Heroes? What Heroes? Chapter 7: Shouto's Situation, a my hero academia/僕のヒーローアカデミア fanfic

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I still couldn't believe that I actually managed to somehow pacify Bakugou of all people.

Did I have some strange charisma that even I didn't know of?

I had expected it to take months to go as far as I had with him, but it only took one night. This was truly baffling.

I was either a natural diplomat or just unnaturally lucky.

Anyways, my birthday celebration last night was simply amazing. Sure, I was only with my parents, but they made it really merry even if there were only three people. Well, that just meant that I got more cake.

It turns out that my mother was worried sick for my late arrival, and had almost gone out to look for me. My father was the same. In fact, when I arrived home, I caught both of them fully dressed, walking out of the front door with distraught looks on their faces.

I really had the best parents.

After I explained everything, they scolded me slightly, but I could tell that they were both glad that I was able to make a new friend. I tried my best to only describe the positive aspects of Bakugou, so they wouldn't think that he was some sort of miniature psychopath.

Now it was morning, which meant that I had to go to school. That same boring place where they taught knowledge that I already learned over a decade ago.

Yes, I knew that I'm supposed to be four, but that didn't make the workload from school any less pointless.

Those so-called "advanced" courses they put me in were the same exact thing as the regular ones!

I was a surprisingly decent student in my past life, but I had never actually been any sort of genius.

Even so, the assignments the school gave me were seriously humiliating.

Oh well, who was I to complain if the curriculum was too easy? It probably wouldn't be like this once I got into college.

I mean, even if I didn't like this, could I actually do something about it?

The answer to that was obviously no. Even if I could change something, I wouldn't, simply because the school was such a good excuse to socialize with my friends. Todoroki didn't go to the same place as me, but I would meet with him at the park every day. Therefore, there was nothing to worry about.

Smiling cheerfully, I stepped out of my front door, dressed in my school uniform, consisting of formal attire, a standard-issue skirt with a shirt with a tie.

It wouldn't be long before I met up with Izuku, who greeted me with a simple "hi".

I waved back to him as we began to walk to school together.

We didn't really do anything on the way to school except for talk, which was just fine with me. I didn't really feel like playing or anything. If we did, then there was a possibility that we could be late, a possibility that Izuku was aware of.

When we reached school, we were greeted by the sight of Katsuki Bakugou, standing at the entrance, as if expecting us.

Performing the action which came to mind instantly after I registered the presence of someone I considered a friend, my right hand instantly went up into the air, waving at the boy unconsciously.

I did not mean to do this, but I certainly did not regret it. I followed up after the actions of my body.

With a voice that was almost musical, I cheerfully greeted the blonde with a grin.

"Hey! Baa-kun!"

I had to suppress a chuckle at the controlled scowl on his face.

That expression had just made my day.

Izuku still held a great deal of gratitude in his heart for what his friend told him that day, the day he was almost harmed by the person who he considered to be his closest friend.

Mal had truly saved him that day, not from the bullies or Bakugou, but from his own self-deprecating thoughts.

Izuku speculated that if Mal had not said what she did, then he would have quite possibly given up on his dream and resigned himself to live as a normal quirkless person, shamed and disgraced.

He would have willingly fallen into that pit of darkness, never again returning into the light.

That was exactly what he thought would happen without Mal's intervention.

To Izuku, the girl could be considered an angel who brought him back into the light, someone who truly cared for him even if he did nothing to deserve it.

Izuku had also been despondent over the loss of his other friend, as Bakugou had clearly declared hostilities towards him.

The boy thought it unjust that the friend who knew him for the longest time would persecute him for being quirkless, but that was just how the world was. There was no use complaining about it.

Izuku did not like losing one of the few people he could call a friend, but in Bakugou's case, it simply couldn't be helped.

But, there was Mal, cheerfully greeting that same person who had almost hurt both of them that day.

Izuku could not be more surprised.

"Mal-chan…"

Was she really that kind, that forgiving, to simply forget an incident like that?

It would be just like Mal. She was always so kind and forgiving, traits which Izuku liked the most about his friend.

Once, another kid in their class had carved the words, "quirkless garbage" onto Izuku's desk.

Seeing this, Izuku could feel tears welling up in his eyes and began to cry. He wasn't used to being treated like a quirkless person yet, which meant that he was still new to the emotional harm that others would inflict onto him.

Seeing Izuku's crying form, the boy who had carved the words onto the desk stood up and shamed him in front of everyone in the class.

Pointing towards Izuku, the boy laughed.

"What?! It's true! He's quirkless isn't he?! We're all better than him!"

Izuku's mind began to take more and more damage as he cursed his unfortunate situation.

Just what had he done to deserve this? Why was he the one who had to deal with this situation?

Mal had intervened then, addressing that same boy.

Her face was serious and determined, her smile completely nonexistent.

"Please stop. You're hurting Mii-chan's feelings."

The boy had simply laughed again.

"Who cares if his feelings are hurt?! He's quirkless!."

Mal's expression did not change.

"What if someone was treating you the way you're treating Mii-chan right now? How would you feel?"

The boy snorted.

"Haa?! But I'm not quirkless!"

He didn't stop there.

"Ha! I just remembered! You have a super late-blooming quirk! You're even more useless than he is!"

The boy began to laugh madly.

After that, Mal had simply shaken her head and went to comfort Izuku.

It turns out that the same boy was the victim of bullying, as his quirk, [Flare] only allowed him to make his body become brighter. Many other kids thought that this quirk was useless, quickly associating the concept with him.

Mal had found out about this and comforted the kid soon after, almost as if he had never said those words to her and Izuku.

This was why Mal was so amazing. She could forgive so easily, almost like it was in her very nature.

However, she was taking it too far this time.

Just what was the girl thinking, being so casual towards the same person who had almost harmed both her and Izuku?

She might have been forgiving, but this course of action was far too dangerous.

Izuku quickly reached forward to grab Mal's arm, determined to run away if Bakugou became hostile, which he was sure would happen.

The nickname Mal called him by was definitely enough of a reason for him to become dangerous.

However, the blonde's reply almost made Izuku choke on his own saliva.

With an annoyed voice, Bakugou simply huffed before turning around, beginning to walk away.

Mal's grin seemed to become even wider when she saw this, although it could have just been an illusion.

With a shaking voice full of disbelief, Izuku asked Mal,

"M-Mal-c-chan, w-what was that?"

The girl cheerfully replied,

"He seems to have taken a liking to me after our little talk."

Izuku's world exploded at those words as his legs became queasy.

Quickly putting two and two together, he identified the meaning behind the sentence.

"Y-you m-mean…"

Mal nodded.

"Yeah. I talked to him yesterday. He promised to be my friend if I could beat him in a fight in the future."

Izuku's heart almost skipped a beat at this.

Just how was it possible that Bakugou would agree to those terms? Was Mal some kind of miracle worker?

"Oh, and he won't be attacking you anymore. I'm sure of it."

How… just how was this possible?

That ferocious beast known as Bakugou had nearly been tamed in one night by this girl.

Not even Izuku, the blonde's childhood friend, could get through to him, but this stranger could?

"Mal-chan is just amazing."

Those were Izuku's thoughts.

Saving him from a rampaging tiger, forgiving people like it was second nature, and getting on good terms with Bakugou so soon. Mal was clearly someone who was abnormal.

There was no need to question her anymore. Mal was Mal. That was all there was to it. She was simply a miracle worker and Izuku knew it.

The boy could almost feel in his heart the sudden increase of faith for his friend. There would be no shortage of surprises from the girl known as Kurokami Mal. This was for certain.

As the girl smiled at Izuku, beckoning him to come to class, he could only nod and walk towards his classroom, resolved to ask Mal in detail what happened at a later date.

The rest of the day would go by peacefully, with Izuku confronting Mal when they walked home. She told him everything that had happened between her and Bakugou, leaving Izuku in an even greater state of shock than in the morning.

The boy could only accept this to be part of Mal's eccentricities, responding to the explanation with a tired sigh.

The days continued to pass like this, Mal going to school in morning, socializing with Izuku, sometimes with Bakugou, meeting Shouto afterward, and coming home.

It wouldn't be long before the days turned into weeks, and the weeks turned into months.

Eventually, it got to the point where something interesting happened with Shouto.

Something very interesting indeed.

I was currently sitting with Shouto in the same spot where we chose to meet every day at four o'clock, the place we had first met with each other that day.

Our conversations would usually be about our interests, asking each other questions like "What do you want to be when you grow up? Or "What kind of hero will you be?" We would ask each other things like that.

I had never once asked Shouto about his family, even though he asked me several times. This was because I knew exactly what was going on inside of it, choosing to give him subtle hints to better his horrible life.

Unfortunately, other than that, there was absolutely nothing I could do. It wasn't as if I could rescue their whole family from Endeavor or something like that.

In the first place, would they even want to be rescued?

As for doing something about Endeavor, that was definitely a lost cause. In the manga, he was insanely determined in just about everything he did. Trying to dissuade him from anything he was passionate about was the same thing as trying to teach a rock how to play the violin. It was completely useless.

Unfortunately, Endeavor was indeed passionate about molding Shouto to become a hero greater than All Might. I didn't even think Endeavor noticed that his "training" was more akin to child abuse than anything.

I was seriously pissed off at that guy. Just where did he get the right to control Shouto's entire life and abuse him?

Oh, how I wanted to tell Shouto to just run away from home or to finally stand up to his father.

Alas, those words would be not only useless, but severely counterproductive.

Shouto had not told me anything about his familial circumstances, showing him that I knew about what was happening to him would cause a lot of suspicions. Not even four-year-olds were open-minded enough to believe that someone was reincarnated from a different world where your world was nothing but a work of fiction.

He would definitely think that I was lying or that I had gone insane.

Even if he believed me and followed my advice, it would have brought him nothing but trouble.

If Shouto decided to run away from home, then Endeavor would simply track him down and capture him, possibly punishing him harshly.

If he tried to stand up to his father, then his words would go unheard at best. If he wasn't lucky, then Endeavor would become angry and possibly harm him in some way.

As much as it pained me, the best thing I could do in this situation was to be patient and provide Shouto with emotional support.

However, I couldn't do much of that until the kid actually opened up to me. After all, I couldn't talk about his family at all.

If Shouto just told me about his familial situation then I would be able to talk to him about it. It would probably be good for him to have someone who he knows understanding his situation. I might be over-crediting myself, but there was probably a chance his whole life would change if he just told me.

However, there was nothing I could do in this situation, as he didn't trust me enough to open up to me yet.

I would just have to play the waiting game until he finally told me about it, slightly provoking him to do so.

Anything else would either be useless and harmful to my objective.

With this in mind, I chatted about the usual things with Shouto, thinking that this would just be a regular day.

I had never been so glad to be wrong.

Kurokami Mal had become the person Shouto trusted more than anyone in the short half-year they had met. This fact was unknown to him of course.

However, even so, Shouto was afraid to tell her his secret. He was afraid to tell her that he was that man's son.

He knew that she would not care, that she would simply see him as Shouto, as she always did, not the son of the second greatest hero.

However, there was a part of his mind that doubted this knowledge.

"What if she sees me differently?"

This thought continued to linger in Shouto's mind, a small flame that refused to be put out.

Kurokami Mal was definitely not that type of person. Shouto was almost certain that he had nothing to be afraid of.

Yet… He was still nervous.

Even if the chances were near nonexistent, they were still there, weren't they?

Therefore, he started off the conversation with his friend with a simple

"H-hi Mal."

At this, the girl smiled charmingly, lightly tilting her head to the side.

She answered in that cheerful silky smooth voice,

"Hi Tou-kun"

This was her nickname for him, the shortened version of the name "Shouto", the only part of the name the boy gave her.

Seeing the contemplative expression on Shuto's face, Mal's brows furrowed in concern as she addressed her friend.

"Is there something wrong?"

The boy looked at her with a surprised expression, not expecting that question at all.

"N-no. Why would you think there's something wrong."

The girl was strangely devoid of her usual cheerfulness as she eyed Shouto seriously.

"It looked like you were concerned about something earlier. Are you thinking about something?"

Shouto was suddenly reminded of how attentive Mal could be sometimes. She was able to tell that he was deep in thought with a glance alone.

It was hard to hide something from her, not that he wanted to.

Shouto quickly replied to Mal's concerned question, scratching the back of his head.

"No, there's nothing wrong. I was just thinking about something, that's all."

The girl sighed in relief, a reaction thought by Shouto to be strange in this situation.

However, her next words made a trail of sweat drip down his back.

"Mind telling me what you were concerned about?"

"I-it was nothing… really!"

Mal shrugged.

"Oh well. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I'm not going to force you."

Shouto shrugged in relief.

He wasn't about to tell her just yet. He still wasn't mentally prepared.

Mal changed the subject, discussing something else.

It went on like this for a while, the unfolding of a meaningless conversation, the joy of two friends who were thankful to be able to speak to each other.

This almost blissful moment continued until Mal playfully flicked Shouto on the shoulder, an almost loving gesture.

It was meant to be something of a show of affection, not intended to cause any pain.

However, the spot where the flick had targeted had not been convenient at all.

It was at a spot where Shouto's father had struck him in the morning during training, a great bruise hidden under the fabric of his shirt.

Mal's flick targeted that exact location, making Shouto wince in surprise and pain.

Realizing what he did, the boy quickly returned his expression to the way it was before.

However, it was too late as Mal had already noticed his reaction, and began to look at his face with realization and concern.

"Shoot, I think I flicked him in somewhere with a bruise."

I knew for a damned fact the wound was caused by Endeavor, no questions asked.

I could feel the scorching heat of my anger burning through my veins. Quickly pushing aside those feelings. I silently fumed.

I felt terrible about what I was going to do next, but it was for Shouto's own good.

This was a wonderful opportunity to get the boy to open up to me.

I would just have to ask about that bruise and insist on having my questions answered. After I pushed a certain distance, I would give up for the day, continuing to subtly ask him the next day. I didn't want to make him hate me, which was a possibility if I pushed too far. Even if I was going to be aggressive, I needed to take things slow.

Therefore, I asked,

"Where did you get that injury?"

Shouto looked away once he realized that I discovered his wound, muttering quietly,

"Someone ran into me earlier. My shoulder got bumped really badly."

I simply narrowed my eyes at this.

Yep, this was worse than I thought.

My interrogation was about to start.

Right now.

Shouto could feel the sweat pouring from his back.

Mal had noticed one of his bruises!

Not only that, but she was also asking about it.

Lying to Mal was one of the hardest things Shouto ever did. It hurt him more than Endeavor's abuse ever could.

However, it had to be done. Shouto did not want Mal to tangle herself in his family's problems, something she would surely do if she knew the truth.

If she knew that he was being abused, then she would try to do everything in her power to stop it. After all, they were friends.

This was why Shouto had to keep her out of his own issues. She would get into trouble for his sake if he didn't

He had uttered such a mediocre lie, donning an expression that was practically the brand of a lier on his face.

There was no way in hell Mal would ever fall for it. She was way too perceptive for that. However, doing anything more was near impossible for him, as lying to his friend brought him a great deal of guilt already.

At that obvious lie of his, Mal had simply narrowed her eyes and asked him in a serious voice,

"Please don't lie to me Tou-kun. Where did you get that wound?"

Gritting his teeth, the boy channeled more willpower into himself, wanting nothing more than to be done with this.

"It's nothing Mal!"

The girl's eyes widened at this before she suddenly reacted with an outburst.

"It's not nothing! You're hiding something from me and I want to know why?!"

"It's really nothing! Can we just stop talking about this!?"

"No! I don't want to be in the dark when something is hurting you!"

Shouto's heart was practically begging him to tell the girl before him everything, to just come clean of it all. However, the practical side of himself quickly rejected that notion. There was nothing good that could come from his confession. Some words were best left unsaid.

The boy's body physically hurt just thinking about what he was about to say, but it had to be done. Even if he hurt her with those words, it was still better than the alternative.

"Just mind your own business! This isn't your problem!"

Those words were true to their purpose, to the despair of both Shouto and Mal.

The girl flinched backward and simply looked at him strangely, her mouth moving, unable to form any words.

Shouto wasn't dense enough to not notice the hurt in her dark amethyst eyes.

The boy wanted nothing more at that moment to apologize to his friend and tell her that he didn't mean it. However, that would be too counterproductive to his cause, even if it was despicable.

Thus began an agonizing silence that would last for several minutes, both sides waiting for the other to respond. It was as if time itself was frozen, every minute lasting an hour to both of them.

Normal POV

What the hell Shouto? Actually! You don't just say that to a friend! Especially not one who was trying to help you!

That outburst actually managed to catch me off guard.

Those words stung. They stung a lot. Much more than I would think they would.

I guess my emotional endurance was just that pathetic huh?

Oh well, that wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

Still though, it actually felt as if someone was stabbing into my heart with a needle.

The fact that the boy before me could hurt me to this degree was horrifying but strangely satisfying. It meant that I was developing feelings for him. (non-romantic) I guess that sense of satisfaction was just my heart congratulating me that I got a new friend.

Anyways, I was thinking of what to say after that.

My body didn't seem able to handle the shock from those words, and had fallen into a state of suspension, my mouth becoming completely unable to formulate words.

I could see the regret in Shouto's eyes. He obviously didn't want to say that to me, only wanting to protect me from his secrets.

I smiled inwardly.

"What a nice guy."

That was all I needed. Beyond any and all doubts, Todoroki Shouto was friend material.

Smiling inwardly, I felt my body recover from his stinging words, flapping my lips in a desperate attempt to reason with him.

However, before a word could come out from my mouth, the kid practically jumped off his seat and sprinted for the exit, quickly running down the stone road.

I was stunned again, not expecting this course of action from Shouto.

However, I quickly cursed and began to sprint after him, praying that my increased leg strength would let me catch up to him.

A second later, I was hot on his trail, quickly reducing the distance between us.

I could practically feel the determination flowing through my body as I glared at my friend's back.

"There's no way in hell I'm going to let you get away from me today."

Shouto's legs felt like they were on fire, lungs quickly processing air in a hurried rate. However, he could barely notice his exhaustion once he noticed the form of Mal chasing him.

He didn't think about how that girl, whose body looked so slim, could match his in speed. Nor did he think about how it was possible that her eyes turned red once she stepped on an ant. He definitely didn't care that his head was turned more than a hundred degrees to look at the girl behind him while he was sprinting full speed.

No, Shouto wasn't focused on any of that.

His attention was completely captured by those eyes of hers. Those beautiful amethyst orbs which seemed to simply radiate determination. A determination that he realized was directed at him, or rather, getting him to talk about his problems.

The combination of graduate and apprehension Shouto had towards Mal was foreign to him, creating a feeling he had never experienced before.

Sprinting with renewed vigor, the boy prayed to whatever god that was out there to let him outrun Mal. He knew for sure that he couldn't lie anymore, not to the only person he saw as a friend. She was the first person outside his family who cared so much about him, the only person he wanted nothing more than the best for.

The impact Kurokami Mal had upon Shouto's life these past six months could not even be described. She provided both encouragement and motivation to him to become stronger, not for his father's goals, but for his own dreams.

He found his father's training regime much more durable after a conversation with Mal.

Some of her hints were also surprisingly specialized for surviving his father's training, something he found strange.

Mal was the one person Shouto could not hurt no matter what. She was practically family to him at this point, even if she didn't realize it.

Therefore, Shouto was trying his best to protect Mal from his problems, something she probably noticed already.

Soon, the red and white-haired boy found his prayers to be completely useless as Mal quickly gained on him, grabbing his arm to stop him from running.

"Wait! *pant* *pant* Just calm down and talk to me! Please! *pant* I want to help you!"

The boy's face twisted itself into a pained expression of determination. He had made up his mind.

Seeing the concerned and caring look on his friend's face, there was no way he would ever drag someone like that into his problems.

Shouto decided in that instant.

He would cut ties with Mal.

There would be no regret. He would rather be lonely than to hurt Mal. If he simply ended their friendship here, then Mal would just forget him in a couple of years. After all, someone with her personality would never be without friends. Losing her would be better than risking her in a conflict with his father.

Therefore, again mustering up the leftover scraps of his determination, Shouto shouted to Mal,

"We're not friends anymore Mal! I hate you!"

Had these words came with any other expression on Shouto's face, Mal would definitely have been injured emotionally.

However, the tears flowing down the boy's face took away whatever effect his words would have had.

Mal chuckled, still vice-gripping Shouto's arm.

"That's a funny joke, Tou-kun. You should be a comedian."

Shouto blinked, surprised at his friend's reaction.

"Huh?"

Mal pulled the boy closer, face becoming serious.

"You are definitely trying to protect me from something. Is it dangerous?"

Shouto shook his head, panicking.

"No, no, no, no!"

"No, it's not that! Leave me alone!"

Mal grabbed his other arm, the flailing boy's other arm and turning him around.

They locked eyes, worried amethyst staring into brown and blue.

She begged the boy, as if her sanity depended on his answer.

"Please. I need to know. As your friend, I have to help you get through this."

Shouto became angry at this.

Mal spoke as if she knew what he was going through. She spoke as if she could actually understand his pain. His misery.

Well, she didn't. She didn't know about the fact that he always flinched whenever Endeavor walked through the door, afraid of a stern scolding or a surprise "training" session. She didn't know about the torturous, mind-breaking pain Endeavor put him through every day, only ending when his bones were about to snap from the strain. She didn't know the pain of having her mother go about everyday life like an inhuman zombie, experiencing nothing but misery.

She didn't know what she was talking about.

"Shut up!"

And, as Shouto's anger flared, the right side of his body did the same, the flame side of his quirk activating in an instant.

In an instant, Mal's entire field of vision was consumed by a brilliant flame, igniting the air like an explosion.

When Mal could finally see again, she smelled the burning of cloth and flesh in the air, looking to her left hand in wonder.

Then, the pain kicked in.

I could feel the skin of my right arm burn and char, becoming slightly cooked.

Granted, Shouto's fire was not too hot, as he was quite weak at the moment. However, it still hurt like hell.

I hissed in pain, but still held on to my friend regardless. It didn't hurt nearly as much as I thought it would, and I'll be damned if I let something like this deteriorate my relationship with Shouto.

Surging forward with adrenaline running through my veins, I practically shouted in my friend's face.

He was pale now, tears running down his cheeks in twin streams.

"I'm sorry."

"I didn't mean to."

He muttered those things while shaking his head in denial, glancing over to my burned arm and almost throwing up. I could see the motions of his throat, the bile rising up it.

"Please, Shouto. It's really not that bad. Only slightly worse than that time I burned my hand on a kitchen stove. Never cooked once after that."

"JUST TELL ME ALREADY!"

Flakes of spittle flew at the boy's face, but I was beyond caring. Shouto needed to share this with me, whether he liked it or not. I may have known everything already, but I wanted him to tell me himself, as a friend.

The boy began to shake, crying even more now. I realized that I unconsciously tightened my grip on his arms. He probably thought I was angry or something.

Therefore, I calmed down.

"Look, just tell me what's going on. We're friends, aren't we?"

I said this with the most compassionate face I could make, desperate to make my friend open up to me.

Shouto was quaking even more now, hiccuping now from his cries. He was probably feeling really guilty from burning my arms.

Well, joke's on him. I could easily regenerate that damage by killing a few bugs.

Still, he wasn't budging. I sensed that I needed to push him once more, but what could I-

Oh, that's right. The maternal route. That works, I guess. Nothing to lose at this point. Might as well do it. I thought I had established enough of a connection with Shouto to be able to do this.

Releasing his arms for an instant, I embraced the boy, cradling his head in my bosom.

We were the same height, but he was in so much shock that he was kneeling, so this worked to my advantage.

"Shh. Shh. Tou-kun. Please. I just want to know what's making you so sad. Please, I won't ever be able to relax again if I don't know…"

Something seemed to glimmer in the boy's heterochromatic eyes as he shook even more than before.

I felt something wet on my shirt. Probably tears.

Oh, it was sticky too. Snot then.

I really didn't care. If he opened up to me, then I could accept it even if he wet his pants right then and there.

I may not be a psychiatrist, but I knew that bottling up feelings of despair was never good. Therefore, I would make Shouto share his experiences with me even if it killed me.

Was it pushy?

Yes.

Did I give a shit?

No.

And then, Todoroki Shouto seemed to crack, finally breaking down.

Releasing the boy from my embrace, I listened aptly as he told me his story…

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As Todoroki Shouto walked home after his argument with Mal, he felt refreshed for the first time in years. No, the first time in his life.

While Shouto's mother had been instrumental in the upkeep of his sanity, she was a constant. She was the one who had encouraged him to be a hero, the one who comforted him when he was feeling down.

Because of Endeavor's rigid separation of Shouto from his classmates, the boy felt as if his mother was the only person he had who truly understood him.

However, now he had a new person he could entrust his secrets to.

Mal had proven to be a wonderful friend, and listened to his story with rapt attention. She did not react the way he expected her to, simply embracing him when the tale was complete.

"You've been through a lot, huh?"

She had whispered that into his ear quietly then, allowing the boy to release all his frustrations and pain in the form of his tears.

The girl had walked back home with a soggy shirt, but she didn't seem annoyed at all. She just appeared to be incredibly bitter, not talking much for the rest of their time together.

However, when she left, the girl had said to him,

"Remember, Tou-kun. No matter what, that quirk is yours, not your father's. Use your fire proudly, without any reservation, alright?"

Those were about the same thing his mother said to him a while ago, back when Endeavor's training just started.

Now Mal had understood him, she had come to the same conclusion as his mother, proving her trustworthiness.

Therefore, Shouto had taken her words to heart, and trusted his new friend more than anyone, except for his mother, of course.

Smiling merrily, the boy skipped to the dorrs of his home, even if he knew that hell awaited him there.

Soon, summer had come for me, the schoolyear passing by in a flash.

Challenging Bakugou every day, playing with Izuku, talking with Shouto. It all made for an interesting life.

Bakugou had grown to like me more and more during our daily spars, and I seemed to have gained some combat experience, even if just a little. I seemed to have a talent for such a thing.

Izuku was just Izuku, always wanting to be a hero. Even when he didn't have a quirk, the kid didn't give up, pushing forward with all of his might.

I supported him, of course, giving him pointers on his hero notes and weekly reminders to not give up. He wasn't just a manga character now. He was my friend, and I treasured him with my life.

Shouto… he was a little more complex. I let him talk with all of his issues with me, allowing him to release all of his pent up frustration and pain. After that, I gave some advice and help. We would talk about other things soon after. That was how I found out my friend idolized All Might almost as much as the other two.

Me? Not as much. There was just something about that guy that was too good. It should have been comforting, but for some reason, it wasn't… I would have to think more about that.

However, on the first day of summer break, my parents woke me up early, before my alarm could even go off.

Before I could even ask what they were going to do, I saw the bags in their hands, containing a large amount of luggage. Luggage that was for a long trip, no doubt.

As I asked my das where we were going to go, he simply smiled and said,

"The Empire."

Sorry, I didn't want to keep writing this story without doing some research.

For what I need research for…

Well, you'll see later