Secrets [Todoroki]

*Chapter Twenty-Three*

His eyes danced at where her hand had been previously. A large dent was obvious in the doorframe. The gears began turning in his head as he went to go take his seat behind her.

Aizawa walked in not too long afterwards. He lingered in the doorway for a moment, taking in the dent. "Whoever did this, your mom's a hoe."

"What was that, professor?" Mina asked.

"I said today you will come up with your own hero identities." He stood at the front of the classroom.

Miri's mood perked up a little. She never gave her hero name much thought, much like her costume. Having spoken to Recovery Girl that morning for a check-up, she learned her costume will come in within a day or two.

"First things first," Aizawa pulled up a chart. "During the fight, there were pro heroes scouting you for their agencies where you'll work as interns. The picks are usually more spread out, but it seems the audience was biased."

Miri gazed at the chart, noting that Todoroki and Bakugo were at the top of the list with a drastic number of votes. Miri looked for her name on the list, but couldn't find it anywhere. She frowned.

Her eyes lingered on Todoroki's name while Aizawa continued to talk. Her heart was heavy in her chest as she thought of their conversation in the hospital.

She desperately wanted to fix things with him, but how could she? She couldn't outright tell him that her mom only put her in the school to spy on him. But she couldn't make up a lie. She couldn't lie anymore. A lie would hurt him worse. Maybe it was for the best they weren't close anymore?

She rubbed her face. She's said that all year, but yet they still keep finding a way back to each other.

"Your hero names are important to decide now before you go into your internships. To help with that..." Aizawa trailed off as Midnight sauntered into the room.

"Good morning, students!" Midnight smiled. "I'd take extra precaution when deciding your names now. This may be what the world ends up calling you for the rest of your career."

"As Midnight said, your name may decide what you stand for. People will look to you or away from you depending on your name." Aizawa explained. "A name like 'All Might' brings power and peace. However, a name like 'Nightmare' brings fear."

At the mention of Nightmare, Miri's eyes looked away from her teacher and instead out the window.

The class was full of excitement as each of them presented their names. Miri stared at the board in front of her, drawing a blank.

Deciding a hero name seemed like the least of her worries given everything else going on around her, but it meant the world to her. The pressure of deciding it weighed on her. She wanted her hero name to accurately represent who she was.

She watched Todoroki stand in front of the class and present his board. "Shoto." He said.

His eyes glanced over to her. For a few seconds they just stared at each other before he broke the connection and shuffled back to his seat.

Miri gripped the marker tightly in her hand. She wanted to be the hero who saved people. Who protected them. How did she incorporate that in a name?

"Mirianne, would you step out into the hallway for a minute?" Aizawa called out, standing by the door.

Anxiety crawled up her spine as she stood up and made her way over.

Standing out in the hallway, Miri felt uncomfortable. What could he possibly want to speak to her about?

"As I'm sure you're aware, the Sports Festival didn't go as planned." Aizawa started out. Miri's mind flooded back to Hibiki and goosebumps appeared across her body. "However," His voice cut through her memories. "There was a certain number of heroes who wanted you." He held out a stack of papers that contained names of heroes that Miri was familiar and unfamiliar with at the same time.

"I...I don't understand. Why am I out here for this?" She looked up at him, confused.

"There was a hero that specifically asked for you and you alone. In fact, he demanded you. He's a more...private hero. We get heroes from all parts of the world, but his branch is a little more...conservative. It was better to inform you privately of him as he seems to have a connection to you." He handed her an envelope sealed with an emblem Miri had only seen in movies. Her full legal name was printed on the outside.

"The United States?" Miri was incredulous. "Why did..." She trailed off, realizing that Aizawa had left her alone in the hallway.

Miri opened the letter carefully. The note inside it was short with a messy penmanship, an official stamp in the corner.

"Mirianne. You may not remember me, but I remember you. I was informed of your performance in the Sports Festival, and my deepest sympathies go out to you. Putting all that aside, I would request that you take your internship up with me. There are many things you still need to learn and I think your time would be best spent here. It is your decision. Please let me know your answer as soon as possible. Regards. General Anton Reyes of the United States Army's Quirk Force."

Miri stared at the letter. 'You may not remember me, but I remember you.' What did that mean?

She looked at the other papers in her hand. The names she recognized were of heroes that wouldn't need her quirk for what they do.

This Anton guy seemed suspicious, but Miri didn't want to waste the internship on things that she already knew how to do. "I guess I'm going to America." She muttered and slipped the envelope into her pocket.