Eri's Backstage Tour
And here we are again with another chapter of Hailstorm Vol. 2! No guest reviews this week so onto the story!
Day Time: U.A. Height's Alliance
Saturday was a day one usually reserved for relaxing or taking care of some non-work related business. But for Class 1A, including Todoroki and Bakugou who somehow managed not to have provisional license training today, it was time for practice and preparation. Each of the groups they'd come up with for the show were either getting their routine down or working on some way to make the show even better. In the case of Clay and Slade, they were hard at work with the rest of the band to make their music selection sound as outstanding as possible. Though some of them were a bit louder about it than others.
"YEAH!" Exclaimed Bakugou as he banged out his part on the drums, "We're practicing to kill!"
"Why is it always murder, death, kill with this guy," Clay had to yell for Slade to hear him over the band's sound.
"I don't know, maybe it was his first words as a baby," Slade answered back.
"Hey less talking and more jamming!" exclaimed Bakugou.
"Alright," said Jirou as she rocked out on her own guitar, "keep the rhythm tight around this section and, good!" The band hit the final ending note of that section as a few of the members worked to catch their breath.
"Hey Dense Shift," roared Bakugou in his 'inside' voice, "you were late on the fifth again!"
"I only seemed late because you rushed the long note like last time," Slade pointed out, "you're supposed to hold it for another half a beat."
"I was perfectly in time!" Bakugou shot back while pointing the drumsticks in Slade's direction.
"Actually you did rush that section," Jirou informed the explosion quirk user, "we had to pick up the tempo to catch up with you for a few moments before you settled down."
"Told ya," said Slade with a smug look on his face until Jirou turned to him.
"And you need to bring your part out a bit more in the second verse," Explained the Rocker Girl, "Lengthen the notes here and there to make it more distinctive."
"Right," said Slade in a somewhat deflated tone.
"And Clay," continued Jirou as she moved onto the next band member, "you missed a couple of notes during the transition. Try to keep it tight around there if you can."
"Already marking the trouble spots," responded the Cloud User as he took a pencil to the sheet music in front of him.
"Finally, Tokoyami," said the Earphone Jack girl, "Try not to slow down on the more complex sections. Getting the right notes is key but you can't sound like you're playing catch up."
"I shall intensify my training so that my notes match all of yours," affirmed the Dark Shadow quirk user in his usual serious voice.
"Now then, which part should we play next," thought Jirou aloud before the front door opened to reveal both the Dance and Effects teams.
"Hey guys!" Sang Mina happily, "We're taking a break for teatime, so why not give those fingers a rest for a bit?"
"Keep your tea!" Bakugou half-shouted, "We've got music to play over here!"
"Actually, we also need to borrow Clay for a bit," Said Mirio Togata of U.A.'s big three as he came popping into view, "we brought along a little guest." Said guest sheepishly poked her head out from behind Mirio's leg.
"Why is the blond one screaming so much?" Asked Eri, "Is he mad at something?"
"Oh you can ignore him," Clay reassured her as he got up from the keyboard and approached the little blue-haired girl, "Anger is pretty much his default emotion. He probably curses the sun for rising in the morning."
"It never rises when I feel like getting up, it's always when I'm still sleepy!" Bakugou said.
"Anyway, welcome to U.A.," said the Cloud Wielder as he knelt in front of the girl, "What do you think of it so far?"
"I…don't really know," said Eri with a hand to her chin, "I guess this place is nice."
"Well this is just the beginning," said Mirio as he lightly ruffled her hair, "because Me, Midoriya and Clay are gonna give you a grand tour of the whole school!"
"Well then we'd best get the tour bus ready," said Clay as he produced some clouds and formed a miniature, roofless bus, "climb aboard." The shy girl looked unsure for a moment as she tested her foot on the cloud a couple of times before climbing in. She gave a cute 'eep' as the cloud proceeded to lift off the floor and hover just below shoulder height of the other students.
"Alright Eri," said Midoriya, "Let's go see the school that makes heroes!"
Main Halls of U.A.
"Today may be a weekend day," explained Togata as the group of four walked down the hallway, with Eri hovering on the cloud, "but since everyone lives in the dorms and the festival is fast approaching, a lot of students are taking the time to prepare for it." And indeed the halls were buzzing with activity as students from first to third year all moved with a purpose back and forth through the hallways, busying themselves with every task from moving supplies to hanging banners and other decorations.
"Oh hey Togata," said a blond-haired third year from the business course who was accompanied by another student with a large horn growing out of his head. Who freaked out a bit upon seeing the small girl accompanying them.
"What, don't tell me you're on temporary leave because of a kid?!" Exclaimed the Horned Student. Togata simply smiled at that, which only made his friend panic more.
"Relax," said Clay as he signaled to the girl that it was okay to raise her head out of the cloud bus a little, "these two are clearly not related if you take a close enough look."
"So is she your kid then?" Questioned the Horned Student as he turned his attention to Clay.
"Alas, it is a complicated matter," answered Clay in a more dramatic tone, "Some years ago I did indeed connect with a bright girl who could also fly through the air free as a bird. But one day she said she wished to become a hero, and that she had a new responsibility to tend to. It was only recently that I found her again, my dear Hado."
"WHAAAAATTTT!" Exclaimed Midoriya and the horned student, "You never told me this Clay!"
"Of course I didn't," said Clay as he started laughing before putting his hands over Eri's ears, "because it's all bullshit!"
"Hah, that's a good one!" Said Mirio with a smile, "You really would've done well at Nighteye's agency."
"I saw an opportunity and it was too good to pass up," said Clay as he took his hands off Eri's ears.
"YOU NEARLY GAVE ME A HEART ATTACK!" Exclaimed Izuku and the horned student. Clay rubbed his head apologetically, still not able to keep the smile off his face.
"Well all jokes aside," said the blond student as he held out a flyer for the group to look at, "This year's Class 1 is gonna be amazing, so make sure you stop by."
"Wow, this is a really good flyer," praised Midoriya as he read the contents about a special lecture.
"I just hope the subject matter is at least entertaining," commented Clay as he also took a flyer. The group then proceeded to head out onto the school grounds where numerous stands were being erected by the student body. Clay had taken the liberty of turning the cloud bus into a little car for the fun of it as they proceeded on their way.
"Even though there's still a month left before the festival starts," explained Midoriya to Eri, "everyone's still super busy."
"It's no surprise given that they all want to do even better than last year," said Mirio, "they're trying to make it 'Plus Ultra' good." Clay was about to explain that little tidbit to Eri before pulling the girl behind him with his clouds to avoid bumping into a silver dragon head.
"Oh sorry about that," said the Class 1B student, TetsuTetsu as he repositioned the prop, "Hey, aren't you two from Class 1A?"
"Oh really," said the annoying voice of Monoma as he popped out from behind his classmate, "what's 1A doing idling around here? No work to do?"
"Are you alright Eri?" Questioned Midoriya as Clay allowed her to float closer to him.
"I thought that head was the person that fell from the sky for a moment," replied Eri.
"Oh, you mean Ryukyu," said the green-haired boy happily.
"Hey, are you ignoring me," asked Monoma, "you know I heard that Class 1A is doing some kind of concert or whatever. Do you really think that'll cut it? Because this time, 1B's performance is gonna be way more amazing than yours!"
"If it's you getting a one-sided beat down I'll pay to see it," remarked Clay.
"It's Romeo and Juliet/The Prisoner of Azkaban/The Return of the King," said Monoma, "A completely original script written by all of us. It'll be a super fantastic fantasy play!"
"I could probably find a better story than that on a Fan Fiction website," Said Clay dryly, "come to think of it I probably already did at one point."
"So you say!" Monoma shot back, "but you had better prepare your handkerchiefs to wipe away the tears you'll cry once you're blown away by us! AHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Could you close Eri's eyes for a moment Midoriya," requested Clay.
"I mean sure," Said the One for All Holder, "but the last time you asked me to do that you-oh gosh!" The moment the little girl's vision was obstructed Clay, imitating Kendo's technique, chopped Monoma on the side of the neck, rendering him more or less unconscious.
"Sorry about him," said Tetsu as another member of his class dragged Monoma away, "Kendo's usually around to reel him in, so he's a bit nastier than usual."
"Those two almost always seem to come in a set," noted Midoriya as he looked around for the orange-haired girl, "where is she right now?"
"She was entered against her will into the beauty pageant," replied the 1B member with the headband.
"Anyway, let's both do our best 1A," said Tetsu as he and his classmates walked off.
"Sorry you had to experience one of the bad parts of U.A. so suddenly," apologized Mirio. Fortunately, the little girl hadn't seemed to notice Monoma's bad behavior.
"I wonder why Mr. Aizawa didn't say anything about a beauty pageant." Midoriya questioned out loud.
"'There's no logical reason to be competing over who looks better'," Clay said in his best imitation of his Uncle, "'Looks won't help you in a fight against villains.'"
"Yeah I guess he would say that, wouldn't he," admitted Midoriya as he rubbed the back of his head.
"I personally think there's some debate to be had on that topic myself," Commented the Cloud User, "but what can ya do?"
"Speaking of the pageant, a certain someone's taken great interest in it this year," said Mirio with a smile.
"Who would that be?" Questioned Midoriya with a tilt of his head.
"Why last year's runner-up of course, follow me," replied Mirio as he led them to the school's equipment room.
Beauty Pageant Dressing Room
'Somehow we both should've guessed,' thought Clay as he found himself looking up at none other than Nejire Hado, who was currently floating in the air courtesy of her quirk. She was also garbed in a teal dress with a sleeveless white top that did little to hide her shoulders or other, endowments.
"Hey, Eri's here!" Cheered the female member of the big three as she floated even closer to the group, "it's great to see her out of the hospital, but why here, tell me, tell me!"
"W-wait," said Midoriya as Nejire came quite close to invading their personal space, causing him to avert his gaze, "you were just l-last year's r-runner up with your q-quirk and bo-bo-bo-."
"Exceptional body proportions," said Clay as he forcibly turned Midoriya's head towards Nejire before speaking to him, "which if you want to be the number one hero, you'll need to get used to talking to both guys and girls. So look sharp and accept it, accept those sources of radiant beauty right before your eyes!" Midoriya was only able to do so for about two seconds before he fainted with a nose bleed.
"Yeah, Nejire tends to get reactions like that from other people, not sure why," said Mirio.
"Well the reason I lose every year is because of this other girl who's really amazing," explained Nejire, "Support Course Class 3-G's Bibimi Kenranzaki is the running Beauty Pageant Champion."
"You get beat out by a girl with an annoying laugh and foot long eyelashes?" Questioned Clay with a confused tilt of his head, "They must be scoring something besides beauty if that's really the case."
"Oh, have you met her?" Questioned Mirio in mild curiosity.
"Bumped into her once when I was asking Hatsume about upgrading my costume," replied Clay with a shrug, "or to be more precise, her foot long eyelashes bumped into me. Thankfully one of Hatsume's little babies decided to explode and scared her off."
"This year's pageant is scary," said Tamaki as he stepped out from behind one of the clothing racks, "Kendo, who gained a lot of secret fans from being in a commercial, is also competing. Just thinking about performing in front of so many people is….ow….just the thought is making….my stomach hurt!" The third member of U.A.'s big three was on his knees then as his anxiety took over once again.
"Well the only reason I got into it in the first place is because Yuyu here asked me too," explained Nejire as she floated over to a girl with very short pink hair, "but it's actually been a lot of fun, and I don't want to lose this year, it's my last chance!" The girl was practically beaming as she smiled at the thought of it all.
"You can definitely do it," assured Mirio with a clenched fist while Clay and Midoriya, who'd managed to regain consciousness, gave her a thumbs up in support. Eri simply looked on in wonder.
Later: Development Studio
Apparently all the talk about the Support Course was enough to make Eri curious. So the group made that their next stop as they walked into a buzzing workshop that had at least a dozen different projects going at once. It was expectedly noisy, but Eri was too intrigued by all the activity to remember to cover her ears as she looked from atop the now cloud pony she was riding upon. "All the grades work together this time of year to put on an exhibition of their best works!" Explained Mirio, having to raise his voice a bit over the sound of tools being used.
"This part of the festival makes a splash every year," added Midoriya as he marveled at all of the equipment and machinery being built.
"It's Slade's favorite part to see as well," said Clay, "though I'm not sure if he likes comparing notes or arguing the physics more."
"Either way it's the Support Course's time to shine!" Sang Hatsume as she appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
"Ah, Hatsume when did-whoa," Midoriya's surprise was quickly turned into awe as he and the group gazed on the large robotic suit with accordion-like arms and a domed cockpit.
"This is my super cute baby #202," said Hatsume as she held her arms out wide in presentation.
"That's awesome," said Midoriya, "but you seem to have a little dirt on your, uh-."
"Your everywhere," Clay finished for his friend. He was all for politeness but sometimes you just had to come out and tell it like it was.
"Oh this," said Hatsume as she rubbed her head with a smile on her face, "with everything going on bathing just seems like a waste of time right now."
"It'll seem like a good investment once you realize you're trapped with your own body odor in that cockpit," Clay pointed out.
"Well the sports festival was a place for the hero course to show off," explained Mei, not seeming to notice the cloud user's comment, "but now we've got the spotlight! And even more companies will come to look at my babies, so I gotta raise 'em right where they don't embarrass me!" The inventor patted her robot lovingly before turning back to them. "By the way, how did the iron soles and canisters work out? If you've got any more requests, let me know right away."
"We will, thank-," Izuku started to say before he and the rest of the group noticed a slight rumbling from Hatsume's robot suit.
"I think it's time to go," commented Clay dryly as the robot's domed head exploded. The group beat a hasty retreat out of the studio as several support course members were calling for water, again.
Lunch Rush's Eatery
"Well that's about it as far as the main parts of the school go," said Midoriya as the group all sat down for lunch, with Eri currently sipping on a little juice box. "What do you think of it all?"
"I'm not really sure," said Eri with her still downcast face, "there are a lot of different people working hard on all these, projects. I guess I'm wondering how it'll all turn out."
"Most people call that, getting excited," said a refined voice from one table over. It seems they'd picked the same time to eat lunch as their principal, Nezu, and their teacher Midnight.
"Mr. Principal and Ms. Midnight!" exclaimed a surprised Midoriya as the bear/mouse hybrid in a suit gnawed on his food in a similar manner to the animal that he resembled.
"Should I find it fitting or ironic that he's eating a whole wheel of cheese," Clay whispered to his friends as the Principal finished his meal and dabbed his mouth with a napkin.
"I'm also quite excited about the school festival," said Nezu, "it's a thrill to see so many students working hard and having fun in order to make something that people will be able to enjoy!"
"Try telling that to the police," said Midnight with a sigh as she took a bite of her own food.
"Now there's no need to worry about that Kayama," assured the rodent Principal as he leapt down from his chair and headed towards the cafeteria exit, "anyway, it's my hope that you'll all be able to enjoy it to your heart's content."
"Is there something we should be concerned about?" Clay asked as soon as Nezu was out of earshot.
"It seems the Police Chief came and paid us a visit," explained Midnight, "I can't tell you all the details, but the Principal worked very hard to keep the festival on this year. Security is stronger than ever before and if an alarm of any kind, even a false alarm, sounds then we've agreed to cancel it and evacuate everyone."
"They're really being strict about this," noted Midoriya.
"You shouldn't worry too much," assured Midnight, "we've been beefing up the defenses all around the campus. We've even let Hound Dog loose around the vicinity of the school."
"I kind of feel better knowing he's out there, but at the same time a little concerned," commented Clay.
"Oh and I should mention, Class 1A's little concert is making something of a stir in the faculty lounge too!" Said Midnight with a wink as she picked up her tray and began to leave. "Do your best at living your youth now!"
"Yes mam!" Said Midoriya more or less automatically, but with a good deal of enthusiasm in his voice.
"What are all of you doing in the show?" Asked Eri with a tilt of her head.
"Well I'm not actually in the concert," said Mirio, "so I'll be there to show you around the festival when the time comes."
"Me and Clay are performing a dance with music," said Midoriya, "Clay is gonna be on the keyboard and I'll be with the dance team. We're both going to do our best to make it fun for you, so come and watch!" He said this with such a genuine smile that Clay hated to inform him that their time was up.
"Our break's about over," Clay pointed out as he and Midoriya stood up, "but I hope you're looking forward to the festival now."
"Don't count me out," said Mirio with his fist raised in the air, "I'm looking forward to your show too! So look for us in the crowd!" The two classmates gave a nod before getting back to work. The next week would prove to be pretty smooth sailing, until one afternoon.
One Week Later: Class 1A
"Midoriya," said Mina as she put a hand on his shoulder. For whatever reason she was dressed like a member of the Men in Black, which Clay found ironic given her alien appearance. "You're, fired from the dance team." For obvious reasons, the green-haired boy was stunned into silence as he stared back with a slack-jawed look on his face. "At least that's the line I'd like to use, but what's really happening, is you've been drafted by the effects team!"
The smiling girl tossed her black suit jacket and sunglasses off then as her usual Ashido grin returned to her face. "But I already told Eri I'd be dancing," said Izuku as he retained the same gaping look on his face.
"The Effects Team was looking for a way to make Aoyama reach the whole gymnasium with his disco-ball trick," explained Mina, "the idea was to have him hauled up on a rope and moved along the ceiling. But since we don't have the type of large-scale equipment for that, the team decided to have a power-type user like you move him by hand."
"The idea is for me to go from a dancer to a disco ball at the beginning of the performance," continued Aoyama, "It's really the perfect job for a sparkling person like me, so I'd appreciate your help."
"But you can still keep Midoriya as part of the dance team for at least a little bit, right?" Clay asked, knowing the boy wanted to keep his word to Eri.
"We might be able to come up with something," said Kirishima as he clasped his hands and bowed, "we're sorry if we're wasting some of the practicing you've done, but we really need your help on this."
"Well if it's to help make the show better, and if Eri doesn't end up feeling like I lied to her, then I'll do it." Said Midoriya with a nod.
"Thanks man you're the best!" Exclaimed Kirishima as he gave the boy a one-armed hug.
That Night: U.A. Heights Alliance
"For the last time I am not rushing," said Slade as he sat on the couch and tuned his guitar.
"You are too you dense idiot! Bakugou shot back, "I'm the one setting the pace so I know you're rushing!"
"It's not setting the pace when you can't even keep up a consistent arrangement," Slade replied calmly, "You need to pick a pace and stick with it if you want the rest of the band to follow." Bakugou snarled as he and Slade continued to argue back and forth while Clay simply sighed as he went over the notes from today's session.
"You seem well-suited to teaching," complimented Momo as Jirou came walking by, "I can hear Tokoyami's improvement and even Clay and Slade are learning new ways to play music."
"It's not all that amazing when you have some actual practiced musicians," Jirou replied humbly as she sniffed the air, "anyway, what kind of tea are you brewing today? It smells pretty good."
"Oh you can already tell it's special," smiled Momo as she set her cup down and picked up the green box, "this is a very elusive tea that my mother sent me, Gold Tips Imperial! Everyone should give it a taste!"
"That's a hard pass on my end," Said Clay, "I can down just about any drinkable liquid in an emergency, but since it's not I'll stick to my usual."
"Your loss," said Jirou as she sat down next to the cloud user, "by the way, what's up with Midoriya over there?" The green-haired boy was currently scrolling through numerous pictures on his phone while muttering to himself.
"He heard that All Might tried support gear once," explained Clay, "it apparently hurt his pride a little as the Number One Hero's biggest fan that he didn't know. He's been searching for pics and info for hours now." And the bags under his eyes were not pretty, something Uraraka had the unfortunate pleasure of finding out first hand.
"Well it's not like I can make fun of someone for having a passion," conceded Jirou, "just keep an eye on him and make sure he stays healthy. I kind of owe him for helping me organize my notes. Thanks for suggesting him by the way."
"Hey if there's one quirk my friend had even before getting the one he has now, it was note-taking," said Clay, "he even helped me and Slade organize our notes once upon a time. Worked well for me especially when I was trying to get used to the Japanese writing style. Seriously, it's no wonder people from this country draw so well, you need to be an amateur artist just to write your name."
"I kinda get that," said Jirou, "It's like moving from one type of instrument to another. There's different movements used for each one. I just hope we put on all the right moves at the concert."
"We'll give it plus ultra effort like always," said Clay, "and I know you especially are gonna give it your best. And if some of the students out there don't like us, well then it's little different from how things were before."
"How in the world do you keep up an outlook like that?" Questioned Jirou, "Are you saying you're not worried what other people are gonna think of us out there?"
"It's just something else I picked up from my Uncle and Mother," replied Clay as he leaned back against the couch, "you can't please everyone, so just work on pleasing the people who matter to you. Obviously that doesn't extend to saving people as a hero, but it's been helpful for getting through day to day life."
"You sound weirdly like Bakugou when you say that," Jirou pointed out, "he said we shouldn't do this performance for anyone else but ourselves, because it's not our fault in the first place that the villains have been attacking."
"Except for that one time they came to kidnap him because of his nasty attitude," Clay reminded her, "but in a weird way that I never thought could happen in a million years, I do agree with at least a bit of it. Oh no, maybe the world really is ending as we know it." Jirou snickered a bit at this statement.
"Well hopefully it'll last long enough for us to enjoy the festival," she said with a smile.
About the Same Time: Closed Development Studio
"It took a lot of effort to get this," said the Support Course student with visor-like shades as he held out his hand and produced a key card from his palm, "but it'll be worth it to see the looks on those 1A losers faces when they find a wrecked stage tomorrow." He slid the card into a reader then as the cylinder it was attached too hissed and opened up, revealing the mechanical suit he'd come to claim. "Hope you all sleep well tonight, because very soon, you're little performance shall be upstaged by one of the best and brightest of the Support Course, Doton Bori!"
And so the time for the festival looms closer and closer as Class 1A works to put on their concert. Meanwhile, one of the less enthusiastic students has his own plans to thwart the show altogether. But in the meantime, I hope you all enjoyed this latest chapter and as always feel free to leave a comment or review about what you liked/disliked or if you've got any neat ideas for future chapters. Be sure to stop in next time as Class 1A's show runs into a few snags in their preparations. 'Til then.