Chapter 36
The next two weeks were devoted to the end of term exams – tests that would cover all the material presented in the last ten weeks. First, there was Prep Week, where there were no classes; but the school's resources were available to students. This was followed by three days of written tests and one to three days devoted to the practical exams. The teachers were keeping the nature of the practicals secret.
After my meeting with the Principal, Kan-sensei had met me at the school gate. He was dressed in civilian garb, which did little to lessen his ominous presence. "Yanagi-san, I am pleased that you and Nezu-kocho have reached a resolution. May I accompany you home?"
"Certainly," I replied. I had the feeling my homeroom teacher had felt awkward being put in the middle of the Principal's issues with me. I felt confident he had been as supportive of me as his position allowed. While I found his weekly checkups at my apartment more than a little intrusive, I appreciated that he meant well.
We walked towards the bus stop. He glanced at my bandaged arm. "I feel I owe you several apologies. First, that I did not press for you to receive immediate medical attention when you were wounded. You did not act injured, thus, despite the apparent nature of your wound, I mentally prioritized it below quelling the growing panic. That was a mistake and a failure on my part, for which I apologize." He bowed. I returned it quickly, trying to wave off the rest of his speech.
"Please, Sensei, there's no need for this. I wasn't hurt badly, and it was treated quickly enough. You had a responsibility to the rest of the students and their families."
We paused our conversation as we boarded the bus. Then he continued.
"Also I had not realized how involved you and some of your classmate would become in the community project. I worry that I may have put you at a disadvantage for preparing for the final exams. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help. For instance, if you would like to arrange some study sessions with me this week."
"I am going to be working with a large study group that Kendo-san and Iida-kun of Class 1-A have arranged. I think that is likely to be enough. If for some reason it isn't, then I have more motivation to study harder next term."
"Neh?" he offered one of those untranslatable utterances that could be taken as partial agreement.
After several minutes of silently watching the city pass by through the window I asked him, "Have you heard what happened to the rioters or the Claw?"
"Some. The police arrested the Face Border Clan's Champions; and this time they made it all the way to jail." He offered a quick toothy smile. "Also, several of the Ancients were taken into custody. From their questioning, it is likely that there was someone acting as an agent provocateur riling the crowds against the restoration project."
"Any idea who?" I asked.
"Some, but this is not the place to talk about the details." He looked pointedly around the crowded bus. Several people quickly shifted the gaze away from us.
I nodded. We were mostly silent for the rest of the trip to my apartment. Once there he asked his normal wellness questions. "What are you eating? How much sleep are you getting? Are you having any problems with the neighbors? Is anyone bothering you? Are you having any other issues?" Basically, how is a fifteen your old girl doing on her own in a bad neighborhood?
I had stopped being offended when I realized that if it had been the original Reiko in this same situation, she would have found the care comforting, and it might have been necessary.
"You mentioned there is suspicion of a provocateur in the riots." I prompted after the normal questioning ended.
"I know you are familiar with the League of Villains. Shigaraki is considered one of their leaders. Another is Giran, a mid-level villain, black marketer, and fixer of long standing." Kan-sensei paused.
"He's one of the big players in Mosuaizuri," I replied, wanting Kan-sensei to know I was aware of what was going on in the neighborhood. "Possibly the mastermind behind its isolation in recent years."
"Exactly. He is thought to be the direct sponsor of the Ancients, and at least involved in the Face Border Clan – not a member, but in an advisory role." The teacher continued.
"That would make sense. And the police think he may have 'arranged' the riots to discourage UA involvement in the neighborhood." I surmised.
"Not so much the local police," Kan-sensei added. "But regional law enforcement think that is a strong possibility."
I sighed. "Someone will have to explain to me how the various police forces interrelate."
"That's not normally covered until second year. And I don't think we have time for it this evening." He stood and started his preparations for departure. "Please be careful out there. It is likely that the Triad is still out for you. You have further embarrassed them. If the local head is not involved, that may give you some peace. Giran's forces are also still embedded in the neighborhood. I want you to consider moving. This is not a safe place for you. I intend to talk to you parents about the issue."
"I appreciate your concern," I replied. "I have no specific attachment to the area, but I hate the thought of being run out of anywhere by criminals. If I move, I want it to be on my terms, not theirs."
He nodded silently and made for the door. When he left, I bowed him out of the apartment.
That evening, at Emily's suggestion, I decided to take a trip to Tennō-ji. This was an ancient Buddhist Temple and graveyard in central Tokyo. Her family had some obscure connection I could not quite grasp. I felt the need to get away from the streets of Mosuaizuri that had become too familiar, and after the riots too dangerous for me to stroll casually. At least until tempers cooled further.
I wanted to fly. I had not just flown for the fun of it – because of the quirk laws. The same laws that kept me from doing it now. I had the secret license, but I'd be a fool to expose it because I wanted to feel the wind in my hair. So, two buses and three trains later I arrived at the great bronze Buddha of Tennō-ji. The area was peaceful to the naked eye, but the nearby graveyard, Yanaka Bochi, was positively crowded with spirits. They all took notice of me, but none accosted us. Eventually I found a bench next to a small pond.
Mr. Yanagi had introduced me to basic meditation and Emily had been trying to get me to practice more often. This spot offered the tranquility to allow me to let go of my tension and sink into relaxed contemplation.
Why are we here? I eventually asked.
I am worried about you. Emily replied. When you first arrived, you were weary of combat and conflict. You avoided it when we stumbled across that battle our first night in Mosuaizuri – eschewed fighting the villains in order to save civilians.
I remember.
Since then you have been forced to defend yourself several times. Again, those fights were not at your instigation, at least not entirely. But recently – with the Bounty Heroes in particular – you have begun to seek out conflict. In the park, you were not seeking it out, but you made no effort to avoid it, and when it came, I believe you enjoyed it.
And?
I am concerned you are falling back into old habits. Patterns of behavior that you had said you wished to change. I would like to offer you a challenge. Emily sounded nervous.
I thought about what she was saying. You may have a point. I still say the fights are, for the most part, coming to me. I don't go looking for them. But I am resorting to violence as a first choice and planning on further fighting. What's your challenge?
For the next two weeks at least, concentrate on being a student, not a hero. Most of all I challenge you to have fun doing something that is not hero related – something not 'cape life' I believe is your term for it. And try to find at least one friend that is not a thirty-year-old recovering schizophrenic or a voice in your head.
A friend? I had friends, didn't I?
You need connections to this world – beyond me, my family, or Jin. I have nothing against Jin. But you are a teenage girl. You need to live that part of your life as well.
Why? I don't think I ever really did the first time around.
And you have said you regretted that. Why are you allowing yourself to fall into the same pattern again? Emily was pressing as hard as I had ever seen her press, except for her insistence that I talk to Nezu. This was coming from a person that saw my every move and heard most of my thoughts, so I had to give her questions some credence.
I'll have to give this some thought. I guess I'm in a good place for that. I settled into my seat and tried to clear my mind again. I could feel Emily doing the same. After an hour, I was getting antsy. I got up and started pacing.
I'll take your challenge. I agreed. Mostly because I don't think I'm stuck in hero mode, so it'll be easy. But, if you're right and I am falling back into old patterns, this will help me realize it.
That is my primary goal. I am not trying to force a choice on you. I only wish your choices to be deliberate, rather than unconscious or driven by circumstance.
We were silent as I made my way back to the apartment.
Monday morning, my classmates all agreed to meet at the train station nearest Yaoyorozu's house and walk there together. About half of each class showed up. There were several notable absences – Izuku, Todoroki, Monoma, Bakugo, Kirishima, Tetsutetsu, Kamakiri, & Tokage. I was happy to see the students I was closest to in my class were there – Shoda, Kodai, Bondo, and Juzo.
"From the map it looks like it's only a kilometer or so," Kendo said, looking at her phone. "Are we ready?"
Iida, who had been checking names off a list, looked to our class rep and said, "Everyone that replied to the invitation is here. I believe we are ready."
"Come on, people!" Kosei ordered in a faux-military voice. "Let's march!" He started marching briskly down the street. Several people shrugged and started following him.
Kendo whistled loudly, catching his attention, and that of the other students. "It's that way." She pointed in the opposite direction he had been leading.
Rather than blushing, he simply barked, "About face! Forward march!"
Everyone giggled. I was impressed he had played it off rather than getting flustered. Social confidence was rare in teenagers. Kendo, of course, had plenty. She took the lead with Iida walking next to her. He kept trying to show her something on his tablet.
I fell in beside Shoda and Kodai. Bondo was close behind. The four of us still sat together regularly at lunch.
"How are you?" Shoda asked, pointing at the bandage on my arm. We were all in light summer wear – mostly shorts, t-shirts, or light blouses. My bandage was easily visible under my short sleeve.
"No worries," I said. "It sounds like a line from a bad movie, but it really was just a flesh wound. Basically, a deep scratch. A few stitches and I'm fine. I'm just glad no one else was hurt."
The others nodded.
"That was frightening," Bondo said, sounding embarrassed. "It was the first time I was involved in violence and I was just watching from the crowd."
"I was scared too, and it wasn't the first time for me," Kodai replied flatly. "But I guess we have to get used to it if we want to be pros."
"Even people that face combat regularly get frightened," Shoda said. "My father's soldiers sometimes talk about it, when they think no one is listening. You know there is still fighting going on in the Ryukyu Islands against holdouts of the Black Sun regime? The soldiers occasionally talk about how they still get scared facing the pirates and how they fight through the fear. I guess it is something you learn with experience."
"Part of the reason it is so frightening is because we couldn't do anything," Bondo stated. "After we get our provisional license I think it might be better."
"You may be right," I replied. "Feeling helpless is worse than feeling scared. Scared, you can do something about. But license or no license, if you need to act to save yourself, do so."
"And to save others?" Shoda asked. He looked me in the eye.
"That gets into legalities and personal choice," I replied. "Legally you know you can't do anything but call for help. Anything beyond that is stepping outside the law. You have to decide for yourself what you think is right."
"What decision is there to make?" he argued. "The law is the law." I knew the young man was a thinker, but I had suspected his respect for authority would lead him to fall on the side of law. I didn't hold it against him.
"Laws change." Bondo said. "New laws replace old laws. In a democracy, this is driven by the will of the people. In a dictatorship, it is driven by the whim of the leaders. Whatever the government, laws change. Which laws should be followed?"
Kodai and I looked at each other. The group's lunchroom conversation had occasionally drifted towards politics – usually after a particularly interesting hero case study or history lesson. Shoda's orthodoxy was well known. Kodai was more moderate and my politics were assumed from my work with the DA. Bondo seldom said much during these, so we had no hint of his leanings.
"We live in a democracy. The elected government developed the quirk laws for the good of society as a whole. Ignoring them leads to chaos, as we've seen both historically and on Saturday." Shoda was getting riled.
"What are you arguing about?" The voice came from Ashido, a pink-haired, purple-skinned girl in 1-A. She had been one of the third round combatants in the Sports Festival. Her reputation around school was as a 'genki girl'.
Bondo immediately stopped talking and hunched his shoulders as if he could hide his massive body in plain sight. Shoda turned to the acid thrower and muttered "Sorry, we were talking about politics."
"Booooring!" she said. "Did you hear what All Might did over the weekend?"
"No, what?" I asked. I had been curious about his absence from the park.
"He sank some Chinese ship or something." Ashido said.
"He didn't sink it," a boy with a black bolt in his orange hair corrected. Another 1-A student whose name I couldn't remember. "He captured it and pulled it to the Coast Guard station in Naha."
"It was supposed to be filled with Chinese pirates or mobsters or something," Manga added. His face showed a Jolly Roger flag.
I really wondered if it was the Treasure Ship the warning note had mentioned. I'd have to ask Ando. If so, I owed the big hero, though I wondered if that would draw more Nine Head Dragon attention to me or if they would now concentrate on All Might. Neither was necessarily good for the school.
There were other possibilities. The islands between Japan and Taiwan were still in a state of partial instability. Okinawa and the islands between it and Kyushu were supposed to be under Japanese government control, but the islands south and west of that were said to still be like the Wild West. Black Sun holdouts, Ryukyu nationalists, Chinese agents, MLA remnants, and actual pirates were all part of the volatile mixture. I could see All Might getting involved in any big operation if needed.
The other students chatted about All Might and his activities. Asui, a frog-like girl in A-1 wondered aloud if her internship mentor Selkie and his ship might have been involved. This led to a discussion of internships and the activities the different students got involved in.
"Attention everyone!" Iida called. "We're here."
Everyone stopped to look around. We were on an empty street lined on both sides by thick woods behind tall wrought iron walls. The only gap in the walls was the large gate we were standing in front of. A metal plate showed the family name – Yaoyorozu.
"I knew she was rich, but I didn't think she was this rich," the lightning hair guy said.
As most of the students looked around in intimidated wonder, Iida pressed the button and announced our arrival.
"Everyone! I have been waiting for you." Yaoyorozu's excited voice could be heard clearly through the intercom. The gates swung open with a metallic clank. "Please, come in."
The long driveway eventually led to a palatial European-style mansion. It was an odd mix of Gothic and Tudor styles – it looked like something out of the Jane Austen movies my mother used to watch. Our hostess was waiting at the front door. "I'm so excited to welcome you to my home. I hope you will feel comfortable here. I've set us up in the Great Hall. There should be enough room and supplies. Follow me. If you get lost, just ask one of the maids or footmen."
It was a short hike though what looked more like a museum than a home before we arrived in the aptly named Great Hall. It was a long room with a massive table down the center. There were portable blackboards and large tablets on easels scattered along the length of the room. Massive windows along one wall let in the morning light. Large golden chandeliers added to the illumination. The wood of the walls and furniture was dark. The carpet was maroon and felt like walking on a cloud. A large stone fireplace, big enough to roast a cow and currently unlit, would provide warmth should we somehow be stuck there until winter.
Once we were all seated, Momo, as she insisted we call her, left to get refreshments.
"I feel so out of place, it's making me nervous," declared Ojiro, the 1-A student with the massive tail.
"Me, too," agreed Pony.
"It's like she casually slapped me with the huge difference in how we were born," Kodai deadpanned.
"But her bounciness is so cute I don't care." Sero concluded.
"What sort of tea are you all partial to?" Momo rolled in a cart with fancy china, teapots, and cakes. Her face was lit up with a smile brighter than I had ever seen on her at school. She was followed by two maids with larger carts. "We have Harrod's or Wedgwood, or O-cha with water shipped from springs on Asamayama."
That caught my attention. Maybe this won't be so bad.
During a break a few hours later Kendo's voice carried from the far end of the table. "You guys were talking earlier about how you don't know what's going to be on the practical exam for the finals, right? Looks like it will be combat against robots, like in the entrance exam."
"What? Really? How do you know?" asked Iida.
"One of our class mentors told me," Kendo replied.
The other students cheered hearing this. I had no direct experience with these robots, but Emily's memories showed them to be not much of a challenge. I couldn't decide whether to be relieved it would be a cakewalk, or concerned that it would build unrealistic expectations in the students by not showing them how difficult real combat could be.
Throughout the morning, my classmate Fukidashi Manga had been making an obvious effort to avoid me. Several times, I saw him glance in my direction – which was easy to notice, as he had to turn his whole two-dimensional 'head' – then shudder and turn away. At the end of the session, as I was separated from the other students, packing my bag, he finally came up to me.
"How can you stand it?" he asked, the words appearing simultaneously on his face.
"Stand what?" I replied. I checked with my scout cloud to make sure we were far enough away from others and that no one was paying particular attention to us. Shoda was watching, but from too great a distance to hear.
"How can you stand being constantly surrounded by spirits like that? It's like you are in the center of a typhoon. I'd go crazy. I'm lucky that most spirits are repelled by me. Watch this." Manga did something that caused his spiritual presence to go from 'just like everyone else' to 'Whoa!' "This really makes the spirits freak out, so I usually keep it hidden. It just makes things easier."
It was obvious that he was one of the spiritually aware population. I looked at him with the wisps' soul sight, something I avoided doing without a good reason because it felt like a massive invasion of privicy, and gasped. He did not have a crystal. He was a giant crystal, a blinding beacon of spiritual energy.
I must have flinched. "I bet you just looked at me through a spirit's eyes. Sorry about that, but you can guess why they don't hang around me much. An old tanuki once told me it's pretty painful unless I am keeping it hidden."
"What are you?" I kept my voice low, so that only he could hear me.
"Uh …," he hesitated. "I don't know. I live in a government home for kids with severe mutations. Abandoned by our parents mostly. There's no record of my parents, so no one knows my origin. I've always been able to see spirits. Eventually I stopped talking about them when other people thought I was lying or crazy."
Emily? Any idea? I asked.
I have never seen the like. Perhaps we could ask my father, she suggested
"Wow, I just realized …" he started, obviously excited. He face panel showed a person with two heads. Suspecting what he was about to reveal, I held up my hand to stop him.
"That's a secret," I whispered urgently. "Please don't say anything, and clear your face."
"Oops!" He suddenly had a picture of himself with a lock over his face and a key being thrown away. "Maybe we can talk more somewhere else. You wanna get some lunch or maybe a walk in the park? Not as a date or anything! Just somewhere to talk."
"Sure," I said. "Where?"
"You live in Mosuaizuri. We could go to the park there. Or, someplace near the train station here. My place is in Shibuya, so not close."
Might I suggest the most appropriate place for a discussion of spirituality might be a nearby temple or shrine. Emily offered. They are located throughout the metropolis. Perhaps an inquiry to our hostess would not go amiss.
"How about we grab some food to go and find a quiet temple or shrine. There is probably one not too far from the station." I said, copying Emily's suggestion shamelessly.
"Yeah," he agreed. "There is an old shrine about 450m that way." He pointed. A sketch of what I assumed was the temple appeared on his face panel.
"You know the area?" I asked.
"No. I just always know where shrines are. Not temples or churches, usually. Mostly just shrines." He shrugged.
"Interesting," I replied.
"Thank you, everyone for allowing me to host this gathering." Momo was almost bouncing with her excitement. "I look forward to having you in my home all week. Please let me know if there is any way I can make your time here more comfortable – special food or drink requests. I'm sure our chef can make anything you want."
"Thank you for agreeing to host us," Kendo replied for everyone.
The classes split into several groups as people left. Many headed towards the station, but some were picked up by parents or went elsewhere to catch other transportation. I let my group know I was running an errand with Manga. Shoda was obviously disappointed.
I wondered if I was going to have to have a talk with Shoda. He was a nice guy and had the potential to become a friend, but I was not interested in anyone romantically. I wasn't fully adjusted to my new body and didn't really know where I fit in terms of peer groups. Was I fifteen, eighteen, or over two hundred? Whatever it was, I wasn't looking to start dating anyone, especially not a fifteen year old. Not sure how I would tell him that though.
I cannot offer any relevant advice. Rejecting romantic offerings is not something with which I can claim much experience. Emily teased.
Manga led us to the shrine. Not far from it, we saw an udon shop and got some noodles to go. The shrine was at the top of a small rise, surrounded by trees. It looked deserted but I saw a miko – a college-aged girl in the traditional red and white – sweeping in the back. There were also a number of spirits, both yurei and yokai, in the area. They took notice of us but did not approach. Even the spirits of my normal swarm had moved away from us as Manga and I had strolled together. I had to order several to stay near or I would have been almost blinded. They conveyed their discomfort with remaining in Manga's presence by constantly trying to slip away.
We made the traditional obeisance at the shrine then found a nice bench to sit on.
"Sorry about your spirits. For some reason, they have always been afraid of me. Especially if I am open like this." Manga started. "That's why they didn't run during the various exercises. I was keeping cloaked."
Not afraid, Emily interjected. They are in awe of him. Whatever he is, his true spiritual power greater than anything I have ever seen before. Greater than the Guardian of Haitsuki-ji.
"I am told they are not afraid, but in awe of you." I repeated.
He shrugged. "Same difference." He looked around, then spoke quietly. "How come you have two souls?"
I thought for several seconds. Even after admitting my situation to the Principal, I had no desire to spread the truth of my origin. "I'm sorry to say I'm not comfortable talking about that. It is something of a family secret."
"Okay," He didn't sound too disappointed. "I shouldn't have asked. It was rude of me." He offered a slight bow in apology.
"Have you had your quirk tested?" I asked. "I met a person called the Assayer and she told me my quirk was a special sub-type of Emitter."
"Called a Medium?" he interrupted. "Yeah, I was told that too. I think the administrators at the Home were worried I was too weird and called Assayer in to check on me. I manipulate a non-standard energy source. Whatever that means."
"Me too." I offered. "I think that may be what the authorities call spiritual energy, or something like that."
"Then it is a very broad category, as what you do and what I do are very different." Manga observed.
"Emitter is a very broad category, so it makes sense the sub-category might still describe a wide range of abilities."
"I suppose." He looked around. "I understand you grew up in a temple?"
"Something like this," I said, waving my hand around the shrine. "But bigger and much more remote. I was raised to be like her," I pointed to the miko, who had stopped her work and was gazing at us from the other side of the courtyard. When she saw us looking at her she sank to her knees and offered a full dogeza – bowing from the knees and touching her head to the ground.
Oh! Emily exclaimed. He … he …
He what? I asked.
He must be a kami! She recognized his spiritual energy. It could only come from a divine being. How could I have missed it? Even though he was hiding it, I should have recognized it. Although it is not as if one expects to find a divine spirit in a high school classroom. I wonder if it is possible …
What?
Is it possible he does not know? She sounded dubious.
How could he not know? A kami is a god, right? How could someone not know they were a god?
A kami is not the same thing as the western God. It is the spiritual embodiment of a concept. I cannot fathom how a kami would not know they were a kami.
Let's ask. I replied.
"Manga-kun, what do you know about kami?" I asked.
"Not a lot." He waved towards the shrine. "They are the sprits worshiped in Shinto. Not much more really. I've never been that interested in religion. No offence intended."
"None taken. But I think we may need to find someone who does know more about them. You need to talk with someone. A little spirit just told me it may be really important for you."
"Oookaay." He was looking at me like I was about to start preaching at him.
"Don't worry. I'm not out to convert you or anything, but this might be important. Let me ask around and see if I can find someone for you to talk to."
"Sure," he shrugged. "Whatever."
Not long after that, we packed up our makeshift picnic and parted ways. I think I may have scared him.