It has been a few days since the first investigation. My actions has begun to bear fruit.
Now, 'Reona' became a figure that was feared and equally respected first for his strength and second for his wealth. On the Otherside, word has spread of a being that tossed around spiritual energy with no regard for it's consumption.
Naturally, this rumor attracted unsavory attention as well.
I have had to deal with a handful of small groups and fledgling gangs that seek to extort me of my full worth. Dealing with them was more of a nuisance than a significant problem anyway. --On an unrelated note, the money in my pockets has deepened once more--
I'm sure it won't be long before the zealots sent me an invitation. It would make my work so much easier if they sent me one soon, there's a limit to how much information I can squeeze out of the common creatures of the night, and even then, only a small fraction of it would be the information that I need.
The Neo-Shintoists are hiding their main base in some other private plane of space, making tracking that down to be a debilitating headache. For a group of people that wanted attention, they sure are adept at hiding their tracks.
On another note, I keep getting additional tidbits of information nudged in with my reports. They weren't written in my handwriting and it didn't seem suspicious, somehow.
--Why do I feel like I'm forgetting something?--
Regardless, the information from those were verified to be trustworthy at the very least. Although... If the goal was to lure me to a false sense of security they I should keep up my vigilance.
There's also the matter of a new law being drafted. Specifically, The New Parahuman Legislation Act, otherwise known as the NPLA, the one where they would actually loosen the control of the people's use of their quirks to allow them more freedom of expression and self.
It wasn't like it was strictly enforced previously, it was more of those unspoken 'It's fine if they don't cause problems' kind of thing that usually for minor offenses that most people are more than willing to turn a blind eye to. But now, if the new law were to be passed, that restriction would be loosened, which means that people are going to ease up more on using their quirks.
This would be a good thing, normally.
However, just because the usage itself would become more accepted, the consequences of said usage have yet to change.
Meaning that misunderstandings would escalate to squabbles, squabbles escalate to fighting, then either or both sides being labeled villains which would breed discontent with the authorities, and so on and so forth.
The current judicial system isn't equipped or manned enough to handle a flood of cases.
Something as sensitive and closely tied to the smooth workings of society should be carefully considered and tuned through a fine comb. With the government being pressured in three fronts by both it's people, pre-existing problems and unknown threats, they have ultimately decided to push forward a half-baked solution that, at most even if it was passed, would buy them more time for other matters.
The New Parahuman Legislation Act itself has been in the works for a few months now because of a certain political party. The reasons why it was taking so long can be summed up to two reasons;
First, Control.
The new act can subvert their control over the nation and they feared a revolt would become easier to establish and disguise if such freedom were to become mainstream.
Second, The costs.
Naturally, the law doesn't just end with passing the bill and walking away. The NPLA is a major action that affects other laws as well, meaning that most of the current laws needed to be rewritten or adjusted. And this needed time, manpower and resources, all of which requires large amounts of money.
A lot of politicians see this as a Money sink because after all, if it isn't broken, why fix it? They saw no reason to change a perfectly good system unless something happened again.
And then, something(Religious attacks) happened.
That was the exact chance that the Hearts and Mind Political Party needed to rally even more dissent voices to raise arguments to the higher government.
The bill is being passed around again. The only difference this time is that any who outright voice their opposition is put under scrutiny which made the public demand an investigation.
If it were regular people who demanded the investigation, then the officials simply had to fake the results and wash their hands of the claim. The problem for them is that some of those people were actually heroes with a genuine heart of good. Even if most of them didn't have a high ranking, just being heroes is enough to pull in people.
Of course, there is also the very real possibility of further social chaos breaking out with the freedom to use their quirks, this sentiment is primarily shared by the aged populace that saw firsthand how great power can be used for evil just as well as they were used for good. Unfortunately, however, their voices have been left mostly ignored at a large as since the youth have more energy to air out their dissatisfaction, demanding long-term change even at the cost of short-term chaos.
Both sides have their points, and neither are necessarily correct or incorrect.
What I fear instead as how the politicians from either side are going to use this excuse. Because regardless of who won, they will still twist the narrative to fit their own agenda.
Regardless, compared to some far-reaching situation that hasn't gotten come today conclusion yet, I still have other things to worry about that are much closer in comparison.
Vlad-sensei confidently strode in with a wide gait, devoid of any injuries that since long healed.
"Aliases and Epithaps. You'll all be working on your Hero names." That announcement spurted celebrations among the students, Vlad-sensei is letting us have our moment to do so as this was one of those parts of hero work that so many dreamed of, yet, so few would ever find themselves in the position to seriously consider it. Of course, it was a class assignment as people might have names they thought were good, but when spoken out loud? Well, they were glad that they had teachers that could save them the embarrassment.
Eventually, he had to get things back on track, so he clapped his hands, the loud echo of the impact silencing his students. "Yes, this is exciting but important, so let's not get sidetracked. As I was out that day, did Principal Nezu inform you about the drafts?"
Kendo raised her hand. "He mentioned that doing well will mean that hero agencies could offer us a spot with them."
Vlad grunted at that. "Yes and no. It's true that your performance could see you working at some impressive agencies; however, what you'll be offered as internships is a lower position than a sidekick on account of your still being students."
Keeping his eyes on them, he made sure each understood how serious this was for them and their careers as heroes. "Remember, this typically happens for the 2nd and 3rd years and those who get the most offers. This opportunity mostly stems from your performance during the attack at the stadium, as you have all proven your worth. The fact that you, as 1st years, got offers tells you much about what potential they see in you and that they wish to help nurture that potential."
"Oh yeah, that means we're top tier, right?" Tetsutetsu cheered at that.
"Well, they wouldn't bother with it if they didn't think so," Komori added with a pep. I still haven't cleared the misunderstanding and made up with her.
At the very least, I'm glad that no one dropped out.
"Don't get big heads. You're not some diamonds in the rough to them or our staff; you are a rock that could present diamonds if carefully cut and washed. But you can just as easily just be rocks, worthless. Because of that, these aren't employment contracts, and they can be canceled as easily as they are sent, so don't start slacking off because you could have got a big offer. If anything, take that offer as motivation to train even harder to live up to and surpass their expectations."
Vlad cut that off before they could get cocky. He probably had seen it plenty of times, both from his students and students from other schools and teachers over the years. Students would get offers, some from pretty big-name agencies, then get complacent despite warnings. Thinking that 'I got their attention, they won't drop me' or 'I got it once, I can get in again'. Such were in for a shock when they were told without ceremony or warning that they were being dropped. And once an agency lost interest, it was nearly impossible to get it back.
It was a harsh lesson, but definitely he wished more pros embodied it, as he probably had seen far too many in recent years get as complacent as students. I heard he had made several complaints to the commission about it. Still, little was ever done about them, so long as nothing bad had happened, there was no reason to act, even though it would be better to whip people into shape now to prevent those bad outcomes from arising.
"Is it really appropriate for this to happen now?" Shiozaki asked the question that I had on my mind. "Not to mention, a tragedy has occurred and yet our actions during the incident became a basis for judgement used by these agencies."
Although her inquiry has dampened the mood somewhat, she raised a good point from a moral standpoint. Unfortunately, real life isn't so kind.
"I understand your sentiments, Shiozaki. However, as you may know, the attacks happened within a short time frame of the Catastrophic Descent, which naturally put people on edge. We need more Heroes now to show that they can still put their trust on us." Vlad put on a difficult expression, though with his face, it only came off as a mix between stern and constipated. "I know that that might seem off-putting or manipulative to some, but we mustn't allow discord to be sown."
"Back to the matter at hand: The Internships." Vlad nodded before he explained things. "It's as the name implies if you understand the concept for most workplaces. You'll spend time at these agencies instead of attending school for classes or training. Ideally, you'll be shadowing the pros that made you offer in their day-to-day operations, learning how they act, why they act, etc. You'll also be given minor tasks around the agencies or in the field if they deem it practical to allow you to accompany them or someone else under them."
"That sounds like we'll be lackeys and coffee boys," Kaibara replied. He wasn't so excited about whether he would be running around moving papers, getting people's coffee, and other grunt work.
Vlad crossed his arms. "I won't lie, that is part of it, but it's far from not being important. Learning parts of the administration of running an agency is important, as is learning basic hospitality, both for disasters when victims need comfort and to handle people who might come to the agency directly to seek help or report crimes."
"Caring for people when they need it? So would we be doing all that or something else?" Kendo asked as she could see the reasoning behind such a thing. Plenty of heroes had some pretty big agencies. Endeavor, for example, had a large tower in Tokyo. She wouldn't be surprised if he had space for that…okay, she would. Endeavour didn't seem like the type, but he had the space and resources.
"I would assume that you'll be doing a mix, but it depends on the agency," Vlad told them before he pulled out a remote.
"So, with that explained, here are the totals of those who got offers." Vlad pointed the remote towards the board, pressing it to present their offers.