Chapter Text
Patrolling the bustling streets of Musutafu always gave Ochako a sense of purpose. The crowd’s cheers and smiles reminded her of why she wanted to become a hero. She was doing her usual route on a Sunday afternoon for her agency, and she after a few weeks of practice she was going alone. She felt nervous, but she had been doing this for a while.
She waved to a small child, maybe around 7 years old pointing at her, holding her parent’s hand. The child broke from the grip of the mother, and before they could react she came running towards Ochako.
“Uravity! You’re so cool!” the child exclaimed, her tiny fingers reaching out to her. Before she could react, the child’s fingers brushed against her arm.
A sudden wave of dizziness washed over her. Not the same type like when she would use her quirk, something that caused a headache. She could only look up at the child’s parents, who were standing over her with worried looks on their faces before everything went black.
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Ochako woke to the familiar scent of antiseptic. Blinking, she recognized Recovery Girl’s office. Her homeroom teacher sat at her bedside, his usual stern expression softened with concern. Beside him stood a couple— the child’s parents. Between them was the little girl who had touched her earlier, with a nervous look on her face.
“You’re awake,” Aizawa said flatly, leaning back in his chair. “How are you feeling?”
She sat up slowly, rubbing her temples. “A little dizzy, but fine. What happened?”
The child’s mother stepped forward, bowing deeply. “We’re so sorry! Hana accidentally activated her quirk. She doesn’t have full control yet.”
The child, Hana, looking sheepish, piped up. “I didn’t mean to! I just wanted to see if you liked me…”
“Liked you?” Ochako asked, confused.
The father cleared his throat. “Allow us to introduce ourselves. My name is Riku Takeda, and this is her mother, Aiko. This is our daughter, Hana.”
“Hana accidentally used her quirk on you,” the mother continued, “It is a fusion of mine and her father’s quirk. I can sense emotional bonds between people, while he can read the emotions of others when making physical contact. Hana’s quirk is whenever she touches someone, she can read how much someone likes her. We discovered it comes with a side effect, though. When touched, the person is also able to see how much others like them on a scale. The effect lasts for one week.”
Ochako blinked, still not understanding. “A scale?”
“You’ll see numbers above people’s heads,” the father explained further. “It’s like a telepathic love meter. It doesn’t just measure romantic feelings—it can be platonic too. We’ve found that strangers usually range between 40 and 55, acquaintances between 60 and 70, and close friends or family can go up to 100.”
As Ochako realized the glowing red hearts above the two parents’ heads that read 54 and 56, she glanced at the child, which read 75. Her confusion turned to curiosity as she glanced at Aizawa, with the same red heart above his head. This time, it read 79.
“It’s already active,” Aizawa muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Great.”
The parents continued to apologize profusely, offering their contact information to Aizawa in case of complications. Ochako, still dazed, assured them it was fine. She couldn’t blame the child, who looked genuinely remorseful.
After the family left, her teacher gave her a pointed look. “This shouldn’t interfere with your duties, but let me know if it does. Dismissed.”
Ochako nodded, still processing what had just happened. As she left Recovery Girl’s office, she glanced at her reflection in a nearby window. Above her own head, she saw a faint heart with the number 87.
“This… is going to be interesting,” she muttered.