Affinity

Chapter 1: Yeah, Just do your best, Emiko!

Chapter 1 - Yeah, Just Do Your Best, Emiko!

Panic. That was the first sensation that raced through her body. The crush of reporters and cameras that inched forward, peppering her with questions about All-Might teaching at UA.

"What's it like to be learning from the #1 hero?" A reporter asked from the left.

"Is it daunting to have such a great hero grading your progress?" Another person, this time their voice deeper and from the right.

"Does he smell as dreamy as he looks?" A feminine voice inquired this time, their tone dreamy.

Emiko Komatsu's head spun trying to keep all the questions straight in her head. That last one especially threw her for a loop. 

Can't say I can really comment on that one, she thought sardonically. Her focus on the questions wasn't helped by her quirk working overtime thanks to the crowd.

Her quirk was called Sentiment. It allowed her to sense and manipulate the emotions of those around her. It made being in frenzied crowds like this difficult, and prolonged exposure tended to mean at best a nosebleed, which could lead to a migraine and- at the limits she'd tested so far- loss of sensation in her hands and feet.

She took a deep breath and remembered the advice of her guardian, her aunt Sakura, when it came to dealing with the media.

"When you go pro, the media is going to be what makes or breaks your career. You could be as powerful as All-Might, but one misstep and a dozen articles will reduce you to a glorified beat cop," her criminal prosecutor aunt had told her, her blue eyes looking into Emiko's, whereas her onyx hair was contrasted by Emiko's bright peach-red hair. "Measure every word you say to them, don't give them any room to manipulate your words into something different."

As she exhaled, she found her nerves had vanished, and she confidently looked the reporters in the eye, one by one, as she systematically addressed their questions.

"We're fortunate at UA to have several exceptional heroes to learn from, who can all help us develop our Quirks, and shape our paths as heroes. All-Might is another example of that and my classmates and I are all excited to learn from him. It is a bit daunting to have a hero like him assessing us in classes, but his experiences give him a unique perspective on our development and any critique we get is coming from that perspective, so it's our job to take that on board and strive to improve. As for the last question, no comment. Now if you'll excuse me, I have classes to get to."

She spun on her heel without a further word and walked through the gate and down the main walkway of the campus. She took a deep breath of the crisp and sweet spring air, still mentally pinching herself that she was well, and truly here. It had only been a few weeks but she still wondered if the awe would ever fade. To walk these hallowed halls and to follow the curriculum so many famous heroes had in years gone by sent a thrill through her. The same one she felt every day she came to school.

She found herself walking into class with a reserved smile tugging at her lips as she nodded in greeting at her classmates before taking her place in the left-most row, second seat from the back.

"Good morning, Komatsu," the polite voice came from behind her, belonging to the demure Momo Yaoyorozu. "I hope you had a nice evening."

Emiko offered a wider smile to her classmate, who she'd known since she'd started living with her aunt Sakura. Aunt Sakura was an acquaintance of the Yaoyorozu family, so while not best friends, they'd still spent a lot of time together and enjoyed each other's company.

"It was good! Just worked on assignments, trained, and had a movie night with aunt Sakura," Emiko answered, the fondness for her aunt seeping into her voice. "How was yours?"