[The Fox and the Hare] Chapter 32 - Back to School (Patreon)

Chapter 32 - Back to School

Days turned into weeks, and sooner than Naruto would have liked, the summer holiday ended. It was time for him to go back to school again. It was also time for him and Rumi to part ways.

"Ah, I don’t wanna go," he whined as he dragged his suitcases slowly towards the train station.

"Now you really sound like a kid."

"Do you know of a way to skip the next two years?"

"There is a way, but can you do it? As far as I know, you’re not the smartest kid in your class, to say the least."

"...Are you calling me stupid?"

She laughed at his glare and shrugged as she said:

"Your grades speak for themselves. Although UA High is a school for heroes, it’s still a school in the end. Aside from Hero Course classes, you also have regular classes like Maths, Japanese, English, and Science. Starting with the Second Year, you will also have a mandatory class on Laws and one for Ethics. You could probably skip all three years of school if you think you’re good enough to pass all these exams easily."

"...That’s not gonna happen," Naruto admitted half-heartedly.

"That’s what I thought," she snickered. "But hey, cheer up! Starting with the second year, you will be able to spend most of the semester on an internship with me."

"Who says I will come back here? Maybe I’ll go work for Hawks next year."

"How can you expect me to believe that when even after more than a month together, you still can't take your eyes off me?"

She laughed at his flustered face.

But while they were chatting, people started taking note of them. While Mirko could go incognito by covering her head with a hoodie, Naruto couldn’t easily disguise himself with the four sizeable golden fox tails at his back.

Soon, the two of them found themselves mobbed by a few dozen people.

But even as they answered all sorts of questions and signed autographs, Naruto and Mirko smiled at the people around them, not letting their annoyance show on their faces. Being kind and smiling for the fans was part of a Pro Hero’s job as well.

Fortunately, Japan’s railway system was one of the most developed in the world, so it was very rare for trains to have delays. Therefore, they only had to engage with the crowd for a few minutes before the train’s arrival.

Not caring about the dozens of fans and paparazzi snapping pictures at them, Naruto wrapped his arms around the rabbit girl in a tight hug.

"I’m going to miss you," he whispered only for her to hear it.

But when some of the people around them started whistling and catcalling at their public display of affection, Mirko quickly broke their hug.

"We’re in public, idiot!" she whispered back harshly, but Naruto could only grin at her embarrassed countenance. "I’ll come to see you on your birthday, okay?"

"Okay."

Then, the two of them bumped fists.

As the train’s whistle rang, he grabbed his suitcases and climbed into the carriage.

⁂

‘I can’t believe they built this place in less than a week,’ Naruto said in amazement as he looked at the large building in front of him. It was a wide building with five floors and two wings - it was like a mansion.

"Each student dorm building holds one class," Professor Aizawa said. "Girls will live on the right wing, and boys on the left. But, before we get inside, I would like the new students to introduce themselves to the rest of the class."

Before Izuku could even react, someone shoved him strongly from behind.

"Uh, ugh, I-" he began stuttering, not having expected this development. But when he heard Naruto start chuckling, his annoyance got the better of him: "Damn it, Naruto, I'll get back at you for this, just you wait!"

While the rest of the class started laughing at Izuku as well, Aizawa said:

"Come on, we don't have the whole day. Get on with it."

"Ah, yes, sorry," Izuku said, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm Midoriya Izuku, from General Studies. I have a superpower quirk. I couldn't pass the entrance exam for the Hero Course because I had a hard time controlling my quirk. But I've gotten better since then. I've already met most of you at the training camp, but it's nice to make your acquaintance. I'll be in your care!"

After Izuku, Shinso was next. But, unlike Izuku, he didn’t fumble with his words, and he didn’t have much to say either.

"My name is Hitoshi Shinso, from General Studies. I have a Brainwashing Quirk. Pleased to meet you."

Next, a slender girl with long and straight pink hair stepped in front of her classmates:

"Hello. My name is Haruno Sakura. I’m from General Studies as well. I have a healing quirk."

At her words, most of the 1-A students broke into murmurs.

"A healing quirk?"

"Whoa, isn’t that super rare?"

"Cut it out, she isn’t done talking. Have some manners," Aizawa said in rebuke, making everyone shut up at once.

"My quirk isn’t battle-oriented, but I hope to become a good support for the heroes risking their lives in the line of duty. That is all. It’s nice to meet you all. Please take care of me!" Sakura said and bowed.

After the pink-haired girl, a boy with dark red hair and carrying a large, strange gourd-like object on his back walked out.

"My name is Sabaku Gaara. My quirk is Sand. I have been homeschooled until now, but my parents decided to send me to UA."

The 1-A students had already met Izuku and Shinso, but the other two new classmates were a surprise for them. The boys in particular were super excited by the pink-haired girl’s addition to their class, for obvious reasons.

Now that the new classmates finished introducing themselves, Eraserhead led everyone inside the building.

"This is the first floor - it’s a common area. The kitchen, the bathrooms, and the laundry rooms are all on this floor."

The boys and the girls let out all sorts of sounds of amazement as they walked into the building that was going to serve as their home for the duration of the school year.

‘Aizawa-sensei has still not fully recovered…’ Naruto thought after seeing the gloomy teacher walk ahead with a limp. ‘But at least he’s alive.’

It couldn’t be said the same about the young boy from the training camp, whom AFO had squashed like a bug. But he forced himself not to think about that memory now.

"There are four rooms per gender on each floor, with five floors in total. Seeing as some of your classmates quit the school or passed away in the previous semester, some rooms will be free for you to choose if you want to move in."

And just like that, Aizawa killed everyone’s enthusiasm in a heartbeat. Uncaring of how he had brought everyone’s mood down, he continued:

"It goes without saying, but rooms will be separated by gender, and everyone gets their own room. They’re luxurious spaces equipped with their own air conditioning, fridges, and closets. Most of you have sent their belongings ahead - you will find them in your rooms. For today, unpack your things and make yourselves comfortable. Have some rest, because from tomorrow on, you will need it. That’s all. Dismissed."

⁂

Right as Aizawa left through the entrance door, Naruto found himself backed into a corner by a group of boys and girls who suddenly ganged up on him.

"Naruto! We haven’t seen you in months! How is it going, dude?!"

"You rarely even answered my calls, man! Some best friend you are!"

"Oi, is it true your quirk awakened again?!"

"Did you really get your provisional hero license? Can you show it to us?"

It was like a deja vu of what happened at the train station in Hiroshima earlier that day. But he couldn’t blame them for acting like that. He did neglect his classmates during the summer holiday. He had been so preoccupied with his budding relationship with Rumi, his training, and the Hero work as Mirko’s sidekick that he had not kept in touch with them.

"How about we unpack our things first? We’ll talk later," Naruto said before scurrying away with his suitcases.

⁂

"Ah, I’m beat! I had more luggage to unpack than I thought," Izuku said as he let himself drop on the sofa.

"These dorms are incredible!" Kaminari said too. "They let us customize our rooms the way we wanted!"

"For real, I even hanged a sandbag in my room,"

"No way! Are you serious?"

"What about you, Shinso? You got anything special?"

"...Ah…not really. My room is pretty normal."

While the boys were talking about their rooms, the girls, who had just arrived in the common living area, overheard their discussion.

"Hey, hey! We were talking about our rooms just now too! How about we all have a room presentation contest?" Ashido Mina said.

"I don’t think that’s a good idea…" Izuku tried to dodge it, but he was the only one who kicked up a fuss.

"Why not? I’m curious about the others’ rooms,"  Kaminari said.

"Me too!"

"Yeah! Same!"

"I agree with Midoriya," Tokoyami unexpectedly said. "Our personal space should be private."

"It’s because it’s private that it’s exciting!" Kaminari retorted. "Seeing each other’s rooms will make us get to know each other better!"

"Ugh, you’re thinking about something gross again now, aren’t you?" Jiro said with a look of disgust on her face.

"Okay then, since we all have agreed with it-" Momo said,

"I didn’t!" "I don’t!" Izuku and Tokoyami retorted (but were ignored).

"-let’s start. Whose room shall we see first?"

"Wait, where is Naruto?"

"I think I saw him going out for training," Ojiro said. "Seriously, is he a training addict or what?"

"Pay it no mind! Let’s go, let’s go!" Uraraka said excitedly.

⁂

Half an hour later, the girls had invaded all the boys’ rooms. Some, like Sero, were proud of their choices, while others, like Izuku and Tokoyami, were steaming with embarrassment at others seeing a part of their true selves. But there were also others like Shinso, Todoroki, and Gaara who were rather indifferent. While Todoroki and Gaara’s rooms looked surprisingly similar with their traditional Japanese aesthetics, Shinso’s room was nothing out of the ordinary, much like the room of Ojiro.

Then, it was the boys’ turn to get a glimpse of the girls’ room and better understand what each one of them truly was like. Jiro loved music, Yaoyorozu’s room looked like that of a little princess, Sakura’s room was full of pink and teddy bears, and so on and so forth.

One hour after the start of the conquest, they were all back in the living room on the ground floor.

"Hey… how can we vote for the best room when we haven’t seen all of them?" Mina suddenly asked a question.

"You mean-" Uraraka began.

"Yes."

Understanding what the girls were talking about, Izuku butted in:

"I don’t think that’s a good idea… we shouldn’t go into someone’s room without permission."

"Don’t be like that, Midoriya, aren’t you curious about his room? The strongest student in our class! It’s gotta be awesome, right?" Kirishima said.

"Not really. I’ve been at his place many times before."

"Ehh?!" Mina shouted. "You’ve been to his place?!"

"He’s my best friend, of course. I know his parents well too."

"Ah, how enviable!" the new girl, Sakura said.

When half a dozen heads turned her way at once, her face blushed a bright red.

"Forget I said anything!!"

"Hehe! Someone has a crush on our resident celebrity?" Uraraka said with a teasing grin.

"Yeah, yeah, she and a million other girls like Naruto. Shocking," Kaminari said sarcastically and scoffed.

"Don’t be an ass, Kaminari!" Jiro yelled at him, her earphone jacks rising in the air and ready to strike.

After several minutes of bickering amongst themselves, the 1-A class students ended up deciding to sneak into Naruto’s room while he was still away.

"It looks more normal than I thought," Kirishima said.

"I told you, didn't I? He’s a normal dude, just like you and I, what did you think his room was going to look like?" Izuku laughed.

"Whoa, there are so many framed photos!" Uraraka said, and everyone started paying attention to the dozens of photos hanging from the walls or standing on the desk and on the nightstand.

Photos of a handsome middle-aged man with blonde hair and a beautiful woman with crimson red hair. Photos of a cute little girl with long white hair and a small horn on the side of her forehead.

"They’re all photos of his family," Yaoyorozu said in surprise as she looked at the many photos of Naruto together with his parents and his adopted little sister.

"Oh, look, there are photos with him and Mirko too!" Ojiro said.

"Where?!" the others shouted and quickly crowded around him.

On the nightstand, there was a photo of Naruto carrying a sleeping and drooling Mirko on his back. By the looks of it, she appeared to be drunk. On the wall above it, there was one more photo of Mirko in casual clothes, flipping an omelette in the frying pan.

Lastly, there was a third photo of Naruto and Mirko together, with her kissing him on the cheek and his face flushing red.

"I hate to say I told you so, but I told you so! When I said they had a thing for each other, you told me to get off the internet. I was right all along! Haha!" Kaminari said triumphantly.

"Oy, Denki, would it hurt you to have a bit more tact?" Jiro said in reproach.

By then, nobody in 1-A class was unaware of Mina’s crush on Naruto.

"It’s okay, Jiro, I don’t mind it," Mina said. "After seeing so many photos of them together in the news this summer, even I have to admit it’s a lost cause."

⁂

On another side of the country, while the UA High students went to sleep in their new dorms, a particular blonde-haired teenager was just about to head out.

"Be careful out there, Katsuki."

"Yeah, yeah. Just go to sleep, shitty geezer, or I’m going to be late because of you."

"Mind your language, stupid brat!" his mother suddenly yelled and smacked him on the back of his head.

Getting smacked by his mother would have devolved into a heated argument…or at least it used to be like that in the past.

Clicking his tongue, Katuski Bakugo just grabbed his backpack and left the house without saying another word.

"Something is wrong with him, honey; I can feel it," Mitsuki said, furrowing her brows.

"I think he changed for the better, hasn’t he? Ever since he enrolled in the HPSC, he’s become less aggressive and a little more disciplined."

"I don’t know about that… to me, he just looks depressed."

Unaware of his parents’ conversation after he left, Bakugo just hurried to the meeting point with his team. A little over a month had passed since he accepted the offer from the Hero Public Safety Commission.

⁂

"You’re late," a man wearing a white animal mask said.

Bakugo kept his silence.

"Look here, kid. Either you follow my rules, or you’re out. You were supposed to get here five minutes ago."

"Alright, I get it, now let’s get on with the damned mission already."

"Sigh. You’re never going to go up in ranks with this attitude, regardless of how good your quirk is."

But, seeing that he wasn’t getting a reaction out of him, the masked man dropped it. Pressing a button on his remote control, a photo of a person with shoulder-length brown hair and a mixture of both male and female facial features appeared on the large screen at the front of the room.

"Kenji Hikiishi, also known as Magne. Born as a male, transitioned to female."

A snort came from one of the three boys gathered in that room.

"Now is not the time, Kiba."

"Sorry, sensei," the boy apologized insincerely.

‘How did I end up babysitting these shitty kids?’ the masked man asked himself as he let out a long-suffering sigh.

"Wanted for the following crimes: nine armed robberies, three murders, and 29 attempted murders. Recently, she kidnapped an underage boy and is now blackmailing his wealthy parents for ransom."

Kiba’s amusement died out at the mention of Magne’s numerous crimes.

"Even if she were to be arrested and judged in court, it’s obvious that she would receive the death penalty. However, as you already know, villains aren’t executed right away. Some of them end up living in prison even for a decade or more before they finally get their turn. There is no reason for the government to waste that much money and resources on keeping someone like her alive for so long. Therefore, it falls on our hands to eliminate them."

The three boys tensed. While Kiba and Sasuke had already taken part in a similar mission before - that of eliminating Stain, the Hero Killer - they had never killed anyone. Stain ended up dying at Mirko’s hands. As for Bakugo himself, it would be his first time taking on such a mission.

"I will assist you from the shadows, but the three of you will be the main characters in this mission and one of you will have to deal the killing blow. I won’t designate someone. You decide it amongst yourselves. But whoever does it first is of little importance because eventually, you will all have accomplished the feat of ridding our country of such filth."

While the three boys were dead silent, the masked man continued:

"Now, let's talk about her quirk and combat ability. First [...]"

⁂

Back to the dorms located on UA High’s campus - Heights Alliance - Naruto was finally coming back from the gym. It was late in the evening, well past dinner time.

‘It’ll take some time to get used to school again.’

It was only his first day back, and school had yet to start, but he already missed Mirko’s company. He had not trained alone in weeks.

Instead of going inside, he sat down on the freshly cut grass and lied on his back. He let out a groan of relief as he spread his legs and rested. After unpacking his things, he went straight to the school gym. It had been a leg day, he was exhausted.

"You’re finally back."

Recognizing the voice, Naruto sat up to look at the newcomer. "You’re not asleep yet?" he asked.

Izuku came next to him and sat down on the grass as well.

"We haven’t talked that much lately. How are you? How is your progress with your quirk? Do you get along with your new classmates?"

"I’m doing fine. I’m excited to start school again and train with the Hero Course professors," Izuku said and grinned.

But his seemingly happy smile couldn’t fool Naruto’s sense of smell.

"I can tell you’re troubled. Sad almost. Did something happen?"

Izuku avoided his eyes, looking down.

"I’m not sure… It’s just… It feels like we’re growing apart. You-, you’ve become distant."

"If someone heard this out of context, they’d think we’re a couple or something. Just to make things clear, I don’t swing that way, y’know?" Naruto said, snickering.

"There you go, I’m trying to talk about serious things, and you’re making fun of me again!"

At Izuku’s outburst, Naruto stopped laughing and became serious.

"I think that us growing apart is normal. It’s natural."

"What do you mean?" Izuku asked sharply.

"I nearly died at the hands of the Sludge Villain. Then I almost got killed by Nomu at USJ. Two of my classmates died -  I’m actually the one who found Iida-kun’s mutilated corpse, lying in a puddle of blood on the street. And only a few weeks ago, I saw a six-year-old kid get pulverized in front of my eyes. I almost got killed again too. And, if that’s not enough, my parents and my little sister are now fugitives, living with fake identities, hidden in a place even I don’t know about. I haven’t seen them face-to-face in nearly two months."

The green-haired boy became speechless.

Letting himself fall on his back again, Naruto looked at the night sky covered with dark purple clouds, not saying anything for a while. A few moments passed before he broke the silence:

"I have changed, Izuku. I’m not the same innocent boy who used to show off playing soccer and or go together with you and Kiba to the arcade. The life of a pro Hero isn’t the glam and rainbows you see on TV or social media. Death isn’t just a distant possibility for us. Every time Pro Heroes go out, they resolve themselves with the idea that they might not come back. Even the strong aren’t completely immune to the danger. I thought you guys had understood that by now… But in the end, you are still children. Still green, still immature."

Despite being called an immature kid, Izuku couldn’t find the strength to say anything in return. At that moment, Naruto didn’t sound like his childhood friend or like a boy his age. The words coming from his mouth were like those of a jaded soldier.

"I’m sorry if I seemed cold to you or distant. But I’m not the same Naruto you used to know. I’m not like you or the rest of our classmates. I can’t play around and enjoy being a student. My family is on the run now, and I’m being targeted by the worst criminal in Japan. I can’t afford to slack off or fool around and play with my friends. I have to get strong. Strong enough to protect my parents and my little sister from those who want to hurt them."

As Izuku remained silent, Naruto didn’t continue his monologue. His muscles groaned in protest as he stood up, but he was used to that kind of soreness. He had even started to enjoy it.

"Before I go, I will tell you one more thing: remember, your mentor’s days are numbered. The moment you-know-who finds out that you’re his successor, he won’t rest until he hunts you down too. And it’s not just about you. Your loved ones might be targeted too."

Having said that, Naruto turned around and left.

The reason for Naruto not calling out All Might and All For One by their names became apparent when someone stepped out of the shadow after he left. Naruto didn’t know their identity, but his sharp hearing had caught wind of their breathing and even the sound of their heartbeat. Knowing that someone was eavesdropping on them, he censored the amount of information they could get from his words.

"All Might?!" Izuku exclaimed in surprise at the sight of the tall and skinny blonde man. "What brings you here at this hour?!"

"I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on you, but you seemed to be in the middle of an important talk, so I didn’t want to interrupt… You know, your friend isn’t entirely wrong."

When Izuku’s eyes started watering, All Might let out a sigh.

"But you don't need to be as worried as he says. I’m not entirely done just yet. I have decreased the time I spend fighting crime every day so I believe I still have a year or two left. I am still here, and I will protect you and everyone else."

"I’m sorry, All Might. I just- I thought I was doing fine," Izuku said sincerely as tears started falling from his eyes. "I am working hard every day... Am I a bad successor? Do you think I have been slacking off?"

All Might put a hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

"It’s not that you’ve been slacking off... It’s more that Uzumaki-shonen is too hard on himself and just as hard on the others as well. You and your classmates have not witnessed the horrors and the dark side of being a Hero firsthand as he did. It’s probably hard for you to understand the urgency and desperation he is likely going through now."

"You needn’t trouble yourself too much for now. You do need to work hard to become stronger and improve, but don’t fall into despair. Don’t let it consume you. Enjoy your youth while you still can. Because I am here. I and the rest of the professors at UA will protect you until you can stand on your own two feet and hold your own against the villains."

"Go for now; it’s late, and tomorrow you have a busy day ahead of you. What I wanted to say can wait for another time. For now, get some rest."

After bidding Izuku goodbye, All Might fell deep in thought as he walked back to the professors’ quarters.

‘I need to have a talk with Uzumaki Naruto. I should book a meeting for him with the psychologist as well.’

He was worried about his mental health because, in the end, as mature as he seemed to be, he was still a boy, a teenager. Witnessing so much death and going through so many tough situations in such a short time was bound to leave a lasting mark on someone’s psyche.