Himiko…

I think she's misunderstood.

Nezu said something like this before. Quirks like to be used. And Himiko's parents have constantly shunned Himiko using her quirk because it requires her to drink blood to activate it. That means Himiko's quirk, wanting to be used, causes Himiko to crave the taste of blood. With her parents refusing to acknowledge Himiko's quirk or get her any help for the addiction it's causing, it's no wonder she's developed like this.

So long as Himiko hasn't hurt anyone, there's still a chance I can be her hero. Because that's the right thing to do. But I have to be smart about this; baby steps.

"I accept you, Himiko," you say, determined.

Himiko's eyes sparkle in a way you've never seen before. "You do?!"

You nod. "But I don't want you hurting other people."

"I won't! I won't!" Himiko insists. "Ooh, and I'll give you…."

"This isn't a trade," you put your foot down. "I accept you because you're my friend. You're hurting right now, and I want to… end that hurt."

Himiko tilts her head. "Hurt?"

"Remember what I said about friendship when we first met? As your friend, I want you to be happy. And hiding back here, hiding who you really are, is sad. So smile like you mean it, because I won't run away. I'll even give you more of my blood if it helps the hunger, so you don't need to take it from other people….

Well, so long as it's safe," you quickly add.

Himiko is stunned into silence as you offer her your hand. "Be gentle, okay?"

The blonde does as asked; you don't feel a thing besides a bit of dizziness as Himiko takes more blood from your hand, treasuring every drop. As your legs become too weak to hold you up from the sudden blood loss, Himiko catches you, cradling you like you're the most precious thing in the world to her.

Luckily, Himiko has some self-restraint, as your senses return to normal soon enough. Despite being entirely at the blonde's mercy, she doesn't make a move to harm you. Instead, she keeps brushing the hair from your eyes.

"Thank you," Himiko smiles brightly. "I'll make it up to you."

"You can make it up to me by answering this question: who are you?"

Himiko doesn't hesitate for a second. "I'm Himiko Toga, Kazuha Chiba-Shuzenji's best friend."

"Anything else?" you question.

Himiko stutters, unsure what to say, before a splash of realization hits her face. "I really like blood, and really don't like my family?"

"Well, that's a start," you encourage. "I'm really looking forward to getting to know you, Himiko."

"And I'm looking forward to being the bestest friend I can be by making you the happiest person you can be."

Well, I'm not sure if what I did actually helped Himiko, but as far as I'm concerned, a win is a win. I just have to take my time; eventually, Himiko will be better than ever. I just hope I don't screw this up.

"By the way," you say as politely as possible. "Do you think you could grab Horie for me? I might need her to replenish the blood you just took."

"Oh, great idea," Himiko praises. "I'll be right back, okay? Don't move!"

Himiko departs with a skip in her step, leaving you in the shed in a pool of dried rat blood, still unable to get up even if you wanted to, and surrounded by the carcasses of dead birds.

On second thought, what exactly did I get myself into?


Time has flown by faster than you can blink.

Fall to winter.

Winter to spring.

Spring to summer.

First grade to second.

Second to third.

Third to fourth.

Fourth to fifth.

You wouldn't change a second of it.

After learning about Himiko's secret, you expected your life to never be the same. And while the dynamic has certainly changed to reflect Himiko being more open and honest with herself around you and Horie, you've fallen into a routine, even despite Horie initially freaking out about the revelation Himiko wasn't quirkless.

Convincing Horie to help was challenging, and frankly, you're still paying for it in the form of dessert every now and again, but when the situation was fully explained to her, and after quite a bit of begging, she relented. Himiko, while beyond quirky, is Horie's friend too, and considering Horie would help Sadow despite his bullying of her, deep down, you knew Horie wouldn't put up too much of a fight, despite her initial reservations in the form of fake tears.

Every day during lunchtime, Himiko, you, and Horie gather in the back corner of the play area, where none of the other kids can disturb you, allowing Himiko to feast on your blood in peace. With Horie's abilities only getting stronger each time she heals you, allowing your blood cells to duplicate the lost liquid faster and faster, you can keep Himiko satiated.

There isn't much you can do to help Himiko's home life, considering you've been banned from her house. Still, Himiko expresses daily how appreciative she is of you and Horie, beginning to think of your secret transfusions as a dessert to look forward to. At the very least, you're certain Himiko is happier than ever and more docile than before, especially in taking your blood. And, of course, this shared secret and time together only brought your friendship trio closer together than you've ever been before.

And the best part is dad has absolutely no idea. For someone who thinks he's the most intelligent person on the planet, for a child to pull the wool over his eyes is hilarious.

Or at least he's led me to believe he doesn't know.

Nezu and Chiyoko had initially been very transparent that, much to Akia's concerns, their marriage was solely based on increasing the odds that the adoption agency would let Nezu raise you. And yet, despite the jokes that they would file for divorce any day now, both seemed content to stay together.

I'm too young to understand love (yuck!), but if Mom and Dad are happy being together, I'd prefer to stay a family anyway. Besides, a custody battle sounds scary. Hero fights are cool, but aren't villains in custody? That's what happens when they are arrested, right? So is it a fight between villains?

You and Horie did your best to keep in touch with Benimaru over the years, but for better or worse, you lost contact with him after he was adopted about a year after you were.

It's great that Benimaru has a family now, too, but I miss him. At least I have his quirk to remind me of his impact on my life. I wonder if he still has Mr. Fluffles after all this time?

As for Sadow, you obviously never want to see him again, nor are you sure what exactly happened to him. You know his lousy attitude and seeking out trouble with other kids at the orphanage caused his otherwise incredible chances at a quirk adoption to tumble to near zero. Still, it's not like you have a contact at the orphanage since Akia was let go due to budget cuts.

Luckily… Yuuei's principal had an opening at the brand new live-in secretary position for someone who 'coincidentally' matched Akia's description.

You were so happy to be reunited with Akia, and when she told you and Horie you were the two kids she'd gotten the closest to in her entire time at the orphanage, you believed it implicitly. You still remember the first words Akia said to you upon reuniting in person again fondly.

"I told you it was 'see you later.'"

Daddy gives the best birthday presents.

Besides being your father's secretary, Akia has frankly become your primary caretaker over the last few months. Between school with Himiko and Horie, tutoring with Nezu, and spending the rest of your time with Akia, you barely have time to breathe… in a good way. In the blink of an eye, you complete elementary school and are getting ready to begin middle school.

Overall, things are going absolutely fantastic for you.

And absolutely nothing can change that.


"Principal Nezu will see you now."

You gulp at Akia's cheeky 'formal' announcement.

While you have been living in Yuuei Academy's dorms with Horie, Nezu, Chiyoko, and, more recently, Akia, never has Nezu called you to his personal office. The fact that he is doing so now is even more confusing. And the worse part is knowing that Akia seems to be in on whatever your dad is up to.

"Good luck," she whispers as you walk through the door. As you enter the office, you find Nezu standing at the glass window overlooking the entire university.

"Hey, Dad," you greet with a slight wave. "What exactly is this about?"

"Ah, Kazuha," Nezu chirpily replies. "We're here to talk about your future."

"My… future?"

"Please, sit down."

The request is more like an order, and you know not to disobey one of Nezu's orders.

The chimera clears his throat before continuing. "I've done my best to raise you as best as possible."

"Are you dying?!" you instantly panic.

"No! Nothing of the sort," your father insists. "It's just… you have come an incredibly long way under my guidance."

"Of course I have. You've insisted on personally tutoring me to stay ahead of the curve."

"Indeed, though that was merely to see how capable you would be at using my quirk."

You blink. "I don't remember ever getting your quirk."

Nezu rolls his eyes. "You've had it nearly the entire time. I dropped a hair of mine into your milk a few years back to study your quirk."

"So you mean those lessons…."

"Were initially to test by how much my quirk had increased your intelligence, to get a general idea of the extent of your copying abilities by using the quirk I was most intricately familiar with."

"That… makes sense," you begrudgingly realize.

"And I discovered that while you were well beyond the average for a child your age in both knowledge and maturity, you're simply not as smart as I am."

"Hey!"

"I'm not trying to insult you, Kazuha. I have other evidence to suggest flaws in the quirks you copy."

"Like?"

"I've been keeping tabs on Sadow, that old bully of yours, to contrast your scores and times in your required physical education classes."

"But how would that work? A one-to-one comparison just would be full of inaccuracies."

"Anything is possible with the power of math, my dear."

"No, not anything is… but I guess that would be."

"Using formulas based on the averages for your age and size brackets among quirkless children, I've noticed a pattern. It is not a mere coincidence that when you used the quirk for the first time, you dropped to the floor exhausted while Sadow was still standing. Your control is lacking. It's an on-and-off switch with nothing in between."

Slowly, the pieces of the puzzle start coming together. "That would explain why even after all my practice, I can only hold one of Benimaru's shields up for about five seconds compared to Benimaru's six seconds, a number that was slowly but surely bound to go up."

"Exactly," Nezu confirms. "Be it due to having a weaker variant or not being born with these quirk factors and instincts to use them ingrained into your very being, for some reason or another, the versions of the quirks you copy are simply not as potent as their original counterparts."

You understand what Nezu is saying, but there's still one question to be answered.

"Okay, but why are you telling me this now? And why here? What's next on your agenda, Dad?"

Nezu gets up before looking toward his window again. "Kazuha, when you think of Yuuei, what do you think of?"

The answer comes to you right away. "Home."

Nezu nods. "Of course, it is literally your home, but what does it represent?"

"Home," you insist.

Nezu pauses. "And what makes it home?"

"The people. And I just don't mean you, Mom, Horie, and Akia. At some point in time, almost all the greatest heroes have walked these halls, if not as students or teachers, then for the Sports Festival, the continuing education panels, or rehabilitation facilities. In many ways, it's the home of hero culture itself. A symbol as strong and bright as All Might."

Nezu's tail sways back and forth. "But there were heroes before All Might, the heroes of All Might's generation, when All Might was merely a boy your age. And the same goes for before her and before him."

"That's obviously why hero schools exist, Dad; it's why you have a job. So the current generation of heroes can train the next generation."

"Again, that is correct."

"And again, leaves me wondering why we had to talk about this here," you remind your father.

Nezu crosses his paws behind his back, standing firm, making you wonder if he practiced this part in front of a mirror.

"When I first adopted you, I said, 'Welcome to your hero academia,'" Nezu begins. "And I think it's time for you to begin the next stage of that academic journey."

You blink. "Huh?"

"Throughout the years, my focus has been building your character and basic knowledge. But… there's only so much you can learn from me. And now that you've completed elementary school…."

"Wait a sec! What do you mean?! You know everything!"

"No," Nezu admits. "Not everything. Some things you can't learn from a textbook, but experience as a hero that I just don't have."

"But you're a Pro Hero! You're Mr. Principal."

"We both know that is merely symbolic," Nezu sighed. "I don't think you quite understand your position, Kazuha."

"I still don't even know why I'm in your office, let alone this metaphorical position you speak of."

"You remember me telling you quirks like to be used?"

"Yeah! Of course! It really helped me understand Himiko's quirk better."

"Ah yes, the girl you've been donating blood to."

"You know about that?! HOW!?"

"I'm psychic."

You scoff. "Wow, you're not only the first animal to have a quirk but the first to have two? How revolutionary."

"I'm kidding; I just have excellent intuition."

AKA, you're not telling me your secrets and hiding them with a poor joke.

"The point is, most people are controlled by their quirks somehow. Chiyoko and Horie both have healing quirks and wanted to explore medicine from a young age. It's why Chiyoko had such an affinity to Horie and why Horie becoming the next Recovery Girl is already written in history books. From quirks relating to the ocean leading those people to take up sailing or the quirks of many support gear creators naturally assisting them in the creation process, the quirk factor has quickly overridden humanity's ability to choose for themselves. And in some ways, I've fallen victim to my quirk by becoming an educator, even if I love my job, as do many others who satisfy their quirk's desire."

You are stunned into silence by Nezu's words.

"And most quirks are just that… quirky. They might contribute slightly toward a person's success in a particular field of labor. Still, they aren't comparable to All Might, Endeavor, or any other notable pro hero in terms of strength. And with our society valuing heroism more than anything else, it is no wonder that heroes have become the equivalent of modern-day celebrities. Artists and performers just can't get the attention that pro heroes do. And with heroes always using their quirks, it's no wonder children want to become almost exclusively heroes."

"It's… a vicious cycle," you breathe.

"Indeed. Children want to become heroes, and they do if their quirks are strong enough. Otherwise, they turn to a field they'd be proficient in, and if there's no place for them, they'll turn to villainy. It's why our society has become stagnant, and scientists and inventors seem more obsessed with exploring quirks than the moon."

You do your best to process Nezu's words, but there's one thing still bugging you about it. "But… how does this relate to me?"

"Because you have a choice," Nezu reveals. "Your quirk could theoretically become anything. You're a jack of all trades. And you have the resources of the entire hero society backing you from a frankly blessed position. You become the next number-one hero. You could become the principal of Yuuei Academy. You could become part of the Hero Public Safety Commission, a support gear designer… anything. Because your quirk doesn't have to be used a specific way, and you have grown up so drenched in hero culture that you have a perspective most kids can't dream of having."

"And that's why you can't teach me everything. Because you can't teach me… who to become?"

Nezu nods. "You live in the presence of many future heroes, and even when young, these students and professors can teach you what it means to them to be heroes. Why they do what they do, their mentality and philosophy on why they do it. And through the perspective of multiple mentors, you can achieve your peak. That is what I believe."

Nezu hands you a pass. "Try not to disrupt classes, but the school is just as much your home as our dorm. Don't be a stranger. The students and staff adore you and Horie. She's chosen her path in life, and it's time to choose yours."

You take it.

"I… I'll make you proud, Dad."

"I know you will."


After that day with your Dad in his office, you officially begin what you later dubbed Operation: Find a Mentor. With the help of Akia, you start narrowing down the list, deciding to focus on the students rather than the teachers, knowing that the students of today will be the ones teaching your classes by the time you are officially a student here.

Besides, it's way easier to have an actual friendship with people closer to my age than people who would only ever view me as the principal's daughter.

Throughout middle school, you find a few people who would be suitable candidates for a mentor.

The first is Rumi Usagiyama, her quirk granting Rumi rabbit-like anatomy and abilities, including enhanced senses of smell and hearing. Watching Rumi on the track field, putting her powerful legs and jumps to good use, is like watching the replays of Olympic athletes before the dawn of quirks trivialized the event. And yet… the way she works alone, refusing to work in a team… makes you curious. The way she always speaks her mind contrasts your parents, who, while you love them, always seem to be holding all the cards. If you want to be a hero who is solely reliant on themselves, she's probably the best pick.

The second is Ryuko Tatsuma. Her quirk, known as 'Dragon,' allows Ryuko to turn into its namesake; claws, wings, scales, tail, and all. Seeing her grow into something from a fairy tale is like the world's hidden ninth wonder. And yet compared to the greedy dragons of legend, Ryuko is kind, humble, and composed. It doesn't hurt that she seems to have a soft spot for children, including yourself, making her the most approachable of the candidates as a mentor. The versatility of her quirk and her personality would give you the most variety of options.

The third is Yu Takeyama, known for her quirk, Gigantification, which, much like its name suggests, allows the woman to go from over five feet tall to over ten times that size. What caught your attention about her was how un-hero-like Taekyama is. She's vain, attention seeking, and represents many qualities encompassing the worst parts of hero culture. She's the type of mentor who you should do the opposite of everything you learn from them.

Emi Fukukado catches your eye because she wants to be a pro hero and a teacher to the next generation of heroes. The woman is a ball of energy and a teacher to her very core. Much like her quirk, which requires her to make others laugh, Emi brightens the room anywhere she goes. Her quirk isn't all that useful in a more general situation, but her teachings, you believe, would likely be the most valuable when not including the quirk situation, especially if you don't necessarily want to be a hero and would rather explore other parts of hero culture.

The final one you are considering is Anan Kurose, primarily because of how cool her quirk seems. She can literally make black holes from her hands. At first, you mistook Anan for a boy due to her androgynous appearance, but she took it very well. While you have some concerns about controlling such a dangerous quirk in the scenario that you took it and its consequences, you can't deny how passionate Anan is about the art of search and rescue. It makes Anan a more appealing option if you want to be a different hero than the norm.

In the end, with Himiko and school still being important, you really only have time to build a deep connection with one of these future heroes. The question is… which one?


DECISION POINT: Who Should Be Kazuha's Mentor?

A - Rumi Usagiyama (Quirk: Rabbit)

B - Ryuko Tatsuma (Quirk: Dragon)

C - Yu Takeyama (Qurik: Gigantification)

D - Emi Fukukado (Qurik: Outburst)

E - Anan Kurose (Quirk: Black Hole)