Author's Notes: Chapter edited and corrected by Vongrak.
Izumi POV – October 14, 2xxx
"And that's it!" I said proudly as I looked at my creation. I could hear Aizawa sigh beside me.
"Was this really necessary?" Aizawa asked, slurring his words.
"Absolutely necessary," I said, nodding firmly. "You agree with me, right? " I asked, looking at my accomplice. She looked at me seriously and nodded. Aizawa sighed in defeat.
I just smiled broadly at Eri while using my Scroll to take a large number of photographs of her.
Today was Saturday. That meant everyone was practicing. Jirou and I had finally chosen the song, which meant that rehearsals for the festival could officially begin.
Jirou was taking care of the band, mainly because I knew absolutely nothing about the instruments, and if we wanted to practice properly while singing, they first had to learn the track.
So I was free, or well, I was going to help the stage group, but Aizawa had contacted me to help him go find and escort Eri all over the university and I accepted without hesitation.
I was surprised to be chosen as the first option to escort Eri, even though I shouldn't have been. The day of the hospital visit, I had stayed until she woke up, and then we continued talking for hours until I had to leave. Eri was a sweetheart.
And besides, it seems that since Mirio hadn't lost his Quirk, he hadn't been temporarily suspended from his classes, so he was also busy with the festival along with his class. Therefore, even if he had been their first choice, he wouldn't be available.
So, here we were now, in front of the university, Eri in her cute red outfit riding my Divine Dog.
Yes, she was on top of my Divine Dog. My wolves were big enough for Eri to sit on their backs and ride them. So Eri sat proudly atop my white wolf. I had even prepared a small saddle for her beforehand.
"Are you comfortable?" I asked Eri once more. Eri nodded.
"Lord Snowy, the first of his name, king of fluffiness, is comfy." Eri said seriously as she stroked the white wolf. I smiled broadly, and indeed, my white wolf, now called Snowy, raised his head proudly.
"I'm glad. Come on, we have so much to see, the university is huge," I said cheerfully. And I wasn't lying. The university was enormous.
"Are we going to see Lemillion-san and Deku-san? And the others? " Eri asked, looking at me intently. I nodded.
"We will. And remember, if you feel uncomfortable, don't hesitate to mention it. Or just hit Snowy twice on the body and he'll lead you into the shadows." I said gently as I crouched down to her level. Eri looked at me intently and nodded.
"I assume you have everything under control. I'm leaving her in your care, Miyamura. Make sure nothing happens to her." Aizawa said, glaring at me. I stood up and stared at him.
"Nothing will happen to her," I said firmly. My shadows trembled slightly; my shikigami were on the prowl, but summoning them would unfortunately be a nuisance to all the students. Aizawa looked at me intently and nodded.
"Zenin, make sure they don't get lost." Aizawa finally said as he looked at Mai, who until now had been silently leaning against the wall.
"I've got it, Sensei," Mai said with a playful smile. I huffed and rolled my eyes.
Mai was also skipping practice. Well, mainly because she didn't belong to either class completely. She had regular classes with the second-year general studies classes, but she also participated in the practical heroism and hunter classes with us. So she was in a sort of limbo.
Especially since she spent more time with our class. Mai had joined mid-year, which meant that the entire General Studies class had already formed their own groups, and if you added to that the fact that Mai spent more time with us, yes, she had few friends in the General Studies class.
Even so, Mai was helping, but since she wasn't part of the main group, her work was quite light compared to the others, and besides, she was helping the stage group here, but that could be resolved later.
"People of little faith," I muttered dryly. Aizawa just gave me a blank stare. I snorted once more before looking at Eri with a smile.
"Shall we?" I asked Eri as I extended my hand in her direction. She looked at me intently before taking my hand, and then we both started walking.
Or rather, I started walking and my wolf followed beside me with Eri on top. Eri controlled Snowy enough to keep him close by while she clung tightly to my hand.
"First, we'll go to the Class 1-A dorm. It'll be a bit less chaotic, and besides, you said you wanted to meet everyone, so this is a good opportunity," I told Eri as we walked. She just nodded. Then I heard Mai clear her throat, and I stopped and looked in the opposite direction. Mai was smiling as she pointed in the opposite direction from where I was going. "I knew it," I muttered as I turned around. Mai chuckled.
Eri and I followed Mai as we walked, and I started talking while pointing out everything around the university. The idea was for Eri to get to know the campus so she wouldn't feel overstimulated and go into shock or panic on the day of the festival. Eri seemed to be staring intently at everything around her.
Finally, we reached the dormitories. I could feel Taylor's insects landing on my clothes before a group of butterflies fluttered near us and surrounded Eri, slightly surprising her.
"Show-off." I sneered under my breath near the insects, then the group of butterflies flew in my direction and landed on my body. I snorted sharply before crouching down, gently grasping one of the butterflies by its wings and holding it out in Eri's direction.
She looked at me intently before extending her hand. I gently placed the butterfly on Eri's hand before the others flew to Eri's outstretched arm and settled on top of it.
Eri squealed and looked at me, almost panicked. I laughed slightly.
"Don't worry, they won't hurt you. The insects here are trained," I told Eri playfully. Eri stopped and began to calm down as she stared intently at the insects, as if trying to solve some kind of puzzle. Finally, Eri nodded and looked at me.
"She's your wife," Eri said immediately, my eyes widening slightly.
"My wife?" I asked curiously, Eri nodded.
"Skitter... the nurses mentioned her when I asked about you," Eri said, almost confessing. I looked at her in surprise before chuckling softly.
"Wow, you're very clever, aren't you? " I smiled broadly before nodding. "And yes, Skitter, that's her hero name, her real name is Taylor, and yes, she's my wife, and she can control insects, and she's controlling these butterflies." I told Eri honestly, Eri seemed pleased with herself, and I suppressed a smile.
Finally, I moved my hands and began to scare away the butterflies, which flew away.
"Come on, we have to meet everyone," I said to Eri playfully. She just nodded and immediately took my hand again. I finally glanced at Mai, who was smiling gently before turning around and starting to walk. We finally reached the dormitory. We could see the dance group practicing their moves in front of it. I could feel Eri tense up and squeeze my hand tighter. I looked at her and smiled calmly. "Shall we go? I'll be with you every step of the way, don't worry," I said gently to Eri.
Eri glanced at me cautiously as she nervously looked toward the dormitory. Finally, she nodded decisively, but I could still feel her moving closer to me with Snowy, almost trying to hide behind me. I just smiled gently as I slowly walked toward the dance group.
"Izumi!" Ruby called out as we approached, drawing everyone's attention. The whole group turned in our direction at once, making Eri nervous. I just squeezed her hand tighter. Ruby glanced at Eri, her eyes widening slightly before she smiled. "She's Eri?!" Ruby exclaimed happily as she transformed into petals and appeared in front of Eri, surprising her. "Hi, I'm Ruby! Do you like cookies?! " Ruby asked, crouching down and extending her hand with a smile. Eri looked surprised before carefully dismounting Snowy and slowly taking Ruby's hand.
"I-I'm Eri, I like Izumi-san's cooking," Eri finally said. Ruby's smile grew even wider.
"Me too! He's the best! " Ruby said happily as she gently waved Eri's hand.
"She's my fiancée." I told Eri, she looked at me confused.
"Fiancée?" Eri asked, I nodded.
"Someone who's going to be my wife." Clarify. Eri's eyes opened slightly.
"Wife? Like Skitter? " Eri asked, confused, and I nodded.
"Yes, like her," I said with a smile. Eri blinked in confusion, though at that moment more people arrived.
"So she's Eri, huh? " Sinon said, approaching while looking behind us.
"Look at her dress, how cute!" said Uraraka from where she was.
"What beautiful clothes," Tsuyu added placidly.
"Izumi," Azula said, approaching. Like the others, she and Ruby were part of the dance team. Apparently, their battle styles were too flashy to relegate them to the stage team.
Especially Azula if she used her fire while dancing, or if Ruby decided to bring her petals. So both of them were recruited to the dance team. To my surprise, Azula hadn't even discussed being part of that group. I almost expected her to refuse. Although perhaps Ashido telling her that she would simply be doing some katas with minor variations had helped somewhat.
"Is she... using your wolf as a mount?" Azula asked playfully.
"Lord Snowy is comfy," Eri said seriously as she looked at Azula.
"Lord Snowy?" Sinon said playfully, I looked at her seriously.
"Lord Snowy, the first of his name, king of fluffiness, protector of blankets, and guardian of happy dreams," I said seriously. Eri nodded firmly. Everyone stared at me incredulously before bursting into laughter.
"Oh, he's so adorable!" squealed Ruby as she hugged Snowy. "Who's the king of fluffiness? You are, you really are! " said Ruby as she put her face in Snowy's fur and rubbed it hard. My wolf just barked happily.
"Snowy? What's the black wolf's name? " Azula asked playfully. I looked at Eri expectantly; she nodded and cleared her throat.
"Lady Shadow, the first of her name, queen of softness, mistress of naps, and defender of hugs," Eri said seriously. I squealed with tenderness.
Oh, the names were ridiculous, pompous, elegant, ridiculous, and adorable all at once. I knew it, and that made it even better; they were perfect. I needed elegant names for my shikigami. After all, the only one with a name was Mahoraga, and he had a truly elegant name and title.
Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sila Divine General Mahoraga
I had clung to the title of General of Mahoraga, and I had decided to bestow similar ceremonial titles upon my other shikigami. So now, they all had noble titles or military ranks and ceremonial titles attached to their names.
Once I mentioned it, Eri loved the idea, and we started brainstorming names and titles. Now my shikigami were a proper court. A shadow court. Something that fascinated Eri.
I wish they had more elegant names and titles, like Mahoraga. I mean, Mahoraga's full name sounded epic, terrifying, and intimidating. And if it had occurred to me months ago to give my shikigami names, maybe I would have.
But since it had been Eri's idea to give them names, and I was brainstorming ideas with her, this was the final result and they were more than perfect.
"Eri, this is Azula, First of Her Name, Princess of the Fire Nation, blood of Ozai, granddaughter of Azulon, Flame of the Royal House." I introduced her to Eri. Eri's eyes widened, and she looked at me almost urgently. I winked at her. "Her titles are real," I said playfully.
"Were my full titles necessary? Was this some kind of joke? " Azula asked, raising a very unimpressed eyebrow. Eri looked at her closely.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Princess Azula. I'm Eri, the first of my name, though unfortunately without a title," Eri said firmly. Azula just looked at me, and I smiled broadly. Azula sighed and looked at Eri.
"A pleasure to meet you, Eri, the first to bear your name. I look forward to seeing whose titles you will claim for your name." Azula said, playing along as she bowed slightly. Eri nodded firmly.
"And by the way, she's another one of my fiancées," I told Eri. Eri's eyes widened slightly.
"Is she going to be your wife too?" Eri asked, genuinely confused. I nodded. "Can you... have multiple wives?" Eri asked, tilting her head. I smiled and puffed out my chest.
"Of course, it's because I'm amazing." I said arrogantly with a mischievous smile. Eri looked at me seriously before nodding.
"You're amazing," Eri said, nodding with all the certainty a child could have. I shuddered and took a step back as if she'd playfully hit me before I lunged toward her.
"Eri!" I yelled as I lifted her up. I hugged her tightly, and Eri made no effort to break free; she just let me hold her like a doll without any problem. Finally, I put her down on the floor.
"The only thing missing was for a child to inflate his ego even more." Sinon sighed ruefully.
"It's adorable!" Izuku squealed happily. "Hi Eri-chan!" Izuku greeted as he approached.
"Deku -san," Eri said with relief as she looked at Izuku. While Eri was talking to Izuku, I could see Taylor coming out of the dorms to join us.
"Izumi," Taylor said as she approached. "And you must be Eri." Taylor said as she looked at Eri, then the butterflies began to approach again.
"Skitter-san... you're Izumi-san's wife." Eri said immediately, and she nodded.
"My name is Taylor Miyamura, but you can call me Skitter," Taylor said simply. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Eri. Izumi talks about you a lot," Taylor said playfully. Eri glanced at me sideways.
"Only good things." I said playfully.
"I hope you've enjoyed UA so far," Taylor said gently, and Eri nodded firmly.
"It's big," Eri said with a nod. With that, we started talking to everyone. At some point, the others joined us to meet Eri before we had to leave to continue the tour.
When we finally parted ways with Class 1-A, we continued exploring the university while they were working. We walked through the various departments, greeting everyone. Then we joined Class 1-B, where I introduced her to Darkness, Tanya, Visha, Louise, and the others.
Apparently, they'd also decided to make a play, a mix of so many other series. And it seems Darkness would be the protagonist, since she had that whole aura of a paladin or a fantasy heroine, apparently. I'll have to make sure I see it.
Then we went to other places. We ran into Maki and then Miorine. We also went to see the third-year students, especially to see Mirio. Mirio was more than happy to see Eri, and we stayed and talked for a while.
To my surprise, the beauty pageant was still happening here, but Nejire Hado wasn't the one participating. To my surprise, it was Mirio. Apparently, it was an annual event, and almost all the boys at UA participated. He had even invited me to join, which I firmly refused.
"And that's it," I told Eri once we'd finished exploring everything, stretching lazily. "Are you hungry?" I asked Eri with a smile. She stopped and stared at me, her mouth slightly open. "Yes, I cooked," I said playfully. Eri practically started salivating again. I chuckled. "Come on, do you want to go somewhere really nice?" I asked expectantly.
Eri looked confused, but nodded. I smiled broadly before lifting Eri and holding her against my chest. Then I looked at Mai; she raised an eyebrow before huffing, positioning herself in my shadows before letting them envelop her.
"Hold on tight," I told Eri with a smile. Eri looked confused, but she held on tight. I flexed my legs before jumping with force, then started kicking the ground as I climbed higher and higher. I heard Eri squeal loudly before I finally landed on the roof of UA's main building.
Once I landed, I set Eri down and she immediately clung to me. Even then, I glanced around before looking up at the sunset, almost mesmerized. She finally let go, still gazing.
Then I started taking things out of my shadows. A blanket I hung on the ceiling, a couple of heavy things to keep the wind from blowing it away, a basket of food, and finally I let Mai out of my shadows.
"I hope you enjoy the scenery while we eat, Eri!" I said cheerfully as I sat down on the blanket I had prepared.
"It's... beautiful," Eri said, sitting down across from me. I nodded.
"I'm glad you like it. I thought that after meeting so many people, we might need to rest and escape the crowds." I said gently to Eri as I handed her her food. Eri looked down and nodded.
"There are so many people," Eri said softly. "And they're all doing their best... I wonder how it will all end," Eri said, sounding almost excited. I smiled gently.
"We'll find out when you come to the festival, we'll make sure to have fun." I promised Eri with a smile. Eri looked at me, I could see the corners of her lips curve slightly into a very small, trembling smile, but she felt it.
"We will," Eri said before she started eating. I chuckled and began eating with her as we talked about everything we had seen that day. It was a lovely day.