Operation PROFESSIONALISM
[Part 1: A Professional Idea]
"Why did you want to become a hero?"
Should I be blunt?
"It was..."
No, maybe I should repeat my words from ethics class...
Ah, I shouldn't have spoken up if I didn't have an answer ready. It's only been one question, and I'm already fumbling through this internship interview.
On the other side of the table, the masked hero clasps his hands, waiting out my awkward pause. His gaze betrays no emotion as I speak again.
"... Growing up as a mind reader, I was always treated with suspicion. Sometimes it was subtle, sometimes they just told me my quirk was perfect for a villain. I've always wanted to prove that sentiment wrong, and becoming a hero seemed like a natural way to do it."
He reaches for a notepad and scribbles something on it. "Interesting. Have you put any thought into when you'll do that?"
"... what?"
Is this one of those 'where do you see yourself in 10 years' questions?
"Do you prove it wrong when you get your license? When you save a certain amount of people? When you break into the top 10?"
"I..."
He raises a hand, halting my words.
"Let me rephrase: what does becoming a hero mean to you?"
... It's a rather cliché thought, but I consider people firefighters and doctors as heroic as pros.
Then again, those are also jobs with their qualifications, aren't they? Yet I also consider some vigilantes as heroes.
What separates the modern hero from others is that license, that permission to use their quirk to help others.
And although my goal is proving my quirk can be used for good... I didn't really consider my license the be-all-end-all when I got it.
What is it, then? What's the factor that all heroes have in common?
"... Heroes are symbols, I think."
Symbols people can rely on. The first people you think of when you're in a crisis. It doesn't have to be a villain attack or a house on fire. It could be an ordinary bad day. I guess that's why many people have their parents as their first heroes.
Being a hero means reaching out to others and shouldering the responsibility that once there's trouble, they'll reach out to you. It's not a license, a profession, or a rank, but it's a responsibility.
"It's everything you said. To save innocents, to appeal to the public as a symbol that the quirk doesn't make the villain... and doing all that while obeying the law... if I want to become a hero, I can't point at a single moment and use it as proof."
"So you'll use your entire career?"
It's more of a statement than a question, so I don't answer beyond a slight nod.
He reaches for his desk drawer and fetches a stack of papers. On the first page, there's a picture of me.
... is that my Shiketsu report card? How did he even get that?
"Then, what kind of career will it be? Do you want to focus on battle? Rescue? Evacuation?"
"I'd like to excel at all three. I—"
Don't say 'I think,' again, don't say 'I think,' again—
"—My quirk is versatile enough for that."
He nods, eyes roaming over what are probably my grades. I'm a B-grade student in most of my classes—not from a lack of trying—but it shouldn't be a problem, right?
Eventually, he sets the report card down and looks at me with...
I can't tell. It's not even the mask on the way; his poker face is just that good.
"What are your ultimate moves?"
"... I only have one so far. It consists of bombarding an opponent with conflicting mental commands. If they can't overcome it, I get a chance to end the battle, but even if they do, it's still enough to slow them and give me an opening."
"What do you require to use it?"
"Well..."
Nothing. But if every ultimate move always worked under any condition, heroes would spam them from the start.
"It works better if I already eroded their mental defenses with my quirk."
"What sort of fighting style is required for that?"
"Adaptability...?"
His gaze turns flat, and he inclines his head slightly. 'Are you answering or asking?' the look tells me.
"Adaptability," I repeat more convincingly.
Hopefully.
"I need a variety of approaches with my quirk so I can get inside the head of any opponent."
"And what skills are required for that?"
Ah.
I see where he's going with this now.
"An understanding of psychology... or rather, criminology, since I'll be fighting villains."
"Did you choose my hero office because you wanted to polish up those skills?"
Nevermind. I was sure he'd bring up Shiketsu's Criminology elective. Maybe even a comment about how I should be more of a social creature.
"... No."
"Why, then?"
"You were the only one that offered."
My tournament results were underwhelming. The fight with Damian wasn't as flashy as the others, and then Minnerva took me out before I could show off. So, it was either him or one of the Shiketsu teachers, but I wanted to learn under someone new. The point of these internships was to broaden our horizons and build our networks, after all.
After my response, the hero pauses for a moment. Is he thinking of something to comfort me or his next question? Once again, I can't read him at all.
Finally, he grabs the file I offered him before this interview started, the internship forms provided by my school.
"One more thing," he decides, spinning a pen between his fingers. "If heroes are supposed to be symbols, where does that leave me as an underground hero? And you, as my potential intern?"
"Well—"
"Yuusei!"
Before I could answer, a pair of women burst into the room, surrounding my interviewer instantly.
"Are you still interrogating poor Imai over there?! Stamp his papers so we can go on patrol already!"
From his left, a white, snake-like creature reaches for the stamp, but he grabs it in time, at the cost of becoming a target. Another hydra soon joins in, biting his arm.
"I was on my last question before you interrupted." He turns to the brunette sidekick to his right. "And why are you helping her, Honoken?"
"Because Orochi's interview didn't last half as long as this! Even I didn't get this treatment when I came here."
"Really, now," he deadpans. "I distinctly recall questioning your reasons for coming to my agency."
"And I distinctly recall you saying you'd always take me, no questions asked."
Orochi makes a face at that.
Seiyru sighs.
"Anyway, don't try to change the subject—"
"I wasn't."
"There's some nepotism going on here. Nepotism, I tell you!" Honoken insists, poking at Seiryu's mask and cracking his meticulously-kept poker face. Frowning, he stamps down my internship forms.
Leaving his seat, he hands the paper to Orochi. "You. Put that in the records storage room."
She walks off, rolling her eyes, and he leaves his chair, gesturing at Honoken to follow his cousin out. "You. Conference room. Put on the two-intern schedule."
Finally, his gaze falls on me, and I straighten in my chair.
"You. Did you bring your costume?"
I pat behind me, and yeah, my backpack is still there. "Yes."
While the other two leave his office, he calmly walks around his desk and drops a card on my lap.
"Welcome to the Spring Dragon Agency, Mahoudeva. I'll show you to your locker."
Seiryu leads the way sedately, giving me time to look around his agency's layout. Honoken's office is next to his, then comes a waiting room, then the hallway—
"I believe one of the worst things you can do to a person is waste their time," he says, still facing forward. "Did I waste your time with that interview, Soujyuuro?"
"... No."
Realistically, I knew he wouldn't turn me down since he was the one who invited me to this internship. But he doesn't strike me as the type who likes figuring things out as he goes along, so I understand the need to know more about me before things become official.
It didn't make the last few minutes any less nerve-wracking, though.
He nods at my answer. "I had already asked Orochi most of these questions, so conducting the same interview on her would only waste her time."
His steps pause as we enter a bathroom, and he gestures to a door on the other side of the stalls. "Your locker number is on the card. We'll be waiting in the conference room."
The conference room must be the one next to his office since I saw Honoken there... but maybe I should ask him for confirmation—
And he's already gone.
After donning my costume and leaving my backpack in my locker, I follow the sound of chatter and find the conference room's door wide open. Inside, Honoken and Orochi sit at a round table, the source of the chatter. At the end of the room, Seiryu stands beside a presentation projected on a canvas.
Three pairs of eyes fall on me as I enter, and I try not to make too much noise or fidget as I sit beside them. It feels like I'm an employee who came late into the meeting...
"Now that everyone is here," he begins, pressing a button on the projector's controller that skips to the next slide. "Let's not waste any time."
Spring Dragon Agency Internship Plan.
What follows is a deluge of information: workplace schedules, training plans, patrol routes, battle formations, not to mention the dossiers on local villains and their quirks, which he plans to send us.
Since we only have one month to work together, Seiryu divided his plans into three weeks. At first, we'll patrol the area around his agency, testing how the skills we accumulated in Shiketsu hold up in live combat and checking if the formations he devised are effective. In the following week, we'll use his agency's facilities to patch any gaps in our teamwork or training, then branch out our patrols to all of Kyoto. Finally, we'll team up with other agencies during the final stretch.
It's all pretty overwhelming, but surely he doesn't expect Orochi and I to memorize all this here and now.
"Any questions?" Seiryu asks, eyes scanning the room once more.
Orochi raises her hand. "When can we go on patrol?"
He rolls his eyes and turns off the projector, walking away to... the nearest window?
Looking me dead in the eye, he taps his head with a finger and—
"Right now. Do try to keep up."
Jumps off the window, a hint of draconic wings flaring behind him before disappearing from sight.
"Oh, come on!"
Honoken and Orochi run after the flying hero, and I'm right behind them. The former leaps off the window and blasts away like a rocket, and the latter... drops down onto the concrete and runs it off.
What now? I can't fly. I don't have regeneration.
But I can see where Seiryu's mind is going with this, so if I cut to his office, I can still catch them.
Without hesitation, I leap off my new boss's desk, diving through the window and landing on the dragon's back as he's circling around his agency. The wind rushes past us, not quite drowning out the wild beat of my heart. He makes a turn, and I have to cling to his costume to not fall off.
Somehow, I can hear someone laughing at how tense I am... it's Honoken, flying above us before the flames on her hands vanish, and she lands behind me.
"You don't need to grip the costume so hard, y'know! Keep your legs like this, and you won't fall off."
Oh, that does look more comforta—
I bite back a shout as Seiryu swerves to the side, catching a living white missile and dropping her between us.
"I'm not gonna be the only one running all the way," Orochi mumbles against his back.
Did she jump from a rooftop...? How did she even find the time to climb a building while keeping up with us?
Honoken helps her into a sitting position, looking way too amused at the situation. "It's good practice! You won't always have a flier to hitchhike from." Quickly realizing her position, she adds, "I can also fly, so it's okay if I do it, though!"
"Uh-uh," Orochi mutters, unconvinced. "I call shotgun, by the way."
... that's a thing?
"That is not a thing. Do not treat me like a car."
"It's totally a thing. It's the spot at your neck where I can rain fireballs without accidentally burning you... which means I get shotgun."
And so, our first patrol begins.
[Part 2: A Deep Mentality]
Masaki Mori. Quirk: Titanium Skin. He got laid off from his gig not long ago for...
Being a former villain. It's the third... no, fourth time.
He's angry. He wonders what the point of early leave for good behavior was. And he's done looking for jobs that don't want him. So he called a few old friends and stormed his old office, making all of his former coworkers leave screaming.
Not for money, not for blood, just for property damage. To put his former boss into debt.
Unfortunately for him, I get airdropped alongside two others inside his company's building, surrounding him and his accomplices before they can get into the third story.
What happens next is my fault.
The delinquents hesitate. When Seiryu tells them to stand down, most are already considering it. Half of them have never even fought a hero before.
But Mori doesn't care anymore. He's not even here. Mentally, he's already being cuffed after doing what he had to do.
'(I'll get a lighter sentence if I quit here.)'
'... but so what? What does a lighter sentence do for me? I'll rot in jail, come back, and do this song and dance all over again?'
I'm too slow to change his mind, so he charges at us. His friends follow, unleashing their powers in a mix of reflex and panic.
'((AIM LOWER.))'
Mori stumbles over friendly fire before my fist meets his chin, and that's the first villain I defeat in my internship.
After that, combat training takes over, and I try to remember Seiryu's battle formations as my body moves on instinct. They outnumber us five to one in this cramped lobby, but with each passing second, their numbers dwindle. Which is a relief—
'Did he punch Mori with his bare hands—'
'The fuck is that three-eyed kid made of—'
—Because keeping track of two dozen thought processes—
'Good job, Mahoudeva. They're inexperienced, so losing their leader will make them crumble—'
'SOMEONE GET THESE SNAKES OFF ME—'
—Is somewhat annoying.
'This is kinda boring...'
'OH GOT IT BURNS—'
"gladIgotchasogladIgotchayouliftedmeupandImmadaboutcha—"
Maybe I should tune out some of these guys...
Wait, what was that last one?
"I gotcha my love... I gotcha my love~"
Not a thought. Ashleigh's ringtone. I'd like to answer, but—
'Is he whipping out a phone?'
'He's wide open!'
The moment I whip it out, this happens. I sense the intent from a mile away but wait until the last moment before dodging, leaving my attacker overextended. An elbow to the back of his head knocks him out.
"So... how did it go?"
Ah... I accidentally hit accept.
"Is there still a chance we can team up at Rosethorn's?"
Well, now it'd be rude to hang up on her... I'll have to fight through it and ignore the looks the others are sending me.
"... I got the internship with Seiryu."
There's a small sigh on the other end. "... sorry, it's not that I'm not happy for you, it's just—"
"I know." She wanted us to be in the same office since there wouldn't be much time to meet otherwise. "Maybe we can see each other during our patrols?" Rosethorn and Seiryu's places aren't close, but he's also not the type to stick around in one prefecture.
"Ugh!"
"... what's that noise?"
That was Higashikata, a man with a simple strength-enhancement quirk who folded over my knee but regrets folding to peer pressure even more.
"... I'm already on patrol," I tell her while ensuring Higashikata stays down with another knee to his gut.
"Really?! Rosethorn is still touring us around her agency—"
"Are you talking to Imai?" Now, there's noise on her end. "Yo! Imai! Can you put in a word for me at Seiryu's? I can't take this anymore! I wanna go out and use my quirk!"
"... I'll call you later."
"... Alright."
Ashleigh ignores Tanaka's pleas, and I do the same, turning around in time to see a bored Orochi lifting up a pair of villains by their collars and knocking their heads together.
It's already over.
She spots me as I pocket my phone, lets her opponents slump on the floor, and walks toward me with an easy-going grin.
"Trouble in paradise?"
I hold back a sigh. "... please don't say that."
She snorts and pats my shouder. I get a glimpse of the healing scratches on her arm. "Don't look, but Yuusei's getting ready to chew you out."
Despite her warning, I risk a glance behind me. Seiryu sits at the lobby desk before a pile of unconscious villains, a phone in one ear and a curious Honoken in the other.
"Rokkaku-dori street, near the... yes. There are twenty of them, so bring adequate transportation."
He hangs up on the police, his eyes on me the entire time. "Mahoudeva."
"..."
"I trust you won't get hurt against opponents of this caliber even during a phone call. However, I also expect a higher level of professionalism from you."
"... understood."
He nods, seemingly satisfied, and before this awkward atmosphere can settle in, the police arrive in droves, bringing the professionalism he asked for. They restrain the defeated villains while the leading officer takes a statement from Seiryu.
... the world of pros sure moves fast. A few minutes ago, I was commuting from school for an interview, but now I'm on standby after stopping my first crime.
A phone rings. Thankfully, it's not mine this time. Seiryu and Honoken reach for their devices, and simultaneously, the police walkie-talkies start buzzing with activity.
Even Orochi's phone is... nevermind. Her tails attacked her pocket for plastic on reflex. It's just the pros and the police. While the latter are busy with the cacophony of messages, Seiryu walks towards us, a hint of a frown forming on his brow.
"There's an attempted robbery at the Bank of Japan."
He turns to Honoken while I'm still stuck on that first sentence. The Bank of Japan? On a Thursday afternoon? And somehow, we're the first responders?
"I'll take the interns and go ahead. You finish things here."
"Got it, boss!"
Honoken high-fives him, and he beckons Orochi and me as he walks past us, wings already spreading behind him. She skips after him and leaps on his back before he fully transforms, leaving no room for me until he vaults over the window. I land on his draconic form, squeezing myself between his wings.
One second into our flight, Orochi pulls me closer because his beating wings keep hitting my face. Unlike Honoken, I can tell she's trying hard not to laugh, but it is still not funny. I don't have the sidekick experience nor the younger cousin experience, so floundering like this is natural.
Two seconds into our flight, her smile vanishes. "Yuusei," she calls over the rushing wind, fingers drumming on the dragon's exposed scales. "What are the odds this is a Karma caper?"
"Zero. She wouldn't have triggered an alarm."
She blows a sigh at that. Relief? Disappointment? I know she wants to face Karma for what she did to her family. But the idea of another encounter with an S-Rank villain must bring uncomfortable memories.
I want to say something to cheer her up, but four seconds into our flight, we cross over the Bank of Japan's fence gates and land before a laid-out security guard. More are scattered across the pavement, and another slumped against the front doors.
No sounds come from inside the plain grey building, and when I look through the tinted windows, I can only spot blurry figures still standing in lines. If it weren't for the passed-out security, I would've assumed this was a false alarm.
As we slide off Seiryu's back, he kneels before the nearest guard and checks him for injuries. "Still alive. Knocked out by a single blow to the back of his head."
Orochi and I approach the next guard, helping him into a more comfortable position. As we lift him, his cap falls off, revealing a small bump beneath his short hair.
"Same thing here..." I reach out with my quirk and check on the others within my range. I can't make out any solid thoughts since they're asleep, but it's enough to confirm... "And everywhere else."
"Let's leave them to the police, then," Seiryu decides, striding towards the front doors. "I can't hear anything from inside, so the perpetrator could be making their way to the vault... or worse."
Orochi nods, punching her fists like a boxer ready to enter the ring. A quirk picked up from Bobby. "What's the plan?"
"We'll—"
Seiryu opens the doors... and stops, his head hanging low.
"Hah... what even is the point of stopping this robbery?"
... what?
"The hell?" Orochi echoes my thoughts and steps forward, grabbing her cousin by the shoulder. "Are you joking right..."
Her expression goes flat before she grimaces. "Actually... you're right. It's not like anyone is losing money from this... federal insurance will cover it."
These two rich kids cannot possibly be this out of touch, right? It has to be the villain's quirk. A power that depletes your will to fight. That's how they got past the guards so cleanly and why the people inside the bank aren't even moving.
Why am I not affected?
A target limit? Then why take out the guards and leave the people inside awake? I retreat further to look between the dejected Atsushis, but there's only the same scene beyond the doors. Lines of sad-looking people... and several wallets piled up near a counter.
The villain isn't even here to target us. The answer is range, then. A single step and I would have been caught like those two. Speaking of...
How do I snap them out of it? Is it as simple as leaving the area, or does it take time to wear off?
"Hey, you two... can you come here quickly?"
Orochi rolls her eyes at the urgency in my tone but turns anyway, her tails swinging around as a trio of lifeless white noodles. Seiryu's right behind her, and I see his eyes regain their focus before he lets a sigh that's more on-brand for him.
"... Ennui."
"It looked a lot worse than that..."
Orochi shakes her head. "No, he means that clown villain."
Right, the dossiers are coming back to me now... Ennui, real name unknown. His quirk has been observed to leave targets in a highly passive, depressive state. Modus operandi includes broad-daylight robberies... although usually on a much smaller scale.
"What now? This is a pretty shit matchup for all of us unless we gamble on Imai's range being..."
Orochi trails off, staring at the bank's doors... or rather, what's beyond them. Her hand gestures for us to turn slowly, but I'm already moving.
Walking from behind the counter, it's him. Clown makeup and a red nose, wearing a charcoal grey coat and a bowler hat with a little flower on its band. His black shoes are scuffed, his pants are wrinkled, and he looks as sad as everyone around him, carrying a bunch of wallets to a growing pile.
He's... he wasn't even making an attempt at the bank? He triggered a hidden alarm because he got greedy and went behind the counter to rob the staff?
Something slithers around my waist and lifts me up before I land in front of Orochi and Seiryu. Away from the doors, safe from his range, and keeping the element of surprise.
They look at me expectantly, but I can't read his mind. Maybe if either of us had taken a step closer. But then I'd also be in the same spot those two were...
"... Sorry. Our quirks have the same range, more or less."
"Do we just wait for Honoken?" I wonder out loud.
Orochi scowls at the suggestion, and I'm not thrilled about it either. But we're three close-range fighters against an unapproachable opponent, so we don't have many options.
We stare at Seiryu, who has been silent since he uttered the villain's name. He catches our expressions and... starts walking in Ennui's direction.
"With Mahoudeva as our lynchpin, the three of us are enough."
He stares at me as if I have the slightest clue of—
Oh.
'We really need to set a signal for you to start reading minds.'
"I'll go in as a guinea pig. If it works, send Yamata to surround him."
"Yuusei, wait—!"
But he's already slamming the doors open, his shoulders slumping as he willingly enters the villain's range.
Something falls to the ground, and a tiny sigh echoes from the bank. "... this job is no good for my heart."
Ennui's voice. Seiryu went in alone and gave him a scare so he didn't spot the rest of us hiding by the door.
"Don't mind me, Mr. Hero. I was about to leave."
"... sure."
The depressed bank patrons have some choice words for that.
"That's a pro hero for ya."
"Nice to know our tax money is going to a good cause."
"Bunch of paycheck thieves in costumes..."
'(Can you take him down?)'
'... too close to possible hostages. I can't guarantee they won't get hurt. It was a decent plan, but no plan survives contact with—'
"Did that dumbass just go in to do nothing?" Orochi hisses beside me.
"I'm piloting him," I whisper back. "Ennui's quirk deprives its targets of willpower, so my commands just sink in."
Now, is Seiryu selling his speed short because he's depressed, or is he being painfully accurate? Mindbreaker doesn't come with sense sharing, but—*
'(Imagine what you see.)'
A few blurry images flash across his mind.
-'... it's no good. I can't do it...'-
I only wanted to mindbreak him into physical movements, but his motivation is declining faster than expected.
'((EYES WIDE OPEN. BURN THE IMAGE INTO YOUR BRAIN. CLOSE YOUR EYES. ENVISION IT.))'
... no good. Ennui is already walking away with the money. I need to add another piece to this chessboard.
"Yamata. You need to go in there and flank him."
"..."
She's hesitating. I can't blame her. All she's seen so far is Seiryu walking inside and standing in place. She can't see what I see...
'(Ennui is already escaping, and even worse, he's not leaving through the front—)'
'(—If he were I could use a command to attack while his back was turned—)'
'(—If I make Seiryu give chase, he'll just leave my effective range!)'
'(I could try to move Seiryu while skirting at the edge of his range but that has a higher margin for error and—)'
A trio of hydras lunges at my face, hissing. Their leader puts her hand up, wincing. "Alright, alright, I get it...!"
I condensed all my thoughts into her head in a second, so now, she's not going in blind...
I probably should have done this when Seiryu gave me the plan.
'(Let's go, then.)'
As far as he knows, Ennui is still in his element. Thus, he moves without worry or hurry. Easy to keep in sight by looking through the windows at the bank's side, and even easier to move ahead of.
'((CHASE.))'
The villain has less than a second to look back at the dragon before Orochi bursts through a window... and freezes mid-air.
'((ROLL.))'
She rolls to a stop behind Ennui. Scary. I knew she'd get depressed during the leap, but not to the point of not caring about landing face-first on glass shards.
The clown looks between dragon and hydra, his mouth hanging open in shock before it clicks shut, a grunt escaping his lips.
"Hn. Is this the... Plus Ultra thing they talk about—?"
'((TAKE HIM DOWN.))'
"Ack!"
A double lariat is a tad overkill for a guy who could fall over from the clown makeup weighing on his face, but it's my fault for not being specific.
"Mistaken as U.A. on our home turf... it might be over for us," Orochi mumbles, then shakes her head as the depression field quirk runs off. Ennui crumples on the floor as she steps back, wheezing sharply.
There are a few surprised gasps and squeals as the bank patrons turn to normal. They look at themselves as if waking from a strange dream, then at their belongings, which were saved alongside them, and finally, at the heroes responsible for it.
"Thank you! Oh my goodness, thank you! If I lost that withdrawal, it was all over..."
"This clown guy robbed my cousin's shop last week! Glad you took 'im down!"
"Hey, aren't you that girl from the Shiketsu tourney? Can I get a selfie?"
Orochi's cheeks flush at the attention, but the older Atsushi calmly walks past it and kneels by the pile of wallets, a ziplock bag in his hands.
... where did he even get that? Never mind, I should probably help retrieve and return the stolen belongings instead of questioning it...
An older man steps behind the dragon hero, sheepishly patting him on the shoulder. "Thanks for saving us, young man! And uh, sorry for calling you a paycheck thief..."
He only nods in response, jabbing a thumb in the direction of...
Me?
"Thank him. He's the one who allowed Yamata and me to move through the villain's quirk."
Too many eyes turn to me as I climb over the window Orochi bust through.
"What's your name, kid?" one of them asks.
"... Wise Eye Hero: Mahoudeva."
As far as hero debuts go, it could have been...
Ah, who am I fooling? My quirk was used to help others. I couldn't be happier.
click
click
Never mind, this is a disaster. They're taking pictures of me smiling like an idiot.
... should I pose?
No, Seiryu needs my help... wait, he doesn't. That guy just used me as a distraction to finish gathering the wallets.
How unrepentant. There's only so much you can do to your poor intern in the name of not wasting time, you know...
[Part 3: A Day In The Life]
Transporting Ennui was a pain. If he woke up on the way, he'd make the officers depressed, and they'd let him escape. So I had to borrow a ride in a police car while Seiryu flew the villain at the edge of Mindbreaker's range.
Now, the four of us are on a rooftop near the police station, taking a small break so I don't get a headache from quirk overuse. Honoken leans against a railing, fidgeting with her gauntlet. Seiryu sits by her side, occasionally preventing the gadget from becoming food to the hydras while giving me a lecture.
"When your quirk doesn't match the crisis well, you should feel no shame in asking for backup. But before that, you owe it to yourself and the people around you to try your best."
Orochi raises a hand and chops the top of his head. "Does trying your best include throwing yourself at the villain and leaving the rest to your interns?"
"I wasn't completely certain Soujyuuro's quirk could get around Ennui's, so I had to test it somehow."
"Did it have to be you, though?" Honoken questions. "Couldn't Imai make some people inside the bank run away? It would take the hostage card out of play and prove your theory."
"Wait," Orochi says, lips twitching. "I think I get why he did it."
I know that expression. This will be terrible.
"He had to go in 'cause he's a blue dragon."
Proven right, I can't help but sigh. Honoken rolls her eyes so hard I fear her pupils may be lost forever.
"That was terrible," Seiryu says, smiling and patting her on the pack, the enabler. "But some people doesn't mean all people. The victims close to Ennui would also be outside Soujyuuro's range. Freeing only a portion of them would not only maintain the threat of hostages but also make the villain raise his guard."
He raises three fingers.
"By going, I: one, lowered his guard by making it seem like the hero who came for him got caught instantly. Two, set up Soujyuuro to test his quirk. And three... took me out of the battle after leaving a hint of a plan, testing my interns on their practical skills."
That sounds thought-out and all, but... "What if we failed?"
He briefly goes silent, pursing his lips.
"... Then Kalianne would clean up our... my mess."
Orochi lowers her hand, but Honoken picks up the slack with another chop to his head.
"Ow."
"Am I cleaning up after you even in your imagination?"
"Nah, I bet you do something else in his imagi—"
It's his turn to chop their heads.
Seiryu gives me a pleading look. "Soujyuuro. Are you ready to patrol again?"
I want to help you, but you can't use work to escape from your problems when your coworkers are the problem. Plus, I'm waiting on a call from Ashleigh...
"No. Suffer."
The other two laugh, and he makes an expression I could almost call a pout.
We're similar, he and I, in that we both tend to mask our emotions—although I'm better at it. Which is not a good thing, but old habits die hard.
... Why does he do it, though? He always seems more serious during patrol, so maybe it's something to do with his vision of heroism?
"—glad I gotcha, so glad I gotcha, you lifted me up and I'm mad about—"
I pick up the call. "Hey. How's your day going?"
"Fine. Nothing happened during patrol. Rosethorn's nice as always. Tanaka is being extra... well, extra. And I miss you..."
I may have to quit this internship right now. My heart can't handle Ashleigh saying that again.
"How about you, Wise Eye Hero? I saw some pictures of you and Orochi pop on social media."
Oh.
I wonder if Mom saw them, too...
Probably not. She's not the type to use social media.
"I was a bit lightheaded from using my quirk too much, but I think hearing your voice just cured me."
She giggles, and I can see her playing with the bell on her choker, cheeks flushed as she looks away from the screen—
The image vanishes in the blink of an eye, making me realize... "And I miss you, too.. but besides that, I'm doing okay."
We talk about everything and nothing.
The Ennui case, our classmates and their internships, the upcoming hero billboard, our final exams, and the fact we'll soon have underclassmen...
Eventually, Rosethorn calls her to help with something, and I smile softly as I pocket my phone, savoring the tranquility in this moment.
"Well, well, well..."
That lasts for a second until I realize Honoken and Orochi are no longer next to Seiryu. The latter slings an arm over my shoulder.
"Are you sure you can handle an entire month of this?"
She sounds serious instead of teasing, so I owe her an equally serious answer.
"Sure? No."
Honoken snickers. "You heard him, Yuusei. Poach an intern from Rosethorn or lose an intern yourself."
"... don't go making ultimatums for me, please."
Leaning over the railing and watching over the city, Seiryu's head turns slightly to show he's hearing us.
"Ashleigh Katsuragi... I considered her, but I didn't send an offer because I had nothing to teach her that another hero couldn't just as well."
My fellow intern pats my shoulder, a solemn expression on her face. "Well, we tried."
"Hold strong, Imai-kun. You can still meet her at Shike... wait, is Karaburan still doing the love-ban thing?"
Orochi nods, and Honoken snaps her finger. "There we go! Yuusei, you can poach Rosethorn's intern and teach Imai and her how you got around school surveillance—"
"I think I'm ready to patrol again," I interrupt before this conversation can go to even weirder places.
Before I finish my sentence, the man I had forsaken not long ago is already walking, picking up my coworkers by their collars and stepping over the railing. Truly, I have much to learn from him about heroism.