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Shinsou clenched his fist. Guilt, anger and sadness flowed through his chest, tightening it. His brain and body were exhausted and in terrible pain. He was still processing what the hell had happened. That boy from the hero class - that green-haired boy - how did he break out of his spell? Without using his quirk?
Shinsou had come a long way. From having lost his chance to get into the hero course at UA and being put into the general course to finally proving himself at the sports festival by winning the first couple rounds with his quirk’s help...only to be beaten cruelly into a pulp in the last rounds of the competition.
His competition was the weird kid from class 1-A - the one who was rumoured to break a lot of bones - scratch that, he did get his fingers broken in their fight.
Shinsou had been confident about his win. The green-haired dude had seemed too chivalrous for his own sake. He had been bound to reply when Shinsou laid a trap by insulting his classmate. That way, he had thought, he'd brainwash him and make him walk out of bounds, thereby sealing Shinsou’s victory.
Surprise, Surprise! Things did not go according to his plans (when has it ever?). The dude somehow managed to do the impossible, which was breaking out of his brainwashed thoughts. He’d then flung Shinsou across the ground, thus sealing his defeat.
It was humiliating; he was disappointed and disgruntled with himself. All he had wanted was to gain some recognition from the hero course. Heh, given his stupendous loss in the first round, Shinsou doubted whether he would ever make his dreams of becoming a hero come true.
Shinsou walked towards the infirmary. He noticed a girl walking out of it at the same time he started to enter the room. The girl was of average height, maybe 162 centimetres, but the aura with which she carried herself made her look taller. She had dark brown hair, styled into waves and cut short just above her shoulders. She wore the UA gym uniform, so Shinsou assumed she was also a student, probably injured in a fight which had then led her to the infirmary. The bruises on her arms did confirm this fact. She carefully closed the door behind her and turned to the side, the side from which Shinsou was entering into her field of view.
Maybe if he had kept his head down and moved a bit fast, she'd- "Oh hey! It's you! The purple kid with the brainwashing quirk." - not notice him.
"Um," he said. Okay, Shinsou do not be awkward. "Yeah?" Good job, now she'll think you are.
"Your quirk is soo cool!" She beamed. Was her quirk related to the powers of the sun? "You made it to the individual battles. Maan, I wish I had too! Those battles were amazing. Yours was the one which intrigued me. Pity the broccoli dude broke out. I wonder how he is faring, though." She fell into deep thought.
" Gah! Where are my manners? I'm Sakuya from class 1-B!" "Shinsou, Shinsou Hitoshi", he introduced himself.
"Nice to meet you, Shinsou! You seem cool, we should spar sometime. You could use some training if you want to fight like that broccoli dude."
Shinsou flinched at that, but the offer seemed good. Maybe he could use the practice, she was a hero student after all. But what use would it be if no one was going to look in his direction anymore? Maybe it was time to give up - "Sakuya! Where are you? The next battle is about to start." A deep male voice sounded.
"Coming 'tou-chan !" Shinsou looked in the direction of the voice. For a moment Shinsou almost had a heart attack. There, in all his glory, stood a mummified Eraser Head, Shinsou's idol. Eraser was, dare he say, much like Shinsou. He was an underground hero who had a quirk not powerful enough to be one, yet he managed to enter the esteemed hero class in his student years and became the successful person he was today.
Sakuya, paying no mind to Shinsou’s stupefied face, called back as she ran away, "Hope we meet again Shinsou-Kun!"
"Um- Okay," Shinsou said, still in a daze as his idol was in a 5-meter radius within him.
OTOU-CHAN ? The word hit him so hard that he felt he was being thrown by Midoriya all over again. Since when did Eraser have a daughter? Then again, very few people would know this fact. Eraser was famous for having gone underground, thus not allowing the media to be involved in his life. So obviously, without the media's reporting, Eraser's personal life would hardly be the talk of the town."
~∗~∗~∗~
"Shinsou-Kun, you have terrible footwork," Sakuya noted out loud. Shinsou panted, trying to catch his breath.
True to her word, Shinsou and Sakuya had started to train together about 3 weeks after the sports festival. She had been gone for a week after the festival due to her hero internship (which is a week full of practical training that he missed). When school re-opened, she had immediately met Shinsou (whether it was coincidence or stalking he'll never know) and had prompted him to train with her.
"There's going to be a practical exam for us," she had said. "Kendo's senpai told me there's a higher chance that we will be made to fight robots but I just want to train with someone for reassurance".
"Why can't you ask your dad? He is after all a teacher for the hero class," Shinsou had questioned.
"Don't joke around, Shinsou-Kun. My father is the most reserved person I know. It's going to take a lot to make him spill the details about the test," Sakuya had answered, smiling and giving a light punch to his shoulder.
Shinsou had thought about the proposal for a while and then agreed to it. If he's going to try for the hero class, he had better get some first-hand experience from a hero student herself. That incident had led to them sparring during their study holidays (and Shinsou tutoring Sakuya because she's a lost cause in academics). They'd go to the creeks during the evening, and sometimes even in the mornings, and spar until both of them got too tired to move a muscle.
That was until Sakuya had come one day bringing an oh-so-familiar idol of his.
"Eraser head?" He had gaped at him.
"Oh, this is the student you've been telling me about," his deep voice had sounded.
"Yeah otou-chan, this is Shinsou-Kun. Shinsou-Kun, this is my dad, otou-chan, "Sakuya had replied.
"I've heard a lot about you, Shinsou."
"Uh- thank you".
Thank you? You're meeting your hero and this is how you act ? Shinsou berated himself.
"Shinsou-Kun, don't you worry. Otou-chan is going to start training us both," Sakuya had beamed.
"You want to get into the hero course, kid?" Eraser Head had asked.
Shinsou had nodded with the alacrity of a woodpecker, "Yes sir."
Eraser had sighed, "The hero course is not a place to have fun. An average student is grilled and made to work hard in various kinds of work, whether it's quirk development or taking part in simulated real-life scenarios. These pieces of training are very harsh. Also, when you graduate, you enter a place where you can’t afford to make mistakes. This time you won't be losing points or grades but the lives of innocent civilians and victims. That being said, you also cannot afford to slack on academics as well," he had ominously said.
Shinsou had hardened his purple eyes and had replied sturdily, " I'm aware, sir. I want to become a hero to protect those civilians and victims. I want to help create a peaceful city."
Silence had followed this, but the eye contact between both men didn't waver.
Eraser had finally sighed and had scratched his neck, "Well, it seems you've decided your future. As Sakuya said, I will now start training you personally. For starters, spar with Sakuya here. Show me what you got."
Since that fateful day, Shinsou had improved a lot under his mentor Eraser Head (his stomach flips and a warm feeling spreads in his chest every time he calls Eraser Head that).
"Let's take a small break, shall we?" Sakuya's voice brought Shinsou back to reality. Shinsou nodded as he reached for his water bottle nearby. Sakuya sat down next to him on the grass, folded her legs and tried to slow her breathing.
"Hey," Shinsou called. " Why did you want to train with me? It's not like we were friends before. I also had a shitty performance during the sports festival. Why did you ask me instead of your classmates?"
"Hmm... I figured you wanted to be in the hero class from your fight with Broccoli-Kun. I found it interesting. You were very unique from my classmates, and 1-A students are too scary to talk with," Sakuya shuddered. "I thought that maybe if we trained together, you and I could improve in various ways. Besides, I've been giving my dad subtle hints about you. I dunno if he acknowledged them or not but it's worth a shot. And who said we aren't friends? I think you're a good friend, Shinsou-Kun." She finished with a beaming smile.
Shinsou averted his eyes from her and fixed his lavender eyes upon the grass in front of them. Her words slowly registered in his head. A soft red hue bloomed his cheeks and coloured his ears. Shinsou covered his lower face with a hand and tried to control his blush.
Sakuya turned to him and got startled, "E-eh? Shinsou-Kun? Are you alright? You seem very red? Is it the heat or are you tired? Shinsou-Kun!"
~∗~∗~∗~
It has been a while since Shinsou trained with Sakuya. The brown-haired girl had gone to summer camp after passing her exams and practical exams as well. She had come, bouncing with energy to him right after school one day and had almost screamed that she had aced her exams. Her happiness had been so contagious that it had made even Shinsou smile at her excitement.
"I'll be gone for a week or two for summer camp. Don't find another training partner when I'm gone, ‘kay?" She had warned.
Shinsou, of course, did his training on his own now during Sakuya's absence. He does his morning jogs, push-ups, sit-ups by the beach and goes to the gym to practice punches or kicks that might come into use in close combat.
This particular day, he was coming from his jog at the gym to his home. He always passed by the small alley which was home to a few kittens. Shinsou couldn't bring one of them to his residence but he would always bring food, water and blankets if the day had been cold. Today instead of finding kittens and cats, he found a human being there as well. A girl, specifically. She had dark brown hair tied into a messy bun. She wore glasses covering her brown eyes, which were fixated on the kittens. Her hands were petting a kitten in the cardboard box.
"Staring is rude, y'know," the girl said, not taking her eyes from the kittens.
Shinsou's eyes widened at her dialogue.
"Sorry," he said. "I wasn't expecting anyone here."
The girl turned and made eye contact with his lavender ones. "You're the one who brings blankets for these kittens?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah," Shinsou nodded.
" Are ? It's you! You're the one who trains with Sakuya, yeah?" The girl asked.
Shinsou's face morphed into that of confusion and replied, "Um yeah. How do you-?"
The girl cut him and let out a long "oh"
"I saw you with her during the study holidays. You guys train a lot together. I'm her sister, Sahara. I'm a 1-F support student." "Shinsou," he replied. Eraser has two daughters now, he thought.
"Sakuya isn't subtle about you wanting to join the hero course, right?" Sahara sniggered.
Shinsou groaned inwardly. How transparent was Sakuya? It's so embarrassing now .
"Yeah, it's my dream to become a hero."
Sahara got up from her spot and dusted her hands.
"You've got a cool quirk - brainwashing, wasn't it? How did you not get into the hero course? I heard there was a dude whose quirk was just sticky balls. Heard he was quite the pervert as well. The committee must have been super messed up to let that guy in and not you", she grimaced.
Shinsou chuckled at her words.
"Want to hang out for a while? I've got the entire house to myself so there's no one nagging for me to come home.". Shinsou snorted, "Never knew Eraser Head was the nagging kind."
"Well, the old man cares a lot more than he seems to. He likes cats too, just won't let me and my sister have one."
Needless to say, Shinsou and his new friend, Sahara, spent the day chatting about her father and occasionally bullying Sakuya.
~∗~
" Achoo! " Sakuya sneezed. "Exercising in this cold air is sure giving me the chills," she shuddered.
"Oh? So is this the end of your ’Plus Ultra’?"
A dark aura surrounded her. Sakuya slowly turned her head. "Un-Uno Tiger-Sensei I didn't mean-"
"A HUNDRED BENDING EXERCISES!" He bellowed.
"EH?!?"
~∗~∗~∗~
Months passed. Sakuya had her hero license and Sahara was the top student in her class and the most tired looking one, even though both Shinsou and Sakuya spend more time exercising for their hero courses ("You still aren't into one," she'd deadpan at Shinsou. "Well I'm certainly trying to catch up with months of work which is twice as gruelling," he'd argue back. "You guys talk as if actual hero work isn't hard enough," Sakuya would comment, which will be promptly ignored by the both of them.)
Sakuya and Shinsou would still spar from time to time with Eraser training him. Sahara would occasionally come out of her workspace (which is either her room or a very, very dusty and greasy garage in their house) and give a few tips on how he can use his quirk and ideas about how his support materials should look. That conversation will then usually transcend into a 3-hour designing session and a 45-minute argument on why Shinsou should have violet jet packs that burst purple glitter (Sakuya said it would be a great idea but the colours would clash and Sahara said the whole idea was vomit-worthy ).
The three of them became close friends and hung out once a week at least.
Today, however, when the trio hung out, Sakuya declared she wanted to learn more about her "Bestie 'Toshi’."
"I've wondered, you've come to our home billions of times and yet, you never told us where you live," she said.
"I lived in the nearby orphanage. That is, until the dorms."
Sakuya choked while Sahara spat out her drink on her sister. "You're an orphan?" They gasped.
Shinsou shrugged and passed a napkin to Sakuya. "I don't know much about my parents. I pretty much grew up in the orphanage. Not many families wanted me. It was either they didn't want a grown child or because of my ‘villainous’ quirk. I gave up on finding a family and focused more on becoming a hero. I worked hard to get a scholarship to UA and now here I am."
"Wow, Shinsou. That's pretty admirable, how you've worked hard. The only time I saw Sakuya work hard was when she begged our dad - on her knees, mind you, she was ugly crying too - to let her take the recommendation exam. Spoiler alert: He didn't."
Sakuya, offended, raised her voice, "HEY! That's not true. I’ve worked hard plenty of times."
Shinsou snorted at their antics and added, "You're not bothered by the fact that Sahara just revealed premium blackmail material about yourself and you didn’t deny it."
Sahara grinned, "This ice-breaking session has been as wonderful as you had intended to be. Thanks, Saku-chan !"
"Wha - you guys! I will not tolerate such slander," Sakuya huffed.
Shinsou gave a grin that matched Sahara's, "Aw, don't you worry Saku-chan . Maybe if you imitate yourself begging Aizawa-sensei we'll forgive you. Maybe ."
Sakuya let out another sound of outrage while her best friend and sister shared a laugh.
~∗~
"Shinsou!"
Sahara called him while opening the door of her dorm building. Shinsou turned to look at Sahara.
"Next week is your trial day of fighting with the hero course students, right?"
Shinsou nodded.
"Beat ‘em up. Especially Sakuya. Can't wait to hear your acceptance into the course, hero," she grinned.
Shinsou smiled back, "You can count on it."
~∗~∗~∗~
"Now don't get too excited," Eraser's deep voice sounded, "Shinsou will be joining the hero course only next year."
Both classes, 1-A and 1-B erupted into shouts of joy. A new classmate! Some even asked the teachers, " Sensei ! Which class will Shinsou be joining?"
Shinsou's inner self felt immense joy. His lifelong dream will finally be coming true. Although he will have to catch up with more training and improve himself, Shinsou was ecstatic about joining the hero course.
"Class dismissed. Those who have injuries go to Recovery Girl. Monoma, come with me." Eraser said, waving his head.
The class started making their way to the changing room while some gathered around Shinsou to congratulate.
"Congratulations Shinsou-Kun" a familiar voice sounded. Sakuya grinned at him, "Welcome to the hero course. Hope you join 1-B."
Shinsou smiled softly, turning his head down to his hands that were gripping his mask. "Thanks, Sakuya."
"Well, this calls for a celebration!" Sakuya clapped her hands. "Come to the front of the teachers' dorms by the evening. Sahara found this cool new thing and she wants you to be there."
Shinsou raised an eyebrow. Though he was immune to the sisters' antics and them dragging him into it by now, it's usually impromptu. Never have they once invited him so politely.
"What are you two planning?" He asked.
"Oh, come on, Hitoshi! Why do you have to assume everything we do has some sinister intention behind it?" Sakuya whined.
Shinsou continued to stare at her.
"Okay fine", Sakuya admitted defeat, "But trust us on this one. I promise this is super exciting!"
Shinsou replied, "Okay, fine, whatever. I'll stop by the evening."
Sakuya cheered, " Yosh! You're going to love this one."
Later in the evening, Shinsou appeared in front of the teachers' dorms as promised. As he came towards the door, he saw the siblings standing. The calm and composed Sahara was playing with her fingers, and her sister looked way too giggly.
"Alright, I'm here. What's up, you two?" Shinsou questioned.
"Well, Shinsou Hitoshi-Kun, as a reward for entering into the hero course, Sahara and I have a present to give you," she said, handing him an envelope. Shinsou sighed and took the envelope from her hands. He carefully opened it and saw a few papers.
"What are guys onto?" he mumbled as he took the sheets of paper into the light and looked at them. His lavender eyes widened reading the texts and his jaw fell open.
"T-these, these are-"
"Adoption papers!" Sahara laughed out. "Sakuya and I talked about this ever since you told us you were an orphan. We thought this would be a great present when you enter the hero course."
"B-but, who? Aizawa-sensei?!" Shinsou exclaimed.
"Yep! We talked with dad about this and he admitted that he may or may not have a soft spot for you - don't worry he does have one. When Sahara presented the papers it did not take him long to sign them."
"That being said, the adoption process is are going to take a while. These things won't be done immediately. Just sign your consent and the process will start," Aizawa's voice sounded as he entered the scene.
Shinsou's eyes watered. "You guys, if this is a prank -," he choked on his sobs.
"Hey, we'll never joke about something as serious as this," Sakuya smiled as she hugged him.
"I-thank you Sensei. I've - I've no words." He managed to say the words without crying.
Sahara hugged him as well as she spoke "You know it'll be very awkward if you called your to-be-dad 'Sensei'. Call him otou-chan. It'll make him weak in the knees even though he will never admit it."
Aizawa snorted and flicked her forehead, "In your dreams, brat. But she is right. In a couple of months, you'll have to stop calling me that, at least, during non-class hours."
Shinsou wrapped his arms around his friends - no - sisters. After fifteen long years, Shinsou is finally proud to say he had fulfilled his two desires, becoming a hero and having a family. Maybe from now on, his life will not be bad, after all, will be sharing it with his family .
End