Chapter Seven

22K 795 386
                                    

April

~Toshinori's POV~

On the one-year anniversary of Ayumi's death, I met a young quirkless fanboy that I thought maybe, just maybe, might be worthy of being my successor. It all started as I stopped at a convenience store to pick up some chocolates for Amy. I'd downloaded an app on my phone that would help me keep track of her periods so I could make sure there was plenty of chocolates and snuggly things in the house to cheer her up. It just so happened this month it had to coincide with the anniversary of her mother's death. I had no idea what to expect or what state I'd find her in.

I was planning on telling her to stay home from school today and had even contemplated whisking her away to the Tokyo Disney Resort like I had for her fourteenth birthday back in October. Distractions were probably best, but she'd left for school before I'd even woken up. She responded to my worried texts letting me know she made it to school safely and stopped replying.

As I left the convenience store, I heard screams nearby and sighed. I was momentarily torn between letting someone else handle it so I could run home to check on Amy or jumping into action but I just couldn't ignore innocents in need. What should have been a quick villain apprehension turned into a very long drawn out ordeal as the sludge villain that was wreaking havoc disappeared in the sewers. That's when I ran into the fanboy and my day only got longer and more complicated. His name was Izuku Midoriya. He was a fanboy and a crybaby but I was confident he had what it took to become a worthy successor of One for All.

By the time I got home, after another stop at the convenience store to replace the chocolates that got destroyed, it was dark outside. Sighing I hesitantly opened the front door and peered inside. It was dark and quiet in the house. The only source of light being the glow from the TV as it was frozen on the main menu screen of the childish pony movie, I'd gotten Amy, when she got her first period.

My heart clenched in my chest as I saw the table set for dinner for two, completely untouched. Heading into the living room, I found Amy asleep on the couch hugging a framed picture of Ayumi. She looked so small and broken curled into a ball on the couch with dried tears staining her pale cheeks. I set the bag of chocolates on the end table before gently pulling the framed photo from her grasp so she wouldn't hurt herself. She didn't stir as I set the photo on the end table or when I scooped her up into my arms.

Even though it had been about a year since she'd started living with me, she still hadn't made any friends that I knew of. When I talked to her teachers, they all said she was a smart student, at the top of her class but she didn't interact very much with any of the other students. I was worried about her. Ayumi had always been popular when we were in school, she befriended everyone she met and had no problem talking to anyone about anything. I'd always been pretty extroverted too, but Amy was painfully shy and had trouble talking to people she didn't know which made it increasingly difficult for her to find friends.

Even at events I'd take her to for hero things, she didn't interact with other children her own age. Ayumi had mentioned it in her letter so I didn't think it was a new development as a result of losing her mother but it was still worrisome. If something happened to me or if I had to go out of town for any reason, I wanted to know she had someone else she could turn to or talk to.

Amy stirred as I tucked her into bed, her bright baby blues fluttered open. "Dad?" It sounded as if she'd spent most of the night crying.

"Sorry I'm late, Princess." I grimaced.

She smiled to reassure me but her smile fell after a moment as she looked closely at my face. A tissue floated from her nightstand and dabbed at the corner of my mouth. When it drew back, I noticed blood staining it and winced as a look of panic crossed her face. "Dad, are you okay?"

Princess of Peace [BNHA]Where stories live. Discover now