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¤______.ꪖꪀᥴⅈꫀꪀ𝕥 ᥴ𝕣ꫀꪖ𝕥ꪊ𝕣ꫀ._______¤
It was dawn, the sun was going down as two figures walked towards the more forested area of Okoyama. One of them seemed more tired than the other. Hunching on their back as they dragged their feet uphill. The person seemingly walked along the dirt just fine.
The duo was actually none other than Kimi and yourself. Since she had mentioned something about upgrading to "High-school", she wanted to aim for a school that trains future heroes. However, the requirements in the entrance exam for a hero course is apparently very hard and dangerous for someone like her who had never had a "quirk" before. She was expected to compete against other humans who have quirks that were more powerful than the last while she was still the weak quirkless kid. So she asked you to train her starting from today after putting in the next schools she wanted to go to.
Honestly, the whole idea of "Hero" and "Villain" in this modern age seems really silly to you. If not, outright ridiculous. It's quite funny how people these days would classify criminals and law reinforcements. You might be young but you're not the 56 year old fox who plays with sticks anymore. But now... it's almost like the humans are sucking on their fingers when you first heard about heroes and villains.
Oh well. Right now, you need to think of a way to teach this child about being kitsune.
You were currently in your human form instead of your real one, with the reason that it's easier for the blonde to learn if you looked like her. In your human form, you looked as old as Kimi from the outside but you were a bit shorter than her. You wore your traditional short (F/C) kimono that had white blossom patterns, there was (H/C) fur that wrapped around the neck line of the kimono. Your hair was kept downwards with a single Kanzashi clip decorated on it. You walked on the wooden sandals that humans would wear.
Kimi on the other hand just had her sports clothes and her hair clipped upwards and out of her face.
Suddenly, the girl drops on the ground and huffs heavily. You stopped on your tracks and turned to the pathetic display of weakness. "Get up, we're not even half way up."
She groaned and looked up at her flawless figure. She didn't get it, you made her jog all the way from her home to this hill with no breaks (well, some breaks but still), and the trip between her home and the forested area is already 900- something- kilometers, it's going to be worse if she were to go uphill! Something that triggers her is that you had also jogged alongside her the whole time and yet you didn't even break a single sweat or ruin your look despite the heavy clothing and wearing only sandals. In fact, she had also noticed that you slowed your pace for her after noticing that she was far lagging behind.
How is that even possible?? Was it because you were a spirit and not a real person? She knows you could fly, but you chose to jog with her instead. Man.. to be a yokai. "Show off..."
"I show off nothing, it is you who chose to be so pathetic." You remarked, crouching down to her level on the dirt. "I'm almost surprised you haven't even exercised your body. You wanted to be those action heroes and all that, yet you do nothing to train yourself. Have you gave up before you even started?"
Her hand clenched at your words and she glared at the ground. "No... I just.. didn't think-"
"Didn't think what? That your parents had an agreement with a yokai and then it gave you your own powers?"
"Well... that too..."
You sighed, crossing your arms as your ears twitched in annoyance. "You need to start getting used to nonstop training. Your weak body is not going to handle yokai magic any further if you keep this up."
Your eyes hardened. "Even the most powerful sorcerer will fall after a few spells."
"Magic is simple to me but harder for you. I mean, just a few days ago, you blacked out just after my possession. I only stayed for 2 hours that day and you took 3 days to wake up."
This made her head perk up as she stared at your sandals as her breath slowly calmed down. This is why I passed out?
You clicked your tongue but smirked when you remembered her motivation. "Don't you want to get revenge for your father?"
Something seemed to snap inside of her head. Just the mention of her father made her remember why she even started all of this. Making a deal with a powerful yokai...
She took a deep breath and got up on her own with a new determination in her eyes. She looked back at you. "Please, train me."
You stared back at her, smirking, before standing up as well. "You could probably guess that your goal is to reach the top of this mountain."
You turned behind you, looking up at the tip that was quite far. Though you doubt you'd take that long to reach. But for little Kimi...
"We'll stop here for now, our first check point. The more you train, the higher you have to claim up. Understand?"
She huffs and she nodded as she stepped up to you. "Yes, ma'am!"
"Don't call me that" You muttered while scanning the area for noteworthy places for the girl to train. "Oh..."
"Stamina, endurance, agility, and sharp reflexes are a fox's greatest physical points. So..."
You walked a little further into the forest, making the girl perk up and stepped up to follow you. Before she could go any further though, a stone flings at high speed at her.
She wasn't quick enough and it hit her chest. She cried out in pain and held her chest. "AHK-! RIGHT IN THE-... boobs...!"
"No time to waste, little ant. Our physical training begins. Your second training is durability and reflex!"
"Wha- WAIT WAIT WAAIIT-!!!"
You didn't listen to her pleading however as a sadistic grin curls on her lips. You kept flinging stones and pebbles you could find on the ground at her.
She panicked as the adrenaline kicked in again and she managed to evade some of the rocks, though mostly getting hit.
"Come on, evade faster! Your opponents will kill you if you keep getting hit!" You snickered, easily picking up a medium sized boulder and aimed.
"I DIDN'T PICTURE TRAINING WOULD BE LIKE THIS!!"
"Really? It's how I was trained!"
"WHA-" Before she could finish the sentence, the boulder flew right at her. Fortunately, she managed to dodge it in time before getting smack. "OH MY KAMI"
"No Kami is helping you, girl!"
And to think that this will go on further until her entrance exam.
___
It didn't take that long for Kimi to drop back down on dirt as multiple bruises littered around her body as she groaned in pain.
You openly laughed at her pain, finding her reactions amusing. She showed no response to that though, more used to your attitude by now.
When you calmed down into a small chuckle, you walked up to her again, picking a handful of berries and its leaves on the tree as you passed by. "This is so funny. It's like watching a toddler trying to crawl for the first time!"
"At least you find it enjoyable..." Kimi mumbled as she stared at the green and yellow leaves on the tree. The sun was already down, giving the color of the tree a shade of blue. She would have enjoyed it more if it weren't for the immense pain all around her body.
She suddenly heard a crush from her right and then dust flew past her. She turned her head slightly towards you and saw you dropping what used to look like berries and leaves. She could clearly see the berries had faded color and extremely dried out, even in the dark. Must be part of kitsune power. Cool.
"..What was that?"
"I was 'eating'."
"Eating? You eat?"
You put a hand on your chin. "Well, not exactly how normal humans or some yokais eat." You said, holding up a small ball of blue and green energy on your hands. "I feast on the life force of any kind. It's a good fox diet." You then popped the ball into your mouth and swallowed the energy, feeling slightly better.
Kimi could only stare at you with tired eyes as she remarked sarcastically. "Right.... 'cause what other freaky things don't you do?"
An irk mark plastered on your temple as you grip your hands at her. "What was that?"
"Nothing."
"That's what I thought." You grumbled. It's not like you chose to eat these kinds of things anyways. Unlike real Inari foxes where they can eat rice. Just like your brother....
You scoffed, turning back at the girl. "Alright, are you rea- huh?"
You notice that she has passed out on the ground. Quietly snoring as if it was just her bedroom. You stared at her figure for a moment before clicking your tongue. "As expected.. you humans can't last long after just two trials."
You only passed out for a few minutes after 5 trials the first time you started. You woke back up more energized. It only proved your point further; humans.. are weak beings. In their realm, they might be on the top of their food chain, but in the yokai realm, they were the lowest of lows.
Yet.. somehow, their courage was something you can not fathom. Despite being so weak and short lived, they learn quickly and adapt quite well. To think that they dare to use magic as well, knowing their lives would be shortened. Maybe that's what makes them what they are. They had to learn to grow up faster and fend for themselves, unlike the yokais that have longer lives. Even going as far as to have a society of powered quirks.
Oh well. You thought, picking up the sleeping teen and adjusted her in your hold, before levitating up. One thing I know is that humans are annoyingly naive creatures that are like little ants and their colonies. However...
Your gaze falls to the girl again as you soar across the sky to her home. If ants are the creatures to kill my family, then I would do anything to at least crush a colony of them. Your eyes glowed an ominous shade of (E/C). Even if they didn't know any better.
It's the only way you'll fully feel satisfied.
Okami-sama will forgive your actions right? After all, your goal to only avenge your family, her creations.
___
Kimi sat down in front of her mother, the paper of high schools she wanted to go to in her hands. She had to confirm everything with her mother first before really giving that paper back to her class's president.
Her mother was silent for a moment, staring hard at the piece of paper. It's been a while since the death of her husband, and she seemed to have recovered a bit from it. She had to pull herself together, knowing that her own teenage daughter can't just be left alone while she's absent all day.
She was still a mother, she had to help her daughter when she needed to.
However.... with school Kimi had enlisted for her to look at, made her guts turn around.
"...Kimi... are you sure you want to go to these schools?"
Kimi only replied with a sharp nod and a determined look in her eyes. "Yes."
Her mother looked back at her with a very troubled expression. "And.... What course are you planning to attend, exactly?" She really dreaded her answer but knew what it might be, especially after seeing the one prestigious school that is known to raise great heroes in their area, Shiketsu.
"The hero courses."
She paused, before taking a deep breath and rubbed her face out of frustration. As much as it is noble and honoring that her daughter would want to help protect innocent people from criminals, some what like her father, but this whole hero business wasn't like how it was decades ago. Powerful and corrupted villains with dangerous quirks, and she's going up against them with no power....
She didn't want her only daughter to die in the filthy hands of villains, especially after what happened to her husband. She really didn't want to crush her dreams but thinking in the long way and extreme high risk of her death at such a young age.
"....Ma-"
"Kimi."
The tone of her mother made her shut up. The anxiety that she was keeping inside was starting to raise. "Yes..?"
"I'm not one to like to beat around the bush. Whatever I say, I will state it bluntly as it is truth, especially in this situation, do you understand?"
Kimi hesitantly nodded.
"You know.... you're quirkless."
That was still true....
"Your father... even when he had a quirk, he..."
Kimi stiffened, knowing the exact implications. She didn't dare to cut off her mother though.
"Look, Kimi. This hero business, it's not only dangerous for especially quirkless people, there are holes and mystery inside the industry as well."
This made her perk up. Kimi raises a brow at her mother. "What do you mean?"
The woman pursed her lips, looking hesitant to tell her daughter something. "I can't really tell you as of now, but you'd understand that I don't want you to go in this field right?"
Strange... Her mother's behavior was a bit off putting but she understood that her parents were involved in a lot of things. Especially with the ancestry being involved with magic and yokais.
Little did she know, the pit was dug deeper than just owning a magic scroll.
"Ma, I get that you are worried but..... I REALLY think I could do this! If I could just.. given a chance, maybe I'll pass and become a hero that the world has never seen before, a quirkless hero! Not only that, I could really inspire people that are in the same situation as me!" She reasoned. "I've been getting into a training routine with a friend. She showed me how to be durable and fast and stuff. I even found out I'm good at aiming, excelling in it actually!"
Her mother didn't look convinced in the slightest. This made Kimi internally wench at her mother's lack of reaction.
"Ok, you don't really look convinced. BUT please!!!" It's not like begging will help her win her mother over, she knew that. So, she prepared a proposal for her. "Ok, how about this? If I don't pass any of the hero entrance exams, I'll go on and study the general education program. These schools are good anyways and I could still get a good education studying in them even if I failed the hero course."
Her mother looks at her with an uncertain expression, raising an eyebrow at her. "And if you somehow pass?"
"Well...." She shrugged. "Maybe... we'll see what happens next from there?"
Her mother went silent again, her eyes staring intently into her daughter's green ones. Seeing how Kimi didn't even budge from her glare made her realize how determined her daughter was. And.. she guesses the proposal is fine, highly doubtful that she would even pass the hero entrance exam.... hopefully. So, she gave in.
"Fine," She sighs. "whatever will satisfy your mind, dear..."
The blonde beams at this then claps her hand above her head, bowing down a 90 degrees to her mother. It was the best time for her to sit on a couch, otherwise her leg would have given up a long time ago. "THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!!! You are the best, ma!!!"
The woman sweat dropped her daughter's enthusiasm but softly smiled. She reached her hand out and pushed her hands down, which made the girl sit back up. "Just... if you did pass... promise that you'll do your best to survive and come back home, ok?"
Her eyes widened at her mother's words, but she clenched her hands and nodded fiercely. "I promise, I don't want to leave you alone ma!" It's the exact reason I wanted to start this all.
Just hearing those made the woman's eyes welled up in tears. She chuckled at her daughter's cuteness. She got up from her seat and walked over to Kimi, then pulled her into a warm hug. "Good. You better remember that promise."
It was rare to see her mother crying, or show affection in a while. But it also made her tear up. She gladly held her back, resting head in the crook of her mother's neck.
While this exchange was very heartwarming, the older woman's eyes couldn't help but turn to the silhouette of someone with fox features just around the living room's entrance.
It seemed to have noticed her gaze, because the moment she blinked, it had disappeared.
It made her grib on Kimi tighten, but she didn't react much other than that.
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Omake:
Kimi:.... you know, I had this weird dream where my soul got sucked out of my body and I fell into an abyss.
Arata: Wtf?
Kimi: Kitsune-sama said that she dreamed about taking someone's soul, and then pushed them into a pit.
Arata:........
Kimi:......
Arata: You probably need to get a priest.
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Author's Note:
Look, I couldn't find any info on where the hell Mustafa Middle school locations are
but since Shiketsu is in the west of Japan, Okoyama is probably where it's located or at least near to it since it's southwestern Japan, AND it has pretty high mountains. So it's where we are!!
We could say that Kirishima and Mina just love UA more so they apply there instead of Shiketsu, similar to Isana but it's just his reasons to come back to Shiketsu are different.
Anyways, I'm kind of excited to write the season 6 arcs but I'm getting WAYY over myself with that. we are just entering the entrance exam arc and more reveals about yokais that have their own arcs and that raid where all might is revealed his true troubles and then rise of villains saga-
Honestly, once the rise of villains starts, things will get more interesting. The liberation army mfs are an interesting group and I'd wanna touch on that more.