Chapter 9

As Ichika looked through the paperwork, she hummed to herself. A soft smile on her lips as her thoughts drifted back to her summer break. Her date with Mirio had been on the last day of school before summer break and the two of them had been able to spend a lot of time together. And of course Nejire and Tamaki had joined them on some occasions as well. Like when they went to the cinema again for a proper movie night. Or when the four of them went to the beach. But other times it was just the two of them hanging out at Mirio's and getting used to the fact that they were now officially an item. Something she had been grateful off, for the first day after the break would have been very awkward for her otherwise.

It seemed their classmates had been expecting the two of them to end up together sooner or later. Apparently it was obvious to others that there was a chemistry between the two of them. And now that Ichika thought about it, she really had been blind to all the signs Mirio had given her. The teasing he usually saved just for her to see her blush. The playful flirting he only ever did with her. Though at first it had been innocent jesting, throughout the end of their first year his flirting had slowly changed and she had failed to notice.

And she had always failed to notice Mirio's faint blush whenever she was near him. But looking back now, she realised that he did in fact blush around her. Even now there were still moments he would blush around her. Like when she would wrap her arm around his and lean her head onto his shoulder. An action she had surprised herself when she had done so the first time, yet now felt so naturally. It should be too, seeing as they were together for seven months now. How come it was already February? There was only one week left before Izuku would try and take the entrance exam!

'Are you done daydreaming, kid?' The sudden demanding voice of Endeavor brought Ichika back to the present as she turned her head to face the towering man sitting next to her. 'I pay you to work, not to daydream. That means paperwork too. You're a smart girl, but you will still need to keep your focus on the task and not in the clouds.'

'Yes, sir! I'm sorry!'

She quickly bowed her head in apology, before scanning over the paper in her hand again. After her first day at Endeavor Agency after she had passed the Provisional Hero License Exam, Endeavor had wasted no time in making sure she knew what it meant to be a hero. He had been nice enough to give her a 2 month break prior her exams to study - according to the man she needed the time to study for the test, both practical and written one - to make sure she would pass the Provisional Hero License Exams. And now that she had passed, she was finally able to do her work studies to try and make a name of herself. It was the last task Inui sensei had given her. If she was able to make herself known before the end of her second year, he would allow her to work as a teacher assistant every now and then during her third and final year. Which would be in just a couple of weeks.

'What did I just tell you, hm? Did I stutter?'

'No sir! I'm sorry!'

'Save your sorry for when you mean it,' the stoic man grumbled as he rose from his seat. 'You have been here for five months and my hard-working intern has turned into a slacking student who doesn't seem to be able to keep her attention to a simple task as doing paperwork.'

Ichika managed to keep another 'sorry' from slipping out of her mouth as she watched Endeavor. The man eyed the frame which she knew held the photograph of his deceased son Touya, something she knew he always did when getting ready to leave. Then his piercing turquoise eyes glared at her. Though once finding them intimidating Ichika now felt less bothered by the intense look. Having learned that behind the glares, Enji Todoroki was actually a broken man deep down inside. Something he wasn't willing to admit to anyone, but during her time at his agency, she had seen through some cracks. It was evident when he looked at the picture of Touya or during the rare moments he spoke of his family.

'Well, if it's such a simple task,' Ichika began as she met his glare with a challenging look. 'Why haven't I seen you do it before? You always pass them right down to me.'

She smirked as she watched his glare darkening. The flames of his uniform flaring up, as did the flames of his mask.

'Why you little...' Endeavor clenched his fists in anger, before managing to calm down a little. Closing his eyes, opened his mouth again and said; 'You have gained more confidence during your time here. I can appreciate that, Phoenix. But don't you dare use that against me again. I am still your superior.'

'You're the number two hero of Japan, sir. You will always be my superior,' she replied, humour evident in her voice as she spoke.

'What happened to you, kid,' Endeavor questioned out loud, more to himself than to her. 'You were such a timid little thing when you first walked through those doors. Sure you had your brave moments when addressing me, but you've never been this dauntless.'

'Maybe you've been rubbing off on me with your rude behaviour.'

She grinned as she watched him narrow his eyes at her. But instead of replying he just scoffed, knowing she was right. He could be rude, he often was. It was part of what made Endeavor, well, Endeavor. But that didn't mean he liked hearing it from his student.

'Watch your tongue, girl. You're getting too brave for your own good.'

'I will watch my tongue, if you stop calling me "kid" and "girl". My name is Ichika Midoriya or use my hero name Phoenix. As youve stated just now, I'm no longer that 'timid little thing'. I'll be tuning eighteen this September.' She dared looking straight at the man as he now stood right in front of her. 'I don't go around calling you Todoroki or Enji, now do I?'

Endeavor only glared down at her. Using his intimidating presence to try and subdue the seventeen year old sitting in front of him. But Ichika wasn't fazed by the man. He was her favourite hero, she idolised him. And during her time as at his agency, she had learned to respect the flame hero.

And while she wouldn't admit it out loud, she had started to look up to him as a father figure. A figure she had missed throughout most of her life. But that also meant she had started the habit of treating him as such. Teasing him every now and then, even when they were out in public.

'You're getting too comfortable around me,' Endeavor eventually said with a sigh. 'Now get up, you're coming with me. We need to head off to the studio. Ritz Caffe wants me to promote their new brand.'

'Oh right! Burning; Black Coffee, wasn't it?' Ichika glanced over at the clock, before looking back at Endeavor with a frown. 'But it's only eleven o'clock and your appointment starts at one.'

'Don't presume I don't know my own agenda. I need to discuss something before we get started. So get up and follow me.'

'Look, look. Isn't that the flame hero Phoenix?'

'Nah, that can't be. She's just a kid. There's no way she works at Endeavor Agency.'

'No, I'm sure of it. It must be her! She's even more beautiful in real life!'

'Did you say Phoenix?'

More and more people started turning their head as Ichika passed them by. She could feel their eyes burning holes in the back of her head, making her slightly uncomfortable. Sure, she had gotten used to the attention when she was in her hero costume. But she was just walking around in her civilian clothes.

Stupid old man!

Embarrassed by the sudden attention, Ichika mentally scolded her mentor as her ears turned slightly pink and not from the cold! She turned her head to look at the person next to her.

Unlike her daughter, Inko didn't seem embarrassed by the sudden attention. In fact, she seemed quite proud as she walked next to the taller girl. Eversince the commercial of Ritz Caffe aired, she had told everyone she could about Ichika. Her daughter was in a commercial with the number two hero. Her daughter had been on television. Her daughter was the new face of Ritz Caffe. Oh, why yes. That was indeed Ichika in the Burning Black Coffe commercial.

Those where just a handful of examples of Inko's bragging. And each time she saw Ichika's face on an advertisement, she would poke Ichika and point out the obvious. And while Ichika should have been grateful that Endeavor had shared some of his spotlight - she was definitely well-known by now - she couldn't help but grumble whenever she saw her face on television or on a poster. She knew it wasn't out of the kindness of his heart that Endeavor had talked to the owner of Ritz Caffe. It was because the man had figured out that Ichika did not actually wanted to be a hero. That she had other ambitions. And seeing as Endeavor could be quite greedy, he didn't want to lose a potential sidekick. So he thought she would be enamoured enough to still pursue a profession as hero if she was to get into the spotlights.

That, and of course the man himself didn't actually like doing promotions and commercials.

Noticing her mother had stopped walking, Ichika did the same, along with Izuku.

'You two go ahead, I just need to make a quick stop at the bakery.'

With a nod, Ichika turned around again to continue her way, elbowing her brother to do the same.

'Aren't you bothered to be around me,' Ichika asked out of the blue as they rounded a corner.

Shocked by her sudden question, Izuku turned his head to look at her with those big green eyes of his. Then he vigorously shook his head.

'No, of course not!' He grinned at her as they continued on. 'I couldn't be more proud to walk next to you. You are a hero...'

'...In training...'

'And you save lives! I always considered you to be my hero and now the whole world knows it too.'

'I doubt the whole world knows who I am, Izu,' Ichika muttered, touched by her brothers words. 'But then again, you are my world, so I guess you're right.'

She winked at him, making the boy beam proudly. Then she had an idea. It had been a while for the two of them to just hang out. With the entrance exam coming up, Izuku had been away from home to train even more frequently and Ichika had a busy schedule with school and work studies. But they were here now, so why not make the best of it?

'You know, I heard Kamui Woods is at the bookstore signing books,' she started, looking ahead. She didn't need to look at her brother to know she had his attention. 'Why don't we go see if we can get you an autograph?'

'Really?'

'Ahuh. You do have your notebook with you, right?'

'You betcha. I never leave without it!'

'Then what are we waiting for. Let's get your notebook signed.'

After telling Izuku which bookstore the pro hero was at, Izuku dashed ahead. The excited boy now only had one thing in mind. Getting to the bookstore as quickly as possible. But it also made him blind to his surroundings. And deaf too, for he failed to hear Ichika warn him as he passed an alley.

In a blink of an eye, Izuku was on the ground, along with someone else. But then he hurriedly scrambled to his feet again. Shouting an 'I'm sorry' over his shoulder as he continued to run.

Ichika clicked her tongue at the recklessness of her brother, while quickly making her way over to the stranger. Holding out her hand for them, she apologised for her brother as she helped pull the person to their feet. Messy black hair was the first thing she noticed, before the person stood up straight. Then she found herself looking at a lanky young man her height with fair skin and gnarled purple scars covering the lower part of his face and underneath his eyes. But the most distinguishing feature were his piercing turquoise eyes. The same bright colour as Endeavor, perhaps even more striking that the pro hero though that could be due to the discolouration underneath his eyes. But even with the raw scars, the man still was handsome. Or was he handsome because the scars?

'I apologise on behave of my brother,' she apologised once again as the stranger brushed himself off. 'He's just excited to meet Kamui Woods.'

'What can I say, pro heroes just get that sort of reaction from kids,' the man said uninterested, not even looking up at her.

Once he finally looked up, his eyes widened for just a moment as he scanned her face. His bored expression chancing into a somewhat more interested one as he crossed his eyes.

'Though what I can't understand, is why your brother wants to meet the woodman, when his sister is so much interesting.' A lopsided smirk appeared on his face as his striking eyes stared straight at her. 'You're Phoenix, aren't you? You work for Endeavor Agency.'

Ichika nodded. There was no need in hiding the obvious. Though she couldn't help but correct the man.

'A sidekick, work studies, what's the difference,' he questioned as he shrugged nonchalantly. 'You have become the talk of the town of late. Much more interesting than Kamui Woods.'

Ichika just thanked the stranger. The look he was giving her didn't sit right with her. He made her feel uncomfortable and he wasn't even doing anything. He only gave her a compliment. Yet is was the look in his eyes, that send her shiffers down her spine. She wasn't one to judge someone by their looks. She's met people who looked like villains, yet were the most gentle souls ever. So she wasn't going to judge this man, just for making her feel uncomfortable. But she did want to get away from him.

'I'm sorry, but I have to go,' she said with a bow.

She apologised one last time and then she turned and quickly followed after Izuku. No doubt he was already at the bookstore by now. But before she turned around the corner she gave one last glance at the man, only to see he was still looking at her. Then she continued following after Izuku.