Chapter 16

"I want to go to school." One day Tenko said out of nowhere.

"Hm?" She turned from the frying pan, "You want to go to school?" She repeated thinking about it. It's better than just sitting here all alone while I'm out working. Going out would be good for him..

Tenko nodded before looking up timidly, "can I?"

She felt surprised. "Of course you can Tencchan" she tilted her head at the relief that filled his face. Baby steps Keira.. baby steps

She grinned, "Yeah okay! Let's just tell All might later on." She turned and flipped the omelet perfectly. The boy smiled as she cheered to herself.

***Keira was sitting on her desk typing on the computer in front of her. After a while, she leaned back stretching a bit.

She had taken this job because it brought her a piece of home. And it was nice. She glanced at her colleague, Akako, who blew another bubble with her gum. Nice but weird. She shook her head remembering her first encounter with Akako. That was unique..

Her mind kept going to Tenko's request. It was expected after all. The kid probably wanted friends and a part of his normal back. She had sent a text to All might to call her when he was free. Her eyes went to her bag again where her phone was.

Nothing.

She sighed before going back to wo—

"A PHONE CALL IS HERE! A PHONE CALL IS HERE!" She jumped two meters high, All Might's voice blaring from her phone. She snatched her bag quickly trying to shut the stupid ringtone. Once she found it, she almost broke the screen trying to press the volume button.

She looked at the caller ID. 

Banana bangs

A laugh made her head snap up. Multiple people were snickering at her, one of them mocking her ringtone.

"Ahaha.. big fan..!" She trailed off her cheeks flaring as she turned towards the window answering the phone.

"What kinda ringtone is that?!" She screeched whispering, her hand cupping her mouth.

"Now now Keira. It made you pick up didn't it?" Her teeth grit in frustration at the smug tone coming from the hero.

"Seriously? When did you even put it All might?"

She jumped when multiple voices from behind cried out, "All Might?!!"

She swiveled back so fast, "No! That is not.. hahaha.. that's not All Might, it's.. my.. Um.." she chuckled nervously as everybody looked at her with somehow creepy shining eyes, ".. um it's just.." she fidgeted before getting irritated "..someone else okay?!" She turned her back tuning in again.

"Great explanation! So what did you want?"

She took a breath to calm down before speaking, "Tenko wants to go to school."

"No."

"I'm starting to think that's your default word All might." She raised an eyebrow a dry smile coming on her face. Of course it's not gonna be that easy. "Why not?"

"You know why not." 

"Other than the obvious villain reason." She mumbled looking to the side. The truth was they had fallen into a routine. All might is mostly outside doing hero work. When he's back, most of the times he's exhausted. They don't really see him a lot which is to be expected from the number one hero. 

Keira would have breakfast, go to work, come back from work and train with Nighteye, and then hangout with Tenko a bit before sleeping. And the hangout part didn't always happen.

The only one who had his life on hold was Tenko. And Keira had noticed. He had been clinging more and always had this lonely look on his face. 

"This is too dangerous and you know it."

She grimaced, "I know but.. how long will this continue? Do you really think you can just keep us here forever on pause mode?" She stared at might towers where the kid was probably sitting by himself feeling lonely. "Maybe we can change his last name or something. I can make papers and finish all that."

"You do know you're admitting to the intent of committing fraud to the number one hero right?" She heard rustling and a SMASH! after his sentence. 

".. which is hypothetical of course." She nodded smiling innocently. 

She could imagine his amused expression as she heard his next words, "Of course. It's all hypothetical with you isn't it?" 

"Ha ha" she said dryly before lowering her voice, "Look, Why don't you just put protection on him? The police or something.. You're the number one hero, I'm sure you have some connections right?"

"number one hero?!"  she flinched from the delighted surprised voices behind her. 

Nosy little- "I said it's not All might!" she hissed before turning back to the call. She could hear him snorting at her words.

"Look, I gotta go, but promise you'll think about it?" 

"Okay okay." He said, "I'll figure something out, but I still think this is a bad idea." 

"Thanks Toshinori." She grinned before the call ended and she went back to her work humming.

***

"You're 1 minute and 33 seconds late." were the words that greeted Keira from Nighteye once she arrived. 

She grimaced at the cold voice. "Sorry." She huffed a breath quietly. It's just 1 minute! "Let's start with warming up."

She nodded and started. The Nighteye training, as Keira called it, was simple and direct just like the man himself. First they warm up, physical exercises and then they train her quirk. Each day she would do it and each day he would come up with new tests for her quirk.

"Can you affect your body with your quirk?"

"Today you'll continue making stuff till you sleep. Record the time when you hit your limit."

"Can you make something that you haven't seen before?"

"Can you affect people with your quirk?"

"Wait actual people?" She asked surprised.

"Yes. Of course, actual people. Have you never thought about it?"

She shook her head. She scratched her cheek smiling confused, "Why would I use it on people?"

He stepped closer with his usual condescending look, "I don't know, Shane. You tell me."

"Your imagination is running wild again Nighteye." she smiled irritated.

He didn't open the subject again but Keira knew that he was watching her like a hawk. Every move was calculated. Every step measured. Nothing was left unattended. He thought she was a villain. He thought she had ulterior motives. Somehow that stung. For Keira who had been welcomed up until now by the number one hero, she didn't realize the fact that not all characters would welcome her with open arms.

In fact, the more she spent time with them, the more they became real. She no longer thought of them as anime characters. They were real people with real thoughts and real emotions. She was on the couch with Tenko watching a movie, all those thoughts running through her head. She glanced at Tenko.

What if he entered the movie he was watching and suddenly all of it was like real life?  Would he react like me? She shook her head, he's a kid, of course he wouldn't. I don't think a lot of people would react like me. she snorted at the next thought that went in her mind, the amount of people who would kill to be in my place.. Maybe I should let my inner fangirl FREEEEEE—

She jumped a small body leaned against her. She raised an arm and hugged him. Tenko clutched her shirt. She glanced at his tiny hand that still wore the gloves she gave him. He rarely took it off. Once she made him take it off by force after his hand had been in it for too much.

What am I doing here? I have a life.. She glanced at Tenko's face again and then at his hand. I've never even been this responsible. She placed a hand on Tenko's before turning her attention back to the movie.

The movie showed the characters in a fight before the main hero inside it exclaimed, "Get away, he's under the villain's control!"

She sighed, "That movie is so cheesy Tencchan, obviously the villain is gonna--"

"Don't, nee-san."

".. Sorry."

***

"Today we're going to work on the glitch aspect of your quirk." Sir Nighteye said sitting down on the couch. They hadn't went to the gym like every time, this time sitting in the main sitting area.

"Finally!" she pumped her fist grinning, "Man, I thought you were working on my bikini body shape and an All might merchandise store with all those exercises and stuff haha not that I didn't.." she laughed before clearing her throat awkwardly at his look, "appreciate.. it.. ehem. sorry."

"We'll start with something simple." he said before holding out a book. She reached to take it before he slapped her hand with it. She pulled back her hand with a 'hey!'

"I want you to glitch through it."

"Okey dokey." she concentrated on her hand. Ok Keira focus, it's the same as before, just glitch. glitch. glitch. glit--

"It's not a math problem." her eyes snapped open. "Quirks are a natural part of you. Just glitch."

She nodded before closing her eyes and focusing again. 

"You look like you want to go to the bathroom." 

She felt irritated at his words, but pushed it down. "I'm trying."

"Try harder. If you can't do the basics of it then trying  for more is useless." What the hell is his problem?

Her eyebrows furrowed, "Well, if you just give me a minute--"

"It shouldn't take a minute. You think heroes have too much time on their hands?" he tilted his head, "Do it already and stop wasting my time."

"How about you just shut up and let me actually try without you nagging me like the annoying jerk you are!" she snapped. The air was thick with tension before his eyes slid to her hand that was glitching rapidly.

"So it is related with your emotions." He took out his notebook and started writing in it ignoring the gaping girl in front of him. 

"You-- You--" Her eye was twitching as she stared in disbelief at the annoying man in front of her.

"Now we want to know if it's just negative emotions only or any kind of emotions."