If there was one place no student ever wanted to walk into, it was the principal's office. They were always the same: small with an oversized desk in them, a ginormous chair sitting behind it, and two wooden ones in front. It even had the same feel of a principal's office: scary. It was if walking in there, you knew that you were going to get in trouble. Nothing good came from being in the principal's office.
I have never gotten in trouble before. While Principal Tachi explained that I wasn't in trouble, it sure felt like it. Everything was eerily quiet in there, even though we weren't the only ones in the room. Sitting in one of the chairs closest to the door was a man with white hair, looking at some papers that were on the desk. He didn't need to turn around for me to know who he was, which only made my nerves go up.
Nothing good ever came from being in the principal's office, especially when a teacher was involved.
Principal Tachi and Mr. Elastic didn't have to say a word as I slowly sat in the other open chair. I knew what this was all about. Like the principal had said earlier, I wasn't in trouble, but that didn't mean I felt like trouble itself.
My eyes scanned his desk before Principal Tachi took a seat. There were stacks of papers where Mr. Elastic was a slick, silver computer that was shoved in that corner of his desk. On the end I was on, there were pictures facing every direction so someone had something to look at. All were during his hero days, which showed him shooting a dangerously hot fire out of his mouth to stop whatever villains came his way.
"So, Smith," Principal Tachi said, "how are you feeling after last week?"
I snapped my head up from the photo and up to the principal. It wasn't until then that I realized that the man didn't seem to have aged at all. In fact, his dark skin was flawless, while his dreadlocks didn't show a hint of gray. Guess being a hero, he could afford anything that'd make him look younger.
The only upside to being a hero was the income. I just don't think it would ever be worth it knowing any day on the field could be the last. That was something I had always known. Last week, well, the weekend before that into that week, I realized there was no way I could survive being a hero.
"Better," I honestly told him, before looking down at my cast. It wasn't much, just a white thick thing with black scribbles on it. "Still a bit sore, but—"
"How are you doing emotionally, Smith?" Mr. Elastic asked with a voice full of concern.
Hearing him ask that question, I squeezed my eyes shut, bracing myself for anything.
"Fine. I—my brother's okay. They won't hurt anyone. That's enough for me," I said.
A heavy sigh escaped Mr. Elastic's mouth before I felt his large hand drop on my shoulder before giving in a gentle squeeze. "You were truly brave out there, but it's okay to not be okay after what happened."
I slowly peeled my eyes open to look up at Principal Tachi, who nodded his head in agreement. "Mr. Elastic is right, you know? What you've been put through is enough for any hero to need a break or go through some counseling of some sort."
"About that," I said as my left hand reached for the back of my neck to scratch it. While I did, I could feel the sweat starting to pile up. "I think this will be my last day being here at U.A. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I t-took the place of someone who—who deserved this spot, but I don't, well, I know I'm not cut out to be a hero."
Principal Tachi nodded his head. "That's what Mr. Elastic told me. No worries. I'm not here to suede your mind. I'm just here to help you get into a school that will help you on the path of where you'd want to go after graduation."
My mouth gaped open for a moment, unsure that I heard him correctly. Here, I thought the U.A. principal would have tried to convince me otherwise. I mean, he was one of the people who made the decisions on who came to this school and who didn't. At least, I was certain he was. If he chose for me to come to this school, then there had to be a reason for it.
Despite my reaction, Principal Tachi didn't seem fazed. Instead, he looked over towards Mr. Elastic with a warm smile. I closed my mouth as I turned my head towards him. He handed me a few of the packets that were laying in a stack in front of him, each packet was of a different school.
One by one, he'd give me a packet. He would say a little bit about the school, like including the basic principles of each school, what they looked for in transferring students, some of the staff working there, and anything else that was worth mentioning. It surprised me, especially since most of these were schools I didn't even consider when I did my own research. When I looked up different schools, they made it seem like I'd have to take an exam and would be way too late in applying. Mr. Elastic assured me otherwise.
There were times I'd question him about stuff, and when I did, Principal Tachi would speak up, pointing out different things about the schools. I was amazed and shocked, but most of all, I was just relieved that he wasn't pushing me to stay. All the principal and Mr. Elastic wanted was for me to succeed, even if my goals weren't becoming a hero.
"Of course, there is one school we haven't mentioned," Principal Tachi explained once all the packets of nearby schools were in my possession. "You can still stay here at U.A. if you want. Not as a student in the Hero Department, but as a General Studies Student."
I blinked when he said that. "I-I'm sorry. I really don't want to be in any hero-related classes."
Principal Tachi shook his head. "No, no, no, the General Studies Department isn't like that. It's a department we created for those who had potential in another department, but didn't quite meet the cut. If we think they show growth during the three years they attend here, we will transfer them to that said department they wanted; otherwise, it serves as a way to prepare students for college, getting them to think of other career options if they realize they don't want to be a hero or work for one of the departments."
Once again, I thought about what Principal Tachi had said. It took me a moment to realize it all. This whole time, I thought I might have stolen a spot from a student who wanted to be in the Hero Department. In all reality, those students were put into another class. If they could prove themselves, they could move up.
Another thought came to mind when I thought about all of it. I liked it here at U.A. Sure, I hated the hero classes and the thought of being on the path to become an actual hero, but I made friends here. Sakura was confident I'd never lose her as a friend, but for my other friends, like Kaito and Raiden, I was afraid that a few months after transferring to another school, they'd just forget about me. It wasn't because we weren't close friends or anything like that, but because they'd have to concentrate on their studies more.
I had already made too many memories going to this school. While most of them were scary, I'd be lying to myself if I didn't like U.A.
"You'd still have to come to my class today, just so I can give one last assessment to the General Studies teachers, but it'd be an easy transition," Mr. Elastic assured. "You'll still have Mr. Ape-X for history, but I can vouch for the other teachers that they will be more than happy to have you in their class and will be happy to help you in any way you'd need."
I nodded my head as I placed the packets about the other schools back on the desk. There were ten of them. Ten different schools I could transfer to. Each place, I'd be starting off new. I could only imagine what the other students would think if they heard that I transferred from one of the best hero schools in Japan. The same thing could be done in any of the General Studies classes; however, at least if I was there, someone could move up to 1-A and become a much better hero than I could even be.
"Smith, don't feel like you need to make the decision today," Principal Tachi explained. "It's a big—"
"I want to stay here," I said. My head snapped up at him before I drew in a deep breath. "If that's okay with you, I'd like to transfer into the General Studies Department."
Principal Tachi was taken off guard. No. Both Principal Tachi and Mr. Elastic were taken off guard by my answer as I saw the 1-A teacher snap his head towards me. Neither of them were expecting an answer so quickly, but I couldn't help myself. With an offer like that, I couldn't pass it up.
I could still go to U.A and be with my friends. I could still walk Ollie to and from school everyday. I could still learn from teachers I enjoyed learning from. Everything could still stay normal.
While a lot of bad things have happened since I've been here, I still felt safe. The teachers wouldn't let any of the villains near us if they had that option. They did their best not because it was their duties as heroes, but because they wanted to. I didn't know that before, but now, all I could see was how much it was they wanted to help keep us safe and help us learn.
That was why I wanted to stay at U.A. I didn't want to become the next Mr. Elastic or any other well-known Pro Hero for that matter. I didn't want to be the one behind the scenes helping them either. I just wanted to come here because I felt comfortable here.
It has been a while since I've felt that way, especially at this place.
~*~*~*~
To my surprise, someone was waiting for me just outside the principal's office. Mr. Elastic and Principal Tachi had to discuss a few things before Mr. Elastic could go back, but I was told to do so, mainly to give my classmates a heads up as to what was about to happen.
That was why I was so surprised to see one of my classmates sitting there on the bench just outside Principal Tachi's office. Even more so, I was surprised since he never texted or called my brother once those villains were defeated. He just seemed to have blown me off. Now, the orange-haired boy was sitting outside the office, almost as if he had been waiting on me.
For a moment, I thought about just walking toward the 1-A classroom alone, but Kaito snapped his head up. The moment our eyes met, he jumped up to his feet and wrapped his arms around me without warning. I felt stuff under his embrace, but didn't say a word as we just stood there.
"Tami-tan! I was so worried," he claimed, still keeping me in that hug. "You weren't coming to school, and I tried contacting you, but you never answered. Why didn't you return any of my texts or calls?"
Texts? Calls? Kaito was there at the festival with me. He should have known what happened to my phone. Instead of calling him out on it, I just shook my head.
"I didn't get them," I told him, almost wanting to add one more comment to it, but instead of saying something I wanted to, I just said, "I don't have a phone, not since the festival."
Even if I did still have my phone, I wasn't sure I could answer them. Just being wrapped inside his hug, I felt even more awkward than before. I pushed my hands on him, escaping his grasp. The moment I was free, I looked away, not sure how I was going to even tell him.
Kaito might have been, as Sakura put it, a gigantic jerk, but that didn't mean I wanted things to end between us. He was still the first friend I made at U.A. Well, we were friends before I came here, but we met because of U.A. I wasn't sure how he'd take the news of me leaving the Heroics Department.
More importantly, I wasn't sure how he'd react to the other thing I needed to tell him.
"Oh," Kaito said. "I'm sorry. Maybe I should have come and visited you. I mean, we are neighbors and all."
I shook my head. "I'm glad you gave me the space. It gave me time to think about what I want to do after I graduate."
When I looked up at him, Kaito smiled. Seeing it, I thought he understood. I relaxed. Things might not be so awkward between us if he started to understand a bit more. Honestly, that was all I could really ask for.
The two of us turned and started to head back to our classroom when Kaito opened his mouth, making me realize it was all wishful thinking. "You're going to work at Mr. Elastic's Hero Agency after you graduate, aren't you? That's why you were all in the principal's office, right? Gosh, I wish I could be that lucky to study under him. Think he might let me into his agency?"
A sigh escaped my lips as I looked down at my feet. How was it Kaito still thought I could be a hero after everything that has happened? He looked up to heroes, sure, but with everything that had happened, I thought he would have known. I thought he would have figured out I wasn't cut out to be a hero, nor did I want to be one.
"No, it's not—it's not that at all," I told him. "I'm transferring to the General Studies Department tomorrow. From there, I'll figure out what it is I want to do, not what anyone else wants me to do when I grow up."
Kaito stayed silent for a moment, catching me off guard. I thought he would have said something right away, even if it was a simple word of denial, but that didn't happen. We walked a few paces in silence until I picked up the courage to look up at him. I hoped by doing so, I could get some sort of answer at him. Instead, Kaito looked down at his feet squeezing his eyes shut.
"Hey, I—"
"Have you given it some thought?" Kaito asked as he stopped walking. I turned around to see him looking me in the eyes. He looked hurt. "I mean, you were really good in our classes. Your Quirk can help hunt down villains and make it easier for them to catch. Don't think I don't understand with your Dad and all, but you're not him. There's not an ounce of bad in you. You would never become a villain like—"
"I know," I said. Maybe I didn't before, as I remember being terrified I'd turn into him whenever I was around him, but I knew better now. I had friends who supported me, and family that was there for me. There was no way I would let myself be tricked by a villain again, nor would I let myself go down a dark path.
While I knew I wasn't going to be a villain, I knew I couldn't be a hero. There was no way I could let myself go down that path.
Despite that, Kaito just shook his head. "Then you know that you can do great things. Maybe we can do some training breaks and help each other more with our heroics class. I can—"
"No," I told him. "I told you, I'm—I'm not going to be a hero."
"But you'd be a great one if you just give it a second chance! I remember seeing how great you were during the entrance exam. Heck, even against those villains, you outsmarted them! Think about all the villains you can take down and—"
"Katio, listen," I said, raising my voice. Kaito was thrown off by it that he took a step back. To be honest, after saying those two words, I felt my own body go numb. I was shocked to even have stand up for myself, but I had to. There was no other way Kaito was going to listen.
All I wanted was for him to listen to me. I didn't care if he disagreed with me. Honestly, I knew that not everyone wanted me to. Ollie, especially, but even he understood where I was coming from. That was all I was asking for.
Once again, I closed my eyes, and drew in a deep breath. "Katio," I said. "There's more to life than being a hero, and I just don't want that for my life. No. It's the last thing I need. I can't be a hero, at least not in the same way you want to be."
"Can't be a hero in—Tami, you know it's illegal to become a vigilante or become a hero any other way," Kaito tried.
"That's not what I mean," I argued. "Look. I'm trying to help you understand, but if you can't then maybe—then maybe we need to break up."
I didn't wait for a response. I couldn't. I knew if I stood there any longer, I would be guilted into doing something I didn't want to, whether that was being Kaito's girlfriend or being a Pro Hero. Being a hero was something I couldn't do. If Kaito couldn't understand that, then we couldn't be together.
There was an ach in my chest as I walked away from him. It should have been so easy to just break things off between us, but Kaito was still a friend. If I looked back, I was afraid I'd see him looking lost and broken, which was exactly how I felt. Well, almost exactly. While I could feel my heart breaking on the inside, I felt free. It was as if I no longer had to live up to anyone's expectations anymore. I could just be me.
If I had any say in the matter, I was never going to let go of that feeling.
Author's Note:
The end.
Okay, not really the end. Soon, I'll be posting the final Author Notes for this book that will go into more detail as to my future plans for this series. I'm No Hero will have a sequel, hopefully turning into a small series. In addition to that, I have a bonus chapter that needed to be cut, but that will be added into a book called The Story Expansion Garden, where deleted chapters, one-shots and short stories based off my longer fics will be uploaded. All I can say about that deleted chapter is that I'm certain my Taiden fans will enjoy it. That snippet will be published sometime next week.
In the meantime, I guess we just have to get to the final chapter question. If you could choose which department at U.A. you could go to (Hero, General Studies, Support, Management), which department would you be in and why?
Again, hope you all enjoyed this story. More to come in the author's note. See ya all there!
Character Spotlight: Ryoto Tachi
Quirk: Dragon Breath
Likes: Coffee
Song: Guide my way by Adi Goldstein