Melissa Shield POV
Melissa Shield—daughter of one of the greatest scientists of modern times and All Might's former partner—is a rather lonely teenager. The absence of a mother, who died early in childhood, and her father's frequent departures for research left her with quite a bit of free time. Meeting and talking with Uncle Toshinori awakened in her a desire to become a hero. Her lack of a Quirk could have undermined her resolve if not for her father's example. Natural curiosity and immense intelligence quickly set her apart from her peers, as did her fame as a young "genius" who inherited her father's brilliance. Despite her positive and kind-hearted character, her father's fame and the aura of a "genius" put pressure on companions her age and attracted people interested in David Shield. Including villains and ordinary kidnappers wanting money or information about new developments. Entering I-Island Academy, named after the scientists' island of the same name, didn't improve her situation much, as her classmates were already interested in good positions in large companies. And advice on a research project or a recommendation for a job from her father carried considerable weight. Few had an interest in her as a person. So having passed her semester exams early for independent study, she immersed herself in science, sometimes asking her father to take her on his business trips.
This time, the trip to North Carolina was supposed to be no different from previous ones. Her father went to negotiations with the board of directors to discuss one of his projects. He had been quite depressed after the closure of one development he had worked on for several years. But he seemed to have cheered up now. He promised that after four o'clock in the afternoon, he could take a walk with his daughter around Raleigh. So the girl, being at an invention exhibition of the local technology park, had to think about what to do during these few hours of waiting.
Heading for the exit, Melissa was unpleasantly surprised by the appearance of several acquaintances, the sons of her father's business partners—Adrian Attwood and Eric Butler. Their persistence and desire to find out more about her father were quite irritating. She had no desire to spoil her mood before the walk with her father. Fleeing is, of course, pusillanimous, but when if not now can one allow oneself a small weakness? But knocking someone off their feet was not in the plan. Getting to my feet, I apologized in a confused voice due to the awkwardness.
"I'm sorry."
A black-haired boy with widened red eyes looked at me in shock. Looking back, I noticed Adrian and Eric coming around the corner. An idea occurred in my head.
"Play along with me."
At this, he nodded, already calmer with an interested look.
"Hey, Melissa. We haven't seen each other in a while. If you're not busy, maybe you'll take a walk with Adrian and me?"
Butler said, approaching me with Attwood. Taking the tensed teenager by the arm, I said with a regretful face.
"I'm sorry, Eric, but I promised to show an acquaintance the city. And we really must go."
And with a quick step, I headed toward the exit with my involuntary companion, who didn't say a word and walked with a stone face. Five minutes later, we left the building and moved far enough away for me to let go of his arm. Having relaxed noticeably, he looked at me with a question in his eyes. He has a more lively face now. Maybe he is embarrassed by touch?
"Thanks for playing along with me. My name, as you've already gathered, is Melissa. I didn't really want to talk to those guys. You probably don't like being pulled away from viewing the exhibition?"
He nodded at something in his thoughts. Then, with a smile and slightly narrowed eyes, he answered me.
"It's nothing. I was planning to leave soon anyway. My name is Iori, and I recently arrived in town with an acquaintance of my uncle. And since we've met now and you promised to show your acquaintance the city, maybe you'll give me a tour of the local sights?"
He finished with a sly smile.
End Melissa Shield POV
Having agreed to play along with her, I curiously began to watch the burgeoning dialogue between the girl and the guys she, judging by her past expression, didn't really want to talk to. Until she took me by the arm and dragged me toward the exit.
I involuntarily wanted to recall the expression uttered by that arms dealer from Russia when the police began to break in on him. All instincts and reflexes with fears demanded that I push the girl away and run from here, or in extreme cases, kill the cause of the discomfort. This damn klithrophobia (maybe some other phobia, who knows how many of them home-grown psychologists have come up with?) has always caused irritation in me. I tried to fight it in various ways. Even Izuku I dragged along not only out of the kindness of my heart. I feel awkward even now from my actions and thoughts. I'm fighting my fears with the help of touching another person. Brilliant. Just like a beginner *******. That arms dealer clearly swore too much. And it helped only slightly. Now I'm hardly paying attention to the road, keeping a stone face and body under control. Although the touch was even pleasant in a way, if I set aside my quiet panic and desire to kill the obstacle.
When she finally let go of my arm, I was able to calm my emotions. Her explanation of her actions confirmed my assumption about the girl's unwillingness to talk to those guys. And I suggested she give me this improvised tour. Well, why not? I have nothing to do, and anyway, she owes me!
The next few hours were quite interesting. It was clear that Melissa knows the city well, even though she doesn't live here permanently. While we looked at various historical and cultural monuments, she told the history of the city in detail. That it was named after Sir Walter Raleigh, the organizer of the mysteriously vanished Roanoke Colony, and was founded in 1792 as the state and county capital. In the first century after the appearance of the first Quirk, it lost its previous growth rates due to the crisis and the collapse of the Research Triangle Park, but the heir to the territory and industrial capacities that previously belonged to the technology park was able to change the situation sharply. And already in the middle of the second century, one of the best research centers in the country was located here along with some of the best technical universities. And how could we go without All Might, who was a hero here together with a then-young David Shield? And although numerous fan videos of his battles with villains can be found quite easily on the internet, it was quite unusual to be in the places you recognize from those videos.
When it came to the research going on here, we had a rather heated discussion. I was quite curious to hear about the achievements of scientists in the field of biotechnology, and she, realizing that I understood the subject, happily began to tell me, bombarding me with various terms and derived theories. Listening to her, I felt more and more respect for her mind and the efforts she had made in the field of technical disciplines. In this regard, her knowledge was a head, if not an order of magnitude, above mine.
At the end of the tour, we exchanged social media contacts. Having forgotten to give my last name, I corrected it only at that moment. She gave hers and began to watch my reaction with interest. Not understanding what was going on at first, it dawned on me only a few seconds later that the name Shield has another quite famous carrier. Bulging my eyes at her, I could only gasp for air foolishly. At this quite funny sight, she only laughed and after saying goodbye, left.