Hey sorry I didn't get this out last week. In recompense I will get you an extra chapter Wednesday.
Chapter 69: Faith and A Kindred Spirit
Cid sat with his phone in his hand staring at a gacha game on screen. He was bored out of his mind and now frustrated beyond belief he'd done 10 pulls already and gotten nothing good. He pressed the draw button, the gacha animation spun, gold light flashing across the characters as they blurred past, then it slowed to a stop.
One star.
He stared at it, blankly filled with nothing but regret for ever playing this game and disdain for the character he already had 56 copies of.
"Stupid gacha games. Why did I let Kaminari get me to start playing this?" He muttered under his breath and was about to hit the button again when he heard the heavy set of footsteps.
When he looked up he saw All Might and Endeavor walking in his direction. All Might was talking like the two of them were best friends and on good terms as fellow heroes. Endeavor on the other hand looked like he would rather be anywhere else right now than continue listening to all might talk.
All Might's eyes landed on Cid and he perked up immediately. He said something to Endeavor, excusing himself, and started over with the clear intention of talking to his student.
Endeavor followed the man's departure and his gaze settled on Cid for a second. Then he gave a short nod, carrying what Cid figured was possibly respect? Cid returned the gesture and Endeavor turned his attention back to the field, getting seated.
All Might finally reached him, and the usual bright energy dipping into something more awkward and weirdly shy.
"Do you mind if I sit here?" he asked hesitantly.
Cid shrugged and put his phone away. "Sure. Go ahead."
All Might sat with the seat creaking under him slightly. "How have you been?"
"Extremely bored," Cid said, honestly. "No one will let me train or do anything even slightly stressful. Especially Yui, she has been going a bit over the top about not exerting myself." he grumbled, clearly annoyed about something. But there was fondness under it.
All Might laughed boisterously. "Ah, yes. I had plenty of the same treatment myself back in my younger days. No matter the time period, people are the same." His expression softened into something wistful. "I also saw it as those people being the same ones who cared about me the most."
Cid nodded. He thought about Yui, Recovery Girl, his classmates, and even Aizawa in his own way. They had all been worried for him and genuinely were looking out for him.
All Might's voice lowered, concern clear. "So how are your injuries healing?"
"Pretty well, I guess." Cid kept it plain. "My eyesight's getting better, but it won't quite be the same ever again. The scars aren't fading, Recovery Girl said something about it being due to how they were made. At least the pain's gone, and my ribs are healed though. Also my Quirk's back to being somewhat usable again as well."
All Might listened intently without interrupting once. "It's good that your physical recovery is coming along well, young man. It would be a shame if it weren't." He brightened again, leaning forward eagerly. "That leads me to a question I had. How would you feel about a replacement arm? A mechanical one, that is. I can get my niece Melissa and a few people I know at I-Island to make you one, if you're interested."
"I'm interested, I'm not going to lie. But I don't really have that kind of fund to support something like that." Cid said reluctantly
All Might beamed. "No, don't worry whatsoever. This will be entirely paid for by me. I'll give them the ideas and have them start working on it right away."
Cid's eye twitched. He muttered, "But I didn't agree yet."
All Might paused then scratched the back of his head, and gave a sheepish laugh. "Sorry, my boy. I may have gotten ahead of myself and… I already told them to start it before we spoke."
Cid sighed. "While I'm grateful for the offer to pay for it, I can't accept—"
All Might cut him off by setting a hand on Cid's shoulder firmly but carefully, and kept his voice low enough that it would not carry.
"Young Kageno, I admire your integrity. But fighting All For One was my responsibility. The fact that you had to at all is my mistake, for not ensuring he was dealt with the first time I faced him. So please, allow me to do something to make up for this. Also it's not as if I get nothing from this. I repay the debt I believe I owe you, and I ensure that a fine young hero will be able to grow into the great one I know you will become."
The conviction in his voice was quiet, but absolute. Cid went still, no one who had ever looked at him like that had done it without wanting something in return. All Might was not calculating, he was not doing this as an investment. He was simply doing this because he wanted to help him.
Cid could not hold the man's gaze. He turned his eyes toward the field and muttered softly, "Fine, if you're so insistent then do what you want."
All Might's hand left his shoulder. The smile that followed was bright, but he did not push any further.
"Excellent. I'll update you if anything comes up."
Cid sat there uncomfortable with the atmosphere so he stood. "Well, I'm hungry now." He glanced at the empty sleeve, smirking. "I'd offer to grab you something, but… I'd need a hand."
All Might blinked, then laughed at the joke. "No need, young Kageno. Go on, go on, ill get something later."
Cid walked toward the concession area, with the conversation with All Might kept replaying in his head. The look he gave him and the complete faith he had in him were stuck.
'That was just All Might being All Might. He sees the best in everyone… right?' It felt just as hollow of an excuse as it sounded 'But the way he looked at me. It was different. Even from Yui, it felt different like she believed in what I would become. But All Might looked at me like he already saw me do it. Like he had seen this play out once before in a different person who followed the same path. It felt weird like he was trying to prevent me from making similar mistakes….. Was he comparing me to himself?'
He exhaled through his nose. 'Ugh. Why does a little praise get me stuck like this.'
He shook his head and kept walking.
Suddenly another set of footsteps fell into step beside him. Cid glanced over and his eye widened slightly. Next to him walked the Number 3 hero who was matching his pace, hands in his pockets, and an easy laid back expression on his face.
"Yo. What's up."
Cid blinked. "Not much just going to get food."
Hawks nodded like that was the most normal thing in the world. "Mind some company? I wanted to talk to you, I've heard a lot about you as of late and it sounds like you're a pretty interesting guy."
Cid thought for a second and shrugged "Sure. I don't really mind."
As they kept walking. Hawks tilted his head toward the field. "So what are you doing up here instead of out there with your class?"
"I already have my license so there's no need to participate," Cid said. "And I'm not back to a hundred percent yet."
Hawks raised a brow. "How'd you swing that? Getting your license early has to have been pretty hard."
"I'd really rather not get into the details." Cid said briskly.
Hawks lifted both hands. "Easy, No worries." He glanced around. "Must be bored as hell just sitting and watching all this though."
They reached the concession stand and Cid placed his order, paid and took his tray. "Yeah. It's a bit of a pain. I'd rather just go relax or something, you know."
Hawks eyes lit up. "Yes, dude, I know exactly what you mean. What I wouldn't give for a few extra competent heroes out there so I could take a day off every now and then. But all of them are just so complacent nowadays." He grumbled the last part under his breath.
Cid answered before he thought about it. "Yeah. That's what's wrong with the current system. When it's held up by one person, no one thinks it'll fail so they get complacent." He stopped. His eye flicked to Hawks. He had not meant to say that out loud.
Hawks looked at him for a second longer than a casual look would have allowed. Then the easy expression was back. "Yeah, you're right. But what can we do? It's how this broken world of ours works." The last part was said quietly in a resigned way.
Cid saw it, not as agreement, but as the person in front of him was not pretending there weren't issues that needed to be fixed. He started walking again, tray in hand, and answered. "That's why we have to replace it with a better one. One that doesn't rely on a single person to carry the weight of the whole system on their shoulders. One that has multiple pillars supporting it that way everyone shares the burden." He paused, then added, drier, "And they get their breaks."
Hawks laughed, genuinely amused, and for a second the image of him just taking the day off and relaxing without worrying settled in his head. "Yeah. That's a pretty good way to handle it."
They were almost back at the stands. Hawks checked the time, then gave Cid a small wave. "I'll see you around. Gotta go do some actual work. But I'll keep an eye on you. You're interesting."
He peeled off toward the exits.
As he walked, the easy smile stayed, but the thought underneath it was quieter. 'I'll have to dig into him some more, there's a lot the commission didn't tell me about him.'