Chapter 37

Kenzei was buried on a sunny day.

The birds were chirping peacefully and the sun was shining brightly.

There was a light breeze and the smell of freshly turned earth hung in the air.

His family - a man and a woman, a teenager - were huddled close to his grave.

I found it strange the way they were crying, hugging each other. Was it for comfort ? Was it just to make a spectacle of themselves in front of those who had come to pay their respects ?

I ran two absent-minded fingers over my black mask, making sure it covered my face properly. The line moved faster than I would have liked.

Within minutes it was our turn to pay our respects. My father spoke for both of us in his strong, clear voice.He shook hands with the couple and exchanged a few sentences with them.

My eyes darted to the teenager. He was crying his eyes out, wiping his face with his sleeve and sniffling heavily.

The same hair as Kenzei's.

My mouth opened automatically.

"Your grandfather died to protect me"

The boy looked up at me.

My father stiffened and squeezed my shoulder. The child's parents remained silent.

I felt their eyes bore into my skull.

"He didn't die because of you," he said. "He did it because it was his job. He knew the risks, and so did we"

He was smiling, and it was really weird because he was crying at the same time.

"He died a hero"

I tilted my head to the side in confusion, my eyebrows furrowed. Was he missing a screw?

A hero ? If it had been me instead of that boy…

Dad hurried to finish his formalities and bowed from the waist down. I imitated him without a word.

"Endeavor-san," the woman whispered. "There's really no need..."

I didn't need to look around to know that we were being watched.

My father straightened, nodded one last time, and we walked away.

There were small groups of people everywhere, talking in hushed tones.

Someone approached and announced that the rest of the ceremony would take place in the guesthouse. A meal would be served.

This was also strange. Who organizes a buffet at a funeral?

Another thought crossed my mind when I saw the contemplative look on my father's face as he stared at Kenzei's tombstone.

"How well did you know him ?"

His troubled eyes turned to me before returning to the monument. He muttered.

"He was my instructor when I was in the army"As I wassilent, he added "I enlisted right after I graduated from Yuei. I wasn't sure if I wanted to be a hero anymore"

A small smile appeared on his lips.

"He really was the worst instructor one could have. I don't think I ever hated anyone as much as I did him" Again, silence. "At least I can thank him for reining in the bratty teenager that I was"

"Were you that hateful ?"

It seemed inconceivable to me; my father had all the makings of a quiet force.

"I really was the worst," he confided. "Full of arrogance and contempt"

This time a real smile lit up her face. I said nothing more, satisfied with the way the conversation had turned out.

We stayed for another hour, with a few people occasionally coming up to talk to my father.

He told me a few more anecdotes from his youth and some funny episodes with Kenzei.

By pressing my hand against his, I hoped to give his some comfort. I hoped my presence at his side would be enough, but I wasn't sure.

We finally left in a black sedan.

The window between the driver and us was rolled up, giving us relative privacy.

Apparently my father felt the same way about funeral buffets as I did, because we went straight home.

"I'm sorry," I said after a long moment. You seemed to care about him. He pressed my hand against his.

"You have nothing to be sorry for. He knew the risks of becoming your bodyguard. It was his job"

Then, as a second thought, he added.

"It's not like you could have done anything anyway"

A bitter flavor crept into my mouth.

Was it worth it to let Kenzei die ?

I squeezed my father's hand more tightly.

Yes. Because I was alive.

*

Once upon a time, Haruka Maki had been the best in her field.

No one had ever walked into his treatment room and not come out a changed person.

Except for one.

The taxi stopped on the tarmac of a huge hangar. A large 4 was painted on the front.

Maki paid the driver and jumped out of the cab, clutching her small briefcase. Her heels slipped on the ground and she almost fell. A gust of wind blew her long hair into her face. She spat out a few strands and cursed.

"Hello"

Maki gasped.

She brushed the hair away from her face and smiled. Crow's feet creased the corners of her mouth.

She stammered like a teenager.

"Hello"

The man was tall, very tall. He was two heads taller than her and his golden eyes peered out from under his long lashes. His skin was perfect, poreless, as smooth as a Greek statue. His fleshy lips were as red as blood, parted delightly to reveal a pair of teeth as white as they were sharp. His hair was auburn, with strands as delicate as they were shiny, falling softly against his ivory skin.

In all her life, Haruka Maki had never seen anyone so beautiful.

Her interlocutor's smile widened.

"And you are ?"

He had a strong foreign accent, but she couldn't tell where he was from.

Maki blinked stupidly, her mind still a bit clouded by the man. Remembering why she was there, she fumbled in her pockets for the printed e-mail.

"I'm Haruka Maki, a former psychologist specializing in pediatrics"

She forced herself not to meet his gaze. She was embarrassed enough.

"Mr. Todoroki asked me to come here today to take care of his son"

She didn't mention that she had almost turned him down, retirement be damned, and she didn't mention that she had been persuaded by the mountain of money and one of the many estates in the Maldives that Enji Todoroki was offering her.

The young man smiled as he scanned the sheet she handed him. He looked more like a Hugo Boss' model in his spare time than a truly competent member of the security service. But his shoulders…

Maki felt her mind fogging up and forced herself to focus all her attention on the crumpled sheet of paper. It didn't sound very professional, but in her defense, she'd only received the offer last night.

The young man looked her directly in the eyes and then leaned forward.

Maki's eyes widened but she didn't move, redder than a blaze. He brushed a strand of hair behind her ear.

"There was a small spider"

She returned his unconvinced smile.

"Everything seems to be fine. Welcome aboard the Todoroki private plane, Miss Maki. I wish you a pleasant journey"

Maki turned around at the bottom of the stairs to thank him. But no one was there anymore.

*

She's even uglier than I remember.

Her confused gaze wandered over the Turkish carpet and the leather sofa. She met my gaze and her eyes crinkled like a wrinkled mouth.

All the irritation her mere presence in my life had caused me five years ago came rushing back.

"Hello, Shoto. I don't think you remember me, but we met a long time ago"

I tapped the armrest impatiently.

"I remember"

"Oh ?"

She sounded intrigued. Not wanting to give her any silly ideas, I added :

"I have an excellent memory"

"I can see that"

She set her briefcase down beside her and took a notebook and pen from her inside pocket. She scribbled in it while I waited for her to turn her head away so I could read it.

The doors slammed shut and the old woman gasped.

I leaned forward and she turned her head to face me. I pretended to dust my pants.

"You may remember that we had to stop the sessions last time. Do you remember why ?"

I almost rolled my eyes, but since that would have given her too much material to work with, I settled for observing her neutrally.

"Yes"

"Are you going to be silent every time I ask you a question ? If so, let me know so that I can get down immediately. I'll be sorry to waste both of our time"

I thought back to my father's witch hunt.

Making an effort with her was the only thing he'd asked of me. That, and to stay alive.

"No"

"Fine"

The shrink smiled and her face split in two.

"I'd like to start at the beginning. My name is Haruka Maki and I'm a retired psychologist. Today we're just going to get to know each other and get into the swing of things. Your turn"

"Shoto Todoroki"

She tapped her pencil on her notebook.

"I guess that's a good start, since you didn't even say hello last time"

Her joke fell flat. But she didn't give up.

"Tell me about yourself. What you like, what you don't like"

"My name is Shoto Todoroki. I like to..." fight, my knives, my chakra "play. There's not much I don't like"

"And what do you want to be when you grow up ?"

"When, later ? You mean when we land?"

She laughed

"No, I mean later. When you're grown up"

I shrugged.

"That's a long way off"

Unattainable.

"Have you ever thought about it ?"

"Nope"

"Hmm"

I sensed my bodyguard sitting on a wing move closer to the one leaning against the oar.

Probably to talk.

"It's been a few years since we last saw each other. Can you give me some key points about what's happened in your life ?"

Lying was out of the question, since there was no doubt that my father had already told her everything that mattered. So I was content to play down the seriousness of things.

"My father divorced his wife" sort of "Our house caught fire, so we rebuilt it. I like my school"

Studious, she wrote everything down in her notebook.

"And your brother...Touya, I think? He was problematic. Did your relationship improve ?"

"Yes"

As long as he stays dead, we'll be fine.

"Your mask is new, too. Can you tell me why you're wearing one ?"

I hesitated.

"Nothing you tell me will get out, Shoto. I guarantee it"

I could feel the frozen energy of my four bodyguards. Even over the noise of the plane's propellers, I knew they could hear my heartbeat.

I could feel my ears heating up.

"I... I don't like the taste of blood in my mouth"

She blinked.

Stupidly.

"The taste of blood in your mouth ? I'm not sure I understand what you mean"

Embarrassed, I crossed my arms over my chest and sank into my chair.

I looked at the clouds outside, refusing to meet her gaze.

"You wanted me to answer, so I did. I won't elaborate"

After that, the discussion came to a halt.

Fortunately, she left me alone. But I was still embarrassed to death.

I was even looking forward to getting to Italy.

*

Author's note :

I think you started to get it, but Shoto can be a little bit of a liar at times.

But that's how everyone is, right ? We say we do shit for reasons that seems 'good' to the people we tell it to, but in reality our reasons can be way more egoistical/shameful. 

Otherwise you can thank Samot_Sempai for the awesome review he wrote me on webnovel and because of whom I published this bonus chapter !

...okay, I think he's left now. Everyone, you can pat yourself on the back for the power stones goal met and even exceded, which was actually the reason for the bonus chapter today.

And special thanks to mister JJJ (who I think also used his real name so not gonna say it) for supporting me on my P@treon, Nar_cisseENG

You can go there and read up to 50 chapters ahead of schedule.

And see you in the next update !