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[IC] You Can Become a Hero!
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- GM mickilennial Co-GM DruSM157 Co-GM Pirouette
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mickilennial The Elder Fae
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0-24 hrs ago
It was nearing morning in Sapporo, but more importantly it dawned a new year for Ishin Academy.
Of the twenty-two students approved, hundreds had applied. The Board of Directors was still iffy about accepting foreigners but after being consecutively beaten by their longtime rivals, Yūei Academy, something had been decided in the backrooms amongst those who held sway in the future of the hero school. Foreigners would be accepted for the time being to show Ishin Academy was not only a breeding ground for tradition and pride but also progress and acceptance. After all, at the end of the day, it didn’t matter where you came from as long as your spirit resembled that of a hero.
All applicants had received their acceptance letter a few months prior with all of the needed information. When to arrive at Ishin Academy, directions how to get there once in Sapporo, an acceptance video, the needed uniforms, and a printed guide as well as train pass that allowed them free transportation all over Japan if the need suited them. In just one hour the opening ceremony would begin and the lives of the students would be changed forever. Being late would not be tolerated and not attending would be punished with strict recompense. The students likely knew this, or at least the native Japanese did. Ishin Academy was ranked second in hero schools in Eastern Asia and had a pretty noteworthy reputation.
To Soar Skyward.
A term that some thought was a bit too optimistic for a rigid, draconian, and harsh school like Ishin was. But Ishin was nothing but optimistic. Heroes were supposed to be an ideal that people wanted to be and wanted others to be. No matter what it took to get to reach it, Ishin students were expected to be hungry and dedicated to that dream.
As such, students were passing through the academy compound’s gates, suitcases in tow, as they were ushered toward the auditorium. Returning students seemed to remain idle in the courtyard for a few minutes, knowing full well that the opening ceremony wouldn’t be for another hour. It was plenty of time to talk with old friends and gossip about pro-hero activity such as Knightmare’s recent put-down of an international crime-ring that was hiding out in a facility near Temiya Park. For first-year students at Ishin, the idea of taking some time for themselves was probably strange given they didn’t want to get reprimanded for a mistake after being accepted into the academy after an exhausting interview, mental evaluation, and performance exam in early January.
If they decided to go inside early they would be directed into categories based on their class year: first, second, and third.
Their “hero career” had begun.
Of the twenty-two students approved, hundreds had applied. The Board of Directors was still iffy about accepting foreigners but after being consecutively beaten by their longtime rivals, Yūei Academy, something had been decided in the backrooms amongst those who held sway in the future of the hero school. Foreigners would be accepted for the time being to show Ishin Academy was not only a breeding ground for tradition and pride but also progress and acceptance. After all, at the end of the day, it didn’t matter where you came from as long as your spirit resembled that of a hero.
All applicants had received their acceptance letter a few months prior with all of the needed information. When to arrive at Ishin Academy, directions how to get there once in Sapporo, an acceptance video, the needed uniforms, and a printed guide as well as train pass that allowed them free transportation all over Japan if the need suited them. In just one hour the opening ceremony would begin and the lives of the students would be changed forever. Being late would not be tolerated and not attending would be punished with strict recompense. The students likely knew this, or at least the native Japanese did. Ishin Academy was ranked second in hero schools in Eastern Asia and had a pretty noteworthy reputation.
To Soar Skyward.
A term that some thought was a bit too optimistic for a rigid, draconian, and harsh school like Ishin was. But Ishin was nothing but optimistic. Heroes were supposed to be an ideal that people wanted to be and wanted others to be. No matter what it took to get to reach it, Ishin students were expected to be hungry and dedicated to that dream.
As such, students were passing through the academy compound’s gates, suitcases in tow, as they were ushered toward the auditorium. Returning students seemed to remain idle in the courtyard for a few minutes, knowing full well that the opening ceremony wouldn’t be for another hour. It was plenty of time to talk with old friends and gossip about pro-hero activity such as Knightmare’s recent put-down of an international crime-ring that was hiding out in a facility near Temiya Park. For first-year students at Ishin, the idea of taking some time for themselves was probably strange given they didn’t want to get reprimanded for a mistake after being accepted into the academy after an exhausting interview, mental evaluation, and performance exam in early January.
If they decided to go inside early they would be directed into categories based on their class year: first, second, and third.
Their “hero career” had begun.
GM
mickilennial The Elder Fae
Member
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0-24 hrs ago
Location: Ishin Academy, Sapporo, Japan -- April 7th
Mizuhana Yoshiba crossed her arms, the academy pamphlet loosely held by her right hand.
“This is it, huh?” Yoshiba muttered, unamused by not only Ishin but herself.
It was no secret that Ishin was known for getting results from their students but it was still a school that was proud that made something out of people who weren’t worthy of UA. For any other student that may have been a breath of fresh air, but Yoshiba didn’t see herself as the worst of the worst by a long shot. Mizuhana Yoshiba was the daughter of two acclaimed pro heroes. She had worked hard to be a cut above anyone else she had ever met. She pushed herself every single day. But this was where she ended up, all because she wasn’t good at the unimportant nonsense that was on the acceptance exams of every single hero academy in Japan: book smarts.
Yoshiba sighed as she moved forward. Maybe if she had been better with books she would've been at UA instead.
As she moved through the hallway corridors she knew that this would be the beginning of her hero career whether she liked it or not. There was no going back in time and doing better; she didn’t have a time quirk, if such a thing even existed. Ishin would be remembered as the academy where the history books would note that the legendary pro hero Mizuhana Yoshiba attended and graduated at the top of her class. The thought was a compromise Yoshiba made with herself to amend for her failure of not being able to attend UA in the first place. She would get her hero license and be remembered as the best. There was no question in her mind about that fact.
Everyone here is second to me. Sidekicks, all of them.
As everyone began filing into the hall, the blue-haired teenager knew it was time. She wasn’t one of those second-rate delinquents who valued herself so little that she would ever consider being late. It didn’t matter what the headmaster had to say about Ishin, Yoshiba had already made up her mind and figured out a set of goals, as unrealistic as they may have been. Still, she would sit down with the sidekicks in the section of the ceremony hall that had been designated to her “year group”. Mizuhana Yoshiba was not a slacker. She hated slackers.
Yoshiba was a hero, after all.
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coGM
Sapporo, Japan
Sapporo Station, April 7th
Trains came and went with the passing minutes. Busy passengers would step on or step off the platforms moving throughout their morning commute. It was all so…droll, so average, so normal. This was city life and that was how it went in these big cities. Even though the tall, chubby boy had lived near Nago City all his life; his youth was spent walking from his family’s apartment to school. He’d never had to worry about train schedules or such crowds, at least outside school trips to the mainland. But this morning sojourn was not a trip to Sapporo Station and Ishin Academy; this morning’s trip had been to an early morning grocery market. He’d gotten up at an almost scandalous hour to ride the Minami-Chitose line to a small marketplace in a small Sapporo suburb. The amount he’d paid for this item seemed almost as equally scandalous.
Hugged close to his chest was a large, brown bag. The crisp and cold April air had turned his face red and flushed, and his jacket felt awkward after years in the southern heat. He was far from home, after all. He was busy looking at a station map, fretting on how his path to the school would be. He had to leave Sapporo Station and head…west? East? Which street was it? 3rd Chome Street? Hokkaido University Street?
”You lost kid?” The voice came from behind the young man and startled him: almost making him drop his precious bag. Standing behind the boy was a lanky man wearing a police uniform. He looked out of place in the busy station and was meticulously chewing on an unlit cigarette. His hair was a messy bramble of almost-curls, and his thick eyebrows seemed to narrow in on the schoolboy.
”Y-yes sir,” the boy answered, in a mix of both surprise and a shiver from the cold. He clenched the paper bag close with his left arm, freeing his right hand to adjust his jacket’s collar. “It’s my first day at Ishin Academy and I’m afraid I’m not used to-“
“You take the yellow line stairs out to the street, turn left on 4 Chome, and follow the road til you see the ugly main building.” The police officer seemed to chuckle nostalgically. “If the old fart is still the headmaster of the school, don’t let him freak you out. Ishin likes to act like they’re the most hard-ass school around, but if you’ve been accepted, you’ve already beat the spread.”
”Did you go to Ishin Academy?”
”Yeah. A few years ago. During my last year they decided my quirk wasn’t strong enough to handle a serious situation.” The police officer seemed to look off towards the stairs wistfully, and then turned back to the boy. ”What’s your name?”
”It’s Shun sir. Tanaka Shun. The boy seemed nervous about this overly casual cop already.
”Well Tanaka Shun,” the officer began with a smirk, and he outstretched his hand for the young teenager to shake, ”My name is Kaneda Ryouichi. As an almost-alumnus of Ishin Academy, I wish you good luck in your first year to become a hero. Do your best.”
The sudden well-wishing of this stranger struck a chord in Shun’s heart. He smiled back, and gave a deep bow, almost dropping the paper bag. ”Thank you so much! I will do my best! And thank you for the directions!” He turned back towards the stairs and began to jog towards the school. He had to make it in time before the opening ceremonies, or his time at Ishin Academy might be cut even shorter.
The cop simply watched the boy run off and shook his head, chuckling. He walked by a newspaper stand, seeing one of the headlines being about a local teacher putting down a crime ring. Of course, he knew the operation quite well; it had been on his beat after all. "Man, I sure hope that kid doesn’t have to deal with Midori,” he chuckled. ”She’d eat him alive.”
Sapporo, Japan
Ishin Academy Front Gate, April 7th
Shun was almost gasping for breath as he dashed through the front gate. Still sometime before the morning ceremonies, at least which meant he wasn’t in danger of getting expelled on the spot. Would they expel a late student on the spot? He did his best not to let the nerves get to him. The past few months at home had been bad enough, especially after the phone call from the academy, the acceptance letter and his father’s…words of encouragement. The only person who’d actually been excited to see him go to Ishin Academy was his grandmother. She was so excited she even gave him something for his trip: a yellow scarf.
"It belonged to your dear mother, Shun,” she had told him in the hallway before he took the train north to Sapporo.
His mother.
He did his best not to dwell on such thoughts, hearing other students chattering in the courtyard while others were pushed forward towards the auditorium. Now Shun’s face flushed into something more: embarrassment. He felt so awkward, being taller than many of the first years. Being from Okinawa did little to help either, as his skin tone was much darker than the traditional Japanese students. He wondered if some would assume he was a foreigner. The large paper bag also set him apart, as most students simply carried a bag or suitcase with them.
How would this year even start for him?
Hugged close to his chest was a large, brown bag. The crisp and cold April air had turned his face red and flushed, and his jacket felt awkward after years in the southern heat. He was far from home, after all. He was busy looking at a station map, fretting on how his path to the school would be. He had to leave Sapporo Station and head…west? East? Which street was it? 3rd Chome Street? Hokkaido University Street?
”You lost kid?” The voice came from behind the young man and startled him: almost making him drop his precious bag. Standing behind the boy was a lanky man wearing a police uniform. He looked out of place in the busy station and was meticulously chewing on an unlit cigarette. His hair was a messy bramble of almost-curls, and his thick eyebrows seemed to narrow in on the schoolboy.
”Y-yes sir,” the boy answered, in a mix of both surprise and a shiver from the cold. He clenched the paper bag close with his left arm, freeing his right hand to adjust his jacket’s collar. “It’s my first day at Ishin Academy and I’m afraid I’m not used to-“
“You take the yellow line stairs out to the street, turn left on 4 Chome, and follow the road til you see the ugly main building.” The police officer seemed to chuckle nostalgically. “If the old fart is still the headmaster of the school, don’t let him freak you out. Ishin likes to act like they’re the most hard-ass school around, but if you’ve been accepted, you’ve already beat the spread.”
”Did you go to Ishin Academy?”
”Yeah. A few years ago. During my last year they decided my quirk wasn’t strong enough to handle a serious situation.” The police officer seemed to look off towards the stairs wistfully, and then turned back to the boy. ”What’s your name?”
”It’s Shun sir. Tanaka Shun. The boy seemed nervous about this overly casual cop already.
”Well Tanaka Shun,” the officer began with a smirk, and he outstretched his hand for the young teenager to shake, ”My name is Kaneda Ryouichi. As an almost-alumnus of Ishin Academy, I wish you good luck in your first year to become a hero. Do your best.”
The sudden well-wishing of this stranger struck a chord in Shun’s heart. He smiled back, and gave a deep bow, almost dropping the paper bag. ”Thank you so much! I will do my best! And thank you for the directions!” He turned back towards the stairs and began to jog towards the school. He had to make it in time before the opening ceremonies, or his time at Ishin Academy might be cut even shorter.
The cop simply watched the boy run off and shook his head, chuckling. He walked by a newspaper stand, seeing one of the headlines being about a local teacher putting down a crime ring. Of course, he knew the operation quite well; it had been on his beat after all. "Man, I sure hope that kid doesn’t have to deal with Midori,” he chuckled. ”She’d eat him alive.”
Sapporo, Japan
Ishin Academy Front Gate, April 7th
Shun was almost gasping for breath as he dashed through the front gate. Still sometime before the morning ceremonies, at least which meant he wasn’t in danger of getting expelled on the spot. Would they expel a late student on the spot? He did his best not to let the nerves get to him. The past few months at home had been bad enough, especially after the phone call from the academy, the acceptance letter and his father’s…words of encouragement. The only person who’d actually been excited to see him go to Ishin Academy was his grandmother. She was so excited she even gave him something for his trip: a yellow scarf.
"It belonged to your dear mother, Shun,” she had told him in the hallway before he took the train north to Sapporo.
His mother.
He did his best not to dwell on such thoughts, hearing other students chattering in the courtyard while others were pushed forward towards the auditorium. Now Shun’s face flushed into something more: embarrassment. He felt so awkward, being taller than many of the first years. Being from Okinawa did little to help either, as his skin tone was much darker than the traditional Japanese students. He wondered if some would assume he was a foreigner. The large paper bag also set him apart, as most students simply carried a bag or suitcase with them.
How would this year even start for him?
Savo Time to go to Hell
Member
Seen
0-24 hrs ago
Sapporo, Japan
Ishin Academy, April 7th
"Interacting With":: Nil
Breathe in and breathe out - that's the only activity Adrianne spent doing for the most of her time riding on the bullet train... other than sizing up the others in this train and constantly thinking about the text messages she received from her family. She was tenser than ever, with that attitude only exemplified by one of her legs shifting back and forth.
She unblinkingly stared out the window, her scowling visage resting on her propped up arm; furrowing her brows, Adrianne breathed deeply through her nose before breathing out the same passage. Watching the scenery swiftly pass on by, the girl thought about the final message as she stepped off that plane, alone. Temporary reservations were made early on for her to stay at a hotel. Adrianne knew what her parents hoped the girl would do for the past few days.
Their efforts were no different than what she thought of it all - a waste of time. She was here for many reasons, and screwing around wasn't on her agenda. That scowl intensified as she closed her eyes and let out a short sigh, sitting and meditating to herself before opening her eyes again to focus the scenery swiftly fly on by.
It was just as fleeting as her interest as the girl rolled her head to look the other way, finding herself glaring at the empty seats across the aisle... in fact there weren't a whole lot of others surrounding the other seats other than her baggage. It was like she was cursed being; it didn't help that Adrianne could hear the rather noisy whispering of what she presumed were Japanese students heading to Ishin.
"Tch," she peered back over the seat, resting her arm on the head of it, glaring backward at the perpetrators. They didn't exactly catch her doing this until thirty seconds later, but one of them immediately shut up, cuing the other to take a glimpse at what their friend was staring at.
Her visage was stoic and stony, hardened just as much as her muscles that were semi-visible through the sleeves. Adrianne's face as she glared at them was all it took to shut those two up.
That former scowl harbored from earlier had dissipated, turning into a nearly unnoticeable frown. Her piercing, vibrant red eyes were focused directly on the duo, silently judging and stabbing them with a high level of contempt. There was a sharp chill that lingered in the air around her, much like how Sapporo was this season, her sharp, cold eyes slowly moving between the others conversing, only to watch as they became unnaturally silent before breaking into whispers.
A few thoughts were going through her head, such as a passing judgment upon the supposed other students of Ishin, sizing up her competition, as well as silently pondering to herself over what they were all discussing. Was it the news, daily life, or how their dreams were? Adrianne was certain she heard something about a nightmare performing some strange deed. Or maybe they were talking about that hero?
Eh, whatever, there were more important things to worry about right now, especially since they were nearing their destination.
As the bullet train came to a halt, Adrianne took few passing glimpses as she slowly rose to her feet. Tightly grasping the handle of the large suitcase, she instantaneously hauled it behind as if it was nothing more than a lightweight ragdoll. She had to do everything she could to prepare for this, even doing minor "workouts" such as these on the way to her new school.
She was alone, stepping out into the aisle and deftly striding out the front door, appearing as if there was a chip on her shoulder. The horned girl didn't even hear the conversation start up again, loud and cacophonous is ever. Not like she would ever care as she alternated the arm she carried her luggage in, wordlessly recalling and making her way down the streets.
The streets were no different than the train - those on it kept their distance and whispered to themselves, though she did swore that she heard something about "that horned girl." That certainly caused her to raise an eyebrow and glower in the direction she heard that in. Outside of that little comment and her nasty glare, this whole trip to the school was uneventful, if not a bit nippy. Regardless, she had the layout somewhat memorize to a tee, barely making a single mistake as she trudged, closer and closer to the academy.
Eventually, after some time, she arrived, alternating her grasp on the suitcase to her left hand. While she would of normally been punctual, she was intuitive, curious, judgemental. Standing before the enormous school with a hand on her hip, she stared upwards at the colossal building, before briefly eyeing the other competition. She wasn't going to linger around much, but she did sift through the crowds that had gathered about the vicinity, mentally separating the mites from the apex predators, the bottom-feeders and the sharks, any possible first-rate students who were a threat and the third-rates who would most likely quit.
Adrianne remained still as a statue for a couple of more seconds, radiating an aura of displeasure before shaking her head and furrowing her brows, scoffing as she took a couple of steps forward. What were some of these people doing, messing around and slacking off on the lawn? Did these imbeciles not know how to use their quirks responsibly or did they think they were in some kind of fantasy?
Tch, these friggin' people.
She bared her teeth, frowning largely in displeasure over some of the students who got in, brows furrowing to the point that if she tried to crease her brows further, they just might tear off from the sheer force.
Not looking to meander about, Adrianne trudged out of the courtyard, her face contorted with sheer disgust and frustration. She could just break the grip of her suitcase just by tightening her own hand even further, yet she displayed some restraint. This was ridiculous. Why were they so relaxed? Breeze through the interview due to nepotism? Getting in by recommendation? Or was it because they were Japanese?!
Did these bastards get free passes for any of these reasons?!
...
...
...
No, no, stop. Don't get pissed Adrianne, calm your tits. This is your first day. Ishin will see them for who they are and they'll be gone within the week, hell maybe even a month in the worst case scenario. Breath in and out, through your nose. This is fine, you'll be fine, you'll kick their collective asses out of the park.
Just breathe in and out.
Adrianne just took in a deep, deep breath as she passed by other students, seldom acknowledging their existence as she purged that unbearable thought from her mind. Opening her eyes, she analyzed the crowds of students and glanced to the right... only for some students to back away the moment she eyed them. She did it to the other side, with the same results happening. Good to know she became Moses at this point on, good grief.
Rolling her eyes, she instead turned her visage and looked down the hallway, noting a few students that were being ushered into a specific hall. From the last time she reviewed how this whole presentation was going to go out, this hall was supposed to be for first years.
Filing in with the crowd, there was a temporary contortion of her face, a bit of a mixed bag of emotions over what she was feeling. On one hand, this auditorium wasn't filled with a whole lot of students, which probably meant that most of them were serious. There weren't a whole lot of chatty dips, so that was a plus for her. Regardless, she just settled back to her usual visage as she strode up to the front and quickly found a seat that was far away from some of these more chatty individual.
Observing the area, she noted about how most of the seats upfront weren't filled, thank god. For a moment, she cracked a smirk. Good, it looked like there weren't many third-rate imbeciles here right now, especially up front. With a huff, she strode down the aisle and sat at the very front of the auditorium before plopping her suitcase down into a seat beside her. Crossing her arms, she sighed and closed her eyes.
This whole initiation ceremony could not be any slower.
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Raijinslayer .
Member
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1 mo ago
Yasuhide Seo
I wonder what it's going to be like. . .
Seo wondered briefly as he walked through the front gates of Isshin with a suitcase in hand and a sports bag over his shoulder. Pulling the scarf around his neck a bit tighter, he breathed out a sigh, watching his fristed breath rise up as he thought about how he should kill the next hour or so. He'd spent the train ride engaging in people watching for the most part and even saw one of the more interesting figures stomp pass him in some perpetual huff. He wasn't sure exactly the girl was so pissed off and tense for her first day of school, but he figured it wasn't any of his business. . . at least not yet.
Moving on from the tall horned giant, he turned his attention to another figure who looked just about ready to collapse to the floor. He must've run all the way from the train station, though why he did that when they still had an hour before opening ceremonies was beyond Seo's ability to comprehend. With a shrug and a grin, Seo walked over to the early morning rusher with a grin, deciding that it might be better to start the year off with a greeting than a prank. There'd be time for plenty of those later, but first impressions were everything.
With his eyes literally shining as he came up to the tall boy's side, he gave him a tap on the shoulder, drawing his attention his way before presenting a small white card to him. Printed out was the following.
~Hello, Stranger! My Name's Yasuhide Seo and because of a medical condition, I am unable to speak. I tend to use the whiteboard around my neck for faster communication, but I am fluent in JSL so please let me know if you know it as well so we can have an easier time chatting. Also, please be sure to hand this card back when you're done reading it, as it's a real hassle to get a new one if I lose it. Please and thank you~
While the boy read his card, Seo was quick to pull up his whiteboard, pulling off the cap of a blue marker that was hanging around his neck to write a quick follow up question, stating a simplified version of the question in JSL with his free hand by tapping four fingers against the center of his chest then once again towards his shoulder. He found that, more often than not, people got at least basic signs if he used them along with his whiteboard enough, just through sheer association. Best to start the habit up hear with one person, as he had no one around to rely on for more translations as far as he knew.
~Are you okay? You look pretty winded despite us having an hour till the ceremony~
@DruSM157
The bullet train she had taken to Hokkaido was frankly uneventful. Besides watching the vistas outside the window, she was left alone to her thoughts. When she finally arrived, there wasn't anything to do except walk to the school. She would have loved an extra day to spend the time to shop and sight see, but renting a hotel room wasn't exactly her prerogative. Most places wouldn't rent out to her, especially without parental approval. She'd asked her parents, but they refused.
Hokkaido was definitely cooler than Kagawa. Back at her home, the rising sun warmed the night's air. Even during the rainy season, the sun was strong enough pierce the cold. Hokkaido, however, was much different. The cold wet air clung to her winter uniform and, contrary to what one would have thought, the sun did little to warm her. The cold air wasn't something that Yoru enjoyed. The air was pleasant in short bursts, but her skin and lips? Practically chapped and dried out the second she stepped off the train.
Not that she fully hated it. The frozen air was a something new to experience and the more reserved by necessity clothing of Hokkaido made for all new styles she could try. The uniforms offered to her by the school were tolerable. The sailor fuku was a mainstay in traditional Japanese uniforms. If the school was truly traditional like its reputation lead one to believe, then having everyone in kimonos would be the most traditional move possible. Probably not the best idea, considering how everyone would need to gird up their loins the second they needed to do anything physical. The idea of a class of heroes with girded loins gave Yoru a sensible chuckle.
Her arrival at the school gates didn't really fill her with any sense of awe, dread, or excitement. She knew what the school looked like from images on the internet. It wasn't really a situation where being there in person changed anything. It was just a big building filled with people whose job it was to teach people to be heroes. Not really awe-inspiring or life changing, was it? It was just what it was: a new school.
Ishin Academy wasn't her first choice, but it was for her parents.
Maybe that's why there was no life changing revelations from it.
There really wasn't any point to dawdle around the front entrance. There really wasn't a point in making friends with everyone before she even knew who was in her class. She didn't want to associate with anyone that harmed her marketability as a person or hero, nor did she want to waste her time on people she'd never see again. She walked through the halls of Ishin and into the auditorium, taking a seat with the other first years. It'd be a lie to say that she wasn't at least a bit curious on who she would share a class with. Hopefully not the girl sitting alone who occupied two seats with her suitcase. Unlike that person, Yoru kept her suitcase underneath her chair. She packed a considerable amount (what she considered bare necessities), but it wasn't like she packed for a two month vacation. She could for send most of the things that she needed.
First, she'd have to get through whatever introduction the faculty at Ishin had planned.
Mcmolly D-List Cryptid
Member
Seen
8 hrs ago
Kana,
Have to work late tonight, won’t be back ‘til morning. Money on the counter for dinner. I know you’re gonna buy junk food so if you save me something chocolate I won’t tell dad.
Game night tomorrow, no cheating this time~
Loves.
-Mom
Kana didn’t realize her hands were shaking until the letter had nearly trembled out of them. She folded the paper by its years-old creases, with all the delicacy with which one might handle glass, or a baby, or a baby made of glass, and stuck it into her pocket. She’d done some Olympic-grade mental gymnastics to avoid calling it a lucky charm, but she still carried it with her anyway. Not for luck, she said, just motivation.
The world passed by through the train window, a world that was only tangentially familiar to her. She had been to Hokkaido before, when she was very young, but despite that the vibrant countryside had stuck with her, she felt like a stranger. That feeling, ironically, was more than just tangentially familiar. In Kagoshima, even in passing through Aomori, that sense of misplacement seemed to linger around her like a bad odor, repulsing the passersby at the station that glanced her way. The eyes she met were strangers’ eyes, detached and indifferent, but she could not help seeing reminders in them.
This is wrong.
Don’t do this.
In a stop between Aomori and Hokkaido, she’d spotted her mother’s face on a wanted poster. She was different, but not unrecognizable, and Kana suspected they’d touched the images up a bit to make them darker, rougher, more imposing. Every few months or so there’d be another story, another name—or a cluster of names. A call to action. They’d get letters at their home in Kagoshima from people looking for answers, demanding justice, or just coping with their grief. She’d see snippets from news articles, or blog posts from witnesses, and occasionally there’d be a picture of her mother there just like the one in the station.
It was easy to see the similarities between them, even in the faint reflection of the window. She could cut and dye her hair, she could dress however she wanted, but it was always her mother’s eyes looking back at her. Often—just like now—those eyes would blur, and the world would melt into a haze.
Dammit.
Kana rubbed her face, sniffling. Her cheeks were wet, her throat was tight.
Your eyes are gonna be red all day now, she thought angrily, as if she could will the tears away. God you’re such a stupid crybaby. You can’t just do this every time you…ugh. Get yourself together. It’s gross, and embarrassing. Stop.
Traversing Sapporo was easy enough. She’d spent the last few years navigating the maze-like slums of Kagoshima’s harbor, and before that she’d had to learn how to find her way around small, no-name towns in the dark. The cold snaked through her sleeves, prickled her skin with the precursor to numbness. It was pleasant, the cold. The winters in Goshogawara were a fond, if distant memory, and it seemed Hokkaido would be similar.
You knew it would be similar. You wanted it to be similar.
She wished she could have appreciated Ishin Academy more when she finally came to it. It was so grand in the brochures and the pictures online, so refined. That all held true, of course, but she couldn’t bring herself to admire any of it through the utter mass of a crowd funneling into the courtyard. Clusters of students and faculty were scattered, some standing idly, chatting, while others motioned those who were more mobile towards the auditorium. So many people, so many strangers. So many eyes.
Kana clutched her duffel bag tight, and kept her head low as she fell in with the students making their way inside. Again the would-be wonders of Ishin’s halls escaped her. Even with her eyes glued to the floor, she couldn’t so much as appreciate the tiling through her own panic.
Get a grip, seriously. Just don’t make a scene, and everything will be fine. They’re all nervous, just like you.
But they didn’t look all nervous. Sure, some of them seemed antsy, but perhaps that was just eagerness. For the most part, wherever she looked she saw confidence. She saw strength. She saw burgeoning heroes ready to embrace their destinies. And yet she felt none of that. Why? She’d taken the same tests, passed the same evaluations. She was here, wearing the same uniform they were, and yet she still felt like an imposter, like at any moment someone might notice her and say, “Hold on, you shouldn’t be here.” “This is wrong.” “Don’t do this.”
“I’m sorry,” Kana muttered, bowing her head as she turned away from the frontmost rows of seats, nearly bumping into a few of the students behind her. She made her way to the back, where only a smattering of people had decided to lay claim to the furthest seats, and placed herself at the end of the row.
There. Now she could bolt and it wouldn’t be an inconvenience to anyone. At any moment she could just get up and walk out. She could get right back on that train, and it’d be like she never left Kagoshima at all. It would be easy. No one would even notice.
You would.
Kana set the bag in her lap, and pretended it was an anchor. She couldn’t leave now. She wouldn’t. She’d come to Ishin to become a hero, and even if that was idiotic, even if it wasn’t her destiny, something compelled her to try.
She only hoped that would matter.
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Sapporo, Japan
Ishin Academy, April 7th
“That's... really far enough, please.”
The wheels of the foreign vehicle slowed down, allowing the cherryblossom branches to reflect clearl in the piano black of its bonnet. The tinted window inside was only half closed, letting the driver's voice ring clear through the car; a sound that tore Hajo from her thoughts without patience or gentleness.
"Are you sure, Mi-"
“Yes-quite-thank-you-very-much,” Yachiyo reassured the middle-aged chauffeur, and clicked open the door next to her before he could leave the vehicle to do it for her, or so much as get out a reply. “Please tell mom and dad that all is well, I'll write them as soon as I can!”
The lavender-haired girl was uncomfortably aware of the glances her parents' car drew from the passersby, both for its decadence as well as origin; truthfully, she herself thought it was an unusual choice for them. By proxy, she, too, felt bystander's eyes on herself as she retrieved her luggage from the trunk. After carefully closing it without much noise, Hajo turned to take in the surroundings. The IA building's roofs scraped at the scenery, sending sparks of excitement as well as anxiety through her insides.
With her fingers tightening around the handle of her bags until the knuckles turned white, Hajo made her way onto the school grounds, soaking in every little detail of the property. Even the air around her seemed, in lack of a better word, denser than usual. The sight of the other, older students, induced a rush of stress coursing through her body. Her cheeks felt hot, her skin felt damp, and her fuku seemed to cling to her skin; Hajo was sure she was flushed already, moreso than usual, as she forced herself to swallow the knot in her throat and make her way towards the main building.
The anxiousness dissipitated as she stepped through the entrance gate, a brilliant smile instead softening her features into unabashed, childish glee. By the time she had been flooded into the hall along a cluster of other students, her face had lit up in spite of the modest interior. Finding a small spot to herself, Hajo hastily straightened out the little wrinkles and creases on her uniform, hectically tugging at and patting the fabric. After craning her neck as far as she could, and judging both front and back to be presentable, the aspiring hero shuffled towards the section designated for first years like her, where the muted voices of other students greeted her. With a quick look-around and a bit bottom lip, Hajo slid into the seat next to a blue-haired girl with a tense expression, kicking her belongings underneath her seat.
Like a kindergardener, she clasped the backrest and turned around, peeking up at the students that had already assembled. After observing two boys talking to one another, she returned to her seat almost properly, sitting on one of her ankles, a wide grin on her face. "Nervous?" she asked the girl next to her, swaying left to right in uncontainable giddiness.
GM
mickilennial The Elder Fae
Member
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0-24 hrs ago
Location: Ishin Academy, Sapporo, Japan -- April 7th
So annoying.
A strand of Yoshiba’s hair twitched, swaying back and forth like as if were the tail of an upset animal, as she heard the incessant mumbling next to her between the other first year students. It was a harmless introduction to some and it was decidedly polite, but Yoshiba was already in one of her moods. She didn’t immediately turn to speak to them, though they still already gave off a poor first impression by being annoying; similar to nails on a chalkboard. A light whiff of breath escaped her mouth, albeit quietly.
Yoshiba did wonder how long it would be until the headmaster demanded silence and everyone’s attention to go on about their pointless introductory speech. Why not just get to the point? This wasn’t a normal school, this was a hero academy, so why operate like it was some sort of basic primary school for the quirkless? Why waste everyone’s time with spectacles like this? If it were up to her, none of this would even be a “thing” and students would be ushered into their classrooms to get real work done. Had Yoshiba not wanted to be seen as the best, as indicated by her front and center appearance, she would’ve skipped out on the ceremony outright. She could tolerate sidekicks acting like idiots and being bored if it was going to get her recognized as the only hero worth noting. Which was exactly, in her mind, the truth of the matter.
As if asserting her dominance, she spoke clearly to the student who had asked if she was nervous without even turning to look at them.
“Why would I be nervous?”
It was a façade, or at least in part.
Yoshiba obviously was excited to get her hero career started and the anxiety of living up to her mother and father was a big task. The air in Sapporo was cold, frost-laden, and uncomfortable. There was no doubt in her mind she would make it in Ishin, no matter the obstacles, but she didn’t know what kind of pro-heroes or discarded has-beens. Her future was uncertain, or rather how she was going to get to her future was. She didn’t like that. Everyone in the orphanage spat on her and called her names. Told her she would be nobody. Just the thought of her time in that place made her blood boil. Her hair reacted to this emotion, as she then turned to the girl with a certain look in her eyes.
“The only people who get nervous are sidekicks. Do I look like a sidekick to you?”
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CaliforniaState Biologist
Member
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1 day ago
Location:
Ishin Academy | Sapporo
Interacting with:
Crowd
Crowd
News traveled fast in her little prefecture, well of course it would given how small it was compared to others. Nara was always a short stop for anyone taking the Shinkansen or JR line to Kyoto or Osaka. With her acceptance in Ishin Academy, no one could not be happy for her, except maybe for herself. As she passed the familiar scrapyard, she spent countless hours pillaging a tinge of doubt crept into her mind. This was more of a home than her own, that’s not to say her parents or home life was awful, but rather it was all she’d known and would have continued to know if she got rejected. Congratulations from strangers and neighbors alike showered her as she walked down the streets passing store after store. Even the friendly deer bucked and bowed in respect of Haruhi. The local mochi maker had just finished his intense routine of smacking and shaping the delicious morsels of rice cakes, giving Haruhi the first of the batch. It was all too much to take in, but she wore the same brave face and inviting smile she always had.
There was a first for everything, in this case it was a sense of fear she had never known, her first day of a budding four-year career at IA, and the first time she would be hours away from her hometown. Turning her head back one last time, she caught the glimpse of all the children and workers mulling about with their own quirks. If there was, anyway, she could help a prefecture even as small as Nara as a hero then her time at IA would be all the more worth it. Her fear quickly dissipated, and the lively green haired metal head rushed off to the bullet train, mochi stuck in her fangs.
In a world where quirks existed, the though of magic existing wasn’t so far-fetched of course. Haruhi pulled from a small pouch one ring sized screw that she would wear on her finger. To pass the time she relied on a little magic trick of her own, the gryphon roll. The ring glided down all of her fingers and back up as if was magically floating up and down off the tops of her fingers. In reality magic didn’t exist, and it was just a sleight of hand trick, but that didn’t stop her from putting on magic shows for the kids at home. Boarding the bullet train, she sat down near the window and naturally floated away into better dreams, fog building up on the window from her hot breath on the windows.
Stepping out of the train was like walking into a freezer that fell into a frozen lake. Immediately she sneezed abruptly with a cartoonishly large snot bubble oozing out of her nose. Her eyes felt heavy and her mouth was agape, this cold weather and Hokkaido was all new to her. It didn’t help that she was still in overalls and a tshirt. After putting on layers of clothes and burning her tongue on some green tea she was feverishly back to her normal self. The site enough alone of Ishin Academy was enough to leave anyone speechless. The building dwarfed any building she had ever seen at home, hell even the crowds of people were vaster in size. Her eyes lit up like a child in a candy store as she couldn’t decided what to look or shout at first.
Without a moment to waste Haruhi rolled up her sleeves, muscle memory from back home before she got into the thick of anything, and rushed neck deep into the crowd. “Go go! Get out of my way! Ughhhh I have to go!” She pushed and shoved here and there, nothing maliciously it was just in her energetic nature. The bodies weren’t so different the heaps of trashed she waded through anyways. Eager to push to the front and see the academy from the inside she kept working her way through like a rampaging bull until she finally broke rank and tripped and stumbled inside.
“I’m Yano! Yano Haruhi! Nice to meet ya ain’t it?!” she said effervescently rubbing her nose and a soft chuckle through a wide toothed grin.
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Sapporo, Japan
Ishin Academy, April 7th
Tilting her head like a curious puppy, Hajo blinked twice, slowly, before grasping the armrest of her seat, and leaned in closer to the blue-haired girl's side. For a few tense moments, her large eyes analysed the student blankly, without much to go on as to what her thought process was.
“Do you look like a... Uhm... Kind of!”
The response was without consideration, though it lacked the audible confrontational nature that would befit the words. “You're cute! A little short? Your hair reminds me of something... Uhhh..." With a finger squishing up her cheek in thought, Hajo's eyes suddenly lit up, and she snapped her fingers, as the epiphany struck her. "Kinda like a takoyaki-stand's mascot! Oh, oh, yeah, mascot more than a sidekick!” It seemed the evaluation process delighted the lavender-haired girl, who rocked back and forth while still sitting on her heel, leaning over the armrest and into her seat neighbor's personal space.
Immediately abandoning the topic, Hajo craned her neck, now following the girl's gaze towards the stage. Cluelessness was etched into each feature. “There's nothing there yet, you know that? Are you alright?” She maintained her own eyes fixed unto the empty stage. “Ah, I get it! You're just really eager to get started, right? Right? Me too! I wonder if we'll do anything special for our orientation like Shiketsu does. Do you know what they do with new students? Do you? I do, heh, my parents went there, and, uh... Most of my family.”
For a moment, Hajo's energy seemed to evaporate into nothingness, and her eyes seemed to lose their focus, until she snapped back into her excitement. “Well, it would be cool to do something special, wouldn't it? I bet everyone else is excited. Look at that guy!” she exclaimed unceremoniously, and pointed at entrance, outside of which she had spotted the large, brown-haired student. A few of the seniors snickered at her rude gesture, while others sneered, obviously judging the girl's apparent lack of manners. “There was a guy just sweating a bunch. Nervous, too. I don't blame him. Or you! Don't worry!” she reassured the brooding student next to her. “I'm super excited as well!”
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GM
mickilennial The Elder Fae
Member
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0-24 hrs ago
Location: Ishin Academy, Sapporo, Japan -- April 7th
She was tempted to turn back around, grab the chair she was sitting in and swing it at the girl's head.
In fact, strands of her hair had already went to grab the rim of the chair as she thought so. Had not for her thoughts reminding her to not waste time and act inappropriately she might’ve been in the process of doing so already. But how would it look to anyone here if she flew off the handle and beat one of her “peers” to death? She wouldn’t look like a hero, even if the sidekick deserved to be put in their place. She would look like a villain and she certainly wasn’t comparable to the type of people who had put her life into ruin. She knew it was probably better that she looked “presentable” to any instructors that could have noticed her as they walked by; not that she cared about how things “looked” when she knew she was in the right. Being a hero wasn’t meant for fun and games or caring what other people thought. Being a hero was doing your best and giving your all. Beyond 100%.
Like her parents.
Though, she had to admit, the girl's insistent comment on comparing her to a tokayi-stand mascot hurt her pride more than a great deal than the girl likely intended. After all, she seemed too dumb to be that malicious. It wasn't at all like when the kids in the orphanage called her tentacruel as a torrid nickname to deflate her ambitions. In Yoshi's mind such a event would never happen again.
She let out a light breath as she calmed herself.
“You’re kind of oblivious, aren’t you?”
It was a light remark as she noticed the energy the girl had come in the auditorium with. Before the girl could reply however, the sound of another student stumbled into the row meant for the first years. Yoshiba raised a brow; were all of these idiots going to be her classmates? This was the high bar Ishin set? She broke sight of the girl not long after, turning to face the empty podium as if her becoming more ready would make this joke of a ceremony go any faster. She thought of the girl next to her and made one last comment before halting interaction whatsoever.
“You should be more careful what you say. This is Ishin, not some lesser school where you can act dumb all the time.”
coGM
Sapporo, Japan
Ishin Academy, Front Gate. April 7th
Ishin Academy students were busy walking to the auditorium, all wearing their winter uniforms. Everything looked and felt like a typical Japanese school. If one were to simply gloss over the sea of faces, it would all appear normal. Then again, closer inspection would lead you to see that some students looked different: students with lizard-like features, others that had stretchy limbs. This was a hero school, after all. There was electricity in the air, excitement, nervousness, all emanating from the different first-year classes. Upperclassmen were all too busy talking to friends, though some were already watching the approach of the new first years, sizing up the potential of the underclassmen.
Shun, for the most part, was stopped by the silent boy with the notecard and the whiteboard. He'd never dealt with someone who couldn't talk before; well. He'd dealt with babies, but someone who couldn't speak at all? That was interesting, to say the least. He read what was on the whiteboard:
~Are you okay? You look pretty winded despite us having an hour till the ceremony~
Shun blinked as he read it, realizing how strange it must have been to see a guy like him dashing around as if he was late for class. He simply shook his head, laughing. “No no,” he said, hefting the large paper bag in his arms. “I just had to travel out of my way to find something before school started, and I got lost. I was worried I would be late if I missed the train. Luckily a nice police officer helped me!” Strange that a former hero would become a policeman though,
He gave the mute student a large smile and extended a hand, shifting the weighted paper back over to be cradled in his free arm. “It’s nice to meet you! I’m Tanaka Shun, first-year hero studies!”
The best way to connect to others is to always smile. Doesn’t matter if you’re nervous, upset or hurt. No one ever wants to turn away a smile! Of the few memories he held of his mother, that quote to Shun on his first day of elementary school still held a place deep within his heart.
Shun, for the most part, was stopped by the silent boy with the notecard and the whiteboard. He'd never dealt with someone who couldn't talk before; well. He'd dealt with babies, but someone who couldn't speak at all? That was interesting, to say the least. He read what was on the whiteboard:
~Are you okay? You look pretty winded despite us having an hour till the ceremony~
Shun blinked as he read it, realizing how strange it must have been to see a guy like him dashing around as if he was late for class. He simply shook his head, laughing. “No no,” he said, hefting the large paper bag in his arms. “I just had to travel out of my way to find something before school started, and I got lost. I was worried I would be late if I missed the train. Luckily a nice police officer helped me!” Strange that a former hero would become a policeman though,
He gave the mute student a large smile and extended a hand, shifting the weighted paper back over to be cradled in his free arm. “It’s nice to meet you! I’m Tanaka Shun, first-year hero studies!”
The best way to connect to others is to always smile. Doesn’t matter if you’re nervous, upset or hurt. No one ever wants to turn away a smile! Of the few memories he held of his mother, that quote to Shun on his first day of elementary school still held a place deep within his heart.
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Raijinslayer .
Member
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1 mo ago
Yasuhide Seo
Seo nodded with a smile of his own, giving Shun a firm handshake in response. Letting his attention travel across the other students heading into the auditorium, he raised an eyebrow at another eager student rushing into the building like they had hounds biting at their heels. With a sigh, he rolled up his sleeve to wipe the whiteboard clean, before writing down his next question for his new friend.
~Guess you're not the only one in a hurry, huh?~ He rose it up with a chuckle, giving Shun time to read it before turning it around to write some more, glad that he didn't have to waste time explaining his condition. So many times he'd give the notecard to someone, only for them to get all up in his face, asking if he's really mote, what's the condition, so one nd so forth. It wasn't that he was against telling people about the reason but it got very exhausting having to keep up with more rapid-fire questions like that. So people that just accepted the fact that he wasn't able to talk and continued to treat him like a person was a welcome change of pace whenever it occurred. With a nod to shake that train of thought from his head, he turned around to show his conversation partner the other part of his question.
~I'm a first-year as well, so maybe we'll be in the same class? Excited to start classes?~ Seo raised a hand up as if he was going to start signing . . . only to freeze, eyes closing as he tapped the side of his whiteboard. He'd stay there for a few moments before letting out a sigh, letting his hand close into a fist near his head before opening it back up as he lifted it higher. It would be a few moments more before he realized that the person he was talking to wouldn't get what he meant, so once more he turned the board around to write.
~Sorry, I forgot how to sign excited, so made the sign for forget instead.~ Seo repeated the motion of raising a closed fist, then opening it up, as if he was releasing something up into the air. ~Anyway, where are you from? I came all the way from Tokyo, so I get the feeling of getting a bit lost.~
@DruSM157
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Akizawa Nadeshiko
Location:
Ishin Academy | Sapporo
Interacting with:
Nobody
Nobody
The gentle, rhythmic clacking of the railway cart as it dutifully sped along well-worn tracks towards Sapporo provided a welcome distraction to Nadeshiko. It was steady, even, easily predicted. A monotonous sound followed by an equally easy to foresee bump every few seconds. Nothing like what awaited her at the station, or more pressingly, beyond the station. Apprehension was a kind way to describe the feeling that balled itself within her gut, one more aligned with the typical experience of a freshly minted high school student crossing the country to attend a new, strange school. How many tens of thousands of school girls felt that nagging worry, the unease that comes with the unknown this very morning all across Japan?
But apprehension was just that—a kinder way to phrase what she was feeling. What she felt wasn't the disquiet that others felt in the face of new friends, new challenges and fleeting youth, but fear. Genuine fear for the future, though behind the lengthy strands of pink goo that covered her face none would see it. Not that she wanted anybody to see it, or her. Even sequestered away behind her bangs the anxiety that filled her made her feel exposed. Five freshly laundered sailor fukus had arrived at her home some months prior, one of which she had dawned before leaving her hotel room in Hakodate earlier in the morning for the last leg of her long journey. She had liked them at first, used to regimentation to the point that the total lack of customization hadn't bothered her. But now? She would do anything for the chance to have taken along hoodie. Something baggy atop her school uniform to try and give her a shield to shrink behind.
Such regrets were for naught. Mother would not have allowed her to take one in the first place.
The crackle of an intercom roused her back to the reality at hand. Five minutes, then they would arrive at the terminal in Sapporo, and a quick walk to campus that she—in her restlessness—had rehearsed a thousand times in her head would follow. Ishin Academy was one of the best schools in the country, only narrowly beat out by UA. It was about as good an education that any aspiring hero could get, the place that would prepare her for the rigors of a bright and lucrative future. A future truly worth striving for.
The only future worth striving for.
For as long as she could remember, Ishin Academy was it. No other direction. No other paths. Nadeshiko had come into a preordained destiny that would lead her to the steps of the grandiose academy one way or another. Failure had not been an option, not during the years of schooling to ensure her grades remained exemplary, nor the exams she had taken to qualify, the interviews and the tests to apply. She could not fail because there was nothing for her but acceptance at Ishin. Acceptance that she had managed to achieve, or she would not be on a humble train pulling into a chilly, northern station.
That was the source of her apprehension, Nadeshiko came to understand as she disembarked the train and began to carefully navigate crowds of salarymen and students alike, making herself small among the crowds until she could break away from them. She had finally reached the payoff for all her hard work. The light at the end of the tunnel; only to be met with another tunnel, one darker and longer than the one before it. She had no overbearing parent to push her unflinchingly towards excellence here. She had no companions—here or in general, truthfully—to help her along the path.
She had lived by the mold of outside ambitions for so long that she had no idea how to conduct herself now that she was a thousand miles from home and by herself. Yet even without the comfort of its constraining walls, she still bore the shackles of that ambition that had seen her arrive in Hokkaido; succeed, for there was nothing else but success.
It all made her feel like throwing up. An odd thing, considering she lacked the capacity to do so, but a sensation none the less. So caught in the maelstrom of her own anxiety and trepidation, she was robbed of any of the awe or glee that could be felt as she approached Ishin's campus after her lengthy walk. As if she could feel such things at the sight. She hadn't wanted this. It was a bitter fact that she had known for a long time, but often swallowed down without complaint. Ascending the stairs of this academy, surrounded by the fresh faces of so many peers and seniors alike, so excited to begin or resume their academic careers... it made the taste almost too much to bear.
Her eyes remained locked down and forward, avoiding the gazes of all those around her as she navigated by memory through the halls of her new home. She was never very good at introductions at the best of times, and the morning had frazzled any want for socialization right out of her. Nadeshiko spoke not a peep all the way to the auditorium, and only spared a fleeting glance through her ropey bangs at the ensemble of classmates who had begun gathering in her section.
Steeling herself against this reality she so desperately wished to shirk away from, the goo girl made a straight line towards the back of the seating arrangements, and planted herself down in a chair. The suitcase she had been dragging along behind her settled in front of her, and she absentmindedly toyed with the handle to distract her erratic mind. Now the waiting would begin.
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Hero Sincerest of Knights
Member
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22 days ago
Poised in her seat, Asuka's eyes were focused purely on the reflection inches from her face, fingers delicately tugging on every strand as she put them in place. Sure, it was probably a little vain to be so hyper-focused on her appearance, but there was nothing wrong with wanting to look nice for your first day. That said, even if she tugged her bangs this way and that, the soft curls seemed to do whatever they wanted no matter how much she moved them around. Letting out a huff of annoyance, she sat up straight as she leveled an unimpressed look at the compact, lightly pinching a cheek. Ugh, all this stress was starting to take its toll on her skin.
What she needed was to properly accessorize. Apparently, Ishin's dress code was a lot more lax than her old school's, so she planned on taking full advantage. After rummaging through her suitcase, she plucked out a gold headband with a sizable pink flower on it. Placing it on her head, she gently stroked the ribbon, turning her head this way and that to get a better look. Was it too flashy? She didn't pick the one with glitter on it, but the size was questionable. Oh well, she liked the way it looked. The uniform was bland enough that even with her hair she stood out, but she had to admit she kinda liked her ensemble.
Inhaling slowly, she perked up significantly as she flashed a smile at her reflection. "It's nice to meet you!" Her high-pitched squeak came out a little louder than she wanted, so she cleared her throat and lowered her enthusiasm slightly. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Sakurami Asuka. Let's have a good year!" She added a giggle at the end, satisfied. Perfect, she looked as cute as a button, just as intended.
Satisfied with her appearance, Asuka happily slouched back in her seat, digging out a piece of paper out of her pocket. On it were messages scribbled from her family: her big sis encouraging her, her mom and dad reminding her to call them, her little sister wishing her luck. It was nice to have a note to her that hadn't been added as an afterthought, though she frowned slightly at it. She still wished her dad had taken her to the train station yesterday, but Emiwa had apparently forgotten her sheet music, so he chose to let their chauffeur, Sato-san, take her to the train station instead. To his credit, Sato-san had made sure to give her proper directions and arrange for another driver to pick her up from the station to make sure she made it to the academy, but she would have liked it if it had been her dad instead.
Oh well.
Slouching against the car door, she remained quiet for the duration of the ride, occasionally bringing out her phone whenever she got too bored. The car slowly came to a halt, and Asuka felt all her energy coming back. Finally! The car door was opened for her, and after taking her luggage and thanking the driver, Asuka practically skipped her way onto the campus. There were a lot more people than she expected, but she had to admit she liked what she saw. There were a few odd sights here and there, but she figured that was typical for any place where everyone had a Quirk of some kind.
Walking into the auditorium, she was surprised it wasn't packed. Maybe the opening ceremony wasn't going to happen right away? Well, she could still take a seat, anyway, it wasn't like she knew anyone here. Deciding on one of the few seats at the edge, Asuka carefully placed her suitcase under the seat before sitting down, taking out her compact and inspecting her hair once again.
What she needed was to properly accessorize. Apparently, Ishin's dress code was a lot more lax than her old school's, so she planned on taking full advantage. After rummaging through her suitcase, she plucked out a gold headband with a sizable pink flower on it. Placing it on her head, she gently stroked the ribbon, turning her head this way and that to get a better look. Was it too flashy? She didn't pick the one with glitter on it, but the size was questionable. Oh well, she liked the way it looked. The uniform was bland enough that even with her hair she stood out, but she had to admit she kinda liked her ensemble.
Inhaling slowly, she perked up significantly as she flashed a smile at her reflection. "It's nice to meet you!" Her high-pitched squeak came out a little louder than she wanted, so she cleared her throat and lowered her enthusiasm slightly. "It's nice to meet you, I'm Sakurami Asuka. Let's have a good year!" She added a giggle at the end, satisfied. Perfect, she looked as cute as a button, just as intended.
Satisfied with her appearance, Asuka happily slouched back in her seat, digging out a piece of paper out of her pocket. On it were messages scribbled from her family: her big sis encouraging her, her mom and dad reminding her to call them, her little sister wishing her luck. It was nice to have a note to her that hadn't been added as an afterthought, though she frowned slightly at it. She still wished her dad had taken her to the train station yesterday, but Emiwa had apparently forgotten her sheet music, so he chose to let their chauffeur, Sato-san, take her to the train station instead. To his credit, Sato-san had made sure to give her proper directions and arrange for another driver to pick her up from the station to make sure she made it to the academy, but she would have liked it if it had been her dad instead.
Oh well.
Slouching against the car door, she remained quiet for the duration of the ride, occasionally bringing out her phone whenever she got too bored. The car slowly came to a halt, and Asuka felt all her energy coming back. Finally! The car door was opened for her, and after taking her luggage and thanking the driver, Asuka practically skipped her way onto the campus. There were a lot more people than she expected, but she had to admit she liked what she saw. There were a few odd sights here and there, but she figured that was typical for any place where everyone had a Quirk of some kind.
Walking into the auditorium, she was surprised it wasn't packed. Maybe the opening ceremony wasn't going to happen right away? Well, she could still take a seat, anyway, it wasn't like she knew anyone here. Deciding on one of the few seats at the edge, Asuka carefully placed her suitcase under the seat before sitting down, taking out her compact and inspecting her hair once again.
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coGM
Sapporo, Japan
Ishin Academy, Front Gate. April 7th
Wow, this guy liked to write! Shun did his best to keep up with Seo’s scribblings, nodding intently until the boy suddenly got embarrassed and apologized. Still, Shun did his best to keep up with the boy and answer him in kind.
~I'm a first-year as well, so maybe we'll be in the same class? Excited to start classes?~
“That would be awesome!” Shun beamed.“And yeah! I’m a little nervous, but it’s the first day of our big hero careers!” He laughed and looked at the movement of the students that Seo had noticed as well. He wondered who would all be in his class and if he would make a lot of friends. Back in middle school, he had a handful of friends, but his father’s work always kept him busy. Hoji and Soryu were probably busy at a local school back in Okinawa, with the warm sun beating down on them, the sound of insects always filling the air. He thought back to when he was accepted into the hero course, and what his father had said…
~I'm a first-year as well, so maybe we'll be in the same class? Excited to start classes?~
“That would be awesome!” Shun beamed.“And yeah! I’m a little nervous, but it’s the first day of our big hero careers!” He laughed and looked at the movement of the students that Seo had noticed as well. He wondered who would all be in his class and if he would make a lot of friends. Back in middle school, he had a handful of friends, but his father’s work always kept him busy. Hoji and Soryu were probably busy at a local school back in Okinawa, with the warm sun beating down on them, the sound of insects always filling the air. He thought back to when he was accepted into the hero course, and what his father had said…
Okinawa, Japan
Tanaka Racing Company Garage. 10 Months Ag0
"Don't talk about her!" Renji Tanaka's voice was loud and gruff as he pushed himself out from under the large automobile he was working under. "Especially not while I'm working! Now hand me that wrench-" he said, pointing to the tool shelf in the Tanaka garage. The Tanaka Garage was probably the best garage for race cars in all of Osaka, and Renji Tanaka, his father, and even his grandfather had made it such. In his mind, the entire Tanaka Clan would run the business, from father to son until the end of time. Until Shun came up with that letter.
"My aptitude scores put me toward the hero track. They say that I have power very similar to another hero, dad. Why won't you tell me about mom's quirk?"
"She didn't have a quirk as I said. She didn't have a quirk, she got sick when you were little and died. So drop it!" Renji was already up, walking towards his son, yanking the wrench out of his hand. "And the hero track? Don't make me laugh. You're going to work here with your younger brother. That's your track in life son. Not getting yourself killed as a hero for people who don't even care about you.
Shun's eyes closed tightly as his father went back to working on the car, using his quirk to stretch his limbs around and into the engine of the car.
"My aptitude scores put me toward the hero track. They say that I have power very similar to another hero, dad. Why won't you tell me about mom's quirk?"
"She didn't have a quirk as I said. She didn't have a quirk, she got sick when you were little and died. So drop it!" Renji was already up, walking towards his son, yanking the wrench out of his hand. "And the hero track? Don't make me laugh. You're going to work here with your younger brother. That's your track in life son. Not getting yourself killed as a hero for people who don't even care about you.
Shun's eyes closed tightly as his father went back to working on the car, using his quirk to stretch his limbs around and into the engine of the car.
~Sorry, I forgot how to sign excited, so made the sign for forget instead.~
The tapping of the board shook Shun back to reality and made him realize the gap that was between the two boys. He’d never even thought about the luxury of speech. “No, no I'm sorry.” He bowed in deference. “I can’t do or read JSL. And I know it’s probably faster to do that.” He thought for a moment and then piped up again. “How about this: could you teach me some sign language? That way you won’t have to constantly write on your board for me!”
~Anyway, where are you from? I came all the way from Tokyo, so I get the feeling of getting a bit lost.~
“Me? I’m from Okinawa. I guess that’s pretty obvious that I’m not from around here!” He beamed. He was heavily tanned, but still had the facial features of a Japanese boy.
“Hey! You students! Stop standing around the gate and head to the auditorium if you have nothing better to do!” A brash voice came from near the gates, where a tall, bearded man was ranting at several older classmen. He shot any student who locked eyes with him a terrifying death glare.
“Uh oh. I guess we’d better head to the auditorium before we wind up getting yelled at too…”
The tapping of the board shook Shun back to reality and made him realize the gap that was between the two boys. He’d never even thought about the luxury of speech. “No, no I'm sorry.” He bowed in deference. “I can’t do or read JSL. And I know it’s probably faster to do that.” He thought for a moment and then piped up again. “How about this: could you teach me some sign language? That way you won’t have to constantly write on your board for me!”
~Anyway, where are you from? I came all the way from Tokyo, so I get the feeling of getting a bit lost.~
“Me? I’m from Okinawa. I guess that’s pretty obvious that I’m not from around here!” He beamed. He was heavily tanned, but still had the facial features of a Japanese boy.
“Hey! You students! Stop standing around the gate and head to the auditorium if you have nothing better to do!” A brash voice came from near the gates, where a tall, bearded man was ranting at several older classmen. He shot any student who locked eyes with him a terrifying death glare.
“Uh oh. I guess we’d better head to the auditorium before we wind up getting yelled at too…”
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Tanegashima Wakako
Sapporo, Japan
Ishin Academy, Auditorium. April 7th
It was finally time. For so long, Wakako had been living on and off her mother’s blasted ship, getting her education as a mix of homeschooling and brief stays at schools in various ports. It was a mess, but her mother had many expectations, all of which involved shutting up and putting up. It was almost liberating to know that she would finally be settling down somewhere, just like before that fateful day she decided to travel with her mother, blissfully unaware of the ordeal that awaited her. Of course, given all the talk about Ishin and the fact that her mother adored the place suggested it would be a scant improvement over the rigid naval life she was about to leave behind. But, no matter what, at least her mother wouldn’t be there, and she would just be one of many students.
However, to call her just another unremarkable student was hardly appropriate. Due to an unholy combination of her genetics and her mother’s harsh and deliberate sculpting, Wakako was taller than just about all the students she could see around her, and ludicrously muscular to boot. The first day she was asked why she was wearing the girl’s uniform at one of the schools she went to, she cried in the bathroom shortly afterwards. Whether it was true or not, she could feel eyes upon her. She was deathly worried that the school’s reputation for conservatism was going to nettle her over the entire span of her stay here. Sometimes she wondered how her mother ever got used to looking the way she did. Somehow, Sanae Tanegashima, the Warship Hero, managed to embrace the amazon aesthetic wholeheartedly. Wakako wasn’t sure she’d ever get used to it.
But Wakako had not come this far just to wallow in misery. She had made up her mind long ago to grin and bear it all, whether “it” was her mother’s harshness, the leering of others, or the rigours of her tenure at Ishin Academy. She had already practised her smile so often in anticipation of this moment; it was a nice, warm, toothy, beaming smile. Ironically her mother liked to smile too, but it wasn’t a nice smile. Sanae Tanegashima was better known for a casual smirk that donned her face as she waltzed around taking down villains. Wakako had never asked, but she assumed that it was meant to be domineering and dismissive of those she fought with. That was the kind of thing she expected from her mother, and the exact kind of thing she never wanted to be. She may have never worked up the courage to oppose her directly, but she would never be the person her mother wanted her to be. She would get through this ordeal and come out of it her own person.
Wakako passed through the front gate, smiling and waving at those that caught her eye. They weren’t guaranteed to be looking at her, but just the same, best to put on a brave face. No point in cringing in fear and looking down, that would just invite trouble, and she knew from experience that not everyone found a six foot one girl with large muscles impossibly intimidating. She passed through, into the building, and took her seat with the other first years. She hoped she wasn’t going to end up sitting in front of someone who needed to see past her, because that had been an issue in the past.
As she sat there, her thoughts wildly vacillated between imposed optimism and doubts that crept into her head. But through it all, she repeated to herself; You’re gonna be a hero, Wakako. Your own hero. Just get through it. You’ll be fine. You’ll be great. Just show your stuff.
Raijinslayer .
Member
Seen
1 mo ago
Yasuhide Seo
Seo pretended not to notice Shun spacing out, simply nodding along with his suggestion as he wrote down a response. It was nice to have an almost normal conversation, even if it wasn't as efficient as he'd like. His old school friends had gotten pretty distant and his daily at home was. . .
~Sure, I'd love to teach you. 1st Lesson: Friends!~ Seo shook off the creeping thoughts with a bright grin as he let Shun read the message, before letting it drop as he brought his hands together as if he was holding his own hand. Before Seo could continue though, the loud shouting of a nearby teacher caught his attention. Hands falling to his sides, he felt his smile slip into a more mischievous grin for a moment as he considered messing with the teacher just a little bit. His hands even got halfway into one of the pouches at his side, but after a moment, he thought better of it. Best to save pranking the faculty till he was a bit further on into the year, and besides that, he doubted his newfound friend was the type who'd want to piss off a teacher as his first action as a student at Isshin. With his prankster impulse suppressed, for now, he turned to head off to the auditorium raising up a message for Shun as he made his way.
~Lesson 2: See ya/Good-bye! Hope we end up in the same class.~ The message would be followed by another example, with Seo holding out two fingers in front of him, palm-side facing his chest before giving a more traditional wave good-bye and making his way to the auditorium. He gave a nod to the absolutely towering girl that had just arrived as he passed by her, wondering if she was just tall or if it was because of a quirk. Once inside the building, Seo moved to loosen his scarf a bit as he looked for a place to sit. He was going to be here for some time yet, so he didn't want to burn up in his jacket while he waited for some faculty member to talk at them for another hour. God I hate assemblies like this. Just a waste of everyone's time to go over the same ol' BS.
After some searching, his eyes pied an open seat by a relatively preppy-looking girl with hair that he could only describe as 'cotton candy chic'. Again, he wondered if that was a result of a quirk or just normal, but he shook it off as he decided that she seemed nice enough to spend an hour next to. Stepping up to her, he tapped the girl on the shoulder before giving a quick bow and presenting the card he'd handed to Shun. After she'd read it, he'd lift up his whiteboard to ask the more pressing question:
~Mind if I nab that seat next to you?~
@DruSM157@Hero
Osamu Kenzo
Sapporo, Japan
Ishin Academy, April 7th
Interacting With: @Naw
Osamu chose this morning to jog, not walk, to the academy once he had exited the train. His father had suggested a much more elegant form of transportation, but Osamu had refused any such offers. It would not do for him to be indulgent prior to beginning his formal education as a Hero. The jog would do him good, and it would set a better example to others. His father had made a great deal of his selflessness, but Osamu was not keen to indulge in such talk either. As his father regularly reminded him, it was not as important to be praised for being a Hero as it was to act in the manner befitting of one. The need for humility among Heroes was yet another notion impressed upon him by his father.
More recently, his father had been raving on the subject of the recent increase of foreigners among the student population at Ishin. Being an alumnus himself, he was mortified to hear they were allowing even one of them at his old school. Anyone that knew Miura Kenzo knew he was renowned for his virulently bigoted views. Osamu remembered hearing that there was a whole channel on Youtube dedicated to hosting his "greatest hits", which were all the times he had said something controversial about foreigners. Osamu considered himself fortunate these people could not record his father while at home, else they would have far more damning comments to plaster all over the internet. While Osamu did not share his father's passion for the subject, he had come to the conclusion as of late that perhaps it was better that Japan remained dedicated to the Japanese. However, he had no desire to go about offending people if he could help it, and if the foreigners would stay clear of him, then he would stay clear of them.
Upon arriving at their designated gathering place, Osamu was sure he had picked a few foreign faces out of the crowd already. While his face did not betray it, he was already making mental notes of whom to be concerned about. Trying to place foreign concerns out of mind, Osamu turned his attentions to those arriving. Many people were milling about, making greetings and starting conversations. As these people were to be his comrades for some time, it was only fitting he too attempt to get to know as many as he could.
Approaching a seat in the auditorium, he initially believed, from a distance, he was about to take a seat next to a man. On closer inspection, they were clearly a very tall and muscular woman. He felt it was a good thing he did not speak too quickly, else he might make an arse of himself to the first person he was about to meet and greet.
"Ah, hello. My name is Kenzo Osamu. Would you mind terribly if I sat beside you?" He asked of this tall young lady. It was only proper to at least ask permission before simply plopping himself down and chatting away, though he would be somewhat surprised to be told not to sit next to her. Hopefully, they could get the awkwardness out of the way quickly.
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