My alarm blares this morning. I reach over and shut it off, sitting up on the bed and placing my feet on the floor. Touya's hand reaches for my side as he continues to lay on his stomach under the sheets.
"Do you really gotta go?" he groans into the pillow.
"I'm sorry," I say. "But like you, I have duties of my own."
I make my way to the bathroom, Touya following after me. He sees me cover my naked body with my arms with a blush on my face. I lower my gaze as I shyly walk toward the shower.
"Sorry…" I say. "I'm still not used to being...naked...with you."
"Hm? That's not what it looked like last night," Touya replies.
"That was in the moment!" I pout with a blush.
Touya chuckles as I dart my head away and hurry into the shower with him following after me. I adjust the water to a hot temperature, causing Touya to flinch away from it.
"Damn it! It's hot!" He sees me stand under the stream of water. "You and your damn quirk."
I snicker as I continue to bathe in the steaming water. Touya adjusts the temperature to a colder one and I shriek and hop away from it.
"Damn it!" I pout.
"Now we're even," Touya smirks.
I grumble as I adjust the temperature to a comfortable one for both of us. I then begin to lather myself with body wash and Touya does the same to himself. My eyes catch that he can't keep his eyes off my naked lathered body.
"Can you at least be less obvious about it?" my face burns red.
"No," he blatantly replies.
"Mm! Let's wash that dye outta your hair," I roughly lather some shampoo into his hair. "Let's see you stare with suds in your eyes."
Touya chuckles as he lets me lather up his hair while he does the same to mine. After some good rubbing, we wash the suds out of each other's hair, the black dye washing out of Touya's.
"All washed out!" I smile up at his messy white hair.
"Now how about I lather up the rest of you?" Touya reaches for my sides.
"Ah! What? N-No!" my face burns red again.
"Look at Nova the pro hero getting all worked up," he teases.
"I gotta go!" I slip out of his grasp and out of the shower.
I grab a towel as I hear Touya chuckling.
"It's not funny!" I pout.
"Yes it is," Touya replies, still inside the shower.
"Hmph!" I head out to the dresser.
I dress myself for work quickly before Touya comes out of the shower. As I'm drying my hair, Touya comes out of the bathroom with a towel loosely hanging around his hips. My eyes perk up at seeing his body, unintentionally staring.
"Can you at least be less obvious about it?" he echoes with a tease. "Where are your manners?"
"Eh? Shut up!" I dart my head away from him with a blush.
I have my eyes closed as I continue to dry my hair with a towel.
"That's not very hero-like," he says. "To be staring at a naked man."
"Being lovers and everything about us isn't hero-like," I retort. "Now hurry up for breakfast," I toss my towel at his face.
Touya chuckles as I make my way out of my bedroom and to the kitchen. I decide to make something quick for us both: eggs and cheese on toast. By the time I'm finished cooking, Touya is dressed and makes his way to the kitchen. I'm setting our plates down as he notices the red Liberation book on the kitchen table.
"What're you doing with a book like that?" Touya asks.
"I've been researching the Liberation Army," I sit down.
"What for?" he also sits.
"I've come to conclude that the Liberation Army has deemed the League a threat to their top-spot in villain society. You and your friends are pissing them off. I wouldn't be surprised if you'll run into them sometime soon."
"We already have."
"Hm?"
"I really shouldn't be telling a pro hero this, but I don't give a crap. The League and the Liberation have become one."
"That's surprising considering the Liberation isn't the type to submit to a lesser known group, much less a smaller one."
"Shigaraki ended up defeating the leader in a fight at one of their secret societies, Deika City."
"What? You fought his secret society?" I'm worried. "You guys must've been outnumbered!"
"Shigaraki made it work. He's now the new leader of the Paranormal Liberation Front."
"Paranormal Liberation Front? What kinda name is that?"
"Don't ask me, I thought it was stupid too."
"Even so...that's not good."
Touya stares down in thought.
"Hm?" I notice how pensive he is. "You okay?"
"Yeah…" he finally replies. "I just thought about the ice punk I fought that day in Deika."
"What happened?"
"He made a comment about my quirk...and the drawbacks of it."
"Did you get hurt?" I worry.
"I'm fine…" he glances at his skin. "I was just about to burn that ice asshole to a crisp...until Shigaraki defeated Re-Destro."
'Re-Destro…' I recall the name. 'The successor of Destro…'
"Things are really heating up…" Touya comments.
I continue to eat and Touya does as well, both of us deep in thought at the current circumstances.
I'm sitting across from Enji while he sits behind his desk. It's noon and he's called me in to discuss some matters regarding the agency internships. I adjust the maroon scarf on my neck, using it to hide the bite marks Touya left me.
"So Shoto and his two friends requested to intern at your agency, huh?" I look down at the papers. "I'm sure you're thrilled."
"I am," Enji nods.
"But I thought the agreement with the other hero agencies was to conduct internships on an on-demand basis?"
"This time around, we've received a direct request from the Safety Commission to conduct practical field training for all hero department students."
"Sounds like they're forcing them to do internships… Doesn't the Commission have enough manpower?"
"It's in response to the recent growth of large-scale villain organizations. They'd like students to gain experience...There's no doubt something else must've happened at Deika City."
'Deika City?' I think. 'That's where Touya said the League and the Liberation fought.'
"The League of Villains must be involved. It seems the Safety Commission has reason to suspect some kind of imminent danger...But they're being vague...most likely because they want to hide the fact that they know this."
"The so-called internships themselves feel like some sort of message."
I gaze down in worry.
"I'd hate for them to put students in situations like this…" I say. "That's what the Commission did with me…"
"In any case," Enji says. "As heroes, we must do our duty to protect them, which also means preparing these students for danger."
My worry grows even more with Touya's involvement. I know about the League's allegiance with the Liberation Army. But if I say anything now, I'll only make myself more suspicious having this knowledge.
"It's getting awfully cold, isn't it?" Enji refers to my scarf.
I raise a brow at this but notice Enji looking at my neck, the scarf slipped down a bit. I panic as I remember the marks Touya left.
"Oh, yeah…" I adjust my scarf. "You know my quirk can make me sensitive to the cold," I lightly laugh.
Enji blinks at me a few times. I decide to leave before he asks me anything else.
"Anyway, I'll get going," I stand. "I'm still gathering research on the Liberation Army and the League. It's becoming clear that they're connected."
"Right…" Enji nods.
I steadily walk out of the office, closing the door after me.
'That was close…' I think as I sigh. 'Damn you, Touya...Why'd you have to leave those marks in such an obvious spot?'
I grunt as I adjust my scarf again, making sure it doesn't slip down anymore.
'Even if he did figure out these were hickeys,' I think as I head back to my desk. 'There's no way he'd figure out who gave them to me.'
I log back into my computer and continue my research. My mind can't help but think of Touya.
'I just hope he doesn't get hurt…' I slightly frown to myself.
My mind then goes to Keigo, recalling what Touya said about killing him if he comes near me again.
'Did he really mean it?' I wonder to myself. 'He wouldn't hurt Keigo...would he?'
Touya has resented Keigo since he met him for having developed such a close bond with me. Afterall, Touya was my first and only friend for some time; he didn't want that to change.
Later that day at the agency, Enji is working at his desk. He keeps reading over Shoto's request to intern at his agency for Work-Studies.
'I'm joyed to know that you chose to work with me at my agency…' he thinks. 'But why did you request to also bring those two other boys along?'
Enji only wants to take Shoto in for the internship, but he's making an exception for Katsuki and Izuku because Shoto requested it.
"I guess I'll have to put up with it…" Enji grumbles.
The phone at his desk rings.
"This is Endeavor," he answers.
"Enji, this is the Commission President," he hears her voice.
"Yes, what is it?"
"It's come to my attention that Akira has been researching the Liberation Army."
"What about it?"
"It wouldn't be a good idea to have her mind exposed to the ideologies of villainous groups, especially the Liberation Army. It may trigger her to follow in the footsteps of her…"
"She won't adopt the mind of a villain," Enji firmly states. "Besides, her research has been insightful."
"I'm sure it is. However, I already have someone investigating the Liberation Army and the League. Because there are heroes involved with the Liberation Army…"
"You suspect Akira to be amongst them?"
"I want you to stop Akira's research on them immediately."
Enji grits his teeth, resisting his temper.
"Then what is she supposed to do?" Enji asks.
"Have her focus on hero work," the President instructs. "She also needs to keep training her quirk. The last time you reported, she was at 70%."
"She's made progress."
"That's not good enough. She needs to be at 100%. She's a risk if she can't fully control her quirk. If she's not at 100% by the summer, I'll have to extract her from your agency and return her under the Commission...And we'll return to our training methods."
Enji then recalls the training methods by the Commission all those years ago.
Enji and the President stand behind personnel who operate computers and machines with big monitors at the top. The screens show the nuclear levels inside a chamber along with monitoring vitals. This is the first time Enji sees any of this.
"It's been two months since her quirk manifested," the President says. "We've built this chamber to act like a nuclear reactor which can cool Akira's body and put a halt to her quirk."
"Is it safe?" Enji asks.
"It's safe for us."
Enji wonders about the President's answer. They return their gaze up to the monitors.
"Alright, have her use her quirk," the President instructs.
The personnel at the computers listen and press some buttons. One monitor turns on and it shows the inside of the nuclear chamber.
Inside the chamber, I stand in the middle with various wires hooked up to my body.
"Activate your quirk," a voice echoes in the chamber.
I stand timidly, my shoulders hunched as I'm hesitant to listen.
"Activate your quirk," the voice instructs more firmly.
"No," I shake my head. "I'm scared."
Back in the control room, the President sees I'm not following orders.
"Resort to trigger methods," the President instructs the personnel.
The personnel press some buttons which activate cannons inside the chamber. Enji can see this through the monitors and wonders about this. The cannons shoot one foam ball at me, hitting me at my back. I wince but stand my ground. Another foam ball is shot at me from behind, but I again don't react.
"Activate more cannons," the President instructs.
Several cannons appear inside the chamber, surrounding me. They shoot multiple foam balls at me, hitting me at my back, stomach and head.
"No…" I whimper and shake my head. "I don't want to."
"Increase the firing ammo," the President instructs.
The cannons now shoot multiple foam balls at a firm power, hitting me all over. I try to dodge some but my frail body can't dodge all the hits as I'm limited to one spot by the wires hooked to my body. The cannons continue to shoot foam balls rapidly now. In the control room, the stress levels on the monitors show to be increasing now. Enji watches in worry and shock.
"Activate your quirk," the voice echoes.
"No!" I cry out. "I don't want to! I'm scared!"
The foam balls only continue to bombard me. I fall to my knees, shielding my head with my small arms. The monitors in the control room show my rising stress levels.
"Isn't this too much?" Enji frantically asks.
The President stays quiet as they continue to observe. My stress levels are at an all time high. I grow scared and frustrated, forcing me to defend myself. My hands glow with gold energy and I begin to shoot in all directions, jolting them back with strong recoil. The cannons continue to bombard me while I try my best to aim and hit them. I manage to destroy a few but my aim is way off, overpowered by the bombardment. My body then glows entirely in gold energy.
"Nuclear energy rising," the personnel reports back in the control room.
"Good, keep it going," the President says.
"Stop it!" I shriek through the monitor. "Please!"
My body glows brighter as I kneel and bring myself to the floor, grasping at my hair. The cannons continue their firing. The monitors beep as my stress levels are in red at their highest. Enji continues to watch with wide eyes.
"Nuclear status rising," the personnel reports.
"Almost there…" the President observes.
I shriek as the glow around my body increases, spreading throughout the nuclear chamber. It reaches the walls of the chamber, melting the cannons away. My shrieks continue to echo.
"Nuclear energy at its peaking point!" the personnel reports.
"Just a little longer…" the President says.
The nuclear status monitor begins to beep and blink red. I let out a scream as I feel myself losing control.
"Cool her down," the President instructs.
The personnel slams on a red button. Freezing water floods into the nuclear chamber, quickly filling it up. I try to gasp for air before I'm fully immersed in water. The nuclear energy monitor sees a slow drop in radiation as freezing water rapidly flows through the chamber, carrying the heat away through open pipes. This goes on for about a minute. Enji watches me through the monitor struggling to hold my breath, thrashing around in the water. I eventually can't hold my breath any longer and my eyes slowly close. My small body floats in the water as my vitals look bad.
"That's enough!" Enji shouts. "She's only four years old, damn it!"
The President waits a bit longer until the radiation is under control.
"Empty the chamber," she finally says.
The chamber is emptied through funnels, my body floating to the bottom of the chamber as I'm unconscious while laying on my stomach.
"Is this your idea of training her?" Enji furrows his brows.
"This is the only way," the President responds.
"You could kill her!"
"Would you rather have us die instead?"
Enji grits his teeth at the President, his gaze then returning to the monitor where he can see me lying unconscious. He balls his fists as he clenches his jaw.
"There has to be another way…" Enji says.
"This is the only way," the President insists. "It's the quickest way for her to control her quirk."
"But she's so young."
"All the better to get her used to it sooner."
Enji lowers his gaze as he tries to think of a better way to help me.
"Why do this to her?" Enji asks.
"Her quirk is the result of her parents' quirks combined," the President responds. "You do remember who her parents were, don't you?"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean she'll be the same!"
"You don't know that."
"Neither do you."
"We cannot afford any risk. Her parents' past are the reason I'm taking such cautious measures with her."
"They're extreme measures."
"Hm."
"There has to be another way."
"If you come up with a plan that could work, I'll consider it," the President turns to leave.
Enji's eyes narrow at her as she walks through sliding doors. His gaze returns to the monitor and stares at my unconscious body, feeling helpless.
'I'll find a way to help you...Akira,' he thinks to himself.
Enji closes his eyes as he remembers my small unconscious body in that nuclear chamber.
"You remember our training methods, don't you?" the President asks.
"How could I forget such harsh treatment?" Enji retorts.
"The top priority of the Hero Public Safety Commission is keeping peace. This involves managing the interactions between heroes and society as a whole and investigating the most dangerous cases of criminality. She falls under that investigation."
"I only hope it doesn't backfire on you," Enji is sarcastic.
"I also want to remind you that we want the students in the internships to gain experience fighting villains. Do as I instruct. That is all."
The President hangs up.
"Tch!" Enji slams the phone down in disgust. 'Your methods could possibly do the exact opposite of what you intend…' he thinks of the President. 'But I know Akira won't sway in that dark direction… I'll allow her to keep researching the Liberation Army...without the President's knowledge.'