It was just after Iida's birthday that it happened, after a night full of games, snacks and stuffing one's mouth with cake, something unexpected occurred right the very next day...
" A newspaper?" Certainly, Sora and Yuu weren't the only ones taken by surprise by the sudden announcement by Aizawa as he turned at their door that morning. It quite enticed a lot of murmur and excitement around the whole class.
" I wonder why would they want to make a feature about us?" Yuu was slightly bothered. " I mean, it's not like we need any more introduction."
"Hm, you have a point." Sora held a finger to her jaw. If anything, UA's sports festival had them covered in that regard, that without counting the incidents that made their school take the headlines of the news sites.
"You just want an excuse to slip away, Yuu." Whisper gave him a pointed look which Yuu returned with an annoyed one. He would never come to like being at the center of interest, but Whisper always had a different opinion.
It was getting louder with everyone talking about the matter until Aizawa quelled them. " The article is supposed to be about how you students are doing in the dorms you just moved into. "
Sora thought of her grandmother back at home and it didn't sound like a bad idea. That way, she could see Sora was fine and doing well. The principal is thoughtful. She smiled.
After Aizawa warned them against doing anything irrational while using Mineta as an example of the punishment that might await them, a thin and tall man walked into the living, he had a long face with jutting jawbones and a pair of glasses balanced on the bridge of his nose, behind them were a couple of blue eyes with excentric pupils; one was wide and light blue and the other was small and black. He had tousled dark hair and he was walking hunched over, a camera hanging off his neck.
The man stood beside their teacher who didn't bother hiding his displeasure of him walking in without being told to. " Hello, everyone. I'm Tokuda, a reporter." He started introducing himself. " Thanks for having me today."
" Nice to meet you!" As they returned his bow, Yuu's eyes fell on Sora's disturbed face.
" What's the matter?" He whispered to her while the rest of the class was still focusing on the reporter.
Sora had a small pout, as though unsure herself of why she was disturbed. Holding her chin in thought she murmured back. " It's just... his aura." Her eyes didn't leave the reporter at all. " It doesn't seem malicious but... He's hiding something, he is definitely not here to have an article about our dorm life."
" Should we tell Aizawa-sensei?"
Sora shook her head. " As I told you, he does have no ill intention after all, so he can't be a spy of sort. Besides-"
" Yes sir!" She broke off when Iida shouted on top of his voice.
" What a diligent student." Whispse sighed. " He would definitely make that reporter interested nonetheless."
So they carried out with their everyday life, except they had a camera lens flung their way once or twice, capturing their action. Sora thought Yuu was doing great ignoring the man so far, he didn't freeze yet or attempt to hide under the table as he approached them during breakfast. She had to commend that.
She however couldn't take her eyes off him. She knew he wasn't up to something bad. Still, it was good to keep watch over him in any way. Better be prepared than sorry. She thought helping herself to a mouthful of rice while the man was being told off by Bakugo.
Sora had to admit just how well the teachers carried on their lessons without the least care for the reporter as though he wasn't even there. But some of the students weren't able to do the same. More than once, she could see Aoyama changing poses only so he could stand out. It was funny all the same, she thought.
Ashido made some good attempts as well at first. But soon grew tired and forgot about the whole 'look our best' idea.
While they had PE, the reporter had to stand quite far away from them. It didn't stop him though from taking pictures of them. She thought she saw him taking one of her while she raced with Midoriya. She wondered if he even managed to get anything but a blur of color or a cloud of dust.
She quickly finished the obstacle course, jumping and speed were never a problem for her, and despite being unable to catch up with both Iida and Uraraka, she was proud of her speed. Power, however, she didn't think the same. She had enough power to defend and attack that was true, but as they went to the softball throw, the difference of power between her and her other classmates was highlighted. I need to work harder. She thought as she looked at Bakugo, Midoriya and Shoji.
The classes continued, and so Tokuda slowly blended with the background. His existence faded from their thoughts as they grew accustomed to him standing around.
" Sora." She snapped when Yuu tapped her shoulder and looked back at him as he pointed at the clock. " If we don't hurry, we won't get seats for Lunch Rush."
" Oh right! Sorry!" She hurriedly gathered her bag and they went to get their meals. But as predicted, the queues were rather long. After what seemed like an eternity, both of them managed to get their orders and sat down by the window, having a table all to themselves.
"He's here too," Yuu stated as he looked through a throng of older students. There was no mistaking the glistening of the camera lens among them. Judging by the trajectory, he was capturing Tokyami and Sero. "He's really sticking close to us and capturing everything we do. It's hard to doubt he is writing an article about us."
" True," Sora added, munching on a meat steak and looking towards the older man.
" Are you sure you don't want to tell Aizawa about it?" Whisper questioned them.
" Nope." Sora swallowed. " Aizawa-sensei already knows he has some ulterior motive behind coming here. But he seems to trust him. Aizawa-sensei usually doesn't like media, and that's telling something." She pointed a fork at Whisper who hummed in thought.
"Still, I'm getting curious about him." Said Yuu. And Sora couldn't help but feel the same. "Would he be allowed to join the hero training this afternoon?"
" Well..." Sora looked up at the roof as if she had spotted something of interest there. " He said he will be here until 6 pm, so apparently yeah."
" Why should it be so hot!" Ashido complained as she sat beside Sora. " I could wring a bucket of water out of my shirt already."
" It's summer after all," Hagakure said taking the seat next to Yuu.
" Now speaking of that. It does really seem rather hotter than usual," Yuu stated reaching for a cup of water.
" We heard it from an older student." Hagakure started on her spaghetti." It seems the air conditioning system of the school broke down. That's why it's boiling today."
" And I seriously can't take it at all!" Ashido poked her fried chicken vigorously with her fork as though it was its fault she was sweating profusely. "Wish they could do something about it soon or we will melt down to puddles!"
"Don't exaggerate, Mina-chan." Sora sweated at her comment.
"It's not just us! The whole school is complaining already!" She retorted.
Yuu put down his spoon and looked around as though scanning the area for someone. His eyes landed on Todoroki as he picked up his tray and was about to leave. " Todoroki-san..." He hurried off to him.
The white and red-haired boy stopped when he heard his name and turned to talk with Yuu. Sora and the two girls couldn't tell what they were discussing. But when Yuu came back, he was smiling in satisfaction. " We won't have to worry about the air conditioning."
The girls exchanged perplexed looks but as they stepped out of the building a few minutes later, they could tell what he meant. Todoroki had summoned a hill size worth of ice and was slowly melting it over the courtyard that for a moment, it looked as though it was snowing. The chill was well welcomed and Hagakure was more than thrilled she was hopping about like a little girl in the snow.
" Now that's what I call putting one's quirk to useful things," Whisper smirked.
Snap
Sora looked back as she heard the sound and saw Tokuda holding his camera and smiling to himself. When his eyes fell on her, he offered her a smile and she merely nodded politely.
For the sake of the expected article, it seemed their training for that evening had been replanned. They were each to work on improving their Quirks in the same terrain they had been training on for their provisional license. Sora chose to practice her aiming skills while using her feathers. Not far from her, Kyubi was unleashing one burst of blue fire after the other. The rest of them worked individually as well.
By the time they changed out of their costumes and were ready to go back to their dorms, they were surprised to find it was raining. " No weather forecast said anything about rain!" Uraraka looked at the heavy curtain of drops falling from the sky with puffed cheeks, rooted at the top step of the stairs as they caught up with her.
"Have any of you brought an umbrella along?" Sora asked them.
" Nope." Midoriya shook his head before looking around."I thought we could ask for Yaoyorozu-san's help but it seems she went back already."
" I can't believe I failed to be prepared for such thing!" Iida seemed most furious with himself."I must take it as my punishment to run back as fast as I could to the dorms! This will also serve as good training!"
"Wait!" Iida was seriously getting ready to run under the heavy shower while everyone attempted to stop him.
" Yuu, it's time we call him."
Yuu snapped back at Whisper. " Oh right, I just hope he isn't busy." He held his hands up and whispered something. Everyone looked back at him, rather befuddled before they saw a blue fire igniting between his bare hands.
" I summon thee!"
The blue flame enlarged as Yuu held it at arm length from him, and then it faded to divulge a large orange umbrella, the size of a person, with one eye on its canopy, large smiling mouth with a long tongue sticking out of it and instead of a shaft it had... a leg!
"Kasa-Obake!" They were all at a loss for words as the umbrella Yokai licked Yuu's face with his long tongue and the boy giggled.
" I know. It's been a long time. Glad to see you again too."
" The umbrella ghost! You didn't tell me you were friends with this Yokai, Yuu!" Sora was admiring the spirit more than she was focused on the boy, her eyes sparkling as she studied it from all different angles.
" If you please, could you help us reach our dorms?" The Yokai then whirled around and stretched his canopy. It was wide enough for all five of them to get under it. And as they stepped off the stairs, Sora was sure she glimpsed Tokuda snapping another shot of them.
" I can't believe I'm being escorted by the famous Kasa-Obake. This is really amazing." Midoriya was so excited he couldn't stop muttering. As they walked, the spirit kept up with them, hopping on his sole leg.
" But Seijin-kun, I thought you only had three spirits besides Whisper-kun?" Iida pointed one hand at him.
" Oh right, I didn't tell you. I have contracts with only three fighting spirits," Yuu explained. " But I'm... more or less friends with a few other ones. And I can call upon them sometimes, if they're not busy."
" And they can hear you? No matter where you are?" Uraraka asked.
"Dear, we hear as far as land stretches," Whisper stated, puffing his chest proudly." As long as we keep our ears open, we hear those who are calling for us."
" You sound so proud of yourself." Yuu sweat dropped. " The truth is that time and space work differently in the spirit world. I didn't understand everything that Kyuubi tried to explain, but I think it's quite similar to space wrapping."
" Spirits and Yokais are really amazing." Sora couldn't hide her wide bemused smile. " I sometimes envy you, Yuu!"
"Although, it kind of seems strange for other people, to see us walking by accompanied with a legendary ghost." Yuu nervously cast a look at the groups of students who kept glancing at them whenever they passed them, whispering and murmuring among themselves.
"They must be greatly impressed by this as much as any of us, Seijin-kun!" Iida added."Because your Quirk is extremely remarkable!"
Yuu had a small smile on his face as he heard that. Upon reaching the dorms, they bowed thankfully to the Yokai who happily hopped twice and faded back in a burst of blue flames.
" Lucky you! You had to walk along that famous Yokai! I wish I had stayed back too!" Hagakure told Sora after they changed to sit down for a spot of Yaoyorozu's afternoon tea. The steaming liquid was promising them warmth on that cold day.
"It really is amazing. I mean, we've always thought they didn't exist at all but..." Yaoyorozu tightened her hairband before looking back at Yuu who was following a game of shoji between Tokyami and Shoji. " Seijin-san's Quirk is really something else after all."
" You're not afraid?" Sora looked back at the two girls. She knew their answer already, she didn't need to ask them. But she knew Yuu was listening, and she wanted him to hear it with his own ears.
" Why should we be?" Hagakure exclaimed. " I think it's awesome! I would want to meet most of them!"
Yaoyorozu held her cup to her mouth with a wide smile. "Plus, it's all the more reason to feel safe, knowing they're Seijin-san's friends."
" Just make sure I don't find some Akaname in my room! Baggy eyes!" Bakugo shouted back from behind them and walked away while Kirishima and Kaminari were roaring with laughter.
" What's the matter?" Asked Yaoyorozu, surprised at the sudden outburst.
Kaminari was trying hard to contain his laughter but obviously failed, attempted to explain the whole thing between giggles. " It's just... as he didn't want to show us his room before... we told him maybe it was... needing some tending to and..." By that point, there was no getting anything from them as they rolled on the ground.
" Basically they told him they can get me to bring some Akaname to help him clean his room." Yuu looked back at them, half annoyed, half scared Bakugo might be coming back for him.
" Oh man, his face when we said that." Kirishima wiped away a tear." It was priceless."
" You don't happen to know one, don't you, Seijin?" Tokyami asked.
" Well, about that..." Yuu blinked twice as he looked back at the boy. " Why are you asking?"
" Everyone has a darkness that ought to be cleansed." Was his only answer.
By the time they realized it, Tokuda was nowhere to be seen around the dorms. Iida and Yaoyorozu were calling them up for dinner. "Gather quickly, everyone!" Iida's voice permeated through the living room. Sora and Yuu left their homework on the table and went to join everyone else, but not before seeing Tokuda and Midoriya talking through the large window.
" His aura changed," Sora whispered to Yuu as they saw the man walking away from their dorms.
" What does it look like now?" The boy asked her.
Sora took a step closer to the glass pane as though to make sure of what she was seeing. " It looks like satisfaction... and hope. He got what he came here for."
Yuu looked back as the reporter disappeared out of the gate. "We would never know what he came here for."
" Yeah..." But Sora could make a guess.
" Everyone, there's meat buns!" Uraraka shouted from the door, flailing a white plastic bag, and soon, they were all gathered around her...