Kaminari, for once, was glad he didn't spend all that time with the rest out on Work Studies. The sheer amount of steam Iruma was generating from make up work already could power a small city. "Calm down, Iruma! You're going to pop a vessel if you keep going like this!" Uraraka warned her crush.
"So … much … within a week … haven't even finished three fourths of it." The fact he knew it was one fourth clearly demonstrated how hard this was for the boy. "This is why…I didn't…want to join…in the first place…" The boy passed out on his pile of books and paper.
"He was less exhausted during his stay at the hospital." Momo looked over, already finished with her own make-up work. The way she twirled her pencil was cute.
"So you guys took down the Yakuza?" Sero asked them. "I didn't even know those guys were still around."
"Yeah, they're all a bunch of tough bastards!" Kirishimia joined in, his arms in casts. "All of them are super unmanly, even if a few of them weren't as bad as the others. I got my face cracked just fighting one of them for five seconds."
"That's my horn buddy, taking on scores of villains with spirit and strength!" Ashido shouted, jumping onto the couch. "So was there anything special they didn't tell us in the report? I want deets."
"Amajiki is the most badass of the big three." Sato spoke, slurping down a hot cup of hot cocoa, passing around others, it was really good. "He was awesome in that fight."
"Wait, I thought Togata was the one that kicked our asses." Kaminari asked.
"He was, but Amajiki went full Iruma and just started eating diamonds to beat those goons back. Even had this badass pose and monologue when everything was done. You'd never think he was a doormat."
"Nejire was pretty cool too, she lasted the most out of all of fighting that Stamina Vampire. But that was nothing compared to you Ochako." Tsu stated. "You woke up a new quirk, how did you even do that?" Wait, she got a new quirk?
"Don't know, hadn't really thought about it until recently." The girl admitted. "I just placed my hand on him while feeling a lot of ange-" Her hands went dark green as the couch broke under the two girls and Iruma, forcing them to fall as the boy woke up. "... Gonna start wearing gloves." Uraraka sheepishly muttered.
"Looks like you're increasing gravity instead of taking it." Momo observed. "Any particular downsides?"
"According to the nurse my body goes through the opposite problems of zero g, so instead of being nauseous, I get my organs treated like a toothpaste bottle." That didn't sound pleasant at all. "It was worth it though. That little girl was just so precious! Like a tiny little unicorn. And Iruma saved her while beating Overhaul like a daddy wolf…damn it Toga, you got me saying it!"
"Two times two … twenty two …" Iruma muttered, trying to once again return to his work.
"Iruma-kun, you alright?" Toru asked. "You haven't said much since you came back from the hospital."
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm relieved Eri's never going to see that son of a bitch again, but I need to forget about heroes for a while." Everyone looked at the boy in horror. "What?"
"... Iruma." Mina said quietly. "You're in a hero school." She stated, trying to gloss over the fact he just cursed out like that.
"Yeah, but you're my friends, so I don't hate you guys."
"And every adult here is a hero." Kaminari also deadpanned.
"They are just our teachers when we're here."
"Miriko is a hero." Tsu bluntly stated.
"She lets me sleep in a bed for the first time and gives me great hugs, plus she doesn't care about what anybody says. If she wants to punch someone in the face, she punches them in the face." He frowned. "I just … I don't know what people think it means … it's confusing."
"I know exactly what being a hero means." Bakugo came out of the kitchen, eating his meal. "You beat up villains."
The class was silent for a minute. "And …"
"And Win." They should have expected this. "Being a hero means you don't lose, ever."
"Iruma, why are you getting like this?" Koda asked. "Don't you keep saying heroes are people who help?"
"Yeah..but we didn't help … we waited, and she suffered for it." Iruma growled darkly. "I don't think being a hero means being a good person, not anymore." Yeowch. That's going to hurt later down the line.
==
The stalker invisible girl sat with the very angry bunny lady and the psychotic principal rat … this felt like the start of a bad joke. "Okay, how was the evidence I've gathered?" She asked the man in charge of the operation.
"Splendid, we're getting a warrant … The problem is they've managed to somehow bribe almost everyone in the system. Where they managed to get over six billion yen befuddles me."
"Six…damn it!" Toru slammed her fist on the desk, anger boiling on the inside. "The gold bar he gave them." Iruma-kun was right to not trust himself with that, but now that he gave it to them, arresting them was gonna be harder. "He can't even go to school without them making his life worse!"
"We can't hold off on this. It's been fifteen damn years that they've gotten away with abusing my Kit!" Miriko shouted. "Isn't Tshucnuchi's quirk enough to get them arrested on the spot?"
"He's been compromised because of their quirks. According to Aizawa the mother has the ability to make people believe lies, and the father has an unknown touch factor."
"Wait, how does that translate into the Kit's super strength?" Oh right, Miriko was the only one in the room that didn't know …
"Once we get the Suzuki's out of the picture, I believe it would be prudent for you to know the wolf's full story then." Nedzu said that with a bit of a shiver. "But to our advantage many corrupt officers have been arrested thanks to how many channels have been blocked, so I count that a win in my books." The two ladies glared at him.
This was just awful! This was the exact kind of situation that made Iruma-kun hate heroes now, and she couldn't blame him! What's the point of having heroes around when they…. "I have an idea. An off the books, stupid, insane idea."
"Given your success in the Kaminio incident, I'm more inclined to listen to you rather than shoot it down." Nedzu nodded for her to continue.
"Okay, so it's not a secret here that the LOV likes Iruma-kun, right? Iruma befriended Tomura and that's why he wanted him to join."
"Yeah, it was the freakiest shit I've ever seen." Miriko chuckled. "He got real friendly with the blonde chick and mask guy, they even helped us out during the raid because of it."
"So what if we … you know … got them to help us arrest them?" Maybe accidently throw a knife into their throats.
"Sounds risky, and you're suggesting this as if you have a way of contacting them." The Principal and Rabbit hero glarred.
"I um … kinda do …" The two stared at her. "You see after Toga beat me up she … drew her phone number onto me."
"Why would a serial killer give you her phone number?" Miriko asked.
"She wants a four way between me, Ochako, and Iruma-kun." The girl shivered. "She's a complete creep, but she's infatuated with Iruma-kun. She snuck into the hospital just to see if he was okay." She slapped her forehead. "I know, it sounds dumb, but…Iruma-kun gave a villain curtosey once, and it helped everyone survive the USJ. Maybe we can use that..'' What was the world coming to?
"Wouldn't be the worst idea." The trio turned as Aizawa walked in. "I came to deliver some make up work, you left the door unlocked." The trio turned their glares on Miriko.
"What, I don't have a need for locks. Anyone that breaks into my place, I just kick their ass." Fair point. "So whaddya talking about, sleepy head?"
"I've trusted a vigilante once or twice, the problem with trusting a villain is that you have to live with letting them go. Letting them walk out as they commit more crimes … and it stays with you." He looked like he had experience.
"I can deal with that. Iruma-kun already has to live with letting Eri go with Overhaul. I don't think he's ever going to be fine with it." Toru gripped her hands.
"He's not." The teacher spoke instantly. "I reduced his work because he's trying to comprehend the fact that heroes are bound by laws that both help and hurt people."
"I've never been the most law abiding citizen myself." Miriko added. "That's why I don't set up an agency. Bureaucracy just slows me down when asses need to be kicked."
"And that's why you get the most lawsuits out of any hero." Aizawa deadpanned. "If we make the call, I'll be there. It'll be a miracle if we can get this done without any fighting." Okay, they had everything in the bag, no overlooking-
"Oh one more thing." She remembered. "We're trying to keep Iruma-kun from getting sent to the orphan system when his parents get arrested, but we need an adult to take him. Miriko was one of our top choices, but social services may not accept her."
"Got it, so I need to beat up social services."... Why did Bakugo have to be right?
==
Ibara began watering the garden. It was always relaxing to watch the flowers bloom, even if it wasn't there this year. It was the only time she had to reflect on herself in solitude. A moment to clear her head from the near catastrophe the school year has been.
She always tried to keep good faith, do what she needed to do to serve the lord and pray for protection for herself and those she cared for. She believed it was by the grace of god that sent her angel, who's kind face filled her thoughts and dreams…even if they got a bit…debaucherous at times.
And then a demon walked the earth, laughing at her attempts to purify the land of him, and snatching her angel as if it was simple. Despite this the invisible girl, Hagakure, managed to defeat him with nothing more than a punch. The cross did nothing, the cross he mocked, the cross he didn't fear.
Had…had she been wasting her time? Was her class right and she was nothing more than a crazed zealot who annoyed people with her attempts to spread enlightenment? "Oh, Ibara, you're here." She turned, and the face she thought of nearly everyday greeted her.
"M-my ang…Iruma!" She almost dropped her watering can. "You-you're here! I-I didn't expect to see you here."
"I worked in a few flower shops before, so I like gardening a little. The giant flytrap with a quirk had a nice singing voice, even if he tried to eat me everyday." Why did everything in this world seek to end her angels' existence? "I've been trying to multiply decimals all day, and I need something to clear my head a little."
"Then we have something in common." Ibara gestured to her angel to sit by her on a nearby bench. "Quite a few thoughts have been overwhelming my head for the past few weeks, and I find myself…alone thinking about it. My classmates are kind, but…"
"You don't think they'd get what you're trying to say?" Iruma finished for her. "Yeah, I just got done with a Work Study, and…I don't think I can see the world the same way I used to." Her angel's face became more gloomy. "There was this little girl, she asked for help, but I was told to wait. For three days, she got ripped apart and put back together while her blood was used to take away quirks."
"That's…horrifying." She gasped. "Is she…?"
"She's away from OverBird now, but I can't forget the kind of hell she was forced to live in while everyone waited, where everyone was told to wait because one 'hero' decided it was better to wait." He growled. "We shouldn't wait, we should just help them."
"I mean …" She hesitated. "Heroes can't act without evidence-"
"Screw the evidence, someone needed help."
"But … that would be taking the law into your own hands."
"If the law says I can't help a little girl covered in bandages, crying to get away from a bastard, then I don't want to listen." Iruma kept his head down. "I never thought being a hero would mean becoming a bad person."
This was…quite a lot to take in from such a kind and caring soul, a crisis of faith for the occupation he strove to be a part of. She had no doubt that her angel had nothing but the best intentions for everyone, but sadly, the world couldn't be as simple as Iruma wished it to be. "I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't agree on some level. I made the choice to aid in your rescue, an action I hold no regrets for."
"See, that's being a hero. Forget what everyone says and just help people." He spoke. "Everyone wants to make it so complicated and everything."
"The world has always been complicated." Ibara looked her angel in the eye. "I've found myself questioning a lot of what I believe in as of late. I look back at everything I just accepted without question, and I wonder if I truly believed it or just went along with what I've been taught all my life." She reached out for his hand on the bench. "Sometimes I find myself thinking my life would be better if I didn't have to listen to so many rules. But I know if I do that, if I disregard everything I've been taught, I'll lose myself, and I might never come back."
"Come back from what?" The boy asked her. "What's so bad that you have to listen to them?"
"Sin. Carnality. Human nature." She responded. "Say you see a purse left out in the open, and there's a single yen sticking out of it. Imagine if you needed just one more yen to buy something you really want, maybe a gift for a loved one."
Iruma didn't say anything,so she continued. "After that, it happens agains, and it was so easy the first time, you take two yen this time. Then it happens again, and you take five, then six, ten, and eventually, you take the whole purse altogether. It's a slippery slope that's easy to fall down. The longer you try to rationalize it, the easier it becomes to accept wrongdoing."
The boy stayed quiet, taking in her words like drinking water. "The lord's laws, even if real or not, have given me a sense of control, a path to never stray from … if we do not have a path of morality with rules to keep us in control, we may find ourselves filled with regret. So, try to find something, anything, to keep you on a path, a line to never cross."
"Alright…I guess there's still a lot I need to learn." Iruma huffed."It used to be so easy, just survive and make it to the next day."
She looked at him holding a hand on his back. "It sounds lonely."
"... It was." He let out a stray tear. "I'm afraid if I stop trying to be a hero, I'll lose all the good things I've had for the past year and a half. Bunny-sensei, Rabbit-sama, all my friends, my determination, that…everything will just leave me and I'll be by myself again."
"You won't lose anything." She pulled him into a hug. "Whatever path you chose, you'll always have me, you'll always have us to be there for you." She continued to hold the trembling boy, hoping he would comprehend this. "I have seen your kindness, I want to repay it in some way."
"You being my friend is already more than I could ever ask for." He returned her hold. "Can…can we stay like this for a while? You're warm and your hair smells nice." You just made an entire speech about following codes and rules, don't double cross it now.
==
Waiting … waiting … now! "How's it going my little pups!" Pixie-bob still had it, the screams of terror she inflicted lasting for a while. Even if the team went down in popularity, she made sure to leave a mark that made everyone remember her no matter what.
"We're not in the forest, we're supposed to be safe!" Kaminari shouted in horror. "Koda, how many animals can you command right now!?"
"Not enough! Iruma keeps trying to fight them so I've had to put cages to protect them! Damn that wild blue wolf! You damned us all!" Looks like their two best prospects still knew how to react properly. She's never felt more proud.
"Relax, we're here in peace, we heard you guys got into a bit of a scuffle recently." Mandalay calmed them all down. "We heard a few of you were involved in a raid on the Yakuza that got a little. ..messy to say the least."
"Yes, you could say that." Yaoyorozu and Sato answered while … eating a cake? "We've learned to stress eat at this point … my figure is never going to stay slim at this rate … but the benefits are worth it …" Ah, mental break of quirks, she's seen that before plenty of times.
"I nearly got all my guts squeezed out like a tube of toothpaste, but other than that I'm fine." Urakrak sat on the couch with a pair of gloves on her hands. "I also can't get angry without breaking anything I'm touching, but I can work around it."
"I got my arms casted, so I'm manly and good." The red haired Kirishima smiled brightly.
"I might have lost my faith in the system, but I came out okay." Suzuki waved off.
"All of you brush off traumatic events like nothing …" Ragdoll made a fake sniffle. "They grow up so fast. Next thing you know they'll reach a mid-life crisis." The girl winked at her. Snakes in her pillows tonight.
"Oh, Suzuki, Kota wanted to see you actually." She moved to show off the boy with … a cowlick stylized hoodie. Adorable.
"I'm … sorry your arms got hurt because of me."
"Oh, no, that'd be fine, you're not the one who broke them." Suzuki waved off. "It's something I've been working to get better at! In my last fight, I broke my bones like fifty times, and they instantly healed because I was close to rewinding to dust." …
"He took an advanced course in ignoring trauma I see." Tiger deadpanned, bringing in bags of food.
"I..just…I wanted you to know…yourmyfavoritehero!" Kota said really fast before hiding himself in his hoodie. "You helped me when I needed it, so…I'll be a hero so I can help someone who needs it."
The boy raised an eyebrow, about to speak before stopping, almost as if stumbling over his words, before giving a huff and smile, ruffling Kota's head. "I'm sure you'll be a great hero Kota." He then turned to Ragdoll. "Yellow Cat-sama, are you alright? All Forty One took your quirk, right?"
"Oh it's fine, other than the flashes of memory of something screaming in my face, I'm a-okay." She waved at him. "We're just taking leave for a bit, hard to do hero work quirkless."
"But Mirio-senpai is doing hero work quirkless and he's a third year." Everyone on her team was silent when he said that.
"Well when you put it like that, then she really doesn't have an excuse." Tiger laughed before patting Ragdoll on the shoulder. "So when are ya going to get off your ass and start training Plus Ultra!?"
"I guess I will now." The girl laughed nervously.
"I'll help, wouldn't want you to have a mid life crisis mid training, right?" Her teammate shook in utter terror. Perfect.
"It's the smirk." Kaminari hid behind his girlfriend. "It scars your soul and brings out your worst nightmares." That's exactly what she was going for.
==
Iruma has had a lot of thoughts over the week, thoughts which he gladly shoved into the back of his head as he opened the door with Mirio. "Hey there Eri." He waved to the little girl. They kept her at the hospital since her rewind wasn't fully understood. What was there to not understand? She rewound stuff.
"Hi Lemillion, hi Wolfman." The girl waved back, sitting on her bed on her knees, although her eyes and mouth were pointing downwards. "You came to visit me?" The girl asked as she kept a wary eye out for any source of danger.
"Of course we did, we had to make sure our favorite little survivor is doing great, so we brought you some special treats!" Mirio pulled out some candy apples. "These taste super yummy, and are surprisingly easy to smuggle past security."
"Apples?" She looked at the food with some hesitance, before grabbing one. "It's..okay for me to eat?"
"You don't even have to ask. If you're hungry, we'll get you whatever you want." Iruma reassured her. "I mean Momo also offered the bill, and she's rich enough to make cars cheap."
"Oh, okay." She bit into the caramel covered fruit, and instantly placed all of it into her mouth. "It's really good. Thank you." She still said that with a frown.
"Are you sure? You're not smiling." He took a bite himself-wow this was good, maybe he could have a few-no, this was for Eri, bad stomach. But I'm hungry . NO, Eri needs her happiness. I'll eat you! Nice try, you already failed that!
"I'm sorry, I'll try!" She freaked out like it was something she did wrong. Her body trembled, her head shook, and she tried to force her lips upwards with her hands, before she let out a gasp of air. "I'm sorry, I forgot how."
You could forget how to smile? Was she born sad? Did everyone start out like this? No, he's seen happy babies before, being strolled by the parents in the park as they threw their toys at his head while he was cleaning. So … did Overbird make her forget how to smile? He never forgot how to do that.
Great, now she was trembling in fear again, damn the basta-"Iruma, you're making a scary face." Mirio explained to him. Oh, calm down then brain. But we're angry. But she's super scared!
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry I can't do anything right!" Eri cried more. "Lemillion lost his power, and people got hurt because they cared about me…"
"No, we didn't get hurt. Nobody got hurt because of you." Iruma did his best to keep a smile on his own face, for her sake alone … okay now he was starting to see what Bunny-sensei and Nighteye were talking about. "We got hurt because he was a bad man, but he's gone now. And nobody is going to hurt you."
"So … nobody is going to put things in me or use my body?" She asked tentatively.
"Absolutely no one."
The door opened as a doctor came in. "Excuse me, I need a blood tes-" He threw the doctor out of the room and locked the door.
"... Too much?" He asked Mirio.
"Bad timing in all honesty. Nejire would've done the same." At least he wasn't being unreasonable. "Don't worry Eri, we just need to show you something fun, and you'll be smiling in no time!"
"What's fun?"
"Do you mean that as if you're asking what the word means, or if you're asking what's fun?" Iruma asked, sweating a bit.
"I know what's fun! The school's having a festival coming up!" It was? "All the classes are gonna do some fun stuff." They were!? "There'll probably be a lot of yummy food too, so we can probably get you more candy apples." They could!?!
"This sounds awesome!" Iruma shouted. "Trust me Eri, the festival is gonna be amazing." He swore his life on that.