Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
Izumi POV - September 23.
"How are you feeling?" Taylor asked gently. I suppressed a grimace, but still sighed heavily.
"Just like the last 10 times you asked in the last hour since I returned to UA." I sighed wearily. "I'm fine, I'm really fine. Yes, I used up too much aura, but it wasn't even broken, it was just tiredness. Now I'm fine after a long nap." I told them while looking at Taylor and the rest of the girls.
Apparently, after the fight against the Shie Hassaikai ended and Mai and I were both knocked unconscious, we were taken to the nearest hospital. Even though the fight had happened very early in the morning and it was still early when it ended, I hadn't gotten up until several hours ago, in the middle of the night.
Mai had also woken up a couple of hours earlier. We were both in perfect condition, just a little tired. Apparently, it wasn't entirely the fault of our aura consumption; after all, it hadn't even broken. Instead, it was the fault of soul resonance and the use of aura and our quirks.
The doctors didn't really know much, but apparently pushing the soul resonance so hard, being the first time in the middle of a fight, had taken more from us than I thought.
Luckily, everything was fine and we were able to leave the hospital a couple of hours later. Fortunately, there was no one else there. The fight went so smoothly that most of the heroes only suffered minor injuries or bruises, and the worst had been healed by my summons, so there was nothing truly dangerous; only Mai and I were in the hospital.
After calling Aizawa, at his insistence because of the message he'd left on my Scroll, Mai and I returned to the university. Luckily, I was rested enough to run and jump back across the buildings.
The train from Osaka to Shizuoka didn't leave that early, and traveling by car would take over four hours. The cost would be significantly higher than taking the train for a journey of over 300 km. I preferred to run back in a quarter of that time and stretch my legs after sleeping so long. It was a good, light exercise and quite refreshing to run through the city so early in the morning.
Luckily, Mai had also recovered enough to return to her sword form and give me directions to guide me between prefectures. Once I arrived, Aizawa yelled at me for not staying at the hospital until dawn before sending me to the dormitory and forcing me to rest.
So here I was now, making breakfast way too early in the morning, early enough that any of our classmates were still asleep. The only ones awake were those I'd texted to reassure them I was okay and already at UA, and they'd come straight to the Class 1-A dorm despite my repeated reassurances that I was fine.
Taylor, Ruby, Azula, Darkness, Tanya, Visha, Miorine and somehow, Jinx had also joined, she had stayed awake waiting.
Luckily they were the only ones; I wasn't really waiting for the others to wake up and start bombarding me with questions, and I definitely wasn't looking forward to the lecture with Nezu and all the other teachers, so I would enjoy breakfast before having the boring lectures.
So, getting back to the conversation, Ruby just pouted.
"We were worried," Ruby complained. I smiled gently at her.
"And I appreciate it, and I'll make sure to rest. Today is Saturday, so we don't have classes or training, just some talks with the principal. So, once again, I'm not tired enough to make breakfast," I said playfully. The girls sighed and nodded.
"Is Mai upstairs?" Azula asked as she sat down and picked up the teacup in front of her. I shook my head as I continued preparing breakfast.
"No, she went to look for Maki," I said easily. "Mai also fainted from overexertion, so Maki was worried, and Mai went to look for her," I added with a hum. I didn't know why she hadn't texted her, but I had my suspicions; Mai didn't want to be approached by a worried Maki in public. I snorted at that thought.
"So... now that we've established you're okay..." Ruby said. I glanced over my shoulder and saw her anxiously biting her lip. Finally, she blurted out, "We saw you on the news! I didn't know you could do all that! It was incredible! First there were many winged centaurs and then a giant one and you said 'Charge! ' and the centaur charged towards the monster with a giant sword!
"Then you made Mai expand and whoosh! She pierced the monster, then you were all 'HAHAHA', you started using the powers of your summons on Mai and ended up with a giant super sword that cut the monster in half!!"
"And then Mai transformed into another katana! I didn't know she could do that either! But it was incredible! And then you, whoosh! And Shiing! And Slash!! And you cut the monster, but you didn't cut it, you separated them somehow and–"
"Breathe, Ruby," I said playfully. Ruby stopped, her eyes sparkling, then took a deep breath to catch her breath. Even so, she stared at me as she bounced on the spot. We all stopped when Mai opened the door, followed by Maki with a frown.
"I brought my brute of a sister." Mai grumbled as she approached the kitchen while yawning.
"What were you talking about?" Maki asked, ignoring her as she took a seat.
"The fight," Darkness said, frowning.
"Oh yes, I saw her, I didn't know Mai could do something like that." Maki said with a frown as she looked at her sister, Mai shrugged.
"Believe me, I didn't know I could do that either, I don't even know how I did it yet." Mai shrugged, Maki just snorted.
"You don't seem upset that I involved Mai in something like that," I said to Maki curiously.
"I'm perfectly capable of making my own decisions, thank you very much." Mai said dryly as she took a cookie and threw it into her mouth.
"What she said, besides, I'm nobody to tell her not to put herself in danger, and she knew what she was getting into by being your weapon," Maki said, shrugging. I sighed as I nodded.
"Getting back to the fight, though I wouldn't sum it up that way... Ruby and Maki are right, I didn't know you could use your quirk like that." Taylor said with a smile. I sighed.
"Just like Mai, even I didn't know it could be used that way," I said dryly. "Soul resonance is... more intimate than I thought, enough to be able to push my quirk toward Mai, in the same way I could use hers," I said honestly.
"That... makes sense." Taylor hummed. "Based on what you explained, both souls are supposed to merge into one. Sharing auras would be the most basic thing. I suppose sharing self-powering Quirks would be the same." Taylor said, confused. Azula snorted.
"I'm sure Quirks don't work like that, but who am I to judge the results when there's literally an example right in front of me?" Azula said dryly. I chuckled.
"Believe me, even I didn't think it worked like this. I have so many questions about it and no answers. Later I'll ask Derf or try to ask the teachers if they can get some documents or books, or ask someone at Shibusen about it," I said with a sigh.
"I'll see if I can get something through the Benedit Group," Miorine said without hesitation. I looked at her in surprise before nodding.
"I would appreciate it." I told her with a smile, Miorine just nodded.
"Speaking of which, what happened to that sword shape? I didn't even know you could shapeshift. Wasn't your quirk creation-based? How the hell did you manage to separate monsters? " Jinx asked incredulously and looked at Mai, who shrugged.
"I have no idea, honestly. I was supposed to be creating a sword—that's my quirk, Creation—but in a split second, I just changed shape," Mai said easily. "And about the sword, I was just trying to create what Izumi was telling me to. He knew that sword; I think it was called Yamato," Mai said, frowning. I hummed.
"Yes, Yamato, it's not something that exists, but it's something I've 'seen' in someone else's hands. I didn't know if she could recreate it, but luckily, she did." I said with a sigh of relief.
"So, that's your form now?" Ruby asked curiously. Mai wrinkled her nose.
"No, I transformed a while ago, I'm still the same as always," Mai said, frowning. "And... I have no idea if I can change form? Or recreate it? I have no clue, but Aizawa ordered us not to experiment until we were sure we really understood what was happening and that he was present, so... we won't be able to practice for several days." Mai said matter-of-factly.
"What a shame." Ruby sighed with a pout.
"Even so, it's good that they're alright," Darkness said with a gentle smile. "Although I feel bad for not being able to help against Chisaki." Darkness sighed.
"Tch, don't even mention it, I'm disappointed about that too! I had to stay on the ground while I watched everything." Jinx grumbled in disappointment.
"Oh, believe me, we didn't do anything either," Tanya said with a grimace.
"Our attacks barely did anything to her, we were no better than a minor distraction." Visha sighed, pouting.
"It's still better than nothing," Jinx said with a grimace before sighing. "I really need to build myself a hoverboard." She grunted, and I laughed along with everyone else.
"I want one too! Hoverboards for everyone!" Ruby shouted excitedly.
"We'll see, Red, those things aren't easy to build." Jinx grunted, but a smile appeared on her face.
"I mean... mobility would really help, it could... make me more effective." Taylor hummed softly, we all sighed at the same time, and Taylor looked at us confused. "What?" she asked defensively.
"Taylor, darling, you don't need to be more effective. If you manage to fly while your swarm surrounds you, you'd go from 'utterly terrifying' to 'oh goddess, please get me out of this horrible, terrifying world.'" I mocked. Taylor snorted and glared at me, while the others chuckled slightly.
"Even so, it's still a good idea," Taylor complained under her breath.
"Don't worry, Tay, I'll make you one, just because the idea of helping you become more terrifying is really tempting," Jinx said with a wide smile. Taylor's smile turned charming and smug.
"Thank you! I'll pay you for it," Taylor said, delighted. I sighed as I considered it and served breakfast at the table where everyone was sitting. I didn't really need a hoverboard to fly, but I'd be the first to admit it looked really cool.
Although Jinx had planned to create something for Taylor, she would have to fix some minor problems, especially since putting a rigid ski on one foot, or even a sufficiently rigid boot, would make certain sword-style movements difficult.
Tanya and Visha already had those problems, so they would also need to be adjusted.
"So, what will you do with Eri?" Taylor asked curiously between bites. I looked at her, confused.
"What will I do with her?" I asked, confused.
"Are you thinking of adopting her?" Taylor asked directly while staring at me, which startled me. I looked at the others, and to my surprise, only Jinx was startled.
"Wait, you're going to adopt the traumatized unicorn?!" Jinx asked incredulously.
"You're going to have a daughter?! I'm going to have a daughter?! " Ruby asked, first surprised before sounding more excited.
"Mmm Eri Miyamura, Miyamura Eri, it's a good name and it sounds good when you say it." Darkness hummed as she thought.
"I'll make sure to check UA's laws regarding children. I'm sure they have a daycare in the main building for anyone who meets the mandatory birth requirement. I'll make sure everything is in order and the staff paperwork is up to date," Miorine said without hesitation.
"Oh, how adorable, it will be fantastic!" squealed Visha, looking frozen.
"Hmm, a daughter isn't a decision to be taken lightly," Tanya hummed. "But Eri is an excellent choice," she added.
"Oh, definitely. Although I am worried about the girl, just thinking about how she'll grow up and what she'll become with Izumi as her father is simply…" Mai said dryly before shuddering, yet she smiled mockingly. "All that's missing is a younger version of Izumi."
"I'm not the best person to talk about this, Izumi will love her and always be there for her, that's more than many people receive." Azula said with a shrug, saying it so easily and without any annoyance that it was surprising.
"She's... 6 years old, right? That's a good age to start training." Maki said, nodding.
"Wait, wait, wait, wait!" I interrupted before they got even more out of control. "Why on earth are you all talking like I've already adopted her?!" I asked incredulously, looking at everyone. All the girls just stared at me and raised an eyebrow almost simultaneously. That really annoyed me.
"Please tell me you didn't think about it and we'll drop the subject," Taylor said defiantly. I opened my mouth before closing it. Damn it. It had crossed my mind more than once.
I knew that Mandalay, Shino Sosaki, from the Wild Wild Pussycats, would eventually adopt her and she would have Kota as a brother, but I couldn't help feeling guilty for taking so long to go and save Eri.
Oh, I blamed that idiot Chisaki a great deal, and maybe if I had gone earlier she wouldn't have turned into a colossal giant mutant dragon monster, but since I didn't really cause any destruction, I wasn't really that upset about it.
But if it was for Eri, she had suffered at Chisaki's hands for so long, so I wanted to make it up to her somehow. But I didn't even know if I was important to Eri; I had changed so much. I didn't talk to her much when I rescued her; I simply kept her in the shadows while I fought Chisaki.
I was sure she would feel more attached to Izuku, Mirio or Aizawa at this moment, I just sighed wearily.
But putting all that aside… Eri was damn adorable. Goddess, she was the cutest little thing in the world. I could hear some snorts. I looked at the girls.
"Yeah, that face says you're thinking about adopting her." Jinx mocked her while pointing at me with her chopsticks. I snorted, but didn't deny it.
"You seem terribly comfortable with the idea," I said dryly. Most of them shrugged. Many seemed comfortable or indifferent to the idea of me adopting a child, or well, excited like Ruby and Visha. The only one who really felt a surge of uncertainty was Azula, but considering Ursa, well, the concern and anxiety I sensed from her wasn't surprising. Even so, it was much less than I expected; I barely registered that anxiety.
"I mean, most of us were already thinking about having kids by this age," Taylor said, shrugging. "Especially when we started dating you, or just testing the waters in some cases, kids were just an... eventuality when you're dating a guy."
"It's good that UA is allowing us to extend the mandatory age by a couple of years, but most of us have already come to terms with that idea," Taylor said easily, and I could see everyone else nodding.
"Besides, no offense, but you're a man, it's obvious you'd want kids sooner rather than later." Ruby laughed, and I looked at her, obviously offended.
"Eat your cookies and shut up." I snapped, snarling. I ignored the laughter of several of them, and finally sighed. "I appreciate that you all agree, but... I'll see how it all turns out. I don't think Eri has grown fond of me enough to want me to adopt her." I said with a sigh, and the girls shrugged.
"It just means you have to try harder," Tanya said, shrugging.
"Yes! Take her cookies! I fell in love with them right away! " Ruby said with her mouth full, I snorted.
"I'll think about it." I said curtly. We all started eating breakfast while we talked. Finally, I heard several footsteps descending.
"Izumi?" Izuku asked, stopping as soon as he saw me. "Izumi! You're back already?! How are you?! Are you okay?! Zenin?! You 're here too?! Is everything alright?! When did you get back?! I-"
"Let them answer." Bakugou growled as she hit the back of Izuku's head, who blushed and quickly closed his mouth, I snorted.
"I'm fine, no problem at all, we both are, they let us out a few hours ago." I tried to calm him down with a laugh. "And you? You really overused your quirk, even with Round Deer healing you, there were no problems left? " I asked curiously. Deku shook his head.
"No, everything's fine. The doctors said I was perfectly fine and let me come back. Recovery Girl checked me one more time when we returned to the university and didn't find anything," Izuku said breathlessly. I nodded.
"Now, sit down, and you, Bakugou, come help me with the food. Everyone's waking up." I said, looking at Bakugou, who was watching us from a distance. She just clicked her tongue but came over to the kitchen. I got up from my chair and went back to preparing the rest of breakfast for the rest of the class.
It was good to be back in a more relaxed state. Everything else could wait for the time being.
Author's Notes : To adopt or not to adopt a little unicorn?
A/N: If you liked the story, join my patreon, patreon.com/Camellya_Addams, there are up to 10 chapters in advance, thank you. Or you can also visit my Ko-Fi, ko-fi.com/camellya_addams.