We all stood very very still, I could see Nighteye out of the corner of my eye as he moved to face the three of us.
"You little... What's with that face? What are you trying to do?" Nighteye asked, my jaw clenched.
"Oh, well, um...!" Midoriya's voice was almost like All Might's but strained.
"You committed this outrage knowing that I was All Might's former sidekick?" Nighteye reached Midoriya and reached for his face. "All Might's wrinkles are not like that. In his normal face, the wrinkles around his eyes are 0.6 cm long. From Silver Age on, they were about 0.8 cm long. These days, even unlicensed merchandise specifies which 'age' it's from. Do you not even know that?" Nighteye questioned, leaning over Midoriya, looking directly into his eyes. I stared at them before looking at my feet, of course I know how Sir Nighteye's Quirk is. So, avoid looking at him directly in the eye, just in case. "This is very unpleasant." Nighteye said, his body turned towards me, as I stayed looking at the wall behind him, his eyes moved form me to Midoriya. "Please leave." Nighteye went to turn his body towards me and walk forward, his hand reached out and it brushed my shoulder lightly when he did, my eyes widened a fraction when he did, I kept my eye contact on my feet.
"The vinegar riverbank incident. Are you not aware of that?" Midoriya questioned.
"What are they talking about?" I mumbled quietly to Mirio, who shrugged simply.
"A middle schooler whose Quirk could change water quality was drowning in a river, and All Might saved him. The drowning middle schooler changed the river into vinegar in his panic and that got into All Might's eyes when he jumped in to save him. This is the face he showed at the interview right after that. His smile with narrowed eyes. I chose that face here!" Midoriya said.
"Of course I know about that. It happened before I teamed up with him. They also mentioned it on the Yomiuri TV program, A Look Back." Nighteye stated, I felt Mirio leave from behind me.
"Yes, that one!" Midoriya said excitedly nodding his head. I looked at Nighteye's back as he was turned facing Bubble Girl who was still hooked up to the machine that was now turned off. She was looking a little burnt out. "There weren't any villains involved, and it's boring compared to his other work, so it's not really talked about on the fan sites, but I like it. I especially liked the witty response he gave after being thanked by the boy."
"'...my skin feel ten years younger.'" Nighteye responded. Midoriya had his eyes closed with a smile.
"That's it! I loved that 'my skin' part!" Midoriya exclaimed making me jump slightly, not expecting it.
"You.." Nighteye turned and I removed my eyes from him and to Bubble Girl behind him. "Were you testing me?"
"Oh, no! It's just that because All Might is a teacher at our school, it's hard to speak much about him, so I got too excited and couldn't help myself." Midoriya explained.
"The crux of that incident was the family life of the middle schooler."
"That's right! Whether you know that or not makes a big difference in the weight of the words!" Midoriya said. I watch Mirio pass me and walk over to Bubble Girl. I slowly followed to help him get her down. Mirio unlatched one on her hands and I carefully did the other. The poor girl had tears staining her face from laughing so hard.
"Mirio... what's with that kid..?" She questioned.
"He's one of my underclassmen, right?" Mirio stated. I slowly helped her down from the machine.
Soon enough Midoriya and I stood in front of Nighteye, I still hadn't made eye contact with him yet. We had told him we wanted to do a work study under him. I could feel his eyes boring into my head, as I looked off at the wall directly behind him, so it made it look like I was looking at him, but I wasn't really.
"I see... So you want to do a work study here in order to become stronger?" He questioned.
"Yes, sir!" I responded.
"Yes, sir! Please allow it!" Midoriya said.
"You have a contract form the school..."
"Of course, we brought it with us!" Midoriya said. I looked through my backpack as I found it and pulled it out for him.
"You will not interrupt me when I am speaking." Nighteye stated. I placed my contract down first, Midoriya placed his over top of mine. "Once my stamp is on that paper, the work study contract will become official."
"Yes, sir!" Midoriya said bowing, he hugged his back pack to his chest, I followed suit in bowing.
"A hero work study is not like the weeklong internships of normal workplaces that you can participate in casually. You must work here for at least a month and of course you will be paid. As first years who still have a lot of classes, you will also rack up a lot of absences, and you will not be able to continue on this path on the same level as your classmates."
"I understand that!" Midoriya and I both say to him.
"But... if I match my pace with everyone else, then I can't be the top!" Midoriya added. I looked over at him, I could feel the sharp eyes of Nighteye staring at us. A large slam made me jump slightly, as I looked over and seen Nighteye had placed the slammed the stamp on his desk. "Um, you missed..." Nighteye started hitting the desk with the stamp repeatedly as he spoke to us, my eyes watched his hand go up and down forcefully.
"Because I don't feel like stamping it, for either of you. I understand the merits of working here for you. But what merit is there in my employing you two? With two sidekicks and one work study student, this agency runs smoothly, so to add you... What benefit is there in that?" The sound of the stamp in his hands hitting the desk, was almost deafening to me, my heart was slowly sinking as he questioned us, my eyes followed his hand up and down. "How can you two contribute to society? How can you be useful to others? In order to be acknowledged, you must make those things clear." All of a sudden it stopped, I stared right at his hand. "All Might showed it with his power and humor. He gave hope to those who lived in fear of crime. That's why the people acknowledge him." My jaw clenched at the question ran through my head, 'How can I contribute to society?'
"How I can contribute to society?" Midoriya mumbled from next to me. Nighteye stood up, my eyes stayed at his hand that was holding the two stamps.
"In order to show how you can benefit my company, you should show it with your actions, not your words. Three minutes. Try and take this seal form me in three minutes or less. If you want to work as a hero under me then stamp the seal yourself." Nighteye spoke he raised the stamps above his head, showing them to us. "Now it'll be one at a time." I could feel his eyes burning holes into my forehead as he stared at me. I felt his eyes move from me to Midoriya. "I'm saying that even though you don't possess a single funny bone. I'm giving you a chance. Well? Don't you think I'm a nice guy? Mirio, Bubble Girl and Kobayashi, you three go outside."
"Oh right." Bubble Girl and Mirio spoke, I simply nodded my head as my eyes slid away from his hand to the ground.
"That's not very energetic."
"Yes, sir!" Mirio and Bubbly Girl yelled, I mumbled it quietly as I turned to them and walked forward. We left the room, I walked behind the pair in my own little world really.
"Uh, Kohana?" I heard Mirio questioned. I hummed at him and looked up. "I've noticed that you don't look at Sir. Well, you do. But I noticed you don't look at his eyes. Why is that?"
"Oh, well. I know what his quirk is, I know how it works, so if he touches me, then I have avoid eye contact completely really, so I just decided I shouldn't make eye contact with him at all, plus he touched my shoulder, I don't know how long or how much he has to touch me to active his power." I say quietly, as I stared up at Mirio. He started chuckling, his clapped my back a couple times almost sending me toppling over.
"You are to smart for your own good Kohana." He chuckled.
"Be careful Mirio. You almost knocked her over." Bubble Girl said, placing a hand on my shoulder to help keep me steady.
After Midoriya's three minutes, we went into the room, I stood behind Bubble Girl and Mirio, I looked around the room and seen foot prints everywhere, on the walls, the ceiling and on the floor. Just before we walked in, we heard a hard thump. On the wall, was a blood stain, my guess was that Midoriya was bouncing all over the walls, I also noticed that he didn't lay a single foot on anything All Might, books, plants and papers were scattered on the floor.
"I'll take him, Mirio." Nighteye spoke, I seen Midoriya behind him on the ground, Mirio cheered as he heard the news of him wanting to take Midoriya under his wing. I slowly moved around Nighteye, keeping my eyes on Midoriya, when Nighteye grabbed my arm and stared daggers into my skull.
"What? Why?" Midoriya asked looking up at Nighteye, Midoriya's eyes met mine briefly. "I couldn't do anything you asked me to!"
"I told you to take the seal and stamp it yourself, but I didn't say that you'd be rejected if you couldn't do it." Nighteye spoke.
"But..." Nighteye moved his eyes from me and moved his hand to rest on shoulder, not letting go of me, he guided me to his desk and placed me in front of it, I stared as he stamped the paper for Midoriya, he moved Midoriya's paper to reveal mine, that sat under it.
"Midoriya, you did it! Now it's just Kohana's turn!" Mirio said. "Sir, you laughed, right?"
"Id' already decided to take you on when I heard you were coming. Miss Kobayashi, I'm still deciding on. I also knew you two weren't completely useless. But I hadn't accepted it. Right now, with the symbol gone, the people want not a dim light, but a dazzling one." Nighteye moved away from me, his hand dropping from my shoulder as he did. I turned around as he walked towards Midoriya. "Even if it goes against his will. I'll make you realize who is the most worthy of that power right now by having you work alongside the pros." Nighteye dropped Midoriya's stamp in his hand, he still had a firm grip on mine. I watched Midoriya stamp his contract.
"I look forward to working with you." Midoriya spoke. I took a deep breath as I looked at Mirio who was watching me quietly. Soon enough Nighteye shooed them out of the room, leaving me and him alone.
I stood in front of Nighteye, staring just over his head. He grunted lightly as he moved around me and sat at his desk.
"Alright, well, I can't do what I did with Midoriya that for sure." He mumbled. I turned and faced him, keeping my eyes just above his head. "Kobayashi, hmm? If I remember correctly, they are the Rose Heroes that passed away from a villain attack." I slowly nodded my head, my eyes moved to his hand that was fiddling with the stamp.
"They are my parents, Sir." I answered.
"That makes you Eraser Head's niece. He raised you well, which I'm not surprised about. You won't even make eye contact with me, especially after I touched your shoulder." The stamped moved between his fingers skillfully. "The comment you made when your first entered. What was the comment?"
"Um... It was, uh, 'is this like a BDSM room or a torture room? Because, what the fuck is that?!'" I mumbled to him. He lifted his hand to his ear, like he didn't hear it. "I said, 'is this like a BDSM room or a torture room? Because, what the fuck is that?!'" I say a little louder for him to hear it. He grunted, I could see a small smile form on his face.
"I have never had someone insult something like that." He said to me. I fiddled with my fingers behind my back.
"I-I'm sorry if I insulted you. I didn't mean it like that. I guess, insulting comes natural to me because of my uncle. I promise I won't do it again." I say, I could feel sweat beads roll down the side of my face as I spoke with him. He stood up and stepped back to the wall, all of a sudden he threw the stamp at me at a quick pace, my eyes widened, I used the plants in the room, to push the stamp up, the plants in the room hit the ceiling with a huge thud, my ceiling cracked under the pressure of the vines. I looked at Nighteye to see him starting to throw whatever he could at me, books, pens, pencils, whatever he could get his hands on. On instinct the pants acted off of me, stopping and redirecting whatever he was throwing. Once he stopped, the plants relaxed on my shoulders, wrapping themselves down my arms, I stared at him, right in the middle of his forehead, or glancing around his limbs waiting for him to do something.
"Interesting. A plant Quirk. But here's a good question. How good are you with hand-to-hand? How does your Quirk help you then?" He came charging at me, he was quick and light on his feet, he sent a kick at me, the plants acted as an armour, I blocked the kick and landed a kick right in his chest pushing him back. This went on for a couple of minutes, as we fought hand to hand. Punches and kicks being sent left and right, the plants had eventually wrapped around his legs holding him in place. He nodded his head, as soon as Mirio, Midoriya and Bubbly Girl entered my vines had begun to unravel themselves from him and started crawling back up my arms. I looked over at them, panting slightly. Midoriya had gazed up at the ceiling, then looked at my palm and seen the stamp sitting in it.
"I'll take her too, Mirio." Nighteye spoke. He took a seat at his desk and turned the contract to me. I walked forward and placed the stamp in the box. I finally made eye contact with Nighteye, I nodded at him. Mirio cheered from next to Bubble Girl. I walked over to the vases that the plants belonged in and put them back. I turned around and a heavy arm was placed over my shoulders.
"You did it, Kohana!" Mirio said shaking me lightly. I chuckled at him, Midoriya gave me a thumbs up with a huge smile on his face. I smiled back and mimicked him, giving him a thumbs up too. This is where I start my new chapter. I look forward to this new chapter in my life.