Finding Me (Todoroki x Reader)

Chapter 36

In no time at all, it seemed, Iida and I had arrived in Hosu City, where we were greeted by the Pro Hero, Manual. I honestly did not expect him to be so down to earth, as I always thought Pro Heroes always had this certain air about them that made them feel above us commoners.

Manual wasn't like that, however, as he took us back to his Hero Agency. He chatted with us enthusiastically, acting almost kind of dorky around us. Whether that was because we were kids or something, I couldn't quite pick it, but I liked it. I laughed at his jokes, making idle conversation with the Normal Hero as we made it the agency.

However, I noticed how quiet Iida was; how quiet he had been the whole train ride and car ride to Hosu City. It certainly was unnerving, to say the least.

"Well, welcome to the agency!" Manual said, spreading his arms wide to put his agency on full display.

I stared around in awe, never having been in an agency before. There was so much going on: phones were ringing, and people were running around, losing stacks of papers as they went. I even spotted a girl a little older than me dashing wildly around the office space with multiple cups of coffee in hand.

"Wow..." I muttered, completely awestruck. "This is so cool! Right Iida?"

Turning to face him, I saw that he wasn't really looking around at all, just mainly at the ground.

"Hm..." was his only response, his voice sounding distance, and his usually sharp, dark-blue eyes were clouded over.

My enthusiasm dropped a little, dejectedly turning to follow Manual to his main office. I heard Iida follow behind me, but I knew that he still wasn't really all there. I let out an exasperated sigh, trying to quell the rising worry building in my gut. 'He's okay. He'll be okay. Just focus on the task at hand, for now, and deal with him later.'

"So," Manual spoke as we entered his main office, where he took a seat at the desk in the middle of the room, "what do you think of the place? I know it's probably not what you were hoping for - the big bustling agencies - but we do some good work here."

"No, no, it's perfectly fine." I flinched a little at Iida's voice, having not heard it for a few hours up until now. The reassuring smile he gave Manual, and how he waved off the matter politely sparked a little bit of hope in me.

Maybe he wasn't completely gone, just yet.

Manual breathed a relieved sigh. "That's good to hear. Well, there's nothing much to do in the office at the moment, so why don't we go on a surveillance scout? I'm due to go on one about now, anyways. You'll have all week to meet everyone in the agency, but for now, let's give you guys a feel for what we Pros have to do."

"Okay," both Iida and I replied, me sounding a little more excited than my friend beside me.

"Great! Go get changed into your hero costumes, and I'll meet you at the front door. Bathrooms are just outside, down the corridor, and to the left. You should find both the girls and boys down there."

It didn't take Iida and I long to change out of our stifling uniforms, and into our super cool costumes. The last time I wore mine was at the USJ, right when the League of Villains attacked us. 'That seemed so long ago,' I recalled as we began to wonder the streets of Hosu City. 'So much has happened since then...'

Even though it had only be about two or so weeks since the USJ Incident, my life had gone on a rollercoaster of events and emotions. I'd learned so much about myself - and my friends - and yet so many questions had arisen from amongst it all. However, I couldn't help a small smile stretching my lips at the memory of Shoto, and everything that went down during the Sports Festival.