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Chapter 42: Tending
🕑 Added 2024-11-19 20:24:10 +0000 UTCChapter 42: Tending
“You’re pouting.”
“No, I am not.”
"(Kero) Yes, you are. All it does is make you look better and attract more people."
“But then we won’t be doing our jobs, but then…arg!”
Midoriya groaned into his hands as they directed another person up the mountain after they posed for a picture with the two, of course. That happened to be the 35th in the hour of being there. Koharu happily gloated about being right and the promise of food that it would entail as she tried to goad him into more bets, which he just ignored.
"You know, you wouldn't have lost if you hadn't taken the bet to begin with," Asui told him. The two looked over the town, trying to spot further tourists they could try to lure in.
"It's just because of the sports festival. People aren't normally this drawn to me." Midoriya reflected as it was just insane that so many, upon seeing him acting so…excited and friendly, it was overwhelming, and if he didn't have Tsu and Koharu to ground him, he would have stuck his entire leg in his mouth by now. Was this what being a hero would mean? Regularly having people wanting pictures with you?
That alone seemed like it would be hard, more complex than fighting villains. He would need to call Hado-sempai and ask her for tips.
Of course, Koharu reminded him that despite how friendly those other humans were, they still didn't touch him or get too close. She made it clear what she was implying as the reason for such, but he ignored it for now. It wouldn't be healthy to dwell on that.
"Maybe so, but it's not bad right now." Asui grabbed his attention as she patted her pants to remove dust or wrinkles. “(Kero) It means more traffic heading up to the shrine, which means more offerings and donations.”
"I mean, it's good, yeah, but…" Midoriya started but didn't want to bring down the mood. Lucky for them, another group approached, eager to speak with them both, so they put on their best smiles, though Tsu was more action than expression. After they posed for another picture with them, they waved them off as they made their way up the mountain.
“Did Koharu say something?” Asui asked him, reminding him that she wouldn’t just drop the topic. "You had the look on your face that you were paying attention to her. Would you like to share?" Sharing a look with the snake, he turned back to Asui and explained her words and how she was being more cynical about things, even if it was based on precedent.
Asui brought her finger to her lip in contemplation. "She's not wrong, but neither are you. I've always found that part weird about people—how they can treat people like us because we're different and don't match what they think is normal." Asui replied as she had long gotten used to how people reacted to her general appearance, including her larger-than-average hands and feet, bad default posture, wide mouth, and so on.
Midoriya's face got pensive as he struggled to understand that. "Why would they treat you differently? You're adorable and one of the best people I know." He said without a hint of hesitation or deceit, as even when he first met her, he thought she was adorable, way out of his league if he would think about her in a romantic case.
Those wide eyes seemed so welcoming, her hands ready to reach out and help, and how she handled being with her younger siblings showed how affectionate and attentive she could be. Meeting her at U.A. had been one of the highlights of his first day there, and each time they chatted, he counted himself lucky to have her as a friend.
"(Kero)," Asui croaked, her face red as she didn't know how to take such an honest compliment. No, that didn't feel right. A compliment was often said because the other person wanted something from the receiver. What Midoriya said was just an observation for him, which just made it hit all the deeper as she looked away, trying to get her red face under control. “Thanks…same to you.”
It was Midoriya's to get a little flustered as he looked away, not speaking for the moment, which Koharu saw was a perfect time to bring up that they would make good mates and that he should ask her. “No, that would be rude!” Midoriya yelled back at her, Asui getting the feeling that whatever was said was something she would prefer not to know.
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“You nearly done?” Awase asked the other three he had been posted with. Everyone else had been given different jobs, but he, along with Kamakiri, Tokoyami, and Fukidashi, had been told to clean the sacred objects and symbols found around the shrine.
"Just about. I'm going to move to the next one," Fukidashi replied as he looked over the bust he was cleaning, removing any areas of dirt that he had missed with his wet cloth. A bucket of water rested at his side.
"Never thought that it would be this hard to clean a few statures," Kamakiri remarked. They had thought it would be simple: just wipe them down with a wet cloth. But nope. They were told to clean every piece of them, and when they tried to half-ass it, one of the Miko smacked him with a rod she just had on hand. Even now, she watched them from the shade.
Tokoyami took the task in stride and was diligent as he slowly and methodically cleaned his bust. Ducking the cloth into his bucket to clean off the dirt, he replied, "One must ensure every speck and stain is removed, and they're as clean as the deities they represent.”
"Then why can't we use soap for this? All we have is river water and clothes," Awase asked, as they hadn't been given any cleaning agents for the task, just buckets of water and clothes.
"Maybe the soap has a bad side effect on the stone—I don't know. Speaking of, I’m going to need more of it! This is too dirty!” Fukidashi replied as they had been at this for a while, long enough that their once clear water was now brown and murky.
At that moment, the other group came through the back entrance of the shrine, the three holding large containers filled to the brim with water. "Good thing we're back with another batch," Shishida called as he placed the containers in the middle of the courtyard so that the four boys could get more—once they dumped their dirty water down a drain, of course.
"It's a lot easier to carry, thanks to Uraraka." Bondo turned their attention to the class A girl who had been assigned to help them. The girl blushed a little but took the compliment in stride as she put her container down and released her quirk.
“Well, it would be silly if I didn’t help with my quirk.” She replied that they had been informed that if they wished to use their quirks, they could do so within reason. "But I did find it weird that they insist that we use river water. Don't they have water in the taps?" She asked; as to the side, she saw a tap just standing there, unused by anyone at present, but the bowl under it was half filled with water that leaked out.
Another Miko who was supervising them giggled into her sleeve. “We do have working plumbing here, but it’s mainly used for washing and cooking. As for why you're using river water, it's only appropriate that the water used to clean items that represent the divine would come from a natural source, one that is free of the human element, such as all the chemicals one can find in tap water."
As she approached, she pulled out a small bucket with a handle and gently ducked it into one of the containers they had brought. Seeing the shine of the freshly collected water, she smiled before she poured it into Awase's empty one. Quickly filling it, she started to fill Fukidashi's and, almost as an afterthought, added.
“It is also a lovely exercise to help keep us in shape, though that is more whoever is assigned to collecting water in the mornings. But the little hike through nature is worth it; it's an enchanting way to wake up and appreciate the smaller things in life.”
"I can't deny that the sights and smells so far from town are a relaxing experience, but I'm sure that if I had to do it every day, I would grow tired of it," Shishida stated. The trio had taken longer than planned because they stopped to look at forest critters and plants they found interesting. Uraraka promised to return to pick some to send to her parents.
"Doubtful. We've been here for months, and each time we do it, it's as magical as the first time." The Miko laughed, but they didn't question her more; once they had their water, they collected it and returned to their, passing by Rin, Tsuburaba, Kirishima, and Shiozaki, who were busy cleaning the grounds. That would typically mean sweeping, dusting, and moping, but as they were meant to clean the entire place, they went above and beyond.
Tsuburaba created solid air platforms on which he and the rest would stand to reach further up than they could. At the same time, Shiozaki's vines got into crevices and the drainage pipes to force out any blockage like leaves, sticks, and anything else they were in there. Seeing the 4 boys pass by, Shiozaki made a comment.
"You might need to collect more water. You're not even halfway done." Shiozaki’s words made Fukidashi and Awase slump.
"Don't remind me. You can at least use the hose." Awase pointed to the roof where Kirishima was blasting away leaves with the hose.
“You don’t need to worry about getting soaked!” Tsuburaba yelled back, though his eyes remained on Kirishima, who laughed at the glare.
"I said I was sorry; it was an accident, honest!" He offered a peace sign, but Tsuburaba still kept up a solid air shield just in case, which only made Kirishima laugh harder. Rin reminded them to stay focused, as it wouldn't be ideal if one of them fell.
"Relax, it's not like a fall from here will hurt me," Kirishima replied as Rin continued to pull gunk out of the gutters. He had been provided with gloves to keep his hands free of cuts.
"I doubt it would hurt Komori, but that's not the issue. What if you damage something? This isn't a playground or a combat field like at school. We need to be respectful and careful," Rin told him, as the roof they were working on was close to a small pond with plenty of décor and a couple of the busts.
"Oh, well, when you put it like that, cool, man. I'll keep my eyes peeled." Rin nodded, happy that Kirishima could be reasonable, further proving that class A's issues were more isolated than the class-wide issue Monoma liked to discuss.
“Great, now let’s finish this spot. Shiozaki, is the gutter cleared?” Rin asked as he pulled the last of the stuff out and threw it into the garbage bag he had made. A vine came out the top of the drainage pipe at his question.
“I’ve sent my vines through it twice now without issue. Any residuals will be washed away.” Shiozaki called back as she pulled her vine free. She looked displeased that her vines were so dirty, but she understood hero work involved a lot of charity and public service, so what if she got dirty doing it?
"You heard her; let it rip." Rin turned to Kirishima, who moved further up the roof to a better position.
“Got it, hey, Tsuburaba, think fast!” Kirishima turned the hose towards Tsuburaba, who was caught without a barrier.
“Mother fuck-!" He braced to be doused, but he remained dry when the water came out. Opening his eyes, he saw that Kirishima was aiming it at the roof and away from him. He was also laughing his ass off. "You moron! What did Rin just say?”
"Oh, come on, I couldn't resist!" Kirishima continued to laugh at him. Tsuburaba saw that Rin had his back turned, but he could see his shoulders shaking. "Rin, I can see you laughing!"
"I don't know what you mean; you can't see my face." Rin's denial was so unbelievable that it would be funny if he weren't the but of the joke.
"We're back! And we bring a bounty!" Tsunotori announced as she led Kaibara and Tokage into the shrine. Having returned from their hunting trip, between the two taller teens, they held a large branch with a deer tied to it by its legs. The animal was already dead. "We shall eat like kings and queens!"
"She's way into this," Kaibara noted as Tokage shrugged.
“Can you blame here? This sucker was taunting us the entire time.” She replied as they had spent almost 2 solid hours tracking this particular deer, and it was like, at times, it would wait just long enough for them to catch up and see it before bolting. Even with her quirk, the creature made perfect use of the tree coverage and rough, uneven terrain to escape them for as long as it did.
"I'm pretty sure I would do the same if I was trying to avoid ending up somebody's dinner," Kaibara replied, as they had managed to trick and kill it. It was a pretty sad fate for the animal, but that was how life worked.
“Well, let’s hope our Pony doesn’t gain a taste for man.” Tokage laughed as Tsunotori continued to brag about the thrill of their hunt, with Honenuki and Tetsutetsu, who were helping put up decorations for an upcoming festival, listening intently to her descriptions, even if she threw in English words and even English sentence construction at times.
"Yes, that would be unfortunate if she developed such an…ill-advised dietary preference. But congratulations are in order. I would have thought you'd be gone another hour and certainly not catch a deer this large." One of the Miko approached. She was older than the others, in her 50s, with her pink hair starting to grey, but her purple eyes remained sharp, and so did the wily smile she had. One that fit her heteromorph quirk perfectly, giving her vulpine-like ears, snout, and tail.
Tokage was quick to soak up the praise for their efforts. “Well, hero training does have its uses. But I gotta admit, it was odd using tricks to track villains to track prey.” She wondered if Vlad-sensei would approve but then figured that he would. As strict as he was, he could be quite jovial and laid-back.
"The real trick was thinking of a way to take it out quickly; it wouldn't have been right to make it suffer," Kaibara remarked, as Tsunotori's horns had proven enough to land an instant kill. A horn to the head and one to the throat, and it was dead in seconds.
The older woman smiled at the statement. "That is an admirable quality, but we don't have time to talk about your hunting exploits. That can be done at dinner. For now, we should get the deer to the kitchen so its meat can be properly cut and packed away." She directed them towards the back of the kitchen, far from the sight of the guests who still walked about the grounds.
"Great, that's just what I thought I would be doing when I agreed to help at a shrine, gutting a deer," Kaibara muttered but still followed along.
“What’s the problem? You like me, I like meat, the deer is meat, so we should learn how to do this.” Tsunotori had no issue with it. She didn't necessarily grow up in the country, but she loved her nature documentaries and cooking shows. The sight of blood and guts of an animal that was to be eaten didn’t phase her as much as it did Kaibara, who looked a little green.
"She's right; what if you need to learn how to catch and prepare meat out in the wild." Tokage teased him, to which he turned back to her.
“We’re training to be heroes, not survivalists!”
"But what if you're doing hero work in the middle of nowhere, and you get stranded. You can't just eat whatever food you brought with you. Oh no, what if you didn't bring food?" Tetsutetsu joined the conversation, laughing as he tired the ropes that held up the line of décor overhead.
"What if you have people to feed? Yes, this is very important." Honenuki nodded along as if he had said something wise. Kaibara smacked his forehead when he saw that Tsunotori, Tetsutetsu, and Tokage did seem to think what he said was wise.
“Thanks, but I’ll stick to the cities. Worse comes to worse, we can hit up a store and pay them back later.” Kaibara replied to his classmates' shenanigans. If he were to take pictures of wildlife, he'd happily do that, but he would prefer his food come ready to be eaten or cooked so he didn't need to worry about learning how to properly remove an animal's hide and organs.
"What if there's a massive disaster and all the stores are damaged or destroyed," Tsunotori asked him, picturing the sight of a dastardly villain going on a rampage and taking out every 7-eleven they could find along the way. How would you feed yourself if you couldn't hunt and prepare game?
“Yeah, a disaster, you’re thinking post-apocalypse!” Kaibara yelled back, as he was sure that only in such a setting would an animal the size of a deer just be in the middle of town.
"Even the wasteland needs heroes," Honenuki told him, as in such a lawless land, one needed to bring hope to the masses and fend off those who would abuse and use them.
"Pretty sure if there is a place that needs them the most, it would be the wastelands," Tokage added, which now even more of their friends laughing at his expense.
“All right, children, we need to keep moving.” He would ignore how even the older woman seemed to take amusement in the situation. As they left, Kodai looked up, helping Komori move some other décor around.
"Kaibara said something about robbing a store. Isn't that illegal?" she asked, which made her brown-haired classmate giggle.
"For shame on him, we should keep an eye on him." She replied as they continued to work. As they did that, Monoma added his piece to things from his place in the small garden.
"Oh, come no, I'm sure he was referring to such actions in emergencies, as when things happen, one can't always find a store that is open or has staff still at their posts." Monoma plucked some potatoes, adding to the basket he was at his side. At the same time, Yanagi, Jiro, and Kuroiro also harvested vegetables or did general gardening work like weeding and watering the place. "But I can't deny that learning how to manage to acquire food like this isn't a bad skill, one that our dear sister class will miss out on.”
"Dude, we're right here, " Jiro said as she pulled some onions. After wiping off as much dirt as she could, she gently added them to her basket.
"A token number compared to the class-wide turnout of class B." Monoma waved her off as Yanagi continued to weed, the girl looking over to the confused and slightly annoyed Jiro.
"Don't try fighting him on it; once he starts, only Kendo or Midoriya can stop him, and neither are here." She told her, which made Jiro mutter something about annoying blondes. Then, she went back to collecting vegetables, moving on from the onions to getting some carrots.
"Don't suppose this is going to be used when they make the meat later?" Kuroiro asked as he watered the patch where Yanagi had just finished weeding. Her quirk made it easy for her to just look and pull, helping her do the work in a fraction of the time.
“I've had game meat before; it's a lot tougher unless you strew it longer," Yanagi replied before they fell into a comfortable silence as they worked. Close by, Kendo appeared from the main shrine building, Yaoyorozu not far behind her as the two approached the outdoor tap, one that had a cup hanging next to it.
Pouring herself a drink, she cracked her neck to soothe some kinks. "It's not as hard as I thought it would be, mainly just kids acting out and boys trying to make a move," Kendo stated as she took a drink of the water, finding the idea that so many would think a Miko would be the best person to ask out.
Shiozaki, who was also coming to get some water, frowned at the statement. "It's shameful that one would see a place of worship as a means to get with others."
Kendo hardly cared about it, letting the slight annoyance wash off her like water. Rinsing out the cup, she stepped aside to allow Yaoyorozu a chance to drink. "I wouldn't worry too much about it. Not like they were pushy, a simple no interested, and they backed off." Really, the problem was less about any guy and more about the fact that there were so many. It gets tiring after the 6th guy makes a move.
"I don't mind it either; it's a chance to meet new people and have an experience while doing it." Yaoyorozu beamed as she had read up on plenty of shrines and how they were managed, but she had never had the chance to visit one, never mind getting this close to its daily operations. For a girl who grew as relatively sheltered as her, the opportunity to have such an outing was worth its weight in gold.
With the place having a little less foot traffic as the afternoon went on, they took the chance to relax somewhat and talk about the upcoming festival, which would be that Sunday. It's to celebrate an old battle that was fought in the area during the Sengoku period, which makes Tetsutetsu and Kirishima hyped as they can picture it: manly samurai clashing to see who was stronger. Others discussed which games could be held in town and what foods could be served.
Sadly, most wouldn't be available for the event, but even helping made them feel like they would experience it. Once the talk ended, they separated to get back to their work. Eventually, they noticed the time as the setting sun bathed the sky in oranges and red, and they saw the last guest leave, and none came up 20 minutes later. Instead, Midoriya and Tsui walked up, explaining that they had turned away a few latecomers now that the day had ended.
With the day's work over, before they needed to leave to catch the train back into Down, they all came together to offer prayers. First for family, and then for Iida and his brother, Midoriya led them in that front before they all went down for a large meal of bread, deer stew, grilled meat, and rice—all food that was prepared in part because of their efforts.
The atmosphere in the dining hall was lively, with stories and jokes eagerly shared. Even Monoma couldn't let such a silly thing as class divide them. He was seen seated next to Kirishima and Yaoyorozu, discussing who knew what, but the trio would share a laugh now and then, so it had to be a fun time. Watching all this, Midoriya had the biggest smile on his face, skipping about, soaking it all in.
So when Tokage reminded them to take a picture, he looked at his phone like it held the truth to life. He had just gotten the message in a newly created group chat; the first message sent was a picture of the entire group, smiles and laughter front and center.
“You like it, Hebimi?” Tokage approached him before Midoriya grabbed her in a hug.
“I love it!” he cheered back, so happy that he lost control and burst into flames, his head turning into stone and flames as his snake-like hair danced around.
“Look, the snakes are back!” Pony pointed out, with a few of those who hadn’t seen it up close eager to correct them.
Tokoyami, who had primarily been silent, if not jovial, through the dinner, looked towards Shishida for an explanation as his classmates crowded around the walking fire hazard.
Shishida, knowing what he was curious about, only smiled. “He has his moments when he gets excited.”
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Well, I learned my lesson from yesterday's upload; with my schedule as fucked as it is, I can't write a chapter of the same quality and length, so this chapter will be shortened to less than 5K words. Next week's chapter will be full-length, provided no other BS comes up.
