Lemillion To One

Chapter 1

What she was saying didn't make any sense.

At all.

"Excuse me, sensei?" You said, raising your hand, while not actually waiting to give Midnight a chance to call on you.

"What exactly do you mean? What happened to Mirio?"

Midnight, in her questionably-adult hero costume sighed before answering.

"Unfortunately, that's not my place to say." She said, not ignoring the fact that your face had contorted into one of great concern.

"You're his teacher; our teacher though!" You exclaimed incredulously.

"(L/n), that's enough!" She said sharply.

"I understand your frustrations, but it's not my choice for the embargo. I'm operating on orders from Principal Nezu."

You clipped your jaw shut and lowered your hand back to the desk with a sideways glance. Arguing with the principal's orders would get you nowhere fast.

"I'm sorry for speaking out of turn, sensei." You said quietly, your thoughts swimming with worst-case scenarios. Midnight sighed again before perching herself on the edge of her desk, running a hand through her raven locks.

"As of this point, Mirio Toogata is taking an extended leave of absence from his studies." She said, tiptoeing around leaks of information.

"What I can tell you is that, physically, he is okay. He needs to be monitored for a little while is all."

The rest of the class broke out into titters, while you stared at your desk.

"What the heck happened on his apprenticeship?"

"Isn't that the same one Hadou and Amajiki went on too?"

"A villain attack?"

"I heard first years were included as well."

"That's enough everyone." Midnight said clapping her hands and silence fell over the class.

"I'm sure Toogata will be joining us again in no time. In the interim, we all need to stay focussed on our studies. Okay?"

"Yes sensei." Everyone chanted.

All except for you.

***

It felt much too long since Mirio Toogata had seen his old front door; its dark wooden barricade just as pristine as it always was.

"At least Dad's keeping the place in good shape." He mused, rapping a knuckle of his index finger on the dark board in front of him.

His ears pricked up at the sound of shuffling feet inside, and his heart started to plummet in his chest.

How was he supposed to tell him that-

"Mirio?" A muffled voice said as a pair of blue eyes blinked behind the peephole. The sound of a latch scraped against its metal cuff and the door swung open.

"Son! What are you doing here?!"

"Hey Dad." Mirio grinned back at the face in front of him; those oval shaped eyes all too familiar to him. "I thought I'd come say hi."

"I'm so happy to see you!" Mirio's father gushed, pulling his blonde haired son into a hearty embrace. "I didn't think that you'd be coming home so soon! Come in, come in. I'll make some tea!"

Mirio's grin stayed put on his face as he followed his father's retreating back into the square building. He crouched to undo the laces on his military-themed boots before slipping into a pair of cozy house slippers.