Chapter Text
Stuck halfway in a ceiling, Hyuse starts to regret every decision he made in his life to get to this point. Technically, his choices didn’t include consciously wishing to end up in a ceiling above a table with a bunch of people staring up at him. Yet here he is. Not to mention the sickening nausea. He can’t even make out the details of the faces beneath him. Some noise trickles in through the ringing in his ears, but he can’t even tell if it’s voices or random sounds.
He grits his teeth and yanks his arm out of the ceiling, grateful he was in his trion body before… this happened. A few more tugs later, he falls to the floor (?) with a loud thump. He can feel a pen digging into his face, and someone shaking him.
“H–Hyuse!” Chika. He tries to raise his head, only for a wave of vertigo to hit him. “Are you okay?” She shakes him again, and he can feel her hands tremble against her side.
He can make out another voice as the ringing in his ears dies down. “Who are you?” An older woman’s voice, and one he doesn’t recognize. Great. He closes his eyes, trying to fight away his nausea with sheer force of will. “What are you doing here?”
“I, we’re, uh–We’re–” Chika stammers, her voice dying in her throat. She shakes Hyuse lightly again, and her fingers dig into his side. “Hyuse! Wake up, please! ”
Head still pounding, he forces himself onto his hands and knees. His eyes start watering as the bright sunlight pours into his vision. Sunlight? He’s sure it was cloudy right before they ended up here, wherever here is. “I’m fine,” he says, even as he wipes the tears from his eyes.
He takes in the sight around them, a bunch of suit-wearing diplomats staring at them and a woman at the front of the table who radiates self-assured confidence. “I said,” she repeats, the fakest smile Hyuse has ever seen plastered over her face, “Who are you?”
“Where are we?” Hyuse asks, grabbing Chika’s arm for stability.
Just then, the door to the room slams open, and soldiers clad in black armor flood the room, guns raised. Great. Just great. Hyuse doesn’t think he has enough sense to fight in his state. “Wait.” The woman raises her hand, and the soldiers lower their guns. His grip on Chika’s arm relaxes, but he still doesn’t like her. “What year is it?”
The question causes his heart to drop. “2014,” Chika says, her face paler than a ghost. He can hear her heartbeat hammering in his ears. His beats at the same rate. He knows that question. A standard procedure for Neighbors who might have accidentally ended up in Aftokrator due to a glitch.
“Ah.” The woman blinks, and he doesn’t miss the shock that passes over the faces of everyone in the room. She recovers first, her smile growing wider. “I see. Well then, that explains it.”
Motioning for the soldiers to lower their weapons, she says, with a smile that Hyuse wants to wipe off of her face, “It seems you've ended up in another dimension.”
-
Hyuse stares at the cup of water in his hand, his reflection staring back at him. Somehow, it looks as if it’s mocking him. Of all things to happen right after they made it to second place, after all their effort and hard work, it had to be “get tossed into another dimension”. At least they landed somewhere where the people who found them understood the situation and what had caused it, and didn’t want to kill them. Of course, the “deal” the woman proposed is ridiculous, but it’s better than the thousands of other scenarios he can think of.
He sighs. According to the woman, the “Hero Public Safety Commission” is an organization that helps “Pro-Heroes” do their “job” more efficiently. “Pro-Heroes” are people who have “hero licenses” and use their “quirks” to help take down “Villains” who are criminals that use their quirks for evil. It sounds like something out of those shows Yotaro loves to watch. And this “Hero Public Safety Commission” wants them to enroll in a so-called “hero school” to help them “get used to this world”.
“Hyuse?” Amatori asks. She’s been quiet the entire time, letting Hyuse do most of the talking. “Do you think Osamu and Yuma are okay?”
“Of course,” He responds. In his pa—his reasonable response to getting thrown across dimensional boundaries, he almost forgot about them. “They’re not idiots. They can take care of themselves without us.” As soon as the words leave his mouth, he realizes how naive they are. Knowing them, they’d do anything to get them back. The thought almost comforts him, if it weren’t for the fact he doesn’t trust Osamu not to do something ridiculous and self-sacrificing.
Amatori nods. “Right.” She still hasn’t let go of his hand. Hyuse doesn’t complain.
Of course, the HPSC actually wants them to enroll in this “hero school” to keep an eye on them and some other motive Hyuse doesn’t understand well enough to know. Still, he and Amatori ended up agreeing to the deal. They don’t have any other choice. Though the added benefit of helping them return home and find Mikumo and Kuga helped. Still, he doesn’t trust a bunch of suit-wearing government officials to hold up their end of the deal.
He watches as people mill around them, all dressed in suits. None of them seem to pay any attention to them, despite the fact they’re the cause of all the commotion. The one person who does pay attention is the exhausted man lingering around, obviously having been ordered to watch them but unsure of what to do.
Amatori glances at him and then at Hyuse. She makes a tiny motion with her head. Hyuse shakes his in return. They can’t risk talking in front of someone they just met. Especially not someone working for a shady government organization. Though the HPSC framed themselves as some “heroic” organization, Hyuse knows the basic signs of government shadiness when he sees it.
Finally, the man says, “Do you two…have any questions?” He says it less like a question and more like a statement, his voice growing weaker and weaker with each word. Most of their questions had already been answered by the president, something he knew.
Amatori looks at him and gives him her best smile. “Um, what’s your name?” Hyuse can’t decide if he’s impressed or annoyed by her kindness.
“Mera. Mera Yokumiru,” he says. “Yours?”
“I’m Amatori Chika. Nice to meet you.” She elbows Hyuse, and he sighs.
“Hyuse.” He crosses his arms.
“Nice to meet you two.” Mera shoots them another glance. “How old are you guys?”
“Fourteen.”
“Sixteen.”
Mera nods. The three of them sit in awkward silence until a man approaches and hands him a file. He takes it and starts flipping through, his shoulders sagging with each page he turns. After a long moment, he turns to Hyuse and Chika. “Legal formalities have been taken care of. You arrived too late for the recommendation entrance exam, so you’ll have to take the regular one, which is in two weeks. Then, there will be a month-long waiting period until the U.A school year starts, where you wil—”
Hyuse bolts up. “One month? We can’t—“
Mera raises his hand. “I don’t know what to tell you, except for the fact that this is the only way the higher-ups will help you and that your world runs on a slower time rate than ours. A day here could be a minute there.”
Hyuse frowns. “Can you prove this?”
Mera waves his hand around. “My quirk lets me see basic information about a person. The age part is specific enough to the point where I can tell your ages are moving at a much slower rate than time passes here. Apparently, being in a different world hasn’t changed how my quirk works on you, but it doesn't mean you won’t biologically age.” He scans Hyuse’s expression and continues. “You’ll be staying at an apartment under my supervision, and I am your legal guardian. You are constantly monitored by the HPSC at all times. In return for the organization’s generosity, you are expected to continue to listen to what they say and stay under its guidance.” He glances back up at them. “Clear?”
Hyuse wants to protest, say it’s not clear at all and it’s obvious Mera–or the Commission–is hiding something from them, that they’re being used, that this position creates an overwhelming power difference, that he barely believes Mera about his “quirk”. In the end, he can only complain about the last one. “Prove your quirk is what you say it is.”.
“Amatori has a blood type of A, and was born February 11th.” Hyuse glances at Amatori, who nods. “Good enough?”
Hyuse crosses his arms. “And how are we supposed to believe you about--”
“The whole time thing?” Mera cuts him off. “You’ll just have to take my word for it. Sorry.”
Hyuse opens his mouth but Amatori grips his hand and says, “I think we should believe him, Hyuse. Do…do we have any other choice?” Her trembling hand rests awkwardly in his hand.
Hyuse narrows his eyes. “Fine.” He hates that the answer leaves his mouth so easily. As much as he wants to leave, he knows they’ve already got a target on their backs. No use trying to escape now.
Amatori smiles but her eyes constantly flit around the room as if something is about to attack her at any moment.
“Great.” Mera claps with all the enthusiasm of someone heading to prison. Underneath his breath, he mutters, “I can’t believe babysitting is a part of my resume now.’’ Hyuse shoots him a glare.
-
The car ride to the apartment the Commission provided for them is awkward, to say the least. Chika stares out the window as person after colorful person passes by the window, all ripped straight from the pages of a manga. People with animal limbs, bright hair, glowing hands, and even a walking mass of tentacles. Billboards and posters line the streets of people dressed in spandex and bright colors, names like “Bubble Girl” and “Dragon Hero” spread everywhere.
She thinks if she pinches herself hard enough, she’ll wake up and realize this is just a terrible dream and she’s in fact, back home with Yuma and Osamu, surrounded by adult figures in her life she trusts and not in a car being driven to a strange apartment by a man who looks like if you poke him, he’ll fall over.
But no, she’s here, with Hyuse, all by themselves with no one to help them except a government agency that insists on monitoring their every move. She watches as a little boy runs up to his mom, waving a figurine and grinning as if he’s just won the lottery. It’s of a muscular man dressed in red, blue, and white, with yellow hair and a wide grin.
All Might. One look at the city tells her this is the Arashiyama of this world, except he seems more idea than human. His face is everywhere, advertising products or in display windows of shops, all proclaiming peace and comfort.
Symbol of Peace.
She likes the idea of someone who can protect the peace with their immense strength and power (because that’s why “All Might” is so popular, right?). It doesn’t change the fact it leaves a bad taste in her mouth. Everything about this world rubs her the wrong way, constantly reminding her that not only are they in another dimension, but one that can’t get any more different than their home.
She shoots Hyuse a glance. He stares out the window, a frown etched into his face. Though Chika is glad she isn’t alone and has someone else with her, Hyuse isn’t her first choice as “companion when you’re stranded in another dimension”. Still, it could always be worse.
At some point during the ride, the sight of Pro-Hero posters and people with unusual appearances blend together. She looks back to the front of the car, her eyes meeting Mera’s as he shoots them a quick glance. He whips his head forward. Despite being old enough to be her dad, he acts like he might faint if they look at him too long. She can’t decide if it’s endearing or concerning, considering he’s going to be their guardian for most of their stay here.
“What’s U.A like?” Hyuse’s voice pulls her out of her thoughts. Right. They should learn more about the situation they’re going to be put through.
Mera’s shoulders hunch. “You’re going to have to be more specific than that.”.
“What are the students like? The teachers? What’s the curriculum? Are there any school traditions we should know about?” Hyuse rattles off the questions with ease.
Chika swears she hears Mera whimper. “The students are all strong, arrogant, determined, you get the idea. The teachers are kept secret, but if you end up in 1-A, you’ll have to be super careful, because the teacher is one of the sharper knives there. As for the curriculum, it covers basic high school education, along with battle training and the like.” He pauses, drumming his fingers against the steering wheel. “The biggest tradition is the Sports Festival. Students of U.A compete on live television, and it’s broadcast everywhere. Anyone and everyone in this city will see it. It even has international popularity.”
Chika glances at Hyuse, who’s giving Mera an odd look. Did she miss something?
Mera sighs. “We’re almost there. You’ll mostly be living on your own, but another member of the Commission and I will drop by with food and such. However, the Commission will be monitoring you at all times.”
“Even now?” Hyuse asks, and Chika’s breath halts.
Mera blinks. “I’m not allowed to say.” Which usually means yes, right? The idea sends a shiver down her spine. She glances at Hyuse to see him drilling a hole into the back of Mera’s head. He looks at her and she tries her best to give him a reassuring smile. He does something she thinks is an attempt at returning it, but he might also be forcing down a sneeze.
The car halts to a stop in front of a rundown apartment. Mera turns to the two of them. “You’ll be staying here for the time being. The Commission is being stingy with its budget lately, even for a couple of dimension traveling kids.” He sighs for what might be the twentieth time since they’ve met him.
Chika gets out of the car and shudders as the wind bites at her skin. It strikes her how desolate the entire place is compared to the bright colors and bustling crowds she saw when they first left the HPSC building. Inside, the building is quiet with no sign of life besides the occasional scattered shoe and plastic bag. Mera unlocks the door for the farthest apartment on the left.
The door swings open to reveal an average Japanese apartment. She steps inside. It’s small, with a kitchen/dining room and two doors, one she assumes leads to a bathroom and the other to a bedroom. Despite the fact it looks like it went five years without proper maintenance, the fact it looks so ordinary comforts her. She prefers the quiet, run-down nature of this neighborhood compared to the city they saw earlier. It’s familiar.
“There’s only one bedroom, but it’s a bunk bed. If you’re comfortable with that.” Mera runs his hands through his hair. “I’ll drop by in a couple of hours with food, clothes, and the like. Anything you want me to get?”
Chika takes a deep breath. “I-If you could buy a lot of rice, that’d be nice.” Anything for a sense of familiarity.
“I’m good,” Hyuse says.
Mera nods and shuffles out the door, but not before shooting them one last glance behind his shoulder.
Out of all the things to finally cause reality to slam into Chika, the sound of a door clicking shut is at the bottom of her list. But it does, and she stumbles backward as the events of the past few hours slam into her, leaving her breathless. It felt like a dream inside a dream earlier, but now?
She’s stuck in a different world with only Hyuse by her side, a government agency breathing down her neck, and no idea what she’s supposed to do.