Chapter 4: Lessons
I'm in Yuei. I'm in Yuei, and I'm learning fucking algebraic expressions Katsuki thought as Ectoplasm continued his lesson. He turned his head behind him, and saw Deku, looking very focused, frantically scribbling in his notebook. The blond gritted his teeth. Anger distorted his face, and he plunged back into the lesson. The fucking nerd would never beat him. Never.
However, despite his determination, the rest of the morning dragged on for him. English class. Literature class. Having to put up with the extras for hours. All the while, pressure kept rising inside him, building up under his skin, and he felt like he was going to explode.
When it was time for their lunch break, he burst out of the classroom like an animal whose cage had been opened. The rest of the students left much more quietly, separating into small groups. Izuku found himself with Tenya and Ochaco.
"In the end, UA is like a lot of schools" said the young girl as the three friends sat down at a table in the refectory.
"I don't see why that surprises you" said Tenya.
"We faced giant robots as an entrance test, Iida," Ochaco remarked before swallowing a mouthful of rice and grilled fish.
The boy tried to find an answer. He failed, and began to eat too to keep himself up. Izuku, for his part, seemed unfocused, thoughtful.
"Is there a problem, Deku?" asked Ochaco, looking at his comrade.
"Oh, no, no. I was just thinking about this afternoon."
"What do you mean ?" Tenya asked.
"I was thinking about what we discussed last night. If this morning was for normal classes, then surely this afternoon will be for heroic classes, right?"
Tenya and Ochaco looked at each other. Then they looked at Izuku, who blushed. Then they felt particularly stupid for not having thought of it before.
Once the break was over, they returned to their classroom. They waited a few minutes, then someone pushed the door to the room. But instead of Midnight or one of their teachers, it was a panda. Tall, he must have been more than 6"5 feet, he was also broad-shouldered and heavyset. With his black and threadbared tang jacket, which struggled against his protruding stomach, and his silk pants, he looked like he came from a wuxia movie or another century.
The students murmured among themselves, surprised by the appearance of the strange individual. Izuku had recognized him, of course, but looking at the others, he realized that Mashirao and Itsuka also did, which surprised him a little. The panda looked at the students from one to the other, before smiling, revealing his white, animal teeth.
"So here is the fresh meat" declared the panda in a strong and deep voice. "I am Tatsuya Yamaguchi. You may know me as Goronda, maybe not, after all I don't really care. Come on, stand up ! Let's start as quickly as possible."
With some hesitation, the students stood up one after the other. Finally, Itsuka said out loud what the others were thinking.
"Sensei, what will your class be ?"
Tatsuya looked at her, before smiling toothily.
"Ah, finally one of you dares to ask the question !" He paused. "Young lady, I will make all of you strong." He announced, smiling again.
…
Ten minutes later, the class found itself in a large gymnasium, near the sports fields where Midnight had given them their first tests. Tatsuya stood in front of the group, hands behind his back, next to a block of stone, twice as wide and twice as tall as him, which he had fetched from a small side room.
"Okay, let's start with the basics" Tatsuya announced. He pointed at Mina.
"You, tell me, what is your 50 meter race record, without a Quirk ?".
"25 seconds, sir" replied the pink girl.
"I see, thank you." He then pointed to Eijiro. "And you, what's your grip strength record?"
"72 kilos, sir" replied the boy.
Tatsuya nodded to show that he understood. "And now let me ask you a question. Do you think this is normal?"
The students seemed surprised by the question. "Do you think that with this kind of ability, you could have passed our entrance test?" The panda continued.
"What do you mean, sir?" Inasa asked.
"That you have all, at different levels, become stronger than you think you are during the entrance test. Faster. Stronger".
Confusion struck the group. Everyone stared at the panda as if he had lost his mind.
"Oh, having trouble believing me? Tell me, have any of you ever seen videos of an Endeavor's fight ?".
Izuku raised a trembling hand. Tatsuya looked at him. "Have you ever seen him jump 20 meters in a single bound? Lift a grown man with one hand ? Izuku nodded. "How do you explain that he is capable of that when his Quirk is to wield fire ?" asked the panda.
The young boy remained silent, his eyes wide. Why had he never realized this was abnormal ? He couldn't help but look in Shouto's direction, and wondered if the young boy already knew something about this and was just pretending not to understand anything.
"The answer," Tatsuya announced loudly, putting an end to the students' inquiring turmoil, "is called Aura. You used it unconsciously. Pro heroes use it consciously. The goal of this class will be to get you to master it. Aura is a manifestation of your soul itself. It will be your shield and your spear. It will make you stronger. Faster. You will become superhuman thanks to it."
"And we will all become as strong as each other?" Katsuki asked in his usual angry tone.
"No. Unfortunately, the power of Aura depends on your natural abilities. Oh, don't get me wrong, you will have to train for a long time to develop your Aura, but your results will not all be the same. This is how it is".
The clamor resumed among the class. "You are not convinced ?" Tatsuya called out. "Tell me, what do you think my Quirk is ?".
Silence reigned in the gymnasium. The question seemed so incongruous that no one answered. The professor smiled toothily. "Yes, it's obvious, isn't it ?" Without turning around, without taking his eyes off the students, he placed his fingertips against the surface of the stone block next to him.
He closed his fist and struck.
The entire block exploded into tiny fragments, which flew and scattered across the gymnasium. Tatsuya brought his dust-covered fist behind his back.
A complete silence fell over the class.
"You think being a panda would give me that kind of strength ?".
No one dared to answer.
"But to develop the Aura, you must first develop the body" announced the professor. He clapped his hands. "Come on, let's get moving ! Two hours of running !"
The students left in a hurry, and the differences in speed and rhythm quickly separated them. By the end of the time, they were out of breath and sweating profusely. Tatsuya growled. "Ah ! the new generation is sure beautiful !" he shouted. "And you want to become pro heroes? Don't make me laugh! Come on, let's continue with the body exercises!"
The students did push-ups, sit-ups, squats, and every exercise Tatsuya could find. The panda made them toil for almost another hour before being satisfied. "You got a short break to drink water and we'll move on" he announced.
Students shuffled out of the gymnasium, knowing they would find fountains outside.
"That was hell !" Mineta exclaimed.
"And yet, it's probably just the beginning," Denki said, who didn't seem to be happy about the idea of going for another round.
Mineta looked at him, torn between anger and exasperation. Despite that, he refrained from answering, since he knew that the blond was right.
"Shut up, you two," Katsuki spat venomously. "If that's all you can do, you can go home and let the pros train in peace."
"You shouldn't be bragging, Bakugou" Inasa said behind him. "You had a quite heavy breath at the end of the race."
The blond turned towards Inasa, looking furious. But Itsuka slipped between the two boys, holding out her hands, made immense by her Quirk.
"Stop it you two !" she exclaimed. "Save your strength for the rest of the training."
The two boys continued to stare venomously at each other for a moment, then Katsuki stepped back without taking his eyes off Inasa or Itsuka.
"Don't think we are done, you two!" Katsuki spat as he walked away.
Izuku looked at his childhood friend, then Inasa and Itsuka. It was the first time he saw someone confront his childhood friend like that. Of not being afraid of his strength. Was Inasa even stronger ? Izuku had a hard time considering it, and yet Inasa, beyond his imposing physique, gave the impression of being able to face anything. Tatsuya's exercises had not given him any trouble.
Suddenly, Izuku felt someone pat him hard on the back, which broke him from his thoughts. Surprised, he stiffened as Eijiro passed by him.
"Dude ! You did really well during training! You don't look like it, but you're strong!"
"I…thank you Kirishima" Izuku stammered. "But you're good too."
"It's the least I can do if I want to be as manly as Red Riot !" he shouted. "And this "Aura" looks incredible. I can't wait for Mr. Yamaguchi to teach us how to use it."
"There's one thing I don't understand, though," Ochaco slipped a little further. "Why are we only hearing about it now?"
"Because it's dangerous, isn't it ?" Izuku suggested.
Ochaco, Eijiro, as well as Tenya and Shouto, who had heard them, turned to the green-haired boy.
"Mr. Yamaguchi told us that this Aura makes people superhuman. Can you imagine if someone with a bad temper learned to use it ? And the training looks super tough. I'm not sure middle school kids could handle it."
"You say that people with bad temperaments shouldn't learn Aura, but Bakugo will learn it" Shouto pointed out.
Izuku looked at him, and blinked. It was the first time he had heard him speak since his presentation the day before.
"But your second remark is rather good," the boy continued. "And Mr. Yamaguchi told us that we unconsciously used Aura during the entrance test. So, the teachers know that we have potential."
The other four looked at him, then looked at each other.
"Good analysis, Todoroki," Tenya said for the group. "That's probably it."
The boy with white and red hair shrugged his shoulders, without saying anything else. Izuku, for his part, was thinking about what Shouto had said.
And above all, he wondered why he had failed to defend Katsuki.
….
Once all the students were back inside the gymnasium, Tatsuya ordered them to line up. "Okay, I have a new question for you, fresh meat ! How many of you practice a martial art or learned to fight ?".
Itsuka and Mashirao were the only two to raise their hands. "It's always better than nothing," Tatsuya grunted, too low for the students to hear. "Okay, Kendo and Ojiro, you can practice your forms on your own, I'll teach the others the basics" the panda continued out loud. Itsuka and Mashirao nodded and separated from the group, under the glares of Mineta, Katsuki, and Nagisa.
"First of all, your stance" Tatsuya shouted. "Legs apart at shoulder level. Knees bent, left leg forward for right-handed, right for left-handed. Your weight should be distributed between your two legs. Now move onto your tiptoes while maintaining this position. Front to back, right to left, in every direction. You have to get used to it."
The students complied, and began moving in all directions across the gymnasium. Unaccustomed to this type of movement, most bumped into each other several times, had difficulty keeping their balance, and their movements were jerky and clumsy.
Nagisa and Mineta were the ones having the most difficulties. They fell down several times, and even when they managed to stand, their legs shook and they lacked balance.
Tatsuya corrected their postures, but both students seemed unable to succeed. Finally, the professor turned away from them, grumbling that they had room for improvement. On the contrary, Shouto and Eijiro seemed to have naturally assumed the right posture, and were moving with ease. For his part, Izuku was trembling and his body felt like lead. Despite everything, he continued the exercise, his eyes fixed in front of him, without daring to look at Tatsuya, who was approaching. "Relax, seaweed head," the panda said, examining him. "You are doing well". Izuku took a long breath, relieved.
Tatsuya had the students practice for a few more minutes, then gave them another drinking break. This time, none of them said a word as they walked out.
"Good !" the panda shouted once they returned. "Now for the basic strikes." He raised his two fists high for everyone to see.
"To punch, you have to rotate your hips and shift your weight from one leg to the other. You deliver the left punch by putting your weight on the right leg, and the right punch by putting it on the left."
He performed two quick blows, exaggerating the movements. Despite the simplicity of the gestures, the students found the demonstration impressive. Even for them, who were novices, the mastery of the panda was obvious.
"Your turn !" Tatsuya shouted.
They started moving, imitating their teacher's gestures. Tatsuya observed them carefully. Their blows were poorly delivered, but most seemed to have at least gotten used to the movements. He circulated among the students, giving advice and correcting mistakes. "No, not like that Midoriya" Tatsuya said as he watched Izuku punch the air. "You only put the strength of your hips into the shot. It has to start from your feet. The force must flow throughout your body." He demonstrated again to the young boy, who tried to correct himself.
"Better" assured the panda. "Keep it up." Izuku did so. The force must flow through my body. He thought. The force must flow through my body. He repeated the blows, with as much energy as he could. Force must...
He stopped abruptly. He remained in the striking position, his right arm extended, and completely lost track of time. Force. The circulation. So that was the solution from the start ?.
"Midoriya, keep up!" Tatsuya shouted.
The young boy suddenly started moving again, but his mind was elsewhere. If that was the key...
Tatsuya then showed them how to block, throw front kicks and low kicksat the leg, then he made them repeat all the movements for another half hour before stopping them.
The students, exhausted, dropped to the ground. Even Inasa, Eijiro and Katsuki couldn't take it anymore. Tatsuya looked at them, then chuckled. "Not easy, eh, fresh meat ? But this is the kind of training you will need if you want to progress."
He stopped himself. "For a first time, you did well. You can be proud." The students smiled at their teacher's compliment. Even Mineta and Nagisa looked relieved.
Tatsuya smiled too and his face brightened. "Kendo, Ojiro, come here." he said. The two students complied, wondering what the panda wanted.
"Give us a little sparring" ordered the professor. "Quirks are forbidden. Fists, feet, elbows, knees, holds and throws are allowed. Ground and Pound is allowed. The match ends if one of you gives up, is no longer able to fight, or by a declaration on my part. Understood ?".
"Yes sensei !" exclaimed the duo as one.
Tatsuya grinned toothily. "In that case, get ready…."
They warned each other. Itsuka had a high guard, hands at jaw level. Mashirao kept his left arm at the level of his chest, and the right raised at the level of his head.
"Go for it !"
The two circled each other, judging each other. Mashirao raised one knee, before immediately putting it back down, but Itsuka remained impassive and continued to observe him. They continued to spin, then Itsuka threw a low kick, but she missed Mashirao, who remained quiet.
They took a few more steps, then Mashirao lunged at Itsuka with a straight left. The girl deflected the blow with her arm and raised a knee to deliver a kick, but Mashirao was already out of her reach, and she missed again. Anger distorted the girl's face, and she advanced, swinging a large blow with her right fist.
Mashirao dodged and threw a counter, but Itsuka moved to the left and avoided the blow, before landing a left hook to the body. Mashirao blocked it with his elbow, and countered with a knee, which caught Itsuka in the ribs. The girl winced in pain, and the young boy followed up with a kick with his other leg.
But Itsuka grabbed his leg, pinned it against her ribs, and hit her opponent's supporting leg in the knee, knocking him off balance. But Mashirao grabbed Itsuka, and they both fell. They struggled against each other, before separating and getting up.
They got back on guard, and judged each other briefly, then Itsuka threw a roundhouse kick. But Mashirao blocked it with a front kick, which broke the girl's momentum. Itsuka put down her leg to get her balance back, and Mashirao spined and threw a side kick, which struck heavily against Stuka's guard and pushed the young girl back.
The boy followed up with a kick to the head, which Istuka blocked. Mashirao cocked a right straight as he lunged at his opponent. But Itsuka manages to narrowly dodge the blow, and hit Mashirao in the lower back with a kick.
The boy winced in pain, then threw a punch with the back of his hand, which Itsuka blocked before retaliating with a jab. They chained punches and parries, without one of them gaining the upper hand. Finally, Mashirao backed away and cocked a body kick. Itsuka prepared to block him, but her opponent's leg slipped over her guard, and hit her square in the head.
Itsuka staggered, stunned, and Mashirao advanced with his fists raised, but Itsuka recovered and hit him with a powerful roundhouse kick to the head. The blond staggered under the blow, stunned. Itsuka cocked another kick, but Mashirao recovered, and cocked his own.
"That's enough !" Tatsuya suddenly shouted.
The two students, surprised, stopped suddenly, before turning to their teacher.
"Good fight, both of you. I suspect you still have some energy left, but you can stop there for now."
The two students greeted each other.
Itsuka looked at Mashirao, who now had his back turned to her for a second.
"Hey," she said. "We're not going to stop there, are we?"
The boy looked at her, then he gave her a little smile.
"Of course not," he said. "Next time, I will win."
It was Itsuka's turn to smile.
"We will see".
They returned among their classmates, while Tatsuya looked at the class.
"You see ?" he shouted. "This kind of level is a minimum for any good pro hero. And let me tell you that you still have a long way to go."
He stopped to preserve his effect.
"That's why you're going to continue training with me. Every day for the next month."
The students stared at the panda, horrified. Tatsuya gave a big, happy laugh. "You can go," he announced. "Rest well, fresh meat".
After that, the students slowly left the gymnasium, completely exhausted. Most didn't seem to be looking forward to training with Tatsuya, let alone for an entire month. But Izuku, lost in his thoughts, didn't pay them any attention. Tatsuya's advice played over and over in his head. He absolutely had to test his theory.
"Midoriya" Tenya suddenly called him. "Did you plan to do anything tonight?"
Izuku turned to him.
"Um, no, no, why?" he lied.
"Would you agree that we study together ?".
"You are thinking about studying after this, Iida?" Ochaco wondered.
The blue-haired boy turned to the girl, visibly scandalized.
"Uraraka ! Studies are also important for our future ! Being a hero requires a good mind as much as a powerful body !".
Ochaco sighed, looking a little embarrassed.
"I guess you're right, but…. I just want to rest." she admitted.
"Then come with us" Izuku suggested. "We'll help you this time." He paused. "Besides, I'm sure you'll eventually get used to Mr. Yamaguchi's training."
Ochaco looked at Izuku, looking curious.
"Why do you say that, Deku ? Have you ever done this kind of training ?".
Izuku felt his heart stop beating. What an idiot.
"Yes," he admitted. "I had to train a lot to be able to withstand the aftershock of my Quirk."
My Quirk Izuku thought. He still couldn't get used to those words.
"Oh, I see" said Ochaco. "And okay to study with you both," she said. She began to blush slightly. "And thank you".
Izuku started to blush as well. "You're welcome," he stammered. Tenya looked at them and sighed, a little offended that they didn't even ask for his opinion.
…..
After returning to their dormitory, the students separated and each went to their rooms. Once he arrived in his room, Izuku took a long and hot shower, which relieved his aching muscles and cleared his head. After which he changed, grabbed his class materials, and went down to the common areas.
There, he found Denki watching television, Itsuka chatting with Mina and Tooru, Shouto, who was working alone in a corner and Iida, already seated at a table, course books placed in front of him. He went to join the boy, and almost immediately afterwards, Ochaco came down in turn.
As Izuku had suspected, Iida was a good student, but his explanations were difficult to follow, and Izuku had to ask him several times to repeat himself. Ochaco was also having trouble understanding everything Iida was saying, and Izuku gave her some extra explanations.
An hour later, they decided to stop their revisions there, since even Iida was starting to get tired. Putting away his things and getting up, Izuku realized that several of their classmates had also started revising : Inasa was with Eijiro and Rikido, Hanta with Kyoka and Fumikage, Itsuka was explaining something to Tooru, who looked completely lost, and Momo was talking with Shouto.
The rest of the evening passed quietly, divided between revisions for some and distractions for others. After going to eat, the students stayed in the dormitory for a little while. Most of the discussions revolved around Aura and Tatsuya's course, but some also talked about the fight between Mashirao and Itsuka, debating which of the two was stronger.
Then they went up to bed, tired from their long day. Once alone, instead of going up to his room, Izuku left the dorm. He walked for a few minutes, and found himself in the middle of a nearby park. He closed his eyes.The Force must flow through your body. He drew on One for All, a drop from a vast ocean, it seemed , and large red marks streaked his arms. The Force must flow through your body. The marks spread to his neck, to his face, everywhere. Emerald green lightning crackled around him.
Izuku began to shake and sweat. He could feel the terrible power of the Quirk in his heart, animating his body. Now he had to be able to move like that. Hesitantly, he took a step forward. He dug into the earth at his feet, and found himself ten meters further than he had wanted. He hit a tree which shattered on impact.
Izuku fell to the ground, sweating and out of breath. Having lost his concentration, he had returned to his normal appearance. He smiled a big, goofy, cheerful smile. He was going to have to work on it, of course, but…it was a first step. Izuku raised his fist to the sky. It was like Nezu told them.
Plus Ultra !
….
Katsuki held out his hand towards the tree, which exploded into fiery fragments. He immediately moved on to another, which he destroyed in the same way. He turned towards a third, which he burnt away with a new attack. He destroyed two more trees, but his rage still refused to subside.
Damn, what was wrong with this school ! Damn pandas talking about soul and martial arts? A good Quirk is all that mattered ! And the fucking Gorilla and the fucking Miss Big Paluches and the fucking Nerd who all looked down on him ! What did they believe ? That they were stronger than him ?
Bakugo stretched both hands towards the ground, and the earth exploded into a large crater around him. The massive attack drained his energy, and he found himself in the middle of the crater, panting and sweating. He was the strongest ! The one who would surpass All Might ! The future number 1 ! Nobody else ! They would see. They would all see.
…
The rest of the week followed the same rhythm : Theoretical lessons in the morning, physical training with Tatsuya in the afternoon. By Friday evening, the students were all exhausted. Izuku, who had continued to train his Full Cowl, as he called his new technique, looked like a zombie. That said, he had finally managed to control his movements. Which meant that he could practice Tatsuya's techniques in Full Cowl ! He couldn't wait to show this to All Might. The hero had sent him a message telling him to meet him this evening in Takoba. He couldn't wait to...
A whip suddenly cracked in front of him, bringing him back to earth. He looked straight ahead, very stiff. Midnight stared at him with her usual smile, and his heart began to race.
"What I have to tell you doesn't seem important to you, Midoriya?" the professor asked sarcastically.
"Nnn…No, of course not, sorry, sensei." He said quickly, lowering his head.
"It'll be fine this time. But be careful, next time, I won't be so lenient" said the teacher as she walked away.
Izuku wanted to disappear, while Mineta and Denki snickered while looking at him.
"Good. Now, I will just wish you a safe return home for this weekend" said Midnight. "Enjoy your rest, because believe me, the pace is only going to pick up from here."
….
Izuku got off the train, navigated through the dense crowd, and after about ten minutes, finally exited the station. He continued walking for almost an hour, and finally found himself at the municipal beach of Takoba. When he began his training, almost a year ago, the sand was hidden under layers of trash of all kinds, and the air was stale with rot. Now the sun shone on the golden sand, and a sea wind swept the horizon. The sight made Izuku smile.
"Does this bring back good memories, young Midoriya?" asked someone behind Izuku.
The boy turned around, and saw All Might. The hero had his "normal" appearance, although Izuku still had trouble calling this appearance "normal" : that of a man of average height, skeletal, with sunken cheeks, unkempt blond hair and large eyes almost completely black, in which two blue pupils floated.
"Oh yes. I thought about my training. And…everything else."
"And now you are in UA. You can be proud of yourself, young Midoriya."
"Thank you All Might began Izuku, but it's thanks to you that….".
All Might flicked him in the forehead. Izuku stared at his mentor, completely shocked.
"Don't go over this again ! I gave you your chance because I have faith in you ! You have the potential to become a great hero, regardless of your doubts."
Izuku looked at All Might for a long time, then nodded slowly.
"Yes. I…I'll hang on" he said softly.
"Tell me instead" said All Might abruptly. "How was your first week ? Tatsuya didn't bully you too much ?"
"Oh, no, no. But I was surprised by this whole Aura thing."
"Oh yes. It's always surprising at first. We get used to it, you'll see."
"Tell me, All…Mr Yagi" he suddenly remembers. In this form, he was to call him Mr. Yagi. Why are we only learning about the existence of the Aura now ?".
"Very good question, young Midoriya. I suppose you have thought about it ?"
Izuku felt a little guilty. "Yes. We discussed it with the others. We thought that this is because Aura can be dangerous if used by people with bad intentions. And also that the training to develop it is too harsh for middle school students".
All Might smiled widely. "That's exactly it, young Midoriya. Well done. Indeed, Aura and the abilities it offers can be very dangerous if misused. You just have to see Tai lung".
"I..I understand" Izuku said. He remained silent for a moment. "All Might, I have something to show you." The hero looked at him, surprised, but before he could question him, Izuku activated his Full Cowl, and emerald green lightning danced around his body. All Might stared at him, eyes wide.
"You took a small part of One For All, and now you circulate it throughout your body ?".
"Exactly !" Izuku shouted before canceling his transformation. As he expected, All Might understood immediately. He wasn't number one for nothing.
"Did you come up with this idea on your own ?".
"Not really," Izuku admitted, looking away. "Mr Yamaguchi gave me a tip on how to throw my punches, and that's what gave me the idea to use it like that." Izuku suddenly stopped. "All Might, are you okay ?".
"Yes Yes. That's a very good technique you have there, young Midoriya. Congratulations". The pro hero responded hurriedly.
Inside, All Might felt like a complete idiot. Why hadn't he thought of that before ? w
What a moron he was ! And Tatsuya who had succeeded without even doing it on purpose ! Just wait. You'll see. I will teach him Tamashi Do and it will be awesome !
"Tell me, has Tatsuya started martial arts training ?" All Might asked.
"Yes yes. We saw the punches, some parries, and the front and low kicks."
All Might took on his heroic form. He was now an over two meters tall man, with massive muscles and a perpetual smile.
"In that case, train with me," he said before taking a boxing guard, his left arm extended in front of him, his right fist kept at his temple.
It took Izuku several seconds to recover from the hero's statement. He was going to train with All Might ! Then, he activated his Full Cowl and rushed to meet his mentor.
…
Shouto arrived in front of his house with a small smile. He passed through the gate, crossed the Japanese garden and reached the door before entering, announcing himself. Hearing him, his sister came out of the kitchen, an apron tied around her waist. Fuyumi was a young woman of average height, with hair the color of snow, streaked with red strands. Her face lit up when she saw her brother.
"Shouto !" she shouted. "Good evening ! So, tell me, how was UA ?".
"Fierce" simply said the young boy. "You are alone ? Are father and mother already here ?".
"No, they haven't returned yet. But don't think that you will escape me so…".
"I'll tell you later, okay ?" Shouto asked. "Do you need help with dinner ?".
"No, I'm almost done" Fuyumi said, looking disappointed. "You can go wash if you want."
"All right".
He went up to his room, put his bags down, grabbed a change of clothes, and went into the bathroom. When he came downstairs, invigorated by his shower, he heard the voices of two people in the kitchen. He found his mother and sister, who were having a lively discussion.
"Shouto! good evening" his mother greeted him.
"Good evening mother" the young boy replied calmly.
"So, UA ?" Rei asked.
"Well…." Shouto began, but he heard the front door behind him open, and he stopped.
"Good evening" said a very deep male voice behind them. "Sorry for the delay, there was a problem at the agency. Kamiji was injured during a solo operation and…"
Enji stopped abruptly as he entered the kitchen. He was a huge, very muscular man, with dark red hair and stubble and blue eyes. He stood there, motionless, with a bouquet of purple flowers in his hand.
"Shouto" he whispered.
"Father" replied the young boy without being able to look him in the eyes.
Out of the corner of his eye, Enji saw Fuyumi nod at him. The pro hero seemed to suddenly revive. He placed the flowers on a table, then turned to his son.
"So, how was your week?"
"Good" replied the young boy.
"Are you in a good class ? Your classmates didn't make a fuss about your name ?".
"I don't think they understood, actually," Shouto said. "Except maybe for a boy, but he didn't say anything."
"That for the best. This way you can concentrate on your year."
A cold silence ensued, and after a moment, Enji turned to Fuyumi.
"Is everything ready for dinner ?" he asked.
"Oh, yes, yes." replied the young woman.
Enji nodded. Suddenly, he seemed to remember something and looked from his daughter to his wife.
"And you two? How was your day ?"
…
Nagisa Shiota slowly climbed each step that led to his mother's apartment. He was trembling, head down. He had no desire to come back here, but his body moved on its own. When he finally arrived at door 112, he froze. For a moment, he imagined jumping down and running. Run far and fast, never to return. Then, resigned, he entered.
He found his mother sitting at the kitchen table, motionless and very straight. She was a middle-aged woman with plain features, who wore a strict gray suit.
"Good evening, Nagisa" she said, keeping the same rigid expression.
"Good evening mother" the faunus replied very quickly.
"So ?" she asked.
"Classes went well" Nagisa said.
But, a shadow seemed to grow on his mother's face, and the young boy's eyes widened. In a hasty, panicked gesture, he opened his bag, almost breaking the zipper in the process, and took out his class notes before handing them to his mother. The latter sharply took the papers from him, and spread them in front of her. She read them for a long time, while Nagisa's heart beat violently against his chest.
Finally, she returned them to her son.
"I'll give you an hour to read all of this. Afterwards, I will question you" she announced.
"Yes, mother" Nagisa said while looking down.
"And your physical tests?"
"The training is very hard." Nagisa replied.
"I hope you improve quickly," said his mother. "You should be ashamed of your entrance test score. Penultimate, frankly…..".
I did my best, mother Nagisa thought without speaking out loud, for fear of making the situation worse.
"Oh, one more thing" said his mother. "Come here".
Nagisa, despite his fear, obeyed. With a quick gesture, his mother tore off the two ribbons that held his hair in place. They fell behind his head and on his temples, which gave Nagisa an even more feminine appearance than usual.
"Much better" said his mother. "When you finish your study, if you do well, we can try on some dresses."
I'm not a girl Nagisa thought. But once again his throat tightened and he did not dare to rebel.
"Come on, go, you have a lot of work".
"Yes, mother."