Frowning at her reflection, the female fixed her red glasses.
At least the school uniform was black.
It didn't look horrible on her with her salmon hair colour and her red, spooky (her cousin Lina's words) eyes.
"You don't get prettier, looking into your Vanity Mirror, Michi.", sassed Ares, the bain of her existence from his place on her head.
She looked up at the sentient ribbon.
He looked down.
If his speaking without a mouth, didn't make clear he wasn't a normal ribbon, his looks sure would. He was dark maroon, then in the middle dark pink, followed up by red eyeballs, black scalder and yellow pupils.
"And I don't need your stupid commentary!", she reminds him. "Especial today."
"Why because you are going to a new school? It's not the first time, Whirlwind. You needed to move here so your Mama could care for your grandparents. It's not that different when you moved school because you broke someone's nose.", he really had the gall to say.
Huffing she pulled Ares a bit. The ribbon cried out in pain.
Yes, he could feel pain.
"We are in Japan, you idiot. I'm used to moving to our city in Italy, from school to school, but here I'm a foreigner."
"I thought Michela, La Vendetta, doesn't care what people think of her and if they want to tease her she just punches them in the face.", reminds Ares.
With another huff, Michela grasped her new school bag and went to the kitchen.
Did she really though this piece of cloth would get it?
"Ares.", she tried again to explain. "In two years I will be finished with Junior High and try to get into one of the big Hero Schools. I can't risk any more notes in my school records. I want to go to U.A. since Herakles University in Greece is now out of the question. U.A. is the best hero school in all of Japan! Only the best get in. And I intend to be one of them. If I have to play the role of demure school girl I will."
It was still for a few seconds between them before Ares pointed out: "You have pierced ears, wear large hoop earrings, for your last birthday your parents allowed you a tattoo and your red eyes are creepy. Only your glasses make you look soft. You don't scream innocent school girl more like Fight-Me!"
Michela could just grit her teeth together.
He wasn't wrong.
It's her Italian temperament that always gets her into situations where fist flies.
She wished she had gotten a bit more of the calm nature of her Japanese mother, however besides the hair colour, she came totally after her Italian father.
People never believed her when she told them she was half-Japanese.
In secret, she didn't believe it sometimes too.
Michela loved her mother and her mother loved her, sadly they weren't always on the same page.
Her father understood her better.
"Good morning, Michi-Chan.", greeted her Obaa-San from the kitchen table.
Her grandparents and her father sat already, while her mother was putting the last dishes on it.
She greeted her grandparents back in Japanese, then switched to Italian to greet her parents.
Jiji-San had hearing problems, so he asked what she had said, and she repeated it.
Then she sat down and had to sign.
A traditional Japanese breakfast.
Again.
Since they moved in with her grandparents mother only cooked Japanese, since the two elders were a bit old-fashioned in the food department.
Michela or Michi here in Japan found the red eyes of her father. She saw understanding in them.
They both craved some Brioche with crema.
Father and daughter signed together.
What one endured for the ones you love.
Her new school, Aldera Junior High, looked straight out of an anime.
Normally she would enjoy this, but Michi was a tiny bit nervous.
She couldn't be anymore the tough, fist-fighting girl she loved, so who the heck was she now?
A strange foreigner with a weird ribbon, she heard her schoolmates whisper as she got into the school.
An angry mark formed on her head as she changed her street shoes to indoor shoes.
Just stay calm.
Don't start swinging.
"You are a bunch of rude kids.", told Ares a group of a few girls and boys, who were whispering beside her.
This made the little group jump in fright. They didn't expect that the ribbon could talk.
What Quirk was that?!
The salmon-haired girl just reached up and petted Ares.
"Ares, I don't care.", she told him in Italian. "You don't have to fight my fights."
"We fight together did you forget?"
It made her smile. When he wanted Ares could be sweet.
Her head holding high Michi walked past the gossiping people, trying to find her classroom.
She found it thankful before the school clock sounded.
"Alright, class, settle down!", told her new teacher, her new classmates.
He looked at the paper in his hand and turned to her, who was still standing by the door.
"Massaro Michela?"
"Michi is fine, Sensei."
"Alright, come here Michi-San."
So she stepped beside him as he shouted into the class.
"Class meet our new student. This is Massaro Michi. She moved from Italy here. Please welcome her with open arms."
As her mother had explained to her, she bowed in greetings.
"Please take care of me!"
Again the whispers started. Not only her, but she could also feel Ares getting annoyed about that.
"Michi-San, I'm Watanabe-Sensei, if you have a question just turn to me. Now would you like to tell us a bit about yourself?"
Tell this judgemental little bitches something about her.
Oh, she would like to start swinging, however, she got a better idea.
In her thoughts, she thanked again her older cousin Stefano for introducing her to Anime and Manga.
She had the perfect way to introduce herself.
"I'm Massaro Michi. I have no intention of telling you my likes and dislikes. As for my dream…I have a few hobbies."
The flabbergasted faces of her classmates and the cough-disguised laugh of Watanabe-Sensei were worth it, to not play the demure school girl.
What was she thinking?
She was a rebel through and through.
So she nodded to her Sensei and picked the only free sit in the classroom.
Michi had a feeling it would be a long day.
Bored Michi picked at her bento box, while Ares took a nap.
It was finally lunch break and how the girl needed a break!
Here in Japan, they were way beyond the curriculum she had in Italy! It didn't help at all that she could already speak, write and read Japanese when they were so advanced!
Her mother had insisted on learning Japanese, in the past it had been a pain in the butt, however, Michi was now glad for it.
Maybe she should forget U.A. it was too much work.
"No I shouldn't think this way.", she scolded herself. "All I ever wanted was to be a hero. My Quirk is a pain in the butt, but if I don't use it for good, I would feel so bad."
Thankful Ares was sleeping or he would hit her for calling him a pain in the butt.
Slowly Michi picked up a piece of salmon with her chopsticks to place it in her mouth when she heard it.
Something hitting someone.
This someone letting out a little quiet hurt sound.
The salmon-haired girl turned around on the bench where she sat.
What she saw made her instantly angry.
There was a small, frail-looking boy with wild green hair that reminded her of broccoli, sitting all alone on a bench, like her and behind him some punks threw paper balls at him.
Oh no, not on her watch.
Like she was fury herself she stood up and raced up to the frail boy before another paper ball hit him on the head. She caught it and threw it right back in one of the bully's faces.
"Hey, you bitchass assholes take someone of your own size!", she growled.
The bullies were taken aback by Michi's sudden outburst and stood up to confront her.
But before they could say anything, Ares unfurled himself from Michi's hair and glared at them with his menacing red eyes.
"You really shouldn't mess with my girl," he warned, his voice low and threatening.
The bullies hesitated for a moment before backing down and slinking away.
"Thanks Ares."
Her ribbon shrunk to its normal size.
"Anytime, Michi."
Then Michi turned to the green-haired boy who was staring at her in shock.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
He nodded slowly, still looking a bit dazed. "Th-thank you," he stammered.
"No problem. I can't stand bullies."
"Is...is he your Quirk?", wonders the boy shy, pointing at Ares. "I...I never saw something like that, it...it's cool!"
"Thanks, boy!", preened Ares, puffing himself up. "I'm quite formidable."
"A formidable pervert.", deadpanned Michi.
Ares may give her powers beyond imagination, yet the outfit it came in...shudder!
Her ribbon huffed, while broccoli boy titled his head in confusion.
Gosh, he was adorable.
"It's whatever.", waved Michi and sat down beside him. He suddenly turned so red, that he was giving competition to tomatoes. "I didn't introduce myself I'm Massaro Michela but call me Michi, Class 1B. The ribbon on my head is Ares, he is part of my Quirk."
It took him a while, however, the boy managed to answer her: "I'm...I'm...M-Midoriya Izuku. Class 1A."
Strange that he didn't tell his Quirk, but it was none of her business.
Maybe it was an embarrassing one.
She knows this kind of Quirk well.
"Sucks, that we aren't in the same class. I would love to know already someone nice there, but we can still be friends."
Midoriya nearly falls over the bench. Did he hear right?!
"You...You want to be my friend?"
Michi shrugged her shoulders.
"You seem way nicer than anyone I meet today. All think me a freak for Ares and because I'm from Italy. In my eyes, you are a good friend materiel."
Midoriya couldn't believe his luck. He had been dreading lunchtime, knowing he would have to sit alone again, but now he had made a friend.
And not just any friend, but someone who was brave enough to stand up to bullies and had a cool Quirk to boot.
He felt like he had hit the jackpot.
"I'd like that," he said, smiling shyly at Michi. "I don't have many friends either."
They spent the rest of lunch chatting about this and that.
Midoriya, who became fast Izuku, was curious about Italy and the Italian Superheroes she liked.
So told him all about the amazing Seraphina, who had an Angel-Quirk.
She noted that Izuku wanted to get something out of his backpack and Ares and her encouraged him to just get it out.
It turned out Izuku had such a passion for heroes that he wrote about them in notebooks, all he could find out about them.
Michi and Ares were impressed and Izuku nearly cried that someone (A girl nonetheless! And a nice entity) didn't mocked him for his hero studies.
On the contrary, they helped him add some things too and described Seraphina in their best quality.
Then they talked about the Japanese Heroes and both found out that they liked All Might a lot. Mirko was Michi's favourite Japanese Hero, but she owned some All Might Merch as well.
Izuku felt in heaven (Michi was turning into a goddess in his eyes) and Michi felt herself relaxing for the first time since arriving in Japan.
Maybe this new school wouldn't be so bad after all.
They continued to chat throughout the rest of lunch and even walked back to class together.
As it was time to part Michi asked for Izuku's phone number, which he repeated stuttering and sweating, such a cutie, and she gave hers.
How Izuku acted getting her phone number felt like she had given him the Holy Grail or something.
Yes, he was indeed a cutie.
With a hair ruffle, she left her new friend.
Never seeing how he happily freaked out that a girl touched him!
This was the start of a beautiful friendship, no question.
25.05.24: I decide to delete the second chapter and start new with this FF.
I hope you all like the new cover art too. :D