Beneath the Hero's Mask
Chapter 16
The first match of the second round of the tournament had just finished. After a valiant effort, Izuku ultimately lost against Todoroki; though the encounter was a lot closer than many had expected. The time of the second round was drawing near.
As he was leaving the waiting room, Ren bumped into a familiar face.
"I was looking for you, Amamiya. I wanted have a brief conversation with you before our match." Ida said.
"What did you want to talk about?"
"I just wanted to say that I hope we can put our previous animosity behind us and have a sportsmanlike encounter."
Ren smiled with relief at his words. "I feel the same. I'm glad I could make you see things differently."
Ida nodded. "Indeed. It must have taken a lot of courage to share your reprehensible past, but I commend you for trying to make amends with society by following the right track this time."
"Yeah, I—wait, what?" Ren's smile turned into a confused frown. "What do you mean."
"Why, I'm talking about your crimes as Joker, of course. I know it isn't easy to admit to one's wrongdoings, but the first step towards recovery is acceptance."
"I don't think you quite grasped what I was trying to say with my story. I mean, I agree that it's a good thing I'm on track to become a Hero now, but I don't believe that what I did as Joker was wrong."
"You spent years taking justice into your own hands and operating illicitly. How can that not be wrong?"
"I did what I had to do—what no one else was willing to do. When the rules that are in place to protect us fail to do so, someone needs to step up and bend them."
"Many criminals believe their cause is just and meriting of being above the law; if we gave leeway to each of them, disorder would reign the streets. That is why the law cannot make any exceptions." Ida said. "I truly am sorry, Amamiya. What happened to you and your friends was terrible beyond words, but you cannot use it as a justification for your actions."
Ren sighed with frustration. It wasn't the first time this conversation was taking place. They were going in circles, and neither of them would budge. There was still a lot he wanted to say, but he opted to bite his tongue for the sake of peace. "It's alright, Ida. I don't expect someone as sheltered as you to understand."
Ida was taken aback by the comment. "What is that supposed to mean?"
"Sorry, I didn't mean it like that." He backpedalled "What I meant to say is—even if we don't see eye to eye on this, we both want the same thing in the end. Let's make a truce and do our best to get along; we have a long school year ahead of us."
Ren offered his hand as an olive branch. Ida was reluctant, but just as Ren was starting to worry, he finally accepted. "I can agree to those terms."
The two then parted ways to meet again in the battlefield. Since the moment it was clear the two of them would face each other, Ren had been carefully considering the best approach to the fight. It wouldn't be as easy as the first round. Ida was faster, taller, and brawnier than him. His best bet to seize victory would be to level the playing field.
The referee fired the proverbial starting gun and Ren went for the first move.
"Goemon! Mabufula!"
The elemental spell conjured a blizzard that covered the floor of the arena in a slippery layer of ice. He was confident that would be enough to hinder Ida's movement, but before he could follow up, Ida jumped to hit the ice with an axe kick that shattered it into a million tiny pieces.
"Such a strong kick… and he didn't even use Recipro Burst yet." He thought, awed by his adversary's sheer power. "Wait a second, that's it!"
A plan began taking form. If he couldn't level the gap between them, he would use it to his advantage.
"Sukukaja!" Ren used the supportive spell.
It wouldn't actually allow him to run faster, but it would greatly hone his reflexes, agility, and reaction time.
Ida saw his chance to attack and opened with a frontal kick that Ren swiftly side-stepped. He tried again with a hook kick, but once more, his foe evaded it with minimal effort. He then upped the output of his engine and attempted to overwhelm Ren with a series of rapid attacks. He didn't quite manage to dodge them all, but still Ida was unable to land a clean hit.
The fighting dragged on, and as his frustration was building up, Ida reconsidered his strategy. By sticking to defence, Amamiya did not show any signs of wear; they could keep the skirmish going, but Ida was not entirely confident he would come out on top in a battle of attrition. He needed to put an end to this fight as soon as possible.
"Recipro Burst!"
The mufflers in his legs fired up, and Ida lanced forward at full speed, concentrating all his engine power into one single, devastating kick. Ren, however, made no attempt to dodge this direct strike. His lips curve into a smirk; when Ida realised his mistake, it was already too late.
"Milady… Tetrakarn."
A different Persona manifested besides Ren, and Ida's leg collided against a crystalline shield in his opponent's stead. The barrier exploded on impact, releasing a powerful kickback that sent him flying over the edge of the stage.
Ida laid with his back against the ground, still disoriented, trying to piece together exactly what had just happened. Amamiya used a defensive spell to bait him into using Recipro Burst. It was a risky move—swapping Personas and casting Tetrakarn required a lot of energy, and the element of surprise was key in its success—he only had one shot to pull off the trap, and Ida fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
He stood back up as Midnight declared Ren as the winner of the match.
"Well played, Amamiya." He said without meeting his gaze.
As he retreated to the changing rooms, Ida couldn't help but brood. He was indubitably disappointed about the outcome of fight, but as much as he wanted to win, there was something else irking him.
I don't expect someone as sheltered as you to understand…
What Amamiya had said earlier bothered him a lot more than he would've liked. Him sheltered? Simply preposterous! He had been living around Heroes all his life—no one knew more about the difference between right and wrong than him!
His train of thought was interrupted by his ringing mobile phone. He checked the caller ID and answered.
"Hello, Mother. I was just about to call you, I just had—"
"I'm sorry, Tenya. There's no time for that. Something happened." She said with apparent distress in her voice. "It's about your brother…"
A little workshop in Tokyo, 8 years ago
"…now we just need to solder this part in place… be careful not to use too much…"
"Like this?"
"Just like that… Well done! Now, what's the next step?"
"We calibrate the mechanism?"
"Correct."
Haru's grandfather was guiding her through their latest project: a support item for a lady from the neighbourhood with an unstable electric quirk.
She was doing all the manual work, though he kept a close eye on her to ensure all the safety protocols were followed. She had expressed interest in his work with support items since an early age, so she started shadowing him at his workshop. But seeing how much she had learnt lately, he felt more comfortable letting her get some hands-on experience.
"With this lightning rod necklace, Miss Kawamura won't be having any more accidental discharges." He said while chuckling at his own wordplay.
Haru didn't quite get her grandfather's joke, but she laughed nonetheless. After finalising the last few touches, the gadget was done and dusted.
Her grandfather picked it up for a close inspection. "You're getting really good at this, Haru."
"Thank you! I'm having a lot of fun." She said. "And I really like creating new things and helping people!"
"I know you're still too young, but if you're interested, when you start middle school you could join an engineering club." He said. "And then in high school you can even devote to study it full time; schools like U.A. have specialised Support departments. I'm sure that with your talents you could get in easily."
"Really? That sounds so cool! I want to be like you when I grow up."
She stood up to hug him. After a few seconds, their moment was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind them.
"Daddy!" Haru ran to greet her newly-arrived father, Kunikazu.
"Welcome, son. You're here early."
"The board meeting wrapped up faster than expected." He said. "Hello, Haru. Have you been a good girl?"
"Yes! I helped grandpa on a new project."
"Is that so?" He asked. "I need to speak with your grandfather for a bit, could you go wait in the car?"
She nodded and skipped towards the door of the workshop, but being the curious little girl that she was, she defied her father's orders to eavesdrop on their conversation through a slightly ajar door.
Under the notion that his daughter was out of earshot, Kunikazu turned towards his father with an irritated scowl. "I told you to stop putting those silly ideas in her head."
"There you go again." He replied as he rolled his eyes. "I'm not putting anything in her head. She likes this."
"She also likes violent horror movies, but I don't let her watch them because it is my duty as a father to do what's best for her, even if it goes against her wishes. If I let her do whatever she wants she would end up like you—cooped up in her room, tinkering away at pieces of junk all day and then giving them away."
"And just what is so wrong with that? I only wanted to spread some solidarity in our community."
"Solidarity doesn't put food on the table or a roof over our heads." He said "If you hadn't squandered all those years playing neighbourhood Santa Claus, then I wouldn't have had to drop out of school to find a job and earn a living on my own."
"That's unfair, Kunikazu, and you know it. I always did my best to provide for you and your mother. We had everything we needed; It was a humble life, but we were happy."
"I wasn't happy!" He snapped, raising his voice. "I always went straight home from school while everyone else went out to enjoy their youth at the mall or the arcade. I could never do anything I wanted. How many birthdays did I beg for a model spaceship that I never got?"
"There is more to life than money."
"Try telling that to a kid when they're being incessantly tormented for wearing a second-hand uniform and bringing nothing but plain rice for lunch every day."
Kunikazu realised he had lost his composure; he took a step back and paused for a moment to calm down.
"But none of that matters now." He continued. "I realised long ago that I had to look out for myself, since you would rather look out for any stranger with a sob story that knocked on your door. And now look at me; I actually made something of my life. I built your paltry business into one of the largest conglomerates in Japan. I finally have enough money to make all of my wishes come true, and I will use it to afford my daughter all the opportunities I never had—I will be for her the father I never had."
His father couldn't find the words to reply.
"I love my daughter, and I refuse to let her make the same mistakes you made." He said as made for the exit. "Haru won't be staying here anymore."
"Kunikazu, come back. Do you seriously want to leave things like this?"
But his pleading did little to dissuade his son. Kunikazu opened the door to an empty hallway, left the house, and got into his car where Haru was quietly waiting. He ordered the chauffeur to start the car, and Haru watched through the rear window as they drove away from grandfather's house for the last time.
U.A , Present day
Haru couldn't stop thinking about that ill-fated day. That particular altercation between her father and grandfather had been vividly etched into her memory. It wasn't their first, nor their worst, but it was their last. In the aftermath of the fight, the relationship between them strained to the point of irreparability; Her father barred her from visiting her grandfather's house, and the opportunities to see her mentor became increasingly infrequent. A few months later, her grandfather tragically passed away from a heart attack. After that, her father pushed her to focus on her studies and put her on track to a business school. Making sure to extinguish all ideas of inventing in her mind, almost as if to erase any remaining memory of her grandfather. With time, her own relationship with her father grew distant as well. He became absorbed by his work, and Haru lost her last living relative. But she was hoping to change that today.
She was currently in the waiting room, preparing her gear for the upcoming match. She didn't know much about Tokoyami, but she was certain he wouldn't be fooled as easily as Kaminari. She needed to step up her game. She rummaged through a suitcase full of silly contraptions and half-baked prototypes: things that would be completely useless in a fight. Discouragement crept up her body; she wondered if she could actually do it—if maybe her own hubris had misled her to believe she had an actual chance at the Sports Festival—but she stopped when she laid eyes on the large silver cylinder that had caught Ren's attention before the Cavalry Battle.
It was true—her inventions weren't as elaborate as Hatsume's, and her Quirk wasn't powerful enough to be Hero material. But she was driven, she was smart, and as certain someone had taught her—a little trickery goes a long way.
After strapping the silver cylinder to her back, and securing a utility belt around her waist, Haru stepped up to the platform where her opponent was already waiting. They perform a brief salute, and the fight finally began.
Haru tossed a pair of smoke bombs to raise an obfuscating veil on the area. Unable to see his surroundings, Tokoyami readied Dark Shadow to defend. He detected an abrupt movement from the corner of his eye. Behind him, a figure jumped out of the smoke, wielding some sort of metallic tube. Haru twisted the end of the device, which then morphed into a modern, single-bladed battle axe. She dived swinging her weapon at him, but Tokoyami was quick to mobilise Dark Shadow to block and parry the attacks, followed by a shove to create some distance between them. As the smoke dissipated, he noticed that the axe had a blunt edge, nevertheless Haru swung it with murderous intent. While it may not be lethal, getting hit by it would definitely hurt.
Tokoyami was calculating his next move when he saw Haru throw another smoke bomb, this time aimed at him. He sent Dark Shadow forward to swat it away, but the projectile detonated mid-air. Instead of smoke, the casing released a foamy substance that drenched Dark Shadow. When exposed to the air, the foam solidified like concrete, completely immobilising the umbral entity. Though Haru didn't have a chance to savour the successful gambit. Tokoyami closes his eyes to channel Dark Shadow's strength, and without much struggle, it managed to crack the foam and break free.
With his companion now unrestrained, Tokoyami retaliated; Dark Shadow enlarged and began slamming its fists on the arena. Haru swerved and ducked away from the hits, but she was forced retreat to the other side. Tokoyami did not follow; he remained in place, forming a perimeter around him with his Quirk to zone her out. He couldn't know what other inventions she may be keeping secret, but he knew that she would probably need to get close to fight him.
Haru knew it as well. Tokoyami had the advantage, and she was running out options.
There was no other choice but to use the last ace up her sleeve. She had been training for weeks to prepare, but it was still a toss-up.
With nothing left to lose, she shut her eyes, almost wincing, and raised her hand above her.
Tokoyami and the audience scratched their heads at Haru's eccentric action. Present mic voiced their shared bewilderment. "Okumura is reaching out with her hand in the air! What is she trying to accomplish? Could this be some sort of intimidation tactic or—hold on, what is happening?!"
Everyone finally noticed; despite the afternoon sun, the area now looked a lot less Illuminated. One by one, several light sources around the stadium were being switched off. The rays of light were slowly fleeting away from screens, camera flashes, and spotlights, and converging upon Haru's hand.
She then propped up her axe pointing at Tokoyami, and twisted the handle again to reveal a bezelled lens at the opposite end. The crow-headed boy connected the dots. This was not the work of any invention—it was her own Quirk. Once her objective became evident, he tried to stop her with Dark Shadow. But before he could touch her, Haru transferred all the stockpiled light to her axe/torch hybrid, unleashing a massive beam of searing white light that dazzled half the stadium. Caught in the middle of it, the light burnt Dark shadow, debilitating it until it retracted back into Tokoyami, leaving the boy exposed.
Haru didn't hesitate. It was now her chance. She rushed at her opponent to deliver the coup de grâce.
Tokoyami stood frozen in place, struck by a feeling of déjà vu. He suddenly saw himself back at the USJ incident. An attacker charging at him and no Dark Shadow to fight back. Alone and defenceless… but there was something different this time. He felt no hint of fear in his mind, or flinching in his stance—this time, he was ready.
When she was upon him, he grappled her arm and pivoted on his foot in one fluid motion, using her momentum to turn the tide with a perfectly executed hip-throw.
In the blink of an eye, Haru landed outside of bounds, and the match was over. Tokoyami was declared the winner.
From the side, Ren watched the match unfold, mouth agape and at the edge of his seat. He hadn't finished processing the entire fight, but excitement compelled him to cavort about the stands.
"Woo-hoo! That's my boy! Tokoyami, you did it!" He cheered with pride for his pupil. But he quickly sobered up when realised his other friend was on the ground. "Oh, no! Haru, are you ok?"
Ren ran all the way to the backstage corridor, where found Haru and Tokoyami conversing.
"Wow, that fight was insane!" He said in-between pants from his previous sprint. "You both were amazing. And Haru, when did you learn to use an axe like that?!"
"Oh, well… cutting firewood has been a pastime of mine since I was little." She said with a bashful smile. "But still, I really was no match for Tokoyami. He's way too strong."
"Nonsense. You displayed great courage and ingenuity, Okumura. It was an honour being your opponent today." Tokoyami said. "And Amamiya, I hope you don't falter now; I very much look forward to facing you in the finals."
"You better prepare, because I have no intention of losing." Ren said.
Tokoyami went back to the rest of his class. Ren made a move to follow when he noticed Haru lingering in place.
"Haru? Is something wrong?"
"Um, No. I just… wanted to ask you for a favour." She said. "I wanted to speak with my father, and we have some time before the next round. Do you think you could be there with me? I feel that as long as you're there, I won't be afraid to say what I'm thinking."
She didn't need to ask him twice. "Of course. I got your back."
They made their way to the highest floor of the stadium; the location of the VIP boxes reserved for the executives of Hero agencies and Support companies. They stopped in front a door with a sign that read 'Reserved for: Okumura Corp'.
"This is it." Ren said. "Are you ready?"
"I finally am." She said as she opened the door.
Inside, a group of suited men sat around a luxury lounge. At the end of the room, a man had his back to them as he looked out of the floor-to-ceiling windows.
"Gentlemen, could I have a moment with my daughter?" He said.
The troupe of businessmen obediently marched through the door without saying a word, leaving the two teenagers alone with the man. He turned around, and Ren recognised him instantly—Kunikazu Okumura, CEO and majority shareholder of Okumura Corp, and one of the wealthiest men in Japan.
"What is he doing here?" He said, pointing a disdainful finger at Ren.
"Father, this is my friend Ren. I asked him to come."
"You're the Joker boy, aren't you? Is this the kind of company you're keeping now, Haru?"
Haru ignored the question and jumped straight to the reason she was there. "There is something I need to tell you, father."
"Yes. I do believe you have some explaining to do." He said. "That was quite the spectacle you put out there."
Blood relationship or not, her father was an intimidating man. His derisive words made her waver, and she sought Ren with her gaze for support; he gave her an encouraging smile, then she took a deep breath, resolved to say her piece.
"For the last 8 years I've been studying and creating support items in my free time. I never intended to do anything with this hobby, but after giving it a lot of thought, I decided to participate in the Sports Festival with my inventions because I wanted to show you how much it means to me, father." She said. "I want to transfer to the Support Course, and when I graduate, I want to become a support item engineer."
Kunikazu seemed to take her speech in, but he did not respond right away. Instead, he extended his hand, as if asking for money. Haru was confused momentarily, then she realised her father was eyeing the utility belt she was still wearing. She handed it over, and he took a closer look. Carefully scrutinising the devices and tools she had put so much of her heart and soul into.
"Have you been really making these all on your own?"
Haru nodded. "After grandfather died, I tried to keep practicing everything that he taught me."
He put the belt aside and sighed, wearing an indecipherable expression.
"Is this really what you want?" He asked.
"Yes, it is." She said firmly.
"Haru, I am so…
disappointed."
A breath caught in Haru's throat. It was the outcome she never hoped to hear.
"I thought you had finally abandoned those childish pipe dreams; Oh, how wrong I was..."
"B-but father. I know this is not the future you had in mind for me, but my dream is to help other people with my inventions, just like grandfather did."
The severity rose in Kunikazu's voice, as though the mere mention of his own father had infuriated him. "How can you be so selfish? The world doesn't revolve around you, Haru. We have a company to worry about. Employees, Investors—people whose entire livelihood depends on us. It is your duty as my daughter to take over the family business one day; to preserve the legacy of the Okumura name. You cannot waste your life living out the deluded fantasies of a dead old fool." He said. "I knew it was mistake to let you enrol at U.A. When the term is over, I will send you off to a boarding school like I should have done in the first place."
The vitriolic barrage from her father cut Haru deeply. She hung her head and her lip began to tremble. Overwhelming feelings of humiliation and dejection had brought her to the verge of tears.
Ren felt unrest. He had to intervene and stand up for Haru. He couldn't let that man treat her like that, even if he was her father. He would give him a piece of his mind and—
"Shut up!"
Both Ren and the senior Okumura snapped their eyes back to find that Haru wasn't crying—she was absolutely livid.
"Just shut up! I'm so tired of this. I wanted to believe in you; I thought that if I made you see how I felt, we could work things out together and become a family again. But here I am, trying to reason with you, and you won't even listen to me."
Kunikazu was utterly gobsmacked by the shift in Haru's demeanour. "How dare you speak to me like that?!"
"No, how dare you pretend even for a moment that you care about anyone other than yourself? You've built an empire, amassed immense fortune, and all for what? You don't even care about the money! When was the last time you used your deep pockets to indulge yourself? You just keep on mindlessly chasing success because you still feel like you have something to prove to the ghost of your father. And now you're trying to force me along down your petty spiral of resentment. If this is what the Okumura name stands for then I don't want anything to do with it."
"I won't tolerate your insolence. I am your father; you will fulfil your duty as my daughter and do as you are told. Or you can say goodbye to the privileged life I have given you. I will not spend a single Yen to support your worthless dreams."
"That's all I am to you, isn't it? A tool you can buy…" She said. "You can keep your money, because I'm done—I refuse to let you define my life for me anymore."
Haru turned her back on him and began walking away. "Farewell, dear father. I am no longer your subservient puppet."
"Haru! I'm not done talking, get back here this instant!"
But she did not stop; she had already made her decision.
Ren trailed after Haru, still somewhat shocked after being surprised by her resolve twice in the same day. "Whoa, Haru… I don't really know what to say…" He said. "I mean, I will support you no matter what, but have you thought this through?"
"I have been planning this for a long time, but I never had the courage to do it until now." She said. "Tuition is free at U.A., so I don't have to worry about that. As for other living expenses, my grandfather left me some money after he died. It's not a lot, but I'll manage."
She sounded so self-assured, but he was still concerned for his friend.
"I know what you're thinking, Ren. And I know that It's going to be hard, but even if I fail, I will have no regrets in the end knowing that I wasn't afraid to chase my dream." She said smiling.
It was subtle, but Ren could tell it was a forced smile; like it was more for herself than for him. Even so, he smiled too. He knew she'd be okay.
"I know you can do it, Haru. I'll be with you every step of the way."