Chapter 5
HYAKUYA YUICHIRO
Hyakuya often wondered if he had made the right decision in joining the HPSC. The Commission may have the word "hero" in its name, but the organization was anything but heroic.
Even as a young man, he was not blind to the organization's faults and wanted to transform it. But in the end, he had been too late to act, and because of that, Kaina-san had nearly lost her life. The woman was like a sister to him, and among teachers and mentors, she was the closest thing he had to family.
And the Commission had broken her. He was not blind to her sorrows and conflict and had tried his best to comfort her, but in the end, that bastard had pushed her too far.
Thankfully, he was able to intervene just in the nick of time to save her life, but a part of him hoped he had acted sooner.
He had then blackmailed the previous President into resigning and replaced Kaina-san on their roster, taking up her work as he tried to protect the Heroes' image in society as she had done for years, but in his own way. Loathsome as they were, he could understand the HPSC rationale, for even in the developed world, Japan enjoyed a crime rate far below that of the usual average.
Much of it could be attributed to the prowess of All Might himself, yet the HPSC's actions also allowed them to maintain strong public support and perception for the Heroes, granting them much liberty and validation for their heroism.
It was classic social engineering, but it worked.
But he had not joined the HPSC for its effectiveness. The Commission was simply a stepping stone for him, for he was among the very few people in Japan aware of the impending disaster coming for the country.
All For One. An evil long forgotten by their society was stirring once more, and the sad reality was that the only person who could shield them from this great evil continued to weaken with every passing day.
All Might's era was coming to its end, and the sad truth was that there was yet no clear successor to him. His mere presence gave assurance to people not just in Japan but all over the world, for their hearts eased and their worries faded as soon as they saw his bright smile.
And with that light dwindling away, the world needed a successor to the Symbol of Peace.
Hyakuya had promised himself to be that successor, and the Commission had been the best path for fulfilling that dream of his.
"The Sports Festival," their homeroom teacher announced, as their entire class shifted at the announcement.
"The UA Sports Festival is a national spectacle," Aizawa warned, and it was in many ways more popular than even the Olympics, drawing millions of viewers.
"This will be your first exposure to the outside world as Heroes. So, you better make it count," he added, and this was another reason for him coming to UA.
Apart from keeping the Commission on its toes, UA was perhaps the most well-regarded Hero School in all of the World, and when shit happened in UA, the entire world watched.
And that was what he needed. He did not have much time to work his way through the charts like a regular Hero, for All Might's power continued to dwindle more and more with every passing year, and soon enough, the world would have no choice but to search for a successor to its Symbol of Peace.
Hyakuya planned to become that successor. He planned on doing so within the next three years.
"I will circulate the forms within a few days. All those who wish to participate in the Festival are required to submit their entries within a week. Until then, you should start preparing for the Festival on your own," and he did not miss how the Pro heroes' gaze lingered much longer on him, as he said those words.
"Now, you are all dismissed," and it was time for their lunch break, and as soon as Eraser's head left the classroom, all of them erupted in excitement.
"It's finally here," and most of the students here had grown up idolizing heroes, and the Sports Festival of UA was like the World Cup to them. Hado Nejire bubbled up with excitement as well, as she turned to him.
"I am so excited," and the friendship with the blue-haired girl had been a strange one, for Hyakuya would not consider himself a very talkative person, while Nejire herself barely ever stopped talking. She had too inquisitive a nature and wanted to know everything about anything.
"I can't believe that I will be participating in the Sports Festival myself. It has not been so long since I was watching Midnight-sensei dominating the competition," and their Hero perception course teacher was a UA alum as well, and mostly dealt with the more public aspects of hero life.
"Hey, Hyakuya-kun," she called out as he slightly tilted his face.
"Who was your favourite hero growing up?" she asked, and he had to rake his mind before he gave a real enough answer.
"All Might," and Nejire's eyes widened.
"All Might! I was not expecting that," and he shrugged, for in one way, Hyakuya owed the man his life.
"Why?" he asked, and she pouted as she tapped her face.
"I don't know. You just have a very different personality from him, I guess," and that was true.
"Still, it is not a bad choice. He did dominate the Competetion during his third year," she added and indeed he had, for in the initial year there were hints that he was still learning how to handle the powers of his quirk, yet by third year all his troubles were gone and the world was revealed the true Might of the man who would go on to become the Symbol of Peace.
"You are going to participate, right?" she asked, a bit nervously, and he nodded.
"Of course," he answered, and then she turned to the boy sitting in front of her, who had his head slapped onto the table.
"I don't want to. I don't want to," Amajiki continued to whisper as Nejire smiled.
"Well, I will let Mirio handle that..."
0000
KEIGO TAKAMI—HAWKS
Hawks was no fan of the Commission as well, or what they had done to his senior, Lady Nagant. What had started as a covert operation to rid their society of Villains who may exploit the trust and privileges of a Hero had turned into a secret personal vendetta machine of the former president.
Even during his final moments, he had tried to kill Lady Nagant just so he could continue his heinous crimes, and if it was not for Hyakuya's overt intervention, he wondered if the Commission would still have been his personal hit machine.
Yet even then, his actions had not made Hyakuya much popular, and even now, many within the HPSC wished to get rid of him. But such a thing was easier said than done. In many ways, Hyakuya was the perfect amalgamation of his and Kaina's skills.
He had trained under both of them to hone his skills, and even at his age, he would argue that he was perhaps among the strongest Heroes in all of Japan. Still, both the President and he wondered about his aim, and so that was what had brought him here.
Hawks now stood outside a rather simple and small House located just outside Tokyo, one that, on first glance, seemed rather ordinary, yet to his well-trained eyes, he had not missed the extreme surveillance and the half a dozen people keeping a lookout.
KNOCK. KNOCK.
He knocked on the door, and yet no response came, just as he had expected.
"Kaina-san. I know you are in there," he spoke into the camera, but no response came.
"Look, I even brought gifts," and he showed her the boxed melon that he had bought just for her, and yet heard no movement from the inside, and when he felt no change, one of his feathers flew out of his back and began to nibble at the lock.
Yet before he had picked it, the door was opened suddenly, and he found a gun aimed at his head.
"I should shoot you," Kaina-san snarled angrily.
"Hi, is that how you greet your precious kouhai?" he whispered, knowing well that she would never do that.
"You are not my precious kouhai," she answered coldly, without any remorse, as Hawks walked forward, ignoring the barrel aimed at his head.
"You wound me, really. Though I believe I should have expected that. After all, Hyakuya always was your favourite," and finally that glacial expression shifted, and her eyes narrowed.
"Is he here?" she asked, and he shook his head.
"No, but I am here to talk about him," he whispered, covering his mouth as he pretended to yawn, and she finally lowered the gun and let him enter her humble home.
"Come in, then," and Hawks hopped in, slipping off his shoes, as he found himself walking into a rather traditional home, with wooden flooring and all that. She led him to a sitting area and offered him nothing but water before she plopped down in front of him.
The House was rather simple, and there was no hint of her past life as a Hero in it. Despite her tainted past, Lady Nagant had been quite a popular hero, who was hailed as an even greater shooter than Snipe himself, who was among Japan's top fifty heroes.
Yet, there was no mention of that part of her life anywhere in the home, and he did not need to guess why. Her time away from the job had brought a semblance of tranquility to her, and while previously her face had been plagued with worry and dark circles, the half a year she had spent away from her double life had begun to rid her of those worries and blemishes.
"You look good," he commented despite the lack of hospitality, yet she refused to engage in any small talk, as she got straight to the point.
"Where is he?" she asked, and Hawks raised a brow.
"I believe you already know," and he knew that he still wrote to her, keeping her in the loop about his life even though she continued to ignore him.
"I know that he still writes to you," and given how she had practically raised him, there was no way that she had not read those letters.
"Why are you here?" she pivoted.
"Because I am curious," and if she had no intention of engaging him in any word play, then he would return the favor.
"You or that witch!" she snarled angrily, as her fist balled up.
"Both," he did not lie, and she had her own reasons.
"She is afraid of him. Afraid that Hyakuya would destroy the HPSC, because with him now at UA, the HPSC's influence over him continues to wane with every passing day," and with the UA Sports Festival set to kick off the day after tomorrow, those shackles were about to get even weaker.
"Hungh," Kaina-san scoffed as she sipped her water.
"He could do that, but he won't," she answered as Hawks frowned.
"How can you be so sure?" he asked, and she met his gaze.
"What exactly is his goal?" he asked, and the answer to that question had eluded them all.
"If you repeat this to anyone, and I do mean anyone, then I will make it my life's mission to put you down!" she warned, as Hawks felt his curiosity pique at those words.
"Oh, is that so?" he asked, and she cracked her neck.
"Yes," and to think that she would go so far just for him. Hawks had been right.
She did still care for him, even though she tried to pretend otherwise.
"That very aim is what drove him into that ghastly place. It is an aim he decided for himself when he was but five years old," and to think that she knew all that.
"He was but a child in that orphanage of his when a villain attacked the building, but thankfully they were saved by a Hero," and the story was no different than a thousand others that he had heard.
It seemed a cliche.
"That was the day he decided to become a Hero. Not just to save people, but to save that Hero and the thousand others like him who toil away to save and protect as many people as they can...." and that was a rather unique perspective.
"So, he became a Hero to save a Hero," and Kaina-san was not blind to the hypocrisy of those words.
"Yeah, I thought it was a joke as well. But only recently did I realise the implication of those words," and her eyes lowered, as she bit her lip, and so it was not all as simple as he had thought.
"A Hero who saved Heroes, huh," he repeated, still contemplating the meaning behind those words.
"You have given me much to think about," and with those words, he rose up and began to move, and when he was at the door, he stopped.
"Who was that Hero? The one who saved him?" he asked, as he glanced back at her and felt her body still at his question, and it took her a few seconds to answer that one question.
"It was All Might...."
.
.
.
And as Hawks left, Kaina Tsutsumi rose from the ground and opened a drawer just beside her bed, and found herself staring at a stack of letters, all addressed to her in that neat, familiar writing.
And besides his most recent letter, lay one that was much different than the rest, for this one bore the seal of UA, and had been written by the Principal of the institute himself.
0000
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