Chapter 62 – Back to School
It was still dark, but the night was about to end. Inside Izuku's bedroom, the sound of a brush coming into contact with a linen canvas could be heard. Normally, painting in the middle of the night, without any light source, would be impossible for a human, but for a Custodian like Izuku, nothing changes. Night or day, he sees very well.
He was now in his temporary home on the UA campus, but the morning before, he had returned to the Gran Torino agency to retrieve the safe and pay his respects to the elderly hero. Thinking back to that last discussion, the brush stopped for a second.
*****
«Thank you for the guidance offered to Shield-san, Gran Torino-dono.» Izuku thanked.
«Bah, with all the mess that's been going on, I wasn't much of a help in the end.»
«Don't say that, Gran Torino-jiisan.» Melissa said smilingly «Thanks to your teachings, I was able to control One For All better. It's partly thanks to you that I was able to keep the Hero Killer at bay.»
«Don't speak nonsense, little girl!» Grant Torino exclaimed, hitting Melissa in the leg. «Stain almost certainly held back, and the one you have to thank most is the master next to you. Also, don't get too worked up! This time it didn't happen, but I'm sure that a little more and you would have exceeded the 8% limit. Think before you act!!!»
As Melissa massaged her stricken leg, blushing with embarrassment, Izuku was chuckling amusedly at the scene.
«Gran Torino-dono, I'd like to ask you a question if possible.» Izuku asked, looking back at the elderly hero
«Spit out the toad! I'm hungry and want to go eat.»
«You were All Might's teacher, weren't you? So why, despite all my research, doesn't anyone know anything about you?»
«I didn't actually want to be a Hero.» Gran Torino stated dryly but seriously «I needed to use my Quirk for personal reasons, so I followed the procedures to obtain my Hero license. However, it's a long story, and you'd better talk to Toshinori about it.»
With Yagi-san? Why, I have a feeling it's related to One For All... I think All Might kept some details hidden that might further reinforce the reason for the secrecy of the hereditary Quirk. Izuku thought
Izuku and Melissa were about to leave when Gran Torino stopped them, looking serious.
«One last thing, younglings... what's your name?!» he asked with a senile interrogative expression.
«You're seriously asking that?!!!» Melissa exclaimed as Izuku burst out laughing
«Custos.» Izuku spoke, regaining composure «The Sternguard Hero: Custos.»
«Oh! That name!» Melissa exclaimed again «Athena.»
This time, Gran Torino smiled, sighing with satisfaction at the response of the pair of students who had finished their internship with him.
His hand had begun to spread the colour again, and a slight smile appeared on his lips, reminding him of what had happened the previous morning.
*****
The brushstrokes became increasingly confident and precise, the features of his subject increasingly defined on the canvas.
The sun had risen, and its warm light filtered through the cracks in the shutter, giving the room a strange, mystical yet sacred atmosphere. The sound of the door opening softly behind him caused the brush to stop again for another second before resuming.
«I guess it's time, Mom.» Izuku said without looking away.
«That too.» he said softly «But I wanted to know: is Eri okay?»
Izuku smiled tiredly yet amusedly before nodding positively. Her eyes fell on the bed, where the little girl she had found in that alley slept peacefully in pink pyjamas that were a little too loose for her. Inko approached the bed, smiling at that adorable creature.
Convincing his mother to adopt Eri wasn't very difficult. Or rather, at first it was, since Inko hadn't met the little girl yet. Sure, she had compassion for Eri and her supposedly difficult past, but it wasn't a decision Inko could make lightly. Everything changed when she met her in person, making it impossible for Inko to resist the little girl's sweetness and her maternal instinct, which was surely screaming at her to protect Eri at all costs. A single call from Inko and a photo of the little girl were enough to immediately secure Izuku's father, Hisashi, to consent to adoption, who stated that he would return even during the summer to meet the child.
While the procedure went smoothly, the problem was Eri herself, who remained wary of everyone except Izuku, breaking many hearts. Only with Inko, learning that she is Izuku's mother and now her mother, did she begin to open up, but not enough.
Furthermore, the traumas Eri has suffered are certainly something that she can't overcome with a snap of fingers or in a few days, but they make her shy and anxious. At night, she often has nightmares, and only the presence of Izuku or something that belongs to him allows her to sleep peacefully. As a result, it became clear that, for the time being, Eri would be sleeping in Izuku's room, partly because Izuku rarely sleeps. The last time was after the fight with the Hero Killer, and it was more of a few hours' sleep than a deep sleep.
«I have to get ready for school.» Izuku said, cleaning his brush and getting up from the stool «Do you think Eri will be able to stay here with you?»
«We can try.»
The answer to Izuku's question was, ultimately, a resounding no. It was as if Eri had developed a sixth sense and knew Izuku would go somewhere, at any moment, leaving her alone. The only way he could convince her to spend time with her adoptive mother and wait for him was when he gave Eri the vial given to him by the Emperor.
Somehow, having something extremely precious for Izuku helped her calm down, but as much as he didn't think it was a mistake, deep down Izuku felt a strange uneasiness.
*****
The return to class was rather uneventful, with the various students in Class 1A sharing their internship experiences, such as Kyoka, who mainly carried out crowd disposal and management tasks, or Tsuyu, who mainly carried out patrols on Japan's maritime borders, even managing to capture a criminal.
Some have changed due to their experiences, such as Uraraka, who exuded a fighting spirit, or Katsuki's new gentlemanly hairstyle, which honestly didn't fit him, but returned to normal soon after losing patience with Hanta and Denki's laughter. Minoru, on the other hand, emerged traumatised from his experience with Mt Lady.
When someone cares about physical appearance, don't necessarily expect a good personality. Izuku sighed.
But of all of them, the ones who caught the class's attention were Melissa, Tenya and Izuku himself. After all, their clash with the Hero Killer and Izuku's intervention in the square significantly eclipsed all the experiences of others.
«I was genuinely worried about you when I heard about what had happened.» Momo said worriedly «But thank goodness you're okay.»
«Thanks for the thought, Yaoyorozu-san.» Melissa said, smiling «But it's mostly thanks to Midoriya-san that we're still okay.» she finished, looking at him.
«I didn't do anything noteworthy, Shield-san.» Izuku stated neutrally «I remind you that it was Endeavor who captured the Hero Killer.»
«Midoriya-san is telling the truth, Yaoyorozu-san.» Tenya confirmed.
«Yes. That's right.» Shoto supported him.
«I read the news.» Mashirao interjected «They say he had some connection to the League of Villains. It must have been hard.»
Izuku almost felt like smiling at the statement, but his ancient discipline nipped that reaction in the bud.
«Well, he definitely wasn't a recommendable guy.» Denki said, hearing the story «But have you seen the speech about his mission? I find it almost interesting.»
«Kaminari-san!!!» Melissa called him back.
Melissa's eyes fell on Tenya, worried. Izuku's expression, however, was flat, as he understood why Denki had made such a statement.
Izuku himself had sincerely praised Stain for his ideals, just as he had sincerely expressed his disappointment with the way Stain had applied his solution. The goal was ambitious, the solution was distorted but, in some ways, realistic. Telling a corrupt person, to the core, to stop is pointless; death would have been more effective. He applied that solution countless times when dealing with cults dedicated to pernicious powers, but, unlike Stain, he never took the lives or futures of innocents.
Let's see how he behaves as Emperor's Eye. Izuku thought, clenching his fists. A misstep and I will personally make sure to cut off his head.
«It's all right.» Tenya calmly stated «I can understand people's admiration for someone with an unwavering goal. But, like someone, I will never approve of the method he used to achieve his goals.»
Izuku's gaze crossed Tenya's, reading gratitude into the young aspiring hero's eyes. Izuku nodded slightly to express his approval.
«If corrupt heroes are to be part of the past, then I will not hesitate to pursue this goal starting with myself!» Tenya declared, performing an axe blow with his hand, making Izuku giggle.