Hagakure Toru was born invisible.
That fact alone worried her parents.
After all, how hard would it be to take care of a baby who seemed to disappear every time they needed to change her diaper?
(It was really hard.)
Toru was one of those rare cases where she was born with her Quirk already manifested.
Some kids might want their Quirk to appear early, but when Toru started daycare and began interacting with toddlers her age, she learned something most children didn't have to so soon.
She learned what it felt like to be ignored.
For a kid who loved attention, it affected her more than she wanted to admit.
Even if she didn't fully understand it at the time, the feeling stayed with her.
That was why, for much of her childhood, Toru preferred staying indoors rather than interacting with classmates.
She filled her time consuming media instead.
Every time she turned on the television, she saw Heroes—moving with confidence and surrounded by cheers and admiration, shining like beacons of light for everyone to see.
And somewhere along the way, a thought quietly took form in her mind.
'I… want to be a Hero.'
--<>--
When Toru moved to a new neighborhood, she decided this would finally be her chance to make friends.
It wasn't that she was antisocial.
Rather, everyone at her old elementary school assumed she was. It was hard to tell when she was talking, after all.
And at that age, children didn't have much social awareness if at all.
So it was rare for someone to stop and let Toru speak.
Unless she put in the effort to move around dramatically to draw attention, she had to rely on projecting her voice.
And asking her to do that, especially in front of people she already somewhat knew, was…
Nervewracking even for her.
Still, Toru entered her new elementary school with a plan.
She would make friends with the first person she met!
Having a proper transfer student introduction sounded cool, too—it was the perfect chance to grab everyone's attention!
As Toru approached the classroom door after the teacher told her she'd be introduced soon, she noticed an unfamiliar face nearby.
'Is he the other transfer student sensei mentioned?'
Toru thought, getting close.
'Maybe… this should be my first friend here…?'
"Hello?"
No response.
The boy seemed lost in thought.
But Toru had already made up her mind, so she didn't give up.
"Helloooo~?"
She watched as the boy glanced in her direction—and then met her eyes.
…Huh?
'A coincidence?'
His eyebrow lifted slightly in surprise, but his gaze stayed fixed, right where her eyes should be.
Toru could see the boy's golden eyes clearly.
"...Hello."
'It feels weird to have eye contact.'
"Hi!" Toru smiled brightly. "You're a transfer student too, right?"
The boy nodded.
"What's your name?"
Something about the moment felt unfamiliar.
'It's almost like…'
"I'm Hagakure Toru!"
"...My name is Shunkan Isshun."
"Nice to meet you, Shunkan-kun!"
She spun herself in a circle, proudly showing herself off. It was the kind of exaggerated enthusiasm Toru was familiar with.
But when she finished, they locked eyes again.
That same strange feeling returned.
'When was the last time I saw eye to eye with someone?'
The thought lingered.
Maybe it was coincidence, but coincidences like that never lasted more than a few seconds.
"My Quirk is Invisibility, if you couldn't tell, hehe!"
'That was a good introduction, if I do say so myself.'
But as if refusing to let things go smoothly, Isshun responded with something completely unexpected, yet something Toru could instinctively tell was genuine.
"I couldn't."
Some people might have taken it as sarcasm.
But as Toru processed his words, something deep in the back of her mind whispered the truth.
'...He can see me?'
--<>--
Even after some time passed, it felt unusual.
With her other friends, it was more common for them to look at her collar instead of her face.
But every time she was with Isshun, that unfamiliar eye contact was the norm.
He could see her confused expressions.
He could see her annoyed ones.
He could see her smile.
It just felt weird.
A good kind of weird.
As if she could be seen.
As if she was standing on the same starting field as everyone else.
It felt incomparably warm.
Maybe it was a good thing that she was Isshun's only friend at school.
…Was that a bad thing to think…?
--<>--
So he wants to be a Hero?
Toru hummed in thought.
'I want to be a hero too, so don't we match?'
After all, what differentiated school friends from real friends was whether you met outside of school or not.
Toru wanted to be a Hero.
And she also wanted to be real friends with Isshun.
So wasn't this a win-win situation for her?
When Isshun agreed, she felt a level of happiness she hadn't experienced before.
And when Isshun said he could make her visible, there was the obvious excitement and anticipation, and a more hidden sense of… disappointment.
Toru instinctively pushed that feeling away.
Her dream was to be seen.
It was just that being seen by only one person was a stray thought.
…For sure.
--<>--
Toru was happy.
While she didn't see herself as someone who took happiness from another person's misfortune, when Isshun declined the girl's confession, a quiet sense of relief bubbled up anyway.
Especially when Isshun had berated the girl for insulting her.
Sure, getting caught eavesdropping was embarrassing—but who cared?
She was in a good mood.
Today would be the day where she could finally understand Isshun's Quirk.
And also…
Finally see herself.
With the confession already failing, Toru couldn't imagine how the day could possibly get worse.
--<>--
Toru had always wondered how Isshun would make her visible.
And whether he would do it in front of other people.
Outwardly, she didn't care.
But inwardly…
It would be nice if Isshun were the first one to see her visible self.
Even if she already knew what his reaction would probably be.
So when Toru could finally see herself, there was a sense of novelty—but more than anything, she wanted Isshun's opinion.
Yet the words came out wrong, tangled in her emotions.
Instead of "How do I look?", she said something he would normally respond to sarcastically.
"...Can you see me?"
She watched Isshun's expression twist in confusion, like he was looking at an idiot.
Yeah. This is what I expected.
Toru knew that once she became visible, people's reactions to her would inevitably change, whether it be good or bad.
Yet—
She knew that for one person, it wouldn't.
"What are you talking about?"
Yes.
This was Shishou.
No—this was the person who had always seen her true self from the very beginning.
"I've always been able to see you."
This was the Isshun she had met from the very start.
No wonder it didn't feel overwhelming.
No wonder it didn't feel like the moment she'd dreamed of.
Because her dream of being truly seen—
Had already been granted.
--<>--
A/N: Hmm. I'm also very happy with this chapter!
--<>--
Here is your 3rd bonus chap from last week!
--<>--
3750PS - Not Complete
7500PS - Not Unlocked