Life is Simple, Love is Not (Izuku x Miruko)

Chapter 39: Training Day

"Reliance upon others is a weakness for the strong but strength for the weak. Wisdom and balance lie in knowing your nature over time." – Thief II

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It was the end of Rumi's first day back on the job, and she was glad that it was boring for once. As the sun began to set behind the many city buildings, the rabbit hero leaned against the hood of Izuku's black sedan as the tall field agent bought some coffee from a street vendor.

Returning to his partner with two styrofoam cups of coffee in hand, Izuku handed one of the piping hot drinks to Rumi before taking a sip of his own.

"We have our work cut out for us." Izuku stated bluntly as he idly looked around at the busy city.

Izuku was referring to the overall state of the pro-hero business after Dabi publicly revealed Endeavor's dark past. The information had shocked many, causing the public's support for the fiery pro-hero to evaporate like water in a drought. The massive jailbreak orchestrated by All For One was pushing local law enforcement's capabilities to the breaking point, and the fight against the PLF cells was only getting tougher as time went on.

Rumi snorted in amusement as she waited for her coffee to cool down. "That's a nice way of saying everything has gone to shit. Not to mention all the pro-heroes who are turning into little bitches and quitting because they are too scared to fight for what is right."

Izuku shrugged as a cool breeze whispered through the air. "They say adversity breeds strength. When this is all over the next generation of heroes will probably be the strongest yet. Our job is to make sure there is a city left for them to inherit."

Taking a gulp of her dark brown drink, Rumi stood up and gave her partner a teasing smirk. "I thought you hated the whole idea of pro-heroes. The way you are talking it almost sounds like you are saying something nice about them."

Izuku rolled his eyes and gave Rumi a deadpan look. "I may not agree with pro-heroes, but even I can see there is a need for them. Yes, I think Endeavor fully deserves all the shit he is going through. But that does not mean I want pro-heroes as a whole to die off. I just want pro-heroes to actually live up to the expectations that everyone has of them."

Nodding in agreement, Rumi could not help but admire the view of Izuku's handsome face set against the urban background.

"Speaking of the next generation." Rumi said as she sipped her drink. "Tomorrow is the first day for my intern. Since you are the one who forced me to accept her I expect you to help me train her. You know me well enough to realize that I am not exactly teacher material."

Throwing his now empty cup of coffee into a nearby trash can, Izuku nodded in understanding. "Fine, but you are still the one she is following. I can assist, but you need to at least pretend to be a good role model."

Rolling her eyes, Rumi drained the last of her coffee in one big gulp. "Damn pain in my ass is what she is. The girl has no pow in her at all."

Izuku gave Rumi a quizzical look before speaking.

"Pow?" He asked in confusion.

Throwing her empty cup away, Rumi nodded as she waved her hands about unhelpfully. "Yknow, pow! Like um...what's the word...badassery! If she is gonna be my intern she needs to at least try to look badass. It's gonna look weird if I show up with a quiet and shy girl following me around."

Nodding in understanding, Izuku furrowed his brow as he pondered Rumi's words. "You mean charisma, but yes I get what you are saying. The thing is you can't really change someone's personality dramatically overnight. The girl clearly has some underlying self-esteem issues, and if we go about it the wrong way we might do more harm than good."