A Meeting at Medical [Haruto]

Another day, another trip to the military camp. Honestly, was there a benefit to coming here instead of doing this at school? Other than expert supervision- The teachers at UA were helpful, but busy at the same time. Especially in the aftermath of recent events. Plus, the doctors here at the medical area were always happy to offer some pointers- Even if some of them were rather strange. In any case, Haruto had learned more about his own abilities this week, than he had learned in his entire 16 years of life! 

Even if most of of it was useless, he was certain that somewhere in all this technical data lay answers, possibilities, perhaps a way to better use his quirk. A way to save people, even without being a hero.

Speaking of which, an almost familiar face appeared in his vision. A boy with tanned skin and blue hair, who... Well, his unusual hair and eye color was already more than enough to set him apart from the rest. But where had Haruto met him before? Perhaps from school? UA, after all, did have a tendency to attract all sorts of unusual people. Or perhaps it was his mind playing tricks on him, leading him to think a complete stranger was someone familiar. There was only one way to find out!

“Excuse me, but... Have we met before? You look so familiar, but, I can’t quite seem to place it.”

“Nice to meet you as well, Sean-san. Shimizu Haruto.” Haruto replied, offering a handshake. The name didn’t sound familiar, so perhaps he had been mistaken- But the blue-haired boy claimed to feel a similar familiarity. ”Isn’t that just the worst feeling? It’s driving me crazy!” Just where had they met? And why were their appearances familiar to the other, but not the names? The inability to answer these questions was like an itch in the back of Haruto’s head that he just could not scratch.

Suddenly, the other burst out- Claiming to remember. The circus fire? Immediately, images were called to Haruto’s mind of that disastrous day, of the smoke and fire, and injured people everywhere. ”Ah!” He couldn’t help but shout as his memory was jogged. ”That’s right! You were the hero who collapsed while saving those kids!” Okay, so perhaps the term hero was an overstatement, but that was how Sean had looked to Haruto at the time. But, even though he admired the heroic spirit of the blue-haired boy. ”I can’t believe you just rushed straight back in after! It was just some rudimentary first aid, I’m sure those wounds would have required stitches! Just what we’re you thinking? I’m glad to see that you’re okay, but you can’t be so reckless like that!” Haruto let out the scolding which he hadn’t been able to at the time. Seriously, Haruto had stopped the blood temporarily, but Sean had still lost a lot at the time! Combined with the smoke and his injuries, it would be a miracle if Sean hadn’t turned into one of those in need of rescue.

”It’s one thing to be brave, but being reckless will just cause problems for everyone else!”

Having let out his grievances, Haruto gave a sigh. ”Still, I’m glad to see you’re okay, and seem to have recovered well. I hear that although there were quite a few injured, no one died, in part due to the efforts of people like you.” He let up on his scolding, as it wouldn’t do either of them any good, and it was true that Sean had saved lives.

Being thanked like this was not exactly a new experience for Haruto, but, somehow, this time felt different. It felt like, somehow, he had actually made a difference. There were so many emergency workers at the site, at the time it had felt like pouring cups of water into an ocean- Even if he did nothing, it would have turned out okay. But since then, he has received so much gratitude, letters from the people he had saved coming to UA- Having been wearing his school uniform, they somehow managed to get the letters close enough to reach him. But even the letters, just had a different feel from being told like this, in person, that he had made a difference.

”So, What brings you to this neck of the woods?” Haruto quickly changed the subject- While being thanked did feel good, it was also extremely awkward. He had done so little, how could he possibly be deserving of such thanks? Even if it wasn’t him, someone else would have gotten Sean out of that tent and to safety, he was sure.

Haruto sighed. What more could he say? It was true that Sean had recklessly endangered himself, just as true as it was that he had saved lives. No matter what Haruto said, he felt confident in thinking that Sean would do the same thing again in a heartbeat. That was what made the difference between them, why Haruto felt that Sean was a hero. Could Haruto do such a thing, putting his own life at risk to save others? He, who had carefully weighed how close he was to his limit before treating anybody? No, he was far too cautious to be a hero like that.

“I see.” Haruto replied. So, it wasn’t anything in particular that had brought Sean here- Was it really okay to go to a military encampment for sightseeing? But then again, Haruto had practically been doing the same thing. What with getting dragged around by Elise, and practicing his quirk here instead of back at the school... ”Maybe I’ll see you at paintball. I, uh, kinda signed up for Elise and Darren’s tournament, so... Yeah, that’ll be interesting. I’m expecting a swift elimination in round one, honestly.”

He mulled over Sean’s words. They reminded him of the words he had tried to tell Elise, but failed. That fighting villains wasn’t all there was to heroism- But, wasn’t that true the other way as well? The image of Sean risking his life to save others, to Haruto, that was a true image of a hero. Perhaps even more so than the image of those who had captured the villain behind the chaos. ”I, I can’t say that calling one group over another, true heroes, is accurate. To me, anyone who saves people, can be called a hero, or something like that? To rank them based on how they do it, that just, defeats the purpose... I mean, we’re the good guys, so why do we need to compete? The people who fight the villains, the people who protect the victims, the people who heal the injured... All three are needed. Even the best doctor can’t save the dead, after all, and without the villains stopped, there will always be the need to save more people.”

”That said... A lot of people, including myself in the past, had always thought of heroes as the ones who fight villains. My dream, is to change that. To make people realize that heroes, that quirks, are more than just a tool for fighting!” No matter how much things changed, Haruto had never once lost sight of his dream. A dream of a world where the quirkless did not have to be afraid of quirks.

"Here's hoping," Haruto replied with a wry smile. But it wasn't himself he was hoping had fun- It was his classmate, Elise von Eisenberg, who... Really could use some fun right now, having recently lost her parents to a villain. While Haruto had never pegged her for the paintball type, apparently she had taken to guns like a fish to water... Well, he had his concerns about that fact, but it made her happy. Despite his misgivings, he was just happy to see his friend able to smile again.

As for himself, well, paintball wasn't exactly his cup of tea, but it would be interesting to try it he was sure. "But since my round one opponent is Elise, and even the soldiers have been praising her shooting, so... Well, I'll do my best! Besides, it's a 2v2, so maybe the partners will even things out!" All in all, he just hoped he didn't get kicked out too quickly. How embarrassing would that be!?

Sean agreed with his musing on heroes, which made Haruto smile. "Exactly! Some people are so focused on that popularity poll they put out, but... Saving people shouldn't be about popularity! It should be about, well, saving people! Now, there's a lot of things I can't do, but... There are other who can do them, so I'll just settle for doing the things they can't!" He wasn't Elise, who could just pick up a rifle and become a master marksman in a week. What he was, was determined to do the best he could at the things he could.

"Thanks, I appreciate you saying that. You as well- I may not approve of you throwing yourself into danger, but... You're right that there are people who need to be saved, and I'll be there behind to patch you up when you come back out! So make sure you do come back out, alright?" Haruto wasn't very far into his medical studies yet, but... Even if he was a famous doctor, he couldn't operate on a dead patient! At least, as long as someone didn't die... Maybe he could keep them alive until someone better came?

"Oh, well, that's... Well, fun... Interesting would probably be a better word for it. See, the reason I'm here at this military camp, well... It turns out my quirk doesn't work how I'd thought it worked, so... I'm learning how to use it from the ground up, or something like that? I'm not sure if just knowing will help with anything, but... If I can leverage that knowledge into using it more effectively, that would be nice?" Having been the recipient of Haruto's quirk in the past, Sean didn't exactly need Haruto to explain what his quirk was. "I've also been running the school cooking club... Between you and me, I don't have a clue what I'm doing! But everyone's having fun, so, I guess I'm not screwing up too badly..." He decided not to bring up his relationship with the club's vice president, Ishihara Chise. "What about you? Anything fun on your end?"

"Well, to be honest, I don't know if it was the doctor who tested me when it first appeared that got it wrong, or if my parents had just oversimplified the explanation when I was far too young to understand it... But still, I'm hoping that knowing more about it will help me to curb the side effects somewhat. And, well... Oh, nevermind." It was a ridiculous pipe dream that had arisen from his newfound knowledge- That maybe, he could do something more. Help out more directly, than just as a doctor. And more importantly, more quickly! His classmates would be getting their hero licenses straight out of high school, but, to be a doctor- At least 8 years of schooling after that? So, a total of 12 years before he would be able to save people properly...

But, it was a ridiculous idea in the first place, and he didn't want to drop his worries on Sean. Which was why he was more than happy to turn the conversation to his cooking club. Well, I hope you're right about that... But, even so, I'll give it my best! If you ever want help learning how to cook, or just want a meal, feel free to stop in sometime!" Haruto was always happy to offer a meal, especially when the school covered the costs!

He couldn't help but wonder just how much of the school's money his club had spent. He really should organize a fundraiser soon, since... He had a feeling that it would be a bit higher than the school appreciated. In his defense, he had no clue that the club would grow as large or as quickly as it had!

It's a good dream. I know I always enjoy cooking for the ones I lo- For the people I care about. As I said, stop by anytime if you'd like help." Having taught a few people, Haruto was feeling much more comfortable about teaching. If Sean asked, Haruto would be happy to drop a few pointers.

The sea, huh? Haruto... Well, he was born and raised in the mountains, and had only seen the sea recently. Understandably, he had been a little excited by that. Still, he had never learned how to swim, so... Thus far, he hadn't gotten too close. He and some classmates had been making some plans for a beach trip, but... Well, it hadn't been mentioned in forever and a day, so he was pretty sure it was cancelled. A shame, after all, he would have liked the chance to see Chise in a- You know what? Nevermind.

"I see. Still, there's a healthy balance, Sean-san. Training is important, but, you shouldn't neglect your friends for it! You're still a student for the next few years, so, I don't think it's good to be hasty. Slow and steady wins the race, or something like that? Sometimes, pushing yourself too hard will have the opposite effect."

"Still, I am happy to hear that you feel stronger! If something does happen again, I'll be counting on you! And, at the same time, I'll have your back!" He raised his fist for the gesture of comradeship commonly called the "fistbump." That's right, with his friends on the front line, and Haruto to patch them up after, what villain stood a chance?

Sean: 23 * 2 = 46

Shimizu: 19 * 2 = 38