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« I'm fine, fine, fine, fine, fine, fine. »On a sunny day in May, Hyori was arranging her new dormitory room inside the Ultra Academy. She had been released from hospital two weeks after her rescue. Her movements were measured and she only carried light items. She was experiencing withdrawals and felt like she was going through hell for a second time. She remembered bits of her rescue day. She had been too lightheaded to walk as her morning dose of sleeping pills was still affecting her body. She remembered being carried outside and the sound of an ambulance.Besides the Hero Commission’s Vice President, she hadn’t received many visits during her detoxification in the hospital. For two weeks, she had been getting used to not relying on pills to sleep anymore. She didn’t sleep well but at least wasn’t at risk of a seizure anymore. Her limbs had stopped trembling after walking long distances and she had finally been discharged. The academy’s nurse would keep track of her recovery and she would meet the elderly woman every day after her activities.The professionals had advised her to take things slowly and her homeroom teacher was due to collect her at five in the afternoon to take her swimming. She should remain busy to get her mind off of her needs, but she shouldn’t push herself into demanding activities. Those would be detrimental by triggering her need to ease her physical pain and the fatigue could cloud her judgement. She was unable to relapse since she was confined inside the academy’s grounds but the discomfort would be heightened.She had had issues focusing in classes on top of being tired due to her recurrent sleepless nights. Every time she closed her eyes, she was taken back into the manor where she had been used under the influence. It got to the point where she couldn’t sleep until she lost consciousness due to fatigue. Her sleeping time didn’t last for more than four hours before she woke up alarmed and sweaty.Her memories of the events were spotty when she was awake but vivid during her slumber. She had nightmares of her frenzy in his arms at night, when she was under stimulants’ influence. At some point, she had resigned herself and gave up on hoping to be free again. Giving up had granted her the freedom to roam in the place void of any presence that wasn’t her jailor, even if she mostly slept in between doses. She had been able to command the multiple domestic robots that kept the place tidy and had guessed that would be her life forever.On multiple occasions, she had entertained asking for Megumi’s help but didn’t want her little sister to see her state. She wanted to improve her form and state of mind to prevent polluting the younger’s mind. She hadn’t seen the girl in over a month and thinking about meeting again was helping her.Knocking on her door interrupted her contemplation and she opened to her homeroom teacher. She was already wearing her gym clothes and binding underwear, not having partook in the afternoon physical classes. In the common spaces of the building, no one could be seen and she assumed her classmates were either training or studying.The walk to the sports grounds had been silent. As there were pupils lingering outside, she lowered her umbrella as much as possible to hide her face. She already had a reputation as the only general to have transferred in the heroic course this year, and maybe for a couple of years. She suspected her violet mane made her stand out, but at least she couldn’t see people’s eyes on her.Inside the indoor pool area, she changed into the school-sponsored swimsuit and so did her teacher, just in case he had to intervene. After stretching, she swam slowly with floating foams for a dozen minutes. She then took a five-minute break before starting again. After one hour in the waters, it was time to leave. She changed before the teacher walked her to the nurse’s office for her daily examination.Afterwards, he escorted her to the cafeteria for dinner before taking her back inside the dormitories. In the dormitories, her peers kept their distance and she avoided eye contact while the teacher escorted her into her bedroom. The routine lasted until she requested to resume her training in the nearby resort. The nurse allowed her to proceed as long as she kept her daily recovery auscultations.Hyori felt better in the resort where she used to hang out in a swimsuit and gymnastics leotards. Her physical form steadily improved over the days and the intensity of her physical sessions increased. It was far from the level it had been before the car accident and she wondered if she would be able to get back to her previous shape. She was afraid the gap between her level and the required level would eventually prevent her from remaining in the heroic program.She had been hopeful for a few weeks of activities until she stagnated. She could see her form wasn’t the same. More than the lack of training and forced feeding in her raptor’s estate, she felt bloated and heavy. Her reflection in the mirror seemed inflated and her energy levels plummeted in a matter of minutes. Her reduced performance after weeks of improvement filled her with anxiety. She felt captive of her skin which seemingly restricted her movements and even her ability to breathe.Not wanting to fall further behind, she pushed her limits during her swimming and gymnastics activities. Her reflection in the mirror showed her she had a long way to lose the weight that had been forced on her. And said weight now refused to leave. She was wearing her winter uniform despite the spring season and still looked chubby. At least from her perspective.Another thing that also refused to leave was her rapture in people’s conversations. Day by day, an article would drop with new random details. Her rescue hadn’t made headlines but the arrest of the Detnerat’s Chief Executive was the current hot topic. She assumed it was a nice distraction from the lingering chaos following the prison break.She could hear some of her classmates talk about the event one of them partook in. She compulsively browsed her laptop to check if any random blog or article had disclosed intel on her identity. She didn’t use a phone anymore since her active sim card had helped her raptors find her. Amidst the surge in delinquency that drowned the law enforcers, henchmen of the executive had hacked the hotel’s systems and found her data.Online, the press had dedicated multiple pages on the topic of the executive’s ‘love scandal’. Glossing over details like her age and the conditions of her sequestration, articles depicted a ‘desperate tycoon who raptured his belle’. They had posted pictures of the impressive manor and its gardens. They had depicted the down goose mattress topper of their shared bed, along with the silk dress she had worn on her rescue day.The topic surfaced again lately after pictures and the price of her engagement ring leaked. There had been loads of comments about the 2.11-carat million-dollar ring. Legion of people had commented how they would have loved to be in her shoes and some had expressed their disbelief that she had run away from that life. Some had been curious to see how beautiful she could be to get the man obsessed to the point of crime. Others had speculated there was a love triangle and the ‘other man’ had gained the lady’s favour.Being a minor, even emancipated, her identity was protected by default and the case hadn’t been made public. She wondered how the media got their intel. They might not have disclosed her identity and background but an eminent press magazine had given insider information on top of providing most of the estate’s picturesThe magazine had revealed that Mister Yotsubashi had known her for two years and a half, along with a precise list of his most expensive gifts. Finally, the writers explained that she had ghosted the man mere days before their first engagement date, came back into his life with the excuse of a sudden family issue, asked to postpone the engagement until the issue was solved, and even enlisted his help to solve said issue, and disappeared again months later.Hyori realised she had been portrayed as a vixen. The media hadn’t used that term but the implications were heavy. She reasoned it was for the best if they displayed the misleading image of a femme-fatale instead of the healing maiden she was in reality. Still, their discourse made her ill. Even if the glamorised version sold better than the reality would, she thought about how cruel it would be if they could have disclosed her identity.From former classmates to people on the streets, they would recognise her. The one who had known her might even add fuel with unsavoury comments. All the while, no one would listen to her version and the negative image would stigmatise her. She would have been traumatised twice. Once by being abused and the second time because of the media and public harassment.She wondered how her classmates would react if they knew she was the hot topic. Would they see the inconsistencies in the press’s narrative? Would they assume she’s playing her recovery the same way she played with her appearance in school? After all, she had lived a double life last year. Her former classmates would have so many questions she didn’t want to ever answer. And Miss Nanase. She wondered how the woman would react if she discovered the truth.Three weeks after being discharged from the hospital, Hyori woke up from yet another nightmare with tears in her eyes. The cold sweat pouring from her skin had outlined her silhouette on the bed sheets. Her hands were shaking and her legs were unsteady on her way to open the bedroom’s windows. The late May air was barely fresh enough to appease her racing heartbeats. She wanted to take a shower but feared falling in the bathroom. She was also nauseous and felt lightheaded.Feeling restrained, she exited her bedroom and slowly walked through the dark hall of the Ultra Academy’s dormitories. She chose to use the lift instead of the stairs. Arriving on the ground level, she walked out of her class’s building and walked down the street. She didn’t know where she was heading to but needed to be outside. She assumed she would be alright as long as she didn’t take any turns. The night was silent and the street lights were dim.After half an hour of walking, she arrived at the high fences of her college preparatory school. She was still restless but needed to get back into her room. She wasn’t even meant to be outside at this hour of the night, past the curfew. She didn’t want to go back inside the 2 A class’s dormitory. Instead, she walked towards the 2 C dormitories in the General Education zone. Once there, she knocked on the door but no one opened. After a minute, she circled the building towards the homeroom teacher’s window. All the buildings seemed to have the same configuration.After she knocked, the light was turned on inside and the curtains opened on a middle-aged woman. Recognising the pupil at her window, Miss Nanase exited her suite and Hyori walked back to the door. The woman opened the door Hyori’s current badge couldn’t and invited her inside her suite. She wasn’t responsible for her anymore but Hyori didn’t feel emotionally safe with her new homeroom teacher.The middle-aged woman caressed Hyori’s back as they sat on the bed.“I had the same nightmare.” Started Hyori with a small voice. “I thought I was finally doing better. It’s horrible.” The girl was crying on her former teacher’s shoulder.“Recovery isn’t linear.” Said the woman. “There are ups and downs. I’m happy you came to me instead of keeping to yourself.”The girl exhausted herself after crying for almost an hour and fell asleep in the woman’s arms.The following day, she had been excused from classes as her periods had started early in the morning. Her recent discomfort was finally explained and she hoped to feel better afterwards. The nurse had counted the episode as good news and they agreed to keep track of her periods to record any irregularities during the next four months. That reduced her interviews from once a week to twice a month, at least regarding her hormonal balance. She still had weekly interviews regarding her recovery.Another good news was the absence of a carriage. Her raptor hadn’t used protection and while she hadn’t thought of the possible consequences, of not being used to it, she felt relieved after dodging a hit she wouldn’t have seen coming. She would probably give up on herself if she had been expecting. After a long recovery, she would have been forced out of the heroic course when the nurse would have sent her to a gynaecologist in early July.Even if her menstrual symptoms impacted her recovery, she wasn’t advised to use medication to help her cramps. Instead, she had a day off of classes and would use a heating pad. The item helped her relax but it wasn’t enough for her to be operational. Not that she had done a lot during the last day. Her transfer into the heroic course had been underwhelming.~~~Mister Aizawa was clearing the absence off of Hyori’s record after receiving the infirmary’s slip. The apprentice seemed to be going through painful periods and couldn’t use pain medication due to her current condition. Earlier in the day, at the end of the first period, he had rushed to the dormitories to see if something had happened to the transferred pupil. There, she had handed the slip to him and he refrained from asking her why he only discovered it after hours.As he removed the absence, the maiden’s former homeroom teacher approached him. He hardly engaged with the staff heart-throb and immediately assumed she wanted to talk about Shinsou Hitoshi. His suspicions were proven tight when she engaged him.“Hello, Mister Aizawa. Is Shinsou feeling better?”He hadn’t expected her to know the apprentice was ill. Did everyone know she was ill but him? It couldn’t be. The class had seemed surprised she didn’t show up in the morning. The woman must have found another way. He doubted the girl told her on the phone. She wouldn’t be questioning him if the two of them could simply have called each other.“Shinsou is taking a day off from classes and should be better tomorrow.”“I see.” Replied the woman. “I hope she will soon be able to take medication for it.”Before she could leave, he halted her.“Miss Nanase, how did you know she was unwell?”“Ah~ I was there when she started feeling sick. I helped her into the nurse’s office.”“I see.”The conversation died and the general education teacher left. The heroic teacher couldn’t say he felt betrayed, but he did feel a type of way. He was at a loss with the apprentice and had to confess he wasn’t sure how to handle her anymore. She was a girl, to begin with. He supposed she had her reasons not to tell him everything but he didn’t understand why she would walk this far to receive help from another teacher.He knew she occasionally walked outside at night and didn’t worry when she went out the previous night. He assumed it was part of her recovery and let her be. In hindsight, there were a lot of things he didn’t question her about. He wondered if it was the reason she constantly left him out of the loop. He hadn’t prodded the first time and she took the freedom not to consider him. To the point she would stand him up and refuse to have him around during her recovery.He wondered if telling her he saw himself in her had been the mistake that gave her the confidence to bypass his authority. Thinking back, she had been acting that way for a long time. She only started standing him up after his confession of affection, but she already ignored his questions about her double life and quirk during the previous year’s rescue. She had even invited herself without asking anyone’s permission.He had let it slide since he already had issues to solve among his students, on top of having to care for a toddler. He let too many things slide, from her scheming attitude to her affairs with the Hero Commission. He had been in his thoughts when his friends called him for lunch. He wondered if he should confide in his former peers, turned friends and now coworkers.He didn’t have to since the blond man and the brunette woman invited him to tell what he had on his mind. Unsure of where to start from, he started with the easiest topic.“I’m not sure how to proceed with Shinsou anymore. I thought we were alike and that I could navigate her. But I think I misevaluated her.”“Is Shinsou a difficult student?” Asked Hisashi, the blond man. “The kid’s records are cleaner than any of ours when we were students.”“Shinsou is an ideal student. At least on paper. I just don’t see the drive anymore. I think I’ve been played with.”“That’s some serious supposition.” Stated Nemuri, the brunette woman. “What makes you think that?”“I’ve never gotten a full story from Shinsou. I keep discovering things or being told things by the Principal. Things that don’t happen to a normal student.”“Do you think she’s up to something shady?” Asked Hisashi, suddenly grave.“I don’t know. She was invested with the commission and vanished for weeks until someone gave intel to the commission out of nowhere. I don’t have the whole story and for once, neither does the Principal.”“Do you think she’s a threat?” Inquired Hisashi.After a few seconds, the brunette man answered. “I don’t think so. I don’t know.”“What do you know?” Asked Nemuri.“Not much. We don’t even have her birth certificate in the archives. We had her tutelage certificate, and now her identification card. We know nothing about her family. And she doesn’t even use her real name at school.” Then, he remembered. “And her quirk registration is incomplete.”“She hadn’t updated it yet?” Asked Hisashi.“She hadn’t. And I think she never will. Unless it’s classified.”“Do you want us to keep an eye on her?” Asked Nemuri.The teacher thought for a moment. He suspected Shinsou’s arrival in his class would be eventful. At some point, things might happen. He didn’t know what, when or with whom. Yet, he was sure she would disrupt the status quo one way or another. It’s the uncertainty of how it would unfold that bothered him.“I would like to, thank you.”~~~Hyori’s new class was a trauma-bonded environment. An apprentice had resigned from the heroic course and she had taken his place. Her classmates had been attached to their former peer and had rooted for him until whatever pushed the apprentice to resign. She sensed their discomfort and decided to stray from them. The feat was easy since she had been privately supervised during her first weeks of classes, and already had a schedule revolving on places outside of the academy’s grounds.On top of diverging schedules, Hyori hadn’t participated in physical lessons with the rest of her classmates. She had remained by their teachers during practical courses, taking notes. She looked more like an inspector than a pupil. She sensed discomfort and condolences from some teachers. They had heard about her efforts and knew about her rapture.She supposed the least optimistic teachers had lost hope for her now that she was suddenly too sick to attend classes. Especially Mister Yagi who carried a sense of guilt around her. She reasoned he easily felt guilty of whatever bad happened around him. Still, she was tempted to haze him per habit, and tell him not to worry about her.As she was wondering if she should resign before she was invited to, she heard knocking on her door. Looking outside, it was too early for her classmates to be done with their after-school training. Plus, they had silently agreed not to interact beyond what was polite. She assumed it was her homeroom teacher checking on her. Already in her pyjamas, Hyori climbed out of bed and opened the door. Her homeroom teacher had already seen her during her recovery sessions, after all.On the other side, her tallest classmate greeted her through his face mask. She was surprised to have a visit from a classmate but wasn’t surprised it would be this one of her peers. The masked boy occasionally observed her from the side, being two seats behind on her left. She had sensed his attention on her more than the others. Unlike the rest of the class, he didn’t look at her with curiosity. He similarly looked at her Touya’s instructors had looked at his early days of training.“Good afternoon, Shinsou.” Greeted the boy.“Good afternoon…” Replied Hyori.“Shoji”. Supplied the boy.“Good afternoon, Shoji.” Hyori corrected herself. “Are you looking for something?”The boy looked at her for a dozen seconds before stating. “You really don’t remember. I’ll let you rest.”She sensed his dejection and remained silent while he walked away. Somehow, she felt she owed him.The following day, she felt better and attended classes. She remembered one of her classmates had helped rescue her. After browsing the internet, she found the name Tentacole on an obscure blog dedicated to heteromorph heroes. From the details provided by other articles of the blog, she concluded that Shoji was the hero apprentice ‘Tentacole’.The day after, she exited the dormitories early to catch her tallest classmate on his way to classes. He exited the dormitories with another pupil, the soft-spoken one. They hadn’t walked much when she approached and asked to talk privately with Shoji. The soft-spoken peer got ahead and the remaining pair took a detour towards classes.“Thank you, Tentacole.” Said Hyori. “I don’t remember the rescue but I found out you were on the team.”“You don’t have to. I shouldn’t have disturbed you. You have been unwell lately and it seemed worse yesterday.” She sensed fulfilment from her flustered classmate. “I wanted to check on you… And tell you there are people who know the press misrepresented you. I know you have been through a lot and I’m open to being a listening ear.”Hyori felt emotional at his words. Her eyes were moist and the boy offered her tissues. Their hands brushed when she took the disposable tissue and something flashed in her mind.“Can I?” She asked as she approached her hand from his heart.The boy nodded and her palm met his accelerated heartbeat. She remembered the cadence. She had heard it on her rescue day, when she was lifted from the bed and taken into warm arms that hadn’t pried her dress off.“Are you the one who carried me?” Asked Hyori.“Yes.” Answered the boy.“Thank you.” Said Hyori as a grateful smile graced her full lips and closed her heavy lids.The two walked to class and arrived just in time. They received looks and were saved from an interrogation by the ringing bell.~~~The ringing bell announced the end of the morning classes. Hyori’s classmates filled out towards the cafeteria while she retrieved her insulated bento box from her backpack. She had resumed her habit of ordering and freezing multiple portions of meals at the nearby resort. Shoji was exiting the class with his two closest friends when he asked her if she wanted to join them.“You can still come with us even if you don’t order from the cafeteria.”“Thank you for inviting me.” Said Hyori. “But I wanted to study what I missed. You might have different plans for the break.”Then, the mutant crow announced. “You can ask the class representatives to help shed light on the obscure topics. We aren’t the most prolific theoretician.”“Thank you for the information. I’ll ask them.” Replied Hyori before they departed for the cafeteria.Alone in the classroom, she opened her meal and enjoyed a chicken and cashew hotpot complemented with mushrooms, carrots and green beans. After her meal, she put her bento box back in her backpack and opened her textbooks on the previous day’s lessons. Between her period-induced break, the tardiness of her classes’ start and the recovery weeks, she had quite a lot on her plate in terms of academic lag. On top of the lessons she missed, she had to work on her physical training which had been far from improving.She recognised she had made progress since her release from the hospital. Minus the last days on which she had experienced menstrual and premenstrual symptoms, her attention during classes had improved. Keeping her progress, she should be ready for the end-of-semester examinations. At least, she should be ready for her theoretical examinations. The practice was another story.As the lunch break came to an end, she wondered if she could ask Shoji for his help. Her schedule was already packed from nine in the morning to six in the afternoon. She could add an hour to pick up the accumulated slack, especially since she wouldn’t be able to train with Kiku until Sunday. It was in three days but it would only be once a week. She suspected she needed more to get on her class’s level.First, she needed practice on the heroic practical examinations. Besides the joint training at the end of last November, she hadn’t participated in any class training and test sessions. She had seen her classmates work during her recovery time but lacked the experience. Mister Yoroi’s dojo wasn’t the fittest to replicate the Ultra Academy exams’ settings. The place was great to practise her ribbons, though.Thinking about it, she should have her ribbons approved by her homeroom teacher. The inventor apprentice had handed her the last version of the ribbon to test and… She never handed it back. She had kept the item to exercise outside of school and doubted she was authorised to do so. At least, she had used it under the supervision of a licensed hero in the capacity of interning apprentices.Second, she would have to network for the first semester’s internships. She was still recovering during the Ultra Academy’s sports festival. Her profile has still been uploaded to the school’s database at the last minute. Still, the chances she would receive propositions were meagre. She suspected she would have better results by asking for recommendations from trusted professionals who could appreciate her abilities. Namely, she would ask Mister Yoroi for a recommendation. The man was seasoned and might know a few licensed tutors who could take her as a trainee.Hyori still had to define a career plan. Second years were expected to use their previous year's experience to identify the niche they fitted the most. By elimination, she knew she wasn't cut for fighting villains on the streets or raiding a hideout. Therefore, she wouldn't specialise in offence or defence. Rescue also seemed out of her league since she couldn't face natural disasters, which were the primary ‘nemesis’ in the Ring of Fire. She was left with recon and support. She assumed engaging in support would only be possible by identifying the kind of abilities she would help the most. As for recon, she doubted her stealth and tracking abilities.Analysing her homeroom teacher’s career, the man seemed to be a versatile offensive hero with tricks up his sleeves. He had mostly caught delinquents on the streets and partook in some rescues. The man was agile and well-versed in combat. As much as she was agile herself and had a wide margin of progression in combat, she couldn't significantly diminish her opponents. Her quirk would be better used on a single lone opponent than in a melee. She needed to catch villains alone, preferably tired and in a dark corner. She might even add inebriated, since she was being extra cautious and extra pessimistic.Unlike her teacher, her quirk required extra steps to work. She couldn’t follow his lead and needed to broaden her model list. In real life, most of her opponents wouldn’t face her in a regular ring match. And neither would she. Her best bet would probably be to catch villains before the face-off, before they even realised they were targeted. She might not be quite fitted for recon but might support a hero specialised in the field. She noted her reasoning on a reminder to have a chat with Mister Yoroi the next time she trained in his dojo. She planned on resuming the upcoming weekend.Third, Hyori was yearning to reunite with her little sister. She hadn’t seen the other girl in two months and missed her contact. She finally felt ready to be seen by Megumi and planned to leave Hakone on Friday evening. That way, she would have one more evening to spend in Tokyo. They might not be able to go out since she debated whether or not she should resume her studio activities right away. She couldn’t train for a whole day and needed to keep her studio active if she didn’t want to lose her clientele.Both of these plans required her to use her phone again. The item that helped her former visitor kidnap her. It wasn’t exactly her phone’s fault but rather her SIM card. Still, it boiled down to the same issue, since she had a phone in order to use her SIM card. She wondered if she could request a secured phone from the commission. She could power on her phone in the evening and power it off during her commute, at least to get in touch with Mister Mera. She should be safe inside her College-preparatory school walls.Hyori hadn’t been the only one to note her lack of preparations for heroic practical examinations. Her homeroom teacher had announced her technical training would be reduced by half to leave room for mock tests. She would practise the previous year’s exams to get in condition. The 1 A class had been tested on rescue versus defence, then faced their restrained teachers and finally each other in teams. The first two exercises could be done with her teacher but the third one required at least a third person.“Can I ask a classmate to help with the last exercise?” Asked Hyori. “Shoji offered to help me during his free time.”The teacher considered her words before replying.“Shoji would make a well-rounded addition to your training.” Answered the man. “We will start the first exercise next week and repeat for five days in different settings. Repetition is the Mother of learning and the Father of action. Shoji can help us with the following exercises. Feel free to tell me if someone else is willing to help you, not necessarily in the class.”“I will. Thank you.” Replied Hyori.They were about to get in position when Hyori added.“Mister Aizawa, there’s something else.”The man stopped on his track to listen.“I asked a support pupil to create a modified version of your binding cloth.” Then, she retrieved the item from her bag. “It’s a gymnastic ribbon made with your weapon’s material, or close enough.“Let’s see.” Said the teacher without questioning her.Using the ribbons was second nature for her,, from her childhood classes to her sessions in the nearby resort and her training in Mister Yoroi’s dojo. The moves she used the most were twisters. Twisters front to catch the middle section, treacherous twisters low to catch the feet and twisters high to hook herself on an elevated protruding element. The teacher noted she was far more proficient with the tool than with his binding cloth. Her gestures were precise and fast enough to catch him off guard. The feat had happened only once during the whole session but it was still a victory. In fact, it had been her first victory.Following the end of her technical training and subsequent relaxation in the nearby resort, Hyori wondered if she should look for Shoji right away or wait until the next morning. She had no idea where to look for the boy and didn't know his room number. She could ask her peers who lingered in the common living room but didn't want to undergo any kind of interrogation. Reasoning she wasn't in a hurry, she decided to wait for the following morning to approach the boy again. Just like she did earlier.Later in the evening, after taking her shower for the night, Hyori readied herself to power on her phone. With all of her regulars behind bars, except Enji, she didn’t have much to worry about. Still, she hadn’t been able to refrain her heartbeat from increasing the whole time the device had been active. She had multiple missed calls and cleared all of her notifications without reading them. She went straight to her messaging application and opened her conversation with Mister Mera.The commission’s Vice President had texted and called her a dozen times the day she disappeared. At first, he had wanted feedback on her visits to the hospital, especially regarding Touya. Later in the afternoon, he had told her Megumi was asking for her. She supposed the security agents were still knocked out at the time. Multiple phone calls had followed until later in the night. She assumed the security agents had woken up and recounted the assault. The man had resumed texting her the day after her discharge from the hospital.With shaking fingers, Hyori typed ‘Good evening, Mister Mera. I hope you are doing well. I wasn’t connected during my recovery period, thank you for your concern. In retrospect of the latest events, I was wondering if the commission could lend me a secure phone. During my rapture, I’ve been made aware my phone number had been stolen from the pension and used to track me. Waiting for your reply, I wish you a good night.’Hyori had put her phone on the side after sending her message. She couldn’t power it off immediately after texting. Even if she doubted the Vice President would answer before she fell asleep, it was still possible. She was nervously biting her lips when her phone’s notification alarm made her jump. Retrieving her phone, she unlocked the device and read an ‘ok’ as the man had replied. She added a thanking note and notified her upcoming stay at the Hero Commission’s accommodations.Powering off her phone, Hyori rose from her bed and put the device on her desk. It was a quarter before eight in the evening but she already felt like sleeping. Yet, she had a hard time closing her eyes. She had prolonged her relaxation time in the resort in order to ease herself into sleeping. She took a cold shower hoping the lowered temperature would entice her to rest, like during the winter. Still, she was unable to close her eyes. As always, she would have a hard time falling asleep and would wake up at four in the morning. Only to feel tired around eight.The following morning, she indeed woke up at four in the morning. The dormitory was still silent when she took her shower and had her breakfast. Since she didn't cook, she stacked half-litre cups of soy-based nut yoghurt for her morning meals alongside dried fruits. The mix of one cup of yoghurt and definitely more than one serving of dried fruits was usually enough to get her through the morning. She enjoyed the easy preparation and the taste wasn't bad, except the dried raisins. At some point, she had tried muesli bars but the store-bought ones were way sweeter than the muesli balls served in the pension.It was five in the morning when she heated her lunch portion and put it inside her insulated bento box. The content would be mildly warm by the lunch break but she would rather pack it when no one was around. The early hours were her favourite time of the day. There weren't any wandering eyes that might catch her. The atmosphere was serene and quiet. Once her bento box was ready and the freezer recipient was clean, she leisurely walked back inside her room to review the previous days’ lessons. An hour or so later, she packed her backpack for the day. Afterwards, she would read some nature and discovery publications while waiting for half past eight in the morning and head into the classroom.~~~On the last Saturday of May, Hyori was packing her blue baby changing bag for her trip to Tokyo. Most of her clothes were in her apartment and some were in the commission’s accommodations. Inside her bag, she had unlocked her tablet that was still on the light novel she read for Touya in the hospital. Looking at the page she stopped, she had the feeling her life had finally resumed.She felt like the ‘play’ button had just been pressed over the course of time. She was back on track and could move on as if nothing happened during the last months. She dressed in a large brown flannel overshirt and a red cap on top of her boyfriend jeans and tennis marine shoes. Her half man bun was hanging from the back opening of her cap while the bottom half of her hair fell down her back. She hadn’t had a nice esthetic make-over in a while.Hyori thought about visiting the hotel’s beauty salons. The estheticians were objectively the best she encountered since she had been out of the inner palace. They seemed even better than the ones servicing the Imperial House, probably because they used their quirks at work. She wondered if the hotel was hunting people with similar quirks or counted on their employees, or contractors, genes’ transmission.It was seven in the morning when Hyori exited her bedroom. She headed into the kitchen to retrieve a cup of yoghurt and her regular portion of dried fruits. She would eat in the train and maybe resume reading the light novel. As she put the food inside her changing bag, she noticed other people walking down the common living room stairs.Beside the homeroom teacher’s suite, the ground level was a public area with a large living room on one side, and on the other side was a kitchen, with an open dining room that could serve as a study area. The two sides were parted by stairs circling a lift. She suspected the circular shape of the stairs had been designed with the purpose of preventing people from running down them.Still, the disposition didn’t deter some people. Midoriya was idly jogging downstairs, faster than walking but not fast enough to run. He was wearing a ‘running’ shirt with jogging pants and running shoes. A few metres behind him, the spiky blond and the class representative were walking with varying levels of enthusiasm. They were similarly dressed except for the ‘running’ script on their shirts.She noticed the class representative's grey sweatpants fitted him quite well. He was her only taller classmate alongside Shoji, his quiet friend and the class’ baker. These four were her only peers obviously taller than her by at least a few centimetres. The marching trio and her exchanged greetings and they invited her to their morning run. At least, Midoriya and Lida had invited her.“Thank you for inviting me. I have to decline since I already have plans.” Replied Hyori.“No problem. You can join us any day. We go on runs at seven all week save for Sundays.” Said Midoriya before the trio departed.Hyori walked outside after them and retrieved her bike from the parking panel. She cycled towards the train station. During the train commute, she had her breakfast and resumed reading the light novel. Her reading pause wasn’t long since she was already halfway through the book. She still had half an hour left before arriving in Tokyo and decided to review her agenda.Half of her regular yoga pupils had booked the weekend’s sessions. She published her apology for the sudden absence and explained she had a medical emergency and no one to handle her studio during her forced leave. The abrupt suspension of her activities without notice had induced a loss of nearly two months of earnings since she had to refund the people who had booked.When Hyori arrived inside her residential building, she checked her mailing box for eventual complaints and found a pile of couriers. She headed inside her apartment and powered her domestic robot. After arranging her studio, she checked her couriers and found a tax residence debit notice, her annual accounts sent by the accountant's office advised by her lawyers, some ‘Get well soon’ cards received the days following her apology, bills and numerous letters from a certain Hanabata Koku.Looking at the time, she decided to read the letters after her classes. Her pupils started arriving a dozen minutes later. They expressed how worried they had been when she posted her apology and how relieved they were to find her well. She had thanked them for their support and the class uneventfully unravelled. At the end of the classes, she wished her pupils away and commanded her robot to clean the living room.While the robot worked, she opened the letters she had put in the dining room, starting from the oldest. She had received the courier the week following her discharge from the hospital. Her head was spinning as she read the content and had to sit at the dining table. She had received a letter from a man pretending to be her Father who hadn’t known about her existence until he saw her under influence in Mister Yotsubashi’s company.Apparently, he had recognised the similarities with her Mother and hired a detective who confirmed him she was Shinsou Hina’s daughter, born half a year after their separation. Once he had the confirmation, he arranged with the police to help her rescue. He had stated not having been correct with her Mother but couldn’t get out of his head the idea he hadn’t been given a chance to be her Father. The man left his phone number and pried her to hear him out just once.The letter alarmed her and she opened the others. He didn’t elaborate on the supposed story with her Mother but asked how her recovery was unfolding. He wanted her to reply to him. He wanted to see her. The other couriers were family pictures depicting her young Mother, sometimes with a woman sharing an uncanny resemblance with her, sometimes with an elderly man and a few with a brunette man. The other woman was taller than her Mother and had shorter hair. She was also bigger beside her svelte Mother. The elderly man had loose greying curls and a moustache. He seemed to treasure both her Mother and the other woman. The brunette man sported glasses with slicked-back wavy curls and a burgeoning moustache.Hyori didn’t want to meet that man. For all she knew, he was an obsessive dejected lover of her Mother and was ill-intentioned. Then, she felt horrified the letter had been delivered to her mailing box. Whoever was that man had her address and could show up at any time. The girl powered on her phone and browsed through her security camera's history. Apart from Mister Yotsubashi entering her apartment using her keys, she hadn’t seen anything when she browsed earlier and didn’t see anything new. Yet, she couldn’t shake the feeling of unsafety that gripped her.On top of having her address, the man had seen her in Mister Yotsubashi’s company. Meaning he was familiar enough with the man to be invited at his place, unless she had been taken out and didn’t remember. She wondered if it could be a ploy from the dejected man to get at her, whether the letters were true or not. With shaking fingers, Hyori typed the man’s name on a search engine and found he was the leader of a political party under law enforcement’s scrutiny. According to the press, he had ceased all activities last month and dissolved his party. Some supposed it was a manoeuvre to hide from justice.Hyori promptly texted the Hero Commission’s vice President to let him know what she discovered. Afterwards, she promptly exited her apartment and rushed to Mister Yoroi’s dojo without even changing out of her yoga attire. She simply put on her overshirt, shoes and cap after stuffing the letters in her blue baby changing bag. She would ask to take her lunch there since she didn’t feel safe at her place anymore. During the commute by bus, she received a call from Mister Mera who asked her to call him back once she arrived at her destination.Her former high school classmate had welcomed her into the dojo and asked her if she had an issue. Hyori assumed she looked panicked on top of having disappeared for two months. She didn’t answer his questions and instead asked if his Granduncle was in the place. Kiku answered that the hero was present but would leave in a couple of hours. He was about to walk out of the room, to get the headmaster, when Hyori held him back. She sensed his confusion and subsequent understanding of her fear. He took her inside the private area of the dojo where Mister Yoroi welcomed her with surprise.She recounted to him the events following the end of her classes and they called Mister Mera together. The latter confirmed the commission had received the help of Mister Hanabata to rescue her. Yet, they didn’t have intel to judge whether or not the man was lying to her. Regarding her safety concerns, the Vice President doubted Mister Yotsubashi’s vassals would harm her as long as his trial was still ongoing with a hearing somewhere in the summer.“Does it mean he could be released?” Asked Hyori, afraid of the answer.“It means he can get a grace period instead of remaining in custody. Of course with a restraining order and a ban from exercising executive functions.” Replied Mister Mera.“It won’t stop him.” Said Hyori.She remembered the fever that possessed the man when he loved her. A piece of paper wouldn’t stop him from trying to make her his. Being evicted from his position might even give him more time to track her again. He had to remain under custody or she wouldn't feel safe anymore.“His criminal records are clean, so far. He has great chances to get away. I suggest keeping that conversation for later in the accommodations. Mister Yoroi, I count on you to take her into the accommodations.” Stated the Vice President.The hero agreed and the Vice President hung up. Hyori was stunned. She obviously wasn’t in condition to train and Mister Yoroi offered to escort her right away before his shift. Her ears were ringing when Kiku wished her goodbye and the trip to the Hero Commissions’ Accommodations felt distant. Mister Yoroi felt obliged to leave her in Mister Mera’s company before departing. He took her inside the waiting room and remained by her side until they could enter the Vice President’s office.“Like I said, Mister Yotsubashi is in a favourable position to get the lesser sentence. Unless we can frame him for a heavier offence. We suspect him of leading a terrorist group but we can’t prove anything. His home was empty of incriminating evidence and we can’t raid his office or other properties. We need an insider to give us intel and believe Mister Hanabata to possess such intel.” Announced the Vice President.“You want me to get that intel from him.” Suggested Hyori.“More than that. We want you to make him testify.” Countered the man.Hyori ran a hand through her hair. She couldn’t believe what she was hearing.“Even if what he confessed to you might not be completely true, he still sat a long-time partner in a trap for your sake. He hadn’t been cooperative beyond your rescue but I think you can push him further.” Reasoned the man.Too tired and numb to argue, Hyori accepted his offer and the man handed her a small phone. The device was secured and all she needed was to put her SIM card inside. They called Mister Hanabata who picked up the phone on the second ringtone and arranged a meeting for the very afternoon. The man agreed to meet inside the commission’s headquarters. Hyori, Mister Mera and security agents had waited for him on the twenty-seventh. Mister Hanabata had arrived a quarter earlier and was escorted into the guest’s salon.Her alleged Father had been emotional upon meeting her. He recounted to her how he met her Mother. She was the daughter of his Father’s favourite singer. He instantly fell in love with the teenager he first saw at his parents’ wedding anniversary. She had been young and easily charmed at the time, but their relationship didn’t fare well since he was already engaged in a more politically advantageous marriage. He hadn’t known she was expecting when they broke up.He still thought about her Mother and that’s probably the reason he immediately recognised her in Hyori. He recognised the woman he loved the most and saw bits of the other women of his life, namely the condition she shared with his Mother as they both suffered albinism, along with the voluminous curls and the tall stature that ran in his family.When he saw her half-conscious during a dinner in the Yotsubashi residence, her raptor had rejoiced that she was getting used to the medication and became cooperative. He knew it was a matter of time before the crazed man destroyed her for good. Once the detective had connected the dots, her rescue had been his primary goal. She had become the most important person of his life even if she didn’t know him.Hyori was processing the information. She didn’t want to play family with a stranger, especially someone with such dangerous partners. Yet, she didn’t sense any malicious intentions from him. Her head was messed up.“Why?” Asked Hyori. “Why now? Why are you here?”“Because I love you. I’m your Father.” Replied Mister Hanabata.She couldn’t believe him. She didn’t want to believe him. What did it mean for her Mother? Did she send her into that pension knowing she had a Father? Did she let the Emperor torture her knowing there were other options? She had even more questions and wasn’t ready to face their answers.At the end of the meeting, Hyori told the man she needed some time to process his confession. He agreed to leave her time and left feeling disappointed. She sensed understanding on his part but also that he had hoped for a warmer reaction. The Vice President asked her to consider again before escorting her inside the accommodations. He told her that Megumi would return later after cram school. She had been put on school support to cover the lessons she hadn’t received last year.While waiting for the girl, Hyori decided to order dinner from one of their favourite restaurants. Since she hadn’t eaten all the time she had been in Tokyo, she ordered a few sides to snack on them. Looking around, the bedroom was tidy and she noticed a few new things. There were mostly new decorations and clothes inside the drawers.Finally, Megumi arrived and looked at her with incredulity in her eyes. Their instincts had been to fall into each other’s arms but the younger one held herself back. Hyori had remained forbidden while her little sister kept her distance.“When did you arrive?” Asked Megumi.“A couple of hours ago.“I see you have been to your studio.” Accused the younger one.“I did. I reopened this morning and-”“And you didn’t think about visiting me first. Of course, since you didn’t think about letting me see you after your discharge.”“I didn’t mean to push you away. I wasn’t in a good place... I didn’t want you to see me at my lowest.”“But you get to see me however you want.”Hyori sensed her eroded trust.“Did you even think about me? Or did you stop by because I’m on the way to your affairs?”“I thought about you every day.”Hyori took a step forward and Megumi took a step back.“I guessed you thought more about other things, then.” The girl beelined past her to leave her backpack on her desk and opened her drawer.“I’m going for a shower.” She said. “I would rather have you wait here to take yours.”She exited the cubicle and Hyori had to sit down to process what just happened. Her little sister was upset and she didn’t know how to appease her, her quirk aside. She refused to force the youngest into forgiving her and waited for her shower. When she returned inside the cubicle after her shower, Megumi was already in bed and hadn’t eaten her portion of the dinner.“I already dined out.” Informed the girl.Hoping for the statement to be true, Hyori ate both portions and exited the cubicle to put the empty packs in the trash bins by the main hall. Back inside, the little one had left her a spot on the bed and she climbed on her side. During the night, they hadn’t hugged or even gravitated closer. The following morning, they were still far apart and Megumi’s pillow was lying between them.~~~While Hyori had been hosted in the Hero Commission’s accommodations, her second class representative had knocked on her door to add her phone number to the class’s chat. Their new classmate had started classes nearly one month late. They hadn’t expected to see Shinsou ever again until Midoriya saw the name on the door instead of Aoyama Yuga’s name. They had kept their former classmate’s sticker on the door as a reminder he had been there.They had made wild guesses for the apprentice’s sudden disappearance. Some had thought the general education pupil had home issues, had been ill or chickened out before somewhat regaining courage. They had little intel to make solid guesses and had looked forward to what the student would have to say. To their surprise, Shinsou didn’t say anything and didn’t even attend the afternoon physical classes.They had concluded the student had been severely ill upon seeing their homeroom teacher escort Shinsou back and forth to the dormitories. The newcomer looked out of shape and had been slow during these times, on top of looking even paler than usual. When Mister Aizawa stopped taking the students in and out, they assumed they were finally going to properly welcome their new peer but it seemed it wasn’t yet the case.They barely saw their classmates and might have casted the new apprentice as a collective hallucination if they didn’t see the violet hair in class. Shoji had seemed to have information concerning their new classmate but stated it wasn’t his story to tell. They collectively decided to let their classmate, which was easy thanks to their packed schedule and later the preparations for the examinations.Their interest had spiked again when they had seen Shinsou arrive in class with Shoji, earlier during the week. Kouda, their quietest classmate, had told them Shinsou asked for a private talk with Shoji. They were eager to hear more but that never happened. Their new classmate never made a move towards them and they collectively decided to wait again, at least, the ones still engaged decided to keep on waiting. Bakugo, their most abrasive classmate, was already fed up. Todoroki, their stern classmate, sided with the latter.Their remaining peers were open but not very hopeful. Which left Momo and Lida keeping an eye on their new classmates. They assumed it would be weird to single the newcomer out and guessed their tight-knit didn’t leave much room for someone new. They knew their class would need some time to adjust to a new student after their friend resigned. Momo suspected they were trying to fill the void but supposed it wasn’t a bad thing.They had been hopeful again when Shinsou started getting closer to Shoji and thought it was a good time to approach their new classmate again. That was the reason they had marched toward the door with Shinsou’s name on it and knocked. They didn’t receive any response and tried again in the afternoon. They opted to wait for the curfew but still didn’t receive any response.They approached Shoji who arrived back from an afternoon patrol to ask him if Shinsou told him any plans for the day. The tall heteromorph was clueless and after asking their other classmates, they deduced Shinsou had left for an early morning errand and hadn’t been seen ever since. They didn’t have their classmate’s phone number and Momo was already thinking about the worst.Their class had been targeted by villains on multiple occasions. It wasn’t impossible Shinsou had been attacked, especially with the still high crime levels. With their homeroom teacher probably busy with his toddler on a day off, they were reluctant to ring the man to deliver him bad news. Midoriya suggested they start looking for Shinsou in the school grounds and after an hour, they had been forced to conclude the student was nowhere near.To gain time, they parted in teams with their recon-oriented peers searching the nearby city of Yugawara while the other would search the neighbouring forest and Gotemba. I was already ten in the evening when they had been forced yet again to admit their classmate had disappeared. This time, the class was worried and feared not letting the police be aware sooner had drastically diminished their chances to find Shinsou safe and sound.Lida called their homeroom teacher to deliver him the news, only for Mister Aizawa to tell them Shinsou had the Principal’s permission to travel to Tokyo and had a signed slip for the weekend. Bakugou had figuratively exploded and stomped inside his bedroom. A good portion of the class felt peeved or dumb following the emotional roller-coaster they experienced. As she made her way to her bedroom, Momo decided she would get her classmate’s phone number to avoid a repeat of the previous hours. Nothing had happened on that day, but something had definitely happened earlier this year and put Shinsou into a long recovery.Later, Hyori would remember for a long time the ‘welcome back home’ she received on Sunday evening after her trip to Tokyo. She had come back earlier since the tension was still present between Megumi and herself, only exchanging by phone texts. When she arrived inside the building at seven in the afternoon, she had interrupted her classmates’ Sunday late afternoon movie rituals.They were still setting the living room up and greeted her with interrogations, mainly from the class representatives. It had been her first time being scolded “for her safety” in years and she hadn’t enjoyed the experience. She had declined the offer to watch the movie with them and headed straight into her bedroom after giving her phone number to the second class representative.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

« Ah, ooh-la-la-la, I like it! »The windows of the Ultra Academy's dormitories were open to let the evening wind flow in the space. Summer was approaching and leaving the windows open during the day made the air uncomfortable. The buildings were equipped with air conditioning but the inhabitants didn't want to waste energy they could save with little gestures. Thus, they let the windows and curtains close during the day, opening them after sunset to let the cooler wind in.Inside her bedroom, Hyori was busy browsing the internet on her computer. Following her meeting with Mister Hanabata, the commission Vice President had met with the man again and the former politician agreed to testify against his long-term partner. Another case would be opened and was likely to induce a life-long sentence for her raptor and presumed terrorist. She knew the man who had announced to be her Father would get a lighter sentence for cooperating and didn't know if she should be grateful.Parts of her wanted to thank him but greater parts of her suspected he would have done none of it for a random girl. The former politician had turned against his old companions for his daughter's sake. If it hadn't been her, he would have found a reason to let her remain inside her golden cage. Another maiden would still be inside the manor and the executive would still be free to menace society, as if there wasn't enough unrest already.The short talk with the man had been intense and she had a lot of unanswered questions. Until now, she had never thought about an eventual family longing for her. All her childhood revolved around the Women's area of the Inner Palace. The Empress Dowager was a Grandmother for her and the Emperor had been a paternal figure until he crossed the line.Surrounded by her Mother's love and the Imperial House's affection, then finding a sister in Megumi, she hadn't felt a void in her life she needed to fill. Yet, after the meeting, she was curious about who her family could be. She supposed the rocky situation she experienced in her relationship with Megumi affected her will to connect with her family.Hyori didn't want to entertain Mister Hanabata but the other woman in her Mother's pictures had drawn her attention. If the man's story was true, she should be a singer. The teen girl was now looking for independent information and indeed found an opera singer named Shinsou Hime. The woman looked in her fifties and sometimes gave Lunar New Year concerts in China, precisely in Beijing. Her social media were private and Hyori assumed it was normal for a woman of her status not to make herself available for everyone. She supposed she could send a courier to the Mei Lanfang Grand Theatre where her supposed Grandmother performed earlier this year.What was she supposed to write? She could write about her encounter with Mister Hanabata and would know for good if the man lied based on the answer. Should she add pictures? She could take pictures of her current self and see if the woman reacted to them. Unsure of how to proceed, she opened her mailing box to mail her lawyers. At this point, they were the only trusted adults who knew her background. She might ask Miss Nanase for her input. Probably after hearing her lawyers.Her mailing web page opened on several unread messages. Among commercial emails, her accountant had sent her the numeric copies of her annual reports. She also received a message from her lawyers regarding her matrimonial status. Curious, she opened the message received a few days after her abduction. Her lawyers had been contacted by Mister Yotsubashi's lawyers to announce their engagement. After congratulating her, they advised her to let them assist her prenuptial agreement and wished her the best.Hyori didn't remember having signed any agreement and was surprised by the mail. She hadn't had access to her phone at the time and hadn't checked her messages until now. Could she be legally married without knowing so? She's sure she hadn't been able to sign anything when she was subdued by sleeping pills. And she didn't remember signing anything during the short times she had been fully awake.She remembered the forced feeding during the first days until she complied. She remembered wandering aimlessly in the property under the watchful eyes of security robots. The place had been void of anyone save for herself and the owner. During most afternoons, after sleeping the morning pills off, she had witnessed domestic robots do all the chores and tending to the gardens.Hyori wondered if the man had always lived only surrounded by robots, or if it was a ploy to mess with her head by depriving her of any human contact that wasn't him. Then, she remembered how he stated his home was empty and silent. He had probably always lived like that and it wasn't a wonder why he had mood swings.Casting her thoughts about the man aside, Hyori replied to the mail stating her engagement had fallen through. Afterwards, she opened a new conversation and enquired if they could help her contact her presumed Grandmother. She added the highlights of Mister Hanabata's confession for context and closed her tabs before powering her computer off.The numeric clock had read twelve past eight in the evening before the screen blacked out. Not feeling quite tired, she decided to head into Shoji's room since the boy was probably still awake at this hour. Most of her peers were awake either doing their homework or retired in their bedrooms. She changed her sleeping bra for a minimiser and added a marine sleeping Kimono vest on top of her grey pyjama.Hyori exited her bedroom and noticed the walls were better insulated than the doors. Inside her room, she hadn't heard the muffled music coming from... Mineta's rooms. The unsavoury sticker where she read his name was creepy and she felt haunted since it was the first door she would see upon arriving on the floor where she lived. She walked two levels up the stairs and arrived before Shoji's door, the first on the right. The boy opened a few seconds after she knocked and welcomed her inside.He was already in his pyjamas and Hyori was glad her friend had a day off now that she wanted company. He was one of the drafted pupils who patrolled Yugawara at night to face the rising crime levels. Apparently, she wasn't the only one glad for the boy's presence since Kouda, his quiet friend, was already inside with a bunny on his lap."Are you having trouble falling asleep? I noticed you looked off since your return from Tokyo." Asked the boy.Hyori sat on a cushion on the floor, beside his friend."The weekend had been more eventful than expected." She confessed.Kouda offered to let her pet his bunny, stating it felt therapeutic. Hyori agreed and caressed the small animal on his lap. The bunny was soft under her touch and strangely bony. She couldn't remember having ever petted such a docile animal and the sensation was new to her. The petite body's flesh was softer than men's and she felt the bones more. Feeling the pliant body was strange and Hyori wondered if her visitors had felt the same with her. She knew girls' and women's flesh was softer than boys' and men's. She wondered if her visitors had been pleased simply by holding and moving her around at will.Hyori abruptly halted her thoughts' track and retrieved her hand from the small animal. Kouda had whispered reassurances in the bunny's ears while Shoji addressed her."Would you rather go on a walk? It's past curfew so we won't be able to go further than the kitchen.""Thank you... Yes, let's walk." Replied Hyori.Kouda excused himself and walked out ahead, stating he was going to bed. On his way out, she sensed embarrassment and felt sorry for disturbing the pet. Then, a slight tension evaporated from the room. She suspected she was the cause of it since the quiet boy wasn't used to her.Shoji and Hyori leisurely walked downstairs until they entered the kitchen. The common area had been empty and already dark prior to their entrance. The boy opened the fridge and offered some warm milk to help her. She let him heat flavoured milk in the microwave and they both enjoyed the beverage."Thank you." Said Hyori before asking. "How do you manage the groceries?""We have a weekly list for dinner and purchase what we personally need on the side." Replied Shoji."Does it mean you take your dinner together?""Mostly. Sato and Bakugo are responsible for dinner and the rest of us assist them.""I see." Said Hyori while downing her cup.They remained in silence for a few minutes until Shoji offered to wash their cups. Hyori didn't want to go to her bedroom. She dreaded being alone there. She hadn't properly slept with her little sister in Tokyo and suddenly felt cold in the early June night. The duo finally walked out of the kitchen at the lad's initiative.They had arrived at her floor when she stopped him on his way upstairs. She wanted to ask him if she could spend the night in his room. Yet, the words were stuck behind her lips. There was no proper way of asking without sounding promiscuous. Not wanting to give the wrong idea, she settled for wishing him good night and headed inside her bedroom.The following morning, she received a message from her lawyers advising her to request detective services for enquiring her Grandmother's assets and spending history. Chinese law mandates people to take care of their elders and she should be cautious before approaching the woman. Especially since her filiation with Mister Hanabata would be established, a procedure the man could one-sidedly enact.Also, Mister Yotsubashi had added her as his beneficiary following their common-law marriage. They had been living together and presented as engaged until he was arrested. Since none of them had filed for divorce, they were still an item and she should be careful with who approached her. They even advised her to visit the man in custody. The message sounded absurd.It reminded her of how they had advised her to sign regular cheques for Megumi instead of giving parts of her funds away. The implication that her little sister wasn't genuine had rubbed her the wrong way. In the end, they hadn't been able to deter her from giving a year's worth of hosting to Megumi. The younger teen would receive a monthly interest on the savings until she fully gained access to the gift at twenty-one.This time around, she had to admit she didn't know her Grandmother or what had happened with her Mother. The latter never talked about her family and Hyori supposed she had her reasons. She could understand their worry and was starting to doubt herself. Wouldn't her Mother have talked about her Grandmother more often if she wanted them to ever meet?Her lawyers also advised her to play along with Mister Yotsubashi's narrative that they were engaged. She still had the ring and all the gifts he offered but that didn't give him the right to abduct her. Hadn't her lawyers read the news or were they just trying to get the most out of the situation? The more she made money, the more she had to pay them and their clique of accountants for their services. She suspected they wanted her to keep affiliations with the former executive and she was wondering whether or not she should find new lawyers.What could even be the implications of her current legal status? She wondered if she should cross 'married' on the official documents she filled. Did that mean she would have to cross 'divorced' when everything was over? If so, when would it be over?In the end, Hyori decided not to act and chose to let things unfold. She couldn't stop Mister Hanabata from legally claiming her as a daughter if he hadn't already done so. She didn't have to worry about Mister Yotsubashi since he would soon have bigger issues than sequestering his fiancee. Concerning her Grandmother, she would wait to get in touch with her Mother. She had many questions for the woman who raised her before sending her hosting in hotels.On her way to classes, Hyori made a detour by the school's cafeteria to purchase flavoured milk. She instantly felt better sipping through the straw. The cool and thick drink had easily run down her throat and the peach flavour had remained on her tongue through the morning classes.~~~Hyori's first week of examination training fared quite well. She had been tested on rescue and defence against her homeroom teacher, switching between Shoji and Kouda as her teammate or opponent. They had been able to make four combinations of two teams and she would face her teacher alone on Friday. With two victories so far, she had more aptitudes with defence than with rescue. She hadn't been able to use her quirk a lot and her ribbons had helped keep the rescue teams at bay.Shoji was seasoned and she felt he did most of the work. She had had the best personal results working with Kouda. Paired with Shoji, she had let him take the lead whereas she assumed that role with her quiet partner. The latter was timid even on the field and she had used her quirk to subdue his nerves. Her classmate had thanked her and her teacher had positively evaluated her support and cooperation.At the time, she did it on autopilot to maximise her chances of coming on top against her homeroom teacher. Usually, she was careful with how she used her quirk and honed her 'focus-inducing' skills on children. Yet, the boy was still left with an emotional imprint. She sensed it in the longing gaze he would occasionally send her after practice or during classes. His shyness prevented him from being obvious but didn't hide his intentions from her quirk-powered perception.She might have slipped during the practice unless the boy was already interested from the start. She wondered if she had to distance herself from him. Lingering around him while remaining inaccessible was a recipe for feeding his interest. Yet, she couldn't disappear from his line of sight. He was sitting three seats behind her, the first row on her left. Even if he couldn't look at her without giving the impression he was daydreaming during classes, she was only a side glance away and irremediably in his peripheral vision.Ghosting Kouda would also induce fewer interactions with Shoji. They were often together and she couldn't ask Kouda to leave every time she wanted to hang with Shoji. That would be suspicious and probably give the wrong idea. Especially to Shoji who had seemingly grown attached to her. She had assumed it was normal since he had rescued her. But if she started asking to see him alone, his feelings might be affected.She wondered if Kouda knew she was a girl. So far, only Mister Aizawa and Shoji had seen her in a natural state. Her homeroom teacher had supervised parts of her recovery swimming exercises. Her tallest classmate had seen her in a sleeping gown during her rescue. If Kouda was under the impression she was a boy, telling him the truth might blow his feelings off. Unless he was interested in both boys and girls. Plus, she couldn't tell him so out of the blue.Then again, her quiet classmate hadn't made any move and might even consider letting his feelings die with time. A crush he didn't act on was a crush that would eventually fade away. It seemed she didn't have much choice other than playing oblivious, hoping he would never try to be other than friends with her. At least not in the academy where they would see each other every day.So far, he had kept a safe distance and didn't talk unless prompted by his friend or Hyori herself. Shoji was the only reason they even interacted. The tallest animated most of their short-lived discussions while the other would only stare at her when she wasn't looking, which was most of the time. Growing familiar with his mind, she could tell when he was staring. The thread of her quirk would tickle her ability to daze him.Candid gestures like adjusting her man bun before practice or gliding her hand down her neck would be followed by the tell-tale buzzing of a potential connection. She wondered if he was a daydreamer or if he was naturally able to stare without getting lost in thoughts. Anyway, his new-found habit wasn't good for his studies and he had been called out by their teachers on multiple occasions.Their classmates had noticed and some questioned him when the bell rang and signalled lunch break, on Friday. He replied he was anxious for the upcoming examinations and most of their peers had reassured him. Hyori had forgotten about the bonus pupil until the shadow crow boldly voiced out loud an unsolicited opinion."Kouda started being off since helping Shinsou with the mock examination. Could it be related?"The concerned boy had been flustered."I feel evaluated as well, yes. But I appreciate the experience. I'm just naturally nervous, unlike Shoji."The pink-haired girl perked at the revelation while some classmates expressed varying levels of surprise at the knowledge they could use mock examinations before tests. Mina, a girl of average height with pink curly hair crowning her face and yellow crooked horns, voiced how she might need some "after the previous year's fiasco". The blond on her left nodded in agreement and the girl's gold irises had focused on Hyori when she asked."Can I also get into the mock examination program?""It's not up to me to decide." Had replied Hyori.Mina rose from her seat to stand right in her face. Black pupils met white ones, gold irises met lavender ones and black sclera met white."Come on! How come they get to practise with you but I can't? How can I get in?" She insisted."I think only the most experienced can. Shoji helps heroes almost every day and Kouda is often patrolling with his mentor. I think the mock examinations are set up to help Shinsou." Intervened the second class representative.Then, she addressed Hyori "Am I right?"Yaoyorozu Momo, the second class representative, was a tall girl with an oval-shaped face. Her shiny and pine-straight black hair was pulled in a high ponytail whose ends tickled her slim waistline, highlighting her elongated figure. Her black irises were genuine and stared from her almond-shaped eyes."Yes, you are right. Mister Aizawa takes the decision." Had replied Hyori under the whole class's attention.Her teacher had advised her to enlist other classmates for the third week of mock examinations. She planned on asking Shoji to recommend her classmates and talk to them directly. Having the whole class know wasn't part of the plan but that wouldn't change her stance. Stressing the teacher's role was a way to refrain her classmates from pressing the issue. She had thought the topic was closed until the frog girl voiced her opinion."Is your absence during the first weeks the cause of the special treatment? Is that why you went to Tokyo last week?" Then, she added. "I'm just curious."Hyori sensed the girl with long green hair had wanted to ask her questions for a long time, judging by the expectation that leaked from her. She didn't want to answer the question. The choice of words had rubbed her the wrong way. Slowly, she started to put her belongings inside her backpack while countering."What could be the link between the mock examination and my trip to Tokyo?""I didn't mean it like that." The green-haired girl searched for her words. "I meant to ask if your absence at the beginning of the semester was linked to your trip to Tokyo."Hyori noticed she was nervous and had dropped parts of her question. Thankfully, she had dropped the part she couldn't circumvent without lying. Her backpack was done when she easily answered."It wasn't linked." Then, she rose from her seat and exited the class.Hyori walked down the opposite side of the cafeteria while her classmates rushed out of class for lunch. She had turned on her heels at the end of the hall and walked back inside the classroom. Her classmates had left and she finally could enjoy her lunch.Later at six in the afternoon, Hyori's last mock session of the week ended and she planned to relax in the nearby resort. She had managed to come on top of her restrained homeroom teacher on the defence exercise. She was putting her belongings away when Mister Aizawa interrogated her."I noticed Kouda had lagged when facing you. Do you have an idea why?"Hyori had a precise idea of why her classmate had issues facing her."I think it's because I used my quirk to help him. His mind associates me with a teammate and I guess it makes him less combative against me.""Is it permanent?" Enquired the teacher."I don't think so." Replied the girl.The teacher considered her statement for dozens of seconds before he talked again."The rescued girl you used your quirk on is still affected. I'm glad she doesn't have nocturnal terrors anymore, it was the goal. But I noticed, she's now fond of rose-scented items and she grooms her hair before bed the way you showed her. Is he going to be affected for months as well?""I'm not sure. There is a habit component at play. Keeping using rose-scented lotion and grooming her hair probably reinforced the experience.""Does it mean Kouda would remain influenced if he keeps working with you?""Maybe."The teacher sighed before concluding."I'll let the principal know and we will decide the course of action. In the meantime, I won't let him participate in the mock examination anymore."Afterwards, Hyori exited the Unforeseen Simulation grounds while the teacher powered the facility off.When she entered the dormitory building after refreshing in the nearby resort, a few of her classmates were sitting at the dining table, playing some card game. Namely, the two class representatives, the green-haired girl, the short brunette girl, Midoriya and Enji's son. Hyori was glad he wasn't the spitting image of his Father. She was walking upstairs towards her bedroom when Asui, the green-haired girl, halted her on her way."I wanted to present to you my excuses if I offended you earlier in class. I didn't mean to imply you were favoured.""It's fine. I was unnecessarily defensive." Replied Hyori.Wanting to end the discussion, she was turning back to walk further ahead when the brunette girl addressed her."Would you like to play with us? We are going to help Sato with tonight's dinner. Maybe you can help us and we could make something you would like? It would be a nice break after your mock exams.""Maybe not tonight. I already have plans." Replied Hyori."In your bedroom?" Enquired the class representative, more surprised than anything else. "It's not recommended to eat inside the bedrooms." Said the lad with wild hand motions."I'm not going to eat inside my bedroom. I never did." Reassured Hyori before excusing herself.The moment had been awkward and she hoped she hadn't been impolite towards her peers. Time was a luxury for her and she was in a hurry.For the second week of mock examinations, she would face restrained teachers who had volunteered to evaluate her abilities. So far, only the second-year heroic homeroom teachers had seen her on the field. Of course, Principal Nezu volunteered to evaluate her abilities. She suspected the chimaera had established a devious scheme to push her to the maximum of her physical and mostly mental abilities.Mister Ishiyama, Inui and Honenuki had also enlisted their help alongside Miss Kurose. She assumed her teacher suspected the artificial vocal cords covering her nose would give her an edge over Miss Kayama's quirk. Also, she noticed she wouldn't face a teacher she had already held under her quirk, namely Mister Yamada or Kan. She wondered if her teacher or the Principal thought her quirk could have long-term effects.With the second mock examination week's agenda in mind, Hyori left Hakone on Friday evening. She intended to spend the weekend in Mister Yoroi's dojo. The man had agreed to host her for her stay. The place was quiet and she assumed she would be able to focus the best there. Plus, she hoped the elderly hero would provide some last-minute enlightenment before she faced her teachers.With the master being the most available early in the morning, she didn't have much choice and had to leave on Friday unless she wanted to take a train the following day at four in the morning. Arriving at the dojo on Friday around nine in the evening was better than waking up on Saturday at three in the morning. She had packed extra gym clothes even though she knew the dojo offered training clothes. She would feel better with her own clothes underneath.Once her bag was ready, she put a long brown outerwear and a cap on top of a coral blouse and cream-coloured straight-legged pants. She completed her look with a pair of tennis shoes before exiting her bedroom and locking the door. Her bedside clock had read half past five when she left with her blue baby changing bag. In the living area, Momo and Asui were dressing the table. She assumed the others were inside the kitchen and would soon carry the pots to the dining table."Are you leaving for Tokyo?" Asked the second class representative.Momo's black irises were going up and down Hyori's bag and lilac eyes."Yes, I am." Replied the violet-haired."Are you going to spend all your weekends in Tokyo?" Enquired Asui as she put a water carafe on the table."Yes, I will." Confessed Hyori.Silence overcame the short conversation and the violet assumed it was time to go. She wanted to retrieve a cup of yoghurt from the kitchen but decided against it since more of her classmates were probably inside said room. She would take something at the train station.~~~Hyori had barely enough time to take a shower before the diner at eight in the evening. She was wearing a blue sleeping Yukata with a long open marine robe on top. She silently ate in a small dining room with Mister Yoroi and Kiku. The home's master finished first and excused himself from the table, leaving the youngsters to clean. They agreed for Kiku to fill the dishwasher and put things in place while Hyori wiped the table and arranged the tablecloth with the decorations."Thank you for helping." Said the lad."You are welcome. It's the least I could do as a guest." Replied the girl."I wanted to ask what you are doing with the commission... I met your cousin who is enrolled into the Ultra Academy. He said you were homeschooled and reclusive. But when I saw you last year, you were different from expected. I didn't even expect to see you and surely not under those circumstances. It's a good thing you are doing better! I'm just perplexed."Hyori thought for a moment before answering."Let's say I was in a dire situation and the commission helped me out. I kind of owe them and help keep an eye on some of their recruits as a payback.""Isn't it dangerous? You disappeared for weeks and my Granduncle mentioned your rescue. He hadn't given details but I guess it's linked to your activities?" Added Kiku."My rescue was linked to my previous situation, before the commission. It's in the past and I should be safe from now on." Assured Hyori."Then why do you seem on edge?" Countered the boy. "I saw your wariness in the early days. You are fixated on your martial technique evolution. I can see you are reluctant to go to bed. Are you afraid?""Are you a mind reader?" Defended Hyori."I'm not. I just pay attention to you." Confessed Kiku."Why?""Don't make me say it. I'm not ready and I know you aren't."Hyori hesitated under his unwavering eyes before giving in."I think I'm a little disturbed. I probably miss my family. I've been apart for a long time."There was obviously more than that but the answer was satisfying enough for the boy."You can sleep in my room if it can help. If you feel lonely, can having someone close help? I can carry your mattress so you can sleep on your own bed." Offered Kiku.Her former classmate wasn't someone she envisioned sleeping beside her. Not after what he did. The house's master was his Granduncle and she wasn't sure the elderly man wouldn't turn a deaf ear if Kiku misbehaved. On one hand, he hadn't shown any sign he would behave inappropriately. On another hand, he hadn't shown any sign back in high school as well."Thank you for your offer, but I think it would be inappropriate for me to sleep in your bedroom.""I understand. Good night." Wished the boy.Hyori left the dining room and walked towards the guest room while Kiku walked towards his room, further down the hall. Her sleep hadn't been the best she ever had and she kept thinking about the boy's offer until she finally dozed off. Her slumber didn't last for long as she woke up short-breathed from a dream that made her swollen in the middle. She hadn't felt this way since her encounter with Enji last Christmas. The mere thought of the night she spent with the redhead made her middle hurt. In an attempt to soothe the feeling, she took a cold shower before heading back to sleep.Leaving one awkward setting in Hakone, Hyori entered yet another one in Tokyo. Amidst her ongoing mock examinations and her family issues, she had forgotten Touya was still practising in Mister Yoroi's dojo. The young man greeted her on Saturday morning when he arrived at twenty past seven. She had been stretching in the usual training room under the hero's watchful eyes. The latter had recommended she keep her routine even and focus on her mental readiness instead."Long time not seeing. I was starting to think you were also a product of the girl's quirk." Sardonically addressed the young man."Good morning, Touya." Replied the girl using an even tone.The man passed her to enter the changing room and she sensed his relief. He probably heard about her rapture and worried when he hadn't seen her for weeks following her rescue.After a few minutes, Kiku and Touya entered the training room and Hyori sat on the side. Since she didn't usually train at this hour on Saturdays, she decided to watch them, curious to witness their progress. They were both barefeet and wearing the regular white martial arts training outfit. Touya's curly hair had been tapered while Kiku's straight hair had been buzz-cut with low fades. They both looked more mature as they were stretching and going through their pre-workout exercises."Are you going to watch the whole session?" Enquired Touya towards Hyori."Just an hour or so." Replied the maiden who planned to leave at nine for her yoga class.She sensed the trainees' tautness as they got in position to face each other, their eyes taking furtive glances at her. Mister Yoroi's eyes danced between the two facing figures before landing on her, an annoyed look on his stern face. Then, he announced the first round and the opponents engaged.She had never seen her former classmate practice anything besides Kendo or Iaido. His moves looked as sharp and precise as ever despite not having his favoured tool. Kiku's hand-free technique was on point and envy was dancing in her eyes when she looked at him. The taller and more experienced one still had the upper hand in a quirk-free fight and Hyori wondered how he would fare in a fight involving quirks. She wondered if he could be faster than the rabid blue flames.Kiku won the first match and the opponents were given a minute to breathe and drink some water. Afterwards, they got into position again and the elderly man announced the start of the second round. This round started at a higher pace than the first one. Toward the end, blue sparks occasionally danced around the smaller form while the taller's speed noticeably increased for a last move. Finally, the practice ended when Touya got pinned on the ground."We can stop the sparring for now." Said Mister Yoroi. "Cool down for a few minutes."The clock on the wall was reading half past eight in the morning. Not wanting to linger any longer, Hyori decided to leave for her studio. She would arrive half an hour earlier but didn't mind the change in her plans, especially with the pointed look the headmaster was giving her. She walked further inside the private area towards the guest room she occupied. The room was small and dark with little light filtering through the meshed window. She supposed it was easier to heat the tiny space during winter but the air would be unbearable during the summer hot nights.Her changing bag was resting beside the folded bed she previously slept on. Once dressed in her long outerwear, this time with a knotted belt on, she didn't have much choice but to wear the tennis shoes she wore during the trip from Hakone. Said shoes were currently waiting for her in the dojo's side entrance. She retrieved a hat from her changing bag before exiting the room with the only luggage she carried for her trip.It was a quarter to nine in the morning and weekend practitioners were entering the building through the main entrance. Some of them saw her coming from the private area with curiosity in their eyes, others with amazement. She sensed their wonder at her sight and assumed visits to the master's area were uncommon. The girl offered her best smile when she passed them by. She had to admit to enjoying being the centre of innocent attention like that. If she focused on their minds, she might be able to daze them there and then. Not that she would, unless she wanted the dojo's master to give her a stinky eye.After her attendees exited, Hyori checked her phone for messages she had received during her class. Over the days, she had received a diminishing number of messages and replies from her little sister. She wasn't sure whether the younger girl was still angry or expected her to initiate the first move towards reconciliation. She put her phone on the dining table after reading the girl's refusal to eat out together. She concluded Megumi was still angry and focused on the courier instead.Mister Hanabata had sent her a letter with greetings from her Grandparents. She considered calling the man even if she hadn't talked with her Mother yet. She doubted she would even be able to talk to the woman who was still living inside the bonsaï pot that was the Inner Palace. At least not anytime soon. Her Mother had wanted freedom for her. The girl supposed her Mother also wanted that freedom. It might be possible with Mister Hanabata's help.She wanted to try but remembered the pension's manager had intel that could open the case against her Mother again. As much as he had helped her, she wasn't sure of his stance towards her Mother. She didn't know him and couldn't tell if he would seek revenge. Nonetheless, she called the man to arrange a meeting. After all, she couldn't only contact him when she needed his help.And maybe, she could measure his willingness to help her Mother and convince him if needed. He had picked up the phone on the second ringtone and offered to meet for lunch at a restaurant he was used to, at two in the afternoon. She accepted his invitation but declined his offer to pick her up. Once she received the address, she texted the commission Vice President to let him know her whereabouts.Looking for the place on the map, the Nihonbashi Kakigaracho Sugita was an Edo-style restaurant that mostly served sushi and local cuisine. The address was sought after and Hyori decided to wear a formal lavender Yukata dress with a darker Obi belt. She secured her hair with a low single braid. Afterwards, she completed her look with polished black low pumps and an envelope bag. After consideration, she applied a light-shaded lip balm and brushed her eyebrows. As she was looking in the mirror of her walk-in dressing cabinet, she noted how she hadn't groomed herself in months after doing so every night in the pension.Hyori didn't resist the temptation to capture her look in her phone's camera. She might not trust her former phone to hold her SIM card anymore, but the device's camera was far better than her secured phone. The outfit covered her from the neckline and she was content with the way it hid her waistline. Her stomach wasn't as flat as it used to be when she had access to the pension's milk. Since she went through her periods last month, her lower belly has formed a noticeable pooch. She knew the curve was natural but she wasn't used to the change yet.~~~The violet's phone numeric clock was reading half past one in the afternoon when she hailed a cab to take her to the restaurant. She arrived twenty-five minutes later due to the traffic. She texted Mister Hanabata a minute before the taxi stopped in front of an unassuming black door blending into a black wall. The middle-aged man opened the taxi door for her and guided her through the black door. They descended wooden stairs and arrived inside the restaurant.On the counter by the entrance the chef was already cooking and a few guests were sitting on the white cushioned high chairs, watching the culinary artist with rapt attention. A waiter guided the duo past the counter after Mister Hanabata exchanged a head gesture with the chef. Further in the narrow restaurant, there was a line of booths with closed curtains keeping the inside off of indiscreet eyes. The duo entered an empty booth and sat facing each other. A sushi assortment of twelve pieces was already put on the table with two cups of trout eggs.The man served them water from the carafe and they enjoyed the first course. The appetisers were delicious and Hyori was looking forward to the following courses."I grew up in a traditional house." She answered when Mister Hanabata complimented her outfit and table manners.She didn't want to discuss her upbringing and the man changed topics. They were served boiled edamame, steamed small potatoes, a duo of sashimi and raw seafood pieces."How are your days?" Asked the man."I attend classes in the morning and I have pool and gymnastic classes in the afternoon. I spend my weekends holding beginner yoga classes." Answered Hyori. "How are yours?" She asked back."They used to be busy keeping up with projects, meetings, and red tape until late in the night." He took a sip of water before following. "I spent a lot of time on the roads when I was a member of the House of Representatives. Then I launched my own party and things had been even more hectic. I had more people to delegate but was busier than ever. I resigned a couple of weeks ago and will open a counselling cabinet after a break."Then, they were served a seaweed-wrapped norimaki sushi roll filled with mackerel, pickled ginger and fresh green shiso leaves. On the side, they had flame-grilled flukes and simmered octopus. Hyori was truly enjoying herself and loved the food."It's the chef's signature dish." Announced her Father before Hyori took a bite.The seasoning was delicious but her favourite course had been the following steamed Chiba abalone that all but melted in her mouth, spreading its rich aroma on her tongue. She tasted the salty and sweet Hokkaido monkfish liver and enjoyed the smooth texture.They talked more about her musical skills, their shared love for reading and eventually her upcoming birthday."Do you have any plans?" Asked the man."I don't. My birthday falls days before the semester's examinations. I won't be in the mood." Especially if she still hadn't reconciled with Megumi by then."We can plan a family outing after your exams." Offered Mister Hanabata."I don't know." Murmured Hyori, eyes falling on her plate."It's okay. I know you aren't a child anymore for me to parent you." Assured the man. "I don't want you to feel obliged. Just let me make your life easier, okay? You can ask me anything and I'll do my best. No matter what." He added.They moved on to lighter topics such as the cinema adaptation of a school-mandatory book they both read. The man had tickets for the advanced premier projection next Saturday. Along with his love for reading, Mister Hanabata had a passion for cinema. Hyori didn't watch movies except for the hero-themed ones Megumi enjoyed. In the blink of an eye, it was four in the afternoon and the middle-aged man offered to drive her back to her place. This time, she accepted his offer.The Chef visited their booth to ask if they enjoyed themselves. The two men seemed to have known each other for a long time and she was introduced as Mister Hanabata's daughter. The culinary artist had complimented her appearance and demeanour before wishing them farewell.Outside the restaurant, they boarded his personal white sports car and he drove towards her apartment. Bikers were furtively tailing them and the man reassured her it was the usual protocol. On the road, he asked if she would like to meet his family next Saturday. They could go to the cinema after a brunch with her Grandparents. Hyori wasn't ready to meet the man's parents but was willing to go to the cinema. Knowing she had a Father had been overwhelming and she needed time.They were close to her building when she asked him how he knew her address. He confessed having found it in Mister Yotsubashi's notes. Apparently, the latter had asked her where she kept the engagement ring and she told him it was in her apartment. He used the keys in her bag to enter her place and retrieve the jewel she had worn during the dinner he presented her to his partners.The pink diamond ring was the proof she once said 'I do' to the crazed man. It had been given back to her with the rest of her belongings after her discharge from the hospital. It was currently kept in her apartment's bedroom walk-in closet, surrounded by other jewels she received from her former regular. She remembered how she enticed him into giving it to her while she planned on never seeing him again mere weeks afterwards. At the moment, she felt she deserved the gift after all the nights she had endured him. Looking back, it might have fueled his mania."It doesn't mean anything. That ring doesn't tie you to him forever." Said Mister Hanabata with a tone that left no room for an argument.She found the irony in how her Mother had been in love but didn't get the ring, while she asked for it from a man she planned to leave. After she exited the car, Mister Hanabata waited for her to enter the building before driving off. Inside her apartment, she hastily changed and returned to Mister Yoroi's dojo by bus.The following day, Megumi had still declined Hyori's invitation to eat out. The older girl didn't want to push the younger one and would respect the established boundary. As much as she wanted to see her little sister, she assumed Megumi was still upset and she didn't want to invade her space. She couldn't really be upset after ghosting her little sister for weeks. She had to be patient.The violet returned to the dojo after her class and practised her technique and ribbons with Kiku, not having been able to do so the previous day. The training room clock was reading four in the afternoon when the Sunday practice session ended. Hyori's core was still demanding when she was packing her belongings to leave. She was eager to get relief and her mind was polluted by the memories of Bliss walking her through tickling. Her resolution to not engage in what she had in the pension had wavered when she met the redhead and she sensed it was wavering again.After leaving the dojo and boarding a bus, Hyori suddenly realised she had to stop by her apartment. She didn't know whether or not the dormitories' walls were soundproof enough and didn't want to take any risk. The last time she had been in that state, her partner had made her sing high and possibly loud. Still, stopping by her apartment would prolong her stay in Tokyo and she might fall asleep afterwards.She needed to be close to her academy to avoid missing the last trains. The nearby resort was an option and the more time passed, the more it appeared to be a good one. She retrieved her phone from her bag and opened the resort's application. She had been lucky to book a small single bedroom and couldn't wait to arrive.After her commute, she all but rushed on her bicycle to arrive at the resort and finally got rid of the tension. She started slowly, pushing her dripping flower open. The small act in itself made her blood rush through her veins and threatened to halt her heartbeat. A few flicks of the index had her singing out loud and she hadn't even needed to dive in for the pressure in her core to explode and seize her heart in a ripple effect. She spasmed when she crossed her legs together, feeling the oh-so-good second waves.She had napped afterwards until her phone's alarm woke her up at a quarter before eight. The girl walked towards the shower on exhausted legs, carried by the feeling of satisfaction. After yet another shower, she left the room and headed towards her class's dormitory. In the shared area, her peers were tidying the salon after what she assumed to be their weekly movie session. She greeted them and slowly made her way into her bedroom where she slept like a log.The mock examination against her restrained teachers had kept Hyori on edge and exhausted her physically as well as mentally. Since she didn't have a partner for the sessions, the examinations had been set into a ground that disadvantaged the teachers. The goal was to either restrain them or escape through a single exit. The setting and the restraining should help level the grounds.On Monday, she faced Mister Ishiyama in a lakebottom landscape. The humid area had slowed solid cement formation, weakened by water and mud. On Tuesday, she faced Mister Inui in a market simulation with robots as bystanders. The surrounding noise and multiple smells had disturbed the giant chimaera's senses enough. On Wednesday, she faced Mister Honenuki in a vertical maze. The narrow spaces hadn't allowed the teacher to produce a giant double. Being more agile, she had been able to get away from the restrained teacher. On Thursday, she faced Miss Kurose in a jungle landscape where she had been able to leverage heavy trees and lianas to escape the suction.Finally, she faced the Principal on Friday in a city landscape. The chimaera had programmed tiny and round flying robots to chase her and clog the exit every time she got close enough. They could shoot lasers and send electric discharges. Her alloy ribbons that conducted electrical current were useless against the robots that were small and agile enough to keep her on her toes. Hyori's only saving grace had been realising she could enter the empty buildings.She reasoned the robots were programmed for two precise actions and not remotely controlled by someone who had an outlook on the whole ground. Therefore, she rushed inside a nearby two-storey house. As expected, the robots chased her inside. She ran upstairs into a room before hastily closing the door behind her. Like one body, the robots started shooting lasers on the door to get through while she exited from the window, making sure to close it on her way out. Once outside, she closed the door, just in case before running to the exit.The third week of practice had been called off to observe the evolution of her quirk on Kouda. The Principal had called her in his office to break the news. The chimaera had asked her the same questions her homeroom teacher had. She supposed he wanted to see if she would change her declaration. Then, he had asked her if the pension had knowingly set her to use her quirk on the top heroes. The chimaera was calculating her reactions and words."I was set to host the most stressed-out affluent people. I guess top heroes are among them, along with corporate executives. I don't know how the pension operates but I think they wouldn't refuse any kind of lucrative deal." Replied Hyori.The Principal let her leave afterwards, his eyes heavy on her. He was probably thinking about the potential outcomes of top heroes being wrapped around the finger of a host who might be employed by less-than-recommendable people.~~~At the end of the week, Hyori felt like she had been mainly evaluated on her abilities to run, jump and hide. She wondered what kind of hero that made her. She knew she wasn't battle-oriented but wondered if she had made the right decisions. On top of her concerns, her urges resurfaced on Friday evening once the stress induced by the mock examinations exited her system. The pressure was less vigorous than last Sunday but still demanding enough to disturb her attempts to sleep. She resigned herself to take a cold shower.On Saturday, she left early to take care of her urges inside her apartment's bedroom, before her yoga class. After her class, she went to the cinema with Mister Hanabata. There, she tasted sweet popcorn for the first time and enjoyed it even if she knew she wouldn't indulge again anytime soon. The sun was still high in the sky when the movie ended at three in the afternoon. They had a break in a cosy cafe before he drove her back to her apartment.Back in Hakone on Sunday, early in the afternoon, the dormitory building was quiet and she supposed her classmates were outside or in the training grounds, if they weren't studying for the upcoming end-of-term examination. She headed into the kitchen to snack on coconut-flavoured rice milk. She had started stacking some packs of flavoured milk in the kitchen's storage room after the cafeteria's milk upset her stomach weeks ago. She had forgotten the pills she received inside the pension had been her only way to digest dairy products. After the incident, she had been careful to purchase plant-based flavoured milk.Hyori retrieved a pocket-sized bottle and returned to her bedroom, planning to wait for Shoji's return. In the meantime, she would start reviewing her notes for the real examination. She had closed the gap from her recovery period and now found herself bored. Her bedside clock was reading a quarter past four in the afternoon when she stopped making summarised study notes.Not wanting to linger aimlessly around, she exited the building and took her bike to head into the nearby resort. She might as well get the best out of her Sunday and could use swimming. The beige one-piece swimsuit she had packed was ordinary but her sight still managed to tickle her. She wondered if she was turning into a pervert. If so, why suddenly? It wasn't the first time she looked at herself in the mirror. She had enjoyed her look on multiple occasions and her phone picture gallery proved she liked her look. Yet, as much as she liked her reflection, she never felt the drive to tickle herself.The development was new and she didn't enjoy it. Technically, she did enjoy it but didn't want to. She didn't want to turn into some kind of perverted adult full of promiscuous thoughts. Looking at herself, her eyes stuck to her pooch that looked more prominent than last week. The curve wasn't unpleasant anymore and even looked nice, maybe because of the swimsuit she was wearing. She wondered if her visitors had felt the same satisfaction when looking at her. She was curious to know if they would like her current look but reasoned they would like almost any shape as long as she used her quirk on them and let them have their way with her.In the pool, she had floated on two foam sticks for nearly half an hour. The feeling of gliding through the light and uniform mass had been soothing. The late afternoon cool wind deterred many people from diving in the in-door open pool. She had been the only one at the moment and enjoyed herself until the wrinkling extending on her skin signalled she had been underwater long enough. She exited the pool to take a shower, changed back into her discreet clothes, and then cycled back inside her academy's accommodations.~~~Hyori decided to surprise Megumi first thing in the morning. The younger teen had been upset about not being her priority. At the time, Hyori had been shocked because Megumi was the person she cared about the most. Now that she had time to process the girl's words, she realised she hadn't been present for the girl as much as she could have. In the pension, she had spent all her time hosting or training when she wasn't working in Tokyo.After leaving the pension, she spent her entire week in another city and only hung out with her little sister during the weekends. The younger girl had probably worried beyond anything she could imagine during her rapture. Yet, she had refused to see her for weeks. She needed to fix their relationship and it started by making herself more available to her little sister.The end-of-term examination ended last Friday and she thought the girl would be free to hang out. During the previous weeks, she had received less and less messages and responses from her little sister. She assumed Megumi was busy studying for her examination, especially since the latter hadn't been to school for months. Hyori hoped the school support she received had helped her bridge the gap induced by months off school. She didn't have any overview of the girl's progress now that she didn't use her distance school applications anymore.The sun had already warmed the air at eight in the morning when she arrived in Tokyo. Not being able to sleep, she had boarded one of the first trains in Hakone. The commission's accommodations were even more silent than the streets and Hyori assumed the few people who lived there were still asleep. The worker's families were probably back in their homes now that the crisis was over in the affluent areas of Tokyo where most of them lived.Heading towards Megumi's cubicle, she knocked on the door and waited for a minute before the door opened on her little sister. From what she saw, the younger teen also had issues sleeping unless she partied all night long."Good morning, Megumi." Greeted the older teen."Morning." Replied the younger who walked to the side to let her in.The room was rather tidy and the older one was relieved. Megumi climbed back into her bed while Hyori sat on the desk."I wanted to surprise you in the morning and I thought we could have breakfast out in a cafe. I can order if you prefer to stay in bed." Said the older teen."Please, order. I'm still tired after yesterday." Replied the younger.Hyori enquired while ordering."Did you have cram school during the examination period? You look like you barely slept.""I was out with friends. And my boyfriend."Hyori always suspected her little sister was friendlier than her. Knowing Megumi had friends to hang with didn't surprise her much. What surprised her was being left out of the girl's life and milestones."I didn't know you had a boyfriend." Said Hyori with a questioning tone."We started dating last month. He's very enthusiastic."The older one sensed pettiness from the younger one and was confused at why."What do you mean?" Pressed Hyori."You know what I mean. You did it almost every night."Incredulity overcame Hyori's face."I refused, though. I want to do things the proper way." Added Megumi before changing topics. "What have you been up to?""I recently met my Father and we are still in the process of getting to know each other."Hyori was elated to finally be able to talk about her newly found Father. She hadn't realised how much she felt overwhelmed by the information until she shared it with someone she could freely talk with."You have a Father?" Enquired Megumi, sounding more agitated than surprised."Yes, I have a Father. At least, that's how he introduced himself. He showed me a couple of pictures and-""And you are already playing family with him." Bited Megumi."I'm not playing. He seems genuine and I want to give him a chance.""A chance to do what?!"Hyori paused for a few seconds. She was stunned by the turn the conversation took for the worst."I'm not trying to replace you. You are a sister to me." She articulated to reassure her little sister of heart."Does he have other children?""I don't know. I haven't met his family yet, let alone potential half-siblings.""But you will love them more if you get to know them. And you will leave me alone again.""I'm never leaving you alone." Whispered the older teen."You already did. You are always leaving me alone for some men who give you fancy things. I bet your Father invited you to nice places or else you wouldn't be entertaining him.""It's not like that. It's not fair to say it like that." The air around Hyori's head was suffocating her."Yes it is! You left me for Endeavour last Christmas and you will leave me for your Father. And again for another one. Please, leave already.""Megumi..." Hyori's vision was blurry."Don't! I thought it was the pension but I now realise you are a whore at heart. You always give yourself to the next bargainer and they keep appearing out of nowhere. My affection can't compete against their money. Just go already."Feeling the tension dangerously rise inside her, Hyori left the room and rushed out of the building. She walked towards the bus station to leave for her apartment. She wasn't sure she would calm down by then and desperately wished she could use her quirk on herself. Her little sister had just disowned her and deep inside, she knew the girl's words held some truth no matter how hurtful the delivery had been.She hadn't noticed she had missed her stop until the bus driver signalled they had arrived at the final destination and she had to exit. She hailed a taxi this time and didn't notice she had arrived until the driver called her out. He offered to drive her towards the nearest shelter but she refused.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

« Umpah, umpah, umpah, umpah. Keep the rhythm. »Alone in her apartment, Hyori felt incredibly lonely. She headed into her bedroom and rolled herself inside her covers, wanting someone to hold her instead of the bedsheets. She had been crying until she fell asleep, only woken up by her ringing phone. Weak and unfocused, she rushed out of her bedroom to retrieve the device she had left in the dining room, thinking Megumi was the one calling her.Her phone's screen had read 'Dad' and she remembered not having called him after her examination. The middle-aged man had called her the first time to wish her a happy birthday, on the first of July, the week of her end-of-period examination. They talked for a bit and he asked her to call him afterwards to plan an outing. She didn't call him on Friday and forgot to do so after leaving the commission's accommodations."Good morning." Voiced Hyori with a small voice."Is there anything wrong? You sound unwell." She could hear worry in his voice."I don't know...I don't...I'm alone." Tears were running down her face while the emotion stifled her voice."You are not alone, sweetheart. I'm right here." Reassured her Father. "Are you in your apartment?"Hyori nodded before answering "Yes.""I'm coming. Stay on the phone, okay? Stay with me. Let's breathe together." Guided the man.Hyori heard shuffling and keys jiggling while she breathed as instructed. She heard him close a door and start an engine."Are you still with me?"She answered "Yes." as she was sniffling."I'm on my way. I will arrive in ten minutes. You stay on the phone, alright?"Another small "Yes." fell from the girl's lips.After a while, she heard her Father close another door. Less than a minute later, her bell rang. She stood from the chair and rushed to the interphone to let him in. Soon enough, he was at her unlocked door. He entered the apartment and closed the door behind him. The middle-aged man opened his arms for the crying girl. Her head was resting on his shoulders, centimetres above his heartbeats. One heavy hand was petting her hair while the other held her close to ground the agitated maiden. After she calmed down, the man suggested sitting down.They walked inside the kitchen and he served two glasses of water from the fountain. Drinking the beverage had felt good to Hyori's strained throat. They were sitting, almost facing each other, when she put her empty glass on the table."What happened?" Prompted her Father."I had a fight with my little sister." Murmured the girl. "She's not exactly my sister. I met her inside the pension and we bonded. She's now under the commission's custody. I told her about you and she got upset. She doesn't want to see me anymore.""Is that what she said?""Yes." Hyori nodded. "She told me to leave. She said I was... She said that..."Memories of the scene saddened Hyori as Megumi's words were drowning her thoughts. She was aware the younger one had aimed to hurt her with her words. She wanted to be the bigger person but she felt betrayed by what she heard."You don't have to live that moment again." Said the man as he took her hand in his. "I can see that it hurts you. It's okay if you don't want to go into the details."Hyori's eyes travelled to meet her Father's earnest ones. At this moment, she believed the man truly was her Father. She had a vague appreciation of the Fatherhood concept, not having experienced it much. Yet, what she felt for the man was the closest she had felt for her Mother. It was different but similar in how she felt important and loved just because she existed.She was happy but saddened Megumi couldn't have what she had. The younger girl hadn't seen her Grandmother for well over a year, as far as Hyori knew. None of the young girl's family members were in the picture at a point in her life when she was vulnerable. She wondered If Megumi had been hurt by her absence as much as she was now hurt by the girl's words."Thank you." Said Hyori after a minute of silence. "Thank you for being there and being my Dad. You know, Megumi doesn't have parents anymore. She was raised by her Grandmother until the pension took her in. We were lucky to get away but I count myself luckier. Would you welcome her if she apologised?"Her voice had been uncertain as she wasn't sure whether or not she was asking for too much."You are my daughter, Hyori." Answered the man as he was drawing circles on the back of her hands with his thumb. "I would care for your loved ones. But I won't allow them to hurt you."She understood his stance and was content that he was open to giving Megumi a chance. Since she felt better, he recommended that she rest while he would make something for her to eat. Hyori accepted his offer and walked inside her bedroom where she had fallen into a slumber. He woke her up later in the afternoon and they enjoyed his homemade hot pot with baked sweet potatoes.She hadn't had home-made meals since last December when she cooked with Megumi. She wondered if the man often cooked since the meal was far better than the prepared dishes from Christmas. They had watched a movie together through his on-demand television subscription. At some point, she dozed off and the man helped her back under her bed covers where she peacefully slept for once in weeks.The following morning, they prepared breakfast together. He showed her how he made omelettes that resembled a pizza without a doughy crust. The omelettes were topped with stirred cherry tomatoes, onions, pepper bells, mushrooms, tofu and seasoning herbs. He had had to order some groceries since her fridge had been empty save from eggs. Rested and satiated, she had felt much better than the previous day.She left for Hakone later in the afternoon and sent a vocal note to let her Father know she had arrived in her academy's dormitories. He had replied with a vocal note of his own, wishing her a good evening. The girl indeed spent a good evening and swiftly fell asleep, ready to enjoy the holidays.~~~The sun was up above the Ultra Academy at half past nine in the morning. The early July sun rays had already warmed the air at this time of the day. Browsing on her computer Hyori was sitting inside the nearly empty college-preparatory's school's library. She wanted to keep her room cool by leaving the curtains and windows closed during the day. Most of the pupils had already left the school's grounds for the summer holidays, besides the heroic and the support courses who were expected to intern for at least four weeks.All of Hyori's classmates had already signed their internship contracts. Hyori herself had received an offer directly from the Hero Commission. It was a support position that wouldn't strain her much as the commission intended to have her assist active agencies with specific cases, on their demand. In short, she wasn't expected to patrol. Still, she supposed the still higher-than-pre-crisis crime levels wouldn't allow her to get bored.Hyori had decided to postpone her internship start for the third week of the summer holidays. She would use the time to meet her Father's family this weekend and enjoy the summer for a bit. She felt like she hadn't had a proper break over the last holiday and the fatigue accumulated was catching up on her. She had moved her gymnastics and pool sessions to ten in the morning and planned to lounge in the nearby resort in the afternoon.She also wanted to spend time in the hotel beauty salon in Kamakura but dreaded crossing paths with her previous manager. She was aware the woman had little ammunition left against her since she couldn't threaten her Mother. She also reasoned that she used to wear coloured hair and was chubby and then thinner when she hosted. Therefore, it would be harder to frame her on any recordings.Before she could talk herself out of the idea, she typed the link she used to redeem the spa vouchers she was offered. Not having a valid code, she clicked on the website icon and arrived on a page where she could purchase a voucher for the spa, the beauty salon or both. The ongoing week was already full save from a spot between one and two in the afternoon.Not wanting to miss the opportunity, she booked a beauty salon voucher since she knew she wouldn't have enough time to enjoy the spa. She would receive a pedicure, a manicure, a hair treatment and skin care for the hefty sum of seventy thousand Yen. That was a quarter of a Yoga session's earnings. Having to pay for everything by herself was becoming a pain.After her purchase, the girl closed her laptop and put it inside her structured tote bag. She exited the library and walked back towards the dormitories to board her bicycle and leave for the nearby resort. The facility was nearly empty during the holidays since most of its well-off clientele travelled at this time. During summer, most of the visitors were Tokyoites seeking to enjoy the thermal baths and the city's floral parks.Walking through the nearly empty facility gave Hyori the feeling she owned the place. She suspected more people would arrive during the afternoon. The feeling of being alone in the world emboldened her in her choice of apparel as she was wearing a silver blue swimsuit with a balconette cleavage and a crossed back. Only the coaches would see her and they were already used to her.Two hours after starting her sports sessions, she changed into a coral Yukata dress with silver slippers. Ready for her beauty appointment, she hailed a taxi to make sure she arrived at the hotel on time. On the road, her forearms' skin was covered in goosebumps at the sight of the familiar road. She hadn't taken that route in half a year and was feeling almost nostalgic.An hour later, she exited the car on the hotel's guest driveway and walked towards the lobby. She had a strange feeling of coming back home under the high ceiling decorated with crystal ceiling lights, above a marbled floor and marine-blue heavy curtains. The receptionist checked her identity before calling the beauty salon to inform them of her presence. She was invited to walk down the covered outer path that led to the independent building.The palm trees on her way looked the same as they had been last year when she was walking down that path once a week. When she arrived at the detached building's lobby, the receptionist recognised and greeted her with a knowing smile while redeeming her voucher and indicating to her the room where she would receive the booked care.It started with the manicure and pedicure, followed by the skincare and ended with the haircare. The esthetician who executed the skincare hadn't recognised her but still enquired if she wanted another tube of her signature scented oil. Her customer profile showed she had one and the product would be ready in a matter of minutes once she had mixed the right doses of components.Hyori wasn't sure she wanted the lotion. The scent was linked to her activities as a host and had imprinted on the people she had entertained as such. Yet, it was her personal scent and it made her feel special to have one. She was tempted to accept the offer when Megumi's words echoed in her mind. They hadn't texted since their argument but she was still afraid to make the girl's statement truer than they were."We can also make a lotion that would help prolong the skincare effect, especially when used with the complementary soap."Hyori pondered the woman's words. She had never tried the beauty salon's soap. All she had ever used inside the pension was the hotel's standard soap. She had also never been able to find products as delicate and effective as the ones in the hotel's beauty salon.Reasoning that using these products wouldn't mean anything, she accepted the offer and the esthetician proceeded to put inside a sealed see-through pocket the waxed-off hair from her armpits. After scribing on the pocket's tag, she put the pack inside a designated slot of her toolbox. Afterwards, she massaged the skin-softening ointment on Hyori for the final touch. The violet felt brand new once the treatment was over.Once the last beautician had taken care of her mane, Hyori exited the room and stopped by the lobby where she paid for her lotion and soap before leaving the area. Before heading back to the academy, she hailed another cab to drive her back to the sports resort where her bicycle was still parked.When she arrived inside the dormitory at half past three in the afternoon, the common area was empty. The girl beelined for her room and put her goods inside her toiletries purse. She then changed into a pair of boyfriend jeans with an oversized sky-blue blouse on top. She didn't have the will to touch her newly groomed hair and let her loose curls fall on her back. Her hair had definitely lost its battle against gravity and lavender petals were twisting on themselves on her back.Afterwards, she exited her room to walk into the kitchen and retrieve the lunch she hadn't been able to enjoy between her sports sessions and her beauty salon booking. Being the summer, she had ordered cool meals last Friday and kept them in the fridge. She was in the mood for a salad with pieces of chicken breast, prawns and garlic-seasoned olive oil. The cherry tomatoes' fresh juice was wonderful on her tongue as she enjoyed her meal.Once satiated, she put the package in the trash bin and opted to read in the academy's library. The place was bathed in natural light and cool despite the hot weather, probably because she was alone inside the large and well-ventilated area. She realised she had been there for well over two hours when she read the numeric clock of her phone after finishing reading her book.She walked back inside her class's dormitory building to shower for the night and maybe remain inside her bedroom until the following day. After all, she had postponed her internship to renew her physical and mental strength after the hectic last months. She was idly walking through the living room when she heard some noise inside the kitchen. She assumed some of her classmates were already back from their internship or their errands.Footsteps were exiting the kitchen and Satou, the class's baker, emerged from the kitchen. The boy was tall with a sculpted body and strong facial features. His plump lips and squared jaw gave him an unusual look, being quite uncommon in the streets. His face framed by side whiskers exuded an easy-going joy and the lad looked like the poster capable-man of the early days of cinema. She had seen leading actors looking like him in the Sumo-themed and monochrome movie covers she had seen in her Father's collection."Hello, Shinsou." Greeted the boy with his booming voice. "I was about to make dinner since I arrived early. You can join me if you want. I might make something you would like."Thinking she hadn't had a manicure to head straight into the kitchen, she declined his offer."I'm not very hungry and my cooking skills are far from great, thank you.""You can just sit by. Cooking is more enjoyable with someone." Requested the boy again.Her classmates had never insisted on getting her involved. Sensing she couldn't politely refuse, she left her purse on the dining table and headed inside the kitchen to sit on the low cabinet by the fridge. The room lacked a chair and the cabinet was sturdy enough. She wasn't afraid to crush the piece of furniture. The kitchen was extra large and so was the furniture."I'm cooking a beef hotpot with Cantonese stirred rice. I'll make dumplings as appetisers and maybe a pie." Said the young man as he laid ingredients on the counter opposite to where she was sitting.Hyori watched him dance left and right in front of the counter, cutting and prepping ingredients before cooking them. He seemed happy to cook for his classmates, in a similar way her Father was happy to cook with her when she couldn't convince him to order. The man would sometimes insist on cooking and she had to admit the taste was different. He would proudly state that the difference was the taste of love."Do you have any preference for dumplings? You said you weren't very hungry but you might enjoy a piece or two?" Asked Satou, interrupting her daydreaming.The small black beads of his eyes were fixed on her when she answered."I like them better without meat or tofu... And baked." Replied the girl."Oh~ I never baked dumplings. I'll try and hope for the best." Said the boy before facing the counter and making the dumplings.The hotpot was set on low heat and vapour was swirling from the rice inside the extra-large wok pan. After a moment of cutting and arranging the pieces, he put the dumplings plate inside the oven and crouched in front of the see-through window to watch over the treats. After a dozen minutes, he opened the oven and retrieved the plate. He left it on the counter to cool and looked for ingredients to prepare the pie.The dumplings smell was inviting while the lad worked on the dough for the pie. Again, he interrupted her daydream with another question."Do you have a preferred flavour for the pie?""I'm not sure. I haven't had a lot of pies. You don't have to make the common treat fit my taste, though." Answered Hyori.The lad hummed before replying."I've noticed you don't store a lot of sugary treats. I guess you like things without added sugar? I'll make an invisible apple cake instead. We can keep the pie dough in the fridge for a couple of days."Hyori was surprised he had noticed her eating habits. In retrospect, her snacks might be obvious since the class seemed already used to each other's liking. They could only be the unusual ones.With moves showcasing dexterity, the cook made a little over twenty pieces and put them in the oven."They'll cook fast since they are small." Announced the boy before starting to clean.Feeling he had done a lot already, Hyori stood from the cabinet to fill the dishwasher. She could at least do that while the boy wiped the counter. Once the cooking tools were inside the dishwasher, Satou offered to try the dumplings. He retrieved a couple of baguettes and held a piece at Shinsou's mouth. She took it in her mouth and enjoyed the crunchy piece whose juice spread down her tongue. It was as good as she could have dreamed of. Her appreciating smile was almost closing her eyes, with her cheeks pushing from the bottom and her heavy monolids pushing from the top."It's good!" Exclaimed the violet faster than she could think.Satou stared at her contentment for a couple of seconds until the oven timer rang and broke the moment. He rushed to the oven and retrieved the plate to let the treats cool at room temperature. As if on cue, the main door of the dormitories opened on numerous pupils, some had probably been enticed by the smell and were walking towards the kitchen."It smells nice here! What did you make- Oh! Shinsou!" Exclaimed the invisible girl who was surprised to find her inside the kitchen.She was soon joined by Mina and her lightning friend."Good afternoon." Greeted Shinsou.Most of the classmates who had arrived were crowding the kitchen's entrance as if there was a show going on inside."Common! Let's set the table." Invited the class president.The classmates who had just arrived hurried to do as instructed and the table was ready in a couple of minutes."Are you staying for dinner? I suppose you are hungry after helping Satou. We usually are at two or more to help in the kitchen." Addressed Asui."I didn't do much." Countered Hyori."You did more than enough." Assured Satou. "Come eat with us."Not left with any exit and surrounded by her peers, Shinsou agreed to stay for dinner. She sat on a chair near the kitchen. Mina and her lightning friend rushed to both her sides before Satou could. The day's chef resigned to sit on the next available seat beside the lightning blond.It was her first time hanging with her classmates and she already felt pressured by the furtive glances she was receiving from Kouda and Shoji who sat further, on top of Satou's overall presence. She took a discrete breath as she tried to conceal the memories of her last birthday party inside the Inner Palace. Her sweet seventeen dinner had been polluted by the preying glances she had received from the Emperor and the First Prince.She ruled her face and reasoned the setting was different but couldn't help her triggered mind not to be uneasy. She had been elsewhere during the dinner and only kept vague memories. Some of her classmates voiced their surprise at the baked dumplings and some argued the cake wasn't sweet enough. Somewhere during the dinner, the girls had mentioned a pool activity and she supposed she had been invited due to their look on her."Of course." Replied Hyori. "Just not next Saturday. I have a family event.""We can do it on Sunday. The academy's pool is available every day." Concluded Momo.Afterwards, she helped undo the table and rushed to shower before climbing into her bed, her hands slightly trembling.~~~Hyori was cycling through the empty gardens of her school. Her bicycle shade sheltered her from the unforgiving sun rays of four in the afternoon on a summer day. She was wearing a large hat with a large blouse and wide pants to let the humid wind glide through and cool her skin. The gardens were a maze of green plants, probably in consideration for the pupils and staff suffering from pollen allergies.Fountains were standing at some crossroads, acting like roundabouts. After a while and a few turns, she arrived at the spot she had been looking for. Under a wide glasshouse, flowers were blooming. It was one of the academy's facilities she had wanted to see but hadn't had much time until now. The building was ex-centred on the domain and was divided into four sections for each season. The area could be the size of a football court.Hyori left her bicycle before entering the glasshouse. There was a small closed cabin by the entrance and benches here and there. Each section was parted by a path covered with arcs decorated with flowers. The summer path was decorated by suspended lavender plants. A line of blooming bushes lined the path on the ground and rows of flowers were stretching on each side.Hyori sat on a bench towards the middle of the path for a better view of the scenery. She removed her hat and retrieved a neurology paper on the laws of attraction. To be precise, the document reviewed the Mimetic Desires in the Human Brain. Six studies concluded that "participants rated objects as more desirable once perceived as the goals of another agent's action".As much as humans were coded animals, the maiden was new to peer influences on people's neurological functions. When she was in the pension, she focused on how her quirk worked on a single person in a secluded setting. Therefore, she was completely blindsided by how her use of her quirk on someone could affect others, in a negative way or a positive one.She was already aware the idea of the control she could exert on people's actions against their will was generally worrisome and sometimes frightening. But that was regarding her brainwashing abilities. Her dazing abilities were more subtle and weaker. At least, that's what she used to think based on the fact she couldn't command dazed people. Now that she was more social than ever, living inside the dormitories, she saw the consequences of her dazing and hazing abilities in a different light.Her classmates were clustered in inner circles. Shoji, Kouda, Tokoyami and Sato were one inner circle of close friends in the class. Shoji seemed attached to her since he rescued her. Kouda got in touch with her through Shoji. Kouda had liked her since she used her quirk to haze him during training. And now, Satou had been making special treats and tweakings for her every day he had been cooking during the week, four days already.She couldn't cast all of their actions as romantic but their intentions didn't escape her. She could see they were contaminating each other in their dispositions towards her, often trying to get her alone.For context, she compared their circle to the one formed by Midoriya, Lida, Asui, Uraraka and Todoroki Junior. Midoriya had been the first to approach her and he did so in an openly friendly manner, inviting her to his friends' activities. Afterwards, his circle invited her to different games and group activities. Even if she could sense the half-red head overwatching her.The two circles' approaches were similar in how they mirrored the first member's intentions, with varying levels of involvement or intensity. For reference, she had noticed a similar contagious effect when Toya started training with Kiku. The two had displayed an ongoing competition for her attention every time she had been inside the dojo.She would need to overview the evolution of these dynamics in the long term. She might be exaggerating or not having the whole picture. After all, people generally shared the same thinking processes and likes with their friends. It wasn't far-fetched to assume they would like the same people their friends did in a similar fashion. Touya and Kiku weren't friends and had never been, but they were probably the closest the other had.Her thoughts were interrupted by another figure entering the glasshouse, Miss Nanase. Her former homeroom teacher retrieved a liquid spray from the cabin at the entrance and walked towards the summer section."Fancy finding you here, Shinsou." Greeted the woman."Good Afternoon, Miss Nanase." Greeted Hyori back before asking. "Are you the one tending to the glasshouse? I thought it was automatic, like the rest of the gardens.""It is. I merely spray some magic here and there." Answered the woman.The woman hummed a lullaby while spraying the liquid on plants. Probably due to her pixie quirk, the flowers touched by the spray looked instantly brighter. The scenery was even more beautiful."Do you want to try?" Asked the woman, handing the spray to Hyori."I can try but I don't have your magic." Replied Hyori as she left her tablet on the bench and stood up to retrieve the spray."It's your intentions that matter." Assured the woman.Taking the bottle, she noticed the woman's complexion was fairly similar to hers. She wondered if they shared the same condition even if the woman's eyes didn't look affected. The flowers she sprayed didn't look as bright as the others had. She looked at the woman whose kind and small purple eyes were observing her."You can sing to them. Flowers like that." Suggested Miss Nanase.Hyori wasn't sure. She hadn't sung in a long time. Doing so for flowers was flustering, especially with an audience."Is there something you want to tell me?" Enquired the woman."I haven't sung in a while. I may have forgotten. And it's a bit..." Then, the girl murmured "Embarrassing."A good-hearted laugh escaped Miss Nanase's lips."I can teach you my favourite song. Follow my lead." Said the woman as she adjusted Hyori's posture.The almost hug felt reassuring. It was one of these moments when she wanted her former homeroom teacher to be her Mother. Then, her thoughts drifted to Megumi. She wondered if the teen had encountered someone like Miss Nanase. She was feeling guilty for enjoying the woman's affection while she had separated Megumi from her family. She questioned herself on whether pushing the younger teen not to contact her Grandmother had been the right decision. Maybe the elderly woman had seen her wrongdoings? At the moment, Hyori thought she wasn't better than her lawyers for assuming the girl's Grandmother would be deceiving for money."Is there something wrong?" Miss Nanase asked, bringing Hyori back to the present time."My little sister and I aren't talking anymore." Confessed Hyori."Couldn't your parents mediate?" Enquired the woman.Hyori's mood soured even more and the woman turned her so that they would face each other."Look at me." Demanded Miss Nanase. "What aren't you telling me?""It's complicated." Replied the violet whose eyes had issues remaining focused on the woman's eyes."What do you mean? How come there is never an adult around for you? What aren't you telling me?"The girl remained mute in her distress and the woman pressed. "I'm waiting.""I haven't talked to my Mother since I left my childhood home. Megumi isn't really my sister. We met in the pension and bonded over our similarities. It had only been the two of us until recently when my Father found me. He didn't know I existed and now wants to get involved in my life. But Megumi doesn't have a family anymore. She said I won't love her anymore if I get to know my Father's family and told me she didn't want to see me again."The woman had wiped the few stray tears that rolled on the girl's cheeks."She's only afraid to lose you. And it's normal for you to want to know your family. I'm sure she will come around once she has calmed down." Assured Miss Nanase.Hyori's apprehensive eyes locked with Miss Nanase forbearing ones when she asked. "What if she still wants me to choose?""You choose yourself." The woman concluded. "You can hope for the best regarding your little sister but not sacrifice yourself. Do you understand my stance?"The girl nodded and the woman hugged her. They both exited the glasshouse when Miss Nanase was done spraying the summer area, each towards their dormitory building.She walked inside her bedroom to pack her changing bag for her weekend trip to Tokyo. Afterwards, she walked downstairs and heard a noise in the kitchen room. Surprised to find Satou setting the dining table, she peered through the ajar door and saw Bakugou setting tools for dinner. She had forgotten they were on a rotation with Satou being the one cooking since Monday."Bakugou arrived earlier today and took over the dinner." Explained Satou before offering. "We can play a card game if you want.""Or Shinsou could lend me a hand." Countered the boy inside the kitchen.The blond boy was noticeably shorter and less physically capable than Satou. Having witnessed the kind of movements required to cook extra large meat pieces in extra large pans, it was understandable the feat was trickier for the day's chef. Hyori eyed her still-manicured hands and thought about the upcoming meeting with her Father's family. She was reluctant to partake in cooking."I can help." Offered the tallest."You already cooked for four days this week. You can rest for today." Refused the shortest before shifting his demanding eyes to Hyori."Do we have gloves?" Asked Hyori.The day's cook sported an unimpressed look.He pointed at a drawer and she proceeded to put two gloves on. Once ready, she was tasked with cutting vegetables."Do we have a slicing machine?" Enquired Hyori again."Never cut vegetables before?" Accused the exasperated boy."Not with a knife. I have a domestic robot home and my Father does most of the cooking." Justified Hyori."You might want to bring your robot here because we only have basic cooking appliances." Concluded Bakugou while handing her a knife.Minutes later, the boy eventually backtracked and urged her out of the kitchen as she was painfully slow at any given task. He ended up struggling and spent way more time than Satou did. In the meantime, their classmates had arrived and his circle eventually joined him inside the kitchen."You didn't help Bakugou in the kitchen? He barks a lot but doesn't bite. No need to be wary of him." The bonus classmate boldly voiced."That giant lavender plant didn't help me because of lacking any skill! Not because I'm scary or anything!" Countered the abrasive blond."But Satou said he helped him!" Exclaimed the shadow."Probably by sitting pretty or something! Anyways, dinner is served!" Concluded Bakugou.With that, the class sat at the table and enjoyed the curry they had for dinner. Hyori never had such a spicy meal and was glad she served herself a small portion. She was told the day's chef had a strong liking for spiciness and the curry was mildly spiced compared to what he was used to. Thinking Bakugou's taste buds were grilled at this point, she retrieved a bottle of vanilla-flavoured milk to help her finish her portion.The following morning, Hyori woke up in a good mood and was looking forward to the day's events. She left Hakone by bus at nine in the morning. Her studio was closed for the holiday and she had asked her Father to help her pay vouchers for the hotel's spa and beauty salon in Kamakura. She told him she was already used to the place and the middle-aged man gave her a debit card information for the transaction. For two hours and a half, she had received massages and skin care, had lounged, styled her hair in a bun and groomed her face for the afternoon.After the whole session, she felt fresh and hailed a cab for her apartment in Tokyo. Her Father was meant to arrive at two in the afternoon with her late twentieth birthday party dress. She had picked a pastel pink tulle gown that reached right above her knees. The light fabric helped the layers not weigh the dress down. A pair of evenly-coloured strappy heels completed her outfit with a floral headband and pearl jewellery.While waiting for the man, she opened the courier she had received. Among the envelopes, one contained a voucher for the Gotemba Shopping Centre and a phone number with Enji's signature. She redeemed the voucher through the place's application, reasoning it would have gone to waste since it was already purchased.The party took place at her Father's house located near the Park Hibiya. The terrace had been decorated with suspended daisy flowers and summer tulip bouquets for the small number of guests, namely Hyori and her paternal Grandparents. A portrait photographer and musicians had been hired for the occasion, along with a private chef.Meeting her Grandparents had been less memorable than meeting her Father. She could see the similarities between the elderly lady and herself. She supposed she got her big head from the elderly man. The couple was lovely and doting but they hadn't radiated the same sense of security she felt with Mister Hanabata. She supposed she would gradually warm and even grow fond of them provided they had enough time ahead.The most memorable part of the party was the peaches and berries ice cream cake. The fruity creamy mix had felt heavenly on the soft spongy cake texture. The treat hadn't been sweetened, just how she liked it. After dessert, she was offered two envelopes. One regular courier-sized and one sturdier and bigger.Her Grandparents stated they knew they might not have much time left and wanted to give her a substantial gift. The party ended at six in the afternoon when her Grandparents had to head back home. The couple was looking forward to meeting again for Christmas and the new year's celebrations.After they left, her Father guided her inside a spare bedroom she could use for the night "and whenever she felt like visiting". The bedroom was similar to her own room inside her apartment. There was a closet and a personal bathroom. The girl took her shower and opened her gifts. The small envelope, her Father's gift, contained a new debit card. The bigger one, her Grandparents' gift, contained a gift letter written on sturdy paper. Hyori secured the document back inside its envelope and decided to ask her Father for guidance. Then, she got comfortable in bed and easily fell into a slumber.On Sunday, Father and daughter had cooked breakfast before the middle-aged man offered to drive her back to Hakone. They had stopped by her apartment to let her change for the trip back to Hakone. Her choice of clothes had intrigued her Father who commented it was the first time he witnessed her wearing pants. They made a detour by a sports apparel shop inside the Yebisu Garden Place to purchase a specific swimsuit for her class pool activity, at her request. She had sensed her Father's surprise when she picked a full-coverage swimming dress with shorts, especially after she eyed the retro-styled pieces that were back in fashion. The man hadn't made any comment in the shopping centre but she knew he wanted to say something."Your choice of swimsuit surprised me. I thought you would want something more trendy." Said her Father once they were on the road."I do like trendy outfits. It's just that... I don't wear typical girls' clothes at school."She felt the man's inquisitive eyes on her as she had made her taste for coquette fashion obvious."It started in high school. I was... Harassed by my male classmates and decided to switch uniforms after changing schools. The habit stuck and I still do it. I also use a pseudonym at school since Hyori is mostly a girl's name." Confessed the girl.The car had been silent for a minute before her Father inquired further."Are you afraid to be seen as a girl?""I don't know. Maybe. I know my classmates won't do anything." Maybe save from the purple gremlin. "But it would be awkward if I suddenly changed style out of nowhere. I think I'm too far gone."Again, there was another pause until her Father stated she didn't have to change the way she dressed if she didn't want to."I can only imagine you have been through a lot. The way you present yourself is your choice. You don't have to change it if you don't feel like doing it. And you could never be too far gone. You can change style whenever you feel like doing so."They spent the rest of the drive in relative silence until Hyori asked her Father about his legal family. He told her his wife had moved out years ago even if they were still legally married. They didn't have children together since he made sure he couldn't, for promiscuous reasons. He hadn't been a loyal husband and she eventually had a child with her youth sweetheart.The two of them had moved together even if their child was legally his. He didn't interfere in the boy's upbringing and hadn't cared for a family until a few months ago. His wife moving out had been the best for her and the child. Keeping the appearances was the least he could do for her after her many attempts to make their engagement work.After a little over an hour of driving, escorted by the man's guards, they arrived before the Ultra Academy's side gates. Her Father stopped the car on the outer side of the road. The middle-aged man retrieved her changing bag from the trunk before they hugged. They parted after he left a kiss on her forehead. Like always, her Father had waited for her to enter before leaving.~~~Hyori arrived at her class dormitory twenty minutes before one in the afternoon. She was greeted by a post-it note on the door stating her classmates were spending the morning at the Gotemba Shopping Centre. They would go straight to the pool area of the Alpha gym grounds, the heroic course's sports facilities, at four in the afternoon. She headed into her bedroom to empty her changing bag.Afterwards, she had a cool meal from the fridge before heading towards the academy's library. She chose a seat in the middle of the room, far enough from the sun rays piercing through the windows. This time around, she hadn't been the only one in the area. After what seemed to be an hour, she spotted a duo of blonde-haired pupils in the corner of her sight. A boy and a horned girl entered the area and their blue eyes met her lilac ones.She recognised the boy as one of her partners in class B during last year's joint training. He looked a lot less maniac in civilian clothing. He was wearing khaki shorts with a white blouse and the two upper buttons were unmade. Even if his shoes and watch hadn't given him away, the suave and lingering scent of his perfume screamed refined when the duo sat at the table she was.She didn't recognise the girl even if she assumed she was a 2B pupil. Her long blond hair was tied in a loose and high ponytail. She was wearing a high-rise denim skirt and a cropped denim top with the two upper buttons opened. Her doe eyes were wandering in an attempt not to stare. The taller maiden thought she was cute with her small and diamond-shaped face complemented by her petite silhouette. She looked like a human deer in all of its candid delicacy."My! What happened to you in the wicked's den? I almost didn't recognise you, Shinsou." Addressed the lad, Monoma, once they reached her level.Assuming she wouldn't meet anyone inside the library during the holidays, she hadn't tied her hair and simply pulled it backwards."Good afternoon." Greeted Hyori."Hello." Replied the girl. "I'm Pony.""Nice to meet you, Pony."Monoma had a French comic book in his hand while the girl had a Hiragana crossword book in hers."I was looking forward to your performance during the sports festivals." Added the young man.Hyori didn't answer his hidden question. She didn't like interrogations and he wasn't entitled to details about her happenings. The trio fell in silence, focused on their respective books. After a while, Monoma's voice broke the silence with his laughter. A genuine laughter. The petite maiden by his side enquired and he translated what was a wordplay. Without much surprise, the blonde maiden didn't find his explanation funny.Not wanting to linger around, Hyori closed her book and stood from the chair. The library was enjoyable so long as she was alone there. With all the free seats in the area, the newcomers chose to sit at the same table she was. She thought they had wanted to tell her something specific, judging by their anticipation. In the end, it seemed they were simply surprised that she was there. Leaving was the less awkward move."Wait." Addressed Monoma. "I suppose internship hunting is tricky since no one saw you during the sports festival. I mean, the class 2A as a whole had made quite the impression but you are a newcomer.""What do you want to know?" Enquired Hyori with a defensive tone.Pony's eyes were shifting between the standing girl and her sitting classmate. The simple question Hyori asked had shut the blond lad's mouth. Unless it was her annoyed glare coming from her lavender irises half-covered by her heavy lids. She had been told it could feel intimidating by former classmates, as her feline eyes looked piercing from her high stature.Since the boy didn't answer after a couple of seconds, she turned to walk out."I was just trying to check on you." He was looking at the side when she faced him again. "You have been nowhere to be seen since the joint training. I was starting to think you gave up after the crisis or that something happened."Hyori sensed he was honest and was nervously waiting for a response. She had been unnecessarily defensive again."I'm fine, thank you for your concern. I was onto something else during the last sports festival. And to answer your first question, my internship will start in two weeks.""Did you already know what branch you are aiming for?" Asked Monoma further."I will intern as a support hero and won't be patrolling much." Replied Hyori.A disappointed yet resigned look took over his eyes when he replied. "Just like me, then."The conversation was as awkward as it could be and Hyori knew it wasn't her place to console the boy for whatever grieving he was going through."Good afternoon, Pony, Monoma." Saluted Hyori before leaving the area.She walked back to her room inside her class's dormitory to change into her swimming outfit. As she looked at her reflection, she noticed the covering outfit was too close to her skin to dampen her curves. Her bumpy chest was too noticeable under the stretchy fabric. She removed the outfit and put on one of the binder and compression shorts she used under her summer hero costume. The piece was more effective than a minimiser when she couldn't layer or wear ample garments.The final result was satisfying even if she looked like an out-of-shape boy. Her arms were bigger than the girls' arms even given her height. Yet, they weren't as defined as the boys. It was the same for her thighs. Movements could be seen when she walked and she suspected a few people wouldn't fall for her trick, especially if they saw her soft stomach with the pooch.Still, her clothing was more of a comforter than anything. She styled her hair into a man bun, showing her forehead. Then, she completed her look with a cap. She couldn't stop thinking about the retro styled swimsuits she had seen earlier in the morning. She could have taken one, at least for her personal viewing.She could imagine the thin straps meeting behind her neck and highlighting her lush chest cupped by the corset-like swimsuit. The fabric would stretch across her waist lines. The bottom of the single piece would hug the top of her thighs, covering her hips and bringing attention to her inner thighs. A few weeks ahead, near the end of her cycle, the mere sight of her fantasy would have her flower demanding and sensitive.Not being there yet, Hyori easily discarded her reverie and put slippers on before walking towards the alpha gym ground with her changing bag. Arriving early and already changed would save her from the awkward moment she would have to rush towards the infirmary or the painful moment she would sneak her way into the girl's changing room. She was eager to witness the pool activities.Her classmates weren't yet there when she arrived. She sat on the first row of bleachers and hurried to order a swimsuit similar to the one she had in mind, using one of her birthday gifts. She was tempted to download again the social media applications she had uninstalled during her recovery, at least to pass the time while she waited for her classmates to arrive. In the end, she decided not to and opened the red video browser instead. A few keywords later, she was watching videos of dancing cats.The girls were the first of her classmates to arrive. They had changed into the school's provided swimsuits. They were carrying their changing bag and the pink-haired girl carried a pocket sound system. She had greeted them from afar while they were walking towards her."The rest of the class will arrive later. We left them at the skatepark." Announced Momo, the second class president, her long black hair secured in a bun.They collectively left their bags on the bleachers and picked a dancing playlist on the ear jack maiden's phone."Do you want to join our stretching session?" Invited Asui."Of course." Replied Hyori as she stood from the bleacher and lined with the others.After stretching, they entered the pool and Hyori sat on the edge, her feet playing with the water. Asui was obviously in her element and had easily won at Marco Polo. After a few rounds, the maidens were lounging in the water, floating on foam sticks and talking among themselves. Watching them play had been entertaining, though."Would you mind joining the girl's group chat?" Enquired the second class representative, as if she only remembered to ask.Surprise overtook Hyori when she heard her classmate. Uneasy, she nodded before questioning."How long have you known?" Asked the taken aback girl.Her classmates looked among themselves, dreading answering."Well..." Started Uraraka. "Your legs don't really lie, right now. It was pretty obvious when you stretched with us.""Can we say you look too pampered to be a dickhead?" Mina offered."Your mannerism doesn't always add up." Confessed Asui."You never change with others." Pointed Hagakure, the invisible maiden.Silence fell on the pool grounds, save for the music no one was listening anymore."I'm not mad." Said Hyori in an attempt to lift the mood. "I'm just dumbfounded.""Now that you know that we know, you can get into an ordinary swimsuit?" Wondered out loud Ashido."I didn't take the school bathing suit. And I left my other swimsuits in my room." Replied Hyori."Maybe take the shorts and pants off?" Pressed Ashido."Why?" Countered Hyori.The girls looked at each other before Momo clarified their stance."We don't understand why you hide yourself so much. There is too much mystery around you, starting with your lifestyle and now your appearance. It's hard to trust you when everything turns out deceiving. We only want to see your real self and I can tell it's not what you currently look like, or else you wouldn't have different kinds of swimsuits in your room."Hyori couldn't counter Momo's arguments. She took a breath and reluctantly walked into the changing room to remove her shorts and pants. Since her classmates were in for a show, she also undid her man bun and removed her binder along with her compression shorts, leaving the dress and panties on."Are you satisfied?" Taunted the upset maiden back at the pool."It's not like that." Said Momo who picked on her stunt. "You seem to have been hiding for years. We assume you have reasons and thought we could be a safe place for you to uncover."Hyori sensed their earnestness and felt their guilt. Sometimes, she hated being able to sense others' emotions because she felt the ability invalidated her own."Thank you for your concern." Said Hyori after a minute of silent consideration.She sat back at the edge of the pool and the other girls resumed their activities. The rest of the class arrived soon after with a blond-haired boy she didn't remember. He had blue eyes and a long face contoured by a fringe on his left side."It's Aoyama, our former classmate. Do you remember? He was at the joint training. We are still in touch so he's still part of our outings. I was sure we mentioned he would be there." Elaborated Momo."I guess I forgot." Replied Hyori.When the former heroic pupil arrived at their level with the newcomers, he might as well have seen a ghost. She sensed a disproportionate feeling of doom oozing from Aoyama. It looked like her sight had triggered a traumatic response in his mind.The rest of the class wisely prevented from making any comments and the most eager ones jumped in the pool. Everyone had worn the school-provided swimsuit and dived beside Hyori who had remained glued on her spot. Aoyama, the former heroic hopeful who had resigned during the crisis, made efforts not to look at her even though he couldn't help himself. Each time, his eyes had been charged with incredulity.The boys had played water polo and the closure time soon arrived at six in the afternoon. She suspected the activity had been more of an opportunity for the girls to confront her than anything else. While her classmates walked into the changing area, Aoyama had lagged behind until they were alone. Then, he turned around to question Hyori."Are you, maybe, Haze?"The day was definitely full of surprises for her. She didn't answer and simply eyed him. The latter retrieved his phone from his bag and browsed it until he showed her a picture. On his phone were her updated profile picture and the candid pictures published on her hosting account."To think you were right under my nose for so long and I didn't recognise you." Mourned Yuga."How did you get those pictures?" Inquired Hyori, feeling agitated."Professor gave them to me. He tasked me to find you at school." Confessed the boy."You worked for him?!""I had to cooperate. Your enrolment in the academy forced him to change his plans since he couldn't launch indiscriminate attacks anymore. I had to spy on my former class and look for you to have his underlings abduct you."He dryly laughed before adding."I don't even know why I'm telling you this. It's not like it could change anything and Professor isn't anymore. I guess I just wanted to approach the root of my personal drama."Hyori sensed conflicting feelings inside the boy. He saw her as the reason he had been forced to work with the evil but also knew he would have to regardless of her involvement."Are you related to him?" Asked the young man."Not by blood. But he used to be a kind of Grandparent to me." Replied Hyori, omitting the carnal details of the relationship.She silently walked out of the area, her thoughts louder than ever in her head.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

« Unforgettable ladies, ladies, ladies' night. »Yuga had observed details of the young woman in the pictures for weeks preceding his first day in the Ultra Academy. He had memorised her facial features and even drew her for practice. At this point, he had been sure to have memorised her like the back of his hand. She even haunted his dreams and nightmares as his subconscious got obsessed with her. The idea that the terror would torture him for his dreams was haunting. At the same time, his worst nightmares were probably the ones she fused with the terror. Such a pretty face linked to the man who terrorised his family.Yet, he hadn’t recognised her when she had been plastered on the giant screen during the sport’s festival. He hadn’t expected such a wide face underneath the tresses that contoured her face in the pictures. The hair that fell on her cheeks had teased a thinner face with a small forehead. He hadn’t expected lavender curls to sprout from underneath what could only be a wig. And he hadn’t expected the disguise. Whoever that maiden was or could have been, she seemed to know her game and how to hide herself.Somehow, it felt unfair she entered the heroic course despite having lived rent-free inside ‘Professor’s mind, especially knowing they had a relationship akin to family. He didn’t want to blame her for what happened to him. After all, he resigned by himself once his guilt crushed him. Still, he couldn’t help but think that if only that violet maiden had enrolled in another school, he wouldn’t have had to give specific intel to the terror.‘Professor’ would have been free to raid the academy. Finding the Symbol of Peace’s successor didn’t require him to set his classmates up. Then, he halted his track of thoughts. There would have been more casualties if he hadn’t been tasked to single out his class and help the terror target them specifically. Looking at the greater picture, the course of action had been for the better. Even if it meant he wouldn’t pursue his dream anymore.His broodings had been interrupted by Midoriya who had lingered near the outside of the building, along with some of his male friends and the class representative. Everyone must have seen the look he stole from their new classmates. They might even have exited faster to give him some time to talk with her in private. He hoped they didn’t get the wrong idea and suddenly remembered ‘Professor’ threatening him not to “get bold with her”.“We might have forgotten to tell you Shinsou wasn’t who we thought.” Started the class representative.“Ah. Don’t worry, Lida. I was just surprised.”His former classmates looked at him for a couple of seconds before Midoriya inquired.“Is anything wrong? You look unwell.”“Not really.”“Did you try to hit on her or something? You look dejected.” Asked Bakugou.“I wouldn’t!” Yuga defended.His reaction made his friends even more confused and he knew he wasn’t escaping the interrogation.“We aren’t acquainted but I kind of know her. All For One tasked me to find her and help him abduct her.”The heroic apprentices remained forbidden and Lida had been the first one to react.“What do you mean? Did she also work for him?”“No, I don’t think so. I thought they were related but it seemed they weren't. At least, that’s what she said. He acted like a Grandfather for her. I guess it’s true since he wanted her safe and sound. He could have simply coerced her to join him if she was under his thumb. He wouldn’t have needed me to lure her in.”“That’s… A lot.” Concluded Lida. “I’m not sure how to react.”The heroic pupils walked Yuga back to his dormitories before walking to theirs.Yuga’s former classmates had been silently processing the information until Todoroki suggested not to keep the secret. The half-redhead was generally calm but easily got worked up and hot-headed when he was invested in something. He also easily grew impatient and tended to hold onto his positions until things blew in his face, literally.“We should at least tell Mister Aizawa.”“I don’t know…” Replied Midoriya. “All For One didn’t make it during the Tartarus break. I’m not sure the added drama is worth it. It’s not like Shinsou could get in touch with an inmate without being caught by the security, and they would report to the school board.”That didn’t convince the half-redhead who pressed.“There are too many mysteries surrounding Shinsou. She must have known she was wanted and that’s why she posed as a boy. She must have had an idea of who All For One was and didn’t want him to find her.”“We shouldn’t jump to conclusions. There could have been other reasons for her to wear the boys’ uniform.”“Do you have another conclusion?”At this point, they had stopped walking and so did the two others.“Not yet, but I think we should hear Shinsou out.”The half-redhead nodded in approval.“You are right. We should question her right away. We have been waiting for too long.”“Wait! We shouldn’t rush anything-.”“Why not?” Interrupted the explosive blond who had been eerily silent all along. “Give us one good reason not to.”Midoriya and Bakugou eyed each other before the former answered.“She would say anything if we pressure her. Interrogations aren’t the best way to get real answers.”The blond humphed and resumed his walk towards the dormitories. The others did as well and they made their way inside. The others had already changed when they arrived and Midoriya beelined for his bedroom to change as well. Once in indoor clothes, he walked on his balcony and looked to the left. Shinsou was on the other side of the wall, right where Yuga used to be.He knew he had only postponed the inevitable, but he didn’t want to corner their classmate like that. Not when there wasn’t any emergency and surely not when he knew what it felt like. He couldn’t help but relate to the loner ever since the sports festival one year ago. He wanted her to come out because she felt safe doing so, not pressured.His thoughts had been interrupted by knocking at his door. He reluctantly opened and, without much surprise, Todoroki was on the other side. The latter had changed clothes but definitely not his stance. The same fire danced in his eyes and he wasn't ready to drop the conversation Midoriya sneakily flew from.“We need to tell the others.” Said Shoto.The green young man didn’t have any argument against doing so.“I guess we could.”He exited his bedroom and closed the door behind him.“Come on.” Midoriya prompted his friend into motion, as the latter was looking at the door on the left.They walked downstairs where some of their classmates were working on making dinner while others were dressing the table or lounging in the living room. It seemed they already had been prepped into a talk since they turned towards him as a single body. For safety measures, they had powered the kitchen off before seating in the living room. Lida had been the one to break down what Yuga had confessed and their conversation on the way to the dormitories.The class fell silent for a few seconds until Momo voiced her opinion.“I also think we should wait. There is no need to be alarmed right now.”Midoriya had been glad the first reaction was supporting his point of view. The feeling didn’t last long as Uraraka reasoned waiting wouldn’t work.“I think we should be more proactive in our approach. She can keep to herself until the end of the school year. At this point, we would never know because she would ghost all of us.”He had to admit the hazel maiden was right. They didn’t have any means to keep tabs on their classmates outside of school, and she could change her phone number at any given time. Then again, was it their place to keep tabs on their classmates?“We can have a girls' night!” Suggested Mina“Isn’t that going to be an interrogation among the seven of you?” Asked Midoriya.“Don’t you want to know?” Contered Todoroki.“Of course I do. I just don’t want to pressure anyone.”Of course, he did want to know. He was at least as curious as they were. Especially since the joint training. The brainwashing he had experienced that day felt different than what he had experienced so far. It hadn’t happened ever again but he still remembered how different it felt.He also remembered how different he had felt afterwards. He had been more focused and his mind had been clear. He thought he also experienced something similar in the hospital after the Tartarus break. That made him wonder if the brainwashing had therapeutic effects. It would be interesting to look into it, especially when medically useful quirks were a rarity.The pink maiden justified her suggestion and jostled Midoriya from his thoughts.“It won’t be an interrogation. We aren’t brutes. We are simply going to show her we are nice and she can say things to us.”“That’s a good idea. We can have it inside her room so that she would feel more comfortable.” Agreed Asui.“That’s a good idea. I’m going to text the girls’ chat to let her know.” Momo announced.“Maybe wait until a few days. She’s going to suspect something is up if we do it right after she encounters Yuga.” Advised Mineta.They did as suggested and the meeting ended. With the internships going on her busy schedule, Momo had forgotten until she opened the chat weeks later and found the draft she hadn’t sent. She guessed it was for the best since talking about Shinsou’s first internship experience was an excellent excuse.~~~After the class’s pool activity, Hyori was packing luggage for a four-week stay inside the Hero Commission’s accommodations. Her internship would start in a dozen hours, on Monday. There weren’t many clothes she would pack from her closet inside her Father’s home. Her toiletries purse and towels were taking up most of the space inside the retro suitcase her Father gave her. The man would drive her to the accommodations so that she wouldn’t have to carry the roller-free luggage while waiting for the bus.Once she had packed everything she needed, the duo left the home and they drove towards the accommodations she would spend her weekdays in. He carried her luggage at the entrance and they hugged before parting. Once inside, she walked towards her cubicle on Megumi’s floor, according to the text message she received from Mister Mera. The President was officially her internship mentor but her deputy would be the one managing her.She thought it was in the continuity of how things were so far since the man already called her on short notice as if she were his employee. Inside the sterile bedroom, she put soft bed sheets on the mattress and her electronic devices on the desk. Her toiletries purse and towels were put inside her drawers along with the boyfriend jeans and flannel shirt she had packed.Having clothes inside her little sister’s room, she planned to stop by and maybe they could have a chat. Not wanting to wait any longer, she walked out of her room and reached the desired door up the hall. The girl was probably out as she didn’t answer. Hyori walked back inside her bedroom but she wasn’t defeated yet. She had four weeks to mend their relationship and reasoned it should be enough.On her first day of the internship, she woke up early and decided to walk into the commission’s headquarters as soon as the building opened. After announcing herself at the reception, she was invited to get into her mentor’s waiting room. She remained there for nearly one hour until the lady inside was ready to interview her. She found it weird to be interviewed after the internship documents were signed.“Good morning, Madam President.”“Good morning, Haze. Have a seat.”The sobriquet rubbed Hyori the wrong way as she did as instructed. She then remembered she hadn’t registered a hero name and probably missed a lot of formalities.“Is Haze going to be my heroic name? I would like to change it if possible.”“It’s the name we registered, yes. You can ask Mister Mera to change it for you.”Changing that name would be the violet’s priority once she left the office. She couldn’t keep that name in circumstances where she was bound to cross paths with former visitors. She suspected giving away her hosting past was the woman’s goal. She hoped the internship wasn’t a fraud to disguise other activities. She hadn’t trained this long or that hard to host again.“As an intern here, we expect you to support other heroes on specific missions. Your academic results make us think you aren’t fit for regular hero work but could be a nice element and team player to have around. We already sent your profile to a handful of agencies and will assign you to support missions based on their requests. Mister Mera will walk you through the process.”“I understand.”“Also, keep in mind you don't have a provisional licence yet. We grant you leeway for punctual missions but usage of quirk is still prohibited outside of the orders we give you. Am I clear?”“Yes, you are.”“Very well. You may leave.”Hyori bowed before rushing towards the Vice President’s Office. There, she had been able to change her heroic name and had to find one on the spot. She had to admit the pension’s manager had found a fitting name for her abilities but couldn’t use it anymore. Hastily thinking about the various books she read, sirens were fantasy living beings commonly depicted with mind-altering abilities.She could also go for Medusa. Even if she couldn’t turn people into stones, they looked like statues once she brainwashed them. Still, she didn’t like the end of the tale and the name didn’t convey her commanding abilities. Therefore, she settled for Syren and the Vice President sent an email to the registry department to have the name changed. She suspected the feat wouldn’t have been as easy if she weren’t directly working for the Hero Commission.Once the procedure had been done, Mister Mera requested her to download the hero network on her secured phone. Her profile looked similar to the one in the hosting application. She commented on it and the man revealed they had recently updated the web design to make it easier to use, and might have used the hosting application as a reference.Navigating the application, her agenda was empty and she could see her peers’ profiles by tapping on her academy’s logo on her description. She didn’t have much time to browse the application as she had to head into the accommodation’s create zone where her first interview would take place.“The President must have told you we took the freedom to arrange interviews with heroes we think you might have great synergy with. Uwabami is one of them and she agreed to meet you today at ten. Just so you know, she’s the glamour type and I advise you to dress accordingly.”“I suppose she doesn’t work like a regular hero?”“She doesn’t, indeed. She mostly works undercover. As undercover as a public figure could be. I’ll meet you in the create zone a little before ten. I’ve some work to do in the meantime.”With that, Hyori left the headquarters. She had an hour and a half to get ready and decided to head into her apartment to pick an outfit that would please the woman. Since she was in a hurry, she hailed a cab to take her back and forth. She browsed the hero network to get intel on the woman she would meet.From what she read on her profile, Uwabami was rescue-oriented with three snakes on the top of her head. Those three had enhanced senses useful to locate hidden enemies as well as missing disaster victims. It would have been funny if Hyori had chosen Medusa for her hero name. She wondered if the snakes could bite or secret venom like Orochimi could.Thinking about the snake lady, she wondered if the latter was in prison or had received grace to make space in jail for the delinquents. Nothing had happened to Megumi and the woman might have told the judge she was only bluffing. Things happened so fast that Hyori hadn't kept track of the procedure. She was under the impression the Hero Commission had mostly wanted Megumi and didn't care much about what the pension’s manager did.Of course, thinking back to how she had been asked whether or not she would keep hosting, she realised they didn't care. As long as nothing had happened, they would probably be eager to deal with the pension again, if they had even stopped in the first place.Inside her apartment, she picked a coral surplice dress that reached the middle of her calves, along with matching kitten pumps. She thought about wearing some jewellery but decided against it. She didn't want to overdo it on her first meeting with the Hero. Keeping her look simple would be for the best.Back in the accommodations, she retrieved her toiletries purse and took a refreshing shower. To make the best impression, she brushed her tresses into a ponytail and applied her scented oil. Once ready, she waited until a quarter before ten to walk into the create zone. There, she sat on a couch in the hall.Mister Mera arrived minutes later and took in her outfit. He didn't comment on her look but he reacted to her stronger scent than usual. He mindlessly took a deep breath before sitting by her side. She didn't sense any disapprobation, though. She must have dressed according to the hero she would meet, even if only the woman would be the judge of it.Said hero arrived at one minute before ten and the Vice President greeted her before introducing Hyori as Psyren. The woman looked the violet maiden up and down and seemed to appreciate her look. The three serpents on her head also looked and their tongues sniffed the air. The woman hummed before commenting.“Lavender and gardenia. It’s a rather bold move for such a delicate look. And an odd one. I don't think I’ve ever scented the combination on someone.”“Thank you.” Replied Hyori. “It’s a custom-made perfume.”“Interesting. I already like her.” Announced the woman before challenging her. “Care to show me how your quirk operates?”“Of course.”The violet hazed the woman who raised an eyebrow.“I was thinking about a more practical test. I’ve been made aware you were good at diversion. I’m having a photoshoot this afternoon in half an hour. I’ll deem your quirk useful if you manage to distract the photographer from their job. Are you up to the challenge?”“Yes, I am.”Hyori wasn't sure to succeed and the mission sounded weird. Still, she couldn't back down and had to prove herself. She then followed Uwabami outside of the accommodations. The drive to the shooting studio hadn't lasted for ten minutes but it felt endless to the anxious maiden.She tailed behind Uwabami inside the lodge where the woman changed and did her makeup. Being introduced as the latter's assistant, she had been granted access to the shooting settings and instantly looked for the photographer. She identified a short woman with a camera around her neck. She could only be her target judging by the way she was ordering people around and arranging the settings to her taste.Hyori wondered how she could approach the woman and initiate a conversation with her. She knew her voice was her best tool and the one that hooked people. Yet, the photographer was surrounded and inside her bubble, as she was arranging the settings. Looking around the room, she noticed a young man behind the photographer. From how the photographer addressed him, she guessed he was her apprentice or direct subaltern.Hyori waited for the shooting to be about to start before beelining to the young man’s side. From up close, she could read “photographer’s assistant” on his badge.“Hello.” She addressed him. “I see you are also an assistant. I’m the model’s assistant and started today. Nice to meet you.”The young man had been flustered by her approach and she dazed him. He didn't hear his boss' instructions until she shouted his name. Then, the woman turned around and noticed the violet behind her. Absorbed in her work, she hadn't seen the young woman make her way there.Hyori used the opening to daze her for a second. The photographer regained her spirits and reiterated her request to the assistant who followed her instructions. Hyori then presented her excuses, putting the intent of her quirk in her words.“I’m sorry for disturbing the session. It won't happen again.”She then walked away from behind the photographer. On her way to the side, she tickled the woman's attention with the tether of her quirk and hazed her. Moving away signalled she wouldn't distract the assistant anymore. Yet, being on the side put her in the photographer’s peripheral vision.As expected, the woman’s attention drifted towards her before the session resumed. Hyori dazed her until Uwabami called her for a bottle of water. The photographer had followed her moving to the drinks table and then the model.“I think you can let go.” Instructed the serpent master while taking the bottle.Hyori let go of the professional’s mind and the shooting resumed. The photographer occasionally stole glances at her and called her at the end of the session.“Are you also into modelling? I could take some pictures for your portfolio.”“Thank you, Miss Tsubaki. But I’m not into modelling. I’m only an assistant.”“It’s a pity, you do have something. Why won't you help me with the next shooting? I need to adjust the camera for a close-up and it would be easier with someone standing there. Would you?”Exchanging a look with the undercover hero, she saw curiosity in her eyes and accepted the offer. The violet maiden walked to the now empty stage and stood straight.“You don't have to be so stiff, sweetheart. What's your name already?”“You can call me Shin.”“Shin.” Parrotted the photographer. “You look barely out of school.”“I’m interning.”“An intern. That’s cute. Would you give me a smile ?”Hyori had a hard time smiling on the spot. She used makeup to fake her smile when hosting. Doing the fake smile makeup again would probably be a good idea for her missions with Uwabami. The charm made her more inviting to her visitors and she guessed it would do the same with her targets.“Look at me. See?” The woman was smiling and Hyori mimicked her.“Good. Keep on smiling like that. Look at me through the objective. Can you undo your ponytail?”The maiden freed her hair and finger-combed her tresses in place. Then the photographer shouted.“I’ll need some wind!”At her words, a huge fan blew from the side and surprised the violet. The photographer requested to stop it after a few seconds.“That was funny, right?” Asked the professional.“Yes, it was.”After the initial shock, the maiden must admit it had been funny. She had a hard time containing her amusement when she arranged her hair. Uwabami arrived soon after to announce it was time to leave. Hyori bowed in front of the photographer before rushing towards her mentor of the day. She expectantly looked at the hero who nodded in approval.“You made it. I’ll be delighted to work with you.”The maiden was floating on clouds as they made their way back to the commission’s headquarters.~~~Hyori’s first days as an intern had been mundane. She had repeatedly been requested by Uwabami to pose as an eye candy and ease arrests. Their modus operandi was to have Hyori catch the attention of a target to entice them into lowering their guard. Once they were dazed or brainwashed, she would discreetly lead them into a secluded place where an ambush awaited them.With her quirk being the most potent in the later hours of the day, most of her missions occurred late in the afternoon. She was free in the mornings and used that time to train against the robots operating in the accommodations’ create zone. That allowed her to avoid going to Mister Yoroi’s dojo at the same time Touya was there. The elderly hero was wary of having her around his two special martial practitioners and Kiku couldn’t practise with the two at the same time. She saved that activity for her Saturday mornings instead.She hardly used machines for her training and reasoned it could only help her develop her physical abilities. As her heroic teacher told her, “no good hero is a one-trick pony”. She needed to be able to do her job even when she couldn’t use her quirk, or for the odds she would encounter someone who could free themselves from her brainwashing like Midoriya. Also, she wanted to impress her homeroom teacher when she would be back to school after the summer break.During her weekends, she would cook with her Father on Saturday afternoons and spend Sunday afternoons inside the beauty salon and spa in Kamakura. She revelled in the fact she had found a certain balance between heroic work and pampering herself. If she kept the same regimen during her active life, she could even keep her studio active with morning classes after her personal practice and before working in the afternoon.After her first week of interning, her Father picked her up on Friday after she clocked off. She had been eager to show him the pictures sent by Uwabami. The photographer had taken pictures in burst mode and the woman had sent her the professional’s selection. The portraits were in colour as well as in monochrome. She had never had such pretty pictures of herself. And her phone had never supported such heavy pictures. She had opened the chat on her computer to download the compressed file again to keep the best resolution.“They are beautiful.” Commented her Father when she showed him the pictures.She assumed the pictures were in chronological order. The ones taken after the huge fan blew her were far better. She looked more natural. The man also agreed with her point of view.“I want to frame them.”“Really?”“Of course. This one would be nice in the office room.”He showed her the one right before she undid her ponytail. Her smile was small on this one.“I like this picture better in monochrome.” Said Hyori. “It looks more professional than the coloured one.”They looked at the others and he wanted to frame one of the last pictures in colour and hung it on the family wall.“I’m sure your Grandparents would love it. Do I send it to them?”Hyori thought about the elderly couple. They were nearing the end of their lives and she thought it wouldn't hurt to let them enjoy the portraits.“Yes, thank you.”“Of course. I’ll have them printed on a canvas and send them the one that would be hung on the family wall.”When Hyori spent her second weekend of internship inside her Father's house, a monochrome portrait had been hung inside his home office while a coloured one had been hung inside her bedroom. The impression on the canvas had been made with ink projection and the results looked good. Her Grandparents had also received theirs and were eager to have her so that she could see it on the family wall. She wondered if her Father's wife and child were also on that wall but refrained from asking. She didn’t have any say in it and they had all the rights to be included.Unlike her classmates who captured battle-oriented villains, Hyori helped subdue white-collar criminals and traffickers. Her most notable operation had been passing as a college drop-out to enter an online cult. Catching the attention of the guru had been rather easy since he had been eager to witness her sweet voice’ quirk. The most difficult part had been to make him leave the barricaded fortification where he had been hiding since being officially searched by the police.The law enforcers suspected the man of using his ‘intrusive thoughts’ quirk to keep his adepts under influence. He was able to project images and sensations into people’s minds in a ten-metre radius. The ability had allowed him to subdue people in a fragile situation and gradually build a cult around his persona.The cult operated by having their aspiring members register on their web application with their identity, bank statements and a picture. A fake identity and documents had been forged by the commission. The cult’s agents had successfully been fooled and the guru had granted her an interview. Knowing the most advantageous setting for her quirk, she had requested to be interviewed at dawn after her ‘retail job’.The day of the interview, disguised under a brown wig and a realistic face mask, she had headed towards the cult’s fortified headquarters where hundreds of people already lived in less than modest conditions after giving away their life savings to the ‘cause’. From the police reports, the adepts accomplished whatever tasks they were given and it looked like the guru was building a mediaeval-styled castle with a magnificent garden and a huge farm. She had a grim idea of what would happen to the adepts once the construction ended.Since innocent people were living behind the fortified place, the law enforcers couldn’t raid it to capture the guru who was using them as a shield and could even command them to attack the heroes. With the public’s distrust still ongoing, the commission privileged ‘soft methods’, or at least discreet operations, when possible. Hyori’s mission was to brainwash the guru into leaving the fortifications.The guarded walk towards the man’s office had been stressful as she was alone in the wolf’s den. The sight of the firearms in the two guards’ arms hinted they were involved in weapons traffic. She had brainwashed the man as soon as they had been left alone, not wanting to leave him a chance to project intrusive thoughts in her head. Due to the armed guard protecting him, she couldn’t order the man to simply walk outside or make him trail behind her, clearly under her influence.Hyori had made the guru use his quirk on his guards to jump scare them. Once shocked, they had easily been brainwashed into entering the office and sitting still while she exited the room and locked the door behind her. The fight against the man’s attempt to overrule her control gave her headaches and she was glad her quirk’s hold had been trained in the pension and challenged at the academy. The inhabitants of the fortified ground had already retired for the night and Hyori hadn’t encountered anyone on her way out.Remembering the fortified door was guarded by a duo she suspected of being armed as well, she was tempted to break the seal of the stinky bomb hidden under her wig. That way, the snakes on Uwabami’s head would perceive her distress signal and alert the heroes. Instead, she whistled to daze the guards. The trick only worked during the night when people’s vigilance was at its lowest. Once dazed, she brainwashed them into opening the gates. The police and her mentor for the day were already waiting outside, along with Gang Orca, his sidekicks and Midnight who led the operation.When the villain had been cuffed, she felt a sense of accomplishment and the stress washed out of her system. She had kept her disguise until she parted from the heroes, having been visited by the chimaera once in the pension. She hadn’t forgotten the oppressive large hands that held her in place, the shower antics or how exerting domination excited the male hero. Once back inside the commission’s headquarters, she had written the longest report of her internship. Having been alone undercover, she had to provide more details than usual.She was grateful for Miss Kayama’s help. At least until the woman questioned her about her use of the face mask out of the clock.“You didn’t have to use it before or after the infiltration.” Pointed the hero.The brunette woman was hinting at how she altered her face around Gang Orca. Being her teacher, Miss Kayama knew her real face. She must have noticed the difference earlier.“I didn’t want to forget it.” Justified the young woman.In reality, she didn’t want the Chimaera to recognise her. He hadn’t been sure to have recognised her voice, but he would have if he saw a familiar face with it. Of course, she couldn’t tell that part to the teacher.“We wouldn’t have let you go undercover without a cover.” Countered Miss Kayama.“Putting on the face mask on the clock would have been too long.”“And what’s your excuse for the planification meetups? You didn’t have to wear it then.”Hyori was cornered and the teacher pressed.“One could think you were hiding. Were you?”“I wasn’t.”“Really?”“It’s a long story the Principal and the commission already heard.”Miss Kayama had never been confronted with that side of the student. The scheming face that always sought a pass from the top. She had to admit it was unnerving. She better understood Aizawa’s frustration. The young woman didn’t even attempt to hide or justify herself. The higher-ups knew and the rest didn’t need to know as well. Even though they were the ones daily interacting with the violet. She guessed the apprentice wouldn’t talk anymore about it. Therefore, the woman retrieved her report and checked if any detail seemed missing. Satisfied with what she read, she stood from the table and reached for the door.~~~Her mentee activities aside, the time spent in the commission’s accommodations had warmed Hyori’s relationship with Megumi. They weren’t back to normal yet but were on speaking terms since the youngest had started gymnastic classes. From then, they had a topic that brought them together as the golden-haired girl would ask her for tips. The younger girl had also shown her pictures taken with her boyfriend and Hyori thought they looked lovely together. He was slightly shorter than the girl and the violet only then noticed Megumi went through a growth spurt in the pension, probably due to drinking the spiked milk while her growth plates hadn’t closed yet.Following the guru’s capture, she started receiving requests for rescues and domestic violence cases. Those cases had been on the rise but were currently left on the sidelines of hero work. She worked mostly with the hero Centipeder. The centipede chimaera had been interested in her ability to diffuse a situation before it escalated.Similarly to Uwabami, the chimaera had tested her before inviting her to work with him. Unlike the serpent master, he had evaluated her physical abilities. Early in the morning, before the day even started, she had been requested to catch one of his employees. The head of the eponymous agency wanted to make sure she could act fast enough to neutralise assaulters.She was set to work with his sidekick on the less risky cases. Bubble Girl, the sidekick, was a skilled fighter who could create sweet or rancid-scented bubbles. She used them to destabilise her opponents and swiftly take them down. Pairing the two of them together, Centipeder would have more time to take more dangerous cases with Le Million, his second sidekick. From what she had been told by Bubble Girl, the second sidekick had graduated from the Ultra Academy earlier in April.She hadn’t met him until she worked with the head of the agency on a human traffic rescue. They eventually recognised each other from the time she helped the academy’s rescue. The blond-haired young man was jovial and dedicated to his duties. His working ethic and workout routines were almost inhuman. He was also accommodating and willing to adjust for others. Yet, she could sense a lingering spleen when he was walking home. At least, she supposed he was heading there after shifts.More than once, she had been tempted to haze him. The years spent hosting had conditioned her to appease older people's minds. He was only one year older than her, but he seemed to have already experienced so much. He also was reluctant to ask for help. After a couple of days, she asked him how he balanced his private and work life. She hadn't been upfront. Instead, she disguised her query under an innocent question for tips to balance her balance her life.She didn't need tips. Not when she already had a familial routine. And especially not when she only worked on demand. She was lucky to afford such a position. The hourly minimum wage wouldn't allow her to enjoy a comfortable life if she had to rely on her current hero work. Still, Toogata had been happy to advise remaining in touch with her classmates. One of his friends was closeted and he made it his duty to take him on an errand at least once a week.Hyori deduced the ritual was as helpful to said friend. But it must be equally helpful to the young man she was currently working with. He seemed to be the type to need someone to hold on. She even suspected he tried to get in touch with said friend more than once a week. Ever since she engaged in a conversation with him, he had been keen on chatting with her after her undercover shifts. From his recounts, his friend enjoyed spending time alone and she guessed he had been the one to ask for no more than one outing per week.The violet hoped her coworker wasn't too lonely on the other days. He mentioned his Father once and there seemed to be some incompatibilities between them. Toogata had commented on how he missed having someone to listen to his various stories now that he wasn't in the academy's dormitories anymore. She guessed he wasn't on the same wavelengths as his Father. But it's not like he could move out so soon. And even if he could, she guessed having the older man's presence was better than coming to an empty home.After spending her nights in Tokyo at her Father's home, Hyori didn't think she would settle in her apartment after graduation. That place was mainly her studio and tickling place. She had grown used to having dinner with her Father and knowing he was around just in case. Toogata seemed not to have a lot of bonding moments with his Father. A few happenings he recounted hinted at how his retired Father didn't always listen to him. That's what she guessed when he recounted his weekend on Monday mornings. Hyori would tell him about innocent happenings in the hospital in exchange. Father and son had communication issues. Yet, the blond had someone around just in case.Regarding the case, the criminals operated in a hospital where they would exchange babies at birth. Due to the low fertility rates and the advanced age at which people married, some couples resorted to abducting newborns from their Mothers. The group was suspected of preying on single Mothers and disguised the kidnappings as sudden deaths. The rising cases of perfectly healthy pregnancies ending in sudden deaths had alarmed some of the doctors working there.This time, she had posed as a young male nurse in training. The idea was to get herself enrolled in the ring. Once inside, she was supposed to get access to the group’s clients list and possible branches. The law enforcers suspected a similar scheme might be getting implemented in other hospitals, if not already implemented.One thing she discovered was that nurses were constantly stressed and often victims of violence from patients or their families. It wasn’t very noble of her, but she had posed as a knight in shining armour to have her female coworkers be more vulnerable around her. Under her disguise, she used her androgynous mask's looks to approach her peers and identify the ones working with the traffickers. As she grew closer to them, she noticed how the nurses’ collaboration was morally motivated and not fueled by financial gains.These women believed they were doing the right thing. From their point of view, they were freeing single women from pregnancies they must have been pressured to keep by a society that would prejudice them for being single Mothers when they could have aborted. The children being entrusted to well-off parents was the best outcome for everyone involved. At least, according to the benevolent criminals.Hyori wasn’t sure their approach was the right one. Even after years apart, she was sure she would be able to spot her Mother in a crowd. The phantom scent of the woman who brought her to life was embedded in her dreams and memories. If the midwives who catered to her Mother had thought the same, she could have been a trafficked baby as well. The short time she spent in delivery rooms had convinced her they weren’t doing the right things.Newborn babies weren’t blank slates. They had spent months inside their Mother’s bodies and reacted to their voices or heartbeats in a specific way. She suspected she would forever remember the cry of a Mother when she had been announced the sudden death of her child. No matter how they tried to sugar-coat the practice, it was cruel and had to stop.After a week inside, she had finally been introduced into the ring. If the nurses and midwives acted for a cause, the middlemen of the practice were far from benevolent. The exchanges happened in the morgue where a fake baby would be switched with the real sedated one. At least, Hyori hoped those were fake babies. The newborn would be then handed to the middlemen who would drive to the new parents’ homes and collect the full payment. They had already extended their activities to another hospital in the Kanagawa Prefecture.Once the mission had been over and the culprit arrested, Hyori had felt relief that the criminals' archives had helped reunite the babies with their due families. Those women weren’t only single Mothers. Some were by choice, others had lost their husbands during the pregnancies. Yet, all of them had prepared a room to welcome the newborns. They also had a family or loved ones who showed up one way or another.When they parted after reporting, Toogata had invited her to a hot pot to celebrate the happy ending of a big case, but she already had plans to head back home early. Yet, she sensed he needed that celebration. According to his words, Bubble Girl had already heard all of his jokes and didn't find them funny anymore. Offering him to commute with her to the commission's headquarters, she had listened to whatever story he had to tell before they parted. The evening following the end of the mission, she had felt fulfilled yet moody. Inside the commission's headquarters, she asked to spend the night at her Father’s home. She missed her Mother. It was one of those nights she wouldn’t be able to rest until she exhausted her brain into losing consciousness. The mere fact the middle-aged man was there helped her fill the void her Mother’s absence created.~~~On the last Sunday afternoon of her internship, Hyori’s Father drove her back to Hakone after a stop by Kamakura. He had purchased skincare products with her, wanting to see the establishment she frequented. Telling him it was the place she met Mister Yotsubashi hadn’t been an easy conversation. It was the first time she had put words, in front of her Father, on what she had been up to in the pension.The man had remained forbidden during her confession. Anger and resignation were swirling in his mind. His eyes were strained on the road and his hands gripped the wheel more than necessary. He hadn’t made any comments regarding what happened or why her Mother would put her in that place. He hadn’t questioned her either. After a deep breath, he thanked her for her trust and reminded her to always come to him first if she needed anything or had any issues. When they arrived in front of the academy’s side entrance, he surveyed as she entered the grounds.Hyori entered her class’s dormitory a little after three in the afternoon. The building was mostly empty at this time save for her home-stuck peers. Uraraka would normally be studying in her room, Kouda was probably in his room catering to his pets, Tokoyami would usually rest during the day and Mineta was always inside his room when he could. She walked into her bedroom to put her luggage away and arrange her bedroom for the evening. She hadn’t much furniture in her room and thought the evening would be better inside her apartment in Tokyo.She brought cocooning packets from the hotel in Kamakura, cotton-scented candles and wool-covered meditation cushions from her studio. She carried a jar of mini dark chocolate, milk chocolate and white chocolate cookies, baked by her domestic robot. The treats should allow them to bypass the rule prohibiting eating in the bedrooms. They were dry snacks, after all. The cushions had taken most of the place in her extra suitcase even if they had been lightweight to carry. She put them on the soft maroon carpet littering her room’s floor.It was four in the afternoon when she was done decorating her bedroom. She would retrieve flavoured milk from the kitchen at seven in the afternoon before welcoming her guests. Since she had numerous hours ahead of herself, she decided to read for a while. The violet had been engrossed in her novel when she was interrupted by a knocking on her door. The bedside clock was reading a little before seven in the evening. Opening the door, she found Uraraka on the other side, already in her pyjamas. The girl was now her second classmate to have seen her bedroom.“I was wondering if you wanted some help setting up your bedroom.” Announced the hazel after they greeted each other.“Setting up was quick since I don’t have a lot of furniture here.” Replied Hyori as she stepped on the side to let the other see. “I will bring some flavoured milk bottles from the kitchen in a dozen minutes.”“I see. It looks cosy.” Commented the shorter girl. “I can help you with the bottles. It would be a piece of cake if they were floating in our arms.”“Thank you. I will put on my pyjamas first. You can wait inside.” Replied Hyori.Uraraka sat on a cushion while Hyori put on her pyjamas. She hadn’t done anything after the spa and beauty salon, besides sitting inside her Father’s sports car and arranging her bedroom. She didn’t see the need for a shower before wearing a pyjama ensemble. She still changed her panties and minimiser. She might be out of the closet but wasn’t willing to be completely seen already. She added a sleeping Kimono vest on top of her pyjamas and exited the room with her classmate.The duo headed downstairs towards the kitchen. Half of their classmates were spread between the salon and the dining table. While the maidens would be upstairs for a girls’ night, the Sunday movie session would de facto be a boys’ night. The class representative was already setting the television with Kirishima, a red-headed boy adorning a spiky hairstyle and shark teeth.As they passed by the salon to head back inside the bedroom, they were admonished by the class president who yelled “No eating in the rooms!” at them. Uraraka countered that “these are just drinks” before they all but speed-walked upstairs. They put the bottles on a platter between the cushions and Hyori added the cookie jar on it. They didn’t wait for long before the other girls arrived.They were also in their pyjamas, some in ensembles and others in dresses. They appreciated the comfortable cushions and scented candles. Jirou, a petite girl with short deep purple hair, had put on music while Hagakure, the invisible girl, presented the games she had brought. There was a hero-themed mime card game and a game of small horses.They had started with the activity Hyori had planned for, namely cocooning. They each had a pack containing one-time-use sacks of face cleanser, lip balm and moisturiser. They also had two cotton disks, a beauty face mask and an anti-fatigue mask they could save for later. Ashido had been the most enthusiastic one. Her quirk rendered her skin dry and itchy, forcing her to follow a strict skincare routine. She had loved the soothing sensations of the mask and balms. The girls chatted during the routine and congratulated Hyori for her internship.“You worked with Uwabami? I interned with her last year but didn’t witness much action.” Commented Momo. “It’s a good thing you found an internship and are active.”“When did you pass the provisional licence exam?” Asked Asui.“I didn’t. The Hero Commission’s Vice President delivers me a special authorisation for each case. I’m also not interning with a specific hero. The President is my legal mentor and assigns me missions.” Explained Hyori.“Really? Who have you worked with so far?” Asked Uraraka.“Uwabami for arrests, Centipeder for domestic violence interventions and hostage rescues. And I once worked with Midnight and Gang Orca.” Answered Hyori.While they waited for the products to work, they played the small horses game. Momo had won every single round. Hyori’s phone alarm rang at the end of the mask’s pose and they cleaned themselves using spare towels.“My skin looks magnificent! I think it has never been this smooth! Is that the secret of your flawless skin?! I noticed you are soft like velvet and glow like a Kpop music video.” Commented Ashido. “Where did you find these?”“Thank you. You can find them online.” Replied Hyori. Then, she pointed at the still-closed pack. “These ones cure any signs of fatigue. I use them when I don't sleep at night. They are pricey so I don’t use them a lot.”They were indeed pricey as “a single pack was worth the pay of an internship’s week” according to Uraraka’s shocked exclamation. The beauty masks they were wearing cost half as much but were still pricey for students.“I guess it’s the price of perfection.” Lamented Ashido.“I will treasure the remaining one, thank you.” Commented Uraraka.Then, the conversation shifted to her travels to Tokyo. Hyori confessed she worked as a yoga practitioner for beginners.“How are you doing all that?” Remarked Jirou.“It’s only during the mornings. I don’t exert myself. I’ve been active since I was seventeen and I’m already used to the routine.” Replied Hyori.“Speaking of routine, what are you up to after classes? We have never seen you practise.” Asked Asui.“I enrolled in a sports facility five minutes away by bicycle. I receive gymnastics and pool training there. I have sessions every weekday.” Answered Hyori.“That’s why you are agile and flexible.” Commented Hagakure.“Why not practise in school?” Pressed Asui.“I started training in the facility when I was in general education and kept the habit.” Stated Hyori.“That packed schedule doesn’t leave much personal time.” Noted Asui.Hyori sensed understanding from the green-haired girl. She must have been in a position where she couldn’t afford time for herself.The girls ate the treats while playing the mime game until it was time to go to bed. They commented Hyori could hold a yoga session someday and Ashido invited her to one of her dance practices, willing to adjust her Sunday agenda. Hyori’s first girls’ night had been a thrilling experience. It reminded her of her first shopping spree with her former roommates in the pension. Falling asleep, she wondered what they were up to at the moment. Whether they were still hosting or not, Hyori hoped they were doing well and felt as fulfilled as she was at the moment. Their paths may have diverged but they would forever be the first friends she ever made.~~~Following the girls' night inside her room, Hyori had grown closer to the other maidens. She had more free time now that her internship had ended. Her rest would last for one week before the class's summer camp in the mountains. The girls had planned a shopping errand on Sunday afternoon, to leave Hyori the weekend with her family. The violet would leave the academy's accommodations on Friday afternoon and come back on Sunday morning.In the meantime, she used the nearby sports resort for her gymnastics classes in the morning, followed by pool training early in the afternoon. Training-wise, she never felt as good in her skin as when she was in the nearby establishment. Especially with the low attendance during the morning. Any of her classmates could see her on the school's grounds. And she wasn't comfortable around all of them yet.She might never be, but that didn't disturb her. They had less than a year left together. In two semesters, they would drift away for good. Except for the ones she was acquainted with, she would only occasionally interact with her class. What mattered was for her to remain on cordial terms with them. That should be easy since she was becoming friends with the other maidens.After her mornings spent inside the nearby resort, she usually read for the afternoon until she helped whoever would be in the kitchen for dinner. She filled the dishwasher while the other persons were working around. Most of the days, Satou was the one active in the kitchen. Kouda often helped, since he had fewer working hours than Shoji or Tokoyami. The corpulent cook and his soft-spoken help usually didn't need a third pair of arms inside the kitchen.Somehow, she preferred when Bakugou was the one cooking. She didn't feel as watched over as with the taller young men. Also, she was friends with Mina and on cordial terms with his other friends. There wasn't a latent competition for her attention and she didn't feel pressured to 'pick a winner'. She was wondering if the other maidens were in similar situations.The class had a gender imbalance and most of her peers expressed hetero-normative preferences. Some of the young men were obvious. Mineta, a short lad whose purple hair puffs were sticky to others but bouncy to him, was a woman-chaser. And from the look of it, he didn't fare well due to being a pushover. Mina told her he had calmed down from last year and Hyori wondered what kind of lecherous guy he used to be.Kaminari, the lightning blond, was dating Kyoka. The relationship wasn't official yet, but they were trying. She assumed they had bonded over their shared taste for everything electronic and tech-related. The young man was fairly knowledgeable on the topic and even coded a highly pixelated music game as a Valentine's gift. From what Tooru, the invisible maiden, recounted, the purple-haired maiden had appreciated the gesture but made him redesign the female outfits into less revealing ones.Kirishima, the red-headed with shark teeth and a skin that could get hard and sharp, was a former classmate of Mina. They had danced around each other but it seemed they weren't quite fit for each other. Again, according to Tooru, the pink maiden had grown unexpectedly closer to Bakugou over their sweat issues. She suspected more would happen once they graduated and the two young men wouldn't live under the same roof anymore. Hyori had been impressed at the duo's ability to wait out of respect for a shared friend.On the topic of waiting to act on one's feelings, Todoroki Junior, an ice and fire bender, withheld courting traditions and was sometimes going on dates with Momo. Mina and Tooru described their relationship as a Prince and Princess story. Hyori had a vague idea that it was linked to the courting thing. She only hoped Junior wouldn't reproduce his Father's mistakes. He wasn't as stunted as his Father. He was even on the expressive side, contrary to the redhead. She could sense his friends held him back from doing certain things. And that's precisely what she was wary of.She wanted to talk about it with Momo, but she suspected it would be weird to get involved in their relationship. So far, things were well and she didn't want to instil fear in her friend. She reasoned she should trust the brunette's judgement, and should make herself appear as a listening ear. That way, the other would feel safe talking to her. Which meant she had to come clean in front of her. At least at some point. She wasn't ready to talk about her quirk yet, but was willing to show herself more to the other maidens. Hence why she started tagging along on their morning runs.Back to the topic of relationships, Tooru had confided she was involved with their former classmate who had been the first to treat her like a lady and not a fighter or someone one couldn't fantasise about. He was perceptive and she felt seen around him. Hyori assumed being invisible had been a prejudice when people tended to be visual persons.Tooru had later implied that family talks were sensitive for Tsuyu, the frog mutant. It seemed to be linked to her background but it hadn't been her story to tell. Also, Ochako and Midoriya were kind of sweethearts trying to figure out the dating thing. From what she sensed from the confessions, she guessed the invisible maiden was highlighting who was off-limits in the class. She hadn't outright said so, but the shorter one wasn't subtle when she mentioned things following Hyori's interactions with a given young man.Some of her peers must have noticed how Kouda and his friends were acting around her, save from Tokoyami. They didn't assume she was a femme fatale. Yet, she couldn't just tell them not to worry. All she could do was prevent herself from using her quirk other than brainwashing her male peers. She didn't want to make things complicated between her future coworkers and herself. She was glad they didn't know about her past and wondered if they would remain friends if they knew what she did.How would people react if they knew? Would the young men disrespect her? Would the teachers see her as other than an apprentice? She didn't have anyone to talk about it and missed her former roommates. She could talk about said topics with them. They had been on the same boat before she left. Texting them would be so easy since she still had their social media and phone numbers. Yet, she was wary of opening that door again. Muse had outed her in front of Enji and she suspected Bliss would try to get her back to hosting.

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« Could you begin our strange love? »The vibrant city of Tokyo was never as alive as during the summer. The warmest days of the year brought tourists from all over the world and with them came the effervescence of holiday attractions. While foreigners and people from the country-side visited the capital during the heated season, tokyoites travelled towards the closest leisure cities and the most affluent went abroad. The Shibuya neighbourhood was among the most visited places, with its luminous shops and coveted backgrounds for social media pictures.Inside a living complex near the metro station of Shibuya, Hyori performed aerial yoga exercises inside her apartment. Afterwards, she commanded her domestic robot to clean around while she was taking a cool shower on Saturday morning. She was getting dressed when she heard her doorbell ring. The young woman hastily put on a white blouse on top of a black tweed skirt. She could tuck the top after answering at the door. She walked out of her bedroom and down the wall to reach the entrance of her apartment. Her loosely curled violet tresses bounced around her midsection with each step.From the interphone, she saw a red-headed man waiting in front of the building entrance. His ice-blue eyes were looking expectantly at the interphone. His squared impressive stature was softened by an earthy-coloured vintage polo tucked underneath beige pants. After a few seconds of hesitation, she opened to the man who arrived at her door a minute later."Good morning, Enji." Greeted the young woman while letting him in."Good morning, Hyori." Greeted back the man whose expecting eyes took in every detail of her face.Under his craving gaze that followed any of her movements, she passed the dining room to walk into the kitchen and retrieve a drink for the man."Would you have some flavoured water or do you prefer plain water? I have cherry and cassis flavoured water." Asked Hyori."Plain water, thank you." Answered the man.She retrieved a glass and an empty bottle she filled with the fountain. The guest downed his glass in one go before putting it on the dining table."I guess you have been busy despite your studio holiday closure. How have you been doing?" Inquired the man."I've been doing well, thank you. I was working on other projects. And you? How is it going with your family?" Asked Hyori back."I haven't made much progress since last Christmas. Beside my daughter who had remained gracious to me, my youngest son is interning with me and we are on cordial terms. Working together has brought us closer. My second son isn't convinced yet and my eldest refuses to see me or his family. It's a complicated story but it turns out the child I thought was dead had been alive all along. He's now working for the Hero Commission and even entered the top ten. I suppose his anger is a fair punishment for not having faith in him. He's so much like me. Too much like me. I'm glad he's living his dream, though.""And your wife? You were supposed to make amends to her." Pressed Hyori."I would rather not expand on the matter." Dodged the man before changing topics. "Are you free next Friday? I booked a restaurant with a nice view of the Toro Nagashi floating lanterns ceremony.""I would rather not keep up whatever is going on." Replied Hyori, using the man's words."Why are you doing this?" Asked the thrown over man."I won't entertain a cheating husband." Said Hyori with finality.As much as she hadn't been intimate in months and craved the touch, she stuck to her position."Are you asking me to divorce?" Countered the man."I'm asking you not to put me in an inadequate situation. I won't be your affair. And I'm not interested in becoming a stepmother.""I'm not asking so much from you." Defended the man."Then what do you want? Am I just a warm body to you?" Accused Hyori."You aren't and you know it. I would have asked someone else if it was just that."Frustrated, he ran his left hand down his chin before following."Look, I won't ask you to parent my children. They are already adults. My wife and I haven't lived together for more than a decade."After his confession, he closed the gap between them until she held him a step away."There is no future for us." Complained Hyori."We can at least enjoy the present time. Just this time.""You will want more afterwards. How many times are you going to want just one time?""As long as you'll want it.""How can you tell I want it?""You wouldn't have let me inside if you didn't."His hands found her waist and glided down her hips. Not meeting much resistance, they went upwards again, this time caressing the skin under her blouse. His right hand reached for the hook of her bra while his left arm circled her. She felt his desire grow harder against her when he breathed in her ear. A contented sound escaped her lips when he kissed down her neck. Soon enough, they were tasting each other's tongue, the pressure increasing at her core. Enji lifted her towards her bedroom where they undressed. Once he was covered, they stroke their itchiness, fever ruling his hungry pace. Her satisfied chants echoed and harmonised with his pent up breath.Loving with Enji had always been intense. Back in the pension, nights with the redhead used to be ones she was expecting the most. His uncommon hot body temperature made her core melt around him. The energy he put into rocking her was mind blowing, even when she was on top. He didn't treat her like she was made of paper like Mister Yotsubashi, and was mindful of her sensitive spots unlike the other visitors. They had started again twice until they fell in a satiated embrace.Their lounging moment was interrupted by the apartment's main door opening. Her Father's voice called for her from the living room. Hyori forgot he had spare keys to her apartment for emergencies. Startled, she climbed out of bed."It's my Father. I forgot he had spare keys." Said Hyori."Your Father?" Echoed the man."It's a recent development." She supplied before shouting back at her Father. "I'll be out after my shower!"Then, she rushed inside the bathroom for a quick shower before emerging back to put on a coral ruffle dress. Her companion's perfume was clinging to her previous clothes. The man rushed in the shower after her. She requested him to remain in her bedroom until he had her go to leave. She left the bedroom to greet her Father who was eyeing the man's shoes at the entrance of her apartment."You didn't answer any of my texts and didn't pick when I called you! I stopped by the commission's accommodations and the receptionist told me you left hours ago! Why didn't you tell me you had your boyfriend over?! I was worried!" Questioned the agitated man."It was a surprise visit. I didn't expect anyone." Answered the scolded young woman.Her Father's posture relaxed before he enquired."Who is it?" Then, he pressed when she didn't answer, her eyes cast on her tangled fingers. "Hyori. Who is in your apartment at the moment?"Against her expectations, Enji emerged from her bedroom and walked down the hall towards the living room, his signature confidence unwavering despite the delicate situation. Her Father's incredulous eyes darted between her and the approaching man."What are you doing here?!" Spat her unnerved Father at the man.Without leaving him time to say a word, he followed."Get out and leave my daughter alone! You leechering old man."Enji silently obliged and left the apartment. Once they were alone, Hyori's Father faced her again. Anger and deception were mixing in his mind. He reached her level and put his hands on her shoulders. With a more even voice, he admonished."What was that? What was this married man doing inside your bedroom?""He told me he's separated from his wife." Replied Hyori with a small voice."Look at me." He commanded and she reluctantly met his gaze. "You need to steer clear from these situations. They won't do you any good. And you should never entertain men you won't show your Father. Am I clear?""Yes, Dad.""Good. Put on your shoes, we are going home."She walked back inside her bedroom to put on squared-toe Mary Jane nude shoes with black points and strap. She picked a grained black purse for her two phones and closed the rooms' doors before exiting the apartment with her Father. The drive towards the man's home was silent. The barbecue he had cooked for lunch had been kept warm inside the oven. After the meal, she had a nap until he woke her up at seven in the afternoon.They spent the rest of the afternoon watching movies she distantly paid attention to. They were sitting side by side on the couch in the beige living room. Throw pillows softened the firm back and seat cushions that lined low rise solid oak frames. The remotes were lying on the glassed circular low table between the couch and the huge television that looked like a painting frame. The ceiling-to-floor maroon curtains were open, letting the summer evening's sunlight enter. Hyori's feet were folded on the couch while her Father's were crossed on the beige carpet. Around them, cabinets were backed against walls and the impressive collection of movie cassettes and disks could be seen through the glass doors of the cabinet behind them."Where did you meet Endeavour?" Questioned her Father amidst the movie none of them were watching with attention. He had calmed down and wanted to understand what led to the situation."In the pension. He used to visit me once every two weeks." Replied Hyori."And you remained in touch?""Not really. We crossed paths last Christmas and spent some time in my apartment. And he visited me today.""Why did you let him in?" His eyes left the screen to look at her."I don't know. I'm not sure." Her eyes were focused on the throw pillow in her arms."Try to give me a reason." Pressed her Father."I think I missed being intimate with someone." Confessed Hyori.A pause overtook the conversation until her Father advised."He's too old for you. You will need someone you can grow old with. Isn't there anyone at school that caught your attention? Do you have friends of your age?""I'm friends with the girls of my class. I'm not sure about the boys. It would be weird if I made exes out of future coworkers.""Do you want me to look out for you?" Offered her Father.Her head spun towards him with surprise. Faced with his seriousness, her flustered eyes looked on the side."It won't be necessary... But thank you." Mumbled Hyori."Feel free to tell me if you change your mind." Concluded the man before facing the television.Later during the night, the conversation replayed in Hyori's head. No one in her class had caught her attention in a romantic way.Later, she thought about her own dating life and how empty it was. She wasn't sure she wanted to engage but suspected she would want to at some point. She supposed she could try with Kouda. Her quiet classmate was attentionate without being overbearing. He could cradle her in his large arms like he held the pets he adored. But dating him would mean avoiding interactions with some of his closest friends. Shouji and Satou.Were they going to get over their feelings? Would they drift apart? Realistically, they would be less involved with each other after graduation, especially the engaged ones. The idea of dating the soft animal lover was enticing yet tainted by the fact she had used her quirk on him. It might have happened only one time but it had catalysed the evolution of his feelings for her.So far, the only one who manifested attention towards her without having been under her quirk was Kiku. Her former classmate who had made inappropriate gestures against her. Could she forgive him? It had happened only once and it was three years ago. They were still in high school at the time. Now, the awkward boy had matured into a gentle young man. At least from her perspective.More than once, she had looked at his dexterous fingers during their training sessions. She wondered if he would be that expert with her flower. The weight of his solid frame would be heavy enough to ground her down without crushing her. She would probably move to the Meguro neighbourhood if they were engaged. The neighbourhood was less than twenty minutes away by car but looked like a completely different city.A rich vegetation made the place look like a city-sized garden, especially when the trees longing the river were blooming during Spring. She might relocate her yoga studio inside Kiku's family dojo. She was sure her guests would enjoy the serene place. Such nature-dominated places were rare in the ultra-urbanised agglomeration of Tokyo.During her slumber, Hyori dreamt of large hands petting her side. She was sitting on a square silhouette's lap, sheltered under the branches of a blooming tree. The controlled pace was lulling her to rest. But instead of falling asleep, she fell on the ground. Above her, dark pupils looked inside her lilac eyes. The new figure's weight pushed her into the ground. Then, she woke up from her slumber. Her swollen flower was dripping goo on the bedsheets and demanded attention. Being inside her Father's home, Hyori climbed out of bed and took a cold shower inside the attached bathroom.Back inside the bedroom, the numeric clock of her smartphone read a quarter past five in the morning. Her chances of falling asleep again were meagre. After putting on boyfriend jeans and an oversized grey shirt with a minimiser underneath, she opened the curtains to let inside the soft light of the early morning sun. At this time of the day, the sunrays were timid enough not to harm her sensitive skin. She was tempted to read a novel to pass time, but concluded it wouldn't be a good idea after the dream she just had. She had entered the third phase of her cycle and anything resembling a stimulation would trigger her urges.Instead, she decided to walk out of her bedroom towards the kitchen. It was too early to cook for breakfast. She rummaged through the seasonal cabinets to retrieve a watermelon. She cut the treat and poured the sweet and juicy flesh inside the bar blender, hoping the sound enclosure would prevent the tool from waking her Father. After a minute, she stopped the machine and powered off the engine. Looking through another cabinet, she retrieved two glass bottles with large overflows. Once filled, she served herself a large glass before putting the bottles away in the fridge.The young woman enjoyed the onctuous and fresh drink before putting her glass in the dishwasher and exiting the kitchen. She opened the windows since the outside air wasn't warm yet. Looking out at the backyard, she wished she had her bicycle to cycle through the adjoining park. Once she deemed the air of the living room had been renewed, she closed the windows and the curtains before heading back inside her bedroom. There, she retrieved her secured phone to see if any important message had been posted.The last pinned message was the one informing her class of the summer training camp in the mountains. She closed her secured phone and opened her drawer to retrieve her smartphone. Her fingers tapped on a music service application. It was too early to play her acoustic instruments that lacked volume control. Her eyes scanned her room for the earbuds until she found them on the desk. A short walk later, she put on relaxing music and climbed back in her bed. Soon enough, she was falling back asleep and only woke up when her Father knocked on her door at nine.The duo cooked garnished omelettes for breakfast. Once satiated, she packed her changing bag while her Father started his sports car engine. She didn't have much to pack since her belongings were already spread between her apartment, her Father's home and her boarding room. She only needed to make sure her devices weren't forgotten behind. They left Tokyo for Hakone where her college-preparatory school was located. They arrived an hour later in the picturesque and mountainous city. After a 'goodbye' hug, the middle-aged man surveyed his daughter entering the academy's grounds through the side entrance, waiting for the gates to close behind her.The young woman walked towards her class's dormitory building. At eleven in the morning, she arrived earlier than usual. On a regular week, she left Tokyo late in the afternoon after having lunch with her Father following her Sunday morning yoga classes. With her yoga studio being closed during the holidays, she had planned to visit the nearby city commercial centre with the other young women of her class, later during the afternoon. They would take a bus for the Gotemba Premium Outlet. They wanted to shop for the upcoming Toro Nagashi floating lanterns ceremony.The living room was empty but Hyori could hear noise coming from the kitchen. She peered from the ajar door and saw three of the young women inside the kitchen. Tsuyu and Ochako were helping the day's chef. They had put their manes into high ponytails and were rushing wherever Satou requested. From the look she had, it seemed most of the cooking had already been done. She greeted them from the ajar door and offered to dress the table after putting her bag inside her room. The young man's plump lips stretched into a smile elevated by the side-whiskers above his squared jaw.The trip back and forth had been quick. After the table was dressed, the trio of cooks served themselves and sat at the table. Tsuyu sent a text in the class group chat to let their classmates know lunch was ready. Knowing the rest of her classmates would soon arrive, Hyori served herself a portion of salmon lasagna before sitting beside the two young women."I didn't know you cooked lunch. I thought the cafeteria was serving even on Sunday." Commented Hyori."It does. I just enjoy cooking." Replied Satou, the easy-going young man. "You came back early today." He noted."Yes, I will spend the afternoon in Gotemba." Supplied Hyori.Minutes later, the remaining young women had arrived from various areas of the academy. They enjoyed their meal and cleaned their dishes before hurrying to get ready. They arrived at the bus station a few minutes before the pickup time. Along with a few individuals, they boarded the empty bus. On the road, they reviewed their personal lists for the event. Mostly, they wanted to purchase accessories for their dresses. Hyori was counting on the voucher she had been given for her birthday by Enji. She hadn't had time to visit Gotemba amidst her internship and weekends at home. She already had accessories and planned to purchase whatever she found interesting.After driving for forty minutes, the bus stopped on the commercial venue's driveway and the heroic apprentices exited. They formed groups to run their errands in time. The first group was Asui and Uraraka, the hazel one who helped in the kitchen earlier, based on their close proximity and a shared taste for minimalist fashion. The second group was Yaoyorozu and Kyoka who enjoyed each other's tranquil company. The former was a towering maiden with straight and long black hair falling around her hourglass figure. The latter was average in height, slim and sported a deep purple short bob.The last group was Ashido and Hagakure who had a similar Y2K fashion. The former a pink-curly-haired with a pink complexion and a taller-than average sculpted figure. The latter was invisible by default. Hyori had seen her a couple of times during girls' nights. Hagakure had ash-blonde loosely curled hair that fell on her shoulders, with a voluptuous figure.The odd one, Hyori, followed the last group. She had been impressed the most by Ashido's room and trusted her sense of style. They entered a shop "for successful living". The red logo contrasted with the almost dull denim pieces displayed. She would have loved some of the shoes if it weren't for the metallic and glowing logo. Ashido was sponsored by the brand for social media posts and received coupons.Out of her classmates, the pink girl was the most popular among young adults. That position made her sought-after by brands who saw an opportunity to attract a demographic that was already bankable and could be cashed-in for decades. Further in the shop, she noticed a pair of thigh-high denim boots on which she had a hard time finding the logo. There was a slip inside and Hyori was content that the logo wouldn't be on display.Ashido had purchased glassy light pink heeled shoes with pointy toes. She added a hot pink necklace chain. Hagakure had picked the same shoes in silver with a matching ring. Seeing what Hyori had brought, Ashido expressed some concerns."Aren't you going to be hot in these?""I won't wear them for the festival. I thought they were pretty and decided to purchase them for later."While they were leaving the shop, Hagakure offered to stop by a shop Hyori was familiar with. She texted the group chat before, the lavender haired girl took them to a shop she recently discovered. The "Club likes you" offered pretty dresses she often wore at home, or under a bolero on her errands to her usual beauty salon.A lot of their designs complemented her figure. Their materials tended to be stretchy enough for her size and solid enough not to highlight the back rolls that appeared on certain angles. With 189 centimetres and seventy five kilograms, purchasing cute clothes was hard in common shops. Aslo, she was already known at the shop she usually went, the first one she loved in the venue. She wasn't ready to expose so much of her so soon.Inside the shop, her peers noted how unexpected the choice was to them. Especially Ashido."I didn't know you like cute clothes! I thought you were into street wear fashion.""I do." Replied Hyori. "I don't wear them at the academy, though. It's normal if you never noticed.""That's your secret garden, then." Claimed Hagakure."You can put it like that." Concluded Hyori.She picked a knitted floral pin she could put on her ceremony outfit. Then, Ashido enquired."Are you going to dress cute for the festival?""I won't. I planned to wear a blazer ensemble with pants.""I see." Replied Ashido with a slight pout. "I think you would look good with a dress like this."The curly young woman had pointed towards a hot pink frilly bodycon dress. The piece had huge floral motives and splits. The flashy colour gave a striking allure. Hyori didn't dress with patterns, thinking it might look weird. But after trying this one, she thought she might do it again.The trio exited the shop after her purchase and walked towards the attractions where the remaining maidens had moved to. They had some drinks before heading back to their campus accommodations and packing their luggage for the camp in the mountains. Their homeroom teacher would tag along on the trip and overview the training. The goal was to deepen their understanding of their quirks and widen their use.Hyori's classmates went through that camp the previous year. It was the unfamous trip that ended in the abduction of one apprentice. The young woman hoped nothing dangerous would happen during the trip. She packed the notebook she had received from her heroic mentor last year, when he started training her. Dozens of pages were empty and she thought it would be practical to have her physical and quirk training notes together. From her point of view, she was as advanced with her quirk use as she could. She packed her Shakuhachi flute, thinking about the time she had whistled on a mission.On the following Monday morning, Hyori boarded a bus with her classmates towards the mountains camp, one hour away by bus. Assuming most of her classmates already had a seating chart, she walked slowly behind to let them choose their place. Her peers tended to hold onto their habits more than anyone she had ever seen. She assumed it was trauma-induced. They sought comfort into their routines and having all the control they could on their surroundings. It showed when they mindlessly arranged things on their desks or in the living room. Not properly putting items in order but rather in specific positions. It also showed when they always sat in the same order during their Sunday movie sessions, the very same blankets covering them.Hyori boarded the bus last, sitting by the window on the third line. Tsuyu and Ochako were sitting in front of her with Mina and Tooru on the first line. Todoroki junior was sitting beside her. Tokoyami, a crow mutant, and his sentient shadow, the bonus classmate, were behind her. Kouda and his Shouji were sitting on the fourth line on the left side. The class had commented about last year's events in their group chat. From their recounts, the activities had started before the class even arrived at the camp.The bus had left them on the road and they had to rush through an ambushed forest. Thinking a similar scheme might await, Hyori had secured her loose curls into a braid. She had packed one litre of a special skin treatment to prevent any scars from marking her skin. The bottle had been well over her internship pay but was worth every single Yen. Not having access to the beauty salon she usually went to, she opted for damage control since she wouldn't have her heroic equipment to shield her skin. She was vain and grateful for being able to afford it.As expected, the bus stopped in the middle of nowhere and a group of four heroes adorning cat ears welcomed the class. There were three women and one large man. Like the previous year, the apprentices had a limited time to pass the forest, escape the traps and defeat the lurking beasts. The overpowered apprentices took on themselves to take down the giant assaulters. The other apprentices clustered to face the smaller ones on their way. She didn't sense any minds in them, meaning her abilities were useless. She avoided and dodged obstacles while running surrounded by Kouda and two of his closest friends, Shouji and Satou. The trio had offered her to stick around when they exited the bus. She was thankful for their consideration which has helped her feel less lost in the field.The class arrived a couple of hours later to the lodge camp. Hyori couldn't remember having run such a long distance. The area was enchanting but she hadn't been able to take in the beautiful details. She hoped they would have time to wanderlust in the mountains. She mourned not having taken her bicycle left behind in the academy's accommodations. On the topic of accommodations, the hosts only offered the first dinner. The apprentices were expected to cook for the remaining days. The showers were common with two hot springs divided between the women's and the men's. So were the bedrooms.After dinner, the class collectively headed towards the hot springs. Instead of following them, Hyori decided to have the showers for herself. She would rather enjoy the few private moments she could afford during the camp. A shower and some moisturising lotion later, she was already comfortable under her cover when her roommates entered the bedroom. Her sleep was disrupted the following day at five in the morning. They barely had time to shower before they were expected outside for the training.While her classmates already knew the drill, she was held by her homeroom teacher and Mandalay, the woman with a short brown bob. Her mental quirk allowed her to send telepathic messages and she would guide Hyori onto mapping potential new uses of her quirk. The duo started with a simple exercise with her homeroom teacher as the subject. The woman's mental messages didn't reach the brainwashed teacher. Afterwards, the woman requested to be subjected to the quirk. The host had been able to send mental messages to Hyori but no one else. Mandalay then suggested strengthening her usual use of her quirks."Try to command your peers during their exercises. You should keep track of how long you can hold them under difficult situations. The more you hold at the same time, the better."The suggestion disturbed the heroic teacher and Hyori warned the host."I should tell you there could be a training factor to my quirk. The more I use it on someone, the easier it is. It might also affect them in unexpected ways."The woman considered her words before answering."We will have to pick different targets everyday. The other heroic class is also attending the camp. With thirty nine people, you can have twelve targets per day."The instructions in mind, Hyori joined her classmates. Knowing her limit was eight hours with a single target, she decided to focus on six in the mornings and six others in the afternoon. Her first targets were the other female apprentices with whom she was the most familiar. They had agreed to let the brainwasher use her quirk to have them push them past their limits.The feat hadn't been straining at first, since her subjects were willing. She only had to fight their instincts to slow down when tired. As time passed, keeping people brainwashed around Kyouka has proven tricky. The young woman was Hyori's natural nemesis since her quirk could easily shake her targets awake, on top of not needing much brain power to work. Her earplugs moved with the speed and agility of the eyes' muscles. Those were among the most trained and receptive muscles of the human body.She needed to keep her hold firmer on the petite young woman and opted to keep her the furthest from the others. Keeping her hold on the maidens had been a challenge during the last hour. They had been exerting themselves for two hours already, not counting what they had been up to before the brainwashing session started.Once the morning session ended, the brainwashed apprentices had collapsed on their wobbly limbs. They expressed various degrees of overuse-induced sickness and Hyori helped them back. Ochako had been disoriented and Hyori hazed her mind to ground the maiden and help her focus back. Kyoka's ears had grown hyper sensitive and her enhanced hearing was making her brain suffer. Momo had spasmed while taking the sweet drink she kept in case her reserves were empty. She had also needed to rest and Hyori offered to piggy-carry her.Todoroki junior had helped keep Asui warm after she remained for far too long in the ice water he provided. He had questioned her on the way to the lodge."I thought pain stopped brainwashing.""It does, depending on the person's pain tolerance and their will to keep going.""How further could it have gone?"Before replying, Hyori thought about the times she used to make people lose consciousness in hotel rooms."Until they fainted. But I wouldn't have let them get there.""How can you be sure?"She could sense worry and mistrust in his mind and the conscious maidens were invested in the conversation."I have interoception insight when I use my quirk on someone. I can sense what's going on inside their body.""Did you sense they were overexerting themselves?"The young man had finally asked the question he had meant to ask from the beginning. His level of expectation showed he had had questions regarding her motives for a long time. She wondered if he had been informed of her former connection with 'Professor'. Then again, it shouldn't do much since the class was still on good terms with the villain's spy. His concerns had to be targeted at her demeanour from the beginning of the school year.The interrogation was stopped by Momo. The latter must have perceived Hyori's silence to be a confession of her hurt feelings, if she were to trust the guilt that oozed from the young woman she carried on her back."We asked her to push us past our limits. I think Shinsou only tried to fulfil that request."The conversation died after her words.Once inside the lodge, Kyouka went straight to the bedroom while Yaoyorozu had to stop for lunch beforehand. She was escorted by Ochako whose orientation senses were back and Asui who was feeling better. Hyori headed into the showers with the maidens whose skins had been harmed. In the privacy of their shared bedroom, Mina and Tooru went for a cool shower. The latter finished first. Seeing her get dressed, Hyori advised her to put a soothing lotion on the sunburnt areas."I didn't bring any. I've never had a sunburn. I diffract light to be invisible and never thought too much sun rays could be an issue.""I understand. I packed a special skin care lotion. It's soothing and helps renew the skin. It will help.""Is it the same lotion we used in your room?!""Not quite. This one is curated for damaged skin while the one we used only embellishes.""Thank you for the offer! I'm willing to try. I don't have much choice."Then, Mina requested."Can I also use your lotion? I suspect it would be more effective than whatever I packed."Hyori thought about all the times she tried store-bought lotions, even the specialised ones. None of them has been as effective as the ones she purchases at her regular place."Of course. I can put it on both of you."The lavender maiden exited the adjoining showers to enter the bedroom where the unwell maidens were resting. She made felted steps towards her bag and back inside the showers. She applied the lotion on the invisible maiden's face, hands and forearms. Once Mina finished her shower, she disinfected the broken points on her skin and put stick-on bandages on them. Then, she used her special lotion on the whole skin rendered brittle and prone to break. She decided to put face masks on her two peers' faces for good measure. After all, the face was the most exposed to sunburns and sensitive. She was applying Ashido's one when the latter comforted her."Don't mind what Todoroki said. He tends to jump to conclusions and is hotheaded.""Thank you." Replied Hyori.Once dressed, the trio made its way into the lunchroom. The area was mostly deserted save for Ashido's blond and brunette friends. Midoriya and the class representative were also inside. While the pink maiden's friends coddled her, the class representative and the green lad sat in front of her. The taller one, Lida, adjusted his glasses before starting."I see that no serious harm has been done."Hyori sensed apprehension on the representative's part. He was unsure how to proceed. Rather, he was unsure how she would respond. Looking at him, Hyori replied."No harm. But I will tone it down next time. It won't happen again."Her words lifted the weight off his shoulders and he thanked her for her consideration. Then, it was the green curly-haired lad's turn to talk. Midoriya was the only person who ever escaped her brainwashing. No one after him had been able to accomplish the feat. She was curious herself regarding his abilities but didn't want to pry in order not to be questioned herself. It seemed the Cat And Mouse play ended today, at least to some extent."I heard bits of what happened from Todoroki, but I think some concepts were misunderstood. You said you had access to their introspection?""I said interoception.""I see. It's completely different." He passed his right hand through his curls before retrieving a tiny notebook."I like to keep notes on quirks and study them. Would you mind telling me more about yours? I have little data on your abilities and thought we could discuss them? I'm pestering you during your lunch break but you are hardly available. I think we haven't been able to even have a conversation since your transfer. The longest we talked was when we invited you to jog with us, which was months ago."Hyori let the lad lose himself in tangent while she ate. The more he rambled on irrelevant matters, the less time he would have to question her. She even fueled his distraction."My timetable is busy, yes.""Indeed, that's why I'm asking now because I don't know when we will talk again. I mean, I know you will try your quirk again with different people but we won't have time to discuss during the training."He talked again for a couple of minutes until she was almost done with lunch. She retrieved her glass of water and his eyes followed her hand. Now looking down at the table, he realised he still held his tiny notebook with "interoception" written on it and nothing else."So, you said interoception. Does it mean you can tell absolutely anything going on? If they need to use the restroom or when they are going to sneeze?""It does." She decided to stick to dry responses."I have to see that! Could you use it right now?""I can.""Okay." Then he turned towards the class representative. "I have an idea. Could you let Shinsou brainwash you? I'm going to scratch you under the table and Shinsou is going to guess where I'm scratching.""I guess."They both expectantly turned to face her and she asked the willing subject."Are you ready?""Yes."She took a complete hold of his mind to leave the taller lad brainwashed. Then, Midoriya proceeded to bend under the table. Seconds later, Hyori sensed what he was doing."You are drawing circles on his left knee.""That's amazing!" Exclaimed the green lad as he promptly stood from under the table. "I wanted to see how precise you could be. There was no way you could have guessed I was drawing circles."She lifted her hold from the class representative who recounted he didn't remember anything when prompted by his shorter friend. The latter noted something in his tiny book when Hyori questioned him."I'm also curious about your quirk. Where does the energy come from?""Ah. You weren't yet in class when I told everyone. I received a stockpiling quirk that could be passed on. It happened a few days before the entrance examinations. That's how I ended up with multiple quirks."She could sense embarrassment from the lad's part. Supposing that quirk had been passed on to multiple people before the one in front of her, could it be the reason he could break from her brainwashing? Was it the reason his mind grew heavier between the sports festival and the joint training last year? She thought about the only other time she felt something similar. 'Professor's mind was also heavy in the same way, although with more intensity. Would her classmate's mind grow as heavy as the villain?"Does it disturb your sleep?"Hyori's question surprised the green-haired who hadn't expected this type of reaction."With all the questions you could have asked." Started the lad while nervously scratching the back of his head. "Not really. It makes it lighter but it's not disturbing."She assumed the burst of energy in his mind was linked to the transmission of the meta ability. Could the minds of the previous holder interfere with the current holder's? That's how she would describe the interferences in 'Professors' mind."Did it grow lighter over time? Or was it all at once."Midoriya thought before answering."I'll say it happened gradually."She was tempted to ask how many people had held the quirk before him. She hadn't known how many people the villain had in his mind, but the transmission of his fight against the former number one hero let her guess it was at least five. He had displayed healing, strength and control abilities along with teleportation and telekinesis."How many people held the quirk before you? If it's not indiscrete.""Eight. I'm the ninth holder."Eight previous holders weren't heavy enough to substantially disturb his mind. Then, she remembered 'Professor' stated his troubles started after a car accident that left him physically diminished. She asked again."Is your sleep more affected when you are sick?"Midoriya was about to answer when an unnerved voice interrupted their conversation."You seem awfully invested in his sleeping habits. Are you a sleep counsellor or something?"Not taking his bait, Hyori didn't answer. She excused herself and left the lunchroom to clean her plates. In the back, she heard Ashido admonish her friend for being too brutish.From what she deciphered, Bakugou and Midoriya were childhood friends. The short blond-haired lad was easily worked up but could keep his mouth shut when taunted by Hyori. The urge to treacherously take him under her daze had itched more than once. She hadn't since she wanted to keep the element of surprise for work, and maybe because she didn't want her abilities to look invasive.After the break, the homeroom teacher and the hosting heroes had overviewed the affected apprentices. They had recuperated enough during the lunch break beside Kyouka who still had a lingering headache. The latter would rest for the afternoon and the remaining ones were advised not to overdo during the afternoon.Even if her classmates were feeling better, Hyori was reluctant to renew the experience. The camp aimed at pushing them further than their current limits, not disable them. She wanted to redefine her exercises. She should stop as soon as she senses discomfort. Keeping the maidens working despite their predicaments had tortured them and shouldn't happen again. She had sensed growing discomfort signals through their nervous system but kept her hold on their minds to command their bodies to push through.The hosts and the teacher agreed to have her stop when she pushed her peers too far. Her homeroom teacher even got the idea to have her train at sparring while she held her peers brainwashed. She was likely to find herself in a position where she hadn't been able to brainwash all of her opponents and would have to fight the remaining ones. The situation he exposed was eerily similar to the fight against her kidnappers. They had all been incapacitated save from one and the latter had tackled her.She reasoned she hadn't expected a hero to work with kidnappers but the idea to train her abilities while sparring sounded interesting. Ochako agreed to face her, since she wanted to take things slow with her quirk and avoid heavy materials. Hyori accepted her offer, reasoning that the maiden was a great opponent. Her advanced martial abilities and hands needed less than one second of contact to incapacitate. That would keep her on her toes.For the afternoon session, Hyori brainwashed Ashido's friends who had been enrolled by the pink maiden. She had Kaminari, Sero, a brunette who shooted cellophane from his elbows ; Bakugou and Kirishima. They had brought in their own friends such as Mineta, and Todoroki junior.She decided to put them against each other since none of their abilities could outright threaten her hold. Kaminari and Mineta were put into a throwing match. She hoped the tiny pervert wouldn't get striked by the lightning that crisped his balls. She put Kirishima against Todoroki, assuming the hardened lad wouldn't be jostled awake by ice. That left Sero and Bakugou. Hyori commanded the former to restrain the latter without getting hit himself.Having her attention split between the brainwashed fighters and her opponent was an arduous feat. She put as much distance between the girl and herself, using her agility to remain at least one metre away from the maiden. She could thank her long legs that distanced the shorter one. During the exercise, she noticed Kirishima's manoeuvrability was hindered by his hardening. Of course! The hardened skin blocked external impacts but also inner distortions. She commanded him to keep his quirk off of his joints. This made him agile enough to freely dodge and she commanded him to attack.From the look of it, Todoroki junior's dodging abilities weren't great. The latter had needed to use his fire explosiveness to keep the indestructible at bay. His helplessness for quirk-free fighting reminded her of Touya in the early days of his training in Mister Yoroi's dojo. She found it funny since Enji confided he held a black belt in judo. And the way he moved confirmed his words. Then again, she reasoned that Touya's training had stopped early and Junior was far from having his Father's drive and discipline.Further in the training ground, she sensed Bakugou was fighting her quirk with everything he had. She assumed he wanted to replicate Midoriya's feat. His efforts made his movements slow and buggy. Hanta had been able to catch him on multiple occasions and Hyori had to order him to free the other lad until she commanded the explosive blond to run away into the forest. Once engaged in a chasing game, the duo had needed less monitoring.Fearing an escalation that could fry Kaminari's brain, she made him and Mineta increase their speed. Speed was seemingly the shorter one's forte even if the blond one kept up. Everything seemed fine, mainly because the fighters were already experienced with their quirks. And they were also willing, save from the explosive one who tried to overthrow her. At the end of the exercise, three hours later, Hyori's head was aching. Somehow, she was convinced to have messed up. She might not have pushed her peers to their limits.She might have been unequal to her treatments, favouring defensiveness to keep the fights going without major blows. As much as she needed to work on her hold, it shouldn't come at the expense of her classmates' improvement. The afternoon subjects hadn't been as exerted as the morning ones. She wondered if it wouldn't be better to brainwash three people and put them against lucid ones, only to switch after sometime. That way, she could measure the performances of subdued people in real life situations. She noted to talk about it with the homeroom teacher.While they were walking towards the lodge, Ochako voiced her surprise at Kirishima's command."I've never seen him fight with such dexterity. In hindsight, I understand that hardening stiffen his moves but I never thought about how keeping his joints soft could improve his fighting abilities. I guess I was too used to having him defending instead of attacking.""I couldn't have guessed as well, until I felt what was going on inside his body. I suppose he specialised too soon to realise it himself."Hyori knew her classmates had faced life or death situations early in their training. She supposed they had been forced to make choices to save themselves. But they had developed habits that stunted their growth in less decisive areas. She wondered if more of her classmates could have the same issue. She noticed Todoroki was dependent on his meta abilities. He might not even realise it with how embedded they were in his style and how overpowered the abilities were. Mastering them first instead of physical abilities that wouldn't do much seemed logical.Ochako shook Hyori from her thoughts with another statement."Also, I felt myself losing my focus at some point and didn't even use my quirk. I thought I had recovered from the morning but I guess I didn't." Confided the hazel maiden.Then Hyori noticed there was something she had messed up. She had dazed the girl to escape close-call situations. Amidst the uncomfortable situation, she hadn't realised she pulled a treacherous trick on her classmate. She had never dazed anyone in class and her heroic teacher didn't know there was a set up between hazing and brainwashing. She could tell Uraraka it was probably due to fatigue but she didn't want to lie to someone who had been earnest with her."Can we talk about it later?" Asked the lavender maiden."Is there something I should know?" Worried the hazel."I can tell you later."Uraraka let the conversation slide. They were the last to arrive in what must be an outside kitchen. Satou was already cooking dinner with Kouda and Tokoyami. Kyouka was feeling better and her headache seemed to be over. Hyori's one was merely starting and she would need a full night of sleep. She hoped her conversation with Uraraka would be short-lived.After the class served themselves dinner, Kirishima sat in front of Hyori. He had never done it and she sensed he wanted something. Kaminari was tailing him, equally expecting."I heard I kept Todoroki on his toes while brainwashed." Started the red-head. "I never thought I could. How did you make me do it? I don't remember."The room was silent and she sensed the class's attention on them. She noticed Kouda's wary glances from her left when she replied to the red-head."I ordered you not to harden your joints.""That's all?""That's all."The lad was disappointed that it had been that simple. He mourned not having thought about it sooner. That's when the lightning lad spoke."Do you also have tips for me? I'm open to all the help I can receive.""Nothing besides focusing on repetition instead of intensity."The blond lad gave her an unsatisfied look and she elaborated."From what I sensed, electricity flows through your nervous system like regular information. Trying to keep it from reaching your head would be like trying to keep your bloodstream out of your heart. When you send a single wave, electricity is released from your system through your nerves' endings. But if you attempt to hold or concentrate the waves, you create a continuous current that travels back and forth your nervous system. Your system can't process the power and shuts in order to protect itself. At least, that's how I sensed it. I think you could prevent short-circuiting by sending single waves multiple times, instead of one big blow. Think about it like a trigger instead of a taser.""A trigger instead of a taser... Easier said than done. Could you help me? Like how you helped Kouda."The mentioned lad's mood soured at those words. She sensed jealousy as he mourned someone else experiencing what they had months ago. To the general knowledge, he had been the only classmate she hazed and it had meant something to him. Back to the blond in front of her, she didn't want to risk any attachment issue. She thought she had mastered 'learning mode' but she was forced to admit young men reacted differently from children.The mere fact she could order their thoughts might affect their affection towards her. She didn't sense the same attention from Kaminari that she sensed from Kouda before hazing him, but the blond lad was Kyoka's interest and she didn't want to mess it up. Said maiden was focused on what she would say. Therefore, she refused to proceed with him."You can manage it on your own."Hyori's words had diffused the tension in the short-haired maiden."Come on." Pressed the dejected lad. "How come you helped Kouda but won't help me?""I won't have time. I need to move on to new people each day.""After the camp, then."Then, Bakugou intervened with an unnerved voice."Because you expect not to have improved by the end of the camp? You already have a tip to work on!"A sour mood seemed to be his signature by that point. But it was because he only expressed himself when bothered to the point he couldn't ignore a perceived issue. The way he inhibited himself would trick him in the long run. Like it did to Enji. She should stop thinking about the man so much. Everything seemed to be an excuse to reminisce about him.Back in the lunchroom, she noticed the explosive lad's intervention hadn't been innocent. Like earlier, he seemed unnerved by her active presence. He didn't mind her in general. But he was awfully invested when she conversed with his friends. They hadn't had many spontaneous interactions. Out of classes, they only did once when he attempted to enrol her as his help for cooking.After the dinner, they cleaned around. Like on the previous day, the class went to the thermal springs while Hyori stuck to the showers. She was about to lounge on her bed when she heard knocking at the door. Her roommates wouldn't knock and wait before entering the bedroom. Also, they should still be in the thermal springs merely a dozen minutes after dinner. It had to be the teacher, a host or a lad. She opened the door to see who knocked. The explosive lad had been the one knocking. She didn't hear the others and assumed he took a shower to be there at this time."Do you need something?" Asked Hyori."Do you think it's fun to play with people's minds?"Her confused expression pushed him to elaborate."I know you are Miss Shinsou. I had my doubts but I'm sure now after I let you brainwash me. It was different than usual until I fought it. It went from... Whatever it was to turn constrictive like it normally feels."He was bothered and felt deceived. Hyori wanted to hear him state exactly what he wanted."I don't see your point.""My point is that you didn't mention that ability to anyone. Maybe you would have tried with Midoriya? Anyways, why are you keeping your abilities secret? What else are you hiding?"Hyori was not willing to talk about it with him. She opted to close the door in his face but he pushed the door open with a small detonation. She avoided the door that went swinging until it collided on the wall. The lad advanced to stand in front of her, inside the bedroom. Hyori stepped back."You should go back to the men's room.""Not before you answer me.""I won't. Get out."The lad crossed his arms and refused to bulge. Deciding to ignore him, she turned around to walk towards her bed but he caught her forearm. Hyori eyed the hand that could burn her."Do you want to explain to Mister Aizawa why you used your quirk on me at night?"Considering her words, he freed her arms but didn't leave. She climbed in her bed, sitting at the head instead of lounging like she had planned. He remained standing near the entrance, a bit embarrassed, until he walked to sit on the edge of her bed."I'm just trying to understand. We all are. Why are you this secretive? You look scheming.""Do you expect me to hold a 'questions and answers' session?""Maybe. Look, we are used to each other and thought you might want to cooperate more than what's going on right now. We might work together after graduation. It would be weird to be classmates but act like strangers. I get you have some affinities with the girls but you can't outright ignore some of your classmates.""I'm not ignoring anyone. I'm busy.""We all are."She paused for a moment before asking."What do you want?""Be more open! I can't believe I'm the one giving you that speech... Just, try during the lunch breaks, like the rest of us."With that, he exited the bedroom. Hyori's roommates entered roughly twenty minutes later. She knew she was in for another talk when her eyes met theirs. The hazel maiden seemed to have talked with the others who turned towards her after sitting on their beds."I suppose Uraraka told you we were supposed to discuss my quirk." Started Hyori.They nodded and she followed."Brainwashing is the strongest hold I can get on someone. But I can also make them distracted.""You didn't ask me any questions." Voiced the hazel maiden. "Well, you did ask me if I was ready at the beginning but I only lost my focus after two hours.""My second ability works better on tired people. And I don't need a question. I just need them to focus on me.""I see." Said Momo. "It sounds useful against a skilled opponent."Then, it was Kyouka's turn to talk."How did you help Kouda overcome his shyness? He seems to remember you using your quirk on him. We all forget what happens when we are brainwashed. It couldn't have been the distraction at play.""It wasn't. It was a level in between. I use it during my yoga classes.""How does it work?" Enquired Kyouka."I adjust people's sensations to make them unreceptive to certain stimulations or more receptive to others.""Could you show us? It sounds fun." Offered Mina.Her choice of words drew a shy smile on Hyori's lips."It is. I only use it for leisure."She warped the pink maiden's mind in the blanket of her haze. They visibly relaxed, contentment showing on her face."I could get used to that sensation." Said the hazel one.Feeling her headache grow, Hyori let go of their minds."I don't use it often because people tend to get hooked on it. Could you not talk about it to the others? I'm not ready for it yet." Confided Hyori.Ashido nodded before getting comfortable under her cover. The others followed suit and Asui shut the lights. The remaining days of the camp unfolded uneventfully, beside the one time they got scolded for playing the flute at night instead of sleeping.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

« Hey! Now we'll be okay. It's alright. »Hyori's classmates recounted to her how the previous year's summer camp ended with a courage test. It was safe to assume there would be another activity with the other heroic class. The violet hadn't crossed paths with them since the joint training. Except for Monoma and Pony she saw a couple of weeks ago, she hadn't met any other apprentices of class 2B. This year, they would have a scavenger hunt inside the mountains, at night. Grouped in teams of five, they had one hour to complete their lists.Pixie-Bob, the blond woman, had created mud creatures to hide different popsicle sticks in random places. Their homeroom teachers had written the clues for the hunt. The goal was for each team to retrieve all of the sticks and solve the puzzle. That should lead them to the treasure. They couldn't use their hero costumes or tools. The winning team would be offered hiking tickets to Mount Fuji. The team players would be randomly distributed using a bingo wheel with balls. Each ball would have a team number on it.Hyori found herself in a team with Sero, Togaru Kamakiri, Tokoyami and Midoriya. She was disappointed not to be paired with any of the maidens. Not even from the other class. At least, Midoriya was witty and she guessed it was an advantage to have Sero's flextape and Tokoyami's Dark Shadow. Along with whatever trick the short green-haired had up his sleeves.From when she brainwashed Kamakiri from class B during her training, he was a confident mantis chimaera with related abilities. The baby wings on his back didn't allow him to fly. They still eased falls and helped make his jumps more precise. His skin could produce sharp blades, his eyesight was enhanced and his vision field covered a full circle around him. But his stereoscopic eyes fared poorly with static elements, being geared towards identifying moving elements. She had noticed he relied on his antennas to avoid bumping on rocks.She had had a hard time manoeuvring him when brainwashed, since he needed to receive signals from his antennas. She had had to adjust to free the nerve path back and forth his antennas, thus weakening the tether. The young man had been rather proud of himself when they debriefed afterwards. His satisfaction had been short-lived, though. His teacher warned him to protect his appendages since he might be incapacitated if they were damaged. They had been hidden in his hair for so long no one suspected they were there. And since they had never been targeted or damaged, the young man had never guessed that the small appendices were so important to his mobility, being used to having them.The realisation shook the young man as he thought about the numerous times he had had haircuts. His parents taught him to be mindful of his antennas, but he had thought it was only because they were so sensitive even a paper-cut was painful and numbing. He also kept his hair to a certain length to hide them. His pliers already subjected him to being made fun of. He didn't want to give even more munitions to his kindergarten bullies, especially if they discovered how sensitive the antennas were. Point is, he had thought damaging them would only be painful. He never suspected permanent damage could hinder his mobility.Being third by alphabetical order, Kamakiri had been among the first pupils from his class she had brainwashed. Afterwards, his classmates had been eager to debrief with her and their teacher. She hadn't found something ground-breaking that they didn't already know in most of them. The class B apprentices were more well-rounded than class A. Probably because they had faced mess emergencies demanding them to specialise early on. Still, she appreciated the change in how they approached the exercise.With her four teammates, Midoriya had assumed the role of deciphering the clues while the three other lads had retrieved the hidden sticks. Her role had been redundant. She thought about distracting the nearby teams. Using her flute, blowing or even whistling. She wished she had been able to use her vocal chord item to reproduce their teacher's voices and destabilise them further. Yet, she guessed sabotaging wasn't part of the game. The other teams remained fair and she didn't want to be the one starting drama.Also, her teammates didn't hold her redundancy against her. They considered the activity to be a leisure one. And they told her they knew she couldn't do anything without people's leverage. Kamakiri's exact words had been that she "needed people around for her quirk to work" and that they "had everything covered". The young man hadn't seen the wrong in what he said. He was right that she wouldn't help much, aside assisting in finding clues. But his words had rubbed her the wrong way.She wasn't as fast-thinking as Midoriya. She couldn't reach the same height Tokoyami or Dark Shadow could. She wasn't as agile as Sero or Kamakiri. She was glad her teammates were understanding, but she felt useless. For an hour, they had swung across rope bridges, flew over cliffs, and did pretty much all of the work. In the end, her team retrieved the treasure.Momo's team had been the one to find it, but the mantis mutant had seen them hiking up the mountain. When he mentioned the path they were taking, Midoriya connected the dots and propelled himself ahead to snatch the victory right under their nose. The short green-haired justified that he hadn't stolen anything since he legit found the precise spot where the treasure had been hidden in the mountain. It wasn't just sitting in that corner of the mountain, but he was hesitating between two places to dig for it. Of course, the team refrained from telling that part out loud to their teachers.~~~The late afternoon was hot when Hyori and her female classmates were getting ready for the Toro Nagashi floating lanterns ceremony. The training camp had ended in the morning but they practically hadn't done anything besides cleaning around and packing their bags. The bus would take them to Tokyo and they wouldn't have another opportunity to get ready. Hyori had requested permission to remain in Tokyo afterwards. She planned to spend the weekend at home. Her Father would pick her up at the end of the ceremony while her classmates would have a party at Yaoyorozu's home.She had never attended a youngsters' party and dreaded doing so. She probably wouldn't be in her element and preferred a tranquil night with her family. Her Grandparents had booked a dinner at a restaurant with a view on the lanterns ceremony. Their advanced age didn't allow them to attend the ceremony. They would only watch from the restaurant's glassed walls. The violet wouldn't arrive late following the lantern festival. She wanted to duplicate herself to dine with them, but reasoned she would have the next years to party with her family. Afterall, she was in her last year of college-preparatory school and would hardly see her friends afterwards.Looking at the outfits in her luggage, she was unsure whether she should wear the suit or the dress she bought last minute. She wanted to wear the dress but she dreaded doing so in front of her classmates. Maybe she could wear the blazer on top? The ensemble was in a light shade that would contrast with the bright dress. She wasn't more advanced than last Sunday when she packed her bag, still hesitating between the two outfits.She had picked the dress on Ashido's suggestion and she knew the latter would be happy if she wore it. The blazer reached the middle on her thighs, around the starting point of the dress's front split. She tried the fit she had in mind and the results were mitigated. The blazer looked out of place above the dress. It was better without it but she felt better with it. Maybe she could keep it in her arms to cover her lower body? She removed the blazer and held it on her crossed arms. Her legs were covered but her cleavage was noticeable.She pushed her tresses in the front, covering herself down to the middle section. She would need something to keep the loose curls in position. Rummaging through her bag, she retrieved some hair ties. She started two loose braids to angle her tresses forward before tying them at her shoulders level. The rest of the two sections fell in curtains in front of her dress, giving some coverage. Feeling better, she looked at the time. The class was due to leave at six in the afternoon, in dozens of minutes. They would drive towards Asakusa for an hour and a quarter.The lanterns wouldn't be released before eight in the evening. The apprentices would have a little over half an hour to retrieve their lanterns, have them lit and get in position. After packing her bag and making sure she hadn't forgotten anything, she waited for the last minute to exit the empty bedroom. She remembered her position in the bus and would discretely worm her way when the homeroom teacher would call the class.The departure moment arrived sooner than she had time to get lost in kitten videos. Numerous people posted 'footage' of their pets 'crafting' lanterns. She put her smartphone and audio kit in her blazer's pockets that she held in front of her with one hand. With the other hand, she rolled her luggage and exited the room. As expected, her classmates were running around. They were retrieving items here and there, unplugging phones left on charge in the bedroom, using the bathroom and so on. She beelined for the bus waiting outside the lodge and handed her case to the homeroom teacher. The pause he made in front of her had signalled he took a few seconds to register her look."I see you stopped playing Cat And Mouse." He noted while loading her bag in the trunk below the seats."Just for the evening." Countered Hyori who turned to board the bus.She hadn't missed the knowing smirk he had adorned at her words. The man had seen the way she usually dressed when he met her Father after her effective transfer. Her emergency contacts had been modified earlier in June. Choosing to ignore the teacher making fun at her expenses, she walked straight to the third seat by the window on the right. She put her jacket on her legs and arranged her tresses in front of her. She had been the only apprentice in the bus for two minutes until Tokoyami took his seat behind her. The rest of the class rushed in minutes later and the bus left the camp.The maidens had styled their hair into more or less elaborated tails. Asui's long tresses had been styled in French Curls with the upper section styled in a flower-like bun. Uraraka's hazel hair formed a ballerina bun secured by a hair band adorning small flower ornaments. Ashido put her curly crown into a bun that looked like a bouquet from the back. Hagakure had ribbons in her hair. Kyouka sported a plush bob and Momo's silky hair had been styled into the seventies glamour waves.They had worn dresses that matched their hair colour beside Hagakure who was dressed in a black fitted sequin short dress. Ashido had worn a similar one in hot pink. Uraraka had completed the ballet look with an A-line dress adorned by a bow in the back. Asui was wearing a ruffle layered maxi dress. Kyouka had picked a tulle short dress and Yaoyorozu had picked a mermaid short dress.The bus was still on the road when the front benchers started recording videos. Ashido had her phone on a selfie stick and waved at the camera with Hagakure. For a second, the ash blonde maiden had been visible to the camera. They appreciated the rendering if her giggles were to be trusted. After a few manipulations, the pink maiden elevated her smartphone on the stick to capture the ones behind her. Uraraka and Asui waved at the camera before bending forward to look at the result in the pink's hands. They sat back after approving clips that would probably end in social media. Uraraka promptly turned around, having noticed something."Did you change your phone?" She asked Hyori.The lavender maiden lifted her gaze from her phone to look into the hazel pair eying her."I didn't. I have a work phone with my SIM card inside, and my personal phone.""You went that far to keep your private life separate from your hero persona. Miss Kayama would be proud of you.""Does it mean we can't tag you in our posts?" Enquired Ashido."I would rather not." Replied Hyori. "I don't post on social media.""Well, you might have already appeared on the status I just posted." Confessed the pink maiden while the crow chimaera muttered something about choosing darkness from the seat behind her."Our identities are already public, so we don't really think twice before posting." Explained Asui."I understand. I think it's fine as long as it disappears by tomorrow." Said Hyori."I won't put you in a proper post, pinky promise." Announced Ashido, showing her little finger. "Would you mind waving at the camera? I would like to take a clip of the whole class."Hyori nodded and the pink maiden turned back to adjust her smartphone on the stick."Would you mind putting your hair out of the way for the night?" Demanded Mineta the short-statured pervert."Would you mind tuning out his inappropriate thoughts for the night?" Countered Kyouka.The slim maiden subtly asked Hyori to haze the little gremlin. The maidens knew she wouldn't haze or daze anyone, having not made those abilities public to the rest of the class. Still, they shared a smile even though the class representative voiced his disapproval at the idea."No unauthorised use of quirks! Especially against comrades!""Look here, everyone!" Requested Ashido before shooting a clip of the whole class.They all waved or at least acknowledged the camera.An hour later, the bus left the class in the Sumida Park. Their homeroom teacher stayed behind as he drove the bus towards a parking point. Hyori left her jacket inside the vehicle. It would be impractical to handle the lantern with the piece of clothing in her hand. It was dark enough for her discretion with the lights being shut off in the park. The floating decorations would illuminate the night and the nearby lights had been shut off.Following the class representatives' lead, they walked to the Azumabashi Bridge until they arrived at a terrace where they retrieved paper lanterns. The festivities were the occasion to write a message for the deceased and light them a way towards the afterlife. After reflection, Hyori wrote a message to Megumi's parents. She told them their daughter 'would lack nothing as long as' she 'would be alive to help her'. She hoped the girl she considered to be her little sister would not estrange her ever again, and that they would walk down their paths in life without becoming strangers.The sight of the luminous dots gliding down the river was serene and beautiful. Her classmates had stood in silence, holding each other's hands. Positioned between Shouji and Kouda, Hyori sensed her classmates' mourning to varying degrees. She hadn't yet been part of the heroic course when her classmates had been enrolled during the chaos that erupted earlier in April. She suspected they had experienced loss. Their clinginess to each other and their penchant for partying was a way to remain focused on the present and celebrate being alive.After minutes of silence, they walked back towards the bus. Shouji was the last to leave and Hyori decided to wait for him. She sensed he needed some space but also to let something out. As they slowly walked towards the bus, he confided in her."You know, the first person I saved was a little girl. I grew up in a rural area and people weren't welcoming to heteromorphs. When I saved that girl, I was beaten because people assumed I had been the one making her cry. Eventually, I left that place behind but couldn't leave my feelings behind. I thought that becoming a hero could help people see me in another light. Getting inside the Ultra Academy had been the best thing that happened to me. Still, there wasn't a day I didn't wonder if my former neighbour recognised me. I wanted to know if they changed their minds. Then, the Tartarus Prison was broken and inmates evaded. These times of chaos had been even harder on heteromorphs who were denied shelters. Most of them found refuge inside the Ultra Academy or in disaffected places. After things calmed down, I looked up casualties in my hometown. I found the name of the girl I had saved years ago."He stopped in his tracks and so did Hyori."It's okay if you want to cry." Said the lavender maiden.Joining act to speech, she wiped the stray tears that fell from his eyes. She could sense he wasn't used to affective touch and craved it as he leaned in her hands. She took the much taller lad into her arms. From the sound of his story, he hadn't been shown much affection growing up.A voice interrupted the moment from afar."We will be there in a minute!" Shouted Hyori to their homeroom teacher.She knew Shouji's emotions hadn't settled yet."Do you want me to try something on you? You will feel better afterwards."Her classmate accepted the offer and she draped his mind under the veil of her haze."Come one, let's go before we are called again." Suggested Hyori.The hazed lad followed behind her towards the bus. They hadn't been questioned since stains were visible on the taller's mask when they boarded. Hyori retrieved her jacket from her seat and walked back towards the teacher, asking if she could retrieve her luggage."I can't let you on your own. How long would your Father take to arrive?"She unlocked her secure phone to check her messaging application. She hadn't received a text from the middle-aged man, meaning he was still at the restaurant. She opted to call him instead. Their conversation had been short, punctuated by "Good evening, Dad", "We are done, yes" and "Let me ask the teacher". She removed her phone from her ears to ask her homeroom teacher if it was okay to wait since her family was having dinner nearby. The Asakusa View Hotel was merely ten minutes away by car, but the evening traffic would make the trip twenty minutes long. At least, it was on their way to Momo's home. The teacher replied he could leave her at the venue and she returned on the phone with her Father. The latter agreed and she hung up after telling him "See you later, Dad".The lavender girl regained her seat and the bus departed from Sumida Park. Asui turned to look at her."You sounded cute on the phone with your Father. Your voice was different." Said the petite green-haired maiden."I didn't notice." Replied Hyori."Now your voice is back to normal." Noted Ashido. "It sounded smooth and hyper delicate on the phone.""You could air a podcast with a voice like that. I would listen to you every night." Chimed Mineta with a degenerate laugh.Hyori didn't know how to counter and let the conversation die. She knew her voice sounded different depending on her intent. It wouldn't be honest to claim it was natural. She had worked on her vocals for that voice during her childhood, as she had been instructed to. The velvety sound, with an underlying tone of excitement and joy, was now second nature to her. It was like singing in a trained register. When she had been put in a pension after turning seventeen, she had kept the habit when she hosted but dropped it at school.Somehow, it was easy not to use that voice around people her age. Since she left the pension, she had only used it with her family and during her yoga classes. It complemented her quirk and hazing was always easier when she used that voice with the intent of her quirk. She was taken out of her thoughts when the place with a luminous "Asakusa View Hotel" caught her eyes from afar. The bus was a few seconds away when she called her Father again. She was conscious of the knowing smiles while Ashido recorded the ordeal. She would let them humour themselves at her expense for the occasion.The bus entered the hotel's drive-through and a security agent approached the driver window to enquire about their whatabouts. The teacher told him they were there to deliver Mister Hanabata's daughter. After requesting to see the teacher's identity card, the agent talked in his talkie-walkie and requested him to enter the private parking where another agent was waiting for them.Mister Aizawa proceeded as instructed not without raising his eyes. In the parking lot, another agent made him turn around to have the bus's door facing the high-rise instead of facing the outside. Two disguised guards were standing around the entrance as if on a smoke break. Less than a minute later, her Father exited the hotel. Hyori exited the bus to hug him even if she was embarrassed to have an audience. The teacher unlocked the lower trunk and the security agent opened it. The lavender maiden pointed to her bag which was retrieved and put on a luggage trolley. Afterwards, the agent closed the trunk which automatically locked it."Thank you for your disposition, Mister Aizawa." Saluted Hyori's Father.The addressed man nodded for all response before starting the engine and leaving. The agent brought her bag towards her Father's car and Hyori entered the building with her Father, one guard tailing them and the other tagging along the security agent."Did you enjoy yourself? You arrived in time for dessert. I hope you aren't too tired." Enquired her Father."I still have some energy for the dessert. I enjoyed the camp, yes.""Very good. I'll hear about it with your Grandparents."The duo ascended to the thirty sixth floor and a view of the cityscape welcomed them. The restaurant's floor was covered by a midnight blue carpet that stretched from its entrance to the glass walls that contoured the area. Her Father took her to the table where her Grandparents were waiting. It was near a wall with a view of the river. The sight of the lanterns had probably been enchanting from up there. Sweet treats were already served when they sat in front of the elderly couple. She had been prompted to talk about her summer camp, and then about her activities as an apprentice hero."I operate as a support agent, mainly in arrest and domestic violence cases.""Isn't it dangerous?" Enquired her Grandmother."The risk zero doesn't exist but I'm not on the front line. And I'm never alone." Assured the young woman."I hope only serious heroes get to have you in their teams. So much already happened at that school. We would be devastated if something happened to you." She took a bite of Yuebing Mooncake before changing the subject. "Did anyone catch your attention? We have connections that could help you find a partner for life. It's important to think about these questions early."Hyori stole a glance at her Father. His eyes told her he hadn't ignited the elderly woman's interest in her love life."I'm not sure how to navigate such matters." Replied Hyori."It's normal. Are you open to meeting people we might find interesting? Of course, after they are approved by your Father." Tried her Grandmother.Hyori looked at her Father who told her it was okay if she didn't want to."Not yet." Answered the young woman.The elderly woman would have enquired further if her son hadn't closed the conversation stating they "could have that talk after Hyori's graduation".They exchanged a few pleasantries before parting ways. During the drive back home, the middle-aged man assured his daughter that the elderly woman wasn't ill-meaning. Hyori could understand the old woman was worried about her Granddaughter being twenty and not having a single prospect.~~~The following day, Hyori woke up with an idea to get back at her classmates for making fun of her antics. It was eight in the morning when she called the class group chat to ask them if they slept well. She suspected they had consumed alcohol during the evening. Her classmates were probably hungover and suffering headaches. The mere ringing of their phones should bother them. Her Father sent her a look at her childish antics and made her promise she won't attempt again if no one picked. Lida, the class representative, had quickly answered her call. He turned off the conference mode to make the other phones stop ringing. The lad looked too fresh to be hungover and probably hadn't drank much."Good morning." Greeted Hyori. "Did you sleep well?""I did. I only drink orange juice at parties. Is anything the matter?""Nothing. I was only wondering if you weren't hungover.""Thank you for your concern. Did you enjoy your family event?"Hyori wasn't sure if he was dense or purposefully ignoring her banter."I did, thank you." Replied Hyori.Then, her Father's voice interrupted the conversation that would die soon. "Are you talking with my son in law?"Embarrassment overtook Lida over the video call who profusely greeted her Father."Good morning sir! I hadn't realised you were there. Not that I aimed to be inappropriate towards your daughter in your back!"Her Father laughed at his expenses and Hyori assumed it was one way of getting back at least one of her classmates."Are you the only one awake?" Enquired Hyori."Tokoyami and Shoji are on shift today. They already left. I think Momo is also awake with Kyouka and Bakugou. I went for a morning run but I can call you later when I'm done?""Alright." Agreed Hyori before hanging up.She turned towards her Father who was putting omelettes on plates."This boy seems well-mannered. Could you bring a bottle of juice from the fridge? We should have grapefruit juice left.""He's the class representative. Of course he's well-mannered." Replied Hyori while doing as requested.She walked to serve a glass for her Father before sitting on his left at the table."You can spend the day with your friends, if you want. I guess they aren't always in Tokyo.""Thank you, Dad. It will depend on how they cope with the party. And how available they would be. They started summer jobs after the internships and were on leave for the camp."She was still having breakfast when her phone rang again."Sorry Dad." She said while picking her phone. "Good morning."She was greeted back by Lida and Ashido. The pink's hair was still wet. The latter claimed she didn't drink much since she didn't need an emboldening beverage to let herself loose. She recounted the highlights of the party that might or might not have been posted on her status. Nothing crazy had happened, it was mainly drunken singing and uncoordinated dancing. Then, she remembered Hyori had a yoga studio."You said you offer yoga classes in Tokyo. Could you show us your studio?""I will need to clean around first but yes.""Neat! I don't know when everyone will wake up, though.""I can leave the address in the group chat for those who will wake up later."Ashido turned to talk with people in the back. She could hear Momo. Then, the pink maiden turned back to face the call."We will have breakfast and probably be ready to go at nine.""I get it. See you later."The lavender maiden typed her studio address and put her phone on the table to finish her breakfast."I hadn't noticed earlier but you sound different with your friends." Commented her Father."They said the same thing when they heard me on the phone yesterday. Is it that much different?""Your voice is the same but your tone and pace are different. You sound less sweet with them. I'm not complaining, though."They cleaned after breakfast and her Father drove her towards her apartment. They hugged before parting and she rushed to her door. She had a little over an hour to clean and promptly put her domestic robot to work. She rolled up the suspended silk and opened the curtains. Unsure of how many of her classmates would arrive, she settled sixteen yoga mats on the floor. Once her living room was ready, she changed into a beige bodysuit with light pink genie pants. She commanded her domestic robot to bake mini soft cookies like she usually did for her regular classes. She then heated water for tea and left it on the low table of the guest salon.Located near the entrance, the salon was only fit for nine guests but she could bring cushions for more people. The smell of the cookies was light in the air when she received a text from Ashido announcing she had arrived at the nearest metro station. Due to the hot season, she retrieved four bottles of flavoured water from her fridge. There were glasses and ceramic cups inside the cabinets. She would take them out after seeing how many guests had arrived. Five minutes later, her interphone rang and she opened the entrance to her classmates.A minute later, she opened the door on the maidens, save from Momo. With them, there was Lida and the traffic-light trio. They seemed well awake beside Todoroki junior who might have followed Midoriya."Momo will come later with the others." Said the class representative after they greeted."I understand. You can have tea or flavoured water while I bring the cookies. There are glasses in the cabinet on the corner." Said Hyori as she gestured towards the salon for them to sit.She was glad they hadn't arrived all at the same time. The newcomers would already be on mats when the others would arrive. They were enjoying the drinks when she exited the dining room with a cookie platter. When her clientele transitioned from Mothers to young adults, she noticed chocolate cookies were favoured over tea biscuits. Therefore, her customer success recipe had been an even amount of dark chocolate, milky chocolate and white chocolate cookies. Young adults loved chocolate and elderly people never refused. Still, she purchased specific ones for elderly people in order not to disturb their diets."You can have a piece or two before stepping on the mats." Invited Hyori while putting the platter on the low table.Without much surprise, her guests had served themselves flavoured water, the season's favourite."Your studio is nice but isn't it counterproductive to offer chocolate cookies?" Commented Midoriya."The guests usually want to de-stress when they come here. It's easier after a treat they like."Ashido noticed the rolled silk on the ceiling."Is that suspended silk?""It is. I use it for some exercises.""Can I take a few pictures? It could help with visibility.""Thank you. I only have two sessions per week at the moment, with school going on. They would have to be quick to book.""It's my pleasure. Could you bring one silk down? I want to take an impressive shot." Then she turned towards Hagakure. "Could you take my picture?"The two maidens rose from the sofa and walked between the mats. The yoga instructor retrieved the ceiling hooks' remote to unravel the silks. Sixteen pieces unravelled, it was the studio maximum capacity. Settling the lower arch of the silks at knee-level, she remembered her first studio. The single bedroom it occupied had been large enough for no more than ten mats at the time."Can you suggest a pose? I want something that looks like an achievement." Called Ashido, waking her from her reverie.The instructor walked to the duo's level. They had picked a hook close to the window. The luxuriant blue Donkey was visible in the background of the shooting area. Hyori had the pink maiden in a handstand to wrap her legs up the length before bending backwards."Keep your right knee bended and your left leg stretched. As if you were stretching an elastic between your toes.""It would be more impressive in the air." Commented Hagakure.Ashido agreed with her and Hyori moved to the remote. The pink maiden was standing on the tip of her fingers when she asked."Are you stable?"She received a positive response and lifted the silk a metre above the ground.The occasional photographer took multiple pictures before nodding for Hyori to lower the pink maiden. Slowly, the silk was lowered back to its previous height. Ashido stood from her handstand and took the phone to evaluate the pictures."Does your studio have a social media account?""It does. I use it for communication such as holiday closings."She was offered to type the handle name before the picture was posted. The shot was nice and the pink maiden's figure was nicely centred. The sunlight did wonder on her skin that looked more colourful and bright than ever."Are you in for a session?" Asked Hyori towards the occupant of the salon.They agreed and the instructor rolled back the hooked silks."I have spare clothes in the bathroom for those who don't have comfortable outfits. It's the first room in the hall."Ashido and Kyouka were wearing dancing clothes and hadn't needed to change. The others took her offer and changed inside the bathroom, maidens first. Once they had changed, they picked mats and she led them into a series of floor positions that didn't require much balance. The idea was to nicely wake and stretch their bodies. Without hazing them, she made them go through variations of positions according to their flexibility.They ranged from Ashido, whose dancing proficiency made the most flexible, to Todoroki, whose habit to remain static hadn't helped his flexibility. Asui seemed naturally flexible and didn't work much on it, judging from her lack of strength when she had to hold positions. On the contrary, Hagakure displayed strength but lacked grace. Lida's flexibility was limited to his lower body. He easily fell into splits but could hardly reach below his shoulder blades. Kyouka suffered the same predicament with Todoroki. The others were flexible enough for convenience.The attendees had been fourteen minutes into the session when the interfone rang. Hyori instructed them to hold their positions while she opened to the newcomers. She had put them into an infant pose while she served the rest of the class who was still in Tokyo."We are almost done. I will clean before you can step on the mats. There are spare clothes in the bathroom if you won't be comfortable in your current ones." Offered the instructor.They took the offer beside Yaoyorozu who had worn a legging ensemble underneath her blouse. Among the second set, Oujirou had been the most flexible while Kouda had been the most rigid. After the end of the second session, she retrieved the used spare clothes and launched a laundry cycle while her domestic robot cleaned around."Is that the super cook preventing you from learning?" Taunted Bakugou."My super cook baked the cookies. Show some respect." Countered Hyori.Then, she addressed the rest of the class. "Do you want to order? Or would you rather eat out?""I can't stay for lunch. I have to get to Endeavour's agency for my afternoon shift." Announced Midoriya. "Thank you for hosting us, though. We should do that again. You could even hold sessions in one of the gym grounds at the academy."Some of her classmates left for their internships and the rest wanted to sleep in their dormitory rooms after the short night they had.On Sunday, Hyori's Father took her back to her academy in Hakone. The summer holidays were coming to an end and classes would start again after the next week. Hyori wanted to train in her usual facility instead of her studio. They drove towards the Ultra Academy at the last moment possible and she arrived at almost eight in the evening. Her classmates were arranging the common living room after their Sunday movie session. She greeted them and beelined for her bedroom. Someone knocked minutes later and she opened the door on Ashido. She let the pink maiden inside her bedroom and the latter started."Do you remember those clips I recorded last week?""I do." Hyori was worried about what the nervous maiden would say next."They are off the internet, don't worry. It's just that some heroes are following me and... They saw them. They want to get in touch with you. But they are being way too forceful. Like, Hawks had been texting me non-stop to ask for your social account. I left him on 'read' at some point. Edgeshot also asked why I didn't tag you and Gang Orca commented on your phone-call-voice. He also asked for your contact. Others had been less pushy like Lida's brother who only asked if you were his classmate."Hyori took in the information. "I see.""I didn't give them any information." Added Ashido, to Hyori's relief. "But it's not just me. They have been bugging their apprentices ever since. Ah! And Todoroki was scolded by his Father for sitting beside you. They have been walking on eggshells around their mentors during their Saturday's shifts. We didn't want to disturb you but... It's just so weird they would ask us to put them through another student. It doesn't make any sense! Is there something we should know?""It's a long story I wanted to forget." Replied Hyori. "Can I get the night to order my thoughts?""Of course. I'll let you rest. You can ring me up anytime." Agreed Ashido before exiting.The lavender maiden retrieved her secure phone to text the commission's Vice President.'The heroes find out about me. They have been fishing for my contact information.'She removed her pair of boyfriend jeans and shirt before climbing in bed. With her mind spiralling, she changed into a sleeping Yukata dress. Her night had been unrestful. She was exhausted when she woke up early on Monday. The violet wasn't willing to get out of her bed, knowing an interrogation was waiting for her. There was no proper way to explain their mentors' interest for her. She had remained unmoving for nearly an hour when she heard knocking on her door. She faked being asleep but the knocking intensified. Fed up, she opened her door ajar on an unnerved Bakugou."You owe us an explanation! I'm not going to work with Endeavour rattling for another day. The old man is still worked up by a candid clip and thinks we are messing with him when we are only clueless."Behind him, the rest of the class was peering at her. The stress of the situation was getting the best of her as she was feeling suffocated. Mono reassured her they didn't mean any harm."If you did something, it's time to tell us. We might help. Is it related to your Father?"Hyori shook her head while walking back to sit on her bed."I met my Father earlier this year. It's not about him."Lida took the lead and exposed their position to her."We had a conversation with Aoyama, our former classmate. He had been distraught when he saw you at the pool and we asked him some questions. He told us All For One was acquainted with you. We concluded your Father was working with him and had involved you, like it had happened to him. But if you only met recently, how did you meet All For One? Could it be the reason the heroes are looking for you?""Who?" Hyori had an idea of who they were talking about but needed to be sure. She also wanted to gain some time to formulate her speech."The last villain All Might fought before retiring." Replied the class representative.The violet maiden thought about what she could say. Not wanting to endure the moment any longer, she decided to give some decorum to the situation."I was sent to a girls pension at seventeen after... I couldn't live with my Mother anymore. The pension is located inside a hotel that affluent people often visit for entertainment. That's where I met that villain and some heroes. I had a night shift there before ghosting that place last November. I thought they would have moved on."She sensed that some of her classmates understood what she hinted at. The maidens had understood, along with Bakugou, Shoji, Sero and Mineta. After a pause, Kaminari voiced his incomprehension shared by half of the class."It doesn't explain anything!?""It does explain everything." Countered Bakugou with a grave expression.She sensed his anger at the situation and the implications her confession carried."It's in the past now." Insisted Hyori."It's obviously not if they are harassing us like that!" Opposed the explosive young man."I signalled it to the commission.""The commission couldn't have been unaware of what was happening. Those are in the top rankings." Reasoned Momo.Hyori remembered that the Vice President had been involved himself. He had enquired on multiple occasions if she would host again. She hoped he would keep following her wish not to offer under-the-counter services again."They were the middlemen but it's over now that I left.""They encouraged it?!" Exclaimed Asui."Not really. It's complicated. They didn't want the heroes' names to be in the archives."The green maiden was incredulous and asked again."You were interning under the commission. Did something happen?""No. Nothing happened."Momo walked inside the bedroom to sit beside her."You know you can tell us, right? We won't judge you. It wasn't your choice. Nothing really happened during your internship? Not even on your mission with Gang Orca?""Nothing. The Vice President only asked if I was willing to do it again but didn't pressure me into anything."She was hesitant to tell them what happened with Enji. Especially with his son around. The man had her address and they had some dates together after she left. She had been willing to engage with him. And she would have probably gone on a date with him last Saturday, if her Father hadn't been in the picture.The moment was interrupted by their homeroom teacher calling them out."What are you doing here at this time with your phones turned off?! Your mentors have been calling the school to announce you didn't show up! Your internships might be over but you signed for an actual summer job."He sensed something was off from the grim look on some apprentices and the incomprehension on others. He walked into their circle to look at the centre of their attention. The teacher sighed when he saw the two maidens inside."Did you know about the hotel?! Did the school know and let it happen?!" Asked Bakugou with an accusatory tone.Aizawa didn't know about any hotel. At least, he hadn't explicitly been told about it. He had a vague idea and guessed it was yet again something he would be the last to know about Shinsou. For the time being, he had to keep his act together and dismissed the question."It's confidential. Those who are late to their jobs should go already. The rest, lay back and let the administration handle the issue.""What!?" Exploded the angry lad."You heard me." Pressed the teacher.The pupils were reluctant to comply and Ashido spoke for the class."Sir, our mentors have been pestering us about Shinsou since they saw her on my social media. They won't stop pressing the issue on shift. Endeavour is irate at the moment and has been calling Todoroki non stop to scold him."The teacher asked the crowd."Is that why your phones are turned off?"They nodded in response. He then requested the ice and fire bender to turn his phone on and hand him the unlocked device. Not a minute later, the phone rang and the teacher picked up. The angry voice of Endeavour scolded who he assumed to be his son."You might want to calm down, Endeavour."The man on the line talked in a more even tone. He asked to talk to Hyori. The teacher noted how the flame hero called the pupil by her first name. Even if he didn't comment on it, the two of them being on first-name basis was weird. Shinsou had been living at the academy for months already. The fact Endeavour hadn't moved on was something strange, to say the least. The fact he harassed his own son over an ephemeral clip was even stranger. Compared to Mister Yagi, he now believed the former number-one really didn't do anything to her."Of course you can't talk to her. Don't you have some decency?"Following those words, the communication was severed and Mister Aizawa handed the device back to its owner."You should leave her some space."With that, the apprentices filled out of the hall. The teacher addressed Hyori before leaving as well."You can rest for a bit. I'll talk with the Principal."The man closed her bedroom behind him. Once left alone, Hyori climbed back under her cover.~~~From the call he just ended, Enji had the confirmation Hyori was her son's classmate. That meant he could contact her on the hero network. She must be the transferred student he heard about at some point. He had expected the new heroic pupil to be a young man, but that didn't matter anymore. What mattered was that he had a way to contact her without showing up at an apartment she might not be.Retrieving his phone, he tapped on an application he rarely used. He delegated the early stages of recruitment in his agency. His subordinates already knew what profiles suited the organisation. His input was only needed to make the final decision once the others had validated a profile.Scrolling down the Ultra Academy's second, he stopped on Psyren's profile. The photo showed a young adult with amethyst irises surrounding discoloured pupils. This one stood out of the rest due to the short internship experience. Unlike the other apprentices, Psyren didn't have any records for the previous year. Enji was now sure to have found Hyori. To his chagrin, he couldn't request her anymore. Her internship ended a few weeks ago. To think she had been this close to his reach was unnerving. He could still extend a part-time offer. But it would have to be on days he didn't have his son over. Which didn't leave a lot of openings.Thinking about his son, his mind drifted back to the clip he saw on Saturday night. Enji had waited for the violet maiden at the restaurant he booked. He had hoped she would show up at some point. He had been forced to admit she stood him up when the lanterns started flowing down the river. Dejected, he opened his phone and mindlessly checked his family's posts or tags. His daughter and middle son had made lanterns with his wife. The children had moved out with their Mother when she was discharged from the psychiatric yard. He passed the publications until he witnessed the one Shoto had been tagged on.His youngest son had been sitting beside Hyori in the five-seconds short clip. His heart skipped a beat at the recognition. The violet maiden was well groomed, even if the dress's colour was daring. The hair falling in the front was probably for some modesty. She was hanging with his son's class, meaning she was probably part of the class. Unless it was a mix of different apprentices. He didn't know all of them and couldn't tell if non heroic pupils were in the clip.He went on the account that published the story and looked at the others. Hearing Hyori's voice over the phone wasn't the same. The clip made him long for her again. From what he heard, she had stood him up to dine with her Father. That was understandable. He was actually glad she didn't have a date or went to party with the younglings. He even appreciated that she valued family time.Still, questions flooded his mind. She was sitting beside his son. If they were classmates, did they often interact together? He didn't know much about Shoto's personal life. Could anything have happened? Would Hyori do things with his son, knowing they were related? It wasn't something he wanted to envision. As much as he had affection for her, he knew she was dangerous. Her attention was intoxicating, and loving her was addictive.He didn't want to be in competition against his own son. He didn't even want them to be close. All it could take was one inviting sentence from the young woman. One moment alone with her was enough to get hooked. Shoto was too naive not to fall for her if she wanted him. He hadn't noticed any unusual spending on the young man's card. It had to mean they weren't involved with each other. Hyori enjoyed nice gifts and she would have expected something on her birthday, on Valentines' Day, and so on.The clip made him realise he couldn't let go of her. And he couldn't afford not to make moves as soon as possible. She was surrounded by men of her age. He was sure some of them already had a soft spot for her. He couldn't leave her the time to fall for them. They had a great chemistry and he was convinced they could tie the knot together.He had to come clean in front of her Father. For that, divorcing from his wife was needed. Their relationship was distant and she didn't even welcome his Christmas gift. Of course, he would still take care of her. After all, she had given her youth and made countless sacrifices to raise their children. He might have sabotaged his first family, but he believed having learnt from his mistakes. He was ready for a new start.Before he could forget, he mailed his lawyers to prepare the documentation for the divorce. He was willing to offer a comfortable settlement to the Mother of his children. Of course, he would be the one to tell her. He texted her to plan a visit at the apartment he rented for her. He suggested they meet early in the evening. The sooner, the better.Sighing, the redhead rose from his office's seat. He had already missed half an hour of shift and couldn't wait any longer. His sidekicks were going to welcome the part-timers for him. The trio was already autonomous and he trusted them. For now, he had to patrol but suspected he wasn't mentally ready for it. He rushed towards the building's showers, reasoning cold waters would help. He hastily passed through the halls without answering his employees' questions, only ordering them to get ready and wait for him.In Hakone, Hyori slept through the morning and woke up again at eleven. She took a shower and changed clothes. Remembering she had sent a message to the commission's Vice President, she unlocked her secured phone. Mister Mera had requested her to call him. She didn't want to call him yet. Not before hearing the Principal that was now involved in the matter. Looking at the time, she assumed the chimaera's talk with her homeroom teacher was over.After a shower, she put on her school's dedicated undergarments and dressed in loose pants and a blouse. The nap had helped her rest but her head was spinning from hunger. Her bedside clock was reading eleven in the morning. Walking to the kitchen downstairs, the communal area was empty. She guessed her peers were at their summer jobs or active outside. She took a bottle of flavoured milk from a drawer and opened the fridge. There was some leftover baked fish with garlic butter, along with a slice of fluffy yoghurt cake.She guessed Satou made it primarily for her, since few of her classmates liked fish. She didn't often have meals with her classmates. For the week days, she stacked lunch and dinner ordered from the nearby resort. Last week was an exception. She hadn't been able to order anything in the mountains. And helping with retrieving food and cooking was mandatory. The only meal she shared with her peers was Sunday dinner, and Satou usually made something she would love.After setting the plate to heat in the microwave, she opened the milk bottle and drank the beverage before throwing the empty recipient in the trash can. The microwave beeped and she retrieved the plate. After her meal, she enjoyed the dessert and cleaned after her. She felt satiated and walked back inside her bedroom. There, she retrieved her umbrella and a purse before leaving the dormitories.The halls were deserted on her way to the Principal's office. She knocked on the door but didn't receive an answer. She guessed that the chimaera wasn't inside his office since the holidays weren't over yet. She might find him inside the teacher's accommodations. She wasn't sure her case was urgent enough for her to walk there uninvited. Looking at the time, it was too early to water flowers. Miss Nanase wouldn't be inside the glasshouse before at least six hours.She supposed training would help clear her mind. After all, she gave up on a supplementary week with her Father because she wanted to train. It was too late for her morning session. But the resort was still open. She decided to walk back inside her bedroom to fill her sports bag. Once ready, she cycled to the nearby resort and used the usual indoor pool.After stretching, she sprinted a few lengths before slowing down. Sinking deep in the waters had felt calming. She felt better after somewhat exhausting herself. One hour later, she used the gymnastics grounds before heading inside the wellness area. She remained there until four in the afternoon. She had two hours before her classmates would start filling the dormitories. She could go into the library. She could also go into the glasshouse and wait for Miss Nanase.Remembering her previous encounter inside the library, she decided to spend the rest of the afternoon inside the glasshouse. The sky was covered during the last days of August. She would be good to remain outside with her umbrella. She leisurely walked back to the academy while holding her bicycle. The cool air felt freshening on her skin. She felt much better than a couple of hours ago.The dormitories were still empty when she entered. The place had been silent until her phone made a notification sound. Unlocking the device, she saw a text message from her homeroom teacher. She was invited inside the Principal's office. After she greeted the two adults, the chimaera led the conversation."We took the freedom to contact the Hero Commission on your behalf. They assured they won't let anyone harass you at your job. Still, I think having a shortlist of who shouldn't be allowed near you would help. As far as we are concerned, the commission knew what was going on. And they didn't detail to us how they intended to safeguard you from harassment. I suggest you don't intern with them again and tell us who we shouldn't let near you."Hyori took a few seconds to formulate her answer. Not working directly with commission would prevent her from having direct access to her little sister."I don't think anything would happen with the commission." She said. "Nothing happened during my internship."It was the truth. Nothing had happened during her internship. The commission's President uploaded her profile on the hero network with her hosting name. But the Vice President helped her change it. She had a close-call on a mission but had been able to remain on the low by using a realistic face mask. The Principal didn't have those details and inquired."I'm intrigued. What makes you so confident?""I've been able to use realistic face masks for some missions. I don't have a lot of experience but the working environment was pretty decent.""And you aren't saying that because you fear not being able to see your sister anymore.""I'm not. We are in touch and can see each other outside of the commission's headquarters.""I see. If you ever change your mind, or if anything happens, we will be there to help."Hyori was discharged from the office and bowed before leaving.Mister Aizawa walked with her out of the office. He had remained silent during the whole conversation. The apprentice didn't tell who she should avoid, but he already had a few names in mind. The mentors who had pestered their apprentices were definitely on that list. The Principal had sent them emails to let them know harassment was an offence, in case they kept questioning their apprentices. Since there weren't any emergencies he should care about, he took the opportunity to question the maiden."Why do you remain under the commission?""I don't have any reason to leave.""You also don't have any reason to stay."The violet maiden slowed her walk to think. So did the teacher. He added."You never thought about leaving?""I don't know. It's the first opportunity I got. And it's a comfortable place.""I see. Comfortable isn't a word I often hear from hero apprentices. A lot of aspirants want status, fame or money. A new generation is following after their parents. I think it's the first time I hear about comfort in a heroic career.""I guess it depends on one's career. And how they operate.""What career do you envision for yourself?"Mister Aizawa was aware the talk should have occurred months ago. But what he believed to be back then seemed not to be real."I think about keeping things the way they currently are. I've been able to help with arrests and cases where strength might be counter-productive."The teacher hummed to prompt her to elaborate."After I helped with a guru's arrest, I've received requests for domestic violence interventions. I was told it wasn't urgent and left on the sidelines of hero work. And police interventions would require logistics they couldn't deploy everyday. But for the victims, it's an emergency. And sometimes a matter of life or death. It doesn't pay enough for an agency to specialise on domestic violence, but I can move to as many houses as needed provided I get the commission's signature."The teacher nodded in agreement. A police intervention generally requires more than a phone call when there aren't any weapons involved. He read the debriefs of her interventions during the internship. The heroes who had been responsible for the missions commented on how she helped make things seamless. He had an amused rictus upon reading their appreciation, especially when she used to have a hard time fighting in a seamless manner. Now that he heard her out, he was glad that her head was in the right places. She might not be the patrolling hero he thought she would be, but she was dedicated to a right cause most people forgot about, until it happened to them or their loved ones."I understand." Commented the teacher. "Don't get too comfortable, though. You better not fall back on your technique."