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The support department ground was an ex-centred three-storey building. The top floor served as a storage area aand the others hosted one class each. The classrooms were arranged into a chemistry laboratory. Each apprentice had a booth for developing and testing. Unlike the rest of the school doors, the support department's doors were metallic and swinging instead of wooden and sliding.
The first floor hosted class 1. The classroom's entrance was slightly ajar and Hyori could see the form of who she assumed to be the homeroom teacher. She knocked on the door, which was cold to the touch, and was invited inside by the voice of the man sitting on the teacher's desk.
"Good afternoon, Mister Maijima."
The man replied with a sign of the head as Hyori approached his desk. The teen girl presented him the slip and he read it before rummaging through his cabinet from which he retrieved a form.
"File your data in and I'll have the pupils submit projects. You can expect feedback on your request in three days." Said the man as he handed her the form.
Hyori filled her recorded abilities and means with limitations before handing the form back to the man. Afterwards, she exited the building and noted a memo in her phone's agenda. Three days later, Hyori was back and found the homeroom teacher in the same spot at the same hour. He presented her two projects, a robot-like gear and a voice modulator. The geared design seemed impractical but the voice modulator was interesting. She could foresee how it would help her use her quirk to trick her opponents, as long as it wasn't a numeric device.
Her quirk radiated from herself and needed to directly reach her targets. Numeric transmissions such as phone calls didn't spread her voice but rather converted it into signals with the quirk components being lost through the conversion process. She also couldn't sense the minds of people on the phone.
"I'm interested in the voice modulator, Mister Maijima." Announced Hyori after consideration.
"You can head into booth five of the laboratory hall to discuss with Mei Hatsume. She's the project's designer." Replied the teacher before going back to whatever he was up to on his desk.
Hyori did as she was told and entered the hall. Various booths were filled with more or less finished devices and some pupils were still lingering around to work on them. Inside booth five, a girl with copper pink tresses and red binoculars on her eyes was working on a pair of gloves.
She seemed absorbed by her work and Hyori waited for her to pause before introducing herself. After several minutes, the girl lifted her binoculars and turned towards her.
"Are you interested in my babies?!" Exclaimed the copper pink-haired girl with stars inside her golden eyes.
"Good afternoon, Mei. I'm Shinsou Hitoshi from the general education. It seems you offered to design a vocal modulator for me." Stated Hyori.
"Let me see." Replied the girl as she outstretched her left hand for the file in Hyori's hands.
"I remember!" Recognition filled her features as she overlooked the paper. "You wanted something to help with your voice-based quirk. I remembered you from the sports festivals and thought it would be tricky if your opponents could identify you as I did. I suppose you are interested if you are here."
"I am, thank you for helping me." Replied Hyori. "I'll have to add that the device cannot rely on electricity. My voice's sound waves don't work if they are converted into electric signals. Is it possible?"
"Of course. We can use plates to transform how your voice resonates. You would be able to mimic another person and change the perceived direction your voice comes from. Let me take measurements of your head and I'll be able to work on it." Added the girl.
She stood from her desk and fetched a measuring tape from one of the side pockets of her pants. She noted the measurements on the back of the paper before returning behind her desk and putting the paper on a file binder.
"I'll have a prototype ready in four weeks. We will test it and I'll make adjustments."
The file binder was filled with various project sheets and Hyori assumed the maiden was working on multiple projects at once.
"Thank you. Have a nice evening." Wished Hyori before exiting the area and noting in her agenda another date four weeks ahead.
Late September raindrops were hitting the thin window of Hyori's bedroom in the hotel's basement. The teen girl was combing her clips into a bun secured by golden pins that would unravel the style once pulled. She was wearing a Burgundy Kimono dress and traditional sandals.
Her Tuesday evening anonymous visitor had requested a traditional look. It was unusual for nationals to request it. It was mainly a foreigner's fantasy to be entertained by a Geisha look-alike. She supposed she had been booked by a diplomat since foreign and national states-related institutions tended to remain anonymous.
She exited her unfurnished bedroom and tucked Megumi before heading into room 302. Hyori had changed her residency address on her school file to the apartment she rented in Kamakura. She also left her furniture there in case the school decided to visit her 'parents'.
She couldn't let the administrative staff know she lived in the basement of a hotel since they would probably put two and two together. Having a pupil working in the evenings was one thing but having a pupil hosting in hotels was a completely different story.
Inside the booked room, Hyori was welcomed by a tall and buff man sporting a copper-red short cut. His ice-blue eyes landed on her and his barely existent moustache twitched as she bowed to greet him. The whole country would recognise his rounded facial traits, despite the reading glasses he had on his nose.
He was dressed in a night blue Kimono suit. She assumed the traditional way of life was a personal choice of him. Most people of his social position emulated the Western way of life, be it in their clothing or tastes. At least, that's what she saw in the pension.
"I was told you could help with attitude adjustment. I want you to make me friendlier." Announced the man with crossed arms.
Hyori had no idea who told the man she could switch his behaviour to a friendly mode but that person was wrong. Unless the man only listened to what he wanted to and jumped to conclusions based on a few testimonies.
"I'm afraid I can't affect your behaviour, but I'll do my best to help on your quest for inner peace." Replied Hyori.
"I'm not asking for help!" Exclaimed the volatile man. "I want you to do your job as instructed!"
As a response, Hyori unleashed her haze onto the agitated mind to quell its vigour. She sensed nerves and anxiety barely bottled in the confines of the man's mind. He was pent-up and ruminating. The man was inhibiting himself and took longer than the average visitor to respond to her quirk.
Once settled, he uncrossed his arms and folded his hands instead. She sat on his right on the couch and sensed a surge in the man's bloodstream. She decided to focus on his primary urges. The man was currently too constricted for distraction to be effective. Playing music would appease his mind but not the stress on his body.
"Inhibiting yourself here is counterproductive." Murmured Hyori.
The man exhaled before retrieving a lotion tube from his case and handed it to Hyori.
"Pour it over you. It's a cooling lotion." Commanded the man.
Hyori tested a pea-sized amount of the lotion on the back of her hand. The texture was light, almost watery, and cold. Her body temperature would noticeably decrease once she put the lotion on her whole skin. She rose from the couch and headed into the bathroom.
She heard the man stand up as well and walk behind her, only to switch off the suite's lights and wait before the door she had left open behind her. The host was shivering once she was done, as she had expected, and promptly closed her Kimono dress before exiting the bathroom and switching off the light on her way out.
The bedroom was dark and she vaguely figured out the undressing silhouette in front of her. The rustling sound of the man's suit falling on the floor was followed by warm hands pushing her dress onto the floor and guiding her ahead where she climbed onto the bed. She sensed him move towards the bedside and open the drawer to fetch protection he promptly opened.
A little less than a minute later, the mattress sank into four spots that moved until they were surrounding her lounging form. Then, one arm was lifted from the bed's surface and its fingers glided down her cheeks. The warm digits against her cold skin made her hyper-aware of the touch.
She assumed it was the same for the man above her judging from his reaction. He lifted the back of her knees under his arms and again, her cold skin had melted while the man's skin had recoiled before relaxing at the contact. Satisfaction spread through his system when a burning warmth overflowed from her core.
Warm hands frantically kneaded the expanse of flesh on the back of her thighs while a sturdy chest collided with hers. A deep echo tickled her left ear and snatched a huff from her. The man hushed her with a hand before resuming pushing her into the mattress. Hyori repressed her voice with her own hand as the slow pace steadied a tad faster.
In between hot puffs tickling her ear, she could hear whispered words of apology. The pace was nice and oh so good but she still sensed reserves on the man's side. She looked for his frontal cortex to blunt his self-awareness before taking the reign of his medulla with the thread of her quirk.
In response, his hands travelled to her waist and the man backed before turning her around. She didn't have time to mourn the loss when an even hotter warmth spread further into her core. Almost burning fingers dug into her sides as the earth shook and the heat in her core stroked nerves that clenched her grip.
The man behind her was in a frenzy and his right hand left her side to look for a specific spot in her middle. A press of his index weakened her knees while curving her spine backwards. Information accumulated and jammed on its track towards his medulla. She would have to let it go in a few but held until the man reached the almost painful point.
Then, she released the frantic man who promptly seized with a guttural cry before falling backwards. Hyori was still sensitive when she put him in a sleeping position and cleaned him. She maintained his frontal cortex in a fuzzy blanket for three-quarters of an hour. She later exited the room and thought that she wouldn't be against the man visiting again disinhibited for good.
The following day, Hyori woke up from a dreamless slumber feeling light and with renewed energy. How could she have remembered any dream from her last night's sleep when her evening had been so good to begin with? She had a nice and careful stretch before starting the day.
Her Tuesday visitor had been rough on her and she felt tinglings from the memories of the previous night. She wondered if her penchant for brutishness was a long shadow of the night she had been robbed of her life. Was she thrilled to replay the trauma over and over? That couldn't be healthy.
Sometimes, she had the impression she was living what she ran away from. Then, she would be overwhelmed by the normalcy she found in her situation. It wasn't quite the same since she could retire without worrying about being sent to a temple and never seeing the world. Yet, it was eerily similar in how she spent her nights subjected to strangers' wants in exchange for financial compensation.
Leaving her thoughts at the back of her mind while she boarded the morning bus for Hakone, Hyori went through her day like usual. She hadn't dozed off during classes since the start of the second semester. Her classmates and teachers had assumed her situation at home was better, maybe that her parents received a raise or a promotion.
They all assumed the better except Miss Nanase who had the information she was living on her own. Since then, her homeroom teacher had started scrutinising her. The woman wanted to ask her details about her life but there were so many contradictions that she probably didn't know where to start.
Hyori sensed conflict in the attention the woman gave her. Conflict because she knew the way she presented was misleading. And because she couldn't decide to get involved. The woman might have pieced her out if she removed her layers and her binder while attending classes in the girls' uniform.
Had she seen her on her trip to see Mister Yagi, she might have been able to connect the dots and figure out what kind of evening job a high schooler could land to afford their legal emancipation. What she sensed from her homeroom teacher led her to think the woman hadn't confided her thoughts to the Principal. Unless they didn't want to get involved.
At a quarter to six in the afternoon, Hyori was working on her sequences when the heroic teacher entered the studio gym grounds. She used a room with mirrors when she was practising her technique on her own. The man hadn't shown up on Monday despite having told her he would only be unavailable for the last Thursday and Friday.
She supposed a hero's life was hectic and unpredictable at times. She sensed fatigue from the man and wondered if he shouldn't remain off for the day as well. As if aiming to prove to her he wasn't there to actively train her, he remained on the side to overview her moves.
When she was done for the day, he requested her to try and come out on top against him as a last-minute surprise exercise. She didn't fare well with her reaction time being too slow to pin the weighed-down teacher. She still had a long way to go in terms of technique. She was packing her belongings when the teacher engaged her.
"I would like to request your help with a non-school-related matter."
Hyori's curiosity was piqued and she stood from her lowered position to face the man, showing him he had her full attention.
"You mentioned you helped your relatives when they had nightmares. Can you also help with nocturnal terrors?" Asked the man.
Hyori was surprised by the request. She hadn't expected the man to endure nocturnal terrors, not at the moment. Even if she sensed mental exhaustion from him and had witnessed the leftovers of past trauma, she didn't think the teacher had nightly episodes.
Then, her thoughts drifted towards the heroic apprentice who had been kidnapped last month. Had he been traumatised by the experience? Had he been tortured by the kidnappers? She remembered the petulant kid and his arrogant speech during the sports festival. As much as it had grated her nerves, the idea he might have been broken down was depressing.
"I can help with stabilising agitation. If the episodes are recurring, it might take a complete night to achieve substantial results." Answered Hyori.
The man hummed and considered her words. He needed more intel and the teen supplied it.
"Dreams are concealed under my quirk, and so are nightmares. If I don't hold my siblings for the whole night, they could have nightmares again and be back to square one. A full night without nightmares tends to create an impression they overcame the nightmare."
"A whole night means it won't be possible before Friday." The teacher concluded. "I'll sign you a slip for your homeroom teacher to let you out of your dormitory room past the curfew."
Hyori didn't correct the teacher who assumed she was living on the campus and bowed before exiting the gym grounds. She hoped the man would hand her the slip instead of giving it to Miss Nanase by himself.
In an affluent neighbourhood, a retro-looking Berlin car entered a large and picturesque Japanese home. The stone wall barrier showed the construction was rather ancient and barely touched up. The wall barrier was nearly half a hundred metres long, pretty much like the neighbouring ones.
Unlike the other homes, there weren't any names written on the facade. Still, the people who had lived there long enough could remember the time the Todoroki family name could be read on a panel by the gates. During those times, that name evoked the face of the nation's most famous model.
Nowadays, the forefront tenant of that name was the second hero of the nation, recently turned first. The panel showcasing the family name had been removed when he started his career three decades ago, as a safety measure. Over time, people gradually forgot the estate's name.
Inside the domain, the car parked in the covered garage near the entrance. Driver and employer exited and wished each other a good evening before parting ways. The former walked into the close employee accommodation while the latter walked through the bonsaï garden towards the main house.
Inside, the lights were already powered off save for one lamp on the dining table. The master of the house beelined for the parental suite upstairs and headed into the bathroom. He had been the sole occupant of the suite for nearly two decades after interning his wife in a specialised medical housing.
As parents, his couple had experienced so much from deception to the loss of a child. The domestic violence he enforced had gradually tainted his wife and his only reaction had been to send her into a psychiatric ward. Needless to say, his family had been through dire times and they were mostly roommates at this point.
After his evening bath, he walked downstairs to have his dinner and cleaned his plates. He took time to mourn in front of the in-home shrine dedicated to the lost child. Afterwards, he walked back upstairs to climb in bed. His youngest son's remedial examination was due in a couple of days and he decided to show up.
He wasn't sure he would be of much support, but he would never get better if he didn't try. Honestly, he hadn't thought he would attend the examination. He didn't think he would be able to show up for what could be yet another disappointment. As much as he had tried to hone his youngest's skills, he had never been able to recreate his first child. He had a hard time admitting he messed up, but he did.
He did mess up and was disappointed. The fact he couldn't understand what was wrong with his last hope only aggravated his already sour disposition. Shoto was not Touya and would probably never be. His oldest had been one of a kind and the universe had to sabotage him with mismatching genes.
Still, he couldn't grieve forever and had to show up for Shoto. There wasn't a day he didn't worry for the stubborn one. The boy might not be as obstinate as his middle brother, but he also didn't have the same level head. The hero doubted his youngest's ability to be a functioning adult and so many episodes proved to him how founded his fears were.
That boy didn't have any sense of priority and had the gall to escalate a volatile situation during a rescue exercise. It had taken so much from him not to set ablaze his kid when he read the report of his licensing examination. Instead, he had taken his fire out during the following training sessions.
It wasn't an advised parenting strategy but it worked. And to be fair, he couldn't say he hadn't made any progress in anger management. Deep down, he knew those were excuses. But he didn't see any means to change his past actions. He could only be excused and be better in the future.
Speaking of the future, he climbed out of bed to let the commission's Vice President know he wanted another session with the brunette host as soon as possible. When the winged hero talked him into the unconventional service, he had been off-put the youngster felt bold enough to propose him such services.
The Hero Commission's involvement somewhat reassured him. But the final selling argument had been the fact the former number one also resorted to her services before his retirement. Well, he wasn't sure the other man had stopped, he only knew the commission couldn't be his middleman anymore.
He didn't know how long All Might had used that trick, but he must say that was incredible. His mind had felt much clearer ever since he started using her services. He hadn't spent a whole night with anyone since his wife's interning. He had forgotten how good it felt and the host had reminded him of just that.
In the maze of bed sheets covering him, he could imagine the worked-out curves of her body. Her skin was pristine, just like his wife's skin. The cooling cream had helped mimic the cold feeling of his wife's skin, at least for some time. He might need something more lasting for the next time.
The host was also incredibly soft and her height was comfortable for his stature. But unlike his wife and all the others he had known, she was proactive but knew when to fall in her place. He also didn't remember a time he had been able to unleash like he did. He wasn't into the extremes, but not holding himself had been a freeing experience.
Just thinking about last time made him want to go back to her, especially when his home was this lonely. The places were limited and the fare was the highest he had paid a therapist. But it was worth every single yen spent. His thoughts about the brunette morphed into dreams and he fell asleep.
The day of his son's remedial examination arrived and he had been nicely surprised. The lad had succeeded even if he hadn't used his quirk. It stung less than he imagined it would, probably because a win had been enough for him at the moment. The boy still had a long way to go. But at least, he had earned a provisional licence and they would be able to pick up the slack.
Kilometres away, the Hero Commission's Vice President was turning in his bed after tiring days. The rush of the provisional licensing examination had taken a toll on his sleeping patterns and he now found himself unable to rest. Funny enough, since he had been thinking about having a break for the last four weeks.
He had been granted a week to rest and had been eager to enjoy the break. At least, until the President offered him a night with the host. It was supposed to help him rest faster and feel better sooner. He didn't know the mechanics of the maiden's quirk but he must admit she was effective. Even Endeavour wanted more of her.
Still, he was taken aback by the fact his boss would offer it to him of all people. He didn't know what to think of the situation. Was the offer a poorly veiled confession of mistrust? Did the President simply think he needed the relief? On one hand, he had many questions. But on another hand, it would be the opportunity to test the maiden for himself.
He still was uncomfortable with how blind they were to the maiden's tricks. Experiencing them by himself could help him understand her process better. There wasn't much to lose since they were already somewhat sure she wasn't a threat. Nothing notable had happened to the heroes she hosted so far, minus Gang Orca who somehow got black-listed by the establishment.
After a few days of consideration, he finally decided to proceed with the host. He hadn't actively thought about the host, but his mind switched when he caught glimpses of foreign tourists kissing in the subway. He was coming from an errand and the unusual public display of affection reminded him he didn't have anyone home anymore.
His wife had left long ago and as much as they weren't divorced, he hadn't seen her nor their child in years. On his way back home, he felt dejected by life. He had married because his girlfriend of the time was pregnant. She knew he was a busy man and even told him it was fine with her.
In the end, it wasn't and she moved in with her sick elderly parents. He was now partially single and hadn't indulged with a real person in a while, too busy resting after working long hours to support people he didn't hear much from. It was only fair he indulged for a bit. Therefore, he found himself driving towards Kamakura on a Tuesday late afternoon.
The brunette was even better in real life and her voice was unlike everything he ever heard. Her quirk was gentle and the night had been sweeter than everything he expected. He now understood the hype and why her services were so pricey. As he was falling asleep, he thought about how he would feel lucky to come home to her every night after work.
The academy's halls were deserted when Hyori walked behind the heroic teacher. At eight in the evening, she was back after refreshing herself inside the nearby resort following her technique training. She had excused herself from the teacher stating she wanted to thoroughly clean herself and complete some homework before spending the night in the infirmary area.
The man had given her the signed permission slip that she put inside her backpack after thanking him. On her way to the resort, she wondered if she should hand the slip to Miss Nanase. Her homeroom teacher was the final recipient of the signed paper but wasn't responsible for her outside of teaching hours.
She wanted to leave the slip in her bag and if she were questioned on why her homeroom teacher hadn't received the note, she would reply that she forgot. Second-guessing her idea, she realised it wasn't the best course of action since Miss Nanase would have called her out for sneaking out.
She would have remembered the permission and handed it to the woman the morning following the night in the infirmary. She would have to confide her whereabouts to the woman in case the heroic teacher had a word with her homeroom teacher.
Back inside the high school's grounds, the man led her through hidden halls in what looked like a nursing unit. They stopped in front of an occupied one. It seemed to be the only room with light inside. The nursing room was bare save for an unmade bed on which a blonde, tall and beefy teen was showing a picture book to a frail kid with long grey hair and a bump on the right side of her forehead.
Looking attentively, she noticed the bulb was a small rounded horn. The ruby eyes of the little girl were looking anywhere but towards her. The girl's nerves were frantic and she was terrorised. Hyori sensed fear oozing from the little girl who was repressing her flight responses.
She supposed the kid had been abused until she was rescued. She had never faced abused people, let alone children. At that moment, she feared Megumi would experience something similar if she didn't take her out of the pension before the worst could happen. She was a petite girl on her own, at least compared to Hyori at the same age.
Focusing on the traumatised child, Hyori could mechanically train her to relax and sleep but she doubted a single session would be productive enough. Then again, children's minds were flexible and prompt to unlearn.
"I'll need an anchor. Something that would solicit her senses to carry a sense of security."
She looked back expectantly at the teacher after stating the last part. The man didn't have anything to provide and the room was bare of anything that seemed to belong to the girl. The smell, the touch, the audition. These were the most effective ways Hyori had been able to quell agitation. They were grounding and provided better support than sight.
"I'm under the impression you are taking care of her. I think it would help if you took her into your arms." Said Hyori.
She sensed hesitation from the teacher and incomprehension from the blond young man. The teacher urged her outside with a gesture and Hyori followed him outside the nursing room.
"I'm not sure I'll be appointed as her permanent caretaker or if she would even be allowed to stay here." Confessed the man.
"But for now-"
"How will she react if she has to leave in a few days? If I'm her anchor, how is it going to end if I can't remain in her life?"
Hyori could understand he didn't want to let the girl down. That would be heartbreaking after everything she had been through. Yet, she wasn't sure if keeping a toddler emotionally deprived was worth it. It seemed to be the safest course of action but the thought seemed cruel from her perspective.
She thought about the occasional sleepless nights she experienced in the pension until meeting Megumi. The memories of her Mother's love haunted her but also carried her through the pain.
She would lay on her bed while facing the curtains. Touching the soft materials in the dark would help her imagine they were the curtains inside her Mother's bedroom. She would hear her Mother's laugh from their board games afternoons every time she had an ice cream cake. She would close her eyes while brushing her fingers through her big curls and picture the occasional times her Mother had massaged her scalp through her mane.
Thinking about her hair, she got an idea. They headed back inside the room and she retrieved a rose-scented detangling mist with a pack of hair bands from her backpack. Dhe carried them to tie her hair during her gymnastics and technique training. She kept the hairspray to smooth her tresses after her training sessions.
Hyori lowered herself to her knees in front of the bed on which the toddler had backed against the wall. The maiden put the bands and spray on the bed in front of the girl and used the kid's attention to put her in a haze. Getting kids relaxed and settled had become second nature over months of teaching yoga to toddlers and pre-teen kids.
This time, she subdued the toddler's reflexes, since they were heavily influenced by her trauma. She then solicited the hippocampus to put her into a 'learning mode'. She hadn't nestled the young girl's mind in the blanket of her quirk due to the teacher's wariness against getting the toddler attached.
"I will show you how to tie your hair before sleeping. Which bands do you prefer? You can pick four." She announced while lacing her voice with her quirk intent and showing four fingers to the toddler.
Lacing her voice with her quirk intent without brainwashing usually made people more interested and she profusely used it in her studio. She used a statement instead of a question to take the lead. Asking a question left the course of action up to the little girl and she couldn't have her decide not to proceed. Trust couldn't be built by disregarding solicited opinions. In that case, she could let the toddler decide which hair bands she favoured but not if she proceeded.
Putting the toddler to sleep right away would guarantee her a restful night. But she wanted to link the restful night to a nightly routine the girl could refuge into. That way, the little one would have faith that doing the routine would help her sleep better and that would become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Once the young girl picked enough hair bands with the help of the blond boy, Hyori prompted her to mimic her gestures as she parted her hair into two sections. She then showed the girl how to spray the lotion on her hands and detangle her tresses from the ends towards the roots.
The toddler's hair had been brushed, which rendered the feat easy for the little untrained fingers. Afterwards, she had her tie her sections near the roots and at the ends. The style resulted in two loose tresses held by mismatched pieces.
"Very good." Congratulated Hyori.
Making kids aware of their positive actions was equally important as making them aware of the negative ones.
"Now that your hair is styled, you lay down."
Hyori tucked the bedsheets before dazing the toddler.
"You can close your eyes." She said and the girl obliged.
She monitored her breathing pattern and gradually paced the toddler until she seemed deep in her sleep. The teacher looked at the still kid who probably hadn't had a full night in ages. At the same time, the boy brought a spare mattress and covers before departing.
"I suppose you aren't going to sleep much." Stated Hyori as she addressed the teacher.
"I won't." replied the man while making himself as comfortable as possible on a guest chair beside the nursing bed. Hyori fetched her bag and put it beside the bed. Then, she draped herself in a cover before sitting and retrieving a school book with her tablet to advance on the following day's lessons. She sensed the heroic teacher scrutinising her and the interrogation he refrained from putting her through.
He probably didn't want to disturb her while she was using her quirk for a delicate task. The night was going to be extra long for the both of them as her device's numeric clock read a quarter to nine in the evening. The situation was similar to how she handled her visitors in the hotel after they had their fun. Except she had an auditor surveying her.
At seven in the morning, knocking resonated from the nursing room's door and Mister Aizawa opened it on the blond from the previous evening. The young man, Mirio, was expecting and it seemed he hadn't slept much during the previous night.
"You can wake her up for the day." Announced Hyori before releasing the toddler who had fallen asleep under the slumber of her quirk.
Packing her belongings, she paused and eyed the teacher's interaction with the toddler. The small girl seemed well-rested. She was attentive without being alerted. She would have to ask the man how the girl spent the following nights if she wanted to measure how much she had been able to help.
Her thoughts had drifted towards Megumi for the whole night and she intended to ask for help, at least for the girl. The sight of the traumatised child had deeply unsettled her and she was afraid her will to proceed on her own terms prevented her from making the right decision. If the heroes could take Megumi from the pension, they would probably be more effective than she ever could.
Hyori's heartbeats were growing to the point it was about to explode under her composed demeanour. She turned completely to face the teacher and requested a private audience in the hall while Mirio was catering to the little girl.
"My little sister could help the rescue, once she's in a stable environment." Said Hyori. "Her quirk is also named Brainwash but works differently. I affect the nervous system while she affects the cognitive functions and can dissimulate traumatic memories. Some triggers might induce reactions akin to phobia but she shouldn't consciously remember."
"You make it sound experimental." Replied the teacher.
"She isn't used to long-term trauma. She had mainly practised on erasing episodes like being bitten by a dog." Explained Hyori.
She sensed apprehension in the man's mind. The same she had sensed towards her during the night. His guard was understandable since he had obscure intel on her versatile quirk and couldn't keep track of what she was doing. He had left her the benefit of the doubt and chose to trust her. And now, she was asking him to put the small girl through a process he hadn't experienced for himself.
"I'll think about it." Voiced the man.
Hyori was disappointed and about to press further but caught herself.
"Is there anything else you want to tell me?" He asked.
"I suggest we repeat until Sunday, for long-term effects." Murmured Hyori before bowing in front of the man and turning around to exit the infirmary area.
She had the feeling of having made a risky shot and subsequently missing her aim. She had hoped to arrange a meeting between the heroic teacher and Megumi to expose the situation without having to elaborate on what was going on inside the pension.
The man was too guarded to get on their side without requesting the whole story and probably more. On her way, she remembered the first person to offer her help. She might have another shot at leveraging heroes' help and the more she already was acquainted with them, the better.
Hyori boarded an early morning bus from Hakone to Kamakura. She had left the high school's grounds right after her discussion with the heroic teacher and plotted to go back in the late afternoon to look for Mister Yagi. She planned to expose him to her current plan to get Megumi out of the pension. He would probably offer her another route with his assistance without having to ask him.
If the idea came from him, he would be more invested than if she gave him the idea. The fact she had declined his offer once would reinforce his will to help her now that she would be in a more desperate situation. He might even feel misplaced remorse for her worsened situation.
Inside the bathroom of her studio, Hyori took a shower and put on her hosting scented oil. The scent had become her signature and added to her quirk's effects on the visitors she already encountered. She could warp her regulars in a daze as soon as they inhaled the smell that short-circuited their bloodstream.
She then dressed into a dark swing coat with matching suedette heeled boots, since Mister Yagi wasn't a man she tried to entice. She unravelled her dark-coloured hair from a rod to achieve the waves that were en vogue three decades ago, when the man was in his twenties.
She arrived on her high school's grounds at a quarter to seven in the afternoon. The route from Tokyo to Hakone was shorter while commuting on the road rather than on the railway. The taxi she had hailed went straight to her destination without making any detours. She walked towards the side entrance and entered the academy's grounds.
Some pupils had entered a little before her and she assumed it was the '1A' heroic class at the sight of the green-haired boy who dashed ahead after waving at the group. The remaining teens leisurely walked in cliques and she debated letting them a few minutes to get ahead of her. She didn't plan to be seen by pupils out of everyone she could have encountered.
Still, her curiosity won over herself as she searched the abrasive blond in the crowd. Her eyes found him and he seemed normal. Then again, she assumed he wouldn't show signs of being traumatised in public. He was at least going out with his friends. It should be a good sign.
Hyori realised she had been looking for too long as the boy's friends were elbowing and pestering him. His ruby eyes met her amethyst ones and his attention on her was palpable with her quirk. She couldn't get much intel about his mental state with how little they had engaged at the moment. Plus, she would have to put him in a situation that would trigger traumatic reflexes if any.
As she sensed his mind, she could only tell he was flustered by the attention he was receiving from his friends and the stranger eyeing him. She would probably be pegged for a creep if she had looked like she usually did at school, especially since she had addressed them with a "declaration of war".
At the moment, she was benefiting from pretty privilege and the remaining pupils looked at the silent exchange with varying levels of interest ranging from curiosity to the lust-ridden hype oozing from the shortest boy with purple puffs.
The only way past them was in-between the dispersed groups. That would mean walking inside their formation while ignoring them after observing from afar.
"Just go already!" Urged the centre of the attention.
His friends complained but still complied with the demand while a pink-haired girl let him know he "better tell everything afterwards". Hyori was left alone with him after a minute. She walked to his level while noting some of his classmates were peeking from afar, out of earshot.
"Good afternoon." She greeted him.
Her heels made her even taller and she had twelve centimetres over him.
"Hello. Do I know you?" Enquired the boy.
"I don't think so." Answered Hyori.
"Me neither. I'll go if you don't mind. I don't want to keep entertaining whatever ideas are going through my classmates' heads." Concluded the boy.
She had an idea while he was turning to walk in his friends' direction and grabbed his arm.
"Wait." She requested.
For a split second, she sensed an adrenaline spike through the lad's system and his frontal lobe had been overwhelmed. Trauma from the kidnapping episode was still lingering even if she had to admit he had a good grip on his reactions. She didn't know what trained him that way. Another could have placated her for grabbing him by surprise.
"What now?" Hissed the boy through clenched teeth.
"You are right. There's something I want."
He fully faced her again and crossed his arms.
"Can I get your phone number? It's not something I want to discuss here." Asked Hyori.
"Why would I give you my phone number?" Countered the boy.
"I think you aren't over what happened during the summer." Started Hyori.
His eyes narrowed at the mention of the episode and his mood darkened. He took steps towards her until he was nearly in her face and commanded.
"Stay out of my business." He had articulated each word. "And don't ever dare look at me like that."
"I'm not judging you." Replied the girl. "I work with heroes and thought I might extend you an offer as an apprentice who had been prematurely exposed. It's now or never for you."
He hesitated and Hyori extended her hand towards him.
"I'll give you my phone number. You can decide to call me or not."
The young man appreciated the change of position and handed her the device. Hyori registered her professional number under 'Miss Shinsou, Wellness Consultant'. She snapped a selfie of herself since a face attached to her information could only help the odds that he would contact her. She made it ring for good measure before handing the device back.
Afterwards, they went their separate ways and Hyori headed towards the teachers' lounge. Before entering the high school's main building, she had a look behind and witnessed some of his friends running to him while a redhead seemed to congratulate the young man. They had probably witnessed her type her phone number in his phone.
Inside the building, she speed-walked towards her destination and found herself lucky when the man she had been looking for exited the room in Midoriya's company. She approached him and caught his attention with her greeting.
"Good afternoon, Mister Yagi."
The man turned around and the grenn-haored looked from behind the giant form. Hyori walked up to him until her perfume was within the man's reach. A foot space was left between them when she requested.
"Can I get a word with you?"
"Of course. Just wait for me inside." Replied the man before turning back towards the apprentice.
Hyori entered the empty lounge and took the freedom to heat some water for tea. Less than a minute later, the man entered.
"I know you prefer coffee, but I don't know how to work the machine." She stated while the man sat on one couch.
"Tea will be fine, thank you."
Once two cups were ready to be served, she put the plate in front of the man and sat beside him.
"I talked with the kid's Grandmother. She agreed with the pension manager to receive parts of the benefits they get from me. She's aware her granddaughter will have a hard time in the pension but is willing to let her as bait for me to stay. She's unwilling to renounce the agreement."
Hyori paused to sip her tea. Her correspondent was grave and worried.
"But it will be fine. A regular visitor offered to help us. He would pay her Grandmother more than the pension in exchange for her to renounce the agreement." Added Hyori.
She smiled at the man and played with the hem of her coat. It signalled she was done talking.
"What do you give in exchange?" Enquired the man.
"He wants us to get engaged." Murmured the girl.
"I'm not sure it's a good idea." Said the man.
"He promised to let me attend university. He's not too bad." Replied Hyori.
She knew that would do very little to quell the man's worry. He was a hero at heart and would figure out the trap she would be heading into.
"He can change after getting you under his roof." Countered the retired hero. "The man you saw in my hospital room is a detective. He can help you testify against the pension. I don't know if that would lead to the establishment's closure but it should be enough to get a child below fifteen out of it. The Grandmother could be charged and lose any authority over the kid."
"Thank you for your offer... but I don't want a public affair." Added Hyori.
"The affair can be kept private since it's about a minor kid. At least, your names wouldn't be made public." Assured the man.
"Thank you. For everything, thank you."
"It's the least I could do. I can tell you have been through a lot."
Privacy was all she needed at the moment. She would be able to kill her Haze persona in silence as if she had never existed.
The night was already dark when Hyori entered the hotel's basement. Her phone's numeric clock had read a quarter past eight in the evening. She promptly took a shower and joined Megumi in their shared bed. The younger teen wasn't sleeping yet and the older one eagerly recounted her meeting with the former hero.
"I'm not sure I want my Grandmother in prison. Who will take care of me?" The younger one was concerned.
"I will. I should have from the beginning. I will share what I received in the pension with you. I suspect nothing will be enough for your Grandmother and I think it's better if she loses her rights over you." Confessed Hyori.
"Are you sure? You worked for it." Megumi was divided between joy and guilt.
"I am."
Hundreds of kilometres away, inside the first heroic class dormitories, a blond boy with wavy hair still had to come down from the whiplash he experienced earlier. The girl he had been looking after for months swiftly passed in front of him mere hours ago.
As he had forcibly walked away from her, he checked his phone's camera roll to look again at the pictures he spent hours registering the smallest details. The long black body waves that fell on her discoloured skin, the plump fingers that played with the flute and the violin, the curvy eyelashes that adorned heavy-lidded and wide-apart eyes on a feline face.
She was much taller than he thought she would be. She also looked more muscular than in the pictures, with less baby fat. Yet, he was sure it was her. He hadn't heard her voice and hadn't talked with her, but she had to be the one 'Professor' requested him to find.
He hadn't been told who that girl could be but she mattered enough for the 'boogeyman of heroes' to want her, preferably safe and sound. Months ago, he had been overjoyed to enter the preparatory school of his dreams and his parents had been proud of him. His family's rejoicing had ended the minute they received a visit from the horrific man. Yuga, the boy, had never felt more scrutinised than in front of the man whose scarring tissues covered his face. With an unsettling smile, the man had invited himself at their dining table.
He had appeared at their door at the moment they least expected him to. Not having received requests in years, they assumed their debts had been accounted as paid by the man. Little did they know, the devil never forgave his debtors. Terrorised, the family had listened as he formulated his demand to have the son looking for his nemesis's heir. They couldn't say no to him but also realised their actions would have lethal consequences on society as a whole, as well as diminish the chances to stop the tyrant sitting with them.
After his coercive rant, the terror requested the son to escort him back to his car. On the way, he gave him a side quest. His tone had been different than earlier. It was less maniac and more human when he handed him a file. He wanted Yuga to find the girl in the pictures. She would be enrolled in the Ultra Academy's general studies and her presence prevented him from raiding the school for once and for all like he had plotted to.
Once found, he should lure her to his place and have her abducted by the terror. He didn't know if he was supposed to tell his parents but refrained, fearing the girl was involved with the police and forcing his parents into one more lie.
The terror might be in custody but a few henchmen made his escaping plans very clear. They hadn't received any details but had been urged to remain in their lanes unless they wanted to pay for their misconduct in the coming months. He couldn't let his guard down and default as long as the criminal's tentacular hold still imprisoned his family.
Fortified by his confidence she was the one, and pushed by the terror the disabled man instilled in his family, Yuga exited his bedroom to knock on his classmate's door. At a quarter to seven, the clockwork boy was probably still awake one floor above him.
He arrived in front of a plain door with a single plaque reading 'Bakugo Katsuki', the name of the current tenant. He hadn't wavered when he knocked and waited for his classmate to open.
While waiting, he raised his left hand to tuck his side-parted wave behind his left ear, only to remember it was now on his right side to prevent an accidental injury when he touched his hair on the field. He didn't have to wait for long before the stern face of his red-eyed classmate appeared from the open door.
"What do you want?" Asked the tenant.
"Bonsoir. I importune you, but I would like to have the girl's phone number."
Only when the request escaped his lips did the strangeness hit him. There was no ground for him to ask for the phone number his classmate received earlier. His peer also seemed to think so because he gave him an unimpressed look before replying.
"Why would I give you her phone number? You should have run after her if you wanted it so badly."
That response was expected and the comeback was already sitting on the tip of his tongue.
"I know she wasn't courting you. I'm very observant and I can tell you didn't even want to talk with her. On the contrary, I would very much want to talk with her."
"Well, it sounds like a 'you' problem."
"Come on! Could you at least give me her name?"
At this moment, a voice on his right inserted itself into the conversation. It was the tenant of the room besides Bakugou's. Kirishima was a boy with red dye on his hair and black roots. The hot drink in his hand indicated he was probably preparing for a night of studying. That meant others of his friends would arrive to study in a group. And maybe Bakugou would join them.
"You also want that girl's phone number? Bakugou claims not to be interested but won't give it."
"She would have given you her number if she wanted!" justified the jabbed boy.
Yuga opted to address the newcomer.
"Bonsoir, Kirishima. Can I join your group study tonight?"
"Of course. Just know that Bakugou won't join us. He said we are going to ask too many questions unrelated to school."
"It's fine for me." Assured the blue-eyed blond.
He might not interact further with the red-eyed blond but he could retrieve intel from his friends, namely his birthday or any pet name that could be the key to unlock the phone containing the desired number. After months of keeping his eyes open, he finally was close enough to seize one of his targets.
The Monday morning following her conversation with Mister Yagi, Hyori had looked forward to encountering the man again. She supposed he had had time to talk with the detective and packed her toiletries to change during the school break. When the end of the morning period bell rang, she dashed for the classroom's door and headed into the infirmary.
Spare uniforms were stacked there. She greeted the nurse with a salutation bow and rushed to the infirmary's bathroom. The drawers inside were full of spare uniforms put by size and type. She scanned the labels on the drawers of the winter uniforms, looking for the large-sized ones. She didn't have to look for long and badged her student card to unlock one drawer and retrieve the uniform inside.
Afterwards, she headed inside the bathroom and took a shower before applying her personal scented oil and trying the uniform. The shirt was somewhat good on top of the undershirt and t-shirt bra she wore instead of the minimiser she had put in her bag.
The short skirt was falling shorter than she expected and reached centimetres above the middle of her thighs. The long skirt was uncomfortably reaching right under her knees. After consideration, she picked the short one and styled her coloured hair into twin braids before exiting the infirmary's bathroom.
Overall, the fit looked cropped on her tall figure but it didn't upset her. She passed the nurse who halted her in her tracks.
"You need to sign the uniform before leaving, young lady." Announced the elderly woman.
Hyori walked up to her desk and sat in the empty visitor's chair to note the size and type of uniform she took. She also had to write her name and class. Then, she almost ran to the exit and speed-walked towards the teachers' lounge.
The halls were empty with the pupils having their lunch in the cafeteria or their classrooms. She knocked on the lounge's door and was lucky again to be greeted by the teacher she had been looking for.
"Good morning, Mister Yagi."
"Hello, Haze. You are lucky I don't usually take lunch with the others in our area of the cafeteria."
As the teacher let her inside, she remembered the man couldn't stomach much since his accident which was revealed not to be a real accident. He subsisted on smashed meals that he ingested in increments. They sat on a sofa and he took the lead.
"I suppose you are here to know what the detective had to say. Am I right?"
"Yes, you are." Replied Hyori with a small smile.
"I called him and took the freedom to recount to him the details of how I met you. He promised to help and wants to meet you, and possibly your little sister. Getting her side of the story would be helpful. He's alone on the case since the commission is involved. It would be an earthquake if the public got word of the link between the commission and the pension hosting you, especially when the trust in heroes has been eroded. People would want heads to fall if a grooming scandal were to make headlines." Explained the former hero.
"I understand." Agreed Hyori.
"All right. The Principal should also be included in the process." Added the man to Hyori's chagrin. "The detective will interview you in the Principal's office to keep the matter private. Do you have a preferred moment?" Asked the lanky man.
"Yes, I do. Starting at seven in the afternoon on Friday. I attend after-school activities and host from Monday to Thursday." Replied the teen girl.
"I'll tell him so. Three days should be enough for him to adjust his agenda. Unless an emergency occurs, you'll meet him this Friday at seven."
"Thank you, Mister Yagi. Have a nice day."
Hyori saluted the man with a bow before exiting the teacher's lounge. She rushed into the infirmary area where she switched into her regular uniform and headed back inside her classroom to have lunch before the afternoon period. She would have to put the spare uniform in the laundry before returning it to the nurse.
Later in the afternoon, Hyori entered the zeta Gym ground and stretched before the beginning of her technical practice. She was still too slow but the teacher was confident she would eventually get where she needed to be. Half an hour through the session, he requested her to fill him in on her support tool advancement.
"A support apprentice designed artificial vocal cords that could alter the sound of my voice. That would allow me to copy someone else's voice. The first version should be ready next week."
The teacher nodded and retrieved a seemingly older version of his binding cloth that he handed to Hyori. The tool dangled from her hands and she scraped a finger while feeling the fabric.
"It's a carbon fibre alloy. You'll scrap if you aren't careful." Stated the teacher.
Hyori mentally noted purchasing specific gloves and stopping by the hotel's beauty salon to make sure the scraps wouldn't leave marks.
The weapon was rather stubborn and she got trapped in its tangles countless times. Unlike the ribbon she had practised during her rhythmic gymnastics training, the binding cloth didn't have a stick she could use to direct it. Plus, her teacher rested the ribbon around his shoulders to use it with both hands while she used the gymnastics ribbons with a single hand and switched hands when needed.
She wondered if she could have the tool redesigned. She was already used to gymnastics ribbons and would have a hard time unlearning what evolved into a second nature. Yet, she had to admit her regular ribbons didn't maximise her grip since the stick could slip out of her hand and she didn't have the leverage of pulling with both hands.
The teacher had reminded her she didn't have a physical enhancing or regenerating quirk to back her in a line of work, meaning she could easily meet her demise. He had confided he spent six years developing and mastering the binding cloth fighting style. She was due to master it in no more than half the time he spent on it since she had his guidance.
Hyori couldn't help but notice the teacher spoke like her training under him would last for years. She wasn't sure if it was a good sign she was worth the trouble, or a bad sign she wouldn't be ready for the heroic course before years. She was tempted to ask what he meant by the statement but refrained.
She shouldn't get ahead of herself and should focus on improving her abilities. She would practise her teacher's ribbon with the man and manage some solitary training during the lunch breaks when she wouldn't need assistance to untangle it. Maybe next week or the following one.
She was packing her belongings when she remembered to ask about the rescued toddler's sleeping pattern.
"Mister Aizawa. Is the little girl doing better?" Asked Hyori.
The case was confidential and she hadn't been privy to the girl's name or background. All she knew about her was what she had witnessed inside the nursing room.
"She hadn't had nocturnal episodes ever since. I guess we have to keep observing." Announced the teacher.
"I understand. It's important to get her in a stable environment so that she can build better memories." Added Hyori.
"Nothing has been decided yet." Said the man with finality before exiting the gym ground.
Hyori took his departure as her cue to exit the high school grounds and relax inside the nearby resort after a massage. She was hooked on the post-training routine she had established and enjoyed every second of the care she received. It was by far the highlight of her weekdays.
