If there is one thing praiseworthy about Endeavor, it is that he keeps true to his word.

Being a better father has yet to be seen, but so far he has done a good job of being a mentor at the work-study.

This separation of emotions from responsibility makes it so much easier to be in his presence.

I even manage to learn new things.

For example, we begin the morning chasing after a harmless yet pestilent rogue. Endeavor beats the three of us to it, but I notice new techniques in his modus operandi. When he was attacked by the noumu immediately after the latest rankings announcement, he compressed his flames to boost his acceleration and impact. I tend to do something similar but with ice; only once did I use my fire for speed. It's a monumental, impressive feat.

The challenge only motivates me.

So when he charges ahead, I take use both ice and fire to catch up to him. It does not escape my notice that Bakugou also adjusts his stance slightly after I point out my observations to him. Midoriya uses his own quirk to increase his speed. Individually yet somehow unitedly, we are trying to improve. Just as Endeavor wanted us to do.

Maybe it's a good thing that Endeavor observes these subtle changes, too. "During my fight in Kyushu, I was able to split the work with Hawks," he says, "But a true hero must be someone who is able to handle every role on their own."

Then, "Bakugou. You said you wanted to learn what you couldn't do, right? I'll admit that your ability is top-notch. Well, for a rookie at least. But as you are right now, you will never be able to surpass me." I look at Bakugou. He is wearing a sneer. Endeavor continues, "This winter might just be training, but if you're too slow, you won't be able to use your normal excuses anymore. This is not a classroom. If you're ever too slow, you won't be losing points … rather, human lives." He punctuates his statement by punching the front engine of truck-kun that was about to isekai a civilian to the royalty afterlife.

My instinct tells me that although he used Bakugou's name, the message was intended for me, too.

I get confirmation of my hunch when he gives Bakugou and I the same task: storage and release of power. Either we learn to draw forth the maximum of our abilities for an instant, or focus our ability on a single point. In both cases, we must practice that skill until we can do it subconsciously.

Endeavor buys us some kurimpan during our break. He also takes this opportunity to offer advice. To me, he suggests the second option is better. I should concentrate on the image of my ice and apply it to fire. To Midoriya, he recommends the first idea. Midoriya can already utilize the most of his quirk, but he cannot do it completely subconsciously.

"I can with my Full Cowl," Midoriya explains, "But for my Air Force … I still have to think about it."

"In that case, your first step will be to earn to use Air Force subconsciously. Forget about your 'secondary ability' for now."

"But to do that, I need to learn how to think in parallel."

Since we are at height, Endeavor looks down at the busy street below. He pauses a moment, taking in the scene, before speaking again. "Listen up." An order for the three of us. "Everyone on Earth is already capable of parallel processing on a daily basis. And subconsciously, too, to boot. Just look at that guy, yawning and driving at the same time. It's not like he's always known how to drive. Steering. Acceleration. Braking. Processing what's ahead of and behind him at all times. He learned each of those one by one, then practiced until he could do them all together subconsciously.

"Start by learning to do two things together subconsciously. When you're done with that, add a third. No matter how strong or powerful an ability may be, that power is built on a foundation of smaller parts, stacked on top of each other, one by one.

"Sure, there may be exceptions; but for the rest of us, growing one step at a time is the only path forward. At least, that's the only path I know. Even if you practice the same abilities, the experience you'll be gaining here is worlds away from what you've gained at school. Take the power you've fostered at school, and now, at the agency of the Number One hero, make that power your own."

In other words, small steps at a time. An underappreciated idea that everyone knows but forgets so easily. Guess I needed that reminder, too. All those battles with the League of Villains emphasized the gap between theory and practicality, but with time, I happened to forget it. I cannot afford to do that now.

The idea could also be applied to the metaphorical battle with Selene. There is no way I can simply rush in to help her escape the web that entangles her with each passing moment.

I know I wanted to draw a division between Endeavor and Dad, but at this moment, I cannot help but think about Dad. Maybe he is trying to do the same when he said he will atone for his actions …

I finish the last of my kurimpan. The thought trails off.

Some days later, Fuyumi invites the four of us for dinner.

Recalling the last time we had a family dinner, I cannot say that I particularly look forward to it. But for her sake and for my friends, I will try to behave better than I did before. Bakugou vehemently insists we are not friends, but I differ.

Fuyumi greets us cheerfully. Given that she's wearing an apron, she must have just finished cooking. My attention falls on the extra pair of shoes by the doorstep. "Natsuo's here, too?" I ask. He is.

A short while later, everyone gathers at the dining table. I fill my bowl with the dishes I like and participate in harmless conversation. Dad adopts the same strategy. For now, the atmosphere is amiable if not jubilant.

When Midoriya praises Sis's cooking, Natsuo speaks up for the first time. "Of course it's good. Ever since the maid hurt her back and retired, Big Sis has been doing all the cooking."

"You cooked too, Natsuo!" Fuyumi adds. "We alternated!"

At that, my interest piques. I raise a seemingly innocent question. "Really? So did I eat your cooking?"

I regret my decision as soon as he answers it. "Well, I wonder about that. I always over-seasoned mine, so …" He glances accusingly at Dad. "Endeavor may not have allowed it." The pleasant aura switches immediately. An uncomfortable tension permeates the room as rapid as a lightning strike. Even Bakugou and Midoriya sense it, too.

Sis tries her best to veer the discussion back to safer topics; I pipe in to help her out. But there is no way that can happen now. The issue that everyone was avoiding was given a voice, and now it's unignorable. Unsurprisingly, Natsuo is the first to want to get out. He gathers his finished bowls and stands up. Despite my sister's protests, he shuts the main door behind him. "Sorry, Sis. I just can't do this anymore."

The meal ends quickly in silence.

While Bakugou and Midoriya carry their empty dishes to the kitchen with Dad, I stay behind to help Fuyumi clean the table.

"Sorry to make you help out like this," she smiles weakly as she wipes the table down with a rag.

I set down a tray to pick up the remaining dishes. "I'd feel bad for Midoriya if I didn't." I keep my voice level to calm her, but deep down, I know it is not as easy as that.

She says, "It's not like I don't feel the same way Natsuo does whatsoever … but we finally have this chance, you know?" I glance up at her, waiting for her to continue her thought. "What do you think of Dad, Shouto?"

Good question. As simple as it seems, the answer is that much complex.

I need a moment to formulate my opinions into words. If I don't know where to start, it's best to try the beginning. Slowly, I speak. "As far as I'm concerned, he's the one gave me this burn." Vivid flashbacks of that time resurface. I try not to let them overcome me. "Mom endured it for years. And then it boiled over. I can't forgive him that easily after what he did to her. But, as we speak, Mom is trying her best to move past this." All those letters exchanged with her, all those times I visited her … it was obvious that she was pulling through steadily. But while she made up her mind, I have not. Now is the moment of truth. "Honestly, I can't say for sure. I don't know what to think about our father. I still … just don't know."

There. My doubts, my uncertainties, my hesitations are voiced into reality. I don't get the chance to let that sink in because Bakugou shouts from the hallway.

"If you're gonna invite guests over, then quit showing us your family drama!"

Fuyumi covers her mouth in surprise and apologizes for her rudeness. Midoriya tries to apologize back by frantically explaining, "I've heard about your circumstances from Todoroki!"

Bakugou has no such qualms, whatsoever. "I just overheard the circumstances, but whatever!" He stomps toward the table and piles the bowls and plates furiously. His anger is louder than the clattering of ceramic. "When I heard we were invited for dinner, I expected a pleasant, normal evening! And now my Sichuan mapo tofu's ruined!"

None of us have an argument to that. His anger is justified; this was our fault for bringing up our family issues.

Properly reprimanded, I assist in silence. Midoriya joins us to pick up a stack. "I'm sorry. We heard your conversation." I'm about to tell him it's fine, but then he says something that leaves me speechless.

"Todoroki, I think right now you're probably getting ready to forgive him."

'Dumbfounded' is the only word suitable for my shock.

He immediately elaborates, "In my opinion, if you really hated him, then it would be fine to just say, 'I'll never forgive you.' But you're an incredibly kind person, so to me, it looks like you're waiting for the right moment. That's what you're going through right now."

Rationality slowly seeps in. Were it anyone else, I might have denied their perspective. But considering that I was the one who told him about my vendetta toward Endeavor, I cannot. Just one question repeats itself in my head like a mantra. Was everything until now the small steps I had taken to forgive Dad?

I have no idea how to respond to that. When Midoriya continues, "However, I'm guessing your brother still has unresolved feelings, so maybe that's why he is aversive to the idea. No offense to him, though. It's his choice," I still have nothing to say.

Fuyumi, on the other hand, does. "That's because of our oldest brother: Touya." The name comes out breathlessly, just like the ghost he is now. "He's not with us anymore."

Bakugou returns to sit down at the table with us as Midoriya inquires, "Your brother?"

She understands the gist of it immediately. Turning to me, she wonders, "So you haven't talked about him?"

A bead of sweat drips down my face. "There was never any need to." Because it's such a precarious subject. I leave the explanation to her.

"Natsuo had always gotten along with Touya. They used to play together a lot." She brushes her hair behind her ear, remembering the fond memories she must have shared with him when he was alive. It's best that she's the one doing the talking; I don't have many memories of him, except that he left a void that can never be filled. "It happened right around the time when our mother was admitted to the hospital. As a result, her condition got even worse, and she stopped seeing Shouto, too.

"But now, she's gotten over it. She's started seeing Shouto again. And ever since, our family has been moving forward. Natsuo is the only one who can't seem to let bygones be bygones. To this day, he believes that it was our father who killed him."

All of us let that final statement hang in the air for a moment. Bakugou breaks the silence by muttering how that explained Natsuo's attitude just a while ago. There is no more time to contemplate because Dad appears in the doorway and tells us we have to go back to school. Break is over, so our weekends will be devoted to the work-study. Bakugou, Midoriya, and I get into the car after bidding our farewells. We climb into the backseat, and soon, an argument ensues between Bakugou and the chauffeur.

I don't pay much heed to it until the chauffeur slams the brakes, jolting me forward. I bend to the side to see what the commotion is about. What I see makes my heart freeze: Natsuo embroiled in the whip-like ribbons of a villain.

Every event afterward passes in a blur. I can only recall individual moments.

Endeavor leaps out the car, hero costume fully assembled.

A volley of ribbons traps the car in place.

We break out with our quirks.

The chauffeur tosses our suitcases, which contain our gear.

I call out Natsuo's name as he is swung around dangerously.

We charge at the villain.

His ribbons come at me.

They are incinerated by my flames.

The villain tosses my brother aside. Bakugou blasts ahead and catches him.

The cars carrying innocent civilians are tossed into the air. Midoriya prevents them from falling.

The villain braces for another attack. My punch packed with fire hits his guts. He is crippled immediately.

All of a sudden, my narrow-minded focus returns to the present. Dad has both Bakugou and Natsuo in a protective embrace. My left side has overheated, and I coat it with ice while holding the villain in a tight grip. Midoriya lands the cars to the ground safely.

Maybe it was the panic, maybe it was the rage, or maybe it was the adrenaline … but at that moment, all I could see was my brother about to die. Between fight or flight, I subconsciously chose fight.

The word subconscious echoes in my head. All that on-site training paid off. I pinpointed everything about my quirk at rescuing Natsuo. That was Endeavor asked of me, didn't he?

My mind is so caught up with that, I almost forget the original mission he set for us: subdue one villain faster than him. Bakugou is the one who reminds me of it. As he struggles out of Endeavor's grasp, he boasts about the challenge loud and clear.

And Endeavor acknowledges it. "Indeed. You boys were outstanding!" he heaves restlessly. I only see his back, but in spite of all the armor, he is quivering. "You were able to cover for my mistake at the fastest possible speed!" I should be happy to receive such praise from a man who used to be disappointed in me. Though, I cannot. Perhaps the aftereffects of stress still persist. But who am I trying to fool? It's the price at which that compliment came that deprives all joy.

Natsuo realizes it, too. He pushes away from Dad. Because right now, Dad is not speaking as a hero but as a parent.

"I'M SORRY!" he screams. It is a pure howl of utter desperation that one makes at his own helplessness. There is nothing that can rival that emotion. "For a moment, I actually stopped to think! I feared that if I were to save you … that you'd never speak to me from hereon out." He slumps from the shame. "Natsuo. It's fine if you don't believe me. But I never meant to neglect you kids for all these years. And yet, I did fail to take responsibility. I ran away. With Touya too … it's as if I'm the one who killed him."

A sense of déjà vu hits me. The timing is too good. He must have overheard our conversation at the dining table.

I cannot see Natsuo from my angle, but I can hear the tremor in his voice. "You never meant to neglect us?" he echoes back. "And what do I care? I heard everything from Touya growing up. If you're wondering when I'm going to forgive you, the answer is never! I'm not kind like Shouto." He heard it, too.

"Even so, you chose to join us tonight for Fuyumi and Rei's sakes, didn't you?" Dad counters. "That girl longs for a proper family more than anything else, all because I destroyed the family she had. So she restlessly tries to fix things. To bring us back together. And you're trying your best to respect her feelings, aren't you?

"You're plenty kind. That's why you don't have to forgive me." His words have me enthralled. There is something about hearing the harsh truth from someone else that really puts things into perspective and compels one to think. Fuyumi, Natsuo, and I … we are three siblings who are coping with our family's dark history in different manners. Sis has come the furthest to forgiving him; according to Midoriya, I'm getting there; Bro is reluctant.

I can't even blame him because I was in the same place as him for a long time.

Dad goes on. "I don't want you to forgive me. But I do want to atone for what I've done."

If the hiccups and chokes are anything to go by, Natsuo is crying. He gasps between tears, "Don't try and play the nice guy with me! Sis has been so happy lately … but every time I see your face, I can't help but remember everything!" He shouts, "Why do I have to be the one to proactively try and change? Atone, you say? And how exactly do you plan on doing that? What can you do?"

Suddenly, the villain awakens. Oh, shoot! I got too caught up! A punch to his face silences his pathetic cries.

The police arrive.

They take the villain away and escort Natsuo home.

The ribbons trapping the car are removed.

Dad drives us back to the school.

A conclusive end to the debacle of the day.

It does nothing to soothe the turmoil inside me.

Note: I have copied some dialogue from one of the English-translated versions of the manga. The links to the chapters are here:

.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-248/

.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-249/

.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-250/

.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-251/

.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-252/