Codename
Chapter 18
“Where are you going?”
Shoto didn’t even pause at his sister’s question where he was putting on his shoes at their house’s door.
“To the hospital.”
He had postponed it till the last minute, but classes began again on the next day and he couldn’t push it back any longer.
“Now? What’s the hurry? Wait, Shoto, you won’t tell dad?”
“No.”
“Why do you want to see Mum after all this time?”
Shoto didn’t answer his sister’s question. Truth was, even he wasn’t sure of the answer.
The way to the hospital was calm, but inside he was a ball of nerves. What would he say when he saw her? Would she want to see him? Would she be angry at him for not having visited sooner?
“Mum…”
Every worry disappeared when he saw her smile.
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Yumi returned home from her visit to grandpa to find her father sitting with Naomasa in the sitting room.
“Congratulations, Yumi-hime, on your third place!” greeted her Tsukauchi.
“Thank you, uncle Naomasa!” she returned giving him a kiss on the cheek before sitting down next to her dad. “Hi, daddy!”
“Hello, little princess. How’s grandpa?”
“He was oddly curious about Izuku-kun.” She said throwing him a look that clearly said he blamed him.
Toshinori blinked in surprise, though he shouldn’t have been. He had written him a letter speaking about his young pupil.
“How do you feel after your first UA festival?” asked her uncle.
“Exhausted and at the same time full of energy.” Replied the girl. “I’ve been able to weigh my talent against my classmates’ and, though I could’ve done better, I’m happy with the result. Shoto deserved to win, he’s very talented and he works really hard. He even asked me to help him with training his fire.”
“Oh, really? And it’s Shoto now?”
“Yes, of course. He’s a friend.”
Tsukauchi could tell with his quirk that she was absolutely telling the truth, at least as she saw it, and he looked at his friend from the corner of his eye. The blonde man was oddly tense and Tsukauchi shook his head with a slightly ironical smile.
He decided to let it go this time. It was a can of worms he didn’t want to open in front of his dear and very protective friend.
“So how is Shinso-kun? From what I saw, he did pretty well in the festival too…”
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“I should leave.” Said Shoto getting up from his mother’s hospital bed.
“Already…?” asked his mother reaching her hand out to him and lowering it just as fast with a sigh.
“It’s getting late and I have class tomorrow.”
“Be careful on the way home.” His mother advised simply.
Shoto nodded and turned to leave, but he hesitated. A last question hung on the tip of his tongue, the memory of bright green eyes haunting him.
“Mum… could I bring a friend over the next time I visit?”
Todoroki Rei smiled at him.
“Of course, I’ll be glad to meet any of your friends.”
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Shinso listened intently as Aizawa-sensei explained the importance of there being people interested in them from their first year and them choosing their hero codenames.
He looked at his best friend from the corner of his eye and found her looking pensive. He knew she’d given her codename some thought, but she still wasn’t happy with any of her ideas.
She had come up with the perfect one for him, though, and wanting to pay her back, he’d thought about her codename some too.
He believed he had a good one for her.
And so, he slipped a piece of paper to her.
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“You’re hero name will give you a clearer idea of the kind of hero you want to become.” Explained Aizawa as he slipped into his yellow sleeping bag and left them in the capable hands of Midnight.
“Remember, boys and girls, although this name is temporary, most heroes are known by the name they chose in their school days.” She cautioned.
After a few minutes to think about it, they started to go to the front of the class in order and explain their choice.
Shinso’s turn came just before hers and he stood in front of the class with the panel his codename was written on.
“Mockingbird.” He said simply.
“Ohh, Mockingbird, like the bird capable of copying any sound!” intervened Midnight-sensei happily. “Goes well with your abilities, it’s simple and doesn’t give too much information about your quirk. It’s perfect!”
With a nod and a half bow, Shinso left the front and it was her turn.
She looked at the panel in her hands once more and got up slowly. She still wasn’t too sure that it wasn’t a presumptuous name after hearing names like Mockingbird, Tentacole or Froppy ―Tsukuyomi, the name of the god of night, didn’t count, as it fit her friend Fumikage too well―, but it was better than nothing and she trusted Midnight would have her change it if it was too much.
“I, uh, well, I’ve chosen…” she took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I’ve chosen ‘Medusa’.”
There was a moment of silence and then…
“The mortal maiden sister of the Gorgons whose gaze could turn people into stone, according to the myths…” said Midnight in a soft thoughtful voice. “It fits you perfectly, Yagi-chan, good job!”
As her class clapped, her shoulders slumped and she smiled at Shinso.
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Yumi looked at the list with the internship offers she’d received. There were quite a few, but not many that got her attention like the first one did.
The Number 3 Hero, Hawks, had made an offer for her.
She remembered the hero from their encounter before her last combat and he had seemed a kind and strong person, with a lot of hidden sides.
She admitted she was curious.
Her dad sat down next to her in the teacher’s room, where she’d slipped in when her classmates were all busy talking about their pending internship.
They had two days to decide, but somehow she felt like she’d already made up her mind.
“Are those your internship offers, Yumi-hime?” asked her father having a look at the list.
“Yes, Aizawa-sensei gave them to us.”
“And have you made a choice already?” asked Present Mic curiously from where he was leaning against a desk. “You don’t have to rush it, you know?”
“I know but… I received an offer from Hawks.”
“Hawks? The Number 3 Hero?” asked Present Mic slightly wide-eyed. “He doesn’t usually take on interns.”
Yumi stored away that tidbit of information for later perusal and nodded, passing the papers over to the man.
“Huh, look at that. Guess your outstanding performance in the UA festival caught the attention of a few big fish.” Commented Present Mic before giving her back the papers. “So you’re considering him?”
Yumi nodded.
“It’s a good chance to learn from one of the top heroes.” Nodded her father beside her. “I’ve worked with him a couple of times and he’s both highly intelligent and someone who always speaks his mind.”
“I met him in the festival.” Admitted Yumi. “He seemed kind and…” she stopped herself before she could blurt out he was handsome and blushed a little. “well, he seemed kind. He even knew my name and he said he’d be keeping an eye on me.”
“Hum… seems like you managed to make an impression.” Hummed Present Mic looking thoughtful.
“So you want to be his intern?” asked her father with a small fond smile.
“Yes, but…” Yumi looked up to the ceiling, looking worried. “what if I can’t keep up? He is a top hero.”
“That’s what an internship is about, Yumi-hime. You don’t need to be able to keep up from the very beginning, just learn to do it.”
Yumi nodded, a little more reassured by his words. Seeing how pensive she looked, her father tried to distract her.
“You know who Izuku got an offer from?”
“Who?”
“Gran Torino.”
Yumi snorted.
“I’m certainly not surprised.”
“Really?” asked her father.
“You are?”
Her father turned sheepish.
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It was after that that she learnt of what happened to Ingenium, Tenya’s older brother.
He wouldn’t be able to continue his hero career, wounded gravely by Stain, the Hero Killer.
The man had been her nightmare for years, having killed 17 heroes and wounded gravely another 23. She felt sorry for Tenya-kun; that boy adored his brother.