Quirks and Magic

Inko was in a whole other world of worry. Her children will soon turn four-well, two of them will. That meant a quirk assessment test, or, in other words, a doctor. Thankfully, she knew a friend who was a private doctor. Inko knew that she had to be prepared for anything. As the test could determine if her children had inherited a quirk. She was also worried that they may not be accepted by society if their quirks weren't considered useful or normal. Or if they had a quirk at all.
In Inko's mind, there was another concern: 'Are they going to be one of us? Inko wondered. It was something that bothered her quite a bit for some time. As she thought about it further, a second thought came to her: 'The other four weren't'. Inko's mind was filled with anxiety and doubts as she contemplated the future of her children.
What stopped Inko from further zoning out and bringing her back to reality was a pain in her right arm and a sizzle that came before it. It was a burn mark from oil. Inko took a better look at the situation. She felt relieved that her daydreaming hadn't ruined pancakes for breakfast. The pain and sizzle of the burn mark seemed to be a reminder of what was happening around her, and it brought her back to her senses.
''Gosh, Mom, are you ok?" She heard a voice from the living room. It was her daughter, Naoko. Naoko ran towards her mother, her round face full of worry. She forced her mother to sit on the nearby chair. She moved her blonde hair with green accents to take a better look at the burn. Naoko wrapped her arms around her mother, checking for any signs of discomfort.
"I am fine, Naoko; no need to worry, just a slight burn." Inko said this to her daughter as she was inspecting a burn on Inko's hand. 'She was always thoughtful and caring,' Inko thought to herself. Naoko's concern was evident as she gently touched the burn, a worried frown on her face.
Still, you need to put something on it." Naoko replied sharply. "There must be something on the fridge." Naoko continued as she rose up, walking towards the fridge. "Ma, you need to be more careful; this time it is just a burn; next time it could be worse." Inko chuckled a little bit, to which Naoko gave her a concerned look. "I knew you would give me a lecture one day, but I didn't think it would happen so soon."
Naoko gave her a look paired with a slight chuckle. "Here, put this on it." Naoko said as she was handing cream from the top of the fridge. Inko took the cream from Naoko and applied it gently to the red burn mark on her hand. As she smeared the cream across her skin, a cool and soothing sensation calmed her irritation. "You rest up; I am going to finish up breakfast." Naoko said this when Inko was done with her burn.
"Mom!"
Voices called from the bedrooms; there were two, one belonging to a girl and one to a boy. The girl's voice was louder, indicating that she was closer, and soon after, the voice gained a figure. Inko recognized her second daughter, Rei, who is usually distinguished by her eye-catching green hair with a few red strands mixed in.
Soon after, a boy ran in. He also had eye-catching green hair, like Rei, but instead of red strands, he had silver ones and somewhat less. He was a little taller than Rei, but he looked younger. Inko knew who he was even before he entered the room; it was her son, Sone.
"Mom, tell Sone not to go into my room." Rei said as she came close to Inko. "You took my stuff, and you wouldn't return it." Sone replied to Rei.
Inko looked at the kids with a smile, but Naoko didn't look happy. "Rei, Sone, now isn't the time. Mom doesn't feel fine." Naoko said it in a stern tone. She kept her siblings in order even at the age of thirteen, which made Inko think Naoko would be good with kids.
"Rei, return Sone's stuff to him. Sone, don't go into Rei's room anymore." Naoko continued with a somewhat softer tone. "Check on Izuku and Izuna and stay in your rooms until we call you for breakfast." Inko watched the exchange between Naoko and her children, feeling grateful for her oldest daughter's presence. She knew she could always rely on Naoko to handle the children's misbehavior when necessary.
Inko knew the burn wasn't anything serious; she could just heal it with magic later, like it hadn't happened. She has to do this in secret and with caution because other thinks her quirk is telekinesis.
As Inko started walking out of the kitchen, she asked, ''Naoko, is your brother still out?" To which Naoko jerked back a little. She turned to her mother and displayed an expression that indicated she was trying to remember something. Her face lit up, and she began to say," Enomoto said he would be home by 11."
"Ah, ok then."
"I'm wondering when Dad will return home. I heard him say that his business trip ends this weekend."
''Tonight or tomorrow morning. I'll let you finish breakfast. I'll wash up with cold water and call the other four. Now it's 10:15; Enomoto should come soon." Inko said as she went to the bathroom and closed the door behind her, whispering the incantation. "Herhpha." The wound on her arm began to heal, and the little pain that was there slowly faded away. She sighed in relief as she looked at her arm, now free from the burn. Still, she covered the wound to avoid Naoko's questions. Naoko, unaware of what had happened, was busy finishing breakfast.
After Inko was done, she walked from room to room to call the kids. The four of them emerged through the hallway to see the dining table ready for them all. "I hope I did everything fine, Ma." Naoko said when she noticed five of them coming near the finished table. "You did everything fine." Inko replied as she kissed Naoko's forehead.
The kids immediately sat down when they saw food on the table. However, Inko took her time as she took pancakes and started eating in silence, losing herself in her thoughts again. The kids were as loud as ever over the small stuff and eating most of the food, even her youngest, Izuku and Izuna, the twins.
It didn't pass too much time until Inko spoke: Izuna, Izuku, I am calling the quirk doctor later today. She is my old friend, so expect us to get an appointment sooner than usual." When Inko was finished talking, she started giving a slow gaze towards the twins.
''Is that the weird woman?" Rei whined out of nowhere, surprising them all. Her comment hung in the air, causing an awkward silence to settle over the group. Rei's sudden outburst had caught everyone off guard.
''Rei!" Naoko scolded, giving a soft slap to the back of Rei's head. "First of all, that's rude."
''Rei, tell me why you think she is weird." Inko said to her daughter. Her eyes were slightly cold. Not that she was angry with her daughter, but she didn't like the fact that even her kids thought her friend was weird. Thankfully, Rei didn't notice her cold look. Rei hesitated before replying, not sure if she should voice her opinion. Inko smiled reassuringly and said, "You can tell me I won't be mad." Rei sighed and responded, "She just seems so different, dark, and gloomy." Inko nodded slowly, understanding where Rei was coming from.
„Mom, I'm scared; I don't want to go," Izuku declared in a less energetic tone than his usual lively self.
"Rei, look what you did!" Naoko said, giving a serious look to Rei, who turned her head in the other direction, avoiding Naoko's scary stare, which she knew she couldn't face.
"Izuku, I promise it isn't anything scary. Rei is just messing with you. Right, Rei?" Inko asked, looking at Rei, who was trying to avoid Naoko's stare. She turned her head back in the previous direction to find Naoko still staring at her. "Right?" Naoko asked with a serious face and a teasing tone. Rei could feel the heat on her face but tried hard not to show it. She slowly nodded her head in agreement and looked away, avoiding Naoko's gaze. Inko smiled and patted Rei's shoulder in reassurance.
"I'm home," called a voice that broke the tension. The door opened, and a figure emerged.
A familiar figure is Inko's oldest son, Enomoto. He smiled at the sight of the room. "Eating without me?" he asked in a teasing tone. Inko smiled back, a warm and relieved expression on her face. "Welcome home, Enomoto. How did it go?" She asked, gesturing toward the dinner table filled with his siblings. Enomoto grinned and walked towards his seat, ready to enjoy their home-cooked meal.
"There were some problems; the computer crashed, but other than that, everything was fine. Here." He handed a document to his mother. "The school did all the paperwork after the computer came back online. I can go on the field trip; it's at the beginning of July; all that is missing is your signature," Enomoto explained, showing an empty line at the bottom of the paper.
"You are traveling to Fujisawa?" Inko asked, reading over the paper and losing herself in it a few times. "Wow, to Fujisawa! Any reason?" Naoko butted in. "I think something about history." Enomoto replied. Naoko smiled. "You should take this chance to explore the city. I'm sure you'll find something interesting there." Enomoto nodded in agreement. "I think I will. The teacher said something about the technology museum."
"Are you going just to Fujisawa, or are you going to visit some other places in Kanagawa prefecture?" Inko asked curious. "Sence, when does Tech High School care about history trips?" Naoko posed her own question. Others started asking questions of their own, Enomoto, overwhelmed, tried to answer them all.
They talked over breakfast longer than intended. Inko could have sworn that they were still talking even after they ate everything, including the younger ones, who usually just go off to play and make the biggest mess possible. They all stayed.
Inko couldn't help but feel warmth and contentment in the moment. It was rare to have everyone together this way, and it was a moment to be cherished. Inko smiled to herself, grateful for her family. She made a mental note to treasure these moments, no matter how fleeting they might be.
Inko realized how lucky she was to have such a wonderful family. She vowed to make more of an effort to create moments like this. When everyone was together and to savor these moments for as long as possible. Inko gave a silent prayer of gratitude.
''Mom?"
Inko was now in a slight shock. There was nobody to whom that voice belonged. What scared Inko, even more, was that her vision was becoming blurred and dark. There were black holes and places completely blurred out in her vision. Inko felt as if the voice was coming from inside her head. Suddenly, Inko was back in reality. The darkness and blurriness of her vision faded away, and then an unfamiliar voice she recognized as belonging to her son Izuku.
The moment she regained all her senses in the present. She noticed that she was staring at a photo from eleven years before. She looked at the photo; there was a table in the center, and all of them were around it. The twins were having one of their small fights; Enomoto and Inko were talking while Rei and Sone were eating. Naoko took the photo, so she wasn't in it. The photo was taken before everything went downhill, two weeks before 'that'.
"Mom, are you ok?" Izuku asked as he approached her, placing his hand on her shoulder. "You know you can stay home, call a sick day; there's no need to go if you can't."
Inko, lost in her thoughts and still looking at the photo when she said, "I'm alright, sweetheart. Don't worry, I'm just a little tired. I'll be okay." She turned to hug her son, letting out a deep sigh. She tried to reassure her son that she was okay, even though she clearly wasn't. Caffeine was the only thing keeping her going. If she didn't drink as much coffee as she does, she would most likely faint.
''What are you doing here? Don't you have school?" Inko asked, now aware of their situation.
"Don't worry, mom, Tomeo-sensei is sick, so there is no first period." Izuku replied, not being convinced that his mom's words about her being fine were true. "And I have classes with Aghata after school." Izuku said the last part in a bit hesitant manner. His mom looked at him with surprise, but she quickly hid it and smiled. "Oh, ok." She said. Inko never liked the idea of Aghata teaching her kids magic. However, there was no one else to do it. She herself could try, but she could only teach them the basics.
"Mom, it's 7:23; you need to hurry up if you want to catch a train on time." Izuku said that as he turned around and started walking to his room. Inko guessed he went to get his things for school. That was when it hit her. Izuna!
"Izuku, what about your sister? If she doesn't have her first period as well, where is she? I didn't see her this morning."
The question annoyed Izuku. "She is over at Bakugo's; they are going to school together." Izuku answered, and it was too obvious that he was even more annoyed by having to answer. His irritation was written all over his face as he provided the information. The mere mention of Bakugo's name seemed to intensify his annoyance.
"Oh, okay then!" Inko said, now calmer, and Izuku let out an annoyed sigh. Inko knew that her son wasn't giving her attitude. He just 'disliked' Bakugo because of their rough past. Even though Mituski, Bakugo's mother, was Inko's best friend. Inko's kids, including Izuku, called Mitsuki auntie, but despite this, Izuku still disliked Bakugo due to their rough past.
Inko couldn't, or she wanted to start another argument about Bakugos. So she let it go and decided to switch to another subject. "Naoko and her husband should come for dinner tonight, so don't stay late at Aghata." Inko said as she opened the door. Izuku was in his room. "I am going, and this time, eat something."
"Fine, mom."
Inko was preparing to leave the house, and just before she was to grab the door knob. She remembered it. She remembered Enomoto should be visiting sometimes these days as he texted her last night. "Izuku!" She called, wanting to notify him about Enomoto's possible visit, but there was no answer. 'He probably doesn't hear me.' Inko thought, but she didn't have time to go into the apartment as she would be late if she did so.
She ran out of the house in such a quick manner that many people would assume that someone's life was at stake. As she ran through the streets of Musutafu City, after some time, Inko entered the train station. She put her phone on the ticket reader with the train app open, and the card reader let out a sound, letting Inko in. Quickly finding her way through the station, weaving in and out of the bustling crowd. She arrived at her train platform just in time, as it was 7:52 and the train left at 8:00 sharp. She entered the train and found herself a seat, and as the train began to move, she breathed a sigh of relief.
The train ride for Inko was a daily routine as she commuted to her job in the city. Every morning, she would wake up at 6 a.m. and make her way to the station, often arriving with minutes to spare. She was used to the hustle and bustle of the station, the sound of the ticket reader, and the familiar faces of the other commuters. Inko would often use the 45-minute train ride to plan out her day or finish any work tasks that she had not completed.
The train ride was a necessary part of her day, and she had come to appreciate the time it gave her to reflect and plan. Inko knew that she was to work today until 5 p.m., like every day; after that. She would take care of the twins at home and fall asleep completely tired. But she knew she needed these 45 minutes to plan every day because no matter how similar every day is, they were different and required different plans.
She worked as an engineering manager, and she had decent pay. However, as a single mother, paying all expenses for her six children until they grew up and moved out put her in quite a debt. And it didn't help that Sone went to UA, the highest prestige hero high school in the world. Her debt just grew, and it didn't help that Izuna wanted to attend as well.