Beneath the Hero's Mask
Chapter 8
Class 1-A stood outside the USJ. The police were still arresting and transporting the numerous Villains; a detective with the head of a cat performed a head count of all the students.
"…eighteen… nineteen… twenty. That's all of them. Everyone is pretty much unharmed; everyone except for you, young man— though I hear that was not a Villain's doing." The detective faced Izuku, whose arm had been broken during the brawl against the Villains. "You should go to the nurse's office. All-Might and Thirteen are already there recuperating from the fight. I'll go take one last look inside."
Izuku nodded and started moving towards the nurse's office. As he was leaving, he turned quickly to look at Ren.
Ren could not decipher Izuku's look, but he had a good idea what he could possibly mean. Once the class was alone, a palpable tension took over the atmosphere. No one wanted to poke the proverbial elephant in the room. He could feel the weight of everyone's stares on him. After what seemed like an eternity, Ren felt a finger on his shoulder to get his attention. He turned around to see a floating pair of gloves.
"Ren… is it true?" Toru asked.
Ren looked at the ground in embarrassment. He had never felt more exposed before.
Ida looked at her in confusion. "Is what true?"
Everyone shared looks as they realised Ida was the only one out of the loop. No one dared to be the first to fill him in, until Asui spoke up.
"Amamiya is the rumoured vigilante at U.A. He is actually Joker. A Villain recognised him from a previous encounter."
"What? That's impossible!" Ida exclaimed. "Isn't that right, Amamiya? Tell them there's no way that's true."
Ren turned his back to the group. He took a long inhale and an even longer exhale before finally speaking. "It's true."
Gasps could be heard in unison. Although most of them already suspected it, getting confirmation of the rumours from the horse's mouth was still quite shocking for the class.
Ida's expression turned to one of complete disbelief. "What?! There's no way… Y-you… you deceived us!"
"That's not true! He never lied to any of us." Mina jumped in to defend Ren.
"Lying by omission is still lying." Ojiro countered.
"B-but… Why would you do this? Don't you realise that by breaking the law you are essentially no different than a Villain?" Ida asked.
"How can you say that? He just risked his life fighting with us side by side against actual Villains!" Kaminari said.
"That's true…" Todoroki said from the back, seizing everyone's attention. "I thank you for your help back there, Amamiya, but don't think for a second that you are welcome here. You are taking a spot in the class that should belong to a real Hero." His expression was as cold as usual, but the venom in his voice was evident.
Ida shook his head. "I have misjudged you, Amamiya. I cannot express how disappointed I am in you."
"What's going on here?" The students were taken by surprise by the sudden arrival of Mr. Aizawa, who was accompanied by Principal Nezu.
Everyone fell back into place and looked downwards, with the exception for Todoroki.
"Why don't you ask Joker?" The boy said, scornfully.
The teachers' eyes went wide at the revelation that the secret was out. Mr. Aizawa started massaging his temples to alleviate his incipient headache while the principal simply covered his mouth with his paw.
Before either of the could say anything, they were interrupted by the arrival of a police car. From the driver's side exited a detective clad in a tan trench coat and a matching hat. The man surveyed his surroundings until his eyes stopped on Eraserhead and principal Nezu. Familiarity appeared in his eyes, he waved at the pro Heroes and walked towards them.
"Principal, there you are." The man said.
"Ah, Tsukauchi. I'm glad it is you that's in charge of this case."
"Oh well, you see… I will be leading the investigation, but I am not exactly in charge of the case."
The two teachers looked at each other with an arched eyebrow. Their confusion was interrupted by the thud of the other car door closing, followed by the rhythmic clacking of high heels against the ground. From the passenger side emerged a tall, gorgeous woman with long silver hair and eyes the colour of intense crimson. She approached the trio of men, drawing the eyes of everyone in the vicinity in the process. Her head-turning beauty was only eclipsed by her severe demeanour. Many had been the men that made the grave mistake of suggesting she 'should smile more'.
Tsukauchi gestured towards the woman. "Principal Nezu, Eraserhead; this is—"
"Sae Nijima…" Eraserhead said mockingly. "To what do we owe the pleasure? Did you run out of criminals to jail back in Tokyo?"
"Why? were you hoping to adopt another one?" She retorted before quickly shooting Ren a disdainful look. The gesture didn't go unnoticed by his classmates. He wished the earth would swallow him up.
Principal Nezu was quick to interject. "It is nice to see you as well, madame prosecutor. Nevertheless, I must admit I am also curious as to what brings you to my humble School."
"I am here to clean up this mess." Sae responded. "The Public Safety Commission has had this criminal group in their sights for a while. There have been reports of Villains being recruited in large numbers, now we know why."
"They call themselves the League of Villains. The PSC is forming a special taskforce to investigate them, and because of her stellar track record, Miss Nijima has been appointed to lead it." Tsukauchi continued. "One of our units has apprehended the monster that All-Might fought. It appears to be non-respondent to any commands, but it is not hostile either. We would like your permission to let the force investigate every inch of this school to find out any clue that may help us."
"Of course, anything you need. We should continue this conversation in the conference room. Would you be so kind as to follow me? Eraserhead, I'll leave you a moment with your students. Meet us in the conference room when you're done." The principal said as he guided their guests away.
"That woman…" Aizawa sighed in annoyance once they were out of earshot. He moved towards class 1-A, who were still waiting by the side.
"You're dismissed for today; go home, I'm sure your families are all very worried. Classes will be cancelled tomorrow. Try to get some rest and recuperate. See you all on Monday." The teacher said, and subsequently went to reunite with the principal.
One by one, the students took their leave without another word, but not before giving one last look at Ren. He felt unable to move his body. For a moment everything felt hard to believe; as if this was all a bad dream and he would wake up at any moment. He pinched himself in the arm to reiterate that he was indeed very much awake.
Ren considered for a moment going to the nurse's office to talk with Izuku, but he figured that his presence was the last thing he needed at the moment. Soon enough, almost everyone had left the campus. Ren looked up to find there were only him and Yaoyorozu left. She was staring at the ground, motionless. Ren stared at her, hoping she would meet his gaze. She remained in that position momentarily, until she averted her eyes to the side and walked away without saying anything to Ren.
If Ren hadn't been rendered numb by today's experience, he was sure that the pain now would have been too much to bear. He hadn't felt so alone since right before becoming Joker.
Ren grabbed another plate and soaked it under the open tap. His hands lingered underwater for a moment. He focused on the sensation. The warm water against his skin, the coarseness of his hands after washing dishes for who knows how long. Anything to keep the events from yesterday off his mind.
The lunch rush was finally over and LeBlanc was once more taken over by its characteristic quietness. Ren was keeping himself occupied with a pile of dirty dishes; Sojiro polished the bar with a rag while sneaking assessing glances at the boy from the corner of his eye. Ren had hardly said a word the whole day, and it's not that the kid was the most loquacious, but he was not one to let go of the opportunity to deliver sass. Even when Sojiro tried to set him up with a suggestive question, Ren only responded with monosyllables.
"The dishes are done." Ren said from the kitchen. "Is there anything else I can do? I can clean the toilet or—"
He was interrupted by the clank of porcelain against hardwood. Sojiro laid a plate of curry and a cup of coffee on the bar.
"No. You're going to take a break and you're going to eat. I still think you should've taken the day off, but if you insist on working today at least you're going to take the legally required lunch break."
Ren obeyed without any further protest. He sat down in one of the stools and started eating with an obvious lack of enthusiasm. Sojiro knew something was up with the kid, and that if he wanted to know he'd have to pry it from his cold hands. In the short time he had had him under his care, he had grown quite fond of the boy; it pained him to see him like that. He tried to use his limited parental skills.
"What's got you down? And don't tell me it's because of what happened yesterday. I know you well enough by now, kid— and I know what you've been through. Hell, those Villains were probably way more scared of you than you of them. There's something else going on."
Ren stopped eating and laid his fork on the bar, but he did not lift his eyes from the plate. He gripped tightly at his knees, as if conflicted on whether or not he should speak up.
"They don't call me a silver fox just because of my good looks, you know? I don't know much, but I've learned a thing or two in my many years. Perhaps I can offer some advice." He continued.
Ren took a second before finally speaking. "They found out."
"Who found out what?"
"My classmates, they… they found out about me; about my past"
Sojiro sighed. That was definitely worse than a Villain attack. "It didn't go very well, I presume."
"That's putting it mildly…"
"What happened?"
"One of the Villains recognised me inside the USJ. Apparently I'd beaten him before. Everyone was there. No one said anything afterwards, it was quite tense. Eventually a fight broke out and things got heated…" "Some of my classmates made it very clear that someone like me is not welcome in a place like U.A." Ren said.
Even if he did his best to hide it, Sojiro could tell just how much the incident affected him.
"Ren, let me ask you this. Do you feel guilty about your time as Joker? Do you regret operating outside the law to save people?"
"Of course not. I would do it again in a heartbeat."
"Then why are you letting those other people make you feel guilty about it?" Sojiro asked. "You had to grow up a lot faster than your peers. They simply cannot understand your situation. You have done a great deal of good, kid. I'm not saying you should be proud of having broken the law, but you are not a bad person. And you are trying to do things right this time, you're going to school to become a pro Hero. And if you ask me, I think you're going to be a damn good Hero someday.
Ren mulled over his guardian's words. What he said might be true, but the harsh vitriol from Todoroki still echoed in his mind. Was someone like him truly worthy of forgiveness?
"Do you know why I took you in?" Sojiro continued.
"Principal Nezu just said you owed him a favour. I didn't ask why; I thought it'd be rude after you had already done so much by accepting to take care of me."
"Well, I might tell you that story one day, but the reason I accepted to take you in is because I know what it's like. Having to take on the world by yourself, especially for someone as young as you. When you've been dealt a bad hand and you feel you've lost everything, what you need the most is someone to guide you through the tunnel."
Ren tried his hardest to hold back a tear, but not a sad one. He was taken by surprise by Sojiro's ability for profoundness. In that moment he realised that LeBlanc felt like home, and that Sojiro might be the closest thing he had to a father. "Thank you, boss; that really does help. It's just that for the first time in a long time I thought I'd found somewhere I could belong, but I guess I should've known better. "
"What about your friends? What did Izuku say?"
"We didn't really get the chance to talk, but I'm not sure he's still interested in being my friend."
"That's nonsense, kid. I've known Izuku since he was little, and I can tell you he's not the kind of boy that abandons his friends. In fact, knowing him, he's probably worried about you right know; wondering how you're taking all this revelation business."
Ren frowned. That was true, Izuku was friendly towards him since the beginning, and he had never given him any reason to doubt him. He had even defended Joker's actions in front of the class before even knowing his secret identity. All of this and yet Ren didn't even give him the benefit of the doubt. This only made him feel even more guilty.
Sojiro cleared Ren's plate and threw the rag at his face to snap him out of it. "That's it. You're going to take the rest of the day off, you're going to call Izuku, and you're going to spend your free day with a friend like a normal teenager. I won't take no for an answer." He said as he walked to the kitchen.
Ren felt the grip of anxiety in his chest. The truth was, he really wanted to speak with Izuku again, but he wasn't sure what to say. He took out his phone and stared at it blankly for a long while.
He finally gathered the courage to send a text message.
RA: Hey, Izuku. Are you free? Do you maybe want to get some coffee at LeBlanc? It's on me.
"That's good enough, right? Short and to the point, doesn't sound too clingy... Wait, does it sound too cold? Perhaps I should have added an emoji… no, I needed to stop overthinking!" He thought.
He left his phone to the side and with no customers in sight, he focused on tidying around the café.
Ten minutes passed and Ren checked his phone. No response yet.
"It's ok, he might just be busy right now. Give him time."
He tried to keep himself from constantly checking his phone. He decided to continue reading the 'The Great Thief' in the meantime. Another half hour passed, six more chapters read and still no response from Izuku. Just as Ren's imagination was starting to stray into worst case scenarios, his phone buzzed.
RA: Hey, Izuku. Are you free? Do you maybe want to get some coffee at LeBlanc? It's on me.
IM: Sorry for taking so long. We're on our way!
"Oh, thank god! Wait a second… 'we'?"
Ren hadn't even finished his thought when the chime of LeBlanc's door opening rang. A familiar head of green hair entered the café, though it was not alone.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Sakura. Is Ren— oh Ren, there you are!" Izuku said. "I brought some company along, I hope you don't mind."
Sure enough, he had four of their classmates in tow. Toru, Jiro, Uraraka, and Tokoyami entered the café right after Izuku and looked around in admiration at the establishment.
"Ah, what a nice smell!" Uraraka said.
"Oh my god, this place is so cool! It's like, old-fashioned but also very charming." Toru said.
"People refer to that as 'retro'." Jiro added.
"Hey, Izuku. It's nice to see you." Sojiro said. "Who are they?"
"Hi! My name is Toru Hagakure. We're Ren's friends from school."
"Three girls? Damn, kid's got moves..." Sojiro muttered to himself. "I must thank you all for keeping an eye on him at school."
"Oh, it's not a problem at all. He's been really great, and he helped us out a lot yesterday."
"Is that so? Then why don't you sit down? Have a cup of coffee on the house." The barista turned to his apprentice. "You're helping though"
The 5 teenagers took seat in one of the booths; Toru and Jiro on one side, Uraraka and Izuku on the other, Tokoyami appended a stool from the bar to the edge of the table. With Ren's help, Sojiro started brewing a fresh batch of coffee. Then, his phone started ringing. He picked it up and greeted.
"Hey, what's up?... Huh? It's not right? ...Not cute? That was the one the staff recommended to me though… Won't that printer do? Huh? It'll do, but it's not it? ...OK, I'll be right over."
Sojiro hung up and let out a defeated sigh. "This might take a while… I'm leaving the store to you. Lock up for me if I don't come back." He said to Ren.
Ren nodded and took over behind the bar. "Sure thing, Boss."
Shortly after Sojiro left, the coffee was finally ready and Ren started serving his friends. The group had yet to speak; he knew the reason for the awkward silence, but he did not know how to approach the subject. He decided to start by asking the question in his mind.
"What are you all doing here?" He said. "Don't get me wrong, I'm very happy that you came; I just wasn't expecting it."
Izuku nervously scratched the back of his head. "Uraraka told me what happened yesterday after I left… I figured you must have felt really lonely, so I messaged them; I figured you needed to remember that you still have people in your corner." Izuku said, his expression then turned more dejected. "I'm so sorry, Ren. For not being there to defend you, for not reaching out afterwards. I should've called you right after I got home. I'm such a terrible friend…"
Ren put a hand on the boy's shoulder. "That's not true, Izuku. The fact that you're here now proves it. Thank you–thank you all for being here."
Toru beamed from her seat. "It's the least we could do Ren, you're our friend! We will always be here for you, especially after what we went through together."
"That's right. Most people in our class are actually on your side, it's just that the truth about your identity came as a shock to us all. I'm sure the rest will come around eventually." Uraraka said.
Ren regarded her words. It was probably true that not everyone took the news so badly, but he had a particular person in mind.
"Has… has any of you spoken with Yaoyorozu?" He said shyly.
Jiro frowned; her eyes downcast as she spoke. "I, uh… I asked her if she wanted to come here too, but she said she was unavailable…"
Ren failed to conceal his disillusionment. He had come to really appreciate Momo Yaoyorozu as a friend. Through their battle trial, chess match and even the USJ incident, they had grown closer than he originally expected, and he was left wanting to get to know her better. He lamented himself for having screwed up that friendship, potentially irreversibly so.
"I'm sure she would've liked to be here. I know you two are also friends. It's not like she's avoiding you… I hope" Jiro said, the last part under her breath.
"Yeah, it's not like Ida and Todoroki. Honestly, they were so rude yesterday! What they said was totally uncalled for." Toru said.
"I can't really blame them for feeling that way, though." Ren said.. "I probably should've come clean from the beginning; maybe if I explain to them why I became Joker then they'd—"
"No."
They all shifted their eyes to Tokoyami, who had been silent up until now. His voice had a surprisingly serous tone.
He turned to look Ren directly in the eyes. "You don't owe anyone an explanation. I'm sure you must have had a good reason to turn to Vigilantism, but none of that should matter. You have proven to us what kind of person you are; you're not a criminal, and certainly not bad guy. You saved my life, and for that I will be forever grateful. I don't care whether you are Joker or not. To me, Amamiya, you are a Hero."
Ren was speechless at his friend's heartfelt speech. He could only respond with his most sincere smile.
"Hell yeah! Don't let anyone get you down, Amamiya. You're like the coolest guy I know." Jiro said with her fist pumped "Honestly, we should've figured out you were Joker way sooner; You're so much better than anyone in our class."
"Indeed." Tokoyami nodded. "I hope you are still willing to train me in hand-to-hand combat."
Toru hurriedly put her hands on the table. "Wait a second, you're giving Tokoyami fighting lessons?!... Ren, do you think you could teach me how to fight too? My quirk is not really the best at combat…"
"Ooh me too, me too! I guess I can float Villains, but I'm pretty much useless if I get into a real fight." Uraraka chimed in.
"Getting to learn from one of the most accomplished Vigilantes in Japan? That would certainly be an incredible opportunity!" Izuku put a hand to his chin, adopted a pensive look and started muttering to himself. "Even though he has a formidable quirk, Ren is also quite skilled in hand-to-hand combat. His form is somewhat unpolished, but he makes up in agility. His style is reminiscent of…"
Ren intervened before Izuku could go into another one of his long-winded rants.
"Sure, I could teach you all some tricks."
"Awesome." Jiro said. "By the way, this coffee was really good! Could I get another one?"
"Also, is that curry I smell? I need to try some of that." Uraraka added.
"Coming right up." Ren said as he stood to fulfil the order.
Ren finally felt at ease. He hadn't forgot about the events from yesterday, but his friends made everything more bearable. Things might not always be easy, but he knew that he didn't have to take on the world alone anymore.