The train is now departing. Please keep clear of the doors.It was early, far too early for Tokyo to rife with the usual hustle of city activity and yet, the first train headed North out of Tokyo had an impressive number of people. Of course, it was that time of year: the start of the academic calendar, and the train was mostly made up of Tokyo's brightest pupils, headed for whatever academies they managed to get into. It would be fair to say that Endo looked out of place among all these commuting students. It did appear as if his oddity went noticed by the several drowsy students as they passed by his row suddenly snapping to attention with a smile or nod, but most paid him no mind. Most hadn't realized that the previous top 10 Hero, Eagle Eye, was among them and more importantly to some select few first years, they had passively paid no mind to their teacher.
This was all excusable, even amusing at times to the retired Pro. It had been years since he was in the spotlight and without his iconic visor, he had essentially become anonymous again. This was even despite of him preferring to be dressed up much like his hero persona in addition to the physique and scarring of someone who just oozed the image of a "retired hero". Endo didn't mind as none quite had an
eye or mind for remembering like him.
Curious enough, Endo had managed to identify one of the new Ishin first years in his train cabin. Amuro Namie, another Tokyo native... even though her application had stated she traveled around a lot in her youth. She had grabbed a seat somewhere behind him, one the last to board, as the train got underway but from a quick look around as Endo stood up and went to the bathroom, he noticed no other Ishin first year in that cabin.
Now, even if someone retired, the role of being a hero never really leaves a person. It becomes instinctual and almost addictive to those that managed to return on their own terms compared to a retirement from something out of a person's control, be it injury or anything else. So when the panicked cries of someone finally registered, Endo snapped to attention and bolted from the bathroom into his initial cabin.
"Touma! Touma!" A young man, a student possibly second or third year, was standing in the middle of the cabin crying out a name. Details were important and instinctively Endo took a moment to glance around the cabin, his eyes instantly studying the details with his Keen Eye Quirk before approaching the man. Calming the student with his identity, Endo quickly got to work on finding out what was going on.
In short: the young man, a third year student and his younger brother, a first year, had boarded the train together and now the brother was missing. Before the train departed the brother had claimed to go to the bathroom, the very same bathroom that Endo decided to use once the train was underway. When the young man realized this, he admitted to having a "gut-feeling" about the situation and quickly scooped a few of the other cabins but revealed no sighting of this brother so he started to panic, hence the frantic screaming of the brother's name.
"Alright. I understand, Reo." Endo reached for the young man's, Reo's, shoulder and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.
"Don't worry anymore, Reo. I'll find Touma for you." Reo finally broke slightly as his eyes watered by the reassurance and was these moments that Endo savored and missed about being a hero.
[...]
We have arrived at Sapporo Station..."I've failed." Endo privately thought to himself as recollected the past few hours. Touma was nowhere on board and and as a result, the train had to be stopped at the next station and searched carefully. No trace of the boy, but his stuff was certainly present. Endo hadn't seen Touma board but there were a few witnesses that confirmed he had.
Among Reo's testimony, Endo had a valuable witness in the Ishin first year, Namie. She had recalled passing by Touma as he stepped into the bathroom. With an exit also at the rear of the cabin, it seems like Touma had left the train a moment before the doors closed. A call home after the investigation begun revealed that Touma didn't go home either. Stranger still was that security tapes had revealed he just walked out and from the video Endo was sent, Touma appeared content, a grin barely visible on the screen.
It was difficult to tell Reo that he couldn't do anything about it now as not only was he running late himself, he had held up Namie as a witness. They both missed the opening speech and with Ishin's strict discipline, Endo figured it would be best accompany Namie to confirm the situation. Still though, Endo felt slightly powerless, older age apparent, as he was unable to do something more than reassure Reo that he was going to find his brother for a second time. Maybe Reo had heard it in his voice but the moment was a bright as the time before but it was still impactful, a bitter reminder of Endo's failure. It wouldn't be the first time...
This wasn't really what Namie had anticipated nor wanted out of her first day on her own. She was horrifically tardy due to being held up as a witness for a missing person's case. There had to be precedence or an inclusion to overlook being late for a legitimate reason. Although she was still fretting over the notion of what is going to happen when actually gets to Ishin, she felt a lot better when that hero revealed he was a teacher at Ishin. Surely she'd be alright now but there was little escaping the feeling of being late even if you were justified.
Namie got off with at the station, keeping up with Endo who had been very quiet the whole trip. Since getting back on the train after it was stopped, Namie had to sit next to Endo as he asked her a few questions about the boy that went missing. It wasn't like she knew who he was, she just saw him go to the bathroom. It seemed like it was a kidnapping but the questions that he had been asking her were slowly changing her mind. Asking things about mood, did the kid have anything with him, was there anyone in the bathroom before him, Did someone else board behind you, and so on.
In truth, it was a little exhausting and Namie felt like answers weren't very detailed but she was thanked for each reply, nonetheless. That along with the rest of his demeanor was rather passively soothing and she had caught herself almost asking if he was going to be her teacher. She did have plenty of opportunities but each time she glanced over in between the lulls, he always had his eyes closed. One time, even, she had managed asked him something appeared he was sleeping but he did not stir, as if he never heard it. She never bothered with another question since.
Despite the uncomfortable silence, Namie kept close as they left the station and walked through Sapporo towards Ishin. After all, he was her tardy pass.
Arriving on the grounds was supposed to be gut-punch for first years, either from a sensation of over-excitement or dread. Namie had felt none of those as her fleeting worries vanished into a passive curiosity as she glanced around the entryway, the yard, the hallways, before finally seeing the inside of the principal's office.
"Just go ahead and take a seat. I've got to to talk with principal for a minute but we'll get you on your way." Endo said, finally breaking the silence between the two. Namie merely nodded, taking a seat and waiting for a bit before a member of faculty came out and gave her some direction. The other first years are finding their dormitories and that's where she should head to...
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