Chapter Text
After two weeks of anticipation, the time had come for 1-B to begin their internships. Mr. Kan led them to the train station Monday morning where the class parted ways. Monoma had taken a train to Tokyo for his special internship. This is the place. He took a deep breath and walked with confidence into the Tokyo Police Headquarters. Once inside the sizeable lobby, he was approached by a police officer with an orange cat head.
“Neito Monoma?” the cat officer asked.
“That’s me.”
“I’m Tamakawa Sansa. I’ll be overseeing your internship along with Detective Tsukauchi. Please come this way, meow.”
Meow? Monoma followed as Sansa led him deeper inside the station, passing other officers and a few heroes. “I saw you at the Sports Festival. You were the one copying people’s Quirks, right?”
“Uh, yeah.”
“That’s real interesting Quirk, meow.”
“Thanks.” Why is he wearing a bell around his neck? Monoma was led to a large office near the back of the station. He entered and saw a man with black hair pouring over papers at his desk. “Detective Tsukauchi?”
“Yes, come in,” the man said. “It’s nice to meet you, Neito Monoma. Or should I say Phantom Thief?”
“Monoma’s fine, sir. Thank you for hiring me for the week,” Monoma gratefully said while shaking his hand.
“Well, after what I was told, it seemed like you’d be a good fit.”
“That’s very kind of you to say… but honestly, I’m not completely sure why I’m here,’ Monoma explained while taking a seat.
“Vlad King and All Might thought of sending you to me because you have a gifted mind and think that’s what you should focus on honing. In law enforcement, Heroes tend to be the brawn while Police are the brains. We gather intel, strategize on important missions, and handle villains once they’re subdued. You, Monoma, might be the perfect mix of those two groups.”
“You really think so?” Monoma was blown away, but fought to keep his cool. “I’m… really touched that someone would think this way of me, especially All Might himself. So, what will we be doing this week?”
“Hopefully, what you learn this week will help you start thinking with a bigger picture. You’ve shown talent in gathering intelligence, strategizing, and thinking with other Quirks in mind, but there’s only so much experience you can get in a simulated environment. Hopefully, once you’ve seen how the real world of heroics works, your talents will mature and your field of vision will greatly expand.” The detective stood up and grabbed his tan overcoat and hat from the nearby rack. “I’ll also try and give you some normal hero experiences. Put on your costume. We’re going on patrol.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Welcome to your workplace for the next week!” Togata announced.
“Thanks again for this,” Kamakiri said.
“Sure thing! I’m always happy to help some hot-blooded newbies get good experience.”
“Um, I-I have a question,” Kinoko said.
“Shoot!”
“What are o-our employers like?”
“Super nice!” Togata assured them. “Centipeder and Bubble Girl are awesome! You’ll definitely get along! Sir Nighteye is a little more rigid, but I doubt you’ll see much of him.” Togata flung the doors open and entered the office with the juniors behind him. Waiting for them in the lobby were a pair of Heroes – a dark-skinned woman in a blue and black costume that exposed her stomach, as well as a man with a centipede for a head wearing a fancy suit.
“Welcome!” the woman said cheerfully. “I’m Bubble Girl.”
“And I’m Centipeder,” the man said. “Thank you for accepting our offers despite us being just sidekicks to Sir Nighteye.”
“W-We’re just glad you offered,” Kinoko said while bowing deeply. “Thank you very much for having us.”
“Of course,” Bubble Girl said. “Mirio said you were up to it, so why not?” She walked forward to Kinoko and held her hands between her own. “I hope that I can help you come out of your shell this week, Komori.”
“H-Huh?”
“When I was shown footage of you in action, I was impressed, but more than that, I saw how unsure and nervous you were,” Bubble Girl said. “It reminded me of myself in school, so I’m gonna help you gain some confidence. By the end of the week, you’ll feel like a totally new person!”
“U-Um, a-are you s-sure? I thought w-we would j-just be doing h-hero stuff.”
“Being confident is important for being a hero. Right, Centipeder?”
“Quite right,” the bug-themed hero said as he approached Kamakiri. “As for you, I also intend to help shift your demeanor to something more acceptable for heroics.”
“What’re you talkin’ about?” Kamakiri asked with a glare.
“I noticed a very rough and uncultured conduct in the footage presented to me,” Centipeder explained. “Your teacher agrees, in fact. Such unscrupulous behavior is unbecoming of a hero.”
“Mind sayin’ that in a language I understand?” Kamakiri asked.
“I’ll be working on fixing your bad attitude this week,” Centipeder said while taking out a comb. “We’ll begin with your inappropriate hairstyle.”
“WHAT!?” Kamakiri yelled while protecting his Mohawk with his arms.
“I’ll turn you into a proper gentleman even if it kills me.”
“Hahahaha!” Togata laughed. “Sounds like you guys are gonna have an interesting week.”
“Mirio,” another voice said. Approaching them was a green-haired man in a light gray business suit. He was holding a document and had a sour expression.
“Mornin’, Sir Nighteye! These are the first years I told you about.”
“Good morning,” he said while looking them up and down. “I was looking over your mission report, Mirio. You seemed to forget my rule of putting jokes in your reports yet again.”
“Well, it was pretty short, and I couldn’t really think of any,” Mirio casually explained. “Sorry about that.”
“It looks like someone needs more time in Tickle Hell,” Nighteye said while dragging Togata into his office.
“Aw, darn it,” Togata said with a laugh. Kamakiri and Kinoko watched in confusion and fear before giving each other a look. They didn’t realize it, but they were having the exact same thought.
We’ve made a terrible mistake.
“Yanagi? Hey, Yanagi!” Reiko was content with waiting in silence, but it seemed that wasn’t going to last. She had arrived early and was waiting in a small, dark office for her employer when a familiar non-face showed up. “It’s me, Hagakure!”
“Hey,” the ghost girl greeted. “You got an internship here too?”
“Yup! I couldn’t believe it, but it’s really happening! Edgeshot wanted me!” Hagakure set her briefcase down and sat down next to Reiko. “Soooo, how’s things with Shinso?”
“Fine.”
“Don’t be shy~. I want details.”
“Not many details to share,” Reiko flatly stated. She’s awfully perky this early in the morning.
“Sorry to interrupt,” a voice said, “but let’s begin.” The two girls looked around, but couldn’t locate the voice’s source. “Welcome. I am Edgeshot, the stealth hero.”
“No kidding. I have no clue where you are,” Hagakure said.
“Where I am? Girls…” In an instant, the pro-hero was in front of the girls, sitting cross-legged on his desk. “I’ve been in front of you this whole time.”
“Oooooo,” Hagakure said while clapping. “Cool trick!”
She’s so embarrassing, Reiko thought.
“Thank you for accepting my offer. I’m always interested in prospective stealth-focused heroes. Gaining notoriety and stopping crimes flashily is a priority among many heroes these days, so we’re something of a dying breed. I hope to give you both good experience this week…”
“Thank you, sir!” the perky invisible girl said.
“Thanks,” Reiko said with a small bow.
“That is, if you can pass my test. You walked through my office to get here. Now, I want you to exit and meet me outside, but do it without anyone noticing. You have 5 minutes. If you pass, I’ll employ you for the week.”
“5 minutes!?” Hagakure asked in disbelief. “W-What happens if we fail?”
“You’ll be asked to leave and never return. Good luck.” Before either girl could ask another question, Edgeshot disappeared once again.
“What a pain,” Reiko groaned.
“How mean!” Hagakure whined. “Giving us a task like that so soon.”
“No point in complaining now,” Reiko said. “I’ll try and scout the area while you get ready.”
“Thanks, Yanagi,” Hagakure said while disrobing. “If we work together, we can clear this in no time!”
“Right.” Reiko floated up and phased her head through the ceiling and scanned the rooftop. Looks like I can recharge up here when my 30 seconds of intangibility are up. She floated onto and the roof and dropped down before crawling forward. She phased her head downward and peeked into the office below. There’s a lot of people here, so Hagakure may have to take this slow. I wonder if we’ll pass in time. Reiko pulled her head back and sat on the roof, looking in the direction of the entrance. I could just go to Edgeshot now and ensure I pass… She thought over her options for a moment before sighing and returning to the office. “Hagakure? You still here?”
“Yeah, I’m right here,” Hagakure said from above her clothing pile. “What’s it look like?”
“Normal hero office, I guess, but there’s a lot of people walking around. I’m positive they’re all in on this, so if you brush up against them, that’ll mean failing.”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be as quiet as a mouse.”
“We still have another problem,” Reiko said while motioning to the door. “You can’t just walk out or everyone will notice the door opening and closing.”
“I’ll need a favor in that case,” Hagakure began. “Can you cause some distraction. I just need a second to slip out. Please?”
“I’ll see what I can do. Once I leave, count to 20 and then slip out. We’ve got one shot.”
“Thanks. After that, feel free to go to Edgeshot. I can handle myself from there. Promise.”
“Right. Good luck.” Reiko phased up into the ceiling passed into the office, careful to remain out of sight. Let’s see. What’s distracting here? Her eyes drifted to an office lady leaning against the wall near a bookshelf. I don’t have enough time to find another target. As much as I hate it, I’ll have to pull a Setsuna. Reiko internally groaned as she floated down the wall, hiding her face behind the bookshelf. As her time counted down, she grabbed the hem of the woman’s skirt and pulled it down, causing her to shriek. All eyes went to the woman, letting Hagakure open and close the door with no one noticing. What a weird way to start my internship, Reiko thought as she floated out to the city block. In front of the entrance was Edgeshot, who was signing autographs for a couple of middle-schoolers.
“Done already, Yanagi? Is Hagakure with you?”
“We split up, but she should be here soon.” Edgeshot’s phone buzzed and he took it out, giving Yanagi a confused look after reading the message. “Did one of you… pants my assistant?”
“I… needed a distraction so Hagakure could sneak out of your office without being noticed.”
“…Well, it worked. Points for creativity, but you should apologize later.” Their attention was drawn to the office entrance when it was opened by an unseen force.
“Nailed it!” Hagakure said. “Do we pass?”
“You do.”
“Alright!” Hagakure cheered while wrapping her see-through arms around Reiko. “We did it, Yanagi!”
“Yeah. Good job,” Reiko said while subtly returning the embrace.
“If you two are ready, I’ll brief you on what we’ll be doing this week,” Edgeshot explained. “I expect great things, Onryo and Invisible Girl.”