Beneath the Hero's Mask
Chapter 6
Ren and Izuku were walking towards U.A. from the train station while engaging in a lively discussion.
"… essentially, my point is that he only ranks so highly thanks to his popularity amongst kids." Izuku said.
"Hey, don't disrespect Wash like that! He's deserves his spot in the top 20. I'm telling you, he would totally destroy Endeavour in a fight. Water is strong against fire, after all. It's only logical!" Ren responded to playfully tick off his friend.
"I can see your reason for thinking that, Ren. But you are failing to take into account that…" The boy was distracted by something mid-sentence. "Hey, what's that crowd over there?"
Ren looked ahead to see a large crowd gathered around the gates of U.A. High School. He noticed many of them had cameras, microphones, and tape recorders.
"Oh no, it's the media." Ren said with contempt.
"What are they doing here?"
"Probably trying to scavenge for a scoop to sell to the highest bidder. They're just a pack of vultures."
They approached the gates to enter the school, but when their presence was noticed, they were immediately mobbed by reporters. A woman shoved a microphone in Izuku's face.
"Hey, You! Tell us what it's like to study under All-Might. How is he adjusting to teaching life? Is he the cool and down with the youth type? What's his stance on corporal punishment?"
Of course, they were after the number one Hero. Ren was disgusted by such predatory behaviour.
Izuku felt exposed in the spotlight. "Umm… I-I am not—"
Ren snatched the microphone for himself. "I can tell you all about Professor All-Might. What's his morning ritual? Does he like pineapple on his pizza? Listen up, folks! I've got all the juicy gossip."
The eyes of the reporter lit up, the rest of the crowd gatherer tightly around Ren to catch a piece of the story.
"I've heard that he and Sir Nighteye secretly %# !$ hated each other, he allegedly called him a &^%$ !$#%^&$#" Ren started spewing the most outlandish rumours his imagination allowed, all while strategically placing extremely obscene words in between the drivel. "Also, he stuffs a ! #^&* sock down there to make his…"
The multitude of reporters became appalled at the masterful display of foul language. It was so scandalizing it could have offed a weak-hearted old lady.
"Damn. That boy can put my sailor father to shame…" One of the cameramen whispered.
The reporter retrieved the microphone from Ren's hand with a horrified look.
"What the hell, kid?! You know we can't air any of those words. This footage is useless!" She reproached in anger.
"Oh, is that the case? My bad." He replied with a shrug.
Ren turn around and crossed the gate into school, Izuku following shortly after.
The green-haired boy stared at his friend with wide eyes, flabbergasted by the sheer profanity of his speech.
"Wow, Ren… I didn't even know you could… That was insane. I don't know whether I've lost respect for you or if I now respect you even more."
"Oh, that? I just wanted to mess with them a little bit."
"Well, mission accomplished."
They finally made their way into their classroom, where the students chatted idly around the room while the waited for homeroom to start.
"Hey, Midoriya. You're looking a lot better than yesterday." Ida greeted.
"Yeah, thanks. That was quite intense for a first lesson, wasn't it?"
"Tell me about it!" Kirishima jumped in. "It's a shame you were out right after the first battle. You didn't get to see Todoroki freezing an entire building, or Amamiya going all ninja."
"Aw, right. I'm sorry I missed your battle, Ren. How did it go?"
"Don't worry, I didn't really do much. We won in the end, though."
"You should've seen it! Him and Yaoyorozu shut the power and used the darkness to play mind games on the other team." Ashido added.
"Yeah, and apparently Amamiya has X-ray vision and can see through people's clothes." Mineta said.
"That's no it at all!" Ren protested.
The door finally opened and in walked their homeroom teacher.
"First of all, I'd like to give you props for your performance on yesterday's combat training. I went through the video feeds and saw a lot of promising results." Eraserhead said. "Nevertheless, there is still room for improvement."
"Bakugo, you are talented; you can't let a loss bring you down like an immature child. Midoriya, you sacrificed your arm again to win the battle; you can't keep using that strategy to solve your every problem. You have to train harder and think harder to use your Quirk to its full potential. Hagakure and Kaminari, your initial plan for a surprise attack was solid, but when the tables were turned, you succumbed to the pressure. You need to learn how to adapt and think on your feet. Also, when in doubt, try to stick together. Amamiya and Yaoyorozu won that round by dividing and conquering."
The teacher gave feedback sternly but patiently. After putting the threat of expulsion from the first day behind, class 1-A had come to realise that Mr. Aizawa was actually a highly competent teacher.
"Moving on, first order of business for today. You have to choose a class representative. I'll give you an hour to decide, in the meantime I'm going to take a nap; don't disturb me." The teacher finished before snuggling down in his sleeping bag.
Everyone raised their hands wanting to assume the position of class representative. Seeing that they were getting nowhere that way, Ida spoke up.
"The position of class representative is not to be taken lightly. It comes with the great responsibility of leading everyone. It is imperative for the class representative to have the trust of every student in the class. Therefore, the best way to determine our representative is through a democratic vote; whoever can accumulate the most votes must truly be deserving of the title"
And with that sound argument, the class started casting ballots wit their votes. When Ren's turn came, he didn't think twice; he already had someone in mind befitting of the title.
Shortly after, the votes were counted and the results revealed. "And the results say… it's a tie! Midoriya and Yaoyorozu both have 3 votes each."
"What do we do now?"
On cue, Mr. Aizawa awoke from his nap. "We'll do a tiebreaker between these two after lunch. For now, let's carry on with class."
This time Ren did join Izuku, Ida and Uraraka for lunch at the Lunch Rush Cafeteria, and he did not regret that decision. The quality of the food rivalled that of an upscale restaurant. The group briefly discussed the unexpected elections results, and Ida disclosed his lineage as part of the famous Ida family. The other three were not too shocked to learn that the blue haired boy came from an aristocratic background, given his tightly-wound personality. Midway through their lunch, an alarm rang in the cafeteria, along with an automated voice.
"Warning. Level 3 security breach. All students, please evacuate in an orderly fashion."
"No way, this can't be happening. This means someone's manged to get past the school security system. This is bad!"
Panic and chaos took over the student body, who promptly ignored the instructions and rushed to the exits.
"What the hell? Why is everyone freaking out so much?" Ren asked.
"U.A.'s security system is one of the best in the world. I can only imagine who would be capable of trespassing it…" Ida responded. He looked around trying to ascertain the cause of the commotion. He looked out the window to see the mass of reporters that accosted them on their way to school. "It's just the press from this morning! Everyone, calm down, there's no need to panic, it's just…" He tried to alleviate the agitation, but his words fell on deaf ears. "It's no use, I need a way to get everyone's attention."
Ren saw Ida's struggle and knew what needed to be done.
*Doot Doot*
A thunderous brassy sound reverberated through the hallways, causing everyone to turn their heads to its source.
In the air hovered a massive, winged skeleton, it wore a white tunic and wielded a large ornamented trumpet in its hand. Its macabre presence inundated the area with silence. Ren interrupted the brief moment of piece with a shout.
"Everyone, listen up!" Once he had seized the focus of the room, he looked at Ida. "You're up."
Ida was quick to catch on to Ren's plan. He nodded and turned to address the crowd.
"Don't be dismayed, fellow students. The alarm was triggered by the media outside the school. There is nothing to worry about, everything is okay. As U.A. students we are supposed to remain calm in critical situations." "Form two neat lines and steadily head towards the emergency exits following evacuation protocol. There is no need for pushing and rushing."
Ida's confident and commanding tone left no room for objections. The students obeyed and calmly exited the main building to the school's courtyard. Soon enough, Principal Nezu's voice came from the school's P.A., directing everyone to return to class. On the way back to their homeroom, Ida approached Ren.
"Quick thinking, Amamiya. Thank you for your help."
"No need to thank me. You're the one that gave me the idea, and you also put everyone in line. You spoke like a true leader. Now I kinda feel bad for not voting for you for class rep."
Ida gave him a bittersweet smile. He was obviously coveting the title of class representative, and felt great disappointment when he failed to gain the confidence of his classmates to vote for him.
Once they arrived in the classroom, class 1-A started preparing for the election tiebreaker. Before the voting could begin again, Izuku spoke up.
"There is something I need to say. I feel honoured that you'd vote me as class representative, but I don't think I am fit for this position. I've thought a lot about it, and I believe that Tenya Ida is the best person to represent our class." His classmates wondered what could have prompted this change of heart. "He cares so much about this class, and today at the cafeteria he showed us all he is capable of taking responsibility and leading in a dire situation."
Izuku's speech garnered support from the students in favour of Ida. Comments of agreement could be heard around the room.
"If you nominate me for this position, then I humbly accept. I will fulfil the duties of class representative to the best of my abilities."
Mr. Aizawa cut the celebration short. "Alright, alright. Ida is the new class rep. Hurry up and get this over with. The principal has called an emergency faculty meeting. All the afternoon classes have been cancelled. You are dismissed for the day."
Everyone cheered at the prospect of a free afternoon and started getting ready to leave. Ren turned to Izuku.
"Hey, Izuku. Since we have this unexpected free time, do you want to hang out after school?"
"Um, I was actually thinking of going straight home and work on my training. I really need to focus on improving if I want to get a handle of my quirk."
"Well, you do you, but don't burn yourself out. A break is also a part of any good training regimen. "
The two boys started to leave when they ran into Toru and Uraraka on their way out.
"Hey, Ren! Since class is apparently cancelled, the girls were planning on going to the mall to get crepes. Would you like to join us?" Toru asked.
"You should come too, Deku!" Uraraka quickly added.
"Yes! Of course we'll come. Right, Ren?"
He was not surprised in the slightest that his friend changed his mind at Uraraka's request. "Sure. We'd love to join you."
The four of them headed to the school gates where they met with the rest of the girls from class 1-A.
"Hey girls, we invited Ren and Midoriya to tag along. Hope that's okay."
Ren greeted the girls with a small nod and a charming smile, while Izuku waved at them nervously.
"Absolutely. I've been wanting to get to know these two better." Ashido said enthusiastically. "Let's get going!"
The group placed their orders at the crepe stand and moved onto one of the large round tables in the food court to eat. Ren strategically chose his seat to allow Izuku to seat next to Uraraka while he sat on his other side. He could tell the green-haired boy was feeling skittish with them being the only two boys surrounded by girls. Ren decided to ease the tension by getting a conversation going.
"We are honoured you invited us to hang out with your exclusive girls club."
"It's our pleasure. You can consider yourselves honorary girls." Ashido replied.
"Do I get a badge?"
His joke got a few laughs around the table and successfully broke the ice.
"Maybe we should make it an official club. We do spend a lot of time the six of us together." Toru said.
"I suppose it's because there are so few girls in our class." Asui guessed.
Yaoyorozu sighed. "It is unfortunate that our class' gender ratio is so heavily skewed towards men."
"That's funny, I heard Mineta say the same thing on the first day of school." Ren said.
"I believe he actually used the words 'This sucks, man. Our class is a sausage fest'." Jiro corrected.
He chuckled at the spot-on Mineta impression. "I personally don't really mind, though. I always take quality over quantity."
"Ooh, funny and charming. I can see why you like this one so much, Toru." Ashido teased her friend.
Toru waved her arms vehemently. "It's not like that!"
"She's blushing." Ren said.
"Ren! Don't tell them that!"
"It's so freaky how you can actually see her…" Uraraka thought out loud.
"Yeah. Tell us, Amamiya. What does Toru look like? Is she pretty?" Ashido asked.
"Of course"
"The prettiest in class?"
"I'm not falling for that."
"And he's smart too." She said, satisfied with his response.
Ren smiled fondly at the conversation. He really appreciated Izuku's friendship, but he was not exactly the best at witty banter. It was nice to have someone to engage in quick-fire repartee with. His life had also missed a feminine touch for the last couple of years. Hanging out with the girls from 1-A brought a sense of normalcy back for him.
He kept the conversation flowing. "I do agree that the school experience differs a lot with a mostly male class. Back in middle school there was only a few boys in my class."
"What middle school did you go to?" Yaoyorozu asked.
"Shujin Academy, in Tokyo."
Asui put a finger against her mouth. "Shujin Academy… That name rings a bell, but I can't quite remember where I heard it before."
"So you're from Tokyo, huh? You do have that big-city vibe." Ashido followed.
"I hope that's a good thing." Ren joked. "I moved here recently to attend U.A."
"So, how are you liking this town so far?" Toru inquired.
"It's quite nice, actually. The people are friendlier, the shops are less expensive… the girls are prettier." He said with a wink, earning him another round of giggles from the table. "And I got a great part time job at a café. So all in all, things are pretty good."
Ashido and Toru jumped at the discovery of Ren's employment.
"Oh my god you work at a café? That's so cool"
"What's the name? I'll have to go and try some of your coffee."
"I'd rather you didn't. I'm still just an apprentice. The boss is teaching me how to brew, but when I try to replicate it on my own, the results are less-than-stellar. Izuku can attest to that. Isn't that right, Izuku?"
Izuku appeared distracted. "Uh, what? Oh yeah, that's right."
Uraraka noticed that Izuku had been left out of the conversation. She felt bad and decided to do something to fix it.
"What about you, Deku, where did you go to middle school?"
"I actually went to the same middle school as Kacchan. Aldera Junior High."
"Oh, that makes sense. I thought it was weird that Bakugo seemed to hate you already on the first day of school." Asui added.
"Yeah, why is that? Did you two have a crush on the same girl or something?" Toru asked.
"I'm also curious. I'm having a hard time understanding how someone could hate you so much, Deku. You're such a nice guy! " Uraraka said with a wide smile.
"Oh, t-thank you." Izuku blushed lightly. "Umm, it's a bit of a long story…"
"That Bakugo sure is a piece of work, isn't he?" Ashido said.
Jiro laughed. "Apparently he didn't get the memo that the whole 'young offender' aesthetic is so out of fashion."
"He's not that bad, honestly. He can be a bit rough sometimes, but I know that deep down he is a good person." Izuku tried to defend his rival.
Uraraka seemed confuse by his reaction. "But he's always so angry at everyone, and he insults you constantly."
"That's because he is so driven and set on his goals that it makes him inflexible. I don't know anyone else as motivated to become the number one hero as him. I actually admire him a little bit; our rivalry only motivates me to try even harder."
From the corner of his eye, Ren observed Uraraka. She seemed engrossed by Izuku's passion. She looked at him as he spoke with true admiration in her eyes. He realised that his friend might actually have a chance there, and he would do anything in his power to help him.
As the time passed, the conversation slowed and eventually the group parted ways. Ren and Izuku took the train together as customary. Their car was almost empty thanks to the early time, and both of them managed to score a seat.
"Ren, can I ask you something?"
"Sure, what's up?"
"How do you do that?"
"Do what?"
"You know. Talk with girls like that. You're always so funny and confident." Izuku said while looking at the floor. "I want to be more like you."
Ren couldn't help but laugh at the request.
"Is that so funny?"
"You don't have to worry about that, Izuku. You are alright just being yourself. There are girls out there looking for a guy exactly like you."
"You really think so?"
"I'm sure of it."
Momo Yaoyorozu sat in the library of U.A. High school. Classes wouldn't start for another half hour, but she had made a habit out of arriving to school early to enjoy the peace and quiet of having the library all to herself.
She had been an avid reader since her early childhood, having devoured every book in the private library of the Yaoyorozu estate before even entering primary school. It was only natural she'd seize the opportunity to peruse U.A.'s extensive collection, which included obscure tomes about the study of Quirks and the history of Heroics, as well as many literary classics.
Finally satisfied with her reading for the morning, she decided to go outside to stretch her legs. She sauntered around the school courtyard, admiring the modern architecture and the well-maintained landscape of the campus. She eventually reached the area outside the main building, where she saw a familiar head of frizzy black hair sitting on one of the outdoor tables. Opposite to him sat a winged demonic entity, clad in red and wearing a tall top hat.
Ren spotted Yaoyorozu from a distance and waved the girl over. As she walked closer she noticed a small, foldable chessboard on its surface.
"Hello there."
"Good morning, Amamiya. Fancy seeing you here at this hour."
"My guardian had some business in town, so he offered to give me a ride. It beats taking the train, but now I have some time to kill." He said while pointing at the board.
"Are you… playing chess against one of your personas?"
"Well, Arsène is technically a part of me, so it's more like I'm playing chess against myself." Ren explained. "And I must say, I have yet to find a more worthy opponent."
She rolled her eyes at his joke, but she couldn't deny the charm in the boy's cockiness.
Ren recalled the Pillager of Twilight and gestured towards the now empty seat in front of him. "Care for a game?"
"I'm actually more of a shogi player, but I am somewhat familiar with chess." She lingered for a second before making up her mind. "I guess I could go for a quick game."
She took a seat and Ren arranged the pieces into place. He rotated the board to offer Yaoyorozu the white side.
"Ladies first"
"My, what a gentleman."
"It's the least I can do. You probably need all the help you can get." Ren said with a cheeky smile, trying to entice her competitive side.
Oh, now it was on! She originally intended to play a casual match, but she would gladly take the chance to take Ren down a few pegs.
"How very kind of you." She said sarcastically. "I'll take the black side, Amamiya."
"Are you sure? As you wish."
Ren made his first move without much deliberation, a Pawn to D4. It was a very standard opening move; he opted for going easy on his less experienced opponent.
She reacted with a Knight to F6
Ren arched an eyebrow. It was a bit of an odd play, but nothing too unusual. He ignored it and continued with the game. After a couple more moves, Ren was taken by surprise. He recognized Yaoyorozu's opening as the famous Nimzo-Indian Defence. A play beyond the knowledge of a mere rookie.
"'Somewhat familiar', huh?"
She only responded with a knowing smile. He decided to proceed with caution and used the Rubinstein variation to keep his options open. She used her pawn aggressively to put pressure on Ren. She took her turns quickly and confidently; like someone who definitely knew what they were doing. Ren realised underestimating a girl like Momo Yaoyorozu was a foolish mistake. He decided to keep testing her, hoping to learn more about what she hid beneath the surface.
Ren tried a few more advances, but she had an adequate response to fend off each one.
"Nice moves. I can tell you've played your fair share of chess" He said.
"I played a bit with my father growing up."
"Honestly, I'm not surprised."
"What do you mean?" She asked.
"Well, you are always so poised and serious. You are obviously well-read and diligent, and you put a lot of effort into your education. It's safe to assume that your parents instilled that behaviour into you. I wouldn't be surprised if they made you do stuff like taking violin lessons and join the chess club.
"It was piano, actually." She corrected. "And my parents didn't make me practice chess. I actually liked it a lot."
"Really? I reckon playing chess with their parents is not the most popular hobby amongst kids."
"It is true that my parents always emphasised nurturing and stimulating my intellect. They encouraged me to succeed academically, but not in an overtly demanding way. They've never been nothing but kind and supportive." She moved another piece before resting her arms in her lap. "My father would come home from work and he'd sit down with me to drink tea and play chess. I'd tell him about my day at school and he always listened like it was the most interesting thing in the world. He usually beat me effortlessly; I was a very sore loser, so I'd practice relentlessly to get better. I was never better than him of course, but sometimes he would let me win and praise me on how much I had improved." She left out a longing sigh. "I always looked forward to our chess matches."
Ren could picture the scene vividly. He felt the nostalgia in her words. "That sounds really lovely."
"Thank you, it really was. Though, you are probably right. I suppose it is not the most common scenario." She returned her hand to the board. "What kind of stuff did you do with your parents?"
Ren paused for a minute to consider his next play. He fell into a comfortable rhythm with his centre advance, leaving his flank exposed. It was only natural she'd retaliate with an advance of her own.
"Actually, I…" He dithered briefly before deciding to continue. "My parents died when I was little. I grew up in an orphanage."
She immediately regrated asking. "Oh my god. I'm so sorry." She said with guilt.
"It's all right. It happened a long time ago." He tried to comfort her. "I don't really remember much about them. I only know that it happened after a villain attack."
"Is that the reason you want to become a Hero?"
"It's part of the reason."
She knew there was a lot more hidden behind those words. Her curiosity itched, but she felt it would be way too intrusive to pry.
Ren was pleasantly surprised with the way the match was developing. He was starting to see his opponent in a different light. The game proceeded with both players evenly matched, neither of them saying a word. Eventually Ren broke the silence.
"I'm sorry if I made the conversation get a bit too heavy. Let's change the subject." He said as he took his turn. "Any other hobbies besides chess?"
"Well, I do love reading."
He chuckled. "Figures. You even carry that book around you for your Hero costume"
"That's different. That book is just my Yaoyorictionary. It's a cheat sheet of different materials so I can look up the molecular composition of anything I may need to create in a pinch."
"You call it the 'Yaoyorictionary'?" Ren asked incredulously. "That's adorable."
The unexpected comment made her hesitate before making her next move. She felt a bit silly for using that name, which caused her to blush noticeably.
Seeing her like that stirred something in Ren; her blush was way more adorable than the book. There was a lot more to Yaoyorozu than he originally imagined. Apparently the calm and collected girl could be cracked.
"I'll have you know I don't read exclusively for educational purposes. I also enjoy reading poetry and novels, especially mystery and romance." She tried to divert.
That last part caught his attention. An idea started forming in his head. Ren saw an opening and went on the offensive.
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
She was a bit startled by the question, but carried on with her turn quickly. "I do not."
"Is that so? I would've imagined a girl as brilliant and beautiful as you would have a trail of suitors on her heels."
She ignored the blatant flattery. "You are not entirely wrong. I often receive unwanted attention from boys. I am just not interested in that sort of thing at the moment."
Ren looked down. "Oh, that's too bad."
That finally cracked her composure. She accidentally dropped her piece as she was about to move it. Was he implying what she thought he was? That couldn't be… Yaoyorozu wasn't sure of how to proceed.
"W-what?! I-I…"
Ren felt his opponent falter after successfully flustering her. He pressed on the attack with his Queen.
"Check".
She looked down at board and realised in her state of disconcert she had unwittingly made a couple of imprecise moves, leaving her King vulnerable. She narrowed her eyes at him.
"You did that on purpose!" She exclaimed.
"Do what?"
She initiated a retreating manoeuvre, but the white Queen and Rook immediately took chase. After a couple of more turns, defeat was imminent. Ren attacked with his Queen one last time.
"Check mate."
"That's not fair. You cheated!" She complained.
Ren continued to feign innocence. "Whatever do you mean?"
Before she could protest again, the first bell of the day rang, instructing them to get to class. Ren began picking up the board.
"That was fun! Let's have a rematch soon. And don't worry, I won't let you win."
"Oh, I won't either."
Yaoyorozu found herself looking forward to the challenge, wanting to get revenge on Ren. She was determined to win next time. She was a sore loser after all.
During class, Mr. Aizawa explained that class 1-A would head to a specialised facility for a Rescue Trial lesson. The students changed into their Hero costumes and boarded a shuttle towards their destination. Inside the bus, a conversation erupted, discussing the Quirks of the class, especially Izuku's, which bore uncanny resemblance to All-Might's Quirk.
"That's just a coincidence, our powers are not that similar." Izuku said to dismiss any speculation.
"Yeah, All-Might doesn't break his arm every time he throws a punch. No offence, Midoriya." Kaminari said.
"Still, though. You can do a lot of flashy stuff with an augmenting Quirk like that." Kirishima added. "Although, If we're talking about flashy quirks, Amamiya's got the flashiest by far. I mean, demonic creatures, summoning outfit and weapons command, a sixth sense. Is there something you can't do?"
"Probably fix Bakugo's bad temper." Asui quipped.
Bakugo stood from his seat. "What did you say?! You think I have a bad temper?! I'll kick your ass, frogger!"
"I don't know how you can say that, Tsu. Bakugo is the very definition of serenity." Ren said.
"That's right, I'm the… Are you making fun of me?! I'll kill you!"
Mr. Aizawa interrupted the argument. "Settle down, everyone. We're arriving."
When the students disembarked the shuttle, they saw the facade of a massive complex reminiscent of a sports stadium.
"Hello, everyone. I've been waiting for you" A person in an astronaut suit greeted them. "Some of you may know me already. I'm the Space Hero: Thirteen, and I specialise in search and rescue missions."
"This facility is designed to simulate any type of disaster. Landslides, fires, typhoons, you name it! We'll be training here to prepare you and teach you how to use your powers to deal with natural disasters and emergencies. We call it the Unforeseen Simulation Joint, or USJ for short." She proclaimed grandiosely "Let's head in."
And so the students of class 1-A went inside, excited for their Heroics lesson, blissfully unaware of what the future held for them.