maneuvering through

Like it's Nothing

It'll take one interview to change it all. Or perhaps, to put rumors to rest.

Shouto didn't mind one. Most times he wondered, every time he saw one of his interviews, how straight his face looked even after engaging a tough villain. It remained an enigma to him how such impassiveness drew attention to him. Three years into the profession and this could probably be the first time he's doing it to elucidate anything about his personal life, which he really found ridiculous. It reminded him of Eraserhead or his father appearing at one of those press conferences.

"This is ridiculous." He said to no one in particular.

"C'mon man! There is nothing ridiculous about standing up and being a man." Kirishima tugged the collar of his shirt, grinning toothily at the mirror.

'Sometimes he wished he shared Kirishima's optimism.'

"I can do it outside these fancy clothes."

"I'm surprised Yaoyorozu agreed, I pegged her as someone private."

"I'm surprised about the fuss these insignificant media people made me do, this ain't even about some mission accomplished. I'd rather they have me caught in the streets in my hero costume and just be done with it."

Kirishima gazed at him wide-eyed. "Whoa Todoroki, that's probably the longest you ever said to me!"

He shrugged. "Was it? Maybe I'm just nervous." He held up his palm to reveal it was slightly shaky.

"You sure are nervous. That makes the two of us then."

"You are too?" If this was nervous Kirishima, then how was a confident Kirishima?"

"Come on man! I didn't accept this interview just to brag about my mission."

Shouto breathed in another sigh in the hopes to calm his nerves.

"Am not usually shaking before an interview."

Kirishima lands a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Maybe because this has the potential to change your life."

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Momo shouldn't be squirming on her seat, worrying about Shouto's abrupt interview after two days of silence. Best Jeanist took her with him in a hero briefing regarding the same recurring quirk enhancing enterprise that had been the focus of every mission as of late.

She sat behind the big names along with a handful of selected heroes from their respective agencies. Hideo and Satoshi stood at the other end of the table melding with other heroes as well. It should be Saya but she's enduring cramps, which she understands. Endeavor agency sent someone else Momo hardly recognise.

'...The last one caught was just days ago...' The presenter shows off an oddly familiar image. '...the reptile turns out to be a former member of the League of Villains, Spinner. The serum, like the other observed specimen, enhanced the villain in a way that exponentially increased his size and strength as well as his toughness. Its effect is instantaneous but short-lived, a limit of two doses, depending on the quirk...'

'...It doesn't function like the hardened and multi-quirked Nomus, it enhances living cells thus, it doesn't work on dead bodies as Nomus would have...which makes this drug a bigger threat. Moreover, It retains the intelligence of its user...'

The slideshow showed more of the captured villains whose blood tests show a high dosage of the serum and its distinct effect on their quirks. Heightened speed, enhanced agility, and accelerated healing for combatant types, while increased time interval for transformative and manipulators, most, as it is called, augment the ability of a quirked individual. But how and why such advancements were produced by villains?

'...More abductions have been reported alarming the government...'

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Shouto hears the host announce over the speakers, and he can't help the cringe that made his brows scrunched.

'Why do introductions have to be so exaggerated?'

Kirishima slaps a hand on his shoulders. "This is it Todoroki!"

Unbothered, Shouto fished a photo in his pocket. He never told Momo, but he stole the picture that fell off one of her books when she was replacing them on her shelves. Aside from a separate folder in his phone where he stored pictures of her that he downloaded. He realizes deciding on wallpaper from his gallery is a task when every image of her deserves attention.

"Come now, man!" Kirishima urges, walking ahead of him.

'Dammit...This is really is it, isn't it?'

The room erupted into unbearable screams and shrieks as they step in. Kirishima waves wearing the same toothy grin, he only raises a hand yet the room seemed to collapse under the audience's feet.

"You two sure can drive a crowd crazy."

The host gestures for them to seat, opting to take the one farthest from the woman. Not a word made it to Shouto's ears as he reeled over the planned dialogue, while Kirishima enthusiastically has taken the attention of the host.

"Are we going to hear some answers that are ruling over the Internet Shouto-san?"

'What?'

He blinked, realizing he has been thrown a question. Kirishima urges him with an encouraging smile.

'Right. Wasn't it Kirishima who's brought the bigger bomb?'

"What was the question?" He asks in a trance, that had the audience snickering even Kirishima had to stifle a laugh.

"Shouto-san..."