Montage time
3 2 1 GO!
For all it was worth, it didn't take long before Mikazuki could return to the orphanage, and after about three days after Emi Fukukado's initial visit to the place, he was set out on bail and a four year long probation.
Yukinojo had to sign quite a few contracts in order to get him back into the orphanage's custody, most of which essentially boiled down to blame being put onto his shoulders if Mikazuki were to break his probationary status early, something that felt rather scummy to him, though he didn't care much for it regardless as signing them was the only way to get the Rex Tail user back under his care. One contract in particular, however, was from the Fleming-Javor Co., and it was… intriguing, to say the least, and considering its contents, he was probably a lot happier with signing that over the others.
That aside, with Mikazuki's return to the orphanage came quite a bit of celebration, with the orphans all celebrating their buddy's return to their care as they quite literally lifted the small boy up into the air. Over by the side, Ms Joke snickered at the Rex Tail wielder's misfortune as he was thrown up towards the ceiling by Orga, Shino, Takaki and several others in celebration, with Atra standing beside her and chewing her nails in panic as she feared that Augus would smack into the ceiling sooner rather than later.
Whether or not that could happen, Mikazuki himself didn't seem to mind. If anything he did seem to appreciate all the love they were showing him, and by all means, the sight of him being hoisted up into the air was certainly one that Yosetsu made sure to remember for the future, with him taking a picture of his friend being lifted up as insurance for that.
"So, you have about a year and a half now, Awase-Kun."
Blinking a little when he heard his voice, Yosetsu turned and glanced down a little to see Yamagi Gilmerton watching the minor celebration from afar, and as he did so, the mind reader sighed in possible relief as he shook his head and glanced up at the Welder.
"For your age group, the U.A Entrance Exams will take place in that amount of time. Do you think you can do it?" reiterated Yamagi, with him glancing up at Yosetsu as he spoke. Humming to himself, Awase shrugged and offered his young acquaintance a lopsided grin, one that made the blonde roll his eyes as he responded.
"You tell me, oh' mind reader, you," laughed Yosetsu with a wink, to which the mind reader sighed.
"Kh, stuff it, you…" grumbled Yamagi, with him feeling his mood sour just a little as Yosetsu snickered in bemusement. With that being said, however, the eyepatch-wearing blonde still smiled a little as he glanced up at the older teen, with him having read his mind moments prior.
Yosetsu was sure that he'd make it past the U.A Entrance Exams. After all, he didn't just have some actual experience with Villain attacks, but he also had Mikazuki by his side once more.
And with him, the Welder felt as though he could do anything.
"So… U.A, yes?"
Smiling a fair bit as he said this, Reiner Fleming eyed Yosetsu with a gentle gaze, and vice versa, the Welder squirmed a little in his seat as he nodded sheepishly.
This was, according to his therapist, their final therapy session. Reiner had assured him that he had made good progress with his mental state, so much so that he doubted that his assistance was needed any more, though he could always book an appointment if he wished to talk about stuff for less than 2000 Yen. Awase appreciated that, to say the least, though he just wished that he didn't let slip that he was going to try for the U.A Hero Entrance Exam the last time they spoke.
"Uh… yeah. I thought I'd give it a shot," stated Yosetsu meekly as he waved his hands around awkwardly, eliciting a grin from Reiner as he nodded and typed in a few things into his laptop. After pressing enter, he closed it and turned his full attention to Awase, who blinked when he saw the sizable smile on his face.
"Well, it might just be personal bias speaking, but I'd say you're more than qualified for this, Awase-Kun. I've learnt a lot about you these past few weeks and, if anything, I'd consider you to be more than qualified for U.A in more ways than one," stated Reiner with a wink, much to Yosetsu's embarrassment. "Of course, you'll still have to train for it. U.A's Entrance Exams, regardless of whether or not it's for the Hero course or not, is a doozy, and you'll need to be ready for anything!"
"Oh, I'm already training for it, Fleming-San, don't worry," assured Yosetsu with a smile, prompting the therapist to smile as he used his Quirk to float one of the pencils on his desk. Awase smiled a little at this, with him finding the sight of floating objects to be rather commonplace at this point, as it was Reiner's Quirk that would allow him to make them do so. He didn't know the specifics, but he knew that he could, at the very least, remove gravity from anything he touched, with him often doing this to try and lighten the mood by goofing off whenever necessary.
It certainly did work the other time, when Reiner had brought a cat in and made it sit on a floating box. Yosetsu enjoyed seeing that happen.
That aside…
"Oh, I'm not particularly worried, Awase-Kun. In fact, I have the utmost confidence in you becoming a Hero. If there's any takeaway in our weekly talks, it's that anyone is capable of doing both good and bad deeds, and I believe that you, of all people, know this," said Reiner with a wink. Yosetsu felt the tips of his ears glowing red when he heard this, with him glancing aside on instinct as he scratched his cheek meekly, though not long after, a small buzzer near the corner of Fleming's desk went off, signaling the end of their final session with one another as the therapist flicked the still-floating pencil towards the buzzer, with the tip of the pencil hitting the button to make it shut up. "But alas, our final session has come to an end. I have to say, I did very much enjoy speaking to you."
"Same here, Fleming-San," agreed Yosetsu meekly, eliciting a grin from Reiner as he leaned forwards and gently punched the kid's shoulder, having noticed how his shoulders had slackened a little as he spoke.
"Hey, don't look so down. The world is a tiny place, and Japan's even tinier. We'll see each other again, one way or another," hummed Reiner as he opened his drawer and pulled out a bar of chocolate. Floating it, he pushed it towards Yosetsu, who caught it with minimal issue and eyed it warily. "A parting gift. Share it with your friends, if you will. Sweet things always taste even better when you eat them with someone you care about, after all."
"You sound like you're speaking from experience, Fleming-San," stated Yosetsu, with him grinning cheekily as he spoke, to which the therapist sputtered and looked away sheepishly, with his cheeks reddening a fair bit as he responded.
"P-Perhaps…" laughed Reiner sheepishly as he shifted a particular photo frame that was on his desk a little more towards himself. Yosetsu's seen that photo frame before, it's been there since day one, but he's never seen who was in it yet… though before he could comment on it, he heard a knock on the door to the therapist room, and upon hearing it, he turned and saw it being awkwardly pushed open, allowing a head with unruly green hair to peek in.
"F-Fleming Sa-" began the green haired intruder, only to notice that the room was occupied. Gasping at this, the kid quickly blurted out an apology before retreating out of there, much to the two occupant's bemusement as the therapist chuckled.
"That one's my fault. He's a relatively new client of mine," apologised Reiner as he smiled sheepishly at the unintentional interruption, to which the Welder waved him off. "But regardless, it's been nice speaking to you, Awase-Kun, and don't forget, just as my hus… aphem, my best friend said to me many times over, never lose sight of your goal and approach it with your head held high, for Victory only comes to those with Courage."
"Victory goes to those with Courage… I'll keep that in mind, Fleming-San…"
One year and five months before the Entrance Exam
"So… you're Derma, Aston and Itagami, right?"
"... yeah."
Frowning a little as they spoke, the three kids standing before Yosetsu appeared mildly awkward as they stood shoulder to shoulder with small bags on their backs. The other orphans in Chryse found themselves chattering between themselves as they saw the three kids standing before them, with Fukukado and Yukinojo both standing behind said kids as they shifted around uncomfortably. Yosetsu himself was standing in front of the trio, with him being the closest, with Orga, Mikazuki and Akihiro standing not far behind.
With a mild clear of his throat, Yukinojo got everyone's attention pulled towards himself, and with that, he explained to them the current situation regarding the three kids before them.
"Alright you rascals, listen up. Due to issues with… well, with everything as a whole," stated Yukinojo, with him grimacing as he acknowledged the fact that his words held more truth than he'd like to admit. "These three kids will be staying with us for the time being. They're Derma, Aston and Itagami, and I suggest you brats treat em well, you got that?"
As the orphans responded positively to this, the three newcomers began walking a little deeper into the orphanage. Itagami was quickly cornered by Shino, who began to greet him casually as he slung his arm over his papery shoulders and greeted him with the subtlety of a car getting sucked into a tornado in the middle of a warzone. Itagami didn't seem to enjoy the conversation as he flattened himself out and wormed his way out of Norba's grasp, though this only seemed to embolden him as he smiled and pursued the Paper-Boy enthusiastically, with Yamagi following closely behind to make sure he didn't do anything too stupid.
Aston had moved to sit on the couch, with him wishing to be left alone for now as he shifted into a comfortable position. Ride, however, didn't seem too keen on that as he moved in to speak to the guy, who didn't seem to enjoy his presence. Takaki was able to diffuse the situation, however, as he walked in and waved his ginger friend off, much to his chagrin, and began making small talk with Aston, and though it did take some time, the scarred boy did eventually find himself growing used to Uno's presence around him…
Derma, for the most part, appeared to be rather uncertain on what he should do, with him standing awkwardly in front of everyone as he felt a little uncomfortable with his new home. Dante and Chad, sensing his discomfort, moved to gently ease him in, and though the boy took some time to ease into their advance, he eventually allowed them to bring him to the couch, where Mongro began to speak about some random topic while Chadan rolled his eyes and assured the new kid of their safety. For the first time since… forever, Derma smiled, with him finding some solace in the Dislocation user's words.
"... well, this is better than nothing, I guess. These kids deserve as much as they can get, after all that they've been through," stated Yosetsu weakly, with him remembering Rita Reroutata as he glanced back and saw the kid in the sea of bodies behind him. Mikazuki followed his gaze, and when he glanced over at the boy, the Map user panicked and hid once more, with him still feeling guilty over what had happened weeks prior all the while. To this, Awase simply sighed. "I just wish that things were better for you guys. You're all great people, and it just doesn't seem right for you guys to be living in a run down place like this,"
"That's why we're going to become Heroes, Yosetsu. We'll become Heroes… and we'll give everyone here a better place to call home," stated Mikazuki firmly, with him clenching his hand into a fist with determination as he spoke. Yosetsu smiled at his friend's words, with him offering him a thumbs up as he nodded in approval
One year and three months before the Entrance Exam
"Put your back into it, Yosetsu."
"TRY…ING!"
"Try harder."
"EASY F-FOR YOU TO SAY!"
As that exchange happened, Shino could only snicker in bemusement as he watched Yosetsu and Mikazuki perform push-ups.
Ever since the boy had returned to the orphanage, he has begun to train with the Welder for their upcoming Entrance Exam, primarily the physical portion of it, anyways, and for the most part, things were going rather smoothly. Mikazuki had Yosetsu beat in terms of physical capabilities, that much was obvious to him, but he would still admit to Awase having improved quite a bit based on his previous assessment whenever the kid partook in physical education classes.
The complement made Yosetsu smile more than he'd like to admit.
However… with Mikazuki's approval came a much higher bar of expectation, and the orphans were quick to step up their game in training Yosetsu. Today was the beginning of phase two of his training regiment… and it involved someone sitting on his back to provide some extra resistance while Awase performed push-ups.
Said someone was Ride Mass, who sat criss-cross-apple-sauce atop Yosetsu's back, with him yelling out encouragement to Yosetsu as he performed another push-up. Awase did appreciate his encouragement, but it was really throwing him off as he attempted to push himself upwards with the added weight of Ride atop him.
"Oh don't be such a baby! Look at Mikazuki! He's doing fine!" assured Ride, with him smiling sweetly as he pointed towards the aforementioned Tail user, who was performing multiple push-ups whilst both Atra Mixta and Takaki Uno sat on his back. The latter was reading a book as he sat on Augus' upper back, seeming unphased by the older boy's constant movements, while the former sat on his lower back, with the Rex Tail on her lap, purring like a cat (somehow).
"RIDE! THAT'S MIKA WE'RE TALKING ABOUT! WHY ARE YOU COMPARING ME TO MIKA?!" protested Yosetsu indignantly, to which Ride grinned and bopped the top of Awase's head with the side of his hand.
"CALL IT ENCOURAGEMENT! NOW QUITE WHINING AND PUSH UP! TEN MORE REPS, LET'S GO!"
"So… is this normal?"
Blinking a little as he heard her voice to his side, Shino grinned as he turned to face Ms Joke, now in her Hero costume, who was observing all this happening from afar with a worried look on her face. She had stopped by for a daily checkup on Mikazuki, only to be met by the scene before her, much to her worry. By her side were Itagami, Aston, Trow and Embi who were watching all this unfold with a mixture of amusement and confusion, though with the amusement part applying more towards Itagami, Trow and Embi as they found the banter between Awase and Mass to be rather entertaining.
"Yeah, trust me it's the least weird thing you'll be seeing around here," assured Shino, making a so-so motion with his hand as he spoke. Emi didn't seem to believe that as she turned to see Yosetsu quite literally heave himself up while Ride yelled out encouragement at him… but still, they were the experts, she supposed.
"Alright then… I'll take you at your word for it…"
One year and two months before the Entrance Exam
It felt weird to see this happen, but even so…
"Is something wrong, Yosetsu?"
"Oh, no. I just… y'know… need some time to get used to seeing… well… that out in the open."
As he spoke, Yosetsu motioned towards the Rex Tail, which was hovering behind Mikazuki as they walked to school. Typically, the boy's Quirk would be kept hidden within his uniform, but ever since his return to the orphanage, and after a few days spent cooped up in said orphanage, Augus seemed to have decided that hiding his Quirk was no longer an option, and as such, he modified his uniform to be allow the Rex Tail to slither in and out of it whenever necessary.
And by modify, I mean that Mikazuki literally punched a hole into the back of his uniform, allowing the Rex Tail to poke itself through it whenever he wore his shirt. Simple, inelegant… but ultimately effective.
"You'll grow used to it eventually," assured Mikazuki as the two entered Choritsu Middle School's main entrance. It didn't take long before the two got some awkward stares from their schoolmates, however, as none of them have seen the orphan's Quirk before now, and though the boy ignored every last one of them with a passion, the Rex Tail itself flourished in the attention, with it darting around and crooning happily at all the eyes that were on it.
"I doubt that they will, though," muttered Yosetsu meekly, with him snorting at how everyone's eyes were on them, more so Mikazuki than him, though he mostly ignored them as he stopped by their lockers and opened his up. Reaching in, he grabbed his textbook and shoved it into his bag before motioning towards his friend. "You going to attend Physical Education this time?"
"Ah. Old Man Yuki managed to write a letter to the principal. Said that I have his approval to participate in physical activities now. My Quirk won't activate anyways, since I've got this on me," confirmed Mikazuki, with him tugging on his collar as he finished. Yosetsu glanced down at what he revealed by pulling on his shirt collar, and he found himself frowning when he saw that it was a Quirk Dampening device wrapped around his neck like a collar.
Quirk Dampeners were, as the name implied, devices that weakened a wearer's Quirk, and depending on what the wearer's Quirk was, they would need to be placed on a specific part of their body. It didn't really work for Mutation type Quirks, but for Emitter, Transformation and Accumulation Quirks in particular, it was able to suppress their effects to a certain point. Although the band could've been worn somewhere concealed, Japanese Quirk laws dictated that those that wore Quirk Dampeners needed their inhibitors to be worn in a visible spot, and due to how Mika's school sleeves would keep the dampeners hidden, he was forced to wear it as a collar.
Yosetsu himself didn't quite like that. It just felt… wrong to be suppressing another person's ability in such a manner, but even so, it was one of the terms that Chryse needed to abide by in order to keep him under their care, and at the very least, the Quirk Dampener wasn't the kind that physically hurt its wearer, and it was made by a reliable company to boot. Rhodes, was it? Awase wasn't aware of them as they weren't based in Japan, but he knew that they were a pharmaceutical company that worked on ethical ways to combat Quirk related situations, among other things.
"Hey, Yosetsu? You there?"
"Huh?"
Shaking his head, Yosetsu was quick to snap out of his stupor as he blinked and glanced back down at Mikazuki, who was staring up at him curiously all the while. It seemed as though he had been lost in his thoughts, if only for a moment, though Augus' voice was enough to snap him back to reality as he chuckled and waved his arms around dismissively.
"Y-Yeah… I'm fine. Just… lost in thought is all," assured Yosetsu with a smile as he waved his friend off, and though Mikazuki knew that there was more to his silence than he was being led to believe, he allowed the issue to be dropped for now as he nodded and motioned for them to head to class, with the two of them once again ignoring the looks they were receiving from everyone around them all the while.
Except the Rex Tail. The Rex Tail kind of just wagged around to greet everyone that was staring at it.
One year and one week before the Entrance Exam
"Alright now, focus a little, Awase-Kun. Let your Quirk flow."
Humming a little to himself as he did as he was told, Yosetsu focused on practicing his Quirk as he crouched next to a broken computer and activated his Quirk.
As with his physical body, Awase has been training his Quirk rather rigorously as well. Weld was a powerful Meta-Ability to have, one that had numerous exploits when it came to Rescue work, but over the course of the past few months, Yosetsu has learnt that, when used correctly, he could use it in combat as well, and he practiced using his Quirk in combat scenarios as frequently as he could.
Of course, that wasn't all he was training his ability for. Although he knew the importance of being strong, Yosetsu, in all honesty, did wish to become a Rescue Hero. His preference for saving others was something that skewed him towards this decision, and truth be told, he didn't think he was the type of person to be a proper Limelight Hero anyways.
Regardless, gritting his teeth, Yosetsu focused his Quirk on the computer in front of him as he pressed his hand against its surface. Sweat dropping a little, he felt his skin being Welded onto its surface, and moments later, he felt the metaphorical tendrils of his Quirk worming their way through the surface of the computer's metal plating. Through his Meta-Ability, Awase sensed several cracks below the surface of the computer's outer shell, prompting him to squeeze his eyes shut just a little tighter as he focused on welding these cracks shut.
Despite his best efforts, however, he was unable to do so, with him eventually relenting after two minutes of effort. Unwelding his hand from the side of the computer, Yosetsu sighed and collapsed onto his rear, with him glancing up at Takaki Uno, who was sitting atop the orphanage couch rather nonchalantly.
"Didn't work, unfortunately," lamented Yosetsu, with him crossing his legs and leaning forwards in defeat. Off to the side, Takaki flashed him a small smile before moving over to him and patting his shoulder reassuringly, a gesture that he greatly appreciated.
"Don't feel too bad about it. You being able to patch up internal cracks was just a theory on my part, and there's no harm in trying something out," hummed Takaki, with him squeezing Awase's shoulder gently, though considering his physique, especially for someone at his age, he nearly dislocated Yosetsu's shoulder with that friendly gesture.
"Yeah but it would've been neat, to be able to be a more effective Hero by doing that, y'know?" mumbled Yosetsu, eliciting a sad smile from Takaki as he shook his head. Although he was making improvements to himself in preparation for U.A, Awase still sought to better himself in some way, be it physical or mental. Uno could respect this, but he still found it a little saddening, how Awase kept thinking about improvements rather than acknowledge the ones he's already attained.
"If you want my opinion on this, with or without Weld to help you, you're already an effective Hero," stated the blonde orphan with a reassuring smile, eliciting a lopsided grin in return. Yosetsu did truly appreciate the effort the orphans were putting in to help him attain his dream, and he only hoped to be able to return the favor one day.
"Thanks, Uno-Kun. That means a lot to me."
One year before the Entrance Exam
"Yosetsu used to be quite small…"
"Mmhm! He used to be the size of my forearm! And now look at him!"
"Oh! Look at his cute little cheeks! I want to squish them!"
"Oh, you should've seen the little Yo-yo when he first got his Quirk! It was a nightmare!"
Hearing those words was the first sign to Yosetsu that something was wrong, and in an instant, he burst out of the toilet, pants up of course, and rushed down the stairs to investigate the commotion happening down below, and once he was down, he found himself paling a little when he saw something horrific…
"MUM! DAD! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"
To this, Mazeru and Toketa Awase simply glanced up at their son, with Mikazuki and Atra sitting between them (Atra sat atop Mika's lap), staring down at an old picture book all the while.
It was currently a Sunday, and at Mikazuki's request, Yosetsu had invited him and Atra over for a study session, as U.A's Entrance Exam's physical portion wasn't the only thing they needed to worry about. They had studied for about two hours before taking a short break, during which Awase had to break away to use the toilet, a horrendous mistake in hindsight as Mika and Atra were both left alone with his parents for about five minutes… and in that time, they begun showing them kid photos of their little Welder!
Whilst Mazeru and Toketa began assuring Yosetsu that it wasn't too embarrassing, something that the youngest Awase strongly disagreed with, both Mikazuki and Atra kept glancing down at the family pictures taken by the Awase family, with Atra smiling as she took note of one particularly noteworthy family photo taken when Yosetsu was but five years old. Reaching towards it, she ran her fingers along the image's surface somewhat wistfully as she slacked her shoulders in sadness.
Not long after, however, Mikazuki's own hand moved atop Atra's, covering it almost completely as the girl perked up in surprise. Glancing up at Augus, she raised her brows when she saw that he appeared to be just as wistful as she was, perhaps even more so, as he stared down at the image in silence, though not long after, he gently squeezed his friend's hand and smiled down at her ever so slightly, causing her cheeks to redden just a tad as she smiled back and snuggled herself just a tiny bit deeper into his lap.
And thereafter, the duo just watched as Yosetsu began chasing his father around to get that image book, with him not wanting anyone else to see its contents ever again, having forgotten about their study session in the meantime.
Meanwhile, outside the household, about half a mile away, a certain Ms Joke stood atop a building, smiling to herself as she observed everything happening in the building via a pair of high powered binoculars. Snickering a little at the scene, Fukukado found herself worrying her current companion, who cleared his throat to get her attention.
"Erm… Joke, no offense but… isn't this a violation of their privacy?" commented the Hero that was currently with her. The Hero in blue armour appeared slightly uncomfortable with this whole schtick as he watched Emi lower her binoculars, raising a brow all the while.
"Oh you know as well as I do that this is a part of my job, Fluxion! Besides, don't tell me that this isn't entertaining as all Hell!" protested Emi, with her offering the binoculars to her temporary partner, the Genesic Hero; Fluxion, who, despite being reluctant at first, took it and had a peek.
He nearly died when he saw Yosetsu jump off the couch and land on his dad's shoulders in an attempt to get the picture book away from him.
"PFFFFT… yeah… you've got a point there, Fukukado-Kun."
"Don't I always, Fleming-Kun~?"
Nine months before the Entrance Exam
"Put your back into it, Awase-Kun, and HEAVE!"
With those words of encouragement from Ride, as per usual, Yosetsu found himself increasing his efforts in pulling on a thick piece of rope, which itself was connected to a massive fridge that he was dragging behind himself. Atop said fridge were Ride, Takaki and Yamagi, with the former cheering for Yosetsu, the center simply sitting with his legs hanging over the edge of the fridge quite casually and the latter reading a book rather nonchalantly.
As per usual, Yosetsu was once again assisting the Three Stooges in getting some scrap metal back to the orphanage from the nearby junkyard, which in itself was situated close to the shoreline of Niigata. Awase had long since gotten used to the constant stares from the locals at this point, as he barely even batted an eye at them glancing his way, but even so, he could never really get used to lifting things that were close to a few hundred pounds.
Shino, in his infinite wisdom, had suggested Awase lift a car frame, one that could weigh anywhere between 58 kilograms to a whopping 1179(!) kilos! Thankfully, everyone else in the orphanage (minus Ride anyways) more or less said no to the idea, and as such, Yosetsu was left to lift fridges back to the orphanage, not that it was much of an improvement, anyways.
"MASS-KUN! YOU THREE WEIGH A COLLECTIVE TOTAL OF ONE-HUNDRED KILOS! IF YOU GOT OFF-" protested Yosetsu, only for Ride to throw a tiny pebble at him to shut him up.
"You wouldn't get the extra training you need! Now mush, Welder! This fridge ain't gonna lift itself!"
Grimacing at Ride's words, Yosetsu resigned himself to his fate and continued pulling, with him knowing that Mass was right. Though he was improving steadily, the Welder knew that he still had a ways to go before he could even consider himself to be on the level of even the youngest of the orphans, and to become the Hero he wished to be, the Welder would have to truly go PLUS ULTRA…
… he just wished that going Plus Ultra didn't involve so many cramped joints.
Rather abruptly, however, Yosetsu felt the load behind him slackening as someone pushed the fridge forwards, assisting him in his endeavour to drag it back to the orphanage all the while. Perking up at this, the Welder glanced back and raised his brows when he saw Mikazuki, of all people, pushing the fridge forwards from behind, with him ignoring the whining from Ride whilst returning the polite greeting from Takaki. Yamagi didn't acknowledge him outside of a mild grunt before returning to his book.
Mikazuki himself was still dressed in his Choritsu uniform, with him tilting his head a little as he observed Yosetsu slack his shoulders and staring back at him in befuddlement. That in itself was warranted, honestly as…
"M-Mika? But I thought you were taking extra classes to get back up to speed…?" muttered Yosetsu, with him recalling how his friend had stayed behind to do just that, not just to catch up on all the lessons he missed during his time away from the orphanage, but to also prepare himself for the U.A Entrance Exam's written portion, and to that, the boy simply shrugged.
"I finished the work I had, so I decided to come check on you. Takaki told me that you always come here around this time of the week to lift something back to Chryse, so I decided to check on you," responded Mikazuki neutrally, to which Yosetsu hummed before nodding in acknowledgement. Augus thought it prudent to not add the fact that he may or may not have intimidated (perhaps unintentionally) his remedial teacher into letting him go early by giving him an unintentional death glare.
"TAKAKI! WHY'D YOU TELL AUGUS-SAN ABOUT THIS?!"
"I… well… uh…"
And thereafter, Takaki's words were quickly silenced when Ride began to playfully slap him over the head as punishment. From atop Mikazuki's shoulder, the Rex Tail tilted its 'head' curiously as it observed all this happen from afar, though it was assured by its host that this was very much a normal occurrence as he continued to assist Yosetsu in pushing the fridge back to Chryse. Yamagi said nothing on this as he licked one of his fingers and flipped to the next page of the book, though as for Yosetsu…
"Hey, uh, Mika… just wondering but… shouldn't I be doing this solo? Not that I don't appreciate you sticking your neck out for me, but this is to motivate me into going Plus Ultra, isn't it?" inquired Yosetsu, with him wondering why his friend was helping him on the matter, especially when he knew that the Welder had a long way to go before his physique could be considered that of a Hero's, and to this, Augus simply shrugged.
"Going Plus Ultra is one thing. Pushing yourself too hard is another. I'm not blind, I can tell that you've been training too hard, both your body, mind and your Quirk. Don't think that I didn't notice how your fingers kept twitching in class, Yosetsu," scolded Mikazuki flatly as he eyed his friend, seeming to disapprove of him pushing himself too far as he spoke. Awase had the decency to appear sheepish as he smiled and chuckled meekly, and after doing so, Augus continued to speak. "Take the next week off, Yosetsu. If you don't, you'll probably get burnt out on training. Or rip a tendon. If you don't agree to these terms, I'll tell them about the pictures."
And at that, Ride stopped slapping Takaki and quite literally bounded over the blonde to hound Mikazuki for an answer regarding these pictures. In order to counteract this, the Rex Tail lashed out and wrapped itself around Mass' body, ensnaring him and hoisting him up high to keep him out of reach. Whining, Ride attempted to use his Quirk to teleport out of the Tail's ensnarement, though he wasn't sure if it would do as he wanted to, and as such, he relented… only to turn towards Yamagi, hoping for an answer from him instead.
All he got was a shrug, with Yamagi knowing that he'd have more luck shooting the Winged Hero; Hawks, out of the sky with a bottle of piss than actually reading Mikazuki's mind successfully thanks to all those mental blockades he's put up in the past, though the boy in question didn't really care about that whatsoever as he simply looked at Yosetsu with a knowing look… and after a few minutes of determined glaring…
"... fuck. I agree to your terms, you fucking sly devil," relented Yosetsu, with him slouching a little as he nodded in defeat, to which Mikazuki nodded, the ghost of a smile forming on his lips all the while.
"Good. Now, let's get back to Chryse."
Six months before the Entrance Exam
'Kaibara Sen… eligible. Bondo Kojiro… eligible. Awase Yosetsu… very much eligible. Midoriya Izuku… hm, recommended by Might Industries but still taking the public exam course, huh? Impressive… eligible as well. Uraraka Ochako… eligible.'
Humming a little to himself as he read through the names of U.A applicants, a young man with greenish-blue hair and dull blue eyes, dressed in a mostly red military coat accented with black, slowly but surely skimmed through all those that applied for the Hero Course. There were over a good six hundred applications at the moment, though of these six hundred, only fourty will be able to become proper Heroes. As he approved of Uraraka's application, the man glanced up at the wall clock of his office, which read 5am, prompting him to shrug.
This wasn't exactly the first time he's been up this late, and it sure as Hell wouldn't be the last, considering how his Quirk worked.
'Shinso Hitoshi… hm… eligible. Bunyan Paul… wait, this is an exchange student. Kh, Nedzu must be pulling my leg again. Hm… Iida Tenya. The Iidas will probably want a word with me if I deny his application, so approved on principle, even if he's better suited for the Recommended Slot more so than the Entrance Exam slot. Ashido Mina… eligible. Kirishima Eijiro, eligible. Tetsutetsu Tetsutetsu… eligible…
'Augus Mikazuki…'
Humming thoughtfully as he reached for a cup of coffee and emptied it in a single go, the young man rubbed his chin thoughtfully as his mouse hovered over the name of the aforementioned applicant. A small part of him wished to deny the application thanks to the boy's history, but even so… he was quick to shake his head before he approved of it regardless and sighed to himself.
'You'd best be right about this kid, Fukukado, or I'll be smacking you over the head the next time we meet.'
Rather abruptly, a mild ring from his phone caught the man's attention. Without missing a beat, he picked it up and held it to his ear.
"Javor. Javor Sasha here. Oh, Nedzu? You're still awake, huh? I wish I could say I'm surprised. Hm, what do you need? Huh… I see. Aldera Middle School… Bakugou Katsuki, yes? Understood, I will look into the situation as soon as possible. Yes, thank you and you're welcome. Goodbye."
After that quick conversation with the U.A principal, the man, Sasha Javor, set the phone down and sighed as he opened a new tab to begin investigating one Bakugou Katsuki and, by proxy, Aldera Middle School. After some rudimentary hacking to get past some laughable firewalls put up around the security camera footage, Sasha managed to uncover some info on a massive amount of bully done by the blonde whelp, with one particular incident against a Quirkless lad riling him up something fierce, and even if it wasn't his job to look into such things, Javor, out of basic human decency, would've felt obliged to do so regardless.
He honestly just hoped that it didn't cut too much into his time, both free and for work…
'Hrg… it's gonna be one helluva few months from here on out…'
Three months before the Entrance Exam
"Hey, Awase-Kun? Could I speak to you for a moment?"
Perking up a fair bit after hearing his name be called, Yosetsu found himself raising a brow as he turned to see a student, a girl with black hair that faded to red near the tips, staring over at him worriedly. Thereafter, he glanced back towards Mikazuki, who was already standing with Emi Fukukado, in civilian wear of course. The lot of them were currently standing by the gates to Chirotsu, and they were about to leave before Awase was stopped by the girl.
With a gentle wave of his hand, Yosetsu motioned for the two to get a move on. He could easily catch up… but Mikazuki simply frowned and moved to lean against the opened gates to the school, with him refusing to leave Awase alone all the while. The Welder flinched a fair bit at this as he sighed and nodded, giving him the okay hand sign before turning back to the girl. He didn't recognise her by face, but she definitely recognised him by name.
"Yeah, what do you need?" inquired Yosetsu, with him not really expecting much as he crossed his arms and stood by a little lazily. To this, the girl flinched as she looked past him and at Mikazuki, who sharpened his gaze at her all the while. To this, she flinched and turned back towards Awase, who appeared more confused than anything as he watched her breath in deeply.
"It's just… I was wondering… you're not like, forced to hang out with him, right? With… Augus-Kun," stated the girl, with her awkwardly pointing between the aforementioned Tail user and the Welder as she spoke. To this, Yosetsu felt his face scrunching up in disbelief as he squared his shoulders and tightened his crossed arms, something that made the girl tense up a little as he did so, though not long after, he slackened his posture and sighed, something that made her relax, if only by a little, as he shook his head.
In truth… he should've really seen this coming. Even back before the whole… incident with Mikazuki saving his sorry ass, Yosetsu had been getting quite a few glances from those around him in school. It wasn't all unwarranted, of course, as he was being all buddy-buddy with the single most antisocial kid in the entire school, but he's mostly ignored them with minimal effort.
After the whole incident, however, things had been getting… a lot tenser around the two friends. Although the situation regarding Mikazuki's absence had not been disclosed to anyone but specific members of the staff, there was still enough chitter chatter between the faculty to begin a few rumors that ended up being passed onto the students, most likely unintentionally, and from there on, the various students of Chirotsu began suspecting Augus of all sorts of baloney.
Various crimes, delinquency or just straight up Villainy, the rumors that circulated around Mikazuki were minute at first, but before long, they began to spiral out of control, and even after a full year had passed, many kids in Choritsu still whispered about it behind his back. Likewise, they had come to associate Yosetsu himself with delinquency thanks to his association with Augus. Awase wasn't exactly a model student, but even so, he's kept himself out of trouble pretty well, so for others to think of him that way did make him feel rather shitty, but even so, he never let it deter him as he pressed on, ignoring those thoughts all the while.
For the most part, no one has inquired about the issue to Yosetsu, not until now, anyways, as the girl standing before him fidgeted worriedly as she tapped her fingers together. Sighing a tad bit at that, Awase responded accordingly, with him shaking his head in a mixture of disappointment and sadness.
"Er, no. I… I'm not being forced to hang out with him. He's my friend, you know? Mika's my best friend, and there's no reason to not hang with him, y'know?" stated Yosetsu truthfully, something that genuinely surprised the girl as she raised her brows with intrigue, though moments later, she nodded and bowed her head a little apprehensively.
"I… I see. I apologise for thinking otherwise, Awase-Kun! I was genuinely worried for you!" apologised the girl earnestly as she stood back up and looked to Yosetsu for some apparent forgiveness, which he offered her after an awkward raise of his arms.
"It's fine. Mika can be kinda intimidating at times, but still… he's a good guy. Just… don't go around judging others based on their appearances, alright? Or their Quirks for that matter," stated Yosetsu, with him smiling reassuringly as he gently punched the girl's shoulder, with him minding his own strength for a change as he knew he was stronger now. To this, the girl simply smiled and bowed her head in apology, and thereafter, the Welder nodded at her and moved to rejoin his friend and his guardian.
"So… what was all that about, huh?" inquired Ms Joke, with her rubbing her chin and leaning down to look Yosetsu in the eye, and to this, Awase simply glanced back at the girl, who had the decency to appear sheepish, before he looked back and smiled sadly.
"Just a misunderstanding. Let's go."
One month before the Entrance Exam
"Awase-Kun… can I speak to you for a while?"
Perking up a fair bit when he heard her voice, Yosetsu set the dumbbell he had been using down and turned towards Atra Mixta with a mostly neutral expression. The pink haired girl was standing by the door to his room, seeming mildly sheepish as she peered in.
Mikazuki, Atra, Takaki and Emi were currently visiting his home once more, with the two guys and the Heroine downstairs discussing the Rex-Tail user's homework while Yosetsu did a few reps with his dumbbells, gifts from Akihiro for his previous birthday, in relative peace. Atra had been with them moments prior, though after the three began delving a little too deep into math, something that still confused Mixta greatly, the girl decided to come check on Yosetsu for the time being.
"F'course. You need something?" inquired Yosetsu as he invited Atra into his room, with him pushing the dumbbell below his bed and motioning towards his chair. Mixta wasted no time in sitting down on it, and thereafter, she fidgeted around awkwardly before speaking in an awkward tone of voice.
"A-Ah… I just wanted to… I wanted to wish you good luck for the Entrance Exam!" stated Atra, with her blurting her words out as she felt her cheeks reddening with embarrassment. To this, Yosetsu found himself raising his brows in confusion, as… well…
"Well… I appreciate it, but the Entrance Exam's still a month away…" reminded Yosetsu sheepishly, eliciting a blush from Atra as he spoke.
"I… I know! I… I-I just wanted to say good luck… a-and… w-w-well… I wanted to thank you as well…" stated Atra, with her bowing her head down low as she spoke. Yosetsu was rightfully confused by her words as she continued to speak, though with each word she uttered… Awase found himself figuring out the truth. "I… I overheard you s-speaking with Fukukado-San earlier this week… y-you talked about Mikazuki… about… his Quirk and how everyone sees him differently for it… and how you r-really want to change that… I… I just felt touched by that! A-And… I want to thank you… in place of Mikazuki!"
"Thank me, huh…" muttered Yosetsu, with him humming slightly as he nodded, smiling just a little in embarrassment all the while. "Well, you're welcome, Mixta-Chan… but… do you mind if I ask you something?"
"Uuu… s-sure!" confirmed Atra, to which Yosetsu, after taking in a deep breath, spoke.
"Is this about your Quirk?"
Upon asking about this, Yosetsu flinched when he saw Atra tensing up. In truth, Awase has always been rather curious about what Mixta's Quirk really was. Whenever the topic of Quirks came up, she tended to become rather guarded, and whenever asked about hers in particular, however rarely that happened, she never answered, with her always deflecting the inquiries with everything that she had. This more or less led the Welder to believe that the girl had a rather… controversial Quirk, for the lack of a better term, as he saw no other reason for her to be as guarded about it as she currently was, or maybe… just maybe…
"Y-Yes, Awase-Kun," answered Atra, with her poking her fingers together as she spoke. To this, Yosetsu found himself perking up a tad as he leaned forwards expectantly, with him forgetting about his previous thoughts as he listened in closely. "It's about my Quirk… or… w-well… rather, my l-lack thereof…"
And to that… a lot of things began to make sense to Yosetsu.
Atra's shy demeanor… her always leaning into herself… her constant need for support from someone, namely Mikazuki…
It all stemmed from the fact that she was…
Atra Mixta
Quirk: NiL
"You're… Quirkless?"
Yosetsu's clarification seemed to make Atra shrink in on herself, effectively answering his inquiry as his expression fell a little. It seemed as though Mixta had been expecting the worst when she revealed this to him, but even so, Awase wasn't going to give her anything close to 'the worst'. No, he was going to do the opposite, really…
"Well, that's neat. I've never met a Quirkless person before," stated Yosetsu, with him trying to make the best of this, however clumsily, as he smiled awkwardly and held an index finger up to the sky. To this, the pink haired girl blinked in surprise as she glanced up at Awase, with her wondering if he was pulling her leg, though based on how genuine that smile of his seemed, she highly doubted it.
"R-Really…? You're not going to kick me down… b-beat me? C-C-Call me names? Call me… u-useless?" asked a surprised Atra. Yosetsu's heart felt itself breaking when he heard this, as, despite her knowing that he would never do such things, the younger girl had still fully expected him to turn on her the moment she revealed her Quirk status, a sight that told Awase a lot more about her past than one would expect. "You… y-you're not going to stop being my friend… r-right?"
"Wha- no! The fuck would I do that for?" protested Yosetsu, insulted by that insinuation as he eyed Atra, bewildered. To that, Mixta seemed to loosen up a little as she perked up before slouching her shoulders in relief, and to that, the girl began to respond.
"W-Well… I… I know people that… d-don't like Quirkless people. They only keep us around because we're… c-cheap. I… I-I was worried that… t-that…" muttered Atra, with her shoulders shaking as she spoke. It was very obvious to Yosetsu that she was struggling to get these words out to him as she seemed close to bursting into tears at any given moment, and to prevent that from happening, the Welder abruptly raised his hands and waved them around frantically, signaling for her to pause as he spoke.
"Mixta-Chan… I won't pretend that I'm perfect, but I'm by no means a Quirkist! I don't really care if you're Quirkless or not, because realistically, that shit doesn't matter!" assured Yosetsu, with him watching as Atra widened her eyes a little at his words. This was a good sign to the Welder that his words were making some sort of an impact on the girl, and with that in mind, he continued. "I've said this before, but judging someone via their Quirk is bullshit! I've seen Heroes and Heroines fight virtually Quirkless on multiple occasions, like Fukukado-San! And even discounting the Hero business, I still think it's better to judge others based on their character and not their abilities!"
"Based on… character…" muttered Atra, with her eyes widening ever so slightly as she acknowledged his words. The concept of seeing others for who they were rather than their Quirks seemed to be rather foriegn to her, but even so… it didn't sound like a bad thing as she reached for her cheeks and pressed her palms against them uncertainly and nodded. "I… I-I see… I… I don't think I've seen anyone else do that before… e-except…"
"Except Mika, huh?" finished Yosetsu for Atra, eliciting a squeak from the girl as she flinched at his sudden words, though she still nodded in affirmation as he grinned. "Yeah, I thought so. Mika's definitely not the kinda guy to judge you based on your Quirk. Hell, I don't think anyone in Chryse would do such a thing, though I gotta say…"
… he began to recall a handful of situations where the schools he attended attempted to make him look good. Most of his retellings included them trying to prop him up on a pedestal by altering his grades to be much better than they truly were, or, in one instance, blame a particularly violent, out of school but still in uniform, fight between Mikazuki and three upperclassmen from the same school as him on the Quirkless person that Augus was fighting to protect back then.
"... knowing all this does give me just a bit more context behind the relationship you and Mika seem to have…"
The cheeky grin that Yosetsu gave Atra was certainly rather nerve-wracking for her, but even so, he was quick to assure her that he wouldn't spill the beans as he winked and chuckled a the pink haired girl, and not long after, things became rather silent with the duo, with Mixta sitting atop his chair with her knees up to her chest, trying to process what just happened between the two, while Awase simply hummed to break up the monotonous silence… though not long after.
"Hey, Mixta-Chan-"
"A-Atra…"
"Uh…?"
The redness on her cheeks was impossible to ignore, though for as nervous as she seemed to be, Atra didn't seem to be willing to back down from this as she steeled her nerves and spoke as firmly as she possibly could to Yosetsu, with her face turning into a stone cold mask of determination for a short while as she did so.
"I… you can call me Atra! E-Everyone in the orphanage does, and… t-they're all friends! It… it's only fair if you did the same!" blurted out Atra before she looked away meekly, and to this, Yosetsu grinned a little before nodding.
"Sure, I'll do it… but only if you call me Yosetsu, seeing as how it's only fair," rebutted Yosetsu, with him smiling gently as he awaited a response. He got one after a few moments of consideration from Atra, who flushed red as she took some time to think Awase's proposition through, though after the allotted amount of time was up, she nodded awkwardly and clasped her hands together.
"A-Alright, Yosetsu! I-It's a d-d-deal!"
"Ditto, Atra. Ditto."
Five days before the Entrance Exam
"So… it's about time, huh?"
Smiling to himself as he sat within his garage, Yukinojo rubbed his beard as he wiped down one of his wrenches, cleaning it of whatever impurities it possessed as he spoke to no one in particular. With a sigh, he set it down onto his workbench and glanced to his side, where he saw a small, faded picture of two individuals. Moving a large hand towards it, the older man picked it up and eyed it closely, with him smiling with a mixture of fondness and sadness all the while.
One of the two individuals in the picture was himself, albeit slightly younger, with a slightly larger beard and a less round physique. Seeing himself like this made Nadi smile nostalgically before he sighed and glanced over at the other individual in the image… and in an instant, his previous smile fell from his face as he tightened his lips together and shook his head.
The other person in the image was a woman, slightly taller than Yukinojo, with dark blue hair with pink highlights and purple eyes that, despite her smile, reflected no small amount of sadness, even as she posed with Nadi for the shot. In the background were several of the oldest members of the orphanage, namely Akihiro, Orga and Eugene, though seeing as how this was nearly five years ago, not many others were currently present for the photoshoot.
Frowning deeper as he set the picture down, Yukinojo found himself spiralling a little into his own thoughts as he acknowledged all that… nonsense that had happened all those years prior. That woman in the picture… nay… that Heroine, one that had served her country and its people oh so faithfully, had suddenly been branded a criminal, and she ran. She gave the authorities and her former allies the slip and belted into the night… though not before stopping by the Chryse Orphanage to hand something… or rather someone over to Nadi before cutting all contact with him.
"Please… just keep him safe. He's all that I have left, but I… I don't want to risk him getting caught alongside me if they do manage to box me in. I don't care about what you tell him about me… about why I left him with you, but just make sure he stays safe, Nadi-San…"
"..."
Glancing out the window to the garage, Yukinojo sighed and stood up, with him walking towards the window shortly thereafter as he crossed his arms and stared up at the crescent moon above him wistfully, not knowing what to make of this situation as he shook his head in dismay. Would she have approved of her surrogate son becoming a Hero? Well… probably, so long as the HSPC had nothing to do with his training. Either way, she would've likely encouraged Mikazuki to follow his dreams, but alas… she wasn't here, not anymore… so Nadi would have to take her place and support his friend's adoptive child as though he were his own.
It was the least he could do for an old friend of his… he's done his best to support the Tail-user during this past year, and he'd be lying if he claimed not to be proud of the brat. Him and his headband-wearing friend. They'd improved so much in such little time… and if it meant anything, Yukinojo was proud of them, and as for Mikazuki specifically, Nadi had no doubt in his mind that, should she still be here, the boy's surrogate mother would feel the same as well.
"Don't worry, Kaina, your kid's going to grow up to be a good Hero. Possibly even the best."
Zero days until the Entrance Exam
"So, today's the day, huh?"
"Hm."
"Do your best out there, Mika."
"I will, Orga. plus Ultra."
Smiling a little at his little friend's words, Orga Itsuka, alongside the rest of the Orphanage, smiled as they watched him bow his head down at their words of encouragement. This was the day he's been training for the past year, and though it wasn't really that obvious, the boy was feeling rather antsy at the moment as he stood in his school uniform with his knees quivering just barely enough to be noticeable. The Rex Tail felt his nervous energy as it shuddered a little as well, though it didn't let it show as it curled up around its host's neck like a demented scarf and remained passive.
Over by the street was Ms Joke's personal car, an unassuming vehicle that was painted bright pink and yellow. Mikazuki would've complained about it searing his retina to the point of blindness if he cared enough to do so, but as things were now, he just went with it in silence as he watched Fukukado give him a two fingered salute.
The boy was carrying his bag, as to be expected, but he was also holding onto a sizable briefcase in his right arm. Said case wasn't anything spectacular, with it being just a 30 centimetre long case that Takaki had hammered together out of scrap, but the orphans had all assured Mikazuki that what was inside was important, and that he shouldn't open it until the practical portion of the exam. Augus didn't know why they said this, but he respected their intentions and did as he was told.
"Go get them, Mika!" cheered Takaki.
"Show em what we can do!" added Ride, bouncing up and down hyperactively.
"Good luck," cheered Yamagi passively, with Derma smiling and waving at Mikazuki at the same time, silently echoing Gilmerton's sentiment.
"Go show em what for, kid!" cried out Shino, with Dante and Chad both nodding firmly in agreement while Itagami grinned and offered Augus a quick thumbs up.
"Stomp out that Entrance Exam, you got it, Mika?" encouraged Akihiro, with him placing a hand atop Mikazuki's shoulder encouragingly before removing it to let him leave.
"G-Good luck, Mikazuki! We a-all believe in you!" yelled Atra, with Trow, Embi, Hirume and Pedro whooping in agreement as she said this. Mikazuki didn't wish to think about how much Atra's encouragement meant to him as he nodded in appreciation, with him not wanting to be too distracted as he tuned out the strange feelings he had towards Mixta.
And then… there was one last person who had something to say before the boy could leave.
"Mika…" muttered Yukinojo, with him smiling just a little as he addressed the kid, who craned his neck up to look Nadi in the eye. "I… regardless of how this ends, I will say that I'm… proud of you, and I have no doubt in my mind that your mother would be proud of you too, should she still be here…"
A knot was quick to appear in Mikazuki's stomach as he processed Yukinojo's words, but it was quickly untied when he acknowledged the pride behind the older man's voice, and when he did, the soon-to-be Hero-in-training found himself… smiling as he nodded in appreciation, with Nadi patting his head with no small amount of affection before motioning for him to depart.
"Now scram, you little brat! You have an Exam to crush!"
"That should be all…"
"Yes… it should."
Smiling as they stared down at their son, Mazeru and Toketa both felt a massive surge of pride flowing through them as they watched Yosetsu stare up at them with an awkward yet excited expression. The Entrance Exam was today… and he was doing his best to contain himself as he shook with anticipation. The older Awase couple knew that their kid was incredibly nervous as well, and they took it upon themselves to loosen his shoulders, if only by a little, as Toketa gave her little Welder's shoulder a gentle squeeze.
"You'll do great, Yosetsu… just keep your head in the game and go Plus Ultra! Your father and I both know that you'll be able to make it!" assured Toketa, with Mazeru grinning in agreement all the while.
"If all else fails, just do as I used to wanna do and run in and sock em in the face, Yo-yo! It worked multiple times for me in the past!" stated Mazeru with a grin, to which Toketa flicked his nose.
"For a while, anyways. The people that he did that to tended to return the favour, but that's neither here nor there," added Toketa as she eyed her husband with a comical tick mark on her head. For his part, Mazeru appeared mildly sheepish as he looked away cheekily, though not long after, the Awase matriarch cleared her throat and continued. "But still, you father does mean well, Yosetsu. If all else fails, at least during the physical portion, a bit of mindless violence can help sort a situation out."
"A-Alright! I won't let you or dad down, mum!" assured Yosetsu, eliciting a smile from his parents as both Toketa and Mazeru leaned in to kiss and offer their son a strong hug, respectively, and not long thereafter, the honk of a car's horn caught their attention, prompting them to turn and spot Ms Joke's personal car by the driveway.
Fukukado was in her Hero Costume, grinning at the Awase family as she gave them the rock horns. In the back, Mikazuki sat idly by as he waved at the family, prompting the older Awases to wave back as they ushered their kid into the vehicle, ignoring the eye searing colours of the damn car all the while.
"Take care of our son, alright, kiddo?" smiled Mazeru with a wink as soon as Yosetsu was in the car, to which Mikazuki nodded, ignoring the look that the youngest Awase was giving his father as he did so. "And Yo-yo… good luck out there."
"Give em Hell, you two!" added Toketa, grinning as Yosetsu blushed and nodded furiously, offering his parents a thumbs up all the while.
"Ah. We will, Awase-San," assured Mikazuki with a nod, and at that, Emi floored it, with her zooming towards U.A all the while. Mazeru and Toketa waved goodbye to Yosetsu, even as the car disappeared into the horizon, and as it did so, Fukukado smiled and peered back at her two charges via the rearview mirror as she nodded in their general direction.
"Excited?" inquired Emi, smiling gently as she eyed the kids gently, to which Yosetsu and Mikazuki turned towards her, with the former nodding sheepishly while the latter simply shrugged. He didn't know how to feel right now, really, though it was certainly a form of excitement.
"It's neither here nor there," said Mikazuki offhandedly, with him leaning back against his seat as he adjusted his seatbelt a little. Yosetsu didn't say much on that, though Emi did snicker a little as she turned her attention back towards the road.
"Well, either way, you should smile a little, Augus-Kun. Today marks your first step towards becoming a Hero, for both of you actually!" stated Emi enthusiastically, to which Yosetsu smiled, with him finding that thought to be rather nice, though Mikazuki, being who he was, shrugged.
"We can't say if we'll get in. Not until we finish the exam and get our results," stated the Rex Tail wielder flatly as his Quirk squaked indignantly, with it finding its host's pessimistic, if realist, view on the entrance exam to be rather unsavoury, but even so, it didn't do much more than that as Emi chuckled and responded.
"Have a bit more faith in yourself, kid! You'll do great! And besides, you could at least try to be cheery, if not for me, then for Awase-Kun!" laughed Fukukado, eliciting a wince from Yosetsu as Mikazuki turned towards him with a mostly unamused expression.
"Don't bring me into this!" whined Yosetsu as he raised his arms up in a playfully defensive manner, to which Emi grinned, with it being just barely visible via the rearview mirror.
"But you're Augus-Kun's only weakness, Awase-Kun! Well, aside from Mixta-Chan, but she's not here now! So help me out here and crack Augus-Kun's hard shell! Make him smile, cos God knows that he's never fully dressed without one!" retorted Emi enthusiastically, with her words making Yosetsu roll his eyes as he turned towards Mikazuki. The blue eyed boy didn't seem too amused with Fukukado's little speech, but even so, he wasn't really focused on her regardless as he kept his gaze on Awase, who sighed a little as he held his fist up towards his friend.
"Hmph… well, I guess Fukukado-San has a point. You need to lighten up a little, Mika. We'll make it into the Hero Course, I'm sure of it…" stated Yosetsu, with him holding his arm up for a fistbump. Mikazuki seemed a little unsure of how to respond to this at first, but not long after, he closed his eyes and nodded rigidly, and seconds later, he lifted his own arm up and gently knocked the side of his fist against Awase's, much to his delight as he grinned quite a fair bit at the gesture.
"I'll hold you to that, Yosetsu."
And over by the front, Emi Fukukado couldn't help but smile as she drove them towards U.A, where they'd make their first steps towards becoming True Heroes.
And so begins... the descent into canon!
This wasn't exactly the original version of this chapter. It used to be... something different, but after a lot of consideration, I altered the timeline a little to speed things up. The original draft of the chapter will return eventually... it's just a matter of when.
Erm... review replies!
Spyro fanboy: well the prologues's over!
wd12091111 and Guest (Sauronwashere) I'm glad you guys don't mind the slower update... but it's not like I'm slowing down anyays lmao
That's basically it, really. This story isn't as... uh... famous as Tekketsu No Kyojin, so not many reviews. But eh, as long as people enjoy these stories, I'll keep writing em.
Next time... the U.A Entrance Exam and all that stands before it!
Who is Sasha Javor? Who knows?
Till next time!