Chapter 8: Stay Positive
A week before the U.A. Entrance Exam, Tomura Shigiraki lounged in his chair at the bar, sitting in front of his laptop, his left hand held up to his face in contemplation. His right hand, which wore a half glove leaving his index and middle fingers exposed, manipulated a mouse so he could continue to play Heroic Base Tycoon. He had gotten a bit bored of playing League of Legends, his favorite game, since, well...
Tomura glanced over to Kuin, who was scrolling on her phone feigning nonchalance. Tomura could still hear the quiet grumbles that she tried to suppress. Kuin had ended up being the subject to a subtle manhunt from the Pro Heroes, as they had identified that she had access to the Hero Network. They identified the account she was using, one that used to belong to a retired Pro Hero named O'Clock, and shut it down. So while the manhunt continued, she was stuck at the bar with nothing better to do.
Tomura had recently managed to convince her to play a few rounds of League, ultimately humiliating her. Which was extra embarrassing, seeing as Kuin was a Bee User, so she should have been keeping a better track of the lanes. However, she never quite got a good grasp on how to manage her Champions effectively. Oh well, after the fifth or so round she got up and stormed off to the next table. Kuin claimed it was because she was bored...
Tomura smirked, then went back to his simulation game. He had pivoted from League for a reason. Heroic Base Tycoonwas a game where the player was tasked with designing bases for various Pro Heroes, and showing them off for approval from their NPC representatives. It was pretty basic in terms of progression, leaving the focus and depth for the main mechanics. If anything went wrong, you got points deducted or fired. It started basic with some randomly generated rookies, then you worked your way up real and imagined Pro Heroes until you got to the All-Might level.
This was the level Tomura was working on. For this fake "All-Might", Tomura had split the new homebase into seven main points. The entrance led into a central plaza, while each of the six other sections had different themes. Urban, landslide, mountain, conflagration, shipwreck, and storm all circled around the plaza. Each zone contained a prison for 'detained' villains, that Tomura had left deliberately at level one.
Because of the basic prison setup, the simulated villains would be able to break free once "All-Might" walked down to the central plaza. Then they would rush down to attack "All-Might", technically losing Tomura the level.
...Technically.
Tomura bent over the keyboard to open the cheat menu, so he could spawn in some more heroes and villains, but Kurogiri appeared behind him. Frowning, Tomura turned to his... henchman. That's what Master said for Tomura to call the intelligent Nomu, even as weird as it felt, "What is it, Kurogiri?"
"I apologize for interrupting your gaming time," Kurogiri intoned, "But Arashi Kizuki contacted me with an urgent message. He wants to start the meeting sooner." Kurogiri paused as Tomura let out a frustrated sigh, then continued, "However, the food isn't ready yet either. If you'd like to wait I can ask him to..."
"Don't bother," Tomura slammed his laptop closed and picked it up, shoving it into his bag, "Dear Arashi is going to just get disgruntled if we hold off. If he really wants to start the meeting sooner, he probably has a good reason." Probably. Then again, Arashi could just want to be an asshole. Technology didn't usually work well for the guy most of the time, so he hated video games. It wasn't out of the question that Arashi just wanted to cut Tomura's time off.
However, with preparations being so close, Tomura didn't think that Arashi would want to mess with him like that. Tomura had his own ways of retaliating, like giving him some garlic. Playing into such shenanigans would be a distraction from the situation at hand. They both wanted to ensure the death of the Symbol of Peace, and they needed to be at the top of their game.
No, this was genuinely important, Tomura could feel it.
As Tomura finished putting the rest of his accessories into his laptop bag, Kuin stood up with a stretch and groaned, "Finally, some in person interaction!" she cheered, then sat back down across from Tomura, "I think that calls for some hard lemonade, right Kurogiri?"
"No." Kurogiri's response was blunt and brutal, as usual for Kuin's requests. Before the Bee Queen could retort, Kurogiri opened three of his Warp Gates, and Jester Karture, Kiruka Hasaki, and Arashi Kizuki walked through.
Jester was in a new body, still a young man's but with shorter hair, longer eyelashes and slight bags under his eyes, like he was an overworked student president. He strolled in wearing a black school uniform, likely something he needed for his reconnaissance.
Kiruka Hasaki, or as she sometimes went by, Slice, wasn't in her typical villainess get up. Rather, today she was dressed in a simple black sweater and tight denim jeans, a satchel slung over her shoulder. Her long red hair flowed behind her, and her eyes peered out behind specialty made glasses.
Tomura internally groaned. Kiruka was ready for a date with Arashi. That genuinely might be why Arashi called this meeting early, just so he could spend more valuable time with his lover. So much for having faith in Arashi's motives.
That opinion changed immediately, as Arashi, dressed in his usual gray suit, immediately walked over to a TV mounted to the wall, instead of taking his seat like the other two newcomers. Tomura raised an eyebrow while Arashi worked to plug in a simple USB drive into the TV, "Arashi, why did you want us to start early?" His co-conspirator didn't respond, as he tried again to get the storage device plugged in. The storage device continued to thwart Arashi.
Tomura scratched at his neck as he glanced around the table, recognizing that everyone else was just as confused as he was. Arashi then finally got the USB in, and picked up the TV remote before turning to the assembled group. "The Aoyamas are dead. We need a new spy," he stated flatly, before turning the TV on and navigating to the local storage viewer.
The group stared at him, taking a second to parse those words out. "What?" Tomura hissed out, smacking the table with his palm as he stood up, "What do you mean the Aoyamas are dead? Who the hell killed them?" He shot a quick glare at Kuin, wondering if she had something to do with this. Her expression went from shock to panic quickly, but nothing implicated guilt. It wasn't out of the question that she still could have done it, but Tomura didn't believe it was her right now. He lacked a motive to explain why she would have gotten the Aoyamas killed, while still remaining here.
Kiruka spoke up at this point, "Was it the Safety Commission? Or Cipher?" Tomura considered those options. The Safety Commission was far more dangerous than what the public was led to believe. Project HK-47 was proof enough. Similarly, Cipher, their international friends were just as sneaky. Either way, Kiruka would have personal beef if either group was involved.
Arashi responded to his lover's question, "I wouldn't hesitate to blame them, but... This doesn't feel like their style." Arashi hit play on the remote, and Tomura turned his attention to the screen.
The footage was from the hidden camera that they had implanted at the Aoyama home. It could only capture video, no audio, but it was undetectable and untraceable thanks to Spiritron Hacking. It began with the family sitting to eat dinner. Mister and Mrs. Aoyama sat across from each other, with their son, Yuga, in the middle. The French-Japanese family seemed to be chatting amicably, as normal as they could be.
There was tension in the air, but it was to be expected. Tomura had observed this tension in the family since Master had chosen them to spy into the affairs of U.A. as sponsors. This was how Tomura and Arashi had learned that All-Might would be teaching at his alma mater this coming year. As far as Tomura was concerned, the tension here was typical, with nothing being out of the normal.
The atmosphere changed immediately when a figure emerged from the shadow of Mister Aoyama's chair. It plunged its hand through the back of the chair, right through the chest. Yuga and his mother screamed, before the figure leapt over the dinner table, slamming Mrs. Aoyama to the floor. A flash appeared from behind the table, blinding out the camera. When the image returned, blood was splattered from where the chair fell.
Yuga took off running from the dining room, and the black cloaked figure took off after the boy, its face covered in both hood and veil. Arashi paused it there, then turned to the group, "As you can see, this is far more brutal and direct than either group tends to... Tomura, are you alright?"
Tomura glared at Arashi in confusion, before looking down in his hand. His fist was clenched, and as Tomura relaxed his hand, the dust of his gaming half-glove fell from his hand. Damn it, this was apparently too close to home.
"I'm fine," Tomura lied, forcing his breathing to relax, "Let's focus on what matters. It's true that Cipher and their lackeys within the Safety Commission wouldn't be as flashy as this. Not unless they wanted to send a message. So if either group found out that the Aoyamas were going to report to us..."
"Master was careful to give the brat a Quirk that matched up to his parents. They wouldn't think anything of his 'new' Quirk besides that he was a late bloomer," Arashi argued back, then took a second to breathe, "I'm not saying we take the idea off the table. What I am saying is that we need to consider other factors as well." Arashi turned to the group, "Does anyone recognize what Quirk this assassin used?"
Jester smirked, "No idea, but do you see how beautiful her form was? How bewitching, resplendent, and picturesque?" he leaned forward in his seat, gazing onto the hooded veil of the assassin, "Using such techniques without hesitation... I have to know their name."
Jester turned his maniac grin over to Tomura, his eyes wild with feral, untamed energy, "You got to let me track this artisan of death down, we'll be the best of friends." Tomura leaned back, hiding his contempt for Jester's enthusiasm with practiced ease.
Killing was a tool. Tomura had no qualms about using it to achieve his objectives. After all, his goal was to murder the Symbol of Peace, All-Might, and shatter this false reality everyone lied to themselves with. Jester, however, viewed killing as the goal itself. He delighted in the carnage and brutality of it. It was his very nature to do so, and while Tomura was more than willing to work with the shapeshifter... Tomura also wasn't quite willing to embrace that level of violence.
This was a lesson that Master was still trying to teach him.
Tomura turned to Kuin, Kurogiri, and Kiruka in turn, focusing on the question at hand, "Ignoring Jester's murder boner, have any of you all seen anything like this? Heard anything that matches this description?" Kuin shook her head, while Kurogiri took a ponderous stance as he stood by at the bar.
Kiruka chimed in here, "They can emerge from shadows, they had enough strength to pierce through a chair and the human body, and they somehow made the mother's head explode," she counted off, "If their Quirk had something to do with shadows, then maybe they've just trained enough to punch that hard and secretly held explosives in their hand."
"Unfortunately, I'll have to nix that theory," Arashi responded, "I found ignited gun powder among the carnage, even from the spine and brain stem." He brushed his hair back, "Somehow, this assailant managed to make her head explode."
"Then how did they emerge from the shadows like that?" Kuin asked, biting her nail, "I'll admit, I'm good at hiding, so is Jester," the maniac preened at the compliment, then Kuin continued, "But I've never seen some literally fade from the shadows like that. Either this is a magus or..." Kuin trailed off, leaving the implication lingering. She thought it was a Nomu, and that the Master himself called in the hit.
Tomura shook his head, "No, it wasn't Master. He would have told us if he was going to order their execution, and we needed them for our plans. We need to know when the USJ trip is." Tomura glanced back at the screen, "It is possible that a mage faction decided to do so, but then we have to figure out the whydunit. We won't be able to figure out the who or the how until then."
Arashi nodded, following his gaze, "Unfortunately, we're not the only shady faction they were working with. They had plenty of under the counter customers for their support tech company, so the list of suspects could be long. It might be better to keep an eye out for any other murders and attacks that match this description. Would you be able to do that, Kurogiri?"
Kurogiri nodded, "I should be able to spare resources looking into this matter. I will also reach out to Giran. As he serves as a go-between for the Aoyamas, he may have a keener insight." Tomura had forgotten about the middle-aged underworld broker. He would be a good resource for this case.
Kurogiri continued, "Of course, we still lack a spy for U.A. Unless Miss Hachisuka wants to switch bodies and attend U.A. for us..." the Queen Bee stuck her tongue out at the Warp Gate Quirk-User, causing Kurogiri to sigh, "Evidently that's not on the table."
"No shit it isn't. I happen to like this body, and what I can do with it. I don't want to give it up," Kuin responded. This reasoning was why she was hanging out at the bar while All-Might's subtle manhunt for her continued. Something about this particular body was useful to her, but as to what, Tomura had no clue. Master knew, though, and said it wasn't a big deal, so Tomura hadn't pushed. Kuin pouted while she picked up her non-alcoholic lemonade, "Besides, I wouldn't last long in such a strict schooling environment like U.A."
"Me neither," Jester offhandedly remarked, having gone back to stare at the TV screen. Tomura knew that was a given. It would take two days before Jester would go stir crazy and potentially kill someone. That wouldn't be enough time for him to gain any helpful information, like confirming when All-Might would be taking his new class to the USJ.
"Then we need to find someone we can either blackmail or bribe," Arashi stated, taking a seat, "Either with money or with a suitable Quirk. A student would be best, since that damn stoat has a solid grip on his staff and faculty." Tomura smirked at Arashi's grumbling. Weather boy had tried to go against Nezu once six years ago, when All-Might was finishing up ripping Master's empire apart with his allies.
That fight did not end well.
Jester turned from salivating over the Aoyama assassin, finally getting back into the conversation, "So, you would want someone that was, say, Quirkless but still applying to be in U.A.'s hero course?"
Tomura, Arashi, and Kiruka all frowned, staring back at the pale boy, who pulled out a sucker and stuck it in his mouth. Kiruka spoke first, "Jester, you seem to already have someone in mind."
"Yup. The bastard himself, Izuku Midoriya," Jester casually responded, "You know, the original point of this meeting? Along with the other agenda item being that sword guy, what's his name..." Jester snapped his finger,"Oh yeah, Shirou Emiya, your responsibility," he gestured to Kiruka, who frowned and let her hair raise a bit. Kiruka was still irked that rather than the expected week, it had taken several to confirm anything worthwhile.
Arashi put a hand on her shoulder, calming Slice down slightly. Then he responded, "We will get to Shirou Emiya soon. You'll be surprised by what she found," Arashi tilted his head at Jester, curiosity peaked, "However, I thought you said this Midoriya kid had a voice changing Quirk? Didn't he perfectly mimic All-Might when you were chasing him down in the park?"
Jester scoffed, "Yeah, no, that's just a thing he does. He's such a fanboy he can perfectly mimic the Symbol of Piss like that. I managed to talk to a bunch of kids from their school, and for the most part their stories aligned. Izuku Midoriya is this Quirkless loser who has always been obsessed with Quirks and Heroes, and wanted to get into U.A. Sometime last year, however, he started taking it seriously. Workouts, planned meals, his grades started going up, the whole shebang."
Jester popped the sucker out of his mouth to point it back and forth between Tomura and Arashi, "People think it has something to do with another classmate who used to be his childhood friend or something. That brat got attacked by this sludge villain who caused some damage and held off a bunch of Pro Heroes. I didn't think much of that theory, until I learned who the Pro Hero was who saved the day at that event."
"All-Might," Tomura and Arashi both uttered, looking toward each other. A Quirkless kid, who met All-Might last year, and then started training hard to enter U.A? Jester had found something far more valuable than just a possible spy candidate.
Izuku Midoriya was All-Might's successor. The Ninth Heir of One for All. That's why Midoriya had called the Number 1 Pro Hero directly. That's why All-Might rushed to save this kid, calling for every Pro Hero in the area to intervene. It all made sense, All-Might had finally found his successor after his fight with Master. The question remained, however, how far along was Midoriya's training?
Tomura ignored the others as they discussed the sludge villain incident. Instead, he maintained eye contact with Arashi, while he started to scratch his neck. Tomura jerked his head towards the door, implicitly asking if the two of them should go capture Izuku Midoriya now.
Arashi bit the knuckle of his left index finger, silently wrestling with the proposal. He closed his eyes, winced, then let go of his finger to slide his hand against his throat. Tomura let loose a low growl, but he understood the reasoning. This could go badly in one of two ways.
If Izuku Midoriya already had One for All, then kidnapping him would be considered a no brainer. Except, of course, that Master had stated that pulling One for All out of All-Might would take multiple weeks. That timeframe would still apply to the next wielder, but now instead of leaving the world in confusion, they would have a pissed off All-Might marshalling his forces across his avenues trying to track down Midoriya.
Tomura and Arashi wanted to kill the Symbol of Peace, not start a war with Cipher. Not yet, anyways. That match would come later, after they had gained enough of an advantage to do so.
But even if Izuku Midoriya lacked One for All, some would argue kidnapping him would be an excellent plan. As long as Tomura and Arashi didn't kill the Quirkless brat and spook All-Might into picking a new, better successor, they could brainwash this Midoriya ahead of time. Instead of the weeks spent to rip that damn Quirk out, Midoriya could be programmed to give One for All to either Tomura or Arashi. It would be a foolproof plan.
...Master tried something similar, back against the Fifth Heir. Tomura remembered the day Master had told both Tomura and Arashi about this event. All for One had figured out that Daigoro Banjo, the Pro Hero Lariat, was the then current wielder. Banjo was reluctantly training En Tayutai, Smoke-Eater to be his replacement, just in case the time should come. So Master managed to capture Tayutai, then brainwash him. Once Tayutai received One for All, he would immediately deliver it to All for One. It was a flawless plan.
What Master wasn't counting on was that the second Tayutai received One for All, he exploded. Literally. Tayutai's body just completely exploded, and One for All returned to Banjo's possession, much to the Pro Hero's shock. Master was also stunned at first, but then he realized the reason why. What that reason was, Master held close to his chest. He never told Tomura or Arashi what it was about One for All that was able to see through his trap.
Regardless, no, kidnapping Izuku Midoriya wouldn't help anything. It would only draw attention to their group, attention they weren't ready for yet. Killing the Symbol of Peace came first, specifically in a way that prevented All-Might from becoming a martyr. The matter of One for All could come later. Especially since Tomura and Arashi hadn't determined who was going to inherit either One for All or All for One.
Kuin seemingly agreed with them, but from another angle, "No, using Izuku Midoriya as our spy would be a terrible idea. He's too close to All-Might, the guy is bound to notice that something is up."
Kiruka nodded, "Not to mention that should he suddenly manifest a Quirk, then too many eyes will be on him, wondering how this had happened." Tomura stifled an amused snort, but returned his attention to the conversation at hand. Slice continued, "No, our spy needs to be already applying for U.A., but needs something that only we can provide."
"Someone whose meta ability has a clear drawback that we could balance out," mused Arashi, biting his knuckle again.
"Maybe someone who needs some cash," drawled Kuin, sipping at her non-alcoholic lemonade.
"Someone who knows how to ask questions," murmured Tomura, scratching his neck, "As well as keep their ears to the ground."
"Someone who knows how to crawl through the grass, looking at all of the angles," Kiruka tilted her head, "We'll have to be quick. We're a week away from the U.A. Entrance Exam. Unless we want to try to recruit from the selection of first year students, it would be better to secure our spy before then. Kuin, Jester, do either of you two have anyone in mind?"
The Bee User and the psychotic glanced at each other, then smirked, "Yeah, I think we got a few people we can check on," Kuin nodded, "We'll let you know when we have made the choice."
"Good," Tomura scratched at his neck again, "Be quick about it. I'm sure whoever wanted the Aoyamas dead isn't going to stay still either. They have exposed a lane against us, and they'll be sending their own scouts in soon. We're dealing with Diamond level players here, so we should really be stepping up our own game..."
Arturia Pendragon took another bite out of her granola bar, rolling her neck as she leaned against the wall beside the U.A. locker rooms. She pulled out her phone to check in with Shirou and Tenya, asking about what their current status was.
Ochako and Arturia had arrived at Recovery Girl's medical stand a few minutes before Tenya and Midoriya had. With a small, grandmotherly peck on their hands and some snacks for the road, the Youthful Heroine had healed them up.
By this point, the boys had arrived as well. With Midoriya's injuries being more severe and requiring more care, Tenya stayed behind to help Recovery Girl address them. The girls then departed for the locker rooms to shower and change back into their regular clothes.
Arturia had finished her shower pretty quickly, rushing so she could help organize everyone getting together for lunch. It paid off, as she received a report from Shirou right after her message went through. He had already secured a table and made sure to snag extra seats. That was good. Everyone would have a seat at the table together.
Apparently, Shirou also had made a friend as well, which was good to hear. She was curious as to who this friend was, but decided to refrain from asking now. She could be patient for a few minutes.
All Arturia had to do was wait now for Tenya and the others to finish showering. Finishing her granola bar and pitching the wrapper into the garbage, Arturia decided to start playing on her phone, working on her dailies in Capsule Servant: Magia Order to get her mind off of the Entrance Exam.
Capsule Servant was a dumb gacha game that had players use digital recreations of modern, historical, and mythological heroes to solve missions. These "Servants," or Serfs, as the common nickname went, were sorted into jobs called capsules. There were the basic Fighters and Rangers, with different upgrades like Weapon Masters or Night Hounds.
Arturia found most of the general gameplay tedious, but she welcomed the distraction for now. Normally, keeping up with leveling the characters, their capsules, and their skills was just not on her priority list. Not to mention the grinding required for rolling for new characters. Arturia was not paying anything into this game.
However, she was willing to spend money on buying the artbooks and side novels. She enjoyed the fun, zany story that was on display. It reminded Arturia of an old show she used to watch with her mom. One with a blue police box and wacky scientists.
Arturia also really liked the combat, though that was a contentious opinion. Other players complained that it relied too much on RNG. Arturia just enjoyed the rush from predicting her opponent's moves and trusting her instincts. When she got into the zone, the rush of executing each move correctly was fantastic. Arturia was also incredibly lucky, which also helped.
Arturia saw familiar movement from the corner of her eye, and lowered her phone to take a better look. It was Tenya, dressed in his own blue Somei uniform, wiping off his glasses from the locker room humidity. "How's Midoriya?" Arturia asked, in lieu of a proper greeting.
Tenya gave an empathetic sigh, as he pushed his glasses onto his face. Making one final adjustment, he responded to Arturia's question, "He's well enough to take his own shower, but Recovery Girl had to take it slow. Apparently, Midoriya not only damaged his legs and arm, but his spine had second degree burns up and down his back. He also suffered a concussion from the whiplash of his jump, but Recovery Girl was able to heal that first."
Arturia released a breath, pondering over the situation. Midoriya's injuries were more and more concerning. Breaking his legs in his jump and his arm in the punch was self-evident. The concussion and the whiplash made sense in that context as well. But the second degree burns? That was odd. Very, very odd. It must be some sort of after effect of whatever Quirk Midoriya had.
Arturia still had no idea what that Quirk would be. All-Might had kept his cards to his chest, so no one knew what his abilities really were. He was strong, sure, but strength enhancers were a dime a dozen. Arturia's Atmo Burst was fueled by the nitrogen in the air, and her father's Solar Burst was similarly powered by the Sun.
...Could All-Might's and Midoriya's Quirks be sustained by something internal, like Mordred's Quirk? Arturia's cousin hadn't found the upper limits to Blood Oath yet, so it wasn't out of the question that Midoriya's Quirk worked on similar principles...
Arturia felt her thoughts spiraling, so she put her theorizing aside. Her instincts told her that she needed more information. Technically speaking, she had no proof that Izuku was All-Might's son, nor did that currently matter. Right now, making sure Midoriya was healing was important. "We'll need to keep an eye on him during lunch," Arturia responded, returning her gaze back to her phone, "Hunger will be the enemy to his recovery."
"I agree, we all could use a meal after the exertion of the exam," Tenya nodded, "I didn't want to take any more orange juice than necessary from Recovery Girl's snack station, and I'm sure the granola bar wasn't enough for you and your appetite, Miss Arturia."
"Hey, don't you know it's rude to comment on how much a lady eats?" Arturia retorted, holding back a sly smirk, "What would your parents say if they saw how disrespectful you were being right now?"
"I'm only concerned that you may need more food. You are the one being rude, playing on your phone while we are talking," Tenya readjusted his glasses, making them flash dramatically, "Busy with Capsule Servant?"
"Just clearing the dailies," Arturia replied, tapping her screen as she did so. Tenya also played, but even more casually than she did. Tenya only allowed himself to play during his Pomodoro-mandated breaks during his studies. Arturia continued, "I'm forcing myself to finish getting my team's builds ready so I can try the Chapter 6 boss fight again."
"Ah, yes, The Spectral Express, correct? I still don't think your stall strategy will be effective, but it's your time spent," Tenya replied, pulling his own phone to do his own daily login, "Who is your planned team for that again?"
"Artegall and Boudica for sure, they've been some of my mainstays for awhile," Arturia replied, as she kept her amusement at bay, "I had planned on using Siegfried, but I just pulled a new character that I want to try out instead."
Tenya glanced up, "Oh, really? Who did you pull?" Instead of responding, Arturia flipped her phone around to show Tenya her newest Super Secret Rare Capsule Servant, the idle animation zipping around the screen. Tenya squinted his eyes to peer at the screen, then his jaw dropped, "Oh, come on!"
Arturia let her grin spread across her face. Capsule Servant did collabs with actual Pro Hero Agencies across the globe, cycling every two weeks. The current one was with Team Idaten. Arturia had managed to pull Igeninium, also known as Tenya's older brother Tensei.
Tenya, apparently, still hadn't.
"That is just absurd. I have grinded for multiple hours, actually bought plenty of gift cards, trying to pull my brother, and I have nothing to show for it," Tenya grumbled, pocketing his phone in disgust, "Well, I did get Watchbird, but still... To break my free-to-play streak for my brother and not even pull him is frustrating."
Arturia chuckled, "Well, don't worry. There's a few more days left. If you grind a bit more I'm sure you can scrounge up enough for one more multi-pull," she noticed movement to her side, and glanced over at Ochako Uraraka walking over, "Hey, feeling better, Miss Uraraka?"
"I told you on the way over here, you can call me Ochako," the gravity heroine beamed, "But yes, drinking some cold water and taking a hot shower hit the spot. I almost didn't want to come out." Ochako looked over at the group, "Where is Midoriya, anyways? Is he alright?"
"Tenya says that Recovery Girl got him healing alright, he's still just in the shower," Arturia responded, glancing at Tenya. The speedster simply nodded and adjusted his glasses. Arturia appreciated the discretion. They didn't need to worry Ochako about the full extent of Midoriya's injuries unless it truly became a problem.
She flicked her wrist to show Ochako her phone's display, still on her game, "While we were waiting, we were discussing Capsule Servant. Do you play?" Arturia asked, as a distraction, "We have a guild in-game you can join if you want."
"Oh, no thank you," Ochako replied, rubbing the back of her head, almost seemingly embarrassed by the question, "I don't really play phone games. Not really my thing." The gravity heroine suddenly stopped, as she leaned to the side, "Uh, but I think that's Midoriya."
Arturia and Tenya turned, looking to where Ochako was staring at. There he was, Midoriya in the flesh, trying to keep himself low as he snuck through the crowd. Arturia had no idea what his plan was, but she was having none of that, "Hey, Midoriya!"
The greenhead flinched, then turned to the group, giving a small wave, "Oh, uh, hello everyone," Midoriya stammered out his response, "I'm all healed up now, so I'm going to go..."
"Have lunch with us, right?" Arturia's voice commanded. Her words may have been phrased like a question, but they were not, "Shirou already saved a place for you with us."
"You... had him save me a place?" Izuku asked, his voice strangely melancholic, "...But... why?"
"Well, we are friends now, right?" Ochako chimed in, "After all, you did stop that Executor for me." Ochako gave a nice warm smile, one that clearly had an effect on the blushing Midoriya, "Thank you for saving me, by the way."
Midoriya shook his head, "No, I mean, you saved me too, so we're even now, right?" Midoriya's shoulders slouched, his blush fading from his face, "So, I don't want to be a bother at lunch."
At this point, Arturia was about to just pull him to the lunch table by his collar. Tenya, however, acted first, "Nonsense, you are not a bother. I'm sure I speak for all of us when I say you are more than welcome to join us for lunch." Tenya gave a slight bow, "I would love to hear your thoughts on the practical."
Midoriya glanced away to the side, clearly at war with himself. He then released a breath, "Alright, sure. We can talk. It'll be nice eating with... friends."
"Great, then let's go!" Ochako took off for the cafeteria line, "It's time for free food!" Arturia gave a chuckle, then started to walk over as well. Tenya fell behind, seemingly trying to ask questions to cheer up the melancholic young man. Arturia glanced back as she got into the lunch line, staring at the green head.
Regardless of her theories about Midoriya's Quirk or relation to All-Might, the fact remained that not all was right with Midoriya. Instead of the heroic champion she had heard about from Miyu and Shirou, she had met a nervous wreck who stumbled in nearly everything he had done. Crashing into Shirou, speaking too loud during Present Mic's intro, and breaking his body in the Entrance Exam.
Something was missing from this picture.
But he had potential, Arturia had to admit. Shirou's and Miyu's words weren't to be taken lightly, nor was her father's. She had seen first hand the power and determination Midoriya had when he felt everything was on the line. If Midoriya was truly committed to becoming a hero, Arturia felt like she had a responsibility to help where she could. Her mother had founded the Round Table for similar purposes, helping not just her father, but also heroes like Foil-Not and Judge Iron. Arturia had intended to do the same.
Arturia finally got to Lunch Rush's serving line, so she set aside her career plans. Grabbing a tray and some utensils, she picked out a couple of servings of rice, chicken, and vegetables. Arturia then headed over to the soda fountain to fill a glass with an electrolyte-laced sports drink.
Satisfied with the meal, Arturia waited with Ochako for the other two boys to finish getting their food. Once done, Arturia led everyone over to the table four rows back and three columns in. There, Shirou was sitting, alongside his new friend. A young man with a large, dark, bird-like head, wearing a black high school uniform and a red choker. Arturia blinked in surprise, "Wait, aren't you the guy we ran into before the exam?"
The bird boy blinked, as he turned to the group, "Ah, yes, that was I," he turned and bowed his head, "I am Fumikage Tokoyami, thank you for letting us join you for lunch today."
"Tokoyami and Dark Shadow helped me out with a problem during the exam," Shirou chimed in, as he paused from his meal, "So I felt that it would be alright to invite both of them to join our group."
Before Arturia could question the plurality of that statement, a dark mist emerged from Tokoyami's body, putting its hands on its "hips" as it puffed out its chest, "Hello, I am Dark Shadow, and I saved the day!" Arturia, Ochako, and Tenya blinked. A sentient Quirk? That was new.
But what was simply odd to them was clearly astounding to Midoriya. Arturia barely blinked before the green head moved to sit next to Tokoyami, ripping his notebook from his backpack. How his tray of food hadn't scattered everywhere was lost to the blonde knight. Midoriya didn't miss a beat, as he turned to a blank page in his notebook.
"Ohmygosh, a talking sentient Quirk? That's so amazing, are you completely autonomous or do you follow Tokoyami's commands? Is your body an actual mass or is it imaginary? Doyousharethoughtsorcanyoukeepthingsseparated?" The group stared at Midoriya, who had been the picture of melancholy not a minute beforehand, as he devolved into a muttering storm of half-finished sketches and questions with no space to actually answer them.
"Uh, do you want to breathe so I can answer your questions?" Dark Shadow responded, causing Midoriya to gasp and cover his mouth, blushing again. Ochako let loose a little giggle, and even Arturia, Shirou, and Tenya couldn't keep small smirks off of their faces. Dark Shadow continued, "I am actually pleased someone wants to talk to me, though."
"Oh, I'm sorry," Midoriya squeaked, bowing his head blushing. He took a second to collect himself while everyone else took their seats. Arturia sat next to Shirou, with Tenya on her other side. Ochako sat across from Tenya, next to Midoriya, who followed up his apology to Dark Shadow, "I'm Izuku Midoriya, and I, uh, really need to stop muttering so much."
"Don't sweat it, Midoriya," Ochako spread her hands out, before turning to Dark Shadow and Tokoyami, "I'm Ochako Uraraka. Thank you for helping us get into the exam on time."
"Glad to be of service," Tokoyami responded, pointedly ignoring that his spectral companion was deep in conversation with Midoriya. The green head was scribbling everything Dark Shadow was saying in his notebook, eyes lit up. That could be a good sign, Midoriya's earlier attitude may have just been nerves. "Hopefully I wasn't too rude with my interruption then," Tokoyami added, before returning to his meal.
"Not at all," Arturia replied, "We had gotten sidetracked in our discussion, so the interruption was warranted," she bowed her head as a polite gesture, then gestured to her companion to her right, "My name is Arturia Pendragon, and this is Tenya Iida. We've been friends since my family moved here."
Tenya paused from drinking his orange juice to also bow to Tokoyami, "Indeed, though we both have been busy preparing for this exam that we haven't had the time to socialize outside of school functions," he pushed up his glasses, then glanced at Shirou, "I am glad we finally get to meet, Mister Emiya."
"The pleasure's mine," Shirou replied, still working on his meal. Arturia noted that he was eating with his left hand, which was unusual for Shirou. Had he sprained his right hand? Shirou continued, disrupting Arutria's train of thought, "It's nice to put a face to the name from what the Pendragons have told me."
By this point, Midoriya had finished with his sidebar with the spectral being emitting from Tokoyami, and started back on his meal. So Dark Shadow chose to interject here, "Did they warn you that he would interrupt Present Mic's presentation like that?"
The table burst into some slight giggles as Tenya peered over his orange glass, but Arturia could see the slight smile that Tenya had. It was good to have friends to banter with. Before he drank from his glass again, Tenya replied, "I just wanted to ensure that U.A. was operating at the standards that they should be. It seemed like Present Mic was going to skip over that crucial information."
"The next slide literally covered the details of that Executor thing, so I doubt he was going to forget about it," Dark Shadow replied, to which Tenya begrudgingly gave a nod to. Then Dark Shadow stopped, and gave a shudder, "Man, when that Executor was unleashed, it was wild."
The group paused, as they all reflected on when that mechanical monstrosity burst into the scene. "Yeah, it felt like it was staring right at me," Ochako murmured, breaking the silence, "It was terrifying. I did everything I could, but I still ended up trapped by that thing." Ochako took a deep breath, then gave a small smile, "Thankfully, Midoriya and Arturia saved me. They were amazing, Emiya and Tokoyami, I wished you could have seen them."
Shirou glanced between the blushing Midoriya and Arturia, who tried not to preen. There was a look of... somethinghiding within the redhead's gaze before he responded, "Well, that makes sense to me. I know they're going to be great heroes," Shirou returned to eating his food with his left hand, offhandedly asking, "So, how did Midoriya and Arturia save the day?"
"Midoriya punched the head off of the Executor," Arturia stated plainly, causing Shirou and Tokoyami to freeze, "After I caught its hand. Then Ochako and I had to go catch Midoriya," Arturia let out a small chuckle, "It was absolutely insane, but it worked out."
Shirou and Tokoyami both stared at Midoriya, who looked like he wanted to melt into the floor. They turned their gazes to the others, trying to tell if it was a joke. When they landed on Tenya, he spun his hand around, "No, it's true. Midoriya really did leap into the air and punched the Executor's head off. It was a feat worthy of All-Might."
Shirou shook his head, returning to his meal, "Well, that's impressive. I didn't know you had that kind of power, Midoriya."
The green head sighed, frustration slightly bleeding into his voice, "Trust me, I didn't really understand that power till recently, either. I couldn't even use it until recently, otherwise I would have stayed and fought off that gang with you."
Shirou shrugged at that, "Eh, I'm glad you just got Miyu out of there, that let me focus on fighting them off," he picked at his food some more, taking another bite, "Still though, being able to Reinforce yourself to pop that thing's head off... That is impressive."
"Yeah, I guess you should have aimed for the head too, huh?" Dark Shadow chimed in, causing Arturia and her group to pause as the words sank in. The blonde knight snapped her head to stare at Shirou, who in turn was glaring at Dark Shadow, while Tokoyami rubbed his forehead.
"Dark Shadow, we agreed with Emiya not to discuss too much about our practical," Tokoyami warned, his tone full of warning, "Don't make me have to repress you."
"That was just so we didn't upstage the others. Since they also took on the Executor, we should be able to discuss..." Dark Shadow's words were cut off, as Tokoyami pulled out a UV light and flashed it on his spectral companion. Dark Shadow let out a hiss, then retreated back into Tokoyami's body, parting with, "Fine, fine, fine! I'll go stew away."
Arturia was still staring at Shirou, "You also took out the Executor? How? Why? What did you do? Did you..." Arturia stopped her tirade as Shirou paused eating, still with his left hand. His right hand, however, was trying to sneak below the table. Arturia snatched it, and turned it to examine it.
It was fine. Completely, utterly fine. Arturia almost felt foolish in her suspicions, except that Shirou jerked it away before replying, "My hand's fine, we stopped by Recovery Girl before we snagged the table. It was just feeling sore before." Shirou took a second to look over his hand, then switched his chopsticks back to his right hand, "Besides, I didn't hurt my hand fighting the Executor."
"But you did hurt it," Arturia replied in a low tone, "What on earth happened?" She tried to ask if Shirou had used Dyrnwyn for some forsaken reason, but she didn't want to just ask that in front of the friends they had just met. Thankfully, Shirou understood her hidden question, and lightly shook his head.
"I was just getting a diagnostic on the faux villain after the Executor fell, since I was curious about something," Shirou glanced at Tokoyami, who simply shrugged, returning to his meal, "It was hot, and I ended up burning my hand by accident."
"So you didn't get hurt fighting the Executor itself?" Midoriya replied, awe creeping into his voice, "Oh, man, I wish I was that capable. I broke both of my legs and my arm doing that." Ochako winced, patting Midoriya on the shoulder. The greenhead shivered at the contact, but relaxed after a second.
Shirou hesitated before responding, glancing between Arturia, Midoriya, and Tokoyami, "...I didn't say... that..." he let out a long sigh, as Arturia's unanswered question hung in the air, "I... overextended when I made an explosive sword to blow the Executor's chest cavity out. My Quirk was exhausted from the effort."
Everyone's eyes were wide as Shirou continued his explanation, pointing to Tokoyami, "That's why Tokoyami is with us now. The Executor started to fall forward, but Tokoyami and Dark Shadow caught it before it crushed us. They were the real heroes in that situation." Behind Tokoyami, Dark Shadow crept back out, flexed its arm, then melted back into Tokoyami.
"I have to disagree with you on one point, Emiya," the bird boy retorted, "It may have been us who caught that mechanical monster, but it was still a threat that needed to be destroyed. We weren't up to that task then, that was you. Not to mention the support fire you gave taking out that squad of Villain Bots harassing us."
Ochako decided to chime back in here, breaking the tension, "Oh, man, I forgot about those extra Villain Bot squads. I ended up fighting some off alongside some electric guy," the gravity girl shook her head, "At least I scored some points before I got pinned down."
Arturia's eyes lit up, as she settled into a smirk, "Oh? I was wondering what your final score would be. How did you do?" Shirou and Tenya both winced, as the two young women made eye contact, anticipating how their rival performed. Midoriya and Tokoyami both leaned away, completely caught off guard at their behavior.
Arturia was still worried about what Shirou did in the practical exam. Whatever else he did, Arturia would figure it out later, Miyu by her side. Shirou's little sister would more than happily help to reign in his bad habits. Right now, it's time to just relax, which is why Arturia leaned her head forward, measuring how the gravity girl did by her body language.
Ochako just returned the feral smirk, "I'll have you know that I took out two Venators, six Imperials, and twenty seven Victories," which meant she reached a score of a hundred and seventeen. Arturia had to admit, that was pretty good. The gravity girl waved her hand, "How about you, Arturia? How did you do?"
"Four Venators, thirteen Imperials, and thirty eight Victories," Arturia pursed her lips in smugness, silently basking in Ochako's bafflement, "I told you, I was going to take first place in this exam," Arturia blinked, then turned to Shirou, "Though, I am worried about how high you scored."
Shirou shrugged, "You shouldn't be. I only got three Venators, and I think they'll end up counting one of them as a tag team, so I'll only get seven points off of it," Shirou waved his chopsticks around, doing some mental calculations, "I also burned time getting to the top of the skyscrapers, so my final combat score is probably in the hundred thirties."
"You also took down the Executor, but that doesn't count for anything," Dark Shadow remarked, having been let out again by Tokoyami. Arturia noted that Midoriya flinched at that statement, before he glanced down at his food. What an odd reaction.
Arturia let Dark Shadow's next words wash over her as the blonde lioness examined Midoriya's mood, "We got a fair amount of faux villains, but we also had to pass up some opportunities when that Executor deployed."
Tokoyami nodded, "Indeed, so I believe we only scored ninety seven points. There weren't a lot of Venators to fight in the parking garage that we chose to be our arena," Tokoyami glanced at Shirou with an eyebrow raised, "Though, while I understand the exam to be a competition of some sort... Why are we sharing our scores now?"
"Because Arturia is too competitive for her own good," Shirou replied back, Tenya nodding from the other side of the table. Arturia snapped her gaze away from Midoriya just as Shirou followed up his comment with, "And apparently, Miss Uraraka can match that energy when she wants to."
"Shirou!" Arturia slammed her palm down on the table, mock scandal laced through her voice, while Ochako rubbed the back of her head sheepishly, "Is it so wrong that Ochako and I want to compare scores and see who won? Let us have our hobbies."
"There's a time and a place for this discussion," Tenya intoned, rubbing his eyebrows, "...Not to mention I'm a bit offended that you didn't think I could outscore you."
Arturia pointed at Shirou with her thumb, "Shirou's a walking weapons platform. I have seen him pull out half a dozen swords in the same second when he felt he needed to. He's..." she stopped to glance at Tokoyami and Ochako, before changing her point, "Exceptionally competent. You're skilled, Tenya, and I have no doubt you got a high score. Let me guess, a hundred thirty-five?"
Tenya paused, then nodded his head, "Around there, by my reckoning." The son of the Iida family stopped for a moment, then leaned forward to ask Shirou a follow up question, "...Where in the hundred thirties do you think you are?"
"I thought there was a time and place for these things," Shirou snarked back, the table chuckling in response. Except for Midoriya, who had returned to his melancholic mood from before. Arturia was sure of the reason now, and wanted to discretely change the conversational topic. So she lightly kicked Shirou under the table, and slightly tilted her head to Midoriya. The redhead got the message, and followed up with "It honestly doesn't matter to me. As long as the result is that I am attending U.A., I'll consider that a win."
"Oh, but it's fun to hear the numbers!" Ochako carelessly remarked. Before Arturia could divert the conversation, the gravity girl turned to Midoriya, and opened her mouth, "Hey, Midoriya, what did you score in the practical?"
Midoriya didn't respond right away. He wasn't eating his food or drinking his water. He was just slouched down in his seat, looking down into his palm. When he finally responded, it was in a voice so low Arturia strained to hear it against the din of the cafeteria, "...Zero. I got zero points."
The table went completely silent. Shirou's eyes narrowed, concern and confusion pouring over his face. In contrast, Tenya, Tokoyami, and Dark Shadow all widened their eyes, once they realized Midoriya wasn't joking at all. Ochako slapped her hands over her mouth, regret glistening from her eyes.
Arturia leaned forward, pushing her tray to the side, before responding in a low tone, "Midoriya... what happened?" the green head didn't respond, just staring into his palm. Arturia had figured that the test had gone poorly, but this was on another level. Zero points. Midoriya had failed to use that awesome power to eliminate a single faux villain... exceptthe Executor.
Most people failed this exam by defeating the regular faux villains, getting greedy, and then getting obliterated by the Executors. Arturia could scarcely believe Midoriya was the exact opposite of that. Just another contradiction that made up this strange boy.
Ochako finally pulled her hands away from her face, "Did you... give up getting any points to save me?" This got through to Midoriya, as he turned to his left, and shook his head in response.
"No... I mean, there was that pack of faux villains that Miss Pendragon took out," Shirou and Tokoyami gave a side eye glance at Arturia, who held her hands out. She hadn't been trying to steal Midoriya's kills! Thankfully, Midoriya confirmed that, "But I had already given up taking those down to try and get to you."
"Then why hadn't you scored points before then?" Tenya asked, putting his hand to his chin, "When we crossed paths during the exams, I had to save you from that Imperial. Why didn't you use your Quirk then?"
"Believe me, I wanted to," Midoriya's voice became more and more stuttering, as he tried to choke back his tears, "But, this Quirk... it's a well of power that surges through my body when it wants to. I've trained my body for the better part of a year, and even then, all I did was end up so sick that I ran into Emiya earlier."
Arturia shared a glance with Shirou, pieces of the Midoriya puzzle clicking into place. She turned back as Midoriya continued, "I tried, Iida. I really tried. When I couldn't make it work, I tried to improvise. That didn't work out either. It felt like nothing I did was the right choice."
Midoriya scoffed, looking at the kind girl next to him, "Saving Miss Uraraka was the first time I was able to use my Quirk."
Arturia stopped for a moment, comprehending the scene before her. Midoriya was still slouched over, but he was slightly more open, looking at Uraraka like a sinner praying to the heavens. The gravity girl was looking back at him, concern and gratitude reflected in her facial expression. It was a scene expressing a personal failure, but also one of acceptance.
Oh my god they are so cute with each...
Nope, Arturia shoved that thought into a box. She could ship these two later, the entrance exam troubles had a higher priority. Thankfully, her mind presented itself with an opportunity, "Wait, Midoriya. You did punch that Executor down, and who knows what else was around it," Arturia started, causing Midoriya to look at her, along with Shirou and Tenya. She continued, "There may have been faux villains around where it was that you could have crushed with the Executor's scraps."
Midoriya took a shaky breath in, "Uh... maybe? I didn't think about that. Do we know that there were any faux villains in the area, besides the ones chasing me?"
Arturia paused, recalling the training her father gave her. Remember your surroundings, even in the heat of the moment. She grit her teeth, realizing she hadn't seen any active faux villains at that moment. She glanced at Ochako, who shook her head, before replying to Midoriya, "Well... no, but that doesn't mean they weren't around. It just means we didn't see them."
Midoriya slumped down, "It also means it's unlikely to matter. Even if you are right and I got some unintentional Villain Points by taking out the Executor... It's likely it won't be enough to ensure I passed."
"Even so, scoring some points is better than none," Tokoyami replied, his dark voice drawing Midoriya's attention, "This just means that the next stage of the exam is important for you."
Tenya lit up at this, "Of course, we still have the interview! You can still pass Midoriya, that's how my brother did. He didn't do very well in the combat exam, but he aced the interview section, and got into the hero course. I'm sure you can do the same."
Ochako looked like she wanted to ask about Tenya's brother, but refrained. Midoriya, on the other hand, was wrestling with another aspect, "Okay... that's true... But, what if I end up muttering the whole time? Or get lost in some tangent? What if I bomb the interview too?"
"You will," Shirou stated, speaking up for the first time since Midoriya's zero point reveal, "You will probably end up muttering a bit. You'll stutter some words here and there. You'll definitely end up on a tangent, talking about different heroes and their abilities."
Arturia kicked Shirou in the shin, wondering what the hell he was doing, however Shirou continued, "But you won't fail. You are going to go into that interview, with your back straight, your eyes forward. And you are going to find that drive that you had on Takoba beach, when you told me that you are going to be a hero."
Shirou's steely eyes pierced through Midoriya, silence hanging in the air for a long beat. Midoriya's face slowly shifted around. From that despairing look, the green head's eyes narrowed, then closed. Midoriya released a breath, relaxing into an expression of calmness. When he opened his eyes, Midoriya's eyes were wide and determined, and he had a set smile. One that resembled the Symbol of Peace.
There he was. There was the hero Arturia had heard so much from Miyu. Arturia gave a confident smile back, "You can do this, Midoriya. You have faced dangerous thugs and mechanical monsters. What's a small interview?"
Ochako chimed in, "Yeah, you can do this, Midoriya! All you need to do is to stay positive." Midoriya looked at the gravity girl, and slowly nodded.
"Stay... Positive. Yeah, I can do that," Midoriya repeated, nodding his head, "I'll do that. I'll stay positive."
Stay Positive. That was the mantra that Izuku kept, even a week after the entrance exam. They were the words that helped him get through the interview. Stay Positive. They were the words he repeated to himself on the way home. They were the words he clung to now, waiting for the arrival of the results of the exam. Stay Positive.
They were the words that he kept muttering, instead of eating the fish his mom made for him.
"Izuku..? Snap out of it," his mom called out, snapping Izuku from his delirium, "Izuku... Why are you telling the fish to stay positive? It's already cooked. Should I be worried about you, honey?"
"No, I'm sorry, I just spaced out for a minute," Izuku replied, trying to placate his mother. He then tore into the food, devouring the well seasoned fish and the soft rice that was dinner. Before long, the meal was eaten, and Izuku took to washing the dishes, letting his mother rest on the couch.
Izuku wanted to stay positive, he really did. But he was too worried about how the written exam and the interview went, as he had no idea whether he was good enough to pass those parts. All-Might didn't directly respond to any calls or texts either, only replying with a stock text that basically said he was on business elsewhere and that he would reply when he could.
What could All-Might be so busy with for an entire week? It was unusual for the Symbol of Peace to go so long without contact, at least in Izuku's case. U.A. was his alma mater, maybe he had heard how badly the exam went and he was looking for a new successor...
No, All-Might was better than that. Izuku had faith that if All-Might was going to choose someone else, he would be upfront with Izuku. There were a hundred things All-Might could be busy with. It would be unfair to Izuku to think that All-Might had given up on him already... even if the no contact made Izuku feel like the Number 1 Pro Hero had.
Thankfully, Izuku was still in contact with everyone else. While the end of school year finals were coming up for everyone, the group of teens still found brief moments to text each other and check in. While Uraraka, Tokoyami, and Iida lived a bit further out, in Yabin City, Misaki Town, and Naruhata respectively, they all still made an effort to check in and chat with Izuku. He appreciated it, as well enjoyed seeing pictures of where they lived. He especially loved that they would send him pictures of the heroes they had around.
The Pendragons and Emiyas, on the other hand, lived here in Musutafu. Which was a good thing, since Izuku was swamped with studying for finals, it meant that Emiya could take over maintaining Takoba beach. He claimed he only did it for his sister, but Izuku was thankful all the same.
Izuku sighed, finishing drying the dishes. Truth was, Izuku could have spent an hour or two heading down to Takoba to work on the trash of his accord. He still needed to keep up his exercises, after all. However, Izuku didn't want to risk running across Pendragon, Emiya and his sister. If Izuku did fail the entrance exam, if he did have to give All-Might back One for All... He didn't know if he could face them. He'd rather let them move on with their lives.
He finished putting the dishes away, and went to tell his mom that he was going to his room. However, Izuku paused, as he saw his mom video chatting with his dad on her tablet. It was almost two in the morning for him, why was Izuku's father up right now?
Hisashi saw Izuku pop up on screen over his mother's shoulder, and gave a wave, "Hey, kiddo! How are you feeling?" He was sitting at his desk, dressed in a slim blue button up, the Star and Stripe Agency logo embroidered above the breast pocket. The phone he was calling from was attached to Hisashi's monitor on the side, which explained the weird glow in the shot.
"Hey, Dad. I'm just... waiting for the test results. Work keeping you up this late?" Izuku sat down next to his mother, who tilted the tablet to put both of them into the video feed.
"Heh, yeah, you got me. I had planned on going to bed sooner so I could wake up now just in time to hear the result, but..." Hisashi gave an exasperated sigh, "Some villain named Wolfram went berserk attacking San Francisco's port. He should have been an easy target, but..." Hisashi trailed off, typing something into his computer.
"...Did he get hopped up on Trigger?" Izuku asked, as Inko passed him the tablet, then got up to get something from her room. Hisashi switched his gaze back to his phone, surprise evident on his face for a moment, before realization dawned over it.
"Yeah, that's right. Have you been paying attention to the Trigger stories recently, then?" Izuku's father asked. Since the group of thugs at Takoba, yeah, he had. But that wasn't the only reason he could tell what had happened.
"Not only that, but I actually do remember where you work, Dad. If Star and Stripe had to get involved, then it had to be a big deal," Izuku replied, keeping his bouncing knee from disturbing the camera.
Star and Stripe operated out of Seattle, but could rapidly deploy anywhere in the United States as she saw fit. San Francisco, on the other hand, had an over abundance of heroes, alongside Los Angeles, since some Pro Heroes were hopeful to catch a Hollywood producer's eye.
For Star and Stripe to 'intrude' there meant that this Wolfram had become really dangerous. The kind of dangerous Trigger could cause.
Izuku's father confirmed his train of thought, "Yeah, it was pretty bad. The damage was insane, so I'm up early writing the reports and covering Star and Stripe legally. Things get fun in situations like this." Hisashi shook his head, "This new strain of Trigger, Ideo Trigger, it's bad stuff, Izuku. I'm glad I don't have to worry about you taking it."
"Oh, yeah, ha ha ha, you don't need to worry, I know that taking drugs is bad," Izuku rubbed the back of his head, trying to play the conversation as casually as he could.
Izuku hadn't told his parents that he had gotten a Quirk. Partly to keep All-Might's secret. Partly because telling his parents that he ate the Symbol of Peace's hair to gain fabulous secret powers was not Izuku's definition of fun. Izuku had a story ready to explain his newfound Quirk... but only if he got into U.A. Only if he really did get to keep One for All.
So instead, Izuku changed the subject, "...So, Dad, how's the rivalry with Captain Celebrity going?" Christopher Skyline, the Playboy Hero, had been America's Number 1 Pro Hero a few years back, but had been dethroned by Star and Stripe in more recent times. They had a friendly rivalry, and Star and Stripe was one of the few women Skyline didn't hit on, out of respect.
Izuku's father immediately started chuckling, accidentally letting loose some puffs of flame as he tilted his head back. Izuku started to laugh along, holding his knee down. He had no idea why his father was laughing so hard, but he didn't mind. It felt good to laugh.
Hisashi wiped a tear away from his eye, before looking at Izuku, "He... man, he got busted pretty bad. I shouldn't be laughing, but he brought it on himself."
"What was he doing?" Izuku asked, tilting his head. Embezzlement? Insider trading? Trigger? What could possibly have his dad laughing this hard?
"His secretary," Hisashi responded, before he started laughing again, as Izuku blushed. Oh, duh, of course the playboy hero would get busted for that. The anticipation for the exam results was making his brain too anxious.
"Hisashi!" Izuku's mother said coming back into the room, staring at the tablet screen. She was holding a solid metal briefcase that she put on her lap as she sat back down next to Izuku, "That situation isn't funny, think of how Mrs. Skyline must feel."
"I think she feels that she's about to get a multimillion dollar settlement in alimony," Hisashi retorted, typing more information into his computer. He then reached into the minifridge under his desk and cracked open a can of Ignition, All-Might prominent on the can. "But you are right, sweetheart, he should have kept it in his pants."
"I'm glad to see my smoldering husband can take away the right lesson from this," Inko gave a pointed look to her husband, who just smirked as he sipped from his drink. Before long, Inko broke character, and gave a smile back, releasing a pleasant sigh.
Izuku glanced away from their shenanigans. How they kept their relationship this lovey-dovey even when Hisashi had been living in America for the last seven years confused him. Absence really must make the heart fonder, at least for his parents.
His father then turned back to his screen, going back to his report, "Anyways, yeah, Captain Celebrity is looking to move to Japan, actually. He needs a fresh start, so he will be moving to a new agency in Hosu. So Star and Stripe will be the top dog for a while, until someone is actually able to succeed her as the Number 1 Pro Hero here."
"Huh, I guess that means some job security for you there, huh, Dad?" Izuku asked, glancing at the clock. Once it hit seven, that was it. If U.A. hadn't delivered a response by then, it was over.
"Yeah, that's true. It also means I'm stuck being busy here. Miss Bate doesn't really believe in settling even if we secured first place," Hisashi replied, "Oh well, at least I can keep snagging you exclusive All-Might merch. That reminds me, I should show you the..."
Izuku's mom coughed, deliberately, and gave his father a pointed look. Hisashi stopped talking, glancing at his wife in confusion, who released a sigh, "Hisashi, dear, we don't have much time before the results arrive."
Izuku's father glanced down at the time, then his eyes widened, "Oh, right, right right right rightrightrightright..." he muttered, locking his computer and turning to face the camera directly. He cleared his throat, smoking billowing from his nostrils, then started speaking again, "Um, Izuku, did you know I sent a care package a few weeks ago?"