust. His hand traveled through the air, not stopping after contact, toward Maribel. For a moment, his eyes trailed upward, and he met her gaze. Violence coursed through every nerve and muscle on her face, and the next second, her hand pierced his skull.

Oddly, he felt release as he fell back. Still thinking, as his surroundings turned dark. Falling back, he fell into the grass. His face was fine, and the villain once again realized that this was not reality. Gazing the stars, he saw bullets of energy, magic, trail through the night sky. There was no wind to speak of, and the ever-illuminating light of the full moon was in the center of his view. He heard the grass being disturbed by something and stood up to come face to face with something. Someone.

A woman, shorter than himself, with a light purple hair. A medium-length bang hung across the middle of her face, while she had longer hair behind her tied into a braid of sorts. She wore a neutral expression, oddly similar to that of a rabbit. With piercing scarlet eyes, she stared down at him. Two fluffy white ears pointed up from her scalp, then suddenly drooped. A rabbit.

He shot to his feet again, wanting to get into a good position to fight back. But just as he did, he returned to the alleyway. Looking on around himself quite oddly. "Huh...?" He scratched his neck. The lady, the baku, wasn't here anymore. Parts of the wall in the T-section was ruined, the brick turned to dust and allowing a small peek into one of the buildings. He stared at it all for a moment, but decided it was best not to loiter about. He needed to make something of all of this.

"She's really wealthy, the first thing she did when I got there was treat me to a first-class dinner. I think that speaks for itself." Maribel recalled her meeting with Momo Yaoyorozu earlier that day, gently sipping the green tea she held in her hand.

Renko held her cup and looked at Maribel, surprised. "I've gotten into contact with some rich people myself since I started studying, but since you're dealing with heroes, it's got to be way different."

Holding her hand out to Renko, body language, Hearn replied. "We spent almost the entire day after the dinner just training at a private room she had in the basement. Momo explained some things she could do, and I wasn't really sure what to do after that. I just told her to throw herself at me with the best she had."

"Very straightforward. Were you thinking of trial and error?" Usami drank from her cup afterward.

Maribel rubbed the back of her head. "Eh... Something like that. I wasn't really sure how to teach someone, but I thought from her perspective after a bit and suggested some solutions. She made a taser at one point because of that, and it actually hurt a lot."

"Did she learn anything?"

"She got faster, and we sparred a bit using her preferred weapons. Since I'm much hastier than her, she had to try and work around me the entire time. That's better progress than nothing..." Maribel bobbed her head from side to side idly. Then she leaned forth and pointed at Renko with a bright smile on her face. "Plus, I think I gave her a spark of creativity!"

"Hehe." Renko lightly giggled. "You're probably gonna need to be taught to teach."

"Hey, don't make fun of me."

Renko eased her posture a little and smiled, straightening herself out as she began speaking. "Anyway, you were really impressive at the festival. Aside from the boys being all about you, well, you blew everyone away in those last fights. I'm glad to see you're so much stronger."

"Stronger..." Maribel muttered, her eerie eyes peered at Renko. "While that's true, this kind of explosive growth worries me. You know my eyes?" The hero student asked, pointing at her eyes.

"Oh, you're focusing your quirk? Why?" Usami inclined her head a little, leaving her mouth just a little agape after the fact as she looked her friend in the eye. The tension that Hearn usually brought didn't seem to present itself, at least, not at first.

Straightening herself out, Maribel's purple dress was cleansed of crevices, giving her form more definition as well. "I'm not. Ever since I fought Todoroki, it's been stuck like this and I don't know how to turn it back. On one hand, I feel at ease while being like this which is unlike how it was before. On another, I'm frightened for how this will turn out in the future."

Renko held her index finger and thumb to her chin as she thought. "You become more manic, at least in some aspects, when you're like that. The worry is about losing control of yourself, is it not?"

"Yes..." Maribel ran a hand through her hair, gathering some of it behind her ears. She wore her usual mob cap, a part of both her casual and hero wardrobe, with most of her hair stuffed into it. What little hung outside was neatly tied together with the red ribbons she'd put on during the festival. "I think it's being caused by that god I told you about and her two servants. The growth in power at least. They've some kind of ability to energize people or people with quirks." Renko sipped on her tea as Maribel explained. "They made me stronger, and I learnt to use this strength during the tournament. I could even feel that deity, Okina, and her power coursing through me at one moment. It made me feel disembodied for just an instant, but ever since then, I've had this bizarre control over my aura that I didn't have before. So, right now, I'm exactly as strong as I was when I fought Todoroki. And just as fierce, if I'm pushed about. That's the part I hate. Something good happens and it is immediately equalized. My quirk never stops bothering me..." Maribel groaned in irritation. Then her tone became somewhat somber. "I'll find some way to deal with it myself. I don't know how you could help me, and I don't want to haul you into my troubles..."

The brunette shuffled closer to Maribel and put an arm on her shoulder in a casual fashion. "I'll help you in whatever way I can, Merry."

"That's fine and all, I like support, but I need a solution." Maribel simply couldn't come up with any way that Renko could help her with this. The blonde looked away with a tinge of shame for not wanting to get her best friend totally involved. "I met another person during the festival, a hero called the Horned Hermit. She felt like one of those youkai, in a way, but she was unusual. And she was familiar with Okina, too, and not very friendly with her. She's the one who told me how to use the energy in my body to attack, and she talked to me about an internship after the tournament. Maybe I could go to her?" Maribel said, looking back at her friend with an inquisitive look and put away her tea cup.

"Horned Hermit? I can't say I've ever heard of that name. But if your senses don't lie, then she was probably as mystical as she said she was. You're right about me not knowing enough about the matter to offer any real help, but I can help you decide. You should do whatever you can to get her to help you with your problem."

Maribel felt a little watery in her eyes. She did not know why. Wiping it away, she hugged Renko. They were like that for a while. Eventually, Renko gently placed her cup of tea down, her arm sticking out of Maribel's hug. The brunette flushed a little bit and waved her arms about as her buxom friend smudged against her. "Hey, hey! Maybe we should move away from this and talk about some happier stuff?"

"Ah... Right, right." Maribel pulled back, putting her hands back onto her lap. "Got any news from your side of things?" The blonde asked, having a much more neutral expression than earlier.

"Okay, so... You remember the presentation thing I talked to you about not that long ago, right?"

"Mhm."

The physics student cleared her throat. Her arms flailed about a bit, showcasing that she was truly ecstatic about what had happened. "After finishing my papers, I sent them in to the high school. They sent them to a partnered university, one of the greatest in Japan. After waiting a bit, it seems like they've decided. They want me to present it alongside some of their university professors at the biggest science conference in the country! They got it peer reviewed and everything, so they're going to use it to expand on super unified physics!" She gushed, pushing her hands together in front of her. "It's gonna be later now in May. Wanna come and see?"

Staring blankly at her friend, Maribel's mouth was agape. She's just a high school student, and she's changing theory? Then again, I'm also just a high school student, but I impressed even All Might... But that's nothing compared to changing theory, though! She never even told me that she was working on something THAT big. "W-wha-wha... You were working on something like this all along?!"

"Yes! But don't get too excited. Science changes all the time, even if this seems correct right now, someone smarter might come along with a better way to put things together. I've just taken one step, too." Renko explained. This was easy to grasp.

It looks like there's a lot of important things happening... How am I supposed to keep up with everything? Maribel wondered. All of the recent events had begun to overwhelm her, even if she did her best to hide it. She sighed as she quickly grabbed her tea again and sipped, sighing. "I'll come if it doesn't collide with my internships."

"Alright. I believe they use heroes as guards, maybe you could get yourself into there somehow. I'm sure you could persuade another hero after those battles."

Maribel held herself back from giggling a little. It was true she could probably do something like that, but her popularity wasn't something she liked that much either. "Probably, but..."

"We'll see."

Walking into the living room again, Maribel held a mysterious box that looked as if it were made of stone. Previously given to her by Satono, who had it wrapped in the kind of paper you would expect for a christmas gift. Either the dancers had odd humor, or this was supposed to be some kind of reward or gift. Hearn placed the box down. It didn't appear to be hollow, but it was lightweight anyhow. "Anyway, this is what they gave me. I think I know how to open it now, as well." The blonde remarked. From the tournament, the girl believed she'd deduced what they wanted her to learn. Receiving this thing just after Satono taught her what she required was also a clear pointer.

"Hmm? How?" Renko wondered and slurped up some of her green tea afterward.

Looking over at her friend with her purple eyes, the border-hopping student gave her a simple answer. "The energy within me. I'll try something, hold on."

"Okay." The brunette nodded and put her cup of tea down, reaching for her pen and notebook.

Maribel leaned forward a little. Her casual wear, a purple dress, draping against her form as she did. Her hands gently pressed against the sides of the ornate, almost ancient-looking item as she held it up again. Then, softening her grasp just a little, the blonde gently let the power in body flow out. Making it visible to Renko and creating a very gentle breeze inside the house. The light showering her body coalesced into her hands as it started flooding into the box. The odd geometric drawings and dots on it lighting up along with the characters on it. A mysterious display. One may even call it sorcery.

As the item started to fade away into fine particles that shone the same color as Maribel's aura, an item revealed itself within. Both of the students were quick to notice. Narrowing her eyes, the blonde reached for the item, the thinner part of it and held it with three of her fingers. Soon enough, the light stopped emanating from Maribel and the box, and the object was revealed to the two. A folding fan, with an enchanting air to it. Maribel could feel it. This wasn't a normal item.

Renko stared on in confusion as she wrote down what just happened, but the receiver of the gift was less excited, Hearn looked lost.

Her aura flowed through the fan. It felt like some sort of extension of herself, but she didn't grasp the reason she'd been given it.

For what purpose? Do they think a teenage girl would like this?

With her face pressed against one of the windows, Maribel had gotten onto her bus much quite early compared to everyone else and grabbed a seat. It relieved her, the last thing she wanted right now was to be stressed, since there was no doubt a lot of things that would happen today.

"Impressive fighting yesterday!"

"She looks even cuter in person."

"All Might didn't hold back on the compliments."

"Huh?! She's on this bus?"

The talking on the bus blended into one thing.

Wow, you're soooo amazing! Maribel thought, irritated at the number of people that she could hear on the bus talking about her. She stared outside, at the passing cars and the road. Watching her own eerie gaze in the reflection that the window offered. Rain poured down outside, a good signifying of her mood. All of these people, as much as they were praising her, did nothing but bring more weight on her.

"Uhm... Can I have your autograph?" She heard someone say up close. With the seat next to her being vacant, perhaps out of respect, a little girl and her mother had moved through the crowd enough to get close. The girl had a pen and a schoolbook pulled out, no doubt from the backpack she wore. Her eerie eyes shot around and peered down at the girl. Then they moved away, as she remembered the whole ordeal of eye contact and her quirk. She closed her eyes and held out both of her hands. "Yes... Just give those to me."

The kid gently placed the book into her palm, and then the pen in her other. Maribel grasped them tightly for a moment, before moving the book on over in front of her. She wasn't tired, not at all, but she definitely wasn't in a good mood. Eerie eyes scanned the book without paying attention to its title or anything on it. The blonde held the pen for a bit, almost as if she was reluctant. Her arm clicked the back of the ink pen, and she swiftly wrote down her name on the front of the book in cursive. When done, the blonde clicked the pen back to normal, and Hearn gazed upon her autograph. Then to the book.

A book on anatomy. The border-hopper stared blankly at it, before taking a hold of it again and handing it back to the kid and her mother.

"Thank you, thank you!" The mother and the kid let out. She gave them a light wave, and smiled softly before leaning back at the window. Now, her demeanor was even sourer.

As the minutes went by, people left the bus. And by the time it got to U.A. High, only students were left. No one in her class seemed to take the same bus that Maribel did, so she at least got to walk alone all the way up the hill. Holding a white umbrella over her head to shield her from the rain.

Her brain scoured for thoughts to process, and quickly shuffled through the recent event. The signing that she did, the book, on human anatomy. If she had to be honest, by putting her name on it, Hearn felt as if she was shouldering someone's hopes on herself. Stress would keep building up inside her. That's why she had a sour mood after it.

Too did the subject of the book felt like reality taking a jab at her.

Sighing, the boundary girl stepped before U.A, trudging through puddles of water as she watched her reflection in every single one.

Maybe I'm just making it bad for myself?

I'm not being myself.

I'm trying to be who they want me to be.

"Hmmf." She huffed. Hearn stopped before the door to U.A. and looked at it blankly for a moment. She could feel a smile blossoming on her face, and found some manner of peace.

Maribel walked into the classroom, some people looked at her, some didn't. Yaoyorozu smiled at her, while Midoriya and Iida gave her a curious eye. As they chattered on about their experience on the way to school, Maribel lazily waltzed on over to her chair. Setting herself down and resting her head in her arms.

She peered about, toward where Midoriya sat. He was looking at her too.

They stared at each other for a brief moment, before Midoriya was forced to break eye contact. Her eyes.

For a brief moment, the blonde star of the sports festival scouted the room for Iida. Once they found him, she looked at him, an odd swirl of feelings in her as a result. But those ended with a breath. Blinking, she turned her sights to the blackboard in front.

"Good morning." Aizawa came walking in, and everyone shut up. His previous injuries seemed totally healed. Intervening when she did had been a sound decision, after all. That's what Maribel thought, anyway. Distantly, she considered the memories of the hurt she'd been given by the villains, but also how much she brutalized them. As she was now, she didn't feel much wrong in what she did. If she accidentally killed both the noumu and Shigaraki, nothing of value would've been lost, the dreaming girl thought.

The class spoke in unison, even Maribel muttered. "Good morning!"

Their homeroom teacher walked to the teacher's desk. "Today, we're having a special class. It's about hero informatics."

Informatics? Is this about code of conduct? Maribel wondered, a drop of sweat on her face. Most of the class entered the same demeanor, uneagerly anticipating Eraserhead's words.

Aizawa looked at them as if they were idiots before announcing the subject. "Code names. You'll be choosing hero names."

Without delay, there was some chatter within class until Aizawa's eyes became red. Maribel straightened herself out instead of resting her head. The teacher stroked his hair about, pulling some out of his face. "If you remember the internships that I talked about... This is related to that. Usually, the second and third years get drafted by pro heroes. Given that they're extending their offers to you first years means that you've astonished them with your performances during the sports festival. If interest dies down later, they can get dropped... That's why you should focus on making a good impression during this."

The little devil behind her, Mineta, raised his hand. Maribel perked her ears as he began speaking. "That sounds selfish!"

"That's how the business can work, sometimes." Their teacher responded. Maribel thought he was dense for thinking such. You wouldn't get through this course if you weren't a big opportunity and asset for others. Aizawa pulled out his trusty remote for the blackboard screen behind them. "Here are the totals for those with offers. Don't be so shocked, they'll be more even in the later years, as you grow."

He clicked a button.

Class A No. of Offers

Maribel Hearn ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ 5717

Katsuki Bakugo ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ 3898

Shouto Todoroki ■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■■ 3118

Izuku Midoriya ■■■■■■■ 1103

Rikido Sato ■■■ 468

Fumikage Tokoyami ■■ 334

Ochaco Uraraka ■ 112

Momo Yaoyorozu ■ 98

Tenya Iida ■ 60

Denki Kaminari ■ 47

Immediately, the classroom erupted. Some seemed disappoint, others were surprised at how big the difference was, and the teacher was here to meet most of those complaints. "The reason why some people stand out is because most of the time when someone's looking for a U.A. intern, they bring an offer to the strongest and flashiest and hope for the best. Illogical as it may be, that's how some prefer business to be. Hero agencies can only extend so many offers before they're tired of making calls and documents, too."

It seemed like that silenced the class a little. What was left was to compliment each other or ponder on the placement.

"Merry can't be crushing them with just those fights alone, can she?" One of the guys wondered. Maribel paid no heed.

"You shouldn't have fooled around like you did, Kaminari. I think they got bored of that girl's presentation." Someone said, and swiftly got into some banter with the aforementioned student.

Bakugo seemed somewhat irritated in the front, but he didn't dare look back at Maribel. The blonde gave him a glance, and then looked off toward Todoroki. He seemed to be making some small talk with Yaoyorozu. Most of what she could hear was complaining, regarding his dad, but Yaoyorozu sounded more interested in pushing his strengths to the forefront. This actually lift Maribel's mood a little, and she held a thumbs up in their direction, to which they both noticed. Flustered, they became, but Maribel looked away and thought about the applications.

I'm dominating everyone else on that list but I'm not going to do a thing with those numbers. It's quite funny. All of those offers will be going to waste.

"Keeping these numbers in mind, whether you were offered anything or not, you will all be participating in internships with a pro hero." Eraserhead explained, the ones who didn't get any offers gasped in relief. It seemed like they were really excited to try out work, too. "I understand you got to deal with villains first-hand at USJ. But despite that, getting meaningful experience in the field with on-duty heroes will be very useful for your studies."

"That explains the hero names!" Sato declared. To which several in the class seemed to bubble with excitement.

"They're going to be temporary, but be serious about it, or else you'll have a bad time."

The door to class opened and Midnight stepped in. "That's right! Your name is what people will call you. If you happen to do something notable, it might just stick and become your professional one!"

Eraserhead cleared his throat. "Well... That's how it is. Midnight here will make sure your names are okay and appropriate for the streets, and for yourself." He explained, pausing to quip in one small detail. "I'm not very good at that."

He bent over a little to grab a bag by the teacher's desk. "When you choose a name, you make an image of what you want to be like and it might be easier to push toward that. When they say that 'names and natures often agree', that is what they mean. Like my name, Eraserhead." Aizawa elaborated, retrieving a set of small whiteboards from the desk he'd held and handing sets of them out to each row of students. After that was done, he folded out the bag and... went to sleep next to the teacher's desk. He must've done some midnight work.

The boundary girl brooded over the pun she made in her mind.

They passed them backwards until they reached the rear of the class. First it was Aoyama's row, then Ojiro, then Shoji, then Hagakure's. Maribel would receive her whiteboard from a reluctant Bakugo. The blonde then passed two of the boards behind her, which would finally leave everyone with something to write on. Once that was done Maribel stared at her reflection in the whiteboard while she held a pen in her fingers. As if naturally, her arm drifted close to the whiteboard, the tip of the pen not far from it as she kept thinking.

What's my name? What do I want to be called?

In terms of ambition, Maribel had little. As desire, she wanted to be big, but no one. Someone with power, but who lived for themselves. Her experience with people these last five years had done a number on her. There wasn't as much intention to live as a true paragon and symbol as people hoped she would. She's not All Might, even if she strives to be a hero. She'd be fine working behind a curtain, if the girl could so choose, with no one ever getting to know her but a select few. These feelings coincided well with her quirk. Mysterious as it was, it also made her a maverick among other people, and drew mystical creatures to herself. It was frustrating. Everything was.

Thinking deeper, she had another desire. She wanted to act normally, but quirks upset this balance, even for other people. What would be a normal and natural society will become a mess of power struggles and ill-suited adaptations. The ones destined to be healthy members of society turn into wrecks overnight and almost destroy their families, sometimes literally.

To Maribel, it was clear she was going on a tangent of thought. But to her, it didn't take long, and she enjoyed losing herself in it sometimes. Recollecting her memories, the blonde remembered what Aizawa said earlier, about USJ. Those villains and even the villains she'd seen when she was younger, all seemed like people making do with what they had. They lived in conflict with people because they lived with their changes. Giants with power could become aggressive, and quite simply moved in the way that they'd move. Simple nature. And a lot of them enjoyed it or reveled in it more than living in society.

If that was the case, at least with some of them, why should she put all these walls up for herself? Hearn recalled telling Todoroki about the walls that one puts up, but to tell the truth, one of her walls were still up. A different one. Her own character was inhibited by this wall, the desire to act normally.

Can something be normal? Maribel pondered on the remark she made in her mind. From what she'd experienced, not at all. Behind reality laid dreams and undiscovered dimensions. Gods and youkai, living in their heads, but perfectly tangible if they wanted to be. Hiding in shadows. Do I have to be normal?

No.

I want to be myself. Different from what they want.

"My name..." She muttered to herself. It hadn't taken many seconds to finish her previous train of thoughts. Mystery. I remember a book about that... Hearn sounds like a common European last name, but it's also the original family name of Yakumo Koizumi. Lafcadio Hearn- one of my distant, oh so distant relatives. I've read his books a long while ago, I remember. I've heard my family mentioning him when talking about us to other families. He recorded tales of mystical creatures and events in Japan during the industrial age. Before the big wars, the nuclear weapons, the information age.

The quirks.

If I want things to be normal for humanity, maybe I'll represent myself with something from when things were normal. When the mysteries were hiding instead of being part of us.

Yakumo... Eight clouds, the most ancient poem in Japanese- and one of the names for Izumo.

A color will border on me when I use my powers, in a sense, I am what defines the difference between rainbow and sky. I cannot be trampled on, for I will not allow it, I will stand true to myself- the color of a higher rank. Like sahasrara.

This is what I want to be.

Maribel's hand wrote her name for her, as if possessed. She smiled.

ZUN - Magical Astronomy - Necrofantasia

"Alright, is anyone ready?" Midnight inquired to the class, and just like that, Maribel's hand was raised before anyone else.

The hero looked at her, nodding and moved to the side of the teacher's desk. As Maribel stood up, her red ribbon-tipped hair trailed through the air, longer than before. Her eyes gleamed with supernatural beauty and feeling. The girl felt her body bubbling with joy as she walked on over to the desk. Slowly, she brought the sign up to the counter.

0:25

Smoothly and clearly, she let her name and title be known.

幻想の境界

"Border of Phantasm."

八雲 紫

"Yukari Yakumo."

Song: End

Yukari Yakumo: Origin

And there you have it folks. You may expect things to get a little crazier from now on! And I will have to find time to write in between doing a ton of things and hanging out with friends.

I hope people enjoyed Maribel's thoughts about herself. I'm certain it's not perfect, but I feel at least decently satisfied with what I've written...

Kasen's in Nagano for a very good reason, which I suppose will be clear if you know what mountain Youkai Mountain is supposed to be.

Renko's got some important stuff going, you see. And it goes a little bit beyond hero-ing. If I have to be fair, making her pretty smart for this particular fic hasn't completely sat right with me, but I also don't lose anything in doing so. Still, I think it'll lead to more interesting things down the road, and steering this fic out of simply being school plots has been one thing I've wanted to do for a while. It lets me explore the Touhou side of the story, and bring some momentum to the world itself. I highly advise that you're up to date with the anime as well, and maybe even the manga, because I might call forth some things from later in MHA. Tie the world together a bit.

Shigaraki's dream section is... well, I'm not gonna tell you what the purpose of it is yet, but it's not so simple.

Finally, I played around a bit with some metaphors here. I feel like they can add more weight to how a character is portrayed, but as always, it's playing.

With that said, I hope I didn't disappoint... I seriously mean that. I had never planned for Yukari to be a separate character in this fic, so if anyone was expecting it, I wish they can still enjoy the fic...

The chapter title is a reference to the band Dokken, because that's how I roll.

Anyway, have a good day, or night.