(It's been a week since Izuku, Katsuki, Shoto-kun, and I arrived in the current agency of the Number Two Hero of Japan.)
"Help, a thief! Heroes!"
(In the world of Pro Heroes, where the entity of damage and victims depends on every action, we're following Endeavor with all the strength we have.)
Endeavor dashed forward and went to attack the villain, but this time, for the first time, Satoru was faster than him.
He's learning... Endeavor thought. You can see he's Oro's brother...
"He anticipated Endeavor..." Shoto thought.
"Shit! He was faster than all of us!" Bakugo snorted.
"Good job, Hideki," said Endeavor. "But still, I'm not fully satisfied with your efficiency."
"What do you mean, Endeavor?" Mato asked as he handcuffed the villain.
"Being faster doesn't necessarily mean you did a better job than the others," Endeavor explained. "In this case, your efficiency surpassed mine, but next time, it may not be this way. Before rushing in headfirst, you must first assess whether civilians are around and whether you could harm them by attacking the villain. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
"I totally get it, Endeavor," said Satoru. "I'll pay more attention next time."
"It's enough for today," Endeavor said. "Do in your dorms to rest."
__________
Satoru's dorm
Satoru lay on his bed face down, checking his phone. Why doesn't Aniki text me? What is he doing right now?
He glanced at the time. I have to teleport to Garaki's office for the cures in a while, dammit... I wonder if Tomura's still getting electrocuted at this hour... in a while, it'll be my turn, dammit. These cures really are a hellish pain, just like Dr. Garaki said. Moreover, I must alternate them with my daily life as a mole, which makes it even more difficult...
Being a villain... will make me lose my mind. No, wait, I'm wrong. I already lost my mind.
__________
(Endeavor's agency is furnished with personal dorms. We sleep and eat with the Flames' Sidekickers.)
"Good morning!" Burnin exclaimed as the four boys arrived in the room. "How's it going?"
"Good morning, Burnin!" said Izuku.
"Don't scream early in the morning!" Bakugo snorted.
Mato massaged his head. Dammit... I slept like shit last night. Maybe it's because of the too much thought I'm accumulating in my mind...
"So, did you manage to stop the enemy before Endeavor?" Burning asked.
"Only I managed to," said Satoru, still a bit sleepy. "But I'm not sure he accepted it as a 'you passed the test'."
"Ha! I had no doubt!" Burning exclaimed as she shook Satoru's shoulders. "You really are the Number One Hero's little brother!"
"Good morning, Burnin," Shoto entered the room.
"Good morning, Shoto-kun!" Burnin exclaimed.
"Midoriya, Bakugo," Shoto said. "Today, we'll reach Endeavor. We'll catch a villain before him. Just like Hideki did yesterday."
"I only had luck yesterday," Mato said. "Just saying, Bakugo has been as fast as me."
"Oh, so you do recognize my worth, huh?" Bakugo exclaimed.
"I've always known you were strong," said Mato. "You're the one who's always pissed off."
__________
A few hours later
Mato, Shoto, Izuku, and Bakugo were on their knees, panting.
"Today's been a bit tougher than usual..." Satoru muttered.
"We didn't manage to reach him today either..." Izuku muttered.
"Fuck off!" Bakugo snorted.
"Compared to the first day, though, we're faster," said Shoto.
There was a moment of silence before Endeavor spoke. "Let's go!"
"Yeah, let's go!" The four boys said in unison.
__________
Todoroki House
"Huh?" Bakugo made a noise.
"My sister invited us for dinner," said Shoto.
"What the fuck does it mean?!" Bakugo snorted.
"She wants me to introduce her to my friends," Shoto said.
"Tell her we're not friends at all!" Bakugo said.
"Calm down, Katsuki-kun," said Mato.
"DON'T CALL ME KATSUKI-KUN!" Bakugo shouted. "JUST CALL ME KATSUKI, IF YOU REALLY HAVE TO!"
"Okay, just don't freak out," Satoru said calmly.
Endeavor opened the door.
"Welcome!" Fuyumi welcomed them. "Thanks for coming despite your engagements! Nice to meet you, and thanks for everything you did for Shoto! I'm his sister, Fuyumi!"
"Thanks for inviting us here!" Izuku said. "I'm Izuku Midoriya, one of Todoroki-kun's classmates."
"Yes, I know!" said Fuyumi. "And you with that red hair... I've seen you during the Sports Festival in your fight with Shoto!"
"That's right," Mato said. "Shirakawa Hideki desu."
"Can I ask, is it true that Oro, the current Number One Hero, is your brother?" Fuyumi asked.
"Yeah, 100% true, ma'am," said Satoru.
__________
"Sorry for the short notice," said Fuyumi as she guided the four boys in the kitchen. "Thanks for fulfilling my whim."
"That's not a problem!" Izuku exclaimed. "It's not often that I go to a friend's house!"
"Same," Satoru added.
"Is Natsuo here, too?" Shoto asked.
"Everyone wants to hear your stories, Shoto," Fuyumi said. They went inside the kitchen, where Natsuo, Shoto's older brother, was already sitting.
"Let me do the presentations again," Fuyumi said. "I'm Fuyumi, Shoto's older sister. I'm an elementary school teacher. He is Natsuo, Shoto's older brother. He is a college student."
"Pleased to meet you," Natsuo said.
"Shoto," Fuyumi said. "Can you introduce us to your friends?"
"Sure," said Shoto. "They are my classmates from the Hero Course, Midoriya and Bakugo. You already know the one with red hair, but to remind you, he is not from my class, but he is from the Hero Course, too. His name is Hideki."
Mato made a gesture with his hand.
"C'mon, let's eat, before it gets cold!" said Fuyumi. "If there's something you don't like, don't eat it!"
"Enjoy your meal, then!" Izuku exclaimed.
"Enjoy your meal," said Shoto.
"Enjoy your meal," Natsuo said.
"Enjoy your meal," Mato said calmly.
__________
"It's very delicious!" Izuku exclaimed.
"Since our housekeeper retired due to a back problem, my sister has been doing the cooking," said Natsuo.
"You cooked too, when we alternated with each other!" said Fuyumi.
"So I ate your food," said Shoto.
"Dunno," said Natsuo. "Usually, when I cook, my food is too tasty. Maybe Endeavor didn't allow you to, saying, 'Don't eat stuff like that.'"
Mato could sense the tension building up even if he had nothing to do with that situation.
"I didn't even realize..." Endeavor said.
"Sh-Shoto, what do you usually eat at school?" Fuyumi asked to break the tension.
"I eat canteen food..." said Shoto.
"Next time, I want to eat Natsuo's cooking, too," said Endeavor.
Natsuo placed his plate on the table. "Thanks for the food, nee-chan."
"Wait, Natsuo! You're already leaving?" Fuyumi asked.
"Yeah," said Natsuo. "Sorry, I can't help it."
Natsuo closed the door behind him.
Mato took a look at Fuyumi's face and could see her eyes slightly shining. This family... really is messed up.
__________
Mato had some dishes in his hands. "Endeavor, where should I put these dishes?"
Endeavor pointed to a spot on his left. Satoru placed the dishes there.
"So you knew about Todoroki's family situation, too?" Izuku asked as he, Bakugo, and Satoru were walking in the alley.
"Yeah, we knew," said Satoru. "He decided to tell me."
"They were talking about it next to me," said Bakugo.
"No, we weren't," said Mato. "You were hiding behind a wall and were clearly eavesdropping!"
The three friends heard Shoto and Fuyumi talk.
"Shoto, what do you think of Otosan?"
"This scar on my face is technically his fault. Okasan beared too much until she couldn't anymore. I can't forgive him so easily after what he did to Okasan. I still... don't know what to think of our father."
Bakugo opened the door. "Don't show up at such delicate moments when you have guests at home!"
"Very gentle as usual, Katsuki-kun..." Mato sighed.
"There are still dishes to clean, right?" said Bakugo.
"Sorry, we heard your conversation..." said Izuku while taking a dirt plate.
"Anyway, Shoto-kun," Mato seized the opportunity. "It's not that I want to claim to know something about how you feel about your father, what I'm going to tell you is just advice from a friend, got it?"
Shoto nodded.
"In my opinion, you're both waiting for each other. You're waiting for him to do the first step. Also, I think you're preparing to forgive him. If you really hated, you'd have the right not to forgive him. But I, who have known you since the beginning of the school year, can tell you're an incredibly kind person."
Shoto's eyes widened.
"I'm sure you're just waiting. And I'm telling you this as someone who's never had a father or a mother. I'm telling this as someone who doesn't even know what having a family feels like."
There's something I've been wondering all this time... why does Dabi look like Shoto?
Chapter 59 - End