To say I made a good first impression on my new mentor would be an exaggeration. A bit of a fib. A master stroke of hyperbole.

In short, I kind of messed up and accidentally insulted him as I first laid eyes on him.

But that isn't where things started, really.

The day had been pretty okay before then. It was the day everyone was to leave for internships, and I was practically vibrating, a little excited. It kind of hit me that I would be getting a first hand look at how hero work actually…well, worked.

Needless to say, it was going to be cool. I tried my best to be the picture of calm. Mina was doing a better job, admittedly. We had met up at the station and now sat, waiting. We were early, so our trains wouldn't be in for a little while, and we could see off our friends.

Mina smirked slightly at me in my seat.

"You're excited right? I can feel you vibrating, Hitoshi. Not that I blame you."

I nodded, a little embarrassed. Shinso was pretty embarrassed too.

You could at least try to be professional.

'Oh like all that ten year old excitement was just me. Don't act like you aren't hyped.'

"Guess you got me. Where'd you decide to intern anyways?"

Mina shrugged.

"Decided I might as well learn how bad I am at combat first. Or at least hone it. I mean, don't wanna pass out again like I did at the festival. Figured at least refining my combat might help with that. Gunhead was a combat specialty. So I'm heading there."

I tilted my head curiously.

"That mean you'll be going with Uraraka?"

Mina nodded.

" seemed a little nervous about it, since we don't talk enough. I swear, she's scared she'll be shown up compared to me or something. Girl really doesn't know her own potential."

I felt my mouth quirk up into a smile at that.

"You can say that. I decided to go with the Memento Agency. Apparently, they specialize in underground heroics."

Mina snorted.

"You? Being stealthy?"

I gasped in mock offense.

"You wound me. Who was it that managed to sneak into Ben's apartment and cover it in rainbow duct tape, all while not waking him?"

She chuckled.

"You got me there."

Things kind of trailed off after that. Not that it was uncomfortable. We just didn't have much to say to each other. And we waited in comfortable silence. Soon enough, the rest of our class was flooding in, dragging luggage with them. I smirked as I saw Uraraka walk in, seeming to be texting someone. Mina got up, and I followed, curious. She approached the brown haired girl with her usual subtlety.

"Hey Uraraka."

Uraraka jumped, seeming surprised. She must have really been into that conversation. She smiled brightly at us.

"Hi Mina, you know you can call me Ochako right?"

Mina shrugged.

"Right. Had a good morning?"

She nodded.

"I'm really pumped to get this going!"

Mina nodded in understanding.

"Yep."

I looked over at her phone.

"Texting your parents?"

She was startled again.

"O-oh. Hey Shinso. No, I was talking to a friend from outside of school. She was wishing me luck. She's always so nice like that."

She had blushed a little, and I raised an eyebrow.

"You sure she's just a friend?"

At that she seemed to go bright red and start babbling, like she did with Midoriya. I exchanged a look with Mina, who gave me a mischievous smile.

"Well, I guess that settles that."

Uraraka covered her face and whined into her hands.

"You aren't gonna tease me about this while we're on the train, right Mina? I think I might explode."

I snickered slightly, before patting her on the shoulder.

"Does she seem like the type to drop something like this? I pity you. Lucky I'm not going with any of you. Agency that accepted me is in Yokohama."

Uraraka just whined into her hands again, before we heard a few more voices calling for her. Midoriya and Iida ran up, seeming eager. Iida greeted us with his usual manner, seeming stiff, although he seemed more relaxed than he had at the start, a genuine smile on his face.

"Ah, good morning Ashido, Shinso. I hope you are both ready to work your hardest!"

I nodded, Mina doing the same.

"Yep, work hard, that's seem to be in a good mood."

Iida nodded honestly as Midoriya talked quietly with Uraraka, giving her encouragement.

"I admit, it is quite exciting to be able to work with my brother and parents for the first real time. They had trained me, and I have visited the agency before, but never as an intern. I feel accomplished, though I know we still have much to do."

Mina shrugged.

"Hey, you made it here at least. Be proud of that. I'm sure your family is."

Iida nodded seriously as he gripped his luggage and left toward his train.

"Yes, thank you. Good luck to you all."

He raced off after his train, slowing down to say goodbyes to Midoriya and Uraraka. Mina chuckled.

"Even formal as he is, the way he;s running tells me how he feels. Like a kid on Christmas morning."

I nodded at that.

"Not like any of us are any better."

I pointed over at Kaminari and Kirishima, plus Sero, who were walking in a group with Bakugou, who seemed to be in a better mood than usual, given he wasn't shouting. I gestured with my head to them. Mina nodded, giving me another smile.

"Good luck prankster. Don't get in trouble."

I shrugged.

"Won't make promises I can't keep."

We both laughed at that before parting ways, Mina heading towards her little group, while I slowed to make one more stop, heading to Uraraka and Midoriya, who were still talking.

"Hey, just wanted to say bye, and good luck. Especially with Mina. She will not leave you alone about that crush."

Midoriya tilted his head curiously.

"Crush?"

His face turned red slightly.

"Wh-what crush?"

This of course caused Uraraka to turn red and start sputtering like a broken faucet, before I patted them on the shoulders.

"Calm down. Uraraka has a girl she's texting from outside school that she likes."

Uraraka of course tried to deny, but her embarrassed state made her response incomprehensible, her body almost floating toward the ceiling of the station if I didn't grab her leg and pull her down. Midoriya seemed at a loss as to how to respond.

"W-well. Good for you Ochako?"

I laughed, [patting his shoulder.

"Good encouragement. Very inspiring."

He just looked at me. I gave a mock salute as I started to walk away.

"Welp, see you guys in a week! Don't die!"

And with that, I was running to find my train. Oh yeah. It's hero time.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

I had to admit, Kamino was a city I had to appreciate, even in the daytime. Still more confusing than it had to be. Took me longer than I'd like to admit to find the right building. Of course my new mentor couldn't be bothered to actually pick me up, just sending me a card with directions. And they were vague as well. Great.

Still, I made it, and the place was admittedly pretty unimpressive. Looked like your average office building, not even an outside sign. The only indicator that this was the right place was the skull symbol I'd noticed on the door.

I pushed it open, and was greeted again with a pretty standard lobby, complete with a front desk. No one was there aside from the receptionist and a few other loiterers. I walked up to the desk, looking at the card. This was the next step, I was pretty sure. The woman looked at me, pretty normal looking for this world, and raised an eyebrow.

"Do you have an appointment.?"

I looked down at the card, then at her, and in as serious a voice as possible, recited the code.

"Does the Black Moon howl?"

Her eyes went wide, before she composed herself, and responded.

"Only when waning. Follow me."

She got up from her desk and began walking toward the back. I followed, curious.

She spoke only once we'd reached a door.

"I'm guessing you're the kid Ryoichi said he'd be mentoring then."

I nodded hesitantly. She seemed satisfied by the answer.

"Well, he's waiting inside the main office. Just take the first hall you see, then right."

She pushed the door open and gestured for me to head in. I did, and she closed it from the other side.

It…wasn't what I was expecting. Not many decorations, but it was functional. The room I'd entered seemed to be a connecting one of sorts, with three separate halls leading out from it, and some furniture and books dotting the room itself. I took the middle or first hall, and took a right, before pushing open the door and stepping inside.

Memento's office was…formal. That was how I could best describe it. Imagine your typical executive's office, with a desk made of nice polished dark wood, then shrink it to half the size. That was Memento's office. And behind the desk…

"Woah. What's with the shades? You blind or something?"

The man I was talking about raised his head curiously. He was tall, lanky, and very much not the hero looking type, though looks can be deceiving. Wild unkempt mint green hair framed an average face, eyes covered by a pair of custom aviators. I couldn't see most of the rest of his attire, but he seemed to be in some leathers from what I could regarded me curiously.

"Is that how you start all conversations with new people, ?"

I sputtered for a moment as I realized how my comments may have sounded.

"I- no, thats- I'm-"

I was cut off as he chuckled slightly.

"Teenagers."

I narrowed my eyes.

"You're Memento, right?"

He nodded.

"Masahiro Ryoichi, aka The Reaper Hero: Memento. For the duration of our internship, you may call me Memento or Mr. Ryoichi, though while on patrol, please use my hero name."

I nodded. Made sense at least. He seemed to be reading my file.

"UA student, Hitoshi Shinso. Quirk: Brainwashing. Hero Codename: Enigma. Is that all correct?"

I nodded again.

"Yep, that's me."

He hummed in thought.

"Your quirk…Brainwashing…how does it work?"

I felt a bit of anxiety, likely from Shinso. He seemed tense.

'Relax. He's already read our file. He knows. He just wants us to explain in our words.'

Oh.

"My quirk allows me to control anyone who answers a question I ask them. It kinda flips a switch in their head and they'll do whatever I tell them."

He nodded.

"Can anything break them out?"

I nodded.

"Pain or hard physical contact. I can also release them."

He seemed to be thinking.

"A quirk like that…"

Shinso tensed again.

"You must have had a hard time in school."

Me and Shinso both startled.

"What?"

He continued on.

"I am all too aware of the stigma around 'villainous' quirks Mr. Shinso. While I am not a believer in such drivel, I believe a quirk like yours would qualify in the minds of many. Was school difficult for you?"

I hesitated for a moment before sighing.

"A bit. People were always mentioning it. Even teachers would tense up when they talked to me if they knew. It…made it hard to make friends before UA."

He seemed to nod in understanding.

"An unfortunate part of our modern world, one that unfortunately has roots from far back."

He waved his hand.

"But that isn't all that important right now."

I raised an eyebrow as he continued.

"What is important is a simple test. Follow me."

He got up from his desk and walked to the door. I followed him out as he began to walk and talk, showing off parts of the building as he did.

"My agency doesn't employ heroes in the traditional sense. Of course, we do have some paid heroes and such. Not many, though. Instead, we act as a hub of sorts for underground heroes. We in general don't get much support from the wider community."

He sighed, seeming disappointed.

"Our work isn't flashy enough for them, unfortunately."

He waved his hand dismissively.

"But that isn't really important. What is important is that we provide support where the system hasn't. If you haven't noticed as we walked, this building is large enough to accommodate at least thirty heroes at the same time. Not large for a daytime hero agency that regularly employs sidekicks, but large enough to act as a meeting place, where heroes can train and coordinate efforts, a rarity in our line of work."

He stopped at a door and pushed it open, revealing a gym, currently empty aside from two other heroes, who didn't even glance at us when the door opened, and we stepped inside.

"Now, we're here. Time to begin our first task, Mr. Shinso."

I nodded eagerly.

"And that is?"

He gestured toward the lockers.

"Change into your gym clothes. Then, we'll have an introductory spar."

My eyes widened a bit. I had sparred with my classmates before, taken on villains. But somehow the ease and confidence Memento exuded made me scared to take him on. But he was my mentor. No way this could go bad, right?

Changing wasn't an issue (though my nerves did cause me to knock my head on a locker), and I tried my best to steady myself as I walked back to Memento. He simply smiled at me, seeming to have replaced his aviators with a pair of goggles.

"Take your place over on that side, and we'll begin."

I nodded, and did so, taking a simple ready stance. He did the same, dropping into a seasoned combat stance.

"Don't hold anything back Mr. Shinso. I want to know how you fight. That way, I can teach you."

I simply narrowed my eyes, and with a simple word from my new mentor, the fight began.

"Go."

Take the initiative, right? I charged forward, feinting a punch at him, before dropping into a leg sweep, trying to trip him. He easily moved away, almost a blur of motion before striking out with a kick of his own, which I just barely dodged, trying for a jab at his face, which he leaned out of the way of, before lashing out with a punch of his own, one that hit me square in the chest, causing me to stumble back.

He followed up with a charge and a powerful kick that probably would have hurt if it had connected. I was about to follow up when he said something that made me freeze.

"Are these the moves you used to combat the bully who cornered you? Said he'd be 'doing everyone a favor by taking out a villain in the making'?"

I wasn't frozen for long, but it was enough of an opening for Memento, who legs out from under me and pinned me beneath a boot.

"Well, I'd say that you did well, but I dislike lies. Rather, I'd say you still have a lot to learn."

I looked up at him, and chuckled.

"I can't argue there sir. Still, how'd you know about that bully?"

Memento responded to the question by pushing his goggles up onto head, revealing his eyes. To say they were off putting was an understatement. They had no pupils, or even an iris. They were simply a completely solid amber color. Looking at them made a shiver go down my spine. Memento seemed nonplussed by my reaction.

"My quirk is related to my eyes. It's called Soul Sight. By looking at anyone around me, I can discern psychological weaknesses. Their fears, incidents that will make them uncomfortable. Anything that would throw them off. It's not particularly suited for combat by itself, but it does have its uses."

I nodded. That was kind of scary, honestly. Apparently, that feeling was showing, because he sighed and looked away.

"I know what you're thinking. It's the same thing I heard growing up. I scare people. Make them feel vulnerable."

He turned his head back to me, giving a sincere look of sympathy.

"That's why I asked you about your schooling. I had a feeling your experience was similar."

I nodded as I started to get up, Memento helping pull me to my feet.

"When I received your application, it was the first internship I've had in two years. I intend to do my best to teach you, and that includes this lesson."

His look turned even more serious.

"Your quirk does not define you. Neither does what people think of that quirk. Your quirk is a part of you. Never let other people define what that part of you means."

I nodded, a slight smile on my face. Shinso seemed shocked too. It was like he'd never heard that kind of talk before.

"Thank you, sir."

Memento nodded.

"Think nothing of it. For the next week, you are my student. I will do my best to teach you as much as I can."

He walked toward the locker room.

"Rest for a moment, then get changed and meet me in the mission room. It's down the hall then right of this room."

I nodded, then sat down, breathing slightly. The spar hadn't been long. Though I guess that had been the point. For all I had accomplished, I still wasn't the best at fighting. I still had a lot to learn.

I sighed and shook my head, before I jumped up and headed to the locker room. No point in sitting around when I could be doing stuff. Wonder what Memento wanted in a meeting room…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Once I'd changed, it wasn't hard to find the 'meeting room', or as I would call it, the 'room with a table in it and nothing else aside from the chairs'. Geez, Memento is such a minimalist. Said hero was sitting calmly, waiting for me. He nodded as I sat down.

"Good. That didn't take long. You're quite efficient, Mr. Shinso."

I smirked slightly.

"That's me, !"

Memento didn't in any way show he got the joke.

"Good. That's a quality you'll need in hero work."

He turned and placed down a map, which I leaned over to see. It was a map of the city where the hq was. Several routes were drawn around the city itself. Memento pointed to them.

"These are the usual patrol routes I take around the city. I will not always follow them to the letter, but they have proven an efficient starting point."

I nodded, and he continued on.

"We will be going on patrol at least once everyday while you are here. As well, you will accompany me to any and all incidents I am called for. There are not many, but it is likely there will be at least one."

Okay then. Seemed pretty cool. I smiled slightly.

"Seems about what I was expecting, boss."

Memento raised an eyebrow at me, an unspoken question in his gaze. I simply shrugged as if to answer. He sighed and turned back to the sheet, pointing to what looked like a warehouse on the east side of the city.

"My intelligence tells me that there is a weapons deal going down in this warehouse tonight. You will accompany me and observe. There is an essential lesson I wish to teach you."

I tilted my head curiously. He simply gave me a shrug.

"I'll show you to the room you are to use for the next week. You can settle in, then meet me here at 6:00 PM. You will be given your equipment then. No questions?"

I nodded, giving him a mock salute.

"Good. follow me. I can already tell this will be quite an interesting week, Mr. Shinso. Don't disappoint me now."

I smiled.

"Wouldn't dream of it, sir."