EDIT 3: I changed the appearance of the hotel and edited some things in Aizawa's explanation. ^^;
EDIT 4: Made some minor edits that don't make some of this chapter's sentences, paragraphs, and dialogue look and sound cringe-worthy. ^^;
"The...Massacre in the Hills'?" Izuku asked Aizawa curiously.
Todoroki blinked, humming in thought as a nagging suspicion ate at the back of his mind. 'That sounds a little familiar...'
Tokoyami, having been thinking the same, muttered under his breath. "Hmm...where have I heard that before?"
"The 'Silent Massacre in the Hills'? What's that?" Sato asked Aizawa with a curious raised brow.
"Wait…" Iida uttered, "Aren't we in the exact location where…" He didn't need to finish, as a haunting chill swept through him.
Aizawa nodded. "Indeed it is, Iida."
"...Oh…" Iida lowered his head, looking somewhat poignant.
"Um...Aizawa-Sensei?" said Izuku, "What, uh...what is this, um…'Silent Massacre in the Hills'? I haven't heard of anything like that before."
"Me neither." Tsuyu commented.
"Yeah, um...what does a massacre have to do with a field trip?" Ochako asked, feeling a little bit uneasy by just the title of the name alone.
"Well, for the students who don't know anything about this event...well, first of all, how about we all exit the bus first? I'll explain it when we get our things out." Aizawa informed them.
All the students glanced at each other at that remark. Some shrugged, while some looked a little concerned about this trip.
"Don't worry, this is just a lesson in 'Quirk Responsibility'. Now hurry up. The bus needs to get back to the station." Aizawa told them.
They did as they were told as they got their baggage out of the compartments in the bus. Once they did, they all exited out of the vehicle with their luggage carried or dragged behind them. Aizawa and the students stood out in front of a garden that's in front of the three-level, Colonial-Revival-looking lodge hotel you see in the USA, which at the entrance of the garden there was a plaque that says "Remembrance Garden", with a fountain in the center.
"Remembrance Garden?" Kirishima read the plaque. "Whoa…did something happened here?"
"Yes, Kirishima, something did happen. And that town below us was where one event took place during the time when Quirks were first introduced." Aizawa explained.
"You mean around one-hundred and thirty plus years ago?" Tooru asked in curious interest.
Aizawa nodded. "Yes. And during its conception at that time, people were relatively new to Quirks. While some have mastered their Quirks and used them to help their communities, such as preventing accidents and crimes big and small, or just by making their life easier, there were some who...abused that power."
Iida nodded gravely as Todoroki and Tokoyami's eyes widened in realization, remembering something that they've learned in Quirk history.
'Wait...is it that town?' Todoroki mused grimly.
'...So...we're actually here then.' Tokoyami thought soberly.
Momo's eyes also widened in surprise when she recalled something that she learned in her studies. "Wait...are you saying...that this is the town?"
Jirou looked at Momo in question. "Huh? What about the town?"
"Oh my...I think I know what we're talking about now." Aoyama said in an uncharacteristically serious tone.
"Oh, wait...oh...you mean, we're near...?" Tooru asked, her sentence faltering as her posture was a little solemn.
"Uuuh…I'm a little...confused? What is everyone remembering right now?" Kaminari asked as he scratched his head, his eyebrow raised in obvious confusion.
"Yeah. What exactly happened in that town we passed?" Mineta asked in impatient curiosity.
Aizawa's eyes actually turned soft with a pinch of sadness. "For any of you not familiar with this event, it happened a very long time ago. But basically this event, in that town down there, is what composed the very first drafts of the Quirk laws in our country that would soon go into effect."
All of the students', except Tenya, Momo, Shouto, Fumikage, Aoyama, and Tooru, looked at their teacher in surprise, this bombshell of information making their eyes wide with awareness.
"Whoa…then, this area really is significant," Izuku muttered in awe.
"Wow..." Ochako frowned thoughtfully. "What...what exactly happened in that town down there?"
Aizawa was silent for a moment, until he said, "Before I go into that, let me give you a history lesson that relates to this event. Before Quirks appeared into our daily lives in Japan, there was once a man that goes by the name of Uoruta. Sariban Uoruta. He lived in that town you see below us, Chinmoku. Records say that he was a vagrant, having no family and relatives to go to, and used to wander around the streets. From reports, his life was...a little rough."
"What do you mean?" Tsuyu asked in curiosity.
"Well...for starters, his parents abandoned him in an apartment room when he was just a newborn baby."
All of the students felt appalled upon hearing that, their eyes widened at the audacity. Even Tenya, Shouto, Fumikage, Aoyama, Momo, Tooru, and Katsuki stood there in shock.
"His parents just...abandoned him? When he was a baby?" Ochako asked, feeling sick to her stomach.
"I...never knew about that," Momo muttered.
"Neither did I," Tenya said with a sorrowful frown.
"Whoa...aw man, that's...terrible," Mina said with a sad frown.
"Yeah, that's messed up," Kirishima nodded with an equally sad but serious frown.
"Yeah...that's not right," Izuku muttered softly. "Why did they abandon him?"
Aizawa sighs, saying, "Simply put, they just didn't want him."
"Man…" Jirou cringed.
"Believe me, it gets worse." Aizawa continues, "Uoruta lived in the apartment complex for about a day, until he was discovered by the landlord. He gave him to an orphanage in Chinmoku called the Wish House. He lived there through his young life, until one day, he had to leave the orphanage when he turned sixteen."
"Nobody wanted him?" Ochako frowned at that.
Aizawa hummed, answering her question. "It was mostly because he was getting older and he was ridiculed by the other kids. Reports also say that he was...a little mentally off. Either way, after they closed the doors on him, he decided to go to the apartment that he was born in, the only place where he found comfort. Unfortunately, there was another tenant that was living in the apartment. He often called out for his mother, which records say that he associated the room that he was born in to be his actual mother."
"Huh? He called the apartment room his 'mom'?" Sato asked, confused.
"Well, if you were abandoned at birth and only have the comfort of a simple room to calm you down, you wouldn't blame them," Aizawa commented sadly. "And just like that, he lived by himself in the streets of Chinmoku. He struggled to survive and fight for himself, becoming an outcast in the town, begging for money and food. He went on in life like this for eight long excruciating years."
"Man, poor guy," Ojiro said with sympathy.
"Dude, yeah, when is this gonna get happy?" Kaminari said with a grimace.
"Sad to say, there's no happy ending to this tale," said Aizawa. "As of right now, we're getting into the depressing part of the story."
"Uh...okay…" Tsuyu said, a little uneasy about what's coming next.
"When he was still the age of twenty-three, that was when Quirks were starting to manifest into people in this area of Japan. Everyone had a Quirk at that time. Uoruta, however...didn't get a Quirk."
Some of the classmates looked shocked to hear that, while the students who learned about this event said nothing. Izuku, however, froze.
'Uoruta was Qurkless?' thought Midoriya, a little disturbed by this fact. In morbid curiosity, Izuku glanced at Katsuki.
Bakugou was also a little silent, a scowl on his face as he was listening to Aizawa. Midoriya made sure to turn his head back to his homeroom teacher so he wouldn't be caught looking at his former childhood friend.
"Or so they thought. That only means it didn't come to him yet. He'll have one soon enough." Aizawa continued. "Even then, thanks to his Quirk being delayed, he became more of an outcast...until one night, on his twenty-fourth birthday, something awakened his dormant Quirk inside of him."
"This really isn't going to end well, is it?" Sero asked uncomfortably.
"No. Sadly, it won't," Aizawa said with a sigh. "Reports and security cameras tell that Uoruta was walking through Chinmoku that night. He seemed to be going back to the apartment room once more to call out to his 'mother'. He called out to the room like a lost child, almost as if he had a spiritual connection to it."
"Eeyuck, that sounded creepy," Mineta said, shivering.
"It's what the reports say. Anyway, as he was walking through the streets and neighborhoods of Chinmoku...he activated what appeared to be a dangerous Quirk onto the town."
The students remained silent as they listened to Aizawa.
"His Quirk...wasn't an average one, obviously. Apparently, he never used it before, which is obvious since he was pronounced Quirkless. But something made him activate it...whether it was someone who pushed him to the edge or something else...he decided to use it all on the town."
"What...What was his Quirk?" Izuku asked in discomfort.
"It was 'Hallucination'," Iida answered him suddenly.
Izuku looked at his taller friend in shock. "Hallucination?"
Tenya nodded, a grim look on his face.
"Yes," Aizawa confirmed. "Apparently, his Quirk can make people go crazy. The cameras didn't say how he did it, but the town suffered a lot of mental trauma because of it. The cameras also tell that he didn't look to be affected by the hallucinations, thus the authorities from the next town concluded that it was Uoruta who started making the people of Chinmoku go insane."
"That's horrible…" Ochako softly says in sympathy.
"With that said, when Uoruta used his Quirk, it spread like a disease. He made people see things that weren't there, making his Quirk go deep into their minds and make them live their darkest fears. And when I say spread, it even reached the town's Police Department, affecting the officers in the facility."
"Ah man…" Kirishima winced.
"These hallucinations became so real enough for these people, that they could do nothing but attack others in the town. So much...it eradicated almost everyone there." Aizawa told them all.
"Almost? You mean...there were survivors?" asked Kyouka with hopeful but morbid curiosity.
Aizawa gave out a poignant frown. "...Records say that there were survivors, but they already had too many mental scars from the hallucinations. They were said to never be the same again. However, there was one who didn't suffer Uoruta's Quirk, and that was the tenant who's renting the apartment room he was going to. For some reason, he had mercy on that person, her being a young woman named Hanawa Riza. It seemed she took good care of the room, aka his 'mother'."
"That's still creepy," Mineta muttered.
"As for how many casualties...well, as I said, the town was eradicated, but only twenty percent of the town survived with heavy wounds, both physical and mental."
"So...whatever happened to Uoruta?" Tsuyu asked, getting prepared to hear the worst.
"...Uoruta was the only one who could stop the hallucinations...when reports came to the authorities from a couple that was going over to the town to stay for a while on their trip to Kyoto, they witnessed dead bodies on the streets, as well as the confused and injured people that were still all around Chinmoku. Once the authorities from the next town came over to check the damage that the town endured, they went over to the apartment room where Uoruta went in...only to find him and Riza there, with Uoruta having knife wounds in his back. The woman named Riza confessed that she was the one who stabbed him because she figured it would stop the hallucinations people were having. She wasn't charged, as it was labeled as justifiable homicide. From the reports, she seemed to regret the decision in doing so, but it was the only way to stop the town from being crazy. Thus, Uoruta died, not knowing he was making everyone go insane."
"Man, this is depressing…" Kamninari said with a frown.
"Yeah...and ever since then, that town Chinmoku down there, became abandoned. Never to have any residents to live in or for businesses to thrive, letting the past haunt the streets as it became a ghost town." Aizawa told them, "And the most ironic thing about all of this is, it used to actually be a resort town. And the whole town of Chinmoku is basically one of the top attractions all over Japan, commemorating the fallen people whose lives have been cut short and have suffered through that event."
"Man…" Izuku murmured. "That's...really dark."
Bakugou was still unusually quiet throughout the whole explanation, but when the Aizawa was finished, he had to ask, "I have a question."
Aizawa looked at Bakugou and said, "Go on ahead."
"It's called 'The Silent Massacre in the Hills', ain't it? Why the hell is it even called that? I would think a massacre would be a little noisy if everyone was hallucinating and losing their shit, so wouldn't people have heard it from afar?"
The Class of 1-A all blinked at that. Even Aizawa blinked.
'Hey...Kaachan is right.' Izuku thought in realization. He then said, "Yeah. Actually, how far is the next town?"
Katsuki 'hmph' and sneered at Izuku's question, almost like he didn't want to be acknowledged by him or wanting to actually ask the same question.
Aizawa stood there, almost a little stunned. "...Well, to Bakugou's question, you know...that's a good point. As for your question, Midoriya, the next town is around...maybe thirty miles."
Ochako looked confused. "Was there any traffic here from Chinmoku and that town?"
"...I...wouldn't think so. It happened at nighttime, so maybe there weren't any drivers there to look at the town's disarray." Aizawa theorized. "Other than that, I don't think anybody heard a commotion outside the town when the event took place...hence the name 'Silent Massacre in the Hills'...hm. Well, it's called that for a reason, and this occurrence was about one-hundred thirty-something years old…" He stood there for a while as if to think about it for a bit.
"...Are you sure this isn't made up?" Kaminari asked suspiciously.
Jirou sighed irritably, "No, ya doofus, of course this isn't made up. There wouldn't be a memorial here if that's the case."
Kaminari pouted at Kyouka, while Aizawa went back to say, "Either way, this place shows us that the Quirk we have is our responsibility. Whether you decide to use it anywhere, know the repercussions and take precautions every day when you one day become heroes yourselves. For Uoruta, even though he suffered a rough life, he should know that unleashing that kind of power would be hazardous, no matter what type of Quirk it is."
Some of the students nodded to that, while some made hums of agreement. Bakugou just kept scowling and said nothing, unsure of what to really say.
As for Izuku, he took the advice to heart. He really has to find a way to control One For All, or else he'll get brutally mangled beyond repair. That time with Todoroki almost cost him not having a lot of offers from Pro Heroes. Maybe he can find a way with All Might's old teacher, Gran Torino.
'I really have to be strong, heck, even stronger to contain One For All. If I don't, then I fail All Might, my Mom, and myself…' Midoriya frowned, a melancholy look emerging onto his features when thinking about that possibility. 'I won't let that happen...I won't fail.'
Aizawa then broke out of Izuku's thoughts by saying, "Okay, now that some of you know about the history of what happened in Chinmoku, we should go to the hotel and check into our rooms. The school made reservations for ten rooms, so each of you will have to share one."
The homeroom teacher then gave Kaminari and Mineta a droll glare. "And before you two say anything, no, I'm not gonna mix up some of the girls with the boys rooms."
The two perverts sighed dejectedly.
"Alright then." Aizawa resumed and told the other students, "As of now, I'm gonna pick each of you in pairs on who'll be sharing a room in the hotel. Until then, when you all go to your rooms, you can change into ordinary clothes if you like. We'll be driving a tour bus to look around the town of Chinmoku, and a guide will give us an hour-long tour through parts of it. Now without further ado..." he then began to pick out which classmate will share their hotel room.
'I'm really thankful Aizawa-Sensei didn't pair Kaachan and me up.' Izuku thought gratefully.
As soon as they reached their room, each carrying their roll-on luggage behind them, Midoriya opened the hotel room with their electronic key, activating it as he opened the door. Behind him was Iida, who rolled his suitcase behind him. Paired up, both Izuku and Tenya entered their two-bedded room and settled their things inside.
"Man, that whole story was pretty sad, wasn't it? I never knew something like that even happened." Midoriya commented as soon as he sat on the bottom edge of his bed.
"Hm. It's one of the cases that people wish to forget. Sometimes certain Quirks can be very disastrous. And without a stable and mentally sound mind, a certain user with any kind of destructive Quirk can be dangerous." Iida informed him.
Izuku frowned. "Still, I can't help but feel...well, bad for Uoruta. I mean, he was abandoned at birth, homeless, and most of all...he was an outcast." That word stung harder in his soul than he could ever think. Perhaps he was just like Uoruta in some way...besides the massacre part. He resumed, saying, "Even if he had a Quirk later on and used it wrongfully, I still can't help but feel...sorry for the guy. Especially with what Quirk society is like today."
Tenya stared at his friend in solemn silence as he stood beside the bottom of his own bed. He sat down on the very edge of his mattress as well and gave out a sigh, "It is sad…"
They both sat on their beds in silence…
Tenya, however, turned from where he sat to look at Izuku and said, "I guess this place is also reminding us that some people aren't so fortunate to have Quirks...that we need to be aware and help them out as best as we can…"
Midoriya turned to look across from his bed to Iida's with interest.
"...It...kind of thrives me more to be a hero…just like...my brother..." Tenya's gaze lowered onto the floor.
Frowning at his friend's despair, Midoriya got up from his bed to look at him and say, "Look, Iida, I...I know what you're going through is hurting you...a lot...I mean, if I knew that a Hero that I know and admired got…" Shaking his head at the thought, he continued, "Either way, I just...I know what you're feeling, but...I don't want this to eat you up inside. And I understand, I really do. It's just...I don't want you to think that you have or need to do something about it."
Tenya gazed at his friend, the surprise written all over his face.
"I know just from looking at you, that you want to do something about it...but…" Izuku sighed, "...Look, the most important thing is, your brother is alright. He's recovering and...that's all that matters. You still get to have...heck, you still get to be with your Hero, your own brother…and...and like you said, we, including you, me, and our class, need to thrive on becoming a better hero. I mean, I know I need to be better…" he glanced at the floor, his words dying there.
Iida just looked at him quietly, and with a small smile on his face, he said, "I appreciate it, Midoriya. I really do. And I know you understand...but...to me, it's more of a personal matter. I...I can't let what happened to my brother slide...Stain not only harmed my brother, but he...he disgraced the Ingenium name...it...it makes me feel...helpless just thinking about it..." he frowned as he sulked, looking at the floor. "...but it also made me feel...enraged. Enraged that a person would just...humiliate my brother and damage him the way that he did…" Iida looked up at Midoriya with sad but solemn eyes. "...This rage will not go away until I somehow confront Stain myself."
Midoriya stood there, silent upon hearing Tenya's words. "..." He sighed, "Iida...I get it. Again, I really do...but...just try not to let it cloud your judgment, and...well, just try to enjoy the present right now. Also...just know that we're all here for you. I, and everyone else, really mean that."
Tenya kept his gaze on Midoriya for a moment, until he gave out another small smile. Nodding, he said. "Thank you, Midoriya. I'll try as best as I can...I...know I haven't been acting like myself lately. Really, I'm...I'm glad to have friends like you and Uraraka. I'm also glad to have classmates who are very supportive as well...I'll...I'll make the best of this trip."
Izuku gave his friend a small smile and a nod as well.
'Well...it's a start. He almost sounds like he means it this time, at least. That's a step in the right direction...don't worry, Iida. We'll really be there for you.'
Uraraka and Asui both settled their things in their rooms, and when they did, they had the time to talk about things as they changed into their casual clothes.
"Man, talk about a depressing story, huh?" Tsuyu said as she unbuttoned her school uniform top.
"Yeah...I feel bad for that Uoruta guy. Even that Riza lady." Uraraka said sympathetically as she took off her school uniform shirt, being in just her white t-shirt.
"Yeah, Uoruta's life really is a bummer. And that Riza woman had to bear the weight of actually killing someone." Tsuyu agreed as she took off her skirt.
"Hm…I think it's really terrible that his parents had abandoned him like that. That's very despicable in my book." Uraraka glowered at that as she let her skirt fall.
"I agree…" It made Asui think about her parents, how they work so hard to support her and her two siblings. She takes care of her little brother and sister as often as she can when they're off to work overtime. And she would do anything for her family...even become a great Hero to support them. "...Poor guy." Tsuyu mumbled soberly to herself.
Ochako then took the time to get her skinny jeans on, as well as put on a dark pink long-sleeved crew neck t-shirt. As she sat on the ground and put her black flats on, she thought about Uoruta's situation a little more deeply.
'To think, he was abandoned at birth...it makes me just mad thinking about it! Some people can be outright terrible…'
Uraraka looked up after putting her left flat on to see that Tsuyu was now in her denim shorts, but still in her black knee-high socks as well. She seemed to be texting on her phone.
As she stood up from her sitting position, Uraraka asked her, "Hey, who are you texting?"
Tsuyu, a little startled, turned her head to the gravity girl. "Oh! Um, just my little brother and sister, Samidare and Satsuki. I was texting them to say, uh…" She scratched her cheek, a little embarrassed. "Well, I mean, when I thought about the whole incident that happened in that Chinmoku town and with that Uoruta guy not having parents or even siblings to...say...you know, to say that they love him, I thought I...tell not only my siblings, but my mom and dad that I love them as well." She finished with a slight blush.
"Oh." Uraraka blinked, but soon she smiled at Tsuyu's gesture. "Aww, well that's sweet, Tsu."
Tsuyu chuckled, "Yeah, I'm a softie when it comes to family."
Ochako giggled. "You know what? I'm gonna do that as well for my mom and dad." She got to her phone that was on the room's desk and started to text her parents.
"Heh, well I'm glad I inspired ya. *ribbit*" Asui smiled.
"Oh yeah! I really do love my mom and dad as well. I don't have any siblings myself, so it's just me and my parents. I plan to become a Hero someday to help them out, so I hope this internship with Gunhead will lead me in the right direction." Ochako told her.
"Hm? What do you mean?" Tsuyu had to ask.
Ochako looked sheepish, "Well...I guess I can tell you. I...well, I really want to help out my parents with their finances. We're kind of not spending too much money on things right now, and my dad's construction business is kind of slow. I want to bring the money in to support them as best as I can."
Tsuyu smiled at that. "Ah, okay. That's really cool of you, Uraraka."
Uraraka laughed bashfully. "Thanks. Of course, I also want to be a Hero to help others as well."
"Oh yeah, of course." Tsuyu nodded as she put on a light green short-sleeved t-shirt, letting her unique ponytail go through the collar of it. It has a cartoon frog face on the front of the chest area of her shirt.
Uraraka looked at the shirt and giggled. "You're certainly keeping up with this frog persona, aren't ya?"
Blinking, Tsuyu looked down at her shirt. "Oh, heh, yeah. I mean, I have to, my Quirk is basically a 'Frog' type."
Uraraka giggled again, and after that, it soon went quiet. As soon as the Gravity Quirk user texted her sweet message to her parents, she stood there to muse, wondering if she could ask the frog girl the question that was kind of bothering her.
"...Tsu?"
As Tsuyu was putting her dark green sneakers on, she turned her head to Ochako. "Yeah? *ribbit* "
"...How long have you known Deku?"
Arching an eyebrow in confusion at that, Tsuyu said, "Uh...well, I've first talked to him during the whole USJ incident. We were paired up along with Mineta when that Black Mist guy shrouded and teleported us at the water zone. All three of us worked together to fight off some villains. Why?"
"Oh, um, no reason! I just thought you and...Deku…" Ochako then looked down, a little shy as she rubbed her arm. "...Uh, i-it's-n-nothing."
Tsuyu would usually just shrug at that and leave it be, but the gears were turning in her head as she read the gravity girl's body language. "Hmm…" As soon as she put the other shoe on, she stood up and put a hand on her hip and an index finger on her chin. "...Do you have a thing for Deku?"
"Eh!?" Ochako's eyes widened in shock when she looked up at Asui. "I-I-uh-I-I-w-well-I-I mean-it's-it's just, I-I mean, y-you see, I-uh-I-well, the thing is-I-uh-w-w-w-w-well, I, uhhhh…" It was then she ran out of steam to continue her sentence.
The frog girl looked at her oddly and said, "Sooo...that's a yes?"
"...Yes." Ochako blushed as she glanced down, feeling trapped and cornered.
Asui looked at Uraraka with the same unreadable expression she gives her classmates, except she blinked two times. "Oh. Okay then."
Uraraka looked up in surprise. "Huh?"
"Yeah, that's cool." Tsuyu said with a shrug. She arched another brow, "What, you thought I like Midoriya that way?"
"Oh! I mean...well...I was just curious…" Ochako felt embarrassed for even mentioning it.
Tsuyu tittered, "Hey, no worries. Nah, I just think he's a cool guy. When he tried to punch that hand villain for using his, um...I think decomposing Quirk? I guess? Anyway, when that villain was gonna use his Quirk on me, Midoriya tried to punch him with his Quirk, but that Nomu guy blocked it. Even though he tried, it was still pretty cool of him, especially when he was using it at the Sports Festival when he fought Todoroki. So all in all, yeah, I just have some good respect for the guy. I have no romantic feelings for him, just so you know."
"Oh...um, okay." Ochako gave out an awkward smile. "So...he saved you from that hand villain?"
"Well, like I said, he tried to." Tsuyu corrected.
"Oh. Well…" Uraraka lightened up as she giggled, "That would seem like Deku. He's always acting out for other people."
"Heh, yeah. He's kind of impulsive, really. Which is actually a good trait in a Hero." Tsuyu informed.
"Heh, yeah...Deku would indeed make a great Hero someday." Uraraka nodded with a confident smile.
"So you heard about that Chinmoku Massacre before, Momo?" Jirou asked the Creation Quirk user as she put on a purple t-shirt with black electrical font words 'ROCK ON' on it. She also has her black denim skinny jeans on.
"The Silent Massacre in the Hills?" Momo called out into the bathroom to change into her clothes, for both Momo and Jirou's privacy.
Jirou sweatdropped. "Um...I'm just gonna call it the 'Chinmoku Massacre'. It just sounds shorter."
"Hmm…you know, 'The Silent Massacre in the Hills'...does sound a little lengthy. I'm going to call it the 'Chinmoku Massacre' as well." Momo decided in the bathroom.
Kyouka chuckled. "But yeah, you heard about that in your school?"
"Oh yes. My private school was very intent on letting us learn about Quirk History and Quirk Biology."
"Hm. Well, I have to say, that story was downright depressing for everyone involved in it." Jirou said as she put her black buckled punk-rock combat boots on.
"Oh, I know. It is pretty sad…" Momo was silent for a moment in the bathroom and then said, "It is odd though."
"What's odd?" Jirou asked as she finished wrapping some buckles onto her left boot, now going to the other one to wrap the buckles onto her right.
"It's just...well, Uoruta was pronounced Quirkless, but when his Quirk was awakened inside of him, he just used it to lay a destructive path onto the town."
"Well, Aizawa-Sensei did say that this Uoruta guy did have some mental issues. I mean, being abandoned at birth and being an outcast can do that to you, I would think. So maybe he snapped?"
"Yeah...I suppose. But still, even then, why would he do that? I mean, I don't think from other reports he attacked anybody before in his life, nor did he really kill anyone."
"Well, we weren't really there, so...I mean, was there ever a report that said he attacked or killed anybody?"
"...I...don't think so. I never read anything that indicated Uoruta actually harmed anyone. ...In fact, as Aizawa-Sensei said, the woman named Riza wasn't affected by Uoruta's Quirk at all." Momo was silent for a moment. "...I don't know how his Quirk works, but if the whole town was under hallucinations, I would think Riza would be affected by it too, if that's the case. Which means...did she killed him because she was affected as well?"
Jirou hummed in thought as she stood there with a hand to her chin. "...Well, even though this Riza gal survived, it's still a tragedy for her and the town of Chinmoku, as well as for Uoruta."
"Yeah." Momo agreed to that. Another moment of silence and she said with determination, "I have a feeling this trip will be very important to us on how we use our Quirks responsibly. Not all Quirks are created equal, and it's our responsibility to use them wisely to help others as well as fight any wrongdoers."
Chuckling, Jirou said, "Well, yeah, I would think that's why we're here, Yaomomo."
"Well...I was just stating it out loud to myself, really." Momo said a little sheepishly.
Jirou turned to the bathroom entrance that Momo was in, and could practically feel the unsureness coming from her tone. Frowning, she said, "Hey...you'll make a great Hero someday, Momo. Don't worry about what happened back at the Festival, alright?
"...I won't, Jirou...thanks." Momo said gratefully. "If anything, it motivates me more to become even better."
Kyouka smiled, feeling like her tone sounded a little uplifted. "That's the spirit!"
Momo chuckled also and a few seconds passed until she said, "Well, okay then. I'm all dressed up." She came out of the bathroom. "What do you think?"
"Hey, looking good, Momo!" Jirou smirked.
The taller girl blushed a tiny bit as she displayed her attire. She still had her hair in her signature ponytail, but this time, she has a white women's short-sleeved buttoned-up collared shirt, which was tucked in a red tartan plaid high-waisted mini skirt with a slit in it. She was also wearing black knee-high socks and black ankle flat boots.
"You don't think this is too formal?" Momo asked a little shyly. "This is a casual event, so I don't want to feel like I'm overdressing. I mean, I want to be considerate to my classmates. Honestly, I didn't even know we were coming over here to tour Chinmoku."
"Heh, yeah, Aizawa-Sensei failed to mention that, didn't he?" Jirou mumbled. "But don't worry about it, Momo. You look great, and no one else is thinking about what you wear around here...well, I would say except Mineta and Kaminari, but they're probably thinking about what the other girls' are wearing as of right now too." she bitterly said, scowling at the thought of those two perverts.
Momo noticed the slight disdain in her friend's tone when she emphasized their other female classmates and was a little caught off guard by that. She didn't think Jirou had any animosity towards the other girls, and even though she and herself didn't think too lightly of Mineta and Kaminari, she wouldn't think her friend would be that hostile with them. If anything, she would've looked annoyed at the two when mentioned or when they were doing something lecherous.
It was then when Jirou was getting her large leather jacket out of her suitcase and draping it around her shoulders to fully cover her top half, a lightbulb went on in Momo's mind.
'She...has been pretty bitter lately when it comes to appearances…'
"But yeah, again, you're not downgrading our classmates by looking good or anything, Yaomomo," Kyouka reassured her as she fully put her jacket on. "You look really great! As normal as can be!"
"...You know, you look really great as well, Jirou," Momo told her friend in an honest and sincere tone.
Jirou, a bit startled by that comment, looked at Yaoyorozu in surprise. "Huh!?"
"You do. You don't give yourself too much credit. I think you're absolutely beautiful, and you don't have to feel jealous of other girls' appearances. You're very pretty, and I think any guy would be blind to not see you as an attractive young woman." Momo reassured her.
Kyouka blushed a bit as well, not sure how to take this. "Uh..." She shook her head to clear her mind a bit and began to say, "Okay, first off, you're like, just reassuring me right now, correct? Nothing stronger than that, right? Nothing at all?"
Momo blinked in confusion. "Um...yes? I mean, wasn't I? I hope I was...and what do you mean by 'nothing stronger than that'? I just felt like I should tell you that because you're my friend, and that it's true."
The rocker girl just looked at her for a moment, until she chuckled a bit. "Oh...oh, okay." She then sighed a breath of relief. "Oh thank goodness."
Still blinking in confusion, Momo asked. "Did...I say something wrong?"
"Oh!" Jirou shot up as she stood. "Uh, no, you didn't! I was just, um…" She sweatdropped again. Lowering her head to not let her see the noticeable blush on her porcelain face, she muttered. "Well...at least you assumed that I liked guys."
Now Momo was really puzzled. "What?"
"Nothing! Nothing, just nevermind." Jirou assured her. "Still…" She looked sheepish as she scratched her cheek. "You read me like a book, huh?"
"Um…" Momo decided to let it go and answered the question with a smile. "Well, I have read a lot of books."
Kyouka laughed at the joke, as did Momo also. When their laughter died down, the rocker girl stood there for a moment in silence. "...I appreciate the compliment, but...I don't know, I just...don't feel that pretty. I just feel like...me."
"That's okay, though," Momo told her sincerely. "Being yourself adds more to the beauty."
Jirou blushed at the compliment. "Aw, come on. I'm not that pretty."
Yaoyorozu looked at her in pity and said kindly to her. "Jirou, take that jacket off."
Jirou stood there, afraid to do so. Momo gave her an encouraging smile and placed her hands on Jirou's shoulders, which the latter looked up at her friend.
"Jirou, no matter what anyone else says, you're your own kind of beautiful. And you surely are beautiful. I mean it. Honestly, I wish I had porcelain skin like yours. Yours is very luminous and gorgeous."
Kyouka blinked at that. "Really?"
"Absolutely." Momo nodded with the same encouraging smile.
"...Heh...I, uh...I guess I can shed off this jacket. I mean, it is pretty nice outside. Plus, don't want to sweat too much." Jirou reasoned with herself.
Momo backed away from Kyouka, the latter soon began removing her jacket to show off her top half and her bare arms. The rocker girl then placed her jacket on her bed and stood normally, taking a deep breath to calm herself.
"There. You look really great, Jirou." complimented Momo.
"...Yeah...I...I don't need a jacket. It's...it's nice out." Jirou said with a nod as well, assuring herself of any doubts.
The Creation Quirk user nodded with a smile. "Believe me, you look fabulous. There's no need to feel self-conscious about how you look. You're a beautiful woman, and you should feel proud of what you have."
"...Thanks, Momo," Kyouka said to her gratefully.
"Hey, you helped me with my insecurities, so I thought I'd help out with yours," Momo said with a shrug and a smile.
Jirou smiled back at her friend in appreciation. "You're the best, Yaomomo."
Katsuki and Shouto(who, believe it or not, are roommates) have their clothes on, and were both sitting on their beds in awkward silence.
Todoroki sat on his bed in dark blue jeans, with a gray cotton short-sleeved polo shirt and red casual sneakers on. Bakugou sat on his own bed with a red short-sleeved shirt, baggy blue jeans, and black chunky sneakers.
...They sat there for a while
"..." Katsuki just scowled as he sat on the bed with his arms folded, staring at Todoroki.
"..." Shouto kept silent, staring at Bakugou as he tapped his finger on the mattress.
'Well...this is an awkward match-up...what was Aizawa-Sensei even thinking, pairing us to be roommates? ...He probably wanted a good laugh.' Shouto thought in mild annoyance.
Speaking of annoyances, Bakugou finally said something. "Hey, Two-Face, what time is it?"
Todoroki looked at him with irritated narrowed eyes. "The clock is right there on the nightstand. You can look at it. And don't call me Two-Face, that's a villain from Batman, and I'm nowhere near a villain."
Katsuki growled, and glanced at the alarm clock, muttering, "Smart-Ass Nerd."
16:50
"...Hmph. Ten minutes then?" Bakugou said with a sneer.
"Looks like it," Shouto confirmed. "We have to be there around 1700 hours."
"...Tch." Bakugou got up from his bed and walked to the exit of their room.
"Where are you going?" Todoroki asked with a raised eyebrow.
Katsuki looked back with a glare. "To the lobby, dumbass. I'm not gonna sit in our room and wait for the time to pass. Besides, we don't got nothing to fuckin' talk about, so if you want to sit in here and be late, then go ahead." He opened the door and made his way out.
Shouto looked at the door that Katsuki exited out of…
"...He'll be a very difficult one to tolerate." He muttered to himself.
5:00 PM
(17:00)
Aizawa and the students all gathered in the lobby, each of them in their casual clothes, as well as Aizawa himself. His attire was the oddest one out of the bunch as he was wearing a yellow Hawaiian shirt with white palm tree designs on them, and beige colored shorts with sandals. The only thing that he kept on were the scarves.
Izuku was wearing a blue shirt with All Might on the front, as well as some jeans with some red sneakers, while Tenya was wearing a white and blue striped polo shirt, a pair of jeans as well, and some brown casual sneakers.
"Okay, now that we're all gathered here, the tour bus will be coming over. We'll wait outside until it does. Follow me." Aizawa told them as he led them outside of the hotel and onto the driveway where they waited for the tour bus.
As they waited, Ochako and Tsuyu were standing next to each other. Tsuyu looked at Ochako, who the latter was glancing at Izuku at times.
'Hmm…' It was then Asui thought of an idea. She tapped on Uraraka's shoulder, giving her a start and she turned her attention to Tsuyu.
"Huh? Uh, yes Tsu?" asked Ochako.
"Why don't you sit next to Deku again?" Tsuyu whispered to her.
Uraraka's eyes widened at the claim. "W-What?" she whispered.
"Come on, *ribbit* you need to be a little bold."
"But-But, I don't want to sit next to him again! I mean, that's too obvious! What if he realizes it?" Ochako whispered.
"Aw, come on, Chako, play with a little danger."
"Tsu!"
Meanwhile with Izuku and Tenya…
Izuku stood there waiting for the tour bus as well, but he couldn't help but glance at Iida every once in a while to see how he's holding up. He glanced at his friend who was in front of him and next to Kirishima and Tokoyami.
'I hope Iida is feeling a little bit better…' thought Midoriya, hopeful that the talk he gave him was of any help.
"Hey, Midoriya?" said a quiet voice.
Startled, Izuku turned his head to see Shouto, who looked at him with a curious gaze.
"Oh, uh, hey, Todoroki." said Izuku in a quiet tone as well.
"Hey." Todoroki nodded. "I hope I'm not being intrusive, but you've been glancing at Iida for a while. Does it have to do with...his brother?"
"Oh, no, you're not. Sorry, it's just…" Midoriya sighed. "Yeah...we had a talk in our room about his brother and what happened to him. I'm just hoping he'll get out of it."
"Hm." Shouto nods again. "I would think these things take time. I understand his position, though." He glanced at Iida.
'If someone you looked up to has been harmed or injured, or heck, even both, then you're bound to feel depressed...or helpless.' The Temperature Quirk user frowned in his thoughts.
"Yeah...I just hope he'll turn back to his normal self soon." Midoriya muttered, a little desolate.
Todoroki hummed in agreement. "Maybe you should leave him alone with his thoughts for a while."
"...I guess. I just...really hope he's okay." Midoriya said with his head lowered.
They stood there next to each other for a little while…
"...You're a good friend, Midoriya." Shouto said to him.
"Huh?" Izuku turned his head to Shouto.
"Iida is lucky to have someone look after him." he continued not looking back at Izuku. After a couple of seconds of silence, Shouto then said, "Thank you again for letting me use my fire. I appreciate it."
Izuku looked at Todoroki, flattered by the thanks. Giving him a small smile back at him, he nodded and said, "No problem."
Shouto, without looking back, gave out a small smile as well.
However, behind them, someone overheard their conversation.
Momo stood there, taking what they said into account.
'I know it isn't polite to eavesdrop, but one of our classmates, our class representative nonetheless, is having a hard time…' Momo frowned. 'Hmm...maybe as the vice class representative, I can give out some reassurance...but I haven't really communicated with Iida that much...which is shameful on my part. I got to communicate with my classmates a bit more…' She glanced at the back of Midoriya for a second. '...Midoriya really is doing a good job in reaching out to our class...I wonder what would've changed if he'd been our class representative instead?'
"Okay," Aizawa told everyone once he was done with his phone, "The tour bus is coming this way, so everyone get ready. I advise you all to be quiet during the tour and only ask questions about the town, as well as the tour."
All of the students complied, and soon the tour bus trolley came up to the driveway. The teenagers all piled into the bus and they climbed in.
Tenya was the third one who went in, and Izuku was about to go in as the fifth person, when he stopped and noticed Momo was beside him going into the tour bus.
"Oh! Uh, s-sorry, Y-Yaoyorozu! You, uh, y-you go first." Midoriya stuttered nervously.
"Oh, um, thank you, Midoriya." Momo smiled with a nod and climbed into the bus.
Izuku, however, thought, 'Well...I probably should just let Iida be alone in his thoughts. I don't want to crowd him.'
"Deku?"
Midoriya jumped and turned his attention to Uraraka, who called his name. "Uh, y-yeah?"
"Aren't you, uh...going inside?" Ochako asked him.
"Oh! Uh, um, nah, y-you go in first!" Midoriya said a little nervously.
"Oh, um...okay." Uraraka smiled at him and went inside.
Once she entered the bus, Izuku was going to enter as well, until Bakugou shoved him out of the way.
"Out of the way, ya damn Nerd, and stop holding the fuckin' line up!" Katsuki sneered at him as he went inside the bus.
Midoriya frowned at Bakugou's rude attitude but said nothing. He just took it and went inside the bus.
Iida sat at the back left window seat, looking out the window as his mind wanders.
'Tensei...I'll let the bastard who did this to you pay…'
"Can I sit here?"
Iida looked over to his left to see that Momo was offering to sit next to him.
"Oh...um, yes, you can, Yaoyorozu."
Momo smiled and nodded. "Thanks." She sat next to Iida in the two-seat row.
Meanwhile, Uraraka sat on the left middle row of seats, near the window seat.
'I wonder if Midoriya will really sit next to me? I mean, I was the one who sat next to him, but...will he do the same with me? Oh goodness, I don't know! It'll be too much for me to bear if he decided to! I mean, I wouldn't know what to say, or-or-or do, or-'
"Oi, move over, Round Face."
"Oh! S-Sure-" Uraraka froze when she realized what she was doing and who she was letting in the seat row.
Katsuki plopped down on the seat next to Ochako…
"...Uuuuuuuh...eh?" Ochako's eyes were wide and her mouth was agape in shock.
Bakugou turned to look at the girl with a scowl.
Uraraka just looked at Katsuki, feeling the anxious sweat coming down her face.
"...The fuck you lookin' at?" Bakugou eyed her with a sneer.
"...Oh! U-U-Uh…" Ochako gulped. "...I, uh...I was, uh…" She then looked at the window next to her. "Nothing!"
Raising an eyebrow at her, Bakugou looked at her peculiarly. "...Tch. Whatever." He then looked away from her.
Uraraka, however, was trembling in apprehension.
'This...was not what I was hoping for!'
Shouto was also sitting in the back right row of seats near a window. Looking outside of it, he pondered over certain things.
'My fire...it's mine and mine alone...that's what mother told me...and that's what Midoriya told me as well…'
"Hey, is this seat taken?" said a female's voice.
Todoroki glanced at the speaker, which was Jirou.
"Hm? Oh, no. Go on ahead." Shouto told her.
"Thanks," Kyouka said with a smirk and sat next to Shouto.
And lastly, with Midoriya…
"Well, I have the window seat again," Izuku said to himself.
"Midoriya?"
"Huh?" Midoriya turned to the speaker, which was Tsuyu. "Oh, uh, hey, Tsuyu."
"Call me Tsu."
"ACK! Right, right! Sorry!"
Tsuyu sighed. "Nah, it's okay." She looked over somewhere to her right and frowned.
'Oh no! Did I offend her that time? Oh man, I hope I didn't!' Izuku panicked on the inside. He hates to offend people, even those that he doesn't really know that well.
"Ah man, poor Uraraka."
'...Huh?'
"Huh?" Izuku uttered.
The Frog girl turned her head to Midoriya. "Oh, well, Uraraka is sitting next to Bakugou."
Izuku let that sink in for a second. He then realized, "Oh! Y-You mean she's sitting next to K-Kaachan?"
"Kaachan? You mean Bakugou, right? *ribbit*"
"U-Uh, yeah, right! Yeah, sorry, I meant Bakugou, heh."
Tsuyu raised an eyebrow. "Do you two seem to know each other or something?"
"Uh…" Izuku rubbed the back of his head in diffidence. "It's...well…" He sighed, "...It's kind of complicated." he winced.
"Hmm…" Asui put a finger to her chin seeing the pained look on Izuku's face. "...*ribbit* Okay then. You don't have to tell me. But I will ask, is anyone sitting here?"
"Wha?" Izuku looked up at Tsuyu in surprise.
"Well, yeah. Everyone has a seat at this point, so would it be okay if I sit here?" Asui asked him, her cute frog face unchanging.
"Oh! Uh, y-yeah, sure, Tsuy-TSU!" Izuku corrected himself in time.
Tsuyu snickered. "There you go. You're learning."
Midoriya laughed weakly in embarrassment, while Tsuyu chuckled as she sat next to the Quirk Inheritor.
It was then the speakers around the tour bus began to blare with the voice of the tour guide.
"Hello, Class 1-A from UA! We're now about to take the drive over to Chinmoku starting the tour! My name is Masahiro Ito and I'll be your tour guide! Our next destination will be the entrance to the infamous town that started the even more infamous event, 'The Silent Massacre in the Hills'. As you may know, the town of Chinmoku is named after the word 'Silence', which carries the name in this area with its serene hills, beautiful lake, and forestry. It's basically a hidden gem in Japan, and it has gorgeous views of all these things, and can be viewed from anywhere else in this vicinity; whether it be in the town or outside of the town. But before we drive to Chinmoku, though, let me advise all of you, that we will not be out of this vehicle at any time. We will be driving around parts of the town to go to certain places that are of importance."
"Huh? So we're not getting out?" Ojiro wondered out loud.
"I wonder why that is?" Sato also wondered.
As if the tour guide heard their questions from the driver's seat, he gave out the reply. "For those who are wondering why we can't get out of the tour bus, it's for three reasons: One, this is considered a memorial ground and we wish to remain respectful to the people who lost their lives here. Although, secondly, we are as of this moment constructing walkways around areas of the town to let visitors tour around places of interest. We are also revitalizing it back to its former glory, restoring buildings such as the town's fine lodging establishments, the historical society building, some shops, the hospital, the city hall, and so on. The third and final reason, is that the land that the town was built upon has been said to be some form of a sacred place, which is said to exist a very long time ago."
"A sacred place?" Izuku said to himself in interest.
"Sacred place, huh? *ribbit* Like an ancient burial ground or something?" Tsuyu wondered out loud.
"Whoa..." Uraraka said in fascinated curiosity. "I wonder what it's sacred for?"
Bakugou scoffed at the thought of it. 'Sacred place? Yeah, right. If it's so sacred, then why is there a fucking town built upon it?'
Meanwhile, Momo also has a curious look on her face. "Hmm...interesting."
"For those wondering what the land's purpose could be, or what it's actually sacred for, we actually do not know those answers. Those records are locked deep in the Chinmoku Historical Society building that's in the town center, which we cannot go to and access because of the first reason we stated. Although, we do have all the documents copied in the museum at the end of our tour, there are some we cannot access. For now though, the only archives we can obtain are copied and displayed in the 'Chinmoku Museum' outside of the town, while the original documents are still in the Chinmoku Historical Society building."
"Wow...they're serious about preserving their history here, huh?" Jirou said with a sweatdrop. Shouto hummed in agreement, although it only interested him to know more about the town.
"So again, we advise all of you to stay in the bus at all times while we go through the tour. The buildings that you will see will still have their belongings inside, and although we are revitalizing the exterior of these buildings, they have still been neglected for over a century on the inside, so we appreciate that there will be no vandalism whatsoever to these buildings if you wish to set foot upon the town someday. And now, without further ado, we shall start the tour and drive our way down into the town of Chinmoku! Other safety precautions-"
While some still listened to the tour guide, others drowned him out as they occupied themselves in the bus.
And with that said, the bus drove their way down to the town…
Okay! This seems like a good place to stop! And believe it or not, the next chapter will not be when they officially enter the town! That's in chapter four! XD But there will be some...surprises in the next chapter that will lead up to them going to the town, which they'll arrive around, say, sundown? ;)
So yeah, what do you all think of this so far? Is it mysterious? Are all the characters' interactions good? I hope it's starting to be a good read for you all! :)
Tell me how I did! :D Give me a review, or if you're interested, give me a follow and a fave! I love to hear what you think! :)
Until next time, keep on rocking everybody! ^_^
-TSP