Homework Ga Owaranai (The Homework Never Ends) Instrumental - Yu Yu Hakusho OST
"Justice is something I seek not just for myself,
But for everyone else as well."
I tapped my foot impatiently against the floor.
Tap.
Tap.
How long was this supposed to take?!
The Musutafu Police Department, or the MPD, had one main office located right in the centre of the city. It was a huge building that had over ten floors, each dedicated to a different division of the police. Frankly, the way it worked astounded me, but considering I was going to be an active member and even participate in the police now I guess I had to learn it all.
"Sora Yamazaki?"
"Yes."
"Detective Iori will be seeing you now."
Thank fuck I didn't have to wait at the reception anymore. I stood up from my seat and walked towards the elevator, nodding at any officers in uniforms who walked by. Pushing the button to go to the third floor, I leaned against the back wall of the elevator as I watched it go up. Huh. They even had decent elevator music in this place, was this a hotel or a police station? Headquarters? I didn't even know what to call it.
Eventually, I got out of the elevator and walked down the hallway, past a few big rooms where people were working on their desks. Detective Nanao Iori. I breathed in heavily as I stood right outside of her office, wiping any crumbs my shirt might have had from my breakfast as I mentally prepared myself.
All right Sora, this is it.
I raised my hand ready to knock-,
"The door's open, you know," An amused voice said from behind me. I turned around to see a woman with light blue hair done up in a neat ponytail wearing a suit and heels while holding a stack of papers. Nanao Iori hadn't changed a bit since I last saw her over a year ago. "You should have just opened it up. I never lock my door. I personally find that it creates bad habits."
"Well, how was I supposed to know that?"
"If you arrived here five minutes earlier, perhaps you would have already had some tea. I'm afraid however that the hot water dispenser is broken as of now, so you'll have to do without tea," Nanao told me, opening the door to her office as I followed her inside. It was quite spacious, not to mention neatly organised. "But you don't strike me as someone who enjoys traditional Japanese tea, right?"
I sat down opposite her desk with a grin on my face.
"That's a good thing then. I hate tea."
"More of a coffee guy are you? Well that's fine, I prefer my coffee black just like the colour of my soul," Nanao smirked at me. "It's good to see you again, Sora. Even if this is the most unexpected way I thought I'd see you come back to the realm of the living."
"Realm of the living? I see you haven't changed the way you speak," I replied, taking a sweet from her desk and eating it. "And yeah, who would have seen me become the first detective-hero hybrid? I mean I didn't see it coming, and I doubt you saw it either. Hell, if I met someone who could 'see into the future' I doubt they could have shoddily predicted this plot twist."
"Well, I always did say that you'd make a great fit for us at the MPD. Didn't think you'd join us in the end. Still, I guess you're probably wondering why I told you to come over today, right?" I nodded at her. "Wel,l for you to be classified as a detective, you need to earn your detective licence. And since I was the youngest person in recent memory to pass the exam - I'm going to teach you how to pass it at an even earlier age."
I gulped at that.
"Uh, so when is the exam?"
"In about… three hours."
…
Huh?
Huuuuuuuuuu?!
Chapter
Fifty
Five
'The Heart of the Sword'
"Congratulations Detective Sora Yamazaki," Nanao congratulated me, holding out a new badge for me to wear. I grunted towards her, taking the damn thing as I inspected it. It was a silver base with silver leaves decorated around it with a single gold star on it. I guess that was the MPD logo, with the words 'Musutafu Police Department' printed on top of it. "You're now the youngest police detective in a century. That's quite an achievement, plan on doing anything special to commemorate the occasion?"
I glared at her in response.
"You… Do you know how exhausted I am? Five fucking scenarios, a test exercise and a mock arrest in under forty minutes. I had two hours to do the entire thing! Why the hell did you make me rush the entire test?"
"Because your score is based on your time," Nanao replied, passing me a fresh towel and a water bottle. "The faster you get it done, the higher score you get. But sadly you didn't beat my score, I was ten minutes faster than you."
I simply stared at her in shock.
"You're some kind of freakish monster, aren't you? Anyways, now that's out of the way, what now?" I asked her, putting on the overcoat that Nezu and Mei had designed for me. It was only then that I noticed that the front pouch was designed to be able to hold my brand new badge, signalling that I was indeed a part of the police, and it made me realise just how much Nezu and everyone else had planned out.
"Now? Well, now you're going to meet the vice-commissioner of the MPD."
…
"Huuuuuuuuuh!?"
"Come on, we don't have all day," Nanao told me, grabbing my arm as I wiped the sweat off my forehead and hoped that I didn't smell that bad. "Don't worry about it too much. Vice Commissioner Suzuki might be a bit harsh sometimes, but he's fair. Well… You know what, good luck."
Nanao pushed me into a room, shutting it before I could even call her name.
Damn.
Why the hell did I agree to this?
"Ahem," Sitting behind a desk with his arms folded was a balding man with the twirliest pink moustache I had ever seen in my life. He also had half-moon spectacles which made him look older than he was. The man wore a very traditional police uniform with an overcoat, much like my very own. "Sora Yamazaki, I presume?"
I nodded.
"Uh, yeah. Hi. Nice to… meet you?"
"Excellent. Please, sit."
I did exactly as he asked as he bore his eyes into my very being, studying everything there was to know about me. Well, at least that's what his eyes told me, I was staring at the floor trying to ignore the awkwardness in the air. Just like always, I was thrust into an awkward position trying to get my bearings out of the whole place before I toppled over and was made to look like a loser.
"So, I heard you passed the detective exam. Well done. The previous holder of the youngest detective in the country is Nanao of course, to see that you beat her by a few years is quite impressive. Although you took slightly longer than her, considering you had no training I do consider it impressive. Well, I suppose it makes sense to consider your current attendance and previous experience as a hero, does it not?"
I nodded along to what he said.
"Yes, sir!"
"You don't need to call me sir, please, Vice Commissioner Suzuki is perfectly acceptable," The man told me with a warm smile. "Still, I'd like to welcome you to the Musutafu Police Department, Sora Yamazaki. As I understand it, you'll be spending most of your time not only on the outskirts - the exciting part of this city - but also in the heart of it, yes? Although, from what Nezu told me, you'll be digging your fingers into a lot of different pies."
I nodded at him.
"Yeah, that's where the office of the S.R.G. is located. I guess since I'll be the only detective in the group, you'll want me to give you reports or something?" Suzuki shook his head.
"No need. Your supervisor, Nanao Iori, will be the one to receive your reports. And in turn, she'll be the one to notify me how everything is going on your end. But that's beside the point. I suppose you'll want to hear why I've decided to allow this little experiment with the S.R.G. to happen in the first place, don't you?"
"Well, I wouldn't be averse to an answer."
Suzuki merely smiled at me in response.
"A detective must always seek the truth, Yamazaki. Whether you wanted it or not, you've been thrust into a difficult situation even if you haven't even realised it just as we all have," Suzuki said cryptically. "I look forward to seeing what you accomplish, and whether you can overcome the barriers that have stood in front of us since I was a child - No, since before even my father was born."
"Barriers?"
"...Tell me, Yamazaki. Are you taught sociology at that school of yours?" Suzuki asked me.
I shook my head at him.
"Well it's offered for general studies students, but in the hero course, we don't really have enough time. We have the option of three art subjects, that being art, drama or music," I answered. "I mean I do neither because I'm horrible at them. That or because I mess around too much in those lessons. Or did. But nah, we're not allowed to do sociology. But in my previous school-, er, I did a term studying sociology."
Suzuki nodded at me, stroking his twirly pink moustache.
"I see. Well, here's a question for you. Would you save one person over one hundred lives?"
I blinked at him in confusion.
"Do I know the person?"
"Does it matter?"
I shrugged my shoulders at the man. I mean, not really, but at the same time it did matter. And the sly smirk creeping on his face only made me scowl deeper as I realised this was all just a test, not that I thought that it wasn't anyway. Meddling old men. I could see him and Nezu discussing something important over a meaningless game of chess that would end up in a draw.
"I'd obviously save a hundred people. Your question reminds me of that popular trope. Would you save the girl of your dreams or the entire world? The answer is really obvious, there's no way anyone would sacrifice the entire world for a single girl," I replied. "It would be sort of selfish if you did that. But, if I did save that one girl in place of the world… I don't think I'd regret it."
"Oh?"
"I mean yeah, I'll have an entire world hating me. So what. That's nothing compared to the love of a cute girl who's grateful that I saved her," I told him with a grin. "That's to say that I reject your little question. Why can't I save both? And you never said I have to do it alone. You're giving me the power of both a hero and a detective not so I can stand around with my thumb in my arse, but so I can help change things around. Maybe your men and my fellow heroes could only answer a certain way, but not me."
"I can see now why Nezu picked you," Suzuki replied cheerfully. "Most men would have answered with an unimaginative answer. You flipped my question inside out and made a mockery out of it. I can tell already that you're going to certainly be a character within this force, definitely someone that people will spread nasty gossip about. And I can imagine you not giving a shit about it."
"Hey!"
"Yamazaki, I think the question that's most on your mind is why now. Is it not? The police and Heroes have partnered up many times over the last two centuries, but our partnership has never exceeded what our roles were clearly defined as," Suzuki intoned. "Don't you find it curious as to why it's being broken now of all times? I assume you keep up with the news, yes?"
"...Are you talking about the growing dissent against Heroes?"
"Perhaps. Perhaps I'm also talking about the men and women who govern this country, those who most recently gave in pressure and passed a law that limited the Heroes defined role for the first time in over a hundred years," Suzuki replied. "Perhaps it has something to do with the missing five billion Yen that was stolen from the Bank of Japan a few months ago, the very same case that has stalled and its main collaborator, Death Arms, having been kicked off the investigation. Perhaps the increased violence and villains appearing have created a need for someone like you to exist in the world."
"Someone like me?"
"The main reason I as the vice-commissioner went behind my bosses' back in partnering with Nezu, the main reason Nezu even entertained this little idea of ours is because the world is changing, Sora Yamazaki," Suzuki explained seriously. "Commissioner Suwabe, the boss of the MPD, may not have signed off on this project had he known what I truly expect of you."
"Er, sorry, I sorta don't know who he is," I uninterrupted him apologetically, rubbing the back of my head in embarrassment. "I know that it's bad, but… Whatever. I know that the world around me is getting worse by the day. I can see that my friends-, People I care about are trying their hardest to save everyone. But that's sorta impossible. With how the world is changing, soon they're gonna be rejected, aren't they?"
It was just a theory - and idea - that was being thrown around.
But whenever our teachers at U.A. mentioned it, whenever the news discussed its merits, I could see the flinches, the nervousness and uncomfortableness radiating off from Classes A and B. It didn't take a genius to figure out why the staff at U.A. were becoming more strict, why their jovial personalities were starting to fade away as time went on and discussion became more serious.
I was talking about the demilitarisation of this nation, Japan.
The annulment of the Hero Act of 2011.
No more Heroes.
"Hah. Hahahaha," I watched as Vice Commissioner Suzuki laughed so hard tears began to well up in his eyes. "Nezu was right about you. There's a sort of sense of earnestness not found in many people these days. You're right of course. A worrying trend has been set with the new law inhibiting what a Hero can and can't investigate. We're worried that a downward spiral into the worst ending could happen, and so you and this S.R.G of yours are what I'd call a reaction to that."
"Just because I'm both a Hero and a Detective?"
"No. If we wanted to, we'd have given it to someone like Deku or Shoto if we wanted you to solve that issue - We'd certainly have taken someone more flashy and popular for better PR than someone as volatile with a perchance for breaking the rules as you do," Suzuki told me, much to my dismay. "Maybe you haven't realised your role in all this yet. Do you by any chance play shogi, Yamazaki?"
"More of a chess guy myself."
"Fine. What do you think is the most important position on the board?"
Hm.
"The Queen, I guess. She can move the most."
"Incorrect. My answer is that they are all of equal value, truly it's the player behind the board that is the most important piece on the board. Because it may not seem like it, but it's their guiding hand that unfolds the game - So I ask you this question, Sora Yamazaki. Will you be a pawn in a game that's already being played? Or will you become a player and win the game for yourself? Only time will tell of course. I look forward to seeing what you can accomplish."
"..."
"You may leave, Detective Yamazaki."
"Alright. Uh, good talk. Thanks, Vice Commissioner."
I left the room and walked up to Nanao, who was leaning against the wall outside his office and kicked her shins, hard. She snickered at me but ultimately said nothing as we walked around the top floor, with Nanao eventually leading me to the roof of the building. I didn't waste a single second as I pulled out a cigarette and lit it, enjoying a long drag from my trusty cigarette as I loomed over the skyline of this city.
The cool air of the end of January and beginning of February crashed against my face, what was once a thick blanket of snow which had covered the city was now gone. Beside me, Nanao lit up her cigarette as we stared at the blinding city lights, even if it was daytime, the lights of cars stuck in unmistakable rush hour traffic, the busy streets filled with pedestrians and ultimately the sound of life was unmistakably marred by a creeping anticipation of mystery.
Or rather, it felt like it was a peace threatening to burst at any moment.
And for once in a very long time, I sighed deeply. Leaning over the fence that stopped me from falling off the building, I stared at the sky deep in thought as I allowed my winter jacket to warm me up.
What the fuck was I going to do?
I mean sure, I had a checklist of goals I wanted-, No, needed to accomplish. I was on a timer of sorts, and there was no telling when I'd croak. That was what Recovery Girl had told me quite recently.
'Listen here, Sonny Boy. The more you use your Quirks… the more you fight, the less time you'll have here on this Earth. I can try my hardest to slow its effects down, but if you're intent on going full throttle here, I can't guarantee you more than two maybe three years. But there's no conceivable way I can plug what's a hole that's only going to get bigger until it consumes you. If I were you, I'd cut my losses and spend the rest of my life with my loved ones. But you decide your future, not me.'
It was brutally honest of her.
And…
…
"You know, when I found out that Aozora 'died' it felt like I had failed," Nanao told me, distracting me from my thoughts. "I frantically through myself at my work, hoping for a better outcome. But it was by chance that I saw that Sora Yamazaki had started to attend Jonji Academy, and everything felt right again. Hearing that you came back to U.A. put a big smile on my face, and Setsuna's as well. You should have seen how excited she was to have you back. Even if she doesn't like showing it, she does care about you a lot. We all do."
I snorted at that.
"And then she goes and acts like her usual self towards me. Man, she's such a tsundere."
"You should know that it's been over a year since we last met. A year since we had our little argument. I understand that forcing you to lie, forcing you to be someone you weren't was the wrong decision to make. I didn't give you a choice in the matter, your decisions weren't yours truly-, And for that I'm sorry," Nanao apologised to me. "I've been trying to think of the best way to apologise for the entire morning, but the words kept on getting messed up in my head."
"It's fine, Nanao. I forgave you a long time ago. And it was still my decision, in the end, I lied to Tokage because there was some small part of me that believed I had to do it - That I had to protect her from herself, that I could save her when she didn't need to be saved. It was my arrogance and my ego of wanting to save everyone that caused both you and her to get hurt," I replied, taking a long drag out of my cigarette. "I'm the one who has to apologise here. After all, I'm the one who let Yozora get into my head the way he did. I'm the one who broke down because this world put so many barriers in front of me, I couldn't overcome them."
"...Fair enough. I was half-expecting you'd spit in my face and tell me that you didn't want my apologies," Nanao told me. "You've matured. Not in the obvious ways, but you can accept that we were both in the wrong. The you of a year ago would have only been able to see one side and only that side. A year ago you would have arrogantly rejected the other side of the argument in favour of yours. Much like a child."
I chuckled at that.
"I mean that's why the Shie Hassaikai raid turned to complete shit. It was Aozora and his big head that fucked everything up, thinking he could save everyone when in reality he couldn't save anyone. And when he realised that he couldn't take it anymore and threw a big tantrum, that's the type of person I was over a year ago. Unlike then, I guess now I understand what responsibility really is."
"I'm glad, honestly. You've suffered a lot, and you'll still suffer. Don't think that the world hasn't moved on without your involvement. It has. Stain, Yozora and their Cult have grown a lot more powerful down south. Reported missing Heroes and Politicians are building. And the League of Villains? They've been quiet, but I hear a few rumours that they've been snooping around some weapons dealers and black market dealers. I'm not even going to mention the fact that Azrael, the most infamous scientist of the Shie Hassaikai is still out there somewhere and the number of villains that keep popping up."
"I guess I have my work cut out for me?" I joked.
"Oh yeah. And I'm not even going to touch on the fact that the main Commissioner of this place is a corrupt pig more interested in hosting parties for his mafia and politician friends rather than running this place," Nanao said. "Or the fact that the HPSC's corruption is slowly spilling onto the streets, the fact that the public doesn't trust us and sorta is campaigning to defund heroes or the fact that the government itself is a shitshow. How do you plan on saving everyone here?"
"Well, I can't," I answered honestly. "Not on my own. That's why I have you, Nejire, everyone at U.A. and a ton of other heroes I trust as well. I'm not alone. None of us are, and if we want to make it past these barriers then we'll need to work together. Am I wrong? That's what the vice-commissioner was trying to say to me."
Nanao smirked at me.
"Huh. I never thought you'd finally admit that you can't do things on your own, I guess you were so used to doing everyone alone that you thought you couldn't lose. But then you did. And you've bounced back, stronger than ever," Nanao's smile faltered as she looked at me seriously. "And what of Yukari Aotsuki? I heard she died, but…"
"She gave up her life to show me that I still had a life worth living. That I didn't need to be punished all alone, and that one day I'd be able to forgive myself and not have to punish myself," I answered Nanao's question truthfully. "Gyro too. He was just someone else ruined by All For One, so I finally freed him from his burdens and allowed him to live his life freely. Wherever he is, I hope he's finally living. I think I finally understand now what you were all trying to tell me back then."
"Yeah?"
I nodded, chucking the end of the cigarette off the roof.
"No one's strong enough to shoulder everything. That's why you have friends and family, why people support you. Because without that you'll have no one to fall back on and eventually you'll ruin yourself. That's a mistake I never intend on repeating for as long as I still live," I told her. "I'm not running away anymore, I'm taking responsibility for everything that I did. And while some don't understand why I'm doing it, while some may scoff and tell me it's futile - I'm still going to keep walking forwards 'till I can see my legs."
…
Nanao cracked a bright grin at that.
"You're still as cheesy as ever, Detective Yamazaki."
I sighed.
"Make way for the Detective people! I said make fucking way for the Detective you bastards!" As usual, Monoma shouted at the people in front of the lunch queue. The first and third years quickly moved out of the way, less out of respect for me being a detective and more so that they didn't have to deal with the crazy man shouting at them. Tokage giggled at Monoma's booming voice right beside me. "That's right, losers. Detective Yamazaki is in the building!"
"Could you stop calling me that? I mean seriously, no one needs to know."
"But… aren't you the first Hero Detective?"
"In Japan."
"Oh," Monoma scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "That's even bigger news. Get the fuck out of the way! The first Hero Detective in Japan is walking through! Get out of the way-, Yes even you two lovebirds. What? Detective Yamazaki's more important than your relationship! You should be ashamed of yourselves you stupid dumba-,"
"Alright, alright," I stepped in front of Monoma, calming him down as I turned to face the couple he was shouting at. "Ignore him. He's… well, he loves two things in this world. Himself, and for some reason me. His girlfriend is third or fourth if you count Class B as an entity or separate, in that case, his girlfriend ranks twenty-third. Or maybe third."
Monoma blushed heavily at that.
"No, no, no, no! Sora-sama, you simply don't understand! You are number one! And number two! You are the greatest man to have ever walked this Earth, don't you get that? No one can live up to your expectations, and when you die this world is doomed! Doomed I say! We should all look up to you and emulate how you live. For if it wasn't for you, the world would be less brighter-,"
I checked the time on my watch as I moved forward in the queue and bought my lunch.
A meatball sub and some water.
I guess they ran out of the cheese and bacon turnover.
"-and so that's why we should worship you! Every day on your birthday should be a national holiday! Soranity must be classified as a real religion, and I shall preach the Sorible every day. I will make sure that everyone on this planet knows and practises your teachings! They won't know what-,"
I took a bite out of the meatball sub and nodded at Tokage, who ordered the same thing.
Much to my surprise, it was really good.
Lunch Rush really outdid himself.
"-and next on the agenda is world domination! We'll destroy the modern world and rewrite history so that you'll be seen as the Earth's saviour. Of course, you'll need a right-hand man, but that couldn't possibly be me. I refuse. I know, as your good and close friend you want to reward me, but I simply cannot take this offer. I refuse to partake in nepotism, and I know that you want to reward me for my continued faith in you but simply watching your religion grow is all the payment I need-,"
I checked my phone, logging in to my gacha games.
The eighth anniversary of Xaruto Shippuden: Ultimate Samurai Blazing is coming out soon. The new LRs were Xaruto and Rasuke, which was cool I guess. And again, it was taking a shit ton of storage on my phone. I wish it didn't. I enjoyed my flip phone because I didn't have to play Gacha games…
But after Miwa gave me a smartphone.
I fell right back into the hole.
"-so that's how we'll achieve space travel, thanks to your existence. And then we'll find extraterrestrial life and spread your teachings to them. We will make sure that your name is plastered across the galaxy - No, universe! Every planet will bow its heads down to your presence, and you will become more than any God-,"
I opened my water bottle and drank some of it.
Ugh.
It's sparkling water.
Did they still not have still water?
"-Finally, we'll traverse the multiverse and make your name known in every possible universe. And that's when-,"
"My God, do you ever stop riding his dick?" Tokage complained. "Sora's cock must be turned to mush with the amount of time you spend bouncing up and down on it, Monoma. The glazing here is so unreal. I'm happy for you, really, but shut the fuck up. It's lunchtime. It's way too early in the day to be dealing with your bullshit."
"I hafta' agree with her," I added cheerfully. "Dude, I'm flattered, but that sounds like way too much work. How about instead of the Cult of Sora we have the Cult of Monoma? I'd happily join if it meant you shutting up about how great I am."
"But that won't do!" Monoma replied, shaking his head in disapproval. "Unlike you, I am simply mortal. But you!? You're a symbol. You can't be destroyed or reasoned with, you are the perfect specimen."
"He's too short to be the perfect specimen," Tokage said, elbowing my ribs playfully. "Not to mention he's never been with a girl. Ha, virgin."
"I too am a virgin," Monoma stated loudly for the entire cafeteria to hear. "And if Sora's a virgin, then I'm proud of that! But what about the blasphemous rumours that Sora's been a manwhore? Oh, whenever I get my hands on the cretin that started to spread them around! I bet it was that pompous blonde-arse Kaminari-,"
I sighed.
"We didn't need to know that," I clapped his back with a smile on my face. "I didn't need to know that. You know, I'm just going to say it once more. Just so you understand. I. Didn't. Need. To. Know. That."
"B-but, I thought we were-,"
"You're a virgin?" Sitting down on our table with a tray filled with rice, a salad and some pork cutlets, Jiro looked at me in confusion. "I thought you went to clubs and slept with random women?"
"You believed him? Oh, you poor-,"
"That's exactly what I do," I cut Tokage off. "Don't mind her, she's just salty that she spread her legs for me and I didn't mash her flaps. I told you once, so I'll tell you again. Don't stick it in crazy, and you're so fucking crazy that I bet your therapist killed themselves after a single session with you."
"I'm so fucking crazy about you," Tokage replied seductively, blowing three kisses my way.
…
"Right. Okay, when are you two going to get together?" Jiro teased me. "Let me guess, she's into arse play and now so are you, right? She definitely tops you in your little situationship."
"Never. She's like my side piece, only I never use her for anything. You see there are trophy wives, and then there are just dirty trophies. That's what she is," I told her, ignoring the glare Tokage shot at me, as well as the nicely placed kick from underneath the table that sent my shins to the Abyss. "Fucking hell you demented piece of furniture!"
Jiro only giggled at us, however.
"Either way. Congrats, Sora. Or should I start calling you a detective now?" Jiro teased me once more. "Anyways, my lunch break is practically over. I gotta go now, the music club isn't going to let me stay here forever. But we should celebrate you becoming a detective! Me, you and everyone from Class B and A!"
"Class A? You sure?"
Jiro rolled her eyes at me.
"You should have seen their faces when they found out, Sora. They were happy for you, even if in public they don't want to show it," Jiro answered as she got up from the table. "See ya' later!"
…
"Man, you need to move on. You can't keep on loving a girl who already has a boyfriend and has moved on," Tokage told me plainly. "It is sort of pathetic how you look at her as if you think there is a chance."
Monoma coughed out the orange juice he was drinking as he looked at me in confusion.
"You still-,"
I covered his mouth, glaring at Tokage for saying that loudly.
"Shut up. I won't hear either of you say anything, it's not like that at all. Just…"
"You wish you were still with her? Sorry to say but that ship's long sailed. Just give up. It ain't gonna happen so stop wishing for the impossible to happen. You know if she ever found out it would ruin whatever friendship you have…" Tokage trailed off near the end. "Point is, even you know how stupid you're being right now. You're needlessly hurting yourself."
"I know, okay? So just drop it," I told them, slamming my empty water bottle on the table. "Tch. You and your shitty comments ruined my appetite. I'm gonna go now. Don't follow me."
I grabbed my bag and left the cafeteria, visibly in a bad mood considering the first years went out of their way to stay clear of me in the corridors. Not that I could blame them either. As I looked at the reflection of myself in a window, I had the worst scowl I'd ever seen in my life plastered across my face and I was intent on glaring at anyone who so much as glanced my way.
Damn.
I made my way into the courtyard. I sat down on the nearest bench and stared at the bright sky. Damn. Right in front of me, lying down on the grass, was a bloody couple. I watched as they held hands and kissed, showering each other with affection as I found myself standing up and turning away from them.
Maybe the school roof?
But even as I reached the school roof, I realised that even my smoking area was used as a hotspot for dates. I growled, clutching my packet of cigarettes tightly as I threw them off the roof, ignoring the looks the couple having a picnic there were giving me. Maybe the gymnasium?
…
Who the hell has a date at the gymnasium?!
I sighed, shaking my head as I walked through the crowded school, hoping that lunchtime would end so that I could ignore whatever reason why I was so annoyed by the couples. We were still in January, even if February was only a few days away. I just… ugh. I walked past a half-open room with my head glued to the floor.
Badum.
Badum, badum, badum.
I blinked at that, pausing right outside of the door.
Badum, badum, badum, badum, badum, clack, badum, clack, badum, badum, badum.
Music?
I peeked inside the room to see Jiro on a drum kit, slamming her sticks against the different hats and drums in a rhythm, with each note leading to the next masterfully. I leaned against the door, watching Jiro at work as it made me realise just how much my heart was racing by simply staring at her playing the drums.
The way she was so transfixed by them.
She didn't even notice me entering the room and sitting behind her.
Even as sweat fell on her drums, she ignored it as she continued playing masterfully without missing a single beat. It was inspiring to see, even if it was far too technical for me to understand what she was doing or how she was even beginning to string the notes together for the song to be made.
But that was why Jiro was a musician.
Not the first hero-musician, but certainly one of the more prominent ones in recent memory. And yet despite that, I couldn't help but watch her at work with a big grin on my face. I always knew that she was talented, but this was on an entirely different level.
Heh.
"...you know, I can hear you breathing."
"Sorry, sorry. I was just amazed you know," I said, scratching the back of my head sheepishly. "I just couldn't believe that it was you playing the drums, you know. I mean seriously, when did you learn to play the drums? You were horrible at the drums, last I remember."
Jiro smiled at me, wiping the sweat away from her forehead.
"I started learning a few months ago. I have a cool song idea that needs me to play the drums to a proficient degree at least, so I spend a lot of free time down here. Glad you thought I played it well though, but I have a long way to go before I'm satisfied with my progress," Jiro told me. "So, what brings you to the music room? Care to take a guitar and learn how to do a few chords?"
I raised my hands in defence.
"Hey, I didn't come here to learn!"
Jiro rolled her eyes, grabbed the nearest acoustic guitar and she passed it over to me carefully. It was brown and wooden, although I supposed that's what acoustic meant. I drummed my fingers against it as Jiro's fingers brushed against my own, pointing to me where I should place them.
"Even someone as tone-deaf as you could perform an A major. Just place three fingers on the second, No not there! Wait, don't pull yet, you're going to-," The string I was strumming broke. I looked up at Jiro with an apologetic look on my face as I put the guitar down gently on the floor. "You're hopeless, you know that? You've always been so hopeless at music."
"Your instructions were very unclear to be fair."
"I didn't finish giving out my instructions," Jiro berated me. "But then and again, when did you ever wait for someone to finish instructions? You have no patience whatsoever. Or you're just constantly on go mode, that's been clear since the first day we met. Do you even remember…?"
"You mean the school trip?" I smiled in nostalgia. It had been years since we went on that trip to the Endeavour agency. "Man, that's so long ago. Nearly five years ago now, isn't that crazy?"
"It's not that crazy. You're turning eighteen in about three months."
I laughed at that.
"When you put it that way, I feel like an old man. What's next, are you all going to start calling me Gramps? Jeez, I hope I don't get back problems soon," Jiro giggled at my joke. "You know, five years ago if you had told me where I'd be now… I wouldn't have believed you."
"What, that you made it to U.A.? Twice?"
I shook my head at her.
"Nah. I just find it hard to imagine myself in the future. You know. Like I can imagine everyone grown up but myself, it's like a dream if you get what I mean. But it's sorta' reassuring in a sense. Weirdly, I guess it reminds me that my future is my own to control," Placing my lighter back in my pocket, I looked straight at Jiro. "I guess you wouldn't understand. Our paths diverged a long time ago, Kyoka. Even now, we're still barreling down two different paths in life."
"You look lonely."
I smiled at her softly.
"Maybe I'm just meant to be alone."
"You're jokes haven't fallen off a cliff and died I see. That's good. You know if you came back and stopped making jokes then you really would have changed. Or more so turned into a boring fucking guy, I'm really happy that whatever hell you sent yourself into didn't strip you away of them."
Jiro brushed some of her hair away from her face, looking at me with her eyes… and damn. Her eyes. Those same eyes could gaze into my soul and understand me so easily. The eyes reflected an emotion I had never once felt before - Love.
And now those eyes were reserved for someone else.
Someone that wasn't me.
"I keep on running into you. Can't we just - I don't know, go a full day without speaking? Is that all right, Jiro?" I asked her. "I mean it's a pain to try and deal with you for ten minutes, let alone every day."
"Dude we keep on running into each other 'cause' I told ya' already. I'm never going to let you go. Not when you just came back, Sora. You mean a lot to me, I mean even now sometimes the way I speak reminds me of you. The boy from middle school who was stuck, the boy at U.A. who wanted to save everyone - And even the current you. An adult by every measure of the term, certainly more grown up than me or anyone else in Class A."
I scoffed at that.
"You know… I keep replaying our last conversation over and over in my head. If anything, you're the one who grew up more than me this last year. For so long I was stuck in my own depression, before the raid I was… lost. I treated you unfairly. I can't imagine how shit you must have felt knowing that I might not ever wake up, along with Denji's death and just the world is a shit place in general. It doesn't surprise me that you reacted the way you did when I left."
Jiro laughed softly at that.
"You mean when you tried to become our villain? When you tried to make us hate you for your reasons? Because you wanted to be punished? Yeah, no shit I was angry at you. I still am. It's not something I, or anyone else in Class A, will ever forgive you for," Jiro replied honestly. "But you already know that. You said it yourself, you don't even want to be forgiven by us. Do you not think that's growth?"
I shook my head at her.
"You know, Yukari Aotsuki died. Wait, I don't think I ever told you about Yukari, did I?" I asked Jiro, who looked at me in confusion. "Right. Another one of my secrets. Or maybe I did tell you and you forgot. Yukari was my biological mother - The only reason I got my powers back was because she offered herself to undo what I did to myself. I was never meant to belong here, but I was also never meant to belong in the civilian world either. Ya' know, it reminds me of how I used to be back in middle school."
Jiro shook her head at that.
"You were a delinquent back then, Sora. You couldn't accept anyone but yourself because you were convinced it was you against the world. You changed because you were resisting it for so long, desperate to convince yourself that you were right. This isn't the same. You knew you had fucked up, but you went along with it and suffered because you convinced yourself it was what you deserved. This time, you changed because your eyes were opened forcefully. By yourself… and Yukari allowed you to have a good look at yourself."
"Is that much of a change?"
"At least you didn't try to resist it. You've become self-aware of your shortcomings, Sora. I've seen the way you act around Tokage, you're a lot more open with her than you ever were with me."
"That's-,"
"The truth," Jiro cut me off. "It's okay. I don't blame you. Back then I was weak, I wasn't able to support you and all I ever did was add more stress to your life. I hurt you. Our relationship didn't work out because we're two people with very different needs. That's okay, I don't blame you and you don't blame me - It was inevitable, Sora. But I'm happier now with Denki, and even if you don't have a girlfriend I'm sure you'll find a girl that likes you. That makes you happy."
I snorted at that.
"I doubt it. With my personality and the issues I have, I think I might be single for life."
"Hey! If an idiot like me could fall in love with you once, then any idiot can. And you're not that bad," Jiro tried defending me. I rolled my eyes at her, ignoring the pounding in my chest. Just let it go. I tried telling myself that, but I couldn't. "Sora? You okay?"
How could I let go?
"Yeah."
"Anyways, my lunch break is over. Catch you later?"
I nodded at that.
"Yeah. Later."
…
Damn.
Why does love have to hurt so badly?
'It's February, the month of love! Now, my precious listeners, I guess I have to start our radio talk show with some news. The self-proclaimed protector of Musutafu, Death Arms, has announced his partnership with the police regarding the investigation of the missing five billion Yen! Has been terminated! All of his leads were chasing dead ends and now the police are looking into the matter on their own!'
I sighed, staring at the small radio that sat next to me as I lay down on my dorm's roof.
A cigarette was hanging from my mouth as I glanced at the starry night sky all alone on the roof. It was a Sunday, and Class B had decided to go out with Class A. They did invite me, and Tokage was particularly stubborn in trying to make me go out with them, but I stayed behind. It wasn't that I wanted to avoid Class A either, or that I didn't want to look at Jiro any longer before my jealousy reared its ugly head-,
Because that was what I felt.
I raised my hand in the air, staring at the badge that the police had given me.
This was my life now.
Tomorrow I didn't have school because I was going to the station and spending some time with Nanao learning how to use the network to access files and old investigations, as well as learn what the current investigations were. Just in case on my patrols, I came across evidence or a missing person. Not only that but tomorrow I was also going to go on patrol with Nejire which was nice.
The badge was nice and shiny, even under the moonlight.
And it was mine.
Realistically, I was more a part of the police than I was a hero. This was a full detective's licence, and compared to my provisional hero licence it certainly held far more weight than I could have ever imagined.
"...Sora?"
I sat up to see who was standing near the stairs of the roof, only to stare in surprise as Miwa waved at me.
"Miwa? What're ya' doin' here?"
She walked over to me and plucked the cigarette right from my mouth, throwing it off the roof as she sat down right next to me. I was so shocked that I didn't even respond to that, not even when she grabbed my badge and began inspecting it herself.
"It's a Sunday-,"
"It's fine. Mum and Gekko said it was fine to come visit you, especially when your kind friend came over and told us you were alone. Tokage I think her name was called?" I nodded at Miwa, sighing. Of course. "You know she was quite pretty. Are you two… you know, dating?"
I shook my head in response.
"Nah. I doubt she'd ever like me in that way. Anyways, not like I could ever make her happy in a romantic way either - Plus, I'm not interested in a relationship right now," I told Miwa.
"You mean you don't want a relationship with anyone other than Jiro."
"Grk-,!"
Miwa giggled at me, passing my badge back as she huddled close to me and stared at the night sky alongside me. The two of us didn't say anything to each other as the beautiful night sky took away any words we might have, and ultimately I couldn't help but reach for another cigarette.
But this time I stopped myself as Miwa gave me that look.
"Fine," I placed my cigarettes down on the floor. "I won't smoke. Okay?"
"I'd rather you stopped altogether. I don't want you to die of lung cancer. Not even someone like you is invincible, or even infallible," Miwa replied. "I don't want your life to be a sad but beautiful memory of what could have been. When I have children one day, I want their uncle to take them out to the cinema and pretend to drive dangerously in his car. I want their uncle to buy them silly gifts and spend time with them."
I chuckled at that.
"That sounds like a fun future."
"You will be a part of it, understand? I nearly lost you once, so I don't want to go through losing you ever. But you know, I don't want you to be alone either," Miwa said as she wrapped her arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. "It would be depressing if my big brother never gets to be happy. I want my kids and your kids to fight and shit! And I want them to be rivals, but to be really good friends deep down! Like us."
Her voice cracked near the end, and I could hear her sniffle.
She was crying.
I smiled, tapping Miwa's arm reassuringly as I tried my hardest to not cry.
"Everything is gonna' be fine, Miwa. I won't die. And I'll be happy too, you'll get to experience the future you want," I lied to her. It was selfish of me to do so, because I had no guarantee that I'd even make it past twenty. And the woman I liked had moved on from me completely. "I guess the homework never ends. You'll be making me achieve the impossible till I'm eighty, won't you?"
Miwa nodded.
"You're my big brother after all. If I don't, then who will?"
…
"Yeah," I replied, lying down on the floor as I stared at the stars once again. "The stars are really something else, huh? I mean, they are what, trillions of miles away from each other? Even between our planet and the next. It's weird to think that in our universe so large ultimately we are but a footnote in it. It's an oddly comforting thought. Don't you think?"
Miwa hummed in agreement.
"Yeah. That we all have each other on this planet. I guess it makes conflict and war pretty meaningless in the grand scheme of things, just how bad we actually are that instead of working together we are driven apart. Imagine what we could all do if the 'enemies' we had banded together with us. Instead of creating villains and heroes, we could work together to build a peaceful future. That's a future I want to live in."
"A carefree tomorrow…" I whispered breathlessly.
I looked back down at my badge.
What did it mean to me?
Was it just another excuse for me to save who I wanted to save? Just like the mask I had put on as Aozora, a hero, was I just going to be selfish? Was I just going to investigate what I deemed important? To simply find Raiden and save myself before I die?
"Miwa… why did I become a hero in the first place?" I asked her, or was I really just asking myself?
She giggled at that.
"Why did you want to become a hero? Well, you may have thought you hid it well, but it was just to make me, Mum, Dad and everyone else who pushed you happy. But I don't think that was the real reason. I don't even think it was because you thought being a hero would make you a better person," Miwa told me. "I think you're just that kind of a person, Sora."
EH?
"I think you genuinely wanted to help people. Whenever you heard there was a tragedy on the TV, you always made you remember the victims. You were suffering yourself, and I think you wanted to make sure others didn't suffer too."
"That's it?" I asked. "That's it? It just feels so simple."
"It usually is. You just overthink everything," Miwa told me. "You always want to be more complex and nuanced than you actually are, and that's why I call you an idiot. If you simply followed your heart instead of your mind, maybe you would have realised that a long time ago. Sora, you've always just wanted to help. Because you're a kind person. A kind person who isn't supposed to give up, and while you've been close before, you always get back up."
I opened my mouth to say something, but Miwa shook her head as she pointed at the stars above us.
"Yeah, there may be millions of miles of distance between them. But they still shine brightly despite that. It's lovely, isn't it? To know that they illuminate the sky for each other," Miwa said. "Just as we live, so do they. Perhaps it gives them comfort that they aren't alone. The same comfort you wanted to provide as a hero. Sora, I think I finally understand now why you thought you weren't a hero. Why you didn't want to go back here? It's because you're afraid, aren't you?"
"No shit, Sherlock."
Miwa shook her head, however.
"No, Sora. You're afraid of helping others, the same way you're afraid of others helping you. You don't want anyone to be hurt, and because of that you tried to isolate yourself," Miwa replied. "You punished yourself because you were just lost. You've always been lost, ever since the first day I met you when we were three. And that day was nearly fifteen years ago. You haven't changed a bit, you've just forgotten who you really were."
I slowly nodded at her.
"Do you think if I were to travel back in time and meet myself as a kid, do you think he'd be proud?" Miwa didn't have an answer to that, and I didn't expect that she did. I wasn't talking about Sora Yamazaki as a child - I was talking about my past life. If I met myself when I was a kid and told him about how life would go.
That his life would be cut short, but everything would be okay.
He'd find a really good family and run away from them for a long time, but eventually, he would be better. That his life would be complete with his friends, and even when he loses some because of life, even when one dies, he's still never truly alone despite convincing himself of that fact.
Ultimately, he becomes what's considered a hero and helps people…
Would he be proud?
I stared at the badge resting in my hands and smiled softly at it. I pulled out a small white and blue card. It was old. Yet it described everything about me, did it not? 'Hero Name: Aozora'. My first provisional hero licence, and despite that I couldn't help but compare the two of them in front of me. What was the point of either of them?
…
"Sora," Miwa got up from the floor and she ruffled my hair. I hated it when people did that. "I'm gonna go now. Mum and Gekko are waiting for me… but you know, they were worried about you, I mean they did drive me here after all. Whatever happened between your biological mother and you still weighs on your mind, right? You haven't told either Mum, Gekko or I, but I'm pretty sure you told that girl. Tokage, right?"
I-,
"Yeah," I answered honestly. "I did tell her."
Miwa slowly nodded.
"I'm glad. Even if it's not me, I'm glad that you're finally starting to become like that little boy I once knew again," Miwa breathed out. "You shouldn't run away from that little boy inside you, I know you want to say that he was flawed - That maybe he hurt us. But he wasn't who hurt us, it was the constant masks you put up that did. Tokage came to us because she was worried, you know. Worried about you and your masks."
"I have a busy day tomorrow," I told her.
"Maybe so, but tomorrow isn't a given. Nothing ever is. But we both know the reason you didn't go out is that you wanted them to have a good time because you thought that somehow your presence would make them all unhappy," Miwa softly chuckled as she said that. "You never change. Never. You always think of others before yourself, and you know that's why I wanted you to be a hero. But not now."
…?
I looked up at Miwa who pulled a new phone from her pocket. I watched as she chucked it at me, and I managed to catch it in time before it crashed on the floor.
"What's this?"
"Your new phone," Miwa explained. "It has all your old contacts as well. Even everyone in Class A. Maybe you really do think you're better now, or maybe you want to try and wait to get 'better' before you go back to them. I won't argue with you on that. But think about those two things in front of you, and think about the reasons why you came back. It's like you said, would that little boy be proud of what you've done?"
…
Miwa left me with only my thoughts and a new phone I sighed heavily, leaning back against the ground as I stared at the starry sky once again. It never ends, does it? And for the briefest of seconds, I saw him.
A little boy with dark brown, almost black, hair and eyes. He didn't look Japanese at all, yet despite that he wore a very traditional Japanese white robe. That's right. The little boy disappeared as soon as I blinked, but I knew that he was still here with me. Both him and Kurai, because that little boy-,
It was Shiro.
I sat back up and stared at the two most important things in my life, or rather the two things that defined me. The hero licence of a murderer, and the detective licence of a selfish man.
No, my past self wouldn't be proud of who I've become.
I wasn't proud of the person I've become.
Yukari tried to open my eyes to the truth, and I listened. I did. But I didn't have to stop there, I wasn't suddenly done growing. I did come back to U.A. for entirely selfish reasons, and maybe deep down I still didn't want to be a hero. But…
Seeing what those boys did to those girls the other day, seeing how far people's hopes had fallen - That hurt a lot more than I was willing to admit. Hearing Jiro say she believed and strived for a carefree tomorrow, hearing Miwa admit the future she wanted to live in - It wasn't far off from what that little boy wanted.
…
…
…
"Heh. Isn't it funny the way everything turns out?" I asked. No one answered, but that was expected. It was the contemplative silence which I wanted anyway as I stared at the badge and the hero licence. "I do have things to achieve. But… Well, that doesn't mean I have to ignore what naive things I also want to do."
I wasn't a hero, nor was I really a detective.
Having a licence to do both of those things didn't really make me either of those things.
It never did.
"Yukari… I haven't made any progress in finding Raiden. Yet here I am wondering how I should live my life, ain't that selfish of me?" I didn't get a response, but something stirred within me. "...Nah. You gave up your life so I could live mine. Not to just focus everything on finding Raiden. I've been doing a piss poor job at living true to myself, haven't I?"
This time, the stars above me reacted.
Or perhaps it was my mind playing tricks with me.
But I could have sworn one of the stars in the sky twinkled as I said that.
Sniggering to myself, I pocketed both my hero licence and my detective badge, getting up from the floor as I leaned over the edges of the dorm roof and stared at my city at midnight. It looked so serene and peaceful. I hadn't come back to U.A. to just deal with Raiden and my impending death, nor had I come back to only deal with Class A and my responsibility to them.
I also came back because I wanted to live again.
In just a short month, had I forgotten that it was about me?
To live my own life.
"Hah, I'm such an idiot."
…
"So man, what I was trynna' say before that hero dude came over and-,"
I coughed slightly, staring at the two teens that I had previously 'met.' This time, I was alone and it reflected that as my Detective badge was pinned to my jacket. I leaned against a nearby wall, staring at them blankly.
They tensed up immediately at simply the sight of me, even though my costume had changed slightly. My boots and my coat had remained, but the silver jumpsuit had disappeared completely. Instead, I wore standard khaki trousers and a red shirt with my badge tied around my neck. Nanao had told me that as a detective, I had the freedom to decide my work attire, so long as I didn't stand out too much.
"You!" The weedy boy began. "We haven't done anything!"
I nodded at them.
"You're right. Not yet."
"So then why are you here? You're a hero, you can't do shit to us! No investigations or anything! So just fuck off!" The weedy boy shouted at me with a smirk on his face. Once again, I nodded at them.
"As a hero, I can't do anything about you," I conceded before I tapped at the badge tied around my neck. "But as a detective? Watch out. I'm launching an investigation into you two for abuse without using your Quirks, and who knows what I'll dig up. Just thought I'd come here and tell you in person."
"Why? No one-,"
"Just because people have stood by and have let this happen, doesn't mean I will," I cut the boy off. "Of course, whatever I find will inevitably lead back to your Quirks. That's two charges. I reckon you'll both get twenty in the can if you're lucky. Maybe plead for insanity, or rat each other out for a lighter sentence. I couldn't care less what happens to you two, but you should know that no one in jail appreciates scumbags that abuse others."
Both boys shook their heads at that. It was funny how they were trying to convince themselves that they had covered all their tracks. But it didn't matter. I wasn't going to leave a single stone unturned, that was my justice.
Sure I had both a provisional Hero licence and my Detective badge, and that meant that I was free to pursue what I wanted. What I believed in. Free to protect and save whoever I wanted, and I wasn't going to waste that chance.
"We ain't done nothing! My Quirk made sure of that!" The weedy kid told me cockily. "You can't arrest us! Even if you're a detective, I know my rights-,"
"Again, you'd be right if I were just a detective," I conceded once again. "But I'm not just a detective. In the same way, I'm not just a hero. I'm both. So there's my warning, Taichi Sato," I then turned my head to look at the bigger boy. "You too, Kohei Hara. Enjoy your last days walking as free men - And believe me, you'll be tried as men. Because after this investigation is done, well, at least you won't have to worry about what you'll be doing in your future."
"..."
I waved at them, turning around as I left them with their thoughts.
"WHY!? WHY DO YOU CARE?!"
I stopped in my tracks.
"Why? Why do I care?" I shrugged my shoulders in response as I said that. "I don't want to stoop so low to forget how I was raised, to always be kind. To help people. It's time I finally start practising that of which I've been preaching for a while. I'm just not going to stand by and watch when there is something I can do, no matter how stupid it is. Even if you've 'covered' all your tracks, I'll put pressure on you both until the truth is found. That's a promise."
In a sense, that was my responsibility.
Not a carefree tomorrow, a vague concept I used as an excuse to lie to those I cared about. And certainly, this wasn't a punishment I gave to myself for the sins I had committed. I smirked as their splutters were the only replies I needed because this was my justice.
My duty.
I walked forward, and I didn't stop walking.
A shorter chapter.
There isn't much to say other than this is more of a transition chapter with some character development sprinkled through. What's the point of Sora getting a detective badge if he doesn't practise what he believes in?
I think something is interesting to critique in MHA, with heroes being as commercialised as they are it would be hard to practise specific ideologies. I know Canon touches upon that slightly, but I'd like to expand more on that point because many different types of justice can be preached and practised in the world of MHA.
The police, Heroes, vigilantes, Villains and even the Government/HPSC.
That's 5 different factions with similar-ish goals but largely different ways of showing them, and different consequences on the whole if one primarily wins. A bit like a chess game, the world has multiple different moving parts that can lead to an exciting plot which was a core strength in the first War arc for MHA in my opinion. The second (and current) War arc is just…
Disappointing? I understand why Horikoshi doesn't feel the need to answer these questions because he never focused on them before. After all, ultimately despite many of the factions' differences, there is a clear split between the good, the bad and the in-between.
But I'd like to examine this more in-depth because that's an interesting plot.
What does the police stand for in a world with heroes? And what can heroes stand for in a world where they are the main force protecting civilians? And what would happen when someone walks down both of those paths aiming to help people and achieve his own goals?
Ultimately, I think that'll provide an interesting and unique story to write and so this was a chapter setting that up. I've always mentioned that Sora has always toed the line between being a hero and doing what he wants, and I guess this is my answer to his internal motivations. Now he has the freedom to pursue his justice, and that's going to inevitably clash with some people.
This again relates to the primary theme of Part 2, that being why we need Heroes.
The next chapter is when the plot kicks off properly, or in a sense where this Arc's 'focus' is put into play. In a sense, I want this arc to be the set-up for the rest of the story (Which it is).
The first Arc was a re-introduction to the character of Sora Yamazaki, and this arc is the re-introduction to the world of MHA post the botched Shie Hassakai Raid and Aozora's sacrifice - As well as how that has affected certain characters, villains and society on the whole. I'm juggling a lot of things here so that I can tackle them one by one with the following Arcs.
This once again ties into the main mystery of the story being-,
Never mind, see you all soon!
The-Tobi:
Thank you for the review of the size of One Piece lol. It was really fun to read all of it. Shigeo and Sora is a small relationship that I think just adds to the story and adds to Sora as a character. You can see the guilt eating him up alive, and so can Shigeo, which is why ultimately it feels like a grandfather-and-grandson relationship.
Outside of being a supporting person in Sora's life, that's his role. But I'm happy he's made a strong impression even with such little screen time in the story, I wish I could write more scenes with him but he is sort of out of the way from the main plot outside from a few cameos here and there.
And Nejire and Sora are a duo that are going to stay! I mean it, they're just inseparable (Even if she didn't make an appearance this chapter, she'll get a lot more focus in the next one.) And it's not that Class A blames Sora for the raid… They're more so angry as Jiro stated in this chapter at what he tried to do without them.
Sora's decisions were purely selfish and impacted them all, but he tried to carry the burden on his own and pushed them away in the worst way possible dredging up their biggest fears and breaking their trust. Class A is a mix of many different complex emotions and reasons for being half-scared and half-supportive of Sora because they aren't a hive mind.
There are nineteen different people + Shinso.
Why would Nejire give a shit what Sora said to them, she's not a member of that class. That said, I would definitely say that Nejire is on Sora's side, she's an adult so she's far more mature than Sora or anyone in Class A.
Speaking of Class A, Sora and Jiro's conversation last chapter IS important. The idea of a 'carefree tomorrow' is something I intoned about a lot in Part 1, a sort of excuse for Sora's actions. And so naturally he detests it, a reminder of how he hurt so many people but here is Jiro claiming it for her own.
And that is Jiro's character arc in a sense.
Claiming a carefree tomorrow.
Sora and Mei is also a funny duo to write and I have to say, I sort of ship them. It'll never sail, but if I could write an AU of this story, Sora and Mei would be the ship I would want to write the most. I don't know, it's just really cute and fluffy and they bounce off each other nicely.
MHA CCG, huh?
Only time will tell :).
Guest:
Sorry, but Lamar is way better than Drake. I like Drake, but his modern LPs are repetitive. How's a grown-ass man with a kid still talking about how women have broken his heart?
Out of the big three, Drake is easily the worst.
Nirmtheworm14:
I do remember you being the originator of the Sora x Nejire movement of sorts! Sadly, that will never be the case in this story. I love Nejire a bit too much for her to be with Sora, someone who would probably ruin her mood forever if he ever told her that A) he's dying and B) he's dying-, Wait I just repeated that.
Ironically, while I mentioned that love and romance would be a big theme of Part 2, I never mentioned it would feature Sora. I'm sorry to say but Sora's not getting with anyone anytime soon.
As for Nejire and her love interest… I have a cute surprise for everyone!
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Thank you all for the reviews! I'll be seeing you soon for the next chapter!