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[Nighteye]
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...
Inside the Nighteye agency, the hero in question sat at his desk, clicking rapidly through his keyboard while staring at his screen with focused intensity.
"It's quite breezy in here, isn't it, sir? Should I close the window?"
Beside him, Mirio Togata stood with his arms behind his back, swaying slightly left and right—most likely waiting for Nighteye to finish whatever he was working on and explain why he'd been called in.
"No need. The breeze is pleasant while I work." Nighteye clarified.
Mirio nodded, and after a few more seconds of silence, glanced at Nighteye's screen—more specifically, at its contents.
On it sat a picture of Taka, alongside a brief profile covering his Quirk and personal history. At the bottom, it noted his application to the agency, and his scheduled arrival as being… today.
Seeing that, Mirio's brows rose, a smile appearing on his face.
"That freshman actually applied here? I'm surprised. When I handed him your card, he didn't look entirely convinced... and with all the offers he must have gotten after the festival, I genuinely thought he'd go somewhere else."
Nighteye didn't bat an eye, simply adjusting his glasses as he continued typing.
"Nezu was the one who recommended him, so I assume he also nudged the boy our way. Otherwise, I agree with you. For a young man this promising, I doubt my agency would have stood out among his options."
"Come on, don't say that, sir."
"It's only logical, Mirio. With his performance in front of the whole country, the top heroes must have sent offers in numbers. Ours isn't likely to stand out among them."
Mirio could only laugh wryly at the cold facts delivered in Nighteye's usual matter-of-fact tone.
But then something in Nighteye's words made him blink.
"You said the principal recommended him, sir?"
"Yes. He was cryptic and difficult to read as ever. However, he said it was in my best interest to extend an offer to the boy—though I'm not entirely sure what he meant by that."
"As eccentric as ever, huh?" Mirio smiled wryly.
A brief pause settled, filled only with the sound of keys clicking. Then Nighteye spoke again.
"Since you've met him, what's your read on him, Mirio? From what I saw, he appears rather arrogant—daring to declare he'd surpass All Might's mark at the festival, how ridiculous. He may have followed through, yes, but that doesn't excuse the obvious overconfidence."
Mirio smiled wryly, eyes drifting across the All Might merchandise covering every available surface in the room.
It seemed sir hadn't taken kindly to Takahashi's history-making declaration.
He put a hand to his chin, thinking back on his own meeting with the freshman.
"I wouldn't call him arrogant, personally. When we met, he was mostly quiet and reserved, if anything. He even seemed uncomfortable when Nejire bombarded him with questions—but he didn't turn her away until she'd gotten through all of them. If anything, he just didn't strike me as someone who enjoys social situations."
Nighteye didn't respond, simply continuing to type as he listened.
Mirio thought on it a bit longer, this time recalling the festival recordings and the string of edits that had spread across his feed afterward.
Setting aside Nighteye's obvious bias from his All Might fanaticism, Taka's personality still read as a little flamboyant—erratic behavior and strange choices that somehow only made him more popular with the crowd.
But if there was one thing that stood out to him…
"I think he might be a good classmate. Given the kind of power he had on display, there were plenty of moments where he could have ended his opponents in one move—but didn't. He let them show what they had first, then defeated them. And when he did knock someone out, he usually just tossed them off the platform rather than doing anything worse."
Nighteye gave a faint nod, as if already aware of as much.
"I suppose we will see soon." He said, finally turning to Mirio. "The school has just notified me that Takahashi should be arriving in roughly thirty minutes. As his senior, it will be your responsibility to meet him at the station. I'll be here when you both return, finishing the weekly report."
"Thirty minutes?" Mirio repeated, gauging the time window, then gave a nod. "Got it, sir."
"When you're back, and after I've briefed him on his responsibilities for the week, I'll have you show him around and to his room."
"Room two, right? That one's been empty for a while now."
"Correct. Now start making your way—since he'll be more or less a guest here, it would be inappropriate to leave him waiting at the station."
"Yes, sir!"
"No need."
Both heroes' pupils shrank as an unfamiliar voice suddenly came from somewhere in the room.
Their heads snapped toward it—and the owner made himself apparent quickly, clearly not intending to hide.
"..."
"..."
Taka was there, sitting at the window with his back against the frame, the curtains swaying in a wind with no clear origin, his hair catching it mystically.
"Sorry for the interruption. The window was open, so I let myself in."
The alert dropped out of both of them at once—and was replaced immediately by pure bafflement, cautious expressions flattening into deadpans.
The new intern was here. But… why like that?
"I've changed my mind, Mirio—go ahead and show him around first, then come find me. I'll brief him on his duties after." Nighteye said.
"… Yes, sir."
...
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| Minutes later… |
...
Taka and Mirio now walked the corridors of the agency together, door by door, Mirio narrating as they went.
"This is the meeting room. We use it at the end of each day for anything important—case progress, notable incidents, that sort of thing. Also for meetings with other heroes from outside, though that doesn't happen often."
"…"
"This here is the cafeteria. It may be small, but with how few of us there are, everyone fits. You can eat the food you bring here, but we also have a small stock of simple meals just in case."
"…"
"Down there are the bathrooms. There's also one in your dormitory room, so you won't need to use those much."
"…"
"We also have a small office for any online work or research you might need. Though, as an intern, you'll mostly be observing and learning—so you probably won't be spending much time in there."
"…"
"Oh, and how could we forget the indispensable janitor's closet! Though he usually comes by well after we're all asleep, so we rarely see him—except for sir, who stays late to greet him."
"…"
Mirio didn't seem deterred by the wall of silence. Since Taka was looking around and giving small nods, he appeared to actually be paying attention, even if he had nothing to add.
Soon they reached the dormitory area—small, with at most three rooms spread along a short corridor.
Mirio led him to the door marked with a two, opened it, and showed him a compact but comfortable room with everything he'd need.
"This is yours for the week. We're up and ready by six in the morning, so try not to stay up too late."
Taka nodded—though this one nod was faintly less convincing.
"That's the last stop. We should head back so sir can walk you through what you'll be doing the rest of the week. Leave your things here for now."
With another faint nod, the bag on Taka's shoulder and the briefcase he'd brought flew across the room and settled on the bed on their own.
Mirio watched with an impressed look.
"What a convenient Quirk… can you just grab things from across the room whenever you feel like it?"
"Yeah."
"Oh!" Stars appeared in Mirio's eyes.
After that, both left the dormitories.
Minutes later, they were back at Nighteye's office. Stepping inside, both noticed the window was now shut, before their eyes found Nighteye already waiting at his desk.
"Everything went smoothly, Mirio?"
"Yes, sir. Full tour!" He did a salute.
"Good."
Nighteye turned to Takahashi, his serious, almost stern gaze settling on him with full weight.
"You can leave us now."
"Oof—you're not putting him through that test, are you, sir?"
"I am. Even with Nezu's recommendation, I need to see for myself his qualifications."
Mirio gave Taka a pitying look and stepped out—leaving the two most cheerful people in the world alone together.
"…"
"…"
Awkward silence filled the room.
A full thirty seconds passed before Nighteye spoke.
"I saw your performance at the festival. I'll admit—you're a promising future hero." He adjusted his glasses and fixed Taka with a sharp look. "However, do not let arrogance overtake you. It's been the downfall of many who showed the same early potential. You're still far from any comparison to All Might, and I hope you're aware of that."
"For now." Taka answered plainly.
Nighteye's frown deepened visibly.
"Confidence is a necessary quality for greatness, I suppose… Then I hope you won't mind a test of mine. It's designed to tell me how much potential you truly carry to become the hero you claim you will."
Taka slid his hands into his pockets, unhurried.
"Sure, fire away."
A small smile crossed Nighteye's face, barely noticeable.
"Then, the test for you is… to make me laugh."
The very next second, he expected confusion, or at least a visible hesitation to appear on the youth's face. That was what usually happened with every intern or sidekick who came through his door.
But Taka didn't hesitate. Instead he pointed a finger at him, completely confident.
"Sure."
And of course he was like that. He'd known what Nighteye was going to ask from even before this day, so he'd come prepared.
With the best joke he knew.
"Tell me—what is the fish that makes a 'tssss' sound?"
"I don't know. What fish is it?"
"The fried fish."
"…"
Not a single muscle on Nighteye's face moved.
'That didn't work?!' Taka's expression froze.
That was the joke Seiji used to tell him whenever he tried to act like the annoying man wasn't there, and it never failed to crack him despite his best efforts. How did it have no effect here?!
'This guy is something else… no wonder he's a pro hero.' Taka thought, a bead of sweat rolling down his temple as he found himself with his best option already used up.
—Or not.
His mouth curled slightly.
As a thorough aura farmer, of course he'd prepared a contingency for exactly this.
If his own humor couldn't crack this man, then maybe someone else's would.
'I didn't want to do this, but you've left me no choice.'
He pulled out his phone and turned the screen toward Nighteye, who raised an eyebrow.
Then, a video began playing.
There, All Might landed on an open field in front of the school, the dust rising and swallowing his figure whole.
{"I AM—"}
Then it cleared, revealing, for Nighteye's widening eyes—
{"—A CLOWN!"}
—All Might, sporting a rainbow wig and a red nose.
Then he reached into his pocket and produced a small rubber horn.
-Honk, honk-
A beat of awkward silence passed.
{"Is that enough, young Takahashi? Who are you even planning to show thi—"}
The video cut off.
Nighteye's face contorted. He brought a hand quickly to his mouth and held it there, not making a sound.
Despite it, Taka wore a smug look.
'Good thing I called in that favor the day after I healed him.'
When he decided to come here, he recalled the grateful look in All Might's face when he got healed and thus decided to ask for this favor just in case Nighteye might be feeling testy.
The hero had seemed a bit weirded out, but agreed in the end.
'And it worked perfectly.' Taka thought, snorting at Nighteye's tightly closed eyes and struggling look.
It took a full minute before the hero had his composure fully back, his face returning to its usual impenetrable stillness—as if he hadn't been a breath away from laughing moments before.
"Unfortunately, that doesn't count. It wasn't you who made me laugh." Nighteye said, adjusting his glasses.
"I planned for it, though—so technically it was."
"You planned for it?" One of Nighteye's brows rose.
"I…"
Taka paused, realizing he'd said more than he should have.
"Ask Nezu."
And swept it cleanly under the rug.
Nighteye didn't look entirely convinced, but knowing he'd have to consult the principal about several things later anyway, he gave a nod of mild acceptance.
"That still doesn't make you the one who made me laugh, however."
Taka fell quiet, visibly a little annoyed at the man's persistence.
He glanced back at his phone and turned the screen on again.
"I see… then I suppose this video is useless. Might as well delete—"
"Nevermind. On second thought, I'll overlook that small detail. You've passed, Takahashi."
Taka slid the phone back into his pocket, expression unimpressed.
Letting out an almost imperceptible sigh of relief, Nighteye moved straight to business. "Now that that's settled—let's go over what your responsibilities here will be for the week, since you're my intern from now on."
He proceeded to walk Taka through the agency's general schedule and where he'd fit into it.
Three patrols throughout the day—one early in the morning, one around midday, and one in the evening. A break for lunch in the afternoon. Night patrols were handled by a separate squad and wouldn't involve him.
For most of it, he'd be accompanying Mirio—observing how incidents were handled, occasionally helping with physical tasks if needed. Carrying people, moving medical supplies, that sort of thing.
Overall, a fairly quiet schedule given what he was capable of. But he didn't have much of a choice until he had his provisional license.
Besides, if it got genuinely unbearable, he could always dip out and leave a clone to deal with all this.
For now though, he'd try to stick to Nezu's plan. He was curious about Nighteye's Quirk as well—specifically how it would interact with him, the very person responsible for derailing canon in the first place.
Though he'd leave the explaining to Nezu. He was the one who'd sent him here, so he could handle telling Nighteye whatever needed to be said and dealing with whatever came after.
As for himself—he'd make the best of this internship. Powerful as he was, this was genuinely his first time working alongside heroes. Or close to it.
That was worth something.
Suddenly, Nighteye checked the watch on his wrist, squinting faintly. "... And since you're already here, there's no reason to delay it. You'll go out with Mirio for the second patrol. Twenty minutes, get your costume."
'Right away, huh?'
Taka nodded and left without complaint. His pace slightly hurried.
Walking back through the hallway toward his room, the calm of his expression shifted, just a little.
A small smile surfaced.
If he was being honest—he was a bit excited.
He'd seen hero work up close growing up alongside Seiji, sometimes following him to the job. Never too close—but closer than most people ever got.
The years he'd spent with a Quirk he thought was mediocre had only deepened his sense of wonder at this world.
So, with this being his first real step into the thing itself—setting aside his vigilantism, which was its own kind of pseudo-heroism—he couldn't quite stop himself from wondering what was waiting out there.
'Besides—it's finally time I showed off the new look.' Taka's smirk settled more firmly as he thought of the briefcase sitting on his bed.
His new hero suit was ready.
And it was time to let the villains out there get a good look at it.
...
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-To Be Continued...-
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(A/N: Double chapter today because I forgot to upload)