On the television screen, the climax of the UA Sports Festival was playing out. Standing on the highest tier of the first-year podium was our son, Katsuki Bakugo.
Nico, who should have rightfully been in second place, was nowhere to be seen. She had overexerted her Quirk during the semifinals and was currently out cold. Fortunately, the school reported no long-term damage; she just needed to sleep it off and would be able to walk home on her own eventually.
Since the school offered to provide a car for her, we decided against going to pick her up ourselves.
As the closing ceremony led by All Might drew to a end, I turned my attention to the other "climax" happening right in our living room.
"Inko! Pull it together! It's over! The festival is over!"
"Awa... wa... Fu... Futako... My Nico is... waaaah!"
I quietly stood up and headed to the kitchen. I figured it was time for some tea.
We had invited Ms. Midoriya over to watch the festival with us today. My wife had suggested it, figuring it was better to watch on our unnecessarily large TV than for Inko to worry alone at home. Since I happened to have the day off from work, I joined them.
My "payment" for joining was being appointed the household chore-manager for the day, but I didn't mind. It's nice to have a change of pace every once in a while.
Inko Midoriya is a gentle, soft-spoken person—the polar opposite of my high-strung, energetic wife. At first glance, you wouldn't think they'd get along, but they're actually quite close and go out together often. I heard they went to a concert recently.
Regardless, it's good to have friends. It's hard to make close connections like that once you're an adult. I'm actually a little jealous that Mitsuki found a friend like her later in life.
And so, we watched the Sports Festival. Naturally, things... happened.
First was the Obstacle Course. It was a spectacular display of Quirk usage and "anything-goes" tactics. The opening clash was over in an instant, but it was a nail-biter of an opener.
Well, for everyone except Inko.
The moment the race started and she saw Nico breathing fire, Inko fainted. Apparently, she was terrified that her daughter had accidentally roasted someone else's child. After I assured her that it was part of the competition and everyone was fine, she regained consciousness—only to collapse again during the tightrope section.
Seeing Nico hurl camera robots at other participants as a deterrent hit Inko like a bolt of lightning. She started spiraling about the cost of the cameras and the liability of Nico throwing heavy objects at "Todoroki-kun" and Katsuki.
"It's a competition, it's fine!" "The school won't bill you for the cameras!" "Boys get hurt all the time, they consider it a badge of honor!" I did my best to convince her, and she finally calmed down... until Nico crouched down on the field and looked like she was in pain. Inko burst into genuine, sobbing tears. She was so worried.
Of course, once she found out it wasn't a life-threatening accident, she flipped 180 degrees into a fit of motherly rage.
I returned to the living room with the tea to find Inko looking slightly less pale, with Mitsuki supportively rubbing her back.
"Inko, I've brought the tea."
"I'm so sorry for making you wait on me like this," Inko sighed.
"Not at all. Katsuki is always in your daughter's debt, after all," I said.
"If anything, it's my brat of a daughter who causes the trouble..."
Inko is a gentle person, but she's surprisingly strict when it comes to Nico. I suppose Nico's unbridled personality forces her to be.
As Inko took a sip of tea to settle her nerves, I glanced at the DVR. I wanted to make sure it had recorded properly, but a scene of Nico happened to pop up on the screen, causing Inko to sink back into the sofa immediately.
"Masaru!!" Mitsuki barked.
"I-I'm sorry! It wasn't on purpose! Inko, are you alright?"
"If I were alright, I wouldn't be groaning like this..." Inko muttered. She was murmuring "Fu... Futako..." under her breath again. She was in a bad way.
By the time I finished checking the recording, Inko had managed to recover, though she was still a bit wobbly. Watching her sip her tea reminded me of a small, skittish animal. I suspect that's exactly what drew her husband to her.
Inko let out a long, heavy sigh. "I'm starting to think sending her to UA was a mistake."
I could understand her feelings. Nico is her precious daughter, and seeing her in a school event where injuries are common—
"Using her Quirk so recklessly! She could have hurt someone at any moment! Just thinking about it makes my heart race!"
Oh... right. It's that side of the worry.
"It's okay, Inko," Mitsuki chimed in. "Nico knows what she's doing. She handled herself fine in middle school! I mean, even when people were calling her the 'Green Tiger of Orudera,' she wasn't doing anything bad. Nothing ever actually happened, right?"
"Being able to handle herself isn't the point! Oh, that girl! I still get middle schoolers from Orudera coming up to me to pay their respects!"
"Hahaha, well, well..."
Mitsuki's attempt at comfort made Inko slump her shoulders. She let out another weary sigh. I could practically see the years of stress on her face.
"Sometimes, I think she believes I have a heart of steel. Like she thinks, 'Mom will be fine with this, right?'..."
"Haha. If anything, you're the worrying type, Inko," I noted.
"Exactly! Mitsuki, you understand, don't you?!"
"I do, I do," Mitsuki said, nodding.
Inko grabbed Mitsuki's hand, her eyes welling with tears. "When she first met Katsuki! My heart was pounding so hard! She was... she was sitting on top of him! She was pinning him down and pummeling him! I thought I was going to die right there from the shock of that sight!"
"That takes me back," Mitsuki laughed. "I was so surprised. I asked Katsuki who did it, but he refused to tell me. I figured it was just a childhood scrap, so I didn't worry too much. I never would have guessed a girl his own age was the one who beat him to a pulp..."
"I'm still so sorry about that," Inko whispered.
"It's fine! Honestly, I was more shocked when he started bringing a girl home a few years later. Little Nico was like a tiny angel back then. I remember thinking, 'Good job, you brat!'"
"...She only looked like one," Inko muttered.
Man, those were the days. I remember the first time she met us, she said, "Thanks for taking care of my underling." I couldn't stop laughing at that.
"We've caused you nothing but trouble ever since..." Inko said.
"I still laugh thinking about that time you found them drifting out to sea on a discarded boat," Mitsuki added.
"It was not a laughing matter!"
That really was a disaster. Truly.
"Oh, and that other time! Remember? When we went to the seaside park and Nico found that book on the ground—"
"'Why are these two men sticking together?'" Mitsuki and Inko said in unison.
"Hahaha! That was... yeah, hahaha!" Mitsuki roared.
"It was so embarrassing..." Inko hid her face.
Nico probably doesn't even remember that. But I'll never forget her and Katsuki standing there, tilting their heads in total confusion. How did we even explain that?
"Wait, Mitsuki, did you explain it?" I asked.
"No, you did!"
"Did I? Hmm..."
Ah, right. I remember now. Nico had asked me if Katsuki's dad "stuck together" with men too...
"I think I told her, 'Only muscle-bound guys like this do that'..."
"You should apologize to every muscular man in the country," Mitsuki said.
"Hey, when a kid looks at you with eyes that pure, what else can you do?"
"Oh, right, Mitsuki," I said, trying to pivot. "We still have those cafe vouchers we got the other day. Why don't we all go out for some tea after this—"
"Nice try at changing the subject," Mitsuki noted.
My dear wife, please just let it slide. Sensing I was about to be burdened with more "crimes," I nudged the two of them toward the car. I figured it would be a good change of pace for Inko, and it would put us in a better position to head to the school if anything happened.
As I prepared to leave, I thought back to the awards ceremony on TV. I understood why Nico wasn't there, but I noticed the third-place winner was missing as well. Since there was no third-place match, there should have been four people on the podium. Instead, there were only two: Katsuki and Todoroki.
"Let's see, what was his name? Ah, Iida."
The announcer said he had to leave for family reasons. I hoped it wasn't because our son had injured him too badly.
With that worry in the back of my mind, I grabbed the car keys.
***
"!! Wait! No running in the hallway—"
The Sports Festival is tomorrow, isn't it?
Do your best.
"H-Hello?! Ah, if you're looking for—"
I won't be able to make it to the stadium, but I'll be rooting for you.
I'll watch it on TV if I can find the time.
"Tenya...! Over here, this room—"
Haha, don't be so nervous.
It'll be fine.
"No, not yet! You don't even have your mask on—"
Tenya, you're smarter and more athletic than I ever was.
If you give it your all, I know you'll get results.
"Brother...!!!!"
Yeah.
Give 'em hell, Tenya...
"—Are you his family? He just woke up from the anesthesia—"
"—His consciousness is still a bit hazy—"
"—Fortunately, his life is not in danger—"
If someone like Tenya looks up to me... I guess I might actually be a pretty great hero. Haha.
"—A... ah... AAAAAHHHHH!! AHHH!!"
***
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