A/N: It's been a pretty busy week! but I'm glad I was able to go through it. Thank you guys so much for the favs, alerts and reviews! You guys are the best!

Please read Yellow Roses in order to understand the relationship between Riku and Hikari! It would be heavily mentioned in this chapter and the next.

And please be aware that this story took some elements from KH3. So, it you don't want to get spoiled, don't read this story.

Chapter 19
Riku

Earlier that day

"Excuse me, miss, can you point where Ingenium's room is?"

"Y—Yes?"

It wasn't everyday people see the flashy number 3 hero at Hosu's General Hospital. Like the previous day at the station, while on his way to the hospital, everyone crowded over him to ask for a meet and greet. He politely declined this time, saying he has an urgent matter to attend to. His fans assumed he was on his way to meet his 'secret lover' because of the flowers.

"That way... R—Room 214. P—Please sign here..."

Hawks raised his sunglasses to his head, sighing the visitor's paper. "Awesome! Thanks!" he thanked the nurse—who was still surprised at his visit. He walked towards the direction the nurse pointed while repeating the room number in his head. He stopped right in front of the room and the police officer standing beside the door saluted at the pro hero. "At ease! I'm off duty so no need for that!" he gave a two-finger salute, allowing the man to check his gifts.

"Yes..."

Knock knock

Hawks opened the door, strolling inside the room casually. "Hey~ Ingenium! Long time no see!" he greeted, raising his hand.

"Hawks! It's been awhile!" Ingenium was surprised to see the number 3 hero visiting him, but nonetheless he was happy. He shifted his position on the bed and sat on the edge, letting his legs dangled over the bed. "How are you doing?" he asked.

"I should be the one asking you that! Look at you! You look great, better than ever might I add." Hawks laughed, complimenting the patient. It was true to his words. Ingenium looked better, healthy even. If it wasn't for the IV drip cord sticking out the back of his hand, Hawks was convinced Ingenium was just trying to take a fake sick leave. "I got you some flowers and grape juice—you like those, right?" his feathers delivered the gifts to the table beside the bed.

Ingenium smiled at the generosity. "You shouldn't have, but thank you."

The Winged Hero chose to spend his day off to visit the Turbo Hero: Ingenium—a fellow pro hero he used to work with for a few cases. Though younger by eight years, he got along well with the older hero. In terms of speed, Ingenium was one of the heroes who could keep up with his pace. He has been meaning to take a few days off to visit, but his busy schedule always kept him away.

Hawks planned to stay for at least a week to keep himself updated for more information about the mysterious Trigger supplier. He tends to avoid visits to the capital region since it was the Hero Commission's base. He wasn't going to badmouth the Hero Commission, no, but the president along with the others were too demanding and controlling for his taste.

"They're letting you off this week?" Hawks was surprised.

The last time Hawks heard the news about Ingenium's status was a few weeks ago. The media made it seem like he was going to be paralyzed and forced to retire from hero work. After seeing Ingenium's current status, Hawks believed Ingenium would make a full recovery, but he never expected the hospital would let him out so soon.

Ingenium gave a nod. "Yeah, there's no need to keep me here any longer when I'm as healthy as a horse." he replied with a grin. He glanced over to look at the table. A few packs of small souvenirs from Fukuoka were left behind. The previous day, Iida and his friends came and visited. He was introduced to another of his younger brother's classmate, Tokoyami. "Combined with Recovery Girl's quirk, I'm healing faster than ever."

Hawks raised an eyebrow. "'Combined'? Ah, do you mean Hikari's quirk?" he tried to clarify. He never knew one of his interns was involved with Ingenium's speedy recovery. He had a hunch that Leonhart has something to do with it, but he wasn't going to conclude just from his instincts.

"Yes. I almost forgot she was interning under you." Ingenium smiled, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He switched his personality, looking at the younger pro hero seriously. He wasn't oblivious to the things happening outside his hospital room. The news channels and his team kept him updated with the latest info—he knew about what happened at Fukuoka and Gunkanjima. "I saw the news, you guys got into some serious cases." his arch shaped eyebrows were furrowed.

Hawks sighed, leaning back slightly on the chair. "We did—it was pretty messy."

"I won't ask for details, but please take good care of your interns. They seem to attract trouble." Ingenium joked, the corner of his lips quirking up to a small smile. "Leonhart especially."

The Winged Hero laughed. "Of course, of course."

They talked for an hour, keeping each other updated with the latest news. Ingenium was hoping for another team up in the future with Hawks—to which the man accepted. It was around the afternoon when the red-winged man excused himself and left Ingenium to rest. He was chatty, but he knew when to stop.

It wasn't until a phone call from Tsukauchi made him turn the other way around.

"This is Hawks, whatssup?" The pro hero pressed his phone close to his ear, perching himself on top of a building.

"I apologize for bothering you on your day off, but could you come over to U.A?" Tsukauchi said.

"Did you find something?"

"We have, but we prefer if we could discuss it in person."

Hawks hummed. "Gotcha. Be there in a jiffy." he flapped his wings, taking off into the sky.

He couldn't just fly above the gates of U.A. He has to have a special pass to get through the school grounds. Luckily, he received one from the principal himself—in case there are some matter that needed further discussion. When he arrived at the gates, he wasn't that surprised when he saw a smaller number of students who were still within the school. His eyes glanced to the left, staring at the construction site for the dorms. He knew of the principal's decision to turn the school to a dorm from the statement yesterday.

"Good afternoon, Hawks! Thank you for coming on such short notice!" Principal Nezu greeted cheerfully, raising his paw to the man who just entered the room.

Hawks returned the gesture. "No prob, sir." he sat down on the chair, waiting for the other party to arrive. His eyes looked over to Tsukauchi and Aizawa—who were already present in the room. His eyes moved down to the pictures on the table. He frowned a little, the pictures belonged to the three villains they've encountered at Gunkanjima.

The door opened with a soft creak.

"I apologize for my tardiness." the voice of Nighteye greeted them, followed by the man himself entering the room.

"Hey, no prob! I just got here too!" Hawks laughed, casually brushing Nighteye's apology away.

Nighteye simply gave a nod to the laid-back hero as he fixed his glasses. He quietly made his way to the empty chair, sitting straight and proper.

Tsukauchi cleared his throat, thinking to start the meeting. "Earlier, we've asked the students about the situation." both Hawks and Nighteye didn't reply and waited for the detective to continue. Principal Nezu and Aizawa didn't say anything, letting the man speak without intervention despite knowing well what was discusses before the two pros arrived. "As expected, we heard what we know already. We didn't question Ms. Leonhart about her knowledge of the Shadows either as we have planned."

"Though we did receive new information regarding the villains." Tsukauchi slid the pictures closer to the two pro heroes and they learned forward to get a better look. The detective tapped the tattoo on Rat's tattoo between the collarbone before Viper's neck with his left finger. "Ms. Leonhart pointed these tattoos meant numerals—the number one and six respectively."

"Numerals?" Hawks echoed.

Tsukauchi opened the video on his laptop, his fingers above the keys. "Before I called the both of you, I made a call to pass the information to Nagasaki's Police Force. We decided to ask Viper and Rat about the specific tattoos and their reaction were quite... unexpected." he narrowed his eyes, giving a slight discomforting look when he replayed the words in his head.

The two heroes raised an eyebrow at the detective's suspicious statement.

Nighteye frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It's better if I show you instead." The detective turned the laptop around, allowing the two heroes to view it on full screen. The video was paused, they could see the interrogator and Viper sitting face to face in the interrogation room. "This was just sent to me around an hour ago." he pressed the play button, resuming the video.

"The tattoo on your neck, it means the number six, right?"

Viper didn't answer immediately. "Oh?" the irritated expression on his face from before was gone; replaced by a wicked smirk. Nighteye noted that it was one of the signs Viper was willing to cooperate after he was exposed—though it left a bad feeling despite knowing they were going to receive new information. The handcuffs around Viper's wrist clanked when he moved his hands. "Now, where on earth did you figure that out?" he asked, his eyes narrowing into slits.

The interrogator didn't answer his question. "I assume it does."

"Did Rat rat us out? No, no, he's too scared to do it." Viper began to talk to himself, talking back and forth, debating. "—only one thing..." He leaned his head back with a smile before facing the interrogator. "You have someone who can read the old language! The language from the Age of Fairy Tales!"

"This isn't some storybook—"

"Who is it? Is it the bird boy? He seems to be the type to be into those fantasy things. Or the girl? It's the girl, isn't it?" Viper laughed. He seemed to find the missing pieces. "Man... I suspected the girl to know something, but I didn't expect for her to be a wielder. I should've known from the moment she took control of the situation."

Hawks furrowed his brows, glaring at the screen even though Viper wouldn't know.

"But then again her weapon looked more like a sword instead of a key—boss man should've given us more details."

Both Nighteye and Hawks seemed to sharpen when they heard the word 'boss'.

"Who is this boss you speak of?"

"Like I'm going to tell you, you bastard." Viper clicked his tongue, narrowing his eyes at the interrogator. "But I'll give you a little something to worry about."

"The girl's a ticking time bomb—it's only a matter of time until she snaps and kills you all. That day, is the day I would love to see."

The video was paused.

The room was silent.

"What... was that supposed to mean?" Hawks was the first to respond. He knew what the sentence meant, but he didn't believe a kid like Leonhart would do such things. "A wielder? Hikari?" he heard of it, but he never payed to much attention of the make-beliefs.

Aizawa sighed. "From his statement, we can confirm Leonhart is a wielder—the same one Stain was aiming to kill." he wasn't one to believe rumors without confirming with the person itself, but he wasn't going to interrogate a traumatized child because some villains accused her of being a villainous key wielder. "But I don't believe Leonhart is the type to easily lose control—she has perfect control of her quirk." he defended.

"Indeed, she has!" Principal Nezu agreed. "Though that does not stop the villains from taking her Quirk. The step we took for the dorms was the right choice, we can now protect our students from dangers they're not prepared for."

Tsukauchi nodded his head. "We don't know if their 'boss' has caught word of a wielder or not, the best we could do is to keep our eyes on Ms. Leonhart for the time being."

A wielder...

A key.

The key.

Nighteye realized. The odd-looking sword he saw in All Might's future, the fighting, All Might's words.

"Young Leonhart is nothing but a kindhearted young girl aspiring to be a hero. I'm certain of it."

"I appreciate if you leave Young Leonhart alone, Nighteye."

All Might knew something about Leonhart.

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"Riku?!"

"Welcome home."

Hikari kept staring with a flabbergasted look.

Riku raised an eyebrow at the look she was giving. "You look surprised, aren't you happy to see me?" he questioned with a teasing look as the corner of his lips quirked up to a smirk.

"Uh—I am!" The brunette shook the thoughts away before making her way closer to the silver-haired teen. She placed her bag on the floor, placing her hands on the couch. "It's just... What are you doing here? I thought you were busy training and traveling and all that stuff?" she asked, trying to control her voice without sounding so shocked and surprised.

She wasn't expecting any visits from anyone, aside from Ienzo or Aerith. To see Riku sitting on her couch so casually was an actual surprise for her.

Riku shifted his position. "I was," he replied casually, placing his arm over the back of the couch. Despite being given the title of Master by the age of sixteen, he never stopped training. Terra chose him as his successor when he was just a child and a decade later, he trained with the man to become stronger. "I decided to drop by and visit, but then I found this." he said as he switched the channel to a talk show.

"—the Hero Killer was looking for someone with the title of 'wielder'. Rumor has it, the wielder shall be the one who wreak havoc upon the world. What do you think, Mr. Miyagi?"

"I think we shouldn't judge someone from rumors—"

Hikari closed her mouth shut, staring at the TV with furrowed brows.

"That's not all." Riku switched the channel again to the news.

"—first year students from U.A, Tokoyami Fumikage and Leonhart Hikari, joined pro heroes and the police to investigate the strange activities going on Hashima island, commonly known as Gunkanjima."

The brunette opened her mouth to explain, but paused when Riku raised his own finger to stop her.

Riku grabbed his gummi phone from the table and swiped the lock screen open. "This too." he showed her the recent news about the villains she faced since she came to the City of Heroes. Hikari squinted her eyes at him as he gave her a disapproving look. "Why didn't you tell me about this?"

"Oh, come on," Hikari sighed loudly, pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. She knew where this was going. It was the same tactic Riku used when he was worried and overprotective of her. Despite not being blood related, their bonds were like siblings. "We faced much more stronger enemies than these guys— Heartless, Nobodies, Nightmares, Unversed, villains—I mean, we even faced Organization XIII and won!" she complained with a huff, listing every foe they had to face.

The older teen sighed softly, finally standing up from his seat. "I know, but—"

"And besides, I can handle anything!" Hikari reassured with a thumbs up, puffing her chest out in pride. The memory of when she was named as a Keyblade Master came to mind. She looked up to face him, a serious look across her face. "I'm a Keyblade Master now. So, stop treating me like I'm still a baby."

Hikari was tired of everyone treating her like a child. Whenever they felt she came across something they thought she couldn't handle, they pulled her away. She might be the youngest, but she wasn't named Master for nothing. It might be selfish of her to think so, but she wished they would let her handle a situation on her own.

A few seconds passed.

Riku stared at her.

A snort.

"With those chubby cheeks? Never."

The silver-haired teen pinched Hikari's cheek, laughing when she pulled a face. She glared at him as he ruffled her hair like he always would. "But alright, I'll let it slide just this time."

Hikari smiled. Riku was forgiving—though not as much as Sora, who seemed to always forgive and just forgive. Suddenly, a thought came to mind when she remembered her brother's nature. "Oh! One more thing—please, please, please keep it a secret from the others!" she placed her palms together in front of her face, hoping for Riku to keep it a secret. "Let's just keep it between us, okay?"

"Why?" Riku gave her a skeptical look. Realizing her mistake, the younger wielder stiffened. She intended to keep most of the information between her and Ienzo only, but the words just slipped out. "Is there still something you're hiding from me?" he crossed his arms, a frown on his lips.

Hikari gave a tired sigh.

They talked for an hour or so.

Ienzo joined the conversation via video call from the gummi phone. Both Ienzo and Hikari explained the current situation to Riku, starting from the point where things go awry. Everyone knew of Hikari's mission to look for scattered reports. They thought with Xehanort already defeated and the balance between worlds weren't threatened, Hikari wouldn't have any trouble collecting the reports and they left her to do her mission alone.

The mission turned out to be more difficult than Ienzo and Hikari have thought. The history of the City of Heroes' with keyblade wielders was something not to be taken lightly since wielders seem to affect the world negatively. Hikari told them of the recent discovery she found during the meeting with Tsukauchi. She informed them about the villains' tattoos that were similar to the old language.

"That's strange indeed..." Ienzo hummed, placing his hand on his chin.

"I couldn't take a picture of it, but I'm a 100% sure it was the old language." Hikari glanced over to look at Ienzo before Riku. They were both thinking, trying to figure out why the villains knew of the old language. She knew Principal Nezu requested for her not to discuss the matter with anyone else aside from the people involved, but this was something that needed to be discussed with her friends. "They were ex-yakuza from the Motomura Family, but they seemed to join another group—the same group who created the quirk erasing drug."

Riku crossed his arms, his brows furrowed in thought. "Then the group we're dealing with might be connected to a wielder... and not a nice one at that..."

Hikari mimicked Ienzo's hand, placing her own hand bellow her chin. "Did Master Yen Sid ever mention something about another wielder?" the wise old man seemed to always mumble inaudible things for her to hear. His words were wise—though they sometime came in formal words that took time to understand. "He did say he used to train with Master Eraqus and Xehanort..."

"I don't think so." Riku answered.

"A Replica then?" Hikari tried again.

"Impossible." Ienzo said, making the girl frown. "Aside from Even, no one could create a replica. I also doubt scientists from the City of Heroes could manage to make one."

Hikari propped her chin up with her hand, blowing a raspberry. "Pssh! You guys don't have to shoot me down that hard." she gave a half-hearted glare to the men before thinking again. "We can always do a little recon! With Riku here, I'm sure we can find something one time faster!"

"I'm flattered—one time faster? I thought it was supposed to be 'two'?" Riku placed his hand over his chest dramatically and Hikari shoved him playfully.

"Anyway, we have to wait a little if we want to go to Gunkanjima. The heroes and the police are doing a full investigation on it. We'll be found out the moment we step foot on the island." Hikari sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. She knew of the information from Tsukauchi and the new channel. Everyone was talking about it—it was rumored the police invited top heroes to help with the investigation. "At the meantime, we can go around here and look for clues about the organization."

Riku gave an amused smirk. "Where did the old Hikari go? Though I don't mind this one either."

Hikari gave him a look. "I can be wise and mature too, thank you very much!"

Ienzo smiled. "Hikari's right. We have to wait a little if we want to investigate. In the meantime, gather what you can about this organization."

"It's a good thing I came, huh?" Riku ruffled Hikari's hair, a smile on his lips.

The brunette huffed. "Yeah, yeah—oh! That reminds me!" she jumped off the stool and jogged over to her backpack beside the couch. She fished something out of her bag, giving it to Riku. She sat back on the chair as Riku began to read the letter from U.A. "Apparently, due to recent villain activities, U.A. decided to turn into a boarding school. They want parents to come to the assembly on Saturday, so they can brief them about the new setting." she summarized.

"You want me to fake being your mom?"

"Unless you can disguise yourself as Aerith, why not?" Hikari joked. "You nailed the motherly attitude—lower by ten points from Roxas." she sniggered behind her hand when Riku's eye twitched.

"Very funny."

"Boarding school you say?" Ienzo hummed in thought. "Though it is best for your education, right now it is a bit... inconvenient for us."

Hikari couldn't help but agree. "What do we do then?"

"It might be suspicious if we just pull her out of the school." Riku placed the paper on the table, sighing. Given the current situation, they have to focus on the new threat.

Ienzo nodded. "We'll see after the assembly. I trust the both of you would be able to handle it?" he asked, looking at Riku before Hikari.

The younger wielder grinned, giving a salute. "Aye, aye!" she quickly noticed the notification bubble appearing right above Ienzo's head. She minimized the video call and it moved to the top corner of her screen. "Oh! It's Hawks!" she exclaimed, reading the text in the group.

"Hawks, as in your mentor?" Riku peered over Hikari's shoulder to spy on her conversation.

Hawks:
Hey there kiddos~!
Are you guys free on Sunday?

Tokoyami Fumikage:
My schedule is vacant on that day.

Hikari:
I'm free!

Hawks:
Awesome! I have something to do in the morning, but after that, I'll pick the two of you up at wherever. Let's have some fun at Zoo Dreamland, I heard their Apple pies are the best! Not to mention the turkey leg!

Hikari sent a cute character sticker with big bold red letters saying 'OK'. Her thumb hoovered over the screen, pausing herself from typing another reply. Speaking of pro heroes, she wondered if it was alright to introduce Riku to All Might. The number one hero was the first person she talked to about keyblade wielders and Heartless. On the other hand, she never told anyone, not even Ienzo or Riku, about Toshinori Yagi as per his wishes.

"Hey, Riku," Hikari turned her head to look at the silver-haired teen sitting beside her. The boy hummed in reply, turning his head to look at her as well. She and Ienzo told Riku that All Might knew partly of the truth. Her teachers, classmates and other pros didn't know about anything regarding the keyblade or Heartless. "Wanna go out and eat?"

She decided, she should ask All Might first.

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"I'm sorry for asking on such short notice... again."

All Might laughed, shaking his head at the girl's apology. "You know I would always have time to spare for my students, Young Leonhart." he prepared some green tea and passed the cup to the girl who took it with a smile. Leonhart had texted him in the morning, asking if he could spare a little time after school. He, of course, answered yes. "Is there something that I could help you with?"

Leonhart took a small sip from her tea. "Yeah, actually..." she cleared her throat as she placed the cup on the table. She wanted to talk to All Might to introduce him to her friend, but she can't help feel she was being watched. "Lately... I notice there's a few people following me—the police or pros, I think? It's reassuring, but..." she trailed off, scratching the back of her ear sheepishly.

"I see..." All Might sighed softly. He heard the decision from Principal Nezu. There was a possibility of a dangerous group of villains who are after her. All because she is 'rumored' to have the key. "I'll see what I can do."

"Did something happen to make them decide it?" Leonhart asked curiously.

All Might didn't want to make the girl and her family worry, but not knowing anything was even more worrying on their part. "It appears the villains you've caught knew about the existence of wielders, which means there's no doubt their leader knew about you as well." he informed as he crossed his fingers together, a frown on his lips. "Believe me, the villains did not leave a good impression on you."

Leonhart slumped her shoulders. "Kinda expected that..." she mumbled under her breath. "What did they say about me?"

The skinny blond man hesitated. "A ticking time bomb..." he left out a few parts, hoping the girl won't question him further. He knew it went against Leonhart's beliefs of a true hero, but he was afraid the words might break her spirit.

"A... ticking time bomb? What?" Leonhart pulled a face, confusion written all over her face. She frowned when she realized what the villains meant. "I think I understand why they call me a ticking time bomb..."

"Do you remember about Xehanort? His goal?"

All Might nodded. "He wanted to recreate the Keyblade War by using the X-Blade to summon Kingdom Hearts, correct?" he couldn't forget about the story Leonhart told him, about children having to fight on their own to stop a war from happening while the pros remained oblivious to the events.

Leonhart furrowed her brows. "Actually, he wanted to reset everything."

The number one hero's eyes widened. "What?"

"He wanted to create a world where there's balance, but by doing so it will reset everything—basically wipe everyone off from the face of the planet and starting anew with given powers from Kingdom Hearts." Leonhart explained as best as she could without revealing the fact other worlds existed. She placed her hand on her chin, her eyes closed to focus. "I think that's why they called me a ticking time bomb. They think I'm able to do those things."

"That's terrible!"

The brunette smiled at him. "But luckily we stopped him right on time! So, you don't have to worry about it happening a second time." she reassured, giving a thumbs up and a wink.

All Might returned the smile. "Thank you, Young Leonhart. Now that I know of this, I also vow to not let it happen again. You should not face this matter alone." he said in pure determination, his hands balling into fists.

Leonhart grinned. "Oh! That reminds me," she paused for a moment, making All Might look at her with raised eyebrows. "Do you want to meet my friend? He's a fellow wielder like me!" she proudly said.

"A fellow wielder?" All Might was honestly surprised. He thought wielders were very secretive about their identity since it took more than a decade for one to show up on the radar.

"I didn't tell him anything about your identity. You can decide whether you want to meet him or not! I completely understand!"

All Might smiled. "I would be honored to meet him, Young Leonhart."

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Saturday 09:30 AM

"Your tie is crooked."

"Gee, thanks for noticing, mom."

Hikari gave an irritated sigh before taking a sip from her morning juice she bought from the vending machine. She wasn't as active as Sora in the morning and for her, being woken up so early in the morning on a Saturday was enough to sour her mood. She tried her best not to show her emotions, but it was a bit hard since she was so tired.

Her eyes glanced around, finding other students walking to the school with their mother or father or both. They walked at a faster pace than her and Riku, who were taking their time for the stroll up the hill. She suggested to take the taxi to save up some time, but Riku declined, saying that it was a nice morning and he wanted to get to know the neighborhood better.

Like the past week, she noticed someone was following them. Riku seem to noticed it as well, but decided to pretend not to. It was their first time walking together in the City of Heroes, so it was expected when the person following them decided to shorten the distance. She knew it was impossible for All Might to request Principal Nezu to give her some freedom. She understood their point, but it felt weird for her to be followed secretively.

"Oh? Leonhart! You're early!"

Hikari gave a dry laugh. "Good morning, Mr. Mic." she greeted the teacher. He was right at the gate, greeting people left and right with an upbeat voice. She often wondered where Present Mic got all of his energy in the morning. "Is it really that weird to see me not late for school?" she asked jokingly, rubbing the back of her neck.

Present Mic laughed. "Sort of!" he grinned from ear to ear before looking at the tall silver-haired teen beside his student. He was actually surprised to meet a new face. He was expecting Hikari's mother or Ienzo to come along with her. "And who's this tall and dashing young man? Your boyfriend?" he covered his mouth, whispering the last part to the girl.

Hikari coughed. "No way!" she immediately denied, making a gagging noise—it made Riku stare at her with an offended look. She sighed before giving a smile. "My parents couldn't make it today, so I asked Riku to fill in their spot." she introduced.

The silver-haired teen cleared his throat, taking a step forward. "I'm Riku, Miyano Riku." he offered his hand and Present Mic took it, shaking hands with smiles.

"It's so nice to meet you, young listener! Go right into the assembly hall! Don't get lost alright?" Present Mic directed his hand inside to the building, waving off the duo before greeting other parents and students.

Riku sniggered behind his hand. "He reminds me of you and Sora."

"What part of us reminded you of Present Mic?" Hikari raised an eyebrow at him.

"You're both loudmouths."

"I'm... slightly offended."

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Saturday, 10:50 AM

Hikari stretched her arms above her head, giving a tired sigh. The assembly started at 10 o'clock on the dot and ended fifty minutes after. Principal Nezu basically repeated what he said during the previous assembly—the difference was that it was meant for the parents or guardians. It was interesting when the Principal showed them the building and facilities the dorm has to offer. After the ten minute break, their homeroom teacher will give the students and their parents a tour of the dorm.

"You're tired already?" Riku asked, standing up from his seat. They were one of the few people who were left at the assembly hall.

"Duh! My butt hurts from sitting too long." Hikari complained.

"It's only fifty minutes."

Hikari pouted. "It felt longer than fifty minutes."

The two of them left the assembly hall to gather in front of the dorm for class 1-A. It wasn't a long walk from the main building to the dorm. A five-minute walk, but Riku was impressed with the amount of land U.A owned. The two of them were the last to gather at the dorm—since Hikari decided to have a little bathroom break.

The brunette looked around, observing her classmates' families . A few of them came with only a single parent, but some came with both parents. She could literally see the resemblance between her friends and their parents.

Aizawa looked around, finding each of his students were present for the tour. He had his hair tied up just for formalities to the parents. He cupped his mouth, announcing the tour will begin shortly. "Let's proceed with the tour of the dorm."

The man opened the door and let all of the parents and students go inside the building first. He closed the door when Hikari and her guardian went in last.

"One class to each building. The girls' room are on the right and boys' on the left." Aizawa explained in a clear voice for everyone to hear. Everyone was too busy admiring the interior of the building. It looked big and luxurious from the outside. The inside was just as the same. "The first floor is the common area. The dining hall, baths and laundry room are all on this floor."

Hikari couldn't help but gawk at the room. It looked more like a mansion than a regular school dorm. They were guided around the first floor, with Aizawa showing each of the facilities. They were even given a room tour. The room was a decent size for a single person.

"The rooms are each equipped with air conditioners, toilets, refrigerators and closets." after showing the room, they were all guided back to the common area. Aizawa began to hand out forms for parents to fill. "Please return the form by Monday. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask."

"...This looks like one of those dorms for rich people." Riku commented, leaning slightly to whisper to the shorter teen.

"Don't talk as if you're not rich." Hikari whispered back, nudging him with her elbow. They exited the Height Alliance, walking side by side. "So, what do we do?" she asked.

Riku hummed. "It's not mandatory, right?"

"I don't think so?"

"Leonhart!" said brunette stiffened when she heard her name being called. It was none other than Iida himself, followed by his mother. "I apologize if I'm bothering you and your friend!" the class rep moving his hand up and down, apologizing to the girl.

Hikari quickly shook her head, brushing his apologies away. "It's alright! No worries!"

Iida pushed his glasses up. "My mother wanted to meet you."

Iida's mother took a step forward. "I always wanted to meet the girl who saved both of my sons' lives." the woman couldn't stop smiling. Her eyes seemed to be brimming with tears, making the brunette panicked when she lowered her head. She laughed softly, taking her glasses off to wipe the tears away. Hikari offered the short-haired woman a handkerchief, but she shook her head as she took out a handkerchief of her own. "I'm sorry—it's just I'm a bit overwhelmed."

"No, no! It's okay, Mrs. Iida. Please take your time." Hikari reassured, waiting for the woman to calm down.

A few seconds passed.

Iida's mother placed the handkerchief away before taking Hikari's hand into hers. "I want to thank you for the bottom of my heart, for helping my sons and always being there for Tenya." she bowed her head deeply, her hands clasps around Hikari's hand tightly. "Without your help, I don't know what would—!"

Hikari placed her hand over the mother's hands. "I would never leave a person in need. I would gladly help them again in the future for whatever they need." she said, giving the mother a smile. After years of being a wielder, they faced many trials and troubles. Each time, they're willing to help solve the problem. It was in their nature—to help those in need.

"She's going to be a great hero in the future." Ingenium said as he stood beside Riku. The man didn't know what the silver-haired boy's relation was to the girl, but he was with her through the whole time. A friend, perhaps. "I'm Iida Tensei." he introduced, extending his right hand.

"Riku, Miyano Riku." Riku took his hand, shaking it up and down. He turned to look back at Iida's mother and Hikari with her classmate beside his mother. He sighed softly with a smile on his lips. He knew Hikari was the one who 'indirectly' saved Ingenium and his little brother, Iida Tenya. His friend might seem like a clumsy and short-tempered girl, but she has a heart of gold like her brother. "Hikari's a pretty good kid. She's the type who's willing to sacrifice everything for her family and friends."

Ingenium chuckled. "I hope she doesn't jump into a situation recklessly."

"I'll tell her that." Riku said.

"Mr. Tensei?!" Hikari shouted, her eyes wide as plates when she spotted the pro hero talking with her friend. Said man laughed at her reaction, waving his hand at her. She happily waved back, a grin on her face. The last time she saw him, he was still on a wheelchair. Now, he was already walking around, though with a crutch, it was a lot of recovery. "Whoa! You're already walking! I'm so glad you're getting better!"

"I am! It's all thanks to you, Leonhart." Ingenium replied.

"Thank you, Hikari... Thank you so much." The mother thanked again, glancing over to look at Riku to give him a smile. "I would like to show my gratitude. Would you and your family like to join my family for dinner?" she invited, folding her hands neatly.

Riku smiled, "I'll be sure to pass on the message to her parents."

"Oh please! You're invited as well!" The mother happily said.

"Thank you."

"See you later, Mrs. Iida, Mr. Tensei, Class rep! See you on Monday!"

"Farewell, Leonhart!"

Riku cleared his throat, nudging Hikari with his elbow. "Well, that went well." he tossed her a teasing smile and she returned it with a playful shove. She knew Riku would've done it too if he was in her shoes. The silver-haired teen was proud of the brunette, no matter what. She saved a lot of people without asking for something in return. She was indeed a true hero. "C'mon, stop denying it. Give yourself some credit." he teased, ruffling her hair.

"Aw, knock it off!" Hikari laughed, pushing Riku's hand away. "Anyway, are you gonna sign it or not?" she asked, going back to topic.

The silver-haired teen looked down. "No..."

Hikari's eyes widened, but she understood why. With or without a provisional hero license, they need to stop the 'evil' wielder before it's too late. At first, her mission was to take the exam and get the license, but that was before they learned about a wielder. Ienzo wanted her to take things slowly and enjoy herself while doing the mission, but realizing there was another threat—they have to act fast.

"Got it... Before we leave, there's someone I want you to meet." Hikari took his hand, dragging him off the path and around the Height Alliance building. There was a courtyard right in between the buildings. In the middle, there was a fountain.

Right at the fountain, there was a man in a suit. He was extremely tall—taller than Master Yen Sid and skinnier than Lea's waist.

The blond man seemed to notice them and he raised his hand in greeting, a smile on his sharp face.

"Riku, I want you to meet Mr. Toshinori Yagi."