That Funny Feeling [MHA]

An Important Handshake [#004]

Soumei Elementary School, Kenzo hates it. Around two months have passed since the press meeting, Kenzo's father had gone back to ignoring her as soon as she went home, her father fully aware of the mental pressure he had now put on his daughter by saying she had a quirk that allowed her to memorize everything at a glance. Kenzo had almost wished that the press had continued to stay at their front gates, Miss Amy having long since given up trying to get Kenzo to attend lessons, especially seeing as for everyone else it was summer break. It was too quiet now.

The building was huge and gray and clean, it smelled like cleaning products and despair. Looking out the car window while her father stared at her in a silent way of saying "Don't disappoint me" Something Kenzo found hilarious.

Getting out of the car and smoothing out her new black uniform skirt, Kenzo made her way in. Kenzo didn't want to be here, she would much rather stay back in her room rereading the many fantastical hero books her mother used to read to her before bed. Kenzo hadn't seen her mother in four months.

Speaking of four months, Kenzo's father had said her mother was four months pregnant at the press conference two months ago. Meaning if what he said was true then her mother should be six months pregnant right now, but Kenzo had a feeling that was a lie. Her own memory of sneaking down a crying hallway at midnight made her want to dig her nails into her shoulders and crowch into a ball, but Kenzo wouldn't, it would be embarrassing to do so infront of all her new classmates wouldn't it?

I took Kenzo about several minutes to find her class room, and although this was the first time Kenzo had been to school before, she had a feeling this building was designed more like a junior high then an elementary school. Also didn't her father say that she would be going to a public school? Or is her memory just fuzzy? It was two months ago, but Kenzo wouldn't be surprised if he had simply lied.

The inside of the classroom was more colorful than the hallway, not by a lot but it was a plus. Half of the kids were already sitting down, backs straight and sitting in the chair all proper like, for whatever reason it made Kenzo uncomfortable that she knew how to exactly sit like that despite not having gone to the 'be polite' lessons with miss Amy, which had turned into 'don't talk to me while I rant about the history of the quirkless era and how improper they were' once Miss Amy had found out Kenzo was quirkless.

In the future, perhaps when Kenzo was in the double digits, she would wonder if perhaps Miss Amy was picked on for having a weak quirk and used quirkless people to make her feel useful, and then future Kenzo would chuckle in the quite white room she was trapped in, thinking that that wouldn't stop her from punching Miss Amy's piggy face in for ever making her feel like she was worthless, even if she thought it was true.

"Kurokawa Kenzo?"

"Here!" Kenzo stood up for a moment to say her name before sitting back down. No eyes went to look at Kenzo, something Kenzo was grateful for, and something that made Kenzo feel a little silly. Why would kids Kenzos age care about whatever some big shot owner of a company said about her quirk? They were probably reading a hero book or watching a cartoon like Kezo did when she was alone in her room.

"Now seeing as it is the first day, go around and introduce yourselves to your new classmates! Just make sure to keep the volume to a Minimum like big kids, ok?" The kids looked around seemingly not knowing what to do, these were all rich kids, Kenzo herself was a bit surprised by how laidback her teacher seemed to be. One of the kids had practically shot out of their seat though and booked across the room to another kid they seemed to know, one that already seemed like a tired high school student running on ten cups of coffee. With that, the kids slowly began to talk to each other.

"What's your name?"

"Kurokawa Kenzo"

"Your eyes are pretty"

"Thank you"

"What's your favorite subject?"

"History"

"Mines Art!"

"Cool."

"What's your quirk?"

And then came the dreaded question, did she tell the truth despite her father? Surely her teacher already thought her quirk was her fathers and would notice if she said otherwise. Perhaps she could just...

"What's yours?" The kid in front of her practically lit up. Short purple hair bouncing up and down with bright golden eyes. "OH! Mine is that I can change my... mader? Saying the last word like a question. "Matter?" Kenzo asked.

"Yeah that!" And with that his hands changed into a smoky brownish black color and started to smoke and move and shift. "Wow" Kenzo all but spoke a whisper of awe, quirks were awesome. "I know right!! I can't change it from that yucky poo color though" He said it with a pout, like it was a flaw, a bad part of his quirk that he should be ashamed of, and Kenzo couldn't help but think of all the things she would do if she had his quirk.

"What's your name? I don't think you ever told me." The boy's eyes went wide and he immediately stopped using his quirk and stepped back and bowed much lower than necessary. With a practiced tone and straightness that Kenzo didn't expect from the boy as he stood back up and looked her in the eyes with a straight face that was too serious for a 4 or 5 year old.

"My name is Nakao Taro! Son of Nakao Takashi and Nakao Akemi! I am the eldest and only son of my family and I am pleased to make your acquaintance with Kurokawa Kenzo!" Nakao said the last line with a shout and with closed eyes as he stood up even straighter.

"Quiet please!" the teacher said as a few kids glanced at them. Nakao jolted and looked at the teacher and said "Sorry!" with a squeaky and childish voice, very different from the one that he seemed to be copying before.

"Um" Nakao sat down back in his seat beside Kenzo, an awkward look on his small face. "So... did I do good?" Nakao asked while looking at Kenzo "Hmm?" Kenzos head tilted as she looked at her newly made acquaintance. "What do you mean?"

"Well-" Nakao took a breath with slumped shoulders and twiddling thumbs, "I'm not really used to all this" Nakao gestured to the whole room "I wanted to make a good impression so I practiced and- I have a feeling that I did it wrong?" It was in the moment that Kenzo realized that Nakao didn't know how to sit up the proper way in a chair, his back hunched and his feet at the edge of his chair with his arms wrapped around his legs. "Maybe-" Kenzo started, Nakao looking at her in expectation, "try to not be so loud?" Kenzo didn't know how to introduce herself to kids her age, she never had to introduce herself, not even to new adults, most already knew who she was before she knew what they looked like. "Yeah," Nakao answered, chin resting on his knees.

Another deep breath, "we're really weird aren't we?" Nakao started with raised eyebrows, looking at the other kids chatting like normal people. Kenzo pursed her lips with a tilted head, looking up at the ceiling like it had the answers.

"I'd say more awkward but yeah."

"Friends?" Taro held out his hand as if the question was the transaction for a business deal.

Kenzo shook his hand with the most blank face she could muster without smiling."Yes, Friends"

"Ok."