Chapter 11: Day off
I am awakened to the sun shining in my face, I reluctantly open my eyes as the glare of the morning sun burns into my sight.
Feeling the hard surface on my face, I concluded that I've fallen asleep on my table. And mostly likely drooled over my sketchbook too.
I quickly raise my head in response to that thought, and breathing a sigh of relief over the lack of drool on the paper before checking the time on my phone.
"10am…" That's a lot later than I normally would have liked. I've found myself a morning person over the years, never waking up so late before with exception like that time when I got sick with the flu. I must be a lot tired than I originally thought. I didn't even realize that I've fallen asleep at all, if the lack of dreams means anything. I didn't even change into my sleepwear if the familiar feeling of my school uniform on me is to be believe.
Although, I am grateful that I have no dreams last night, or nightmares about what happened back there. The last thing I need is nightmare attacks…
Looking down at the sketchbook, I took note of the timeline I have written out on one of the pages with bullet points on the events happening on the opposite page and where as well as the cause and trigger for said event. I've written down every major event that I could remember, leading all the way to the part where Endeavor tries to redeem himself.
With this, even if my memory fails me, there's still this to remind me of what is going to happen.
Of course, all of that may go to the gutter if my presence means anything. For one, there might be certain events which may happen very differently due to my presence alone. The countless possibilities and routes are endless and I could only fear what that may entrails…
"Okay, stop, stop! Stop thinking such negative thoughts!" I mutter to myself as I slaps my cheeks a few times. If what happen isn't going in accordance to what I remember, then I just have to improvise. Even the most prepared plans have loopholes, and to come up with a counter action on the fly is the mark of a Pro Hero, after all.
Putting the sketchbook aside, I notice a pair of sticky notes on the corner of the table. On one of them reads: [Breakfast on the table. Will be home by 9. Love, Mom.], while the other reads: [At school for investigation. Classes are cancelled. With love, Dad.]. They must have left when I was asleep. Kind of them to leave a note for me.
But investigation… guess they still have some things left to inspect about the whole trespassing…
Then, it hits me.
Dad… he is part of the faculty, which means he knows about All Might's time limit and true state of being. And some of the teachers might tell him about me finding out, which would be the most logical choice to make. I mean, I know one of the largest secrets in the entire nation! And that's not mentioning the truth of One-For-All and All-For-One!
And when he finds out… a shiver runs down my spine at the thought of facing him. Not my father Tatsuya Maki, but the Pro Hero Hermes.
My situation just keeps getting better and better, doesn't it?
Leaving my room, I'm greeted with a plate of fluffy pancakes on the dining table with a bottle of syrup and butter next to it. Happy though I may be for the best breakfast I could have gotten, the fact that mom even cooked it also means that she knows about the incident and is probably worried about me.
I have some of the best parents out there, don't I? I don't want to worry them too much but with the major plot points coming after the sports festival…
Shaking my head to clear those depressing thoughts, I gladly take my plate of breakfast goodies and move over to the coffee table to enjoy it with the TV.
Turning it on, the first thing that shows up is the news, reporting on about the recent break-in yesterday.
"It has been a day since the prestigious Hero School Yuuei High was infiltrated by a group of Villains who call themselves the League of Villains." The newscaster drones on, "No one knows why this criminal group would even infiltrate Yuuei and how they got past the defenses they have put up, but what we do know is the effect it has on the credibility of the nation's no.1 Hero School. People has starts to point out…"
The news just went into details covering the incident as I dug into my pancake meal with gusto. Despite the sweetness of the syrup and from the pancakes themselves, I find my mood just souring over the news.
The way the interviewed public starts talking about the incident, on how it tarnishes the good reputation of Yuuei and its security, all of it just reminds me of the major event that will signal the end of the era of All Might, the incident that will change the entire society in the whole, good and bad.
And all of it started with the trespassing of the school by in lack of a better term, superpowered thugs.
Cleaning my plate of my breakfast delight, I turn off the TV with a tired sigh. The reminder of the end of All Might's career as the Symbol of Peace really left a bad taste in my mouth, even more than knowing the series of events that lead up to it.
All Might will retire as a Pro Hero, that much is a guarantee and no amount of planning is going to change it. Even if I manage to prevent Bakugou from being kidnapped, the wounds he has suffered from All-For-One's hands along with his depleting power would force him to step down eventually, if not this year than maybe the next. The days of All Might's era is ending soon, and knowing that it is something that I could never prevent is soul-crushing.
"Dammit, I'm doing it again!" I mutter out as I put my plate into the sink, "There's no point in thinking about stuff like that!"
I really need to stop doing that… and sitting around at home is just going to make those thoughts louder…
Maybe I'll take a walk. That might clear my head a little.
Deciding on that, I got away from the kitchen sink and head for my room to change. The sudden turn however swipes my hair into my face, and the sour scent burns my nostrils.
Okay, shower first, then go for a walk.
A quick shower and a change of clothes later, I'm out on the streets just wandering about. Maybe I'll head for the shopping district nearby to do some window shopping, and maybe check out the library. A bit of reading might stomp away those nasty thoughts of mine. Glancing up reveals the blue skies with a few clouds just floating about, the warm spring breeze blowing into my hair every couple of minutes.
I've decided to dress a little light for the warm spring season, a blue t-shirt with white stripes on the side and a pair dark green knee-length shorts with a pair of red sneakers with grey soles.
Passing into the shopping district, I took a look around the different clothing shop display, taking note of the recent fashion. I pass by a flower shop that is having a sale on roses of all things, even peeking into the pet shop with a few cute little rabbits nibbling away at their leafy meals.
This is better. No thoughts about the impending danger, just a good day to be outside. This is exactly what I needed.
Maybe I'll take another look at those cute rabbits-
"Oh, Tatsuya-san!"
I was then stopped in my tracks when a familiar voice calls out to me. Turning around, I took notice of, to my upmost surprise, Kirishima of all people walking to me in a pattern V-neck shirt under opened red hoodie and a pair of jeans and red sneakers. I am surprised, what he doing in the same neighborhood?
"Oh, Kirishima-san." I greeted back.
"What a coincidence. I didn't know you live in the same area."
"Same here. What are you up to?"
"Just a walk. Being coop-up at home is driving me nuts. How about you?" He asked, his gaze looking down towards my hand, "Is your hand okay?"
"Oh, it's fine. Nothing too damaging, according to Recovery Girl." I explain as I raise my bandaged hand to show him. The wound still looks a little raw despite Recovery Girl's treatment, so I cover it up with bandages before I went out. Hopefully it would heal up by tomorrow morning, and not leave a scar.
"That's a relief."
"And you?" I asked, "Are you doing okay from yesterday?"
"Oh, me? I'm totally fine. Just a few bruises here and there, nothing to worry about." He stated with a toothy grin flexing his arm which sharpens with his hardening quirk, "If there's one thing that's good about my quirk, is that I can hardly get hurt! Much, anyways."
"Yeah, I definitely see that…"
"Speaking of getting hurt, that reminds me. You went to the infirmary with Midoriya and All Might, right?" He asked, "Are they fine? I mean, All Might is All Might, but Midoriya doesn't look that good back then."
"Both of them are fine, if I remember right… Midoriya-san doesn't seem that badly hurt the last time I saw them…"
I'm sure they are fine… Recovery Girl has healed his broken legs within seconds the first time, not to mention that All Might mostly got away with his surgical wounds opening up which she patched up pretty neatly yesterday. If you exclude All Might's time limit decreasing by an hour or so, they are perfectly fine.
"That's good news…" He lets out a sigh, "That has been bugging me all of last night…"
"Huh?" That's not what I expect to hear from him of all people.
Come to think of it… the manga did show the more vulnerable side of him in his past. Wasn't there a point which he nearly stopped trying to become a Hero because he felt he wasn't good enough to be one?
"I-It's nothing, really…" He noted, "It's just a small thing. No big deal."
"…Okay…"
Man, he looks rather gloomy compared to his usual energetic self… guess the incident left a bigger mark on him than I originally thought… My mind than went to one of the more later arcs, in which he plays a pivotal role in securing victory in a certain mission. He will bounce back, stronger and tougher than ever, that much I am certain of.
*GROOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWLLL*
"…"
"…"
I felt my face burning as I clenched my stomach in sheer embarrassment. Damn it, stomach; why do you have to be so loud today?! And right in front of one of my classmates too…!
"Oh yeah, it's way past noon now." Kirishima noted as he looks at his phone. I look at mine as well, the time shown being past two in the afternoon. I must have lost track of time wandering about. I did spend quite a long time looking into the pet shop just now.
Those little bunnies are just too cute~!
"You know… um… I think there's a small café down that street." He then pointed out to me, "Want to grab a bite with me?"
"Are you sure?" I asked, "I don't want to bother you."
"It's not like I have anything better to do."
"Well… in that case…"
"Thank you! Please come again!"
As he walks out of the cake store, Taikou looked down at the box of cake he has in his possession. A simple strawberry shortcake, the only thing that wouldn't dent his allowance.
'Hopefully, this would make Genko feel better.'
Knowing his own childhood friend, she is probably either sulking over something or keep on brooding over it. Despite her outgoing and cheery nature, she has a bad habit of keeping anything bad to herself.
But if there is one thing that he knows will cheer her up is, it is sweets. Or more accurately, cakes and pastries of all sorts. For as long as he known her, she has a notorious sweet-tooth. Whenever she is either in a bad mood or just sulking, a simple cream puff is more than enough to lighten the mood.
And thankfully, the shop that she is a big fan of has a sale on their cakes today.
"Now then…" He mumbles to himself as he took out his phone, "I wonder if she is home right now-hm?"
Across the street, passing on by is the friend in question with one of her classmates, Kirishima if he remembers his name correctly. He doesn't know much about him, the times they meet is during lunch break and even then, they rarely ever interacted with each other.
'Huh, so he stays in the same neighborhood as us.'
And then, a gaze to the right later, he took notice of a pink skinned girl about his age peeking at the two from behind a shop's billboard along with what seems to be floating clothes that form a somewhat feminine silhouette. The both of them donning a pair of sunglasses and fake moustache each.
'Okay… what in the actual… what?'
As soon as Genko and Kirishima enters a small café, the two girls as stealthy as they can sneak after them, which raises even more questions for him.
"This… is not how I planned today to go at all."
"I can pay for my own food, you know." I pointed out.
"Eh, what kind of man I be if I let a woman pay?" He stated.
"It's kind of annoying."
"Well, too bad."
Letting out a sigh, I took a bite at my BLT sandwich as I took a glance at the person that I'm having my late lunch with. The last thing I was expecting from this day off of mine is to get treated by Kirishima, again.
Despite my insistence, he ended up paying for my part of the meal, a simple set meal with a sandwich that comes with a drink of any choice which I pick a grape soda. He picked the same, only it is grilled chicken and he chooses cola.
What is with him and not letting me pay for my food? Is this something to do about his quest for manliness or something? I mean, I get the whole chivalrous mindset, but even so, there has to be a limit to all of that! At least let a girl buy her own lunch! It's not like we're dating or anything…
"Got to say, this is a nice place." I added in, "The price isn't that steep, even for a café, the food is good, but it doesn't seem like the type of place you would go."
"Yeah, it isn't." He shrugged his shoulders in response, "But a classmate from middle school once told me that girls like this kind of places. And I kind of want to made it up to you for last time…"
Oh, guess that time with at the ramen store didn't sit well with him? Come to think of it, I think I saw him getting scolded by Ashido the day after. Ramen and teenage girls don't really mix, after all. Then again, I'm not like other girls out there. With me being a reincarnation and all that.
"That would explain that time with Ashido…" I commented out loud.
"Yeah, she really tears into me for what I did…" He groans out.
"But I had a good time back then." I pointed out, Kirishima looking at me with a surprise look, "I like ramen, and the store's is pretty good. Not to mention the whole food challenge thing was a blast!"
"Oh yeah! You really surprised me! I've never seen someone eat so much so fast before, let alone a girl!"
"Hehe~ I'm a master food warrior, I have you know! I once defeated the infamous giant log cake challenge!"
"No way! The one where you have to finish like three whole swiss roll cakes within thirty minutes?! I've tried that and I barely made it through one when the time went out!"
"Oh yeah, she did that."
A voice suddenly interjects itself into our conversation, and a glance to my right reveals Taikou standing there with a somewhat deadpanned/surprised look on his face in a red shirt and blue jeans. When I saw the plastic bag in his hand and the logo on it, my mind immediately stopped and the realization of its contents filled it as I can feel my mouth waters a little.
"And boy does she has a stomachache after that–"
"Is that bag from the Winged Cat store?!" I almost shouted in excitement.
"…Yeah, strawberry shortcake." He nodded with a grin, "There's a sale on it, so I got it."
"Is it for me?!"
"Why else would I get it?"
"Thank you, Taikou!" I jumped and tackle him in a hug, "Best Friend Forever!" As soon as I let go him, he passes the plastic bag to me with a somewhat red cheeked expression, which I gratefully accept as I twirls around with it humming happily.
Today may start out sad and depressing, but it turns out great in the end! The future arcs may be looming over me, but despite knowing that, I am now confident that I'll be able to handle whatever that comes my way.
That's what heroes do, after all.
…
To be continued…
Omake
"Those this happens often?" Kirishima asked curiously as he watches at his classmate spinning around holding on the plastic bag.
"More than you know it." Taikou stated, "By the way, I like to point out the two stalkers you have." The red-haired teen follows his finger to the table opposite them, the two girls sitting there flinched who are unaware of how obvious they are right now. Even with the 'disguise' they don, it is obvious who they are.
"Ashido?! Hagakure?!"
"Hehehe… busted…" Mina sheepishly rubbing the back of her head with her invisible partner-in-crime.
"We saw you guys talking, so we want to see if you will do it right this time…" Hagakure explained, "Plus tailing you guys are fun."
"…And I thought my classmates are 'quirky'." Taikou mutters to himself, as his childhood friend continues twirling without a care in the world.
There! Finished with this chapter! Finally, this filler chapter is hard to write! I mean, with slice of life being my one and only achilles' heel and all that. With that being said, I am hoping to better refine myself into this. Slice of life is one of my favorite genre in manga and anime with a few exceptions and I really want to get better in writing them.
Sorry it took so long; this chapter is a bitch to write and I only finish it after getting over my writer's block.
Last chapter, I asked you guys on an input on where Genko should go in the whole workplace experience arc (Yes, that is what it is officially called, considering that there is a REAL internship arc much further down), and a lot of you guys seems rather confused, so I guess I should be more specific.
I really don't want Genko to get involved in the whole Stain arc. That is Todoroki, Iida and Izuku arc, no place for Genko in there.
I kind of want it to be like a mini-arc that Genko herself have to deal with, and what arc it might be depends on what Hero you want her to study under.
With that, I thank you for reading this!
