Izuku stared at the tiny black tendrils hanging from his arm.
"I guess this is progress...?"
It was early Sunday, and Izuku was sequestered in a small cornered-off part of Gym Gamma, away from prying eyes. He was testing the waters with Black-Whip outside his dorm room because his underwear draw could only take so much abuse.
So far, he had managed to piece together several things about the Quirk.
One thing he found fascinating was that the tendrils were not restricted by his clothes at all. As best as he could tell, the main tendrils separated themselves into almost microscopic strands that could pass through the fabric, and then they would reassemble afterward.
It was good to know since it meant he wouldn't need further modifications to his suit to make the whips work with his setup. It also showed how smart and autonomously they could function. It really was a top-tier Quirk.
But that raised a question with Izuku. Was the Quirk purely automatic when he summoned it, or could he directly control it without making it grab something?
Thinking along these lines, Izuku attempted to determine whether Black-Whip was a fully or semi-autonomous Quirk. This led him to where he is now.
It took some soul searching and grasping for the sensation the Quirk gave off when he used it, but he succeeded, albeit with much more concentration. Izuku had made the tendrils hang there, stagnant, an otherwise impressive impersonation of Mineta's success with women.
Currently, the tendrils were as tiny as he could make them, mainly because he was also trying to find the sweet spot where he could use them without the pain. As they were right now, his arms were only a bit tingly.
He squinted at the black Lovecraftian horrors dancing on his wrist. "Ok, let's see if I can't make them bigger..."
The tendrils started to grow as Izuku focused hard on them. He could only hope that someday he would reach a point where this would be much easier for him to do.
Unfortunately, the tendrils didn't get much bigger until the stinging sensation started rearing its head. The whips grow barely thicker than shoelaces.
"Darn!"
Suffice it to say, tendrils of this size weren't practical in restraining people, especially not people like Dozer. Not unless he summoned bunches of them, but that would only spread the pain over a larger area of his arms.
He was tempted to turn to Banjo for help. After all, the previous wielders said he could speak to them by channelling One-For-All into his mind, but Izuku was hesitant.
Something about pumping a power that has exploded his limbs on multiple occasions directly into his brain just seemed like not the best idea when he's never done it before. The last thing he needed was to go 'Scanners' on himself.
But even if that somehow worked, he wasn't sure if he would have his mouth to ask questions anyway.
Also, all of that assumed that Banjo had answers to begin with. Izuku had figured he wasn't told about the pain because its original user never had that problem.
Just like Bakugou could let off rapid-fire explosions without blowing out his ears, or how Kaminari doesn't electrocute himself. People were often born with added mutations or adaptions that made their Quirk function without harming themselves too much.
Banjo was probably no different.
The more Izuku thought about it, the more he realised he would likely have a similar problem with all the Quirks he was getting.
He sighed. "So much for getting an easy power boost. I'll have to figure them all out on top of One-For-All..."
For all his concerns, Izuku really wanted to know what was causing his current problem in the first place. If he could pinpoint the pain, he might be able to devise a workaround... or at the very least, a method for training Black-Whip to the point where the boy isn't in pain when he uses it.
'This almost feels nostalgic. I get a brand-new Quirk that hurts me, and I'm practically on my own with figuring it out...'
Wondering if this was just 'the story of his life,' Izuku moved his hand towards the tendrils, touching them to see if he could learn anything.
Upon making contact with the tendrils, Izuku felt an odd response. Via the tendrils, Izuku found he could feel his hand, but the sensation was off. It wasn't quite a sense of touch so much as it was a kind of echo of it.
He stopped to think, mumbling feverishly. "What does this mean? ...Are the tendrils connected to my nerves? I guess they would have to be, but why is it like this...?"
From this, Izuku determined a few things:
The tendrils were linked to his nerve endings.The tendrils had some dulled capacity for touch.Black-Whip was messing with his nerves, and that was causing the pain.
Izuku's theory was that the tendrils were growing from his nerve endings, like sprouting new limbs. This process, combined with the tug and pull that the tendrils performed when used on targets, strained his nerves and resulted in the stinging.
He sighed again, staring dryly at the wee-baby tendrils. "Which means the only way to train this... is to get used to it."
Pinching his brow at how long this was probably going to take, Izuku wrapped the tendrils around his arms under the sleeves of his suit, resolving to keep them out whenever possible to force himself to get used to the tingling and then continue increasing the size from there.
Hopefully, his body will get used to it quickly, and he'll be working with reasonably sized tendrils soon.
'Now, to get back to figuring out who I'm supposed to tell about One-For-All...'
He began to make his way out of the gym, still deep in his thoughts. It was mostly empty at the moment, given how early it was.
Izuku had been thinking this over since yesterday when All-Might posed the idea to him, but even now, he still wasn't sure who to pick.
There were Uraraka and Iida, who had been his friends since their first class. But to be perfectly honest, he's never been all that open with them. Sure, he's exchanged banter with them. He's even spoken with them about their problems.
But Izuku has never spoken to them about himself or his problems. They may have been his closest friends, but part of him still felt distant from them somehow, and bringing up One-For-All and basically telling them to help him with the followers of All-For-One seemed too imposing.
'I can already tell Iida would feel insulted by that...'
It wasn't hard to imagine that after what happened with Stain, Iida would call him a hypocrite for keeping this to himself, but he couldn't help his doubts.
There was another potential option with his teacher, Aizawa. UA was already being targeted by the League, and the guy was already charged with student safety. In a way, knowing about One-For-All and everything surrounding it wouldn't change much for him.
Hell, he might actually be able to make sense of everything and even be grateful for having a better understanding of the situation.
But again... Izuku felt he would be imposing even if it was a logical choice to make in several ways. The boy felt like he burned through a lot of goodwill with his sensei with that conversation they had in the car...
Izuku had never heard Aizawa say he was proud of anything, definitely not people.
He could easily imagine a scenario where Aizawa wouldn't be remotely grateful. Just knowing about All-For-One and what he can do can be stressful by itself, and his sensei always looked overworked as it was.
As the old saying goes, ignorance is bliss.
Izuku imagined how the man might react:
"So what you're saying is... you're an even bigger pain in the ass than I imagined, problem child." He spoke with a cold, icy glare.
Izuku shook his head. He knew he was being paranoid, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't settle on telling anyone, no matter how much he reasoned it was a good idea.
'Argh, why is this so hard!!' He scratched his head furiously at himself.
He needed someone simple, like a warmup... someone he had known for a long time and could talk to relatively effortlessly.
'Maybe I should tell Mum? ...Wait, no...'
Knowing about All-For-One and the fact that he targets those who have One-For-All would only cause his mother to worry more than she already does, and she was barely keeping it together as it was. Izuku could tell that much.
'Yeah, it's not like she's in danger by not knowing. The only way she would be is if they already knew about me and used her as a way to get to me..........'
He froze in place, staring dumbly at the outdoor pathway in front of him as panic and a plate of dread started to prep for entry into the poor boy's gut...
Stewing in the pot of 'Oh god, no!'
Not too far away from the saucepan of 'Why me?'
Poised to simmer the sauce of 'Please make it stop.'
Creating a full-course meal of total trepidation.
The boy screamed as he ran down the path, searching for his mentor.
"ALLLLLLLLLLLLLL-MIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIGHT!!!!!"
--
Ryuko had her head against her desk, the screen of her office computer flickering in front of her.
"How does this keep getting worse?" She muffled into the wood of her desk.
...I... yeah, I got nothing... this is bullcrap. Tempest whined.
On the screen of Ryuko's computer, one could see a news report mentioning the latest news on a now-infamous hole in the ground.
It turns out the damage was far more extensive than anyone realised.
After people with unique analytic Quirks were called in to survey the extent of the damage, they found that a mainline sewage pipe had ruptured and that the rupture spanned several blocks.
For the pipe to be repaired, the entire length of road and concrete on top of it would have to be pulled up to reach it, all while avoiding underground networking cables and anything else significant to infrastructure.
They weren't kidding when they said the original 50 million was a lowball estimate because now, after discovering all the extra damage and the labour required to fix it, the estimated cost skyrocketed and was closer to 640 million yen.
Ryuko started to beat her head against the desk. "I am so sick of everything!"
She was so worn down. 50 million was a lot, sure, but it wouldn't put her in the poor house. She was one of the top 10, after all. It would suck to pay such a ridiculous amount of money, but she could do it if she absolutely had to.
It's part of why the punishment of the interns was just janitor duty.
640 million, however. That. Hurt. That hurt a lot. Again, it wasn't enough to end her career and make her declare bankruptcy. But it would hamper any financial pursuits or investments for a good long while.
Considering the bills for her agency and everything else she owned, she might need to liquidate some of her assets to keep herself afloat until she recovered.
That notion caused Tempest to frown.
Couldn't you take a loan out of your Hero-insurance? Isn't that kinda the point?
'I could, but then I would have to deal with paying interest on top of that. And last I checked, the interest is based on how big the loan is.'
And our loan would be massive. Right...
Ryuko nodded and resumed her melancholy over the 640 million. Maybe Endeavour, or All-Might in his prime, could recover that kind of dough in a short period. But there was a world of difference between the income of the no. 1 and the no. 10.
As if that wasn't bad enough, there were more problems. Ryuko finally lifted her head to look back at the screen, seeing the comment section below the report, and people were practically calling for her head.
The Sass-tile murmured.
'Ryukyu owes me a new toilet.' ...Well, there's something I never thought I'd read.
When the public discovered Ryukyu's interns in the circulated footage, her PR took a nosedive, enough that Ryuko might not be in the top 10 when the chart gets updated again.
Everyone was more or less saying the same thing, and none of it was going to help her case if she went to trial:
"How could Ryukyu let this happen?"
"Why did they drop him like that? Are they stupid?"
"If that boy could restrain him like that, why didn't they do that in the first place?"
It didn't help that more memes were depicting Ryukyu as generally incompetent.
One of the more popular ones had a poor drawing of a chubby version of her, shrugging her shoulders in front of a massive hole, a dopey look on her face with the caption:
Uh, oh, spaghettios.
'Why does that feel so real?'
Ryuko dropped her head back onto the desk. It was all giving Ryuko a massive headache... She really needed a freakin' holiday.
"Ughhhh, next it's going to turn out that hole leads to some secret underground monster race that's going to take over the world or something!!"
Please don't tempt fate, Ryuko...
As if offering an out, Ryuko's intercom sounded on her desk.
"Miss Ryukyu, there's a Hana Mukoka to see you." Buzzed Clara, in her best impression of a flight attendant.
Ryuko was half surprised and half grateful. "Send her up to my office. We can speak here."
"Understood, Ma'am."
With that, Ryuko was left to wait in eager anticipation. She hadn't expected Mukoka to stop by so soon after the reluctance she showed in the Quirk-centre, but she wasn't going to look a gift horse in the mouth.
I hope we can get her to say yes. We need a win.
'Tell me about it.'
After a short wait that felt like forever, Ryuko practically twiddled her thumbs as a knock came from the door.
"Um, it's me, Mukoka... from the Quirk-centre." The timid voice came.
Ryuko smiled widely. "Come in!"
The door was delicately pushed open, revealing the short, bun-haired woman from before, dressed in a notably sophisticated manner; a dress shirt coupled with a black skirt and dress shoes.
Why it was almost like she was prepped for a job interview.
Well, that's a good sign!
Ryuko's smile only grew wider as Mukoka projected confidence like a desert projects moisture.
"I-I'm here about the job offer, miss Ryukyu... If it's still available, that is?"
"It very much is. Here, have a seat." Ryuko gestured to a seat in front of her desk.
"Ok, I hope I didn't come at an inconvenient time." The woman uttered as she moved to sit down.
"Not at all. If anything, I'm surprised to see you here so soon. I was under the impression you wanted to give it more thought?"
"I- well... you see, as I said before, I still had concerns about my job... I-I wanted to see if this provided something more stable."
Ryuko quirked her brow. "I figured you'd be a valuable asset at the centre, given your abilities. Even if the centre you're currently at had to shut down, wouldn't you just be transferred to another one?"
Mukoka lowered her head. "It's not just the centre I'm worried about, and my Quirk is not as useful there as you'd think... Kids who have particularly volatile Quirks that directly affect a person are rare... They don't need me that much, and people are often let go..."
"I see. Well, why don't we have a quick interview just so I can be sure of your background, and then we can formally introduce you to Eri?"
Hana nodded nervously. "A-Alright..."
Ryuko motioned reassuringly. "Miss Mukoka, there's no need to be frightened. You've effectively got the job already unless you've committed murder or otherwise."
The short woman's face lit up slightly. "Oh... T-That's good... The job, I mean, n-not the part about murdering someone."
The pro chuckled. "Then let's get started..."
--
Toshinori was currently on a morning run. He might not be a pro anymore, but that doesn't mean he shouldn't keep himself healthy.
Taking in his surroundings:
The chirping birds.
The rising sun.
The serenity of the wind blowing through the trees.
He could feel a sense of peace, being in sync in mind and body...
"A......Mig...." A voice echoed in the distance, breaking Toshi from his tranquillity.
The retired hero slowed his run. "What was that?"
"All-Mig..." It sounded again, coming closer.
Toshi tilted his head. "Why does this feel so familiar?"
"ALL-MIGHT!!!" Izuku screamed as he erupted from the brush, flailing his arms like an irritated turkey.
Toshi gawked at the boy, who looked like he had been living in the jungle for a week. His face was covered with dirt and scratches, with an undeniable look of panic.
"Young Midoriya! What's wrong?"
Izuku stopped, dropped to his knees, and gasped for air, struggling to form words.
".....My-My... My Mum..."
Toshi's gaze turned grave. "What about your mother? Did something happen to her?"
"Wh-What... What if the League goes after my Mum?"
The teacher put a hand on his face, sighing with relief. "Young Midoriya, you need to stop doing this to me. My heart can't handle this kind of stress anymore."
Izuku was still lost in his flurry. "B-But my Mum."
The mentor placed a hand on the worry-wort of a boy.
"Your mother will be fine. UA has taken measures to look out for everyone related to our students to make sure they aren't dragged into another mess.-"
"Oh..."
"-What's more, your mother is safer than most. I asked Naomasa to make arrangements to keep your mother out of harm's way for this exact reason."
Izuku relaxed, falling on his butt. "Oh, thank goodness... Wait, does the League know about me having One-For-All?"
The teacher sucked in the air through his teeth. "Tsssss, All-For-One knows about you... He saw you at Kamino and... well, he's not stupid, I'll say that much."
Izuku's panic immediately returned. "Hoooooo god... the most terrifying guy I've ever seen knows who I am... Fantastic."
Toshi squeezed the boy's shoulder to make him focus.
"He's behind bars in Tartarus, strapped to a chair and barely even alive, young Midoriya. You don't need to worry about him.-"
The teacher then looked up to the sky, trying to recollect what he could from his last fight with the symbol of evil.
"-And as far as I know, he didn't get the chance to tell Shigaraki about you back at Kamino. So there's a good chance you should be fine for a while. Don't worry too much, alright."
Izuku sighed. "I guess that's a relief, but I think Shigaraki already has a grudge against me anyway."
A bit of regret fell on All-Might's expression. "We'll find a way to deal with him... Don't you despair about that."
Izuku nodded, scratching his head, finding himself suddenly at a loss. "Well... I guess that's all I wanted to ask?"
Toshi smirked. "You don't sound certain?"
The boy gave a sheepish smile. "I guess... I'm also having trouble picking someone to tell about One-For-All..."
Toshi nodded, standing up straight. "Let's run and talk, shall we? I assume you've recovered enough?"
Izuku nodded firmly, picking himself up off the ground. "Let's go!"
Beginning their run, Toshi double-took at Izuku's 'Tarzan with clothes on' get up. "By the way, my boy. What happened to you? You're a mess."
Izuku looked down at himself, giving an awkward smile. "I guess I was searching for a while.-"
Our young protagonist had been sprinting all over campus like a chicken with its head cut off, trying to find All-Might for the better half of an hour.
When Izuku realised that All-Might wasn't in the teacher's lounge, all the other teachers could tell him was that the man was out.
So, the boy leapt through trees.
Scaled tall buildings.
Ran across open fields.
Going basically anywhere he could look. Screaming All-Might's name the entire time, much to the chagrin of most of the school.
"-But anyway, about what I wanted to ask."
Toshi nodded, bracing for yet another advisory session. "Very well, what exactly is the problem?"
Izuku took a moment to think about his words, looking at the passing scenery as they ran.
"I guess... I can't work up the courage to tell anyone. I keep thinking it's too big a burden, or something will go wrong somehow."
Toshi nodded sagely, which he immediately regretted since it was a surprisingly awkward task to accomplish while running.
"I completely understand. I had great difficulty telling people as well. I kept thinking that the secret would get out, and the people I cared about would be targeted by All-For-One or anyone else who thought they could somehow blackmail me into getting One-For-All."
Izuku tried nodding back, facing the same problem as his mentor.
"So, how did you tell everyone?"
Toshi looked away uncomfortably. "Well, to be perfectly honest, I didn't tell all of them myself."
"Oh... Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
"Gran-Torino and Recovery-girl learned about it from my master before my time, and Nezu figured it out himself... His Quirk is no joke." The man shivered slightly.
"What about Nighteye? You told him, right?"
Toshi became more awkward as he took a surprisingly long time to choose his words.
"Well... Technically, yes."
Izuku raised an eyebrow. "Technically?"
"You see... Originally, I wasn't going to tell him... ever... But Gran-Torino chewed me out, saying that if I can't trust my side-kick with the secret, then why the hell am I letting him watch my back? ...Torino may have also kicked me in the face a few times, but that's beside the point-"
All-Might gestured with his hands.
"-So, I pulled Nighteye aside, and I told him... mostly unwillingly."
Izuku looked for a silver lining. "But that made it easier when you told Tsukauchi, right?"
All-Might had a sheepish grin. "Actually, with his Quirk, he noticed that I was lying about my Quirk and called me out on it... So, I had to explain it to him."
The boy deadpanned. "Is there anyone you told willingly!?"
Toshi's smile became more genuine. "Two, actually. You and my good friend, David."
Izuku's thoughts stopped for a moment as a realisation that had escaped him yesterday due to everything happening came to mind.
"Wait... When did you tell him? I thought he didn't know?"
"Not long after everything that happened on I-island... I realised that had he known about One-For-All, the fact that it could be passed on, he wouldn't have done what he did... and nobody would've gotten hurt-."
Toshi stared mournfully at the ground.
"-So, I told him when I had the chance, It was my fault ultimately anyway. I should've told him a long time ago..."
Izuku looked sympathetically at his mentor. "You couldn't have known what was going to happen. Don't blame yourself. We all got out ok in the end anyway."
Toshi shook his head. "No matter what, I bear responsibility for not trusting those around me... I can't show you how to tell someone about One-For-All, but heed me, my boy, do not make the same mistake I did.-"
Toshi looked directly into his successor's eyes.
"-I had to learn the hard way that in trying to protect someone, you can sometimes do more harm than good. If you can help someone by telling them the truth, and they're someone you can and should trust, then tell them... or else you might have to deal with your own David Shield."
Izuku wanted to say something, but he didn't have the words. All he could think to do was nod, mulling over his mentor's teachings.
Toshi felt a bit unsettled by the silence. "Sorry to drag this down to such a heavy note... How are your studies going, by the way? Are you keeping up with your make-up classes to cover your work-study?"
Izuku stopped dead in his run. "Oh crap! Those are today! I need to get back to my room and get ready!!"
Toshi tried not to laugh. "Ah, I see you're going to the Sunday classes."
"Sorry to leave like this, All-Might. I gotta go!" Izuku sped back in the direction he came from.
Toshi waved after him. "Take care, young Midoriya! Watch yourself. You don't want to-"
Before he could get the words out, the poor boy slipped, falling right onto his tukus.
"-trip..."
"I'm fine! I think..." Izuku called back with a wave.
Toshi shook his head with a grin as Izuku scrounged himself up, running into the sunrise.
"That boy..."
--
The interview with Mukoka was brief. A simple background check wasn't difficult for a pro-hero like Ryuko to perform. Thankfully, Mukoka's record was spotless, with no murders whatsoever, somewhat to Tempest's disappointment.
Now Mukoka was going to formally meet Eri. The short woman had relaxed since her arrival, but she had made it clear she was very uncertain about how to approach Eri.
What Ryuko had told the potential tutor about Eri and her situation had made sense to the woman... Until everything about the sudden switcharoo with an Eri from another world.
Of course, Ryuko left Midoriya out of the details. The situation was already confusing without her weird relationship with the boy being brought up.
You know... If we do, hire her. We'll have to explain that when she inevitably hears Eri call him Papa.
'By then, I will have made the situation more public anyway. It'll be easier to clear up any confusion after that. Let's not drop too much on Mukoka's shoulders for now.'
Arriving at the penthouse, Mukoka took in the surroundings much like everyone else who didn't have anywhere near the same salary as Ryuko. But to her credit, she was focused on the task at hand.
Spotting Eri on the couch playing a remake of Spyro the Dragon, Mukoka breathed in sharply.
"Ok, um... should I speak to her first or...?"
Ryuko waved her hand. "Let me introduce you first."
"Right... ok... I can do this."
Is she like Midoriya's aunt or something? The force of sass pondered almost legitimately.
'I think she's just really nervous.'
Ryuko had to admit that the woman lacked presence. But, considering Eri's situation, that might work in her favour... But it did raise concerns about how competent the woman would be as a tutor.
The women approached Eri as the girl turned her head, realising people were coming towards her.
"Oh, hey Mama... Who's that?"
The small child was clearly very absorbed in the game, considering she just noticed them despite the *Ding* from the elevator.
Ryuko tried to settle the uncertainty in her gut and smiled, gesturing to the woman beside her and choosing her words carefully, not wanting to impose on Mukoka's or Eri's choice on this matter.
"This is Hana Mukoka. She's hopefully going to be your new tutor."
At the end of the day, if Eri wasn't going to accept the woman as her tutor, there wasn't much Ryuko could do. Forcing the issue might only add stress to Eri, and they wanted to continue avoiding that as much as possible for the moment.
Hana gave a little wave, speaking with surprising vigor. "Hi, Eri. It's nice to meet you!"
Ryuko breathed a quiet sigh of relief. 'Maybe this'll be fine.'
Even if the woman was timid and uncertain, she had a great deal of experience with children to fall back on. Ryuko had almost forgotten that.
Eri waved back at Hana a little shyly. "Um, hello."
Ryuko chimed in. "I'm hoping for you two to get to know each other, and then we can see if you would be happy having Miss Mukoka here to teach you."
Eri nodded, still slightly bewildered by the sudden situation. "Ok."
Ryuko took a moment to think about how to best help them bond. But once again, Hana took the reins, much to her surprise.
"What are you playing there, Eri?"
Eri turned to look at the TV. "Oh, ah, Spyro."
Hana nodded with a warm smile. "Oh, the purple dragon. Is that the new remake?"
She nodded back, still a bit shy. "Yeah."
"Cool, I've heard a lot of good things about it. Is it as good as people say? I haven't gotten a chance to try it myself yet."
Eri had a look of surprise. "It's pretty cool... Do you play video games?"
Hana nodded jubilantly. "Whenever I get the chance to, but I'm not that great at them. Can I join you? Maybe you can show me how to play?"
Eri looked at Ryuko briefly, then agreed uncertainly. "I guess that's ok."
Hana gave Eri a grin when she sat down. "Dragons are pretty cool, aren't they?"
Eri turned to face the woman with a sense of surprise that soon turned into a smile. "Yeah!"
Ryuko just stared, nearly gaping at the situation. 'Ok, so we were both worried over nothing... Good.'
The day proceeded pretty well from there. Eri and Hana took turns with the game, with Eri showing her the ropes. Ryuko had a turn herself, but she ended up dying almost immediately, much to the hilarity of both Eri and Hana, though the short woman tried not to laugh too hard at her new source of income.
Embarrassed, Ryuko decided that she just wasn't good at this game... Ignoring the fact that it was designed for small children.
By the time it was all over, Eri was all smiles and looked more than comfortable being around Hana, and it seemed the same could be said of the lady herself.
Ryuko had wanted to see if Mukoka's Quirk could nullify Eri's, but testing that without Aizawa around would be dangerous if it didn't work. The pro realised she should've emphasised calling ahead to Mukoka, so she could prepare and get Aizawa here.
Tempest shrugged with a sarcastically dumb look on her muzzle.
Uh, oh, spaghettios.
Ryuko glared at her cackling tenant.
'Tempest... so help me, I will make the most humongous bowl of the crunchiest cereal you have ever seen and eat it as slowly and painstakingly as I possibly can...
I will take days with every spoonful,
weeks with every slurp of milk,
and years will pass before I'm done with that bowl...
...And all you'll be able to do is sit there and watch!'
Tempest shivered.
You wouldn't dare... You wouldn't stay sane taking that long.
Ryuko smirked mentally. 'Try me.'
Tempest took the hint. Even if she didn't take years or even days, she could tell Ryuko would drag it out for as long as possible.
S-Sorry ma'am...
Hana stood up from the couch, reaching out her hand to shake Eri's. "I had a wonderful time today, Eri. We should do this again sometime."
"Yeah!-"
Eri then looked at the hand stretched out to her, paused, and looked down at her own hands, realising she didn't have her gloves on because it made playing the game irritating.
"-Ah, sorry, I can't shake your hand right now. I need to put my gloves on..."
But as the girl reached for the gloves, Hana shook her head. "That won't be necessary, Eri."
Eri stopped and looked shocked. "B-But my Quirk... it can hurt people."
"I know, but it's ok. My Quirk can stop it, I promise." She motioned her hand again.
Ryuko had a look of concern.
Sure, Eri has gotten better and seems calm, but it seemed like an unnecessary risk to take... What if Eri randomly loses control again?
The dragoon hero moved over to whisper to Mukoka. "Are you sure about this? We haven't tested this, to be sure. If something goes wrong..."
The nullifying woman smiled and whispered back. "It's ok, Miss Ryukyu. I'm confident. And after getting to know Eri... I think she needs to know she can touch someone directly without risking the chance of hurting them... And I could give her that until she masters her Quirk."
Ryuko cracked a smile. "Alright, I can't argue with that. I guess Eri's not likely to lose control right now anyway."
"Um, is this one of those private adult talks?" Eri said, feeling left out.
Hana and Ryuko shook their heads.
"It's fine, sweetie. I was only checking something." The pro smiled.
Hana stepped back up to Eri, reaching out once more.
Eri hesitated but finally took her bare hand and placed it in Hana's, shaking it gently with a smile, looking in awe at their linked hands.
"It's been a while since I've done this..."
Hana mirrored the girl's expression. "I'm glad I could help, Eri."
Once the handshake was done, Hana walked back over to Ryuko, offering a bow.
"Thank you for having me here. Even if I don't get the job, I feel more fulfilled than I have in a long time."
The dragoness was utterly baffled by that statement. "How could you say, 'Even if I don't get the job.' Eri, what do you think?"
The girl grinned. "I wanna see Miss Mukoka again!"
Ryuko looked back at Hana with a grin of her own. "Seems you've got the job, Miss Mukoka."
The woman flustered as small tears formed in the corners of her eyes. "I... I... Thank you so much!"
Ryuko wanted to hug Hana; she was so happy for her, but she resisted. They didn't know each other that well.
"Will you need time to prepare lessons, or can I expect to see you tomorrow?"
Hana tried to compose herself. "U-Um, from what you told me about Eri's level of education, I should be able to reuse some of my teaching materials from my school days, so I can be in tomorrow... Though I might be winging it a little bit."
"That's fine with me. I'm sure you're more than capable enough to make it work. If what I saw today is anything to go by."
The short woman blushed. "T-Thank you... again."
"Why don't I escort you back to the lobby? I'm sure you've got a lot of preparations to make."
Hana waved her hands. "No, that's not necessary. I can get there by myself... I guess I'll see you both tomorrow. Take care." She waved to Eri and Ryuko as she walked back into the elevator.
"Bye, miss Mukoka." Eri waved as the elevator doors closed.
"You seem like you had fun." Ryuko smiled at her faux daughter.
"Yeah, we should all play together when Papa is around!"
Ryuko hummed, her thoughts shifting to her mark. "I suppose we'll see what he thinks..."
Tempest gave off a feeling of genuine concern.
Are you ready for tomorrow, Ryuko?
'I suppose I'm as ready as I'm going to get... but I can't help but wonder what he'll think of me when I tell him the truth...'