Composition

Chapter 3: New York 12-1:00pm

You walk out of the building and hold out your hand. 

"Huh, I guess the rain stopped?" You shrug and let down your umbrella. Walking around the corner, someone walks beside you. They appear to be on the phone with someone.

"Yes, I've seen him. I'm conducting research right now and-" He lets out a big sigh and rubs the bridge of his nose. 

"Yes I understand that, however, your son-" He begins to run his hands through his hair. It was a dark lavender shade, wet from the previous rainfall, and he looked as though he hadn't had a decent night's rest in years.  You decide not to draw any attention to yourself as you unlock the door to the small office. The man remains beside you, arguing with the person on the other side of the phone. Well, it was more one-sided than anything. You push open the door and hold it open for him, and he nods towards you and comes into the building. You turn on the lights, illuminating your tiny studio. It had old couches here and there, all of them a cream white color, a dark green rug in the center and a coffee bar to the far left. It actually belonged to your boss, who was out on maternity leave. She was a young photographer running a local small business; she truly inspired you.

"Yes, I understand. Kota is an extraordinary boy. But he's gone through so much childhood trauma that-" He drops into a chair. He sinks in, the chair looking as though it's eating him alive. "Ma'am, all I'm saying is that it might be the cause of his quirk malfunction and-" He crosses his legs and leans into the phone, holding it with his shoulder while pressed up against his ear. He rubs his temples. "I know he's not the only one going through this. But there's so little data that there's no way we can-"

He makes eye contact with you and blinks a few times. You realize you had been staring and rushed to begin setting up your equipment. 

Is the guy who scheduled the appointment? You wonder. 

Mrs. Shaede forgot to call an IT person to fix her systems, so whenever someone scheduled an appointment, you wouldn't know who they were or what they wanted until they showed up. It was a major flaw, not to mention a serious security issue. Anyone could schedule an appointment for whatever reason, which could easily result in destruction of property if someone ever came to rob the place. And since there would be no records of who they were...

"Excuse me."

You gasp as you spin around. You completely forgot he was there. 

"I didn't mean to startle you, you just seemed deep in thought." He sighs as he slowly stands to slide his phone in his pocket. "Are you Mrs. Shaede?"

"Oh no," You shake your head and approach him, handing out your business card. 

"So you are..." He pulls out his reading glasses and puts them on. "F/N L/N?" He squints to read the small card better. "Ah, I see. So you're her assistant. You must be an exceptional photographer then." You continue setting up the equipment. "Well, I'm really just looking to improve."

He nods thoughtfully. "Why of course. The best way to learn is by doing." He offers his hand. 

"I'm Professor Hitoshi Shinsou." 

The name comes back to your memory as you shake his hand.

"Do you happen to work at Lehman College? Just outside of the city?" He gives a tired smirk. "Yes, I do. Why? Am I included in the media again for some unknown reason?" You laugh.

"Not that I know of at least." He rubs the back of his neck. "Well, that's good then. I'm sure you know, the school year will be starting soon, and the staff need new pictures. I would typically use the company that comes to the school every year, but they always get the lighting wrong and make me look...dead."

You stifle a laugh. "No worries. Not everyone knows what lighting conditions are necessary for the subject to look their best." He raises a brow. "Looks like I found the right person then." He trudges over to the stool in front of the backdrop.

"Just so you know, I've been told that my smile is a bit creepy, so I probably won't be doing much of that." You laugh again. "You don't have to. Honestly? I think this is the best look for you anyways."

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You and the Professor talk about daily struggles throughout the photoshoot. You tell him about Alex, Adelei, and the internship you applied for with Denki Kaminari. His eyes lit up at them mentioning of his name. 

"Oh? You applied for an internship with Kaminari huh." He grins and runs his fingers through his hair again. "I actually went to school with him. Definitely a great guy," He rises from his chair and checks his phone. "He'll definitely pick you up. Especially with your talent. You somehow made it possible to make me look alive again. I'm very grateful for it." He reaches out to shake your hand again. "Hey professor, I've been curious. How old are you?" He sticks his hands in his pockets. "How old do I look?"

You swallow hard. "I'd say...26?" He laughs, his voice deep and impenetrable.

 "How generous of you. I'm sure most would guess 40 or older; but you're actually very close. I'm 24." 

You stare at him in disbelief. 

"I've always looked like this. One of the side effects of my quirk are migraines. Those for sure keep me up at night. You could say I'm an insomniac even." He lets out a big sigh. "Psychology is no joke either. I wasn't in school for as long as I thought I would be, but I'm still taking classes. Not to mention being a pro-hero? I don't recommend choosing this path if you know what's good for you."

You begin to walk to the door. "How come?" He looks at you and smiles. 

"To improve, of course."

Sorry this one is definitely late and a bit short: pretty much a lose-lose for the both of us. I've been really tired lately, and the best time for me to write is a night since I'm doing school all day and I'm most creative at night. I do have a layout for this story planned, my goal is to have about 50 chapters. I don't actually know that much yet. Anyways, you got to meet pro-hero/professor/insomniac Professor Hitoshi Shinsou in this chapter. I can't tell you if he's a very important character or not yet, so I guess you'll just have to find out. 

Don't forget to share this story with your friends~

Oh and don't do what I do and get some sleep, okay? 

Word Count: 1176✔